Lessons from Leadership

Nathan Wicker

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>> Intro

Family

Married for 4 years

Wife: Merinda

Daughter: Wren Elexa (2)

Son: Nathan “Brooks” (1 Month)

Bio

27 years old

felt called at 16

studied churches, church growth, pastors since 16

went to Christian school all my life

went to Bible College (Valor Christian College)

Ministry Experience

Volunteer for over a decade in Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Media, Worship Team

Creative Director for 3 years

Youth Pastor for 1.5 years

1. Setting Boundaries

Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership.

Knowing what I am to own and take responsibility for gives me freedom. If I know where my yard begins and ends, I am free to do with it what I like. Taking responsibility for my life opens up many different options. However, if I do not “own” my life, my choices and options become very limited.

— Boundaries; John Townshend & Henry Cloud

Defining Your Boundaries

Time

We are all given the same amount of time in a week, yet some of us manage to get more done than other, why?

BOUNDARIES

The ones that get more done have become focused and decided what really matters to them

Relationships

We cannot be best friends with everyone — it’s not possible, I’ve tried.

Be up front with people about your time.

Maybe you can only meet for an hour — great, establish that and when it’s time to go it’s not a surprise.

Sometimes we need to define how deep the relationship is or where the cutoff for communication needs to be.

Choices

The only control God gave us was the ability to control ourselves — self-control

Don’t take the burden of someone else’s actions upon yourself, unless you failed to set proper boundaries for them

Real Life

I set boundaries for my daughter Wren. The boundaries that have been defined work really well, and when she steps outside of those bounds we have a moment to “make a happy heart”

When she’s crossed outside of boundaries that haven’t been set, I cannot get upset with her — it’s not her fault, she didn’t know where the boundaries were.

2. Don’t Let People Steal the Glory

as God charges Moses, gives him the covenant, and Moses navigates some really tough times with people

Moses has intimate conversation with God

The people begin to worship a false god

Moses breaks the tablets God had given him

Moses wants to give up leading the people

God wants to kill everyone

It gets pretty crazy

God Charges Moses & Israel //

God shows up at Mt. Sinai

Lightning

Thunder

A Thick Cloud covers the mountain

A loud trumpet blast, that increases with time

Smoke

Fire

Earthquake

Moses talks to God, God respond with thunder — the people are spooked

10 Commandements //

The priority is God; nothing else comes before Him (work, family, ministry)

God wants faithful people

unfaithful people will reap consequences 3-4 generations deep

faithful people will reap blessings a thousand generations deep

God’s name shouldn’t be misused — we shouldn’t attach God’s name to something He didn’t approved

Not every idea is a God idea; sometimes they are just good ideas. That’s okay, just don’t say God gave it to you, so you can sell the idea.

Remember rest — God calls 6 days “good” and 1 day He calls “holy”

Honor those that have raised you — Physical and Spiritual parents

Don’t shoot down other to advance yourself

Remain faithful where you are planted and with what you have been given

Maybe God has promised you world change across the nations, but right now you are discipling one person.

Stay faithful and learn as much as you can — God will advance you in His perfect timing

Don’t steal from others — when you take others revelation or “anointing” as your own, the counterfeit or copy is never as good as the original

Don’t lie, accuse falsely or gossip — love like you want to be loved, judge how you want to be judged

Don’t covet what others have — they are planted in their ministry because that’s where God wants them. Again, be faithful where you are planted.

Moses gives the commandments to the people //

Moses delivers the 10 commandments and over 19 other covenants that God was making with His people

God’s promise to lead the people...

Exodus 23:22–33 ESV

22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Ex 23:22-

The people respond...

Exodus 24:3 ESV

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

So Moses ascends the mountain with Joshua

He is feeling good returns back to the presence of God, where God begins to download more instructions.

Delay & Destruction //

Moses is on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights

The people become restless

This makes me think of the times when church has become “boring” to me. Oh, we are going to show up, sing some songs, hear a word, and then go home.

