The Model Leader, Part 2

If you have your Bible, turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 as we continue to look at what the Bible says concerning the model leader.

And as you're turning there, I want to remind you of what was given to a pastoral search committee, a letter, as this search committee from a church was looking for a pastor. The chairman of the committee was a little upset about the fact that they had made very little progress over a long period of time. And realizing that the committee had turned down one man after another for some fault or some alleged fault, they just could not come to a conclusion on who they would take as their next pastor.

So the chairman of the committee was rather irritated that they could not come to a conclusion, so he had one last letter to read from one last applicant, and this is what the letter said. It said, gentlemen, understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I've been a preacher with much success, and also I've had some success as a writer. Some say I'm a good organizer. I've been a leader most places I've been. I'm over 50 years of age. I have never preached in one place for more than three years.

In some places I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrongdoing. My health is not too good, though I still get a great deal done. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities. I've not gotten along well with religious leaders in towns where I have preached. In fact, some have threatened me and even attacked me physically. I am not too good at keeping records.

I have been known to forget those whom I have baptized. However, if you can use me, I shall do my best for you. And so the chairman looked at the committee and said, well, what do you think? And one of the men responded by saying, why would we call an unhealthy, troublemaking, absent-minder, ex-jailbird? What could you possibly be thinking? Who wrote the letter? He said it was signed by the Apostle Paul. You see, we so desperately want to have the perfect leader. We want the perfect pastor. There are no perfect pastors.

You can ask my wife that question. She can answer that for you very easily. There are no perfect leaders. There are no perfect kings. We want the perfect president. There is no perfect president. And so our standards want perfection, and we'll never have that. But the Bible does give us guidelines in terms of what does a godly leader look like? What is the portrait of a godly leader? And so as we look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul gives us that portrait.

And although we haven't really delved into the text yet, we will next week, we're trying to begin by giving you the portrait of a godly leader by looking at the life of the Apostle Paul. And we told you last week that if you just take your paper and write down the word leader on the left-hand side, we can fill in the blanks for you to show you what the godly portrait of a leader looks like. Now, I know for some of you, you are here today and say, well, you know, I'm not a leader, so this doesn't apply to me.

No, that's not true. If you have someone following you, you're a leader. Someone's behind you, following you, wanting to emulate you, you are a leader. And if you're anticipating one day leading, anticipating an opportunity to lead, whether it's in your workplace, your church, wherever it may be, these principles apply. If you're here today, and you're a woman looking for a man, you want to find a man who portrays godly leadership. And so these principles will give you guidelines by which you choose the man you want to one day, Lord willing, marry.

So these principles apply across the board, whether you're in high school, and you're a leader in your school, or you're in college, or you're an adult, or whether you're in your church, or whether you're a father. All these principles apply to you. So what is the portrait of a godly leader? Well, it's the Apostle Paul. In the first two points we covered with you last week, so I won't spend the time on them this morning, but they were, number one, a lover and leader of God.

Excuse me, a lover and learner of God. They love the Lord, and they want to learn all they can about him. Paul said the love of Christ compelled him. God's love for him compelled him to serve his God because he loved himself. And he spent his whole life getting to know more and more about his God. Why? Because leaders are lovers and learners of God. Number two, they're examples and exhorters of men.

They lead by way of example. They have a testimony. Paul was that way. He said in chapter 1 verse number 6, you imitated me and the Lord Jesus Christ. You followed me. And Paul would always say, follow me as I follow Christ. And in chapter 2, he uses the phrase, you know, you were witnesses, as you recall. Why? Because they watched him and saw him. He was the example that was placed before them. He was the example, and as an example, he was an encourager, an exhorter, an equipper of men. He was putting people together with the authority of the Word of God, showing them how to walk with the Lord and serve the Lord.

And I wonder how many of us as leaders, whether we are mothers or fathers or presidents or kings or coaches or teachers or nurses or doctors, I wonder how many of us set the proper example, the kind of example that emulates Christ. I was sharing with the first service this morning that that illustration that's so familiar to us in John chapter 13.

