Compromise Costs More Than You Think | Jonathan Evans Sermon

Do you know that the enemy may have it, but if you hit him with the love of God, he'll cough it up? >> ((applause)) ((cheering)) >> He'll cough it up so that you can recover it. Watch. And not only you will recover it, the whole team gets another chance. Your descendants get a chance.

Your children's children get a chance. Everybody gets a new chance because you didn't give up. You ran with the love of God. You made contact with the love of God, and you made the enemy cough it up. I also want y'all to help me thank Mr. Isaac Shepherd for his word last week >> ((cheering)) >> that he gave and how he has been pastoring these youth. >> ((applause)) >> You need to know when your youth are going next door, they're not getting fluff.

They're getting a word from God every single week by Isaac as he pastors. And so I just want you to know I'm not like Jerry Jones. I don't trade good players. So bless you. Keep preaching, and I can't wait for how God is going to use us in ministry together.

God bless you. >> ((applause)) >> That boy came up in here with a three-piece and preached that We ready for the word of God? No doubt. Let's stand to our feet. Hope you're ready online. Get your word or scroll. Get to the app. Turn to Deuteronomy. Push to Deuteronomy.

Whatever you got to do. Get to Deuteronomy chapter 30. It will also be on the screens. Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 15 through 20. This is what the word says. See I have set before you today life and prosperity and death and adversity. In that I command you to love the Lord your God and walk in his ways and keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments that you may live and multiply and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.

But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live you and your descendants by loving the Lord your God and obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for this is your life and the length of your days that you may live in the land that your the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them.

Today I want to talk to you from the title The Choice Is Yours. >> ((music playing)) >> The choice is yours. You may be seated. We've been walking through the wilderness and now we're getting to the end of the series because they are coming to the end or the beginning rather at the same time of their journey.

The people, if we can show the map, I want to give you and recalibrate you to where we are and where we have been. They started in Goshen and went to Migdol where they split the Red Sea. And then they went to Marah. You remember there was bitter waters there in Marah, and they headed to Sinai where they got the law.

And they headed up to Kadesh-barnea where unfortunately they had a grasshopper mentality. Thereby going around by way of the Red Sea, skipping Edom cuz their family wouldn't let them through, getting bitten by serpents, and now they went to take the land of Moab from Sihon and Og of Bashan.

Mount Nebo is the place where Moses looked in to see the promised land of which he would not go. And right where you see Mount Nebo, there is a little strip of water which is the Jordan River, which they would cross the Jordan from around the Mount Nebo area, and that's why Jericho is right across because in Joshua 6, what is the first battle they have?

They walk right into Jericho. And where we are right now is right at the plains of Moab where Mount Nebo is located. We're in this location as they get to the end of their journey. This is before Moses would pass the baton to Joshua, and he would have a word for the next generation before they go across the Jordan River.

Before you go forward, let me tell you something. Moses has a word, and he has all of the people planted sitting down and saying, "I've been here for a while." This is 40 years later. Moses is now 120 years old. In Exodus 7:7, when he spoke to Pharaoh, he was 80.

And now the time has passed, and everyone Moses is speaking to now is around about 57 years old and below as those who were 20 and above when there was 38 years left have passed away either by snake bite, have passed away either through battles or plagues or just a grasshopper mentality.

And Moses now is saying, "For those of you who are going to the next leg of the race, here's what I have to say." So for those of you who are about to go from high school to college for those of you who are about to take the journey of marriage, for those of you who are about to become grandparents for the first time or take on a new career, or maybe it's a church that's trying to take on the next leg of the race.

Moses is saying, "I'm talking to you." And in verse 15, he starts. Now, you got to understand, he must have had a voice like a megaphone because there is no indication that out of 2 million people, no one could hear that there was one who could not hear.

I mean, Moses shouted out and he says in verse 15, "This is what I want you to understand, church. I have set before you today life and prosperity and death and adversity." In other words, before you go forward, I want to let you know you got two choices.

