Hank’s Place

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Are we as Christians under Law? we live in the world, and the world has its laws: obey stoplights, speed limits, refrain from stealing, and millions more. But what about Bible laws? Are they universal and for all time? Or just sometime? Are they limited, like a restaurant that says, “No shoes, no shirt, no service?” You can walk down the street without shoes, but don’t expect to be served in a restaurant barefooted. 

The answer is – in the Bible! Ro 6:14 says, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are NOT under law but under grace.” The apostle Paul repeats, in the next verse saying, “…Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Never!”

Christians should not live trying to be good, to keep Biblical laws, for we are under GRACE, not Law. But how could all that system prescribed by God, built upon the Pentateuch and Old Testament, be set aside? 

Nevertheless it HAS BE SET ASIDE, for something GREATER has come: Jesus. Heb 7:18 declares, “… there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness.”

We are not saved by Laws, kept by Laws, or supervised by Laws. It is God’s GRACE – from start to finish. “What is LAW in the Bible?” you ask. The 10C’s? Jesus’ words? The words of Paul? Your church’s precepts? You know, it really doesn’t matter – if you believe you will be rewarded for doing “good” and punished for doing “bad,” you are living under LAW. Most of the church lives this way. And the Law is NOT of faith! Gal 3:12. 

Friend, this is why so many believers are having so much trouble in life and God seems so far away. They are trying to keep the law – and since it is NOT of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God, they are keeping God away by their very efforts, and are struggling in their own limited human abilities! THAT is a mouthful!

We are blessed because of who HE is, not what we DO. Grace and Law are mutually exclusive. Like oil and water, they do not mix together!

Today, choose to walk by Grace. Walk in the Spirit, and — to COME ALIVE!

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In the movie “Taken,” Liam Neelson’s character’s daughter is taken by sex traffickers. He tracks them down and says, “If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” A father’s anger at someone who dared to accost his child. 

Now, consider God, our FATHER. Satan, the deceiver, lifted his hand against the Father’s children. In the Garden, the Father promised an offspring would come who would “crush your head” Gen 3:15. At the Cross, through the willing sacrifice of His own Son, God delivered on His promise.

Listen to the truth:
– Religion says we were born criminals. But the Bible says we were born prisoners – to sin. Ro 3:9. Captives, not criminals.
– Religion says we need to be good. To try harder. Jesus says you need to be free. Jn 8:32. Free, not ‘doing better.’
– The natural man thinks he is free, but he is enslaved to all kinds of passions and pleasures and is bound by the fear of death. Jude, Heb 2:15. The natural man is not free; he is a slave. If you subscribe to the notion, “if it feels good, do it,” you are not free but in fact bound by your own appetites. And those who feed them – control you.
– If God be for us who can be against us! Not even our own sin. In fact, He has removed that sin from us. God has qualified us; sin cannot disqualify us! Col 1:12.

So dear friend, you can choose to live according to the old law of sin and death – or life in the Spirit, under the new law, the law of LOVE. Why not, reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God? Then get going with the joyful business of living the Father’s dream – for you. Because of the BLOOD, your sin cannot condemn you; only your unbelief.

Believe in Jesus your Savior, in the Father who LOVES you just as you are. They are FOR you, not against you. Believe — receive —and COME ALIVE!

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In the Old Testament, God appeared distant, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A cloud by day, pillar of fire by night in Moses’ day. Many churches, pastors, preachers present God this way still. Suggesting you have to have a prophet to hear from God, a pastor to shepherd you, apostles to lead you to new ground and so forth.

It’s as though you were deaf or God was talking to His best people and all the rest of us, well, get things second hand if at all!

BUT, when they asked Jesus how to pray, He said, “Pray this way,” and He began a prayer with these astonishing words, “Our Father….” Sixteen times He used the expression our father or your father.

Such a breakthrough! The Old Testament had many names for God, Healer, Provider, our Righteousness, but Jesus gave us a new name, precious, intimate, passionate: “Abba! Father!” Father loves you. He delights in FAVORING Y O U. Because He loves you!

Many know God as well, “God.” Many know Him also as “Lord;” but few know Him as FATHER. If you see Him as distant – or worse, as dead, you are likely to act like a little god – of your own little world, trying to control things and make things work our ‘your’ way. But God is NOT DEAD! Nor far away!

Remember Jesus has revealed Him: Heb 1:3 “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature;” John 14:9 “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” And He went about doing GOOD, healing all those bound by the devil, Acts 10:38. A friend of sinners and outcasts, tax collectors.

Love is unconditional, at least God’s love is. We do not need to do stuff, to get it right, to check off all the boxes before God will love us. He so loved the world that He gave His son. He loved us before we were born. If you are listening to preaching that says God’s love comes with conditions; I suggest you — stop listening!

What does God —YOUR FATHER expect from you, want from you, desire from you, my friend? Simply to receive His love. To flourish in His grace. To spend your time exploring His extravagant, limitless love. And — COME ALIVE!

