Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Everyone is a follower.
Everyone follows someone or something else.
We can’t help it.
Nobody exists in a vacuum, so we inevitably end up influenced by others and following in their path.
Parents, peers, popular culture.
But if it’s true that everyone is a follower, it stands to reason that (almost) everyone is a leader.
Parents, we lead and influence our children in ways we don’t even know.
We are all constantly influencing each other, especially those in our peer groups, by the choices we make.
Young people feel this especially.
So it’s important to recognise this and to consciously follow the right leader.
And to aspire to be the right kind of leader.
The two are very much connected!
What does Chronicles have to teach us about who we should be following?
Chronicles was written for those returning from exile in Babylon.
Rebuilding the city.
Rebuilding the Temple.
Trying to get things back to the way they were in the good old days.
The days of King David and King Solomon, when the nation prospered under the blessing of God.
Security, riches, and a godly king leading them into the proper worship of God.
The Chronicler tells the story a little differently to Samuel and Kings.
Samuel and Kings are the warts-and-all stories.
They tell you about David’s adultery with Bathsheba, his murder of her husband Uriah.
They tell you about Solomon’s many wives and his subsequent idolatry.
But Chronicles focuses more on their good sides, with a only a few misdemeanours thrown in.
The kings of Judah are categorised according to whether they did right or evil in the eyes of the Lord.
And Chronicles ends with no King in Israel.
In other words, the Lord is yet to fulfil his promise of a son of David on the eternal throne.
But there are clear lessons throughout Chronicles about godly leadership - what it is, and what it isn’t.
The Chronicler effectively shows us what kind of king/ leader we should be looking for.
If everyone is a follower we need to make sure we’re following the right Leader.
Chronicles teaches us that we need a leader who loves the Lord, who loves the sheep, and who loves the Word.
We need...
A Leader Who Loves The Lord
The story of Israel’s Kings starts immediately after the genealogies in .
Saul was the first.
The story starts where his reign ends.
The Philistines have fought against Israel and they are winning.
Saul’s sons have already been struck down.
1 Chron 10:4-
But the reason for Saul’s death is given in vv13-14...
1 Chron
Saul was unfaithful to the Lord, didn’t keep the word of the Lord, and didn’t inquire of the Lord.
A serious indictment.
And it was for these reasons that Israel was ultimately sent into exile ().
2 Chron 36:15-
Clearly this is not the kind of leader the repatriated Israel should aspire to have.
By definition , then a godly leader who loves the Lord is one who is faithful to the Lord, who keeps the Word of the Lord, and inquires of the Lord.
David was such a leader, and became the benchmark for future kings.
Samuel told Saul...
In 2 Chronicles you have the repeated refrain that such and such a king “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” often followed by “just as his father David had done.”
Queen Victoria apparently said to one her chaplains...
“Oh, how I wish that the Lord would come during my lifetime.”
“Why does your Majesty feel this very earnest desire?” asked the great preacher.
With her queenly countenance lit up with deep emotion she replied, “Because I should so love to lay my crown at His feet.”
We need a leader who loves the Lord.
We need a leader who loves the Lord.
That’s certainly true anyone called to serve as leaders of God’s people in any capacity - homegroup leaders, team leaders, deacons, elders and pastors.
That’s certainly true anyone called to serve as leaders of God’s people in any capacity - homegroup leaders, team leaders, deacons, elders and pastors.
It’s certainly true that we all need to be leaders in our various spheres of influence - parents, peers, part of the culture.
But leaders are only as good as the One they themselves follow.
The true leader we all need is the great Son of David, Jesus Christ.
He is the One who ultimately loves the Lord.
On earth Jesus repeatedly expressed his love for the Father, often in terms of doing the Father’s will.
Everyone follows someone.
Who are you following?
If you are being led by anyone or anything that doesn’t lead you to loving the Lord then you are following the wrong person or thing.
Everyone follows someone.
Who are you following?
If we are at all concerned about loving God and keeping his commands, we will follow Jesus Christ his Son.
Because we need a leader who loves the Lord, and Chronicles shows us we need...
A Leader Who Loves The Sheep
King David had experience leading and loving sheep.
But that all changed!
“You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.”
describes David’s experience of being an actual shepherd to becoming shepherd of God’s people...
describes David’s experience of being an actual shepherd to becoming shepherd of God’s people...
The Shepherd image is often connected to kingdom and leadership, not only in the OT but also in other ancient near eastern texts.
We wouldn’t naturally link the two occupations!
Shepherding is dirty, laborious work.
But one who has cared for sheep has developed qualities necessary for leading God’s people.
Consider how the Lord is pictured as a shepherd in : “I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside quiet waters, refreshes my soul.
He guides me.
He is with me.
He comforts me.”
Israel needed a shepherd like David, a man after God’s own shepherd heart.
When they came home from Babylon they were like sheep without a shepherd.
They needed a godly leader who would love the sheep with humility and devoted care.
Everyone follows someone or something.
I read this week that some millennials are turning back to horoscopes, looking for some positivity and encouragement to offset their anxiety and worry.
It signals a shift from hard science to a more superstitious or spiritual way of looking at things.
But the article also explained that the horoscopes you read in the newspaper are completely fictional!
Some astrologers take it a bit more seriously and will give you a personalised chart based on your birth year and location.
But you will have to pay them £250 for the privilege!
So horoscopes and astrologers either tell you lies or rob you blind!
Not the kind of humble, servant-shepherd kind of leader the Bible recommends.
We don’t have to go very far in the NT to find this shepherd-king image fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus brings the whole shepherd-as-leader idea to a firm definition when he says...
John 10:11
Here is a shepherd worth following.
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