245 years ago today, 56 of our country’s leaders signed our Declaration of Independence. It marked the birthday of the United States of America on July 4, 1776. Many people have paid tribute to that day over the years, but no one said it better than Paul Harvey on July 4, 1974, two years before our nation’s bicentennial. Take a look. (show video: Paul Harvey Our Founding Fathers)
“Americans, you know the 56 men who signed our Declaration of Independence that first 4th of July – you know they were risking everything, don’t you? Because if they won the war with the British, there would be years of hardship as a struggling nation. If they lost they would face a hangman’s noose. And yet there where it says, “We herewith pledge, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor,” they did sign. But did you know that they paid the price?
“When Carter Braxton of Virginia signed the Declaration of Independence, he was a wealthy planter and trader. But thereafter he saw his ships swept from the seas and to pay his debts, he lost his home and all of his property. He died in rags.
“Thomas Lynch, Jr., who signed that pledge, was a third-generation rice grower and aristocrat – a large plantation owner – but after he signed his health failed. With his wife he set out for France to regain his failing health. Their ship never got to France; he was never heard from again.
“Thomas McKean of Delaware was so harassed by the enemy that he was forced to move his family five times in five months. He served in Congress without pay, his family in poverty and in hiding.
“Vandals looted the properties of Ellery and Clymer and Hall and Gwinett and Walton and Heyward and Rutledge and Middleton. And Thomas Nelson, Jr. of Virginia raised two million dollars on his own signature to provision our allies, the French fleet. After the War he personally paid back the loans wiping out his entire estate; he was never reimbursed by his government. And in the final battle for Yorktown, he, Nelson, urged General Washington to fire on his, Nelson’s own home, then occupied by Cornwallis. And he died bankrupt. Thomas Nelson, Jr. had pledged his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor.
“The Hessians seized the home of Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey. Francis Lewis had his home and everything destroyed, his wife imprisoned – she died within a few months. Richard Stockton, who signed the Declaration of Independence, pledging his life and his fortune, was captured and mistreated, and his health broken to the extent that he died at 51. And his estate was pillaged.
“Thomas Heyward, Jr. was captured when Charleston fell. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside while she was dying; their thirteen children fled in all directions for their lives. His fields and gristmill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves and returned home after the War to find his wife dead, his children gone, his properties gone. He died a few weeks later of exhaustion and a broken heart.
“Lewis Morris saw his land destroyed, his family scattered. Philip Livingston died within a few months of hardships of the War.
“John Hancock, history remembers best, due to a quirk of fate – that great sweeping signature attesting to his vanity, towers over the others. One of the wealthiest men in New England, he stood outside Boston one terrible night of the War and said, “Burn Boston, though it makes John Hancock a beggar, if the public good requires it.” He, too, lived up to the pledge.
“Of the 56 signers of the Declaration, few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes – from Rhode Island to Charleston – sacked and looted, occupied by the enemy or burned. Two of them lost their sons in the Army; one had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 died in the War from its hardships or from its more merciful bullets.
“I don’t know what impression you’d had of these men who met that hot summer in Philadelphia, but I think it’s important this July 4, that we remember this about them: they were not poor men, they were not wild-eyed pirates. These were men of means; these were rich men, most of them, who enjoyed much ease and luxury in personal living. Not hungry men – prosperous men, wealthy land owners, substantially secure in their prosperity. But they considered liberty – this is as much I shall say of it – they had learned that liberty is so much more important than security, that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. And they fulfilled their pledge – they paid the price, and freedom was born. Paul Harvey – Good Day! (Paul Harvey, News and Commentary, July 4, 1974; www.SermonCentral.com)
In all the political noise you hear today, please, never forget the sacrifices of our country’s first leaders. They lived in hard times, but they rose to the occasion to establish “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.”
Where are such leaders today? We, too, live in hard times, which calls for people who can lead under fire. Do you want to be one of those people? Then turn with me, if you will, to 1 Peter 5, 1 Peter 5, where Peter describes what kind of leader it takes to lead people through the fires of adversity.
1 Peter 5:1-2a, So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight...
Peter uses three words to describe leaders who can lead under fire. He calls them “elders,” “shepherds,” and “overseers.” They are terms which describe both their maturity and their responsibilities.
The term for “elders” was sometimes used of “old men” in contrast to “young men” (Acts 2:17), but more often it described the spiritual maturity of those who were called to lead the church. Leadership is not for novices! Effective leadership takes maturity, especially if you’re going to lead people in difficult times. So if you want to lead people under fire, then first and most importantly...
DEVELOP A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST OVER TIME.
Walk with God in dependence upon His Spirit over the long haul. Follow Christ for a while through good times and bad.
