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.
Thats 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.
Thats 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
dont abuse
it because its what God gave you to be a dwelling place
for your own spirit.
But thats all your body is. Its not the most important
part of you.
Your body will die no matter how you fuss over it. You, the spirit
being thats created in Gods 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 thats 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.
Thats 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
|