Choose LIFE! (Sermon Audio)

This is the audio from the January 16, 2022 sermon, “Choose LIFE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: John 10:10, Deuteronomy 30:11-20

In our existence here on earth, God calls for each one of us to have life to the full as we . . .

Choose Love. Deuteronomy 30:15-16, Proverbs 21:21
- The choice that God sets before us between life and death is a call for each of us to choose love. Jesus made it clear that the greatest of all God’s commands is to love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and then to love our neighbor like we love our self. The reason these are the greatest of all the commands is because they provide the foundation for all else. We choose life to the full when we choose love in everything we do.
Choose Inclusion. Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Acts 2:39
- Before you start thinking that perhaps this choice of life is only for a select few, God makes it clear that He has set this choice before everyone. Choosing inclusion doesn’t mean that everything goes or that there are no standards of right and wrong. Rather, it is a choice to acknowledge God’s invitation to choose life is for all who would accept it. When we choose inclusion, we set no limits on who we will share with about Jesus. We choose life to the full when we choose inclusion for all who would seek God.
Choose Faithfulness & Forgiveness. Deuteronomy 30:17-18, James 1:12
- Throughout scripture we find God informing us of the benefits that come from a life of faithfulness . . . and the consequences of being unfaithful. The good news is that God is always faithful and will always keep His promise to be found by us when we seek Him with a whole heart. His faithfulness to forgive give us a fresh start whenever we come to Him in repentance. We choose life to the full when we choose to live a forgiven life that pursues faithfulness to God in all that we do.
Choose Encouragement. Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Hebrews 3:12-13
- Life can be very difficult. While most people don’t like for it to be known or visible, it seems we all face struggles of various kinds . . . in fact, Jesus told us we would. One of the often used tools of the enemy against us is to make us feel isolated in the midst of our discouragement. We allow busyness and distractions to not only isolate us from the encouragement we need, but to also keep us from encouraging others as we ought. God give us one another so that we can lift up the one who is down, strengthen the one who is week, and encourage the one who is discouraged. We choose life to the full when we choose today to encourage someone else and when we choose today to accept encouragement from others.