Heart of a Warrior: Legacy & Lineage
We’re wrapping up the Heart of a Warrior with the third and final part of our series! We’ve been diving into the life of King David and working through a character study in which we look at David’s life and actually put ourselves into his story. This allows God’s word and the life of David’s character to speak to us and help transform our own lives and relationships with God.
In part 1 of our series, Calling & Character, we went through David’s early life and his time as a shepherd as God anointed David to become king. In part 2, Successes & Setbacks, we covered the middle chunk of David’s life and his time as king where we evaluated his wins and also uncovered and learned from the areas where David fell short.
In part 3, Legacy & Lineage, Eric Jones highlights the end of David’s life with the legacy he left behind. We know that David was described in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart,” but we also know that David was not a perfect man. He wasn’t a superhero, he didn’t have unique powers or abilities; he simply decided that he was going to live God’s way and build his life on God’s words.
This way of living really worked for David, otherwise we wouldn’t still be talking about him today! You see, David built a life that lasted long beyond his time on Earth. The passage below sums up David’s 70 years of life perfectly:
Acts 13:36 (NIV) - 36“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
David committed to serving God’s purposes in his generation and, as a result, he built a life that lasted. In the same way, we too can build a life that lasts as we learn from David’s example. As we wrap up our series, let’s allow God to challenge, encourage, and inspire us as we invest in our lives and the lives of others with an eternal state of mind.
Legacy & Lineage
In Legacy & Lineage, at timestamp 5:07, Eric shares a personal story about a man in our church who lived his life a lot like David. He did his best and loved God in a way that deeply impacted and transformed the lives of so many people both in his family and in our community. Reflecting on lives that have passed here on earth prompts us to ask ourselves, “What will be the words that will be said about me at my own funeral?”
The words that others will say when we pass are actually being written today, by the way we live, by the things we do and say and prioritize. David understood this concept! He knew that life is not just here today and gone tomorrow. David invested his life into eternal things and eternal fruit was the result.
Acts 13:22-23 (NLT) 22But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ 23“And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!
It’s important to notice that while David is famous and adn well known 1,000+ years after his death, he’s not remembered for being an amazing king or for killing Goliath or for being a great warrior or for his immense wealth. David is remembered for his legacy and his lineage.
David was a man after God’s own heart; this is his legacy.
David was a descendant of Jesus himself; this is his lineage.
David built a life that lasted by investing in his legacy and his lineage. The things we prioritize in our lives now will impact our future, even after we’re gone.
“Brothers, what we do in life…echoes in eternity.” – Maximus (Gladiator)
As humans, we all have to grapple with questions like, “What will be my legacy? What will be my lineage?” Many people spend their lives focused on building careers and portfolios and retirement plans. Many people seek success from a worldly standpoint without ever really thinking about eternal things. We cannot risk filling our bank accounts at the expense of emptying our souls.
As Christians, we have to intentionally invest in things that matter beyond this temporary life! So how do we build lives that last?
Matthew 6:19-20 (NLT) 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
That foundational scripture is absolutely countercultural, but it is the core way of living in God’s upside down kingdom. We are called to build lives into eternal things that will last beyond our time here on earth!
God wants to inspire , challenge, and encourage us in this endeavor and remind us all that, regardless of our current life season, it is not too late to invest in eternity. God has a purpose and a plan for our lives. We were not created by accident and we were not just put on this earth to take up space.
There is more to life than going through the motions of our lives! God has a plan for our lives; He is an intentional creator who made us on purpose with a purpose. He’s given us skills, abilities, visions, and callings that are unique to who we are! Let’s dive into the answer of this question: In a world that is here today, gone tomorrow, how do we build a life that lasts?
1. Lasting Legacy
David created a lasting legacy by investing in knowing God and helping others to know him, too.
From the time that we’re introduced to David at age 15 as a shepherd through the end of his 70 year life, we see that David prioritized his relationship with God over everything else in his life. David had a love and a passion for God and for His presence and for growing to know the Lord personally.
It’s important to note that David didn’t just talk about knowing God; he didn’t just teach others the importance of knowing Jesus. David didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk and modeled behavior for each of us throughout the 75 Psalms he wrote.
Psalm 23:1-3 (NKJV) 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
David lived his life as an open letter for all of us to see how a man can connect and relate with God. David left a living legacy by authentically modeling what it looks like to walk with God in every season of life. We can all grow in our relationship with God. God created us because He wants to know us!
