Attitude Adjustment
1 Peter 4:1-5
Therefore, since Christ suffered physically, you too are to arm yourselves with the same attitude. For whoever has suffered physically is finished with sin,
with the result that he lives the rest of his earthly life no longer controlled by human desires, but by God's will.
For you have spent enough time already living the way the pagans want you to live — in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, wild parties and forbidden idol-worship.
They think it strange that you don't plunge with them into the same flood of dissoluteness, and so they heap insults on you.
But they will have to give an account to Him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.
We must be armed with the same Attitude –
As Christ.
What type of attitude did Jesus have?
Well we know that when Jesus
Took a stand on an issue
Like working on the Sabbath
The Religious leaders
Did not like His position
When he took a stance on
How to deal with the woman caught in adultery
The religious leaders didn’t like His position
Today is no different
Pastors are immediately attacked –
if we issue any direction,
or correction.
if we take a stand for something
there is always the “religious ones”
who complain –
and take offense
the reason why great
offense has come to the church
it’s because of
the feminization of Jesus
So if we fail to act in a feminine manor
We are attacked
Love to many people
is the “flower power”
type of love
If you love me
you’ll just leave me alone
to do my own thing.
However, If he is lord
Then He don’t just leave you alone.
Try bowing
Every time to you call Him Lord
That will give you the
Understanding we need
As to who Jesus really is.
The feminization of God
Has caused many churches
to not speak the whole truth
For instance
1 Peter 4:1 – Arm yourself is a military term
Think of the many men
who think church is for women
It was the opposite manner
in the time of the apostles
When people thought of Temple –
It was a male dominated
Jewish synagogue world
Listen, the
Instructions to women
in the New testament
Only shows that women were allowed to be in attendance –
Peter and Paul in their writings
included them
And so
when you try and apply the rules
of New testament living
to today
Your missing something
When the women were getting instructions,
it was on
how to enter a men’s world.
Our culture has no idea –
So when they read the New Testament
They are offended
And think women are not allowed
Or women are to be excluded
But that is not true
The apostles knew
That for women to be powerful
In the gospel
And to be accepted by society
They had to enter the men’s world
And be accepted
Therefore they had to follow certain rules,
So the culture of the time
Would accept the women
And not discard them
So most of what was written then
Was culturally based –
And does not apply to today’s world.
There are certain things that women
Then needed to be told
For instance
They needed to be told
not to shave their heads
Because although the women thought it
A Fashion statement
Those that practiced it
Were prostitutes.
There were temple prostitutes
So the church leaders
they didn’t want the men to think it
these were prostitutes
the church leaders were concerned about
the appearance of evil
This was a different place –
A holy place.
Another is
The women had questions
And in temple
They were asking questions
Across the isle to their husbands
And they were disruptive
So they were told
to ask the questions at home
not to just speak out loud.
Peter was writing things
to get women in the church
And not keep them out
He was actually trying to include women
Not exclude them
Men & women need to be educated –
And understand the context
And culture
of what was written
Some people and
Even church leaders
Thought the apostles were
compromising
But it was not compromise
It was loving
And slowly they were
Trying to change the
Cultural mindset
Of the men
Who were the ones
mainly involved in the temple.
They needed an attitude adjustment
We need an attitude adjustment
And the church
needs an attitude adjustment
But today
we have the opposite problem
the feminization of the church
So most real men
Can’t grab a hold of the idea of church –
it’s been so feminized
We’ve remove all the
War terms
and victorious language
Women do most of the work
In the church today
The men
Think church is too feminine
So we need to understand that
In this scripture verse today,
We are not excluding women
But we are including men.
We need to see who Jesus is now
What does He look like
Most people
If you ask them about Jesus
They will give you
A pat answer
He looks like this-
A man- with clean neat hands
A halo around his head
And a lamb on his shoulder
That’s ridiculous.
Society has
And the church has
Painted a picture of Jesus
That has been etched into the minds
Of this generation.
That Jesus is effeminate
And kind of wossy
Let’s see what the bible says
About the Lord
John 6:41-43 The people started grumbling because Jesus had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven.
They were asking each other, "Isn't he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from heaven?"
