Close to Home | Leaving a Legacy — Rachael Adams

Close to Home | Leaving a Legacy — Rachael Adams | Matthew 1:1-16

Transcript

Forrest 0:06

Hey, I'm Pastor Forrest, and welcome to the Multiply Church Podcast. Each week we open God's word together to help you meet God and multiply good in your everyday life. We're so glad that you've taken time to join us for this week's sermon. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss a message. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

Amen. Well, good morning and happy Mother's Day to all you ladies out there. What a great morning it's already been. Wonderful worship from the worship team, and then the children are just precious. As Forrest mentioned, we've known each other for quite a while. He was actually my pastor many years ago. And so to see he and Emily, their faithfulness and their obedience has just been such a joy and a blessing to me. And to see that. But before we talk about today, we're going to be talking about legacy and obedience. But before we get to that, if you would just join me in a word of prayer. Father, we uh we just love you so much and you are why we are here. We just devote this day to you. And I just am so thankful for every single person that is in attendance today. Father, you know why they're here and what you have for them today. And so I just pray that you would speak specifically and personally to their heart. Father, um, whatever they're carrying, any anxiety, any worry, any fear, any burden, father, that they would lay that down at your feet and that they would just open their heart and open their mind to receive from you today. We just thank you that we get to be a part of your story. Thank you for loving us just for who we are and how you created us. It's in your holy and mighty name that we pray. Amen. So recently I read a book. It's by Mark Batterson. It's called Gradually, Then Suddenly. Has anybody ever read anything by Mark Batterson, the circle maker, or anything like that? He is a phenomenal author, and so I would highly recommend him. But this specific book is called Gradually, Then Suddenly. And in it, he has a chapter on legacy. And in that chapter, there was one quote that just I cannot shake, and it says this Abraham has not yet received his full reward because his obedience is still multiplying. I'm gonna say that again. Abraham has not yet received his full reward because his obedience is still multiplying. I don't know if that shakes you up like it does me, but the reality is, is it's not just Abraham. That truth applies to all of us. It applies to everybody in the Bible, everybody past, present, and future, and it applies to our lives because every action, every decision, every behavior, every choice, it changes the trajectory of our lives and it changes the trajectory of lives of the people around us and of people that we may never meet. You know, our lives, if we reflect on them, they are a result of many decisions that people have made for us that we didn't have any part of or any choice in. I know for me, when I think about Mother's Day, I immediately think of my grandmother. We called her Munder because we couldn't say grandmother. I was her only granddaughter, and I would go and visit her on holidays and special, you know, just summer vacations and things like that. And she just always made me feel so special. She passed away about 15 years ago, and just this month, my dad found a box of her belongings, and in it, she had labeled different things that she wanted to gift each of her children and grandchildren, and she specifically left me some of her jewelry. One of them was actually a charm bracelet, and it had all of just her memories over her life, and it's just so special to me, not necessarily because of the monetary value, I have no idea how much it is actually worth, but the sentimental value to me. I treasure it, but I don't have to wear that to see and feel her fingerprints and influence on my life. I know that they're there. She has shaped the person that I am. And I imagine if you think back on your life and you think about the women in your life who have shaped you, who is that person for you? Somebody that you treasure, whose presence that you possibly even miss today. I think there's really something powerful and steadying about realizing that we are part of a really big story, a story that did not start with us and by God's grace will not end with us. And so today I want you to think about and consider two things with me. These are the two thoughts that I pray stick with you after our time together. What if the most important thing about your life is not what you see today, but what will still be growing long after you're gone? What if the quiet seeds you are planting right now are still multiplying in places you never physically stand? Those two thoughts I pray echo after this service. Since it's Mother's Day, I'm gonna be talking a lot about women. So, guys, bear with me. I think that if you think about the women in your lives that you love so much, that you are gonna learn a lot from these women too. The first is a story about a woman named Henrietta Myers. She was in, she lived in 1937. She worked at a church in Hollywood, California, and she had a dream and she had this vision and she believed that if she created a place where people could encounter God and they opened the word of God and she challenged them, their lives would change. And so she had this vision to open up a retreat property for young people. She went searching for the perfect property and she found Forrest's home. Not to be confused with Forest and Emily's home. This is in California. And so she ended up finding this property in 1937. It was $350,000. And so she thought, this is impossible. There's no way that I can buy this property, but I feel like the Lord has told me to do this. But she had faith. And as she trusted the Lord, the Lord brought a flood, the buildings were damaged, and the owner of the property ended up giving her that property for $30,000. So decades passed, hundreds of thousands of people, young