IT'S YOUR CHOICE 

I Sam. 17:22-24, 32; I Sam. 24:1-8;

            In the first scripture that we read, David as a young lad somewhere between the age of 13 and 20, was confronted with a decision.  Here is this giant who has no relationship with God, threatening the army of God and thereby denying the power of God.  David must choose whether or not to allow this insult to continue or to fight this giant.  David was but a lad, but he chose to stand up for God.  The young men of Israel also were confronted with the same choice.  However, their fear in the face of these circumstances caused them to choose to flee.

            In the second scripture, David again must make a choice.  Saul has been chasing him trying to kill him.  Standing in that cave it looked as if God had finally delivered his enemy into his hands and that his exile from Israel would be over.  David had a choice to make.  But when he simply cut the belt of Saul's robe, his heart convicted him.  At that moment, though the choice was still his to make, he knew that he could not touch God's anointed one.  His killing Saul was not the way that God intended to deliver the kingdom into his hands. 

 I Chron. 20:1-3, 8-18

            Here again we see David confronted with a choice.  He is tempted by Satan to number or count the men of Israel.  Joab tells him that there is no need for such a census and warns him that this would be a trespass against.  But the choice is still David's to make and he wanted the men of Israel counted.

            The point to be made here is that the essence of life is making choices.  When we enter into life, even before we have clear reasoning ability, we must make choices.  A child must make a choice between obeying and disobeying the parent.  Now the child may understand some of the consequences of his choice, but generally he does not know and understand all the consequences.  Tim and Rhonda can tell little JoAnn not to play with matches or fire.  They can tell her it is dangerous and she can get hurt or burned.  But on a gas stove, where that orange, yellow and blue flame can be seen flickering and dancing about, It can be tempting.  Now JoAnn must decide whether to obey mommy and daddy or to play with the fire.  Now maybe she understand that she might burn her finger if she sticks it in  the flame.  But if she uses a long piece of paper she can drop it before it gets to her finger.  But does she understand that dropping the flame on the cotton throw rug on the floor can result in even a bigger fire, and that she might even burn the house down.  Probably not.  So without all the reasoning faculties needed, the child is still confronted with choices to be made.  This need to make choices never ceases.  In fact it is the major part of our earthly existence.  Everyday and in general every hour of everyday we are confronted with choices and these choices along with their consequences determine the caliber of life that we live.

            The title of today's message is It's Your Choice".

            So for the majority of mankind, life will be filled with choices.  Sometimes we make good choices, as in the case with David in the first two scriptures read.  His choice to fight Goliath, won him favor in the hearts of the people of Israel, and his choice not to kill Saul was pleasing to God.  But sometimes, even as children of God we do not make good decisions.  David's choice to number Israel was a bad choice, resulting in bad choices.  God gave David three choices to select from as his consequence.  This was unusual.  I do not know of other places where someone was given a choice of punishment, and I do not recall a time in my own life where God gave me a choice of how to be punished.  In his choice of punishments David again makes a good choice.  He selects the option that would allow him to plead for God's mercy.

            Just as with David, our lives are filled with choices and those choices may have impact in the peace, contentment and happiness you experience later in life.  The major you select will influence the number, quality and type of job opportunities available to you.  If you go into home economics education, you can not expect to graduate from college and be an Engineer with General Electric or a System's Analyst with Bell Northern Research or a Chemist with Glaxo.  Also, based on the number of Home Ec. teachers needed, you may have more difficulty finding a job than people who select other majors.  Also our world's system suggest that you should not expect to be paid at the same salary with a home ec. degree as someone with a Nuclear Engineering Degree.  But let's say that you have considered these things but you really do want to teach Home Ec. or for men you really want to teach the Industry Ed class, there are other possible consequences.  Let's also say that you are a man, who would like for his family to live in a nice house and for his children to have opportunities that he himself did not have and you would like to have a non-working wife.  Can you see how your choice of career might affect other parts of your dream. 

            As a student you have to choose between living on campus or off-campus, getting a car or not getting one, having credit cards or not having them.  All of these choices may seem simple and at the time the choice is presented to you it may seem like an easy decision, but believe me, later a poor choice made in any one of those areas can be a noose around your neck. They can mean  academic and/or financial  death.  But what to do with these and all other decisions you must make is still your choice.  And making bad choices at any juncture of your life can be detrimental.

            The most important choice you must make in your life is What to do about your soul.  Just as the choice is yours in every other area of your life, the choice of your eternal destiny is yours also.

