Leading Well
Man Up • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Into
Leaders come in all sorts of personalities. Some have used leadership principles to grow evil while others try to propagate good in the World.
Here are a few leaders that are considered some of the best in history books.
Alexander, the Great
Alexander the Great, often known as the “Man Who Conquered the World,” is widely regarded as the greatest military leader of all time. His leadership style, great presence of mind, battles, and vision is still being praised in the books of history. He was born in 356 BC and controlled the greatest empire in history by the age of 33, stretching from Greece to Egypt to India. He was the King of Macedonia, and he was maybe the finest military leader that ever lived. He accomplished the great feat of uniting numerous Greek city-states. He was unbeaten in combat until he died of malaria in 323 BC
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a revolutionary personality of the historic times whose life has been romanticized by the famous William Shakespeare himself through his works. He is arguably the most popular Roman politician and a reputed writer of famous Latin prose. His legacy can be estimated from the fact that his name is synonymous with leadership, and the month of July is named after him.
Winston Churchill
Regarded as the savior of democracy, Winston Churchill was the great mind behind the victory of Britain from the Nazis. Born in an aristocratic family, he served the national army of Britain and then, later on, became the Prime Minister in 1940. Amongst his many honors, some are being elected as a PM again in 1951, Nobel Prize in Literature, etc.
Abraham Lincoln
Known as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was a revolutionary leader who ignited the ‘free nation’ spirit in the USA. He was an award-winning lawyer who later on chose the path of politics. Words like democracy, liberty, equal rights, etc are often used as synonyms for his name due to his inspirational journey of leading the country to victory in the Civil War.
Each of these leaders have something in common. They were passionate about their pursuits, they refused to back down against their enemies, and they rallied others around their mission. It’s no small feat to convince others to pursue the goals you desire to achieve. Yet, every great leader in history has changed their sphere of influence and rallied people behind their mission objective.
Often, the leader is in need of a cause that is worthy of followers pledging loyalty. Or, individuals need to know why what their leader is asking them is worth their time. And, in some cases, the person is in desperate need to see the potential they have deep within them. The leader packages the message and goal so that their followers can unlock their potential. They convince others the cause is worth their time, resources, and energy.
In the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams plays a teacher named John Keating. In this story, Keating is doing his best to inspire his students to look at poetry through the lens of authentic knowledge and feelings.
Here’s a clip demonstrating the leadership of Keating.
Every man is called to leadership and each of us has a responsibility to learn how to lead well. Yet, the question remains:
How do we lead well as ordinary men?
Today, we are picking up in 1 Thessalonians to discover the art of leading well according to Paul.
Contextual Highlights:
Paul is writing to the church in Thessalonica during his 18-month stay in Corinth.
Paul is on his second missionary Journey
The Thessalonian church was positioned in the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and had a population of over 100,000.
Acts 17:4 places Paul, Timothy, and Silas as preaching in the Synagogue. Yet, Jewish opponents of the missionary team forced them to leave early and we see this in Acts 17:9-10.
Paul sent Timothy back to the Thessalonian church to check on them and upon his return to Paul and giving him a report of the people Paul wrote to them.
Paul opens his letter with a word of praise and encouragement to the the Thessalonians. He praises them for their conversion from Pagan idol worship to worshipping the one true God.
Which leads us to our passage today,
For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.
Paul establishes two things before outlining good leadership.
the first is that the Thessalonian church knew him and the gospel’s effectiveness through him.
the second is that the Thessalonians witnessed the boldness of Paul after suffering for the message he brought to them.
These two points are the evidence Paul uses to jump start his explanation of how God desires his leaders to lead.
Paul gives us eight ways to lead well:
1. Good leaders are not deceptive.
1. Good leaders are not deceptive.
For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit;
Paul explains their heart behind their mission with three negative statements all dealing with deceptive motivations.
a. They didn’t come with a bad message.
b. They didn’t come with impure motives.
c. They didn’t come by way of deceit.
If Paul and his missionary team had come into the city and shared a message that was easily proven false. They would have lost their credibility. The message that they brought then would be easily undone and they would be proven to be untrustworthy.
