Sunday, November 25th

Because you first loved us. Thank you for this opportunity this morning to just just to gaze at Christ to so look at Jesus and just be reminded of who he is and of all the he's done for us and all he continues to do for us and God. I just pray that we fear whatever you need us to hear from your word this morning speak to us. Clearly. Just just thank you that we all get to be here some of us with friends and family and other others of us. This is a maybe a more difficult time of year. There's just a whole range of different places were all at and life right now and you know that and you care about each one and we just asking meet us here in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, if you're willing if you're able please stand with me for the reading of God's word. Philippians chapter 2 we're going to start in verse 5.

Is the Apostle Paul led by the holy spirit? This is what he says. 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 nothing to be grassed but emptied himself. I taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him into stone on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father you can have a c

Okay. So first service one person do with these were so see if anybody does in this one who knows what I mean when I say a reaction videos, who knows what her reaction video is more people. That's awesome. So reaction videos for those of you that don't know our this thing where it's somebody like basically films themselves on YouTube or whatever. They've take a video of himself reacting to a new song reacting to a new movie trailer reacting to new album. So don't lock you up and do whatever album and I'll just watch it listen to it positive. Like I was crazy and I'll just do that for you know, 15 minutes or however long and the first time I saw these cuz I'm a big music I so I'm always into watching stuff on YouTube music videos that the one of them popped up on the side and I thought this is so corny. I like I just clicked it and I was't just people just reacting just to the camera just by themselves and then I realized some of the most popular reaction channels have like 10 million followers, so

