What's Your Legacy: Part 2

Introduction

Well, good morning! Listen, I don’t know about you, but by golly I love being able to come and to worship with my church family. Amen? I mean, it’s literally my favorite part of the week…which is crazy because growing up, being this super introverted, nerdy kid, I could’ve never saw myself preaching every single Sunday morning…But it’s literally my favorite thing to do. And so, thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to serve Jesus and to shepherd you and your families.

Alright, before we jump back into Genesis…let’s recite our mission verse together. Remember, we’re doing this because we wanna be a church without walls by being a church that delivers, disciples, deploys. We wanna deliver the message of salvation just as the passage commands us to do, we wanna disciple or teach those God brings here to FBC, and then we wanna deploy them back out to make more disciples all for the glory of Jesus. And if you remember, at the beginning of the year, we set these six different goals that we feel God calling us to over the next seven years. We wanna see 100 people make decisions for Christ, we wanna see 150 people in Knot Groups and on mission with us here at FBC. We wanna see 250 people in Home groups. Of course, we wanna be entirely out of debt…and the big one we’ve been talking about…we wanna plant a church all with the purposes of reaching more people for the kingdom of God. And listen, we believe those things will help us become a church without walls. And so, that’s why we’ve been putting this verse, Matthew 28:19 & 20, on our hearts…it’s why we’re reciting it…because we wanna be this kind of church. And so, if you’re ready…I’ll get us started, you finish us up.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alright if you have your Bibles and I hope that you do, open ‘em with me to Genesis chapter 5…Genesis chapter 5. If you remember last week, we started this mini-series looking at the idea of the legacy we’ll leave behind. Of course, we saw Cain and his legacy…how his lack of love for God and his failure to deal with his sin, we saw how it separated those he cared most about further from the presence of God and then how it distorted their view of God and the very image they were all made in. And by the time we got to Lamech, several generations after Cain, his family had become so wicked and so separated that they no longer understood who God even was and they had no regard for human life. Cain had left a legacy that led to his family’s eternal destruction. And if you remember, what we were looking at was part of Genesis chapter 3 playing out…we were seeing firsthand the seed or the offspring of Satan…bruising the heel of the woman’s seed, right? We saw that even in a literally sense with Cain killing Abel.

But as we came to a close in chapter 4, hope shined through. It said, “Adam and Eve, they bore another son and named him Seth,” right? Even though they had messed up…even though their other son couldn’t master and rule the power of sin in his life…God would appoint them another son that would eventually lead to the promised Savior of humanity. And listen, that’s the genealogical records we’re gonna read and dig into this morning. It’s all about the line of Seth, leading to Noah.

And listen, I know most pastors, when going through Genesis, they typically skip over these kind of chapters. Heck, most of us do the same as we go through our own personal Bible studies…but listen, that’s the beauty of expository preaching. We look at every single verse and we find every significance that God intended when He inspired these writings.

And so, with that, if you’re there with me…let’s stand together as we read Genesis chapter 5.

It says this:

Genesis 5:1–32 (ESV)

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.

When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel(Ma-hell-a-well). Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel(Ma-hell-a-well)840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

When Mahalalel (Ma-hell-a-well) had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. Mahalalel(Ma-hell-a-well)lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Mahalalel(Ma-hell-a-well)were 895 years, and he died.

When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Ja-fapth).

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, remember the context here as we walk through this. It’s all about legacies. We all, whether we admit it or not, we all leave a legacy behind that’ll impact those that come after us for generations to come.

Last week, it was all about an ungodly legacy and how that kind of legacy further separates those we love from God…This week, it’s a contrasting legacy. It’s a legacy of godly, righteous men who all walked with God. It’s an example of the kind of legacy we’re all hopefully striving to leave behind ourselves.

And so, with all that in context, here’s the three questions I wanna explore this morning: number one, do our lives define God’s design for humanity?…number two, do our lives emphasize the dash?…and then finally, number three, do our lives demonstrate our hope in Christ?

I. Do Our Lives Define God’s Design for Humanity?

Alright, if you’re there with me, point number one…do our lives define God’s design for humanity?

If you remember last week, when we went through the line of Cain…on top of him not dealing with his sin, it was his lack of value for God and his image that really propelled his family into ruins. We saw that with how little they regarded human life. They placed no value in the institution of marriage…which if you remember back in Genesis chapter two…marriage was given to us to even better reflect the image of God together as man and wife…and then we saw it with how Lamech took human life so easily without remorse. Their view of the image of God, ultimately, that’s what led their family down the wrong path…and it started with Cain taking the life of his brother.

