Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 645 | Phil’s Misty-Eyed Remembrance of His Teaching Days & What Kept Jase Up ALL NIGHT Long

Episode Date: March 10, 2023

The woman-centric church service on Sunday left Phil misty-eyed with remembrance of times and lives past. Jase stayed up all night long doing something he won’t tell anyone about … yet. He teases a bombshell to drop on the guys sometime soon. The guys study the signs and affectations of “false teachers” according to 2 Peter. Zach lays out the progression of death versus the progression of faith over a lifetime. In this episode: 2 Peter 1; James 1, verse 21; Luke 15; John 21; Hebrews 2, verse 1 "The Blind" hits theaters this fall. Get updates, trailers, behind-the-scenes moments, and special opportunities here: https://theblindmovie.com — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? And we're off. And we're off. Zach, you're still good? We just had liftoff. I'm good. I was just with us. I'm Gucci. Did you know that? Well, I knew you weren't at church yesterday because I was there. I was in North Carolina.

You missed, I mean, look, Al, fantastic. I know. I heard how great it was. The worship was off the charts good. I mean, this was a long way from bringing in the sheaves, which is a personal joke that just happened because I want you to know. We were doing ads, and one of our ads was one of our sponsors is a sheet. Well, I thought that, now that was my bad. I thought the song we used to sing when I was a teenager was bringing in the sheet.

Which think about that, why would there be a song called Bringing in the Sheets? Because I thought you put them on a clothesline. I thought the song was written in like 1890 when you put sheets on a clothes line. Okay. Outside. So somebody said it. What would be the spiritual connotation to bring it in the sheet? Well, it's bedtime.

You need to bring in the sheet. I thought it was like, we're fixed to die. You know how morbid some of these old songs can be? Oh, so we're going to sleep. Okay. We're going to sleep. We're going to sleep with Jesus. I'm with you, man.

I thought it was a theological. That's a little bit more, but, yeah. When I come to find out 30 years later that it's actually bringing in the sheaves, so I asked. Well, first that, yeah, okay. I asked the human thesaurus, or I think I called him Mr. Webster, what sheaves meant, and he didn't know. So he Googles it. But he misspette. Oh, he didn't misspe.

He used the wrong version. Well, I asked him, can you use it? I misspelled it. I spelled it with two E's. Sheaves. And what came up was a, what was it? Some kind of wheel with a grooving. I thought, well, that didn't make any sense.

Why would you be bringing in a wheel with a grooving? In the church building. Bringing in the wheel with a grooving. So then I just went off on a tangent about that's the problem when you're, I mean, I feel like the young people should be the lifeblood of any church because they have the energy and they're the most open-minded for Jesus. And so me, I was frustrated about singing a song about bringing in the sheaves. We did, by the way, so it was S-H-E-A-V-E-S.

And a lot of older people out there remember the song, Bring in the Shees, which we'd look that word up, and it's bundles of wheat, the sheaves. Well, when's the last time you brought in a bundle of wheat? Well, I've never brought in one. It's a metaphor for the harvest. The harvest. Bringing in the harvest. It's a metaphor for the harvest.

It's too complicated. You didn't grow up. Well, if it would have been to bring in the cropy, bring in the white perch or bring in the catfish, the apollosic catfish, you would have been like. Because you are fishers of men, not sheaves. Thank you. Yeah. Well, I'm just saying. Not everyone is a farmer.

They understand sheaves, but you say, what about the fishermen? It's for those two. I'm just saying every ten. 20, 30, 100 years. Let's update the worship songs. All right. So the kids are not frustrated. That's all the point I was making.

But that has nothing to do with what we're going to talk about today. But I was saying I was there yesterday. I thought it was fantastic. They had the women's retreat. And so basically the women kind of did the, I mean, how do you say that? What's the correct way to say? They took over. It was a take it.

Yeah, it was a women's centric Sunday. because of the retreat. It was fantastic. But what I thought was, you know, I went way back, the woman who spoke, I guess, there was three or four women that spoke, but the keynote, I guess, was Mindy, who was on our podcast before.