You have life and prosperity or you have death and adversity, and these are your two choices. In other words, you have a red pill and a blue pill. These are the options that I set before you today. There are two options that you have. You can choose life.

He's not talking about your heartbeat life. He's talking about an abundant life when you cross. Or you can choose death, where death there mainly means it's talking about you can choose an unproductive, miserable experience. "Trust me, I know," Moses says, "because I've been through this. God set us free in order to experience this promised land that you are about to enter, but all of us died in the wilderness because we made the wrong choice."

And so I want to let you know, before you go forward in whatever God is calling you to do, before you go forward as a church with this vision, before you go forward in your marriage or to college or to school, whatever it is that the calling is on your life, before you go forward, let me remind you, you might want to avoid the grasshopper mentality.

You might want to avoid complaining instead of Thanksgiving. You might want to avoid thinking God can't come through just because you're stuck between Migdol and the Red Sea. You might want to avoid complaining like he hasn't rained down mana in your life. You might want to avoid doing any of that because that doesn't seem to work too well.

Let me just make sure you understand before you go to this next leg of the race, I am offering a red pill called life, a blue pill called death, and there is no other pill. Okay. Many Christians like the third option that doesn't exist. Where we want to play the end against the middle.

We want to ride the 50-yard line. Be cultural and Christ at the same time. We want to make sure that we think we can play God by doing both. And Moses is saying, "I know what it's like to have a people at Sinai that will say, 'Yes, Lord, we'll do all you say' one moment, but then will be dancing around bulls the next moment."

I know what that looks like. And I'm letting you know there is two options that you get to choose as you go forward. And you cannot play the middle. Okay, let me just be a little bit more practical. Let me talk to my young people for a second.

You can't pray with these friends and cuss with these friends. >> ((applause)) >> friends, but talk about faith with these friends. >> ((cheering)) ((applause)) >> We're trying to We're trying to do both at the same time. Like we can play God. And play the end against the middle. And Moses is saying, "I am not offering you a reddish bluish pill.

I'm not offering you Christian-ish. I'm not offering you kind of sort of or when you feel like it. I'm saying you got these two options. And as a church, as a young person, whoever you are, you going to have to just decide who you going to be." >> ((cheering)) ((applause)) >> My sister Priscilla would always say this to her three sons.

She would grab them up every now and then when it was necessary. Sometimes you got to snatch them up. And she would simply say, "You're going to have to decide what kind of man you going to be. Cuz I am not going to be able to always be there for you.

I'm not going to be able to pay for you, go with you, study the Bible with you, pray with you. I'm not going to be able to take you to Wednesday nights. And you going to have to make a self-declaration on which pill you going to choose. Moses is not going any further.

He He looked over on Mount Nebo and he saw but he would die on that mount. And he knew, "I need to get a word in to this generation that's going to go forward to make sure they know something. You going to have two options in this life.

And the third one doesn't exist. So, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and know that it will not go in vain. These are the choices that he puts in front of you as he speaks on the plains of Moab to let the people know, "These are your two options.

And just because you're going to the promise doesn't mean it won't feel like another wilderness." "I set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. Now you have to make your choice. And the choice is yours. It's called free will. And you get to decide your choice, but you don't get to decide your consequence.

He says in verse 16, as he continues, he says, "In that I command you today to love the Lord your God, watch, and walk in his ways, and keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you enter to possess it."

He says, "I command you today to love the Lord your God." How in the world can you command somebody to love? You can only command somebody to love is if it is an imperative that they can do. See, we think love is a feeling. But Jesus says the way you fulfill the law, which were imperatives, is by loving God and loving others.

Which means love, if that's how you fulfill the law and law are imperatives that you supposed to do, that means love is actionable. Love is not just a feeling that you have. It's a life or a work that you do. That's why the Bible says that Christ demonstrated demonstrated his love towards us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

That That shows a magnificent love that is actionable. If love was a feeling, then the Bible wouldn't tell you to love your enemy. And people think that they're being godly if they feel it. No, you're being godly if you do it. >> ((applause)) >> Love is actionable. It's something that you do.

