Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 1372 | An ‘Unashamed’ Boots-on-the-Ground Report from America 250 Goes Sideways

Episode Date: July 8, 2026

The America 250 celebration gives the guys a patriotic jump-start as Zach brings back a firsthand report from Washington, D.C., including a moving visit to the Museum of the Bible, run-ins with secret service, and the world’s largest-ever fireworks show. Jase, Al, and Zach connect America’s story to the deeper foundation of Scripture, tracing how God’s Word has endured through history and still points people toward the source of real freedom. Jase follows a biblical trail showing how Jesus fulfills the 10 words of creation, the 10 commandments, and the “I am” statements that reveal his divine identity.  In this episode: James 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; James 2:22-23; Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44; John 1:1, 14; Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28-29; Exodus 3:2-6, 14; John 6:35; John 8:12, 24, 28, 58; John 10:7, 11; John 11:25; John 14:6; John 15:1; John 3:14, 19-21; John 12:32; James 4:10; Philippians 2:8-9; Hebrews 13:8; John 17:5; Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:28-29 “Unashamed” Episode 1372 is sponsored by: https://cozyearth.com/unashamed — Get up to 20% off when you use our link and code UNASHAMED!  https://chministries.org/unashamed — Get a better solution at half the cost of traditional healthcare! http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ — Sign up now for free, and join the Unashamed hosts every Friday for Unashamed Academy Powered by Hillsdale College Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Chapters 00:00 Jase Gets Sucked into the World Cup 06:18 Jase Solves the Problem of American Soccer 11:20 Al’s Grandson Takes the World Cup Loss Hard 14:27 Zach’s Wild Fourth of July Trip to D.C. 21:13 Fulfilling the “Royal Law” of Scriptures 29:29 The 10 Words of Creation & the 10 Commandments 34:53 Jesus’ 10 “I Am” Statements in John 40:10 The Identity of Jesus in the Father 47:05 Jesus as the Fulfillment of Moses and Abraham — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? Welcome back to Unashamed. I'm down here at the southern layer where we've had a tremendous Fourth of July weekend holiday. I don't know what you call it. We had World Cup. There's all kind of things going on. And I realize we're kind of coming on after the fact. But I don't know. Were y'all as excited as I was about the Fourth and about the World Cup and all the happenings in America? Yes and no. I mean, I'm, you were in D.C. for the fourth, right? Yeah, that's a whole conversation right there.

Let's have it. That's why we're here. Well, Jason, you want to start a World Cup or do we want to start with Fourth of July shenanigans? I can't believe y'all bringing up the World Cup because I've had quite the total. 24 hours because I drank the Kool-Aid. It's somewhere in there. I thought because every four years, I dip my toe. Look, I don't know anything about soccer.

And I had a daughter who played for a year or two, and one of my sons played. Me too. So I got the gist of it, which is, you know, that's not overthinking. Kick the ball in the goal and repel the ball when it comes. a year ago. You get about, what is it, 10 or 11 men, 11 men out there, which is the same as what we call football, but this is all about, you know,

it's not really football because you can use your chest or your head. Can't use your hands. Yeah. So for all of you like me. Unless you're the goalie, the goalie can use his hands. Well, now last night, so I don't know when this will be released, but in our time, last night, you know, we're playing Belgium. And everybody's like, this is different.

And I actually watched the first few games. Slowly I got absorbed because I was like, I actually think we're pretty good this year. We've got a chance. So, wow, I did something I've never done during the World Cup. I went to a watch party with about a dozen other guys. We all gather up. Wow. Here we go.

So we get over there and we can't get the TV to work. So now the first 10 minutes. You should have went home right then. You should have just left. You're not going to believe what I'm fixing to tell you. The first 10 minutes of the game, we're all watching it on our phones. Because on your phone, you know, soccer is kind of pulled back because they're trying to give you the big, big scene. We all thought since in the other games, what?

appeared to me, I thought we were the ones in white. We're hooping and hollering, high-fiving, and I'm thinking, we are, this is a matter of time here, because the white jerseys, which turned out to be light blue once we finally got the TV work in 10 minutes into the game. I'm like, we've been rooting for the Belgium team, dominating the game. Then we realized, wait a minute, our goal, he's asleep at the post. But, James, let's just start right there.

That's the problem with soccer. I mean, I know there's a lot of fans out there. If you can't tell who you're rooting for it, I've had this problem the entire time. I'm like, are we the darn jerseys of the white jersey? I have been lost the entire FIFA because I don't know who's who on the feet. We went from white to blue without me knowing it. Then I realized, wait a minute.

