"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works; and that

my soul knoweth right well."

(Psalm 139:14)

Barnes' Notes explains the translation of 'fearfully and wonderfully' in this way: "I am distinguished by fearful things, that is, by things in my creation which are suited to inspire awe."  Adam and Eve were created by God and He was pleased with His creation.  It was His desire that they live in the Garden of Eden in holy bliss all the days of their lives, but they sinned, and were cast out to work by the sweat of the brow and reproduce with pain.  But, even after being cast out of the Garden, they were still greatly loved, and the very heart of God; they were and would always be: "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," and so are YOU.

"So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown."

(The Old Rugged Cross, George Bennard, 1913)

The hope for the descendants of Adam and Eve; that would be You and me, is that SIN didn't win.  The Lord Jesus Christ took care of the domino sin effect by His death on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection.  His blood shed for the "fearfully and wonderfully made" has granted us a fearfully and wonderfully beautiful eraser of sin forever; Jesus Christ paid it all on the cross.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we cherish and cling to the cross, the rugged wooden sign of a "plus," which our Lord Jesus Christ used to give us the victory over death, hell, and the grave.

"The texture of the human body is the most complicated and curious that can be conceived. It is, indeed, wonderfully made; and it is withal so exquisitely nice and delicate, that the slightest accident may impair or destroy in a moment some of those parts essentially necessary to the continuance of life; therefore, we are fearfully made. And God has done so to show us our frailty, that we should walk with death, keeping life in view; and feel the necessity of depending on the all-wise and continual superintending care and providence of God." 

(Clarke's Commentary) 

Ah, "we should walk with death, keeping life in view;" beautiful, isn't it?  We have much for which to glorify God!  We are His creation, intricate in our design, holy in His image, beautiful in our uniqueness, precious in fleshly touch, and it is astounding that we are but dust  ...  Thank You, Lord Jesus. 

  

His Glory is His Diety, His omnipotence, and His position as God of all creation.  We were created to worship Him, serve Him, love Him, as He loves us.  The Book of Isaiah 48:11, "My glory I will not give to another."  God gives us temporal blessings, spiritual blessings, His grace, His love and heaven, but the Glory of who He is, His throne, He will not give to another.  He IS the Creator and every knee shall bow; every tongue will confess   ...  mark it down, it will happen  ...  that Jesus Christ is Lord!

You are the only one of YOU in the world even if you are a twin; there are certain creative origins that are only YOU, which no one else has.  God made You who you are for Him; you are an artwork of His majesty, a form of His splendor, a vessel of His unique and  special magnificence.  For this reason, none of us should ever put ourselves down; we are a bloom of ecstasy in God's garden of souls and He loves you and me with an everlasting love.

 

We are loved even when we're not pleasing to Him.  He is patient and longsuffering, full of compassion, and He understands our moods, our hurts, and even when we are angry at Him.  But, He forgives our transgressions, washes away our sins, and gathers us in His arms once again.  We've all been there  ...  places and times in life when we did not understand "why."  Some things will be explained when we get to the other side.  We march on, soldiers, and we trust and lean not to our own finite feeble understanding; we will understand it all by and by.

Jesus Christ loves you utterly and completely; you are always on His mind; your cares are His cares; His whisper is for peace in your life, His desire is that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.  You say, "Well, why doesn't He help me, and get me out of this mess I'm in?"  His answers are: Yes, No, and Wait.  The longer you serve Him, the more you will comprehend those answers.  

I can look back over 35 years of serving the Lord Jesus, and I understand many things.  I asked why I had to go through that, and He said, "I wanted to see if you could prefer your brother."  As my powerful Pastor of wisdom has taught us; we must determine in every trial whether it is "of God, of the devil, or of man."  In other words, if we spend too much, we will have debt, and that's our fault, or man's fault.  Some things are attacks of the enemy; some things are trials of God, and some things are just "life."  We live in a fallen world, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  He doesn't always remove the storm, but He will carry us through it.  Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus  ... 

Look in your mirror today and smile; the reflection you see is beautiful, and that person has cause to praise and worship the One responsible for life, peace, love, joy, strength, beauty, and hope, because, beyond all the troubles; aside from all of life's dilemmas; we can see that above all, we are "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"Holiness Lives; Evil Burns"

"Holiness Lives; Evil Burns"

"And many of those who practiced magic brought

their books together and began burning them in the sight of

everyone; and they counted up the  price of them and

found it fifty thousand pieces of silver."

(Acts 19:19)

Oh, Paul, everywhere you go, there's a ruckus, and this was no exception.  We have to start at the beginning to see what Paul was up to, what led to the fire, and why they were all so involved in this book buirning.  We will see that it is, indeed, a fact, "Holiness Lives; Evil Burns."

