Exodus 18:13-27
~15 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 18:13-27. Recently someone asked me about my job, and when I replied I'm a pastor, his response was, "Is that a full-time job?" Most of us know that the pastoral ministry is a full-time job and it takes up as much time as you can give into it. The job of the pastor would include planning what sermons to preach on the Lord's Day worship services, prayer meetings, and other fellowship group meetings, prepare those messages and faithfully deliver those messages. He has to conduct Bible studies, speak at special events like youth camps, church camps, church anniversaries, Christmases, Good Fridays, Resurrection Sundays, etc. He has to oversee all the ministries of the church, conduct visitations, pray for the people, write pastoral chats, plan the spiritual direction for the church, and so forth. The work is never-ending; it will never end until the Lord returns or until the Lord takes him home, whichever comes first. As the late Reverend Timothy Tow, the founding pastor of the Bible Presbyterian movement in Southeast Asia, used to say, "There is no retirement for the pastor; you serve until you die, whether in this church or in any other church as the Lord leads." It requires nothing short of a full-time job. It is relatively manageable for the pastor when the congregation consists of ten people, but when the numbers increase to one hundred or one thousand, the amount of work will be compounded.
Now, consider Moses, who was basically the pastor of Israel, a nation of about two million people. Humanly speaking, it was impossible. That was the reason why verse 13 says, "And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening." As the leader, one of his responsibilities would be to judge over the affairs of the people. You can imagine the kind of cases he had to deal with, ranging from murder to manslaughter, adultery, cheating, disputes, and so forth. Most certainly, those people who lined up to have their cases heard would have to wait from morning till evening. Some of them would be told to return the next day or the following week. No man, no matter how qualified, equipped, knowledgeable, and sincere he is, is able to do all the work of the ministry. And it is not God's will that the church should be run in this way. That is the reason why God has given to us pastors, teachers, evangelists, elders, and deacons for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, the church. This is what we want to learn from today's passage. The title of our message is, "Why Do We Have Leaders?"
I. The Need
Firstly, we want to consider “The Need”. Verse 14, "And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?" Sometimes it takes someone else to notice the workload one is carrying. You may be so focused on serving and serving that you do not realise that the workload is too overwhelming for you. But not just anyone; he must be someone who is concerned about the needs of the ministry. Remember, Jethro had just come to faith in the one living and true God and become a member of the worshipping community. The first thing he noticed was the needs of the community that one man alone cannot do all the work effectively. Dear friend, likewise in the church, there's so much work to be done. It takes someone who loves the church, loves the people to be able to see how these needs can be met. How can the usher’s ministry, the music ministry, the children's ministry, the youth ministry, the maintenance ministry be running smoothly and effectively? Are you such a person like Jethro who loves the people and is able to see the needs of the church?
Verse 15, "And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws." Essentially, Moses was explaining to Jethro, "This is my work. This is what I am called to do.” As a prophet, his primary work was to help the Israelites resolve their problems by seeking the will of God. Therefore, he had to teach God's Word and help them to understand what they ought to do. Fundamentally, his work had to do with the explanation and application of God's Word. This is also the work of the pastors—to explain God's Word and then to help the people apply God's word into their lives. There's no question about Moses' sincerity and motivation. He wanted to be faithful to his calling; he knew the needs of the people. He wanted to do everything he could to meet those needs. His willingness to serve might be right, but in so doing, he was trying to carry a burden that was so great that he alone could not carry. Soon, he would be exhausted, and not only Moses would be tired, the people would be tired too.
Here this spiritual lesson can be applied to all the ministries of the church. There will always be people who need our attention and help; there will always be work that needs to be done. When you and I try to take on the responsibility to meet all these needs on our own, we would be overwhelmed. When we do that, we would commit several mistakes. Firstly, when we try to carry a burden that is so great that we cannot carry, we will become ineffective. Secondly, God has never intended for us to carry all the burdens on our own. Thirdly, when we try to carry all the burdens, we are not only hurting ourselves but also the people whom we are ministering to. Dear friend, that is the reason why God has placed us in the church, the body of Christ, so that we can learn to depend on one another, so we can learn to work together with others. It is foolish for pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers to think that they can do all the work by themselves. The Christian ministry is never a one-man show; we must never try to do God's work all by ourselves.
Another problem why it is wrong when you and I try to carry all the burdens of the ministry is that it may generate pride. We may start to think that we are indispensable, we can do all the work on our own. Romans 12:3 says, "[Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought]. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us”.
