The Entitlement Mentality

It was a terrible week in the news, wasn't it? This week in Dallas, a young man who was part of a Marxist, black nationalist group shot 11 police officers, killing five of them. At least, I haven't watched the news this morning. Is it still just five? Anyway, morality is declining in America and violence is on the rise. The suspect in this latest shooting was a member of an anti-white group that started in the 1960s, when racial tension was very high in the United States.

We now have an African-American president, and one would think that racial tension would be at an all-time low. But that is not so. The group that this young man was in, he was a member of, has 10 basic tenets, which include many statements of entitlement. And one of those statements was, and I quote, We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace. As though that need be handed to them. Some members of this group do not consider this week's killings to be murder, but rather a revolution. What do people really deserve? Are we owed land, bread, housing? Are you owed that? More to the point. Clothing, justice, peace. Do we deserve those things? Do we have the right to take them from others? If we don't have them ourselves? I would like to read from an article on a study that shows that self-love is at an all-time high. This was on May 1st of 2007. I got this right off of ucg.org. And the title is, Study that Shows Self-Love at an All-Time High. Gene Twing, San Diego's SDSU psychology professor and author of the Generation Me, why today's young Americans are more confident, assertive, and entitled, and more miserable than ever before. And a college colleague at the University of Michigan, and the University of Georgia, and the University of South Alabama. So this guy gets around. He performed a study, and it was the largest ever conducted on generational changes in narcissism. Self-love, self-exaltation, which is characterized by excessive self-admiration, vanity, and a sense of entitlement. Twing noted that people high in narcissism lack empathy for others. They don't treat others very well. They don't sympathize. They don't empathize. They don't care. They're aggressive when insulted. They seek public glory, favor self-esteem over helping others. Narcissists are also more likely to be materialistic and to seek attention and fame. I ask again, what do people really deserve? Are we owed land and bread and housing and education and clothing, justice and peace? Do we deserve those things? Do we have the right to take them from other people? You know what, brethren? I want to discuss entitlement today, but not the entitlement of an anti-white group. Not the entitlement of this world, because there's nothing we can do about that. Not one thing. This world is full of people trying to get their own way, get their own things. If you want to change the world, start with yourself. I don't want to talk about the entitlement of the world today or the entitlement of a specific Marxist group. I want to talk about entitlement in you and me.

What is entitlement? For the purposes of the sermon today, I want to discuss entitlement from this point of view. It's the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. You know why I deserve it? Because it's me! That's why. And that's the only reason why that's entitlement. What do you and I deserve? The problem with the entitlement mentality is the self-love mentality. It's that you start to believe that you have the right to mistreat other people if you are not satisfied with your current situation. And human nature is never satisfied, which means you will always mistreat other people. Proverbs 30, verses 15 and 16. It's unbelievable to me how many scriptures in the Bible talk about not feeling entitled. There's no way to cover them in a sermon. No way. It's massive. We could spend the entire time in Proverbs alone. The New Testament is chock full of this information. What do you and I deserve? We can't fix the world. We can't help the world. We can't change the violence and immorality out there until we allow God and Jesus Christ to change us. You and me, are you entitled? And if so, what are you entitled to? There is something you're entitled to, actually. You are entitled. I don't think you'll like the answer. Proverbs 30, verses 15. The leech has two daughters. Give and give. Now, what does that mean? The leech has two daughters. Give and give. The only thing that the leech produces are the words, Give to me. It doesn't mean that they're giving. It means that they're requesting you to give.

The leech has two daughters. Only produces two things, and those two things are exactly the same. Give me over here and give me over here. Give, give, give, give, give. Now, if you understand a little bit about Hebrew, and I don't understand very much Hebrew at all, you have to understand the basic fundamental concept of parallelism, where they take one concept and then introduce another concept that is parallel to the first concept in order for you to understand the first concept.

They will give a second concept. It's a way of rhyming, but they don't rhyme in words. They rhyme in meaning. This is just one of those proverbs. It's a parallelism. The next concept that it gives seems completely unrelated to the leech, and yet it is exactly related to the leech.

