Not to Your Own Interests (Philippians 2:1-8)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer I'm one of the pastors here we are continuing to walk through the book of Philippians we're in Chapter 2 now we're going to be in verses 1-8 and uh now you thought maybe a precedent was set last week we are going to go through all eight verses y'all not one verse left behind we will finish the entire passage before I sit down so you can follow along in your Bibles yeah that was a joke one left there we go starting out right we're going to go through all eight verses and we are going to uh continue to walk through what Philippians is unpacking which is this theme of unity.
So we'll have the text on the screen also be on page 570 in your blue Bibles I think the fa the Church gets uh really an unfair generalization uh on a lot of different levels I think that in a lot of ways uh it gets generalized as a social club of of just connections that we get to make uh that there isn't a lot of depth I think that that is an accusation that gets thrown at the Church quite a bit I think another thing gets thrown at the Church is that it's just a place where uh we're just kind of concerned about money and it's just more of a of a business.
It's more self-serving I think there's a lot of different things that get thrown at the Church uh and what I've seen over the years is something something quite different my experience with the Church of Jesus Christ and the local Church is that is a beautiful place to see the Gospel in action I've seen that time and time again uh many of you some of you may not know this about uh eight years ago my wife and I we actually moved down here uh to plant our own Church um that's why we we moved back to this area was to plant our own Church and uh you know I didn't grow up Baptist and didn't know.
How Baptist did things and they said you got to have a a Church that sponsors you kind of Church that gets behind you and I was like well I don't know a lot of them cuz I didn't wasn't raised Baptist but you know I did know Chad and Matt who just started a few years before I moved down here with mil City and I was like well I I'll rock with them and uh so we moved down here and uh in that.
First year as we were getting ready to uh kind of launch out ourselves and plant our own Church right out the gate um my uh my wife had a Mis carriage and it was a painful experience and there was a medical procedure that happened after that um that left us with some uh with some medical bills and we were just kind of dealing with that grief and loss and also having to deal with those medical bills and I remember this is back.
When we were at Glenn Forest I remember in the parking lot one day chat came out and met me he's like here and he just handed me a water of cash and he said you know Church you know we want to come alongside you and this know you've got some medical bills coming out of this to pay for uh and we just want to help with this and I just in that moment just felt so deeply loved and cared for and at that point it was right out the gate of us.
So so many of the people in this Church didn't really know us that well at all and I've seen some version of that story over and over and over again I've seen people who've given up cars to uh to other Christians that are in need I've seen uh uh time and time again medic our bills or medical bills are just just paid off I've seen the Church rally in a lot of different ways I've seen people give up their Saturdays their their cherished time off to be able to take a trade that they use to help others and give it away.
For free to someone who's in need I've seen that story play out over and over and over again so in my experience the Church of Jesus Christ is a wonderful place to be it is one of the most supportive and loving and Powerful human experiences that you can be a part of and yes I do believe that there are some Churches out there uh they can be described with a lot of labels that don't seem like they really buy into the Gospel I would argue that many of those churches have lost sight of the Gospel or many of them really aren't made up of those who profess and follow Christ in a way that reflects.
The fruit that is born out in Christians but I think largely and our churches I think is no different I churches all across the world that buy into the Gospel and live it out in humility with one another and the reason that is is because of passages like the one we're going to walk through today it's passages like we're going to read and and sit in today so want to pray for us and then we're going to walk through this passage together uh Heavenly.
Father we pray that you might speak to us this morning that we might have Humble Hearts to receive your word and that we would see that this faith that we so dearly and deeply love is built upon something bigger than ourselves bigger than our individual selves and I pray you'd open our eyes to that so we might be the people that you have called us to be we ask this in Jesus name amen all right so last week Chad walked us through what it looked like to strive and unity together the Gospel is the thing that unifies us to strive and unity that theme is being pulled through the book of Philippians and it gets.
Continued to be uh uh taught in this second chapter as we pick up in verse one so if there is any encouragement in Christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy all right let let me stop there for a moment when he says if there it's not if in in the idea of of this is a possibility like I If that you know if if that will happen this is actually if in this in the word of of sense like sense this is true what he's saying is.
If this is true and if this is true and if this is true and if this is true that's what he he's he's building upon here and if you ever been in conflict with a friend and you've ever been in argument and all of a sudden you've lost a thread on your friendship for a moment sometimes you got to State some true things you say bro I'm on your team like I'm I'm for you I'm not against you if you've been in marital conflict where the.
