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Amen. All right, we're there in Ezekiel chapter 19, and we've been working our way through the book of Ezekiel on Wednesday nights. If you could turn this one up just a hair, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Ezekiel chapter 19. It's a short chapter, and it's an interesting chapter. And let me just begin by by giving this to you. If you want to write this down somewhere, maybe in the margin of your Bible. But the chapter is divided into two parts. Part one goes through verses one and nine, and it's about the kings of Judah. And part two goes through verses 10 and 14, and it's about the state of the nation. And it's really a mourning for the rulers of Israel. If you look at Ezekiel 19 and verse number one, Ezekiel 19 and verse 1 says this, moreover, take thou up a lamentation. The word lamentation means to express sorrow, regret, or mourn. He says take thou up a lamentation. Notice what he says. For the princes of Israel, and the term prince is there, is used for rulers. Sometimes for kings is what's being referred to there. And Ezekiel begins this lamentation, this mourning, this regret, this sorrow, for the leadership of the nation of Israel. And he begins again, like he's been doing over the course of the book, talking about, he's using kind of illustrative language and a parable, if you will. Notice what he says in verse 2. He says this, and say, what is thy mother? And so he asked this question, what is thy mother? And he says, a lioness. She lay down among lions. She nourished her whelps among young lions. So he begins this little talk and it's, this passage, it's about mourning for the princes of Israel. But he begins to talk about the mother, and he's asking the question, who is your mother? What is thy mother? And then he answers, and he says, a lioness. And what I want you to know from this passage, or to understand this passage, is that the mother here, who is a lioness, is a picture or a representation of the nation. And it is specifically Judah at this point, but even the entire nation of Israel through its history was represented as a lion. Let me give you just a few cross references for that, and we'll go to them. Keep your place there in Ezekiel 19, that's our text for tonight. But go to Genesis 49 and look at verse number 9. Genesis 49 and verse 9. First book in the Bible should be fairly easy to find. Genesis 49 and verse 9. Now in Genesis 49, we have Israel or Jacob, as he's getting ready to die, he's giving some last words to his 12 sons, who the descendants of these 12 sons will become the 12 tribes of Israel. And I want you to notice what he says to Judah. And keep in mind that when we are reading the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel is writing and ministering to the tribe of Judah, because the 10 tribes of Israel have already been removed through the Assyrian Empire. And in Genesis 49 verse 9, he says this, Judah is a lion's whelp from the prey my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? So I want you to notice that all the way in the book of Genesis, before there even really was a tribe of Judah, when there was just a man named Judah, as he was being told about his future descendancy and what it would entail, he was told that he was a lion. Judah is a lion's whelp. He crouched as a lion and as an old lion. So I want you to notice that when we're talking about the lion in Ezekiel 19, we're talking about the people of Judah, the nation of Judah, and really the nation of Israel through history. Go to Numbers 23. You're there in Genesis. You're gonna go past Exodus, Leviticus, into Numbers 23 and look at verse number 24. Numbers 23, just give you, we could spend all day looking at all sorts of references, but I'll just give you a couple just to prove the point. Numbers 23 and verse 24 says this, Behold, notice what he says, the people, so we're talking about the congregation, the city, the nation, the people shall rise up as a great lion and lift up himself as a young lion. He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink of the blood of the slain. So here we're told that the people are going to rise up as a great lion and lift up himself as a young lion. So again, I just want you to notice that when we're looking at Ezekiel 19 and we're looking at this passage and at this story or this illustration or allegory, whatever you'd like to call it, we see that there is a lioness and the lioness is representing the nation of Israel or specifically the southern kingdom of Judah at the time of Ezekiel's writing. Go back to Ezekiel 19, look at verse number 3. Now this lioness has some young whelps. Notice what it says in verse 3, Ezekiel 19 and verse 3. And she, this would be Judah or the nation of Israel, notice what it says, brought up one of her whelps. Now a whelp is a young animal or a young beast. It'd be a young lion. So this lioness, she brought up one of her whelps. It became a young lion and it learned to catch the prey it devoured men. So what we're being told here is that the nation, which is represented as a lioness, brought up a young whelp and it became a young lion and it learned to catch prey and it devoured men. And the idea is that this lion's whelp became the leader of the nation. She brought up this lion because often, you know, a lion represents leadership, right? When we talk about the king of the jungle, we're talking about the lion and