Author: Hank

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Let me share a parable with you. There once was man who had grown up in a small town, moved away, and became rich. Very  rich. Unimaginably rich. He loved his home town, and he wanted to do something memorable for it. 

Well, there was the Super Bowl of sports coming. The whole world wanted to go. Ticket prices were stratospheric and hard to get. But his man also had connections. He went and bought tickets for everyone in town. Everyone! Food and beverage was covered. And parking. And hotel rooms. If anyone has been to a big sporting event you know those ‘extra’ prices can be HUGE. Everything was taken care of – all a person need do was say the rich man’s name and it was free.

Special arrangements were made for people in prison and in the hospitals. No one was left out. The rich man sent messengers to the town to tell everyone personally of the Good News. But you know what happened? Many people did not believe it! Too good to true, they said. Free? Then it can’t be any good said others. Some prisoners said it couldn’t be for them, they were too bad a person. Unworthy of such favor. They didn’t understand they would receive white garments to wear with the rich man’s logo on it – no one would ever know what kind of person they had been outside of the event.

Some even beat up the messengers. When the rich man found out, he told his messengers to go out and tell everyone the Good News, not just the town, so all the seats would be filled. He was generous and kind! 

Well they did! For those who believed and went, it was pure Joy and Gladness. Feasting and Celebrating. A time such as they had never experienced before. They praised and thanked the rich man for his love and generosity! Those who refused the invitation—well, they lost out. By their own decision.

My friend, it’s likely you know the REAL Good News about JESUS! I urge to share this Good News with others. That they may believe and receive — and Come Alive! Check out Matt 22 the wedding feast, Luke 14 the great banquet, and John 1:11-12 about believing and receiving for the details!

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The Gospel of God’s Grace declares that His love is greater than your sin, and there is nothing you can do to earn it! 

The only thing you can do is — RECEIVE IT. Don’t hold back. Stop believing untruths that imply God will love you only if you measure up to certain standards. Or get yourself cleaned up. And live right. Go to church. Whatever. You know the drill.

God is NOT standing with crossed arms and a frown when He looks down on you. He has His arms wide open – remember Calvary – the Cross – Jesus’ arms open wide there, in LOVE for each of us. Religion says God is angry and maybe hates you. But grace says God is always in a good mood for the perfect sacrifice has been made and now His favor rests upon you. Religion says you have to get yourself sorted out and cleaned up before you can come home. Grace shouts, “Come as you are!”

You know what you need my friend? You need to let God love you the way HE wants to love you.

Stop putting your own restrictions on His love! God’s love changes us. Just look at that murderer Saul. Literally killing Christians. Then he encountered Divine Love. In a very short period of time his old buddies – wanted to kill HIM, because He was preaching Jesus and His resurrection. It’s time you settle yourself into the Father’s loving arms of love.

While the love of God is transformational, you will not know that unless you go beyond mental assent into actual experience. So how do you receive the love of God? Well, reject those thoughts or mistaken beliefs that God is unhappy with you, or that your sin is a block between you and God. When a person turns to the Lord, He takes away sin. Demons may try to keep you from receiving the love of God, through unbelief. Use Jesus’ name and bind them!
Then, and this is only one possibility, simply get quiet and talk to your heavenly Father – tell Him you receive His love and ask Him to pour it out over you.
Yes, receive His love, and COME ALIVE!

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No one sets out to waste their lives, but this is what happens when we live disconnected from the Author of Life. When we try to write our own story, without input from him, we write inferior stories. Even if our lives have the appearance of success, they leave us empty and unfulfilled because we were not made to live alone. 

We were made to live in communion with God! Whoa! That’s BIG and it’s true! So, I ask you, “How is your relationship with God? How’s it working?”

Some people define their relationship as one of:
– Obedience. “We must obey God and all of His rules and commandments. God sees and rewards.”
– For some, it’s attitude. “We must always make a good effort. God sees and rewards.”
– For some, it’s about sacrifice. “We must give all we can to the work of God. God sees and rewards.”
– For others, it’s about fruit. “We must prove ourselves as His disciples and bear much fruit. God sees and rewards.”

