13th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Mark Duer
Duet 30:15-20/ “Life or death?” September 7, 2025
19“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.”
It seems like our life is full of decisions. From the time we get up until we go to bed, we choose what to do in all aspects of our life. Most of the time we make good decisions, and sometimes those decisions are not so good.
In today’s Old Testament reading, Moses is placing choices before the Israelites; “I have set before you life, and death.” they seem to be pretty easy choices, don't they? life or death? Life is good; death is bad.
I set before you blessing and curse—I think we would choose blessings every time.
We would choose life and blessings, but sometimes our actions are not consistent with those choices.
In today’s Old Testament reading, the children of Israel had been delivered from slavery and death—from the iron hand of Pharaoh less than 40 years earlier when they crossed the Red Sea.
Delivered by the hand of Almighty God—passing through the Red Sea waters to dry land—literally baptized into the Red Sea. And on the other side freedom, life, and salvation.
These redeemed children of God, ready to cross over into the Promised Land—the land flowing with milk and honey. But there were also false gods in the Promised Land and false worship.
One of the false gods was Baal? He was the god of wealth and prosperity. Another false god was Asherah, she was the god of sex.
There was also the false god Molech, he was the false god that according to the Canaanites demanded that you sacrifice your children in order to make him happy.
As the redeemed children of Israel would cross over into the Promised Land, they would be confronted with the reality that these false gods existed.
Which god are they going to choose? They've already been redeemed by the one true God. They've already been given life and salvation.
Which God will you choose? Just about anything we go to for comfort and trust instead of the one true God—is an idol or false god.
What are the Israelites going the choose? What are you going to choose? To stay with the one true God, or are they (and you) going to chase after false gods?
With the one true God—Life. With the false idols—death. With the one true God—blessings. With the false idols—curses.
Verse 33 in today’s gospel. “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” That means anything that stands in the way of being a true disciple of Jesus.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are the inheritors of the greatest salvation event in the history of the world; even greater than the deliverance from Pharaoh and slavery and bondage in Egypt.
The Son of God is our champion; he holds the field; he takes on Satan and death itself and is victorious for you. He sheds his blood to make you free. You are baptized into the life-giving waters where the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have been given to you.
You have been baptized into Christ Jesus, As Children of God, living the Christian life, you are waiting for that time when you will cross over into the true Promised Land—our Heavenly home for all eternity.
But in the meantime, there are choices. Will you stay true to the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who has made you, and redeemed you and called you to faith? He feeds you with his Holy Word, and the very body and blood of Christ.
Or, will you chase after the Baal's and the Asherah's and the Molech's of our day?
The choices are before us all the time, and what do we often choose? What is the most important thing?
Remember the first commandment? “You should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” What choices do you often make? You choose work. You choose sports. You choose relaxation. You choose money. You choose sex.
Moses words are serious—life and death, blessings and curses.
These words are true for us today. Why is it that we treat the name of God so often like a nothing? Why is it that we treat the sacrifice of God's Son Jesus Christ for life and salvation like a nothing?
Why is it that when confronted with easy choices—life and death, blessings and curses, we so often make the wrong choice?
As children of God do you walk in His ways, and keep His commandments, and love him with all you heart, and mind, and soul?
Like the children of Israel, we too are sinners, and by nature we always choose the wrong thing—we choose sin. It's who we are—poor miserable sinners.
17“But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish.”
Will you choose life or death? We can't make the good choices on our own. We fail time and time again. That's why Jesus came. He chose you. He chose to bleed and die and rise again—For you, and me, and to pay for all the bad choices that we made.
The word we need to hear every day—REPENT! We don’t just need to hear it, but we need to live it each and every day.
Repent and believe the Good News. Turn away from every Baal and Asherah and Molech. Turn away from whatever gods you have made, and cling to the one true God who loves you with a never-ending love.
The one true God Who doesn't give false promises and then not deliver. He has given his very life blood for you. When he gives a promise, he means it; I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. I will never let you down.
We live in a world where we can get easily influenced to make the wrong choices. Even now, as we are living in the end times, you will be tempted more than ever before to turn away from the one true God.
When the times of temptation come, turn to God’s Word to sustain you, and give you strength.
1 Peter 5:8-11 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
19“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live. 20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.”
The life that we have in Christ Jesus is real, it is forever. Choose life--and live. Amen