If you if you're married you have that's a reality which also if if you're uh if you're married you come to our training weekend it's one of the things we're going to talk about at our training weekend come up in a few weeks but if you've ever been a maral conflict where you know you've lost a thread on on things you might have to just stop and say some true things you might have to look at your spouse and say you know.
Listen I I love you I'm actually I'm for you I don't think football is more important than you I'm not going to let 19y olds ruin our our our date night tonight because they lost again no like I'm I'm you got to say some true things to make sure you're you're framing like you don't lose the threat on what you're actually uh shooting for and that's what's happening here is that there seems to be a little bit of disunity that's snuck into uh the Church at Philippi which is common to a lot of new testament churches.
And then the disunity that's happened he's stating some true things he's saying if there is an encouragement in Christ which is way of sense like yes there is if there's any encouragement in Christ if there's any comfort from his love and there is if there's any participation in the spirit and there is if there's any if there's affection which is tenderness or sympathy which is compassion if these things are true and they are verse two complete my Joy by being of the same mind having the same love being in full Accord and of one mind.
So Paul says complete my joy which I love that phrasing it shows his deep desire for this Church to be unified there's this this deep desire for them to be unified he wants this that it will complete his Joy if the Church is doing this which I feel this as a pastor because that just makes me so uh Joy filled makes me so happy when I see our Church unified striving together in love and he gives some descriptives here of what uh this Unity looks like he says having the same mind having this the same love being in full Accord of one mind that's the type of unity he's he's he wants them he desires.
For them to have this single-mindedness it's being wred in the Same Love Of Christ to have the same uh uh mindset and being a full Accord together when you see this it's beautiful like maybe you've been in a community group where all of a sudden you got a message on your group text or your group me and all of a sudden it came in and it was someone that said Hey listen I I lost I lost my job and I'm devastated you get that message that comes in and all of a sudden you get to.
See what having the same mind the same love being in full of cour you get to see that just come to life and all of a sudden someone says Hey listen I want to make you a meal I want to just I'm I'm don't don't I'm doing it I'm making it I'm bringing it over it all show up a group that week for group meeting time and everyone's cool with in the catch up and life section of your group meeting time of just this being it that we're going to talk through this everyone's.
Okay with just like I got stuff I'm working through but at the same time like I want to be able to yield some time to this because our brother is hurting our sister is hurting and then you get to see it in action when all of a sudden usually this is how it plays out is that there's two people that are kind of doing some of the talking here and caring for them and it's like this tandem this this beautiful kind of the same Spirit The Same Spirit flowing through them together where you're just kind of playing off each other's words and communicating the Gospel and applying the good news to someone who's struggling.
It's almost like you can finish each other's sentences because you're just on the same page because you're playing from the same Playbook we have the same mindset while that's going on you've got someone in uh a few chairs over that's just silently praying for this brother or sister who's struggling you got someone else who's already thinking about how how can we pull together some money to be able to help them pay pay bills while they're looking for a new job like you.
See all of this at work and it's beautiful and it's wonderful and none of that happens none of that happens if when you get that message on group me and you just go oh man this is probably going to dominate our group discussion for the next few weeks this is probably all we're going to talk about and they're probably going to need money and right now our budget is strapped and groceries cost way too much I just I don't we're have to chip in I just.
Okay well here we go because we got to care for this new situation that's popped up in our group that attitude that posture is the very thing that Paul is going to address in the next few verses that's something that kills unity in the Church verse three and four says do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interest of others.
If you want to destroy the same mind the same love this unity in the Church an easy way to do that is selfish ambition and conceit which is pride a way of saying this is that it's you wanting your own way for your own good for your own Glory so one thanks for one of things our own way for our own good for our own Glory that's our mindset that destroys this Unity that Christ has gifted to the Church now this selfish ambition this conceit is not anything new this is an ancient poison it's the reason why in the book of Proverbs 3,000 years ago Solomon was saying Pride goes before destruction and a hotty.
Spirit before a fall this is something that has existed for thousands of years in humanity this this mindset of just thinking only of ourselves for our own good for our own glory and when I hear stories of pastors who have train wrecked their churches their Ministries because they made it all about themselves that it was all about their own Glory when I when I've see this it makes me sad and it makes me sick and yet they didn't get there overnight they made a series of decisions that led them in this direction to this is where they are.
