Influencing Change. Called to Lead: The Grounded Leader.
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Influencing Change. Called to Lead: The Grounded Leader.
Presented by OrLando Yarborough III
Opening passage: Matthew 4:18–20 (NKJV)
Opening passage: Matthew 4:18–20 (NKJV)
· At the age of 6 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I knew my life was changed but I didn't know the full extent of that change.
· I knew I was saved from my sins to a life with Christ and that I would spend eternity in God's presence. My future would change, indeed.
· It didn't dawn on me how my present--my everyday life--would also change when I made Jesus my Lord and my Savior.
· I'll warn you, though you may already know, walking with Jesus will change everything.
Opening Passage: Matthew 4:18–20 (NKJV)
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
· Topic: A Call to Lead
· (Pray)
· If you thought that following Jesus would be a secondary/axillary activity of your life someone did not let you in on the whole story.
· The invitation to "follow Jesus" is an "all in" proposition. Being a disciple of Christ means modeling your life--your actions, agenda, and perspective--after a God who came to lift people to freedom and everlasting life:
· John 10:10 (NKJV)
· 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
· Acts 2:21 (NKJV)
· 21 And it shall come to pass
· That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
· Shall be saved.’
· When we come to Christ, we change. Our nature and purpose and impact become like Christ's.
· One scripture that speaks to this change is 2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
· I tell you, this change is good news: now our life's work can have eternal consequences (leading people to a life with Christ) and not just temporal consequences. We can do/have both.
Matthew 4:18–20 (NKJV)
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
· In our opening text, Jesus calls people into His bigger purpose.
· Jesus takes who He created them to be--fishermen--and gives them a bigger target and more divine agenda--fishers of men.
· A little later, here is what Jesus teaches His disciples and so is teaching us today who are committed to Him.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
· Whatever you thought you were doing in life, by reassignment, by changing our nature and our message, walking with Jesus makes us Light Bearers.
· By definition, light benefits those around us.
· We are leaders in helping others see more clearly.
· We are influences in helping people to find their way--to take the better way.
· We are environment shifters--from darkness to light.
· How do we live this leadership assignment with integrity?
· I remember working on a car at night with my grandfather as a boy. My job was to hold the flashlight. Inevitably, I would not be focused and look all around where we were. The light would shift and my grandfather couldn't see what he was doing. He would say, OrLando, shine the light over here so that I may see.
· You help enable the vision of others as they accomplish the task of coming to Jesus. How do we, with integrity and consistency, shine the right where they can see Jesus and ultimately follow Him as Lord and Savior, coming to eternal life with God through Jesus Christ?
· Jesus said this:
Matthew 11:11 (NKJV)
“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
· What was so special about John the Baptist that Jesus would speak such?
· John was grounded as a leader.
1. He Was Called
1. He Was Called
· He was called and threw his life I to his calling.
· When your aim in life is God’s idea, He’s responsible for the outcome.
· Divine purposes don’t begin with you. They begin with God — this is what makes them a divine purpose vs a human-made purpose.
· (When my desire meets up with gods vision.?)
Luke 1:11–17 (NKJV):
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
2. He Was Authentic
2. He Was Authentic
· John did John.
Matthew 3:4 (NKJV):
Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
· Nobody else is doing that but John.
· Well, how did He become Himself? Through consecration and consecrated time with God
So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
· Matthew 11:7–11 (NKJV): As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written:
· ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
· Who will prepare Your way before You.’
· 11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
3. He Had Humility
3. He Had Humility
· John knew who he was and who he was not.
John 3:25–31 (NKJV):
Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
· John understood he was the forerunner to Jesus and not Jesus.
John 1:19–28 (NKJV):
Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Big Idea Summary:
· God Changes our purpose and trajectory and brings us into a larger leadership role that helps create divine positive change in the lives of others.
· John the Baptist, a great leader, was Humble, Authentic and Called.
Additional Information and Resources:
· Study or review the life of John The Baptist.
Conclusion / Final Thoughts:
Grow in Humility, Authenticity, and Calling
Grow in Humility, Authenticity, and Calling
· To grow in....
· Humility
· Understand what you bring to the table and what God brings to the table.
· Authenticity.
· Spend time with God, minimizing external inputs while listening
· Calling
· Meditate on God’s larger plan.
Next Steps:
· Let me know if you want help growing in humility, authenticity, and your divine calling.