LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY
PROVERBS 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
INTRODUCTION: A legacy is defined as (1) money or property bequeathed to another by will or (2) something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past. Legacies are rare and special gifts, from one person to another, from one generation to the next. As Christians we should seek to leave a lasting legacy of godliness for those who come behind us.
Three conditions for leaving a lasting legacy are:
I. Maintaining Godly Character and Conduct
A. Proverbs 22:1 A good name (literally "character") is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
B. In our day we live in an age of moral vacuum. It seems like character doesn’t count. To put it candidly, you can sleep around and still be a good brain surgeon. You can cheat on your mate and have little trouble continuing to practice law. Apparently, it is no problem to stay in politics and plagiarize. You can be a successful salesperson and cheat on your income tax. Seeing this we have allowed this attitude to permeate throughout Christianity. The perception is that you can do these things and still be a good Christian. But the reality is you cannot do those things as a Christian and continue enjoying the Lord’s blessing. – (adapted from C. Swindoll)
C. 2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue (moral excellence or character)…
D. 1 Peter 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
E. We put a great amount of value on reputation but there is a vast difference between Character and Reputation.
• Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are.
• Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away.
• Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime.
• Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak.
• Your reputation is learned in an hour; Your character is does not come to light for a year.
• A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.
• Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable.
• Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God.
• Your reputation is what men think you are. Your character is what God knows you to be. (copied - William Hershey Davis)
F. Your Character will impact generations to come.
1. One man, Max Jukes, did not believe in religion and married a girl of the same opinion. From this union came 1,026 descendants. Studies showed that 300 died prematurely; 100 were sent to the penitentiary; 190 sold themselves to vice; 100 were drunkards,; and the family cost the state of New York $1,100,00.00!
2. Another man, Jonathan Edwards, believed in God and in his Christian training and married a girl of like character. From that union 729 descendants were studied and they discovered that 300 were preachers, 65 were college professors, 13 were university presidents; 6 authors; 3 U.S. Congressmen and 1 was vice president of the United States
G. A good father will leave his imprint on his daughter for the rest of her life. - James C. Dobson (1936- )
H. 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.
II. Holding Godly Convictions
A. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And you shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when you sit in thine house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
B. A new study by Christian researcher George Barna shows that barely half of the nation’s senior pastors hold to a biblical worldview. The poll of 601 randomly selected senior pastors, representing some 50 denominations and conducted in November and December, showed that only 51 percent of the nation’s pastors held to a biblical worldview. Southern Baptists had the highest percentage (71 percent), while United Methodist pastors had the lowest (27 percent). In fact, only 28 percent of pastors from mainline denominations held to a biblical worldview. "Worldview" is a term used to describe the belief system by which a person understands or makes decisions about the world. For the Barna poll, the requirements for holding to a biblical worldview were minimal. Those holding to such a view had to embrace the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone and the personal responsibility to evangelize. In December, Barna released another poll showing that only 9 percent of people categorized as "born-again" held to a biblical worldview. (WWW.BPNEWS.NET, January 15, 2004 Copyright (c) 2001 - 2004 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press)
C. 2 Timothy 1:5 When I call to remembrance (take recollection) the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
D. There is a difference between a Conviction and a Preference - Difference between a conviction and a preference, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. A preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your entire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your entire material wealth in the name of the belief. You can also energetically proselytize others to your preference. You can also want to teach this belief to your children, and the Supreme court may still rule that it is a preference. A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions, 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death; would you die for your beliefs? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him. Preferences aren’t protected by the constitution. Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover, it is something that you purpose in your heart (cf. Daniel 1, 2-3). Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. To violate a conviction would be a sin. (David C. Gibbs, Jr. Christian Law Association, P.O. Box 30290, Cleveland, Ohio 44130)
E. Athanasius, early bishop of Alexandria, stoutly opposed the teachings of Arius, who declared that Christ was not the eternal Son of God, but a subordinate being. Hounded through five exiles, he was finally summoned before emperor Theodosius, who demanded he cease his opposition to Arius. The emperor reproved him and asked, "Do you not realize that all the world is against you?" Athanasius quickly answered, "Then I am against all the world."
