Leadership - Part 2

Christian growth so for about a dozen droid to do it so you just might probably start with is not what Jesus wants his followers to be like so Turning Point.

Dr. David Jeremiah considers the qualities that Jesus desired from those with the courage to share his love with the world disparately needs. This is the compelling conclusion of this message. Leadership learned so far yesterday that Jesus teaches us to be leading by cooperation rather than by competition to be leading by conviction rather than convenience and to be leading by courage rather than cowardice. Three very important principles for leadership that translate all the way to right now like today whatever it is your leadership task is those three principles will help you lead. According to Jesus back to our study is a sad fact of pride and competitiveness often lead us to work against others who were on the same team and the result of it is if you stop and ponder for a moment.

The result of it is that those who are living in the kingdom of darkness, who need our witness are left in their oppression and suffering.

We argue about what is the right way to reach them. I just want to go back and remind you that we have the same goal were trying to reach this lost world for Christ and his everything around it seems to be crumbling, and as all of the things that used to separate us seem to be so insignificant and foolish to make an impact on this world for Jesus Christ. We got a quick play in the silly games we've been playing for so long.

And remember that if were on the same team. We should fight in the same way work with one another and try to make a difference in the world where we been called to make a difference. We have the same goal. But notice, Jesus added one more thing we have the same God. In verse 41 he says for whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ. Assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward is the question. Does he belong to Christ. If he belongs to Christ. I don't mean just by word belongs to Christ, which generally belongs to Christ.

As a follower, a disciple of Jesus Christ.

That's the core that you need to care about. Does he belong to Christ. These words if Before us, will deliver us from a party spirit and from petty bickering's and from jealousy in Christian service.

Does he belong to Christ. Romans 1479 says, for none of us lives to himself and no one dies to himself.

If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore whether we live or die. We are the Lord's, for to this end Christ died and rose and lives again that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living we serve the same God. Let us not forget that the first part of Jesus instruction that day was to his disciples, and I want to just pause for a moment and remind you here in the section of the book of Mark, we actually see Jesus Christ doing a little leadership training for his disciples. He knows that one of these days he's going to be out of the picture in the thing will rest on them and I believe that some of these lessons which are so very to the soul were lessons meant to help the disciples after Jesus had gone back to heaven, for we know for a fact from the Scripture that when Jesus went back to heaven. The spirit of God brought back to their minds, many things that they had learned from Jesus while he was on this earth. Now the Lord switch gears a little bit with his disciples and teach them. Another lesson which is also vital for us to learn today and this is a very tedious section of Scripture.

I don't mean that in any way to be disrespectful to the Scripture with you know what I mean. As we get into it. The first lesson we learned from the text. Today was how to lead by cooperation rather than by company but the second leadership lesson Jesus is giving his disciples is learning to lead by conviction rather than by convenience and he begins in verse 42 by helping the disciples to understand that they have been given a great gift and that gift is the gift of influence, and in the 42nd verse we read these words but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he will thrown into the sea.

This is a sober warning to his followers against injuring or destroying the faith of simple and ordinary people.

The Greek word translated causes to stumble refers to destroying the faith of a fellow believer or causing a believer to fall away from God.

The punishment for such an offense is calamitous, according to Jesus because someone whose sin because of our attitude of superiority and elitism as a leader is a very serious issue with our Lord Jesus tells us that we are not only to accept the downtrodden and the outcast picture by the little child that we saw in the last lesson we also make sure that we do not do anything that causes that child to stumble. Jesus is that when you're given influence as a leader you have a double responsibility to live your life in such a way that it does not become a means for others to misunderstand who God is and who stumble in their faith being a leadership role or to have folks who look to you busily just to be perfect or paragons of virtue but it means you need to take seriously that you been given the gift of influence and you need to use that influence carefully in the ancient world grain was ground by cylindrical shape millstones that were so large they can only be turned over by the power of oxen. Millstone imagery was so dreadful for a Jew. Jesus said it would be better to take one of those huge millstones and tied around the neck of a person and drowning in the sea, it would be better for him to experience that you have to stand before a righteous God someday with the knowledge that because of the way you lived in the things you did, you caused many to stumble and lose their faith.

I read this passage very soberly. I would rather die than ever do anything that would cause somebody to not see Jesus as he is. I'm not a perfect person by a longshot.

In case you want debate that you can call Donna. I make a lot of mistakes, flawed human being.

