Author: Hank

Welcome to Hank’s Place

In the previous message we looked at 2 Cor 5:21 and discovered we have been made acceptable to God because JESUS gave us HIS own right standing before the Father. It’s called righteousness. Right standing. Acceptable to GOD. We passed the test – because JESUS passed the test and swapped the test papers with US. Hallelujah!

We have passed out of judgment and into life; eternal life with God. (Jn 3:18) Now we are heirs of God, and this is a GOD thing.

Not sure? How about Ro 5:17 “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, MUCH MORE those who receive the ABUNDANCE OF GRACE AND OF THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Adam fell and death came to all his descendants. Us. Sinless Jesus gave His life at Calvary, and LIFE came to all who believe on Him. You believe upon Jesus? Then God has given you the gift of righteousness.

You don’t earn a gift. You don’t prove yourself worthy of a gift. The GIVER of the gift decided – GOD decided, in His love and matchless GRACE, to give us this gift. Just RECEIVE it! Then – enjoy it!

Take off those old clothes of failure and discouragement, of unworthiness and sin. We have been given the gift of eternal life and the gift of righteousness. We are seated with Christ Jesus on that heavenly throne – so let’s reign in this life – ok?

As Ro 6 declares, we HAVE died with Christ, we have come alive with Christ. We are dead to sin and alive to God. Reckon it so. Count it so. Act like it is so, because it IS so!

You might read and say aloud 2 Cor 5:21 and Ro 5:17 and then shout out, “Praise GOD! There is nothing wrong with me!” If you hear a little voice within disagreeing, tell it to shut up and leave you – and shout again, “Praise GOD! There is nothing wrong with me!”

We HAD a sin nature, then the Holy Spirit came in, took away the bad and gave us that new nature: the RIGHTEOUS NATURE. Learn to walk in who you really are, for you have COME ALIVE!

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In the previous message I pointed out Paul’s attitude in sharing the Good News, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Humility. 2 Cor 5:20. A friend of mine in PA, Kent Addams is his name, has an auto and motorcycle body shop. In the shop sits an old wooden office chair. Folks come in with their damaged vehicles, sit in the chair and before you know it are talking about their own damaged lives.

My friend might ask if he can pray for them, since the God he knows is GOOD, FULL of grace, mercy, lovingkindness. Kent has given many testimonies of God’s healing and restoring power as his customers experience what it means to be reconciled to God. 

Friend, as YOU go through your life, you can share the Good News, too. You don’t have to travel to a far away land.

Here is more Good News. In 2 Cor 5:21 we find, “For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.”  The Message bible says, “Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.”

This is powerful! Jesus has taken all our B A D, and in exchange given us His right standing with God. HIS right standing, not something second rate. It’s the BEST: His right standing!

This means we are always ‘in the right’ with God. On God’s good side. Always. Always approved by God. Always preferred by God. Always delighted in by God. Always pleasing to God. In all your life, in everything, we are a delight to Him. He says of you as He said about Jesus, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

You believed upon Jesus. He did the rest. Sure, you can choose to do bad things. But your actions do not define you – you are defined by what God says about you. And He says you are the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus – believe it! Walk in it—as someone who has Come Alive!

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Here at Hank’s Place we believe the Gospel is – GOOD NEWS! NO bad news in the Good News. As John 3:17 tells us, God didn’t send the Son into the world to judge the world, quite the contrary, He sent Him to SAVE the world. Although the Light has come into the world, many love the darkness instead. They think they do not want to be saved. Why? Because their deeds are evil. John 3:19 But back to the Good News. Let’s consider 2 Cor 5:18-20.

This passage begins by saying God has reconciled us to Himself – through Jesus of course. Supernatural salvation is God’s idea. His daring rescue plan – by super-heros: Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and it is permanent! Once you have been reconciled by believing upon Jesus; no one can do the un-reconciling. You cannot be saved one day, lose your salvation the next, and find it again the day after. Just like you cannot jump out of an airplane and half way down change your mind and get back into the plane. Your stepping out of the plane was irreversible. In salvation, you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, a seal of what’s to come; it is irreversable and it’s all GOOD.

