Generations

Psalm 115:14 NKJV

May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children.

I want to talk to you about how God wants to bless generations of people here at River of Life Church.

We just had a baby dedication where grandparents, parents, and children are all present.

Grandparents who trust in Jesus.

Parents who trust in Jesus.

Children for whom we are trusting to Jesus.

This is a picture of the church and the people of God. Generations—together—trusting and worshipping and living for the Lord. This is a picture of the community of faith. The family of God is a generational community.

Each generation has something to contribute. Whether it be the experience and wisdom of the elder or the passion and zeal of the youth. We have a tendency to believe that lie that the other generation is the problem. They are either too old or too immature.

But the truth is that God isn’t just the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac and Jacob too. He includes all generations. And when we understand that God does not reject any generation we will make room for people from every generation in our church and lives.

And in so doing, we will experience the blessing that each one has to offer to the others.

Generational Blessing

The cultural mood between generations could be easily illustrated by some of the ways that they speak of each other. From “Okay, Boomer” to “Snowflake” and so on each generation antagonizes the other in an invisible generational war assigning blame to what’s wrong with the world.

This mindset has created generational isolation and enmity.

God is a generational God. His blessing is for the generations. When He spoke to Moses from the midst of the burning bush, He told him to let Israel know that the God of their fathers, the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” was there to deliver them.

Their freedom and salvation came because of the blessing that God gave to Abraham. They were chosen because God blessed Abraham. That blessing flowed through Isaac. That blessing continued in Jacob’s life. And to his sons, the heads of the tribes of Israel.

This is how God’s blessing works: it is the presence of God and the benefits that flow from His presence.

Cain knew that the opposite of the blessing was the curse. And he described the curse as being driven from the face of the land and hidden from the face of God (Genesis 4:14).

The blessing on Israel was the blessing on Abraham. And it was the same blessing that God had pronounced on mankind (cf. Genesis 1:26):

Genesis 35:11–12 NKJV

11 Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”

We know God loves the world (John 3:16). Not just the individual. Not just one generation. Everyone.

The blessing of God on our lives is meant is for us and for those who come after us. It is for the older saints and to the younger ones.

Perpetuating Blessing

We are blessed to be a blessing and Jesus invites us to continue to carry His blessing…to be fruitful and multiply. We are called to make disciples of the nations and to bring God’s blessings to all of the families of the world (Psalm 22:27).

Share the Truth

Psalm 78:1–4 NKJV

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

We are blessed to be a blessing. God saved us from the curse and wants to release His blessing through us (cf. Zechariah 8:13).

We can’t pass on the blessing to those around us if we hide the truth. We won’t bless out children if we hide the truth of God from them.

We have to tell the generation to come what God has done. We need to tell of His works and miracles and testify of His great love.

Illustration: My life has been significantly blessed by the generations. When I was new in the faith I was blessed as men like Rick Demarco would testify to the truth of God’s goodness and tell me of the Scriptures and share stories of how God moved in his life. I also have been blessed by those younger than I. Like a conversation I had with Joe Coventry recently about how God is moving in his life.

River of Life is a church where we share the truth and we testify of God’s works. We embrace signs and wonders and miracles so that we continue to bring the blessing of God to the next generation.

Teach Others Well Enough to Teach Others

Psalm 78:5–6 NKJV

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,

For a generation to pass on blessing they have to pass on the heritage of blessing that God has given to them. There is always a danger to a generation who do not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).

Joshua 24:31 NKJV

Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

As long as Joshua was alive and the generation after Joshua was alive who knew what God had done Israel lived in the blessing of God.

One clear connection is the idea of knowing all the works of the Lord.

We need to teach our children (natural or spiritual) well enough so that they can teach theirs. When we teach people the ways of God in words and in deeds we position them to receive the blessing of God on their lives.

Illustration: “A father and son arrived in a small western town looking for an uncle whom they had never seen. Suddenly, the father, pointing across the square to a man who was walking away from them, exclaimed, “There goes my uncle!” His son asked, “How do you know when you have not seen him before?” “Son, I know it’s him because he walks exactly like my Father.” — The Gold Mine by Lee Roberson

This process of teaching and passing on to the next generation the knowledge of God is known to us. It’s called discipleship.

River of Life Church is a place where we make disciples, young and old, where we pass on the virtues and values of the faith. This is a place of blessing that flows into people’s lives as the learn of the heart of Jesus. This is a place where we teach others well enough for them to teach others.

Pass on Hope

Psalm 78:7–8 NKJV

7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Hope is essential to faith and walking in the blessing of God (Hebrews 11:1).

As we consider the blessing of God, from His presence to the benefits, we may set our hope in God.

When we share the miracles of God we stir up hope.

When we anchor ourselves in His commands we stir up hope.

Illustration: This is the power of the word of God and the faith delivered to us. I’ve heard countless sermons that have served to inspire hope. One of the people who has most inspired my hope and faith is Pr. Tim Bagwell. He would come to the church yearly to minister. One of the things that he would come and declare was, “You are who God says you are.” No matter what I was going through his messages and ministry stirred me up to keep pressing into God.

Hebrews 10:23–25 NKJV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

River of Life Church is a place where we can be reminded of the miracles and commands of God. It is a place where we are stirred up and stir up others to the good things of God. It is a place where we pass on hope.

Conclusion

Blessing from God is the promise of His presence. In His presence is the path of life and the fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

Our faith in Christ brings us into the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:9). This blessing has been passed from generation to generation and reaches us today.

Numbers 6:24–27 NKJV

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ 27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Let us continue to walk in that blessing. Let us share the truth, teach others, and pass on hope. Let us declare of His goodness and His power. Let us teach His words and His ways. Let stir one another up to love and good works.

Let our blessing bring blessing to others.

Together, because we know these things and we do them, there will be generations of people who discover the love of God and experience His blessing.