WEBVTT 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:08.160 Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:09.759 Thank you for joining us. 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:25.440 To learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting, follow us on social media using the handle at celebrationorl or visit our website, celebrationorl.org. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:28.559 Amen. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:38.000 It is so good to see your wonderful faces and whether you're joining us online in the parent lounge on our podcast or here with us in person. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:40.159 We're so glad that you're here with us. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.799 And I believe that God has something for us today. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:44.399 Can we get a good amen to that? 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:53.679 I want to go ahead and jump right into the word of God because we want to celebrate today and bring it all together at the end of our service with baptism and communion. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:59.359 So if you have your Bibles, I would love for you to join me in the book of Acts, chapter eight. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:02.159 The book of Acts, chapter number eight. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:10.799 As you're turning here, just to give you some really brief context, what's happening now is that the Acts is pretty much a continuation of the gospel of Luke. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:12.239 Luke wrote both of them. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:21.200 And what we're finding now in chapter number eight that the gospel has been spreading for roughly between one to three years is kind of how the timeline has been working. 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:26.319 So Jesus has ascended, the Holy Spirit has come, and now for about one to three years, it's hard to pinpoint. 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:34.000 Um the gospel message has been spreading, and more and more disciples have been being added to the family, to the community, and lives have been changed. 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:51.040 And Philip, he has just spoken in an area called Samaria, the very location that we see a revival break out, the very location that Jesus tells his disciples to make sure that they bring the missional message of the gospel to them as well. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:56.640 So Philip is there and he fulfills his assignment, and we literally see lives change as a result of his obedience. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:02.879 But after he speaks in a revival, the Holy Spirit comes, God gives him a different assignment. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:09.599 So starting here in Acts chapter number eight, verse 26, we get a chance to see what his next assignment was. 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:19.840 The Bible says this to us As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, Go down south to the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:28.319 So we started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch, a great authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:34.159 The eunuch had gone to worship in Jerusalem, and he was now returning. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:39.280 Seated in his carriage, he was reading out loud from the prophet Isaiah. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:45.199 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, Go over and walk alongside the carriage. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.639 Philip ran over and overheard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:52.879 So Philip asked him, Do you understand what you were reading? 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:57.360 The man replied, How can I unless someone instructs me? 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:02.639 And he urged Philip to come up and join him and sit him with him on the carriage. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:12.159 The passage that he was reading from read like this He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before his shearers, he did not open his mouth. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:15.199 He was humiliated and received no justice. 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:18.560 Who can speak of his descendants? 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:20.719 For his life was taken from the earth. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:27.599 The eunuch asked Philip, Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else? 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:32.319 So beginning with this same scripture, somebody say, same scripture. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.719 Philip told him the good news about Jesus. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:42.639 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, Look, there's water. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.840 Why can't I be baptized? 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:51.039 He ordered the carriage to stop, and when he went down into the water, Philip baptized him. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:54.879 And when he came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. 00:03:55.039 --> 00:04:00.400 The eunuch never saw him again, but he went his way rejoicing. 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:11.439 Today I want to talk to us about assignments, but really about the importance of surrender, about baptism. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:16.639 So I've entitled today's message, Switch the Profile. 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:20.560 Let's pray and let's see what it is that God wants to speak to us today. 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:24.240 Lord, we thank you so much for your sovereign grace. 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:27.199 I ask that you speak to us today. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:35.279 I ask that you challenge us, that you inspire us, that you bring us to a space where we go from faith to faith and from glory to glory. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:37.439 Holy Spirit, you're welcome here. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:45.759 And we ask that you give us open eyes to see you above all else, open ears to hear you above all else, and open hearts to receive everything you have for us. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:47.839 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:49.040 Amen. 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:51.199 Amen and amen. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:56.720 Last weekend was a fairly busy weekend and week. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.720 And I want to break down a couple of things that have been happening in the Pittman house. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.040 So last weekend we had our grandchildren with us. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:07.439 It was just such a joy to have them with us and spend time with them. 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:08.959 And then the week started. 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:13.519 And when the week started, we we Meg and I we had a couple of clients on our therapy side. 