Do you see a common denominator in all these, friends? It is the person. Their performance. And people who say such things are admitting they do not know God very well at all. Their communion at best is that of a mere servant. A rule keeping servant.

Rule keeping IS clean cut in comparison to the confusing freedom of relationship. But to prefer or demand rules is a sure sign one does not know the love of God. Jesus gave His life for so much MORE!

True, when asked Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God totally. But think: commandments are rules, and God’s rules applied – BEFORE THE CROSS – to reveal our need for a Savior. Read Galatians. Hebrews. Romans 3-8.

Now, we have been freed from rule-keeping. Instead of rules, our focus is JESUS. We sit at His feet like Mary did, and receive. Yes, sit at Jesus’ feet. Receive His love. Then arise and give that love away, the love that never fails, to this hurting and needy world.

And you know what? Others will say that the love coming from you is nothing less than divine and causing them – to COME ALIVE!

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The Gospel IS – the GOOD NEWS! First and foremost is the fact that God Loves YOU! John 3:16 begins, “for God so loved the world….” Are you a part of the world? Then you are loved by God! Will He love you MORE if you try harder to keep the 10 Commandments? Most people think so but they are wrong. We live under the New Covenant, not the Old Mosaic one. Our performance FOR God does not determine the measure of God’s love for US.

Is 54:10 tells us even if the mountains are removed, His unfailing love will never be removed – it’s the real thing.
Ro 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Before we made ANY attempt at doing right, at repenting and turning TO GOD, God was loving us and busy opening up heaven’s gates through Christ’s blood. Now THAT’S GOOD NEWS!

What about the wrath of God you may ask? GOOD QUESTION! Search the scriptures and you will find the wrath of God being visited upon the ungodly. Jesus drank willingly of the cup of the wrath of God so it would not come upon anyone who believes in Him as their Savior. Yes, He saves today still!

Furthermore, Jesus is our High Priest, always making intercession for us. That Great White Throne of Judgment in Revelation? Thanks to Jesus has become a Throne of Grace for us to approach confidently, with the expectation of finding mercy and grace – Hebrews 4:16. The love of God has covered all the bases, my friend.

How about Jer 31:3b in The Message? “Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them! God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!””

Many people think of God’s love in terms of their own love: weak, conditional, seasonal, whatever. God’s love however, is unfailing and unconditional. 

Today, wondering where is God? Are you wondering if He cares for you? Look at the CROSS. It is a mighty declaration of God’s grace and favor. It’s the Good News. 

Yup, look at the Cross, my friend, and COME ALIVE!

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The Gospel is called the GOOD NEWS! It is all GOOD News—there is NO bad news in it! You DO know that, right? The Gospel is an announcement – a Savior, who does not play favorites, has come and completed His mission: to save all of humanity. He succeeded, and forever we shall be singing and shouting His praises!

Many Christian’s perceptions of God are of Him looking down from heaven with a frown on His face. They believe He is displeased with them. That their Christian performance is not good enough. That is NOT True. Jesus’ blood covered every sin and failure and He has given us a new heart so we don’t want to do iniquity. Thanks to Jesus, God is eternally pleased with us – IF – and there is only 1 “IF” – you believe this GOOD NEWS! Believe it! Call out to Jesus today.

Don’t you see Jesus’ love for you revealed at Calvary? It’s true. Jesus took care of our sin issue there, and that’s the truth. When we believe in Him, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He makes us a holy vessel, His sanctuary, His dwelling place. We are not some kind of vacation cottage that Jesus visits from time to time. NO! We are His dwelling place. He lives in us now and He will never leave us!

Learn what it means to have Jesus living IN you. It’s better than that 100 million dollars I mentioned last message. Paul calls this learning “working out our salvation.” Phil 2:12. Don’t ignore Jesus within you, but learn what it means to walk through life WITH THE LIVING GOD! As you do so with humility, you will find this outworking of your salvation being accompanied by that fear and trembling Paul mentions.

How do you, discover the Mighty God of creation within you? Begin responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Soon you’ll be overcome with joy and gladness of heart as you realize God cares for you. About every thing in your life. YES! Don’t you see? This working out of your salvation is helping you – to  COME ALIVE!

