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Make a Decision I Kings 18:21

We have all struggled with decisions. Sometimes it’s a major decision that will impact the balance of our life. Other times it may be a fairly minor decision, but we wrestle with it nonetheless. During those decision-making times when we seem to get stuck and can’t decide one way or the other, management expert Warren Bennis has a helpful suggestion. He says, “toss a coin.” If while the coin is in the air, you find yourself hoping it lands on heads, you have shown which choice you think is best. Obviously you wouldn’t allow the fate of a simple coin toss determine what you do, but it can help you discover the desire of your heart. Reader’s Digest, March 1995, p. 38

The decision that we are talking about today cannot be left to a coin toss.

The question that we are looking at this week from God’s word is a very important one.

“How long will you waver between two opinions?”

Culture war: We have the Word of God on one side and the culture which pulls at us everyday.

This is no game show decision that is going have little or no effect on your life. Deciding who you are going to follow in this life is critical and effects not only the here and now but your after life as well. I would say that is pretty important.

Let me give you the biblical context for this question today. In I Kings 18, we find the story of a prophet of God named Elijah.

Elijah called the people of Israel to join him on a mountain named Mt. Carmel for the ultimate showdown. For many years the nation of Israel wondered or drifted away from God and his law. They had consistently ignored His warnings and invitations to return from their sinful ways.

I Kings is full of stories of king after king who led the country away from God. The Bible repeatedly says that they provoked God with their sinful ways. Ahab became King and he immediately builds a temple to the false God named Baal.

I Kings 16:33 says, “Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

God instructed Elijah the prophet to confront Ahab and tell him that it would not rain unless he (Elijah) gave the word. He then left and could not be found by Ahab or anyone else for three years.

Elijah finally encounter’s Ahab and order’s him to assemble the nation and all of the false prophets of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel. He issues the ultimate challenge to theses servants of the false God Baal. He challenges them to build an altar and call upon Baal to ignite the altar miraculously. The bottom line is whoever’s God answers by fire will be the God that Israel will serve.

“How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him.”

Why was the nation of Israel in this condition? What things in this life cause us to be distracted away from God? This is the nation that God called to follow Him. He gave them sign after sign of His strength and presence yet on a regular basis they would turn their backs on the God who had called them and created them to follow the false gods of the world around them.

I am afraid that this is a struggle that is very common today in American culture. I want to look at this great old Bible story and make some observations about how making the wrong decision will greatly impact your life.

1. Choosing the culture over God gives us a false sense of security.

“So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ but there was no voice: and no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar they had made.” Verse 26

The nation of Israel had placed their trust in a God they could see. They wanted the tangible. They wanted things they could hold onto.

Don’t we love to put our trust in things we can see? We can talk about God but in reality most of us live our lives in the culture and the world around us. It is increasingly hard to keep a Godly focus when the culture screams at us every day to follow its ways.

“For most of us, God is little more than the 911 number of our lives.” —Joseph Stowell

I challenge you again today to start watching the icons of our country. Start listening to them talk about their lives and lifestyles.

Are you impressed with Jessica Simpson’s choices that she has made? Are fifteen minutes of fame and money worth turning ones back on values and morals and the God of your youth? I purposefully watched a few minutes of her show this week. Her father who is supposed to be a minister sat at a family gathering and tried to tell a story from the Bible. The whole family interrupted him continually until he finally just gives up and fades into the background while their conversations, much of which had to be bleeped, takes over. What a metaphor that is.

Are you impressed with Martha Stewart and her choices that led her with all of her millions to try to save herself a couple of hundred thousand dollars by cheating the stock market?

Are you impressed with a Winona Judd who with all of her wealth and fame has allowed food and alcohol to destroy so much of her life?

Maybe you’re impressed with an Olson twin who with the whole world at her fingertips falls prey to a serious and life-threatening eating disorder.

You see I think sometimes we look at the rich and famous and think my life stinks because I don’t have what someone else has and you put your hope in some day achieving enough money or fame or stuff to make you secure and happy.

2. Choosing the culture over God can be a frustrating scenario.

“So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out of them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice." Verse 28-29

You see there is really no other way but God’s way. He created us and put us on this earth for a reason and until you and I find that reason we will always have an abiding sense of frustration. We will never truly be satisfied.

These 450 prophets of the so-called god Baal were starting to look pretty foolish. Elijah who is one of my personal heroes wasn’t helping the situation very much. It is one of the first biblical supports for trash talking during a contest.

Look at verse 27. “And so it was at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

Now there are some biblical scholars that have translated even worse things that Elijah said during his mocking.

The fact is that you are going to be frustrated if you follow or sell out to anything less than God.

In his autobiography Just As I Am, Billy Graham recalls a story demonstrating that true greatness is not defined by wealth or fame, but by character:

“Some years ago Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest men in the world had asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. "I am the most miserable man in the world," he said. "Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plane, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell." We talked to him and prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life.

