THE PALMS OF MY HANDS
#258.0402
scottSTANLEY
(All bracketed [ ] words inserted into the following scriptures are the
author’s paraphrase)
OPENING REMARKS
In this short study I want to share with you concepts that are very, very dear
to my heart and some are relatively new – new things that are changing me
inwardly. I can honestly tell you that with the last study I made “For Signs
of Seasons,” you are looking at a different person than the one who made that
study, who shared those truths with you. The Lord has given me an experience,
a testimony that must be shared, because what has happened. After making the
study “For Signs of Seasons,” the Lord has given me information that causes
that entire study to gel, to really come together. In fact, after listening to
this, it would be interesting to go back and listen to that last study again –
and just watch all of these things come together in a new way for you. I have
to tell you that this is a very special day for me. And I think, when we get
through this study, you’ll understand why – because
these concepts are so, so very important and they are so significant in
showing us how close we are to the end, where the Lord is going to have a
church reach completed perfection before He returns. And the concepts in this
study will be a major factor in helping you reach a completed perfection.
This really is another step for the remnant church. You know, seven years
ago, in April of ‘95, I realized that the abiding truth the Lord was giving me
was to be another step for the church; it was the next step – and I am just as
sure of this. The concepts in this study will help get you to that plateau.
It is another plateau of a completed perfection, of reaching that
completed perfection.
TESTIMONY
Several days ago, I was on my way to Cleveland, and I wanted to listen to the
radio, but I couldn’t find anything to listen to. I was just getting these
oldie stations, playing old rock ‘n roll songs. One station got my attention
because they said it was “Beatle weekend,” and they were going to be playing
two Beatle songs in a row. For those of you who know me, I’m a
Beatle freak – I was a Beatle freak. I was consumed with that music; I
ate it, drank it, slept it. It was just a part of
my life, more than a part of my life – it was my life – and I thought,
Well, this will be interesting – to hear the songs that they’re going to
play; to see which ones they play. See, I had all their music memorized –
I had listened to it so many times. Well,
when this song began playing, it hadn’t played 20 to 30 seconds before the
Lord began to help me understand what it was about this music I enjoyed.
You see, when I would listen to this music, I found acceptance in it because I
would imagine myself singing it to my classmates, parents,
girlfriend – anyone that I wanted to impress or feel understood. I
would imagine myself singing this and imagine them accepting me, applauding
me, understanding the way I felt. And even though it was an imagined
acceptance, it made me feel better about myself. It gave me the strength to
go on another day, dealing with people that I didn’t feel accepted by.
Imagined acceptance was better than nothing, and this music helped me achieve
that.
Then the Lord began to show me that’s why I have ever done anything in
my life. That is why I would dress the way I dressed, had the friends that I
had, went where I went, did what I did – it was to find acceptance.
Now that thought had no sooner come to me – in fact I can honestly tell you,
the instant that I realized that, of why I did what I did – that very instant,
something happened to me that I can honestly tell you, is the most powerful
experience I have ever had in my life. The Lord spoke to
me, and
it happened in such a way that I actually lurched forward in my seat, hanging
onto the steering wheel, as I heard my Heavenly Father speak the words, “I
already accept you. I have always accepted you.”
Now that may not sound like much to you but, for me, when those words were
spoken to me, I felt my mind race – fly into the heavens – and I felt as if I
went right into the arms of God Himself. I began to weep – I had to turn down
the radio. Eventually, I just turned it off, because this thought was so
wonderful – to realize God had just told me He accepts me! Now, let me
tell you that I knew He had always accepted me; that when He said, “I’ve
always accepted you,” in my mind, I knew that meant even from eternity past.
What the Lord has developed in my heart since this took place is really
the essence of this study. I want to share with you what this means – I want
you to understand what it means to have the Lord say, “I’ve always accepted
you,” and realize it means even from eternity past.
FEELING UNACCEPTABLE
First of all, let me say again that this feeling that Eve had of feeling
rejection – another word you could say is unacceptable to God – it
is that feeling of being unacceptable to God that was passed to her
children and to every person born on this planet. Feeling
unacceptable to God. Now, who is God? He is the universe itself and,
when you feel unacceptable to
Him – and believe me, every human being knows intuitively there is a God – and
to feel unacceptable to Him, if that began to happen to us in the womb, this
means every thought, every conclusion that we have come to, has been based on
that lie that we were unacceptable.