You know the story where it's the eve of the crucifixion and Christ is with his men. And they begin to argue for the third time about who was the greatest in the kingdom.

This is something they could not get out of their mind. They were always looking to jockey for position as to who was the best and who was the greatest. And so they would argue about who was the greatest in the kingdom. At the time they were arguing, Christ would get up from where he was, tie a slave's apron around his waist and begin to wash the disciples feet. You know that story, right? And in that story, when it's all said and done, Christ says these words.

He says, For I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you. Truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who was sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. And people read that and they believe with all their hearts that the example that Christ set was that we should wash one another's feet. That's just a very shallow interpretation of the text. That that's not what it's talking about. It goes so much deeper than that.

You see, here was Christ who was about to die for the sins of the world. He was about to sacrifice himself for the men in the room to help them to understand that he was going to give his life away. But nobody cared because what do they care about? Themselves. Who was the greatest in the kingdom? So instead of correcting them, he just silently gets up, ties a slave apron around his waist, and begins to wash the disciples' feet. He says, I've set you an example that you should follow. What is the example?

That we should take a wash basin and take off your sandals and put your feet in that basin and wash? No, that's not the example. The example simply was this, when no one cares about what you're doing, no one gives one iota about who you are, and all they can care about is themselves. You serve them amidst all your loneliness, amidst all your pain, because you want to set an example that life is more than just you. It's serving other people. And that's what Christ did. No one asked them, Lord, you're gonna die tomorrow for us.

We're so grateful for that. We're so thankful for that. No one said that to him. No one even cared about that necessarily, because all they could think of was themselves. And as leaders, whether we're fathers, we get so hung up when nobody cares about us. Leaders don't care about whether anybody else cares about them or not. Leaders only care about serving God and serving others. That's all they care about. They're not worried about, what do you think about me? Or how come you're not praying for me?

Or how come you're not asking me about my pain or my surgery or my difficulty? They don't ask those questions. They're not important. What's important is that I'm gonna serve you no matter what my pain, because you're more important than I am. That's the example that I set. That's the example Paul set. He lived that example. So when we talk about leadership being an example to others, leadership is best exemplified when it serves those who don't care about what you're doing for them. Because you want to minister the Lord Jesus Christ to them that they might see and understand who he is.

That's the way the Apostle Paul lived his life. We are so into me, myself, and I. We'll talk about this on Wednesday night by looking at Solomon, because he uses the personal pronouns in chapter 2 so many times. I said to myself, I set my mind to do this. I did this. I did it. We are so narcissistic. It's unbelievable. Leaders can't afford to be that way. Why? Because they are thinking about the other people, how they can best serve them. So that's what we covered last week. Number three, a leader is above reproach and accountable to God.

He's above reproach and accountable to God. Paul would say in 1st Timothy chapter 3 verse number 1 that if any man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good thing. And that that leader in the church should be above reproach. He says the same thing in Titus chapter 1. It's another word for blamelessness, that we should live a blameless kind of life. Not a sinless life, because no one lives a sinless life. But you live a life without blame or without fault. In other words, there's not a character defect about your life that would prohibit you from being the kind of example that would lead others to Christ.

That's the bottom line. It deals with a man's integrity, a man's purity, a man's honesty. We sit up here on Child Dedication Sundays, and we give those flowers out, and the white rose represents the Father. Signifying his integrity and purity and how he leads his family, right? Because that's how he's supposed to lead. Same thing is true in the church. Same thing is true in the marketplace. Same thing is true is across the board. We lead with integrity. We live a blameless holy life. God told Abraham in Genesis 17 verse number 1, walk before me and be blameless.

Be irreproachable. In other words, don't let your life bring a reproach upon the name of Christ, and in our case, his church. Paul was that way. Look at chapter 2, verse number 9.

For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaim to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses. And so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behave toward you believers. He lived a blameless life. He lived an unreproachable life. His life was free of character defects. It wasn't that he didn't sin, but he didn't habitually sin. So it would bring a reproach upon Christ and his church. That's a life that's above reproach.

