What follows the choice to serve God?

July 20, 2025
Dr. Terry LeQuieu

Joshua 24:14-24 — “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Introduction

This message comes from a careful look at Joshua 24, where Joshua stands before Israel on the verge of his death and lays a simple but weighty choice before the people: whom will you serve? Tonight we ask the same question: What follows the choice to serve God? Choosing to follow Christ is not a single private moment with no consequences; it produces a pattern, habits, and responsibilities that shape our future. This sermon unpacks three clear results that follow the decision to serve God — accountability, abstinence, and adoration — and why each matters for your walk with the Lord. Young adults, take heart: the choices you make now will set the trajectory of your life. Learn what to expect, be encouraged to grow, and be challenged to follow through in your commitment to Christ.

We have talked about commitments to God and the urgency of choosing to follow Him. The sermon then asks what follows that choice and invites us to a moment of sober, thankful, and practical consideration.

Outline

Choose: The Urgency and Individuality of Decision
1. Urgent Decision — Joshua says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” The Bible urges immediate response because delay allows the flesh more opportunities to entangle us. The sooner you decide, the fewer mistakes you give yourself room to make.
2. Individual Responsibility — Romans 14:12 (KJV) reminds us each shall give account of himself to God. The choice to serve God cannot be delegated. Make it yours; do not rest on your parents’ faith or the church’s culture alone.
3. Influential Consequence — Your choice affects others (friends, spouse, children). Joshua’s decision “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” models family leadership. A husband’s faith often leads his household; a young person’s decision changes peer circles.
Explanation: This section explains that decision is active, personal, and influential. It is not hypothetical — it has immediate and long-term spiritual consequences.
Three Things That Follow the Choice to Serve God
1. Accountability
  1. Definition — Public or relational acknowledgment that you have chosen God (Joshua: “Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord to serve him”).
  2. Practical Expression — Testimonies after revival, church camp reports, accountability partners, spouse and family conversations. Accountability prevents private compromise from becoming permanent ruin.
  3. Why It Matters — Being known for a decision helps others encourage you and helps you stay faithful. The Christian life is not solitary; we are “members one of another” (1 Corinthians 12).
  Explanation: When you vocalize or otherwise make your commitment visible, it invites support and correction. Don’t fear accountability — it is the safeguarding grace God uses in the body of Christ.
2. Abstinence
  1. Definition — Putting away the “strange gods” and abstaining from former sins and temptations (Joshua: “Now therefore put away … the strange gods which are among you”).
  2. Practical Expression — Stop doing activities, visiting places, or keeping relationships that pull you back toward sin. Replace them with godly activities and friendships.
  3. Why It Matters — Conversion without change is contradiction. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “old things are passed away.” True faith produces separation from sin and a new lifestyle.
  Explanation: Choosing God requires action to remove idols from your life — whether that idol is a relationship, habit, entertainment, or selfish ambition. Abstinence is not legalism; it is protection and devotion.
3. Adoration
  1. Definition — Inclining the heart to God; rising toward Him in reverent worship (Joshua: “and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel”).
  2. Practical Expression — Daily Bible reading, prayer, private devotion, praise and thanksgiving. Make worship a habit, not just an event.
  3. Why It Matters — Adoration shapes motive. Serving God out of love and reverence produces perseverance. James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
  Explanation: The inward affection of the heart drives outward obedience. Inclining your heart keeps the decision alive and growing — it is the spiritual incline, the upward climb toward maturity.
Explanation: Joshua points out these three realities (accountability, abstinence, adoration) as necessary marks of a genuine decision to serve the Lord. They are not optional decorations; they are practical consequences and disciplines that prove and preserve a right relationship with God.
The Reality of Consequences
1. Obedience Brings Blessing; Disobedience Brings Discipline — Joshua warns that God is holy and jealous and that turning back will bring hurt and chastening, not because God is mean, but because He corrects His children.
2. Inescapable Outcomes — You can choose an action, but you cannot choose a consequence. Choices bear fruit (Galatians 6:7 principle). Good choices often cost something up front; bad choices cost everything in the end.
3. God’s Mercy and Discipline — God is ready to forgive, but persistent forsaking of the Lord brings consequences: correction, loss, and sometimes severe judgment intended to call us back to Him.
Explanation: The gospel is merciful, but the Bible teaches us the seriousness of sin and the loving discipline of a holy God. Understand that God’s correction is evidence of relationship, not abandonment.
Application to Daily Life
1. Decide Now — Make the choice today; do not delay. Joshua’s charge is urgent: “choose you this day.”
2. Make It Personal — Don’t live off someone else’s faith. Say, “The Lord is my God,” and mean it.
3. Live It Out — Seek accountability, put away idols, and cultivate adoration daily. Expect resistance, and replace former things with godly alternatives.
Explanation: Practical steps keep theology from remaining merely theoretical. Faith without works is dead; a true choice to serve God produces a changed life.

Summary

Choosing to serve God is urgent, individual, and influential. When you choose Him, three things should follow: accountability (you publicly or relationally live out your decision and let others help you keep it), abstinence (you must put away the false gods and sinful habits), and adoration (you incline your heart to the Lord in worship and devotion). These patterns do not make salvation; they evidence it. They protect growth and keep you moving up the spiritual incline. Remember, God will discipline those who turn away, not out of malice but as a loving Father calling His children back. If you have not made Christ your Savior or your God, do not delay u2014 decisions matter and have consequences both now and forever.

If you choose to do right today, then tomorrow you will not regret your yesterday

Application for the Week

Practical steps you can take this week to live out the choice to serve God:

Make a clear, personal commitment — Write down a sentence: “The Lord is my God, and I will serve Him.” Place it where you will read it daily (mirror, Bible, phone note).
Choose two accountability partners — Tell them your commitment and exchange phone numbers. Ask them to check on you this week about a specific habit (Bible reading, prayer, abstaining from a specific sinful activity).
Put away one idol — Identify one thing that competes with your devotion to God (a show, a relationship, a habit, a place). Remove or replace it. For example, if late-night streaming steals your devotions, set a strict lights-out time and use that hour for Scripture or prayer.
Arrange a worship appointment — Set aside 20–30 minutes each morning for scripture reading and prayer. Start with Joshua 24 and pray Joshua’s prayer: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Practice a small act of obedience — Invite someone to church, go with a believer to an outreach, or volunteer once this week. Obedience often grows faith.
Memorize and meditate — Memorize Joshua 24:15 this week. Say it at meals, at bed, and when decisions arise: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

These small steps enforce accountability, encourage abstinence, and cultivate adoration. Make the choice today, follow through this week, and keep climbing the incline toward maturity in Christ.