Lasting legacy - Leaders in the Home

Dad’s……Happy Father’s Day!

I have great hope that today’s message will encourage you, strengthen you, and challenge you to leave a lasting legacy. And not just any legacy …….Anyone can leave a legacy. It’s true…. anyone can leave a legacy - whether its a good one or a bad one. There are all kinds of people that are known for something…… became famous for something….. like Billy the Kid for being an outlaw, Steve Jobs for Apple products, Martin Luther King for I Have a Dream, Vince Lombardi for being a great football coach, Ronald Reagan for being a great President, or Ozzie Smith for being a wizard with a glove on the baseball diamond. The key is to leave a legacy not determined by who you are in this world according to the world’s ways, the position you hold in a business after working your way to the top….in your hobbies or in your community….. but rather a legacy that is determined by what you have done for Christ here on this earth….which surpasses anything the world has to offer ….and that is what we are going to discuss here today….. a lasting legacy rooted in Jesus – to be a man that has led his family well in Christ Jesus…. A Christian man that answered God’s call to be a spiritual leader in the lives of the next generation. A man that carries the responsibility to lead their family into spiritual growth. A man that serves as an example to those around them ……. A man that serves the least of these ……. A man whose light shines in darkness …… a man that makes a difference……

Let’s think about a few questions here ……. What kind of difference do you make? What kind of difference do you make in your workplace? What kind of difference do you make in your school? What kind of difference do you make in your neighborhood? On your street? What kind of difference have you made in your city, state, or country? What kind of difference do you make in your church? What kind of difference do you make in your home? Would people say you’re a positive influence or a bad influence? If you were to die today, what would people say about you tomorrow? What would they say about you next year or even 10 years from now after the raw emotion of your passing fades? What would they say about you?

Would folks think of you as a nice guy that got along with everyone? Would they think of you as a great storyteller or a jokester at the local bar? Or a great guy that could put on a nice barbeque spread after a softball game? Or someone that was a workaholic with little time for his family? A dad that missed too many school events? Or one that missed too many family gatherings? One never there at the dinner table each night because of work? Or one that was too busy to read and teach and share God’s word with his wife, his kids and his grandkids? One that makes excuses… skipping out on church most Sunday’s or fails to help out at ministry events? Or would you be known as the guy that led a co-worker to Christ, helped a stranger that was stranded in a rain storm, consistently helped out an elderly neighbor, discipled men at church that went on to do the same for other men, or lived out his life in such a way that his kids and grandkids and their kids all knew and followed Jesus….serving as lights in the darkness of their communities? Would folks say that you were a man after God’s own heart? Would they say you made a difference in the lives of those around you?

There are many examples in the Bible of men leaving lasting legacies ….. both good and bad legacies. The first example of a lasting legacy comes from the 1st man, Adam. Adam walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden ….. Adam is the first human to have a job - he got to name all the animals, care for the Garden, and work the land …… Adam was the first to have a wife …… Adam was the first human dad on the planet….. Adam was the very first granddad …… Adam was the first to share God’s word and instructions with his wife and his children and his grandchildren…… Adam was the first to be a protector for his wife and his family….. Adam was the first to leave a legacy. And all these things concerning Adam are all good ….. who wouldn’t want to be known as the first for all these good and noble things? Everyone knows who he is ….. they remember his name….. but Adam is also known as the first man to fail….. he is the first failure….. he is the one that failed to follow God’s instructions….. he failed to protect what God had given him….. he failed at telling the truth when he was found out…… Adam failed to protect his wife ….. he failed to protect her from the lies, deceit, and schemes of the evil one….. let’s go ahead and read what happened …… please open your bibles to Genesis chapter 3 and let’s start in verse 1 and go through verse 12..

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Adam is best known for this one moment in time… this one event that took place around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago…… Adam was given God’s word, he was given God’s instructions, he was given the task of protecting his wife. Eve was deceived by the evil one and Adam failed to protect her. It wasn’t as though he was out working somewhere else in the Garden and was unable to protect her…… he was there….. Adam saw it all happen…. And he even participated…. See verse the last part of verse 6 “…..and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Adam was standing right there….. standing by passively…. and was deceived right along with his wife …… he did nothing …. and allowed it to happen….. and to top it all off …. Adam deflected responsibility and blamed God and his own wife….. see verse 12 “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” What Adam is saying here is…. “God its all your fault…..you made her and gave her to me…. I never asked for her….. you did this……. and she caused me to fail….. its not my fault….. its your fault….. it’s also the woman’s fault….. I’m not taking responsibility for this……”

like a child…. Adam pushed the blame onto others ….. when in reality he was at fault…. he did not follow God’s word and was passive in his responsibility…… Adam allowed sin to enter into the world…. and that is Adam’s legacy ….. and because of this …. Here’s the immediate judgement administered by God…. let’s go back to Genesis chapter 3, and look at verses 16 through 19 ……..

