Pulpit Message Leaders who are Upright
My Pulpit Message Notes are extracted from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 10th July 2022. Preacher: Reverend Munengi Mulandi, Senior Pastor NBC. Scripture: Genesis 6:1-22. Topic: Leaders who are upright
A Product of Grace (Genesis 6:8)
In Psalms 78:72 a verse is given that could be perhaps the best summary of the kind of leaders that we need to pray for, that we need to raise for this nation, not only in the political realm, but in academia, military, in - An upright leader is not one who gains that by pulling himself/herself our families, in the medical world and in the education system. to a position of being upright by their own bootstraps. Uprightness is a This morning a preacher talked about this verse, “And David shepherded function of the grace of God. One cannot bleach, or construct themselves them with integrity of heart and with skilful hands he led them.” And he upright. Therefore, you and I as leaders should not parade our candidasummarised and said, if you were at the ballot box and you need to make ture, or qualification of leadership, with broad shoulders, or brazen faces choices, sometimes you encounter names that you have never heard be- and chest thumping. fore and begin to inky, pinky, ponky, checking which one has economic, or tribal leaning towards you, checking, he said, look for these two fac- - You and I, by the motion of shaking hands can begin shifting leaves, but we cannot cause, or sustain a whirlwind. That is the function /monopoly tors; skilful hands and integrity of heart. of God.
The series that has been prepared for us in the month of July has tried to place qualities that you and I can prepare ourselves for political action The story of Noah is well known to you. We are told the world was so on August 9th, but for political action everyday in our homes and the sinful and violence, one of the outward manifestations of inward decay of institutions where we work, or study. These medications that we have had people, was so manifested that it says that God was sorry with the earth and the people that He had made. through the month, whether it is the Then He identifies Noah and gives leader who mediates, or has courage him this mission to build an ark. etc have been divided neatly into two. We are looking at some aspects of - But one thing I like about the story what skills are necessary to be able to of Noah, before you give him a red elect somebody who is going to take shirt and draw a big S of superman this nation / company, this church to on him, Genesis 6:8 says, “But Noah the next level. They need to have cerfound favour / grace in the eyes of tain skills. God.” The Bible does not say, but Noah manufactured grace/favour. David did not just lead them with The writing in verse 8 is so clear that skill, he shepherded them with integNoah’s act was secondary and the primary Actor was God. rity of heart. Today we look at Noah, seeking to ask ourselves, how do we
An upright leader has three evidences; one, is a product of grace, secondly, is a champion of faith and thirdly, he is a dispenser of redemption.
gauge a leader who is upright? How do we audit ourselves to see whether If the Bible says, Noah found favour/grace with God, for Him to find we are leaders who are of integrity? it, someone must have placed it there in the first place. You can’t say, The Bible says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to Munengi found a speaker without realising that media were the first acany people.” Let us not lie to ourselves, in our families, institutions and tors to put it there for me to find it there in the first place.
nations, that skills are going to get us there alone, no. It is a bicycle that You go to different places on the African continent and your are told, when you pedal on the right you need to pedal on the left. these Falls was discovered by David Livingstone. No. He recorded it in When you go to the ballot paper, check, do they have skills, or not? check English for the first time. The locals had already discovered it before, but that one and then ask; are they men, or women of integrity? Are they God had put it there first. upright?
Evidences of an upright leader 1: They are a product of grace 2. They are a champion of faith. 3. They are a dispenser of redemption.
- So it’s true, Noah found favour / grace, but he had not manufactured it. God had made it and placed it and made it available and then Noah found favour.
- This righteousness that is also recorded in verse 9, ‘Noah was a righteous man’ is not something that he made up himself. Being upright does not begin with action. It begins with a passive receiving of the favour and These are not the qualities that I am asking when you have a ballot paper the grace of God. in front of you, or are in an interview panel you say, they got two-thirds of them, no. They need to have all three or they don’t deserve your vote as an upright leader.
TT 160 | July 12th - July 18th| 2022
