All Things New-Week 1-ATTITUDES

STORY - something that seemed totally new, totallly innovative - but it was the same old thing redressed.

In God, we are a new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

GALATIANS - People were trying to force christians to get circumcised to appease the jews, and so they could boast in their own flesh - paul countered with, ‘none of that matters - the only thing that matters is us being new creations’.

Being a new creation should result in radical changes to everything about us

NOT IMMEDIATE CHANGES - But drastic ones.

Every new year, we talk about resolutions. Commitments to being a new us.

STORY - I am actually EXERCISING.

Well, in Christ, we’re already made new people. So let’s start the year talking about what THAT means.

As new creations, We have to honor the gospel

Philippians 1:27 (NIV)

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

This word, Gospel, it means good news.

And over the next 3 weeks, I want to talk about 3 primary ways we can honor the good news of Christ by being new creations.

In our ATTITUDES

In our ACTIONS

In our DISCIPLINES

Here’s the thing about the Gospel -

It will be a battle to preach the RIGHT Gospel

There will be many times in our life that we will be tempted to preach a gospel other than one about Christ.

STORY - Time I or someone else ‘tooted my own horn’.

There are plenty of counterfeit gospels

the gospel of self (it’s all about meeeee)

the gospel of profit (God is only with you if you have lots of stuff!)

the gospel of health (if you ever have any sickness or diminshed capacity in any way, God has rejected you)

the gospel of superiority (I’m a christian, so i’m better than you!)

the gospel of shame (everything you do is awful and God hates you)

I could keep going and going.

But Paul calls us to a single gospel -

The Gospel of Christ

And it is under this ONE gospel, this ONE name, that we are all free. We are all saved.

As a new creation - we have to do things differently.

It all starts with our attitudes

STORY - Time that my attitude made a difference in my approach

Matthew 12:34 NIV

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

‘The mouth speaks what the heart is full of’. Or in other words - whatever is coming out of you is what’s in you. And it’s what’s coming out that causes the real problems.

Changing our attitudes is what will fix our outsides

We can polish and shine the outside all we want - God looks right at our hearts. and our attitude is the first place we can show the world that something’s changed in us, that we’re new creations.

We can learn how to do this in our attitudes by what Paul says about Jesus later in Philippians.

Philippians 2:6–8 NIV

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

There’s 3 big places we learn from this verse that we need to reflect Jesus’ attitude in our lives.

Jesus’ Attitude About Positions

Jesus is God. BUT - Paul says He wouldn’t use his position for his own advantage.

It would have been REALLY easy for Him to use it for his own advantage. Throne, slaves, grapes. In fact, this is one of the ways Satan tempts Jesus - all this can be yours if you worship me.

How can we check our attitude on positions?

Romans 12:3 NIV

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Now, this SOUNDS like paul is saying, ‘don’t think well of yourself’. That’s not true.

In context, paul is saying -

Don’t ever think of yourself as better than others

Paul says right after - don’t think of yourself higher. There’s a body around you, with different parts, different gifts, and God designed us all to be together.

Recognize that the position WE want is above other people

The Position God wants for us is right next to other people

If you’re gonna jockey for position, jockey for the chance to spend more time with more people.

The world tells us, you’re on your own, you’re the only one that matters. God tells us - I put you in a body, and you belong to other people ,and them to you.

Jesus’ Attitude About Performance

There’s a really big question - how do we actually get stuff done?

Some people have a ‘ends justify the means’ mentality. We need to do whatever we can, so long as at the end it looks the way we want or the way we think is right.

Jesus chose the path of the servant. He says - our start from our heart is the most important first step. And the path we take is just as important as the place it leads us.

How can we check our attitude on performance?

Wash each other’s feet

Jesus once took the disciples aside and washed their feet. ACTION RESERVED FOR SLAVE / SERVANT.

Jesus finishes that activity by saying,

John 13:16–17 NIV

Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

In our performance, rather than trying to force our way of doing things, rather than trying to bludgeon or badger other people into doing it our way - just love on people.

Have the conviction that serving the other person is the more important goal. That being the servant is the more important action.

As new creations, we understand that

Jesus’ standard of performance is ‘How much of a servant are you?’

Matthew 25, Jesus talks about the end of days, and rewarding those people who followed him. What things does he highlight that they did?

Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Invite in the stranger

Clothe the naked

Help the sick

Visit the prisoner

Notice how small and temporary and servant-focused those actions are? Most of these topics are things that we’re willing to say, ‘hey, that’s somebody ELSE’S job, I have bigger things to do’.

STORY - Lori Gibbons, for all he did, still regularly met with a small group friends and neighbours to help them grow in their faith

Performance in Jesus is about understanding that

The little things are the biggest things

And being a new creation is about understanding that our job to serve, to sacrifice, to slave under others, is the highest calling we have.

And that connects to my last point.

Jesus’ Attitude About Pride

STORY - one day, the disciples were having an argument (RIGHT AFTER COMMUNION WITH JESUS NO DOUBT)- which one of us is the best?

We THINK we’re better than that kind of conversation. But are we?

See, the disciples - they were sitting at a table with Jesus, having a meal.

Jesus speaks of a table, and he says, who is greater - the one at the table, or the servant? Obviously the guy at the table. But Jesus himself - he came in the position of the servant, like we talked about above.

He even reminds them - the gentiles, the lost, THEY fight for spots at the table. They fight for titles and positions and authority.

And jesus says, to be sure - i’ve prepared a table for you already, and a kingdom to go with it.

But

Jesus acted with humility - even leading to his own death

Jesus came to be the sacrifice rather than fight to be the king. He aimed to be serving the table rather than sitting at the head of it.

But in being the sacrifice, being the servant - he’s the greatest king that ever lived and ever will live, and he sits at the right hand of God.

Philippians 3:8 NIV

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

Every throne we could get, every table we could sit at - it’s all garbage compared simply to knowing Jesus as our king, our saviour, our lord.

Knowing that, what’s better? Getting praise and recognition from men - or from God? being held up here on earth - or there in heaven?

Here on earth, you look forward to comfort, pats on the back, maybe some clapping.

In eternity, we look forward to a resurrection from the dead, perfect bodies, no more pain.

Be humble because pride isn’t worth it

Whatever we may gain here - it’s nothing. It’s dust and ashes in the wind.

Jesus once said to turn the other cheek (EXPLAIN). He was so content, so humble, that even stealing from him and hurting him was nothing to him.

All of this is possible only by the power of God

Galatians 2:20 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.