- Well, if you recall from our last session together, we talked a lot about how every man is a leader. And that assignment started at creation in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world. The privilege and responsibility of male leadership was not the curse. It was a key feature of God's perfect creation.

Man was created to lead, to exercise dominion and authority. Satan's first and successful attack was against that authority. There's nothing new under the sun. Today's chaos surrounding the concepts and the principles of male authority and leadership is a continuation of Satan's efforts that began in the Garden of Eden.

The resulting confusion and rebellion against God's design results in either really bad leadership or none at all, with all of the consequences that come from that. Secular leadership, we learned last time, is vastly different than spiritual leadership. We spent a fair amount of time in our last session contrasting secular leadership and spiritual leadership, and you may recall, even as we looked at the transformation of the Apostle Paul and the leadership transformation that he went through as a result of the gospel.

Well, tonight, we address the reality that with leadership comes authority. The definition of authority in Webster's dictionary is the power to influence, to command authority, command thought, opinion, or behavior. Authority and power go together. Webster says so. Your experience confirms that, and the Bible says so also. Back in Genesis 1, God described the authority and power that he gave to human beings as he was creating them.

Genesis 1, 27 and 28 says God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

You're very familiar with those verses. In those verses, God establishes authority and dominion. That words subdue and rule speaks of the use of force. It means domination, bringing into bondage, to bring under dominion. And here's God's plan laid out in verses 27 and 28. One, he created you, he rules the world.

And then it goes on to say that God's perfect design for you and I was to get married, have babies, grandbabies, enjoy the bounty of the earth, and to rule over the earth, the fish, the birds, and every living thing that crawls on the earth, with full authority from the creator.

Satan's plan, as evidenced by our current culture, is don't get married. But if you do get married, don't have babies. And if you do have babies, don't have very many, 'cause we're gonna overpopulate the earth, don't you know? And you need to be a vegetarian, because animals are people too.

Don't enjoy the bounty of the earth, don't exercise dominion and authority over the earth, rather celebrate Earth Day. Worship the creation over the creator. Why is this Satan's plan? Well, it may not be his plan, but here's the consequence. When we do not faithfully lead and rule where we have been told to lead and rule, Satan steps in and takes the lead.

That's what happened with Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. We saw that in our last time together. Adam stepped back, handed over the leadership and the authority over his wife to the serpents. That in itself was sin. And it resulted in sin, because Eve, being deceived, went on to sin.

The result of weak or absent leadership is sin. Forfeiting authority that God has given you is sin, and it's sin that harms people that have been entrusted to your leadership. This should lead all of us to a question. What is the authority that comes with leadership, and where do I find the answer to that question?

The question of authority wielded by leadership is foundational, and it's extremely important. Some men aspire to leadership because of authority. They want that authority. They may not know what the authority or the power is, but they want it. This thinking tends to lead to overstepping authority, overstepping the God-given bounds and the limits on authority.

Some men don't aspire to leadership because either they don't want to, they don't want to do the work required, or they're focused on their own failings and weaknesses. This is often a false humility that masks fear and pride. These are the men that say, and believe, I'm not a leader.

They tend not to exercise authority, and in their disobedience, their people suffer. In fact, men who do not lead is the classic formula for messed up homes, churches, and societies. Then there's men who, because of strong natural abilities or being in the right place at the right time, find themselves in positions of leadership, and they've never really thought about what is the authority that I should be exercising or should not be exercising.

They just follow the example of others. Well, my prayer is that in tonight's session, you're reminded of the call on your life to lead, and in the exercise of that leadership, you've been given authority, and that authority must be understood and very carefully applied. This is an area of obedience in every way like any other clear command in Scripture.

We need to explore what the Bible says about authority, and I think you're gonna leave here with some really clear direction and principles. How a man views authority in the context of his leadership says a lot about whether that man is an effective leader and to take it a step further, whether he's qualified for more leadership.

An example of that is in 1 Timothy 3. Paul is describing the qualifications of leaders in the church, elders, pastors. And he says this, "He must, the elder or pastor, "must be one who manages his own household well, "keeping his children under control with all dignity. "But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, "how will he take care of the church of God?" There's two principles there related to authority.

There's a lot of principles there, and we'll be coming back to these verses in future sessions, but when we're talking about authority, there's two things to note here. One is the authority of a husband and a father is different than the authority of an elder in the church. A man who serves as an elder exercises different authority as an elder than he exercises as a father and a husband.