Which is why, as we start chapter 5, Moses reminds his readers that its keeping our identity in the right place that first initiates a godly legacy. Meaning, if we really wanna ensure our family that comes after us walk with God, it starts with how they view themselves and those around them first. We can’t walk with God if we don’t value humanity first.

That’s why Moses starts by saying, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.” He’s reminding his reader that the most important thing about mankind, its that they were made in the image of God. They were made to reflect His glory to the rest of creation. That’s what defines humanity…that’s what makes us so special and so set apart…that’s why human life’s so valuable…and it’s the reason a godly legacy starts with having the right understanding of God’s image. A person can never walk with God if they don’t ever understand what He did when He made man. It’s one of the reasons Cain might’ve known God and talked with God…but he didn’t truly walk with God, righteously because he had little regard for those made in His image. If you never value the people made in the image of God, you’ll certainly never value God Himself. You understand what I’m saying?

And so, when evaluating the kind of legacy you’re leaving behind…start by looking at how your life demonstrates your value for God’s image.

And so, what’s that look like? Moses redefines the image of God for us. He says, “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” And so, again…being made in the image of God, it means we were uniquely and thoughtfully created with our gender…male or female…which for the record also demonstrates the singularity of the Trinity through the roles of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…but then it says, together He named them Man (capitalized)…and so when male and female come together we also reflect the entirety of the Trinity…we reflect it more fully.

And then he continues in verse 3, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.” And so, what’s Adam image? Who was Adam made in the image of? God, right? And so, naturally if those that come after him are made in Adam’s image, then they’re also made in God’s image…Therefore, all of us, since Adam was the first man made, we’re all made in the image of God.

And so, how do you evaluate whether or not your life demonstrates a high value for the image of God? Listen, I’ll put it as simply as I can put it…do you truly love the people around you? Now listen, I need you to really pay attention to me…because I value the image of God, I naturally hate homosexuality…I hate abortion…I hate things that twist and distort what God deemed “very good” at the start in the garden. You understand? As a Christian, there’s absolutely no room or no justification for those kind of things in our world. God’s not okay with homosexuality…He’s not okay with the taking of innocent life. You’re not gonna find that in the Bible…and churches and believers that teach that, they’re completely and entirely out of line…and listen to me…they do not walk with God…because as we see here in this passage, walking with God, it starts with understanding and valuing the image of God. And people that affirm those kind of things, they’re attacking the image of God. That’s even what Paul says in Romans chapter one.

But with all that being said, my fight isn’t against those people that twist and distort the image of God…because whether they admit it or not, they’re also made in the image of God. I wanna restore what I know is good and perfect in them. And the only way that can happen is if I demonstrate gospel, saturated love which comes from the truth of the gospel. Guys, I don’t shutout homosexuals from my life…I don’t excommunicate those that believe strongly in the practice of abortion…you know why? Because I love them. And guys, their life, it matters…no matter how perverse or wicked it might be. I mean, isn’t that what God tells Jonah when he was so upset about God sparing the Ninevites? Human life matters. And the reason we speak truth, it’s because of that reason… because we love human life…life made in the image of God.

And so, do those around you see that? Do they know, regardless of whether or not they agree with you, do they know you love them. And listen, your kids and your grandkids, they pay attention to this kind of stuff. Do they know where you stand on issues of truth…and do they see you love people?

You’ll never point those that come after you to Christ, if you don’t have a high view for those made in God’s image today. That’s the first point.

II. Do Our Lives Emphasize the Dash?

The second point or question…do our lives emphasize the dash?

Listen, a majority of this text, it’s giving us repetition…and when I’m training guys to preach expositionally, I teach them to pay attention to repetition, repetition shows us the significance of a passage. And listen, for this passage, the significance its found in the repetition we see here. Every single man listed from Adam to Noah (with the exception of Enoch), they were all born, they lived for so many years, they fathered the next generation, and then they died, right?

Verse 3 says, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.”

Verse 6, “When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.”

Verse 9, “9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.”

You guys get the point…each man was born, they fathered the next generation, they lived their live, and they then died. They were born, had sons and daughters, lived, and then died. That’s the repetition…and outside of Enoch, every single man had the same description. You following me here? There’s something significant about that repetition…its a theme we’re seeing here.