And then I look in the mirror and I see some of those same things in my own heart I see some of that same conceit that same selfish ambition and I realize I do like to get my own way I do like think to work out for my own good and my flesh really does like getting its own glory and you make decision after decision to get there which is the opposite of what he's calling us to he says but in humility count others more significant than yourselves he says Let each of you not.
Look only to his own interest but to the interest of others that we make these decisions over and over again for our own interest for our own good we count ourselves more significant than others all the time and and again it's it's a I think it's a series of decisions that you make over time until this is who you are happens in the Small Things the small things like cutting people off in traffic because if you ain't first you're last that's the mindset of a lot of us who drive just like I just and you just get I don't care I'm busy I'm I'm quick I I gotta I gotta get to work I got.
This and we'll cut people off left and right I think this happens in when you don't return the shopping cart back to the shopping cart rack in the parking lot oh man that's like that's a long walk I me they get paid to do this right so I'm I just I just leave it here and it's like you you consider your interest there not the interest of others also next time Pro tip just park by the rack just is that easy it's a little bit farther walk.
But you just park right there boom here you go you're welcome this happens in a lot of small ways this happens with roommates it's not a lot of pettiness can happen in in roommate situations this is not cleaning up after yourself not you know not not take care of your own dishes this is like when you when you set the milk down all the way to like the bottom but you you know if you like set the whole thing if you.
If you pour it all out like it's like I'm going have to do something about this so you leave like two sips and the next person grabs it and they like pour it into the serial and it's the saddest moment because you have no you have no cereal now because you counted yourself more significant than others this happens in bigger things this happens when we treat people like utility a means to our own end I mean if you're an employer this is treating employees like this say.
Well they work for me and what you see them as as a means to your bottom line they're a means of me making money as opposed to having a servant's mindset where it's like I to serve them and I'm serving their families by giving them good work to do and it's just seeing them as utility seeing as a means to your bottom line this happens with co-workers who climb the ladder and use the people around them to climb the ladder you might fake a friendship with somebody.
And then all of a sudden when you moved past them up a rung of that ladder it's like I you know you're not eating lunch with them anymore you're not returning calls and texts it was just for that season so that you can move ahead this happens with friendships where the only reason that you reach out to someone who you consider a friend is you need something and they kind of know it too when you call you Le hey how are you doing it's.
Okay but you won't also happens in friendships this is particularly true if you struggle with being an out of sight out of- mind person that friendships are for the season that they're with you but once you move on to something else move on to a new group move on to a new city you never think about them again because they were utility they were for That season they were for your benefit then and not later this happens in marriages seeing your spouse as a means to an end why.
Listen I I bring home the money I'm owed intimacy I'm owed companionship I'm owed child care I'm ow a clean house don't they don't don't you see everything that I do for her this happens with time and how we treat our schedules boy oh boy I feel this one that a lot of times when we think about our own schedules we don't count others interests as more significant than our own because when we think about our schedules we're the centerpiece of the schedule we're the centerpiece it's us.
And when someone asks hey look I'm really struggling with something right now would you want to eat and get lunch oh man just right now I'm so busy like I don't know like I mean I think like maybe in like four or five weeks on a Tuesday at like 11:30 I might have you know 45 minutes for you and it's like are you the president I like I look at the mirror sometimes like I'm to the president is my time so valuable that I can't make time.
For someone I can't you skip a workout or I don't work out but if I did skip a workout I can't I can't pull this I can't adjust this I can't count someone more significant than myself and make time for them and it's just like man I I I tell you what if the bank call you tomorrow and say come in on Tuesday at at 3:30 and we're going to give you $10,000 that you'd find time like that cuz you value that.
Because we value that but someone's interests above our own is like oh man I don't know I'll fit you in at some point or the reverse of that is if you're the kind of person that doesn't I I think it's good to be a person who plans I think it's good to have a schedule you might be the person that doesn't plan at all and you expect someone to drop everything immediately to meet your needs and you get frustrated when they don't I guess they what are we we're a Church family or you know we're friends it's like yeah that's fake you're not dropping everything.
