Leaving a Legacy

The year was 1937. A young athletic man had just stepped onto the campus of a local junior college to play sports, with the hope and dream of playing at a four-year school. To say he was a good athlete would be an understatement. He was not good.

He was exceptional. In fact, he was so good that two years later, he was awarded a scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA. At UCLA, he would compete in not one, not two, not three, but four. But four sports. Basketball, football, baseball, and track and field.

Now, for most of his collegiate career, he found success in three out of those four sports, mainly in football and basketball and track. Baseball, however, was not as kind to him. His batting average was a whopping 0.97. Okay, y'all, that's depressing.

Like, when you're batting well below the Mendoza line, that's for you baseball junkies out there, but consistently, that dog won't hunt, okay? Though following his graduation at UCLA, he left to go play semi-pro football with the Honolulu Bears. His first game with the team was in Pearl Harbor on December 5, 1941.

Now, if you know your history, you'll know that that's two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. His life was spared by 48 hours. After a brief stint with the United States military, he would become a second lieutenant and a platoon leader of the 761st Tank Battalion. He actually later comes back to civilian life, and he picks up the game that didn't treat him all that well while he was at UCLA. Baseball, God's favorite sport. Now, in 1945, he would sign a contract with the professional baseball team that was budding throughout the Midwest, but it did not have a ton of national notoriety. That team was the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American Leagues. After one long and grueling season with the Monarchs, his life would be flipped upside down and, in turn, our entire country.

In the summer of 1945, he would sign another contract, this time with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After two years of grueling it out in the minor league stadiums all over the country, on April 15, 1947, this young man would break the color barrier of baseball by becoming the first black player to integrate into the major leagues, and thus, he would change the dynamic of American culture through the game of baseball. That man, Jackie Robinson, would forever have his name etched in the very fabric of American history. Today, he is rightly celebrated as a national hero, but life for Jackie and many others just like him was anything but easy. The road was hard.

It was painful. He was asked over and over again if he ever thought about quitting. Without a better world ahead of him and resolve in his heart to stay the course, he pressed on, hoping that one day his efforts would open the door for young black men like himself to step between the lines. Without men like Jackie, we don't get King Griffey Jr., Roberto Clemente, Mookie Betts, Albert Pujols, Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna, and many more.

Jackie Robinson's life offers us an answer to a question that every one of us will ask in our life. How do we leave a legacy worth passing along to the next generation? Resolve.

Vision. A determination to move forward with conviction when the road is difficult. What would it look like if God raised up a generation of men, a generation of fathers right here from the Summit Church with that same resolve, that same conviction, that same determination? What if God raised up a generation of Christians of believers, all of us, with that kind of resolve, conviction, and determination?

I believe the world could be flipped upside down for the kingdom of God starting right here in Raleigh-Durham. Now, it's no secret that we're living in some pretty dark and difficult times. We are in desperate need of leadership in our home and in our communities. The time is now. It is time to rise up. It's time to engage.

It's time to lead. 1 Kings 2 is where we're gonna camp out for the next few minutes together. Now, to set the context for you, we're jumping into the life of King David. He's Israel's most beloved king. The end of his life is near, and he knows it. His 40-year reign as king is coming to a close, and he's about to see the eternal reward that awaits him. He's dying.

It's the seasons that he's lived through, the ups and the downs. His thoughts are clear, and perhaps for the last time, he calls his son Solomon to his side as he makes one final speech before he goes the way of the earth. You can almost imagine the scene.

Maybe you've been in one just like it. I envision it as a moment where a father pulls his son in closely, musters up all the strength he has left in his frail body, and he begins to speak these words that will echo throughout history. 1 Kings 2. David says this, Those are solid words for a son that would need them in the days and years ahead. He would need them to continue the godly legacy that was being passed off to him that day. Legacy. Godly legacy. A legacy worth leaving.

That day will come. How have you cultivated one worth leaving? I know that for many of you, talking about legacy is just not easy. You don't like the one that's been handed off to you. You aren't sure that you're actually leaving one that's worth leaving.

When I close, I'll get back to that. I promise, because I believe today God doesn't just want to give you good advice. He wants to give you good news. Now, legacy is so attractive to talk about, but here's the thing.

