The Next Generation
Notes
Transcript
The Next Generation
The Next Generation
1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
1. Obligation:
The Jews understood the great obligation they had to pass on their faith to the succeeding generations.
This was something that was ingrained into them as a people, society and their culture… Their faith and belief system was not a shallow acknowledgment that they looked at annually, this was something that was in their very being...
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
This is very different from the western culture of today.
In western culture:
church / religion are private matters...
parents will say - I don’t make my kids go to church, it’s up to them...
(isn’t it funny that they don’t let the 9 year old determine if they want to go to school, take a bath, brush their teeth, change their clothes)
But when it comes to the spiritual - the kids can make their own decisions...
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
vs 6- receive what they were taught
vs 7 - teach what they were taught
diligently
consistently
continually
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
vs 8 - remind what they were taught
bind… for a sign - before them
frontlets - always in view
vs 9 - write them…
post of thy house
gates...
entrance to property
entrance to dwelling = spiritual insight...
Everything in the believers life should be a reminder about our relationship and the rewards of being a believer, follower of Christ
Martin Luther, the reformer - died in 1546 @ the age of 63
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 256 Martin Luther’s Fear
256 Martin Luther’s Fear
Martin Luther warned: “I am much afraid that the universities will prove to be the great gates to Hell, unless they diligently labour to explain the Holy Scriptures and to engrave them upon the hearts of youth. I Advice no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution where men are not unceasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.”
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1351 Epigram on Education (Religious)
1351 Epigram On Education (Religious)
• A knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.
—William Lyon Phelps
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1343 Epigram on Education
• He who opens a school, closes a prison.
Victor Hugo
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The great admonition of education begins with the education about God....
Obligation
2. Observation:
Honor the Lord in our lives
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Remember the mighty works
12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
24 Remember that thou magnify his work, Which men behold.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord: Surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
Relay God’s blessings to the next generation
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
The blessings of the past
your salvation
your testimony
your journey of faith
The blessings of being a part - participant
how blessed you are to serve the Lord
The blessings that come from serving
Why is it that we share and major on the issues and hard times...
Don’t major on the minors...
The blessings to pass on
Illustration: Hezekiah
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.
18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
Hezekiah was content - as long as things were good for him… who cares about the next generation...
His children
His grandchildren
His people - the people of Judah
The memory, memorials of the past should honor God for what he has done, but should also encourage us to be engaged in the present
The next generation is our future...
The emphasis of ministry on the children is on purpose!
Praise the Lord for Kids Klub
Praise the Lord for our Christian School
Praise the Lord for The young families
Praise the Lord for our teenagers
Investing in our tomorrows
The Next Generation...
Parents
Teachers
Grandparents
Child of God...
We have to reach the next generation
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.