Jump Start # 2312

Judges 2:10 “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

It was a family that I have known for decades. It’s a large family. It started with me knowing the grandparents. Knew them for years. One by one, I came to know the grown children and their spouses. Then, I came to know the grandchildren. And now, the grandchildren are married and starting their families. We are talking about 40-50 people. I know most of them.

The other day this huge family gathered for a funeral. Grandma had died. I was asked to speak a few words. Grandma was related to the infamous bank robber, John Dillinger. The story goes that grandma’s dad actually went to Chicago to help identify the slain bank robber. Not sure about that.

This family, as with most families, has had it share of drama, issues and stories that they’d like to forget and put behind them. But something remarkable stands out about this family—they are all N.T. Christians. Grandpa and Grandma were. That’s how I got to know them. Their four children are. They all married N.T. Christians. All those grandkids are N.T. Christians, and those that are married, have married N.T. Christians. It’s amazing! This huge family, and other than the little ones, just about everyone is a N.T. Christian. That’s something I talked about during the funeral. Those things just do not happen on their own.

And, this is where our verse comes in. The book of Joshua ends and Judges begins. Not only is it a transition in leadership, but it’s a change in generations. Joshua’s generation served the Lord. Unlike their parents who all died in the wilderness because of unfaithfulness, Joshua led the people to the Lord. They were committed. But that generation died. There arose a new generation. This new generation did not know the Lord. The following verses show the details of this: they forsook the Lord, they followed after other gods, and they bowed to idols. The wheels came off. The nation crashed. They had forgotten about Joshua, Moses, the Ten Commandments and all that the Lord had done. God fed the nation in the wilderness. The Red Sea parted. There were ten plagues. The walls of Jericho fell. But for these people, that was ancient history. Without instruction, without guidance, the weeds took over the heart and they left the Lord. For the next four hundred years, the length of the judges, a continual cycle is repeated over and over. Punishment, repentance, deliverance and falling away.

How does one keep faith going throughout generations? How is it that this one family can have so many Christians? Luck? Magic? It’s none of those things.

First, God’s word must be lived, practiced and a applied daily. Faith is not a Sunday thing, but everyday part of our lives. The little ones need to grow up seeing the importance of worship. Putting other things before worship sends a message. It tells the heart that God isn’t always first. Do what you feel like doing and then if you have time to worship you can. Such thinking doesn’t make for convictions of the heart. God is talked about at home. God’s word is read at home. God is as much a member of the family as anyone else.

Second, every person must decide for themselves about the Lord. Faith isn’t inherited. We may grow up seeing it but many walk away, or in some cases, run away from it as soon as we can. God is good. God’s way is always right. That’s the lessons that must be taught. The purity of God’s word must be understood. It’s not about the church. It is all about God. Concepts of worship, marriage, faithfulness, holiness—these are the basics that are talked about around the kitchen table. The questions the little ones ask demand a Bible answer.

When I read our passage today, I see all kinds of red flags. “Another generation arose that did not know the Lord,” why? Why did they not know? Was it assumed that they would just naturally follow the parents? Was it assumed that if the parents knew, the children would know? There seems to have been a breakdown in teaching. Were the parents too busy? Did they just take them to “church” thinking that was enough? Generation one must teach and show generation two. There is not going to be much hope for generation three if that doesn’t happen.

I meet people like we read about in our verse today. The parents or grandparents followed the Lord. They don’t. They have complaints, issues and problems. Most times it’s about the church. Rarely do they want to take those discussions to the Bible. It’s the church they claim is too narrow. But could it actually be that truth is narrow and they are kicking the cat because they are really mad at the dog? The church doesn’t make the rules. The church doesn’t set the policy of right and wrong. All that comes from God. All that comes from the Bible.

Third, everyday God must mean something to me. I can trace my spiritual heritage back five generations. But there are lots and lots of family all through there that didn’t stay with the Lord and like ancient Israel, decided to worship as they wanted to. So, here I am today. Is it because of my parents? That may have shown me things and got me pointed in the right direction, but now, it’s up to me. Everyday I must make choices. My faith or the lack of faith, directs those choices. I preach. I do that because it was my choice. My children are all Christians. We have shown them and taught them. But today, it’s their choices.