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.279 We had some meetings on the church side, and then we went off and traveled. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.079 We actually went up to Washington, DC. 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:22.959 Yeah. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:27.839 Here's the thing, and I and I kid you now, I wish I could have got this on camera. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.600 Like we were literally riding um in the Capitol, like we're riding down the street. 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:35.920 It was kind of eerie, it was very quiet, and you literally just saw rats running across the street. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:38.079 And I thought about my man Patrick. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:45.519 Anyway, so um it was wild what we saw there, but while we were there, we spent a lot of time connecting with some family and and and some friends there. 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:46.639 Um and then we came back. 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:50.560 So if you know my temperament, it was a lot of output, so I needed some time to recover. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:58.000 So when Friday came, I was so excited to just have a day where I could just sit back, watch TV, relax, and find something I could fall asleep watching. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:58.879 That was my whole goal. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:04.160 Like I went into the week knowing Friday's coming and it's gonna be an opportunity for me just to kick back and chill. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:12.079 So when we finally get back from our trip and and I and I have an opportunity to sit down, Megan has some meetings, the kids are all out, they're working, and I'm like, this is gonna be an amazing time. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:14.000 It's gonna be the you ever like anticipate a nap? 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:18.240 Like you're just saying, like, the Lord is speaking to me in this nap, like this is gonna be the best nap I've ever had in my life. 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:20.480 And so, but it but you gotta have the right ingredients. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:26.720 So I go upstairs, I have everything set up, and as I turn on a television, none of my shows are there. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:31.600 I have a whole, I have a very robust system, how I save shows, what I want to watch, when I want to watch them. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.000 So I turn my TV on, and none of my stuff is there. 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:38.639 So the only thing I can think of is that somehow my grandkids have wiped out everything that I wanted to watch. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:44.560 So I love them, but at the same time, I wanted to rebuke them and beat them because the Bible says spare the child and spoil the child. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:49.120 So I was I was in this weird space, but I was sitting there, and so now I go into troubleshooting mode. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:55.920 I'm trying my best to figure out like how can I get my shows back, all the things that I wanted to watch, and nothing was coming up. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.600 I'm I'm I'm unplugging the modem, I'm resetting the TV and nothing is happening. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:06.000 So as I'm sitting there and feeling as if my entire life has been ruined, I'm in an existential crisis that is quickly spiraling. 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:07.920 I sit there and I literally say this out loud. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:09.759 I'm like, Lord, you're gonna have to help me. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:11.360 I don't I don't ask for much, Lord. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:11.920 I don't. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:13.279 I'm your faithful servant. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:16.319 I stand on this platform, I preach the gospel, I'll travel. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:17.759 Here I am, send me, Lord. 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:21.279 All I want to do is be able to watch my show on my terms and then my time. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:23.920 And these are the type of conversations that God and I have. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:25.759 He said to me, just look up. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:35.439 And when I looked at the television and I'm staring at it for a moment, I look over in the right-hand corner and I notice that the little icon, the little avatar there is one of a Disney princess. 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.560 And the entire time I was on my grandkids' profile. 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.279 No wonder I kept seeing all these Disney things pop up. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:48.639 But what was happening is we signed into that profile to protect them from things that they shouldn't have access to. 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.959 But because I was locked in on our profile, there were just certain things that I couldn't see. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:57.120 There were certain things that I couldn't do because I was under the wrong profile. 00:07:57.279 --> 00:07:58.319 Stick with me for a minute. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:03.439 There are many of us that are trying to live a new life under an old profile. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:16.879 There are many of us that we hear of the things of God, we hear about these gospel messages, these things about freedom and joy and all these things that we see that scripture says that it's available to us, but we're living it under an old profile. 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:25.279 We're still logged into an old system where we're still walking in shame, walking in secrecy, walking in fear, even walking in sin. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:31.120 But when we come to church, we feel a discrepancy between what we see in scripture and the life that we're actually living. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:36.480 And I submit to you that maybe it's because we're trying to live a life under both profiles. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:41.360 But what if I were to tell you there was something that you could do today that could switch the profile? 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:50.879 That the things that God says are available to you are truly available to you, but it's going to require you to bury some old things and rise up in some new things. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:56.000 Because our identity, it sets our permissions, and our permissions determine our distance. 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:00.159 So if we're living under an old profile, we can only go but so far. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:05.120 But if we are willing to switch the profile, then what God has for us becomes open to us. 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:07.519 Baptism is the way that we switch our profile. 