| Legacy Left Behind |
|
|
Part 1 of 1 | June 15, 2008
As it is Father’s Day, I would be remiss not to wish you a Happy Father’s Day. So Happy Father’s Day; I hope it is a good one. Just the mention of Father’s Day may remind you of someone; your dad, your father-in-law, perhaps someone that was like a father to you, your grandfather; maybe your Heavenly Father. Some thoughts are good, some aren’t so good. Like many of you, my mind jumps all over the place. I think of various individuals, and my mind wanders to many of stories. I think of the time my mom had surgery and my dad had to play “Mr. Mom.” In one week my father managed to turn my underwear pink, load the dishwasher with Dawn, and leave a towel on the stove burner just a little to long. And those are the things I can remember. So at a young age I learned a little something about mommies and daddies. I learned that…when mommies get sick, we all feel the pain. Really, the truth is, I began to learn that men and women most often fulfill different roles. But as I’ve aged, I have also learned that men and women think very differently. My grandmother is someone that just wants to have her family around her. She wants to see them, hear from them; she is concerned mostly about the relationships that she has here and now; and that when she leaves this world, she does so with her family around her. My grandfather on the other hand, while concerned about the relationships he develops, is more concerned about how he will be remembered. He has gone to such lengths that he has assembled a book that each member of the family is to write in…telling any kind of story about him that comes to mind. What he is really looking for though, is an event in which we learned something from him, so that bit of wisdom can be passed down from generation to generation. The thing that he is concerned about above all, is his Legacy Left Behind. And I find this to be true about many men. A man is often concerned about what he will be remembered for, or what things he will leave to the following generations. Now I know that this isn’t just something that affects men. Ladies are concerned about such things as well, but it’s not necessarily the foremost concern in their lives. I want to challenge you this morning, though, to focus heavily on your Legacy Left Behind. I want you to consider what your legacy means to the generations after you. As we examine the idea of what your Legacy Left Behind will be, a couple of thoughts come to mind for me. Legacy Left Behind! What type of legacy? I John 2:15ff “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Looking at this passage, we are given 2 opposing ideas; 2 types of legacies that you could leave to those you leave behind. Ultimately, we go through our lives, each day setting a building block of our legacy, and when all the pieces are in place, those examining the structure, will see 1 of 2 images. “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” So what type of legacy can we leave behind? Legacy of Fortune One of the things that I want to avoid this morning, is sounding to cliché; especially as it concerns “the world”. I think that there are too many people that pounce on not having anything at all to do with the world. Well, let me tell you, I like my toys. I enjoy the latest gadgetry. Talk to anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that I drool over the latest gadgets and technologies; I like a lot of the conveniences the world has to offer. I look forward to the day when I might have the chance to build my dream home; not a home that is overly large or extravagant, but my home. God has given us many things to enjoy in this world; and so I say, enjoy them. But, the problem comes when we forget about our focus in this life. As an example, there are millions of people who are concerned about getting rich quick. Often they run to the store to pick up the most recent self-help book with the latest schemes, and yet they seldom turn a page in their Bibles. People are so concerned about hitting it rich that folks run out to the local convenience store to buy $20 worth of lottery tickets, and yet will justify not giving to the Lord because their bills have to be paid. Just last Saturday, people searching for the sure way to increase wealth, placed over $5 million dollars on the sure thing, Big Brown, during the Belmont Stakes. And that’s just the bets made at the track. What about success? It’s a good thing to have a strong work ethic and to move up the latter as a result of such a quality. I think that we should all feel blessed that we live in a country where we can achieve the unachievable; that we can dream big, and fulfill those dreams. Now I say that because I think we often take such freedoms for granted in this county. Consequently we develop this idea that “I did it”; I achieved this…I’m responsible for that. There is no better time than during the elections to realize how truly inward focused people can be who have allowed themselves to fall in love with the world to such a degree that they fail to acknowledge that they are nothing without the blessings of the Lord. John D. Rockefeller was a great worldly success. But I must say that, that he was more like the man that “came not from the Father, but from the world,” for he was found “boasting about what he had and did” when he gave these 3 keys to success:
I mentioned that our passage gives 2 opposing ideas: Our Legacy Left Behind could be a Legacy of Fortune…or…it could be a… Legacy of Faith “17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Why did I choose this passage? Well here’s the thing; we can strive for wealth, prestige, success, power, popularity, education, and in the end perhaps achieve one or more of those mentioned, but when we leave this world, it ceases to exist. You may be remembered for a while, pass down your wealth or your knowledge, but eventually, most of us are forgotten, our wealth is someone else’s wealth, and the legacy that we intended to leave, is history. Let’s contrast that with “the man who does the will of God lives forever.” This man is not so concerned about his name. He doesn’t care that one day his name is only seen etched in granite. His concern is for people, for spreading the love of Christ to those people. His concern is sharing the eternal gift given as a result of this great, amazing, sacrificial love. His concern is living his life not for himself, but for the Lord. By doing so he sacrifices in some areas, and receives the Lord’s blessings in other areas. He doesn’t just say “Give it up to God;” he truly gives his life, his family, his work, his wealth, his everything for the Lord to use. And yet when all is said and done, not only does THIS MAN enjoy forever with the Lord, but the legacy of faith that this man leaves behind has an everlasting impact AS each one that takes hold of it receives the eternal reward that comes from following the same example of faith. And even if only one individual listens, the result of that legacy of faith lives forever, because that one person lives in eternity. No legacy has a greater impact than the one that reminds us that, “God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Let us make the conscience decision to fix our eyes on the Lord. It begins with us as individuals deciding for ourselves that our life will be a ministry, that we will show the same concern for people that Jesus showed for us when he walked into the Garden knowing that His betrayer would hand him over to those who would take His life on the cross. We now know our choices. What type of legacy describes you? I hope that you will choose to set the example of faith. BUT… How do I leave behind a Legacy of Faith? Okay, you’ve made the conscience decision to make your Legacy Left Behind a Legacy of Faith. That’s the beginning of a wonderful and challenging journey; but where do we go beyond the decision? Well…we need to actually live the legacy. Live the Legacy Hebrews 10:23-25 “23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I want to make a confession to you today; a few of you know me, but not many of you do. But if you did, you would know that I’m a little bit of a complainer. I feel better after a good grumbling. But, you know, this is something that I need to watch a little more closely, especially when I’m around those who do not know the same hope that I do. See “hold unswervingly to the hope you profess” is important because the hope you profess assumes the profession of hope, but not necessarily through a specific act of telling as we often think, rather through a continuous model. As I grumble and complain, I wonder how much it affects the hope I say I have. This is a small example of being aware of how it is that we live a legacy of faith. Our actions, our words, our attitudes communicate to others what we believe. The way that we show an interest in the lives of other people should exist as a display of the love of Christ that lives through us. If folks don’t see your loving and compassionate concern for others, they won’t see the love of Christ in you. Let me tell you about Steve. Steve is someone who does not have children. So one might wonder how he will leave a legacy behind when he has no future generation in his household. There are many stories that I could tell you about Steve, but there’s one that I’ll never forget. We had a dinner after church when I was preaching at the Hamersville Church of Christ, and so many of us were there when a man came in looking for help. He needed to get to Tennessee, but he didn’t have a way to get to the bus station in downtown Cincinnati. Many are saying, “Well, I don’t know.” Steve says, “I’ll take you.” He asked if he needed to go now, or if he had time to eat. The guy didn’t feel comfortable coming in to the fellowship hall, so Steve made him and the guy a plate, took it out, and ate with him. Steve and I drove to the bus station and when we got there, Steve went right up to the window and paid for the man’s ticket; not something he asked for. Then he handed him a little money and told him to have dinner on the way home. That’s living the legacy. There is something that I don’t want to glance over. In our passage, some had developed a habit of not meeting together. Don’t forget that verses 24 & 25 are connected; that we spur one another toward love and good deeds by meeting together. It is an important aspect of living our legacy of faith. Let’s not jeopardize our legacy by giving other things priority; should it be golf, shopping, a football game, and even family outings. May others see that our faith grows and is strengthened by