Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Here is a stone: petros, or Peter to you and me. In Jn 1:42 when Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, Jesus says to him, “…you shall be called Peter — a stone.” Then in Matt 16:18 we find Jesus saying to him, “…you ARE Peter…,” but remarkably Jesus never calls him by that name! Perhaps he had to grow into it.

Listen to Mt 16:13-18: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Stones: Jesus calls Peter a small stone, Petros. Then He says upon this R O C K I will build my church — the word for rock is petra, a huge stone. At this time the Nabataeans were thriving in the city of Petra in Jordan, population over 20,000 people, carved from a single huge rock! What imagery for the church!
30 years later when Peter is writing his first letter, he refers to Jesus as a Living Stone, and those who believe as living stones being built up into a house for God. This moment was cast in stone for him!

Peter was given a revelation by the Father: he heard it. Then he spoke it. Could this be the spiritual rock Jesus was referring to: the Church triumphant, comprised of those who have received a revelation of Jesus Christ, who declare it and in so doing become part of the living stones of this Church that hell cannot overcome!

My wife states she grew up in a Christian home, did all the church and Sunday school stuff, was even a theology minor in college, but it was not until, as Paul says in 
Gal 1:16, that God was pleased to reveal the Son in her, that she truly saw Jesus for who He is. She spoke it out — and CAME ALIVE!

How about you, friend? May our God reveal Jesus to you today — make that confession: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, your Savior, and Come Alive!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place

Here at Hank’s Place the focus is on JESUS – and what happened, what JESUS did at Calvary. Mankind’s sins were placed upon Jesus, the punishment for those sins given to Jesus – and righteousness imparted to us; that is, to anyone–everyone who believes upon Jesus! He even made us what Paul calls New Creations in His righteousness. 2 Cor 5:17.

There has been a superseding of the covenant God put into effect at Mt Sinai, with a better covenant, one of grace, in Jesus’ blood; a covenant in which God has sworn to do us GOOD – again, to anyone, everyone, who believes in Jesus, God’s son, our Savior.

This is an amazing truth. Friend, we need to go beyond mere mental assent of this truth, to go beyond mere marveling, and BELIEVE it, and step into this new identity we have been given! Do you believe the words of 2 Cor 5:17, that you are a righteous new creation? Is that the identity you identify with?

This is so important! Consider: in Matt 16, after some 2 years of being together, Jesus asks his disciples who do the people say he is; then, he asks who do they, the disciples, say he is. They respond with what the people are saying, but have no answer themselves until Simon Peter gets a divine revelation: “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God” he says!

There is much more to this, but today let me ask you a 3 part question about your identity: 1) who do people say YOU are? 2) who does God say YOU are? And 3) who do YOU say you are? For what you believe will mean the difference between life as God has intended for you, or what the devil has desired for you – or somewhere in between! I urge you, don’t settle for less than God’s truth about you!

Know this, dear believer: you ARE righteous. You have been made an HEIR of God and are FAVORED of God, because of Calvary. Toss out any doubt about it! People, parents, loved ones, teachers, co-workers may say another thing; but I say: BELIEVE God’s word concerning you; reject the lies, and you – will Come Alive! 

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Previously, I was sharing with you the nearly unimaginable truth of the Gospel, the mystery hidden for long ages, but now revealed: Christ IN you. The Anointed One living in anyone who believes in Him – outsider, insider, with or without pedigree, Jew, Gentile – whatever, for God loved us and gave up His life for all of us while we were yet sinners.

The great I AM is within us. We were never meant to go through life doing the best we can and hoping for mercy on Judgement Day. No way! Life’s journey is taken with Jesus IN us. The Emmanuel (God with us) of Old Testament prophecy has become God IN us — that’s far better! We have been given a new life and this new life is in Him and Him in us. This new life is NOT obtained thru hard work and disciple. This new life is RECEIVED by trusting in a good Father who delights to share His life with His children. That’s the Gospel truth!

Consider: 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.”

This is amazing; Paul reveals the Father HAS blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ. He mentions the heavenly places because God’s will is always done there – here on earth there are doubters and devils, and both interfere with His will being done — but that discussion is for another day. Friend, God is on your side; He is not holding back on you. Not sure?

Consider:
Jn 14:14 ‘“If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.”
Jn 16:23 “If you ask the Father for anything in my name, He will give it to you.”
Ro 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us ALL things!”
So much for prayers ending in “…if it be thy will” and the demonically inspired twist on Phil 4:19, “He’s only promised to meet our needs and not our wants.” Follow these lines of thinking and you’ll be sinking into double-mindedness: don’t go there!

