Investing in the Next-Generation

There is a book I’m reading called House Habits… As I give a word of challenge this evening about preparing and investing in the next generation church. Here is a bit…

Envisioning our future selves will only get us so far. There are battles that we fight, prayers we pray, companies we build, and habits we break, knowing we will never fully enjoy the fruit of our labor.

We are fighting, praying, building, and breaking for the next generation. Next-generation thinking was once common. As Americans, we have famous quotes from our founders about fighting a war so their great, great-grandchildren could be poets. As Christians, we have an example of a God who is generational in His thinking, linking Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. History is full of stories of immigrants who sacrificed everything so that their kids and grandkids could have a better future.

Maybe your mom or dad or grandpa did without so you could go to college or have a chance to fulfill your dreams. Unfortunately, it seems that in the midst of self-seeking culture, the next generation is most often used as a prop for what we already want to happen instead of a reason to do difficult things today.

What difficulties do I want to take care of on behalf of the next generation?

Do I want them to gripe every time they think of my efforts, or do I want them to cheer because they are standing on a firm foundation?

When we build strong, we become a blessing to the next generation.

At the end of his life, King David was preparing for the next generation. He was preparing Solomon to be a king before he had the opportunity to become king of Israel.

One of the things Solomon was to do was to build God’s House in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 22:2–5 ESV

2 David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. 5 For David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

David’s desire was to build God a house, the temple in Jerusalem but it wasn’t God’s plan for David to do it, so instead he prepared his son Solomon to accomplish this incredible task.

So David set up, prepared the next generation well: He set Solomon up with the materials and the workers before he passed.

David was thinking of the next generation. He could have kicked back and lived out his retirement years… enjoying the fruit of his labor but no. That wasn’t what David did. He knew his season as king was coming to an end so he looked to the next generation to carry out God’s plans.

David trained him up because Solomon was young and inexperienced. David didn’t just throw him into the deep end of the pool to see if he could swim. No he mentored him, he trained him, he prepared him to be the next king who built a beautiful temple for God.

He said to Solomon…

1 Chronicles 22:11–13 ESV

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.

David Encouraged Solomon’s faith

David told Solomon to keep his eyes on the Lord because this task is way beyond your own ability.

God will be with you as you honor the Lord and complete this task. Be careful to observe the statutes and rules the Lord commanded Moses and HE will give you wisdom and discretion.

David encouraged Solomon to be strong and courageous.

Be strong and courageous, do not fear and do not be dismayed.

Moses said that to Joshua and Joshua said that to the people of Israel as they were inhabiting the promised land.

If God is with you, you have nothing to fear. So be courageous and act on what you are called by God to fulfill.

It’s not promised to be easy but don’t quit, don’t give up when things are hard, keep trusting in the Lord. We aren’t going to walk this out perfectly so when you fail, get back up standing on God’s grace.

It’s easy to feel unprepared and unworthy to give to the next generation.

David was not the father of the year. David was a murder and adulterer, he was not a good father (look at Absolom) but he was also very authentic about his struggles.

Look at Ps 51 and see how David takes his sin his many failures to the Lord and publishes it for all to see. He doesn’t try to cover it up, he takes his sin to the Lord.

Psalm 51:1–4 ESV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Psalm 51:10–12 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

David was broken before the Lord. David knew that only God could restore him. Only God’s grace and mercy could do the work that he needed done.

God was not done with him yet… and God’s not done with you either.

Yes, there was and there will be real consequences for sin. David was not exempt from those consequences either.

We reap what we sow is true but we can learn from our mistakes… God gives us second chances. The next generation does not need perfection from us, they need real faith. Faith that struggles but faith that doesn’t quit. Don’t struggle alone… God’s plan is not isolation, it’s community.

Our mistakes and failures don’t have to effect eternity. God’s love and grace are still opportunities to repent and turn to Jesus today.

David reminds Solomon of the Sacrifice

Sacrifice is real. The generations will need to sacrifice for the next generation.

1 Chronicles 22:14 ESV

14 With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add.

We must honor and remember the sacrifice the generations gave up for us.

But we must fight a culture that only things of themselves instead of the next generation.

Know the right things to sacrifice so eternity can rest in the heart of the next generation.

As Christ-followers, our responsibility to the next generation is explicit. Our God is a generational God. The Bible says in Genesis that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We see life in terms of one life span; God sees life in terms of generations across time.

His vision is not limited to what you accomplish in your lifetime. Rather, He sees what can be accomplished across the generations.

He does not just have a plan for you. Instead, He has a plan that we have the chance to fit into.