Yet Paul brought a divine message with pure intentions. Good leaders always have pure intentions and do not deceive others to get what they want.
At the time, the region was filled with people earning a living off their wits and peddling of “wisdom” in the hellenistic marketplaces.
Paul wanted no association with these individuals because he was bringing the Good news of Jesus Christ Crucified and raised from the death for our sins.
Illustration:
Dwight D. Eisnhower said, “In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man's associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”
Paul was no different, he need those who followed him to recognize he followed and was merely the servant of the most High God.
We men should always lead a life of integrity and avoid all forms of deceitful dealings with others.
2. Good leaders are not people pleasers.
2. Good leaders are not people pleasers.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.
Paul did not concern himself with those who came against him. As mentioned before, Paul new his message was truth, from a pure heart, and was trustworthy. Because he knew his intention, he did not concern himself with those who came against him.
His mission was to please the Lord in all aspects of his life. He sought to live faithfully according to his calling from God.
Paul wasn’t a servant of people but of the Lord.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul expands on this thought,
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Paul recognized that if his primary concern was to seek the praise of people then he would never please God. So his focus and attention was set on please God first and foremost.
Now men, this is not an excuse to be harsh or short with others. We are called to winsomeness and kindness. Paul walked that line well. He cared deeply for people but never compromised on Scriptural faithfulness or his calling to serve God in all aspects of his life.
Not only are good leaders not deceptive or people pleasers.
3. Good leaders are not greedy.
3. Good leaders are not greedy.
For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—
I love how The Message paraphrases this verse:
We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.
There is nothing more irritating to me than someone who wants to butter me up. I don’t even like it when my 4 and 6 year olds do it.
Archer the other day, my four year old, was at the dinner table and randomly goes “you are the best daddy.” I’m on cloud 9. My heart filled with joy. He then drops the follow up question, “can I have...”
Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. I was not happy. So Katherine and I explained to him how we don’t say nice things to get something.
It’s a small example of the dangers we all can slip into if we aren’t careful.
Do not be someone who uses your speech to fuel your greedy intentions. Nail your greed to the cross and confess it to the Lord for God cannot use the greedy soul until it has been crippled and killed with the blood of Christ.
Yet, there is a fourth aspect to being a good leader;
4. Good leaders are not self-serving.
4. Good leaders are not self-serving.
nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.
Paul explains that:
they didn’t want glory from men
Paul wanted to do one thing with his life; he wanted to give all of himself for the service of God. He was trusting fully in Jesus and kept his eye’s affixed on the upward call of God.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
He wasn’t pursuing the glory of the great leaders of history. He was pursuing giving praise and honor to the greatest Servant of history, Jesus Christ.
they didn’t assert their authority
Fact is, many leaders actually are more like dictators. They always let you know they are over you, you have little to no say in matters of importance, and they like to micromanage even the most trivial of matters.
That isn’t good leadership because it’s a self-serving leadership. It is used to build up one person, the leader who is dictating. They want to look good in every way even at the expensive of hurting their team. It gives little to know freedom for the people under the leader to grow and learn.
You cannot lead well if you hold too tightly to the reigns. You need to empower others to thrive and even outshine your own abilities.
Great leaders have the ability to see the greatest potential within another person and then take them along a journey to discover the greatness of Jesus and to unlock their greatest potential in Christ. The journey is long and much love and patience must be had to see the potential blossom. Yet, when you witness that pupil become the leader, there is a joy for the greatest of leaders.
- Ben Hill
We have seen four negative statements that help us understand good leadership they were:
Good leaders are not deceptive
Good leaders are not people pleasers
Good leaders are not greedy
Good leaders are not self-serving
Now lets look at four positive statements on leadership:
5. Good leaders are sensitive to the needs of others.
5. Good leaders are sensitive to the needs of others.
But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.
Good leaders provide a great deal of tenderness towards others. Paul explains that his gentleness is like that of a nursing mother.
One of the things I admire most about my wife is her tenderness towards our children, especially when they were newborns. Whether she had 30 minutes of sleep or 8 hours, she would lovingly caress their round blush cheeks and sway and with soft gentle bounces while singing worship songs softly in their eyes to calm them when they were upset until they would drift to sleep.
