The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Tribe fam gathered outdoors at the park for this message from Brian on one of the most contested claims Jesus ever made: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The question driving the whole sermon was why those words would get Jesus canceled then, and why they would get him canceled even faster today. The answer, Brian argued, is that Jesus is being exclusive, and our culture has no patience for that.
What was said
Brian opened by asking the congregation directly why Jesus would be canceled for that statement in John 14. People called out answers: the "all roads lead to God" assumption, the idea that being a good person is enough, the view that God doesn't exist at all and so exclusivity is a non-issue. Brian let those answers sit and then worked through what the claim actually means. Having right standing with God, he said, is what Jesus is pointing to. Every religion humans have invented asks people to climb their way up to God. Jesus says that climb is impossible, and he has already done something about it.
The "shadow side" of Jesus's words, Brian said, is that they are genuinely exclusive. There is one way. But the other side of that is that Jesus doesn't leave people guessing. Unlike the IRS, which tells you that you owe without telling you exactly what you owe, Jesus tells you exactly what the answer is and has already paid it.
Brian moved to Ephesians 2, where Paul writes about God being rich in mercy and saving people by grace through faith, not by works. Brian kept returning to the word "inclusive" as he read it, because the offer itself is thrown open wide. It is not about what a person has achieved or earned. The hard work, Brian said, is finished. That is what makes it inclusive.
He read from Romans 10, asking the congregation to call out whether each phrase was inclusive or exclusive. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord" is inclusive. But there is only one name. That is the exclusive part. The offer is as wide as it gets. The door is only one door.
Brian pulled it together with a line from James 4: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He said that sentence holds both things at once. Pride keeps a person on the outside. Humility is the key that unlocks the door. And once that door opens, he said, the inside reads "all are welcome."
He closed by noting that there are a million ways a person can come to Jesus. It might have happened in a Catholic church or a Mormon church or somewhere else entirely. But there is only one way to the Father, and that is through his son. The bold, exclusive claim is exactly what got Jesus canceled, Brian said, and it would happen just as fast today.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
Download the Church Center app so you have an easy way to stay connected with Tribe.
Spend some time this week thinking about how you came to Jesus, so you're ready to share that story when Brian opens it up for the congregation.
If pride has been keeping you at arm's length from God this week, take a quiet moment to come to him in humility and ask for his grace.
Ask a friend or family member why they think Jesus would get canceled for saying 'I am the way, the truth, and the life', and use it as a door to talk about your faith.
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 said that in every religion except Christianity, people have to climb their way to salvation, while in Christianity God came down to save us. What do you think that difference actually means for how you live day to day?
The congregation went back and forth on whether Jesus's words in John 14 are inclusive or exclusive. How do you personally hold those two things together?
Brian comenzó invitando a la congregación a pensar por qué Jesús sería "cancelado" hoy por decir "Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida; nadie viene al Padre sino por mí." Abrió la conversación con quienes estaban presentes en el parque, y las respuestas giraron en torno a que la cultura actual prefiere creer que todos los caminos llevan a Dios, o que ser buena persona es suficiente. Brian explicó que en todas las demás religiones el ser humano intenta trepar hacia Dios por sus propios méritos, pero que solo en el cristianismo Dios mismo bajó para salvarnos.
La enseñanza central giró en torno a una tensión que Brian llamó inclusivo y exclusivo. Jesús es exclusivo porque él es el único camino al Padre, pero al mismo tiempo es radicalmente inclusivo porque el regalo de la salvación está disponible para cualquiera que lo pida con humildad. Leyó pasajes de Efesios y Romanos para mostrar que la salvación no depende de obras ni de méritos propios, sino de la gracia de Dios recibida por fe.
Al final, Brian usó un versículo de Santiago para resumir todo: Dios resiste al orgulloso, pero da gracia al humilde. La puerta de la gracia de Dios es exclusiva por fuera, pero la llave que la abre es la humildad, y una vez adentro, el letrero dice "todos son bienvenidos." También anunció que el próximo domingo se recibirá una ofrenda especial para un grupo de soldados reservistas israelíes que visitarán Jackson Hole como parte de un tiempo de descanso y recuperación organizado por el ministerio Risen Hearts.
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Pasajes biblicos usados:
Juan 14:6
Efesios 2:4-9
Romanos 10:9-13
Santiago 4:6
Read the full transcript3,351 words
My tail's wagging ma'am. My tail's wagging for you, ma'am. Would you stand with me this morning? Oh, Lord, we invite your presence in this park today. We ask that you would meet us here.
