Leaving a Christian Legacy

No sound on the lapel mic yet. Thank you. Good afternoon, brethren. Welcome again to Sabbath Services. I thought I would give a sermon today that is one of the modules at the ABC class. It's also a Bible study that I gave at Ocean City during the Feast of Tabernacles, and a number of folks asked me to give it as a sermon. So that is what we're going to cover today. It's basically a PowerPoint, but it's very biblical, and the title, the theme of it, is leaving a Christian legacy. And we're going to begin by having an icebreaker, just something to get you to thinking. And here's the icebreaker. A close friend has just given you a gift of $86,400, but there's one important condition.

You have to spend it all tomorrow in one 24-hour day, or the remainder is forfeited forever. You have to use it up, or it's gone forever. So how much of it would you spend? How many here would spend every cent of the $86,400? Okay, that's great.

What would you spend it on? Most folks have very noble reasons. Some people say I would pay off my mortgage, or I would help my kids. Some say I would help my parents. That's what my three daughters, I'm sure, would be saying to themselves right now. Some say I would give a nice donation to the church. There are a lot of great ways that people would use that gift of money.

They would spend it on those activities because they are important to us, because they are things that are priorities in our lives. Well, unfortunately, you're not going to be given a gift of $86,400, but what you are going to be given tomorrow is a real gift. You're going to be given 86,400 seconds to proactively live your life tomorrow. Once that day is gone, it's gone forever. You can choose to use that time to focus on spiritual growth, family, friends, and other high-priority items. It's our choice. Or you can choose to focus on unimportant items. You can even waste that day away. But once it's gone, it is gone forever. So I encourage you to choose wisely and enjoy your gift of 86,400 seconds today and tomorrow. And consider the value of using that time to leave a positive Christian legacy. As in all things, the most powerful way to leave a Christian legacy, a deep Christian legacy, is to follow God's example. And here is God's nature, and here is God's occupation. God is a builder. Let's take a look at a couple of scriptures to see that. We'll begin by going to Genesis 1 and verse 26. If you will turn there with me, Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26. And we will see that God indeed is a builder.

Genesis chapter 1 verse 26.

It says, then God said, Let us make man in our image. God created humankind. He said, According to our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, and in the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. So God is a builder, and it should not surprise us that since we were created in his image that humankind are builders. What do we do? We build civilizations, don't we? We build cultures. We have this burning quest to explore what's out in outer space and conquer space. We have wired within us the desire to create things, to build things, because that is one way in which we literally were created in God's image. So an important thing to understand in leaving a Christian legacy, if you want to leave a positive legacy, you must be a builder of things, not a destroyer of things.

Picking it up here again in verse 31, it says, So again, God made the earth because he is a builder. I won't ask you to turn to John 5, in that section, verses 5-17. But you will remember this story of when Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, and he was criticized for healing on the Sabbath day. And he responded to the Jews. I'll pick it up here in verse 15. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. And for this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath day, God is still a sustainer. The sun still rises on the Sabbath day. Oxygen is still created on the Sabbath day. Plants still grow on the Sabbath day. So what kind of work is the Father and Jesus Christ doing? Among many things, they are builders. They are building godly qualities in you and I, building godly qualities in people.

They are building a church. They are building a spiritual family. They are building a spiritual kingdom that can take over the literal kingdom of God upon the return of Jesus Christ. So again, it is so important for us in understanding and leaving a positive Christian legacy is to follow God's example. God is a builder. Another thing that is so important for us to realize is that life is all about relationships. I have to tell you that the older I get, the more I realize that everything is about healthy, productive relationships. A relationship with God, a relationship with our other family members, and a relationship with our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. And in those relationships, being good and positive and healthy. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1 and verse 22, he says, Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another, he doesn't say passively, he doesn't say, Love one another from afar, he says, Love one another fervently with a pure heart, meaning no motive, no personal agenda. Love other people because you want to serve, because you want to give, because you care for them as a person. Godly relationships are filled with respect and dignity, fellowship, and a genuine love towards one another. That is the heart of leaving a positive Christian legacy, having the right kind of meaningful relationship with God and positive relationships with our brothers and sisters. Let's take a look at some examples and how we can have a meaningful relationship with God. First of all, we can do it through daily prayer. Luke 11, verses 1 and 2, the disciples came to Jesus and they asked him to teach them how to pray. He said, when you pray, he doesn't say if you get around to it, he doesn't say as it's convenient for you, he says when you pray. So prayer is a way to have a meaningful relationship with God and obviously we should do it daily. Another important tool in having a meaningful relationship with God is daily Bible study. Let's turn to this scripture, 2 Timothy 3 and verse 14, and see what Paul reminded Timothy of. 2 Timothy 3 and verse 14.

