Raising Up the Next Generation

Introduction:

Jeremiah 1:4–10 “4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 6 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. 9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.””

Point 1: The call on the next generation.

Jeremiah was called by God to speak out against the nation of Israel, specifically the northern region of Judah, during one of the most critical times in the history of Israel.

He was called by God at a young age to speak out against the sins of the nation of Israel like:

Idolatry

Injustice from not caring for the helpless people like widows and orphans.

He rebuked them for worshipping God in the temple but living a different life outside the temple.

They were even worshipping the Canaanite gods with child sacrifices.

If that sounds familiar to you it should.

These are the very things that we are doing today.

Jeremiah struggled with his call from the Lord because he so was young.

He felt like this was too big of a calling for him to handle.

Is there anyone in the room that has felt this way?

He said, “I cannot do this because I am too young.”

Jeremiah is believed to have been 20 years old at the most.

He had this call on his life from God to call out kings and rulers for sinning against God.

This is a scary calling for anyone, not to mention a teenager.

The Lord touched the mouth of Jeremiah telling him that he would now have the words to say.

When He calls us to do something He will do it through us.

“God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.”

There seems to have always been an attack on the next generation, but there is an attack on the next generation, Gen Z, like no other generation.

Gen Z, which is the young generation of today, seems to have a bullseye on the larger than any other generation because the enemy desires to plant lies into their heads to distract them from the calling that He has on their lives.

They are being lied to in the schools.

They are deceived through videos on the internet and everywhere else they turn.

Many of them have been rejected by the ones that are supposed to love them the most.

I believe that the enemy is working overtime because he knows his time is short, but also because of the calling that God has on their lives.

This calling in Jeremiah was to him, but I am here today to say that I believe they too have the same calling on their lives that Jeremiah had thousands of years ago.

I believe the Lord is saying to this younger generation, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sat you apart. I appoint you as prophets to the nations.”

We see these exact things happening today in the world and inside the church.

I believe the Lord is raising up a generation to stand up and begin to call things for what they are.

I believe that He is looking for some younger believers to rise up and call out what our generations allowed to happen.

I believe He is wanting to raise up some Josephs, Davids, Joshua, Jeremiahs, Daniels, and Timothy's to stand up for truth and say, “If we don’t stop worshipping idols, not caring for the helpless, and committing these sins of abomination and child sacrifices, we are going to be in big trouble.

Its not global warming.

Its the wrath of God!!!

We have seen, and still are seeing, God moving mightily among this next generation on college campuses and so many other places.

In doing this, He is marking them for His purposes.

He is empowering them to do what He is calling them to do.

He is also strengthening them to stand strong where so many of the generations before them have failed.

***Those who are getting baptized go ahead and head back to get changed.***

Point 2: We all have a part in helping this next generation.

Now I get to speak to everyone else in the room.

You might be here today thinking, “Maybe I should have stayed home in bed today. This guy is preaching to the younger generation, so I can just zone out since it doesn’t have anything to do with me..”

If you were thinking that before and tuned me out, go ahead now and tune back in because we all have a part in this even if we have no children or grandchildren.

We all have a Biblical command to help raise up a generation that will come after us.

If we continue down the track that we are going by allowing the world to lead our youth, we are in big trouble.

Judges 2:10 “10 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.”

Church, we cannot allow this to be our confession.

I don’t want to get to Heaven and have to stand before the Lord and answer to Him why the Church died because we failed to raise up another generation.

If we don’t do something about reaching our youth and children the church will be no more.

We are commanded to help raise up and teach the next generation.

Deuteronomy 6 says to teach our children the commandments of God.

Joshua 4:21–22 “21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”

Psalm 71:18 “18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”

Psalm 78:6 “6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”

Psalm 145:4 “4 One generation instructs your works to another generation; so they too tell of your mighty acts.”

Joel 1:3 “3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.”

We all have a part in helping positioning our youth to fulfill the calling that God has on their lives.

Today we have 8 people being baptized and they are all under 18 years old.

We did not plan to have younger people being baptized, but it just worked out this way.

I pray that this is a prophetic statement that God is going to begin to do great things among the youth of this church and this area.

I believe that this is so much more than a public declaration of their faith in Jesus.

I truly believe that after today they will be marked forever.

Conclusion:

Baptism Service!!!