Restoring The Integrity Of Leadership Series

Restoring the Integrity of Leadership

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Rodeo Road Baptist Church

September 28, 2014

Disclaimer: Each sermon in this series on Nehemiah was written with both commentary help and referencing from time to time information from sermons and illustration found on Sermon Central. In most cases I tried to be faithful in giving credit to the author but I acknowledge that I was not consistent in that endeavor. So any similarity to other older posted sermons on this web site are due in part to the quality of their work and the timelessness of the truth they shared originally. There was no intentional intent to use without credit any material in these sermons that were first delivered by other pastors.

Introduction

If your car starts once every three tries, is it reliable? If the postman skipped delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he trustworthy? If you don’t go to work once or twice a month, are you a reliable employee? If your fridge stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say, “Oh well, it work most of the time.”? If your water heater provides an icy cold shower every now and then, is it dependable? If you skipped a couple of electricity bill payments do you think the Power Company would mind? If you and I live one way on Sunday and another way Monday through Saturday, would you expect to be called a faithful Christian?

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and morals.

• In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can stand in opposition to hypocrisy, in that judging with the standards of integrity involves regarding internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding within themselves apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

• The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

I. Who are the Leaders that you respect?

Millennials (1980-1996) began graduating from College in 2000 and they are changing our culture. They are also the most scheduled generation having grown up with activities to do all the time and being awarded a trophy for mere participation rather than skill and aptitude. They are the most technology savvy generation that exists today. Affected by almost every negative world tragedy including the Columbine School Shootings, Oklahoma City Bombings, 9/11, Desert Storm and the War in Iraq. Experience is everything to them. (Post-modernism) They comprise about 15.8% of today’s workforce and that number will triple in value in the coming years and Builders and Boomers retire and step aside for this “know what I want” generation. Traditional approached to church are not working. They seek trustworthy relationships and will not give anyone blind loyalty. Are you ready for them? (Explorer 6/30/00)

http://aimysgeneration.blogspot.com/p/gen-ymillenial.html

Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty- second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years,

• Neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.

o The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

Nehemiah did not act out of a sense of presumption, privilege or power. – Application: People today do not respond just because we have a title. Beginning in the 60’s a cultural shift has taken place where respect for authority has dramatically changed. Just look at how the office of President has been treated under the last two presidents on the right and the left.

• I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

Nehemiah was a co-worker (servant leader) – Application: Leadership in the 21st century will only be respected by men and women who take a hands on approach and model what they believe through personal involvement. Chick-fil-A requires all franchise owners to be present each day and work at the counter or in food prep. No absentee ownership. That is why you would see Truett Cathy show up at the original restaurant on a regular basis to model his understanding of hands on leadership.

• Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.