CHOICES
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CHOICES
(FBC's Graduation Service - 5.25.18)
People have asked for the details of last night's graduation message at Faith Baptist Church in Pekin, IL. Here they are, and may God continue to bless with the overflow and outpouring of God's Word!
Question: Have you ever lived off the overflow of the blessings of God in some one else's life? They made good choices, and now you reap the benifits. This was what happened with Abram and Lot.
Before I give the simple points to the message of the hour, please note the following statistic:
We, as adults, make around 35,000 choices a day. Every choice should be important!
As children, our choices are simple, maybe "M&M's or Skittles!" But, as we grow, we discover that the choices become a little more difficult and involved.
Ponder the following quotes:
Zig Ziglar - Every choice you make as an end result.
Thomas Watson – Religion is not a matter of chance, but of choice.
Henry Ward Beecher - God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.
My good friend and missionary John Pinnix reminded me a few years ago that, "The devil would rather you make a good choice over the right choice."
The following text is powerful example of 4 powerful points to the choices we make:
Genesis 13:1-13 KJV
[1] And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
[2] And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
[3] And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai;
[4] Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord .
[5] And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
[6] And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
[7] And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
[8] And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
[9] Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
[10] And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord , like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
[11] Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
[12] Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
[13] But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
I. Choices come when we least expect them vs 9
It wasn't like Abram and Lot were planning their futures around a split up.
"Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."
Listen, The smallest of choices can reveal huge outcomes.
II. Choices reveal what is truly important to us vs 10
Sometimes we make horrible choices and other times terrific choices, but, remember, the choices we make often reveal what is important to us...just like Lot in this story...
"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord , like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."
Please note, The stronger the desire the more we will choose it.
III. Choices always lead somewhere vs 11
To pull the quote from Zig Ziglar that we mentioned earlier, "Every choice you make as an end result." Lot made a choice and it led to a somewhere that wasn't good.
"Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other."
Proverbs 4:25-27 KJV
[25] Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. [26] Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. [27] Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
IV. Choices have consequences vs 12-13
"Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. [13] But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly."
One man said it this way, Our choices are not just revealed in time but also in scope. You will reap what so have sown.
Here's a quote that I've held dear for many years, "The greatest failure in my life is to succeed at something that God cares nothing about.”
POEM: Two Choices On The Shelf.
"There’s just two choices on the shelf,
Pleasing God, or pleasing self.
If pleasing self is what you choose,
Than all through life my friend, you’ll lose.
But if pleasing God is your choice,
Then, my friend, you and God will both rejoice."
May our choices reveal that it is GOD who is truly important to us. May the choices we make give God the glory - He IS WORTHY!
Blessed Beyond Measure Because Of Christ,
Pastor Justyn Smith • Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Peoria, IL
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