A Matter of Attitude

There was once a little boy who was playing baseball in his backyard. Some of you may have done the same growing up. Playing all by yourself and his parents were in the background watching. And if you've done that, you know basically how it works. You're sitting there with the ball and the bat. You toss it up and you play all the basic roles. And so he did. And as he tossed the ball up in the air, his parents heard him say to nobody in particular, I'm the greatest hitter in the world. And then he swung as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, he had nothing but air. And being that he was the only person out there, he also took the job of being the umpire at the same time. So regrettably, he had to say, strike one. He wasn't deterred. Picked up the ball, shrugged his shoulders a little bit, tossed the ball in the air. And this time he said, I'm the greatest baseball hitter ever. And he swung even harder. Again, he hit only air. Now he was a little shaken. Strike two, he said. Picked up the ball, dusted it off, looked at it, looked at his bat, made sure it was fine. And for the third time, he then tossed the ball up in the air. And this time, he said, I'm the greatest hitter in the history of baseball. And he swung as hard as he could and only hit air. Now his parents were a little concerned. They heard strike three, and the boy staring down and thinking. All of a sudden, he looked up with a smile, and he looked at his parents, and he said, do you know what just happened? He says, wow, I just struck out the greatest hitter in the world. I must be the greatest pitcher in the world of all time. Beautiful attitude, right? Attitude is one of those things that matters a lot of life. You'll see it actually fits in very nicely with the sermonette we had.

It's the difference between, what, a good day and a bad day? Attitude is the difference between a good marriage and a bad marriage. It's the difference between a good life and a bad life.

We oftentimes speak about a good and a bad attitude, but I wonder, do we really know the difference? I'm not asking... We oftentimes have a good time using a lens on others, right? We'll look and we'll say, oh, I can tell so-and-so has a bad attitude. I'm talking about ourselves.

This is about looking within. It's always easy to see somebody else having one. Charles Swindell once wrote, words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life.

The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it. If you'll please turn to Matthew 21 verses 28 through 31. As was mentioned in the sermonette, we just returned from the feast. We are here observing the Sabbath. So those are good things, right? My answer to you on that would be yes if. Yes if. Yes if we observe them with the right attitude. Now, I'm sure that some of you here today, while at the feast, went through a few days where you were going through a bad attitude, even though you were at filling whatever unique place you were at spending a tenth of your income. I'm sure some people here today came in with an attitude that probably needs adjusting. We go through it. It's what we do as people. I'd like us to review an interesting parable, and as you read it, I want you to remember that who Jesus was talking about were Pharisees who kept the Sabbath, who kept the Holy Days, who kept all the various things that we do. Matthew 21, verse 28. But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not, but afterwards he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise, and he answered and said, I go, sir, but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to him, the first. Now watch what Jesus said. Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, the tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you, and you could fill in, who technically do all the right things. Just simply, correctly obeying the technical letter of the law is never enough.

The Pharisees probably did that better than we ever will. Solomon in Ecclesiastes said what? The famous phrase, vanity of vanity, all is vanity.

And that's true from a human perspective. I would argue from God's point of view, all is a question of attitude. All is a question of attitude. Notice what it says in verse 31.

Attitude is the key to success and failure, not just in life, but it's the key to entering the kingdom of God. If you'll turn now to Acts 13 verses 22 through 23. Acts 13 verses 22 through 23. So how was your attitude at the feast? How was your attitude today? I remember Mr. Armstrong saying when the church changed the day that Pentecost was kept, and we realized it was being done wrong. He said, we were wrong, but we kept it with a good attitude. Others were right, but observed it with a bad attitude. There's a lot of truth to that. We can do the right thing in a terrible way. To understand the importance of this, I'd like you to consider how God chose David.

Because God's key focus is on our heart. It's on our attitude while we're obeying.

People like to separate those two, and they're not intended to be separated.

Heart and attitude are these things that are really closely linked, because a change of heart is a change of attitude. If you think about it, they have to go together, or you're really not changing your heart. And when both are godly aligned, then what we're doing is we're longing to do God's will. Acts 13 verse 22. And when he had removed him, he raised up for them David as king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will. From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a savior, Jesus. So again, it's not just about compliance, but our heart and our attitude while we're in the process of obeying. Did we struggle to stay positive this morning?

If you think about it, there's really no justifiable reason for us to have to do that. But if we can't be positive, then there are gifts from God that we're forgetting to be grateful for. And I'm talking to myself. You'll find whatever I speak, if it makes me say, ouch, I realize it's probably good for others to work their way through. This is something that I have to work on on a constant basis. But with God's perspective of why we're alive and why we're here, that should cast such an umbrella that it covers any type of attitude, distractions, in a sense, that are coming our way.

