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Our great God and Father we come before you this morning Rejoicing in all the love and kindness that you show to us constantly And all the provision that you make for us. Father we thank you that we are able to gather here this morning in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to worship you to learn more about you to reflect on What it means to be a spiritual leader father we pray that as we look to your word as we draw the Implications and inferences from it that you would strengthen us that we would Walk more closely with you and we pray for these things in Jesus name.
Amen. Well, so we've been talking about spiritual leadership, and I've been discussing some of the ways that leaders lead good leaders lead anyway. We mentioned wisdom. We talked about activities. What you do with your time.
We talked about being financially prudent. We also talked we spent a good deal of time last week talking about being a good listener. It's really hard to lead people if you don't know what their. Their needs their weaknesses.
Their strengths other things are it's hard to shepherd them or to lead them. And I want to look at a few more before we kind of wrap this up a good spiritual leader must be I Said measured. I don't know.
What a good maybe somebody will come up with a good substitute for it. After we look at the verse, let's look at Proverbs 12 23. Proverbs 12 23, I mean, I guess well, you know, maybe a more Familiar term would be this Self-controlled and Proverbs 12 23 and Many a sermon could be preached on this a prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims Folly, I mean that that first part even is a little bit Confusing why would a prudent man conceal knowledge?
Why would somebody who's wise or? Shrewd or Godly want to conceal knowledge. Is there knowledge? Is there knowledge that shouldn't be known? Charlie okay. It's not always wise to unload everything, you know about a given situation.
Sometimes it's a it's wise to hold things back or to not tell them at all. But there's the second half of it the heart of fools proclaims folly. It is foolish to what what's a common phrase. How about this?
I? Just had to Speak my mind. I Just had to tell you what was on my heart. Why? Why do we feel the need to do that? Cory. Because because we're sinners the answer to every why question is because we're sinners.
Why do we do? I Wrote this so you can examine it for what it's worth. Learning when to keep one's mouth shut and when to speak is one of the greatest challenges of life. Is that true or false? Like it's absolutely true.
And I may have learned this the hard way I may still be learning it, right? Well, I mean sometimes there there are things that I mean I I've heard all kinds of excuses. Well, let's put it this way. Can you think of excuses that you've heard for why people say things that they shouldn't say?
What would be one Cory? Okay. I need to be honest John. I'm just speaking the truth. Just sharing my heart. That's a good one, I'm really tired my defenses are down. I feel really, you know weak. Yeah, I haven't had my coffee yet.
That you know, that's a big one. They need to know how I feel. Why do they need to know how I feel because how I feel is All important right feelings rule, but learning how to just say to yourself, you know what?
What's the value and what I'm going to say? I mean, I mean I I I Said this to the man a couple years ago. When I was when I was talking to them on Saturday mornings, you know. If you take a few seconds before you say something to your wife and think how's my wife gonna respond to this?
What's the anticipated response and if the anticipated response is not something that I really you know, it's not a road I want to go down then. Why am I saying it in the first place? And similarly, I would say if you think you're gonna have to defend it with with.
Something like well, that's just how I feel or you need to know how I feel or my feelings are more important than your feelings. Don't say it. What's the response gonna be to what I'm about to say? Well, I'm going to crush somebody's feelings and the purpose of that is what so I can do the you know victory dance.
To make me feel better and leaders don't worry about how they Feel it's not about my feelings. It's about what I'm trying to get accomplished. It's good to be prudent. It's good to be wise. It's good to be thoughtful.
I guess we could say I want to be thoughtful about what I say want to think through what I'm. What I anticipate the response is going to be in and think through if that's really the best way to go. Now this next one Proverbs 330.
I have several Proverbs and mostly because if you want to know how to speak and how to act and Those kind of Proverbs are pretty good for it Proverbs 330. And this is you know, really just we need to consider sometimes.
So along the same lines if there's a principle here, and if there's a principle that is actually worth fighting for. Right. Would somebody read Proverbs 330 while I tie my shoe Proverbs 330? Do not contend with somebody for no reason.
I mean sometimes I mean do you you ever hear somebody that is engaged in a fight and just wonder either. How that got started or why it's continuing, you know, you just think well, this is kind of a pointless Argument, right.
