Christlike Attitudes
Attitudes are flexible mental and emotional outlooks; alterable dispositions based on how you think and feel about something or someone.
They can be good or bad and will produce either good or bad fruit.
They can be changed.
Your attitudes, thinking and feeling are based in your convictions, ambitions and values.
Ex. You will think and feel strongly about what you are convinced of and treasure.
You aren’t who you used to be!!!
Read Eph.4:20-5:1
Our attitudes must be conformed to His.
You are in a lifelong battle and a daily fight.
Read 1 Peter 4:3-13 describes God’s will for each of us in this life.
Now go back a bit, to 1 Peter 4:1-2 to see how we get there.
Having Christlike attitudes will enable me to win the battle every single day.
Arm yourself with His attitudes.
So how do I get Christlike attitudes?
Life convictions are the foundation for Christlike attitudes.
Life convictions will be the focus of this talk but 1st it is important to mention the daily process also.
A daily connection enables a lifestyle of Christlike attitudes.
Quiet Times or else!!!
Walking daily in the power of the Holy Spirit empowers a lifestyle of Christlike attitudes.
2 Cor.3:18 - The Holy Spirit is transforming us into Christ’s Likeness.
The Holy Spirit indwells all believers from salvation on (Jn.7:37-39, Eph.1:13, 1 Cor.3:16 and 6:19).
The Holy Spirit fills and empowers you as you allow Him to.
Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit (Lk.11:13, 1 Jn.5:14-15).
Believe He will fill you by faith (James 1:6-7).
Confess all known sin (1 Jn.1:9).
Desire Christlikeness (Mt.5:6).
Surrender control to Christ - throne checks (Rom.12:1-3).
Constant Throne checks are vital for Christlike attitudes.
On to the life convictions: Phil.2:5 says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
We don’t naturally have His attitude.
God tells us in Is.55:8-9 - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
If you want to have a Christlike attitude, you first have to have Christ’s core values, convictions and ambitions.
Rom.12:1-3 tells us “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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. For by the grace given me, I say to everyone of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Rom.12:1-3 has 1 don’t and 3 do’s:
Rom.12:1-3 says don’t conform to the world.
Having the same attitude as Christ requires saying no to the world and its influences.
Rom.12:1-3 says do renew your mind in God’s Word.
Having the same attitude as Christ requires renewing your mind and thinking.
A Christlike worldview is necessary for Christlike attitudes! (Summit):
Christian: Worldview - values (and attitudes) - actions
World: Actions - values (and attitudes) - worldview.
Developing a Christian worldview requires reading, studying, memorizing, meditating on and applying God’s Word.
Note: James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
You will never develop a Christian worldview until you apply God’s Word.
Think like Jesus and you’ll act like Jesus.
Rom.12:1-3 says do live a life of sacrifice.
This is one of the key aspects of Phil.2:5 also, so we’ll get into that more in a minute.
Rom.12:1-3 says do live a life of humility.
This is one of the key aspects of Phil.2:5 also, so we’ll get into that more in a minute.
Basically, Rom.12:1-2 tells us we will experience transformation and Christlikeness as we 1 learn to say no to the world and its influences, 2 as we grow in God’s Word, 3 as we live lives of sacrifice and 4 as we live in humility.
So what are the attitudes Christ had that we should emulate?
Loud and bold, throw some ideas out: Generally, what are Christ’s attitudes (either described in Phil.2 or elsewhere)?
EXCELLENT!!! - ex. Fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, etc.
All those are great examples of Christlike attitudes that we should follow.
Phil.2 gives us the keys to getting there, so let’s go back to Phil.2:5 and continue through 11.
Phil.2:5-11 - “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
I don’t want to focus so much on the laundry list of attitudes we all know Christ exhibited but rather, on the core foundation for those attitudes.
Andrew Murray said, “humility is not a virtue to be counted along with all the other virtues but rather, it is the foundation for all other virtues.”
We discussed Rom.12:1-3 a minute ago, Verse 3 continues, saying - “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Pride is thinking of yourself differently than God does. (If you disagree with God, you are believing your own opinion over His and that’s pride.)
The truth about your identity without Christ (Phil.3:3):
Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, Enron, Ted Haggert all very much possible outcomes for each of our lives.
James 4:6, 1Pet.5:5 – God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Pride hinders fellowship with God and destroys relationships with others (divorce, loosing job, no friends), it will keeps me from the abundant and meaningful life Jesus promised me, it prevents me from accomplishing my life purpose and negatively impacts eternity.
Humility is thinking of yourself the same way God does.
Remember Rom.12:3 - “For by the grace given me, I say to everyone of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
The truth about your identity in Christ (2 Cor.5:17):
His son, securely saved, eternally loved, completely accepted, being conformed to His character with a huge purpose in life.
Humility is the foundational attitude of Christ that produces all other Christlike attitudes and actions.
Humility is a correct response to His Lordship.
I recently heard it put this way: “No Lord” is an impossible statement.
In Lk.9:23-24 Jesus tells us “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
That’s repeated in (Mt.10:38-39, 16:24-25, Mr.8:34-35, Lk.17:33).
Rom.12:1-3 and Phil.2:5-11 both related the Christlike transformation happening in each of us to humility and sacrifice.
Gal.2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
It is in that place of humility and sacrifice where Christ’s attitudes and life live through me.
Humility and dying to myself are inseparable.
A.W. Tozer nailed the nail on the head, saying, “In every Christians heart there is a cross and a throne and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among believers today. We want to be saved but insist Christ do all the dying.”
Andrew Murray put it this way, “Many Christians fear and flee and seek deliverance from all that would humble them. At times they may pray for humility but in their heart of hearts they pray even more to be kept from the things that would bring them to that place.”
Humility results in a life of dying to self which produces radical obedience and reckless abandon.
Jesus was humble and “obedient unto death...”
Phil.3:10 - “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”
Die to truly live, die to win.
A lifestyle of dying to my self produces a life that looks a whole lot like Jesus.
Results of humility and obedience to the point of death.
Reckless abandonment - Everything surrendered.
Examples: TV and other entertainment, food (through fasting), sleeping in, negotiating with the alarm, free time, video games, girlfriends/boyfriends for a time, GPA, summer break, your image, your gifts and talents, your hopes, dreams and desires (even good ones) and even the rest of your life.
Total obedience.
Always Yes Lord.
Christlike attitudes and actions.
Remember - think like Jesus and you will act like Jesus.
Fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Results of that fruit.
Making the most of every opportunity - Col.4:5.
Give it all and you’ll live a life of Christlike attitudes and Christlikeness.
Phil.2:5-11 - Read it all.
Do YOU know He gave it all for you???
How will you respond?
Verses 10 - 11 - Every Knee will bow.
No compartmentalization (Christian life here, everything else there).
What do you need to surrender?
Do it tonight.
