Losing Your Life to Find It
Tribe
2026-08-16

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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For

your

thank

you

we're going the midst midst the and they may seem like you're going surrounded today. Amen? And the Lord just wants to remind you that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, that he weighs out the very oceans in the palm of his hand. You lean into that, father. You lean into that battle of worshiping the one who's already been victorious, and you cannot lose.

So, Lord, we just thank you today. We thank you today that all we have to do is press into you when we feel we're in a battle. And your word says that battle is not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers. And sometimes that plays out in the natural. We know it.

But every battle starts in the spirit. So, Lord, right now, we just battle by worshiping you. We fix our eyes on you. We sing this together. Sing this and declare this that in the storm.

Midst

with praise.

But we tell you today, we lean into you, we trust you, and there's nothing better than you. Sing this together. Would you just talk to him? Just talk to him from your heart for a second this morning. Maybe it's been a long time.

It's been a long time since you just closed your eyes and said, Jesus, I need you. Worthy of everything that we are, As we sing this verse, he's gonna lead us. Just picture the God that we're worshiping right now, that even the angels in heaven right now, as they circle his throne, all they can say is holy, holy, worthy is the lamb. Just think about it, all the saints. You.

Midst midst storm. In it all. Everything that we do, everything that we say, all that we are, everything we meditate on, God, we give it to you. Because you paid everything, and you ask in return for all of us. Well, we tell you we love you.

We ask that you would give us ears to hear today what you're speaking, that we would leave today different from this part because not because we gathered or we sang some songs or listened to a message, but we actually heard your voice today, father. One word from you changes everything. Speak to us today. We give you permission, father, to come and change us. We tell you we love you.

We love you in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen. Well, greet somebody. The coffee has arrived. If you need to run back there and fill it up.

Can I just tell you what a miracle? We didn't we don't have power at the park today. Like, oh, it's okay.

I'll pull

the battery right here. Nancy runs and Susan gets coffee and so go enjoy it. Say good morning to someone and then get out your Bible. If you've got it, open your Bible app and get ready for the lord to speak today.

I got three people on it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's showing live. I don't believe it.

Okay.

I don't think so. I

haven't done it this way much, so I don't really I'm assuming it's on. It's working. It's your That's your fault, fault, Jiggory. Wow. This is so great.

Don't you love where we live, y'all? Yeah. Or if you're just visiting, glad that you're here. Man, this looks awesome. So good to to see you guys this morning here at the park.

Here we are outside. We are doing outdoor August for the next several Sundays. For the rest of August, we'll be meeting out here. And then as we get into September, we're going to be meeting, first be right in downtown. And so all of you who live in East Jackson said, yay.

Easy drive for you. You can ride your cruiser bike over to church. But this is not a bad place to have church. Every year, we have at least one or two services out here. We take advantage of the great summer weather that we have.

So I'm so glad that you guys are here. The coffee's here. The sun is just perfect. And so as we get into conversation that we're going to have today, I thought, one I mean, you know me. Let's just go ahead.

And since we're doing outdoor service, we'll see how many toes we can step on within earshot here. And so we're going to have a series of of conversations that I'm titling Jesus would get canceled for that. K. Alright. Alright.

I got I got one supporter from Kai. So we live in an interesting age in society right now with this emergence of desire in people's heart for social equality. And admittedly, for a lot of generations in a variety of strata and categories, there has been social inequality. The generation that we're living in right now has a movement, what you may know of as social justice. The social justice, with its emergence, is a great thing.

Is not justice a right that we all should take for granted? That if something has been done wrong, that there would be recompense that the scales would be turned back right somehow, that justice would be done. So I'm sure you've heard that buzzword of social justice. But typical with us humans, when the pendulum swings towards justice, it tends to keep swinging and get out of balance with what we've all seen or heard of as cancel culture. If you say something inappropriate, if you do something inappropriate, if you post something that is unpopular, oh, you could get canceled for that.

I wonder if Jesus were preaching in this part, what he would talk about. And I wonder how fast he would get canceled in today's culture for the things that he said, the things that he did, who he hung out with, and just his very life. Do you think people would be throwing him up on their shoulders? Woo hoo. Yes.

You're awesome. Or would they be like, dude, you have got to stop. Well, in the Bible, we have a lot of the words of Jesus recorded. Let's just see what Jesus would have to say about a specific topic that we're going to talk about today. So if you have your bible with you this morning, let's turn to Luke chapter nine, and I'm gonna read a couple of verses for us.