that's what Ezekiel's doing. He's representing the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah as these lions. He said there's a lioness, which is the people, Judah, but she brought up a lion's whelp. It became a lion and it learned to catch the prey it devoured men. Now why don't you notice in verse 4 because verse 4 is really the way that we can interpret this passage and we know who Ezekiel is talking about. In verse 4 he says this, the nations also heard of him. Heard of who? Of the lion's whelp. He was taken in their pit and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. So Ezekiel says there's a lioness and the people would know that Judah is represented as a lion and that the southern nation of Israel would be represented as a lion. And then he says that lion brought up a lion's whelp and that lion's whelp was caught. It says that the nations heard of him and he was taken in their pit and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. Now this identifies for us who it is that Ezekiel is talking about. Keep your place there in Ezekiel 19, go to 2 Chronicles 36 and look at verse 1. If you find the 1 and 2 books in the Old Testament, those are all clustered together. 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles. Go to 2 Chronicles 36. Do me a favor, when you get to 2 Chronicles 36, put a ribbon or a bookmark or your bullet in there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come right back to it. 2 Chronicles 36, look at verse 1. Who is this lion's whelp that learned to catch prey and it devoured men and the nations also heard of him and he was taken in their pit and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt? Who is this lion's whelp that was caught and taken to Egypt? 2 Chronicles 36, look at verse 1. 2 Chronicles 36 and verse 1 says this, Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king. Now Josiah who was a great king of the southern kingdom of Israel has died and the people of the land are taking his son Jehoahaz and they made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he began to reign and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. That's all the time that he reigned in Jerusalem. Notice what happens at the three month mark, verse 3. And the king of Egypt put him down, meaning he took him off his throne, he put him down at Jerusalem and condemned the land in a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold, verse 4. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah. So the king of Egypt comes in and we're told later on that this is Pharaoh Necho. He comes in and he takes Jehoahaz off the throne and he makes Eliakim the king over Judah and Jerusalem. Look at the last part of verse 4, the middle of verse 4 there. And turned his name to Jehoiakim and Necho took Jehoahaz, his brother, don't miss this last part of verse 4, and carried him to Egypt. So that's how we can connect the allegory in Ezekiel 19 because of the fact that there was a lion. See, when Ezekiel is telling the children of Israel, hey, there was a lioness who had a lion's wealth and that lion learned to catch prey in a devoured man but that lion was caught and brought and carried with chains onto the land of Egypt. Everyone living during Ezekiel's time would understand that he's talking about King Jehoahaz who was a lion's whelp, who was a king of the descendants of the tribe of Judah and that Jehoahaz was carried by Necho into Egypt. But you say, okay, so that's how we understand what he's talking about. But there's another connection that I want you to notice. Go to Ezekiel 19. Keep your place there in 2 Chronicles. We're going to come right back to it. But go to Ezekiel 19 and let's look at verse number 5. Ezekiel 19 and verse 5. Notice what the Bible says in Ezekiel 19 and verse number 5. Now when she, because remember they caught the lion's whelp and they carried her way to Egypt. Now the Bible says this. Now when she, which is the nation of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah, saw that she had waited and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps and made him a young lion. So now we're being told of another one of her whelps was made a king and he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion and learned to catch the prey and devoured men. And he knew their desolate places and she laid waste their cities and the land was desolate and the furnace thereof by the noise of his roaring. Then the nation set against him on every side from the provinces and spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit, verse 9, and they put him in ward and chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into holds that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. So here we're told that the next line, because the first line got taken by chains to Egypt and we read there in 2 Chronicles 36 that that was Nico who took Jehoahaz and carried him to Egypt. But then Ezekiel says there was another lion's whelp. She made him a young lion and notice she took another of her whelps and made him a lion and this one gets brought, the Bible says they put him in ward and chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into holds that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. So go to 2 Chronicles 36 and let's get some insight into this. 2 Chronicles 36 and look at verse number 5. 2 Chronicles 36 and verse number 5. Notice what it says. Well, you know what, let's read verse 4. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem and turned his name to Jehoiakim and Nico took Jehoahaz, his brother, and carried him to Egypt. So notice that Jehoahaz is carried to Egypt but not a son of Jehoahaz but his brother is made by the king of Egypt, the king of Judah. Now his name was Eliakim but it was changed to Jehoiakim. Now what happens with Jehoiakim? Look at verse 5. Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, notice, and bound them in fetters and carried him to Babylon. So you see the parable here from Ezekiel. He's talking about these two lines. One was caught in a pit and was carried by chains to Egypt. The other one was caught in a net and was carried by chains to Babylon. And he's using an allegory about these two kings Jehoahaz. One was taken to Egypt and Jehoiakim who was taken to Babylon. Now go back to Ezekiel chapter 19. Ezekiel chapter 19 and look at verse number 10. Now remember when we started the sermon I told you that the chapters divided into two parts. And the first nine verses is part one that has to do with the kings of Israel. Verses 10 through 14 is the second part and it has to do with the state of the nation or the state of the people. Notice verse 10. Thy mother. Now again we're still talking in verses 1 through 9 the mother was a lioness. Now notice the mother is going to change as far as how it's represented. But it's still the nation of Israel or the people of Israel. Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the water. She was fruitful and full of branches by reason of any water. So let's just run some verses real quickly. Go to Isaiah chapter 5. If you go back you're going to go past Lamentations Jeremiah into the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 5 and look at verse number 7. Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 7. Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 7 and I preached a whole sermon recently out of Ezekiel about the vine and we had a whole parable of the vine so I'm not going to go into all that but I just want you to notice that now in Ezekiel 19 10 the vine is the mother and in Isaiah 5.7 we're told this for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel the men of Judah his pleasant plan. So again and I could spend a whole sermon going through that I'm not going to go through that but throughout the Old Testament the vineyard, the vine, the vine tree it's all a picture of the nation of Israel for the vineyard Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. Go back to Ezekiel 19. So in Ezekiel 19 verse 10 we're told thy mother is like a vine. Now what are we learning about this vine? We're learning about the state of the vine. Notice it had a great past. Ezekiel 19 said thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the waters. Notice she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. She's saying this your mother which is talking about the nation of Israel she was fruitful and full she was prospering she was blessed. Notice verse 11 and she the nation of Israel had notice past tense this is how it used to be strong rods for the scepters now a rod he's referring to he's referring to good night what is he referring to the scepter here there's another word I want to come up with but basically a scepter let me just give you a definition of a scepter. A scepter is a rod born in the hands as an emblem of regal royal or imperial powers. I want you to notice how the connection is being made back to the king look at verse 11 again she had strong rods for the scepter of them that bear rule we're talking about the leadership and her stature was exalted. I want you to notice the connection that's being made here because we started off by talking about these two lines who were two kings one was carried to Egypt one was carried to Babylon then we start talking about the state of the nation and he says look you were a fruitful and full you were blessed by God and he's connecting it to the man who held the scepter of them that bear rule and her stature was exalted among the thick branches and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches so if you remember the parable of the vineyard that we learned earlier or the vine tree that we learned earlier he was saying that she grew she expanded she was blessed notice verse 12 but she was plucked up in fury she was cast down to the ground and the east wind dried up her fruit her strong rods were broken he says look you used to have strong rods you used to have these strong rods for scepters of them that bear rule you used to have strong leadership but now those rods were broken and withered the fire consumed them notice verse 13 and now Ezekiel's speaking now in present tense this is Ezekiel's time he says and now she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty ground and fire is gone out of the rod of her branches which have devoured her fruit notice where does the fire come from it comes from the rod of her branches the leadership the scepter the lions whatever however you want to cut it in this passage you're saying it's connected to the leadership he says and the fire is gone out of the rod of her branches which had devoured her fruit so that she had no strong rod to be a scepter to rule saying look after these two kings were taken there was no more king that was going to be a strong king and Zedekiah becomes the king but Zedekiah is never acknowledged by Ezekiel as the