A life that is blameless. And then, not only that, but a leader is not only above reproach, he's accountable to God. He recognizes his accountability to God. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse number 10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that we may receive in our body that which is done, whether it be good or bad. Romans 14, 12, he said the exact same thing. He knew about his accountability to God. He knew he was responsible to God. Over in Hebrews chapter 13, verse number 17, the writer of Hebrews says these words, Obey your leaders for and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

Even Solomon in Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes chapter 3, recognized his accountability to God when he said in verse number 17, God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man. Over in chapter 9, verse number 9, excuse me, chapter 11, verse number 9, Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. And then in chapter 12, verse number 14, For God will bring every act of judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or whether it is evil. A leader understands his accountability to the Lord.

He's responsible for how he leads. He's responsible for his actions. He's responsible for his attitude. And the Bible says, Be not deceived that God has not mocked that whatsoever man sows that shall he also reap.

Leaders understand that. And so a leader is above reproach and accountable to God. Number four, he's a discerner and decision-maker before men. A discerner and decision-maker before men. It is so important that leaders be wise. Be men of knowledge and understanding. That the discern between that which is good and that which is evil, that which is right and that which is true. Paul will emphasize this in chapter 5 when he says these words in verse number, number 21. Examine everything carefully, hold fast that which is good, abstain from every form of evil.

He says examine everything carefully. In other words, the word he uses there means to judge everything. Everything you see, everything you hear, everything you read, judge it. Examine it. If it's good, hold on to it. If it's evil, abstain from it. But examine everything. That's what leaders do. They are discerning. The Bible says these words in the book of Hebrews, the fifth chapter.

Hebrews chapter 5, verse number 13 and 14. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Discern good and evil. Remember Solomon in 1st Kings chapter 3? What did he say when the Lord said, ask of me and I'll give you anything that you desire. Solomon said these words in verse number 9. Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours?

That was Solomon's request. I need to be able to discern between good and evil. I need to be able to judge your people. Well, I can't do that unless you give me the opportunity to do so. Unless you place within me the opportunity to have a discerning spirit. I can't emphasize how important this is. Because we live in a world where we have become numb to the line between good and evil. And that's unfair. That's not right. It's not that's unfair. It's just not right. It's not true. It shouldn't be that way.

60 years ago, 60 years ago, over a half century ago, the Anglican theologian Harry Blimirez said these words about the assessment of the state of the Christian mind. He said the Christian mind has succumbed to the secular drift with a degree of weakness and nervelessness unmatched in Christian history. It is difficult to do justice in words to describe the complete loss of intellectual morale in the 20th century church. One cannot characterize it without having to recourse to language which will sound hysterical and melodramatic.

There is no longer a Christian mind. There is still of course a Christian ethic, a Christian practice, and a Christian spirituality. But as a thinking being, the modern Christian has succumbed to secularism. Now what would he say today, a half a century later, about what the Christian mind has succumbed to? 60 years ago, he says that the Christian mind no longer sees the line between truth and error, right and wrong. We forget about that, how important it is. Let me give you an example on how the Christian mind has suffered in this generation.

By quoting to you one of the renowned theologians of our days. His name is Timothy Keller. He died a year ago. But in February of 2022, he tweeted out a response to the late night show host Stephen Colbert's testimony about Christianity. And let me show you how non-discerning Mr.

Keller was. This is what Mr. Colbert said about his faith in Roman Catholicism. He summarized his version of Christianity as being, quote, connected to the idea of love and sacrifice, being somehow related in giving yourself to other people, end quote. He only referenced Jesus once, and that was in a joke. Yet in response, Mr. Keller tweeted this. He says, this is a brilliant example of how to be a Christian in the public square. In other words, he believes that Mr. Colbert is a Christian. He says, notice the witness, but in a form the culture can handle.

Is our testimony to be one that culture can handle? Of course not. If our testimony is strong for the Lord, the culture can't handle it. He says this, we should desire to have more Christians in these spaces and give them grace as they operate. He is completely wrong, and yet he's one of the leading evangelicals in the 21st century. But he did not have discernment, because he's leading people that he preaches to at his church, or did preach to at his church, and all the numerous books that he has written away from Christianity, not toward Christianity, by blurring the lines about what true Christianity is all about.

