Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 329 | The Greatest Duck Hole Phil Has Ever Seen & Why Jase Doesn’t Knock on Doors

Episode Date: August 16, 2021

On his new land, Phil is re-creating the most impressive duck hole he ever hunted. Jase reveals why he won’t visit Alaska or knock on doors. Al and Jase try to explain Twitter to Phil. Phil doesn’t get angry any more — except for the time Uncle Si flared one of the biggest groups of mallards he’s ever seen. And the guys talk about why they share the same message over and over again. - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? Al, when I was 22, 22 years old, I was with your uncle who has passed on, Tommy. Tommy was 24. I was 22. We went up on the Washington to the north of us toward Arkansas, and we were ducking. So we asked an old fisherman, where are all the ducks? And he said, they're up there on the prairie. I said, prairie, what would that be? He said, a big opening in the woods up there. So he told us how to get there.

We pulled up through the woods. We went like five miles up the river, and we were riding around on about a 25,000 acre block. Who owned this? at the time, timber companies, now it's a refuge. But at 22, we were attending Louisiana Tech University. We had arranged our classes where we had classes on Tuesday and Thursday for half a day. And the rest of the time, we hunted and we fished.

So I had Tommy with me. I'm 22 years old. We pulled up on. We finally made it to what the commercial fisherman told us was a prairie. We looked out there, unbeknown to us, the Germans had come through and made whiskey barrels from overcup acon trees in this area. Well, they had taken out a lot of overcup acin trees and took the logs back to Germany where they made whiskey barrels. At 22, when I saw that, grass had come back when they had spaced out those trees. it came back in grass but not trees.

So they did this in the 30s. I was looking at it in the late 60s. It's when I was looking at it at 22 years old. I'm looking out there at what the Germans had done to cut the whiskey barrels and the sight of that stayed with me my entire life after 22. Now I'm 75. I figured out a way, Jason is in with me and Willie,

we all went together, we bought enough real estate that I'm going to recreate what I saw back there when I was 22. So think about it. It's been, what, 50? 53 years. Amazing you can remember that far back.

It's amazing because I never forgot it. And one reason that I didn't forget it it's when we pulled up, my motor started dragging. We ended up just watching which direction of the ducks were going, based on what the commercial, old commercial fishmen had told us. So when we got there, I looked out there, and there was at least a minimum of 10,000 mallard, pintail, widgeing, all kinds of ducks.

We're out there on that grass and that thing. I said, you know, I told Tommy, I said, Tommy. Is this legal? He said, it's legal. Timber company owns it. No rules, no regulations, no posted signs, no refuge, nothing. So we commenced to getting out there and started pouring the lead to them. So literally 50 years goes by and I walked out there yesterday evening.

We bought a block. It's not 25,000, but it is 400, old growth timber. and I'm marking the trees, and I'm going to replicate and duplicate what I saw when I was 22. I know exactly what it looked like because it was burned into my brain. I never dreamed that the opportunity would come along 50 years later, and I could recreate that type real estate. So we're taking out all the undergrowth and the brus. the trees are huge like they were north of here, gigantic oak.

So we're thinning out all the brush in the little trees. And this one will be probably about, I think the one I saw in the Wasataw, 20, 50 years ago was probably about 40 acres of grass in the middle of a giant forest. This is a substantial forest today, the one we're making, but I'm going to recreate a smaller version, probably 25, 30 acres of grass, and I figured out how to flood it. We can put about a foot, foot and a half of water on it fairly easily. So we are in the process of recreating what I envisioned way back 50 years ago. Well, you know what else is interesting as part of that story is that also within about six years,

of you seeing that, you would not become a Christian, but then you would start a duck call business based on your love of duck hunting, which opened the whole door for everything we've been doing for the last 40 years. And not only that, the old commercial fishermen, you became an old commercial fisherman.

I became an old commercial fisherman. And then the duck calls provided the funding for the grass patch, the scene I saw back there when I was 22. I'm going to recreate a smaller version of that scene. It is one, this will, when you pull up to it, if you walk up to it, or you drive a boat in there close, and you look down through the woods, even you, Al, we'll all go.

So I'm getting the blind locations lined out and all that. But once you see this, you will say that is one of the most beautiful places I've ever laid my eyes on as far as duck hunting go. It is gorgeous. Most people from cities and rural places, I mean, you got this land. Some of it was so dirt cheap because people saw no value in it whatsoever. Floods, floods. Yeah.

