As I look back over the first 65 years of my life [65 years, two months, and two weeks, to be precise, tick tock], I’ve been thinking a bit more about what difference my life has made so far, what more I would like to accomplish, and what I will be leaving behind, when eventually I “shuffle off this mortal coil”. My “legacy”, to use a somewhat pretentious term. Now, hopefully, I’ll have many more years to add to my legacy, but it’s appropriate, I think, for all of us to look back as well as forward, to reflect on the life we’ve lived, and how we can finish well. And so that’s what I’ve been doing.
Perhaps some of you have had similar thoughts, triggered by a life event, such as the birth of a child or grandchild, or a marriage, or a graduation, or retirement, or the passing of someone close to you. All of those are milestones which are reminders that our time on earth is both finite and diminishing. And when that realization comes, that time is passing, each of us might ask what is it that we want to leave behind, for our children and grandchildren, and for the church and for the community? How can we ensure that we are passing on to them an inheritance, a legacy, that really matters?
Some people are focused on passing on a financial inheritance. They are striving to ensure that their children and grandchildren are well provided for from a monetary point of view. They want their sons and daughters, their grandsons and granddaughters, to be able to follow their dreams, to get an education, to live in relative comfort. And so they labor to earn as much as possible, to create wealth and invest it wisely, so that they can leave behind a legacy of financial security. Perhaps they work to build a business, or to acquire land and equipment, or a large bank account or stock portfolio. And I want to be clear: there’s nothing inherently wrong with doing that. On the contrary, many of us here this morning have been blessed by the hard work of our own parents and grandparents. Proverbs 13:22 tells us this:
“A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
This proverb is one of a series of short sayings, or aphorisms, in Proverbs that contrast the outcomes of a wise and godly life versus a foolish and sinful one. And in general, this Proverb is telling us, a life guided by righteousness and wisdom, and specifically the wisdom of the Bible, is more likely to lead to prosperity, and thus the ability to leave an inheritance for your offspring. A sinful life, on the other hand, may generate wealth, but it will ultimately slip through the wicked person’s fingers. And so in the end, the righteous will benefit from it, rather than the sinner’s own descendants.
Now understand, this is not a guarantee. Proverbs are statements of wisdom. They aren’t promises; they are observations about how life generally works. And the way things generally work out, even though we can all think of exceptions, is that a wise, righteous life leads to prosperity. And so working to leave an inheritance of this kind, a financial inheritance, is a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with it. As we see here in Proverbs,
the Bible speaks of it in a positive way. Yes, it can be marred by sin or greed or selfishness, as can anything, but in itself, it’s a good thing.
Here’s a similar statement from Ecclesiastes, another Old Testament wisdom book:
“Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 7:11)
What does Ecclesiastes says about an inheritance. Like wisdom, it’s a “good thing”. So if you are working, or have worked, perhaps for many years, to give your children and grandchildren the blessings of property, or finances, or some other kind of wealth, such as an education, or an established business, then that’s a good thing.
The problem, however, is that this kind of inheritance, an inheritance of worldly wealth, an inheritance of money, or land, or buildings, or livestock, or equipment—this kind of inheritance doesn’t necessarily last, even for one generation.
King Solomon wrote about this, also in the book of Ecclesiastes. Remember, Solomon was incredibly wealthy. Immensely wealthy. 1 Kings 10:23 tells us that he was, “. . . greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.” He had a lot of “stuff” to pass on. But as he reflected on what was to become of all his wealth, he realized something:
“17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-21).
You can work all your life, with diligence, and sacrifice, and effort; with skill and wisdom, and you can build an estate. But when you pass from the scene, everything you have worked for will go to someone else, someone who didn’t work for it, someone who may not appreciate all of the sacrifices that went into acquiring it. In most cases, that will be your children, your sons and daughters. “And who knows”, Solomon writes in verse 19, “whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill”. What happens, then, if those who inherit your wealth are foolish, or incapable? Or if their children, or their children’s children, lack wisdom? You see, with each succeeding generation, the likelihood that your descendants will continue to exercise the wisdom that is necessary, and do the hard work that is necessary, to hold onto and grow their inheritance diminishes, and the likelihood that they will squander it, or neglect it, or invest it poorly, increases. There’s an old saying among those who manage wealth: the first generation builds it, the second generation enjoys it, and the third generation destroys it. It’s a very predictable pattern. The idea of “generational wealth” is in most cases, a mirage. Even for someone as wealthy as Solomon.
