Joyce Meyer - Attitudes Feb 5-6, 2011

Here are my notes from Joyce Meyer preaching at Lakewood Church in Houston Texas. I know the notes are long but I try to record as much as possible and every word Joyce says is noteworthy. I pray you are blessed by my notes!

Sat 2/5/11 7 pm
Attitudes
• Joyce had her faith before God for many years that people would be healed as the Word of God goes forth
• Psalm 107:20 He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
• People were healed when Peter preached
• Believe the Word has the power to heal you
• We all need attitude adjustments
• No one has a good attitude all the time
• Joyce loves God but still has to work on her attitude

• Attitudes are very important
• You can have a lousy circumstance and a good attitude
• Or you can have good circumstances and a bad attitude
• Decide nothing will sour your attitude
• Decide to work with the HS to display the attitudes Jesus had
• Joyce will talk about 3 attitudes this weekend
• It glorifies God when we maintain a good attitude in every circumstance
• Tonight Joyce wants to talk about mercy
• It’s so important that we are not angry Christians
• An angry Christian is an oxymoron
• Love is the central theme of Christianity
• Anger is not love
• So how can we be angry Christians and think that’s ok
• We get angry over trivial matters
• Most of the ground that satan gains is thru the open door of unforgiveness
• 2 Cor 2:10-11 10If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah), 11To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.
• Why is God so willing to forgive? To keep satan from getting an advantage over us
• Some of our problems are because we haven’t been willing to forgive someone
• You can’t get your prayers answered if you’re not willing to forgive
• The truth is we won’t feel good all the time
• Put on mercy
• We can purposely choose to be merciful
• It’s not fair; you’re giving someone something they don’t deserve
• The Bible says put on mercy
• When I do what’s right when I don’t want to that’s when I’m really growing
• The good news is you’re growing spiritually
• Ephes 4:26 When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
• When you’re angry don’t sin
• You can be angry and not sin
• It’s an emotion God gave us that lets us know we’re being mistreated
• Don’t let the sun go down on your anger
• Continue to be faithful in the little things
• You can humble yourself and apologize even when it wasn’t your fault
• Joyce used to argue with the HS about apologizing to Dave but Dave slept and Joyce wouldn’t
• When God tells us to forgive people it’s not to give us a hard task
• Everything God tells you to do is for your benefit
• If there’s something He’s asking you to give up or a place He’s asking you to stay, etc
• He is not trying to make you miserable; He is trying to help you
• You have to get beyond your feelings
• You have to do the greater thing and do it God’s way
• If you can get all the anger and bitterness out of your life you would be amazed at what God will do
• How many are praying for a miracle but refusing to let go of some unforgiveness?
• We don’t think others should be mad but that our anger is justified
• God said Joyce when someone hurts you you should be more concerned about what they are doing to themselves than what they are doing to you
• God gets mad when you hurt His children
• They are the ones that need the help
• Maybe you can’t help how you feel but you can control your behavior
• Anger makes us want to shut people out of our lives
• We can choose to apologize/be nice
• Each one of us must take personal responsibility to not live angry
• If we do the right thing long enough our feelings will follow along later
• If you pray for your enemies it gets hard to stay mad at them
• When you’re angry you don’t need to study prosperity; you need to study anger
• Seek the Kingdom and all the rest will be added to you
• Philippians 2:5 Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
• We are to have Jesus’ attitude
• He humbled himself
• Humility is a beautiful attitude
• True humility is so beautiful
• It’s impossible to be merciful without humility
• Recently Joyce got really mad at a relative
• Joyce told her off
• And she told everybody what she did to her
• Love covers a multitude of sins
• Love tries to protect relationships – not ruin them
• Joyce didn’t want anyone else to like her
• Joyce felt justified in her anger
• Joyce waited for her to apologize but she didn’t
• It’s hard to pray when you’re not obeying God
• God put on Joyce’s heart that He wanted her to call her and apologize
• Why me Lord? She’s a Christian too!
