Are You Leaving a Spiritual Legacy for Your Children / Grandchildren? – Part II

Need to read Part 1 first, Are You Leaving a Spiritual Legacy for Your Children / Grandchildren?

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

These are the words in a letter from Jeremiah written to a group of captives that were taken away to Babylon. (Jer 29:1-4)  Jer 29:4 says, “Thus says the LORD of host, the God of Israel to all who were carried away captive, who I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

God allowed the Babylonians to exile the captives in Babylon.  This was part of God’s discipline in the lives of His people.  Hebrews 12:5-6 says God disciplines every son that He loves.  God can be tough on us at times.  Negative things can come into our lives.  Jeremiah says here it was God who exiled them.

In Jer 29:8-9 the exiles are told that false prophets have been in their midst telling them what they want to hear.  But it is not from the Lord.  The Lord in Jer 29:4-7 let’s them know what they don’t want to hear.  They are going to be in exile a long time.  The false word was they would be out of this soon.

It would be 70 years until the decree of Cyrus and not until 444 BC that the first group would return with Ezra.  The words of Jer 29:11-14 were a promise for their children in the future.  When the time of exile was over the LORD said,, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity.”  (Jer 29:12-14)

So God makes a promise directly to Israel.  The promise is for the future.  And it’s not for one person singular, it’s not for me, it’s for us.  The promise is not made to us today.  But it does apply to us.  It’s not a promise to us that we will be healthy and prosperous.

Did following the Lord make the disciples healthy and prosperous?  Did it keep them from all harm?

God crushed his own perfect and spotless Son.  Great faith doesn’t equal flourishing in the here and now.  Foxes had holes, birds had nests, and the Son of Man had no place to lay His head.  At the end of John 7 John says each man went to his own  house.  But John 8:1 says Jesus went to the Mt of Olives.  Jesus didn’t have a house.

The only place this world ever afforded Jesus a resting place was the cross.  He laid his head to rest there and died.  (John 19:30)  John says, “As he is so are we in this world.” (I John 4:17) We are not to twist God’s word for our own purposes.

In Jer 29:5-7 God tells the exiles what to do.  He says lay down roots there in Babylon.  Build your houses and plant gardens.  Get married and find spouses for your children so they can bear you grandchildren.  Seek the peace of the city where you live and pray for it.  And you will have peace.

Peace in the heart is true riches.  The wisdom of God’s word is better than silver or gold and precious jewels.  It’s better than anything you might desire.  (Prov 3:13-18)

The LORD says establish a community.  Establish a home base.  Give your children and your grandchildren some roots.  He doesn’t say live for yourself.  He says think about your children and your children’s children.

How about a church home for our children and grandchildren?  How about a Bible School where we can train people in the word for the home base and for other communities the Lord wants to start?  How about a home for our spiritual children as well?  How about being mentors for others?  How about taking an active role in the future of those who go after us.

These children are not here for us.  We are here for them.  How about a church where there is freedom because the gospel of truth is being preached and taught?  [Left blank] and I were matured and equipped in a church like that.  [Left blank] was 19 when we were married.  God’s given us 41 happy years so far.  We have been given much.

Our children and our grandchildren, spiritual children are like arrows in the quiver of a warrior the Bible says.  If I’m going into battle I want as many arrows as possible.  That’s why God says, “multiply and be fruitful.”  The [left blank] Church in [left blank] was a place where children were raised to live for the glory of God.

A baton has been passed to us that we cannot drop.  To those who have been given much, much is required.  The [left blank] areas, [left blank] and the world still need to be reached.  On a Sunday morning in Southern California less than one boy or girl in ten is in Sunday School.

There is so little peace in a world that Christ made peace for everyone on the cross.  We don’t make our peace with God.  Jesus did that for us.  We just receive the peace He offers through repentance and faith in Him.  We need to get people the message of the gospel to where we live.

We need to be faithful to God’s word and God’s Son and continue to pass on the legacy that has been passed on to us.  It starts with the Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible.  It’s finding the truth that God bring, it’s found in believing his word and doing it so we find understanding.

Leaving a legacy is about being faithful.  And Jer 29:11 is about God being faithful to us.  He is faithful in the midst of any conflict or circumstance which we face right now.  We need to be faithful to His word and to this text.

We need to leave a legacy. Be praying for us.