Paul wrote, speaking to the young evangelist, but you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. He learned them, of course, from his grandmother and his mother and from his mentor, the Apostle Paul. Verse 15, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures. Of course, in context, he was talking about the Old Testament because the New Testament wasn't written yet. And here's what he says about the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine or teaching, for reproof, to prove something over again, or to be corrected, for instruction in righteousness and learning how to live a righteous life that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So to have a meaningful relationship with God means we have to break open the Word of God and just think how precious our generation is. That we not only have so many translations. People now on their smartphones have Bible apps. They can listen to the Bible read to them while they're driving. You can get on your tablet or on your PC and read simultaneously 20 translations. And we can do Bible study like we've never been able to do it before in human history. What a great time to be alive and learn more and more about the Word of God. Another way that we have a meaningful relationship with God, of course, is through meditation. And Paul said in Philippians 4-8, he said, if there is any virtue, if there's anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. So meditation is what helps us to be wise. It helps us to make the right decisions in our lives rather than just emotionally making knee-jerk decisions, making poor decisions that harm us and harm those whom we love.

Meditation is an important biblical tool that we spoke about recently. Next is occasional fasting. I don't know of too many people who love to fast. I don't love to fast. I fast because I need to fast. Man, do I need to fast. Mark 2, verse 18, Jesus told the Pharisees and even the disciples of John who said, how come your disciples never fast?

And Jesus basically told them that they weren't going to fast while the bridegroom was with them. He said, they're not going to fast when I'm here because I'm teaching them directly and they're learning about my way of life. And me mentoring them is more important than anything else. Let's just go ahead and take care of that.

And here's what he said. He said, but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast in those days. And sure enough, we find many examples of the apostles fasting in the book of Acts and in the New Testament. And then obedience and faith. A way to have a meaningful relationship with God, obviously, is to respect God.

To want to be like our Father so much that we are willing to have the mind of Christ. We are willing to be obedient to His laws and His commandments. That we are willing to have the faith that He teaches us to have in order to get through the difficulties in life. The scripture that I think we're all very familiar with, we won't turn there, but it was the young man who came to Him in Matthew 19, verse 16. And said, good teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life? And Jesus said, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. In other words, be obedient. Live a life of faithfulness and a life of obedience. And that, again, is so very important. How about meaningful relationships with others? Well, positive, loving, emotional connections are natural.

They're natural wants and needs that we all have, and nothing provides a greater level of contentment and joy and purpose in our lives than to love another human being and to be loved in return. And we always have to remember, as I've emphasized over and over again, that every day is a single gift. We are not promised a tomorrow, so let your loved ones and your friends know how much you value them. And again, to have a meaningful relationship with another human being, you have to make an investment to have a meaningful relationship. You have to spend time together, whether it's having them over at your house or going out and having lunch with them, or going out and having recreation time and sharing activities together and having good old-fashioned fun to have a meaningful relationship with another person, you have to have an investment in time. So what are the barriers to having meaningful relationships? Well, here are the barriers. First of all, one barrier is selfishness. When someone wants to focus on my needs and is inconsiderate of the needs of others, that's a barrier to a meaningful relationship. Another barrier is familiarity. You take someone for granted. And that's a common problem within the human family, is familiarity. We even have a saying, familiarity breeds contempt. Have you ever heard that expression? In many cases, that is true. People get so used to another person, they're always there, they can always be relied on, that they literally begin to turn and have contempt for them as a person. Another reason is insecurity and fear, having trouble communicating, trusting, and sharing with another human being. I've found that a lot in marriage, problems with marriage situations, is one or both struggle with insecurity and fear, and they don't trust. They cannot communicate, they cannot trust, they cannot share with one another. Another one is narcissism. Narcissism is an obnoxious personality trait of a person who knows it all, has an opinion on everything, and must be right.

Unfortunately, the human race is seasoned with an abundant percentage of people who are narcissistic, and that can be a real challenge to having a relationship with a person who struggles with narcissism. And finally, a lack of forgiveness. A person who holds on to hurts and being offended, and they don't forgive, they don't let go, they don't move on, they want to relive the hurts over and over again. All of these are barriers to having a relationship either with God or are barriers to having a healthy relationship with another human being. So let's talk about developing the mind of Christ, because again, if we want to leave a Christian legacy, the best example to go to is Jesus Christ Himself. Here are some things that He reminded us that can help us. John 14, verse 23. Jesus answered and said to Him, again, this was on the eve of His death, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, that's that obedience that we talked about that was important in having a relationship with God, He will keep My word, My Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him. That was the promise of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus said that He would not leave us orphans. So this very beautiful and powerful Scripture reminds us that God offers to us who are converted, who have repented of our sins, who have been baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, that literally Jesus Christ and the Father make their home in us. And that's how we can be transformed.

That's how we can be new creatures in Christ. That is how we can have a new purpose in our lives. Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4 and verse 29, Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Good wisdom. My mother used to tell me as a young boy, if you can't say something positive about someone, don't say anything at all. And I think I didn't speak for three weeks after she told me that. I'm just kidding.

He said, But let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification? Edification is a word that means to build something. Architecturally, we hear of an edifice. That means a building, usually a magnificent building. So he said, What comes out of our mouth should build things, not tear things down, that it may impart grace to the hearers, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Have you ever thought of how we grieve the Holy Spirit of God? Now, we can grieve the Holy Spirit of God when we sin. We can grieve the Holy Spirit of God when we abandon God's way of life. But I don't think we get the real intent here of what grieving the Holy Spirit of God is when we limit that phrase to those examples.