Some people like to argue is there a principle that you're engaging in and and sometimes people will come to you whether it's you know in your family in the church what what have you and. They will engage in such a way that they want to fight and you have to ask yourself.
Well, what is the it is there a principle here that I'm fighting for or is this just fighting for the sake of fighting? Does this person just want to fight in fact, here's another way. I mean, this is really this gets into the nitty-gritty of a husband-wife relationship.
There are times when I think every Spouse husband or wife, but especially the husband has to ask himself. What happens if I lose this argument? What's the downside if I lose this argument and if the answer is?
Nothing. Then why fight? Go ahead and lose. But I can't lose okay, and that goes to Proverbs 29 11 a Fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. In other words, you don't always have to speak your mind as I was saying earlier.
A leader is one who knows when to speak and when to listen just because you Feel you have to say something. Or just because you're in charge. Doesn't mean you have to win and it doesn't mean you have to say something sometimes.
Take the loss and move on. I mean, I have another one says kind of the same thing. Proverbs 17 27 28 whoever restrains his words has knowledge and he who has a cool spirit, which we all ought to strive for.
A Cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise when he closed his lips. He is deemed intelligent. Okay. So he should be have understanding and only go for principles.
He should be measured should also be one who edifies. One of my favorite verses of course is Ephesians 429 let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear and the word.
There it's one word. Building up is it's two words in English, but it's one in Greek and it means to edify. Proverbs 12 18 there is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts. But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
It's easy to tear down. It's harder to build up takes a lot more effort to build up. I mean a lot of people used to admire, you know, Don Rickles. For those of you who are not my age. He made a living just Insulting people.
That's what he did. Of course these days he he wouldn't be able to get anywhere. There'd be protests all over the place whenever he said anything. He'd be considered all kinds of is. But the idea is that it's easy is it well I mean if I just ask the question, it's easy to come up with something negative to say about somebody.
It's harder to find ways to Edify them to build them up. I Mean I could go right through Ephesians 430. So let's just do that one who is You a leader should also be he should be an edifier. He should also be even-tempered Ephesians 4 verses 30 and 31 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Now just think about that verse 31 for a moment. If you could say to yourself that I have no bitterness.
No wrath. No anger. No clamor. No slander and no malice right. Basically, I've just emptied my cupboard of all my Attitude sins towards other people. I have nothing else to do right except for To think rightly and how do you do that?
How do you get rid of all those attitudes? What stops you from? Wanting to say something slanderous. Okay, and and really to good point and to get right back to your point. All we have to do is look it back verse 30 I do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God right if we if he view things from the Holy Spirit's perspective and we think well all these things that I feel and These are all feelings by the way bitterness wrath anger clamor and Slander slander is a negative action, but it's also a negative action because that other person is worthy of my negative words, right.
If I put all those things away from me, then I am not grieving the Holy Spirit moving into verse 32 and this really is Ties right into what Corey said if you just think I want to view this as God does I want to view this other Person as God does well, how do I do that?
Verse 32 be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you and Paul there turns it around and he says look in Light of who you are in light of what you've done and all that.
God has forgiven you for I Mean the implication there is how can you then turn around and say all these things? No, you ought to you ought to look at this as God does which is even though you don't deserve it he has been kind and tenderhearted and Forgiving of you and toward you so you ought to be the same way toward others if we think about all that the Father has Done for us and forgiven us in Christ.
Because we are in Christ then that is the key to how we treat others Other thoughts or questions, I mean if we if we think about our sins rightly and that they're a sin against a holy God a holy holy holy God and If we view our sins as Being as heinous as they are and As offensive as they are against God then and only then do we probably View ourselves rightly and then can we view others rightly?
So it really is a question of well viewing life through the lens of the gospel when I understand how much I've been forgiven then my Tendency is to forgive others. When I understand how Grievous my sins are against God, then I'm more likely to Be forgiving and to think rightly also.
So a leader should be a forgiver. How about unfailingly patient, you know, I love it when You know Jesus is teaching about forgiveness and about restoration in Matthew 18. And then Peter comes up and said to him and Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him as many as seven times Jesus said to him I say to you I Do not say to you seven times, but seventy seven times.
We can expect that people will sin against us true or false. Because They're sinners. We sin therefore we should expect others to sin and we say well, wait a minute. They've already done that to me. Okay.
