The parable of the prodigal son read aloud in full as the sermon text
11 He said, “A certain man had two sons.
12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.
14 When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
15 He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.
17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!
18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.
19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;
24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
27 He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
28 But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
29 But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31 “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
Parable of the ten virgins; five foolish virgins find the door closed
1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
14 “For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.
16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17 In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two.
18 But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.
20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’
21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
22 “He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’
23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.
25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter.
27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.
28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away.
30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.
36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?
38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
40 “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;
43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’
46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
It was the Lord's good plan to crush him; his life made an offering for sin
10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Brian preached from Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son, but the point was not simply to retell a familiar story. He walked the room through several different camera angles on the same passage, arguing that wherever you find yourself stuck right now, a shift in perspective on this one story might be exactly what unlocks something for you.
What was said
Brian opened by noting how easy it is to become inoculated to a passage you have heard many times. He asked everyone to try to read it with what he called baby skin on their hearts, fresh and unguarded. The congregation then read Luke 15:11-32 aloud, passing the mic around the room.
The first and most familiar angle is seeing yourself as the prodigal son. Brian did not skip over it, because he said it is true and it preaches for a reason. Each of us has squandered what the Father gave us, and the hymn "Just As I Am" captures exactly the posture of the son trudging home: no cleanup required before coming back, no performance to offer, just arriving as you are.
The second angle is seeing Jesus as the father. Brian pointed out that the word prodigal does not mean wayward or rebellious. It means extravagant, over and above. The father in the story could just as honestly be called prodigal, because he took a reckless, generous risk in giving the son his inheritance at all, and then scanned the horizon every day waiting for his return. Jesus is that kind of father toward us.
From there Brian shifted to a third angle that he said people are less likely to have considered: we are the father, and what we are watching for on the horizon is the return of Jesus. He read from Romans 8:18-19 about all of creation eagerly waiting for that day, and then turned to Hebrews 10:37-39 on the question of shrinking back. His point was that only someone who had been walking in the right direction can turn away, and Jesus himself said the love of many will grow cold as that day approaches. The call is to be among those who run toward him rather than shrink back in shame.
Brian then offered a fourth angle: Jesus as the fattened calf. That calf was raised from birth for one specific purpose. He read from John 10:15 and Isaiah 53:10 to make the point that Jesus was not a reluctant sacrifice. He laid his life down knowingly, and Hebrews 10:12 describes him then sitting down at the right hand of God, the sacrifice made once and good for all time.
The final angle Brian brought was Jesus as a better older brother. Unlike the sulking older son in the parable, Jesus looked at the Father's grief over the lost son and said, in Brian's words, "Dad, you stay put. Let me go get him." Where the older brother in the story staged a pity party, Jesus went searching, which is the picture in Luke 15 of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one.
Brian closed the sermon proper by returning to where he started. He said the Holy Spirit is far better at applying the right angle to your specific situation than he is, but that if you are willing to ask for a fresh perspective on whatever wall you have been banging your head against, he believes today could be a day of breakthrough, healing, or a lightening of the load.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
Read all of Luke 15 this week and do a word count of how many times the words rejoice, party, celebrate, and celebration appear.
If you have not been water baptized, sign up to be baptized at the Tuesday service at the TMC.
The next time you feel convicted about something, practice running to God with it right where you are rather than waiting until you feel cleaned up.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your current situation from a different angle, the way Brian walked through the prodigal son story from multiple camera angles.
If you want prayer for something specific, reach out to Jay, Chris, or Matt Grabowski, who were available at the end of service for that reason.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
Brian talked about coming to God 'just as I am,' covered in pig slop and with nothing to show for it. What makes it hard to actually believe God receives us that way, and where have you personally felt that tension?
Brian suggested the title 'prodigal father' because the father took a reckless, extravagant risk in giving the son his inheritance. How does thinking of God as the one taking risks for us change the way you relate to him?
Brian predico a partir de Lucas 15, el pasaje del hijo prodigo, pero en lugar de quedarse con la lectura habitual, fue cambiando el angulo de la camara para ver la misma historia desde distintos puntos de vista. Primero nos vemos como el hijo que regresa a casa cubierto de vergüenza y sin nada, y el padre que corre a recibirlo representa a Jesus, quien nos recibe exactamente como somos, nos pone un anillo de autoridad, una ropa que nos cubre y sandalias para el camino. La idea central es que Dios nos ha dado todo lo que necesitamos, aunque a veces lo que nos entrega se siente tan insuficiente como unas sandalias abiertas para escalar una montana.
Luego Brian volteo la historia por completo: nosotros somos el padre que escudrina el horizonte esperando el regreso de Jesus, y ese regreso sera glorioso, no humilde como la primera vez. Tambien hablo del ternero engordado como imagen de Cristo, un ser criado desde su nacimiento para morir como sacrificio por nosotros. Y al final presento a Jesus como el hermano mayor perfecto, que en lugar de quedarse en casa con resentimiento, le dice al Padre: "Dejame ir a buscarlo yo." Todo esto con una sola intencion: si te encuentras atascado en algo que no puedes resolver, pide al Espiritu Santo que te muestre tu situacion desde un angulo diferente, porque ahi puede estar el avance que necesitas.
Durante el servicio tambien estuvieron Chuck Bedrock, quien dirige la mision Good Samaritan en Jackson y compartio testimonios del trabajo que hacen con personas en necesidad, incluyendo su propia batalla contra el cancer. Varios miembros de la congregacion compartieron lo que Dios les estaba hablando durante el tiempo de adoracion.
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Pasajes biblicos mencionados:
Lucas 15.7
Lucas 15.11-32
Romanos 8.18-19
Hebreos 10.37-39
1 Juan 1.9
1 Juan 2.28
Juan 10.15
Isaias 53.10
Hebreos 10.12
Mateo 10.12
Mateo 25 (las diez virgenes)
Read the full transcript10,174 words
Very
good.
