Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 680 | Jase Watched a Movie So Terrible It Made Him SICK & WWJD: What Would Jase Do?

Episode Date: May 11, 2023

Jase doubts he’d have been such a good guy if he were born the savior of the world! A listener proposes a new ringtone for the guys based on a vocal church member. Jase once watched a movie that was so bad, he’s sick just thinking about it! The guys examine the character of God, as revealed by Jesus’ treatment of his earthly parents. They also guess at the reasons why humans seem to have such a problem with the humility of Jesus’ birth and life.  In this episode: Luke 1, verse 5 through Luke 2, verse 52; 1 Corinthians 1, verse 20; Matthew 2; Isaiah 53 https://philmerch.com – Shop now for your “Unashamed” mugs, shirts, hats & hoodies! "The Blind" hits theaters on 9/28/23. Get sneak peeks, updates & insider exclusives: https://theblindmovie.com — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? I mean, it is. That it's coming from the strangest place, just like this. It's funny you say that because one of our listeners asked about this. You know that guy that when we listen to one of your services at your church, there's a guy that yells out, Jesus. I said, oh, yeah. They said, do you think he could, or y'all could make a ring tone of that where, like, that was like on your phone?

and I was like, well, I'm sure somebody. So I asked Kurt about it. The guy's name is Kurt. I said, they want you to make a ringtone. Well, you're going to have to have two choices because I know Kurt really well. I gave him a hug yesterday. But he has two manifestations of his proclamation. I'm like, Zach, I'm using big words for some reason.

But so like when he's really fired up, he's like, like Jesus! But then if you're sitting close to him, when he's touched or just inspired, he's like, Jesus. You know?

Yeah. So you need those two. Yeah, you've got to have both. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Well, one could be for your email and one could be your phone. I love that.

Yeah. But it comes from a place, which was my point. I mean, we, we concluded the podcast, you know, with an overtime, so if you're not to subscribe, we let up. I gave the credentials of Jesus, and it was not what we think. I mean, do you remember some of them? And I had scriptural foundations for these principles. Let me, let me add one to it, though. Can I give them and then you add yours? Just as a review. He was not good looking, Isaiah 53, too. he had this what did we call it he was viewed illegitimate correct his his mom wasn't married

when she was pregnant people doing the math circumstances around his conception were you know only people who had a conversation with an angel believed this was actually legit right He was from the wrong side of the tracks. Yep. He was born in a feed trough. His parents were the lowest economic people of that culture. Thus, the doves and the pigeons were the sacrifice. He was a carpenter.

We love carpenters, but I'm just saying you're not thinking celebrity, you know, Jesus Carpenter. Yeah. You know, celebrity. make a show about that. You know, only Chip Gaines is the only thing. I realize there's a lot of shows on there about renovations and all that, but overall, look, they're carpenters.

What was the other ones? Oh, his father would just seems he either, I mean, I think most people think he died at an early age. Because you never read about him in any other stories about Jesus, so the assumption is he was already gone. The point is there's no royalty here

from a earthly, view. He's not, he's a carpenter from Nazareth. Who, who, and his dad is, we don't even know really whatever happened to him. By the way, that's the statement they made. Remember Jason when he was in Nazareth? They said, isn't this the carpenter's son? Exactly. I mean, yeah. And he had no pedigree as far as education. I mean, I don't know what the, uh, the Harvard and Yale was to Israel at that time, but he, he wasn't in those classes. Right. You know, now he did, you know, we'll see that he was hanging out at the synagogues talking to the... It is interesting that they considered him a rabbi because of his abilities, but you're right.

He didn't, as far as we know, he didn't have anything official to be that. Like, it wasn't like he was sanctioned by the Pharisees. All of them were stunned by his wordage. Yeah. And his cousin, when he was 12 on, which we'll talk about. His cousin and his best friend, you know, was... Yeah. Had animal skins.

