Attitude
"Imparting the Right Spirit to Every One"
Luke 15:21-32
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ATTITUDE = A mental and physical position, feeling and/or action with
regard to anything
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1. Attitude Begins In Our Head!
Luke 15:25-27
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2. Attitude Grows In Our Heart!
Luke 15:28
Hebrews 12:14 & 15
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Forgiveness is required to adjust our attitude.....
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3. Attitude Manifest Itself In Our Spirit!
Philippians 4:4
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Attitude
"Imparting the Right Spirit to Every One"
Luke 15:21-32
Luke 15:21 - 32
21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
24for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
27And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
29So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
30But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
32It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
ATTITUDE = A mental and physical position, feeling and/or
action with regard to anything
Attitude: 1) Begins in our head 2) Grows in our heart 3) Manifest itself in our spirit
1. Attitude Begins In Our Head!
Grandpa and grandma were visiting the grandchildren. Each afternoon grandpa would lie down and take a nap. One day, as a practical joke, the kids decided to put Limburger cheese in his moustache. When Grandpa awoke, He complained, "Why, this room stinks." He decided to go into the kitchen and wasn't there long until he decided that it smelled also, so he walked outdoors for a breath of fresh air. Much to his surprise, the open air brought no relief, and he proclaimed, "The whole world stinks!"
The Moral of the Story: When we carry "Limburger cheese" in our attitude, the whole world smells bad!.
Attitude Page 2
Look at and talk to the people around you. Analyze the conversation of people who lead unhappy, unfulfilled lives. You will find they are crying out against a society which they feel is out to get them and to give them a lifetime of trouble, misery and bad luck. Most of the time you will find the prison of discontent is in their head and not in society around them.
The world doesn't care whether one frees himself from this prison or not. It marches on! Having a bad attitude about everything and everybody doesn't affect society nearly so much as it affects us! Others (society) cannot change us - it must come from us!
A. In the text, the elder brother's attitude problem started in his head!
Luke 15:25-27 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
B. He began to think about the situation.....
C. It was a head problem before it became a heart problem!
2. Attitude Grows In Our Heart!
A. We let bad or questionable things in life affect our attitude too much!
1)In our text, the older brother let the party for his estranged brother affect his
attitude in a negative manner......
2) Luke 15:28; "...he was angry, and would not go in..."
B. Things move around in our head, but they settle in our heart!
1) This attitude of the heart helps determine what happens to us.
- It would be impossible to determine the number of jobs which have been lost, the number of promotions missed, the number of sales not made and the number of marriages ruined by poor attitudes!
- Daily we witness jobs that are held but hated, marriages that are tolerated but unhappy, all because people are waiting for others, or the world, to change instead of realizing that they are responsible for their own behavior and attitude.
Attitude Page 3
- The Stanford Research Institute says that even our employment and the money we make are related to our attitude. The Institute study has determined that employment and money made is 12% knowledge and 88% attitude.
A true story is told of a Chicago shoe company who sent two shoe salesmen to an island to sell shoes. The first salesman, upon arrival, was shocked to realize that no one wore shoes. Immediately he sent a telegram to his home office in Chicago saying, "Will return home tomorrow. No one here wears shoes."
The second salesman was thrilled by the same realization. Immediately he wired the home office in Chicago saying, "Please rush me 10,000 pairs of shoes of all sizes. Everyone here needs them!"
C. The Wrong Attitude Promotes the Root of Bitterness
1)In the text, the older brother allowed his attitude to be affected by the actions
of his younger brother.
a) The younger brother had taken his inheritance
b) He had left home – the farm – and the herds…
c) He had spent his portion on riotous living?
2)Too many people are allowing things others have done rob them of Spiritual
freedom. They are bitter and angry!
a) The older brother was so angry he would not even go in!
Hebrews 12:14 & 15 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
D. Forgiveness is required to adjust our attitude.....
1) Too many allow their attitude to be driven by things of the past
A man unable to find his best saw suspected his neighbor's son who was always tinkering around with woodworking and had misplaced his tools in the past. During the next few days everything that the young man did looked suspicious - the way he walked, the tone of his voice and his gestures. But when the older man found his saw behind his own workbench, where it had fallen when he accidentally knocked it off the bench, he no longer saw anything suspicious in his neighbor's son!
Attitude Page 4
3. Attitude Manifest Itself In Our Spirit!
- It is impossible for us to tailor-make all situations to fit our lives perfectly. But it is possible to tailor-make our attitude to fit all situations.
- While in a Roman prison, Paul certainly had not received a "fair shake." Yet he writes to the church at Philippi brightly declaring,
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice!"
A. The older brother missed, overlooked, or forgot a lot because of his attitude:
1) He overlooked: he had not been in a pig pen eating pig food!
2) He forgot: he had been home in his father's house all the time!
3) He missed: the wonderful reality that his brother was back home!
4) As the oldest, he received two times as much as his younger brother.
5) Everything his father had was his....
B. The Others ate, laughed, and danced while the older brother stood outside with the
wrong attitude demanding his rights and his way!
Conclusion:
You can’t have Spiritual Renewal if your attitude is not right!
Having the right attitude has a lot to do with our spiritual growth.