For me because you are counting yourself more significant than them this happens when someone submits their humbly submits their desires or their feelings and conversation and you just dismiss it or you bulldoze over them or you don't listen this happens in social media when you know man so too often I get on Facebook which I just want to be on their less and less because it's just it's gotten to be just ugly but people just man they just say the ugliest things about family and friends and spouses making themselves the center of attention to get likes and they just trash their loved ones it maybe in like subtle ways.
But everyone knows what they're talking about they try to get everyone on their team and it's I mean it's it's self focused and it's Tacky by the way but you should do it for more biblical reasons than that it's just there's so many ways that we do this we make decision after decision after decision that's for it's our own way for our own good for our own glory and it's made worse because we live in a culture in an American culture which is we're we're kind of a post-enlightenment post-modern western culture which is basically we're the center of our universe that's what our culture sells to us you're the center of your own Universe along.
Ons side of the American dream and the pursuit of riches that really the American Dreams built upon everyone seeing themselves as the most important so they'll buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and fill in the machine and all that like just I mean all we make all these decisions and we're in a culture that just feeds this to us and then we bring that mindset of self-interest into the Church and that's why you get frustrated when you hear a song on a Sunday that you don't like I know I feel that and I have a say in what the music is sometimes every.
Now and then I'm like I wouldn't have chosen that song ever I you know I have sinfully I didn't mean I didn't mean to go here but I'm going go I've sinfully just W I've gone and gotten coffee during a song because I didn't want to worship it being petty and it's like that's so self-focused and self-interested that's we do this in a lot of different ways we do this in volunteering to bring the easiest uh item to group our volunteering.
For the easiest task to do or doing something just to be seen like I only want to serve in the Church if it's visible if I can see and be seen and get the glory we do this in community groups if you're the kind of person that dominates the discussion every week and you want to talk about and it's I got problems I need to talk about these things well so does everyone else in the room and if you struggle with being able to condense down what you need to say maybe write it down before him.
But look to the interest of others this happens in the discussion in community groups when when there's a side conversation happening over here when someone else is talking and it's like well y'all aren't being considerate of she's pouring her heart out over here and y'all just having a side conversation or you're on your phone and you're not paying attention so I'm reading the Bible maybe this happens in a lot of different ways in the Church this happens when we don't consider others words.
When we're in Conflict there are times y'all when I'm confronted in my sin or in my error and like I know about five or 10 minutes into the into the discussion that I'm wrong look it's like you've made some compelling points but there's that part of me that's like but no I'm going keep fighting for my own way this happens in a lot of different ways we bring this into the life of the Church we make decision after decision after decision after decision after decision decision after decision until we eventually become the people we never thought we would be until we become.
So self-focused and self-interested so blind to conceit and pride and we become hurtful people that are just drunk off of our own pride and selves let me tell you a story about a miserable King there once was a miserable King who woke up every day annoyed angry frustrated sad he woke up every day to his kingdom and he'd wake up first thing and he'd see his wife and his children and they weren't happy to be in his presence they were tired.
When they woke up and he was annoyed by this because don't they know that he's the king they should be happy that he Grace them with their with his presence this morning but they're not they're bickering over what to eat the wife is tired and he's like they I don't get the respect that I'm deserved and he leaves his Palace every day annoyed hops into his Chariot and goes across his kingdom and he's the kind of person who drives his Chariot weaves in and out of all the other chariots not actually getting really anywhere further or faster.
But just switching lanes all the time and then he gets to his work site where he oversees a special project and he gets there and his servants have not done the work like they're supposed to they're behind delayed yet again and an anger he lashes out at them he he he unloads on them and they respond The Recoil because they're so used to hearing this being berated by the king and then he leaves and he goes to lunch to his favorite lunch spot and his favorite lunch spot is UND Saft slow he takes it out on the waitress cuz she's not doing they're not not not bringing me the king what I want on my.
Timing I have I've got a schedule here I've got to move on to the next thing and that's how he spends his days to the next thing the next thing and then all of a sudden he's on his way home annoyed angry frustrated with the day and then his wife calls him and says can you stop by the grocery store I forgot this he's like don't you know how important my time is could you not thought about this ahead of time.