I'd like to give you an analogy. We know that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. It's something that comes from God as a precious gift that we don't deserve. I want to imagine that someone gives you a gift, and it's just this beautiful wrapped gift, has a bow on it, just beautifully wrapped, and the person says, now the value of this gift is a trillion dollars. You say, wow, thank you very much. That's really neat. The person leaves, and you open your closet door, and you put it up on the top shelf, and you shut the door, and you never open the gift.

An unopened gift, an unused gift, is worthless. And when God gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit, I think we have gremlins in my PC today. When God gives us, hopefully it's only gremlins, when God gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit, and we do nothing with it, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Think about the fact that God has made His home in us.

And within us, we have the power to literally transform the way that we think, to transform the way that we act. We have the literal power that God used at His command that fashioned all matter, and this world that we live in resides inside of us.

And when we take it for granted, when we don't use that gift, when we neglect that power and the ability to make those changes in our lives, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. So if we want to have the mind of Christ, start using in a greater way that free gift that each and every one of us were given to transform our lives. Let's talk about the mind of Christ. Jesus was, and Jesus is, first of all, positive and forgiving.

You may remember the story of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. And they brought the woman to Jesus and said that they were trying to test Him, they were trying to trick Him. They brought the woman and said she's been caught in an act of adultery and according to the law of Moses she should be stoned.

What do you say? And of course, the first thing Jesus wonders is the law of Moses says both the woman and the man will be stoned. And there's no man in this situation, they just bring the woman to Jesus. So they're trying to trick Him because if He would have said she should die, then they would have said, oh cruel and heartless Jesus, this woman died and nothing happened to the man. So they would have criticized Him for doing that. If He told her what He's going to tell her in their audience, if He would have said, well, I can sense that your heart, that you are repentant, you're terrified that you're going to do, go.

Your sin's forgiven and go and sin no more. If He would have said that when they were all gathered around, they would have accused Him of being liberal. They would have accused Him of being too lenient. So you're going to remember this story that He writes something on the ground, and it says in verse 9, that those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one.

We don't know exactly what it is that He wrote in the ground, but they all looked at it, and shamefully they all left, and the only ones left there are Jesus Christ and this woman.

And He says to her, because He's the Son of God, and He has the power to forgive sin. He says to her, woman, He says, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? And she said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more. Again, He could read her heart. He could sense and know that she was terrified, that she was about to die, and she was repentant, and was willing to change her life. Verse 12, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world, and He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. So my point here is through this Scripture, is Jesus was positive about things, He wasn't negative, and He was forgiving. Another thing in understanding the mind of Christ, the perfect example, we want to leave a positive Christian legacy, is He had a can-do approach towards things. You will remember the Mark 6 and verse 35, and there's no reason to turn there, but I'll read this to you. It says, And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. So they come to Jesus and they say, These people are hungry, there's a lot of them, it's been a long day, tell them all to go home. And what does Jesus do? He says in verse 37, But He answered and said to them, Give them something to eat. Do you see that He was can-do in His approach? And what does He do? Oh, the disciples say, We can't feed all these people. All we see are limitations. All we see are we only have this much bread, and we only have this many fish, and all we see are obstacles, and all we see are limitations. And Jesus said, You should not look at the limitations, you should look at the possibilities that reside in things. And His can-do approach, of course, we know this was a divine supernatural miracle, but the point that I want to bring out is the mind of Christ isn't can't do. It's not look for the obstacles everywhere. It's not live under the dark grey cloud of life, like Ziggy, the cartoon character. It is a can-do approach, the problems and obstacles in life. Another thing that we see is the mind of Christ. He was confident, yet humble. In his altercation with Pilate, Pilate asked him what he did. He interviewed Him privately, and Jesus answered, My kingdom, He said, What have you done? The Jews have delivered you to Me. And Jesus answered and said, My kingdom is not of this world, but if My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now My kingdom is not from here. As Mr. Mango mentioned, He was meek, He was humble.

He had the power at one thought to literally bring down the might of the Roman Empire. He could have easily done that. But He was confident, He knew who He was, He knew what His role was, but He also was very humble. Jesus was also open to change and new ideas. Let's go look at this scripture together. John 2, beginning in verse 1, His very first miracle.

And we'll see that Jesus Christ was flexible. He was open to change and new ideas.

John 2, verses 1-10, we've read this scripture many times. On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana, a Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, They have no wine.

And Jesus said to her, Woman, what does Your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. He basically says, This isn't the time. This isn't the right time. And His mother said to the servants, being a good mom, Whatever He says, just do it. But you know what? He did it, didn't He? He protested. He said, This isn't the right time.

This isn't the right place. But He was open to change and new ideas. And He did what He was asked to do. That also is part of the mind of Christ. And of course, He was very relationship-oriented. Let's take a look at this scripture because it implies something very beautiful for both you and I. John 17 and verse 20. If you'll turn there with me. John 17-20.

