Choose This Day - Joshua 24:13-15 - Joshua: Be Strong and Courageous

All right it goes looking at all of our campuses there before I do anything else. This will go back to the song that we just so you know of our locations bring glory to God forever in two weeks were to celebrate the resurrection, and we are going to Britain be able to praise God and give him glory for ever.

For one reason of the reason is that Jesus Christ lives and we are found in him, and as long as he is alive and we have the hope of life for all eternity before God in order to praise God together in a couple weeks and here's what I want you guys to hear all right there is one weekend out of the year. That is like no other.

Now is rivaled by Christmas but it's not like Christmas and it is Easter weekend. What I mean by that is that we are about two weeks away right now from the greatest opportunity that any of us are going to have to invite a coworker, a family friend.

A neighbor family member into one of our services for the whole year. We don't get another one like this okay and it is not anecdotal. It is in terms of how churches swell every single you know you that we seen it every single year's churches swell up.

There's also resource resource that goes with this and Tom Rayner's book the unchurched next door.

He talked about how on any given weekend. This is sobering. Okay on any given weekend, the unchurched, about 35% of them say if somebody invited them personally. They would go okay that's any given weekend, but on Easter weekend. That number swells to over 80%, 80% of the unchurched that were asked that if somebody asked me to go on Easter weekend I would go and your church or local church right here. Our team our elders are staff men. We try to leverage that okay because what happened is this there were to come in Easter and if we are faithful to invite my family, your family, all of us together to be a lot of new people here that we can. So when we do we start a brand-new sermon series may be called on to the scheme okay every single year at Easter were to start a brand-new sermon series wise so that I can challenge and say hey stick with this new series were to do some special things for kids talk about weekend or network or lunch groups.

The very next week. Why do we set things up like that. We set up like that because there's one weekend. It is not like any other. Okay. In terms of just the opportunity that we have two invite people and so guys who put knees out but I want to tell you, man. We we want you to have these be strategic with these on that you need 100 of them. All you gotta do is come to our office and we will make that happen right every single year about this time my family we sit down we done big numbers in the past motors in the past, I think that we are going to personally as a family try to invite 50 people this year. That's therapist for faith and that's people that are in our kids sports and and you know people we know our neighborhood all that, stuff you guys have people that you need to be inviting as well who is it the God is putting on your heart and if I just said hey they would come if you invited them and maybe God would change their lives forever. The same way that he's changing you week by week. Okay who would we know who would we want to invite.

Let's pray together and MM really get after it.

I'm hoping that maybe in groups in our families, like how can we strategize together. Be creative like kids coloring things for neighbors men prayer walk in your neighborhood college students. High Point Clifton Dorn stormed knocking on doors okay in the dorms and what what we need to do to get creative, but that where in that window okay this weekend is the window all right. It's about a two week window that we get for that and so I hope you guys will take that and run with it as our family is deftly going to do all right. Hey, let's dive in order to be a Joshua chapter 24 today and I'm super excited to be diving into this last one with you guys. I love this series. I hope you have. If you are new this weekend.

It is the last sermon in a series.

But don't feel left out because this sermon can absolutely stand alone because today we see the most famous line, and maybe it's and some ways it's one of the most famous lines in all the Old Testament, certainly in the book of Joshua and working to get into this idea of making a choice today doubt here's how want to start a right. I know every single one of us will raise our hands. We don't have to buy me asking this question. But how many of us have ever wrestled with a question, struggle with the question finally come to an answer to the question, only to realize later we were asking the wrong question but haven't you been there before.

Business people point this out.

You know the right answer to the wrong question is very destructive. Actually the right answer to the wrong question can be worse in a business setting or leadership setting or a team setting the right answer to the wrong question can be worse than the wrong answer. To the right question because the wrong answer. To the right.

The right question at least gives you an opportunity to go back and try to get the answer right. But if you have the right answer and you keep going back to this is the right answer but it was the wrong question. It's hard to decipher that.

Here's where we are today. This is why I bring that out. We come to the very end of the book of Joshua and there can be many in our church across all four locations five different expressions campuses with Espanola okay and urgently people come all the way to the end is maybe even here today and what you're thinking is okay the very end of this I got a make a choice I that's what that's what Josh was in the Senate, choose ye this day okay the old King James version all right and what you think is deftly choice the choice is will I serve you think the question is will I worship what you do realize, I hope this sermon today is that is the wrong question.

The right question is who will you serve or what will you serve many of us think we have a choice in this life. Whether working to serve or not. You do not have that choice. You will serve, you will worship the question is, it will you. The question is who will you you are created from the very beginning of time to be a worshiper.

And to be a server of something, and if it ain't God. It will be money. It'll be a marriage it'll be a promotion. It'll be your kids.

It'll be something else we are built to serve. The question is not, will I the question is who will live or what will I and we see that right here here's the big idea.

We all have a choice today with some sort realize what choice it is. It's not a choice of will we worship or will we serve the choices who will we worship what will we serve – the choice that we need to see if they allow to try to convince you of is that if we are going to serve something anyway which we are, we might as well serve that thing that will never fail us and never leave us and carry us for all eternity. We might as well serve the right thing that we were created to and experience what it means that the Scriptures tell us that in his presence is the fullness of joy to his right hand are pleasures for evermore. That's what we ought to be thinking about when it comes to serving and worship. Let's not if it will never today on the region versus that's all were going into numbers you read on and talk about it and really get to talk about is more okay so these are the two verses.Joshua chapter 24 verses 14 and 15 now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

Put away the gods that your father served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord, and if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers they serve in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house is the big famous line right as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. When we get to the very end of the book of Joshua, which is where we are today we come to a covenant ceremony okay. It is a treaty ceremony eight contract if you will, and what we end up seeing is that Joshua has recounted for the people all of the goodness of God.

He's talking about where God is brought them from the battles that he thought the things that he did on their behalf that they really had nothing to do with it all the stuff you guys guys can go back and read that, but he finally comes to verse 14 to 15 and this is where things get really real. Okay this is the point in a contractual kind of discussion were somebody flipping the page across and there like right this is where working aside and that's what he gets into here and what he says is this hey you need to choose this day who you are going to serve either.

It is to be the God of Israel, or it is going to be some type of other gods, meaning idols can be idols of all we could talk about that going all the way back to Egypt or to be idols of maybe where they are now in the land of Canaan or whatever, but he saying this very basic idea and is the only idea that I want to get across in the entire sermon today and that is this Joshua asked who will we serve not if we will serve. Who are you going to serve not, are you going to serve some of us don't have the question right. We think it's a question of will I serve will I worship the reason that matters is what is it that's how you have in your mind you think that your giving up some massive autonomy to start serving God that you actually have a what I want you to see is that autonomy is already an allusion you are mastered by something something is commanding you.

You were created that way something is bossing you around. Whatever is the biggest thing in your life, whatever is that thing that you have reverential awe for its commanding your everyday that autonomy is allusion to the question right. The right answer to the wrong question is worse than a wrong answer to the right question.

Okay eyes, I mention business earlier business are well when high-power document from the, earlier generation of business are conjured a bunch of books. Peter Drucker meant he told a story about a famed president of GM named Alfred Sloan and that the story goes like this that Alfred Sloan was the guy who everybody knew could ask the right question and not matter, why baby was the president right and and and they tell the story of one day there was a bunch of guys, try to figure out who's gonna leave this next division of of GM and and been a real big Unocal project that they had in this whole division of the company and one guy's name kept rising up to the top, a Mr. Smith and Mr. Smith's name kept coming up and and and and offered Leno Alfred souls listen all this and here's what's being said about Mistress Mr. Smith Mr. Smith is good in a crisis. Mr. Smith is the guy that knows how to keep his head. Mr. Smith is the guy that can get us out of a bind. The second were in a bind and all the all the other people at the table start jumping in and I say man I seen him in a pot. I've seen that exact scenario where he was in over his head and he got out of it and he got us out of a tight spot knows all the stuff that was going wrong and met this guy is the guy to lead us in crisis management situation to which Alfred Sloan so you guys might you have me on this too which Alfred Sloan said hey you guys made a real good case here for Mr. Smith just got asked the question to explain to me how he gets into all these crises that he then brilliantly surrounds right nobody brought up Mr. Smith. A method that why what's the point. Wrong question. The question is and how good is he a crisis. The question should be, how good is it, keep us from getting a crisis right that should be the question. My question for you is are you asking the right question. Do you have some allusion of autonomy in your life as if you're not being master as if something is not commanding your everyday because maybe if you do then if I go to I want to serve God.