And she didn't necessarily tell her story. She told God's story. Awesome, very biblical. But it made me think when she was a teenager and this event happened to her that she shared when she was on an earlier podcast. that resulted in her mom being buried and her dad being in prison for the rest of his life she uh you know we all kind of rallied around her and her sister and so uh and it made me think of

that illustration because also one of the other women who spoke was katelyn who i taught in junior high which tells you how old I'm getting. And it was powerful. But her mom, which is one of the pastor's wives, who's a counselor, by the way, we were having a conversation after the service about that. And she was like, you know, tears of joy and proud of her daughter. And she's like, you know, just thank you for those classes, you know, Utah. And it did make me think, you know, here's, here's, here's.

Here's two women who, when you go back to when they were teenagers, it made me think of that illustration I used on the past few podcasts, you know, about an acre not being powerful until it's planted and you give it some time. And it begins to grow. And then all of a sudden it is a sign of strength. And I thought, boy, if you want to see two oaks disguised as women yesterday, I mean, that was, that was, they did fantastic. Which is one of the beauties of being somewhere for a while of Jays,

because I have these kind of experiences all the time here is getting to watch people grow up and getting to see what God does when, you know, getting to see him grow people to that point, which is really amazing. I mean, just it humbles you. I view a lot of people in that congregation. I've been there 50 years or so. So when you look at them and you study with them and bring them, help bring them to Jesus, born them to Jesus, and they do.

Well, it's amazing that you just look up one day and the gray hair is there. The last time I saw them really talked with them, they were teenagers. Yeah, they flourished. Junior high on up to, you know, 8, 9, 10th grade, you look at them. but then all of a sudden they pass you by and their hair as gray as yours. No, I know. I tell them, I say, I remember you when you were a little girl. Some of the older women there now, they have got a house full of kids and they come on up through.

The ranks, you know, bringing in the sheath became a reality. But it's pretty cool to see them because it seems like yesterday I was talking with you and you know i taught you know like physical education and all that when i was getting on my feet and i did make the comment to miss k i stayed there a couple of years to getting on my feet spiritually and i was teaching the sons and daughters of the congregation there so well exactly then you look up one day and lo and behold they have gray hair and they have children that are in the fourth and fifth grade you know you're teaching the parents of the one jesus talking about that But that's what I'm saying.

I mean, look. And they all remember to us. And I remember you. I'd give a little hug. I said, I'd remember you when you were just a little girl. A child. About what was it, eighth grade? She said seventh.

Seventh. Seventh grade. I said, seventh grade. I remember you. Yeah. Well, don't underestimate it made me think of that verse in James one where it says, let's see, where is the one I'm looking for? The word that's planted in you, which can save you.

Where does it say that at, oh, yeah. in 21 it says humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you there's the sheaves of planting yeah well the girl that led worship Aaron you know she was in our holy war class years ago and I remember she came from kind of a traditional song service I guess, and I remember her, you know, her being there. I mean, she was a little uncomfortable, you know, with doing something different, I guess, is the right word to say. And so I went up to her after it's over. I was like, well, we've come a long way since Holy Roar, because it was, that was a dynamic worship. She kind of had a far away look and she said, you know, we really have. But so it just, I kind of had that,

I was proud, but I was telling the pastor's wife as we were talking, I said, but look, we need to find the next set of teenagers. She was like, you're right. Because really you realize that, I just feel like I hope that, you know, even by doing these podcasts and the ministries we do, I mean, you always got to be looking at that group, I think, based on their energy of planning the next. seeds, you know, and sharing Jesus with them. I was like, we need to investigate what's going on

with that group right now, and she's like, I'm in. So it was a good conversation, but I think you see how the point was you see how people grow. Essentially what you describe those, because so much as you find those out of different, you find those in different fields, you mentioned the two sisters from yesterday, Jay's. You think about where those two sisters came from, one out of a field of complete tragedy and loss, you know, talking about parents, lose both the parents, but she became an orphan overnight because mother killed, father arrested and taken away to prison for life. And out of that, of forever family surrounding her and basically raising her and being a part

of that. And then the other one, totally different. Parents, you know, leadership, you know, raising a nurturing home, all those. not perfect, but at the same time, very strong, very structured. They still had to both find their way. Both had to find their way. It reminded me of the two sons in the Luke 15th. That's exactly right.

So you had two daughters of families here and one out of tragedy. One, same struggle as far as it's just a different set. You know, you struggle with self-righteousness. And, you know, if you're not in Jesus, you're out. But working together. It reminded me when Lisa and I used to work in a marriage class and ministry together at WWFR with a couple, Tom and Beverly, and it was amazing because we worked together with them very closely.

