Author: Hank

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We have been pointing out that the Cross has changed….everything. The Cross tells us Jesus loves us more than His own life! It tells us that if God is for us, nothing can stand against us, not even our own failures and sin!

The blood of the Lamb of God has purchased our forgiveness. Sin no longer has a claim on us, hallelujah! Because it is Almighty Father who has qualified us, our sins cannot disqualify us. The only way a person can lose out is if they fail to believe the Good News!

Before the Cross we were slaves to sin, there was no escape. Try to do good, or purpose to do bad – it made no difference: we remained slaves to sin. But AFTER the Cross we have a choice: stay in the prison or run free. The prison doors have been opened! We can live according to the old Law of sin and death, or live according the Law of the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus! Romans 8:2. Which would you prefer?

If your spiritual life is based on conditions, you are not living in the freedom Christ purchased for you. Let me help you. If you find yourself saying, “I’ll be blessed IF I do such and such,” or, “I missed a blessing because I missed my morning prayer time,” or “I missed sending in my church contribution and now the devourer is going to eat me up!” Well, that tells me you have yet to make the right choice, to LIVE FREE in Jesus! It’s time to STOP IT.

God qualifies us and clothes us with His robes of righteousness. It’s all through Jesus Christ. But if we ignore what Jesus has done, we wind up remaining under the Law.

God did not redeem us because He was looking for a servant. He already has myriads of angels. He redeemed us so He could show us His matchless grace. Think about this: God gave up His son for us. So how are we going to pay Him back? Through unfailing obedience? The Old Testament shows us no one can! Instead of thinking that way, let’s allow our lives be a shining testimony of the generosity of our gracious Father.

Some people say, God will bless you if you do your part. Our part is to BELIEVE what God has done for us, and has chosen to bless us abundantly as we simply believe and enter His rest. 

Today, let’s believe it. Now get those happy feet a dancing, and COME ALIVE!

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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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Welcome to Hank’s Place — Updated Classics

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 Leviticus 4 & 5 for sins and sacrifices for those sins. Talk about discouragement! But AFTER the Cross what can be more plain than Hebrews 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….” Read it in Exodus 20. But AFTER the Cross God says, “I will.” In Hebrews 8:8-12, God speaks His of being merciful to us, His forgetting our sins, His 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 our 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 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, I urge you to 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. Walk with Jesus in the covenant of Grace, and you will COME ALIVE!

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In this series we are pointing out that the Cross has changed everything in the relationship between God and man. Read the part 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.

So 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 to get us ready for Jesus—but Jesus alone is the star of the show. The Law is the prosecuting attorney. The Law condemns us as guilty, but Jesus is the great advocate who sets us free. 1 John 2:1.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that the trials of the Israelites were written for our instruction. One judgment after another for disobeying the Law. We read of their failures to obey, their rebellion, and we understand: NO ONE can obey God’s Laws. The flesh always wins out in the end. All of us DESPERATELY need a Savior! And our Savior JESUS has come!

Here is an example of how the Cross has changed everything. Before the cross Adam’s sin meant condemnation for everyone. Romans 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 Romans 8:1. 

Before the Cross God was distant and unapproachable. Exodus 19:12 reads, “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 Matthew 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 with and within His people – that’s you and me, my friend!

Yes, for Ephesians 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 Hebrews 4:16. That’s right, after the Cross the throne of JUDGMENT has become a throne of GRACE—eternally!

Dear friend, it is past time to get rid of any condemning, works-based, flesh reliant, religious thinking and behavior — and COME ALIVE!

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At the Cross, Jesus dealt with our sins – all of them, past, present and future. Those of all mankind actually. He hung on that Cross while the wrath of God was poured out in punishment for those sins. Jesus took it all, out of love for us, and then yielded up His life — for us. Don’t think for a moment that God does not love you!

In exchange, He gave all who believe in Him, His righteousness. It’s a free gift —but is a gift that can only be received by faith. Jesus also made us heirs of God, sons, with a full inheritance. This is beyond human comprehension.

