A LEGACY OF LOYALTY AND
LEADERSHIP
What do you want to outlive you by a hundred years? If you could identify something so meaningful
to live for that you would want to see your life still making a difference one
hundred years from now, what would it be?
Few of us will have a national monument
named after us, or have a street named after us…or even have someone know our
name at all within a generation or so after we are gone. What would be nice, however, would be to
leave such a legacy that even though no one remembers us, the impact and influence continue to bring glory to God and will for generations
to come.
One of the first steps in making that kind
of difference is to make sure that there is a clear line of succession
following you, someone who has captured your passion and will continue the
pursuit of the vision God has given you.
The Apostle John wrote, “I have no greater
joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (3 John 4). Each of us can make an investment in that kind
of legacy…but will we see the value of it in time to do something about it.
THESIS: Investing in a legacy that will outlive you
many times over should motivate each of us to spend the time and energy necessary
to find out what could possibly matter so much that you just have to pass it
on.
At this point in his life, David had
known the highs and lows, the times of incredible prosperity and the times of
total hopelessness. But he had learned
what mattered…that he was to leave a successor to his throne who would carry on
the calling of the living God to lead His people to live for His glory.
I. GODLY LEADERS REMAIN LOYAL TO THEIR
COMMITMENTS.
--A
leader who does not keep his word cannot be followed with confidence because he
cannot be trusted with his commitments.
--When
a leader speaks, his followers must be able to count on what he says…David was
a man of his word.
A. A COMMITMENT TO THE LORD
--As
a part of his covenant calling from the Lord, David had committed himself to
the Lord not only to be a godly king, but to pass on the throne to his
successors in such a way that those to follow would understand their reign as
sacred calling.
--The
Lord then promised David a son and told him his name so that David would know
which of his many sons was God’s choice to succeed him as king:
1
Chronicles 22:9-10
‘Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will
give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be
Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 ‘He shall build a house for My
name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his father; and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
B. A COMMITMENT TO BATHSHEBA
--David had made a commitment to Bathsheba that their
son, Solomon, would succeed him as king of Israel.
1 Kings 1:28-30
Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into
the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 And the king vowed and said, “As the LORD lives, who has
redeemed my life from all distress, 30
surely as I vowed to you by the LORD the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son
Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I
will indeed do so this day.”
C. A COMMITMENT TO SOLOMON
--When
the day of his death drew near, David called Solomon in and challenged him to
fulfill the calling God was putting on his life as David kept his commitment to
make him king.
1 Kings 2:2-4 “I am going the way of all the earth. Be
strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.
3 “And keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His
ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His
testimonies, according to what is written in the law of Moses, that you may
succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that the LORD may carry out
His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of
their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their
soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
II. GODLY
LEADERS EQUIP SUCCESSORS FOR THEIR CALLING.
--It
is one thing to make a commitment to your successor, but it is quite another to
make sure that you have prepared and equipped them for the calling they have
accepted.
A. CONFER UPON THEM BLESSING AND RECOGNITION
1
Kings 1:34-35
“And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over
Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 “Then you shall come up after
him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have
appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
--David
blessed Solomon and honored him with special recognition as the one upon whom
the calling of God had fallen.
Gary
Smalley and John Trent wrote a book called The
Blessing in 1986 in which they explained the need we all have to receive a
blessing from our families as we become mature adults. Those who are still waiting for that blessing
and those from whom such a blessing has been withheld spend their lives trying
to compensate for its absence in other ways.
As
they reviewed the Old Testament practice of conferring blessing, they noted
five elements of that blessing, many of which we find in what David provides
for Solomon:
·
Meaningful Touch
·
A Spoken Message
·
Attaching “High Value” to the One Being
Blessed
·
Picturing a Special Future for the One
Being Blessed
·
An Active Commitment to Fulfill the
Blessing
--David
made sure before his son took over as king that he had received the favor and
assurance of his father’s blessing.
B. CHARGE THEM TO BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
--If
the undertaking you are passing on to those coming after you is significant and
valuable in the eyes of God, it will require more of them than they can muster.
--Therefore,
as a part of the preparation they will need, a godly leader will call them to
courage and to strength beyond their own.
1
Kings 2:2-3 (see above)
1 Chr. 22:13 “Then you shall prosper, if you are careful to observe the
statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel.
Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.
--For
Solomon to be successful as the next king, he would need to be strong in the
face of insurmountable odds and courageous when confronted with those who would
oppose and resist what God had for him to do.
How often do we
do just the opposite when we sit down with those who will come after us? Instead of speaking to the breadth of the
challenges and letting them know the complexities of their calling, we tend to
minimize those things and try to emphasize only the positive side of what they
will face.
Do we think that
if we tell people the truth they will lack the courage and strength to agree to
the task? The truth is that when we
explain the high expectations associated with a calling that has value to God,
people are more than willing to step up, demonstrate courage, operate in the
power and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Thom Rainer recently wrote a book called High Expectations in which he documents
research that proves that Christians are much more likely to accept a calling
beyond their natural ability than they are an insignificant, meaningless bit of
busy work.
David made it
clear to Solomon that the task before him far exceeded his best effort. The only acceptable approach that would
guarantee success would be to take courage and strength from the Lord and fear
nothing but the Lord God Almighty!
C. CALL FOR THEM
TO ACT WITH DISCRETION AND UNDERSTANDING
--Another
critical element of the preparation of the next generation of leadership is to
leave them a legacy of wisdom and discernment, of knowledge and eternal truth.
--David
presents Solomon with the awesome responsibility of acting with discretion and
understanding if he dared to believe that he would make a difference for God’s
glory and the good of the people.
1 Chr. 22:11-13 “Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may
be successful, and build the house of the LORD your God just as He has spoken
concerning you. 12 “Only the
LORD give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so
that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.
