Number One Distinguishing Mark Of A Leader
Nehemiah 2:17-18NKJB
Nehemiah 2:17-18NKJB Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18TM Then I gave them my report: “Face it: we’re in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up. Come—let’s build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer.” I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up.They said, “We’re with you. Let’s get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work.
The #1 distinguishing mark of a leader. Leaders understand the value of vision.
Again in vs. 17 Nehemiah said, you guys see broken down walls and charred gates, but I see new ones surrounding a sparkling city filled with much happier people.
How did he see that? A fresh vision, instilled by God.
The Bible says we walk by faith, not by sight. This means that we have a vision, not of the way things are, but of the way they ought to be.
Notice verse 17 again. Nehemiah say’s to the people, you see the distress, the ruins of Jerusalem, the gates burned down?
Did you realize there are professional evaluators? They are paid to go to a place of business, or to a church and evaluate the condition of buildings, properties, customer service, ushers, greeters, music, and even a pastor’s sermon. After the evaluation is finished correction is spelled out with a plan and goals are set up to fix what’s broken.
Romans 4:17KJB even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
What if we all became a be not follower? a be not discouraged, a be not depressed, and a be not hopeless!
Here’s a test for you to take: Look around you and see how things are. Now close your eyes and see what it's supposed to look like in here. Then leave this place and do the same exercise everywhere you go. Ahh, this is what my workplace is supposed to be like, this is what my home is supposed to feel like, this is how my off hours are supposed to be spent.
Again Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish:
God’s people need an Open Revelation. People perish if there is no open revelation. Aren't you glad you have the full, open revelation of God open in your lap? All 66 books are open revelation.
Joke: I asked Bro. Delbert if he ever dreams and he said, “Yeah, just last night I dreamed I was at the circus, it was great.” Then he asked me if I had a dream. “I said yeah, I was at the World Series, with 2 tickets right behind home plate, and the Atlanta Braves were in it!” He said, “Wow, and you didn't call me? I can't believe you had those seats and didn't call me.” I said, “I tried, but they said you were at the circus!”
Not only do we need an open revelation, We need to understand the value of a vision, and then we need a mental picture.
If we don't have vision, we will perish. What does perish mean? It doesn't mean to die or perish in hell, that's a different Hebrew word.
This is the Hebrew para, perish it has 3 meanings:
To become naked.
Zero or barren.
To go backwards.
So, putting Prov. 29:18 all together now we see that if you have no mental picture, you will go backwards, and amount to nothing!
We must have goals, visions, dreams!
And so God raises up leaders with vision! Show me a church that’s going backward, and I'll show you leaders with no vision.
It all starts between the ears. We need the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5NKJB Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Romans 12:2NKJB And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Right behavior is preceded by right thinking. Wrong behavior doesn't just happen, it is always preceded by wrong thinking.
“We are not just going to stumble into success. Luck has nothing to do with it. Success happens when you walk in right behavior and right thinking.” P.H.
What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve!
This is not just a bunch of positive thinking mumbo jumbo. It’s Biblical.
Proverbs 23:7KJB For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Let's be like Nehemiah. Let's get a clear mental picture of what God wants for you, your family, your church, your life!
Victor Frankl was a holocaust survivor who used to travel and speak about how he survived the concentration camps. He would say, "You are the reason I am alive." They were baffled, because they had never seen him before. "I have seen you a thousand times," he would say. He then went on to explain how he would dream of the day when he would stand before crowds and tell them how he survived. Day after day he would watch comrades lose their hope and the next day they would die.
Caution! Don't be discouraged if not everyone sees or understands your dream. Charlie Brown says, "Lucy, look at my hands. Think of the potential in these hands. Someday these hands may heal the sick, someday these hands may build mighty bridges, someday these hands may change the destiny of mankind!" Lucy responded, "Charlie, your hands, they have jelly on them."
The Drive of Vision.
It is the vehicle that will take you places. It is the key that opens the door of opportunity.
Thomas Edison, "Show me a man who is perfectly satisfied and I'll show you a failure."
Let me show you some people who had no vision.
Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the US Patent Office, 1899 "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
President Grover Cleveland, 1905- “Sensible, responsible women do not want to vote." Can you imagine saying that today?
One man said something like that to his wife, and she said, "How would you like it if you didn't see me for a few days." He said, "I'd like that just fine!" He later reported, "The first day I didn't see her, 2nd day, 3rd day, then on the 4th day I could see her just a little when the swelling in my left eye went down."
Lord Kelvin, 1855, "Flying machines heavier than air are an impossibility."
In contrast, When Walt Disney was alive he had the vision of Disney World. But he died before it became reality. At the grand opening his surviving wife was an honored guest on the platform. The emcee said to her, I just wish Walt could have seen it. She replied two words: He did.
He was the first man ever to see Disney World, before anyone lifted the first finger.
Vision is the driving force that will take us where we need to be. Not where my life is, but where God wants my life. [Family / Marriage / Church / my ministry / business]
Vision is the key that starts it, and the spark that ignites it, and the gears that get things rolling! Vision is the vehicle which will drive you to your dreams!
Some have no vision. They are negative, pessimistic folks who tell you why it can't be done or shouldn't be done. They often think of themselves as 'realistic', but God wants to take us far beyond reality and the natural to the supernatural!
Helen Keller, "Worse than being blind would be to see, yet have no vision."
Some have lost their vision. They once had it, but they let it go. Maybe they were hurt, discouraged, or grew too comfortable.
I hear all the time from pastors and leaders who have lost their vision. They say things like, “We can’t get anyone to attend church. We can’t get anyone to serve.
Only one thing is worse than having less, and that is settling for less as the norm. Apathy is a killer. And they say ignorance is bliss. What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care!
Don't settle. Don't settle for less. Don't settle for less than God's best!
Zig Ziglar tells of a motivational speaker who drew great crowds and charged $30,000 a speech. He was invited to a convention of businessmen. He used a 6' blackboard and a piece of chalk for an illustration. He drew a dot in the middle. "What do you see?" he asked a man on the front row. "A dot.” Everyone said about the thing. ”Herein lies your problem. Each of you sees the same little dot, and not one of you sees the 6ft blackboard waiting for so much more to be written upon it.” That was a $30,000 speech!
We need to see the big picture! Our church buildings is the dot on the chalkboard. It's just a tool to do the real work. The big picture is people coming to hear the Word of God. The big picture is that young couple that comes, on the verge of divorce, but they come and get saved and their marriage is saved! A nice youth room and game room is fine, but the big picture is that teen who was planning on taking his own life finding new life in Christ and changing his mind! A midweek meal is dandy for all of us, but the big picture is bringing someone to it who will get saved in the next hour. Our playground is just the dot on the chalkboard. The big picture is what God will do in those little lives.
Paul Harvey said, "A blind man is bound by the limits of his touch, and ignorant man is bound by the limits of his knowledge, a great man is bound only by the limits of his vision!"
Here’s the results of open vision, mixed with the drive of a vision. Nehemiah 2:18NLT Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.
Was it easy? No, with enemies all around them, God’s people kept their eyes on the prize.
Benediction.