Paul goes on to say God has given us, those who are reconciled, a ministry. It is the ministry of reconciliation. First God was in Christ – reconciling the world to Himself. NOT COUNTING our trespasses against Him. Then He appointed us ‘Ambassadors of Christ.’ We cry out, “be reconciled to God.”

An ambassador is “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.” What are your credentials? The Holy Spirit! Let us be about this ministry of reconciliation. By the way, did you know your credentials have given you authority in this world? Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons – give freely as you have received of the good things of heaven.

Yes, let people know God is not angry for He has sent us a Savior, May your attitude be that of humility as Paul indicates here, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

I am confident you will proclaim it, you will declare it, you will announce it, and many will turn from darkness to light – and as they do, they will – COME ALIVE! 

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Here at Hank’s Place we believe the GOOD NEWS – is GOOD NEWS! No bad news in the Good News. And it’s simple, too. We believe in the Savior God has sent: Jesus Christ. We believe enough to declare it. Salvation is ours. 

We become New Creations with the past behind, a glorious eternity ahead of us, and this present life being lived in His victory, His righteousness, His joy – I’m saying we live in this flesh by faith in Him. We are IN HIM – we don’t worry about failure. 

We don’t worry about not measuring up. We are IN HIM. We don’t worry about holiness and sanctification; we are IN HIM. We don’t worry about being a failure; we are IN HIM. And He who began the Good Work in us will complete it. JESUS, the author and finisher of our faith! REFS

Oftentimes we worry if we have enough faith. Several times the Gospels record Jesus saying things like, “If you have faith as a mustard seed” and “All things are possible to him who believes.” And, “How is it that you still have no faith.” No wonder we worry! 

Friend, STOP the worry! I’m sure you’ve heard Helen H. Lemmel’s hymn, written in 1922, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus?” When doubts assail, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. When you see Jesus, all else fades into the background noise.

The last verse of that hymn goes this way, “His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well….”

Blind Bartimaeus in Mk 10 had turned his spiritual eyes upon Jesus before he was healed. It says when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene passing by, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Son of David” – Bart saw Jesus as descendent of King David, promised Messiah and ruler of Israel – while those with physical sight around him did not have a clue! He came to Jesus to gain physical sight—and did! But FIRST he SAW Jesus while he was blind.

YOU can do that too!  Nothing holds you back. No circumstance, no situation, NOTHING! Yes, today, take a good look at Jesus—and COME ALIVE!

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Please—stop striving to prove yourself worthy of God’s favor, blessing, eternal life. Believe the GOOD NEWS. Salvation is FREE, thanks to Jesus’ matchless sacrifice at Calvary. Ah, but each Sunday, messages are preached that add another component to the Good News: YOU. How you better act like a Christian. Perform. Produce. Pay God back in installments when the offering plate comes by – or those blessings will stop!

How ludicrous my friend. He who began the Good Work in you will complete it. Phil 1:6. Not you— JESUS will complete it! You – HOLD FAST your CONFIDENCE in Him. Heb 3:6. He WILL see you through every trial.

Believe the GOSPEL. Enter His rest – in fact Heb 4:10 says ‘be diligent’ to enter His rest. That word has its root origin in “diligere” to love, take delight in. Take delight in entering His rest, dear friend. In John 14:2-3 we learn there are many dwelling places in heaven; and Jesus has gone to prepare a place for US, will return to receive us to Himself, so we can all be together. There is no struggle in that – this is ALL JESUS. Start rejoicing!

Afraid you are too weak of faith, too frail in the face of temptation? Well, HOLD FAST your CONFIDENCE in – yourself? Your abilities? Ha! Our confidence is in JESUS! He knows our weaknesses and has sympathy for us – Heb 4:14.

That great while throne of judgment in Rev 20:11 – has become a Throne of Grace for believers, a place to receive mercy, and receive grace to help in time of need. Keep rejoicing!

Mercy – not getting what we deserve. GRACE – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Getting what we do not deserve. God is love. He made a way of salvation for mankind. Sending Jesus. That He could shower us with grace, and grace, and more grace: goodness lovingkindness at His expense.

Friend, got issues? Messed up? RUN to the throne of grace right now. Receive mercy. Got big needs? Hurts? RUN to the throne of grace right now!  You will find grace to help you NOW. In fact, you will find grace to COME ALIVE!

