What Is Your Legacy? (Part 2 of 3)

Every tombstone cemetery represents a life lived there are names and dates etched there in stone but the legacies of those individuals are engraved in the memories of all who knew them. How will we be remembered today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg describes the type of legacy we can choose to pass on were in second Timothy chapter 4 is a harmful legacy hearing.

Two Timothy, I don't want to belabor the point. Just want to draw your attention to them. You can follow the simple your own homework. This is a thumbnail sketch is not an in-depth study. Dimas chapter 4 and verse 10.

Do your best to come to me quickly. Sensitivity for Dimas Dimas bailed out on me as well. 90 bailed out on Christ. I think probably still but the inference here is not that so much as it is the sense of personal paintball fields in relation to the fact that this individual who was his friend who was his coworker in the gospel just left them out when the word Dimas comes to mind. The very next word that comes with the verb that goes along with her now is this Dimas dissected Alexander in verse 14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of time so he is aware brings up the picture of Alexander in his mind to help a picture is a harmful picture.

We don't know what he did to except we know that it was somehow related to the cause of the gospel is not a personality issue that Paul is concerned that you know Alexander didn't like his preaching.

I didn't think he was that good of a pastor I didn't like him for some personality venture cares about that stuff. No, no, he says Alexander did me a great deal of harm and you should be on your guard against him because he strongly opposed the message that's the issue you see Paul's great concern is that the legacy of the gospel will be passed like the passing of a Batson and a relay race and knows what is it when you have 20 m. There are 15 m and that in that box. I don't know what you have is a short distance and you've got to get out of your hands and into their hands. The if you don't do it and it doesn't goal or if you'd love it, then it doesn't go and there's little time to drop it and pick it up as many of us have found doing a great disappointment when he thought in terms of that and he brought Alexander's picture up to my city haunt me. And what about the crowd. In verse 16. My first offense.

No one came to my support had full thing to have in your recollection, go right through your journal as it were, to keep a journal you go back in there and you bring pictures to mind, and you say you know just when I needed the encouragement.

No one came to support just when this guy needed help. No one was there. Why was that because they all united against and they said no, don't anybody go and help all the send word around. Probably not. I think it's more likely that it happened like this. Everybody sitting there said someone else who supported someone else will do it, someone else will be there.

Is not important and I'm there, someone else will carry it out, and the result of thinking like that was that no one supported someone else or go to the service they don't really need me to realize that every single one of you things someone else avoid leaving service tonight. We know it. Evening service to the legacy of this crowd was harm.

Let's move to the helpful side of the picture because there is that which is helpful as well. Incidentally, and in passing. Another thing that drove us home for me was that last Sunday evening against my better judgment, and allowing my heart to rule my head. I agreed to go and speak in a church on the other side of the country in Stockton on TVs which is near, which is actually in Cleveland, England and its near Newcastle and Middlesbrough and I had a man pick me up and drive me to the to the place and I I got in the car and there was there was also a lady with him that they were at a youth camp and we drove away from the hotel and he started saying what about your wife are more about your children and and I I had only just come from this site, which is much worse and I could feel myself just just going off and then coming around and not knowing if they'd asked me a question and just sitting in the silence, hoping that something give me an idea of what was going on, and so I then scarcity and I think I'm going to fall asleep so I fell asleep and waking up when I got there and then I was there and then I go back in the car and fell asleep and woke up when I got back in the man when he shook my hand. He said it was nice having fellowship with you but the reason for my journey was to speak in a church where I hadn't been for 29 years 29 years here. The bell rang. Here the minutes pass and I went back out of deference to the pastor who had been there a gentleman by the name of Neville Atkinson, who had been such an encouragement to me as a young man used to go there on Saturday night with to my friends.

We have a singing group. The other two guys can sing before anyone mentions it and we use to do some things in a youth coffee bar and so on.

Used to go there in time for the football results on a Saturday night soccer results to you, Philistines, and we used to. I will not forgive you for not watching the World Cup. I'm sorry. I am sort and so the students call me and he said would you come back and speak for is on Sunday night as I it would be a great privilege and I went and I was in the vestry and the fellow said to me now you you don't need to go up into the pulpit.

All I said fine. I said that's okay when you want me to do so.