What's happening with that right now? I guess, football practices or Not
as much here. Yeah. Because they've got an athletic trainer that mostly like, that's
he's paid to do football.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So I've done some lacrosse.
Oh, gotcha.
Some soccer. But those are all high school. Yeah. So mostly it's like club stuff. Club ball or club soccer.
Club lacrosse, club gymnastics.
Does that mean, like, younger ages or something? No.
It doesn't have to be.
It. Would you have something for me today that's for this body, this community gathering? I just see this picture as we're singing out of someone more in my age bracket and season in life. Beth and I were talking last night about having a teachable spirit, having a spirit of growth, a mindset of growth. And I think sometimes in certain seasons in life, we forget that God still has so much for us to grow.
We can still learn from other people. Like, God's word is, like, just ready to change us at any moment, and I just saw ashes being removed from someone's life of some really good stuff, really good stuff, like a really rich season in their life or a rich something like a rich not just a conference, but like a really rich friendship maybe they had or a season where they were in a deep rich bible study. And you haven't, in your mind, experienced something like that since is what you've been thinking. And the Lord is just wanting to remove those ashes to make room for a new thing. Maybe it's just between the two of you.
Him and the Lord this time. Maybe it's that he's trying to bring a mentor. No matter what our age is, no matter what age someone who comes along that's anointed and gifted and has something to teach us, whatever it is, I just see that the Lord just removing ashes of something wonderful to make room for a new a new wonderful depth and experience with him. Maybe it starts with discipline or rebuke. I don't know.
But Lord, we just I just pray that over everyone in this room. If there is something that we've been holding on to that was wonderful and awesome, but we felt empty moving forward because we've been clinging to those ashes, remove it today. Remove it today to make room for the new. In Jesus name. Maybe the lord's putting something on your heart to share.
That was an example. Lord speaking to you, he can speak right to you, and it's just for you, and that's wonderful. And maybe he's speaking something to you to share. Gretchen has a microphone. She's right there because our livestream family and everyone in the room wants to hear what the Lord's sharing.
So we'll just be still for a moment. Just raise your hand, motion to Gretchen. Don't be shy. Chuck. Yeah.
And I I just wanted to announce to everybody that last Wednesday, I got a
new bride right here. And I tell you
what the Holy Spirit has been all over this. He starts to finish.
God's just poured out his grace on his life. What a what a great testimony. Thank you, Chuck. Who else? Anyone else get married last Wednesday?
Did I hear someone say almost? First praise song, I heard Melissa say, discipline your mind and I just think that's such an important message for all of us. We we don't stand in fear. We have resurrection power. It is a choice.
It's a choice to choose faith over fear. And that requires some discipline to make a choice to discipline our mind. Right. And to renew our mind. So thank you, really,
watching our oldest grandson be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US army, which is a life changing event for him. And one of the things that struck me was the pledge that all these young, mostly young officers make is not to defend a king. It's not to defend a president. It's not to defend the congress. It's a pledge to defend the constitution.
It's a sort of an abstract concept,
rock? You know, where are our alliances? What at the core of who we are? What what do we stand for? And, hopefully, if the Lord were to search us, it aligns with what his word says and what he cares about.
It's good, Anyone else?
Well,
you'll get one more chance. Lord, we praise you. We praise you. We thank you that that is true. Anywhere we could turn, fall short to your glory.
Thank you that you take broken dead things and you make them new. The ashes of yesterday and our failures, you make them new for your glory. We give you all the praise in this place today. Thank you, Jesus. Just say thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Turn to someone and say, wow, you look good when you're worshiping the lord.
Hey. You didn't have to. I did not. Okay. Nope.
Made sure that did happen. Yep. No more of that. But she's got a clean bike now. I cleaned her chain.
She's got a real spiffy chain. I don't know if that makes up for that last week, though.
Well, it's all downhill.
I just sat on it. It's all downhill to get here. It's uphill on the way back, so I got a ride home.
To see that. Yes.
That was cool to hear about the constitution. I didn't know that that's what they pledged to defend. I
I I knew it intellectually. Yeah. I have Right. You see it actually. Uh-huh.
Powerful. I like diversity.
Wow. Twenty, what, twenty years ago or something like that? Young person. Wow. Get out of that.
That's amazing. Uh-huh. Wow.
So I'm not sure how many of you know this, but this is Chuck Bedrock. He has been holding down the fort at John three sixteen Mission here in Jackson for decades. And he's like a circuit rider making his tour around various churches in the valley to always keep at the forefront of our local benevolence ministry what the work of John three sixteen and Good Samaritan Mission is doing. And so today, we're lucky enough to have Chuck visiting our church. And so let's let's hear what Chuck has to say about what's going on at the mission.
Yeah. I've been here twelve years. And the Good Samaritan Mission has been there since 1968. But I want to get through some of the statistics really for we do 15,000 meals out of that place and that's breakfast and dinner seven days a week, lunch on weekends. We've got a program called totes of hope.
That's where we get 40 bags of food out. That's where we take it over to the children's learning center and these kids have been identified as food insecure. They get fed throughout the school year. We have a food pantry there, 64,000 pounds of food goes through that the food pantry there. We've got 29 beds for men and five for women.
And we have about 6,800 overnight sleeps per year that we do. Oh, that is good. Good statistics. Yay. But that doesn't have nothing to do with you know, a lot of people know that I was diagnosed with cancer, and I'm not believing it.
But I'm diagnosed with cancer. I took my first chemo just a couple of weeks ago. And right now, I'm standing up after about twenty minutes, and I couldn't do that a week ago. I Yeah. This the holy spirit's working in my life.