Do I want to worship God. You want to be a servant you're already a serve and that's what were going to end up seeing today. Now this whole thing is connected into words and and the first one is fear okay.

Fear leads to serve or to get to that. But this first one is fear, not just one, walk through this thing about what we fear ends up being, push downstream ends up being sort of what we serve a diverse 24 Hummingbird chapter 24 verse 14 again. Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. If you've been with us in the series. This is the full circle is an what was if you remember what what was the what is the first sermon and how may times we said this, the whole idea of the first part of this series is don't be afraid. And the last part of this series is be very afraid. Fear the right thing. You see, the whole idea is don't be afraid. And then we come in the very end of the book is fear.

The right thing. See fear is one of those words were. You have a F or f okay or talk a f or talk about fleeting emotions were some of the feeling of fear were talking about F were talking about something that is very biblical and what we were created to do and that is have a reverential Jeep all a seriousness around the God of the universe, the creator, our Redeemer that both kinda keeps us in a little bit of this position, but also makes us want to run a door, arms around him, much like a father like nobody to know more afraid of nobody want play baseball with more right that's kind of the idea.

I'm repelled and and I'm drawn and I'm serious but there's affection there and this is what the fear of the Lord is the fear of the Lord is a reverential awe. This book starts by telling you. Don't be afraid and ends by telling you be in fear. The right kind of fear of the right God the fear of God is an attitude over our maker how we see him that he's good but he's serious that he that he's mad that he is emotional toward us and that he is tender toward us and yet at the same time he is not to be played with the nest with its it's a hard thing to come to grasp right I think CS Lewis, does a really good job of trying to get us to see this okay and the dialogue that you have in the book. The Chronicles of Narnia and you have this dialogue between Lucy, one of the characters and Mr. and Ms. beaver okay. The other two characters and their talking about the character Aslan in the book and Aslan stands in for God are. He's kind of the God character in this book he sings the world into existence in all this, stuff, and you have seen all throughout the series, but there's this really cool, interplay between Lucy and Mr. and Ms. beaver where Lucy is saying hey okay Aslan she says to Mr. Ms. beaver. I fear that if I stood in his presence to what you're describing him. I might be afraid. And there like Nobody can stand his friends not be afraid, but she's trying understand it and she says back to them, yes. But isn't he safe and Mr. beaver says have you heard nothing that we have said. Nobody said anything about safe.

Of course he is a safe but he is good and he is the king and that's the idea of the fear of God you a quick visit to cyclist and there's a quick drive by here.

I try to connect this book.

But we want to get into fear. The biggest thing in our life. That's with reverential all over the commands or worshiping commands or service, but quickly here. I would just say this, you're the key to not having capital. The key to not having fears in the world is having the right fear of God.

Okay, and I would say like this, F.

F. When we have the F reverential all seriousness deep fear of God. We will, it will help us to combat the f fears that come with this world. We are not just call to pin our hopes and dreams on God were not just call to anchor our joy in God. We are also called to fear him, and nothing else. Now I want you to see the connection though as we get into more of the idea today about we are servants okay we are mastered and I were to get into this more public are fear flows right into our service and that's what he gets into let me read both verses again together and I and and this is that's want one big idea today okay I hope you'll come wash over you give me read again.

Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness put away the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord, and if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve. Don't you understand you will serve.

You do get to make a choice of who or what but you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River and the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Here's what he's asking who do you have fear of prevalent reverential awe is the biggest thing in the world is the biggest thing in your life. What is the biggest thing in your life that's getting at the idea of the fear of the Lord. When you have that in your mind you gotta understand this, we will serve what we fear F. Fear, we will serve what we have deep all over. We will serve.

