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Jesus: The servant/leader - sermons on leadership |
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Written by John Thomas OBrien
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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
In the time that Jesus lived, slavery was very much the practice. A Slave can be defined as a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant. This is "law of the bond slave" from the Old Testament.
According to this law, a slave could refuse his freedom and could choose to remain with his master forever, Ex. 21:1-6. Jesus knew that like a slave, He had no personal rights. His life was dictated to him by the Father God. He was totally dedicated to the will of God.
The slave was totally owned by the Master. In the spiritual sense, Jesus saw the wretched condition we were in and He bought us unto Himself. He made us His possession. The slave existed for his Master. He had no other reason for his existence. He had no rights of his own. The only rights he had were those of the Master. The slave existed to serve his Master. He had no other purpose in life but to do what the Master wanted him to do. He was to be at the Master's disposal any hour of the day or night.
Even the slave's will belong exclusively to his Master. He was allowed no will or no ambition outside that which his Master allowed him to have. In other words, there was to be a total surrender of every part of the slaves being to the will of the Master. Jesus came into this world as a slave. A slave to the Will of His Father. Jesus came as a servant, as a slave. He was the servant of the Lord. Therefore are called to be servants of the servant of the Lord.
1. Jesus: The benchmark of a leader.
Jesus was a leader. Jesus was a born leader. This was evident when Jesus was 12 years old. At this tender age, old, Jesus showed His capacity for leadership while talking with the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Luke 2:47). During his three year ministry, Jesus many facets of leadership. All the marks of leadership were there. People were attracted to Him, and liked Him. They left their jobs, the livelihood, their political viewpoints, and followed Him. Jesus was the leader. He led them into other tasks He set before them. The crowds would have never followed him; He would have never attracted disciples if falseness or two sidedness could be detected in Him. It wasn't. Jesus was authentic
Why Jesus was a leader:a) He had Divine nature:
John the Baptist was the first to declare this; at the River Jordan. John said "The one was in their midst, the sandals on whose feet John was unworthy to tie." The voice of Father-God was heard at Jesus' baptism, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). Jesus declared Himself, "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Jesus also related that "He and His Father were one" (John 10:30). Jesus would naturally assume the role of leader within his community and people.
b) An example to be followed:
We need to know what to do; that is what is expected of us. The rules and level of performance are called standards. Our standards are set by Him, then and now. His leadership was natural, clear and example based. People were eager to hear what He said and He did not have to speak loud to get their attention. They liked Him. He commanded attention when He entered a room. A hush fell over the people because they sensed His leadership and nature. Pilate wanted Jesus to accept the Title:"King of the Jews" Jesus refused this. He did not need a human title to establish His kingdom. He would not accept or yield to pressure for anyone. His is an example of strong, sensitive leadership. This pattern is is evident for all who want to be a leader and be in a Leadership position.
c) Actionable Leadership:
Jesus was a man of action. Jesus acted with decisive action. When the Temple was taken over by commercial interests, Jesus acted out the truth. (Matthew 21:12)
When winds and seas threatened His boat, Jesus cried out, "Peace be still" (Mark 4:39) and a great calm came upon the sea. Jesus was a man with strong character, a decisive leader. He confronted what was wrong or harmful and led by action.
d) Jesus: led by the quality of His life:
Jesus grew in favor with God, with men, and women (Luke 2:52). He went around doing good (Acts 10:38). He was gladly heard by the "Hoi Poi", the common man. In speaking with authority, His words cast judgment upon the Scribes and the Pharisees (Matthew 7:29). The apostle Paul often wrote about the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus was loved by-and loved and prayed for-his friends (John 17). He was such an attractive person that people were drawn to Him like iron filings to a magnet (Luke 4:15).
e) Jesus : His depth of compassion:
Jesus wept for his friends. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). When his friend Lazarus was declared dead, the Scriptures tell us that his friend and leader wept. (John 11:35). Jesus, seeing the pressure put on the sister of Lazarus by her sister, Martha, defended her. (Luke 10:42).
