Leadership Seminar 2: A Leader’s Authority - Chris Hamilton
00:00:00.000 | - Well, if you recall from our last session together,
00:00:04.680 | we talked a lot about how every man is a leader.
00:00:07.300 | And that assignment started at creation
00:00:10.480 | in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world.
00:00:13.780 | The privilege and responsibility of male leadership
00:00:18.860 | was not the curse.
00:00:21.040 | It was a key feature of God's perfect creation.
00:00:25.900 | Man was created to lead,
00:00:28.720 | to exercise dominion and authority.
00:00:31.640 | Satan's first and successful attack
00:00:36.600 | was against that authority.
00:00:38.260 | There's nothing new under the sun.
00:00:42.660 | Today's chaos surrounding the concepts
00:00:46.540 | and the principles of male authority and leadership
00:00:49.820 | is a continuation of Satan's efforts
00:00:51.820 | that began in the Garden of Eden.
00:00:53.480 | The resulting confusion and rebellion
00:00:57.880 | against God's design results in either really bad leadership
00:01:01.420 | or none at all,
00:01:03.500 | with all of the consequences that come from that.
00:01:06.100 | Secular leadership, we learned last time,
00:01:09.180 | is vastly different than spiritual leadership.
00:01:11.620 | We spent a fair amount of time in our last session
00:01:15.280 | contrasting secular leadership and spiritual leadership,
00:01:18.420 | and you may recall, even as we looked at
00:01:21.160 | the transformation of the Apostle Paul
00:01:23.700 | and the leadership transformation that he went through
00:01:27.500 | as a result of the gospel.
00:01:29.160 | Well, tonight, we address the reality
00:01:33.500 | that with leadership comes authority.
00:01:36.600 | The definition of authority in Webster's dictionary
00:01:40.500 | is the power to influence, to command authority,
00:01:44.820 | command thought, opinion, or behavior.
00:01:50.360 | Authority and power go together.
00:01:55.060 | Webster says so.
00:01:57.180 | Your experience confirms that,
00:01:59.780 | and the Bible says so also.
00:02:03.580 | Back in Genesis 1, God described the authority and power
00:02:08.460 | that he gave to human beings as he was creating them.
00:02:12.320 | Genesis 1, 27 and 28 says God created man in his own image.
00:02:18.260 | In the image of God, he created him.
00:02:20.480 | Male and female, he created them.
00:02:23.240 | God blessed them, and God said to them,
00:02:25.100 | be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth,
00:02:28.780 | and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea,
00:02:32.160 | and over the birds of the sky,
00:02:33.520 | and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
00:02:37.420 | You're very familiar with those verses.
00:02:39.800 | In those verses, God establishes authority and dominion.
00:02:49.180 | That words subdue and rule speaks of the use of force.
00:02:53.740 | It means domination, bringing into bondage,
00:02:57.520 | to bring under dominion.
00:03:00.400 | And here's God's plan laid out in verses 27 and 28.
00:03:04.600 | One, he created you, he rules the world.
00:03:07.160 | And then it goes on to say that God's perfect design
00:03:11.280 | for you and I was to get married,
00:03:13.880 | have babies, grandbabies,
00:03:17.240 | enjoy the bounty of the earth,
00:03:20.340 | and to rule over the earth,
00:03:22.500 | the fish, the birds, and every living thing
00:03:25.340 | that crawls on the earth,
00:03:27.700 | with full authority from the creator.
00:03:30.580 | Satan's plan, as evidenced by our current culture,
00:03:33.180 | is don't get married.
00:03:35.220 | But if you do get married, don't have babies.
00:03:37.760 | And if you do have babies, don't have very many,
00:03:40.780 | 'cause we're gonna overpopulate the earth, don't you know?
00:03:45.040 | And you need to be a vegetarian,
00:03:46.760 | because animals are people too.
00:03:49.720 | Don't enjoy the bounty of the earth,
00:03:53.520 | don't exercise dominion and authority over the earth,
00:03:56.960 | rather celebrate Earth Day.
00:03:58.620 | Worship the creation over the creator.
00:04:03.960 | Why is this Satan's plan?
00:04:08.160 | Well, it may not be his plan,
00:04:10.480 | but here's the consequence.
00:04:12.000 | When we do not faithfully lead
00:04:14.560 | and rule where we have been told to lead and rule,
00:04:19.560 | Satan steps in and takes the lead.
00:04:24.060 | That's what happened with Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3.
00:04:27.980 | We saw that in our last time together.
00:04:30.040 | Adam stepped back, handed over the leadership
00:04:32.920 | and the authority over his wife to the serpents.
00:04:37.200 | That in itself was sin.
00:04:39.320 | And it resulted in sin,
00:04:42.400 | because Eve, being deceived, went on to sin.
00:04:47.000 | The result of weak or absent leadership is sin.
00:04:52.160 | Forfeiting authority that God has given you is sin,
00:04:56.520 | and it's sin that harms people
00:04:58.040 | that have been entrusted to your leadership.
00:05:00.440 | This should lead all of us to a question.
00:05:04.000 | What is the authority that comes with leadership,
00:05:08.200 | and where do I find the answer to that question?
00:05:11.960 | The question of authority wielded by leadership
00:05:14.460 | is foundational, and it's extremely important.
00:05:17.400 | Some men aspire to leadership because of authority.
00:05:20.760 | They want that authority.
00:05:22.820 | They may not know what the authority or the power is,
00:05:25.040 | but they want it.
00:05:26.180 | This thinking tends to lead to overstepping authority,
00:05:30.980 | overstepping the God-given bounds
00:05:33.800 | and the limits on authority.
00:05:35.880 | Some men don't aspire to leadership
00:05:38.960 | because either they don't want to,
00:05:41.840 | they don't want to do the work required,
00:05:43.400 | or they're focused on their own failings and weaknesses.
00:05:46.880 | This is often a false humility that masks fear and pride.
00:05:53.280 | These are the men that say, and believe, I'm not a leader.
00:05:58.440 | They tend not to exercise authority,
00:06:01.960 | and in their disobedience, their people suffer.
00:06:04.920 | In fact, men who do not lead is the classic formula
00:06:09.760 | for messed up homes, churches, and societies.
00:06:14.360 | Then there's men who, because of strong natural abilities
00:06:19.760 | or being in the right place at the right time,
00:06:21.840 | find themselves in positions of leadership,
00:06:24.160 | and they've never really thought about
00:06:26.120 | what is the authority that I should be exercising
00:06:29.160 | or should not be exercising.