Jesus told them: Stop grumbling!
John 6:70 Jesus told his disciples, "I chose all twelve of you, but one of you is a demon!"
Isaiah 66:15-16 The LORD will come down like a whirlwind with his flaming chariots. He will be terribly furious and punish his enemies with fire.
The LORD's fiery sword will bring justice everywhere on this earth and execute many people.
Rev 1:12-18 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.
There with the lampstands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest.
His head and his hair were white as wool or snow, and his eyes looked like flames of fire.
His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of a waterfall.
He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword was coming from his mouth. His face was shining as bright as the sun at noon.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person. But he put his right hand on me and said: Don't be afraid! I am the first, the last,
and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.
Rev 19:11-15 I looked and saw that heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war.
He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.
The rider wore a robe that was covered with blood, and he was known as "The Word of God."
He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on horses and were dressed in pure white linen.
From his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling the grapes in the pit where wine is made.
Stop feminizing him
So as we read our text today
this term “Arm Yourself”
is a military term
Thinking of a Roman Soldier
They knew what it looked like
to see a soldier arm himself,
they knew
it was for no parade
but it was for war.
It means to get yourself ready
With an attitude –
What kind of attitude
The same one Jesus had
when He Was going to the cross
It was his attitude
that caused Him
To go through it
We need to have that same attitude
Determination
Faith
Without wavering
Strong,
Not wimpy
Not wossy
Not some pacifist –
Ultra white, thin skinned
Limp wristed
Soft spoken
Pushover –
He was a man’s man
A tough
Rugged man
Who worked as a carpenter
And was known as such
Tough enough to
Turn over the 10’s of tables of the money changes
In the temple
And no one dared even go near Him
His righteous mannerism
Was not whimpy
It was strong.
He was so tough
Physically
That he endured a whipping
Considered 1 short of death
40 lashes was death
He took 39
And that was just the beginning
He who endured
Scourging
Having his hair violently pulled from His scalp
And his beard
Spit upon,
called names
slapped, hit
punched
dragged along the road
forced to carry a very heavy wooden
splinters in his shoulders
scrapped knees and arms from falling
feet bruised from the rough terrain
nailed to a wooden cross with
¾ wide spikes 4 inches long
Through his wrists and feet
Then lifted on the cross and
Dropped in to a 4 foot hole
And never once complained
Or griped
In fact – while hanging there
6 long hard grueling hours
Necessary for the salvation of the 6000 years of mans history
While struggling to maintain
He still ministered
In love
To those around Him
A wooss
A whimp
I say not
The next part of the verse
Says:
For whoever has suffered physically is finished with sin,
Because he who suffers
Is done with sin
Many scholars differ on the meaning,
But I’ll make it simple
This is a practical explanation
If you get in a situation
Where you are suffering –
Or purposely in a situation for the Gospel’s sake
When you are going through
this tough time
Take the positive side
If you are willing to suffer in the flesh
Then you won’t be looking
to gratify the flesh
If your attitude is to gratify the flesh
Then you definitely
will not place yourself
in a place of persecution or suffering
Because your mind will say – RUN
Get out of here
Most Christians today,
They can’t even handle listening to the
News around the world about
Those being persecuted for Christ.
We say stupid things
Like:
He doesn’t ever want me to be uncomfortable
He would cuddle me right now
He won’t want me to be uncomfortable
He won’t challenge my faith
How did we ever get to this arrogant place?
How is it possible
That this end day church be powerful
If we are unwilling
And won’t even accept the notion
That we may have to suffer for Christ’s sake
And the Gospel.
We always emphasis that
That God is concerned about
Our hang nails of life
But is that the real point of God’s love?
We are as a nation
Spoiled
We whine about the little things
While men, women, and children
Are being tortured for the gospel
And for Christ.
How dare we
Even try and communicate
With this awesome God
Who died that we might have life
And come to him
All troubled about our little hang nails
We are a nation of comfort creatures
Unwilling for the most part
to pay whatever price it costs
To save this generation
But the truth is
There is a challenge
And it’s not always comfortable
God looks for us
to take on the attitude of a warrior
But like most
We’ll never take on anything
That hurts or costs us too much
The church world has become sissified
There is a standard of niceness in the world
that makes the church today
far more polite ,
tolerant,
and understanding
and respectful to the wicked
than God is.