I told you about my new life back. Yeah. It's just incredible. It's incredible what he's doing. I I took we did everything to to move.
I couldn't even walk across the street a week ago without you know? God is doing a miracle right here. Well, and
the bride will do that to you. Stuff. There you go.
That's it. I don't think that's right. Into. Into.
Into. Alright. Thank Well, you. But let me tell you a spirit another spirit filled story of a man that came in the mission. He came in the mission, twenty year marine vet and responsible for hand to hand combat of many people not being here anymore.
All of the direction of our nice government that we have. Some of it was probably really good, but under orders, I probably did the same thing in the air force that he did in the marines. And, you know, when when I thought of it, I I I I felt a little remorse myself. But, you know, we're we're washed, cleaned by the blood. So Patrick is sitting across from me.
He's just probably about eight feet, 10 feet away from me. And I in the spirit, I see this twenty year marine that laid down before the cross. He's got a combat helmet on, and the cross is just bleeding blood all over. And the shame and the guilt is coming up out of that vessel, and I could just feel the presence of God. And I look open up my eye, and I see Patrick there.
He's falling like a baby. Jesus entered into him that moment. Yeah. A few weeks later, he's at one of his required meeting. He came to the court ordered stuff.
And a few weeks later, he's going at one of his meetings, and a guy comes up to him. He says, I don't know what it is, but I can feel something about you. There's a presence about you, and I'd like you to pray for me. Mhmm. You know?
Now it's not only me to him, but it's him to others. We need to be able to teach teachers to teach teachers to teach. And if we're doing that, then we can carry this on forever. But, you know, I'm here because of old bills that's coming up. I don't know if you heard that.
It starts, think, on the eleventh. And the old bills is probably one third of our support to Good Samaritan Mission. So I always like to close with this. Old bills fun run, Good Samaritan Mission. Old bills fun run, Good Samaritan Mission.
Old Bill Spun Run, what?
Good
Samaritan Mission. Alright. You got it.
As you're on your way back to your seat, would you join me in prayer for Chuck's great work that he's doing there? Jesus, you talk in the book of James about pure and undefiled religion, and that's caring for those in need. Our poverty, our brokenness, our disparity is every bit as real here in this city as it is anywhere else in the world because it's part of the human condition. The work that Chuck does may be a little more exterior, and it is so valuable, but all of us are in a place of great and desperate need for a savior, for a healer, and for a redeemer. Father, we pray for Chuck and the great work that is happening there and those that are coming alongside him and shouldering that load, we command a blessing over his life, over his health, over his marriage, over the ministry that has been put in his charge, and we ask for great, great favor in all of those areas.
We pray these things in Jesus' name and all God's kids said Amen. Amen. If you're taking notes this morning, you can write the title of this morning's message. The title of this morning's message is called the ring, the robe, and the rib eye. And to just give you a quick update, I've got some text message from some members of our team.
Lindsay, perhaps because your worship was so great, but she also just might have had low blood sugar and and fainted. And it was really cool because a visitor from out of town sitting right in front of Lindsay happens to be a paramedic and so she was in great hands. Walked out to the hallway, EMS came. They are taking great care of her and God is good. Right?
Amen. So let me just tell a quick story about Gracie Miller. Do you remember that, Tim?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, man. Yeah. So every now and then, they just go, the knees locked, didn't have breakfast, and down they go and so, yeah. Everybody. Gracie.
Now Gracie's a marine and yeah. And has baby in this dorm room. So
Do you remember Gracie Muller? I I remember that.
You remember? I remember that. Yeah. But Lindsay is doing great.
Praise him.
Thank Praise god. So what's the title of this morning's conversation?
Rain the road, roam, rain high.
There you go. Very good. I thought
it was a spelling error. It was rabbi. No. It's rabbi. No.
It's rabbi. And for those of you who are traveling through town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I hope that you are having an epic, amazing, one of a kind vacation and incredible time with your family. And hopefully, it will stop raining just long enough for you to get out and have some adventures. But even if it rains on you, on your adventure, it just like makes for better memory. So we're glad that you're passing through Jackson Hole and we are so glad that you've chosen to take time from your precious hard earned vacation to spend it with us on a Sunday morning here in Navarre.
My prayer is that the Lord would speak to you this morning, that he would meet with you, and that you would walk out of here just like those disciples on the road to Emmaus said after Jesus appeared and then left. Oh, when he was with us, didn't our hearts burn within us? That's my prayer for you that that you would meet with the Lord this morning in our topic and conversation of the ring, the robe, and the rib eye. And if you're new to church in a bar and here at Tribe, I really don't want this to be a monologue. I want this to be a dialogue.
I have things to say but I wanna hear what you have to say as well. That's why we have mics sprinkled around the room. So if you have a question, a comment, or a connection through what we're talking about, I would love to hear from you. We would love to hear from you. Like like like that I don't know what language it is.
Like, it's Danish or something. But whatever the word Lego is, play well together. Like, we play well together and we fit well together when we're all contributing what we're hearing and what the Lord is saying. So with that in mind, if you have your Bible, would you turn to the book of Luke? Let's take a look at chapter 15.
Have two.
Whenever I preach for Luke. Luke chapter 15. This is my wife, by the way.
It's heckler.
The biggest cheerleader and greatest heckler. I like to keep her on the front rows, keep a close eye on her. Luke chapter 15, we're going to read a passage that perhaps could be brand new for some of you. For many of you, it will be very familiar, but my prayer is that the direction that we take today with this passage, there will be numerous places along the journey where the Holy Spirit whispers something to you that causes you to go, oh my gosh. Like, I'm seeing this brand new for the very first time.