people went through those doors and stayed at that retreat center. There was one specific young man who was struggling to believe. And after being at that retreat center, he then decided to believe the Bible was true, and he decided he was gonna be gonna start to preach it boldly. That young man was Billy Graham. Billy Graham, many of us have heard of. He is an evangelist that has helped lead thousands of people to the Lord. Also at that retreat center, Henrietta, she discipled a man by the name of Bill Bright, who started an organization called Crew Ministries. Another man by the name of Jim Rayborn, who was the founder of Young Life Ministries. So Henrietta, even though we don't know her name, many of us, until today, she her obedience has been multiplying since she lived. You think about Billy Graham's, his sermons are still echoing, and all of these other people, their ministries are still discipling, and it's so impactful to think about. But I'd like for us to pause and think about something. The reality is, is Henrietta, she never preached in stadiums. She never wrote a best-selling book. She never had a platform like many of us consider platform today. She simply discipled faithfully. She taught Sunday school. She opened up her home, and she was simply faithful. And I think that today we live in a culture that measures impact by visibility. But I firmly believe that heaven measures impact by faithfulness. The one who prays in the unseen quiet moments, the one who gives generously without a need of recognition, the one who gives hugs and smiles and gives an encouraging word, the one who opens up their home again and again. History may not record our names, but eternity does. And sometimes I wonder if one of the greatest deceptions that we are believing and that we face is that if no one applauds it, that it doesn't matter. But Henrietta's life proves that it matters. Your life matters, and what you do has significance beyond what you can see right here and right now. When I think about legacy, I think about my husband Brian's grandparents, Norman and Ann Christopher. If you can see the picture that was them on our wedding day, Norman is about six feet tall, and Anne is about five feet tall, and I think they're precious. My husband Brian and I, we've been married in April, we celebrated 20 years, and then those are our two children, Will and Kate, who we named uh Will and Kate before the royal couple got married, but that's another story. But the reason I wanted to talk about Norman and Anne is because they read at our wedding, 1 Corinthians 13, love is patient, love is kind, it doesn't envy, it doesn't boast. And as they were reading all of those attributes and those characteristics about what love is, I knew it was more than just lip service. They were living out that verse in their life before us. And it was beautiful to witness. Unfortunately, uh Alzheimer's overtook Norman's mind. And so Anne made the difficult decision to move him into a nursing home. Anne is still healthy, but she decided to give up her freedom and give up her independence because she chose covenant and she chose proximity and devotion to him. And to witness her and how she loved him, still laying out his clothes and putting on his socks and giving him his medication for his diabetes and walking with him around the nursing home and playing the piano for the other residents and sharing meals and reading books. It was beautiful to see that kind of love. Norman ended up, he's gone on to be with the Lord, but Anne still wears her wedding ring and she still lives in the nursing home, even though she doesn't need to. And I just think that it's beautiful to see how that they have lived their life and in their marriage. And so um, I actually brought the Bible they gave us 20 years ago. This is the Bible I use all the time, and it has mine and Brian's names embossed in gold on the front, and on the inside cover on the first page, they signed their names and dated it and wrote Psalm 119 105, Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. And so their legacy is living on, not just in in my my husband's parents and my husband and me and my children, but I pray one day in my children's children. Their seeds are still multiplying, and they have not yet received their full reward. And when I think about Anne sitting with Norman day after day, her faithfulness was not glamorous, it was costly, it was unseen, but that kind of love is built in repetition. And I believe so many of us need to hear and be reminded of this, that our ordinary days are not wasted days, that our unseen sacrifices are not forgotten sacrifices. Every time you choose faithfulness over feelings, you are building a legacy. Every time you open your Bible when you're tired, you are planting seeds. Every time you forgive again, pray again, and show up again, you are shaping generations you may never meet. That is the kind of love that multiplies. This truth is shown really beautifully, I think, in Matthew chapter one. It is in the New Testament, and I'm not gonna read you all of these names. It's the genealogy of Jesus. There are 46 names over 2,000 years. I would encourage you to do that in your own time, but I will not do that today because probably I can't pronounce all of them correctly anyway. But it is really rare, especially in that time, for women to be listed. So out of 46 names in the genealogy of Jesus, there are only five women that are listed. And that's those are the women that we're gonna be talking about today. And they are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. And so I'm gonna give you a Cliff Notes version of all of these women. This may be repetitive for many of you, a refresher course, but for maybe some of you, this is brand new. And so I want to make sure that I'm tender to both of those scenarios. But if any of you like reality TV, these women are like the real housewives of Israel. I'm telling you, their stories are scandalous and messy, but I think that the reason that they are included in that, you will see really clearly is that God can work through