“Choices, Choices”

Sermon by Pastor Tim Goff

Please open your Bible to Genesis Chapter 3. Last time we discovered that love is the
supreme value of the Lord. We discovered that God’s love is so important that he created
all beings with the autonomy, the ability to choose, to follow Him or not. Our Creator
was not interested in pre-programmed remote-controlled creatures. He was interested in
heart-responding, warm-blooded, bodied people that will use their energy and their gifts
and have a responsive place in their soul to connect with their Creator. That’s His will –
that’s the kind of relationship that God’s interested in. God created us with this power of
choice. Angels in heaven were created with this freedom – the power to choose; the
ability to choose. And when God created these angels – think about it – there was no
such thing as evil. There was no such need to choose between good and evil. And then
of course, Lucifer began his mission of self-exaltation – self-seeking. And as a result,
there was war in heaven.

Satan probably made it look like heaven’s angels were all discontented against God. And
some believe that up to as many as half of those angels yielded to the temptation. But
thank God that only one-third of them followed him. The paradise of heaven was a place
of peace until the self-seeking of this enemy deceptively caused unrest. The angels of
God had to do something they never had to do before. They had to choose whether God
was telling the truth or whether Lucifer was telling the truth. The whole concept never
occurred to them that they would have to choose between what God said and what
someone else said. It was a dilemma. They had to choose what to believe. They had to
choose what to embrace. In fact, they had to choose what not to believe. And they also
had to choose what not to embrace. It must have been an extraordinarily difficult time
for beings who had never known evil, never known temptation, never known fear or
guilt. Satan’s deceptions, friends – let’s make no mistake about it -- were not so obvious
that they would know what to do. Are you with me? It was a deception. And this is
crucial for you and I in this day because if we think that we live in a world where right
and wrong is so obvious to us, we put ourselves in a position of thinking and knowing
more than Lucifer. We put ourselves in danger if we think that we can always choose
what is best, right and wrong. How is it, friends, that holy beings -- angels of God,
created little higher than us -- were deceived? Do you see the importance of why we
must discuss this today? They made the wrong choice. And you know it’s not like
choosing the wrong car or the wrong house or the wrong investment. The decision we’re
talking about is nothing like buying temporal things that rust away. It’s about eternal
things which matter everywhere.

The challenge for the angels that were created by God is that when they were cast out of
heaven they had no chance of return. There was no further grace for them. This may
seem a little perplexing to us. But you see, those angels who had the privilege of being in
the very presence of God were given that second opportunity to return to Him in heaven -
- to deal with the issues face to face. They knew the character of God personally. And
when open rebellion broke out there -- when judgment came, you see -- it was not just
judgment against those evil angels that sided with Lucifer; it was also a redemptive act of
God to save the rest of them from certain destruction. Are we together? God was doing
a redemptive thing. You see, it depends on how you look at the glass. Is it half full or
half empty? Was it a judgment of God or was it an act of redemption? Maybe it depends
on what side you sympathize with. Certain judgment was waiting for them. In fact,
hellfire itself was never intended for people, but only for Satan and his angels. Matthew
25:41 – “He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” People were never intended to suffer
the judgment of God. People were never intended for that destiny. God’s will is that
none should perish and that all should come to repentance. No one was to be lost. If
only Adam had trusted the word of God. If only Eve had trusted the word of God. But
because of their choices, war – the war that began in heaven – continues today in our
neighborhoods.

We discovered last week that God would not destroy His creation, because such a
judgment would have brought fear instead of faith. It would have brought alarm instead
of allegiance. But because of the choices of the first family, you and I are drawn into a
world that’s in rebellion. It’s alarming how quickly the planet embraced this sinful
nature. Genesis 3:22 – And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,
knowing good and evil.” When Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation of Lucifer they
too, like the angels in heaven, learned about good and evil. You and I -- human beings --
were never meant to know good and evil. We were never created to have to choose
between good and evil; and now it’s a choice that you and I must make every day. And
the reason we must make it every day is because it’s a part of who we are – it’s part of
our nature. We’re born with that sinful nature. You can read about that in Romans 7.
We struggle with that sinful nature – whether to choose God’s way or choose our own
way. Sometimes it’s just that simple – to live for God or to live a self-directed life.
Who’s going to be on the throne of the heart? It’s alarming, friends, how quickly the
planet plunged into rebellion. And as the sinful nature grew into the human family, those
who would believe would have to exercise greater and greater faith. They would have to
take the time, where what was natural for them to commune with God was no longer
natural for them. But you know, we can thank God that from the very first days of
creation He gave them a regular reminder of the relationship that they might have with
their Creator. And who knows what it is? It’s Sabbath rest.