I have seen families all together at worship. But when mom and dad are out of the picture, the kids start falling off one by one. Why? Obviously, they were there because of the parents and not the Lord. Every day, do I pray? Every day do I open God’s word. Every day do I think about helping others? Every day do I watch what I say? Every day. When faith is alive and real, we own it. We do these things because we want to.

Finally, one of the greatest lessons is applying the grace, forgiveness and love that the Lord wants us to have throughout our family. Sometimes, it is family that hurts us the most. Sometimes it is family that frustrates us the most. Sometimes we can hold to the doctrine of Christ, but we forget about the spirit of Christ. Some family members journey to the far country. Do we allow them back, like the prodigal’s father? Some family members have said and done things that are mean and hurtful. Do we hold that over them the rest of their lives? I wonder if why some have walked away is not because of what the Bible teaches, but because of the way Christians have behaved. We must move past that. We follow Christ, not the church. Jesus is our Savior, not the church. The church, like we are, is a work in progress. We are merely reformed sinners who do have a past. We are far from perfect and we still need a lot of improvement. How we present that, or whether we admit that or hide behind our pride is something that family recognizes.

One of the greatest fields of evangelism is around the kitchen table. We worry more about going overseas sometimes than we do sitting down with a prodigal in the family and simply having a conversation. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. Love, kindness, gentleness will do more good than beating one over the head.

Legacy—what’s your spiritual legacy looking like? I think it’s interesting that most people in the world would be fascinated about being connected to Dillinger. But this family doesn’t talk about it. They are more interested in being connected to Jesus. And, that, speaks volumes! And, that may be just one reason so many of them walk with the Lord.

Roger

Jump Start # 1586

Judges 2:10 “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

Solomon said, “a generation goes and a generation comes” (Ecc 1:4). Modern times have put labels on each generation. There are baby boomers, and Millennials, Generation X, and Generation Y. My dad’s generation is considered “The greatest generation.” Each generation is different. Each generation faces unique challenges and trials. There have been wars and depressions. There have been terrorist attacks and men walking on the moon. There have been floods and earthquakes. Some generations have witnessed many changes. Some have gone from no electricity to cell phones. Each generation has had stars and heroes. Each generation has seen changes from the previous generation. My grandma had hobos. I had hippies.

Our passage today reflects the passing of one generation and the coming of the next generation. The handing of the keys wasn’t smooth nor good. Joshua was the link to Moses. He knew Moses. He knew the 10 Commandments. He saw the plagues. He saw the Red Sea open up. There was Moses and then there was Joshua. But now it was time for Joshua to go. There arose another generation. This generation was moving a different direction. They did not know the Lord. What follows is sad:

• Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord (11)
• They forsook the Lord (12)
• They followed other gods (12)
• They bowed themselves down to the other gods (12)
• They served Baal (13)

These verses concern every parent and every concerned Christian. As we hand the keys over to the next generation, what will happen? Will the next generation love what we have loved? Will they cherish the things of the Lord? Will they be faithful and obedient to the Lord? Will they continue on with the Lord?

Three lessons from this:

1. Each generation owes it to the next generation to teach them the word of God. Simple lessons must be repeated over and over and over. The younger ones must know. They must understand what the Scriptures teach. They must know what the Bible says. They must understand the difference between traditions and Bible. It is our duty to show them, teach them and instruct them. They need to know what God says.

For some reason Joshua’s generation didn’t teach the next generation. The passage says, “They did not know the Lord.” Why? Why did they not know? Was there no teaching? Was there no examples? Was there no guidance? Was there no answering questions? They didn’t know. Some how the ball was dropped. And that would affect future generations.

There must be some patience from those of us who know. We must remember that others do not know. So, lessons that we have heard before, must be taught again and again. Simple lessons. The same lessons.

