We have handed out thousands of road tours about this. I hope that you have already registered, but if not, then still can. And it will be well worth the Friday night and Saturday that you invest to equip yourself to be able to deal with the issues in this great cultural civil war that's been described on the video this morning. And next weekend here at our church, we also have a key seminar called Understanding Homosexuality. And we've got a tremendous response to this.
There's still time for you to register for that weekend also. And I think you can get to it on Bethlehem, as well, in the lobby today. I have a question for you. Who in the Bible, besides Adam and Eve, had no children? I think someone said about that. The answer is Dracula, because he was the son of men. I know it's a good one. Funny joke, but for all, they become new after a while. You ever notice that? Today we're going to talk about Dracula.
And the answer, excuse me, when we think about change in life, and particularly today we're thinking about change in leadership. Without a stone in the face of trouble, I thought this would be a good message for the 25 election day. The leadership of our nation has experienced some change in the last week, although not as much as some of us might have liked some change. But under what the nation has experienced, change will maybe have some new leaders who are coming to us.
And that change will be felt over the next two and four years. Leadership is an opportunity to influence others, to go in a particular direction. This morning I'd like to share this brief with a couple of observations regarding leadership from a biblical perspective. First, leadership is a privilege. Leadership is a privilege. God entrusts this privilege to those who need it. None rises to leadership, none falls to leadership, but God is not involved in that process.
So if we like the leadership and we don't like the leadership, God is the one who provides it. Leadership is a privilege that God entrusts to those who need it. Secondly, leadership is a gift. Leadership is a gift that God bestows upon us in our human institutions. God gives leaders to us in the realm of government and politics. God gives leaders to us in the church. God gives leaders to us in the family. And God gives leaders to us in human organizations.
So, however God is providing leadership, we need to feed our leadership of a gift from God to us. Now, leadership may be a blessing or it may be a curse, depending upon the character of the leader. So, like Eisenhower, who was, of course, president of the United States, said, the supreme quality for leadership is, unquestionably, integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it's on the section game, a football field, in an army, or in an office.
Unquestionably, the one characteristic that's necessary for good leadership is integrity. So, that is, present leadership can be a blessing, whereas absent leadership can be a curse upon a people. And we should know in passing, too, that God gives spiritual leadership as a gift to some in the church. As you look at the list, you know, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, leadership, is one of them.
God gives us as a body of people those who are gifted to lead, and the thing we need to do is let the leaders lead. That's what God has called them to do. God has also, within the church, given an office of leadership called elder. An elder is an agency, an elder is one who is to contend, who manages, who stands before others. And that's what leadership really means, one who stands before others.
And the God of the church has not only given to men and women the gift of leadership, but he has called some men to the office of elder, to lead in the church. Now, by dancing a little bit, just knowing to talk about that, to tell them the concern that I have, and it is this, that some of us are using some material called experience in God. And there is material that I know, I let them in. I think it's a tremendous workbook of helping people to come into a more intimate relationship with God.
The Dr. B. Irving book has what I think is a misconception of leadership in the church. He is coming out of the Baptist background, he is in the Baptist congregational climate parable, which is different from our understanding of scripture. Our understanding is that the election is derived from conclusions of everybody in the church, and he uses the analogy of the body in the New Testament to try to put it in point.
It is interesting that the analogy of the body in the New Testament is used in the church, of course, but it's never used for leadership. It's used for relationship. It's used to show how we relate them together, and relate it to Jesus Christ. The analogy of leadership in the New Testament is the analogy of the shepherd and the sheep. And there is a point of argument or shepherd for the sheep. That's the analogy of the New Testament of leadership.
And so I wanted to bring that to you because I know some of our cell groups and others are about personally are using that very fine book, but like any book, we want to examine it in light of the scriptures we've heard from our And that's a way of showing a little bit of caution for you regarding the book. Now to come back to my main theme this morning, from time to time, God orders leadership change. I was the case with Joshua in Joshua chapter 1, and I invite you to turn to it.
And as it comes to Joshua chapter 1, let me remind you of Daniel's prayer in the second chapter of this book. He says, Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever. Wisdom and power are his, he changes times and seasons. Listen, he sets up kings and deposes them. God sets up kings and presidents, and he deposes them. The context of that prayer, Daniel, is the revelation that was given. And really, to now to now, the king. And the image, that giant image of different middles.
