Have you ever ask yourself why King/General Joshua did not say ‘… as for me and my house, we will serve God, rather he said, we will serve the Lord’? It is to let you know that our Lord Jesus Christ is God! But you see that because of the fear of being killed in those days even now, people are afraid to call Lord Jesus God rather they prefer calling Him, son of God instead of directly calling Him God that He is, Who came to planet earth on divine visit to one of His creations in other to teach mankind certain essentials of life after having sent so many people including prophets but these people could not teach man perfectly what He want so He decided to come Himself to teach so that man will be able to live life the right way and be in peace but you notice that in spite of all of these divine efforts on the side of God and these divine messengers (men and women) pride in man and gross ignorance did/have not allowed mankind to humble himself and learn directly from his Creator which is why no matter how man try in life you see that he/she cannot perfectly and correctly get on in life all by himself except Christ helps him! Our need for a story does not mean we settle for any kind/type of story. Novelists know/feels/thinks that the most appealing stories are those which contain an element of romance and adventure. All good romances and adventure stories contain certain ingredients: the power of a great love, the presence of good and evil, the threat of danger, the eventual judgment/consequences of evil, a quest or a journey, and, most importantly, a hero or heroine who passes various life tests to save the day or even his or her life or serve certain purpose displays all of these attributes. Now we have talked of the possible contents of good novels, probably the reason why people always like to read them, such as its content of romance and adventure; but it is very interesting to know and realize that God’s book of life, the Bible also contains all of these attractive items found in virtually all novels or story books and even more, so why is it that people, mankind in general feels very reluctant and sometimes exhibits habitual hatred for God and His Words in the Bible, Why? When I try to meditate on this why, I began to get pointers that from the very inception of time or abinitio, mankind developed acute hatred for God and the things about Him simply because man out of pride and egotism always like and want to arrogate things such as successes, achievements, bravery, power and ability to himself instead of arrogating them to God Who is the author and finisher of everything including life itself. Man is a proud being and always like and want to be boastful and be hailed and talked about in everything thus wrongly arrogating to himself all the dues of God, failing to give glory that belongs to God to God, which is too bad and very wrong too! Let all humans know of this truth and try using the word of God to train ourselves to be humble, meek and true in all aspect of life, this is very important! Many sections of the Bible would lose something if the elements of adventure or romance were absent. Imagine if, in fairy tales, the evil prince or the wicked uncle could sin with impunity, if the dragon could easily be overcome, or if the good prince could save the day by sitting in his castle and studying philosophy. If this were the case then nobody would read them. Those who wrote those ancient stories knew the necessity of including threats of danger, time limits, rescue bids, and so on knowing that they serve to guide man those who are wise. People have to make important decisions within a time frame: If the stone is not returned to its proper place in the tower before the morning sun strikes the eastern wall, your kingdom and your bride are forfeit. The story before us today is just one of the many Bible passages that show us that out of all the choices we are called upon to make in life, the most important one is to come over onto the Lords side, which means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in all works of life. But we certainly need to keep in mind that Bible stories, though full of romance and adventure, are not fairy tales but fact and realities of life. It is important to know that these life-and –death issues called life realities is very crucial and needs to be well studied and imbibe/known. We must never forget this awesome truth: Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment which is the direct consequences of his wrong thoughts/decisions/actions in life, Heb. 9:27, “And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgment,”

Now let us read Joshua 24:1-18; Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders of Israel and their heads, their judges, and their officers; they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt in olden times beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and they served other gods. 3 And I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac, 4 And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it; and afterward I brought you out. 6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 When they cried to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time [forty years]. 8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I delivered you out of Balak’s hand. 11 You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the [a]hornet [that is, the terror of you] before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat from vineyards and olive yards you did not plant. 14 Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 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 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. 16 The people answered, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 For it is the Lord our God Who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, Who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the people, the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.

