This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the year. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

Now, this thief on the cross, did he have to go to church? If he did it, he would hunt up. He couldn’t go. Could he go get baptized in water? He couldn’t do that either. Well, he could promise the Lord, I promise I won’t do anything else wrong. If that might be the only thing he would have said, it would have been honest. He was dying. He wasn’t getting off the cross. Jesus could have saved him and took him off the cross because others had said, let’s see if he is the Son of God.

Let him come down and save himself and us if he is who he claimed to be. Listen, why don’t he save us then? Well, Christ didn’t keep him from dying, but he told him that when you die, thou shalt be with me in paradise. So that thief on the cross knew something that very moment. He knew he was going to die that day because today shalt now be with me. And when he died, he knew he was going to be with Christ in paradise.

And if Christ is who he claimed to be, God in the flesh. That thief on the cross knew before he died. He was going to be in paradise. And he knew there was nothing that could change it. There’s nothing he could say or do or think that could change it him to him not be there. Because Christ already gave his word. This will happen. You’re going to be there with me. Because he had made the statement, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

So he already knew that this was the Lord and he had a kingdom and he was the king and he was dying. And he says, whenever you die, remember me. And that’s all he did. And he gets eternal life with the Lord forever. So simple. Now what if Jesus had told him, says no, you have to promise not to do anything wrong anymore and you got to go to church and you got to be baptized and you got to promise you’re gonna live right.

I promise. See the Lord saves everybody the same way by faith alone. No one has ever lived good enough to earn eternal life. Nobody. It’s the free gift of God. And so when a person believes that, they can know they’re going to heaven whenever they die. And so he says, from hands forth, thou shalt catch men. That’s a promise. If we do what God says to do, the way God says to do it, I believe we ought to catch fish.

But a lot of people are not doing what God says to do. They’re not giving them a crystal clear gospel. they muddy it up with a lot of things that God never said to do. This is why you hear some people say, you know, good people go to heaven, bad people go to hell. But that’s not in the Bible. Why? There are no good people. They’re all bad. I know even your little aunt Susie, she’s still bad. And that little beady baby that was just born, still bad, it’s a baby.

Got a sinful nature. Don’t believe it, just wait a little bit, you’ll see. as real as real can be. Everybody has a sinful nature and everybody needs a Savior and that’s what the Lord is talking about. While you’re right here look in Luke chapter 2. Just turn back to you, you left a couple pages and you’ll notice there when Jesus was going to be born something wonderful happened. See there in verse 8 chapter 2 and there were in the same country shepherd to bite it into field.

Keep and watch over their flocks by night. Low the angle of the The Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore. Afraid. What were they afraid of? Oh, when’s the last time you saw an angel? I’m not talking about angels that come to church, you don’t say anyone. I’m talking about, when’s the last time you saw an angel? Wouldn’t that scare you half the death? And here’s people out there just doing their normal thing, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Hello, the angel of the Lord, said of them, Behold, I got something for you. So you see there in verse 10, and the angel of the the Lord said of them, fear not, for be whole I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. You know something good to remember. Israel’s got a lot of problems going on over there right now. They really do. And can you imagine go over there and stand upon the highest hill in Israel?

It says, fear not, for be whole I bring you good tidings of great joy. And here comes another missile launch. I got good tidings of great joy which shall beat all people. The best news you could ever hear. And you would think, well, it would be the best thing to do is if they didn’t have any troubles. If there was no Palestinians and no Hemos and none of the Jihatas that are trying to wipe out his, if there was none of those, that would be good news.

No, no, no. This good news overrides all good news of anything in the world. This good news is good news. And why is it such good news? In verse 11, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a what? Savior. That’s something that everybody needs. There will be wars and rumors of wars until the end of time and he says the end is not yet. So I have a choice and I come close years ago because I didn’t like at least 35 years ago.

This nation was pathetic and I thought somebody needs to do something and I thought very seriously about running for office. And I’m talking about the president of the United States. That was burning into my mind. And why? Because I couldn’t believe that it seems like so many people are so naive about what’s right and wrong. You read the Bible and the Bible is truth. Put this truth into your mind and you can discern right from wrong. That’s what reveals character.

But we have a lot of characters up there in Washington, that’s for sure. But they don’t have character. They don’t do things based upon what is right. It’s a which way is it going to be? What’s the opinion poll say? And they do things based upon well what do the people want? It doesn’t matter what people want. It’s what is right. And I thought I’m gonna run for office and my platform is gonna be simple. I promise that if you vote for me, I’ll do nothing for you.