It's something that persists from you. And you have to love the Lord your God. And he says, "And if you love the Lord your God," and is a continuation and conjunction, "and walk in his ways." Okay. Not just come to church, but be the church that God has called us to be, which means we walk in his ways.

We do what he's calling us to do. We start with his word. We don't start with the world. My love is actionable. What if I said I love you, but I never did anything to you or for you? That wouldn't be something that is received. Moses is saying, "I command you because it is an action that you do.

I command you to love the Lord your God." So, that means we have to stop lying to God. We have to stop saying we love him when our lives show we hate him. This means if you tell someone you love them, but you're bad to them, you work against them, you talk behind their back, you live contrary to commitments that you made, that person is naturally going to think, "You lying to me.

You're betraying me." Which is how you know love is an action and not just words that persist out of your mouth. So, while yes, Isaac Shepherd, we've got to speak the Thanksgiving and have a theological Thanksgiving, not just a meal Thanksgiving. The only way you can reciprocate your Thanksgiving or your love to God for his goodness and his loving kindness is with your obedience.

Without obedience, you are not thanking God and you are not loving God. You have stopped at lip service. How do we have all these churches on all these corners with all these pastors and all these preachers with all these congregations and all these youth groups and all these conferences and all these women's conferences and men's conferences, and we still have all this mess?

Simple. You have stagnant lovers. Okay. The reason why Moses is saying before you cross this Jordan, I need to command you to love um is because when you cross this Jordan, um there's stuff in there. Okay. Let me say it this way. If your love for God as a Christian is stagnant, but where he's taking you is live, then you won't last.

If your love for God is stagnant, but where he's taking you is live, then you won't last. If you snap the ball and nobody moves, and the defense is live, you going to get your head knocked off. Okay. Um when you go to college, the temptations are going to be live, which means your love for God walking in his ways, being committed to his word, making a choice of life and prosperity, which means godly living, and that my heart beats and pushes me to pant after him like the deer that pants after the water, and I'm chasing after God.

If you're stagnant when you move across that Jordan, those temptations will get the best of you. Your marriage is more than a wedding ceremony. It goes beyond that. And if you're only being married based on your history or cultural perspective, and you're not going to be a husband the way the Bible tells you to, and a wife the way the Bible tells you to, which is how you love God in your marriage, you going to realize that that marriage is a little bit stronger than you.

Your career may have a bad boss. And it could be the career you prayed prayed for. We think it's only God when it's good. So, we are unprepared because our heart is not panting for God, and we don't love him. We talk him. We sweet talk him. But we don't live for him, and our heart and life don't pant for him.

And so, it's evident when you face problems because we're trying to sweet talk God. And Christians getting laid out everywhere. Oh, just in case you didn't know the the history when they crossed the Jordan, they had to love God enough to trust him enough when he said stuff that didn't make sense.

Like the way we going to defeat Jericho is you just going to walk around it. When God speaks and it makes no sense, leaves all your senses behind, do you love him enough to continue to walk in his ways? >> ((cheering)) ((applause)) >> Oh, and then after Jericho, they faced Ai right away.

Chapter 7. They lost to Ai because they left God out. Oops. I guess I better bring God in. Joshua 8, they beat Ai because they figured it out. Then right after that, they had to face the Em- Amorites and the Amorite kings in the coalition. Right after that, they had to face Makkedah.

Then right after that, they faced Libnah. Then right after that, they faced Lachish. Then right after that, they faced Hebron. Then right after that they faced Debir. Then right after that, they faced the conquest of Hazor and many other kings that they had to defeat with the love of God before they multiply in the land. >> ((applause)) >> Just because it's hard does not mean that God did not put you there. >> ((cheering)) ((applause)) >> He's expecting you and commanding you before you cross this Jordan, you better get your life right because there are going to be problems in your promise that want to stay in the land that God wants to multiply you in.

