## Choose Life

## Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Twenty years ago the Supreme Court handed down the Roe vs. Wade decision which basically made abortion on demand legal in this country. On the front page of yesterday's newspaper was a photograph and lead story about our newly elected president who signed executive orders concerning abortion. This certainly gives us indication of the direction this country may take in the future.

There are many different groups who are involved in what is called the right to life movement. One of the popular sayings is this: "Choose Life". This phrase is applied to the matter of choosing to allow the unborn children to live rather than killing them.

I want us to consider this phrase in a much larger sense this morning. Note our text for this morning. Moses has gathered the nation of Israel to challenge them prior to crossing into the promised land. The central thought of this passage is the "choice".

It was to be a choice between life and death. It was choice between idolatry and the worship of God, and God alone. Now, these words were spoken hundreds of years ago, but the application is for each of us today and everyday. Read: De. 30:15-20

I. The Choice is Personal. v15

A. Our choice is influenced by the world.

1. This is the same choice that man has been faced with since the beginning.

2. It is a choice of good and evil, life and death.

3. The world around us is anti-Christ.

4. The world hates Christ, and all who will testify of Him.

5. The world classifies all who would choose life as being ignorant and uninformed.

6. No matter how numerous and powerful the world's influence may be, it does not change the fact that we have the liberty to resist them.

B. Our choice is influenced by Satan.

1. Regardless of those who will laugh at the idea, Satan is real and his influence is powerful.

2. The Word of God describes him as a roaring lion who walketh about seeking whom he may devour.

3. But there is no room for the excuse that the devil made us do it...we have the promise from God that if we will resist the devil, he will flee from us.

4. We can resist the influence from our enemy and we can choose life.

C. Our choice is influenced by God.

1. We have a God who loves us, but He will not force His will upon us.

2. There is a Savior, but we must open our hearts to Him and receive Him.

3. The one thing that we are not free to do is to NOT make a choice.

4. There are many influences upon our choice, but it is our personal choice!

II. The Choice is Pressing. v16-18

A. The choice must be made today.

1. Just as the nation of Israel was poised on the edge of the land God had promised to them, and they had to make a choice.

2. We are faced with a decision that must be made today.

3. If you are without Christ, the decision you must make is either to accept Him or to reject Him.

4. If you are a Christian, the decision you must make is to choose to walk in His ways.

B. The wrong choice. v17

1. Lot looked upon the plain of Sodom.

2. Esau chose to sell his birthright.

3. The Jews said, "Give us Barabbas".

4. Felix told Paul, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."

5. The wrong choice for you today is to "turn away, so that thou shalt not hear..."

C. The right choice. "Choose Life" v19

1. "That thou mayest love the Lord"

a. We cannot love Him until we make Him the choice of our heart.

b. We can love Him only, because He first loved us.

c. Make the right choice...choose the One who loved us enough to give Himself that we might have life.

2. "That thou mayest obey His voice"

a. Jesus said, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" cf Lk. 6:46.

b. It is foolish to think that one can love the Lord and yet choose to disobey Him.

c. The more He is trusted the better He will be loved.

3. "That thou mayest cleave unto him"

a. The choice of life is not one that is made once and then forgotten.

b. The choice of life means that we have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

c. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

What will your choice be today? All I can do is encourage you to make the right choice. I cannot make the choice for you...it is a personal choice. You cannot escape making it though. To refuse to choose life means that you have chosen death. To fail to accept Christ means that you have chosen to reject Him. To refuse to follow Him means that you have chosen to follow a path that leads to destruction.

God wants to bless our lives beyond our imagination and He will if we will choose Him. Will you make the right choice? "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..."