The Cure for Entitlement

Good Morning

Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastors here at Freedom Chapel. We exist to bring hope to our community we do that by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.

If you are new with us this morning would you please take the time fill out that little flap on the side of your bulletin. If you put it in the black boxes by the back door we will make a donation in your name to a local charity and send you cookies. Church can we show our guests some love this morning.

Like A Child

Check out this video....

Next Week we are going to begin a New 4 Week Christmas Series Entitled Like a Child. On the back wall there are invite cards. Take a few and invite your Friends. This is going to be a lot of fun because believe it or not Church can be Fun.

If you have your Bibles with you, let's open them up today to Luke, Chapter 17. Let’s Pray!

Thanksgiving the Season of Thankfulness or Not

Thanksgiving is in the air. This is the time of year where we remember the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving celebration. This is usually the time of year that we try to be more grateful for the things we have and those who we share our lives with. However, the older I have gotten the less it seems that people really pay much attention to the Thanksgiving part of Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving meal is nothing more than the pre game for Black Friday.

You see our society and the world that is growing up in it is quickly losing sight of a forgotten virtue and that is what we are going to talk about today.

The Boston Consultant and Some Millennial's

There was a Boston consultant who was working with a bunch of college graduates. He took all of these college graduates and said that everybody in the work force today, there is one word that they use to describe this emerging generation into the workforce and the word begins with "E". He asked all of these recent graduates, "What do you think is the one word that so many people use to describe you that starts with the letter 'E'?" And all of these young hopefuls said, "Energetic, excellent!" And all through these different names that really describe their positive behaviors beginning with exceptional. And after they listed all of these different "E" words, the consultant said; "Actually, the number one most commonly used word to describe this generation as they move into the workforce, is the word "entitled".

In fact, the millennials are labeled as the "Entitled generation", those who feel like everyone owes us and we deserve more.

Now, before those of you who are older say, "Yea, that younger generation.."

We have to realize we've created, by our actions and our attitudes, a generation that feels very, very entitled.

How did we do that? Well, many different ways.

When I was a Kid

For those my age and older, the average person worked way too much, often ended up divorced. They love their kids, so they've tried to make up for their lack of time by never saying no. "Here, you can have this, you can have that..." I'll make more money and we'll give you more. So, this younger generation just felt like, "Hey, if we want it, we are going to get it!"

When I was a kid, we rode in the back of pickups, rode bicycles without helmets, and I don’t think I ever rode in a car seat.

Anybody remember that at all? Well we had to stop that.

So Nowadays, you are buckled down with a 5 point harness until your 20, you can't even ride a bicycle without a helmet, and if you dare have a trampoline it better be enclosed and wrapped in pool noodles because, we are going to protect this upcoming generation.

It goes on, when I was a kid, you used to actually have to win something to get a ribbon! How many remember that? You had to win something! Now, you just have to show up! You know it's like, "Hey Johnny, you were last, but you ran so slow and we're so proud of you!" So, here's a ribbon! "Congratulations for being in last place, Johnny!"

What it has done is it has built a generation of people that really feel entitled. It's not just them, it's me,

If I can’t get something delivered in two days I am probably not going to order it.

I honesty don’t believe I should ever have to do dishes because that is what my kids are for. Too bad Michelle disagrees with that one.

Covid 19 is not the only Pandemic we are facing as a culture.

The Pandemic of Entitlement is Far Worse and It is Quickly destroying our World.

We are entitled to our opinions and if you don’t agree with that opinion we are entitled to never speak to you again.

Let’s pause for a moment and do a personal entitlement survey....... One one Thousand.

Ok thats enough.

Today we are going to talk about the Cure for Entitlement........Gratitude.

Luke 17:11–13 ESV

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Now this last week I began to study Leprosy...

Loss of Feeling.....Leading to unseen injuries, Oozing sores, and literally could wake up an not noticed that a rat ate your finger.

Lived in colonies separated from society eaking out a living by working together.

Yelled unclean.

10 Guys with no hope and no future find themselves in the presence of the One Person who can make them whole again. This quite possible could be the best day of their lives. They need a miracle so the yell out for help.

Luke 17:14 ESV

14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

In this moment they have their miracle, the day they never thought possible has happened. These 10 Guys have something to be amazingly thankful for. Yet how may does verse 15 speak about?

Luke 17:15–18 ESV

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Can you just see the look on Jesus’ face?

Where did everyone go?

Now they probably weren’t bad people they just got caught up seeing family, eating at the restaurant that they have missed for years, being a part of society for the first time in a long time.

It is not at all that they totally overlooked a moment for gratitude a due to the sudden onset of entitlement that their miracle now afforded them.

Only the outsider was the only one to stop and say thank you. After all he had no where else to go.

My question to you is this, will you be the one? Will you be the one?

Will You Be the One?

Because truthfully, the odds are stacked against you.

Will you be the one? Think about it.

Will you be the one that daily pauses to give glory and honor to the one that gave you life.

Will you be the one to stop in all the busyness, and lift up a true, heartfelt worship to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe?

Will you be the one to give praise and honor and worship and glory to the one, who when you were a sinner, sent His Son, Jesus, to do something for you, that you couldn't do for yourself and you certainly deserve the opposite.

Will you be the one who shows gratitude towards those who make your life better like...

The those who minister to your children this morning....

Your children’s coaches, teachers, the server who brings you your lunch today.

Your mom or your Dad.

Teenagers you know what will help your cause more than anything in this world.....Gratitude. Maybe not acting like your parents owe you Gasoline, food, the roof over your head, heres the deal kiddos your parents do all that voluntarily....a little gratitude might just change how your parents receive your requests.

We can choose to be the one or we can choose to continue to live with an ungrateful mindset.

Jesus outlines the habits of two ungrateful mindsets in a little story he told about a man with two sons.

The First of these Mindsets is.

I Want It Now!

You know what I am talking about.

Where is my food?

Where is my package?

How long am I going to have to sit in this waiting room?

When Do we want it? ...........

Luke 15:11–12 ESV

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

Son number 1 wants his inheritance right now.

Well no of us here have anything in common with this guy.

That is why none of us are over are heads in debt due to trying to acquire everything our parents and grandparents worked a lifetime for, before we are 40.

We don’t save we borrow....

The Rest of the Story goes like this..........

The there is the other son.

His ungrateful mindset was ......

I Deserve More

Luke 15:29 ESV

29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

We emulate this mindset everyday.....

Someone owes me.

I deserve it!

I deserve a promotion!

They should pay me more!

My Cellphone is so 6 months ago!

You see we live in this world where we are so bombarded by what we don’t have enough of that we forget to look around to be thankful for what we have.

Church it is time to start Treating this Decease of Entitlement in our lives.

We do this by

1. Expose any Ungratefulness

Material or Financial

Relational

Circumstantial

2. Apply Praise to Your Blessings

Philippians 4:11–13 NLT

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Try something tomorrow.....Instead of Grumbling at your Alarm…Praise God for another day on this Earth.

3. Don’t Just Feel the Gratitude, Express the Gratitude.

This week we are celebrating Thanksgiving!

Pilgrims…Starvation.......Education.........Celebration

Think about the areas of your life that were lacking before Jesus....Before Freedom Chapel.

How has Christ Changed your Life.

Spend this week Counting your Blessings.

Turning your Blessings into Praise.

Sharing what God has done in your life with others.