We are the inferior team here. We are being absolutely dominated. Well, Jill, we were with a group that they were all big soccer fans. And so before we got there, they sent a text out basically, I think it was directed at me. Like, basically you're invited, but you can't be cynical. That was that. So Jill's like, before we walk in, Jill's like, Zach, that's the lead-in to every visit you've ever done.

You can come, but don't be cynical. Don't be cynical. Jill's like, when we walk in, she's like, hey, you don't, no, dude, just like, enjoy the moment. Like, you don't have to make fun of it. You don't have to, like, just don't be cynical. And so I was like, I walked in with that in the back of my mind, and I was like, you know what?

So I walk in, I'm starting to engage in. I'm like talking about soccer, asking questions. I'm trying to, like, make small talk around the event. And then Jill says, they have cheerleaders in soccer. And, of course, that was, everyone looks at, no, what are you talking about? Of course, then we get the snobbery. And then Jill was like, oh, I get it. That's why you're harsh on them because they're harsh when you don't understand the game.

I mean, but I will say that I got into it, though. I was unlike Jace, I knew their team from the very beginning. We had that guy in our group who was being cynical because I was like, once I realized, oh, we're in the dark jerseys. We're not going to win this game. They're like, quit being negative. They review them as being negative. I'm like, I see what I see.

Yeah, we're not going to win this game. They are at another level. Now, we can start getting into the reasons why, which we did, which caused basically we spent a couple of hours arguing over the rules of the game. None of us know them. We still have, I get football in, our football on side and offside. I get it.

He jumped offside. This is more complicated than that. And I thought, you know where the problem is? Because I was shocked to find out, which everybody already knows this, but me. We went out and hired our coach. He's not even from our country. He's from Venezuela. And I'm like, that should show you that we have a problem.

We can't find one American who knows enough about soccer to be the coach. Yeah. So I thought last night I thought here's what we do. Here's how we win this. Because I get it. All our best athletes, which I think we had a pretty good team. But you need a couple of guys. I don't know if you've seen this guy from Norway.

He's 25. Looks like he should be in a Marvel movie, the look of him. And this guy is. six five, I looked it up, he's six, five, two twenty, and runs like a deer and can just jump, you know, and he uses his head as a weapon. I mean, he could just, he could be in law enforcement just in the use of his head. So I'm like, so all we need is a couple guys like that. Well, we have them, but they're playing real football, our football, or baseball or basketball, you know, professional. You take a couple of those guys. You go get these coaches who have been,

so successful that they don't have anything to do. And I'll give you, I'll give you who I suggest. We go get Nick Saban and you're up. Yeah. What's he got to do? You get Bill Belichick. He's obviously, has run out of something to do. He's coaching college football.

He's dead, he's a 25-year-old. I got 25-year-old girlfriend, too. Just stay with me. Stay with me. So you got Belichick, you got Nick Saben. Then you hire Coach O. They're paying him nothing because he's already getting paid for being the coach. He's the greatest recruiter.

And you're like, hey, Coach O, oh, thanks soccer. Oh, yeah, you've got to have recruiters at it because you've got to lure our professional athletes. You got to get your current guy. That's the best recruiter. I'm not finished here. No, no, I'm not finished. You can't have people that are busy doing something. You got to find, we take those three guys.

Then you hired Denzel Washington. What's he doing? Because a lot of soccer is your acting ability. We're terrible at it. These other teams, these year a pinning. I'm literally thinking this guy is dying, take him to the hospital. Once he gets the foul, oh, he gets up and takes off running, you know. We don't have good enough actors.

What's Denzel Washington doing? Is that a new thing? America. These are people that love America. from what I've gathered. I mean, like, Coach Lel, you're like, what's his biggest quality? He loves Louisiana. I mean, he absolutely love, we have to tap into that spirit.

That's your brain trust. Give them three months. They'll learn everything there is you can learn about soccer. They'll go, we'll take the pool that we got. Keep those little quick guys and all that. But get a couple studs. Pay them the money to say, use your body. I mean, we have the freak athletes.

What was the guy who played for Georgia who's tied in? He's playing for the Raiders. What's that guy? Oh, oh, gosh. It's Brock, Brock. Yeah, Brock, that's him. Guys like that, like LeBron James when he was 23. You know, we had these guys who are superior athletes.