Now, here is the issue: so many people, including many pastors, seminary professors, TV and Internet voices, miss – the Cross. They mention the Cross, but fail to grasp that EVERYTHING concerning our relationship to God — has changed. They bring Old Covenant LAW, which was NOT written for us who live this side of Calvary, right on into their preaching and teaching. Law and grace mixed together.

Hmmm. They don’t mix my friend. It is a mixture that keeps us from moving forward in who we are in Christ Jesus and keeps us weak, downcast, condemned!

Listen. BEFORE the Cross we were blessed IF we obeyed and cursed if we didn’t. But AFTER the Cross we are blessed because Christ obeyed, and through Him we have been redeemed from the curse of the law.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28, BEFORE the Cross, reads, “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 Paul, writing AFTER the Cross in Ephesians 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 are the commandments? Where are the threats? They are not there. We are blessed because of Jesus work at Calvary.

And how about: Galatians 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. We receive blessings through the grace of God; we DO NOT earn them through works or obedience to a written law.

If you think you have to tick off the obedience boxes, or the servant boxes or the love boxes you will be under the law in no time and be missing out on God’s grace, “fallen from grace” as Galatians 5:4 says.

So, give up trying to earn God’s blessings. Get rid of those check boxes. Rejoice in Jesus and His work at Calvary, — you’ll COME ALIVE!

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Grace – God’s favor, FREELY given us. God’s grace supernaturally empowers us to be and to live as He intended. It is an expression of His unconditional love. Experiencing God’s grace leaves us better than it found us!

Jesus revealed that God sits upon a throne of grace, not judgment. Hebrews 4:16. Some folk come short of God’s matchless grace by believing we are saved by grace, and now have to maintain our position with God through right-living, and commandment keeping. No.

True, we ARE saved by grace, through faith, Ephesians 2:8, but that is just the beginning, dear friend.

Dr Paul Ellis in writing of God’s grace, points out that it is God’s grace that saves us, forgives us, justifies us, and raise us to new life. His grace is not just for “sinners,” for His grace both saves us and KEEPS US. 1 Peter 5:10. His grace builds us up, empowers us to good works, makes us fruitful, prospers us and enables us to reign in life. Check it out in your Bible!

In the Gospels, we see Jesus preaching good news to the poor, loving sinners, forgiving and healing those who had done nothing to deserve God’s grace. He revealed a God who loves us like a Father and asks only that we trust Him.

Grace is a free gift. We can’t earn it but we can fall from it by trying to keep the law; those check boxes of “do’s and don’ts” we all have struggled with. I’ve heard it said many times that God gives us His grace to keep all His commandments. Starting with the big 10 that came through Moses. Moses? Really? The Law? This is a mixed grace message, for it puts the emphasis on you and what you do; not what Jesus has accomplished for you. If you think of yourself as a servant of God rather than His beloved son or daughter, then I suggest you are still short of the abundance of God’s grace available to you.

Does God gives us His grace in order to do good works? God gives us grace because He loves us. There is no pressure, only the freedom to be who God made us to be.

Are there limits to His grace? John 1:16 says, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” He is saying we are receiving limitless grace from the fullness of God’s supply. “Grace upon grace” means God can bless us with wave after wave of grace, like ocean waves, that will never run out!

If we think we have a handle on the grace of God, we don’t. His love and grace surpass all knowledge. Whatever we imagine His grace to be, His grace is greater still!

Allow God to flood your life with His grace. You’ll – COME ALIVE!

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In the first chapter of John’s gospel, he writes that Jesus came into the world but the world did not recognize Him; came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. His own people couldn’t see Him for who He really was, and neither did the world whom He created. Amazing.

Jesus, 2nd person of the Trinity; born to Mary. Theologians agree He was fully man but some have issues with His being fully God. Only human? Partly God? Fully God as well? Did He lay aside some/all/none of His divinity? Philippians 2:7 says Jesus ‘emptied Himself’ taking the form of a man. What’s that mean? Was Jesus less than fully God?

