Surfer’s Chapel, Huntington Beach: Pastor/Teacher Bill White
from 8/2/1995 #6 in a “Power” series [I am riffing from a sermon that was from a series started in April of 1995 (+/-), at my home church in Huntington Beach, Ca.]
The Power of Choice has been shown to be both good and bad, and it all depends on the person choosing, the choice to be made, and the ramifications of the either/or decision.
Leaders have chosen peace and to go to war, or to intervene in a conflict. What we think of our leaders and the choices they’ve made can upset or please us, even if what they have chosen doesn’t touch us in our day-to-day world.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a sea of choices. It’s at times almost like finding a needle in a haystack. I know I’ve felt that way looking for something on Amazon, just too many choices. When facing a forest of choices, and that one “tree” is all we need, we could want to have it just handed to us, right?
Freedom of Choice is what we want, or is it freedom from choice? (Devo song) (Now don’t go into the poem that song is about, no time for that here!)
Let’s set the table:
Genesis 2:1-2 And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly lights. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
It’s all good, God chose to get it all done, the creation of our world, the universe, etc. in just 6 days, and rested on the seventh day. Good stuff, right?
The next section of Genesis 2 goes into His creation of man and later woman. I know you can look it up, if you’re interested, but it’s not the crux of where I’m going. They’re the choice makers… so let’s get into it.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Obviously there’s instruction here, and a warning. Some translations say you will “surely die”. It’s another logic If/Then Cause/Effect. Pretty gnarly effect from the cause.
In Chapter 3 the snake (Satan) persuades them to go ahead and make the wrong choice. Just as in our SIN-nature, we too at times make the wrong choice, right? If we’re getting honest with ourselves?
In Numbers 13 God commands Moses to sent spies into Canaan, one from each tribe, right? So 12 dudes. (they’re all named there, if you’re looking for Baby names!)
So the spies go out, you know the story, right? They spy out the land, grab some super-huge grapes, come back and state it’s impossible to conquer that Canaan place. Those guys are really big! This causes all the people to grumble and complain. Then in verse 30, Caleb steps up and says, “let’s go! We can take them!”
He’s choosing to trust the Lord and go conquer what God had promised beyond the Jordan. The people though, they chose wrong, and spent more decades wandering in the wilderness. This is really exciting history here, and the good/bad choices and the ramifications are there for us to observe and gain wisdom (hopefully!).
Just to put a bow on that, Joshua and Caleb don’t get into Canaan until the book of Joshua, on the other side of Deuteronomy (if you’re Bible flippin’).
But what about Joshua? What were his choices?
1. Decides to risk his own life as a spy
2. Stands up with Caleb, trusting God (actually hearing from God, it’s rad) to say “let’s take ‘em”.
3. Decides to stick to the plan against the whole nations he’ll meet in the future.
Why did Joshua make these choices?
Joshua chooses to obey the command in Deuteronomy 6:1. (That’s an awesome chapter, read it saint!)
Joshua 6:1-2: 1“Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may do them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it, 2 so that you, your son, and your grandson will fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.”
Joshua chose to stick to the game plan God gave Moses to speak before they crossed the Jordan to possess the land.
Why? God promised success, it’s an easy choice if you Trust Him. Do you trust Him?
What did God promise? Just one more pair of verses, Deuteronomy 7:22-23
22 And the Lord your God will drive away these nations from you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23 But the Lord your God will turn them over to you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.
That’s an awesome promise. God has “awesome” plans for you too. Beyond your ability to imagine. Be encouraged! Choose to Trust Him, that’s a powerful choice.
IF God is for us, who can stand against us? Right?
Joshua 24:14a
14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth;”
We too shall serve the Lord our God!
Look at Verse 22, are you going to do it?
Live up to your choice, do it!
John 1:19-22 is John the Baptist’s testimony before the priests and Levites. The last verse is pretty cool:
22 “He said, I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘make the way of the lord straight’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” John was a catalyst. John chose to obey God, and start preparing the way for Jesus. John is a fantastic gospel, a ton of great passages, and it’s known as “Jesus as God” in it’s focus or theme. (not to rabbit trail to much, I just like a lot of the last few chapters, but all of it is excellent!)
In Matthew 4, verses 18-19 Jesus is walking along the shore of the sea of Galilee, sees the two brothers, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were minding their own business, net fishing (which was their business as fishermen. Verses 19-20 are clutch:
19 “And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
The boys do right by choosing immediately to leave their nets and follow. Are you giving up your sinful pursuits of your past, leaving the “nets” behind, to truly follow Him. Are you cutting time out of your day’s schedule, to spend time with Him in prayer, or in His Word? He’s the author of time – controls it all, as it’s all in His hands, right? In the next couple of verses here in Matthew 4, the “Sons of Thunder” brothers, John and James choose to do the same, dropping the nets they were mending, say “later” to their father Mr. Zebedee, and exercise the choice to follow Jesus. One final observation here, and It’s kinda crazy, I’ve heard the book of Mark as being the “quick” gospel, as there’s a lot of action verbs, adverbs, etc. in it, but here in John it describes both sets of brothers leave behind their life Immediately.
Luke 22 has a lot of cool history in it, worth reviewing on your own time. Yet what it also details is Jesus’ choice to go through all of the final hours of His before resurrection-life, on our behalf. He didn’t reject the cup, instead asking God for His will to be done, God’s will with this soon-to-happen situation that led ultimately to the cross. Are you choosing to forsake all, for Him? It’s hard to give up certain stuff in our lives that isn’t good for us. We’re human, sinful, and naturally we like our sin and folly. We shouldn’t. Jesus died that we might also die to our sin-nature. Choosing to live obedient lives before him, choosing His power to be evident in our lives, changed, day by day, moment by moment in the best version of ourselves, Jesus indwelling by His Spirit.
Through Jesus’ choice we are given the chance to enter the kingdom and follow him. That’s our choice to make.
Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. “
Ephesians 1:11 “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,”
He chose US!
Choice is the most powerful thing we have in our possession. As we dedicate ourselves, we choose to do so. As we pursue godliness.
Questions to close, that we might choose to live by: Before we make a choice: Is it a choice Jesus would make? Is it a choice for a Christian living obedient by His Spirit? Does it edify me? Does it lift up the body of believers?
[I attended Surfer’s chapel in the mid-90’s, right before moving to New Mexico. Everyone at Surfer’s chapel either surfed regularly, or were married/dating/or otherwise related to someone who did. Therefore this sermon, and the series, was on-point with the fellowship in attendance.]
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