Think of just wide, remember that we've had multiple wide receivers. Just look at LSU when we won national championship, Al. uh justin jefferson uh what's the guy that went and played with bar mar chase jemar chase yeah look that you can't tackle them you can't they're just like it's like trying to go in the in the woods tackling a deer you you can't they're just they're gone that's why they're making millions of dollars you need a couple of those guys down there in the middle of poop whoop they're too big to do anything with they're too quick they're just superior athletes so if you want to win that's what you got to do

because I mean you think Belgium I'm not hating on Belgium look because my first shotgun that ever had was made in Belgium because everybody was griping about they're like what had they done I was like no wait a minute here make shotgun I said the same thing last night they make waffles and shotguns

I can live an entire life on having a great shotgun and Belgium Browning was that what was that Browning 85 or what was the Yeah, the original ground. I'm noticing a pattern because then you also, you have Italy who's supposed to best team. Guess what they're famous for?

Shotguns. Making shotguns. They got shotguns and pizza. Belgium got shotguns and waffles. We focus on what makes that spirit alive and be proud of it. Hire your best guys. We'll learn the – because to me, the problem is we're having to hire somebody from another country in a game. The only reason we're all watching is that –

because it's country against country. That's what lured us in. So that's my rant on that. That's what has to happen. Now, will that happen? Probably not, but it seems like a better idea than what we got. So we're making the transition guys at home from our cozy earth. You know, got the cuddle bubble blanket.

A little too hot right now. It's been burning up. Now we're switching to the bamboo sheets in the bamboo pajamas because I want to be cool at night. Well, that's what I love about cozy earth. It always handles whatever's going on outside, inside. It's perfect. If you need to be warmed up, you got it, you're comfortable.

If you need to cool down, they've got it at night for the sheets. I love the pajamas. Zach, that's my favorite thing. They're my go-to. And so I wear them consistently, whether it's warm or cool. Yeah, they also got the clogs that are made for everyday wear. These are super easy to slip on. They're supportive.

They're very comfortable. They give you that at-home feel wherever you go. Missy loves this. It's a great gift idea. She's gotten the whole family matching pajamas, which is a little embarrassing, but we all love the pajamas, so we let her do it. And she's also given every member of my family, one of the bubble cuddle blankets. You can be a Cozy Earth family.

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Comfort lives here. Well, I got swept up in it too, and I was watching here. My grandkids, part of my grandkids are here in the Southern layer. Doc, who's my 10-year-old, I mean, he's, he plays soccer the last three years, so he's really into it. And, like, he had to leave, you know, Jay's, you remember when we were kids, like, you took the losses, you take the losses differently at 10 than you do when you're 61, because Because his heart and soul was in this match.

And so all of a sudden, I look up and he's gone. I mean, when they scored the fourth goal, he was like out the door. And somebody said, where a dog? I said, I just give him a minute. He's got to have a minute to himself. And I was thinking back to 10 years old. I mean, like, it hurts, you know, when you're that age and you're into it, you know, when you're so excited.

Well, I got into it when they started singing country roads and all the crowd. And I thought, we're in Seattle. It's bringing the country together. but then I had to look at the lyrics of Country Road, which I do love that song. But it starts off, look, the first two words of that song is Almost Heaven. And that just seems to be the theme of our problem. It's just almost.

Almost. This year will be different. No, no, we just almost had it. And then about midway through the song, they're talking about misty taste of moonshine. And, you know, I'm like, yep, here we go, Because that's probably what happened after the game with all the fans. Too much moonshine.

People can't watch. So I came up with a plan to fix it, but I'm not sure that's going to catch up. I like the plan. It's worth a shot to do something. Of course, all this, it is interesting because, Zach, we talked about the fourth. It's kind of, it's been an interesting, like, month, I think, leading up to all this, because this all happened right around the 4th of July. And it was our 250th birthday this year, which we talked a little bit about because we had our faith, family freedom a couple weeks ago.

Or, you know, as this airs, I don't know when they're air. But it's really been a sort of a really patriotic, I don't know, exciting time to be an American. You were in D.C. Tell us about your trip there. So we got together on the 4th. And Jays, we had one of our dear friends who's a veteran, O'Tai, and he and his family came over here. And so we, you know, we watched the speech and watched some of the stuff going on in D.C., watch the fireworks here, local fireworks, and then went back and watched the big show. Now it's the Guinness Book of World Record fireworks show.

I don't know. Were you there, Zach, for the actual fireworks show in D.C.? I sort of. It's kind of a complicated story. That's not an answer that's going to work for me. I sort of. Did you hear the explosions in the distance? I just said it was a Guinness Book of Guinness World Record Fireworks. It was the biggest one that's ever been had on the planet Earth.

And you said you sort of were there. I watched it. Yeah, it was a weird day. We started our day off at the museum. of the Bible, which was absolutely incredible. And I have to tell you, so good. If you have not been, you need to go.