And you may remember that the middles in that image represented the transfer of power in the Middle East over a 500 year period. Here was the gold, but then there were other powers that were in the image. And in fact, if I understand this correctly, it reaches right down to the latter days. I think the days we're living in, talking about the powers that were in the latter days.
The day we're praying about this, that's the day the God of the One brings about transitions of power, transitions into them. The king made it to never an angel proclaimed in Daniel chapter four, but no power was sovereign over the kingdoms of man. He gave them to only one universal, and set over them the lordship of man. I only thought it was interesting to comment. Now in whatever dimension, you don't think I'm going to make it, huh?
I'm going to comment on what my wings are sitting down here, regarding my thoughts. I appreciate that. In whatever dimension, we're talking about, whether it be in government, or in the church, or if it be in society, in some organization. The thing I want you to grasp this morning is this, that God's sovereign who arranges leaders to achieve his ends. We are not the victims of chance. Chance cannot coexist in the universe of a sovereign God. It cannot coexist with providence.
Please remember that God's providence of many things will outcome of all change, including change of leadership. And there will come a threat to leadership change, testing God to do his will. So what does leadership change mean? What does it mean? Well, I have two answers to that question. First of all, leadership change means that God's work to pass leadership is concluded. Verse one. I saw the gates of Moses, the servant of the Lord. The Lord said to Joshua, the son of man, Moses, Ode.
Moses, my servant is dead, now you and all these people get laid across the Jordan River in the land. The first thing I noted from leadership change means is that God is still with his work when the pain is leadership. And I say this about Christ because Moses, the God who was the servant of the Lord, God who laid him up for a particular purpose. Moses accomplished that purpose. A few of God had intended for Moses to be into the land with the people, but Moses sinned, as you may recall.
As a result of that, God said, you will not be into the land, though you may think. And there's this thing that's been said before in the Bible, in the book of Deuteronomy, where the navy stays up to Mount Nebo, a God's command. And from that point, that people who overlook the Jordan Valley, some of us were there a couple of years ago and stayed in Mount Nebo, where we were.
And some day we could look across the Jordan Valley, miles and miles, and see the city of Jerusalem today on the hill of Judea. And the day of every day was a sunny day and the sun was basing off that golden dome there on the tip of site. And the mosque of Omar is there to both, and Nebram built it, so that you could see that golden dome, just glistening like a tin head in the distance.
And as you look down at the north and south, into the Jordan Valley, you'll see the Dead Sea, and then you'll see the face of the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, as it comes down from the north and the sea's gallery. And just like the Book of Deuteronomy describes, you look across the Jordan River, which is a green line going up this brown valley, you look across and you see a green spot, an oasis, in this very dry valley, and that is Jericho.
Now the oldest cities in the world were in the very place that Moses stood and the Father sighted his son, and put it over into the promised land. And then there in the mountains of Moab he died, and God buried him, and no one knows where he was buried. He said God's work was done, God had completed his work for Moses. God raises up leaders for specific purposes, and for certain times, and then when the work is accomplished, he moves them on, and then Moses takes his breath, and takes him on.
That's the first answer to what leadership change means. It means that God has completed his work with the leaders of the past. But the second answer to the question is that God's work in the new leadership is consolidated. We see that in Joshua, who's got a bit of it, let's go ahead and read some more. Across the Jordan River is the land, I am about to give them to the Israelites. I will give you, says God, every place that you set your foot, of our planet Moses.
Their territory will expand to the desert of Lebanon and from the great river you sighted, all the hithoved countries, to the great sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you, all the dears of your life. As I will be collated, so I will be with you. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Be strong and collated, because we will lead these people to the north of the land on the floor to their forefathers to give them.
Be strong and be collated, because if you bow all the way, my servant Moses will save you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, or you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this breath of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything that is in it. And then you will be fastened to successful.
Have I not commanded you, be strong and collated, do not be terrified, do not be deceived, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. And so I say that God has your leadership. We are all prepared to step in to the vacuum of the parieta by Moses' death. God's tribe to Joshua was built upon the ways of preparation in the name of God. He says that we should, for a moment, regarding Joshua's preparation and his rise among the people of Israel.
The very first nation of Joshua was in Exodus chapter 17 verse 9. The Lord said to Joshua, choose him as our man and go out to fight the Amalekites. For now I will stand on the hill with the staff of God in my hand. You remember that, Barbara, don't you? Now, to the people of man, and to those in his flesh, Joshua and Uali met this trust. And his hands were lower than they were pushed back. And so he had two come beside him to hold up his hands, and Joshua and Uali ran down all the day.
