Three Choices For A Wonderful Life - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You have to make if you want to have Jesus set up come to give you life and give it to you upon and yet, as I said last time so many Christian and even more tragically, so many that I know not have. They do not have a life filled with joy and peace have a life don't regret, anxiety and worry, dear Ms. Sykes how does this happen we can blame it on the resources because last time we saw this I said that God said to Peter, he is given us everything we need tending the life God, not some of the stock getting everything everything you need for life.

Everything you need for godliness are provided for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of social monitor located in Metairie, Louisiana going faster now once again he shows up God's word meets our world this past week I came across the book was written by a Yale law professor. The title of the book was risk reason and the decision-making process.

It's not really a book in a normal sense, it's a compilation of case studies and he wrote the book because he wanted to be used at Harvard business school and at MIT I to help their graduate students learn how to make better decisions and so the book as a whole compilation of different case studies. I'm simply going to read one of them.

John is a 32-year-old engineer who loves the Goto estate sales in the printing furniture and other potentially valuable items.

One particular weekend. John find himself in an estate sale in the southern part of the United States. All the items in the house were going to be sold for a single price. John, after doing some research on the Internet determined that the winning bid would probably be somewhere around $95,000 to the house was old and in disrepair. The architecture and antique scattered from room to room indicated that it was probably built in the Civil War era, and John had been a history buff, his whole life and recognized the collection of rifles from that exact. As John continued his investigation. He proceeded downstairs into a damp basement using a small pocket flashlight.

He seasonal rolltop desk located in the corner covered with cobwebs. As John searched through the poorly lit desk. He discovers there's a false drawer and in the drawer a small leather pouch.

John's heart begins to beat more quickly in his blood pressure rises as he begins to ponder what treasury might find John far from being disappointed opens the pouch and finds 22 very rare pure gold coins minted by the Confederacy during the Civil War, to his knowledge, they are likely to be worth millions of dollars. Now John has to make a decision.

What should he do. He has about $10,000 in savings if he sells his car and his house and everything else he owns. He believes that he could come up with enough money for the $95,000 in the winning bid price.

What city do the students at Harvard business school, MIT, then this. They discuss the case study. As discussed, get they say that they one must weigh both the risk and reward of any decision, especially John's and so as they talk about it. They come up with these questions. What are the risks. Secondly, one of the potential rewards.

And thirdly, most importantly, what would you do, the conclusion was the criteria must be based on truth or authenticity.

You really have to know secondly you do have to have a certain knowledge, and John. By the way was very knowledgeable history and he did understand that in the Confederacy. At the very beginning of the war they had minute pure gold coins nominate quickly ran out of money. They decided to start printing money in the paper money of the Confederacy.

As you know is worth virtually nothing.

The third step was it said it takes faith and courage to make this kind of a decision to sell everything that you have and to purchase the antiques. What would you do if you were knowledge open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 13 Matthew chapter 13 verses 44 to 46. The context of the chapter is that Israel has formally rejected Jesus Christ in chapter 12 they want nothing to do with him.

They said is Beelzebub.

Jesus now through parables nine different parables.

There is going to teach that the whole program is going to change that. No longer will he be simply Israel's Messiah but now the message of Jesus Christ is going to go worldwide and he teaches this. In all these parables, but he wants and needs in verses 44 to 4046 talk about the value now of the kingdom of God. He says in verse 44. He said the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again and from joy over it he goes me sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and he bought it.

Jesus, in describing John here though he's describing you and me and what he is describing is what happens when you discover Jesus Christ what are you willing to decide or choose when you discover Jesus Christ what are you willing to do and he says I'll tell you what you should be willing to do the sell everything you have. Because of the enormity of the value of the kingdom of heaven, and of Jesus Christ. By the way, in the aftermath and you read on the book John did it. He made the choice and he became a multimillionaire based on his choice. But Jesus saying something here he is saying that what I offer is even more viable than that in the question I have is will you make the choice, would you make this kind of choice would you be willing to buy the field by selling everything you had or the pearl because without it. Without this choice, there's no treasure and there is no pearl. This requires a new party, total commitment, Webster says concerning commitment. Total commitment is the alignment of one's motives, resources, priorities and goals to fulfill a specific mission and accomplish a specific task or to follow a specific person that would Jesus Christ said I want to talk about that sort of playing off of what I talked about last week.

