The Best Leaders Are Followers

Well, on this Father's Day, we can make a lot of noise about fathers, but I want to look at the Word of God today and see what it has to say to us about fathers. It's a good thing that we honor fathers, but we need to know how to be good dads. so I hope that is accomplished here today and hope is given not just conviction of sin but hope in the gospel so if you will bow with me for a word of prayer and we'll ask God to guide our thinking in these next few minutes God of heaven we call you our father only because of what Jesus has done without him we'd have no right to even approach you in such familiar terms. We were alienated sinners, transgressors.

We were born with a bent against you. And yet out of your great mercy, with nothing from us, you reached down and made us alive so that we could see Jesus and embrace Him in faith and find hope and salvation. And so we thank you for him so that we can come into your presence as a congregation and come in recognizing you as our Father. Help us now to understand from our Lord Jesus what we need to be and to do in order to be the kind of fathers that would be pleasing to you.

Help us now in these next few minutes. In Jesus' name, amen. People all around us are looking for leadership. When a company starts falling, it's losing market share and the value of its stocks start going down, the board starts looking for another leader. When a nation is in crisis, people look for someone, a leader who will lead it to victory. When a church struggles, its members look to the leaders who bring understanding and answers.

Everyone looks for leaders who have the ability to say, here's the problem, I have a solution, now follow me. But do you know what God says? He says you're going to be no good at leading if you're no good at following. so let's talk about leading our families today all of you here today know what the scripture says about leadership in the family god has called you men to lead your family he has given you men the responsibility to leave your lead your wife and your children god has placed you men in the position of leadership so how well are you doing in that capacity.

So on this Father's Day, as I usually do, I want to address you men about leading your families. And some of you already are saying, you know what, Pastor Tim, you're always beating up the men. You even do it on Mother's Day. Well, I'll try not to beat you up today, but hopefully show you the scriptures. I want to look at a passage of scriptures that I believe will help you be the kind of leader that you need to be in your home.

Those of you who have children need to listen because God expects you to lead your children. Those of you who don't have children need to listen because God expects you to lead your wife. Those of you who have neither wife nor children need to listen because someday you'll be thrust into that position and you should be preparing yourself for that day.

Turn with me to the gospel of Luke chapter 6. We're going to look two verses today. Verses 39 and 40. Luke 6, 39 and 40. He also told them a parable. Can a blind man lead a blind man?

Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher. But everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher. Those are our verses. That's our text for today. And I want to say to you again, you'll be no good at leading if you're no good at following.

If you want to lead, then you have to follow the right leader. Now these two verses are all about the teacher-discipleship relationship. In Jesus' day, disciples followed their rabbi. Now, if you were to look around, if you were to be walking in the time of Jesus, you wouldn't see Jesus and 12 guys and say, aha, there's Jesus, right? Because every rabbi had a following.

So Jesus would look no different than a rabbi with a group of disciples. He was not distinguishable in the fact that he had 12 guys trailing him, right? To follow someone means to be that you need to be a disciple. And Jesus' point is simply, if you're going to be a disciple, make sure you follow the right teacher. Now one day I was at Walmart and I saw a blind man.

You say, how do you know he was blind? Well, I know he was blind because he had a dog who had sight who led him where he needed to go. There was somebody or a creature, a dog, leading him. But what if I were standing in Walmart's parking lot and I saw a blind man leading a blind man? I mean, can you imagine that? They bump into the cart corral and a car comes screeching to a halt as they wandering around in the parking lot and bump into the wall as they trying to get in You can imagine what would go on if a blind man led a blind man And Jesus says here that verse 39 can a blind man lead a blind man The answer is no.

No, he can't. But here's the point. If you desire to lead your family, make sure you're not following someone who's blind. Make sure you're following someone who's not following someone who's blind. Now, Jesus sometimes would use this phrase when he was talking about the religious leaders of his days. For example, look over at Matthew chapter 15, just for a moment.

Matthew 15, verses 13 and 14. now when Jesus heard this he would no I knew that wasn't right verse you know you all have seen me grow old in the pulpit isn't it a pathetic thing there it is I think he answered every plant that my heavenly father has not planted will be rooted up let them alone they are blind guides And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit. Now Jesus was in the habit of calling the religious leaders of his day blind men. They were blind.