Well Again I go back to Ephesians 432 and I'm like well if we forgive others. Well, let's put it this way if God forgives you the way you forgive other people. What kind of standing do you have and for a lot of us?
I think it would be pretty sketchy. I Asked people that question. Do you want God to forgive you? Like you forgive your husband like you forgive your wife, but you don't understand. Okay. Okay. Let's try this again.
Be tender-hearted, you know forgiving others as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you now. Do you want God to forgive you the way you forgive your spouse, but you don't understand. We want God to forgive us.
How? Completely fully. Instantaneously and really without if we're honest without too much sorrow or you know consequence or anything else. But when somebody sins against us, I mean it really is like the whole parable at the end of Matthew 18, right.
The unforgiving servant. We we want to forgive people or we want God to forgive us like oh, yeah, that's fine. Get out of my face. Steve you were forgiven as soon as you did it. But when somebody sins against me, I grab him throw him up against the wall.
You know repay me instantly. But I can't Throw him in prison the whole nine yards. I'm gonna say it again If you just implement Ephesians 429 Ephesians 432 in your life, you'll be surprised how amazing Things are how they change around you people are going to change around you and you're gonna think this is really wonderful.
And the truth is that you were the one who changed. Okay. Understand the value of those in your charge we understand that you know if you're a Husband a Father a mother. If you're a teacher in a class if you lead any particular ministry.
If you're in church ministry, we understand that we have people that are below us. Right that are in our care in our charge that we're responsible for. The question is really what? What do we have? I mean we could say oh, they're sinners and all that.
And I think the number one thing that we need to remember is this it's not a matter of Who they are in the sense that they have names and all these kind of things but the ultimate value of a person is what they are created in God's image and Therefore they have a soul and I mean I I think about this when I do evangelism, too.
Every time I and every time I find myself in a situation where I'm like Steve, you're an idiot. You should be sharing the gospel with this person right now. The reason I come to that conclusion finally and sometimes more slowly than I should is this.
Because I realized that one day that person is going to have to give an account for what they did. Not only in their life, which is problematic enough for all of us. But what they did with the Lord Jesus Christ, and how can I withhold that truth from them and then say I?
Care about them or I acknowledge them as an image bearer and as a person with an eternal soul and for those in our in. In our care as it were. It's the same thing and they not only have that intrinsic value of being image bearers, but they also have capabilities and strengths and weaknesses of their own the.
What the Proverbist? Which would be right, but that's not right. Solomon wrote this in Proverbs 14 for the Proverbist. I don't know where that came from. Where there are no oxen the manger is clean. Now now this would be a good one for moms right where there are no oxen the manger is clean.
But abundant crops come by the strength of the ox and you just go well. What in the world does that mean? It's easy to look on your Major your your well your house right and go. I really like it when it's clean.
But if it's clean, it's probably because you have no. Or infants or You have no kids right and no dogs no cats. But abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. You want the crops you want the produce you want the good stuff, but you don't want The stuff that attends that you don't want the mess you don't want the problems with people come.
Problems it's what we're good at generating problems. We're good at that because we're sinners and with sin comes. Problems and it's pretty easy to get frustrated by those that you are shepherding those you parents those you supervise but they're the ones that Produce and eventually, you know, even if you just think about little kids, well, what do they produce.
They produce nothing but problems. But as they get old while they produce other things, you know sweet memories, especially for their grandparents. But as they get older, you know, we're shaping we're shaping our kids.
We're shaping other people. We're producing character in them. And in the church, what is our goal with people that we are? Shepherding or we're leading or we're teaching. What do we want from them other than answers in Sunday school?
What do we want from them? We want we want their sanctification, right. Charlie. Okay a glory giver which is where I'm going to ultimately go but yeah, that's what we want. We want them to give glory to God.
And I think you know, it's not very often that I think this is a very good thing to say. But I think there are times in ministry and in parenting and everything else where it's okay to think to ourselves.
What would Jesus do? Right. The kind and gentle shepherd as opposed to the one who gives them the forearm shiv. We want to coax people we want to lead people we want to be like Jesus in that sense leader a parent teacher.
Should be hard-working. You know you set the standard I I just I can remember. It's so interesting, I mean I I was never in upper management on the sheriff's program. But you know, I mean this is gonna sound it might sound bigger than what it is.