The family, the church, the state, or government, have very different purposes, and therefore, the authority delegated to the leadership of those three institutions is very different. You see some of that difference in those terms. He manages his household well, and he cares for the church of God. We'll come back to that in another session.

The second principle related to authority in those verses that's very interesting is that the demonstrated exercise and proven understanding of his authority in the home is a must. You see that, right? He must. That is a must before a man can be appointed an elder or other leadership in the church.

So note, it doesn't say to look at his success or strength of leadership at work. That's not in the Bible, and it shouldn't be in our thinking. Paul points to the home as evidence and a predictor of whether a man understands and faithfully exercises the God-given authority. Men in leadership always should want to know what their authority is.

A biblical leader wants to be very careful to be obedient in his leadership and never overstep or understep the authority that's been delegated to him. A secular leader wants to push the limits of authority to assume more power and control. In fact, in a secular environment, the successful secular leaders are those who amass the most power.

We're seeing that in our country right now. Successful spiritual leaders, though, and that's who I'm talking to, are those who faithfully and carefully exert the authority that's been given to them by God no more and no less. We must start with a very big picture, and I want to go through a survey now of Scripture to look at the authority of God as a starting place, and then we'll bring it down to a very practical implications for you and I as we establish the question, or the answer to the question, what is my authority as a husband, as a father, as a leader in the church, or anywhere else?

A survey of authority in the Bible, I think, brings a lot of clarity for us. So first, God is God, and we are not. In Genesis chapter two, God establishes, just like he did in Genesis one, his authority. Genesis 2-7, we looked at this already. Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

What you create, you control. What you create, you have all authority over. Right? Later in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 40, one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible, it says this, starting in verse 21. This is a description of the Creator's total authority. Do you not know?

Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? Let me stop. There's a series of questions there. Isaiah does this a lot in chapter 40. The answer to all these questions is yes, so you could read it this way.

You know, you've heard. It's been declared to you from the beginning. We saw that in Genesis one, Genesis two, Genesis three. You've understood from the foundations of the earth, what? Verse 22, that it is God who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

What a contrast. I see grasshoppers. God sits above the circle of the earth, and it says he stretches the heavens like a curtain, and he spreads them out like a tent to live in, and now he addresses his relationship to authority on this earth. It is God who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

Scarcely have they been planted. Scarcely have they been sown. Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, but he merrily blows on them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble. To whom then will you compare me that I would be as equal, says the Holy One.

And then, Christ, God sends his son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to live a perfect life, fully God, fully man. He's crucified, he's murdered by his own creation. For our sake, for our redemption, he raises from the dead on the third day, and he's about to give the great commission to his disciples, and he starts with this statement in verse 18, and Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me "in heaven and on earth." All means all.

Christ has all authority. In fact, Paul references that in Ephesians one, as we continue our survey of the Bible on the topic of the authority of God, Paul says in verse 20 that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the one to come.

God is far above Jesus Christ, is far above all authority. He's not far away. We're gonna see that. He's far above, but he's not far away. He's not disconnected. God is God, and we are not. God is authority. Christ has been given all authority. He has authority and dominion over everything, including the state, the church, the family, and even Satan.

That is the starting point for understanding authority. He never steps aside from his authority. He never diminishes his power and authority ever, but he does delegate earthly leadership and authority. That's where you and I enter the equation. We already saw the rule and dominion over the earth, fish, animals, everything that lives on the earth was assigned during the seven-day creation.

We read that in Genesis 1. But what about authority over people? Through institutions that God has ordained, that authority has also been delegated. God delegates authority. In Genesis 2, we saw last time that authority over the family has been delegated to you, men, husbands, fathers. You were created by God as a man to be a leader.

Your leadership was a divine act and a divine assignment. It wasn't by chance, and it has your name on it. God delegates authority. In the church, Acts 20, Paul's talking to the elders in the church at Ephesus, and he says, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock "among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." God delegates authority through Christ to elders and pastors.

And then there's Romans 13.1. I know you're familiar with this. There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. It could not be more clear. And I love that this was read already tonight, but Christ is on trial in John chapter 19, and I don't want you to miss this, so I'm going to read it again.

Christ is on trial by his own creation. Pilate has left the room, and it says in verse nine of John 19 that he enters back into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" And Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate says to him, "You don't speak to me?

"You don't speak to me? "Do you not know I have the authority to release you "and I have the authority to crucify you?" And you heard Christ's response. Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me "unless it had been given you from above." God is sovereign over all authority.

