“Elevate: Building Up The Next Generation”
SERMON Title: Elevate: Building Up The Next Generation
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 78:1-7 ESV
Introduction
Last week, Pastor John gave a sermon that talked about who you were, who you are now in Christ Jesus, meaning you are now part of God’s family, and as a member of God’s family, God is building us up together. Today, I will be piggy backing off last week’s sermon to talk about building up the Next Generation. I want you to know that understand your role in building up the next generation is a way for you and the church to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 78
Today’s passage, Psalm 78, is described as a maskil. We don’t have an exact English equivalent, but according to Jewish tradition, a maskil is a didactic psalm—a teaching psalm—about raising and building up the next generation. God is teaching us something here, and we are to learn and obey. What are we to teach? We are to teach about God. About who He is, what He has done, and how great and powerful He is. And one of the ways God commands us to teach the next generation is through testimony.
Why is testimony so important? Because God knows that when one generation is not faithful, they will forget the Lord, and the next generation will not know Him. Judges 2:10 warns us of this: “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” Without testimony, people drift, fall into sin, and live without God at the center, and the result is hopelessness. Verse 7 shows God’s desire—that the next generation would set their hope in God, remember His works, and obey His commandments. Psalm 78 goes on for 72 verses recounting Israel’s history to show what happens when we fail to build up the next generation, and it also shows the mercy and faithfulness of God who never let His people go even when they forgot Him.
The Power of Testimony
We are blessed to be part of a church that encourages testimony—mission Sundays, covenant members, baptisms. But we often fail to realize the power of the Holy Spirit in using our testimony.
Deut. 4:9–10 shows that testimony keeps us from spiritual drifting. It reminds us of what our own eyes have seen, how God answered prayers, saved us, and stirred our hearts when we first came to faith.
Deut. 11:18–21, especially verse 21, shows that sharing testimony helps build a God-centered family and a God-centered future.
Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another.” Testimony is worship. Worship is declaring God’s greatness, and your testimony is not about how God fits into your life but how God made you part of His. God is the main character.
Jesus commands people to testify, such as in Luke 8:39: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”
Matt. 28:19–20 shows that sharing testimony is part of raising the next generation as disciples of Jesus Christ.
We must not hold back our testimony. We must continue to add more. Testimony is not simply telling a story; it is entrusting the next generation with your history, your legacy, praying that they receive it and carry it, that they would know how you walked with the Lord and follow Jesus themselves.
How Do We Continue to Add Testimony?
The only way to continue adding testimony is to continue growing in our relationship and intimacy with Jesus. John 15:4–5 teaches us that abiding in Jesus is what produces fruit. The visible fruit of abiding is testimony—experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit shaping your life.
Greater intimacy with Jesus will mature you spiritually, giving you discernment and sensitivity to see the invisible hand of God working in your life.
2 Cor. 3:18 teaches that as we behold the Lord, we are continually transformed into His image. That ongoing transformation becomes ongoing testimony, all the way to your last breath.
Staying close to God through His Word, His church, and obedience in a life set apart from the world will always produce testimony in your life.
Application
Not long ago, I counted the number of families attending our church. When I first began serving, it was only a few. Now we have around 25 families—69 people. Praise the Lord. Seeing how God has grown this community and the number of children, I can’t help but be excited for what God will do and what the next generation will become.
1. To Parents and Future Parents
I encourage you to strive to establish worship in the home. Create space for your children to ask why we pray, why we sing, and to whom. Answer with patience and love. Do not fear being inadequate; use it as an opportunity to learn together and teach them how to search Scripture. Your testimony matters deeply. May your home be a church, and may you model Christ in it.
2. To the Older Generation
It is not enough to run the race alone and be satisfied crossing the finish line. You are followers of Jesus, and He cares about the next generation. You are here because someone shared their testimony with you and loved you enough to mentor you. Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Be faithful imitators of Christ so the next generation can see and imitate Him too. Become the people they seek as mentors.
3. To the Next Generation
Own your faith. Don’t wait for your parents to tell you to pray or read Scripture. Choose to do it. Ask questions, wrestle with what you don’t understand, and listen carefully to the testimonies you’re given. When God gives you your own testimony, share it with others. Surround yourself with friends who share how God is changing them.
Conclusion
People often ask why miracles don’t happen today. They do. Miracles aren’t only Red Sea moments; they are the everyday workings and interventions of God in our lives. Your salvation, your faith in Jesus, is itself a miracle greater than dramatic signs, because many who saw miracles still did not believe—yet you believe. Tell the next generation about your miracles, so they will see how near God is, how present He is in our lives, and so they too will believe.