But I would have like I could have anywhere from 600 to a thousand inmates. That I was supervising. And I could have anywhere from say six to ten deputies under my Control alleged control. In fact, I remember the funniest thing the last one of the last time maybe the last or second last night I worked on the sheriff's department.
I remember seeing the in-service the the schedule a few days beforehand and it was a I think it was Labor Day and So we were on pretty much on Skeletal crew and you know a lot of people had it off because it was the last big weekend of summer.
So I look at the in-service to see where I'm gonna be working and I look at my usual spot. I'm not there and I'm like, okay, where do they put me? I Can't find my name anywhere. So then I look at the very top.
I was the watch commander. I was in charge of the whole facility and I go. They realize what they're doing here. This is like 3 ,500 inmates. I've got you know dozens of people working for me. I go are they insane?
But you have to set the example. Right, I mean if if and set the standard to you know the expectations. And I I love I love sluggard theology, so let me give you some Proverbs 10 26 like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes.
So is the sluggard to those who send him? I Just like sluggard. It's a it's a fun word. You also want to be trustworthy. I can give you the whole Boy Scout thing here Proverbs 11 13. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
Okay, let's kind of get where we're going here get to the ultimate thing. I don't know if we'll get done or not depends on how the conversation goes. Talking about leadership if we just think about Jesus as leader and is he a leader?
Yes, you know the great the perfect leader. He's the head of the church, right? I mean if you just think about the things and that Jesus puts up with. Just among his inner circle. I mean sometimes there are things that he says.
You know, how long have I been with you and these kind of things and if you still don't know who I am. You know, we might think he must be getting exasperated and I think from a human perspective. Certainly, there must have been a lot of frustrating times.
With the with the disciples. But a leader ultimately is a servant. Jesus would certainly fall into that category. He is a servant. He said he came not to Serve but or not to be served but to serve others.
Spiritual leader recognizes that he is first and foremost a servant. Let's look at John 13 verses 12 to 17. John 13 verses 12 to 17. Speaking of Jesus John writes this he says when he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place.
He said to them. Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord and you are right for so I am. If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example. That you should also do just as I have done to you. Truly truly I say to you a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him if you know these things.
Blessed are you if you do them. Now some people have taken that and said well if you know these things then you are blessed if you Wash other people's feet and so there are churches who practice foot washing because they think that's where the blessing is.
Is that his point? I mean it would be an odd thing I think in this day and age where everybody wears shoes. We don't walk around the deserts and all these kind of things if we thought Foot washing is where the action is.
His point was he gave us an example of service of recognizing that leaders must Serve. What's that? Well, they must lead and they must serve those that they are going to lead if Jesus can do it and he is both God and man, but he is.
You know deity incarnate if he can do that. Then there shouldn't be anything below a spiritual leader as well. Not just a servant but an equipper. He recognizes his role is to equip the Saints for the work of ministry.
Spiritual leaders know that their main task is to sanctify the people. Right if Jesus prayed sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Your word is truth in the ESV. I just NES. Want to make sure that they're exposed to the word.
Talked about soul protecting. Okay, let's get to. Let's get to this. We we want to. Ultimately if we just kind of take a step back get out of the nitty-gritty details and we say, okay. What is a spiritual leader supposed to do whether you're a parent a teacher an elder pastor, whatever your position is?
What is a leader to do ultimately? What are the things that he or she should be most? Consumed by.
Jonathan okay discipleship. Good.
Good. I mean because we would look at Second Timothy 2 right? We want to take these things and give them on to other people. Okay. Fidelity of the word make sure that your personal holiness is something that's worth reproducing.
Follow me even as I follow Christ, right? Tending to the flock right you want to take special care of them. Yes. Absolutely Charlie. Okay, you want the people that you supervise your family to lead a life of least regrets.
I I guess I'm like thinking I'm I'm going I'm pulling back and I'm even like you guys are describing the clouds I'm like up in the universe somewhere. Closer. Yes. Okay. Glory givers and and really what I wanted to to focus on if we just think there are two great commandments, right?
And what are they? Love God and love your neighbor. So if I said that a leader is to do two things, you know to encourage his people to teach his people to shepherd his people to do two things love the Lord their God and Love their neighbor.