Have some that I really liked it. So I got sucked in but it's kind of funny and I realize at first I thought it was a little a little corny or whatever. But now I realize I really love watching these videos cuz I'm a big music. I mean when my favorite band my favorite artist puts out a new album. I love seeing somebody else love it as much as I do. I love watching them go there just like this is crazy. Do you know this man gear? This was not what happened right here. I just I never doubt on that level until I really enjoy watching somebody else no doubt on that level with me. And I think that's what get to the heart of reaction videos. We just love to share in this experience of things that we love. Maybe you don't love music maybe don't love movies whatever might be but you know, when that that that's your thing that thing that you love this person to have maybe so show whatever and you just like love to talk about it. If you could you would just talk about all day and it's just an opportunity to share and something and so this morning is kind of like a big reaction church service because this morning we're looking at a passes that is literally This Christ doing his thing is literally just an opportunity for us to gaze at Jesus. It's just us being able to sit back and watch as Paul tells us about Jesus Christ and all that he's done in specifically some attributes of him that are just just amazing and just wonderful to be hold. So this morning even though you don't have that's the reaction videos are all based on taste you like music like movies whatever. This is based on do you love Christ and some of us and he loved him some of us might hate him. Some of us are in different is a whole Spectrum here, but Paul and by extension me, I would have encouraged you to consider consider loving the Lord Jesus and just just give this passage. I just pray that I just washed his over us because there's just a lot of good glimpses is a very clear pour into who crisis for us. So you for the note taking type if you like taking notes, there's three. The first point is the mind of Christ. The second point is the humility of Christ and the third point is the honor of Christ. So the mind of Christ the humility of Christ and the honor of priced so look look with me here chapter 2 verse 5 Boss has had this mind amongst yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Well, this is a bridge verse between last week and this week. So let's look at the verses right before verses 3 and 4 Paws encouraging and the Christians at Phillipi that he says do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves let you be look not only to his own interest but also to the interests of others, you know that passage often times. We read it as don't pay attention to your own interest and only care about other people. That's not what I said. It just says Don't Look only to your own interest don't just be super selfish and not pay attention to the rest of the world this that's living beside you does pay attention to your own interest as much as you need to just like Abby Abby a person be a good Steward of your response look also to the interests of others as a matter of fact Bugs Bunny has more significant than yourself it is this other oriented posterous is called humility in this bridge verse verse. 5 says have this mind among you that's an interesting phrase the word mine just use like 3 times just in the beginning of Philippians chapter 2 and it got me thinking about this idea of having a mindset. That's essentially what I was getting at. He's inviting us to his calling us to have a Godly mindset have a christ-like mindset. Who knows who Michael Hyatt. Is anybody know who he is Michael has awesome. If you don't know him you said if you're into it, like entrepreneurial leadership podcast, you know, all that stuff you just this really successful and Leadership Coach and he's the CEO of a pug pups and come here used to be really successful and stuff and one article that he posted some time on the last few years. I can't remember when I read it. It just said three ways to avoid becoming a negaholic and that's kind of his way of saying becoming extremely negative fly cute. His does article is basically, it said you this some people love negativity so much, you know that yours in our life. They just love it. So I'm going to redo this. Well ex exit from this article, he says his story. He says a few years ago an author corn and me to publishing conference to complain about his agent gripe about his publicist and Grumble about his publisher. It was beyond awkward. I tried to change the subject but he persisted maybe you've had a similar experience. I was trapped. I couldn't escape we've all probably been there maybe bendy or you know, some people are relentlessly negative. It's like they derive their significance from feeling wronged put upon or persecuted. You know, what it's like to be around people like this. Everyone is an idiot, but them nobody can do anything right and life is raped. Now this is just tapping into this idea of mine. So I thought that was just kind of funny example and we can probably relate to that. You know, when you go to a party who we are you not going to talk to the most negative person in the room and I got a bunch of terrible, you know that but it's just this idea just this reality mindset matters mindset matters the Bible talks about this elsewhere in Proverbs 3 Proverbs 3 verse 20 says this says whoever walks with the wise will become wise but a companion of fools suffers harm. So if you hang out with wise people you're going to that's going to rub off on you. And if you have a foolish people it's going to rub off on you hit just the way it goes another one from Proverbs 22 24 through 25. Similar idea says make no friendship with a man given to anger Noir go with The Rifleman. Well, why not? Lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. It's just this idea. We all kind of get it. I think we just know we are affected by the people we hang out with by the inputs in our life are the influences our life and those things affect online sand soap all knowing that she says have the Mind among yourself that is in Christ. Jesus have a christ-like mindset is advocating for Unity in the body at Philips. I use advocating for togetherness earlier chapter 2 last week. We talked about half as any encouragement in Christ has any participation in the spirit of his any comfort and love, you know, just do these things. He's trying to get them to be a unified body of Believers. So the question then comes What is the mind of Christ? What is Christ mine said the Paul is trying to invite Us torts. Well, look who look with me at verse 6. It says that Jesus though. He was in the form of God did not count equality with God something to be grasped. It's a hard word to enunciate grasp didn't count it as something to do to be realized to the full extent that I could be Jesus Christ was fully God. Like listen, he didn't need when Jesus Christ. Holy God came and became also fully man when he came born in a manger in this humble town when he chose to do that. He wasn't looking for something. That's what this person saying. It says that he was in the form of God. He was equal equally god with his father Jesus Christ in heaven free free when he walked on the earth. Just pray ternal Jesus Christ a living Son of God was equal with God before he came to Earth. So in other words the translation for that is he didn't need anything. Jesus wasn't looking for something when he came he wasn't looking for something to kind of fulfill himself. It wasn't looking for something that he needed. He didn't have a deficit looking so fulfill. He just was and is and is to come the Bible says that right? And so when when Paul encourages us to this Christ like mine said he says well Jesus didn't really use his privileges to the full extent that he that he could have. He didn't County quality. We got something to be grasped. You didn't count as a check to be cashed in other words.

