Choose You Whom You Will Serve

Let's pray together. Father, we worship and adore you, Lord Jesus. We acknowledge that you are worthy of all of our praise, all of our days, all of our life, Lord. Father, today we just do ask in the precious name of Jesus that you would, in your loving kindness and in your goodness, speak to us, Lord, and visit us here today with your presence. Father, I pray, wash me in the precious blood of Jesus from all self, from all that would hinder in any way, and have your way in my heart and life. And Father, I pray you would bless each of these dear young people and each one present here today. And Father, that we would receive life from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that today would be a day of victory for Jesus and a day of defeat for the devil, that liar, that thief, that destroyer, that he would be defeated. Father, I pray that today would be a day of honesty and humility before the Lord. I ask this in Jesus Christ's name, amen. You may be seated. Thank you to each of you for your presence here today, giving me the opportunity to share. It's a real privilege and a real honor. It's been a couple of months for sure, but especially in the last couple of weeks that the Lord was just really ministering to my heart and just a real desire to see each of us and especially our young people to know the Lord in a deep, meaningful way, to know that God is good. Psalm 34, O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O taste and see that the Lord is good. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. There is no want to those that fear the Lord. Psalm 36, How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wing. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house. The Lord is good. The Lord is good. You know, that was one of the ways the enemy came to Adam and Eve there in the garden to question the goodness of God. The Lord is good. They that put their trust in him shall be abundantly satisfied. You know, there's no other place on earth where there is a greater satisfaction than to be in the presence of the Lord and in relationship with the Lord. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house. Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. Oh, in the house of the Lord there are pleasures. At the right hand of the Lord there are pleasures forevermore. For with thee is the fountain of life. The prophet Jeremiah, speaking about the new covenant, said that the Lord will gather those that he scattered. He will gather them and he will shepherd his flock. He will redeem them. And he says their soul shall be as a watered garden, Jeremiah 31, 12. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old men together. For I will turn their mourning to joy. I will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priest with fatness. And my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. My people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. Psalm 84, no good thing will the Lord hold from them that walk uprightly. He will not withhold any good thing for those that walk uprightly. So I was thinking about sharing. I thought of the goodness of God and the greatness of our God. And thinking about how that the enemy of our soul seeks to destroy and to kill. It says here that Jesus is come, that we might have life and have it more abundantly. But we have an enemy. There is a thief that is come to kill and to destroy and to steal. One of the ways that the devil works is through challenging God and the goodness of God and proclaiming lies. It tells us in John 8, 43, Jesus said, why do you not understand my speech, even because you cannot hear my word? For you are of your father, the devil. And the lust of your father will you do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own. For he is a liar and the father of it. Don't have this in my notes, but I think of Paul when he was speaking to the Corinthian believers. He said, I really have a desire that you would know the truth of the gospel and that you would not be moved away from the confidence that is in the gospel and in Christ. He said, I'm concerned for you lest that you be moved away from that confidence and that the enemy, that subtle deceiver, deceive your hearts and move you away from Christ. He said, I have espoused you as a chaste virgin to Christ. And as I was thinking of just the desire for the well-being of each of you and your spiritual prosperity and that you would know the love of Christ in a deep, rich way, in deep fellowship and communion with Jesus, I thought of it that there is a real potential here this morning, a real possibility that some are in the valley of decision. Like in Joel chapter 3, he says, multitudes and multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near. The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. So I was thinking about bringing this word. I just said, oh, Lord, could I just be so out of the way that you can just talk to us like a father? You can talk to us, Lord. We want to hear what you have to say. You know, maybe you're wondering, is it really, is it really worth it to give everything up for Jesus, to just throw my whole lot in with Jesus, surrender my all to Jesus? And the enemy is lying to you, he's whispering in your ear, but then you can't do the things that you want to do. Your life will be boring. Your life will be unfulfilling if you surrender all to Jesus. I tell you today, the devil is a liar. He hasn't changed his tactic from the beginning. Like he told Adam and Eve, you know God's holding out on you. He doesn't want you to eat of that one tree, because he knows that if you eat of that tree, you're going to find some real meaning to life, some real liberty in yourself. You