What Will You Choose | Anthony Bruno

The Open Door Church 337

Message: Studies say every 1 to 2 years we have a huge transition and every 3 to 5 times in a life we have "life quakes". We have 2 responses: we lean into the Lord or we back off. Israel is an example of these responses. The context of Deuteronomy 30 is Israel's captivity, exodus and entry into the promised land. Out of fear they stay away from the promised land, instead dwell in the wilderness for 40 years. The older generation dies and Moses reaffirms the blessings and curses of the Law according to their obedience. Their transitions are the death of Moses, accepting the leadership of Joshua, moving into the promised land and having to conquer the land. They still have the responsibility to follow the Lord and have to make choices such as, life and good, death and evil. Immediately after Joshua dies, they choose death and evil. Hebrews 4:1-11 stresses obedience resulting in rest and a hardened heart of disobedience resulting in unrest. So in times of change we also have the chose to lean on God before and after, the reward is eternal rest from believing in Jesus. Hebrews 10:26-31 explains deliberate sin resulting in death and a fearful expectation of judgement and losing their land. For those rejecting Christ is the fear of falling into the judgement of God. As with the Israelites, we also have difficulty choosing God, trying to handle it on our own. In Deuteronomy 30:11 trust is simple. We are to come as we are to God, believe in our heart and confess with our lips Jesus is Lord. The difficulty is getting over ourselves and believing everything the bible says about Jesus is true. It says, we are sinners accountable for what we've done and saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Rejecting God gave the Israelites freedom to do what was in their hearts, to make up their own rules and be the authority. The book of Judges is a great snapshot of what we are like without God. We have the same frame mind and the same options. God gives us opportunities to respond to the gospel and hear what Christ has done for us. God gives us reminders of His faithfulness in hard times. It's something we wrestle with, what is going to be your choice?

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, The Choice of Life or Death