'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
CHOICES
'Choices...' shape our lives, directing not just our temporal decisions but affecting and also influencing those around us.
In this week's sermon, in lieu of eternity, Pastor Mark invites you to reflect on the monumental power of spiritual decisions through the captivating story of Joshua 24. Discover why choosing to serve God is not merely a one-time decision but a choice with eternal ramifications.
With scriptural exegesis and transitional thoughts, we are challenged to reflect upon the 3 challenges offered within our sermon:
1. GOD Chose To Love Us Unconditionally
2. GOD Is Jealous Towards What Rightly Belongs To HIM
3. Tomorrow Isn't Promised (Eternity Is) Choose Today
Pastor Mark emphasizes God's unwavering faithfulness to the Israelites and challenges us to acknowledge His first choice to love us. This message challenges us to prioritize and nurture an exclusive devotion to God that echoes throughout our sphere of influence and long outlives our earthly existence.
Pastor Mark also shines a light on the transformative practice of gratitude, inspired by Joshua's reminder of God's endless goodness to HIS people. Expressing gratitude for daily provisions and blessings, even when our desires remain unmet, opens our hearts to the fullness of what God has always done - currently does - and shall always do: provide for HIS people.
Pastor Mark closes with the urgency and necessity of choosing whom we will serve, sharing personal stories that illustrate faith's shaping power on families and communities.
We realize that only GOD can convict and change hearts to make spiritual choices in lieu of eternity. Our hope in offering GOD'S WORD this week is that if you have yet to decide on your eternal well-being, why not consider today?
'CHOICES'
Joshua 24:13-15
Song of the Week: Choose by MDI. feat. The LOX Choir
In lieu of eternity, sermons and musical artists are featured to extol JESUS CHRIST as the sole hope for the eternal souls of humanity.
We thank you for joining our Words of Life broadcast or podcast, where our mission is making God known for extolling Jesus, the Christ, as the sole hope for the eternal souls of humanity. We now join Pastor Mark for this week's Words of Life message.
Speaker 2:Hey, there again to you Words of Life listeners and viewers. I am Pastor Mark and I would like to start off like I always do. I don't take you for granted. You could have been doing anything else, you could have been watching anybody else, but the fact that you have tuned in to hear a word from God through the ministry of my wife and I. We don't take that for granted and I always like to start a show out by telling you thank you for that.
Speaker 2:In our words of life for the week, we're going to go to the book of Joshua. Give us a little time to get to Joshua. I'm going to start reading at chapter 24. And I'm going to start reading down to verse. I'll start at verse 13 and take us to about verse 15. And I'm going to read the New Living Translation. I'll ad-lib just a little bit more to give you a little bit of time to get to the book of Joshua, chapter 24, beginning at verse 13. I'm reading the New Living Translation and again, your version might differ, but it will say basically the same thing. We're going to go ahead and get started.
Speaker 2:Joshua 24, beginning at chapter 13, new Living Translation. It reads as follows I and I, being the Lord, god Almighty, I gave you land you had not worked on and I gave you towns. You did not build the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them. Verse 14,. So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. And verse 15,. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. May the Lord add a blessing to the hearers, the readers, but, most importantly, those that intend to do what God's help his holy word.
Speaker 2:Reading that chapter and a few verses of Joshua, chapter 24, the title I want us to think about today is simply choices. In my initial thoughts, the word to choose, the Hebrew root meaning bakar. It simply means to select, it is deciding, it is preferring or it is to favor. You know, as children and teenagers it was pretty common to experience this in a number of ways. I mean, if you played sports just in the neighborhood as a kid, it could have been hopscotch, it could have been dodgeball, kickball, football, basketball, whatever. Even attending the school dance or the prom. Starting in junior high or high school, we all had to experience this process of choosing, and choosing simply is preferring. I want this person on my team because they good at that, I want that person because she can do this. You know, deciding on this person, it could have been to the dance, it could have been to the prom, but we have all selected, we have all made a decision, even on the preferred suit, the dress, the shoes or whatever. We have all experienced making choices, and so, as we progress within today's sermon, I want us to understand that our spiritual choice, in lieu of eternity, it is irrevocable and we will endure this choice forever. God is in the business of choosing. He chose to love us first, not vice versa. He chose to give us his very best, his only son, to secure an eternal relationship with him through that son, jesus alone. And since God has done so much on our behalf, for our good, I think God has the right to expect loyalty, devotion, love, the rights to lives that he's created and loaned to us. Therefore, god expects us to make the ultimate choice that will determine our eternal security.
