"THE CHOICE “ Father’s Day 2017

Scripture Text Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) 

¹⁵ And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 

INTRO: "Choose you this day."  Man was created in the image of God. God gave man a free will to make his own choices. This is necessary if God is to receive meaningful love and worship from man. I can choose to love God or not and I can choose to serve God or not.

 I. MAN HAS THE CAPACITY OF CHOICE. It is a God-given capacity.

A. Every day we choose whom we will serve, either Satan, ourselves, or God our Creator. It is an awesome but rewarding responsibility to choose to serve God every day. God honors the choices we make or otherwise the power of choice would be meaningless. I have the power to determine my destiny which will in turn influence my family’s choice. No one can force you to believe in God and No one can force you to serve God. No one can force you to go to heaven.These are all choices you must make dad for yourself and for your family’s good. There are two powerful forces seeking to influence your choice dads; Satan and God. Satan appeals to your body appetites and pride. He uses fear, worry, and doubt. These are strong motivational forces and must be resisted in the power of the Holy Spirit. He also uses lies and deceit, such as; Happiness is free sex, booze and Happiness is a conscience that is free of God. The Holy Spirit uses the motivational force of love. He seeks to appeal to your reason. "Come now let us reason together." He seeks to lead you to truth. To follow body appetites will never lead to satisfaction. "Choose you this day... for yourself and for the good of your family."

II. YOU'VE GOT TO SERVE SOMEBODY.

A. No man is an independent island. Each man is ruled by some guiding force or principle. Everyone serves some religious idea.  Certain ideas or principles guide each of our actions and decisions. Every man serves his gods or the only true God. The gods your fathers served on the other side of the flood, the gods of the Amorites. Who were these gods? [v:15b] In our day these gods are the; Gods of pleasure and gods of force, power. There is the god of man's intellectual powers. If you do not choose to serve the true and living God, you are serving some god.Every man has his master passion which becomes the guiding principle of his life.

III. "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE THE LORD."

A. How great it is when the father can speak for the house. He rules his house well. So many dads today seeking to escape the responsibilities of the family and home. They are strangers to their own children. What a strong influence the father has on his family. Your children are learning from your father role. The influence can be for good or evil. Some children never have a chance because of their dad.

Conclusion: How beautiful when a man will lead his whole family to serve the Lord. How blessed are his children. How rewarding it is when dad’s pray for their families daily. The greatest thing a dad can do is fulfill his role as spiritual leader of his family is to dedicate or commit his wife and children to the Lord, Even if they are grown and married. 

Invitation: It’s time to Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, either the gods of this world or Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and earth.  Are you willing to choose to know God personally and become His child by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to forgive your sins and save you from Hell? Dads are you living each day for God and leading your family in a way that honors your Savior and Lord?  God will hold you responsible as the spiritual leader of your family.