Tuesday, October 11, 2022

 

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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