Living the Legacy, Making Disciples
October 29, 2006
Joshua 24:1-24
Intro: When Ohio State played for the NCAA Championship in 2003, coach Jim Tressel wanted to encourage his players to step up to another level. In his pre-game speech he asked a powerful question: “What do you want to be remembered for?” Do you want to be remembered as champions or losers?
Note: Tressel asked a simple question – What do you want your legacy to be? Did you know that Solomon was concerned w/ the same question?
Verse: A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. Pr. 22:1
Trans: Unless you’ve been living on a deserted island, it’d be hard to miss that for the last few weeks we’ve been focusing on the idea of legacy; more specifically, how to live the legacy given to us by God to make disciples. Beginning today, we’re going to get practical. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Put your money where you mouth is?” It’s time for all of us who call on the name of Jesus as our Savior and who call FBC family to step up and decide what we want to be remembered for. Personally, I want to be remembered for “Living the Legacy and Making Disciples.”
Define: Legacy – a legacy is an inheritance or quality handed down from a previous generation. It includes more than passing on wealth; it also means to pass along character, beliefs, and faith.
Insert: This means we’re all living a legacy. If the Lord took me home tomorrow – I’d leave a legacy here at FBC. If you were to step into the arms of Jesus today, you too would leave a legacy for those who will come behind you.
Note: What does this mean? It means that how you live, what you live for, and how you invest your life make a difference. The question is for who?
Note: As followers of Christ, we’re not called to engage in the world’s strategy of legacy, we’re called to live and leave a legacy that will count for eternity.
Note: This means that a true legacy is more than leaving money and stuff behind, it means leaving the best parts of Christ in you. It means leaving your character, your convictions, and your Christ behind for others to experience.
Story: A few years ago there was an interesting discovery made in the family trees of two families from American History: Max Juke, a backwoodsman known for hard living and weak ethics left a legacy for no one would envy. To his many children, some who were illegitimate Max left a name to be ridiculed, values to be forgotten, and a faith that was non-existent. As a result, Max’s family tree of 709 known descendants includes: 280 paupers; 140 known criminals; 60 thieves; 6 murderers; 128 prostitutes; 67 known to have syphilis; w/ 300 dying early in life.
Story: A second man, living at the same time as Juke was the great preacher Jonathan Edwards. His family tree of some 1,394 members includes: 100 lawyers; 30 judges; 13 college presidents; 100 professors; 62 physicians; 100 clergymen, missionaries, and theologians; 80 elected to public office including 3 mayors, 3 governors, several congressmen, 3 senators, and 1 vice-president (Aaron Burr); 60 were authors writing 135 books; 75 were army and navy officers. While we can’t say all those in the Edwards family tree were Christians, but we can see that there is a sharp contrast to that of Juke’s family tree. It is safe to say that Edwards’ faith in God, along w/ the godly character and conduct exemplified by he and his wife made a lasting impact for generations to come.
Trans: As we look to the future, I hope you’ve looked into you heart and asked how can I leave a legacy of faith for those who will follow me?
Insert: I think of Steve Escue’s testimony a few weeks ago. His grandmother left a legacy of faith in this church and upon his family that now his parents, aunts and uncles, children, and grandchildren have an obligation to continue. Any one of them could forget what was passed down to them. Anyone of them could come up w/ an excuse. But they won’t b/c this is a family that understands that to leave a legacy to you to live the legacy. And whatever you inherit you’re responsible to pass on intact to those who come behind you.
Point: Watch this! The heart of the Gospel is to pass on what you’ve received from someone else. It’s to leave a legacy of faith. Each of us who call on the Jesus’ name is called to live a life that leaves a legacy of faith by making disciples.
Note: Let’s consider this AM what is worth leaving behind for others to find.
I A Legacy of CHARACTER
Verse: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Pr. 22:1
Note: We live in a day when many people would rather have silver and gold than a good name. Too many undervalue character and overvalue capability.
Note: The desire for personal integrity is at an all-time low. Even this week I had four different parents speak w/ me about their struggles w/ their children lying. It would seem that being truthful is no longer a valued character trait.
Note And don’t think this only happens outside of the church. Some people think:
• You can do “bad things” and still be a “good Christian.”
• You can be a “good pastor” regardless of how you live.
• You can live like the devil Monday through Saturday and expect to God to bless you on Sunday.
Note: It doesn’t work that way. Your character is your name.
Note: How we live our lives, the things we say and do, matters to God. It should matter to us also. We’re not just trying to make a good reputation for ourselves; we are building character!
Insert: Reputation is what you try to live up to; Character is what you are. Reputation is what precedes you; Character is what remains when you’re gone. Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime. Reputation is what men say about you at your funeral; Character is what is said about you before the throne of God. Reputation is what men think you are. Character is what God knows you to be.
Trans: Let me insert an important reality. Not only is your credibility on the line, but your reputation represents your name, your family’s reputation, our Christ, and our church. How we live and the character you possess speaks volumes.
II A Legacy of CONVICTION
Note: Conviction is the practice of your faith and the certainty of your beliefs. What you believe and value will be a legacy for future generations.
Trans: When I think of conviction I think of Joshua. Joshua was a man convinced of the reality of Jehovah and he never waffled or wavered.
Text: Josh. 24:1-24
Note: Joshua was an amazing man of conviction. He believed in God and it shaped not only his destiny but his legacy. We’re still talking of him today b/c of his great courage and faith. He stood for God and God used him for His glory.
