Phil Robertson: Jesus is Still the Only Way
QUALIFICATIONS OF JESUS
“There are lots of people who claim to have the answers for a better life. Politicians claim they can fix our nation. Scientists and technologists trumpet the latest and greatest discoveries that’ll make everything right. Self-help gurus offer one pathway to peace after another. But it’s no secret that our world is increasingly divided and broken – and we’ve got the fear, anxiety, and hopelessness to prove it. Jesus alone can make good on the promise of lasting peace, real freedom, and life eternal,” shares Phil. He encourages you to examine the claims scriptures make about Jesus’ character and then decide if He really is your greatest hope on earth and in eternity. Some of the qualifications he offers insight on include:
• Jesus, the Greatest Teacher – Phil went to Louisiana Tech on a football scholarship to get a degree in education. His storytelling skills that he developed as a child helped to make him a natural in the classroom. During that time in his life, he admits he was not the healthiest role model or the best teacher because of his lifestyle. When he finally accepted Jesus as his Savior, he began to model his life after the greatest Teacher of all time. He noticed that Jesus pointed the crowds to Himself, not a bunch of rules and regulations that made God’s kingdom seem inaccessible. Although obeying God’s rules is important, Phil says, “We don’t obey in order to obtain God’s love, but we obey because we have God’s love.” Jesus taught people to seek fulfillment in Him. Once on a visit to the 700 Club Phil had quoted several scriptures. Pat stopped and jokingly said, “Phil you know more scripture than I do.” They both laughed.
• Jesus, the Servant – One of the reasons Phil admits he rejected Jesus for so long was because he wanted to be king of his life. At twenty-eight he described himself as “a self-absorbed, hedonistic, evil man who lived for one purpose: to please himself.” Satan desires for you to be independent of God and makes you believe you can do life on your own. The guilt and shame from your sins controls you. When Christ died for our sins, we became free. “God isn’t telling us to become instantly perfect before we can live with him; instead, he tells us to enter into His apprenticeship program and be mentored by the greatest servant to ever live.” We are the most like Jesus Phil shares when we are serving others. He encourages you to: (1) walk with Jesus, (2) become like Jesus, by the power of the indwelling God, and (3) finally, do what Jesus did when he was here on this planet.
• Jesus, the Creator of the Universe – The beauty of creation from the cosmos to the miracle of birth leave an undeniable trail of evidence that God exists. When you begin to realize how big God is and how small you are it is easier to surrender control of your life to Him. Phil has been an observer of God’s creation for over seven decades. As a young boy he was captivated by the annual migration of waterfowl. Later in his twenties, he designed a duck call, which is produced by his company the Duck Commander, that has supported his family for almost fifty years.
• Jesus, the Restorer of the Defeated – Jesus’ philosophy is countercultural. His way of dealing with those who mistreat Him is not to repay with vengeance, instead He dispenses mercy. Satan would have you believe that mistakes define you and cannot be forgiven. The truth is God cares for you and has extended forgiveness to you. Al says this qualification of Jesus resonates closely with him. He was the prodigal son for four years. During that time, Al lost his relationship with his family which was later restored. God also healed his marriage with Lisa and together they travel and speak on restoration as well as the pro-life movement.
PHIL’S TESTIMONY
After graduating from Louisiana Tech University Phil became a high school teacher. Due to his lifestyle, he lost his job and opened a bar, but lost it as well. At this point in his life, Phil was living for his own worldy desires. Late one night, Phil told his wife, Miss Kay, to take the kids and leave. She piled the kids in the car and drove away. Phil decided to make the most out of his newfound freedom, but it didn’t take long for the truth to set in.” At the time, Phil didn’t have a relationship with God. “I didn’t know my guilt was a result of violating the very real law of a very real and living God,” he says. “Had I known the Word of God, maybe I would have understood that by choosing to violate God’s law, I had chosen judgment under the law.”
Miss Kay prayed for Phil. A month later, when it became too much to bear, he drove his truck to her store parking lot and cried. Phil agreed to meet with Bill, the preacher from his sister’s church. That night, Bill explained the good news of the Gospel. The next night, Phil met Bill again. That night, Phil gave his life to the Lord and was baptized. “Down into the water I went and when I came up from that cleansing flood, I knew I was a changed man,” says Phil. At that moment, he decided to share the good news of Jesus with anyone God put in his path.
Phil’s sister Jan always said that if Jesus got a hold of Phil, then he would lead thousands to the Lord. She was right. *Jan died about five years ago. “After he gave his heart to Jesus, he built a reputation across the country for his faith and belief in God. He travels and speak to hundreds of churches and organizations each year sharing his testimony. Duck Commander is still a family business which now produces duck calls from the warehouse located in West Monroe, which is featured on A&E’s hit TV series, Duck Dynasty. Four times a week, Phil, Jase, and Al publish a podcast named, Unashamed with the Robertsons.
Last year, Phil fractured a vertebra in his back when he and a friend tried to manhandle their boat into the water. They pressed their backs against the bow then he heard a crack. After the doctors cemented the broken bone back together a week later, he had another vertebrae pop, so he had to undergo a second surgery. Although he spent 2-3 months recovering, he is now doing great. Phil will be turning seventy-eight shortly after his visit to the 700 Club.
AL’S INFO.
Al Robertson has served in full time and volunteer ministry for the WFR Church in West Monroe, LA for over 35 years. Al pastored there for over 22 years before leaving to return to the family business, Duck Commander, in 2013 and to begin appearing on the Robertson’s TV show, Duck Dynasty. He is the oldest son in the Robertson clan. Al and his wife, Lisa, have been married for over 38 years and have two married daughters and six grandchildren. They live in West Monroe, LA & Gulf Shores, AL and have co-authored three books: A New Season, about their life and marriage; The Duck Commander Devotional for Couples; and their latest book, Desperate Forgiveness. They travel together all over America sharing the Gospel of Christ along with their story of brokenness, restoration and healing in their marriage and speak on behalf of the unborn and the pro-life movement. Al has been a part of many projects with the Robertson family, including shepherding the processes for his father Phil’s books The Theft of America’s Soul, Uncanceled, Jesus Politics, and his newest I Could Be Wrong, But I Doubt It. Al currently serves as host of the BlazeTV Podcast, Unashamed with the Robertson Family.
Purchase your copy of Phil Robertson's latest book, I Could Be Wrong, But I Doubt It, here: www.OfficialPhilRobertson.com. For all things duck related, please visit: www.DuckCommander.com.