Leadership with compassion is Jesus’ example in all these examples. Jesus displayed strong and bold leadership, by revealing sensitivity and compassion.
f) Jesus and the ultimate sacrifice:
Only a person of strength could look death squarely in the face and walk in peace towards it. Only a person of absolute conviction could endure the lashes, the nails, the thorns and the spear. Only strength could accept loneliness and agony of the Cross. Jesus was a born leader. Within His human experience, Jesus sets the example for leadership and calls us to follow.
2. Jesus the SERVANT.
Among the titles applied to Jesus, Servant stands out as one favored by Him. That is: "Servant of the Lord." In Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many," and Philippians 2:7-8, "He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave. He humbled Himself by being obedient, even to death."
Jesus was a servant because:
a) the prophets predicted that a servant would come and suffer.
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).
"Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before its shearers, He did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
The New Testament takes up this theme, quoting Isaiah, "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul delights" (Matthew 12:18).
b) He offered us a powerful model of servant hood.
When none of the disciples wanted to wash the accumulated dust off the feet of the disciples (even of Jesus), it was Jesus who took up the basin and towel and washed the feet of his friends (John 13:5).
c) The blessing that accompanied His meekness.
In Matthew 5, when Jesus taught from a mountain, he set down for posterity the character of the servant.
"How blest are the poor in spirit because the Kingdom of heaven is theirs" (5:3).
"How blest are the gentle because they will inherit the earth" (5:5).
"How blest are the merciful because they will obtain mercy" (5:7).
"How blest are the peacemakers because they will be called the children of God" (5:9).
d) The obligation of servant hood.
Jesus continued preaching His message:
"Don't resist an evil-doer. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also (5:39). If anyone forces you to go one mile with him, goes an extra mile" (5:41).
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (5:44).
e) Jesus was humble.
When disciples tried to protect Jesus from children pressing on Him, Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. The Kingdom of God is made up of children like these" (Matt. 19:14). He was the good shepherd caring for the sheep (Hebrews 13:20).
f) Jesus died at Calvary as the "suffering servant."
Jesus was the Lamb of God who laid down His life for His sheep (John 1:29, 36). He submitted to the shame and ignominy of a very humiliating death on a rough wooden cross. He died, the just for the unjust. He served God and God's people right to the end.
Biblical example of a servant/reader: DavidDavid, the man who became king, first became a man by discovering the heart of God in worship.
David's rise to power was not a smooth ride. It was loaded with danger, setbacks, risks, and near escapes. It was the Lord's faithfulness to David, and David's to the LORD, brought him safely through all these problems. He was highly regarded by the population long before he ascended the throne.
King David was king many years. The seat of his Kingdom was located in Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
This is often called the Golden Age of Israel
David was the son of Jesse, descendant from Ruth. He assumed power after the death of the Saul. King Saul was a talented king. But Saul had stopped God. He followed his own path instead of relying on God. This took on the characteristics of selfishness and evil. God told Samuel he would remove Saul from being king, and replace him with “a man after his own heart”, a man who is “better than [Saul].” Saul remained king for a long time,however his decline was evident. When David became king, the golden age of Israel begin.
David governed the tribes of Israel, forming them into a united nation. David was a wise leader. But not of his own right. It came about through God's blessings. Because of his dependence on God, David became an excellent soldier, Military thinker, a good administrator, a diplomat, and king to name of few things enabled by Gods' blessings.
His leadership extended Israel’s lands in the north (1 Chron. 18:3, 14), winning over Israel’s enemies the Canaanites and the Philistines.
David first settled his base in Hebron in southern Judah, but when all 13 tribes of Israel accepted his leadership he chose a central location from which to govern. An ideal place was on the northern border of Judah, the city of Jebus, also called Jerusalem (City of Peace), but the Jebusites (Canaanites) held the city (1 Chron. 11:4).
David conquered the city, and called it the City of David (1 Chron. 11:6-7).
On Mount Moriah, next to the city, he moved the Ark of the Covenant, and there his son Solomon later built the first temple.
David Anointed as King
Early in Davids young life, Samuel had anointed David to be king after Saul died. God raised a prophetic leadership voice that called for the rule of God’s heart. Samuel “prepared the way” for David as centuries later John “prepared the way” for Jesus.
