THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

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THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
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From the Beginning, Mankind Was Set Apart As
Unique.

• Gen 126-27 (NASB) 26 Then God said, "Let Us
  make man in Our image, according to Our likeness
  and let them rule over the fish of the sea and
  over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and
  over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
  that creeps on the earth." 27 And God created man
  in His own image, in the image of God He created
  him male and female He created them.

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Many Unique Characteristics Set Mankind Apart
from the Rest of the Creation.

• Self-Awareness The ability to think about our
  own thought processes and feelings.
• Imagination The ability to create in our minds
  beyond the present reality.
• Conscience The part of the mind that enables us
  to know when we go contrary to what we have been
  taught.
• Independent Will We may act in freedom of all
  other influences around us The freedom to
  choose!

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The Rest of Creation Does not Have These
Endowments.

• Animals, unlike humans, have been programmed by
  their instinct programs by God to act and
  behave in certain ways.
• Some animals can be trained to be responsible,
  but they cannot take responsibility for their own
  training!
• Animals cannot break from their instincts,
  whereas humans can write new programs or
  behaviors for themselves.
• If we put aside our unique characteristics, we
  would be just like the animals!!!

5
Despite Our Uniqueness, Humans Tend to Blame
the Conditions Around Them for Their Behavior As
if He Was an Animal!

• Examples
• Genetic Determinism People inherit their
  behaviors through DNA (e.g. anger problem)
• (2) Psychic Determinism Our parental upbringing
  is the cause of all our behavior.
• (3) Environmental Determinism Our environment
  is responsible for our behavior (e.g., boss
  fault, societys fault).

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The Lord Expects Us to Be
Responsible for Our Actions!

• Our behavior is to be a function of our decisions
  and not dependent upon our environmental
  conditions.
• CHRISTIAN VALUES OR BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES ARE TO
  COME BEFORE OUR FEELINGS!
• Example Moses did not allow his circumstances to
  determine his behavior.

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Hebrews 1124-26 (NASB)

• 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused
  to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter 25
  choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the
  people of God, than to enjoy the passing
  pleasures of sin 26 considering the
  reproach of Christ greater riches than the
  treasures of Egypt for he was looking to the
  reward.
• What Would YOU Have Chosen?

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Let Us Be Proactive, Rather Than Merely Reactive
to the World Around Us.

• God commands us to be responsible for our own
  decisions and lives.
• RESPONSIBILITY Response Ability The Ability
  to Choose Our Response!
• Gods Word is filled with instructions about
  taking responsibility.

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We Choose How We Respond to Evil-Doers.

• Romans 1219-21 (NASB) 19 Never take your own
  revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of
  God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I
  will repay," says the Lord. 20 "But if your enemy
  is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give
  him a drink for in so doing you will heap
  burning coals upon his head." 21 Do not be
  overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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The Choice Is Ours on How We
Deal with Our Anger.

• Ephesians 426-27 (NASB) 26 Be angry, and yet do
  not sin do not let the sun go down on your
  anger, 27 and do not give the devil an
  opportunity.

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We Decide Whether or not to
Run with the Wicked.

• 1 Peter 43-5 (NASB) 3 For the time already past
  is sufficient for you to have carried out the
  desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course
  of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals,
  drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 And
  in all this, they are surprised that you do not
  run with them into the same excess of
  dissipation, and they malign you 5 but they
  shall give account to Him who is ready to judge
  the living and the dead.

12
We Choose to Remain Faithful
in Difficult Circumstances.

• Revelation 29-10 (NASB) 9'I know your
  tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich),
  and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews
  and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10'Do
  not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold,
  the devil is about to cast some of you into
  prison, that you may be tested, and you will have
  tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death,
  and I will give you the crown of life.

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Proactive vs. Reactive People

• Proactive people recognize their ability to
  choose their response to the world around them
  THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE!
• Reactive people are people who have chosen to
  empower their surrounding conditions to control
  them on how they will behave.
• Faithfulness is not determined by Weather, how
  we are treated by others, financial condition,
  health, etc.

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• What Is the Driving Force in Your Life?

15
Christ and His Will Should Be
the Driving Force in Our Lives!

• Christ gives us the strength to rise above our
  circumstances!

16
Philippians 410-13 (NASB)

• 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now
  at last you have revived your concern for me
  indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked
  opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want for
  I have learned to be content in whatever
  circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along
  with humble means, and I also know how to live in
  prosperity in any and every circumstance I have
  learned the secret of being filled and going
  hungry, both of having abundance and suffering
  need. 13 I can do all things through Him who
  strengthens me.

