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The Legacy
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  • There are moments in history when an era comes to an end. A respected leader grows old. His strength begins to fade. People wonder, “What will happen when he’s gone?” Will everything he invested in disappear, or will his influence continue?
    That is exactly where we find ourselves in 2 Kings 13.
    For nearly fifty years, Elisha had been the voice of God to the nation of Israel. He had confronted kings, performed miracles, encouraged the faithful, and reminded a wandering nation that God had not abandoned them. Through times of famine, war, political upheaval, and spiritual decline, Elisha had remained steadfast. While kings rose and fell, God’s prophet remained faithful.
    The political climate could not have been more unstable. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was suffering under the oppression of Aram. Their military was weak, their spiritual condition was even weaker, and generations of idolatry had left the nation vulnerable. Instead of depending on God, the people had repeatedly placed their confidence in alliances, armies, and earthly solutions.
    Now King Jehoash walks into the bedroom of a dying prophet. It is a striking scene. The king has soldiers, weapons, and a throne, yet he realizes none of those things are enough. As he looks at the frail, aging prophet, he cries out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” He finally understands what Elisha had learned decades earlier when Elijah was taken into heaven—that Israel’s greatest defense was never its army. Its greatest strength was the presence and power of God working through a faithful servant.
    This is more than the story of a prophet’s final days. It is the story of a life that finished well. It reminds us that God’s work is never measured only by how we begin, but by how faithfully we finish. In fact, some of the greatest influence you will ever have may come after you’ve finished your race.
    As we come to the final message in our Mantle series, we discover a powerful truth: our goal is not simply to live for God—it is to leave behind a legacy that continues pointing people to Him long after we are gone.
    If you have your bibles with you this morning, go with me to the book of 2 Kings chapter 13. I want us to look at one last story of Elisha. We will begin reading at verse 14.
    2 Kings 13:14–21 NIV
    14 Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 16 “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” 20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
    One major point that we get from reading the stories of Elijah and Elisha is obedience. If you don’t get anything else that I have said to you for the last seven weeks, learn to be obedient to what God tells you to do.
    Today the first thing I want you to understand about living for God and finishing well is…

    1. Finish With Full Obedience

    Don’t ever do anything for God half-heartedly.
    Colossians 3:23 NIV
    23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
    If you are a greeter here at church, do it with everything you have. If you are a musician here at the church, do it with everything you have. If you are a singer here at the church, do it with everything you have. If you are a janitor here at church, do it with everything you have. If you are a lawn care worker, do it with everything you have. If you are a preacher or teacher, do it with everything you have.
    Make sure that when you breathe your last breath, you can honestly say that you did everything for the glory of God. You left it all on the table.
    Notice in this final story that the king had everything. He had God’s promise. He had God’s prophet. He had God’s instruction. And yet he responded with minimal effort.
    The King quit too soon.
    Many believers obey God halfway.
    We forgive—but not completely. And sometimes we only forgive certain people.
    We serve—but only when it’s convenient. God tells us to serve once a month, but we find something else to do 8 out of the 12 times in the year.
    We give—but only if it’s comfortable. We check our wallet to see if we can spare a $1. God asks us to give of our first fruits.
    We Pray—but stop before a breakthrough. What about if we just tarry a little longer at the altar. We might see the miracle we’ve been asking for.
    We witness—but only when the person brings it up. The rest of the time we make up excuses on why we can’t share our faith.
    God is looking for us to be persistent with our faith.

    Persistence is faithful obedience over time. It is choosing to keep trusting, keep obeying, and keep moving forward until God says you’re finished.

    Legacy isn’t built in a day. It’s built through persistence. No one leaves a godly legacy by making one great decision. A godly legacy is the result of thousands of faithful decisions made over a lifetime. Elisha’s legacy wasn’t created by one miracle—it was created by decades of persistent obedience to God.
    We are not living day by day, we are living to one day leave a legacy.

    Never stop where God never told you to stop.

    That brings me to point number 2.

