Topic: Your Attitude matters
Text: Luke 10:25-33
By Ptr. Jack Segismundo
Jesus is Lord Church
Luke 10:25-33 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Introduction:
This morning I would life to start this sermon with a story. “Harry Emerson Fosdick once told how as a child, his mother sent him to pick a quart of raspberries. Reluctantly he dragged himself to the berry patch. His afternoon was ruined for sure. Then a thought hit him. He would surprise his mother and pick two quarts of raspberries instead of one. Rather than drudgery his work now became a challenge. He enjoyed picking those raspberries so much that fifty years later that incident was still fresh in his mind. The job hadn’t changed. His attitude had, though, and attitude is everything. - Dynamic Preaching, June, 1990
Really attitude matters. It would greatly influence the kind of mood your have for the whole day, the whole week or even the whole month. Making wrong choices will relevantly influences wrong attitude. We could always turn curses into blessing and blessing into curses. It all depend upon the attitude we exhibit in every situation.
This life is filled with changes. And we should able to adjust to every changes that happens in this life. The Word of God would always guide us on how to act and react in every situation.
Somebody have said that “Any man will usually get from other men just what he is expecting of them. If he is looking for friendship he will likely receive it. If his attitude is that of indifference, it will beget indifference. And if a man is looking for a fight, he will in all likelihood be accommodated in that.”- John Richelsen
There are some things that I would like to share to you today that I believe would help you a lot in dealing with every situations in your life.
I. Thoughts molds our Attitude
Be careful how you listen and to whom you are listening to. Not everybody who speaks to you wanted to do good to you. There are those who wanted evil things for you. They will cheat you, deceive you, steal from you and even kill you. They will deceive you to sway you away from God, from your family and from true self. They will steal your hope your love and your faith. And others will kill your dream and your future.
Two Kinds of Wisdom that molds our attitude
A. Evil Wisdom
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” – James 3:13-16
Let us all be warned on how we associate ourselves to bitter people, envious ones and to selfish people. Do not listen to bitter people you will get bitter. Do not listen to envious people you will get envious. Do not listen to selfish people you will become selfish. You become the people you listen to.
B. Heavenly Wisdom
“ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. - James 3:17 (New International Version)
But surround yourself with peace-loving, considerate, submissive,.merciful, impartial and sincere people. These are the people with pure hearts. See it for yourself. Observe yourself when you are with this kinds of people. Do you not become peace-loving, considerate... etc.we are most likely absorb their character
II. Our attitude matters to God
Above everything else that concerns our attitude is God. Somebody up there is looking unto us. Seeing us and listening to every word we have ever spoken. Every thought that we think and every breath that we take. God sees them all. And if anybody who is most concern for us, it is God. You father might be concern to you. You father might be concern to you. Your sister and brothers or even your pastor. But none can equal god’s concern for you.
He wanted to see you changed. He wanted to see you through in every situation. God wanted good things for you. This is God. This is our God.
A. Your spoken words matters to God
“36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” - Matthew 12:36 (New International Version)
God wanted a change in the content of your words. Even how you deliver them. - “Man’s language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions, dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to dishonour God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian character. Commentary on Matthew 12:33-37 - Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
B. Your dealings with other people matters to God
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew 18:5-7
C. Your service to God matters to Him
““12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” - Romans 14:12 (New International Version)
A chaplain was speaking to a soldier on a cot in a hospital.
“You have lost an arm in the great cause,” he said.
“No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it--I gave it.”
In that same way, Jesus did not lose His life. He gave it purposefully.
Source unknown
III. Our attitude matters to others
A. Our attitude influence others positively
My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done;
Leave countless marks for good or ill, ere sets the evening sun.
This is the wish I always wish, the prayer I always pray:
Lord, may my life help other lives it touches by the way.
Source unknown
B. Our attitude influence others negatively
Years ago the communist government in China commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor’s saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior.
Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others.
Source unknown
Conclusion:
Our attitude should matter to us. We should be concern with our attitude because we are staking our own lives with this. I would to end this sermon with a story.
Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do. - Steve Goodier, Quote Magazine, in May, 1990 R.D.
