Sermon Notes:
Arise
Arise for Who’s Next
Pastor Alan Hannah
God’s blessings come when we trust His perspective on what’s next more than our nostalgia for what was.
1O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, 2for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— 3stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. 4We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders. 5For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, 6so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. 7So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. [Psalm 78:1-7]
8Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. [Psalm 78:8]
11They forgot what he had done— the great wonders he had shown them. [Psalm 78:11]
7And the Israelites served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel. [Judges 2:7]
10After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. [Judges 2:10]
4“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” [Deuteronomy 6:4-7]
We don’t arise for us. We arise for who’s next.
“Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely… Teach the older women to live in a way that honors God… and train the younger women to love their husbands and their children… In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely.” [Titus 2:2-6]
17O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. 18Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. [Psalm 71:17-18]
We don’t rise for us. We arise for who’s next.