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It is not What Happens to Us That Hurts Us, but
Our Response to What Happens to Us.

• We can be hurt physically, verbally,
  economically, etc. and that may cause us sorrow,
  but our character as a Christian can still remain
  intact!
• We are not animals, instead God has given us the
  power to CHOOSE our response to the things that
  happen to us.

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1 Peter 416 (NASB)

• But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him
  not feel ashamed, but in that name let him
  glorify God.

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Thought to Ponder

• We may be in the habit of explaining our misery
  in the name of circumstance or someone elses
  behavior
• But until a person can say deeply and honestly,
  I am what I am today because of the choices I
  made yesterday, that person cannot say, I
  choose otherwise!

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Examples

• Do you blame your parents for your anger problem?
  You cannot choose to correct it!
• Do you blame society for your sexual misconduct?
  You cannot choose to be pure!
• Do you blame your sickness for the depression
  hopelessness you feel? You cannot
  choose to be content trust in Jesus.
• Have you ever wondered how people with disease,
  handicaps, terminal illnesses maintain their
  faith?
• They choose to!

21
Jesus Was One Who Chose to Obey
Despite His Circumstances.

• 1 Peter 221-23 (NASB) 21 For you have been
  called for this purpose, since Christ also
  suffered for you, leaving you an example for you
  to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no
  sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth 23
  and while being reviled, He did not revile in
  return while suffering, He uttered no threats,
  but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges
  righteously

22
God Has Given Us the Power to Choose.

• We are to choose to act, rather than merely be
  acted upon!
• Some people act like helpless victims that have
  fallen prey to the world.
• Instead, God commands us to take the initiative
  for our spiritual lives!

23
Romans 121-2 (NASB)

• 1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
  of God, to present your bodies a living and holy
  sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your
  spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be
  conformed to this world, but be transformed by
  the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
  what the will of God is, that which is good and
  acceptable and perfect.

24
Being a Disciple Is not Something That
Just Happens to Us It is a Choice!

• Luke 923 (NASB) And He was saying to them all,
  "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny
  himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
  Me.

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Christians Take Charge of Their Lives in Order
to Please God.

• Colossians 19-10 (NASB) 9 For this reason also,
  since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased
  to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled
  with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual
  wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk
  in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in
  all respects, bearing fruit in every good work
  and increasing in the knowledge of God. -- cf. 1
  Timothy 47

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Let Us Choose to Serve God
and not the Devil.

• God did not create programmed robots that would
  automatically serve Him like animals.
• He has left the DECISION up to us
  We must CHOOSE whom we will serve!

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Joshua 2414-15 (NASB)

• 14 "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him
  in sincerity and truth and put away the gods
  which your fathers served beyond the River and in
  Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is
  disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD,
  choose for yourselves today whom you will serve
  whether the gods which your fathers served which
  were beyond the River, or the gods of the
  Amorites in whose land you are living but as for
  me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

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God Will Hold Us All
Accountable for All Our Choices.

• Romans 1412 (NASB) So then
  each one of us shall give account of himself to
  God.

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God Will Hold Us
Accountable for All Our Choices.

• When Judgment Day comes, we will NOT be judged
  according to the different circumstances of our
  lives.
• IF SO, THEN GOD WOULD BE SHOWING PARTIALITY?
• IS THAT HOW GOD WILL JUDGE?
• God is not partial. He will judge each person
  according to His work.
• WHAT DID WE DO?
• WHAT DID WE CHOOSE?

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1 Peter 117-19 (NASB)

• 17 And if you address as Father the One who
  impartially judges according to each man's work,
  conduct yourselves in fear during the time of
  your stay upon earth 18 knowing that you were
  not redeemed with perishable things like silver
  or gold from your futile way of life inherited
  from your forefathers, 19 but with precious
  blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the
  blood of Christ.

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God Will Judge Without Partiality
By the Standard of His Word

• John 1248 (NASB) "He who rejects Me, and does
  not receive My sayings, has one who judges him
  the word I spoke is what will judge him at the
  last day.

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• On Judgment Day,
  We Will Be Judged
  According to Our Deeds and
  the Choices We Made.

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2 Corinthians 510 (NASB)

• For we must all appear before the judgment seat
  of Christ, that each one may be recompensed
  (receive what is due NIV) for his deeds in the
  body, according to what he has done, whether good
  or bad.