The church is also
less offensive
than Gods men in the bible
and Jesus himself.
No Christian would ever be caught
mocking the wicked
as God’s men sometimes did.
Ridicule, sarcasm
and even mocking –
was the way Jesus spoke
Today the Ad Council
stigmatizes drug users
But let a believer
use sarcasm to stigmatize fornication
and sodomy
and the churches rises in condemnation.
The harsh word Hypocrite
was used 23 times in the new testament
mainly by Jesus.
Jesus made a whip and cleared thieves
from the temple
Sodomites were called dogs
Mat 7:6 "Don't give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.
Who does that apply to today.
What about the terms
Whores and Whoremongers –
I don’t think the term
was any more endearing then,
than it is today
But yet the prophets used it,
Paul used it
John used it
Ezek 16:33
1 Tim 1:10. Heb 13:4, Rev 21:8, 22:15
Let me ask you something
Should we love those
that hate the Lord?
They need to be warned
With love that is not hypocritical
Jesus is Love
But His love can and is viewed
By the world as harsh
But that does not change the fact
That it is the truth –
His love
Loves through warning
His love warns about the coming judgment,
His love - it rebukes
and then points the way to God.
God called those
who don’t believe
Fools –
Is that politically correct today?
John 3:16-18 God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.
God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
Those who believe in him won't be condemned. But those who don't believe are already condemned because they don't believe in God's only Son.
John 3:16-17ok
John 3:18 not nice – not politically correct
Today we are way nicer than God
No confrontation,
No judgment,
No accountability
Is that truly love –
Or are we being fooled by the father of lies
Our life today is a reflection of
What we truly believe –
We must believe
We are better than Jesus
We love more than Jesus
Because Jesus preached hell
So if we don’t
We must love more than he does
The truth is
We’re fooled
Our lives are a reflection of our attitude
We need to change our attitude
About sinners
Unrepentant sinners
We must love them
But our love must not
Reflect the weakness
That is so inherent in our society
Most of us Christians live
to gratify ourselves
Oh we give,
but we will not give
to the point of being uncomfortable
those who do,
are the ones who have the peace
the peace that all wonder about
Why do we give our time and money
But only to the point of our comfort
And not into discomfort?
We have no need to give to discomfort
We have TV, radio, refrigerators, cars,
And freedom to worship
At least for a while longer.
Oh some may think
Persecution will never come
Like that to America –
Wake up!
O you may not see it
But I guarantee the next generation will
Out attitude is one of
Let someone else give more
I did my share
If you were to die tonight
Would you honestly say that
When you face Jesus
You can say with a clear mind and heart
That you gave all you could
Of your time and efforts and gifts and money?
Are you completely happy with your life?
How about your family?
Is all the way you would like to see it?
Do you have any personal areas of struggle?
Any sin areas?
The solution rests with you
Get out of your comfort zone
get out and stretch your faith
Give something you never did
Place yourself in a challenging situation
Place yourself in a situation
Where your faith is stretched.
Truth is a place to start
Do not be afraid to tell those
Who hate Jesus
What they are in for
If they do not repent
The American Church is stuck
In comfort mode
When we’re not happy
We’re suffering
That’s how shallow we are
If someone don’t like us
We’re suffering
When we can’t take the pressures
Of our jobs
Or of our financial situations
We say we’re suffering
That’s not suffering
That’s even an insult to say such a thing
Suffering for Christ
O Pastor,
My boss is all over me lately
I’m suffering for Christ
Please don’t be so ridiculous
Suffering is something most of us have
Never really experienced
Unless you’ve been in a war
Those we say we love,
If they do not repent
They will be suffering
If we love them
Then we must speak up.
We in America
We all want to be prophets, and intercessors
And show our great ability to
Understand the scriptures
We are arrogant
and think we have all the faith
And understand all the authority
And all the while
the rest of the world
Nearly 80% are really suffering persecution
We are a country of 300 million
The world is nearly 7 billion
We are less than 5% of the world
Yes we have been blessed
Yes we are powerful
But all that we have
is a result of
God’s grace on us
We didn’t earn it
We are not some special people
Who have it all together
And immune to suffering and persecution.
