Hardened To The Way!

How is it that the Pharisees and Jews chose to release Barabbas over Jesus? What had Jesus done to deserve the punishment He was receiving? Absolutely NOTHING!

But the people hated Him because He told them that their deeds were evil. And they wanted someone like themselves and Jesus was and IS completely opposite of who they were.

John 7:7

"The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil." 

And like my Master, Jesus Christ, I also testify that the works of this world are evil and have grown worse and worse over the last two millennia since Jesus walked this earth in a physical body.

The times we live in today are not much different than the days of Jesus earthly ministry, and I often wonder how could so many resist God manifested in the flesh? How could they deny His great grace and love? Why didn't they recognize their Messiah? And how could they ultimately charge Him with blasphemy? Crucify and murder the Lord of Glory who was absolutely perfect in every way, without sin and holy, keeping the law of God perfectly.

So many questions and I could go on, but the answer would be the same for them all. They were HARDENED to the WAY! Hard in the heart, depraved in the mind, full of evil and devoid of the love of God. And so is every soul today that is not filled with the Spirit of the Living God and pressing on towards holiness, righteousness, and the kingdom of God!

And if you are thinking within yourself that you would have recognized Jesus, followed Him, obeyed Him, and loved Him to the death, be very careful, and remember the first disciples all said the same thing and all of them left Jesus when the hour of evil came against them. Peter followed at a distance and later denied Jesus three times even after being with Him day and night for three and a half years!

Jesus said this to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:29-32

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt."

Even after the resurrection of Jesus, His disciples hearts were still hard!

Mark 16:14

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

The woman at the well didn't have a clue who Jesus was and didn't even perceive He was different from anybody else until He spoke the revelation He received from the Father about the woman's life.

John 4:7-10, 16-19, 25-26

"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “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.”

"Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."

"The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Wow! What an experience the woman at the well had with the Savior of the world!

Paul had to deal with the same hardness of people who reject the gospel.

Acts 19:8-9

"And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus."

How easy it is to harden your heart to God's word, His grace, His love, you just do what comes naturally when the Spirit comes to convict and lead you to repentance, you just say no, you resist Him, you walk away and go on with your life, loving the pleasures of the flesh and this world.

2nd Timothy 3:1-5

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

Did you know that you can become so hard that you can be beyond feelings?

Ephesians 4:17-19

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Hebrews 3:12-15

"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

If the word of God pricks your flesh and His Spirit convicts you of sin, righteousness, and judgment, don't resist Him, surrender and humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up!

In Jesus,
Tyrone

Times Of Refreshing!

Acts 3:19

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"

Repent means to change your mind and THINK differently! And in the case of the gospel, we should change our minds about the way we live, if we're living contrary to the word of God, change our minds about what we think on a daily basis. 

Converted means to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another. So if you believed in Muhammad and the teachings of Islam, you would stop practicing Islam, repent and be converted to Christianity, follow Jesus Christ and practice His teachings.

So if one repents and gets converted to Christ, your sins can and will be blotted out or forgiven so that you can be refreshed by the presence of the Lord.

So let me go back to the beginning and lay a solid foundation for us to understand why we need to repent and why we should repent.

Genes 3:1-13

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (They covered themselves)

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” and the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

From the first sin, man has been covering themselves, running and hiding from God, our Creator, the life giver, the Healer, the one who blesses us, and saves our soul. Why do we run from God when He loves us so much and only wants the best for us, He wants us to have eternal life, He wants to have a covenant relationship with us, He wants to walk with us in the cool of the day, but we keep running. Running to do things our way, running and resisting, and fighting against God to our own demise. 

Adam and Eve HEARD the sound of God walking in the garden and they HID themselves from the presence of the Lord. They knew God, walked with Him before, but after their sin they felt ashamed, afraid, guilty, sorrowful. Adam said he heard the Lords voice in the garden and he was afraid, he hid himself, he wasn't afraid before, but now, after their sin, he became afraid of God.