And Tom in Beverly were so unlike Lisa and I, because we had come out of just terrible things and awful, you know, background in marriage. And they were just the opposite. They had been very strong and didn't have a lot of bad things that had happened in their marriage. And yet together we worked perfectly because we worked perfectly because, We worked with all kind of couples that had a varying degree of background. Some had had similar stories to us, but some similar to them. And it takes all kinds in the kingdom.

And that's the beauty of it. You work together on both spectrums of both ends of, you know, some experiencing some things, some and the other. So, I mean, it's a perfect example of what a forever family looks like. I mean, kingdom living is representative of all kinds, which is the beauty of. So while you guys were there, of course, Dad, you had a, you had a, you have a, had a class full of podcast listeners, right? People from all over the country had come. All over the country from one state after the other.

They had a little room, a hole about 75. They were all there. And I just found out pretty quick that they were from all parts of the United States, you know. We all came together there as a group. So I was thankful for the little black box. I said, I said, I can't be. I said, I don't have a cell phone. I said, but they do.

That's right. Which is funny because dad always famously says he doesn't have a cell phone, but because you guys do, you're able to come. And we tell you guys all the time, I mention it because there's new listeners. 9 o'clock Sunday morning. His dad's always doing the Unashamed Bible study at WFR, so you're always welcome to come.

He's going to be there. I say the same thing pretty well every Sunday morning. Right. And I just keep the main thing, keep the main thing the main thing it doesn't change does it that and uh so i was in just about the time you're go ahead the just about the time you're just about the time you're just about the time you're tired of saying that people are starting to hear it it's interesting you repeat the same thing over and ever but uh i think charles spurgeon said he preached the gospel for like two years

straight every single i can't remember the exact number but he said i just say same same same sermon every Sunday. I think it was Spurgeon that said that. So you think that, I always think that too, like, well, I've said this before, but, you know, the simplicity and the centrality of the gospel film. Yeah, it doesn't get old, I mean, because. Well, it shouldn't. I mean, it's the point.

Just take a look at the writers of what we're studying, including Peter. Just look at his background. And you wouldn't think when you're reading about his struggles about Jesus being who he said he was. I mean, he's the one, Peter's the one that jumped in the middle of it and said, you know, you know, nobody, nobody's going to kill you. We're not going to let that happen. Just think about how far off he was in his understanding while he was running with Jesus.

And then Jesus kept asking him there, and I think Luke, according to, you know, you love me. Jesus said, you love me, Peter? He's how I love he. No, that's John. John 21, yeah. Do you love me? You ask him about three times. but do you love me because he had had some little static.

Well, he denied him three times, so Jesus asked him three times. Are you sure you love me? And he ended up with God allowing him to write two books in this word we're studying in here. That's right. Boy, what a God that will just bring him on board. And he's the one saying, you're never going to save the world by dying on a cross. Well, that was kind of the whole point.

Jesus was there. but he was very patient with one call Peter. Yeah, never to love of Christ's never too far. Let's take a break. So I had an all night study session last night. I hadn't done that in a while. All night? All night.

Never slept? Never slept. Is this the one that you said you had the, you started off when we first got, opened up the studio today, you said you had something that was going to know our minds. Oh, yeah. This is going to be like, you know how you have, you're studying? And you're like, oh, oh, wow. Oh, my goodness.

So at some point, well, you can wait for, I'm preparing your minds right now. There will be a point in this study that you're going to go, oh, wow. I guarantee I discovered something you've never noticed before. But we won't get there now, right? That's for later. Oh, we can. I say we hang on to it. That's a great tease right there, Jay.

That's right. You have me for the last. I'll build it up. Because what happened was I kind of had an epiphany last night, which is why I couldn't sleep. And it's okay because I slept three days before. So I slept for about three days. Because you were still catching up from your island. I went to the island.

It was raining pollen. We were working 12, 14. hours a day. There was drama, you know, and we had the little one this weekend, which was not our little one. So we've, we're now in a new role, a new, what they call a new season of life. We're kind of the grandparents, I guess. And so, so there was, you know, I think, you know, I was feeling good about that and where we're at in the process. But so I just started studying. I was like, I was having trouble with second Peter. I mean, we're having. halfway through this book pretty much.