David was what? He was the king of Israel. He was a leader of their armies. He was a preacher of the Word of God. Any one of those roles would probably be more than we could handle by ourselves. They would overwhelm us. But David resisted the temptation to be consumed with those duties and chose instead to make God his number one priority.

Alright? That's the single-minded focus that helped him be an effective leader, that God loved about him. That's what helped him defeat Goliath when all the rest of the army was terrified, right? But he looked, when the rest of the army was scared about dying, David looked out there and he was just angry that arrogant Goliath was unwilling to acknowledge the greatness of God.

Perspective. Attitude. So what might have caused fear and anxiety to some who didn't trust God resulted only in David longing more for God? You don't need to turn there, but you can put in your notes Psalm 27.4 that says, one thing I've desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. So we keep the Sabbath each week to reinforce that we exist to glorify God. That's why we exist. We exist to glorify God. And if our worship doesn't bring us closer into the presence of God each time we do it, each time we pray, each day, we all struggle with that, then I would argue one of two things has gone wrong in our attitude and our approach. Either we're worshiping the wrong thing or we're worshiping for the wrong reason. So let's think about this. Worshiping the wrong thing. That goes back to the Ten Commandments, right? That goes back to we're to have no other gods before us. Exodus 20 verse 3. God clearly showed us that whenever we do this, or whatever we do, I should say, it must be done to God's glory. That there is to be this constant attitude, this constant approach. Paul talked about even when we eat food and drink water, we should do that to the glory of God. Do we have that constant approach? The other thing is we can also be worshiping for the wrong reason or motivation. If you'll turn to Matthew 15 verses 8 through 9. This is one of those sad realities, and I'm being stubborn and I realize I've just got to stop.

Ever since a couple weeks before, or a couple months before, Rene died, my eyesight has gone down. And you'll see me step back. When it comes to verses, see, I can rough my way through the notes. When you get to a verse, you're like, all right, I really should say that. Is that 13 or is that 15? So you may see me pull my glasses out. I have them, but I'm still being stubborn. Acts 13 verses 22 through 23. I'm sorry, I just read the wrong page. Let's go back and let's make that Matthew 15 verses 8 through 9. Both Cain and Abel, they brought sacrifices to God, right?

They both did technically the right thing. But the Lord didn't receive Cain's sacrifice because it wasn't right. What was wrong with that? What was wrong with the sacrifice? It was a matter of heart and Cain's wasn't in the right place. So what I'm trying to highlight is that it's possible to engage in the worship of God in a way that isn't pleasing to God. And that's what we see being pointed out here where it's being addressed to the Pharisees. It says, These people drew near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and in vain they worship me, teaching as doctor in the commandments of men.

So don't get me wrong. We're doing the right thing to be here on the Sabbath.

Right? We're doing the right thing. But we constantly need to ask ourselves, is our attitude pleasing to God? Is my attitude pleasing to God? And we need to make sure that we're not worshipping God in vain. The right thing is that our soul focus needs to be wanting to get to know God better, to grow closer to Him every day. But what's sad is that we often are distracted by our own carnal attitude, right? We're distracted by what's going on inside, rather than properly having the right attitude to worship God. So with that as background, for the rest of the message, I would like to share with you and have us think about four wrong attitudes that we need to remove from our life. I'm preaching to myself on all these. These are a journey that we all work through throughout our lives.

The first one is the always finding fault attitude. The always finding fault attitude.

Now this is an attitude of judging, of criticizing, and seeing faults all around us and others.

If you will please turn to Matthew 12 verses 55 through 57. Matthew 12, 55 through 57. How closely do you monitor what you say?

Now what I find is it varies the context of where I'm at. I probably am more mindful of what I say in church than I would be at home. I am probably more loose-lipped with a really close friend or with my spouse when Renee was alive. Then I might be in front of somebody. That's not necessarily a good thing. If what you're saying is not something you'd be comfortable saying right in front of the person, right? The first lesson is to help us realize that we're responsible for every judgment that we make. Matthew 12 verse 55. A good man out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth good things. An evil man out of the evil treasures brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word man may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. All right, so we will give an account for every idle word. I don't know about you, but unless I have begged God for a whole lot of forgiveness along the way, that could take a long time, right? That could take a long time.

How often do you find yourself rambling at the mouth? How often? And it's easy to say, you know what I said was nothing, right? It wasn't that significant. Or I didn't mean any harm.

But the truth is that every time we think another person has made too much out of what we say, what this verse is saying is that Jesus is replying back to us and saying, your idle words and your fault finding are important, and at the day of judgment, I'm going to make you realize that. That's scary. So why does God care so much? Why does He care?

