Mark 2:21-22
My Wills, My Won’ts, My Attitudes
This is the first Sunday of the year and it provides a great
opportunity, the opportunity to change some things. God knows how
much we need this opportunity. That is the reason He gives us so many
occasions to start over. Every 60 seconds provides a new minute,
every 60 minutes a new hour, every 24 hours a new day, and every 365
days give us a new year. And here we are at a New Year. What will
you do with it?
Jesus used this parable to teach us that some need to quit patching
the old. Every New Year, unsaved people try to patch up their broken
lives by resolving to leave off some bad works and by beginning some
good ones. I do not criticize that. It is a good effort, a noble
effort. And if successful, it will make a better individual, a better
mate, a better parent, a better citizen; but it is still only a patch
on the old. Most people don’t need a new patch. Most people need a
whole new garment.
The new garment that most need is Jesus. Jesus is the One and only
One who can give us a new life. If you are here today and are
without Jesus Christ, I implore you to turn to Him and be saved. Find
what it is to receive a new life, a new heart, new goals, now powers,
new joys, and new opportunities.
But this morning, I want to talk primarily to the saved. You who
already have a new life, a new garment. While there is absolutely
nothing wrong with the garment Jesus gave us, we live in a world with
thrones and thistles. Not only so, but sin and the world pull and
tug at us. Because of this, the new life that Jesus gave us
sometimes gets some tears in it. It is not the fault of the Lord,
but our garment now needs some patches. Like the Dutch boy who
saved his town from the faulty dam, we need to stick something in the
holes.
So what kind of patch is needed? As we enter the New Year, I believe
most Christians need to examine their garment and patch it in three
areas.
1. We need to set some new priorities. That is, we need to
start doing some things.
2. We need to set some new boundaries. That is, we need to
stop doing some things.
3. We need to do these things with some new attitudes. That
is, we need to realize that our problem is not just our
behavior. It is also our attitude. This past week, we were
blessed with a few days with our twelve grandchildren. It is
amazing how easy it is to see the importance of a right
attitude when you are with children.
It is from these three thoughts that I got the title of the message.
My new priorities will be My Attitudes. My new boundaries will be My
Won’ts. And my new attitudes will be My Attitudes. So let’s look at
some My Wills, My Won’ts, and My Attitudes.
I. In 2014, I will give cheerfully.
2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth
in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
A. For a few moments, I am going to speak on giving of your
substance to God. I want to make it clear at the onset, I
am not speaking on this topic for my personal benefit nor
for the church’s benefit.
B. I am speaking on it for the benefit of the listeners.
1. Some of you have been saying for years, "I will tithe
when I can afford it."
2. And you still can’t afford it. And you never will.
3. Your problem is not how much money you have.
a. Your problem is your priorities.
b. You love buying the things you love!
c. And nothing is going to change in your life until
you get a new priority and a new attitude.
(1) Your first new priority needs to be God. To
put Him first, above yourself, above your
pleasures, even above your family.
(2) You second priority needs to be that you will
do whatever is necessary to put God first
and to keep Him there.
4. Learn an important lesson - Giving of your substance
to God is not about having so much you can afford it.
a. No one I know ever started giving to God because
He had too much. People don’t find an extra 10%
and start giving it to God.
b. Everyone started by saying, "I am going to put God
first in my giving and keep Him there!" then they
set about doing whatever was necessary to make
that happen!
(1) It means cutting Christmas down (take it
back!).
(2) It means selling the boat and the camper or
whatever toys you have indebted yourself
with.
(3) It means skipping the vacation.
(4) It means shopping at a thrift store instead
of a department store.
(5) It means learning how to have fun at home on
a tight budget.
d. I do not know of anyone who ever put God first in
their substance who did not have to sacrifice to
do so.
