Welcome to Hank’s Place — Updated Classics
We have been pointing out that the Cross has changed….everything. The Old Testament is there to create a hunger for a Savior! Now, with Jesus as our Savior, we live in His saving grace, and not the letter of the Law. By His grace, through faith, we can enter His refreshing rest!
We faced condemnation and judgment before the Cross; now, this side of Calvary, we have NO condemnation, but justification. Instead of unworthiness we have – righteousness. Instead of a distant and unapproachable God we have a freely accessible throne of Grace.
We can receive mercy and grace in time of need, not be fearful of having our requests denied because we failed to measure up. But we must have faith in God, and that His word is true, because if our mind is stuck in performance based religious thinking, we’ll come short of this wonderful grace of God! Don’t live your life as if this was pre-Calvary dear friend!
Consider: the Old Covenant demanded righteousness based upon our performance: it demanded righteousness from sinful men. Deuteronomy 6:25 reads, “It will be righteousness for us IF WE ARE CAREFUL to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.” But AFTER the Cross we find Romans 1:17 “For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith (God’s faith and YOURS); as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Or how about Romans 5:17, speaking of “those who receive the abundance of grace and of the GIFT of righteousness, (they) will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Before the Cross, God’s presence came and went, causing people to hunger for His Spirit. Psalm 51:11 reads, “Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Don’t you pray that way! After the Cross God makes His home with us and promises to never leave us. John 14:23. And Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that the Lord has declared, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”
The Gospels give account of Jesus and His ministry. It can be confusing when you read them, because Jesus spoke THE LAW to the self-righteous pharisees and lawyers. AND, Jesus spoke MERCY and GRACE to those who humbly came to Him. Are you a pharisee? No! Of course not! So pay attention in the Gospels to who is speaking to who. People under law or under grace?
Receive His grace today; soak in His grace; dance in His grace, — and COME ALIVE!
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