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Hey man, it's the second Samuel chapter number 15. There's a lot going on in this chapter and there is a lot to that a person could preach on about in this chapter but tonight or tonight this morning we're looking at it we're starting a new sermon series and the new sermon series I've titled it mind viruses what do I mean by that I'm talking about in this sermon series so first of all as a as a pastor and many of you have been here for a long time hopefully you know this but I am obsessed with people's success I'm obsessed with the success of your Christian life I want to I hope you know that I would do anything I would bend over backwards to make sure if you had a problem in your life or something that was stopping you or or just causing you trouble I would do anything that I possibly could to help remove that problem from you I love seeing the success of other people in particular most importantly spiritual success Christian growth just success of the Christian life but success what you need to understand and what I want to talk about this morning and in this sermon series success or failure is a mindset it's a mindset it is a way of thinking I mean just to give you an example I mean here you are in in church this morning you you are in church this morning every single person even though we had to set our clocks ahead and we lost an hour of sleep we are in church this morning you are in church this morning because you had the mindset that I am going to church today so you succeeded in that one task but success in your life in the Christian life most importantly and then in all other aspects of your life is nothing more than a mindset it is you deciding you are going to think a certain way and do a certain things following the Bible is a mindset you could read the Bible but if you don't have the mindset that I'm going to do what the Bible says you know who knows what direction you're going to go in now the point of this series is and you look all of these sermons in this series there's going to be four of them all of them are functions of pride and so I could just stand up here and say don't be prideful and let's just go to another sermon series but for some reason people seem to need more detail than that so all of these things all of these noticeable patterns and trends that always repeat themselves because when people fail they fail for the same reasons when people fall out of the Christian life it's not something new that got them it's always the same thing most of the time it's a function of pride and every single one of these sermons will be a function a detail of pride so look I want you all to succeed that is a definite truth that I can say about you but when people don't it's it's for the same reasons again and again and again it's mind-numbing it's so easily you know repeatable and recognizable you know I love trends I love recognizing patterns in all these different things but look you need to recognize these things for yourself and also recognize these things for those around you because look it is rare that prideful people only damage themselves that is another thing that you need to see it is rare that a prideful person who leads himself or herself to destruction it is rare that they do not damage people that they are around it is rare look at second Samuel chapter 15 and look at verse number one now there's a there's about a hundred sermons you could preach about the first few verses of second Samuel chapter 15 Absalom of course is David's son he is David's son who is scheming against David and getting ready to take over you know successfully he takes over the kingdom in this chapter look at second Samuel chapter 15 in verse number one before I even give you the title of the sermon let's read through the first few verses here the Bible says this it says and it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him and Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate and it was so that when a man had controversy he came to the king for judgment that Absalom called unto him and said of what city art thou and he said thy servant is one of the tribes of Israel the gates of the city is where the leaders of the city sat is where the king sat and would declare judgment people would come there and the king would give out his judgment you know this is why in Proverbs 31 the Bible says the Proverbs the virtuous woman she is married to a man who sits in the gates so he's one of the leaders of the city so the gates it's this area between the walls of the city is not just like he's standing by the door it's it's a place where people came to have matters resolved and the ultimate person that sat in the gate was the king so here we see the king's son doing that same thing look at verse 3 and Absalom said unto him see thy matters are good and right but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee and Absalom said moreover oh that I were made judge in the land that every man which have any suit or cause might come down to me and I would do him justice and it was so that any man came nigh to him to do a beast a basins he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him and on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel so like I said there's many things in this story there's many things in these first six verses but the first mind virus that I want to talk about this morning is this mind virus that where a person so what I'm going to do is I'm going to tell you what the way of thinking is and then I'm going to give you three responses that you need to give yourself if you ever start thinking this way and the first one is this this idea this thinking where you look at leadership in your life whatever authority that may be and