Even though we're in the first chapter, there's only three chapters. So I guess a third of the way. And I'm like, man, this, this, this, this book seems a little morbid. I mean, because I kept reading it over and over again. You know how you do. And I saw your outline and I was like, I just don't, something is not, why is this so, this is almost not depressing, but the further you read in the second Peter, the more you're like, oh, whoo, you know.

So I'm just warning you. When all of a sudden you get to chapter two, you're like, when's the last time you heard a sermon on 2 Peter 2? Yeah, it's not a go-to. No, it's kind of scary. No wonder you were bringing in the sheets. And so I'm like, I kept reading this and I kept reading it. And I was like, so then all of a sudden,

I realized that when Peter made this comment, I was kind of hanging out where we left off, which I think is verses 12 through 15. But we can go back and I think we were going to go back. We kind of jumped around. We didn't quite flesh out the few before. Five through nine, which is true. And we can do that because I just,

I'm giving you my epiphanies as we head to this aha moment. Okay. So, but just give you it over it. overview. So if you're if you're just new to the podcast, you're like, well, kind of where we're out. Well, it hit me that when he gets real personal in verse 13, he gets really personal. He does. He says, I think it's right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body. So you got to realize before I continue to read this. So what age are we thinking Peter is when he's writing this book? Because part of the epiphany,

that I had came when I realized, you know what, he's right at the end of his life here. Correct. So I don't know what age that was, but you will agree with that. Yes. So that's why I didn't know. I mean, within a year. If we knew, yeah, so within a year. So I don't know if we knew how old Peter was when he died.

The guess is that maybe in his 50s. So back then, 50s then was like 70s. these or 80s now. Exactly. And that's your age and your age. That's right. 50s. But it was, I'm saying relatively speaking, the, if you look at the charts of the, what is the phrase

I'm looking for, the life expectancy. Yeah. Back then it was probably 50. Right that. Right. He would have been, he would have been an older, man. Yeah. So that made me realize this, because I had a thought here.

So you know what happened? And I'll use this as the illustration. And we can discuss this. You know, when, if you're, because how you do a lot of weddings? Well, if you marry people in their 40s, well, they're way more nervous. They're way more fearful. When you marry people when they're teenagers, they're not scared to anything. You know, you do the premarital counseling.

I remember we went in there premarital counseling. I was grin and, you know, yeah. And you're like, why? No matter what was said, I mean, we basically took the compatibility chart, and his conclusion was, don't get married, not somebody else. And we held our hands. She reached and grabbed my hand, but we love each other, you know. Because you're just so naive, is my point.

But the older you get, the older you get, well, you realize life has been difficult. You realize the dangers and the difficulty in every aspect of life, So what happened? You're smarter. Round ever curve. There was a new... You realize this.

So I'm saying the older you get... That's why most older people in the faith come across as grumpy and mean-spirited. You're like, well, why? Because, well, they've been beat up, and they realize the brutality and danger. They've been in a battle the last 45 years. Oh, they've been in a war. And so I think that's why this goes down this road. And to prove that point,

an outline that you'll never see anywhere is he's basically in the first chapter warning you of the dangers of having your heart corrupted and that's in verse four when he says now the first of it's positive and we went through it you know i want to remind you of the great and precious promises you know so that through them you may participate in the divine nature but watch this it's a little negative here and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Because he's realized how corrupt the world is out there. You're not, he doesn't have that being naive. He's like, it's dangerous and your heart is dangerous.

Evil desires. Well, look what he does in chapter two. It gets, he's like, but there's also false prophets among the people. Do you realize how many, how many times he's having? had arguments with people about heresies that they caught up. And so all of a sudden he's like, they will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord.

You know, verse two, many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories they've made up. You're like, I mean, who wants to be exploited? I mean, it's, and then all of a sudden, you know, He's like, their condemnation has been long hanging over them

and their destruction has not been sleeping. So that's why I said it. You're like, why are you so angry? Well, he's not angry. He's just being real to you that there are going to be people that come into your midst and they're going to do all this stuff. Yeah, it's kind of amazing that it's like what was going on 2,000 years ago. And I said, that sounds like us today.

Nothing has changed here, Jase. He went back 2,000 years to begin that conversation. He went back to the Siling of Gmora. That's right. He showed this always been, the spirit of that has always been around. Yep. So anyway, he gets to chapter three, which, look, I'm not, we'll get there. But all of a sudden, he brings up this group of people that are saying, well, where's this coming?