Saul was impressed by David and had him work for him as his musician and as a soldier. Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him. David fled to the Philistines and others who did not like Saul joined him. At one point, David was hiding in a cave at En-Gedi (by the Dead Sea), when Saul entered the cave to relieve himself. David had the opportunity to kill king Saul and take the throne, but David refrained, because his character was so strong. He was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22).
David had the chance to kill Saul many times, but restrained himself. When Saul finally died in battle, David was sad, but he knew his destiny and returned to Judah where he was made king over Judah. Eventually the other tribes of Israel accepted him and he ruled the whole nation.
Worship has always been the means by which God has sought to reestablish his rule and restore relationship with His people. Davids rule was entwined with worship and restorativeness to God. David's most notable contributions were in matters of faith. David was always in love with the Lord. David coordinated worship, installed priests and musicians who worked all day long. David wrote many psalms. He is responsible for arranging those written by others into psalters. God told David he could not build the temple. So he got the building material together instead. In this way he help his son to build the temple.
From the experience David had with God and this encounter resultant effect on his leadership, the marks of a effective leader can be seen.
Jesus is the perfect model for servant/leadership, we must model our selves in His foot steps. We can never become effective leaders with out or apart from the blessings of God. The blessing of God come to us when we are in His will. When we model ourselves we must consider the following qualities:
1. Godliness; the quality or state of being spiritually pure through faith; walking with God.
Godliness is something one archives, rather it is showered upon you through a faith relationship with God. The person who wants lead others in the Christian church must walk with God; this is not an option. This person must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; in saving faith. This person must be led by the Holy Spirit. This cannot be faked; it comes from a willingness to be available to God, out of a prayer life, out of communion with the "Trinity." All issues in leadership will be influenced by a leader's spiritual life.
2. Honestly; conduct that conforms to Christian standard of right and wrong, integrity
Leaders will be always trusted, until something other then honestly in the leaders character surfaces. People will rely on the leader because the leader relies on God. Any other reliance will end in tradicy The reliance on a leader comes out of his integrity. The leaders word will be believed, attitudes and actions will be consistent because of his walk in faith with God. Integrity will characterize the leader's behavior.
3. steadiness; the ability to withstand force or stress without being distorted, dislodged, or damaged
With trouble all around him, the good leader is stable and serene, with the ability to calm the emotions of those around him. People have security in the presence of steadiness in their leadership. Leadership given by God will result in sound judgment, solid positions not swayed in their decisions.
4 Unpretentious: free from any intent to deceive or impress others
Effective leaders are unpretentious before God and man. Effective leadership from the heart of God is never proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive. These leaders do not need to be applauded or praised. They recognize that their abilities will be the gift of God.
5. Tactfulness :the ability to deal with others in touchy situations without offending them; skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility.
Leaders must have the ability to deal with others in touchy situations without offending them. God given leadership exhibits tactfulness, never causing harm through a word, deed, or comment, deserved or not. Leaders must not tolerate gossip about others. Leaders will guard the reputation of others. Leaders are in control of their tongue.
6. Resolute: fully committed to achieving a goal ; Determined
Good leaders must make decisions. They do not put decisions off. Congregations will look to them for decisive actions, both easy and hard. By listening to various points of view, making judgment and then coming to a decision.
7. Creativity: the skill and imagination to create new things
Good leaders have the power of imagination. They see the big picture, with all its implications. Enlistment of others to their vision comes easy for them and is an essential part of leadership. In the Christian context, they will remain open to the leading of the Spirit.
8. sociable: showing a natural kindness and courtesy especially in social situations
Acceptance as a leader will depend in a large part on how social able the leader is. The skill of unsociability requires good social skills.
In liking others, they in turn will be liked. Leaders. Leaders will not be distance from others and unapproachable. Leaders must understand and empathize with people.
9. Insight: the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships: characterized by sympathetic understanding.
Effective leaders must think of others. Leaders are disturbed to see injustice, suffering
or abuse. They must take steps to right the injustice. Good leaders will have a social conscience.
10. Jesus; had sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation and facts
Effective leaders will be saturated with common sense. They will behave How to say things and when to say them. They make mature decisions. Leadership always comes down to common-sense judgments. People who have common-sense are easy to identify and commend themselves to others.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 November 2007 )
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