This means that is the basis for your “sin nature.” That means,
with God Himself not accepting us, we have a void, an emptiness that goes to
the very core of who we are – and we have lived our lives trying to
fill the void with everything earthly. Trying to fill the void with work,
religion, a husband, a wife, children, jewelry, new cars, new homes – anything
that would help us feel better about ourselves. For me, one of my major
ways of finding acceptance was music. I realize now that all of those things
are just symptoms for feeling unacceptable to God but, when the Lord Himself
tells you, “You’re not unacceptable, I accept you. I’ve always accepted you,”
then that foundation of feeling unacceptable is swept away. And the reason
you have done everything you’ve done – it brings everything down – because
there’s no foundation anymore, and now you can live your life with your wife,
with your children, with your work, with your religion, with your jewelry,
with your music – except the void is gone. And you’re being filled by God
Himself!
You see, had you asked me five minutes before this happened to me in my car,
“Does God accept you?” I would have said, “Sure, He does.” But it would have
been intellectual knowledge. You see, the other day at church, we sang
“Jesus Loves Me” and the folly of that song finally hit me: “Jesus loves me,
this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” If that’s where you
are, then it’s intellectual knowledge. What happened to me was that the Lord
Himself told me, “I accept you.” Makes all the
difference in the world, because now it’s an experience. What
is faith? Well, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God – and I
can honestly tell you, the Lord gave me the understanding Himself, that He
loves me.
HIS LOVE MANIFEST
Now, for the next several days, I would find times to just be quiet and just
relish in this thought that God accepts me. And I knew something major
had happened to me, but exactly how to explain it, I wasn’t sure. I want to
share with you – it’s like these concepts – there are so many concepts that
begin to come out of this, that you really don’t even know where to begin,
except to say, I could just say, “Hallelujah, Praise God for what He is doing
in my life!” And I pray for all of you listening to this study, to have the
same testimony, to draw nearer to your Heavenly Father. You see in 1 John
chapter 4, and how many times have we read this verse, the verses I’m going to
share with you:
1 John 4:9, 16-17
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath [has] to us. God is
love; and he that dwelleth [abides] in love
dwelleth [abides] in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect [or made
complete], that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is,
so are we in this world.
What does that mean? That God loved you and sent His only begotten Son
into the world, that you could have life. Now let me tell you
something: When Jesus Christ died at Calvary, the churches have put a spin on
it – telling you that God was angry and that the Son of God died to appease
His anger. Now if that be the case, that means the Son of God died to make
us
acceptable to God. Let me tell you the truth: The Son of God was
slain from the foundation of the world, before you were ever even
created. The Father saw the problem – that we would feel unacceptable – and
He brought forth a Son to die, to prove you were already acceptable,
not to make you acceptable,
because God did not need that sacrifice before He could love you; before He
could forgive you. You needed it to be delivered.
Now, that’s something we’ve covered repeatedly in the past. We needed
it – humanity needed the sacrifice to be delivered. Here’s how He
delivers you: You see the cross, and you understand He’s really the Son of
God. You
understand you can hear the voice of God and, with those two things combined,
the Lord can bring you to the place where He can say, “I’ve always loved
you. I’ve always accepted you, and the death of My Son is my proof to you.”
You see, when you throw the trinity into the mix, it denies the love of God –
it denies that Sonship. But when you see that
He’s really the Son of God – and that you can hear God when God speaks to you,
to tell you He accepts you – He erases your sin nature, because your
sin nature is based on feeling unacceptable to God. What He says to you,
“You’ve always been acceptable to me. My Son is proof of that. I gave My
only begotten Son to prove this to you – it’s the manifestation of My love,
that you are acceptable to Me,” sweeps away the basis for everything
you’ve done all of your life. The basis of your sin nature will be gone!
You see, the denominational churches, first of all, they don’t even believe He
is the Son of God. More than that, they don’t believe you can hear
God and, because of it, have twisted the meaning of Calvary. I want to read a
text – this is in 1 Corinthians, and this is where the apostle Paul says that.
Let’s just read it:
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved [or being saved] it is the
power of God.
