Author: Hank

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On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards in Enfield Connecticut preached the message, “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.” It marked the beginning of what’s called “The First Great Awakening.” He spoke of the terrors of hell that await those who refuse the grace of God through believing in Christ Jesus, of how only the mercy of God keeps a sinner from immediately experiencing the wrath of God and being tossed into hell. Eternally.

Many times people interrupted him crying out, “What must I do to be saved?” We know the answer my friend, at least I hope you do. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” – Acts 16:31. God has placed the punishment for our sins upon Jesus; therefore He will not punish those who believe upon Jesus as their Savior. It simply would not be just.

The sermon had great effect upon those who trusted in themselves, in their good deeds, in their self-righteousness. If you are trusting in those things today, you may do well to listen to Edward’s sermon soon, while you still have the breath of life.

There is a powerful verse found in Romans 2:4 that expresses a similar thought, with emphasis upon God rather than our wickedness. It reads, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Paul is writing to people who think that because they are better morally than many people, that they can be good enough to earn a right standing with God. Such a person presumes upon the goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering of God, which all should bring them into a humble repentance instead of an attitude of superiority.

Paul writes of God’s Goodness and Kindness because He has not judged us yet although we deserve it. His Forbearance means He has been holding back His judgment against us. And God is Longsuffering for knows what sins we will commit in the future, yet He holds back His judgment.

Considering all this, it is no surprise that Paul describes these aspects of God’s kindness to us as God’s riches. Strangely, these riches of God’s goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering are despised by many.

They are presuming upon God’s grace — friend, I trust YOU are not a person of such presumption!! No one deserves the grace of God.

God’s purpose in all this goodness is to lead us to repentance. Wise men and women see the riches of God’s forbearance and longsuffering and come to a place of faith and repentance. The foolish go on presuming that God will forever hold back His judgment.

Are you waiting for God to drive you to repentance? Waiting for a Jonathan Edward’s sermon? No. He is LEADING you to repentance. Don’t despise the riches of His goodness to you. Repent. Believe upon Jesus —and COME ALIVE!

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On Oct. 31, 1517, an obscure German professor of theology named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church, protesting among other things the selling of indulgences for money by the church. Indulgences, simply put, were a way sins could be ‘paid for’ with — money! Luther’s action led to the Protestant Reformation, which was marked by millions of Christians around the world Monday on its 505th anniversary.

Luther’s life at the time had been in turmoil. In his studies, he had come across Psalm 31:1, “Deliver me in Your righteousness.” The passage confused him; how could God’s righteousness do anything but condemn him to Hell as a deserved punishment for his sins?

As he thought on this, the monk’s mind was repeatedly drawn to Romans 1:17, which says that in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (that is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4).

Revelation dawned upon him: the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through God’s grace and sheer mercy, He justifies us by faith. Luther wrote, “Therefore I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise…. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway into heaven.”

Many people mistakenly suppose that God will just excuse all sin because He’s a forgiving kind of guy. Wrong. God is love; but He is also a completely righteous judge. And it isn’t fair to let the guilty go. If someone is guilty, the righteousness of God seems to only condemn them.

But here is the good news of the gospel: God HAS righteously dealt with our sin by putting on Jesus the punishment that WE deserve. Our sin is righteously and fairly punished – but it is judged in Jesus, and NOT IN US.

Theologian David Guzik writes, “Because of this, God’s fairness now is our friend instead of our enemy. Because our sin is already settled in Jesus, it wouldn’t be fair for God to hold the same sins against us.”

This is the Good News – God’s righteousness delivers those who put their trust in Him, and not in themselves.

Let’s thank God for all Jesus did for us to make God’s fairness, His righteousness, our friend instead of our enemy. And today my friend, let’s choose to live by this faith and this righteousness – and COME ALIVE!

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The book of Isaiah the prophet begins with hard declarations of the sins of God’s people. Then the second chapter opens with a beautiful picture of the glory of the coming reign of the Messiah. No war, no conflicts between nations or people, issues resolved by Messiah Himself. Peace on earth, a glorious time of the Messiah’s reign.

