Failure to Lead

Deuteronomy 9:7–13 NKJV

7 “Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Also in Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry enough with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 Then the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly; they have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made themselves a molded image.’ 13 “Furthermore the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people.

There was a rich man that wanted to marry off his daughter so he invited all of the eligible young men to his home for a meeting. In the backyard beside the pool and he tells the young men that he wanted to find a worthy man to marry his daughter and inherit his wealth. But in order to proof themselves, they must swim the length of the pool that is full of snakes, gators, and electric eels. “So, who wants to go first?” There was silence. Then suddenly, he hears a splash and sees a young man stroking with all of his strength. Finally reaching the other side of the pool, the young man jumps outs and yells, “Who pushed me?”

Sermon: Failure to Led

Sometimes, this is what leadership feels like…you being pushed into something that you were not equipped or ready for.

I’m here to give you some good news: “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

Never underestimate the importance of spiritual leadership that encourages obedience to the Word of God.

We are in this place today for this special and sacred service for those who have been called to service as Elders for this congregation. It is an honor and privilege to be called to the Eldership. To join the ranks of elders, means that you are now part of a group of leaders that hold the local churches together and support the pastoral leadership every week.

This also means that there are great responsibilities, expectations and accountability.

Our text this morning speaks of the Failure of Leadership from God’s called leader.

Exodus 32:21 NKJV

21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

Exodus 32:

The New King James Version Chapter 32

And Moses said to Aaron, c“What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

As we look at the conflict between Moses and his brother Aaron, one thing is clear, there was definitely a lack of leadership and accountability.

It is the “doing to our characters” by those who we led that will determine our outcomes.

What Moses experiences as he nears the camp:

Exodus 32:19–21 NKJV

19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

Many years later, Moses repeats the history with the people before he turns over leadership to Joshua to show them how important it is to follow good leadership and to be good leaders.

It is almost like Moses is saying, remember when you messed up years ago? Well in case you forgot, here’s the story:

We can’t allow our feelings to determine of obedience to what is right, ethical and kind; these things must be done regardless of the situation.

Deuteronomy 9:7–10 NKJV

7 “Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Also in Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry enough with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 Then the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Deuteronomy 9:11–13 NKJV

11 And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly; they have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made themselves a molded image.’ 13 “Furthermore the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people.

We can’t allow our feelings to determine of obedience to what is ethical, right and kind; these things must be done regardless of the situation.

“you know the people, that they are set on evil.”

The people were young in their faith and needed direction and guidance as Moses was now away.

Had Aaron been strong in his faith and character, this unfortunate incident in the history of Israel might have been avoided. Aaron’s weakness of character and spirit of compromise not only rendered his spiritual leadership ineffective but placed him in the position of a leader in rebellion.

Be careful who you are getting your orders from. God has called you to make the tough calls and live up to His standard, not to let the crowd determine your obedience.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 1 2. Break Off

Alarmed by the heedless folly and threatening attitude of the people, and fearing for his own safety, Aaron surrendered to the demands of the multitude instead of nobly and stoutheartedly upholding the honor of God (see ch. 23:2). Hoping they would refuse to give up their cherished possessions, he ordered a collection of the “golden earrings.” But he was mistaken in this hope. Having taken the first compromising step, he could not retreat.

The temporary secession of power to Aaron while Moses was gone, was not to change the course of direction from the plan of God, but was to continue the movement towards the promise land. However, because Aaron was a people pleaser, he had other plans that were different from God.

Your plans are only temporary, but the results can be eternal for some.

Exodus 32:23–24 NKJV

23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

Exodus 32:

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

Thou knowest. Instead of humbly accepting the responsibility for their idolatry, Aaron justified himself by placing the blame for it upon the people. In doing so he proved himself a true descendant of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:12, 13). What a contrast to the spirit of Moses (see on Ex. 32:10-14, 32).

24. There came out. To further justify his course Aaron implied that a miracle had occurred, that supernatural power had converted the gold cast “into the fire” into “this calf.” The bewitching power of sin causes otherwise sound-minded men to engage in a rationalization of their course of action. Aaron would have been destroyed for his sin had it not been for the earnest intercession of Moses in his behalf (Deut. 9:20). Because of his position as leader, in the absence of Moses, Aaron’s iniquity was the more reprehensible. To whom God grants much, of him is much expected (Luke 12:48).

Thou knowest. Instead of humbly accepting the responsibility for their idolatry, Aaron justified himself by placing the blame for it upon the people. In doing so he proved himself a true descendant of Adam and Eve (, ). What a contrast to the spirit of Moses (see on , ).

24. There came out. To further justify his course Aaron implied that a miracle had occurred, that supernatural power had converted the gold cast “into the fire” into “this calf.” The bewitching power of sin causes otherwise sound-minded men to engage in a rationalization of their course of action. Aaron would have been destroyed for his sin had it not been for the earnest intercession of Moses in his behalf (). Because of his position as leader, in the absence of Moses, Aaron’s iniquity was the more reprehensible. To whom God grants much, of him is much expected ().

