Sunday Sermon – THE KIND OF LEADER WE NEED | 2026ss1101

 

 

Title:  THE KIND OF LEADER WE NEED  

Text:  Matthew 23:1-12  

What kind of leader do you think we need?  What should we look for in our leaders?  

What kind of leader are you?  

You may not think of yourself as a leader … but, chances are, you are.

• You may not be a king, president, prime minister, MP, councillor, policeman, pastor, deacon, etc. … so you may not consider yourself as a leader.
• BUT …
• IF you are a teacher, parent, big brother/sister … THEN you are a leader.

Question:  What kind of leader are you?  How do you conduct yourself in the position of leadership that you hold?  What is your focus?  How do you see your job?  

Our text today gives us some things to consider as we reflect on our jobs as leaders.

 

Matthew 23:1–12 (ESV)  

¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do.  For they preach, but do not practice.  ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.  ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 

⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.  ⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.  ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 

¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant.  ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”    

 

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE FOR TODAY?   WHAT, for you, IS THE MAIN TAKEAWAY?

There are three (3) sections to the text:  Matthew 23:1-7;  Matthew 23:8-10; Matthew 23:11-12.

I think the main lesson is in the third section (vv.11-12) … but let’s begin by looking at the first two sections:

Matthew 23:1–7   

¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. 

• For they preach, but do not practice. 
• ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 
• ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. 
• For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
• ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts … and the best seats in the synagogues … ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces … and being called rabbi by others. 
• What is Jesus doing?
• He is pointing the Pharisees and the Scribes and the Pharisees … as the leaders of the Jews at that time … and He is holding them up as BAD examples of leadership … as leaders who serve themselves rather than serving others.

Matthew 23:8–10   

⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 

⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 

¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 

What is Jesus doing here … in this section?

He is shifting the focus … putting the spotlight on the disciples … telling them what they should not do … how they can avoid being like the Scribes and the Pharisees.

 

Matthew 23:11–12   

¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant.  ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”    

What is Jesus doing here?

He’s still focused on the disciples … He’s just finished telling them what NOT to do … He’s now telling them what to do … in terms of the kind of mindset they should have as leaders.

And what is that mindset?

To serve with humility … to be servant leaders.

 

Then Jesus hits the bottom line when it comes to positions of leadership or teaching: 

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11–12 ESV

Jesus shows them the divine reality of true leadership: greatness is expressed through humble service.  A faithful leader does not seek applause, status, or control over others.  Rather, a faithful leader serves others in humility.  Jesus does not merely teach this way; he lives it.  

Jesus is the One who descended to earth, becoming a servant.
Jesus is greatest among us, yet he humbled himself all the way to the cross.
Jesus is the One whom the Father exalted to sit at his right hand in heaven. 

Matthew 20:28    just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.    

John 13:14-16  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.  

Philippians 2:5-11   Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[a]robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

 

 

In the final days before his crucifixion,  Jesus went willingly toward Jerusalem.  There, the leaders would arrest him on false charges, mock him, torture him, and hand him over to be crucified.  

And Jesus allowed them to do this.  Jesus humbled himself to the point of sacrificing his own life on behalf of all.  This sinless person, Jesus Christ, willingly died for the sake of all humanity.  He did this so we might all be freed from evil, sin, and death and be given new life.  

Jesus teaches that leaders are to offer humble service.  Then he shows the profound difference between self-promotion and the self-giving love of God.  

The Son of God set aside for a time the privileges of divinity (God’s being) in order to join us in our humanity.  He lived a truly human life in faithful obedience to his heavenly Father.  And he offered himself for all in humble sacrifice on the cross to free us from evil, sin, and death.  

And Jesus rose from the grave, bringing all humanity home to his heavenly Father.  And then he sent the Spirit so we could all by faith participate in his own relationship with his Father in the Spirit.  

 

 

God is our true teacher, Father, and instructor.  He comes for us in Jesus Christ, humbling himself as a human being, allowing himself to be crucified for us.  And Jesus, who went all the way down into death itself, is exalted by his heavenly Father to his right hand in glory.  Our heavenly Father brings each of us into his own life through Jesus Christ in the Spirit.  And he teaches us all things through Jesus in the Spirit, leading us in his paths.  

Humble Leadership is a Walk of Faith

Jesus, our High Priest, entered into the gates of death for each of us.  He stepped into the crucible of death, allowing himself to be crucified.  He entered death and  came out the other side.  

He rose again, delivering us from death, evil, and sin.  He brought us through the dangerous waters of death into the glorious light of new life in him.  Now we are all able to walk safely into the promised land of God’s kingdom.  

In Christ, we enter God’s kingdom.  By faith, we begin now to participate in Jesus’ life with his heavenly Father in the Spirit.  The Spirit begins now to build new settlements.  Christ’s holy ways of living, his godliness, and truth are built into areas formerly given over to sin and selfishness.  We begin to live out Jesus’ triumph over sin, evil, and death in this world.  

Through Jesus, in our homes and in our communities, we live Christlike lives of humble service and faithful obedience.  By the Spirit, we reflect the truth of who Jesus is as Lord and Savior of all.  Rather than lifting ourselves up, Jesus works through us to lift up those around us.  

Jesus Christ Includes Us

Our life in Christ is not a heavy burden laid upon us.  It is not strictly keeping rules and rituals in order to gain God’s favor.  Rather, it is Christ living his own life in us by the Holy Spirit.  It is his life with our heavenly Father that we participate in as we live our everyday lives.  

We can live humbly and serve others because that is who Jesus is and who we are in him.  Jesus lives in us  by  the Holy Spirit.  So, empowered by the Spirit, we can serve humbly and live in right relationship with God and others.  

We do not need titles or special recognition.  We can learn from one another, be taught by one another, as inspired by the Spirit, because we know we are all one in Christ Jesus.  We believe that God is our true teacher, Father, and instructor.  And we can trust him to lead and guide us into all truth.  

We can rely on God to teach us whatever we need to know.  We can trust him to grow us up into who he created us to be in Jesus by the Spirit.  We can rest in Jesus’ finished work, in God’s approval, recognition, and status given to us in him.  The Spirit helps us to recognize when we are tempted to gain praise, worth, or value in other, human ways.  Jesus reminds us then to turn away from all of this and to keep our focus on our triune God.  

Our faith is in God — Father, Son, and Spirit — and God is faithful to finish what he has begun in us.  Jesus has finished in humble service all that needs to be done for our salvation.  And he reigns in glory now and forever.  And he reigns in our hearts and lives by the Spirit as we trust in him.  We are held in Jesus’ arms, secure in the Father’s love, and comforted by the Spirit’s peace, now and into eternity.  

One last time, hear the good news in this passage:  

⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.  ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. (Matthew 23:8–10)  

• You have one teacher, the Spirit.  
• You have one Father in heaven.  
• You have one instructor, Jesus Christ.  

There is only one faithful teacher, Father, and instructor — the Holy Trinity.  

And if you remember only one thing from this sermon, let it be this:  

¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11–12)  

 

 

CONCLUSION   

As we do what we can to facilitate growth of our church, we will need leaders (Christ-like leaders).  Will you be one that we can use?  

 

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Go Deeper Philippians 2:5–11: What did the Son of God give up in order to bring humanity home to the Father? What does this tell us about who Jesus Christ is?   

 

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Small Group Discussion Questions