And the instigator. You know, you see the signs, judgment is near, the end is coming, repent. That's this guy in real life. Yeah. And so his closest friends were commercial fishermen, tax collectors. You just start putting all this together. So, and what would you add? You sort of mentioned it in the last podcast or maybe in overtime, but I put this down because I had all the same things.

but what kind of, what kind of king, God King would announce his arrival to shepherds in a field so that even the announcement of it was, it was first to the shepherds in a field. So you're not even announcing this to nobility. At night. At night. Who's noticed that this is before medication, this is before nightlight. I mean, these people are having lanterns because we said, his mom had to walk or ride a donkey 80 miles to have him while pregnant.

And there's no room in the end. You're in a feed trough. It's just not, nothing about this says he's leadership material, much less royalty. Yeah. The God King is here. So there's no,

but there's no pomp and circumstance. It's, we're going to go to Shepherds in a field. And, And when I was studying this, I just kept, I mean, I know part of the reason why, but I was trying to find like that, that scriptural answer. Like, why come in this way? Why did God, what did the God king enter the world in such a humble way? And I think, I actually think the answer is in, if you take the story, Matthew's version of this and lay it ever Luke's version, I think you get the answer.

and the way you do it is you have to compare the shepherds to the royalty. And just read these two verses here. This is verse 20 in Luke's account. It says, and the shepherds returned once they heard the news, they returned glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. So when they heard about the coming of the God king, their response was to glorify God and to praise him and to worship him because they had heard and seen that the God King was arriving on planet Earth. Now take the King, King Herod, Herod the King, and listen to his response whenever he heard the same news.

Matthew, because he heard it from the Magiars, I believe. Matthew 2, verse 3. When Herod the king, not the shepherd, the king, this is the royalty. When the king heard this, he was troubled. Skip down to verse 16, and I'll paraphrase the rest of it. Then Herod, when he saw that he had, when he heard this, he had been troubled. And, sorry, when he saw that he had been tricked, he became furious. And he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.

I thought, man, you said, why does God reveal himself to the shepherds and not the king? And you see it in the heart of Herod. When the God King arrives on planet Earth, Herod's response was, oh, this is a threat to my own sovereignty. This is a threat to my own power. This is a threat to my dominion. So I got to make sure that I'm going to snuff this guy out. Whereas the shepherds, when they heard about it, they rejoiced and saw the goodness of it. I said, man, if that truth right there doesn't run through the entire of Scripture,

I mean, it's why we try to, it's why we crucified the Son of God. It's why we reject Christ. It's why we say we don't believe. It's why we don't submit ourselves because to look at the face of the God King and say that he's here and he wants to be in my life, what that means for me is I have to give up my own sovereignty, which is actually a good thing. And as you see in Herod's case, that it did end well for him. but I just thought that was interesting of the why he entered in such humble means because it's the humble and heart who will be the ones that can receive this God king that's going to come and reign.

And to show you, Zach, because when you read that Matthew 2, 3, he was troubled or disturbed, as the NIV says. And then it says, and all Jerusalem with him. So it's really interesting, you know, do people want to listen to shepherds? or kings, they tend to want to listen to kings, even if they have it wrong. And so, you know, because he was troubled, they were troubled, which tells you a lot about the rejection of Jesus all throughout his ministry. Sounds like modern-day America.

It does. As long as the guy at the top is saying it, whether it's true or not, we're going to go with it. The powers that be are in office in both parties. They would say, what? They would be stunned just to think about this. Well, they don't like things that threaten their power. No. Exactly what Zach was talking about.

Well, you know, it's what our, when we did that film a few years back, Torch Bearer, I mean, that was really the thrust of the underlying point of that film was that it, when you remove God as the anchor, then we become sovereign over everything ourselves, but then we fight over who gets to be sovereign. And that's where all the chaos and collins. That's, that's the irony of it. what you think you want in the end will be the very thing that destroys you. But if you could learn the beauty of submission to the only true sovereign, then you find joy and happiness, which by the way, verse 14,

I mean, that was the whole thing. Joy was directly connected to this glory, to this sovereignty of God. Glory to God and the highest. So we're lifting up God. He's transcendent. Glory to God in the highest and the highest and peace. on earth among those with whom he is pleased. Eminence, God is with us.