This morning I want to talk about three choices you have to make if you want wonderful wife. In fact, I'll say this if you don't make these three choices. I can almost guarantee you will never have a wonderful life.

That's how important these choices are now obviously this first one.

I'm going to like in this choice that when you became a Christian, you made this choice you made this choice. You put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and his finished work in the Bible says, you now have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life, and is a good thing to have everlasting life. At the end of this life you will be so happy you have everlasting life, and the consequences of not having everlasting life are unbelievably devastating. So which is viable or choices you could ever make. But I'm not talking this morning about everlasting life. What I am talking about is a wonderful life. One of the choices you have to make if you want to have a wonderful wife Jesus that I've come to give you life and to give it to you abundantly. And yet, as I said last time. So many Christians and even more tragically, so many that I know do not have that life. They do not have a life filled with joy and peace and hope they have a life full of guilt, regret, anxiety, worry, fear and dislike. How does this happen and we can blame it on the resources because last time we saw this I said that God said to Peter, he is given us everything that we need pertaining to life and godliness that some of the stuff I'm giving you everything everything you need for life. Everything you need for godliness are provided for you and he said that comes to my power and you get it when you have a knowledge of me and you acquire a knowledge of me. When you understand and believe my promises to you.

That's what God said and I said the problem was was us God provided all but Peter said, you and I have to apply a certain amount of diligence in fact another passage you said we have to gird up our minds to see gird up our loins of the loins of our minds for action. You have to be committed to this. If you're not committed, even in spite of the fact that in God's given you will make any difference, free for so many of us that's the case, we never get past that I want to talk about two more choices we have to make like you don't turn on your Bibles to Romans chapter 12 verse one Romans chapter 12 verse one and as you see the first word of verse one is the word therefore, as I often say when you see a therefore in the Bible, you have to ask yourself what is it therefore okay it's a conclusion he's concluding now.

You spent all these chapters talking about man being separated from God, all men of sin and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, man can only be declared righteous are justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross and it talks about all these things and then at the end of verse 36 of chapter 11 Paul breaks into a doxology.

He said for from him and threw him into him are all things to him be glory forever. Amen. His conclusion is every good thing that happens to us comes from God.

God gives us everything he provides everything that we could possibly want, not just for eternity but for tomorrow and so he breaks into this doxology. Nieces therefore you and I if you want to acquire this need to make two choices. That's what we need to do and that's what he says, he said. Therefore, I urge you para Colette oh, that's the emotional content.

If Paul were here today hits a look, I beg you make these choices in life you have to make these choices because if you don't, you'll never get there. These are choices that you have to make. Therefore, I urge you, brethren. This is in the choice an unbeliever can make the unbeliever can have this like this is a choice for the family of God. I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice. You have to present your life to God as a living and holy sacrifice, he said that's that's what I urge you, that's the command it's an interesting thing. The word present is Paris to me and it says present, but the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. It was used when priest in the Old Testament made offerings to God. Paul picks up on that and wants to use that analogy.

It's like making yourself and offering.

And that's why we have this language. He said that you offer your bodies.

That means your life a living. He says, and holy sacrifice to God.

Know what's amazing about this is that it's not a present tense. He isn't saying to you and me every morning when you get up, offer yourself to God that you can do that. That's always talking about here. He's not talking about present tense again and again and again. Keep offering yourself to God what is talking about here is an error stance.

One time offer yourself. The God you have to make this decision.

Think about it when you became a Christian, you made that choice at one time. At one moment in your life you chose to put your faith and trust in Christ that moment changed everything in your life.

After that that's what is talking about here.

There must be a moment in your life when you say to God, I'm yours. I offer you my life. I'll do anything anywhere any time at any cost. But I offer myself to you know what's the motive for this. Notice what he says, by the mercies of God, that's the motive. Have you ever thought about that very much.

The mercies of God, I thought about a lot this week I started writing them down. I had so many I didn't know what to do. How many mercies is God given you and I not just his love and his grace. Ephesians chapter 1 Paul said he has blessed us with every heavenly blessing every heavenly blessing is that I give it to them. Peter told us last week is given us everything we need pertaining to life is not given us forgiveness from our sin and eternity is our destiny with him.

He's given us all of this he's given us his powers. Forgiveness is promises his assurance when I thought about. I thought my sins are forgiven. I been imputed righteous because of Christ. I'm in the God's family, son of God. I move in the kingdom of darkness and of the kingdom of light God's spirit dwells me and I become a son of the living God solely by the grace of God provided because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, God gave us so much.

