Untitled Sermon (2)

TODAY - back to David - but not Goliath. - the end of his life… his plan for legacy.

22 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

2 David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David.

5 (THE VISION STATEMENT) For David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you.

14 With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add.

We need to learn to think like this.

he set aside money, resources, values, teachings - for the vision to carry on to the next generation.

This is crucial. - Dominion Saturday ill. - convo at the brewery.

David was a great leader and like any great leader he had foresight.

meaning - he was thinking ahead. He had a plan. He was a few steps ahead of his enemies and always thinking about what is next - and what the future might look like.

In other words - he had the next generation in mind.

and we must have the same.

we must live our lives for a day we never see.

we must think generationally.

we build our church - our families - with our great grandchildren in mind.

how are we setting them up? what is our mission? where are we going?

Here’s the deal - you WILL leave a legacy - that’s inevitable.

every day you are at work - every day you are with your family - you are leaving them something. You are leaving your residue, your fingerprints, all over everything you do.

YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED - YOU WILL LEAVE A LEGACY

David - left a legacy - polygamy was a part of it.

his sexual sins were passed down - REPENT! - Don’t give these things over to your children.

BUT - he also passed down courage - and he also passed down his desire to build a house for the LORD

he couldn’t do it - but he made PROVISION for it being done. He laid the ground work - lumber, ore, all of it…

AND HERE’S THE COMMON MISTAKE

we all WANT to change the world! Well, maybe most of us.

but we try to change the world at the EXPENSE of the next generation - because we can’t think generationally.

in other words - we pour ourselves into our work our mission NOW and we don’t pour ourselves into passing that mission to our children - and as a result… the mission dies.

SO HOW OUGHT WE LEavE A LEGACY A MISSION

Four principles for leaving a legacy

#1 - YOU NEED A VISION

22 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David could see the temple in his mind’s eye. Where others saw an overgrown field - he saw the temple.

You need a vision - BUT - you need a vision for what the Lord has given you.

so where to start? - you need a family vision.

the world tells us we need personal, invididual missions.

the world tells your children that in order to find themselves they have the move away - chase dreams - wanderlust - abandon their legacy

BUT THE BIBLE SHOWS US - over and over - great men of faith had family visions.

the small families turned into strong clans/tribes - turned into dynasties. - that literally changed the world.

so we need a family vision - and we ought raise our children with that vision in mind.

So what should it be? What does God want for your clan? For your great grandchildren? What is your legacy in Acadiana?

begin to build it now. pass down the skills, tools, values, habits, and the inheritance to get the ball rolling.

and as your family grows generationally - exponentially - it can add to the toolkit / resources.

#2 - THE VISION NEEDS TO BE INTEGRATED

What does that mean? You can’t do it on your own.

Solomon didn’t have the experience, nor the connections, but he did have a set of gifts David didn’t.

David needed Solomon - Solomon needed David

and they both needed their community.

The vision is integrated with your church and with your town.

One family by themselves can’t do much. Backyard farm ill.

we need the gift of the division of labor. we need networks, and we need to leverage those networks.

we need more than just one nuclear family - we need cousins and aunts and uncles and a church all sharing their connections and skills.

And we should say this as well:

Your legacy isn’t doomed to failure. Jesus has made promises - to a thousand generations - operate with that in mind. Train your kids up - and send them into the future to add to the work you’ve done.

#3 - THE LEGACY REQUIRES HUMILITY

David needed Solomon - but David also knew he needed Soloman.

he could have just written him off, but he didn’t.

David wasn’t only interested in empowering his own name, putting himself forward. David had a mission, that was bigger than himself. Therefore, he was willing to empower the next generation.

ALSO - Solomon didn’t think his dad was an idiot. He wasn’t going to leave everything his dad had behind. He wasn’t going to disregard it.

kids - you want to build a legacy? you want to change the world? You’ve got Christian families - and they are giving you the tools to do it… listen to them.

#4 - The legacy requires education

11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

lets state the obvious - parents are responsible for the kids education - we say it every week - you’re used to it by now.

you may partner with others - local Christian school - local Christian homeschool groups - whatever - but the ultimate responsibility is on the shoulders of the parents.

and in this education - it’s not just reading and writing and arythmatic.

Education is for FORMATION - in other words - a true education forms who a person is. What they think. What they believe. The nuances of their character and drive.

The state knows this, that’s part of why they want your children, and many within it have even asserted that your children aren’t your own, they belong to the collective.

Your kids education matters - every detail of it.

and watch out - just because the word “Christian” is in the name doesn’t make it a Christian school. We live in a strange world here.

And don’t think that education is just contained in the school itself.

how to build a home, plumb, wire, and LEAD. How to clean a home. How to engage with local politics. How to worship and act at church.

How to avoid becoming a slave to debt or to the state - we must maintain a legacy if we’re gonna build one. Maybe that’s the first fight.

A few other necessary bits -

ENCOURAGEMENT -

SACRIFICE -

THANKFULNESS -

FUTURE FOCUSED -

So let’s ask - what’s God’s vision for your descendants?

Your legacy? What will your clan be known for?

What needs will they meet? What advances for the kingdom will they make?

What can you pass down today that will empower the future?

Engine repair? Computer programing? Biblical literacy? Firearm skills? Raising a family?

Today we only pass down names, it seems.

we must return to this vision - and pass down vocations - businesses, domestic skills, inheritances… all of it.

And anticipate your children coming along and adding to this.

The kingdom of God is being built. It is advancing. Death will be defeated. The gates of hell will fall.

Where is your family legacy connected to all that work?