Luke chapter nine, and I'm gonna start reading in verse how about, 18. One day, Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, who do people say that I am? Well, they replied, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, others say you are one of the ancient prophets risen from the dead. And I love how Jesus has a remarkable ability to go from the theoretical in general, and here's what popular opinion has to say.

But what about you? What do you say? What do you think? What do you have to say? And then he asked, who do you say that I am?

Peter replied, you are the Messiah sent from God. I mean, that right there would get the whole group canceled in the context of which they were growing up in a Jewish society and culture. But let's keep reading. Verse 21, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell them who anyone who he was. The son of man must suffer many terrible things.

He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day, he will be raised again from the dead. Even just to say that, to hear in my own ears those words from the bible echoing off the surrounding buildings is impressive. Then he said to the crowd, if any of you my voice is not impressive. Just the fact that, like, God's word is being read out loud in a park.

Then he said to the crowd, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Verse 24, if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the son of man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the father and his holy angels.

I tell you the truth. Some standing here right now will not die before they see the kingdom of God. Verse 27, just so there's no big question mark hanging at the in your mind at the end of this passage. Verse 27, what he's referencing is he's about to go up onto the Mount Of Transfiguration with his disciples where he's like, ta da. Here's me.

And so that's what that verse is in reference to. But we are living today in an age that is obsessed, consumed with the self. Think about all the self buzzwords there are right now. Self help, self expression, self fulfillment, self entitlement, self development, self arrest. I couldn't help it.

These words are so popular in our culture these days. And let's be honest, there's definitely some value to the consideration of some of these words. But as people tend to do, if it's worth doing, it's usually people will overdo it. And so Jesus has some words that bring balance back to our hearts and back to society. Look at verse twenty four and twenty five.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but you yourself are lost or destroyed? You see, our society has pushed God, the God of the Bible, so far into the margins that we have created this god shaped vacuum in the human heart. And what do we always say about nature in a vacuum?

It abhors

Oh, it abhors it. Like, what's why such strong language? What's up with nature and vacuums? Nature abhors a vacuum. And so we've pushed God out of society, out of the human heart.

We've relegated him to the things of the past or, oh, that's a crutch or that's just religion or that just happens within the four walls of a church. We've pushed him so far, the god of the bible, into the margins that for society, for the most part, we've created this vacuum and sis and and nature abhors a vacuum. And so what usually gets filled with that vacuum that the God of the Bible was intended to fill? Self. Self reliance, self fulfillment.

If it is to be, it's up to me that we rely on and we look to ourselves as our own little g god. And if we were to be honest with ourselves, each and every one of us are susceptible to putting our self on the throne of our heart that we would try to be the boss of our own life. And imagine your friends that you work with, go to school with, do life with that maybe have never darkened the door of a church before. They would be like, well, of course. Of course, it's up to you.

Like, they know nothing else. But Jesus and his message and his words that he just said, in a society that is so consumed with self and in a world where self is the highest being and the greatest priority, Jesus' words stand in stark contrast and not only would be offensive, but would get him canceled. We're gonna stay around verse twenty four and twenty five. Let me read it to you again. If you try to hang on to your life, Jesus says this, you'll lose it.

But if you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but you yourself are lost or destroyed? What does it mean to give up your life? I think we all have a pretty good idea understanding of this this idea of, like, self care, self development. I'm really just taking this season to just really focus on myself as if you haven't taken all the other seasons of your life to focus on yourself.

Let's be honest. That's the default that we all fall into. Self. Self. Self.

Self. Self. Self. Self. And the society that we live in perpetuates and promotes this glorification of think about this.

The highest thing that you can do is to I just really need to take care of myself right now. If you were to say that in some of your friend circles, you know, this season, I just really need to focus on myself. Would any of your friends be like, that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard? We're all we're all saying like, oh my gosh. Wow.

You're so smart. That's so great that you're taking time to take care of yourself. And I understand understand that sometimes you need to be poured into. Sometimes your soul grieves. Sometimes your soul is banged up, and it needs medicine.

I get that. I get that. I get that. But we have a societal preoccupation with the self right now. Did you know there was a time in the world before selfie photos.

I know. I know. I know. I know. Here's what Jesus says.

Jesus says, if you're trying to hold on to your life and putting yourself first all the time, that is a sure fire recipe for losing that which is most important to you, your life, your own self. And then he says, however, I have this suggestion. If you lay down your life, if you give up your life, if you exchange or trade your life for what? My life, Jesus says. Then we're on a whole new and different trajectory.

