What Is Legacy?
Too often men act as if we are entirely independent: my life is mine to live, and my goals terminate at my day of death. The past has little effect on me, and what I do will have little effect on anyone else.
Many men may not express it this way (maybe the do?) but too many act this way.
In reality, we are deeply shaped by those who came before us—our families, pastors, and societies. What man isn’t affected by his father, whether he was present or absent? And furthermore, our choices will shape people who come after us. For good or for bad.
Legacy is a Biblical topic. It’s not merely the focus if pagan ambition. Scripture repeatedly calls people to pass on knowledge of God and His faithfulness to future generations. Abraham, Jacob, and Joshua set up reminders (often monuments) of what God had done. Paul also urged Pastors to invest in men who could teach and prepare others into the future.
So we are here to think about legacy. What is it?
Simply put, legacy is the influence you continue to have after you are gone.
Everyone leaves a legacy. The question is not whether we will leave one, but what kind:
A godly blessing that leads others to gratitude toward God; or
An ungodly influence that harms and weighs down the lives of others.
I will speak briefly and straightforwardly. To build a godly legacy, consider these contrasts.
1. Mission Versus Memory
Good memories make a good life. But they are not enough to create a lasting godly influence.
A life devoted only to good times and memorable experiences is different from a life devoted to a mission.
A life of mission leave’s behind a mantle—a continuing responsibility and influence passed on to others.
Think of 2 Kings 2, where Elijah leaves his mantle (cloak), and symbolically, his anointing, to Elisha.
This points to a mission carried forward by someone else, prepared to take up the work you leave at death.
A life focused only on memories leaves behind a monument:
A building bearing your name;
A man-cave with a collection of hobbies or toys;
A photo-album;
A portfolio of accomplishments;
A scholarship in your name;
A statue and a plaque.
Many men would consider these things a mark of success. And lasting legacy. But they are not. A monument commemorates the past, but a mantle equips others for the future. The goal is not simply to be remembered. It is to prepare others to continue serving faithfully.
This is your influence after you are gone, and that is legacy.
2. Investment Versus Enjoyment
It is easy to live for the weekend, the next holiday, night out, purchase, drink, episode, or hour of gaming. Living only for enjoyment can consume time without building anything lasting.
A lot of guys overlook the power of their spare time. Scripture calls us to “redeem the time because the days are evil” (Eph 5:16). Our choices about money, online activity, rest, and free time all affect what we are able to invest. Spare time is not there to burn, it is there to use properly to God’s glory.
Spending is necessary. And rest and recreation are worthwhile when they restore our health and help us serve over the long term. But time spent without purpose becomes time wasted. It ends up on the rubbish heap, instead of in the bank.
To treat spare time as an opportunity, simply ask:
What useful task could I accomplish?
What skill could I learn?
Whom could I encourage?
What could I read, research, or understand better?
As a man, avoid idleness. Flee from it like the plague. Do SOMETHING.
When you work, do so faithfully, but do not stop there. Aim to do more than merely your assigned job. Consider where you can invest in other people and in the responsibilities God has given you. Legacy is more than filling a role, it includes the people you’ve equipped. Aim for more, go above and beyond.
Eli, described in 1 Samuel 2–3, serves as a warning. He held the office of high priest and carried out his duties, but failed to address his sons’ conduct and invest in them as he should have. He could have excused himself, “I didn’t do anything!”. Yes, Eli, you didn’t do anything when you should have. His was not the sin of commission but of ommission. His example shows that doing one’s job is not always enough; we must also take responsibility for those around to us.
This applies to single men as well as married men. Not having a wife or children does not prevent someone from building a legacy through service, encouragement, and investment in others. It is harder, and you should pursue God’s blessing of a family, but you must see your time as an investment regardless. It is not all yours to burn in good times.
3. God Versus Gold
Legacy is the influence you continue to have when you are gone.
