Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 663 | Phil’s Unusual Early Morning Rant, the Curious Quirks of Miss Kay & Jase’s Son Made Him Cry

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

Phil must have eaten his Wheaties, because he goes OFF today! Jase’s travels with his family leave him emotionally reeling, but Miss Kay knows how to cheer him up. One of Jesus’ most famous “I Am” statements gives Al a revelation about the holy trinity. The guys wonder why “social mercy” can’t replace social justice and discuss the exclusivity of Jesus.  In this episode: John 14, verse 6; Romans 6, verses 1-11; John 8 "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? I had a little group this yesterday morning in my class. It surprised me and then it became a, I began to realize that we don't say enough about it. When we talk about Jesus and what he's known for and what's the last three or four, we've been hammering on now. The I am. Yeah, the I am. Well, Jesus, if you look carefully, he is,

I concluded after my study to give it to the folks yesterday. By the way, there were quite a few that requested to be baptized after that lesson. So we walked down. One guy, he was in there. I said, well, he's a young book. I said, what do you do there, son? Where are you from? He said, I'm from Canada.

I said, Canada. I said, what do you do up there in Canada? He said, country and western singer. I said, ladies and gentlemen, we have us a country and western singer that has now been convinced of, in view of God's mercy, that old Canadian Joe here, in view of God's mercy, offer your body with sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing, which is your spiritual worship. Now that's covered a wide range, but it all comes down to in your heart, respecting God for being so merciful.

What's interesting is Romans chapter 12 right up above there, and look, I'll just give you, if you're following this textually, you can write this down all you people out there that's watching right now when you get to mercy. if you start with the phrase not counting men's sins against them now if you could get in a situation between you and god and you knew that your sins were not counted against you well you're talking about a motivator that's motivation of at the highest level you can look at your life and what you've done and all the sins you've committed and when you come on board with jesus through faith and his death, burial and resurrection, you say the first thing you need to do is,

is understand how you need to operate since all your sins, none of them have been counted against you, not one. So you start reading these texts, Romans 6, 1 through 11. If you look at that, Romans 6, 1 through 11, you get to the back part of it, watch. and he shows you where you are and what a beautiful position you're in and a safe one, by the way. But what was I, what was I looking for? Yeah, yeah.

So all of them are, let's see, we died the sin. We can live in it no longer. Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? That's what's happening when we went to the water yesterday for those folks. They understood this and they moved on it. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death. In order that Justice Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

we too may live a new life. He goes down to verse 11. The death Jesus died to sin once for all. But the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, here's that. mercy. Understanding that no sin in the past is counted against you, no sin in the future will do you in, you say, I just live a life of faith in view of his mercy. I am what I am. And Jesus is the same. In the same way that Jesus, the death he died, he died to sin once for all. Now the life he lives,

he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves. dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Al, he's the man of mercy. 2 Corinthians 519, not counting men's sins against them. We're ambassadors to show people. Your sins won't be counted against you if you will embrace and put your faith, and the one who became flesh and died for you was being raised from the dead. Your sins are not counted against you.

you're good to go when you make mistakes offer them up to him lord my bad thank you for having me in a situation where you're not counting my sins against me romans four verse seven matthew five and seven part of the beatitude blessed are the merciful it's highlighted matthew nine eleven through thirteen matthew thirteen matthew thirteen 23 and following Romans 9, verse 15, 18. Romans 11, 30, 32. Ephesians chapter 2. Romans 12, verse 8.

Titus, look at Titus. Titus, a little book over there, God appeared. He appeared, listen to this, Titus. At one time we two were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved. slaved by all kinds of passions and desires. And I'm looking at it saying, they hit the nail on the head. We lived in malice, envy, being hated, and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.

Not because of righteous things we've done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebut. birth, which that's what followed yesterday morning, the one, I said, follow me to the water down here. It's better than the river. There's no snakes and alligators where we're going. It's a nice, warm pool. Y'all are wise to do so. He saved us and those folks yesterday through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit that

it was given to us, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ. Therefore, Titus 3-5, James 212, 13. I'm giving you all for the folks that's listening, they're observing us today, well, they look at this. 1-Peter 1-3, 1-Petor 2-10, there's more. There's a lot written about Jesus, and I say why we're saying that he is, I am, he is the epitome of Merciful.

