12 Leadership Qualities of Jesus Christ, Part 1

Well, thank you again. David, happy Sabbath, brethren. Good to see all of you here on God's Sabbath day. I started a series out a few weeks ago talking about leadership, and then I was rudely interrupted by the Supreme Court. And today I would like to continue this series on leadership. I actually have two more sermons that I would like to give on this topic. What do you think is the most successful organization in human history? Well, you might say Apple Computer. Why? They're very influential. They make a lot of great, interesting, fun products. You might say Google. Google is everywhere. Some people like it. Google is the beast power. They're strong. They're dynamic. They do lots of interesting things. They've changed the Internet. That's for sure. Maybe Microsoft, the most used operating system on Earth. How about the success of various governments in human history? Someone might say, well, Egypt lasted thousands of years. There's a pretty dynamic organization. Successful. Rome. Rome dominated the Western world for about a thousand years and even influenced what we do today. A lot of our American culture is descended from Rome. Maybe Britain. At one time, Great Britain controlled one-third of all the landmass on Earth. So some might say that they are the most successful organization in history. Some might say, ah, no, it's the United States. The world's only remaining superpower, by the way, is the United States. And some might say that we are the most successful organization in history. But I want to ask you this question. What chance of success would you give a man who started an organization knowing he had less than four years to prepare his staff? What chance of success would you give this man if he knew he wouldn't be physically present to lead the organization in just four years after it was founded? What chance would you give an organization whose first hired staff member smelled like mud and dead fish? The next one had the most despicable job in society. He was an IRS agent, then called a tax collector. Other members of his staff included hotheads, know-it-alls, the power-hungry, and one even had sticky fingers. He would steal money from the Treasury.

As you look over this mobily crew, you realize that almost all of these individuals will outlive you in a physical sense in your organization, and you only have four years to personally train them. In addition, as if this isn't enough, your organization's mission statement is to do nothing less than change the world. So what chance of success would you give this organization, and would you give this leader? Well, the organization is what we would call the church. The leader is none other than Jesus Christ. It's the most successful organization in history.

The longer I live, the more that I study the subject of leadership, the more I realize that the greatest leader in human history was Jesus Christ, and I can prove that with one simple point. Here it is. He started a mission and an organization in the backwaters of Judea that has lasted 2,000 years and changed the world. It certainly changed Western civilization and Western civilization, and our technologies and our governments and our culture has literally changed the world. You go into areas of China, you go into areas of Africa, you go into areas of Southeast Asia, and what do you see? You see people wearing American t-shirts with American brand name logos on the t-shirts. That's the kind of influence that we have had throughout the world as a nation and as a people. Think about it. The message of Jesus Christ outlived the Roman Empire and thousands of other nations and kingdoms that have risen and fallen and other political philosophies during the last 2,000 years. His leadership was so powerful that today, one out of three people on earth claim to follow his teachings and accept his authority. Now, we may have a debate on how well they follow him, how truthful they are to his teachings and principles, but you cannot deny the fact that this one individual started a philosophy, a belief system, and one out of three people on earth claim to follow him and recognize his authority.

Pretty good achievement for a man who founded an organization, died before he was 35, and acted as its physical CEO for only 3.5 years. That's unparalleled in human history. One man to have that kind of influence. There are many leadership traits we can learn from Jesus Christ. In the past 20 years, I've been involved in leadership in a lot of ways. Up until about 6 years ago, I devoured leadership books. I have read and reviewed on Amazon over 100 books on the topics of leadership. And again, I stopped doing that about 6 years ago simply because after you read 100 books on anything, it all starts sounding the same. You kind of have absorbed everything there is to absorb, and you kind of grow tired of it. There's nothing new under the sun. But this is the conclusion that I've come to after reading and after reviewing 100 books on leadership. If you want to know about leadership, if you want to know what true leadership is, you need to look no further than Jesus Christ Himself, 1 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 21, and why we should look to Him for leadership. The previous sermon I had talked about personal leadership, taking control of our lives, making the decisions we need to make in our lives, and not allowing ourselves to be led around by the nose ring, by our culture, by our media, or by the world's influences. We need to choose because there is a mission for us. A default mission statement by this world says, conform to the world and its culture, become addicted to something in order to cope with the difficulties in life, seek money and prestige and power because he who dies with the most toys wins, and use and abuse everybody you can along the way. That is the default mission statement, and that is prepared for us the day we are born, and we don't have to do anything as one option, or we can choose our own mission statement, which hopefully is far different than that one, but that's a choice, and we have to be willing to do that. Peter, 1 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 21, here's what Peter said about Jesus Christ, for did this you were called?

Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth, who when he was reviled did not revile in return, when he suffered he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his own body on a tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness. That's part of our mission statement, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed, for you like sheep were going astray, but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Again, I want to emphasize his first words here.

Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps. Jesus Christ walked on earth for a purpose. Part of that purpose included his mission to set an example for us, an example for his followers. If we want to know about leadership, the way to really discover what leadership is, is to look at the life, to look at the example of Jesus Christ. So what I'd like to do in the sermon today is I would like to begin to discuss 12 leadership qualities demonstrated by Jesus Christ. I'll probably only get through five today, maybe six, depending on how time goes on. But this is the beginning of the 12 leadership qualities demonstrated by Jesus Christ. They are outstanding qualities, and they can help us to be better leaders on the job, and hopefully we're a light to our co-workers in our homes as a husband or wife, a mom or a dad, in our communities as neighbors, as hopefully people that participate in some of our community events as we are able, and also leaders in God's church. So here is the first of the 12 leadership qualities demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Number one, he was first a great follower. He was first a great follower. Before Jesus became a leader, he first learned the importance of being a great follower. He learned to follow the Father's direction and values and instruction. Now I know in our world today, following something isn't considered noble.

People even sneer. They use derogatory terms like, oh, you're just a follower, meaning that you're some type of... implying you're some type of ignorant sheep or lemming who's just following someone. So our whole culture has turned around the understanding and the knowledge that great leaders are first great followers because it's the experience of followership that teaches us wisdom and compassion. It's the experience of followership that teaches us an attitude of service. And we learn through that process how to motivate others in a genuine way, not how to bully people, not how to tell people, but how to inspire people to be more they can be than they can be, and how to raise them up and encourage them to develop their potential. John chapter 5 and verse 19, if you'll turn there with me, let's see what Jesus said about his own followership. John chapter 5 and verse 19. John chapter 5 and verse 19. Since then Jesus answered and said to them, most assuredly I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner. I'm going to read this verse 19 from the New American Standard Bible. Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, truly, truly, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself unless it is something he sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. Now, in context, this isn't talking about blind, unthinking, robotic imitation. That was not the personality of Jesus Christ. He had his own opinions on a number of things, but he yielded to whatever the Father's will was. In 1 John chapter 4 and verse 16, he said, God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. Jesus followed the Father because he consciously chose to do what he saw the Father do, because everything the Father does is centered on love and service. From the act of creating the world, this beautiful world, for us to enjoy the kind of beautiful mornings we could experience today, and the gift of life itself, everything about the Father centers on love and service. Drop down to verse 30 here in the same chapter. He says, I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. So again, Christ observed the righteous judgment of the Father. He decided he chose to follow that example. This doesn't mean he didn't have his own opinions or that he never expressed his own view on things he certainly did. On the evening of his crucifixion, he asked the Father if there was another way for destiny to be completed without him having to experience a painful death. He said in Matthew chapter 26, if this cup could be passed from him, is there any other way he's expressing his opinion? He's not a mindless robot. He has feelings of his own. He has opinions of his own. Is there any other way for humanity to be saved without me going through this horrible death that lies just in front of me at that point of time in his life? And he, of course, came to realize and he understood and knew that there was no other way, and he followed the Father's plan. So he had his own thoughts. He had his own desires, but he submitted himself to follow the will of the Father because he knew great leadership begins when we are first good followers. The Messiah set the perfect example of followership. So how about us, brethren? Are we willing to be good followers in preparation for future leadership opportunities?