By reading our Bibles, spending time in prayer, talking about Jesus with our friends, involving Him in our everyday lives…our relationship with God can be observed by others. We need to live life with the Lord in a way that we can encourage others to follow us as we follow Christ. By growing in and developing our relationship with Christ, we have an opportunity to make an eternal impact!
In Legacy & Lineage, at timestamp 19:26, Eric shares a moving story about observing his mom’s authentic relationship with the Lord. His story reminds us all that our faith in the Lord is more influential than we could ever know!
Praying before meals, reminding others of God’s encouraging words, reading our Bibles while we’re drinking our morning coffee…these little moments can actually be transformational for our children, our friends, our family, our community, our coworkers, and beyond.
Authentically investing in our relationship with God will live beyond us. That is how we build a legacy that lasts!
Discussion:
How can you invest in helping others come to know God more?
In what ways can you authentically invest in your relationship with God?
Building a Legacy, Building the Church
1 Chronicles 29:3-5 (NIV) 3Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”
In this passage, David highlights the importance of places where people gather to worship. He realized that these places weren’t just buildings; they were outposts for God’s kingdom and His presence in the community. David recognized the need to invest in this temple now so that people will continue to worship and come to know God long after David was gone.
Matthew 16:18 (NKJV) 18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
We ARE the church; we ARE kingdom outposts! When we leave VFC on Sunday mornings, it’s important to remember that we don’t actually leave church; we are the church and we go into our world and encourage and worship and lead people to experience the good news of Jesus. The church moves out of the building and into the community!
As followers of Jesus, we too can leave a legacy as we contribute to God’s house and engage in community and be a part of the place God has called us to invest in and serve and call home. By building His church, throughout finances and spiritual gifts and serving and time, we are investing in things that are eternal.
If we want to build lives that last, let’s invest in our personal relationships with God and let’s invest in helping others to know Him!
Discussion:
In what ways can you help build God’s church?
How will your legacy as a Christian continue after your time on earth has ended?
2. Lasting Lineage
As David was approaching the end of his life, he recognized that his son Solomon was called and anointed to be the next king of Israel, so David invested in Solomon to set his son up for future success. Remember, David was not a perfect man or a perfect dad. He made mistakes, as we all do, but no matter the mistakes and failures David made, he still committed to doing his best to love and serve his family. At the end of his life, David spoke these words to Solomon:
1 Chronicles 22:11-13 (NLT) 11“Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success as you follow his directions in building the Temple of the Lord your God. 12And may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the Lord your God as you rule over Israel. 13For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!
Psalms 127:4-5 (NLT) 4Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. 5How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
One of the best ways that we can build lives that last is by investing in our children and in future generations. The words we speak matter, so speak words of life and of courage and of strength! Speak words of wisdom and correction and discipline! Words have the power to help people become the people God has called them to be. Amen!
Proverbs 13:22 (NKJV) 22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
Discussion:
How can we invest in both our own children and the children in our community in a way that creates a lasting lineage?
In what ways have others invested in you that have impacted your relationship with God?
What can we learn?
The culminating point of our character study on David’s life comes from understanding his greatest attribute: his connection to Jesus. David is uniquely and intimately connected to the story of Jesus. David built a life that lasts because he was connected to the source of life, the true King, Jesus.
Acts 13:23 (NIV) 23“And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!
Throughout the Heart of a Warrior series, we have studied a number of key traits and attributes about David, but the important takeaway from this series is that each of David’s characteristics point us to Jesus.
In Calling & Character, we discovered that David was faithful in the field, secure in his skin, and he trusted in God’s timing. Each of these traits point us toward Jesus! In Successes & Setbacks, we learned to resist complacency, repent quickly, and return to battle. Each of these attributes gets us in alignment with Jesus!
And finally, in Legacy & Lineage, we’ve now learned that Jesus left the greatest legacy in the history of mankind because He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior of the world. He came to bring us hope and peace and to defeat death. While David was a part of Jesus’ biological lineage, we, as followers of Christ, are also part of the lineage of Jesus as He adopted us into His family!
All that matters in our time here on earth is that we live lives that point to Jesus! He is central. He is most important. He is all that we need. Jesus is our everything!
Prayer:
Lord, we love you. We’re grateful for the opportunity to come together as a community of believers to worship, praise, and learn from you. As we dive into your word, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you, Lord. Father, we ask that you bring your word to life for us so that we may move through each day looking, walking, talking, and living more and more like Jesus. It’s in your mighty name that we pray, Amen!
