Biblical Leadership

Introduction

All of us are in this room because we believe God has called us to a life of leadership. I believe everyone has a role to play when it comes to forming good principles in our life that reflect good leadership. I believe even the smallest roles of leadership matter. Whether you are leading a country or just leading your small family, it matters. It matters to God. Why does it matter to him? Because he has invested in us so that we may invest in others. Andy Stanley says it best. All leadership is stewardship and all stewardship is leadership. So how can we insure that we are being good stewards of the leadership that God has given us.

Today I want to do two things. The first thing I want to do is to look at the infastructure and foundation God has given us when it comes to leadership, imparticular in church leadership. In other words, what does the Bible say about leadrship. The second thing we will do is look at how we can apply those truths in our ministry or future ministries.

I am continually learning what it looks like to be a leader. I have been around church leaderhship for 30 years now and I am still learning things it seems weekly. There are traits that I have that make me a great leader and there are traits I have that hurt me as a leader. We should continually evaluate this areas and push to be more like the leader God would have us to be.

Leaders are nothing without first being lead by God.

ILLUSTRATION WITH WATER BOTTLE

The source of all leadership begins and ends with God. He establishes what it means to be a good leader. Two passages that I love that speak to this is found in Paul’s letters. The first one, we will not turn there, but it is when Paul is speaking of marriage to the church in Corinth. He tells the husbands to look to who as their model of leadership? To Christ, and more importantly the way that Christ loved the church.

Now let me ask this, is anyone in here Jesus Christ? No? I didnt think so. I want to establish this because we know that Jesus is far greater and far more worthy than any of us. So if Jesus practices humility and love in His leadership, then how much more should we? My favorite passage in Scripture is this is what t says.

(NASB95)

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Verses 6-8 are the key verses I want to focus on. Jesus showed the first step for anyone in leadership and it has to be submission to the one and only leader, God. Now, Jesus is God, but he gave up certain priviledges in submission to God the Father. Let me explain. Verse 6 tells us that Jesus was God and he existed in the form of God. Genesis and tell us that Jesus was eternally present. So he left all that he had in heaven. All the glory and the comfort of heaven to empty himself in submission to God. He did not hold on to the priviledges of being fully God but submitted to God the father and even submitted unto death on a cross.

Leaders are human

Think about some of the first great leaders in scripture. There was Abraham who started an entire nation of people. Joseph lead an entire country after being thrown in a pit and in prison. And of course there was Moses, who lead the nation of Israel out of slavery in egypt. You know what is incredible about all of these leaders and the rest of the leaders in scripture. They were regular people like you and I. They were not born with a superman logo on their chest. They had many faults. Abraham seemed to always fall into people pleasing and often allowed others to lead him rather than leading himself. Moses had an anger problem and was short tempered, he also wasnt a great speaker, yet God used him to lead the nation of israel out of slavery in egypt. Peter was the first leader of the early church, but Peter struggled as well. He even denied Jesus three times.

You may be sitting here today and you may be saying that you arent able to be a good leader? While there are certainly qualifications to being a leader in the church, I promise you one thing. God’s grace is sufficient enough to make to worst of sinners into the best of leaders.

All leaders are human and subject to sin and failure. That is why we must lean on God. I believe God chose to use the leaders in scripture for a reason. So that we could see that WE NEED HIM. When we are training to become leaders and we are training leaders. We must remember that we are all human in need of help from God.

David was the greatest king of Israel. He was human though and failed many times. But God continued to use him and God continued to restore him. Why? Because David new that His help came from the Lord and he kept the attitude that He was nothing without God. This is what he writes after his affair with Bathsheba in

(NASB95)

1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

May we always keep this attitude and look to God to create a clean heart in each of us.

Leadership will be lonely at times

I know this truth well. Sometimes being a good leader will mean that you don’t make the popular decisions, or that you are not always liked. So many times in scripture, Jesus says things and makes decisions that infuriate people and divide crowds. I am not saying good leaders go around and look for opportunities to make people angry. We should be known as peace makers. But I am saying, as ministers, we will find ourselves in situations at times that arent popular or easy. People will abandon you when those times come. How do I know this? First we saw it with Jesus. He was abandoned by His friends. He took the difficult path and did what no one else could do and he was deserted. Even after He died, all those he had been discipling were in hiding. Paul also writes about times in ministry that people deserted him when he didnt choose what was easy.

But it’s okay. As leaders, there will be times that you look behind you and you may not see any friends beside you but you will see the Lord. Jesus comforted His disciples in this way.

(NASB95)

(NASB95)

32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” z

32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus guarantees us that there will be trouble, but that we do not have to worry because He has overcome the world.

Leadership will be rewarding

Leading someone towards the path of righteousness is one of the greatest things we can do as leaders. God esigned it this way. Jesus Himself humbly submitting to the leading of God the father. The church was instructed to be lead by Christ and we lead as under shepherds. 1 It is rewarding because we care for the sheep we are leading. We ought to rejoice when we take the flock and lead them to righteousness. 2. It is rewarding because God made you for that purpose. You were made to lead others and called to as pastors. 3. It is rewarding because it is the joy set before us. Our reward from God for being the leaders he has called us to be will be realized here and in eternity

Leadership takes partnership

(NASB95)

17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19 “Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, 20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. 21 “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. 22 “Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 “If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”

(NASB95)

11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.