In Exodus chapter 3, 24, verse 13, verse 12, 20, that Joshua was an ode to Moses. He was Moses' right-hand man, so to speak, other than his brother, Aaron. Exodus 33 says that he sought after God, listen to these words. Whenever the paper saw the tree of clad standing at the entrance of the tent, or all stayed in worship, each at the entrance of his tent, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as the man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp.
But listen to this, his one ode, Joshua, did not leave the tent. Joshua had a heart for God, and he would bring the tent with Moses, as Moses and God would convert it, and Moses would go back to the people, and Joshua would linger in the presence of the Lord. Joshua was a man with bowels sent into the promised land, wasn't he? And he would return the land with Caleb to give the minority report, saying, we can do it, we can take their land. God will help us, God will enable us.
The first of the members of 1456, Joshua, son of Man, and Caleb, son of Justina, they are number, they have explored the land, and they have cleared their clothes. They were so very stupid, they were upset that the people of Israel were refusing to believe God that they cleared their own clothes. Here's the man of faith. And because of that, he was one of only two of that whole generation that did not die in the wilderness.
Speak of it, over a period of some 38 years, as the people wandered through the wilderness, that wilderness became a giant cemetery. Hundreds of thousands of people died there because of their failure to believe God, of Judas Barnea. But Joshua was not one of them. It says that the Lord had called those Israelites to the truly barren desert, and not one of them was left, except Caleb, son of Justina, and Joshua, son of Man, number 2665.
And then, he was commissioned to take Moses' place of leadership. But nothing from Joshua was not a surprise. There was a commission for this and a dance for this. And then, there's 27. It says, For the Lord said to Moses, Take Joshua, the son of man, and man who is the Spirit, and lay him on him, let him stand before all the leaders of the priest, and the entire assembly commissioned him in their presence.
Let him stand before the whole community and obey him. He was to stand before all the leaders of the priest, and he would obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Lord. By his command, he would have communicated to the Israelites the right that his commander would command. And then, as good as the Lord commanded him, he took Joshua and let him stand before all the leaders of the priest, and the whole assembly, then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed Moses.
Then it says regarding him, in Numbers 32, Caleb, son of Japheth the Kenazite, and Joshua the son of Nun, they followed the Lord wholeheartedly. Listen to my point here. My point here is that God was giving away the old leaders, Moses. What he said was purpose, and God was bringing a new leader, and the new leader was Joshua.
The consolidator, all the ways of experience and preparation, the time in God's presence, the time watching Moses, and the time leading the army, would all of that together so that God's purpose for his people would be unhindered in this transfer of leadership. I think that's what they're sure all of us. They need to bring the lives of the leaders, so God will never forsake his people.
Many nations pass away. They are left in the wake of time moving onward. But God remains. I just sat with this last summary, I watched Billy Graham's place, and he's getting older and more frail. And there's going to come a day, the Lord told us, that we're going to get the new flag for Billy Graham and God. It makes them a good place, a lot of us, and for some of us, we've grown up with the name and all of our lives as a great spokesman for the faith in our nations.
It can be a shock. If God has ways of transferring leadership and preparing others to step in, I suppose that everybody has got to say, Lord, Billy Graham died back in the 40s. Somebody could tell us about it. And if we'd been taught that there was a last minute of time, there would never be a day when it's like this again. Billy Graham is on the scene. I remember when I was still studying out of ministry, and we'd come to Covington, Kentucky to work with Professor Wielby and to the teachers.
And I remember seeing the sudden news as we drove one day in the car coming back from the hospital that we had been passing through the leadership of the committee church in Chicago and was planning to obstruct the car to go there as a monster. I remember how grief-stricken I was and how shocked I was that we were going to be losing our leader. I remember how vulnerable I felt that my balance in the past year was going to move on to another place.
The God who created this work was going to take him on to a place where he was prepared to manage this. And then I did not want that place, or I had been told to secrete him. That was the one thing I didn't want to do. I did not want to be a pastor, and I thought if I was a former pastor, I don't want to be a pastor. I'm just going to be a pastor. I don't have any questions like that. The God who created the transfer of leadership, what is that kind of change?
But it means that he created his work in one, but his work now has been completely cured in somebody else. It's been consolidated. What does that mean in terms of what leadership means? It means that God's work among the followers, the followers, is continued. It's continued. As we see here, the last we kept in mind. God has taken the transfer of the work we've done back in those days, and asked for the order of the offices of the people.