Volatile. I mean, nobody wants it. You just think, here was land. You're looking at trying to fulfill a vision that you had 50 years ago. And other people are looking at it. It's like, why would you want this? The watermarks, if you look up at the trees, the water lines are up 20 feet on these big trees, 20 feet. That's how high the water will get up on any given year.

It arise from some ground zero dry ground to 20 feet deep. And just think about that volatility of an area. But that's where we're, that's where we fix to camp out. and I've got got us a houseboat, the frame and the pontoons. I've got one that's I've worked my way back in there, up a little slew up there, a value. So I've got one on the premises, and we're fixing to frame it up, brush it, and as soon as the water comes out there, a foot, foot, and half deep, I'm just going to putter right on out there.

I have my blind locations already being put in before we take all the bruce, brush out, but I've got it all worked out, including a duck blind that's sitting there on standby. So we're going to paint it black, camouflage it, frame it up, and I'll just put her out there with a little motor. I don't need but a foot of water, and I just put her out there. Eat, put it up against some trees and brush. I'm going to have it all worked out the same. So I'm just like a slot. I just pull it in there. We all get up on the shooting ports, put her decoys out, and we got a grass patch in the middle of the river. about them.

You've created a playhouse. The vision is what I like. A playhouse for adults. When I'm gone, when I'm gone and when Jason's gone, the ones that come up beneath us, when they look out there after we're long gone, they will say, this has got to be, I'll probably plant some Cypress trees out there in the middle of it. Like make a little lake out in the middle of it, maybe. but when we get done with it,

it will be a picture that will be a good mark that I left on planet Earth. Beautiful thing. That's one of the things I want to do post-resurrection because I'm sure if you control the atoms and the molecules and time,

you can actually see the planet before it was inhabited. Yep. By humans. I'd like to take a look at that. It would be amazing. Amazing. What couldn't you do?

that. I would think God will show us a picture of what it looked like. I like it. We long for a new heavens and a new earth. You say that would be quite the sight if God said, look at what this whole thing looked like before humanity got a hold of it. But look what it looks like now. This is a picture of it. I would love to see a pristine. The closest thing to that now is probably take a trip to Alaska and, you know, look at some of that real estate because there's, there's, most of that is untouched by human hand. It's really, and it is amazing. I mean, it's just this natural beauty of it.

It's just incredible because dad's seen it as well. Jays, you've never been to Alaska, have you? I hadn't, but the only reason I haven't is because I was scared I wouldn't come back. Yep. You may not. I understand. Well, I mean, they're like, it's the last true wilderness. and you can go out and I thought, you know, I better not go up there because I kind of like

our ministry here and our family and what we do. And so I think I've done an event in 45 or 46 of the 50 states. I'm trying to do all 50, but I haven't been to Alaska yet. We went there with Franklin Graham, flew over the mountain range, lit on a gravel. runway just a gravel. That's my first gravel one right. In the middle of nowhere. And big lake there, you know, and he's got a big cabin there and all in the marriage.

Were you there with us out when the marriage? Yeah, I was there. Marriage, remember? That was pretty cool. They do a, all summer they do a, it's called Operation Hill our Patriots and his son, you know, as a veteran. And so what they do is they help military personnel that have been injured, especially and came home from, you know, different. different things injured and they bring them there for a marriage refresher and for about a week.

And they do that every summer. And so we just happened to be up there doing another appearance. And they invited us, Franklin invited us up just to meet the people. And it was pretty amazing when it was dad, because we were standing in when that plane flew in with those 10 or 12 couples, they got off the plane. And everybody in the town, Port Osworth came out and they had their little flags. They were waving on. And of course, everybody was getting off the plane was already in tears. Then they saw us there and right at the front of the line with Sai and you and the rest of us. And it was really just a really neat moment. I mean, not only did we get to, you know, be there for those guys, but also what they're doing with that ministry is incredible because it changes a lot of lives, you know, to get up there and just kind of get away from everything.

Franklin said that your closest neighbor was 60 miles. Yeah. And everything's by playing. Yeah. Everything's by plane. Remember Dad? So we went up and sat on the bluff of a river and saw trout and bears and, you know, sea otters and all these different creatures. It was pretty amazing trip.

