Relaxed Christianity > Episode Five > L7D Continued > It’s almost 10 p.m. as I begin this article. I usually never write at night. I’m a morning person. But something is driving me tonight. I mentioned in last article how there was another powerful scripture that I was saving for this article. A few days ago, Duck Dynasty Commander, Phil Robertson passed away. And I just realized he is the perfect example and a powerful testimony of exactly the scripture I was planning on using!

Phil Robertson was my favorite of the Duck Dynasty show. I was not an avid watcher but very much enjoyed when I did watch, and I loved the relaxed way Phil shared his life and God’s Word. It was relaxed, but also powerful. I didn’t even know he was sick. We were having a family time in Georgia when we heard the news. I just happened to be wearing my “Quack Pack” shirt the day he passed. I was shocked to hear he was gone, and I was wearing the shirt!

I only have two Duck Dynasty clothing. That being the T-shirt and a sweatshirt hoodie. I was wearing the t-shirt as seen with the photo to this article. News of his passing was like a punch to the gut. It was so unexpected. My kids even mentioned I can’t believe you were wearing that shirt, and a young lady at I-HOP had even complimented me on the shirt earlier that day. I never met the man, but I knew someone special had just passed and I would miss him. Now… I think of him as I share more of this teaching of L7D > Living in the 7th Day. He’s a perfect example of what I’m teaching.

They made a movie about his early life and salvation. It’s called: “The Blind”. It has a double reference. It represents the duck blinds he hunted from, but it also speaks of the blindness he had towards the Gospel and how his eyes were opened.

One of the highlights of the show is when Phil is baptized. He had a very strong understanding of what baptism represents, the death and burial of the old man, the man he use to be. He knew the unsaved Phil Robertson was left under that water. That old mean and unsaved Phil never came up from that water! The new, born-again in Christ Phil came up out of that water.

In the movie his old gang of friends came around asking him to go back out with them to do their usual stuff. He told them flat out… the Phil you knew is no longer alive. I’m not the Phil you came looking for. I won’t be running with you boys anymore. That Phil died and is buried. Wow.

He sure knew how to tell them. I love how he would cut to the chase on things and just say it like it is. But can that be real? Is it really like that? How could his old habits and his old ways just be crucified like that? How could he really leave the old Phil under that water so suddenly? And have such a dramatic transformation?

But yes…if you really believe…it can be just like that. It should be like that. We’re not saying you suddenly become super-saint, but when your as bad as Phil was, the change should be very dramatic, like night and day. That’s the real thing!

I had a High School friend, who after his parents divorced and their mother left him with his dad, he began to cuss all the time. I mean like every other word. We were farm boys anyway, and it seemed like a lot of farm boys talked that way. I was already saved and did not. He would go with me to church occasionally. We had become good friends before the divorce. He was getting worse and worse. I’m not sure how much longer our friendship would have survived had he not surprisingly went forward and accepted Christ one Sunday night.

I was shocked! I was also worried it wasn’t real! But you know what? I’ll never forget this. His cursing stopped that very night! I know you may not believe me. And I’m not saying he may not have slipped a time or two when I wasn’t around. But he totally changed and ended becoming a Baptist minister. It was one of the quickest and strongest changes I’ve ever seen. True story.

So what is the scripture I’ve been leading up to? Remember last article was all about “ceasing from our own works” and entering God’s supernatural REST. We cease from our works and begin living God’s works. We begin living in His Spirit, not ours! L7D. Living in the 7th Day, His Sabbath. But how is it possible to always live in God’s Works? Can I make everything in my life be about God and His will? Yes, we can! And Phil was a perfect example of this! Here is the scripture I’m thinking of. >

Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2: 20)

Is it possible for everything I do to be related to my walk with Christ? You better believe it! Paul actually said it is no longer I who live! Remember what Jesus said to His parents? He was still a young lad, but He asked them, did you not know I must be about my Father’s business? (His Father’s will.) (Luke 2:49) We cease from our own works and enter into God’s work, where God does the heavy lifting! God turns our water into His powerful wine!

God’s Word says that He created everything in six days, and then He said it was done and entered into the 7th Day which He declared to be a Sabbath, a REST. Now think about it. Adam was the last thing He created! So in essence, you have God creating Adam and then inviting Adam into His 7th Day, His REST, with Him! God’s will for Adam was that he enter the 7th Day with Him! The work had already been done! Enter my REST with Me, Adam. Wow!

So Adam enjoyed the Garden of Eden that God had prepared for him. We do not know how long Adam and Eve lived in that perfect REST before they messed up, do we? Does the Bible say? Could it have been thousands of years? Who’s to say? But the moment sin entered in, what does it say? Now Adam would earn his food by the sweat of his brow. Life just became very hard. A lot of work! A curse has entered. Struggle to survive by the sweat of your brow. No more REST.

God created the first REST. Adam lost it. Is it any wonder that only God could create a second REST? And He did it as the second Adam, Christ Jesus, Son of God, our Messiah. Sin destroyed the first REST. The sinless One created a second REST! Forgiveness of sin through Christ opens the door to the second REST. The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.

The Apostle Paul said I have been crucified with Christ. The old Paul, known as Saul, was dead and gone! It is not I, but Christ lives in me! And the life I now live, I live by the power of God in me! And this was also Phil Robertson! And it can be you and I! There is a REST reserved for the people of God! We can live supernaturally in God’s 7th day! But there is a death! A surrender!

You see, when we “surrender”, the fight is over. You enter a REST. Before you surrendered you were expected to struggle, strain, resist, fight! But now you surrendered. The fight is over. Now we live for Christ and in our living we learn God’s ways are higher than ours. We surrender to those ways and we learn what it means that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. God’s supernatural ways.

One interview I listened to shared that one of the last things Phil said to his granddaughter, Sadie, was: “Full strength ahead.” That sounds just like him. The ripple effect of Phil Robertson, his wife, Miss Kay, and that whole family is yet to be seen, because one man sold out to God completely, in very simple ways, and spoke truth. He put his complete faith in God. That is exactly what the father of our faith, Abraham, did. If God rewarded Abraham, He’s rewarding Phil. And God will reward us just the same, if we do what Abraham did.

Entering God’s REST is a supernatural death. It is the death of our old self, so our new self can be birthed. We become the supernaturally born-again. The old me no longer lives. The new me lives in Christ. Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain. He loves to give His beloved REST.

Again, I cannot help but point out that “beloved” is usually a reference to wife or husband, not usually a child. When we look at our salvation as a marriage to Christ, we get a clearer picture. When we realize that salvation is Jesus asking us, “Will you marry Me?” We get a better understanding. That’s why we have to say “Yes”. It’s a marriage based on love. A “YES” is required from the Bride. Followed by, “I do.” And they live happily ever after. L7D. REST in that.

To be continued? Possibly. We shall see.