Christ Missionary Baptist Church Live

[Music] so [Music] so [Music] chew you this day who we [Music] welcome to missionary baptist church our church where everybody's stopped by and i'm pastor gina m steward and i agree with ryan and lauren come on let's worship the lord [Music] and give god praise come on let's get ready some of us call them awesome some of us call them people some of us call almighty god [Music] say this i call you holy [Music] [Applause] [Music] your name is [Music] [Music] oh come on say i call you faithful come on say it [Music] out of the way all that you are [Music] by the way is [Music] it's go crazy give him a yes lord oh come on if it hasn't given glory if you know he's been all that come on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] he's a sustainer he's a way maker he's a faithful god somebody ought to give him glory somebody ought to give god [Music] he's great and he's great to be praised somebody just type that in the chat god is great and greatly to be praised come on put your hands together right here come on let's get ready to bless him god is great to be praising glory glory to his name god is great and crazy to be praised is when i think about i get excited when i think [Music] i [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Music] jesus christ [Music] [Applause] [Music] leave it to your head me [Music] thank god for what he's already done thank god for what he's getting ready to do [Music] [Applause] [Music] i [Music] is [Applause] [Music] clap your hand and give me praise [Music] amen amen god is worthy and god is worthy of all the praise amen amen it is time for our call to worship this morning the scripture readings will come from psalm 11 verse 7 psalm 33 verse 5 and psalm 48 verse 10. amen for the lord is righteous he loves justice the upright will see his face the lord loves righteousness and justice the earth is full of his unfailing love like your name o god your praise reaches to the ends of the earth your right hand is filled with righteousness the word of god for the people of god all praises be to god [Music] those praises unto god this is a centering moment time time that we gather together corporately to lift our concerns and our petitions to the god of the universe who was concerned with every detail of our lives the word of god says in second chronicles 7 14 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray seek my face and turn from their wicked ways he said then i will hear from heaven forgive their sins and heal the land this morning as we go into prayer we lift up those who are in bereavement in the loss of loved ones and although the list is alone we know god is yet large and in charge karen roberts turner rosa coleman and family ashley conley jackie hopkins joanne and rick parker courtney stone deacon emeritus pauline phillips and cali williams marcia smith and her family deborah manning thomas christopher ingram phyllis williams velma spencer williams and tara robinson in the hospital we have willie jones jr and maddie upshaw and jewell robinson who is going for surgery possibly on today as we speak recent release from the hospital was jane tuggle callie williams velma spencer williams and please continue to pray for pat broadnax alexis jenkins reverend carolyn dr carolyn knight and kim taylor and we're praying for those who are recovering at home or sick and shut in and desire to be with us but can't be with us physically we pray for the unemployed for the underemployed for those who are struggling to keep their heads above water doing these times we pray for lives and finances that have been affected and infected by coronavirus and all kinds of diseases and sickness be it physically emotionally or financially we pray for the safety of our children and our elders and first responders we ask god to put a halt to the violence that is occurring not only in this city but in our world we pray for our pastor and our church our community this nation and for god's world hear my cry oh god and attend unto my friend from the ends of the earth will i cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to that rock that is higher than i oh god oh god we come to you on this morning bowed heads got whatever we are in our homes in the churches in the job on the job wherever we are we have an altar within our heart god and we bow down before you the maker of this universe the creator of everything and the sustainer of all god we come to you this morning loving on you as you love on us god we thank you god for forgiving us of our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness god and lifting us up once again on this morning to start to get it right with you again father we thank you for all that you've done god we dare not ask for anything before we say thank you father we thank you god for those that are in bereavement god we ask that you put your arms around them and let them know that you've done nothing wrong you just came to pick up that what was yours god we thank you we ask you lord to bless them in the midnight hour when they feel that they are all alone they are not because you said in your word you would never leave us nor forsake us god we ask you to touch those that are ailing heavenly father in the hospitals and in the homes touch with your finger of love your word says that you are the lord god that heals us god so we count on you to do just that he'll deliver and set free in the name of jesus god we thank you heavenly father for those that have come through coronavirus we thank you god for those that are now suffering from coronavirus and god we ask you to block coronavirus from attacking anymore god oh father we thank you lord we thank you for those who have the desire to worship you god but they can't do it because of physical conditions god we know that you are able to do all things everything that we ask in the name of jesus we ask you to raise them up god so that they can do it again god we ask you to look upon our pastor lord lord you've increased her territory god now everywhere her feet step heavenly father we ask that you give her the land lord let her possess it heavenly father and we ask your heavenly father as you take her over this country and over the world god that you protect her lord and bring her home safely lord lord the anointing that you have on her lord we ask that you triple that anointing god in the name of jesus god we ask that you bless her family that you don't have to be concerned about their wants and what's going on with him so that she can do what you have told her to do bless this church god and continue lord to increase the numbers that are coming in whether they are physically or over the line god we ask your heavenly father we know that you are everywhere all at the same time so father bless those members that are in other parts of the country that are also worshiping with us lord lord we thank you we ask you heavenly father to continue lord to keep your arms around us and let us be a beacon heavenly father to this community and to the world to show that we serve a true and living god who is above all and in all and through all and we give you praise for the things that you're going to do in the matchless name of jesus we pray and ask all of these blessings and every heart says man a man and a man [Music] [Music] we will sing it in its entirety is [Music] perfect submission perfect delights [Music] [Music] angel's presence [Music] [Applause] is [Music] this is my story this is my song [Music] [Music] oh is [Music] praise the lord [Music] step two [Applause] you got two minutes my god yes [Music] oh oh [Music] good morning stay tuned for your weekly updates october is clergy appreciation month please encourage and show your appreciation for cnbc clergy during this month join us in the virtual sanctuary for sisterhood sunday sunday october 17th our guest preacher will be reverend dr elaine flake with musical guest sharon jackson ladies be sure to join us and invite a friend save the date for harvest sunday sunday november 7th we will have worship and fellowship in the park stay tuned for more information congratulations to cnbc member deborah thomas on starring in the play marie and rosetta the play will run from october 1st through october 24th if you would like to purchase tickets and for more information you may visit