I just sense, you know, that this week
for many of us, maybe small things, it
may be big things, but there's been a
lot of pressure and this is the verse
that has come to my mind, Isaiah chapter
43 and verse 18.
And maybe we can take this verse as
the keynote verse to begin our conference.
Forget the former things, do not dwell on
the past, see I'm doing a new thing,
now it springs up, do you not perceive
it?
I sense that there's been a lot of
rushing around today, people being delayed on the
roads and on the train, and maybe just
a bit of a sense of rush, maybe
disorientation, and Lord we want to turn to
you now and ask that you will calm
our minds and our imaginations and help us,
Lord, just to fix our minds and our
thoughts upon you and upon your word.
You want to speak to us tonight and
we want to listen to your voice.
Help us, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Please be seated.
I want to speak to you tonight from
the book of Hebrews and I'd like you
to turn in your Bible to Hebrews chapter
12.
Hebrews chapter 12, we'll read the first three
verses from there and then some verses in
chapter 2.
Hebrews chapter 12, very famous words, commencing at
verse 1.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful
men, so that you will not grow weary
and lose heart.
Then back to chapter 2.
Hebrews chapter 2 and we read from verse
9 to verse 11.
Chapter 2 verse 9.
But we see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels, now crowned with
glory and honor because he suffered death, so
that by the grace of God he might
taste death for everyone.
In bringing many sons to glory, it was
fitting that God, for whom and through whom
everything exists, should make the pioneer of their
salvation perfect through suffering.
Both the one who makes men holy and
those who are made holy are of the
same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers.
Who is the greatest leader this world has
ever known?
To that question there can of course be
only one answer, and that is Jesus Christ.
And here in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse
10, Jesus is given the title the pioneer
of their salvation.
And earlier in the verse the writer says
how as the pioneer he has brought many
sons to glory.
Man, created by God for his glory, was
prevented by sin from attaining that glory until
the Son of Man came and opened up
a new way by which man might reach
the goal for which he was made.
So Jesus has blazed the trail of salvation,
along which alone God's many sons can be
brought to glory today.
Jesus is the great trailblazer of human history.
He is the great pace setter.
He is the archegos.
Now I don't know very much Hebrew or
Greek.
I know a little Hebrew and a little
Greek.
The little Hebrew owns the tailor's shop and
the little Greek a restaurant.
I don't know very much at all.
But this word archegos is explained in William
Barclay's commentary on Hebrews.
He says an archegos is one who begins
something in order that others might enter into
it.
And I want you to really remember that
definition.
An archegos, a pioneer, Jesus, is one who
begins something in order that others may enter
into it.
Barclay gives examples.
He begins a family, just like Mickey Walker,
that someday others may be born into that
family.
He founds a city in order that others
may someday dwell in that city.
An archegos, writes Barclay, is someone who blazes
the trail, goes ahead so that others can
follow.
Someone else has used this analogy.
Suppose a ship was on the rocks and
suppose the only way to rescue was for
someone to swim ashore with the line in
order that once the line was secured others
might follow.
The one who was the first to jump
out of the boat and swim to the
shore would be the archegos.
He would be the trailblazer of the salvation
and safety of the others.
And that's Jesus, the leader, the captain of
our salvation, the trailblazer, the pace setter.
Now let's look at another title of Jesus,
this time in chapter 6 of Hebrews and
verse 20.
Chapter 6 verse 20.
In this sixth chapter the writer is reminding
us of the certainty of our hope as
Christians.
And as a guarantee of our hope, the
writer says in verse 20, Jesus has gone
on before us as our forerunner into heaven.
Now this word translated forerunner is the Greek
word prodromos, prodromos.
And again Barclay says it has a three
stage meaning.
First of all it means someone who rushes
on ahead.
Secondly it means again a pioneer.
And thirdly it means a scout, a member
of the reconnaissance corps, of an army, the
advance guard.
Someone, says Barclay, who goes ahead to see
that it's safe for the body of troops
to follow.
It's a fantastic picture of Jesus, isn't it?
What has he done?
He's gone on ahead of his people into
heaven.
He's gone on ahead of you and me
as our prodromos, making it safe, preparing a
place for us to spend eternity.
It's another picture of Jesus, the pace setter,
the trailblazer, the great leader of his people.
And so in this opening session, I want
us to look at the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I want us to look at these
qualities of leadership and pace setting which we
see in Jesus.
