Sermon Tone Analysis
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Tonight we continue to talk about attitude… specifically our attitude toward others.
Last week, we talked about our attitude toward God.
The week before, we talked about our attitude within.
In BOTH studies, we have talked about how important having the right attitude is - Attitude is everything!
Ephesians 4:22-24 is our series Bible verse and it simply says this:
As Christians, it is extremely important that we get rid of the attitude of this world, and take on the attitude of our Savior, Jesus.
The tern Christian means what?
Christ like!
We are to be like Jesus in ALL things… especially our attitude.
So this evening, we are going to start with a little attitude check.
We are going to test and see where our attitude toward others is.
There are three options we will consider to statements I will read in a moment.
There is no wrong answer here… this is a simple exercise to see what our attitudes toward others is like.
The options are:
I would get mad and say or do something.
I would get mad but not say or do something.
I would not get mad and I would not say or do something.
Here are the scenarios
Someone takes your favorite pen.
Someone cuts in front of you at the lunch line.
Your friends go to a gathering or party and don’t invite you.
Your parents won’t let you wear certain clothes.
Your parents won’t let you hang out with your friends.
Someone cheats and gets a better grade than you… and doesn’t get caught.
Someone pushes you in gym/sports causing you to lose the contest.
Your siblings do all that they can to annoy you.
Your teacher piles on the homework during a holiday weekend.
Your “friend” spreads or starts a rumor about you that is not true.
These are all very realistic possibilities.
In fact, you may have experienced some of these things today!
And… in light of that possibility… when one or more situations like these happen in a row… what can happen to our attitudes?
The more stuff piles up, the more likely we are to reach our boiling point if we are not careful!
So what can we do to change the situation?
Most of the situations I presented were circumstances beyond your control.
You may not be able to stop the situations from happening… BUT… you can CHOOSE how you are going to respond when things like this rise up!
Sometimes it is easy to have a good attitude toward others… like when everything is going right.
But how often does that happen in life?
Other times, when things aren’t going according to plan… it can be difficult to keep a good attitude.
Tonight we threw up a few hypothetical situations we might face on any given day… but we face REAL LIFE attitude checks every single day - and that test is going to come whether or not you are having a good day!
My point is this: We cannot control what we will face, but we CAN control how we choose to face it.
And… as believers, we can ask God to help us remain cool, calm, and collected when things are not going our way.
Our attitude toward other people, whether they are Christians or not, tells us A LOT about our relationship with Jesus.
Do you think Jesus cares about how we treat others?
He absolutely does!
The greatest commandment.
The Golden Rule
How we will be identified
Jesus is the One who spoke all of this!
So God cares a great deal about how we treat one another!!!
So, quick moment of transparency, how many would admit… or be real… and say that there are times… when your attitude toward others isn’t exactly what it needs to be?
So… how do we fix this?
How do we move from having a bad or rough attitude to having a loving and caring attitude?
The key is not allowing the bad attitude to take a hold in the first place.
The moment we begin to sense things are going downhill, it’s time to hit the brakes!
And it is essential that we bring it to a stop, before we run through the red light.
What can happen if… when driving… a person runs a red light or a stop sign?
Tragedy… car accident… someone gets hurt or even killed.
That light or sign is there to tell us to stop… to warn us of possible danger.
When we begin to feel our attitude toward others going the wrong way… we need to see the warning light and hit the brakes.
Have you ever done something in the name of a bad attitude… that you later regretted?
We all have.
So instead of dealing with regret, God wants us to deal with our attitudes so we don’t have to face regret.
Point number One: SLOW DOWN.
Stopping becomes more and more difficult the faster we drive.
The same goes for our attitude.
If we desire to love and treat others as Christ treated them, then when need to start by not allowing things to ramp up so fast.
According to this verse, what should we be “quick” to do? LISTEN.
But then it goes on to say that we should be SLOW to SPEAK and SLOW to become angry.
Oh boy… NONE of us have ever gotten ourselves into any kind of trouble by running our mouths.
I know that I am looking at a room of saints who have ALWAYS known when to button it up and not say the wrong words at the wrong time!
No one in here has EVER let their mouth just fly right?
When our attitudes start going south, often times people like to talk… A LOT.
And in that talking what are we doing?
Justifying our anger, trying to get people on our side, tearing down another person while trying to build ourselves up.
All that talk will ever do is make the situation worse.
Talking bad toward others or about others will only push the situation further from being resolved.
Talking only builds more anger.
So the Bible says… in my own words, to shut your trap and to cool your jets.
SLOW DOWN.
The ONLY thing it says to be fast in is LISTENING!!!
And… instead of allowing anger to take over, accept the Word that has been given to you - the Word that can SAVE YOU.
Not only does the Word of God save or keep you from sinning… it also keeps you from what Randy called out this last weekend as “the spirit of dumb dumb.”
When we choose to listen to the Word of God instead of the word on the street, it helps us not to fall into the trap of a bad attitude.
God’s Word will keep you from doing things or saying things… you might later regret.
So before you lose it… before you cross the line… before you run the light and cause a wreck… SLOW DOWN.
Hit the brakes.
LISTEN.
Apply the Word of God and shut down the attitude BEFORE it becomes a problem.
Now… you might be thinking, “So if someone does wrong to me, am I supposed to simply pretend like it didn’t happen?”
Absolutely not.
In fact, Jesus gives us a “formula” for how to deal with such things and the key in His formula is something that might surprise you - FORGIVENESS.
Point number Two: Learn to Forgive.
Our culture toady has almost completely forgotten what this word means.
What does it mean to forgive?
To forgive is to stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake.
The thing I want you to understand about forgiveness is this: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THIS CHOICE.
Even if the person doesn’t ask for it… AND… even if the person does not deserve it, you can choose to forgive.
The choice to not forgive means you allow the offense to continue to control you.
But… the moment you choose to forgive is the moment you break free from the offense and choose not to be controlled by it any longer.
Forgiving others… is not always easy - but it is always necessary.
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