What Kind Of A Boss Do You Have?

Sermon for 6/10/2001

1 Peter 5:1-4

Acts 20:28

What Kind of a Boss Do You Have?

Introduction:

A. What kind of a boss do you have?

B. A best-selling book business book is “Best Boss, Worst Boss’ by management techniques expert Jim Miller. The book grew out of a contest he began in 1992 to find the worst boss in America.

C. One of the winners has the following story: A bookkeeper breaks his ankle when he slips on a wet office floor, but his boos won’t let him go the emergency room until the company’s daily invoices are processed. That takes 5 hours. By then, the ankle is so swollen that it takes 3 days before it can be cast. When the doctor’s office called to asked why the boss didn’t permit the employee to seek medical treatment, the boss said, “Invoices are more important than a stupid employee.”

WBTU:

A. What does it take to be a boss in today’s world? Negative view.

1. Imposition of boss’s will and power over others.

a) Claw and scrape way to the top. Intimidation. Getting things done at any cost.

b) Nice guys finish last. If care about co-workers, cannot be a good boss.

2. Emotional detachment. Don’t get involved in the lives of employees.

** Adolf Hitler in the fall of 1942 was on a train going to his new headquarters. His army was fighting bitterly at Stalingrad. On Nov. 7, 1942, as he was sitting down to supper in the fancy diner on his special train, a freight car chanced to stop on an adjacent track. The car contained a throng of starving and wounded soldiers from the eastern front, who naturally stared in astonishment at the Fuhrer in his diner just two yards away. Without as much as a gesture of greeting in their direction, Hitler ordered the servant to close the shades.

B. In the church, who is the boss? Some might say that I am. Rather cultic.

C. Jesus Christ is the boss in the church or should be. How does he act? What is his leadership style? It is a shepherd to the sheep.

1. Yes, the sheep are dirty, dumb, and defenseless but instead of abuse and use the sheep, he loves them, he cleans them up, he guides them, he protects them. With his own life. He serves them.

2. Background to John 10. I am the good shepherd. Why did Jesus discuss this?

a) In John 9, Jesus comes across a man born blind. Jesus makes mud with his saliva, puts it on the blind mans eyes, and tells the blind man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. When he does, the man born blind can see. Imagine it. He is so happy! Never before has he seen.

b) People were astonished and began to talk about it. The Pharisees and religious leaders heard about it and brought the blind man in for questioning. They did not believe that it was so. They also were upset for Jesus had broken man made laws about the Sabbath.

c) The man’s answers were not satisfactory for them, so they called in this man’s parents. They verified that he was blind from birth but now he could see.

d) The former blind man was brought in again for more questioning. The Pharisees refused to believe that this man was born blind. The man begins to talk about how wonderful this man Jesus is. It did not go over well. They became infuriated with him and cast the former blind man out of the synagogue. He was excommunicated!

e) Jesus hears about it and comes to the former blind man. Jesus tells him that he is the Son of God, the Messiah. This man believes in Jesus and worships Him. Right after this Jesus begins to speak about how he is the good shepherd.

f) In contrast the Pharisees cared nothing about this blind man. Did they praise God for him seeing? No, they cursed the blind man for talking about Jesus. They cared nothing about the condition of the blind man. They just cared about themselves. Jesus is saying that in contrast to these other shepherds, I am the good shepherd. I care about my sheep.

g) Bad shepherds were nothing new to Israel. The prophets, priests and kings were to shepherd the people of Israel but God many times said that they were bad shepherds.

h) (Jer 23:1 NIV) "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. (Jer 23:2 NIV) Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD. (Jer 23:3 NIV) "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.