Title: Breaking the Chains of Generational Curses
Theme: Family Focus Series
Text: Exodus 34:6-7
Exodus 34:6-7 “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generation.” Similar scriptures are Exodus 20:5, Num 14:18, Deut 5:9.
Introduction
“visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children, and upon the children’s children, and unto the third and fourth generation”
These are some interesting scriptures to ponder. If they are true then they have some major implications. It would be easy to ignore these scriptures if this was the only one but it is mentioned three other times in the Bible. Exodus 20:5, Numbers 14:18, Deuteronomy 5:9
What does it mean? It means that the sins of a family can be passed down from generation to generation.
Moses and generational curses
Generational curses are judgments that are passed on to individuals because of sins perpetuated in a family in a number of generations. Generational curses are similar to original sin curses because they can be passed down on a generational basis. They differ in that generational curses do not impose eternal judgment. They bring judgment or bondage during an individual’s life, reducing the quality of life, until that individual addresses the sin issues that put the curses into place.
Moses addressed this issue when the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land. He told the new generation that was preparing to enter in that they would not enter unless the dealt with their own personal sins and also the sins of their fathers. The account can be found in
Leviticus 26:39-42 "Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sin they will waste away. But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers - their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies - then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land."
Difference between punishment and suffering
We see that it is possible to suffer because of a sin or sins that our parents or forefathers committed, but is that suffering punishment from God? Are we being punished for our parent’s sins? The answer is “no!” We are not being punished for our parent’s sin! God didn’t say in Exodus 34:7 that he visits the “punishment” of the fathers upon the children; he said, “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children . . .” He visits the “sin” upon the children and grandchildren. This means that the children and grandchildren will repeat many of the same sins.
Definition of generation curses
One reasonable definition of a generational sin or curse is that it is “the natural consequence of ingrained behavioral patterns that are passed down from one generation to the next.” Generational sin can be viewed as learned behavioral patterns, and this includes “spiritual” behavioral patterns.
Individual Responsibility
I want to talk about this a little bit more, but before I do I want to point out our individual responsibility for our sins. In Ezekiel 18:2 we find that the children of Israel were trying to excuse themselves of their own individual responsibility for sin, for they were quoting a proverb, which said, “The father’s have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” They were basically saying, “Our father’s sinned, and we are unjustly being punished for their sins,” when in actuality they were being punished for their own sins.
The Lord said in Ezekiel 18:4, “The soul who sins shall die.” God basically told them, “You are not being punished for your parent’s sins, but for your own sins.”
The Israelites repeated the same sins of their forefathers, and so they were suffering the same consequences of their forefather’s sins. Likewise, many of us are repeating the same sins of our forefathers, and therefore we are suffering the same consequences, but we are not being punished for their sins.
A generational sin, or generational curse, is when we practice the sins of our forefathers, and these sinful behavioral patterns are ingrained within us, and they have remained in our households and families for many years.
Behavioral Sins
There are numerous sinful behavioral patterns and sins that can be passed on through the generations such as: Divorce, Addictions, Sexual Sins, Emotional Disorders, Depression, Bitterness, Negativity, Prejudice, Poverty, Failure, and Worry. You name it, and there is a very good chance that it can be passed on. I have heard that some health problems can be the result of generational sin. Some health problems are linked with stress and worry.
Well, worry is the sin of not trusting in the Lord, and it can become a generational sin, or learned behavior passed through the generations. I have heard that some mental illnesses are linked with fear, and fear can become a generational or learned sin as well. If you see a string or pattern of one of these things that I just mentioned running down through your family tree, then that’s a good indication of a generational sin or generational curse.
Recognizing Generational Curses
Generational sin will continue to plague our own lives and even trickle down to our great grandchildren if we don’t stop it right now. When we hear of the generational curse we might feel kind of helpless, but we are not! We are only helpless when we are ignorant of what is taking place in our lives, but with this morning’s message comes an awareness of our need to reflect upon our lives and our family history, and see what mistakes and sins continue to be repeated over and over. And when we identify them, we then have an opportunity to confess them and break the curse. In an article I found on generational sin and curses it says, “The truth is, now that you have owned the sins of your ancestors, in Jesus Christ you have the power to break the cycles so that they do not have to be passed on to your children. Now that these sins are exposed, you no longer have to live under their influences. You can take your place as a child of God in your lineage and make a difference for generations to come.” Now, isn’t that good news!
Nehemiah’s Confession of Generational Sins
Breaking a generational curse comes through confession and repentance, as we just read about in 1 John 1:9. We have to confess “our” wrongs, and also the sins of our ancestors. We must then repent of those crimes. An excellent example of confessing and repenting of generational sin is found in Nehemiah 1:5-7. In verse 5 we read, “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments’.” Did you catch something familiar that Nehemiah said here? He just restated the first part of our main passage back in Exodus 34:6-7. Nehemiah was basically saying, “Lord, I remember your admonition about generational sin, but I also remember you saying that you are a forgiving God.”
After Nehemiah reminds the Lord that he is forgiving, he continues with his confession and repentance, for he says in verses 6-7, “Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.” Nehemiah did not just confess his own sins, but we see here that he confessed the sins of all the children of Israel (his relatives’ sin), and he confessed the wrongs of his father’s house (his parent’s sin). What Nehemiah confessed here was the generational sin of his relatives and ancestors, and he did this in order to break the curse of sin both in his own life and in the life of his descendants.
We could also ask the Lord to help us identity any of those sins, so that we can confess them. We must also pray that God give us the strength and wisdom not to repeat any of those sins, for if repeat them we have not truly repented of them. The good news is, is that when we confess those sins and turn away from them, we break the curse!
Time of Reflection
I want to encourage each and every person here this morning to break the curse of sin in your life. If you already know the Lord Jesus as your Savior and you are still sinning, then confess those sins and ask for forgiveness. If you can identify any sins in your life that are the result of a wrong learned behavior passed down through the generations, then confess those sins and ask for forgiveness. Then turn from those sins and you will break the cycle of those sins in your family line.
If you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have already heard that you are living with the curse of sin that was passed down from our first forefather, Adam. Sin is a curse, for Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages [or payment] of sin is death.” The end result of sin is spiritual death in hell for all of eternity, but that curse can be broken in your life this morning through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
If you recognize some generational curses please come and confess them and bring them out on the table.
Romans 5:12 and 14 says, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and this death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam.”