hattiloo.org join us for the times of refreshing prayer call each wednesday at 8 pm central time as for virtual communion sunday the second sunday of every month please have your elements ready to partake in this holy sacrament wearing a mask keeps you your family and your community safe remember to mask up your gifts make a difference and help us to facilitate local and global ministry if you would like to be a part of this kingdom work we invite you to invest in this ministry as you are able follow us on social media to stay up to date with what's happening at cnbc stay connected via text by texting cnbc to 55469 thank you for your attention have a great day well can we put our hands together and bless the lord this morning come on wherever you are whether you're at home or whether you're in the sanctuary take a moment and give god your best praise for the lord is great and greatly to be praised blessed assurance jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of glory divine i'm an heir of salvation purchase of god born of his spirit washed in his blood can we thank god that we have a story to tell and that story is that god is a faithful god that god is a good god that god is an awesome god god is an amazing god good morning cnbc and to all of you who have joined us uh via various virtual platforms do me a favor if you haven't already done so i want to invite at least 100 of you 100 of you who are sharing with us on virtual platforms to share this service like and share this service on facebook on youtube subscribe to our youtube channel we are trying to build our youtube audience so if you take a moment now as you have that device somewhere near you and like and share this service on facebook or some of that virtual flat platform and subscribe to our youtube channel also if you are visiting with us we ask that you would complete the visitor's card uh the comment cards complete the card that's in the comments section in our digital connect card box digital connect card in the comment box i've got a tongue twister today and make sure you let us know where you are where you come from we don't know who you are but we'd like to know who you are we know that you have many options as it relates to worship in fact we might be your second or third service today we don't care we just want to know who you are we're glad that you tuned in to join us on today and if you have a prayer request if you have a prayer concern we invite you to list those in the comment section as well our intercessors are waiting our intercessors are standing by they are in the sanctuary they pray every sunday we are church that believes in the power of prayer we are church who has seen the results of prayer and we're a church that is undergirded by prayer and so we ask that you if you have a prayer request this morning that you would write that or type that in the comment section that we might go to god in prayer we are working on a prayer wall here in our sanctuary where we can lift up or list those prayer concerns on that wall as we pray and we ask god to move not only in behalf of our personal lives but our corporate lives our world and our community the intercessory prayer ministry leaders are working to get that wall completed and i'm looking forward to seeing those lists those requests on that wall here in our sanctuary and as we are talking about prayer i would like to uh lift up the family of former councilwoman barbara swearingen holt a good friend of one of our members councilwoman council chair emeritus to one stop mitchell they were tremendous friends and colleagues and she went home to be with the lord this week and we want to remember her son michael and her husband and all of her extended family and her friends and colleagues in our prayers we also are still praying for ashley conley who eulogized whose father was eulogized on yesterday ashley is a faithful member of our music ministry and we are praying for her in this hour of bereavement we know that prayer does work that prayer moves god but prayer also helps us and i know personally that i've been undergirded by the prayers of the righteous and so we invite you to remember these names in prayer we also want to remind you that this is october we're in a new month and it's not only clergy appreciation month it's also breast cancer awareness month it's also domestic violence awareness month in addition to clergy appreciation month we want to highlight all of these um specific topics at some point in this month and we know that it's the beginning of a new month for members of our church that are experiencing birthdays and so we want to extend happy birthday wishes to mother kelly williams she was turned 87 years old on this past week she had a little bout in the hospital thank god she's at home and we give god praise that god has not only kept her through an accident but kept her through her latest health challenge can we give god praise to one of our senior jewels mother callie williams and today is the birthday of our assistant director of media dr felicia fowler whom we love so much and whom we appreciate so much we are grateful for her ministry and for her support and her presence here in our congregations she has been a blessing since the day she walked through those doors and it helps that she's a member of delta sigma theta sorority incorporated amen and then we want to wish a happy anniversary to leonard and melinda wright they've been married 31 years deacon kenny and lisa williams have been married 18 years and sheldon and margaret ibron have been married 30 years can we give god praise for this black love in our congregation come on clap your hands real good and give god thanks for their life and for their marriage i want to thank each of you for your support of this ministry we were not on the front lines this week because we were out for fall break but we'll be back this week and we are gearing up for thanksgiving and christmas we know that every year at thanksgiving we give away several boxes of food for people who may not be as fortunate as we are this is in addition to what we do during the week every wednesday when we feed the community with our food giveaway we also are preparing for our christmas store that we have hosted for the last i would say 12 or 13 years where we uh fix up or we set up our fellowship hall as a christmas store and parents and children are able to come and shop for toys one of the reasons why we've been able to consistently do these kinds of ministries as well as support those who are struggling financially and support those who are in need of emergency assistance to give to organizations whose mission is consistent with our mission it's because you give and so i want to invite you now as you are able the media ministry has placed the giving options on the screen and we're inviting you to share with this congregation this is good ground this is a church that believes not only investing in mortar but we invest in ministry as a matter of fact the only reason why we really need the mortar is to facilitate the ministry and so we invite you to give as you are able the options are on the screen let me thank you for your support of this work for the support of this work that's changing lives and transforming communities and transforming the world as a matter of fact let's take a moment now as we prepare to give our gifts to the lord and thank god for every good and perfect gift that comes from the lord god how we thank you it's a blessing to be a blessing jesus said to us in the word that it is more blessed to give than to receive and we know that because we've been created in the image of god who was the consummate giver that we are never more like god than when we give and so we bring our gifts now with an attitude of gratitude we bring our gifts now because we know that all things come from you freely we have received and freely we give some give out of abundance some give out a lack we pray that these gifts will be acceptable in your sight we present our offering to you we pray that they will be acceptable in your sight and sufficient and more than enough we pray for a theology of sufficiency because we know we serve a god who is more than enough and so we pray that these gifts will be more than enough not just to help ourselves but that we might be a blessing to others