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.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories. As the cowboy took a seat, the others settled down in areas away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all dismayed at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how people ought to be finding more people to win to Jesus because baptisms were down. As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you return next time, maybe have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship. You might find that would help you fit in a little better and feel more at home with us."
The old cowboy assured the preacher he would. The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.
The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God about your attire and get his input on the matter of appropriate dress for worship in His church."
"Oh, I did that… I truly did," replied the old cowboy.
"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper dress should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear here these days – He says He’s not attended here in a long time."
. We worry too much about outward appearances.
. Look at what Isaiah says about the appearance of the ultimate leader.
.Verses 2-4: 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!
. This great leader that Isaiah is talking about didn’t worry about his outward appearance.
. Look at what he says. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
. A great leader does not have to worry about his outward appearance, he is concerned about people. About their weaknesses and how he can help them.
. Verse 4 says that it was: our weaknesses and our sorrows that he cared about.
. A leader is someone with a great heart for individuals not someone who worries about photo ops.
. Next we see that a great leader is: Someone Who Tells You The Truth, no matter how hard the truth is.
. As I have listened to these two who want to be our leader they have accused each other over and over again of not telling the truth.
. I heard an interview with one the surrogates and they said that if this guy is talking, he’s lying.
. What an image that portrays.
. It seems that truth is relative to their point of view depending on how their side interprets the information.
. A true leader tells you the truth no matter what the consequences.
. Look at verse 6 again: 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.
. This leader tells us the truth.
. The truth is that we are all sinners. We have all gotten off the path of righteousness. We all need someone to help us with our sin.
. We don’t want to hear the truth sometimes, do we?
. I was talking to a man one day and we got into a discussion about unions and how people are to get paid. This guy was a big union man ( my disclaimer here is that I believe that unions are good and bad, my dad raised a family working at General motors and he was always a union man) and we were talking about the fairness of wages. He made a statement to me that I will never forget. He said something like this. If you work for a company or person and you don’t think they are paying you enough then it’s perfectly ok to take things from that person or company until you feel you have received your just compensation. I was stunned. I looked at him and said don’t you realize that is stealing. He said no he didn’t.
. Folks, we are all sinners, some are thieves, some are liars, adulterers, people who covet, etc . I could go on and on.
. Isaiah says that we are all sinners and that this great leader will tell us this whether it makes him popular or not.
. We are on the wrong path. A leader will tell you the truth, not what you want to hear.
. Isaiah is giving us a preview of Romans 3:23 where Paul writes:
23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
. A leader doesn’t sugar coat things they tell you the truth.
. This leader that Isaiah is talking about here will be honest and truthful with you about all things.
. Next we see that a leader is: Willing To Sacrifice For You.
. Look at verse 7:
He 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,
. On the southern border of the empire of Cyrus, there lived a great chieftain named Cagular who tore to shreds and completely defeated the various detachments of Cyrus’ army sent to subdue him. Finally the emperor, amassing his whole army, marched down, surrounded Cagular, captured him, and brought him to the capital for execution. On the day of the trial, he and his family were brought to the judgment chamber - Cagular, a fine looking man of more than 6 feet, with a noble manner about him - a magnificent specimen of a man. So impressed was Cyrus with his appearance, that he said to Cagular: "What would you do should I spare your life?"
"Your Majesty, if you spared my life, I would return to my home and remain your obedient servant as long as I lived."
"What would you do if I spared the life of your wife?"
"Your Majesty, if you spared the life of my wife, I would die for you."
So moved was the emperor that he freed them both and returned Cagular to his province to act as governor thereof. Upon arriving at home, Cagular reminisced about the trip with his wife. "Did you notice," he said to his wife, "the marble at the entrance of the palace? Did you notice the tapestry on the wall as we went down the corridor into the throne room? And did you see the chair on which the emperor sat? It must have been carved from one lump of pure gold."
His wife could appreciate his excitement and how impressed he was with it all, but she only replied: "I really didn’t notice any of that."
"Well," said Cagular in amazement, "What did you see?"
His wife looked seriously into his eyes and said, "I beheld only the face of the man who said he would die for me."
. All things pale in comparison when you meet someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for you. This is someone you would want to lead you.
. A leader is willing to sacrifice himself in order to save you.
. Lastly a leader is: Someone Who Keeps Their Promises.
. How many believe that these two who are seeking the position of our leader will keep these promises that they are making to us.
. I didn’t think I would get any takers on that.
. We see and hear so called leaders who promise the moon and deliver not even a cloud.
. A leader must keep their promises.
. Look at verses 10&11:
. 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.
. This leader will have a plan. His plan will be to bear the sins of all who will let Him.
. He promises that if you will follow Him, you will be considered righteous.
. He will bear all you sins.
. He promises that when your earthly body dies that if you have followed Him that you will spend a eternity with Him in the place we call Heaven.
. This leader that Isaiah is telling us will come is Jesus Christ.
. Jesus is the one who came to lead and didn’t worry about His or anyone else’s outward appearance, only their heart.
. Jesus is the one who will tell you the truth. Tell you that you are a sinner and separated from God by your sin.
. Jesus is the one who was willing to sacrifice His life for you. So that you can be reconciled to God.
. Jesus is the One who promises a more abundant life here on earth and an eternity with Him in Heaven.
. None of these other guys who want to be our leader show these characteristics.
. Only Jesus.
I encourage you to vote on Tuesday. Vote for whom you believe can lead our country but; remember that no matter who wins this election, our ultimate leader is the one Isaiah told us about so many years ago.
. Our Leader is Jesus.
. Can you say that He is your leader today. You can if you have accepted this sacrifice that Isaiah speaks of.
. Have you placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, NLT
Electing A Savior, Jeff Strite
