LEADING WITH NO COMPROMISE
Living And Leading With Spiritual Courage-Part 8
August 25, 2024
Pastor Daven Hee and Pastor Shayne Tauaefa
Innovative Concepts Mission:
Reaching and redeeming the Unchurched, Making Disciples,
and Multiplying Leaders who establish vibrant churches,
bringing hope and renewal to every community we serve,
to further the expansion of God’s Kingdom.
INTRO
Last week we learned about influence.
Influence is a key element of effective leadership in any setting.
Whether you’re leading a family, a team at work, a community group,
or a team of volunteers in church, your ability to influence
others can make a significant difference in how well
you’re able to guide and inspire those around you.
Influence in leadership isn’t about authority
or control; it’s about the ability to motivate,
inspire, and guide people towards a shared goal.
This influence is built on trust, respect,
and the relationships you develop with those you lead.
When people feel understood and valued,
they are more likely to follow your lead and work towards
the common objectives you’ve set.
Elijah is a perfect example of a leader with influence.
His influence was not based on his personality or popularity.
Elijah’s influence came from his lifestyle of trusting God in all situations.
He neither wavered nor hobbled between two opinions.
TEXT
“When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed,
“So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”
“I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied.
“You and your family are the troublemakers,
for you have refused to obey the commands
of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.
Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel,
along with the 450 prophets of Baal
and the 400 prophets of Asherah
who are supported by Jezebel.”
So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel
and the prophets to Mount Carmel.
“Then Elijah stood in front of them and said,
“How much longer will you waver,
hobbling between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, follow Him!
But if Baal is God, then follow him!”
But the people were completely silent.
Then Elijah said to them,
“I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left,
but Baal has 450 prophets.”
Now bring two bulls.
The prophets of Baal may choose
whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces
and lay it on the wood of their altar,
but without setting fire to it.
I will prepare the other bull
and lay it on the wood on the altar,
but not set fire to it.
Then call on the name of your god,
and I will call on the name of the Lord.
The god who answers by setting fire
to the wood is the true God!”
And all the people agreed.” —1 Kings 18:17-24 NLT
WORKING WITH GOD OR AGAINST GOD
• King Ahab and the people choose to worship Baal instead of God.
• He also attempted to throw Elijah under the bus.
[blame storming and gaslighting]
• When you persist in living in sin and reject God,
there may come a time when God, in turn, rejects you.
This statement reflects a theological perspective
that emphasizes the importance of aligning one’s life
with the teachings and will of God.
It suggests that if a person continuously chooses to live in sin
and rejects God’s guidance or presence in their life,
there could be a point where God reciprocates that denial.
In many religious traditions, particularly within Christianity,
this idea is rooted in the concept of free will and accountability.
People are given the freedom to make choices,
but with those choices come consequences.
Persistently choosing to live in a way that is contrary
to God’s teachings can lead to spiritual separation
or alienation from God.
This perspective often draws on scriptural references
that speak about the seriousness of sin and the importance
of repentance and reconciliation with God.
However, it’s also important to recognize
that many religious teachings emphasize God’s mercy
and the possibility of forgiveness and redemption,
even for those who have strayed.
“Everyone who acknowledges me
publicly here on earth,
I will also acknowledge
before my Father in heaven.
But everyone who denies me here on earth,
I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring
peace to the earth!
I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”
‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Your enemies will be right in your own household!’
“If you love your father or mother
more than you love Me,
you are not worthy of being Mine;
or if you love your son or daughter
more than Me,
you are not worthy of being Mine.
If you refuse to take up your cross
and follow Me,
you are not worthy of being Mine.
If you cling to your life,
you will lose it;
but if you give up your life for Me,
you will find it.” —Matthew 10:32-39 NLT
• You are either working with and for God or working against God.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me,
and anyone who isn’t working with me
is actually working against me.” —Matthew 12:30 NLT
• If you know of someone living in sin and choose not to speak
to them or confront them, you are just as guilty in sin.
You become an accomplice, partner, fellow conspirator.
Sin has a destructive ripple effect.
It affects and infects all parties attached
to you and the person/persons you’re sinning with.
[see your circle of influence]
All hearts become hardened and pelau.
A “fellow conspirator” refers to a person
who collaborates with others
in a secret plan, often involving
some form of deceit or unlawful activity.
The term “conspirator” itself comes from “conspiracy,”
which typically denotes an agreement
between two or more people
to commit an illegal act or a harmful scheme.
Therefore, a “fellow conspirator”
would be one of the partners
or accomplices in such a plot.
In some contexts, the term can be used more lightly
or metaphorically to describe someone
who is a partner in a mischievous or unconventional plan,
even if it’s not illegal or harmful.
However, the core idea is collaboration in a secret
or underhanded activity.
“First, at the time, this meant there were people
who suffered through the effects of God’s judgment
who had been faithful to Him.
The remnant of Israel still had to be driven
out of their land as a result of the sins
of those who were destroyed.
Sin has consequences that reach far beyond the sinner.
No one sins in a vacuum.
So God is basically saying, “Look, if the remnant
of My people have had to endure exile
and destruction because of sin and rebellion,
then you’re definitely not getting off the hook,
because you’re not even My people.”
Second, this may point to Christ.
He had to drink the cup He didn’t deserve to drink.