So, Jace, you had an anniversary, right? I did. It was the first time in 31 years, I guess I can say this. I didn't even know it was my anniversary. I didn't even know it was we were in August. I was surprised Somebody sent me a text

The night before Someone sent me a text It said happy anniversary And I thought Anniversary of what And so I looked And I thought It's August

So I don't know I mean they put it on your phone I don't know why I didn't realize Because we're deep into August So That's Yeah yesterday

I was, the best thing that happened was is I left before my wife got up. Well, then she called me after I left about 20 minutes ago. And I was like, happy anniversary, babe. I was like, I saw you, but you were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up. And she was like, and it actually worked because she was like, oh, that was fine. I feel so bad that, you know, you should have woke me up or whatever. So then that gave me some time.

So I basically went shopping all day yesterday. And I took care of that. So when I saw her, and then she had kind of planned the night. She was like, let's go out. We actually, because now with the coronavirus surge, we basically went to the restaurant, wasn't anybody there. And then we went to a movie, and there was literally no one there at the movies. We had our own personal theater.

Yeah. Your mama and I have we're not that far along. I mean, you know. What do you mean? To pick a day out like that at the anniversary and then we go shopping. No, I went shopping. I haven't gotten into that zone yet, Jay. But it's good luck to you.

It's all I can say. Let's take a break. After 50-something years, they hadn't gotten that far along, Judge. I've never entered that zone. You know what's funny is. People put on there that it's your anniversary online because I've had probably 30 people text me and say happy anniversary, which is kind of weird. Why are other people texting me about my anniversary? Al, do you wish other people happy anniversary?

Not really. I don't really keep up that much. I mean, sometimes like family birthdays, I remember your, you know, my brother's birthday. and my kids and my grandkids. But other than that, that's about as far as the memory. But you're right. Now everything posts. I saw it was your anniversary on Twitter.

That's what I'm saying. Mia Mu. Mia moo said happy anniversary mom and dad from Mia. So that's how I know it was your anniversary. I missed that. You know, for me to try to explain Twitter to you, because it's a bird that tweet. But you're the bird.

You're a tweeter. So you'll put out a Twitter. tweet and it's a little shape of a little looks like a little what kind of bird is that dove kind of a dove more like a parakeet pigeon I think it's more like a parakeet so you got a bunch of tweeters together yeah everybody's just sharing information on various thoughts and yeah I've never tried yet I would say it's so dad to it to properly explain it I would say it's a lot of angry birds that are chirping on Twitter because it's more anger than...

Yeah, duh. That's right. Yeah. So, you know, when you see it, when you see the occasional happy anniversary, happy birthday, that's kind of a positive because most of the stuff on there

is negative city. It's kind of toxic, I would call it, especially the comments. Some things that are out there, guys, that I'm just on purpose. I just say, I think I can go without that. I don't get on there much. I mean, I think three years ago, I kind of detached myself from social media.

But I have people who are family who look at it. And occasionally I will get on there and post something. I asked you a mother the other day, yesterday I think it would. She said something about, well, I just hope, you know, when I fall every once in a while, you know, I got this bruise on my leg. She said, I hope it didn't make you mad. I said, Ms. Caleb says, when's the last time you saw me mad? angry and she said I can't remember

it's good it's been so long yeah it's a good thing we gotta give credit to the Lord on that last time I saw dad anger is what I don't I don't get angry I don't get angry in a while last time I saw you angry was when that big

bunch that 75 Mallors tried to come in there and we were leaving too early and side let's get the fact straight on that see I had there's something in my DNA, my duck DNA from years of experience, I can tell when the potential is there. And that morning I kept seeing large groups of mallards floating around and we weren't really

shooting many of them. And I said, I think we need to go till noon. Let's give it till noon. But everybody had something going. Remember I all had lined you up something to go do a radio show. interview and so but we we just got down to it and everybody was ready to go but me and i was i think we should give it till 12 and so they got into the old deal well if you leave now and go get the boat because we had boat parked away that by the time you get the boat it'll be 12 but i

didn't like it because i was like let's just wait till 12 because remember it was like 11 30ish oh yeah and so uh next thing you know you took off to get the boat it was not 12 o'clock size for which is really strange about this story because usually sigh just sits in the line well this is a few years this is a few years ago he was ready to go he was ready to go see he goes out there and starts picking up decoys while you're going to get the boat which i didn't like it i was frustrated already it had been slow duck on it's slow at day it was slow but i was seen a few bunches and i thought i'm telling you i feel like man i kept saying that and so i look up

You're almost to the boat. And here comes 75 to 100 mileards just across the horizon. And at that time of the day, with everything I had seen, I thought we could get them. And remember, I hollered. I said, there they are. I said, you got two minutes. Find a tree. Because they weren't like coming tortoise.