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Hear Jesus in Jn 14:1 as He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Hear Paul in Phil 4:6 say, “Be anxious – for nothing!” So what is it today friend? What’s the Trouble? The Anxiety? What is disturbing you? Whatever it is, you don’t need to allow them to overwhelm you. Rather, believe in God. Believe in Jesus your Savior. They love YOU. They proved it at Calvary.

The disciples were troubled and anxious in Mk 4. They were crossing Lake Galilee heading to the Gaderenes, when a storm of incredible magnitude descended on them. Huge waves covered the boat. It was terrifying. And Jesus? Where was Jesus? Must have been SUPER TIRED, because He was sleeping in the back of the boat. In a colossal storm. Have similar instances happened to you, my friend? In a terrifying place, and in your mind you know Jesus is with you. Scripture says so. But how come He’s so totally disinterested? We are perishing and He is catching up on sleep. Don’t we count? Certainly that’s what the disciples likely thought.

They awaken Jesus, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” they say. They can play the blame game very well! Jesus quiets the storm: “Hush. Be still.” Calm ensues. He asks, “Why were you afraid? How is it that you still have no faith?” Friend, we may not see Him, but God is near. With us always. Don’t give place to fear, but FEAR NOT.

Where was their faith? In a bad situation faith, or lack of it, is revealed. They were overwhelmed by the magnitude of their circumstances – the waters were covering them! I can understand their fear. It appeared to be a life and death situation with death gaining the upper hand.

Whatever our situation, FAITH makes the difference. Live by faith in the son of God. Walk by faith in Him, daily. When the “NO’s” surround you, resist them. Exercise faith in God in those impossible circumstances, with the people who say, “NO WAY.” Be confident in your God. Make your prayers and petitions known to Him. His peace will guard you. And, HIS POWER and AUTHORITY will turn the NO’s into YES!!!

Yes – keep faith in God for your situation. You will COME ALIVE – right in it!

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In Jn 14:1 Jesus is giving a final address to His disciples before He is arrested. He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” The world of the disciples is about to be turned upside down. Jesus gives them a good word; an amazing word to prepare them.

He does the SAME for you and me today, my friend. Notice it speaks of a choice: when troubles surround you, you can LET THEM engulf you or you can choose to NOT LET THEM. But how?

The verse continues: “Believe in God.” That’s the God who spared not His own son but delivered Him up for us ALL. That’s you. And “Believe in Me,” Jesus said. Who willingly went to Cross bearing our sins and their punishment – because of LOVE. God WILL help. He WILL get us through.

So what is it today friend? Trouble? Anxiety? What is disturbing your mental calm and contentment? What’s the worry, distress, agitation? Affliction? Dilemma? Impossible situation? What’s the heartache? The heartbreak? You don’t have to LET them overwhelm you. Do that by believing in God and His Son Jesus.

In Phil 4:6-7 Paul says similar words: “Be anxious – for nothing.” How, Paul? How? He tells us, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” So, in our believing we talk to Jesus, we talk to our heavenly Father about every burden, every trouble, my dear friend.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.”

We live in an anxious and troubled society today, folks. Instead of hugs from loving people, instead of acceptance and forgiveness, people get isolated on the internet and their mobile devices. They get insulted, mocked, ridiculed, blamed and bullied. They may need our help. To believe. To pray.

Help them, to believe in God, with whom all things are possible. Help them, to believe in Jesus, full of mercy and grace, already demonstrated at Calvary. Help them to pray, humbly making requests to God in an attitude of appreciation. His peace will become the guardian of their hearts and their minds. And ours.

We won’t all go crazy friend, no matter the circumstances; we’ll COME ALIVE!

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In Gal 2:20 Paul said the life he now lived, he lived by faith in God. How could he do that? Because, he writes, he knows God loves him and gave up His life – for him. What a GREAT way to live!

Don’t entertain doubt about God’s goodness, mercies, tenderness, lovingkindness and grace toward YOU. See Jesus at Calvary bearing YOUR sins, taking ALL the accusations against you to the cross, and receiving the punishment for every failure and mis-deed you performed. True, Paul had many difficulties in life; stonings, beatings, lashings, to name a few, but they were because of the Gospel he preached, not because God was teaching him a lesson or punishing him. It is the same with us. Do you understand?