it goes for men and women and you say I can do better that is the first my virus and again it's a mind virus because that type of thinking if you have that in your Christian life in your secular life wherever it is it will destroy you 100% it will bring you down to the ground if you look at leadership in your life and you say that's something that I could do better this is a mind virus that you need to cure so I'm going to give you three responses this morning that if you ever look and I'm sure we have all thought this before this is not something that is an unnatural thing to think it is when you let these things get out of control and start to define you is when they destroy you it's when you you know can't keep yourself in check that these things destroy you so I want to give you three responses this morning that if this ever creeps into your head you need to tell yourself these responses all right just get rid of it and look the first point here covers 99% of all cases so even if you just quit paying attention halfway through the sermon the first one is 99% of all cases of when you start to think I can do that better and the first response whenever you think that the first response that covers the vast majority of cases is this this is what you need to tell yourself when you that creeps into your head you need to tell yourself this no you can't it is the first response you need to tell yourself because the very fact that you think this way means that you are unqualified to lead and I'm going to explain that to you this morning people but what what did Absalom do here what did Absalom do here we're going to look at him as a bad example and then there's a very good example I'm going to give you in the end that so happens to be in the very same chapter so here we see of this mind virus we see a bad example Absalom and then we see like the literal opposite of that in the same chapter but you see one thing that people do when they say I can when they look at someone who's leading or a leadership or an authority figure in their life and they say I can do that better is they look at one thing Absalom I mean who here thinks first of all there's no evidence that David was not sitting in the gate Absalom was literally intercepting people that came to the gate before the king could even talk to them there's no evidence that David either was not there himself or did already have not have delegates there himself it's just Absalom was standing in front of you know the king in those things in this one thing that the king did now let me ask you a question who thinks that King David as he ruled over this entire nation that was his only job was to sit in the gate and judge the people just to do this one thing look the reality is the reality is people that look at like what Absalom did here people that look at what the king or the leader or the boss or whoever is is doing they look at one thing they say I could do that one thing better the reality is is they are looking at it from a perspective that they see not the leader sees the leader sees a completely different perspective and look when in reality if these people if they bore the full burden the vast majority of these people if they bore the full burden of what the leader had on his shoulders they would not be able to do any of it this is the vast majority of cases Absalom he was intercepting people you know and here's another thing this is another reason that you see people that do this type of thing that go as far as Absalom went here they have very little to do many of many of these people they I mean they have you know when you see people looking at one aspect of what a leader does and saying I could do that better they happen to be people and this is a trend that I've noticed they happen to be people that you know have nothing to do and all day to do it and the king I am sure is extremely busy especially if he wasn't in the gate I'm sure he was doing other things that a king or a leader of an entire nation folks had to do but he wasn't King he didn't even have a job and he's sitting there and he's pointing out one thing that the king is doing and he's just like you know what he's like I could do that better all he knew is David wasn't there and he you know and look he had alter your motives anyway we know that from the story but the King's job is not just sitting in the gate he is literally responsible for everything that happens to the nation leadership is a different perspective that's what you have to tell yourself and it's one that you don't see I mean it's one that if you aren't in that position it's a perspective that you simply do not have trust me I listen to so many sermons from Pastor Jimenez trying to explain the perspective of leadership as I was sitting in the chairs listening to the sermons and I can tell you that I never really understood those sermons until I was actually in the position of leadership so there's kind of some things that maybe you just need to kind of see like you know what I don't have that perspective and just kind of accept that until you're in that role or if you're you know just not in that role you're just not going to understand that perspective because from the leadership point of view you know their view is different their concerns are different and their goals are different than yours if you're not in leadership yet people just like Absalom will pick one thing and they will say I could I could do this leadership thing better because that's really what Absalom was saying is he chose this one thing but he really said I could be a better King I could rule better and look we know that that wasn't true because we know how it worked out they pick one decision and decide they could just run the whole thing do the whole job better