Leaving A Legacy – Adapted from The Search For God’s Own Heart by Andy Cook (Ch. 15)
(Part 4, Building a Stronger Family)
Text: II Samuel 21:15-22 (pg. 232 in pew bible)
God gives each generation the opportunity to raise up new leaders for God’s people. Since we know that God will have leaders for the next generation, the question is - will you have a hand in raising up the leaders of the next generation?
Play Andrew Peterson’s song – Song and Dance-Track 4 (first verse only)
David’s on his throne at sundown, his paper and his pen are in his hand.
He’s waiting on a song at sundown, as he gazes out across his Holy Land
And he thinks of old Goliath and he smiles, He can barely keep from laughing
He says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.”
He can hear the rivers clapping, they’re still clapping to the same old song and dance…(fade out at 1:19)
Our search for God’s own heart, as in the case of David, does not stop once we reach the golden years of life, in fact it becomes the time when God relies on us to carry on the promises of His word to those who are beginning the search you started long ago.
Getting older can be a funny thing though, one comedian once remarked, “If I keep wandering through my house looking for what I wanted one room ago, it won’t be long before I can hide my own Easter eggs, leave the room and come back to find them and have a great time finding the surprises!”
Another elderly gentleman was having a great time at a senior citizen’s seminar when a young woman asked him what kind of plans he had for the future. The 75 year old man said, “Honey, at my age, I don’t even buy green bananas.”
But one of the worst stories I’ve read was of the grandchild sitting on her grandfather’s lap listening to the Bible story of Noah’s Ark.
“Were you in the Ark, grandpa”, she asked?
He chuckled and replied, “Why, no I wasn’t.”
There was a pause, and the child looked up at him quizzically and asked, “Then why weren’t you drowned?”
We have to make sure our last years are our best years.
In time, time will exhaust you. Growing old is no picnic. It wasn’t easy for David as well.
George Burns, an expert on growing old, said you know your getting old when:
-The gleam in your eyes is from the sun hitting your bifocals
-You get winded playing chess
-Your children start to look middle-aged
-you sit in a rocking chair but you can’t get it going
-dialing long distance wears you out
-the little gray-haired woman you help across the street is your wife
-your knees buckle but your belt won’t
-And lastly, you know you’re getting older when stoop to tie your shoes and you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there.
The Bible gives us a great picture of David, in a tough moment of his life, when he realizes that time has exhausted him. No funny jokes, no comedian’s routines can take away the truth: The older we get the tougher it is to keep the battle lines strong.
It’s just about this time when we see the youth of the world creeping up on us and realizing that we are no longer the “go to” people. I feel this every-once-in-a-while when I watch sports on TV. I see this rookie sensation playing at the top of the game and I see his age, 20 or 21, and I realize that I used to be that old once. I used to think that I could play professional sports if I was given the opportunity, now I am at the age most players think about retirement. I don’t consider myself to be an older person, until I realize that time is catching up with me.
We have this new generation of problems as we get older. Evil never takes a generation off. David battled one giant, Goliath, in the very beginning of his career. Goliath was a huge problem, one that David never forgot. But, near the end of his life, four more giants came out of the woods. It overwhelmed him that there were still giants, problems, and evil. But, again, evil never takes a generation off.
Today, we are faced with incredible giants and problems and evil of every kind. We have seen teenagers shoot and kill teachers and other teenagers. We have seen families torn apart by divorce and crippled because of the unfaithfulness of the parents. Children have been born in bathroom stalls and left for dead. Worse yet, children aren’t even given the chance to be born because of a pro-choice decision. Single mothers are teaching their daughters how to become prostitutes and use men for greed and nothing more than a means to financial gain and physical pleasure. Single fathers are teaching young boys to disrespect women and that love is not worth giving unless you get something in return. There is a mixing of gender so rampant today that teens are more confused about their sexuality than ever, and you don’t know if the person doing your hair is a “Bob” or a “Betty”. Terror has a new face in America and the world today, and part of it is being brought to your door by the local post office.
We have seen America in the church, out of the church, and then back in a church that is so weak, so mild-mannered, so non-relevant, it’s hard to even recognize the product.