Fear is the bane of our existence, fear destroys us, hinders us, and keeps us from living the abundant life that Christ purchased for us on the cross.

Men fear the light, even hate the light, because the light exposes the darkness so you can see what's hidden!

John 3:18-21

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Adam and Eve knew that what they had done was wrong, they disobeyed God and their sin caused them to be afraid and hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. I wonder what would have happened if they would have asked God for forgiveness? But instead they started to play the blame game! Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent! 

What does God require from us so that times of refreshing may come from His presence? Repentance, confession, conversion, obedience, faith, and endurance until the end. 

Will you be refreshed?

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Supernatural Manifestations Of Christ

John 8:58-59

"Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

The bible is full of supernatural events and acts of God from Genesis to Revelation. The scriptures testify of many supernatural works that the carnal mind cannot comprehend, and the supernatural manifestations and miracles of Jesus are no exception.

I want to point out just a few things that Jesus did that may have been over looked. Like the above scriptures when He was about to be stoned. How did Jesus hide Himself, then walk right through the midst of an angry crowd ready to stone Him to death, and then walk out of the temple?

The only conclusion I can draw is that He made Himself invisible! Now remember this is BEFORE His death, burial, and resurrection, when He received His resurrection power to just appear in a locked room and disappear at will.

Perhaps there are some magicians who can do that too, but their power definitely doesn't come from God!

One thing to note here is that Jesus wasn't afraid to speak the truth to those who opposed Him, He wasn't afraid of what would happen because He had all faith and trust in His Father. He knew that His time to die had not come, so He trusted the Father and the Holy Spirit to take care of Him in every situation.

Luke 4:24-30

"Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way."

Here we see Jesus speaking the truth to the religious leaders, and what happened? They tried to kill Him again, this time by throwing Him off a cliff!

But they didn't succeed because Jesus made Himself invisible again and passed right through the midst of them!

John 8:56-59

"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple."

A recurring theme right! Jesus speaks the truth and then the Pharisees and Jews want to kill Him! But once again Jesus hides Himself and walks right out of the temple! The amazing supernatural acts of Jesus recorded for all time.

And what's even more amazing is that Jesus said that those who believed in Him and obeyed Him would do even greater works than He did! Now how is that possible? Christ in us the hope of glory!

John 14:12-14

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

If you believe it, you WILL receive it!

In Jesus,
Tyrone

The Jesus Study

The Jesus Study

· Jesus loves you no matter what you’ve done. He paid the

price for your sins with His own blood.

Ephesians 1:7

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”

Question: What does forgiveness mean?

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender. In the Bible, the Greek word translated “forgiveness” literally means “to let go,” as when a person does not demand payment for a debt. Jesus used this comparison when he taught his followers to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us..” (Luke 11:4) Likewise, in his parable of the unmerciful slave, Jesus equated forgiveness with canceling a debt. Matthew 18:23-35.

· He is the sacrificial Lamb of God and He took away the sins of the whole world!

John 1:29

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Note: Under the Old Covenant, sins could only be forgiven by daily animal sacrifices in the temple by the priests and the sprinkling of the blood on the altar. Under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ was the atoning sacrificial Lamb who willingly sacrificed Himself to take away the sins of mankind once and for all.

1st Timothy 2:5-6

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

1st John 2:2

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

Propitiation - Atonement, especially that of Jesus Christ. Propitiation brings about a change in God’s attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity (hostile) with us to being for us.

Atonement - Reparation for a wrong or injury. The reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ.

Reparation - The act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury. Something done or given as amends or satisfaction.

· Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil!

1st John 3:7-8

“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Acts 10:36-38

“The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

Observation: Jesus has destroyed ALL the works of the devil, and triumphed over every principality and power of darkness. He has the power to heal and deliver everyone oppressed of the devil, and He has been given ALL authority in Heaven AND on earth.

· Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The way: 

John 10:7-9 

“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

The Truth: 

John 8:31

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The Life:

John 3:35-36

“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 6:53-58

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 11:25-26

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Feel free to copy, print, and share!

In Jesus,

Tyrone

Christ, The Power, And The Wisdom Of God!

1st Corinthians 1:18-19, 21-24

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Christ is the power AND the wisdom of God, so why do we hear so many messages like, 'your best life now', 'ten steps to a better you', reposition yourself for prosperity', 'name it and claim it', etc....?  It's because satan knows that if Jesus is preached less and less, and His teachings are not taught and practiced, the people of God will be powerless and without spiritual understanding.

Paul, the apostle who had so many revelations of Christ, that he received a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble, wasn't some great orator and speaker. He didn't come to the people with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and the POWER of God!

1st Corinthians 2:1-5

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

That's the way every minister of the gospel should think, it's totally about the preaching and declaration of Jesus Christ and Him crucified! He IS the POWER OF GOD! How many ministers come before the people in weakness, fear, and trembling? Jesus said His power is made perfect in weakness! That's the way of God! John said 'He must increase, but I must decrease.', it's ALL about JESUS!

So many ministers get up in the pulpit today with lengthy speeches and power point presentations, with beautiful illustrations and displays, but forget about the number one reason they are even preaching in the first place. JESUS!

1st Corinthians 4:18-20

"Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Paul wasn't even concerned with what prideful people were saying, he wanted to see the power! Were they demonstrating the Spirit and power of God? Were they preaching Christ Jesus and Him crucified, that's where the power is!

Acts 14:8-10

"And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked."

Christ, The Power, And The Wisdom Of God!

In Jesus,
Tyrone

Are You Listening?

Luke 9:43-45

"And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying."

God chose the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe, amazing isn't it? The simple spoken word by an anointed man or woman of God has the power to break strongholds and set the captives free. 

But the key to eternity with the Lord lies with your ability to listen first and then apply what you've heard to your life. 

Jesus said that whoever hears His sayings and puts His words into practice are wise.

Matthew 7:24-27

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

For those who hear, but don't put the words of Jesus into practice are foolish (lacks judgement or prudence).

When Stephen inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke to those who opposed him, they could not resist the wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke! But unfortunately they did not listen to the word from Heaven through Stephen, they became angry and gnashed their teeth at him, and eventually stoned him to death, even though his face was as the face of an angel!

Acts 6:8-10, 15, 54-58

"And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel."

"When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

When the anointed spoken word cuts the heart of the hearer there can be two responses; Receive the word, believe and repent, or become angry and hardened to the grace of God.

But if you will listen, God has many promises!

Proverbs 1:33, 4:10, 20-22

"But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

"Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many."


"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 
For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh."

John 6:63

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."

James 1:21-25

"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

Are you listening?

In Jesus,
Tyrone

Renewing Your Mind Series: Are You Carnal Minded?

Romans 8:5-8

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

What do you set your mind on everyday? Is it pursuing your dreams? Your spouse? Children? Work? Girlfriend/Boyfriend? Movies? T.V. Shows? Video Games? Sports? Social Media? Etc.......

If you think about any one or more of the above things all day long, your mind is carnal! 

Paul had to deal with carnal Christians in the first century church.

1st Corinthians 3:1-4

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

So what does carnal mean?

"not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly: a man of secular, rather carnal, leanings." (dictionary.com)

Paul's goal as a minister of God was to present the saints perfect or mature in Christ and he wanted all the saints to have the same mind.

Colossians 1:27-29

"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily."

1st Corinthians 1:10

"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

So what do you talk about after your Sunday morning service? The next professional sports game? What restaurant to go to for lunch? Politics? Who wore this or that?

If you don't pray consistently, study the scriptures, and meditate on the word of God daily, then your mind is carnal!

In Jesus,
Tyrone