Are we willing to learn and listen and follow the mission? Or do we think we're smarter than everyone else? Do we think we're more righteous than everyone else? Do we think we deserve to be in charge? Are we willing to let others lead us in the job? Do you have a supervisor in the job? Maybe one who's irritating and obnoxious that you work for? In spite of that, are you willing to be a good follower and get with the program? Are you willing to be a good follower in your home when necessary?

How about in our communities when you're dealing with talking to the mayor, when you get pulled over by a policeman? Are you willing to be a good follower? How about in God's church? Are we willing to understand that there is an order within God's church? God is not an author of confusion and there is an order, that there is a process in which things are done.

As followers, are we closely observing what works and what doesn't work? You can learn a lot in life just by sitting back and watching people in leadership positions and seeing what works and doesn't work. And you can observe a lot of things. Quietly say to yourself, hmm, that obviously doesn't work. I'll never do that one. Well, hmm, that works pretty well. That's producing good fruits. That is really positive. I'm going to remember that. I'm going to apply that in my life and when my time comes.

The truth, brethren, is that our followership is a training ground to prepare us someday to lead cities, to lead nations, maybe even to lead worlds. You know, this week everyone was all excited about Pluto. And you know what they found out about Pluto? They found out that it's like all the other planets in our solar system except one. It's dead. Oh yeah, it has mountains on it and it has an atmosphere of some ice and some stuff in it. But there is no life. When you look out into our solar system, you know what they've discovered?

It has life. One little rock called that third rock from the sun. And you look at that and even from space, it's green and it's blue and it's beautiful because it's teeming in life. Now someone might say, well, given enough time through the evolutionary problem... Whoa, wait, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a second. Given that same amount of time, is there life on Mars?

The same amount of time has it created life on Neptune? Given that given the same amount of time, is there life on any other planet? No! Why? Because life was created, it was God breathed on the third rock from the sun and that's why we have life. But you know, it has been speculated that as God expands his family, that his goal is to take all of those planets that are left in the universe that are like unfinished furniture and to have his children, his converted spiritual children, begin life, begin to fashion and create gardens and create beautiful worlds out of all of the uninhabited planets that are in our universe.

That is very possible. That is a little bit, obviously, of speculation, but that is the kind of leadership that I hope we are preparing for. Again, do we understand that followership is a training ground that prepare us some day to lead cities and nations and perhaps even worlds? Remember what the Scripture said earlier that we read in 1 Peter 2 and verse 21, for this you were called because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps. Christ led the example of followership by following the Father. We should follow Jesus Christ and what he taught, what his teachings are. His very term son meant that he recognized that he was subservient to the Father.

He was a follower. So again, I want to mention point number one of the 12 leadership qualities of Jesus Christ is he was first a great follower. Followership prepares us for leadership. Number two. You'll find this interesting because this is not politically correct. I can't imagine what the bloggers would say about this incident of Jesus Christ, what he said, what he didn't say in this episode.

It would be very interesting. But here's number two. Jesus avoided major distractions and stuck to his mission. Jesus avoided major distractions. Jesus avoided major distractions and stuck to his mission. Jesus knew what his mission statement was.

He declared that his mission was to teach people about a godly-oriented way of life. His mission was to be a Savior, to offer salvation, future glory, and eternal life in his future kingdom.

So let's take a look at an event in Matthew chapter 15 that would absolutely fire up the blogosphere if this happened. If any religious leader did this today, you can't imagine the firestorm that would be created if an insensitive religious leader said today what Jesus said. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 21. Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now, Tyre and Sidon are not traditionally Israelite sizzies, but he's going out there to find Jewish people or people of the original northern tribes who were living there so he can preach the gospel to them. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!