king he's never called a king or put into that leadership position and here we're told that yeah they had Zedekiah but they had no strong rod to be the scepter to rule this and notice because we started talking about there's a lamentation about the kings and we end with it saying this is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation so what is it that Ezekiel is mourning here what is it that he is lamenting he is lamenting the fact that the kings have been taken away and that they're they used to have strong leadership they used to have strong rulers they used to be blessed by God but now the rods have been taken the rods have been broken now they're in a dry land now they're in a desert they're planted in a wilderness and he says you no longer have strong leadership now all I've done so far is explained to you what this passage is about I've made no application I'd like to end by making three quick applications tonight in regards to this passage here's what's interesting this chapter was outlined I had this chapter outlined Monday morning before anything that we've talked about happened before I came in to be aware of anything the interesting thing is that as I went through the week I spoke with my wife and in and even with Pastor Anderson I said man I've got this sermon I'm preaching you know here in Ezekiel and I don't know if it's gonna be appropriate with some of the things that are going on and he encouraged me he said you know what if you if you already had that sermon ready this is what God wants and just preach it don't add anything don't take anything wages just do what God has called you to do so I want to tell you that I'm preaching Ezekiel 19 tonight because we were in Ezekiel 18 last week and we were in Ezekiel 17 the week before that and this is what God has given us to study tonight but I want to just give you just real quickly tonight three applications in regards to this passage and what we can learn about this passage if you haven't noticed this passage is about leadership it's about the kings of Israel and God is bringing his judgment down upon the kings of Israel and he's blaming them for the destruction of the nation of Israel if you'd like to write these statements down I'd love for you to do that three things that we can learn from this passage number one God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard God brought his judgment but I want you to notice that he brought these gonna judge the entire nation but he brought his judgment first and he brought his judgment strongest upon the kings of Israel the first king was take carried away to Egypt the second one was carried away to Babylon the third one Zedekiah was the puppet king who God told him to just submit and do what Nebuchadnezzar told you to do he decided to rebel and he had his kids killed in front of him he had his eyes plucked out and he was judged as well and here's what we learned from this passage is that God will hold leaders accountable when God is talking to Ezekiel about the ruin of the nation of Israel and the southern kingdom of Israel he says it's the lion's fault he says it's the leadership's fault and it's interesting in the Bible in the Bible you find this concept that God holds leadership at a very strict and strong stand go to Deuteronomy 32 let me give you some examples of this Deuteronomy 32 and verse 49 you've got Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 32 and verse 49 remember Moses the Bible says that Moses was the meekest man that walked on the earth and Moses the Bible tells us well let's read it together Deuteronomy 32 and verse 49 notice what it says it says get thee talking about Moses or talking to Moses up into Mount Eberim unto Mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab that is over against Jericho and behold the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession and die in the mount without goes God is telling Moses I want you to take a hike up that mountain and die there and be gathered into thy people as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered unto his people verse 51 why why God because because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin because he sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel yet thou shalt see the land before thee but thou shalt not go hither unto the land which I give the children of Israel now here's what's interesting about this story is that Moses the meekest man the Bible tells us on earth Moses the man who God used mightily maybe one of the great I mean up there with Elijah as far as being mightily used of God went into Egypt and and stared down the most powerful man on earth and was used of God mightily bring the children out of Israel and Moses one time loses his temper and strikes the rock when God told him to talk to the rock and God says because of that you're not going into the Promised Land I'll let you wall up the mountain I'll let you look over but you're gonna die there and you think yourself okay so millions of these people who are a bunch of complainers millions of these people who are a bunch of murmurs and this you know and you're gonna they can go and all these other people can go and you ask yourself and you think well aren't you being a little tough on Moses but here's what I want you to understand God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard God look if you're a leader you say I'm not later if you're a mom you're a