We have been spared
We have been protected
But things are changing
And we need an attitude adjustment,
We are at war
Christ is not a whimp
And we must not be silent any longer
We cannot live
With a weak form of Christianity
any longer
It just won’t cut it
Our kids are under attack
Our families are under attack
Our marriages are under attack
Our churches are under attack
Our religious beliefs are under attack
Jesus is under attack
This is not the time to want
to be liked by everyone.
Churches and Christians
For far too long
Have been willing to say
Only the things
that make people feel good
We have become a society
Who only want to hear
the good stuff
Oh yea – give me the goody feeling
Tell everyone – the same line
Give them what they want to hear
Money is coming to you
And a ministry is right around the corner
Oh that makes everyone happy –
But what I want
What he Lord wants
is not that garbage –
The lord is looking for a people who
Will stand up for truth
I want to hear
the challenging word
I want to hear the truth
The truth about what I’m doing
Where I falling short
Where I can do better
Where I can excel
Constantly telling me
I’m doing great is no motivator
It just makes me feel like
I can just put life in cruise mode
And coast through life.
That’s what has happened to the church
We have learned to coast
To speak only things
that tickle the ears
We tell our family
Not the harsh reality
of the truth of the Bible
But only the nice things.
Jesus cares and loves you
And no matter what you do
Jesus will love you
O sweetheart, you want a condom-
Oh sure – have safe sex
And remember
Jesus will forgive you when you ask Him
So be sure,
After your done fornicating
To get on your knees and ask Him.
Have a nice night dear.
What have we done?
We have twisted the Gospel
And created it be a wishy washy
Flimsy
Non-threatening form of Godliness
But denying the truth therein
We need truth
Truth in love that will
drive people to their knees
To the place where lives are changed.
But today even preachers
we all want to be loved
so we preach a good message
that makes you feel good every week.
But does that challenge you
NO!
People do not want to be challenged
we push tongues
And the power of the Spirit of God
People get offended
If we push praise or worship
People get offended
If we preach the truth of sin
And the consequences of a sinful life
We are bashed and told
We are haters
Soon we’ll be turned in
for hate crimes
And those who turn us in
Will get a reward,
And don’t be surprised to find out
Your family turned you in.
We don’t always need to be told
We’re all winners
We’re all special
We need to hear the truth.
The Bible says
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If you want freedom
Then you need the truth
Suck it up and take it in
Listen to it
Then go before the Lord and
Ask Him to help change you
The church
And the people of God
Need an attitude adjustment
The Gospel is powerful
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
The Gospel is meant to cut through
All the junk in your life
Dividing between the soul (mind will & emotions) and the Spirit –
The Gospel is meant
to discern–
the true thoughts and intentions of the heart
Stop making the Gospel some
Flimsy wishy washy unimportant thing
It is the most important decision
of your life
It’s the most important decision
of anyone’s life
Without Jesus
You will not enter into heaven
I didn’t say it
He Did
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Our society has
Not only sissified the church
And Christ
We sissify our kids today
Even the Boy scouts today
It’s not like it was when I was one
If I were a boy scout today
And I saw some of these kids
I’m sorry,
But we the parent have created
A weak society
If I were a Boy Scout today
And saw some of these
Overweight, Video game, Pacifists
All I would have wanted to do
Would be to make them cry
They are a bunch of sissy’s
They wouldn’t know how to survive one night
In the woods.
Today, You can’t play with bows and arrows
Because they are mean toys
You can’t have a Klondike derby
Because someone would have to be a loser
And we all know there are no losers
The Boys today
Many are a bunch of sissy’s –
When I was a Boy Scout
We were toughened by
What we went through
It helped me with life
We didn’t sit around and
Make crafts
We didn’t talk about having 2 mommy’s
Or 2 daddy’s
If that were our home life
We were ashamed
And rightfully so
Today, the men are absent
And so the women
are raising the kids
And they are not men
They cannot give them
What they need
So they grow up
Unbalanced
Without male influences
Did you know that unmarried women are now responsible for a whopping 36% of all births? That's the highest number of unmarried mothers in the past six decades. Nearly four out of ten moms are "single parents."