Paul had arrived at Ephesus and found certain disciples; he asked them, "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?"  And they said unto him, "We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost?"  Then, Paul asked them how they were baptized, and they replied, "unto John's baptism."  Paul explained to them that John baptized unto repentance, but that they should believe on Him who came after him, which was Christ Jesus.  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.   

Paul laying hands on Ephesians

(Acts Chapter 19)

 After this, Paul laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost, spoke with tongues, and prophesied.  It's ok to be rebaptized; these people were, and it's especially important if one was baptized incorrectly in the first place.  If you have not been immersed in baptismal waters with the words of "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins" being said over you; consider being rebaptized.

Paul continued to preach for two years until all of Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Greeks and Jews.  And, God gave miracles through the hands of Paul, and he prayed over handkerchiefs and aprons and when they were placed on the sick, the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.  

"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call

over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying,

We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.  And there were seven

 sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and

 Paul I know; but who are ye?"  And the man in whom the evil spirit

was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so

that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

(Acts 19:13-16)

Ah, even evil spirits know Jesus Christ, and His anointed ones; don't be trying to cast out devils if You don't know the One who created all things!  When word of this got around, fear fell on all of them, the Jews and Greeks alike, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.  People confessed their sins, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and were baptized in His name.  Now, we arrive at the book burning.  

"And many of those who practiced magic brought

their books together and began burning them..."

(Acts 19:19)

The people were convicted in their hearts for practicing magic and sorcery, so they brought the books dealing with those things and burned them.  Almighty God was against magic, sorcery and all forms of witchcraft in the Old Testament, and He is still against it. 

"Let no one be found among you…who practices divination or sorcery,

  interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is

 a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does

these things is detestable to the LORD…"

(Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the

tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the
dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers,

the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

(Revelation 22:14-15)

Those who practice magic, who deal with horoscopes, and who are involved in sorcery and witchcraft of every kind will not enter the kingdom of God.  The good news is that we can repent of this evil today; Psalm 97:10 says, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil."  The Lord Jesus Christ loves the sinner, but He hates the sin.  

Lake of Fire

"Evil burns" in more ways than one; it separates humanity from a loving and Holy God; it sends the practitioner of all such things to the fire that burns forever and ever  ...  that is, if there is no repentance of this sin before it's everlasting too late.  The devil has three purposes with humans: To kill, to steal, and to destroy.  If you are into witchcraft, it steals your peace of mind; it destroys your sanity and your soul, and finally, it kills your will: body, soul and spirit, and leaves you a tormented raving person, who is miserable and dying with no hope.  

Don't you want that peace that passes all understanding, that holy spirit of joy unspeakable and full of glory, that holiness of mind and body that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ?  Ask the Lord to forgive you for dealing in those things, and get them out of your house, out of your life, and out of your spirit.  Ask the Lord to deliver you from all evil, and to fill you with His Spirit.  You will speak in the language of God, in tongues, as His Spirit gives you the utterance.  Then, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  You will be born again!  Hallelujah!

We all have a choice, and there's still a little time to make the right one.  The Lord Jesus Christ stands ready to take you in His arms and there you will be forever and ever; it's a safe and wonderful place to be.  He will never leave you nor forsake you; He came to give you life, and that more abundantly.  I choose life, holiness, peace, joy, and love  ...  How about you?  It's a choice that lives or a choice that dies:  "Holiness Lives; Evil Burns."

Jesus Christ holds the keys to

death, hell, and the grave!

Choose Life!

(visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"A Tree With Your Name On It!"

"A Tree With Your Name On It!"

"And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief

among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus who

he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he

ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass

 that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him,

and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down;

 for to day I must abide at thy house."

(Luke 19:2-5)

The Lord Jesus Christ

It might be a mountain of pain, a disease, a mental disorder, a financial battle, a family turmoil; everybody's got a problem for which we need a "tree," something we can scale to reach The One who holds all the answers, something for which we can use to get higher, to get closer, to get a better view of Jesus Christ  ...  whatever it is, it always constitutes the need to CLIMB!  There will be a time in all of our lives when we will become like a desperate Zacchaeus, who wanted to get to Jesus so badly that he climbed a tree.  Jesus Christ always notices those special ones that cannot be stopped, the "desperate beyond normal" faith bearers, the somewhat fanatical reachers, the rabid believers in His power and love, the second and third milers, for Him.  Hey, if you're like the rest of us, who are always in need of a Savior for every situation in our lives, there's "A Tree With Your Name On It!"