It is one of the most, I mean, we went to a lot of museums all you were there. This is a world-class museum. It is, they have done so much to preserve the history of the Bible. Right now, they have the Dead Sea Scrolls there, Al. I don't know if there's a lot. Oh, really? Yeah, until September. So if you want to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, go now. in fact that as I was walking through it, I'm looking at this one of the passages from Isaiah.

And man, I don't know. It just hit me. I just started to weep. Just thinking about God's word is right there, you know, confirmed in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which one of the great accomplishments of this discovery was that it showed that the Bible, a thousand years earlier had kept. We found these old scrolls. And the interpretation has, like, been preserved.

It's just phenomenal to think about the integrity of the scripture that's been preserved throughout history. I mean, it is, it was, it was awesome. Did you see the white chair with the, I saw the white chair, the I am second chair. They had the illuminations room where they, they, it looks like bookshelves that they've got, where they light up once the Bible's translated into a native tongue. So what they're doing with illuminations is a, I mean, the whole thing was just like, I don't know, it was like a spiritual, it was a time of spiritual renewal for me to think about the importance that the Bible has played in American history. Because we're there for the 250 celebration.

Max led worship there with Shane and Everett. And so that was great. And then we just, it was just so good. The whole thing was great. And we got to hear Oz Guinness speak at the event, which he was amazing, Rick Santorum. Anyway, long story short, we left the museum of the Bible probably around 2.30, and then we got stuck in gridlock because we were on a bus. They were going to drop us off at like a particular location. When we get kind of stuck in gridlock, because it was absolute chaos in D.C. around the Capitol, around where all the events were happening.

And so we made the decision to get off, because we were going to go watch the fireworks and do that whole thing. We made the decision to get off the bus and walk. and that was the wrong decision. It took us every bit of four hours to get into the event, and it was burning up hot. It was, I've never been, I mean, it was, I mean, every road you would go down, they would invite the Secret Service to be.

You can't go to this road. You've got to go to this road. Well, how do you get to that road? Well, you've got to walk two miles down here, take it a lap, and then we'd get down there. Oh, no, you can't come this way. We finally get to the event, and then I'm like,

and the weather had cooled down because a storm was coming in, a little bit overcast. And it was just like conditions were perfect. And we were able to, we had seats too. So that was great. And then all of a sudden,

over the loud speakers, they said, evacuate the premises immediately. Seek shelter immediately. And everybody's looking around like, we ain't leaving. Like, it took us four hours.

Where would you go? Where would you go? Yeah, they're like, go to the music. I'm like, even the thought of getting out of there and finding shelter was like impossible.

or I think you ain't finding shelter here. And so then the cops and all the National Guard, everybody that was there was like, no, no, really, like leave. Then they started working their way down the aisle. So I was like, get out of your seat and go. Like, they kicked everybody out. We ended up somehow behind the whole Secret Service line. I had found a way back to the hotel that was basically a straight shot.

And it was like the Berlin Wall. I knew if I could just get past this one fence. and I saw the opening, and I was within 100 yards of it, me and my whole crew, and then all of a sudden golf carts just start swarming us, and it's the Secret Service. And they're like, what are you doing back here? Like, y'all told us to leave. Like, we're leaving. And they're like, you can't go that way.

And of course, well, you've got to go back around here. So then that was another two hours of, long story short, I went back to the hotel. They let everybody back in. Jill tried to get back in. They couldn't get back in. So they wind up at the hotel. And then the whole, there was one balcony that nobody knew about in the hotel that one of the doorman was like, hey, there's a room on the third floor. Nobody knows about it.

If you go out there, there's a balcony you guys can sit on it. You can watch the whole show because we were staying on the wharf. So we had the water in front of us and then the Capitol and all the. So it ended up being pretty spectacular. And that's where the family ended up watching. So you did see the show. You just didn't, you weren't inside the... Well, sort of.

I had to take Ruth back to the room because she was done. And so I was watching it from my hotel room. But it was loud. It was crazy. It was absolutely... That's a fireworks show right there. That's for sure. Well, you knew they were going to do the biggest ever.

And so we were... It was interesting because I was watching it on Fox News and they had had a big show plan. Well, then everything you just described happened. to them as well. And so they got pushed into this, they were calling it the trailer. I don't know, some place. And they basically came up with a two-hour live show of just whoever was in the room. They had Jim Cavisa was in there, you know, the guy that played Jesus and the passion.

They're doing interviews. People are singing. They got Michael W. Smith was in there. And one of the crab brothers was there. It was really funny because I thought, well, I was impressed that they could do a two-hour live show off the cuff, I mean, which was pretty good. And we were watching it because we were just waiting to watch, you know, the fireworks. But it didn't all happen until like midnight, I guess your time is when all that happened. So it was kind of a crazy night for sure. If you're an American, you may be one of the millions buried under medical debt are trying to afford health insurance that just keeps getting pricier. On average, it's $805 a month for a single person. I mean, absolutely insane.