You see, you can't do that, and so therefore, if a leader in evangelicalism is lacking discernment, and is pastoring a church, how can you ever teach people in the pew to know the truth, so they can then be discerning with the decisions that they make every single day? J. Adams in his book, A Cry for Discernment, said these words. Oh yeah, it's over here, sorry. I knew it was someplace. He said, people who study the Bible in depth develop antithetical mindsets. They think in terms of contrasts or opposites.

From Genesis to Revelation, God's thoughts and ways are set over against all others. The Bible does not teach that there are numerous ways to please God, each of which is as good as the next. Nor does it teach that various opinions are more or less God's ways. What it teaches everywhere is that any thought or way that is not holy God's is altogether wrong, and must be rejected. According to the Bible, a miss is as good as a mile. There is only one God, and there is only one way of life, and that way is His.

He goes on to say this, people today don't like to hear such things, even people within the church. Why? Because they have a different mindset. Many of them have not known the Bible from childhood or ever made an intensive study of it later on, so their mindset is unbiblical. With pastors and people alike growing up in an environment that stresses continuum thinking, antithesis is dulled as more and more people attempt to integrate sociology, psychology, and business management principles with scripture.

In other words, he says, look, the Bible is very black and white. It's not gray, but we want to blur the lines between black and white and call ourselves discerning. You can't do that. Discerning people are people of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. They're able to say, thus saith the Lord, thus we do, or the Lord has spoken against that, so therefore we don't do that. I was very privileged as a young man to be raised by parents who were very strong when it came to the scriptures. And so when they said I couldn't do something, they said you can't do this because the Bible says.

When they said you could do something, they would say you can't do it because the Bible says. So everything was given by an objective truth outside of them. It wasn't their emotion. It wasn't their experience. It wasn't their feeling or their relationship with their son. It was this is what the Bible says, thus this is what we do.

Now, I didn't always like that, but that was irrelevant to them because they weren't into pleasing me. They were into pleasing God and honoring God. It's that I didn't think what I thought was relevant. I just had to obey what they said. And I look back on those years and realize I was very blessed to have parents who drew a hard line in the sand. As parents, you got to draw a hard line. You can't draw a squiggly line. It's got to be a straight hard line. So your children know they can't cross the boundary.

Why? Because the line is the truth of God's Holy Word and what God's Word says is true. So therefore we obey what God says.

That's what we do. And that's what discerning people do. They're able to say, you know what, we can or cannot do that based on this. This is what God's Word says. That's what you need in the church. And from that spills out into decision-making, right? Making wise choices. So not only is the leader discerning, but he's a decision-maker before man. Leaders are very decisive. They don't waffle. They make decisions and they stick with those decisions. Because the decisions are based on a discerning spirit that says this is right or this is wrong.

This is true or this is an error. Therefore, let's do what God says. So they make their decisions based on what the Word of God says.

For instance, the Apostle Paul. He, in Acts chapter 15, made a decision. Bartimaeus says, we want to take John Mark with us. John Mark needs to go on this next missionary journey with us. And Paul says, nope, that's not happening. And the Bible says that there arose a sharp disagreement between them.

In other words, they were angry one with another. They were hot under the collar. There was maybe a yelling match that took place between Paul and Bartimaeus. But Paul wasn't going to bow. He said, look, John Mark deserted us once. He is not the kind of guy I need with me. I need somebody strong. Somebody who can be a pillar. Somebody who's not going to give up. That's the kind of man I need. John Mark's not that guy. He's not going. And Bartimaeus said, no, I think he could be that guy. And Paul says, nope, that's not happening.

Not on my watch. And there was a sharp disagreement between both of them. You never hear from Bartimaeus again in the book of Acts. Never again. But Paul, you hear a whole lot about, right? But don't be so hard on Bartimaeus. Because he would work with John Mark. And later in Paul's ministry, he would ask for John Mark to come to him because he would be profitable to him in the ministry. Maybe Paul had softened a little bit or maybe he had seen what Bartimaeus had done in John Mark's life and realized that he could become stronger and stronger.