But I do understand the responsibility of the stewardship of influence some people that I know and love and respect done some things that they shouldn't of done my estimation, and they've made it very difficult to comprehend what is this all about. Sometimes we like to flaunt our freedom if we preach grace as we should. If were not careful we think will not means I can do whatever I want to do. I'm a child of the King. I live by grace. If you don't like it, you just don't understand grace. Well, that's just not a very good way to go through life when God honors you with influence and a position of leadership. You have to walk by a different set of guidelines than anyone else. How do you know if your leader look around and see if anybody's following nobody's following you're not a leader and people do not follow for very long if they know you're not genuine in what you do all we can have mistakes. Yes. Will we slip up along the way, yes.

But the key is if you're a follower of Christ.

Don't let it go long before you make it right and you get back on the path toward the Lord, but to do something that is totally outside of the context of what a leader would do and then flaunted in the name of your freedom. I don't have to answer for that. Just flat out wrong and it's not just about me, though sometimes I thought the Lord was preaching to me before I could ever preach to you about any of us. All of us have roles of leadership within the body.

Some of us are teachers. Some of us are leaders in our small group. Some of us are on board. Some of us are up in front of people singing it when we take for granted that this is just what I do here and I can live anyway. I want to and the rest of my life is just not the way the Bible was written, God wants us to be people of integrity and to be the same people were ever we are defined preach the word of God.

And then I go out and live in a way that is on biblical I am just undercut all of the authority comes with the preaching of the gospel and I have been an incredibly bad steward of the influence. God is giving me God gives all of us, a stewardship stewardship of time and talent and treasure. We all have that. But sometimes God gives to some people, the stewardship of influence and when you get back.

Stewardship to me. That's when we don't talk about nearly enough serious, sober thing. So look at your own life for the people that look to you for the people to follow you to the people that believe you're the person who follows Christ and so they're trying to figure out what that's like.

So they're looking at your life, acknowledging the reality of your influence. Here's the second thing this section about accepting the responsibility for your influence begins in verse 43 of the ninth chapter, listen to the words of Jesus. This is red letter stuff here. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter life maimed, than having two hands to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, and if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having 2 feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, and if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Jesus uses three parallel statements to illustrate the importance of walking in the holiness the hand or foot MDI symbolize our entire life. Hand symbolizes what we do or foot symbolizes where we go MBI symbolizes what we see and in the simplest terms, Jesus is setting to opportunities before us, one which flaunts one's freedom and the other which takes life seriously and would rather lose a hand or foot or and I been to call someone to stumble because of one's carelessness. The point is that it is imperative that we should take swift and earnest action against anything that might take us away from our commitment to Christ the Lord Jesus. Is it really telling us to cut her arm off her cut her leg off her pluck out arrived what he is saying is that if there's something in our life. It's causing us to live in a way that's not with integrity. You'd be better off without important part of your body than to go through life hurting others, and in the end hurting your own soul.

So this whole thing about being a Christian is not for wimps.

This is not for people just want an easy life and you would. Sometimes you get that impression when you listen to what goes on in churches because we just seem to come to church to try to help everybody feel better question is not feeling better Christians but doing better when you do better you feel better as well.

Following the Lord and taking his truth seriously and living a life that has integrity and it so that when people see you and they see right through you. There isn't any change you are who you are. The Bible tells us that sometimes when God shows us something in our life that is hindering our progress with him. We need to take swift action. We need to deal with it ruthlessly. We need to quit doing whatever it is likely to be all kinds illustrations but I know you're cycling through your own sets out his let you do that what is in your life is keeping you from really going on with the Lord. What is it in your life it's causing others to wonder what this Christianity is all about Jesus as you better off just get rid of it. Take the drastic action that is illustrated by amputation and deal with members one last thing in this text and will be finished. Leading by cooperation rather than competition and leading by conviction rather than convenience. And thirdly, leading by courage rather than cowardice in the 49th verse of Mark nine, Jesus says, for everyone will be seasoned with fire and every sacrifice will be seasoned salt. Jesus is saying to be a follower. Remember this whole thing is a continued teaching from Jesus telling his disciples what it means to be a disciple. Remember, the disciples wanted a Messiah with a crown in Jesus as you got this all wrong. The Messiah are you going to follow is a Messiah with the cross you want the easy life three tabernacles on top of Mount Transfiguration you want life seated at the right hand and the left hand of the master in his dominion. I'm telling you that the Christ you got the Messiah you got is on his way to the cross and if you want to be a follower of his you got understand some of that's going to spill over in your life like what you do with your influence and how you deal with the success of other people, and most of all how you face suffering in your own experience. He says everyone will be seasoned with fire and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