In the very beginning He instilled into the whole design and the plan of the human
family, a day that we might fellowship with Him and be restored in faith; restored to one
another; restored vertically to Him. Before there was ever sin, you see, God wanted this
relationship. And now that there is sin in the world, how much more we need that day of
rest to commit ourselves to faithfully walking with God; to tune out those things that
distract us from His will; to participate with other believers of like faith; to let that day be
not just a day that we rest and take it easy – although that’s a vital part of it – especially
in the crazy world we live in today. But how vital it is, friends, that we separate
ourselves from the cares of life. God gave us the Sabbath day so that you and I might
restore regularly – consistently -- that vital relationship that we need with our Creator.
It’s good news! I wonder if the Sabbath is good news to you today? It’s definitely good
news to me. The Sabbath was given at Creation. In fact, it was a sign. Ezekiel 20:12 –
In verse 12 the Lord writes through the prophet: “I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a
sign between us so that they would know that I am the Lord that made them holy.” It was
a gift. From the very first week of creation the Lord gave this gift. But sin continued to
flourish. Five generations – just five generations – and men were taking more than one
wife. Just five! Just one generation and there was murder. How pervasive is this selfish
nature, friends? You and I have to pay attention. We have to be wise about what’s going
on around us. Who are we to think that we’re impervious to the temptations? Who are
we to think that we’ll always make the right choice? How dependent we are on God!
How many times do we look up for help? We need to look up for help!

Evil became so pervasive in those early generations. And of course, they lived a whole
lot longer than you and I could imagine. But notice now in Genesis 4:26 – I want you to
see a very curious text. “At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.” You
see as life was continuing and the moral decay was pervading upon all the peoples of the
world, there were those who loved the Lord still. There were those who needed the Lord.
But there was a special time when they recognized that the planet was dividing in two
directions. There was the genealogy of Cain -- you can read about that in Chapter 4.
And then you can read about the genealogy of Seth. Two different lines. And one was
the line of those who disregarded the will of God, and one was the line of those that
regarded the will of God. Two different places. In fact, those who loved the Lord began
to withdraw themselves from those who despised Him. They even went to the hills and
to the mountains to withdraw from the valleys -- and even the city that Cain built --
because wickedness was prevailing. And it was at this time as it’s getting worse and
worse, that men began to call on the name of the Lord. You know another way to read
this scripture is that men began to proclaim the name of the Lord. You see, there was a
time when they called upon Him because they saw the evil that was going on in the land,
and then they started to proclaim the name of the Lord as well. There was an early
evangelism going on. Just maybe six, seven generations into this world and they’re
already desperate for redemption, desperate for salvation. They see the evil that’s going
on around them, the corrupted ness that’s happening – I don’t want to go into the details.
If you want to read a book on these things, take the book “Patriarchs and Prophets” and
look at it in some detail. Sin was flourishing but there were those who were faithful, and
a witness, and they called upon the Lord. They called upon Him -- on the name of the
Lord -- to save them. And the faithful were clinging tenaciously like a bear cub to its
mother – clinging to the Lord – clinging to faith.

I want you to notice in Chapter 5:1 there is this new distinction. “This is the written
account of Adam’s line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he
called them ‘man.’ When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness.”
Now where have you read that before? It’s the creation – it’s the way Adam was made
after the Father. Adam was made in the image of God. And you see, this is not talking
about a son that looks like a father. You see, the context of Genesis 4 and 5 is that there’s
a lineage of Cain’s descendants and then the lineage of Seth’s descendants. And the
writer, Moses, is telling us that Seth took the image, or the character traits and the desires,
of Adam. He became a son of Adam. Seth was a progenitor of the faith of God. Read
about the whole lineage there of Seth – it becomes the lineage of the faithful. As time
goes by, as mentioned earlier, they withdrew themselves. The truth of God became
diluted by the idolatry happening all around them. In fact the scriptures tell us that
failure came when the sons of God -- those are the descendants of Seth -- went into the
valleys and married the daughters of men. The intermarriage between those who
believed and those who did not believe complicated things and diluted the faith of those
who followed the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Thus the world
came to the place where God began to repent that he even created humanity in the first
place. It’s tragic.