Oh, that we would have, like Keith Green said, like, oh, I just wanna have skin on my heart like a baby. You know, like like, the longer we spend walking with the Lord, the more time we get reading the Bible, you know, the tendency is to just become more familiar with it and we kind of become inoculated to the power of the gospel and the power of the words in these stories. But but let's just, like, have baby skin on our hearts as we read this and try to read it with fresh eyes. Luke chapter 15, and we're going to read verses 11 through 32. And there's a mic around here.
What I would love to do is have you read several verses in the mic, and then we'll pass it off, And somebody else can read, and you can go back to eating your chocolate donut, and then somebody else can read. So Gretchen, find somebody to start us off.
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story. A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now before you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later, his younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land.
And there, he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, how many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food? And here I am dying of hunger. I'll get up, go to my father, and say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.
So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I no longer like to be called your son.
But his father said to the servants, quick, bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet, and kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began.
Quick side note. I encourage you, go back and read all of Luke chapter 15, just the little note I have in my handwriting at the top of that chapter. I I call it the party chapter, And just go do a a word search. Like, look through all of chapter 15 and do a word count. See how many times you see the word rejoice, party, celebrate, celebration.
This is the party chapter.
Amen. Meanwhile,
the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. Your brother is back, he was told, and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.
Long pause. I'll just do it.
The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, look. All these years of enslaving for you never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a little goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
When this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill a fattened calf for him. You wanna read the last one?
Finish this one. Okay. To
my son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. So
in preparing the conversation this morning, I really feel like the the the the punch line, the main takeaway, the big idea, the Monday morning application is that you could find yourself today even if you are from hundreds of miles away and you've just found yourself here this morning before you go out on your horseback ride or your rafting trip or your hike out to String Lake, whatever it is that you're doing, that there is an area of your life, an aspect of your heart that you keep bumping up against what may seem like a brick wall with no breakthrough, no way around it, no way under it, no way over it, but you're you're stuck at a crossroads unable at the end of your resources to to figure out in your own estimation, how do I get over it, around it, through it, figure this out, and you're at your wits end. Today, the Holy Spirit would like to speak to you through this story that we are all many of us are all really familiar with to show you that perhaps there is a different perspective at the same problem that you can examine that the Holy Spirit will show to you that will unlock the solution for whatever it is that you find yourself up against.
So with that in mind, let's place ourselves in the story and we're gonna start looking at the most common person and perspective for us to see ourselves in the story. Alright? So we're gonna start by looking at at us as the son coming home. How many evangelists have read this story and painted the picture with you in the position of the prodigal son. And it preaches and paints really well because it is so true.
We've squandered our inheritance from the Lord. We've turned our back on him. We have rejected him, and and it is not even because we don't want his goodness. It's because we have an we have inherited this sin nature. We were born rebels.
We were born in opposition to him and his ways of rejecting his love. And it is only after feeding the pigs, which for a a Jewish person in this story, as Jesus was telling this story, they were like, woah. Like, choking back the the grossness of a Jewish, respectable Jewish person being reduced to feeding pigs out in the field. That would just be like the worst thing ever. That would be like if somebody living in Jackson had to move to Rock Springs or something.
Just kidding. Just But it preaches that each and every one of us have fallen. Each and every one of us are in need of a savior. Paul talks about trying to be a good person in terms of earning our right standing with God, and he says that that Paul and his realization after encountering the beauty of Jesus and the glory of the mysterious plan of salvation and redemption and justification and new birth leading to new life. He says, oh, Trying to be a good person was like covering myself in filthy rags and trying to step into the presence of a holy God on my own effort and merit.
Saying, God, look at me. I'm trying to be a good person. And God's like, oh, bro. Paul realizes that. Which is why there was a there was a hymn that was written in like, I don't know, 18 snickety two by this woman who was a prolific hymn writer.
It was made famous by Billy Graham and his ministry team in the crusades. When Billy Graham would get done preaching, his his little organ guy would come up and his deep bare tongue voice would sing the famous hymn. Does anybody know what it is?
How Great Thou Art.
Not How Great Thou Art, but when he was giving that altar call.
Just As I Am.
Just As I Am. Anybody remember that hymn? Don't worry. I won't try to sing it for you, but let me quote the lyrics. Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee.
Oh, lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am and wanting not to rid my soul of one dark blood, to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, o lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings, and fears within and without, oh, lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, wilt pardon, wilt cleanse, wilt relieve because of thy promise, I believe, oh lamb of God, I come, I come. That's how the young man approached going home After having messed up and blown it, covered in pig slop, not a penny to his name, he comes dragging his sorry butt home back to his father just as he is, and that is exactly how the Lord invites us to come to him.
There's this myth that says, well, I gotta get myself cleaned up before I can go to church. I gotta get my acts together before God will receive me. And just like the hymn, and just like in this parable, if you see yourself as the prodigal son, it's a great place to see yourself. Just as we are, if we come to him, we'll be welcomed by the father. Just perspective that we're probably have all heard preached and that we're familiar with.
But let's shift the camera angle, see the same story play out from a little bit different perspective. And perhaps you've encountered this or familiar with this perspective before. But Jesus is like the father who welcomes us. Not only are we like the prodigal son coming home, but Jesus is like the father. The bible says that seeing the son a long way off, he runs to meet his son.
And for some reason, I picture a a long dusty two track road that
at the in
the evening time where the dust is like in the air and burnt orange and sun and he's squinting into the sun and here comes the sun down the road and the father gathers up his robes and runs to meet the son. I love what Luke chapter 15 verse seven says. In the same way, there's more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over 99 others who are righteous and haven't strayed away. Jesus, as a good father, longs for reunion with his son. And you've heard me preach this before, but and this preach is really good.
