A Sinner's Legacy

By Dennis Stackhouse

Were you aware of the fact that you are creating a legacy? Each and every one of us, whether we realize it or not, whether we agree with it or not, even whether we like it or not, does have a very powerful, unmistakable influence on those around us. This even includes those we may not know personally or that we may not understand we are influencing. Someone is always watching us and we are helping to shape their lives for good or for evil. But now think about this: Did you realize that you are exerting your influence as a sinner? That's right; even Christians are people who do sin, at least occasionally. The Apostle Paul told us in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There is not one of us, Christian or not, who is free from sin. The good news is that we don't have to remain in sin or continue to live a sinful lifestyle. In short, we can all be people who decide to make an impact on this world for God and for good instead of for Satan and unrighteousness. That choice faces each of us. What should be seen as equally good news is the fact that God's forgiveness, for those who come to Him His way, is impartial and complete. Our background, ethnicity, or former lifestyle are immaterial; God is ready and willing to extend His forgiveness to us. And the rewards that come to those who are forgiven go far beyond anything we can possibly imagine. In this book, we will together explore these topics and hopefully come to realize that our legacy, the impact we have on other people, can endure even after we have left this physical world. I hope that you, like me, find this to be an exciting time of discovery from God's word. May He richly bless each person who seeks to influence those around them in a godly manner!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644588826

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A Sinner's Legacy

Dennis Stackhouse

Copyright © 2019 by Dennis Stackhouse

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

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Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Introduction

A Sinner’s Legacy

What comes to mind whenever someone mentions the word legacy? It could well be that you have heard someone make a statement that sounds very much like the following: I’d like to tell you about the legacy my parents left for me. Or it could be something like this: Our children were able to receive a college education because of the legacy from their grandfather. Perhaps you’ve also heard: I need to be careful when I’m out in the sun; my fair skin is a legacy from my parents. A similar sentiment may be expressed as follows: The sterling character of that statesman left an enduring legacy for all of us. And of course, we could go on and on with other examples. But what does all this mean to us? How should we understand the term legacy? Let’s explore this a bit further.

For many of us, if we are familiar with the idea behind a legacy, it may simply involve the giving or gaining of a physical inheritance. And perhaps we were introduced to this thought by our parents or grandparents, maybe by another relative or even an acquaintance. It could be that as we were growing up, we listened to our parents or grandparents talking about the legacy or inheritance they wanted to leave for their children, or even their grandchildren. Some of us may have become familiar with a legacy firsthand because we were beneficiaries of an inheritance, similar to what we just mentioned. If that was the case, we hopefully came to appreciate the sacrifice and commitment of the person or people who provided the legacy for us.

However, we should also realize that a legacy does not have to be confined to immediate family members, even though that is a typical scenario. People have and will again in the future leave a legacy for an institution of higher learning, a church, a civic club, or some other type of organization. It’s a fact that people can be very supportive of their alma mater and have the desire to leave a financial bequest. The same thing can be true about a church where one has been a long-time member, or for a civic club in which one was an active participant. It might even include an environmental cause someone is passionate about, or an effort to save wildlife. Just considering these few examples, it’s easy to see that the concept of a legacy can undeniably take on several different forms. But just for a moment, let’s concentrate on the idea of a legacy being an inheritance for a family member, something passed down from one generation to the next, which is probably the most common understanding of a legacy. In that case, some of the typical items would likely include the following:

Money. This may be the most obvious and easiest to recognize. It could be something as simple as a life insurance policy. Typically, when one purchases a policy such as this on himself or herself, a beneficiary or beneficiaries are named. When the person who purchased the policy dies physically, the beneficiary or beneficiaries will receive an amount of money that was specified in the insurance policy contract. Still thinking about money, it could also be a checking or savings account, perhaps a certificate of deposit, all of which work in much the same manner. A specific dollar amount will typically be specified for each beneficiary.

Stocks or bonds. When these types of financial investments are left for others, the actual amount will be dependent upon the current market value of the stock or bond. So there is not an established value; they would vary depending upon market conditions.

Property. This could represent a much broader category, but property that is left to others could include many different things, such as:

Home. Parents may want to leave a residence to a child or to multiple offspring to share; and this could be either the residence itself or the value of it.

Land. This would be like a home and is quite common in the agriculturally based Midwest section of our country. Farmers and ranchers will often hand down pieces of land to their offspring. But there are other kinds of property that may also be part of a legacy, and these are generally a bit more specific in nature; in other words, a specific item would be designated to a particular person, such as:

jewelry

art

antiques

a special vehicle

Trust. A living trust may be another way that parents try to protect a gift to the best of their abilities, even after they have passed from this physical life. This would be comparable to a will, but it may allow family members to access financial accounts without excessive legal involvement.

