Keepers Of The Legacy

Introduction

A feeling of pride and thanksgiving fills my heart as I stand here today. The longevity and the reputation of this church is something to be honored. At the same time I feel a great sense of responsibility. t is with that spirit I speak to you today. A few days ago Sandra, my wife, asked me a simple question. "What will our lives look like in five years?" I ask you a similar question. What will this Church look like in ten years? This church has a great legacy. What are we doing to keep this legacy?

Today, I don't want to look back, but ahead. What does it take to build or maintain a legacy? Three scriptures today. First, we read 2 Kings 12:1-2, "In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him." Then, read 2 Kings 14:1-3, "In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done." Lastly, look at 2 Chronicles 26:3-4, "Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done." NKJV

The Kings of Israel were wicked kings. Judah did have 8 good kings. Three of them were grandfather, father, and son - Joash (Good) Amaziah (Good) Azariah (Uzziah) (Good). What did these Kings do to keep a legacy?

Note FOUR PRINICPLES OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A LEGACY

I. The Principle of Reaping

Galatians 6:7 tells us to be careful about what seeds we sow. The principle is that what we sow is what we will reap. A man doesn't plant a green bean seed hoping to get a squash. Too many people are sowing bad seeds and hoping for a crop failure.

A tenant farmer had worked hard for many years to improve the farm's production. But something made him very bitter. The owner decided to give the farm to his son who was soon getting married. The man made several generous offers, but to no avail. As the day drew near to move the farmer, to overcome his brooding, decided to plant some of the peskiest and noxious weeds he could find.

Then he spent many hours scattering them on the clean, fertile soil of the farm, along with a lot of trash and stones. To his dismay, the very next morning the owner informed him that plans for his son's wedding had fallen through, and therefore he would be happy to renew the lease.

What kinds of seeds are you sowing? Selfishness, stubbornness, bitterness, envy, jealousy, distrust, critical attitudes, and greed seeds all yield terrible harvests.

II. Principle of Righteousness

Notice that each of these Kings did "what was right in the sight of God."

i. Build a core belief in your family

ii. Let your family see your walk with God (Saved, Sanctified, Spirit filled)

iii. Be consistent to the very end of your life

A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching. C.H. Spurgeon.

III. Principle of Reception

How do we get our children to listen and follow? There are two areas of contrast.

i. Open or closed spirit

We close spirits with authoritarian behavior

We open spirits with authoritative behavior

Simply put, we open spirits by applying the Word of God. Then ask questions about the reaction to God's word.

ii. Soft or hard heart

There is only one way to soften a hard heart. Love and more love. "Two men looked out prison bars,

One saw mud, and the other saw stars."

IV. Principle of Responsibility

We have a tendency to criticize the next generation. They don't have the character we have. They don't hold to our standards. They like different things. They don't have our priorities. Sound familiar? It happens to every generation. We look back and see the great things our forefathers did. We forget how much we changed what they did. How do we keep this next generation in tact? We must take in hand training them; not criticizing them. How?

i. Build upon the foundation

ii. Teach them to dream

iii. Encourage them to do greater works

I asked Mr. Tom Gullatt about his missionary work in Japan. He served as a Southern Baptist missionary in Japan for over 38 years. Mr. Tom Gullatt credits his great missionary ministry to the men of this church that discipled him as a young man. They took him in and mentored him. They gave him a good foundation and stood by him as he grew into the great champion he is today.

What will you do with this next generation? Will you let them go, or will you begin today building a great legacy? Are you a legacy keeper?