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Bristol SDA Church

Garhett Morgan

Ambassadors for Christ

Father, Lord, we thank you for a warm building.

Lord, this time of year, especially this past week, the small things that often we take for granted, we're very thankful for.

Thankful for a roof over our heads and heat in our homes.

But Father, we're not satisfied with just those blessings.

We want to be in your presence this morning.

Father, we know that you want to be here and that you are here, and Father, we ask that If there's anything in our hearts that are keeping you from being here more, Lord, that we would cast that out so that we can be filled with your word and with your truth.

Lord, this is your message, and If there's anything that I do to Marat, I ask that you would speak only as you do.

Father, bless us all, and may our hearts be open to your word.

I was at Meijer the other day, and it was right before everything was going to hit.

And so Big Rapids Church needed some salt for their sidewalk, and so I went to Meyer to pick up a big bag of salt there in Big Rapids, and I was going through the self-checkout with my wife, and there was a man, it was very, very cold that day, extremely cold, and he was there and he was at the self-checkout and he didn't have a cart or a basket but he had 2 big bags of chipped ice and he was holding them in 1 in each arm and as I passed by I looked at the gentleman and I kind of smirked and I said, is it not cold enough there for you, partner?

And he looked, and he realized why I had said that, and he smiled, and I was taken back with his answer.

He looked at me, and he saw my wife there, and normally men don't talk like this when there's a lady around but he said, well this ice isn't quite as cold as my wife's heart now is it?

And I was kind of taken back by that and he thought it was hilarious and my wife I don't think really heard it praise the Lord, but now she does and We were checking out and then he asked me how I was doing and I said I'm blessed every day And I think he was taken just as much back by my answer that I was with his answer You know often we ask that question to people without really caring.

When you're just about ready to meet somebody, or maybe you're meeting a co-worker, or whoever it might be, that's just a way to start a conversation, right?

And in reality, more often than not, when we ask that question, sometimes we really could care less.

We just want to get the conversation started, right?

And so normally a conversation goes, how are you doing?

And then we continue on our conversation.

But I've noticed something, even in some Christian churches, and in this place too, that sometimes when we ask each other how we're doing, We often don't answer in the way that I think or the Bible teaches a Christian should answer.

In fact, today we're going to be talking about how to have a positive Christian attitude.

And often having a Christian attitude, a positive attitude, is a lot easier said than done.

So we're going to be talking about what the Bible has to say about that today, but before we do that, I want to take a look at a verse.

This is a verse that we don't look at very often, but it's 1 I think we should look at quite a bit.

Matthew 12 and verse 36 says something that's quite bold, but a very true statement.

It says this, but I say unto you, now who's talking here?

So when Jesus is talking, we should pay attention, amen?

This isn't pastor talking, this is the creator of the universe talking.

He says, "'But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.'" Wow, Did you catch that?

Every idle word that men speaks is written down in the books of heaven.

Every offhanded comment that you tell your wife in frustration, every joke that you tell your co-worker, every word that you say to your child or your spouse that you know that you shouldn't, all of those words that are spoken are taken down in the book of remembrance.

Every word of encouragement, every word of lifting up your fellow brother, every word of kindness, every word of peace, that's all written down too, isn't it?

Sometimes we can focus on 1 or the other, but both of those things are written down, the good as well as the bad.

But the problem is this, All of that bad that we often say is written down, and no matter how many kind words, how many edifying words, how many encouraging words we tell our fellow man that we say, those words aren't going to be able to wipe away those negative words that we've said, right?

You could spend the rest of your life sharing kindness with other people, which we should be doing, but it doesn't matter as long as we have these other words here on the book of Remembrance.

Praise the Lord for Jesus and His righteousness, amen, and all those things can be blotted out and wiped away for eternity, amen.

However, when Jesus was talking to His disciples and was talking to the rest of humanity when He was here on earth, this question came up.

How to have a good attitude or how to be converted.

And Jesus looked around where he was preaching and he found somebody that had the attitude and that had the conversion experience that he was looking for.

And this person wasn't probably somebody that people were thinking he would point to.

But go to Matthew, already in Matthew, but go to Matthew 18, verse 3, for this example of how a Christian should act.

Matthew 18, in verse 3, notice what it says here.

Unto him, and set him in the midst of him, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted and become as what?

As little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Did you catch that?

Now let's be honest here for just a moment.

When we think of children, when we think of young adults, young people, often they have an attitude, don't they?

Especially when they start growing up a little bit.

Sometimes we don't want that attitude, But when Jesus is talking about a little child, what I envision is a child that's under the age of 2.

Completely innocent, not caring about the position that he is in, just needing his needs met.

But let me ask you this, a child at that age, 1 of the main things that that child needs is love from his parents.

My friends, today let me ask you, do you crave the love of God in your life?

Because I can tell you this, no love on this earth will be able to fill that love that you need that only comes from God.

We can find love from our children, amen, that's a special kind of love.

We can find love from our spouse, that's a special kind of love.

We can find love from our congregation and church family, that's a special kind of love.

But my friends, nothing compares with the love of God.

When young people are looking for a spouse or they're looking for a relationship with someone else, 1 of the first things that I ask them is, I know that that's important that you find that someday, but are you experiencing the love of God?

Because my Friends, when you are in and experiencing the love of God and walking in that relationship with Him, God will make you content, amen.

I was listening the other day to a conversation between a few believers, not here in this room, but there was someone that was just a baby Christian and she is so excited about being a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, like she just lights up.

And there was someone else that had been in the church a little longer, well seasoned, and this young babe Christian asked this lady, hey how are you doing?

My finances are already having a hard time.

All these things are happening." And it was like 15 minutes of complaining.

My friends, let's be honest for a minute.

Maybe you've had a rough week, maybe you have a rough month, maybe you had a rough past year.

I don't know what it might be, but my friends, when we're living with Jesus, we are always blessed.

God is good even in the midst of hard times.

So when someone asks you how you're doing and you're tempted to complain, we have nothing to complain about, do we?

Now it's 1 thing to be honest with 1 another and express the need for prayer.

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Ambassadors for Christ

Transcript

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