It's because words are the index to our hearts.

How many times have we said what we knew deep inside we shouldn't say?

And maybe we don't say it in public. Maybe we complain or mutter to friends.

Or maybe some of you are better than me and you're the masters of verbal restraint.

But you're thinking it, right? Same difference. God knows these thoughts as well as our words, and He views them all as the index to our heart. And God's looking like with David at our hearts.

Please turn next to Romans 2, verses 1 through 3. Romans 2, verses 1 through 3.

See, our forefathers found fault in others all the time. It's the history of humanity. Go back to the Garden of Eden. Satan blamed God. Eve blamed the serpent.

Man had two choices, so he blamed both the woman and God.

Right? This chain effect that takes place. Think of the Israelites.

They saw wrong in God's decisions and the orders that they were given. So they blamed Moses and they blamed God. It's so natural to do.

So what should be the penalty when we see somebody fault-finding? This is where it's easy to say, Rrrrrrrr! Stick it to them, right? And it feels like justice until you apply it to yourself. Until you look in that mirror. Christianity is about a mirror. It's not about a magnifying glass.

And apply that to the mercy that God, the Great Judge, is going to show to us. Because God has promised us tit for tat when it comes to how we judge others. Romans 2, verse 1. Therefore you are inexcusable, O man. Whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge, practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge, those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? The context. So it's good to look at context. The context here is of the Jews condemning the Gentiles. The Jews considered the Gentiles utterly unworthy of the blessings of the Gospel. Right? After all, the Jews were God's chosen people. So how dare Christianity give equality to the Jews? How dare Christianity give equal honor to another people? And what Paul is pointing out is for all those little micro-analyzing moments of the Gentiles, God would use equal scrutiny on them. So let's make it personal, right? Bible's just theory unless it's personalized. Who do you judge and find fault with? Pick someone you've cast judgment on recently. What would you think, or would you cringe, if God said that He would judge us in the same way as we judge, and then fill in the blank of that person's name? Different way of looking at it. See, one of the common reasons for dissension and disputes around us comes from this. One of the common reasons for disputes in marriage is that the mate sees the other person's faults, and they don't see their own. So what if you see a fault in your loved one? It's okay to lovingly tell them, but then if it's not in your power to change, let God handle it. And suffer if you need to. Remember, we're on a personal journey. This is a personal spiritual journey in life, and it's towards salvation. And God is going to be focusing on our attitude, not how we fix others. You'll turn now to Matthew 7, verses 1 through 5. Matthew 7, verses 1 through 5. So we've learned that God will deliberately evaluate our guilt in the areas that we judge others. Now, if that doesn't put fear into you, I don't think you've probably thought that through as deeply as you need to.

Have you ever questioned why others are doing something? Have you ever said they should know better? Bible is a mirror. The next time you judge a person's missteps, think of it as a magnet that just sucks God's immediate attention to look at you at that same laser focus in the area that you're judging. That's scary. Let's read another that goes even deeper into this. Matthew 7, verses 1. A couple of the scariest verses in the Bible to me. Judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And now we add something very much more complex. And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own?

Or how can you say to your brother, let me remove the speck from your eye? And look, a plank is in your own eye. Hypocrites. First, remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Verse 2 is one of the most fearful verses in the Bible to me. Because what it says is that we may choose for ourself whether God will be severe or merciful toward us. Right? Boy, that's a verse that should pause and caution. Not only will God focus on us in the specific areas we judge, Romans 2, but Matthew 7 points out that God's judgment comes back on us in all areas at the degree we judge others. Has anyone ever described you as judgmental? Has anyone described you as judgmental? That means God could be called judgmental in how He will look at you. We are supposed to rightly discern truth, but we are not the arbiter to be everybody else's judge and point out their faults. That's not what God intended for us. Put that same mirror on you. God will applaud you. But it depends our perspective. Verses 3-5 then continues that lesson, right? And it starts talking about the analogy of a person with a plank in their eye judging somebody with a speck. You probably have seen some of the translations also refer to it as like a sliver compared to a beam. Picture this massive log coming out of somebody's head. And that's what's being contrasted here.

To close this lesson, I'd like you to turn to 1 Peter 3, verses 9-14. What we need to do is realize that we all have this beam sticking out of our eyes. That's something that all of us struggle with. And as a result, we need to be requesting of God for forgiveness, for mercy. Otherwise, we're going to be receiving judgment at death.

1 Peter 3 and verse 9. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessings. Okay, here we go. I'm going to bring out my glasses to help with this. It'll make my life easier. There we go. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessings. Knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For he who would love life and seek good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed, and do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. So let's get rid of an always-finding-fault attitude. Let's go on to the second, major wrong attitude that we need to get rid of. And this is an always-complaining attitude. Think of why you aren't happy, and think of why that might be.

