I have read that William Carey land of India from England is buried in the Mission Burial Ground in Serampore, West Bengal. One his tombstone these words are inscribed.
William Carey
born 17th Aug. 1761, died 9th June 1834
"A wretched, poor, and helpless worm on thy kind arms I fall."
What a statement! What a summary of life!
When we hire people for a job we review their resume or bio-data. This is to make sure that they qualify for the position that we have for them. I want to examine the resume of William Carey here. Not much is there but let us look. Prior to coming to India. Pre-1793
• Financially – poor
• Education- only grammar school, no degrees
• Experience- shoemaker
• Reference- a band of country preachers half a world away
• Accomplishments up to 1793- nothing of significance
But as a 32 year old in 1793 he sailed to India with a weapon of life and a strategy to proclaim “by life, lips, and letters the unsearchable riches of Christ” (George, 93).
Let us look at Carey’s post 1793 resume
• Founder of Serampore College in West Bengal, India
• Translated the Bible into many Indian languages and dialects.
• Started other schools and mission stations all over India.
• Laid the ground work that resulted in many social reforms in India.
• Referred as the “the father of the modern missions movement.”
Poor, uneducated, inexperienced man became the father of the modern missionary movement. Shall we agree here that William Carey left a legacy of faithfulness.
I realize that I am speaking to a unique audience here. Majority of you are young men and women starting your life. Others moving towards the end. Then there are people in between. For the young one may I say this, wandering through the wilderness with a bunch of sheep is part of David’s legacy as the wars that he had won as the King of Israel. Christ’s legacy as the incarnate Son of God started with an announcement to a rural teenage girl by the name of Mary. His birth is just as important as his death. To summarize, you have already started a legacy. And to the rest of us who have many years under our belt, understand that we have already written many chapters of this book. I hope that it is all good.
Friends, we need to leave a legacy of faithfulness for the next generation.
Now I want to ask a very crucial question. This is a very personal question. For this may I request your undivided attention. The question is this, if you remain on the path that you are on right now, will you be able to finish well and leave a legacy of faithfulness for the next generation. All of us have selected a track to run on and we are running. Unquestionably you are on a path right now. Do you need some adjustments? do you need to change tracks? Do you need to reassess your strategies? Will this path lead you to the destination God has for you? In Christian life, how you finish really matters. Fisherman, prostitutes, tax collectors and a former terrorist against Christians, they all came to Christ and finished well.
I. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, make sure that you are content with where God has placed you. 39:1-6
• Joseph was sold as a slave to an Egyptian officer by his own brothers.
• Instead of murmuring, being angry with God and his family, he decided in his heart to make the best out of the situation.
• Joseph’s contentment is seen in the statements like, “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” (39:2). Potiphar made him overseer of his house.
• You may in a horrible situation. If you are there because of your own sins that is another matter. But if you find yourself in a tough spot for reasons beyond your control, please get used to it. Accept the reality and be content. Joseph did that.
o Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own son.
o Job had to conduct 10 funerals of his own children in one day.
o Samuel was rejected by the people.
o Peter, Paul and John left their professions, families and passions to follow the Lord and ended up in jail, beaten up, exiled.
o In each situation these people aligned themselves with the situation and accepted the reality. They dealt with the incongruities of life.
Joseph started from his own home, thrown into a pit by his own brothers and sold into slavery, became the servant of a high official in Egypt and eventually worked his way up to a Managerial position within that house, then into a prison for a long time then promoted as the most powerful man next to Pharaoh in Egypt. Up and down up and down. We may call this the oddness of life.
• In chapter 37 Joseph is stripped and cast into a pit by his own bothers. Odd right?
• In chapter 39 the slave boy Joseph is elevated as the Overseer of the house of Potiphar. Odd, right?
• At the end of this chapter the Overseer is cast into prison for no reason. Odd, right?
• In chapter 40 we see a forgotten Joseph and nobody cared. Strange
• In Chapter 41, the prisoner Joseph, just 30 years old, is elevated to second in command in Egypt. His age and position are odd to me.
And if you think you can learn this from a textbook, you are gravely mistaken. The way of the world is not the way of the Lord. Everything is upside down here.
Christ said
o you want to lead-you go serve
o you want to live-you die
o Someone slaps you on the right cheek-show him the left
o Someone asks you to go one mile, go two
o You want a crown-you take up a cross
o You want to be first-be the last
o Someone curses you-bless them
This stuff doesn’t make sense. Learn to put up with the incongruities the inconsistencies of life. Joseph did.
• People are going to cheat you, lie to you, leave you, hate you, shame you, break their promise.
II. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, we need to flee temptations 39:7-20
Matt 26:41 WATCH and pray that you may not ENTER into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
James 1:12 12 Blessed is the man who REMAINS steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who LOVE him.
III. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, from wherever you are in life right now and look back and see God’s handprints in life. 50:20
Gen 45:7-9 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry.
Gen 50:50 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
IV. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, keep hope alive in your life. 50:22-26 (Cling on to God’s promises)
• Ex 13:19- Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”
Can you believe this. Joseph is half dead and he is talking about the promise land. In hindsight we are seeing Paul theology in action here. Joseph’s outer body was perishing but the inner man was full of hope. Men and women, go to your grave clinging onto God’s promises.
• Joshua 24:32- “As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.”
Joseph finished well. He is mentioned as a type of Christ. He finished so well that we are talking about him thousands of years after his death.
Paul understood the seriousness of this early in life
I Cor 9:27 But I DISCIPLINE my body and BRING it into subjection, lest, when I have PREACHED to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul was keen on leaving a legacy of faithfulness. So should you.
May be this message and this camp are a warning for you to get back in track so to finish well.
Matt 25:21 His lord SAID to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you WERE faithful over a few things, I will MAKE you ruler over many things. ENTER into the joy of your lord.
I. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, make sure that you are content with where God has placed you-By accepting the incongruities of life.
II. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, we need to flee temptations-By looking at sin from God’s perspective.
III. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, from wherever you are in life right now and look back and see God’s handprints in life-By careful evaluation of events of life.
IV. In order to leave a legacy of faithfulness, keep hope alive in your life-By clinging on to God’s promises.