When it comes to you, dear friend, God desires intimacy. He yearns to share LIFE together with you, in loving intimacy, sharing your thoughts and emotions, the things that are on your heart.

God has already blessed you by sending His son to live in you and because of that, all spiritual blessings are yours. You are NOT a creature of LACK! It is time to move out of the doubting shadowlands, friend. Get to know Him intimately, and you’ll Come Alive!

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Most Christians have zero understanding of “Christ in me.” Let me help you a wee bit with that today, all right?!

When an outsider looks at the Cross, he may be puzzled—what sort of God are they telling me about? One who demands blood sacrifices? Yuucch! One who even demanded the death of His Son? Count me out! What they fail to see, but you can help them to see: is that the Cross is the focal point, the ground zero, of the greatest rescue mission in all time. By the greatest super-heros ever: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Don’t sell the Cross short, friend, and what was accomplished there!

Col 1:13 says the Father rescued us from the the domain of darkness and transferred us, in an instant, into the kingdom of His beloved Son. And the previous verse says the Father has qualified us – I’ll say it again, the Father has qualified us, to share in His inheritance. In Col 1:20 Paul states that Jesus has reconciled us through the blood of the Cross. Jesus also QUALIFIED us to receive God’s infinite inheritance by making us holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. At the Cross! What a team of super-heros!

Then Paul speaks of the mystery of God, also called the mystery of the Gospel, which is Christ Himself. Col 1:26-27 tell us it has been hidden for long ages, but is now revealed. Christ has at long last been revealed — the very riches of God’s glory shining. And shining where? IN the Gentiles who believed! The Gentiles, without any genuine religious history, traditions, practices, no priesthood, no commandments. Those ignorant gentiles! Christ was shining in THEM!! Christ IN you, my friend. Christ in me! IN! Not over there, over here, not in Jerusalem, but IN EVERYONE who believes, period.

When you believe on the Lord Jesus — He comes to live IN you. All the riches of glory, in the form of none other than Jesus Himself, has come to live IN you.

When Moses asked who was speaking to him through the burning bush of Exodus, the reply was, “I am.” This same “I AM” is IN us today, dear Christian.

Are you sick? Listen to Jesus in you say, “I AM your healer.” Oppressed? Hear Jesus in you saying, “I AM your deliverer!” Depressed? Jesus is saying “I AM your joy.” Agitated? “I AM your peace.” I AM your provider. I AM your salvation. I AM your blesser. IAM your future. I AM the answer to your every need, and I live IN you.

Get ahold of this today my friend, and Come Alive!

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2 Cor 5:21 is one of my favorite verses – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The Father placed our sins upon His innocent son Jesus, who, out of love, took not only them but the punishment sin deserved – and gave us in exchange a gift: His own righteousness. Ro 5:17 declares it is a gift, it is nothing we can earn.

And what is righteousness? It is defined as being made acceptable to God and placed in right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness. We are treated as righteous by God on account of what Jesus has done. You have become God’s child, totally approved by Him in every way – as a gift. I tell you, the Good News is awesomely GOOD!

For years after becoming a Christian I tried to find my approval before God through what I did, and my efforts were driving the very life out of me. I could not see the truth of 2 Cor 5:21 or Ro 5:17, and why not? I’ll tell you plainly: from childhood I had a demon of unworthiness in me – it would continually tell me I was not good enough, what I did was not good enough, and when I became a Christian, it would tell me again and again that God was not pleased with me.

I am sure most all of you have that same or a similar demon in you, even though you are a Christian. And that’s GOOD NEWS! What? True! Because you can cast out a demon and be done with it, without counseling, without drugs, therapy, or 12 steps.

After years of suffering, I began learning about righteousness! Then, in the early morning hours one day, I had a migraine headache and asked Mary to pray for me. She was mostly asleep and mumbled, “I command that demon of unworthiness to come out of Hank.” She didn’t know the name of it; the Holy Spirit revealed it to her.

And by the power of the Holy Spirit that thing was tossed out of me – in a moment, and I was FREE! Having total self-confidence. Total lack of fear. Knowing I was one of God’s sons and He was pleased with me. My life changed from that moment on — I had Come Alive as never before!

If what I’ve said is resonating within you, my dear friend, rebuke those demons. Cast them OUT. If you don’t know how, get in touch with us. We can help you get free of those hindering spirits so you can receive the truth and Come Alive yourself!