But he answered her, not a word. What is he rude? You don't speak when you're spoken to?

What's wrong with you? I'm hurt. I'm offended. This is an outrage. And his disciples came to have an urged him, saying, Send her away. For she cries out after us. But he answered, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Verse 24 from the translation of the New Century Version. Jesus said, God sent me only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. I want you to know this is the humility of this woman. However, she's persistent. She came and worshiped him. Talk about followership. Talk about humility. She came and worshiped him, acknowledging his superiority and that he had spiritual connections, that acknowledging, saying, I know that you are God. Saying, Lord, help me!

But he answered and said, It is not good to take away the children's bread and throw it to little dogs. Little dogs! How offensive! Did he say, little dogs? Why is he a canafobe? Why would you call someone a little dog? Can you imagine what the blogs would do with that today? How rude! How insensitive! But she didn't buy into that. And she said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table. Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith. Let it be as you desire. And her daughter was healed from that very hour. He didn't go see her little daughter. He said, What you said is going to happen. You can go back home. Done. Done deal. And he continued his mission. Now, she could have been like a lot of people in our society today. I'm hurt. I'm offended that you referred to me as a little dog. Well, she could have had that attitude. And her daughter would have been demon-possessed for the rest of her life. Or she could be submissive, humble. She could be a follower.

She could acknowledge him. And she was blessed for it because of her faith.

Now, what is this story all about? Well, his mission did not include preaching to the Canaanites. It didn't include that. However, her faith allowed him to heal the young girl instantaneously while continuing his mission. When she came and asked him personally to intervene on her behalf, that was part of his mission. Anyone who had the faith, the action, the effort to come to him personally and ask for his intervention was part of his mission. Have you ever considered what Jesus Christ didn't do? I want you to realize and remember that here's an individual who has all the power of the universe at his command. He can make water and make it into wine. He can multiply bread and fishes. He can raise Lazarus from the dead. Pretty powerful individual, I would say.

Yet he never built a temple or a synagogue. He never wrote a book. He never went into a leper colony and emptied it, saying, all of you are healed. He can all go home now. Never did that. Never went down to a graveyard and raised all the dead. Yet the power to do so never did it.

He never turned desert into farmland. He never turned salt water into clean drinking water to help poor people, people who were struggling. He never removed the pagan Romans from occupying Judea. Why? Because those things would have been distractions from his main mission.

Now, in this case, part of his mission included that when anyone made the extra effort to approach him, to ask him for something, their personal request, in her case, her faith, was considered part of his mission. But it wasn't his mission to do any of those things that I just mentioned.

His mission was to be a teacher, a healer, and a savior, beginning with the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel. Other things might be good. They might be important. They might be noble.

But they weren't part of his main mission. They would have been distractions. So how about us? Are we letting distractions interfere with our discipleship with Jesus Christ?

Are the cares of this world consuming our energies? Are we concerned about things worldly that's driving a wedge between us and God? Do we have dysfunctional habits? Or are we indulging in forms of mindless entertainment that's consuming large portions of our time? Now, again, hobbies are great. Entertainment, we all need entertainment. We need downtime. We need time to enjoy hobbies. We need time to laugh. We need time to watch movies. We need time to do all those things because our mind needs to be refreshed. But is that out of control? Is our life dedicated to mindless forms of entertainment? Do we have a dysfunctional habit that's pulling us down?

Is there some kind of addiction or obsession distracting us from our mission? Whatever that mission is. And our mission is different than Jesus Christ. Obviously, he was the Son of God.