will become wise, you will become like gods. You will be able to be in control of your own life. God's withholding something good from you. But the devil's a liar. I believe there is a lot, I'm hopeful, and I have confidence, I believe there's quite a few of you who your heart is right wide open to God. You're saying, I want everything. I want that abundant life that Christ has for me. I am surrendered to Jesus. But I thought there may be some here this morning that have given place to the devil and allowed the enemy's lies to persuade you to just hold back from a full surrender. To just hold back from giving it all to Jesus. I want to be in that driver's seat and control the outcome. I want to direct my life. Maybe there's some that are in the valley of decision. You know things aren't right. Maybe you're in the valley of decision, questioning whether you want to live for God or live for self and the devil. There was a showdown one day in Israel. Elijah, the prophet of God, was met by Ahab, king of Israel, and he said, are you the troubler of Israel? He answered, I haven't troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house. You are the ones who are troubling Israel because you have forsaken the commandment of the Lord and you have followed Balaam. Elijah gathered all the prophets of Baal, all the people together there on Mount Carmel. 450 prophets of Baal and of the prophets of the groves, 400 which did eat at Jezebel's table. And he gathered them all together at Mount Carmel and Elijah came unto the people and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? You see there was still some form of worship going on in Israel. The people of God, they were still having church, as it were. They were still going through the motions. Sacrifice to Baal over in the groves, then gather to sacrifice unto the Lord. They were halting between two opinions. They were hanging in the balance. Multitudes in the valley of decision. How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. You know, Jesus said it this way. He said, no man can serve two masters. You cannot serve God the Father and mammon. You can't serve God and self or serve God and have other loves, other things that captivate your heart. The things that are highly esteemed among men, important to you. How long halt ye between two opinions? Another example is Joshua, where he called the people there to choose this day whom ye will serve. Are you going to serve the Lord God of heaven? Or are you going to serve the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood in Egypt? Choose you this day whom you will serve. Of course, we know that great statement that has been written on plaques and painted on all different places. You can buy them on mottos and so forth. As for me in my house, Joshua said, we will serve the Lord. Joshua was calling them to commitment. The people recalled how that God did great and mighty works in bringing them out of the land of Egypt with great signs and how he preserved them in the way and how the Lord drave out their enemies and gave them inheritance. And Joshua said to the people, you cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God and jealous. If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you. But the people said, but nay, we will serve the Lord. And Joshua said to the people, alright, you are choosing and committing to serve the Lord. You have chosen to serve the Lord. Verse 23 of Joshua 24. Now therefore put away, he said, the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart to the Lord. Put away the strange gods. For God is a jealous God. He is a holy God. You cannot serve the gods of this world and the God of heaven, the Lord of lords. It's sort of amazing to me how that somehow, myself included at times, you know, think that somehow I can serve the Lord and maybe also a little bit, just a little bit, dip into the kingdoms of this world and the gods of this world. But Joshua said, you cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God. If you're choosing the Lord, then you must put away your strange gods which are among you. Paul writing to the Corinthian church said, do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial or Satan? What part has he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? Maybe get practical. You know, I share these things with you, my dear young people, and all of us here, because I love you and because I want to see you be of those that overcome that wicked one and are walking in white. What communion has light with darkness? Is there any part dark in your life? And what I'm talking about is here by a conscious choice. You are choosing darkness. You're choosing it intentionally, you know that. You are choosing to hide some things from your mom and dad that you know they would not approve of. You are choosing to live in some areas of compromise. Some secret thing. Maybe it's some secret music that you listen to at times when you're all by yourself. Maybe it's a social media site that you go to to speak foolishly with jesting and pride and mocking and self-exaltation. Maybe it's a movie you watch and Satan whispers, it won't do anything. Maybe it's some sensuous material. You know, maybe you think, well, I can dabble some in these things and at some more convenient time when I'm older, then perhaps I'll repent and forsake. Maybe today you're one of those that's deceiving your father. You're deceiving him. He's got some safe eyes on your phone. He's got some filters on your computer. And he thinks you're a pretty good young person because you are outsmarting him. Well, some of us dads are not too techie. And maybe you can outsmart dad. Maybe you can deceive your dad. But you're not outsmart God. Hebrews 4.