That's interesting. That's interesting because if you're anything like me the reason I do things cuz here we see this is a springboard Christ is saying he didn't count that as a quality. So but he's he humbled himself and that's working to get into but Jesus Christ did did what he did not to gain something but because he was something Jesus Christ worked from and identity of being gone. He didn't go looking for it. He had it. He didn't go looking for his father's approval. He already had it. He didn't go looking for love. He had it. He didn't go looking for Divinity. He had it already which which which what makes this passage so crazy is because he purposely laid that aside Now we didn't ever become less of God. He just didn't he could have sat in his throne room forever and he know what he purposely left it. He left it that's insane to me because I am so much my life is I'm trying to get to the top. I'm trying to climb a ladder. I'm trying to get somewhere. I'm trying to succeed at something. I'm trying to Growing something and Jesus didn't have need of any of that. He was already at the top. He was already there if we've talked about climbing the ladder he made the ladder and he's at the top. So, why would you leave why would you leave last were going to get at one of my favorite artist Jon Bellion? You just put out the song that I love and he gets it this idea that that just says so much of what we do you work out of his Godly mind. So I bought her own so often I'll speak for myself so much of what I do as I do things to get things. I don't do things cook like from a secure identity is a child of God. That's what I'm healthy. But when I'm not trying to impress people I'm trying out this image. And so Jon Bellion says this and one of his songs called stupid deep. He just says what if who I'm supposed to be with always me. What if the love I fought to feel with always free but this is the punchline what if all the things I've done was just an attempt at earning love. I think if we're honest Soma when I heard that I was like in the car, you know a single tear shed nose like a it's so real but so much of us. That's what drives us. And so this I just want to set that up because we're about to dive into what motivated Christ cuz he was at the top of the ladder. He didn't need anything. He was good. He wasn't looking for love. He had it he was equal with God and yet here we see him laying aside his rights and his privileges. I will throw up 1st Corinthians 9 on the screen. This is a passage that that gets a diss idea from another angle. Says this this is Paul talking to the church in Corinth. He says am I not free. Am I not an apostle have I not seen Jesus our lord are not you my workmanship in the Lord if the others I'm not an apostle at least I am you for you are the Seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? So people are coming to Paul and basically Paul head abstain from certain things. You never got married. And so there he's not talking about that do not have the right to eat and drink do we not have the right to take a longer believing wife as to the other Apostles and do as do the brothers and the Lord and cephas or is it only Barnabas and be with no right to refrain from working for a living. So he's working. He's preaching the gospel B has a job. He's he's tent making who serves as a soldier at his own expense who plants a Vineyard without eating any of its fruit or who tends to flock without getting some of the milk. He's setting up his principal and he's saying naturally we have a right since we're showing the gospel among you is basically saying to be financially supported so we don't have to go over here and work on the side to make a living. So that's kind of what he's getting at. But then this is what he says later in the passage and the kids and the principal the heart of a Polish trying to say he says inverse I think 12 he says, If other share this rightful claim on you to give enough to support do we not even more this is it this is the bill. Nevertheless we have not made use of this, right? We have not made use of this right you have a right and you're not using it. That's crazy. That's insane. Cuz I don't I mean everybody I mean rights obviously are so important. I'm not I'm not trying to get political at all. It's just this crazy idea that we have so many rights North we have you know, most of us just just don't even I just I can't even comprehend. Why would I lay aside or right that I have? Well here he says I do it so that people might know Christ and this is the principle that Jesus Christ. This is the mindset of Crisis. The first attribute of the mindset of Christ is he didn't make full use of his rights as a Son of God. He purposely set some aside. He purposely let some go

Jesus emptied himself to become a human. He lowered himself. To from a throne to a Manger.

I'm looking for 7. Says that he didn't just do all that contain him just lay aside all that but he took the form of a servant. Took the form of a servant. You all know the phrase glass half-full the glass half empty kind of people write like all this two types of people in this world glass half-full glass half empty glass half-full means what you're an optimist glass half-full means you're a pessimist and so, you know, we all have different types of people in our lives, but in here and that analogy is, you know, things are never quite full it's half full and so hey if it's how you look on the bright side, it's half full sunshine in let's go again. Have a great day and then does other people were like, wow, that's half empty is leaking as a whole is probably just going to be an okay. So there's a negative is positive. But this is what's interesting about Christ is he was he's not a glass-half-full guy or a glass-half-empty guy. He's a glass half. No, not even have is a glass all the way full guy. He is the god man who never needed anything. He is the guy man who never lacked anything. I want us to get this because because especially if you've been in church for a while, especially if you can come to church for quite some time, if you're anything like me you can take for granted the fact it's a living Son of God stooped to serve you. Living Son of God loved you so deeply that he wasn't content to watch you stuck in sin alienated from him. He left his phone. He came in. He became a servant. for you and I just have to be real with you. That's a need that you and I have you and I have a need for God to come meet us because on our own I'm not sure if I would have ever made it to God. I've been pretty sure I wouldn't have I'm pretty sure. What's all these versus up on the screen 2nd Corinthians? 8:9? catch this so beautifully It says this for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus but though he was rich yet for husak. For your sake yet for your sake he became poor. So that you buy his poverty might become rich. Why did Jesus need to be poor so that we would be rich?