You see, the denominational groups have a form of godliness, but they
deny the power of it. Here is the power of it: For God so loved
the world, He gave His only begotten Son. You were not
unacceptable to Him – His Son is proof that you always have been
acceptable to Him. He was slain from the foundation of the world. That is
how God is going to deliver us. You see, I have been looking at the Son of
God becoming a man, becoming us, becoming sin on that tree, dying, being
raised again with a perfected mind – and God giving me that mind in
order to bring me to perfection. But when I would think to bring me to
perfection, I looked at it as to guide me day by day, moment by moment
– to eventually perfect me somehow. But receiving the mind of Christ
alone does not perfect you – it does not erase your sin nature; it does not
erase the lie that you’re unacceptable to God.
First you have to realize that’s what the sin nature even is, and then
let Him speak to you, “But it’s untrue.” You see, when you realize
it’s untrue, it is swept away - and the truth has made you
free. Makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it? The preaching of the cross is
the power of God unto salvation, because it is the manifestation of His
love for humanity!
THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING
Paul writes a prayer in Ephesians chapter 1, again, something that we have
read repeatedly in these studies. Ephesians, chapter 1 – I want to read just
a few verses of this, because now it’s making so much more sense, starting at
verse 17:
Ephesians 1:17-18
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto
you the [a] spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye [you] may know
what is the hope of his calling [that you may know the hope of his
calling],...
Now, let me say to you – this is the hope of His calling, that you
would see Him for who He really is – that we received a lie from
the serpent. If you look at a serpent when it moves across the earth, it’s
crooked. That’s what “iniquity” means – crooked, wretched, wrenched,
twisted. And it’s the serpent who twisted God’s
words and caused us to feel less than acceptable to Him –
it’s iniquity; it’s the basis of our
iniquity. The hope of God’s calling is that you would see Him for
who He is, and recognize His love for you which, if
you deny the Son of God, you’ll never see His love for you. But even
if you accept that Jesus is the Son of God, faith comes by hearing
– and to have in your heart an understanding that God has always loved me,
He’s always accepted me, and this has been a lie – you’ve got to hear Him
speak, so you’ve got to believe you can hear Him.
Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration? The Father said, “This is my Son.
Hear Him.” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7) The two doctrines, that coming together,
will bring a completed perfection to the one who has ears to hear – this
is the hope of His calling. And I want to tell you that, even as I speak
to you, I know the Lord is confirming it in your heart – that these
things are so – because this is what He has wanted from eternity past, that
we would understand His love.
THE PALMS OF MY HANDS
Turn to Isaiah 49 and I’m going to read a scripture that I have not read very
often in these studies. In fact, I’m not even sure I’ve ever read it one time
but, found in:
Isaiah 49:15
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? ...
Now, in the circles I’m in, the women I know, I can’t imagine any woman I know
forgetting her child. He asks the question, Can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?
15 ... yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
You see, He equates His love – I should say, He says He loves you more
than a mother toward her infant. Like I say, in my circles, I can’t imagine
the women I know forsaking their child. The Lord says, “I love you even
more than that.” Now listen to the next verse:
16 Behold, I have graven thee [you] upon the palms of my hands; thy [your]
walls are continually before me.
Now what do these symbols mean? Well, “the hands” represent the works
and the “palm of the hand” is the heart, or you could say, the
motive for what you do. The Lord says, I’ve
graven you on the palm of my hands. In essence, you are the motive for my
works. Your walls (“walls” are salvation), your salvation is
continually before me. What is it that saves you? Understanding the love
of God, which is seen in understanding that His only begotten Son died at
Calvary to manifest His love for you – the motive for God’s works. We
have seen in past studies, the Son of God was born to bring Jacob back to the
Father. In essence, the Son of God is born to die for you. Angels,
are they not ministering spirits, sent forth to be ministers to those who are
heirs of salvation? The angels – there’s no need for angels except humanity
needs them. What about all of the things we see in creation? Well, those are
to help us see the invisible things: The mountains, the trees,
the sea, the clouds were all created so you could
understand the love of God. In essence there’s nothing in creation – there’s
nothing in this universe – that isn’t there, except that we needed it,
including the Son of God Himself.