“To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

So… God tells Eve…. Because you didn’t listen to the words your husband gave you….which he got from Me in the first place….. and because you visually desired something…. You allowed your eyes to control you…. and wanted it more than you wanted to abid in Me…. and you allowed yourself to be deceived by the evil one…. you will suffer in pain every month for a week or so…. and child birth is really really really gonna hurt….. all because you decided to do what you wanted……. And that will be your legacy…….

And God tells Adam…… because you didn’t follow my commands a curse has entered the world – sin has entered the world….. and you will do nothing but work hard for the rest of your life….. unnecessarily hard….. through turmoil, through strife, through hardship…..through pain….. and every man that comes after you will go through the same hardships….. all because you sat by passively and did not protect your wife….. and because you listened to your wife and did what she wanted…..

- see guys…. Don’t listen to your wife ….. it’ll just get you into trouble…….

Seriously…. Its all because Adam didn’t listen to God and follow His commands. This is Adam’s legacy….

And here is another part of Adam’s legacy….. let’s go to Genesis chapter 4 and read verses 1 through 12.

“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

From these verses we see from Cain what we saw from Adam….. deflection for wrong doing….. and not putting God first… remember how Adam deflected and blamed God and Eve….. Cain does the same…saying… “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ….. we also see a list of sins from Cain here….. pride, anger, malice, deceit, jealousy, lying…. Its everything Adam allowed to enter the world because of his passivity and failure to take responsibility and follow God’s commands. Cain carried on his dad’s legacy…..

But so did Abel…. Abel learned from his dad…… its clear that Adam taught his son Abel to honor God, to honor his parents, to follow God’s commands, to seek after God’s own heart, to put God first….. to give God his best…. Abel’s offering to God was the first born of his flock…. he gave to God first and gave his best….. and that is also Adam’s legacy…… Adam made a difference in the world…. Adam answered God’s call to be a spiritual leader in the lives of the next generation…… after all we highlighted in the beginning about Adam….. we learned through the next generation…. using Abel’s example…. that Adam made a difference…….

How many of you can relate to this historical narrative…. Whether its Adam and Eve or Cain and Abel…… where you have 2 people being taught the same things by the same person….. and one goes in one direction and the other goes in the opposite direction….. where one tends to lead a life in honor of those before them, even a God-honoring life, and one does the opposite? Can you relate?

A friend of mine has or had a brother and 2 sisters…. all taught in the same home by the same people….. his brother ended up as a drunk, a drug user, deceitful, in constant conflict with family, and in and out of jail his whole life until his death…. never knowing Jesus….. one of his sisters lived a life of conflict and deceit until her death…. never knowing Jesus ….. the other sister takes advantage of folks including family members….. my friend, on the other hand, decided to honor his parents and live according to the way he was taught, trying to make a difference in this world, and works diligently to pass on the same to his daughter……

Another friend grew up in a broken household ….. one parent grew up in a Christian household…the other did not…… that parent remarried and he grew up in that household…. devoid of our Lord’s teachings….. my friend met and married a Christian woman, he ended up coming to confess Christ as Lord and believing in His resurrection, his kids know and follow Christ… they have seen him in ministry leading others to Christ….. and his older kids are doing the same now…… he answered God’s call to be a spiritual leader in the lives of the next generation…… my friend is leaving a lasting legacy….. he is making a difference……

The principle of making a difference rises from the Scriptures……. One comes out of the second exodus of the children of Israel. They have spent the last forty years wondering the wilderness aimlessly. During this wandering, though, the children of Israel were taken care of by our heavenly Father. They were sustained by the goodness and mercy of God. But God’s intention was not for them to live in the wilderness forever. They were there as a result of their lack of faith which you can read in Numbers chapters 13 and14. God had great plans for them. They weren’t meant to stay there and feed off the small blessing God was giving. Rather, God was going to provide for them a land rich in soil and a land flowing with milk and honey—the land of Canaan.

The people knew they were going to face some difficulties while taking over the land of Canaan. They were going to have to fight some battles. There were going to be giants in the land….. we read this in Numbers chapter 13 verses 28 and 29.