bless every gift and every giver return it back to the giver 30 60 and 100 fold in the strong name of jesus the one who gave first we say thank you and we call it done in jesus name and all those that agree with this prayer say together amen receive now the music ministry as they come [Music] glory in this place [Music] i'm claiming something different expecting something different [Music] i know what it looks like but i choose [Music] oh this week a week here we go [Music] is [Music] [Music] here we go here we go [Music] [Music] is right here come on you might not see it [Music] god here we go [Music] yes oh [Music] here we go hey whatever jesus said [Music] hey can you help me say your miracle is all the way is yet whatever you need [Music] hallelujah oh bless the lord hallelujah come on and clap your hands if you believe that i said clap your hands if you believe that i said clap your hands if you believe that somebody just say to yourself my miracle is on the way my miracle is on the way hallelujah because i serve a god who works miracles a god of signs and wonders a god who pays highways through deserts hallelujah your miracle is on the way [Music] it's about as a close god how we thank you for worship thank you for sacred space whether it's in our great room whether it's in our kitchen whether we're in a sanctuary wherever we are we thank you for the privilege to build an altar [Music] thank you for a crucial link with eternal god [Music] thank you for the privilege to enter into your gates with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise to to be thankful and bless your name because you're good your mercy is everlasting and your truth endures to all generations thank you for reality adjustment for worship that causes us to scoot just a little bit further to the edge of our seat to believe that what you said you're still able to perform it in spite of what we went through last week in spite of the phone call we got at the top of the week in spite of the diagnosis in spite of the discouragement the joy and the triumph thank you for this moment right now we've come to hear word so take a cold from the altar touch my lips give me a tongue of the learn i've done my study now send your spirit i've prepared not send your power spirit of the living god fall fresh on us speak lord we need to hear from you send your anointing now that makes preaching easy that makes it the word eternally relevant and significant for the living of these days save a soul salvage of life and when you do it as a matter of fact we won't take any credit but we'll give you praise for it we go ahead and praise you on credit cause we believe you're that kind of god we put our hands together now and we give you praise in jesus name and all those that agree with this prayer said together amen can you help me thank god for minister elder billy rivers and minister deborah flack led us in worship today we appreciate their ministry they are gifts to our church and gives to the body of christ and we are grateful for what we have heard and for what we have seen we rejoice with deborah thomas who is playing rosetta tharp in that play i'm going to see her this afternoon got my ticket i'm going to see her this afternoon and i encourage you particularly those of you who are members of our church and who've been blessed by her ministry to come and support them the tickets are available if you go to our website i wear our facebook page you'll see the link on the page further down the page how you can go and we'll give you instructions on how you can purchase tickets i want to invite your attention to deuteronomy chapter 30 deuteronomy chapter 30 beginning with verse 11 deuteronomy chapter 30 beginning with verse 11 and i'm reading from the the new international version of scripture if you're there say amen if you're at home just stand up you know i want you get out of habit of being in church stand up with your bible amen just stand up we stand up here for the word of god so just act like you in the sanctuary because your house is your sanctuary now hey man it always was but it's sure enough is now amen deuteronomy chapter 30 beginning with verse 11. now what i am commanding you today is not too difficult somebody said too difficult or beyond your reach it is not up in heaven so that you have to ask who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it nor is it beyond the sea so that you have to ask who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it no the word is very near you it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it see i have set before you today life and prosperity death and destruction for i command you today to love the lord your god to walk in obedience to him to keep his commands decrees and laws then you will live and increase and the lord your god will bless you in the land you are about to possess but if your heart turns away and if you are not obedient and you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them i declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed you will not live long somebody say you won't live long in the land you're crossing the jordan to enter and possess this day i called the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that i have set before you life and death blessings and curses now choose life somebody shall choose life so that you and your children may live this is the word of the lord the grass with us the flower fades but the word of our god shall stand forever this is the word of god it's the word of life i want to talk today from the subject two possible futures two possible futures some sources on google suggest although it is somewhat difficult to estimate that the average adult makes 35 000 choices per day based on the assumption that most people spend around seven hours per day sleeping now i don't fall in that category i sleep at five hours so that means i probably make about 55 000 choices a day based on these estimates but stasis i believe it but based on this assumption that most people spend around seven hours per day sleeping this calculates to 2 000 roughly 2 000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds if you're like me you've probably never counted the number of decisions you make per day but one thing is for certain we are a people who are faced with a plethora of choices paper or plastic sugar and butter on grits you know i started an argument this week or salt and a debate i should say or salt and pepper on grits we're not gonna go there today small medium large or super fries or chips an apple or an orange organic or conventional what time will we get up what shall we wear what we gonna eat what route should we take what school should i send my children to will i go to church this morning i know it's sunday will i go to work will i take the vaccine will i get up and go to the gym or will my flesh keep me sleeping in the bed do i keep my appointment or do i cancel it what kind of car should i purchase what college do i want to attend what neighborhood would i like to live in what suit or dress in my case what pair of shoes am i going to buy or even when who will i marry on any given day we are faced with a never-ending stream of decisions from the moment we crawl out of bed until we close our eyes to rest at night we're dealing with everything from the simple and the mundane to the stressful and the monotonous in fact we make the vast majority of our selections or our choices i would suggest while we on autopilot we make them as a matter of habit and superficial awareness but nevertheless whether it's on autopilot or whether we are deliberating deeply about our choices one thing is certain our lives pivot around making choices and i need to say that the freedom to choose the god-given freedom to choose or the agency to choose the agency to be free to choose or the ability is the ability and privilege that god gives us to choose and act for ourselves we're not robots we have agency we have freedom to choose and while we don't need the depth of solomon's wisdom to decide whether we want wheat bread or what all right or what picture we want to use for the wallpaper on our cell phone most of us know that life is more complicated than that because we often face challenges in which we need discernment we need wisdom and we need understanding and to do so