welcome welcome we gotta say it twice uh december 10 2024 grace and truth church let us go to the lord in prayer lord just thank you for uh gathering us together tonight to hear from you lord Lord, help us today to choose this day whom we will serve. Our Lord, teach us, let us hear directly from you. Use me, but Lord, let your spirit speak to our hearts. And let us glean something to take home with us that will go with us into eternity. In Jesus we pray, amen. So choose this day in whom you will serve. I'm hoping tonight that we will see more clearly the lines between self and the kingdom of heaven, because that is a gulf too big to cross over. And also we're going to look at the completed work of Christ for the forgiveness of all sins of all people and how we are all undeserving of that forgiveness and how we should give it as freely as we have received it, unmerited, unearned and undeserved. So first we're going to look at Joshua 24, 13 and 15. He says, I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them, and you eat the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the river in Egypt. Serve the Lord. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself this day in whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in which the land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now we have received a new life in Christ, an eternal life, a life full of the abundance of Jesus, all for the taking. A life in which we have not labored, a life that we have not built. Hebrews 9, 11, where we now dwell in him. We are sustained on spiritual food that we have not planted. John 4, 32, when the disciples asked him, where'd you get the food? I have food that you know not of. 1 Corinthians 4, 6, for who makes you different from another and what do you have that you did not receive? Now if indeed you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? So with this new life we have hidden in Christ, knowing we have received it all, all of it has been received, choose this day who you will serve and stop boasting against the truth. And the truth is, we added not one shred of our own righteousness to our salvation, to his work, It's not 99% Jesus and 1% of our effort, but all of it, all 100% was Jesus Christ. So what makes you different from anyone else? What do you possess of Christ that wasn't given to you? Your strengths, your weaknesses, which are actually your greatest strengths, 2 Corinthians 12, 10 tells us, for when I am weak, then I am strong. How about your gifts, the fruit of the Spirit? Which of those came from you? None of them. Jesus labored and built this new life we have. You and I didn't labor or build, and He is the seed of life in which we eat to live, which we did not plant. So if it seems evil to you to serve Him who laid down His life for you, then serve yourself. Keep doing the things that serve you. Hold on to this life you have in this flesh, so you will not gain His. Keep serving a God of your own understanding that's supposed to listen to your counsel on how your life is supposed to go and what it should look like. I ask you, should the clay ever say to the potter, you don't understand why the things the way that they are? Isaiah 29, 16. Should we ever say that to God, the one who made us, the one who has given us everything? Should we ever question that hand that molded us? And we think this way. I think this way. Hopefully you don't. So if it seems evil to lose this life we have in the flesh, then serve yourself, like I said. But as for me, I will serve the Lord. So it's a little different here in Western Christianity with the times of Israel and Joshua, in that we don't necessarily worship statues and images and call them our gods. But choose this day in whom you will serve, nonetheless, is the relevant question. After all those molded images they served, they served those gods for the purpose of serving their flesh. This god will give me that. This god will give me that. This god will give me prosperity. You know, someone said once that one of the greatest tricks the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn't exist. And yes, I do believe this is true of the world. But for believers, I think we all understand that he does exist. I believe today in our westernized Christianity, his greatest trick is that we don't know that serving ourselves is evil. Just as evil as serving an image made of wood, silver, or gold. For covenantness is idolatry, Colossians 3, 5 tells us. For worldliness is earthly and sensual, and serving self is demonic. You know that? That every time you are self-seeking, there is a demonic nature present. All evil is there. And the world tells you, serve yourself. Make yourself happy. Take care of yourself before all others. This is a demonic, satanic thinking. James 3, 13 and 18 tells us very clearly, who was wise and understanding among you, let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. I'm gonna bring this up. You know, going through withdrawal, just talk about it plainly, from drugs, opiates, alcohol, there's a withdrawal called RLS, and that's Restless Leg Syndrome. It's involuntary movements that keep you from resting, sleeping, feeling okay in your own skin, and it is brutal. Probably a couple hands that can experience that in this room. What about spiritually from self-seeking and envy? We experience something that I'm going to title RTS, Restless Thought Syndrome, where