Mimic The Master Series

Mimic the Master

An Attitude Like Christ

“Attitude” Series

I. Introduction

A drunk named Joe was miraculously converted at a Bowery mission. Prior to his conversion, Joe had gained the reputation of being a dirty wino for whom there was no hope, only a miserable existence in the ghetto. But following his conversion to a new life with God, everything changed. Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known. Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission doing whatever needed to be done. There was never any task that was too lowly for Joe to take on. There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing the toilets after careless men left the bathroom filthy, Joe did what was asked with a soft smile on his face and with a seeming gratitude for the chance to help. He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered into the mission off the street, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves.

One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him to change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, “Oh God, make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!”

The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, “Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, ‘Make me like Jesus!’”

The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, “Is he like Joe?”

Well, you may not have people running down to the altar screaming “Make me like Korrey or Jeremy,” but tonight, we’re going to talk about having the attitude of Christ, and what it means to Mimic the Master. If you mimic somebody, what are you doing? You’re imitating them, you’re being like them. So, if you mimic the master, what are you doing? You’re being like Jesus. In terms of attitude, how was Jesus?

II. Jesus Had An Attitude

Philippians 2:1-5 (NIV) “1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

Check it out. Mimic the Master. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Well, look at that passage again. What kind of attitude did Jesus have? Love, tenderness, compassion, humility are four aspects of his attitude from that passage. Where else can we find aspects of Jesus’ attitude? What about the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.”

All of those things permeate Jesus’ attitude. Shouldn’t those very same things permeate your attitude as well? The word Christian means “little Christ” or “one like Christ.” Don’t you think you should have the same characteristics that he does?

This attitude thing is more than a matter of acting like you should act, it’s a matter of knowing who you are. Let’s say the President of the United States, President Bush came in here to Get Real tonight. He doesn’t come in here to give us a speech about the war, or to recruit us to fight. He comes in here giving everybody high-fives and shoutin’ “What it is, Jive Turkeys.” So you’re like, “What’s up, Pres Dog.” Then he plops down on the chair beside you asks for a sip of your coke and he starts telling you a story about a girl in his class at school. You think, boy, he’s not acting like the President should act. True. He’s not acting like the President should act, but why isn’t he? He has amnesia. He’s forgotten who he is or where he’s supposed to be and what he’s supposed to be doing. The President can’t act like the President if he doesn’t know that he’s the President.

Well, if you’re not acting like you’re supposed to act, let me say this, you probably have spiritual amnesia. You have forgotten who you are, and you might need a swift kick to the back of the head to jolt your memory. Well, let me be the one to do that.