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See why believers across the nation are better off with CHM get started today by visiting CH Ministries.org slash Unashamed. That's CHministries.org slash Unashame. Well, it's crazy you bring up the Bible Museum. Now, look, I went on a rabbit hole for about two days and it all started when I was reading James 28 where it says if you if you want to fulfill the royal law let's say let me get the exact reading of it I'm going to use your ESV Zach it says if you really fulfill the royal law

according to the scripture see that according to the scripture which kind of reminded me of when Paul reminded the Corinthians of the gospel, but he says that Jesus died, you know, that he was buried in it. There's a little phrase in there, according to the scriptures. Well, then it says if you want to fulfill the royal law, which is the only time that phrase is mentioned, this kingly law, because we know that's talking about Jesus, being king, right?

You shall love your neighbors yourself. You are doing well. And then when he gets down in verse, where is it at where he says the fulfill again, I'll find it. 2.23. He talks about Abraham, and he brings up scripture again,

where it says, if you read in verse 22, you see that faith was active along with his works. and faith was completed by his works, and then 23, and the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. So just think every time, like when Jesus, on the sermon on the Mount, when he said, I didn't come to abolish the law,

but to fulfill it. And you remember in League 24, when he was like, everything that was written about me in the law and the prophet must be fulfilled. So that's what started the rabbit hole. Because I think about the scriptures, you have these words that reveal the Word of God. I mean, one of our most famous passages is that one in John where it says,

in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God, the Word became flesh, Jesus. He's the Word of God. So that's where I started the Rabbit Hole. And I wasn't going to do this. at the Bible Museum, I was like, when I went down this rabbit hole, not only did it kind of open up the book of James to me, I thought, I've never seen this. So I wanted to give y'all a little bit of this since, I guess, the Bible Museum came up to show how incredible this is. And you see where I'm off, because some things among scholars, they acknowledge. But the one

thing that I noticed, I didn't see this anywhere in a scholarship, so I could be wrong. But here's what I did, and then I want to get your comments on it. Do you realize that in the creation story, God, where it says, and God said, you know many times that happened? Just seeing if you're all familiar with this. Zach always hates it. Huh? Not off the top of your head. Ten times. So he has ten times where he said and God said, and here they are. Let there be light. Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters. That's Genesis 1-6. Let there be light, Genesis 1-3. You had the dry land and seas. Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear. So that's Genesis 1-9. 111, and God said, let the earth sprout vegetation plants yielding seed, which this doesn't seem

that important unless you're looking at it of like, this is the cosmic creation, the heavenly perspective of how all this got here. So you start looking around thinking, oh, so that's four. The fifth one, and God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. When we look around and say, okay, that happened. The next one is 120. Let the waters team with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth. We see that happening. Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind.

24. Now these are the ones we're more familiar with. Number eight, let us make man in our image. And God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. That's 126. The next one is be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and rule over it. That's Genesis 129. And Genesis 129, God said, I've given you every plant yielding sea that is on the surface of the earth. So you have 10 times that kind of dictate the, how do you want to put it, the cosmic creation of the earth? So this is how the earth functions. Well, when you get to the 10 words that Moses gave, we call them the 10 commandments,

but it's actually the same thing. You have 10 statements for building a nation within the creation that images God, right? And we're familiar with those, the 10, what we call the 10 commandments. So what I did was, because in the spirit of fulfilling, how did Jesus fulfill that? How did he, what does that have to do with the creation that God made? And what did that have to do with Jesus fulfilling the law? Those two things. Jesus being the first born over creation or however you want to worry,

how does he fulfill those two things? Because we obviously sin and we obviously die, which was a disruption of how the planet was made and formed in design, and then our responsibility to reflect God, right? Yep. Well, did you know? So I kind of started having a conversation with AI. I was like, is there any place where Jesus did 10 things?

I was looking for 10. He's the word. The word became flesh. And I was shocked that immediately was like, oh, yes, the connection to those two things are real in Jesus. So are you on the edge of your seat? I'm intrigued. What could that be?

What could that be? Ten things that Jesus said. Ten things that Jesus said that would fulfill the first two ten things, the creation order and the commandment order for a nation when it comes to Mars. All issues. Yes. Was it the beatitude? Was it the beatitude?