So I declared that. I said, find a tree. And so I blew it up. at them, and about two to three minutes later, they turned out there. So now I'm thinking everyone's hit. I'm thinking, Phil, because I said, I declared, you remember what I said? Our guy behind a tree. I said, find the tree.

Those, that duck's one of the biggest bunch of ducks we've ever seen at our place. They made one of five, it was over a hundred. Yeah, I thought it was over a hundred. It was over a hundred. They make a turn on the left, and they lock up and just start coming literally straight down. so hard that they were making a sound just like a jet like a freight train i heard them the hair stood up on the back of my neck and so i'm thinking sigh and phil are hiding behind the tree which phil was and they get right at the point of where they're almost in the hole and they flared well i looked up i stuck my head up

and sigh is standing right in the middle of the decoys he's not under a tree he's just standing there on a string. So I just took my gun and raised up and killed one of the of the hundred. I remember I made a long shot. One shot. And I kill one just to say that it wasn't a complete meltdown and that nothing died. So one big milder drake folded. And boy, did it ever break loose after that?

The argument slashed it for years. Me inside tied into it. because I said, why didn't you hit the tree? I told you to hit the tree. Of course, I said I was behind the tree, but he wasn't behind it because he couldn't just say, I didn't think they were coming in there, and I just didn't want to find the tree. So that was a source.

My feelings have been hurt ever since then that I was standing there, why I didn't give it another 10 minutes. Yeah. I heard that sound they made, and they were coming straight down, and it was like a jet. They were, but you're right. out that is the last time I was angry. Of course, we all apologize. And dad was angry too because there was about three butt chewings when we all got back to the

house. Oh, it was. And one of them was me for lining up media during duck season, which, by the way, by the way, you know, you can say a lot of things about Al, but I learned the lesson. I do not line up things for dad during duck season anymore. That was the last time because I tell people they're like, well, we've got to get Phil to do this or that or these book people or this people. We also have a rule now where no one ever goes out in the decoys or anything while we're

still hunting. Like if somebody goes to get us to the boat or whatever, everybody else remains there with their guns loaded to this day until the motor fires up because then you're not going to get them anyway. That's right. Well, that's the difference though with me and Cy. I learned my lesson, but Cy still claims that this day he didn't do anything wrong. That hardheaded Joker.

Well, the other time that was a lot like that. We waited all day. We hunted from daylight, and it's five minutes until legal shooting hours is over. I said, boys, I've had enough. So I go get the boat, and I get the boat. It's pretty close. We back out of the thing, and look, we get 75 yards from the blind leaving with five minutes left of legal. and we just look up and about a hundred lit in our decoys.

So I told them, I stopped, shut my motor off. I said, let me tell you guys something. I just saw 100 mallard ducks go into that hole in light right there and that thing. I said, if you're going to sit here all day, wait the last five minutes. Don't leave five minutes. If you're going to sit there all day. Why would a... It was the dumbest thing I've ever done.

I said, why wouldn't you just wait a minute? the other five minutes while it was legal. I said, don't ever do that. Wait the other five minutes. It's because, you know, it's typical men. I don't know, maybe women in the same way, but I've seen these impulses when you don't think it's going to happen. It's something to do with you lose hope, and you're just ready to go.

You want to distance yourself from the misery that was what happened as far as the result. It just didn't happen. And then you're so convinced. But in duck hunting, we coined a phrase that has become forever true. You never know. You never know. Whatever you decide, you got to go with it. Yeah.

So now, if I stay, you can bet one thing. If the legal shooting hours is over at 503. I'm waiting to 503 and then I leave there. And a lot of times, for some reason or another, about the time you fix it, especially late in the evening, ducks or roosted a little early or something. But we've killed a lot of ducks in a 10-minute time frame. But think about it.

You know what, Jay? Yeah. My favorite phrase that we coined is you got to ride the hole. Ride the hole. Let's take a break. So, Jays, that could make a good spiritual application, what you just said a minute ago, that people tend to when they lose hope,

they want to distance themselves. that's interesting. I hadn't thought about it from that perspective, but that's what happens in a spiritual sense, yeah, when they lose hope. I've seen people literally, I see Jay do it all the time. When he doesn't think it's going to happen, but we're like, you never know. I think we ought to give it another hour.

