Making the Right Choices
Making the Right Choices
Text: Philippians 1v9-11 AMPC
V9: “And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], V10: “So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble]. V11: “May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honour and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized].”
You will agree with me that life is full of choices. Making a choice is the act or an instance of choosing or selecting. It involves an exercise of power and alternative. It is a game of power and alternative. Power in the sense of the Almighty God’s amazing gift of self will to His creature man, and alternative because choice involves deciding between competing things or persons.
The obvious example is Adam and Eve in Genesis 2v16-17 - God said to man you can eat every tree of the garden, but avoid the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because the day you eat of that tree you will die”. That is choice on display. Making choices is a function of knowledge, that is why you will hear expressions like “informed decision”. So God didn’t leave Adam and Eve in the dark when He gave the command, he told him the consequence of eating the tree, which is death and not eating of the tree in order to live.
Our initial text from Philippians 1:9-11 reveals that the desire of Paul was for the Philippians brethren to always make the right choices that will keep them pure and innocent when Christ returns. Paul’s desire or expectation for these Philippians still applies to you and l today as we embark on our pilgrims journey. This longing was also penned down by Paul in his pastoral epistle to Titus.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” Titus 2:11-13 NKJV
Making the right choice in Christ as in the world is not a function of the length of service, that is how long you have identified as a Christian, but rather a function of knowledge. Sound knowledge is what liberates from error.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. "John 8:32 CEV
When the heart is captivated by the love of God, it releases the desire to grow in your knowledge of Him, as you know Him more your intimacy grows and also your discernment - ability to judge which things of a particular kind is good and which are bad. Making the right choices is the benefit of intimacy that has been nurtured through knowledge of the Holy God
Danger of Following Christ from a Distance - Luke 22v54 & Mk 14v71.
In John 13v21-26 - we see the intimacy between Christ and John the beloved on display once again, so this was the desire of Paul and my desire for you and I in this Christian journey.
A. Compromise - Peter denied his identity in Christ. How often has fornication, Uncleanness, Sensual Appetites, Unholy Desires, Covetousness or Greed, faced you and asked you if you are also one of His people and you denied Jesus? How many times has Anger, Rage, Malice, Filthy language faced you and challenged you with the question “are you one of Christ’s followers, but you sadly denied Him.
B. Wrong Company - Peter stepped back even after John had brought him into the courtyard, should Peter not have followed John to wherever he was sitting, but convenience and comfort kept him with the servants and officers (enemies of Christ).
“You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” James 4:4 CEV
You are in Christ but your best friend is an unbeliever, and he or she is your counsellor in decisions that determine choices, or you are most comfortable with unbelievers, you cannot make the right choices that will keep you pure, innocent and unsullied until Christ returns. We saw this happen to the mighty apostle Peter, who had the revelation of the person of Christ, yet being in the wrong company made him to deny Christ. No matter your role or length of service in Christ you must choose your association.
C. Fear when Calamity threatens - “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 NLT
Following the Lord from a distance, makes us to have the feeling of helplessness and fear. A slave girl or a domestic servant asked Peter if he was with Jesus and he was so afraid of a slave girl that he (Peter) denied the Master. How many times have situations in your life that is as insignificant as the slave girl confronted you and you froze with fear and denied your Lord by lying or telling half truth.
D. Wrong Use of the Tongue - Mark 14v71, Proverbs 18v21. The text revealed that Peter swore and cursed that he does not know the Lord Christ. Just a few hours before this time in Mark 14v29, Peter told the Lord that even if everyone stumbled, he (Peter) will not. As he followed from a distance, his confident assurance faded away. How many times have shouted out your confident hope with excitement in the Church service or among other believers that even if any challenge should come against you, your hope is anchored on God’s faithfulness. Suddenly, there arises a storm and you started asking the Lord “don’t you care that I am perishing” or worse still some will confess that they know that there is no way out of it.
The reason behind Paul’s prayer for these brethren is outlined in verses 10-11 of our text.
· To get our priorities right by knowing what is vital, placing the appropriate value on what matters. Knowing what deserves the highest attention and having the right moral perspectives. Having a heart that is sincere and certain and unsullied.
· To abound in and be filled with good works that is produced in us through the in-dwelling Christ, to manifest His glory.
Positioning yourself to make right choices in serving God.
· Make it a point of duty never to complain [Moses]- Numbers 11v 11-15, 20v10-12
· Do not stay back when people are working hard to fulfil the heavenly mandate – [David]- 2 Sam. 11v1
· Never follow God from a distance – [Peter] - Luke 22 v 54
· Know that God will never fail
May the Lord grant you the spirit of wisdom and divine insight to discern how this word applies to your peculiar situation in Jesus’s mighty name amen.
Pastor John Aja Nwachuku