Oh, I don't think y'all believe me. I got to I got to do a little Bible study. I got to do a little Bible study. It's Numbers 33. You hear the sound of them pages sound good, don't they? We done went to I like the sound of pages.

Numbers 33, >> [snorts] >> verse 50. Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab. Watch. The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, "When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy the figured stones and destroy all of the molten images and demolish the high places.

Then I will give you the inheritance." Verse 55 says, "But if you don't If you don't drive them out, if you don't drive out the problems, if you don't do what I asked you to do for the reasons why I put you there, then it shall come about that whatever remains will prick your eyes and be a thorn in your side.

And they will trouble you in the land that you live and as I plan to do to them, I'll just turn around and do it to you." >> ((cheering)) >> I sent you in there to be the light in the darkness. I sent you in there to eradicate the problem.

I sent you in there because you have the power of the Holy Spirit so that you can be the change agent. See, we want the promise that's already just No, there are problems in there that are cultivating your promise, but you still got to get them out. He's sending you in there to walk in love with his word and let the power of the Holy Spirit start protruding through you in order for those problems to then move from where God wants to multiply you. >> ((applause)) >> Um And if you don't, the promised land turns into another wilderness.

And many of us think that we are in a wilderness that's really the promise, but we haven't purged it yet. You're praying and God is saying, "Um I put you God, if you would know, I've been raining down mana for years. I need you to remove, to be faithful and to be consistent and to love me and walk in my ways, obey my commands, my statutes, and my judgments, which means an actionable love.

Consist- Christianity is not easy. This American view, while other people around the world are getting slaughtered for just being a Christian, we got this American view that we just supposed to be on a high horse serving God. And the book of John says, "If I, your master, suffered, what makes you think if you follow me, you're not going to come into suffering?" >> ((applause)) >> We preach about the blessings and the multiplication, but he's saying, "Love the Lord your God knowing that they're about to face battles."

Um Watch. And when you face these battles, he's calling you to love God, not sweet-talking. And then this is the place where I wanted you to be. You know, we've been going here for 40 years. So, uh there's nowhere to run. Okay. I am a uh grandpa millennial.

I was born in 1981. Millennial started in 1980. That means I am an overseer of the group. I'm a grandpa millennial. I'm one of the overseers of the group. And I have to tell my millennials and Gen Z and Gen Alpha a word about an important group called baby boomers.

If you're a baby boomer, say amen. They in here. They in here. Baby boomers and their older kids, cuz my my siblings are older than me, who are known as Gen Xers, but baby boomers have something that we can learn from. Baby boomers have something called stick-to-it-ness. >> ((applause)) >> Baby boomers don't run, throw in the towel.

Baby boomers will work a job for 87,000 years >> ((cheering)) >> and will be totally consistent, dedicated, and loyal because they have something called we in here and we going to be here. One thing you know is you can depend on a baby boomer. One thing you know. So, we need you here because we need you to continue to depend on your tithes and offerings.

No. >> [applause and cheering] >> But one thing you know, look at y'all, is that baby boomers are going to be here and they taught that model to their kids who are Gen Xers. Gen Xers are tough. And older We played outside, got scuffed up, and we come in and say, "Mom, look.

I hurt myself." They be like, "So?" They a Band-Aid in the closet. Get you some peroxide. Get you a uh uh an ear pick and put it in there and wipe it off. A Q-tip. That's right. Ear tip. It don't matter. These younger kids will come in and it's an event that they're sweating. >> ((applause)) >> Did you just tell me you sweating?

Uh So, we need to learn this idea of stick-to-it-ness because when a younger person takes a job, they will go into HR. And don't let there be a baby boomer who's over HR. We kind of have one, don't we? Yeah. And they want to talk about I need a mental health day.

Mental health? >> ((applause)) >> Them baby boomers be like, "Did you just say you want a mental health day? You better go back to your desk and think positive." >> ((applause)) >> They don't know what that is. Because there's something special about remaining and sticking to something and consistency. The Christian life takes remaining, consistency when it gets hard, being steadfast and unmovable.