A few weeks ago and and youth group ideas illustration. I had one of Miley just come up and stand right next to me here and I said, okay, so let's say that me and so and so I really good friends and then let's say I insult them. Are we still friends in like well, yeah, but you have to like work it out like okay, let's say I stole 10 grand from them. Are we still friends? I'm like, yeah, but you really need to work it out. I don't know if your friends you really got to go to counseling or something. You know, that would be just this insane offense to a relationship and yet so often we think that God is crazy cruel and crazy on just to be holy and not yet. Except sin. We think that's so outlandishly cruel and so unbelievably unfair when really if any of us in a relationship that we have right now if anybody offended us we would think a reasonable like there needs to be some reconciliation here. I stole ten Grand from one of you you would want some repaint you lots of reconciliation. Well, we've done way more than still ten Grand from God. We defended his honor. He's holy holy holy super glorious and we ignore him. We don't seek after him. We notice where it says, we don't do it. And so why is it this outlandish proposition? Why is it so crazy to think that God Almighty and me. Almighty was holy and me was a sinner. Why is it crazy to think there might be a gap there. That's all the gospel says. There's a gap but this passage says that Jesus bridged it and that's why he had to stoop low. That's why he had to come. That's why he had to do this and he came not to not to be served royalty when they come in. They usually expect to be served by Jesus he came and he didn't expect to be so if he came to servants give his life as a ransom for many. for you

Matthew 20:28 says this says that even is the son of man came to be sterile have jumped the gun. Was it good for us. Anyway, so Son of Man Came not to be served but to serve him to give his life as a ransom for many of the next one Matthew 23:12 says this whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. This is how things work in God's economy. This is how things work in God's world. the path to exalting ourselves Is not exhaust yourself the path to being lifted up high is golo. The path to Greatness is not it's down. Jesus Christ Our Savior our Lord sets us this example of the king of kings and Lord of lords riding into Bethlehem on a donkey not on a white stallion. That's a picture of his humility. Come to service come to service.

Now that that that is not cultural that doesn't fit with the culture the culture. I live in the culture are the I live and breathe says if you want to be somebody you better make yourself somebody you better exalt yourself. You better get followers up. You better brag on yourself. You better do it. You better succeed. You better climb the ladder. You better be all this and listen to some bad to succeed and the Bible does not dissuade us against the ambition, but it does call us away from selfish ambition. It does cause weight from that. Jesus else run the Bible, you know, when little little children are playing and they come to him. He says unless you come to me like a little child. You're not going to get into the Kingdom of Heaven is this idea of have you ever seen that movie Willy Wonka like the old one the Super Bowl One not that old but not the newest there's this part where you know, there's no so kind of a crazy movie wacky movie this weird world of the Chocolate Factory right now. There's one point where to get into the Chocolate Factory have to stoop down into this really small door and I keep seem to keep shrinking any like am I even going to make it in there? That's kind of what it's like to walk with God and answer the path and enter the lifestyle of humility. You have to get down to get in. And there's no other way. There's no other way.

Sometimes you know, this is just so fascinating to me. Sometimes we rage and gets God and we think what have you done for me? I'll be transparent this past week. I was driving somewhere and I was yelling at God. Like actually yelling. I've never done that before but in Psalms people that all the time so I figured was okay.

