You Are a Leader for Christ!

16th Sunday after Pentecost, Stewardship Sunday #3, 10/2/11
Joshua 1:6-9


You Are a Leader for Christ!
I. Trust his promises.
II. Know how to lead.


No doubt you know that in our worship today we’re talking about leadership. And the mere mention of the world fills us with mixed emotions, doesn’t it? Throughout our lives we’ve admired good, strong leaders. Our study of history in school often focused on such admirable people. Today we look for good leaders in government and business. Social and charitable organizations depend on good leaders. In our more wistful moments, we even imagine ourselves as such good and effective leaders.

But when the opportunity to lead actually presents itself, we hesitate. Do we really want to get involved at this level? Do we have the time? What will such leadership cost us? What, if any, will be the rewards? Isn’t there someone else who could do a better job?

I imagine all those thoughts and more flooded the mind and heart of Joshua as the Lord spoke these words of our text to him. And notice that God wasn’t asking him if he wanted to lead his people. He was telling Joshua, “You’re the man! You are a leader.” We don’t hear anything about allowing Joshua the opportunity to consider declining this opportunity.

You, too, are a leader. It may not be in great ways, but it’s leadership nonetheless. Rather than shrinking away from it or resisting it, let’s embrace it. You are a leader for Christ! Let’s investigate that truth a little further as we ponder these words of our God and the opportunities for leadership that he presents to us.

Part I.

You recall Joshua, don’t you? About 40 years prior to the day in our text the Lord had led his people out of slavery in Egypt. A short time later, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites, and it was Joshua who commanded Israel’s army and led them to victory. Joshua had been a close assistant to Moses for four decades. He accompanied Moses at least part way up Mt. Sinai when Moses received the commandments from the Lord. Joshua was one of the 12 spies who went into the Promised Land to check it out and was one of only two spies who trusted the Lord and proclaimed that, indeed, Israel could conquer the people who lived in it. Because of that, Joshua was one of only two who escaped the Lord’s judgment on the people. All those 20 years old or more perished in the wilderness during the next 40 years. And throughout those years, Joshua was faithfully serving God’s people at the side of Moses.

But everything changed for Joshua on the day the Lord spoke these words to him. You see, Moses had just died. Moses. The one who had led Israel right up to the gates of the Promised Land not once but twice. Moses, the one who wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. Moses, the one who saw the glory of the Lord and spoke with the Lord like no one before him and no one since. Moses, the one who performed miracles by the power of the Lord. Moses, the one whose face once radiated the glory of the Lord.

And now the Lord was placing the mantle of leadership on Joshua. Do you know how difficult it is to replace a great leader? Few succeed. And who remembers them? We all recall the first president of the United States, but how many of us can name the second? Who coached the Green Bay Packers after Vince Lombardi? It’s tough to follow a great leader. No doubt Joshua felt more than a little pressure. These were huge sandals to fill. Was he up to the task? Did he have what it takes? The Israelites often resisted Moses’ leadership, as great as he was. How would they respond to Joshua?

But the Lord doesn’t discuss these things with Joshua. Instead, he says, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous.” These people numbered about 2 million. Did Joshua have what it would take not only to lead them into the Promised Land but also to conquer it? Would he be a good leader? What if the people wouldn’t listen to him? What if he messed up?

The Lord takes his mind off these pressing questions, and directs Joshua back to him and his word. He reminds Joshua that he had promised to give this land to Joshua’s forefathers—meaning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What God promises he must deliver. Joshua can count on that as he now leads these people. In other words, the Lord was calling on Joshua to trust him and therefore to be brave and courageous.