History tells us the same thing. For example, you’ve probably heard the name Vanderbilt. Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the original railroad barons in the 1800’s. His railroads stretched across the entire United States. He had a monopoly on all rail service into and out of New York City. At the time of his death in 1877, his fortune was worth $100 million dollars, equivalent to several billion dollars today. He was the richest man in America. And his son, William Vanderbilt, actually doubled that fortune. But then the third generation started spending. Great houses, such as the Biltmore estate in North Carolina. Mansions on fifth avenue in New York. Yachts. Lavish parties. Luxury automobiles. Expensive artworks. Philanthropy and endowments to universities. And eventually, it was all gone. Anderson Cooper, the CNN journalist and the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, told a radio show in 2014,
“My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund." In a little over a hundred years, the family wealth was all gone. There are hundreds of stories like that.
And it isn’t just a lack of wisdom that threatens generational wealth. Your children, or grandchildren, could simply be unlucky, with events conspiring against them. There could be a war, or a banking crisis, a collapse of the financial system, or another worldwide pandemic. Or perhaps misfortune on a smaller, personal scale: illness, divorce, accidents, lawsuits, theft, fraud. The point is that whatever you pass on to your descendants in the form of this world’s wealth will likely not survive for all that long. Jesus spoke about the uncertain nature of wealth and worldly possessions.
“19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
“Where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Whatever you accumulate in terms of this world’s wealth can be lost, and eventually will be. It can be destroyed by natural forces. It can be taken from you by theft. But there is no way to guarantee that it won’t be lost. It can’t be done. There is no insurance policy, no investment strategy, which can absolutely prevent the loss of whatever you acquire through your hard work and sacrifice. And this also goes for anything you leave to your children and grandchildren. If your legacy to them is only financial—just dollars or acres—it likely will be temporary. It just won’t last. And so Jesus is telling us that this should not be our primary focus, to store up worldly wealth, either for ourselves or for our descendants.
What kind of inheritance, then, should we strive to leave for our children and grandchildren? Or if we have no children of our own, what kind of legacy should we seek to leave for our community? What does Jesus tell us to do? “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves to not break in and steal.” In other words, according to our Lord, even while we are working to make a living and to pass on to our children what we can from our labors, our focus should be on building eternal wealth, treasures in heaven that will last, and that cannot be destroyed.
And so what I would like to suggest this morning is that the most important inheritance that we can leave our children, or grandchildren, or nieces and nephews; the most important inheritance that we can leave our church and community, is the inheritance of faith.
Let’s look at a few verses which talk about that inheritance. Read what Paul wrote to Timothy concerning Timothy’s inheritance of faith:
“1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (2 Timothy 1:1-5)
Note first that Paul mentions his own forbears, his own ancestors, and the fact that they served God. Verse 3: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience”. Paul acknowledges that he comes from a line of men and women who were faithful and obedient to God, who served God to the best of their ability according to the knowledge that they possessed. And many of us in this room could make the same statement. They weren’t perfect—none of us are—but they guided their lives by faith.
The next thing we notice in this passage is what Paul says about Timothy’s spiritual heritage. Verse five: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
We don’t know the specific circumstances of how Timothy came to trust in Christ as his Savior. But it is no accident that Paul mentions his mother’s and his grandmother’s faith. Clearly, they had an important influence on Timothy, and they worked to ensure that their faith was passed on to the next generation. And their faithfulness bore fruit in the life of Timothy, and in the lives that Timothy, in turn, touched.
Now, how do you suppose they did that? What did they do to pass on their faith? We’re going to speculate a little bit here, but not really. Because we know how parents, and grandparents, and other family members influence their children, and grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. They do this in two ways: by precept and by example; that is, by what they say and by what they do. Timothy could see how his mother and grandmother lived; he could see how they responded to people and situations; he could see when they responded graciously and when they expressed confidence in God’s care and provision. He could see when they demonstrated love and care for others, when they forgave others, when they showed compassion, or humility, or kindness, when they prayed. He saw that day after day, year after year.
