Neto GregórioNeto Gregório

Free will

Sermon Outlines
A fork in the path between green fields and a dark valley
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Deuteronomy 30:19

Introduction:

  • God formed the man from the dust and, right after, gave him a command (Gen 2:7, 16-17).
  • A command only makes sense to someone who can choose.
  • Three characters in the garden: God, Satan and man.

1. God is free and knows the future (Isa 46:9-11).

  • "Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish" (Isa 46:10).
  • "Only I can tell you the future before it even happens" (Isa 46:10).
  • Knowing beforehand is not forcing. Foreknowledge is not imposition.

2. Satan and sin. The serpent did not force; it offered (Gen 3:4).

  • God said: "If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die" (Gen 2:17).
  • The serpent said the opposite: "You won't die!" (Gen 3:4).
  • Sin did not come from God. It came from the choice against God.

3. Man. Perfect free will, then corrupted (Gen 2:16-17; Rom 7:15).

  • Adam could "freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden," except one (Gen 2:16-17). Freedom with a limit.
  • Before the fall, the will was free and perfect. After it, the will was corrupted.
  • "I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate" (Rom 7:15).

4. Free will and the work of God. You choose because God enables you (Phil 2:13).

  • "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Phil 2:13).
  • "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me" (John 6:44).
  • The no belongs to man. The yes is enabled by God, and it is truly yours.

5. The opportunity to choose. God sets life and death before you (Deut 30:15-20).

  • "Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make" (Deut 30:19).
  • God does not just give the choice. He tells you which one to make.
  • "You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him" (Deut 30:20).

6. Resisting the Holy Spirit. Man can say no to God (Acts 7:51).

  • "Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!" (Acts 7:51).
  • Grace that can be resisted is grace that can be received.

Conclusion:

Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19
  • The choice is real. So are the consequences.
  • Stop resisting the Holy Spirit. Commit yourself firmly to the Lord. That is the key to your life.
  • What will you choose today: life or death?