Go with me now to Genesis Chapter 6. It got so bad the scripture reveals that the Lord
said, “My spirit shall not always strive or contend with humanity.” My Spirit will not
always stay with humanity. If they choose not to worship the Lord, the Spirit would
indeed withdraw and give them their freedom of choice. Look with me now at Genesis
6:5: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that
every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was
grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” Imagine
that -- the heart of God is filled with pain. And so the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind,
whom I have created, from the face of the earth -- men and animals, and creatures that
move along the ground, and birds of the air -- for I am grieved that I have made them.”
But verse 8 – do you see this? – “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” For 120
years the Lord would labor with those on the earth to make the right choices. What’s
remarkable about this is that Noah and his family were not the only ones that picked up
the tools to build the ark. Is it possible that there were hundreds, perhaps even thousands,
that contributed to the construction of the ark? How is it that 120 years later sin had so
pervaded the community that they began to withdraw from His grace? Friends, this is
remarkable stuff. Was God interested in bringing judgment on the world? That’s not
what this is about. The whole Flood experience is not about condemning evil -- it’s about
saving the few who would call upon the name of the Lord. You see, many times we look
through the lens that God was judging the world, and that’s the way our God is. That
may be true to some respect, but the message of the Flood, friends, is a message of
salvation. It’s a message of hope. It’s a message for those who still cried out to the name
of the Lord. There were those who called upon the name of the Lord and they said,
“Lord, you’ve got to do something! You’ve got to do something – this world is falling
apart!” And they’re calling upon the name of the Lord saying, “Lord, you’ve got to save
us from this!” And the Lord decides 120 years – there’s going to be a probationary time,
and then it’s going to happen – He’s going to save them from whatever’s happening.
And so he does. He saves by judging. This is not an easy part of the truth that we read in
this book. But God is interested in saving your soul and mine; of saving us for all
eternity. And friends, if He doesn’t save us out of the sin of this world, it will overwhelm
us and take over. It’s like a disease, if you will. You cannot stop it. The day is coming
when Jesus is going to rescue the church out of this world. It would be that if we weren’t
faithful to him, the very elect – you’ve read it, the very elect – could be deceived.

Jesus taught us that no man knows the day or the hour. No one knows when this will
happen. How is it that only eight were saved? It didn’t have to be that way. It reminds
us of the judgment in heaven. The Lord brought those angels to the place where they had
to choose – up or down. They had to choose Him or not. A holy God takes the
prerogative to put the whole universe in the place of choosing. You must choose which
path you will go. And the angels chose. At the time of the Flood, in order to save the
few that would call upon the name of the Lord, He put the world in a position where they
had to choose. They didn’t want to choose. They didn’t even want to build the ark, but
they did – they built it. They bought into the vision for a time. But they were deceived.
Satan’s tactics probably haven’t changed a whole lot. In fact, it never rained to that
point, did it? Nah, that can’t happen. No doubt the scientists explained why it couldn’t
happen. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and chose to believe. He chose to
believe.

Think with me, friends, about the sweeping history on this planet. Not just at the time of
Noah – God had to bring Egypt to the place where they would choose to acknowledge
God or to reject Him. And so the message of grace and warning went out at the same
time -- that all those who would take the blood of the sacrifice symbolized in the
promised Messiah to come, and if they would paint it on the doorposts and the lintel and
enter that house and enter into the feast of the Passover, they would be saved. Anybody
in the whole land, if they would do it, would be saved. They had a decision to make –
they had some choices to make. And those who obeyed, and those who loved the Lord
and made the right choice – God protected them -- because God was saving His people
from the overwhelming pain and influence and suffering of the forces of evil upon His
people. And that’s why the great act of His deliverance in Egypt is believed by many of
our Jewish neighbors as the defining act of God in their history. It established them as a
people. They had to make a decision.

Then there’s the story of Mount Carmel with Elijah. The people had to make a choice.
They had to choose to follow the Lord. It shouldn’t surprise us, friends, that before this
world ends you and I are going to have to make a choice. You and I are going to have to
choose. Now the challenge that you and I face is that if we think that it’s going to be
easy for us to make the choices when the going gets tough, it will not be easy. If Satan’s
deceptions were so deceptive that even the angels of God could be swayed, who are we to
think that unless we cling to the Lord that we would be secure and safe? Scriptures teach
us – notice this now – Matthew 24:37: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they
knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Friends, that’s remarkable!
Jesus is telling us that we have a very clear picture of what it’s going to like. All we have
to do is look at the history of God’s word. All we have to do is open it and understand it
and unpack it for ourselves and know what it means. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it
shall be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.” The story of the Flood stands as a
testimony that God is going to redeem His people. It also stands as a testimony like those
in the Flood were to be swept away. No one will be left alive after the coming of the
Lord. Choices, choices, friends.
As we think about the great redemptive acts of God, you and I are headed on a certain
destiny of Jesus’ coming – a certain destiny. Notice what Jesus also said in Matthew
24:42: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night
the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.” The economy may be a challenge. Revelation 13 reveals
that men will be lovers of themselves. Scripture tells us that fathers will be turned to
their children and mothers to their children and the children to their fathers and
relationships are going to happen, friends. They’ll be all kinds of miracles happening. I
remember hearing a testimony of a man who’s a piano player. He played on Broadway;
he played for rock groups; he played for Billy Joel; he played for Elton John. And as he
gave his testimony he was describing the coming of Jesus and his anticipation of that
event, and he was describing his own experience coming to the Lord. And he said, “I
was so far out there, I’m amazed that the Lord found me.” And then he said, “You know,
it’s kind of like the story of the Flood. Suddenly there was this miracle that was
happening. Animals started showing up, going into the boat. It was the most bizarre
thing that anybody had ever seen. Animals coming two by two, and some by sevens –
the most bizarre thing. As I reflect over my life and how it’s been, when you see people
like me joining the church, you need to know that the animals are starting to come into
the ark.” Thank God there’s grace; thank God there’s a holy salvation for you and me.
Jesus Christ saves from the uttermost to the gutter most. He wants your life in heaven.
He wants your family in heaven. He wants you to know the truth, to embrace it in your
soul, and to let it become part of your life. The question for you and I today is -- Are we
looking more like the image of Cain or are we looking more like the image of Seth?