Speaker 2:Now, once we get to our exegesis of the text, let's review Joshua's chapter 24 rather briefly, and we'll find that Joshua, he, has summoned all of the tribes of Israel to a meeting to present themselves before God. Joshua then begins reminding the Israelites of all that God had graciously done for his people. Joshua starts telling them how their ancestors he reminded them of how they used to live in foreign lands and their ancestors used to worship idol gods. But in his mercy, god called out Abraham and gave him a promise. He promised to give Abraham and the people a land that they didn't work for or even deserve. And so now, going a little bit further, abraham's descendants Isaac, jacob, esau. They would continue to serve the Lord and they also would be beneficiaries of God's goodness and God's grace.
Speaker 2:Now Jacob ends up in Egypt, where, again, god shows his faithfulness to the Israelite people by delivering them from the bondage and the slavery of Pharaoh in Egypt's rule. Now, even in deliverance, all hope it seemed lost as they approached the Red Sea. They're running from Pharaoh and the chariots and the horses and they get to the Red Sea because the Egyptians, they chased after them. But then God's people cried out again to the Lord, and God put darkness between his people and the Egyptians, between his people and the Egyptians. He brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them.
Speaker 2:And so Joshua has again. He has to remind the people with your very own eyes. You saw what God did for you, but still God's people chose rebellion and thus they wandered in the wilderness for over 40 years, when they could have inherited the goodness of a land that God promised them much earlier than 40 years. God defeats oppressors on their behalf. God gives them victories that they didn't have the power to fight for. God rescued them from their numerous enemies the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, all during this 40-year pilgrimage.
Speaker 2:And now, at the precipice of entering the promised land, 40 years later, we join Joshua and Israel at our opening text, verse 13, where he reminds them of God's grace and Jacob reminds the people of God's goodness. To those that belong to the Lord, you know, the Lord is just merciful period. Even if you don't belong to him and you haven't chosen him as your God, your savior. His mercy still endures upon us. Let's look at verse 13, where the Lord says remember, I gave you land you had not worked on. I gave you towns. You did not build the towns where you're now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, even though you didn't even plant them.
Speaker 2:Verse 14, so feared the Lord, serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshipped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt in bondage and oppression. Serve the Lord alone. There was this dual personality. God has done so much for us, but today I want to serve this idol God. Ok, tomorrow let's serve, while we see them over there dancing to their lifeless God, that they let's serve the people we are so wishy washy like that. And God would that we make a choice. And that's the very reason that Jacob challenged them before they were to enter into this promised land that God had promised to his people. Verse 15, jacob reminds them. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, not tomorrow. Choose today. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? Jacob closes it out. You can do what you want to paraphrase, but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.
Speaker 2:And as we begin our transition now from the text, I kind of have some transition thoughts that I want us to give some thought to before we get into our application points. Sometimes these are my initial transition thoughts from the text to now. Sometimes we just need to look back. We just need to look back. Sometimes we just need to have someone remind us of everything that God has done for us, and I'm not just talking about materialism. But how about God's protection? How about God's provision? How about his healing? How about his deliverance? How about mercy, when we know we should have gotten the penalty for our misdeeds? How about grace, when we know we didn't earn it? We certainly don't deserve or even have the capacity to work for God's grace, even have the capacity to work for God's grace. Just look back. Just look back and remember, and doing that alone should be enough to cause us to make the right choice of who we'll devote our lives, our existence, to.
