Christ's attitude in Service

I want to open up with a clip from a movie I love – Happy Gilmore. I know it is funny and mindless, but please pay attention to what Happy is saying.

Get and Watch Happy Gilmore Clip – Ch. 1. 3:12 – 5:03
- What was Happy put on this earth to do?
- Why did he think he would get picked this year?
- What happened?

Happy had a sense of entitlement. He felt, that because of his power, he would be a shoe in for the team. After all, he was put on this earth to play hockey.

However, he didn’t make it. Therefore, he tried to take his frustration out on the coaches and players, but to no avail.

I believe we all feel that we have a sense of entitlement. We are all entitled to something or another – we’re entitled to get a car when we turn 16, we are entitled to get the best clothes, we are entitled to do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whoever we want.

Christ was entitled to a whole lot as well. However, He chose to use that entitlement for something else. Let’s see what he did with his entitlement and how we can emulate that as well.

Scripture

Read Philippians 2:5-8
1. What was Christ’s entitlement?
2. The Bible said that our attitude should be that of Christ. What is that attitude?
3. Why would he do this?

Christ did this because he chose to put us 1st. He chose to put our needs before his. He was entitled to be praised and honored, but he chose to be the son of a carpenter rather than a king. He was entitled to be praised and honored, but he chose to die a brutal death

If there was any sense of entitlement, Christ had it! He deserved so much better. But he chose to put us first.

His desire for us to be in a relationship with God again outweighed his sense of entitlement. He chose us over himself. He was more concerned about our well being than about him having to die on the cross.

Do you understand the sacrifice Christ made for you? He was entitled to be King, but because he put us first, he chose to be the son of a carpenter, who lived amongst the poor and the unaccepted, who died one of the most brutal deaths of all time. He did this all for us.

Application

So, how should Christ’s attitude affect how we treat others?

Christ put us first. We need to put others first.

Think about it. Are you putting other people’s needs before your needs? Are you sacrificing your desires the same way Christ did? Now, just as a disclaimer, I’m not asking you to go sacrifice your life for someone else. But,
* Are you sacrificing your time to listen to someone in need?
* Are you sacrificing your hard earned money for someone so he/she can eat a meal?
* Are you sacrificing your popularity so that someone else might feel accepted and cared for?
*Are you sacrificing your own needs for others?

There are so many things you can do to put others first this week. In fact, do it right now. Remember, Christ sacrificed his own life for us. He was entitled to so much more. What is 1 thing you can do this week to put others before yourself?

Pray