With all their knowledge of the scripture, they remained blind to the most important truth. And that truth is they could not see Jesus. They could not see Jesus. They could not see that he fulfilled all the promises of God. They could not see that he did nothing wrong. that he was a man of great compassion and grace and did nothing wrong. And yet they were blind to his glory.

They were blind to the fact that Jesus and his teaching embodied everything that their Old Testament, that their scriptures had told them. They were blind to everything about Jesus. The point is, dads, make sure that those you follow are not stricken with the same blindness. where do you get your advice and counsel when it comes to leading your family there are all kinds of voices out there all kinds of voices that are telling us different things and one of the strongest voices is just because you're man you don't have a right to lead there are all kinds of voices that say you don't be a leader you don't you don't have to be a leader for your wife and children.

You need to be a facilitator. You may think, wow, I know he's not a Christian, but Jordan Peterson, man, there's nobody better. Who are you following? Listen, if they don't breathe the spirit of Christ, be very, very careful. They need to breathe the spirit of Christ if you're going to follow them. If you desire to lead your family, make sure that you're not blind.

Make sure that you're not blind. Dads, if you are spiritually blind, or blind to the light of God's Word as it applies, how can you lead your children to the light? Because you know what? They're born blind. They're born blind to the light of God. And if you're blind, you can't lead that blind person. you need to be you need to have the light of the scriptures listen the only hope of being the kind of leader you should be in your family is the gospel the fact that you know that Jesus is Lord that you have committed yourself to him and that you entrust yourself entirely to what he did that's your only hope man and that you know that the Bible has the answers that you need you're not blind to the fact that the Bible has the answers to your family's issues you know what you young dads let me tell you something when you get to this stage of your life you tend to look back more and I can look back and I have tons of regrets as a dad.

I have tons of regrets as a dad. There are so many things I could have done that I didn't do. You know what I'm glad for? I'm glad that the sacrifice of Jesus pays for our sins of omission as well as our sins of commission. because I can look back and see tons of things I should have done as a dad, which I did not do. I'm so glad that Jesus is my sacrifice.

And you young dads here today, that's your only hope as well. Your only hope is the fact that Jesus has died for your sins, and that gives you the power to go on. That gives you the power to say, I blew it. I've asked God's forgiveness for that, and now I have the right to turn my back on my sin. Not dwell in it, not wallow in it, not just show God how sorry I am for how I've messed up with my son that day.

You make it right, you have the right to just leave it behind you and keep going. That's the only power you can have. The gospel is our only hope as dads. The gospel is our only hope. And in this context, dad, we have to evaluate our lives. If you look back just a page before, you look at Luke 6, verse 20.

He lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man Rejoice in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven for so for so their fathers did to the prophets he talks about in verse 27 but I say to you here love your enemies do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you pray for those who abuse you all these things dads evaluate your life in the light of what Jesus has said.

Are you loving your enemies or are you hating them? Do your children see you loving your enemies or do they see you coming home and tearing your enemies apart with your tongue? Do they see you praying for the people that abuse you? Do they see that? Are you quick to condemn others or quick to seek peace? are you meek or are you pure in heart do you rejoice in persecution that's one of the most to me one of the most startling unbelievable statements in the bible blessed are you how flourishing you are when people revile you and spurn you say false things about you right rejoice and leap for joy what the point is are you leaping for joy when you come home from work and your boss has just chewed you to pieces huh that's those are the kind of dads we need to be look a blind man cannot lead another blind man through arizona without them falling into the Grand Canyon.

The leadership, the problem is not directly, here's the point, the problem is not directly the lack of leadership. Perhaps the dilemma facing families today is that leaders, our leaders, our dads, are following blind guides. They're blind to whom they ought to be following. If you want to lead in your families, then follow the right leader. Here's the other thing that Jesus says to us.

If you want to lead, then you have to become like your teacher. If you want to lead, you have to become like your teacher. Now, most books on leadership today emphasize, and, you know, I'm an old guy. The new stuff, the way they describe it, just kind of irritates me. It's annoying. And here's an annoying phrase, but it's used all the time.

If you want to be a good leader, you have to have the right skill set. Okay? You've got to have the right skill set. That's what most books on leadership are about. Skill set. How you're going to wield the authority of leadership.