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This world has STORMS! Got one going on in your life right now? Well, check this out.

Luke 8:22 begins, “Now on one of those days….” That could be one of OUR days, my friend. The disciples are crossing the lake, Jesus is with them, asleep in the back. Then BOOM! A MEGA-squall descends upon them. The boat is being swamped! And Jesus? He’s asleep on the job! No, wait — He’s not — He knows you can handle it, by faith. Oh, wait, apparently you can’t for I hear you screaming for help. (Laugh)

The disciples are screaming: ’Don’t you care that we are perishing?’ Hmmm. I’m not comfortable in boats; I would probably hear me screaming right along with those disciples!

Jesus ACTED — because He was ASKED! After hushing the wind and waves He asks them, “Why were you afraid? How is it that you still have no faith?” Apparently, NOTHING is impossible to those who believe (in God). Mk 9:23

Then in Matt 14 there is another stormy lake incident. They were busy crossing over. It was God’s will, they knew it, and were busy doing it. But the wind was contrary. Circumstances were tough! It says Jesus came to them a bit before dawn. Have you been struggling to accomplish in the dark dark night what you know God has told you?

GREAT NEWS: Jesus sees you and will come to you. Oh wait! He’s walking on by! What to do, what to do! Keep struggling to do God’s will in our own strength? Struggle harder, to keep up with Him? How about, maybe, invite Him into the boat?

Hmmmm? Well, it says in John 6 that after Peter got to walk on water, both Peter and Jesus got into the boat and “…and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” I like that, don’t you?

Friend, have faith in God. When life is stormy, Jesus has not forsaken you; He is there. He might be walking by right now! INVITE HIM INTO YOUR BOAT! If you ask Him for help; He WILL help. Friend, He will help you — COME ALIVE!

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I have a question for you – in which Jesus are you believing? The reason I ask is that people may say they believe in Jesus, but have quite a different understanding of who Jesus is from you and I. To make today’s point, let’s boil all the Jesus’ down to two categories.

There is Jesus ‘the man,’ who walked the earth 2,000 years ago. He was a great teacher. He pointed out the way we should live. He died upon a cross at Calvary. 

Then there is Jesus much more than that. Jesus the ‘son of God,’ actually, God Himself, who became a man (Emmanuel, God with us). Who died on a cross at Calvary for our sins, was raised from the dead; who now sits upon the highest throne of heaven where everything has been placed under His feet. 1 Cor 15:27

In both views, Jesus died upon the Cross. In the latter, the Son of God died there for our sins. But now think about this: Jesus on the Cross cannot save anyone. (Pause) Thankfully our second view continues, hallelujah!

OUR Jesus, after being place IN the tomb, left that tomb, being RISEN from the dead. ALIVE forever! Seated at the right hand of the Father, with ALL authority. THIS JESUS SAVES FOREVER, and will save –> whoever dares to believe in Him!

Friend, don’t settle at the Cross. Don’t camp out at Calvary, marvelous as this is. Continue to the RESURRECTION! See yourself united with Him in His death. Crucified with Christ as Paul says in Gal 2:20. And see yourself united with Him in His resurrection, Ro 6:5. See yourself alive from the dead — with Jesus — seated with Him in the heavens, NOW. Today. Eph 2:1-7.

Friend, this is the TRUE reality. Catch hold of it and you will COME ALIVE as never before! The fullness of the blessings of God’s grace come to those who believe in the RISEN JESUS!

Proclaim Jesus as LORD over your life, TODAY. As Lord over any and every issue, any and every sickness, distress, disappointment, depression, failure. EVERYTHING bows to Jesus. Proclaim it. Rejoice in this truth — and COME ALIVE!

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Throughout Scripture there are blockbuster statements! They can become giant bedrocks in our faith. Try this one on. Gal 3:6. It declares, “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was counted to Him as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” That’s having God’s approval – in everything – without having to do anything. Whoa!

In context, Paul is reminding the Galatians that they received the Spirit of God by FAITH – NOT by anything they did, not by praying, fasting, memorizing bible verses, sacrifices, observing feasts. He explains they started that way and God is providing them with His Spirit and performing miracles in their midst by hearing with faith, period.

Sadly, many people – many pastors and preachers even – believe a person gets saved by faith in Christ Jesus, and having been saved, then things change. Now it is up to us to walk the straight and narrow. Up to us to do good works, to sacrifice, pray, fast, maintain perfect church attendance and participation in order for the blessings, the favor, the miracles and presence of God to be rich, real, and full upon us. Sound familiar?

Paul points us back to Abraham, Father of the faith, as someone who had to believe, and only believe – just like us. It is in believing in God that Abraham, and us, are counted as righteous, FULLY approved. Having God’s approval is beyond awesome – and if you are a believer in Jesus, YOU HAVE IT! Shrug off those doubts and condemning thoughts, my friend, that would get you looking at yourself instead of Jesus!