When you got groceries goes into the grocery store always in a hurry always low-key angry and then he runs to the checkout line and then he sees somebody who's also walking to the checkout line but they're like equidistant to the checkout so he speeds up because he gets in front of them and he kind of cuts them off and doesn't make eye contact because he's a coward a lot of confessions today sorry you guys and he checks out and he goes home annoyed and it's not the meal that he wanted he would have preferred something different and he sits in his throne and he surfs through his phone and watches videos until he progressingly puts.
His children to bed and then he goes to sleep angry preach this is a miserable king and a miserable Kingdom of his own making and this is how he lives his life and he's depressed and he's angry and he's frustrated and he's burned out what hope does a miserable King like this have the hope that he has is the hope that Paul points him to in verses 5-8 that's his Hope for Change verse 5 have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ.
Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped he say have this mind miserable King have this mind amongst yourself which is yours in Christ Jesus who Christ though who is in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped which Chad's going to spend more time in this next week with the phrasing here and waiting into this but what he's getting at is.
Verse 7 but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men that the God and Sovereign true king of the universe who made everything out of nothing and sovereignly rules and Reigns over every aspect of creation simultaneously before during and after the Eternal God who rules over all things loved his creation so much that he left the throne of heaven and he took on flesh and he dwelt among us and that he lived a life of perfection that we could not live and he went to.
Verse 8 being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross that the king took on Humanity to go to the Cross to die for miserable kings and queens who were only about their own interest and their own good he looked at us in our own sin and says I will will die for your sin I will die for your rebellion and then I will bring you into Resurrection Life I will bring you into a new life in Christ.
Well you will no longer be a selfish little king or queen but you will be a servant of the most high king and you will live your life out of this picture always looking to our Savior who humbled himself always looking to our King who loved us so much that he gave up his life for us us the only hope for miserable kings and queens is to look at the true king of the universe and to look what he did for us and the own overwhelming Act of humility that he displayed.
For us when we did not deserve it and our own pride and our own selfish ambition and desires that through faith we look to him and what he did for us on the cross and we submit Our Lives to him and then we spend the rest of our day is coming back to the Gospel to have this mind among ourselves that was so poly put and poly put in verses three and four do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility the humility that Christ displays count others more significant than yourselves Let each of you.
Look not only to his own interest but also to the interest of others the way that you get there is we look to Christ who was not selfish but selflessly came to save us that we look to Christ who in humility was beaten and murdered for our sin we looked at Christ who counted us significant enough to not leave us in our sin and to damn us to hell but came to save us we look to Christ who had our interest in mind.
When he went to the cross on our behalf when we understand what Christ Our King did for us it is then that we will live not not for our own way and not for our own good and not for our own glory and then we will make all the decisions along the way to live out of that truth and it means we'll be the kind of people that though we're busy give up time out of our schedule because our dear sister is going through chemo and I want to give her a ride not.
Because she forgot how to drive when she got cancer but because I don't want her to be alone will be the kind of people that when someone is suffering is like yeah I'm Gonna Make A Meal I'm make a good meal I'm GNA spend some time and I don't have in the grocery budget but I'll go over this month because I want to love them well and it's a good meal yall know what I'm talking about too some of youall been on a meal train before and you know who's putting in the work it's like yeah they put the time in and and and we're be kind of people that refuse to leave group meeting.
Time with our group we refuse to leave that house in disarray our our kids are tornadoes of Destruction and it's like and they're tired it's 8:30 and they're they're going to be grumpy in the morning but we're going to spend the next 5 10 minutes cleaning up and helping them reset the house because I love them and I want to consider their interest above my own would be the kind of people that volunteer to watch someone else's child so they can go on a date watch watch someone else's three-year-old.
So they can go on a date because we remember what it was like to have a three-year-old because three-year-olds can be terrist or if you haven't had a three-year-old you've served in Kid City and you've seen what kind of actions happen in there right now and it's like I want to give you some time so that you can go and have just you know three hours to yourself to just enjoy each other's presence because it's good for your marriage or you're the kind of married couple that considers single people and their interest above your own and invite single people into your family dinners into your life not forgetting about them.
But bringing them into your life because we're all the family of God we're the kind of people that when they see someone struggling maybe maybe you know of a woman in your community group right now who's just she's just struggling right now like the house is a mess and she's behind on laundry like piles of laundry you know what I'm talking about when all the laundry Stacks up on the couch and it's just a mountain and you want to like you want to like approach it.