No. No? This is shocking because some scholars and some religious leaders picked out seven of the ten and made a thing about them. But actually ten times in the book of John, Jesus referred to himself as the name of God. I am. Now, we're familiar with it. the seven. Yeah.

Jesus said, I am. We even did a podcast on the seven. Yep, we blew that. I should have added the other three because ten times the exact grammatical phenomenon happened. The other three are all in John 8. This will blow your mind. And this is something I didn't read out of a book.

I just looked at them and I thought. thought, what is significant about those three times? And I'm going to read them to you. I mean, let me list the seven first, because when you think of the ten moral issues that Jesus fulfilled and the ten cosmic realities in creation, when Jesus says, I am the bread of life, the light of the world, I am the door or the gate of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life, and I am the true vine.

So you have seven metaphors that basically establish a new creation when you think about what those metaphors represent. Would that be an accurate statement? Yep. Because you have the answer to sin, death, you have the answer to getting the presence of God restored again, because in the creation store where we were walking along.

In the Moses, you have God communicating with a spokesman, which we'll get to how Jesus is the new Moses offering this. And that's kind of Matthews version. But I wanted to give you this, this. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because when he said the Bible museum, what I stumbled upon last night is the reason that we have a Bible museum

and are like, we have a communication from the creator of the universe in a way that's so spectacular it's almost mind-blowing so there's those seven i i am statements the other three let me get my glasses on or in john eight and you're like why should they be included in the ten words of jesus you had ten words in the creation story from god you had ten words from god in the moral aspect. Now you have 10 words from Jesus in representing he is, because he uses that from Exodus 314, when Moses asked, what's your name, the I am, when God said I am, well Jesus, 10 times, uses that exact grammatical structure. So here are the other three. This is going to blow your mind. So these are the three declarations of his divine identity that are not a metaphor. So I'll do the last one first. John 858, that's the most famous one.

When he said before Abraham was, I am. Now what I recommend you do is read the whole chapter of John 8 if you're listening and get the vibe. Because you know what's sprinkled along in that John 8, and he also does it in John 12, is he starts talking about, you need to listen to the words that I'm telling you. Listen to the words.

And then three times in this argument, after he has this moment where he does something that is in essence a practical way of fulfilling the law, because they're taking, they pick up rocks. Remember they're going to, they want to stone the woman. He'll, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And he does a fulfillment of the law in a way that they're like, what? That only the creator of the law would have insight to, which would be to ask them a question

if you don't have any sin, which James makes the same point. If you're guilty of breaking one law, you're guilty of breaking all of it. So Jesus flips that on his head and offers this forgiveness and grace and this appeal for her to leave her life of sin. He actually rescues her. Yeah, you think about Jason. He's the only one that had the power to exonerate a person who was obviously guilty, which is how it starts. So it's by no accident that then when this friction starts with the religious leaders, that three times he makes an instance using himself as the name of God, the Father, I am. And I did the last one first because you said, well, what is the significance of that?

He went backwards here. He said, before, he has the whole different. course, you'll read it. And you're like, he starts talking about Abraham and he's talking, in which James is talking about Abraham. That's why I'm bringing this up about fulfilling. And what does he conclude? He concludes that, because they're like, well, how can you say you've seen Abraham? And he makes that statement, before Abraham was, I am. So that would be in the past category, right? Well, in John 824, look what he does.

He makes this statement, for unless you believe that I am, same grammatical makeup. And I'm really hinging on that, because I'm going to show you why, that I am he. You will die in your sins. Well, that's a present statement. He says, you don't believe that I am he? you're going to die in your sins, which is a reflection of what caused the problems of the original creation story, right?

He said, don't eat of the tree or you'll die. What happened? They listen to the Eve one. They believe the lie, which is a lot in there about the line and your father's the devil. He was a murder from the beginning. You remember all that discord. Why won't you listen to me?

That's what he kept saying. So now we have a present reality, which in John 858, he gave a password, reality that he is the word of God in human form. Listen to the words that I'm saying as the word of God. And then in John 828 is the other I am. So in totality, those three combined with the seven, you have ten words from Jesus. And that one is a future reference. He says, when you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I will. I am. Now, to wrap your head around that one, you look at what, what is he referring to when I'm lifted up?

