“Making choices is one of the things that sets us humans apart from the animal kingdom.” Todays sermon “I Choose You” was preached by Pastor Pamela on Sunday 18th February 2024.
Sermon Transcript
While conducting a wedding ceremony, just the other week, I was quoting the pledge that accompanies the exchanging of the wedding rings and it reads as follows.
I give you this ring as a token of my pledge that I give myself to you. Wear it with love and joyfulness I choose you to be my wife/husband this day and every day.
I’ve read this for many couples to recite over the last 19 years. Look at this pic with Jacqui and Jordan! (In fact the first couple I read it for were Ps Jon & Ps Vicki Brand in 2005). Every time I ask couples to repeat the words ‘I choose you to be my wife/husband this day and every day’,
the seriousness of the sentence grabs me because the people who are repeating the vows are saying I CHOOSE YOU TO BE THE CLOSEST PERSON TO ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
I CHOOSE YOU out of 8 billion people in the whole wide world, I choose you to be the most important person in my life.
What a huge decision, what a big choice to make for the rest of your life.
Some people score very well and make a wonderful choice and as a result they live happily together for the rest of their lives. Like most married couples sitting in this church today.
Other people however are not so fortunate, and they end up living in torturous pain and misery for the rest of their lives, or for as long as they can stand it. Some people are even murdered by the person they choose. More often than not it’s for the life insurance money, I’ve seen the crime shows. Possibly best not to get life insurance if your spouse is a tad mean.
Making choices is one of the things that sets us humans apart from the animal kingdom.
God made us in His image and with that He gave us the ability to make choices just like Him. God can choose to do what He wants.
The animal kingdom is different however, God created them with instinct.
God gave animals inborn behaviours that are essential to their survival. Without their instinctive behaviours they would die because they are unable to make well thought out decisions or choices. They are unable to rationalize.
I’ve thought about this one often, if I were an emperor penguin (SHOW PICTURE) there is no way I would be trekking 50-120 kilometres, with little legs and webbed feet, to the coldest most harsh place in the world, which just so happens to be the Antarctic, to raise little chickies. The mature emperor penguins are undaunted by fierce winds and plummeting temperatures as they heave themselves out of the lion seal infested ocean in March to head for their breeding grounds. Why are they like this? Why? Because God has made them that way.
Their instinctive behaviour controls their lives, they don’t have a choice.
We, however, are different. We have the God given ability to make choices.
We are making choices all the time. Most are small. However, some are really big: and they have ramifications for years or even decades. In your final moments, when you’re about to die, you might well look back on your choices with regret. I hope not, but you may do. “I wish I had spent more time with my family.” “I wish I hadn’t smoked cigarettes.” “I wish I had let go of my hurts.” “I wish I had read the Bible, so I know what I’m about to face.” SHOW PICTURE OF CHOICE SIGNS.
Choices choices choices life is full of them. In fact, in the 21 century, we have what is called choice overload or choice paralysis where people get overwhelmed when they are presented with too many options.
While we tend to assume that more choice is a good thing, research has shown that, in many cases, we have a harder time choosing from a larger array of options.
For example, what about a dessert buffet, who finds it hard to choose one cake from a large array of delicious cakes? And then when you do make a choice you sit and look at everybody else’s choice wishing you had theirs.
Or what about this example of choice: –
Imagine it’s a hot day out, and you decide to pop into an unfamiliar cafe. As you get into line and look at the menu board, you’re bombarded with a whole slew of options. Should you get a simple iced coffee or a Frappe? What flavour? But wait, the Frappes are so expensive— maybe you should just go for a tea. But that has less caffeine and will give you less energy! What should I do? And by the time you get to the front of the line, your head is spinning so much that you just grab a bottle of water. You walk out, regretting that you didn’t get something a little more exciting.
That’s choice overload! It’s extremely taxing on the brain.
At the beginning of time our choices were not meant to be that difficult.
God didn’t want choice to be a burden. He wanted choice to be fun. I really believe He did.
How do I know this?
Well, one of the first activities God orchestrated for the newly created Adam was to introduce Adam to all the newly created animals.
Let us read in
Genesis 2:19
New Living Translation
19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
and the man chose a name for each one.
I think this tickled the heart of God. God was sharing His wonderful creation with His best creation of all – MANKIND.
The animals were certainly amazing creatures, but mankind was far superior because he was able to truly appreciate the awesomeness of God and play a creative part in choosing names for the newly created animals that God had given to mankind for his guardianship.
It would’ve been so much fun! We were talking about this when we studied a Creation Ministry course last year.
Most of you know what it’s like to get a new pet and come up with a name. It’s so cool.
Adam’s brain would have been super quick because he was made to perfection. His mind was flawless/faultless. Sin had not become an issue, the rot had not yet set in. And so, he just rattled off name after name after name. Without any choice paralysis!
Bob Dylan wrote a song concerning this passage of Scripture… If you don’t believe me have a quick listen.
Right from the beginning, like a wonderful parent, God was so gracious to mankind in helping him make the right choice.
I believe that God made it as easy as possible for Adam and Eve to make the right choice in the Garden of Eden.
Let us read in
Genesis 2:15-17
New International Version
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
There would have been countless fruit trees in the Garden of Eden. We’re talking mangoes, avocados, peaches, apricots, plums, apples, bananas, oranges, pears, walnuts, pistachio etc etc… the list goes on and on. Then we must remember that there was also the best tree, the most extraordinary tree of life which he could also eat from. (I would like me some fruit from that tree!) There were so many fruit trees to choose from that he didn’t even have to give a thought to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He could’ve very easily avoided it all together. He didn’t even need to look at it. Furthermore, God had also given Adam a very good reason as to why they were not to eat from it.
He didn’t just say, “Don’t touch that tree.” He told them as plain as day, if you eat it, you’re going to die. It is poison to you.
I think that that would be the biggest deterrent for most people not to eat it.
But sadly, Adam and Eve made the wrong choice. They chose to listen and obey the voice of Satan rather than the loving voice of their wonderful Creator.
They made the absolute worst wrong choice which set a precedent for many many many many wrong choices. And each of those wrong choices became less difficult to make because mankind was no longer perfect. They were tainted by sin which has an extreme bias to selfish choices.
But even though Adam and Eve had removed themselves from closeness to God.
God continued to reach out to them, and their children, in an attempt to prevent a cataclysmic explosion of sin.
In Genesis 4:6-7 we read,
Then the Lord said to Cain,
(this is one of their sons)
“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do (or choose) what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do (or choose) not to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
What brilliant advice!
“…sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
And the way you rule over sin is by making the right choice. The choice that God wants you to make. It’s as simple as that!!!
He created you. He knows what’s best for you. And He wants what is best for you.
He does.
He is a God of love. Not destruction.
Anything that is wrong in this world today is because of the wrong choices of mankind.
Mankind is on a path of self-destruction.
We are where we have chosen to be.
Because God Almighty has given us the power to make choices regarding our ultimate destiny.
All through the Bible our wonderful Creator points out the consequences of good choices and the consequences of bad ones. And urges us to make the right one.
In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says to His chosen people,
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
“… choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
That is such a brilliant line because it clearly illustrates that our choices impact more than just ourselves. They affect our whole community!
In Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua challenged the people of God,
“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The word of God undoubtedly expresses that we all have choice!
You can live how you want; you can more or less die how you want. You have a choice.
But God strongly suggests you choose His way because any other way, any other choice is disastrous.
John 14:6
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Choose Jesus!
2 Corinthians 6:2 says
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day to choose salvation.
Now is the time to make an everlasting choice of blessing for yourself by receiving Jesus as your Saviour.
Jesus is the choice of blessing.
If you don’t know Jesus. If you have never received Him as LORD and Saviour you need to.
So, my first challenge (as I come to the end of this sermon) is to the unbeliever – the non-Christian, to choose to BELIEVE Jesus! It’s a wonderful choice, it’s the best choice you could ever ever make. So do it.
Secondly, I want to challenge everyone who is listening, even if you proclaim to be a Christian, to check your heart and know for certain that you are choosing God’s way in every decision you make.
Choose God.
Put Him first and foremost in your life.
Make Him the centre piece. The centre pole of your life.
I’m going to finish this sermon by reading to you a pledge to the LORD that I want you to repeat after me.
I’ve taken this pledge from the marriage vow, I read at the beginning of this sermon, and I’ve adapted it for us Christians to declare to the LORD because we are after all the Bride of Christ.
Please stand with me. And put your hand over your heart as you repeat my words.
LORD
I give you my heart / as a token of my pledge / that I give myself to You. / Fill it with Your love / and joyfulness. / I choose You / to be my Saviour / the centre of my life / this day / and every day. Amen