So it's in this God being with us that the glory of God and the highest can bring peace to us on earth. I mean, it's all in here. The whole thing is in there. The old gospel is just centered right in this story. Now, and to prove your point even further, Zach, this king, who obviously was terrible, he killed all these babies just to get, just to lash out at the, this idea. Think about the murder that goes on there of children. And when he dies, which

just happens not too long after this, so the kingdom, his kingdom gets spread out over four of his sons who were way worse than he was. And we read about one of them as we get to the end of, you know, Jesus's life. But so the point is this power grab only leads to worse things. It costs John the Baptist's head as well over one of these sons because he, called out a situation. So, you know, absolute power corrupts absolutely with people that don't deserve it. And that's the deal here. That's what happens. You're right. Jesus did. They didn't. But people don't want to follow that. I think he came in this humble way because Isaiah prophesied it. You know, when he said in Isaiah 714, which is a famous prophecy, but it's exactly what happened.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The Virgin will be with child. and will give birth to a son, and we'll call him Emmanuel. But later on, as Isaiah continues to prophesied, we read this last time, but in 53, 2 and 3, he wasn't, he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. This is verse 3 of Isaiah 53. A man familiar, a man of soul.

sorrows familiar with suffering like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not so why why did he do why did he choose to come here in a rejecting way or have people reject him it says surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows yet we considered him stricken by god smitten by him and afflicted remember all the attacks they're like if you're the son of god how come you don't well why is there so much evil who's sin that this happened? They were trying to blame. Every time he claimed to be son of God, they argued and they rejected him.

And they said, well, how come all this is happening? They still are, Jace. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace, because we're fixed to read about it, he came to bring, what does it say, peace on earth. But then he says, You know, we'll see this as we continue to read.

You know, when Simeon says he also brought a sword. Yep. And so we'll read that. But you said, what was the peace that he brought? By his wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him than the iniquity of us all.

Isn't that interesting that he chose to have the good news brought in by shepherds? And then he became a lamb, verse 7 of Isaiah 53. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he didn't open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before her shears is silent, so he didn't open his mouth. I mean, even in his death, verse 9, he was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth, yet it was the Lord's will. to crush him and cause him to suffer to make his life a guilt offering.

He will see his offspring and prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. So he gets down to the last verse of 53. It says, for he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgression. So I made the point in overtime. He came in this form in humility. He humbled himself. He chose to be rejected so we could be accepted.

So back to Luke 2, because I told you I was going to tell you a story last time that I never told. And because we just didn't have time, Al. I know. But really, you know, as you read this, and I made the point that, you know, the key players here had an angel to go along with this, and understandably so, because this is just crazy. I mean, these are supernatural occurrences. Virgins having babies, not to mention older people having the forerunner. you know, John the Baptist.

So these angels go to the shepherds at night, and they say, I think we were in about verse 9, it says, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified, which, look, is a common thing. This is the third time where an angel appeared, and what happened? Terror. Terror. So, you know, at this point as I'm reading this, I think you realize that the glory of God being revealed reveals our fears.

So when you think about just humanity, everybody has these fears that we battle with, whether you cover it up or not. And so in each instance, when you're seeing the supernatural occur, it reveals that. And your fear is shown immediately. And so, I mean, you think, well, why is that? I mean, because most of the time you think, well, if God would just reveal himself, well, then I would believe in him and put my faith and trust in him. And every instance I see in the Bible is every time he revealed himself, they went from scared to terrified.

Because I think it shows you that we know deep down we can't save ourselves. You can't forgive your sins. You can't extend your life. You can't, that's all this power does. It makes you realize there's a God and I'm not him. Yeah, it's a measuring rod. It's kind of like when Peter, remember, was in the boat, and Jesus did the miraculous catch, and he looked at the situation,

and he realized there was something special about Jesus, and he said, go away from me, Lord, I'm a sinful man. I mean, in that moment, he was like, I'm not measuring up here. And so there may be a lot of truth of that days with each one of these circumstances. No, I've said that before in many Bible studies, because people say, well, you know, if God would just show him, himself to me. You know, I'd believe.