Would that be wrong? I Don't think it'd be wrong. Thank you. In Matthew 22 verses 36 to 40 Jesus said this he said teacher which is the great commandment in the law and He said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself on these two commandments. Depend all the law and the prophets. In other words, if you just view those as the two great umbrella Commandments and everything else kind of aligns underneath it you would be correct.
Let's turn for a moment to second Chronicles a book that we are very familiar with second Chronicles Chapter 29. I'm sure most of you have studied this to death. So Second Chronicles 29 1 to 10 and here here's my point and kind of pointing this out to you and what then we'll read the the passage.
Leaders set the tone. They're the ones who are to lead. I mean, duh, right? There are ramifications for those underneath us. For those who follow us for those who are given to our charge. Second Chronicles 29 verses 1 to 10.
Hezekiah king. Began to reign when he was 25 years old and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother named his mother's name was a bija the son of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that David his father had done.
Now is this good or not? It's excellent. It's excellent. And in fact, you know, I've been reading through the Kings here and basically. Especially in Israel the northern kingdom, but also in the southern kingdom.
It's kind of hard to find good Kings. They frequently don't do what's right in the eyes of the Lord. Which means what if Kings didn't do what was right in the sight of the Lord? What were they doing? Okay sinning, but there's a specific I'm sorry, you know, you're gonna talk after class.
Worshipping other gods. That's what it always is about right. And Allowing you know in basically a good King would tear down the high places get rid of the asteroth and the bales and all the false gods cleanse the temples right.
And Punish people who were committing idolatry. Why? Set the tone. And if we think here are the two great commandments love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength. Well, you're worshiping idols.
That's an epic failure, right? You are God's covenant people and yet you're worshiping something that you've created out of wood or stone or whatever. Okay. Verse 3 in The first year of his reign in the first month.
He opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them good. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them hear me Levites now consecrate yourselves set yourselves apart as holy and concentrate or consecrate the house of the Lord the God of your fathers and Carry out the filth from the holy place not talking about a physical cleansing, but a spiritual cleansing.
For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done. What was evil on the side of the Lord our God. For they have forsaken him have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs.
They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or Offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came upon or came on Judah and Jerusalem and he has made them an object of horror of Astonishment and of hissing as you see with your eyes.
For behold our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord the God of Israel in Order that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
Now that's the way things are supposed to be and of course what ultimately happens to Hezekiah. He gets prideful in his old age gets a little arrogant shows one of the neighbors his His wealth and that leads to Judah's destruction.
But when I when I hear people say and they do say this your criticism of false teaching or False teachers or wrong teaching or wrong teachers is not very loving. Is that right? In other words, they're saying you violated the second commandment because you're not loving your neighbor as yourself.
Is there a problem with that thinking? Don't criticize false teaching false teachers wrong teaching because it's not very loving. First commandment is first. I mean, that's pretty basic, isn't it? You shall love the Lord your God and Your neighbor as yours, you know, let's not forget.
The first part is love God. And what does God say about false teaching? What does he say about false teachers? You take a kind view of it in the Old Testament. No. You take a kind view of it in the New Testament maybe maybe when Jesus comes in and kind of sets the tone and says that all religions ultimately lead to me.
Then things are different, right? But that's not what he said. That's not what he taught. Can you really obey the second commandment the second great commandment and ignore the first? What happens when men substitute their opinion?
What they feel is right, right it's wrong for you to do that. Don't criticize, you know other people who are trying to do what they think is right. I Mean, there's there's another way of framing it. Don't criticize people that are doing what they think is right, okay.
Let's look for a minute again in the Old Testament. This is a little more familiar passage here 2nd Samuel chapter 6 and if you're familiar with RC's ministry, you'll know this one 2nd Samuel chapter 6.
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel 30 ,000 and David arose and went with all the people who were there with him from Baal Judah. To bring up from there the Ark of God which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim and They carried the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab.
Which was on the hill and Uzzah and Ohio not Ohio, but Ohio. The sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart with the Ark of God and Ohio went before the Lord. And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord because they just gotten the Ark back for those Philistines.
With songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals and electric guitars, sorry verse 6 and when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon as a put his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it for the oxen stumbled.
In other words the oxen stumbled a little bit the carts getting wobbly. The Ark is about to fall off and us is like I can't let the Ark touch the ground therefore I'm going to stop it verse 7 and the anger of the Lord was kindled against us and God struck him down there because of his error and He died there beside the Ark of God.