"Serve Him." Can you choose God? You might be surprised to learn that God is not an option. If you choose, you lose! God is God whether we choose Him or not. This makes Him unique and unlike any other. In Lord Jesus we are saved not to choose Him, but to serve Him forever. Joshua Chapter 24 is similar to Joshua 23, but there are two significant differences in them. Joshua once again gathers all the tribes of Israel together, as he did in Chapter 23. But this time, the text tells us where he gathers them together—at Shechem as above. Joshua 24:1, “Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders of Israel and their heads, their judges, and their officers; they presented themselves before God. Shechem was a city located in a valley of Samaria with Mount Ebal to its north and Mount Gerizim to its south (KM) Geographically, it stands as a place of choosing — a visual illustration to the blessings and cursings associated with God’s covenant. If the people look south to Mount Gerizim, they would recall the blessings of God if they obey the Lord’s commandments. If the people look north to Mount Ebal, they would recall the cursings of God, if they do not obey the commandments of the Lord, but turn aside from God’s way, to go after other gods that they have not known (Dt 11:26-29). So from these two examples, you find out that there are two inevitable phenomenon that must occur depending on your thinking, decision and action, and these two phenomenon are blessings or curses. If you live your life according to God’s Word you will receive blessings but if you live your life away or apart of God, you will receive curses, this is the truth whether you know it or not! Historically, remember that Shechem was the place where Jacob had once instructed his household to purge all foreign gods from their midst as seen in Gen 35:2, “2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, Put away the [images of] strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves and change [into fresh] garments;” is this not a way of telling us to repent of all our wrong ways and deeds of life and live according to God’s laid down rules and word, having a true sincere divine change of life so that we will be able to achieve God’s aim of creating and giving life to us to live and help Him God in His works to remake the world, riding the world off wickedness and evil and living in love just as our God is Love, exhibiting the same character, attitude and attributes as found and seen in Christ in us. Genesis 35:4, “4So they [both young men and women] gave to Jacob all the strange gods they had and their earrings which were [worn as charms against evil] in their ears; and Jacob buried and hid them under the oak near Shechem.” So you can see that man seeking for protection against evil and wickedness did not start today, this evil practice has been there for long but God does not like it because that is a sign that man does not trust and believe that Him God Almighty is able to protect and save them, so they seek for protection and saving ability elsewhere apart from God and in so doing man seriously landed himself into diverse trouble, ruin and destruction and is still landing till today! Shechem is a place of choosing, so Shechem became symbolic, a place that is associated with the forsaking of idols and the developing of faithfulness and trust and believe to the true God. Therefore Shechem is a perfect location for Covenant Renewal. So today as we are all hearing this message, let us try to locate our Shechem in life, where we are constantly renewing our belief, our trust, our faith and our reliability on the mercy and saving grace of our Lord God! As I was preparing for Divinity School, one of the long-time and well respected professors gave my incoming class this advice for studying to help us succeed: He suggested that we not study every subject in the same place. Instead, he suggested we set aside different places to study each various subject: Church History in the Library, Greek in the Study Carrels, Spiritual Formation in the Commons, Biblical Interpretation at the Kitchen Table, for example. And he suggested we return to those same places whenever we study that specific subject, and by doing so we will better remember everything we learn in that subject through the power of association. We will better recall everything we have learned in that one subject, because we studied everything in that subject in the same place. So Shechem remains an important place! For many, this building, this sanctuary serves as such a place in your spiritual journey. A place with many memories of mentorships and friendships, perhaps you walked one of these aisles to confess Jesus as Lord, maybe you were baptized in this baptistry or married on this platform. Maybe you recall the sounds of the choir or the voice of a preacher that helped you to hear God’s Word and walk in His way. For you/I, every Sunday, as you/we enter this space of worship, you associate your life with God once again. You call to mind your spiritual journey and renew your faith/belief in Christ for another week just as our closing grace every Sunday always says. This is what is happening for Israel. They would know when summoned to Shechem that a covenant renewal is about to take place. Shechem stands for them like our Church worship hall! Something else sets Chapter 24 apart from Chapter 23. In Chapter 23 the summoned leaders are presented before Joshua and Joshua speaks about himself. In Chapter 24, the summoned leaders are presented before God, and when Joshua speaks, he says “Thus says the LORD” (24:1-2). This is a very important remark to take note of, because sometimes, it is very difficult to know and differentiate when an anointed servant is speaking or talking ordinarily and when he/she is speaking and talking under the anointing because one may lead into the other, please take note! Now look with me at Joshua 24:1 — Joshua 24:1-2(a) 1Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders of Israel and their heads, their judges, and their officers; they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,” The speech in Chapter 23 represents for Israel the importance of their God-appointed leader; which is why when you are able to recognize a true God-appointed person, please don’t play with all the words he/she speaks/talks to you about. The human instrument God used to guide/lead the Israelite/us with strength and courage into God’s promises for them/us remains the same. So King/General Joshua remains that great leader who was responsible for leading the Israelites/us in repentance when they/we sinned. The leader who had to lead them/us by faith into battle against innumerable armies/challenges of life. The leader who divided for them/us an inheritance, and gave them/us a portion in the Lord. The leader who instructed them/us with God’s Word for how they/we are to live and love God in the land/world. Joshua’s testimony and final instructions mattered. His legacy mattered. So as we read about the numerous works of Joshua today let us make effort to learn and practice what we have learnt. But Chapter 24 represents for Israel that while they answered to their human leader who was appointed by God to lead them — they ultimately must answer to God Himself. Standing before God, presented before Him, they hear from God “Thus says the LORD.” Every one of us must remember our spiritual leaders, who speak/spoke to us the word of God. We are to “consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” as seen in Heb. 13:7. Again, We are to obey our leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over our souls, as those who will have to give an account” as seen in Heb 13:17. Lastly, We are to pray for our leaders as seen in Heb 13:18. But never forget that we all must also answer to God Himself not only the Israelite. There is coming a day when we all will stand before Him God, of whom it is said nothing “is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” as seen in Heb 4:13. Joshua 24:2–5, “2 Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt in olden times beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and they served other gods. 3 And I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac, 4 And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it; and afterward I brought you out.” Can you see how God works in stages to achieve whatsoever He wants? I have titled this preaching series through Joshua “Moving In.” Because God did not only bring His people OUT of Egypt, He also brought them IN to the land He promised to give them. And He gave them that land. Look with me at: Joshua 24:12b-13, “but it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat from vineyards and olive yards you did not plant.” Joshua did not do that. God did that! Foreign gods did not do that. The LORD, the Great I AM did that! So it is with many things that we have today, God made it possible for us to have them and we just have to be grateful to Him and not be priding ourselves thinking that it is by our power. Then in verse 14, there is a shift in the text. Indicatives — statements about what is, turn into Imperatives — statements of what must be. The voice of Joshua is heard again, with commands for the people. Joshua 24:14(a), “14 Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth;” The first command is to fear the LORD. What does it mean to “fear the LORD”? It means to respect Him. To revere Him. To stand in awe of Him. But even in this context, the word “fear” never loses its sense of terror. Not that God is threaten us rather, God is only out of love letting us know about the fact that our thoughts, our decisions, our actions all have resultant consequences if we do things on earth without Him to guide us right in His Holy Spirit! Fearing God is what it means to live in submission to Him. Knowing that we are accountable ultimately to Him and Him alone for every thought, word and deed that He sees and knows. Living in light of the COVID-19 virus helps us understand what it means to fear God. As we leave our homes, it is always on our minds. We know the virus is out there, even though we cannot see it. It affects how we live, and move and breathe and mingle with people, because there is the fear of COVID-19 virus! We put on a mask or take our temperature and wash our hands, to make sure we are living by the guidelines that this virus has imposed. We cannot see this virus! But yet we know it is there — and we even fear getting it because of the destruction it might cause to us or someone else. We live with a fear of COVID-19. What if we lived with a fear of God in that way? Knowing that there will be numerous positive benefits unlike the fear of COVID-19. Knowing that God is invisible but always near? As we put on a mask, can we think about putting on the armor of God and why we need to do that? When we read ever-evolving guidelines for living in a pandemic, will we think about reading God’s eternal, unchanging Word to obey it knowing that it is for our good! When we take our temperature, will we think of our love not only for God but also our neighbor, the summary of the two greatest commandments? When we fear a cough or fever, will we remember that God is holy, and God is just, and that our God is a consuming fire as seen in Heb 12:29? That He is to be feared? Fearing God says more about who God is than what we are to do. God is to be feared because God exists, and God is living, and God is powerful, and God is holy. God is unique. God is not like other gods that is man-made. No creature made God, God is self-exist! To treat the LORD our God with so little concern has damning, ruining and dangerous consequences which every true human must be very careful of in all ramification. Based on all God has revealed about Himself and all God has done for His people, Joshua’s first command is to fear the LORD. His second command is to Serve Him, and then he spends the rest of the chapter explaining what that means.