And, you know, ever since our father's died, I mean, he's not coming back. You know, boy, he gets to verse 11, he's like, since. I mean, verse 10, he's like, the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. And you're like, man, he's trying to scare us. Oh, that's exactly what he's trying to do. That's scary.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives. So I'm just giving you a thumbnail of that, that I realized that, man, he's older. He's been beat up. He's realized the dangers of your heart, the dangers from other people, and just the danger of God himself of looking down at humanity and having to put up, you know, put up with the rebellion and all this.

So that kind of, once I kind of had that moment, that was not the big bombshell moment, but it kind of made me realize that that's why it kind of gets difficult. And I mean, I think you should understand that because it does. It seems, I mean, you don't hear many lessons on chapter two and chapter three because it is, it is kind of scary. It's like the on the way out manifesto.

Let's take another break. It is scary, but it's, it's, it's, it's, uh, it's interesting to me that his focus, because he's going to die, I mean, the way he's going to die is coming from a threat, which is not the threat that he's actually addressing. Because he's talking about internal stuff. It's like family business, you know, the evil lust. I was thinking of that passage in James 1. It says, but each one is tempted.

This is James 114. When he has carried away and enticed by his own evil lust or evil desires, your translation may say. Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. So looking back at what Peter said, he said, what does he say here, having escaped the corruption in the world that is by lust? But he's talking about like our internal, I think he's talking about the internal stuff in our own heart. Like, we're lusting after these things of the world.

And then he moves into these people that seem to be in the church, right? I mean, he says that they're bringing in and destructive heresies. Yeah. My translation says even denying the master who bought them. So whoever is bringing in the destructive heresies, the one thing we know about them is that they were bought and purchased by Jesus. That's what it says here. Oh, that's fantastic. It seems like this is a threat inside the church, you know.

Oh, there's no doubt. So before I get, because I, you know, I know that was a lot, but I'm saying before I drop the bombshell and I want to just lead this whole time, I feel like it was such an odd. moment and that I'm going to wow you with it. I want to keep building it up. But I do realize that on the outline, we didn't, we didn't flesh out five through nine. Right. But I wanted to bring that up overall because here's what I had, I had another epiphany during the all-night study session. And I think most people when they teach this, they give the, they give all the things, all the qualities.

So you have what? You know, he says, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness, goodness, knowledge, knowledge, self-control, self-control, perseverance, perseverance, godliness, godliness, brotherly kindness, or mutual affection, most translations say, and then love. So when people teach this, because they're doing like we're doing, but they're going through the book, and they're like, well, okay, well, if you just get all these things, well, you got it. But I realized something in studying this. You know, he starts off saying,

his power has given you everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. And I think to the people who are young in the faith, you're like, really? I've got everything I need. Because I don't feel that way. Because what? Life is tough, you know. But he's given us everything we need. And he's based all what we need on promises.

He says that in verse four. and we're participating in the divine nature, so that's the Holy Spirit. And he's doing this all because he realized how dangerous our hearts can be. So we just, that's kind of wherever that. So he says, so for this reason, make every effort. And I think you had a point about being diligent. So he says this phrase three times, make every effort, or being diligent. He says it in verse five.

And then he says it in verse 10, therefore, brethren, be all. all the more diligent to make certain. Yeah, that's it. To be all the more eager. Yeah, I think some translations say, when I was looking it up, it said make every effort. So in verse 10 in the NIV, it says all the more eager. But it's the same phrase.

You make every effort to make your calling in election, sure, if you do these things. It's actually said three times because then Peter says it himself as well. I don't know why they translated that in this version of the NIV. I think Jason would. your argument is based on the Hebrew writer chapter two we must pay more careful attention therefore to what we've heard and here's the way it works so that we do not drift away whatever that means that's what Peter's saying no I think you're exactly right