Let's continue on. The leech has two daughters. Give and give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say enough. The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and fire that never says enough. Now, the grave. People are constantly dying. We're born, we grow up, we get married, we have kids, we die. That's the human cycle.

The grave is never satisfied. I bet you today you could drive around somewhere in San Antonio and there would be a funeral procession right here in our own city because the grave is never satisfied. What about the barren womb? A woman's craving to have a child when she cannot. It's one of the saddest things that craving doesn't go away. That's a very poignant comparison, isn't it?

The barren womb is never satisfied. The grave is never satisfied, the barren womb is never satisfied, and then the ground. The ground is never satisfied for water. We have had one of the rainiest springs we have had in years. And my ground is cracked. The ground is never satisfied. It's just thirsty all the time. And then fire. I don't know if you've ever witnessed a forest fire in person I have. I've witnessed two. Well, one of them was small. It was put out quickly. The other was huge and lasted for days. And it was near my neighborhood.

So we could walk to it and watch it. It's amazing. If a fire has fuel, it will burn. Feed it and it will live. It will never, ever stay. Oh, I'm full. That's enough. Thank you. I think I'm going to extinguish myself now. Oh, there's lots of dry grass and tinder and trees. But I've had enough. Thank you. I won't burn anymore. A fire doesn't do that. A fire consumes everything in its path until it hits rock or water or sand.

It just burns. You give it food, it will feed. That's what the leech is like. That's what the entitlement mentality is like in us. It is a perpetual, nonstop, never satisfied greed of thinking, I deserve. So what I'm going to do today is I'm going to touch on three aspects where we, the Christian community, oftentimes feel entitled so that we can overcome this, so that we can be a help to this world and teach people in the future to better themselves through God's principles, as opposed to mistreating them.

We're mistreating each other like we do today, where all races are guilty of mistreating all other races. Genders are guilty of mistreating each other. People just mistreat each other. And one of the causes of that is this self-love, this sense that I'm entitled. Christians, we must not have an entitlement mentality. So what's the problem with the entitlement mentality? Let's go through three examples of how we as Christians can often feel entitled.

One, and most obvious, and there's other two that aren't as obvious. So we'll start with the obvious, then we'll move to the less obvious. The first obvious is people feel entitled to other people's things, other people's stuff. We come into the church, and we're like, well, we're the church. So I can take your stuff, because you're supposed to be a giving, loving person. And since I love myself, I'm going to come and take your stuff. The Apostle Paul was very outspoken on this attitude. He didn't pull any punches, so I'm not going to pull any punches. 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10.

Brethren, you are not entitled to your brothers' or sisters' stuff. They're things, they're possessions. I hesitate in giving this for one reason. Those people who need to be taken care of always tend to feel guilty when we read this. And the people who feel entitled, I fear it goes right over our heads. And I want to assure every widow in this room, this is not about you.

We love you. We will take care of you. We will defend you. This is about people who are capable of taking care of themselves, but would rather leech off of other people. And instead of being a giving member of the community, they take. Remember, a leech has two daughters. Give and give. That's all the entitlement mentality produces. As Christians, we must walk away from that mentality where we must be loving and giving. 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this.

If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. Produce your own things, your own stuff. You may not know how. Ask the gray heads who have done well. Ask them how they did it. That's how you use your brethren. That's how you get ahead.

Get advice. I recommend to all of our young people, study the Proverbs. The Proverbs is chock full of how people can avoid the entitlement mentality which leads to poverty. It keeps you locked and bound in poverty. And how you can walk out of that step by step slowly. It doesn't happen quickly.

When you try to do it quickly, it fails. So get advice, number one. Read the Proverbs. And work. Because Paul says, if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. Verse 11. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner. And what is disorderly, according to Paul? Not working at all.

But our busy bodies. Oh, they're in everybody else's business. But they're not tending to their own. And you know what the problem with that is? You're not taking care of other people. You're not becoming the Christian that you can become. Again, I am not talking about those people who are beyond the years of ability to work. This is not even about you. Paul addresses that. We'll get to that in just a minute. Now those, verse 12, I'm sorry, let's go back to verse 11.

