Invest in your legacy
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Harold Nebel and Craig Atkins
These two gentlemen you have never heard of share much in common even though their stories take place during different time periods in different parts of the country. Both of these gentlemen had no way of knowing the impact they would have in the life of a child. Remember their names…Harold Nebel and Craig Atkins.
But I’ll get back to them in a few minutes.
Our text for today comes out of 1 TImothy 6:17-21
The New International Version (1984) 1 Timothy 6:17–21
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you.
When Paul wrote this to Timothy in Ephesus to help establish and lead the Ephesian church,
The economy of the area was directly linked to the idol industry. The opposition of the silversmiths to Paul’s ministry was based on the decline of idol sales when people were converted to Christ.1
1 Hanke, H. A. (1981). Thompson Chain Reference Bible Companion: A Handbook for the Classic Chain-Reference Bible (p. 347). Kirkbride Bible Co.
Their entire economic culture was based on idol makers taking advantage of peoples religious beliefs. But look what happens when your livelihood is threatened…economies crumble all the time.
Church in Ephesus obviously had people with money...but the focus wasn’t on the money. Paul’s focus was on an investment...a legacy.
The glaring question for us is: What do we want our legacy to be and how do we do that?
Invest in Good Deeds
Invest in Good Deeds
Paul makes it clear that having means isn’t the issue, it’s the motivation with which you use them. Are we using our lives and means for ourselves or are we placing others first?
Jesus addresses the issue of motivation in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:1
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
To be seen: has its root in the word theater.
Peter echoes Pauls sentiment
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
In 1980, a six year old boy of a single mom went to church every Sunday. There, he met a man named Harold Nebel who made it a point to talk to the boy every week. He even showed his mother how to tie a tie on the boy so he could look nice when he came to church. Now I would venture to say that Harold was just doing what he knew to be right. He wasn’t thinking about his influence as being overly theological, he was simply acting on what he knew to be the nature and character of God in this boy’s life. BUT, because he invested his time, and money to that church, that boy had a place to learn about Jesus that would change his life forever.
Invest in the Kingdom Class
Invest in the Kingdom Class
Early Christian churches did’t lack members of the upper class. However they obtained their means before becoming followers of Jesus, these people needed some instruction on how to use it.
wealth is temporary
Don’t be arrogant about what we have
Don’t place our hope in material things
Essentially, Paul illustrates what I like to call the Kingdom Class...
We use terms like upper, middle, and lower class: all selfish in nature ---> they all want more.
Paul’s charge is set within the parameters of a future state of being.
We always hear phrases as we live this life like: live in the moment, do what makes you happy, follow your heart…
Followers of Jesus, by contrast are supposed to be thinking about the future state of things…this is what builds a foundation of legacy for generations to come.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
Kingdom takes the world and everything in it and frames it within the lens of this legacy so our possessions, time, talents, and desires seek after the will of God.
In 1992, Craig Atkins hired a young 18 year old kid from his church to do electrical work. Now this kid was as green as you can get…no experience, about half listened to what he was told most of the time, but Craig taught him anyway. He recognized something in that young man and poured his heart into him. Not only did he teach him electrical work, he taught him valuable life lessons about the power of Christ in his life and how that can translate into your job, your friendships and your relationships with complete strangers.
He took from his means, and invested it into this young man.
Now I know I have been jumping all over the place with these stories but they are connected in a powerful way!
You see, Harold Nebel and Craig Atkins, invested their lives into the same kid…me!
They had no idea how the seeds they planted would grow and develop.
Invest in a legacy
Invest in a legacy
Now it’s my turn. A legacy becomes such as it passes on to others who then turn and do the same thing.
The New International Version (1984) 1 Timothy 6:20
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care
The word “guard” literally means to obey
παραθήκη paratheke
property entrusted to another who then takes responsibility for it.
Lexham Theological Wordbook παραθήκη
In the NT, it appears only in Paul’s letters to Timothy, where it refers to the Christian doctrine that has been entrusted to Paul (2 Tim 1:12) and to Timothy (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14).
New Testament (Second Edition) 1 Timothy 6:20–21
“Entrusted” is the language of keeping a deposit; those with whom money was deposited were under sacred obligation to keep it secure or increase it, and this principle applied also to teaching (to which the image was extended by other ancient writers as well)
The whole idea is to equip others to do the same things…Paul continues this idea in the next letter.
The New International Version (1984) 2 Timothy 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others
Our problem today is that we like to see instant results
Mark Illustration…
“Everyone keeps telling me how surprised they are with how I've turned out. Apparently to the surrounding eyes I've became a good man. I think you'd be proud of me. Thanks for all those orange/vanilla ice cream smoothies. Your support and patience, I think, kept me toward the right path.”
This is my grandfather’s watch. It’s an Eterna from 1961. I remembered seeing it as a kid but had forgotten about it until my graduation a couple of years ago. My mother kept it all these years and had it professionally cleaned and serviced to pass on to me as a gift for obtaining my PhD. He had recieved it as a gift from the Huntley Furniture company for 29 years of service and only wore it on Sundays. It is now my preaching watch and it reminds me each week of the legacy of faith that was handed down from one generation to the next.
Perhaps you had someone invest in your life…those seemingly insignificant things they did for you that made all the difference.
Here is the challenge for all of us…the things you invest in create a legacy that you leave behind. You may only be here for a short time but what you invest while you are here makes a HUGE difference in what you leave behind. Invest in Christ’s legacy...
Jesus only had three years with his disciples and they changed the world.
It’s because of him that we have the opportunity to invest in something bigger than ourselves.
Invitation