We have reverential feelings over. We will serve when we find that thing that we feel like we were created for and we chase it that service that's worship. I didn't listen. It all comes down to this, you will serve what you fear.

If your kids success is the biggest thing in your life then you will have absolutely no problem draining every bit of your time, talent, treasure on their social life, school and sports. That's one did not church God Bible shelf. If my kids success is the biggest thing we think raw times were not something is commanding us. What is the biggest thing in our life were created, trays were created to worship were created to serve. If that's the thing or after it will command our behavior. If a lavish lifestyle is the biggest thing to us and we will absolutely go into debt and overwork it how I am perceived by others is the biggest thing in my life. I will absolutely lie and cut others down to build up my reputation and I could go on and on and on, whatever that thing is that is the biggest to us. She sometimes pastors I'm I'm I'm guilty of this, we can break the passes apart so many times I read this passage is begging to have three points okay serve you note for your servant.

Choose, but that breaks apart too much. What we need to do is hang it all together and realize Nonno there's only one choice in this passage, and it isn't will I worship or will I serve the choice in this passage is who or what will you serve because you have a reverential fear over and that's where I want us to start applying this today. All right, it's very simple guys choose to serve God faithfully.

I want to call you to make this choice today you come to the end of the book and you can't you can't see. You have any better than the liturgical books and I'm taken my stand okay and that's what I want to call us to do today. I will call you to take your stand.

Just like Joshua.

Joshua says for me in my house. He said the same vote. Okay like this is where were going, we will serve the Lord, you need to make your own choice, draw a line in the sand, put a stake in the ground. What will I fear F reverential all biggest thing in my life that thing up there like I was created for one of my you say that that is because it will downstream end up dictating how I serve. What is it going to be for you today. Some of us are here today might say hey you know what I want to serve God faithfully and insincerity. I mean both both of those words mean a wholehearted devotion. It means my whole life is given over. Okay you guys have everything is movie came out 2006 I actually dear Clifton Pastor Nico said this is his favorite movie. Okay, I was like man I thought your product will result when it came out okay but but you know it's error in high school lease, but it was.

It is called the prestige. Maybe some of you seen it. I know of any guys a scene, it's Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale before it so it was like a prequel to some, Batman versus Wolverine thing okay so anyway. Anyways is movie about these magicians and the whole point of this movie is taught the whole 20 minutes total devotion. That's the point. What you find out the very end. Okay the very end and and if you haven't seen in about a spoil for you but it's 20 years old your fault not my fault. Okay, so I had the very and you realize that the big magic trick wasn't magic the big magic trick was that nobody knew that the main character had a double.

He had a twin and so they're able to do this magic thing on stage where he walks out of one door and walks into another and it was a twin and you say will that seems like a be real easy, right. Like why couldn't people figure that out loud tell you why, because in the movie.

One of the guys had two of his fingers shot off, but to make it where everybody thought was the same person.

The other guy cut his own to off okay right so lately here's the deal. The whole thing is about total devotion to the craft. Some of us in an unreasonably not have people do crazy things, even for acting or for you making money for a little bit of fame or whatever. This idea of serving in faithfulness, insincerity is not idea of a whole devotion you one life given over to one idea Jesus Christ and him magnified its full devotion now we talk about full devotion.

Some of us in here today might be thing torso meant I would love to be fully devoted but I feel like I'm not in and listen.

Everyone of us for fallen at some point our life. Some of us are are in that like in major way. Some of us maybe are grappling with.

You might say today men are chasing possessions more than gone chasing relationships more than gone chasing money more than God. God is not really sit on the throne of my heart is not the thing that I fear the most is not the reverential awe thing I see is biggest in my life right now. If that is where you are. We've all been there, but you do need to have it, right between the eyes and turns a little bit of a holy 2 x 4 here if you got something that you would say is bigger than God in your life right now that is an idol. We are idolaters at that point. Not hard for us to understand. We were like where's the statute I don't burn incense, whatever.