He will literally get his stuff and walk out. That's right. Because he's hopeless that something is going to happen. Even my dog that I've just retired, got two more going to take his place, but the dog that I'm retiring, one of his little pensions was if we hunted like 10.30 and we've killed three ducks. And we shot them at about 7.30, 8 o'clock. So we've been sitting there three or four hours. Well, he gets up. He did this all of his life. He would get up, jump over in where we are. He's out therein a little box.

he would jump out of that box and when he starts meeting and greeting he meets him and greets us each hunter he walks through the whole bunch of hunting

what he's saying is it's over let's go let's go and I said and I never saw him fail in other words when you finally saw

old blue coming I said well Blue's saying it's over boys and might well go to the house he greets everybody and he'll walk up to everybody each person can pet him. He's saying it's over.

No use sitting here any longer. And every time he's been right. What's interesting is he would meet and greet everybody, but he liked to pee on Cy. So I don't know what that means in the dog world. He kept on our jason and he peed on their bags. He peed on my stuff, but he peed on side himself. They were mean to him and he was like pee on you.

I've never been mean to that dog in my life. He just doesn't like him. But he's retired. We got one that won't find this year, Jay. I had to revisit my thought on demon possession of animals with that dog because he seemed to have an evil spirit within him for whatever reason. It's possible. It happened to hogs.

Yeah. Remember one of the 200 hogs? I guess anything's possible. So this Sunday, I'm preaching, Mike and I are preaching on Romans 15, 14, which is where we are in our Romans text. So I wanted to bounce my sermon off of you guys maybe get some ideas. I get good stuff from the two of y'all when I'm preaching. What's interesting, Jase, is we are also this Sunday honoring your in-laws, Larry and Peggy, because this year, I think was this year, maybe it was last year marks 50, so now 50 plus years of them being in ministry.

And Larry has always done a ministry called We Care, which is kind of a, a crusade type ministry, I guess you'd call it, where he goes, you know, does these seminars, teaches people how to share the gospel of people, and then, like, has like a three or four or five day deal where people can come in, bring people in. And they, you know, he preaches the gospel to him. He's been doing it a long time. He's led a lot of people to Christ. And so that's always been a part of our church's ministry. Yeah. He's not a lot of people. You know, back in the day was so funny, because back in the day, when you used to could knock on people's doors, they did that for like, years, you know, which they

Probably 25 years. amended that because now these days, you know, you knock on somebody's door. Number one, they're probably not going to answer. Number two, they may, you know, get a gun. I tried to. Or call the law. I had to bow out because I told them

because every door I would knock on, nobody would ever answer the door. Yeah. And it was a door knocking. I'm trying to be. I know why. And I finally got to look and I would see window shades and just a eye would be looking out the window shade,

and I'd go to the next house, and I got to notice, and I'd notice window shades, and they're just their eye looking. So I told them, I said, look, when they see me standing there, they won't open the door. So I look a little scraggly, so I said, I don't think I'm going to fit into the door-knocking ministry. I don't think they, I don't think it's. So, Dad, whatever you were selling, they weren't buying.

They weren't bad. They weren't even open. The last. They would not open that door. Jeff and I were in Austin, and there's this old place right in the middle of town. I mean, you can just tell it's old, but literally civilization has cropped up all over it. But it's like a little ranch right in the middle. And I was like, I know this place is old.

I was like, let's just pull in. There was a car there. I was like, Jeff, you're nice and friendly. Knock on the door and see if they'll let us metal detect here. He knocked on that door. And this woman, older woman, she just started hot. And we could hear help, help. You know, and Jett was like, oh, do you need help?

She's like, help, help. But she was scared. She was hollering because somebody like, Jent was knocking on the door. She was needing help from y'all. That's not a good welcome for Austin, Texas. I was a joke, you're the only person dumb enough to think that she was asking for your help. She was like, no, help me. You're knocking on the door.

Well, my door knocking campaign, there was a lot of that going on. I mean, you know, the phones were ringing, people put it on. What are you doing? I'm like, well, we were trying to get above us. Hey, hit the road. Yeah, I remember telling him that. I remember telling my father-in-law, I was like, look, because he was trying to get me to go to one of his seminars. I said, I'll go, but I'm not knocking on doors.