Jesus, again, near the end of His life, He says, I do not pray for these alone. Speaking of those disciples, those eleven disciples who were standing there before Him, He said, I do not speak for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word. You know who that's talking about? That's talking about you. That's talking about Me. Every week we read the Word of Matthew, who was here and heard that, and wrote a Gospel called to Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew. Every week we read from John, who was there and heard what Jesus said and wrote the Gospel of John. And Peter was there. And as Jesus said, I'm not praying just for these eleven. I'm praying for all of those generations who will come for thousands and thousands of years, who will believe in Me because of what they wrote down. Verse 21, that they may all be one as you, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they may also be one in us. So you see, Jesus was all about relationships. Relationships with other people. He was pro-people. He was relationship-oriented. And also the mind of Christ, He was mission-driven. It says in Matthew 4, verse 23, And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of diseases among the people. I want you to notice, He went through all Galilee. He was on fire. He was mission-driven. He didn't go to the mayor of the city of Galilee and say, All right, well, now I've covered Galilee because I talked to the mayor. No, He didn't say that. It says He went throughout all Galilee teaching and healing and preaching and encouraging because He was mission-driven. There are three characteristics of a successful disciple. Obviously, we want to endure into the end. And if God is merciful and we have the faith and we have His Spirit for 40 years, 50 years, 60 years, we want to be successful on this journey. And here are three characteristics that are essential. Number one is to have a positive mental attitude, PMA. Someone who has a positive mental attitude looks for ways things can be done rather than can't be done. They use God's Spirit to look for the potential in others, to look at opportunities rather than focus on problems and limitations. Problems and limitations are everywhere. They're in every human being. They're in every organization. They're in part of our culture. And if that's what we choose to focus on, then we will be frozen and go nowhere.

We will be stalled out, but we have to use God's Spirit to look for the best in people and the best in opportunities that God gives us. Second characteristic of a successful disciple is they are goal-oriented, just like Jesus Christ. They know where they are today. They know where they want to go, and they have a plan to get there.

Each day isn't some spontaneous reinvention of what am I going to do today. They don't wake up at 9 o'clock in the morning and say, well, what should I do today? No, they're goal-directed. They have a plan to get to the kingdom of God. They have a plan for their lives. Their day is organized. They know where they're going, and they have a plan to get there. Another characteristic of a successful disciple who endures over 50, 60 years is they're self-motivated. They have the ability to wind up their own clock. And indeed, brethren, it is a blessing to have a spouse or friends who can sense when you're down a little bit and can say a few words of encouragement, to lift you up, to help you along the way. But if that doesn't happen, we have to be self-motivated through prayer and study, through daily personal contact with God, through the tools of meditation. We have to have the ability to wind our own clock. And there may not be anyone around. They may not be there when we need them. And we have the ability to stay motivated. And of course, whatever works for you, whether it also includes inspirational music, or maybe a hobby that you enjoy that connects you with God, that stimulates meditation, something that you enjoy doing, whatever it is, discover those tools to keep yourself motivated and staying on the right track.

I'd like to talk about thinking types, because this is so important when we talk about leaving a Christian legacy. I'd like to talk about what behavioral science has discovered. And I can tell you, again, from my own experience, is that this is very true. And we'll even see that the percentages mentioned are very close to an event that the Bible reveals. But there basically are two types of thinkers. There are reactive thinkers, and there are creative thinkers. And most of us lean towards one of these two extremes or fall directly into one of them. 80% of the general population are reactive thinkers. 80%. Now, I have no idea what percent of the church are people who have reactive thinking. But behavioral scientists know that about 80% of the general population are this way. They are resistant to change. They look for reasons why they can't do things. They put obstacles in their own way. They tend to be poor listeners. They're usually thinking of what else they want to say when someone else is talking to them and they should be listening. They avoid responsibility. They feel they have no control of things or events.

They feel like they're victims and they have no control over things in life. They tend to have lower self-esteem. And they tend to be devastated by failure. If they make a mistake, they brood over it. It destroys them. It eats them from the inside out when they do something wrong. In our general population, about 20% of people are creative thinkers. They are more open to change. And we saw an example of Jesus Christ, how he was open-minded and willing to change in the example of the wedding at Cana. They are can-do oriented. They look for ways that can solve problems. They overcome obstacles. They step outside of the box and look for solutions that normally aren't thought about in solving problems. They tend to be good listeners. They accept personal responsibility. They make a mistake. They don't blame other people. They say, I messed up. I'm at fault. I need to correct it. I apologize. They feel like they're in control of things and events. They feel like they can change their lives. They feel like they can change the world. They tend to have higher self-esteem and they grow from their mistakes. They have as many mistakes as those who were reactive thinkers.

But when they make a mistake, they brush themselves off. They talk to the great God about the mistake they made. And they move forward rather than living and looking into the past. Let's go to Numbers 13, beginning in verse 1. And we're going to see an example of 12 individuals of which approximately 80% were reactive thinkers and approximately 20% were creative thinkers.

This is the story of the spies entering the Promised Land. Numbers 13, beginning in verse 1. Numbers 13, beginning in verse 1. It says, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Send men, to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel.

From each tribe of your fathers, you shall send a man, every one a leader among them. So God says, I want the cream of the crop of each tribe, and I want every one to set a leader and to go out and spy out this land. So they do. They go and they spy out their land. And let's pick it up and see what happens here. So they come back.

It says, verse 26, Now when they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, in the wilderness of Haran at Kaddish, they brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told them and said, We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey. And this is its fruit. All twelve individuals went to the same land. They all saw the same thing. They all experienced the same events. They saw the same size of the people there. They saw the same fruit. They all said and saw the same thing.

But the reactive thinkers immediately kick in. Nevertheless, the people who dwell there in the land are strong. The cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. So those are the reactive thinkers. We can't do it! It's terrifying! Big people there! Oh, they're strong! They're powerful!

It says in verse 30, There were two creative thinkers out of the twelve, Caleb and Joshua.

Verse 31, Why? Because they're reactive thinking. Negative. Looking at limitations. Looking at obstacles. Blowing things out of proportion in their minds, making things worse than they really are. They gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out. The land through which we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants. Doesn't that sound terrifying to you?

And all the people whom we saw were men of great stature. There we saw the giants, the descents of Anak came from giants, and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight.

We talk about self-esteem. In our own eyes. We're just puny. We're nobody. We're losers. We can't overcome these towering people. And continuing, we were like grasshoppers in their own sight, so we were in their sight.

Brethren, this is what reactive thinking does to people. It takes a simple problem, and it magnifies it, and it looks for limitations. It blows it all out of proportions. You know, we have done archaeology all over the earth, and we have yet to find a human skeleton that was so big that it makes a five-foot man look like a grasshopper in comparison. It just hasn't been found, because it never existed. Yes, there might have been ten-foot giants. There might have been some tall people. But no one, and nothing, that would make an average-sized man in comparison be the size of a grasshopper compared to someone of gigantic structure. So how many spies were there? There were twelve. From their thinking, what do the majority see? The majority see obstacles, they see problems, and they blow them all out of proportion. Is what they see really true? Sadly, the answer to that is yes, because perception is reality. That's how they interpreted the reality that they saw. What effect does this have on others? Let's take a look at Numbers 14, verse 9.

So all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept of that night, and the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt, if only we had died in this wilderness, why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims, victimization. We're just victims here. There are too many obstacles. There are too many problems. Verse 6, Bajash was the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephuna, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, the land we pass through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us to this land and give it to us, a land which flows from milk and honey, only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. They're soft. They're doughy. We can punch through the people of the land like they're a piece of bread. Different attitude than the other ten? You bet. A different perspective on life, a different perspective on seeing the exact same event as everyone else did? You bet.

So approximately what percentage are positive the land can be conquered? About 17%. Two out of the twelve. About 83% were reactive thinkers. How does the thinking of Joshua and Caleb differ from the others? They had a positive, can-do approach towards life, towards God, and towards everything that they did. Is what Joshua and Caleb see really true? Absolutely, because perception is reality. They saw the same thing as the other ten, but their attitudes, their minds, interpreted the exact same event in a totally different way. And what effect does this have on others? Unfortunately, it often has a very negative effect on groups, on people. And that's why, over a short period of time, as churches split and as things happen, almost like a tidal wave, you get a few people who are negative, who are reactive thinkers, who seek problems in obstacles or pastors, who have one-liners to decide and see problems or obstacles. And pretty soon, like a cancer, it affects the entire congregation, much like it affected the congregation of Israel back in this time that we've read about. Are Joshua and Caleb able to overcome the overwhelming negativity? Sadly, the answer is no. They weren't. So what's the moral of the story? Let's be creative thinkers. The moral of the story is let's have those qualities we talked about earlier. Let's have can-do philosophy. Let's be positive. Let's be for each other. Let's be supporting of each other. Reactive thinkers far outnumber creative thinkers in the general population, and frankly, they probably do in the Church of God as well. And reactive thinkers have the ability to overwhelm others or a culture and to maintain a negative environment. And each church congregation is its own culture. Not only does the United Church of God as a whole have a culture, but every individual congregation has its very own culture. What is our culture? Is our culture positive? Do people feel loved when they come in here? Do we keep in a can-do environment when we're dealing with each other, when we're running into obstacles or difficulties in serving others or something going on locally in the Church? We can recognize that what I've talked about is a reality, and we can work energetically to maintain a positive can-do environment. The positive can-do creative thinkers can overwhelm a culture as well, if there are enough of them, if they're committed to be that way, if they want to tap into the power of God's Holy Spirit in order to do the things that God wants us to do. Some more qualities that I'd like to talk about regarding building. I started out the sermon today with the fact that God is a builder, that is, his occupation.

Let's take a look at a few other scriptures that reinforce that God is still a builder. It's not just something that happened in Genesis 1. God is still building. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

And I will, for the sake of time, actually pick it up in verse 7.