rarely is that the case rarely if ever is that the case and here's number two so the first one is this the first one is this if it ever creeps into your mind I could do that better you just have to tell yourself no you can't no you can't do that better we say well I still think that I can well here's number two it doesn't matter if you can that's point number two you're like oh man I had it I thought that I could do it better and I even though pastor said that like you know I probably can't I still think that I can do it better but here's another thing turn to 2nd Samuel or look at 2nd Samuel chapter 15 in verse number one you're just going to keep your place in that chapter the whole time no matter where we go but it doesn't matter if you can do it better from a biblical perspective it makes no difference whether you can do it better or not it doesn't matter look at 1st Samuel or 2nd Samuel 15 look at the first verse it says and it came to pass was it Absalom's job to sit in the gate it came to pass who put in there this is the question who put Absalom in the gate 2nd Samuel chapter 15 look at verse number one and it came to pass after this Absalom prepared him is that a weird three words right there Absalom prepared him Absalom prepared himself Absalom went out and bought himself a bunch of friends Absalom put himself in authority Absalom prepared himself chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him if you truly can do the job better first of all why is no one putting you there to do it that's the first you know that's just a side note seems odd but look in leadership turn to Luke chapter 14 in leadership how you get there matters in biblical leadership how you get there matters and it speaks why so it doesn't matter if you could do it better because how you get there matters and you can't put yourself there why because it doesn't work that way it speaks to legitimacy which is what the Bible talks about look at Luke 14 and verse number 8 look it doesn't work this way anywhere I'm not talking about your Christian life I'm not talking about church life it doesn't work this way anywhere it doesn't work this way in any level of leadership anywhere out in the world even look at Luke 14 and verse number 8 look what Jesus says he says when thou are bidden of a man of any man to a wedding sit not down in the highest room lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him and he that bade thee and come in and say to thee give this man place and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room so he's saying don't elevate yourself Jesus himself is saying you can't elevate yourself and Jesus is kind of explaining this in an analogy of somebody that goes to the wedding you know you go to that you're invited to this wedding you're bade to a wedding you're invited I'm legitimately invited I'm just gonna go sit down at the head table right next to the groom and pretend like you know I'm the second best man or whatever and Jesus is saying that's gonna be embarrassing for you because someone's gonna tell you hey you can't sit there because nobody likes you and we barely even invited you in the first place they say go and sit in the low sit in the way back he says it's better look at this it says but when thou are bidden go and sit in the lowest room that when he that badeth he cometh he may say unto thee friend go up higher then thou shall have worship in the presence of them that sit at meet with thee for Jesus whoever exulteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted the life of Absalom verse 11 he elevated himself and he was abased but dead but it ended in disaster the point is you want to go into the wedding get invited to the wedding go sit way in the back and have the guy that invited you say man you have to come sit up closer we have a table reserved for you that's much better than to go up you could have had a table in either case you could have had a table in the front of the wedding and in either case you could have went up and sat in front of the groom you were still pretty good in front of the wedding and it would have been embarrassing to get taken from the in front of the groom to down to the table in the front whereas it would have been much better even though you still had that table in both cases to be brought from the back and sat in the front just saying don't elevate yourself how you get there matters is what Jesus is saying and look this is what I'm saying by the point number two you need to tell yourself if you start to think like I could do that better it makes no difference if you could do it none you think about this at work even if you could even if you think maybe I could do that better what the boss did today or the boss did last week or what the boss does every day there's people like this that they you know I can't figure out why people can't identify this for themselves every single place they go to work the boss is an idiot every single place I'm like man like is every boss on the planet that you run into an idiot maybe the problem is you that's what you need to ask yourself if you constantly think that but even in the case where you go in and say my boss is a very foolish person he doesn't do things right you can't just go in and say I'm the boss today that's not going to work that wouldn't work anywhere it's not going to work in your Christian life it's not going to work anywhere in life I mean you think about Trinity Ephesians chapter 5 so the second point is that again I just want to keep repeating at the second point is that even if you could do it better that literally makes no difference that means nothing because it's not your job the person in authority is the person in authority and you can't just make yourself the person in authority it doesn't