And he's like, why? I was like, you don't realize why that's a problem? I said, if I knock on somebody's door and they don't know who I am, whatever's fiction to happen is not good whatever that this is not a recipe for the gospel being shared i said either the law's going to be called weapons are going to be drawn or they're not going to answer i have some neighbors in the other day and i and i went by there trying to get another guy a job and this guy is a he works a you know in a heavy equipment but one of his daughters opened the door when i knocked i hadn't visited these people at all and

They don't live too far from me, but she almost just kind of squalled out a little bit and stepped back to her three steps. And I'd say, call you daddy him. I said, I need to talk to him. And he was in the back of the house, you know, but it scared her. So I knew right then door knocking, not a good, not a wise move these days. That's exactly right. And they learned to pivot from that and do some different tactics.

And they're still able to help people, which is good. Let's take another break. So I found it interesting that it all kind of came together because we're honoring them at the beginning of our time before we preach Sunday. And sort of it's like a, you know, it's like a home base has always been WFR for Larry and Peggy. So it's kind of us recognizing that and that, you know, here at home. And it just so happens that in this text in Romans 15, 14 through 33, Paul is about at the end of this letter because the last chapter addresses the churches. that are, you know, meeting there. And he kind of has, I would call it it

it's kind of a homecoming moment because in two ways. One is he's going to Rome. And, of course, that's going to be the end of it for Paul. He doesn't know that specifically. But when you read Timothy and Titus, you know, when he gets there, he realizes that's pretty much it.

I mean, he's going to write a few more letters, but that's going to be the end for him. But, you know, he said, Paul, remember when he was Saul, he was a Roman citizen from Tarsus, which is actually kind of just off a turkey is where his Tarsus was, but he's a Roman citizen. So in a sense, he's coming home, you know, to his, you know, his roots of being a Roman citizen. But also he's going to make the, in this text, he's going to make the last trip to Jerusalem, which is also considered home for Paul because he spent most of the first half of his life being

trained to be a Pharisee. And so Jerusalem is obviously very special because in every one of Paul's books, he first appeals to the Jew, then to the Gentile. So I thought it was interesting. So it's like a homecoming for him. And then when he gets there in Rome, he talks about, you know, I poured out my life like a drink offering. I'm ready to go home, meaning his eternal home. So I just thought it was really interesting that at the end of the book of Romans, this is almost like a reflection of everything Paul has done in his life. up to this point because he's nearing the end of the situation.

So I thought that was kind of interesting that we had both those happening on the same Sunday. I think it's one thing that stood out to me just reading it, because I'm not as familiar with 14 through, where is it in, 33. 16? Yeah, all the way to 16, you know. But because it is like his personal view and he's real vulnerable to the, the people he's trying to help. But I do notice that everything he says, he's really detail-oriented on making sure that it's not about him. You know, when he says in verse 15,

he's like, I'm doing this because of the grace that God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus. and then he kind of says at the end so that I might be become an offering acceptable or that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Then he does kind of the same thing in verse 30, where he says, I urge you brothers by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to join me and my struggle by praying to God for me.

It's like he's using every aspect of the Trinity to show them it's not about me this is about god being a father we're focusing on jesus and we're doing it by the power of the holy spirit we're trying you know god has sanctioned me and by his grace to be this representative of the gentiles i just i just find it kind of fascinating i think if we all did in our ministry if we were quick to use that as the formula because most people you're like how's the church going and they're like they're telling you all the things they've done you know but it's not in that same vein you know well what is what i think it's interesting now that that it's almost like when you get the 14 and following uh to be the god the grace god gave

me to be a minister of craft to the gender with a priestly duty or proclaiming the gospel he brings it back up at about verse uh 20 20 it's a always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known. So he's kind of going back to the opening line in Romans, which says a servant of Christ Jesus, Paul, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, the gospel he promised beforehand. All he talks about the resurrection just below that, apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles and obedience. but he does point out that my purpose, and he brings it back up in Romans 15, of his purpose in Romans chapter one, the first few opening lines, he ends up, you know, I came here to Rome to preach

the gospel, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, but that chapter one is outlined. He's confirming what he was put here and the purpose that he was there by letting them know, I'm here, and he's mentions it with much deference the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles. But he's also given it should help the Jewish people's these words. It should help them understand that the gospel, and he did it all throughout the Book of Roma. The gospel is for everyone, G.R. J.R. J. It made them uncomfortable. Just as uncomfortable as people are today about some people. He was just confirming the priestly duty is all nations will be saved.

Don't you love that though? Because coming from his perspective of what a priest would do in the Jewish worship, they would prepare a sacrifice, offered up on behalf of the people, although the sacrifices they were offering could never take away sin. Now he's saying you're a priest and you're preparing people to be the sacrifice. I love that. And then we know from Romans 12, what you now offer is your own living body as a sacrifice to the Almighty.