It's all about reaching for Jesus Christ; taking up our cross and following Him, climbing higher as we bow lower, reaching up for His hand reaching down, pushing ourselves to go higher in Him than we have ever been before, praying longer to see further, sitting at His feet to look in His face  ...  climbing a tree of persistence to stretch our faith  ...

Our reaching, pushing, pestering, "not gonna' give up until you bless me" faith is a thrill to the Lord.  He loves that kind of faith, that 'tear the roof off,' that 'climb a tree to get to Him,' that 'even the dogs eat of the crumbs under the table,' that 'just speak the word and my daughter will be healed,' that 'thou art the Christ,' that 'if I can but touch the hem of His garment,' ...  that exceeding the normal limit of belief in God and "climbing" kind of faith.  What?  "Climb" means to ascend with continuous strenuous effort.  Climbers always get a view of Jesus  ...

What do you want?  What do you need?  What have you prayed and prayed for, with no answer?  Is there something more you can do in the realm of Faith?  You say, "But, I've done and prayed everything I know to do; nothing has changed."  Have you climbed a tree?  Huh?  Have you gone on a three-day fast, prayed all night and day for many days, dropped everything to have a Pastor lay hands on you, given away your last dime if you need money yourself, laid hands on someone else if you need healing yourself, obeyed His Word in regard to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with tongues as His Spirit gives the utterance, sat at His feet for hours on end waiting for His Word?  ...  Those are "tree climbing" things, extra mile in the name of faith things, letting Him know you are willing to 'give to get' things, obedience to His Word things  ...  moving the heart of God things  ...

What if you've done those things and more, and you have waited for years; then what? Then, you do the thing most don't think about.  You praise and thank Him extravagantly for giving you the thing you want or need!  Huh?  "But, I haven't gotten it yet," you say.  Right, but you worship as though you have; you thank Him and rejoice like a person who has received the blessing of your life, and you keep doing it until  ...  That is radical Faith!  Thanking Him with exuberance for something you do not have  ...  yet  ...

You say, "But, aren't these things just ways of trying to manipulate the Lord?"  Nope.  They're things we should all be doing whether we get what we want or not; and furthermore, those things only help us to draw closer to the lover of our souls  ...  which is what He "always" wants  ...  the "tree climbing" endeavor just might take us into deeper spiritual realms; miracles, signs, and wonders; visions and dreams  ...  and we may discover that our wants and needs change, and/or the answer is on its way!  ...  It's at that point that things happen  ...  Why?  We have crossed the barrier of heaven and earth; we have entered the heart and mind of God.  It's really all about "A Tree With Your Name On It!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"FOUR FLAMES"

"FOUR FLAMES"

"After he drove the man out, he placed on the east

side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

(Genesis 3:24)

 

Adam and Eve cast out of The Garden of Eden

"Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers

a flaming fire:"

(Psalm 104:4)

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, an angel was placed with a flaming sword, and one scripture translation says, "casting flames in every direction," North, South, East and West, to guard the way to the tree of life and keep the sinning couple, "creation," from returning to the Garden; they were banned by "Four Flames."

The number "4" represents creation and Angels; according to one commentary, Angels have the nature of, and are symbolic of, wind, lightning, storm, and tempest.  Wind speaks of their force and power; lightning speaks of the "flash," or their speed and agility; storm speaks of their diversity of manifestation; and tempest speaks of their ability in strength. 

Cherubim always have to do with creation and there are always four.

"4"

 "The body is sown "in corruption, raised in incorruption"

 " The body is sown "in dishonour, raised in glory"

 "The body is sown "in weakness, raised in power"

  "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."

"4"

"The Seventy" went forth with a four-fold prohibition (Luke 10:4)

carry no purse

 no scrip

 no shoes

salute no man by the way

"4"

God's four-fold witness in the earth:

Signs, Wonders, Miracles and the

Gifts of the Holy Ghost

"4"

The four-fold division of Mankind:

 Lands, Tongues, Families, Nations

"4"

The trials of suffering are covered by the flame:

                                                   Troubled, but not distressed                                                     

Perplexed, but not in despair

Persecuted, but not forsaken

 Cast down, but not destroyed 

"The prophecy of Zechariah which has special reference to the earth: In chapter 4

 we have the four chariots with horses of four colors, signifying the spirits of

 the heavens acting for God in the midst of the four Gentile powers."

The angel told Zechariah that the four chariots and their horses represented the four spirits or winds of heaven as the same word is translated both as spirit and wind.

"And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits [Winds] of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth."