And I would argue that the real reason for why you aren't happy may go deeper than what you thought of. A key thing that makes us unhappy or negative is simply that we accept complaining as being okay. It's very human. I've struggled with that over the last six months. Then I have to apologize to God because I have nothing to complain about.

I'm very blessed. But it's what we do. We humanly go through these struggles. If you'll please turn to Romans 8, and we're going to be reading verses 31 through 33. Romans 8, 31 through 33. There was once a blind man who was known for just having this amazingly positive attitude. And he was seen once walking through this beautiful field of flowers. A group nearby stood there and saw him, and one of the men said, Boy, wouldn't it be nice if this man could actually see these flowers?

And it was as if the blind man understood. Even though he didn't hear it, he responded to the group and he says, You people see the beautiful flowers. I smell them. Good attitude. It's a beautiful perspective. And I would argue that Paul spoke of being joyful more than the Bible than anyone else. And yet you look at what he faced. That man faced a lot of challenges.

So let's read what he said in Romans 8 and verse 31. And this is what he would say to us. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? All. Big word. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died. And furthermore, is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. See, oftentimes we don't fully appreciate God's calling. If we're living in a funk of some type, because we are sick, we're facing troubles, we've had a tough thing happen in our life. It's fair to feel those pains, but if it's overcoming our attitude, then what we're doing is we're missing the big picture.

Because we were called to this amazingly special destiny, and that's why we attend the feast each year. That's why we come to church to be reminded.

And that awareness should put everything else into a different perspective. Sure, I'm sad that Renee's dead. She's won her crown. Perspective. Have you been able to take the feast with you, as was mentioned in the sermonette, every day since you returned? I struggle with it from time to time. So let me give you an example of how this might be done.

Think of Christ. Christ suffered more than anyone, yet the Bible says he came to give us his peace and his joy. Powerful words. His peace realized that nothing in this world is permanent. Nothing in this world is everlasting. And that means what we face each day is only temporary. And tomorrow, it will change again. But in contrast, God's plan is permanent. And if we focus on that perspective, it will help us stay positive. It will help us with our attitude.

And understand, please, I struggle with this, too. But the key is for us to recognize that when we're selfish or complaining, we're closing the door to our personal happiness. Because we always can find a reason not to be happy. We always could find a need to complain. It's not hard. As parents, we do that with our children. We talk about them and say, where's the attitude? But you know what? I mean, let's just be candid. When I was putting this together to give it the feast in Italy, I had a phone call from a dear friend who said, because I was complaining a little bit about some of the areas of single parenting, and she said, what are you happy about being a parent?

I don't hear you say that enough. And he just slapped me in the face. I'm like, oh, okay. We go through these things. They are a journey. We can always find that reason not to be happy. It depends where we look. So what we need to replace these thoughts with is why we should be happy and why we are saved. How many of you have heard the phrase, take me to you, my happy place? It's a fun phrase. And I think the one word that properly describes this place in our life is contentment.

Powerful word, contentment. And I think contentment is about being satisfied. What do you really want out of life? Talked about all the millions of money in the sermonette. You know, Sheriff, it might be fun. It might be a terrible burden. But do we really want those millions of dollars from the lottery? Do we really need to have that home on the hill looking out over the beach?

If you will turn next to Proverbs 30 and verse 7, Proverbs 30 verse 7 to 8, I think most of us would agree that the happy place isn't necessarily the perfect place. Happy place is not the perfect place. It's not the place where there are absolutely no problems, but it's the place where those problems don't overwhelm us. And that we can say, you know, life is great just as it is. It's the place where there's still work to be done, but not so much that it feels like work is all we do. Right? Contentment is about being satisfied with God's provisions.

So I'd like to read this wonderful prayer from King Solomon. Proverbs 30 verse 7. I'm going to read this from the New Living Translation. It says, Oh God, I beg two favors from you. Let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, Who is the Lord? And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name. Now, that's an interesting prayer. It's beautiful. But if you think about who it came from, it's even more so.

This is Solomon. Not only was Solomon considered one of the wisest men who ever lived, he was also considered one of the richest. And yet, toward the end of his life, he realized, Just give me enough to satisfy my needs. What an interesting perspective from a man who really was able to live in excess in many different ways. Turn now to Matthew 6, verses 25 through 28. Matthew 6, verses 25 through 28. And you left me a water. What a nice man. You're a good man, Mike.

I won't tell your wife. I will let her know I said that. Do you believe that God provides for you?