And listen, whether you wanna admit it or not, every single person in this room today, they were born, they’re living a life here on earth right now…and they’re gonna die at some point in the future. Everyone of us, we’re given two linear dates that we can’t escape from. We all have a start date....and every one of us, we all an end date. And listen, for whatever reason, we have this nasty habit of placing so much emphasis on those two specific dates. But guys, I think the significance of this passage, its on the in-between periods of these men. I think the main idea of the text from last week and our text from this week, its all about the legacy we leave behind when we’re gone. It’s all about the legacy we build between those two dates.

Listen, when we get all the way to the end of the text it says that Noah’s the last righteous man left living during this time before the flood, right? The world had become so corrupt and so consumed with themselves…it was wicked…so much so that God would pour His judgement out in the next couple chapters. But Seth’s line, it’s maintained…through Noah, there’s still righteousness…there’s still those that know God and walk with God. But honestly, as we read this in context, it should cause us to ask two questions of how and why. Why is Noah considered righteous and how is Noah considered righteous. Well listen, I think the repetition we just identified, I think it answers these questions for us. Those that walk with God, those are the one’s considered righteous…and more specifically, it was through faith…it was through Adam and Eve’s faith in God’s promise of a Savior from Genesis chapter 3…that’s what made them righteous and ultimately Noah righteous…they trusted in God’s promises.

But listen, the how’s a little bit more interesting. Noah was able to have faith in God’s promise because he modeled the legacy left behind from those that came before him. He had to learn it from somewhere, right? That’s the how piece to Noah’s being considered righteous.

And guys, I think this is significant because as humans, we place so much emphasis on the start and the end that we lose all focus on the in-between periods we live…we lose focus on the dash between the two. You see, Noah, he was considered righteous because of the in-between periods of those that came before him. If they never placed emphasis on the dash or how they lived, God would’ve never been passed down to the next generation.

Guys, I wanna be clear…the gospel has nothing to do with what you can do…it’s not about good works…but it is about what Christ has already done. And if you’ve truly experienced genuine salvation, then you care about the dash between your two dates. You care about the life you live and the perception of those around you because you understand the gospel impact it can have. And the reality is, true salvation, it’ll lead to heart change…and it’ll lead to a holy and righteous life. And so, because of that understanding, you place a ton of significance on the dash…because you know that dash, it has the ability to positively or negatively impact those that come after you.

And so, does your life today demonstrate just how important the dash really is?

III. Do Our Lives Demonstrate Our hope in Christ?

Which leads to our final point…what does that kind of life look like? One that emphasizes the dash? It’s one that demonstrates our hope in Christ alone.

Listen, when we get all the way to the end of chapter 5…Lamech (Noah’s dad) he gives Noah his name because he believes he’ll be the one that’ll deliver his people. He says he names him that because “out of that ground the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Guys, all these generations in, they’re still clinging to God’s promise to send someone to deliver them. They clung to the idea of a Savior. They trusted God…and so for that reason, they were faithful.

And listen, there’s a secret message here as well. Remember, I told you the names in chapter 4 and 5 were important, right? There’s so much more here than just a genealogy. If we were to break down the names of the people listed here…their meanings…Adam means “man.” Seth means “appointed.” Enosh means “mortal.” Kenan means “sorrow.” Mahalalel (Ma-hell-a-well) means “the blessed God.” Jared means “shall come down.” Enoch in this passage means “teaching.” Methuselah means “his death shall bring.” Lamech’s name means “the despairing.” And Noah, his name means “rest” or “comfort.”

And so listen, let’s put all that together…here’s what all the names tell us…Man appointed mortal sorrow, the blessed God shall come down teaching that his death shall bring the despairing rest. Guys, do you see that? It’s the gospel message as plainly and as simply put as it can be in Genesis chapter 5. On the heels of God’s judgement being poured out through the flood…which we’ll get into next week…God’s reminding them, His people, that He will send a Savior and that Savior will be himself. He will come down…He will give His life…so that the despairing can find eternal rest. It’s the gospel…its what Jesus accomplished through His life and death. Guys, I can’t even make this stuff up. That’s the beauty of God’s Word.