Well, Exodus. Yeah, when I'm lifted up, well, he had already made reference of that in John 3. Remember when he said Moses as he lifted up the snake? And then it says when Jesus is lifted up. That's the first time he uses that. So he's going back. John's going back to that reference, which in John 314, that's followed by. all who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. So he's drawing back to that. When he gets to John 12, he brings it up again. Same thing. When he says, when I'm lifted up,

I will draw all men to myself. And he was speaking about the death. But that word lifted, and I went down a rabbit hole with that, bigger than what we think. Not only was it just talking about the cross, him physically being lifted up on the cross, then you get to, like James 4.8, which is going to reference that. It says, forever humbles himself, what's it saying? God will exalt him. Look, same word. It's like Hyssop is the Greek word. So it's like Jesus was showing that if you'll

humble yourself, which he did, representing the Father doing his will, when he was lifted up in humility, self-giving love, then all of a sudden, God exalts him. Because what happens? He's raised from the dead. He goes to the right hand of God. So it's a double meaning of his attitude of love in that moment and then him being exalted.

Same word is used in Philippians, where it says, because he humbled himself and became obedient to death, that God lifted him up, exalted him to the highest, you know, and the Philippians too. I just thought that was interesting. So my point is, though, you have three moments where he talked about time. Now, if you're going to give some words, he gave seven metaphors of how he's going to set new creation in motion. He's the man.

But he also then had this one conversation where three times, he literally fulfilled what the Hebrew writer would say, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and forever. He ain't changing. It's not going to change. That is the draw that draws all people. So in essence, and y'all tell me if I'm wrong, it seems to be a fulfillment of the three major categories of the Bible,

which is the creation story itself, the moral nation building representing God. And then here's Jesus fulfilling that on who he is about these claims tied with not only the metaphors. We've gone through, like you said, we did a whole series on that. But also those other three for this in-time reflection, because we're stuck in time. And we're stuck in the past. We struggle with the present and we're nervous about the future. and then he has this conversation in John 8 that addresses those issues in fulfillment.

All right. So what's your thoughts up to this point? Well, that's, I mean, I think it's right on target. And what I love about the conversation in John 8 is it really does recreate sort of the garden narrative because you have, you remember, it starts, as you said, it starts with sin, a sinful situation. and how would you ever get back to making things right? Because their answer was, the only thing you do is killer,

because that's what the law requires. And Jesus offers something different. And then through the discussion, you remember a big piece of it is, is that they, he says, you actually are children of the devil. You're not following what you think you're following because you're actually following the wrong pathway. you know, even by thinking somehow you can do it. And then he points him back to himself.

And like you said, at the end, they were ready to kill him in the process. And he was like, no, if you don't take me, I'll give myself when the time is right, which is the lifted up idea. So, yeah, I mean, I hadn't thought about it in those terms. But yeah, it's a really strong, it's a strong fulfillment picture of the, of the whole thing, of everything. Zach, are you still thinking? I'm still thinking on it. I mean, I think John 8.

Yeah. You keep going down to John 8. I mean, he also brings it back to his father. You know, and he says later on, he says, he says something like, let me see. He says, what I've heard from him, I tell the world. Because they're asking him, who are you? So when Jesus, like, gives his identity in that John 8 passage, he's not giving his identity apart from his father. He actually gives his identity in connection to his very nature, which is,

who his dad is, who his father is. And so he says, from him, I tell the world. What I've heard from him, that's what I tell the world. And they didn't understand that he was talking about his father. So Jesus said, when you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am he, and then I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the father has taught me.

He is anchoring his resurrection and ascension into, like, the very nature of who he is, the Trinity, because when he think about before Jesus gets crucified, what does he say in John 17? I think it's John 17. He says, the time has come glorify me in your presence or something like, give me the glory that I have with you before the world began. Yeah, so it's like the whole point is, this is a Trinitarian unfolding of who is, who is the Christ, who is God himself and then ultimately how do we get to participate in his life the first ever all-electric twenty twenty six subuhrieker is the evi for the trail obsessed with up to four hundred and forty-four kilometers on a full charge and dc fast charging from ten to eighty percent in about thirty minutes

in ideal conditions plus ample ground clearance and symmetrical all-wheel drive make the twenty twenty six trail seeker the most capable evi suboru has ever built Test drive it at your local Subaru dealer or visit Subaru.ca. Well, and one other thing I want to mention, Jay, is that in John 812, which is right after the instance with the woman, Jesus says, this is one of the seven I ams. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. And he's quoting what he had said earlier, again in the Nicodemus section in John 3, when he said, this is the verdict.

Light has come into the world, John 319. But men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light. It will not come to the light for fear that the deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth will come into the light so that it can be plainly seen that what he has done has been done through God. And so he's really just, as you mentioned, he's referencing back to the light. this idea about why he came and who he is throughout that whole section. So that's how it begins that text that you were talking about. Then he kind of puts it, I hadn't thought about the

time element, but that's really interesting that he really does show that it's always been this way. It is this way and it will always be this way. Yeah. Well, think about the Exodus three passage here. I just pulled this up because I was thinking about it too when he said, tell him that I am, you know, sent you. What's my credentials? Me and Moses is asking. and the text reads like this in Exodus 3-2 the angel slash messenger of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame who is that

the angel of Yahweh the messenger of Yahweh the word of Yahweh appeared to him in the flame and then Yahweh says to him the messenger then immediately Exodus 3-4 when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see God called him from the burning bush Exodus 3, 6, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. You read through Exodus 3, and I didn't make this up.