successfully means that we must start with the first and most basic choice which means choosing the way according to the text that leads to life long ago according to this text god challenged his people israel to make an ultimate life choice the heart of the proposal is articulated by moses is found in today's text specifically verse 19 where the text reads this day i call heaven and 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 in today's passage god's word comes to us from some of the last word that god gave moses to write just before his death this particular pericope or passage has been described as the farewell address delivered specifically and openly to the community of israel they were facing a new juncture in their national history it is what you would refer to in contemporary vernacular as a time of transition moses is about to pass the baton of leadership to new leaders he knows that even though he has led them through the wilderness and led the people of god out of egypt that he will not reach the promised land with them and so even though they had entered into a covenant relationship with god at mount sinai where god said i will be your god and you will be my people now in the wilderness beyond the jordan the people listen as their prophetic leader moses who is about to exit stage left describes the kind of people that they need to become and this transaction could be described at this moment as a covenant renewal or what some might recall a renewing of their vows to god deuteronomy is a repeating of the law that they received at sinai it is a renewal document a covenant renewal document with instructions about how god wants them to live because you need to understand that these people have been in bondage all their lives and now they are getting ready to enter into a place of promise and freedom and with freedom comes responsibility with freedom we need structure there are people that think that freedom means you don't have structure but the truth of the matter is is that the more freedom you have the most structure you need freedom requires structure and instructions that they were given by god for their way of being their way of navigating the world their way of living in the world as children of god in order to live lives of integrity and justice as the people who have been called out by god to be a kingdom of priest unto god and so moses has thoroughly laid out all the points and the sub points about what it means to be god's chosen people what it means to be holy like god set apart holy like god in their ways moses says in deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 11 through 14 that god's instructions are not too hard for them we just read them that nobody has to climb up to mount sinai in order to obtain god's commandments nor do they have to cross the sea to do so he emphasizes that the message of the law the torah or the torah the law is the is very near them that it is accessible that they can do it if they only will in other words he said you don't have to travel land and sea you don't have to go all out of your way to get this you don't have to go up in the mountain like moses did to get the word the word is near you even in your mouth it's accessible and you can do it if you only will and despite their passes their choice their choices in the past moses is telling them or articulating on behalf of god that a new beginning somebody said new beginning a new beginning is possible because you need to be clear that these folks haven't always chose the best are a lot like us they when they had the option to choose the good they didn't always choose what was good they didn't always choose god's best or god's highest intentions for their life but in spite of that god is saying to them through moses that now as they are on the precipice of the promised land that a new beginning is possible and a new day would dawn when the failures of the past and the wretchedness of the present could be set behind them in other words god is saying to them you can set the reset button y'all don't know when to shout i said he's saying to them you can set the reset button a new life new possibilities new chapters are available to you in spite of the past once you get resettled in your ancient homeland because you're getting ready to go to a place that you've never been before and their very faith in the power of god promised land to the people of god with the possibility of a new future before them moses lays out the stark terms of the covenant and the choices lie before his audience the choices that lie before his audience are basic choose obedience or death choose life or choose death choose life and prosperity choose death and curses love god and serve god or serve other god love god serve god and live or serve other gods and perish blessings and extravagant abundance i like that language belong to those who heed the voice of god but on the other hand moses suggests that unspeakable calamity terror and affliction will be the portion for those who obey who abandon the covenant and so it's in this transitional moment on the brink of the promised land that moses concludes his farewell address with a stirring exhortation he exhorts them to a renewed and fervent commitment to god who alone is able to keep them from stumbling the shape of israel's future is uncertain and this word for god from god was intended to ensure god's people or assure god's people that a future life in the land of promise was in view that it is possible that this is the kind of life that you can have a life of abundance a life a prosperity a life where you flourish but at the same time how the people responded to the word of god would shape the nature of that future and so then moses said so i call the heavens and the earth to witness against you i call the heavens and the earth to make a note of this transaction i have set before you today life and prosperity death and adversity and what moses and god want the people to understand is what's at stake oh you ought to just type that in the comment section i need to know what's at stake when i choose because whenever i choose there's always something at stake for every action there's a reaction and with every choice comes a consequence moses would have the people to know or wants them to understand what is at stake when they choose as it will be reiterated by joshua when moses dies they must choose life which is loving god serving god and obeying god can i say that again choosing life loving god obeying god and serving god can i say it one more time choosing life is to love god to serve god and obey god and although some maybe may interpret this as a legalistic trap that is designed to keep believers ensnared in calcified ritualistic intricacies and details and take all the fun out of your life moses is urging the people to commit their heart and their soul and their body to a vibrant relationship with god in whom they live they move and they have their being he says love god that's right say it with me scholars serve god and obey god moses says choose life choosing life encompasses loving god serving god and obeying god choose life you know the older i get the more meaningful these words become i want to suggest that one of the most important life choices that we can make and the unfortunate reality is that sometimes we don't realize how important it is until we have made a plethora of bad choices but the most important life choice we can make is to choose life in other words to decide on core beliefs that will shape our character define our purpose ensure our destiny the standards and values that determine how we live from day to day what we believe where we will be at the end of our lives how we interact with others how we navigate the the world and navigate our relationships with others and most importantly what's going to happen after this life is over choose life it sounds like a no-brainer doesn't it it sounds like it ought to be an easy choice obey divine directives and live your life as an overcomer surely if one is given the option of life or death we would naturally and enthusiastically choose life i mean that's common sense ain't it it's common sense and when somebody says you have an option to choose life or death to choose blessings or cursing it would seem that the obvious choice would be to choose life