We continue with our sermon series entitled ‘The Church Growth Toolkit’. Preaching from Nathan Gordon. Service led by Brian Dickson.

Harvest – Thanksgiving

This year SBC will be supporting the BMS appeal for the Nepal ‘The Good Land’, by bringing items suitable for Foodbank.

Visit the BMS website for more information – Good Land – BMS World Mission

Sermon Notes

The children of Israel were called to be a holy nation that was completely set apart and sold out to the one true God Jehovah.  Psalm 78 is described as a Maschil of Asaph, which means a Psalm of instruction, one that should be observed and obeyed from generation to generation. Asaph was assigned the task of leading worship along with other Levites whom King David had appointed.

Key Verse: Psalm 78:4

We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.

The complete revelation

The psalm of instruction to pass God’s truths to the next generation to come was under the dispensation of law and would not have included the full picture of God’s grace through Jesus Christ at that time. However, we are now entrusted with the complete revelation of God’s love and grace, and we have a responsibility to share the story with the next generation.

God’s word is nothing to hide – v4

• There are some things we need to avoid passing on to the next generation, but the gospel and the word of God are not one of them
• It’s more than just discipleship at church (See Duet 6:4-7)

Challenge – To prepare the next generation to become leaders and committed followers of Jesus, discipleship must be a daily ministry that starts at home. It’s bigger than just attending church on Sunday or the youth programmes.

God’s word is more than historical facts – Judges 2:7-10

• Forthcoming generations need not only to hear the word, but they must become doers of the word
• After Joshua and his generation died, a new generation grew up not understanding anything about what the Lord had done for Israel

God’s word is relevant to every generation – Psalm 78:5-6

• The will of God is for every generation to know His word and the hope of the gospel through Jesus Christ
• Methods may change from generation to generation, but the word of God remains the same

Challenge – According to Premier Christianity, even prior to the covid pandemic the number of young people attending services in the UK was in steep decline. How can we ensure the local church remains relevant and reach younger generations without distorting the authenticity of God’s word?

Questions

1. Discuss the reasons why millennials and younger generations (in some cases) struggle to connect with traditional denominational churches?
2. According to Premier Christianity, “nearly three-quarters of young Britons now identify as having no religion” the number of under 16s in the church of England has fallen by 20 per cent in five years. – discuss what can be done to change this outcome?
3. Why do you think it was important for the psalmist to include “even the children yet to be born, and they would tell their children” – Should the church be more future thinking and how can we ensure future generations know God’s word for themselves?
4. (Part 1) Why do you think the people followed God while Joshua and the elders were alive, but then turned away after they died? (See Judges 2)
5. (Part 2) Any similar comparisons today? (Kids who grow up in Christian families and follow God while their parents are around. People who follow God around their believing friends, but not alone or around their unbelieving friends?)