And he's given us that, in view of that, how should we live our life? It's the greatest motivation we can find, knowing that God, because of his mercy, saved us, and it was not anything we had to do about it. He did it for us. What a bunch of texts. And what a man. He is the man of mercy, Jesus Christ. For some reason, I don't hear that preached on that much, Al.

Do you? Not a lot. We should. In fact, yesterday I heard a good sermon that said, he said, I heard a lot about hell, but I didn't hear a lot about mercy, you know, when I was growing up. He said, I wish I'd heard more on mercy. Yep. I was saying, Beth, was it, is it lamentations where it says new mercies are every day? Every day I wake up to new mercies.

Every morning. Every morning. Yeah, his mercies are new every morning. We used to sing that song. Yeah. We were kids. Which is pretty awesome. So when I came down to dads this morning, he was giving me this rant.

And I said, Dad, that's how we need to open the podcast today. You know, every once in a while you're going to come up with a thought every once in a while. And you get to read in a few versions. And all of a sudden, you get about half rile up early on the morning. I said, that's how we need to open up the podcast today. That's better than a cup of Joe right there. What about that, boy? We usually do a cold opening.

That's a hot opening. Hot take, dad. A hot take on mercy. That was really good. So, Jason, I mentioned Jason, the L. I said, Jay's got a T-shirt that says, you know, I could be wrong on the, on his chest like that. But we ought to say something to the effect. But if he turns and walks away, but on his bag, he said, but God is merciful and so am I.

That's good. Jason. What do you think? We'll miss one up once a while. So, Jason is, Jay's, zooming in today. He's pulling a Zach on us. coming from afar. Jason is in Nashville today.

Jace, uh, you're, you're there. I see you. So you're there in a bunker. I am. I am.

I'm in the bunker. Uh, my sons have turned my bunker into a place where they're stacking deer feed. So what's happened is, because I recommended that they should put the deer feed in a container, which they did not follow my advice. So now mice have descended. on the deer feed and we barely got our connection going because it was mouse related you know

they'll chew into anything wires there's wires everywhere you know so that so i have to tip my hat to the guys who who got us going but phil i've been with your wife my mom for the last couple days we were filming in south texas and then we i flew up here my mom drove with missy and we had to We had our baby dedication, Reed and Brighton. So now they have Maris, who's about 15 months, I guess, and now they have a new one, David. So we had a baby dedication, asked the Lord's blessing on them yesterday at their church.

So a lot of on both sides of the family came in. And so as soon as this is over, I'm headed to Kentucky where we'll film another episode. But I want to thank you, Phil, for starting the morning off with a rant on mercy, which is an unusual rant. But what I was going to say is, my mom kept saying yesterday, you know Phil baptized five people yesterday. Well, about 10 minutes later, she said, hey, Jay, so I was like, yeah, she said, you know,

Phil baptized like five people. So about the fourth time she told me, I said, okay, you've told me that four times. And she said, oh, I have. So we have, her memory is a little bit black each day. Welcome to mom. It is, but I'm going to give her credit for laughing at herself. We have argued a lot, but we've also laughed way, way more. So I think the biggest thing we've laughed at is, you know how Kay will say, well, number one, and then she'll say it.

And so I would say, well, what was number two? And she's like, do I? You never get to. So we have laughed at the lack. You begin to see what I see of your mother. What is today? I said, today it be Monday. About 30 seconds later.

What day is it? Still Monday. Still Monday. Calm down. So she said, so what she said in reply to that, she said, well, you know how everyone likes a. good. And she said, I think she meant cliffhanger, but she was saying doppel hanger. Yeah. And I said, no, okay, that's a clip, because she never gets to number two, therefore it's a

cliffhanger. And she does that every time. So finally, my son told her, he said, well, you know what they say about a cliffhanger? And she was like, what? And he wouldn't answer her. And this went on over and over it and she didn't realize she didn't realize that was the joke that he wouldn't answer her because it was a cliffhanger about cliffhangers.

