Author: Hank

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We have been pointing out that the Cross has changed….everything. Read the Bible that comes before the Cross and chances are you will be reading about a covenant that never applied to you. It’s there to create a hunger for the God of mercy and grace, and teach us we cannot obey God even if we think we can.

Before the Cross it was important to keep a record of sins. Just read Lev 4 & 5 for sins and sacrifices for sins. Talk about discouragement! But AFTER the Cross what can be more plain than Heb 8:12, where God says, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more?”

Before the Cross God gave us the 10 Commandments that begin with, “Thou shalt….” Just read Ex 20. But AFTER the Cross God says, “I will.” In Heb 8:8-12, God speaks His of being merciful to us, His forgetting our sins, He writing His laws in our minds and hearts and He giving us a knowledge of Himself. In the New, it’s all about Him and what He’s done for us, my friends!

In the Old Covenant, God’s favor hinged on your faithfulness. But in the New, His favor comes to us on account of Christ’s faithfulness. We could be faithful one moment and deny Him the next. Just ask that Apostle Peter! Walking with Jesus day in day out for over 3 years. Seeing countless miracles, signs, wonders. Hearing the voice from heaven declare Jesus is the Son of God. Staunchly declaring he would never deny Him – yet he does exactly that a few hours later. So much better to rely on Jesus Christ’s faithfulness, for He is eternally faithful!

When reading the Bible, learn to distinguish between the old law covenant, which condemns sinners, and the new covenant of grace, which makes sinners righteous. In the Old, Christ was a shadow, in the New He is our reality!

The word GRACE can be terrifying to those schooled in performance based religion. But RELAX— for another word for grace is J E S U S. Walk today my friend in the New Covenant in His blood, the covenant of Grace, and you will Come Alive!

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We are pointing out that the Cross has changed….everything. Read the bits of the Bible that come before the Cross and chances are you will be reading about a covenant that never applied to you—and no longer applies to the Israelites.

Why is this obsolete material in the Bible? Because it helps us appreciate who Jesus is and what He has done. The Law is the shadow, but Jesus is the REALITY. The Law is a warm-up act to get you ready for Jesus—but Jesus ALONE is the star of the show. The Law is the prosecuting attorney who condemns you as guilty, but Jesus is the great advocate who sets you free.

And, as Paul writes in 1 Cor 10:11, the trials of the Israelites were written for our instruction. One judgment after another for disobeying the Law. We read, and we understand: no one can obey God’s Laws. The flesh wins out; we DESPERATELY need a Savior! And our Savior JESUS has come!

Here are two more examples of how the Cross has changed everything.

Before the cross Adam’s sin meant condemnation for everyone. Ro 5:18 says “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men….” But on the cross our sins were carried away, and there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus—that’s Ro 8:1.

Before the Cross God was distant and unapproachable. It reads in Ex 19:12, “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’”

But at the Cross, according to Mt 27:51 “…the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” This was Almighty God bursting out of the Holy of Holies to dwell within His people, within you and me, my friend!

Yes, for Eph 2:13 states, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” And not only that, but we who have been brought near can now boldly approach the throne of GRACE. That’s Heb 4:16. That’s right, the throne of JUDGMENT has become a throne of GRACE—eternally!

My dear friend, please please please—think about this message. It’s true! Now, get rid of your condemning, works-based, flesh reliant, religious thinking—and Come Alive!

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At the Cross, Jesus took our sins – all of them, past present and future. And hung on that Cross while the incredible wrath of God was poured out in punishment for those sins: yours, mine, everyones. Jesus took it all, out of love for us, to the point of death. Don’t you think for a moment that God does not love you!

He gave us His righteousness in exchange; a free gift—but friend, it is a gift that can only be received by faith. And, He caused us to become heirs of God, sons of God with a full inheritance. It is beyond comprehension. We don’t know the half of it!

Now, here is the issue: so many folk, including many pastors, seminary professors, televangelists and such, miss the Cross. They pay lip service, yes, but not grasping that everything has changed. So, they bring the old covenant stuff, which was not written to you, right on over into your life: law and grace getting mixed together—that is a toxic mixture my friend — for it keeps you from moving forward in who you are in Christ Jesus and keeps you from being a powerful, world-changing Christian!

Let’s take an example today of the big difference the Cross makes for us. I pray you can see the mega change.

Not sure? Listen to Deut 11:26-28 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.”