In other words, young people, I'm the overseer now. Um we live in a generation of runners now who don't even know how to try hard. And when things get hard, they immediately give up. You can ask them to go find a dish. They can't find it after 5 minutes.

They're "I can't find it." >> ((applause)) >> You were looking for 3 seconds. This is a problem. In college, what they have is what is called the portal. Where college athletes, and I'm not just talking the ones who are taking a higher paycheck, we would do that, too, but college athletes, if they get disgruntled, they just jump in the portal and go to another school.

And they can run from their problems. And then we have a generation of parents who help them. So, we got parent I don't like it, either. And so, everybody fussing at the house. We going to move. We going to go here. We going to trade this school. We going to trade this team.

We going to go over here. They're running all over the place. And then what happens when they get married? What happens when God calls them to something? What happens when you experience Jericho and Ai, when you experience Makkedah and Libnah, when you experience Debir and Hebron? What happens when battles come your way?

There is nowhere to run because my mom would always tell me, one thing you can't run away run away from is yourself. You will meet you wherever you go. So if you haven't learned to love God, you going to keep running into the same problem and the problem is you.

I don't know if you've ever had I'm on a little soapbox now, give me a second. I don't know if you've ever had somebody who is a complainer and they keep changing their places, but they got the same complaint. And you're trying to be nice, but in the back of your mind you're thinking, sweet girl, my God, it's you. >> ((cheering)) >> You cannot keep running.

You have to have some steadfastness in loving God through something or you'll be running your whole life and you will become what I call a scenery manipulator, but not a legacy multiplier. >> ((cheering)) >> You will be manipulating your sceneries. Oh, I can this school's better than that school's better and we run over here and I don't like this and I don't and you're running all over the place experiencing the same problem cuz you're there.

And we have a generation of people who will cross into their promise and then be looking for somewhere else to go. Moses says, I command you to love God. Stop being a scenery manipulator. I'm not talking about those who are abused. I'm not talking about those who are in those types of situations where you really have to seek help.

Don't let me let this sermon be spiritual manipulation cuz people do that, too. I'm talking about you face a hardship or a trial and you're always running. James 1:12 says, just came to mind, thank you, Holy Spirit. James 1:12 says, um blessed is the one who perseveres through trials.

For they will receive the crown of life. Not the runner. Scenery manipulators are different than legacy multipliers. I couldn't help it. I just thought about this. Which is why Jordan is the goat. Anyways. >> ((cheering)) >> Anyways, I I I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. I I couldn't help it.

I It caught me off guard. I I didn't It just hit me. So he's commanding you to love the Lord your God, walk in his ways, be consistent, committed in his statutes and his judgment, actionable love that you may live and multiply. I want to multiply you in the land that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you enter to possess it.

Enter to possess it. Where you enter so that you can possess it. Many of us are satisfied with enter. Enter and possession are not the same thing. You can enter something that you never possess. Most of us are possessed by the thing that we enter, but we never possess it. >> ((cheering)) >> You want this, you want more, you want more, you want more and God knows that if he gives it to you, you're going to be possessed by it.

You're not going to possess it, it's going to possess you. So until I know that you can love me to possess, why would I put you in a position where you're going to be possessed? You're asking for too much. We need to be thankful for the no of God cuz he know you're going to run up in there and get possessed. >> ((applause)) >> Love God.

Verse 17. It says, but if your heart turns away, I got to go. I got to go. But if your heart turns away, and you will not obey, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you will might perish.

Hey, guys. You got two choices. And your time God's time don't run out. He He He timeless. He just da na na na na na uh blue next da na hey He up there. But for us, time is valuable. And you'll always only have two options. And if he focuses on the heart, if your heart turns away, this is not just your affections, but but if the panting of your heart begins to go more towards the fame than the faith, false gods, more towards the socials than your salvation, false gods.

If your heart turns away, where you're thinking more about your personal pleasure than your divine response to God. If your heart starts panting after culture more than Christ, if that's what the heart of the church becomes, then we'll be doing church while the society continues to perish. Okay.

