Repurposing Desire: An Analysis of Attitude and Transformation

Executive Summary

This document synthesizes the core themes from a sermon on personal transformation, focusing on the critical distinction between the unhealthy repression of selfish desires and the spiritually transformative act of repurposing them. The central argument posits that while human nature is inherently self-centered, true change comes not from merely suppressing these inclinations out of a sense of duty, but from reorienting them toward a higher purpose rooted in love.

The foundational text for this analysis is Philippians 2:3-11, which calls for believers to adopt the “attitude… of Christ Jesus.” This mindset involves humility, valuing others above oneself, and acting not from “selfish ambition or vain conceit.” Jesus is presented as the ultimate model of this principle; his sacrifice was not an act of repressing his will to live but of repurposing it, driven by a profound love for humanity that superseded his desire to avoid suffering. A practical method for this transformation, termed the “five whys,” is proposed as a tool for self-examination to uncover the root insecurities and vanities that drive selfish behavior, thereby allowing for genuine, love-based action.

I. The Core Conflict: Natural Self-Interest vs. Servant-Heartedness

A central tension is established between the innate human tendency toward self-interest and the ideal of a servant-hearted disposition. The speaker, Kent, frames this conflict through personal experience, describing his natural self as a “schlub” who avoids work and is not naturally inclined to help others.

• The Natural State (“Kentness”): This is characterized as a state where the primary motivation is self-preservation and comfort. The speaker admits, “I really would rather sit back and, and watch people go through stuff then jump in and help.” This reflects a universal condition: “When you are yourself, most of what you think about and do is centered around… you.”

• The Servant-Hearted Ideal: This is contrasted with the speaker’s wife and her family, who are described as “naturally servant hearted.” They instinctively act to serve others without prompting, such as cleaning up after church functions.

• The Theological Root of Self-Interest: This self-centeredness is traced back to the Garden of Eden, where the serpent’s lie was, “if you eat the fruit, you’ll be like God.” The desire to be self-governing and to live by one’s own knowledge is identified as the source of sinfulness.

II. The Catalyst for Change: Memorization of Scripture

A pivotal turning point in the speaker’s life occurred during a youth missions trip, where he was required to memorize a lengthy passage of scripture. This act of disciplined repetition became the mechanism for profound internal change.

• The Transformative Power of Repetition: Memorizing scripture forced the speaker to repeat the words “over and over and over again.” This process transformed the text from mere words into powerful, illustrative concepts. The speaker notes, “it was like a magnifying glass on my own life.”

• The Revolutionary Text: The scripture in question was Philippians 2:3-11, which contains the command to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.”

• The Resulting Shift: This immersion in the text led to a tangible change in behavior. The speaker describes a shift from wanting to leave a worksite quickly to encouraging others to stay longer to complete the task. The conclusion is that “the word of God came into my life and it started to transform Kent out of his Kentness.”

III. The Central Thesis: Repression vs. Repurposing

The sermon’s primary argument distinguishes between two responses to selfish desires: repression, which is ultimately destructive, and repurposing, which is the path of Christian transformation.

A. Repression: The Destructive Path of Duty

Repression is defined as suppressing one’s true feelings, needs, and wants simply to “do the right thing” or fulfill an obligation. This approach is identified as unsustainable and harmful.

• Mechanism: Hiding what one actually feels and wants out of a sense of duty or to avoid conflict.

• Consequences: Repression inevitably leads to resentment, anger, and burnout. The speaker uses the analogy of a pimple: “You can’t push something down and not have something else come out.”

• Examples:

    ◦ Ministry Burnout: A person who serves in children’s ministry due to external pressure “will serve… for a month or two, and then you’ll quit.”

    ◦ Marital Conflict: The speaker recounts agreeing with his wife’s restaurant choice by saying, “whatever you want,” while internally feeling frustrated. He clarifies the motive was not love but a desire to “avoid friction.” This leads to a state of being “yes, with my mouth, but angry in my heart,” which is identified as a reason many marriages fall apart.

B. Repurposing: The Transformative Path of Love

Repurposing is presented as the authentic Christian response. It involves acknowledging selfish desires, diagnosing their root cause, and allowing God to reorient them toward love.

• Mechanism: “Repurposing is not pretending like the desire doesn’t exist. It’s taking my desire and say, you know what? My desire is actually corrupted.”

• Practical Tool: The “Five Whys”: A method of self-interrogation is proposed, adapted from Toyota’s “five whys” engineering principle. By repeatedly asking “why” about a feeling or action, one can trace it back to a root insecurity or vanity.

    ◦ Example: The speaker’s nervousness before preaching is traced back through the “whys” from a fear of messing up an illustration to the root cause: “I’m worried people will think I’m not good.”

• The Goal: Once the root issue is identified, Jesus can address it. The goal is to shift from acting out of obligation or fear to acting out of genuine love. For instance, sacrificing one’s preference for a spouse becomes an act of love rather than a repressed desire.

IV. The Ultimate Model: The Attitude of Christ

Jesus is presented as the perfect embodiment of repurposed desire. His actions, as described in Philippians 2, were not a repression of his own will but a repurposing of it, driven by a supreme desire to love.

• Christ’s True Desire: The text emphasizes that Jesus did not want to suffer. “He actually prays about it. And he’s like, father, if there’s… any other way… take it.” He did not want to be beaten, abandoned, or misunderstood.

• The Repurposed Will: What Jesus wanted more than avoiding pain was “to love the object of his love.” His deepest desire was to love humanity, and this purpose superseded all others.

• The Paradox of Exaltation: The passage highlights that Jesus’s ultimate glory came only after his ultimate sacrifice. He “made himself nothing,” taking on the “nature of a servant” and becoming “obedient to death.” It is thereforethat “God exalted him to the highest place.” This demonstrates the principle: “if you want to be great, you got to become a servant of all.”

• A Different Kind of Power: The narrative contrasts the humility of Jesus with the expected arrival of a conquering God. A God who ruled by force would gain followers out of a desire for power, not love. The only way to “actually capture the human heart” was through sacrificial love.

V. Key Themes and Foundational Quotes

Theme	Description & Key Quotes
Vanity and Selfish Ambition	The primary drivers of the “natural” human state. The sermon repeatedly emphasizes the directive: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” The speaker confesses that almost everything he does is for “ambition or for vanity’s sake.”
The Nature of Repression	The act of suppressing desires out of duty, which leads to negative outcomes. “I was, yes, with my mouth, but angry in my heart because I was simply repressing my true desire.”
The Power of Repurposing	The act of transforming desires by addressing their root cause through love. “What Christ calls us to is not repression, but repurposing.”
The Humility of Christ	The ultimate example of selfless love and repurposed desire. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”
Trust vs. Self-Reliance	A call to let go of control and trust in God. This is illustrated by the example of tithing: “It’s you letting go control of the steering wheel and going, okay, God, I’m gonna trust that I can do more with you and 90% than I can do with myself and 100%.”
The Call to Action	A direct appeal to the audience to abandon self-centeredness and engage with God. “When are you going to drop your ego? When are you going to stop making it all about you, start making it about him.”