work that way it never will work that way ever no matter how many people you talk to no matter how many men you hire to run in front of you matter how many people whose lives you ruin along with yours it is never going to work that way ever am I being definitive enough about that look at Ephesians chapter 5 this goes for a women too this goes for a wife I mean think about a wife maybe there's a wife out there she is really smarter than her husband I'm sure there's like the cases out there maybe mines one of them maybe maybe there's a wife out there that's married to a husband that just makes all the wrong decisions that just leads like just leads his family down the wrong path constantly and there's this wife that is just convinced like I would make better decisions than this guy that I'm married to it doesn't matter it doesn't matter that does not give the wife authority to rule over her husband it's just be that just run him over and just be this bossy wife that's just nagging her husband and just you know you ever met like I've met like a lady that's just like constantly like bad talking her husband and just like trashing her husband to other people look just because maybe he is a fool I don't know I mean he's foolish for marrying a woman that would trash him constantly that's the only thing I think about in those cases but it doesn't matter if he's a fool and the wife would make better decisions look at Ephesians 5 22 it says wives submit yourself unto your husbands as unto the Lord period no no unless he doesn't do something that you don't agree with there's no cause there it says submit yourself under your husband's but look it doesn't matter if you think you could make better decisions than him that is the authority in the family that is what the Bible clearly points out now look this is a lesson for young ladies don't marry an idiot don't marry somebody who is foolish and look I've said this many times and I think it just needs to be repeated and repeated and repeated because a young lady believes what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 22 and doesn't come into a marriage thinking hey if this doesn't if he doesn't do what I want I can just overrule him and just run him over and just bulldoze him if a woman that just believes Ephesians 5 22 what the Bible says about marriage will make a very wise decision in who she marries because she will understand that I mean who you marry young ladies it's a life-defining choice it's important that we understand that because look it is just because you think you can do it better and maybe there's a small chance that that's true it is not your job that's the second point that it is not your place and you can't just make yourself the boss it does not work that way anywhere all right now that leads me to my third point which is this there must be legitimacy in leadership and we're gonna look at the qualifications of a pastor for an example just an example and I'm going to show you something very interesting about all of the qualifications of the pastor but look at this there must be legitimacy in leadership otherwise it wouldn't work no I mean people would not follow you think about the satellite ministry I just think about the satellite ministry I mean why do that why be a satellite leader here for two years and be I mean I mean I had no title I had nothing I mean it was just like you're just completely just leading this satellite ministry we're a satellite of another church we're not our own church name like which is really cool like we have now we're just running this why do the satellite ministry for two years why not just go and just like start my own church why not just you know lay hands on myself and just start my own ministry look at 1st Timothy chapter 5 look at 1st Timothy chapter 5 and then we're gonna go back to 1st Timothy chapter number 3 the answer is that there must be legitimacy in leadership it must be legitimate the Bible is very clear about this look at verse 22 of 1st Timothy chapter 5 the Bible says lay hands suddenly on no man neither be partaker of other men's sins keep thyself pure he's talking to a young preacher here Paul is saying don't just you can't just it's a serious thing to ordain somebody it's a serious thing to you know make somebody or ordained somebody a pastor of you know the Jesus Christ Church it's it's a big deal he's saying lay hands suddenly you better know who this person is you better have vetted them this is what he is saying is not something to be taken lightly look the reason for the satellite ministry is is really I mean it's two things first of all it's going through a trial period I mean pastor Jimenez is not going to lay hands suddenly on any man there has to be there has to be a trial period there has to be training there there has to be you know and then you know look having a man of God and this is a was a big one for me having a man of God a legitimate man of God lay their hands on you and ordain you into the ministry giving their endorsement that's what God wants God does not want people elevating themselves hiring 50 men and chariots and horses to run in front of them and look if no one will there's a problem there if no one will do that if no legitimate man of God will lay hands on somebody look there's a problem there must be legitimacy to leadership everywhere that's why there's qualifications now turn to first Timothy chapter 3 I mean the point of the qualifications it's kind of a measuring stick for a leader is to say like hey you know the Bible wants to know like yes can this person do the job but it is a measuring stick for pastors to know should I lay hands on this person or not should this person be ordained or not I mean see people think I'm qualified I can do this better but a