Youth Led Service Exodus 18

Moses meets his father-in-law Jethro, who advises him to delegate his responsibilities of judging disputes among the Israelites. Moses listens to the advice and appoints capable leaders, which relieves his burden and creates a more efficient system. The passage highlights the importance of seeking counsel, delegating tasks, prioritizing spiritual matters, and upholding justice. These principles are essential for building leadership within a community. I was talking this morning, and Brother Gary told me to tell Donny Haynes to behave himself. My dad, he's a youth and associate pastor over there, and fortunately he was able to be here tonight. Like I said, he had to give a report for the ABA meeting, and I got the chance to go with them. It was a couple of weeks back, about two or three weeks back. I got the chance to go with them in Illinois. Just think of it as just a very long business meeting, because that's pretty much what it was. Anyway, it was pretty neat. I learned a lot of stuff while I was there, and we also visited some of the Lincoln spots. I got the chance to go inside Lincoln's actual house that he purchased down there in Illinois. That was a pretty neat experience. Once again, like I said, I'm thankful to be here tonight, and if you have Bibles, we're going to be looking in the book of Exodus, chapter 18. To go back, the week after me and my dad were in Illinois, the week after that, my family took a family trip down to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It's not Lancaster. Like I said, if you want to pronounce it, it's Lancaster. While I was there, we got the chance to go to the Stanton Sound Theater down there. It's very similar to the one that's in Branson, if you've ever been to one of Branson. They're showing the play, Daniel, the story. They went through the whole book, and the highlight funnel points, or like the firing furnace, and Daniel and his mind's in. After watching that play, it got me thinking of this one verse. Daniel chapter 12, verse 3, which says, Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who need many the righteousness like the stars forever and ever. After focusing on this verse, I began to think of all the different characters throughout the scripture, until I finally landed on one in particular, Moses. Moses is regarded as one of the greatest, especially in the New Testament. You still might be asking yourself, how does this verse apply to Moses? We see time and time again, at times, he wasn't really a wise leader at all. Most of us know the passage that is found in Numbers. We get so frustrated with the needs of the people that it causes them to act out against God by striking the rock two times instead of speaking to it like God had commanded. Because of this, God told Moses he would no longer be the one to lead his people into the promised land. Rather, it would be Joshua. However, if you look further back in the book of Exodus, you can see that Moses' frustration began as soon as he was Israelites out of Egypt. Tonight, we are going to look at some of the advice Moses was given and how it ultimately shaped him, not only to become wise and righteous, but how he was able to transform his people while being for a certain period of time into a community of leadership. That's what my message is going to be here tonight, about how to build a community of leadership. Here in the Bible, we are going to be in Exodus chapter 18. We are going to read through the whole chapter, so just bear with me. We are going to read all the chapter of 18. Starting in verse 1, it reads, Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now, Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zippor, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of one was Gershom, and the name of the other one was Elijah. The God of my father was in health and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped up in the mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, I am your father-in-law, Jethro, and coming with your wife and your two sons with you. Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other for their welfare and went into the tent. And Jethro, Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship they had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for the good that the Lord had done to Israel and that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with people. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, bought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. The next day Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. Moses' father-in-law saw that he was doing to the people and said, What is it that you are doing to the people? You sit alone and all the people stand around you from morning until evening. And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute they come to me and I decide between one person and another. And I make them know the statutes of God and his laws. Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out for the thing is too heavy for you. Now obey my voice. I will give you advice and God be with you. You shall represent the people before God and bring their faith to God. And you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy, and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, and fifties, and tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you. You will be able to endure and all these people will go to their place in peace. So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over all people, chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses and any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart and he went away to his own country. So after reading this chapter, you can see that Moses is reunited with his father-in-law, Jethro, who observed that Moses was overwhelmed by the task of judging everyday disputes among the Israelites. And Jethro advises Moses to delegate this responsibility, suggesting he appoint capable leaders to handle smaller disputes, preserving only the major issues for himself. Moses heeds the advice and as a result, not only does he find relief from his burdens, but the people also benefit from a more efficient and just system. So as we can see from this passage, there are several important key principles when it comes to building leadership, especially within a community. The first key principle is having wisdom and seeking counsel. In this passage, we see Moses, despite his divine calling and authority, demonstrated humility by listening to the counsel of his father-in-law, Jethro. In verses 17-21, Jethro advises Moses to appoint capable leaders to assist in judging the people, saying, You should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating, disdaining, dishonest gainers or bribes. And so this advice highlights the importance of seeking wise counsel and involving others in the decision-making process. And leaders who seek counsel demonstrate humility, acknowledge their limitations and benefit from diverse perspectives, ultimately making more informed and inclusive decisions that foster unity and trust within the community. And the second key principle I want to point out is knowing the difference or knowing the importance of delegation. So as we can see from verses 13-23, Moses was overwhelmed by judging every single dispute among the Israelites. Jethro's counsel delegated this responsibility of the capable leaders echoes throughout the