The number of single-mother families increased from three million in 1970 to 10 million in 2003
That’s why our boys are sissified
Plus we allow the government
To dictate how we discipline
What we teach them
And what they are exposed too
Today you hear about
Boys turning homosexual at age 13
That’s ridiculous
And we are –
Right now
In Connecticut
Allowing our kids to be taught
That being a homosexual is OK
It’s an acceptable way of life
Showing them homosexuality is a choice
So you can choose
To have a another man
Schools are feminized
Churches are feminized
That’s why it’s hard to get men
Into churches today.
Men don’t look for the easy way out
I mean just watch a man
Looking for a street address
Without a navigation system
Will they stop for directions?
NO!
Why?
We like the hard road
Not the easy way out
Men don’t look for the easy way out
Jesus didn’t do that either
He said
“Not my will
But Thy will be done”
That’s not easy ---
Then he raised himself from the dead
And went out and showed himself
To many throughout the region
When Paul was in prison
And when they found he was a Roman soldier
They were all apologetic
But Paul didn’t just fade out
He wanted to hear an apology
He demanded it!
Today – we’d just say – ‘o let’s get out of here
Before they change their mind
No Spine
No Guts
No Glory
We need an attitude adjustment
The church needs an attitude adjustment
I’m here at church
sweating to bring a message
along with those of you
who come early to set up
And those who are involved in ministry
Why are we doing what we do
Because we know the right attitude
And we have the right attitude.
I’m not a big baby
I don’t need someone
Constantly patting me on the back
I’m a doer of the word
Arm yourself
If you truly want to defeat sin
Then get busy
it will
cost you something
Don’t leave yourself -time
For sin
For distractions
For things that can lure you away from
The purposes God has for you
Get busy –
and get tired
If you exhaust your strength
If you use your time correctly
And you use your money for the kingdom
You won’t have time for sin
You won’t have time to be distracted.
Look
What I’m about to say is important
But please don’t take this the wrong way
Vacations are good
They are beneficial
But most accidents
to Christian families happen
On vacation
Not on missions trips
Not while working for the kingdom
But while on escape.
Beware of the devices of the enemy
Eph 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Then your flesh will die
You won’t have time for sin
Your attitude –
Will change
Some of you
Need an attitude adjustment
You think the world owes you
God owes you
I have news for you.
You are owed nothing
Job 1:21 ….. "Naked I came from my mother, and naked I will return. The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken away! May the name of the LORD be praised."
You are owed nothing
And nothing is due you
Unless you are a doer of the Word
Ask yourself this
Do I get a pay check to indulge in life
Or do I get a pay check so I can support the kingdom
O pastor I have to take care of my family
True – you do
A worker is worthy of his hire
So you must work
And a man who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever
But Jesus said:
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
If you didn’t have the time and the money
To go to the bars
Or to get online and cruise the porn sites
Or go hang out with the wrong people
Then you wouldn’t get into trouble.
So you need to decide –
Is what’s your attitude
Because your attitude determines
Your altitude
Your attitude determines
What you do with your time
What you do with your talents
And what you do with your money?
Verse 2
with the result that he lives the rest of his earthly life no longer controlled by human desires, but by God's will.
As a result -----
A result of what
A result of the right attitude
Then you can live
for the will of God
Instead of evil human desires
Human desires turned to evil
So you won’t spend the rest of your earthly life
In pursuit of evil human desires
God has a plan for everyone –
But we get to choose how we live
To indulge ourselves
Or to live for God
One self indulgent person
Marries another
And then they have self indulgent kids
Welcome to life in the US.
Pagans choose to live a self indulgent life
Basically wasting your life
But we all get to a certain place in life
And begin to realize
That what we’ve planned
Is probably not going to happen
We’ve been dreaming and dreaming
and nothing yet
midlife crisis – etc….
whatever
But in the kingdom
You can dream a new dream
At any age
It’s never too late in the kingdom
Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou come into your kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today you shall be with me in paradise.
