Make a Decision
(Preached on Sunday, January23 at Hicks Memorial UMC, Duncansville,PA)
Scripture: Matthew 4.12-23; 1 Corinthians 1.10-18


Are you indecisive? Raise your hand if you are. (Gee, I dunno know, maybe. Honey am I?)

If you are indecisive, I understand. I am too. I admit it. I take full responsibility. . .
I blame it on my parents. My mom and dad were classic undecideds. When the political pollsters invented that category of voter, they had just finished talking to Dick and Shirley Morris. When my sisters and brother and I wanted to go swimming, the answer, almost without variation was, “We’ll see.”

When we wanted to order pizza, “We’ll see.”

When I wanted a new basketball for Christmas, “We’ll see.”

When I needed a blood transfusion to stay alive, “We’ll see.”

And so, I find myself saying the same thing to my children. I like to keep my options open, not be pinned down. I also like to weigh the evidence, see all sides to a problem or challenge. These are good qualities that have served me well many times over.

However, or as sportswriter Steven A. Smith says, “Haweva,” there are times in life when “we’ll see” just will not do. “We’ll see” becomes an excuse to procrastinate, delay, and ride the fence indefinitely. There are times when we must make a decision.

Decision is at the heart of the Gospel message. Sometimes we forget what exactly Jesus came preaching. If I asked you what was the theme of Jesus’ sermons, I might hear you say love, truth, forgiveness, and these would all be good answers. But the most accurate of answer is Jesus came preaching, “Repent, here comes the Kingdom!” Translated that means, “Make a decision – you are for God or against God but you can’t forever remain in the middle.” Repentence is literally a turning in the opposite direction; that’s what salvation requires of us, and that requires a decision. The most important evangelist of the 20th Century started a magazine called “Decision.” Billy Graham knows something about following Jesus.

Now, understand that faith is a journey that we embark on for life, and salvation, in one sense, is a process. That’s why Paul tells the Philippians to “work out their salvation in fear and trembling,” and he tells the Corinthians in chapter one of this letter, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Notice the present perfect tense there. Who are being saved. Salvation is not just a past event or a future hope but for the disciple of Jesus Christ it is a present reality.

But that reality doesn’t happen without decision. If Peter and Andrew, James and John don’t drop their nets and follow the Master, they live quiet lives as fisherman on the coast of Lake Galilee and the world never hears of them. No decision, no direction, no Kingdom.

Good things happen when we decide. My son learned to ride a bike in about two minutes. For two or three years previous to those two minutes I tried to get him to learn but he resisted. Then, seemingly, he flipped a switch, the light went on, he decided, and he was riding like a pro. Good things happen when we decide this is the right thing and I will do this thing!

If that’s true for riding a bike, or learning to ski, or even deciding what to make for supper, isn’t this true for the major directions of our lives. You can’t drift into God’s will! You must decide to follow.

In the church we are good at discussing and deliberating in committees about what we should do and sometimes we don’t follow that up with the doing. God wants us to be bold in our faith. God wants us to show courage when we see the right and good thing before us. Even if an army of challenges stands between us and that good thing, if it is God’s will to pursue, then nothing should stop us from attaining that goal.

I would venture to guess that there are at least a few people here who have been undecided in their faith for some time. Yes, you’ve believed in a sense, and you’ve said all the right things to others, or at least haven’t allowed anyone to pin you down on what you believe, but you know and God knows that you’ve not made a decision to follow Jesus. The Master has approached you and said, “Repent, and come follow me,” and your answer to Him has been, “We’ll see.”

Before the phrase “Come to Jesus meeting,” became a hip slogan in business and politics it was a description of reality in the church. We’re having a “Come to Jesus” meeting right now. Why remain undecided? You can’t forever. Why would you want to?

You can decide to be saved right here and right now. Come to Jesus.