House of Cards – Week Three: A Legacy That Lasts

Me

Out behind our house is a barn—weathered, rustic, quiet.

It’s full of tools and old equipment that belonged to my the family that owns the property.

It used to matter—a place of work, of passing things down. But now? It just sits, rusting.

And that barn makes me think: what good is an inheritance if no one knows how to use it?

That’s the question many families are facing when it comes to faith.

We’ve inherited a form of religion—but have we built anything real on it?

We

Mother’s Day is full of emotion. Joy. Grief. Gratitude. Regret.

Some are celebrating the moms who raised them.

Some are mourning the children they never had.

Some are single, divorced, or widowed—still building homes, still shaping lives.

But here’s what’s true for every person in this room:

You are building something.

A life. A legacy.

A spiritual structure that others will live in long after you’re gone.

The question is: What are you building on?

Some of us are building on tradition—but not truth.

Some are building on busyness—but not belief.

Some are building on performance, perfectionism, or appearance.

And Jesus is saying: Build on Me. Because anything else will eventually fall.

YOU – Tension

In East Tennessee, we’re surrounded by inherited religion.

We’ve got family Bibles, church pews with our names on them, and generations of attendance.

But what we often don’t have is intentional discipleship.

We know the motions—but not the meaning.

We’ve heard the stories—but missed the Savior.

We’ve seen the structure—but not the substance.

Here’s the reality:

Every home is building something. But not every home is building something that lasts.

TRUTH

Moses is talking to Israel like a family. God had rescued them—and now He’s asking: Will you build your lives on Me, or will you let what I’ve given you be forgotten?

🧱 1. You can’t hand down a foundation you’re not standing on.

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 (ESV) 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Before we teach it—we have to live it.

Before we talk about it—we have to treasure it.

Our home will never be spiritually stable if our foundation is borrowed.

borrowed faith—it might have shaped us, but it can’t hold us.

Eventually, storms will come. And if our faith isn’t rooted personally—

if it’s just inherited, cultural, or secondhand—it won’t hold up under pressure.

🧱 2. A Christ-centered home is built in ordinary moments.

Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV) 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

This isn’t about formal devotionals. It’s about consistency.

Faith is formed in car rides, kitchen tables, bedtime prayers, and conflict resolution.

We don’t need a curriculum. we need intentionality.

We’re not saying plans or devotionals are bad—they can be great tools. But too often, we think discipleship has to be structured, formal, or polished before we can begin.

Intentionality means:

We pray on purpose—not just when life gets hard.

We talk about Jesus in the middle of real life—car rides, dinner, hard conversations—not just on Sundays.

We ask one another questions like, “What’s God been showing you?”

We slow down and invite Jesus into our daily rhythm—even when it’s messy.

We don’t need perfect words, a 5-point plan, or a Bible degree.

We just need to be present and purposeful—because spiritual formation happens in the moments we’re already living… if we’re intentional.

🧱 3. Our habits preach louder than your words.

Deuteronomy 6:8–9 (ESV) 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Our life is always saying something to the people around us.

We’re preaching with our priorities—whether we mean to or not.

If sports always come before worship…

If screens always come before Scripture…

If church is optional but comfort is non-negotiable…

That’s the foundation being poured—even if we don’t realize it.

But this isn’t about guilt—it’s about clarity.

We know there are seasons when being in the building isn’t always possible. Travel ball, shift work, family needs—those things are real.

But even when we’re not here… we’re still building something.

The question is: Are we living on mission while we’re gone? When we show up to the ball field—are we showing our kids what it means to carry our faith with us?

When we travel—are we still opening Scripture, still praying, still prioritizing connection with God?

When we miss Sunday—are we still making Jesus visible in our home?

Because whether we’re in the sanctuary or on the sidelines…

We’re still setting an example. We’re still laying bricks.

Application – For Every Kind of Home

🧱 “You don’t need to have children to leave a legacy.”

Everyone shapes someone—at work, at church, in your community. Legacy is about influence, not just family tree.

🧱 “Start the legacy you never received.”

Even if your upbringing lacked faith—you can build a new foundation with Jesus today.

🧱 “Don’t wait until it’s perfect—start building now.”

Your home doesn’t need polish. It needs presence. Start small. Start real.

🧱 “Jesus doesn’t use perfect people—He uses available ones.”

If you feel behind or unqualified, you’re exactly who God loves to work through.

Participation Moment

Your placemat this week gives one simple prompt per day to build a legacy of faith:

Ask one spiritual question at the dinner table.

Share one story of how God came through.

Take one minute to pray—out loud, in your space, even if it’s messy.

One brick at a time. That’s how you build something that lasts.

Gospel Landing – Hope for Broken Builders

Maybe your family story is fractured.

Maybe you feel like you’ve failed.

Maybe you inherited religion but never really encountered Jesus.

Here’s the good news:

Jesus doesn’t shame bad builders.

He steps in and rebuilds what we’ve broken.

At the cross, He tore down the wall between us and God.

At the resurrection, He laid the foundation for something new.

And now, through Him, you can build again—on a foundation that never cracks.