Money alone cannot create a godly legacy, though it is a part of a godly legacy. Wealth is a blessing, but it cannot replace integrity, faith, or an example of faith in action.
Proverbs 13:22 commends leaving an inheritance to one’s grandchildren. Additional to that, how wealth is gained—and the character of the person who passes it on—matters in the book of Proverbs.
The Scripture warns against pursuing wealth through dishonest or degrading means, then treating financial success as sufficient because one’s children may benefit from it. More than the dollar value is passed to our children, and that is our example.
Proverbs 28:6 teaches that a poor person with integrity is better than a rich person who is crooked in his ways. Brothers, money has a corrupting effect on those who serve it. Use money, but serve the Lord.
A better legacy than excessive wealth is an inheritance joined to integrity and trust in God:
Provide what you can;
act honestly;
teach others to follow the Lord;
show by your example what it means to depend on God.
That is an essential component of a godly Legacy.
4. Community Versus Crowd
To leave a godly legacy, that is a godly influence after you are gone, you need a community around you.
But be warned: a crowd is not the same as a genuine community. A crowd can be quickly stirred up, swept along by the next controversy, or caught in an echo chamber that reinforces what its members already want to hear. Paul met these guys in the “rabble” in Acts 17.
Online groups, gaming communities, chat groups, social media, and other gatherings can become crowds when they encourage conformity without honest challenge.
Real community shares a mission and common values, but it also offers correction. Its members may disagree, challenge one another, or frustrate one another—and still seek one another’s good. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Rehoboam’s decision in 1 Kings 12 illustrates the danger of rejecting wise counsel. He dismissed the older advisers who had served his father and followed the advice of younger companions who told him what he wanted to hear. The result was the loss of 10 tribes of the kingdom, and bitter civil war.
Seek counsellors, not clout chasers:
Look for people whose lives you can observe and learn from;
Welcome counsel that is wise, even when it is uncomfortable;
Build relationships with people of different ages and experience;
Choose brothers who help you grow rather than merely affirming you.
5. Self-Control Versus Self-Destruction
If you want to leave behind a legacy, self-control is foundational. It helps a person get up and work, manage money, resist harmful substances, and remain faithful to commitments.
Without self-control, you become unstable. Potential and gifts are useless if you don’t pair them with self-control. A outburst of anger, caving to pressure, cheating or breaking a law, giving in to sexual sin. All these take a moment, and can burn down what you’ve built.
Eg: Unchecked sexual desire can seem internal, and secret. But eventually it leads to fornication, fornication to adultery, and adultery to the destruction of a person’s family, relationships, and legacy. Marriage is exclusive and monogamous. Practicing self-control before marriage is part of preparing to honour that commitment.
A person can spend years building a life and then see it burned down by a few destructive choices. Diligence builds, but lack of self-control destroys. Self-control helps protect what has grown, and leaves something to pass down.
6. Eternal Record Versus World Record
Worldly success—money, discipline, children, a business, community standing, and an inheritance—cannot be the ultimate measure of a legacy. Not even your Christian reputation.
The most important measure is the eternal record before God. Be warned that outward respectability cannot make a person right with God. The greatest hope is not simply to be remembered on earth, but to be known in heaven. The first aim is to have eternal life and to point others toward it.
The central call of this message must be to trust in Jesus Christ:
Turn from sin;
Receive forgiveness and life in Christ;
Live by the Spirit;
Compel others to seek that same hope.
Forget anything else about legacy, until you are sure you have Christ.
Conclusion
Legacy is the influence we continue to have after we are gone.
Build a life that passes on more than memories, possessions, or recognition:
Pursue a mission that others can continue;
Invest time in people and worthwhile work;
Value integrity and trust in God over wealth alone;
Seek a community that gives wise counsel and honest challenge;
Practice self-control and faithfulness;
Keep eternity, rather than worldly achievement, as the ultimate measure.
And together, the men of this church can build a legacy, a hundredfold of that which we received. For God, and by God, we can do just that.