Confessions of a Church: The Generational Transition
The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.
This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.
Deuteronomy 4:21-31
21 “Now the Lord was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 For I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this good land. 23 So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the Lord your God has commanded you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.25 “When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. 28 There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Moses was passing from leadership. God had determined that he would not enter into the promised land and so the children of God would be leaving Moses behind. Moses though is a good father. And He is leaving instructions for the people as they move forward. The book of Deuteronomy is not only the book that gives the second reading of the law but it is in some way like a work of a father to his children who are now growing and leaving the nest. It is the passing of the torch from one generation to the next. This is always a hard time for most organizations. Its also difficult for families. Genesis chapter 2 speaks of a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife. Having children grow up and enter the stage of life is hard. It is painful for everyone involved. Parents are having to learn how to transition from having a commanding presence over their children to an influential presence. Young men and women are itching for independence and stretching out to find their own way. With this comes a lot of conflict. It is during these teenage years that teenagers begin to question everything their parents have taught or believed. They are trying to figure out if they really hold to it. Its during this time that the hero status of dad or mom takes a hit and mom and dad seem to be pretty stupid to you. We think of them as naïve. They don’t know all the ways of your generation. They just can’t understand your problems and yet they insist you hold to their ways. You just want to stretch out and make decisions for yourself. If the teenager thinks mom and dad are a little stupid and foolish, the thought is mutual as mom and dad can’t understand how they raised such an idiot for a son or daughter. Mom and dad can see several steps down the road the decisions their sons or daughters are making and if the son or daughter would just listen, they wouldn’t have to make this mistake or face that consequence. And yet the hard part is knowing as a parent when to shut up and let them make that stupid decision that you just know will be stupid and when to do everything in your power to keep them from making it. It’s a painful time. Now I can’t speak as one having been a parent to teenagers but I can speak as one who has been a teenager and went through the phase where I thought I was much more street smart and savy than my parents. As you get older you do realize you were mistaken about your parents being dumb. They are much wiser than you realized. And I do image that for parents they do end up coming to respect their children’s decision making and see that maybe they didn’t do a bad job raising a son or daughter after all.
But still this is a difficult time. Now, none of us have the prophetic insight of Moses. Moses knew that the generation he was heading the baton off to would make some stupid and sinful decisions. He knew that future generations of Israelites would fall into idolatry. Therefore He warned them. God’s wrath would be upon them. And then He also gave them this great encouragement. “29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.”
Parents of teenagers, you need to follow the model of Moses. Keep warning your sons and daughters to flee idolatry and all manner of evil. But as you do this warning, you should do so with faith. Trust that even if your teenager makes a decision which you are sure will lead to bad consequences that God can deliver them if they repent. And therefore constantly remind your children that God will judge their sin but God also is merciful and will forgive them if they return to him.
Teenagers and young adults, as you are trying to find your way in this life and you want to just be yourself and make your own decisions. Listen to the warning of Moses. The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Don’t reject the faithful teaching you have received to go play with idols, to get yourself into sexual immorality or vain philosophies of the world. You don’t have to reject the truth to be yourself. You don’t have to be a rebel against God to be your own person. That’s a lie. God can and he will discipline you if you are his. Worse he will judge you if you are not his.
That said, know this God is compassionate and merciful. He won’t fail you. He won’t forget his covenant promises to you. If you have been in sin and maybe hiding it from everyone, return to the Lord and he will forgive you. Now is the day of salvation. Don’t waste your time now and think you will wait till the latter days to return. Return to the Lord and He will be gracious to you.
If you are able let us kneel and confess that we are all sinners who need the grace of a merciful and faithful Father.
Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to his church:
Colossians 1:13-20 13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lift up your hearts!