Choose Life (Deuteronomy 30:19) I. The Opportunity II. The Options III. The Obligation
My dear friends, turn your Bible to Deuteronomy Chapter 30. Our meditation for today is entitled ‘Choose Life’. We have seen here in the last verse of chapter 30 - I want to call your attention to the last part of verse 20 - “that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:20)
My dear friends, the nation of Israel did not come out by accident, it has been planned by God since the time of Abraham. Do you remember when the Lord, Jehovah Himself, promised to Abraham, ‘I will give you the land, I will give you this nation, your a descendants will be a multitude, even as many as you cannot number.’ He even used the grains of the sand, the seashore (as an example). Abraham waited, because during those times, when the promise was given, he had no child. He even doubted the Lord - ‘Lord is my right hand man the one that I will give my inhabitants, and that through him your promise to me will be will come to pass or will be followed?’ But the Lord God said ‘No, it must come from you and your legal wife’, that was Sarah. And again, Abraham doubted and then he said, ‘since they (we) are old and they (we) cannot bear child’, the wife suggested that the handmaid will be given and will also have a child. You know that story?
But the problem is, the Lord again said ‘this is not the child that I am planning to bless you with’. Sometimes, my dear friends, we teach the Lord how to deal with our life, we teach the Lord how to follow His plans towards us. And for sure, it will result in disaster or destruction. We have seen that, even until now, the descendants of the children of Abraham are still fighting. Well, we cannot blame Abraham during those times - maybe, perhaps his faith was just growing, his faith was still not up to the standard wherein the Lord will be able to prosper him - but the promise is already there.
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And therefore now, the Lord has raised Abraham, taught him through the circumstances and through His word for sure, and then, up to the point that he truly believed the Lord, and his faith was genuine. And it was a growing faith; that when the Lord promised him that ‘this descendant of yours (Abraham’s) will come through your son with Sarah’, and then the Lord told him ‘you sacrifice this child’, (Abraham’s reply was) ‘Lord you told me I have been waiting for this child and you told me that through him he will become of a great nation and now you are telling me to offer him?’
But he learned his lesson; he said ‘Lord, I am confident that through your word, that through your action, that through your ability, I will still be a great nation’, so he followed, and the Lord commended him of his faith.
And after that, the descendants grew and grew; the children grew in number and, of course, in the knowledge of God's word. Then they were growing in Canaan and famine came, and when famine came they were brought to Egypt. I do not want to give the details about Joseph or how they went there, because I know that you have learned that before, but I would like to stress you this - it was the plan of God for them to go to Egypt. Because the Lord has planned that the nation will be coming from Abraham, they now have the land - the promised land, the physical land. Then after which, they will go to the promised land later when they exit, when they have the Exodus from Egypt to the promised land, the Lord will give them their constitution, and that is the Levitical Law .
And the third one that they were missing was the people. You cannot be a nation of just a few people, a few families. Like Bethel, how many families - maybe, perhaps more than 10? But can you call yourselves ‘Bethel Nation’? Cannot. So in order for you to become a nation, you must have a lot of citizens. So that's why God's plan was to put them in Egypt, because Egypt was very, very prosperous and they (the Israelites) enjoyed their life there, and they prospered, and they become millions. And when the time was ripe, the Lord brought them out.
Now they have the land. The land has always been there; the land was just given, or for temporary care, of those Canaanite people, but they, the Israelites, will return there and for sure the Lord has given to them, they will take hold of it - no doubt about it.