It’s these moments when we have lost sight of the greatness of our God.

ii. How we handle God’s ordained delays is a good measure of our spiritual maturity. If we allow such delays to make us drift off into sin or lapse into resignation to fate, then we react poorly to His ordained delays. If we allow such times to deepen our perseverance in following God, then they are of good use.

The people come to Aaron and want a god that will lead them into the promised land.

So they make an idol that they then claim is the god that brought them out of Egypt

They’ve witness the mighty power of God, they’ve trembled in the presence — yet they strayed

Consequence (Tent of Meeting) //

God stops downloading to Moses and tells him of the calamity going on down in the camp

God is ready to wipe the people out and start over

Moses intercedes for the people, reminding God of His promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

LESSON: The ministry that we lead, our hearts should be for the people no matter how stubborn, wrong, self-righteous they are.

Moses enters the camp and is so enraged at the people’s actions, he throws the tablets down and they break into pieces.

Intercession

Exodus 32:32 ESV

32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”

i. Moses felt that Israel had sinned so terribly that the blood of a goat or an ox couldn’t cover it; it had to be a man who suffered in their place. Therefore he offered to be blotted out of God’s book if it could somehow rescue the people. God said “no” to the request of Moses; yet we can say that God looked ahead to the sacrifice of One greater than Moses who would give Himself for the people, bringing full and complete atonement.

Moses, although frustrated with the people, showed an incredible amount of selfless love in this moment.

This is the wise shepherd of the sheep

God chooses the spare the nation, but vows judgment for those that sinned

The ministry will go on, but those that sin will receive consequences

God’s Not With Us //

God tells Israel that they are to go up to the promised land, but He is not going to go with them

Moses builds a tent outside of the camp, The Tent of Meeting

Anyone that wanted to consult the Lord would do so in the Tent of Meeting

He enters the tent and has conversation with God

Joshua was in the tent with Moses

The camp would stand at attention whenever Moses would enter the tentGod would descend in a cloud, the whole camp would bow and worship throughout this time

God spoke to Moses face-to-face as a friend

Joshua did not depart the tent, but remained inside

We Need the Presence //

Moses publicly states to God that he doesn’t want to lead the people if He (God) will not go with them

Moses’ request: “teach me your ways” ()

without God we are just motivational speakers, just another person in someone’s life

without God we are stumbling through trying to figure things out in our own, weak power

The Lord responds by telling them, His presence will not only go with them, but also give them rest

Moses wants to make sure that God is going with them — He asks to see God’s glory as a way of confirming that God is going with them

GLORY - kabod -- splendor, reputation, honor, dignity, abundance

God grants Moses’ request and gives him instructions

God calls Moses to solitude

Solitude = time alone with God

Isolation = time alone with me

God renews the covenant with Moses and Israel

Write it Down

God writes the covenant on the tablets so that everyone will remember what was said

God responds by making a covenant with Israel - in fact it's pretty amazing:

Exodus 34:10 ESV

10 And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

() 10 And the Lord responded: “Look, I am making a covenant. I will perform wonders in the presence of all your people that have never been done in all the earth or in any nation. All the people you live among will see the Lord’s work, for what I am doing with you is awe-inspiring.

God gives the 10 commandments and a few other obligations, again inscribing them on the tablets with His finger

God instructs Moses to write these things down, because they are a covenant

If God has made you promises, write them down, record them in your voice memos, put it in your calendar, put it on your computer, your car windshield, your mirror -- sometimes we will need to remind God of what He promised us (not because He forgets, but sometimes we need to tell Him that we remember) and remind ourselves of what He promised us

Moses again spends 40 days and 40 nights in the presence of God -- this time fasting (no food or water)

When Moses finally descends the mountain his face is glowing and radiant (yet he had no idea)

when you've been in the presence of God, it will be evident to those around

notice Moses covers his face though, it was not something he was willing showing off and boasting about.

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