Sermon: The Choice

Aaron spoke yesterday on the Ten Commandments and talked about the choices that we make. Often we are faced with taking short-cuts and easy outs on the path to doing God's will. We rationalize and think that it won't really matter because after all this will get us to what God wants just a little faster and with less pain.

For example, Matthew 4, Jesus' third temptation:

"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

In these verses we see satan offering a short-cut to giving Jesus what He came to do .. reclaim fallen creation. That is the way satan works .. trying to meet a valid need through an invalid way. But if Jesus had accepted the offer He would have broken the relationship with the Father.

So the quote from the sermon I want to remember is: "when we choose instant success over a broken relationship with the Father we get neither."