And he did. But the point of the matter was that Paul made a very difficult decision and stuck with that decision. As leaders, you make decisions and the people who don't like the decision are going to be mad at you. You've got to be able to deal with that. You've got to be able to deal with the fact that people don't like you because you made a decision they didn't like. The people who like you like the decision you make, right? They'll stick with you. Others might not. But you need to be decisive and you need to be a decision maker.

Why? Because you want to do what the Bible says. Now, I didn't share this in the first service, but let me use it by way of example.

Second Samuel 11, David made the wrong decision. Made the wrong decision because he wasn't discerning. He should have been, but he wasn't. So the Bible says in 2 Samuel 11, when kings go out to war, David decided to stay back and not go to war.

And that decision led to a sin with Bathsheba. He didn't make the decision because of Bathsheba. He didn't make the decision because of any other reason than that. He just didn't do what kings are supposed to be doing. He's supposed to be responsible. He was a warrior. He was a man of bloodshed. He should have continued to do what he did, but he made a wrong choice. Because he wasn't discerning enough. And then we saw Bathsheba as he was on his in his palace and saw her bathing. He again was not discerning enough to make the wise choice.

He again made the wrong choice. Why? Because the decision you make today will determine your destiny tomorrow. Make the right choice today and you live with the blessing tomorrow. Make the wrong choice today, you live with the consequences tomorrow. But your choices must be made on a discerning spirit. His son Solomon, he wrote a whole book, Proverbs, about wisdom, knowledge, understanding, being, discerning. Over in the book of Proverbs, the third chapter, he says this, how blessed is a man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.

For her profit, that is wisdom's profit, is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. This is what he writes at middle age. You'd think he would adhere to his own counsel. Wisdom is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all our paths are peace. She's a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who hold on fast. The Lord, by wisdom, founded the earth by understanding.

He established the heavens and by his knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew. My son, let them not vanish from your sight. Keep sound wisdom and discretion so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor the onslaught of the wicked when it comes. For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Oh my son, hold on to wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Why? Because you'll be able to be discerning in the decisions you make. But when he gets older, 2nd Kings 11, he decides to go after foreign women. When God's Word said very clearly in Deuteronomy 17, don't do that. As kings, you can't go after foreign women. You can't collect many wives. But he didn't listen to his own message. He wasn't discerning. See, it's so easy to fall by the wayside. Leaders cannot afford to do that. Fathers, you cannot afford to do that.

You need to be men of the Word, loving the Lord, learning all you can about the Lord. Be an example, an exhorter of men, making sure you're above reproach and accountable to God so you can become discerning and that you can become a good decision maker before men. How many fathers have made the wrong decisions for their children? Instead of telling them no, they said yes. Because they were afraid of losing their children. How many men who have led their families, didn't tell their wives no? Like Adam, back in Genesis chapter 3, we talked about that last week.

Didn't say, Eve, no. This is wrong. You can't do it. And because he didn't say no, the world was engulfed in sin. As fathers, we need to be able to say no to our wives, no to our children. No should be your favorite word. It's my favorite word. It's easy to say, and I can say it in a variety of ways, but I always say it. No, it's a great word. But sometimes you don't want to make that decision. Why? Because of emotion, relationships, friendships, afraid we're going to lose them. You just said that those things are more valuable to you than the truth of the living God.

And that's always a problem, right? So make sure you're a discerner and decision maker before men. My time is fleeting, so let me rapidly go through the next two.

Leaders are enlisted and empowered by God. If you're a leader, you've been enlisted by God. You're not leading by accident. You're leading by divine appointment. Christ said, you did not choose me, I chose you. Paul says very easily over in 1st Timothy chapter 1, he says these words. He says, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me in to service. Paul recognized that he was put into service by the Lord. God said to him, Acts chapter 9, Go tell him how much he must suffer for my name's sake, for he is a chosen instrument of mine.

