Watch CHOOSE THIS DAY on YouTube
Choose This Day
Reverend Gary Hoban
Sunday, 25 October 2026
Scripture: Joshua 24:14–15
Good afternoon, and welcome to Refinery Life Australia. Our message today is called Choose This Day. I want to invite you to open your Bible to Joshua 24:14–15. When we read the Word of God, we are not simply visiting an event from long ago. We are coming under the authority of the living God, who speaks through Scripture and calls us to know Jesus Christ. This message is for those who are strong in faith and those who are tired, for those who have walked with the Lord for decades and those who are asking their first honest questions.
Before we begin, let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, open our understanding. Give us humble hearts, clarity in Your Word and the willingness to obey. Protect us from treating familiar truths as ordinary. Let Your Spirit convict, comfort and strengthen Your people. Amen.
The question of allegiance
Joshua brought Israel to a decision. Their faith could not be sustained by admiration alone; they had to put away rival loyalties and serve the Lord sincerely. This matters because genuine
discipleship is never only a matter of agreeing with the right words. The Word calls us to put our trust in God and then to put that trust into practice. It calls us to examine our motives rather than merely compare ourselves with other people. It invites us to surrender the things we try to keep beyond the reach of the Lord.
Joshua is speaking to people who have heard the account of God’s mighty acts. He does not ask them to manufacture devotion through sheer willpower. He asks them to respond to the Lord who brought them out of slavery and kept His promises. That is the order we must remember: grace calls forth allegiance. We do not purchase God’s favour through religious effort. We turn from rival gods because the living God is worthy of our worship. Where have you allowed a lesser loyalty to take the place that belongs to Him?
Here is where the question of allegiance becomes pastoral rather than theoretical. Some listening today are tired, some are uncertain and some have been carrying burdens quietly. God sees each person. The invitation is not to pretend we are strong, but to come to Christ in truth and receive grace for the next faithful step.
The hidden competition
Our idols often look respectable: the hunger to control outcomes, the pursuit of applause, the fear of being overlooked, or the desire for safety without obedience. This matters because genuine discipleship is never only a matter of agreeing with the right words. The Word calls us to put our trust in God and then to put that trust into practice. It calls us to examine our motives rather than merely compare ourselves with other people. It invites us to surrender the things we try to keep beyond the reach of the Lord.
An idol does not always look like a carved image. Anything we treat as ultimate can demand the trust and obedience that belong to God. Work may become an idol when achievement determines our worth. Money may become an idol when security replaces trust. Even ministry may become distorted when reputation matters more than faithfulness. These are not reasons to abandon responsibility; they are reasons to examine the heart beneath it. Joshua’s challenge exposes the difference between using God’s name and serving God Himself.
In Joshua 24 the people answer with confidence, but Joshua warns them that serving a holy God is no casual pledge. The covenant calls for the removal of foreign gods and the inclination of their hearts to the Lord. We must not turn this passage into a promise that every Christian household will be free from hardship. Its direct setting is Israel’s covenant renewal at Shechem. Yet its summons to reject idolatry remains a serious invitation to consider whom we trust and obey.
A household shaped by worship
Joshua did not speak of private sentiment alone. He committed to a household whose habits would testify to the Lord: truthfulness, reconciliation, prayer and a willingness to do what was right. This matters because genuine discipleship is never only a matter of agreeing with the right words. The
Word calls us to put our trust in God and then to put that trust into practice. It calls us to examine our motives rather than merely compare ourselves with other people. It invites us to surrender the things we try to keep beyond the reach of the Lord.
What might obedience concerning a household shaped by worship look like in a household? It may mean apologising first, opening the Bible together, restoring a neglected responsibility or choosing generosity instead of self-protection. These actions are not a way to purchase salvation; they are fruit of a heart being shaped by grace.
A household shaped by worship does not mean a household without disagreements or grief. It means that the adults take responsibility for the example they set. Children notice whether forgiveness is practised after an argument, whether Scripture is heard with humility, and whether prayer accompanies decisions. Some listeners live alone, and others have family members who do not share their faith. You can still serve the Lord faithfully without controlling another person’s response. Joshua’s declaration begins with his own allegiance.
Grace before resolve
Israel could not save itself by making a strong statement. In the light of Christ, our hope is not the strength of a promise but the faithful Saviour who receives repentant people. This matters because genuine discipleship is never only a matter of agreeing with the right words. The Word calls us to put our trust in God and then to put that trust into practice. It calls us to examine our motives rather than merely compare ourselves with other people. It invites us to surrender the things we try to keep beyond the reach of the Lord.