00:06:30.680 | They just follow the example of others.
00:06:33.680 | Well, my prayer is that in tonight's session,
00:06:38.320 | you're reminded of the call on your life to lead,
00:06:41.840 | and in the exercise of that leadership,
00:06:44.760 | you've been given authority,
00:06:46.860 | and that authority must be understood
00:06:50.120 | and very carefully applied.
00:06:52.400 | This is an area of obedience in every way
00:06:56.800 | like any other clear command in Scripture.
00:07:00.380 | We need to explore what the Bible says about authority,
00:07:05.160 | and I think you're gonna leave here
00:07:06.840 | with some really clear direction and principles.
00:07:10.560 | How a man views authority
00:07:13.560 | in the context of his leadership says a lot
00:07:17.200 | about whether that man is an effective leader
00:07:19.960 | and to take it a step further,
00:07:22.480 | whether he's qualified for more leadership.
00:07:25.600 | An example of that is in 1 Timothy 3.
00:07:30.080 | Paul is describing the qualifications
00:07:32.600 | of leaders in the church, elders, pastors.
00:07:37.060 | And he says this, "He must, the elder or pastor,
00:07:41.180 | "must be one who manages his own household well,
00:07:43.640 | "keeping his children under control with all dignity.
00:07:47.200 | "But if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
00:07:50.020 | "how will he take care of the church of God?"
00:07:53.360 | There's two principles there related to authority.
00:07:58.420 | There's a lot of principles there,
00:07:59.720 | and we'll be coming back to these verses in future sessions,
00:08:02.720 | but when we're talking about authority,
00:08:05.260 | there's two things to note here.
00:08:06.960 | One is the authority of a husband and a father
00:08:11.300 | is different than the authority of an elder in the church.
00:08:15.620 | A man who serves as an elder
00:08:18.580 | exercises different authority as an elder
00:08:21.040 | than he exercises as a father and a husband.
00:08:24.100 | The family, the church, the state, or government,
00:08:30.580 | have very different purposes,
00:08:32.700 | and therefore, the authority delegated to the leadership
00:08:37.020 | of those three institutions is very different.
00:08:40.820 | You see some of that difference in those terms.
00:08:45.180 | He manages his household well,
00:08:47.780 | and he cares for the church of God.
00:08:51.460 | We'll come back to that in another session.
00:08:53.220 | The second principle related to authority in those verses
00:08:56.900 | that's very interesting is that the demonstrated exercise
00:09:01.100 | and proven understanding of his authority in the home
00:09:05.820 | is a must.
00:09:07.140 | You see that, right?
00:09:08.700 | He must.
00:09:09.740 | That is a must before a man can be appointed an elder
00:09:14.700 | or other leadership in the church.
00:09:18.820 | So note, it doesn't say to look at his success
00:09:24.020 | or strength of leadership at work.
00:09:26.740 | That's not in the Bible,
00:09:29.820 | and it shouldn't be in our thinking.
00:09:32.140 | Paul points to the home as evidence
00:09:35.180 | and a predictor of whether a man understands
00:09:39.220 | and faithfully exercises the God-given authority.
00:09:42.300 | Men in leadership always should want to know
00:09:48.820 | what their authority is.
00:09:50.140 | A biblical leader wants to be very careful
00:09:53.780 | to be obedient in his leadership
00:09:56.260 | and never overstep or understep the authority
00:10:00.820 | that's been delegated to him.
00:10:02.260 | A secular leader wants to push the limits of authority
00:10:09.060 | to assume more power and control.
00:10:12.140 | In fact, in a secular environment,
00:10:15.860 | the successful secular leaders
00:10:18.500 | are those who amass the most power.
00:10:20.580 | We're seeing that in our country right now.
00:10:25.900 | Successful spiritual leaders, though,
00:10:27.900 | and that's who I'm talking to,
00:10:30.980 | are those who faithfully and carefully exert
00:10:34.620 | the authority that's been given to them by God
00:10:37.620 | no more and no less.
00:10:40.020 | We must start with a very big picture,
00:10:44.260 | and I want to go through a survey now of Scripture
00:10:46.940 | to look at the authority of God as a starting place,
00:10:53.580 | and then we'll bring it down
00:10:54.420 | to a very practical implications for you and I
00:10:57.140 | as we establish the question, or the answer to the question,
00:11:00.860 | what is my authority as a husband, as a father,
00:11:04.700 | as a leader in the church, or anywhere else?
00:11:08.260 | A survey of authority in the Bible, I think,
00:11:11.820 | brings a lot of clarity for us.
00:11:13.620 | So first, God is God, and we are not.
00:11:21.020 | In Genesis chapter two, God establishes,
00:11:25.380 | just like he did in Genesis one, his authority.
00:11:28.620 | Genesis 2-7, we looked at this already.
00:11:31.180 | Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground
00:11:34.500 | and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
00:11:36.900 | and man became a living being.
00:11:38.780 | What you create, you control.
00:11:43.220 | What you create, you have all authority over.
00:11:47.700 | Right?
00:11:50.980 | Later in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 40,
00:11:53.260 | one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible,
00:11:56.220 | it says this, starting in verse 21.
00:11:59.300 | This is a description of the Creator's total authority.
00:12:02.100 | Do you not know?
00:12:04.900 | Have you not heard?
00:12:05.980 | Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
00:12:09.420 | Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
00:12:13.780 | Let me stop.
00:12:14.620 | There's a series of questions there.
00:12:15.780 | Isaiah does this a lot in chapter 40.
00:12:19.900 | The answer to all these questions is yes,
00:12:21.660 | so you could read it this way.
00:12:23.300 | You know, you've heard.
00:12:28.140 | It's been declared to you from the beginning.
00:12:30.300 | We saw that in Genesis one, Genesis two, Genesis three.
00:12:35.020 | You've understood from the foundations of the earth, what?
00:12:38.820 | Verse 22, that it is God who sits
00:12:41.700 | above the circle of the earth,
00:12:43.860 | and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
00:12:49.500 | What a contrast.
00:12:51.060 | I see grasshoppers.
00:12:53.820 | God sits above the circle of the earth,
00:12:56.980 | and it says he stretches the heavens like a curtain,
00:12:59.860 | and he spreads them out like a tent to live in,
00:13:01.780 | and now he addresses his relationship
00:13:04.460 | to authority on this earth.
00:13:06.140 | It is God who reduces rulers to nothing,
00:13:09.820 | who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
00:13:12.780 | Scarcely have they been planted.