So I love that concept that he pivots out of the Jewish, you know, copy from the Old Testament into now this is we're all. Yeah. He's already covered all the differences and the wedges that come in there between two groups, the Jew and Gentile, Jew and Gentile. Well, he begins to, in Romans 15, toward the end there, he begins. to make it known that the priestly duty of getting the gospel to the Gentiles was a major effort on God's part through him. But also look, you know what stands out to me? That Romans 15, 17

in ministry, because everywhere I go, I was like, you got to focus on Jesus. And Sunday morning, as I say, let's focus on Jesus. And we've all had people accuse us of sharing the same thing. They're like, why come you all keep sharing the same thing over and over? I've been asked that many a time. Yeah. People are like, well, let's get into it. to the deeper truths of. And I read that Romans 15, 17, he says, therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I mean, the whole point of this is he's saying,

I'm focused on Jesus. That's what I glory in, because that's how you relate to God and his principles. All the things they were having trouble with, if they just went to see how Jesus operated in Matthew, Martin, Luke, and John, which is basically what he was trying to get them to see, you'll see that God views everybody as valuable.

He died for everybody. That's it. We're going to embrace the whole world. I mean, all of a sudden it became revolutionary. And then he repeated that. Hey, Jay's. Hey, Jays. Let's take our last break.

He repeated that in the second verse. I mean, I just think if you're doing a lesson on this, you've got to bring this up about how, despite all the difficult passage, passages in Romans that he addressed, it just gets so simple here in the end. He's like, I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me. That's it.

He's like, this is about what Jesus did and gave me this platform. It's not unlike anything I say when I go speak, because the bigger this gets, the more the gospel reaches in the world, the smaller you. you become. He zeroes in on the gospel and he's basically saying, this, this what's happened, what God has done through Jesus, that that is the deeper truths of the Bible. Exactly. That's what all this is about. Well, I think, I think as a church or as a believer or as a pastor and we've got a lot of people listen to us, you want to be known, because he said if I'm in the service to God, that means you're a servant. If you're in service, you are a servant. And he says, I'm a,

a servant of the gospel. I'm a servant to the people. I'm a servant to God. So that's the old idea is nothing else matters except these things. And so if you want to be known for something, that's what you want to be known for. I'm a servant of Christ. You bet you. I mean, that needs to be what other people recognize you as being. Yeah. What's an old song? Jesus died and rose again. Well, that could be a bunch of songs. We need a little more to go on. Let the weak say I am strong. Oh, yeah. No, I think it says I am.

Let the poor say I'm rich. Yep. Yeah. I hadn't heard that in a while. Jesus died and rose again. But that's what the person was saying there. Or like in Christ alone, that's the song we sing a lot. To me, it's like an anthem, you know, for Jesus, which is pretty good.

And so, you know, Jayce, he shifts over. So after he says all that. And he basically says, this is what I'm all about. He makes it very personal, verse 23, because he says, but now there is no more place for me to work in these regions. And since I've been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you all passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there. And I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I'm on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there.

So that was that last trip to Jerusalem. And he goes on to describe that the reason he's going there is to bring some financial support from the Gentile churches to the Jewish churches. Because you know, the thing about the Jews were under occupation of Roman Empire. They're having to pay all these double taxes. I mean, the people there were in a bind. And what he's saying is you get all these new brothers and sisters that are Gentiles. And they need to help the original, you know, Jewish Christian church. And so that's that gift he brings.

So even in his reflection of that, I love the idea that the gospel naturally looks out for the kingdom and looks out for people. And that was his point is I'm going there one last time and it's going to be to bring them gifts from you. Yeah, when you don't even like, I mean, the Jews were probably looking at these Gentiles. They didn't like the situation already because they're like, we're God's chosen people. You could take that. You could take that. And I'll apply that to modern day, the Messianic Jews. the ones who do, in fact, have viewed Jesus as the Messiah correctly so.

Right. They can have a big role in helping bring Jew and Gentile together as one. Yeah, but my point is when the Jews then saw that Gentile money was coming to them and they're having a bad attitude about them even being saved, I think there was a dynamic in that that made them think, well, wait a minute here, Because it's just like anything else in life, sadly. If somebody starts giving you money, well, all of a sudden, it opens you up to whatever they're trying to sell. I mean, you know, you're like, because most people are like, you know, I'll love you.