Now listen to Post-Calvary: Eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Where is the ‘to do’ list? Where are the threats? They are not there, my friend.

How about: Gal 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree””

Give Jesus praise today: believe in Him and you are blessed. Don’t belittle or overlook Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary by entertaining error filled theology that says you have things you must do in order to receive blessing from God. Yes, there are plenty of good things you can do as a Christian – but nothing you can do can ‘earn’ you favor with God.

So, give it up, rejoice in Jesus, and Come Alive!

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Today we are finishing up our look at the grace of God upon the 7 churches found in the Book of Revelation. 

Today – it’s that well known verse, Rev 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Now here is something you may not have known. Under Roman law any visiting official had the power to requisition lodgings for themselves and their entourage. Even their soldiers. Nobody could shut their door. But the Laodiceans were not “Nobodies.” They were proud, and in 40 BC, closed their doors to Roman general Labienus Parthicus. And on another occasion, the future emperor Antoninus had stayed in the home of a wealthy Laodicean called Polemo. Polemo, who was out of town at the time, was so angry upon his return, that he kicked Antoninus out. The future emperor!

So, the Laodiceans were famous for their locked and closed doors. Now we have Jesus gently knocking, asking to come in! Whoa! This is amazing! Here is the Lord of the Universe outside the worst church in the Bible, asking to enter and dine with them. What a breathtaking picture of Grace!

Jesus said, “if anyone hears my voice,” so these letters are for all of us, and that door is also the door of our hearts. Jesus comes to meet with each of us – right where we are at. Right where we live.

We open the door by saying “Yes” to Jesus.
No hoops.
No entrance exam.
No performance standard to meet.
To dine with Jesus means to enjoy one another’s company. 

In verse 21 Jesus promises overcomers will sit down with Him on His throne. Ephesians 2:6 declares believers have already been seated with Christ in the heavenlies. God has seated us with Christ. We have been seated in Christ, with Him upon His throne. 

Jesus is telling the Laodiceans discard their self-righteousness and allow Him to elevate them to the very throne of God! Wow!

Dear friend, in this look at the 7 churches, have you found Jesus to be the same, yesterday, today, and forever? My takeaway is – run to Jesus, trust in Jesus, cling to Jesus – and COME ALIVE! 

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We’re visiting at that lukewarm church – Laodicea, found in Rev 3:14-22. They were self-righteous for sure, for they say “I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing.” They didn’t recognize their need for Jesus. 

All the credit for their success went to themselves. In AD 60 there was an earthquake that really damaged Laodicea. When Roman offered to assist in the rebuilding, the Laodiceans refused, boasting, “We have need of nothing.”

So Jesus tells them the truth. They are actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. He is not speaking to believers, but to these self-righteous unbelievers who thought they did not need Him.

He is writing to save them – letting them know in no uncertain terms that they have fallen short. The solution? Buy from Jesus. Why is Jesus is talking like a businessman? Because this was a church of merchants and business people. Not buying their salvation, but exchanging their sins for His forgiveness. Such a deal! All the fortunes of Laodicea rested on on earthly items. 

Jesus councils them to purchase the heavenly equivalent —
– Refined gold is your God-given faith. 1 Pe 1:7. Replaces earthly finances.
– White clothes of His righteousness for their black woolen garments.
– His eye salve so that they may see Jesus and what He has done for them.

 Jesus is inviting them to exchange the treasures of this world for something of eternal value.

Those Jesus loves He reproves and disciplines. That does NOT mean Jesus punishes those whom he loves. That’s crazy since He has already born our punishment on the Cross. To reprove means to convict or expose and to discipline means the instruct or train.

In verse 19 Jesus tells them to be zealous and then repent. They were zealous, but they needed to channel their church activity zeal into genuine zeal in the area of repentance. Self-made religion reverses the order of these words and says “Repent and be zealous. Turn from sin – THEN get busy serving the Lord.” That’s wrong. It leads to dead works! The proper order is be zealous and repent. RUN, don’t walk, to Jesus — and COME ALIVE! 

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We’ve started looking at that lukewarm church of Laodicea, Rev 3:14-22. Jesus, The Faithful and The True, declares Himself the benchmark against which all people are measured. They thought they were cool, had it all together – “In need of nothing,” they said. Wrong!

