Sermon Tone Analysis

Leadership in the church

Over the last couple of weeks we have been working on a series about our vision here at REC.

And we can talk about this from many levels right?

You hear me all the time talk about what we are going to do...

We are in the process of hiring a worship leader.

Right now we are in the process of vetting candidates and sorting through resumes.

We are going to overhaul facilities here…There is a lot of deferred maintenance that just needs to be done or it will be much more expensive later

Lastly.

We are going to plant a church.

Why?

The church is the hope of the world and we are not called to come here, and be entertained for an hour a Sunday we have to become a people who are working out their faith in such a way where disciples, leaders and churches are being made

The way I like to say this in short is that I believe God is raising up River’s Edge church to be a hub church that will make disciples, raise up new leaders and send other out to plant churches.

So we know what we are raising money for, $300,000 over the next three years to do these three things

But for me the question is: “who do we have to become so that we can do that?”

Week 1: We talked about becoming the sort of people who bear fruit

-A people who remain connected to the vine rather than treating our spiritual life like we are recharging our batteries...

A people who follow Jesus closely, so much so that we are transformed by him..

Last week, Week 2: we talked about our lives being the key to unlock faith in others…I really believe that when we get close to Jesus and bear fruit then the inevitable next step is that we begin sharing that faith with others

This week I have one idea that I want to talk all about:

Week 3: We need to become a people who give ourselves away.

And the way that looks is through leadership.

So I want to unpack all of this for us today

So we need to be a church who stays radically connected to God on the vine

A church where we are a people of peace, a church where God shapes us into the key…using our stories to reach this world for Jesus

And today I want to submit to you that if you have said yes to Jesus, then you are a leader

and leaders give themselves away

Most people don’t want leadership today…In fact…I said…Becoming a leader and some of you immediately tuned me out…you heard that word and you decided…Leadership is not for me, therefore this sermon is not for me.

So especially…if that is you this morning…listen up because I think Jesus wants to do something incredible in you

Married Couple exorcize

So I want to illustrate something for you today

Back in Genesis 1-3, Man and woman were created.

They faced outward to rule over the whole earth but then, they sinned...

And Genesis 3:16 says this...

So instead of man and woman ruling over the earth they began to rule over each other

I have talked about this before and I guarantee I will talk about it again

What Genesis 3:16 does is set the stage for human relationships to be one of ruling over one another

And when you think about it, this is probably why people both are drawn to leadership and they run from it...

Because this relationship of ruling over one another is painful

The only one who likes it is the one doing the ruling

See the problem with leadership is that so many times there are selfish motives.

And when your in leadership many times you are up front, on the stage…and so the temptation to make it all about you is strong...

But I am convinced that God wants to raise up more and better leaders in his church

So one of the lenses in which we can understand Jesus’ entire life is that He is bringing about a new creation...

That Jesus flips the curse on its head, he is restoring Eden in each one of us.

Bringing us back to life in the garden with him...

So when you look really closely at Jesus’ teachings there is almost always this connection to the Garden of Eden...

So we are going to look at mainly two sections of scripture today

First flip with me over to Matthew 20:20-28...

So I want to get really clear on what the Mother of Zebedee’s sons is asking

To sit at someones right and left in the kingdom are the two most impotrant places.

It is as if she is saying to Jesus, let my sons be your secretary of state and your chief of staff...

See the mother of James and John has a perspective of leadership that is one way…It is what she sees in the streets, the Roman pro-councils have leaders to their right and left...

Cesar has people doing his bidding, they are impotrant people

And even to ask that question for her is a selfish question

Women in the ancient world often outlived their husbands because of war & work and so having impotrant sons meant that for her she would be well taken care of

She would be impotrant

So Jesus asks her...”Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink”

Now one day probably around Easter, I would like to unpack the significance of this cup, we don’t have a ton of time for that today but if your the kind of person who loves to study stuff like this then write down Jeremiah 25 and go look it up today

But the short story is that it is the cup of God’s Wrath.

Its God’s anger at human sin…Its the cup that Jesus prays would be taken from him but then says, not my will but your will be done...

But Cups also have kingly significance…almost an anointing significance

So this is one of those situations that the mom of James and John probably hears…Are your sons really ready for that type of leadership responsibility…to sit at the right and left of the king?

But what Jesus is really asking is are your sons ready to be ridiculed, have everything stripped from them and die a horribly humiliating death?

Because, who really sat at Jesus’ right and left?

A couple of criminals...

I almost wonder if the mother of the sons of Zebedee was at the crucifixion thinking…well I’m glad Jesus said no otherwise my sons will be there

And then this is where Jesus absolutely shows the church the overthrow of the curse of Eden

Now all through the gospels there is language used about Jesus as king

Other people are constantly calling him a king

When the angel appeared to Mary, When Jesus was dedicated in the temple, even Pilate calls him the king of the Jews

But when Jesus talks about himself, he uses language of a servant....Why?

In Jesus’ Kingdom, leading is not lording, it is serving

Lording over others supports life in the curse

No one wants to be Lorded over…You have probably felt this in your life at one point

Lording supports a power struggle, a need for power

and when the lording person receives power then they do not handle it responsibly.

So Jesus overthrows the whole enterprise of Lording over among his followers

And what Jesus actually said about leadership is that

The son of man came to give his life as a ransom for many

Leadership in the church is about giving yourself away.

And this is what Jesus did…He gave his life as a ransom for many

If we want to look like Jesus, if that is the ultimate goal of the christian life to have Christlikeness and live in eternity with Jesus, then yes leadership is for you and it looks like giving yourself away

Put most simply and plainly:

Leadership in the church is about others

See when you live in a state of giving yourself away then your life becomes about others

when you do this often enough and it becomes a regular part of your life you realize something

Life is so much better when you are leading through serving.

If your trying to lead through Lording then your life will be a rollercoaster…Of immense power and immense burnout

So I want to give you one of the best examples of Jesus actually living out his own use of power

Now I am sure there are tons of biblical examples but I really love this one....flip with me to Luke 13...

Jesus’ use of power

So Jesus healed a crippled woman on the sabbath in a synagogue while he was teaching

Ok so you have to imagine the social space with me if you will for a second.

If you are a rabbi teaching in a first century synagogue all of the other very important leaders are up front...

They actually sit up front with you to communicate that they are the elders, they are important…they are the authorities

Everything in this society is laid out in terms of purity, honor and shame…So men would be able to come close and sit near the front, but the women would have to sit all the way in the back or if there was a balcony, they sat there

Now the most honored positions were on the stage and the least honored positions were in the back

So what does Jesus do?

He is surrounded by “the leaders of Israel” He calls a woman out of the shadows, shares his space with her and heals her.

And by the way…this woman who was a walking humiliation....she was shamed, crippled and considered impure...