00:13:14.440 | Scarcely have they been sown.
00:13:16.580 | Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
00:13:19.460 | but he merrily blows on them, and they wither,
00:13:22.580 | and the storm carries them away like stubble.
00:13:25.540 | To whom then will you compare me
00:13:28.500 | that I would be as equal, says the Holy One.
00:13:30.700 | And then, Christ, God sends his son,
00:13:35.980 | Jesus Christ, to the earth to live a perfect life,
00:13:39.300 | fully God, fully man.
00:13:41.260 | He's crucified, he's murdered by his own creation.
00:13:44.300 | For our sake, for our redemption,
00:13:49.260 | he raises from the dead on the third day,
00:13:52.620 | and he's about to give the great commission
00:13:54.460 | to his disciples, and he starts with this statement
00:13:57.740 | in verse 18, and Jesus came up and spoke to them,
00:14:00.220 | saying, "All authority has been given to me
00:14:03.380 | "in heaven and on earth."
00:14:05.500 | All means all.
00:14:08.060 | Christ has all authority.
00:14:12.140 | In fact, Paul references that in Ephesians one,
00:14:14.980 | as we continue our survey of the Bible
00:14:17.140 | on the topic of the authority of God,
00:14:20.220 | Paul says in verse 20 that God raised Jesus Christ
00:14:23.340 | from the dead, seated him at his right hand
00:14:26.460 | in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority
00:14:30.700 | and power and dominion, and every name that is named,
00:14:33.780 | not only in this age, but in the one to come.
00:14:37.260 | God is far above Jesus Christ, is far above all authority.
00:14:43.940 | He's not far away.
00:14:45.780 | We're gonna see that.
00:14:47.060 | He's far above, but he's not far away.
00:14:50.060 | He's not disconnected.
00:14:51.300 | God is God, and we are not.
00:14:55.860 | God is authority.
00:14:59.380 | Christ has been given all authority.
00:15:02.860 | He has authority and dominion over everything,
00:15:06.420 | including the state, the church,
00:15:10.220 | the family, and even Satan.
00:15:14.540 | That is the starting point for understanding authority.
00:15:17.500 | He never steps aside from his authority.
00:15:21.860 | He never diminishes his power and authority ever,
00:15:25.380 | but he does delegate earthly leadership and authority.
00:15:30.980 | That's where you and I enter the equation.
00:15:35.160 | We already saw the rule and dominion over the earth,
00:15:41.820 | fish, animals, everything that lives on the earth
00:15:44.900 | was assigned during the seven-day creation.
00:15:47.180 | We read that in Genesis 1.
00:15:49.180 | But what about authority over people?
00:15:51.020 | Through institutions that God has ordained,
00:15:57.220 | that authority has also been delegated.
00:15:59.660 | God delegates authority.
00:16:02.540 | In Genesis 2, we saw last time that authority
00:16:05.620 | over the family has been delegated to you,
00:16:10.220 | men, husbands, fathers.
00:16:14.540 | You were created by God as a man to be a leader.
00:16:18.100 | Your leadership was a divine act and a divine assignment.
00:16:23.100 | It wasn't by chance, and it has your name on it.
00:16:28.780 | God delegates authority.
00:16:33.020 | In the church, Acts 20, Paul's talking to the elders
00:16:37.260 | in the church at Ephesus, and he says,
00:16:39.580 | "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock
00:16:42.020 | "among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers."
00:16:46.460 | God delegates authority through Christ
00:16:52.780 | to elders and pastors.
00:16:55.580 | And then there's Romans 13.1.
00:16:58.580 | I know you're familiar with this.
00:17:00.540 | There is no authority except from God,
00:17:02.780 | and those which exist are established by God.
00:17:07.540 | It could not be more clear.
00:17:09.180 | And I love that this was read already tonight,
00:17:14.740 | but Christ is on trial in John chapter 19,
00:17:18.660 | and I don't want you to miss this,
00:17:20.140 | so I'm going to read it again.
00:17:21.820 | Christ is on trial by his own creation.
00:17:26.540 | Pilate has left the room, and it says in verse nine
00:17:29.420 | of John 19 that he enters back into the Praetorium again
00:17:33.220 | and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?"
00:17:36.220 | And Jesus gave him no answer.
00:17:38.180 | So Pilate says to him, "You don't speak to me?
00:17:42.980 | "You don't speak to me?
00:17:46.660 | "Do you not know I have the authority to release you
00:17:49.220 | "and I have the authority to crucify you?"
00:17:52.860 | And you heard Christ's response.
00:17:54.860 | Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me
00:17:58.420 | "unless it had been given you from above."
00:18:03.020 | God is sovereign over all authority.
00:18:06.740 | Never forget that.
00:18:08.020 | And he in his perfect will and his perfect providence
00:18:11.500 | delegates all authority, including to Pilate.
00:18:16.500 | The dominion and rule of Christ even includes Satan.
00:18:21.920 | The Bible establishes in Ephesians 2,
00:18:25.860 | among other places in the Bible,
00:18:27.500 | that Satan has been given authority.
00:18:29.340 | He's called in Ephesians 2 the prince of the power
00:18:31.780 | of the air and the spirit that is now working
00:18:34.420 | in the sons of disobedience here on earth.
00:18:38.420 | He does so at the pleasure of
00:18:42.220 | and accountability to Jesus Christ.
00:18:46.060 | If you're familiar with the story in Job 1 and chapter 2,
00:18:51.620 | Satan actually enters the presence of God in heaven,
00:18:55.340 | in the courts of heaven, and asks for authority
00:18:58.080 | to test and to try Job.
00:19:00.660 | That authority was granted with limits, with limits,
00:19:05.660 | and you might know the rest of that story.
00:19:10.100 | If you've never read that story,
00:19:12.460 | read Job chapter 1 and Job chapter 2.
00:19:14.900 | So let's review.
00:19:16.580 | God is the creator and the supreme authority.
00:19:20.100 | He's given all authority to Christ,
00:19:22.940 | who sits at the right hand of the Father.
00:19:25.620 | Christ, while still and always being above all authority
00:19:29.500 | and the head of all, has delegated authority
00:19:32.700 | and leadership on this earth to men.
00:19:35.680 | That means if you have any authority at all,
00:19:42.140 | it was given to you.
00:19:43.300 | And not just given to you, but it was given to you
00:19:47.660 | by the ruler over all authority.
00:19:50.780 | And what's been given to you can also be taken away.
00:19:55.420 | And we need to talk about that.