leadership principles today. Delegation is not merely about sharing tasks but about empowering others to contribute meaningfully. By entrusting responsibilities to competent individuals, leaders cultivate a sense of ownership, foster skills and development, and they ensure efficiency in operations. And this approach enables leaders to focus on strategic matters while nurturing a culture of collaboration and empowerment within their community. And the third key principle found in this passage is prioritizing spiritual matters. So in verses 19-23, Jethro advised Moses to teach the people or teach people God's decrees and laws, ensuring that spiritual guidance remains central in leadership. Prioritizing spiritual matters involves grounding decisions and actions in faith-based principles and values. Leaders should prioritize spiritual growth, ultimately create environments where individuals deepen their relationship with God by sharing a community that thrives spiritually and morally. This emphasis on spiritual well-being ensures that leadership is not solely focused on technical concerns but aligns with God's purpose and guidance for his people. And the last key point I want to talk about is knowing the difference between justice and fairness. Verse 21 emphasizes the criteria for selecting leaders. Justice says, but select capable men from all people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who take dishonest gain or bribes. And Moses' implementation of this principle ensured that justice was upheld according to God's law while fairness was maintained in interpersonal dealings. Leaders today must uphold their principles of justice, fair treatment based on God's standards, while demonstrating fairness, equitable treatment that respects individuals' well-being and circumstances. This balanced approach fosters a community where righteousness and compassion coexist, promoting unity and mutual respect among members of the community. As we can see, Exodus 18 serves as a timeless reminder that our leadership cannot be solitary but intertwined with the support and wisdom of others. By seeking counsel, delegating wisely, and prioritizing spiritual matters and promoting justice, we can emulate Moses as an example in creating communities where everyone can flourish in their spiritual and faith journey. However, before I close here tonight, I want to share a couple of statistics that I found, especially related to the pastoral role within the church. According to the Pastoral Care Incorporation, as of 2020, 80% of pastors believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. 80% of pastors expect conflict within their church. 75% of pastors report significant stress-related crises at least once in their ministry. 75% of pastors report spending four to five hours a week in needless meetings. 66% of church members expect their minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves. 54% of pastors find the role of a pastor overwhelming. 53% of pastors are concerned about their future family financial security. 52% of pastors feel overworked and cannot meet their church's unrealistic expectations. And over 50% of pastors state the biggest challenge is to recruit volunteers and encourage their members to change. Now, some of these statistics may come as a surprise to you, but honestly, it really shouldn't. The fact of the matter is that churches today neglect the importance of leadership within their community. Instead, most churches today are like the people of Israel, and they are only focused and expect the pastor to resolve disputes between them like Moses did for the people of Israel. However, as we've learned from the passage in Exodus, the system is heavily flawed. Although pastors ought to be good and nurturing spiritual leaders, they're never going to be perfect, and we shouldn't rely on them to do everything for us. Instead, we as God's people must learn how to delegate these things ourselves. That way we can go out and do what God has taught us to do, which is to be an example and a leader to those around us. But before we close, I want to share one more quick thought, and I debated on whether or not to talk about this, but I think it's important to tie it back into my message. But I'm sure most of you all saw the incident from last night on the news, and it was honestly very devastating and very horrific. However, after the incident, I made a statement on Facebook, which I stated, after today, we learned two very important things. One, that Donald Trump is defiant. Two, that Donald Trump will fight for our country no matter the cost, and God saved Donald Trump's faith for a reason. Now, it doesn't matter if you agree with this statement or not. However, I want to focus on my first statement, which is that I said that Donald Trump is defiant. Now, whenever most people think of the word defiant, they often think of it in a negative way. As the word means, it means someone who challenges, or refers to someone who challenges authority. However, there are two types of defiant people, and there are two types of authority. There are those who defy the authority of God, and there are those who defy the authority of the world. Which one do you think God has taught us to do? Well, according to the scriptures, as Christians, we are taught not to be part of the world around us. Instead, we are taught to recognize God's authority over our lives, and understand his justice and judgment over those who disobey him. One of my favorite passages found in the Bible reminds us of this, and it is Isaiah, it's found in Isaiah chapter 55, and it's verses 8 and 9, and it says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Ultimately, it is these two key principles in which the foundation of leadership is built. Without God's authority, there would be no need for leadership within our lives. Our job is not to question or defy God's commands, but rather it is to seek justice for those around us, seek kindness for those around us, and to walk humbly underneath his authority. We can see this even as we go further back in Exodus, as Moses was brought forth before Pharaoh. Time again, Moses kept asking Pharaoh to let God's people go, and each time, Pharaoh refused to find the authority of God. It wasn't until later, when his son was killed, until Pharaoh decided to let the people go. But then again, he later changed his mind, and once again, he defied God's authority over his life. So, as we close here tonight, I want to ask one single question. What area does your church struggle with the most when it comes to building leadership? I know that could be a very difficult question to answer, especially because each church has their own areas of weaknesses, but it's my prayer here tonight that not only this church, but churches all around us and all around this community would evaluate themselves. That way, they could come together and focus on the leading tasks, on leading tasks that God has taught them to do. So, as we have a moment in invitation, I'll ask the musicians if they'll come forward. It is my prayer that you would reflect on this message, and if there's anyone out here tonight that needs to make a decision, whether it's for salvation, or maybe God may be calling you to be a leader in the ministry. Whatever the decision may be, I just pray that you would make this decision here tonight before it's ever too late, as we stand and as we sing. Please turn to page 435, just as I am.