I love to hear I don't love to hear the sound of my own voice, but I love the sound of my voice echoing off of the walls of this surrounding community. When are words like these echoing through the trees of the town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming these days? We hear concerts atop a Snow King. We hear great rodeo announcers at the fairgrounds. I don't know.

What else do we hear? We have parades. We hear people's music, these words are in direct contradiction to the way that most of society lives their life. But what if somebody says, alright. Jesus, I'll take you up on that offer.

I'm gonna lay down my life and take up your life. At Tribe, when we're meeting at the TMC, we like to have a conversation. And so let's have a little quick conversation here, and I'd love to hear from you. When Jesus says, if you lay down your life and take my life, you'll find real life. What sort of things was he talking about when he said, lay down your life?

What did he mean by that? What comes to your mind? I'd love to hear from you. What do you think of if you laid down your life? Everything around yourself.

Okay. You cease to become the center of your own universe. There's a word for that. It's called solipsistic. Well, now you can.

But when you do use it, make sure to touch the corner of your glasses. Solipsistic. Yeah. Alright? So you cease to become the center of your whole universe.

Alright. What else does it mean to lay down your life? And it it sounds pithy, intelligent, interesting, intriguing, but what does it practically mean? Have a baby. And with every head bow and every eye closed and the worship team makes their way back up, I think that so you wanna know what it You wanna know what it means to lay down your life, have a baby.

That that's pretty well. That's a 100% true. My trainee is like, but I was a perfect baby.

She was in top

school. So

Mom, right under the bus. That's on the livestream. Dozens and dozens of people will hear that.

Six in total.

Oh oh, what do you got? What do you got? What does it mean to lay down your life? Oh, okay. Let me ask a clarifying question.

If you lay down your life, it provides purpose for your life? To Jesus. Yes. To Jesus. Okay.

So think about this. I'm looking for my purpose. The last thing a person would think to do apart from Jesus is to lay down the But what you're saying is when you lay down your life for Jesus, that's when you discover real purpose. Yes. Yes.

So I see the bible as a manual by which I like.

Yes. Oh, look. Here comes a little wireless mic.

We all wanna hear what you're

saying. Yeah. Just so that we can we can hear.

Okay. So I basically said that I use the bible as my tool, as the manual by which I use to shape myself, the characters that I need to develop. And I also said that we've said we're Christians. The definition apparently is Christ like. So I need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

So laying down my life, laying down, they say kill self, kill Jackie. I no longer exist, but I want to exist through Christ. As Corey would say, he wants to lay down his life for Christ. So now my goal, because the authority over my life is Christ, is God. So

Oh, alright. You said something there. You said a lot of things. Great. One thing that I wanna draw a note to, laying down your life means are you saying this?

Laying down your life means relinquishing the authority of your own life to another. Yes. Like having a baby. That baby is now in charge. Right, Leona?

She said yes. Okay. What if we thought of laying down our life in terms of relinquishing or giving up some of our rights? It's a big deal right now. It's a violation of my rights.

They're taking away our rights. We don't even have any rights as a certain demographic of society. But what does it mean to lay down your life in terms of giving up some of your rights? If a person becomes a Christian, what would one of their rights be that they have by virtue of being a human that they would then lay down or exchange for Jesus' life? Does my question make sense more or less?

Oh, control. When a person becomes a Christian, they give up the right to control their flesh. No. You're still the boss of that. But you give up the control of almost fill in the blank, your choices.

Your what? Your story. Oh, man. Just really on my journey right now. Just really working on my story.

Like, when a person becomes a Christian, their story is still being worked on and developed, but they are no longer the author. You give up the right to author your own story. What's another right?

The right to hold a grudge and not forgive. Say it, Lisa.

When a person exchanges their life for Jesus' life, they give up the right to hold a grudge. Forgive. What I and instead of holding a grudge, they actually must Forgive. Forgive. When a person lays down their life, what I wrote in my notes is a person gives up the right to be offended.

What other rights maybe come to your mind that you think of that when you exchange your life for Jesus is what what comes about?

Sadly, people think they give

up their right to have fun. Oh, sadly, you think you give up your right to have fun. Yeah. Okay. Yes.

Yes. But it's not true. What about this? What about this? But it's not true.

What about this? A person who exchanges their life for Jesus gives up their right to happiness. But what do you get in exchange? Joy. Eternal peace.