Three times He asked the Father
if there was any other way,
and three times the Father said no.
Jesus drank the cup of the Father’s wrath
toward the sins of His people.
He paid for those sins.
But those who don’t know God
must pay for their own sins;
He says His cup is filled to the brim for them.”
—“The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible” by Tara-Leigh Cobble
CONFRONT SIN; DON’T BE PASSIVE OR PERMISSIVE
• Don’t compromise and avoid confronting the person
regarding their sin. Passivity is sin itself. No keep secrets.
• Once you hear something, it is now your kuleana
to say or do something. [Accountability]
Otherwise their blood will be on your hands.
You will receive the same consequences as they do.
You will be held liable.
• It’s not gossip. Gossip is when you don’t confront the person
and then tell everyone else about it.
You don’t follow the right protocols and procedures.
“When I say to a wicked person,
‘You will surely die,’
and you do not warn them
or speak out to dissuade them
from their evil ways
in order to save their life,
that wicked person
will die for their sin,
and I will hold you accountable
for their blood.
But if you do warn the wicked person
and they do not turn from their wickedness
or from their evil ways,
they will die for their sin;
but you will have saved yourself.
“Again, when a righteous person turns
from their righteousness and does evil,
and I put a stumbling block before them,
they will die.
Since you did not warn them,
they will die for their sin.
The righteous things that person did
will not be remembered,
and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
But if you do warn the righteous person
not to sin and they do not sin,
they will surely live
because they took warning,
and you will have saved yourself.” —Ezekiel 3:18-21 NIV
“Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who guards your life know it?
Will He not repay everyone according
to what they have done? —Proverbs 24:11-12 NIV
[This passage implies that claiming ignorance
of someone else’s sin or danger when you actually
know about it can lead to accountability before God]
• It’s better to be upfront and confront the person.
Give them a deadline and plan of action to stop their sin.
Otherwise you need to alert someone else in authority.
“If your brother or sister sins,
go and point out their fault,
just between the two of you.
If they listen to you,
you have won them over.
But if they will not listen,
take one or two others along,
so that ‘every matter may be established
by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If they still refuse to listen,
tell it to the church;
and if they refuse to listen even to the church,
treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven.” —Matthew 18:15-18 NIV
LET GOD DEAL WITH THE PERSON
“Since they thought it foolish
to acknowledge God,
He abandoned them to their foolish thinking
and let them do things that should never be done.
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness,
sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception,
malicious behavior, and gossip.
They are backstabbers, haters of God,
insolent, proud, and boastful.
They invent new ways of sinning,
and they disobey their parents.
They refuse to understand,
break their promises,
are heartless, and have no mercy.
They know God’s justice requires
that those who do these things
deserve to die, yet they do them anyway.
Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” —Romans 1:28-32 NLT
“Romans 1:18–32. Sometimes God gives people over to their sins—
He no longer begs them to repent but lets them
continue sinning without any feelings of guilt.
On the surface, it looks like mercy,
but at its core, it’s God’s passive wrath.
Mercy would be calling them to repent.
But wrath lets them continue in sin unchecked.” —“The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible” by Tara-Leigh Cobble
• If you continue to deny your situation and persist in your current
ways, God will discipline you—and others—as an act of love.
Remember, God didn’t have to discipline an entire nation.”
• God disciplines us so we repent and preserve our righteousness.
Don’t abuse or lose your righteousness that someone died for.
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest and repent.” —Revelation 3:19 NIV
“Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;” —Psalms 94:12 NIV
“God’s people do sin.
But when God looks at His kids,
He doesn’t point to our sin—
He points to our righteousness,
which is Christ’s righteousness.
Christ’s death on the cross
made atonement for our sins,
and because He paid the penalty,
we receive the pardon.”“The LORD is our righteousness’” (33:14–16).
We may be tempted to think of righteousness
and good deeds as things
we bring to God as a peace offering—
“Look at all the good stuff I did”
or “I promise, I’ll do better next time.
Please don’t be mad at me.”But the problem is,
we have no righteousness to give Him. None.
As it turns out, righteousness isn’t something
we present to God, it’s something He presents to us.
He is our righteousness, granted to us for free.”“When you’re convicted about your sin,
the enemy of your soul wants you to feel ashamed about it,
but God says it’s a mark of adoption—evidence of His love,
proof you’re His child—because that’s His Spirit at work in you!
Thank God the Spirit is with us to draw us out of sin
and back to the Father’s heart.” —“The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible” by Tara-Leigh Cobble
APPLICATION
1) Repent of your sins immediately. Ask God for His forgiveness.
2) Now that you know your sin and the consequences, stop doing it.
3) Ask your Small Group to help you through it.
4) If you know of someone that is in sin, confront them asap.
5) If they don’t receive or respond to your correction,
do what Pastor Steve advises:
Responding to Wrongdoing
SMALL GROUP DISCIPLESHIP/CONVO [Transformation Table]
• Do you waver, hobble between two opinions, yours and God’s?
• Do you vacillate between what you want
and how God wants you to live? Why?
• What makes it difficult to choose between the two?
• Going forward what are you willing to do differently to follow God
wholeheartedly and not waver or be disobedient?
“Then His disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures:
“Passion for God’s house will consume me.” —John 2:17 NLT
