Awaken – “The Legacy You Live”

Today we wrap up the Awaken series with a look at legacy. We all want to live lives that matter, especially as we get older. We seek to be remembered for (good) things that are enduring – things that last. The Cape Cod Awakening was part of an enduring phenomenon that affected much of America, with impacts that are still being felt today, both here on Cape Cod and around the world. But how do we leave our own, enduring, positive legacy?

1. Legacy is What We Leave Behind – That Tells How We Lived (Matthew 25:23)
   
   • After his conversion to Christ, Pastor Henry Lincoln of Falmouth’s Congregational Church preached, taught, and lived out the gospel faithfully for the rest of his life. His legacy as a gospel minister was summed up on his tombstone: “Servant of God – Well Done.”
   • Legacy is what we leave behind that tells the story of how we lived our lives. As Jesus’ Parable of the Talents reminds us, we don’t all get the same abilities, talents and opportunities from God, but we all have the same calling: to live our lives and use our “talents” for the purposes and glory of God.
   • Legacy isn’t the same as fame. The story of the Falmouth Awakening is filled with names that very few people today would know, but they were people who left a legacy because of how they lived their lives and the way they served God faithfully.
   • The interesting thing about our legacy is that we don’t get to write it – those we leave behind do. Most importantly, though, it will be Jesus Christ himself who writes the final word of our legacy – and we all want to hear his words from the parable: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

1. How Do We Leave a Legacy?
   
   • How then, do we live now so that we leave a positive legacy? How do we leave a legacy of admiration and appreciation on earth, while also pleasing our Master in Heaven? Three simple ideas can guide us:
     
     1. Don’t Mistake Success for Legacy (Matthew 16:26)  
        
        • Barnabas Bates, the young preacher who kick-started the Cape Cod Awakening, went on to become the pastor of a large church in Rhode Island. He initially thrived there but eventually denied his faith and left the ministry to enter government service in New York. As Assistant Postmaster, he ultimately used his gifts to leave his final legacy: “Father of Cheap Postage.”
        • Worldly success – fame, wealth, achievement – won’t produce the legacy we desire, because we can “win” at life but lose in eternity. If we use our gifts and talent and skills and abilities only for worldly gain, that “success” will be our only reward – and our legacy will be “cheap.”
        
        
     2. The Tombstone is not Your Finish Line (Matthew 16:27) – While our “tombstone legacy” may reflect how we lived (and who we lived for), it’s not the ultimate goal, and it’s not the end. Our eternity with Jesus is what we should live for – and that’s what will produce our true legacy.
     3. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus (John 14:6) – In eternity, the only thing that will matter is the question, “What did you do with Jesus Christ?” As Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father (or leaves the legacy they want) except through me.”

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ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE

These passages may provide additional insights related to the subject of this week’s message. All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.

Psalm 145:1-7; Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 25:14-30; Mark 3:28-29; Philippians 4:8-9; 2 Timothy 4:5-8

Video of the Week: Blessing and Curse by the Bible Project

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

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1. Have you thought much about the legacy you will leave behind?  Explain your answer.

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2. Do you believe that it’s important to leave a positive legacy of your life for those you leave behind?  Why or why not?

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3. Read Matthew 25:23 again. Do you think it’s possible to live a life that leaves a negative legacy in the eyes of the people you leave behind, yet still hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” when you see Jesus?  Explain your answer.

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4. Barnabas Bates denied his faith in the end and turned his energy and talents toward gaining worldly achievements. How do you reconcile that ending with the reality that his preaching ignited the Cape Cod Awakening when he was a young man? How could he preach the gospel so effectively if he didn’t ultimately believe it to be true??

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5. Do you think a person can have a significant amount of “worldly success” – fame, wealth, achievement – and still live out their calling and purpose (and leave behind a positive legacy) as a follower of Jesus?  Why or why not?  

As the Awaken series wraps up, what has been your biggest takeaway from the messages – and what will you do with that takeaway?