{"id":6069,"date":"2020-10-15T14:47:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T21:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=6069"},"modified":"2020-10-15T14:47:28","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T21:47:28","slug":"choose-chosen-sermon-outline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=6069","title":{"rendered":"Choose \u2013 Chosen (sermon outline)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Please click here for a pdf version of this document<\/a><\/p>\n\n

  1. A Christian couple hung a plaque in their home inscribed with the following Bible verse: \u201cAs for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d The text is from the Old Testament: Joshua 24:15. The plaque serves as a family motto and reminder of their focus in life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

    Joshua\u2019s motto applies to the tough times in which we live today. Christianity is under assault today. Marriage and the family are under assault today. Approximately 40% of children are raised in homes without a father. Over 70% of black children are raised without a dad in their home. These are tough times for Christianity and tough times for the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Joshua story: As the Israelites approached the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the territory. Upon their return all twelve spies reported the good news: \u201cIt is a land flowing with milk and honey!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But opinion was divided about what to do next. Ten of the spies warned that the Canaanites are very strong and their cities fortified. The ten lack faith that the Lord would deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But two spies, Joshua and Caleb, dissent, claiming: \u201cWe can conquer the land, for the Lord is with us.\u201d The people, however, put their trust in the ten. Then the Lord pronounces the judgment that the faithless people must wander in the wilderness for forty years. And they do until all the old faithless spies had died out and only Joshua and Caleb are left. The Lord tells Joshua and Caleb that they and the younger generation under 20 years of age would be able to go into the Promised Land because they were the two who had faith that the Lord would deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And so it happened. Joshua led the Israelites across the River Jordan to the Promised Land. You know the spiritual that tells this story: \u201cJoshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came a-tumblin\u2019 down.\u201d It took Joshua and the Israelites seven years to establish a new homeland. The Lord fulfilled his promise to deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For this reason, every seven years (Deut. 31:10) the Israelites gathered to renew their covenant with the Lord. The covenant renewal ceremony took place in a natural amphitheater between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. The organic acoustics between these two mountains are much like the Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Imagine the drama with the towering mountains and near perfect acoustics: All the tribes of Israel gathered in this natural amphitheater and divided into two groups for the reading of the law together with a responsive reading of its blessings and curses: From one mountain tribal elders call out the curses for disobeying the law. From the other mountain other elders call out the blessings on those who obey the law. The tribes then commitment themselves to the Lord. As written in Joshua 24:14-15: \u201cFear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness\u2026and if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose<\/strong> this day whom you will serve\u2026whether the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites\u2026But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Joshua\u2019s motto applies to the tough times in which we live today. Christianity is under assault today. Marriage and the family are under assault today. Approximately 40% of children are raised in homes without a father. Over 70% of black children are raised without a dad in their home. These are tough times for Christianity and tough times for the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Joshua story: As the Israelites approached the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the territory. Upon their return all twelve spies reported the good news: \u201cIt is a land flowing with milk and honey!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But opinion was divided about what to do next. Ten of the spies warned that the Canaanites are very strong and their cities fortified. The ten lack faith that the Lord would deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But two spies, Joshua and Caleb, dissent, claiming: \u201cWe can conquer the land, for the Lord is with us.\u201d The people, however, put their trust in the ten. Then the Lord pronounces the judgment that the faithless people must wander in the wilderness for forty years. And they do until all the old faithless spies had died out and only Joshua and Caleb are left. The Lord tells Joshua and Caleb that they and the younger generation under 20 years of age would be able to go into the Promised Land because they were the two who had faith that the Lord would deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And so it happened. Joshua led the Israelites across the River Jordan to the Promised Land. You know the spiritual that tells this story: \u201cJoshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came a-tumblin\u2019 down.\u201d It took Joshua and the Israelites seven years to establish a new homeland. The Lord fulfilled his promise to deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For this reason, every seven years (Deut. 31:10) the Israelites gathered to renew their covenant with the Lord. The covenant renewal ceremony took place in a natural amphitheater between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. The organic acoustics between these two mountains are much like the Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Imagine the drama with the towering mountains and near perfect acoustics: All the tribes of Israel gathered in this natural amphitheater and divided into two groups for the reading of the law together with a responsive reading of its blessings and curses: From one mountain tribal elders call out the curses for disobeying the law. From the other mountain other elders call out the blessings on those who obey the law. The tribes then commitment themselves to the Lord. As written in Joshua 24:14-15: \u201cFear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness\u2026and if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose<\/strong> this day whom you will serve\u2026whether the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites\u2026But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

