THE FORGING TABLE | Romans 11:1-4 (Ep. 986)

Hey guys, real quick. So, I've talked to men literally all across the globe about where they're missing the mark and how they want to improve. They normally talk about how they wish they were in better shape. They wish they had a better relationship with their loved ones. They wish they had more success and influence at work and some other stuff like that. But here are some of the most common and biggest things that I hear. I wish I knew more about the Bible. I wish I could lead my family spiritually. I wish I could recall more scripture. I wish Bible study wasn't such a struggle. Well, guys, I've got news for you. You don't have to keep wishing. It's time for you to start doing. It's time for you to stop wasting your time and money on stuff that has no eternal value whatsoever. I keep hearing you talk about how you want to be more biblically literate and spiritually resilient. And now is your chance to prove that you mean it. 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You can go to shop.undaunted.life or check it out in the show notes. Guys, we're always going to have hats and shirts and a bunch of other awesome stuff. Go there, support us, wear the mission. Again, it's shop.undaunted.life. Check out the link in the show notes. Shop.undaunted.life. This is Undaunted Life, a man's podcast. I'm your host, Kyle Thompson. Let's get into it. Child are resilencia. Russell LS Matt LS Ryan. >> Wow. >> Mateo. >> Anybody know what I said? >> I don't speak a Spanish. >> Uh, >> yeah. I know everything you said. >> Can you just repeat it back then? Can you translate it? >> Yeah. Welcome to the forging table. >> Keep going. >> Where are you screen? I was like, >> you can't read it all. It just felt right. I don't know why there's not even a transition there, but it was like I don't know, maybe uh because I know my stuff gets translated into other languages. So now the translator thing is going to be really not know what's happening. >> Really confused cuz I I bet that wasn't exactly right. >> Good luck translation matrix. >> That's okay. That's what I'm here for. I'm here for glitches in the matrix, but >> they got AI for that stuff now. >> Uh but I mean that's not nearly as important as me trying to figure out what Russell has against raisins. Uh I tried to offer this dude one of my famous protein balls, one of Kyle's balls. Uh, and I failed. >> I failed. >> But he just goes, "Do they have raisins in them?" And I was like, "Yeah." >> Did I like that one thing? You go. >> One thing Russ did not put in his protein shake the other. The only thing that was in the kitchen didn't need to been put in there. The thing that I don't quite understand is you just go, "Do you know raisins are dead?" >> Uh, it was a bad It wasn't thought through. dead fruit. >> It's not a good argument, but >> it technically all fruit when you get in the store isn't all dead. It's already like all >> my deal. Is this a take on total depravity? >> I don't mind other like dried out stuff as much, but I don't I don't really like there's none of the dried out fruit that I like. You know, you brought up bananas and and peaches and different stuff like that. I could do the bananas. I don't like them. And definitely with the raisins, it's the texture thing. It's just like a like a I don't know how about pickles. >> Just a tough sack of nothing. Yeah. >> But I mean in a protein ball you got the oats and the honey and the peanut butter and the protein powder and all that. It's just like raisins. I do chocolate chips because they're better. >> Yeah. I mean for a guy who puts vanilla bean ice cream in protein shake like health nutrition. >> Your creatine needs some sugar to absorb correctly. >> Yeah. You know he got the advice from a fat dude on Twitter. So like that's you know problem. He also throws four Snickers bars. >> Here's my protein shake. >> You're throwing shade at somebody you don't even know. Like you don't even got the entire account where all he does he's like 600 lb and all he does is eat the most insane stuff. So like he'll literally get a huge bowl and be like, "Time to eat breakfast." And he'll put like four packages of Oreos in there and pour chocolate milk in there and then just eat them with a spoon. The other day this dude literally had a mountain of butter. So like uh they were in like cubes of butter and then he got out icing >> and he like pulled the thing off icing and he took a big huge scoop, put it on a chunk of butter and then he probably ate 15 or 16 of those like one right after the other. Worry about his health. >> That's next level. >> He's clearly not He weighs 600 lb. He's doing this for for likes on Tik Tok. >> Is going to be dead. Speaking of dead >> and dried out mean to be grafted back in. Should we get into Romans 11? You're like, you got way early drafted back. >> If you're not supported by the root, you just turn into a dead raisin. Nobody really wants to learn today. But yeah, but thanks for getting us >> to where we need to go. >> We need to talk about the transition. >> What's literally sweaty right now? >> Literally in between recordings. Uh got a message from a guy uh that follows the show and he sent me this video by this other guy. Uh and it's basically the video is basically like soft anti-semitism. There's hard anti-semitism and then there's kind of soft anti-semitism and you know people that are just like uh against against Israel but they can't even explain what they mean by Israel. Do they mean the current country with its current boundaries? Do we mean the chosen people of God? Do we mean BB Netany and Yahoo? Do we mean BBNet and Yahoo plus the Knesset? Like we can't even really define what that is. But when you get into chapter 11 of Romans and you get into the remnant of Israel, it makes a lot of people really really uncomfortable. And you know, people love to get into different uh theological camps, but for most people is if your view of Romans 11 goes through the lens of I just don't really like Jews that much. I was like, I don't know that you've really read Romans 11. I don't know that you've made your way all the way through. Again, yes, we're going to talk about getting graph grafted in. Uh we're going to talk about, you know, how we should treat the Jews, uh you know, even after, you know, because of what they've done that to lead to Gentile salvation. But a lot of controversy uh in Romans 11 uh between this week and next week. We're probably not going to cover all of it and we're not going to get into all the the separate camps, I guess you could say, as it pertains to the drama in uh this chapter. But Russ, let's go ahead and kick it off. Let's uh do the first two verses. Actually, stop halfway through verse two. Stop after whom he forneew. Just read one and then the first half of two. >> All right. Uh one and Gotcha. All right. I asked then, has God rejected his people? By no means, for I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he forneew. So, a lot to deal with even from the beginning. We talked about this and alluded to it a little bit last week. You might be looking at this part because I mean, there's waves in this letter. And guys, just remember, we're covering Romans very slowly. We're going like phrase by phrase, chunk by chunk. This was typically read in its entirety, read publicly where people could kind of hear and try to understand what's happening. So, we've seen a lot of waves and a lot of people being focused on at different times during this letter. The reason why he goes here is because he just finished Romans 10. Again, we added the chapter and verse later, but he just finished an argument and he he's anticipating that people are like, "Wait a minute. Is he saying the chosen people aren't the chosen people?" is is he saying that, you know, we need to just delete in parts of the Old Testament we need to unhitch. Like, is that what this guy is saying? Um, and he just gives the strongest possible negation and rebuke. And he says, I asked then, has God rejected his people? His people are the Jews. >> By no means. Um, and so, and again, you have like this, you know, functional opposite of the the word rejected in verse one. And then you get to for new in verse two. That was a a thing that the Moody commentary pointed out. But I just wanted to kind of say here like we have to be very clear about Paul, how Paul is starting this section of his letter by saying the Jews were not tricked, right? They they were not chosen and then unchosen, right? And so I think that that's a great great way to start our discussion. >> He uses himself like I if if if we were I wouldn't be like preaching to you. I wouldn't be being used as a tool to preach Christ's message and the gospel uh and the good news to the world. So like I'm an example that the Jews are not done. >> All the all the early Christians were Jews, most of them. >> And so I mean most of the teachers were early Jews. And so it's it's the we'll get into it more, but um you know there God hasn't rejected his people. He's chosen his people and he's chosen people within that chosen people to do his will. And so we look at we look at Paul. I think of uh Richard Wormbbrren. Um uh he was a uh he was a Jewish I think he was Polish. Um but he started um um he was a professor of Jewish descent in 1948 having become a Christian 10 years before he publicly said communism and Christianity were incompatible. But he started I believe it was martyrs um uh >> Voice of the Martyrs. >> Voice of the martyrs. Yeah. And he was a Jew that became a Christian uh during World War II. So, it's like God's God's continually bringing Jewish people into the fold of of Christ. And so, that's why Paul's going to go into more of the remnant of Israel that that Christ is still going after. >> Yeah. I like how he, you know, my view here, he he's talked about this people group and then he is just clarifying that like God has done stuff with these people groups and within those people groups that does not mean because you're classified as uh one of these people groups that you cannot become a believer. Like he he is making that very clear that like yes the Lord has set them aside. later on he talks about some hardening some things or before this talks about some hardening. So the viewers are definitely having some uh heartburn over some of the things he's saying. He's just predicting that and saying you know take me as an example. I was a Jew among Jews and yet even though I've said that there was a hardening going on in Israel, I'm a believer. So like the Lord has has has come after some of us and I'm one of those to be able to say that I've accepted Christ, you know. So anyway, I I think he's just clarifying that there's there's something within each of these groups. Um, even all the Gentiles aren't believers. >> I think you bring up a good point in the fact that Paul even says like Paul's hard heart was hardened towards Christ. I mean, when Christ came to him, where was he going? >> He was going to kill Christians and put him in jail. You know, his heart was already hardened towards Christ's message and then Christ came to him and opened his eyes to it. So even Paul is saying like, hey, there's still a remnant out there that God's going to open their eyes to the beauty of what Christ has done. Some of their hearts are hardened based upon based upon the fact that they think that they're doing the right things to get where they need to go. And I think as well we have here again using the Logos uh commentary if you're ever struggling with a word whether you like the word you don't like the word or you're like it seems out of place. If you highlight the word for new in verse two there and you hit explain it brings up a big long thing. But there's there's one particular thing I think is important here. The word carries two complimentary senses. First God knows the thoughts, actions, decisions and works of the Jewish people in advance. They have never done anything unknown to him, including their disobedience. And it's taking uh it's taking all this from a Bob Warren book called God's Heart as it relates to fornowledge and predestination. But here's the second thing. Forneew points to God's special relationship with the nation. He entered into covenant with the Hebrew people understanding fully that they would disobey. He entered into covenant with them knowing fully that they would disobey. As we get later into Romans 11, God use their uh disobedience to do something in the hearts of Gentiles. And then he uses the things he's doing in the hearts of the Gentiles to boomerang it back to the Jews who are now jealous of what's happening within uh with the Gentiles. And so for a lot of folks again, they they're they're trying to reckon with this and some of their, you know, favorite political commentators or pastors or something like that, they just want to talk about this outright uh rejection of of those individuals. But maintaining we can keep two things in tention that one every individual Jew that wants to be saved is going to have to put their faith in Christ and repent of their sins. And also God has a very special relationship with the Jewish people. Uh and that's not just the people that are currently residing at a particular address in the Middle East. It's he has a plan for them. And as we get closer to the end times, that plan is going to become more and more clear. I think you bring up a really good point with that is like if we think about if we think in our own minds on what is right and what is just because we'll never be able to see what God sees as just is like it would make sense if you go back and you look at through all the Old Testament of how many times Christ and we'll go over it more when we go over Elijah how God was denied by the Jewish people but if God is going to be the just and righteous God that he is and he makes a promise and he makes a covenant for him to go back on it would not make him just. But we try to those people that are trying to say Israel doesn't have anything or Israel is now rejected. That can't be true because God can't be just and holy if he can't keep to his covenant, right? >> And so his covenant is still there. But we try to put human thought into everything that we do and our own feelings where we're like, well, it would make sense that if they don't hold up their end of the bargain that I just give up and just go do something else and get rid of them. Like that's not God, though. God covenants work. >> That's not how covenants work. That's not how God works. And so God is still going to use uh Israel because that's who he chose. >> Russell disagrees. >> No, I don't that it just >> Here we go. >> I I wonder like this has nothing to do I don't have an opinion on this. So like but wouldn't wouldn't God have ALS could he have been just to move away from Israel just because of their disobedience? Like so the covenant with Abraham was that your your descendants would follow me. Like we go back and read it, but like there was some there was some um the side of Abraham's side of that covenant has failed miserably. Like they did not follow follow God. So I just I wonder I mean it just shows more of God's grace. The fact that even though on Abraham's side of the covenant the covenant was forfeited, he still remained faithful. And I think Paul at different points talks about that and says like we're we're faith faithless. He remains faithful. So >> he's highlighting like this was not a plan B. This was not God going you rejected me so I'm going to reject you. But oh actually you know what because I'm a I'm a merciful God I won't. This was plan A from the beginning. And he even in chapter 10 was using the verses that he said, "Okay, yes, I foretold of the Messiah that you rejected, but I also told you that you would do that and I would use your jealousy to bring out the salvation of the entire world and I would use Abraham's Abraham's line to save the whole world." >> And I told you guys all of that. This was my plan from the beginning. >> And I think also it doesn't you can remove favor without violating the covenant, >> right? So even think about it in a the covenant of marriage. You can change how you respond to somebody, >> right? You can go from giving them the benefit of the doubt all the time in all situations to completely not trusting that person >> even while the covenant is still intact. And so it's it's reacting inside the covenant as opposed to you got the covenant. No, you don't. Ah, here it is again. Ah, took it away. That's what I'm trying to highlight is is the fact that >> even more grace was given by God and the fact that he stayed within the covenant even whenever technically like if he was trying to catch them they they had they had done enough that he didn't have to stay within the covenant. He just >> but he wouldn't be righteous if he didn't stay within the covenant. It's like like look at marriage like your your marriage is not a contract. It's a covenant. Correct? Um, if something were, if your wife were to do something like spend money that you weren't expecting her to spend and then you guys have a conversation saying, "Hey, this money over here we're going to use for this. We're not going to use it for anything else." And she goes and spends it on something else. You would lose trust and how she handles the money. But you wouldn't divorce her and leave the covenant, would you? >> No. >> No. Because But that doesn't >> That was a slight hesitation. Do we need to talk to Lady Eusts? What's going on? Are you okay, brother? But but but that covenant is still there. You just you're just like you might show her more grace and not get angry with her and leave her but >> but that's that like that's what God's doing. He's like he's like, "Hey, I'm I'm taking my favor away and I'm going to handle it over here, >> you know?" But you guys are still >> That makes sense. I think >> Israel's betrayal to God, you know, like I think of uh oh, who's the prophet that he had him marry the prophet? Yeah. You know, that was more along the lines of the betrayal that God felt like Israel was. But >> the fun thing about Hosea is that, and please correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm going to sorry, Joby, this already. I don't believe uh Goomer was a prostitute. >> No, she wasn't a No, she married her. was a faithful woman and then he married her and she became like unfaithful. So in that covenant everything was still good and faithful and then after the covenant was covenant was made she was unfaithful. >> I thought that was more of a unclear status of what she was cuz the the term that was used is basically a >> Go get your wife. >> Go to one. >> Go to Hosea 1. >> Oh man, you're going to make me >> I'll go the NLT to Hosea 1. just helping the Nazare. >> I actually heard something about that just the other day where they were saying that was a new concept to me, but I thought they were saying that >> it was a little bit of conjecture on whether or not what she was at the time of their marriage or what >> Hosea 1. But even that story just produces this even more because he goes and redeems her, you know, like brings her. >> So he does say when the Lord, this is what this is what it says in two, when the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, go and marry a prostitute so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. >> This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods. But I did hear some somebody to that point was saying I did see something that or read something they were saying that idea that she actually wasn't at the beginning. I don't know where that >> 2 through five. Is that what you read? >> I just read to here's three. So Hosea married Goomer the daughter of Dalam Delm and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. And the Lord said, "Name the child Jezrael, for I am about to punish the king of Jehus dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezrael. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel's independence, and I will break its military power in the Jezrael Valley." Soon Goomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, "Name your daughter Laoma, not loved, for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them, but I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies not with weapons and armies or horses or chariots but by my power and the as the Lord their God. So to to go ahead and answer your question, I may have been a little bit too uh too firm one way or the other. There is a lot of scholarship to suggest that Goomer may have been sexually active prior to getting married. Got married, right, which is descriptive of basically everyone that gets married nowadays. gets married and then uh turned to ways of whoredom, right? And so became unfaithful uh broke the covenant of marriage uh and then God instructed Hosea to to stay uh in that relationship to pursue uh his wife even though the covenant was broken. So there are a few options like she was a virgin, got married and then became a She was a before she got married, got married, continued being a Or she was just, you know, >> either way the story stays the same. And the idea, like to your point, the idea that the covenant remained even when he technically had the right to remove himself out of the covenant by their standards. And so like to your point, it is a it is a cool thing to look at the relationship between God and Israel and even like into today trying to like you read scripture and you would be ignorant to not understand that they have a special place in God's plan. and that even even in today that he has a plan for Israel um >> for before his return. >> I think this also highlights and something that we should like be thankful that we can study and dig into the word that how like patient and long-suffering the Lord is towards his people. And as a new Christian or someone who is like a peripheral Christian, it's really easy to to just highlight those hard texts and say God is this like mean maniacal crazy like tyrant who just kills people. But man, if you really dig into some of these passages like he is very long-suffering and patient with his people and us and who have committed cosmic rebellion >> when he he and he provides and he also has a plan, right? Uh Matt and and kind of speaking of which, if you want to go ahead uh and we'll just go and read this entire section, just read the first four verses. So we so far we've covered through halfway of verse two for guys that are keeping score at home, but let's just read the first four verses of Romans 11 >> 1-4. >> Yeah. >> I asked then, has God rejected his people? By no means, for I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he forneew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah? How he appeals to God against Israel? Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have demolished your altars and I alone am left and they seek my life. But that is God's what is God's reply to him? I have kept for myself 7,000 men and have not bowed bowed the knee that have not bowed the knee to Baal. >> So you need to go back to first kings. So what the references here are first kings 19:14 and first kings 19:18. Uh, but if we go back to First Kings, I mean, even if we just use the text here, I think Ryan, you're pulling up um a little bit more of it. Uh, is that what you're doing? Because you were talking a little bit about to set up. >> Yeah. Um, yeah, just go ahead. >> Well, do you do you want to set up as we get into 19 or you want us? Go ahead. >> Yeah. So, uh, ultimately what's happening here is Elijah is like >> I'm all alone. Like the the level of here, it's just like, dude, the sky is falling. Like, >> can we can we back up though? Like he literally just like brought brought like judgment down on these idols and is like doing work. Yeah. In hilarious fashion and then what was what's the queen's name? I don't >> Jezebel. She like calls a hit on him and he's like >> like how fickle are we? Like >> he runs across the country. >> Even to that point, Matt, so when you had the prophets of Baal and you know they called everyone out, hey, y'all got to come witness this. We're going to have two altars. We're going to see which god's for real. Prophets of Baal are going crazy. They're hooting and hollering. They're cutting themselves. All that. >> And Elijah is just sitting there and he's having a field day. He's like, "Hey, hey, yeah, maybe aren't uh quite loud enough. You go a little loud. Hey, you might be on vacation. Hey, you might your God might be on the toilet, so just keep going. Do your thing." And then he gets >> That was a very nice way of putting it. >> Well, it kind of reminded me of like for any MMA fans, a guy like Patty Pimpblelet. So Patty Pimble's a great fighter out of the UK. uh fights at 155 on his way from the back to the octagon. He is partying. He's got this stupid little dance move thing that he does with his arms and he's getting the crowd pumped. He's dancing to his own music. He is just absolutely feeling himself. The moment he gets, you know, checked by uh the referee cage side and all that, check his mouthpiece. Check that he's got a cup on. It sends him in the cage. The dude is a dog. Like all business. And so in this situation, what we saw with Elijah, he's hooting and hollering, having a good time watching these morons bleed all over themselves and like because he knows what's coming. Then he gets super serious. He's like, "Let's set up this altar. Soak it in water. Okay, soak it again. All right, soak it again." And then, you know, it gets consumed and then he takes out the prophets of Baal like he's, you know, the lead guy and and taking the rest of them out. And then we don't know how much time passed between that and this. And Lord, they've killed your prophets. They've demolished your altars. I'm left all alone and they seek my life. >> It's like, bro, where did the where did the confident guy go? You were confident in Yahweh go. >> Yeah. And then now you're just like you're terrified cuz your circumstances changed. >> Here's the thing. If we go back to this, this is Ahab's the king of uh of Israel, I believe. Or is it uh is it is it the southern portion, not the northern portion, >> bro? I don't know. Just keep going. Sorry, Jeff. Sorry, Jeffy. I should have like But I'm just trying to set I'm I'm looking at Elijah Fle Si. Uh I love you, Matt. >> I'll look it up. You just keep going. >> All right. So, Ahab's a king. He marries a woman who is not a follower. She's not she's not Jewish. She brings in the prophet or she brings in the god ball. >> King of Israel. >> Yeah. So, he's a king of Israel. And so, she starts getting everybody to worship ball. And everybody falls in line to do this. Like, everybody's like, "This is our king. This is his wife." It's just like what happened with Solomon. Like Solomon married all these women and brought in all these gods. And like look what happened to the kingdom. The kingdom was torn apart. Now you have Ahab who's married to Jezebel and she's bringing in this false idol, this false god. And Israel just bows a knee to it. Like Israel bows a knee to like you've if you if you look back of the prophets, the prophets always come back and talk about and try to remind you of what happened, how God was faithful all the time. And then Israel just falls right back into all right, we're gonna worship this this this god, you know, and so Elijah does all this stuff and this is why he's freaked out. He does all this stuff and dude Elijah goes and kills the prophets of Bal, kills them and Jezebel's all mad. She like Ahab gets back. So Ahab I feel like is this weak beta beta male like James Terico like >> that's two Torico references uh in a row. I'm not done with Talico today. Neither am I. >> So, so just this weak man and he goes and tells his wife, he's like, he's like, "Babe, uh, Elijah like done killed all the prophets of Bal." She's like, "What?" So, she sends a note to a message to Elijah being like, "G, may they strike me dead. I'm going to kill you." So, you got to think this is a this is a woman with a weak husband who rules a nation who's probably going through some postpartum psychotic thing right now. Who knows? But >> and Paul Paul's letters hadn't been written, so he couldn't read. I do not allow a woman to have authority over me. >> Yeah. So, but this is what and this is this is what we're seeing. We're seeing people bow to this idol, this apostasy. They're bowing to apostasy and it's being preached through all the land. And Elijah comes and he tries to bring out that apostasy. And now he's freaking out. He's like, "Everybody, they've killed your prophets, Lord. I'm the only one left." And the Lord says to him, "There's a remnant still there that I have chosen. I have not bowed a knee." There's 7,000 7,000 men there. And we saw what God can do with >> very little men. >> Yeah. And so, Go ahead. >> Well, no, I was just going to say like it's multiple things being communicated at once. Hey, Elijah, I knew you were going to freak out. They're a little fit. That's why I've been preparing these 7,000 guys to to be ready to go for this moment. Also, he's like, "Hey, Elijah, you're not alone here, dude." >> Yeah. >> Like, >> don't worry. I got you. Like, you're not the only one. Because I think we've all been at that place where we felt like the lone guy standing. We felt like the lone juror on the case and we're just being peppered by all these feminist morons. And so, you just like at different points, you're going to feel like you're the lone person. >> And one of the graces of God that he will give to us in some of those moments is, hey, you're actually not the only one. You're maybe the only one in your household, maybe the only one in your zip code, maybe the only one in your country, but I'm I've not left you. I've not forsaken you. Like, I'm right here. And I've been preparing for this moment where you are down and I need to point you to the fact that, hey, I'm still faithful. I'm still good. Here's 7,000 dudes. You're going to be just fine. >> So, to bounce off of that in the apostasy, like we deal with that today. And so, like we were talking about the last episode where I was like I was like, I've seen that type of preaching. I've seen that type of pastor who just kind of sticks with the topical stuff and I've seen what they've done within He's laughing. I've seen what they've done within the church, but I've seen the apostasy and like I've been the one to just standing just to give you guys an idea. I I uh I wanted to go back, but this is a guy that came and spoke to our church when I was going there and I put up the red flags about it. But >> which church is this? >> Uh this is Coffee Creek Church in Edmund. >> Okay. Cuz >> so I I'll call it. >> Everyone automatically thought you were saying Faith Bible. So every time. Be specific. >> So, he had a guy named Mitch Randall from uh from North Haven Church come and speak to us. And this guy was just spewing this stuff there. I'm just like, this doesn't make sense. Like, this is this is uh this is not biblical. It doesn't seem biblical. So, I start looking him up, start reading his articles. I start seeing the articles that this guy's written. Like, our pastor started preaching this topically throughout the throughout the sermons. And so I'm like I'm like, "Oh, this isn't this doesn't sound right." So this guy comes and speaks and I'm just like my eyes are open to, you know, just bad teaching, bad shephering. But during um during the Supreme Court uh's decision to overturn Row versus Wade, this is what this pastor wrote. This is terrifying. If true, women's reproductive rights in many red states will disappear. In addition, this will open the doors for red states to start passing laws under the banner of states rights in order to impose their draconian ideologies. This is a guy that came and spoke at our church who our pastor partnered with >> and partnered with his organization and allowed this teaching to go within our church. >> That was at the same time, right? >> Yeah, >> that's what you're saying. >> What? What do you mean? >> Like when he when that came out, those later on >> that was the same time as Oh, that was later. >> This was later on. This is giving you book >> that that that was a quote from his Facebook. >> Okay. >> And so that's >> but he had that that type of >> he had that type of theology and then I start seeing the theology of our pastor just kind of turn and then I I said something to somebody. I said hey go read this. At the time it was ethics daily. I go read this stuff from Ethics Daily. He's like oh my gosh. And then he sent it to the next person. He sent it to the next person. And then other people who like we served a lot so we weren't listening to every sermon. I think what really hit home is a lot of people left that church. Um and what hit home was there was a person that was serving all the time and I ran into them and they were like man because of COVID we were at home and so we actually started to got to start listening to the sermons and we were like this isn't right. This isn't right. >> And like they left they left the church. The church is still around. Um, I pray that the church I I pray that the pastor's message turns. I pray that he doesn't associate with Mitch Randall and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and whatever Mitch Randle's doing because it's all politically motivated. It's not biblically motivated. It's just like Terico, James Terico, his church. I just saw a video on it three times. I just saw a video on it, but this is this is this is very telling. So, he has a female pastor at his Presbyterian church. So, it's definitely PCUSA, not PCA. And she says in the video, if I had to really think about it, I would say more than 50% of our our congregants are probably would recognize himself as atheist or agnostic. And just listening to Talico's message and how he bastardizes scripture, who wouldn't come to those terms? But that's what we're seeing in churches nowadays. Like, we're in Oklahoma. You can throw a rock. The church that I'm talking about's three miles down the road, you know, and they're they're going to preach this milky soft message and they're going to stay away from the hard things and they're going to bring in people to preach a different message so they don't they don't have to do it themselves. Somebody else will do it and so they can fill your minds and tickle your ears. That's what we're seeing like in Jerusalem right now. We're letting people come in to what God has called holy, which was Israel, and we're letting people bring other idols, whether it's LGBTQ theology or if it's political theology or anything like that. And we're getting away from the message of the gospel. And I feel like that's just something that I see that there's a remnant of us left. There's always going to be a remnant, no matter how bad it gets. And when we see the church turn, there's going to be a remnant that God has chosen. >> Yeah. The bridegroom of Christ, who is the church, will not fail because Christ said it won't fail. This to me highlights the remnant is a community. Elijah was alone. God was saying, "Hey, there's a group of people out here that you're going to have comm community with that are like, you're not alone. This is the remnant that I have saved. This is a call to get in a in a foxhole. It's a call to be at a church." Like if you're feeling alone, I think God uses those communities to preach to us that you're not alone. St. Augustine said as one of my favorite quotes is if you're if you're unwilling to have the church as your mother, you can't have God as your father. >> Meaning get into a good church. >> Yep. >> Be pastored and shepherded by that church so you can be in community because we were made to be in community. And that's a a great example of why being a lone wolf is just not not a good reality. >> Will you say that again with the quote? >> If you refuse to to be motherthered by the church, >> wait, I said it right the first time. >> If you choose to be motherthered by the church, >> if you refuse to be motherthered by the church, you can't bother by the father or God. You can't have if you can't if you want to have church as your mother, you can't have God as a father. And that's kind of the things I ran into because we had friends leaving that church and I was just trying to help them find other churches cuz we were in Texas at the time >> and um one of the guys and this was like kind of my cage stage Calvinist moments you know later on we moved back and he were talking he's like isn't church just about making you a better person and I was just like ah I was like and I wish I would have been a little bit better in that. I was like, "No, the church is about worshiping God and knowing your need for Christ, you know, and and corporately worshiping God together." But it's just like it's the only way that I'm going to become a good person, wishes, this is what I wish I would have said to him. The only way I'm going to even become a good person is through the righteousness of Christ. And then through knowing him, hopefully my acts are good and they're done for him rather than I'm going to go listen to this person. They're going to teach me how to be a good person. Because that's that's what I feel like churches have kind of become. Not all churches. I'm not pulling all churches. But when we when we look at this milkfed stuff, it's like, well, as long as I'm I'm learning to be a good person. That's all it's about. And people are missing the mark of what it is. It's like, you are not good. >> Right. It's we're teaching people to gather more filthy rags. >> Yeah. >> Because we're teaching people to do more moral deeds and check more boxes and more behavioral modification. And so it I mean it goes back to what we talked about last week or the week before with the prodigal son with the older brother. We're giving them a longer checklist of of dos and don'ts to where they can they really keep gathering more and more filthy rags for themselves because all those things put together are nothing compared to what Christ did for us on the cross. >> And even going back to what you said before, I thought about something that Mark Hitchcock said uh earlier this year when he came on the show. >> He's like, and again, he doesn't say it with any any bite or any like zip on it. It's just like he just kind of says it. >> He's just like, "Look, there are a lot of people that are pastors that are non-Christians like that are they don't believe in God. They don't believe anything. >> Their job as a pastor is fulfilling some sort of need in themselves, some sort of validation. Uh maybe they're just not a very impressive person. So, corporate would have swallowed them up, but then they can, you know, uh learn the Christianes and massage their language a little bit and do really really well within the hierarchy of a Christian church." And that gets us to what I've said about Terico, which is we have to be more discerning when it comes to wolves and sheep's clothing. And fervent believing Christians are way too comfortable with having wolves in their backyard. I just don't I just don't quite understand it. And it all comes back around to, oh well, we just don't want to be judgy and, you know, we don't really want to get into politics because like that's that's separate because somehow the shama doesn't like apply to politics. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Hush, your butt. But like but ultimately a lot of these people don't quite understand that all of these different things are intertwined. It's not a singular thing. But part of the way that you can have a very charismatic, good-looking, funny person come up there and give you shots of milk every week and not be a Christian themselves is because we want our ears to be tickled. So we will continue to allow them to do that. We will continue to buy their books. We will continue subscribing to their YouTube channel. >> Yeah. No, I was just thinking like the political portion I think is kind of funny. I think we've bowed to the uh the idol of making everybody feel good or what's a what's a thing where you just approve of everybody's things like just approval like bowing to people who just want to feel approved in whatever they're doing. >> Affirmation. We're bowing to affirmation. And I think it's funny that you brought up the politics cuz the church that I went to would not discuss politics. It wouldn't discuss conservative politics. Like if we had to go into an actual discussion on something, well, it goes into that milk toast thing where it's like, well, I know some people that are this way and I know some people that are this way, you know, I've got gay friends, you know, or something like that, rather than actually hitting it, but if they want to hit the they want to hit the political stuff of like ICE or something like that, they'll hit that message. >> That's one of the most pernicious things is because they want to be patted on the head by culture like, "Oh, you're you're not one of those bad judgmental Christians. You're one of the ones that believes just like I do, a pagan. And so, like, you have the these individuals >> cuz I'm hear I'm seeing a lot of pastors now punching right, right? They're punching MAGA, they're punching Trump, they're punching the Republican party, they're punching ICE, they're punching right. >> I didn't hear a word from them for four years of the Biden administration, the most proabortion administration in the history of this country that would have went into the Harris administration, which would have been even worse than that. all the protrans stuff, the transing of the children, all of the the gender confusion, all the feminism, the allowing the big tent to get bigger, like, yeah, come on socialists, come on communists, yeah, come on fundamentalist, Muslims, come on into the tent. Didn't hear a damn word from you. And yet you want me to be super duper concerned about what the, you know, Trump's sons are doing with like Bitcoin and all the other like, okay, that's fine. Like, we we can punch both directions, but if you only punch one direction, let me just kind of throw out I don't believe you. I don't believe that you're actually fired up right now cuz you had nothing to say for years. >> And that's what makes me kind of laugh because like I'll punch both directions cuz like I've gotten into some fights with family members. They got upset with me. They're like I told him I was like, "I don't believe Trump's a Christian." You know, and they're like, "Well, how could you say that? How can you judge his salvation?" I was like, "He literally said from an airplane, that's right. >> I hope this thing goes well in the Middle East so I can get myself into heaven." >> That's right. >> I was like, >> you tell me. Well, I'm looked as judgmental and I don't have grace. But I also punch on the left. Like there's we got to punch on on on their affirmation of certain things that are sinful. And the right does the same thing. Like was it is it who who's the one that coined the term that the the Republicans are just getting us to hell a little bit slower? Was it Cooper Cooper? Yeah. And there's there's truth in that. And I try to tell people that because I once went to the church of the Republican party. Like I was literally like I was a Republican before I'd ever say I was a Christian which is really weird but it's kind of true when you grow up in this kind of Christianes like where I kind of grew up as a cultural Christian like yeah I was a Christian because I was a Republican and it's like no man I'm a Christian first. I just happen to vote for some Republicans. But I just think it's really funny when we go back to that church and you kind of brought this up. You want to know what the tagline of that church was that I went to? >> Belong Before You Believe. No, it was we want to be known for what we're for, not for what we're against. Like, no, I I'll pull it I'll pull it up. I'll pull it up. But like, yeah, >> I'm pretty I'm pretty sure Philip Anthony Mitchell, who is like a fiery like preacher, I'm pretty sure he said at the beginning of multiple sermons like you can belong before you believe. But he then just brings it hard. So, >> right. So, the thing about it is you say that you say that quote >> and then he immediately makes it hard to belong. >> Yeah. >> Right. Yeah. because he's like >> throws down the gauntlet. >> Here's the gospel. Here's who you are in reference to the gospel. And so if you want to be here, you're going to have to you're welcome. You're more than welcome to stand in line for 3 hours and, you know, try to get a seat inside and do all the different things. >> He's trying to like take that back, take that phrase back because like yeah, most of the time it's the belong before you believe is just this mealy mouth like you what whatever you want to believe is fine here. when it's those people that it's like, okay, it it even gives a fundamental misunderstanding of what the church is here for. Like, everyone's invited, but the church is for the equipping of the saints. And so, if it's just milk every week with a uh dramatic gospel call so we can get you to raise your hand, because again, if raising your hand could save you, then we would see a lot more hands being raised. If crying at the altar while somebody prayed for you was enough to save you, you regurgitating some sort of a prayer was enough to save you, then you know, why did Jesus need to die? Like, he could have just said, "All right, well, here's here's how you get saved. Here's the the three-step process, and like you'll be fine. Just do just do these actions." Because there are plenty of people, and I'm not saying this to make people like, "Oh, that's how I got saved. So, I wonder if you know, my salvation took or whatever." But there are plenty of people that get whipped up by the dramatic emotional concert which is filled full of music with dramatic chord changes and chord progressions. The person who's incredibly intelligent, incredibly good-looking and, you know, gives you this this TED talk, gets you all whipped up in a frenzy, and then they start the organ or they start the the dramatic little piano thing while, you know, our heads are bowed. And then now we have the secondary prayer, >> full house hard conversation. >> Yeah. You have the secondary prayer moment and secondary sermon moment where it's like, "All right, we're praying, but he's still sermonizing and all that, and all he's trying to get you to do is raise your hand up now. Raise your hand up now. Now do it now." Which is a sales tactic, not a preaching tactic. They get them to raise their hand, they count, they put it down on their spreadsheet so they can count it in the annual report. And it's like there are people that raise their hands that were not saved. Just recently, the eldest daughter of the Chandlers, Matt Chandler and Lauren Chandler, she grew up in Matt's house. She could defeat your biblical argument in Latin, right? Like that was that was her. She could exedute the scriptures. She could explain to you where everything was, >> but she didn't place her faith in Christ. She knew a bunch of stuff about Christ, but did not place her faith in Christ. She cried at church camp. Like she she did the Aana thing. She raised her hand. She dedicated her life and then rededicated her life. Cuz if it's a Baptist church camp, you got to have two lines. First timers and then all the people that are uh coming back. All the things. >> So true. >> But she didn't know Christ >> until Christ snatched her up and made it real and gave her faith. >> We we should pause to clarify. Coming to faith in Christ is an emotional thing. >> There is there is an emotional toll it takes on you. Coming to the realization that outside or inside of you, you can obtain nothing. you can obtain salvation only inside of Christ are you made righteous. That is a very that should invoke some emotion in us. Sure. But so I know that's not what you're saying. I like >> but that the music and all that the 90s sitcom kind of hard conversation. >> It's kind of a secret thing you just >> Well, I kind of look at some of that stuff is >> I agree with you. as we've as we mature, it's almost like we go through. So, so let's say that you're one of the people that became a Christian when you were really young and and now you're older and you look back at all those moments of like when did it when was it really real? You know, like >> there's a lot a lot of different moments in my life that I felt like it was almost like I would my faith was there. I would mature into a new stage of my life and it almost sometimes my faith had to catch up to that stage and then I would almost have like a a recovering of my salvation onto the whatever that stage in my life was. And for a long time, I think I looked at all of those different moments as like, well, was I not before? Was I then, you know, and then now looking back over the whole thing, I I wonder like I wonder if I even have more stages left in my life to where like I'm going to get to a point and I'm going to have an, you know, another encounter with the Lord where I realize, man, my faith like now actually envelops my new maturity or my new like life. And I look back at this time and I think man I I really didn't even have it all together then. So I mean I think there's a little bit of like >> I don't know the >> people should not worry if like you're sitting there and you're like man I was one of those people who got really emotional and raised my hand and I've kind of just read rode that wave into my faith now should I re up on it? No. I'd say like no that is the some of this is the wave. Like if if the Lord got you there by that and then has continued you on that and and you find yourself that that wave of faith covers you as you grow into new things. I think that's a big part of the process of like you see it with the disciples of like they kind of like it kind of reinvelops them at different times. >> Well, it's the difference between knowing and know when because some people like to know when, right? You know what I mean? And some people have that and I love it when I hear someone say August 21st uh 2002 I was sitting at home and you know this happened. I love those stories. I absolutely love them. >> Like that's no win. >> Some people don't know when but they know like that they're no wing something that at some point >> I became a follower of Christ. At some point, I gave my life to Christ. At some, and they're all going to have different theological language that they use, but at some point, >> I stopped depending on myself for the propitiation of my sin debt and then started to depend on what Christ did on the cross at Golgtha in the empty tomb. And so, for a lot of people, they try to they kind of get obsessed, especially if they came to faith as a youngster. >> They they don't necessarily know when. >> Mhm. >> And they spend way too much brain space trying to come up with something so that they could have it on a date. and a time and all those different things because I know when but I don't know what the exact day was. I know I know where. But God was calling me before then. Who's who's to say that you know in his sovereignty I wasn't already at a faithful point at that moment but didn't even realize it myself. >> So I've got something embarrassing. Well, not really embarrassing. I'm proud of it actually. But um I think I've been baptized three times. Um, you get that fourth one, you'll fill up your card and you get a free baptism. So, like, but just to explain them, you know, like obviously whenever I was a little kid, I remember whenever the truth of the gospel hit me, I was I was watching a a play at our church and they were crucifying Jesus and I was so against it, you know, I I remember I think they had to pull like I think I left the service and was really upset or whatever. And that's whenever I first became a believer. Um, I got baptized shortly after that. Then, um, when my mom, so my my dad had left, my mom remarried, and my my stepdad was a pastor, and we had a really close relationship. He was just, you know, dad to me. And um and so anyways, at like 13 or 14, my relationship with the Lord had really like matured to a point. And that I found myself wanting to like make that declaration as me as like, man, I'm mature now. Like I want this like this is me. I don't even remember first baptism, stuff like that. And so and I think it was a lot emotional with with my dad being able to baptize you. So I asked him, they said, "Okay, I don't know what your thoughts on that are, but he he baptized me again." And so I went through that and then man this is the weird one but probably I don't know several several years ago um I was going through an awakening in my own faith and found myself early mornings running and praying and just having this awesome experience with the Lord for a really long time. And on one of those runs, I was just having this communion with the Lord, praying through stuff. And uh I was like, "Lord, I'm I jumped into pot. I baptized myself. I was just like I was like, Lord, this is a new experience in my faith, and I just want to I just want to like between me and you just show my covering, you know, that my death to Christ." And so anyways, but that was like really really weird. And I look back at those and I think at those different moments like I almost could have convinced myself at those times like maybe that was it. But now looking back with a little bit more perspective, I just looked through all that and I was like, man, didn't matter about how many baptisms or anything like that. That was that ended up being personal to me on what I was wanting to reflect of what was going on my spirit. But looking back at all that, I still think I was saved, that 8-year-old kid crying and and begging to try to stop them from crucifying Jesus. >> Yeah. >> My understanding wasn't there, but the Lord brought me into more understanding throughout my life. So, and I mean Russ, I appreciate you you sharing that. And >> if baptism saved you, then we would need to really start to investigate, you know, probably which at what point did we know when because you know, baptism is the the first thing that you were told to do. And if you're a Christian, if you are a follower of Christ and you've not been bapt baptized, you were living in disobedience because that's something that you were called to do as a public declaration of your faith. >> But but for you, you know that the water didn't necessarily matter. Who dunked you didn't necessarily matter. You dunking yourself is pretty hilarious. That's a good one. Uh, did you take yourself through the whole thing and did you like fully submerge and kind of like do >> you hold the nose? >> Y'all don't even want to know. >> I like went but there wasn't even a hole in my nose. I got in there and I was praying and then I just dirty Oklahoma here. You know how many times I broke down praying in the shower? I mean, was I baptizing just >> it was muddy? I had to take my take my shoes off and run around for a lot more and pretty much got undressed before I walked into the house. But it was a great experience. I don't think it's bad to get baptized multiple times. Like you're it's a public declaration. Like if I won't get baptized again. I I kind of thought about it because I did when I got baptized, I did like walk back into the flesh. I call it, you know, the cheap grace or sloppy agape is what my uh >> sloppy agape is what my aunt told me. She's like, "Oh, you were living sloppy agape." Wow. You know, like with your life. >> Interesting term. >> Sapp agape. >> Yeah. And so, uh, but if I ever go to Israel and I'm in the and I'm in the Jordan, I've been baptized four times. Sorry. >> I went I went to Israel and I got baptized in the Jordan River in the Was it Terry? >> Terry. Yeah. Okay. That's awesome. Yeah. If I ever make it back to If I ever make it to Israel, that was that was definitely the real one. >> I kind of preface that with I think I've been baptized three times. I remember I gave you your fourth and you sure you not a fifth one that one wasn't memorable for you in the Jordan. You're like a forgot about that one. >> That could probably preach in of itself that like I'm not saying baptism should be public and and like it should be a profession of your faith. But what happened there that day um by myself that is the most reme you know memorable time that I have of of um just uh between me and the Lord. I just wanted I I wanted him to know that I was willing to jump into a bond. You know if he would have told me to walk on the water I would have jumped out of the boat and walked on the water at that point. I felt the I felt the spirit say hey for us for our relationship go do this. This will gonna be an awesome thing. >> Well I Hold on. I just like to point out nobody's ever been baptized in the LeBron. So go >> in the Jordan. Uh so it took almost a second. Took a second, but I was right there with you. I knew from the very very beginning. >> I was like I was like what? >> I was lost over this morning. I was like, "Huh?" >> A lot of times y'all talk about stuff. >> We'll talk about it after >> y'all. Y'all name that I don't know all the time. Y'all y'all are so much more invested into like just go ahead and >> some of these pastors y'all talk about I'm like I have no magical. But I will go back something that you alluded to like cuz some people get real like uptight about who baptiz who's allowed to baptize and who baptizes who. And I like I remember you know when I did the uh you know beach baptism thing with church of 11:22 and Joy's like you're going to be in my line. You're going to help me baptize people. I was like I didn't go to seminary. Am I allowed to do that? Like you know it was kind of those moment >> it's going to corrupt their baptism. >> You know where where in the you know Yeah. People gave Russell Bran crap. I was like oh he's only been a Christian for 5 seconds. He can't be baptizing people. But then also like depending upon what church you go to, in order to be baptized in the church, you be have to be baptized by a pastor. And like for me, like Lord willing, I pray for this multiple times every single day. I want James and Elijah to come to a true authentic saving faith in Christ. And if I'm still on this earth, ain't nobody baptizing those boys but me. And it's not about me. It's about the connection that is made. Because if you get baptized by some third tier pastor at your church who's just the only one that they'll allow to get wet while still wearing a microphone, which obviously implies that they're okay with this person potentially getting electrocuted and dying. I'm I'm sorry. I'm just not I'm not there for that. And also, I want the boys' baptisms to be a blowout. Not a nice dunk, an appreciative golf clap and all that. Like, I want explosions. I want like people shooting tannerite. I want like the animals coming out of the woods wondering what is all the commotion about like I want it to be an absolute bananas kind of a ball. >> Were you there when I baptized Harrison afterwards they put a policy in place because I didn't realize I did it. >> Did you undertake her choke? >> Oh yeah freaking go way to do it. >> They basically came to me after they were like hey any other baptisms like you got all the stage equipment wet and all this stuff. I was like hey I I don't know what to tell you but Do it in a pond. Do it in the pool. Everyone knows they're going to be wet. And you're you're not invited >> unless you're agreeing to go absolutely ape nuts like whenever whenever that boy gets dunked, whenever he professes a problem for me. And even look at this like cuz I've you know I've seen uh some of my friends kids uh get baptized but you know doing something like beach baptism and experiencing some of the things that I experienced and I've already talked about whenever we you know baptize like six or seven women in a row that that year had been saved out of sex trafficking and just how it felt like there was electricity in the water. Yeah, but watching Joby with a dad that's in tears and you know says, "Who is Jesus Christ to you?" And he says, "My Lord and Savior." And then do you renounce any attachment or agreements you've made with any dark forces on on this planet? Yes. I baptize you now, my brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Dunk out. We're all going nuts. We're going crazy. We're we're losing our footing in the surf. And then his wife comes up. >> Oh, those are the best. to get baptized >> and you're not ready for it, right? Because you haven't done this before, right? >> And then Joby says, "Buddy, you're taking my spot, right? And so now Joby's saying the words, but here you are the husband, and you now have hands on your bride. And then you baptize your bride." And then you turn around and the kids come >> and you're not ready for it cuz you don't do this for a living. >> And then you see mom and dad. So now mom takes my spot. Now it's mom and dad. Job's doing the talking and now they're baptizing their kids one by one. Not for the show, not because there's cameras rolling, nothing. But at some point, they all came to the same saving faith. We know that our God loves saying saving entire households. >> Absolutely. >> And so that's the other thing is, do you think those boys and girls, those sons and daughters are going to ever forget the day that daddy got baptized and then baptized mommy and then mommy and daddy both baptized me? I I I mean, again, you don't have to make sure your baptism is this big viral moment and all that. Like, keep it private. I don't care. But it should be such an important and memorable thing. And as a parent, as someone who's trying to guide your children, make it as memorable as you can possibly make it. But just get in line. We'll have the guy read the name off the list because he doesn't know who you are and then dunk you in the water. You can save all that. I'm not going to be a part of it. >> I And I hear you. I think it's awesome. I mean, for our baptism story, like I really wanted my kids baptized in the church in the church because that's our church family. Like, I'm like, I really want to do it. Would I love to have done it? Absolutely. I didn't even think about asking, but I was happy when Will got baptized by Jay cuz I love Jay, you know? I was right behind you when that happened. Yeah, you saw me tearing up. >> Yeah, that's right. >> And so, uh, it's just it's a beautiful moment when you see your your kids get baptized and are surrounded by their church family. And we get a little louder a little bit at Faith if depending on what which area you're at now. They they've moved it to a different area where everything's on screen. So you can get really loud uh when my daughter got baptized. But it's just it's beautiful to see him around their church family and seeing around the church and the people that they grow up with. But like I don't know, you make me feel like I missed out a little bit on like just like my intention. >> That wasn't your your point. To be clear, you did it wrong. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't get to baptize my daughter. >> It's beautiful when you get to hear that. They only been baptized once each. They got at least three more tribes. >> When we go to the Jordan, I'm taking my kids to Israel and we're not going to land. >> We're going to the Jordan and you're going to >> I'm going I'm going to I am going to baptize all my children and my wife. >> It's cold. It's cold. >> That's what I remember about the Jordan. >> Well, that's a that's a great great place to leave it. A great discussion this week, guys. We're going to come back next week and we're going to get into verse 5 of Romans 11. So guys, make sure you're ready to go all the way through into verse 5 of Romans 11. But before we let you go, we are going to do a quick resilience boost at Undaunted Life. Our mission is equipping men to push back darkness with content that forges spiritual, mental, and physical resilience. We've got a bunch of great resources for you. The Logos Bible Software, the most incredible Bible software you will ever have in your entire life. You spend money on all kinds of dumb crap. 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Be sure to stream their music on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever else you get your music. I'm your host, Kyle Thompson. Remember, keep pushing back darkness. Keep forging spiritual, mental, and physical resilience. Keep seeking the Lion of Judah.