One Act of Faith Most Christians Overlook

I want to talk to you today about something that many Christians don't think rightly about. I want to talk to us about our passing and our legacy. First of all, I want to make the point, I think that many Christians have a very wrong perception about the death of loved ones, particularly when their loved ones are believers. Many Christians look at it as such a negative thing. When the Bible tells us that the Lord takes his own out of the world to save them and spare them from trouble, you know, the apostle Paul came to the end of his life and he said, I have fought the fight, I have run the race and now there's laid up for me the crown of righteousness, but not only for me, but for everyone that loves his appearing. So we as Christians need to filter our perception of reality, taking into account that this world is not our home. We have lots of pain in this world, lots of struggles on this earth. But when we get to heaven, there's going to be no more sorrow, no more suffering and no more pain. I want to talk to you today about what happens when we do pass, when we do leave this world. And I want to ask ourselves the question today, all of us, myself included, when we do leave this world, beloved one, what will we leave behind? What will our legacy be? A legacy is something that we leave behind in the earth after we're gone. So let's ask ourselves today, what will our legacy be and how do we build a legacy? Well, first of all, legacies are built, as we all know, through relationships, through the lives that we have sown into. And because of our investing in somebody else's life, their life is better. And so even when we're gone, you and I, our children, grandchildren, and the loved ones that we've sown into, their lives will be better because of us. We will have left an imprint in them that remains. That is a legacy. You never even know, the littlest thing that you do sometimes, when you share your love for Jesus with that person at the grocery store, with your dentist, whoever, you say something and it creates a spark.

The person takes notice, even if they never let you know it. You might be a small part of the chain that actually led them to their salvation. That will have been a legacy for you. I remember years ago, I was working, before I was in full-time ministry, I was working in financial services. And I remember all the team came together one day, about 10 of us, and all of a sudden I started praising Jesus and I felt like I was totally rejected. I mean, they didn't react at all to my praising Jesus. It was like they had deaf ears to everything I had to say. Years later, approximately 10 years later, when I was now in full-time ministry, I was ministering in a small church, in a small town in rural Ohio. And I got to the service where I was going to be preaching that Sunday, and I set up my things. You know, I had cassette tapes that we made available, etc., of different ones of my teaching. And the pastor came out, he said, hey, just continue to set up your display here. And I've got somebody that called. They said they want to be at the service today and they don't have a ride, so I'm going to go pick this person up. So lo and behold, the pastor walks out the door of the church. I continue to set things up. 15, 20 minutes later, the pastor comes in the door. Who does he come in the door with? One of the guys that worked in that financial service company that I work for, that was together when I was praising Jesus, one of those 10 guys, he was there. The pastor brought him there. Why did the pastor bring him there? Because the guy ended up selling drugs, wound up in jail, no longer had a car. But when he was in jail, he remembered that day that I was lifting up Jesus and witnessing to that group of 10 salespeople. And as a result of my witness to him, when he was in jail, God brought it to his remembrance.

He gave his life to the Lord. Now he was walking with the Lord. He had heard that I was going to be ministering in the church that morning. And so he called the church and got a ride to the service. When I pass on, he's going to be part of my legacy. And so I want to encourage you, beloved. You can make an impact in the earth through your relationships. Your legacy is the individuals that you. effect, through your love, through your witness, through your kindness, while you're on earth, that continue to live on in the world after you're gone. The second way we leave a legacy in the earth, beloved ones, is through the passing down of our finances. The Bible tells us in the book of Proverbs chapter 13 verse 22 this, a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. So we leave a legacy in the earth when we sow financially into somebody else's life and they benefit from our financial investment in their lives even after we are gone. But to have this concept and to have this perspective of making somebody else's life better because we've made a financial investment in their lives at our passing, we're talking about a legacy that's created at our passing, we really have to gain a long-term perspective of our finances. Because some people, they only think about everything they can get right now. And I've even met people that have the mantra, they have the philosophy that they want to spend all their money while they're in earth and not leave a cent behind. And that's the way they live, that's the way they think. I want to spend it all, I don't want anything to be left over. That is a very narcissistic mindset as we all know. A narcissist is someone who's completely self-focused. We need to understand, beloved, if we're going to have a mindset to create a legacy with our finances when we leave this world, we need to really understand that ultimately God really does own everything. We might say, yeah, the Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Yeah, we know God owns everything. We say that, but is our heart really surrendered to that? Because when our heart is really surrendered to the reality that ultimately God's the owner of everything, it will change the way we plan for our future financially. It will change the way that we use our finances while we're on earth and also affect what we do with our finances when we pass so that we can create a legacy in the earth for our lives, for the kingdom of God

at our passing. The scripture says, from Him, to Him, and through Him are all things. Ultimately, the Lord is the owner of everything in the earth. I love Psalm 24, verse 1. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains. Everything ultimately belongs to the Lord. We need to really understand that everything belongs to the Lord, and when we understand God's glory in the earth, that everything belongs to God, from Him, to Him, and through Him are all things. We're going to honor Him with our financial resources when we pass just because we want to honor the creator from whom are all things. I want you to consider what Yeshua said. He said, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy or where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth or rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So we want to think about how are we using our resources, and are we sowing financially into the kingdom of heaven? Because Jesus said, what we're going to reap, He said, what we sow. And so many of us consider that we should honor the Lord with our finances while we're living. We tithe, we give offerings, but have we thought this through to the end of our life that we want to honor the Lord with our finances and our offerings when we pass? Jesus said this at the end of His ministry. He said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I command you and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age. Beloved, let's do what's necessary to be good stewards of our resources and invest in the kingdom of God so that the great commission of Jesus to go into all the world can continue on even after you're gone. In the book of Numbers chapter 6, the Lord gave instructions to Moses to speak this blessing over his people. And the Lord said, when you speak these words over my people, I will place my name on them and bless them. Receive the impartation of the Lord's blessing. sings. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up by his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.