And I think we'll discover that they are
qualities which every Christian leader, every archegos, everyone
who wants to begin something in his church
or youth fellowship or Christian union, so that
others can follow, every leader must to some
degree possess these qualities.
Now just before we look at Jesus, let's
think for a few moments of the necessary
qualities of a pace setter in the world
of athletics.
It's the Bislett Stadium in Oslo.
Another world record attempt by Seb Coe, who
else, is about to be attempted.
And James Mays is again the chosen pace
setter.
For the first 800 meters, he blazes the
trail.
The crowd knows that he can't possibly last
the distance.
Sure enough, after 800 meters of a suicidal
pace, suicidal in the light of the race
distance, James Mays drops out.
Now here's five things about such a pace
setter.
Number one, he must have a clear goal
in view.
He has discussed with the person he is
seeking to help the time that is desired
to pass through 400 meters and 800 meters
and so on.
He has a clear precise goal in view.
Secondly, the total commitment of a pace setter
is to someone else.
He's not looking for glory for himself.
He is happy if by his commitment someone
else is advanced.
Someone else benefits.
Thirdly, the pace setter has to decide the
maximum speed that will encourage.
Too fast and he'll break the field.
Too slow and the goal they're striving for
will never be achieved.
Fourthly, the pace setter is someone whom others
keep their eyes on at all times and
their desire is to emulate the pace setter.
Finally, of course, the pace setter is working
for and fully expecting someone else to take
over in the lead.
Five essential qualities of every pace setter.
Now let's look at Jesus.
Jesus in the epistle to the Hebrews.
First of all, we see that he was
a man with a very clear goal.
Look at chapter three and verse one.
Jesus is given two other titles, the apostle
and the high priest whom we confess.
And in verse two, the writer says he
was faithful to the one who appointed him.
Jesus had a divine appointment to be our
apostle and our high priest.
Now turn over to chapter five.
The writer is explaining the selection process of
the high priest and he writes in verse
five, Christ also did not take upon himself
the glory of the high priest.
But God said to him, verse six, you
are a priest forever in the order of
Melchizedek.
Divine appointment, an important vital qualification for the
Christian pace setter.
It has been said by a number of
people that there are two important questions which
you should ask every leader.
The first is, where are you going?
What is your objective?
What is your ambition?
What is your purpose?
What dreams have you been dreaming?
And the second question is, where are your
people who is following you?
It's great to have big ideas.
Wonderful to dream dreams.
Great to have specific big objectives.
But if nobody's following, you're going to be
a very lonely and isolated person.
Jesus knew from a very early age exactly
where he was going.
As a boy, when his distressed parents found
him in the temple, after he'd gone missing,
they began to remonstrate with him.
And you'll remember his response.
He said to them with a sense of
surprise, didn't you know I had to be
in my father's house?
As early as that in his life, he
knew this sense of purpose.
And it became increasingly apparent as his life
continued.
Throughout the Gospels, he refers often quite poignantly
to his hour.
His hour.
He knew there was a particular hour of
destiny at Calvary for which he had a
divine appointment.
The purpose, the plan for the redemption of
mankind which Jesus knew to be the will
of his father drove him onwards.
A divine appointment and objective.
That sense of purpose, that sense of fulfilling
a divine appointment pervaded the whole life and
ministry of Jesus Christ.
If you look at one of his great
apostles, the apostle Paul, you see much of
the same.
Remember how he informed the Roman church in
Romans 15 and verse 19.
He said an amazing thing actually.
He said from Jerusalem all the way around
to modern Albania, the most closed country in
the world today.
Paul says from Jerusalem all the way around
to that country, I have preached.
Isn't that amazing?
I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
And then he says this in verse 20.
It has always been my ambition to preach
the gospel where Christ was not known.
If you want to understand the apostle Paul,
you've got to understand that statement.
Here's my ambition, says Paul.
Here is the dream that I am dreaming.
I want to preach the gospel where Christ
is not known.
Our conference text this weekend is 1 Corinthians
9 and verse 26.
The Living Bible is a marvelous paraphrase of
the verse.
I run, says Paul, straight to the goal
with purpose in every step.
I think you'll agree.
Needed in the church of Jesus Christ today.
Needed in churches, Christian unions, youth groups, up
and down our land are men and women
of ambition.
Men and women with a sense of divine
appointment.
Think of C.T. Studd, that great missionary
pioneer who not only gave his own life
to mission but founded the great worldwide evangelization
crusade.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest missions on earth
today.
What drove on C.T. Studd?
Some of you will know his famous little
ditty.