lot of times they're the only one that thinks so and that's the problem because if you can do it better and you are qualified why aren't you there doing that and maybe they convince one or two people that you know they could do it better or whatever but no one in authority thinks so and that is something that is super important to understand but look at this I want to show you something and first Timothy chapter 3 here so these are the qualifications of a pastor very good you know succinct few verses here but I want to show you something that is missing in these qualifications all right I want to show you the difference between credibility and ability because many people will just mix these two things or equate one with the other they will think oh because I am able I am credible no wrong many people look you'll see this out in the world this is a common mentality just because I am the best at something I should be qualified to lead people in that area wrong that is not what the Bible says look down at first Timothy chapter 3 look down at first Timothy chapter 3 there must be the third point is there must be legitimacy or credibility in leadership so if you are sitting there thinking that I should be the leader and I mean I'm not saying you're all are thinking this but somebody that is having this creeping in saying I should be the leader at my job I should be the leader of my family I should be the leader in this organization whatever it is just because you think you're the best at something huh that's not what the Bible says that is not a legitimate qualification for leadership that's nowhere in the qualifications as a matter of fact you think it'd be mentioned once look at the Bible look at verse number one says this is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop he desires a good work a bishop must be blameless the husband of one wife vigilant sober of good behavior given to hospitality apt to preach these are all like you know what this all speaks to all these things that just read off all kinds of different things there but they all speak to what they all speak to credibility not ability this is this is about credibility this is about legitimate credibility look at verse number three not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawler not covetous again credibility why what's the pastor what's the preacher going to be talking about everything in Bible which is these things credibility he must be credible in these areas one that ruleth well his own house having his children a subjection with all gravity for if a man not know how to rule his own house how should they take care of the Church of God again credibility not a novice less being uplifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of a devil now that one that one right there is it says he's not a novice but it still doesn't say he's the best it says he knows his Bible says he's not a beginner at the Word of God he understands what the Bible says it doesn't say he knows the Bible better than anybody it says that he is not a novice meaning he's not a beginner in the things of God as a matter of fact in these six verses that I just showed you this leader of a church in this example which is the best look this quote this goes for everything where you have authority in your life it does not say that he is the best at any of these things being the best is not one of the qualifications best what best preacher best speaker best at dealing with people whatever you want to say he's not the best at anything that's not one of the qualifications but it does warn against pride but it does warn against pride which that's where the thinking I'm better at this than somebody else comes from so literally the fact that you are thinking you are better than the leader in your life disqualifies you from being that leader in the first place according to the Bible it doesn't say he's a matter of fact I mean how many things you know what just think about it from the perspective of the preacher think about it from that I mean I'm not talking about the pastor I'm talking about the one thing the preaching that the pastor does you think about like my preaching I just think about I mean you poor people have to listen to me a hundred fifty times a year and I mean I try to be interesting I try to be I try to not I try to not tell a lot of stories because I know I know when I'm telling a story that a third of the church has already heard this story and I don't want to be like that old guy that just tells the same stories over and over again so I try not to tell a lot of stories I try to get better at preaching I'm not a preacher I've never been trained in preaching my training has come from real-time like just thrown into the war that's that's my training but look people today it is not about how the preaching comes off people today not only do they have no attention span but they are obsessed with being entertained and I mean I hate to tell you but I am not here to entertain you even though I don't want to bore you I'm not here I'm not some clown up here trying to you know make you stop falling asleep it's not about people have ruined themselves through media quite frankly I mean people care more about the way things are said people care more about the way things are said then what is said people care more about some entertainment venue people care more what do you see these churches with thousands of people in it it's smoke shows and rock concerts and they're literally saying nothing they go in there entertained they don't care that nothing or the false things are being said how many times have you gone to somebody's door do you know you're going to heaven no I don't where do you go to church this church how long you been going there 20 years and they