• Finally Joyce agreed to do it for God, but please let her admit she was wrong
• Joyce apologized for getting so angry
• The lady did apologize and it was no big deal and all the pressure left Joyce
• Without humbling herself Joyce would still have that burden
• For Joyce to respond that way was just as wrong
• We need an easy going attitude
• It’s hard when you don’t have it
• Matt 11:28-30 28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will [a]ease and relieve and [b]refresh [c]your souls.] 29Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest ([d]relief and ease and refreshment and [e]recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.(A) 30For My yoke is wholesome (useful, [f]good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
• When Joyce apologized the reward she got was rest for her soul
• Joyce was raised by a very harsh man
• Sadly she became like him
• Being legalistic means putting expectations on people and getting upset when they let you down
• We can’t expect perfection from people
• If we were perfect we wouldn’t need Jesus
• We all have strengths and weaknesses
• We must be quick to forgive
• We must believe the best of every person
• We must develop a merciful attitude where our first response is “Don’t worry about it”
• A humble person knows what a mess they are
• They know without God’s mercy and kindness they’d be in bad shape
• Jesus told the story about the man who couldn’t pay his debt and asked to be forgiven, but wouldn’t forgive another a much smaller debt
• If you’re angry tonight then you are that man
• God forgave you quickly
• Every time He is merciful towards us
• So how can we refuse to forgive others
• What are your expectations of people?
• Joyce and Dave had so many problems until they finally decided to accept each other as they are
• Only God can change people
• Your anger won’t change anyone
• If God doesn’t change the heart that issue will surface again
• Jesus did confront people but He still loved them
• Don’t expect everybody in your life to be perfect
• John 2:24-25 24But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men]; 25And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in human nature. [He could read men's hearts.] [I Sam. 16:7.]
• Getting along with people requires work
• Jesus didn’t expect people to be perfect because He knew all men
• When you start a new adventure realize no one involved will be perfect – including yourself
• Wrong expectations set you up for pain and agony
• If you hang out with anybody long enough you’ll find something out about them that you don’t like
• The longer you’re with someone the more you’ll have the opportunity to see their weaknesses
• Anybody can stand anything for a short period of time
• But when you’re dealing with it day after day after day
• Those disciples were together day and night for 3 years
• That’s why you need an attitude of mercy for people’s failures
• The disciples were a mess and Jesus constantly forgave them
• They fell asleep when Jesus needed them to pray for one hour
• Yet Jesus gave them mercy
• Mercy understands the why behind the what
• That’s why He can be so patient and longsuffering with us
• God tolerated Joyce because He knew what she’d been through
• Jesus understood the disciples had fear
• Mercy sees the why behind the what
• Mercy doesn’t mean being a doormat
• Joyce had a certain amount of fear that apologizing to that relative would only encourage the lady to take advantage of her
• If you’re having problems and praying for a breakthrough please examine your heart/life
• See if you have any anger
• We shouldn’t be worshipping God with anger in our hearts
• Joyce used to have hands lifted in worship thinking I’m not going to fix Dave any dinner, etc
• It’s the heart God is concerned about
• Stop worrying about someone taking advantage of you and obey God
• Let Him be your vindicator
• Let Him deal with your enemies
• Characteristics of a merciful attitude
• There is a gift of mercy (which Joyce doesn’t have)
• She has the gift of correction LOL
• People with the gift of mercy will give away everything
• It can be beautiful but be careful
• If you don’t have the gift you still have to work with the HS to develop it
• Merciful people don’t expose faults for no good reason
• Bad news travels through the body of Christ like wildfire
• It’s a wicked evil thing that God despises
• We shouldn’t even believe a bad report without 2 or 3 reliable witnesses
• Love always believes the best of others
• Joyce has had lies told about her
• Why are we so quick to believe the bad and tell it to others?
• That’s wicked!
• 1 Peter 4:8 Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and [a]disregards the offenses of others].(A)
• Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up contentions, but love covers all transgressions.