I'll try to help you when I can. I'll do anything for you. But I ain't giving you a dime until I see something supernatural to change my view. So I just think he was using it. that to try to show them, look, we're all, because I know they had a problem opening this up to the Gentile world. That would have been a struggle. Yep. And, you know, Dad, to your point, I was, I was reading recently about some Messianic Jews that had been going into old Eastern block countries, you know, Russia and that area, and find a lot of old Jewish, mostly widows

that had been displaced after World War II. Because, you know, people just scattered in every direction to try to get away from Hitler and the regime. And so they found all these old widows that were old Jewish widows. And, of course, they're just poverty-stricken, starving to death. But it was a big chunk of Messianity Jews that are going in those areas of bringing relief and, you know, bringing food and trying to bring help to support that. And I thought, man, that really is what it's all about. That's a 21st century thing that's happening.

There was a lot like what we're seeing in the first century that Paul was doing. Mike Huckabee works with those people. He does. And there's a lot. of really good people. So do the guy, our buddies out at 700 Club, the Robertsons, Pat Robertson, his crew, they do the same thing, which is incredible. I mean, that's what we should be, that's what the gospel does. It doesn't try to, it helps anybody. That was his point. He was like, you've gotten their spiritual blessing. He was telling Gentiles, so you should help their

physical blessings, you know, but I think he was doing it to try to get them to see that God truly loves everybody, and we share. We have something bigger in common. Now, Larry's work over the last 50 years, and Peggin those, a lot of them, they got support from people worldwide, Al, you know? Oh, yeah. And they call their group the Cadry, and about, I think about 50 to 100 of them are coming for Sunday for the celebration, but they're spread out all over the world.

But their focus has been to make sure and get the gospel out. So my points, as we're wrap it up here, that was the first part of that was the singular nature of the gospel. In other words, the gospel has to be first. Then there's a servant nature of the gospel. It is to serve other people. Then there's a sharing nature of the gospel, which is what we just talked about. In the last text, I find interesting because, J.S., you said the word earlier. Paul shows his vulnerability.

Look at verse 30. I urge you brothers by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together to be refreshed. So I love the concept that he closes with the struggling nature of the gospel, meaning that we're always going to have obstacles that are put in our way.

To share with people, you're going to have people get after you, you're going to be persecuted. did people, he said, prayed that the believers will accept me, meaning that even in the first century, there were people that were, you know, didn't like certain things they were going. He was already facing the grumps and the gripes in the first century. Why don't you make, it's a struggle? Why don't you make the fifth point as your invitation and have the spirit of the gospel?

Because he says the love of the spirit, well, the struggle, because you need the spirit to help the struggle and the, what do you say, and to focus on the singular. They all started the S, didn't it? What was number two and three? It was singular, serving, sharing, struggling, and now spirit nature of the gospel. You can't leave the spirit out

because that's what's going to give you the ability to do it, which I think is his point. That's why I said he summed up the Godhead there in that verse 30. And then that's why I think when it leads to Roman 16, which is so, to me, Roman 16 is a real powerful chapter

from a way that you would, and think because it's nobody knows what roman 16 is about because when you get it you're like well that's just the closing credit but he focuses on all these people who have been his partners in this whole ministry and look they're meeting in houses it's a married couple it's a single woman it's it's just random people male female and and couples who along the way were warriors in getting getting jesus out larry and Peggy and their work with various individuals worldwide. It does.

That's why I like that God brought it all together for us in particular on this day that we were talking about that. And Jay says the perfect tease for where we're going to go next week. But it's powerful to me because it's not what you think. Most people think, oh, the church leadership across the world. And you're thinking these senior pastors and all the churches getting together. But his crew just looked like a montage of a single woman. here, a couple here, some old guy over here, two sisters over at this house. Yeah, that's true.

It just made it more real. And you know what it seemed like to me? It was way more like Jesus's ministry. Yep. It's not in buildings. It's the spirit in people in communities where you would never think or suppose sharing Jesus in a real powerful way. And I think you're right. And I'll close with this, Jay's it back to verse 14. To the people you're talking about, he said, in verse 14, I myself am convinced my brothers, these ones you're talking about, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge, and confident to instruct one another. It was that, it was that group that was going to change the world, you know? And they did.

And they did. Praise God. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes. And for even more content that you won't get anywhere else, subscribe to Blaze TV at blazedtv.com slash unashamed.