Paul is contrasting himself with Apollos, both who were ministers, and God used them in different ways. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 7.

Paul says, And each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. I have the privilege of being your pastor here now, and sometime I will be replaced. And God is going to judge me on how committed I was to build you. And any pastor who tries to destroy you, any pastor who tries to divide a congregation or divide the church of God, will also face that on Judgment Day. It says here very clearly that each one will receive his own reward, either a good reward or a reward of severe punishment according to what a minister does. Verse 9, for we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building. So you see, God is still building today. He's building you. He's building our lives. He's building a spiritual family. Verse 10, according to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wide master builder, for I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it, but let each one take heed how he builds it, for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If you want to endure, your foundation has to be in Jesus Christ. That has to be the foundation of your spiritual building. It cannot be saving yourself in a place of safety, because as years go by and God delays that time and it doesn't happen, your foundation crumbles and you leave. It can't be in who modern Israel is, because it has to be on only one sure foundation. That is Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Doctrines are important. The truth is important. But our foundation has to be about Christ, not about doctrine, not about things. It has to be about the Savior himself.

Let's take a look at Abraham's example. I will just read this to you from Hebrews 11. It says, regarding Abraham, verse 10, He waited for the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God. So even the New Jerusalem, God continues to be a builder because that is his occupation.

Jesus' physical skills, in Mark 6, when he went back to his hometown, they said in verse 3, Think about the parallels. They are just so beautiful. Think about the fact that God himself, who came to earth and walked as a man, of all the professions he could have chosen.

He could have been a fisherman. Many of the disciples were. He could have been an accountant. He could have been a merchant. He could have been something else. But what was he? He was a builder.

He was a carpenter. Because before he walked on earth, he's been a builder since the foundation of the universe. His spiritual father is a builder.

His stepfather, who is not his biological father but married to his mother, his stepfather, Joseph, was a carpenter. He was a builder. His physical father is a builder. His spiritual father is a builder. Before he came to earth, he was a builder.

When he walked on earth, he was a builder. He was a carpenter.

Brethren, can we see this quality of God and how powerful it is that God is calling us to be builders of things? Builders of one another? Builders of a spiritual family?

The early church, Acts 9, I'll pick it up here in verse 31. This is after the conversion of Saul.

Here's what happened after the brethren found out that he was no longer an enemy but had been converted. It says in verse 31, Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. That word, edified, in the Greek is okemodia. It means to be a house builder. It means to construct something, to build. That's what the word, edify, means here.

I Thessalonians 5, and I will read beginning in verse 9.

For God did not appear to us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. That means we should be with God 24-7. Christianity, discipleship, is not a part-time job.

It is a full-time job. It's 24-7. He says continuing in verse 11, Therefore comfort each other and edify one another. Build one another. Construct one another. Get involved in other people's lives and be a builder.

Now, in contrast, what is the opposite of being a builder and what kind of spirit is behind the opposite of building? Revelation 9, verse 11, speaking of the prince of the power of the air, It says, And they had as a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek has the name Apollyon. In both of these words, Abaddon, which is the Greek term, or the Hebrew term, and Apollyon both say and mean destruction. So whereas God is a builder, his arch-enemy has always been a destroyer, tearing things down, tearing people down, tearing families down, tearing the church down.

So there's a tremendous contrast between the two. God is a builder. The other spirit that emanates from the prince of the power of the air is that of destruction. Satan and his spirits are not builders. They're destroyers. And their goal is complete destruction of the human family. And we see that in our culture today. Destruction of the church, destruction of all humanity. And we know that Jesus Christ has to return for the sake of the elect, or the world would ultimately destroy itself. These spirits want to tear down relationships. They seek to cause alienation and frustration and brokenness in human lives. And we can't feed off of that. We have to feed off of the fact that God is a builder. And how do we do that? Well, the most important way to do that is to realize that we have a mental filter. That filters in Galatians chapter 5. And it says, the works of the flesh, your filter should catch the works of the flesh and reject that. And say, I'm not allowing that in my subconscious. I'm not allowing myself to dwell on the negativity, on the harping, on the whining, on the lampooning.

And what should we allow through our mental filter? The fruits of the spirit. Because every one of the fruits of the spirit are fruits, if you'll take a look closely, they are can-do, they are positive oriented, they are building of people's lives and attitudes. So remember that we have this mental filter and we should be catching thoughts and attitudes. And our filter should be stopping the works of the flesh, including anything we read on the internet. And we should be allowing to pass through our heads, things that reflect the fruits of God's spirit.

So let's talk about four ways to leave a Christian legacy. Here's way number one. Participate and build programs and people.

Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 4, for every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God.

So I encourage you to leave a positive Christian legacy. Be a people builder. Become the answer to someone's prayer. Make your life a mission to build up everything and everyone around you. Say, that is my mission. I'm on fire. That is my passion. I am going to be a builder, not a complainer, not a destroyer, not looking for obstacles and problems.

