It has been said that Christianity is one Generation away from extinction:
How can this be possible: When a Generation has witnessed such powerful and glorious manifestations of
the presence and power of God?
Answ: When the generation that has seen the works of God fails to pass it on to the next generation, that generation is left without witness.
De 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
Jud 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).
How could this happen to Israel, No one had ever seen a greater manifestation of the power and the glory of God in their behalf?
Here is the answer
There is only one reason this Generation did not know the works of God (They had not been told)!!!!!!!!!!!
(They had no Memorials)
The most important thing we can leave the next generation is a memorial ( a memorial of personal testimony) I was there, I saw it, I heard it, I felt it.
We could leave behind us, beautiful buildings and properties worth millions of dollars (debt free)
Or we could leave to our children an inheritance of millions of dollars, (but the most important thing we can give our children and the next generation is a spiritual heritage).
We have often joked about grandma and grandpas old time religion, and called it water under the bridge, and old manna
But if the truth be known our generation would be largely without any witness of the power of God if it wasn’t for Grandma and Grandpa’s memorials.
No we can’t live on their experience, but we can learn from it, be inspired by it, motivated by it, and build on it.
It is in the mind of God that each succeeding generation should experience a greater glory and greater manifestation of his power than the preceding generation.
With the history of Gods faithfulness, and Gods presence and Power in the midst of his people to build on, each succeeding generation should be walking in greater glory than the generation before.
When Israel came out of Egypt and came to the Red Sea God caused an east wind to blow all that night, then in the morning they crossed on dry land.
But when Joshua came to Jordan: God required a greater faith on their part ( Why? Because they had a memorial to build from) they had a testimony of Gods mighty power.
They did not walk into the middle of a divided sea, they did not see the way opened before them, nothing happened until their feet were dipped in the water
Moses stretched out his rod and the waters parted, but not so for Joshua, God required more.
I believe God requires more from our generation than those gone before us, we have so many more advantages than past generations, technology gives us access to preaching, teaching, ministry of every kind.
We have every convenience you can imagine to save time, We have the washing machine, the dryer, the microwave, Cars that go over 30 mph.
We have computers, we can read the bible, without even turning a page, we can put in a tape or cd, mp3, and hear the bible read to us.
We have books to help us understand the bible.
But here’s the million dollar question: For all we have (What are we leaving behind us?).
Do we want to be known as the generation that had everything we wanted but lost what we needed?
Ps 106:15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
This was speaking of a generation who got what they wanted but lost what they needed.
Exe 10:1-2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:
And (that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD).
It is sad but The religious world has torn down most of our memorials, You used to hear a lot of people say ( I remember when, then they would rehearse the goodness of God). But you hardly ever here those words anymore.
Well here was a generation that had seen the works of God, they had seen the plagues in Egypt, and how God divided the Red Sea, but they were just children,
But now all the old timers were gone, dead in the wilderness.
But God was not dead: and it was their turn now to leave something behind for the next generation, it was their turn to build a memorial of Gods mighty power in their midst.
I am closing this message with this question:
What are we leaving behind us?
What kind of memorial are we building that generations to come can look at and be inspired by and motivated to believe God for miracles and signs and wonders in their midst?
If our generation does not get busy and build some memorials of Gods power in our midst, this next generation behind us is going to be left without a witness.
Joshua built 2 memorials that day: One in the middle of Jordan (Standing where it was impossible to stand, doing what was impossible to do: Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord). It stands as a witness for any one going through the valley of the shadow of death, that if God did this for us he will do it for you, (we made it to this point by trusting God).
And the second one: On the Other side ( How we got over).
By the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.
These were testimonies, of the power and the faithfulness of God, of his ability to keep his word.
Again I ask the question:
What are we leaving behind us?