Take a moment and consider this. When we try to do everything by ourselves, we are assuming that we have all the spiritual gifts, whether it be the gift of preaching, gift of administration, gift of music, gift of mercy, gift of hospitality—the list goes on and on. The reality is that no man will ever have all the spiritual gifts. You may have multiple spiritual gifts, but not all the spiritual gifts. Perhaps there's one more problem when we try to do everything by ourselves. Let's say you are able to do everything; in doing so, you are not giving others the opportunity to serve. Is it not true? People may come and ask you, "Is there anything I can help?" Meaning to say, "Is there any opportunity for me to serve?" And your response is, "No, I can do everything by myself. I don't need you." We must encourage the people to serve, not hinder them from serving.
II. The Solution
So, Jethro was able to see the need, but the ability to see the need is one thing; it must lead us to prayerfully consider the solution. This brings us to our second point, “The Solution”. Verse 17 tells us, "And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good." It is not good because you are not only hurting yourself; you are also hurting the people as well. Verse 18, "Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone."
So, Jethro provided a solution. Verse 19, "Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do." Firstly, he reminded Moses of his role as a prophet. He was not trying to take him away from his calling. Moses must continue to represent the people before God; he must continue to teach God's laws and help the people to live out those laws in their lives. But in order for him to do that effectively, he needed help. Verse 21, "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens". To provide out of means to select; it speaks of selecting with discernment. Moses had to select a group of capable men who would serve as spiritual leaders to help govern the people. These men would be equipped to answer all the questions asked, and they would be able to resolve the day-to-day issues.
What were the qualifications? Notice Jethro did not mention anything about the work experiences of those men or their educational backgrounds or how much money they had. The qualifications were not physical but spiritual. Likewise, when we choose or select with discernment spiritual leaders, those qualifications are not physical. It doesn't matter how much the person may have in his bank account; it does not matter at all. What matters are his spiritual qualifications, beginning with the most important qualification—they must fear God. A leader must be a man who fears God; when he fears God, he will seek to honour Him in everything he does. Such a person will not pursue his own agendas; such a person will be willing, if necessary, to give godly counsels without compromise, without the fear of offending the people because his only desire is to glorify God. John Wesley rightly said, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the Kingdom of Heaven on earth."
So, what we want firstly—the most important criteria and qualification—they must be men who fear God. Next, they must be trustworthy; that is the meaning of men of truth, men whom you can entrust the truth to and expect them to execute the truth faithfully. They must be honest, hating covetousness, not greedy of filthy lucre. Obviously, this was also an important criteria because as they serve as judges, some people might try to win them over by bribing them with money. So, they must hate covetousness. So, these are men who have integrity and honesty—men of truth, trustworthy. These men were selected not from a particular tribe but from all across the entire nation. If Moses were to select the judges from one particular tribe, they might be biased toward that particular tribe. These qualifications were not exhaustive because later on, after the Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai, Moses would build upon these qualifications for the elders.
In the New Testament, we have verses in 1 Timothy 3, and the Book of Titus in regards to the selection of elders and deacons. So, when we read all these passages, we will have a clear picture of what kind of qualifications we need to have for our spiritual leaders. They must share the workload with Moses; since they were wise and godly men, they will be able to handle most of the day-to-day issues; they will share the burdens with Moses—rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, rulers over tens. So, there will be thousands of spiritual leaders. So, there's this well-organised system, leadership structure, even when they were in the wilderness. How amazing! Look unto verse 22, "And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee." There will be times when these leaders will not be able to deal with certain matters, especially those complicated issues. They would need help, so they will turn to Moses to consult him, and he will be the one to deal with those tough cases.
Some people may question how can a young believer like Jethro be in a position to give advice to a leader like Moses. Well, God can use anyone to help us, to give us advice, whether it be our parents, our in-laws, or even young believers. Dear friend, has anyone ever given you any advice? The key to test whether or not to accept the advice is the perfect standard of God's Word. We must ask ourselves, "Is this advice in line with biblical principles? Is this advice contrary to God's Word?" That was what Jethro had done; notice he was very careful not to give any advice that contradicted God. Firstly, he said in verse 19, "I will give thee counsel." But he did not stop there; he went on to say, "And God shall be with thee," which means, "I will give you this advice, and God will be with you to help you to discern what is the right thing to do." If this is the right thing to do, then he went on to say in verse 23, “If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so,” — if this is the thing you do which the Lord himself has commanded you has impressed upon your heart, then what will happen? — “thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” In other words, this was not just the opinion of Jethro. This was given to him by God. That was the reason why Moses was happy to obey as we read verses 24-26. He followed the advice of Jethro as the Lord was with him, the Lord has commanded him impressed upon his heart. He applied those principles.