And I said, no, you wouldn't. I said, you'd die from, you'd be so scared, you'd probably just die around the spot. Or at least fall out and look like you were dead. That's what happened to Jay. They're looking at me like, well, how can you say that? You don't know what I'd do. I said, well, everybody else that the Lord appeared to, yeah, they got terrified. I said, I don't think you're thinking of this practically.

I mean, you probably would believe, but in the short term, yeah. No, it's fearful. Well, you know, there's an incredible video that somebody sent me of Jordan Peterson, who's talking with a, I think the guys of Greek Orthodox priest or something. And they're having a conversation, and Jordan Peterson is talking about the reality of Christ. He said, you know, the two words he uses, he said, there's this objective world out there that's this, you know, touchable and tangible. And then there's this narrative world, which is like this beautiful story that's just like supernatural.

And he's talking about this. He said, and they seem to meet. And he tears up. He stops. And he starts crying. And he said, they, they tend to meet in this man named Jesus, you know, this guy from from Nazareth. And he starts talking about it. And it's so incredible because he's crying as he's contemplating this.

And then he said something that I thought was profound, which goes into what you're saying. And here he says, I don't know what to do with that. He said, the truth of that, if that's true, it's too terrifying to think about. He said, what if we really, I mean, it's terrifying to think about if, if really all of reality meets in the person of Jesus. And I was just watching that. And I thought, man, that's like he's, he's touching on it right there. It, because it is terrifying, you know, at first. I think at first it's very terrifying to see, you know, God and flesh or to think about what all that means.

You know what I mean? Yeah, but it's a good terror, you know. There's a God and you're not him. And we're frail. We're flawed. Yeah. We're perishable. And so verse 10, the angel said to them, to the shepherds, do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, which I love that. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Lord, or he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. So it's not like a cute little, I mean, we're talking, think food trough in a barn is what the angels are saying. And you're wondering, we're the shepherds because of their lifestyle thinking, oh, yeah, that makes sense. Exactly.

I mean, they probably didn't think. Why didn't you tell me? Yeah. This is a craic. But the fact you're having a conversation with an angel dismisses any kind of hesitation. That's right. That's right. Because you're like, is this happening?

And I was terrified like I've never been in my life. Right. Suddenly, verse 13, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to men, which is why I read this in Isaiah. Because he's bringing peace because he is the Savior. He has come to save us. Can you imagine, wait a minute, before you leave that, what that must have looked like.

We got an angel show up, but now we're looking into the heavens and a great company of the heavenly house. I'm sure, look, we want it to be joyful, and I'm sure it was as they reflected, but it was probably terrifying. I mean, it was so shocking. I just can't imagine what that way. So, but on whom his favorite rest, which is going to get into, he's going to reveal, and that's what I was going to say, people's hearts. And it goes back to what Zachariah was singing about. And it goes back to what Mary prayed about. Remember when she prayed that it's going to bring out the best in people, but also the worst. It's going to bring down the prideful, but it's going to

going to raise the humble. And so there's always going to be this conflict that comes with the peace because the battle lines are then drawn. You know, how, and I said this before in previous podcast, but how you view Jesus is going to be the number one determining factor over your character and actions until the day you die. And it may bring out the best in you or the worst in you, depending on how you view it. If you just think this is all made up, your life is probably going to be filled with violence and every kind of vice that you can think of. I mean, that's just the way this works. And you see that as we go on, but I'll just read the next verse and then we can discuss. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherd said to one another,

let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. out. So the point I wanted to make is those three qualities that they made in their declaration, because it kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. Today, in today of the town of David, a savior, a savior has been born, the Messiah, the Lord. And the reason I'm making a big deal of that is because most people when they read that, they think, oh yeah, because he was going to save us. And I read the commentaries just to check. They all say that. They're like, well, yeah, because one day he was, but that's not what it says. Jesus is a savior, and he was born a savior, because it's who he is.