Romans 10:9-10 - The fact that the verse starts with if you, points to the fact that you have a choice.  I know that there are many people who believe that God had predestined that some people will get saved and go to heaven and that some will just die and go to hell.  While the fact that some will get saved and go to heaven, and some will die and go to hell is true, it is not because God has predestined the final fate of any one individual.  The choice of eternal residence is in the hands of each person.  The Bible does not teach that God had predestined whether or not you as an individual will be saved or not.  I often hear people say, when God gets ready to save me, He will save me or maybe I'm just predestined to go to hell.  This places the blame for one not choosing God on God.  The Bible does not teach this.

I Tim. 2:3 - 4 - The Bible teaches that God would like to have all men be saved and to have understanding of the truth.  Hebrews 3: 7-8 says Wherefore as the Holy Ghost says, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.  Salvation is your choice to make.  This scripture says for you not to harden your heart.  It did not say that God hardened your heart.  It says for you not to harden your heart.  You must choose to keep your heart open to God.  Salvation really is a choice that each man must make for himself.  II Cor. 6:2 says behold, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.  So God has not predestined you to either heaven or hell.  The location of your eternal home lies strictly in your own hands.

            Now there are some thing that God has predestined.

Romans 8:28-29 - This says whom God fore knew.  Foreknowledge of the choice that someone will make does not mean that God caused something to happen or that he predetermined what  the choice should be.  God knows now, at this very instant and has always known everything that has happened and will ever happen in your life.  There is nothing that God does not already know.  So if my choice is not predestined what is.  This verse says that all who accepts God's plan of salvation are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.  It does not say that God predestined who would get saved.  But rather he predetermined the final image of those who would get saved.

Eph. 1:4-5 - Before the foundation of the world was formed, God predetermined that all who will be in Him, that is all who accept His plan of salvation, will stand before Him as holy and without blame.  How can God predetermine this.  Well, because  II Cor. 5:21 says that God has made Him (Jesus who knew no sin) to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.  God has decreed that He will declare any person who accepts His plan of salvation righteous.  This is call imputed righteousness.  It is available to all mankind because Jesus bore the sins of all mankind.  So God can predetermine that Christians will stand before Him blameless, because He has declared us righteous.

            In verse 5 we also see that God as predestined that all who conform to His plan will not only be saved but will also be adopted as children into His family.  Rom. 8: 15 says that we receive the Spirit of adoption, that we might cry out to our heavenly father.  Adoption into the family of God is a consequence of the rebirth experience.  God has predetermined that this would be true.

Eph. 1:11 - God has predetermined that all who will conform to His plan will have an inheritance.  Col. 3: 23-25 says whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done.  So God has not only predestined that those who conform to His will will receive and inheritance, He has also predestined that those who do not conform to His will shall receive for the wrong they have done.  What shall they receive for their wrongdoing? John 5:29 says that they that have done evil will receive damnation.

            So what has been predetermined by God is not who will and will not be saved but rather the consequences for those who will accept His plan of salvation and commit themselves to living out His will for their lives, and the consequences for those who will not accept His plan.  The fact that these things have been predestined by God means that they will not change.  The consequences are set, but the choice of which consequences you receive is still in the hands of each individual.

            Some think that they can get by without making a choice about salvation.  They threat the decision as if it is a vote for president or something; as if they can vote yes, no, or abstain from voting.  There are no abstentions.  Each time you are presented with the opportunity to accept Jesus as your personal savior and you fail to do so, you have said no to God.  Acting as if you do not hear God's call and not responding to His prompting to come to Him is the same as saying no to Him.  No response at all is just as much a rejection as giving a no answer.  Heaven or Hell, God or the Devil, eternal blessing or eternal damnation, it's your choice.  No one else can choose for you. It's your choice.

            But if you are still choosing to say no to God, there is another question you should answer for yourself. 

Matt. 16:26 - For the loss of your soul what are you gaining.  One does not freely give up something that is precious and valuable to him without gaining something of at least equal value.  What is it that Satan is offering you that has equal value as your own soul.  Notice also the second part of that scripture.  What will a man give in exchange for his soul.  It did not say what will you receive, but rather what will you give.  You are giving away your most prized possession and having to pay the Devil to take it from you.  How many of you would go to the car lot with your car, pay the man to take your car off your hands and leave with nothing to drive.  Even if it was the most ragged car existing, you would not pay the man to give him your car.  You say what am I giving up. You are giving up peace; the peace of knowing that God is for you and not against you.  You are giving up security.  I can feel safe in God's care no matter what else is going on.  You are giving up the fullness of joy because the joy that Jesus offers is beyond that which can be given by anything else in the world.   What is Satan putting on the scales to balance your soul, your peace, your security, your joy, etc.  What are you gaining, and does it really balance the scales.  What to do about your soul?  It's your choice.