Seize the Moment – Day 895
Freedom from Generational Consequences!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, August 29.
Does your family have secrets? I think every family does, and none of us want to be defined by our families’ past sins. Every generation wants a fresh opportunity to forge a better future.
There was plenty of heartbreak in the story of God’s chosen people. That pain arose, not just at the hands of other nations, but by their own hands. One such story is of Israel’s firstborn, Reuben, whose genealogy begins with this introduction in 1 Chronicles 5:1-2:
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph), …
Reuben’s generations should have received the honor of a double blessing from Israel, but instead his ancestors were being defined by the dishonor of his rebellion (Genesis 49:3-4). Reuben sinned against his father in Genesis 35:22, “It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.” This was more than a sexual indiscretion; it was a political maneuver to seize power from his aging father (cf. 2 Samuel 3:7-10; 16:21-22).
There are generational consequences to sin (Deuteronomy 5:9-10). Sin is like an infection that affects the entire body. In the same way, it can infect a family tree. The only hope is for a member of the family to break the cycle of sin through confession and repentance, made possible through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Seize the moment and walk in a new pattern of life by breaking free of the generational consequences of sin (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:1; John 8:32, 36; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 3:17).