I better say so myself. The story instead of being titled the prodigal son, it really could be titled the prodigal father. Because prodigal doesn't mean wayward. Prodigal doesn't mean lost. Prodigal doesn't mean like a a punk in rebellion.
Prodigal means extravagant, over, above, and beyond. We call it the prodigal son because he just went full tilt squandering his inheritance. But who was more prodigal? Could not the father also be called prodigal, taking a reckless chance, having his son grow up in his house knowing his son's propensity and proclivity? And when his son came to him and said, dad, I want your inheritance, is not God taking a great prodigal risk by giving him that inheritance?
So Jesus is like your father who took a great risk for us and scans the horizon day after
This made the Pharisees and teachers of religions My
bible
app. It's my bible But app.
Jesus stands to welcome us. And when the prodigal son comes home, the wayward son comes home, look what the father does. And again, we're looking at this story from the perspective of Jesus as the father and we are the son coming home. He puts a ring on our finger. Meaning, he's given us a symbol of authority and adoption into the family.
If you have the family signet ring on your finger, you have the authority of the patriarch of the family. We have been given authority. He put a robe on the son's back. Jesus has put a robe on our back providing a covering for us. What did Jesus say in John as he was talking to the father?
Like, there is there's nobody that's been placed in my hand that can be snatched out of it. Ain't nothing. No height, no depth, nothing can separate us out from the love of God. Small fine print except by our own will if we choose to turn our back on him and walk away. And then finally, Jesus equips us with sandals.
So we have been the Bible says in first Peter that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. He has given us authority. He has given us covering, meaning. If you Yep. I'll say it.
Mhmm. Yeah. I'll say it. You should buy it? Yep.
I'll say it. You write a check on Jesus' checkbook and and give it to somebody that comes back to the bank and Jesus says, oh, yeah. That has that has my son's name on it. I'll cash that. We have been given authority.
When we put on the armor of God, the enemy, it's the same armor that Jesus used when he walked through it to just rip the devil up one side and then the other. When we put on the full armor of God, that dirty devil doesn't know. Is that Jesus again coming at me? He don't know. It's just Cation.
Hallelujah. But he has given us authority by putting the ring on our finger. He has put a robe on our back by giving us a covering, endorsement, and will cash checks that we sign. When we step out in faith, Jesus is like, alright. We can tweak that a little bit, but I love how you're placing a demand on the kingdom of God.
All of heaven leans forward instead of playing it safe and conservative and trying to accomplish things in our own resources. I know that I'm forgiven and I'm a Christian, but I'm trying to do this in my own resources. All of heaven leans forward when God sees that somebody places a demand on the anointing and that covering, and Jesus says, I'm so proud of you. I got your back. Might need to tweak it a little bit, but come on.
Let's do this. And then finally, he has equipped us when he puts sandals on our feet. And sandals, I don't know about you, but like, I kinda wish that he put like like hiking shoes or like steel toed boots on my feet. Like sandals feel kind of vulnerable. Remember when I was guiding that hike of men of Cody Peak and so it's a fun hike to do if you feel ambitious.
You you ride the tram up and you can do this in the summer and then you hike out and you leave the ski area boundary and you kinda like scramble along the ridge and you can top out at Cody Peak. How many of you have done that hike in the summer? Yeah. It's so fun. It's a it's a great hike.
So I got to the the the parking lot, the base of the tram, and I had like 20 or 30 men, a couple other leaders with me. And they were all like, you know, city slicker flatlanders and almost like, you know, the experienced, like, adventurous mountain guy taking a look here. And we're all standing around. I hop out of my truck and I had my flip flops on because I was gonna put my approach shoes on. And I looked in the truck and whoopsies, I forgot my hiking boots.
And so I was like, I've just got flip flops. I can't I'm not gonna run into the store and buy like $300 sneakers like, alright, this is the cross eyed pair. So I guided this hike in my flip flops. Nice. And like it turned out alright.
It turned out alright. But I was afraid that like flip flops weren't going to cut it. Yeah. Yeah. But it turned out to be just adequate enough.
And I love in the bible where it says like, ask not for riches or for wealth, but just my daily bread. He knows your needs. Yes. He knows exactly what you need and what you're going through and has perfectly equipped you for what it is that you're going through even if what he hands you feels like, have some open toed footwear. Are you sure?
He's like, just press it. Just press it. Another perspective. I've got one, two, three, four, really quickly. Here's a perspective you might not have thought of before.
The camera shifts again to review the same scene, but this time, we are the father. We are the father, constantly scanning the horizon. And the prodigal son that we are earnestly looking for coming, walking down the lane is Jesus and his return. Now in this perspective, Jesus is not covered in pig's lock and dragging himself. The Bible says that he came once as a lamb for the forgiveness of sin.
When he returns, he'll come back riding on the clouds as the lion of the trials of Judah. I love this verse in Romans chapter eight verse eighteen and nineteen. And as soon as I'm done reading, I wanna hear from you. I know that I've been flapping my gums a lot. Romans eight eighteen through 19.
Yet, what we suffer is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Can you see the language dripping with eyes that are constantly scanning the horizon? For all of creation is eagerly waiting for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. And and you can study this and unpack that. What is that defining mark when those who have died before he returned returned with him along with myriad of angels riding on the clouds of heaven for every eye to see.
And those of us who are left here on planet earth with our blood pumps still working in the blink of an eye, we will be caught up to glory to meet him as he returns. Is that not the father scanning the horizon? We see Jesus and we're so excited, we literally leap out of our good suits. Now let me check-in with you. I know I've been doing a lot of talking.
We have a little more to unpack about thinking of us as the father, scanning the horizon upon Jesus' return, but I'd love to hear from you. You're soaking it in. Okay. We will, in that day, either rise to meet him with with certainly butterflies in our stomach, but eagerness and anticipation. Where the bible says that there will be a shrinking back.