Does that brief listing cover anything and everything that may constitute a legacy? Certainly not. And I hope we understand that this was not intended to be a comprehensive listing of every conceivable type of legacy that could be established. This was designed to help us think about what is commonly involved in a legacy or inheritance moving from one generation to the next. A legacy could include any of these things we’ve mentioned or any number of other things we did not mention. Truly, it might be as individual as any one of us are and could thus be structured in unique ways, some of which we would probably never think of. But regardless of what it specifically was or how it was handled, the idea of a legacy was likely conveyed to us, in very basic terms, as something that was intended to be passed down from one generation to the next.

What we have just mentioned is consistent with the technical definition of the term legacy. If we go to the dictionary, the word legacy is defined as follows: "1. A gift by will, especially of money or other personal property; a bequest. 2. Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or someone from the past." So we can see that the dictionary does tend to keep the concept of a legacy in the realm of something handed down from an ancestor or predecessor. However, we should also recognize that if someone does receive money or other property through a will, it would not necessarily have to come from a blood relative. That leads to the following. There is a more general sense in which I would like to have us think about this idea of a legacy, especially as I plan to use it throughout the remainder of this book. Very simply, I would like to have us focus on the idea that a legacy would speak about handing something down to someone else, and specifically as it relates to a person’s character, zeroing in on the example and influence that is evident for everyone to see. This could relate to people who are living at the same time as the person leaving their legacy, or it could affect those who are living after the individual has died physically. Let’s consider two quick examples of this.

Jesus in the Home of Simon the Leper

In Matthew 26:6–7 we read this: Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. We do not know for certain who this Simon was, only that he was identified as the leper. Undoubtedly, Simon had been cured of that horrible disease or he would not have invited guests into his home. Typically, lepers were isolated so that they did not have contact with the general public since the disease was highly contagious. It could be that Jesus Himself had cured Simon at some earlier point. When John the immerser sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Expected One (the Messiah) or if they should look for someone else, in Matthew 11:3, Jesus told the disciples of John to report what they hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them (Matthew 11:5). Jesus undeniably had the ability to heal a leper from that incurable disease, prime examples being the fact that He cleansed one leper in Matthew 8:2–4 and ten lepers in Luke 17:11–19. But regardless of who Simon was or how he had been cleansed from his leprosy, our Lord was dining in his home on this occasion. Of that we can be certain.

Continuing the account in Matthew 26:8–9 we are told: But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, ‘Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’ When the disciples witnessed what this woman did to Jesus, pouring expensive perfume on His head, we are informed that they were "indignant"; in other words, they were expressing anger or scorn regarding the actions of the woman; they viewed what she did as being wasteful. Whether it was their true motive or not, they sought to justify their indignation by indicating that the perfume could have been sold for a substantial amount of money and could then be used to help the poor. Let’s continue in Matthew 26:10 as Jesus seeks to teach His disciples a valuable lesson: But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.’ At this point, the disciples would likely have been somewhat confused. Having already spent a considerable amount of time with our Lord, they had learned that it was important to take care of the poor, to give to the less fortunate as they were able, so they probably thought they were doing the right thing by condemning the waste of the perfume. They never realized that this woman was performing a good deed for the Lord.

Undoubtedly sensing their misunderstanding, Jesus further explained what He meant in Matthew 26:11–12: For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Jesus told His followers that they would always have opportunities to contribute to the needs of the poor. In fact, a parallel account in Mark 14:7 reads: "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them…" Our Lord is teaching that we can always find those who are less fortunate than ourselves and, if we have the proper mindset, we can offer them aid. But Jesus Himself would not always be with the disciples in bodily form, His time on earth was growing very short. He had been telling His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die, most recently in Matthew 26:2: You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion. So, in a real sense, this woman was literally preparing our Lord’s body for burial, even though she was probably unaware of this herself.

The concluding verse of this passage is most relevant to the study we are undertaking. In Matthew 26:13 we have this: Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her. This woman’s legacy, something she has handed down to others through the way she conducted herself on this occasion, continues to live on well after her physical death. Her example and potential influence on others (including us) is truly unmistakable. There’s no way we could possibly estimate how many people have already been touched by her and her concern for Jesus. And be sure to notice that this legacy is as wide-ranging as the whole world itself; wherever the gospel might be preached for as long as the earth exists people will continue to hear about what this woman did. That is the kind of legacy we will examine throughout this book.

Abel Still Speaks

One other example of this concept is provided for us in Hebrews 11:4: By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. The account of Cain and Abel is recorded for us in Genesis 4:1–15. From this passage, we learn that Abel was a keeper of flocks and that Cain was a tiller of the ground (Genesis 4:2). Then we read in Genesis 4:3–4: So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering. Whatever instructions had been delivered to these two boys concerning their offerings to God, and those instructions are not recorded for us in Scripture, Abel got it right since we know that the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering. In other words, Abel’s offering was pleasing and acceptable to God.

However, such was not the case for Cain. Genesis 4:5 reads: But for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. The difference we can identify between the two offerings is that Cain offered the fruit of the ground where Abel offered from his flock, a blood sacrifice. Was that the difference between God accepting one and not accepting the other? From the information we are given in God’s word, it’s impossible to make that determination. But we can know beyond any reasonable doubt that Abel’s offering was accepted by God and Cain’s offering was not. Ultimately, because God had no regard for Cain’s offering, it led to what we read in Genesis 4:8: Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Those words represent the first recorded murder.

How then does Abel still speak even though he is dead, as Hebrews 11:4 indicated? It was through his faith that he acted, offering a better sacrifice to God than Cain did. And God saw fit to record that action of Abel in His word and to preserve it for the generations to come. Through the living and active word of God, the word that is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), Abel’s faith remains as an example and inspiration for those who choose to be followers of God. This is certainly consistent with what we read regarding the importance of a person’s influence and example, the impact they had or continue to have on others through the life they lived. In Romans 15:4 we read: For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. For the Apostle Paul’s readers, whatever was written in earlier times was a reference to the Old Testament; for you and me it would include all of God’s word, both the Old and New Testaments. And don’t miss the fact that all of this was written for our instruction; that’s one of the primary reasons why God has preserved His word for us.

Notice what the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 55:11: So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Speaking through His prophet, God clearly tells us that His word will not return to Him empty, that it will accomplish what He desires and that it will succeed in the matter for which He sent it. Again, one of the primary purposes of God’s word is to instruct us. If we persevere in a study of God’s word, taking and applying the instruction it contains, it will be a great encouragement to us and will provide us with the hope we so desperately need in our lives. Then, if we incorporate the Scriptures into our lives, it will allow us to leave a positive, lasting legacy for those who come after us. Like Abel, our legacy can live on well after our physical life has ended.

Part 1

Setting the Stage

Chapter 1

We Are Creating a Legacy

Have you ever stopped to consider what kind of legacy you are establishing for others? When confronted with a question like that, you may quickly respond by saying, No, I’ve never given that much thought. Or perhaps it would cause you to think, I didn’t realize that I was establishing a legacy. It could be that you would even respond, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. What is a legacy? Any of those answers and many others would not be unexpected if we were having to respond to a question such as the one I posed. Had it not been for the information we explored in the introduction, that kind of question could take us completely off guard because it’s not likely that we give it a great deal of thought on a day-to-day basis. But the fact is that each of us, in one way or another, is establishing a legacy that can potentially impact not only our immediate family, not only our Christian family, not just the friends and relatives and acquaintances we have, but every person we encounter in life. When we have that understanding of the importance of our legacy, it truly becomes something we need to give great consideration and attention to.

As we have seen, the concept of legacy may be understood in many different ways, there is a great deal that our legacy can entail. However, this chapter is designed to get us thinking about our legacy in a very simple way, the way we will use it throughout this book, and that is, by reflecting upon the tremendous power of our example and influence. Whether we realize it or not, whether we agree with it or not, whether we like it or not, every one of us is influencing other people through the way we live our lives. That being the case, we should never underestimate the power of our example or influence over others. In short, that is the legacy each of us is creating. We may never know how many people are looking to us as an example of how they should behave themselves or manage their time or of the proper way to dress or how to treat others or how they could most effectively handle their money, etc. Looking at it from that perspective puts a huge responsibility on every one of us, and even more importantly as it relates to the subject matter of this book, it’s a responsibility that every Christian shares.

God’s word has a great deal to say about how people should be conducting themselves in this world, especially those who profess to be one of His followers. If you are a person who makes that profession, if you claim to be a Christian, you need to realize that the world is watching you. And one of the questions a non-Christian may ask as they observe God’s people living in this physical realm is, Who or what is that person trying to imitate? That’s a good, valid question because many of us do have someone in our lives that has influenced us in a powerful way. This could be someone we work with very closely, a friend, a relative, even someone we have never personally met. Whatever the specific situation, this person is someone we look up to as a model or an example; as a result, we may seek to imitate that person in the way we conduct ourselves. And for anyone claiming to be a Christian, there is a specific pattern to be