Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Last week, as we began this series on A Return to Holiness in preparation for revival, we addressed Sins of Thought.

I pray that you truly did meditate on that message this week and ask God to help you be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom.

12:2) and also sought God this week in helping you bring every thought and imagination under the submission of Jesus Christ (2 Cor.

10:5).

This week, we begin to address another area of sin that is often overlooked, attitude.

I remember growing up, and I know that this will surprise some of you, I got in quite a bit of trouble for two things in particular while growing up: 1) my mouth and 2) my attitude.

These two particulars caused me more grief growing up than anything else I do believer.

As I look at the church today, I see over-and-over where this area, sins of attitude, birth more conflict within the church and between brothers and sisters in Christ.

In the end, it also quenches the Spirit of God and keeps God from bringing revival.

My Favorite Illustrations (Could It Be Me?)

Could It Be Me?If something is wrong with your church and you wonder why, the place to start seeking an answer is with yourself.

Is your church unfriendly?

What about you?

Is it unconcerned about the lost?

Are you?

Is it behind on its budget requirements?

Are you behind, or are you penny-pinching in your giving?

Is there hostility in the fellowship?

What of your attitude and behavior?

You may or may not find the answers within yourself.

Nevertheless, you need to be certain you are not part of the problem before you begin pointing an accusing finger at others.

There’s only one way to guarantee what I was told I needed quite often growing up, a guaranteed attitude adjustment and that is through the time in the Word of God, time in prayer, and prayerfully and honestly asking God to search you and show you where you are lacking and where you need to change.

Notice I did not say your spouse, your children, your neighbor.

I said you.

I said me.

Opening Passage

Outline

1.

The attitude of Indifference

One of the worst attitudes that anyone of us could have about anything is the attitude of indifference.

1 having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned.

2 neither good nor bad; mediocre.

▶ not especially good; fairly bad.

This is where many are within the church today.

They have attitude that is best defined as having no particular interest or sympathy, unconcerned.

They have no particular interest in faithful attendance.

They have no particular interest in consistent bible study.

They have no particular interest in personal prayer life.

They have no concern about the finances of the church, the activities of the church, and interest or concern in serving the church.

They in essence come to church to just have a check put on that to do list and say we were at church this morning, if they even do that.

Many within the church are as just as the church of the Laodiceans, which is why many compare this church to the church of America.

The condemnation of our Lord toward them should be a warning to us all.

The passage of Scripture should warn us that we must be either hot for God or cold for God, but we cannot ride the fence for it belongs to the Devil.

Where do you stand this morning in heart and passion for the Lord and His kingdom?

Hot? Cold? or in the Devil’s land riding the fence post and suffering from the attitude of indifference?

Indifference is not the only attitude that plague many within the church.

There is another attitude and it’s the attitude of self-egotism.

2. The attitude of self-egotism

The attitude of self-egotism is characterized by...

i. Pride and

We see pride flesh itself out in our relationships.

We find it fleshed out with our relationship with each other.

We find ourselves more pushing personal agendas, personal likes, and personal opinions rather than learning to come in agreement with one another.

Let us be reminded that the Lord has called us to submit each other.

We are to seek unity.

Too often we fight about negotiables and we ignore non-negotiables.

To put this another way, we all too often major on the minors and minor on the majors.

We our pride get in the way of unity within the body.

We find it fleshed out with our relationship with God.

We refuse to admit we are sinning.

We refuse to let God move in our life.

We refuse to let God work in our hearts.

We stand before Him with stiff necks and shake our pointy fingers at the Lord and say, I’m not changing, you must change.

Your word must change.

Brothers and sisters, may I submit to you that this is not how it happens.

If we want to see revival, it will take us letting go of our pride, admitting our pride, and humbling ourselves before God and repenting of our sin and seeking the Lord.

The other area that self-egotism fleshes out is a case of...

ii.

selfishness

All to often we think about ourselves, our agenda, our feelings and we forget that other people have feelings, have ideas, have flesh in this game too.

Truly, what we find within the Scripture is a call to look out for others and think of others and their needs, their spirit more so than our own.

One way we are hurting each other is through our words.

Too many of us do not have a filter and if we do have a filter, we do not use it.

We call people names.

We bully people with our words.

We try to manipulate and cause guilt.

That’s not what God has called us to do.

He has called us to be builders not destroyers.

There truly power within the tongue.

As the apostles Paul wrote:

3. Attitude of Partiality

Several years ago, early in my ministry, I pastored a church and one of these families as that church was very poor, uneducated, and did not have good hygiene.

I heard over-and-over, preacher water isn’t that expensive.

Why don’t they take a bath?

Why don’t we tell them they don’t need to come back until they bathe?

We don’t want them here.

Over-and-over I told them, they are welcome.

We will love on them and support them as every other individual here.

On the flip side of that coin, over and over again, at that same church, I would find someone that came and visited that may have a little money or be a close friend to that were complaining about the others and they would come and say, meet this person.

We need them here.

This is not how the church is to be.

We are to welcome everyone.

We are not to show partiality.

Yet, we find ourselves over and over doing so.

The Scriptures warn against this.

4. Attitude of Unbelief

We can not please God without trusting and having faith that He can deliver on His promises.

Many within church are not seeing revival and not seeing victory over sin and not seeing healing in your home, because you say you have faith and trust the Lord but in reality, you don’t.

5. Attitude of the world

A wordly attitude is characterized by...

i. carnality and