His mission was short, and it had a little different focus. Your mission and my mission, as disciples, are different than his. By the way, our mission includes helping as much as we can, helping the poor and helping people in need. Again, not to the point of distraction from our main calling, which is to preach the good news of the coming kingdom to this world. But our mission does include doing what we can to help the poor, to help the needy. In Matthew 6, verse 33, Jesus said, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things, the things that everyone else seeks, nice clothes and a nice home, reliable car, and good food, and all these things that the Gentiles seek will be added unto you. He said, but get your priority straight. Remember what the mission, the important mission is, and that's the kingdom of God and his righteousness. So again, characteristic number two is Jesus avoided major distractions and stuck to his mission. Number three, his deep values were an internal anchor. His deep values were an internal anchor. Jesus was an effective leader because he didn't seek, he didn't need approval from outside groups or individuals. His self-worth and mission wasn't based on what the Pharisees thought of him, or the Sadducees, or Peter, or the high priest, or Pilate. What anyone thought of him, his esteem was based on something deep inside that came to him through his relationship with the Father. He knew the real meaning of a successful life isn't defined by how this world defines success. This world defines success as lots of money, having power over other people, having prestige, having celebrity, and having sex with as many people as you can before you die. Those are the values of this world. That is the definition of what success is in this world.

But because of his relationship with the Father, he abandoned, he rejected that concept of human success. He knew what his values were. Let's go to Mark 7, verse 1. Review a situation in which he was judged. His values, though, that were in the internal anchor, kept him centered, kept him focused. Mark 7, beginning in verse 1. Again, this is the third characteristic. His deep values were an internal anchor. Mark 7, verse 1. Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defile, that is, unwashed hands, they found fault. So they're critical. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, do they do not eat unless they wash? And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? How come their values aren't my values? How come their values aren't our values, Jesus? Huh? Huh? Huh? But he bread with unwashed hands, and he answered and said to them, well, did Isaiah the prophet say of you hypocrites? As it is written, the people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Oh, you put on a great show of being religious. You wear white garments. You've got tassels hanging off of garment things. You've got ringlets off the side of your head. Oh, boy, you really put on a good show. He says, the problem is, is your heart stinks. Your heart, your thinking is foul. Jesus, I was saying, your values aren't my values. I'm sorry.

Verse 7, and in vain do they worship me, teaching his doctrines the commandments of men.

They still didn't get it. Human humankind still doesn't understand the fact that if you want to worship the true God, here's the secret to doing that. Open this up and find out what he says pleases him. We don't get to invent what honors God. We ask him how he wants to be honored. We can't invent days to honor God. We can't borrow days from paganism and say, well, this is how I choose to honor you.

We need to say to God, how do you choose to be honored? And he gives us a number of principles including respecting his commandments, living his way of life, honoring his holy days, which are the days he established to be worshipped. But mankind has to create all kinds of cute little things to do with our hands and lighting candles and bowing down the plaster statues and putting crucifixes on walls. And all of these things that mankind decides, well, this shows that I'm religious. This is how I choose to worship God. And they totally lose sight of the fact that we need to ask God, God, what honors you? How do you choose to be worshipped? Because that's what I want to do. I don't want to keep the traditions of men. I don't want to keep the traditions of elders. I want to worship you in spirit and in truth, not in vain. So he says, in in vain do they worship me, teaching his doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, in other words, laying aside what God says, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pictures and cups and many other such things you do. And he said to them, all too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition. So Jesus is saying, you might have that as your values, those are not my values. How often I wash my hands and all those rituals and all of those silly things you do, thinking that other people will say, why, he must really be religious. Look how often he washes his hands. That means nothing to God. Verse 9, and said to them, all too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition. The New Century, as the version says in verse 9, then Jesus said to them, you cleverly ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings.

Jesus didn't take rejection personally. His confidence and value system were based on principles, not on people's approval. What are your value systems based on?

The Supreme Court? Oprah? Murray Povich? What are your value systems established on? A blog?

Something on the Internet? A political philosophy? Or are they based on what this book says?

