WHY WE LEAVE A LEGACY?
Malachi 4:1-6 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty. 4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."
Luke 1:16-17 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
INTRODUCTION: In 2 Friday’s from now, August 18, 2006, we are having a Bar-B-Q for men. The purpose of this meal is to introduce you to and challenge you to “leave a legacy”. Now, I am sure the question comes up, why should I? My day is quite full already. I really do not have enough time. Well, I would like to suggest several reasons you need to make time to do this.
Reason #1: The days are progressively becoming more evil, and will continue to do so until Christ comes.
• Have you noticed that things are not getting any easier today? In fact things are getting worse.
• Jesus warned us that as the end approached things would get like this.
• Leaving a legacy is leaving your family a foundation to build on. We are all gonna build something with our lives, but will we build it on sand or rock
Reason #2: God wants us all to remember his teaching.
• We are instructed to remember the Law of Moses, God’s teaching to us.
• Today we have both the New Testament and the Old Testament. A complete package of God’s legacy letter to us.
• Yet, in the midst of all that God has given us, there is probably some portion that is especially meaningful and powerful to us.
• These are the things that we should pass on to our families
Reason #3 One of the purposes of parents is to prepare our children for the future.
Proverbs 22:6 6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
• If we do not train them someone else will
• Did you ever pause to think how powerful and necessary your instruction is?
Matthew 12:29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
Luke 11:21 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.
• The context of these two verses is Jesus responding to the claims that He is a minion of Satan.
• What is interesting is that the way someone is successful in invading a house is when he has first disarmed and subdued the man of the house
• He likens this to Satan and his ability to invade us spiritually – he disarms and subdues the one who protects the house
• Men, who guards your spiritual house today?
o God says you are to be the guard
o In fact you are to build it and guard what you have built
Reason #4: God expects Father’s to teach their children.
Proverbs 1:1-9 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-- 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Reason #4: God expects Fathers to train their children to apply the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
• God’s teaching is to be upon their hearts
• Teaching can happen when sitting
• Teaching can happen when walking
• Teaching can happen at bedtime
• Teaching can happen in the morning
• The issue is giving our children something substantial that they cherish in their hearts
Reason #5: Husbands and Fathers are the spiritual heads of their families. We cannot expect anyone else to do what we are suppose to do.
Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
• God expects men to lead their houses
• God expects men to be the spiritual leaders of their houses
Reason #6: We are commanded to demonstrate our love and encouragement to our families
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Colossians 3:20-21 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Reason #7: They will be a lasting source of encouragement to our families.