This was like the early, you know, the Targums that you would, when they would translate the Bible, the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic in Jesus' time, they would read a verse like this and they would say, there seems to be like Yahweh. and then there seems to be this other character called the Word of Yahweh which translates in Aramaic as the Logos. And I think what's happening in this passage in John 8, too, is Christ is connecting that. And he's basically saying,

hey, you know the Word of Yahweh? He's like, raised in his hand, like, yeah, that would be me. The Logos, yeah, that would be me. I tell you what the father told me, but I'm the one in Exodus 3. I am the one that actually spoke to Moses. I am. Yeah, that's why I brought this up because they had a problem transitioning to Abraham or Moses being their go-to. And that's why he made that statement. And look, that's still

going on in our day. We disconnected the Bible, the scriptures, away from Jesus. It's like, and really what led me to go down this rabbit hole was that There was, we had a family over, long story, I won't get into that. But he was talking about he teaches Bible at their church. And he said, we're going through every book in the Bible. And so it kind of got into this thing about, I was like, well, I hope they make it to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You know, and he kind of laughs like, yeah, it's been difficult. Because they're starting from Genesis and going all the way.

And so I made this point. I was like, well, I think you got to start with Jesus and go backwards and forwards, which is basically what I just did, but it's what Jesus did in that discussion in John 8 about Abraham. He went back. It's what James is doing when he brought up Abraham here when we're, you know, in James chapter 2. The scriptures are about Jesus. and I think that that connects everything when he said that before Abraham was I am and even when you think about Moses because that's where Matthew his account which we'll have to do that at a later time because I planned on going through that one and it's it's not the same as John obviously using the I am 10 statements but you will be amazed how you see this connection to the creation story the law given at Moses and then Matthew take, but he comes at it more with, he starts the book saying he'll be called Emmanuel,

which means God with us. And when you read the last verse in Matthew 28, and I made this statement on a previous podcast, I said, well, there's actually an I am statement where he said, and when he said, all the thought on heaven, earth, been given to me, therefore go make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And then it says, and surely I am with you always. But when I look that up, different grammatical structure, it doesn't have that name of God connected. He's basically referring back to the Emmanuel saying, and I'll be with you through all this, helping you along the way. Just as a part, you've been a part of us, which is so fascinating to me that John singled out those 10 words, then Matthew comes at it from this fulfillment, kind of the new Moses aspect of it, and God being with you in this new creation

wall. Yeah, that's the, and that the whole point of Hebrews, too, like you think about the book of Hebrews where he talks about Moses and how great Moses is and gets to Exodus 10, and he's like, hey, you know, back of the days of Moses, they would actually kill you if you violated the law based on the testimony of two or two or things. three witnesses. And he's like, if you think that was bad, how much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who's trampled underfoot the son of God? So, because the whole point of Hebrews is like, Moses was great, but Christ is way better than Moses because Christ is the

fulfillment of Moses. This gets into the transfiguration and all this stuff. These pictures are like, Christ is the fulfillment of Moses. He's the fulfillment of Abraham. So when you go back to that Exodus story, the irony of the whole thing is, I think it's lost on us in modern culture, but they essentially worshipped Moses. And they may not have said that, the Pharisees, the early kind of Jewish culture in first century Judaism. Like they held Moses and Abraham up really, really high. Like they're up there.

And then you go back to this Exodus story, and if Jesus is saying, as high as you view Moses, do you realize that the one that was getting Moses, the coward Moses instructions, the one that took the Moses who was scared to speak, who had a speech impediment, who was like this cowering down like a little boy, did not want to fulfill his calling. You know the one that told him, hey, here's your credentials, me.

Jesus is saying, I'm that guy. I'm the one. And it's lost on them because they can't see the supremacy of who Christ is, the preeminence of Christ. And so the gospel, John, is actually showing that Christ is, dripping the revelation of his preeminence to the people that should have understood it more than anyone. Agreed. That's so good.

All right, we're out of time. That was a good rabbit hole, Jay. Well, I think when we come back, the practical applications James is making will be seen in a different light when you got all of that connection in your brain. Yeah, that's good. All right. We'll see you next time. I'm really ashamed. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast.

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