• Joseph did a beautiful thing when he finally revealed who he really was to his brothers
• He made everyone else leave the room
• He didn’t want others to think badly about them
• Genesis 9:18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan [born later].
• We need more reverential fear and awe of God
• People have gotten too familiar with God
• God is God and He means what He says
• Noah got drunk and was passed out naked
• Ham saw it and ran and told his brothers
• His brothers covered his nakedness
• They covered his fault
• Canaan was cursed because his father Ham wouldn’t cover that fault
• Grace enables us to do what God calls us to do but we still have to do it
• Grace doesn’t mean you do whatever you want; that God overlooks sloppy sinful lives
• No!
• Lord You said I could put on mercy so I will put on mercy!
• Matt 18 if you have something between your brother go to him privately
• The bible doesn’t say let people get away with bad behavior; there are protocols
• Galatians 6:1 BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.
• If someone is caught in sin restore him gently
• We don’t have any problem with the set him right part
• Do it without any sense of superiority
• And with all gentleness
• Lest you also should be tempted
• When someone hurts you be the bigger person and go to them and be gentle
• Often people hurt us without realizing they did it
• Joyce’s daughter was in line where there was an angry clerk
• Her daughter wanted to tell her off and complain to the manager
• God made her get out of line and get one of Joyce’s books to give to her in love

Sun 2/6/11 8:30 am
• Last night we talked about a merciful attitude
• Today a confident attitude
• It’s really an attitude of faith
• Not self-confidence; that’s a fool according to proverbs
• You really cannot trust yourself; we’re weak when we want to be strong
• Daily Joyce says apart from You I can do nothing
• But we need confidence in God
• Without it you’re like a plane without fuel
• An unbeliever with confidence will accomplish more than a believer without confidence
• Confidence brings boldness
• It allows you to do things no one else has ever done
• It allows an adventurous life
• There are probably many dormant gifts in this room
• Joyce was born again at age 9
• She went to church with the intention of receiving salvation
• The pastor forgot the altar call and she had to ask for it
• A determination came into Joyce’s heart to overcome
• Someday I’m going to do something great
• That sense of the extraordinary was because of the great spirit of God dwelling in her
• We have a seed of greatness inside of us
• It may manifest differently from another’s but still dream big
• Without confidence your potential in Christ will not be reached
• If you’re not doing what God created you to do you won’t be satisfied
• Contentment comes from doing what God created you to do
• Without confidence you will be fearful
• You are often controlled by other people
• We can become people pleasers
• You can’t be a man pleaser and a God pleaser
• Jesus didn’t die for us to live insecure lives
• We feel the HS grief inside of us
• Insecure people never grow up spiritually because they can’t handle correction
• Hebrews 5 if we don’t know who we are in Christ then we never mature
• It takes correction from God and people in order to mature
• Phil 4:13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who [a]infuses inner strength into me; I am [b]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
• If you don’t see the “in Christ” then you missed the whole thing
• I am confident in Christ’s confidence
• Until you learn how to think right your life won’t go right
• Learn that Christ is your confidence
• You can do whatever you need to do in life thru Christ who strengthens you
• You can go thru trials and you can also be successful with a humble attitude
• 2 tests: no money and lots of money
• Joyce’s daughter got a bad report from her doctor
• What helped her most is having read the audio book for Joyce and saying repeatedly I can do whatever I need to do in life thru Christ who strengthens me
• One of our songs today said before the trouble comes God’s already got the answer
• He wants you to hold your head up high
• Not get depressed and know you can do it
• You don’t have to know what God will do or when He’ll do it
• You just need to know God is with you
• If you believe God is with you then why are you acting the way you act
• Phil 2:5 Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
• Let Christ be your example in humility
• Why is Joyce talking about humility when the topic is confidence?