That's the question. Are our values deeply embedded in this book like an anchor? Obviously we have to study the book to know what it says. And we have to live by the values of this book, the teachings of this book. Again, His confidence, the confidence of Jesus Christ and His value system, were based on principles, not approval. How about us? Is God's law written into our hearts?

Or are we constantly going to the world to look for what our value system is?

Do we allow the politically correct agenda today to silence us? Are we shamed into speaking boldly when we have the opportunity? And again, I'm talking about balance here. I'm not talking about putting a soapbox up in the middle of San Francisco and condemning a lifestyle with a Bible in your hand, screaming at everybody, quoting scriptures. I'm not talking about doing something about that, but I'm talking about when someone engages us in a conversation. Listen, what do you think about this? Are we kind of shying away from it? Are we shamed in the speaking up? Or are we willing to say, well, this is what the Word of God has taught me about this particular lifestyle or this idea or this concept or this principle. As ambassadors for Christ, are we moral patriots or are we pansies? What are we? In Acts 5 and verse 29, after the apostles had been beaten for daring to disobey the high priest and to go back to the temple and preach about Jesus Christ, they were confronted by the high priest again. It says, but Peter and the other apostles answered the high priest and said, we ought to obey God rather than men. So are our values deeply embedded in us like an anchor? Do we know what our values are? Are we willing to boldly tell people what our values are? Again, when the time is right, when the conversation comes up, when the discussion comes up among friends or family members, and again, not in contrast to some obnoxious person trying to stir up trouble and getting on a soap box or going into a stadium and trying to arouse a riot or create problems on their own, do we know what our values are? Do we live by those values?

Number four, the fourth characteristic. The fourth characteristic is he had a passionate commitment to the cause. He had a passionate commitment to the cause. This leadership trade is self-evident in Jesus Christ, isn't it, because he was even willing to die for a cause. So that says you're pretty committed. Leaders sometimes have to get emotional. They need to remind others of the greatness of the cause. Sometimes they need to raise their voice and remind others to be passionate about the mission. Remember how Jesus Christ turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple in John 2. He was passionate that his father's house would be respected and honored and not simply become a profit center, a way for people to just make money off of the selling animals in the temple. Let's go to Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14. Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14. Are we passionate about the cause that we've been called to? That cause is being a disciple of Jesus Christ, living our lives as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, overcoming our sins and our weaknesses, drawing upon the Spirit of God to transform our lives from something that's selfish and mortal, more towards something that is service-oriented and giving, and closer to immortality that God eventually wants to give us. Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14 is one of the churches in Revelation and in context, all of the churches in Revelation existed at the same time.

One church didn't rise up and then it ceased to be and another church rose up and then it ceased to be and another church rose up and it ceased to be. All seven of these congregations all existed at the same time. This was a mail route. And for the congregation at Laodicea, here was the message.

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, right, these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness to the beginning of the creation of God. Obviously, it's Jesus Christ saying this, I know your works that you were neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot because I would know what to do with you. If you were hot, that's good. You're passionate. If you were cold, I know you need to build a little fire under you. But what do you do with something that just lukewarm? I enjoy a hot cup of coffee. I really do. It's one of my indulgences in life is a hot cup of good coffee. But I'll tell you what I deplore. I deplore when I forget about it, and about 30-45 minutes later, I take a sip from tepid coffee. It's like I literally want to spit it out.

That's almost my instinctive reaction. He says, I wish that you were hot or cold. So then, because you were lukewarm and neither hot and cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. He says, build a fire under there. Get excited about something. Get passionate about your calling and your mission. But because you say, and is it a common word of someone who's just too content, too comfortable, doesn't want to step outside of the box, just wants to flip their life on autopilot.

Because you say, I am rich. I have become wealthy. Oh, I'm just so comfortable. I have a home now, and I've got a car, and I got two coats of clothes, and I got two pair of underwear, and I can turn them inside out and wear them for four days.