Um He says, the heart is conscience. It means if your heart becomes dull. Matthew 13:15 says, their eyes were closed, their ears were shut, their heart has become dull, and that way I will not heal them because their heart is dull. Um we are living in the day where the generation is becoming more and more desensitized towards God.

Their heart is literally becoming dull. They just don't care. They'll look on social media and see someone get shot and laugh. The heart is becoming dull. Um Let me see. 60% of suicide rate has gone up 60% since 2010. Depression has gone up 50% since 2011. 85% of Gen Z and below, based on studies, are dissatisfied with their lives because of comparison. 60% of our young people are addicted to social media and never open the Bible. 51% of our young girls either desire or already have permanently changed their bodies. 65% only talk online and do not talk person to person, promoting isolation, more depression and anxiety.

These are the numbers of our generation while they have more stuff. Because more stuff with less God means compound misery. >> ((applause)) >> More stuff with less heart for God means the society continues to compound in misery. He says, but if your heart turns away, you'll see the numbers go up.

You will might perish. You will surely perish. You will not prolong your days in whatever God is calling you to in the land which you are crossing the Jordan, here it is again, to enter and possess it. In verse 19, as we get ready to close, verse verse 19, I'm going to 20 here real quick.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I set before you life and death. I've done it. I've said it. Blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants. Moses screaming on the plains of Moab, please choose life so that you may live.

I've seen it before. I've been there, done that. I know young people think, well, y'all don't understand cuz y'all didn't have the technology we had. Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. It's just a different tool by which you can use for God or not. It's a tool you can choose life with or you can choose death with.

There is nothing new under the sun. The cry is the same. Choose life. Because it's you and your descendants at stake, remember that. Ain't just about you. Children who are not even here yet are depending on you. Verse 20. And this is how you do it. You choose by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice, holding fast to him.

For this is your life and the length of your days. For this is your life and the length of your days. For this is your life in the length of your days. For this is your life in the length of your days. For skip on that when you go home.

You ever have a question, what is my life about? Love the Lord your God. Hold fast to him and obey him. This is your life and the length of your days. Meaning it's not changing. This is your life and the length of your days that you love the Lord your God and you obey him.

That you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, I'm going to close with this. I know some of you are thinking, "Man, I I've already messed up. I done turned my promise into another wilderness. I've already messed up.

I've already fallen. I haven't done well. I haven't been loving God. I haven't committed myself to him. I've been committing myself to my needs, my thoughts, my will, my feelings, my way. And I've just decided against him and I've just been knocked down." What about a person like that?

Well, as Isaac said, >> [sighs and gasps] >> if you're still breathing, you get back up and you run. You run the race that God has put before you. You choose today to choose life and you get back up with the same love of God uniform which can overpower the enemy.

And that which was taken from you can get coughed back up so you can recover it. >> ((cheering)) >> Okay. Now, I'm going I'm a football guy, so I've got to give you a football illustration. Okay? Put my illustration up. This is one of the greatest football plays. I was in there like, "That's what I'm Many of you are number 38.

And you got knocked off your feet. But what Moses is saying is get back up. Don't change your uniform and do not quit. Because before he knew he was making a play, he was running with hurt and shame. 100,000 people saw me get knocked down. My teammates are going to watch this on film I got knocked down.

He was running with hurt and shame, but he was running with something else. I will not give up. I will not throw in the towel. I'm going to keep running. And then it came when the enemy showed up and yes, the Eagles are the enemy. When the enemy showed up, he hit the enemy in the mouth and what did the enemy do?

He coughed up the ball. And now we recovered that which has been lost. Do you know that the enemy may have it, but if you hit him with the love of God, he'll cough it up? He'll cough it up so that you can recover it. Watch. And not only you will recover it, the whole team gets another chance.

Your descendants get a chance. Your children's children's get a chance. Everybody gets a new chance because you didn't give up. You ran with the love of God. You made contact with the love of God and you made the enemy cough it up. >> ((applause)) ((cheering)) >> We got to be a church that goes and recovers that ball.