Do you believe that God provides for you? Right? Yes. But do your actions, do your words, do your deeds back this up? Or are you constantly complaining about something? I want to remind you of what was said on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, verses 25. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. And yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any of you, by worrying at a single hour to your life, and why do you worry about clothes, see how the flowers of the field grow?

They do not labor or spin. I saw two explanations of contentment, which are simple phrases, but they're interesting thought-provokers. One said, contentment is a place of rest. Contentment is a place of rest. And you get that concept to look at the birds of the air. They don't sow, they don't reap or store things, but they're taken care of by God.

Contentment doesn't mean stagnation. It just means that we have ceased our striving for the next thing to give us happiness. And that's what my friend was pointing out, that I had fallen prey to with my thinking at that time. And we can do that so often, right? If we look for an it to give us happiness, it will never work. That is not where happiness is found.

Contentment also means a settled sense of adequacy. A settled sense of adequacy. And what I like about that definition is it speaks to what's going on inside us. Right? When something is settled, it means that we have set a course and we're staying on that course. I'd like you to turn next to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 6. 1 Timothy 6 and verse 6. God has established certain equations throughout the Bible. Things that cannot be altered.

Now, we may choose to disagree. You may have all these different church religions out there that say they see things in a certain way. And that's fine, but it makes no difference. Because that will never change what God says is so. If he puts an equation in effect, it is that way. And we're about to read one of them. 1 Timothy 6 verse 6. Now, godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness with contentment is great gain. What you see in this verse is that contentment has an inseparable partner.

This, my friends, is one of those equations that can't be changed. It can't be modified. It can't be eliminated. If you and I want to know what it really means to be content, then we need to know what it really means to be godly. Because God says these two things go together. And that's a critical understanding for contentment.

So here's the distinction that might help you. Godliness deals with who I am. Contentment deals with what I have. Godliness deals with who I am. Contentment deals with what I have. And that's a very important thing to understand because it goes to the heart of where we get stuck. A lot of people think that contentment is something about what they have. But this shows that contentment begins with our relationship with God. Remember the equation. It can't be altered. Godliness with contentment is great gain. So true contentment begins with God in my attitude and my relationship with Him.

But there are far too many people who get the cart before the horse. And so what they look at is they think that Godliness needs to follow contentment. And, of course, real contentment comes from what we have. Play that one forward. So that's trying to change this equation that can't be changed. And we'll never feel rich in what we have unless we're rich in who we are with God.

That's what this verse is showing. And that's why Jesus made this radical statement. You don't need to turn there, but Matthew 5 and verse 30 that says, If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off!

It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into the grave. A good way to think if we're seeking contentment in the wrong place or in the wrong way is to ask, Am I content after God is provided for my basic needs, or do I still want more? Am I content after God is provided for my basic needs, or do I still want more? What do we really need? We need food, sure. But what kind of food do we need? Remember what we learned from the children of Israel. God provided them manna. But what do the Israelites respond? They say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have food, but it's no longer the kind of food that we want to have, so God, make it better. Don't we do that? Don't we do that throughout life? And maybe it's not stuff you want, but maybe it's intimacy, maybe it's friendship. That is not a bad thing. I had the blessing of being married for 23 years. I would long for that again. But it can't be conditional to our Godly contentment. These are things we all struggle with. These are journeys we all go through. Wherever it plays through, God is trying to teach us. But let me share something that I've found to be very true throughout my life and what I've seen in others. When we're satisfied with our basic needs being met, that's when God will often surprise us with some really special treats. That's when He surprises us, because, friends, we celebrate a great God who loves us and who doesn't want to deprive us.

The key is God desperately wants us to seek His kingdom first because He knows we can only be truly happy and content when He is truly Lord of all of our lives. And when we get that, you can be like Job and be greatly rich. God blessed him again. He had perspective. He had the understanding of how it all fit together.

So let me share a really tough reality, and then I'll share a good reality. Tough reality. There is a long, hard road to recover from an always-complaining attitude. Good perspective. There is a road to overcome that. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. And that's the way.

Jesus is the road to our recovery. So the question is, is that the road that you and I are on? Or, you're like me, you're on and off from time to time, you're trying to stay on it, but life's distractions every now and then pull you and you're like, sorry God, I lost focus again.

Please turn to Philippians, and we're going to read verses chapter 4, 11 through 13. Philippians 4, 11 through 13. Like so many of the attitudes that we've talked about, contentment is a choice. Attitude is a choice. Doesn't mean it's easy, but it's a choice. Philippians 4 and verse 11.

It says, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

See, God has given us all unique talents.

We all have unique ways of helping others.