anybody in anybody's past. And so let's walk through those each uh pretty slowly. Tamara's story is found in Genesis chapter 38. She, again, was not a tidy story at all. She married into the family of Judah, into the tribe of Judah. It was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. So if you'll remember when I just mentioned Abraham at the very beginning, Abraham had, God had promised Abraham that he was going to bless his descendants. And so that is through that covenant family line that we're talking about that Tamar married into. But unfortunately, her first husband passed away. And so it was custom in that day and time that she would then marry the brother. Anyone glad that that's not the custom today? I know I am. But so she married then the second brother. So then he also passed away, and then she was supposed to marry the third brother. But the the father-in-law ends up withholding him and says that you can't. But in that time, in that society, if you did not have a husband and you did not have children, you had no inheritance, you had no protection, you had no security. And so she was really, really vulnerable in this time. And she really wanted to stay in that covenant line. And so she made a really difficult decision, and she ends up deceiving her father-in-law and tricks him into sleeping with her, and they then have a child. And it is so through that child that the lineage of Jesus continues. And it's really powerful to think about even through such a messy chapter, through injustice, through complicated obedience, that her courage did not end with her. Every life redeemed through Christ traces back through her perseverance. And Tamar has not yet seen the full harvest of her faithfulness. Rahab's story unfolds in Joshua chapters 2 and 6. She lived in Jericho. It was a fortified city set in direct opposition to Israel. She had a house right on the edge of the wall, and she was a prostitute. She was an outsider in every single way. She had heard about the God of Israel. She had heard about how he had parted the Red Sea, how he had helped defeat kings. And so when two Israelite spies come into Jericho, she chooses and decides to hide them on her roof. And so they then agree to protect her, tell her to hang a scarlet cord from the window, and that will protect her family from destruction when they start to march around the walls and everything comes tumbling down. She and her family are spared. But their lives aren't just spared. She ends up getting to be married into the family of God. She marries a man named Salmon. They have a child named Boaz, who we'll talk more about in just a moment. But Rahab, who had such a troubled past, ends up being the great grandmother of our Savior. She is even listed in the Hebrews Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. So her act of faith is still multiplying. That scarlet cord that she hung in obedience still points forward to the greater scarlet redemption in Christ. Rahab has not yet seen the full effect of her courage. Then there is Ruth. She is a Moabite. Her story fills an entire book of the Bible. It's four short chapters, but with enormous weight. So the Moabites were also in direct opposition to Israel, but she ends up marrying an Israelite. Her husband passes away, her brother-in-law passes away, and her father-in-law pass away. So again, she's left vulnerable without protection, inheritance, or security. But she chooses to stay faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. And she says those famous words that many of us know: your people will be my people. I'll go with you where you go. Your God will be my God. And so she and Naomi, they travel back to Bethlehem. She gleans the leftover grain in the fields. And Boaz, who is Rahab's son, notices her. He notices Ruth's integrity and her hard work and her quiet strength. And so he he redeems her. She then, you know, you think about her story, her obedience was very ordinary. It was not dramatic. It was daily faithfulness. Her loyalty is still multiplying. If you think about every psalm that David wrote, every promise connected to his throne, every prophecy fulfilled in Christ traces back through Ruth's quiet yes. She has not yet seen the full fruit of her steadfast love. Next, Matthew refers to the wife of Uriah. He doesn't even mention her name. It's Bathsheba. And so Bathsheba, she was actually married to Uriah, King David, who we've been talking about this whole time. Everything's been pointing seemingly to King David. He was supposed to be at war with the rest of his soldiers, but he ended up staying back. He saw Bathsheba. He desired her. He summoned her. And so Bathsheba, because he was king, had no choice but to bring her or to come to him. They end up having an affair. He ends up trying to cover up the affair by killing Uriah on the battlefield. And then their first child dies. So their story starts with so much tragedy, but their story doesn't end there. They end up having another son, his name's Solomon, one of the wisest and richest well-known kings and all of the Bible. And so what started as such sorrow ended up with such redemption. I think Bathsheba's presence in Jesus' genealogy reminds us that God does not erase broken chapters, he redeems them. Her redemption is still multiplying. The temple that Solomon built, the kingdom that flourished, and the lineage that led to Christ all traced through her story. And she has not yet seen the full beauty of what God brought from her pain. Finally, we meet Mary. She was a teenager, a really young woman from an unremarkable town. An angel appeared to her and told her the Holy Spirit would help her to conceive the Savior of the world. And her response was, Yes, Lord, I am willing. Let it be done to me as you have said in your word. But her yes was really costly. She knew what that would mean socially to her in that time, suspicion and rejection. But she said, Yes, anyway. She carried the Son of God in her womb. She was a refugee and fit and fled to Egypt. She had to watch her son be rejected and misunderstood and crucified and stood