So we've laughed, had to pull over multiple times to let her voice. What did she call it? She said it was a doppel hanger. That was the what she used. Well, I think that's what she meant to say. She meant to say cliffhanger,

but she was saying some form of the word doppel hanger. And we just went back and forth. So we've left. Dopple. Yeah, I have a doppel ganger and, uh, in Monroe, by the way. Yeah, Dopple ganger. She was saying doppel hanger. But she changed, yeah, she had a merger between doppel ganger and cliffhanger and came

up with doppel hanger. Which our old friend, our old friend, our old friend, our old friend Trent Langhofer, who used to preach here, dad calls him. cliffhanger. Yeah. Why did you call him cliffhanger? Well, I don't know. I knew his name.

The hangar was part of his name. I said, well, maybe I get part of it. That's funny. That's funny you say that because she, yeah, she said, Kay said that I was, she said, you know how you called Trent cliffhanger? And I was like, no, that would be your husband. He calls, I call him Langhofer because that's what his name is. Well, that's best.

to the name he gave Connor when Connor worked for us. Phil, what did you call Connor? No name? Yeah. Yeah, no name. He just couldn't think of a name. He would call him no name.

To this day, a lot of people still call him that. No name. Yeah. He kind of liked it. Everybody gets a name. But to wrap up while we came up here, I was real proud of my son. You know, at their church where they attend, they get the families, you know, up on stage and then they just hand the mic to the dad and he says a few words and uh you know my son

basically quoted uh psalm 127 i'm turning over there it was it was fantastic so he gave a little speech and it was real uh humble i thought that you know the lord has blessed him with two healthy children and he talked about legacy and then he read this that said unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain, unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman guard in vain. And then it says,

in vain, you rise early and stay up late, tolling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he loves. Sons are a heritage from the Lord. Children are a ward from him, like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons, born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quipper is full of them,

which everybody laughed because he had, you know, two little ones pretty close together. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. And then Psalm 28, you know, it talks about having a legacy to see your children's children. So it was really good.

We laughed, we cried, you know, we prayed, and then we had a big, celebration meal afterwards. So it was a really, it was really neat to be a part of. So Jay, watching you read that scripture, I'm making an observation

that you didn't take your normal Bible with you because you were holding, you couldn't, your arms needed to be longer. Watching you read that, it must have been a smaller print than you're used to because you look like you needed

about six foot art. It's my wife's, it's my wife's Bible. And you got to, Remember, all this traveling, I'm not checking any luggage. I'm traveling extremely light. There's a trailer out there somewhere in between South Texas and Kentucky that has all my stuff in it. And so I don't have my Bible, but my wife, I used hers.

So it's fine. All right. I was just thinking you might need to scrounge you up some readers. I was just watching that go on there. kind of funny. Well, the next commercial break, maybe I'll borrow her glasses as well. I think you need both. So, Zach, you were somewhere where you couldn't get internet last week, and we started

a new series. They were actually, I think, going to wrap up in the next couple of podcasts. But it was, we started talking about the I.M. statements. And we sort of, this was, I guess, an evolution series because we started calling at the, started to call it the seven I.M. statements and we kind of realized that there's more than that. And so now we're just saying the I.M. statements and it's more than a metaphor because it kind of expanded as we got to looking at it because there's quite a few of them. You know, there's, there's, generally recognized as seven, but we actually have found a few more than that in the text. And, you know,

Jesus himself in John 8 and also in John 18, you know, when he said I am, we kind of went back to this principle in this idea that goes back all the way to Exodus 3, I am who I am. And it started, of course, with God speaking out of that burning bush to Moses. And so this idea of the deity and that is God is outside of time and yet he just is. And so Jesus sort of affirming his own deity in the book of John has these statements. And so we talked about I am the light of the world in John 8. And also he repeats it in John 9. I am the bread of life in John 6. I am the gate and the good shepherd that he mentions in John 10.

And then I am the resurrection and the life, which we talked about in John 11. So we talked about all those in the past four or five podcasts. And we kind of brought us up to these couple. But just before we get into these last two, I just kind of wanted to get your general take on the idea of this concept of the I.N. because it's really been great. I mean, in fact, Jay's, I was going to tell you that I've gotten several emails from some of our long-term listeners that email me. And they've loved this discussion.

