The Way of Jesus # 3 - I Am Becoming Like Jesus in My Attitudes, Behaviours and Character
These are sermon notes, rather than my usual full-text sermons. Always learning.
Intro:
I want to put this up here for us to think about. We’ll come back to it later: "Prayers are tools not for doing or getting, but for being and becoming." ~Eugene Peterson
When you were growing up, who did you look up to? Maybe an older sibling? Maybe a parent. Maybe a more distant relative.
Often it’s a strong presence in your life
I admired my dad as a child; overlooked his flaws in my teens; came to love and respect him as an adult.
He was a true artist; disciplined, focussed, almost bipolar in his moods.
He had been a harsh man, blundering through and damaging a lot of relationships
His mentor called him on it; told him he needed to be much less of a jerk if he was going to have any friends let alone other artists who would want to work with him
At my brother’s wedding - heart attack
Triple bypass surgery followed
Humility followed that. He became a genuinely humble man; so much so that while he had been an atheist all his life, in his last months he repented of his sins and invited Jesus into his life. Amazing.
Over his life something changed. His attitude shifted. His Behaviour changed. His character.
His character, how he was on the inside and how he became known (interesting - can’t hide what’s on the inside) changed.
So much so that at his funeral people sang the praises of a patient, loving, gentle and kind soul.
So we may have people in our lives who we have admire.
We may have seen them change for the better over time.
I’d like us to continue in a bit of a dialogue as we continue in this message.
Attitude
What is attitude?
a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.
It's what goes on inside your head.
How you think - about yourself, others, world events
What are some possible general attitudes you’ve seen in people?
Joyful, cynical, critical, open-hearted, racist, embracing of others, etc.
It’s an inside thought or feeling that is reflected in how we act, our behaviour
In the passage we read about Jesus from Philippians, what attitudes do you see in Jesus (have passage up)
Humility
What kind of humility?
Creator and maker of all things, majestic, mighty God, who became a baby, becomes a servant, a slave in some translations.
Passage about the church, how God wants us to interact with each other.
Also about our individual lives, our attitudes.
Today we’re look at 3rd anchor - I’m becoming like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours and attitudes.
For our group that meets weekly we’ve seen that this is the first anchor that challenges the first 2 anchors
The 1st is I have begun following Jesus and am depending on the Spirit in my journey.
The 2nd is I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him.
This one, revisited on a regular basis, makes us take a good, hard look at ourselves.
Is my attitude like Jesus’ attitude. Have you ever asked yourself that question?
Is there humility in the way I think and feel?
Or am I letting negative attitudes rule - cynicism, negativity, defeatism etc.
So the attitude question is a big one. And it’s good to reflect. It’s a challenge.
And if you’re like me - attitude needs adjusting, not all it should be. That drives me to Jesus. Jesus...I want to be like you in my thoughts and in my feelings. Please change me on the inside so I become like you in my attitude.
Behaviour
Now let’s look at behaviour. This asks how my thoughts and feelings are affecting the way I live.
So the question we ask ourselves is, how am I living?
And we think about Jesus behaviour, how he lived.
The fruit of the Spirit describes what Jesus is like. How he behaved.
We’ll just look at three to keep it focussed.
Love - The first fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is love. Jesus' entire ministry was characterized by love.
And the greatest demonstration ever of that love was the sacrifice He made for all of us. Jesus, who was One with the Father (John 1:1), sacrificed His heavenly power and glory to become a human being and subject Himself to painful humiliation, suffering and death for the sake of mankind (Philippians 2:5-11).
Jesus emphasized the fruit of love at His last meal—often referred to as "the last supper"—with the disciples.
Notice His words: "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love . . .
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:9-13).
Of course, these weren't mere words to Him. Jesus did lay down His life for His friends, serving as the supreme example of love.
Joy - For the joy set before him
The second listed fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy. Christ was filled with joy at the prospect of "bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10). Hebrews 12:2 further tells us that "Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,...for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising [disregarding] the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God".
Amazingly, just before He suffered, instead of thinking of His own upcoming cruel suffering, He reminded His disciples that His joy would "remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).
He told them that they would be sorrowful over His departure, but "your sorrow will be turned into joy," and that "your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you" (John 16:20-22).
This chapter concludes with Jesus reminding them that "in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And, after His resurrection, the first word Matthew records the resurrected Jesus as saying is "Rejoice!" (Matthew 28:9).
Peace
Patience
Kindness - John 8:1-11 - Read
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control - In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had a moment when the suffering that was before Him became very real. ‘God, if you are willing take this cup from me’.
What is Jesus asking God His Father to do? Keep Him from suffering; the cup is about this path, this direction. His path was to go through immense suffering and agony.
More than any human had known. He became sin for us.
Jesus was in the garden for some time. How long? Not sure. Not sure how long he toiled with that request. Take this from me.
But it’s not his fear that matters here, really. It’s not how he may have been resisting the suffering soon to come. It’s where he landed. Where did he land?
Not my will, but yours be done. He submitted to the Father’s will. He trusted the Father’s goodness; His plan. He submitted.
Self-control is necessary when there are 2 options at least in front of us. One is better. It defers or puts off gratification. In the garden Jesus demonstrated self-control.
We want to become like Jesus in our ABC’s. It’s more than knowing what Jesus is like. It’s seeking by His grace to become like him.
Character
What would you say character is?
Character is “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”. It’s who you are. It’s the sum total of your attitudes and behaviour.
Recently someone said to me that they wanted to improve their reputation in the community. They wanted to be known as a person of high character.
This person is on a good journey, making more and more, better and better decisions. I said, just keep doing what you’re doing.
You’re new behaviours will update the old data on your old reputation. You can overwrite the way you have been perceived by learning to live in a new way.
Learning to live in a new way means becoming like Jesus. Becoming like Jesus means growing to be like Him in character. His character is described in the Fruit of the Spirit.
This is what we started with.
"Prayers are tools not for doing or getting, but for being and becoming." ~Eugene Peterson
The way we become like Jesus in our ABC’s starts with our prayers.
Prayer is about more than asking God for things. It’s more than asking God to lead us.
It’s about spending time in God’s presence, soaking and being shaped by God’s Word, worshipping His holy name in reverence, confessing the ways we are not like Jesus and asking God to help us to become like Jesus.
It doesn’t happen overnight.
Warren Quote: Mushrooms vs Great Souls
Church, do we want to be like Jesus in our attitude, behaviour and character?
Show Prayer on Slide
This next week, may we seek the face of Jesus as we spend more time in his presence, simply being with Him.
May we seek His face so that we may become more like the One we follow.
And may we shine, as Jesus said we would, like lights on a hill, lighting the path for people to see Jesus, that they might choose to follow Him as well.
Let’s pray