And when you put all this with his I-Am statements, I think that kind of hits you. So what he did was, yes, things that save people, but he is a savior, he is a Lord, and he is the Messiah. So when you look at the ramifications of all that and how we respond to that, because that really should be our practical application. Well, how do you respond to that? Well, a lot of people want a Savior. Not necessarily a Lord. Or a king. Well, right.

You know, a Lord, when you think of what is a Lord, how is a Lord and Savior different? What do you come up with? Well, Savior. I say Savior is, can get you out of a mind. It's almost like they're doing something for you. But a Lord, now that's. someone that you're under their control, you're under, you're under their leadership, you're under, like, you're reporting to them, not the other way around.

Yeah. That's the biggest difference. And I would say a Messiah to them, he was, this was all based on a promise. And so they had to trust this sign. That's why I read that in Isaiah, no matter what the circumstances. You know, when, at the end of the day, when you put all three of these things together, I mean, I wrote this down and get this of a book, but Jesus' as Savior brings us peace

because he reconciled us. Him reconciling us means we don't have to be alone. And that's what's causing all the fear. I mean, you're on a planet, and even though we have communities, families, you know, friends, there's a loneliness that we all struggle with

as being just an independent vessel. And it's like we're not, you know, that famous C.S. Lewis quote, The gist of it was, you know, when you have that feeling of there should be something more, that this earth, you feel out of place, and it's because we're not from here. And so I think that's what Jesus does as Savior.

You know, he reconciles us with the Lord, you know, the Creator. So, and that brings us peace. But he also is Lord, his power, we surrender. to. No matter what the conflict, you know, there's life as filled with conflicts. So you're never thinking what you need to do in any kind of battle or spiritual war or physical war is surrender. You're not thinking that's a path to victory. Especially, you just don't feel like it. There's a sense of vulnerability that happens when you do that. But that's exactly what he wants you to do in all areas of your life. And so we don't like that because if you read something and he's

Lord, this is what he says. Well, then when you think about him being Messiah and his work, trust in his word, no matter what the circumstance, you put all that together. And now you have someone that is like no other claim in the history of the world. The interesting part is there have been kings before Jesus and after Jesus that claimed these things outside of Messiah and Christ. because how many times you've seen you watch those old medieval movies and they'll introduce the king you know they got the royal guy here he is the honorable king most high savior of the realm you know and then they list all their accomplishments and all this stuff so there are a lot of people that have looked to men on earth to be savior and lord but none to be the christ the son of the living god and that's what makes him unique i mean he's all those things you described in a perfect sense, but he's from God. He's not from man. And without that, he's just another guy that people don't look to. But... Maleo Saitong, the Chinese, you know, who was the old guy from Russia?

And, you know, I mean, they come up, Adolf Hitler. You see these men rise to fame and glory, as they say. Yeah. But, boy, the bloodshed and the... And people bowed down to them as a Which is why Jesus came in an ordinary way. You put all those guys up against Jesus and see what you got. They come with weapons and propaganda and assimilation and brainwashing and, you know, all this, the power of military forces and threats of nuclear bombs. But that's what people want. They were like, they thought, oh, he's going to restore a lot of the interpretation.

You even get a hint of it from Zacharias on. They're like, oh, he's going to come and bring all this weaponry, and we're going to restore Israel to its right place among the nations, which is leading the world. We're going to become a world power. And so that's what's hard to digest when you see, and why I think Christmas play should be a little more rough around the edges, because that was God's intent, was to come in an ordinary way,

have extraordinary character because that's really what he revealed his character so that's why I wanted to tell you this this is a true story and I don't have it written down so if I mess it up it would become based on a true story

but it's a long story but it was good when I heard that I forgot where I heard this but I think it accurately depicts what why God chose to do it this way. So there was a guy who, he, doing a simple act of going to a library, going to get him some books,

because he was going off in World War II. And I should have written his name down, but I did. I think his first name was John, Lieutenant Colonel John, somebody. And so he's reading through these books, and he comes across a book that he really liked, but what he loved about the book

is the person who had had the book before had written a bunch of notes in the margins. And it's like everything he read from this person, and he gathered it was a female somehow and other, and he's like, this is, I mean, he was so impressed that he's like, I'd like to meet this woman. And so he did some research. You know, I guess back then it was a little easier to figure out who checked the book out. He's like, I've got to find this person. So he finds her address and he writes her a letter. Well, then he goes off to war and they start a correspondence.