00:19:58.820 | Authority is given by God, and it's taken away by God.
00:20:03.500 | And we have to think about that,
00:20:05.860 | because there's a lot of reasons why God removes authority
00:20:10.340 | from leaders, or removes leaders.
00:20:13.660 | There's oppressive leadership.
00:20:15.420 | There's ungodly and disobedient leadership.
00:20:18.540 | There's absent leadership,
00:20:20.480 | not using your God-given authority.
00:20:23.180 | And there's so many examples in the Bible,
00:20:25.220 | but I went to one of the more dramatic.
00:20:28.500 | Numbers chapter 25.
00:20:30.560 | I'm gonna read from about verse two, or verse one.
00:20:35.940 | "The people began to play the harlot
00:20:37.900 | "with the daughters of Moab, for they invited the people
00:20:40.860 | "to the sacrifices of their gods.
00:20:42.860 | "And the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
00:20:46.260 | "So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor,
00:20:49.780 | "and the Lord was angry against Israel."
00:20:53.060 | This is a mess, isn't it?
00:20:57.060 | Verse four, "The Lord said to Moses, 'Kill all the people.'"
00:21:00.060 | That's not what it says.
00:21:03.300 | "The Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of the people,
00:21:09.720 | "and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord,
00:21:12.860 | "so that the fierce anger of the Lord
00:21:15.240 | "may turn away from Israel.'
00:21:17.140 | "So Moses said to the judges of Israel,
00:21:20.280 | "Each of you slay as men who have joined themselves
00:21:23.300 | "to Baal of Peor.
00:21:26.660 | "The leaders didn't lead with the authority
00:21:29.060 | "they were given.
00:21:30.440 | "The result was sin.
00:21:32.000 | "The people sinned.
00:21:34.680 | "And there may have been consequences for the people,
00:21:37.800 | "but God had held the leadership accountable
00:21:40.260 | "in a very public way."
00:21:42.120 | You see, what God gives, he takes away.
00:21:46.080 | Daniel chapters one through four,
00:21:50.300 | the story of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:21:52.180 | Nebuchadnezzar was perhaps the wealthiest,
00:21:55.880 | most powerful political leader,
00:21:57.420 | maybe in the history of the world.
00:21:59.260 | He held the power of life and death
00:22:01.980 | simply by the words he spoke.
00:22:03.760 | He used that power and authority to build enormous,
00:22:08.240 | almost unimaginable wealth and more power.
00:22:12.020 | And God removed him from leadership.
00:22:15.540 | Daniel 4.32 says, "You will be driven away from mankind.
00:22:22.200 | "Your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field."
00:22:24.900 | He's talking to the most powerful ruler
00:22:28.060 | on the face of the earth.
00:22:30.100 | You'll live with the beasts of the field,
00:22:33.760 | you'll be given grass to eat like cattle,
00:22:36.220 | and seven years will pass over you until you recognize,
00:22:39.440 | why is God doing this to Nebuchadnezzar?
00:22:43.560 | Because he wants him, it says,
00:22:45.240 | to recognize that the most high is ruler
00:22:48.040 | over the realm of mankind and bestows it
00:22:50.880 | on whomever he wishes.
00:22:54.900 | God gives authority and he takes it away.
00:22:58.340 | And by the way, it happened to Nebuchadnezzar
00:23:00.300 | and after seven years,
00:23:02.500 | Nebuchadnezzar was actually restored to leadership.
00:23:05.340 | Who can do that other than God?
00:23:07.780 | The Lord does both as he wishes and if he wishes.
00:23:15.820 | Daniel 1 through 4 is not primarily about Daniel
00:23:19.460 | and it's not primarily about Nebuchadnezzar.
00:23:22.260 | It's about the power and the authority
00:23:25.120 | and the providence of God in the affairs of man,
00:23:27.980 | particularly men in leadership
00:23:30.900 | with significant authority and their accountability
00:23:36.580 | to the one who gave them that authority.
00:23:38.760 | I mentioned that Christ even has authority over Satan.
00:23:44.720 | In Revelation 12, now we're looking to the future.
00:23:51.060 | Revelation 12 describes when Satan is thrown out of heaven.
00:23:55.100 | I've already established from Job 1 and 2
00:23:57.180 | that he is in heaven making requests of God.
00:24:01.960 | It says in Revelation 12 verse 9,
00:24:04.260 | the great dragon was thrown down,
00:24:06.380 | the serpent of old who's called the devil and Satan.
00:24:08.860 | There's three descriptions of Satan.
00:24:12.860 | Helps you interpret Old Testament
00:24:15.500 | to know when it's talking about the devil,
00:24:18.700 | the great dragon, the serpent of old,
00:24:21.260 | the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world.
00:24:24.220 | He was thrown down to the earth
00:24:25.700 | and his angels were thrown down with him.
00:24:28.000 | Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
00:24:31.700 | now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
00:24:35.380 | and the authority of his Christ have come.
00:24:38.660 | God allows authority, he takes it away.
00:24:46.860 | And to further emphasize Christ's total control of Satan
00:24:50.500 | and his authority.
00:24:51.780 | Later in Revelation 20, again, this is eschatology.
00:24:56.460 | This is what's going to happen in the future.
00:24:58.420 | The description is that Christ lays hold of the dragon,
00:25:01.900 | the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, same person.
00:25:05.260 | And bound him for a thousand years
00:25:09.300 | and he threw him into the abyss
00:25:10.700 | and shut it and sealed it over him
00:25:12.180 | so that he would not deceive the nations any longer
00:25:15.100 | until the thousand years were completed.
00:25:18.180 | And after these things, he was released,
00:25:20.980 | will be released for a short time.
00:25:23.000 | There is a thousand years when Satan is put away.
00:25:26.460 | And then later in Revelation 20,
00:25:33.340 | it says that Satan is released from his prison
00:25:36.260 | to deceive the nations one more time
00:25:39.740 | only to be finally utterly conquered by Christ.
00:25:43.460 | And then it says he's thrown into the lake of fire
00:25:45.820 | and brimstone forever.
00:25:47.500 | That is the power and the authority of Jesus Christ.
00:25:51.740 | He allows Satan to have authority, he removes it,
00:25:56.900 | he gives it back and then he takes it away.
00:25:59.780 | If you struggle, by the way, with believing that
00:26:05.780 | about Christ having total control over Satan,
00:26:09.980 | please understand that Satan doesn't have a hard time
00:26:12.460 | believing that.