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and by the way remember Abraham waited for the land but he died without even owning the land he died only owning a piece of land where him and the wife was buried that's the only property they have there but the Lord had promised him this vast land sometimes my dear friends is not on our timing it is the Lord's timing but be assured that the Lord's promises will come to pass now when the Israelites were growing their number in Egypt at first they enjoyed their life because Pharaoh Pharaoh gave opportunity to them in Goshen and they prospered and they really have good food good life and the Pharaoh remembered what Joseph has done in the nation of Egypt lo and behold when that light timing came the Lord sent persecution unto the nation within Egypt the new pharaoh the new Pharaoh now hated them because the new Pharaoh might think that later this Israelites were very very strong later this Israelites growing in number and then they will take over our land so what we will do is persecute them what we will do is do not let them propagate we must limit their number and you remember Moses remember Moses when he was young he was and should be killed but the Lord spared him and then persecution grow intense on the nation of Israel you know why the Lord brought persecution unto them why the Lord was very very hard on them because if the Lord will not do that they will not come out of Egypt they were so comfortable there they loved their that when they were in the wilderness when they were walking and when there was no food they just said oh Moses did you brought us here to the desert to die and make this as our bullying places in the cemetery one then they remember at least there in Egypt we have leaks we have onion we have meat we have all that we want Oh how we wish that we will just return and lead us back there our life was better in Egypt then here in the wilderness do you remember that that's why the Lord have to treat them in a sense that they think that they cannot stay in the land anymore and when the persecution was so intense and they were squeezed by the Egyptians and then they said Lord help us that's the trigger point why the Lord sent Moses because he heard the Lord heard the intense wailing of his people the Lord have heard that his people were suffering and then the Lord said this is the right time for you to go sometimes my dear friends when we are too comfortable in our homes in our workplaces and when the Lord asked us to do things to go here and there and to minister to God's people or just be used for the Lord's work my suggestion to you is this my dear friends follow the lord if you will not the Lord will force you to go just like the Israelites they were so comfortable there and when they were comfortable the Lord just destroyed their comfort they moved their comfort and now when they were suffering it's now time to move don't despise suffering my dear friends don't despise the chastisement of the Lord do not despise when the Lord sent you uh something that is uncomfortable to you because maybe perhaps the Lord is wanting to direct you to a better place to a better place
they were too comfortable with Egypt they like to stay there but when the Lord has prepared the place little did they know that the place where the Lord will lead them so much better but they need to learn first they need to sacrifice they need to be persecuted they need to go and follow the lord and this is the message here my dear friends this is now where when they were moving around they are now ready to cross the Promised Land they are now ready to cross the Promised Land and Moses was very very clear to tell them that when you are there in the promised land your life will be better yes you might be comfortable in Egypt before the persecution but your life will be better in the place that the Lord has given you your life will be full of satisfaction of God's goodness because this is the place that the Lord wanted you to go this is the perfect place for you and he told the people you and your descendants your life will change in Egypt you were very very contented that you and very happy that even though you are slaves you have something to eat that even though you are slaves there the Egyptians took care of you but you know what in the place that you will be brought by the Lord you will no longer be slaves you will eat the food that you have prepared in Egypt they planted all those agricultural products and when the Harvest will come the Egyptians will take it just give them leftovers and they were happy but Moses told them when you will be in the land of promise that the Lord has given unto us whatever you sow whatever you prepared whatever you planted you can anticipate for sure the Harvest because the Harvest will be yours hundred percent
your life will be changed overnight when you will be there and the land will be given to us that is for sure because the Lord will never fail in his promise your life will be changed from slaves now you will own slaves you will be the master and you will not know and you will not learn your new uh position because all of their life they have they have been uh slaves and now they will become Masters they will have people to till the land for them they will no longer swept they will no longer put the Yoke on the animals and they will do now they will be the Masters your life will change this is what Moses told them be ready but of course all of these things the key is to serve the Lord the key is to be with God but he just want to warn them us because when you will be full there then you will forget the Lord isn't it true for us
especially the first generation Christians first generation Christians you're our life like me I am also a first generation Christian our life was full of misery our life was full of problems full of a bride full of worthiness but when the Lord called us and save us and we knew about Christ our life was changed it became a beautiful life it will be a life full of meaning it is alive worth living for and not only spiritual things my dear friends even the material things because here in Deuteronomy we have seen that the Lord also promised to them these things of course for us now modern day Christians the promise about material things is different because in Abraham they were given the land because they are supposed to be a nation for us we are not a nation we are a spiritual Nation so that aspect of the land we are not promised but abundance in our daily needs the provision that we can send our children to school the provision that we can feed them it is there it is still until now because how can you do God's work if you are hungry how can you do God's opportunities or the spiritual work if you have nothing you cannot just go and say oh I am a missionary I go to the petrol station and say oh I will go and since I am doing God's work and I just pump in Patrol for free cannot we need but the Lord has provided for us all of those things but again we are not like the charismatics we're in all of those uh wild imaginations they will ask and think that the Lord will provide for them though what the Lord provides for us is for us to help and do the ministry that's it not to cater our laws not to do all of our worldly fleshly desires the Lord will not do that because he is not pro into it he is so against with that why will he fuel our desire when that desire will bring us to destruction he will never but what he is telling us I will provide so that you will be able to take care of your family take care of your loved ones take care of the work in the church take care of what I have asked you to do we call the ministry as the Lord's work not The Minister's work right the Lord's work then who should provide the Lord because that is his work and he uses us that we might be able to support his work that's why here Moses told them be ready your life will be very very