Printer Friendly VersionWe continue our core value sermon series today from the Old
Testament book of Malachi. The cry of the prophet was a call to return to
the “main” thing. It is imperative that we repeat over and over
again the subjects at the very core of what we believe in—topics we
value such as love, worship, and today’s theme, Leadership.
The core value of Christian leadership is not simply an invention
of a postmodern era in the church world. Malachi was saying 400 years before
Christ what John Maxwell has said in recent years, “Everything rises
and falls on leadership.” The style of the prophet’s teaching
this principle was to use a negative emphasis (in this case the lack of good
leadership) to substantiate the need for quality leaders in the House of God.
“‘And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not
listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,’ says the
Lord Almighty, ‘I will send a curse upon you’” (2:1-2).
A popular definition of leadership by today’s gurus is
simply “influence.” We really have a leadership crisis in America
today regarding Christian influencers. Think of how this affects our homes,
marriages, and families. Where are the godly leaders in our places of employment?
Our schools are in desperate need of moral guides. We are constantly praying
that our government will be led by men and women of principle. Our churches
are crying out for prophets in the pulpit who will “stand in the gap”
so to speak, “for such a time as this.” The adage is true: Evil
triumphs when good people do nothing!
The punishment is sudden and severe for leaders who do not influence
righteously. “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.
Yes I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor
me” (2:2). Watch as Malachi explains the results of leadership gone
bad, and witness the negative progression of influence: “You have turned
from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble” (2:8).
Leadership must be both accountable and responsible. Let’s look quickly at some characteristics of Christian leadership.Christian
The hard reality of this scripture is that it is difficult to
complain about what is happening out in the pew when the greater problem lies
in the pulpit. The leader’s character and lifestyle is examined in this
text by comparison to that of Levi: “My covenant was with him, a covenant
of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he
revered me and stood in awe of my name” (2:5).
This is a picture of a leader with a heart for God, a passion
for righteous living. This is an example of an influencer who is focused on
the goal. The Old Testament character Joshua comes to mind: “But as
for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). In
the New Testament the Apostle Paul said, “Forgetting what is behind
and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians
3:13-14). Godly leaders have a passion to “fight a good fight”
and “finish the course.”
Two times in this text, Malachi used the phrase “you do
not set your heart to honor me.” This was much worse than just losing
that “loving feeling;” their passion was gone. God demands that
we stand in awe of His name. Just as we must love and worship God with all
of our hearts, we must lead and influence others in our daily lives with a
holy passion.
Where leadership is lacking, there is a price to be paid. Malachi talks of rebuke and curses passed down through the generations. Poor leadership is so offensive to God that He promised to humiliate those who had lost their passion: “I will spread on your faces the offal [internal organs of sacrificed animals] from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it” (2:3).
Rick Warren has impacted our world tremendously with his writings,
The Purpose Driven Church, and The Purpose Driven Life. He says in the latter
book that the average person has approximately 25,000 days on this earth,
so we better “get on with it!” Every godly leader must be able
to stand-up and identify, “what on earth I am here for?”
Malachi’s prophecy speaks plainly about the purpose and
characteristics of a Christian leader:
A. Speaks truth: “True instruction was in his mouth and
nothing false was found on his lips” (2:6a). Our society today, both
in the church and secular world, is in serious need of men and women of integrity
and honesty.
B. Walks in peace: “He walked with me in peace and uprightness”
(2:6b). Effective leaders have a track record of making good decisions that
unify, not divide.
C. Influence: “and turned many from sin” (2:6c).
The true test of leadership is in the results.
D. Knowledge: “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve
knowledge” (2:7a). Good leaders are lifelong students.
E. Ability to teach: “and from his mouth men should seek
instruction” (2:7b). The leader translates personal learning into corporate
teaching.
Our church and community will benefit from this kind of passionate, purposeful leadership. We need men and women of strong character to demonstrate holy living to a fallen world. One of the greatest examples of Christian leaders is the Apostle Paul. He lived such a purposeful and consistent Christian life that he was able to say to others, “Follow me . . . do what I do!” Wow! We all know the danger of looking at individuals versus keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ, but listen to these words from Paul to the church at Thessalonica: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord . . . And so you became a model to all the believers” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
Simply put, how can a Christian leader in any walk of life be
anything other than positive? This is where we must be reminded of the fact
that God has chosen us. God has a purpose and a plan for us. The pledge of
Jesus Christ is, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full” (John 10:10). As great as that promise is to stand upon, the
picture of Malachi’s prophecy is anything but that! “So I have
caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you
have not followed my ways” (2:9).
As leaders, we must first be followers of God. We must not deviate
from His Word. The priests of Malachi’s day were guilty of breaking
covenant with God in this respect. They were making deals with parishioners.
The church was “for sale.” Favoritism was practiced. One more
time the prophet denounces corrupt leadership and announces punishment “because
you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the
law” (2:9).
All people are precious in the sight of God. The prince, the
pauper, the powerful and the poor, are all important to Jesus Christ and His
church. Conclusion
We value Christian leadership in our homes, families, society at large, and especially in our church. Would you be reminded in the days to come of the premise upon which we started this sermon: Everything rises and falls on leadership? Would you be attentive to the power of your influence? Would you be willing to be led by God, as you in turn lead those in your sphere of influence?