00:26:13.700 | In fact, James 2:19 says that he and his demons
00:26:18.400 | know all of this and they shudder.
00:26:21.180 | So I've spent some time tonight
00:26:25.260 | displaying the ultimate authority of God
00:26:27.580 | through some history, some biography,
00:26:30.980 | and even looking to the future.
00:26:32.800 | Because we must understand that the giver of authority,
00:26:38.940 | we must understand the giver of authority
00:26:40.620 | before we consider any authority we might have been given.
00:26:45.000 | Thus, we approach what's ahead of us tonight
00:26:49.460 | with a discussion about authority and power on this earth
00:26:54.460 | with tremendous humility, I pray, and accountability.
00:27:00.260 | So how do you fit into this?
00:27:04.860 | Let's drill down now into a very practical application
00:27:09.220 | of all of this and as with everything else,
00:27:12.740 | God doesn't just say you're in charge.
00:27:14.900 | He describes his expectation.
00:27:18.420 | If you've got your handout,
00:27:21.380 | we're gonna work through the grid that's on,
00:27:24.460 | I think on the front page there.
00:27:27.540 | And we're gonna fill this grid in
00:27:32.140 | and I think it's gonna be helpful to you.
00:27:34.180 | What's on the screen is what goes in that first column
00:27:38.380 | if you're taking notes.
00:27:40.180 | If you don't have a handout, they're out there somewhere.
00:27:43.740 | I really want you to fill this in.
00:27:48.340 | I wanna show you a pattern in Scripture
00:27:51.180 | that once you see it, as they say, you can never unsee it.
00:27:56.180 | When the Bible talks about authority over people,
00:28:01.920 | it says seven things every time.
00:28:07.780 | It tells us seven things about that authority.
00:28:11.180 | First, it tells us that all authority is delegated by God.
00:28:15.740 | The Bible always defines the authority.
00:28:20.020 | The Bible always answers the question,
00:28:23.020 | what is my authority?
00:28:24.460 | The Bible always discloses what the focus
00:28:30.900 | and the purpose of that authority is.
00:28:35.800 | The Bible always limits that authority
00:28:39.520 | and describes the limits on that authority.
00:28:41.780 | Fifth, there is always the warning and the command
00:28:49.080 | that that authority is to be exercised
00:28:51.600 | in accordance with God's word, with God's instructions.
00:28:56.600 | Sixth, authority over other people is never,
00:29:03.400 | catch that, never for personal gain.
00:29:06.600 | And the flip side of that is that delegated authority
00:29:10.920 | is always, always for the benefit of others.
00:29:15.920 | So that's kind of giving you the bottom line
00:29:21.360 | before I show you, and now I wanna show you
00:29:24.560 | from two passages.
00:29:25.640 | We're gonna look at Matthew chapter 10.
00:29:27.680 | And again, I think once you see this,
00:29:32.740 | it will fall right into place for you.
00:29:34.620 | Matthew chapter 10.
00:29:36.340 | Don't have to give a lot of background
00:29:37.820 | because it tells the story.
00:29:39.860 | Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them what?
00:29:44.940 | He's about to delegate authority.
00:29:48.980 | Authority is always delegated from God.
00:29:53.660 | That's the source of the authority.
00:29:55.920 | Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them authority.
00:29:59.540 | And what is the authority?
00:30:01.300 | He gave them authority over unclean spirits
00:30:03.900 | to cast them out and to heal every kind of disease
00:30:07.020 | and every kind of sickness.
00:30:08.300 | That's extraordinary power.
00:30:11.380 | That's extraordinary authority.
00:30:15.980 | It goes on in Matthew to name all 12 of the disciples.
00:30:20.460 | Verse five, these 12 Jesus sent out after instructing them,
00:30:24.660 | do not go in the way of the Gentiles
00:30:26.380 | and do not enter any city of the Samaritans,
00:30:28.600 | but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
00:30:31.680 | And as you go, preach saying,
00:30:35.260 | the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
00:30:38.500 | And here's another recitation of the authority.
00:30:43.300 | Heal the sick, raise the dead,
00:30:46.180 | cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.
00:30:49.860 | Freely you received, freely give.
00:30:53.260 | Do not acquire gold or silver or copper for your money belts
00:30:56.940 | or a bag for your journey or even two coats or sandals
00:31:00.580 | or a staff for the worker is worthy of his support.
00:31:04.440 | In that passage are all seven elements of authority.
00:31:10.620 | We saw it in verse one, authority is delegated from God.
00:31:14.180 | We saw what the authority is.
00:31:18.260 | It answers the question, what was their authority?
00:31:21.140 | The third question is, what was the purpose of the authority?
00:31:25.220 | Well, the purpose of the authority is in verse seven.
00:31:27.880 | As you go, preach saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
00:31:34.220 | What does that have to do with the authority?
00:31:36.420 | It always goes together.
00:31:38.260 | The purpose of the authority explains what the authority is
00:31:43.380 | and the authority that's given explains the purpose.
00:31:45.980 | They were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
00:31:50.360 | They were to show through their authority
00:31:53.420 | what they were talking about.
00:31:55.300 | People think in terms of earthly kingdoms.
00:31:58.380 | They're to preach about Christ's kingdom
00:32:02.460 | and they're to show them through this authority
00:32:04.980 | that Christ's kingdom, unlike any earthly kingdom,
00:32:08.400 | is sovereign over physical realms, sickness,
00:32:12.500 | spiritual realms, the effects of sin,
00:32:16.720 | and even the efforts in the reign of Satan.
00:32:21.020 | Their preaching was to preview the future.
00:32:23.940 | What I read you from Revelation 20,
00:32:26.620 | that Christ has authority over Satan.
00:32:29.500 | That was the purpose of the authority.
00:32:33.260 | The authority was limited.
00:32:36.580 | The authority was limited.
00:32:39.420 | You see it by who was sent and who they were sent to.
00:32:44.420 | And by the way, Matthew 10 is a proof text
00:32:48.940 | for a lot of faith healers these days.
00:32:51.740 | They're completely missing the point of Matthew 10.
00:32:54.460 | Matthew 10 could not be more explicit
00:32:56.380 | on the limitations of this authority
00:32:58.700 | that Christ authorized how many people?
00:33:01.880 | 12, even named them.
00:33:06.220 | That's the limits on that authority.
00:33:11.180 | That's to whom the authority was given.
00:33:13.480 | Who were they to go to?