In your individual life and your family life, you recover the ball. But you got to keep running. You can't be so shame and so guilt-ridden that you just stopped running. Because with a few more steps, he's going to give you your opportunity. With a few more steps For those of you If there's one of you who is thinking about suicide, don't you stop running.

Don't you stop running. >> ((applause)) >> Because you're close. Just keep one foot in front of the other. >> ((cheering)) >> With the love of God, you'll hit him in the mouth and he going to cough that thing up. The way that you do that is the greatest choice of all time, choosing Jesus Christ.

The enemy took the ball in Genesis 3. But for all those who choose life with Jesus Christ, the enemy coughs it back up. And you get to recover it for you and your children's children. For all your descendants, choose life. You may stand to your feet. >> ((applause)) >> As we close, for those of you No moving for this second for this second. >> ((music playing)) >> For those of you who have not chosen life yet, you haven't chosen Christ, the altar is open.

I want you to come up here, run up here. You say, "I want to choose Jesus. I want to choose life." Give us just a moment. I'll let you go in a moment, but let's have this moment where people make the decision. If you've already made the decision, you pray for those who haven't.

But if you want to choose Christ today, come to the front. Secondly, if you want to choose You say, "I have not dedicated my life to Christ. I'm rededicating my life. I've got to live for Christ through the battles." You choose life. God bless you. Come on. You need to rededicate, come on. >> [applause and music] >> We're going to pray for you.

We'll give it a minute. Come from wherever you are. You are not too far if you're in the balcony. Come on. Choose life. Do not let this day pass where you didn't choose life >> ((music playing)) >> and you didn't choose to say, "You know what? I'm not being who I'm called to be at school.

I'm not being who I'm called to be at work. My heart has other passions and not God." But choose life. >> [applause and music] >> God bless you. God bless you. We've got a lot of young people up here. Choose life. >> ((music playing)) >> This is not about being churchy. I don't care about that.

This is about doing what's right. >> ((applause)) >> For those of you who are online, the same thing. You choose life today. And we're going to pray for you as well. Thank you for >> ((music playing)) >> for joining us. 30 seconds. 30 seconds. Come on. There's anybody else >> ((music playing)) >> needs to choose life. >> ((applause)) >> It is not easy.

I can admit to you life is hard. The expectation of life is that it's difficult. >> [applause and music] >> It is hard. But we have to be careful as a church not to let the promised land become another wilderness. And then look at everybody else to take responsibility for loving God.

We're going to pray. I'm going to have two prayers. Number one is a prayer of salvation. If you have not accepted Christ and you want to make sure that you know that you know that you decided on life and make the enemy cough up the ball and give it back.

And I want you to repeat after me. It's not the prayer that saves you. It is your belief in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And as a kingdom community, we're going to say it with them. Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. And I'm in need of a savior.

I believe you are that savior. >> ((music playing)) >> And I'm calling on that name. Jesus Christ. I believe that you lived a perfect life. You died a sinner's death. And you rose from the grave. For me. And today, I declare that I believe. Forgive me of my sins. And wash me clean.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Heavenly Father, I lift up all of those who are rededicating their life. And I pray Lord right now that they would feel the power of the Holy Spirit hugging them and comforting them and being with them and never forsaking them. Life is hard. But would you renew the hearts that are within us?

Would you transform our minds so that we don't be conformed to the world, but we would be renewed by the transformation of what is going on on the inside out. Lord, we pray Lord for their circumstances, their trials. Help them persevere. If you choose not to change it, change them while they're in it.

We love you and we honor you today. Help us to keep the faith. Help us to keep the faith. And help us to finish through with the love of God. Cuz we know the enemy has that ball and we want him to cough it up. One foot in front of the other.

If there's one that's contemplating life, but we pray Lord today by the power of the Spirit that they choose life. And that they experience many signs from God that you want them right here. And you want to use them the way you made them. We love you and we honor you today.

In Jesus' name, all God's people said Amen.