[S] Today the Olympics and the race for the gold will come to a close. Thousands of Athletes representing hundreds of countries and millions of fans have gone to Beijing China to compete in the game of all games, the Olympics. World records were shattered and new legends rose to the top. In some cases those new legends were men and women who didn’t even medal. South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit was one such person. Natalie was South Africa’s premier woman swimmer who had her sights set on the Olympics when tragedy struck. She was riding passenger on a scooter when a car struck her leg from the side destroying it from the knee down. It would have to be amputated and with it so were her hopes and dreams, but not for very long. No longer able to swim the short quick races she turned her attention to open water swimming which is a long distance swim in the ocean because that kind of swimming relies more on the arms than it does the legs. When she qualified for the Olympics her country was ecstatic. Although she placed 16 out of 23, and didn’t win a medal, she won the respect and the hearts of many across the world. Her tenacity and perseverance has made her a legend when it comes to Olympic sports. And her legacy will inspire generations of South Africans to never give up on their dream.
What will you be remembered for? What is the legacy you hope to pass on to the next generation? And what does the bible have to say to us about these issues? So far the bible has revealed two legacies worth pursuing and passing on to future generations. The first legacy came through an unnamed woman whose legacy was that she loved Jesus more than anything. And the second legacy came through a man named Apollos whose is remembered as a man mighty in the Scriptures. What is the next legacy worthy of a Disciples time and effort? Let’s read Luke 2.25-32 and find out.
[S] “Now there was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, Lord, now I can die in peace! As you promised me, I have seen the Savior you have given to all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (Luke 2.25-32, NLT). [S]
What was Simeon’s legacy? I think the clue is found in the second sentence which says, “He was a righteous man and very devout.” God wants us to know that Simeon was a very holy man. And in the gospel of Luke there is a connection between his holiness and being the one to proclaim that he has held the Messiah in his hands. The fact that Simeon is noted as being holy is not an oversight. In the gospel according to Luke you will discover that whenever these words are mentioned in conjunction with a person or an angelic being that something special is getting ready to happen or be announced. To have the announcement of the Messiah come from anyone less than noted for their holiness would not have been taken seriously. [S] As I pondered this I realized that there is something about being holy.
One of the great legacies found throughout the scriptures is the legacy that Simeon embodied, the legacy of being holy. There can be no question that one of the great themes that dominates the bible, the grand depositum of the faith as John Wesley would refer to it as, is the legacy for God’s people to be known for their holiness.
[S] 1 Peter 1.13-16, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV)
Here Peter is reminding those he’s writing to of God’s commands in Leviticus to be holy. God wants those who bear his name to reflect his image to the world and that means since God is holy we need to be holy too. To be a holy people. To be a holy nation. To be a holy church. To be a holy choir. To be a holy council. To be a holy Sunday school class. To be a holy leader. To be a holy pastor. To be a holy person. To be a holy mom. To be a holy dad. To be a holy entrepreneur. To be a holy employee. To be a holy sibling. To be a holy student. And the list could go on.
Why do you think Peter is telling them this? They have backslidden. Think about it. Peter is basically reminding them that the life they live in Christ now, should be different than the way they used to live before becoming a disciple of Christ. What’s that imply? It implies that they have reverted to old behaviors characteristic of their previous lifestyle. [S] They’ve taken a step backward, so that instead of growing in holiness they were in actuality becoming holy-less.
Legend has it that it took Leonardo Da Vinci seven years to complete his painting of The Last Supper. The first subject he brushed into the painting was Jesus. He spent days looking for someone who would capture the essence of Christ on canvas. He interviewed hundreds and hundreds of young men looking for someone who exhibited innocence, inner beauty, and who was free from signs caused by sin in his life. After weeks of searching he found a 19 year old male. It took Da Vinci six months to complete the painting of Jesus. Six years later Da Vinci finished painting the disciples in except for one. His name was Judas.
Da Vinci left Judas for last. He would be hard to paint. He needed a face that would capture the idealism and passion of a zealot waiting for Jesus to rebel against Rome as a face that captured the frustration and torment he experienced after the betrayal. He went to the markets and other public areas looking at faces in the crowds hoping t find someone who captured those qualities. Da Vinci’s search took him to a dungeon in Rome. It was there that he saw the face of a man that he believed would be perfect for Judas. The man was wretched and unkept. His eyes revealed a dark and tormented soul. Through a special arrangement with authorities the prisoner was released in Da Vinci’s care until the painting was completed.
Months later the painting was complete. After it was finished the man who modeled as Judas broke down. Crying he clutched Da Vinci and said, “Look at me! Look at me! Do you not know who I am?” Shocked and surprised Da Vinci didn’t know. “Leonardo” the man crid out, “I am the man you painted as Jesus six years ago! (Homiletics, April 2000, pg. 55).
One moment the man is living a life exemplary of Christ and then before he knows it he finds himself living far from the way of the call of Christ. Where would you be in this story? If God were to paint you into this canvas who would he cast you as? [S]
Writing to Timothy, Paul said “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life… (2 Timothy 1.8-9, NIV) Hebrews 12.14, “Let it be your ambition to live at peace with all men and to achieve holiness…” (J.B. Phillips). “Pursue peace with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (NRSV) “Strive for peace and holiness…” (RSV)
The pursuit of holiness is what birthed Methodism in England and catapulted it across the pond to America. Methodism is part of the holiness movement. Methodists by our nature are to be people who desire to be fixated on God and who combine holiness of heart and life. Our mission is still the same as the early Methodists, to reform the church and the nation and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. The question is what kind of holiness are you spreading? And will you be remembered as someone growing in holiness or as someone who was becoming holy-less?
