Undecided Worshipers: Joshua 24:14-15; 1 Kings 18:21-22; Isaiah 29:13-16

It is election time in America. The American citizens are about to elect the next president of the United States. Who will win, Donald Trump the nominee for the Republican Party or Hillary Clinton the nominee for the Democratic Party? Who will decide the winner? All citizens will decide even though all citizens may not exercise their right to vote. One group of citizens that will have a large impact on the outcome of the election is the undecided voters. These are citizens who have not yet made up their minds as to whom they will vote for. It is said that many voters will not make up their minds until they get inside the voting booth. Regardless of their decision these citizens understand that it is their duty as citizens to make a choice and cast their ballots. Thinking about the election and the undecided voters reminds me that all people have the right and duty to decide whom they will worship. So, I want to address this message to those persons, especially Christian church attendees who have not decided who they will worship. I will use the three passages of scripture above to help us to understand that many people in the church have not decided whom they will worship. They are undecided worshipers. The first scripture that I want to mention is found in Joshua 24. In verses 14-15 Joshua makes a statement to the Israelites. He says: ‘“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day 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” (NASB). In chapter twenty-four Joshua is making a campaign speech for God. He reminds the people of their history. Abraham worshiped idols in the land or Ur of the Chaldeans until God called him to go to the land of Canaan. God made a covenant with Abraham to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Abraham’s descendants went into Egypt where they were slaves for over three hundred years. Through the hand of Moses God delivered them out of Egypt. He led them for forty years in the wilderness. Through the hands of Joshua God gave them victory in the land that He had promised to their forefathers. Now that they have possessed the land they must choose whom they will serve. If they choose to worship Jehovah there are two basic requirements. They must serve God in their hearts; in sincerity and in truth. They must rid themselves of all other gods. As we shall see, a person cannot serve God and other gods at the same time. Joshua warns the people that there are consequences if they choose to serve any God other than the Lord (vv. 19-24). How do we apply this idea to today’s church goers? There are people who have become members of the church. Based on outward appearances they are thought of as good church members. They are in the church in their bodies, but they do not meet the requirements for those who would truly worship the Lord. They have not put away the gods that they worshiped before becoming church members. They are not committed to the Lord in their hearts. When a person gives her or his life to Christ the church should have a strong discipleship ministry. New converts need to know what the Lord requires of them. New converts need mentors to help them to grow toward maturity in their faith. In 1 Kings 18 we have another situation in which the people of God must choose whom they will serve. Elijah is a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The people are worshiping the Baals while at the same time they are carrying on the religious traditions handed down to them by Moses. The people not only bow down to the Baals, they are neglecting the moral and ethical requirements of God to have justice in the land. Ahab the king and Jezebel the queen are ruthless and unjust in their dealings with the people. They worshiped the Baals (16:31-33) and destroyed the prophets of the Lord (18:4). They had men to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing the Lord. They stoned Naboth so that Ahab could take possession of his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16). In 1 Kings 18:20-21 Elijah calls the people to Mount Carmel. He says to the people: ‘“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow Him (NASB). Elijah tells the people that they must choose whom they will serve. They cannot fluctuate between the Baals and the Lord. There are church members who have not decided whether or not the God of the bible is God alone. They question if the scriptures have the authority of God to tell them how to live. They worship God while at the same time follow the ways of the world. People want the blessings of the Lord, and they think that the commandments of God contained in the bible are just rules for a people who lived long ago. After the prophets of Baal prove that Baal is powerless, and Elijah proves that God is powerful the people are able to decide to worship the Lord. “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘the LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God” (v. 39, NASB). What proofs do the church offer its members that God is God alone? We cannot be undecided worshipers. We must choose the gods of the world or the Lord. The last scripture that I want to use is Isaiah 29:13-16. There are two points that I want to emphasize. First, we cannot worship God if we place anyone above the Lord. Second, God rejects our worship when we turn to someone else when we should be turning to Him. Let us briefly review what is taking place. The people of God are being threatened by the Assyrians, and at the same time there is injustice in the land. The people do not repent of their sins. They do not call on the name of the Lord for protection. Instead, they seek to make an alliance with Egypt for their protection. The prophet warns the people that God will punish them for their unrighteousness. The prophet warns that their religious ceremonies of worship have no meaning to God. Isaiah writes: “Then the LORD said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And their discernment of their discerning men will be concealed” (vv. 13-14, NASB). Since wisdom comes from God the wise men’s own wisdom proves to be not wise at all. They cannot determine what the Lord will do to them and for them just as the clay cannot say that the potter made the vessel (vv. 15-16). God knows their hearts, and He knows their evil plans. The people’s trust in Egypt is trust in the gods of Egypt. God calls them to choose Him or the gods of Egypt. We cannot be undecided worshipers. By nature we serve the gods of the world. God calls us and we must choose to accept His offer to be our God. I urge all of us to choose to serve the Lord. Worship God only.