Leadership lessons learned by a Legend
Every great leader has a back story -here’s some famous leaders back stories...
Ever heard of Oprah Winfrey- before she made her media empire and 3B$ fortune, her first job was at a corner grocery store next to her father’s barber shop in Nashville.
How about Michael Dell before he made Dell computers, he had a job washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant at the age 12 – so that he could put away money for his stamp collection. Obama worked at Baskin Rob, Trump collected empty pop bottles
Joshua the great leader who took God’s people into the promise land and later had a book of the Bible named after him also has a back story, but we must go to 2 other books of the bible to find it. So we will do a little bit of jumping around in your Bibles today but I believe it’s worth it.
The journey we will go on with Joshua into the promise land is an amazing feat of courage and conviction-but courage and conviction doesn’t grow on trees-it grows like trees-over time, through the high winds, floods and droughts of life the roots of a person’s character grow deep and their destiny can grow high. But what were these for Joshua? Today I would have us consider 4 critical episodes in his life that grew him into the towering hero God, and His People needed him to be when the moment of conquest came.
I believe in these 4 episodes we can gain insight for our own journeys of preparation for the next great adventure God will take us on. These are primarily leadership lessons and for those who will tune out and say “I’m not a leader-I say yes you are.” If you are a parent, have younger sibs, a grandparent, teacher in any form of class room, manager of any number of people, or really have influence over someone else you are a leader. Then a few years back at a willow creek leadership summit I heard the phrase “self-leadership” and it was explained that most major leadership blunders are from a lack of self-leadership. Everyone in this room has a self-so why not learn to lead yourself better! This is the simple point of our sermon: look at your neighbor and say it with me…
? Joshua had to learn to lead and so do I! Now please take your Bibles out…
Exodus 17:8-13
8The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
9Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
10So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
12When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other-so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
13So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
?No one leads for long alone.
This is such a rich story and could be a stand-alone sermon in it’s self and may be will be some day, but for now lets just focus on our hero and the lesson learned-say the subpoint together! I can imagine Josh getting the call from Moses to fight-as far as we know this was his first command and it would be in eye shot of Moses. The pressure was on as the battle raged-but there was some thing more to this. There was a supernatural element Josh no doubt noticed. The strength of his army was directly tied to God’s man Moses. V.11 tell us as long as Mo’s hands were up all was good-but when they went down-look out!
I bet Josh prayed “Lord help that man hold up his hands-or I’m dead!” and then out of the corner of his eye he saw the tripod form-v.12 Aaron and Hur steadied his hands until sunset and the battle was won. I believe Josh took our point to heart-say it!
Josh saw with his own eyes the powerful connection Moses had with God and how it literally could shift the battle for God’s people. But wait, here’s a twist, this powerful connection didn’t translate into super human strength? Ah but it does-the super human strength to let others HELP YOU! Even Jesus told his disciples the spirit is willing-that is the soul filling holy spirit that can lead direct and energize us-BUT -always watch out when Jesus says but! But what? Say it-The flesh is what? WEAK!
I need to apply this, so can I just ask you, how do you need help today? Or expanded-with what and to whom do you need to ask for help? Better yet, who has God put along side you that you can LET HELP you? if you or someone you know needs help(especially financial help) let me Justin or an Elder know, (Ron K. Velma, Ruth Y. and Brad) our compassion fund is available-but only if we know the need-so let us know! We’ve helped homeless families have shelter, widows with repairs, even expenses to reunify families-let us stand with you in the needs you know!
What if Mo would have said-back off guys-I got this-no need to help me-I’m strong enough all on my own-all alone-but not for long-if Mo would have had that attitude it probably would have been the last we would have heard of Josh-cause OT losers in battle often don’t live! Look at some body and tell’m again-you won’t lead for long alone!
Exodus 24:12-18
12The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."
13Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.
14He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them."
15When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
16and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.
17To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
18Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
? Leaders need to spend time with God away from the crowd.