“LUKEWARM,” says Jesus. Yucch! Jesus prefers them hot or cold. To be cold refers to the Law of the Old Covenant. The Law, if genuinely attempted, will kill you, cause you to despair of life, for a holy god demands perfection – and nothing less. As Galatians and Romans tell us, this drives us to Jesus Christ, where we are justified FREELY by His grace. Ro 3:24. 

Hot means walking in the love of God. Receiving His love, mercies, and grace. Being hot is not about OUR ZEAL, our efforts, but EVERYTHING to do with the burning heart of God. We receive His love, and it’s a passionate fire!

The Laodiceans had never opened their hearts to the love of the Lord Jesus. They were mixing the law with grace and receiving the benefits of neither. That’s no way to live! So Jesus calls them lukewarm.

Some evidence for this is that there was no church persecution in that city, and that implies they were living under Jewish law, and stuck between the 2 covenants. YOU might be doing the same if you believe that God gives us grace to keep His commandments. Think about it!

Jesus says He will spit them out of His mouth. Are they going to lose their salvation if they do not perform to His satisfaction? Not at all, for the one who comes to Jesus will not be cast out. John 6:37. They needed to come to Jesus in the first place. But they were proud, denying their need for Jesus. Self-righteous hypocrites. Unbelievers. He is not talking about us believers. He’s talking about people who say, “I don’t need a thing from you Jesus. You died for nothing.” Ouch!

Sin does not make Jesus want to vomit. Jesus is the friend of sinners. He died for sinners. He hung out with sinners. He ate with them. And sinners became saints. But the self righteousness refuse God’s grace.

Today, my believing friend, rejoice that your future is secure in Christ Jesus, who died that we might live. His grace is greater than our sin. Help others to see this truth, come to Jesus, and COME ALIVE!

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We have been looking at the 7 churches found in the Book of Revelation. Has Jesus nature changed? It’s easy to see rebukes and threats of punishment in these letters. Take off those virtual reality goggles my friend. That’s not the real picture. These are gracious love letters. 

Each letter begins with a picture of Jesus and ends with a promise. The picture is not all that mysterious when we look at each church’s history, geography, economic, or political situation. Also, each picture is not a NEW picture of Jesus, but something revealed in the Gospels. Check out the cross references!

And the promises are exactly what they need – freely offered.

We now come to the last church, Laodicea. That’s Rev 3:14-22. Oh my! It’s the only church where Jesus finds nothing good to say! Surely they must be in danger of hell fire? No. 

As it says in verse 19, “those whom I love I reprove” – Because He loves them, He is pointing out things that need to change – for their own benefit, and tells them what to do.

This is the lukewarm church. Proud, for they say, “I am rich and have need of nothing.” Jesus tells them the truth. He tells them to be zealous and repent. And there is the famous passage, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.…”

Under Roman rule Laodicea became a thriving banking and financial center. Emperors could cash their checks there. It even had a medical school, perhaps producing that famous eye salve.

The garment industry was awesome. The wool of their sheep was glossy black, highly valued. So, we have a city that is very rich – financially, in wool, and eye salve. We’ll see the significance later.

The picture Jesus gives them of Himself is that of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Jesus identifies Himself as the Founder of all, and the underwriter of all the promises found in the New Covenant. 2 Cor 1:20. In contrast the Laodiceans were faithless and false. Jesus is declaring that HE is the benchmark against which all other people will be measured. These Laodiceans, with an inflated opinion of themselves are going to come up short. 

He knows their and our true condition better than we know ourselves. Today, may Jesus speak to you and me, right where we are, like in these letters. It will help us — COME ALIVE!

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We are looking at the church of Philadelphia, found in Rev 3:3-13.
We are up to the passage of Jesus making them a pillar in the temple of His God? In Christ Jesus we are all pillars – monuments to the grace of God. And the temple of God? Us – 1 Cor 3:17.

And to go out no more? Philadelphia was famous for its frequent earthquakes and aftershocks. Every time the buildings begin to shake the people would run out into the open air. And it happened often. Very Stressful. So when Jesus says you will not go out anymore He is saying, “I’m bringing an end to your anxiety.” That’s comforting.

What is the significance of the three names? Numbers 6:24–27 (Famous blessing) refers to Israel being blessed by the priests placing God’s name on them. So Jesus is marking us for a blessing here. What about the city of my God? Well, Jerusalem above is our mother. Gal 4:26. So it’s a sense of family.