And as all the parents here this morning know, you can’t hide anything from your children, can you? No. They see and hear everything, including the things you might not want other church members to know about. Amen? And they will innocently tell their Sunday School teacher, all about it. The teacher asks if anyone has anything they would like to share, and the child blurts out: “Teacher, my mommy said a bad word!” And that doesn’t stop, by the way, once they are grown and out of the house. They continue watching you as you navigate the challenges of each phase of life, just a few years ahead of them. They see how you respond to difficulties at work, and in the home; they see how you respond to disappointments and setbacks, as well as joys and successes; they see how you deal with illness and physical issues; and ultimately, they will see how you face death.
So be mindful of that, parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts. Your children and grandchildren, your nieces and nephews, are watching, and drawing conclusions about your faith. They are forming opinions about whether the gospel is real, and powerful, and lasting, and true from what they see and hear in your life. Now, having said that: thank goodness that it doesn’t all depend on us, because we all fall short, don’t we? We all fail from time to time. And God can and will reach the hearts of our children and grandchildren in spite of our failings. There is grace involved here, thankfully. But that doesn’t mean that our example doesn’t matter; it does. And so Timothy likely witnessed first hand how the faith of his mother and grandmother influenced how they lived.
In addition to observing our example, another way that children and grandchildren learn is through intentional teaching, by being instructed in the Bible and what it says. And parents and grandparents have a responsibility to ensure that their children receive this kind of instruction. We read this in Deuteronomy:
“5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
What is our first responsibility toward our children and grandchildren? No, not to teach. Read the verse again. Teaching comes second. Our first responsibility is to love and serve God ourselves, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
We can’t pass on to our children what we don’t possess ourselves. And so we have to start by making sure that our own spiritual life is healthy and consistent. The Word of God has to be in our hearts first, and we need, first of all, to be seeking God with all that is in us, with all of our heart, and soul, and strength. That’s where we have to begin if we hope to pass on our faith to the generations coming after us. Our children can spot hypocrisy a mile away. So don’t be a hypocrite. Seek after God yourself first, and then encourage them to do the same.
How do we teach our children, then? What does it say? “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”. In other words, the Word of God should be something we talk about in every kind of situation. It shouldn’t be something that only comes up on Sundays, in church.
• For example, it says, “when you sit at home”. You’re watching television, say, and a character in a sitcom does or says something that conflicts with God’s word. You might ask, “what do you think of what they just did? What does the Bible say about that?” Now, you have to be mindful of how often you do this, or they won’t want to watch TV with you any more. But there’s nothing wrong with pointing out, from time to time, what the Bible has to say about the scenarios we see playing out on our television screens. The same goes for the music that is playing in our home. What do the lyrics say? How does that compare with what the Bible teaches?
• All right. When else are you “sitting at home”? At dinner, at family gatherings, really anytime you’re with them. The point is that talking about spiritual things should be an ongoing practice, a normal thing to do.
• How about “when you walk along the road”. When you’re traveling from place to place in the car perhaps. Then they’re a captive audience. They can’t escape. Take the opportunity to share something you’ve learned recently from the Bible. Just make sure you do it before they put in their earbuds.
• “When you lie down”, so when you’re putting them to bed, if you have little ones or small grandchildren. Tell them a bedtime story from the Bible: David and Goliath, Noah and the Ark, Adam and Eve. Maybe not David and Bathsheba.
• Or “When you get up”. For example, giving thanks before eating breakfast.
Now, all of these are just suggestions, and they would need to be adapted to the children’s age and their willingness to listen to you. Once they become teenagers, the opportunities for dialogue and discussion may be few and far between, at least for a few years. That’s when your example, and your willingness to listen to them, become even more important.
The point is not that you follow these specific examples, but that you should be looking for opportunities, as part of your normal, everyday interactions with children and grandchildren, to direct their minds to God and his Word. Will they always welcome that? Will they always pay attention? No. But they will remember it. You will be surprised what they remember, years later, even when you didn’t think they were listening. And God will bring it to their mind when they need it.
Now, maybe your in-person time with your children or grandchildren is limited. Maybe they live in another town, or another state. Then write them letters. Text them. Visit when you can. Put a note in a birthday card. Along with money, of course. That helps. But be creative. Again, you need to exercise discernment as to how, and when, and how often you do this. The important thing, first, is that you are seeking God and thinking about how to serve God faithfully in your own life. Then your words to them will be natural, and not forced, and they will see that you are simply sharing with them what is in your own heart.