And I got food. Oh, life is good. Sweet. Because you say, I am rich, become wealthy, and I have need of nothing. Do you not know, in contrast to what you think you are, spiritually speaking, you are wretched and miserable. You're spiritually poor. You are blind and you're naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. Get out of your comfort zone and start doing something. And when you do something, you'll be tried. When you do something, you'll go through a test. When you do something, your medal will be refined through fire. That you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed. So instead of being naked, you can put on white garments, white being symbolic of righteousness, of living God's way of life.

That the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. And anoint your eyes with eyesab that you may see, because you've blinded yourself into thinking that you're doing what God wants you to do. You're just too comfortable. You become too complacent. Verse 19, if this sounds too harsh, she says, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

Don't be cold. Don't be lukewarm. Be zealous. Get excited about something. Get passionate about something. Verse 20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me. Knock, and you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It'll change your life. It'll change how you think. It'll change your perspective towards other people and how much God loves them and the hope that God has for all humanity. Verse 21, To him who overcomes, not to him who is comfortable and says, Oh, I'm just so wealthy. I got a home and a car and good food. Nice job. Oh, life is sweet. He says, No, to him who overcomes, I will grant to sit on me with my throne as I overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. So, brethren, Christ wants his church to be committed to a mission, not content. We shouldn't be content. We should be committed. Do we have a lifelong commitment to God's way of life and supporting the preaching of the gospel to the entire world, or are we on autopilot? Are we passionate about the gospel and ushering in the kingdom of God, or has our calling become a hobby? Well, I've been doing this now 30 years. I've been keeping the Sabbath for 30 years. I've got nowhere else to go on Saturdays. No one else will have me. My wife tells me to get out of the house, so, okay, I'll go to church. Kind of out of habit. Is that the way we are, or are we excited about God's Sabbath day? Are we excited about God's way of life? Paul wrote in Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, but God demonstrates His own love towards us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How committed was He? He was willing to die for you alone. As I like to say around the Passover, if you had been the only person who was ever born on this earth, Jesus Christ would have shed His blood and would be willing to die for you alone.

That's how important you are to God. In 1963, in a speech in Cobo Hall, Martin Luther King said this. This is one of my favorite statements that he ever made. He repeated this in a number of his sermons, and I just want you to think about this. He says, and I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Is there something in your life that you're willing to die for? I don't know what the future holds for us. There may come a time when there may be terrible persecution in the United States over people who dare to follow Jesus Christ. We don't know what the future holds. We have the outline of prophecy, and we know there will be persecution. We know there will be trials, even on God's people.

But what are you, if anything, willing to die for?

Again, he had a passionate commitment to the cause.

Let's take a look at one more point today. Number five, he didn't hesitate to do the difficult things.

The fifth of the twelve characteristics of Jesus Christ, leadership characteristics, he didn't hesitate to do the difficult things.

Most people do things simply to be liked.

People do things to be respected by their peers.

Many of our modern politicians depend on daily opinion polls to decide what they believe is popular. I don't like to get political, and in this statement I don't mean politically, I just mean as a statement regarding opinion polls and popularity.

Our president, when the first time he ran for presidency, he had already chosen, but already decided that he believed in same-sex marriage. This is according to his own advisor, Mr. Axelrod, who ran his campaign.

However, at the time, the opinion polls said that the majority of Americans were against same-sex marriage. So he deceitfully, through his entire first campaign, whenever asked, he said, well, I believe that marriage is only between one man and one woman, all the while knowing, and his own personal advisor knew, that he didn't believe that because he was following the polls. How about us? Are we just following the polls? Are we just going with the flow? Are we drifting and bobbing like a cork in the ocean, wherever it's taking us?

It's human nature to take the easy path. Most people avoid the difficult things. For example, Peter tried to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem, his last trip there shortly before he was crucified. Christ had a difficult task ahead of him. It might have been very easy for him to say, well, okay, Peter, if you insist, but to do that wasn't part of God's plan. He knew he had to go to Jerusalem. He had to do the difficult thing. Matthew 4, verse 1. Here's a difficult thing.

