Legacy of Faith
Legacy: something either created, continued, or established that outlives us.
“15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” —Exodus 3:15
A legacy of faith shares God’s faithfulness with the next generation.
“4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” —Joshua 4:4-7
“31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.” —Joshua 24:31
“10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” —Judges 2:10
When His faithfulness is not passed down…..
Frustration sets in.
Failure becomes familiar.
People forget.
A legacy of faith recognizes God’s faithfulness despite our failure.
“17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” —Acts 13:17-22
“3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. 5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They tell of the power of your awesome works - and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” —Psalm 145:3-7
We lead generation to generation.
Praise carries truth to the next generation.
“1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” —Psalm 34:1