What will you leave behind?
A pastor recounted…one of our
older members passed away. " Long widowed from a faithful husband who
worked with his hands in a local factory, this woman was known for teaching
Sunday school, vacation Bible school, and cultivating an incomparably fruitful
garden. She lived to a ripe old age. At her funeral, the children, who all
lived in neighboring states, came together for the memorial service. Before the
service, as I gathered with them privately, I learned that the most significant
epitaph repeated was, "She didn't have that much, and
she never did." They were speaking of a legacy
of material wealth.
That part was indeed genuine. The summary of her life, however, was much more
extraordinary than such a dour assessment. Indeed, those of
us who knew Mrs.
Moore recognized that she was one of the wealthiest women in the
community. Mrs. Moore’s life was filled with love and
admiration from those who had sat under her teaching and guidance as children.
Her garden was much more than a standard backyard vegetable patch. A veritable nursery,
the garden reflected the care born out of a love of God as if doing her best in
her garden was a way to say thank you to God for his lavish grace in saving her
from her sins. She was also one of the happiest ladies I had known. At
her service, I read this verse to the congregation, including her seven
children seated up front with their families.
Psalms 61:5 For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the
heritage of those who fear your name.
I talked about one of the
wealthiest women I had ever known. There was a strange look on the faces of her
children. "Didn't we just say to you, she never had a
thing in her life?" If faces and expressions could
talk, that is what I heard. We concluded our service with the question,”
Having looked at this passage and considered its meaning, can we not say that
Mrs. Moore has left you with a legacy of inestimable value? As with any estate,
the question remains how you will use the opportunities she has bequeathed to you?"
What is your
Heritage?
What will you leave
behind?
Psalms 61:5 For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of
those who fear your name.
Estate Sales…
If you go to Amazon.com and put in my name you
will find that I have written 5-6 books. I usually don’t say much about them. I
didn’t write them with the idea of becoming famous. I wrote them so that my
children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and so on, will come to know
the truths I believed and taught. The books are simply collections of my
sermons. This is my heritage!
Suggestion: get you a tape recorder or
digital recorder and talk to it…
If you could designate some truths to share with
those who will follow you, what would you tell them?
I.
I would want them to
know that there is forgiveness of Sin!
Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes
in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Acts 13:38-39 "Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through
Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him
everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not
able to obtain under the law of Moses.
Traditionally we define grace as “The
unmerited favor of God.” If I merit something, I deserve
it; it means that I have earned it. A student takes “The National Merit
Scholarship Exam,” scores high, and wins a college scholarship as the result.
That student has earned the scholarship; he or she deserves it.” When it
comes to salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, I can do absolutely
nothing to earn it; and it is something I will never deserve.
a.
There
are those dark days of sin in our lives.
James
1: 14, 15 “But each one is tempted when
by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth
to death.”
Before
you can win a war you must know your enemy, understand his strategy and then
defeat him.
When
sin’s birth place is over looked, a misdiagnosis will be made and this will
cause people to miss God’s solution for overcoming sin.
No outside influence can
cause you to sin. James teaches that the trouble begins within in your own
heart. Everyone has an evil Sin nature and several times daily is tempted to
sin.
We are like the little
boy who went into the pantry. His mother could hear him get the cookie jar down
from the self. She called to him and said, “Willie, what are you doing?” The little boy replied, “I am fighting with temptation!” If the little boy understood his heart
and the power of sin, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be drawn into the
pantry.
Jeremiah
17:19 “The heart is deceitful above
all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
b. I would warn them to guard their hearts
from sin…
c. When sin comes to fruition and we fall …
understand that forgiveness is free and available through Jesus our Lord and
Savior!
There are all kind of adults beating themselves up over
their sin… come to Jesus for forgiveness!
II.
I would want them to
know that they can have Eternal Life!
John 20:31 But these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and
that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 6:47 Very truly I tell you, the one who
believes has eternal life.
John 5:24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever
hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
judged but has crossed over from death to life.
We will all exist in eternity! There are only two
places, Heaven or Hell. It is all about Location, Location, Location!
a.
You can not EARN Eternity in Heaven.
b.
