Leaving a Lasting Legacy
BUILT TO LAST – God’s Plan for Love, Marriage & Family
Week 4 | Built to Last: Leaving a Godly Legacy
{CORE VALUE: Agape Church – The things we BUILD FOR GOD should OUTLIVE US}
Because whether we realize it or not… We are all building something that will outlive us.
TRANSITION
If your life and family are going to be Built to Last,
you have to stop thinking just about today…
…and start building for generations.
FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE
Psalm 78:4 (ESV)
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
Faith was never meant to stop with you.
It was meant to flow through you.
POINT 1: LEGACY IS BUILT, NOT LEFT
Many people think legacy is something you leave when you die.
But legacy is something you build while you live.
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.
That inheritance is not just financial… it’s spiritual, it’s relational, and it’s generational.
BIG IDEA…
YOU ARE BUILDING A LEGACY RIGHT NOW—WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT.
The question is not: “Will I leave a legacy?”
The question is: “What kind of legacy am I building?”
POINT 2: WHAT YOU PASS DOWN MATTERS MORE THAN WHAT YOU PASS ON
We focus on:
Money, success, opportunities
But God focuses on:
Faith, character, truth
Deuteronomy 6:6–7
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
You don’t just pass down possessions… You pass down priorities.
BIG IDEA…
WHAT YOU LIVE CONSISTENTLY WILL BE WHAT YOUR CHILDREN REMEMBER PERMANENTLY.
POINT 3: MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAITH IS GOD’S DESIGN
Psalm 145:4
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
God never intended for faith to be: one generation deep
He designed it to be: multi-generational
2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
Faith was passed down, Modeled and it Multiplied
BIG IDEA…
A STRONG FAMILY IS NOT BUILT IN ONE GENERATION — IT’S STRENGTHENED ACROSS GENERATIONS.
POINT 4: YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LEGACY
Some people hear this and think: “But my family didn’t pass down anything good…”
But here’s the power of the Gospel: You can be the starting point.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
You don’t have to repeat what you inherited… You can rebuild what was broken.
BIG IDEA…
IN CHRIST, YOU DON’T HAVE TO CONTINUE THE PATTERN—YOU CAN CHANGE IT.
POINT 5: FINISH STRONGER THAN YOU STARTED
It’s not just how you start… It’s how you finish.
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…
A Godly legacy requires: consistency, endurance, and, intentionality
BIG IDEA…
A STRONG FINISH CREATES A LASTING LEGACY.
PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR BUILDING A GODLY LEGACY
1. CLARIFY YOUR FAMILY VALUES (POST THEM, IF YOU CAN)
What matters most? What will define your home? [BECAUSE…] What is clear gets built.
2. TALK ABOUT GOD REGULARLY
Share testimonies; Talk about His faithfulness. [BECAUSE…] Stories shape legacy.
3. LIVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE
Integrity; Faith in action. [BECAUSE…] Consistency builds credibility.
4. INVEST IN THE NEXT GENERATION INTENTIONALLY
Time; Conversations; Mentorship. [BECAUSE…] Legacy requires investment.
5. BREAK WHAT NEEDS TO BE BROKEN
Toxic patterns; Generational dysfunction. [BECAUSE…] We don’t pass down what God wants to heal.
CLOSING MOMENT
One day… Everything we’ve built will speak.
Your life will preach a message… even when you’re no longer here.
[THE QUESTION IS…] Will it say: “Success… but no substance?”
Or will it say: “Faith… that changed generations?”
Because at the end of the day… The greatest thing you can leave behind
is not something in their hands…
THE GREATEST THING YOU CAN LEAVE BEHIND IT’S SOMETHING IN THEIR HEARTS.
CONSISTENT PRAYER MOVING FORWARD…
“God, help me build a legacy that honors You.”
“Use my life to impact generations.”
“Break what needs to be broken and build what needs to last.”
DECLARATION
My life will not be lived for the moment. My family will not drift without direction. My legacy will be built on faith. And what is built on faith anchored in the finished work of Jesus… will outlive me for generations!