making this time of worship and teaching an essential part of our lives. How do I leave behind a Legacy of Faith? Well, we Live the Legacy, but we also must… Lead the Legacy 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 “1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses several problems that are occurring in the church at Corinth. One of them is the pride of human leaders. Paul says in 3:5 “What is Apollos? What is Paul? Only servants.” Here, he speaks of us, being Paul and Apollos, but still leaves the application to all servants of the secret things. Bear in mind that the secret things (or His plan of salvation) has now been revealed in Christ. The thing that the Jews were waiting for generation after generation has now been revealed. Then Paul convicts the reader with a requirement that those who know, or have come to trust in these secret things (the knowledge of Christ), prove faithful. In other words, it’s not a secret any more, so don’t keep it a secret. I wondered, “What do I say at this point.” I listen to people on the radio and television occasionally and this seems to be the point where they tell you to go up to someone and say, “Let me tell you about Jesus.” And then you break out the Roman road and congratulations, you’ve added another one to heaven. You know if the Lord gives you an opportunity where you can sit down with someone in a real world setting and share the magnificent message contained in Scripture “AWESOME.” But the chance of that happening and being effective is not likely. It’s more likely that you will run into situations where you are able to share with your friends, co-workers, neighbors, family members, and others how the Lord has answered your prayers. Or perhaps you may share in general conversation a way in which God has blessed you this week. Or maybe it is in offering to pray for someone that has confided in you a difficult situation. Or maybe it’s in sharing what’s going on at church, or how the youth minister has impacted you kids, or perhaps how excited you are to have a new children’s minister. We could go on and on, but let me tell you, nothing is more effective in sharing your hope with others as sharing your life with them. There is more to this than just sharing the message; to Lead the Legacy is to guide someone in a specific direction by the example you give through living the model of faith. I say this not as some grand theologian, or expert on Scripture, or great evangelist, but as a simple sinner saved by grace. I didn’t grow up knowing Jesus Christ as a name, but something you say when you’re not happy. It is mind-blowing to some, but I lived the first 15 years of my life not knowing what the manger scene meant at Christmas because I didn’t know the Christmas Story. But someone befriended me and her life and the lives of those in her family made an impact on me; and I must say I wanted to know why they went to church every Sunday; what was there that I was missing? I went to church for the first time 3 weeks before Christmas, and I was greeted with the friendliest smiles from people that had a joy I didn’t understand. I’m so thank that my wife (just a friend at the time, and still my BEST friend), was willing to just set the example of faith without putting pressure on me to respond. Eventually, I responded because as time went on, I learned more from her example and her willingness to answer my many questions. There is a flip-side to the story. My great-grandmother, whom I consider to be one of the most wonderful blessings in my life, was a devout Christian. She passed away a couple of years ago, and I miss her greatly; I miss her smile, I miss her hugs, I miss her gentle spirit. I never heard her talk about anyone in a bad way; she without a doubt lived the legacy. But, you know, she never shared it with me. She didn’t attempt to Lead the Legacy, to guide me to an understanding of who Christ was in her life. Only after I accepted Christ as Lord of my life did she talk with me about spiritual matters. Don’t make the same mistake. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 “8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well… 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” Lead the Legacy by sharing your life and faith with those you encounter each day. You have a choice; you can choose to leave a legacy of fortune or a legacy of faith. It is my hope that your Legacy Left Behind will be a Legacy of Faith. Live the Legacy AND Lead the Legacy. Maybe, this morning you realize that you need to take this first step toward a legacy of faith by accepting Christ as Lord. Maybe you have accepted Christ, but have forgotten what it means to live the legacy; make that commitment today and lead the legacy everywhere you go so that others may come to know your source of joy. I don’t care who you are, a man or woman, young or old, father or not; preacher, funeral director, truck driver, teacher, banker, or politician; when you depart this world, you’ll do so…with a Legacy Left Behind. Jason Case Tags: legacy, Father's Day |
Good Morning. I thank you for permitting me this opportunity to deliver the message this morning. I always have found it a humbling experience to deliver what I hope is the Lord’s message to you today.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|