Lead by Example | Judges 2

INTRODUCTION

• Do you remember the formative years of your life?
• Who or what influenced you in those days or years?
• Is there any particular instance or event that stands out even to this day?

Research by WHO says that the years 0-8 are the formative years. Children are like sponges during this time. They are not just learning ABCs or shapes and colours, but it is the time for important social, emotional and spiritual development. Most of us form habits and value systems in our life by this time and it stays for a lifetime

Most of us have children who are in this stage, some of us have older children, and yet there are others whose children are married and have moved on in life. I also understand that many of you sitting here are in your Young Adult days where you are getting ready for marriage.

HF: I want to speak to every people group today as to how we can lead by example and raise a Godly Next Generation.

The birth of a child into our homes brings so much of joy and celebration. As days go by, we realize that as much as we have joy, we have a great responsibility on our hands.

Kids today are being influenced at every turn by friends, to the elders around them, to social media and to what is on TV. As elders and parents, we are crucial to the next generation as godly influencers.

Our Children, teens and youth today face challenges at every turn. They face temptations every time they get on social media or the computer. As parents, if we aren’t influencing them from a godly perspective, the world will have its way of influencing their minds with things they aren’t prepared to overcome and resist.

Open with me your Bibles to Judges 2.

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

We all know how God used Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua to lead the Israelites. Joshua had brought the people of Israel into the promised land. In Joshua 24, we see that Joshua assembled all the tribes and the leaders of Israel at Shechem. He spoke of the way the Lord had to lead them right from the days of Abraham. However, even in his generation people and their children had turned back from God. So Joshua addresses them in:

Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

We read about Joshua’s death in Joshua 24:29 and when we come to the book of Judges, it takes off from where Joshua stopped. A new generation had been born. Let’s open our Bibles to Judges.

Judges 2:6-14 ⁶After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

⁸Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.

(Look carefully, we read in vs 10 after the death of Joshua and those who had seen God’s mighty acts, “there arose another generation after them, who did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel.”)

(See the result of their ignorance in v11..)

¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ¹²They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger ¹³because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

(And then verse 14 describes the divine response to this idolatry.)

¹⁴In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.

See the regression from faith:

• First, the people revered and served the true God because Joshua and his generation kept the memory of God’s mighty acts alive among the people.
• Second, a new generation arose who for some reason did not know the God of Israel.
• Third, the new generation forsook the true worship and turned to other gods.

Result:

• They aroused the Lord’s anger.
• God’s Protection was taken off Israel. (The Lord gave them into the hands of their raiders. Earlier God gave their enemies into the hands of the Israelites, now God withdrew his protection from them and the enemies took over).
• Israel was plundered by the enemies. Remember earlier Israel plundered the enemies in Joshua.
• God brought judgment upon them.

Remember God had warned them about such a situation through Moses.

Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 24-25 ¹These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ²so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live (how?) by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and (result) so that you may enjoy long life. ³Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

²⁴The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. ²⁵And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

APPLICATION

The lessons we can learn from this passage are:

• When the knowledge of God is preserved, faith is nourished and obedience flourishes.
• Without the knowledge of God, people are destroyed. If we parents allow our children to grow up without the knowledge of God, we serve not only their ignorance and unbelief, but also their destruction.
• Therefore we are to train our children in the knowledge of God. That is the only way the next generation will know God and be saved.

ILLUSTRATION

The English poet Samuel Coleridge talked with a man who thought that children should not be given any religious instruction at all. This man claimed that the child’s mind should not be prejudiced in any direction, and when he became older he should be permitted to choose his religious opinions for himself.

Coleridge said nothing, but after a while, he asked the man if he would like to see his garden. The man said he would, and Coleridge took him out into the garden, where only weeds were growing. The man looked at Coleridge in surprise, and said, “Why this is not a garden! There is nothing but weeds here!”

“Well, you see,” answered Coleridge, “I did not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way, I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself and to choose its own production.”

APPLICATION

Like how a garden needs to be tended and cared for, we need to mentor our children.

We as parents and adults first and foremost responsibility to see that our children think correctly about God. It is God’s will that we assume responsibility to teach our children what God has revealed about himself. The most important school a child should ever attend is the home. And the most influential theological teachers they should ever have is the family, Mom and Dad.

Most of us grew up in a difficult environment, we were deprived a lot of things. However, we don’t want our children to go through the same deprivations that we had. The tragedy is our children growing in this affluent society never know the joy and the blessing of having to trust God.

Do you remember your parents talking to you about the hardships they faced in childhood? The struggles they faced during the growing years and yet they did not quit trusting God. They held on to him no matter what and they were able to experience the faithfulness of God in their everyday life. To a great extent, many of us seated here too have come through tough, trying and hard days. Some of us have had to seek God for even a meal, to pray for a pair of shoes, to believe God for the rent, to seek God for the school fees and here we stand at this day not wanting our children to experience those same hardships that we experienced. And yet there was tremendous value in those experiences because it was there that we learned the faithfulness of God. We learned that God would provide.

Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

If we don’t teach our children how to live a life for Christ, someone else will teach them how to live their lives. If we don’t teach them to base their identity on Christ, the world will teach them to base their identity on tangible, insignificant things that will never satisfy them. It is our responsibility to teach our kids about Jesus so they aren’t tempted by the things of this world.

We don’t want our daughters and sons to learn their worth or value from the world but from the word of God.

How Can We Be Godly Influencers?

1. Godly Marriages

The world is trying its best to redefine marriage. For the world, marriage is a social construct and it can be according to the whims and fancies of the ever-changing society.

For us, marriage is ordained by God. In fact, God instituted the first marriage in the garden and continues to be the head of godly families even today according to the scripture. Godly families are the bedrock of any spiritual community.