never told them how to go to heaven but they showed him a rock concert every Sunday morning they blew a bunch of literal smoke and purple lights in their face and they're just like hey cool what have they been telling you nothing nothing people care more about how things are said then what is actually said or if anything is said at all what they're not even concerned who says it they're not even concerned about point number two which is what the credibility they're not concerned about that look we're in an era of these and I look I get it we're in an era of podcasts and I get that there's some podcasts that are good but it matters who is talking rod of iron who do you have talking you have a man of God talking knows the Bible backwards and forwards you're going to get some value there even secular podcasts where you have some seasoned businessman or whatever and say you're trying to learn some new business technique you're trying to figure out how to get a business off the ground and you listen to a podcast of somebody who has done that and has what what do they have that credibility but you know what a lot of these podcasts are a bunch of comedians sitting around talking about politics and people listen to this stuff for hours on end I mean I would rather jab my eyes out with a dull pencil then listen to a bunch of morons who who been done nothing have zero credibility about any of the things they're talking about yeah people just bring it in why all because it's it's interesting and they're good at talking or they're they're good interviewer or whatever I mean it's just what is happening just or just even worse it's like it's just a bunch of idiots sitting around like talking nonsense and like millions and millions of people will watch this stuff there's no credibility there's no value nothing is being said either secular or especially spiritual that has any positive value in your life there's no credibility there's not even any possibility of anyone saying anything that's edifying at all the problem is though and I've asked myself this question so many times like why would people listen to that first of all because people just like to hear people that are good at talking or maybe talking about certain things but you know if you are the kind of person that just likes to listen to people repeat opinions that you have you need to expand your horizons if you like just talking I mean if you don't care if you like oh there's some right-wing you know comedian or something and you think that he has a lot of ideas that match yours or whatever like you're just literally just rotting your brain it is how it is it's what it's when you grow when you read and study things that are are put forth and created by people that know more about you and that are more credible than you that's when you grow both intellectually and spiritually by the way I mean if you just listen to a bunch of morons sitting around talking nonsense for our you know what you're gonna you're gonna like you're gonna become a moron it is what's you know it's what's happening to everybody turn to Romans chapter 16 see but back to the point people care very little about what actually is being said and you say well this is a new thing from the internet nope Paul had the same problem Paul had the same issue look at Romans chapter 16 in verse number 18 Romans chapter 16 verse number 18 people care more about being entertained and how things are said then what is actually being said look at Romans 16 18 for they that sir they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ verse of the week but their own belly sound like Absalom who is he serving he was serving himself and by look at this and by good words and fair speeches they say a bunch of nonsense a bunch of falsehoods a bunch of things that aren't true but it sounds nice they say it in a good way and they deceive the hearts of what simple the simple simple people don't be simple I mean you only have to know just a little bit of the Bible to pick up on most of the false doctrine that's being preached out there but people say things in a very nice way in a very smooth way where it sounds good they're well-spoken you know look I mean Barack Obama got elected this way just because he can just get up and just make a fair speech and sound good and people are just like I don't know what he said but sounds pretty good look even Paul though turn to second Corinthians chapter 11 Paul was a much better writer than he was a speaker when Paul actually got in front of people if you read the Bible he says this in a few different places but Paul was a very good writer I mean look at the Bible I mean what he penned through the Holy Spirit he penned a great part of the New Testament but apparently when he got in front of people he wasn't like you know this big you know tall handsome looking towering figure that could just deliver a speech like nobody else he wasn't like Tony Robbins getting up there and and doing whatever you know but look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse number 6 he says but though I be rude in speech yet not a knowledge that's really everything right there but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things he's saying I can't speak well but I know what I'm talking about it's like I may not be the smoothest person in the world but when I tell you something there is thorough knowledge of the Word of God in those things 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 he says the same thing he says that I made that it may not seem in verse number 9 as if I would terrify you by letters for his letters they say they are weighty and powerful but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible you know what that tells you there's people in the Corinthian Church