Choosing A Leader

Choosing A Leader

Isaiah 53:2-11

Intro: Guess what, on Tuesday, we as a nation and individuals who choose to vote, will go to the polls and elect our President for the next four years. The leader of the free world is how many describe the holder of this office. We will elect our leader. It seems that there are many ideas about who that leader should be.

There is a church locally that is having some issues right now because of this election. It seems that the Pastor told someone who he was going to vote for ( a mistake that no pastor should make) and it isn’t sitting very well with this ultra conservative church. We take our politics seriously here in the south don’t we?

. Billy Graham tells the story of a man looking for his wallet on the street. Someone asked him what he was looking for. He said, "I lost my wallet."

The other person said, "Where did you lose it?"

He replied, "About half a block up the street."

The other person said, "Why are you looking here?"

He said, "There is no street light there!"

. Perhaps we are like this gentleman, looking in the wrong place for our leader.

. Perhaps as a nation and as individuals we are looking at the wrong characteristics of the one we should choose as our leader.

. In our scripture this morning, the prophet Isaiah tells of a leader that will be coming to lead the world.

. In this prophecy, we can find many characteristics that a leader should exhibit.

. Isaiah 53:2-11

2My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

3He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief we turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

4Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

5But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

6All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

7He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,

8Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.

But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

9He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

. 10But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

. 11When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

. Isaiah was writing about a leader who was to come and lead their people and the world. In him we can find many characteristics that a leader should have. This person exhibits many but I want us to focus on four of these characteristics this morning.

. A leader is: Not Concerned with Outward Appearances.

. A few weeks ago we saw the conventions as they call them of both our candidates. As the day drew near we would see on the news how they were working to make everything appear to be perfect.

. They would depend millions of dollars making everything appear perfect.

. There was an image they wanted to convey.

. Both political parties did this.

. As our two candidates came out to give their speeches, they had been prepped by hairstylists and make up people. After all, they were going to be seen by millions of people on TV and they needed to look their best.

. I’m sure that they had been advised by clothes designers as to what to wear in order to look their best.

. My guess is that their suits cost more than many of us make in a month.

. It was all about appearance.

. One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out bible.