confusion and every evil thing is there, present in your mind to keep you up at night, worried and full of anxiety. They're involuntary thoughts that keep you from the rest for your soul that can only be found in Christ. Self-seeking is the root of this. and self-seeking, this will be your reward. RTS, Restless Thought Syndrome. So like I said, I think today the devil's greatest trick within the body of Christ is not seeing how evil it is to be self-serving. I do it all the time. My reactions of sin are because I'm serving myself. How I once served. But there's a way out of this deception. And that is through the cross, death to self at the cross of Christ where he took everything the devil could use against you. Your flesh, the world, even that law made of love that he can accuse you of not keeping. All of it, Jesus took all of it to the cross with him and declared it is finished. There was a second century ecclesiastical writer named Tertullian who said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And since the time of the disciples, when men and women were killed for the gospel, the church grows, it flourishes. And in the same way, it can be true here in America, that we're not being killed for the gospel yet. I say yet, because everywhere else in history it's happened, just not here yet. But in the same way, when the members of the church die to themselves, the church will grow all the more. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, Psalms 116, 15. So maybe you're not called to physically die, but we are all called to die to ourselves. And when we do, oh, how precious in the sight of the Lord this is, a sweet smelling aroma being diffused in every place we go before him. So what has our adversary done? He knows us. He knows that if he kills us physically, the church will grow. He stopped killing us and giving us comfort. He gave us comfort. and complacency is the result of that life in comfort. Revelations 3, 16 and 17, the Laodicean Church, we know it very familiarly here. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth, Jesus says to the church, because you say I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. We end up lukewarm water, not good for healing the sick or refreshing the saints. The deceiver has blurred the lines of a selfless Christianity, which is the only true walk of a Christian, and a self-serving Christianity, which is demonic in nature. You know, what's a tragedy? A Christian losing their physical life for their faith in God? Or a Christian walking this earth in their flesh today, doesn't even know that they're supposed to die to their self? I ask you, what's a bigger tragedy? Taking the Lord's name in vanity. And opportunities are presented to us daily. Recognize them, and when they come, fall at the foot of the cross. Deny yourself. Like I said, this is a tragedy. A Christianity that is not centered on following Christ to His cross. Tragedy. A pragmatic Christianity that starts their mission anywhere but at the cross of Christ. A Christian that looks at the cross for their salvation, never to return again. This is a tragedy. We are to spend our entire life at the foot of that cross, where he said to follow him to. In Matthew 16, 16, you see in his determination, for he told the disciples, for I must go to Jerusalem, where that cross was waiting him. And for this purpose he came, and it is now our purpose to follow him there, where self has been crucified, where Angela's been crucified, Scott's been crucified, Who else was named Shadda? Megan was crucified. This is our purpose, so that He may live through us. And unless you are before that cross, you will end up serving yourself eventually. For it is at that cross that we come to understand God's mercy, His grace for us as individuals and for the entire world. And at that cross is where we come to fully know who He is. His righteousness, His holiness, His justice, His anger, His wrath, they are all displayed there. All of it can be learned there at the cross. And if that serpent of old can keep us serving ourselves, keeping us the center of our lives, instead of Jesus, the church, your life, the people in it will remain stagnant. Lukewarm water, something that looks good, but when it is tasted, it is vomited out the mouth. It looks like all the other water until you taste it. And he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9, 23. This is one of his greatest deceptions, Satan. In the body, in the church, his self. It's our flesh. Choose this day in whom you will serve. For the word says, Jesus says, through the words of Paul, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life I now live in his flesh, I live in faith by the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Do you actually believe this? You must believe this to have any eternal progress in your life. It's not you, it's him. It can't be you, it must be him. lose this identity that you came to Christ with. Live in Him. Walk in Him. And without this understanding, the progress you think you're making is from yourself. Just Christians trying to be better Christians. And that work will be burned away in the Day of Judgment. If that accuser can keep us thinking we have a right to ourselves and our taste, our opinions, our preferences on how our life is supposed to go and how the people around us are supposed to act, that we are the masters in which we should serve, if he