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is exposed before his eyes. And he is the one to whom we are accountable. Not a single creature, not a single person exists that is concealed from his sight. But all things are open and exposed and revealed to the eyes with whom we have to give an account. You know, somehow we think, well, I'm by myself. Nobody will see. I'm alone. I know how to keep this hidden. Jesus said, there is nothing hid which shall not be made manifest. Neither anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad. And then he says this, If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. I believe what Jesus is appealing there is that, listen up, what I just told you is very important. Listen up, open your heart, open your ears to hear. Now I know it's possible to just sort of like, used to be, you know, you had a dial to turn the volume and the playback system off. Today things have changed a lot. But you know, it's possible for you to be sitting here this morning and the devil be so lying to you and your heart be so cold and hard and deceived that you just turn me off. Not only are you turning me off, but you're turning off the word of the Lord. You're just sort of shielding yourself, turning it off. I'll endure it till this message is through. I'm not going to hear. You know, in Romans, Paul talked about that. That there's a willful blindness, a willful ignorance, a decision in the heart to not hear, to not believe God. Luke 12, in the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people that they trod on one another, Jesus began to say to his disciples, first of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. The Pharisees were those that outwardly appeared righteous. They were pretty good at putting on a show. They knew how to dress. They knew how to comb their hair. They knew how to talk spiritual talk. They knew how to pretend that they're righteous. They were obsessed with what people thought about them, their reputation. Jesus said all the things that they do, they do to be seen of men. They want to uphold that reputation that I'm a godly person. They pray long prayers to be seen of men. They give tithes and sound a trumpet before them to be seen of men. You know, maybe this morning, your reputation is so important to you. You are so moved by peer pressure. There's a deep insecurity in your heart. You want to be accepted. You want to be somebody. And so rather than dare to be different, you just go along with the crowd. You go along with the foolish talk. You go along with watching stuff on the social media or whatever. Just be a part when you know it's not edifying. Maybe this morning, you need to hear these words. Beware of hypocrisy. Beware of being a pretender. Pretending something in church. Pretending something before mom and dad. But in secret, you're not that. You know, hypocrisy is such a dangerous trap. I can live in hypocrisy. I can choose that. We can choose that. We can choose to not really open the real me. To be honest. We can choose to live a double life. We can live in denial. And the longer we live there and the more we live there, the more blinded our eyes become. And the stronger the hold of Satan becomes. And you're brought deeper and deeper into captivity. Held captive by the devil. It's a terrible thing. Multitudes in the valley of decision. Multitudes. How long, Ho Chi, between two opinions? None of us liveth to himself. No man diths to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living. But why dost thou judge, thy brother, or set it not, thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account to God. He shall give account of himself to God. That was Romans 7. I'm sorry, Romans 14, verse 7 to 12. You know, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That every one may receive the things done in the body. God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. Romans 2, 16. Revelation 6, 15. The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the mighty men, the bondmen, were terrified, for the day of the Lord had come. The great day of his wrath has come. And they cried out, rocks and mountains fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. You know, God has made a way for us today. A way to escape the wrath of the Lamb. Judgment can begin in the house of God today. Judgment can begin in our hearts today by us just simply being honest before the Lord. I'd like to have us hear these words from our Heavenly Father, from the Lord. He says, ye are the temple of the living God. He says, I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will receive you. I appeal to you today that unclean thing, that rock music, that rap music, that ungodly devilish music, those sensuous movies, those social media connections, those groups of camaraderie, of secrecy and sin. I appeal to you today. Come out from among that stuff. Touch not that unclean stuff, for it shall defile you. It's the devil behind those things to destroy your life. God says, turn, repent, come out, and come unto the Lord, and I will receive you. Probably the greatest blessing that I ever experienced in life, when I surrendered all to Jesus Christ, my entire life and being and everything, all my fears, everything, all my sins, all my burdens, and cast them on the Lord. And I knew by the Spirit of Christ that I was accepted in the Beloved. I was received. My inferiority complex was taken care of. My fear of what people think of me was gone, because I'm accepted in the Beloved. God is my Father. I am His Son. You know, today, the invitation is for you to come. Choose this day whom you will serve. You know, as Joshua challenged the people to choose the Lord, and they said, we will serve God. He said, we are going to give a