Joshua 24:14(a), “14 Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth;” Fear and Serve: are the two important and essential divine commands that any wise person must not lose sight of in life but the devil and his agencies are always trying to make us lose sight of it to our great ruin and damnation. Do you know that we can serve God without fearing God which is what is prevalent in society today, but we cannot Fear God and not Serve God. A fear of God moves us to serve God, which is described as the beginning of divine wisdom. Lord Jesus said to a group of Pharisees and scribes in the book of Matthew: Matthew 15:7–9, “7 You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: 8 These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me. 9 Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men.” Do you hear that and I want to categorically tell you today that a lot and many professed Christians fall into this group as it stands today! To serve God means to worship God but here the word used is one that describes the duties of priests. This is the kind of worship and service that belongs to God exclusively. When Lord Jesus was in the wilderness being tested by the devil as seen in the book of Luke: Luke 4:5–8, “5 Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [[a]in the twinkling of an eye]. 6 And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. 7 Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [[b]just once], it shall all be Yours. 8 And Jesus replied to him, [c]Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” Here are many important things to learn, imbibe and live on and practice: listen to these extracts,…’for it has been turned over to me’ ‘if you will do homage to and worship me just once, it shall all be yours’; great lies, these are the deceit that Satan and his agencies uses to sway men, the reason why he formed numerous evil groups and cults with which he uses to steal, kill and destroy if you allow or give in to his deceits! Church — if we fear God, we will never offer to another what belongs to God alone. All authority, all glory, all worship belongs to Lord God alone. We should never put God AND anything else, no mixing . . . on the same line; because it is mixing that brings about the great trouble that mankind is suffering till today. There is no such thing as “God AND...” Eve allowed God and…that is why we are all in a mess till today, God working hard to remove and remedy the mess by separating the mixture and it has taken our Lord God a great sacrificial time but it will ultimately be achieved at time Messiah appointed! If there is or if it were possible, we are dangerously close to devaluing and dishonoring God and sharing the worship that belongs to Him with another. Always remember that The God of Heaven is not a “God AND...” option to be chosen. He IS God and there is no other — and He alone is to be served and worshipped! No wonder Joshua 24:14(a) categorically said it, “14 Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth;” Sincerity is a word that means “free of blemish or interference.” It was the same way of describing the sacrificial lambs that were white and pure, without spot or blemish. Our worship of God today must be in the same way — unobjectionable and unquestionable! Lord Jesus says in Matthew: Matthew 5:23–24, “23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you, 24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.” Our worship is not sincere when we have sinned against our brothers and sisters, and we come into the sanctuary/Church without having made it right with them. Please know this truth and fact and never toy with it especially in your hypocrisy! Faithfulness means with truth and reliability (CHALOT). We worship God not according to our own VISIONS of worship — but according to God’s REVELATION of worship! God’s Word tells us how to worship God’s Way. Do you hear it, our problem is that when God fashion the way He wants to be worshipped, man refashion it the way he man wants to worship God as it is convenient to him man but God is like saying, No! No!! No!!!, you cannot worship Me that your way because it will not be acceptable to Me and moreover you cannot get anything from Me if you worship Me your own way! That settles it. Then Joshua gives a third command: Joshua 24:14c, “put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” II. Serve Him alone…Without Reservation and without mixing Him with other gods: Joshua tells the people to put away, or remove the gods, the idols that their fathers served beyond the River. The same he is telling us today because we are doing exactly the same thing! Why would he have to say that? Because the people still had those idols with them. Maybe they kept them because they were fashioned from valuable metals and material. Maybe they had no intent on serving the idols, but thought it was an unwise thing to destroy something that had so much material value. But that is sin crouching at the door as seen in Gen 4:7. That is all the foothold the devil needs in a moment of weakness to creep into us, when we harbor things that are not to be harbored in our mist or in our heart, hence God searches our mind. The command is to remove them! Clear them away. Get rid of them! For what is that value, compared to the value of your soul? If your TV causes you to sin — get rid of it. Anything that causes you to sin get rid of it! If your money causes you to sin — cast it far from you. Lord Jesus says in Matthew: Matthew 5:29–30 29 If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna). 