But you know it, even in places where they do that people understand the concept that I'm talking about you move got out a number want to put something else in one of our our our missionaries in South Asia. He told us or one time about when he first got there he asked his driver. He is this a very polytheistic culture were hit enter, and they did all the arming the statues and all that stuff but yes his driver. Hey, who is your God. Do you follow and that are said. The driver said you know what I thought about that question and I decided that my God is this car unconventional like okay even in polytheistic culture. The car is your God. Yet he said this, he said you know I thought about it and here's the deal. I take care of it all day. I think about all day. I wash it I maintain it and it you know I'm on them in and I spent so much time with it and he said this and then you know what it takes care of me like it pays the bills. It is my is my job. Bennett puts food on the table for my family. May I take care of it and spent all my time with you and think about all day long and it takes care of me and I think this car is my God. As sad as that story as it is crystal clear is is like yeah man that's exactly what that car is to you know it and actually God, but to you and what you have made it that actually is exactly what were talking about. It is an idol. We are no different if there is something in our life that is bigger to us than God and and and what Josh was saying today is hey, you gotta choose your goodness or something. Are you gonna choose not know if you desire just like I do my life to say now want to live my life with God being the biggest thing in my life. The thing they get the thing that I fear the most of the F fairway may not want that thing to be what commands me. I want God to be the one that I serve if that's where you are today and you gotta hear this meant for us to get the idols out of our life they cannot just be removed idols. You'll just remove idols gotta be replaced and here's why.

Because if you remove an idol. What can happen another idol pops right back up. You know why because you are creative in the very beginning of time to serve and worship.

Actually, Josh was there the same thing to us today, God said to Adam in the garden. What you say I'm putting you here to attend this to keep it to serve me. We will serve something if it's not God. It'll be something else.

Idols can't just be removed. They gotta be replaced right. Something can't just go off the throne of our heart God because he put back on the throne of our heart and to do that your we need to see God's great love for us. We sell Grady is, how powerful he is, and we see that in the gospel you think about in the gospel we have a second. Joshua you are Joshua tells us the same thing today, Jesus Christ comes they say very much the same thing that Joshua said meant, love, love me with all your heart meant may be a be a God oriented person.

The way that he's going to get us there is little bit different than Joshua. Joshua was a great example for his people and and I love this. He was an example, we may learn from his example okay. But here's the deal. When Jenny go read the book of Judges is very depressing right when Joshua died in elders of his generation died.

One of the people do. They turned on God in a snap. While Joshua was there for his great example they could follow him. You and I need more than an example, we need a Savior and Jesus Christ the actual Joshua, the actual one that comes to save his people.

He wasn't just an example for us.

He was also our Savior Jesus Christ died for every single time that you and I dethrone God and put something else in that position in our heart. Jesus Christ was the one who live a fully devoted life every single second of his life and yet at the end of his life. He went to a cross to die for all the times that we did it and here's here's a great think is a beautiful thing flipping 312 tells us you know what man Jesus hold on us.

We think will hold on him. He's got a tea is made as his own. Here's what I so beautiful because in Joshua's era. If all you have is an example would not do dies. Everybody leaves but Jesus Christ is the risen Savior. We are found in him and he will never die, and we will live with him in eternity. Having know that he made us his own as long as he is alive. He intercedes for us forever. You and I were created to be an outlet of his love and benevolence for all time is a beautiful truth.

We have a greater Savior truer and better.

Joshua Jesus the Savior.

He's not just an example to us a God that loves us that much. I God is going to those lengths to save us a God who can resurrect Jesus Christ and allow him to have us unit allow us to be united in him and live forever. This is a God that we can trust. This is a God that deserves the number one position in our lives and in our hearts so so I may apply these two ways were done. Number one I got to talk to believer number two I had a serious call to those of us who not stepped over the line yet right. This is serious stuff.

Number one to the believer, I would just say very simply, is the fear of God spilling over into service in your life and and and into what ways is it you is the fear is a reverential of God and his kingdom, and my place in it as it spilling over in your life know you know I think about Joshua here will live in a patriarchal society I and I understand that what Joshua says or what he says meet for me and my house, in a lot of ways that's still very true. The way dad goes a lot of times where family goes we have a lot of young dads in this church right now a lot of young guys are getting married.