As Gal 3:11-14 tells us: a person can only be justified in God’s eyes by having faith in Him, and not by keeping any kind of laws, even those laws spoken by God. That is mind-blowing! God sent His son. He kept the laws, than become a curse for us, that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham, adoption, the promise of the SPIRIT, would come to…us!

By grace, through faith, you have received the Holy Spirit! Learn to walk in Him, demonstrating that YOU – have COME ALIVE!

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In the book of Leviticus, that’s the book with all the jots and tittles of the Law, we read something amazing! In Lev 25:10-12 it reads, ‘You shall thus consecrate the 50th year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a JUBILEE for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

Then it repeats, in the 50th year, DON’T WORK! No sowing, reaping, harvesting. Rest, rejoice, eat what’s there and receive all your property back.
At the sounding of the trumpet, LIBERTY was proclaimed. Property restored. Debts forgiven. Working ceased. Those who had to become slaves to live were made FREE! Yep, PERSONAL LIBERTY restored. PERSONAL POSSESSIONS restored. And a SIMPLE life with faith in GOD to provide the food a person needed was decreed.

But you know what? Tradition, historical records, and the Old and New Testaments make no mention that it was ever observed! Think about that. It was just TOO MUCH for people to believe God would have them release their slaves, restore properties, and to live abundantly and simply, with food He provided, that they did not work for!

Thankfully, this JUBILEE YEAR was a foreshadowing of JESUS. He began His ministry reading from Is 61 – it’s found in Luke 4:18-19. Vs 19 speaks of the Favorable Year of the Lord: that’s the Jubilee year. Jesus said, “That’s Me! I’m your Jubilee.” Not every 50 years, but all day, every day! And the people tried to kill Him! Can you believe?

Just to be clear, in Jesus our debts to God’s justice are paid! Those who had become slaves to sin and Satan were set free to be sons of God, joint heirs with Jesus. Heaven, the Kingdom of God, our forfeited inheritance, is restored. Without money, without price, without our working for it. That’s Jesus our Jubilee, dear friend!

Celebrate Jesus your Savior today. And tell others the Good News, that they may COME ALIVE!

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In Jeremiah 2:13, it reads, “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

What a picture! And religious people are still doing the same thing today. Rejecting the Living God with His Living Waters, and making their own religious cisterns – full of stagnant water IF they could hold water at all, but they are broken! Are you dry? In a place without water – is church so dry and you feel trapped in a DIY religion where your “to-do” list is off the charts? 

In Jn 7:37-38 it reads, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast (of Tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being (that’s YOUR innermost being my friend) will flow rivers of living water.’”” When you come to Jesus you get to drink from living waters, true refreshment, and you become a conduit for those rivers of living water.

So let me ask you again, is your religious life dry, drier, the driest ever? Come back to Jesus! Religion, religious thinking and practices may have turned you toward their cracked and empty cisterns of promises based upon works and performance, but just come back to JESUS!

In John 4, we see Jesus resting at a well in Sychar, when a Samaritan woman approaches. Jesus asks her for a drink. Jews did not talk to Samaritans, and it was not proper to speak to a woman in public. But Jesus breaks through tradition, religion, custom and prejudice. The woman is shocked. Jesus go on saying, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” He adds, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 

Jesus is giving this Samaritan woman, an outcast, the same message He would later give to the crowds in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles. John 7. No one is left out. All are invited. 

 Dear friend, are you thirsty? Then you are qualified! Come afresh to Jesus and drink from the Living Waters of the Spirit – and COME ALIVE!

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Today we have – Illustrations.

Here we have a bowl of coffee beans. (point to beans) Green. Unroasted. 100% the genuine article plucked from the coffee bushes. When the beans are subjected to high temperatures, they transform into this: (point to bowl of roasted beans). Into something wonderful. Having aroma. Flavor. Taste. Desirable. The heat was external and it transformed those beans.

Can you see that there is no going back for those beans? A coffee bean may continue to think, if it could think, that it is the same old green bean it always was from inception, without flavor, aroma, taste—but it is not! It has been transformed. That bean needs to have its coffee bean mind renewed to the truth of what it has become. To put off the old thinking and think according to the truth. 

It is the same for you and I – we have been transformed by a power external to ourselves: the Holy Spirit! And it is permanent. Friend, if you are in Christ, you are a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Cor 5:17. What once was true about you is no longer true. Renew your mind to God’s truth. You are a new creation and there is no going back!

But we do not yet appear as who we really are! Recently I was in the Franklin, NJ Mining Museum. It holds the world’s largest collection of fluorescent rocks. Here they are. (rocks in regular light). They look like everyday rocks. Completely ordinary. But in ultraviolet light they are gorgeous! Incredibly beautify! (photo)

The world might tell these rocks that they are still ordinary. But something has happened with these rocks! Like YOU! A geologist might ‘find fault’ with my example, but I’m sure you get the point! 

Dear Christian, you may look plain and ordinary on the outside, but Christ is IN you and makes you to shine! Maybe not to everyone but to those who can see in the spirit — they will see: that you have 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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