2. Once error starts, it continues. Crack the door just  a bit here, and those that follow will open it wide. What one generation allowed, the next will take farther. This is especially true if there is no Bible teaching. We see this with the history of Israel’s kings. We see this in our times. Look the other way, when it comes to living together. Look the other way when it comes to divorce for any reason. The next step is looking the other way for homosexual relationships. Now, it’s same sex marriages. The door is still being opened. What follows will be one person with multiple mates, polygamy. It won’t stop there. After that, marriage to pets. Wait, it won’t stop there. Then parents will be marrying their own kids. Farther and farther and farther away from God. We see this with the entertainment driven churches. They keep trying to please the crowds. More food. More shows. More fun. More laughter. Less Bible. No doctrine. No talk about sin. No righteous stuff. No rules. No accountability. Shallow. Hollow. Superficial. Empty. Nothing. Cheap talk. Nice words. No changing. No walking like Christ.

The slippery road down the slope of error is slow and gradual. It is often not even noticed. A step here and a step there and before long, after a few generations, they are so far from where it all started. Look at religious history—this is the story. Where the modern church is today is so far from where their founders started. Yet, they started by stepping away from the Bible. Once that happened, it’s hard to say what is going on today is wrong.

3. Once the door is opened, it cannot be closed. There is no going back. The days of Mayberry are over. It will never happen again. We have gone too far down the road. This is the danger of error. It takes people to places they never intended to be but once the door was opened, they could not close it. Shameful words spoken on TV was never allowed just a generation ago. What is PG today, would have been R a generation ago. The door is opened and there is no closing it.

What then can we do? Are we destined for these things? Is there any hope? Yes. The hope is in Jesus. Not as a nation, and not as a society, or even a generation, but as individuals, one by one, we can become righteous, holy and pure in the eyes of the Lord. God’s will can become our will.

All of this happens through teaching of God’s word. A generation arose that did not know the Lord. More specifically, a family arose, kids arose, that did not know the Lord. Do you see how important it is to stand for the Lord and to teach His ways.

Wouldn’t it have been so wonderful to read, “and another generation arose, and it followed the Lord completely.” That can be your family story. That can happen. It won’t just happen, but with teaching and love, it is happening today.

Roger

Jump Start # 1383

Judges 2:10 “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

  Last week the Supreme Court made a decision about same-sex marriage. It seems that the social media exploded with reaction about that decision. Some are dancing in the streets now, rejoicing. They got what they wanted. Others, are crying within as they see our nation taking another step toward ungodliness. Now, that the debate is over and the decision has been declared, who knows what the same-sex advocates will do. There will be another social agenda that they will push that will take us yet further from God. They are marching, not on Washington, but to the sound of Satan. To say anything in opposition, is to be hammered as a hate monger. Deluded preachers line up with the same-sex crowd and announce that the Lord says love one another. Not understanding the Scriptures nor even the core foundation of holiness and righteousness, they further confuse the masses who haven’t read the Bible in years.

The bigger picture, with the legalization of marijuana, states passing out needles for heroin uses, same-sex marriage nation wide, the re-writing of our country’s history, is that we have a nation that is very similar to Israel after Joshua died. Our passage today states that there was another generation who did not know the Lord.

What follows is the results of a nation without God:

• They did evil in the sight of the Lord (11)
• They served the Baals (11)
• They bowed down to the other gods around them (12)
• They angered the Lord (12)

As a result God sold them into the hands of the enemies. A long cycle of the Judges, lasting about 400 years took place.

We are witnessing a generation that does not know God. Without a compass, the people drift with the tide of what is easy, sinful and selfish. Many who quote God on the social media, do not understand the Bible nor the purpose of the Bible.

So, here we are adrift in a nation that has no direction. Selfishness continues to rise. The hatred of all things good and decent climbs. As in Isaiah’s day, “good is being called bad and bad is being called good.” What can we do? I’m hearing that cry from many righteous people.