They've been like, man, I wish you guys could talk about this, you know, for a lot longer because it's been very enriching. And we kind of felt the same way talking about it. It's been very good. But what's your kind of your general take on the concept of I am? Yeah, I mean, that John 8 passages probably, I mean, it's up there in my top five, for sure. sure, you know, just a provocative statements that Jesus made and just, I mean, just the context of what he's talking about. I just pulled it up when you mentioned it. I love that how he speaks of himself when he says, your father, Abraham, rejoice that he would see my day.

Because you start thinking about, and I talk about this a lot, when Jesus is talking and he comes on the scene, they're missing, they're worshiping all the pointers that were pointing to Jesus and his arrival and the, you know, the Messiah coming. and they missed it. They worshipped Abraham instead of the one that Abraham worshipped. So I love this when he says this. He says, Abraham, your father, Abraham, rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, you're not yet 50 years old. Have you seen Abraham?

He's trying to trap him. And, you know, you've been around long enough. How do you know Abraham? How did he see you? And how have you seen him? And Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, which is a past tense term, right? So they're talking about the past before Abraham was. And then Jesus uses this phrase, I am.

And I think, man, you think about a man who can speak of himself. And when he's referencing the past, he speaks of himself in the present. I mean, think about that. He's saying before, which is this is all the past, and he's talking about Abraham being in the past, but when he injects himself into the context of this temporal world, he speaks of himself in the present. And I think that that alone is one of the most profound ideas that our Jesus that we worship. He transcends time. Like he's not bound by the past or the present or the future. He just is.

you know, so I think it speaks to the quality of who he is and his deity. So all these other IAMs that, which is interesting that you said that because Jace, before you got on, I said, what have y'all been talking about? And Al said that we've been talking about the IAMs and we've done five of them. I said, okay, yeah, there's seven, right? And he said, well, no, Jay's had a whole rant about that. That there's much, much more. And I think you're right.

You know, there's much more. So I don't know. That's my quick take on it. Well, yeah, I brought that up about even in the chosen, you know, when they ran the trailer for season three, where they had this line that Jesus said, I am the law of Moses. And so, you know, I didn't realize that some religious people took offense at that because they said, well, that direct line is not in the Bible. And so I defended the chosen because the implications of who Jesus. is being God when the law of Moses was written, well, he was a part of that. And then when he became flesh and fulfilled it, I mean, you read that in John 1,

the law came through Moses and grace and truth through Jesus and then all the times about fulfill. We talked about that. So I thought it was a very clever line because once you start going down this rabbit hole of a being who is present, And even just some of the stories he told when they tried to manipulate the law of Moses into, you know, this view of heaven if a woman is married seven times, well, who will be her husband at the resurrection? And you remember what he said, you know, to God, all are alive. Yeah. I mean, how do you make those kind of statements? It just so I defended him. And by the way, well, I'm bringing that up because, so I sent Dallas a text and said, look, I defended you. about that line and I'm curious of who came up with that. Kudos to whoever wrote that. So he actually told me, which I guess I can share.

He said, well, I came up with that. So thank you. But he basically said, we're not worried about, you know, the reaction because we're trying to portray Jesus and in a way that's,

you know, hard for the human mind to wrap their head around because he's, he's God and man. By saying, by dad saying, you know, I am mercy. I mean, by those verses he put together, did he directly say that? No, but is Jesus mercy? Yes. And in fact, yesterday in Mac's sermon that he preached at WFR, Mac O'n, you know,

this is another one I never really noticed, Jace, but in John 4, whenever Jesus talking to the woman of the well, when she says, you know, I'll speak to the Messiah, he says, I who speak to you am he. well I mean he didn't directly say I am but that's what he said I am as in that it's just the phrase is a little bit spread out that's another I am statement I mean to her it's missing the forest for the trees I mean right we're getting into John 14 could he be any more clear when he's you know here he is saying I'm going to prepare a place for you and Thomas is like well you know how do we know the way and then you know and then Phillips asking you know his question all these implications they're having a hard time wrapping their head around Jesus possibly leaving or dying and them knowing what to do. Because you've got to remember most religious leaders, all but I guess Jesus centered. People are pointing to truth, a list of commands. And you'll hear Jesus makes this statement, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

well, those three things encompass a lot of material. Yeah. Just, I mean, there's three categories that he basically described. And they're like, well, where's the map? Are you going to leave us a manifesto? And that's why he's saying, there's a God and you're looking at him. Of course, ultimately he proved that by coming back from the dead. Well, you look at it, you look at the apologetic of Jesus, Paul, the apostles, all of them.