( Zech. 6:4-5)

Flame the NAME of Jesus Christ

O, Church, and generation who will see the coming of the Lord:  we must go forth as "flames" into every Land, Family, Tongue and Nation to "flame" the Name of Jesus Christ.  What are the four flames which must go forth into the North, South. East and West?

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Name of Jesus Christ

The Word of Jesus Christ

The Blood of Jesus Christ

How must we go?  We go hand in hand with the Angels:

Like the Wind: Force and Power in the Holy Ghost

Like Lightning: A "flash," with speed for time is short

Like a Storm: With diversity of Gifts of the Spirit

Like a Tempest: With Strength and ability in the Word

All four corners of the earth: North, South, East and West will feel the flames and the feathers, the angels and the ministering saints, as we go forth to reap, and gather in the sheaves.  It is a mandate of direction, and it is a replica and the completion of the circle  ...  The means used to ban man from the Garden of  Eden are being used to bring him back to the Garden   ...  "Four Flames."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"The Man in the Middle"

THE MAN in the  MIDDLE

Jesus Christ: He was God; He was flesh; and He was the

Holy One, crucified for all mankind

He was nailed to a splintered cross between two thieves; one

saw the light, and He was no more blind

The road to the cross was paved with His passion to make

all men holy, and revere the sacred temple

But, Jesus was met with opposition; it was a battle for their

souls, an endeavor not so simple

His prayers preceded His mission, a plan that would

rip His flesh, and spill His precious blood

For He came to die; this sinless God would bear the

world's sins; and His tears fell like a flood

He was beaten and torn; He bled to complete the

sacrifice, and to redeem all people

It was the crucifixion to be finished for His lost

creation; and there will be no sequel

Willingly He gave His all for the dust He formed into

life, and had gone so far astray

Sin took its toll, and now, it was the final solution, so with

His body and His blood He paid

When death came and He said, "It is Finished;" He was

laid in a borrowed tomb, for a full three days

But, as He said, the morning came; His garment was folded,

and behold, the stone was rolled away

The tomb was empty; Jesus Christ was risen, and it was

the dawning of power and glory

Our Savior is ALIVE; and today we worship Him in honor,

and proclaim this is more than a story

The Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, Hell, and the

grave, a fete not at all little

But, what do we expect from Almighty God, Jesus Christ,

our Lord, "The Man in the Middle."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"The Lamb"

"The Lamb"

"And they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb,

and by the word of their testimony; and they

loved not their lives unto the death."

(Revelation 12:11)

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Holy One of Israel, the Great omnipotent "I AM," the One Holy God eternal  ...  "The Lamb."

It was the plan that started at Passover way back when the children of Israel needed freedom from bondage, deliverance from Egyptian rule, and they needed to worship their God.  Enter: The Passover lamb, a spotless lamb to be slain and its blood applied to the left, to the right, and above the doorposts  ...  the sign of the cross  ...  to keep the death angel from all Israelites, when he was sent out to kill the firstborn of all living, but when the angel saw the blood, he passed over  ...  and the Israelites were spared. 

It was the type, shadow and script of "The Lamb" that rode into town on a borrowed colt, and one week later was nailed to a cross and died  ...  The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world  ... 

It's all about the The Lamb and it's all about the Blood.  Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."  (Hebrews 9:22)  The blood of the slain lamb protected and delivered the Israelites for one night, but the Blood of the slain Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, protects and delivers ALL mankind forever!  Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Why did He do it?  Why did Jesus Christ willingly give His beaten flesh, His sinless blood, and His life on the cross?  The old testament's killing of animals and the blood on the altar only covered the people's sins for a time, and every time they sinned they had to bring an animal, a turtle dove, a bullock to be sacrificed to cover their sins once again.  When the Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died on the cross and shed His blood; it was for the sins of the whole world for all of eternity. 

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood:
and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls:
for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."

(Leviticus 17:11)

The Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, made the atonement, with His shed blood, once and for all  ...  "It Is Finished."  But, He didn't just die; He conquered death, Hell, and the grave; He rose again; He IS ALIVE!  

Jesus Christ, the risen LORD!

That's why we worship Him; that's why we lift Him up; that's why we kneel at His feet; that's why we shout praises to His name; that's why we dance before Him; that's why  ...  that's why!

The triumphant end is yet to come!  The Lord Jesus Christ will catch away His Bride in the air before that great and terrible tribulation period, when the earth will be judged.  Then, The Lamb will return, as a Lion of the tribe of Judah, riding on a white horse, with His saints following.

The Lord Jesus Christ IS God in the flesh, Savior of the world, our soon coming King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and He IS "The Lamb."

   

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)