First, Biblical history teaches us that God has had righteous people even in the darkest days. I cannot imagine a foreign country, like China, invading us and kidnapping some of our young people back to China. Back in the days of Judah, it wasn’t China, but Babylon that did that very thing. The nation was invaded. The temple destroyed. People were killed. Many were taken to Babylon. We know of a few, such as the three Jewish boys in the fiery furnace and Daniel, but there were others who were faithful to God. That group and their children returned after many years. They were faithful. During the New Testament’s dark days of Jewish and then Roman persecution, God’s people remained faithful to Him. God has always heard the cries of His people. He heard them in Egypt. He heard them under the altar in Revelation. So, the first lesson the Bible teaches us is that we will continue to be faithful to God. Our hope is not in who can take over Washington, but He who sits upon the throne in Heaven. We must stand with God. No bending. No compromising. No caving in. No tolerating of wrong. No hatred. No ugliness. No mud slinging. When God has placed the stake in the ground, is where we will stand. We do not fear what man can do to us.

Second, we must teach our families and then our friends the Bible. In Joshua’s day, a generation arose that did not know the Lord. Why? Why did they not know? What were the parents doing? What was the leaders doing? It’s time for serious Bible learning. It’s time to know what God says, how God’s people are to respond, and what God expects of us. It’s time for churches to get serious about teaching. Many are. It’s time for our people to really know the Lord.

Third, Jesus said, many will follow the easy path to destruction. It’s wide. It’s crowded. It’s not demanding. What is happening is nothing more than what Jesus said. There are few who will do what is right. We must surround ourselves with those few. We must spend time with those few. We must turn off dumb TV shows. We must stop reading and watching those things that make our blood pressure rise. Pray more. The loonies may want to change every flag, so what. The banner I pledge my allegiance to is the banner of Christ. They can’t touch that one. What is happening is nothing new. Sadly, God has seen it all too often.

Fourth, we must in kindness and calmness speak up for God. When folks declare, “Jesus says love,” just reply, “He really said, if you love Me, keep my commandments.” When co-workers proudly state, “The Bible says, “don’t judge,” just reply, “No, actually God tells us to judge. Check it out. It’s there. “ Don’t get in a shouting match with those who are not looking for truth, but rather, they are trying to destroy. Don’t debate a fool. Don’t engage in a conversation in which it is one sided and the intention is to make your faith seem stupid. Nothing good can come from that.

We must continue to be faithful to God. If a court can change the definition of marriage, I suppose they can change the definition of life. Once we start changing definitions, wrong becomes right. For my little grandbabies it will be a different world for them, but with godly parents who are teaching them, it will be ok. My generation was so different than my dads. He was part of that greatest generation that survived a depression and fought a massive world war. My generation burned the flag and smoked dope and protested.  We marched in the streets. We engaged in free love. Drugs filled the air and our veins. Hippies became heroes. The songs were of rebellion and anti authority. Those were my times. But I’m not a hippie. I don’t do drugs. I don’t burn flags. I walk with the Lord. I’m honored to preach His word. I try to live righteously. There are many of my generation who didn’t fair well. They were jailed. They died young. They lived without a purpose. But as for me, like Joshua of old, and my house, we will serve the Lord.

We will continue to serve the Lord. So don’t fret my brethren. Don’t lose hope. Don’t quit the battle. We are marching, not to Washington, but to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. Could it be, like Esther, that God has placed us here for such an occasion as this?

Roger

Jump Start # 1136

Judges 2:10 “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

Our verse today is a reminder to all parents what can happen so quickly. The following verses show the depth of apostasy as Israel, “served the Baals, and forsook the Lord…followed other gods of the people who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger.” One generation missed it. Those that followed them weren’t even close. Joshua, so strong, so faithful, the sidekick of Moses, yet those after him did not know the Lord.

This story is repeated over and over. Today, we see grandparents who attend. Their children do not. The grandkids do not. I’ve seen this at funerals. The departed was a strong and dedicated believer. The kids, never seen them before. They live in the area but never attend. Their kids, the grandkids, have no clue about death and what happens after that. Reading the Bible is like reading Russian to them. They have no idea, no understanding and no care about what the Bible says. One generation missed it.

