The following exhortation was given at Christ Church Downtown.

Proverbs 10:7 reads, “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.”

Or put another way, the name of the righteous is blessed in being remembered—there’s memory of it, while the name of the wicked will perish, being ultimately forgotten.

Now one can think of many infamous and wicked men, such as Hitler, and ask then why their names live on; while countless missionaries or ordinary Christians who led many to the Lord in their lifetimes have been forgotten by their communities and even their families.

Sure – but Hitler’s name is rotting. It has the stench of death, and in the end, will be judged by the Lord of the earth.

And those nameless saints, who labored without fame did so for the Name above all Names. This is the one Name that has been remembered, the one Name that will continue to spread, the one Name that will outlast them all.

This is the Name of Jesus. Like these precious saints, Jesus made Himself of no reputation, of no name. And he did this, in obedience to God even to the point of death on the cross.

Yet He did not see decay. His Name did not rot. He was highly exalted by God, and given the Name that is above every name, that every knee would bow in heaven and on earth.

And you, Christian, bear this name.

So my exhortation to you this morning is this:

Be devoted to the Lord. Labor to make His Name known and the Lord will bless the memory of your name among His people, either in the memories of your children and grandchildren, or on that Day when all will be revealed.

Three decades after his death, John Wyclif’s name was still remembered and his enemies dug up his bones, burned them, and tossed the ashes into the river.

So Christian, again, I exhort you to leave a legacy of faith, laboring not for your own name, but for Christ’s. Live life in such a way that wicked men will recognize the name etched in your tombstone and dig up your bones.

Amen.