I mean, I think that's the big thing is you have two, just to categorize broadly, you have two groups of people, right, Jews and Gentiles. And they all are searching for God and, but in different ways. And so, you know, like in the Corinthian passage where he says that the Jews demand, you know, the signs. They want the miracles. They want the evidences through the miraculous happenings. the Greeks demand or the Gentiles demand wisdom or the intellectual arguments. He says, but we, you know, we preach Christ and Him crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness of the Gentiles. And or other passages where, and when he's dealing with the Gentile philosophers in Acts chapter 17,

and he goes into the Areopagus and he looks at their objects of worship. And they're trying to find God in the things that God made. You know, you're looking at what God made, or, the Romans 1 passage, you know, you're, you're worshipping the created things rather than the one who created, and that's to the Gentiles. And the Jews, you're looking at Abraham, you're looking at the temple, you're looking at all the law. And Jesus is like, to his point, like, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the access point. It all is, it begins with me on the alpha, on the omega, on the beginning, and it ends with me, on the end of it all. And I think that's the part

where humans, what we want to, we want to come in and we want to find another way outside the person of Jesus Christ, you know, the second member of the triune God. And I think we miss a lot. And I think it's what leads to Phil's point earlier. When you do that, it leads to a lack of mercy because you can't have mercy on people, you know, when they get it wrong or they make a mistake or they say something that's not. correct. If you don't first understand the mercy that God gave you, that's why that passage feels started with so powerful in view of God's mercy, in view. You view what God has done to you. You view how much mercy you have received when you didn't deserve it. In view of that, then in response to that, you offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

This is your spiritual act of worship. So my point is you can't truly worship according to that passage until you first understand the mercy of Christ who laid himself down for you. That's what it's about. I think that's where it starts. So today's I am, it comes from John 14, as Jay's alluded to. And it really is probably you were talking about John 8 earlier, is that John 14, 15, and 16 are probably one of the most jam-packed in terms of importance. It's one of the greatest bits of teaching that Jesus did to the disciples.

And it's, you know, in all of, you know, his teaching, especially in the book of John, because he really lays out in exactly this connection of the father, son, the spirit, and the importance of it. And no more so than what he says here. Of course, he starts, and we talked about this, John 14, 1 through 4, which is a very famous passage, just read a lot of funerals. But we talked about it in one of the, a recent podcast that really is not as much about a place that is it about the person of Jesus.

You know, he's talking about himself because it's about him, right? It's not so much about heaven or the place of heaven. It's about him being there, you know, in the presence of him. And then he says in verse 5, Thomas says, Lord, we don't know where you're going. So how can we know the way? And so he misses the Jesus part and he's focused on the place, right? And Jesus says, I, me, focus on me, Thomas, I am the way and the truth and the life. So that's the I am statement.

No one comes to the father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. And then Philip follows that up with another question, as Jace, to what you were alluding to, they're trying to wrap their head. Right, Lord, show us the father. and that will be enough for us. So again, he's trying to wrap his head around it.