Why don't you speak from down in the communion table. I said I can do that and I walked out and there was no one. They had a huge wraparound balcony totally dessert they had seats all in three sections down below when I say no and that is hyperbole. There was a smattering of people there how I said to myself what has happened here this is not Neville's legacy because when we were there. 29 years ago. The place was, and I found out that after 31 years of ministry. He passed it into the hands of another young man who in the last 2 1/2 years has singularly decimated the congregation to the point that it is split and divided and disintegrated and what I was speaking to was simply a remnant. I don't know his name, and if I knew it, I wouldn't tell you but I do know this, that his legacy is harmful when volumes about money in our epitaph tonight. What if we went tomorrow morning's plain dealer in the obits you waste a lot of money on those things. I told my wife that I don't get something don't get my photograph and stuff and they just get a line and I have to something you know like a lady whose husband died and she's one of the newspapers you want to spend a lot of money on the Jewish Scottish said my husband died I need to put it in the newspaper.

So the fellows as well where you want to put she said. Hamish died so you guys as well.

There's a minimum number of words ringing on for more than that she thought about from only several put Hamish died Volvo for sale. So when we put our sentencing happen there. Whatever else it is trying to sell alone more. This enzyme whatever they do. If there's one summary statement.

What will it be in Willoughby harmful will be helpful come to the helpful side with me now go through this quickly helpful. Look at verse five of chapter 1 what I helpful legacy was left by Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and the mother Eunice.

I can tell you what a wonderful thing it is to have a godly heritage. We should think for a moment of Lois and Eunice were self-aware in relationship to this the sincere faith which live in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I can imagine that the grandmother would come over the house and say Timothy now here I am your godly grannies here. Come along Timothy and I will expound to you the great wonders of things because after all I'm your godly grannie.

No, I think she was just grannie and his mother's mother used to get up in the morning so now come along Timothy.

I'm your godly mother and I'm here to bestow my heritage upon you know she just did the laundry. She just send them off to school just clicked around the year she just did. Mother things, but down through the corridors of time, as people reflect on it and bring the photograph to recollection said you know what this was tremendously helpful in this grandmother and having this mom and some of us haven't had that we may have had it in a Sunday school teacher and a Bible class leader is someone who was influential like that and that is our heritage and their legacy is wonderful.

Another thing that happened to me this past week that all fad like tributaries into the stream in which we are now swimming or drowning, depending on your perspective was that a lady came to me at the end of one of the talks and she said to me you will know who I am but I was your Sunday school teacher when you were a wee boy primary one for screen boy said I I don't remember you and I don't remember your name but I have known all of my life that there were two ladies who taught me in the room that was like underneath the platform because the platform was extremely high and I said you know I only remember two things about my Sunday school one is when the big man sat on the children's chairs and he had no right sitting on these little collapsible chairs because he collapsed them in a way that he wants poster collapsing went down like upon a brakes and that's one of my vivid memories.

I remember dashing over to help and no I don't. I room number just killing myself laughing that this guy just when down on the floor. I thought it was one of the best things that happened in the Sunday school for many a week because I was really into submission hold. Yes I said I remember that she smiled benignly and I said on the thing I remember is this song another you two ladies made clear to me one Sunday I don't know what dear what date it was. But you made clear to me the issues of the gospel because I said it was after you are Sunday school class XIV years ago that I went home to my dad and I asked him how old do you have to be to trust Christ and I said the reason I asked my father that question is because of your instruction in that class. She never knew that.

And here she was, came to listen to the Bible readings at Keswick given by some boy that never paid attention in her Sunday school class. How she must've my and undergo. I think she went away with a wee bit of a spring in her step.

Realizing that again on another Sunday morning, just like so many of you with these kids looking here and look in their poking pooling pigtails doing everything scribbling on the sheets, flicking client is doing everything at all to my survival and said all God don't send me back under the platform again just take all those kids away from me.