For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner. Not working at all. They're busy bodies. Now those who are such, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, it's a commandment. It's an order from the apostles that we work. But it's also an encouragement. It's an exhortation. It's not a condemnation. It's a, come on, you can do it at a boy.

Kind of an attitude that Paul is bringing here. He says, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in the quietness and eat their own bread. According to the apostles, you're not entitled to your brethren's stuff. You're entitled to what you work for. Now if they have a charitable act, and we should be charitable, and you need it, you should take it. You should. Everybody gets down. I have been down. I was unemployed or underemployed for two years.

That was incredibly humiliating. The economy had tanked. I was a sales representative. Nobody wanted a sales rep out of a job when they were firing employees in the hundreds themselves. Companies just weren't hiring. So I tried the self-employment thing, but didn't know what I was doing and failed at that. So I was either unemployed or underemployed for two years, and I had to receive so much help from the congregation.

People would quietly just leave an H.E.B. gift card on my chair at services and whatnot. People would just give me money. It was humiliating, but I needed it. And I got back on my feet. So this isn't about, hey, if you fall down, you're on your own, buddy. You're not on your own. You have a congregation here. You have brothers and sisters who will help you. But don't be the leech.

Don't feel entitled. Don't have that self-love. Are you owed anything? Let me tell you, when I was out of a job, it was my responsibility to get a job. It was not my brother's responsibility to care for me. I am so glad that they did. I am thankful to them and to God, but I was not owed that.

So is my responsibility to actually pay it back at some point, either via service or through money that I quietly donate to somebody else. And that's between me and God. And when it happens to you, that's between you and God. But I wasn't owed it, and you are not owed. You are not entitled.

Paul says if you don't work, you don't eat. That's what you're entitled to. People who habitually beg from other people may not realize that they're actually accusing God when they do that. God promises to take care of you. And all these things will be added to you. Remember that? In Matthew 6?

Ecclesiastes 5, verse 19. Let's go there. Please ask these nine. Five, and verse 19. Five, 19. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God. It's God who takes care of you. And good health to enjoy it. And God does it for your benefit, in other words. Reading on. To enjoy your work, and notice this, and accept your lot in life. This is indeed a gift from God. God giving you work and giving you a station in life is a gift. And when you beg, you complain. And when you complain, you're accusing God.

You should rather trust God that if you are in need, He will pull you out of that need. Your work and your standing in life are a gift. Paul describes that you should take care of some people. So don't think that receiving charity is wrong. It is not wrong. Notice what Paul explains in 1 Timothy. Now, Timothy is a letter written to a young pastor, and Paul is instructing him on how to take care of a congregation. We'll drop in in chapter 5 of 1 Timothy and read quite a bit here. Let's read verses 1-14.

Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. That situation comes up, and that is the responsibility of the church. So please do not feel guilty when we give assistance. Some people are left with just bare minimum social security, and some months they have to choose between food or medicine, because the money only goes so far. And that's why we have the food bank, and that's why we have brethren.

Take care, verse 3, of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But notice Paul very carefully navigating this topic to this young pastor to make sure that people don't feel entitled, that if they're capable of working, that they do. We in the church need to get this. Other people's stuff is not your stuff.

Verse 4, But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents for taking care of them. Hey, Mom and Dad, diaper'd you. Fed you. Put a roof over your head. It's your turn. You take care of your parents now. That should not fall to the church. That falls to you, the children. This is something that pleases God, Paul says. Verse 5, Now, a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, and I'm reading this from the New Living Translation in case, sorry I didn't tell you guys that. NLP, yeah, you got it all right, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day asking God for help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead. Even while she lives, do not be the leech. It is a spiritual issue. It is not just a physical issue. You can't compartmentalize this and say that if you constantly have this self-love mentality, that it's just a physical thing. You go to church, but you operate your daily business life separately. Can't do that. This is a spiritual issue. Verse 7, Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. If you are able to work and provide, and you don't, don't call yourself a Christian. Wow! That's what Paul just said! Does that not just kick you right in the chest? That's a responsibility of each and every person who has a brain and two hands to work. Wow! But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith and are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. So it's not a situation where, I don't like this guy anymore, I'm going to go live off the church. That's not godly. That's not deserving of help. And he goes on and explains a lot more about younger women who are able to work, should work, and so on.