Grace also changes how we speak to those who are uncertain or resistant. A Christian household cannot be built by coercion. We are called to bear witness with patience, to listen, to apologise when wrong, and to speak of Jesus without using fear to force a response. Christ welcomed sinners who knew their need of mercy. When we speak about wholehearted devotion, let our manner reflect the grace we proclaim.
And when we fail, we should neither excuse sin nor conclude that repentance is pointless. Confess what is wrong. Seek reconciliation where possible. Return to the promises of the gospel. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not rewards for perfect religious performance; they are the foundation of our hope. A renewed commitment grows from dependence on Him, not from pretending that we can save ourselves.
A decision that reaches Monday
The real test of Sunday worship is Monday obedience. Choose to tell the truth when dishonesty is convenient; choose mercy when resentment comes easily; choose prayer over self-sufficiency. This matters because genuine discipleship is never only a matter of agreeing with the right words. The Word calls us to put our trust in God and then to put that trust into practice. It calls us to examine
our motives rather than merely compare ourselves with other people. It invites us to surrender the things we try to keep beyond the reach of the Lord.
Finally, a decision that reaches Monday should draw our attention back to Jesus Christ. He is more than an example of commitment; He is the risen Lord who calls us to follow Him and gives grace to those who repent and believe.
Before we leave this decision, consider what you have been postponing. Is there someone to forgive, a habit to surrender, a truth to speak, or a neglected responsibility to take up? Do not mistake an emotional response during a sermon for the whole work of discipleship. Bring the matter to God in prayer, seek counsel when needed, and take a concrete step of obedience.
Joshua speaks after rehearsing the Lord’s mighty acts, not before. Israel is called to choose in the light of grace already shown: deliverance from Egypt, protection in the wilderness and a land they did not secure by their own power. That order matters. We do not earn God’s goodness by promising better behaviour. We respond to the God who has revealed His goodness and made His covenant known. Before asking what you will do for God this week, remember what He has done and give Him thanks.
The phrase “as for me and my house” is often displayed on a wall, but Joshua meant it as a costly public commitment. He could not control every decision another person would make. He could set the direction of his own life and lead by example. A Christian home is not established by a slogan. It is formed when truth is spoken kindly, when wrongs are confessed, when Scripture is opened and when mercy is shown to the person who is struggling.
Notice also the word “today”. Joshua refuses to let a clear decision drift indefinitely. There are matters that require time and wise counsel, but obedience to what God has plainly said should not be postponed by endless debate. If you know you must forgive someone, begin. If you have neglected prayer, begin. If a hidden habit is drawing you away from Christ, bring it into the light. God calls us to respond in the present, not to live on yesterday’s intentions.
Our deepest confidence is not that we can sustain perfect resolve. Israel’s later history reveals how easily people forget. The gospel directs us to Jesus Christ, who was faithful where we have failed. In Him there is forgiveness for divided hearts and power to walk in newness of life. So choose whom you will serve, but do not make your choice a monument to your own strength. Make it an act of humble dependence on the Saviour who holds you fast.
Response and invitation
If you do not know Jesus Christ, the invitation of the gospel is not to pretend you have become good enough. Turn from sin, trust in the Lord Jesus who died and rose again, and come to Him in repentance and faith. If you have been distant from the Lord, come back today. If you have been faithfully serving but have grown weary, ask Him to renew your strength. You do not have to carry your burdens in proud isolation; reach out to faithful believers who can pray with you and encourage you.
As we close, return to the heart of this message: an undivided heart. Whatever season you are in, Christ is worthy of your trust. The answer may not come on the schedule you hoped for. You may still have questions and responsibilities to face when this video ends. But you can take the next faithful step. Name that step before God. Speak honestly to Him. Ask for the grace to obey and then act on what is clear in Scripture.
Let us pray. Father, thank You for the witness of Your Word. Search us and remove divided loyalties. Strengthen households, encourage pastors and intercessors, comfort those who suffer, and revive the Church in truth and love. Give us a deep hunger for Scripture and a fresh desire to make Jesus known. Let this Word bear fruit in Australia, in Indonesia and across the nations. In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thank you for joining us at Refinery Life Australia. Keep reading the Scriptures, stay connected to the fellowship of believers, and put God’s Word into practice. God bless you.