00:33:15.840 | Well, it says in verse five,
00:33:18.360 | Jesus sent the 12 out after instructing them,
00:33:21.600 | don't go to the Gentiles, don't go to the Samaritans,
00:33:25.200 | but go to who?
00:33:26.100 | The Jews.
00:33:28.160 | He calls them the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
00:33:31.480 | That is the limit on their authority.
00:33:34.920 | Authority's always based on the word of God.
00:33:39.240 | You know, if you walk around culture raising the dead,
00:33:41.680 | healing the sick, doing all these things,
00:33:44.580 | people are gonna ask you to weigh in
00:33:46.520 | on all kinds of things
00:33:47.680 | because you've got power nobody else has.
00:33:50.820 | Christ was very clear.
00:33:52.880 | As you go, preach, preach, preach.
00:33:57.880 | Not politics, preferences, or personal opinions,
00:34:02.040 | but they were to speak the word of God.
00:34:04.000 | And then the tail end of Matthew 10,
00:34:07.560 | that passage you see the principle
00:34:10.380 | that authority is never for financial
00:34:12.560 | or other earthly personal gain
00:34:14.600 | of those who have the authority.
00:34:16.060 | It is for the benefit and blessing of others.
00:34:18.560 | He says, freely you received, freely give.
00:34:23.920 | And he makes very clear
00:34:26.260 | that they were not to put this authority up for sale.
00:34:29.480 | Let's look at another example.
00:34:34.000 | Romans 13.
00:34:36.140 | We already read Romans 13, one,
00:34:39.780 | that all authority is from God.
00:34:42.420 | And again, we're gonna go through this pretty quickly
00:34:44.380 | so you can fill in this grid,
00:34:46.220 | and you can see that God delegates authority,
00:34:51.220 | that he explains his authority.
00:34:55.380 | He defines it.
00:34:57.060 | He explains the purpose of that authority.
00:34:59.420 | He limits the authority.
00:35:01.100 | He makes clear that it is to be used
00:35:04.020 | in accordance with the Bible
00:35:05.340 | and it is never for personal gain,
00:35:07.520 | always for the benefit of others.
00:35:11.620 | Romans 13, I'm gonna start reading in verse three.
00:35:15.640 | For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior,
00:35:20.700 | but for evil.
00:35:21.880 | Rulers, we're talking about government authorities.
00:35:25.540 | Whether you call 'em kings, presidents, governors, mayors,
00:35:29.420 | whatever they are.
00:35:30.760 | They've all been delegated by God,
00:35:35.860 | and they are not a cause of fear for good behavior,
00:35:38.860 | but for evil.
00:35:40.220 | Do you wanna have no fear of authority?
00:35:41.860 | Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
00:35:44.540 | For it is a minister of God to you for good,
00:35:47.060 | but if you do what is evil, be afraid.
00:35:49.740 | For it does not bear the sword for nothing.
00:35:52.940 | It is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath
00:35:57.460 | on the one who practices evil.
00:36:00.620 | Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection,
00:36:02.900 | not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
00:36:06.580 | For because of this, you also pay taxes
00:36:08.780 | for rulers or servants of God,
00:36:10.860 | devoting themselves to this very thing.
00:36:13.100 | There's two authorities given to government there,
00:36:16.060 | by the way.
00:36:16.900 | One is the sword, and the other is taxes.
00:36:19.320 | We're not gonna talk about taxes tonight.
00:36:21.420 | But it's very clear.
00:36:25.820 | You know, in a parallel passage, or principles,
00:36:29.080 | Peter's letter, 1 Peter 2, 13 and 14,
00:36:34.080 | talks about submitting yourselves to government authorities,
00:36:37.400 | whether to a king or as to one in authority,
00:36:40.620 | or to governors as sent by him
00:36:42.660 | for the punishment of evildoers
00:36:45.140 | and the praise of those who do right.
00:36:47.340 | Well, let's fill in the grid.
00:36:50.260 | Authority's always delegated by God.
00:36:53.420 | In fact, government authorities are described
00:36:55.980 | in this passage as ministers of God and servants of God.
00:37:00.260 | It couldn't be more clear.
00:37:01.700 | What's the authority?
00:37:05.680 | Already mentioned it.
00:37:06.780 | It's bearing the sword.
00:37:09.380 | Government has been given the authority
00:37:11.180 | by the God of the universe over life and death.
00:37:15.260 | What's the purpose for bearing the sword?
00:37:18.340 | It is the punishment of evildoers.
00:37:23.020 | The punishment of evildoers.
00:37:26.260 | And the flip side of that is the praise
00:37:28.500 | of those who do right.
00:37:29.940 | The fourth element.
00:37:33.620 | Authority is always limited.
00:37:36.500 | The U.S. government has no authority in England.
00:37:40.880 | There's a limit.
00:37:43.540 | You understand what I'm saying?
00:37:45.600 | The government of Columbia has no control
00:37:48.500 | over what happens in the United States.
00:37:50.360 | That's one obvious limit on that authority.
00:37:53.740 | But the government also has no authority
00:37:56.700 | in the church or in your home.
00:38:00.080 | Those of you who did the pre-read,
00:38:04.780 | if you did it, you read Christ, not Caesar,
00:38:07.300 | is the head of the church.
00:38:08.380 | That was in your reading.
00:38:09.300 | That's why that's in your reading.
00:38:11.300 | This was the core of the conflict
00:38:12.900 | between Grace Church and the state in 2020
00:38:16.300 | as it has ever been in the church.
00:38:19.080 | Government always strives to overreach on their authority.
00:38:25.460 | I think in the future, those of you who have young families
00:38:31.260 | are gonna understand this more and more
00:38:32.860 | that the government is overstepping their authority
00:38:36.540 | in controlling and trying to control
00:38:38.340 | what happens in your home.
00:38:39.860 | You see, if authority is not explicitly given,
00:38:44.900 | it's out of bounds.
00:38:47.100 | Authority for government is limited.
00:38:50.660 | Authority is always defined by
00:38:53.060 | and consistent with the word of God.
00:38:55.120 | It's very clear that government is to punish evil
00:38:58.340 | and to reward good.
00:38:59.900 | The definition of evil isn't what the government says,
00:39:03.020 | it's what who says, God says.
00:39:05.900 | And good is defined by the Bible.
00:39:10.300 | And a government that strays from those definitions,
00:39:13.500 | looking at through history, in the Bible,
00:39:16.940 | are governments that do not stand.
00:39:19.780 | You see, God delegates authority.
00:39:23.020 | And he defines that authority.
00:39:26.940 | He states the purpose.