can keep us carnally minded, he's getting the results he wants. Spiritual death amongst believers. Romans 8, 6 says, to be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace. But as for me and my house, Joshua said, as we should all say, we will serve the Lord and not ourselves any longer. We will not consume and devour one another in our selfishness. Galatians 5, 13 and 16, for you, brethren, have not been called to liberty, have now been called to liberty, only do not use that liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, as an opportunity for yourself. But through love serve one another for all the law is fulfilled in one word. Even in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. I say then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Scott's teaching on Romans 13 really, really got me. I'm still chewing on it. I got a lot to learn. But Romans 13 10 says, love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. The law isn't just a bunch of rules I can't keep. It is love. Love does no harm. And how much more harm can you do to somebody that you love and care about is to put a burden on them that they can't do for themselves? That's harm. Love doesn't tell people what rules to keep, that they need to do these things to be acceptable and right before them and before God, but love does all those things for those who can't, thus fulfilling the law of love. Just as Jesus fulfilled that law for us out of love, that same Jesus is in us to fulfill that law, that love for them. He did all that we could not, not asking anything from us, not expecting anything from us. Quite the contrary. He came because he knew we couldn't and wouldn't keep those two tablets. Love God and love your neighbor. So why should it be any different for them? We couldn't, we couldn't, we confess, as believers, right? Then turn to them and think they should and they could. Help us, Lord. Help us when we do that. Titus 2, 11 and 12. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. And you might say or think to somebody or about someone, well, if I just keep giving them grace and forgetting their sins, they will take advantage of me. They won't change, and I can't bear that hurt and that rejection anymore. I need to protect this life that I have, this comfort that reigns in my complacency. They don't deserve forgiveness for what they have done or are still currently doing, looking for any worldly demonic excuse to not give grace and mercy. When we are unwilling to forgive, these are the things that are going on in our head, whether you're aware of it or not. This type of thinking is contrary to Scripture, and this type of thinking calls God a liar. If I keep giving them grace, they're not going to change. We're calling God a liar. For the Word says that it is by His grace that we learn to deny ungodliness. The Word also says in James 2.13 that mercy triumphs, mercy is victorious, mercy reigns and rolls over judgment. And when these demonic thoughts enter into your mind that say contrary to what scripture says, whether involuntary or not, we are to cast them down immediately and without hesitation look to Jesus. Hebrews 12, two and four, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him, look unto Jesus, now consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls, for you have yet resisted the bloodshed, striving against sin. For by looking to him and considering what he endured, looking to the cross, going to the cross, clinging to the cross, never leaving the cross, is the only way to not become weary and discouraged in your souls. Because everything outside of that cross will tell you contrary. It's not working. They're never going to change. They're doing that again. We'll have to cross the Christ that's all been finished and paid for. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us, to us in this room, To us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, this is where the power of God lies. 1 Corinthians 1.18. So I ask, what message is coming from your life to the people you care about, to the people that sin against you, the people that you love and take advantage of, that take advantage of you? Is it the message of the cross? Is it that their sins have been forgiven and forgotten? that Christ not only died for you and your sins, but for their sins and the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2 tells us. And we can even practice casting these thoughts down all day. I've done that, I've wrestled with them. But without Christ, without the message of the cross, there will be no power, no lasting victory. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repent." In 2 Peter 3, 9. He's long-suffering towards us people. The ones that are sitting in this room that gather to hear the word of God. He is long-suffering towards us, not willing that they shall perish. His work needs manifested through the living sacrifice of our lives, not theirs. but us who claim to believe. Those of us that have met Him at that cross and witnessed His death and resurrection through the written word, as if we were there. It is us that He has longed suffering towards, waiting on us to turn back to that cross. Matthew 6, 24, no one can serve two masters, for either you will hate the one and love the other, or else you will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. So if you serve yourself, you will be bitter and angry, resentful