Just like the beautiful song for special music, we all have different strengths. So rather than complaining about what is happening to us, we should trust God and constantly strive to give the best we have to serve others. Perspective does a lot. I've learned actually a great deal during the last six months. If I keep my focus on how I can support others, my healing goes much better because I'm not having to think about something I'm going through. And I realize there's perspectives in life and how blessed I am. But that's what God is wanting us to learn. And that's why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

For the final lesson, or I should say to finish this lesson, because we'll go on to other points, but to finish this lesson, please turn to Jeremiah 17 verses 7-8. Jeremiah 17 verses 7-8. If we personally benefit from others lifting us up, and I've felt some wonderful people doing that for me, why can't we be that person to others? Focus there.

Look where you can help others, because we need to trust in God and then focus on lifting other people. That's service. That's giving. That's love. Jeremiah 17 and verse 7, it says, "...blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord." Now what happens for that person? "...For he shall be like a tree planted by the water, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaves will be green." Are you guys facing any heat in your life? "...and will not be anxious in the years of drought." Do you feel any anxiety right now? "...nor will cease from yielding fruit." So with that, let's go ahead and let's move on to the third attitude that we need to overcome. And the third attitude is a never wanting to forgive attitude. A never wanting to forgive attitude. So, let's be candid. Whether we're right or we're wrong, it's easy to hold grudges, isn't it? It's one of these things we have to work on to break from our nature. Without God's help, we can keep condemnation in our heart, and God's looking in our heart. Please turn next to Matthew, and we're going to go ahead and read to Matthew 18, 23 through 35. While you're turning there, I'll read another verse that you don't need to turn to. If you want to put in your notes, it's Matthew 6, 12. You guys know it well. But 10 very powerful words. It says, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 10 very powerful words. Are your prayers being answered? If not, this could be the key. This could be the reason why. So, now as you're turning there, let's read an important parable of warning that's in Matthew 18, verses 23. It says, therefore, the kingdom of heaven, our goal, what we're aiming toward, is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. Think of winning the lottery. Ridiculous, some, you know, billion dollars. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children, in all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant, therefore, fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 denarii, roughly four months' wages. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Similar words. And he would not, but went and threw him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servant saw what had been done, they were grieved, and came to hold their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.

Should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you. And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers, until he should pay all that was due him. Notice the final verse. So my heavenly Father also will do to you, if each of you, notice those big words, from his heart, does not forgive his brothers, his trespasses.

So sure, you can tell somebody, I forgive you, and then in your heart, you're like, urrrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr, urrr die did this thing to me. You haven't forgiven them from your heart. And this is speaking about the kingdom of God. This is speaking about what really is supposed to matter most to us. Do we from our hearts forgive our brothers for their trespasses?

Again, all these things I'm preaching to myself. But these are our journey. This is what we're called to think about.

Man looks at what people do and wants consequences to happen to him.

We can't truly understand what true judgment, true kindness, true mercy is, unless we see it from God.

God is looking at our heart, right?

And what would happen if suddenly God were to not forgive?

Ouch! Right? Where would we be then?

Suppose someone has falsely accused you. Somebody has arrested you. Someone who has sentenced you to die.

But you're innocent.

How would you react toward your enemy in that situation?

Tough question. And we also don't know how we do.

Could we be like Stephen when that was happening to him? His last words, while he was being stoned to death, were kneeling down, praying to God, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. What an attitude. Is that the attitude we'd show?

Boy, I'd love to say yes, but only God knows on that one.

And if we look at others like mankind does, what we're going to see, looking through that lens, is always going to be false. Right? And the point is, don't judge but forgive.

Blend your two points together, the first and the third. Don't judge but forgive. We must recognize God has blessed us all with strengths, and that's what we should look for in others. Because we can always find things that bug us. I could give you a list of people's weaknesses. I try not to think on those. I try to think on their strengths, because it makes me see them in a different light. And it's things I can celebrate that way. Moses could never have led millions of hard-headed Israelites if he didn't trust God and if he didn't stay positive. Turn now to 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. In every situation life throws our ways, we can either pick God's perspective or we can pick Satan's perspective. Whose perspective do you focus on?

People often say, this is too much. I can't take it. There's no way I can make it. And I've had moments over the last six months where I have that pity party. Absolutely.