Every generation has its problems and has learned the same truth. Evil never stops. New giants come out of the woods, new problems develop and they are overwhelming. I wonder if David looked up and felt terrified. Some of those giants made Goliath look like a toddler. These giants were bigger, they had more fingers and toes, they had heavier spears, they shouted louder, and they were new and improved versions of the evil he had battled all of his life.
Sound familiar?
God gives each generation the opportunity to raise up new leaders for God’s people. With new leaders, every one of the new giants was defeated, falling just as hard as old Goliath had fallen years ago. Giants are no problem for God as long as He has some leaders to call upon.
Text: Read II Timothy 2:1-2
In our families, we have a responsibility to prepare our children for the days ahead. In the church we have the same responsibility. We need to raise new leaders to fill shoes that we have filled for so long. But they need more than just information, they will be faced with new problems, new giants, and ones that you have never seen before and could never have imagined.
I promise you this-God will never be found without someone to fight the battle. He will always leave a legacy with someone faithful to His cause.
There are many examples of those who have been used to fight battles for God in the Bible. Abraham left a legacy of faith and obedience to God which still influences us for good. Rahab did one good deed which earned her a name among the faithful. David built cities, a great kingdom, and wealth. But the abiding legacy of his life was his faithfulness to God. Mary, the friend of Jesus, performed one act of kindness that Jesus said would be forever remembered. Tabitha was remembered for her charity and labor for others. Paul left the Ephesians a legacy of God’s teaching and an example of Godly living.
Eventually, God Himself would join the battle and mark the victory with the cross. Don’t lose your vision on God’s plan, on God’s faithfulness. All the way through Revelation, God always-always!-has His witnesses.
And since it’s not a question that God will have witnesses in each generation, there is only one question left. Since we know that God will have leaders for the next generation, the question is - will you have a hand in raising up the leaders of the next generation? Will you have a hand in raising up a family that will bring God glory many years from now?
Here are a few practical steps to help out:
1. Look for the “mighty men” of the next generation.
In chapter 21, David saw four such men around him in the most desperate of times. These guys stepped up and did what was necessary to preserve David’s life. By the end of chapter 23, David saw thirty seven mighty men. There were more than he realized. God has placed some incredible people around you right now, in your family, in this church, in your workplace, etc., etc. These are some great young men and women, some great teenagers who have great hearts for God. Looking around to your family, to the younger people in your church, these people will be able to show you what God has already done. It’s time to start the search for God’s next generation of “mighty men”, willing to seek after God’s own heart.
Leave a legacy.
2. Leave your stories to your family.
Write it down. Make videos. Send e-mail’s. Set up monuments. You’ve already done some of these things. You’ve built church buildings so that your children will see the grandeur of God in a place that people can glorify Him. Some of you have been very visible in front of your children and grandchildren, taking care of the church grounds, church property, singing in church choirs, teaching Sunday School, heading up mission teams, going on mission trips, etc. Over time, the next generation will clearly see what was most important in your life. They will be looking at decisions you are making today. Leave a legacy.
3. Lead a younger leader.
Pick out someone in your family, in your church, and be an encourager to that young man or woman. Brag on them. Build a relationship with that person. Be a Paul to a Timothy. In time, that support will be like a powerful wind in the sails of that person’s life. Young people need others to believe in them. You be that encourager! This not only builds a strong family at home, but the family of God is built on the foundations that are laid within the relationships in the homes of servants like you and me. That’s what we’ve been looking at all this month, building a stronger family. I hope you have enjoyed this series. I hope and pray that God’s word has been made real to you in some way through this series of practical living for today’s family. I say it again: It’s no question that God will raise up a new generation of leaders. The question is this one: Will you be a part of raising up those leaders?
I challenge you to Live, Love, and Leave a Legacy as we build stronger families through God’s grace and our obedience to His word.
You can make any change you need to make today. You don’t have to wait until your life straightens out or things get put in order, God wants to give you a hand right now. You who have been through life’s worst and best and are busy with the later years in life, God still has very important purposes for you. Raise up a leader to take this generation in the direction God desires to go. Leave a legacy.