I can stand and who's to say how many other men in their mid-40s and girls in their mid-40s are walking the path of faith. As a result of the legacy be encouraged. Grandmother's encourage mom's encourage Sunday school teachers kindergarten workers Junior require teachers somewhere behind those vacant stares. God does his work. What about this chap on a syphilis in verse 16. May the Lord show mercy to the house of on a syphilis or maybe is one sip Horace I don't know there is a guy I guy called Horace and they said would you like a drink and he said just one sip and and ever after. He was known as one sip, Horace. Now please don't send me letters about this company a bit of slack. I'm not the wires are not joined up this morning so they were enjoying up the last time we heard you either, but what was your excuse then believe this guy on a syphilis. He often refreshed me wasn't ashamed of me search hard for me and help me in all kinds of ways. What a legacy often refreshed me wasn't ashamed of me search hard for me and help me in all kinds of ways like that don't you. What about Timothy himself doing the letter is written when Paul writes to the Philippians into 20 says of Timothy, I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. He's my main man.

He says, ask him when I think of him. That's his legacy go back into chapter 4 and look at what we are told of Luke. In contrast to the desertion of Dimas.

We have the loyalty of Luke in verse 11 there is no indication here that Luke was a great evangelist, our wonderful Bible teacher. Indeed, the whole inference is that he was none of that, but he was marred by fidelity by loyalty by integrity by humility and he lived his life over the long haul PC long after people have forgotten eloquence and long after they have ceased to read whatever cleverness any of us may have been able to commit to the printed page, long after cleverness and eloquence are gone. Human kindness will live on in the lives of people.

People remember kindness. My sister will bear this but when our mother died that all the people send a note you know with Isaiah 40 on Isaiah 26 three in Philippians 4, John 14, 1 to 6, all of which was very very helpful. I don't need any of us remember any other note surrendering about what we do.

Remember, we do remember the lady from around the corner kept coming back with another pile of freshly completed laundry. When I think of her when a legacy will fall into this trap of thinking you know the key to success in the Christian life is being teacher is being from a person is being a notorious purse. Just think about your body thing about your renal function. Think about your neurological function thing about the double circulator system of the heart. How much of that is out for public display. None. How likely is it crucial and all the stuff we fiddled with this morning before we came here is irrelevant in comparison to those hidden functions. Oh thank God for the hidden heroes of the church. The looks we walk down the street in Keswick, Steve Brady and I another speaker, and a friend over the last as 1972 I know my instructors in the street, a small man and he said he wanted to thank us for the things that we shared from the Scriptures and we thank him and we were humbled by his interest and we asked him what he was doing and why was there and he said you know I've been a Baptist minister for the last 13 years, who knows and God knows who knows his work while his congregation and God and when we walked away I said to Stevie, then I give you a bit of a chill.

He said what you mean.

I said simply this, you know what it says in the Bible, the force will be less than the last will be first. I said I get the distinct feeling that those of us who have been given positions of notoriety limited though they may be the final reckoning is squared away in heaven is going to be guys like that be at the front of the line and guys like you and me.

Brady will be hand on the back of the bus. Steve said you know I think you're right know her time is gone. I need to come just to the final thought, but you'll notice that Mark is there and he's helpful in ditch accuses Aaron he's helpful in the crowd is there at the end between verse 19 and 21 Priscilla and acquittal on a syphilis in the Rasmussen draw from this send you bill us in prudence Robin name prudence, don't you know that I was a guy that was really fun of dessert or not. I do not know, but nonetheless he's there might be a lady called prudence, great name, prudence you can tell I really done a lot of indents to scan your really digging deep into the material well there we have some with a harmful legacy somewhat helpful legacy. The question is what about you and me and with this I draw to a close, how we want to establish this number one determined to live so as to be mixed determined to live source to be mixed, but to be mixed for the right things to be mixed for the right things don't like to be missed at meetings because the meetings go so well without us. But that was a great meeting tonight seem to go very smoothly.

I don't know what the difference what all is he wasn't here she wasn't here on 12 have people look up cantankerous in the dictionary and your face comes up the site. The mass limits to be nice be missed for kind words for good deeds for short notes for quick telephone calls for good laughs for humor, happiness and good like a medicine for your portfolio with this.

The world cares about the size is that cubic capacity of the engine in the car. The stall helps employ almost whatnot all that's going in a gathering sale but will live on in the minds of our kids and our grandkids again words, good deeds, short notes, quick calls, good laughs. Don't be seduced into putting all of your treasure in the wrong place and pass to your children treasure troll which is harmful not helpful. We should determined to live the way that will be missed when were gone. I tell you leave a helpful legacy listing to Truth for Life.

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