I love the simplicity of faith found in Mt 9:27-30. Two blind men ask Jesus for mercy. Jesus asks, “Do you believe I am able to do this?” How simple is that, friend? But think about it. At that time the religious rulers taught that all permanent affliction was due to sin and God was punishing these men with blindness. So Jesus’ question not only concerned His ability, but it was flying in the face of Jewish theology. There was more going on here than believing someone had healing powers! They showed simple, but substantial faith, my friend. We can too!

In Mt 8:5-13, Lu 7:1-10 – a Roman Centurion sends his servants to Jesus, and despite being a Roman, a conqueror of Israel, he describes himself as being unworthy of Jesus’ attention, not worthy of Jesus coming into his house. Not even worthy to come to Jesus personally. But he saw – by faith – where Jesus’ authority was coming from – from God, who is so much greater than nations and tribes and peoples. And by faith He understood that he too mattered to Jesus. That everyone matters to Jesus. Even you and me, friend! That’s awesome faith!

Think about these examples. Understand, Jesus died for you and me. Jesus is with us eternally. Don’t ever be afraid of anything. Have faith in God – what you have asked for in prayer is on its way. Believe, and COME ALIVE!

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There’s a lot of nasty stuff happening in the world today. Might even be happening around you. You might be in an impossible situation. Fatal health condition. Might seem like the devil is out to get you, personally. Ouch! 

Well, live like Paul did with faith in God. Gal 2:20. Consider what Jesus said in Mk 11 when the disciples noticed the fig tree Jesus cursed previously now totally dead. Jesus told them God is listening to you! He’s paying attention – to you. You matter to God. What’s important to you – is important to Him. Others may say it’s impossible, but with God involved, all things are possible!

There IS NO HOPELESS SITUATION in God. Jesus in Mk 11:22-24 says, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you (NOW LISTEN), all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you HAVE received them, and they WILL be granted you.

Yes, I know some preachers put the burden on you, to have enough faith, to confess, to stand and so on until you are utterly exhausted and under the weight of condemnation. Don’t believe it! Faith the size of a mustard seed, very tiny, can move a mountain – Mt 17:20, or cast a mulberry tree into the ocean – Lu 17:6. Friend, it’s not about OUR GREAT FAITH, something we can boast in; it’s all about WHO we are TRUSTING: Almighty God!

Dial back from the crushing urgency of the issues engulfing you. Use those eyes of faith. See Jesus at Calvary – for you. See Jesus now seated in the heavenlies upon the throne of all authority. Then pray! Ask for impossible things in your life.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely  give  us  all  things?” Ro 8:32. 

Pray! Believe you’ve been heard – the answer is on its way. It will be as you have believed. You have COME ALIVE to the LIVING GOD!

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Gen 1 – is awesome. In a simple sentence, it confirms our origins: In the BEGINNING, GOD created the heavens and earth.

The apostle John confirms it, beginning his gospel saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. God has created everything, except for Himself.

The author of Hebrews also agrees, opening by saying in verses 2 & 3: “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.  And upholds all things by the word of His power.

The universe was created by God. FOR GOD. Jesus owns the universe. And He keeps it held together – the atoms, protons, electrons – everything. With all this, does  He care for us humans?

Listen to John 1:12&13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

We are not little nothings, of no account. He LOVES man! He LOVES YOU and me! We just heard that He offers ALL men the opportunity to receive Him and in doing so they become CHILDREN of GOD. A child has a like nature and character as their parents. WHOA! Did you catch that?

It took the unbelievable / incredible DEATH of Jesus to accomplish all this. Jesus died for US, to elevate us to sit with Him on His throne – eternally. That’s Eph 2:6

Scared of falling from that high elevation HE has put you in? Don’t be! Heb 4:14 Jesus our great high priest is always making intercession for us – eternally!

And remember all of chapter 10 of Hebrews: Jesus came to earth to do away with SIN, to do away with the need for a further sin offering. He was the last and perfect offering for sin, forever. Why, He has also done away with even the REMEMBRANCE of SIN!

Today friend, give GLORY to GOD. Praise Him for adopting us, REJOICE — keep on RECEIVING all He has to give you – and COME ALIVE and ALIVER and ALIVER! Forever!

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