Don't you know me, Philip? Even after I've been among you such a long time, anyone who has seen me has seen the father. How can you say, show us the father? And so he takes it a step further. And basically he's saying, we're one. And he has this concept of that he's going to go on to then add in the idea of the Holy Spirit being a part of that as well,

which I find fascinating. he has these three concepts of the way, the truth, and the life. And there's another question that gets asked later in verse 22. And this is by Judas. It says, and they make sure to clarify, it's not Judas as scary it. As Judas says, but Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? Because he had said, whoever has my commands of verse 21, obeys him. He is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. And so he's making the point, why do we get this? He says, if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him. He will come to him and

make our home with him. So he's given these specifics. And he says in verse 25, all this I have spoken while still with you, but the counselor, the Holy Spirit, who and the Father will send in my name, will teach you, and all things will remind you everything I've said to you. Peace, I leave with you. my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. And so it's really interesting because he gives them this concept of the Holy Spirit. And so I hadn't really realized that as much when we studied John, that these three questions are pretty pivotal to these three concepts that he says the way, the truth, and the life, in the three ideas of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Because all three of them are sort of

link to that idea. You know, the life we talk about is the Holy Spirit, and that was what's going to happen through the concept of the disciples. When we think of truth, we think of truth being there from the very beginning, right? I mean, truth is the Word of God. And we see that from John 1 and all the way through. And we think about the way. We think about the person of Jesus, you know, in him. So it's almost like the Godhead is wrapped up in that one statement. And through what he's saying, in the presence of all three components of God. So I hadn't really recognized that as much as I did here. And those three questions sort of, I don't know, implicate what he's saying in those

in those three parts of that statement. So I don't know, it just kind of struck me as interesting in this study. You go to the end of the discourse there on John 17, which I've mentioned this verse a lot, almost every Sunday when I preach. And I've mentioned on the podcast a lot, John 17, 3, when Jesus gives the definition. for eternal life. He kind of says what you just summed up, which he says, the eternal life is,

is to know, and this is an intimate knowledge, like to know, like I know, I know my kids, I know my wife, I know you guys, we know each other,

not just I know about, but to know the one true God. And that one true God is Father, son, Holy Spirit. But he also adds, the caveat, and his son,

Jesus Christ, whom he sent. And that, so Jesus, I mean, this is key. He is the incarnation of the triune God. Like, it's the fullness of God, Paul says, dwell in bodily form in the person of Jesus. So when we talk about Jesus being like central and essential, I mean, it is through Jesus,

the incarnated God that we get access to the Father by the Holy Spirit. That's the case that he's making in John 14. And I love that you brought that Trinitarian triune kind of God reference in there because I think if you mentioned this and Jason, I think Jason mentioned this on a previous podcast pointed out this part about in verse three where he goes to going to a place. I think Jay said this. I go to prepare a place for you and I'll come again and receive you to myself. But we always leave off this last part that where I am, there you may be also. So heaven's not heaven just because it's great. Heaven is heaven because that is where God is.

So the idea I'll make my home with them. I'm going to dwell with them. The word abiding together. You see all this language of being present and being connected with the triune God in John 14 to John 17. And I think that a lot of that is encapsulated in that one statement, I am the way, the truth and the life. and nobody comes to the father except for me. Yeah, 100% correct. And there are so many ways you could go with this,

but I also think you could do a sermon about the three questions that his disciples were asking. I mean, first Thomas is struggling because he's just thinking about the place, not looking at the person as transcended of any place. I mean, so he has. asked that, well, I mean, how can we know the way? And it's almost an implication that it's God's fault. It's a blaming God for not giving enough information than looking at yourself saying, well, maybe I've missed something. And then Philip, I really think this translates to

modern Christianity. Because when Jesus said in verse 9, don't you know me, Philip, even after I've been among you for such a long time, you know, what was the implication of that? Is it possible to know about Jesus and be there a long time and never really connect on a personal level? I mean, it's obviously the implication they had missed something here. And then when you, Al, you brought up Judas. I love that. But he said, why do you attend to show yourself to us and not to the world? Because they weren't, they weren't thinking big enough.

It was just their own little group there. So in all these questions, it comes down. to a fact that really modern-day Christianity has a hard time wrapping their head around, that this is an actual person. You know, when you think about this quest for truth and Jesus is saying, I am the truth, well, because we fail, it's hard to, you know, have a relationship with any other person because you don't trust their truth because they're always going to let you down at some point.

and here's a person who actually is 100% correct, but also has the ability to hug you. And that's truth becoming embodied by a being a person, you know, really, you know, melts the brain in trying to, trying to get your head around it. But ultimately the goal was love.