I'm going to build up every human being in the church or out of the church. I'm going to try to encourage them. I'm going to set an example of righteousness. And I am going to build up everything around me. Make your life that mission. That's so very important. So number one, participate. Get involved and build programs and people. Programs like the Kingdom of God seminars that we have locally and other things that we will have going on in the future.

Number two, encourage and comfort other people. 1 Thessalonians 3, beginning in verse 1. Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ. And here's why Paul said, I sent you, Timothy, to establish you. In other words, make you stable. Calm you down. Make you feel loved and welcomed and have a good foundation in Christ to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith. That no one should be shaken by these afflictions. And we all go through trials and afflictions. And it's easy to be shaken when we go through a trial that we don't want, that we didn't ask for. Whether it be a health problem or a job crisis or a relationship suddenly turns bad or whatever it is. None of us like to go through afflictions. And when you sense a brother or sister going through an affliction, be an encourager. Be there to comfort them. And you have to participate in order to do that. It doesn't help to love someone from afar. They can't feel it. They can't hear it. They can't sense it when you loved them from afar. Number three, abundantly develop the fruit of the Spirit. What a great way to transform our thinking. To leave a legacy that is positive for the Church of God and for our families. Philippians 1 and verse 9. Paul wrote, And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. That you may approve the things that are excellent, not approve the things that are bad, not focus on the negativity, but approve. Think about focus on things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ. Verse 11, Being filled with the fruits of righteousness. So let's allow that gift of God's Spirit to develop within us the filling up of the fruits of righteousness. That means we have to open that gift. We have to welcome that gift. We have to use that gift. We can't leave it in the closet on the second shelf anymore. To be filled with the fruits of the Spirit are transforming. They will transform us in our own lives. They will transform the Church of God to finish preaching the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. And they will help us to do our part as Jesus Christ prepares to return to this earth. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. That's who they come from. To the glory and praise of God. And then number four is be a servant leader everywhere you go. A servant leader is someone who puts the needs of other people first before themselves. A servant leader is another way of saying a leader who builds people, who looks for ways to build people up to encourage them, to strengthen them.

Paul wrote to the congregation in Rome, chapter 12 and verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. That means putting other people above ourselves. Putting God above ourselves. That's what being a living sacrifice is. Holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Or as it says in the new century version, it's the spiritual way for you to worship.

Far beyond the carnal human beings that we are, to those who are led by His Spirit, and who abundantly demonstrate in our thoughts, in our actions, in everything that we say and do, abundantly demonstrate the rich and wonderful fruits of God's Holy Spirit. The things you do for yourself may be soon gone when you were gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy. And I want to encourage everyone to leave a positive legacy. Now, what does it take to leave a legacy? Does it take wealth? Does it take name recognition? Does it take power, influence, a title? The answer to those things is absolutely not. It doesn't take power, prestige, or wealth to leave a legacy. Let me just quickly mention a few people mentioned in the New Testament. Two thousand years we were reading about this legacy of simple and common people, and what did they do to leave a legacy? They exhibited a random act of kindness. That's what they did, and that's why two thousand years later we were reading about their legacy. Verse is Lydia, Acts 16. And here's what it says in verse 14. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed to things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. So she persuaded us. What did she do that left a positive legacy that we're reading about? Two thousand years later she said, You have a need, come to my house and stay. A random act of kindness. Aquila in Priscilla, Acts 18.

It says, After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth, and he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome, and he came to them. So because they were of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked.

For by occupation they were both tent makers. By occupation, by the way, they were both physical builders. They built things, didn't they? But what did they do that impressed Paul so much and they're mentioned in positive ways in other epistles? They said, You're working with us, just come and stay at our house, Paul. That's what they did.

Just simple. They didn't name recognition. They didn't have to have wealth or prestige. We're talking about their kindness 2,000 years later. The Phaphroditus, Philippians 4, 14. I'll pick it up here, actually, in verse 17.

He says, Indeed, I have all and abound, I am full, having received from a phaphroditus the things sent from you, and a sweet-smelling aroma, and acceptable sacrifice well-pleasing to God. So what did he do? He visited Paul. He just came by and he said, I've got good news from your congregation. I want to visit you for a while and tell you about what's going on in this church.

And he lifted Paul's spirits. He just spent time with him and he talked with him. 2,000 years later, we're reading about his example. Nymphus, Colossians 4, says, Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphus and the church that is in his house. Some great thing that he did that cost him thousands of dollars to do? No. It was just a small enough congregation where he said, you know, you can meet him in my house. Now our congregation is too big to meet in anyone's house and that's why. And hopefully, I hope it's so big soon that we can't even meet here anymore. But my point is, is the attitude of Nymphus was he saw a need and he filled it. He saw a way that he could serve and he decided, I'm going to do that. I'm going to serve in that way. Onesiphorus, 2 Timothy 1, and verse 14. He says, The Lord grant mercy to the household of a Nethaphorus, for he refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. Paul was in prison. What did he do that was so magnificent? Simple. He went and visited Paul in jail. A lot of Paul's friends abandoned him when he was in jail.