• The 2 have to go together
• They are married
• I can do nothing but with Him I can do all things
• The world will offer you self-help on confidence, but that’s the last thing a believer wants
• You need to know you are nothing without Him
• If God’s with you you don’t need to know anything else, because He knows everything
• Joyce doesn’t think we can be truly confident without squarely facing our weaknesses and not being condemned by them
• Joyce reads Madame Guyon
• Even in the choicest of God’s saints He will leave weaknesses
• These are constant reminders that we need Him
• Get a revelation God chooses weak and foolish people
• Get your mind off of what you think you are and what you think you are not
• Humility forgets itself
• Get your mind off yourself
• God knew what He was getting when He picked us
• True confidence doesn’t come from perfection
• It comes from knowing God is with you
• Many struggle with their faults
• Ask God to change whatever He wants to change in you
• Joyce still struggles with patience
• Her coffee was 3 minutes late and she called about it
• Joyce had to shake it off
• There was a time when she would have felt unworthy to preach because she got uptight over her coffee
• Her mouth is her greatest gift and biggest problem
• God can use you despite your problems
• If you’ll let Him God will work thru your weaknesses
• Joyce is so glad she no longer has the pressure to be perfect
• And when you get there you stop pressuring other people to be perfect
• 1 Cor 1:24-29 24But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. 25[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men. 26For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth. 27[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. 28And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are, 29So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.
• God will work thru our weaknesses and do amazing things
• Jesus prayed all night before choosing His disciples and in the natural we’d think He made a mistake
• Who the world will throw away God will pick up and choose to do great things
• God’s strength made perfect in our weakness
• 2 Cor 12:9
• Paul had some issue – thorn in the flesh
• He kept asking God to remove it
• Joyce wishes she never felt any impatience
• She wishes all her thoughts were lovely
• But she still has to control herself
• God knows our issues and He’s not stressing over them so neither should we
• Never get to the point where you think no wonder God is using me
• Understand you need God to do anything of value
• Lord if You leave me I will make a total fool out of myself
• Ministers who were publically disgraced can tell you they got to the point where they had so much power they thought they could do anything
• Why didn’t God remove that thorn?
• God’s not mad at you because you have not arrived
• He wants to see you pressing on
• 2 Cor 12:7-9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and [a]show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may [b]pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
• God was using Paul in an amazing way and Paul knew that it was God
• By the grace of God I am what I am
• Humans can only handle so much success before they get full of themselves
• That’s why we need some abasing to go with the abounding
• Phil 4:11 Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be [f] content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.
• I’ve learned how to be content whether I’m abased or abounding
• Trust God enough to know that whatever you’re having is what you need for that season
• Understanding it’s benefitting you and His kingdom
• You do your growing during times of abasing
• And you enjoy your growth in the times of abounding
• One of the ways you can tell if you’re getting too full of yourself is if you start thinking too highly of yourself then you start to mistreat others
• You look down on others
• Why are you so slow? Etc
• You can only do what you do because of God’s grace on you
• Don’t be critical and jealous of others
• My strength and power are made perfect in your weakness
• Joyce never liked her voice; it’s not a sweet ladylike voice
• That’s what she most wanted to change as a teen
• She can’t hide because people know her voice the moment she opens her mouth
• She didn’t know but God knew
• Some man listened to Joyce for 6 months on the radio before he knew she was a woman. He wouldn’t have listened to a woman
• Make peace with the attributes God has given you
• Give God all that you’re not
• God I give You what I am but I especially give You what I am not
• I am yours – gifts and weaknesses
• God knew that Moses didn’t speak well when He chose him
• God knew David would one day commit murder and adultery
• But God sees the heart
• He calls us because of our heart
• Joyce isn’t perfect but she’s loved God since she was 9
• Loving God will get you a long way
• God I know I’m a mess but I love You and I’m Your mess
• When the devil tells you all you’re not thank him for reminding you how good God is
• If you’re not impressed by your abilities then you won’t be depressed by your inabilities
• I am what I am by the grace of God
• The man who said help my unbelief brought his belief and his unbelief to Jesus
• God must get beyond our own works and help us
• Saul had been deceived by religion
• The greater God’s plan to use you the worse you have to be when you start
• Paul would never forget how great God’s grace was because he knows what he was
• Joyce is amazed that God has chosen her
• She’s not educated enough, she doesn’t have the right personality, she doesn’t have the right voice to go around the world
• It doesn’t matter
• If God gets in it then it’s going to work
• To the shock and amazement of everybody
• The world is not going to get you so why try and explain yourself
• Joyce would have no idea how to get the finances needed to run her ministry
• But they are always there
• God has been faithful for 35 years and they’ve never had to pay a bill late
• God knew Gideon was a coward when He called him
• God called him a mighty man of valor
• Get your eyes off what you’re not and get your eyes on Him
• When you learn that you’re nothing in yourself, but with God…
• Joseph’s brothers hated him, but God…
• God told Joshua Moses is dead you go lead the people
• I will be with you
• If God is with me I can do whatever I need to do
• So no more excuses
• What if I’m wrong?