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NEW, the dictionary says, means not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time.

2 Cor 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” So, per the definition, he is something that has not existed before. AND, the old things passed away. BEHOLD [take a look]! NEW things have come.

Yet awhile back I heard a preacher give a lengthy sermon, in a church filled with believers, and the entire message was directed to the OLD MAN. He spoke about us being fallen creatures, awash in our own failures. Unable to stop sinning. He sounded humble when referring to his personal failures.  I considered throwing up. I went to him afterward and indicated I believed the Bible when it said I WAS a sinner, but now I am a new creation, old things have – that’s as far I got before he cut me off, stating emphatically he also believed he and we were new creations.

I was totally speechless. A preacher man. Preaching to the old man. Trying to comfort the old man in his weakness and failures and sin. But this same preacher man was saying he believed  he was a new creation. Mixed covenant preaching!

Dear saint, no wonder so many in that congregation were sick, were suffering mental and emotional issues; and why a number had died. Like I said last message, DO THE MATH of Romans 5, 6, and 7. Do the math of Col and Eph. RECKON the old man dead. Put him in the dead column of your accounting books. RECKON the new man alive to God. Put yourself in the ALIVE column.

Thanks be to Jesus and His Great Salvation! When we believed in Jesus, calling out to Him to rescue us, He did just that, and placed us into Himself. We ARE New Creations: sons of GOD! Period. Not sons of GOD and sons of the devil!

My friend, don’t get confused like this preacher I’d heard. You are not both creatures. That morally weak and sinful old creation is dead. Don’t receive sermons directed to that dead man; don’t receive thoughts that imply he is still alive. Don’t you see? When Jesus saved you, all things became new — and you – had: Come Alive!

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Question: how’s your Gospel? Solid? Or have you been sold a bill of goods? If there’s no joy in your Jesus, no life in your living, prayer life on life support and your outlook gloomy—then you need to check out the TRUE Gospel. Because it’s GOOD NEWS.

Let’s review: Ro 5 tells us sin came into the world through 1 man, infected the entire world. There were no survivors.… But then God’s man  dealt with sin and Righteousness was offered to all. As a GIFT says Ro 5:17. No joy, friend? Then TAKE the gift! If you WORK for it —and mixing covenants will get you doing that — you’ll not have it and your Christian life will be work – hard – unsatisfying work!

Ro 6 has lots more good news. It declares your OLD nature IS dead. You are a NEW man, with a new nature, alive to God. Ro 7 declares you ARE dead to the Law; it no longer has a hold on you, is no longer a requirement; you are FREE to walk after the Spirit. And the Spirit’s law says, “LIFE! In Christ Jesus.”

In the previous message, I told you Paul confused lots of commentators and preachers alike in Ro 7:14, for he employed an ANALEPSIS – a FLASHBACK – to describe the frustration of his pre-Christian life. Many people, who love God, got mixed up and thought we have two natures at war within us NOW, but as a Christian we have a single RIGHTEOUS nature.

Listen! These mixed up, mixed covenant preachers will tell you to be vigilant, to put down that man of flesh, to deny your flesh, carry your cross and such — but I say, read the Bible with a little understanding of Jesus’ salvation. Read, and you would find those verses in Romans and Ephesians and Colossians were Paul tells us to RECKON the old man dead — this is an accounting term, to COUNT — COUNT the old man DEAD, and you alive to the Spirit.

Blind Bartimaeus in Mk 10 is an excellent example! When he heard that Jesus was calling for him, the Bible says he tossed off his outer garment — that’s the garment that identified him as a blind beggar. Can you see this? Bartimaeus could! From that moment he RECKONED  — COUNTED — himself DEAD to blindness and alive to GOD. He RECKONED he was NOT a blind beggar anymore. He was someone whom GOD WAS CALLING! He did the reckoning—and received his sight.

My friend, it’s past YOUR time, for a DEAD Reckoning! You do NOT have old and new natures at war within you. Do the MATH! COUNT the old man DEAD and COUNT the new man ALIVE TO GOD — and Come Alive!

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Last visit we focused on Romans 6, citing 10 verses that ALL pointed to our OLD nature being dead, and the NEW man, our new nature, being alive to God – Hallelujah!

Unfortunately, sin doesn’t like having you dead to it, and hammers so many of us, deceiving to get us believing that the old man is still alive! And Romans 7 seems to say it’s true. Is it?