    2. Finish with Unwavering Faith

    In verse 20 we read that Elisha dies. Even in his last few dying moments, his faith has not died. Even while facing death, he is still speaking God’s promises. With the last breaths coming out of his body, his circumstances never changed his confidence in God.
    William Borden was born into one of America’s wealthiest families in the early 1900s. He was the heir to the Borden dairy fortune and could have spent his life enjoying comfort, influence, and financial security.
    Instead, after coming to know Christ deeply, he sensed God calling him to take the gospel to Muslims in China. Friends thought he was wasting his life. Newspapers even described his decision as giving up a fortune for an impossible dream.
    As a young man, Borden wrote two words in the back of his Bible:
    “No Reserves.”
    He refused to hold anything back from God.
    After graduating from college, he turned down lucrative opportunities and continued preparing for the mission field. Before leaving, he added two more words to his Bible:
    “No Retreats.”
    On his journey to China, he stopped in Egypt to study Arabic. While there, he contracted spinal meningitis. Within weeks, at only 25 years old, he died.
    Many would look at his life and say, “What a tragedy. He never even reached the mission field.”
    But that’s not how heaven measures a life.
    After his death, someone opened his Bible and discovered one final phrase he had written shortly before he died:
    “No Regrets.”
    No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.
    William Borden never preached to the crowds he had hoped to reach, but his unwavering faith inspired generations of missionaries to give their lives for the gospel. His story has challenged countless believers to trust God completely.
    From the world’s perspective, Borden’s life seemed unfinished. But from God’s perspective, he finished faithfully.
    Faithfulness isn’t measured by how many years you live or how many accomplishments you accumulate. It’s measured by whether you trust and obey God until your final breath.
    That’s exactly what we see in Elisha. His body was failing, but his faith wasn’t. Even from his deathbed, he was still declaring God’s promises.

    Faith isn’t proven at the starting line, it is proven at the finish line.

    Most people assume that when someone dies, their influence dies with them. Their voice becomes silent, their work comes to an end, and all that remains are memories. But the Bible shows us something different. God is able to take a life that has been faithfully surrendered to Him and allow its impact to continue long after that person is gone. Elisha’s story doesn’t end with a funeral—it continues with a miracle. In one of the most surprising moments in Scripture, God reminds us that a life lived for His glory can keep pointing people to Him even after our final breath. That’s what a godly legacy looks like. It outlives the person who leaves it.

    3. Finish By Leaving a Lasting Legacy

    Look at verse 21 again.
    2 Kings 13:21 NIV
    21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
    Even after death, Elisha’s ministry continues. His influence outlives his existence. The greatest legacy is not what you accumulate. It is who you influence.
    Ask yourself these questions:
    Will your children know Jesus because of you?
    Will your church be stronger because you served?
    Will your community miss your faithfulness?
    Will someone stand stronger because you invested in them?
    Every prayer that you pray. Every act of generosity that you show. Every disciple you mentor and help them grow in their faith. Every person you encourage as you go about your day. Every child you teach or show kindness to. Every person you lead to Christ.
    These become part of a legacy that continues after you’re gone.

    Your greatest ministry may happen after your final day on earth.

    So, let’s sum up Elisha’s life for a moment.
    He never built a palace. He never wore a crown. He never commanded an army. Yet kings sought his counsel, nations were changed through his obedience, and even after his death, God used his life to bring restoration.
    That is a picture of a faithful legacy.
    At the end of life, the question will not be:
    “How much did I accomplish?”
    The question will be:
    “Was I faithful with what God placed in my hands?”
    Before we close, I want everyone to do something with me. Hold out one of your hands and look at it for just a moment.
    Now imagine that resting in your hand are the things God has already entrusted to you.
    For some of you, it’s your family. For others, it’s your children or grandchildren. Maybe it’s your marriage, your job, your business, your gifts, your influence, your resources, your testimony, or your time.
    You may think, “It’s not much.” But throughout Scripture, God has always used what people were willing to place in His hands. Moses had a staff. David had a sling. A little boy had five loaves and two fish. The widow had a small jar of oil. God wasn’t looking for people with the most—He was looking for people who would faithfully surrender what they already had.
    Now ask yourself this question:

    What is in my hand that God wants to use to leave a legacy?

    Because your legacy isn’t determined by what you wish you had. It’s determined by what you do with what God has already placed in your hand.
    Now, close your hand into a fist.
    That represents holding on tightly to what God has given you. If we keep it clenched for ourselves, our influence stops with us.
    Now slowly open your hand again.
    An open hand is a surrendered hand. It’s a hand that says, “God, everything You’ve entrusted to me belongs to You. Use it however You choose.”
    That’s how legacies are built—not by extraordinary people, but by ordinary people who place everything they have into the hands of an extraordinary God.
    Let me close with this. For the last seven weeks we have looked at the transition between Elijah and Elisha. This is the greatest story that spanned for many years and many miracles were accomplished by God through two individuals that were obedient to what God asked them to do.
    When you think about the mantle, understand that the mantle doesn’t end with you.
    It is passed on through every act of faithful obedience, every life you disciple, and every generation you encourage to follow God. Live today so that your legacy continues advancing God’s kingdom tomorrow.

      • 2 Kings 13:14–21NIV2011

      • Colossians 3:23NIV2011

      • 2 Kings 13:21NIV2011

  • Worthy Of It All

      • 2 Peter 1:3NIV2011

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