• Then you’ll learn not to do that again

11 am
• You can have good circumstances but a bad attitude will make you miserable
• This is a dangerous attitude – a religious attitude
• God despises such
• You look at your good works and think you’re better than others
• Luke 15:1-
• Jesus came for sinners
• The religious people wanted to keep the sinners away from Him because they saw themselves as better
• Paul Scanlon turned his church from dead to on fire
• People pray for revival but don’t want one
• All the people that come in with revival are not nice and clean, etc
• Us “upright” folks might not want to hang out with them but Jesus loves them
• In Christ there is no class distinction
• We have no right to exclude anybody
• We are all one in Christ
• We’re nothing without Him and anything that we are is in Him
• A woman came to Paul Scanlon’s church who had tattoos and used foul language
• When the HS came on her she said “What the %$*& was that?”
• A real Christian should overlook that and pray for the person to get where they need to be
• We should go out of our way to talk to the one who appears to be the least of these
• Dave will spend a lot of time talking to people others wouldn’t talk to
• It’s how you act behind closed doors that determines your public anointing
• Christine Cain is an evangelist at heart
• Joyce is a teacher at heart
• Joyce likes to see people grow up
• We have to be tolerant of people who are not like us
• Make sure we’re not excluding people
• Thinking in the back of our minds that we are just a little bit better
• That’s religion without relationship
• The more you hang out with Jesus the more He softens your heart
• You can be proud of your religion and be a jerk
• The prodigal son and the elder brother
• Luke 15 Vs 11-32 11And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;
• 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them.(A)
• 13And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.
• 14And when he had spent all he had, a [a]mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.
• 15So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.
• 16And he would gladly have fed on and [b]filled his belly with the [c]carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].(B)
• 17Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!
• 18I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
• 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.
• 20So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [[d]fervently].
• 21And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!
• 22But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.(C)
• 23And bring out [e]that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us [f]revel and feast and be happy and make merry,
• 24Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to [g]revel and feast and make merry.
• 25But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
• 26And having called one of the servant [boys] to him, he began to ask what this meant.
• 27And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed [h]that [wheat-]fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.
• 28But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,
• 29But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me [so much as] a [little] kid, that I might [i]revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;
• 30But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him [j]that [wheat-] fattened calf!
• 31And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
• 32But it was fitting to make merry, to [k]revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!