unless we find ourselves in dire circumstances the urge and the desire to live to survive ought to be strong this is why the maxim self-preservation is the first law of nature is an indicator of the lengths that most people will go to preserve themselves it's why folk will throw you under the bus to keep from getting in trouble themselves it's why most people will snitch on you when they because it means that they're going to take a chance they don't want to lose out on their chance at life self-preservation the maxim the first law of nature is an indicator of the lens that most of us would go who want to remain alive and so it would seem to me that it would be a no-brainer to choose life but many bristle at this because they see this admonition as a legalistic ploy to keep us in meaningless rituals these words seem simplistic follow god be blessed follow other gods be cursed prosperity is linked with faithfulness while the failure to thrive is a clear sign that one has strayed from the right path and the theological premise may ring hollow in our contemporary society particularly to those of us who have witnessed or experienced suffering firsthand in spite of our obedience in other words our experience doesn't always bear out that when i choose god i end up blessed the story of job in the bible is one of those stories that makes theologians out of all of us because it forces us to wrestle with the contradictions of life even when we've done everything that we know to do right but allow me to raise the caution sign if you will let me lift up the caution flag before you decide if choosing life is not your preferred option because of what it entails allow me to raise the caution sign before you decide that the way of the lord has laid out before us is too difficult or too hard allow me to raise the caution sign by saying that what you need to do or what we should do as we come to this juncture is consider the alternative consider the alternative consider the alternative of choosing death even though it doesn't sound like something we would do the truth be told when we consider it objectively we have to admit that we know a lot of folk family members family members friends colleagues church members myself included who have not always been good at life come on y'all can tell the truth y'all just said it to yourself go get some help right now say i haven't always been good at life i haven't always chose the best i haven't always chose god's best in fact we know of some we could be one of them who consistently opt for patterns of behavior that are harmful detrimental and painful to ourselves and if we're left up to our own devices most of us would have self-destructed by now had it not been for the grace of god you ain't got to shout now but i feel a shout in my feet the truth of the matter is is that most of us given to our own devices have often made choices that we didn't realize at the time were painful detrimental and harmful to ourselves and not just to us but harmful to others there are people that we have left a trail of bodies behind we don't even know they live that we have left a trail of bodies behind the collateral damage that is often attached to choices that we've made because we have not always chosen life and i would like to believe that nobody sets out to make bad decisions nobody sets out to make decisions that are going to be detrimental to other there are some folk that do now i know but in general i'd like to believe that nobody sets out to make bad decisions but the truth of the matter is and we all know this particularly if we've been living any length of time that some of the decisions that we make don't turn out the way we hoped you ain't got to say man you can just say ouch some of the decisions that i've made didn't turn out the way i hoped in spite of my best intentions in spite of my research in spite of my weighing the options there have been times that some of my decisions didn't turn out the way i hope and some of us if you like me you're saying to yourself on the other side of it because life is often lived looking forward but understood looking backward if i knew then what i know now if i could turn i wish i had some help back the hands of time i heard dr ronita wien say however regret is not in sight and so if regret is not insight what's the underlying basis for some of the worst decisions that we make proverbs 14 and 12 gives us some insight and you need to mark this in your bible it reveals a profound a profound principle that deserves our consideration it says this there is a way that appears right but in the end it leads to death ah i feel the holy ghost i said proverbs chapter 12 verse 14 chapter two i'm getting tongue tied proverbs chapter 14 verse 12 says there is a way that seems right a way that appears right but in the end him in which a good ear it leads to death in other words there is a way there is a road there is a journey there is a distance a custom that appears to be your share that appears to be right that actually translates to means straight and upright smooth or proper there is a way there is a road there is a journey there is a distance that appears to be straight it appears to be upright it appears to be level and smooth and proper but in the end it leads to depth the translation for death is disease dying pestilence or another way of putting it in the common vernacular is a less than favorable or undesirable outcome i feel the holy ghost there is a way there is a path that seems plausible that seems proper that seems straight but in the end it leads to a less than desirable outcome or future the ways that seem naturally right to us are often influenced by a variety of perspectives this is one of the reasons why i believe sometimes we make bad choices because they are influenced by a variety of choices we make decisions by weighing information against standards that we hold reliable the wesley quadrennial which is a method of theological reflection that is uh john wesley john west that originated with john wesley who is the founder of methodism for theological reflection says that the sources for authority in our lives our reason which is the intellect or the mind tradition which is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation or something that has been passed down from one generation to the next experience which is practical contact with an observation of facts or events and scripture which are the sacred writings that are contained in the bible those are the four sources according to the wesleyan quadrennial that we often force sources of authority that influence as it relates to theological reflection how we make our decisions but not only are there sources of authority there are also influences somebody shout influences their sources of authority and then there are sources of influence there are sources of influence that also weigh in on our decision one of them is our emotions which means that we prone to make decisions based on how we feel based on how we feel when we get up in the morning we're in a bad mood we make decisions based on our mood we're in a good mood we make decisions based on the move that we're in the problem is our feelings are not always reliable and then our mind sometimes shows up and i and but be clear that i don't believe you need to check your brains at the door there are too many people that check their brains at the door when it comes to making decisions there are too many people that let other folks brain direct your decisions but you need to learn how to serve the lord with your mouth the bible said with my mind i serve the lord our mind shows up but sometimes the mind shows up with reasoning and logic and then our flesh shows up and our flesh is that sinful and corrupt nature which is always at war with the spirit of god that has no that cannot be trusted and has no capacity for anything that's good or right the bible says that in my flesh there's no good thing i'm looking for the bible readers now my mind shows up with reason and logic my flesh shows up it's at war with the spirit my emotions show up and it's based on how i feel and then we listen to our peers our peers show up they sitting at the table with us while we trying to make decisions sometimes they're not even physically there but they still influence how we decide our peers and our