Lasting Legacy: A Father's Day Message

Intro

What kind of difference do you make? That is a loaded question, I know. But have you ever thought about it. What kind of difference do you make In your workplace, your home, your community, your church?

Better yet, 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?

I believe that all of us whether we think about it often, or only on occasion, think about this question. And as we gather today to honor the Father’s among us, I think it is appropriate that we ask this question. Because as fathers, I would imagine that every single one at some point thinks about it, or at least should.

What do I bring to the table in this family? What difference do I make? If I were to die today, what would my kids say about me? And I believe that as fathers, not only do we have to ask these questions, but we need to answer them honestly.

This principle of making a difference rises right out of this portion of Scripture in Joshua. The children of Israel have just come out of their second exodus. They have spent the last forty years wondering the wilderness aimlessly.

During this wandering, though, the children of Israel were taken care of. 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.

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.

Power in the Text

The children of Israel 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. And it seems they immediately faced their first obstacle. This was probably a surprise to many, if not all.

Joshua 3:1-6 NLT Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. 4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about a half mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.”

5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” 6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people.

So we read this and we think, no big deal, they are going to walk across a small river. But according to verse 15, It was harvest season and Biblical experts tell us that the waters were probably between ten to fifteen feet high, up to 2 miles wide, and they would have been flowing fast.

This was not something you were going to be able to cross with a couple million people including children, livestock, and possessions. You can imagine that day the dropped jaws as they stood before this large, rushing body of water.

No doubt there were many curious hearts and doubting minds. The Bible says they looked to their leader Joshua, God’s appointed leader at that time. However, Joshua received his revelation straight from God.

Joshua 3:7-8 NLT 7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’ ”

Joshua 3:13 NLT 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.

The official instruction was to send the priests, who carried the ark of the covenant, about three thousand feet before the children of Israel. Once their feet touched the bank of the Jordan River, God would part the waters in two. So they did what he commanded and that day God did a miracle in the lives of the children of Israel.

And so the people cross the river on dry ground and when they get to the other side, God then gives a very interesting command.

Joshua 4:4-7 NLT 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

He instructed the people to pick up twelve stones “from the middle of the Jordan”. Then they were to set them up at their first place of encampment.

Joshua then told them that the purpose of these stones was for when the next generation came and asked, “What in the world are these stones for?”. Those that experienced the crossing would tell them 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 each future generation would remember the glory and power of God.

Big Idea

And so it is in our life today! The principle stands true. It doesn’t matter your social or economic standing here on earth, God has called every born-again believer 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? Today is Father’s Day. Dads, what kind of difference are you making in your home?

What kind of memorial are you building for your children so that when they ask, or your grandchildren ask, or their children ask, an answer can be given that points to the glory of God and the truth of his word?

Could it be that instead of proclaiming God’s truths and pointing to the stones of remembrance, you’re pointing to other things like athletics, academics, worldly pleasures and pursuits, and entertainment?

Leaving a legacy means that you’re passing on something of value and worth. While these other things can be enjoyable, let us never forget to leave our children with the most important realities of this life and the next.

May each of us leave behind stones (memorials 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 next generation after them.

The truth is we all pass on something, the question is, are we proud of what gets handed down.

Application/Closing

Many times we feel the pressures of making decisions as spiritual leaders, don’t we? The great thing about living in a day when we have the full revelation of God in Scripture available is that we don’t have to wait to hear from God.

We don’t have to ask any one person 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 or flippantly—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.

It is interesting that so often on Mother’s Day we praise mothers for their work inside the home. For the way they serve their children and families.

But then when we talk about Fathers, we don’t offer the same praise. And I think it is because when we think about how a father leads his family, we think about the work he does to provide, represent, and protect; things that many mothers do as well.

And this emphasis we place on how fathers lead has led to a problem where dads are finding their identity, not in their families, but in their accomplishments, in their work, in pursuits outside of the home.

Too often we attempt to make a name for ourselves outside the home but do a poor job where it really matters. The challenge for dads today is to be the kind of leaders who leaves a legacy in our community while also leaving a legacy in our home.

There is a sad reality where many of our famed and treasured Christian leaders and teachers of the past were actually very bad examples of what it meant to be a father. They neglected the most important thing in their lives in the pursuit of finding their identity in their work, even their work for the cause of Christ.

One of our first examples of a godly father is found in Genesis 5. The Bible says in verse 24 that “Enoch walked faithfully with 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 that lead to leaving a legacy.

The children of Israel were only able to cross the Jordan River because they listened to God’s word. 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 Old Testament example of God’s presence, 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.

I don’t know about you, but my hope is that when I die, the thing that is remembered most about me by my children isn’t how much money I made, or how well I led the Church, or even how many people I discipled. What I want them to remember about me most is that I was the closest human example of what our heavenly Father is like in their lives. If I can accomplish that, then I have accomplished everything.

What example are you setting? If you’re a dad, what kind of example are you leaving for your family? If you’re any adult in here, there are a host of people looking up to you and watching your life as a pattern to be followed. Let all of us leave a godly legacy.