The Greatest Choice You’ll Ever Face
Steve W. Reeves
steveereevesoutlines.blgspot.com
A. The greatest choice you will ever face is what you think about God.
1. That singular choice is more important than your choice of a mate, your choice of a
career, your choice of a home, or any of the many choices you will make in your
life.
2. No other choice will have such a great impact on the course of your life.
B. Choice is a consistent theme in the book of Joshua.
1. In Joshua 1:7-8 God commanded Joshua, “Only be strong and very courageous;
be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever
you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that
is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have
success.”
2. In Joshua 24:14-15 one of the most familiar texts in the book has Joshua
challenging Israel, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and
truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in
Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord,
choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your
fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose
land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
B. Perhaps the most important choice placed before Israel is in Joshua 8:30-35.
1. The victories at and Ai gave Israeel a foothold in the land of Cannan.
Both victories were won by the power of God.
2. Now it was time to take care of some unfinished business by obeying a command
given by Mses to the Israelites before they came into Canaan. It is found in
Deuteronomy 27:1-8, “Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people,
saying, “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. 2 So it shall be
on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives
you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime 3 and
write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over, so that you may enter
the land which the Lord your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as
the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 So it shall be when you cross the
Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, as I am commanding you
today, and you shall coat them with lime. 5 Moreover, you shall build there an altar
to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them.
6 You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer
on it burnt offerings to the Lord your God; 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings
and eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 You shall write on the stones
all the words of this law very distinctly.”
C Let’s notice three important aspects of the choice faced by Israel.
A. After the destruction of Jericho and Ai the people came to the valley of Shechem.
This valley extends east and west through central Palestine. It is about 500 yards
wide and lies between Mount Ebal on the north and Mount Gerizim on the south.
1. Mount Ebal is known as the mount of curses. It is rocky, barren and desolate
2. Mount Gerizim is known as the mount of blessisng. It is covered with lush, green
Vegitation.
3. The location of these two mountains surrounding the valley of Shechem formed
a natural amphitheater.
B. According to verse 31 Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal. It was an altar of uncut
stones that rep[resented the purity of God Upon that altar on the mount of cursing
he offered as sacrifice. This was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ who
made it possible for us to be set free from the curse of sin and death (Romans
6:23).
C. Following thee burnt offerings and peace offerings Joshua then wrote the
commandments of the law upon the stones of the altar (verse 32).
1. In the middle of the valley stood the priests standing beside the Ark of the
Covenant of the LORD. 2. He then wrote upon these stones all of the
2. Verse 33 says that all of Israel witnessed these events. According to verse 33
the elders, the officials, the judges and all of the people were divided into two
groups. Six tribes stood by Mount Ebal. Six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim.
D. Although thiss seems like a strange sight to us God was using the powerful impact
of this setting to establish a national identity for Israel.
1. This was a new nation possessing a new land.
2. The imagery of the Ark of the covenant between the mountain of blessing and
the mountain of curses was a reminder that the people faced the same choice
you and I face. Would they obey God?
A. Joshua not only wrote the commandments of the law. According to verses 34-35
he, “read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that
is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had
commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the
women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.”
1. Joshua read “all the words of the law.”
a. He read the blessings and the cursings.
b. He did not choose some and leave some. He did not eliminate the portions
that might not have been politically correct or unpopular. He presented it just
as God had intended.
2. He read all the words of the law to all of the people.
a. Men, women, children.
b. Israelites and foreigners.
B. In the New Testament .
1. Jesus said, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law. I did not come to
abolish it but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus fulfilled all of the law. He did not
pick and choose which parts He would obey.
2. Paul wrotee, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached
to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are
saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in
vain.3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1
Corinthians 15:1-4).
a. Paul did not hold anything back. He did not preach a social Gospel. Hee did
not eliminate the scandal of the Gospel. He said, “I determined to preach
Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).
b. He instructed Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of
and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their
own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to
C. We cannot present the choice accurately if we do not do what Joshua did by
delivering the entire message of Scripture and the Gospel.
A. Against the back drop of a blue sky above with the two mountains on either side of
the Ark of the Covenant,, the mountain of cursing and the mountain of blessing,,,
the people of Israel had a decision to make. What did they think of God?
1. Were they going to accept His commandments or reject them?
2. Would they obey or disobey? Follow or neglect?
3. Would they be the recipients of blessings or cursing?
B. In Willie Cato’s biography of Marshal Keeble, he tells a story about brother Keeble
in the last years of his life. The famous evangelist had preached for over fifty years
and had baptized hundreds of people. He was asked to address a large gathering
in a municipal auditorium. Prior to speaking the organizer of the event told him it
was not necessary to extend an invitation. He could simply conclude with prayer.
Brother Keeble did so but when he got in the car afterwards tears were streaming
down his face. Cato, who served as his driver, said the old man bowed his head
and prayed, “Oh Lord,, forgive me for not giving people the opportunity to decide to
follow you. I will never ddo such a thing again.”
CONCLUSION:
A. This message ends as it bean. Thee greatest choice you will ever face in your life is
what you think about God.
1. No other decision will affect everything you do and everyone you know as much as
this one choice.
2. Like ancient Israel in Joshua 8, today is your valley of decision. Wwill you choose
to follow God or reject Him? Will you choose blessings or cursings?
B. Choose this day!