In Ro 7:4-6 Paul declares we were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ. We have been joined to Jesus – not ‘going to be’ but JOINED in UNION when we believed.

The sinful passions in us were aroused by the Law, but WE HAVE DIED to the Law to serve in newness of the Spirit. The Law was good, because it revealed, in fact inflamed, the sin that was within us. The Law said ‘this is the way to life’ – but was a fault finder; we were never good enough. In fact, Paul declares that the Law was a real killer – because of the sin that was within us.

Beginning with verse 14, Paul employs an ANALEPSIS – today we would say FLASHBACK – to a time when he was trying to obey the Law. Many commentators and preachers forget all about Romans 6 when they read 7, the truth that in Christ Jesus we ARE dead to sin, dead to the Law, and alive to God. They forget Paul just said we are IN UNION with Jesus–that means as righteous as He is righteous, and they make incorrect statements, like the Old Man Sin Nature is still there in us, fighting for top dog status.

Not true! Paul is simply explaining what it was like for him as old Paul the sinner, not as New Creation Paul. He found that even when he knew what “good” was, and even when he tried to do it, that he kept failing. There is no hope in the Law, friends. Trying your best to do what is right and good is never good enough!

But if you turn to Christ: BOOM! Along comes Romans 8 – “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death”

You do NOT have old and new natures duking it out within you. You are not a wretched person but a righteous new creation. Now is the time to renew that old man mind of yours into new man righteous thinking — and Come Alive!

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It’s written: Jesus Christ died for the ungodly – Ro 5:6
While we were sinners He died for us – Ro 5:8
And, we died there, too.

2 Timothy 2:11 “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him.” This is a foundation stone for our new life in Jesus. See your OLD NATURE crucified on that cross with Jesus! DEAD.

That old man in you HAS died. Your ‘ugly past’ ended at Calvary. The person you are now began at Calvary. Do not let the ghost of who you used to be come into your present life. If the devil throws your past in your face, remind him that is someone else’s past, not yours.

If you don’t understand this, you will keep trying to die, practice dying to self, dying daily, crucifying the flesh and so on. That is NOT the GOSPEL! That is man-made religion. AND IT DOES NOT WORK! You will be more SIN CONSCIOUS than ever!

In support of what I’ve just said, consider these quick quotes from Romans 6
6:2 – we have died to sin
6:3 – we have been baptized into His death
6:5 – we are united with Him in the likeness of His death
6:6 – our old self was crucified with Him
6:8 – we have died with Christ
6:10&11 – He died to sin, once for all, so consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God

Face the facts, friend: if you are a Christian, you ARE dead in Christ for you have been crucified with Him. Dead in Christ means dead to sin and this world’s desires. It’s the Gospel truth. It’s THE GOSPEL.

So stop trying to die to self, my friend, but realize you are DEAD in Christ to sin and ALIVE in Christ to God. 

That’s right! Reckon yourself DEAD, and you will have Come Alive!

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We’ve been stating that mixing covenants, Old and New, is commonplace — and will rob you of the blessings of God. Not being blessed? Might be what you are believing! And we might add another mixed metaphor or two, for we’ll be dealing with the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we’ll just want to punt.  LOL

Gen 15:6 states that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as Righteousness. Righteousness—God’s stamp of approval, not for what he had done, but for what He BELIEVED. And what was that? That God promised him countless children and that God would deliver on that promise, regardless of Abraham’s circumstances or performance.

And God DID deliver! Children, by promise, not performance.

For us, on this side of Calvary, the promise is fulfilled. How? Well, WE are the children of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise. We receive the promise by faith in Jesus Christ. Not only are we heirs according to the promise, but we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

All this can sound confusing, so we’ll move ahead by ironing out the remaining bottlenecks. LOL

When we called upon the Lord, He stretched out His hand and rescued us (thank you Calvary!). He took our sins away. He paid our sin debt, taking the punishment we deserved. He took our sin nature away and gave us His own. Righteousness, right-standing with God, is ours by grace.

Not stopping there, He blessed us with all spiritual blessings by adopting us as sons – sons of Abraham, states Galatians, for we believe as Abraham did, but we are also God’s sons, genuine heirs of GOD HIMSELF! And He has given us the Holy Spirit. Sealing us in the Holy Spirit. He has made us partakers of the divine nature – 2 Pe 1:4.

So, stop looking to your performance, mixing covenants, but CHOOSE to walk in the Spirit today with your eyes on Jesus — and Come Alive!

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