different from the ones that you are used to that's why he told him this he told him in verse 19 I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that if that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed May live in the previous chapters he had given all those curses and blessings you go and follow the lord you will have all of these things not even one was listed about their fleshly lust but all you see these things so that they will have the provision of the Lord now in our text he says you have a choice life or death we see here my dear friends the opportunity that the Lord has given us God has created Every Man a free choice free choice is if you will use it properly it is very very wonderful the Lord has given us a choice some people will say that God has not given opportunity to men to choose whether it is wrong God gave man opportunity to choose in the Garden of Eden God told them all of these things will be yours you can eat all of those of fruits even the animals they are given for their consumption but there is one one condition that you should not do and this is to tell Adam and Eve that those Thou Art the ruler of all of these creatures that God has given there is still one that is higher than you and you should obey God has given them the choice and the Lord told them all of these things you can eat except one fruit the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil sad to say Adam and Eve chose not to follow the lord they were given the choice
that is the opportunity my dear friends in Genesis chapter 2 also and then the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil thou shall not eat of it for in the day that thou it is thereof thou shall surely die the Lord has given them the choice the Lord has given this opportunity God did not create robots all of us will have a choice in every opportunity that the Lord has given unto us but instead of eating of the Tree of Life they chose to eat of the Forbidden tree and the same as also with Israel perhaps Moses have put into his mind and he remembered how the people murmured that even though the Lord has given them everything the Lord has provided for them and yet they were still keep on complaining that even the Lord has told them written in the Holy Scripture that while they are still chewing the meat of the quail they are again contemplating and asking and thinking of the next meal
Moses knew that if the Lord will give them a choice most people especially Israel and even us so often than not we will choose the world that's why he gave them a warning when you cross over this River Jordan I will not be with you because he was not allowed to enter the Lord was just gracious unto him that the Lord showed to him the vast land that the Lord will give to the nation of Israel and Moses told them it was and it is a very beautiful place and land flowing with milk and honey you remember the spies when they came They Carried the the grapes and they carry the grapes not with one person but they use a rod to put it because it is very huge and very productive that two people need to carry it even until now the the Department of Tourism of Israel uses that uh picture to show that the land indeed is a very very plenteous then Moses said no I am not going with you I will not be there to remind you now this is my opportunity to tell you that you will have a choice and when you have that choice choose the Lord do not choose the fatness of the land do not let it stop you from worshiping the Lord yes you will have abundance you have a choice the option accept or reject very simple the Lord has made it simple and to the people you just accept or you just reject you choose life you choose life so that when the Lord will bless you the Lord will be even more to be pleased because you are following him the Lord will be very pleased to give whatever you want because he knows that you are able and you have the heart to go and be used by him to those who are mean um parents who have two or more children I know that we must love our children equally that is not a question that should be what we need to do but sometimes when we see one child our child is very very naughty and the other child is very behave and wants to follow you and loves you very much very caring do you think whom among the two you will love most the rebellious child or the loving child and the same as with God yes the lord loves us us his children and it is also true that we are rebellious there are times we have the inclination not to follow the lord the Lord tells us very clearly that this is what we need to do but our hearts to hand to rebel and we do not follow who do you think the Lord will help who do you think the Lord will pour his love to the rebellious child or to the loving child this is what Moses would like to tell them choose to follow the lord choose to have repentance because this is what God wants us to do choose to submit unto him choose that he may be glorified in your life and when he will see that he is glorified in your life he would even he would even provide for you help you in the Philippines are some people are really very very poor and they they may not have all the Necessities but the problem is they have multiple children so they will have multiple children they will see among their children who is the brightest who is the smartest and whoever is the smartest that is the one that they will support because they know this child had a potential so the other uh even if it's just the second child or the third child the Elder children they will work even if they have not finished college or they have not finished um their schooling they will work like odd jobs and they will support this child so that thinking that these children hoping and praying to the Lord that this child will have a better future and will Elevate their family sometimes they chose also the eldest because when the eldest will come to an age he will of course being the eldest he will work or study first and then all the the siblings will help and then when the first one finish he will support the second one and when the second one finished the second one will have a work he will support the third one that's how it is done in Philippines but I don't think that is the problem here but you know what my dear friends the word of God tells us we have an option that when all of these things seems like that we think that life is difficult life is sufficient life in whatever situation we are the Lord has given us the option to reject or accept the Lord us Christians we know that we have only one way in order to attain this spiritual life in order to attain This Promise of the Lord because the key for us my dear friends to have this Fellowship to have this promise to have this blessing from the Lord is true the Lord Jesus Christ some people will say they say oh there will be many ways to go so that you might be able to please or be with God but the word says that there's only one way
Jesus servant to him I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father except by me there's only one way
there is nothing there is no one there is nothing yeah things person place or whatever that we can attain salvation except the Lord Jesus Christ
how about the Israelites during those times oh yes it was only through Jesus Christ that these people will also have eternal life but some may argue isn't it true that Jesus Christ was not yet born during this time yes that's true but just like us us we are looking back to Christ's sacrifice to them they are looking forward Christ is in the middle the Old Testament people looking to his sacrifice just like us we are looking backwards to his sacrifice
do you remember what Jesus said about Abraham Jesus said Abraham saw my day and he rejoiced and then also in the time of Moses do you remember we go to John chapter 3. this is the same generation that the Lord has faced and also we are instructed in John chapter 3.