“However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

And it seems they immediately faced their first obstacle. This was probably a surprise to many of the people, if not all of them. You can imagine on that day their jaws dropped as they stood before this large body of rushing water…..the Jordan River. The time period they arrived at the Jordan was around springtime. Biblical scholars believe the waters of the Jordan were probably between 10 to 15 feet high.* No doubt there were many curious hearts and doubting minds.

In Joshua chapter 3 verses 7 and 8, we read that Joshua received his revelation straight from God,

“The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.”

Joshua sent instructions to the priests, who bore the ark of the covenant, that were about 3,000 feet before the tribes of Israel. Once the preists’ feet touched the bank of the Jordan River, God would part the waters in two. So they did what God had instructed them through Joshua….and at that very second on that day, God did a miracle in the lives of His children.

Then God gave direct revelation to Joshua again, which we read in Joshua Chapter 4. In verse 2 He instructed the people to pick up twelve stones “from the middle of the Jordan” Then they were to set up the 12 stones, from the Jordan, carried by men, one each from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, at their first place of encampment in the land of milk and honey, which we read in Joshua chapter 4 verse 20. Joshua then told the people that the purpose of these stones was for when the next generation…… so when the next generation asked the question, “What in the world are these stones for?” then those that experienced the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land would tell exactly what God had done in their life. God wanted them to experience this miracle, but it was not intended to just stay within their own hearts….. but rather to be passed on to the next generation, and the next, and the one after that— so that the glories of God would not be forgotten. And here we are, a future generation…. a few thousand years later….talking about what God had done for the people. Joshua and the people made a difference and left a lasting legacy in answering God’s call to be a spiritual leaders in the lives of the next generation.

And so it is in and for our lives today! The principle stands true. It doesn’t matter your social or economic standing here on earth, your titles, your job, the hours you work to make a life for your family…. God has called every born-again believer, every man in Christ Jesus….. to a place of spiritual leadership.

Back to our original question, what kind of difference are you making? What kind of impact are you making, while you are still breathing God’s air? What kind of legacy are you leaving for the next generation?

What kind of difference are you making in your home? Could it be that instead of proclaiming God’s truths and pointing to the stones of remembrance, you’re pointing to athletics, academics, and entertainment?

Leaving a good and lasting legacy means that you’re passing on something of value and worth. While athletics, academics, and entertainment can be enjoyable, and at times noble, let us never forget to leave our children and our grandchildren, and their children with the most important realities of this life and the next.

Many times we feel the pressures of making decisions as spiritual leaders, don’t we? We don’t have to do it alone! The great thing about living in a day when the canon of Scripture, the Bible, is complete and available, is that we don’t have to wait to hear from God. We don’t have to ask anyone for revelation, as the children of Israel did with Joshua. You and I have the privilege of seeking God’s Word immediately and allowing God to weigh in on each decision we make. We should feel the pressure to lead, and we should never take our leadership lightly—but please also understand that we have access to a God who desires to lead us and help us as we raise the next generation for Him. We have all the instruction, encouragement, and written knowledge you need from God to help you leave a lasting legacy….you also have your brothers in Christ to help you lead, to share with you, to do life with you, to help hold you accountable ….. and help you with the Bible…..all you need to do is pick it up, read it, studying it, ask your brothers in Christ when you are stuck on something, and apply what God reveals to you through it……

We learn in Genesis 5 verse 24 that “Enoch walked faithfully with God.” We need to walk faithfully we God. What is walking but a series of steps? As we lead our families, our homes, our jobs, and our personal lives, may each of us remember to take daily, faithful steps with God that lead to leaving a lasting legacy.

The children of Israel were only able to cross the Jordan River because they listened to God. It didn’t make sense. I’m sure some were critically standing back, thinking of a better way to get over the river. But the right way was God’s way. It was only after they followed the ark of the covenant, an example of God’s presence with the people at that time, that they were able to experience a miracle in their life.

Each of us should be challenged today to leave a lasting, biblical legacy with the generation that is behind us.

If you’re a teenager, there are those younger than you that look up to you. What do they see?

If you’re a single adult, what do the teenagers think of you? What example are you setting?

For the adults in here, there are a host of people looking up to you and watching your life as a pattern to be followed.

If you are a granddad, what example are you setting for your grandkids?

If you’re a dad, what kind of example are you leaving for your family?

May each of us leave behind those memorial stones of God’s goodness, so that when the next generation comes up and asks, “What are those?” we can impart the eternal truths of Scripture to them…. so that they can, in turn, pass it on to the generation after them.

What kind of lasting legacy are you leaving behind?