Some want to live within the sound of
church or chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop within
a yard of hell.
That's what drove C.T. Studd on.
Sounds very like the apostle Paul, doesn't it?
My ambition to preach the gospel where Christ
is not known.
One of my favorite parts of the country
is southwest Scotland.
A few weeks ago I was driving up
through Castle Douglas, for any of you who
know that area, and just on leaving Castle
Douglas I saw a signpost.
Never seen it before or never recognized, noticed
it before.
It was a signpost to Anwoth.
A-N-W-O-T-H.
Anwoth.
Any of you have heard of Anwoth?
Those of you who know anything about the
writings and the preaching and the life of
Samuel Rutherford will know of the village of
Anwoth.
One of the most godly men I've ever
met in literature was Samuel Rutherford.
A man who gave most of his life
to a church of Scotland Parish in Anwoth,
which was almost totally spiritually unproductive.
What drove him on?
What kept him going?
Well, listen to his little ditty.
It's based on a marvelous hymn by Anne
Ross Cousins, if you know it, Immanuel's Land.
This is Rutherford's verse.
Oh, if one soul from Anwoth meets me
at heaven's door, my heaven will be two
heavens in Immanuel's Land.
You might not think it's a very big
goal, hardly a driving ambition, but that was
Rutherford's sense of divine appointment.
Just one soul from the village of Anwoth.
At the commencement of this weekend, we want
to ask you a question.
Do you have this sense of divine appointment?
So much Christian work in Britain today seems
to be carried on merely through a commitment
to carrying on.
There's no clear goal, there's no specific purpose,
there's no driving ambition.
I think we have to ask, are people
dreaming any longer?
You say, how do I find such a
sense of purpose?
Well, there are two simple pointers.
Number one is prayer.
If you're going to know this sense of
divine appointment and purpose, it may mean you
putting some time aside, maybe with your fellow
leaders, and meeting with God and saying, God,
what do you want?
And then secondly, it probably means a concentration
on spiritual gifts.
Now, I'm not trying to be so vital
when it comes to this issue of divine
appointment.
What should you be doing with your life?
What spiritual gifts are there evident in your
Christian union?
This will be a big part of the
answer to the question, what does God want
of me?
What does God want of us?
The pace setter must have a clear goal
in view, a sense of divine appointment.
So it was with Jesus.
And then the second thing about Jesus, the
pace setter, is that he was a leader
with a total commitment to others.
We've seen how Jesus, our Archegos, brought many
sons to glory.
And in order to do that, verse 9
of chapter 2 explains, he suffered death so
that by the grace of God, he might
taste death for everyone.
Now, if you've got your Bible open at
chapter 2, look at some fabulous phrases between
verses 14 and 18.
Here's a man totally giving himself to others.
Verse 14, he shared in their humanity.
Verse 15, he freed those who all their
lives were held in slavery by their fear
of death.
Verse 17, he had to be made like
his brothers in every way.
Verse 18, he is able to help those
who are being tempted.
And then just flick across to chapter 7
and verse 25, one of the most magnificent
phrases about the ministry of Jesus today.
Chapter 7, 25, he is able to save
completely those who come to God through him
because, listen to this, he always lives to
intercede for them.
And this is the very essence of pace
setting.
It's the heart of biblical leadership, pouring out
your life for the benefit and the advancement
of others.
Did you see that in chapter 2 and
verse 9?
Did you see what the writer is really
saying there?
He's saying that Jesus suffered death for you
and me so that the sting of death
might be taken from us.
When I was studying that verse, my mind
went immediately to 1 John 3 and verse
16.
Have you ever studied that verse?
Not John 3, 16, 1 John 3, 16.
This is what we read there, Jesus Christ
laid down his life for us and we
ought to lay down our lives for our
brothers.
How crucial it is for the Christian leader
to understand Calvary.
What does the cross of Jesus say to
you tonight?
This is what the cross of Jesus says
to me with my particular leadership responsibilities.
The cross says that if I am to
do my job, I must be willing and
prepared to lay down my life, number one,
for Jesus, number two, for my brothers and
for my sisters.
The Christian leader, you see, is an enabler,
an enabler.
He enables others to reach their full potential.
Remember the archegos?
He begins something in order that others might
enter into it.
The pace setter's purpose is to enable someone
else to reach his or her full potential.
If you're considering leadership tonight, here's a vital
question you have to ask yourself.
Are you willing to give your life for
that?
Are you willing to give your life so
that others might advance?
Are you willing to be an enabler?