Listen carefully to Isaiah 35:4 – Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come
and save you.” Isaiah 59:19 – “From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and
from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory. For he will come like a pent-up
flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.” He will come and save. Jesus will come,
friends. The coming of Jesus is not so much about judging the world, it’s about saving
your soul. Jesus is not so much coming to bring vengeance, as he is salvation to
everyone who would call upon His name. And friends, here’s the hitch: We’re coming
to the place in this world where choices need to be made. Choices of following God and
committing our life to His will and His Spirit. Are we allowing the Spirit to shape us into
the image of our Creator? Are we beginning to reflect that? Are we taking the steps to
allow Him to shape our hearts, our thoughts, our decisions? Jesus warned, “Broad is the
gate that leads to destruction, and so enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate
and broad is the way that leads to destruction.”

As we wrap up here, I’m going to give you five preparations that you can do, that you can
begin to journey in your personal walk with God:

1. Watch -- pay attention. Watch by knowing the times in which we live. It’s
important to be a student of history as well as of current events. No one needs to
 be an alarmist. And I certainly wouldn’t want you to think that I’m ringing the
alarm bell today. But no one should ever be caught off guard at the coming of the
Lord.

2. Be ready. Be ready by seeking the Lord while He may be found. Prepare your
heart by calling upon His name. If you were to do a computer search just on that
phrase – call upon the name of the Lord – it would reveal many things to you
about the times and places that men and women have called upon the name of the
Lord.

3. Align your life with the ways of God. Quite frankly friends, that’s how we
steward our time, our talents, our treasure, and our temple – how we use our time.
Will we use our time for God’s purposes, my purposes? Will we use it for His
kingdom or self-directed living? It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun and
enjoy time with your family and get away – it doesn’t mean that at all. It just
means as you sum up all the time and activity of your life, is it about you and
getting away from God, or is it about your experience with your family and
investing in God? That’s what it’s about. It doesn’t matter what possessions you
have. It matters whether or not you use those possessions for the blessings that
God will bring through you to others. I happen to believe that God brings wealth
and possessions to people so that they might bring joy into other people’s lives.
Use what God has blessed you with to bless others. So align your life with your
time, your talents, your treasure, and of course, your body temple – use it to honor
Him.

4. Fellowship with the people of God. In the early part of next year I hope and pray
that as we finish some spiritual body building groups, we’re going to start small
groups. There will be new opportunities for studying the word and getting better
acquainted with each other and doing mission work in this community. Small
groups of faith – platoons of faith, if you will – where we care for one another and
protect each other.

5. Share the good things that you know. Discover how to witness for Jesus. Your
neighbor needs to know about Jesus. Your co-worker needs to see the life of
Jesus in your smile.

Friends, I just want to remind us that in this world, from the perspective of good and of
evil, it may feel like we’re the minority. You might feel like you’re in the minority
where you work and where you live. But in God’s great redemptive plan across this
universe, you’re in the majority. “Those that are with us are more than those who are
against us.” My friends, two-thirds of heaven is on your side. I would dare say that the
rest of the universe, of which they represent, is on your side. You may even feel left-
handed from time to time – not feeling like you fit in, or how it all works. You have been
created special in God’s eyes. You’re not in the minority – you’re the majority. You’re
the people that make sense in this universe in a world that’s gone crazy. It’s the church –
it’s the only organization on the planet that uses its resources to save people from their
sins. May God give us the courage to make those choices.