Phil so what I was going to say you're exactly right what I here's what my point was it I only took 10 minutes to get here, but my point was, so when you do all these things, it's not, these are not things you do, because you got to think practically. If you have everything you need, well, you've got to live here. So what happens is when you wake up in the morning, because he lists all these qualities that you'll be adding to your faith, all these things. He says if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will, now here's the, here's the, not the bombshell, but the first thing I want to bring up, they will keep you from being ineffective and

unproductive in your knowledge of Jesus Christ. So just think about that. If you have all these qualities, you're going to be effective and productive. You're going to be bringing in the sheaves every day with people. So that's what hit me. His goal in writing this was not to give you a 10-point where if you understand all these concepts, you're going to figure this out. The goal is to wake up every day trying to be effective for Jesus and productive because Jesus is your Lord and you know him and you want to represent him and you want to shout him to the mountains and you want to introduce him to the person at Walmart and you want to, so what does a day consist of? It consists of decisions that you make. Now, that's why it's such an array of qualities.

well in some decisions you're going to have to control yourself i mean let's say i mean you could i could just pluck something out of the air but let's say you you know you wake up you know feeling frisky or whatever and you're you're married which is perfectly fine that's what married people you wake up feeling frisky you know but your your wife she's not she's not she's not she's not feeling frisky right so we we got an issue here this that and you're like what's this got to do with peter because once she said, I'm not feeling frisky, well, you're going to have to control yourself because that went out the window. You know, she's sick or whatever.

So you had her, now you could blow up and say, well, you know, I'm, so that's going to derail your effectiveness and your productivity in the name of Jesus if you start the day off with the inability to control yourself. But my point is life happens every day. you don't know what's going to happen. And I was trying to tie this into why Peter seems like he's coming across a bit angry and a bit. No, it's just he knows how difficult it is on a daily basis to put Jesus at the center of every decision. It is very difficult to do it.

So when he gets down here and saying, well, you've forgotten, you're near side and you've forgotten you've been cleansed from your sense. You're like, well, how do I forget that? We all know that. It doesn't make any sense. You forget it in the moments every day of life. When life comes your way, all of a sudden, you're not thinking about Jesus dying for your sins. To use my marriage illustration, that's all you're thinking about in that moment. And you have decision.

You can either control yourself, be unselfish, realize the big picture, don't let it buy, all these things. I'm just using one little illustration with one quality, he said. But then all these qualities that come up every day. Life happens, and you have these opportunities every day to show these qualities. And if you're waking up, tackling them every day with Jesus as a sinner, I think this is what he meant. He goes on to say, the Hebrew writer, how shall we escape, which is what your point is, if we ignore such a great salvation, it has to rule over pretty well every decision you make.

Right. It was announced first to us, was confirmed by the Lord, announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. And God also testified to it with signs, wonders, and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. He's just saying, you can miss this. It'll just go right on by you and you didn't even know what happened. You're missing it in your daily life. Because that's what growing is. You see what I mean?

If you're growing every day. The language here is a progressive language, and I love that. Because that's why I brought up that passage in James, because if you, and this is like an interesting discussion when you get into 2nd Peter. Same thing with Hebrews, which is interesting that Phil brought that up. Because you know the big thing here, right, is, right, when you start reading into this, you start hearing about people who were bought by the master who have now, like, become agents of heresy and destruction.

and there's this warning and this whole thing about make your election sure and all these things is like, well, what about the whole debate on once saved always? I think that's where this kind of has. And I think if you end up on either side of that debate, you're kind of missing the bigger picture here. Thank you. And I think it's looking at this idea of sin and righteousness, both on the opposite ends of the spectrum. But the danger of sin is that it is a progressive movement. toward death.

And that's that James passage, right? It starts with lust. And when lust is conceived, each one is dragged away by their own evil desire or their own evil lust. And then when that desire conceives, it gives birth to sin. And then when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. I'm probably butchering it. But go back and read it.

I read it earlier. But it's a progression towards death. Yeah. Plus Peter was looking at it from his own life. and he came close to losing the prize several times in his own life. He did, and I think that it, yeah, but if we reframe our idea of sin and faith in the context of these are both progressive things, one is a progressive cancer, which is sin, starts a temptation is what it says.

Each one is tempted, so temptation, when he's carried away and enticed by his own lust, and there's lust, then when lust is concede that gets birth to sin, now we have sin and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. So that's the progressive nature that's the cancerous nature of sin. And then here, what he's given in 2 Peter chapter 1, it's the progressive nature of righteousness that starts with, let's see here, applying in all diligence in your faith. So you start with faith here. Moral excellence.