friends and authority figures in our lives whose values we ve whose opinions we value and respect they show up too when it comes to making this and then i need to just go and bring cherlene in here and say sometime the devil he can use me sometimes the devil shows up when it comes to making out and say we know the thing to do we know the right thing to do but we let the devil use us i know we don't like talking about the devil but sometimes we do allow ourselves to be influenced by the powers of darkness and then there is the spirit of god who attempts to lead us into whole truth the spirit of god who is an advocate for the word of god the spirit of god who leads us into truth the spirit of god that convicts us of sin and righteousness and brings the word of god back to our remembrance if you got any word in you the spirit brings the word of god back to our remembrance the spirit of god shows up and whichever of the authorities and the influence that we deem most reliable hear me with your good ear they will usually win in our decision if logic is winning we'll make our decision based on reason if emotions are winning we'll make our decisions based on emotions if we're living a life that is not oriented toward god we will make our decisions based on the flesh and the flesh will probably win if experience is under our belt and there are times that experience will win and then there are times that we are fully persuaded by a conviction of the word and the word will win it depends on who is has the influence with us in that decision oftentimes determines how we choose and if we tell the truth there are some days that every authority and every influence has won the day y'all ain't got to tell the truth the truth of the matter is for all of us we ain't ain't none of us always doing what the bible says come on talk to me somebody if we tell the truth none of us always doing what we know is the right thing to do the bible says for him or her that knows the right thing to do and does not do it is still sin and so the truth of the matter is that every day at some point one of these other influences come on one of these other authorities wins out because the truth of the matter is is that all of us at some point in our lives don't choose well yesterday i wanted a burger a big juicy burger a burger with bacon swiss cheese no onions i wanted a milkshake and can y'all tell me why i can't find a milkshake in memphis can anybody tell me why they don't why the milkshake machine ain't working nowhere it ain't working that chili's it ain't working and not chili's they don't sell them it ain't working that backyard burger it ain't working that sonic it wasn't working that chick-fil-a i almost fell out when i went to chick-fil-a i knew chick-fil-a wasn't gonna let me down flag but chick-fil-a had to know to tell me i'm kind of gotten birds and flu in the room but i'm here now so i might as well stay here that the ice cream machine ain't working i wanted a burger i wanted a burger i wanted a burger and i said to a friend of mine i said well i guess i'll go on and sing today and eat this burger she said why is it sin and she said you so spiritual she said why is it sinning i said well it is sin she said well it ain't saying to me when i want i just make a choice and because we laughed about i went on to order my burger because i really didn't want it okay but because to borrow the words of dr courtney bugs i am a latent processor i began to think about that conversation a little bit late and i said well it might not have been sin but it wasn't even necessarily the most helpful choice based on my reality as somebody who's trying to keep my a1c down is someone who takes blood high blood pressure medicine as someone who is 61 years of age it may not have been sin hit me with your good health but it possibly based on my reality somebody said based on her reality now you might not have blood high blood pressure you may not be wrestling with an a1c that's fluctuating but based on my reality come on hell it may not have been sin but it may not have been the best choice in the interest of my health the bible tells me that my body is a temple and that i only got one life to live and i only got one temple to do this ministry that god has given me and so i need to be a good steward of my body because what i put in this body it may not catch up with me now oh but keep on living keep on walking keep on eating all that stuff you ain't got no business eating and one day you're gonna wake up and you're gonna see the repercussions of what we eat that's just one example of how sometimes i flip my flesh one yesterday and then now someday i'ma tell you the devil wins i know y'all i know you're about to yeah i'm saved and sanctified filled with the holy ghost five baptized but some days the devil wins some days the devil uses me some days and you might as well tell the truth too some days we let the devil win come on don't make me don't leave me out here by myself come on some days the devil wins sometimes i tell my finger and i said girl the devil won the day some days the devil wins because sometimes jackie we know we all ain't got no business doing we know we ought to do something that we don't do and we don't do it anyway or we do it anyway because some days the devil wins because there are always other influences and sources and sources of authority that influence our decision-making so that there is a way oh i feel the holy ghost that seems right that seems proper but in the end it leads to a less than desirable outcome so we have to decide moses articulates for us god's vision for our lives he says choose life choose life choose life choose life but what does that mean beyond loving god what does that mean beyond obeying god what does that mean beyond serving god how as i was working on this sermon i was thinking to myself how can i break this directive down in our lives so that is not an abstract theoretical conceptual fact of life but accessible something portable that you can pick up and take with you and as much as it's possible achievable i thought about that thing and i prayed about it and one one of the things that the lord revealed to me is that one of the best ways to describe choosing life is the way the scripture describes it you see the scripture describes choosing life one of the ways that the scripture describes choosing life is shalom somebody says shalom s-h-a-l-o-m shalom it is the life that god envisions and intends for us it's referred to as shalom in scripture it is referred to as well-being it's referred to as totality it's referred to as wholeness and bodily health is referred to as strength and security it's referred to as a long life ending in a natural death it's referred to as prosperity and abundance successful completion of an enterprise victory in war and a cessation of conflict shalom means god's best watch this for the entirety of one's life that god's best is intended for me spirit soul and body that god's best is intended for me in every area of my life there's a reason why jeremiah 29 and 11 says this to the people in captivity for i know the thoughts that i think toward you says the lord their thoughts to prosper you and not to harm you i'm about to shout out my palms thoughts for your welfare thoughts to give you a hope and a future because god envisions for us this is what the enemy doesn't want you to find out a future a glorious future for you and for us that that is more more more beautiful more glorious than we are capable of envisioning for ourselves eyes have not seen and ears have not heard what god lord have mercy has in store for us because the god that we serve intends and envisions for us a victorious and abundant life a life with hope a life with a future a life with a purpose a life with a destiny a life where we die a natural death not a premature death not a forfeiture of life not a reckless death not a violent death but a natural death and jesus calls it zoe the highest quality of life that is available there's a reason why jesus said i came that you might have life there's a reason why jesus said the thief comes but to kill steal and to destroy but i have come that they might have zoe life and that they might have it to the full and to overflowing i've come so that you might have a full life and so what that means is it means that