And he basically falls in love with this woman through corresponding and writing letters. And so when the war is over, he comes back because he had asked for a picture, but she had never sent one, which he took that as a... I am, you know, inferring that that's probably a bad sign. You know, send me a picture. Right, no. So he's like, well, we have to meet. Because now, I mean, he's been through a war.

She's been an anchor. We got to meet. And so Sheik says, okay, I'll tell you what. We'll go to just in New York, downtown, whatever it's called, train station. What's it called? They were going to meet. I forgot exactly where. Grand Central State.

Grand Central State. Grand Central Station. And so, and she said, you'll know me because I'll wear a giant rose on my lapel. And he's like, okay. So, and at a certain time, we're going to meet. So he's nervous, you know, about this. So he goes to where he was supposed to go, a specific place, Grand Central Station. Well, there's two women there.

One of them, beautiful. There's another one, not beautiful. He's not noticing her. So when they kind of turned around, because he was like, that's the spot. Well, the good looking woman, no rose. She walks off. So what's left is an older, not pretty, giant rose on the lapel. So he's like, oh, well, this is happening.

Because now he had all these expectations. And so it says that in telling the story, he was actually convicted that he had put so much on what she would look like. But he said, you know what? It doesn't matter. This romance is probably not in the cards. It was a nice way of saying this. But you can't take away the fact from who she's been to me. And so this may be just a friendship.

So here we go. And what drew them together? So he goes up there and he says, look, I'm Lieutenant Colonel. You know, John, I see the rose. I'm happy to meet you. And so, because they had made, I left out one part. They were going to go out to eat at a restaurant. They were going to meet there, you know.

So the woman says, look, I really don't know what this is about. There was another woman that was just here. And she asked me to do a favor and put this rose on and to say, if a guy from the army comes up and introduces himself, tell him that I'll meet him across the street at a restaurant. So he's like, okay. I thought it was a great story because what she was really doing was testing his character, you know?

Right. So, I mean, she wasn't looking at herself, but what if he's, well, she doesn't. know what he looks like either yeah and she's willing to say no matter what he looks like if she won't i mean if he'll if he'll just not base this on the superficial and the character within i'll do the same thing because she didn't know what he looked like either so he went across the street but i thought it was a great story to illustrate what really mattered and what jesus brought was the character of god which is so did they unite and leave

They lived happily ever after. They united and lived happily ever after, but it wasn't based on the outward appearance. She was a smart lady. She really was. And it was really good because even though his initial thought was disappointment. Which is natural. Natural. He reasoned to the fact that that's not really why I have never seen what she looks like.

And I've loved her. Yeah. And it didn't have to be in a romantic way. It was what it was, you know? But it made me think it's like that's what people say. It's like, you know, when the unbelieving world, when they started sending these telescopes and spaceships out there, and they came up with a conclusion, you know,

it's the worst movie I've ever tried to watch was when, you know, Brad Pitt and I think George Clooney, you know, they went to outer space and they said, you know, we didn't find God. That was what the movie was about. It was horrible. That literally made me nauseous. And I thought, you know, C.S. Louis, wrote something somewhere about that but it's like you're not it's not like a two-story building you're

not going to go to the second story and find god he's he's he's bigger than that and uh he made an illustration in that point it would be like a writer like shakespeare uh you know writing himself in to hamlet because that that's the only way you're going to relate to who he is and which is what god did. He wrote himself into the play of life. He became a human. You're not just going to go out there because it's too big. He's way too big for you to think you're going to get on a spaceship and find God. Yeah. And kind of to your story, to your story, the application for us is we've never seen him. So we don't know what Jesus looks like. You can't. And yet we're completely in love with him and follow him as our Lord.

and Savior, although we've never had to look at him and won't do we get... That's why I tell you that story, because when you, what happens when you view Jesus? And I made that statement, how you view Jesus, what happens when you read these Gospels over and over and over. I'm in reading them since I was 14. They never stopped revealing the character of God through Jesus, and it's always good. It's always for the wiser. It's always for the... If we did things this way, it makes you a better person.