Maybe think about that.

Listen, what is the biggest thing in your life and how is that spilling out of your life in a cascading effect and shaping and molding those that are in your household.

I know that we don't have all of your families here that are all intact man.

Sadly, we have single parents, both men and women that are raising kids. God never intended that the Dessa situation that you are in man lean into every single ministry that we have in this church.

If you're not situation. We have a heart so big for you probably can thousand, especially if your single mom. We want you to have a place to lean in with her are godly men to help jump in through groups through student ministry to kids ministry. All that cost of your house, your heart, spilling over into your service you another way to do this. Listen guys I thought about inviting at Easter time but I want to talk to about serving for just a minute. Will our reverential awe and love for God spill over into our service in two weeks. Okay only can only give the numbers of where were at right.

These are big round numbers are not exactly can I just say this helps us really helps me what you think about this right now on the weekend okay just a given weekend is very round numbers. Let's list will see about 2500 people come on the weekend for for just a normal weekend service okay and write a little bigger swings filtering art. Here's what you we have about 500 people that serve which ends up allowing us to have a pretty good experience and service for the 2500 pickup. This is kids ministry. This is in a put in us serving on first.

You know the guest experiences production worship. All that, stuff what here's what happens at Easter 2019 Easter we saw about a 65% jump before the week before and the week of Easter day, 20, 21 we saw about 130% jump right so I don't I don't have no idea. I don't have a crystal ball, but I will say generally I think 80%, a pretty good number. So if we saw 80%. That means we will probably see about 4500 people come on Easter weekend just to give you a little bit behind the curtain here so you understand how serious some of the stuff is we steadily say we need you to serve you see the gap here. Like if if 500 people are not to create a good decent experience for the lost people that will commit if you know of another place where there will be more than one house in lost or unchurched people that show up in one place asking to hear the gospel.

If you have another spot like that.

I will be there okay so so that's what doesn't get that that's what happened to the glory of God here about two weeks. Man this is to give us this type of experience.

If you just cross multiplied to the numbers we actually need about this to serve, which means that were short little bit of math. Okay, that were sure about that is all just call you guys today and knows I hate you know it was this unserved to the point of serving its reverential all that spills over and follow a certain area of my life and I want to make an impact and can we do that even through our Easter services, God, you can sign up on our Easter page views go to Mercy Hill auditors.com there is work. There's a page just says Easter right and one side of this is for those I'm talking to right now the serve with us and the other side of that page is for the I pray dozens that are about to get saved in our services and you need to be baptized right. So let me let me close the service by talking to those now making that transition. Listen as I close, I feel like I need to specifically address those of you who are on the fence you're at your thinking and my step over and serve my step over and worship and what I'm trying to say is that Joshua sang the eyes, you need to make a choice. You will serve, you will worship but who will it be what is the biggest thing in your life. It is worthy of being that in your life. I think about Joshua here and in listen this.

This may not even go over that well.

I think if he was here he would say this guys usually make a choice either got the biggest thing in your serve him or your job or that relationship or your kids or money is to be the biggest thing so go on and get about serving that. But why stay in the middle, what, what, why, put .11 foot in both worlds.

I think that's what he would say today was the same thing you make a choice. We live in a culture filled with ambiguity. People cannot eat any of you notices, people refuse RSVP for anything anymore.

Everything is open anything that is where we live.

Okay what I'm calling you today is like no man we let's be clear and unambiguous culture. What's it gonna be, say this and you can ever say in eternity that you were warned if it is that you choose today and it always comes down to the big three St. Augustine talked about this 500 years ago.

It's always such money or power in some form feels like okay so if you go ahead and choose one of those and I got to be the biggest thing in my life and go after and run up as hard as you can but you can't say you were worn one day. That thing will fail or leave you and when it does, you will be terrified because people were not built to have their God leave them these things are not God. They mimic God, they're not God, and I will call you today to make a choice to draw a line in the sand for some of you guys. I does otherwise normal heart this week.