And what I realize is that it's all true based on your perspective. Right? Don't let Satan deceive you with the thoughts that he puts in your mind. Because this key is, do we really believe God's Word? Do we really believe the words of God that are in the Bible? If so, then there's nothing for us to worry about. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear. This verse alone makes us a liar if we say that we can't take a challenging situation that's thrown in front of us. Right? Let's go on to the fourth attitude that we need to overcome. And that's a feeling sorry for one's self-attitude. If you'll turn to Luke 10 verses 38 through 41. And here again, I'm preaching to myself first. As a person who's dealing with the death of a loved one, I've had to do everything I can to keep that out of my mind. And then I fall back into that. Some people live their whole life feeling pity. They just live in a constant pity party. And it's okay that at times we're going to feel it. It's more human. We have reasons to be happy. There's a time for every season, right? Go down the Solomon approach. But it's easy to run through life and have this life is miserable poor me way of looking at life. And when you're feeling sorry for yourself, I encourage you, give it context. Why are you feeling sorry for yourself today, the Sabbath? Compare that to the brethren in some poor countries in Africa, who once a year make it together with other brethren. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting those people who barely can make a living, who starve days without food, have to struggle way harder than we ever do. But if you meet them, they are more courageous. They feel less sympathy. They're more generous than we are. And they hope and they pray. It's humbling. Terribly humbling. But we can all have a Martha attitude. Luke 10, verse 38. Now it happened as they went that he entered a certain village and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his words. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me. Do you see the pity? And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. See, Martha was a doer. And I have no doubt that, physically speaking, Martha was more successful than Mary. Her drive probably would have helped her accomplish great things in life. But the thing about prioritizations and priorities is that there's a time for doing, and there's a time to stop doing. And when doing gets in the way of our relationship with God, you ever get there? I get this one more thing done, then I'll pray, then I'll study. Our priorities have gotten out of line. A key element to how we live in our relationship with others hinges on our obedience and our prioritization of our relationship with God, right? What do you let go or what I should say, what do you let get in the way of your relationship with God? Is there anything that causes you to neglect that relationship being first? If so, there's something you need to work on. There's something I need to work on.

Whenever anything gets in front of our relationship with God, all of our priorities will then start falling out of order. And that's what happens in life. Turn next to Philippians 4, verses 4 through 7. Philippians 4, verses 4 through 7. Paul was a man after God's own heart. He suffered. He suffered greatly. And arguably, he had an excuse to feel sorry for himself very often. But look at his perspective. Philippians 4, 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing.

That's easier to say than do, isn't it? Be anxious for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. If we're anxious for nothing, we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves. Easy concepts.

Bible's full of concepts that are far easier to think than do. But that's why we're going to become like God. The key is the peace of God being mentioned by Paul. If you'll turn now to John 8, verses 28 through 30. John 8, 28 through 30. Okay, you're going to hear another tough truth? Say, Dan, you're giving me too many tough things to think on. Too many ouchies. We will only feel sorry for ourselves when we're cut off from God.

We will only feel sorry for ourselves when we're cut off from God. Intellectually, again, we can get that, but it's very hard to look onto when we're having tough moments in our lives, right? Israel felt sorry for themselves a lot, didn't they? If you contrast that with Jesus, Jesus came to earth as a human. As a human sacrifice, really. Right? And he felt joy. And he felt peace, knowing that he was sent by his Father. And what he was doing was God's will, and God, his Father, was not going to leave him alone.

While he sacrificed, was unmercifully treated and killed for things he didn't do. But how is our attitude when compared with Christ? John 8, verse 28. When Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He. And I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things. And he who sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him.

And as he spoke these words, many believe him. When you study the Bible, do you feel you have to understand something thoroughly before you'll obey what the Bible says? Friends, if God says something, obedience must always come first. Because if we wait for full understanding, we may never have the chance to change. We may never have that chance. Think of Abraham who obeyed without understanding. By contrast, think of Thomas, who was this victim of doubting, and he had to touch the holes in Jesus' hand. Do we live on our Christian journey with the attitude of a believer or of a doubter? Tough questions.

But that's part of what we're being taught. And there are always things that make us feel sorry for ourselves. They always will be out there. Every disciple suffered, all of them, but John was put to death. But through it all, we have to find where can we be positive. Where is our happy place? Satan will do everything in his power to put doubts in our lives. Again, what perspective are we looking at? Think of all the trials and the hard times that Paul went through. And you don't need to turn there.

You know Philippians 4.8. But what that tells us is that we're supposed to think on the things that are true, the things that are noble, the things that are just, that are pure, that are lovely, that are good from God's point of view. Now from our own, from God's point of view. And when we look at our lives from that perspective, then we'll let nothing open the door for doubt. That is what we should meditate on.

And that's the only way that we can count on all joy, right? When we're going through these hard times. Hard to do. But that's our goal. That's our direction. If you think of the whole message, it's really been about selfishness, about pride, and about vain glory. We're masked in different words, but that's what our life is a struggle with. They lead to complex challenges that we have in our world. They lead to cultural and racial divides. They lead to husbands and wife challenges, or boss and co-worker challenges.

