Thus Far and No Farther

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who lived in the 1800s. The name Alfred Nobel may not ring a bell but I bet you know him from his legacy. He was a prolific inventor holding over 350 patents. But one invention would come to define him more than any other, in fact it would change the world. That invention was Dynamite. Alfred Noble meant it to be used for construction, mining, railroad building, tunneling. But it wasn’t long before dynamite was used for very different reasons. After his invention, war would never be the same again. Alfred would profit greatly from the use of Dynamite, amassing a fortune of 250 million dollars in today’s money. The name Alfred Noble may not ring a bell but I bet you know him from his legacy. His legacy of war and violence? no. His legacy of peace. See In 1888, Alfred Noble’s brother Ludvig died, and a French newspaper mistakenly published an obituary for Alfred instead, calling him "the merchant of death" because of his inventions. Now that would have been Alfred’s legacy, but this mistakenly published obituary affected him so much that he would end up leaving the vast majority of his wealth for the establishment of the Nobel Peace Prize. The name Alfred Nobel may not ring a bell but I bet you know him from his legacy.

This is one of those stories that I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard it. I was sitting in a room much like this listening to the greatest preacher I have ever heard, Chris Brooks, he told this story and then said this:

Church, it’s never too late to live into a new legacy.

Something about this resonated with me as a college freshman and has stuck with me ever since. It’s never too late to live into a new legacy.

You see, we all have a legacy. When we are gone, those who come after us will tell stories and remember the person that we were and carry with them some part of us.

And so the question for us today is what legacy will we leave to the next generation when we are gone. The next generation is looking to us to show them what matters, to show them what is worthy of their time and devotion, the next generation is looking to you and me for the legacy we will pass on to them.

The good news is that no matter what legacy you have lived into thus far… its never too late to live into a new legacy.

You by the power of the Holy Spirit have the ability to say thus far, and no farther.

Open up to 2 Timothy Chapter 1 and stand in honor of God’s word

2 Timothy 1:3–7 ESV

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Let’s Pray

We are talking today about what legacy we leave for the next generation and here we have Paul writing to his Son in the faith Timothy.

Paul had shared the gospel with Timothy on a mission journey when timothy was in his young teens or early 20s. After that, Paul brought Timothy with him, mentoring him, and taking him across the known world to share the good news of Jesus.

Eventually, Paul instructed Timothy to remain in Ephesus, a congregation dealing with false teachings and myths. Timothy would remain here for roughly 6 years, during that time Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy to. Encouraging and instructing this young pastor in leading the church of Ephesus.

Most scholars agree that 2 Timothy is probably Paul’s last letter before he is executed. In this letter we find much reflection and encouragement from a mentor to his son in the faith. It gives us insight into the fact that Paul and Timothy were very close. Paul refers to timothy:

“My true son in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2)

“My dearly loved son” (2 Tim 1:2)

So Paul is writing to his son in the faith.

2 Timothy 1:3–4 ESV

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

When we talk about the legacy we will pass on to the next generation, this is not just about relationships between parents and Children. Now obviously that is a huge component. But here we see Paul, not Timothy’s Dad, pouring into Timothy. Being this great spiritual influence in his life.

Wade and I mention this statistic all the time. But the largest study ever done on high schoolers retention of faith into college found that the single greatest indicator for faith retention beyond high school is significant faith based mentor relationships outside of their father and mother. This study found 5 key indicators and the number 2 was not close.

We say it takes a village and it does. The next generations is not just looking to mom and dad they are looking to all of us. And here in this passage we see Paul doing two things. Write this down:

Paul is praying over Timothy and Speaking life over Timothy.

Paul is telling Timothy how thankful he is that God has put Timothy in his life, Paul is saying how much he is filled with joy when he is with Timothy. Imagine being Timothy hearing this from this great father figure in your life.

Y’all ever had someone you respected speak life over you?

I remember my mentor in High School wrote to me in an encouragement card years ago. This was like Sophomore year probably of High School. And I have a bad memory, but I remember this so clearly. He wrote this “Jackson, idk many guys that would, but I am confident that if someone put a gun to your head and told you to deny Christ you wouldn’t”

In that moment I was feeling so seen and loved, but also feeling like I don’t know that I could do that, but John believed that I could. And the fact that John believed that I could, made me believe I could.

See the words we say matter to the next generation. Speaking life over them makes a difference. So do you speak life over the next generation? Do you notice them, do you call out what you see in them?

Paul also tells Timothy he Prays for him. Parents and people of the church do our kids know that you pray for them? We should always be praying for, with and over the next generation. Praying for them in our time with the Lord, praying with them together as a family, and praying over them meaning laying hands on our youth and praying blessings over them

The next generation will forget so much of the things we said and did, but they will not forget the life we spoke over them and, the prayers that we prayed for them. They just won’t.

Now we arrive at the centerpiece of this text and that is 2 Timothy 1:5

2 Timothy 1:5 ESV

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Okay so lets start with some back story. In Acts we see Paul one one of his first missionary journeys go to Lystra and Derbe here Paul shares the good news of Jesus with Timothy, but also his mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois.

And so Paul here is urging Timothy to continue in this line of Faith. His mother and grandmother had a sincere faith and Paul is urging him to carry on this legacy.

How many of y’all know that some things are generational? The fact that I am balding is generational. The other day I was at a restaurant looking at the menu and when I picked it up I did this…. Then I stopped and was like… what did I just do. I am becoming my father.

Have y’all seen those progressive commercials, "Progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us".

Tthere are many of us in this room who come from generations of faithful men and women. We had parents, grandparents, great-grandparents who were faithful followers of Christ like Timothy had on his mom’s side.

2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,”

Paul says remember this line of faith and fan into flame the gifts God has given you. In other words to carry the torch that was passed to you onto the next generation.

As we shape our legacy we pass on stuff to the next generation, and this can be Good stuff, but it can also be destructive stuff.

Some of us come from a legacy of addiction, abuse, brokenness, the kind of generational trauma that has a way of passing down from father to son, mother to daughter.

A grandfather who was a fierce disciplinarian who raises up a son to be a firece disciplinarian, who raises up a son to be an abuser. Alcoholism that is passed down like a family heirloom. Parents who choose work and success over caring and nurturing their kids so their kids are hurt and grow up to do the same.

Stuff tends to be generational… Up until now your legacy may be defined more by the negatives you will pass on than the positives, but remember, its never to late to live into a new legacy.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

If you have confessed Christ as your savior you have the Holy Spirit, and this is a spirit of power and self control. You by the power of the Holy Spirit can say this addiction that has plagued my family for generations, this need for success, this abuse and generational trauma, the buck stops with me, thus far and no farther.

Church I am here to tell you today, that you can look back in the legacy which you walk in and choose to say thus far and no farther.

You have been given a spirit of power and love and self control. That spirit is more powerful than any generational stuff. So as Paul says in verse 6

2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,”

Fan into flame, that means to rekindle, rekindle the faith that saved you, remember that God has gifted you and called you, he is not done, its never to late to live into a new legacy.

Parents pray and speak life over your kids. Let them see you reading the Bible.

It can’t just be your words. It must be your actions too. A new legacy starts with you, and a bad legacy ends with you.

For a long time legacy has fascinated me. Talking with my parents and grandparents putting together the legacy that in some way has shaped where I am today.

Mothers with father unbelieving - Encourage thaat timothy dad was not believer

God gave us a spirit - Spirit embodied work