I’ll give you nothing. How many votes you think I would have got? I won’t give you anything, but I’ll let you keep what you earned and we will take and go back to the taxation that we had back before 1913 and before 1894 when they mutilated the income tax thing. But anyway, that’s another sermon for another time. I believe that they’re setting up this country for civil unrest. They are provoking. Have you ever seen a dog behind the fence?

I’ve done that and you poke at him. I used to look at a dog and that was like, oh, and that dog was all right back at me. I’m provoking the dog. I I shouldn’t do that, but I did it anyway. When I was a kid, I wouldn’t do that. No, I’m mature now. But back then I would, ah, ah, ah, and I would, cussle stone that and I would irritate that dog. And I would run up down this, because I had a fence.

He couldn’t get at me. And I knew that. If he ever got all that fence, I would dead meat. But I’d run back and forth and irritate that dog. See, we have people today that are provoking anger from the people, so that it stirs up civil unrest. Because when you get so sick and tired of all the injustice that you see, people are going to take matters into their own hands to solve the problem. And they’re going to clash with government.

And government is going to issue martial law and take away all of your rights. It’s coming. We’re being set up, but understand that. So should we live our lives in fear of what government might do? I don’t believe that we need to. I believe we have the Word of God that can give us all that we need. But He says up there, fear not, verse 10, because I bring you good titans of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Now, take your Bible and look at another verse with me. Look in the book of Haggai. way back in the Old Testament. The book of Haggai is on page 962. 962, Haggai. You need to see this. God, it’s good for you. Haggai, first chapter, and look what he says there in verse 5. The Lord through His prophet tells them, consider, consider your ways. See, if we did what was right. Did you realize the blessing we would have upon us as a nation?

As God had told the children of Israel when they came up out of the land of Egypt, he says, you honor me. You honor me. And I’ll put none of the diseases of the Egyptians upon you. The diseases that we have that is crippling America and all of our power of trying to save our lives and live a little bit longer, you rely what health care does to all of us. And then we fight for this extra years of life to use it for what?

But look at verse 5, now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much, bring in a little. You eat and you have not enough. You drink, but you’re not filled with drink. You clothe you, but there is none warm. And he that earnest wages, earnest wages to put into a bag with what? With holes in it. The more you work and the more you make the least you have. I was kind of like that philosophy I had when I was going to school.

When I went to school the more I learned the more I knew and the more I knew the more I forgot. The more I forgot the less I knew. So why study? Well anyway he says you’re putting your wealth all that you work for into bag that got hold them. So God says there’s a better way. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke chapter 12. Luke and chapter 12, a New Testament, look at what he says.

Luke chapter 12, I’m looking verse 32. Verse 32, God knows what you need before you do. But he says you have not because you ask not. God designed life so people would come to Him. Some of the most, you know, God will take and pull that rug after Monday year. He’ll turn off all the lights. He moves in all the walls and you box as you in because faith is sometimes born and despair. God has to hit, sometimes, hit people over the head with a two before to get your attention so that you’ll listen to what God said.

Faith is born and despair. When you have nowhere else to turn, you don’t know what else to do and God says, hey, Adds up the door to the door to the door and says, hey, remember me. And you don’t know what to do Lord God says, finally I got you where I want you. He wants you to walk with him. He wants you to trust him. But look what he says here in verse 13, fear not fear not little flock.

He says, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. See all of those who trust Christ as Savior, you’re your his flock and you’re going to get the rule in reign with Christ forever and never and ever and never. Then look what he says in verse 38, sell that you have and give arms. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old. In other words, back there in Haggai you had bags that had holes in them and you work and you try to figure out where I can put my money to save it.

Did you know I don’t care where you put it, you can lose it. You can hide it underneath your mattress. Just tell me about it. And then you’ll worry about somebody breaking in and stealing it. There’s thieves everywhere. You can put it in the stock market and lose it. You can put in annuities, lose it. You can put in the bank and lose it. You can put it anywhere and lose it. But we’re safe and secure because FDIC, we know the government’s looking after us and they would never do anything to us.

Well, Provide yourselves bags with wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fail it not. Where no thief approaches, neither muck corrupted. And where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. In other words, God is simply in agreement here over in the Book of Matthew in chapter 6. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where you can’t lose it. You know, how do I lay up treasure in there? I mean, how can I send in that five dollar bill like that?

Lord, here’s my five dollar bill. Put that up there. And put these stocks and bonds. Put those, God says this world is going to all be burn up. It’s not worth anything. But it says lay up treasure in heaven. How did we lay up treasure in heaven? When you serve God, after you trust the Christ of Savior and you turn the life, you know you’re going to heaven tonight? God said, if you serve me, I’m going to reward you.