verse 14. I will wait for you and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life for God sent not his son unto the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved verse 14 says when Moses lifted up the serpent in their Wilderness Journey it represented Christ that those that were beaten by the serpent they have a choice they turn and look upon the Brazen serpent which represents about Christ and his uh sacrifice unto us those who lift up their eyes they will be saved those who will not and become stubborn and will still think that they can cure themselves they all died this is the analogy that the Apostle John told us that just like when they look up this raisin serpent they were healed they were given salvation and now for us in our time no more Brazen serpent now we look to Christ Our Only savior the only son the only way to Salvation so that all of these promises of the Lord will be with us you choose not to follow the lord you choose not to look unto Christ as your savior you will be in trouble
you will just like the people you will perish and we know John 3 16 right it's there no Jesus Christ in your life you perish no Jesus Christ as your savior you will be on your own
is very very wonderful my dear friends that we as Christians we are very blessed because there is someone to guide us there is a word to guide us that we will not group in the dark that's why this is what I am telling you that as Christians before we came and we knew about God our life was miserable who changed us what are the guiding principles that changed and molded our thinking that last time we do not love our wife our family but now the Lord has changed our heart and you were changed and your mindset also was changed now because of the Lord you will follow you prioritize your family you love your family
in Philippines is very very common men drink and vices and then after that they will hit the children they will hit the wife because of course the wife when he comes home and he is drunk early in the morning two o'clock four o'clock you expect the wife to keep quiet it was the wife will say something the wife will say oh yeah where did you go why did you do this this is the ones that is even the money that we have is even for our child because he's drinking milk and that milk that he's supposed for him you use it to drink with your friends of course the wife will make noise and then because of that he will hit the wife and quarrel miserable life we we have seen that in our neighbors but if the Lord will work into the hearts of these people I am sharing the gospel to them and trying to to um to introduce Christ and to them and just for assuming that the Lord will save them according to his Sovereign we do not know whom he has uh saved but we are just preaching the word and assuming this person will be saved now he will give his life unto the Lord and he chose the Lord and now he will not drink anymore he will not do all of these vices anymore who do you think will benefit is it me who shared the gospel to him you know what the one that will benefit will be his family the wife will no longer behead the children will be sufficiently fed and the life will be better this is what the word of God says it may be different in here but the principle is the same your life my dear friends if you choose the Lord will will change your life will be in obedience to God you will work the fathers will work at the utmost of their ability as the Lord has enabled them the Lord will give them opportunity the Lord will show them how it is all done and then the family also will benefit the mother will be more loving he she was submitted to the husband she will take care of the house she will not be lazy and then who will benefit the children and the husband that when the husband after a day's work he is full of stress very very tired when he comes to the table there is a hot soup prepared for him children no shouting no fighting submissive love the parents and wants to follow the parents you know what my dear friends I always tell our people in Pangasinan life is simple life is very sinful when it is simple the problem is we make our life complicated it is us who makes it complicated but the design of God is very simple the Lord tells this you follow you will have a better life the Lord does this you do not follow you will have a miserable life
we have the options my dear friends whether you follow the lord first make sure you put Jesus into your heart you receive him as your lord and savior you make sure that you are the child of God because if you are not child of God you do not have these promises that is the key when you have Jesus Christ as your savior now the Lord again will give you option you follow me I will bless you you don't follow me sorry and the third one my dear friends the obligation the obligation whether you want it or not you must choose we cannot be neutral value we must choose we must put it into our heart we evaluate things because the Lord has given us the Lord has given us a choice the Lord has given us the opportunity and now we have the child the the obligation to choose we must choose whether that's what we're saying on the Lord's side or the world's side the Lord's Side sure winner the world and the devil's side sure loser which one do you think is a better choice well I Was preparing this um this lesson my my son was trying to emulate my the way I said and then he told the mother you know Mommy this um this lesson that Daddy was telling us is this and I made a good analogy on this he said choose life letter L which means you choose life you choose the Lord choose death letter D choose death means you choose the devil lldd choose life you choose the Lord choose death you choose the devil isn't it true and it is correct Our obligation we must make a choice not choosing being neutral is not an option it's not an option by not choosing God you choose to Serve Yourself or other gods it's very clear that's why I said it's very simple life is simple do not make it complicated when you do not want and you do not choose God you follow and you choose to serve yourself and other gods
when you are not choosing life you are choosing death when you are not choosing God you choose death