Because and and eternal peace and internal peace because happiness is a feeling. It comes and it goes. Our emotions ebb and flow. And if you're always just pursuing happiness, that will lead you into all kinds of ditches. But when you exchange your life for Jesus and you lay down your life and you relinquish the right to happiness, it gets exchanged for joy.

And joy is not dependent on circumstances that you can control. I wrote a couple other rights that a person gives up down in my notes, but I'd love to hear from you because those were so good. What's another right that a person gives up when they exchange their life for his? B. Oh, and here comes Bethany.

Thank you so much. I appreciate that, Bethany.

I just think in the way of we govern ourselves in opinion and whether we agree or we feel some type of way about the truth of the bible, we have to surrender our minds to that.

Like yeah. Say

say it one more time. Say it one more time. Take another run at that because it's really good. And then Jamie over here.

Having to separate our from truth and letting the truth govern us.

Oh, we relinquish the right to be governed by our own ideas or ideals. We also give up the I'm getting a lot of great side commentary. Just have a mic and help me preach.

I love it, Jackie.

Jackie's like, we also give up our right to judge.

That's right. That's right.

Jamie, what do you got?

Yeah. I think these made my wheels turn in my own testimony. I had to give up the right of worrying all the time. Do not fear. Do not worry was repeated over and over and over, but I was continuing to worry and worry about if it's gonna work out, will I be able to do this?

Is it gonna you know? Am I gonna fulfill my dreams? And so when I found Christ, it was like I had to really release my right to worrying about everything. So the word worry came up when b is

so good. How many of you would like to be able to fully relinquish the right of worrying and put that in his

How about the ability? Relinquish it.

Good with the ability. I I know. I have the ability to not worry. Sorry. I just can't worry.

When's the last? How about, oh, sorry. I I I'll pray about that. I just can't worry about that. I feel like that could also be passive aggressive.

So don't Or mental illness. Don't don't don't write that down. Mhmm. So, Jamie, that's a that's a really good point that when you exchange your life, Jesus says if you lay down your life, you'll really find it. There's an exchange that happens.

And what you're talking about is one of the things that you encountered when you met Jesus was Jesus invited you to exchange you holding on to that control or having to figure it out and worrying about what if I do it wrong and what give it to him and exchange it for his life. I lose the right to control and to worry. How many don't raise your hand? How many of you being in charge of your own life have just driven yourself straight into the ditch? I said you didn't have to raise your hand.

There's this quote by an author named William Henley, and he wrote a book called Evictus. Evictus is a Latin word which means undefeated. Just so you know, you go to that CrossFit channel. And he said this, in the last line of this book, Evictus, I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.

How many people would proudly wear that on a t shirt today that I'm the boss of my life? And here's what's amazing about God is he gives you that ability. You wanna be the boss of your own life? Go ahead. But Jesus stands confronting culture by saying, but if you hold on to that life, you're gonna lose it.

You're gonna drive it into the ditch, and it will have eternal significance. But then Jesus says, but if you lay down your life, pick up my cross daily and follow me, you're going to really find your life. Following Jesus means relinquishing many of the rights that we as selfish humans hold dear. If you've been following Jesus for a long time, you might have you might be in good practice of laying down your rights, but sometimes it's important for us to step back and to consider considering the venue that we're in and the ears that could be listening, what it actually means to lay down your life, giving up many of your rights that you hold dear. Jamie, what were you gonna say?

And then I have one more passage for us to turn to this morning.

I think because I can tell your sermon is about kinda being brave about things that people don't really wanna hear because they can step on toes. I talked to a friend yesterday who wasn't a believer, and she was saying that she went to a tarot card reader for help. And I felt like the holy spirit really just, like, bumped through my chest because before Christ, I was a yoga teacher. I was very involved in seeking healers to help me, and it was really just me looking for the god shaped hole in my heart. And so I had to be brave yesterday to say, like, how dangerous that is.

So I think when you lay your life down for Christ, you have to be brave in calling people out when they idolize or seek counsel in man or people that are deceiving. So you kinda lay down being liked by man Mhmm. By being brave of saying the truth that Christ is. So I had to, like, be brave yesterday, and I felt like old Jamie would have been a people pleaser and not wanna, like, call her out for that being really dangerous. But my testimony was that.

So I was like, holy spirit, you're so funny. And so I had to tell her how deceiving it was and how I had to, like, yeah, be brave. So I think you have to lay down caring what people think about you.

