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ISAH-49.003
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1992-11-13
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PREPARATION FOR LEADERSHIP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Prepare your work outside; and make it ready for yourself in the
field; afterwards, then build your house"
(Proverbs 24:27, NASB).
"...the Lord trieth the hearts" (Proverbs 17:3b, KJB).
Scripture. Isaiah. 49:1-3
Three Main Points.
1. The sovereign calling of God. v.1.
2. A Prepared instrument for the purpose of God. v.2.
3. That the will of God will be glorified in us. v.3.
A. Aspects of Preparation
The following diagram illustrates the entire span of a
leader's life and shows where his preparation fits into the
process. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:10, "And let them (ie.
future leaders) first be tried (investigated, and proven)".
The prophet Isaiah gives a beautiful picture of preparation
in 49:1-3. The prophet gives a word that can be applied to
himself, the Messiah, and to all of the Lord's servants. In
this particular prophecy Isaiah speaks about an arrow hitting
the mark. There are six important points about preparation in
these verses:
1. "The Lord called me from the womb".
There is a sense of destiny in these words, since God's
calling was evident from the mother's womb. Before
birth, the purpose for the child had been determined.
This was fulfilled in Isaiah and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is also fulfilled in all of God's servants.
The believer has also been called forth from the womb
and destined for a particular task in life (Ephesians
1:4-5; 5:25-27; Romans 8:28-29; Ephesians 3:1-10). Every
servant of the Lord must be certain that the call that he
feels from the Lord has been from eternity.
2. "He Makes My Mouth Like A Sharp Sword".
This particular point speaks of the Word ministry of a
servant of the Lord. The Word of God is spoken of as a
sword in the Epistle to the Ephesians (6:17). The Word
is a sword that cuts as under the flesh, the soul, and
the intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). A leader,
however, must not use this sword to damage the people of
God.
3. "In The Shadow Of His Hand Hath He Hid Me":
This speaks of the veiling of the servant of the Lord
during his time of preparation. During his time of
training, the servant of the Lord is hid from the eyes of
the world and sometimes even from the eyes of the Church.
Many of the leaders in the Bible experienced a period of
being hidden. For example, Moses, the great deliverer,
was in hiding forty years on the backside of the desert
before he lead his nation forth from Egypt.
4. "He Also Made Me A Polished Shaft":
The word picture brought forth by the prophet is that
of an arrow. Here the prophet states that the shaft of
the arrow must be polished before its use. The shaft of
the arrow is one of the most important parts of the
arrow. If the shaft of the arrow is crooked in any way,
the arrow will not hit the mark toward which it is aimed.
a. The leaves are scraped Psalm. 27:9-13.
b. Placed in a fire to make it pliable.1.Cor.10:9.
c. The wood is straightened by being placed in confinement,
pegs in a straight line.
d. Scraping .
e. Sanding to make it smooth, sometimes a piece of broken
glass is used.
f. Oil is rubbed in.
The shaft is now ready for use.
5. "In His Quiver Hath He Hid Me":
The quiver is where the arrow comes to rest and enjoys
a long wait until the chosen time that it is sent forth.
The "quiver experience" is very hard for most leaders
because they feel that they have already experienced the
progressive steps to be totally prepared to be sent
forth. Paul stated in the Epistle to the Galatians that
the Lord Jesus was short forth "in the fullness of time"
(4:4). Jesus came to earth in the perfect moment of
history. This arrow had waiting for at least four
thousand years to be sent forth. But Jesus, who was the
lamb slain before the foundation of the world, waited
patiently for the moment at which He would be revealed in
human space and time.