Oh, I thought I had more time to, like, confess that sin. I thought I had more time to like get serious about my relationship with you. I know that who I'm dating right now is so like like unpleasing to you and and I know that what oh, but I just I thought I had more time. And here he comes. There will either be an eagerness and anticipation to run towards him when we see him crest the hill on the horizon or what the Bible talks about as a shrinking away, a shrinking back.
Remember we talked about that shrinking back in first John two twenty eight. This this is I don't know if this note is on the screen, but can we turn to Hebrews chapter 10 verse thirty seven and thirty nine? Let's read that really quick and then we've got just three more to to touch on. Hebrews chapter 10. I'm gonna hand the phone to Amanda, and she's gonna read chapter 10 verse 37 through 39.
The mic. The mic. Yes. Oh, a contribution. A contribution.
This isn't to derail this next thing we're talking about, but it's interesting because I I see myself always as that prodigal son, you know, like, my own thing and squandering. But I now it's I think it's tricky for a believer to not see themself as the brother. Like, here I've been doing all the thing all this time, and you're gonna give him the glory? Like, what? That's who I now identify with, unfortunately, sometimes, That I have to fight like, wait, they've been a believer for a month Mhmm.
And they just got a promotion, and like, fell in love, and bought a house in Jackson? Like, I've been doing this for, you know, like,
I think
that is my, as a believer, tendency to fight against in a negative way. You know, whereas I used to see myself and was the prodigal son. It's easy, I think, as a believer to not be like,
well Wait. Wait. Are seeing are you seeing how to get the ring, the robe, and the Ribbon. Ribbon?
And then I feel like Jesus is like, oh, boop boop boop. And he rewinds the tape and shows me when I was that.
And I'm like, oh, yes, father. Forgive me. It's good. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 37 through 39.
We had a quick question on that Yeah.
Cool. Romans verse. Oh, yep. Yep.
Talking about, like, how we're waiting waiting for the return or the revealing of the sons. Yeah. I guess that, like, struck me a little bit differently because, like, aren't we all children of God? So
there's so many other verses to to build around this particular passage, but one of the things that just bubble up to my recollection is upon the return of Jesus, he will separate the sheep from the goats. And parable talks about allowing the wheat to grow up with the tares, and a tare is a weed that looks very similar to wheat. And there's even a a kernel that is produced that the the quality of grain is vastly inferior to that of wheat, but the wheat and the tares are both harvested together. They're both threshed using a thresh threshing sledge or a what's the Latin word for it? Trigulum, which is where we get the word tribulation from.
Then the farmer comes, and with his winnowing fork, he tosses up the wheat and the tares that have been harvested and milled and ground through tribulation together. The grain the grain of wheat, because it is heavier, will fall right back down to the threshing floor. The chaff will be blown away along with the tares, the weeds. There is coming a separation. And in fact, when that separation comes, Jesus himself says, people many will come to me.
Multitudes will come to me who attended church regularly, who built hospitals and and planted churches and and built orphanages overseas and dug wells and read their bible and were a faithful tither. They will the bible, Jesus himself said, many will come to me on that day and say, Lord, Lord, did not we prophesy in your name? Didn't we cast out demons in your name? Didn't we lay hands on the sick and heal them in your name? And Jesus will say, depart from me, ye who work iniquity.
I don't know why I had that stuck in my brain in King James version. I do Can you not never you. I never knew you. Who God will reveal who his children really are? Those who have have abided in him, those who know him and he knows him.
I would say also as a mark of who knows him, those whose heart has been touched with the imminent return of Jesus. And part of their life is marked by living, scanning the horizon, longing for his return in the same way that the father longed for the return of the son coming down that dusty track. Does that help? Shrinking away. Hebrews ten thirty eight and thirty nine.
For
in just a little while, the coming one will come That's Jesus. It's in all it's in all caps. Love that. Oh. The coming one will come and not delay.
38. And my righteous ones will live by faith, but I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away. But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones whose souls will be saved.
Here's the thing about turning away. You can't turn away if you weren't, like, on track and following. Right? Because you're just I don't know what you're out there doing playing tiddlywinks. Only those who were on track have the option to turn away and shrink back.
And Jesus says that one of the signs of the end of ages is that the love of many will grow cold. We're going to see an exponential increase of the love of many in the in the church around the world growing cold. These things are just so confusing and I don't know if I follow this, if I follow that, and the world is so complex. I mean, we only had like one little virus and like and we were all like, you know, like the sky is falling and losing our heads and running around doing all kinds of things. But what happens when the heat gets turned up?
The bible says that the love of many will grow cold. But there will be a remnant. There will be a a there will be a a remnant, a generation of men and women and and children who will experience the pressures of the coming tribulation and it will refine them. In Ezekiel, it talks about God refining a remnant, but he refines them by bringing them through the fire. Not saving them from, but bringing them through those who know me.
That's who will be revealed. I'm not saying that no. But I'll leave it with Jesus' words. Thoughts on that about shrinking away, turning back? K.
Shift the camera another time. Yeah. Put that. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I love it, Jay. What? Because you usually ask the questions that, like, everybody else is thinking. Like, fine. I'll ask it.
It's it's not a question this time, but it just like that shrinking back really stuck out to me. It's like that, like, awkward feeling that people have. You used to refer to it as like a record scratch. Sometimes, like, it could be, I don't know, maybe a party that you're not supposed to be at and then your pastor rolls up and it's like, oh, like that awkward film of like,
oh, shoot. They saw me here.
I'm not supposed to be here. And you kinda, like, moonwalk your way out of there. That conviction of doing something that you're not supposed to be doing. And I just thought it was so powerful in this verse, that shrinking back. It is so important how we respond in those situations of are you gonna be the one that shrinks back in shame?