Never forget that. And he in his perfect will and his perfect providence delegates all authority, including to Pilate. The dominion and rule of Christ even includes Satan. The Bible establishes in Ephesians 2, among other places in the Bible, that Satan has been given authority. He's called in Ephesians 2 the prince of the power of the air and the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience here on earth.

He does so at the pleasure of and accountability to Jesus Christ. If you're familiar with the story in Job 1 and chapter 2, Satan actually enters the presence of God in heaven, in the courts of heaven, and asks for authority to test and to try Job. That authority was granted with limits, with limits, and you might know the rest of that story.

If you've never read that story, read Job chapter 1 and Job chapter 2. So let's review. God is the creator and the supreme authority. He's given all authority to Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father. Christ, while still and always being above all authority and the head of all, has delegated authority and leadership on this earth to men.

That means if you have any authority at all, it was given to you. And not just given to you, but it was given to you by the ruler over all authority. And what's been given to you can also be taken away. And we need to talk about that. Authority is given by God, and it's taken away by God.

And we have to think about that, because there's a lot of reasons why God removes authority from leaders, or removes leaders. There's oppressive leadership. There's ungodly and disobedient leadership. There's absent leadership, not using your God-given authority. And there's so many examples in the Bible, but I went to one of the more dramatic.

Numbers chapter 25. I'm gonna read from about verse two, or verse one. "The people began to play the harlot "with the daughters of Moab, for they invited the people "to the sacrifices of their gods. "And the people ate and bowed down to their gods. "So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, "and the Lord was angry against Israel." This is a mess, isn't it?

Verse four, "The Lord said to Moses, 'Kill all the people.'" That's not what it says. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of the people, "and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, "so that the fierce anger of the Lord "may turn away from Israel.' "So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay as men who have joined themselves "to Baal of Peor.

"The leaders didn't lead with the authority "they were given. "The result was sin. "The people sinned. "And there may have been consequences for the people, "but God had held the leadership accountable "in a very public way." You see, what God gives, he takes away. Daniel chapters one through four, the story of Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar was perhaps the wealthiest, most powerful political leader, maybe in the history of the world. He held the power of life and death simply by the words he spoke. He used that power and authority to build enormous, almost unimaginable wealth and more power. And God removed him from leadership.

Daniel 4.32 says, "You will be driven away from mankind. "Your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field." He's talking to the most powerful ruler on the face of the earth. You'll live with the beasts of the field, you'll be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven years will pass over you until you recognize, why is God doing this to Nebuchadnezzar?

Because he wants him, it says, to recognize that the most high is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes. God gives authority and he takes it away. And by the way, it happened to Nebuchadnezzar and after seven years, Nebuchadnezzar was actually restored to leadership.

Who can do that other than God? The Lord does both as he wishes and if he wishes. Daniel 1 through 4 is not primarily about Daniel and it's not primarily about Nebuchadnezzar. It's about the power and the authority and the providence of God in the affairs of man, particularly men in leadership with significant authority and their accountability to the one who gave them that authority.

I mentioned that Christ even has authority over Satan. In Revelation 12, now we're looking to the future. Revelation 12 describes when Satan is thrown out of heaven. I've already established from Job 1 and 2 that he is in heaven making requests of God. It says in Revelation 12 verse 9, the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who's called the devil and Satan.

There's three descriptions of Satan. Helps you interpret Old Testament to know when it's talking about the devil, the great dragon, the serpent of old, the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.

God allows authority, he takes it away. And to further emphasize Christ's total control of Satan and his authority. Later in Revelation 20, again, this is eschatology. This is what's going to happen in the future. The description is that Christ lays hold of the dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, same person.

And bound him for a thousand years and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. And after these things, he was released, will be released for a short time.

There is a thousand years when Satan is put away. And then later in Revelation 20, it says that Satan is released from his prison to deceive the nations one more time only to be finally utterly conquered by Christ. And then it says he's thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone forever.

That is the power and the authority of Jesus Christ. He allows Satan to have authority, he removes it, he gives it back and then he takes it away. If you struggle, by the way, with believing that about Christ having total control over Satan, please understand that Satan doesn't have a hard time believing that.

In fact, James 2:19 says that he and his demons know all of this and they shudder. So I've spent some time tonight displaying the ultimate authority of God through some history, some biography, and even looking to the future. Because we must understand that the giver of authority, we must understand the giver of authority before we consider any authority we might have been given.