We tell you that we're here to meet with you. We give you permission to speak to us today. And it'd be the best thing if we left this park here today different because we met with you. So come and change us today as we worship you, as we dig into your word. We tell you we love you.
We honor you today with our time, with our voices. Thank you that when all of this fades away, you remain. You, Jesus, for all that you've done. Amen. If you know the song, sing them.
We don't have words for you, So, you can close your eyes and you just thank him this morning. You. We thank you this morning. Would you just take a minute and write where you are? Would you just thank him?
Just thank him for that. Are not just words to a song but they're truth. And no matter where you find yourself this morning, that his love never fails. His love never runs out on you. No matter how far away you might be this morning or how close, he just wants to remind you today that your debt is paid, that your debt is paid in full, that there's forgiveness available today.
And what he asks for in return is your whole life surrendered to him. And as that sun comes out and warms us, Lord, we just ask you right now. We just ask you that we would feel your presence this morning. New and fresh just like the manna in the desert as we surrender to you. Just surrender to him today.
It's the best deal going. He paid the price for your sin. And today, we give you our life. Sing this.
Or exclusive? Exclusive. Exclusive. This is the moment that Jesus would be canceled in his day and how much more in our day. And let me ask you this.
These words right here, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the father except through me. Why would he get canceled for that statement? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you.
Lisa has the mic, and we could hear your voice here at the park, but we got a lot of families that travel for work or getting out of town. And so for the livestream, the mic picks up their contribution your contribution as well. So tell me, why in today's culture would Jesus get canceled for saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life? No one comes to the father except through me. Why would that get him canceled today?
What are your thoughts?
Got my running shoes. Yeah. The
typical response is, you know, all roads lead to God, and all these religions are just pointing in the same direction. Direction. And Jesus comes down and says that's false.
You know?
Only in Christianity has God come to earth to save us and redeem us. In every other religion, we have to climb our way to salvation, which is impossible anyway.
So well said. Other thoughts, any other contributions to to that? So many people also say that I'm a good person, and that's all I need. Yeah. All roads lead to God.
I am a good person that's good enough. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah.
I was just gonna say that I think he's saying that he's almost objective. Like, Jesus is objective. There's nothing subjective about it that if you wanna go to heaven, it's only through him. So
You know how yeah. He'll.
An argument would be there is no God currently. There is like, there's no need for this because there is no
You can't be exclusive if that's not even reality. Yeah. I mean, that wouldn't that be the ultimate inclusivity? There is no boundaries, borders, or parameters. Jesus sets a very create he creates a very exclusive place.
I'm the only way to the father. And if we're defining terms, I'm sure that most of you could, you know, what he means by this. But just to be really clear, the way to the father means having a right standing relationship with God. Really, God is is big and generous, and man has invented all these various ways to God, and they're known as Buddhism, Shintoism, Mormonism, on and on and on, but it all ends up leading to God. That's not what Jesus is saying at all.
Nor is Jesus saying that there is no way to God because God doesn't exist. He's saying God exists, and there is a exclusive way. His words should thunder in our hearts as loud today as they did two thousand years ago. The shadow side of Jesus's words, there aren't really any shadow sides to Jesus' words. So if you're gonna quote that, is that he cancel.
Is that he's being very exclusive. The bright side is that he tells us exactly how to have right standing with him. Instead of man trying to invent ways to claw their way up to God, as you said a moment ago, through good works or like Nancy said, oh, I'm I'm a good person. That's good enough. Jesus says that ain't good enough.
But imagine if he hadn't followed it up. That ain't good enough. Almost like filing for your taxes. The IRS knows exactly how much money you owe them every year. Why won't you just tell me, no.
You gotta figure it out. No. What? Okay. Well, I'm gonna pay this amount based upon my best calculations.
And then if the IRS says, like, good job, you never hear from them. But if you mess it up, they're like, that's not quite enough. Well, how much more do I owe? You're gonna have to figure that out. I'm so glad that God is not like the IRS.
Jesus, although very exclusive, tells us how to have right standing with him. He says, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the light. All of these other things that you're chasing are not going to end you up at the destination that you're looking for.
We're gonna turn just to as we start to lay on the plane here, couple more passages. Why don't you click on Ephesians chapter two just really quickly? Ephesians chapter two verses I'll start in verse four. Paul is talking and he says this, but because of his great love for us, inclusive or exclusive? Inclusive.