Mhmm. Or are you gonna be the one that is stands firm and you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing? Mhmm. How do you respond when you're convicted? It's just what stood out to me.
Yeah. How do you respond when you are convicted?
It's like January today. So I just have one comment going back, and then I feel like I know what you meant, so I'm just gonna say it because sometimes I translate for Brian. But God's word says, for I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels or principalities or powers or deep things present nor things to come or height nor depth can separate us from the love of God. And then you said in a fine print. And I just wanna be careful to say nothing you can choose to walk away from the provision, from the power, from the safety, from the promises, but his word says you can never walk away from his love.
The moment you turn, he's there.
He will always love you. Yes. And you were saying that, but
I just wanted to make sure that people didn't hear it. You actually can't walk away from the love of God. You actually can't. The Bible says so, but you can certainly walk away from his provision, his protection, his promises.
And let's hold that intention with God will never compromise his love for us Yes. With his sense of justice Yes. Violate our free will nor his holiness.
Like the father in the story didn't go after the son sitting in the pig's slop. He waited, always waiting for him to return.
When that conviction comes, establish that habit early on of just running to him just as I am without one plea even though I'm covered in pig slop. I've messed up. I've blown it. What's great is if you look at Matthew 25, the parable of the 10 virgins, there will come a day when the door is closed and the five foolish virgins come knocking on the door. Let us in.
Let us in. The master of the house says, sorry. The party has already started. The door is locked. I'll go so far as to say the five foolish virgins experienced an amount of loss.
We're gonna fill in what that loss is, but that hasn't happened yet. So if your pastor walks in on you at the bar, which will never happen to me Oh, yeah. Here at church. Or, you know, whatever you're convicted in that moment, it's not too late. Run to him.
Run to him. Run Run to Run to to to him. Right where you are just as you are. Run to him. The Bible says in first John one nine that if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just.
He will forgive us of our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness. Run to him. Run to him. Two more. Think of Jesus as the most unlikely character in the whole drum.
Think of Jesus as the fattened calf. What was the purpose of that calf? He wasn't some scrawny old steer in the back 40 that, like, had, like, hoof rot and, like, misshapen horns. Well, let's go take that one, you know. The bible says kill the fattened calf.
And the idea is that calf was being raised from the time that it was born for a very specific purpose. That calf was born to die. Jesus came the first time as the fattened calf to die as a sacrifice. How is it that the young man gets to squander the incredible blessings that he's been given? Literally with nothing to show but manure under his fingernails and dirt in his hair comes dragging his sorry butt back.
Imagine if you are the calf and your tail is wagging and you're skipping around because you've got the best pen, the best stall, the best food that's given to you, and here comes that hired hand that's been feeding you day after day like, who is it? Is it time for a spa treatment? Do I get more oats? Like, dinner time's not for a couple of hours. Am I getting an additional like, little batch of oats to fat me up?
This is so great. But the hired hand was coming for a different purpose. And then, he looks and sees the sun coming up the driveway. And he's like, wait a minute. Well well, I'm about to give my life for that?
He smells worse than I do. But think as the story, the same story but the camera angle shifts. Think of Jesus as the fattened calf who laid down his life. The Bible says in John chapter 10 verse 15, just as the father knows me and I know the father, I lay my life down for the sheep. Isaiah fifty three ten, but it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, the chastisement that brought us peace was laid upon him, the fattened calf. One more verse. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12. Okay. It's not the last verse, but it's the last verse in this book.
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12. Hopefully, you're writing that address down and you can come back and unpack it and study it later. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12. But our high priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sin, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.
Jesus is like that fattened calf who was born to die for our sins. Thankfully, we don't look only backwards at what he has done. That is a great place to start. But for those who have received the forgiveness that he offers and have come into a right relationship with him and loves him, we now get to look forward to his great and glorious return. Okay.
Finally, camera shifts again one last time. Same same story unfolds, but we get to see, as you had touched on a little bit, Jesus as a better older brother. Jesus is the better older brother. Look at Matthew chapter 10 verse 12. Jesus is speaking and he says, if a man has a 100 sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do?
Won't he leave that 99 others on the hills and go out and search for the one that is lost? Jesus, woo. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. You you weren't the older brother in the story that sat back and was a little punk having a pity party.
But as the older brother, knowing the great heart wrenching sadness that the father experiences and grieves over the loss of relationship with his son, Jesus, as a better older brother, says, dad, you stay put. Let me go get it. Let me go get it.
Hey, pal.
Let me go get it. I'm so thankful of Jesus as a better, bigger brother. If we had more time this morning and you had more of an opportunity and more maybe more courage, or maybe you're just being polite and respectful, or maybe you're just absorbing it. But if we had more time to hear when you see the story, how does your camera angle shift? Who do you see in the different roles and and what plays out?
I think we kinda only scratched the surface. Maybe some of these perspectives, some of them you've seen before, yay, yay. But maybe some of these perspectives are brand new to you. I've never thought of the story that way. In a similar way, as I said at the beginning of our conversation this morning, maybe you find yourself familiar with the story, but at a dead end.
Today, and I I wish I could translate it for each and every one of you. Oh, in your circumstance. Oh, in your circumstance, but the Holy Spirit's so much better at that to to translate your situation and your circumstance. But if you will bend the knee of your heart, help me to see the story of what I'm going through from a different perspective. In the same way that we just did here with this little parable, I believe that he wants to do that in your heart this morning to unlock or open some doors to help you see something in a new way that you're like, oh, wow.
And today would be a day of breakthrough. Today would be a day maybe of finally being able to put something to rest, a day of healing or forgiveness or a day of lightening of the burden.