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I’ve been sharing about the Gospel. You know, it’s THE GOOD NEWS! Just how good? How about this. Suppose you have a huge mortgage and are not making the payments. And you have 2 car loans and you are behind in both. Plus medical bills, college loans, and your credit cards are max’d out. And you have been laid off work. You are in bad shape!

So you go to the bank in hopes of gaining a little time on your payments. The bank manager sits you down – this doesn’t look good. But he says, “The most amazing thing happened. Earlier today a stranger came into the bank, and he paid your mortgage in full, plus the penalties. And paid off your car loans. And your college loans. And your credit cards.” Glad you were sitting down because you would have fallen over!

“And that’s not all,” the bank manager says. “That same fellow put 100 million dollars into your bank account and said he’d be back from time to time so you would never run low.” Run low on 100 million dollars? Friend, that’s a Great Salvation in the financial realm!

In the spiritual realm our situation was much much worse; we each had a debt would could not begin to pay! A sin debt, and it was killing us. But Jesus came and paid it all in full! Now get this, Ro 8:32 says “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

What could be better than 100 million spiritual dollars? How about God’s promise to give us all things—starting with Himself. Yes, that’s right! You heard me. First He had to change us into new creations where the old has passed away—old, like sin and failure and defeat. And made us into new creations that could relate to Him.

Then, as Col 1:27 says, Jesus Christ came to live IN us, each of us, to walk through life, to enjoy life with us – eternally! That’s a Great Salvation! And it’s ours!
Dear friend – this – is the true Gospel – believe it – receive it – and COME ALIVE!

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I’ve been sharing about the Gospel, the True Gospel, you know, the one with great joy just like the angel said. The one with a Great Salvation because a Great Savior, God Himself, Jesus Christ, who is at the center of things. Everything!

The True Gospel is the one that leads us to the all sufficiency of Christ Jesus. It is the one that reveals the beauty of Jesus and our dependency upon Him. Is that the gospel you have learned my friend? Or does yours leave you to your own willpower and resources to measure up to God’s requirements? Well, that’s Old Covenant friend – it’s time to move on!

Remember: the True Gospel is all about Jesus and what He has done – for us. Other messages that spin the focus on you and YOUR performance are not genuine. Grace, and Gospel is the Good News of God’s grace toward us, will point us to the CROSS where our sins were dealt with – once and for all. We are no longer sinners held captive to sin. We are new creations, free in Christ, and learning to walk.

Again, the True Gospel will point us to Jesus and the Cross. We do not work for forgiveness. It was paid for and freely offered at Calvary. Are you a believer in Jesus and what He did there? Then you already have forgiveness – remember, Jesus paid for EVERY sin at Calvary. Not most, but ALL. You ARE forgiven. There is no longer any memory of sin. Heb 8:12

Ro 5:17 says we have been given the GIFT of His righteousness – we have been placed in full right standing before God. Forever. How good is that righteousness? 2 Cor 5:21 says it is “the righteousness of GOD in Him” that we’ve been given. That’s total and forever approval, my friend!

Think about that – you will soon be jumping in joy and hugging your heavenly Father without fear as the revelation sinks in. So, stop trying to pay for what God has freely given. Open up your Bible – read about the true Gospel – and COME ALIVE!

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I love in Heb 2:3 how the author refers to “so great a salvation.” The author is shouting, “Don’t miss this salvation, folks!” The LORD was the first to fully declare it, he says, and then God Himself testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit.” God does NOT want us to overlook this Great Salvation, either. It’s Good News!

Can you imagine those scenes in Bible times? The GOOD NEWS being declared: God loves you; He has sent us a Savior: Jesus, who has taken our sins to Calvary; turn from idols to Jesus today. And BOOM, there are these miracles and signs and wonders everywhere, so people would not miss this GREAT SALVATION.

So how’s your gospel? Counterfeits of the True Gospel may sound appealing, but they don’t actually work; they do not set us free. Instead of lasting peace they bring burdens of DOUBT, DEBT, DUTY, DEPRESSION. There is no Great Salvation in them!