Oh, you give up the right of caring what other people think about you. And knowing you, Jamie, I know that you didn't just go to your friend and whacked him on the head with a bible, but you're like, let me tell you about the dangers of what you're getting into, and you ran the great risk of being canceled for that. So good job on your bravery. Did you have something, Bethany?

Yeah. I was just is this

oh, yeah. I was just kinda thinking, like, especially from what Corey said originally, like, that a lot of the things that we, like, give up, I feel like are, like, an illusion anyway. Like, he said we give up control, but, like, do we actually have control, or do we just have the illusion of control? And I think even, like, these other things like worry and unforgiveness and things like that, like, okay. Maybe, like, that's not an illusion, but, like, why do we actually seek those things?

It's, like, the illusion that, like, these things will actually help our problems or help us to, like, achieve the desires of our hearts. Right? And so that, like, truly I don't know. It's, like, even though to choose to lay your life down for the Lord is technically giving up everything exactly as Jesus' words are, it's like you're actually in a lot of ways really only giving up an illusion, and that what you were actually gaining is, like, far more than whatever illusion you think that you have.

It's good.

It's a powerful I would go beyond illusion to say delusion. It's a powerful delusion that the world is under, that the highest aim of their life and the most fulfilling thing that they can do with their life is to pursue their own selfish ends and means. Jesus would be canceled immediately for saying that's jacked up. The way the true life is to lay down your life. And then he says this, which is it's easy for me to say, lay down your life, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus.

I'm not saying that I'm Jesus, but imagine if just for a second I were Jesus, and I said, lay down your life and follow me. Imagine the hearer sitting on the grass in the hillside would be like, you. You. You. I saw you eating some food earlier, and you had a really stinky burp.

A person really followed you. And Jesus is like, but what's amazing is just before what we read, Jesus says, who do people say that I am? And then he asked Peter directly. And Peter says, you are the Messiah, the savior, the Christ, the Mashiach. Last passage we're gonna look at this morning, Philippians.

Philippians chapter three. I'll give you a moment just to turn there. I'm gonna read a few verses to you. Philippians chapter three. I'm gonna start in the second half of verse three.

Paul is speaking, and he says, we rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. What verse? We put no confidence in human effort. It's almost like it's an illusion. What verse?

Verse three. Now I'm in verse four of Philippians chapter three. Although I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, efforts, I have even more. Then he says a few things that to the hearers of his words meant a whole lot of sense to them.

It's a little bit disconnected for us, so we have to we have to try to understand the Jewish mindset in this moment. But he says this, I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I'm a pure blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a real Hebrew if there ever was one. Essentially and then he goes on. I was a member of the Pharisees who demanded the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed law without fault. Just to be poke at you a a little bit. If Paul were writing these verses today, he would be like, I sorted all of my recycling. I washed out the jars before I put them in the blue can.

I drove a Prius. I only ate organically. I don't know how these could you guys step on a few more toes? No. One one more toe.

I lived in Wilson.

That is a flex. It's a valid flex.

I rode my bike all summer. Listen. Verse seven. Kai made me do it. You know I'm just jealous of Wilson.

Right? Mhmm. Verse seven. I once thought all of these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done for me. I just thought of one more.

I always bring my own grocery bags. I'll just carry this stuff out, like, in, like, my arms. Not because I don't wanna buy a paper bag, but I just forget to bring my own grocery bag. Verse eight. Yes.

Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ. Then he says this, my lord, for his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting counting it all as garbage so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law. This is similar to what you were saying. Rather, I become righteousness through faith in Jesus.

For God's law of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead, and I want to suffer with him. What? Sharing in his death so that one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from the dead. So when a person has been around the person of Jesus for a while, they'll hear they'll hear him say things like, come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

He people hear things like, if you drink from this water, you'll get thirsty again. But if you drink from the water that I have to offer, you'll never be thirsty again. And the woman says, where is this water? You don't even have a rope or a bucket, but I'll take some of it so that I don't have to come to this well. And he says, the the water that I offer is like a source of living water that springs oh, that's amazing.

I have a Corey's over there. I have a purpose for your life. All of these things are amazing. It's almost like when you first start dating someone. Remember when you first started dating someone?

And you're like, oh my gosh. They're so funny. They're so cute. Everything that he does is just amazing. Why are you rolling your eyes, Selah?