Another spiritual lesson we can learn from here is that Moses was humble and teachable. He was willing to listen and accept good practical advice for the ministry even though the advice was given to him by a young believer. He did not look down on Jethro, who was a young believer who had just come to faith in the one living and true God. We must never underestimate how God can help us in the ministry. God can use anyone, including unbelievers.
Dear friend, do you realise that the principle of this solution is applied to many areas of our lives? In the military world, it is called divide and conquer. That is what the strategy of many military soldiers would be. They will enter into a nation, they would divide, and then conquer, right? In our companies, it is called the division of labour. Divide the work, share the workload, share the burdens. Do you know the Bible has a special word for this? It is called the Presbyterian system, whereby we select a group of godly men, elders, to rule over the people. There are three main forms of church government I think you are familiar with, namely Episcopal, Congregational, and Presbyterian. In the Episcopal system, the primary responsibility lies in one man who rules over the people, the church. The Roman Catholic Church is Episcopal, and the Pope is the one who is the head. Or the Anglican Church, they have the Archbishop who makes all the decisions. In the Congregational system, the primary responsibility lies in the hands of the congregation. The congregation is the one who makes the decision. The Brethren Church is Congregational. In the Presbyterian system, the primary responsibility lies in the governing board of elders, and these were men elected by the congregation.
There are practical pros and cons in these three forms of church government. In the Episcopal system, things get to be done in the quickest way. If you want a decision to be made, all you need to do is to go to one man. He will make all the decisions. But it is also the most easy way to corrupt the church because there's no accountability. All it takes is for this one man to be corrupted, and the entire system will fall. The congregational system, it is very difficult to get things done because you have to get the entire congregation to agree, then you can move on. The Presbyterian system is perhaps the most balanced one where there's accountability. You have a board of elders elected by the people, and there's protection against corruption. But most importantly, it is the biblical system. If you read through the New Testament, you will find that the pattern of church government is Presbyterian, where you have the board of elders to rule over the church. That was the reason why when Titus was sent to Crete, he was asked to set in order the church. But how could he do that? By ordaining elders. Elders will be the one to rule over the church.
Dear friend, the needs of the church are great. There will always be needs, and the solution is to pray for godly leaders. But not just any leaders. We want men who fear God, men who can be trusted, trustworthy men of truth, men who are honest, hating covetousness, men who are willing to share the burdens. Some people call this the Jethro principle, but I think it is better for us to call it God's principle because it is recorded in the Holy Scriptures for us to adopt and follow. Is there a need? Surely there's a need. Is there a solution? Yes, there's a solution. We look and pray for godly leaders. Jesus Christ, the head of the church, He will provide in due time. He will provide the right people to serve in the church, the church of whom He died on the cross to save. He will provide just as He provided Moses with rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, rulers over tens. So, if you calculate and divide almost two million people amongst these leaders, there will be thousands of them, if not hundreds. Will God provide for our church? Yes, He will. So, you and I must pray, pray that our Lord Jesus Himself, who is the head of the church, He will provide. After Moses had received and followed the advice of Jethro, verse 27 says, "And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land." Next week when we return, we will consider the uniqueness of the believers as a peculiar people and as a holy nation.
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Indeed, we need leaders because no man, no matter how qualified, equipped, and knowledgeable he is, is able to do all the work by himself. And this is not the way the church should be managed. Thou hast given to us the mandate how the church should be managed. Thou hast given to us pastors, teachers, evangelists, elders, and deacons. And we pray that in Thy own time, Thou will provide for Bethel BP Church godly men, men who fear Thee, men who are trustworthy, men of truth, men who hate covetousness, honest, and willing to share the burdens of the ministry. Oh Lord, such men we pray for. Not just anyone, but such godly men may Thou raise up such men in our midst so that Bethel BP Church will continue to do Thy work faithfully until our Lord Jesus returns. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
The Veil That SeparatesThe Veil That SeparatesExodus 26:1-37
A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandA Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandExodus 27:1-19
Who Can Represent Us Before God?Who Can Represent Us Before God?Exodus 27:20-28:14
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
