Making Dangerous Choices

Just Do Right

Genesis 4:7 "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Is it really that difficult to DO THINGS RIGHT?

We don't really know why God didn't accept Cain's offering, except that God looks upon the heart. This verse tells us that Cain's heart was NOT RIGHT with God when he gave the offering. It was not the gift itself, as we later see acceptable grain offerings in the days of Moses. Cain's offering was a representation of his HEART. He did not do what was right in his heart, and so, his offering was not accepted.

One sin leads to another. That is the warning God gave Cain. In fact, like a lion waiting to devour us, sin waits to devour our lives. The loving heart of God reached out to Cain with the warning that sin would like to dominate him, to be the authority over him, bringing him to destruction. But then God told Cain the correct response is to MASTER it. Don't let it master you.

God has been LONG SUFFERING to you and given you opportunity after opportunity to make a course correction.

Is there sin crouching at your door, waiting to dominate your life? Master it! Don't allow it to master you!

We master it, just as Cain could have, by looking to the work of the Seed to come...the SAVIOR! Because of what Jesus did, we can master it! His resurrected life gives us the power to master it rather than be devoured by it.

Cain was about to plot a murder because of jealousy!

Read the verse again. Think about how this verse applies to you each time that you give in to temptation. You can STOP the cycle or go deeper into it.

Consider: If you are caught in a cycle of sin, you can still master it by the power of the risen Christ, the Seed that CRUSHED the rule of Satan!

Allow Jesus to CRUSH...

• Rebellion
• Jealousy 
• Envy
• Disobedience
• Pride
• Etc.,

Rid your heart of...

• Disobedience
• Roughshod
• Bad Attitude

God is ABLE to receive your sacrifice in the RIGHT WAY if your heart is RIGHT.

JUST DO RIGHT! (It's really not that hard.)

Choices (Part 1)

Choose Wisdom - Who in your life do you consider to be full of wisdom?  Your parents?  Someone whom you consider to be a mentor?  A professor at school?  A little grey haired mother in the church?  A coach who impacted your life?

We are drawn to people who seemingly make wise decisions in their life.  We are more apt to ask them for advice than people whose track record has more wrinkles than last weeks aluminum foil.

Wisdom is a matter of choosing well in life.

Apostle Paul defines wisdom in Ephesians 5 like this:

• Ephesians 5:15 So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise,
• Ephesians 5:16 making the best use of time because the days are evil.
• Ephesians 5:17 Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is
• Ephesians 5:18 Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.
• Ephesians 5:19 Then you will recite to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. You will sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts.
• Ephesians 5:20 You will always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 5:21 And you will submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Be careful How you live - Don’t be unwise but wise.

Consider how you use your time.

• Do you make the most of it?
• Time = "Kairos" or the critical moment. Redeeming time means to make the most of each moment.
• From today’s dawn until tomorrow’s dawn, you have a precisely determined amount of time. As someone has put it, "Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you want to, but you can spend it only once."

Every thinking person has goals and dreams he longs for, plans for, and even begins to reach for.

• Sir Walter Scott’s last words written in his diary were, "Tomorrow we shall...." But there was no tomorrow for him. He died with good intentions to accomplish a certain goal -a goal that he never attained. Most people never make it.

Yet there are many people who fall short of their goals simply because of limited time or opportunity. And that is why it is always important to get busy and do the right thing immediately.

Let me give you Two rules for wise living.

1. Never delay that which needs to be done today.
2. Do the heavy lifting first.

Paul does not end his advice about wisdom here. He says "Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is, Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit."

Stop getting drunk with wine.

• Without a doubt alcohol is a depressant.
• The Spirit of God is a stimulant!
• Alcohol brings out the worst, the Spirit brings out the best.
• Alcohol leads to debauchery, making us animal-like,while the Spirit makes us more human, which is to say, more like God!
• That’s Why we are told to "Be filled with the Spirit."

Let me share with you four simple facts about being filled with the spirit of God.

1. It is a command, not a proposal.
2. It’s addressed to everyone.
• You don’t have to be a preacher or super spiritual.
3. It is in the passive voice.
• This isn’t something you control.
• It is something you allow to happen.
• You give control to God.
• Maybe that’s why it’s so tough.
• You "Let the Spirit fill you."
• There is no technique or formula.
• When you let Christ’s word dwell in you richly that’s how you let the spirit fill you.
• Stay in the word of God.
• Stay connected to him.
• We need church.
4. It Describes a continuous action, rather than a single one.
• Filling is ongoing and it needs to be.
• Why? Because we are leaky. We’re cracked containers.
• The spirit leaks out.
• We leave church full but given a couple of days and we’re empty again.
• We need to be filled on a regular schedule.Now understand this. We are sealed with Spirit of God for eternity by the blood of Jesus.
  
  • You can’t add to it or subtract from it.
  • It’s over.
  • It’s complete.
  • It has to do with the cross of Jesus Christ.
  • That’s being sealed.
  • Filling is different - its every day!
  When we are filled with the spirit instead of being drunk with wine there are very definite results. That is what the rest of the chapter is about.
  
  Result #1
  
  • There is a different kind of singing!
  • And it’s not songs about having friends in low places!
  • We sing to one another - that’s hymns.
  • We sing to God. That’s Psalms, spiritual songs.
  Result #2
  
  • There is a different kind of attitude.
  • There is an attitude of giving thanks and of joy.
  • We give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
  • I heard a story about a little boy in grocery store with his mother. He asked her repeatedly and loudly through the store for cookies. Everyone in the store was aware of this little boy and his poor weary mother  Finally they arrived at the checkout counter to the relief of all present, when the little boy said in his loud outside voice “In the name of Jesus Christ, please buy me some cookies”. The others in the store bought him cookies – in all he got 28 boxes!
  • We give thanks for what we’ve already received - not to get! We already have the blessings of abundant life!
  Result #3 
  
  • There is a different kind of relationship with others.
  • It is a relationship of submission.
  • It’s not about who’s first.
  • It’s not about your rights.
  • It’s captured in a simple phrase that you need to say to your self very often. "I’m third". God is first. Others are second. I’m Third.

Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ and see the difference that it makes in your life.

It all comes from choosing wisdom.

• And you do that by - are you ready for it? - Choose Jesus.
• Choose him today and every day and you have chosen well.