And so without that, if you just had a, Yeah, and mercy. That's why I was so glad you brought that up because I thought I'm going to get to the same point. If you're just trying to take a document with rules and follow them, you're never going to experience joy because you're going to let yourself down. Other people are going to let you down. Different religious entities are going to let you down.

Mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy triumphs over judgment, James. said that was the whole problem of this wall that came up against Jesus, said, crucify them, get rid of, they would be in judgmental on what they were incorrect on, but they would judge you in a heartbeat. And time after time, he would thwart that and thwart that. But at the end of the day, he said, forgive them. They know not what they do.

Well, that's pretty amazing if you look at it. He was still merciful. Exactly. that's why I made this point about the law of Moses. I mean, Jesus could have picked up rocks and thrown them. It was in the law to do that. But he came to actually embrace us and say, you couldn't keep it.

And I forgive you. I love you. It's a truth that is an extension of love and forgiveness, which gets back to family, which is what he just said. the father and I will make our home with them. He gets back to that family that could be eternal. I mean, you just think about what's all wrapped up in that statement when he said,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. So, Dad, to prove your point back to John 8, this idea about mercy, just to another word he uses, but the same thing, because here's what he said, remember what he said right in the middle of John 8 to the Jews who have believed him. These are people who are trying to convince. He said, if you hold to my teaching, you're really my disciples, then you know the truth. There's a other truth. And the truth will set you free.

So, Abraham's decided of freedom. Same thing, mercy. Yep. Because it's over law, right? Yep. And then they immediately said, we are Abraham's descendants. We have never been slaves of anyone. I guess you say we would be set free.

Again, they want to put themselves right back under. Yep. I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now, a slave has no purpose. permanent place, but the son belongs. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. He keeps selling mercy and freedom are better, but they kept, you know, and then by the time we get the end of it, remember their father is the devil? I mean, it was just, and then they wind up wanting to stone him at the end of the conversation. It's amazing the links people

go to try to run away from mercy and freedom. I know it. And you say, why? I mean, why not just embrace it when that the truth is so much better but it but it's amazing how people still want to try to do it on their own i mean it's alive and well which is funny because you you think about the we'd never been slaves to anybody i'm like well there was the whole egyptian thing and several yeah and several other instances throughout their history i mean that was not true at all it's just funny like but yeah they're like but but you get it's like when you get an argument of somebody and you're like he's just complete it's revisionist history whatever you got to do to avoid this the conviction of the person is bringing against you it's like

we're going to we're going to re-envision the past and like no but you were slaves and and uh he's not even talking about that kind of slavery anyways but even if he was so they they they they i think it just shows the belligerent nature of their hearts which ultimately led to jesus calling them a brood of vipers and you know you hypocrites so i mean ferrisse you got to keep in mind I mean, we hear that word and it's an insult, right? Somebody says, you're a Pharisee. You ever hear that in a church, a church setting? That means that you're a hypocrite or you're a brute of vipers.

But in the context of history in which this was written, that was not a term of, that wasn't a term that was derogatory. That was a, that was high, you were highly esteemed if you were a Pharisee. You know, that was a position of power, a position of respect. And so, I mean, now, because of Jesus, he kind of turned it on its head and we see it looking back on it as a bad thing. But to be a Pharisee in this day and age, that wasn't a bad thing. That was a highly sought after position, you know? No, I agree. And I was thinking about it.

There was an instance, you remember in Acts chapter 4, whenever Peter and John, they healed the beggar. And so then they get hauled in because of this healing. And so, you know, they said by what power or what name did you do this? You know, so now finally Peter and John are elevated to the same place Jesus was. Who do you think you are by doing this healing? And Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. So now here we go again, this 2.0 said to them, rulers and elders of the people in verse eight if we are being called of account today for

an act of kindness shown to a cripple and or ask how he was healed then know this you and all the people of israel it is by the name of jesus christ of nazareth whom you crucified but whom god raised from the dead that this man stands before you healed he is the stone you builders rejected which has become the capstone salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. And so they just went right back. There was not this much mercy on that old guy that they healed, that Peter and him healed. No.

