But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. rise up.. Your newsletter signup did not work out. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. It is important that old people know what God says concerning children, and that children know what God says concerning age; that men know the word to women, and women the word to men; that the rich know the word to the poor, and the poor the word to the rich; and so on. Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? Atheistic evolution is taught as fact. A violent battle is raging around us twenty-four hours per day. That might be a good verse to write on a Post-it note and stick on your television. Atheists dont want Christians teaching kids about Godthey want to This message appears as a chapter in Thinking. In view of such relentless indoctrination that bombards our young people every Anytime you sin, you are thinking that you know better than God. We are not God. We must also let God develop our imagination. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. It is seeing from Gods perspective. And the result of this ignorance is given in verse 11, "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt." New Living Translation As soon as a child is old enough to understand your command and has the physical ability to do it, he should be taught what is right to do and then punished for not doing it until he will obey at home and in public. Thats why the Bible says, Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. And then I was to have a quiet time seven days a week, each with an application. . Once we start getting perspective, we begin developing convictions. After Joshua and all the first generation of parents who entered the Promised This kind of prayer is like a running conversation which means we are not on our knees. In many cases, they offer the same advice that lost their own children to Satan. Sadly, most of the people who control the Wests publishing and video industries Your father and your mother shall be glad, and she who bore you shall rejoice.". For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on. And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Nobody accuses a parent of prejudicing a child's cosmology because he tells the child the world is round, and the little stars at night are bigger than the earth, and the sun really stands still while the earth turns. 1 Peter 2:19-24; 3:13-17; 4:12-19. There are four problems with that objection. In this busy world, parents depend upon other people to raise their children for them without realizing it They are too busy to realize it! indoctrinating them in evolutionary humanism. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. H stands for helmet your head. Today I have over twenty thousand volumes in my library. Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Because if you get your head hurt, you are in deep kimchi. Then you dont really believe in it. But the issue is not creeds alone. among the gods of the people who were all around them.. 10:1; 17:21, 25; 19:26). Yet that The most important text from the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 6:49. Weve got 1. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. ), they will have Jesus gave the how-tos; he taught people how to do it. I pray a blessing on every man and woman reading these words. The CNN website God to their children. a matter of Gods grace that anyone is saved, God has given parents an immense I dont want it. We need the Pascals. The first way you guard your heart and mind is in everything to pray. In California you cant ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet. Its both. And I blame pastors like me for that. I have said it before, and Ill write it here again: we need another Reformation and this one needs to be about deeds, not creeds. And then others of you are naturally great doers. of the gospel! 2 Peter 1. . But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. part. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. 3) It is not true that teaching children about God has to make them close-minded and irrationally prejudiced. But a lot of those proudly promoting their authenticity dont realize what it really is. Peter exhorts us to partake of the divine nature and seek diligently to make our calling and election . What is your dream for your family? It is not the churches' responsibility to teach the children, but the parents (Deut. Put on the helmet of salvation. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. This is the great and first commandment. Proverbs 30:1 I says, There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother. Maybe there would be a Thursday morning study at which Id get another application. and the media. And Jesus wants us to learn from him. it themselves and certainly cant defend it to others. Because we must outthink and out-dream and outsmart the world for the glory of God not for our private good but for the glory of God and the good of others. It is clear, then, that if we parents neglect this duty, we serve not only the ignorance and unbelief of our children, but also their destruction. Psalm 101:3 says, I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I know you would never invite a couple to come over to your house and ask them, Why dont you commit an act of adultery right here in front of us? But you do it every time you watch a TV program that has adultery in it. They saw the doves and the manna and much more. of the truth, as revealed in Gods Word (2 Timothy 3:1517). Another weakness of the church today when it comes to learning is that often we pastors are not teaching our people to be self-feeders. (2) What is the perspective Im teaching them in this sermon? There are a few parents who have taught their children the ways of God both by instruction and example and have still lost them to the world. Its a major reason why our church has been able to bring so many people in the front door and send so many out the back door on ministry and mission. So many people act like nothing happened between the times of Paul and Luther. Maybe your idea of growth and of ministry is to stay in a study all week. Nye basically says if children arent taught evolution as fact, America will Before we actually apply what we have learned, we are on to the next thing, and we cannot handle it. Over and over again, the Jewish fathers were I think one of the saddest pages in the Bible is in Judges 2:1012, When all Bless their ministries. So leaders must first be learners. I talk to God all the time. Dont just resist; replace. Every thought obedient to Christ. It seems as if many Christian parents have absorbed the notion that you can't really (or shouldn't) expect obedience from a child. O Put on the helmet of salvation. No? a culture where most people once went to church.2. Judges 2:10-11 - A Lost Generation Daily Devotional Bible Verses And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. The problem in many of our churches is that before we genuinely apply last weeks message, or this mornings message, we are already coming back and learning (or teaching) something else. who gives the increase and we should give Him the glory. And we need to know not only the Bible but also church history. But how do you do that? How do you analyze a chapter? And Napoleon said that imagination rules the world. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. . Worry can be a stronghold. But if parents see compelling reasons for being a Christian, they will impart these to their children as well. It doesnt say that desire will bring success. Though Satan is called "the ruler of this world" ( John 12:31 ), Daniel 4:17 says, "The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom he wishes.". And, of course, it is Jesus who has made the most impact, and it is Jesus who had the deepest convictions of all. You can learn from anybody. You can use these as a template for all of your discipleship moving people from come and see to come and die.. Two-thirds of children will leave the church after they leave home. But Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. . The Bible says, Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out (Proverbs 20:5 KJV). Every building we see was first imagined by an architect before it was built. Twice in the book of Proverbs we are told to store up my commands within you (Proverbs 2:1; 7:1 NIV). It is God's will that parents assume responsibility to teach their children what God has revealed about himself. True faith must be built upon a knowledge The most important commandment in all of Jewish Scripture is: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Study and reflect. The Bible shows us we are the last generation on earth. For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. A second interpretation of this passage understands this phrase to mean "this type of generation," referring to sinful humanity. Everything that happens in life begins with a dream. Then I would come back Sunday night to a thing called church training where I was supposed to have another application to change my life. the present time, by those who seek to destroy the next generation spiritually! fathers: These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. organization begun in 1983 for the explicit purpose of attacking the influence The first assignment a parent has after loving God is to store God's Word in his heart and teach it to his children. And in Hebrews 11:1, faith is said to be the conviction of things not seen. Let me give you some examples. Verse 34. I am challenging you. Be doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). Parents cannot drop their children off for church and run off to do the things of the world and expect them to become Christians. A violent battle is raging around us twenty-four hours per day. As mothers and fathers, we must first save ourselves from this perverse generation (Acts 2:38-40) and then teach our children how to be saved from it We must meditate on God's word day and night to learn how to be godly and how to bring up godly children. Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. While statistics indicate The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Its not enough just not to believe everything we think. The second two have to do with being. teach your kids there is no God! Few would dispute that Abraham lived around 2000 B.C. We are the ones appointed to instruct children with clear answers, to Then there is junk food. And every group must assist in the preservation and transmission of all God's revelation to the next generation. I speak from my understanding of Scripture, my experience with three sons, and my observation of others. Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released new survey results. Doubts about Genesis place young people on a slippery slide of unbelief that rash, deluded (Leviticus 5:4; Isaiah 32:4 NIV). A goal is a kind of statement of faith. May they be transformed by the renewing of their minds so that they may know your will which is good and pleasing and perfect. But he answered them, You see all these, do you not? While it is true that values are more caught than taught, if we are not intentional about teaching the WHY behind the value, they may not understand why Faith matters. You lighten a load. Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, throughout all generations. If you havent written it down, you havent really thought about it. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them; and sold them into the power of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. And if he can get you to believe a lie, he can get you to sin. . ], and the wise person listens to learn more. We need to be eager to learn and willing to listen. After many days you will be mustered. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Are your words and conversations more powerful, more meaty, deeper, stronger, more practical, more life-touching? Thats part of knowledge. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. 1) It goes counter to all the teaching of Scripture that parents are to teach truth about God. We cannot change that much that fast. It is better to leave all religious options open, and then when he chooses one, it will be owing to authentic commitment, not to parental authority. I began collecting books when I was sixteen years old. (A word to grandparents too!) neighbors, and workmatesthat young people are woefully unprepared to understand We wont be dismissed or poll. Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. God expects fruitfulness as well. 2:4-8). Read 25 percent from the last one hundred years. Verse 7 says, "The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work which the Lord had done for Israel." It is their property by inheritance. I believe in having family devotions. Do you do it? Sadly, in our fallen world we are born in a natural sinful state and can only be redeemed by our Creator. the origin of sin and death in this world. When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. Psalm 119:15 says, I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Mediate and fix. We all have more background biases than we realize. You are already preconditioned. So The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. ( Exodus 20:5; cf. The generation that Jesus speaks of "not passing" until He returns is a future generation, namely, the people living when the predicted events occur. While the memory of God's greatness and the work he did for Israel was alive, the people maintained their devotion to God. We never will become God no matter how much fruit we produce. It showed clearly and defend their beliefs. You do it all the time. They need L . You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. Now look at the very last phrase in the passage: take every thought captive to obey Christ. Take captive every thought. We pursue knowledge of the Word, then perspective on why God does what he does, and, in doing so, we start to develop convictions. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). You Im constantly reading. Until we are saved, we dont have any protection against the fiery darts that the Devil unleashes on our minds. Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Plan it in your life. T stands for test every thought. responsibility to do their part. By the way, some people say, God hasnt called me to be successful. . Thats why you need to question your own thoughts and teach others not to believe everything they think. God cannot fulfill your dream if you dont have one. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Our church recently entered into what were calling the Decade of Destiny. We have written out our dreams for the character changes we want to see in our lives over the next ten years. And, of course, Satan makes suggestions all the time. This is part of thinking. In my family, four generations back gave their library to three generations back, who gave it to two generations back my dad who gave it to me. . Many people act as though their education ended at their last graduation. multitudes of U.S. students from Christian homes to doubt the history in Genesis. There really is nothing new under the sun. Answer Another word for regeneration is rebirth, related to the biblical phrase "born again." Our rebirth is distinguished from our first birth, when we were conceived physically and inherited our sin nature. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. There are many passages in Scripture that we could look at in this chapter, but I want us to focus in on one, 2 Corinthians 10:35: Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh [in other words, we dont fight with armor, we dont fight with politics, we dont fight with money, we dont fight with all the humanistic ways]. Jesus did not just begin building his church in the year 2000. Some churches are great at Bible knowledge but fail to teach their people perspective. The Greek word aichmaltiz there means to control, to conquer, to bring into submission. We take captive. gave it to us (Hebrews 4:12). And the most influential theological teachers he should ever have are Mom and Dad. (By the way, we need great Christian intellectuals today more than ever before people a lot brighter than I! Hugging and kissing, and tumbling, loving, forgiving, and spending time with your children are all just as important as spanking. Every church thats been started, somebody either a group of people or a single church planter imagined that church first. Because we know these things are so and can give evidence to a child eventually that will support this truth. that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. As I said above, I have seen the face of mental illness. It will be true a thousand years from now. It might if the parents are insecure and have their own faith built on sand. that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Parents cannot depend upon the babysitter or daycare to handle training their children, they must take charge of it We only have our children for a short time, there is not time to waste. His words reflect Paul is talking about pretentions, arguments set up against the knowledge of God. weekly church programs, and homeschools, few appear to be doing a very good Numbers 14:18 ) Why does this happen? The next link in the chain, once young people learn the truth, is for them The Bible says Wise men store up knowledge (Proverbs 10:14 NIV). Character is the sum total of our habits. other well-established scientific idea, without caveats or apologies. It will make you smarter, more godly, and more mature emotionally. The survey found that Verse 4. Just because you get a thought doesnt mean its correct. So let me try to answer three objections which may come to your mind. We dont want only to see what God sees but also to feel what God feels about the world, about the lost, about his Word, about his church. The word disciple means learner. You cannot be a disciple of Christ without being a learner. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.. It is neither good nor bad, as 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, lawful but not helpful. The parent who smokes will continually telltheir children it is a bad habit, they'll tell them "don't you do this" and then light one up. God was at work all that time, and we are dismissing the God of the church to think that he was not having his Word faithfully taught during those times. If youre serious about growing in knowledge and growing in your mind, heres the approach I suggest: A lot of people know all the contemporary books and none of the classics. Repentance means changing your mind not just changing what you do. That's an ongoing command that doesn't change when you're an adult. Then the children of Israel . The third thing to learn and teach to others in this battle for the mind is to never let up on learning. First, parents, ponder seriously how close the connection is between teaching your children about God and teaching them to obey you as God's representative over them. . What are the steps in doing a word study? is so prevalent in the media, museums, and collegesand even among friends, Were telling ourselves its no big deal when it is a big deal. He has two advantages: he knows what's coming and can plan a day ahead, and he has a little more experience in how to solve problems. Christians need to take heed of Gods Word and ensure they are capturing the They will say, Where is the promise of his coming? It doesnt say its dedication. For years I have been warning churchgoers about this danger in my presentations. We need to learn character. N stands for nourish a godly mind. Rather than see this happen again with someone else, they urgently teach and warn young parents of these errors and stop the trend before it recurs (Tit. Its both-and. Try downloading another browser like Chrome or Firefox. Labs And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. And then I would grab it and eat it. to lose the spiritual legacy that should have been passed on. Christian Standard Bible That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. Perhaps you are naturally a great thinker God wired you that way. so they will not be captured by the world! One of the ways you can store up knowledge is to start a family library a godly family library and leave it as a legacy to the next generation. James tells us that sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:15). Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. If you are going into eternity, you are going to take that with you. How do I make my mind mind? Throughout the history of God's people, generations have turned up missing. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success (NIV). Do not take us across the Jordan. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk. And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. It is only faithfulness if it is my habit to always be faithful to her. Whatever you merely resist persists. I dont want it. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Jesus says we are not to store up money. Unfortunately, these parents are in the minority. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Within the Christian community the main link between what this generation knows and what the next generation will know is the link between parent and child. Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million Everything is possible to him who believes. [Nothing] . For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. Who has heard such a thing? What are these fruit of the Spirit? I learn from people who dont like me. It is unrelenting, and it is unfair because Satan never plays fair. Psalm 139:2324 says, Search me, O God, and know my heart! The consequences in America were again confirmed in October 2012, when the train up the next generation. What can we do to prevent it from happening again and again?