The character is undeniable. I think that's why the story of Simeon, when you get to Luke, you get to Luke 2 about verse 25, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he was, would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the spirit, he went into the temple courts.

When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for the revelation to the Gentiles. Think about that. Yep. And for glory to your people, Israel.

Pretty amazing. Yeah, and he's kind of the next. Because he wanted to know. Yeah. He's kind of the next person in the line of unlikely people to get. give praise to God. God said, I'll give you time to live a little bit to check him out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. Yeah. Just to be able to speak those words. Well, that's all my point was. I just think that we like to be our own gods, which is what causes

sinful behavior and, you know, gender confusion and all the, because it's hard to surrender to the plan of God. because when you do that, you're saying that you're not a God. Yeah, after that story, the child's father, Joseph, and mother, Mary, marveled at what was said about him. They're even shocked to find out the scuttled butt that was following him. You see what I'm saying now? I mean, they're shocked too. They're like, good.

Night, what in the world? I mean, even for them, it was hard to fathom that they were carrying in their arm riding along on a donkey in her womb that the savior of the world was there and they were part of it. Yeah, I'll read that. They were learning as they were going. I'll read the end of this section because you mentioned it's a good point. So verse 16, it says, so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in a manger. Yep.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said to them. but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. You've got to realize the character of God was being revealed to her. She was like, I mean, he's not coming with pageantry or power or he's coming in humility and he's picking the most ordinary, unlikely people. Your little baby will save the world. I realize he came to the three magi and all, but that's who we focus in on.

But Luke's account, it's a bunch of stinky shepherds who are proclaiming all this. But look, later on in life 2,000 years ago, when I read this, I think, you know what? God is for everyone. We're the ones that become snobs towards other people based on their differences or based on how much money they have or what kind of credibility or where they were born or that. We do that. You are Gentile. You're all sinners. God dismantles that.

I mean, he takes the very ordinary circumstance, becomes the greatest figure ever to walk the planet, and he did it all in humble beginnings. The last thing you would ever think about becoming famous or celebrity. So then it says verse 20, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they have been told.

Yeah, I just, I would, I just keep thinking about what Paul said, and to the Corinthian church, you know, he said, he asked the question, rhetorical question in verse 20 of chapter 1, 1st Corinthians. He says, where is, where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since the wisdom and the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom. It pleased God through the folly of what we preach. to save those who believe.

For the Jews demand signs. The Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling walk to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, for the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

And then he goes on in verse 26. He says, For consider your calling, brothers, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. And I love this. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are. So that no, this is the reason why, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. and because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption so that it is written let no one who boast bosts to the Lord. That's it. I mean, it's, there's no bragging rights in this deal. That's why it came in the way he came. It really is the ultimate display of saying, I don't need you.

I didn't come here because I need you. I came here because you need me. And so I'm going to pick the most. most backwards upside down way of accomplishing this. It's going to blow your mind. One, for that purpose that I just read, but also, too, it also reflects the character of God, a God that loves primarily. And I think that that's super important as we consider what's happening here in all these passages. And there also must be struggle and pain. And so nobody could ever say, well, God is God. But he doesn't understand my struggles. And his whole life was a struggle.

He started, you didn't have anything. because I get just so frustrated, you know, when we're studying with young Christians sometimes, which I shouldn't be frustrated because we were all there. But they're like, I mean, I lost my job, you know, God didn't care for me. I'm like, he was born in a barn. He never had a house, never had what little money he got. He gave away. He was rejected, persecuted, not believed, scandalized.

And that was, we're not even to the cross yet. This was just his life. People didn't believe him. I mean, so when you realize that, you're like, but here's what he did do. He brought out the best in every single person through his character. And he came here to say that that's what he does. He takes the ordinary and he turns them into extraordinary people. Let me set up in our last few minutes here before we get to overtime.