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:12.799 Baptism is the way that we're able to say that I once was mine, but now I am his. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.879 Baptism is the way that I can say it was all about me, but now it's all about him. 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:22.879 And then I switch that profile, something new comes on, a new grace becomes a part of my life. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:24.639 It resets everything. 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:31.279 Jesus says these words to his disciples as he's preparing them to carry the torch of the gospel message. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:32.879 He says this in Matthew 28. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:39.279 He says, and Jesus told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and in earth. 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:42.559 Go therefore and make disciples in all nations. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:44.240 How do we make disciples, Jesus? 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:53.440 By baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach these new disciples to obey everything that I have commanded you. 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:55.679 This is the process of discipleship. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:01.759 Go off and tell people about Jesus and then baptize them and then teach them to obey. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:06.639 Jesus starts off by saying, All authority has been given under me. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:08.960 Do you know what authority means in the Greek? 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:10.159 Authority. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:11.120 It's the same thing. 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.519 What he's saying is that I have all authority. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:15.360 I have the final say. 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:16.799 What I say goes. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:28.080 So Jesus is inviting us into this space where he's saying, if I am telling you that baptism is an important part of your discipleship journey, why have you allowed your feelings to talk you out of it? 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:31.440 Why have you allowed the convenience to talk you out of it? 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:40.960 But I submit to you that it's possible the reason why the baptism has lost its sacred impact is because the church has been complicit in watering down its impact. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:42.960 Let me say it to it this way. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:49.120 I grew up in a church system that when Megan and I got radically saved, the next step was baptism. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:52.240 They came to us and said, Man, I'm glad that you surrendered your life to Christ. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.519 Your next step is now to surrender and be baptized. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:59.440 I didn't fully understand it, but I said, I understand that that's our next step. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:15.279 But if I could be honest with you, as we've grown into the world of streaming and wanting our Instagram pages to look nice, we then began to turn baptisms into an event that we have to have the right camera angles and the right perspectives so that when people go onto our social media feed, they can see how life-giving our church is. 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:21.919 And so instead of us using it as a discipleship method in order for us to lead people closer to Christ, we turn it into an event. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:28.799 And sadly, when we turn something sacred into an event, we remove obedience and make it an option. 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:34.559 And so now baptism becomes a matter of convenience instead of conviction. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.080 But Jesus is leading us on a different journey. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:42.000 He's saying, I want you to understand the sacredness of this. 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:46.000 In the kingdom, we need you to come into alignment. 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:51.279 This past year was one of the first years that I actually paid close attention to the NFL draft. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:12:02.399 I've watched it in past seasons, um, but but this year I was really locked into kind of like looking at the journey, looking at the backstories and hearing the stories of the athletes and the teams that they could potentially be going to. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:13.519 But this year, what really stood out to me was this moment of when you hear about an athlete, the things that they've overcome, the hard work that they've done, and then that moment when their name is mentioned, how they're filled with such joy. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:19.600 They're embracing everybody that's there, they they walk out, and then there's a moment where they get the hat and they have a jersey. 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:24.399 And that jersey on the front is the name of the team that they're going to be coming on to. 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:30.639 That team has a lot of history, it has a lot of legacy, it has a story that that transcends them. 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.519 But on the back, their name is added to the jersey. 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:34.799 Stick with me for a moment. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.200 So their name is being added to a journey that has already been in motion. 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:43.120 What I want you to understand is that baptism is like our draft day. 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:55.679 It's almost like as if Jesus is calling us by name, and it's our opportunity to say yes to us being drafted to the team and our name being added to a legacy and to a story that has been going on far before us. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:59.200 And the beautiful thing about this team is that this team never loses. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.720 The beautiful thing about this team is that this team is always victorious. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:06.080 The beautiful thing about this team is that this team is more than conquerors. 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:11.600 So I get to add my name to it, and now I can run the plays that the kingdom has set for me. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:19.120 And in the playbook of the kingdom, there is joy, there is freedom, there is breakthrough, there is miracles because my name is now attached to this team. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:24.320 So why would I not want to allow my name to be added to the kingdom family? 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:28.240 This is what's happening here when Philip has this interaction. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.120 Let us back up for a moment and look at the journey of Philip. 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.279 As I said, he he had just preached and a revival broke out in Samaria. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:47.679 And after he preaches a powerful message, the Spirit of God tells him, in the height of his, in the height of his popularity, in the height of his movement, he goes viral even, and God says, I'm glad that you're viral. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:50.559 I see that you have all this growth, all these people following you. 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:53.279 I need you to walk away from that and go to the desert place. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:14:02.879 Leave the popularity, leave the place where everybody knows you and go to a space of what seems like obscurity. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:11.679 The Spirit of God leads him to the desert road, a place of total isolation that's different from the environment that he came from. 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:16.639 And the truth of the matter is, many of us understand that feeling. 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:23.919 That feeling of if I were able to work my strategy, it makes better sense for me to do this and to stay here. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:27.039 I can work this momentum and continue to grow and build. 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:29.200 That's what makes logical sense to me. 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:33.759 But in the kingdom, God has a different currency, and the currency is obedience. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:41.759 The Bible shows us that he is led to this desert place, but the desert is not a dead end, but it's actually the delivery point of grace. 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:45.360 It's a detour, but it's actually going to lead him to someone else's breakthrough. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.480 It's a dry place, but it's a doorway to a space of abundance. 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:52.159 What can seem like a waste could actually be a divine appointment. 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.720 Maybe right now you're in a space where it doesn't seem fruitful and you're wondering why you're there. 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:01.919 But could it be that God has a divine appointment and it's something that he wants to do through you while you're there? 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:08.960 The Bible says that while Philip is in this desert place, that he then crosses paths with this Ethiopian man. 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:14.240 We don't know much about him except some surface level resume things. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.919 It says that he's a trusted man of African descent. 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:20.960 He works in the Queen's court, he's a brilliant man. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:23.679 So on paper, it looks like he's winning. 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:26.960 He's successful, has a lot of influence. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:33.600 This is a man of power, but there's something else going on beneath the surface that we can almost miss. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:42.799 Because while on paper, it seems like he has the job, he has the prestige, he has the notoriety, but he was coming from Jerusalem. 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:50.639 Now, he carried two things that would have been strikes against him as it relates to the things of God at that time. 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:52.960 The first thing is he was a foreigner. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:16:00.480 So him going into Jerusalem to worship, which is what the text said that he went to do, he would have only been able to come but so close. 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:06.320 In fact, in the temple system then, they literally had an area that was called the court of the Gentiles. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:12.480 That means as long as you are a non-Jew, you can only come but so close into the presence of God. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:16.559 So he goes to worship God, but he's met with resistance. 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.200 In addition to that, he also was a eunuch. 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:26.559 Deuteronomy 23:1 tells us that if a man is a eunuch, that he's not even permitted to be a part of the sacred assembly. 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.159 So let's think about this for a moment. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:36.240 This man who traveled from Ethiopia for the sole purpose to go and worship the living God, he was met with religion. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:43.440 Have you ever felt that I am just trying to have an experience with God and you've been stiffed armed by religion? 00:16:43.919 --> 00:17:01.120 Someone who told you that you don't pray enough, that you don't, that you don't fit the bill, that this man was trying to have a living encounter with the living God, but he was met with resistance and rejection because he didn't have the criteria that made him conveniently successful in engaging the things of God. 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:09.519 But the Bible tells us that even in spite of him going into Jerusalem, only being able to go but so far, he's now journeying on his way back. 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:13.599 But there was something inside of him that still had a hunger for the things of God. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:16.880 He was rejected, but he still had a hunger for the things of God. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:21.279 He couldn't only become but so close, but he still had a pursuit for the things of God. 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:24.960 The Bible tells us without faith, it's impossible to please God. 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:29.839 But it also reminds us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.680 That means I'm gonna seek God in spite of me being rejected by religion. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.519 I'm gonna seek God in spite of me being hurt by that leader who should have done a better job. 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:40.240 I'm gonna seek God in spite of the setbacks that I've had. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:46.319 He had a posture that said, I'm gonna seek God regardless, and God met him at the place of his pursuit. 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:51.519 Because as he is reading the scriptures out loud, Philip's assignment now becomes clear. 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:59.599 Philip sees and hears this man reading from this passage, and so he goes up to him and he says, Hey bro, do you do you understand what you're reading? 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:02.000 Is that is that clear to you? 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:07.839 And the man responds, like, how how can I understand it unless someone explains it to me? 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.319 Because I'm looking at a very difficult passage. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:14.720 I'm looking at something that's very complicated and complex, and I don't understand it. 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:18.640 So maybe you can help me get clarity in what I'm looking at. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:24.160 The passage that he was looking at is actually Isaiah 53, verses 7 through 8. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:31.119 I won't read it for the sake of time, but ultimately Isaiah chapter 53 is the chapter that speaks about the suffering servant. 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:34.480 It literally is Isaiah talking about the coming Messiah. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:41.759 When you read Isaiah 53, that's where you come across a passage that we all know, which is by his stripes we are healed. 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:54.400 But when you don't have that perspective in context from the Ethiopian's perspective, he's looking at a passage that's talking about pain and suffering, but he doesn't see Jesus in it. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:00.480 He's looking at a passage that's dealing with oppression, but he doesn't see Jesus in it. 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:05.839 He's looking at a passage that deals with injustice, but he doesn't see Jesus in it. 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:06.960 Let me let me make this plain. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:13.359 Some of us are stuck on a page of our life right now that's riddled with pain and we don't see Jesus in it. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:18.799 We're dealing with a season in our marriage right now where we don't see any life in it and we don't see Jesus in it. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:21.119 All I see is suffering and I don't see Jesus. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:23.599 All I see is fear and I don't see Jesus. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.000 All I see is brokenness and I don't see Jesus. 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.640 All I see is division and I don't see Jesus. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:37.759 Many of us are in spaces right now where we can't move forward because the page that we're looking at right now is filled with pain and suffering and we don't see Jesus. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:49.440 But I believe that God sent you here and sent me here to encourage you in the same way that he sent Philip, because the Bible says that Philip began with that very same passage and showed him Jesus. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:52.400 Let me say this again: that he didn't skip over the pain. 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:59.839 He didn't say that the pain is going to somehow go away, but he started with the passage talking about pain and he showed him Jesus in it. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:07.200 Let me let you know something that when Jesus says to his disciples, I am with you always until the end, I will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.640 What he is ultimately saying is, I am with you even in the pain. 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:12.559 I am with you even in the discomfort. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:14.319 I am with you even in the suffering. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:17.440 Beginning with your suffering, let me show you Jesus. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:20.400 Beginning with your disappointment, let me show you Jesus. 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.279 Beginning with your breakthroughs, let me show you Jesus. 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:28.880 I remember I came to faith as a result of my cousin getting killed in a car accident. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:30.880 And I remember my heart being broken. 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:36.559 And I'm sitting with my aunt who just lost her son, but she had a joy that I just couldn't understand. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:41.039 I was bitter, I was angry, and I couldn't understand why she wasn't as angry as I am. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:47.599 And I remember having a conversation with her, and she quoted the words of Paul to me, and she said, We don't grieve like those who don't have hope. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:53.519 Because the Bible that I read tells me that those who are in Christ Jesus, though they may sleep, we will be reunited with them. 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:59.920 She preached the gospel to me in the middle of a season of suffering, and my life has not been the same ever since then. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.279 Maybe you're going through a season of brokenness, let Jesus meet you there. 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:06.000 Maybe you're going through a season of fear, let Jesus meet you there. 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:08.720 Maybe you're going through a season of death, let Jesus meet you there. 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:12.240 We serve a God who doesn't skip over our pain, he'll meet us right in it. 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.039 Let me show you Jesus, even in your suffering. 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:24.640 And the beautiful thing is this we're reading Isaiah 53, where it's talking about the suffering servant, and some of us get stuck there. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:28.880 But if we can just keep reading and turn the page, we get to Isaiah 54. 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:34.880 And Isaiah 54 says, No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper, but I just gotta turn the page. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:40.799 We will eventually get to Isaiah 55, where it says that there is no one that will be rejected from the presence of God. 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:45.039 Then we get to Isaiah 56, where it says that even the eunuch will be redeemed. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:52.720 Sometimes we're stuck on a 53, but God is saying, Let me show you Jesus and show you 54, that no weapon that is formed against you that shall prosper. 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:57.200 You have access to my presence, and no matter what your brokenness is, you're welcome in my family. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.759 But we gotta keep reading and allow the pages to turn. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.319 If we invite Jesus into it. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:14.240 He sees Jesus in the pain, and as a result of that, he has this eye-opening moment in the text tells us that they come across some water. 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:16.400 Water in the desert. 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:20.480 Water in a space that it shouldn't be. 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.640 Please don't tell me that my God can't meet you in your moment of despair. 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:28.799 Please tell me that God doesn't know how to supply exactly what you need when you get there. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:32.880 Water was with them in the desert, and he says, Look, there's water. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:36.000 Is there anything keeping me from getting baptized? 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:44.079 This was not a question of curiosity, but it was one where he was challenging the very freedom that Scripture says that he has now with Christ. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:56.720 Because for this Ethiopian man, for this African brother, he would have encountered so much discrimination that he was thinking that maybe there's a loophole that says that, yeah, Jesus is for everybody, but not for you. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.519 So he says, What is keeping me from getting baptized? 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:04.079 Is there anything that that disqualifies me from getting baptized? 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.240 Now let me frame this a little bit differently. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:12.079 Many of us are at a place in our life where maybe we've convinced ourselves that we're not worthy. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.599 So my question to you is this what's keeping you from getting baptized? 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:20.559 Some will say, My past, Keith, I've done so much in my past, man. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:24.559 My past is keeping me from getting baptized. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.039 The beautiful thing is that the cross is a past absorbing event. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:32.880 Your record isn't a life sentence, it's the backdrop where mercy shines. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.640 Some will say, I just don't know enough. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:39.279 But let me show you the pattern in scripture. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:45.200 We hear Jesus, we believe in him, we get baptized, and then we learn to obey. 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:49.200 Baptism isn't theology final, it's your enrollment. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:52.240 Some will say, Keith, I was baptized as a baby. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:54.319 They sprinkle some water on me, man. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:54.960 I'm good. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:57.839 And I want to say we want to honor that gift. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:00.720 That was your family's confession over you. 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:06.640 But when you get baptized, that is you coming into agreement and alignment with your parents who've been believing for you the entire time. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:09.440 So some will say, Keith, I'm a little anxious about this, man. 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:11.200 Like, I'm more of a private person. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.599 I I'm I like to keep it low-key. 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:15.200 Even when we worship, I don't like to let people know. 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:16.799 I don't want some, like, I'm chill, man. 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.880 So, like, let's let's do a quiet baptism, or I'll just do it when I get in the tub at home. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.160 I've been doing this a long time. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.680 You'd be amazed at the things that I've heard. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:26.799 These are real quotes. 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:28.160 Real quotes. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:30.559 When y'all are talking to me, I'm stacking them like, did they say that? 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:31.759 I'm gonna use that in the sermon later. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:33.599 Like, I'm I'll just get baptized later. 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:34.640 I don't want anybody to see it. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.240 Here's what I want you guys to hear me. 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:39.039 Hear me, because this is something that's gotten really popularized in the West. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:42.319 Your walk with God is personal, but it's not private. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:46.000 It's personal, but it's not private. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.559 Jesus doubles down on this. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:51.839 The words of Jesus, we're not talking Old Testament, this is New Testament, this is Jesus. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:59.599 Red letter, Jesus with the Lamb, the one who said, Let all the kids come to me is also the same one that says, If you deny me in front of these, I will deny you in front of my father. 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.119 There's a moment where we're going to have to go public. 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.079 And watch this. 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:05.920 And let's just be practical for a moment. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:09.599 Imagine you're in a relationship with somebody and they don't post you on social media. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.480 Megan, I've had counseling sessions with people over that. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:15.519 He don't post me. 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:17.440 Like, I'm it's a real thing. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:18.240 I get it. 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.400 I'm not here to, I'm not here to critique. 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:24.799 We can't talk and be public about the very savior of our soul. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:27.119 Let me let me give you another excuse. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:32.319 My my culture or my family may not understand, but in Christ you receive a new family. 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:33.599 You put on Christ. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:38.400 And I also want you to hear me that honoring your people and obeying Jesus doesn't have to be enemies. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:41.440 That often your obedience becomes an invitation for others. 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:44.720 Some may say, Keith, I don't feel worthy. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.359 Here is something that I want you to put in your spirit. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:50.000 Worthiness isn't a requirement, Jesus is. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.400 Because none of us are worthy. 00:25:52.720 --> 00:26:00.000 Every person at some point that has said yes to Jesus has to acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of saving. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:04.160 None of us have transcended the need of the blood or needing to go through the water. 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:09.599 Myself or anyone else included, we all need Jesus, otherwise, we wouldn't need Jesus. 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:12.400 Others may say, Keith, but I keep messing up. 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:16.400 So let me let me get myself clean and then I'll come back. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:17.440 But but watch this. 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:20.319 If you could wash your own sins, then you wouldn't need a savior. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:24.480 This is why baptism isn't graduation, it's initiation. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:25.920 And I want y'all to hear this. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:26.799 I want you to write this down. 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:28.400 This is the one point that I have for us. 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:31.200 Baptism is both a tomb and a womb. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:37.119 Tomb and womb. 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:39.519 I thought they'd be more excited about it. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:41.839 9 o'clock service gave me a little, at least gave me a courtesy clap. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:42.880 They gave me a little golf clap. 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:44.079 They're like, oh, that's nice. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:48.960 Like 10:30, like, well, tomb sounds like that's uncomfortable. 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:50.160 Let me let me show you what Paul says. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.039 Let me show you what Paul says. 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.559 Romans chapter 6, verse 4. 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:57.680 For we died, and we were buried with Christ by baptism. 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:04.079 And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we now may live new lives. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.519 Tomb and womb. 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:06.640 Let me let me give you another verse. 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:08.480 Colossians chapter 2, verse number 12. 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:11.680 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.519 With him you were raised in a new life because you trusted in the mighty power of God. 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:18.000 You were raised from Christ from dead with Christ. 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:19.759 Tomb and womb. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:20.720 Let me let me break it down. 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.440 Tomb because it's the place where we bury our sin. 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:25.839 Tomb is the place that we bury our shame. 00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:32.319 Tomb is the place that we bury our self-salvation, our self-absorption, our fear with Christ. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:35.680 Womb, because that's where our new identity is formed. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:37.359 Our new culture is birthed. 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:39.920 Our new ideas begin to move forward. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:49.519 God gave us body, soul, and spirit, and they work in tandem, and so often the things we do with our body is a reflection of what's happening in our hearts. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:55.759 We lift our hands to worship, not because God needs us to lift our hands and worship, but it's a sign of surrender. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:02.400 We kneel and pray, not because God needs us to kneel and pray, but it's a sign of surrender. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:06.079 And this is an age-old metaphor, but I think it still fits. 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:16.319 We wear wedding rings, not because the wedding ring is the thing that makes me marry, but it's a sign that she liked it, so she put a ring on it. 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:24.000 It's a sign of something deeper. 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:34.720 And what I want us to understand is that something powerful happens at the moment of our surrender, in the moment of us going into the water and us coming up. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:36.640 I can't tell you when it takes place. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:48.799 In the same way that when someone is standing in front of me and they're saying I do to one another, I can't tell you the moment that the two become one, but there's something powerful that happens through that ceremony, and you see that it's sacred. 00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:53.039 That same thing happens when we say yes in moments like this. 00:28:53.359 --> 00:29:00.960 Can I tell you that as a pastor and also as a therapist, the pattern that I see most couples ultimately struggle with? 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:12.799 Yes, there's communication, there's finance, there's all types of symptoms and fruit that we see, but at its root, it's people who are struggling with shedding their single mindset. 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:21.200 Here's what the single mindset says it's like living like I am the center of all the options and decisions. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:28.799 It's saying it's my schedule, it's my money, it's my passwords, that's my phone, it's my way. 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:31.039 Single mindset. 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:41.359 The commitment stays conditional, and I'll give until it's uncomfortable, and then I'll use therapy language to justify my selfishness by saying I'm drawing a boundary. 00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:46.160 We keep an extra strategy, adjust in case. 00:29:46.559 --> 00:29:50.559 We say we, but at the end of the day, it's about me. 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:56.240 And it's hard to build a marriage with a dating plan. 00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:09.839 In the same way, I find it ironic that when God can use any metaphor to communicate what it means to be in a relationship with Him, He uses the image of a bride and groom. 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:22.880 And I think He uses that because when it's done right, it's it's surrender, it's sacrifice, it's walking in obedience, it's recognizing that life is not just about you, you're part of something bigger, and it's got to be a safe space. 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:27.759 But if we're not careful, we can have a single mindset when it comes to Jesus. 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:30.400 I want to be in relationship with Jesus. 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:35.279 I want the benefits because man, Jesus got some amazing benefits, crazy benefits. 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:36.640 It's paid for. 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:41.279 Yes, I want all of those things, but I still want to do things on my terms. 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:48.400 I want to go to church on my terms, I want to serve on my terms, I want to give on my terms, but I want the benefits of being in relationship with Jesus. 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:51.119 So he's not your Lord, he's just your consultant. 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:57.599 But the gospel leads us to a place of covenant, where there's a place of surrender. 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:02.960 And what baptism is, it's the moment where we can publicly say, I do. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:11.279