They were embarrassed by him because he was in jail. Paul said many had forsaken him once he was in prison and in Rome. But not Onesiphorus, he didn't care what other people thought. He went and he visited Paul. Two thousand years later, we are remarking on this incredible example.

One final example that's very positive, of course, is Mary of Bethany. We know her name was Mary because of John's account. And we all know the story. She came to Jesus with an alabaster flask of costly oil of spiked nerd and she broke the flask. She poured it on her head. And some of the disciples who were selfish became angry and said the oil was wasted. Why? We could have sold this for 300 denarii, pocketed 299, and given one denarii to the poor. And they criticized her sharply, but Jesus said, let her alone. Don't trouble her. She's done a good work for me. For you will have the poor with you always. Meaning, when I'm gone, the poor will be there to serve and do it. He says, and whenever you wish, you may do them good. But me, you do not have always. So Mary of Bethany leaves a legacy in Scripture by her loving act of kindness. It says in Mark's account here, Jesus said, she has done what she could. Did she give $10,000? No. Did she have great... Was she Princess Mary? Some magnificent title? No. She saw a need, and she filled it. She did what she could. Nothing more. She just saw something and said, I can fill that need. I can do that. Jesus says, she has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. Assuredly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. Two thousand years later, we are reading about this simple act of kindness and respect that Mary showed towards Jesus Christ to anoint Him for His burial. What made her great? Why is her action now a legacy that will last forever? She did what she could. She simply saw a need, and she filled it.

I'm not going to focus on these negative examples, and I'm not going to go through these scriptures, but these were tears. These were individuals who started with the Church and abandoned the faith for one reason or another. My point is that we can leave a legacy one way or another. We can either leave a legacy so that two thousand years later, people will be talking about the good things we did, or we can be part of the legacy of the Hall of Shame, like these individuals right here, who abandoned the faith.

And in some cases, like Alexander the Coppersmith did great harm to Paul, whether it is he testified against them or whatever it is, these were people who hurt the Church of God, who were part of us, but they departed from the faith. But I don't want to focus on that. In conclusion, how can you leave a Christian legacy? The answer is acts of love and kindness and service. It's just that simple. First of all, commitment to the faith. We need to be there every Sabbath day.

We need to come here and make sure that we are here setting an example, worshipping God on his commanded Sabbath day. We need to be hospitable people, whether it's in our homes or in a restaurant or just walking around here talking. We need to be approachable. We need to be hospitable, offer someone a free cookie from the table, whatever it is. We need to be a warm and friendly and hospitable people. Look for a need and fill it. Someone's a little short in cash and you hear they're struggling for some reason, fill that need. Be on a mission to become someone's miracle, to be that one person who shows up at the right place at the right time to fill a need of someone who has it.

That's how you can leave a Christian legacy. Serve everyone, especially the brethren, but serve in your community. Serve your own physical family. Have an attitude and a mindset of service. Do no harm. Don't go there. Don't spread gossip. Don't repeat negative things to other people. Avoid division and dissension. Another thing we can do is offer gifts of time and involvement in helping others in offerings, whether they're physical offerings or other types of offerings, taking food to people who are in need, caring for others, giving them encouragement when we sense people need to be in need. People need encouragement. Become a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. What did Jesus do when someone came to him with a need?

He always filled that need. Now, on the other hand, I might add that Jesus did not go throughout leper colonies and empty them out in healing people. He didn't say, Be healed! Be healed! Be healed! Be healed! Be healed! But everyone who came to him, or their parents, or their master in the case of a slave, everyone who approached him and needed help, he always helped them.

Even those, some who were Gentiles, who wasn't necessarily the mission that he had been called to do, he interrupted his mission and even helped people who were Gentiles. So become a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. Well, I have a little assignment for you this week. And I have copies of this on the announcement table. And it's called Your Christian Legacy. And I'd like you just to fill in a few blanks this week.

Here's your assignment. In this assignment, you can't mention human achievements because, frankly, no one cares. Especially God. You can't mention human achievements like the money you made, the titles we ever had, the awards we received because they are all worthless. Take 15 minutes at home and write out what you want your legacy to be. And here's your assignment. Because if you've ever looked in the book of Acts, you will see that it's unfinished.

The book of Acts ends abruptly. It doesn't tell us what happened to Paul. It just stops. And it could very well be because it's intended to be continued. So in this exercise, let's say that the book of Acts continues. And here's what it says. It says, in the glorious year known to humankind as 2038, Our Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling his great promise, returned to earth and established the kingdom of God beginning in Jerusalem.

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that the earliest apostles did was incomplete. During the latter days, other courageous disciples were called and suffered many personal hardships, yet they endured.

In the second book of Acts, I will recall many faithful end-time disciples. One was named you. And he or she write down your legacy. Write down what you want your legacy to be. The legacy that you want to leave for your family. The legacy that you want to leave for the Church of God. Because who knows, a million years from now, generations of people may be reading the book of Acts, the second book of Acts. And your name, and what you did, your random act of kindness may be recorded there for all eternity. Have a wonderful Sabbath day.