But it's just it's un approachable and you're the kind of person that says hey I'm coming over to to help you I want to clean bathrooms I'm I'm I'm fold some laundry oh no it's okay no no no you're going to have to give me a Biblical reason for why I can't come serve you and spoiler alert there is none so I'm coming I'll be there in an hour we be get to be the kind of people who when we get the text message that says can we talk and you know that message is not just can we talk.
For 5 minutes you know it's going to be 45 minutes and it's going to be a difficult conversation that we don't ignore that text that we don't put that off because we consider their interests more than our owns more than our own that we get to use our giftings as Builders and mechanics and accountants whatever God has given you to do that you're good at to serve others in the Church what you should if you're good at something if you're good at building things.
If you're good at working on cars if you're good at spreadsheets and numbers you should and you should have the mindset that doesn't like I get paid to do this you have the mindset that says man I God who do you want me to serve next you should pray joyfully God who who do you want me to serve next who needs who needs something fixed to their house who needs me to go through their budget who do who do you want me to serve next.
God we should have this mind amongst ourselves and we should prayerfully eagerly wait for the opportunity to in humility count others more significant than ourselves to let each of us not look to our own interest but the interest of others but until we see Jesus as king we will never escape the tyranny of our miserable kingdoms so we have to look to Christ as our King first and if we look to Christ truly look and behold for what he has done.
For us it is then that you get invited into a better Kingdom and that is when miserable Kings become joyful servants let me tell you how the miserable king became a joyful servant he beheld Christ for who he is he finally realized that the whole universe didn't revolve around him but it re revolved around Christ and he saw what Jesus did for him and he said I want that and he gave up his Fox kingship to become a joyful servant and every day that he woke up even.
When he was tired he was ready to give himself away that even when his children bickered at the table over who gets to look at the box of cereal he came in and and and lovingly LED them through breakfast and helped them get out the door that when he jumped into his Chariot he drove a little slower and was a little kinder to everyone else in the road and he listened to worship music and redeem the time through prayer and worship arriving 3 to four minutes later than he normally would.
But at peace and when he AR when he arrived at his work site his employees servants were excited to see him because they saw the change that he had that had happened in his heart he'd become a servant leader and actually they worked harder for him they got more done working for him because when you work for someone who's a servant leader you're ready to run for through a wall for them because you love them and you know that they love you and he left his work site he'd go to lunch and the and the waitress he used to cringe.
When he would come in was now excited to be able to serve him because he was kind with his words and he was patient and he left better tips that he went through his Day always seeking to count others more significant than himself to serve others and he went home every night to a family that loved him who was excited to see him because he was a more joyful servant who did not make his family about himself and then one day someone asked him they got the nerve to.
Finally ask hey man what what happened I I don't mean to be blunt but you used to be a jerk like what's your secret you seem so much more at peace you seem so much more joy-filled than you used to be and he cracked a smile and he said how much time do you have I'll tell you of how I became a joyful servant by submitting to the humble King that transformation is offered to all of us that can be our story I think many of us run around in life always busy always frustrated never joyful and I think that the secret is found in this text.
And if you want to be the kind of person that actually lives a life forth living that is filled with peace and joy and fulfillment and satisfaction it is found and not looking to ourselves but looking to Christ and out of looking to Christ and looking to others interests before our own let me pray heavenly father I pray that you might help us who are filled with selfish ambition and conceit I pray that you might help us look to you to what you have done.
For us as not only the hope that saves us but as the model that sanctifies us that shows us the way to live God help us be not miserable kings and queens and kingdoms that never satisfy but joyful servants in the Kingdom that you've made but that comes through believing in the Gospel and truly applying it to our lives through repentance and ultimately delighting in you over all things we ask this in Jesus name amen the choice is ours if you want to be a miserable king or.
If you want to be a joyful servant that choice is offered to everyone and the only way that you get there is in faith it is by believing in Christ and trusting in what he has done for us and when you do that you are transformed as second Corinthians says if anyone is in Christ he's a new creat the old is gone the new has come you get to be this new creation this joyful servant that's offered but you must have that through faith.
And when you finally submit to the king through faith then you get to enter into the baptism Waters which are the waters that symbolize the inward change that has happened and that's what we get to celebrate today we get to celebrate the baptism of one of our brothers in Christ and the transformation that has happened in his life so I'm going to invite Isaac to come up and he's going to introduce baptism today.