So Paul was pretty plain spoken on this entitlement mentality, and we can often have that in the church. So I don't want the widows who receive assistance to fill any guilt whatsoever. Again, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about people who put themselves over other people. And that is the last thing that our beautiful, lovely, humble widows do. They care for this congregation, they pray for us, and I know they do because they tell me what they pray for. They are Christian warriors, pillars in the congregation. They give far much more than money could possibly give. Do not feel guilty about that. But those of us who are able to work, should work. We'll soon read why a person is referred to as a leech in the Proverbs and why they don't have anything. But there are more ways that people feel entitled than just deserving physical goods. Like I said, this is a spiritual issue. So let's go into the second way that I have noticed a lot of Christians feel entitled like you have the right. Why? Because it's you. You are special. Instead of putting God special, instead of putting His Word special, we feel we are somehow special. The second way we feel entitled is that we feel entitled to say whatever we want. We're entitled whatever we want to whomever we want whenever we want. Are we? Is that true? Well, if you're a good, red-blooded American, you know that's true. Isn't it?

If you see injustice in the world, you have the right to rant about it to everyone who will listen. Cry aloud and spare not. That's your motto. Lift up your voice like a trumpet, as it says in Isaiah 58. The only problem with that is you're not the prophet Isaiah.

Nor are you ordained or otherwise appointed to cry aloud and spare not. Here's a somber warning for you and me when we use our mouth far too freely. Proverbs 13, verses 1-3. Proverbs 13, are you entitled to say whatever you want to whomever you want whenever you want?

Nope. Proverbs 13, verse 1. A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to a rebuke.

So the problem with me giving this second point is the people who scoff aren't listening. And that's sad to me. But to those of you who will listen, let's read verse 2. A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth. Oh, your words have consequences, and you eat by what you say. How many of you have lost a job because you said the wrong thing? I don't want to see a show of hands. Reading on. But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence. He who guards his mouth preserves his life.

The person that doesn't say whatever he or she wants to say, whatever he or she wants to say it, to whom he or she wants to say it to, but rather puts a guard on his or her mouth, lock up that tongue. But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. Hey, you bear the consequences. So, do you have the right to say whatever you please, or should you be more guarded with your words? How about Exodus 22 and 28? Are there rules in the Bible about what we're allowed to say and not say? You know, there are a bunch of rules about what we're allowed to say and not say.

We were always supposed to speak the truth. There's no such thing as, quote, freedom of speech in the Bible. It's not there. Rather, we are free to follow God. And when we follow God and we know the truth, we are truly free.

Letting your mouth run amok does not make you free. Letting your mouth run amok brings destruction on your life. So, God isn't saying all of these rules to restrict you and make you a prisoner. He's giving you these rules because he loves you and wants you to live and have a happy life. So, shut your mouth! That's what he's saying. Exodus 22, verse 28, you shall not...this is a law...you shall not revile God nor curse a ruler of your people. You know this rule, but we break this rule constantly, don't we?

Why? Well, because it's us, and we're entitled because it's us to say whatever we want to say. I may be stepping on your toes. I don't care. I love you. This is the law of God. This is the way of God. This is a spiritual issue. This is the way into the kingdom. You can't be half in, half out. It's like Mr. Cooper said. You want to walk on water? You've got to jump out of a boat with both feet. In Acts, chapter 23, Paul apologized immediately when he discovered that he had reviled the high priest, a ruler of his people.

He knew he broke Exodus 22-28. This was after Jesus Christ had been crucified. This was the Apostle Paul who wrote Hebrews and said Jesus Christ is now the high priest. And yet a ruler of his people, a Levitical priest, a high priest, he reviled, called a white wall. And he immediately have propented because you do not revile the leaders of your people.

I fear that some of us do not understand this basic principle. You are not entitled to say whatever thought comes to your brain. There are rules to what you can and cannot say. And if you don't, the Apostles are very brutal in what they say about you. 2 Peter 2, verse 10. And especially those who walk according to the flesh, not the Holy Spirit, but your own carnal opinion. This is what Peter says. And the lust of the uncleanness and despised authority. Interesting how those two things go together. Oh, we like to do that. We all do it by nature. The don't tell me what to do attitude. We've had it from since we were a baby.