Then you add to moral excellence, knowledge, then self-controlled, then perseverance, then godliness, then brotherly kindness. For if these qualities are yours, and I love this next phrase, and are increasing, then they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So I like that phrase there, because it's highlighting that there's a true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I think what he's talking about here, this isn't like God's information that he's imparting to you. I think it goes back to this, what he said earlier. It's the knowledge of knowing him, which makes you a participator in the divine nature,

going back to verse four. I think it's a relational interaction. And that's why when we talk about it, the end of that is life itself. Well, you know why? Because God is life. You got to remember. You got to remember Peter found himself right after he said, Jesus said, I'm going up to Jerusalem, the chief priest teaches of the law are going to kill me. Three days I'll arise

from the dead. When Peter writes about it, he says, you need to look at this, what happened, like a light shining in a dark place. Look what he struggled with until the day, dawns, or the morning star rises in your hearts. It hit him one time, and he wasn't buying it. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture. Jesus is the one who said, I'm going to die, be buried and raised from the dead. I'm going to save the world. Peter was the one who jumped in and said, no, you're not.

Well, that's how easy you can be led astray. And he goes on to say, no scripture came about in the prophet's own interpretation. Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God, including Jesus, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Peter almost blew the deal. A hand-picked.

And that's why he's the, that's why, he's the perfect guy to write this because he's also at the end of his life. That's right. So he's, you know, this is around, I think he's going to die somewhere between 64 and 68 AD. Would have been around 50 years old. I mean, he's lived some life in the Christian faith. So this guy's like walked with this. He is obviously under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but even his personal experience.

I mean, you have to imagine, this guy's been walking with the Lord for trial. Where was Peter when Jesus said, I'm going to die, be buried in the dead when the time got there, where's old Peter? They look around and what happened to him? He hit the road. So that's how easy. Well, not only that. Well, not only that.

Even in Paul said that he had to rebuke Peter to his face when he saw that he wasn't acting in line with the truth of the gospel. So even post resurrection, Peter still had moral fallings, moral shortcomings and failures like all of us do. And so I think that the nature of this, it's not. he was with him. And he, and he had been, like, casting out demons and performing miracles.

Yeah, this very flawed man, this ordinary guy who is writing this letter with incredible wisdom and under the inspiration of spirit. But I think what he's laying out to Jason's point, too, is that this is not, because you read this,

it is scary. I mean, you start thinking about, man, you get into a whole dog returning to its vomit, which we'll get into and all that. I mean, it's,

the language is very graphic. Yes. But I think what he's laying out here, it's this idea that man, when you walk in sin, like sin will corrupt you. False teaching will corrupt you. These things will corrupt what you desire at its core. And at the end of that, what it looks like, it looks like a dog who just threw up and then he went back and ate his own throw up, which is a discrecent. Great picture.

That's what he says, right? Great pictures. What he says? Let's take our last break. So before we leave this section, I wanted to make one point because I thought it was interesting that each one of these qualities are the fruit of something. Because he starts out in three and four with the divine power. The only thing we really bring to the table in verse five is faith, right?

That's the only thing we really have to bring is the starting point. Right. But he says to make every effort, and he says it three times. I didn't read the third one. I don't think I did, but in chapter three, when it says, man, I'm having trouble finding these things. He says it again in verse 14, 314. So then, dear friend, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him. It's actually the fourth time that phrase is mentioned in this book.

So I wanted to bring this up because when you read this, you're like, well, wait a minute. If his defined power is giving us everything we need and it's based on his promises, why is Peter saying make every effort? Because he says it three times. He says it in verse five, make every effort to add to your faith these things. Then he says in 10, make every effort to make your calling an election, sure. even though it's translated in my version of a all the more eager it's the same word because i looked it up and then when he says it here now you got to remember we haven't got to chapter three yet but this

scary sight about the earth burning up and and having a new now now we're like yeah but we're on the we're on the good side of this yeah but it's still kind of scary language when you start thinking about the earth being a ball of fire question is asked what kind of people should you be. Well, exactly. And then all of a sudden he's talking about being blameless and spotless. You're like, well, I thought I couldn't do this. So that last little thing he says is what I won to zero, you know.

Before you, hey, Bob, you got to say, Jay, it's real quick. That is the question. I don't want to like, before you give the answer, I think we should highlight this. I mean, this is the question. I don't even know where you're going. I think you're going to, I'm anxious. But the question always is, Christ did it all, but I got to do something. Well, right.