they're sitting there after Paul gives a sermon and they're like this guy's a terrible preacher like I could preach better than that does that matter though it makes no difference so just from the perspective of a preacher being the best preacher Paul the greatest evangelist who has ever lived or probably ever will live was a terrible preacher and it makes no difference I mean look I don't think I'm some great preacher or ever gonna be some great preacher I'm trying not to be horrible at it but hey more important is what I say not how I say it more important than any preacher anybody listening to this listening to their preacher more important is what he says not how he says it it's not part of the qualifications and that's why it's not part of the qualifications I mean don't you think you think God missed something don't you think it would have been in there if it was important but here's really the thing and you'll see this in life as you'll see it in church as you'll see it throughout your whole Christian life it is rarely this I'm speaking from experience right now it is rarely the best who is the the most qualified leader rarely it is rarely the best technician who is is is most qualified and would do a the best job at leading that group of technicians if you want to get down to the craft part of it that's why it's not in the qualifications it's rarely the best because you know what I found you know what I found and I was I have kind of like a teeter-totter analogy to it is the better here's what I found with most people and there's rare people out there that are very humble and very good at their jobs what I found is that with people in their craft in their trades and whatever they do the better they are at their job the more prideful they are in their job and what is the one thing that you cannot have as a leader if you want to be a good leader and it's actually part of the qualifications it's what pride and that is why many times the best is not the best leader it would be a very bad leader as a matter of fact there would be a leader that gets in and just beats people down and is super prideful that they're the best and you'll never be the best and all these different things but look I've always thought you know and look I I've always I've always just known that going in when I find some great mechanic or great some of the greatest projects I've ever done in my secular career I've worked with some super awesome craftspeople and look but there just comes a weight with that there comes a weight with these people that are really good at their jobs and look we all need those people but there just comes a weight of pride with people like that most of the time it's just a truth and that's why the best being the best is not in the qualifications of a pastor because a pastor a leader though I mean just apply that to leadership qualifications leaders they if they're prideful all kinds of horrible things will happen they will treat people badly they will fall into traps they will get flattered by all kinds of different people and flattery will actually work on them because it's a prideful leader where flattery works it's a prideful leader where somebody comes up and says you're the best pastor ever and I'm like well thank you I know I am it's a prideful boss or leader or whatever it is that falls into that net of flattery pride is one of the qualifications that says you should not be a leader all right look here's a conclusion if you ever think this way if you ever think this way I want you all to think about this now if you are not in charge in what we are all servants in places in our life and we are all leaders in places in our life even the the medium-aged kids in this church you are leaders to an extent to the younger children especially you are examples to them and look if you are not in charge in certain areas of your life because nobody is ever going to be in charge in every single area of their life if you are not in charge here's what you should do you should appreciate that you should appreciate the fact that you are not in charge in that area because guess what true leaders true leaders are great followers and this and I'm going to show you this right from this same story but true leaders are great followers because they are very secure people the people that are the people that are in leadership positions in this church whether it be ushers or soul winning or whatever they will be secure people you will notice that you will notice that that if you take the the head usher one of the ushers and he is in a group that goes out soul winning and he is not in charge of that group that he will just let that person lead and that person could say well we're going to go up and down this this block and zigzags and one of these men will say nothing because they are just totally secure to follow I I mean I love I love going to events at other churches I absolutely love it you know one of the reasons I love it is like I'm not in charge of anything I mean pastor you man is you know go to an event there or something I'm just like he's like hey could you you know tell me what to do tell me what to do I don't want to make any decisions just tell me where I need to be I need to take out the trash what do I need to do it's it's such a nice feeling to to just serve but look and this is a great test for me as a pastor I watch for people that can't follow I watch that all of you should know this about me and many of you probably already do but I watch this very closely and if I find somebody that has problems following they will lead nothing here ever this is such an important mindset that you just have to understand from soul winning to the ushers ministry there is I mean there is a hundred and fifty thousand different