at the foot of the cross. Mary's obedience did not shield her from sorrow, but through her surrender, salvation entered the world. Every life redeemed, every prayer answered in Jesus' name, every nation that has heard the gospel traces back through her courage. And Mary has not yet seen the final tally of souls saved through her son. Her yes is still multiplying. I want you to notice something about each of these five women. Who can identify with having a messy story? I know I can. So if you really look at these women, you think, okay, Tamar, her life was scandalous. Rahab's was shame-filled, Ruth's was marked by loss, Bathsheba's began in betrayal, and Mary's required misunderstanding. And yet every single one of them is woven into the story of redemption. And what that tells me is this God is not intimidated by messy beginnings. He is not limited by your past. In fact, he's specially. And weaving broken chapters into redemptive storylines. Some of you may feel disqualified from legacy because of something in your past. I don't know what that may be for each of you. It's something different: a prodigal child, a divorce, a sin, a regret, a season that you wish you could rewrite. But as you look at this genealogy, as you look at this list, this is not a list of perfect people. It is a list of faithful people who trusted God in the middle of complexity, who chose obedience when it cost them something, and who said yes without seeing the full picture. And perhaps that's what legacy really is. It's not about perfection, it's about perseverance with God. And here's what moves me deeply. Tamar has not yet seen the full harvest of her faithfulness. Rahab has not yet seen the full ripple effect of her courage. Ruth has not yet seen the full fruit of her steadfast love. Bathsheba has not yet seen the full beauty of what God brought through her pain. And Mary has not yet seen the final tally of souls that are saved through her son. They are still waiting. The reward is still unfolding. And isn't that incredible to think about? The book of Hebrews tells us that some of the faithful did not receive yet their reward because God has promised them something better. Their obedience echoes forward, and so will yours. You know, some of you feel like you're just working, you're just serving, you're just praying, you're just raising children, whatever your just is. We often discount our contributions. But what if you're planting seeds that will grow into trees under which future generations will rest? Henrietta planted seeds. Mamunda planted seeds. Norman and Anne planted seeds. Tamar planted seeds. Rahab planted seeds. Ruth planted seeds. Bathsheba planted seeds, and Mary planted seeds. And the harvest is still coming in. And here's what moves me the most. Right now, somewhere in the world, someone is reading scripture because Henrietta created a place where Billy Graham learned to trust it. Right now, a young couple is clinging to covenant because grandparents like Norman and Anne modeled it. Right now, someone is finding courage because Tamara refused to disappear. Right now, someone is believing redemption is possible because Rahab's scarlet cord still whispers hope. Right now, someone is choosing loyalty because Ruth showed them how. Right now, someone is trusting God with a broken chapter because Bathsheba's story proves that he redeems. And right now, salvation is spreading because Mary said yes. So I want to ask you something gently but directly. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? And now think about what kind of legacy are you leaving? And is there a difference? What story do you want your life to tell? And are you being a good ancestor? Because one day there will be someone that tells your story and says, I cannot tell my story without telling theirs. Will they be talking about you? And here's the breathtaking truth. Somewhere in the future, someone will be living in the fruit of your obedience. They may not know your name, but they will live in the shade of the tree that you planted, the prayer that you prayed, the faithfulness that you chose, the sin that you stopped, the love that you demonstrated. You are not just living your life, you are helping to shape history. You are participating in a story that began long before you and will continue long after you. So plant boldly, pray faithfully, love steadfastly, and endure courageously. Because one day when eternity pulls back the curtain and you see what grew from your yes, I believe it'll take your breath away. And one day, when every tribe and tongue and nation gather around the throne, when history is complete, when the final harvest is counted, you will see what grew from your yes. Let's pray. Father, we say yes to you. Father, we want to be obedient to you and we want to follow your Holy Spirit leading. We are willing. Father, for those listening right now that feel disqualified from legacy, from something in their past, from some sort of sin or regret, Father, we just rebuke any lie from the enemy. Father, remove that from their heart, remove that from their mind, and help them to realize that you have forgiven their sin as far as the east is from the west. Father, there's no shame. There's only mercy and grace. And so, Father, we just thank you for all these examples and in Scripture, all the people that have gone before us that help us to, we can learn from them, Father, but we can also see how you redeemed them. And we know you can do the same with us. Father, each and every person in this room has a purpose. Help to reveal that to them. Help them to know they are part of your story. Help them to want to be a part of your story and realize their story is not done. That is shaping their lives today. It is shaping their lives tomorrow, and it is shaping their lives for eternity. But it's not just about them, it's about other people. Father, help us to make a difference for you and for your kingdom and for your glory. We love and we praise you. It's in your holy and mighty name we pray. Amen.

Sallie 28:38

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