And how do you, like, what, how do you reconcile? He did it. It's the finished work of Christ, but then I got to make an effort. Wait, wait, what is this? Who's doing what? What's my responsibility? What's his? Well, that is a big question.

It's a big question. And that's why I think the translations are all over the place on that make every effort, like the other translations says, be diligent. but I don't even know if we use that word anymore. I mean, we actually talked about that, but what does that mean? I mean, we can come up with a thumbnail. You know, this says be all the more eager, which I kind of like that better in that one translation.

No matter what happens, stay the course. But this one little last phrase he says, be blameless and spotless, but it says this phrase, I love it, and at peace with him, which goes back to Zach's point about this knowledge of Jesus being more relational than informational because when he says when he uses it the first time in verse five he says for this very reason make every effort to add to your faith you know goodness knowledge and so I do think it is in that in that relationship experience of surrendering on a daily basis to the will of God,

you know, listening to the Holy Spirit, the communication lines are open. You study in God's Word, you listening to Spirit-filled people, and your prayer life, all the things that people usually connect with being a good Christian, they are true. That is the signs of a relationship, but you're not, it's what they're based on. You're not doing them to achieve salvation or status, you know, before God. It's more of a daily walk. That's why I said these qualities happen on a daily basis.

It's not like you're going to gather all the information on what does really self-control mean and, you know, knowledge and perseverance. If I knew what those meant, then I could go put them in my life. No, it's not, it's not going to work that way. It's more acknowledging that you have the Spirit of God and he has a mission for you to do to represent him. And as you go through life, minute by minute, you're making decisions surrendering to God's will and putting Jesus forward out there. But think about each one of those, Jays. What is goodness? It's fruit of the Spirit. It's not your goodness. What is knowledge? It's fruit of prophecy. What is self-control? Fruit of the the spirit. What's perseverance, fruit of trial and suffering? What is Godliness? It's fruit of Christ,

not you. Exactly. What is kindness? Fruit of the spirit. All those are fruit of something else. So the making every effort is actually a surrendering spirit to the character of God. Exactly. That's why he said when you don't do these things, you're forgetting that Jesus died for you. Yes. So that's what I wanted to go back to. It's what motivates you to surrender. to Christ. Well, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It's always going to go back to the gospel in your reenactment of it, which is the first reenactment part of that is you dying, which is the surrendering your will. But what I was trying to say, you can have discussions about this from 30,000 feet. Where this gets difficult is when you wake up in the morning

and you're faced with these decisions because your nature, your desires, the danes. of your heart and Peter addresses that in verse four. He knows that in the short term we easily forget our surrendering, you know, who Jesus is, the death on a cross. You forget that in the short term. Well, if you do that for two days in a row, all of a sudden, you're, you're, you do it for a week. You do it for a month. You're drifting. You're not growing. And when you're not growing, guess what you're doing? You're dying. Remember Peter's words, the same one that he's alerting us now in first and second Peter.

Peter took him aside, Jesus is, and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord, he said, this shall never happen to you. The very heart, the salvation of the human race. Peter at one point in his life said, this will not happen ever. That boy, that boy, that didn't come a long way. That's funny.

I would argue the reason why Peter said that is because he did not understand the nature of the kingdom. My translation says this, the NASB, that when we practice these things, as long as you practice these things, you'll never stumble for, In this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. So it's to Jason's point, and I think this is it, we're talking about the upside down kingdom and how do we live the kingdom life? And it's almost like he's saying, you practice these things. You practice the way. And when you practice the way, the truth of the life, who is Jesus, then the kingdom is actually applied to you.

I think this is explained really good at the end of Romans chapter 9. Well, save that. You went through this whole. Save that for the overtime. Because the old clock on the wall says that's about all. But I'm glad we've come to an agreement on this. And if you're wondering if I ever dropped the aha, no, I haven't. And I'm not going to do it in the overtime.

I'm going to give you another teaser because I want to have a full podcast to drop the bombshell. Oh, moment. The bombshell is yet to come. It comes as a teaser from verse 15 of chapter one, which we never got to. Never got to. So hold that Roman's thought. We'll do that in overtime. BlazTV.com slash Unashamed.

If you want to catch Zach's Roman's explanation as well as other things, follow us over for overtime statement. 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 blazTV at blazestiv.com slash unashamed.