Sunday, April 18

God has no grandchildren

Scripture: Judges 1-2, 1 Corinthians 5

Judges 2:7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10–12 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger.

Observation

Judges is the story of Israel’s failure to follow the Lord after entering the Promised Land.  This chapter lays out the cycle that repeats itself over and over throughout the book: 

      • The people sin: they abandon the Lord and worship other gods.
      • God’s judgment: they are conquered and oppressed.
      • The people repent: they cry out to God for help.
      • God’s deliverance: God raises up a “judge”, a deliverer.

Then the cycle repeats itself…over and over.

Joshua’s generation, who had seen the Lord do great things, served the Lord.  But the next generation didn’t know the Lord or what He had done.  The cycle of sin, judgement, repentance and deliverance started with them, and continued for generations.

Application

It’s been said that God has no grandchildren, only children.  Each generation of believers must know the Lord personally and serve the Lord.  They cannot live on their parents’ faith, but their own.  They cannot rest on their parents’ experience of God, but must have their own.  

Of course we should share with the next generation our stories of God’s work and faithfulness.  And each generation is wise to learn from those before them.  But we must also encourage them to seek the Lord on their own, and to have their own stories.  We must share our relationship with the Lord with them—and we must encourage them to develop their own relationship with the Lord.  We must become cheerleaders and champions for the next generations to have their own relationship with the Lord—knowing that it will look different from ours.  

My generation longed for a church experience that looked different than our parents.  It actually led to a renewal movement—the Jesus People movement of the 1970’s.  We need to be ok with the next generations longing for a church experience that looks different than ours.  Each generation must have its own authentic relationship with the Lord.  God has no grandchildren.  

Today, I want to celebrate young people who are seeking God and wanting to serve Him…even when they do it differently than I would!  (Pastor Noel was such a great example of this!)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for all the young leaders I see rising up to serve You and know You personally!  Help my generation to cheer and champion them!