my dear friends we have this obligation to choose because you know what this will affect even our children look at the last part of Deuteronomy
I will read for you the whole verse I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live thou and thy seed which means it does not only affect you it does not only affect your present family but the choice that you will make will even affect your family your children all the most the one that is dearest to you the one whom you love the one whom the Lord has given unto you and we have the responsibility as Christian parents do introduce Christ and to our next generation and because of that we need us Fathers as adults we need to study the word of God we need to make sure in our utmost ability that the Lord has given unto us and the opportunity that the Lord has given to us that we must make sure our children will defend the faith and will know the Lord Jesus Christ because it's not only us who will be affected is also the Next Generation even our sons and daughters
sometimes when we say who I sent to you I send my child to the best university I try to provide as best as I can that they might have a better life than ours that they will not experience the harshness of reality in our life because we love them that's why we try our very best too prepare them for the future but you know what my dear friends the best future that we can give our children is what the gospel the best future the best gift that we can give us an inheritance to them is what the promises of the Lord
that's the best inheritance that we can give them that's why the word of God says make sure make sure that thy children will know about when you choose life you choose life because the Lord has been good unto you because that will be the problem of the Next Generation they think when they are in the Christian family they think that they are immediately automatically Christian it's not but because of your good testimony because of your teachings to them and because that you have lived and chose life then they will also be influenced that when you are serving the lord that when you are Faithfully putting your heart The Works of the Lord then they will say oh so oh when I was young when we are facing trouble when we are in great um misery I always see Mom and Dad praying I always see Mom and Dad trusting everything to God and now I am here in the University I am alone maybe perhaps in the boarding school boarding house or just struggling in studying the children will say when my parents was with great Street big problem they pray so now I will also follow them but when they see that oh Mommy and Daddy someday become a chore to them worship becomes like they are dragging their feet then I will also do be careful my dear friends on how we deal the Lord's how we deal with the Lord's work how we follow the lord how we treat Our God Mom and Daddy do not read the Bible I did not even see them in the home so now that I am an adult I will also not read it is very common that whatever we do the next generation will be affected that's why my dear friends I want to issue follow the lord that you will be blessed and the next generation just like here when the Lord told them this is clear you follow I will help you how in your struggle you will be my people I will be your God I will take care of you or how we thank the Lord that as Christians we have someone to help us unbelievers they're on their own that's why we are blessed because of God we are able to go through this that whenever we have problems we have someone to go into we have someone we have friends we have Godly leaders we have Godly friends we have Godly church members whom we can go to the unbelievers they don't have maybe they have relatives maybe they have friends but they do not have God their friends do not have God their friends do not have this guiding principle that the Lord has given unto us and I hope and I pray just like Moses who exhorted the people choose life let's pray gracious Heavenly Father we pray that you will help us again Thy word is a lamp unto our faith a guide and to our way we pray O Lord that you will be gracious and to us to learn Thy word be able to discern what is right and wrong help us Lord in our decision making help us that our family members also will know the Lord according to thy will and even O Lord use our testimony sometimes we fail the sometimes we tend to uh follow the world and the devil we pray O Lord that you will forgive us restore us back just like the nation of Israel thou has guided them that even if it was painful for them that the persecution that they have received from Egypt a day will not like it and their hearts Cried unto the Lord but at the end of it this suffering the sufferings are worth it they suffered yes but then because of these sufferings it helped them to go out freely to go out from Egypt without reservation without thinking and then the Lord blessed them in the land of Canaan that even until now there is a nation called Israel and they are indeed they are indeed the recipients of God's promise very sad today the nation of Israel does not acknowledge as a whole Jesus Christ as he saved as their savior but that is expected because it is written in the Holy scriptures but when the right time comes the nation will call upon Him whom they pierced and that is the time when restoration will come unto the nation O Lord when we see all of these events that Bible prophecies and Promises of the Lord are coming into pass we must also be assured and be happy that we have the same God whom we worship if God was faithful unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob even faithful unto Israel now we can be very very assured that he will also be faithful and to us because we have the same God we have the same Heavenly Father help us Lord to go into this world and we will follow you that as we walk as we do our chores as we do our uh Journey here we pray that we will always anticipate thy coming and anticipate thy goodness unto us help the people the Lord help them help the brethren that they in their heart will always choose life and that is choosing the Lord in just never ask and pray amen