Gal 3:3 says when we got saved, it was by the Spirit. Then Paul goes on to ask, having started that way, are we now trying to make ourselves complete by our own efforts? Are you working at staying saved by your strength or are you learning what it means TO BE SAVED? It’s a Great Salvation, folks!

Does your gospel cause you to focus on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith? Or does it make you self-conscious? “I have to pray, I have to fast, I have give.” Are you worn out over good works, missions sacrifices, and sowing into the Kingdom?

Don’t misunderstand me; it is not that these things are bad – but – if your thinking is that God’s favor depends on your performances in those areas, you have been believing a lie! You are trying to pay for what God has freely given!

And that’s a counterfeit gospel. You cannot pay for God’s Great Salvation – but you CAN receive it! This Great Salvation— eternal life, intimacy with God Himself, came at unimaginable expense, an expense that Jesus has paid in full – so that we – could COME ALIVE!

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The true Gospel? It’s REALLY REALLY Good News!

Before I became a Christian, I thought God was displeased with me. Maybe even angry. I’d heard about Jonathan Edward’s sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an ANGRY God.” Hmmm, that message, while it brought results in 1741 as part of the Great Awakening, gave me a picture of God as someone I certainly did not want to meet, for I already knew by the time I was a teenager that I was a sinner. The future was scary to me. Maybe I could ignore God and God would ignore me? You can see that I did not know the Good News. 

Maybe you are in need of some GOOD NEWS today—well here’s some: 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the appeasement)  for our sins.” Before you and I were born, my friend, God took care of all our sins before we could commit them. That’s GOOD NEWS! 

Here’s another one, that explodes my mind when I try to comprehend it: 1 John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” Imagine, not slaves, servants, robots, but His own children – able to call God our FATHER, to call upon Him at any time for help, for encouragement, for, for, ANYTHING! That’s GOOD NEWS!

And 1 Cor 13, known as the LOVE chapter. It reveals God’s nature, for God IS love. Consider these words: “God is patient, God is kind; …God does not act unbecomingly (in other words, He does not put you down); God is not provoked, God does not take into account a wrong suffered.” Have you trespassed against God? He does not take into account that wrong suffered; for Jesus has already accounted for it, dear friend. That’s who God is, and it’s mighty GOOD NEWS. 

Believe upon Jesus, Acts 16:31, call out to Him, Ro 10:8-10, you will be saved—and become His child. That’s all that it takes from us: believe, call out, be saved, become HIS OWN! And you know what? You will – COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 72 the Gospel (part c) 

Recently I’ve been asking the question: do you know the true Gospel? It’s not a trick question, it’s just that so many people don’t really know what the Good News is.

So far we have learned that God loved the world, loved us while we were still sinners, and that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place, taking our sins and the punishment they deserved. Then, in proof that the plan was successful, Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and took His place at the right hand of the Father; His work of accomplishing our salvation—was FINISHED.

Do you believe this Gospel? God willing to die for us rather than live without us–whoa! God, who loves us unconditionally–double down amazing! This is the true nature of God – that’s why I’m calling it the true Gospel.

There’s more to the Gospel, much much more. Jeremiah says, and it is repeated in Heb 8:10, that He has written His laws upon our hearts: we no longer have a heart of rebellion toward God, we WANT to do His will from our hearts! He has changed our hearts, and that’s Good News! And He has written His laws upon our minds: we can know, thanks to the Holy Spirit, what the will of God is.

We have DIED with Him to the Law and to sin and its power. Ro 6:2, 11. We have been placed into UNION with God Jn 14:20; Col 2:6. No wonder Jesus could say He would be with us always. Mt 28:20.

We have been forgiven for all time. Acts 5:31 We are His eternally, friends! Not conditionally accepted based on our behavior, but forever accepted. We are never in the dog house, my friend!

Got a storm in life? That’s not the time to doubt your relationship with God. Don’t think that God is punishing you. Storms do come in life. To everyone. But be secure. JESUS is ALWAYS THE ANSWER and He’s our Good News! And He intercedes for us eternally. Heb 7:25. So stop worrying, my friend, and COME ALIVE!

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