Choose Today to Serve the Lord in Your Home

Joshua stands at the end of his life and pushes a clear line into the ground: choose today whom you will serve. The call is not theory; it is a fork in the road for real homes, real habits, and real hearts. Paul then takes that same line in Colossians 3 and shows what the choice looks like when Christ raises someone to new life. Colossians 3 sets the eyes on the realities of heaven where Christ is seated, and it gives a new center of gravity: Christ is life. Faith, as the saying goes, trusts in advance what often only makes sense in reverse. That posture anchors a person in who Christ is, not in what can be bought or managed.

Paul names the great reversal. Christ takes the sinner’s brokenness and gives his righteousness. Jesus enters an earthly family so humans can belong to an eternal one. Because that is true, Paul refuses to play soft with what kills a soul. Colossians 3 does not say flirt with sin or try to taper off. It says put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature. The warning lands because a Father does not mess around with what harms his kids. The avalanche picture makes it plain: disoriented people often dig the wrong way; Scripture is the fixed up and down.

Paul does not only say die to the old. He dresses the new. God’s chosen ones clothe themselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and, over all, love that binds everything together in unity. Forgiveness is not a quota but a rhythm so steady a person loses count, because that is how Christ dealt with sinners. The Thai-traffic image helps here. Life in the church expects lane changes; people will swerve. So make allowance for faults, forgive as the Lord forgave, and keep Christ’s peace ruling the inner world.

Paul then moves to the house and the grind. The call reaches marriage, parenting, and work. Wives honor. Husbands love and never treat harshly. Children obey. Fathers refuse to crush spirits. Servants work like their real Master is Christ. Whatever is done or said is done in the name of the Lord Jesus with thanks. This is where the macro confession meets the micro obedience. God is supreme, sufficient, and sovereign, and that creed shows up in dishes done with gratitude, in a husband setting a culture of love, in a father choosing big things over petty control, and in effort and attitude that represent Jesus. Joshua’s line still stands: as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose today whom you will serve [02:12] Daily indecision is already a decision, so Joshua presses a present-tense yes to the Lord. The choice is not theoretical but lived in homes, calendars, and budgets. False gods still promise control and comfort, but they always collect with interest. Christ’s Lordship brings a better yoke and a truer freedom. [02:12]
• 2. Sanctification grows slow and strong [10:19] Salvation happens in a moment; sanctification usually takes a lifetime. God cares more about the strength of growth than the speed, so depth beats drama. That patience is not an excuse to stall; it is fuel to keep going when progress feels quiet and ordinary. Faithfulness in hidden places forms the kind of character that lasts. [10:19]
• 3. Kill the stuff that’s killing you [13:55] Paul does not say manage sin; he says put it to death. Half-measures keep toxins in the bloodstream and call it health. Naming the idol is the surgery, whether greed, lust, rage, or a thousand-dollar lawn while a marriage starves. The Spirit gives power to cut what corrodes love and to guard what matters most. [13:55]
• 4. Forgive until you lose count [22:03] Jesus stretches forgiveness beyond bookkeeping so the ledger finally breaks. That is not naïve; it is cruciform. The cross shows forgiveness prayed and paid while offenders still swung the hammer. Such mercy refuses to expect perfect lane-keeping in a broken world and instead builds wide shoulders for imperfect travelers. [22:03]
• 5. Do the micro in Jesus’ name [27:34] Whatever is done or said is done as his representative, which drags big theology into small rooms. Gratitude at the sink and integrity at work are not filler; they are worship. Macro opinions cannot cover micro disobedience. Christ’s peace rules by ruling the ordinary. [27:34]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:19] - New series: Pre-Decide
• [02:12] - Joshua’s choose-today challenge
• [03:59] - Beliefs that shape behavior
• [05:01] - God is supreme, sufficient, sovereign
• [06:24] - Colossians 3: new life with Christ
• [08:11] - The great reversal at the cross
• [09:32] - Salvation and sanctification
• [11:22] - Avalanche image: stop digging down
• [13:55] - Put to death what kills
• [19:59] - Put on mercy, patience, love
• [22:03] - Forgive till you lose count
• [27:34] - Do everything in Jesus’ name
• [31:42] - House and workplace discipleship
• [41:58] - As for me and my house

1. In Joshua 24:15, what choice does Joshua challenge the people to make, and what does he declare for his own household?
2. According to Colossians 3:5-9, what specific behaviors does Paul instruct believers to “put to death”?
3. What does Colossians 3:12-14 say believers should “clothe themselves” with, and how does forgiveness factor into this? [22:03]
4. How does the sermon describe the relationship between “macro” beliefs (like God’s sovereignty) and “micro” obedience (like daily chores or work ethic)? [27:34]

1. Why does Paul use the phrase “put to death” (Colossians 3:5) instead of “manage” or “avoid” when addressing sin? What does this imply about the seriousness of sin’s impact?
2. The sermon compares disoriented people in an avalanche to those struggling with sin. How does Scripture act as the “fixed up and down” in such situations? [12:11]
3. Colossians 3:23 says to work “as for the Lord.” How does this redefine mundane tasks like washing dishes or office work as acts of worship?
4. Why might Paul connect forgiveness (Colossians 3:13) to losing count of offenses, and how does the cross model this? [22:03]

1. Joshua says, “Choose today whom you will serve.” What daily decisions (e.g., time, money, relationships) reveal who you’re actually serving right now?
2. “Put to death what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5). What habit, attitude, or “idol” (like greed or control) are you tempted to “manage” instead of eliminate? What step could you take this week to confront it? [13:55]
3. Forgiveness is described as a “rhythm” rather than a quota. Is there a relationship where you’ve kept a mental ledger of wrongs? How could you begin to “lose count” in a way that reflects Christ’s forgiveness?
4. Colossians 3:23 says to work “as for the Lord.” What ordinary task (e.g., parenting, chores, your job) feels insignificant? How could you approach it differently this week as an act of worship? [27:34]
5. The sermon warns against prioritizing a “$1,000 lawn” over a struggling marriage. What “good” thing in your life might actually be distracting you from what matters most?
6. How could setting a “culture of love” (e.g., in marriage, parenting, or friendships) tangibly reflect Christ’s lordship in your home or workplace? [31:42]
7. The avalanche analogy warns about “digging the wrong way.” Where do you need to stop striving in your own strength and instead rely on Scripture’s clarity?