Faith and Legacy
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· 2 viewsWhat should the legacy of a christian man or woman be?
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Heb 11:1-4
Heb 11:1-4
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Intro: And that’s what I want to talk about tonight. I want to talk about a faith that even though we are dead it still speaks. Faith And Legacy.
When someone says of another person “They sure left a great Legacy” or asks “What was their Legacy” what do they mean? Probably that whatever they did in life really made them stand out. They left behind a great reason to continue talking well of them for years. Maybe their name is on a building.
The word “Legacy” in the dictionary means: something transmitted by or recieved from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. It means, something that is left to the next generation. It could be a gift by will especially money or property, or anything of value.
As children of God what should be our Legacy? The book of Hebrews in Chapter 11 gives us the famous Hall of Faith. A list of people in the bible that possessed and left the greatest value they had while living … Their Faith!
How do you leave faith? What do you mean Wens? That’s not something you can see touch or handle.
A pastor by the name of Jim Highland wrote: “We all leave a legacy of some kind when we leave this world. A legacy is an inheritance or a quality of someone who has died , the memories and contributions people have created in their lifetime. A wealthy man in a small town died and someone asked his lawyer how much money he had left behind. The lawyer said, ‘All of it’.
Legacy can be a negative. positive, or a passive memorial. One example is provided by the history of two families in colonial America.
Max Juke was a crude backwoodsman known for his hard living and his weak moral characteristics. His legacy was marked by many children, some of them illegal, most to be ridiculed. It numbered 709 descendants that included 280 paupers (poor homeless), 140 criminals, 60 thieves, 6 murderers, 128 prostitutes with 300 of them dying early in life.
Jonathan Edwards, the famous preacher, left behind 1,394 family members, including 100 lawyers, 30 judges, 13 college presidents, 100 college professors, 62 physicians and 60 authors.
You could say that what Jonathan Edwards left behind was a legacy of morals and integrity. His faith. And faith may not be literally handled but it can be seen. And it can be left behind as a legacy.
HEBREWS 11:1-4
I. FAITH REVEALS THE UNSEEN (v1-4)
A. Faith Is ....(v1)
1. “The substance of things hoped for” (vs1a)
a. hupostasis = foundation or that which has foundation; substructure that which has actual exsistance, substance, essence.
“Faith is the foundation or substructure or substance , essence of things hoped for” The confident assurance.
b. But not just blind faith in hope. This is not a definition of faith but a description of what faith does and how it works.
c. Warren Weirsbe wrote : “True biblical faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances and consequences..”
2. “.... the evidence of things not seen” (vs1b)
a. The “proof”. That word is interesting cause it means : a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested. It comes from a root word that was used to convict someone. “Evidence” or proof against them.
i. “You say you didn’t do this? Ok well here is the “proof” or “evidence” that says you did. The truth to convict.
ii. Speaking about convicting… on a side note… shouldn’t our faith be so convincing that it reveals truth that convicts the hearts of others?
b. It was someone’s faith that brought conviction to my life.
i. Miguel and Irene Armendarez lost their 6 mo old son. ( tell story)
ii. If Miguel hasn’t left any other “Legacy” he left one in my life.
3. “For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony” (v2)
By their faith the elders of the Hebrews or the elders in Judaism were given a good testimony.
a. Same thing I’m doing on the account of my friend Miguel right now. Testifying giving a testimony:; giving a vocal account of what I personally “witnessed” with this man.
b. That man’s faith obtained a good testimony from me.
i. What can people say about what they witnessed by our faith? Or life? ( My homies mom funeral, great testimony)
ii. Has my faith become see able?
c. Don’t think that’s supposed to means that you took this big step of faith and started a church or split the sea or something huge, but maybe it’s something you decided ‘not’ to do based on your faith.
i. Something everyone else was doing or would’ve done but because of your convictions or the word of God you didn’t. And it may play a huge role in a co-worker or friend or spouse.
ii. My wife trusts my leadership now. ( my daughter may not yet )
iii. Our faith can leave a legacy in many ways.
And talking about faith… sometimes our faith will be tested.... No it WILL be tested. (read joke)
Have Faith My Child
For the umpteenth time Mrs. Youngston came to her pastor to tell him, "I'm so scared! My husband says he's going to kill me if I continue to come to your church."
"Yes, yes, my child," replied the pastor, more than a little tired of hearing this over and over. "I will continue to pray for you, Mrs. Youngston. But you need to Have faith - the Lord will watch over you."
"Oh yes, he has kept me safe thus far, only....."
"Only what, my child?"
"Well, now he says if I keep coming to your church, he's going to kill YOU!"
"Well, now," said the pastor, "Perhaps it's time to check out that little church on the other side of town."
4. Our faith will be tested, but the good thing about it is, when it is tested it will produce something good, burn off whats bad and bring glory to Jesus.
a. 1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”
i. trials = temptations
b. James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
5. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (3a) Faith gives us understanding . We would be left to believe in unproven Evolution if it were not for “Our Faith”.
a. Our faith in God’s word. Gen 1:1-5 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”
b. But “By faith” by our confident assurance we now have understanding.
i. Pr 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
ii. Pr 16:16 “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
c. One of the biggest things we can leave behind as well is our road map to getting understanding.
d. When I was young I knew nothing about understanding. I think I though more about being understood than trying to understand.
i. I didn’t know or understand how to be a husband.
ii. But now after reading the bible I understand how to be a husband Eph 5:25-33 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
iii. I didn’t understand how to be a father Eph 6:4 “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
iv. How about an employee? Eph 6:5-8 “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
v. Understanding! Faith will give us understanding and we can leave that behind as a legacy.
Lastly, lets look at Vs 4 .......
6. “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” How did Abel give God a more excellent sacrifice and how did he do that by faith? Lets go to Gen 4:1-7
a. Cain brought “of the fruit of the ground”
b. Abel brought of the “first born of his flock and their fat”.
In the book of Numbers and Leviticus we get the law and where God tells Moses how to bring an offering or how God desires to be worshipped. How to approach God. It had to be of the firstborn , no blemish, signifying Jesus the firstborn of God and not blemished.
c. I believe God may have already revealed what sacrifice would be pleasing to Him and Abel did what pleased God but Cain… Cain brought what pleased Cain. ( read Gen 4:3-7 again)
d. Even though this was 5-6 thousand years ago and these were likely the first two sons ever born --- we get all the way down to you and I this evening and it still speaks to us.
THAT’S LEGACY