I’m going to reward you. You’re going to land up treasure in heaven. I don’t even know what the treasure is. I don’t care what it is. But God says that treasure that’s late of in heaven, He says the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And He says that every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. Salvation, going to heaven, is free. But what you have when you get to heaven depends upon what you do for him.

See, me going to heaven is to be called up what he did for me. He died on the cross, paid for my sins, so I can go to heaven. But when I get there, remember in this world, how much did you come into this world with? You are naked as a jaybird. And when you leave this world, you’re gonna leave it the same way. So God says, if I would serve Him while I’m here, I can lay up treasure in heaven.

So when I get there, He’s gonna reward me. I don’t know what it is, but He also says, you get the rule and reign with Christ. A thousand years upon this earth, it will be worth it all. You cannot give God, you cannot out-serve God. You remember Sunday night, I sung a song. And by remember that? How good? Two of you. It was a song called, Whatever It Takes. Now, you probably weren’t listening to the words. Let me just read to the words again.

Because this is you. This is you. You want to lay up treasure in heaven. But you know that after you trust Christ’s Savior, you want to draw closer to the Lord. Now listen to these words. There’s a voice calling me from an old rugged tree. rugged tree and it whispers, draw closer to me. Leave this world far behind. There are new heights to climb and a new place in me you will find. Did you know you’ll find more about God and get closer to God?

It’ll be the sweetest thing you’ve ever had in your life when you make up your mind as a child of God to walk close to your Father, your Heavenly Father. If you don’t, you’ll never experience what that’s really like. For whatever it takes to draw closer to you, Lord, that’s what I’ll be willing to do. For whatever it takes to be more like you, that’s what I’ll be willing to do. Take the dearest thing to me if that’s how it must be.

Not think about that. the dearest thing to me if that’s how it must be to draw me closer to the. What’s the dearest thing in the world to you? What’s the dearest thing in this world to you? Whatever it is, can you say, Lord, take the dearest things to me if that’s how it must be to draw me closer to you? Is he free to do that in your life? Can he, Lord, you’ll get no comments from me. You’ll get no Mormon complaining from me.

No griping from me. You can take my health if you want to. Is there any stories in the Bible where God took somebody’s health away from them? Who? A man by the name of Joe. God took all of his, took away his health. The dearest thing to you, what’s the dearest thing that you have? is God free to take it. What about your wealth? You take all of your wealth, you lost it all. Would you still be just as close to the Lord?

Maybe even closer. See, the pressures of life is not bad if they push you closer to it. The problem is when they become a wedge and they pry you away from the Lord because you look at them and fall in love with the things of the world more than God. So the pressures of life is to push you and I closer and closer to God. Remember, God doesn’t move. It’s you and I that move. And then also the part of the song goes, let the disappointments come.

lonely days without the sun. If through sorrows like you, I’ll become. I love this. Let the disappointments come. You have disappointments? Things don’t always work out. People hurt you. Love ain’t go wrong. And you don’t always have all that you want. It seems like people turn against you for the slide-to-school thing. You name whatever it can happen is God free to bring disappointments in your life in order to draw you closer to him. Another statement, take my houses and land.

Change my dreams and my plans for I’m placing my whole life in your hands. That’s awesome. Think about it. For it take my houses and lands. Take my dreams and my plans. Can he do that to you? Does he have the freedom to do that to you? Now tell me, are you dedicated to the Lord? Do you really trust him with your life? Or do you live in fear of losing whatever your wealth or your health? What if you lost all of your friends they turned against you?

What if you lost your job? You just think about all the things you could But God will allow all kinds of things to push you closer and closer to Him. And then the rest of it goes. And if you call me today to a land far away, Lord, I’ll go and you’re will obey. Is God free to send you wherever He wants? I’ve been in a lot of places. And I just think that I can’t believe that He took this little dumb Georgia boy that don’t know anything.

And God has allowed me to do so many things, go so many places. I’ll go wherever the Lord wants me. I didn’t want to come here, but I think the Lord wanted me here. I didn’t want to be here, but I believe the Lord wanted me here. That changes everything. I had a motorhome traveling around the country. The Lord take my houses, my lands, and I may wind up selling my home up there. I gave that motorhome away. I never know what’s going to happen next.

But you’ll find a sweet piece when you just do what you believe God want you to do and leave the results to him. You don’t know how it’s gonna work. You don’t know how it’s gonna come out. Listen to this last statement in the world, close. I’ll trade sunshine for rain, comfort for pain. That’s what I’ll be willing to do for whatever it takes for my will to break. That’s what I’ll be willing to do. See, he may never call me to go to Siberia as a missionary, but I should be willing to go.

