Jesus as Servant/Leader Pt. 1

I. Sacrifice A. There were many bible characters who sacrificed much for the people they led. 1. Abraham (Gen. 12; Heb. 11:8-11) 2. Moses (Exo. 2; Heb. 11:23-27) B. None sacrificed more than Christ (Phil. 2:8-9) C. Application: What am I sacrificing for those that I lead? Isn’t this a picture of a servant of God? II. Energy A. A servant leader is required to spend a great deal of physical energy B. A servant leader is required to spend a great deal of mental energy C. Christ spent both to the fullest degree: 1. Physical (Briefly recap his travels and the traveling conditions of the day). 2. Mental (Briefly speak of the sorrow, disappointments, joy, rollercoaster of emotions, etc.) D. Application: Are worldly things taking my energy to where I can’t spend into spiritual things? III. Reflection A. A good servant leader has to take time to reflect on their purpose/goal/motives. 1. See James 1:23-24 for application. B. Christ constantly reflected on His Father and His Father’s will 1. See Luke 2:49; John 5:19; 6:38; 14:31 C. Application: Do we take time to reflect on God’s will. A good servant leader must! IV. Value A. “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave em’ all over everything you do” (Elvis Presley). B. What kind of value did Christ place on all that he touched/impacted? 1. The soul! “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30). 2. Christ put the greatest value on the soul and that is what motivated his role in servanthood and leadership. It’s what led him to the cross (1 Cor. 1:18; Gal. 6:14; 1 Pet. 2:24). C. Application: You don’t have to spend much time with a person before you figure out what he or she values in life. How can someone see that we value the human soul? =================END PART ONE================ V. Attitude A. We have mentioned that being a servant leader takes sacrifice, energy, time of reflection, and proper value. What about attitude? B. Someone said, “Attitude is like having a flat tire, you can’t go anywhere until you change it.” We should be like this quote, “If an attitude could kill…I would be a weapon of mass destruction!” C. If we have a complacent attitude or a half-hearted attitude, then the work will in fact suffer. People will see that we are not very interested in the task at hand. D. What was the attitude of Christ? See Heb. 12:1-2 E. Application: Do we need an attitude adjustment? Will we use the Bible as the “adjuster”? VI. Nutritionist A. “A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health.” B. Christ, being the perfect servant leader, is also the perfect nutritionist. He is our spiritual nutritionist. Just like a regular nutritionist points out the dangers of foods on the human body (KFC chicken sandwich on donut bun), Christ points out the dangers to taking in things harmful to our soul. C. Examine Matthew 14:13-31. In this account did Christ only feed them physically? D. Application: What if I gave my child gummies and chips all day? They would love it, but would it be good for them? VII. Trustworthy A. A Servant Leader must be trustworthy. B. A catchy phrase: “Trust doesn’t come with a refill. Once it’s gone, you probably won’t get it back, and if you do, it will never be the same. And that’s a fact.” C. Most of the scripture around trusting the Lord comes in the Psalms section of our Bibles. Note five of these 1. Psa. 20:7; 28:7; 32:10; 56:3; 62:8 D. What is God’s track record concerning his dependability? 100% What is God’s track record concerning his faithfulness? 100% His care and provisions? 100% E. Who do we see these qualities demonstrated in? Christ! See John 14:9 F. Application: Are we willing to trust in the perfect servant leader who is perfectly trustworthy? Conclusion: