Ep 1291 | Jase Robertson Issues a Wake-Up Call to Men Who Won’t Lead Their Families

Summary

Unashamed with the Robertson Family
Ep 1291 | Jase Robertson Issues a Wake-Up Call to Men Who Won’t Lead Their Families
March 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Robertson family—Jase, Jason, Zach, Al, and special contributor Jill—gather to share stories, biblical wisdom, and personal anecdotes centered on the need for men to step up and lead their families spiritually. Drawing from both everyday encounters and deep scriptural analysis, the discussion weaves together humor, listener encounters, insights on biblical manhood, and an exploration of First John, challenging men to take meaningful action in their roles within the family and church. The tone, as always, is warm, familial, candid, and infused with the Robertsons' signature dry humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Warm-Up: Travel, Events, and Jokes (00:36–07:44)

• The episode opens with light-hearted recounting of recent travel:
  • Jase and Jason attended separate men's events—Jase in Brenham, TX (“the land of Blue Bell and black belts”), Jason in Surprise, Arizona.
  • Both recount attempts at humor during their talks, poking fun at one another and themselves.
    • Jason: “So, I know what you're thinking: What's the biggest difference between you and Willie? About 50 pounds.” (02:31)
  • Reflection on how humor, humility, and connection work differently with various audiences.
• Jason shares an amusing aside about the history of Surprise, AZ: founded in 1938, its founder literally named it because she’d be “surprised if the town ever amounted to much.” Now, it’s a thriving suburb of Phoenix.

“Wake-Up Call” to Men: Leading Their Families (07:45–18:32)

• Jason describes a pivotal encounter on a flight with a young woman, a podcast listener, who is distressed because she’s dating a “lukewarm” Christian. She seeks his advice on how to encourage her boyfriend to be spiritually proactive.
  • Jason: “Here’s a woman on fire for the Lord. She is emotional because she's dating a guy that she depicted as lukewarm. Which I know where she got that—Revelation chapter 3…” (15:29)
• Drawing from this, the panel pivots to the universal challenge for Christian men—stepping up, leading, and taking responsibility as spiritual heads of the household.
• Zach references the Genesis account, noting Adam's failure to protect and intervene in the Garden of Eden as an archetype of passivity that men today must avoid.
  • Zach: “The fact that Satan even got in and was able to have that conversation with Eve... Adam essentially [abdicated] his priestly role to protect the garden.” (19:01)
• Jase and Zach emphasize that protection—spiritual as well as physical—is the primary duty of a husband and father.

Memorable Listener Encounters & Community Impact (18:33–31:40)

• Jason recounts several other “God moments” on his travels: a flight attendant whose husband listens to every episode and credits the podcast for his spiritual growth, and an airport “revival” during flight delays where Jason has multiple impromptu faith conversations.
  • Jason: “Her husband... was wearing an Unashamed sweatshirt. She said, ‘He has listened to every one of your podcasts, and I am truly grateful for y'alls podcast because it's made him such a better man and husband.’” (24:00)
• Al shares a note from a listener who says, “Jase is too mean to Zach!”—highlighting the affectionate ribbing among the hosts and their relationship with fans.

Deep Dive: Genesis, Adam, and Responsibility (26:34–29:21)

• Zach breaks down the Genesis narrative:
  • When God commands Adam to work and guard the garden, Eve hasn’t yet been created. Adam receives the Word directly and is thus responsible for correcting the serpent, but remains silent.
  • “His silence was silent participation in the lie... It wasn’t just abdication—it was participation.” (26:58)
• Jase reflects on the universal male tendency to shift blame and avoid responsibility, echoing Adam’s post-sin blame-shifting.

Scriptural Exploration: 1 John on True Spiritual Leadership & Testimony (37:23–48:10)

• Transition into the theme of love and godly leadership found in 1 John:
  • The group discusses 1 John 3:18—"let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth"—and John’s emphasis on action over empty declarations.
    • Jason: “If you’re a guy and you’re leading your family or in a dating relationship, you should... lead in actions and truth.” (21:12)
  • Jason notes John’s repeated references to God being “greater”—greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20), greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4), and greater than our own testimony (1 John 5:9).
    • “God’s testimony is greater than mine… Let me share God’s testimony through me.” (39:00)
• Al highlights John’s familial tone: John refers to listeners as “Dear friends” and “Dear children,” drawing the metaphor of God’s family into his exhortations about love, truth, and testing spirits.

Testing the Spirits: Discernment for Today (48:11–55:19)

• Discussion of 1 John 4:1–6 and how to “test the spirits”:
  • First test: “Does this contradict Scripture?” (50:42)
  • Second test: “Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit?”—referencing Galatians 5.
    • “If there’s a person who is participating in [the acts of the flesh] and they're giving you spiritual truths, they've failed that test.” (53:35)
  • Emphasis that theological soundness is important, but personal communion with Christ ("truth is personified") is central—and that right doctrine alone does not save.
    • Zach: “Doctrine matters. But doctrine won’t save you. Christ saves you.” (55:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I am unashamed. What about you?” – Jason, opening catchphrase (00:31)
• “It literally makes me want to gag and vomit that you’re lukewarm.” – Jason, on Jesus’s words in Revelation 3 (15:49)
• “His silence was a silent participation in the lie... It wasn’t just that he abdicated his responsibility. He was actually participating in the lie.” – Zach (26:58)
• “God’s testimony is greater than mine. Let me share God’s testimony through me.” – Jason (39:00)
• “If you’re a guy and you’re leading your family or in a dating relationship, it’s not about what you say. You lead in actions and truth.” – Jason (21:12)
• “If there’s a person who is participating in that list [acts of the flesh] and they’re giving you spiritual truths, they've failed that test.” – Jason (53:35)
• “Doctrine matters. But doctrine won’t save you. Christ saves you.” – Zach (55:19)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:36–07:44 – Opening banter, travel stories, event humor, Surprise, AZ, and jokes about Willie.
• 07:45–18:32 – Jason’s in-flight encounter: “lukewarm” faith, male spiritual passivity, scriptural advice, leadership call to men.
• 18:33–24:53 – Listener encounters: planes, airports, and how the Unashamed podcast impacts families.
• 24:54–31:40 – More stories: listener feedback, airport “revival,” affectionate jokes about show dynamics.
• 26:34–29:21 – Adam’s failure, blame-shifting, Genesis analysis, importance of male leadership.
• 37:23–48:10 – Scriptural examination: 1 John 3–4, “greater,” testifying to God’s actions, bridge to love/family theme.
• 48:10–55:19 – Testing spirits today: discernment, fruit of the Spirit, balance between doctrine and lived faith.
• Throughout – Playful ribbing, recurring listener interactions, and encouragement for men and families.

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Structure & Flow

• The episode effortlessly blends humor, personal storytelling, audience feedback, and in-depth scriptural study.
• Listener stories (including encounters on airplanes and at events) bring to life the question: what does real spiritual leadership look like?
• There is a recurring contrast between “leadership by word” and “leadership by action.”
• The episode concludes in the midst of a rich discussion on love, “testing the spirits,” and practical Christianity, setting up the next episode for further study of 1 John.

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Summary Takeaways

• Challenge to Men: The call is clear: Men, don’t abdicate your God-given roles. Step up, lead, protect, and love your families in action and truth—not just with words.
• Community: Listener stories illustrate the impact of faithful masculinity and spiritual direction within marriages and families.
• Biblical Wisdom: From Genesis to 1 John, the episode uncovers the biblical roots of male responsibility, communal life, and discernment in the face of spiritual confusion.
• Practical Application: Leadership is validated by love, protection, faithful action, and the fruits of the Spirit—not by empty talk or merely holding right beliefs.

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This episode is a stirring call for Christian men to embrace spiritual leadership, rooted in Scripture, lived in action, and sustained by the Spirit—delivered with the authentic warmth and wit fans have come to love from the Robertsons.

Transcript

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[Jason Robertson]

I am unashamed. What about you?

[Jace Robertson]

Welcome back to unashamed. We are coming to you from our perspective boxes. Today I'm back in the Gulf Shores. Had a couple of events. Chase, you had an event this last week as well, I think.

[Jason Robertson]

Oh, I did. You know where I went.

[Jace Robertson]

Where?

[Jason Robertson]

You're not going to believe it. You're going to be in for a big surprise. I mean, just a really big surprise.

[Jace Robertson]

Was it Canada?

[Jason Robertson]

No, it was a little place called Surprise, Arizona. Oh, I did that.

[Jace Robertson]

What a nice surprise.

[Jason Robertson]

I did that same joke. I get up, there's overflow crowd. All men, men's event. There was a thousand in the little arena which was all it hold overflow and you know, watching on video. And I said, this is just a really nice surprise. Oh, crickets. I was like, okay, we have either my. My impression was off, which probably your delivery was off.

[Zach]

That's what the problem was.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, the delivery was off, but. But, Zach, silence doesn't bother me.

[Jace Robertson]

No, Jace. Jace relishes the silence.

[Zach]

You let it sit for a second.

[Jason Robertson]

I let it sit for a second. And then that song came on in the back of my head at the sound of s Silence or how did that do you know it's still California? So then I. Then I had another joke in my hip pocket because Willie had done the same event last year. And so. Which is kind of ironic. I mean, they're like, they schedule Willie and then the next year they're like, let's get his brother.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

I mean, it's Surprise Arizona. I'm saying it doesn't ring like it's redneck central usa. It's right north. North of Phoenix.

[Jace Robertson]

But are you saying me or Jeff may be on the docket for next year?

[Jason Robertson]

Get ready. It's a wonderful town. And so I have my second joke ready prepared, because they usually don't land because I can't be on purpose. Funny. But I said so. I know what you're thinking. What's the biggest difference between you and Willie. And I said about 50 pounds. Eruption. Eruption on that. That landed.

[Zach]

That's not a bad technique. You give them an awkward, like where you say the joke and everybody feels the awkwardness. Then it builds the tension.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach]

And then when you deliver the next joke, it's kind of a bait and switch. It's a good tactic to use because,

[Jace Robertson]

man, we're all good at that. The one thing we're all good at is throwing each other under the bus. Because remember, Jason said, I was in California last year and you had been there like two months before in the same place, totally different event, but. And I said, how many of y' all saw Jace a couple of months ago? And about a third of the audience raised their hand. I said, well, you know what you got tonight? Upgrade. And so that got a huge laugh. So I was. I was in Brenham, Texas, while you were in Surprise, Arizona days and the home of bluebell ice cream. So my opening line was, you know, I always say, you know who loves being in Texas? And they all cheered, you know, and I said, this is the land of blue bonne bluebell and black belts. And I had a bottle of water, the sea force water. Because Chuck Norris's ranch is just right outside of Brenham in between there and some other town and Navasota. And he has a water thing that he aquifers act that he found on his property. And so he makes water now. And so. And on the thing it says the roundhouse kick of water. And so even Chuck Norris's water is, you know, special. And so I said that. And then I gave one of my Chuck Norris jokes. You know, they got all those Chuck Norris jokes. And one of my favorite ones is when the boogeyman goes to bed at night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

[Jason Robertson]

And people laughed.

[Jace Robertson]

Oh, they. They roared.

[Jason Robertson]

Oh, you. You're in different crowds. I don't think that would end for

[Jace Robertson]

me, but it wouldn't.

[Jason Robertson]

I'll tell you this.

[Zach]

Yeah, it's funny you said that about Willie. I looked on his Instagram or Corey's and she got him a birthday gift that. I mean, when he opened this thing up, it was like. Like literally like Christmas morning because he don't to see Willie get excited. Like that is rare. And do you know what the present was that he got so excited about?

[Jason Robertson]

I'm gonna say no.

[Zach]

I'm gonna say that'd be depressing.

[Jason Robertson]

Some kind of all you can eat buffet.

[Jace Robertson]

It was.

[Zach]

It was a. A cheese grater, A Commercial cheese grater that you could like this thing was like. I mean, it was huge. I mean, I'm not. I think I was that excited over massive amounts of cheese grading. You know what I mean? That's. There's something going on there.

[Jace Robertson]

There.

[Zach]

Oh, it was, yeah. I mean, it was like a legit. This is the kind of thing you could put.

[Jace Robertson]

I saw that thing. I was. I was just as impressed as he was. I was wishing I had one. And. And I don't even grade that much cheese anymore.

[Jason Robertson]

But now that's funny. That is funny. Well, look, here was what I learned. I. I couldn't make fun of the town. And I was only do that for humor purposes. Anyway, we want to make the town. Town known for Jesus, which I said later in the speech. I'm like, we need to surprise people in surprise that God visited the planet Jesus and he came here to get his family back together forever. But here was. Here's what's interesting because this is a good story. So the town was originated in 1938 by this woman, Flora May Statler. And the name stemmed because she was going to make it a farming community. Which I stopped right there and said, you're in a desert. It's kind of hard to farm things when you have a lack of water.

[Jace Robertson]

But you know what you say to that, Jason? Surprise.

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah. But she made this statement. She said she would be surprised if the town ever amounted to much. So they named it Surprise. And look it. Nothing happened until the 1990s. And then it took off. It took that long. So now I looked up how many people lived there. 167,000. That's pretty big. That is 25, 30 minutes outside of Phoenix. So it may be just that Phoenix got so big.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah. It's kind of become a bedroom community, they call it. Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

But it's an interesting town. Real nice. Love. Love the people. They have two spring training major league baseball teams that visit there. So that was because I could see the ball fields when I was coming in. So. Yeah. And then I dropped the ball Al. Because look, I was going to. At the end. The only notes I had, I had first Thessalonians, 5, 4. Do not be surprised when Jesus comes back. No one should be surprised. So I was going to do that. You know, when Jesus comes back, it's the faith test. Would that surprise you? And since we're in First John, I was going to read First John 3:13. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

[Zach]

Ooh.

[Jason Robertson]

You know what's interesting? Is those two words, translated surprise, are different in the Greek language. Really. So I'm glad I did that, because I thought, well, I don't want to. I don't want to use something if it's not the word for surprise. So the 1 in 1 John 3 is more about our English definition of surprise. But first, Thessalonians 5, which I've quoted hundreds of times at events. It actually is not like our English word surprise. It's more because in the context it says, you don't live in darkness, where this day, the day of the Lord coming back should surprise you like a thief. So it's actually in the Greek. Seems like it's a little more about

[Jace Robertson]

grasp, more about preparedness.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, about being grasped by. Like, if a thief came in, I mean, it still has a surprise connotation, but you don't want to be, like, surprised by a thief and then he grabs all your stuff or grabs you, and you're like, oh, what's happening? That. That's more the idea, which I thought was interesting. I did that on the plane. I was looking up the various words for surprise. You.

[Jace Robertson]

Did you include that in your thing or.

[Jason Robertson]

No, I forgot. Oh, just so embarrassing that I thought it was so good, you know, and then that was going to be the big ending, and then I forgot it. But I wanted to say it here because we probably picked up few listeners. These people were fired up. I mean, it was men. I mean, when I stood up to speak, half the audience stood up and I said, what are y' all doing? I haven't even started yet. Lower your expectations.

[Jace Robertson]

They were already ty.

[Jason Robertson]

Yes,

[Jace Robertson]

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[Jason Robertson]

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[Jace Robertson]

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[Jason Robertson]

So anyway, but I, I really loved it, but I wanted to tell you this. When I was on that plane and I just took this as a sign I was also going to share this story. Forgot all about it. I got so centered and focused on Jesus during the presentation, I forgot my, my little things that I was going to add. And maybe that's for the best. But. So Al, I'm up toward the front of the plane and it's a long flight from Dallas to Phoenix. I say long, you know, almost three hours. So at some point, I'm looking at the little bathroom light. It's time to go. So I get up and go up there. Well, for some reason I didn't see there was a woman in plain clothes, like, sitting where the stewardess usually sits. And I thought, oh, there's a line. So I stopped. So now I'm in the little in between the aisles. And she's like, oh, did you need to go to the bathroom? And I was thinking, well, aren't you in line? So that's what I said. I said, oh, no, go ahead. And she's like, no, I'm a ride along. Which I didn't really know what that meant at the time. I don't know if I ever really figured it out. But I thought, in my opinion, I think she's like a stewardess in training kind of thing. Maybe. I don't know if they do just been.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah. But they also, like, if they're off duty, they can still fly places. I think if they work for the airline. Well, something they call them deadhead.

[Jason Robertson]

She's a ride along young girl. Think Maddie, you know, in her 20s.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

And so she's like, no, I'm a ride along. So I was like, okay. So I get to the bathroom door and she Kind of moves back where you get off the plane, you know, but we're 30,000ft or whatever. And she said, Mr. Robertson. Well then that kind of made me think, this is different. How does she know my name? Because she said, Mr. Robertson. I thought, she's riding along. What do you know, all the passengers. And. But then kind of her lips started quivering and I thought, oh no, what's fixing to happen here? And she's just like, I listen to Yalls podcasts and I just, I'm really on fire for the Lord. And she started telling me what she's involved in. All great stuff. I mean, it warmed my heart. Here's a 20 something year old woman and she's just fired up, but she's emotional. And she said, I just, I'm taking this as a sign because you're on here and I've been wanting some advice and I just, I think God led you here. So I was like, gulp. What advice is he gonna ask? You know? And she said, here's the problem. And she tearfully said, she's like, I'm dating a guy who's lukewarm. And I was waiting for the rest of it and I was like, now here's a woman on fire for the Lord. She is emotional because she's dating a guy that she depicted as lukewarm. Which I know where she got that Revelation chapter three.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

Where this illustration at the church. Jesus himself said, I wish he were either hot or cold. And evidently there was some springs there in that region and they, they used hot water for some things and cold water. But he's like, but you're, you're lukewarm.

[Jace Robertson]

Neither hot. Norco.

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah, you're lukewarm. And then he says something that should make all of us Paul's. And I appreciate her attitude because it, he said it literally makes me want to gag and vomit that you're lukewarm. And so I gave her scriptural advice. I basically just told her, told her how I met my wife, you know, when we were in the dating world. And I said, I think you need to come to Jesus meeting. I think you need to sit down with him and tell him where you're headed and what you're all about and see how serious he is about doing this was basically the gist of my advice. I said, it'll save you some time if he's not on board.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Jace Robertson]

Did she, she take that well? I mean, she.

[Jason Robertson]

Oh, she did. I mean, she kind of told me her story, you know, which was fascinating. She said you know, when she was in her mother's womb, they detected some problems or whatever, and they encouraged her mom to have an abortion.

[Jace Robertson]

It's like Tebow story.

[Jason Robertson]

Yep, that's what it reminded me of. And so I think she really, more than other people having that experience and then being told that story, she's like, God's got a plan for me, and I'm all about it. And so, no, it was moving. And I thought, here I am going to a men's event, and what are the odds of me meeting a young woman whose whole issue right now, the most important thing in her life is trying to figure out how she can get her boyfriend fired up for the Lord? Which made me think about men needing to lead and to step up. So it did affect my speech because it made me think of the creation story. And, you know, Eve gets. Let's face it, she gets the brunt of what happened. And it's so interesting that when you get to the New Testament, you know, Adam kind of gets all the blame. I mean, I think he's. I think the writers. You think Romans 5, where he's like, for an Adam, all sin, you know, and then the new man, Jesus, comes to redeem. But it's like, well, shouldn't Eve be included in that? So. But what it made me think is, really, it's true, because when you think about Adam and what happened and how that went down, he should have stepped up.

[Jace Robertson]

Yep.

[Jason Robertson]

He should have stepped up and said, wait a minute. Yeah, show some leadership here. But he didn't.

[Zach]

Part of the. The priestly role is that you. You're there to guard. Guard and protect the garden as you expand it. So there is an element of. There's an element of a guarding role. And so the fact that Satan even got in and was able to have that conversation with Eve. Yeah. A lot of theologians believe that that was primarily came out of Adam essentially advocating his priestly role to protect the garden. So Adam allows this conversation. He allows this threat, that he allows this intrusion into the garden, which paves the way for the deception. So he certainly was, like, a part of it, even though he wasn't the one that, like, actually sinned first.

[Jace Robertson]

He did.

[Zach]

He did at least, like, step back and abdicate his responsibility. I think you see that in Scripture.

[Jace Robertson]

Well, plus, not only that, Zach, it's the. In my opinion, the number one responsibility of a husband and a father is to protect. Is to protect your wife, is to protect your children, your household, your. Your family, both from evil, but also from anything I mean, like, we. That that's our number one role. So I definitely think, as you're on to him abdicating his responsibility as protector. And I hadn't thought about as much about the garden, but I think you're right about that too. But also just of his wife, I mean, she came from him. She is a part of him. And so I think when we become one flesh with our brides, which, by the way, Zach, I'm worried for you because we had. You had a meeting, a big meeting you had to do. And so Jill stepped into your spot. I'm worried that Unashamed Nation is going to say, we need more Jill. She was so good, was she not, Jace? Was Jill not a big hit?

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah. And you could still get the credit for it. You could just send Jill. You say you could become a contributor. You say, well, how do I contribute? Well, I'm sending my wife.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah, she was great.

[Jason Robertson]

But it made me think about First John 3:18, which we're at also. And we've been studying. When it says, dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions. And in truth, it makes me think, if you're a guy and you're leading your family or in a dating relationship, you should. It's not about what you say. You lead in actions and truth. If you have to say, I learned this in year one of my marriage and I said it, I was like, look, I'm leading this thing. That meant nothing because my wife said, well, you could have fooled me. Yeah, it's just words, actions and truth. That's what you should bring to the table. But look, to finish that story. So then I turn around because now we've had a 10 or 12 minute conversation.

[Jace Robertson]

I had just a question because when I go to the bathroom a lot on airplanes and were you still waiting to go to the bathroom?

[Jason Robertson]

Oh, yeah, I'm still. And I'm like, see, that would have

[Jace Robertson]

been a problem for me. I would have said, I will be right back.

[Jason Robertson]

No, it's not just you. It was a problem. I had moved to 9.5 out of 10.

[Jace Robertson]

So, Jase, I don't get surprised very often. Tim Tebow was coming on. I didn't even know about the book that he had written. Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

If the Tree Could Speak, which was convicting. Because this was really clever and this is really well done. I think it's for everyone and it's a great conversation starter about why we're here, what we're supposed to be doing here, and what happens next in the Lord.

[Jace Robertson]

So the idea behind the book is, what if the cross itself could speak? And so it's wonderful. It's well thought out. It gives you a different perspective on the cross because the cross is the closest witness, in a sense, that Jesus hung on that day. And one of the things that convicted me about it was the cross, thinking, oh, no, this is the worst job I could have to be a place where Jesus died. But then the cross realizes that it's also the place to hold Christ up, which is very, very special. So it's very good. Even if you heard the Easter story a thousand times, this one will challenge you and deepen your faith. It's well written, it's beautifully illustrated. It makes you slow down and really feel the weight of what Jesus did for us. What you get from this book will stick with you long after you put it down and you want to pick it up year after year as you prepare to celebrate Easter. Step inside the story, hear the witness, and experience Easter like never before. Check out Tim Tebow's book, if the Tree Could Speak on Amazon. That's if the Tree Could Speak by Tim Tebow. Order your copy on Amazon today.

[Jason Robertson]

So then I turn around because the stewardess, the actual stewardess, seems to be trying to get involved in the conversation. And I thought, because there's a little bit of turbulence and we're jostling around. So I look at her, and I was like, my apologies. And she said, oh, no, I thought that was beautiful. And I thought, well, here we go. And she said, you're not going to believe this. She said, I was FaceTiming my husband earlier in the day, and I noticed he was wearing a shirt that I think you might be interested in. And I thought, what? I was looking down at my wardrobe thinking, how did you make that connection? But I thought she was making fun of what I had on. But when she showed me the picture of her husband, he was wearing an unashamed sweatshirt. And she said, he has listened to every one of your podcasts, and I am truly grateful for Yalls podcast because it's made him such a better man and husband. So I thought, well, wow, we're just having quite the come to Jesus meeting here in the front of the paint.

[Jace Robertson]

Well, you are 30,000ft above the planet, Jason. All this was happening that.

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah. So I thought that was really encouraging. I want to share that. We appreciate Unashamed Nation out there. It was. It was really encouraging.

[Zach]

Let me give you this real quick. This is interesting. I just pulled it up. This is in Genesis chapter two. Let me pull my Bible back a little bit. This is so interesting. This is the commandment that God gave to Adam. I think about this. Eve's not in the picture. When God says this, the Lord took. This is Genesis 2:15. The Lord God took the man that would be Adam, and he put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. In the Hebrew for the word work and keep, those are two different words. One is to cultivate, the other is to protect and to guard. So cultivate the garden, expand it, but as you're doing it, protect it from any intrusion and corruption. And the Lord God commanded the man that would be Adam saying, you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die. So what's interesting, the very next verse, is that God said, it's not good for man to be alone, so I'll make a suitable helper for him. So then he. So he creates Eve after he gives this command. Now think about the setup here. So you think, what was Adam's role? Well, he was the one that received this word from the Lord. So, and this instruction from the Lord. Then the serpent comes in and he says, did God really say that you can't eat from any tree in the garden? The one who should have responded first was not Eve. It was Adam. Adam. Adam was the one that received the command. And he could have easily just said it. No, no, no, no. That's not how the conversation went down. Actually, what God said was, I can eat from any tree in the garden except one. But he remained silent. And so I think his silence was. Was a. It was like a. It wasn't ignorance. It was a silent participation in the lie. He allowed that lie because in whatever level he wanted it. And it wasn't just that he advocated his responsibility of it. He was actually participating in the lie because he knew, because he was the one that got. Actually said it to.

[Jason Robertson]

Which is so that it makes that verse in First John 3 I read so much more profound because the reason he didn't say any words is because he didn't want to take any action and he didn't want to hold to the truth that God said. And I also want to remind you, when you read that verse, the English translation that says, he put him in the garden, it's the same word for God resting. He rested Adam in the garden. And, and the point there is way more Powerful because he's like, God's mission is, I've given you everything you need. Trust me. Even though you're resting to work the garden, it's not the work that we tend to think about. Working for your salvation. That's the resting. He's like, this is your salvation. This is the gift I'm giving you. You don't have to worry about it. You don't have to stress about it. You just trust me, and I've given you a job to do. There's your action. Lead your wife. Trust what I say. I mean, and look.

[Jace Robertson]

Look at the results too, Jace. The. The immediate reaction to them now, recognizing evil and sin for what it is and their actions that put them in this position. It was. It was hiding, it was fearful, and it was blame. I mean, the first thing he does is say, it was the woman you gave me that gave me the fruit. So he blamed God, he blamed Eve, he blamed everybody but himself, which is

[Jason Robertson]

what men do, which is what I do. I'm guilty. I mean, first we were raised in a spirit of blame, no matter what happens. You get that straight. Whose fault was it that this happened?

[Jace Robertson]

That's right. Exactly. You had to assess that before you could even deal with whatever the situation. I used to joke and say, if you come home with a. A board stuck, a nail stuck in your foot and a board on the bottom of it, before we could deal with that, we had to deal with, why were you. Why are we at the dump? Or why are we at this place? You know, it's like, well, you know, I'm an idiot, but can we get this nail out of my foot? You know, is. Is. Is the situation.

[Jason Robertson]

I remember Phil, one time we. We. He was sick. We took off, went duck hunting, tore up his equipment. All that got back, and it was just a withering interrogation. And I remember it just kept. The intensity kept intensifying. And finally I quoted Colossians 1. I said, Dad, I am free from accusation. By the blood of Jesus, I cannot be accused. And to my dad's credit, he went,

[Jace Robertson]

well, Jason, he figured out the one thing you could deal with, dad, if you had a scripture, if you had a scripture you could mine out of there, then you could probably get off the hook.

[Jason Robertson]

That's one thing he appreciated in any argument or any kind of anger management, figuring out who screwed up. You better bring your Bible. If you start quoting Bible verses, he's like, okay, pretty clever. Pretty clever. Then he said, okay, now let's back to it.

[Jace Robertson]

And.

[Jason Robertson]

But it was a Moment of an oasis in the desert of that conversation. A lot. A lot. Like, surprise. I'm telling you, I could live there. It was good people.

[Jace Robertson]

Well, there's a. I had similar experiences. Several people came up to me, and when I was in Texas. Love the podcast. One lady came over to my table. She said, I don't even know if I'm supposed to come over here. Because we were about to get ready to get up and speak. And I said, no, it's okay. And she said, I just love your podcast, and my sons love it, and we never miss an episode. She said, now, Jace. You can tell Jace he is too mean to Zach.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Jace Robertson]

I said, well, I. I will tell him. I will tell him that. I said, but, you know, we're just doing that in fun, right? And she said, and.

[Zach]

And he told me he loved me, so we got it.

[Jace Robertson]

I told her that. I told her. She said, yeah, but he was sarcastic. She knew.

[Jason Robertson]

She.

[Zach]

She was 80 sarcastic. We've been savage. He was 20% sincere.

[Jason Robertson]

Exactly.

[Jace Robertson]

That's funny. But they're. Yeah, it was. It's really nice to meet you guys out there. Like Jace was saying, and come across. And we. We do know how much you guys love the. And we're the same way.

[Jason Robertson]

What's funny about that story? When I got back to my seat, of course, my assistant, she's like, is everything okay? She has no idea what happened. I went to the bathroom, and you come back 25 minutes later, she thinks there's fixed to be a story here. And I said, fortunately, it was all Jesus conversations, which was really the theme of the whole trip, because on the way back, there was a storm in Dallas, and we have such upheaval in our world now, which disrupts everything in the flights. And it was one of the more miserable treks home. Took me 14 hours from the time I woke up to get back to my house, which was about midnight. But I had so many Jesus conversations, because you're like, what do you do in the airport when you're. There's so many people, you can barely move, and multiple flights are canceled and gates are being changed, and you're spending a lot of time. I spent two hours on the Runway before we took off. Yeah. And we had so many Jesus conversations, though. It was just like a revival. Every little group that I managed to find myself. And then we had a wonderful break because I got to the. We landed in the international section of the Dallas airport, and we were going to go to one of these little club things, you know, because Our flight got canceled, so we were going to have to hang out for eight hours. And so we put our name in. Well, there's a two hour waiting list before you can even get there. And I'm like, what do we do? I'm just looking at this sea of humanity. I mean, and people are grumpy because everybody's flights are changed. You could just sense it. It just. The humans were restless, kids were crying.

[Jace Robertson]

So, Jill, you wouldn't know anything about this, but Zach probably would. As we've gotten older, it's been a little harder to manage our weight. Have you noticed that in old Zachary?

[Jason Robertson]

I mean, maybe a little bit. Maybe a little around the middle.

[Jace Robertson]

You good wife to stand in for her husband. Well, I'll go ahead and just talk about me then, because I've tried everything, Jill. I've tried keto, Paleo, Weight watchers, intermittent fasting. If it's a diet out there, I've tried it, but really the answer never was about willpower. I found out from our good friends at PhD weight loss and my good friend Dr. Ashley Lucas that it's about metabolism. At PhD weight loss, they have identified this and they work with you with your body, not against it. So if you're watching this on YouTube, here's a picture of me at the beginning. Here I am now, some 75 plus pounds later, looking much better, feeling much better. I'm off of almost all my meds. I'm about to get off my last blood pressure med. No more CPAP machines. Feeling better, exercising more. And so if you're thinking to yourself, is 2026 going to be the year? I'm telling you, let's get after it. If you call now, they'll give you two free weeks in the program and pay for your food so you can finally see real results without more trial and error. If you're done with yo yo dieting and want clarity, call PhD weight loss now and mention Al. No more guessing, just answers. Call them at 864-644-1900 and say ow. That's 864-644-1900 or you can visit myphdweightloss.com

[Jason Robertson]

I said, we need to find a spot. And I looked down and there was one little spot because we were way up on this, like, escalator. You could just kind of see there was one little spot that there seemed to be no activity. And I said, let's go there. And so we went and sat down and it was more comfy chairs than normal. And there were no people. I couldn't figure it out. So we sat there about 30 minutes, and I thought, why is this spot like that? And my assistant finally looked up and said, because we're sitting at the Turkish Airlines terminal gate. And I thought, oh, there ain't nobody flying to Turkey. There's a war going on over there. And the few people that came by, nobody was speaking English. And so we sat there for a couple hours and caught our breath in comfy chairs, and it was. It was the best spot there. So I thought that was kind of.

[Jace Robertson]

If only it had some Turkish coffee to go with it, because they make some really good, strong coffee. Turkey.

[Jason Robertson]

Exactly.

[Jace Robertson]

You would have had it going on. Well, Zach. So did Jill say she enjoyed her time with us here?

[Jason Robertson]

She did.

[Zach]

She said it was great. Said y' all had a great discussion, and. And she enjoyed it. I was on the road last week, went to Nashville, came back, then we went and ended up in. In Raleigh, North Carolina, and then back the next day. So we've been all over the place, but. So I unfortunately missed out. I missed being here, though. I really did.

[Jace Robertson]

So.

[Zach]

But y' all got it. Y' all gotta know.

[Jace Robertson]

Well, they. The. The number one thing that I hear from fans is they love it when our wives are on the podcast. So I hear that every time, especially from the ladies that I meet that listen to the podcast. So we'll have to do that more and more. Do we want to get a little bit into First John, where we left off here in our. We. We've talked up most of our podcasts. I guess we did a little bit of a Genesis study today.

[Jason Robertson]

I've been trying to get to First John. I mean, we're getting into the love section, so we are. Which is.

[Jace Robertson]

Well, we did, Jay. So, Zach, Jay's had a little. He had a rabbit hole about greater and greatest, which we spent a couple of podcasts talking about, because it was in that. What verse was it, Jace, where it said the.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, there was three times. So that one that says in verse 19 of chapter three, this, then, is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts. Which. That's why I brought up that point about at rest in his presence. So when God rested Adam in the garden, he set him at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Which. That story in Genesis shows that verse explicitly. I mean, God knew what was going on. Why are you hiding from God? Remember, it wasn't just the blame Shifting after the sin, then they're hiding. And so he knows what's going on. And where it says God is greater than our hearts, which is, you know, I think for us, we tend to look at it from our perspective. And he is clearly saying one verse after another here. You know, this is love, which we're going to get to. Not that we love God, but that he loved us. Or we think about us coming to know God. And then when you come to know God, what's the first thing you realize? Well, he knows us. This is about him. And I think that's John's really trying to draw out those contrasts. He's greater than our hearts. And he kind of continues that theme with two other times where he uses that. Greater. I'm going to have to.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah, four. Four is one. The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in

[Jason Robertson]

the world, to my point. And then the other one is in five, nine. Yeah, five, nine. Good job, Al. And I really love this one because most people, you know, when you show up at a religious establishment, they're like, well, share your testimony. And, well, First John 5, 9 says, God's testimony is greater than mine. Yeah, so let me share God's testimony through me. And it says, we accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God. So I kind of went down a rabbit hole about when Jesus shared in Matthew 18 who is the greatest in the kingdom. And because Peter had profoundly said

[Zach]

that

[Jason Robertson]

he, Jesus, is the son of God. Remember when he said, who do you say? Who do people say I am? And right after that, Jesus rebukes Peter because when Jesus said, I'm going to die and be buried and raised, and Peter's like, no, that's not going to happen. So then he gets called Satan because of that. But anyway, an argument broke out among the disciples about who was the greatest. Because Peter had made that profound statement, and God was. Jesus was like, that came from God, you saying that. So all of a sudden, fast forward a couple chapters and you're, you're, you're getting them asking Jesus who's the greatest? Because we're obsessed with that. We're obsessed with being the greatest, being the best. But the point is, God is greater in every category. But John seems to bring that up.

[Jace Robertson]

Yeah, well, I want to read this little bridge text, and then we'll get into chapter four, which is kind of new, new ground for us. But we've read this before. But here's how it kind of Bridges the thought of what you just said, Jayce. He says, dear friends, in verse 21, if our hearts do not condemn us, because he had just mentioned that, then we have confidence before God. And we've used that word a lot, talking about this idea about the approaching, you know, the presence of God with confidence and how that works and receive from him anything we ask because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is this concept of living within the will of God. And you say, well, how do you do that? Well, he tells you exactly how. And this is his command to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. So this is that back to basic command that Jesus had said when he was here as well. Love God, love your neighbor. He says, those who obey this, those who obey his commands live in him and he in them. Well, how does that work? This is how we know that he lives in us. We know it by the Spirit he gave us. So his transition into this next chapter is the reintroduction of the Holy Spirit. And, and the idea that this is how, you know, this is a. Literally, he lives in us. I mean, it's a, it's a deposit. Paul would call it the Holy Spirit, a, a taste of eternity, a presence that is now with us. And it's a, it's a conscience challenger, it's a teacher, it's a guide. Remember all the words he used back in John 14, 15, 16 to describe the role of the Holy Spirit, A fruit bearer. And so that's how he's going to get into this thing about love. And sort of the, I would just call it the, the essence of what love is, is because it is God. It was God first. And so the whole. That's why if you don't have the Holy Spirit, it's, it's hard to fathom or do any of these things because how would you ever know if you don't know Christ at this level, you know, So I love the transition. Let me, let me read the first six verses.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, and I just wanted to say before you read those six verses, when you see these commands and you remember, this takes us back to John 15 when he's talking about the vine. I am the vine, you're the branches, remain in me. And then he launched, yeah, I'm calling you friends and do what I command. And here's my command. I mean, it's like a drum roll. Love one another as I have loved you. And I think you're seeing that echo in the New Testament about Jesus, new creation, because we went through the garden and, you know, God basically had one command. Don't eat that tree. Just reflect my image, Lord, over the creation and the animals. And here's your wife. I mean, he gave the two will become one flesh. I mean, these were the basic guidelines here. But it was pretty simplistic. Of course. Then that moved on to an actual encounter with Moses in this process of him getting his family back after the first sin. And it made me think that, you know, in our tech world, somebody said this as a joke, but I thought it was pretty funny. They said, you know, actually, in an era of Moses, there's no cell phones or anything like that. But technically, Moses was the first one to download God's instruction from the cloud onto his tablets.

[Zach]

That's not a. That's not a bad point.

[Jace Robertson]

That's pretty good.

[Jason Robertson]

Okay, see what we're doing here. Same. Same basic idea. Isn't that weird how we use that terminology? And you have this story here, back there, that uses similar language in a totally different way in the presence of God. I mean, he was. And we always talk about this heaven and earth being overlapped and interlocked, or heaven and earth being a theme of the Bible coming together. But here's Moses in the presence of God, getting instruction. And so now I just think you fast forward and you see this idea of what Jesus brought by his death and burial and resurrection and being at the right hand, where he's talking about commands, but then he's like, those who obey his commands live in him and he and them. And this is how we know that he lives in us. What's different than Moses having these tablets where you're like, well, how are you doing? How you doing with these rules here? It's like we know it by the spirit he gave us. And that's the transition into that new creation and learning what it means to trust God's commands. You now have his presence inside of you that is there to provide rest. That's why it has that little part about, if our hearts condemn us, why do our hearts condemn us? Because we just have a hard time doing what God says. But he's given us that spirit, and I think that's what we need to pursue what that means.

[Jace Robertson]

Remember when he got back down from the mountain, he had to reboot the tablets because his operating system crashed, because he broke them, because the people were all down there worshiping the golden calf. Remember when he got to the bottom?

[Jason Robertson]

It's a great point, Al. There had to be a reboot.

[Jace Robertson]

All right, let me read these verses and we'll mainly talk about on the next podcast, but I want to get them in so you can kind of carry them over. So. So he's going to come back to his dear friends. You know, he keeps coming back to dear friends and dear, dear children. It's kind of his circular every time, which is just so to me, so makes it familial, you know, it's just such a family setting, which is John's, you know, kind of. He said, like a sweet old man. He reminds me of Bill Smith when he was in his 80s. He said, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Because you got to remember when all this is happening. There were some things, some letters that had been circulating by this time, but it was hard. You know, a lot of things were still. This is the frontier of Christianity. So, you know, there's a lot of false stuff going on too.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, and. And a reminder in 2:26, remember, he just profoundly said, I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. So that's been a theme throughout his sermon.

[Jace Robertson]

Exactly. And he says again here, to your point, because many false prophets have gone out into the world, this is how you can recognize the spirit of God. And this has been a theme. This was from chapter two as well. Guys, every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. So this was kind of. He keeps coming back to this bellwether of the idea about the incarnation of Jesus. So that's obviously what's kind of been at the heart of the whole problem. But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist. Here he goes back into that again, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. And we talked quite a bit about that already. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. There's that same phrase again. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the spirit or a spirit. It could be translated either way. The spirit capital S of truth and the spirit little S of falsehood. Yeah, so it's back. Back to these competing. The competing Worlds, which we've talked about a lot. John talked about a lot here. He keeps coming back to this idea. The idea of Antichrist means you're anti Messiah, which means you don't believe that Jesus really came in flesh, which is obviously going on. And still, there are still some people in groups today that don't recognize him as God. And so that's how, you know, he says it's, it's false. So before we get to the love part, that's kind of the transition, but I was going to ask you what you thought just the last couple of minutes and then we'll get into it next time, but about this idea of testing the Spirit, because you still have to test things, right? I mean, there's still falsehoods, there's still things that happen. There's still people acknowledge. I mean, what is the testing process? Because there's still. All these things are still present, even 2,000 years later. I mean, they're still.

[Zach]

I would say, I would say your, your first test is, does this contradict the Scripture? And so I would. I mean, that's the first test that I go to is what is this spirit contradicting what the, what the Bible says? And, and I think that now granted, I mean, there is a diversity of opinion on a lot of things. I mean, you can read our comment section sometime and people will be like, you're a heretic, or they'll make these, you know, the broad accusations. That's not helpful.

[Jason Robertson]

You know, we can't have quit reading the comments. Let somebody else. I'm all for someone reading the comments.

[Zach]

Oh, yeah. But probably shouldn't be us, though. Well, I mean, but, but the truth is, is like, it doesn't mean, like truth matters. Right? I mean, so like, we're not saying the truth doesn't matter, but we can also be wrong on things, and we all are wrong on things. And so, but the, but for me, it's like, what does the scripture clearly say? If this is like directly in competition or contradiction with the scripture, it's out. And then I found this to be helpful on some more of the kind of areas that are. Maybe there's not a clear answer. And you're wondering, is God leading me in this particular direction? You know, the Desert Fathers were like more from a monastic tradition. And what they would do is they would ask the question, does it lead to the fruit of the spirit? Does, does this lead to peace, patience, kindness, gentleness?

[Jace Robertson]

Oh, that's self control.

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah, that's where I was going. Because I think that should be the number one. Well, look, all right, there's two different things. Al you ask us a generic question, but I'm saying, what is John talking about? I think the chapter didn't really have a chapter break. Somebody put these numbers in here. Chapter four is not chapter four. So what did he say? The last verse of chapter three? He said, this is how we know he lives in us. We know it by the Spirit he gave us. Well, in that vein, he's like, so watch out. Test. Every other spirit doesn't say other. But that's the point. How does it relate to the Holy Spirit so that Galatians 5:19 through 24 is of it. You can't be any more clear about two sides of the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature because it's what they produce.

[Jace Robertson]

Right?

[Jason Robertson]

Yeah. He revisits this idea of the world where it said the viewpoint of the world. What's the viewpoint of the world? You just read that. How do you know that? Well, he's already said in First John 2 what the viewpoint of the world is. And it's a lot like Galatians 5:19. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Jason Robertson]

So I would say the number one test is if there's a person who is participating in that list and they're giving you spiritual truths, they failed that test.

[Zach]

And let me add to that because. Because you go back and read the First John. How much of First John is talking about loving your brother, being in fellowship with one another? And in the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians chapter five, there's fits of rage. That's one of the accusations.

[Jace Robertson]

That's one of the dissension.

[Jason Robertson]

Well, and the fruit of the Spirit is love.

[Zach]

Going back to what we're talking about, these comments, I just use it. I'm just using this as an example. But like, yeah, and someone can be a believer and still like the Spirit they're coming at you with could be.

[Jace Robertson]

Not.

[Zach]

If they're coming at you with rage and accusation and personal attacks. That does not. That's. That does not look like the fruit of the Spirit. That looks more like the acts of the simple nature. So I, I'm not going to receive that kind of accusation if we're trying to r. The truth. I'm. I'm not going to, like, let that get into. In my mind. Now, Grant, I might think about what I said. Did I say that right? Or is this right? Am I, am I arriving at truth? But I think the problem is, is that when we say the word truth. And when Jesus talks about truth, he's not talking about simply a set of right doctrinal beliefs. He's actually saying that truth is personified. And that is a key point of the whole point of first, John is much more about communion with Christ than getting the right ideas of about Christ. That's the big difference. And I think you got to work. You got to be careful not to let that come in. Doctrine matters. But what? I've said this all the time. But, but, but doctrine won't save you. Christ saves you. Yeah, Christ saves you. That's your doctrine.

[Jace Robertson]

You got to remember that. That's good. And we're out of time, so we'll have to. We'll pick this up on the next Unashamed and and keep filling it in. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click the little bell and choose all notifications to watch every episode.