Speaker 2:Joshua. I said Jacob earlier. Joshua reminded Israel. Jacob earlier. Joshua reminded Israel. When was the last time we just reflected on how good God has been to us. I mean just some time it could be. Lord, you woke me up this morning, thank you. I call it an attitude of gratitude.
Speaker 2:I pull up at work in the morning, lord, thank you. Wow, that car on the road. That's not me, lord. Thank you, lord, locking our doors and shutting ourselves in and turning on an alarm that didn't keep us safe as we slept in the image of death. No, you shut us in and you put your arms of protection, guardian angels, around, lord. Thank you, lord. To sit there and have food to eat, to have a job, lord, thank, an attitude of gratitude. Just pulling up safely at work, that blowout didn't kill me, lord. Pulling up safely at work, that blowout didn't kill me, lord, thank you.
Speaker 2:When was the last time we just reflected? We might not have everything that we want, but God has made sure we have everything we need. When's the last time we just reflected on how good God has been to us? That's basically what Joshua was reminding Israel to do. Don't forget he did this, don't forget he did that. And now you're about to walk into a land that you didn't do any work for. You didn't have anything to do with it, and he's going to bless you with that too. How often do we just, lord, thank you. I'm just coming to you today, lord, thank you. I awoke in my right mind, no death in my family, lord, we could just spend a while If we just took that time and decided Lord, I'm gonna try to. I'm just going to try to create constantly, routinely in my life, an attitude of gratitude.
Speaker 2:Here's another transitional thought I got to thinking about. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us, and whenever we run across messages, especially at funerals, that's the reality check right there. But whenever we run across sermons or messages or funerals, we are being challenged by God to plan for an eternal future that all of us will encounter. So we may as well realize that our tomorrow, that could very well begin today. Love that song, that's a lyrical line from the Winans. Tomorrow, our tomorrow, could very well begin today. And so our decision, our choice choose you this day, whom you will serve. It shouldn't be delayed, it's an urgent, immediate suggestion. Joshua says in verse 15, choose today, make your choice now, don't delay, because not making a choice reveals that we have already made the choice to reject God in his eyes. Here's another transitional thought before we get to our application points of the week.
Speaker 2:Personal commitment should be examined even in how we lead our families and within our sphere of influence, be it at work, be it at church, wherever you are, wherever your friends are that are routinely around you. That's a sphere of influence that God has given us and if we love them, we'll get on their nerves, dropping hints about eternity. Joshua he made a personal declaration and he chose for his family. As for me and my house, that literally has to be done. I'll never forget. I'm not perfect, but I remember why a woman divorced me before my wife of 23 years now. I remember my previous marriage and she was just straight up I'm divorcing you. You are no fun. You really have been called by God to preach. You're really going to preach and do this the right way? You trying to? Well, I thought I was supposed to. That was why she left, wow. But was it worth it? Yes, because God expects us to make decisions when it comes down to our commitment to him. Joshua made a personal declaration and chose for his family. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I wasn't mad that she left. I had made a personal declaration. I believe, my first sermon. I was called into the ministry April. No, it was March of 2001. And my first sermon was April the 1st 2001. Thank God it wasn't an April Fool's joke, but I had made a declaration. Lord, it is for you I'll live. It is for you I'll die.
Speaker 2:I was raised in the same house with my mom and dad, and they did their job. They taught me and my siblings about how to get to heaven securely and safely. They taught us about Jesus Christ. The only way to get a relationship with God Almighty is through Jesus Christ and allowing his spirit to lead and guide our lives, helping us toward this eternal end. They did their job and once they do their jobs, when we have children, when we have grandkids, we are supposed to do the exact same thing. We are supposed to train them up in the way that they should go, teaching them about the Lord, god Almighty, that we're all going to have to stand before and it better be. Jesus applied to our lives. Joshua made that personal declaration and chose for his family. I'm grateful that God has given my mom and dad. They did that for their family. I'm grateful that I'm able to do that for my family, as for me and my house. When's the last time we made that declaration?