if we're going to have the kind of life that god intends it means that if shalom is going to be our portion not just our portion for our individual lives but our portion for corporate society for the well-being not just for us but for the well-being of society it means that i have to make life-giving choices i have to make choices that lend not only to my welfare but to the well-being of others it carries the idea of good health and daily blessings and happiness and fruitfulness it means to be strong in my body and my mind and my spirit it means to thrive in my personal life it means to flourish in my personal life but not just in my personal life but i thrive and i flourish in my relationship with others it's called shalom it's the language that is understood to be comprehensive in its terminology god speaks and god acts on behalf of the people for the sake of all aspects of our ongoing life and our common our common good god speaks those words in order that the people might live well and live long in the land that the lord has promised consider the context they're getting ready to go into a new place and god is trying to tell them through moses how they can flourish in the land this is really what this speech this farewell address is all about moses is getting ready to move off of the scene moses knows that he's not going to enter into the land with them but before he leaves he gives them a message from god and he tell them choose life so that you and your children i feel the holy ghost they may live you got a choice before you you could choose life or you could choose death but i'm telling you choose life so that you and your children may live god gives the commandment in eight verse eight verse 10 verse 11 and verse 16 because god hear me with your good ear is always oriented toward your best interest come here devil i know you don't like me i said god is always orienting toward your and my best interest at the best entrance of the best life possible and the obedience of the people to the commands contributes to a life more filled with blessings than cursing proverbs 4 and 4 and 7 and 2 puts it this way keep my commandments and live deuteronomy 5 and 33 makes a similar statement you must follow exactly the path that the lord your god has commanded you so that you may live and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land that you ought to possess in other words what moses is saying to us he's articulating from god is that god has in mind this higher quality of life for the nation of israel we're eavesdropping on their conversation and the way that they can access it is to choose life it's why we shouldn't be arguing about wearing a mask if we're in a mass will not only save your life but save somebody else's it's why we need laws that perm that that require a permit to carry a gun after folk been shot at krogers and after folk have been shot at cummins elementary school rather than giving us the limit the the license to carry a gun and getting giving people particularly those with mental illness license to shoot an innocent person and then go try to catch them if you can it's why we have to count and weigh the cost of every decision the more weightier decisions because choices are destiny shapers hear me with your good ear i said they destined to shape us and we live and die by our choices and so moses says choose life in other words moses is saying you have two possible futures you have two possible futures two possible options that are laid out in this text two possible options laid out in this text life and death note that the future is laid out more in obscurity than certainty i feel the holy ghost because the future while it can be a future of glory of glorious blessing and prosperity as if god knows the future in detail and could describe it to the people right now is not uncertainty is more enveloped or cloaked in obscurity because the future is not noted in terms of certainty but a possibility the future is noted in terms of possibility because while it what israel says and does the choices that israel makes and the choices that you and i make will shape our future but what that shape looks like is not determined in advance the future is open to what happens within the relationship with god and even for god choose life i'm almost through one scholar put it this way that the word choose life is the only use of the verb choose bahar with human beings as the subject of the of the old testament god is usually the one that you this is a good insight one scholar says that the only place that the use of the verb bahar choose relates to human beings as in this text that usually it is god who has the option to choose but in this text israel is to choose to receive what god has already promised and to choose life is to love the lord obey the lord and serve the lord to hold fast to him in other words human beings you and i have to make choices and the choosing of a life will make a significant difference in the shape that that life takes the call for israel in this particular passage is to stake take a stand on behalf of the word of god as it relates to the life of israel israel's positive response would be enabled by god's gracious action to choose life is to trust god to choose life is to trust in the promises of god to choose life is to trust god to love god to serve god and to obey god and what the text suggests is that when i make that kind of choice it will make a difference in my life two possible futures are available to us what's interesting to me about this text and i'm through i think is that with all that is conveyed in this text y'all just read it with me everything that's conveyed in this text we don't know based on the text what israel did we don't see them saying we'll do whatever you say like they do in joshua when joshua tells them choose ye this day whom you're going to serve whether it's the gods of the amorites or the god in whose land you now dwell but as for me in my house we will serve we don't see that in this text they don't tell us that the narrator doesn't tell us what decision israel makes that doesn't the narrator doesn't tell us how israel responds to this word even though the word choose is an imperative which means it points to an unresolved decision we don't really know what they did and at this moment even now we have some idea because we know how the rest of the story ended we know that they still made some bad choices after having the option to make some good ones but in this in this case somebody say in this case the absence of their decision hear me with your good ear suggests that this is an open-ended question i feel the holy ghost i said it's an open-ended question because perhaps it wasn't up to israel to answer or just up to israel to answer but it's up to us every day you got to make a decision whether you're going to choose life or whether you're going to choose death i'm so glad that the god i serve doesn't make this a one-time transaction yeah you ought to shout i'm so glad that god is so gracious that god is so merciful that god is so kind that when i make the mistake of choosing death instead of life that it didn't end with death whoa somebody else's you ought to think about all the time that you chose incorrectly and just give god your best praise you ought to think about every choice that you made that didn't lead to life but it led to a less than favorable outcome and in some ways you still paying for it right now and you're 40 years old but you ought to tell god thank you that god keeps giving us chance after chance after chance after chance after chance because israel was not the only one who needed to make the choice every day god is calling on us to provide a response the effect of the word is that this is an open-ended question i would suggest that the operative question pivots around a critical question and here it is y'all ready for it y'all ready for it the operative question the decision pivots around this operative question and it's a critical question the critical question that helps me to decide is this y'all ready what kind of future do you want what kind of future do you want that's the question god says i already got plans to give you hope and a future that i already have envisioned a lifetime shop hondo i have already envisioned a life of shalom for you a life to prosper