It is a free gift that comes by accepting Jesus
Christ as your Lord and Savior!
c.
It is a decision that must be made when the Holy Spirit calls…
d. You can
say no until it is too late.
You might ask well, “Bro.
Randy do you believe in death bed conversion?” I would say absolutely
under the direction of the Holy Spirit! But think about all the wasted years of
committed Christian service that have been lost!
I have shared with you before about my Godly
Grandmother Nell Aly. Every Sunday she would get dressed for church and ask my
Grandfather Marvin if he wanted to go to church with her. Every Sunday he would
say “No!” When she didn’t have a ride she he
would even take her to church, leave her and come back later to get her. One
Sunday in his seventies she aske and he said “Yes!”
Praise God! ….. but think of all those wasted years of
doing nothing creative for the Kingdom of God!
III.
I would want them to
know that they can find salvation!
Luke 11:9-10 "So I say to you: Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
a.
The Philippian Jailer
Acts 16:25-34 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent
earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the
prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the
prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he
thought the prisoners had escaped. 28
But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in
and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30
He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?" 31 They replied,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took
them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were
baptized. 34 The jailer brought
them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because
he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
b.
When the jailer went to his work that day…
c.
It is everyone of our jobs to make sure Jesus is
easy to find!
d.
We are the path to salvation!
(Wide is the road that leads to destruction…
narrow is the path that leads to Eternal Life!)
Here and now is the proving ground of our
salvation! Why doesn’t God just go ahead and take us home once we are saved? … Because he wants other people to be able to find Christ
through us. His validation was that the disciples saw His Father in Him.
Our validation is that other people see Jesus in Us!
IV.
I would want them to
know that they can have Joy and Peace!
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been
justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which
we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Joy
Galatians 5: 22 … the fruit of the Holy
Spirit is joy.
It means an inner gladness, a
deep pleasure which comes from an inner assurance and confidence that God does
all things for His good purposes.
This joy is not the same as the joy
found in this world which gives only temporary pleasure and is nagged by some incompleteness.
In truth, joy found in worldly ways leave an haunting awareness that something
could arise and rob joy.
Joy received from God gives
Christians the assurance that He does all things well for those who seek Him
with all their hearts.
Several things can be said about the
believers' joy which is supernatural and is determined by how much nourishment
Christians get from the feeding on God's Word and if they are walking in step
with the Holy Spirit.
God's joy is given by Him
through the Holy Spirit. You must be born again and living in obedience to the
written Word.
Jesus tells us how to experience
true joy.
Jn. 15: 9 – 11 "As the Father has loved Me,
so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My Commands, you will
remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His
love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may
be complete."
Jesus' joy was found through
obedience to His Father's will, thus, the source of a person's true joy will be
found through living an obedient life to the Lord.
True joy does not depend on
circumstances or happiness. Christians experience joy in the midst of blessings
as well as in the fire of trials. The best way to have joy is to count all your
blessings. When done with a grateful heart, joy will abound in you.
Christians can also have joy in
great trials. Paul, while in the midst of trials and persecutions, wrote,
2 Corinthians 7:46 "...in trouble my joy
knows no bounds."
Joy springs from faith.
Romans 15:13 "May the God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Joy comes in trusting in God who
controls all things and knows what is best for you.
Joy of reward makes and keeps
you faithful to the God who created you.
Hebrews tells us to
Heb. 12:2"...fix our eyes
upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before
Him endured the Cross."
Jesus Christ had great inspiration to do the
will of His Father. He was looking ahead to that glorious day, when through His
blood He would restore fellowship between man and God. Jesus suffered mockery, shame,
a brutal beating and suffering upon the Cross so that you can be forgiven and
have fellowship with God. There is a day coming when Christians will stand at
the Judgment Seat of Christ and non-Christians will stand at the Great White
Throne Judgment. Obedient Christians will someday hear "Well done good and
faithful servant."
Fixing your eyes upon Christ and
what he has done, will bring a joy in your labors with the Lord.
Choose the fruit of the Holy
Spirit, receive God's joy and discover an inner gladness and have the assurance
that God will do what is best for you in the building of His Kingdom.
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