Thus, we approach what's ahead of us tonight with a discussion about authority and power on this earth with tremendous humility, I pray, and accountability. So how do you fit into this? Let's drill down now into a very practical application of all of this and as with everything else, God doesn't just say you're in charge.

He describes his expectation. If you've got your handout, we're gonna work through the grid that's on, I think on the front page there. And we're gonna fill this grid in and I think it's gonna be helpful to you. What's on the screen is what goes in that first column if you're taking notes.

If you don't have a handout, they're out there somewhere. I really want you to fill this in. I wanna show you a pattern in Scripture that once you see it, as they say, you can never unsee it. When the Bible talks about authority over people, it says seven things every time.

It tells us seven things about that authority. First, it tells us that all authority is delegated by God. The Bible always defines the authority. The Bible always answers the question, what is my authority? The Bible always discloses what the focus and the purpose of that authority is. The Bible always limits that authority and describes the limits on that authority.

Fifth, there is always the warning and the command that that authority is to be exercised in accordance with God's word, with God's instructions. Sixth, authority over other people is never, catch that, never for personal gain. And the flip side of that is that delegated authority is always, always for the benefit of others.

So that's kind of giving you the bottom line before I show you, and now I wanna show you from two passages. We're gonna look at Matthew chapter 10. And again, I think once you see this, it will fall right into place for you. Matthew chapter 10. Don't have to give a lot of background because it tells the story.

Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them what? He's about to delegate authority. Authority is always delegated from God. That's the source of the authority. Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them authority. And what is the authority? He gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

That's extraordinary power. That's extraordinary authority. It goes on in Matthew to name all 12 of the disciples. Verse five, these 12 Jesus sent out after instructing them, do not go in the way of the Gentiles and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And as you go, preach saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And here's another recitation of the authority. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold or silver or copper for your money belts or a bag for your journey or even two coats or sandals or a staff for the worker is worthy of his support.

In that passage are all seven elements of authority. We saw it in verse one, authority is delegated from God. We saw what the authority is. It answers the question, what was their authority? The third question is, what was the purpose of the authority? Well, the purpose of the authority is in verse seven.

As you go, preach saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does that have to do with the authority? It always goes together. The purpose of the authority explains what the authority is and the authority that's given explains the purpose. They were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

They were to show through their authority what they were talking about. People think in terms of earthly kingdoms. They're to preach about Christ's kingdom and they're to show them through this authority that Christ's kingdom, unlike any earthly kingdom, is sovereign over physical realms, sickness, spiritual realms, the effects of sin, and even the efforts in the reign of Satan.

Their preaching was to preview the future. What I read you from Revelation 20, that Christ has authority over Satan. That was the purpose of the authority. The authority was limited. The authority was limited. You see it by who was sent and who they were sent to. And by the way, Matthew 10 is a proof text for a lot of faith healers these days.

They're completely missing the point of Matthew 10. Matthew 10 could not be more explicit on the limitations of this authority that Christ authorized how many people? 12, even named them. That's the limits on that authority. That's to whom the authority was given. Who were they to go to? Well, it says in verse five, Jesus sent the 12 out after instructing them, don't go to the Gentiles, don't go to the Samaritans, but go to who?

The Jews. He calls them the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That is the limit on their authority. Authority's always based on the word of God. You know, if you walk around culture raising the dead, healing the sick, doing all these things, people are gonna ask you to weigh in on all kinds of things because you've got power nobody else has.

Christ was very clear. As you go, preach, preach, preach. Not politics, preferences, or personal opinions, but they were to speak the word of God. And then the tail end of Matthew 10, that passage you see the principle that authority is never for financial or other earthly personal gain of those who have the authority.

It is for the benefit and blessing of others. He says, freely you received, freely give. And he makes very clear that they were not to put this authority up for sale. Let's look at another example. Romans 13. We already read Romans 13, one, that all authority is from God.

And again, we're gonna go through this pretty quickly so you can fill in this grid, and you can see that God delegates authority, that he explains his authority. He defines it. He explains the purpose of that authority. He limits the authority. He makes clear that it is to be used in accordance with the Bible and it is never for personal gain, always for the benefit of others.

Romans 13, I'm gonna start reading in verse three. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Rulers, we're talking about government authorities. Whether you call 'em kings, presidents, governors, mayors, whatever they are. They've all been delegated by God, and they are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.

