Lead Well:The Leaders Table (3)

Lead: It looks different than you think

Many of the men here maybe wondering why in the world am I giving away a keychain compass, because leaders always know where they are going. I know for the church I have spent the last 6 months developing direction for the church. I know where we are going, I know the landmarks to get there, and I finding people who can help me with the strategy when I don’t know how to do it. The same is true with my family. I know where we want to be mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am not always the best at getting us there, but we are trying. I want this to be a reminder that you are a leader.

Realistically this sermon is for everyone because if you are in leadership position that ideally you and the people you are leading can come at this just like a husband and wife would anyway. It isn’t just a marriage principle although it is framed and analogized in marriage, but can be applied to any leadership. And yes before you ask I looked analogized is a word for teh past tense word analogize which means to make a comparison of. It’s the verb form of analogy.

I say this not to mansplain, but because no one I talked to actually knew it was a word—they thought I made it up.

We are going to be talking about leadership and submission.

Ephesians 5:22 ESV

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Then the verse goes into the why behind

Ephesians 5:23–24 ESV

23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

I tell people this all the time—in the frame of being a leader

If you can’t be a good follower; you’ll never make a good leader

Leadership is learned in submission and those being led should be in a form of submission. We see this on every level of leadership. If people aren’t submitting to the leader than the leader isn’t actually leading.

But men, leader

You need to live a life worthy of submitting too.

God is paralleling leadership with Jesus. Which means your behavior and the way you lead should be like Jesus. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counseled married couples and men in my office yelling and tantruming because their wive’s wouldn’t submit you theit leadership.

First off—no one follows a toddler especially when they are tantruming

Now I’m going to connect all of this in a minute, but that being said there are few biblical reason wive’s or followers shouldn’t submit—they all stem off of one idea.

Submitting to the person would cause you to go against God and the Bible

With that being said lets continue:

Ephesians 5:25–28 ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

What people tend to not understand is that this imagery is a duel submission.

This is a picture of submission and surrender

John 19:11 ESV

11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus surrendered himself so that we could be in unity with him.

Husbands/Leaders need to surrender their desires at times to maintain unity in relationship.

Leadership without sacrifice is positional control, not spiritual influence.

There are very few times in my life where I pulled the trump card and claimed leadership—almost all decisions should be made in negotiations.

Good leaders know when to surrender

Ephesians 5:27 ESV

27 so that he might present the church to himself…

He showed us through surrender how we ought to present ourselves to God and others.

Christ led with purpose; it was both directional and relational

In your leadership making people look more like Jesus?

The entire reason your leadership ability matters is so that your wife and those that follow you can easily maintain their biblical mandates and be received in Heaven.

Ephesians 5:27 ESV

27 …that she might be holy and without blemish.

This beautiful imagery shows that Salvation isn’t through merit, but rather because of Jesus cleansing love. The analogy of husband and wife shows that your wife or those you lead will desire to submit to you because of the love you show.

Husbands/leaders: Just as Christ nurtures the church, we should invest in the growth and healing of those we lead.

You’re not called to control people — you’re called to wash feet, speak life, remove blemishes, and prepare others for the presence of God.