13 “Then you shall prosper, if you are careful to observe the
statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel.
Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.
--For
all his failures and indiscretions, David had learned that his hope and future
rested in the eternal truths of God’s Word, the promises that would never fail
him and the principles which would never leave him empty.
Psa. 119:9, 11 How can
a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. …11 Thy word I have treasured in
my heart, That I may not sin against Thee.
--Did
Solomon learn this vital lesson from his father and appropriate this element of
preparation for the road ahead?
--In
at least two ways we see that he “got it.”
1. His Advice to His Sons in the Proverbs
Prov. 2:3-5 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for
understanding; 4 If you seek
her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear
of the LORD, And discover the knowledge of God.
2. His Request to the Lord in Prayer
--After
ascending to the throne, Solomon heard the Lord ask him in a dream for whatever
he wanted God to give him.
--Solomon
asked wisely for that which his father had told him he would need to rule for
God’s glory, something he knew that he did not have and could not acquire on
his own—an understanding heart and discernment.
--God
was delighted with this insightful prayer and compelling desire on Solomon’s
part.
1 Kings 3:11-13 And God
said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself
long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life
of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand
justice, 12 behold, I have
done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning
heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like
you arise after you. 13 “And
I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that
there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.
--David
equipped him for the task before him by helping his son know what to ask for,
what to value more highly than material things and earthly acquisitions.
Prov. 3:13-14 How
blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding. 14 For its profit is better than
the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold.
--Of
all that a godly leader can instill in his successor, a deep hunger for the
pursuit of godly wisdom and understanding has more value than the best
technical training possible.
--We
want to teach our successors the duties, the practical functions, the small
details we believe will lead them to succeed—but their greatest need will rest
in the appropriation of God’s Word with wisdom, understanding, discernment and
maturity.
--What
part does that play in the plan you are following to equip your successors—your
children—your grandchildren—the next generation and even the ones to come?
D. CONSECRATE THEM TO DEVOTION AND OBEDIENCE
--Last
of all, the greatest preparation possible to include in a lasting legacy is to
set your successor apart for holiness to the Lord.
--The
best thing David could give to Solomon was consistent, fervent training in
righteousness so that he would love God with all his heart, soul, mind and
strength.
1 Chr. 22:19 “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God;
arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God into the
house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”
--If
David knew anything, he knew what could happen when a heart was divided between
the Lord and the things of this world…diverted from the Lord to the temporary
and ultimately worthless things that promised so much but could deliver so
little.
--For
a time, David’s efforts to build these things into Solomon’s life paid off and
he grew and prospered in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.
--He
obeyed the Lord and built the Temple just as he had been instructed, following
each meticulous detail of God’s design for the place of true worship.
--He
sought wisdom and knowledge from the Lord and walked in His ways and the Lord
brought amazing blessing and honor into his life—how grateful David would have
been to see the son he had consecrated to a life of pure devotion to the Lord
excelling beyond all that he could have imagined.
1 Kings 10:23-24 So King Solomon became greater than all the
kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
24 And all the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to
hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
--Of
course, the pull of the world and the power and prestige and wealth eventually
drew his heart away from the Lord to a life of vanity, worthless living.
Matt. 16:26 “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world,
and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
--But
his father trained and taught him better and set him apart for a life of
devotion and obedience to the Lord.
What would
happen if we invested as much in building spiritual devotion and a deep
affection for the Lord in those who come after us as we do in their education,
in their careers, in their athletic and musical and artistic development?
The legacy that
matters begins with the consecration of our successors to a life filled with a
passion for God, a heart set, fixed, focused, riveted on the greatness and
mercy of the Lord our God.
--Godly
leaders make sure that those who follow after them have been thoroughly
equipped, complete in their preparation, for the eternal side of their calling.
--He
is most successful who leaves behind those who understand their calling well
and know that only God’s provision will enable them to succeed, to prosper for
His glory.
III. GODLY
LEADERS PROVIDE SACRIFICIALLY FOR THEIR PASSIONS.
--In
the fall, we will explore this point more fully but today it will do to mention
that David did what needed to be done to pave the way for Solomon to enjoy
immediate success.
·
He gave sacrificially of his own
resources to provide what was needed to do what Solomon would need to do.
·
He gathered graciously from the
resources God had provided for and through his people to provide a bountiful
foundation upon which Solomon’s kingdom work could be built.
--David
had a passion for God’s name to be praised and for his own son to prosper in
serving the Lord.
--Toward
that end, and not for his own name, he amassed quite a fortune to be invested
in the exaltation of the name of the Lord!
Do you have a better idea now of what you would like to outlive
you by a hundred years? What are you
doing now to prepare to leave that kind of legacy? It will not just happen…you must make
conscious choices now that will make a difference for eternity!
As we noted earlier, the Apostle John
wrote, “I have no greater joy than this,
to hear of my children walking in the truth” (3 John 4). Each
of us can make an investment in that kind of legacy…but will we see the value
of it in time to do something about it?
David could have decided that it was too
late for him…that he had blown it too many times to make a difference
anymore. But God gave him a transferable
passion, one that he passed on as a living legacy to Solomon.
Will you settle for making a mark only for
the moment, or will you see a bigger vision and live for a broader dream? God wants you to make a difference for
eternity by investing in the two things that last forever—the Word of God and the souls of people.
What a legacy of loyalty to your calling to Christ! What a legacy
of leadership in a venture that makes a mark on eternity! The time to invest is now!
April 17, 2005
Providence Baptist Church
© David Horner 2005
Sermon outlines are copyrighted
in the event of future publication.
They may be used for preaching
and teaching purposes
but may not be published or sold.