5. You say, "I won’t do that!" Then you will never be
able to tithe or even enjoy the things you have for
you will always be indebted.
a. You keep looking for a ship to come in that is not
going to come in.
b. Even if it did, you would spend it and be more
indebted than ever.
c. More money just means more expensive toys.
d. Why? Because indebted people stay indebted all of
their lives.
e. Their issue is not money. Their issue is
priorities. You need to put God first.
6. Let me give you some steps to change your life.
a. Quit charging. Destroy those interest charging
cards.
b. Quit unnecessary spending - No cigarettes,
alcohol, junk food, sodas, eating out, get rid of
television, cell phones, internet.
c. Sell the toys you bought and pay the debt with it.
d. Devise a plan to pay everyone - Divide your
income and pay a percent to everyone.
e. Call your debtors, daily if necessary.
f. Work overtime
g. Spend any extra time together having fun (board
games)
7. Will God bless me?
a. Maybe not at first. He might leave you to pay the
bills with 10% less. Why? To test you.
b. But in time, God will bless.
(1) You may have less but you enjoy it more. You
learn that things and activities are not
nearly as important as the people in our
lives.
(2) Because you have given up your charge cards
and your extravagant spending, you have more
money for the important things.
(3) And then God steps in and actually starts
blessing you because you put Him first!
(a) Better health and fewer doctor bills.
(b) Better jobs and better wages.
(c) Happier in the home.
8. Friend, aren’t you tired of trying to paddle upstream
with a tennis racket for a paddle?
a. It is a New Year. You need a new garment! You
need a new will, a new won’t, and new attitude.
b. Years ago, I was with a man whose family attended
our church. The man (Thomas Barnett) did not
attend often. He always had other things to do,
but his wife and two children were fairly regular
on Sunday mornings and evenings. The man had a
good job. It was an educated man’s job but it was
stressful. I do not remember the occasion, but
He was telling me how rough his financiers were. I
suppose I had encouraged him to be more faithful
in church and he was trying to explain to me why
he couldn’t. He spoke of the stress of work, his
high mortgage, the cost of having two children—I
had six—and so on. He never put God first in his
life or his finances. Today, they are divorced.
I have not seen him in years, but I would bet
that he still has similar complaints and still is
not putting God first. Nothing will ever change
for the person who keeps putting patches on the
old. You can’t fix these kinds of problems with
patches. You need a new garment.
II. In 2014, I will joyfully accept the will of God.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
A. That verse may well be one of the most difficult verses in
the Bible—not to understand but to accept!
B. It says that everything and anything that happens to you
is God’s will.
1. sickness, being let go at work, wrecks, unruly
neighbors, pesky family members
2. In other words, if it is happening, God has allowed it
and He can—no, He will—work through it for your
good and His glory.
C. Understand, just because something is happening does not
mean everyone involved is right with God, or even
pleasing to God.
1. Even the Christian that everything is happening to may
not be right with God or living a life that is
pleasing to Him.
2. But God can and will use whatever He brings into your
life to help the Christian who wants to do His will
be a better Christian and to bring glory to God.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.
D. So My Will, My Won’t, and My Attitude this year will be
to accept God’s will with JOY.
1. Let me point out that the difficulty in this attitude
is not the accepting. It is the accepting with joy.
2. You and I do not have much of a choice when it comes
to accepting things. we do it because we must.
3. Our choice is accepting it with joy.
a. Without frustration, aggravation, murmuring,
complaining, threatening to quit
4. We are often quick to criticize the Israelites coming
out of Egypt but then we commit the very same sin.
a. We do realize that they did not complain when…
(1) …the Red Sea closed on the Egyptians?
(2) …the water came out of the rock?
(3) …the manna fell and all they had to do was
pick it up?
b. When did they complain? Just before God sent the
miracles! When things were difficult and
frustrating and aggravating.
c. And when do we complain? When things are
difficult and frustrating and aggravating.
d. And what was God trying to teach the Jews? To
trust Him in the difficult times.
e. And what is God trying to teach us? To trust Him
in the difficult times.
f. So what does God want us to do? He wants us to
accept His will with joy!