Dr. C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general of the United States, once delivered a severely handicapped child and helped keep him alive after birth. After many surgeries, he asked the mother, “What's the worst thing that ever happened to you?”
She replied, “Having our son Paul Born with defects that required thirty-seven operations to correct.”
Then he asked, “What's the best thing that ever happened to you?”
She said, “Having our son Paul born with defects that required thirty-seven operations to correct.”
Koop then explained: “I know what she means. It's been terribly hard on them, but, through the experience, they've grown enormously as a family. They've had a remarkable spiritual reawakening. One of their sons is now in law school planning to defend the rights of the handicapped. Paul has now had fifty-five operations, with one more scheduled. Despite the hardships, it's been an overwhelmingly positive experience for them” (Ben Patterson, “A Faith Like Mary's,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 87; www.PreacingToday.com)
The hard times help you grow, but only as you lean on Jesus during those times.
W. E. Adams, who at one time was C. S. Lewis' spiritual director, put it this way:
We can advance along the road to perfection only by walking closely with [Jesus]. And as we watch His way of dealing with the countless problems and troubles that beset His life, we achieve wisdom as to how to meet our own. But to walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and soils our work. It never advances it. (Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life, IVP, 2013, p. 93; www.Preaching Today.com)
Stay close to Jesus. Learn from Him how to handle the pressures of life with unhurried time in His presence. Take your time and let Him teach you from His Word. Then, after a while, you will learn how to lead others through hard times, as well.
If you want to lead people under fire, develop a strong relationship with Christ over time. Then...
SHEPHERD THE PEOPLE YOU LEAD.
Care for people. Provide for people and protect them. Look after their needs just like a good shepherd does for his sheep.
“Shepherd” is the second word Peter uses to describe effective leadership here in 1 Peter 5.
1 Peter 5:2 says, “Shepherd the flock of God that is AMONG YOU,” NOT ahead of you or behind you, but AMONG YOU.
That’s the way shepherds took care of their sheep in Bible days. Sure, he would lead his sheep from the front from time to time, but more often, he stayed AMONG his sheep. He spent time with them to make sure they had plenty of food and water, to pour oil on their wounds, to carry the lame, to go after the strays, and to protect them from wolves and other predators. In a word, a shepherd CARED for his sheep. And that’s what an effective leader does for those he leads – He cares! He genuinely cares for people.
In Peter’s day, Nero was on the throne – a power hungry maniac who cared for nothing but increasing and securing his own power. In contrast to that, God calls His leaders to put others above themselves. That is, He calls them to serve and to care.
Howard Hendricks said it many times to those of us in Seminary preparing for leadership in the church: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In difficult times, people need to know they have a leader who cares.
In his book, Leading at the Edge, Dennis Perkins contrasts the leadership values of two different explorers: Earnest Shackleton and Vilhjalmur Stefansson. In 1914, Shackleton led a daring expedition to reach Antarctica in the South. A year earlier, Stefansson led an expedition headed in the other direction to explore the North Pole. Both ships, the Karluk in the north and the Endurance in the south, found themselves trapped by solid ice packs. Each crew was faced with a fight for survival. But the outcomes of the two expeditions couldn't have been more different.
In the north, the crew members from the Karluk, led by Stefansson, degenerated into a band of selfish, mean-spirited, cut-throat individualists, ending in the death of all 11 crew members. In the south, Shackleton's crew faced the same problems – cold, food shortages, stress, and anxiety – but his crew responded with teamwork, self-sacrifice, and astonishing good cheer.
In the end, each leader stayed true to his core leadership values. Stefansson valued success above caring for people. He consistently communicated his ultimate objective: getting to the North Pole. In Stefansson's words this meant “that even the lives of the [crew] are secondary to the accomplishment of the work!” To the very end, Stefansson denied that his drive for success led to a tragedy – for himself and his crew.
In sharp contrast, Shackleton's leadership focused on the value and dignity of his teammates. At one of the lowest points of his trip, Shackleton wrote, “The task was now to secure the safety of the party.” The well-being of his team drove him to put others first. Shackleton even gave away his mittens and boots and volunteered for the longest night watches. By valuing each person, Shackleton forged a team that was willing to share their rations with each other, even on the brink of starvation. Through his example of sacrificial leadership, Shackleton was able to accomplish his ultimate objective: saving the lives of his crew members (Dennis N. T. Perkins, Leading at the Edge, AMACOM, 2000, pp. xiii-xiv; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s effective leadership under fire – You put people first. So if you want to lead people under fire: 1st, develop a strong relationship with Christ over time; 2nd, shepherd the people you lead. And 3rd...
EXERCISE OVERSIGHT.
Willingly and eagerly lead, inviting people to follow your example. Take the initiative to give appropriate direction to those entrusted to your care.