But the New Testament, when it talks about leaders, emphasizes not what you do, but who or what you are. It emphasizes that much more than the skills that you have. And that's exactly what Jesus does here. Now, I graduated from Cedarville College in 1977. And I went to Grace Seminary and crammed the three-year program into a four-year period. And in both those institutions, I got a degree, right? and but how would anyone know that i had successfully completed all that was required of me how would anybody know that how would anybody know that well i got a piece of paper who says it and here's what it says know all men by these presents that timothy a pasma has completed the regular three-year course of theological studies including the original biblical languages as required by the faculty of the seminary and is therefore awarded this diploma and admitted to the degree of Master of Divinity and is entitled to all the rights, privileges, and marks of distinction thereto pertaining here or elsewhere.

I never have figured out what the rights, privileges, and marks of distinction go with that, but somebody must know because I got a paper that says you got to give me it. But the point is simply this. The point is simply this. How do you know? How do you know that he completed seminary? Because I've got a piece of paper that says I took Greek and Hebrew.

I took theology. I took classes in particular books of the Bible. I took homiletics. I took hermeneutics. I took all those things. I took the test.

I passed. Here's the piece of paper that proves it. How does one know, though, whether you're truly a disciple of Jesus? What test do you have to take? Right? Maybe we should Say, you're a disciple of Jesus.

If you get 75% or more on a test that we're going to give you, show up for exam time on Sunday night. It doesn't happen that way. You don't take a test in what Jesus said and what he did. You know what? You know you're a disciple when you look like Jesus. When you resemble him. when you display the character of Jesus Christ.

And so men, as disciples of Jesus, your test for leadership is not whether you know how to discipline your kids. It's not whether you know how to balance a budget. It's not whether you know how to keep a home running smoothly. It's when you can display the character of Jesus in your family. now just just think about that for a moment you're ready for leadership or you will be the kind of leader god wants you to be when you display the character of the lord jesus that's your test of leadership you look like jesus I stand up here looking at all my children and wonder It a good thing to think about isn it How do you look like Jesus You know what Let's take a slice of that and just put some some color to this sketch a bit, shall we?

Look at Ephesians 4 for a moment. Ephesians 4. Look at verse 32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. you're ready to lead when you love like Jesus when you're kind and tender hearted when forgiveness is a major deal in your family when you're asking forgiveness of your wife and your children when you sin against them and when you teach them about forgiveness and when you love them sacrificially you don't look after what you want you're ready to sacrifice anything for them so that they will be what God wants them to be.

Look at Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. Beginning in verse 5. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

You are ready to lead when you give up selfish ambition and give yourself to serve others' interests. Others' interests become more important than yours, and you're willing to serve the interests of others. You're willing to empty yourself of glory to be a servant to your wife and to your children. Look at 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verses 20-23. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it you endure but if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight of God for to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps he committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth when he was reviled he did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly you are ready to lead when you can suffer and entrust yourself to god and not try to even the scores you say but pastor tim that is absolutely impossible well then let's just keep reading he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds you have been healed for you were strained like sheep but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls you have one who died whose wounds can heal those sin diseases and can help you live the way christ wants you to live you're ready to lead when you display the character of Jesus or as you lead you should display the character of Jesus your Lord what will your home look like if you strive to look like your master it will be a gospel-centered home it will be a gospel-centered home what does this Ephesians 6-4 tells us tell us and some of you should know that we're we're going through that on Wednesday evenings in our parenting series fathers do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the teaching and discipline of the Lord but all of that happens within the context where the gospel reigns supreme all of that happens where the gospel reigns supreme now will there be law in your home well certainly absolutely absolutely there's going to be law there's going to be do this or be punished don't do that and you will be punished there has to be law but you need to recognize that the law of God and your rules can provide only boundaries and the only thing it can do is reveal sinful hearts.

Understand men. If the gospel is centered in your home you've got to understand that rules will never change anyone. Even God's law never changes anyone. Laying down the law. Telling your children when they're wrong. always telling them what they do is wrong or this or the other thing. Listen, the only thing that...

Don't expect them to change if all you do is lay down the law. Is the law necessary? Yes. But for what? To keep control and to reveal sinful hearts. Only the gospel will change people.

Is the gospel central? again this little poem I love this little poem It says this, Run, John, run, the law commands, but gives neither feet nor hands. You hear that? The law commands, but it doesn't give you any way to do it. Run, John, run, the law commands, but gives neither feet nor hands. Better news the gospel brings, it bids me fly and gives me wings.