Isaiah then challenged the people of God to live in the Messiah’s reign right then. Instead of waiting for a coming golden age, the prophet tells them in verse 5 “…to come, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

To walk in the light of the Lord means to order our lives after God’s truth and God’s ways. The ultimate reign of the Messiah may still be years away, but Jesus can reign in our lives, in our minds, and in our hearts right now. We don’t have to wait for the enforced righteousness of a millennial kingdom to have the blessing that Jesus’ righteousness in our lives provides right now. In Isaiah’s day the people had only their own strength to attempt this.

But now, thanks to Jesus sacrifice, we can. As believers in Jesus, as new creations, Christ in us, and we in Him, we are able, thanks to His power at work in us, to walk in the Light as children of the light for we are no longer of the darkness. Hallelujah!

We don’t have to live a dark, depressing, discouraged life with God. We CAN walk in the light of the LORD. Think of the things that ‘get you down.’ Damaged relationships, money issues, bosses or co-workers, circumstances, guilt, shame? You can respond, react to these ‘dark things’ – certainly the devil would want you to – or, you can make a choice dear friend! In the fashion the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3, we, that’s you and me, can ‘put off’ the old way of living in these dark things – and ‘put on’ the new – for we have been set free to choose to walk in the light.

Let’s take advantage of our freedom in Jesus to walk in the light of the LORD! Today dear friend, let’s CHOOSE to NOT walk in the darkness of this world and our old self’s reactions to life, but CHOOSE to walk in the light, His light. The Holy Spirit will guide us into the light.

We are children of the light. So let’s choose to walk in the light, and – COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place, somewhere in Venice, FL

Being new to Venice, and Florida, I recently thought to look over some local church websites. Here’s an excerpt from one, with a few aside comments from me. Maybe it’s a lot like your church:

Sunday service at (our church) lasts a little over an hour (so you can get on with your busy life), where you can expect a safe environment (feeling ‘safe’ is so important when someone is ‘woke’) that is exciting, casual, and relaxed. Come as you are. When you join us, you’ll have the chance to connect, discover, and encounter. Enjoy uplifting worship and a relevant, engaging message from our Pastor, Rev Average Joe. (Did we touch all the bases?)

Think about these words. They are people oriented, people focused, aren’t they? Like an ad for a good restaurant or entertainment? 

Yikes.… What. About. God? Almighty God. Creator of the universe; of all things. Even time and space. Creator of you and me. 

Way back in 1975 when I was wondering if God was real, and what it meant to believe – in Him – I realized something: IF God was real, and as big and powerful and able as described in the Bible (I’d begun reading the Bible by then), well, then I’d better be prepared to fall on my face, forsake all and follow Him, like those early dudes did in the Gospels!

I began visiting churches, some nice churches, some formal, others informal. I did not know it at the time but I was looking for a place where God’s Spirit manifested. Not someplace comfortable for my body or emotions or that fit MY personality. No, someplace you could say, to scare the hell out of me to make room for heaven to come in. Not threatening fire and brimstone messages, but the presence of God —A place where I could surrender to the Lord of the Universe, and let Him write the rest of my life’s story, a destiny beyond what I could ask or think! I was looking for a place to scare the hell out of me to be captured by the love of God.

I think that’s a good quest, even today — how about you?

Hey, if you visit Hank’s Place in person, you’ll experience the love of God and the grace of God. It’s not a ‘safe place’ — it’s a place of His grace and His Spirit. If you are not already in a place like that, why not pray for God to lead you to one? 

Or simply visit Hank’s Place  — you’ll  COME ALIVE!

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Here at Hank’s Place where we are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, as is a sizable portion of Florida. Many thousands of people have suffered water and wind damage, the loss of their homes and possessions, and find themselves being preyed upon by unscrupulous frauds, scammers, charlatans and thieves! Pray, please, that our Mighty God provide for and deliver them!

In these circumstances I am reminded of Paul writing in Romans, 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Then he wrote of the Holy Spirit interceding for the saints according to the will of God, and giving us a promise so incredible that we can only receive it by faith, and that is, verse 28: “… we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” The devil, this world, evil people, all try to destroy the people who love God — but their efforts cannot succeed, in fact, they are worked for the good.

Paul says this is true for those who love God — meaning those who have come to Him through Jesus and His blood.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” asks Paul in verse 31. God does not accuse His children, us, or do us evil; He justifies us through Jesus, who demonstrated God’s love for us in dying for our sins.