I wonder how many Christians there are in
your Christian union or your youth group or
your church who are just not realizing even
half of their spiritual potential.
What are they waiting for?
They're waiting for someone to get alongside and
lay down his life for them.
Someone who's willing to bury his own position,
his own prestige for the sake of that
other person.
Because you know what happens, very often the
person you get alongside, as they develop, they
leave you far behind in many areas.
How I thank God for the example of
Barnabas.
I suppose Barnabas is one of the most
challenging figures in the whole of the Bible
to me.
The son of encouragement.
Remember after Saul's conversion, Acts chapter 9, the
poor chap tried to join the disciples in
Jerusalem.
But they were all afraid of him, scared
stiff.
Not believing, says Luke, that he was really
a disciple.
How typical of Christians in every generation, eh?
Night and day praying that God would save
people.
And then one of the saved comes along
and they say, no, no, no, that can't
be the answer to prayer.
Not Saul!
So they're scared stiff of this man.
And then we read these magnificent words in
verse 27.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to
the apostles.
Soon, of course, Paul has to fly from
Jerusalem, return us home to Tarsus.
And then listen to Acts 11.25. Probably
the rest of the church had forgotten Saul
by now.
Quite a bit of time had passed.
Then Barnabas went down to Tarsus to look
for Saul.
When he found him, he brought him to
Antioch.
And what happened?
Well, from that city of Antioch, and particularly
from Paul and Barnabas, the great international missionary
drive of the Christian church began.
We are a product of what God did
at Antioch.
If it hadn't been for Antioch, it probably
would have all been today a national religion.
All the great worldwide ministry of the Christian
church can be traced back to one enabler,
Barnabas.
One man who saw the potential in someone
else and was willing to give himself entirely
that that someone else might reach his full
potential.
Eventually, of course, in human terms, you find
Barnabas playing second fiddle to the apostle Paul.
But that's what leadership is all about, being
an enabler of others.
You know, it's only people who have understood
Calvary who will ever be willing to give
their lives to such a ministry.
Thirdly, when you look at Jesus, the pace
setter, you see he is totally committed to
encouragement and to care.
Remember the pace setter?
He must encourage.
He must be careful that he doesn't go
so fast that he'll break the one he
is seeking to help, or so slow that
the goal will never be realized.
It's a very, very intricate task, pace setting,
seeking for the fullest potential to be realized,
but so careful not to destroy.
And so it is in Christian leadership, and
the beautiful picture of Jesus in the book
of Hebrews as our high priest stresses this
ministry of care, sympathy, and encouragement.
We've seen chapter 7 verse 25, he always
lives to intercede for me and for you.
We've seen that because he himself suffered when
he was tempted, he's able to help those
who are being tempted.
And you see in chapter 4 verses 15
and 16, lovely words, he sympathizes with our
weaknesses and that he's someone to whom we
can go with confidence, knowing that we'll always
find encouragement, always find grace to help us
in our time of need.
You know, Jesus has a great goal for
me, he's got a great goal for you.
He wants to get us ready for heaven,
and he knows just the right mixture of
challenge and hardship, encouragement and sympathy to get
us there.
That's why he's such a great captain or
leader of our salvation.
And every leader must, must have this caring
ministry of encouragement.
He must know the balance of pressing for
the fullest potential to be realized in those
that he's leading.
And yet his eyes must be wide open
for the very first signs of breaking and
of stress.
It was said of Jesus when he was
on this earth, and this is probably one
of the most beautiful things that ever could
be said of any man, a bruised reed
he will not break, a smoking flax he
will not extinguish.
He is the Son of God with all
the power of God.
Yet there's not one bruised reed that he'll
ever break.
Listen to Barclay's comment, the reed might be
bruised, hardly able to stand erect, the wick
might be weak, and it's light but a
flicker.
And so a man's witness may be shaky
and weak, the light of his life at
best a flicker, certainly not a flame.
But Jesus did not come to discourage, he
came to encourage.
He did not come to treat the weak
with contempt, but with understanding.
He did not come to extinguish the flame,
but to nurse it back to a clearer
and stronger light.
The most precious thing about Jesus is this
fact, that he's never the discourager, he's always
the great encourager of his people.
Can you hear him?
Simon, Simon, Satan wants to sift you like
wheat, but I have prayed for you, that
your faith might not fail.
And then fourthly, Jesus as the pace setter
is the great example for us all to
follow.