And listen, I think its significant here in Genesis chapter 5 because these men, they never gave up hope in God’s promise. Their life, it constantly demonstrated their hope in Christ. And listen, it positively impacted the next generation. Because the previous generation valued and loved God, the next generation valued and loved God. And Noah’s considered righteous all the way at the end of chapter 5 because of the life Adam lived and then Seth lived…and then Enosh and Kenan…and so on. Their hope in the gospel, their hope in what God would do…allowed them to leave behind a legacy that would point others to Christ. That’s what most defined their lives…not that they were perfect…but that they hoped in the coming of Christ.

Closing

Guys, as we come to a close this morning…will your legacy do that? Will it speak to the hope you have in Christ and the work He’s doing and will do in you? Will those you father and mother, will they know Jesus because of the life they saw you live? Your legacy, it matters. And as a believer, it’s even more important. It’s your purpose on earth…to disciple and prepare the next generation of believers for the Great Commission, all to the glory of God! And so, does your life demonstrate your value for God’s image and the life you’re living right now because of how the gospel’s impacted you?

You see, if you’ve been changed by Jesus, then you know that on your own, you’re a sinner…and that it was Jesus alone that saved you and delivered you and that its Jesus alone right now, in your life today, sanctifying you…He’s the One that allows you to grow and He’s the One that pulls you through the valleys and He’s One that’s doing all the work in you…And listen, as a believer, you know that your hope, it’s found in the coming of Jesus. It’s in His promise to come back for us. The gospel’s not just that Jesus died on the cross because He’s loves us…it’s so much more than that. Does your life demonstrate that to those you care most about?

Every head bowed and every eye closed.

You see, as a believer…everything about who we are…every desire…every action…every motivation…every word…everything about us, it should point to the glory and the goodness of God. That’s what God wants from us. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” He wants a people that love Him so deeply that its seen in everything they do. Of course the Spirit does the work…but listen, if your kids and your grandkids don’t even see that…if your friends and family don’t see that you love Jesus without even asking…what’s it saying about the legacy you’re building?

Listen, as you sit there…reflect on that…reflect on the legacy you’re building for yourself. Think about how you use your finances…or your gifting. Do you use what God’s given you in the context of His church for His kingdom? What about your time? Outside of Sunday morning, how are you coming alongside of the people God’s called you too? What’s your quiet times look like? Your family devotions? Your prayer time? What in your life needs to change? Because its what you devote yourself too, that’ll most define you when you’re gone. If all you care about is your job, then that’s what you’ll be remembered for. If it’s your kid’s sports, that’s what you’ll be remembered for. If it’s sins you refuse to deal with…again…that’s what you’ll be remembered for. What do you need to do right now to ensure the legacy you’ll leave behind points to Christ and Christ alone?

And listen, this altar’s open…these steps…maybe even right now you just need to slip out of your seat and just come pray. Do that! Repent and believe that Jesus is powerful enough to reorient your life!

Or listen, maybe this morning…what you really need is salvation. Listen, the Bible’s clear…it says that God created us in His image…and being made in His image, it means we have freewill. The ability to make decisions. And through that freewill, we chose rebellion. It says that all of us, we all fall short of God’s glory…we’re all sinful and wicked…we all allow sin to overcome us…none of us seek God. And because of that, we’ll all experience death…and we’ll all experience an eternal damnation separated from the goodness of God. That’s what’ll happen if something in our life doesn’t change…if we’re not saved from our circumstances.

But the Bible says, because of God’s great love…He sent His Son…the promised seed of the woman, to save us. He came, he lived a completely sinless life…and He went to the cross to experience the punishment we deserve…the punishment for our sins. And it says that He rose to life again after three days, showing us that He was truly God…showing us that we could entirely trust Him. And the Bible tells us that when we repent…when we turn from ourselves…when we turn to Jesus. And when we believe in Jesus…placing our faith in Him…it’s at that moment, we can be saved. It says we’re made new, given a new heart and a new mind. Giving us the power to truly overcome the sin in our lives.

And listen, if that’s you…here’s what I want you to do. No one’s looking around. I want you to just stand up, right where you’re at…and I want you to just come talk to me…let me show you how to place your trust and faith in Christ today. Let me show you how He can change everything about you…quit playing around with this because you don’t know when you’ll never have another chance. And so, would you come? Let Him change your legacy today.

Listen, Wendy’s gonna play…this is your time. And so, whatever God’s putting on your heart, would you respond to that? I’ll be down front…you come.

[Prayer]