And Jesus’ new name? To be marked with the name of Jesus means you belong to the Lord. What is the new name of Jesus? That name is LORD. Supreme – above all. He walked the earth as the Son of Man. But Philippians 2:9-11 declares that He has been given a name above all other names: Lord. Peter urged his listeners to call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Acts 2:21.

Jesus is saying he who overcomes, that is, believes in Him, will be saved. Nothing and no one will ever separate them from His love. Jesus is saying that He will give Himself to us, His life, His identity, His all. Isn’t that wonderful?

In the old covenant people made promises to God, which they broke. In the new covenant, God has made unbreakable promises to us. The new covenant endures forever because God is eternally faithful.

Here in the letter to the church of Philadelphia Jesus says “I will” eight times. Promises from a good God who longs to bless us and who always keeps His word. So why didn’t the other churches ever get promises like these? They were not ready. They had issues needing to be addressed first. Yet this day, at this time, these words are for you my friend – read them – believe them – and COME ALIVE!

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We have been pointing out that the Cross has changed….everything. The Old Testament is there to create a hunger for a Savior! Now, live in His saving grace my friend, and not the letter of the Law! Enter His refreshing rest!

We faced condemnation and judgment before the Cross; now, 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 – to receive mercy and grace in time of need!

Although we may have it, we will not experience it if our mind is stuck in performance based religious thinking. That’s what life was like BEFORE the Cross!

Consider: the Old Covenant demanded righteousness based upon our performance: it demanded righteousness from sinful men. Deut 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 Ro 1:17 “For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith (that’s God’s faith and YOURS); as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Or how about Ro 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.”

Consider this: before the Cross, God’s presence came and went, causing people to hunger for His Spirit. Ps 51:11 reads, “Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Friend, DO NOT pray that way! Why? Because after the Cross God makes His home with us and promises to never leave us. Jn 14:23 says that Jesus and the Father will come to us and make their abode with us. Heb 13:5 reminds us that the Lord has declared, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

Despite these amazing TRUTHS dear Christian friend, you might find yourself getting confused when you read the Gospels! Why? Because Jesus spoke THE LAW to self-righteous pharisees and lawyers. And Jesus spoke mercy and grace to those who humbly came to Him. YOU are not a pharisee, are you? No! Of course not! So pay attention to who is speaking to who. People under law or under grace? This is very important!

Get your pattern for living THIS side of the Cross, and COME ALIVE! 

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We are looking at the church of Philadelphia, found in Rev 3:3-13.
Today we find those of the synagogue of Satan bowing before the believers in Philadelphia. These religious Jews despised the Jewish Christians and considered them traitors and enemies of God. So Jesus in this city of brotherly love will show those Jews who His real brothers are.

In Zech 8:23, God indicates a day will come when others say, “let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you.” Meaning that Jews would finally be recognized as God’s people and be honored. But Jesus reverses that and says Jews will come and bow down to the church. Whoa!

How did the Jews find themselves on the wrong side of this prophecy? By rejecting Jesus. They had cut themselves off as a nation, effectively declaring they were no longer God’s people. Sigh.

Next, what about perseverance? The good news is that JESUS has persevered and overcome. We have nothing to prove. Notice it says ‘the word of His perseverance.’ Keep on believing what Jesus has done for you.

Some translations twist Jesus grace-filled words into a spiritual test. Saying YOU have to persevere and endure (that it’s about YOUR perservance and YOUR endurance) in order to be saved. But read it – it is His perseverance! If YOU start trying to persevere and endure you soon are looking a laws to keep – you become a legalist – and will fail. So, why not keep the word of His perseverance, like the Philadelphians?

Now, the hour of testing coming upon the whole world? It’s judgment day. It means a day of shaking. To the Philadelphians this brings back anxious memories of earthquakes and houses falling down. So Jesus’ words are a great encouragement to them. And for us, too, for we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Heb 12:28. The hour of testing, shaking, when Jesus returns is for the world – not the Church.

Then Jesus tells them to hold fast. Amazing – Thyatira, the worst church of the bunch, and Philadelphia, the best church, are both told to hold fast. Holding fast to Jesus is always EVERYONE’S answer.

In closing, what about losing a crown? That’s not your salvation, but likely means — P E O P L E. The Thessalonians were Paul’s crown and glory 1 Thes 2:19. My friend, don’t cave to the ungodliness parading around as correctness here in America. Keep helping others to enter into the Kingdom— yes, retain your crown as they — COME ALIVE!

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