Go through the people. What's happening? God's work is going on. And God has made it clear to us, then we will enter into transfer. Whatever you command us, we will do. And however you send us, we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever he bears against their word and does not obey your word, whatever you command them when we pick the dust, only be strong and courageous.
And those are the words that we are told here, we will obey you, because these are the words of Moses. I'm not sure that gives him a lot of confidence. Because they say that they will pray against the leading of people. And I've heard here before, both, the leadership of God has raised up. God has been blessing to his people. Moses indeed may be gone, but God's promises remain to be claimed.
And everything is still there. The land needs to be taken and presented to the glory of God. And God will bear with Moses and the people's responsibility that they will follow their leader. I'm sure that God's words have been prayed by their response to him. I remember when John Ponce wrote to me on another occasion, when we talked about the death of another pastor, he said to me, God bears his workmen, but his work goes on.
He said to me, God bears his workmen, but his work goes on. And even leadership change, God's work goes on among his people. You see my bottom line this morning, as I raced to the finish line, is this. Leadership change is God at work. Leadership change is God at work, preaching to bear his work. And I say, why do you bring leadership change when I don't need it? I was really expecting to be talking about more leadership change this morning than I am in my nation, frankly.
I guess I start with God to get into the final part. But you know, rather than look tomorrow and find out you've got a new boss coming in the month. I remember what we learned this morning. Instead of being panic as I was, and I was looking at my first leadership change, instead of feeling vulnerable and anxious about it, we can show him God has his work.
And I say, what's the trust in you? God is going to give you the will in you. I mean, I mean, we all need trust too. You know, it says that we may prove what is the good and the tough, acceptable and perfect will of God. God is working on his will. We have told him, and he said, it's good. Now we may not see at the moment that it is good, because it may hurt a little bit, but it is good.
I have noticed that I have a little spot on my face this morning. I've had a spot there a long time, but it's a little darker to go. And because I went to the doctor, he took a little piece of it off, he looked at me and he knew that I needed to get this thing off of my face. Well, it was not cancer, it was pre-cancer. He said, make an appointment for me and we'll remove it. So I waited until I got my phone up, and finally made the appointment and went in, this last week.
And he took some nitro, what is that thing? Not nitro-green, maybe. He said, a year ago, we had a future, we're going to make a mouse vision, and then we're going to try it on my face. And I said, no, it feels like anyway in Minnesota, that's all. And so he began to do the work there and burned my skin. It wasn't a little thing, it wasn't bad. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined it was going to be.
It was good. And then I thought, that's gone, and now I'm going to be okay. God knows. But you see, God's doing the other things that we want to be good at. It may burn or freeze, or move our skin in its garden. And it may not always be pleasing at the moment for us, but it's always more pleasing to God, and it will please us, as we bring God's perspective on it.
And it's perfect. God's doing it always perfect. It can't be improved upon. God doesn't want it to be and be and be, because then it can't be. And the impoverished is going to make God a work. He's going to do the work.
And that's why we're having a little bit of a change in our lives. We need to trust God in change. We need to do other kinds of change in our lives. I find that this series on change has resonated with a lot of people harder than I would have anticipated before I got into this series. But we don't change. God is the work, and we can trust Him in such a way.
Some of us are facing changes in leadership in our lives in some dimension. We've also had some change because of the election this last week. And we were reminded that we put in the power of people and we've made them in the time come. Some of us really face changes we don't even know about yet. We think that we're in a band, but change means we're at work. And here we are tempted to go to be anxious.
We may be fearful or feel vulnerable, but we don't talk about the truth or the past of understanding. I just want to tell you Lord, in truth, like a river, I turn my way. May we be in that river and enjoy what it means to us. May we know that this river of peace in our spirit is the result of your providence at work and in life.
And so we do trust you. And we so be glorified Lord in our lives. I don't know what the issue may be, but will you give that anxious spirit, that worry that you've brought to God, will you ask Him to work in your team to prove His will, to bear the acceptable and perfect will, and some what not? Let's stand together. Father, you are the God who does not change. You are in
with me. You are forever the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Oh Jesus Christ, we thank you that you, the King of One, are with us in this changing world. And I would be pleased to see you working out your will in your life. And to some of us who are struggling today to just give it to you, to give that team to you, and working fast and fresh with our hearts, we trust you. Amen.