We have confidence in who you are and your faithfulness. Thank you, Jesus. So, as we wind down service, we just want to worship him together one more time as a family, as a tribe family, where we bring our tithe and our offering to him. This isn't just to check the box because it's church for us. This is another opportunity that we have to say, Jesus, I love you.
I trust you. It's all yours anyway, and I'm just gonna give a portion of my finances to you because you say so and because I know that it not only blesses your heart, but I get to honor you, and it goes to do the work of your kingdom here on earth. We get to be your hands and your feet and your mouth to those who don't yet know you. What an honor that is to be part of something like that. So we'll just pray whether you give now or on your own.
I just wanna tell you a couple practical things. We don't pass buckets or anything here, but if you have your smartphone, that's the easiest way to give, and you can see the instruction. You just get out your phone and start a new number to 84321. Just type in the amount you wanna give. Gives you some instructions.
If you have a check or cash, there is a little spot right by the swinging swing doors on your right as you head out. You can drop that in there or go to our website. Let's just close our eyes and pray pray together over there. Heavenly father, you are faithful. You are good.
You are unchanging. We thank you for who you are. Thank you for the opportunity we have anytime to bring our finances. Just lay them at your feet. We bring our tithe to you and then above and beyond that are offering and you're so inclining our hearts to
do so. But it's all out
of obedience to you. Not for the people sitting around us, not to show our pastor, not to even show our spouse, like, well, which is for you. We do it out of obedience. What an honor it is to practice obedience in this way. And we say thank you.
And, Lord, we just pray over the finances and all the families that are giving today. That it will just go and accomplish exactly what you wanted to accomplish, father, just to show people your love and to bring more people into your kingdom. Because that's the privilege and the honor we get as Christians. We thank you for it. Whether we see the fruit of it or not, we give you praise.
In Jesus' name, amen. Alright.
Just a couple quick things, and then
we will get you out of here. Right before you go, across from the coffee, there's a little a couple little sign up sheets. If you've not heard of TMA, that's Tribe Mountain Adventures, and that's something that we do here as a team. And my goodness, look where we live. Tribe Mountain Adventures, how could we not have that
as part of what we do? So we go out
and do some there's
big heights. Brian won't wear his flip flops, he
will remember his shoes, I think. Sometimes. Sometimes. Depends on the level of adventure you choose.
But we have one coming up, and this
is actually last Jacob, I'm sorry. I meant to give you a picture. That was my bad. I didn't do it. We had a we had a fun family hike, and then there was another hike yesterday, and people showed up, and
it was lovely, and kids were involved. These are Jacob's interpretation. Yeah. Squint. We're all there.
Look real hard behind the mat.
Okay. So we have one coming up. It's top roping. If you've never done some climbing, especially with Brian, he's really good at instructing, especially people with their with their first time. And we're gonna go hike through Wilson Canyon, and then just do some top roping.
If you have equipment, great. If not, we have harnesses and ropes and things for you. So that's coming up on Friday, August 18. Sign up for that if you are interested. You can talk to us after for more details.
Also, if you didn't know this, we have church not just Sunday here, but every Tuesday at our original home, the TMC, they're right across from Whole Foods. And so we're gonna have another service like usual this Tuesday, but something that's not usual is that we're gonna do baptisms this Tuesday. So if you have not signed up and you excuse me. If you have not been water baptized, please sign up and do that. If you're feeling that in your heart, if you're like, this is my time.
I'm ready. I wasn't baptized as a kid, and my mom thinks I was, but I'm convinced that I wasn't. But, I don't I have zero remembrance of it. And, there was a time in college in my twenties where I was just like, I was at church, and they were offering just on the spot, and they're like, we have shirts, we have this. And, I was like, my heart I was serving the Lord and walking with Him, and I thought, I to go.
I have to go. Make it my my choice, my conscious choice. And I'm so glad I did. So if you were baptized as a kid, it's not like breaking any of God's laws to do it again if you didn't have a remembrance of it. Because what we do when we are water baptized, the Bible says that we it's like representing what God did.
Like, our old sinful self is gone, under the water, drowned, washed away, and we come up new. And it's just an outward expression of what's taken place in our heart. Whether it was that day or twenty years ago, it's an outward expression that you're showing the world this is who I'm living for, this is how
I am. And I think
it also this is not in the bible, but I think it just gives your friends accountability to kinda hold you hold you to a certain standard. So there's that. Pastor Ryan is here. Will you come pray for us? And then if you have more questions about water baptism, just come up and talk to him right after.
We're doing that this Tuesday, and you can sign up for a meal or to do dishes.
Yeah. Has
any has any church ever said sign up to do the dishes on Tuesday, but that's who we are. Welcome. Thanks,
Amanda. Would you stand up, please? I'd love to pray for you. And as soon as we dismiss here, I'm gonna invite Jay, Chris, and Matt Grabowski to three very handsome, capable gentlemen over here. And if there's anything that you need prayer for, like, they would love to agree with you in prayer and pray with you and and pray for you.
So please avail yourself to them as soon as we dismiss right here. Alright? With that being said, hold your hands like this and close your eyes. Jesus, being your lead under shepherd for this flock, with you being the senior pastor of this church, with the authority that you have delegated to me, I command a blessing over each and every person that is here today. Will you meet them right where they're at?
Will you open the eyes of their hearts to see you? Would you give them the a fresh perspective on a thing that they've been banging their heads against the wall on and release a measure of your power and your grace that they have not yet known. God, ask that you would cause them to prosper this week and help them to enjoy their family, their spouse, and this beautiful creation that you've given us here in Jackson Hole. We pray these things in Jesus' name, the strong son of God. And everybody said Amen.
Amen. I love you guys so much. I want you to have a great week. And remember, extended better family, you got this.