He did what he wasn't supposed to do. He had good intentions. He felt he needed to take some action and because he took that action He was struck dead. It wasn't the right thing to do it was forbidden, but he did it and he paid the price.
God is very particular in how he will be worshipped and very particular in what he Commands when it comes to worship of him. When it comes to teaching he's he's not nebulous when it comes to these things.
He's very precise. And we ought not to look at false teaching as something that we can just sort of Gloss over and you know people say well, you don't have to call it out by name. Well, I don't know what to say except Paul did that Jesus went right to their faces because they were in his face all the time.
I could say something else about that, but I won't. But let me just say this if we if we were to look at spiritual leadership who is the first Spiritual leader who failed Adam. Right now how many of you were here when pastor Mike went through that in Genesis 2?
To. We forget sometimes. You know, especially in our postmodern post postmodern society. We forget Adam and Eve are in the garden. They don't have sin natures. There's nothing to really influence them one way or the other they're free.
They're really free will people they have a free will. Adam is responsible for Eve. Satan comes along and talks to Eve and Says, you know has God really said Adam's right there and what does Adam do? Absolutely nothing.
It's like the salesman comes to your door talks to your wife and you're just standing there passively and then you know. You've got the $5 ,000 vacuum cleaner and you want to be mad at her. Well, what did you do exactly?
Well nothing. I Didn't think it was my place. You didn't think it was your place. Okay, then pay the bill. She adds to it. She says we can't even touch it or he could have said I mean that could be. That could be her willful Misinterpretation of it.
It could be Adams bad teaching could be a lot of things, but he's right there and he doesn't say oh, wait. Wait, wait, wait, that's not right Eve. You know, this is what but if we go through the history of spiritual leadership.
What we're gonna find is almost without exception. That these men I mean, there are a few exceptions where we'd you know, I I was at a I Was a an examination of a man for ministry and Somebody asked well, what about?
Caleb, you know, how would you preach about Caleb and the answer that came back was Well, Caleb never sinned. And and I'm sitting there and I'm just going that's a terrible answer because if you're gonna preach, you know dare to be a Caleb.
What's the problem with dare to be anybody preaching dare to be Caleb dare to be a Daniel dare to be? Okay, it's confusing descriptive with prescriptive, but we're also setting up a fallible model, right?
We're saying, you know, if you could just live like Daniel, well, I don't know everything about Daniel, but I know He was a sinner. Right, if he wasn't a sinner than Jesus wouldn't have died for him. I don't know everything about Caleb, but he wasn't you know, so and that's the fallacy there every spiritual leader.
If you want to point to one, there's only one perfect spiritual leader and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever we we think well, we're going to be. We can improve in these things, but we're never going to be perfect then there is no role model for us other than the Lord Jesus.
But spiritual leadership involves all these things, but ultimately the point I wanted to make this morning and we need to close. But the main point I want to make this morning is if we think about it our actions our attitude our mindset and really our teaching and Our reinforcing and the things that we do the correctives that we give everything should have.
One goal of mine and our one goal is like one a and one B. We want well, maybe maybe we could say it's one and then two a and two B. But anyway, we want to glorify the Lord and how do we do that? We do that by teaching people by reminding them by pointing them to this truth that they want to Love the Lord their God with all their hearts whole mind and strength and love their neighbor as theirself and The most powerful thing that we can do in that respect is how do I teach people to love other people?
What's the most important thing? What's the most loving thing that I? Can teach you or you can teach other people to do for other people teach them the truth? Preach the gospel to them. You know, how do I show my my neighbor that I love him?
Well, there's a lot of things I can do for them. But the most loving and kind thing I can do is preach Christ to them so. Anyway, well that said we need to close father. Thank you for this morning even as we just think about what does it mean to be a spiritual leader and How do we point people to Christ?
How do we make sure that our thoughts and our words? Influence them in the right ways. Father we would pray that you would make us we all have leadership in one way or another even if we're only Influencing unbelievers if that's our only kind of Ministry we are ultimately influencing and leading other people.
Lord I pray that you would make us better witnesses. That we would think through more plainly how we should think how should we talk to other people and how we might help them To love you and love people we pray in Jesus name.
Amen.