When God enlists you into his service, he empowers you. And therefore you're enlisted and empowered by God. Paul would say over in Colossians chapter 1, I love this. He says in verse 28, We proclaim him admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man complete in Christ for this purpose also I labor striving according to his power, which mightily works in me. It's God's power that works in us. As a father, you need the power of God to work in you. As a leader, you need the power of God to work in and through you.

You're there because you've been enlisted by God. You've been empowered by God. And therefore Paul would tell Timothy in 2nd Timothy 1 and verse number 7 that God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but has given us a spirit of love, power, and of self-discipline. That's the kind of spirit God's given to us. Why? Because if he's called you to do something, he's going to give you all the necessary resources to accomplish it. And that necessary resource is a spirit of God that empowers you to live for the glory of his kingdom.

So leaders are enlisted and empowered by God. And lastly, leaders are a restorer and reproducer of men. They are a restorer and reproducer of men. Remember back in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 when Paul rebukes the Corinthian church because they needed to discipline one of their members because of immorality? And he says to the church, he's already delivering that one over to Satan already. You need to discipline. Why? Because one little leaven leavens the whole lump. You've got to discipline this guy.

But when you come to 2 Corinthians chapter 2, he says, look, this guy's repentant. Because he's repentant, you've got to forgive him, bring him back into the fold, restore him back to the ministry. You've got to restore the guy. Why? Because Paul was a restorer of men. That's why he says in Galatians chapter 6 verse number 1, If any of you has overtaken in the fall, you who are spiritual, spiritually mature, restore that one. Nurture them back to health again. May this spiritually mature among you restore those who have been overtaken by a fault, so that you can nurse them back to spiritual health again.

And of course, Paul was a reproducer of men. Was he not? I mean, just read the book of Romans, the 16th chapter. Read the book of 2 Timothy, the 4th chapter. Read the book of Colossians. All these people that Paul had invested in and had taught and had been an example to. He was reproducing himself over and over and over again in the lives of so many people, because he was teaching them the truth. That's why he told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 verse number 2, You be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Why? Because, Timothy, you have a huge responsibility to teach this truth to other people, so they in turn can teach others also. You've got to make sure you invest this truth into others, so they in turn can teach other people the truth about what you have learned. And Timothy would do that. Now think about that. As a father, don't you want to reproduce Christ's likeness in the life of your children? Back in 1 Timothy, or yeah, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul would say this in verse number 12, this is the product of God's leadership, verse 12, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

That's where he's taking them. That's where he wants them to be. That's where you want your people to be. I don't care if you're a coach, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a plumber, a garbage collector, a president, a CEO, an elder, a pastor. You want to move people toward Christ's likeness. That's what we do. That's who we are. And that's what Paul wanted to do. Move them so they would walk worthy of the God who called them into His glorious kingdom. Why? Because you want to reproduce yourself in their lives.

I want my children to walk with the Lord, so that their children walk with the Lord. Why? Because if my ministry doesn't work at home, it's not going to work in the church. Right? If I'm not reproducing myself in the lives of my children, how can I reproduce Christ-like in the lives of the people in church? You can't do that. And so, as fathers, we have to recognize the great responsibility before us as leaders of our families, our wives, our children. As pastors, we recognize our need in the church, with the people that are here.

When you work in your place of employment, you're the leader. What are you leading people to? What are you leading them from in order to lead them to Christ-likeness? This is the portrait of a godly leader. May God give us the grace to accomplish these principles. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for today. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for the beautiful reminder that none of us are perfect. None of us are sinless. We all make huge mistakes. But we can't change yesterday. But we can change today and tomorrow.

And I pray, Father, that you would cause us to realize that these principles can be exemplified beginning today. That we can work toward becoming the kind of leader you want us to be. So, our prayer, Father, is that you go before us. You do a mighty work. Does anyone here who doesn't love the Lord as they should? May they realize that there are elders who would pray for them and lead them and guide them in that way that they may honor you. Pray for the men of our church, the fathers. They would be great leaders at home with their wives and their children.

They would want to have their family walk close to the Lord and serve the Lord. That's our prayer, Father. We pray that you'd answer it according to your will. In Jesus' name, amen.