Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
It Runs in the Family (Part 2)
Scripture
14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Main Idea
Every family has things that can run through it, including brokenness, addiction, abandonment, curses, sickness, and unfaithfulness. But what runs in the family does not have to keep running through the family. When we give our lives to Christ, we are brought into a new family. Jesus took the curse on Himself on the cross, so what once ran in the family can be replaced with love, healing, blessings, faithfulness, freedom, and forgiveness. Yes, things may run in the family, but in Christ, we can begin a new line and declare, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Generational curses ran in my family until they ran into me.
Discussion Questions
1. What are some patterns, values, or habits you have seen “run in the family”? How can those things shape future generations?
2. Joshua told the people to choose who they would serve. Why is it easy to say we serve God, but still allow other things to take His place?
3. Pastor Jachin said, “If you don’t worship here, you’ll worship there.” What are some things people are tempted to worship instead of God?
4. What does it look like to destroy what could destroy you? Are there habits, idols, or distractions that may need to be removed?
5. What would it look like for you or your family to say, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”?
Summary
In Joshua 24, Joshua is reminding the people of Israel of their family history. He goes back 600 years, through 16 generations from Abraham’s father to Joshua. He talks about three bodies of water, three nations, and three sets of gods that had shaped their family tree.
- Euphrates - Gods of Babylon - Confusion
- Red Sea - Gods of Egypt - Counterfeit
- Jordan - Gods of the Amorites - Culture
Pastor Jachin talked about three gods that are still relevant to what people face today:
- Baal - Worship of Self
We are not made to be worshiped. We are made to worship.
- Asherah - Sexual Idolatry
Sexuality can be powerful, controlling, addictive, and destructive when it is outside of God’s design.
- Molech - Sacrifice the Next Generation
Molech represented the sacrifice of the next generation. Pastor Jachin asked, “Whose hands are your children in?” Are they in culture’s hands? Are they in your hands? Are they in God’s hands? God places children in parents’ hands as primary spiritual stewards, and then we put our kids in God’s hands.
Joshua tells the people to choose who they will serve. Every family has a family tree, and there can be things that run through a family, including brokenness, addiction, abandonment, curses, sickness, and unfaithfulness. But when we give our lives to Christ, we are brought into a new family with a new family tree. Jesus took the curse on Himself on the cross, so what once ran in the family can be replaced with love, healing, blessings, faithfulness, freedom, and forgiveness.
Pastor Jachin gave three thoughts:
- If you don’t worship here, you’ll worship there.
Joshua 24:14 MSG
14 “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God.”
Give all your worship to God. We were created to worship. If we do not worship God, we will end up worshiping something else.
- You must destroy what will destroy you.
Joshua 24:23 MSG
23 “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Don’t let what’s in this world destroy you. After the people decided to serve the Lord, they had to destroy the idols among them. If something has the power to destroy you, you have to destroy it first.
- Make it public.
Joshua 24:25-26 MSG
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.”
Choose to serve God over serving the world. Joshua made a covenant with the people and gave them a moment to choose who they would serve. They could serve the gods of confusion, counterfeit, and culture, or they could choose the one true God.
What runs in the family does not have to keep running through the family. In Christ, we can put away every other god, destroy what would destroy us, and make a public decision to say, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Take Action
- Choose one area where you need to give your worship fully back to God.
- Identify one idol, distraction, habit, or pattern that needs to be removed before it can destroy you.
- Make a fresh commitment to say, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Announcements
- Hope Pantry: Saturday, June 13, 10:00A-12:00P - Details at vel.city/hopepantry
- Serve Saturday: Saturday, June 27, 9:00A-1:00P - Register at vel.city/servesaturday
- Public Service Award: Nominations open May 31-June 21. Winners announced on Honor Weekend Sunday, June 28 - Nominate at vel.city/honor
