Legacy series, part 4

Years ago, there was a popular television series called "Roots." It chronicled the life of an African man, Kunta, who was kidnapped by other Africans as a child and handed over to slave traders. The mini-series followed his life, his children, and his descendants. The title was indicative of our series this week and last week; our roots are important -- where we have come from, our heritage, what we have received from those who've gone before.
And that brings us back to Peter's words:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (II Peter 1:12-15)

These are poignant verses. Peter is near the end of his own life, and he's already been told (years earlier) by Jesus the manner in which he will die.
Is he sitting in the dark, wringing his hands and bemoaning the fact that he soon will leave this earth?
Nope.
Not a chance.
He's tapping his listeners and readers on the shoulders, saying, "Hey!! You might get tired of my telling you these things repeatedly, but it's important to me! I think it's the right thing to do! Because there will soon come a time when I'm not here, and I want to make certain that you remember this stuff when I'm gone!!"
Hope y'all don't think that's disrespectful, but I kinda think that is how Peter might talk to us today. (Grin)
What will happen when we leave? We are going to leave. At some point.
Then what? what will be left?
Our legacy.
Most people think about passing things down to loved ones at some point. They think about who is getting Grandma's house? Aunt Minerva's lovely antiques? The jewelry? The land?

We're talking about a different kind of legacy -- separate from personal possessions. We're talking about a way of life. A home culture. A worldview.
What type of foundation are we leaving for our families and friends now? You see, we're right in the middle of that work. We are working every day on what we'll pass down to our kids and grandkids and the neighbors or young believers that we've befriended or mentored. It's not a question of IF. It's a question of WHAT.....what are we passing down now? It's pretty likely that we are passing down whatever was passed to us.
Where we have come from, or what's been passed to us, is our heritage. Whoever raised us gave to us a spiritual, emotional, and social legacy. Could be good. Could be bad. We have ties that bind us to our parents and their parents; it's those connections that can bring the good or the bad.
What did we inherit?
Loads of things! "Oh, look, the baby has blue eyes, just as blue as Grandpa's!" How we look, how we walk, talk, cook, smile, and how we see and understand God. How we treat our family members, what kind of work ethic we have, how we treat strangers, how we value education, how we approach obstacles, what kind of faith we have....... all of these are things we have passed down to us as our heritage.
Many people are also handed a pattern or cycle of negative things. For generations there have been the problems of addiction, abuse, racism, and more. Some people have a heritage of cheating, of pridefulness, alcoholism, or just workaholism.
We may not give it much thought, but we pass down lots of things to our kids. They listen to us. They say what we say. They follow our examples. Even if we saw things as kids and thought, "I'll NEVER do/say that!" we sometimes still do. Ever heard someone say (or said it yourself) "I'm becoming my dad!" or perhaps "I sound like my mom!"

Here's the good news: we can reverse this negative heritage. How? Through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He came into the world to redeem us from sin, and from our past -- to set us up for a new future! He wants to put our homes on a firm foundation, and then help our kids or other believers to carry on after we leave!

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Paul told us:

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. 14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (I Corinthians 3:10-15)

I hope everyone will join us this week for this study!