Now, I want you to think of the respect and honor and glory your Heavenly
Father sees you in – and I’m going to prove it to you. We definitely
are the motive of His works. When He brought forth a Son, before the Son knew
it Himself, He was destined to become a human being – it was the Father’s
plan. And God never takes anything away from you that He doesn’t give you
something better. Now, how would you express that to the Son of God? I
guarantee you, if you were to walk up to the Son of God right now and ask Him,
“Do you have something better now than you did in eternity past?” He would
say, “Absolutely.” Because He has an understanding of His Father He would
have never had except He become a human being and go through the
process of life, remaining true to His Father. He learned lessons about His
Father that He would have never understood before and, remember, God looks on
the heart, not on the outward. God looks on the heart, and you better
believe, the Son of God is in a better position now than He ever was before.
Our Father gave Him something better: He is a human being experiencing
salvation. Don’t think for a minute you are not extremely special in the
eyes of God for Him to say, “You’re the motive of my works. Your salvation
is continually before Me.” He has worked with us from the very beginning
that we would see His love, and it is understanding
this love that will perfect our love – and give us boldness in the day of
judgment. How? Because He will wipe away the sin nature and everything
comes tumbling down. And again, you have your life to live, friends to be
with, food to eat, husband, wife, children, your work, your church – but all
of it now begins to happen with a new feeling of acceptance. The void
is gone out of the core of who you are, and God is filling all in all
as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 (1 Corinthians 15:28). When the kingdom
is delivered up, God will be all in all. Like I say, it’s OK to have
these things, do these things – it’s the
motive that justifies the action.
THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD
There’s another scripture that comes to my mind when we talk about these
things – this too is found in 1 Corinthians. Back to 1 Corinthians, chapter
1, reading from verse 19:
1 Corinthians 1:19
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to
nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Now do you see what He’s saying? How did He destroy the wisdom of the wise?
Well, the “wisdom of the wise” is based on a feeling of being unacceptable to
God, and that God really, He needed this human sacrifice – He’s
angry. The Lord says, “I’m going to destroy the wisdom of the wise.” In
fact, the wisdom of God shows the folly of the world; the love
of God shows the folly of the world. He asks:
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this
world? hath [has] not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
He most certainly has! But I’ve got to say, when you throw the trinity into
the mix, you become confused. When you throw the trinity into this mix,
you’re no different than anyone else on this planet in understanding wisdom
because you feel unacceptable – and, with the trinity in your thinking,
there is no Son to give. There is no love to manifest – it’s all going to
be
intellectual, something you devise from the book. God has made the
wisdom of this world foolishness. Remember when John said, “All that’s in the
world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.”
Think of those three things and realize the foundation of it is because you
feel unacceptable – and those things that you lust after, and do
help you feel better about yourself, give you things that you deceive yourself
and you think you need. The bottom line is that you feel unacceptable.
Isn’t pride a defense mechanism in that when somebody challenges you,
your pride comes up so that you don’t have to feel rejection? Where you say:
“Well, I’m not wrong. You’re wrong.”? Or this justified me in what I did.
That is what pride is. Just consider what I’m saying, and realize this: In
Revelation 17, and in Revelation 13, and in Revelation 12, the Lord talks
about a beast with seven heads and ten horns. Now He says, in
Revelation 17, a woman is riding on this beast and this woman is a harlot
- but we know a woman is a “city” is a “mindset.”; it’s a way of
thinking. This harlot, now consider, gives her
love – a harlot gives her love to everyone around her. You see, that’s
what we’ve been doing.
When you think you have to go buy something to feel better about yourself, or
you’ve got to have a new car to feel better about yourself, or leather pants,
or jewelry, or breast implants, or hair implants – whatever it is, you’re
finding love, you’re finding acceptance in everything other than God.
The Lord says that’s a harlot. And remember, this woman is riding the
beast. What’s the beast? Well, a mouth like a lion – a heart;
feet like a bear – an unchanging heart, an unchanging attitude; and is
like a leopard with spots – that can’t overcome their sin. So, that
beast is sustaining the woman. The woman feels unacceptable to God and
her pride sustains that, because when you walk up to the harlot, and you say,
“Jesus really is the
Son of God,” and you start laying the foundation that will slay the old man,
her pride rises up and she defends her church, or her parents, or whoever it
is. The woman is sustained by the beast.
It’s time to lay that down – it’s time for you to
allow the Lord to speak to your heart and let this sin nature crumble. Let
Him fill that emptiness that you have in your heart. He would not have you
living this way – your salvation is continually before Him. All He’s
wanted to do, the hope of His calling, is to bring you to this place
where you could hear Him – to bring
you to this place where He could speak to you (which He’s doing now) and you
accept it, and enter into the understanding of God’s love.