Oversight is the third word Peter uses to describe effective leadership here in 1 Peter 5. “I exhort the elders,” he says... “shepherd the flock of God... (verse 2) exercising oversight” – literally, looking upon or over.
Those who lead well under fire, as shepherds, they are AMONG people; but as overseers, they are OVER people. They maintain a balance of being AMONG and OVER people. They maintain a balance of caring and giving direction.
Warren Wiersbe put it this way: He must be ‘among’ his people so that he can get to know them, their needs and problems; and he needs to be ‘over’ his people so he can lead them and help them solve their problems (Bible Exposition Commentary).
Most good people care for others, but good leaders communicate a vision that others want to follow. How about you?
If you want to lead well under fire, then lead willingly, not out of compulsion. Step up voluntarily to give people the direction they need.
1 Peter 5:2 says, “Exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you.”
Ten years ago, Levi-Strauss ran an ad campaign that targeted men for a line of Dockers pants (June 2011). They called one of the ads a “MAN-ifesto,” and the script went like this:
“Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors, and little old ladies never had to cross the street alone. Men took charge because that's what they did. But somewhere along the way the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny.
“But today there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grownups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar, and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It's time to get your hands dirty. It's time to answer the call of manhood. It's time to wear the pants” (www.us. dockers.com/season/landing.aspx; as reported on www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, more than ever, the church and our world needs these kind of leaders – leaders who are not afraid to get their hands dirty, leaders who are no longer content to remain on the sidelines, leaders who will take the initiative and take responsibility.
I speak especially to the men this morning: Don’t be content to let the women take the lead. YOU take the lead in bringing your family to church.YOU take the lead in teaching them the Bible. YOU take the lead in serving the Lord with your family. It’s time to wear the pants, so step up and lead willingly, not out of compulsion.
Then lead eagerly, not out of greed. Lead enthusiastically, not for what you can get out of it, but for what you can give.
Verse 2 says, “Exercise oversight… not for shameful gain, but eagerly.”
Effective leaders are not hired hands, doing the job just for the paycheck, no. Effective leaders don’t care about the money as much as they care about people, and they serve those people with an eagerness that’s winsome and contagious. In fact, they are the kind of people who say, “I can’t believe I get paid to do what I do,” because they enjoy it so much.
If that’s your attitude, then you can lead people effectively. To lead people under fire, lead willingly, not under compulsion. Then lead eagerly, not out of greed.
And finally, lead by example, not out of a need to control others. Show people the way by the way you live your life.
1 Peter 5:3 “Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
That word for “domineering” was used of a demon in Acts 19, who got loose and “overpowered” some people (Acts 19:16).
Jesus said in Mark 10, “And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them (same word), and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
Great leaders don’t drive people from behind. They lead people out front by the example of service they set. So be the first to serve without expecting people to serve you. Serve like Jesus, who died to pay the price for your sins. He did not come to BE served, but to serve. As a result, millions of people throughout the ages and all over the world have followed Him to this day 2,000 years later.
Steve Brown, a Bible teacher from Florida, once said, “There is a sense of relief in remembering that I'm not God and am therefore not responsible for being God.”
He continues, “Sometimes, as a Bible teacher I feel that God has put me beside a cliff where people dance close to the edge. I say to them, ‘Look, if I were you I wouldn't get so close. I have seen people go over, and they always get hurt. Some of them get killed.’ And they say, ‘Pastor, I really appreciate your telling me that. I didn't realize it was so dangerous.’ And then they jump! I have gone to the Lord and said, ‘Father, I'm tired of standing by this cliff. I tell them not to jump, and they thank me just before jumping. I feel so responsible for the pain.’ And the Father reminds me through His Word, ‘Son, you are not responsible for the jumping; you are responsible for the telling. As long as you are faithful, you don't have to play God.’ (Steve Brown, “If God Is in Charge,” Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 5; www.Preaching Today.com)
You don’t have to play God to lead people effectively. You don’t have to dominate and control people. All you have to do is serve Him and them faithfully.
I like the way Thomas Carlyle put it. He said, “One example is worth a thousand arguments” (Thomas Carlyle, quoted in Men of Integrity, July/August 2000; www.Preaching Today.com).
In difficult times, we don’t need dictators and arguments. We need leaders who will show us what to do by the example of their lives. We need leaders like our country’s founding fathers, who sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
If you want to lead people effectively under fire, 1st, develop a strong relationship with Christ over time, 2nd, shepherd the people you lead. And 3rd, exercise oversight as a willing, eager example for others to follow.
Then God will reward you in a way which truly counts.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory (ESV).
This world can only give us accolades that soon fade and are quickly forgotten. Jesus gives us recognition and a crown that will last forever. That’s the reward I’m looking for. I hope you are too.