Paul then writes some apparently contradictory words, saying if Jesus died for us, then certainly this gracious Father and Son will freely give us all lessor things. But some believers will be killed, as sheep to be slaughtered. When you understand this please share your illumination with me! My own understanding is that being in Jesus and Jesus being in us – this unity of relationship with the God who is love, is so much greater than anything on this earth, that even our mortal lives lose their importance.

Life, death, all things in between — NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. In fact, “In all these things we are more than conquerors, that is, overwhelmingly victorious, through Him who loved us.” Verse 37.Today, if you have not yet surrendered your life to God and cried out to Jesus to save you, stop waiting, ACT now!

If you have and are going through difficulties, read Romans 8. Put your eyes on Jesus, receive His love, His help, His strength, His wisdom — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place coming to you from Paradise

This edition of Hank’s Place came during recovery from nearly Cat 5 Hurricane Ian. I was not able to prepare a script but spoke what was on my heart at this time.

The verses referred to were Esther 4:14, Isaiah 43:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and Galatians 2:20.

The point being we may find ourselves in dire, even life threatening circumstances and may question the ‘why’s’ of what’s going on. Perhaps we’ve been sent there ‘for such a time as this’ and are God’s ANSWER for the challenges people are facing.

We have God’s promise that no matter what, HE is our Deliverer, mighty to save.

Regardless, we have been bought with a price, been crucified WITH Him, the life we have we live for HIS glory, not our own.

Today, put your eyes on Jesus, who loves us to the point of His own death — and COME ALIVE!

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In reading the Bible, you’ll find numerous scriptures exhorting us to BE HOLY, and it may appear that holiness is something we must work at obtaining. For example, 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

So are we working to get holy? If we were on the Old Covenant side of Calvary, we would be working for it, being very careful to observe the Law and all the commandments of God.

But praise the Lord we are on THIS side of Calvary! JESUS has cleansed us from all unrighteousness – by His blood – at Calvary, making us His set apart people.

As Rev Paul Ellis has clarified in a few words, the holiness answer is that God is calling us to be who we truly are. He is saying, “You are my sanctified children. Act like it. Be who I made you to be.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has said: “Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are….”

Our part is to mature into what He has already made us. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 we are “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” Notice it’s “from glory to glory,” not “from garbage to glory.” His blood has made us holy. New Creations in Christ are already holy, forgiven, and accepted by God.

If you are trying to make yourself holy by acting holy, behaving holy, doing holy things, STOP. You just can’t do it. Instead, see Jesus, the One who transforms believers into holy new creations.

We have been given a new nature, so we don’t act in the pattern of our old one. That’s hypocrisy. It’s pretending to be someone we — no longer are.Romans 6:19 can be paraphrased as, “Just as you used to live unto wickedness when you were wicked, live unto holiness now that you are holy.”

The exhortations to live holy are pictures of the wholesome, healthy life we get to enjoy as we allow Christ to express His holy life through us.”

Today, if you are born again, may you grasp that you ARE holy, allow Christ to express His holy life through you — and COME ALIVE!

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First Corinthians is a remarkable letter to the saints at Corinth, one of the great cities of the ancient world, prosperous, busy, growing; with a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. Hmmm. Perhaps you are living among today’s Corinthians, my friend!

There was a partisan spirit there: “I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, etc” and Paul urges them instead to come into agreement concerning Christ, specifically, the message of the Cross of Christ, which he writes in verse 18, is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.”

The Cross is God’s wisdom, bringing salvation in a way no one was expecting. Jews were looking for great signs, a mighty deliverer in the pattern of Moses, only much greater. The concept of the Savior being put to death in the most hideous, demeaning way possible was not conceivable to the Jew.

To the Greeks the Cross is foolishness. How could a man put to death possibly affect the lives of every human for all time in a positive way? Foolishness they said. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

So the crux of the Gospel is the Cross and what happened upon it. Is that message often or ever heard in your church? Is there even a cross erected in your church? Perhaps you have smoke and darkness, strobe lights and loud music instead?

