Easter Sunday at Tribe

In one paragraph

This was Tribe's Easter Sunday message, preached by Pastor Brian at the Virginian in Jackson Hole. Pastor Brian walked through the resurrection account from Matthew 27 and 28 and then pressed on a single question: because Jesus is alive, what is actually on offer to anyone who believes? The answer he kept coming back to is not a better version of yourself, but Christ living his life through you....

Read together

1. Matthew 27:57-60 eyewitness account of Jesus' body being placed in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea
2. Matthew 27:62-66 leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to seal the tomb so disciples cannot steal the body
3. Matthew 28:1-9 angel rolls away the stone, tells the women Jesus has risen, women meet Jesus on the way
4. Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, used to establish universal sinfulness
5. James 2:10 keep all the law and stumble at one point, guilty of breaking all of it
6. Galatians 2:20 my old self has been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me
7. Colossians 1:27 the mystery that Christ lives in you, giving assurance of sharing in his glory
8. John 14:23 Jesus says those who love him will do what he says and he will make his home within them
9. Romans 8:10 Christ lives within you, the spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God
10. Ephesians 3:17 Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him
11. Matthew 11:28 all who are burdened and heavy laden, come to me and I will give you rest, spoken during altar call

What was said

• Sit quietly this week and ask Jesus one specific question about an area of your life where you have been trying to run the obstacle course on your own strength.
• Write a prayer request on the back of a connect card and drop it in the box at Tribe so the leadership team can pray for you on Monday.
• If you prayed to invite Jesus into your heart today, tell one person this week what you did.
• Come to Tribe next Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Virginian and bring the friend who almost came with you today.
• The next time you feel like you have to be a better parent, spouse, or friend on your own effort, stop and ask Jesus to live his life through you in that moment instead.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about man being hardwired for a relationship with God but knowing that relationship has been broken. Where do you see that restlessness showing up in people around you, or in yourself?
2. Brian said Christianity stands apart from every other religion because instead of man trying to climb up to God, God came down to us. What had you previously understood Christianity to be about, and how does that compare to what he described?
3. The glove illustration showed that the glove itself could not run the obstacle course, only the hand inside it could. What does it actually look like in your day to day life to let Jesus live through you rather than trying to live for him on your own strength?
4. Brian used fatherhood as a personal example, saying that when he lays down his own way of being a dad and asks Jesus to be a dad through him, the guidance he gets is very specific. Can you think of an area of your own life where you have been trying to run the obstacle course yourself rather than surrendering that particular thing to Jesus?
5. Several people stood up publicly during the service, and Brian shared that something supernatural happens when you stand for what Jesus did for you. What has it cost you, or what has it felt like, to publicly identify with Jesus outside of a church setting?