CHOOSE LIFE

A. Deut. 30:15-20.
400 Years previous to this statement in Deuteronomy, God made a Promise to Abraham. And Israel is on the verge of finally receiving the fulfillment of that promise. Now, they need, is to be reminded about the future possibilities that lie ahead.
a. Moses challenges the people of Israel to “CHOSE LIFE.” Why this choice?
What is the Meaning of choosing life? How important is this choice?
How do you recognize the right or wrong choices you must make in life?
Where do you begin? Choice implies options and responsibility.
You begin by understanding what you lost and how you lost it.
(2) What we lost was “life” The reason we have lost it was the sin of
disobedience.
Rom. 5:12; 6:23.
That’s a reference to Gen. 2:16-17. The sin and rebellion that brought death.
(B) Man was created to live eternally. God wants us to have life and live with Him..
1 Cor 15:21.
Because of his sin Adam brought death to all mankind. But Jesus, by His sinless life brings resurrection and victory over death.
That’s what Jesus was talking about in Jno. 10:10.
b. Did Jesus mean eternal life in heaven or a qualitatively abundant life on earth now?
(A) Could it be that He was talking about both?
Paul wrote, in 1 Tim. 4:8.
Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Take care of it and don’t abuse
it because it’s what God gave you to be a dwelling place for your own spirit.
But that’s all your body is. It’s not the most important part of you.
Your body will die no matter how you fuss over it. You, the spirit being that’s created in God’s image is the only thing on earth that is eternal. When your body dies you will leave it and it will go back to dirt and lifeless matter.
But, God wants you to live the abundant life while in this physical world and in this temporary physical body.
God offers life to those who will be reconciled to Him: the best and highest of this
life and the blessed hope of perfect life in eternity.
When our first ancestor, Adam, turned from God he was dis-fellowshipped by God and sentenced to death. That was the destiny Adam chose for himself and for you and me.
But that does not have to be our choice and our destiny
(B) We have been given the possibility of choosing life that is abundant.
And that’s the point. The life God offers must be chosen.
Rev 22:17.
God has endowed each of us with a free will, the capability of choosing either to accept and return His love or to refuse any good relationship with Him.
God has provided all that His wisdom and justice will allow to give us life. But He will not force us, against our will, to chose life and live.
If we insist on selfish attitudes and conduct that lead to death, God will give us what we want and we will get it eternally.
Rom 2:3?12.
The necessity of choosing life rests on our shoulders. Choosing is the

personal responsibility of each one of us.
2. Most of our problems in our day to day living are caused by our failure to make the correct fundamental choices.
1. We waste much time trying to figure out a way to “have our cake and eat it, too.”
(1) Albert Schweitzer said, “Progress always occurs in taking one or the other of two alternatives. And you do that by abandoning the attempt to combine them”
(1) Spiritually, we can have life or death — but we cannot have them both!
(1) There is an urgent need for us to choose which it will be. That’s the choice God has always given to man, Deut. 30:19.
(2) God loves us and has provided life for us at great cost.
(3) Jno. 3:16-17.
(2) His desire is that we all might repent and come back to Him, 2 Pet. 3:9.
(2) God has done everything He can. Now the choice is up to us. If we insist on death, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
b. But that will be a tragic, unnecessary waste of our souls. Choose life and Live.
c. Acts 20:32.

Spur - 8/12/2001 am