Moses took off to be with God-he got away from the people and their disputes-to get a message from God. And who did he take with him? JOSH! He didn’t just take off, he left the elders in charge-but took his right-hand man with him to get up close with God. Josh would have seen Mo on the mountain with God and nobody else-and he knew this was where Mo got his mojo-this is the true source of his leadership power-and really his energy in general, plus directions specifically. Josh found out that relationship with God takes time but is the only way to keep your perspective clear and your vision true-how about you?
Now I’m not asking you to take 40 days off work to climb a mountain with your favorite spiritual leader-but if you could you should-just this week I spent some time with a younger person to talk about God’s will for their life and I would do it with you too-younger or older-come to the mountain top of my office!
Perhaps another approach might be-to set aside 40 minutes a day to be with God. Could you do it? I try to spend 30 in the morning in his Word and in prayer-then 10 at night right before bed again in prayer and the Word-to close my day with him. I’m not legalistic about it as some days there is more time other days less-but I know most days I need to spend about 40 minutes alone with God. What time will you spend or better yet invest with God?
Exodus 33:7-11
7Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.
8And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.
9As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.
10Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.
11The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
? Leadership gets lonely at times.
When we read these verses we see that along with the mountain top experiences Mo had, he also connected with God at what v.7 calls the tent of what? MEETING that’s where a prayer group would meet-Mo was there on a regular basis to talk to God-but then in v.11 we read Josh-did not leave the tent. This is fascinating to me that Mo had Josh to stay in the tent. How long we aren’t sure but I’m sure there were some lonely nights out there in the tent-outside the camp. Have you ever slept out in a tent-away from everybody-it’s a little scary. I would think Joshua probably got close to God on those nights and came to the slow realization that leadership can be lonely business.
I believe most of the time God provides people to support the leader like episode 1-people to be there and hold our arms up as needed. But there are times the leader stands alone at his or her post b/c duty calls. Moms that are up in the middle of the night to comfort a sick child, dads that work late after everybody else has gone home. The volunteer that stays to clean up or comes in early to set up, or fix up, on their own- whatever needs done.
And then there are times that a leader has to stand alone, even though he is surrounded by other people-they are all facing the other way. There are times our duty is to just stay in the tent we are called to-until we are released. Leadership can be lonely can’t it?
Is that where you are at right now? Are you on a lonely stretch of leadership lane? Do you feel left alone in the tent while Mo and every body else is back in the camp? Could it be God is trying to teach you this lesson and let you know that you are never actually alone-but in those time of loneliness we can and should draw close to the one who never leaves us or forsakes us.
Numbers 27:15-23
15Moses said to the Lord ,
16"May the Lord , the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community
17to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord 's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
18So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.
19Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.
20Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.
21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord . At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."
22Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.
23Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.
? Leadership must pass on the blessed baton.
The lessons have been learned-the tests have been passed but one thing remains-the baton of leadership must be passed on. Just like in track the baton is passed with hands and words-when I was in track I ran some relays and we were taught how important the passing of the baton was-there was a connection with our hands and word that made the exchange happen effectively let me show you-is there a volunteer who would like to suspend the no running in the sanctuary rule with me? (do relay BULL-DOG)
Thanks _____ it’s the same with the blessed baton of leadership-we see hands laid on Josh and authority passed on. This leads us directly into next weeks message where we see Joshua at the helm-leading God’s people-but for now I’d like you to consider your rhyming app, point: who will you make the pass to-with your words and hands-who will you pass the blessed baton of leadership of your family to, your business to, your church position/ministry to, or even the deep blessing of solid self leadership to?
May I suggest before the baton is passed the lessons Joshua learned we need to learn and apply so lets rapidly review them and I will let you go-
No one leads for long, alone.
How do you need help today?
Leaders need to spend time with God away from the crowd.
Have you been with the Lord, lately?
Leadership gets lonely at times.
Are you out in a tent right now?
Leadership must pass the blessed baton.
Who will you make the pass to?
Let’s ask God together to help us learn these lessons and apply them in our lives even today, let us pray…
