Attitude
Romans 12:1-2
Intro: We have all heard the saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over andexpecting different results." This has become an old saying because there is so much truth in it. How can we expect things to change if nothing about us changes?
We are what we are and do what we do by choice. If we want things to be different in our lives we have to decide to change. It is up to us to make things different. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that God has no part in this, but simply that we have to decide to change before we will ever change. Once we have decided to change then we must depend on God to bring the changes about.
I said all of that to get to this; the next few weeks we are going to look at some things in our lives that we can and may need to change if we are going to be what God wants us to be.
Turn to Romans 12:1-2. Paul says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. He is telling us that we need to change the way we think. We need to banish the worldly thinking that has infected us and start to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thought lives and then we will know the perfect will of God for us.
The scenario is played out time and again in hospitals and doctor's offices around the country. The conversation goes like this:
Doctor: “I am sorry, but the cancer has spread beyond what we can treat effectively.”
Patient: “How long do I have?”
Doctor: “Well, attitude is everything.”
Can you imagine that? With all of the technological advances, new medications and varied treatments it still comes down to attitude. William James said, "Perhaps the greatest discovery of this century is that if you can change your attitude, you can change your life." That is the basis of Christianity: a life that is changed. Paul said, "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature..." There has been a great change in the life of one who has placed their faith in Christ. There is a positional change: we gave gone from condemnation to forgiveness. This is called justification. There is also a progressive change: we are moving from the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit. This is called sanctification. And there is a permanent change: from damnation to glorification. One day we will be glorified in Heaven.
I.The Positional Change Occurs Instantaneously
The positional change of going from condemnation toforgiveness occurs the moment we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.All people are guilty of sinning against other people and against God. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” All are personally responsible for their sins and thus under condemnation. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”Just as people who break the laws of a society are brought before a court to be tried and judged, God brings each individual before Himself to judge them. We are all condemned before God and have no hope within ourselves. Is there a way to fix all that we have done wrong? God fixes our wrongs by providing Jesus Christ as our substitute. Jesus' righteousness satisfies God's demands. His righteousness is accredited to all who believe. Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” The righteousness of God is applied to and laid upon all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. The technical term for this change of position before God is 'Justification.'The term justification means "to declare righteous." The New Testament writers, specifically Paul, use the term in a judicial sense. Imagine God the judge, sitting on His throne,declaring to the believer, "In light of what Jesus has done on your behalf, you are now righteous. Things are now right between you and me. Case dismissed."The
defendant of course would ask, "How did this happen? And what did Jesus do to make things right between God and me?" The defendant is really asking is, "What is the basis for justification?"
The answer is threefold:God's grace – Turn to Romans 5:6-21. Justification was provided by Jesus Christ's obedience to God the Father.Jesus' blood – Look at Romans5:9—Jesus' blood and death made all who choose to believe in Him right with God.Jesus' righteousness accredited to believers - 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Those who believe in Jesus are freely given "right status" with God, not on the basis of their own works, but on the basis of what God has done in Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”Galatians 2:16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Once sinners have placed their faith in Christ, God declares them righteous. New believers have peace with God because all sins, past, present and future are forgiven.Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Once forgiven, believers are no longer subject to the judgment that was once due.Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” The declaration of this is justification.In summary, justification is an act of God's grace: A guilty sinner places his or her faith in Christ and is acquitted by God. A wrongdoer is "made right" with God.
II.The Permanent Change Comes At Death Or Rapture
This permanent change awaits every believer. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:50-53. This speaks of the time when we will exchange our old bodies for newbodies.
Philippians 3:20-21, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” This is afuture event and is called glorification. We shall have glorified bodies that are like His.
III.The Progressive Change Happens Over Time
Between these two changes is where we live right now. We call it sanctification.It begins when we are saved and continues until we die or are raptured.It is the progressive growth of each believer as they become more likeChristThe progressive change of being conformed into the image of Christ or becoming more and more like Him takes place throughout the rest of our lives. It involvesGod making us more "set apart" from our sins and more like Him. For the believer, there must be a constant and ever-increasing sense that although sin remains, it is not in control. It is one thing for sin to live in the believer, but it is quite another for the believer to live in sin.
The Holy Spirit is the One who brings about this sanctification. He works within us to subdue sinful impulses and produce fruits of righteousness, or right actions. Turn to Galatians 5:19-24.Once you are saved you begin to put the works of the flesh to death and then the fruit of the Spirit begins to blossom in your life. It really is a simple process. The things you used to do without even thinking about them now cause you consternation when the Holy Spirit brings them to your attention. He convicts you of your sin and causes you to stop doing those things.
Go to Romans 8:29-30. Notice that v29 is preceded by v28.How are we conformed to His image? by the working of all things. God takes everything that happens in our lives, even our sins, and uses them to make us more like Christ. But we are not robots: God
has given us afree will to choose to love and serve Him.It is our choice as to whether we will cooperate with God in His process of sanctifying us. The potter applies pressure and the clay must be yielded in order to bemolded into a vessel fit for the master's use.The determining factor is attitude.Attitude is our mental and emotional responses to the circumstances oflife.Often we cannot change our circumstances, but we can change ourattitude about those circumstances.