It's the gospel that will change your children's hearts. saturate your home life with the gospel children do wrong what do they need they need the law but they need the gospel now you hit your brother again okay there's consequences to that and you deal out the consequences but is that where you stop or do you say son tell me what made you hit your brother and the answer will be i don't know or because he's annoying or he didn't want he didn't let me do what i wanted to do so i slugged him right the law comes into play but then what when he says son why did you hit your brother he says i don't know you say i'll tell you why you hit your brother because you have a wicked heart and you need a new heart and the only way you're going to get a new heart is through jesus you see not just the law but the gospel make it part of your everyday conversation what happened at school right what happened at school do you know why that happened here's what the bible says it can happen do you know what um what the bible says can change people right You know, back in those horrific, awful, awful days when my sons had their band. I think on Amazon, if you look for Arson's daughter, you might be able to find their CD. I don't know. but those were times when we didn just say oh this music is awful boys don ever play that when your mom around OK We could say those things right But this is also what we said.

Or we would listen to the music that they liked. And we would say, what is that artist saying? What is he saying? Now, tell me, why does he describe people that way? And what does the gospel say about that? Saturate your home with gospel conversations.

Right? When your daughters start getting attracted to a guy that you don't think is a good day, do you just say, hey, forget it. I'm taking the car keys away and locking you in your room. Right? All dads want to do that with their daughters, by the way. Or do you talk about the gospel and how important that is?

How important that is in that person that they're interested in. Don't look for a decision. Just teach the gospel. Don't look for a decision and say, no, I've got to get them to the point where they pray the prayer. Just make the gospel part of your life and watch how the Holy Spirit uses the gospel to regenerate someone when they believe in Jesus. remember that it's not your rules that discipline but that grace disciplines always remember titus 2 11 and 12 for the grace of god that brings salvation has appeared to all men the grace of god it t it the grace of god teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in this present age it's the grace of god that disciplines us.

It's the grace of God in our children's lives that will discipline them. And we have to minister grace to our children so that they can see that this Jesus who loved them died for them. And if he died for us, why do I want to continue to do this thing? And I'm heartbroken when I'm caught in a sin because the Savior who loved me, who died for me is displeased with that.

I have a father in heaven and he's disappointed. I don't want to disappoint him. It's grace that teaches us to say no to ungodliness. Here's the last thing I would say when it comes to grace in your home Turn to 2 Corinthians for a moment 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, beginning in verse 18. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciles us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in christ god was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them not entrusting to us the message of and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore we are ambassadors for Christ God making his appeal through us we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God dads if you're going to be like Jesus then see your role as a leader as an ambassador of the gospel.

I am an ambassador of the gospel. I exist in my family to bring the message from my King. And it is a message of reconciliation. Start looking at your role as an ambassador. Now, this sermon obviously to a great degree has been intended for the men of this congregation and yet Jesus' teaching is for everyone gathered here. From the youngest to the oldest.

Jesus says to you, watch whom you follow. All of you. Jesus gives light and if you do not see him, the blind will lead the blind to judgment. You must be like your teacher. Everyone here has to be like Jesus. You may be here this morning and you just don't have any clue about what I've just said.

You know you not been watching and following who you should You certainly not like Jesus You distraught at your failure to live by God standard And you should be. Because to fail here is to make the judgment of God certain. All of us, though, have broken God's standards. We are evildoers and hypocritical. all of us except one. Jesus Christ is the only one who has never caved in to the temptations that are common to all of us.

Not once. He is the one that God said, I am well pleased with Him. He is the one who meets the standard perfectly. And He is the one that you have to trust. he is the one whose perfect obedience will be credited to your account and make you right with God and he is the one who will change you so that you do have that sight so men if you would be godly fathers watch who you follow and become like your teacher father thank you for your word God my prayer is that there just has not been conviction but that there has been hope given today my prayer my prayer God is that every one of us who are dads or potential dads here today would heed these words and follow Jesus and be like Him.

But Father, I pray for everyone here that they too have heard the message that they must follow Jesus and they must be like Him. Father, we thank You for the hope in the Gospel because we look at ourselves and say, I am not like Jesus. Help us then to look to Jesus, to find forgiveness and power to be like him. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the gospel.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.