00:39:28.140 | He limits that authority.
00:39:29.500 | And that authority is to be used
00:39:31.140 | in accordance with Scripture.
00:39:33.180 | And it's always for the benefit of others,
00:39:35.100 | never for personal benefit.
00:39:37.300 | So what does all of this say about your leadership?
00:39:42.380 | By the way, I skipped over that.
00:39:45.980 | Government are servants.
00:39:49.140 | It's for your benefit, they work for you and God's economy.
00:39:54.260 | Don't say that to the police officer
00:39:56.980 | that pulls you over to write you a ticket, by the way.
00:39:59.700 | Doesn't work well.
00:40:00.580 | What does all of this say about your leadership?
00:40:04.780 | Your leadership involves the exercise
00:40:08.020 | of authority over other people.
00:40:09.860 | And in the coming sessions,
00:40:12.620 | we're gonna dive into the specific authority
00:40:15.480 | that you've been given by Jesus Christ
00:40:17.580 | as the head of your home and a leader in the church.
00:40:21.620 | And if you have signed up for the pre-read,
00:40:24.980 | there is this time going to be some pre-work
00:40:27.660 | where you need to fill in this grid
00:40:30.820 | regarding leadership in the church.
00:40:34.300 | Find passages in Scripture and you will find them
00:40:39.860 | to define these seven elements of church leadership.
00:40:42.980 | But there are some very practical applications
00:40:50.660 | based on what we've seen so far.
00:40:53.140 | As you consider your leadership
00:40:54.860 | and whatever role you have
00:40:56.580 | and the people God has put under your leadership,
00:40:59.860 | there are some profound implications
00:41:02.140 | that are drawn from an understanding of authority.
00:41:06.700 | And I want to go through those quickly as we wrap it up.
00:41:12.220 | There's seven or six implications.
00:41:16.660 | There could have been more, there could have been less.
00:41:18.660 | These are what came to me
00:41:19.820 | as I was wrapping up my preparation.
00:41:22.800 | The first is humility.
00:41:24.200 | Humility, remember that God is God and we are not.
00:41:30.780 | Humility is not rooted in our weaknesses
00:41:34.820 | and failures, by the way.
00:41:36.340 | Our humility flows from an understanding
00:41:40.060 | of who God is, not who we are.
00:41:42.740 | He sits above the circle of the earth
00:41:46.820 | and we are like grasshoppers.
00:41:52.100 | God is above all authority, he delegates all authority
00:41:55.300 | and therefore, any leadership or authority that you have,
00:41:59.540 | you have it because God gave it to you.
00:42:02.100 | Don't ever forget that.
00:42:04.180 | It's not because you are better,
00:42:06.560 | more qualified or good at it.
00:42:09.940 | 1 Corinthians 4, seven says,
00:42:13.580 | "For who regards you as superior?
00:42:15.520 | "What do you have that you did not receive?
00:42:18.240 | "And if you did not receive it,
00:42:20.580 | "why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
00:42:25.020 | Remember the story of Paul when he was Saul?
00:42:30.020 | All his prior leadership as Saul,
00:42:33.060 | and it was extraordinary for a young man,
00:42:36.060 | was of absolutely no use when Christ called him to salvation
00:42:41.060 | and Christ called him to extraordinary spiritual leadership.
00:42:45.980 | God did that.
00:42:48.820 | A man who understands biblical authority,
00:42:52.500 | his leadership is gonna be marked by humility.
00:42:55.460 | Another mark of a man who understands authority
00:43:00.500 | is that his leadership is gonna be marked,
00:43:02.380 | his exercise of authority is gonna be marked by courage.
00:43:05.520 | I hope you understand that God knows your weaknesses,
00:43:11.460 | he knows your frailties, and in spite of all of that,
00:43:16.940 | and maybe because of all of that,
00:43:19.060 | he made the sovereign, providential decision
00:43:22.120 | to grant you authority.
00:43:24.980 | He puts you into service as a leader.
00:43:29.600 | You can say that you're not qualified,
00:43:32.900 | that you're not capable, or you're not up to the task,
00:43:36.380 | but by saying that, you're either rebelling
00:43:40.220 | against the purposes of God or you're just simply afraid.
00:43:45.840 | Courage.
00:43:46.880 | Remember 1 Corinthians 2, one through five,
00:43:52.080 | Paul's humility of recognizing his failings, his weaknesses,
00:43:56.800 | and his ultimate recognition of the real power
00:44:00.200 | of his leadership, it wasn't him.
00:44:02.680 | God does not make mistakes.
00:44:08.040 | Trust the Lord, be faithful,
00:44:11.640 | and lead whether you think you're the man to do it or not,
00:44:15.760 | because God has put you in that role.
00:44:19.480 | Have the strength and courage to do it fully
00:44:23.240 | and to do it well.
00:44:24.560 | A failure to step up is placing yourself
00:44:28.960 | above the perfect providence of God,
00:44:32.020 | and your fear is causing you to fail the people
00:44:35.800 | who have been entrusted to your servant leadership.
00:44:40.880 | Remember, God puts you into service.
00:44:44.160 | Trust, obey, courage.
00:44:48.160 | Third is fidelity.
00:44:52.040 | Along those same lines of trusting and obeying,
00:44:55.640 | your leadership must be based on Scripture,
00:44:59.040 | and in accordance with God's design and purposes,
00:45:03.800 | not the way you saw your dad do it,
00:45:05.880 | not the way you saw your boss at work do it,
00:45:08.660 | but is driven by what does God say,
00:45:12.320 | what does the Bible say.
00:45:14.520 | Leadership is always in accordance with
00:45:16.480 | and constrained by God's word, always.
00:45:19.440 | We will explore authority in the home,
00:45:23.240 | in the church, in the next two sessions,
00:45:25.080 | and we must be committed to faithfully exercising
00:45:28.520 | loving authorities within the limits ordained by God
00:45:33.520 | who delegated that authority to us.
00:45:37.440 | And we must not shy away from the authority
00:45:41.020 | that we have been given.
00:45:42.420 | Obedience is leading within the exact parameters
00:45:48.280 | defined by the one who gave us the authority.
00:45:50.660 | He gives authority, he takes it away.
00:45:55.180 | Be faithful.
00:45:56.020 | Fourth, service.
00:46:00.300 | A man who understands biblical authority in leadership
00:46:06.840 | leads as a servant.
00:46:10.340 | His leadership is marked by service.
00:46:13.360 | Leadership authority is not for your benefit,
00:46:15.780 | for your good, your reputation, and your satisfaction.