IV.Five Basic Principles About Attitudes
A.Our Attitudes Are Chosen
We can choose to look at any situation positivelyor negatively.
There were two farmers. One was a pessimist and theother was an optimist. When the sun was shining, the optimist would say, "Wonderful sunshine," but the pessimist would respond, "Yeah, but I'm afraid it's going to scorch the crops."When it rained, the optimist would say, "Fine rain," but the pessimistwould respond, "Yeah, but I'm afraid we're going to have a flood." One day the optimist said to the pessimist, "Have you seen my new birddog? He's the best money can buy." The pessimist said, "You mean thatlittle mutt I saw penned up behind your house? He don't look like muchto me."The optimist said, "Well, how about going hunting with me tomorrow?" Thepessimist agreed. They went and shot some ducks. The ducks landed in thepond. The optimist ordered his dog to go get the ducks. The dog obediently responded, but instead of swimming in the water, thedog walked on top of the water, retrieved the ducks, and then walked back on top of the water. The optimist nowturned confidently to his pessimist friend, hoping thatthis would have impressed him. The determined pessimist replied,"Hmmmm... can't swim, can he?"'
Some people are confirmed pessimists!They make a deliberate decision to have a negative mental and emotional response to every circumstance.Yet other people can look at the same circumstances and choose apositive outlook.
Paul is a good example of one who chose to have a positive attituderegardless of his circumstances. He was in prison awaiting his possible execution when he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord, always."Paul was able to say,“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Phil. 4:11)
Everyone of us makes a choice when it comes to our attitude. We canchoose to live God's principles and enjoy His blessings or we can choose not to do so and not have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Our attitudes are chosen, but they also:
B.Our Attitudes Are Influenced By Input
1.To a large extent our attitudes are shaped by external influences:
a.what we read
b.what we see
c.who we listen to
d.what we think about
That is why Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoeverthings are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Be careful what you allow into your life because it will produce fruit. Remember – GIGO – Garbage In/Garbage Out.
2.Attitudes are not only influenced by what we read, see, hear and thinkabout, but also by our friends.
The Book of Proverbs is full ofwarnings about avoiding certain typesof people.Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”We all know that we are judged by those we hang out with.
David, also warns us to avoid relationships with the ungodly:Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
The New Testament goes further and commands us to not be too closely connected with those who would drag us down spiritually in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth withan infidel?”
C.Our Attitudes Affect Our Relationships
All of us are involved in relationships that could stand improvement: relationships with our spouses, our children, our friends, our workassociates and our fellow church members.The Bible teaches that a wrong attitude is the major source ofrelationship conflicts?James 4:1-2, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and
cannot obtain: ye fight and war…” In other words, contentions, personality clashes and discord in the church come from us having self-centered attitudes of pride. Most problems come from a lust for power or control.
Whenever two or more people get together who are determined to gettheir way, you are going to have conflict, whether it is in the home, atwork or in the church.
The solution to such conflict is again, found in our attitude. Turn to Philippians 2:3-7. Jesus had an attitude of humility and so should we. We should see ourselves as beneath everyone else in the sense that we put others before and above ourselves.
D.Our Attitudes Are The Cause Result Of Right Behavior
1.It is easy to see how right thinking produces right behavior.Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
2.But it is also true that right actions also produce right attitudes.
Remember the story of Cain and Abel? Cain was despondent because hisbrother, Abel, had offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, whereas Cain's gift had been rejected.
What did God prescribe as a cure for Cain's depression? Turn toGenesis4:4-7.
God said that if Cain would do right, he would start to feel right.Right actions produce right attitudes.
We live in a feeling-oriented society: "If it feels good, do it" (and thecorollary, "If it doesn't feel good, don't doit!).
A husband or wife seeks a divorce because he or she "doesn't feelanything any longer."People quit their jobs
because they "don't feel fulfilled."Christians quit going to church because they "don't feel the Spirit" in the services.Yet, God's word to Cain was that the key to right feelings is right actions.
E.Our Attitude Determines Our Eternal Destiny
The most convincing argument for rightattitudes is the effect they have on our eternity.Remember the definition of an attitude - "our mental or emotional response to the circumstances of life."While we all experience many variedcircumstances in life, there is onecommon circumstance we all encounter: sin.Sin is our failure to please God. Let me give you the Biblical definitions of sin.
1.Breaking the Law of God is Sin
1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
2.All Unrighteousness is Sin
1 John 5:5:17, “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”
3.Failing to Do What We Know Should Do is Sin
James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
4.Whatever is Not Of Faith is Sin
Romans 14:23, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
As you see, there more kinds of sin than just breaking the Ten Commandments and the and the Bible says all of us are guilty of it.
What is your attitude toward that failure in your life? How do you see sin in your life? Your attitude will affect where
you spend eternity.
Some face that reality with an attitude of unbelief "There is no God, and thereis no such thing as sin."
Some face sin with an attitude of indifference "Sowhat?"
Others face that reality with an attitude of pride - "I may not be perfect, but I'm better than most people."
But there is only one attitude that pleases God: an attitude of repentance. That means agreeing with God that you
have failedand turning to Him for forgiveness.
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
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