I figured I was big enough to handle my anger. No, but I was I was praying I was praying and yelling out loud again. I usually don't even pray out loud, but this was a day so and I was just saying things like God like what like, where are you? I just feel like there's some frustrating circumstances in my life right now and I just wonder where you're at. Like you say you love me, but I don't see it. And where are you and do you even care and why is this such a tough time and I'm trying to follow you and blah blah blah and I was like really going in I was like so messed up for me. I was driving somewhere to work and I turned around and went home cuz I was like so like visibly out like geez, I'm not going in there looking like this. So the reason I said that is because God Savages always funny because I do know that was like, you know, maybe Wednesday and then Thursday, I'm preparing to preach the sermon. I'm reading this passage about how he humbled himself and he made himself a form of a servant and he became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross and you know, what he did that form for me. I need that for you the things in my life that are going wrong right now or that I think's going wrong God cares about those about the says that he cares about our cares, but you know what your greatest care is and your greatest need is to have a relationship with the Living God and you know, what if Jesus didn't, you wouldn't have that? But he did and so if you're a Christian if you place your faith in Christ, you have that relationship. And if you're not a Christian, all you have to do is believe in Christ in your in this isn't a super holy Club. This is a super broken Club of people who have a very Holy Savior. He stupid he came like as a Christian you have access to these unbelievable benefits. What's his name one prayer you have access to the throne room of God whenever you want through the mediating relationship of Jesus Christ. You don't have that. If you didn't come you have forgiveness of your worst, since you don't have that if you didn't stoop for you, if he didn't come and serve he didn't come as a servant you would not have the ransom for your life paid in the blood of Jesus. You wouldn't have access to the great comforter. You wouldn't know that God your father can even turn the worst things in your life into good things. He can weave it all somehow miraculously together for good. You wouldn't know that you are a child of God and that you're not defined by what you do. You wouldn't know you wouldn't have access to. You wouldn't have this living abiding relationship with God if he didn't come but you know what he did. He did come and I just I'm trying my best to hopefully humbly graciously plead and implore with us to not take that for granted. He didn't have to come but she did. I hope that that kind of does I hope that doesn't make you hang your head at all. I hope that makes you lift your head up and say wow. God must really love me in spite of me. He came he stooped you serve not when you were perfect. But when you were a sinner all that's crazy. I don't know why the first time I've really the faster the first time the first time really start walking with God and praying and if I could live my life with Jesus was this on this rainy drive and Western New York from one small town to back home when I wasn't at the time and I just remembered that was when I like the first time ever cried out to Jesus and I feel like you really answer my prayer and I felt like he was with me and you changed my life from that point on I was 18, you know what that doesn't happen if the great king didn't bow. Whatever you met Jesus it doesn't happen unless he came to first meet you and he did and I just hope that God's grace you leave here feeling empowered and feeling so bored and feeling all the fact that he would do that and that he has done that and that he just continues to relentlessly pour himself out upon you. in love

He made himself a servant. He lowered his status. He was humbled. Humility by obedience, but that's another thing I got to say to BC this in verse 7 says he emptied himself at taking the forms around being born to like this man. Just getting his first day. He humbled himself by becoming OBD. He humbled himself by becoming obedient. So here's what I take that to mean humility in obedience. I like this. We don't like the word obedience. I was talking to somebody between the first two services in like that. We don't like that word obedience. We don't like the idea that Jesus is our Lord not just our savior. But his word that the Bible says that his commands are inverted some they're good for us. They're good for us. obedience Jesus was the father told Jesus to go and go and even hung himself to death on a cross not just lay aside your Divinity but embraced the lacrosse to die in the place of of broken Law Center so that they might be made right with God I can And God the father told you this that and you know what Jesus did obeyed not without struggle we see in the garden is even playing the same. If there's any other way, can we please do this another way, but Jesus obeyed his father. I wonder if there's something in your life that God is calling you to do right now. Something is calling you to obey and you're not doing it because in order to do it you would have to humble yourself. You have to get low to get in. I just want to encourage you if any of your in that spot, it's always worth it. It's always worth it. The thing is we are so afraid of losing are not in reality. What we so often need God's word is good for us humility in obedience go hand-in-hand and cheese us at the perfect embodiment of that. I will throw this verse up on the screen John 10:18.