leader if you're a father you're a leader if you're a husband you're a leader if you've got people who report to you at work you're a manager you're an employer you're a business owner you're a leader if you're a pastor you're a leader if you're a deacon you're a leader if you hold any position of leadership please understand this that God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger and stricter standard let me give you another example go to Romans chapter 5 you got Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans Romans chapter 5 and verse number 12 you know the verse but let's look at it together Romans chapter 5 and verse 12 says this wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned it's interesting that Adam takes the blame for bringing sin into the world because when you read the story it's Eve it's Eve who takes of the fruit it's Eve who gives it to her husband now the Bible tells us that Eve was beguiled and deceived by Satan but Adam was disobedient meaning Adam knew exactly what he was doing when he did it he wasn't being tricked he knew he just did it because he was following his wife but what's interesting is that all throughout the Bible all throughout the New Testament the blame is laid at Adam's feet why because he was the leader because he was in charge because God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard go to James chapter 3 you start at the end of the New Testament Revelation and you head back you got Jude and 3rd 2nd and 1st John 2nd 1st Peter and James James chapter number 3 and put just make sure you you keep your place there cuz we're gonna leave it and we're gonna come back to it James chapter 3 this is why the Bible says this because God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard he says this my brethren be not many masters here's what he's saying we don't need a lot of leaders you think make sure that you understand what you're getting into when you take a position of leadership he says my brother be not many masters you say why knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation so what does that mean here's what it means is that when you are in charge God will hold you accountable you say yeah these kings but there was other people committing idolatry there was other people doing sinful things but God judged the Kings why because God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard so be not many masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation you better know what you're doing before you get into some leadership position you better count the cost and make sure you understand what that means because God holds leaders accountable there's a second thing we can learn in this passage if you'd like to write it down go with me to the book of Psalms if you can find keep your place there in James but go to Psalms if you open up your Bible right in the center you're more likely following Psalms three applications from this passage number one God will hold leaders accountable to a stronger standard this is why we see these lines taken off to Egypt and the line taken to Babylon and Zedekiah is not even referred to as a king and God says there is no more scepter why why did the punishment come down upon leadership because God holds leaders accountable listen mom God will hold you accountable for what you do with your children and husbands God will hold you accountable for how you lead your wife and fathers God will hold you accountable for how you lead your children and pastors God will hold you accountable for how you lead your congregations there's a second thing we can learn from this passage and it's this that everything rises and falls on leadership you're there in Psalms just keep your place there for a second but go back to Ezekiel just real quickly Ezekiel 19 I think it was Lee Roberson who made the phrase famous that everything rises and falls on leadership and it's interesting as you look at verses 10 11 12 13 and 14 in this passage that God is talking about the success and the failure of the nation and he's connecting it connects it to the leadership thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the waters she was fruitful and full verse 11 she had strong rods for set for the scepters why was she fruitful and full because she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bear rule but verse 12 she was plucked up in fury she was cast down to the ground and the east wind dried her up and her strong rods were broken and withered and fire consumed them and now she's planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty ground and you say why and the fire has gone out of the rod of her branches it is the leadership its fault look it was the leaderships it was for because of the leadership when they succeeded but it was because the leadership when they failed and you know what everything rises and falls on leadership and you do not live on an island in your decisions affect other people the way you live your life will influence other people and if you are a husband your decisions will impact your wife if you are parents your decisions will impact your children as a pastor as a pastor's wife my wife the decisions we make the things we do the things we decide to do will hurt other people because everything falls and rises on leadership there's a third thing and if it's okay because I've got some time I'd like to add a fourth thing the third thing is this that when