F. 2 Timothy 1:12-14 … I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which you hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto you keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us.
G. Daddy had a little boy; His soul was white as snow. He never went to Sunday school Cause Daddy wouldn’t go. He never heard the Word of God. That thrills the childish mind, while other children went to class, This child was left behind. As he grew from babe to youth, Dad saw to his dismay, a soul that once was snowy white, Became a dingy grey. Realizing that his son was lost, Dad tried to win him back. But now the soul that once was white had turned an ugly black. Dad even started back to church, and Bible study too; He begged the preacher, "Isn’t there a thing you can do?" The preacher tried, failed, and said "We’re just too far behind; I tried to tell you years ago, But you would pay me no mind." And so another soul was lost, that once was white as snow; Sunday School would have helped, But Daddy wouldn’t go. - Pulpit Helps
III. Demonstrating Godly Compassion
A. Colossians 3:21 (MKJV) Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they be discouraged.
B. Ephesians 6:4 (MKJV) And fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
C. We need parents that demonstrate love.
D. Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
E. Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
F. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
G. One of the main reasons people hold false perceptions of God is our tendency to project onto God the unloving characteristics of the people we look up to. We tend to believe that God is going to treat us as other do. This is because our negative images of God are often rooted in our emotional hurts and destructive patterns of relating to people that we carry with us from our past. Imagine a little girl of seven who has known only rejection and abuse from her father whom she loves dearly. At Sunday School she is taught that God is her heavenly Father. What is her perception of Him going to be? Based on her experience with her natural father, she will see God as an unstable, rejecting, abusing person she cannot trust. If you father was distant, impersonal and uncaring, and he wouldn’t intervene for you, you may see God as having the same characteristics. As a result, you feel that you are unworthy of God’s intervention in your life. You find it difficult to draw close to God because you see Him as disinterested in your need and wants. If your father was a pushy man who was inconsiderate of you, or who violated and used you, you may see God in the same way. You probably feel cheap or worthless in God’s eyes, and perhaps feel that you deserve to be taken advantage of by others. You may feel that God will force you—not ask you—to do things you don’t want to do. If your father was like a drill sergeant, demanding more and more from you with no expression of satisfaction, or burning with anger with no tolerance for mistakes, you may have cast God in his image. You likely feel that God will not accept you unless you meet His demands, which seem unattainable. This perception may have driven you to become a perfectionist. If your father was a weakling, and you couldn’t depend on him to help you or defend you, your image of God may be that of a weakling. You may feel that you are unworthy of God’s comfort and support, or that He is unable to help you. If your father was overly critical and constantly came down hard on you, or if he didn’t believe in you or your capabilities and discouraged you from trying, you may perceive God in the same way. You don’t feel as if you’re worth God’s respect or trust. You may even see yourself as a continual failure, deserving all the criticism you receive. In contrast to the negative perceptions many women have about God, let me give you several positive character qualities of a father. Notice how these qualities, if they existed in your father, have positively influenced your perception of God. If your father was patient, you are more likely to see God as patient and available for you. You feel that you are worth God’s time and concern. You feel important to God and that He is personally involved in every aspect of your life. If your father was kind, you probably see God acting kindly and graciously on your behalf. You feel that you are worth God’s help and intervention. You feel God’s love for you deeply and you’re convinced that He wants to relate to you personally. If your father was a giving man, you may perceive God as someone who gives to you and supports you. You feel that you are worth God’s support and encouragement. You believe that God will give you what is best for you, and you respond by giving of yourself to others. If your father accepted you, you tend to see God accepting you regardless of what you do. God doesn’t dump on you or reject you when you struggle, but understands and encourages you. You are able to accept yourself even when you blow it or don’t perform up to your potential. If your father protected you, you probably perceive God as your protector in life. You feel that you are worthy of being under His care and you rest in His security. (Always Daddy’s Girl by H. Norman Wright, 1989, Regal Books, pp. 193-195)
