Lessons From a Godly Leader
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Intro- No doubt, all of us have had men and women that have taught us many things and led us in many ways. One of the greatest leaders in the OT was Joshua. Nearing the end of his life, Joshua gave a powerful lesson. Moses had led the nation for many years, then Joshua took over, and now the end of his life has come. He was encouraging them to take up the mantle of leadership. I want to spend a few moments this morning looking at some of the lessons contained in his speech.
Leaders make their own choices.
At this point in history the nation of Israel had a rocky relationship with God, Joshua was doing his best to stir their hearts toward God again
He focuses in on their forefathers in the faith. Notice what he says about Abraham’s family
Joshua focuses in on the fact that Abraham’s parents served other gods.
Sometimes we think of the great men of faith as having always been in that environment of obedience to the Lord. Abraham was raised by idolatrous parents, yet he made the decision to leave his parents and follow God.
Leaders remember where they came from.
God through Joshua decided to give these elders, tribes, judges, and officers of Israel a history lesson
He reminded them of:
God raising up leaders (such as Abraham) and bringing them to a new life away from idolatry
God blessing Abraham with children against physical odds
God sending Moses and Arron to free the slaves from Egypt
Parting the red sea to escape from the chariots
Delivering them out of the hands of their enemies
Blessing them with land
Driving their enemies out before them
God gave them everything, they earned nothing
I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
We read of this account and say, that is great for them, but what does that have to do with me?
We would do well to remember, that this is the same God that we serve.
we read of Belshazzar praising his false gods of gold, silver, wood, bronze but not paying any attention to God. Daniel reminds Belshazzar that the God that he was not paying attention to, held his very breath in His hands. That very night, Belshazzar’s life was taken from him
No one wants to follow an arrogant leader. None of these men that Joshua was speaking with would be qualified to lead God’s people if they failed to acknowledge that they did not earn what they had. It was given them by God.
May we never forget in our modern world that what we have, we have because of God.
Leaders make their own choices.
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
This is a tremendous shift in thought from previous years
This is no longer about a man leading a nation of people, this is about a man leading his family. Joshua urged them to make their choice, but made clear he was making a choice for his home.
Leaders make their own choices.
At this point in history the nation of Israel had a rocky relationship with God, Joshua was doing his best to stir their hearts toward God again
At this point in history the nation of Israel had a rocky relationship with God, Joshua was doing his best to stir their hearts toward God again
He focuses in on their forefathers in the faith. Notice what he says about Abraham’s family in V.2
Joshua focuses in on the fact that Abraham’s parents served other gods.
Sometimes we think of the great men of faith as having always been in that environment of obedience to the Lord. Abraham was raised by idolatrous parents, yet he made the decision to leave his parents and follow God.
Abraham did well to leave false gods behind, but it didn’t last long, Jacob’s wife Rachel brought her father’s idols with her, and it seems as though they were never really purged from among the Israelites although Jacob commanded it be done in Genesis 35
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
God through Joshua was calling the people to take a stand and make a choice for themselves
Just as Abraham chose to leave his upbringing and make his own decision, they needed to ignore what was popular, what was normal and do something different.
We may not struggle within our society with physical idols that we worship like they did then however...
One of the hardest things about studying with someone who is not a member of the Lord’s church is not convincing them of doctrine, but convincing them to leave where they have always worshipped before and to do something different.
Leaders invest in their homes
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
This is a tremendous shift in thought from previous years
This is no longer about a man leading a nation of people, this is about a man leading his family. Joshua urged them to make their choice, but made clear he was making a choice for his home.
What should we do?
Remember:
Our Sin, Our Lost condition, Our Savior
Examine:
My priorities, my decisions, my beliefs. Am I going through the motions in my life or in my faith? I need to choose God for myself, and make Him my king
Lead our home:
If I think of the lost state of the world, It can be overwhelming. It can be discouraging. I know that I cannot reach every soul on the planet. But God has given me ample time to lead my family.
I lead them by studying with them, praying with them, modeling faith, giving them an opportunities to live their faith.