I’d like to reinforce this point by looking at Psalm 78:
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
Look at Verse 4: “we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” And what is the result? Verse 7: “Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” In other words, your children need to hear about what God has done. For example, they need to hear the story of Noah’s ark, how God saved mankind and all the animals from the flood. They need to hear about the battle of Jericho, and about David and Goliath, and about how Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea. They need to hear about how Jesus rose from the dead, and how Peter was freed from jail by an angel. They need to hear the Bible stories. But also, they need to hear about how God has worked in your life; how he saved you, and how he has blessed and protected you. They need to hear about the “praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” in your life.
And that means you need to think back on your life, and ponder how God has been working, so that you can share those stories with them. You need to ask God to help you see how his hand has been at work in your life. Then you can share that insight with your children and grandchildren. They want to hear the stories from your past and your childhood, and they also need to hear your perspective on how God was caring for you, and guiding you, and protecting you, all along the way. Maybe you’ve never thought about your life in that way. Maybe you’ve never thought about God’s hand being active in your life, to guide and protect and provide. But you should. Because in fact, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then God has been working in your life, and your children’s lives, from the very beginning. And your children need to hear about that.
The final, and most important thing we need to do in order to pass on our faith to our children is to pray for them. Why do we need to pray? Because faith is a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. And only God can accomplish that work. We participate in the work of salvation by teaching our children and providing an example of faith. And God uses those things. But ultimately, implanting faith in the heart is a work of God, something that only he can do. And so we must pray.
“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (Ephesians 2:8)
Salvation is a gift of God, and the faith which leads to salvation is also a gift of God. You cannot, by your own efforts—no matter how diligent and faithful you are—you cannot ensure that your children will come to faith. None of the things we’ve talked about can guarantee that. You can do your part, and you should. But only God can grant them faith and welcome them into his kingdom.
Now, you may find that discouraging. But it shouldn’t be. Because we know that God hears and answers prayer. And we also know that he can do what seems to us to be impossible. And so no matter how far your children or grandchildren seem to be from God, how little interest your nieces and nephews seem to have in spiritual things; God can draw them to himself. He can overcome their hardness of heart, their pride, their skepticism. He can overcome all of that and draw them to himself. Maybe your children or grandchildren or older, and you have a hard time imagining them ever coming to faith, given where they are now. That’s all right. Because God is able to do what we cannot imagine.
“20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Before we conclude, just a comment: I’ve focused this morning on the spiritual legacy that we leave in the minds and hearts of children and young people, and I’ve spoken to parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles. But your spiritual legacy isn’t limited to your influence on family members. Your spiritual legacy includes everyone throughout your life whom you’ve influenced in some way for Christ; everyone whom you’ve spoken to about Christ; everyone whom you’ve ministered to or served in the name of Christ; everyone who has observed you living for Christ. That’s all a part of your spiritual legacy. All of those things have a ripple effect that extends far into the future, in ways we can’t anticipate. And they are far more significant than what we leave behind in dollars or physical possessions.
Finally, I mentioned before that your children and grandchildren are always watching, always observing. And one of the things they see is what we value. And so I’d like to share a few verses which talk about the value of our inheritance in Christ.
“13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-15)
“5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5)
“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)
That’s the greatest inheritance anyone could ever have, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and eternal life through faith in him. Those of us who were raised in a Christian home, by parents who had faith in Christ and who did their best to pass that faith on to us—we received an incredible inheritance from them. That’s the inheritance that each of us should be diligently striving to pass on to our children and grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, as well as to everyone else in our community. Passing on that inheritance isn’t limited to those who have children of their own. We can all do our part to influence our own generation and future generations for Christ.
Knowing Christ, and walking with him in this life, is a great privilege. But the greatest part of our inheritance is still future. It is an inheritance which, in the words of 1 Peter, “can never perish, spoil or fade.” It is eternal life, the “salvation that is ready to be revealed”. It is the eternal kingdom of God. It will be glorious, and amazing, and breathtakingly beautiful, and a cause for rejoicing, and better than anything we can possibly imagine. And it will never end. One day soon, that story, our eternal story, will begin. And so we thank God for our glorious inheritance in Christ, an inheritance that is yet to be fully revealed. May we do all that is in our power to pass on that inheritance to the generations to come.