Because dad read the account of Simeon, what put them in the temple was, There's two things that had to happen by law. One is Mary had to be purified. When a person had a baby, there was a purification process that went on this from the old law. You can read about Leviticus 12. And so part of that was for her to go to the temple to make a sacrifice for herself, to be cleaned again because there's the issuing of blood and all this stuff. So it was one of the reasons they would go to the temple.

And it lays that out in verse 21. I guess I'll read it. On the eighth day when it was time to circumcise him, he was named, Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. So like Zachari and Elizabeth, they named him what the angel said. When the time of their purification, this is what I'm talking about with Mary, according to the law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem, which by the way is about five miles from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn, here's the second reason they went,

every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord. So that was the second reason they went to the temple and to offer a sacrifice and keep what that said in the law of Moses, a pair of doves for two young pigeons. And that was for Mary. So the two things that happened here by keeping the law is what put them in the temple when they run up on cement and later Anna. But I just thought it was interesting that these are good Jews, because it said they were,

Joseph and Mary, who are still adhering to the law. law and everything that they were supposed to do. And it's interesting because if you had gotten news from an angel that now you had the son of God and the Messiah, you know, it might be tempting to just say, why do we even need to go through the process anymore? But they didn't view it that way at all. They still went through the whole process of everything they were supposed to do. And by the way, so did Jesus while he lived here. He upheld it and fulfilled the law in every single way. So I thought it was interesting to you talk about character. Joseph and Mary, even with a scandal and everything going on around them,

still had a character and integrity that they did what they were supposed to do under the law of Moses, which was interesting. Well, because the natural person would think, ooh, I get to be the parents of the creator of the universe. What does all this stuff matter? I'm not going to your stinking meeting. Our son's not getting circumcised. We may get him to circumcise you.

That's right. Well, that's just naturally what you. you would think you would puff up with power. That's why it says, you know, Mary pondered these things in our hearts. And then it says it again way down at the end in 51. Whenever I see something about treasure, I always take note. But in 51, which we'll get to Jesus at the temple, it says that when he went to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them,

but his mother treasured all these things in her heart. Because what was crazy about it, She realized that he's the son of God. Well, why is he being obedient to them? You remember when they lost, we'll talk about that, but when he's hanging out at the temple and they supposedly lost him, well, what is she pond? Why is she treasured in that?

Because she's realizing he doesn't have to be obedient to us. He's the son of God. But the fact that Jesus showed that surrendered spirit and played along, I mean, I'm saying played along just because I can. can't believe he did it either. Right. I mean, if I was a 12-year-old, once I'm realizing that I'm God's son, because, I mean, he had to go through the process like every other kid, but he figured it out.

I mean, it would be very difficult for me to do what you say. So, you know, eat your spaghetti. I'm like, no. You realize who I am? But he did it. That's right. You say, well, why? Because character and integrity.

He was showing that without a surrender. spirit, you're not going to get this. Without humility, you're never going to grasp this concept, which is why he came in humility. Because there was God who gave law to begin with. Exactly. He's like, I wrote this thing. You don't have to, you know. Yeah. What are we doing here? But I mean, that's what's so fascinating about. It's way deeper than I anticipated when we studied, you know, as this study is going on. Because like I said, I don't study this very often because I see it every year in every kind of program that you can can think but i i just think that what we do and i know i probably upset the people who put these programs on but i'm saying what we do is it's

almost like we take the story and we make it more comfortable for us to it's like here's i mean if we're going to produce this and share this but how did he actually produce it and share it he did through a bunch of shepherds. That was his idea. We're going to tell you a story because that's all you do in Christmas is you're telling a story. And I'm saying they all do the same thing and they make it fluffy and ooh. We're sipping hot chocolate and everybody's happy.

It's not getting into the struggle and the surrender and the pain that was going on and just the lack of notoriety. So I think I don't know what we could do about that, but I think we can make it a little more real. Maybe we can inject that into your next Christmas cantata, Jays. All right, we're out of time. We'll head over to overtime, blazedtv.com slash unashamed. If you want to catch our bonus segment, we'll see you in the other side. Thanks for listening to The Unashamed podcast.

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