Do you wanna have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For it is a minister of God to you for good, but if you do what is evil, be afraid. For it does not bear the sword for nothing. It is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes for rulers or servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. There's two authorities given to government there, by the way. One is the sword, and the other is taxes.

We're not gonna talk about taxes tonight. But it's very clear. You know, in a parallel passage, or principles, Peter's letter, 1 Peter 2, 13 and 14, talks about submitting yourselves to government authorities, whether to a king or as to one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

Well, let's fill in the grid. Authority's always delegated by God. In fact, government authorities are described in this passage as ministers of God and servants of God. It couldn't be more clear. What's the authority? Already mentioned it. It's bearing the sword. Government has been given the authority by the God of the universe over life and death.

What's the purpose for bearing the sword? It is the punishment of evildoers. The punishment of evildoers. And the flip side of that is the praise of those who do right. The fourth element. Authority is always limited. The U.S. government has no authority in England. There's a limit. You understand what I'm saying?

The government of Columbia has no control over what happens in the United States. That's one obvious limit on that authority. But the government also has no authority in the church or in your home. Those of you who did the pre-read, if you did it, you read Christ, not Caesar, is the head of the church.

That was in your reading. That's why that's in your reading. This was the core of the conflict between Grace Church and the state in 2020 as it has ever been in the church. Government always strives to overreach on their authority. I think in the future, those of you who have young families are gonna understand this more and more that the government is overstepping their authority in controlling and trying to control what happens in your home.

You see, if authority is not explicitly given, it's out of bounds. Authority for government is limited. Authority is always defined by and consistent with the word of God. It's very clear that government is to punish evil and to reward good. The definition of evil isn't what the government says, it's what who says, God says.

And good is defined by the Bible. And a government that strays from those definitions, looking at through history, in the Bible, are governments that do not stand. You see, God delegates authority. And he defines that authority. He states the purpose. He limits that authority. And that authority is to be used in accordance with Scripture.

And it's always for the benefit of others, never for personal benefit. So what does all of this say about your leadership? By the way, I skipped over that. Government are servants. It's for your benefit, they work for you and God's economy. Don't say that to the police officer that pulls you over to write you a ticket, by the way.

Doesn't work well. What does all of this say about your leadership? Your leadership involves the exercise of authority over other people. And in the coming sessions, we're gonna dive into the specific authority that you've been given by Jesus Christ as the head of your home and a leader in the church.

And if you have signed up for the pre-read, there is this time going to be some pre-work where you need to fill in this grid regarding leadership in the church. Find passages in Scripture and you will find them to define these seven elements of church leadership. But there are some very practical applications based on what we've seen so far.

As you consider your leadership and whatever role you have and the people God has put under your leadership, there are some profound implications that are drawn from an understanding of authority. And I want to go through those quickly as we wrap it up. There's seven or six implications. There could have been more, there could have been less.

These are what came to me as I was wrapping up my preparation. The first is humility. Humility, remember that God is God and we are not. Humility is not rooted in our weaknesses and failures, by the way. Our humility flows from an understanding of who God is, not who we are.

He sits above the circle of the earth and we are like grasshoppers. God is above all authority, he delegates all authority and therefore, any leadership or authority that you have, you have it because God gave it to you. Don't ever forget that. It's not because you are better, more qualified or good at it.

1 Corinthians 4, seven says, "For who regards you as superior? "What do you have that you did not receive? "And if you did not receive it, "why do you boast as if you had not received it?" Remember the story of Paul when he was Saul? All his prior leadership as Saul, and it was extraordinary for a young man, was of absolutely no use when Christ called him to salvation and Christ called him to extraordinary spiritual leadership.

God did that. A man who understands biblical authority, his leadership is gonna be marked by humility. Another mark of a man who understands authority is that his leadership is gonna be marked, his exercise of authority is gonna be marked by courage. I hope you understand that God knows your weaknesses, he knows your frailties, and in spite of all of that, and maybe because of all of that, he made the sovereign, providential decision to grant you authority.

He puts you into service as a leader. You can say that you're not qualified, that you're not capable, or you're not up to the task, but by saying that, you're either rebelling against the purposes of God or you're just simply afraid. Courage. Remember 1 Corinthians 2, one through five, Paul's humility of recognizing his failings, his weaknesses, and his ultimate recognition of the real power of his leadership, it wasn't him.