Speaker 2:Wisdom, was Joshua also addressing a nation? And we could learn a thing or two from Joshua's commitment to God, because not only did he declare for his house, he addressed the nation. And in Psalm 33, verse 12, that Psalm lets us know Joshua's very thought process. May not have been Joshua's word, but it lines up with exactly what Joshua did when he addressed the nation. The 33rd Psalm, verse 12, states what joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people God has chosen as his inheritance. And so, with my transitional thoughts complete, here's our first application point for consideration. Application point number one to think about.
Speaker 2:God chose us to love unconditionally. Unconditional, without limits, without qualifications, not subject to any special terms or condition. God's love choice has to be made by us, the recipients of God's love, and Jesus' sacrifice for humanity's sin. Romans, chapter 5, verses 6 and 8,. They inform us verse 6, for at just the right time, while we were still powerless, christ died for the ungodly. That was me. Verse 7,. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. It's rare, verse 8, but God, he proves his love for us in this. While we were still sinners. Christ died for me. He died for you While we wasn't even trying to get to know him, while we could have easily given our lives away. I can just think back to so many nights and ways and days that I should be gone. I've looked down the barrel of a gun pulled on me. There are just so many ways I can just oh my gosh if I would have left here. Then I can just oh my gosh if I would have left here. Then. I've been in car accidents that should have took my life, but while we were still sinners, not even thinking about God. He died for me. He died for you. He died for us.
Speaker 2:God didn't determine that we had to be good to earn his love, and God doesn't demand perfection to experience his love. God doesn't require that we be a certain nationality, a certain race, a certain color, a certain height or weight. God loves us unconditionally, without any inherent goodness or qualifications on our own. Jesus reminds his followers in the book of John, chapter 15, verses 12 and 16. There is no greater love than me laying down my life for you. You did not choose me, but I chose. You Understand that God chose to love us unconditionally at that. So we need to understand that there is the expectation of God requiring us to take a step and to make a choice to love him back, which guides us to our second application point, application point number two God is jealous and he will not accept divided loyalties.
Speaker 2:Before we get into application point number two distinguishing why God is jealous Point number two distinguishing why God is jealous let's first differentiate between envy and jealousy. Envy resents a person for having something that we do not, ie a house, a partner, a car, a status, a job or position. Envy covets, and envy sounds like I'm bitter, I'm indignant, because they've got something that I think I deserve or I should have instead of them. Why them and not me? That is envy for you, but jealousy is the emotion felt when another desires to take what rightly belongs to a person a wife, a husband, a life. God's glory Newsflash. God has the right to be jealous over all of creation because we all belong to him. He created it all. He sustains it all. We live, move and have our being in God alone.
Speaker 2:God demands exclusive worship and devotion. He does not appreciate our associations with or reliance on alliances with people, groups or organizations, while he's relegated to secondary status. God hates being placed second to anything or anyone. He must be first. He is preeminent, he is the first, he's the last, he's alpha and omega. He despises any worship, praise, honor, credit, adoration being given to anyone or anything but him. Any talent, any gift we have, it belongs to him. Any material possession or blessing we've received, it belongs to him. He gave it to us to give glory to him by blessing others with it. He blessed you with the house to be a blessing. He blessed you with finances to help those that may not have the same the possession, anything we have. If there's any boasting to be done in God alone, we must boast, and explaining his covenant with his people.
Speaker 2:God reiterates in Exodus, chapter 34, verses 12 through 14. Be careful, be very careful, never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you'll start to follow their evil ways and you'll be trapped. Instead, you must break down the pagan altars, smash their so-called sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles. You must worship no other gods, for the Lord whose name is jealous is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you, god.
