Larry Siegle · Romans 12:9-21
Link to sermon video: How are We Remembered? – L Siegle
What Will We Pass Along to Others?
“HOW Are we Remembered?”
(Romans 12:9-21)
Thesis: It is not what we have that matters, but what we can pass along to those we leave behind.
INTRODUCTION
1. The title of the message today is, “How Are We Remembered?”
2. This is the last installment in our series: What Will We Pass Along to Others?
3. The only thing in life that has a lasting effect is what we pass along to others to be remembered.
STEPHEN KING
1. WELL-KNOWN author, Stephen King, over the years had developed a daily routine of going out for a 4 mile walk along the road near his home in Maine. In June of 1999, a ‘normal day’ a van came roaring down the road, the driver,
distracted by a dog, swerved to miss it and struck King instead.
a. King sustained serious injuries, including a broken hip, collapsed lung, and a badly shattered right leg that was nearly amputated—it took months for his recovery.
b. The accident gave him moments of reflection and as a result he wrote an article in Family Circle magazine in November of 2001. The title of the short article was What You Pass On.
2. The article contrasted the differences between things we have, and the importance of something far greater.
3. “A couple of years ago I found out what “you can’t take it with you” means. I found out while I was lying in a ditch at the side of a country road…I had a MasterCard in my wallet, but when you’re lying in a ditch with broken glass in your hair, no one accepts MasterCard…All the money you earn, all the stocks you buy, all the mutual funds you trade—all of that is mostly smoke and mirrors. It’s still going to be a quarter-past getting late whether you tell the time on a Timex or a Rolex. No matter how large your bank account, no matter how many credit cards you have, sooner or later things will begin to go wrong with the only three things you have that you can really call your own: your body, your spirit and your mind”
4. In the rest of the article King discusses those things in life that contain genuine value—who we are and what we actually contribute into the lives of others around us.
WHAT WILL WE ‘PASS ALONG’ TO OUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND HOW WILL WE BE REMEMBERED?
1. Our legacy is the investment we make in our own lives, the “long-lasting impact of events and actions that reflect who we are as a person, and how we will be remembered by future generations”
a. Solomon in his treatise about life “under the sun” did not take an optimistic view of the legacy left behind (Eccl. 9:5, 6).
b. But his focus changes at the end of the book (Eccl. 12:1, 13) and encourages people to remember God before the difficult days of life come.
c. Honoring God through obedience is the whole of a person—a life in balance and in leaving behind a legacy that is remembered by those around him.
2. It is more than the “MasterCard” in the wallet or our checking/savings balance, or the material possessions left as an inheritance that are the substance of who we are (Luke 12:13-21)
a. The parable of the Rich Fool reminds us of what really matters in our lives, over what we sometimes focus our attention on.
b. True value in life comes from “seeking” what pertains to God and His Kingdom (Matt. 6:25-34).
1) The word “seek” is in the ‘active indicative’ and could be rendered “keep on seeking first” as a continual activity.
2) The example of our character and actions will leave a ‘lasting impression’ (legacy) for our children, grandchildren, and others to honor and appreciate.
UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE
1. As we approach 2026, we might consider reading the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation (some parts are more interesting and exciting than others), but it is a way to consider the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:28).
a. If a person opened the Bible and read it from cover-to-cover, it would take approximately 70 to 80 hours.
b. But, if we divide that time up over the course of an entire year, it averages about 11 minutes each day.
1) 11 minutes is the average length of a SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon.
2. The word of God is what provides “light” to direct our steps in life (Psa. 119:105, 107)—God wants to “revive” our hearts and our spirits as we walk with Him (Psa. 51:1-4, 6, 10-12, 17).
a. God wants authenticity in our thoughts, words and actions—every area of our lives as we grow spiritually in being molded into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
b. Jesus is described as the “firstborn” of the New Covenant, “put to death in the flesh, made alive in the spirit” (I Pet. 3:18).
c. Jesus is the “firstborn” from the dead (Col. 1:18), the “firstborn” from the dead (Rev. 1:5), and the church is called the “church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23).
3. In 2026 we are going to press in and to grow up in character, maturity, and in our work and mission for the Lord in this area.
a. The goal and desire is to be used by the Lord to reach our community, to minister to the needs of people and to honor and glorify God by our identity as believers.
SEVEN TIMES
1. The apostle Paul, as he writes his letter to the Corinthians, uses the phrase “now concerning” seven times to indicate giving his answer to questions the congregation had regarding a variety of issues they were facing.
2. The primary “issue” throughout this letter has to do with various doctrinal/cultural issues in the first century—the goal of which was to produce authenticity in what it means to be a genuine believer in Christ.
a. Chapters 8-10 of the letter covers a variety of questions and situations that were present at that time:
1) Christian liberty (8:1-13)—the contrast between knowledge and the need for love over personal freedom.
2) Paul’s liberty (9:1-26)—How Paul conducted his personal life within the context of Christian liberty.
3) The example of Old Covenant Israel (10:1-33)—The “cravings” of Old Covenant Israel who had been liberated from bondage in Egypt, but neglected their responsibility at the people of God.
3. God’s desire is that we would pay attention to even the common things of life and how we handle life’s daily situations to the “glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31-33).
4. What we can ‘pass along’ to future generations is the memory of our character and actions that had a positive effect on the lives of others around us (Rom. 12:3, 9-21)—this list is what Paul reveals as a snapshot of authenticity as
believers (Rom. 13:10-14).
CONCLUSION
1. God is calling out to each one of us today, we know what our hearts and lives are like, and what needs to be done to awaken from sleep.
2. Some of us have considered ‘obeying the gospel’ and entering into the New Covenant relationship with God, but have hesitated, now is the time to respond and enter into new life with God.
3. Others of us have allowed the things of life, the direction (words, thoughts, actions) to reflect the world rather than the nature of God, we have professed our faith, but the evidence is not there.
Outline (Word document): Pass_Along1.docx