What if everyone did whatever they wanted? – Week 1:
A Great Generation Dies
Text: Judges 1.1-21.
Introduction:
1. In 1998 Tom Brokaw wrote a book about the men and women who persevered through the days of the great depression and later fought and won WW2. He wrote this as part of his introduction and explanation for his purpose to write the book… "In the spring of 1984, I went to the northwest of France, to Normandy, to prepare an NBC documentary on the fortieth anniversary of D-Day, the massive and daring Allied invasion of Europe that marked the beginning of the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. There, I underwent a life-changing experience. As I walked the beaches with the American veterans who had returned for this anniversary, men in their sixties and seventies, and listened to their stories, I was deeply moved and profoundly grateful for all they had done. Ten years later, I returned to Normandy for the fiftieth anniversary of the invasion, and by then I had come to understand what this generation of Americans meant to history. It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." Mr. Brokaw said a bit farther on…” At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting in the most primitive conditions possible across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the coral islands of the Pacific. They answered the call to save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front. They won the war; they saved the world. They came home to joyous and short-lived celebrations and immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted. They married in record numbers and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers. A grateful nation made it possible for more of them to attend college than any society had ever educated, anywhere. They gave the world new science, literature, art, industry, and economic strength unparalleled in the long curve of history. As they now reach the twilight of their adventurous and productive lives, they remain, for the most part, exceptionally modest. They have so many stories to tell, stories that in many cases they have never told before, because in a deep sense they didn't think that what they were doing was that special, because everyone else was doing it too. Mr. Brokaw expressed his conviction about that generation as follows… "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the… "right thing to do."
2. When I read these words and think about the kind of people who formed that particular generation of Americans I have to ask the question….Where are the people today who have that kind of character?
3. The book of Judges is a book primarily about a nation that had seen their “greatest generation” come and go. They too could look back and see great people and great leaders in their past, but in their present; the people were aimless and lost.
4. Today I want to begin with you a journey to read and tell the stories found in the book of Judges. We will see what was going on in Israel and how they were led inextricably, one step at a time, from great blessing to great loss and ultimately great judgement.
5. But this book is not merely a dry recitation of history….it is living and interesting, it is about the lives of ordinary people like you and me….and we can learn a great deal from them. So many things that we will read and learn in the coming months apply directly to the problems facing America and the American church today.
6. Open with a short prayer for blessing.
First, let’s get some background for the story we are about to begin …
I. The first chapter and a half of the book of the Judges is a simple recounting of the high points and victories of the generation of people who lived under Joshua and his leadership and of those who outlived him, yet remembered him personally.
A. Let’s begin by reading Joshua 24.29-31.
B. Let’s continue by reading the beginning of the book of the Judges…Judges 1.1a and 2.7-10.
C. This lets us know that Judges begins with a description and recounting of “A Great Generation”.
II. What was this Great Generation like?
A. They were committed to the task Joshua had left them – 1.1.
B. They were attentive to the Lord – v. 2.
C. They were Decisive and Obedient – vv. 3-4.
D. They were Sensitive to sin and injustice – vv. 5-7.
E. They were Tenacious – vv. 8-14.
F. They were Audacious – vv. 12-15.
G. They were Courageous – vv. 16-20.
H. But, unfortunately as we will see soon….they were a transitional generation – v. 21.
Let me make just a couple of …
III. Observations here…
A. Israel had a great generation or two who began the important work of establishing the nation in the Promised Land.
B. But this great generation could not, nor could any great generation, complete all the work in the span of their lifetime. So they left their descendants with some big shoes to fill and some unfinished business to address.
C. The descendants of this great generation failed to live up to the task; even though such a great beginning and foundation had been left for them to follow.
IV. Applications:
A. An application to America…As Brokaw pointed out the greatest generation of Americans may well have been that of our grandparents and great-grandparents who fought and won WW2…they made a left us a great foundation upon which to build. But our generation has dropped the ball.
B. An application to the church…those who have gone on before us, our spiritual ancestors (Jesus, the Apostles, previous generations of believers), made a great beginning and have left us a great foundation upon which to build the church…but, spiritually speaking we too have dropped the ball.
C. An application to the individual…individuals of our generation are disconnected from the past, from the church, and even from each other. As America has lost its way; as churches have left the faith….individuals have increasingly found themselves lonely, sick, depressed, and lost.
Conclusion:
1. What is to be done?
2. The solution will occur in the reverse. We must start with ourselves; individuals must repent and return to the God Who loves us, Who created us, and Who stands ready to save us. Then we as a church must repent and return to the mission God has entrusted to us.
3. Ultimately, if enough individuals repent and return, and enough churches repent and return….America will change. It won’t happen all at once, like turning the QE2, but it can begin with just one person, and it can start in just one church.
4. Let me encourage you to purpose to be that person, and invite all of us to purpose to be that church…purpose in your hearts to be all the things that are needed from a “Great Generation” of Christ followers: Be committed to the mission, be decisive in your obedience, be sensitive to sin and injustice wherever they may be found. Stand up for what is right, even if no one else stands. In fighting for what is right be tenacious, audacious, and courageous.
Closing Prayer
The Deacon’s Offering
The Holy Communion
Closing Hymn