human leadership fails good things can still come from it when human leadership fails good things can come from it I want you to kind of get this and and I hope I don't I'm not going too deep into this but I want you to see this here we are told in fact you know I asked you to keep your place in Psalms but make sure you're there but go to Jeremiah just real quickly Jeremiah let me just kind of walk you through this real quickly when you study the kings of Israel I've actually recently done a little bit of a study through the kings of Israel you find that these kings Jehoahaz is taken to Egypt Jehoiakim is taken to Babylon before anyone else goes to Babylon before Nebuchadnezzar takes over Babylon Jehoiakim goes to Babylon then Zedekiah is placed as a king and if you remember the way that Zedekiah ended his life was that all of his children were killed before him and his eyes were plucked out and I was actually considering doing this as a Christmas sermon I've been doing some odd Christmas sermons lately I guess but maybe next year but I was thinking of doing a Christmas sermon called things that almost ruined Christmas because if you remember Jesus was supposed to be a descendant of the kings of Judah that's why God told Solomon and David I will always keep a king on your throne because my son the Son of God was supposed to be a physical descendant of the line of Abraham and of the line of David and when you get to the end of Zedekiah's life and all his kids are killed and he sent off to Babylon you think oh no you just ruined Christmas because where is Jesus gonna come from where is the Messiah gonna come from that's the end of the line till you remember that there's another king of Israel there's another king of Judah in Babylon knows what happens to that King Jeremiah chapter 52 look at verse 31 and it came to pass in the seventh and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin that's what we've been learning about right that king that got taken to Babylon early and it came to pass in the seventh and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin the king of Judah in the 12th month in the five and twentieth day of the month that Evo-Mordoch king of Babylon in the first year of his reign so now we have a new king in Babylon because remember Nebuchadnezzar is the one that took Jehoiachin to Babylon but now this new king Evo-Mordoch king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him forth out of prison have you ever read something in the Bible and you ask yourself why is this in the Bible why does God need us to know this why do we need to know that after Jehoiachin had been in Babylon for a long time Nebuchadnezzar dies the new guy comes in and he takes him out of prison and he lifted up his head and he brought him forth out of prison verse 32 and spake kindly unto him and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon and changed his prison garments and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life and for his diet there was a continual diet given him of the kings of Babylon every day apportion unto the day of his death all the days of his life you say why does God need us to know that here's why God needs us needs us to know that go to Matthew chapter 1 Matthew chapter 1 look at verse 11 Matthew chapter 1 and verse 11 and Josias begat Jeconias and his brethren notice about the time they were carried away to Babylon and after they were brought to Babylon Jeconias that's who we've been talking about this whole time notice after they were brought to Babylon Jeconias begat Salathiel and Salathiel begat Sarababel and Sarababel and you go on and you go on and you end up with Jesus who is called Christ you say how did the lineage of Christ continue with with Jehoiakim well it continued only because of one reason because evil Mordoch became king and for some reason God impressed upon his heart to bring him out of prison and to be nice to him and obviously after his Babylonian captivity was he allowed to marry and have children and we continue on the Christmas story Christmas is saved and here's all I'm saying here you have a king that was judged of God here you have a king that was removed off his throne by God but God was still able to use them because all things work together for good doesn't say that all things are good but all things can work together for good so what do we learn from this parable well we learn number one that God holds leadership to a strong standard and number two that everything rises and falls on leadership number three even when human leadership fails you God can still use them in some way and number four this last one will be done though human leadership may fail you God will never fail you Psalm 146 look at verse 3 if you kept your place there Psalm 146 and verse 3 says this Psalm 146 and verse 3 says put not your trust in princess put not your trust in princess neither in the Son of Man the Son of Man is a reference to humanity whenever Jesus is called the Son of Man it's a reference to his humanity in whom there is no help he said look put not your trust in princess Trump's not gonna help you see how can you say that because that's what the Bible says put not your trust in princess nor in the Son of Man and whom there is no help there are some things that we can't help you with here you say why verse 4 his breath goeth forth he returneth to the earth and the very day his thoughts perish he says look no matter how highly