There was mercy.

Shouldn't that motivate us in some way, but apparently it doesn't for so many of us it doesn't fit. This is a very interesting thing because notice what he says.

Then he said it's acceptable to God and he says, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Know what so unique about that is the word spiritual is in spiritual is not the word spiritual word spiritual was Newman taught using Numa spirit is not talking about spiritual this actual word is the word logger costs we get an English word from logic.

They Numa the King James translators understood this and they said reasonable notice to say it that way though. He said, present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your logical service of worship. Consider what God's mercies of God in your life. Why wouldn't you, isn't it logical what God is done for you. Isn't that logical that you would do it.

Notice he says when you do that, that's worship you think about that we normally don't do it, but we redefine worship all kinds of other ways. Not this way. We don't care for this much.

So we divine worship and worship as if I attend church most Sundays I'm worshiping that's worship you worship is liturgy.

If I go through liturgy. That means I worship God. Worship is stained-glass windows are flowing robes. That's worship worship at all I worship is really snappy music that's worship that's really what worship is none of those things are worship.

They can be in the context of worship but worship and by the way this is so important to God. Remember Jesus talking to the woman at the well and John for said God is seeking worshipers of God doesn't have many needs. There's very few things in God is seeking he seeking worshipers because of his grace is love his mercy he seeking worshipers is an important thing to God. So what is he saying here he saying I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, except the word of God which is your logical service of worship. Worship is total devotion to God when no worshipers. That's what it is I'm all in. I'm totally devoted that's what worship is it always begins with this choice. You don't make this choice. You don't worship but forgot to say if you worship to me you better give me to give me. Logically, what's mine I've given you all the mercies all the grace all the love how you present yourself to me, that's what worship really is and he goes and then to the next choice. The third choice and he tells it's it's in two spots what not doing what to do with what he says. In verse two, he says, and then we continue my idea. Do not be conformed to this world. This is part of the choice. This is the second part do not. He says be conformed to this world not is the word maybe strongest negative to the Greeks. He said absolutely. Do not be conformed to this world. The word conformed is Sue's commit to. So it means an outward expression that doesn't really reflect what's going on the inside and this is really a neat play on words or what he does here is a do not allow the world to make you look like your of the world because that's not who you are, your child of God. Your new creature in Christ all the old things are passed away. That's who you are and the inside. He said don't let the world make you look like you're one of them.

Whatever you do don't let that happen. Don't be conformed. JB Phillips in his great paraphrase. The Greek scholar said don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. This is hard for us. Kenneth Weise the New Testament scholar says stop assuming an outward expression which is patterned after this world and expression which does not come from, nor is representative of what you are in your inner being is a regenerated child of God. This is what we fail we don't do it. We allow the world to squeeze us into its moral its mold and we look just like the world in the New Testament, there was only one church. It did and I was a church of Corinth. It was the worst church and Paul said, you know, when I look at you.

People in the lives that you live. I can tell any difference tween you and unbelievers at all.

I just don't see it actually called them the word carnal. They were carnal Christians. He said you look just like people in the world.

Every study that's done every poll that's done the last four years, says the church in America is exactly like that. We look just like the unsaved world in every way they can measure. We divorce at the same rate. We abuse our children at the same rate were under psychotherapy at the same rate almost everything about us words materialistic at the same rate were just like them. We been conformed.

They squeezed us into the mold and it all happens between our ears.

This is where it happens, will come back here but go with me now. The second Corinthians chapter 10 second Corinthians chapter 10 in verse three. Listen to what Paul says Paul says this, he said, for though we walk in the flesh. That means we live in the real world. You and I live in the real world will real people in the room were we just walk around in the flesh. He said we do not war according to the flesh, that's not where our battle is he goes on, he says for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses we are destroying the watch speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.

We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Where's the war between arrears the wars. How do you think were trying to destroy. As he says here speculations of what the world says you see that's hard for us. God says consider everyone else is more important and you are the world says look out for number one in your number one see which one we do more often. Which one do we allow to be part of our lives, we can form to the world. The only time were different in the world is are probably sleeping golf and this morning you're sitting there like that's the difference but has to be more than it has to be much more than that pastor broke apart the radio ministry of fellowship, nor if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember that you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on today's broadcast.

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