John 1080. I love it. I can I get emotional when I read this no one this is Jesus talking to people about him going lacrosse and he says no one takes it from me my life, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have a 40 to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again discharge. I received for my father. Jesus wasn't pigeonholed into the cross he walked there. He could he just didn't have to and he did every bloody foot step on the way to Calvary was done in love for you because as much as we hate to admit it you and I need a substitute you and I need to say to you and I need somebody who is Holy when we're on hole you and I need somebody who walked with God and we rebelled against God you and I need somebody who loves what's good and not what's Evelyn soften hearts of Twisted into store to buy Cent and he just he just did that so I could take this back in a second, but you did it and another one too. I love this one John 13:1 Now before the Peace of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour to go to the Cross had to come to the part out of this world to the father having loved his own who were in the world. He loved them how far to the end. He loved them to the end. It's a matter of fact after Jesus went to the cross and resurrected about of the gravy. Nobody told his disciples. He said I'm with you till the end of the age. You have this great song that says of God is on my side. Then who can be against me. You have this guy who does pursues you and loves you and you have a king. That's stooped to serve you there's other place in the bible where jesus literally bends down and washes his disciples feet. Have you ever been to a wedding ceremony where people do that? I love I think it's just beautiful. I just think it is beautiful picture of you serving the other person. That's the most Godly thing to do. I know people in my life that are really successful and proud and I know people in my life that are very successful in Humble and I'll tell you which one I admire more. I love it. When one of my does humble gifted friends just makes it and just get these opportunities. I just I just rejoice in that I just think that's so beautiful and when my friends or not and like they kill it to you like I'm obviously happy for them. But there's just something about somebody who just is awesome and doesn't tell you about it. There's just something to this fact that somebody is just a boss, but they would never tell you you wouldn't even know unless somebody told you about our you didn't see it yourself. That's a beautiful way to live. And by the way, that's completely, cultural. And that's Johnny is a light in this world. And Jesus did it for us first, so we're getting sore last Point year. He the mind of Christ is servant hearted. It's sacrificial. It's others oriented. It is not using the full extent of the Privileges that we have. And the humility of Christ is that you hung himself. He became a servant he was born in like this and then he was obedient all the way to death on a cross. I was reading the reading this book. I've been really enjoying this year. It's called Liturgy of the ordinary and the author is called Tish Harrison Warren and she's just great then so I'm going to throw up this story on the screen cuz it helps cop shows that Melissa, but this is what she says. She says well, my husband Jonathan was getting his Ph.D. He got to know if former Jesuit priest turned Mary Professor a holy man a provocateur in a favorite among his students. Once a student met with him to complain about having to read Augustine's confessions of an old book prefab book the old church history and the student wind is on board and the professor responded you're boring.

What Jonathan's Professor meant is that when we gaze at the richness of the Gospel in the church and find them doll in an interesting? It's actually we who have been hollowed out.

We have lost our capacity. To see wonders where true wonders lie. We must be formed as people who are capable of appreciating goodness truth and beauty. If this is a reaction video that this is like, you know being filmed like if somebody just was like reading this and like like responding to this text. Like I just think they would be freaking out. And I'm not like I am a silent processor like in church. So I mean I wouldn't actually be freaking out in church, but I know I know this one person fun time. It was somebody just became a Christian and they like be here in the bible stories like to walk on water man, you know, they're just like so, you know just in awe of everything. I just think this is crazy God became man so that I could so what he became poor that I could become rich so he did this so that even though I'm like filthy and what have two things I do. I'm right this in the sight of God. I'm beloved. I'm a Child of God, even though I ran from him for half my life. This is crazy to be are you serious? You stupid. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. So he was God. He was fully was full. He created the latter was at the top of it and then he purposely left that and he came to get me like I Like a Shepherd goes to find the one lost sheep. That's what you're saying. He came to get me like that. Oh, he love me way to me. I really needed to save her and he is my savior. He did that for me. That's insane. That's insane. So many I mean I grew up in church. So I'm the same way too. But I mean reading this passage. I just had to get out and it's like wow shame on me. Set the god the God man, Jesus Christ just loved me and gave himself for me and my man if I ever move on from so if we ever move on from that, I don't know what I'm moving on to. This is beautiful. Christ is so gracious and so kind and so real I just love that. So Not only was he humble but with you last part of our passage today starting in verse 9 God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every other name Just one quick application. This might not be for anybody who might be for somebody if you're really busy trying to make a name for yourself. God the father is giving Jesus Christ the name that's above every name. There's no need to waste your time making a name for yourself. When Jesus Christ is the one who's going to get Glory. You can beat listen. I'm an ambitious guy. I hope you're over your God. Why do to be I'm not downplaying that all I'm saying is if you're doing it to get your own Glory. That's a miss. And our motives are always mixed. But I think there's a lot of freedom and knowing that Jesus is going to be glorified at the end of it. All like he's the name God has bestowed on him the name that's above every other name. in Psalm 46 a lot of us know this verse cuz our grandma's probably have it stitched on pillows and it says be still and know that I am God. But the second half of that verse not many of us know and it says I will be exalted among the Nations and I will be exalted among the Earth. Do you know it God saying he's like you can chill out because I'm going to get my glory you don't have to worry because I am going to be exalted and I'll some you might be sitting there saying well, what could is that for me? What is good when the sun is in the right place in the universe? Is good when you know where North is when you're trying to get somewhere is good when you have your heart oriented towards the Living God and not false idols. It's good for you, and I that Jesus is exalted that is lifted up. His name is above every other name because otherwise if he's not lifted up in my heart, he's not lifted up so I can see him. I'm just going to worship other stuff and you know what that stuff doesn't do for me love me and save me. It demands increasingly more of my allegiance in my energy and my resources and you know what it gets me nothing. But Jesus, well, that's who I should be worshipping. Well, that's who that's that's great with Jesus being is all that is good news for us because every time God gets his glorious are good thing about that in your own life. I'm we always have this Crossroads where we say. Okay, I could go back out I could do this thing to actually fun. Listen God give him glory in your life is always the best thing for you God's glory in your good are just they're married to the same. They're the same thing. He is lifted up. He is lifted High get the name above all names. That's great work cuz you just don't need to slave away trying to make a name for yourself. Like you just don't have to work really hard to create an image. You can be who you are. Who God created you to be doing the best you can and you can know that the end of the day everyone is going to worship Jesus anyway. Some people are going to worship in willingly when he comes other people will be forced to bother me because I've neglected in their whole life, but he's going to get glory and is good. When the most glorious person in the world gets Glory.