Speaker 2:I want us to understand that God despises divided loyalties. We must choose him, because he chose us when we weren't even thinking about him. Choose all of God or have none of him. No Jesus, no God, k-n-o-w, no Jesus, n-o, no God. And this is going to lead us to conclude our message with the most important application point of all. I do my best with God's leading. The only reason we've been given to preach is to take people to the cross. We do understand pastoral authority. You can encourage, you can reprove, you can rebuke, you can all of those things. But I never take for granted that everyone is right with God by accepting Jesus as the only way to God, and so I try to always offer this within every sermon. And our last application point does just that. Point number three understand that tomorrow is not promised, eternity is. So choose today. There's no gentle way for me to utter what I'm about to say. Utter what I'm about to say.
Speaker 2:Eternal damnation is eternal separation from God, and it's the consequence for neglecting to choose a relationship with him over all else. Now you might ask how could a God that loves me so unconditionally, without qualifications, without qualifications, why would he separate me from him and punish me eternally? Well, the answer lies within God never forsaking us. God never leaves us. We're normally the ones that leave and we reject him. How so, you might be asking. Saying no to a relationship with God is like an irreconcilable, eternal divorce. And to emphasize the seriousness with which God views the covenant of marriage, he emphasizes within Malachi, chapter 2, verse 16, how much he hates divorce. And just like God has made a covenant with us and he wants an eternal relationship with us, beginning as soon as possible, ie right now.
Speaker 2:If you have not chosen and we Christians, those of us that have chosen, we are considered his bride. Jesus is the groom coming back for us, his bride, and we are without fault, without blame or shame. Love unconditional. We will be with him safely, forever. But if we decide to tell God, no, thanks, you're not my type, god, god is not going to force himself on anyone Rejecting the only covenant he has initiated through the death and the resurrection of the only one, jesus the Christ. You reject him. He is the only way to get to God. You are rejecting God and choosing to separate yourself from him. That's all. Eternal damnation is it is a complete separation from the presence of God and his love. God doesn't choose or want this for us. But in rebellion some still make that choice. But it doesn't have to be like that for anybody that's watching this broadcast or listening to the podcast. If you have yet to make a choice, understand the choice you make or don't make, it will reverberate forever.
Speaker 2:2 Peter, chapter 3 and 9, states God would that none perish, but that all come to repentance. That verse simply means that God desires for no one to be lost, but rather for everyone to turn away from sin and to be saved from his forthcoming wrath upon those who choose to reject him. Sin has already been paid for by Jesus's covenant on our behalf at Calvary. So we can either choose God's free gift, that's eternal relationship and salvation to us, or we can rebelliously choose to go before him in our own merit, our own foolish qualifications, which will lead to eternal separation from God and eternal damnation. First Timothy, chapter two, verses four and six state God, our Savior. He wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth Verse 5,. For there is one God, one mediator, who can reconcile God and humanity, and that is the man, christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom from sins. Hold over us for everyone to purchase freedom from sins. Hold over us for everyone.
Speaker 2:In the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verses 10 through 11, the word of God says but you are my witnesses, o Israel. You are my servant. You have been chosen, israel, to know me, believe in me and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God. There never has been, there never will be. Verse 11. I, yes, I, am the Lord and there is no other Savior. The beauty of God's covenant promises to Israel. The beauty of God's covenant promises to Israel in their rejection of him. God extended the offer to us, modern day Gentile nations and people, to know him, to believe in him and to understand that he alone is our God and God of all. Whether you believe that or not, our Savior, through Jesus Christ's covenant, promise with us at Calvary. God belongs to me, he belongs to you.
Speaker 2:In Acts, chapter 28,. As we prepare to close, paul even quotes Isaiah 49 and 8, which speaks of the day of salvation. Then he says not to delay. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. In other words, today is the day of salvation.
