Making A Deposit
Psalms 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, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has 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, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalms 78:1-8 NKJV)
Intro:
When you look at the message title, you may have thought that I was going a certain direction with the message today. The direction The Lord is leading me is...We need to make a deposit into the younger generation. The future of the church and the world depends on what we deposit into the younger generation. The younger generation will come up, doing what they see, and what they are taught. If we want future growth in the church, then we MUST make a deposit into the younger generation.
What They Are Seeing Today, Isn't Going To Work.
2 Kings 17:14-17
Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. (II Kings 17:14-17 NKJV)
The children of Israel turned their back on God, becoming idolaters, and putting other this before God, and passing these things to their children, therefore provoking God to anger.
Sounds like what's happening today, doesn't it?
The younger generation is not committed to God, or coming to church, because WE are not committed.
They see us letting other things take precedence over coming to church and the things of God, so they grow up thinking it's ok.
The younger generation doesn't give to God like they should.
The average age of people who tithe in America is 54. What that tells me is, we are not teaching the younger generation to give. Statistics say that most people 25 years of age and under, don't give at all.
We need to start when they are children teaching the importance of investing into the kingdom of God.
What We Learn And Do, We Teach Our Children
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, (Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV)
Remember, we are the example that our children follow. If we want them to serve The Lord, and be faithful, then we must serve The Lord and be faithful.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NKJV)
We Are Created To Serve The Lord
Psalms 102:18
This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. (Psalms 102:18 NKJV)
We Learn From History
Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4 NKJV)
Psalms 22:30&31
A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. (Psalms 22:30, 31 NKJV)
Posterity- All future generations
Conclusion
We have a responsibility to teach the younger generations, the things of God. Remember, the future of the church, this country, and everything else rides on them, and what they are taught, so lets make a deposit into the next generation.