I love it. I just love that will close this quote from Dennis Johnson. He says this. This whole this whole passages up home some come to the states of him. It's like a song. He says it's in heightened language and matchless eloquence probably a poem or even a hymn sung by the early Church in Praise of Christ. The lord Paul tells the story of the king who stooped to serve and by serving Concord.

Jesus really loves you. I don't know where you're at in your life. I know you expect to hear that at church and that's awesome. I'm not trying to be original. Jesus loves you so much that he came somewhere. He didn't have to come and he did it for you or throw one last thing up on the screen. I said you out with the quote that shoots and ladders picture. Y'all can play this game. Oh my goodness. This before video games existed, you know. So if you never played this when you get to that, you know, you get to a block with a ladder on it can transport you up a level you can you know, if you get a really big ladder like from 28 to 84 year really winning. So the game is to get to the 100 spot. But if you land on slide, then you get that, you know, you get back down. So you're trying to find the ladders are trying to hit the ladders all the time basically, so I just want you to maybe leave this is like a little cheesy picture in your mind of exactly were talking about because Jesus started at 100 and you found every slide in every letter and he climb down. to find you at 1 when you're trying to get to him when we try to get the guy we're like working out for sliding down the slide or tripping over that is when breaking her ankles and then Jesus just in his grace when we're in our mess when were far from him. He just comes he does whatever it takes relentlessly pursues us. So if I can give you a word for what I hope you feel this morning based on God's word. I hope the word you feel is pursued because that's what the Bible tells us that Jesus did for you and for me praise be to God, let me pray. Dodgers thank you. Just thank you so much for that. I just I just asked God that we would actually feel that that we would actually take it the truth of it that we take it in a heart. So we take it online says we leave here. That's what it's always been about God. It's never about anything else other than you and what you're doing for us and how were called to respond to that. Just thank you so much. Steve Pursuit us got you pursued me when I was just a mess. And you still pursue me when I'm a mess. I just I'm just so glad that you just don't give up that the work you started you're going to complete and I Scott. Thank you that you you made a way for us to be right with you. Thank you that you even if even if I end up poor and not having what I think I need I still have a relationship with you.

We just pray for an eternal mine. So I got me an eternal perspective on permeate this church / me our hearts and may we ourselves have this mind in ourselves so that we want to interact with each other when we interact with those in our neighborhood that we be humble people that would be people who are not arrogant or lift it up or in it for our own Bingo, but would be people who know that we are loved and pursued by you and we don't need to make a name for ourselves. Maybe people who lift up the name of Jesus in our lives and our workplaces in our schools and just be content with that may we be humble humble enough to serve humble enough to be called servants humble enough to put others before ourselves.