That's carnal, fleshly. It's not of God's spirit. They are presumptuous. That's another way to say it in title. Right? Presumptuous. That can do anything they want to do because it's them. Self-will. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels who are greater in power and might do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural, brute beasts, made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand and will utterly perish in their own corruption.

I mean, that's an amazing, astounding condemnation. That if we're loose with our mouth or with our criticism, if we're out there ranting on Facebook about political people or other churches or our own leadership in the church, yes, I have seen that on Facebook. We will perish in our own corruption, like brute beasts who are made for destruction.

What are you willing to say to and or about your leaders? Are you entitled to speak your mind? There is a time and a place to go to a brother one on one and say, hey, you messed up. Even if your brother is your leader, if you love that person, you'll say the truth. But do you stand up and speak against them to others? Do you have the right? No, you don't. God did not give that to you. In fact, he forbade you and me from doing that. And I've been guilty of doing that, and more than once. So I'm not pointing my finger at you. I'm pointing my finger at us. A lot of people come up to me after services and they go, you know, I think you were speaking that sermon to me. Yes, I was! Of course I was! Why else would I be speaking to you? Yes, but to me also. Of course it applies to you and me.

Do we despise authority? Are we presumptuous and self-willed? Do we demand to have the right to speak our mind? Do you know that's not of God's Holy Spirit? That demand is carnal. That demand is not Christian. Quelch that. Bring every thought into captivity.

There's a third way we feel entitled. I wasn't quite sure how to put it. So I'll just call it, we act as though we're entitled to salvation. We act as though we're entitled to salvation. And this, remember the context of the sermon. Entitlement leads to treating other people really badly. And when we treat other people really badly, we presume that we're entitled to salvation. That we could not somehow lose the gift that God gave us. By comparing ourselves among ourselves as if we're entitled to more in God's family than others. Let's notice a parable about this in Matthew chapter 20, verses 1 through 16. That's Matthew 20, verses 1 through 16.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. So this guy owns a vineyard, and he hires people to do work. Now, it's Tim's vineyard, it's not the worker's vineyard. And they come to an agreed upon price. And this is a good employer. He gives a good wage. And we know from other scriptures that this employer being God and this vineyard being the kingdom of God, this wage is far more than the worker deserves. So let's just start so we can understand this parable with that premise. God is a great vineyard owner, and he gives far more than a fair wage. So he goes in the morning, and he hires some workers to work in the vineyard. Verse 2. So when he had greed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into the vineyard. And they went out about in the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. So he has compassion on people who don't have a job. He goes, oh, look it, we've got more people standing around. They could be working. He's a good employer. And he said to them, verse 4, you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went.

And again, he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did likewise. Okay, it was late in the day. He comes across some more people who haven't worked all day. They didn't get a chance to provide for their family that day. And he was a good employer. And he wanted to give them a chance to let their children eat dinner that night.

And then about the eleventh hour, verse 6, he went out and he found others standing idle. And he said to them, why have you been standing here idle all day? And they said to him, because no one hired us. It wasn't their fault. They weren't entitled. They were looking for employment. So the eleventh hour hires them.

And he said to them, you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right, you will receive. So when the evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to the steward, call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, and they each received a denarius. The same money that the first guy who worked a whole eight hours, nine hours, ten hours, whatever it was, he earns a denarius. And it was a fair wage. And he could feed his family that day. But the guy who was hired the eleventh hour, he also got the denarius, and he could also feed his family that day. But he didn't work as long as the other. So this comparison between the Christians starts happening. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more, and they likewise received each a denarius. They assumed they were entitled to more. And why were they entitled to more? Because they had been there longer. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner. And a lot of times we complain against God by complaining against the leadership. That's how we level our complaint against God. Remember, God took it very per- Why did God take it personally when Aaron and Miriam complained about Moses' leadership? Why did God strike Miriam with leprosy? Because they weren't against Moses, were they? They were complaining about God's decision. They were complaining against God. And that's what we do, brethren, when we mistreat each other. And we compare ourselves to ourselves, and that person shouldn't be in that position. And why would she pick for that? We're not complaining about the ministry, about the leadership. We're not satisfied with our station. We should read the story of Joseph again. He was definitely cheated and was not in his station. And yet he saw God's big picture in the whole thing. Or what about Job? Remember Job? I don't have time to go into suffering. We feel entitled not to suffer. Job felt entitled that he shouldn't suffer. God showed him he wasn't entitled to not suffer. He was entitled to worship God. And then Job said at the end, Now my eye sees you. I get it. Job thought he was entitled. Satan was just out to get him. But God has a big picture in mind. God was taking Job somewhere great. Job didn't see it. Satan didn't see it. God didn't ask their permission, did he? He just did what he was going to do. And Job came out all right in the end. And so will we!