when someone's sin is brought to your doorstep. You're serving yourself. You will not say, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. But rather, you will say in your heart, look, God, look what they're doing, how awful it is. I can't believe they're still doing that. And by doing this, you're saying you are thankful you are not like those kinds of people. As the Pharisee prayed thus with himself, Luke 18, 9 and 14. Look what I do, Lord. Look at me. I do this, that, and a third, and I'm so glad I'm not like that person I'm complaining and not forgiving. Not justified. Let us be like that tax collector when sin is brought to our doorstep. Lord, give me mercy, for I am a sinful man, so that I may give it to them. Yeah, so if you are serving yourself, because you can't be loyal to both, You'll be better when sin's brought to your doorstep. But if you are choosing this day to serve the Lord, you will see those circumstances as opportunities in the kingdom of heaven. Oh, I get to forgive them. Oh, I get to bring the power of God into their lives. Not an inconvenience, but an opportunity. For somebody, maybe in this room, did it for you. Maybe somewhere else. But that love of God was shared through a vessel. And I have a couple of friends, we're reading Genesis together. And we came across Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 20, 10. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And my buddy commented how monumental of a moment this was. And how all the angels were in suspense seeing what might happen here. and how biblical history, the word of God was being created in this moment. This was his commentary. I was like, wow, I chewed on it for like three days, but it had me thinking about my life and how when someone's sin comes to my doorstep or someone sins against himself that I love, cause that hurts me too. How monumental these moments are and how all the angels on both sides are watching in suspense to whether my faith is confirmed or not. What's Greg gonna do? They're all watching. And how it's an opportunity to have the Word of God created in my life as a historical account that will be read before the King for all eternity, Malachi 3.16, where the Father's servant Jesus, His only servant Jesus, worked through me, and how that work was accounted to me as righteousness. I just denied myself and let Christ do it. monumental moments in your life. As was with Abraham, so with us. Offer your life a living sacrifice, Romans 12 tells us, since the sacrifice was made by the Son in our place, as with the ram was with Isaac. And those who are willing to offer their lives, a living sacrifice, the angel of the Lord, Jesus, will also say to them as he said to Abraham after he provided the ram. Then the angel said to the Lord, then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven. And he said, by myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, blessing, I will bless you. In multiplying, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. By himself he has sworn to us. because we have offered our lives as a living sacrifice. Blessings, he will bless you. In this seed that was promised to Abraham, in this seed that is Jesus Christ, we will be found. That's the blessing. There's another five words of my understanding from Philippians 3.9, the blessing in which he blesses us and be found in him. and to be found in Him that I may know Him." Now I have 10 words of my understanding in this Bible, and that's enough. I'll get through life with those 10 words. And there is no higher goal in this life in which I wish to attain, is to be found in Him, having no righteousness of my own, that I may know Him all the better. I want to know this one, for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are here on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. All things were created for Him, not you, not you or I. Those sins that are brought to your doorstep are for Him. to work through you. So choose this day who you will serve. If you think it's evil God told you not to eat of that tree, then go eat it and watch the fruit of death be produced in your life. If you think it's an evil thing God told you to deny yourself, then don't. He's not forcing you. But the way to life, the way to be found in Him, the way to know Him, is through that narrow gate, which is the cross of Christ. So these monumental moments in which all the angelic beings are witnesses to you in your life, when someone's sin is brought to your doorstep, we answer some of these questions for them. Was Christ's death and resurrection enough in your life to have you walk in this flesh a new creation in Him? How about this question? Do you really believe that that price that Christ paid really did finish all that was required of God for yourself and for them? They're waiting for the answers and watching it play out in our lives. How about will you gladly receive that forgiveness of your own sins, yet deny them that same forgiveness you have been given? All the created angels watch for the results of these questions in our lives. Monumental. In this cross of Christ, where the payment was made in full for our sins, we didn't labor for it, we didn't build it, we didn't plan it. Unearned, unmerited, and undeserved. That's how we receive it. That's how we receive it, right? So today, choose this day in whom you will serve. Don't wake up every day and ask yourself that question. I wonder if today I'm going to serve the Lord. You won't. But today, choose this day that you will serve the Lord the rest of your days. And practice denying yourself, picking up your cross, and following Him daily. So Matthew 18, 21, and 35. I think this is a good parable to look at in reflection of self and the forgiveness of sins. Then Peter came to him and said, Peter came to Jesus, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times. Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold with his wife and his children, and all that he had, and that that payment be made. That servant therefore fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all of it. Then the master of the servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him all the debt. But that servant, when he went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 denarii, He laid hands on him and took him by the throat saying, pay me what you owe me. So this fellow servant fell down on his feet and begged him saying, have patience with me and I will pay you all. And he would not, but went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what he had done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called them, called him, said to him, you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not have had compassion on your fellow servants, just as I had pity on you? and his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly father also will do to each one of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespass." Serious stuff there, right? Are you behaving as this wicked servant with anybody in your life? Not forgetting and forgiving the sins of others, but retaining and remembering them? bringing it back to them like they just did it again. And us having a debt that we could not pay, paid for by another, by Jesus. And then we turn around and remember what they do, what they did, and demanding justice for ourselves, demanding payment of their sin, death, what brought to us. You need to say you're sorry. No, they don't. Not to you. 32 and 35 again. Then his master, after he had called him, said to you, you wicked servant, you unforgiving believer. Can I put that in there? I think so. You who hold on to sin and profess the name of Christ than others. I forgave you your sin because you begged me, because you came humble, because you asked for it. I gave it to you, he says. Should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant the same way I had pity on you." And that master was angry and delivered him to the torches until he should pay all that was due to him. So my Heavenly Father also will do to you, each one of you, from his heart, if he does not forgive his brother's trespasses." That one's reward for that kind of thinking, that kind of action, torment from the Father. No peace, no fruit, but torment. Because of the unforgiveness, self-seeking, self-serving lifestyle that you're living. All rooted in your own self-righteousness. Because you're glad you're not like them. Isaiah 50 and 11, look all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks, walk in the light of your own fire, and in the sparks you have kindled, this you shall have from my hand, says the Lord. You shall lie down in torment. Light your own fire, have your own righteousness, think you're better than they are. Circle yourself with your own good deeds, and walk in that life. Torment will be this one's reward. You're always disappointed, angry, miserable, never satisfied, never possessing lasting peace, because you think that you are something and they are nothing. You're serving yourself and not God. If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, if someone says, I love God and I'm not willing to forgive his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4, 20. Unwilling to forgive and forget all sins is hating someone. And those who do this from the Father in heaven, I've always struggled with this verse, but Isaiah really helped me out. From his hand, from the Father in him, to his child, the child of God, Because He loves us, He will allow us to lay down and torment in this life. For Christ died for our self-righteousness, our judgmental attitudes, like we're better than someone else, and God loves us too much to let us live comfortably in that sin. It is but grace that we are tormented in our flesh when we bear unforgiveness towards one another. It is from His hand, He said, so that we might turn from self and turn back to Him. So today, choose this day in whom you will serve, yourself, which brings torment from the hand of God, or the Lord Jesus Christ, who brings peace and life from the hand of God. As for me, as for me, I will serve the Lord. There's one verse that's gonna, I'll close with it. It says, ho, ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. Isaiah 55, one and three. And you who have no money, come buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. It costs you nothing. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Here in your soul shall live. Amen. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for the way the Word of God just reads us and shows us who we are apart from you, Lord. And Lord, I repent. I repent with this message, and I'll repent every time I see that self-seeking attitude stir up in me. Lord, bless the fellowship, bless the offering. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.