Speaker 2:The question is are we willing to make our eternal choice at this very moment? I have have you. Whether you agree or not with the word of God being taught, we will be held accountable for our choice or lack thereof, the moment we hear truth espoused from God's word. In moments such as this one, it's not conjecture. I do my best to try to say only what God has already said. And so the question remains what choice will you make today If you don't or haven't made an eternal choice you already have in God's eyes by choosing nothing and understand? Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, because God has already preordained our departure dates, our death before we were even born. Hence the urgency of this moment for you and I.
Speaker 2:If you're unsure of being secure, established, chosen by God and safe in his hand, with an impending eternity for all, I just want you to pray this brief prayer with me, wherever you are, and we call this the invitation to discipleship, literally choosing to belong to the Lord. Say this with me, oh God A, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I can think back on the many choices that I've made while foolishly going my own way. I cannot approach you in my own abilities, my own goodness or efforts. So, lord, help me to be contrite, help me to be remorseful and to believe that you alone are the only son of God that takes away my sin and a world full of my sinful choices. Change and strengthen me, o Lord. I want to choose, then rely on you for any and everything, especially my eternal salvation and security. I will, from here on, go forward and finally see, confess with my mouth that you alone are my Savior. Confess with my mouth that you alone are my savior. You alone are my redeemer, reconciling me back to God and now anointing me with your spirit to encourage others with my life of service to choose to serve your story for your glory. Because of Jesus, I am now a part of your chosen people and you alone bless me to be a blessing to everybody that I will encounter. I believe that you are the faithful promise keeper, and so we close our prayer, lord, by saying amen, which means it is so Well listener.
Speaker 2:Viewer of the podcast. Listener of the podcast. All over the world, we appreciate our audience, my wife and I. I just never take you for granted, so you're probably going to always hear me give you a shout out if you're listening or watching. Thank you for listening to God's word through my wife and I. We've concluded another episode and again I just want to thank you for tuning in to our Words of Life broadcast or podcast. I also invite you to tune in to my wife's broadcast and podcast as well, and it is entitled Biblical Thoughts with Twala. She got episodes dropping soon after this one, and you can also download our Roku channel free for the sermons that you may have missed. Any music videos, short films. You can also download our digital app. That's at Amazon, spotify, apple Music, anywhere that you choose to get your digital content, it is free, all of it, it is free.
Speaker 2:And so we're going to close with our song of the week, which is appropriately entitled Choose. Simply because we are chosen, we have been favored by God to be heirs of the glorious salvation that Jesus alone provides humanity. Until next time, same pastor, same word of God through God's word of life, the Bible, hence words of life we will strive to bring to you without fail, each and every time you give us your time. May God bless you. May God keep you. We do love you. God bless. Bye-bye, forget what you heard.
Speaker 2:Ask for me in this house. There is no doubt will you choose this day Whom you will serve. Will you choose this day Whom you will serve, cause there's only one way. Forget what you heard. Ask for me at this house. There is no doubt. Will you choose to stay or you'll be served? You're gonna have to choose when you don't wanna lose and some might disapprove, while others wanna stay confused. But when our time is due, then the holy one will answer too, and there'll be no excuse. So you gon' have to choose. You gon' have to choose when you don't wanna lose, and some might disapprove, while others wanna stay confused.
Speaker 2:To choose, choose this day who you will serve, cause there's only one way. Forget what you heard. Ask for me in this house. There is no doubt. Will you choose this day who you will serve. You're gonna have to choose when you don't wanna lose, and some might disapprove, while others wanna stay confused. But when our time is due, there's no one you wanna answer to and there'll be no excuse. So you're' have to choose. You gon' have to choose when we don't wanna lose, and some might disapprove, while others wanna stay confused. But when our time is due, then the whole. You won't wanna have to and there'll be no excuse. So you gon' have to choose. Choose this day Whom you will serve, cause there's only one way. Forget what you heard. Ask for me in this house, there is no doubt. Will you choose this day Whom you will serve. Will you choose this day Whom you will serve, cause there's only one way. Forget what you heard. Ask for me and this house there is no doubt will you choose this day for me is Thank you.