God's got this! So verse 11, when they received it, they complained against the landowner. Your complaints are against God. Saying, the last man who have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us and have borne the burden in the heat of the day. We bore the burden in the heat of the day. We did more than they did!

Landowner sent me back, going, I paid you more than a fair wage. You will eat well tonight. And guess what? Their kids are not going to go hungry either. It's my vineyard, the landowner is saying. It's not your vineyard. I have the right to do good.

How do you think the apostles felt about Paul coming in? Right? Okay. So you're one of the original apostles in Judea and Galilee. And you're walking around with Jesus for three and a half years. And all of a sudden, this upstart Pharisee who was murdering Christians, replaces, becomes one of them. And he's a newbie. And he becomes the chief apostle to the Gentiles. Do you know they respected Paul? You know they absolutely respected him. And in the last few verses of 2 Peter, Peter, the chief apostle sent to Israel first and Gentiles second, said that Paul wrote scripture. Yes, he was saying it was hard to understand and many people twisted their own destruction, but he called the words of Paul scripture and equated Paul's words to the words of Moses. They didn't disrespect Paul because he was a newbie. Do we do that? Do we get jealous of each other? Do we say, well, they don't deserve that. I've done this for how many years? Are we entitled to salvation? Verse 12. I'm sorry, verse 13. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, am I doing you, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. Take your gift. Nobody can take that from you. No matter what happens to anybody else, you get to be in the kingdom of God, a first fruit. That is awesome. Nobody takes that from you. No matter what happens to them, no matter what honors bestowed on them. It doesn't hurt you one lick. Didn't the landowner promise that worker a denarius? Yes! And that morning, wasn't that landowner happy that he was going to get the denarius? Yes! And then in the end, he got the denarius. So what's your problem? He didn't really deserve it anyway. Well, in this case he did. He worked for it. It was his reward.

Verse 15, Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Oh, and there's the crux of the problem, isn't it? We think we're entitled to God's things. The longer we're in the church, the more say we have over God's things. The only problem is we're not entitled to God's things. God's entitled to God's things. God sets up and he puts down. And he blesses and he takes blessings away. And it's up to him. And no matter how long we've been in the church, we never, ever are entitled to tell God what he can and cannot do with us. In fact, the longer we're in the church, the more deeply we should A, understand that and B, appreciate that. Why would we appreciate that? Because we trust him. We trust that his judgment is better than our judgment. We trust that God can see farther than we can see and he is going to work out things for our good. Romans 8, 28. Is it not lawful to do what I wish was my own things or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first and the first will be last. And an ominous statement is given, for many are called, but few are chosen. Those of us who feel entitled because we've been here and we have seniority over God's house are in very real danger. I call on all of us to examine ourselves and make sure we are in the faith. We forget that salvation is a gift. Don't compare yourself with other people. God gives you your gifts. Don't compete for position or honor or praise. Don't consider yourself in a higher station than your brother because you've been here longer. Let's start to debunk the entitlement mentality with some basic tenets of justice. Exodus 21, verses 23-25. Basic tenets of justice. Exodus 21-23.