Concerning this Spurgeon comments, “Certain divines tell us that they must adapt truth to the advance of the age, which means that they must murder it and fling its dead body to the dogs… which simply means that a popular lie shall take the place of an offensive truth.”

Let every pulpit rightly say, “we preach Christ crucified!” A strong church I am told, once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. Over time, two things happened: the church lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy began to grow on the archway. The growth of the ivy, covering the message, showed the spiritual decline. Originally it said strongly, “we preach Christ crucified.” But as the ivy grew, one could only read “we preach Christ,” and the church also started preaching “Jesus the Great Man” and “Jesus the Moral Example” instead of Christ crucified. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, “we preach.” The church also had even lost Jesus in the message, preaching religious platitudes and social graces. Finally, one could only read “we,” and the church also just became another social gathering place, all about “we” and not about God.

Today, don’t be like that church. Preach Christ crucified, if only to yourself — and COME ALIVE!

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[Video begins with outtakes from the previous message}

Speaking of the last message, I had stated Christians escape the Final Judgment because they have been judged already: by placing their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus’ work of atonement at Calvary became theirs. Judgment was averted, eternal life issued in an awesome demonstration of the grace of God!

Does that mean as Christians we can sin as much as we want and get away with it? What? Are you crazy? Don’t you understand? Haven’t you read 1 John chapter 3? 

First verse, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.” ‘Behold.’ Study, to take a good look. The Father, overflowing in passionate love, saw to it our sins were removed, righteousness imparted, and adoption as His very own took place. 

Spurgeon comments, “‘There,’ God says, ‘you poor people that love me, you sick people, you unknown, obscure people, without any talent, I have published it before heaven and earth, and made the angels know it, that you are my children, and I am not ashamed of you. I glory in the fact that I have taken you for my sons and daughters.’” How can a person sin in the face of such love?

John continues, “Beloved, now we are CHILDREN of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is.” We are being conformed into the image of God. We shall be like Him. 

If that is our hope, then we purify ourselves, for He is pure. We don’t do sin, we RUN from sin. Our desire is to be — like Him. Verse 6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” The grammar John uses indicates John is talking about habitual, continual sin. Someone who PRACTICES sin — like practicing putting or your tennis backhand — is making a firm statement that THEY DO NOT KNOW God. 

When we have a genuine encounter with the LIVING, HOLY, PURE, RIGHTEOUS GOD of all creation, we are changed. He changes us — and we want to be like Him. We put off sinful ways. They don’t please Him, and now they don’t please us any longer. With our new nature we no longer want to participate in the deeds of darkness!

That happened to me back in 1976. My life was transformed from darkness to light. Has it happened to you dear friend? Or are you practicing sinful deeds? Then I urge  surrender to His lordship —receive His love — He will free you from sin — you will COME ALIVE!

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There are some serious verses about judgment for the Christian found in the New Testament without even getting into the Book of Revelation.

For example: 1 Peter 1:17, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work.” Then there’s Jesus’ saying in Matthew 12:36, “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.” Or Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:13, “each one’s work… will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.”

These verses lifted from their context sound fearful, but actually, there is nothing to fear on Judgement Day — for believers. Why? For there is only one work by which we shall be judged. It’s recorded in John 6:29: “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”

Now add John 5:22, “The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son.” So the Father is not judging. Nor Jesus, for John 12:47-48 says, “If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” Jesus then added, “The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

There are inescapable consequences for rejecting Jesus. He came to save, not to judge — but His coming was itself a judgment, for He declared Himself the promised Messiah, the Savior of the World. What have we done about that? Did we believe and respond accordingly? This is what Peter meant when he said we will be judged according to our work.

Believers need not fear. John urges us to have confidence on Judgment Day, 1 John 4:17. And Jude :24 assures us that we will be able to stand “blameless and with great joy” on that day.

On Judgement Day believers will not be judged for our sins but by our response to the Savior. Did we heed him who suffered and died for our sins? Did we take Him at His word when He offered salvation? We who have put our faith in Jesus are not judged because we have been judged already. The moment we said YES to Jesus as our Savior, we passed out of judgment and gained eternal life. That’s John 5:24; believers do not come into judgment, for they have passed out of death into life.

We heard the word of grace and we believed. TODAY, let those fears of judgment GO, and — COME ALIVE!

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