Crossing the Generation Gap

Relationships Made Simple

Crossing the Generation Gap

I. Introduction

“We believe God has called Vineyard Church North Phoenix to be a multi-racial, multi-generational church that is a fully-orbed expression of the Kingdom of God on earth.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 20-21 (NLT) 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. ²⁰“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’ ²¹Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand.”

Psalm 127:3 (NLT) Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.

II. How Can We Cross Relational Generation Gaps?

A. We need to .

James 1:19 (NLT) Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

1. ≠ Listening

2. Am I listening to , or am I waiting to ?

B. We need to .

1. We teach by .

Psalm 78:1-4 (NLT) 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.

Psalm 145:4, 13a (NLT) ⁴Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. ¹³For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

What am I teaching with my ?

2. We teach by .

Matthew 5:16 (NLT) “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

I John 3:17-19 (NLT) ¹⁷If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

What am I teaching with my ?

Titus 1:16 (NLT) Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

a. We need to be quick to .

Matthew 6:12 (NLT) “…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

b. We need to be quick to forgiveness.

Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT) ²³“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”

III. Conclusion