You are entitled to get what you deserve and nothing more. That's what we learn from Exodus 21, verses 23-25. Brethren, I encourage all of us, do not ask for what you deserve. Romans 3, verse 23. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6, verse 23. The wages of sin is death. You know what wages are? Wages are what we've earned. Wages are what we deserve. Never ask God to give you what you deserve. Do you ever get that moment, and we all have done this? I've done this. Where you just think, no, I deserve that. I needed that. Why didn't I get that? Whatever that is. Fill in the blank. Something you wanted, and God said no. And you had that thought go through your head. But I deserved it! No, you didn't. No, you didn't. What you deserved was to be in the grave. To not exist at all. Even the creation. Even our life was a gift. We didn't start out being owed. When we were born, and you were spanked, and you raised your first breath, God didn't say, wow, the world owes you everything. No, that was a gift. You're even here. I'm even here by the grace of God. Never ask for what you deserve. Now, God is merciful and loving, and His rewards are huge. And He's not sadistic and mean. He's not cruel. The things we go through that are difficult are for our future good. They're not for our harm. Even when they destroy us financially, our health, our relationships, it works out for our good. That is God's goal. His goal in life is not for us to be miserable. But sometimes we go through some misery, don't we? Because our stubborn heart needs to be molded and shaped, and we need to be willing to let the potter do that. To mold us into whatever pot He's making. And we're not entitled to say, I don't want to be that kind of pot. I want to be this fine china dish. We don't have that right. We're not really entitled to anything. Psalms 8, verses 3 and 4. Psalms 8, 3 and 4. David said, When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and the Son of man that you visit him? What are we? We're the children of God. We're not God. We're not entitled. He is. Even Jesus Christ Himself, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, did not feel entitled. But in the book of John, more than a dozen times said, Not me but my Father. I can do nothing unless my Father lets me do it. Even He did not feel entitled. I am blown away at our human nature how we feel entitled. We can't fix the world unless we change ourselves and allow God to change us and yield to His molding and His shaping.

So what's wrong with the entitlement mentality? Well, we treat other people very badly when we feel entitled. We take their stuff like they owe it to us. We say bad things about them. And we compare ourselves to each other as though we deserve salvation itself. James describes this attitude and the problem behind it in James 4, verses 1-3. What's the problem with the entitlement mentality? James 4, verse 1. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Why do people treat other people badly? Why do people feel entitled to other people's stuff, entitled to say whatever they want to say, entitled that they should never suffer without complaint, entitled that they should be above other people as though they deserve salvation? Where do wars and fights come from among you? Well, from the Holy Spirit, of course. No. Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war and your members? Remember Paul said, there's a war going on inside me, the law of sin and the law of the Spirit? You lust and you do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight and war. Yet, listen to this. You do not have because you do not ask. If you feel like you hate the station you're in, the solution is not to feel entitled and start treating other people badly. That's not fair. I should have that. You shouldn't be where you are. That person made a bad decision. That's not the solution. Alright, James says, you don't have because you don't ask. Go to your Father who gives good things and ask. Oh, but there's more. James goes on. You ask and you do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. You don't ask, Father, I know I'm not entitled to anything. I know I don't deserve anything. But if it be your will, may I have mercy and have this? No! We say, Father, it's not fair. Why me? Boo-hoo? We ask amiss. Why do we do that? Oh, because we lust, because we want stuff. We want something we don't have, and maybe we shouldn't have it. Maybe it's not good for us. Maybe we need to look somewhere else because God wants us to have something else. It's okay. God's got this. Trust Him. Ask Him. Don't mistreat other people, and don't ask amiss. Don't ask because you deserve it, because you're entitled, because that's just to spend it on your own desires. That's selfishness, self-love, narcissism.

You ask and you do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your own pleasures. Let's jump back one chapter now. Let's go to chapter 3. Chapter 3 and verse 1. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that you shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. And here's the point and why I want to get to this passage. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body. If we can control our tongue, we can control every other part of us. Indeed, we put a bit in horses' mouths and they obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look, also it ships! Although they are a large and driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member, it boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles.

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body. What is this telling us? God listens to what we say. God is listening and He is getting our attitude, and we say it right out of our mouth.

It sets fire to the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell itself. Gehenna was a pit where criminals were burned. Their dead bodies were burned up in this pit in a valley called Gehenna. That's where that word hell comes from.

