The Root Of Attitude # 1 LifeRoots - Joseph - Genesis 37:18-28 (Background text - Gen. 29 - Meet Rachel; Gen. 30:1-24 Rachel s Lament; Gen. 37:3-11 Brothers envy; Gen. 37:18-28 Sold; Gen. 39:7-23 Potiphar s house; Gen. 41:37-57 Rise to power; Gen. 42-50 Joseph in Pharaoh s court; Gen. 50 Confronts Brothers) Introduction Roots Illustration: Illustrate: Picture of me trying to pull out Yuka. * Deep Roots Nourish * Deep Roots Give Stability When something is deeply rooted it will not be easily moved. Problem is that the roots go down really deep and I can t move that thing. - roots hold it steady and give it strength. * That s true in our lives as well. When we have deep and strong roots it gives us strength nourishes our lives and nothing will move us. *Jesus Talked About The Need Of Deep Roots. * Luke 8:11-15 (Read) But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. (Vs 11) - People who aren t rooted soon become uprooted in difficult circumstances Rock Soil = hear, receive, rejoice no root believe a while - hard times come & fall away. * Psalm 1 says of the happy or blessed man: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (Ps 1:2-3) * Happy blessed person - puts roots down deep into the principles and precepts of God - life is fruitful, grounded and stable. * PRINCIPLES OF GOD S WORD KEEP YOU GROUNDED AND STEADY. - How many of you want to be grounded and steady. - tired of being tossed around by emotions and circumstances. *Series about 5 Root Systems That Will Give You Stability In Your Life. - Principles from the Bible. Principles like roots in a tree, keep you from being blown all about by the storms of life. * FIRST ROOT SYSTEM IS THE ROOT OF ATTITUDE.
80% of success in life is Attitude. * Attitude is About Trusting God With Your Life. *Greatest Example of Attitude = Joseph - Genesis General Slide JOSEPH STORY - Greatest example of Godly Attitude Found In The Bible. - if ever there was a man who had reason to have bad attitude it was Joseph. * Adam and Eve Fall in Garde * God s Plan of Redemption promised Saviour * Call of Abraham father of Israel through whom came Saviour * Abraham - son Isaac grandson Jacob * Jacob had 12 sons - only 1 from beloved Rachel * Joseph the Favoured Son. - Hated By His Brothers and Sold as a Slave into Egypt. Gen. 37:18-28 - Slave in Potiphar's house. Good attitude in spite of difficult situation and faithful. Became # 1 slave. Gen. 39:1-3 * Refused the advances of Potiphar's wife and ended up in prison. Gen. 39:7-9; 19-23 - for his purity and honesty - he was lied about and put in prision. - Even in prison Joseph prospered because of his good attitude and faith in God. Gen. 39:21-23 * Joseph eventually becomes Prime Minister of Egypt second only to the mighty Pharaoh. - Through a series of dreams, Joseph helps preserve Egypt though a tremendous famine. * In the midst of the famine, Joseph s brothers come to Egypt looking for food. (Build the Drama) - It has been years since Joseph has seen his back stabbing brothers - chance for revenge Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Gen 41:46) - by time brothers show up - Joseph maybe 40 yrs old - not see since 15-17. But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Gen. 50:50) * in the midst of Extreme Adversity, Joseph Continued to Trust God and Cultivate a Positive Attitude. What his brothers meant for evil God at work for not only his good but for his family. - Working out the good for the fulfilment of God s promise of Saviour through line of Abraham - Jacob.
