1 Kings 2:1-9
What Are You Leaving Behind?
A legend impresses people, but a legacy shapes them. In 1 Kings 2:1-9, David’s last words to Solomon pass down a legacy of faith, experience and provision: put God first, learn from what I went through, and build what I could not. Every follower of Jesus is depositing something in the next generation, whether or not they have kids.
Message notes
Stepping away from Matthew for a week, Pastor Pat asks a question about the end of life: what are you leaving behind? He separates a legend from a legacy. A legend is exaggerated, like the fish that keeps getting bigger, and the next generation feels it can never measure up. A legacy is something real you can pass down. Pat jokes that he can’t hand his kids a legend, since he spent most of high school as a gymnast in a leotard. He says the biggest factor in kids keeping their faith is a warm connection with parents and seeing their real faith at home, and that many people come to faith through friendship.
In 1 Kings 2, David is about to die and charges Solomon: “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires.” His last words are not about politics or military strength. They are spiritual.
First, David passes down a legacy of faith. Pat calls the church to put God first in dating, sports, college and career, and he lays out his own order: Jesus, then his wife, then his kids, then the church. “The best gift that I can give my children is a dad who’s loved their mom very well.” He has watched mentors cheat on their wives with their ministries.
Second, David passes down a legacy of experience. He names Joab, Barzillai and Shimei, people who hurt him or stood by him, and he tells Solomon he had it in his heart to build a temple. Pat says it is okay to die with dreams that belong to the next generation. He shows his own “mountains and valleys” timeline and shares lessons from it: when he moved to Hawaii, old patterns of performance and avoiding conflict surfaced, “sometimes your dream job comes with nightmare moments,” and after a miscarriage he learned that in grief you sit with someone and stay quiet.
Third, David passes down a legacy of provision, setting Solomon up to build. Pat remembers men who invested in him, including Jimmy, a youth pastor who took him surfing at 6 AM, and Chris, who told him playing with your kids is spiritual warfare. Nobody gets a pass on loving God, loving others and making disciples.
He closes by praying over three generations: the kupuna, the parents and the young people.
From the message
Your legend might impress people, but your legacy will shape them.
The best gift that I can give my children is a dad who’s loved their mom very well.
Sometimes your dream job comes with nightmare moments.
The best legacies don’t just tell the next generation where you’ve been, they set the next generation up for where they’re going.
Life Group discussion guide
What Are You Leaving Behind?, 1 Kings 2:1-9. March 8, 2026.
Start here
What is a family story that has grown a little bigger every time it gets told?
Read 1 Kings 2:1-9
Open your Bibles and read it out loud together before you start.
What does it say?
In 1 Kings 2:2-3, what does David tell Solomon to do, and what reason does he give?
In verses 5-9, which people does David name, and what does he say about each one?
According to 1 Chronicles 22:7-10, what did David have in his heart to do, and who did God say would do it instead?
What does it mean?
Pastor Pat said David’s standard of manhood was to observe what the Lord requires. How is that different from the pictures of strength our culture offers?
Why might David pass down the names of people who hurt or helped him, and what does that say about how relationships shape us?
Paul wrote that we have many guardians in Christ but not many fathers (1 Corinthians 4:15). What is the difference between teaching someone and fathering or mothering them in the faith?
What do we do with it?
Pastor Pat put his priorities in order: Jesus, spouse, kids, then work and church. Where does your schedule show that order, and where does it break down?
Draw your own mountains and valleys: the highs and lows of your life with God. Which one could you share with a child, friend or coworker this month?
Who is one person you could start investing in, through a life group, children’s ministry or coffee with someone at work?
Pray
Pray for three generations: our kupuna, that they would know they still have treasure to share; parents, that God would anchor a God-first life in their homes; and young people, that Jesus would capture their hearts.
New Hope Hawaii Kai. Watch the message and read the notes at newhopehk.org/sermons/what-are-you-leaving/