Inclusive. God who is so rich in mercy, inclusive, made us alive with Christ even while we were dead in our transgressions. He has the courage to be honest with us. It is by grace that you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming age, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us all in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace that you have been saved, and his grace is a gift from God, the most inclusive opportunity ever given in the history of the world through faith, and this is not of yourselves. He's so inclusive. He's like, it's not even really about you. It's about what my father has done and the finished work that I have done on the cross for you. Inclusive.
I've done the hard work. Exclusive. You need to die on the cross for your sins. Inclusive. There's no way that you could do that, and I don't want you to do that.
I will pay the price. Inclusive. And this is not by works so that no one can boast. One more verse, Romans. And I know that you're familiar with these verses.
Romans chapter 10 verses nine through 13. If you openly declare that Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead, you're in. Inclusive. You will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
As the scriptures tell us, anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced, inclusive. Jews and Gentiles are the same in this respect for they have the same Lord who gives generously to all who call on him. For everyone, inclusive or exclusive
Inclusive.
Inclusive, who calls upon the name of the Lord, inclusive or exclusive Exclusive. Exclusive. You don't just get to pick, but there's only one name under heaven and earth and under which men may call upon where salvation is found. That is the name of Jesus. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
That's some great news for us here at the park. That's some great news for anyone listening on the livestream. That's some great news for people that are listening from their vans or for all of Jackson Hole into the uttermost bounds of the earth. You know, there are a million ways to Jesus, And it would be fun sometime, not now, but sometime, another time, to hear how you came to Jesus. Not all of us came by means of the same way.
There are a million ways to Jesus, and it could have been in the Catholic church. It could have been in the Mormon church, but there's only one way to God, and that is through his son. And it was for that bold claim that Jesus spoke about that got him canceled. I'd I'd like to think that Jesus would get canceled every bit as fast today as he did back then, if not even quicker. Last thing that I'll say is this, in James chapter four James chapter four verse six, James is speaking who is the brother of Jesus, and he said this, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Can you see inclusivity and exclusivity right in that one sentence? God gives grace to the humble. If you realize that you can't save yourself, that you've messed up, that you've blown it, no amount of trying to be a good person is ever gonna make up for the wrong that was committed, and you humble yourself and come to the Lord, whether it's unto salvation like getting saved for the first time or maybe just maybe you've messed up and you and you blew it this week. Maybe this morning. I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. The perfect old angel like you, but somebody else. If you stay in your condition of pride, it's very exclusive. God's like, well, hey, man.
That that's on you. But James says, but if you humble yourself, Lord, I need you. Lord, help Those exclusive doors on one side of the door that says very exclusive. But humility is the key that unlocks the doors of God's grace. And on the inside of the doors, it says, all are welcome.
That was good. I think I just preached myself to the end of that message with that last delusion. Quit there, Brian. Quit there. Let's let's make some room for the Lord to just whisper to our hearts about what he is speaking to us regarding this idea.
Have you tried to stay in your pride? Are you ready to come to him in humility? Have you found yourself playing these silly games of society? Maybe you're you're you were well intentioned but misguided. Do you have, like, an irritation with those games that the culture is trying to play today?
Just bring it to him. Holy spirit, come and just whisper to our hearts for the few moments that we have left in service this morning. Just come and whisper to us. Two last things before we scurry out of here. Number one, whether we're meeting on some rather nasty, dirty hardwood floors or synthetic carpeting, or we're on this rich, beautiful, custom designed carpeting here this morning.
We always make room to worship the Lord in three different ways. We worship the Lord through song, by singing out loud, which, man, you guys were such great singer out louders. We worship the Lord by honoring and which we've done today. And the last way that we worship the Lord is by bringing a portion of our finances to him through our tithes and offerings. And it's a way of telling him two things.
Number one, I love you, Lord. Thank you for making a spot on the team for me when I so didn't deserve it. You're so inclusive. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. I love you. And then the other reason that we bring our tithes and offerings here at Tribe, not out of religious obligation, but out of out of a way of saying, Lord, I trust you. You trust him with your life, with your salvation, with your future, with your housing, with your jobs, with your successful climb, like, why not trust him with your finances? A lot of people think like, well, I'll give and I'll tithe once I and then you have some sort of weird mystery amount that always seems to be just beyond what you're making or capable of giving now.