BETWEEN THE FEASTS
Do you understand where we are in time? I beg you, if you didn’t understand
the last study, go back and study it out until you do, because the Lord has
shown us that we are in between experiences of abiding and what, in
Acts 2, is described as Pentecost. We are between these feasts – we’re
in the period of seven Sabbaths. We’re in the period of fifty days: 5
x 10, grace complete enough. When you bring this to the New Testament,
and you see the resurrection of Christ – that many came out of the grave with
Him – you see yourself coming out of that death and entering into abiding,
the abiding truth. And He takes you to heaven – He leads captivity
captive – and then He returns and teaches the apostles,
who are just simply pictures of the 144,000. He teaches them for 40
days. Four is a complete earthliness: 4 x 10. That complete
earthliness is complete enough. He brings you to the end of it with
this understanding. Remember as He looks at the earth, He sees the sea,
the thoughts of the world, they feel unacceptable to God. Christ brings
you to the end of that and that is what this study is – that you might accept
the truth in Jesus Christ and ascend into the heavens with the Lamb, standing
on Mount Zion, having an understanding the world does not have.
There was then a period of ten days – I understand that this means
allowing Him to develop the truth of His love until it is “complete
enough.” And then He says you’ll receive power from on high – He is
going to end this thing using you who have ears to hear to do it; to
give the last message to a dying world. Now, I may be insane, but I think if
you seek the Lord, you’re going to discover these things are true and we are
that close to the end – and you are a hair’s breath away from standing
on the mountain with Christ. It’s scary, isn’t it? It’s scary to think of
this, and to think someone is saying this to you.
Listen, a week ago, a week and a half, two weeks ago I would have never
dreamed that I would be standing in front of you saying, “The Lord’s erased my
sin nature. This is how it works. This is how it happens.” I know only a
handful of people can receive what I’m saying. I know that - but I pray
you be in the handful. I pray that you be one of them to receive the
truth
as it is in Jesus Christ, and that you come out of this thing.
CLOSE
You know, in 1 Corinthians 1 again, there is a very interesting verse. In
verse 21, he says:
1 Corinthians 1:21
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Now, look at the first part of that: “For after that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God.” Look at it again: “After that, in the
wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God.” It was His
wisdom that allowed Eve to feel unacceptable, and pass that to us. I know
there is a depth to His wisdom – I know it’s unsearchable.
I know I’m not going to figure it out, but I’ll tell you one thing: I see
wisdom in allowing humanity to go through this process, because it weeds out
those of you who really don’t want it. I have a feeling that some of you are
trembling inside to think that we’re so close to the end, and you’re not
prepared – and my heart goes out to you because this is a frightening thing.
It’s a frightening thing to have someone stand before you, take the
scriptures, and so confidently believe the kind of things I’m sharing with
you. That’s
frightening.
But, you know, perfect love casts out all fear. What does that mean?
That if you really believed you were loved by God, you wouldn’t have those
fears – you would fear nothing. And you could face the day, you could
face your challenges knowing, I’m a human being, I’ve always been
acceptable to God. The whole world is living its life based on a lie – and
you could face that day, face the challenges of the day keeping your mind in
the truth that God loves me, believing with all your heart that the
only begotten Son of God died at Calvary to prove the love of God; the love of
the Father. And you could face the challenges and deal with them – and
glorify God unto the end.
Now, that’s my prayer for you. I pray for you. I pray even before I make the
tapes. I pray before I mail them out. I pray for the people who receive
these studies, that it be more than just an intellectual thing, but that they
actually seek the Lord for the experience, especially this one. There’s
nothing holding you back – the Son of God died at Calvary to destroy the works
of the devil. This is how it happens, and it happens in the twinkling of
an eye. That’s why He will change you in the twinkling of an eye, because
it’s the picture of the change that happens in the human heart.
The people who don’t want that are insane. The people who don’t want that –
it’s hard to imagine that a woman could forget her suckling child. You turn
on the news and you see it every day. In my circles, I can’t imagine it. It’s
even harder to believe a person would reject the God of love and believe a lie
– and perish. I pray you take these truths to the bank. Let it become who
you are. Let the changes be made, and may God be glorified.