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A RIGHTEOUS NEW CREATURE

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

You can never get any more righteous than the moment you are born again and washed in the blood of Jesus! Mark Hankins

Righteousness is yours through faith in the precious blood of Jesus. God has not only forgiven the sinner, but He has made him His very own righteousness. He has not only forgiven the one who believes in Jesus, but He has forgotten that he has ever done anything wrong. (Isaiah 43:25-26) You are not only forgiven, but you have been recreated with God’s own righteousness imparted to you. We have been recreated in righteousness.

Jesus has given you His standing with the Father God. Jesus has let you share His place with God. Your place of righteousness is in Christ. In Him you are free from the power, control, and effects of sin. In Him you have confidence in the presence of God. In Christ and by faith in His blood, you have boldness not only before God, but also before your adversary, the devil, who comes to accuse you. You are a righteous new creature!

Confession: In Christ I am free from guilt and shame! In Him I am free from inferiority and unworthiness!

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SUBSTITUTION, IDENTIFICATION, UNION

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

Your identification with Christ is activated by your identical confession of faith of who you are in Christ. Mark Hankins

Everything Jesus did, He did for you; it is set to the credit of your account as though you did it. This is the progression from substitution to identification and union with Christ. When someone is born again, He is a new creature in Christ Jesus; old things are passed away and everything is new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) God would not make an unrighteous new creature. If you are saved, you must be righteous.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, you were justified or declared righteous. You could even say that Jesus was not raised from the dead until you were declared righteous. The penalty for sin was paid in full and God declared you righteous. This is the reason the Gospel is good news to every person!

Confession: The penalty for sin was paid in full and God has declared me righteous!

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YOU ARE FREE

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor… preach deliverance to the captives. (Luke 4:18)

Your release from prison has been accomplished through a price that was paid on your behalf. Mark Hankins

In Jesus’ first message, He declared that He would “preach deliverance to the captives.”(Luke 4:1)  Beck’s translation says,“He sent me to announce to prisoners, ‘You are free.’”  Jesus is not talking about His jail ministry. A prison ministry is a great ministry, but there are many people held captive who are not behind steel bars; they are behind real bars.

Only Jesus can bring deliverance. Only the power of the Gospel can bring freedom. Your redemption was legally purchased through the blood of Jesus. His death and resurrection have established a new, universal fact for every man.  Jesus purchased your freedom. That means the prison doors of Satan, sin, and sickness are open and the prisoner is legally free! The prisoner does not have to sneak out some dark night; he can walk out in the daylight because he has a legal release!

Confession: God has given me a legal redemption. I am free because God is righteous and He has righteously effected my release!

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GOD’S MASTERPIECE

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, you are not just a different person; you are a new kind of person! Mark Hankins

While preaching in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre. With over eight miles of galleries, one million works of art and more than 400,000 masterpieces, I knew I would not be able to see everything. So I headed right for the Mona Lisa (one of the most world-famous masterpieces) and spent extra time there. If you see all the other paintings and sculptures, and miss the Mona Lisa, you have missed the most important work of art.

The same is true of the Bible. It contains the world’s greatest collection of God’s works of art. However, if you see all the beautiful pictures in the Word of God and miss God’s greatest masterpiece, then you will have really missed the Bible.

The Bible is the story of man’s redemption. The Bible is about Jesus, our Redeemer, and His work. All sixty-six books contain pictures of God’s plan and purpose to restore man to Himself.

Confession: I am a new creation in Christ. Old things are passed away, and everything made new. I am God’s Masterpiece -a man in Christ!

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THE SECRET PLACE

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:5-6)

Moses was getting in on God’s plan of redemption— man belongs at the right hand of God—meaning in His presence. Mark Hankins

When I was nineteen I went to my daddy’s church one day and began to pray. After praying in the Holy Ghost for two and a half hours, the Spirit of God fell on me. God spoke to me, “There is a place for you by Me. I want to show you your place.” The Lord took me up into the heavenly places in a vision. I saw a big rock. God said, “This is your place–right by Me! I have had your place by Me reserved for you even before you were born. I prepared it ahead of time. There is deliverance, healing, prosperity, victory, and blessing in that place.”  In His presence I experienced joy and victory like I had never known.

I didn’t know about Exodus 33 until several years later. God had spoken to me exactly what He spoke to Moses: “There is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock.” (Exodus 33:21)

Confession: God has a place reserved for me in Him. God has raised me up in Christ Jesus to be together with Him in heavenly places.

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