Last week we we talked about forgiveness and we arrived at these two statements:

1. Forgive because you have been forgiven

2. The cross is our example of forgiveness

Today we are going to dive into: How do you want to be remembered?

Proverbs 13:22 "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,

but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous."

I have a personalized Louisville Slugger bat. The reason it is so valuable to me is that I got it on a retreat with one of my heroes Bob Russell. Well here is what I am going to tell you, on a practical side of this, you do have treasures on earth, if you want to be remembered your stuff will be part of it so you will need to write a Will or create a Living Trust

http://www.freewill.com

https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/will

If you only have 30 days to live, people want to know what your last wishes are and if you don’t answer that question when you are gone you are leaving behind destruction.

Go home have fun with it though, often when we think about the end everyone gets all bothered.

Matt. 6:19-24 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We will be remembered for what we invested in.

Our lens should be: "How does this affect the Kingdom"

Things to invest in:

--Money

--Relationships

--Pleasure (Movies, Concerts, Sporting events, Trips, and Memories)

--Character/Values

--Family

--Charity

Luke 18:18-30 "And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

God’s view of us is more important then man’s

Luke 2:52 "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."

In the movie Gladiator, the character Marcus Arilus asks the question "What will I be remembered as?" When Maxamus the general leads his men into combat he says “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

People will summarize your life in one sentence--Pick it now.

Proverbs 3:33-35 "The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. The wise will inherit honor,

but fools get disgrace."

Some examples from the Bible:

Adam- The first man fell from God/ Father to us all

Noah- The faithful one who lived through the flood/ Got Drunk

Abraham- Father of our Faith/ Didn’t trust God’s promise

Jacob- Wrestled with God/ Had 4 woman that he had kids with

Jephthah- Strong fighter, sacrificed his daughter

Samson- Strongest man to ever live/ Didn’t obey his vows

Ahab and Jezebeel- Most evil King and Queen

David- A man after God’s own heart/Had an affair and committed murder

Jonah- Ran from God, got swallowed by a fish/ Converted Nineveh

Matthew-The tax collector turned apostle

Simon- Turned Peter, The Rock, a zealot turned apostle, Denied Jesus

Judas- The betrayer of Jesus

Jesus- Son of God our Savior and Lord

Paul- Turned persecutor of Christians to Apostle of Jesus Christ

How do you decide on how you want your life to be summarized?

--Pray/Solitude

--Ask trusted friends

--Motivate for change

What to do when you find out:

1. Create a mission statement for your life.

2. Return to your mission statement

3. Repeat

1 John 2:28-3:1 "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. "