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 1 22. Thou Knowest

Thou knowest. Instead of humbly accepting the responsibility for their idolatry, Aaron justified himself by placing the blame for it upon the people. In doing so he proved himself a true descendant of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:12, 13). What a contrast to the spirit of Moses (see on Ex. 32:10-14, 32).

24. There came out. To further justify his course Aaron implied that a miracle had occurred, that supernatural power had converted the gold cast “into the fire” into “this calf.” The bewitching power of sin causes otherwise sound-minded men to engage in a rationalization of their course of action. Aaron would have been destroyed for his sin had it not been for the earnest intercession of Moses in his behalf (Deut. 9:20). Because of his position as leader, in the absence of Moses, Aaron’s iniquity was the more reprehensible. To whom God grants much, of him is much expected (Luke 12:48).

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Moses had given his brother authority to act in his absence (v. 14), and Aaron could have rallied the tribal leaders and urged the Israelites to obey the Lord; but he wanted to please the people and avoid conflict. Centuries later, Pontius Pilate would make the same mistake when he obeyed the crowd that wanted Jesus to be crucified ().

Aaron failed God, who had appointed him as high priest;

Never underestimate the importance of spiritual leadership that encourages obedience to the Word of God. Aaron failed God, who had appointed him as high priest; he failed his brother who was depending on him to guide the nation; and he failed the people who desperately needed strong spiritual leadership. When Moses confronted him, Aaron tried to excuse his way out of his sin by blaming the people! All he did was take their golden jewelry and throw it into the fire, and out came a calf!

he failed his brother who was depending on him to guide the nation;

and he failed the people who desperately needed strong spiritual leadership.

Moses spend 40 days in the mountain learning how to lead the people in worship to God and then spend another 40 days praying and fasting, interceding for a nation that complained and resisted leadership.

You will have to pray for the very people that want to get rid of you as a leader. Your calling to the Eldership means that you are now targeted by all the power of Satan because of your call to lead.

Here are five things that I want to leave you as you begin to serve the Lord as ordained Elders:

Failing to led is a failure of leadership:

Leaders must be willing to make the hard decisions (we will wait for Moses to come back with the word from the Lord) there is not always instant gratification as a leader.

Leaders must be willing to go it alone at times: Standing at the top as leaders, you will have to do it alone. Many will not see what you see, hear what you hear or experience what you have experienced. Aaron choose to stand at the top and misled the people because he was afraid of what they will do to him.

Leaders must be strong enough to go against the crowd for what is right and not what is popular. Moses had given his brother authority to act in his absence (v. 14), and Aaron could have rallied the tribal leaders and urged the Israelites to obey the Lord; but he wanted to please the people and avoid conflict.

Never underestimate the importance of spiritual leadership that encourages obedience to the Word of God.

A Leader must never lost the trust of those who seek guidance and inspiration. When we engage in dishonesty, misleading actions and statements, we risk losing our credibility and commitment. In politics, religion, and business has showed us that truth is rare and often elusive.

Moses showed that his great concern wasn’t his own fame or position but the glory of God and the good of the people. In fact, he was willing to die for the people rather than see God destroy them (). A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep ().

Moses showed that his great concern wasn’t his own fame or position but the glory of God and the good of the people. In fact, he was willing to die for the people rather than see God destroy them (). A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep ()1

This was the opposite to his brother that was in it for himself.

As a leader, you must be able to reach across the gaps between generations, in order to met the needs to those we are to serve. It is not an option to choice who we serve, we are called just to serve.

As a leader, you must be able to reach across the gaps between Generations to met the needs to those we are to serve. It is not an opinion to choice who we serve, we are called just to serve to all.

Leadership is also done without leading anyone... it is through the example of doing that is caught by what is watched.

God is Faithful

God is always faithful to His promises; when we don’t allow Him to rule, He will overrule and still accomplish His purposes. However, we will miss the blessings that He planned for us.

Every believer and every Christian ministry, whether it be a local church or global missions, must trust God to meet their needs a day at a time. If we complain along the way, we’re only giving evidence that we don’t trust God but think we know more than He does about what’s best for us.

Appeal:

1 Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 69.

What kind of Elder will you be?

Failure to Lead

Illustration:

Introduction:

Repeating of past mistakes

What is your moral compass?

One step of disobedience leads to more

Authority has been passed down:

Failing to lead is a failure of leadership:

Being Faithful until the end despite how people feel about you:

God is Faithful

Failure to Lead

Illustration:

Introduction:

Repeating of past mistakes

What is your moral compass?

One step of disobedience leads to more

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Authority has been passed down:

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Failing to lead is a failure of leadership:

Being Faithful until the end despite how people feel about you:

God is Faithful

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