30 And if your right hand serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your entire body should be cast into hell (Gehenna). Get rid of these things because you WILL serve them knowingly or unknowingly! Everyone will serve something! No one serves nothing. So it is not a case of saying I am being careful! Joshua shows the people this: Joshua 24:15, “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 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.” Here Joshua made it clear that you should not deceive yourself because you must serve something, there is no saying I am being careful, even though I kept that idol there but I am not going to serve it, it is a blatant lie, you will be forced to serve it! Because your mind will be dashing in and out of there so long as it is there and you know. Money for example as an idol, let someone offer you millions and ask you unfailingly to come and take it on a Sunday or forfeit it, what will you do? Certainly it takes serious divine mind/heart training in the Lord and God’s grace to be able to resist this kind of temptations and many others. III. Serve Him…or Choose Another: 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” this is an aspect that many people’s hypocrisies is about, because they deceive themselves. When Joshua says “choose this day whom you will serve”. . . the LORD GOD Almighty is not one of the choices. Joshua 24:15(a), “15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now dwell. While the people are hearing this, they are in the valley and they see the two mountains: Mount Ebal of cursings, and Mount Gerizim of blessings and they realize how the entirety of their life depends on their choice. Here are great lessons for everyone to learn, especially the wise ones! Knowing that your thoughts, your decisions and your actions have embedded in them Blessings and Curses, and then wisdom demands that you have to be very careful and allow our Lord God to be your guide if you don’t want to fail in life just as many have failed! But Joshua tells them — if you choose, you lose. Because on your own you cannot choose right! But the LORD is not a God to be chosen. He alone is God, and He is to be served. God is unlike any other. He is one of a kind. God is unique. He cannot be compared to other gods, because there is nothing to compare! We cannot choose God as our God, because He IS God, whether we choose Him or not! Isaiah 45:5 tells us, "I am the Lord, and there is no one else; there is no God besides Me. I will gird and arm you, though you have not known Me" Worshiping God is not like shopping for green beans. When we shop for green beans, we have to choose whether we want them frozen in a bag, in a can, or fresh. This is what choice is all about, so we do not have any right to say we choose God, God is the One to see if He can choose us and not the other way round; this is some of the realities we must know about God. But because we treat God as we will do to man, coupled with our ignorance of God’s word, these wisdom eludes us! Never treat God as if He is man, never! Otherwise you will be in ruin! After that choice, we have to choose what cut of green beans we want from a multitude of cuts. Once we’ve chosen what cut of green bean we want, we have to choose what brand of that cut we want. Worshiping God is not like that! God is not even an option on the shelf because He does not allow Himself to be equated with other gods. He is not “God AND...” or even “God OR...” take note!

Joshua’s response is not “as for me and my house, we will choose the LORD.” Did you notice that? Joshua’s response is instructive for us. He says: Joshua 24:15(b) ESV “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Because by Joshua’s testimony, the gods beyond the River couldn’t bring them through the River. The gods of Canaan weren’t victorious in battle rather those gods were defeated. But the LORD brought them in, by bringing them through, and fighting for them and giving them everything so that they might wholly and fully and totally serve Him, and Him alone! Can you think of the numerous things that God has done for you, do you think any other can do those things for you? This is all the more reason why you and I have to serve Him and Him alone! A. Gospel Proclamation The Gospel we believe tells us that no other god came to earth as a man. No other god lived without sin, an unblemished lamb. No other god died on the cross as a sacrifice of atonement for the sin of the world. No other god was buried in a tomb. No other god was raised to life in power. No other god ascended into Heaven. No other god sent His Spirits to empower all who believe. No other god dwells in the heart by faith. No other god will return in power. No other god will save from judgment. No other god will secure for you an eternal inheritance. No other god is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other god, but God, Who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all in One, the same yesterday today and forever, Whose Person we know and works we see in Lord Jesus Christ. B. Application Will you choose Him? — You can’t. He’s not for sale. He can’t be chosen or rather served in truth and be sincerely worshipped. With God, it is not a matter of choosing, it is a matter of serving. Will you serve Him? The good news is that you can in Lord Jesus, which is why we ask Him to come into our heart. In Romans 10:9–10, we read: “9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.” We are saved by Him, to serve Him. And we will serve Him forever. Revelation 7:13–17, says “13 Then, addressing me, one of the elders [[c]of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said, Who are these [people] clothed in the long white robes? And from where have they come? 14 I replied, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are [now] before the [very] throne of God and serve Him day and night in His sanctuary (temple); and He Who is sitting upon the throne will protect and spread His tabernacle over and shelter them with His presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun smite them, nor any [d]scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”