Continuing when your mentors go home
The Book of Judges • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewA challenge to walk faithfully when your heroes in the faith go home.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Last time I preached on Judges I titled the message: Why have ye don this? The children of Israel slacked off on what God told them to do and then God removed his blessing from them to defeat their enemies. Instead the enemies were going to beat them.
Judges 2:6–10 “And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.”
D. The people of Israel only served to the death of Joshua’s generation.
P. We must be committed followers of Christ when our mentors go home.
T. Why is this passage in the Bible? I think one reason this passage is in the Bible is to challenge us with a poor example of what happens when faith is not passed down to the next generation and the next generation only has commitment that is eyeservice deep.
1. Commitment until a heroes or the generation of heroes go home. Judges 2:6-9
1. Commitment until a heroes or the generation of heroes go home. Judges 2:6-9
Judges 2:6–9 “And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.”
Explain
They left to possess. They were pumped they had gone to their revival meeting at Bochim and wept and cried before the Lord. Now they were headed home determined to do right.
They served the Lord. That is great, but that is not all the verse says, there is this little tiny word in there that changes my perspective of their service for God. Do you see it. What is that word is “all”.
When I see the word all I think of 100% effort, all in, the entirety of a thing. However, their service was limited to under 100% because the generation after Joshua and the elders died, quit on God.
It was short-lived commitment.
Argue
Illustrate
Ephesians 6:6 “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”
Do you know what happens in human nature when you quit serving God. You don’t quit serving altogether. You serve something else. Romans 6:15–16 “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” There are to choices on the shelf: Pleasing God or pleasing self. It could be stated this way there are to choices on the shelf obeying God or obeying sin.
Apply
Who are your mentors in your life? I hope they are some godly Christians, perhaps a Mom or Dad, an older Godly man or woman. Someone that has a walk with God that is apparent to all around them.
What is it that attracted you to them? What kind of commitments do they have to serve God. What spiritual disciplines are in their lives.
2. Commitment is non-existent. Judges 2:10
2. Commitment is non-existent. Judges 2:10
Judges 2:10 “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.”
Explain
What was the marks of this new generation?
They did not know the Lord.
They did not know the Lord’s works.
Why did this happen? Perhaps this generation knew the generalities of the faith.
Well they expect me to go to church.
I am a Christian, so that is what I do, but you don’t have relationship with God. All you have is a system of rules.
These people did not know God.
The generation before did not pass down the stories of God’s great works towards them as his people. What great things had the Lord done. These people grandparents had witnessed the 10 plagues and the Red Sea Crossing, these people’s fathers had helped conquer the promised land. They had crossed the Jordan river in flood season on dry ground and saw the walls of Jericho fall down with a shout. Now these stories perhaps had been heard, but they really did not know God. They didn’t have a personal relationship with God. They probably thought themselves as knowing God because they used his name. But they also bought into the idea that they needed to serve the gods of the heathen around them and in their midst.
Do you see. The Forefathers failed to separate from the worldly influences and practices around them and in one generation, the children adopted the practices of the heathen around them.
The generation before did not continue to live out the great victories that had been experienced through obedience to the Lord under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.
This people did not take time to know God.
Read his word
pray
acknowledge him in all you do.
attend church faithfully
Be in relationship with other Godly Christians who will put your feet to the fire.
Argue
If your faith is not everyday real in your life, it won’t be real to those around you.
If you claim one thing about what you believe, but your actions disagree with your talk, your actions are going to be what is believed.
If you do not make a personal commitment to serve God. You will not serve God. You must set your hope in God.
Illustrate
I see this kind of short lived commitment today as I knock on doors. My momma died or my daddy and I have never forgiven God for that.
Or, I grew up going to church, but I don’t really know why I stopped. I just lost interest.
I just thought my parents and grand parents were a bit narrow minded. I needed to take test things out for myself. Why there were many people around that didn’t go to church. I wanted to idolize their music and sports as they did and well, I just got to busy for God. My school work, continuing education, and job just doesn’t allow me to get to church. Or, I have this child care, physical ailments, and a work load that keeps me from having regular prayer and devotions. Yes, I know that the Christians of the past did so, and its a good thing, but I don’t see the need for it in my life. I can get by without church.
Apply
What are things that we set our hope in?
The Lord Jesus, but then other things tend to vie for our hope as well.
A president
A bank account
A job
Health
A Doctor
A medicine
Sports dictate our hope of happiness
When we have put our hope in the wrong things what should we do.
Confess wrongly placed hope as sin against our holy and good God.
Reset our hope in God.
Read God’s Word to remind us who our God is and guide us to proper hope in his ability.
Watch out against buying into the worldly philosophy’s of this world. Be separate.
My kids will not go to public school because the education is not godly and the good Christian teachers will lose their jobs for being vocal about it and no touting the humanistic religion.
Watch out what your watching in your entertainment. Even the video games they make are woke these days. The philosophies taught in seemingly innocent kid shows and movies put out today are often sinisterly innocent. Others are blatantly disgusting and ungodly. If those kind of people would not be allowed in your home why let them in through your TV, phone, or tablet.
Set your heart in God.
Psalm 78:1–8 “Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Shewing to the generation to come The praises of the Lord, and his strength, And his wonderful works that he hath done. 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: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; Who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation; A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”
We must listen to God’s Word/Law and his teachers.
We must purposefully teach God’s word/Law to our children both systematically and informally. (Deuteronomy 6:6–7 “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 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.” )
It is not a drop them off at Sunday School and expect them to get all the religious instruction they need for life. While we have great Sunday School teachers, they are an assistant to the parents in training their children for the Lord.
Coming up for church and hearing an 45 minutes of preaching isn’t going to do it either. You must personally set your affections on things above.
Colossians 3:1–3 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Pray for God to show himself strong in your life so that your children and grand children have undeniable evidence of God’s power and you can challenge them afresh from your own life and God’s Word to set their hearts in Him.
Conclusion
Are you going to quit doing what Christians ought to do when your health gets bad? Are you going to quit if persecution comes. Are you gonna quit when your spouse goes home, or your Mom and Dad pass on, when life gets to busy, or you simply lose interest because you have set your affections elsewhere. My friend let us be wise and avoid the mistake of the Israelites
Set your heart in Christ above who has given all for you.