That is normal heart I feel are there some young families on ordering mentioned this once I feel like there are some young families in our church where it is the young father that needs to stand up and used to say this is the type of family working to be and it's not to be chasing this and that and this and that and yet we sort of do a little bit. It's gonna be like no we made a decision today. The Dupree son Joshua for two months. We heard it all and we made a choice. Maybe somebody northeast. Maybe somebody clicked and maybe somebody High Point today. Somebody needs to stand up and say just like Martin Luther did when he was facing his own death. Here I stand I can do no other help me God. Amen. Some of you needed some price that you just absolutely just save and maybe you need to hear the harsh truth and that is a harsh is hard to hear the hard truth and that is if God is and call you through this series. There is no guarantee that you will even be alive tomorrow or that he will call you tomorrow but as he call you today. You know her. This story one time about God the coast of Scotland. The wave being kosher CVs on TV you know the waves are crashing, this is a flat rock and these guys would tie up they would grab a rope and they will crawl down the side of that rockface and no collect eggs from the goals and then they'll and I'll put them in a bag and no crime. Call right back up. The waves are crashing that you fell down your suck to immediate death. These guys are hanging on by one rope in the sky. He crawls down is gathering eggs and in a fleeting moment of losing one of his meds where he was out for just a minute. He lets go of the rope and it swings out and the way the rope's position like that as it swinging. He realizes man it's gonna swing back but once it misses and goes back it's gonna settle out there and he's on the side of this rock cliff with no hope. And as he is looking at that rope.

He sees a swing up and as it's coming back out. He realizes I've got one shot.

If I jump with everything that is in me and grab on with both hands and I want to tell you today that I rope a salvationist swinging toward you right now we don't really know.

Think about this. We don't like this, but this what the Scripture says what the Scripture says what our God says in places like Zechariah chapter 7 verse 13 is when I called they didn't listen. So when they called night and listen.

Proverbs 1 says they will say they will seek me and not find is he calling you today because of these call you today. There is no guarantee that he will call you tomorrow.

I pray across all of our cams. We value has been with me for just a minute and just close up journals on cost of I know it is lastly were doing it again today and I just want to give you the space to make a decision to draw a line in the sand to drive a stake in the ground to make a choice. Clearly, for God, I don't of the chaos going on your life. I don't of the idols are chase and I don't know what is so big to you right now that is commanding your every single moment and I know believers listen, we struggle with idolatry.

We know that Jesus has us if we put our faith in him for some of you, you've never put your faith in him and today is the day I know that Satan doesn't want this moment he wants to convince you menu. I gotta pray this prayer within you to do this.

Any other time of course he does.

Of course he wants to convince you that make a choice if you want except Christ.

Today, you want him to be declared as the biggest thing in your life. Jesus Christ, of, not as been an example is saved you from all the times you chase idolatry on what you pray after me today just pray this in your heart forgot. I know that I'm a sinner separated from you, but I believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross paid for my sin.

Through his death, and I believe that three days later he rose from the day I met my sin and I believe what Christ is on the cross and his resurrection God and I confess him as the Lord of my life, save me father, for you right now, Lord, I just ask and I pray Lord that we will see the folks in our church that are praying this prayer right now. Gotta take the next.

Gotta pray, they wouldn't rob you of the glory that you deserve what you have done in their life snatching them from death to life. Gotta pray that we can. The baptismal waters Christ name we pray. Amen. You got you got a card that's on your seat.

All of our campuses.

Your card right here. All our campuses and I am and I just want to point this out guys suggest you contact baptize 81411.

Any time you get on our website. We showed it you can do that but for some of you today when Joshua said make a choice, choose you this day, what you need to do is to have traders in Christ to make the public operator will see dozens of you do that were about ties in two weeks menu, just fill this out no matter what campus you guys are out there to be somebody in the lobby of their receiving these today and don't just walk out and say you're going to do it later. The spirit is moving. Don't rob God of the glory boys done in your life and listless get in the water, public right