God does not make mistakes. Trust the Lord, be faithful, and lead whether you think you're the man to do it or not, because God has put you in that role. Have the strength and courage to do it fully and to do it well. A failure to step up is placing yourself above the perfect providence of God, and your fear is causing you to fail the people who have been entrusted to your servant leadership.

Remember, God puts you into service. Trust, obey, courage. Third is fidelity. Along those same lines of trusting and obeying, your leadership must be based on Scripture, and in accordance with God's design and purposes, not the way you saw your dad do it, not the way you saw your boss at work do it, but is driven by what does God say, what does the Bible say.

Leadership is always in accordance with and constrained by God's word, always. We will explore authority in the home, in the church, in the next two sessions, and we must be committed to faithfully exercising loving authorities within the limits ordained by God who delegated that authority to us. And we must not shy away from the authority that we have been given.

Obedience is leading within the exact parameters defined by the one who gave us the authority. He gives authority, he takes it away. Be faithful. Fourth, service. A man who understands biblical authority in leadership leads as a servant. His leadership is marked by service. Leadership authority is not for your benefit, for your good, your reputation, and your satisfaction.

It's always for the benefit of those who are under your leadership. In fact, there may be little recognition or satisfaction outside the knowledge that you have before the Lord that you're being faithful. You can go long stretches of time and efforts with no accolades. Those of you who are young dads can shout amen if you want.

That should not deter you, by the way, in the least. Coming home at the end of the day, a full day of work, a leader understands that it's not the end of the day. It's not rest time, it's game on. This is a servant. It's actually time to step up your efforts and stamina as you serve those who you are called to lead, your wife and your children.

And your satisfaction is in that service and in obedience to Christ's call to servant leadership, not in the recognition. Leadership authority is always for the benefit of others. Serve well. Fifth, self-control. A man who leads with an understanding and in submission to the authority of God who gave you that authority leads in a way that is marked by self-control.

You understand your authority is limited. Don't exceed it. And sometimes this requires maximum self-control because people want to be led and people want to be told what to do. In fact, people actually love tyranny for a while. I thought of two verses out of Jeremiah are so stark. Jeremiah 5, verses 30 and 31.

I'm sorry, I don't have a slide. I thought of this at the last minute. Here's what Jeremiah says. An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule on their own authority. Let me boil that down, see if it sounds familiar to you.

The leaders lie to the people and they do what they want. And my people love it so. Does it sound familiar? But what will you do at the end of it, he says. It always ends. You can get away with that for a while unless accountants call that a timing difference.

That does bloom in a way that does not end well. This passage reflects badly on the people for sure. Why would they love that? Lies and tyrannical authority, it says the people loved it. But it's also an indictment on the leadership that gets out over its skis. Spirit-filled men are marked by self-control and spiritual leadership is known for exercising only the authority that is specifically addressed in the word of God, even if the people want you to exercise more authority.

Self-control, a spirit-filled leader is always under control and does not impose burdens on the people through their exercise of their authority that were never authorized by the one who gives that authority. Finally, curiosity. Curiosity. I think I'm gonna develop this more in a future session, but curiosity is biblical.

Your senses should be heightened to the question of what authority do I have as a leader at home, in the church, or outside the church, and how do I exercise that authority? How do I lead in light of that delegated responsibility? There should be a curiosity to understand the answers to these questions so that your leadership will be faithful to the one who gave that work to you and so that your leadership would benefit those in your care to the praise and glory, not of you, but of Christ.

Be curious, men, listen, watch. Learn from the Bible, imitate. The beauty of what happens in this room every night is there are men all around you who are experienced. They have wisdom. The Bible says to go get it. That requires a curiosity. Don't ever lose that curiosity, and that curiosity requires humility, and so we've come full circle.

Your leadership and the exercise of any authority or power that you've been given has, as you exercise that leadership and that authority, you should be marked by a humility, a courage, fidelity to the Bible, service, servant leadership, self-control, and a curiosity of how can I do this better? Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for who you are. Lord, we understand that you are authority. You have all authority. It's all under your purview. Lord, we marvel that you would give us authority. Lord, I pray for every man here tonight that all of us would be humble in that leadership, that we would seek you, that we would seek the truth of your word, that we would have that curiosity, not so that we know more than anybody else, but so that we can be faithful and consistent and controlled in that leadership.

To your praise and glory, Lord, I pray for all of the families represented here and the other people who fall under that leadership, and the other people who fall under our leadership. Lord, may they see you through us as we lead in the church and in our homes and in this culture, and we pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.