THREE ATTITUDES YOU NEED TO DEVELOP. I. An Attitude Of Faith * Faith in the midst of the circumstances of life. - sometimes things don t look good. Joseph - sold - Potiphar s wife difficulties etc. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6) 1. Believe That God Is Faithful ** J. Realized - God is a Faithful God In Whom You Can Place Your Faith - reason can have attitude of faith is because you have a faithful God. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (V) - If this is true then we can live like its true. * Your response to the circumstances of life will make you or break you. 2. Understand That Bad Things Happen To Good People - Many people have bad attitude because of circumstances in life. Got a dirty deal. - Bad things happen even to good people - even Christians. ie. Bad childhood - job loss - spouse leave - tragedy etc. SOMETIMES LIFE IS TOUGH AND YOU CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT. * YOU CANNOT CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU. 3. Accept Responsibility For Yourself. Joseph could have harbored a grudge against his brothers and harbour bitterness. But instead he responded positively and with faith to the circumstances he faced. * THERE ARE PEOPLE AND THINGS YOU CANNOT CHANGE. - circumstances of life you cannot go back and change. * If We Want Stability In Our Lives We must Take Responsibility for How We React to the People and Circumstances of Life. Take Responsibility for Yourself - You Are Responsible for You and You Need To Take Charge of Your Life and Your Attitude You Are Responsible for Your Own Unhappiness. IT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO ME BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN ME THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
General Slide Faith * Like Joseph we need to understand That Our Attitude Towards the People and Circumstances of Life Will Either Make You or Break You. Notice Something Else In Joseph Joseph said to them,"do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Gen 50:19-21) (SECOND ATTITUDE YOU NEED TO DEVELOP) II. An Attitude Of Hope To be rooted, you and I need to cultivate an attitude of hope. Hope Is Rooted In The Faithfulness of God. 1. Everybody Has Problems You are not unique. Joseph s Problems: - Family Problem - favouritism, jealousy, left for dead - Slavery - being used and abused - uncertainty - People Lied about him - falsely accused - Pot s wife - Did right and thrown in prision 2. We Can Grow In Spite of Problems - Greatest growth often comes through adversity in life. * One of the greatest things that can sour our attitude is problems. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4) * J. Sidlow Baxter " What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD IT. Every opportunity has a difficulty and every difficulty has an opportunity." * Life is like a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or sharpens you depends on what you are made of. ** in the midst of Every Adversity There Is the Opportunity and Potential to Make You a Better Person. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts. (Prov 17:3)
3. Maintain Hope In All Circumstances And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28 ) * Maintaining Hope in all circumstances is an act of faith in God. (THIRD ATTITUDE YOU NEED TO DEVELOP) III. An Attitude Of Obedience * God Doesn t Measure Success The Way The World Does - God s Economy Success = Obedience and Christlikeness Joseph: - Slave - Potapher s wife in Prison. * Could have been tempted to give up. * Joseph wasn t successful because he was Prime Minister. - He was successful because he was where God placed Him, he was obedient and he lived to honour God. 1. Obedience Demonstrates Our Trust In God Illustrate - wonder what Joseph thought when rejected Potiphar s wife s advances and still ended up in prison. Then - told dreams of Baker and Butler and they forgot him. I GIVE UP. No Joseph measured success in life by God s standard. But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Genesis 50) * Throughout His Life - Regardless of the Circumstances - Joseph s first Priority Was to Obey and Honour God. - Potiphar s wife. How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God (Gen. 39:9) 2. Obedience Is Not Always The Easy Way * Potiphar s Wife = did right and went to jail. * Not Always The Easy Way But Always The Right Way. Do Right Regardless of the Circumstances or Consequences. * You and I need to cultivate an Attitude of Obedience regardless of the circumstances or the cost. 3. Obedience Is The Way To Blessing * Sometimes when you think God has abandoned you, He is working out His greatest plan.
* Joseph abandoned in well put in prison forgotten by friends etc. Powerful temptation to cut corners Why obey why honour God where is it getting me. Joseph said to them,"do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Gen 50:19-21) * Joseph s Attitude Of Obedience Allowed God To Use Him To Save His People And Preserve The Line Of The Messiah. - God was at work bringing about the redemption of the world in the midst of Joseph s trials. - Incredible blessing on the world. ** Obedience Always Precedes Blessing CONCLUSION THE ATTITUDE YOU HAVE DETERMINES THE LIFE YOU WILL HAVE * Your Attitude Affects The Way You Look At Life - whether Godly or ungodly view of life. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of th evil treasure brings forth evil things (Matt. 12:35) * Everything You See and Do in Life Is Coloured by Your Attitude. Because, What Is Happening on the Inside Will Show up on the Outside. Your Attitude Is a Choice Based on Your Faith in God s Faithfulness - Attitude you have - You chose it. It is An Act of Faith. General Slide ** Put Your Roots Down Deep Into The Faithfulness Of God In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Derek Redmond of Great Britain was considered a favourite contender for a medal. It was the evening of August 3, 1992 as Redmond was pitted against seven others in a semi-final in the 400 meters. Redmond knelt poised, waiting for the race to start. As the gun went off, his body was translated into a human locomotion, feverishly charging against the other runners. As Redmond prepared to round the curve after the halfway mark, however, he suddenly heard a pop. It was his right hamstring. Redmond soon found himself trapped by the searing pain of his leg. The other runners finished the race as he desperately continued his painful trek to the finish line. He waved off the stretchers, however, determined to finish the race. From the stands, his father had been watching. He pushed his way past security guards to meet his son on the track. He then reached his weeping
son. Look, you don t have to do this. Redmond then replied: Yes I do. His father then said: Well, if you re going to finish this race, we ll finish it together. With his arm locked around his son, Jim Redmond helped his son to the finish line to the sounds of a cheering stadium. * God Is Like That in the race we are running. Sometimes the going gets rough. We need the attitude of faith and remember, God is always there ready to come out of the stands, put His arm around us, and help us to the finish line. ** A Positive Attitude Toward Life Is Rooted In The Faithfulness of God.