It's not guaranteed. It's got to be fought for. And church, it's time to fight. Two things I want you to see from David to Solomon as he passed the baton off in hopes of leaving a legacy of godliness. Number one, legacy is cultivated through courage, not cowardice. Now, what you hear in David's charge to Solomon is something that sounds familiar to the ears of those that God had placed in leadership in the Old Testament. Look back. It says this. Be strong and courageous, David says.

Show yourself a man. Now, who else received that same command? Moses. And actually, more famously, Joshua.

That's right. Just after Moses goes the way of the earth, God looks at Joshua and says, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land that I am about to give them to the Israelites. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and very courageous. Courage is trust.

It's unwavering confidence that what God has said to be true will be. The road ahead for Solomon would not be easy. He would need the courage to do what was required.

What was required was to trust in the heart of God. Think back to David's life. His kingship did not start the same way that Solomon's would, right? I mean, he knew that Solomon had not been tested like he was as he looked to lead his people. I mean, Solomon, y'all, he grew up in downtown, right?

He was in the palace. He probably sipped pour-over coffee on the front patio porch every morning and evening. David grew up in the country. He drank coffee from a drip coffee maker.

Heaven forbid, right? David's life was shaped in the pasture. He was a shepherd. He faced dangers in those fields, and it was in those fields where God prepared him to lead with courage. He had to face danger when lions and bears would attack his sheep.

Like, that's true story. Read the Old Testament. Those moments formed him. They shaped him. He would later show up to the battlefield with a lunch for his brothers only to find out that they were being taunted by Goliath.

Fearful and afraid, David reached deep into his tool belt, and he found something Israel did not. Courage. You know, one of my favorite leaders, Dr. Jay Stracht, often says this.

He says, at some point in your life, at some point in your life, the little boy has to sit down, and the man has to stand up. Maybe Solomon would need that spoken over him frequently. You see, courage leads to faithful action. Fear leads to cowardice. Courage is one of the marks of a Jesus follower. Cowardice is not. Jesus himself would exude courage in order to face and finish the task that he knew was in front of him. He got a glimpse of it in the Garden of Gethsemane, and it wasn't pretty. Yet.

Yet he went. You see, following Jesus will take courage, unwavering trust. Can I just tell you something here for just a moment? Courage, it's not found on the keypad of your phone or on the computer or on social media. It's found in action, in life, in relationships with people.

Paul would say it this way in 1 Corinthians 16 verse 13. Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous and strong. Now, you do realize that there are times where you, or maybe even those around you, are going to lack courage, right? You know what we're called to do in those moments? Encourage. Encourage means to impart courage to another, to build each other up.

That's what the church does. You find your courage in the goodness of God, in the ways of God, in the promises of God. Your courage is not found in your strength. David knew where his strength and his flesh would get him. 1 Samuel chapter 30 verse 6 says this, But David found his strength where?

In the Lord his God. David needed reminders often that his courage was found in remembering the promises of God. Jonathan, David's best friend, would remind him of that when he's running for his life from King Saul.

His courage tank was empty. Jonathan, the Old Testament tells us, he goes to David when his courage was low to do one thing. Not to tell him things are going to be okay, but to strengthen his hand in God. Church, all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. He is who he says he is.

You can trust him. Walk with Jesus. Lead with courage. In fact, right now, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take just a moment and we're going to pray. If you're sitting in a room somewhere with your father or your husband, we're going to spend some time praying over him specifically. And we're going to ask that God would do a couple things.

Strengthen him as a leader in your home. And two, we're going to ask that God would cultivate a heart of courage as he follows Jesus and leads your family. Now, if you're hanging out at home, or maybe you're just with your family or friends, or maybe you're even by yourself, let's pray those same things for yourself or for each other. That God would strengthen you as a leader with courage. That God would cultivate in you a heart of courage as you cling to the promises of God.

. . The vision of legacy is achieved in virtuosity. Now, I often tell my kids that the battle of life isn't one with top 10 plays on ESPN type moments.