Thankfully other Scriptures provide clarification. In Colossians 1:19, Paul writes that “it was the Father’s good pleasure for ALL the FULLNESS to dwell in Him (Christ).” And in Colossians 2:9, Paul writes, “in Christ ALL the FULLNESS of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

So Jesus in the flesh was something like the king or prince in those movies where they off their royal robes and rings and dress like a commoner and they are not recognized for WHO THEY TRULY ARE — until later in the story. They remained fully the king or prince; it was the people who did not recognize them.

These passages powerfully affirm the fact that Jesus IS God. The fullness, or totality, of God is found in Christ. Everything that can be said of God can be said of Jesus Christ.

So what is this FULLNESS? The fullness of God is the totality of everything God is—His attributes, His character, His perfection, His holiness, His power, His love, and so forth. The fullness of God is His complete nature; it is who He is.

Now for the point of today’s message – and it is incredible..…

In Colossians 2:10, Paul says that in Christ, we OURSELVES have been “brought to fullness.” As Christians we find our completeness in Christ and no one else. Jesus, who is the fullness of God in bodily form, makes us WHOLE by His grace. The nature, the fullness, of GOD HIMSELF, has been given us.

Allow yourself to grow into Him. Paul in Ephesians 3:19 at the end of a lengthy prayer, Paul asks God, by His power, to grace the Ephesians. “…May (they) be filled to all the fullness of God,” he prays. Filled to ALL the fullness of God? Paul is praying we experience the FULL indwelling of God! Whoa!!!

As God indwells believers, we become “partakers of the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:4. The rich treasures of God are available to us, enabling us to live more like Christ.

That fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…. We have the fruit within, so let’s let it out!

Dear friend, may you be filled completely with His fullness, so that His character, His attributes, and His love define your existence. Believe it is possible; Paul prayed for it. Receive it — others will remark, “My, how you have…” – COME ALIVE!

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Jesus last words on the Cross: “It is finished.” John 19:30. The CROSS was the culmination of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Up to that time the Gospel accounts record a time when the OLD COVENANT was still in effect. Under the OLD there were a great many rules and regulations to observe before one could be ‘right with God.’

Because everyone was under this Old Covenant, one could reasonably expect Jesus would only heal, deliver, help, those who were right with God. Right? Those “A” students of the Law. Like scribes and Pharisees.

But wait! The Gospels show the weak, the failures, the “F” students receiving from Jesus. You and me, my friend. Jesus, was by His sacrifice at Calvary, would bring in the NEW COVENANT, a covenant full of God’s saving grace. A covenant where we are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus, not by being an “A” student of the Law. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Wherever Jesus went He offered the blessings, the grace, the benefits of the NEW COVENANT to anyone who would believe in Him. What a mixed up time! The Law in effect, holding everyone in bondage — except when the one greater than the Law was present.

For example, the woman with the issue of blood, therefore unclean, found in Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8, broke the Law to press through the crowd and touch Jesus. She was instantly healed. Her faith in Jesus superseded her breaking the Law.

And the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, John 5, believed Jesus and rose up healed. He must have been a sinner for Jesus told him to go and ‘sin no more.’ What happened to him was impossible under the Old Covenant.

Jesus was the embodiment of the Kingdom of God. In Luke 17:21 Jesus said the Kingdom of God was in their midst. The Kingdom of God was among them because the King was among them. The kingdom can be described as God’s reign and His rule over all things. Certainly demonstrated in the Gospels where time and again the ‘old’ was superseded by the ‘new.’ Why? Because of the presence of the King.

Point for today: where is the King? Many scriptures indicate He now dwells within believers, Col 1:27 for example. Where we go the Kingdom of God goes, just as it did with Jesus. The kingdom’s righteousness, peace, and joy, favor, blessings, grace, mercies go with us, and flow through us – to touch this suffering generation. BELIEVE IT – RECEIVE IT!

Then turn darkness into light, condemnation into liberty. Let the world know Jesus is alive, that God loves them and wants to help. If they will believe, they will be able to receive. Walk with great confidence for your King and His Kingdom indwells you. It’s time to help others – COME ALIVE!

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Mark’s gospel chapter 1, versus 14-15 describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. “Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The Message Bible has Jesus saying, “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.”