The key to understanding this is to realize that in the Old Testament times the temple sacrifices had to be accompanied by salt salt speaks of sacrifice of the thought here is that everyone who follows Christ, every disciple is to be a willing sacrifice, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12 one. Let's not make any mistakes here about what it means to follow the Lord. There's wonder and joy, and the mountaintop experiences like Mount Transfiguration, but the most of the life is lived in the valley in the trenches following the Lord. Remember were following him, and where is he going he's going to the cross. The Bible says those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution and none of us want that we want the easy life we want a life that doesn't have any hurts or problem, but you won't get to a walk with Christ in discipleship. If you are going to try to avoid the difficult things all of your life. This is not easy this thing God calls us to do. It is wonderful. It is fulfilling. It is venturesome and is rewarding. But it's not easy. And Jesus says if you can follow me. I'm going to the cross and if you can follow me.

You have your cross as well. What you did with me to the very last verse of the ninth chapter 4 here's the major application from this whole section. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another in the days of the New Testament. Salt had two purposes. First of all, it was a preservative they would salt down me to keep it from spoiling the use salt as a preservative to compete with decay so that it would happen was also a flavor and salt was used to flavor food and we use salt today to flavor food, the job of salt in our world today primarily is to make something taste good. I don't know about you but I can't stand corn on the cob without salt is the words of somebody else, but is my word to when I read the piece of corn on the cob that I really like. I put it down to what do I say that was great salt no I put it down and I say that was great corn on the cob. Why, because the job of the salt is to make you think how great the thing that's being assaulted is and what Jesus is saying here is that you can be a Christian and you can be a flavorless Christian, how do you become a flavorless Christian you worry about what's going on with other people you don't worry so much about what's going on with you and you don't want anything to do with the hard things of life. If that's who you are as a Christian. I'm not saying you're not a Christian but I'm telling you you waste thoughtless Christian that, Christian doesn't make anything happen. And when people around you.

They don't think boy, I would like to be a Christian like they are, they probably may not even know you're a Christian, Jesus point is with his disciples as this. This is a tough thing I'm telling you you're going to the cross with me and you live a life of persecution from that moment on all the days of this earth. And while he may not have said it. He could've said, in all of you will die through martyrdom. But if you want to make a difference in your world. Here's what it looks like he lays out all of these stipulations and he said you got a choice you can either be a Christian, so that wherever you go when you leave the room, it's better than it was before midnight in a small group and you show up and you are the salt of that group.

What that means is when people leave that group that night. They don't say, wasn't she wonderful know they say, wasn't that an incredible group and why the group is incredible because the salt got there and made it incredible everyone of us is salt something you for walking with the Lord and living according to his principles and what Jesus wants us to know is this is to place you can't be a disciple without salt. Salt is the essence of a disciple, following Jesus is the most incredible wonderful experience you will ever have in your whole life, and whatever is demanded from it is well worth it and the wonderful truth is, it just keeps getting better and better until ultimately, you stand before him one day and he says well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord, someone told me a long time ago that people who do not know the Lord are on a journey away from their reward. Everything they have. That's good is down here, but if you walk with the Lord you're on a journey toward your reward this down. Here is an anything compared to what God has for you. I'm on the journey toward my reward.

I have some tough days like you do and some disappointing moments. Like all of us and sometimes I wonder if I can do this then I remember I'm a follower of the one who went to the cross and because he went to the cross. One day he's going to work around in the Bible says when he wears a crown. I am going to reign with him on this earth as one of his associates.

That's the way it works in the Christian life. That's what God wants us to know from his work today. Well, that's great, thank you for being with us will see right here tomorrow. God bless you have a great day.

The message you just heard originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior does not have Turning Point keeps you spiritually strong like to us at any point about the I 38 San Diego, CA 92163 or visit our website at David Jeremiah.old/radio real copy of the Bible finding Jesus in every book in the Bible for gift of any amount you can also download the free Turning Point in my Valencia private smart device with searching the app store for the keywords Turning Point ministry is the negative programs and results. Visit Jeremiah.old/radio for details on Gary hopefully join us tomorrow as we continue the series search of the Savior is here on Turning Point. Jeremiah taking time to listen to all