It's one in doing that which is required of you consistently, uncommonly well. That's the charge in front of Solomon. Look back. It says this, keep the charge of the Lord your God, David says. Walk in his ways. Keep his statutes, his commands, his rules, and his testimonies. The vision of that charge to Solomon is twofold, I believe. The first one is that David would long to see his son walk, cling, and hold fast to the word of God. It's there in his final moments that he pleads with his son to keep the commands of God close to his heart. David wrote often in the Psalms of the necessity, the life giving, life directing word of God. The second vision was that by living a life of uncommon obedience to God's word, he would ensure that the legacy and kingship would be established. Look at what he says in verse four, if your sons pay close attention to their way to walk performing in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. Now, that is ultimately fulfilled through the true king that David was pointing to, not to an earthly throne, but to an eternal one, Jesus. He would fulfill it, establish it perfectly, and he would sit on it for eternity.

Why? Well, the answer couldn't be found in David alone or in Solomon alone, and it can't be found in you and me either. You see, gospel legacy has to point to something greater, someone greater. I mean, David failed miserably. The dude hit rock bottom, right?

I mean, need I talk about his assault on Bathsheba or the mafia-esque elimination of her husband? He needed a better king, but by God's grace, he repented, and his repentance brought about a renewed spirit in him. He went from rock bottom to standing on the rock of the promises of God. He would now walk in an uncommon way, declaring that the commands of God, the word of God, would be his lifeline. He could not be like the rest in neglecting the statutes of God.

He would need a better way, and so would Solomon. You see, virtuosity is defined in many athletic circles as simply doing the common things in an uncommon way. It's how you achieve success, mastery, victory. You see, virtuosity is the separator. It's not just as Winston Churchill stated, just giving your best.

It's doing what's required to be the best. David pleads with Solomon to have something that others do not. There has to be something that separates him from the rest of the people.

What was that thing? An uncommon obedience to the commands of God. Remember back on David's life, on the run, fearing for his life from Saul? Yet wasn't he the king in waiting? And if Saul would be removed, David could claim the throne. In fact, he had two opportunities to take Saul out himself. It's almost like there was a shortcut to the throne for David. But he refused to take it.

Why? Because you can't shortcut obedience to the commands of God. You've got to take the long road, uncommon obedience. Listen, you are not going to find a life hack to godliness.

You can't. There's no magic 10-day sin-free diet you can go on, right? I mean, you have to commit to doing the common things in an uncommon way.

I'll say it again. There is no shortcut, no life hack for godliness. Where is virtuosity missing in your life? Where are you not doing the common things required of you in the gospel in an uncommon way? How's your prayer life? How's your Bible reading? Are you serving the body?

Are you encouraging others? Uncommon obedience has a source, Jesus. If you long for godly legacy to be passed on, you have to keep your eyes on Jesus. E-O-J, eyes on Jesus. E-O-J, say it right now.

E-O-J. Eyes on Jesus all the time. You want to leave a godly legacy in your family? Get your tail out of bed and get in the Word. Put your eyes on Jesus daily. Not once a week, that's the common way, but daily.

Put the plow to the ground and get to work. You want your kids to change the world? Prepare their heart, not their path. That's the uncommon way. Show them what it looks like to serve by being a servant. I mean, for crying out loud, do the dishes, okay? Show up again and again and again and again. It will never make your Instagram story, but it makes for a life of godliness.

You may be thinking, I've totally blown it. Welcome to Team Jesus. Aren't you glad that the Father is full of grace and mercy? That he doesn't look at your record, just Jesus'. And that each day the Father offers you that record over and over and over again. God made him, 2 Corinthians says, who knew no sin to become sin for us.

Why? So that in him we might become the righteousness of God. No matter how far you've fallen, God's grace is constant. The Father is still there. His tank never empties. He does not withhold it from you.

He extends it to you daily. Take hold of it. Get back up.

Get in the game. Have a from this day forward mentality. Today, this day, a new day. Lamentations 3 verses 22 and 23 says it like this. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness towards you. Today is a new day.

Paul would say it this way. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead today, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Today, you want to leave a godly legacy, you got to fight for it. Forget what is behind.

Press ahead. There's a prize awaiting you and his name is Jesus. Cultivate courage as you walk here on this earth. Do the hard things and keep doing them over and over and over again. Be encouraged when you fall, when you fall, get back up EOJ. Eyes on Jesus. He's faithful.