Quote: If you stand for nothing you will fall for everything.
Note: We live in an era where the liberal and humanist want to relegate truth to opinion. What’s up is down and what is right is wrong. But now more than ever, even in the face of persecution we must stand firm.
Insert: Let me give you an example. In just a little over a week, we will be voting for new elected officials. On the ballot will be a very important amendment – the Marriage Amendment. (explain bill) Christians must stand up for their Biblical truth in the wake of immorality being legislated.
Story: Few entertainers have been so honored and adored as Elvis Aaron Presley. He sold an estimated billion records in his short lifetime, more than any singer in history. Several rooms at Graceland, his mansion in Memphis are devoted to his trophies. He made a vast fortune from his recordings, films and concerts, and spent a sizable chunk of it on a variety of toys that are scattered around the mansion today. Despite the glitter and glamour that Graceland represents today, the life of Elvis is a tragic story.
The entertainment industry offered Elvis every material and worldly prize, but it couldn’t provide meaning and significance for which every human bean aches. Someone said tht Elvis was like a little boy seeking love and affection, and that the adoration of his fans was like a fix, to a junkie. Whenever it was denied to him, he suffered from bouts of depression, self-doubt and longings to be loved.
This young man, who grew up in an Assembly of God church in Tupelo, MS, groped desperately for something in which to believe during his last ten years. After the stressful breakup of his marriage, Elvis sought meaning in star gazing, numerology, astrology, healing and other occult subjects. He joined a worldwide Yoga organization called the "Self Realization Fellowship". Author and road man¬ager Joe Esposito wrote, "He believed fervently in reincarnation. Someone gave him a photograph of a statue in Rome and then placed it next to Elvis photograph to highlight their identical profiles. Elvis thought about those two photographs long and hard. "Maybe I was here before," he concluded.
But it was the use of illegal substances that became Presley’s eventual undoing. He experimented w/ prescription drugs, marijuana and LSD w/ which he hoped to open the "doors of perception!" He was searching for a "spiritual awakening" that never came. Elvis thought he could stop using pills whenever he wished, but by then, he was hooked. As Esposito wrote, "He took them to sleep, to wake up, to perform, insisting all the while that he didn’t have a problem. He was particularly fond of pain medication, which deadens both emotional and physical pain, but eventually deadens the entire system. He also took lots of amphetamine and B12 injections. His drug abuse was a slow, gradual process that pulled his friends in as well. Before you knew it, even the craziness at the end seemed natural?"
And so, Elvis Presley slipped pathetically into eternity, August 16, 1977. He spent his last night in bed w/ a casual girlfriend and died early in the AM, his body bloated from years of abuse, overindulgence and medical mismanagement. This likable young man, who was always courteous and kind to everyone, had been destroyed by the same forces that killed Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix and many others.
Why: There are many reasons, but ultimately b/c he lost his moral compass. He lost his true north. He forgot what he believed. He had no conviction.
III A Legacy of CHRIST
Note: There is one other legacy we all must live and be prepared to pass on and that is the cause of Christ. There are many ways we can live and share Christ w/ others from sharing our faith to loving others in ministry service. The key is that we consistently live a faith that works before others to point them to Jesus.
Note: This is where making disciples comes into play. The only way to pass on the faith is to pour all of Jesus in you into a reliable soul who will be able to pass it on to someone else. (2 Tm. 2:2)
Insert: Another way we can leave a legacy of Christ is to make sure that the work and mission of His church continues on. This requires a personal investment of each of us. We have to live the faith and give to make sure it continues long after we’ve stepped into eternity.
Insert: This is what the Living the Legacy, Making Disciples campaign is about. It is about taking the most appropriate and obedient steps to ensure that our church is going to leave a legacy of faith in this community.
Note: During this campaign I’ve intentionally not spoken w/ you about your commitment to the campaign. This AM I want to ask you to consider what God wants you to commit to do to leave a legacy for future generations.
Note: How can you leave this place better than you found it? First, you have to live for Jesus today, lead your family, minister to others in and through the ministries of this church, and invest toward the future.
Verse: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Mt. 6:19f1
Note: This is a very simple truth – invest towards eternity. Invest in things that count for the kingdom and will impact others for God. This is what the “Living the Legacy” Campaign is about. It’s about leading our church to leave a legacy of hope for this community. But this requires sacrifice!
Note: The call though isn’t to equal giving but to equal sacrifice. The call is to support the work of God in this place. For some of you a sacrificial gift might be $5.00 a week for the next 156 weeks, while for others it might be a million dollars. It’s not the size of the gift but the size of the sacrifice.
Note: Remember the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. She didn’t give from her abundance, but of her heart. We must do the same. That means that for some of us we might give financially, while others might give the title to a piece of land or the balance of a stock. I don’t know what God is going to ask of you, but I do know that it will require faith, obedience and sacrifice.
Note: Next Sunday we are going to have a chest for everyone to come and give their three year commitment along w/ their first gift to the campaign. This could be one of the greatest days in the life of FBC if we all come prayed up and prepared to allow God to move in our hearts and in our wallets.
Story: I’ve shared w/ you my family inheritance – it is a legacy a look forward to passing on. But more important than the stuff I leave to my son is the character, convictions, and Christ deposited deep into his soul.
Point: It is time for all of us to live the legacy of faith and make disciples.