Jesus came on the scene preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God; the message of God’s rule on earth. Most people wanted a political kingdom to replace the oppressive Romans. However, Jesus brought a kingdom of love, of grace, of humility. He offered it to everyone, not only the Jew; to be received voluntarily, not imposed by force.

Think of the wickedness seeking to be imposed upon us in America today. Words like oppressive, subjugation, law, and force come to mind. O God, raise up the righteous and cast down the wicked while America still exists!

When Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand,” He wanted people to know that it was near – as close as your hand. It wasn’t distant. NOW was the time for them to encounter the kingdom of God. True, people could not be born again until after Calvary, but with Jesus present, right before you, it was time to change!

The word Jesus used for “time” in the Greek is ‘kairos,’ meaning “the strategic opportunity, the decisive time.” His idea, “The strategic time for the kingdom of God is now. NOW is your time of opportunity. Don’t let it pass you by.”

Hmmm. As Hank always says: Today, NOW, is Your day — to Come Alive!

The word “Repent” means change of direction. Jesus wanted people to know they could not enter the kingdom going the same way they’d been going. They had to change direction to experience the kingdom of God.

You see, repentance is NOT about feelings, feeling sorry for your sin. Repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word. Jesus tells us to make a change of mind, not merely to feel sorry for our sins. Change direction!

Now, this is important: repentance does not describe something we must do before we come to God. Repentance describes what coming to God is like. Example: if you are in New York, and I tell you to come to Denver, I don’t need to say “Leave New York and come to Denver.” To come to Denver is to leave New York, and if you haven’t left New York, you certainly can’t come to Denver. We can’t come to the kingdom of God unless we leave our sin and self-life.

And when Jesus said “believe in the gospel,” He used the word ‘pisteuo,’ speaking of a relationship of trust and dependence.

Today, if you are still seated upon the throne of your life, get off it! STOP living a life of “I will.” Change direction today. Put your trust in Jesus who died for you. Head to Denver from my example.

You’ll – COME ALIVE!

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By the Grace of God – His favor, blessings, mercies, lovingkindness — are ours — and to all who believe in Jesus and His mighty work at Calvary!

Colossians 1:22 tells us He has now reconciled us in His body of flesh through death, in order to present us before Him, holy, blameless and beyond reproach. That means we ALREADY ARE who we have been wanting to be, struggling to be! And someone who the devil whispers we will NEVER be!!!

The next verse may appear to add a condition to this truth, for it says, “if indeed we continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel.” Don’t freak out, dear friend! Paul is simply telling us to persevere in the truth of what Jesus Christ has already done for us, and not give heed to words, or thoughts from the accuser of the brethren, the devil.

Some devilish thoughts come from pulpits declaring WE must try harder, work harder, that we must, in our own strength, put off and put on. And until we succeed in all the areas of weakness we are ‘not there yet.’ This is NOT TRUE.

It is the Blood of Jesus that has already cleansed us from ALL unrighteousness. We already ARE that spotless Christian for we’ve been placed IN Christ and Christ is IN us. We rely now on His power to put off anything of darkness, be it habits, practices, addictions, fleshy desires, whatever. We RESIST the devil in God’s strength.

The third chapter of Colossians is amazing. It says if we have been born again, to keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is. To set our minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For we HAVE died (to this world), and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

The result? We are to treat the parts of our earthly bodies as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which this is idolatry. Yes, at one time we walked in those evil deeds, and many others. But NOW, Paul says, let us rid ourselves of all of them — for we HAVE put on the new self, which is being renewed, to a true knowledge, according to the image of the One who created it.

Can you grasp this truth? We ARE NEW creations. We HAVE received Christ even as He has received us. We are learning by the Spirit more and more of who we really are, and no longer DOING those deeds of darkness we once did.

Paul closes the chapter saying, “Whatever we do in word or deed, let us do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Today, let us live in the freedom Jesus purchased for us. Live according to the treasures of the Kingdom of God of which we are members.

Live life loving lavishly – COME ALIVE!

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