The Greatest Generation

THE GREATEST GENERATION

TEXT: Joshua 1:1-9

Joshua 1:1 9 -- “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,” “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.” “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

l. INTRODUCTION -- THE GREATEST GENERATION

Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.

The year was 1940 and it would be called the fulcrum of America in the twentieth century. The nation was balanced precariously between the darkness of the Great Depression on one side and the storms of war in Europe and the Pacific on the other. It was a critical time in the reshaping of this nation and the world, equal to the revolution of 1776 and the perils of the Civil War. Once again the American people understood the magnitude of the challenge, the importance of an unparalleled national commitment, and most of all, the certainty that only one resolution was acceptable. The nation turned to its young to carry the heaviest burden, to fight in enemy territory and to keep the home front secure and productive. These young men and women were eager for the assignment. They understood what was required of them, and they willingly volunteered for their duty.

Out of that generation would come:

Thomas Broderick -- He would take a German bullet through the temple and return to the United States blind for life. He would learn braille and become a wealthy man who established a local insurance business. He refused to allow anyone in the house use the word “blind” around him.

Charles Van Gorder -- He would go to the war as a physician and operate in tents as they were taking fire from the Germans. He would land on the beaches of Normandy shortly after D-day and operate on patients for 28 to 30 hours at a time without sleep. He left the war and went to a small town in Andrews, North Carolina and build a hospital along with John Rodda another physician he met in the Army.

-Those are just two of the profiles of men who came from what some have termed “The Greatest Generation.”

-But the Church has never had it’s greatest generation. Great accomplishments have come to the Church, but God is still looking for the Greatest Generation to arise and fulfill His Will. WE WILL BECOME THAT GREATEST GENERATION.

II. THE GREATEST GENERATION -- THEN

-In Biblical history, this time frame was one of the greatest moments of Israel’s history. After 430 years of slavery, Israel had left Egypt behind in the colossal defeat of the Red Sea. The harsh taskmasters of Egypt had been no match for God. The heavy work loads had not wilted them down, it had made them stronger (much can be said about adversity making great men and women). Pharaoh and his armies had been no match for God.

-Amazingly enough, the greatest distractor among the Israelites was the seed of doubt that infected them about the time they started to go into the Promised Land. The minority of ten voices overwhelmed the majority of two voices in the early stages after the Exodus.