you a life for your welfare a life to give you hope and a future a life of well-being i've already envisioned that what kind of future do you want at the end of the day the choice is yours i can tell you this every time you choose in the opposite of life it takes you longer to catch up i don't know about a center every time you choose differently it takes you longer to catch up because it breaks momentum but at the end of the day at the end of the day richard the choice is yours yes god's desires for our welfare to give us hope and the future but in the end somebody shout in the end choice is man to me why don't you just tap yourself and say the choice is mine to me question is what kind of future do you want here's the good news today this is the good news of our faith somebody watching me is probably saying yeah pastor but dr stewart it's too late no the devil is a liar evo corvoche i feel the holy ghost i said somebody ought to shout the devil is a liar that's why the enemy don't want you coming to church because he wants you to believe that it's too late that's why he'll get you to do everything at 11 o'clock that he can think of other than tuning into this service because he don't want you to hear the truth this is why the enemy sends all kinds of influences your way to influence your choices because he wants you to believe that it's too late but i stand here to tell you today that the devil is a liar that god is a god who is always willing to give us another chance i don't know about you but you ought to tell him thank you for that i wish i had somebody that could just lift your hands in the sanctuary and open your mouth and give god praise that god keeps giving you another chance if you look back over your life the longer that you live the more you ought to have to thank god for now i don't hear nobody sinner and i said the longer you've been living the more you ought to think if you're 45 you ought to give god a 45 year old praise if you 60 you need to give god a 16 year old if you 55 you need to give god a 55 year old you know why because somewhere i got a sneak in suspicion that in the course of my life i made a whole bunch of bad decisions ah but god keeps setting the reset the mercy meter and day by day and morning by morning brand new mercies i see everything i've needed god's hand has provided you ought to lift your hands i dare you to worship him i dare you to lift your hands wherever you are i dare you to open your mouth and give him glory i dare you to stretch those hands toward heaven and bless the god of our salvation and thank him for giving you another chance to choose differently to choose that's that's it that's it choose differently to choose differently to choose life rather than death to choose shalom somebody ought to shout i'm going to live and not die i'm going to live and not die and declare the works of the lord somebody ought to shout that i'm gonna live and not die i'm gonna let my children go live man my children's children are gonna live because not only do my choices affect me but they affect my children and they affect my children's children and my children's children and my children's children somebody lift your hands somebody open your mouth and give god glory as a matter of fact you ought to come to this altar if you want to choose different if you want a different future if you want life if you want abundance i dare you to make an altar in your house i dare you to grab your children get on your knees turn your living room into a sanctuary and shout i choose life i want a different outcome i want a different future i want a different ending i want to be able to hear him say servant well done i want to be the head and not the tale i want to be above and not be needed thanks be to god able who gives us the victory through jesus christ our lord thank you jesus come on lift those hands lift those hands lift those hands come on lift those hands lift those hands lift those hands hallelujah thank you jesus thank you jesus you shall live and not die all you got to do is choose jews choose ye this day who you're gonna serve as for me and my house we're gonna serve the lord through the storm and through the rain through sickness and pain through my heart aches my lucks and my ass for me and my little house we gonna serve it we're gonna serve it for the rest of my life i'm gonna through the storm through good times through sickness and health for better for worse i'm gonna serve him i'm gonna serve him because i know what kind of future i want i want a future of prosperity i want a future of abundance i want a future of good health i want to die a natural death what kind of future you want if those hands father in jesus name thank you for the power of your word thank you for reminding us that your plans for us are good plans for our welfare plans to give us hope and a future thank you for reminding us of this open-ended question that every day we wake up every day we get up every day we navigate life we are forced to choose one option out of two possible futures the choice is ours i'm so glad one day when i was 10 years old i chose jesus i'm so glad one day when i was 10 years old didn't half know what i was doing but i chose jesus and every day with jesus is sweeter than the day before and i want to tell you thank you i want to just say thank you for keeping me thank you for blessing me thank you that you didn't give up on me thank you that even when i chose death in spite of my life in spite of your intentions you gave me another chance somebody's watching this service who thought that their life was over but i hear the holy ghost say you're giving them another chance today is their day of salvation today is their day of jubilee today is their day for an unconditional yes and so god we thank you in advance for the harvest we thank you for the yeses that are coming out of this message we thank you for the lives that are being saved for the souls that are being snatched out of the pit we say thank you for the lies that are being salvaged and we put our hands together now and we give you praise come on give god some praise in here i speak life come on come on you shall live you shall live live live [Music] you can join this church you can make that decision what kind of future do you want you shall live and not come on don't wait till next week don't wait until next month don't even wait until next year don't wait till the pandemic is over make the choice [Music] the information on the screen speak life i speak life i speak life i speak life i speak life i speak life life live live live you made some mistakes but go on and live you fell short but go ahead and live you fell short of his glory but live live live live live live live live live live live live that his name might be glorified that the sun might be magnified that the people might be edified that the devil might be horrified in the name of jesus the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face to shine upon you the lord lift the light of his countenance upon you and be gracious unto you [Music] and give you peace that passes all understanding both now here's forth and forevermore and all the people said together amen meet us next week same time same place speak life live live live live somebody shout i'm gonna live i'm gonna live you gotta just say i'm gonna live i got a choice i don't have to die i don't have to fail i don't have to mess up i can live my best life right now come on say it [Music] i speak life lift those hands in the sanctuary and not die thank you jesus thank you jesus you're gonna live you're gonna live you're gonna live you're gonna live i hear the spirit say you're gonna live let you live so you could choose differently he let you live so that you could have this moment he let you live so you could have another chance lift your hands in the sanctuary and give him glory let the redeemed of the lord say something whom he has delivered out of the hand of the enemy yes my soul says yes my mind says yes my will says yes my heart says yes yes i speak come on and give him glory come on and give him glory come on give him glory hallelujah

Channel: Christ Missionary Baptist Church

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Id: RuYspMJ8i2Q

Length: 110min 14sec (6614 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 03 2021