She sacrificed all she has so that she could attend to the needs of her children. She has a different touch from mine and it’s a beautiful depiction of how God made us.
It is that picture that Paul draws upon when he explains how he cared for for the Thessalonian church. It was with gentleness not harshness he guided them to the truth.
Paul explains that the fruit of the Spirit of the Lord is these 9 traits:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Every one of these aspects, tie into how we interact with the world around us and one of them is the practice of gentleness.
It doesn’t mean you can’t give reproof. Katherine and I both have to give reproof to our children when they do wrong. But do you know what we do when reproof comes. We sit our children down. We walk them through why the reproof is, was needed. We tell them how much we love them and how we are proud of them and want them to be the best little men they can be for the Lord.
While stern and disciplined, we both make a practice to have a heart of gentleness with our children so they understand the love we have for them.
Paul understood this as well. He knew that gentleness wins over the hearts of others, especially for those who don’t know better. Be patient with those who you have leadership over, they need to see that you care for them.
See, good leaders are sensitive to the needs of others because:
6. Good leaders have affection for people.
6. Good leaders have affection for people.
Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
Are you growing closer to the people around you? Your love for those you lead, should continue to grow because you have a genuine love and affection for them.
How do you lead out of affection?
1. Begin with loving and having great affection for the Lord.
2. Second, love and have great affection for your family. You can tell how great a leader is by examining how much he loves and cherishes his family.
3. Third, love and cherish every person around you. Your co-workers, boss, and people who serve under you. Care about them personally. They are not simply a person at work. They are just like you a person with a family, life experiences and struggles. They need someone who will listen and care for them like you want someone to listen care about you.
Not only do good leaders have gentleness and affection towards others:
7. Good leaders demonstrate authenticity.
7. Good leaders demonstrate authenticity.
Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Paul and the missionary team worked hard. They did everything in their power to make sure they were not a burden to anyone so that they might have the most effectiveness possible.
They could have easily asked for their needs to be met. Yet, instead of asking for financial aid , they worked “night and day” to provide for themselves.
Through this practice they proved their authenticity and the authenticity of their message. They were not like all the other peddlers. They were faithful servant leaders of God.
Make sure you are living authentic lives, there are few things that will turn people away from your leadership than being someone who is fake.
The last trait of a good leader is that
8. Good leaders are enthusiastically affirming.
8. Good leaders are enthusiastically affirming.
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;
11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,
There is nothing more encouraging to a young child than the encouragement of their father. The next best encouragement is the encouragement received from a well respected leader. Good leaders regularly and meaningfully affirm and encourage the people.
In the tv series NCIS, Jethro Gibbs is the leader of an investigative team. He is about as prickly as a porcupine. Yet, something sticks out about Gibbs. He loves his team, he wants them to be the best they can be, he is quick to give correction, but when his team does a great job, he always tells the person “that’s good work.” A form of encouragement. He knows his team well. He has a good understanding of the dynamics of his team.
Gibbs isn’t a perfect leader. He can be overly harsh but his team loves him and respects him because he affirms them, cares for them, and wants to unlock the greatest potential in them.
Those little nuggets of encouragement are so vital. It builds the person up and gives them the strength to keep pressing on towards the goal.
When was the last time your family heard praise from you? When was the last time your wife, kids, or grandchildren heard you say I’m so proud of you? What about your team at work?
They need it. They crave that encouragement and the great leaders are encouragers.
So we have seen 8 traits all good leaders have:
1. Good leaders are not deceptive.
2. Good leaders are not people pleasers.
3. Good leaders are not greedy.
4. Good leaders are not self-serving.
5. Good leaders are sensitive to the needs of others.
6. Good leaders have affection for people.
7. Good leaders demonstrate authenticity.
8. Good leaders are enthusiastically affirming.
The question is which areas are your strengths and where are you weak? Everyone of us need to improve in the area of leadership and we all great in different areas. However, to truly go from an okay leader to a great leader, we must grow and learn to be good in all eight of these traits of a good leader.
But in order to lead well we must have a personal relationship with the ultimate leader Jesus. We must live lives surrendered to him. Are you walking with him?
If you aren’t, you can choose to do so today -> gospel
Pray