E. By the way, let me point out that God always knows what is
best for our lives.
1. We are so limited in our understanding. We have no
idea what today’s problems were sent to accomplish.
2. Last Sunday morning, we stopped to worship in Joplin,
MO. They had tornadoes hit them just a few weeks
after they hit our area in 2011. We were at the
heart of ground zero. Everything there was new
because it was all destroyed in the tornado.
3. The church was new but the congregation was small and
was fifty and older. I believe our young people were
the only ones there—and how that church family
rejoiced to have us in their services.
4. In his sermon, Pastor Bruce Allen told the story of
the farmer who found a bird’s next in his brush pile.
The farmer was clearing a field and stacked the
brush in a large pile to burn. As he added to the
pile, he saw a bird’s nest a soon-to-be momma bird
was building. He reached into the pile, grabbed it,
and threw it on the ground. The mamma bird was no
doubt disturbed but build it back. After all, she was
going to have some babies and needed a nest. The
next day, the farmer saw the new nest, reached into
the pile, and threw it on the ground. This ritual
went on for several days. At last the momma bird got
the message and went on to build her nest elsewhere.
And soon, the farmer set fire to the brush and all
was consumed. What seemed like meanness to the bird
was actually love and kindness for the farmer knew
what would happen to the bird and her babies if the
comfortable nest were allowed to say. So it is with
God. Only He knows what the future holds and today’s
trials may be His acts of love and kindness.
III. In 2014, I will serve the Lord with diligence.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to
serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve; whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other side
of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and
my house, we will serve the LORD.
A. How do you feel about welfare?
1. Most people have a negative view of welfare.
2. Some of it is deserved and some of it maybe is not.
3. Regardless of what you think about government welfare,
most Christians are on Christian welfare.
4. How so? Because all the come to church for is to get,
never to give, never to serve.
B. Thinking about, I have concluded that there are several
kinds of welfare Christians.
1. There are the "pity me" Christians. These are the
ones who are always talking about how bad things are
and how bad they have it.
a. That preacher is too long. That one is too short.
That preacher is too loud. He gives me a
headache. This one is too quiet. I can’t hear
him.
b. I can’t go to church. It’s too cold. The pews
are too hard. The church is too crowded. I
might catch a cold. I have so much going on at
work. I have so much going on at home.
c. I want to watch TV. I need to take a nap. I want
to sleep in late.
2. Then there are the "give me" Christians. These are
the ones just want to get but never give.
a. Sadly, in most churches, 10% of the Christians do
90% of the work, leaving most of the 90% on
Christian welfare.
b. They come to church and say, "Give me, preacher.
Give me, Sunday school teacher. Give me, choir,
Give me, congregation."
3. Then there are the "not me" Christians. These are the
ones who are always quick to excuse themselves from
every message or challenge. They are not going to
pray. They are not going to repent. They are not
going to visit. They are not going to revival. They
are not going to give. They are just not going to do
anything.
C. I am not saying these things to hurt anyone’s feelings. I
am saying them because if you are really a Christian, you
have a hole in your garment and you need to patch it.
1. Listen to this verse.
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you….
2. This is a self-replicating verse.
3. By that I mean that although command was spoken to the
disciples, the command tells the disciples to teach
their disciples everything that Jesus taught them,
which would include this commandment.
4. Confused? Jesus told them to teach their converts the
same thing that Jesus taught them, so every
Christian is to be taught and then to obey this
command.
5. GO. Get involved. Get busy. Win others, Teach
others. Help others. Love others.
6. Everything that Jesus did, we are to do!
7. In 2014, let’s serve the Lord with diligence!
This message is NOT finished. I have just decided to stop here. In
reality, we all need to check our garment. If you never received a
new one, get one today. If you did, find the tears of your life and
patch them!