God wants our attitude to be focused on repentance, on humility, and on service. And when we realize that we have a complete need for God, as we heard in the sermonette, and how helpless we are without Him, then we're in the right attitude to start letting God use us. Then we are getting to have the right mindset. And if our lives are linked with God, and we love and obey Him, then all things will work together for good. So don't forget, Satan represents negativity. Satan is really wanting us to believe in our own ways.

That's what he wants us to see as the priority. Do you ever do that? Do you ever go and believe that your way is the right way?

Satan wants us to doubt. He wants us to be sad. He wants us to be negative. And Satan doesn't believe in any way but his own, so he's wanting us to do the same thing.

We must ask God to help us to believe his words and to believe everything he promises. And that is why we go to the feast and have the 16 messages. That's why we come to church every week. These little booster shots of perspective. That's why we pray daily and we study. And help us to try to realize what reason do we really have not to be positive and not to be grateful.

Tough to do. But that's what we're being taught, right? And as we start closing, I'd like you to turn to Romans 12 and verse 2. Romans 12 and verse 2. We can't become what God wants us to become by clinging on to the mind and the attitude that we're born with. That's why this is a lifelong journey. Our lives will surround us with opportunities to be fearful, to be negative, to complain. We can fill in the dots. We can easily fill that one up and cover up a board. But attitude is a choice. We need to watch our attitude. We need to submit to God and make the necessary changes with the help of His Spirit. Romans 12 and verse 2. It says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good-pleasing and perfect will. You all know the story of Frankenstein, right? You have good old Igor who went in, dropped the right brain and brought the wrong brain. Right? Classic story. You and I don't need a new brain, but we need a new mind.

There are plenty of people in this world who have great brains, but they have terrible minds. The mind is what contains our attitude. It's what contains our desires and our willingness to surrender our lives. What we need to have is the mind of Jesus Christ. If you'll turn to Philippians 2, verses 5 through 11. Philippians 2, 5 through 11. I'd like to review an example of what we're striving to become as we close down. Our calling is to godliness.

Remember, godliness comes before contentment. Right? So what is godliness? Godliness is simply having the attitude of Christ.

Simple way to look at it. Godliness is having the attitude of Christ. And that's the essence of what it means. A person named Robert Murray McChenney said, It is not great talent that God blesses, but great likeness of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2, verse 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ. So what does a brain scan of Jesus Christ look like? Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Jesus weighed all the factors, all the facts involved, and came to a conclusion. The word robbery speaks of a treasure to be clutched and held at any cost. Jesus refused to selfishly cling to his favored status as a divine Son of God, and he didn't view it as a prized possession that was only merited for him. Verse 7. But made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. So when it says, found in the appearance or the likeness of God, that means that if you and I were walking through the first century, you wouldn't be able to point out Jesus from anyone else who was walking around. You wouldn't say, there goes the Son of God. He looked no different than anyone else. And in fact, you could look at this and you would think, he came in even a lower form because he came in the form of a servant. That's a supreme example of humility, isn't it? The creator of the universe coming that way. And then it says, he humbled or emptied himself. So imagine a general, four-star general, taking off his uniform, and then dressing as a man walking down the street. Is he still a general? Absolutely. Is he in uniform? No. And that's what Christ came. He came wearing the uniform of a common man. So let me exemplify this whole concept with a parting story. There was once two powerful mountain goats who met on a narrow pathway joining two mountain ridges.

On one side was a thousand-foot drop-off, and on the other side was this steep, steep cliff that went straight up. There was no room in between the trail. It was so narrow that there was only room for one to pass. And the goats could not back up without falling. So they faced off, and they stared at each other. What would they do? Finally, instead of fighting for the right to pass, one of the goats knelt down and made himself as flat as possible, and the other goat walked over him, and they both proceeded to safety. Jesus Christ left the glory he held at God's throne and came to this earth to die for our sins. He saw us trapped with no way to help ourselves, so dying for our sins, He let us walk over him in a sense so that we could experience forgiveness and receive eternal life. Do you see the type of attitude that we're supposed to be developing? That's what we're supposed to be growing toward. Philippians then continues by showing us what God does for those with this amazing attitude. Verse 9, I'd like to conclude by having you read John 1713. John 1713. We need to destroy from our minds the focus on wrong attitudes that keep us from meditating on what God wants, on the good and important things. Do you believe what you're taught in church? Do you believe it? Do you really believe it? If so, then how can you be negative? How can we live life with a bad attitude? Because the closer we are to God, the less negative we will be. John 17 verse 13. But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in them.

God's kingdom is where Jesus' joy will ultimately be fulfilled in us. So today's message is to help us remember that being in God's kingdom is ultimately a question of attitude.