I haven't tried this, and you probably haven't either, because if you did, you'd probably be in the morgue.

Matthew 4, verse 1. He says, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights afterward, he was hungry.

Boy, is that an understatement. Anyone here ever fast forty days and forty nights?

I haven't. As a matter of fact, physiologically, unless there's divine intervention, a human body cannot go forty days and forty nights without water and eating. It's just impossible. It doesn't happen. So, this was either divine intervention, which it obviously was, but it had to be difficult. Do you think this was a difficult thing? Anyone here volunteer to even try to go forty days and forty nights? Well, he did. It's as if afterward he was hungry. Now, when the tempter came to him, realize this is his enemy. This is Satan the devil. This is his arch enemy, the one who rebelled from a very important position at the throne of God and became God's enemy.

Now, when the tempter came to him and said, if you are the son of God, trying to rile him a little bit, command that these stones become bread. But he answered and said, and once you know notice, he quotes Scripture. Where do his values come from? He doesn't say, well, Moripovich says, I saw on a TV show and they said, now he quotes Scripture, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the Mount of God. Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to him, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down for it is written, he shall give his angels charge over you. And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone. Of course, Satan is, those are Scriptures, Satan is twisting. Verse 7, Jesus said to him, as it is written again, and you don't get it, what you do, he quotes Scripture. You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again, the devil took him up exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory. He said to him, all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.

He offered Jesus a shortcut to greatness. Satan is the prince of the power of the air. He is the God of this world. All these kingdoms were his to give away. So what he did wasn't deceitful. He took Jesus Christ there and said, you know what? You can have all this now.

You don't have to go through three and a half years of the ministry. You don't have to go through the excruciating torture of a crucifixion. I'll give you all these sugar cubes. I'll give you all of this candy right now. It's mine to give. I own it all. They all jump to my strings. I say, do this, and this nation does that. I tell these people over here, do this, and they all do that. They don't even know where it's coming from. I own it all, and I'm offering it to you if you'll just bow down and worship me. Verse 10, that Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And then the devil left him, and behold, the angels came and ministered to him. Jesus was willing to do the difficult things for his cause. He even had conversations with others who hated him. That's not easy. Leaders often have to do the unpleasant tasks, and it usually requires courage and personal sacrifice. Leaders take flack. You're in a leadership position. You're going to be criticized. You have to do the hard things. Well, how about us, brethren? Are we willing to pay the price in our own lives? Are we willing to do the difficult things? Some of us, to come into the church, we were working on the Sabbath, weren't we? And we had to do a difficult thing. We had to go into our boss, not knowing if we were going to get canned or not, and say, I can no longer work on Saturdays. Some people had to do the difficult things of getting the Holy Days off.

Some people have had to tell their spouses of their family, I'm not going to eat pork anymore.

So, are we willing to do the difficult things? How about us, brethren? We're willing to pay the price. Isaiah 53, verse 3, says this about him, He was despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we did not esteem him. So, are we willing to do the difficult things?

Now, let's make this personal. Are we willing to overcome the serious problems in our lives?

Or, have we only overcome the public ones, the ones that other people see, so we won't get criticized, so they won't point them out? Have we done a deep dive in our hearts and minds, and been willing to do the difficult things of rooting out those temptations, those thoughts, those desires, those actions that we have? Are we willing to tackle the tough sins that plague us? Or, only the easy ones, the ones that were easy to nip in the bud? Are we just simply content to be what we are today? Are we coasting? Are we comfortable? Or, are we willing to do the difficult things and stretch ourselves to another level? I think it's a fair question.

Well, we're out of time today. This was the beginning of a two-part sermon on the 12 leadership characteristics of Jesus Christ. Next time, we will finish the sermon. Have a wonderful Sabbath, and we hope we get a chance to talk with you afterward.