For every kind of beast and bird and reptile and creature of the sea, it's tamed, and it's been tamed by mankind. I even remember seeing Shark Week and Discovery Channel, them taming a great white shark. It comes up to the surface of the water, and the guy puts his hand on the underside of his nose and pushes him over, and the shark just goes to sleep. We're talking about the most ferocious predator in the ocean, and he just goes to sleep by the touch of a man's hand. Beasts are tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it, we bless our God and Father, and we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. We pretend to be Christian, and God is trying to tell us to stop it, just become Christian.

With it, we bless God our Father, and we curse men. Verse 10. Out of the same mouth precedes blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be so. Oh, good morning! How are you today? How was your week? Oh, mine was fine. Thank you. Blessings to you! Blessings to you! Walked away. I can't stand that guy.

Does the spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear allives, and a grape vine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both saltwater and fresh. Who is wise in understanding among you? Let him show it by good conduct. Treat other people well. You're not entitled. Don't ask for what you deserve. You and I deserve something far worse than we have. That is, his works are done in meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, if you are entitled, if you are a narcissist, do not boast and lie against the truth. Stop pretending. Stop blessing people to their face and cursing them to their back. Verse 17, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, and this is how we are to be. Not entitled. Not at all. But it's first pure and then peaceable and gentle, willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits. I can't wait until we can teach this to the whole world when violence will stop. When people are wronged, they learn the right way to get justice. And they don't create more wrongs that create more problems. I've already heard reports that there are backlashes now from whites against blacks because of what happened in Dallas. I cannot wait until the kingdom comes. But we can't fix that now. But we can fix us. Oh, you and I have to stop feeling entitled.

Willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality.

Without hypocrisy. Well, I've been here longer. I don't have to do that. Nonsense. You should be doing it more. You should understand more that you're not entitled the longer you're in the church.

Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. That's us, brethren. That's what we are to be. We are to be the peacemakers of the earth. We're not entitled. We're grateful. We're not entitled for what we don't have. We're grateful for what we do have.

I thank God for you. I do.

We could sure have a bigger congregation. We don't. We could sure have, you know, fewer splits in the church and all that. We don't.

And we can complain and argue and analyze all we want. We won't solve anything. What will solve something when we take on personal responsibility to treat other people well? And that starts by following God. Remember Ecclesiastes 12, verses 13 and 14? Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, Solomon said. Ecclesiastes 12, verses 13 and 14. Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is man's all. That's what you're entitled to. That's why you were born. Not to complain and treat other people badly and all those other things we do, but to fear God and keep His commandments. And His commandments are good. They're not burdensome. They're awesome. It's an awesome life. Even when we're mistreated by other people, even when all kinds of bad things have happened to us, we're the ones who are supposed to learn to treat other people well. Those bad things happening, that's supposed to stop with you and me. We're to turn and do something better. For God will bring every work into judgment, verse 14, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. People who feel entitled are selfish takers. They're the opposite of Christians. Christians are givers. And this is the final thought I will leave you with, Galatians 5, 13. This is mentioned several times in the New Testament, by the way, almost identically to Galatians 5. This is such an important theme. I could have picked one of any number of scriptures that say almost the same exact thing. Listen to this. This is how we, you and I, are to be. We're not entitled. We're not selfish. We're not owed anything. We don't say whatever it is. We think we have the right to say. We don't mistreat other people. We do this and only this. Galatians 5, verse 13 and 14. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty, not to bondage. God's commandments are not burdensome. They are wonderful, peaceful, loving. You have been called to liberty, only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. But through love, serve one another. When you're serving other people, it feels really good. It does great benefit to you. And you know what? Your burdens, your trials, the things that have happened to you in the past, they don't feel as bad when you're focusing on other people. When you're living outside of yourself, you're living for others. Your life actually gets better immediately and in the long run. But through love, serve one another. For the law is fulfilled in one word, even this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Why isn't the entitlement mentality wrong? Because it's hatred. It's actually hatred for your fellow man. The leech has two daughters, give and give. The leech only produces selfishness. And that selfishness is never satisfied. But brethren, that's not us. We are growing in the love of God. We are growing to become like Jesus Christ, who literally laid down his life for you and me. Let's be that way. Let's fulfill the royal law of love and love each other and love other people as ourselves.