Just as the athlete keeps his eyes on
the pace setter, so the writer of Hebrews
12 says, we have to fix our eyes
on Jesus as we run the race of
life.
He says in verse 3, we are to
consider him.
If the heart of leadership is to be
a servant who enables others, equally it is
to be an example who inspires others.
And this is so clearly seen in Jesus.
How do you explain the incredible impact of
this man on other people?
How was it that he could take a
band of poor, unschooled, Galilean provincials and use
them to light a revolution of love that
continues to burn in the hearts of men
and women throughout the world today?
How was that done?
It wasn't just his words, you know.
Oh, they certainly had a massive impact.
The people were amazed at two things.
They were amazed at the gracious words which
came from his lips and by the fact
that he spoke with such authority.
But it was more than words.
It was the combination of word and deed.
Word and example.
You remember when John the Baptist sent his
disciples to inquire whether Jesus was the Christ?
Here's the reply of Jesus.
Go back and report to John what you
hear.
Tell him what I'm saying.
And what you see.
Tell him what I'm doing.
Tell John what you hear and what you
see.
The blind are receiving their sight.
The lame are walking and so on.
Surely one of the most attractive, irresistible things
about Jesus was that at last people had
found someone whose deeds matched his words.
He was a leader who was not just
a talker but he lived what he said.
Later on his apostle Paul could write these
astonishing words in 1 Corinthians 4 17.
I'm sending Timothy to you Corinthians.
He's going to remind you of my way
of life in Christ Jesus which agrees with
what I teach everywhere in every church.
Can you see why Paul was such a
great leader?
He says I'm sending Timothy.
He'll tell you about my life and what
will he tell you?
My life is the same as what I've
taught you everywhere in every church.
Example.
A model to follow.
So absolutely crucial in today's leadership.
We don't need leadership by instruction from a
distance.
We need leadership by example right there alongside.
I wonder what your image of a Christian
leader is?
Is it of an executive flying around the
world holding top level conferences?
If so drop it please.
Your image of the Christian leader must become
a man willing to get his hands dirty.
Out there with the troops, with the people,
leading by example.
Not by statement from a distance but by
example alongside.
Christians who as they run the race of
life fix their eyes on Jesus are inspired
by what they see to keep running.
I wonder what's the reaction when those whom
you are leading look at you?
They stop listening to what you say from
the pulpit but they look at you.
Does what they see inspire them and encourage
them or does it bring disillusion, demotivation?
The pace setter inspires by example.
Almost every Christian leader I talked to today
when asked what's the greatest need in your
organization or in your church gives the same
reply.
They say people.
People willing to rise to the challenge and
willing to pay the price of leadership.
In our own organization we've spent a lot
of time recently dreaming dreams.
Making plans for the late 80s and the
early 90s.
But you know as we've talked and as
we've prayed all of us have realized that
the potential bottleneck which we face and which
can destroy all our plans is lack of
suitable leaders.
Are you willing to pay the price of
knowing a divine appointment?
The price of getting before God and saying
Lord I don't just want to be busy
any longer.
I don't just want to be faithful any
longer.
I want to be busy.
I want to be faithful fulfilling your agenda
for my life.
I want to be busy and faithful in
my Christian union fulfilling your agenda for this
organization.
Are you willing to reject the self-centered
orientation of our society and sadly of much
of the Christian church in our generation.
Are you willing to reject that self-centered
orientation and choose tonight to become an enabler
of others.
Prepared for that ministry of encouragement and sympathy
which will not bruise the broken reed or
snuff out the smoking flax.
To pour yourself out in the encouragement and
the advancement of others.
Are you willing to get your hands dirty?
Reject the executive image for the servant place.
Living your life alongside others to inspire and
to motivate by example.
In other words are you willing to follow
Jesus?
The great trailblazer.
The great pace setter.
You know when you're ready to respond yes
to those questions.
You are ready to contemplate biblical leadership.
Let's bow together before God.
Let's just take a moment to ask God
what my response will be to his word.
So often we pray that we would be
challenged but tonight we want to be changed.
A question that changed my life 20 years
ago was the first question Peter asked.
What is your supreme purpose?
Your ambition?
Your goal?
What is it that you really want in
your life more than anything else?
Am I willing to count the cost?
To pay the price?
Lord Jesus help us all to be examples.
Help us all to be enablers of others.
Encourage us.
Lord Jesus what a beautiful reputation that would
be to have that we are encouragers of
others.
Help us by your grace and with our
commitment to be pace setters in your kingdom.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
That is all there is of this recording.