He may call me to go to Hawaii. I hope he does. No. But would you be willing to do whatever it goes? Though he may not. Are you willing to lose your houses and land? Though he may never let you. Doesn’t mean he will, but the willingness, the willingness. Because when you consider I’ve given everything that I have and everything that I am and I put it into God’s hands. And he is free to do whatever he wants to me, my family, my health, my job, ministry, everything.

And I realize I came into this world with nothing. I’ll leave it with nothing. And I’ll be satisfied to have what God wants me to have. And I think that you’ll find out a sweeter piece and you You don’t have to live in the fear of what’s going to happen down the road. What’s going to happen in our country? What’s going to happen in Israel? I know somebody who is concerned about Israel more than we will ever be. And I know that God’s going to keep his remnant and God is still on the throne and he’s in charge.

And that little statement I said, well, Christ, I am the boss. I’m the boss. And everything is under control. like that. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. This wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. God loves us. He hates what we do wrong, but He loves us. And the Bible says for us to pay for our sins, eternal separation from God and hell. So since everybody in the whole world has sinned, everybody in the whole world is guilty and everybody is condemned.

We’re all in the same boat. But God loves us, wants us to go to heaven and to go to heaven, you have to be perfect. He writes this is None of us are perfect. None of us are right. So God says you can’t earn eternal life. So people who are trying to tell you you can just be good. Be good. That means you’re earning it. Well, if you’ve got to be good, that means it’s… Not a gift and it’s not free.

It means you’ve got to work for it. You’ve got to deserve it. But God says, by grace are you saved. Grace is not the same as working for it. Grace means you don’t deserve it. But then you’ve got to be good. That means you’ve got to deserve it. No, which way is it? Can’t be both ways. So God says, this is what He did for us. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin because it separates us from Him.

So Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead, and said, if we would believe that He did it for us, He would put this payment to our account, and we get to go to heaven on what He did. You didn’t earn it, you didn’t work for it, you didn’t buy it, and God gives you as a free gift ever lasting life. If it’s everlasting life, how long would it last? Well, forever. Well, if it lasts forever, all my sins are pain.

Then where will I go when I die? The heaven. So can I know that I’m going to to heaven before I die. Yes, best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed, every eye closed, and no one looking around. And also if you’re watching by internet, realize this then. There’s nothing else that you have to do. Nothing else you can do. Is it just, well, you believe that when Christ died, He died for you.

And if you’re in the auditorium and you never trust the Christ is saved, maybe you heard about it all in life. But if you died right now, where would you go? Are you sure? Positive. Have you really just told the Lord, Lord, I realize I can’t save myself. The church can’t save me. My good works won’t give me to heaven. But Lord, I know that you could, since your son Christ died for my sin, and I believe he did it for me.

And I want to trust him as my only hope of going to heaven. Praying God said, if you would believe that, it would save you and give you eternal life. And And you can know when you get up to leave, I’m going to heaven because today I trust the Christ as my Savior. If you’ve never done it before and you’ll do it right now, I’m going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand. But raising your hand doesn’t save you.

Just let me know that what I said made sense to you. And I’d like to know and I’d like to have prayer for you. So we just slip it up very quickly, put it up very quickly, and we’re going to talk about God bless you. You can put it down. Anyone else? Just slip it up. So yes, that made sense to me. And I want to trust Christ as my Savior. I want to know that I’m going to happen when I die.

Anyone else? If you’re watching by the internet, there’s a little statement on the screen that says, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior. You can do that. Would you let us know? I pray that you will. Father, we thank you so much for your blessing. Thank you for the one indicating that tonight they would trust your Savior and you give eternal life to whoever you believe in, and that we can know that we’re going to heaven. And Father, to know that as your children, we don’t have to live in fear.

We know that the day will come when we’ll leave this whole world. But we didn’t know anything before we came and we still don’t know too much. But we’re leaving with a wealth of knowledge. We know now that we’re your children. We’re going to heaven when we die. And Father, help us to serve you, not because we have to, but because we want to. There’s a lot of people who have never heard this. It’s such good news to know you have eternal life.

So bless each one. Bless those that are watching my internet. We thank you for the Christ name. Amen. Hello. Thank you for tuning in to today’s program. We hope that Bibleline is truly a blessing in your life. During this month to every person making a financial donation in any amount, we’re going to send to you the DVD series, The Poison of Bitterness. In this series on bitterness, Dr. Arnold will explain how we poison ourselves, those around us, and especially our spouses with bitterness.

Everyone can relate to the bitterness because it’s a human reaction to being hurt. But bitterness is a poison that can ruin your life, and this DVD series is yours this month with a donation of any amount. This is one of the most powerful teachings on the Christian life that Dr. Arnold has ever taught, so contact us today for this valuable lesson series. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address.

God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Tada can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon.

Just keep looking up.