  2. Choose <\/strong>this day whom you will serve! This call to choose<\/strong> marks this ancient covenant as a two-sided <\/strong>contract of reciprocal responsibilities and blessings. It was a pact, a deal, a commitment between the Lord and his people. The Lord does this; the people do that. Today the Lord has declared that you are a people for his own possession (Deut 26:18). And the people are called to make a choice, a commitment. Choose<\/strong> this day whom you will serve! Today you choose<\/strong> to obey his commandments.<\/li>
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  3. Totally different is the one-sided<\/strong> covenant of promise. Not: Today you must choose; rather today you have been chosen<\/strong>. God acts. He does it. The Lord makes it happen. He declares. Five examples of a one-sided<\/strong> covenant:<\/li>
    \n\n\n\n
    1. Noah. Gen 9:16: \u201cWhen the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.\u201d<\/l1>

      \n\n\n\n
    2. Abraham. Gen 12:1-3: \u201cI will make of you a great nation\u2026I will bless you\u2026and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.\u201d<\/li>
      \n\n\n\n
    3. David. 2 Sam 7:13: \u201cI will raise up your offspring after you…I will establish his kingdom\u2026He shall build a house for my name\u2026I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he shall be my son.\u201d<\/li>
      \n\n\n\n
    4. Israel. Romans 11:19-29. Especially: 11:27: \u201cAnd this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.\u201d 11:29: \u201cFor the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.<\/strong>\u201d 11:32: \u201cFor God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.\u201d 11:34-35: \u201c\u2019For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?\u2019 \u2018Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?\u2019\u201d<\/li>
      \n\n\n\n
    5. The new covenant. The Lord alone does it without us. 1 Cor 11:25: \u201cThis cup is the new covenant<\/strong> in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>
      \n\n\n\n
    6. What about us? What\u2019s our role? Don\u2019t we have a say?<\/li>
      \n\n\n\n
      1. But we are slaves.<\/strong> Rom 6:16b and 18: \u201cYou are slaves<\/strong> of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness\u2026having been set free from sin, have become slaves<\/strong> of righteousness.\u201d<\/li>
        \n\n\n\n
      2. And yet Gal 3:29: \u201cAnd if you are Christ\u2019s, then you are Abraham\u2019s offspring, heirs<\/strong> according to promise.\u201d\n\n\n\n

        Gal 4:7-9: \u201cSo through God you are no longer a slave<\/strong> but a son, and if a son<\/strong> then an heir.<\/strong> Formerly, you were in bondage\u2026but now you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Phil 3:12: \u201c\u2026I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p><\/li>
        \n\n\n\n

      3. In baptism we are chosen. In baptism he snatches us: \u201csnatches<\/strong> us from the jaws of the devil and makes us God\u2019s own\u201d (Large Catechism, Baptism, IV:83. Tappert, 446; Kolb\/Wengert 466). Rom 6:5: \u201cFor if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly<\/strong> be united with him in a resurrection like his.\u201d In baptism he claims us and carries us safely to the other side. The new covenant is a one-sided covenant.<\/strong><\/li>
        \n\n\n\n
      4. Free in Christ now because our hope, our salvation does not depend \u201con anything we are think, say, or do\u201d (Smalcald III\/III:36, Tappert 309). No longer slaves, now adopted<\/strong> sons and daughters (Gal 4:4-7). Free to be his adopted children in this time and place. Free to use our heads and our hearts in the battles we face, knowing that when we cry: \u201cAbba! Father!\u201d the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, if children, then heirs<\/strong> of God and fellow heirs<\/strong> with Christ (Rom 8:15-17), confident that baptized into his death, we shall certainly <\/strong>be united with him in his kingdom to come. Chosen.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u201cAs for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d (Joshua 24:15)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6069"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6097,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6069\/revisions\/6097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}