The Word of God teaches us three ways in which a legacy of faith is passed down: memorials, verbal communication, and by example. If I were to hold up a scarlet cord, who would you think of? Rahab. If I were to hold up a sling and a stone, who would you think of? David. If I were to hold up a beautiful vial of precious ointment, who would you think of? Mary of Bethany. And if I were to hold up a cross, who would you think of? And Jesus also left behind a memorial stone. He was crucified. He was buried in a tomb. But three days later, that huge stone was rolled away. And it stands to us as a memorial of the resurrected Christ. We do not serve a Christ that is still on the cross. We do not serve a dead Christ. We serve a living Christ. And that stone rolled away is a memorial that his mighty works and His loving grace would be remembered through all generations.
So the next way we pass on a legacy of faith is by verbal communication, word of mouth. So I have another quiz for you. Who said this? “The battle is the Lord’s.” David. “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Joseph. “If I perish, I perish.” Esther. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus. Words are memorable. Words are impactful. We must learn to use words wisely.
What if you try to verbally communicate your faith and they don’t want to hear it? What if they’re hard hearted towards the truth? What if their ears are dull? Well, that’s when we go to example. That’s when we go to living out our faith. Because what they aren’t willing to hear, maybe they will see. Example is one of the basic ways that we as humans learn. Go with me to Hebrews chapter 12:2. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And this is just a beautiful picture that we consider Him who died for us, for the joy set before Him. We are His joy. He endured so that we could join Him in eternity. He endured so that we could be free from every encumbrance, from every sin, and from the curse and the penalty of sin. Some of us are at the end of our race, and Jesus is there waiting for us with open arms. And He’s saying, now is no time to slow down. Now is no time to walk off the track. Now is the time to give it that final kick.
A legacy of faith — we are here to receive it from others and pass it down to future generations by memorials, by verbal communication and by example. We have a big task ahead of us. Let’s not fall short.
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