By godly marriage, I do not mean a perfect marriage. It is a marriage in which both partners lean to God or depend upon God.

Genesis 18:19 God said about Abraham:

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Eli on the other hand received a judgment from the Lord because he did not direct his children in the right way. Scripture addresses them as scoundrels. They had no regard for God. The sin of the young men was very great in God’s sight.

1 Samuel 3:13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.

How many of us can look back and thank God for our parents and the godly influence they have been in our lives? They have helped us to be people of good character and godly values.

As much as godly families are important, each one of us is called to:

2. Model Your Life

Be an Example for them to Follow

“Train up a child in the way he should go, but be sure you go that way yourself.” – Charles Spurgeon

Kids learn best by action, not by words. Be a role model to your children.

Don’t just teach them about Jesus – we are to show them through our actions.

• Walk the talk.
• Model through actions.
• Be consistent in your life and words.

Our children need to see that we are the same person. We are genuine and not fake. We cannot be hypocrites. Children respect adults who do what they preach.

If we don’t want our children to lie and not go to school by feigning illness, then we better not lie about taking a sick day from work. If we don’t want our children to spend excessive time on technology, we have to limit our use of the device. Model through actions.

ILLUSTRATION

A little boy asked his dad one day, “Daddy, what is a Christian?” The dad thought for a moment, because he wanted to give a good answer to such an important question. Finally he said, “A Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends, his neighbours, and even his enemies. He is kind and gentle and prays a lot. That, son, is a Christian.”

The little boy sat quietly for a minute, and then he said, “Daddy, have I ever seen a Christian?”

Application: As a Christian parents, if we are going to raise our children right, we must share Christ with them and show Christ to them.

Thirdly Church is non-negotiable.

3. Church is Non-negotiable, Not Optional

Make church the standard, not an option. We need to train our children in their early years that church is important. If we don’t catch them early, they will often resist going to church.

Our children need to know that coming to church is not optional. They need to see that priority in us.

As parents, we must show by example by taking time off our schedule, however, busy we may be to come to the house of God. The church is non-negotiable because God says so.

The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:24-25

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We must not give up meeting together. Not coming together means we are wilfully giving priority to things other than God or coming together as a community and families. And who is watching us on this? Our children.

We must show by example that coming to the house of God takes precedence over homework, coaching, tuition, shows etc. This is all about teaching children priorities.

Families, and church is non-negotiable because Jesus is the head of the church.

How can we make church central and non-negotiable?

• Come on time.
• Participate in worship (having a Bible with you, taking down of sermon notes, children see you give your offerings and tithes and generosity, fellowship)
• Serving together.

ILLUSTRATION

When this church was started, it was just the 3 of us serving God alongside our jobs and over the years God has given us the grace to serve his people.

Over the years, Pastor and I alongside our jobs were engaged in the ministry. Presently we are engaged in serving the church throughout the day. Our children who have been keenly observing and following us have started to support and serve in the church in different capacities. What a joy and humbling privilege to be involved in serving the Lord as a family.

Keep church as a non-negotiable in your family.

4. Give Time to Your Kids

SPEND TIME WITH YOUR KIDS: Dear parents don’t let the daily rush of life stop you from spending time or having meaningful conversations with your kids.

We need to be present for them. If as parents we are absent for most of our child’s life, the world will teach them how to get by.

They are taught to find their identity and acceptance by being who others want them to be.

ILLUSTRATION

Did you know that 100 years ago the average parent spent 54% of their waking hours with their children? Today, that figure is less than 18%. In fact, one study said the average father spends only eight to 10 minutes per day with his children.

Spending time with your children means giving them undivided attention, and doing what they like to do. By doing this, you are showing your children that you genuinely love and care for them and that they are important to you. Study shows children who spend more quality time with their families are less likely to participate in risky behaviours such as drug and alcohol usage. By showing children that you love and care for them makes them emotionally and mentally strong.

What are some ways we give them our time?

1. Talk to your kids

Talking with children is essential to their relationship and development. Good communication involves listening and talking in ways that make children feel important and valued. Too often, we find ourselves only having “talks” with them when they’ve messed up. Make time for them in your daily routine. Ask them about their day. Find out what is going on in their lives and show interest. Talk to them after church about the message. If they attend teens or the Sunday School, talk to them about what that message was. When they talk the “drama” in their own lives, such as a friend doing wrong or going down a wrong path, offer them encouragement on how they can help their friend.

2. Be involved in their lives

This is where I think so many of us fail. While we want to give our kids the chance to grow and make their own mistakes, we should also be involved in them and know what they are doing.

It will be good to have a phone control, a cut-off time.

Speak to them constantly about what is good and what is allowed and not allowed on the net.

Dear Friends, we just saw the importance of having a godly family and children.

Godly Marriage.

Model your life.

Importance of church.

Spending quality family time.

ILLUSTRATION

The children’s Sunday school teacher asked the class, “Why do you love God?” There were a number of different answers, but the best came from a little boy who said, “I guess it just runs in the family.” It is God’s intent that Christian parents bring up their children according to the mandates of His Word. Godly moms and dads are supposed to produce godly children.

There may be single parents here, but God will give you his grace to rise up a godly child as well. Don’t think you are alone, God is with you. Remember Timothy? His father was not from a Christian faith but he went on to serve the Lord.

2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Note: I understand that there are times when we as parents do everything we can in our capacity, yet we face challenges with our children. Over the years we have walked with a lot of families with crises in their children and we have seen God restore them. Your child may be going through a difficult phase now, but be faithful God will deliver. We are here to pray with you for your family and children. I am sure God will restore every disturbed child.

We are going to take some time and pray for our families, our children, our marriages, and our youth.

Let this be our prayer.