Then we went down the hill to a small cottage where we were staying. That afternoon the pastor of the local Baptist church came to call. He was an Englishman, and he, too, was 75--a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his two invalid sisters. He was full of enthusiasm and love for Christ and others. "I don't have two pounds to my name," he said with a smile, "but I am the happiest man on this island."Billy Graham relates how he asked his wife Ruth after they left, "Who do you think is the richer man?" She didn't have to reply because they both already knew the answer.”Citation: Billy Graham, Just As I Am (HarperCollins, 1999); submitted by David Holdaway; Stonehaven, Kincardinshire, Scotland

How are you doing in your pursuit of life and happiness?

3. Choosing the culture over God will always lead to failure not success.

“But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.” Verse 29

This is the end result of al the work and efforts of the false prophets, yet these are the people and this is the false religion that Israel as a nation had turned to serve.

Let me ask you something today. Who are you serving? What are you serving? All of us are serving something. All of us are pursuing some dream, some achievement. Is God part of your pursuits?

Let me give you some action steps to making God the center of your life. They are based on the rest of this story.

Action Steps:

1. Repair the broken things in your life. Ver. 30 “And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.”

2. Refocus on God. Verse 36, “...Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel...”

3. Receive the presence of God in your life. Verse 39, “Now when all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

4. Reject the things of this life that try to divert your attention away from God. Verse 40, “And Elijah said to them, seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let them escape! So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.”

A fellow pulled his car over to ask an old woman on the side of the road how far it was to a certain town. The old woman said, "Well, Sonny, if you keep going the way you're headed, it's about twenty-five thousand miles. But if you turn around, it's about three miles."

What choices have you made in your life? Do you need to turn around? The answer that you have been looking for is right in front of you this morning, all you have to do is turn around and go in God’s direction. It is time to start pursuing God with all your heart and mind and soul.

“Lou Holtz shared the following story in an article that he wrote a couple of years ago. It occurred during the war when two friends were in a foxhole, and a hand grenade landed between them. Jeff dove on the hand grenade and sacrificed his life in order to save David. David was so moved by this unselfish act of heroism that when he returned home, he visited Jeff's father. Jeff was an only child and his father idolized him. He also was a very wealthy individual with one of the finest art collections in the country. In order to show his appreciation to Jeff's father, David painted a picture of Jeff. David wasn't a very talented artist, and the picture wasn't particularly good, but the father cherished it. As a matter of fact, when he received the portrait of his son, Jeff, from David, he placed it above the mantle for all to see.

Years later, Jeff's father passed away, and they had an art auction of his possessions. The first painting that was auctioned off was the picture of Jeff painted by David. The auctioneer started off with the bidding at $500, but nobody even placed a bid. The auctioneer went as low as $200, and still he had no takers. Finally, David spoke up and said, "I have only $80 in my pocket, but I will bid that for the picture of Jeff." David went on to say, "I am no art collector, and I only came here in order to pay my respects to Jeff's father." David then went on to explain why he painted a picture of Jeff and relayed the story of Jeff's sacrificing his life so that David my live. After he explained the situation, the auctioneer then opened up the bidding once again, but just like previously, no one bid on the picture except David. The auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice, gone for $80." Once he had done this, he slammed his gavel and said, "The auction is now closed." The numerous art collectors who had gathered anxiously in anticipation of purchasing the exceptionally valuable works of art clamored and said, "But you haven't auctioned off any of the paintings." The auctioneer replied and said, "Jeff's father's explicit wishes were whoever possesses his son, receives everything."

I think this is also true in our life. Whoever possesses God's son Jesus Christ has everything. I, like so many other people, worry needlessly. As I mature, I now see that the only thing worth losing sleep over is our salvation. Nothing else in our life is really relevant.”

Jesus said, in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.”

John 14:7, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Here is a coin. We have talked about the two distinct choices you have in front of you. Let me ask you a question. If I were to toss this coin and your life would be affected by the toss which way would you be hoping it would land? Heads you go through the door of everything this world and culture have to offer you both now and in the end but if it is tails you go through the door marked God and you allow Him to live in your life forever. While the coin is in the air how will you be hoping it lands? I don’t even need to toss it in the air do I? Most everyone in this room if not all of us desire the God choice.

There is no reason to go any other direction. We are going to give you a chance today. You can make the choice any day but there is no time like now. You are here. This message was for you. Let’s stand together.

Hold to God's unchanging hand

Time is filled with swift transition
Naught of earth unmoved can stand
Build your hopes on things eternal
Hold to God's unchanging hand

Trust in Him who will not leave you
What so ever years may bring
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still, more closely to Him cling

Covet not this world's vain riches
That so rapidly decay
Seek to gain the heavenly treasures
They will never pass away

When your journey is completed
When the valley you pass thru
Fair and bright the home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view

Hold to God's unchanging hand
Hold to God's unchanging hand
Build you hopes on things eternal
Hold to God's unchanging hand

2004/07/18