ways to organize ushers and the counting and all the different things that the ushers do here there is a billion different ways to pair people for soul winning to make a map for soul winning to manage and complete the maps there's a billion different ways to do that all you have to do is just follow that's it because I could do it better maybe you could but it doesn't matter it makes no difference turn to Matthew chapter 20 keep your place in 2nd Samuel chapter 15 the leaders in this church as the leaders in you know other organizations they should be the type of people that are always like what can I do to help where can I you know tell me what to do you know because why because to lead ultimately is to serve that so if you just can't follow to lead is to serve look at Matthew 20 verse 26 the Bible says Jesus says so it shall be not so but it shall not be so among you who he compares the world's leadership to true Christian leadership he says but it's so not be so among you for whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister and whosoever should be chief among you let him be your servant now turn back to 2nd Samuel chapter 15 so if you're telling yourself I can do that better and you're even having that thought run through your head and criticize somebody who is actively now let me use this word actively serving instead of helping him serve you're criticizing him even in your own mind you are definitely not by definition qualified to lead anything this is why you must crush this mindset stop this virus before it starts now I told you there is an exact opposite of how to do things in this same chapter look at 2nd Samuel chapter 15 and look at verse number 19 then said the king to it I to get tight this guy was a Philistine he was a Philistine that had came that had been they gotten saved and wanted to join the nation he was a stranger wherefore goest thou also with us David's like what are you doing here you're not part of this trouble he's like go home well he's like cuz I've been here for 10 years and this is pretty much my family look at what he says it says return to thy place and abide with the king for thou art a stranger and also an exile where is thou came but yesterday he's like you're a stranger you're not even of this nation he's like you came here literally 24 hours ago why would you come with us into this trouble he's like just go back and serve the new king Absalom and save yourself the headache David the king is telling him this look what he says in verse 20 verse 21 then he says seeing I go whither I'm he says whereas thou came yesterday should I this day make thee go up and down with us he's like you're gonna die with us over this seeing I go whither I may return thou and take back thy brethren mercy and truth be with thee and it I answered the king this is his answer and said as the Lord liveth and as my lord the king liveth surely in what place my lord the king shall be whether in death or life even there also will what look at these words will thy servant be you know what it I could have done he could have been like you idiot look what you've done to your kingdom he could have been like you fool everybody saw what Absalom was doing Absalom was doing this for years he could have been like why did you let Absalom sneak behind your back like this and turn the entire nation against you why did you do that absolutely doing this for years and years and years and years and people were turning and turning and turning you don't think people come to the king telling him what was going on and all of a sudden it gets to the point where David kicked out of his own kingdom and this guy just got there yesterday and he's going with David he's like no no he's like as the Lord liveth so he's safe he's like as the the one true God liveth and as you live King he's like I go where you your servant goes where you go he said you know what he said how can I serve how can I serve you say well what does that mean he's a he's a he's a beautiful example of how to follow and how to serve and in the next coming chapters he commands a third of the army to take back the kingdom he just showed up yesterday and in two chapters he is leading a third of the entire nation's army why because he's a servant that's why because he was able to follow and he was able to just be a servant to who was in charge at the time and what did he become he became a leader because why he's credible and he had that legitimacy so if this idea starts creeping into your head and look we've all had the thoughts when you see a leader do something that you wouldn't have done it that way all these things you just need to stomp it you need to stomp it out right away you just need to be like hey you know cuz look you don't understand if you know maybe King David was dealing with all kinds of other things over here and you know what he's you know a real service been like how can I help how can I help pick this thing up how can I be of what be of service but of course we know epsilon was was for himself and many people that just allow this feeling to just completely consume them and take over the way they operate they're in it for their own belly as the Bible says they're in it for themselves but you can't let it get that far you have to stomp it out immediately because it will 100% ruin you and it the sad thing is it will ruin many people around you as well let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer your Heavenly Father I thank you for this you know I thank you for putting this story in the Bible it's a very valuable story I thank you for all the advice that you've given us Lord and in authority and leadership we just thank you for the wisdom of the Bible just help us to understand when you know we're having you know bad mindsets