00:46:19.420 | It's always for the benefit of those
00:46:23.100 | who are under your leadership.
00:46:24.900 | In fact, there may be little recognition or satisfaction
00:46:28.080 | outside the knowledge that you have before the Lord
00:46:32.180 | that you're being faithful.
00:46:35.020 | You can go long stretches of time and efforts
00:46:39.460 | with no accolades.
00:46:40.560 | Those of you who are young dads can shout amen if you want.
00:46:44.440 | That should not deter you, by the way, in the least.
00:46:49.360 | Coming home at the end of the day, a full day of work,
00:46:54.200 | a leader understands that it's not the end of the day.
00:46:58.880 | It's not rest time, it's game on.
00:47:04.580 | This is a servant.
00:47:07.200 | It's actually time to step up your efforts and stamina
00:47:10.000 | as you serve those who you are called to lead,
00:47:13.360 | your wife and your children.
00:47:15.460 | And your satisfaction is in that service
00:47:20.180 | and in obedience to Christ's call to servant leadership,
00:47:24.480 | not in the recognition.
00:47:25.860 | Leadership authority is always for the benefit of others.
00:47:32.300 | Serve well.
00:47:34.400 | Fifth, self-control.
00:47:38.280 | A man who leads with an understanding and in submission
00:47:43.720 | to the authority of God who gave you that authority
00:47:47.440 | leads in a way that is marked by self-control.
00:47:50.820 | You understand your authority is limited.
00:47:54.300 | Don't exceed it.
00:47:56.180 | And sometimes this requires maximum self-control
00:47:58.900 | because people want to be led
00:48:00.980 | and people want to be told what to do.
00:48:03.420 | In fact, people actually love tyranny for a while.
00:48:09.880 | I thought of two verses out of Jeremiah are so stark.
00:48:15.260 | Jeremiah 5, verses 30 and 31.
00:48:17.760 | I'm sorry, I don't have a slide.
00:48:18.960 | I thought of this at the last minute.
00:48:20.800 | Here's what Jeremiah says.
00:48:22.320 | An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land.
00:48:26.680 | The prophets prophesy falsely
00:48:29.160 | and the priests rule on their own authority.
00:48:33.960 | Let me boil that down, see if it sounds familiar to you.
00:48:36.760 | The leaders lie to the people and they do what they want.
00:48:42.480 | And my people love it so.
00:48:47.600 | Does it sound familiar?
00:48:49.040 | But what will you do at the end of it, he says.
00:48:55.040 | It always ends.
00:48:57.280 | You can get away with that for a while
00:48:58.840 | unless accountants call that a timing difference.
00:49:01.280 | That does bloom in a way that does not end well.
00:49:07.840 | This passage reflects badly on the people for sure.
00:49:10.680 | Why would they love that?
00:49:12.280 | Lies and tyrannical authority, it says the people loved it.
00:49:17.620 | But it's also an indictment on the leadership
00:49:19.500 | that gets out over its skis.
00:49:23.600 | Spirit-filled men are marked by self-control
00:49:27.280 | and spiritual leadership is known for exercising
00:49:29.840 | only the authority that is specifically addressed
00:49:33.400 | in the word of God,
00:49:34.840 | even if the people want you to exercise more authority.
00:49:38.900 | Self-control, a spirit-filled leader
00:49:43.440 | is always under control and does not impose burdens
00:49:46.340 | on the people through their exercise of their authority
00:49:49.920 | that were never authorized by the one
00:49:51.760 | who gives that authority.
00:49:53.540 | Finally, curiosity.
00:49:57.500 | Curiosity.
00:49:59.760 | I think I'm gonna develop this more in a future session,
00:50:03.060 | but curiosity is biblical.
00:50:04.800 | Your senses should be heightened to the question
00:50:08.680 | of what authority do I have as a leader at home,
00:50:12.360 | in the church, or outside the church,
00:50:14.100 | and how do I exercise that authority?
00:50:16.520 | How do I lead in light of that delegated responsibility?
00:50:21.280 | There should be a curiosity to understand
00:50:23.720 | the answers to these questions
00:50:25.360 | so that your leadership will be faithful
00:50:29.880 | to the one who gave that work to you
00:50:32.600 | and so that your leadership would benefit those in your care
00:50:38.600 | to the praise and glory, not of you, but of Christ.
00:50:44.080 | Be curious, men, listen, watch.
00:50:49.760 | Learn from the Bible, imitate.
00:50:53.840 | The beauty of what happens in this room every night
00:50:56.120 | is there are men all around you who are experienced.
00:51:00.560 | They have wisdom.
00:51:01.720 | The Bible says to go get it.
00:51:05.280 | That requires a curiosity.
00:51:09.520 | Don't ever lose that curiosity,
00:51:11.280 | and that curiosity requires humility,
00:51:13.280 | and so we've come full circle.
00:51:17.480 | Your leadership and the exercise of any authority
00:51:21.720 | or power that you've been given has,
00:51:24.120 | as you exercise that leadership and that authority,
00:51:29.120 | you should be marked by a humility, a courage,
00:51:33.600 | fidelity to the Bible, service, servant leadership,
00:51:38.600 | self-control, and a curiosity of how can I do this better?
00:51:45.280 | Let's pray.
00:51:46.120 | Lord, thank you for your word.
00:51:49.160 | Thank you for who you are.
00:51:51.560 | Lord, we understand that you are authority.
00:51:57.400 | You have all authority.
00:51:58.640 | It's all under your purview.
00:52:02.600 | Lord, we marvel that you would give us authority.
00:52:05.400 | Lord, I pray for every man here tonight
00:52:10.520 | that all of us would be humble in that leadership,
00:52:14.280 | that we would seek you,
00:52:16.440 | that we would seek the truth of your word,
00:52:18.960 | that we would have that curiosity,
00:52:21.040 | not so that we know more than anybody else,
00:52:23.800 | but so that we can be faithful and consistent
00:52:28.000 | and controlled in that leadership.
00:52:30.880 | To your praise and glory, Lord,
00:52:32.840 | I pray for all of the families represented here
00:52:36.040 | and the other people who fall under that leadership,
00:52:38.880 | and the other people who fall under our leadership.
00:52:41.680 | Lord, may they see you through us
00:52:45.160 | as we lead in the church and in our homes
00:52:49.600 | and in this culture, and we pray this in Christ's name.
00:52:52.520 | Amen.
00:52:53.360 | [BLANK_AUDIO]