It’s never too late
But it does require
an attitude adjustment
We’ve spent enough time with the pagans
And that attitude
Has held us back
You can’t do something for God
and not take a risk
What separates the successful
from the rest of those around you???
RISK
Jesus had that attitude
He was stepping out to carry the sins of the world
He had to have another attitude
Pagans
Always take the course
of the least resistance
True followers –
Those of us who have had an
Attitude adjustment
We don’t have to be popular
We’re willing to risk our lives
We’re willing to risk our futures
And willing to risk our money.
If you think starting a church
Was easy
We had to put everything on the line
All that we had
That’s standing on the line
That’s the place of victory
We believed enough in the vision
That risking all
was the only alternative
We were willing to step up
And be uncomfortable
If you hang out with me
You’ll be challenged
You’ll find yourself always
In an exciting place.
You may not always be comfortable
Hanging out with me
But man what a place to be.
We are standing
on the verge of a new adventure
and I am planning to see greater things
than I have ever seen
I know it’s the will of God
But in the middle of the battle
With blood flying everywhere
Screams and yelling going on
And what seems to be a lot of confusion
Sometimes it don’t look like God
But that’s where faith comes in
The things of God are never done
Without stress and pressure
And a battle
But, the victory is ours,
The battle is the Lords.
2Ch 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
1Sa 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
See if something is
too easy to do it in our own strength
Instead of allowing Christ to work through us
By the Holy Spirit
It usually is not God
It comes naturally for me
to sit in front of the TV and relax
I like that
I can do that as a job
But I wasn’t born to sit in front of the TV
With a beer in one hand
and some chips in the other
saying
It Don’t get any better than this.
Oh yes it does …………….
Let me tell you
Yes it does….
But we have to stop living for ourselves
We think we can bring that attitude
Into the church
We come to church and try to get God to
Act according to our indulgences
We try to get God to act like a pagan god
This was the way the pagans did religion –
We didn’t come out of that type of paganism
But we have our own paganism
And it shows
People around us
Who don’t love God as we do
don’t want us to
Get the Christ like Attitude
They want us to have
the same attitude they have
And just attend church
They want us to have
the self indulgent attitude –
and just be a church attender
They hate to see us rise above the indulgence.
1Pe 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not (plunge) with them to the same (flood) excess of riot, (dissipation) speaking evil of you:
Dissipation means waste – sewer water –
They can’t figure out why you don’t jump into the waste water with them – they think it strange.
They can’t figure us out - -
When we don’t want to indulge anymore
They try and wear us down
They want us to be
like the angry, unforgiving others in our family
The family spirits
are calling us to plunge in again
But we have been called to a higher calling
Hear my voice –
You are called to higher calling
Standing up here
There is spiritual pressure
There is a spiritual challenge –
When we confront the demons that try
And keep us down.
Doing this sermon
May look like it’s easy
From your position
But come up front
See how easy it is
My attitude needs to stay
Like His
I need the same attitude of Christ
You need the same attitude of Christ
We are not here to do my will
But to do the will of the Father.
You can’t preach like this and
Sit around thinking about myself all week
It’s not pleasant for me
But this is my call
And I have put
The demons on notice –
I will continue to do the Father’s will
And I will not jump back
Into the waste water.
I have had an attitude adjustment
My attitude is His
If people are going to like you
Let it be because you are following
The directives of the Lord on your life
And not for compromising.
Its time to put on the attitude of Christ
Time to take command of who you are
Command of your body, soul and spirit
To adjust your attitude
1. You have to be willing – willing to let go of your evil human desires – the pagan desires
2. You must know Christ’s attitude. How did he act – what was important to Him, money, a job, family, ------ or God. He gave all he had, he worked till He was ready of age to enter ministry, then He left his family and was about His fathers business.
3. You must eliminate the distractions. What are the things that keep you busy in life, what things or people are you committed too and why?
4. Act now – step out, there is no better time than now.
2Co 8:11 So finish what you began to do. Then your willingness will be matched by what you accomplish
2Co 6:2 God says, "At the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation I helped you." Listen, now is God's acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!
You are no longer controlled by human desires, but by God's will.
So will you obey ----
It’s up to you
