Sermon Tone Analysis

Judges 2:6-10

Second-generation syndrome

 

/When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.

And 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 that the Lord had done for Israel.

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years.

And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers.

And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel/.[1]

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*he first generation is holy*; *the second generation is religious*; *and the third generation is godless*.

This assessment provided by an adage I heard in the early days of my service to the Lord, describes the spiritual history of the people of God beginning with the Old Testament and down to this day.

The cycle of success and failure is a generational phenomenon that sees the first generation marked by growth, the second generation characterised by entrenchment, and the third generation marked by decline.

This pattern, observed throughout the Old Testament, is observed also among the New Testament churches.

Obviously, what is true in such a broad sweep of the faithful is equally true as a more generalised phenomenon among contemporary churches.

I am unprepared to say that Canadian churches have entered into a phase I would be compelled to identify as the “third generation syndrome,” but I am quite certain that we do teeter between that and the “second generation syndrome.”

I am perhaps sacrificing an opportunity to confront the “third generation syndrome,” but through study of the Word I know that the tendency of all religious institutions is toward apostasy.

It is difficult to find a religious institution more than one hundred years old that still adheres to the principles of the founding fathers.

Without vigorous effort, institutions slide into mediocrity.

Noel Smith, one of the founders of an influential Baptist fellowship, was asked what lay ahead for the group.

Without hesitation, the crusty newspaper editor replied, “Apostasy.”

He was correct.

All denominations, all movements, all schools, all churches, incline toward apostasy.

It is necessary for each generation to return to the standards of the founding fathers if this slide is to be avoided.

In an excellent study of the Judges of Israel, former Calgary pastor Gary Inrig penned a chapter entitled “The Second Generation Syndrome.”[2]

In that chapter he discusses the difficulty of passing on our vision and convictions to our children and grandchildren.

It is a daunting and challenging task for any parent; it is rare for the untrammelled, vigorous faith of parents to be handed down to succeeding generations.

Inrig writes, “The second generation has a natural tendency to accept the status quo and to lose the vision of the first generation.

Too often the second-generation experience is a second-hand experience.

Church history is filled with examples of it, and sadly, so are many churches.

The parent’s fervour for the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the children’s formalism and the grandchildren’s apathy.”

What caused the children and grandchildren to lose the vision of the parents?

Inrig continues: “They knew about [the Lord’s] deeds.

But they did not know Him or acknowledge Him…”  They had lost touch with God.  “Here we come to the heart of the second-generation syndrome.

It is lukewarmness, complacency, apathy about amazing biblical truths that we have heard from our childhood, or from our teachers.”

This underscores the great difficulty in ensuring that succeeding generations follow in the spiritual footsteps of their first-generation Christian parents.

To see children living godly lives so long as their godly parents live is something that happens frequently, but to see generation after generation follow in that heritage of faith is rare.

The message today seeks to lay a foundation for future generations through this church.

The message seeks to equip godly leaders to fulfil the will of the Lord as history unfolds, and as time moves inexorably toward the consummation of the age.

Steps Leading to the Second Generation Syndrome — /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 that the Lord had done for Israel/.

God’s Word declares that righteousness exalts a nation [*Proverbs 14:34*].

A leader will either bless or curse a nation; but it is oft forgotten that a leader governs with the consent of the people.

Whether acknowledged or denied, in modern democracies people always vote their values.

If they are a moral people, they will seek out moral and ethical leaders.

Self-centred people will be easily deceived by self-seeking individuals saying whatever is deemed necessary to gain office.

That generation to which Joshua belonged had been destroyed in the wilderness [see *Numbers 14:26-38*; *32:10-13*].

Joshua and Caleb alone, of all their generation, were spared judgement.

However, these two godly men were chosen by God to provide leadership for the generation that followed them.

Though Joshua was a strong leader, when Moses died the people undoubtedly thought there would never be another leader like him.

They were superficially correct, but their dark prognostications neglected two vital truths.

First, each generation must fight its own battles.

This means that each generation is responsible to define the conflict and to seek out leaders willing to lead against the foe.

Also, the people failed to factor God into the equation of leadership.

God is in the business of raising up leaders and preparing men to direct His work.

The generation that followed Joshua witnessed God’s power and might exercised for their benefit and for His glory.

They saw their fathers delivered from Egyptian bondage.

They witnessed God’s might unleashed against Egypt, humbling the sole superpower of their world.

They walked across the Jordan River dry-shod at floodtide.

They saw God repeatedly deliver them from enemies that threatened their continued existence, much less any progress.

City walls crumbled at the sound of their trumpets.

Heavenly bodies stayed in their course at the command of Joshua.

Who would not worship a God that exhibited such power on behalf of His people?

However, the succeeding generation is described as one knowing neither the Lord nor the work that He had done [*verse 10*].

The words are shocking if we actually think about them.

That generation had heard of God’s power, but they had never witnessed His might.

They knew all the stories, sung all the majestic songs of victory, and they did not experience them.

If they had seen His miraculous intervention, it was always from a distance.

They had heard of God’s blessings, but they were ignorant of His blessings.

They had seen their parents worship, but they had not themselves worshipped.

Do you suppose that the generation that followed Joshua never experienced temptation to back away from the conflict?

Did they never experience fatigue and plead for a respite?

The campaign for the Promised Land was one battle following another.

Had the people begun to rely upon their own strength, as they had at Ai, they would have experienced defeat and been pushed out of the land.

Throughout the days that Joshua provided leadership, he relied upon the Lord, and the people, likewise, relied upon the power of God.

But there arose another generation who did not know the Lord.

What steps lead a people into the Second Generation Syndrome?

How do people become inured to mediocrity?

How do people fall into the trap of exalting form over substance?

In Israel’s case, the people became */satisfied with the status quo/*.

The first generation had laboured and battled in utter dependence upon the unseen God.

Their conquest had provided a measure of stability and a respite from the wearying struggle against erstwhile enemies that opposed their entry into Canaan.

There was no immediate pressure for the following generation to struggle.

Life was good.

Struggle was not in their vocabulary and worship was redefined to emphasise form.

Something like that also happens with churches.

A church is planted and the people that first come together with a sacrificial vision labour to build a congregation.

They face obstacles that threaten to overwhelm—insufficient finances and unspoken opposition from established churches, humble meeting places and the disappointment attending uncommitted members.

Nevertheless, through sacrifice and diligent effort the congregation grows and the work prospers.

Those first members rejoice in the power and might God exercises through them as they pray and as they work in harmony.

Those pioneers eventually age and they must surrender leadership to a younger generation that no longer need to struggle as their parents once did.

Gradually, the people seek acceptance in the community; and their brand of Christianity becomes “safe.”

The congregation grows satisfied with what they have and they no longer wish to jeopardise their standing.

They have drunk from the waters of Lethe and are no longer willing to risk themselves—what others may think of them—for fidelity to Christ.

However, concerned that their children are slipping away, the people look for more exciting programmes—programmes that do not demand sacrifice.

Preaching that draws people back to the Word, demanding that listeners meet with the Risen Christ is counted as boring, and worship degenerates into a performance.

How others might feel is important, but whether they actually know God is of no great moment.

Parents doubtless mean well when they attempt to shield their children from the hardships they faced, but children so shielded are denied opportunity to discover the power of the Eternal God.

Israel also */took God’s blessings for granted/* and no longer acknowledged Him.

Satisfied with their situation, the people that had entered into the Promised Land now assumed that personal comfort and ease of life were their due.

In this, they were not unlike modern Canadians.

We are wealthier than any previous generation—we have more possessions than previous generations.