monument or a memorial there, a great stone that they rolled under the tree there and set up. And you know, sometimes it's good for us to drive a stake, as it were. You've heard that term, right? How many heard that term, drive a stake? I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to get rid of everything that should hinder me from communion and fellowship with God. I'm done with trying to live that secret life. I'm done with giving place to my flesh and the devil. I'm done with that alcohol. I'm done with smoking. I'm done with those drugs. I'm done with vaping. I don't care how cool it is. I'm finished. I'm done. I'm giving it all up for Jesus. I'm surrendering my life to Jesus. I'm done serving the devil himself. I'm done. I have decided. My heart is fixed on the Lord. Today, I implore you. I entreat you. If you hear the voice of the Lord, don't harden your heart. Well, I'll follow you, one said, but let me first go and bury my father. Well, I'll follow you, Lord Jesus, but let me first go bid them farewell at my house, King Agrippa. Believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said to Paul, Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian. Almost. Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all them that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except with these bonds. But you know, Agrippa and his company, the governor and Bernice, they all sat together with him, rose up and walked out. We never hear that he converted that almost to I believe. Felix and Derusala, which was a Jewess, sent for Paul and heard him concerning his faith. And as Paul reasoned of righteousness and temperance and judgment to come, Felix trembled. The Spirit of God was at work. Felix was convicted so much that he trembled. But he said, Enough. Stop. Go your way. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. Excuse us. Procrastination. Ah, come to Jesus. He's the pearl of great price. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in the field, which a man, when he hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he has and buys that field. He sells out everything else to buy that field. Ah, Jesus is the treasure. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he hath found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Paul said it this way. All that was gained to me, I count but loss. For the excellency of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yea, I count all that but loss. I count it all but as dung. It's as manure. It's as nothing compared to having the treasure of Jesus living in my heart. Christ inside of me. It was 1799. Young Conrad Reed scooped up an unusual yellow rock near his family's farm in Little Metal Creek in North Carolina's Cabarrus County. For three years, that sort of tarnished, ugly looking yellow rock, 17 pound oddity, served as a doorstep in the Reed house. Three years went by, Conrad's father decided to take the stone to a Fayetteville jeweler in 1802 and learned that his son's find was actually a gold nugget. In today's dollars, the stone was worth more than 500,000. Today, Jesus is the treasure that is priceless. And today, the opportunity is right at your door. I would like for all those who have decided to follow Jesus and you're surrendered today, you're not holding anything back. Your life is open before the Lord and your heart just beats for God, say, more of Jesus. Just show me anything, Lord. I'll do everything for you. You are my all in all. I love you, Lord Jesus. I'd like for all those who have decided to follow Jesus to get up to your feet and come up front here. You're committed to the Lord. Let's declare it. Don't lie, but if that's your commitment and decision, come on right up front here and we're going to sing, I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. I know the entire church could come up here and we'll all, as a declaration, stand to our feet. Those of you, that's your testimony and let's sing it together. No turning back. No turning back. If no one joins me, still I will follow. If no one joins me, still I will follow. If no one joins me, still I will follow. No turning back. No turning back. The cross. The cross before me. The world behind me. The cross before me. The world behind me. The cross before me. the world behind me, no turning back, no turning back. No turning back. Amen. You may go sit down. And while you're doing that, I just want to say, if there are some things you need to make right with God, with Dad, I urge you today, get it right. Don't wait for a more convenient season. Do it today. Say, Mom and Dad, I want you to speak into my life. My life is open before you. Dad, I'm sorry I was being deceitful. I was hiding some things from you. But no more. I want to live for Jesus. I want to live for Christ. I do not want to serve the devil in any way. I also thought of today, maybe there are some dads and moms that are standing in the way. Could it be that your son or your daughter is facing discouragement because Daddy needs to make that commitment? Daddy needs to get rid of his idols. Daddy needs to get cleaned up. I thought about that. That's a real possibility. Because if Daddy is living a defeated life, I'm not saying a son or daughter can't rise above that, but that can be a real hindrance. That can be really difficult for a son or a daughter. So I urge us today, give it all to Jesus. He's worthy. And experience the joy of sins forgiven, and the devil defeated, and the abundant life of Christ. But you've got to be honest. Thank you, young people. I really appreciate your kindness and willingness to come and sit up here. God bless you. And thank you to your parents as well. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Amen. God bless you.