That’s what it takes to be a leader for Christ. It takes trust in him not in yourself. You see, that’s our natural inclination. We look in at ourselves and place a sinful confidence in our own abilities or worthiness. We think more of ourselves than we ought. Or the other extreme takes place. We look in at ourselves and become convinced that we have nothing to offer, as if God hasn’t gifted us at all. The solution to both of these pitfalls to leadership is the promises of God. He was faithful to his greatest promise in sending us a Savior who won our forgiveness and our eternal life by his life and his death on the cross. That Savior made us his own by faith in him and has gifted us to serve him faithfully. That service often involves leading others, sometime demonstrably, sometimes quietly. And as we do so, we can be confident of God’s blessings because that’s what he promised. You see, our God never asks from us something he hasn’t already given us. When he calls on us to lead, he doesn’t ask us to do so alone. We’re leading with him. His presence and power are with us always. You are a leader for Christ. As you lead, trust in his promises to you!

Part II.

OK. So our God calls us leaders for Christ. But how should we lead? The Lord discussed that very thing with Joshua. He said, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” In short, the Lord tells him, “Be in the word of God. Read it. Study it. Meditate on it.”

The Lord tells us the same thing as we take up the mantle of leadership. There are countless books out there on leadership. I’m sure many of you have read more than a couple of them. But when leading God’s people, there’s only one book that counts, because it’s the only book that comes from the mouth of the Lord. That’s this book, the Bible. To be a leader for Christ that’s the only place we need to look for guidance when we need to know how to lead. That’s the only place we need to look for the motivation to lead. That’s the only place we need to look for forgiveness when we’ve failed to lead properly. That’s the place to look to strengthen our faith and to find the faith to lead God’s people in the way we should go.

But maybe you’re saying to yourself. “But I’m not a leader. I’m a follower.” Really? Are you always a follower? If you’re a husband and a father, God has already made you a leader in your family. You should be leading, not following. And if you’re a wife or mother, you’re leading, too. I hope and pray you’ve led your children to their Savior, Jesus Christ and that you continue to do so. And when your husband needs encouragement or correction from God’s word, I hope you take the lead in providing it in a God-pleasing way. If you’re single, there are all sorts of people in your life that need you to lead them into the truths of God’s word from time to time. Even if you’re a child, you can lead as you give a Christian example and offer a Christian outlook to your friends and others. My point is, even though you may not think of yourself as a leader, there are times every day in your life in which you are. And what a blessing to others that you are a leader for Christ! Your loving God equips you for that very service through his word, the very same word that he commanded Joshua to read, to study, to know.

You are a leader for Christ! Know how to lead. That knowledge comes through God’s word.

In a little more than a year, our country’s voters will elect our nation’s leader for the next four years. I suppose that, as a child, many of us considered serving one day as the President of the United States of America. But I’ll bet few us of, if any of us, still consider it anymore. To be honest, it’s about the last job I would want. The criticism is relentless. Take a look at a picture of our presidents on the day they entered office and the day they left it and how much older they look. The position takes a huge toll on those who serve.

In a sinful world, that’s the way it is with leadership. It’s not easy. Jesus was the world’s greatest and only perfect leader and look how his own people treated him. You, too, are a leader. And when you lead, don’t think that everyone is going to simply fall in line and follow your every move and agree with every decision you make. There will be trouble. And sometimes it’s our own fault. We haven’t been the leaders we should be. We’ve been lazy or unconcerned. Leading has become more about us than it is about the people we’re leading. And when those sins and a host of others appear, know how to lead! Go to God’s word and hear his promise of forgiveness. Ask for forgiveness. The words, “I’m sorry; please forgive me,” are some of the most powerful leadership words ever spoken. And in that same word of God you’ll find the motivation to forgive the sins of those whom you are leading. That motivation is found in Christ who forgave the ones who refused his leadership and nailed him to the cross as he was dying for their sins. The world’s sins. Your sins and mine. That forgiving love and mercy of Jesus empower us to take up the mantle of leadership and be a leader for Christ.

You are a leader for Christ! Instead of hesitating, accept it out of love for Christ. Look for the possibilities in your life to lead others in a God-pleasing way. It’s one of the many ways that we use what we are to the glory of our Savior. That’s Christian stewardship. Different gifts, same grace. May the Lord richly bless your efforts to lead others to him! Amen.