None. He was just. What are you doing? He was just a charge. You know what I thought, you think about, well, all the time we say this on the podcast, I've heard Phil say it many, many times that the answer is not like in political discourse, for example. The answer is not political. It's spiritual. The answer is Jesus. Like we're Jesus people. Yeah, we have, we have our political thoughts on things. But the answer is always Jesus. Now, I think that's why when you look at our culture right now, I mean, the one thing we can all agree on, one of our pastors priests is yesterday. The one thing we can all agree on in culture is that everybody's stupid, right? And that's the thing. Like, we all are attacking each other. There's a lot of talk about justice, a lot of talk about social. justice.

I've never heard the term in pop culture, social mercy. I've never heard that. No. You know, we don't, we, we, we like mercy. We live in a cancel culture that if you make one mistake, step out of line 40 years ago, 50 years, it doesn't matter. Like, if you've made a mistake, then we're going to, we're going to shut you out of society. We're going to cancel you and shut you down. And that's, that's on both sides of the aisle.

I mean, it's like vitriol and anger and just, and just. destroy the opposition. What you never hear is mercy. And I think to Phil's main point of how we started this podcast, you cannot have mercy on somebody if you have not first received it. You just can't do it. And that's why the answer is Jesus, because he is the man of mercy. That's it.

I think people are uncomfortable with Jesus being so exclusive in this statement. And so, you know, when you hear this, they. immediately think, well, if he's the way and the truth and the life, what about all this other stuff? But people don't want to talk about that because all of a sudden that seems mean and judgmental, but when you really uncovered it and look at what he's saying, yes, it's an extreme statement, but you look at his credentials to back it up, he's controlling the atoms and the molecules by the miracles.

He's proven that he can beat death. So there is another world that we've never been. And here comes Jesus showing that he has the power to raise the dead. And then his character is not in question, even among people that don't believe in him. People say, well, he was a good, you know, everything you read about Jesus in the gospel, nobody says anything negative about when it comes to his character, whether you're in Christ or not. So you put all those pieces together and then realize what he's telling his disciples here.

As extreme as it is, as powerful as it is, as truthful as it is, he then makes it personal and intimate. And then I think that is the key point that they were missing. And a lot of people miss today that he wants this personal intimate, daily, minute-by-minute relationship with human beings. And that is the key to understanding why he can make these claims. Yeah, that's a good point. I think the exclusive nature piece is this, too.

It's, you know, is Christ truly the only way? And is that offensive? Yes, and yes, and it's offensive because it's true. But here's the thing. The reason why, I mean, it's like, yeah, there's no other way because I think it's what people miss. We all miss this. We don't understand the depth and the depravity that we are all under.

We don't understand the depth of our sin. We want to think that we're not that bad. But when you read like Romans chapter 3, for example, and you really start thinking about this, even on a philosophical level, like, we're all pretty twisted. And we all are just incredibly depraved people at our core. And we've, if our standard that we're judging ourselves against is an infinitely holy being, if that is true, then all of us are, there's an infinite chasm between us and the one who is infinitely good who created us. And if we don't understand that, and then, yeah, then we can find a lot of other ways and payments.

for our transgressions. And there's a lot of other transactions that we can find out there. So, no, we could do it this way or this way or this way. But if we truly are really fallen short of the glory of God by that level, then the only thing that could redeem us, the only payment that could be paid would have to be the blood of a God, an infinitely good God, because our sin is of infinite weight. So I don't think Jesus is necessarily trying to just make everybody mad when he's saying this.

He's just stating the fact of our situation being sinful, infinitely sinful, and our sin is worth an infinite death. And he's just saying there's only one that can pay for something of that weight. And he raises his hand and says, it is me. It has to be me. We're out of time. But I do want to unpack that a little bit more because I think that is the rub that. that what you two just talked about in terms of just the way people view it. And not just outside of Christianity.

It bothers a lot of Christians, too, because of this concept of justice. So I want to talk about that a little bit more before we move on to the next I am. So we'll do that in overtime. BlaisTV.com slash Unashamed is where we'll talk about that and kind of wrap up this, I am the way, the truth, and the last week. We want to follow us over. Check it out. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast.

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