I’ve been reading a biography about Howard Hughes, the billionaire. He set airplane records, owned movie studios and TWA and was in company with Hollywood’s legends and famous politicians. He wasn’t a good person. He was very immoral, broke the rules to his liking, was mean and crazy at the end. His life was troubled and lacked Jesus. He was a mess. But here’s the interesting thing about Howard Hughes. He had a huge connection to the churches of Christ. His great-great grandfather, John Allen Gano, is said to have baptized more people in Kentucky than any other person. His great grandfather, Richard Gano, a famed Confederate general in the Civil War, preached and baptized 4,000 people in Texas. Very well known and very prominent preachers in their days. Richard’s son, William, Howard’s grandfather, became a successful attorney in Dallas. Not much is said about him religiously. A generation is slipping. Howard’s mom, nothing. Howard—a moral mess. One can only imagine the massive amount of good that could have been accomplished had Hughes poured his energies and wealth into the kingdom of Christ. What a waste. What lost opportunity. How close he was in family legacy to God’s truth, only to live so far from it. A generation did not know the Lord.

Many good folks have tried their best to raise their children to be godly. They did all the right things. Still, the grown children did not see the value nor the importance of God in their lives. They chose to superficially believe. The parents of these grown children often live with massive guilt, feeling that they failed. They see other families and the spiritual legacy continues on from one generation to the next. They see families worshipping together, three, four generations. It is enough to cause their hearts to break. The kids aren’t interested. They’ve talked and talked to them. Nothing. Sometimes ugliness at church left a negative impression upon young hearts that later in life causes them to run from all things religious. Sometimes it was the early influences of friends who lived without boundaries and God. Sometimes it is a result of who they dated and married. They married someone who wasn’t as serious about the Lord and to keep peace at home, they stayed home and didn’t worship anymore. Backseat driving has all kinds of answers, reasons and fingers to point. The truth of it all is that these grown people have not taken the Lord seriously. It’s a personal decision. When one truly believes in Christ, nothing will stop them. They will see through church problems, hypocrites, bad preaching, churches that ignore young people, long distances to travel and anything else you can throw in the way. The love of Christ will plow through all of those things. When one believes in God, they will lay their head down to the executioner or sing praises on the way to the stake to be burned alive. This is what the early saints did. Should it be any different today?

It’s a matter of faith. We do not live our faith through the church, but directly to Christ. Stop blaming the shallow and weak faith on the church. It’s not the church’s fault. Each of us need to open our Bibles and read. We each need to feed our faith, and not just once in a while in a Bible class. Our faith stands through the storms, it drives us to unbelievable accomplishes and it keeps us going during the darkest hours. Faith, will pull that tired body out of bed and head to the church house when sleeping in seems so wonderful on a cold, wintery Sunday morning. That faith will cause you to clean the house, cook some food and invite a family over, when you just feel like watching tv alone. That faith will push you to speak out, stand up, invite, encourage, think of what more can be done. That faith won’t allow you to be still or quit. It will remind you of what the apostles endured. It will show you what your Savior did. I believe. That statement will cause a family to drive miles and miles to find a congregation that is healthy and thriving. I believe will not cause that family to fuss over the distance, the price of gas or the time involved. I believe. It will cause a family to look deeply at what they are doing, who their friends are, and whether or not they have surrounded themselves with godly heroes of faith. They will know God’s people. They will intersect their lives with godly people. This is what faith does. The family will grow up knowing and doing and sharing in God’s blessings. Prayers are as common as breathing. The Bible is read daily. Worship is a given. Ballgames, travel and even work are secondary to the worship of God. I believe.

When life throws a fast ball, such as cancer or death, believers stay the course. They know what God says. They believe. God is personal, real and necessary.

Why is it that one generation believes and the next doesn’t? It is a matter of personal faith. It is my job to help the next generation establish that faith. They must learn to feed that faith. I can help. I can show them. I can be a part of that. You can too. You can be the difference. Each person must believe. The faith of a grandparent doesn’t transfer to a grandchild. That grandpa can illustrate and teach, but that child must grow to be a believer.

Faith is the victory. That is the answer.

Roger