That's good. I'm a equal opportunity toast pepperoni. But then after the sparkle wears off, you know, the rubber really meets the road. Jesus then takes people who have been listening to him for some time now and says, here's the exchange. In order to get the living water, in order for your burdens to be light, there needs to be an exchange, and the exchange is you must lay down your life and essentially die to everything that you've known and pursued on your own, and then I offer you my life.

And we've talked a lot about giving up various rights in this exchange, but it's not too different than a marriage. Here, marriage on Earth, we didn't invent marriage. God invented marriage, and he described it as a covenant until death does a person part. That's not in the bible. That's what preachers say at marriage, but the bible is really clear.

Jesus says, in marriage, you won't be marry in heaven, you won't be married or given in marriage. So it's until death do you part. I don't know what that's gonna be like in heaven when I see Lisa. We've been married almost thirty years. And when I see her in heaven, I'm gonna be like, hey.

Hey. I don't know how it's gonna be, but made it. Hey. You made it? Don't say that about me.

Listen. But he describes a relationship with himself, Jesus, like a marriage. And when a person gets married and they say yes to their spouse, they're dying to all others, past, present, and future. And when a person invites Jesus into their heart and they grab a hold of that exchange, the life that they get in Jesus is so much better. We've even you can't even talk about some of the things that we've given up without talking about, yes, but but but.

Maybe you give up control, but then you get a better story that's written about your life than you could ever think of or create. You get forgiveness that enters your heart so that you don't have to be offended. You get a peace. You get a bravery, Jamie, like you said earlier. All of these things are available for a rate of exchange with Jesus, and it just simply requires you laying down your life.

We're gonna lay on the plane by asking you one more question for you to ponder and consider. Maybe you've invited Jesus into your heart, made him the leader of your life. Great. Fantastic. If you haven't done that and you're like, oh, I'd like to make that exchange.

You can take care of business before you leave the park here. But what I want you to consider is is there an area of your life that's at the upper echelons of consuming your life right now that you have not taken up Jesus on this exchange, and you yourself are actively being your own little g god in this area. Maybe you're obsessing over something. Maybe, like you like, was said a a moment worrying about it. Maybe you're hyper focused on this thing that has to do with self.

Today, you're here at a park. You thought you were just coming to the outdoor service, but, really, you came for Jesus to whisper to your heart to give you an invitation for an exchange. Are you willing to lay that down? So let's just take care of a little bit of business with the Lord. Invite him here.

Nobody's playing horseshoes yet. Barely distracting. And let's just make some room for him to whisper to our heart. Okay?

You

know, in our current culture of finding our own way, self expression, self fulfillment, Jesus invites Jackson Hole to embrace self denial and surrender for his sake. My prayer for you and my prayer for Jackson Holt is that we would come to the end of our self seeking, and that we would seek one who is so much better. And his name is Jesus, the one who society would want to cancel the most right now. So let the Holy Spirit continue to work on you. I love seeing how many people are taking notes and writing things down.

Let the Lord keep ministering to you whenever we gather at tribe. If it's outdoor on the lawn, inside a large living room, or at a bar, wherever we meet, we always take time to worship the Lord in three different ways. We worship the Lord with song, fill this valley with praises for our king. We worship the Lord by honoring and chewing on and considering the word that was was preached. We worship the Lord by bringing a portion of our tithes and offerings, and I'll pray over those offerings.

There are the you know how to give electronically. You can go to our website, tribejh.com. There's also a little wooden box scattered scattered amongst the strawberries and yummy doughnut holes. Thank you, Clay and Nancy, for bringing those today. And the coffee coming in.

Yes. So you can leave your tithe and offering right there. I'll pray for us, share, one or two quick announcements, and then we'll get out of here. Lord Jesus, one of the other things that we surrender is all control over all of our finances. Like, you're the boss of our life, including where and how we spend money.

And so it is a joy for us to be able to relinquish control of that and surrender a portion of our finances to you. Thank you for the jobs that we have. Thank you for the opportunities that we have. It gives us great joy to give back to you. We pray these things in Jesus' name, and everybody said, amen.

So pull out your phone really quick for the first time during all of service, Andy, and look at the calendar. Why are you blushing so much? Look at the calendar. So we have three more Sundays in August. And for those three Sundays, we're gonna be right here in the park.

Make sure you bring your lawn chair. And once we get into September, at the end of August, we'll tell you more about it. But our little tribe family is staying under the shade of the cloud of God's protection. That cloud is gonna be going over to 1st B. So in September, we'll be over at 1st B, and we're gonna service.

And for all those who work tourist serve