you look at a man no matter how much you admire a man no how no matter how much you like a man at the end of the day that's all he is as a man and one day he's going to die and he can't help you verse 5 happy is he that hath God that hath the God of Jacob notice for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God he said you know you'll be happy if your hope and if your help is in God not nothing against human leadership go to Revelation chapter 5 nothing against human leadership Paul said that we should follow him as he followed Christ God has given us human leadership but listen to me do not get discouraged when leaders failed you because God will never fail you we follow leadership as long as they follow Christ and when then they when they divert and they don't follow Christ anymore we don't divert with them we just keep on following Christ because what makes a man great is not the man but it is the God of that man and sometimes we make a little too much of men and we get discouraged when they fell look just just write it down man will tell you oh we want people to end right and do right and live right we want to get to the end of our lives like the Apostle Paul and say I finished my course I've kept the faith henceforth there's laid up for me a crowd of righteous we want to do that but if men fail you if your pastor fails you if your husband fails you if your children fail you you just serve God because what's interesting is that in this story we are told in the story we're told of these lions who were these courageous strong lines but they were taken away they were removed listen if you want to make it in the Christian life if you want to make it as a church member as a long-term church member the kind of person that's faithful in church for not years but decades someone said this once and I thought it was a great a great phrase the Christian life is not measured in years it's measured in decades I'm not impressed how many years you've been serving God I'm impressed with decades because something you need to learn and something I had to learn early on in ministry is this people come and people go I you say pastor you you've passed a very Baptist church for eight years honestly I feel like I've pastored four or five different churches over the last eight years because people come and people go and I hope you come and I hope you stay and I hope you're here five years from now and ten years from now and 15 years from now I hope 20 years from now we have some plaque somewhere and it says all of the members that have been with us for 20 years and 30 years and these people have been faithful and they've been great but listen to me if you get backslidden and if you get mad at God and bitter at God and angry at God and you get divorced and you leave and you do whatever you want to do just realize this we're gonna still be here you can come back when you're ready to repent and get right with God but people come and people go and we're not gonna let that discourage us putting out your trust in princes nor in the Son of Man here's what's interesting these lions which was their whole were caught and carried away revelation 5 5 says this and one of the elders sayeth unto me weep not behold knows what it says the lion of the tribe of Judah not Jehoiakim not Zedekiah not Jehoahaz this is the Lord Jesus Christ though true lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof see the lions well failed the people but the lion of the tribe of Judah he'll never fail the people go to 1st Peter chapter 5 if you kept your place there in James just the next book over is 1st Peter 1st Peter chapter 5 look at verse 1 knows what Peter says here he's talking to pastors 1st Peter chapter 5 and verse 1 he says this the elders the elders which are among you I exhort whom also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also partake or the glory that shall be revealed feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not a filthy lucre but of a ready mind he's telling me he says I'm an elder and I'm instructing the elders is what they ought to be doing neither is being lords over God's heritage but being in samples to the flock verse 4 and when don't miss this the chief Shepherd shall appear he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away look if this pastor ever fails you there's a there's a chief if this Shepherd ever fails you but he there's a boss above him he's who you should be following so when human leadership fails you and they will just remember when the lion's wealth fails you and they will just remember that the line of the tribe of Judah will never fail you and when the shepherds and when the bishops and when the pastors and when the elders fail you you always have the chief Shepherd he is the author and finisher of our faith and God look God wants you to be for human leadership follow human leadership he is ordained human leadership but it has an extent and when human leadership fails God never fails that's by our heads in our board of prayer heavenly father thank you Lord for your word thank you for these passages but I believe that you ordained the timing of these sermons you lead us and you guide us and you help us Lord I pray that you would help our church and help other people who are hurting this time and Lord help us to decide that we're gonna serve you and love you and do right no matter what other people do in the matchless name of Christ we pray amen