Just start where you are with what you got. God sees that and he's like, wow. Thank you for trusting me with a portion of your finances. Watch what I can do with that. So let me pray over the offering.
I'll share with you how the the best way to give when we're out here at the park, it's not by feeding the squirrels. Squirrels, we don't even have squirrels in Wyoming. Well, let me pray over the offering, and then one last announcement before we get out of here. Lord Jesus, thank you for being so good to us. When I was the least qualified person, you extended an invitation to me.
Literally, the single solitary, most inclusive human in all of human history. With one little caveat, we have to lay down our life. Lord, laying down my life to you was the best thing that I've ever done. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for inviting me on the team.
And Lord, because of that great love that I have for you, I surrender a portion of my finances to tell you that I love you and that I trust you. For everyone that's giving today, God, I ask that you would use these finances that they have earned meritoriously for the hard work that they've done this week. That as they surrender a portion of their finances, you would bless them, you would give back to them, and supply all of their needs according to your riches and glory which are in Christ Jesus. We pray these things in Jesus name and everybody said, amen. So there is a little wooden box there and you can give cash or check.
We've also put up a new QR code that you can scan and and that's probably the best way to be generous with your tithes and offerings. If you scan that, you'll give to this place called Church Center that just it's just a way of of electronically giving towards tribe that will go to tribe. If you call tribe home, you should just download that app. It's really easy. I won't tell you more about it.
Just figure it out or hand your phone to a young person and they'll figure it out for you. Last thing, next week next week, we're going to receive a special offering. I invite you this week to be praying about it. Next week, we're going to receive a special offering. Last year, we we did this.
Remember, there were a group of IDF soldiers that were reservists that were coming to Jackson Hole for a little bit of therapeutic r and r to get around some Jesus people. Well, our friends, Ali, and her ministry, Risen Hearts, are doing the same thing again this summer, and Tribe is lucky enough to participate with them. And we're going to receive a special offering for these guys that will help cover the cost of the meals while they're here in Jackson. And I just wanna let you know who these guys are. I haven't met them yet, but these are reservists.
So service in the military in Israel is compulsory. It's mandatory. You gotta serve a minimum two years whether you are a a man or a woman, you gotta serve because that's how their their country continues to exist without being pushed into the sea. And so reservists are people who have served either the minimum two years or gone on to have their career in the military, retire from the military, and then they become a contractor, they become a teacher, they become a grocery store worker. They're mothers.
They're fathers. But because of the current situation in Israel, they've been called back to active duty. So these are moms, dads, school teachers who are called up as reservists to go and fight these particular people who are fighting on the front lines in Northern Israel in the Golan Heights where Hezbollah continues to harass and invade and maraud Northern Israel, and so they want to be home with their family. They want to be working their normal jobs. But the survival of their family and for their country demands that they put back on the uniform.
And so these are a group of men that have recently just got done serving. They're on their way home, but they're gonna stop in Jackson to dip their toes in a snake river, sit around a campfire, get some Jesus in them, and then go home to Israel. So next week, we'll be receiving a special offering for them. Okay? Can I pray for you?
Stand up if you can even get out of that awkward camp chair. And as I pray, I'm gonna invite Andy to come up here. Let's let's pray for Andy real quick. Oh, James, he's going off to school. Come here.
James, where are you going to school? Oh, man. That's awesome. Just down the road. So this is for Tribe family.
They can I'd see you. James, where are you going? Dearly beloved, you're gathering. Well, why is your heart racing all of a sudden? I can I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding. Aren't you gonna miss me giving you a hard time at church on Sunday? Lord Jesus, I pray for these high school seniors that you would bless them. You would give them great favor with their teachers. Give them great favor with other students.
Lord, I ask that you would bring Christian friends along next to them to encourage them, to help build them up in their faith, and that they would find young men and young women that they can lead and shepherd and mentor and encourage. Lord, we pray for their parents that you would provide all of their finances so that they can sit through school, get a great education, and go out and make a difference in this world. And Lord Jesus, I command a blessing over each and every person that is here in the park today. Lord, keep us safe on our climbing adventures. Keep us great and effective in the workplace.
Thank you, Lord, in advance for meeting all of our needs according to your riches and glory. We pray these things in Jesus' name, the strong son of God. And everybody said, amen. Amen. I love you so very much.
Have a great week. And remember, you got this. Yep. Yep. Yes.
