Recap:

We’ve come to the end of our series on Spiritual Generational Wealth, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about this message. I’ve been praying and preparing for you, and I believe God has something powerful for you today. This isn’t just another Sunday in a theater, God brought you here on purpose.

If you believe that God still speaks, lift your hands with me as a sign: “Lord, I’m here and I’m listening.” Father, You see every hand raised. We believe You’re the God who speaks, who moves, and who shapes us into Your image. Let us hear with our ears and see with spiritual eyes all You have for us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now turn to your neighbor and declare: “God’s going to work through you.”

David wrote in Psalm 145:4,

“One generation will loudly praise Your works to another, and they will speak of Your mighty acts.”

This isn’t just poetic language. It’s a challenge. David is calling us to live with a generational mindset, to praise God in a way that outlives us. Psalm 22 echoes the same truth:

“Our children will serve Him; future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.”

We live in a world obsessed with the immediate, fast food, one-year plans, word-of-the-year goals we forget by March. But David thought bigger. He thought in generations.

Cathedral Thinking

This summer, we visited Paris to celebrate Ethan’s YWAM graduation. Walking through Europe’s cathedrals blew me away. Notre Dame took centuries to build. People worked their entire lives on a structure they would never see finished. That’s cathedral thinking, building something for generations to come.

And that’s exactly what David modeled.

David’s Vision

In 2 Samuel 7, David sits in his palace and looks out the window to see the Ark of the Covenant in a tent. He says, “This isn’t right. I live in a cedar house while God’s presence is outside.” David resolves to build a temple, but God flips the script: “You won’t build Me a house, David. I’ll build you one.”

God had bigger plans than David imagined, plans that stretched generations. And while David never built the temple, he did something greater: he prepared for the next generation. He gathered resources, designed blueprints, and invested in something he would never see finished.

That’s what spiritually bold people do: they invest in what outlives them.

Little Acts Build Generations

It’s not just about grand gestures. Small acts change history too. Take Susanna Wesley. She never preached a sermon, but she spent an hour each week with every one of her ten surviving children. She prayed with an apron over her head while her kids played around her. Out of that home came John Wesley, 40,000 sermons, and Charles Wesley, who wrote 6,000 hymns, including Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Your little acts of faith, prayers, bedtime conversations, church attendance, can ripple for centuries.

Faith That’s Not Yours Alone

David’s faith wasn’t just his own. He called God “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” His faith was rooted in a long line of God’s power and promises. You and I are part of that same lineage, millennia of believers who encountered God and passed down His works.

This is why we don’t live only for the moment. We live to leave a spiritual inheritance.

A Vision for the Church

When Heather and I moved to Boston in 2009, we visited Park Street Church, a 200-year-old church with a legacy of missions, Bible printing, abolition, and gospel proclamation. It started with 26 people in an 800-seat sanctuary. They built for a future they couldn’t yet see.

I can’t help but dream: what could God do through Cross Points Church over the next 200 years? What would happen if we lived with generational vision, investing now in churches, missions, and leaders we may never meet?

Practical Takeaways

  1. Prioritize Church: Parents, your kids need to know this is non-negotiable. Make Sunday mornings a priority.
  2. Invest in Someone: Empty nesters, singles, mentor, disciple, or encourage someone. Pray for God to show you who.
  3. Give Generously: You’re here because of the faith of seven families in 1966. Their sacrifices built this church. Let’s build something bigger for the next generation.

Closing Prayer

Lord, plant generational vision in us. Teach us to invest in what outlives us. Break the lie that says we don’t matter or can’t contribute. Use this church to reach generations for Your glory. Pour out Your Spirit, and may we be faithful to steward what You’ve given us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Group Questions:

Icebreakers

  1. What’s one tradition or practice from your family growing up that you’d like to pass on to the next generation?
  2. If you could leave one thing behind that future generations would remember you for, what would it be?
  3. What’s a favorite “old building” or historic place you’ve visited? What made it memorable?

Scripture Reflection

Read Psalm 145:4 and Psalm 22:30–31 aloud together.
 4. How do these verses shape the way you view your own faith journey?
5. Why do you think God calls us to think and live with a generational perspective instead of just for today?

Cathedral Thinking

  1. In the sermon, David’s desire to build the temple turned into preparing for the next generation. What does that teach us about God’s plans versus our own dreams?
  2. “Cathedral thinking” means building something we may never see finished. What’s an area in your life or faith where God may be calling you to invest for the future?

Legacy of Small Acts

  1. The story of Susanna Wesley shows that consistent small acts can change history. What “small acts of faith” do you think have the most generational impact today?
  2. How can we encourage each other not to underestimate simple obedience and faithfulness?

Personal Application

  1. What spiritual inheritance have you received from the generations before you (family, mentors, church leaders)?
  2. What’s one intentional step you can take this week to invest in someone else’s faith journey?
  3. The sermon challenged us to prioritize church, invest in people, and give generously. Which of these areas do you feel God is prompting you to focus on first?

Prayer Focus

  • Pray for each other to have a vision for generational impact.
  • Pray for the next generation of believers in your church and families.
  • Ask God to reveal “cathedral projects” He wants you to invest in, even if you won’t see the end result.