• “Give me” is the first sign of spiritual immaturity
• Even though the father knew it wasn’t the best thing for him He gave it to him anyway because He knew he had to learn it the hard way
• Prodigal means reckless, extravagant and wasteful
• His sins were obvious
• Everybody knew he was a sinner
• He came to himself in the pigpen
• It’s amazing what a crisis will do for us
• People will be religious and without HS power until they have a crisis
• It’s that crisis that forces people to surrender and consecrate themselves to God
• I have to have the HS power
• Vs 19 “Make me” is a sign of maturity
• He starts out with Give me but a trip to the pigpen turns it into Make me
• Make me what You want me to be God
• As long as you stay on the Give me side you won’t find fulfillment
• It doesn’t matter what your position is
• As long as you’re doing what God wants you to do
• Everybody wants to know how Dave handles Joyce’s ministry
• Dave is way past give me
• In just few weeks Dave knew he didn’t want to be a minister
• He let Joyce do what God called her to do
• Dave has his own gifts and talents
• Things work out when you say God make me what You want me to be
• (not give me…)
• The last thing you want is to be in a position God hasn’t anointed you to be in
• Trying to do something there is no grace on you to do is a nightmare
• People can have everything that you think you want and it doesn’t mean they are happy with it
• The younger bro’s sin was obvious but the elder brother was just as lost
• He was lost in his own righteousness
• Lost in his self-righteous attitude and good works
• When we look down on someone we know we need an attitude adjustment
• The older son was blind to his condition
• It’s a dangerous and deceptive attitude that alienated him from his father
• When we have a religious attitude that we’re better than others instead of sympathy it alienates us from the Father
• Luke 18:
• Joyce used to be a first class religious Pharisee
• If that spirit doesn’t get broken off you God can never use you like He wants
• It’s yet to be seen what God can do with one who will give Him all the glory
• Someone who knows they’re nothing without Him and all with Him
• Andrew Murray’s book on humility messed Joyce up
• Self-righteous attitudes make us look down on others and fail to see our own faults
• Luke 18:9 9He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: 10Two men went up into the temple [[i]enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee [j]took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men--extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers--or even like this tax collector here. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. 13But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the [k]especially wicked sinner that I am! 14I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
• We are righteous thru the blood of Christ; but it’s a gift that should humble us
• This man looked down on and scorned others
• 2 men went into the temple to pray
• It’s in one’s posture and voice
• It makes people act phony
• Who are you trying to impress
• He took his stand ostentatiously (vs. 11)
• He wasn’t even talking to God; he was just trying to impress himself [and began to pray thus before and with himself]
• God I thank You that I’m not like the rest of men
• He was looking at what everybody else was doing wrong but missed how wrong his own attitude was
• Our judgmental attitude can be worse than the sin we’re judging
• If you’re judgmental or critical or avoid certain people…
• Part of the church’s problem is we sit here on fixed up demanding to be fed and pampered that the lost can’t be reached
• That spirit can get on us before we even know it
• Joyce used to think having others think she was important was important until she had a trip to the pigpen
• Paul had all of that (status, pedigree) then he realized it was all trash compared to knowing Christ
• The problem is not the preacher but what you’ve been doing with what was preached
• You don’t need another Word until you do the last one
• Joel builds them up and Joyce tears them up
• We got to have it all
• We all have a function
• If you have a tree heavy laden with fruit but without deep roots it will blow over with the first storm
• Luke 15:
• God likes parties but religious people don’t
• The elder bro is out in the fields while the party is going on
• As soon as you say to God “make me” the party is on
• Vs 28 But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,
• The elder brother was angry and had been for a very long time
• He didn’t like his brother
• We have a problem with anger in the church
• The world won’t respect us unless we have the fruit of Christianity in our lives
• God sets us up to do attitude checks
• He will show you your wrong attitude
• The elder bro had deep seated anger
• People have 2 ways of going thru life: self-discovery, and rule followers
• But some try to be good for wrong reasons
• When you give don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing
• When Joyce goes to India she knows it’s His power and she better not brag about it
• It’s just God’s love flowing thru her
• God hates when we mistreat someone that we think isn’t as important as we are
• Don’t try to get the attention of important people – go to the least of these
• Pharisees are good accountants; they keep records of others’ wrongs, and their rights, etc
• They can pull up everything that you’ve ever done wrong
• When you have that religious attitude you can’t enjoy anything that others have given you
• Joyce didn’t enjoy her life until she learned how to love people
• It’s when you learn to love and value people that your joy multiplies
• Make sure you’re the type of person that says God make me, not I’m a little better than others
• Be careful not to judge others
• Pray for those in sin
• Pray for those outside fellowship with God
• God still had the party
• Whether you want to go or not is up to you