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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 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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

First of all, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23. The question is how can you grow in grace? How can you grow in grace? Or how can you grow to maturity? There’s another way of putting it. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, that’s okay. That’s good. But what have you done since then? What have you done since you’ve been saved? I want to discuss this with you because I Because I believe it’s something that’s in the Word of God and we need to take a look at it.

So number one there in your notes, spiritual birth must precede spiritual growth. You’ve got to get things right. First of all, you must. No crisis, you’re a savior. All the other things about the Christian life doesn’t belong to you. You have to be a Christian first. So here in the book of 1 Peter 1, look in verse 23, being born. born again, born from above. Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveeth and abided forever.

First thing that you have to do, if you want to go to heaven, you want to be a Christian, you have to be born again. That means you must trust Jesus Christ as your Savior. Know that you have eternal life. Know that you’re going to heaven when you die. And the reason or the only way you can know that you’re really trusting Christ as your Savior and only hope of going to heaven is when you believe in eternal security.

If you don’t believe in eternal security to be eternally secure then you don’t believe the gospel. The truth of the gospel is that when you trust Christ He gives you eternal life and will never cast you out and never lose you. That’s what makes it good news. It’s not good news to have it for a day, for a week, for a month, for a year. It’s to know that you have eternal life and know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die.

That’s what makes it good news and that it’s free. So it has to be free and it has to last forever. Anyone of those missing it’s not good news. So that’s why it’s so important. First of all, you must trust Jesus Christ as your Savior. Now look at letter A under that heading. Spiritual growth is all about progressive sanctification. All right. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were sanctified means you were made pure and holy and set apart.

You belong to the Lord. That’s why God says you are a saint. Now you may not look like a saint and you may not act like a saint, but you are a saint. You don’t have to wait for time down the road to see whether or not, well, that I look good enough for people to vote me in as a saint. You say, whatNear is a saint look like? Look at me. You, when you get home, you look in the mirror and you say, now are they saint?

You say, how come? Because God says you are, has absolutely nothing to do with how you live. You are a saint. God has declared you perfect and righteous and just and holy in his sight and set you apart. You are sanctified because of the payment Christ made on the cross for you. You have been declared a saint. Now, you may not live like a saint. That in your Christian life, you begin to develop certain qualities in your life that are saint ought to have.

In other words, there’s things in your life that might need to be cut off. There might be things in your life you need to put in. So the Bible talks about putting off the old man and putting on the new man. So it’s progressive. You don’t just trust Christ to save your little baby. And all of a sudden, I’m an adult. It doesn’t happen in life that away. If evolution was true, why did we give up one of the most important things of all?

That is, when a little monkey is born, did you know the next day he could be swinging on a tree? Try that with a baby. Why did he leave that most exciting thing of all that he could get up and walk around and run around and swing around and all that? But a little baby is so helpless. He’s so helpless for so long. He is totally dependent upon somebody else to take care of him. But do you want the little baby to stay a little baby all its life?

No. Now God doesn’t want his little babies to stay little babies. He wants you to grow. So sanctification in your Christian life is just simply you growing in the Lord. You’re growing in knowledge of the Word of God and learning how to apply it. That doesn’t happen overnight. Look at letter B. While there is nothing wrong with Ben, a babe in Christ. We all begin there There is something definitely wrong if you remain a babe Now why you’re right here in the book of 1 Peter.

I want you to look down there in chapter 2 and look in verse 1 Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all evil speaking in other words things to put off. Then notice what it says in verse 2, as newborn babes. So a babe in Christ is someone is a newborn. Now if you never had this new birth, you’re not a child of God. You’ve never been born into God’s family. Now you can live all your life and then you’ve heard people say, well, we’re nowhere all the children of God.

No, we’re not. God says they which are the children flesh, these are not the children of God. So therefore you must be born again.” You say, well, I don’t remember ever doing that. Well, then maybe you haven’t been born again. It needs to be a time in your life. You may not remember the day and the hour and all that, but you know there was a time when you trust the Christ is your Savior. Now some people trust the Lord when they’re very young and that’s great.

And they don’t know, I mean, here’s a child that’s three and a half years old, four years old, you know, I turned from a life of wicked sin and I’ll throw away my baby bottle. Well anyway, you are supposed to grow now as a child of God. Looking first Corinthians in chapter three, you’re looking first Corinthians in chapter three. First Corinthians chapter three and if you will follow with me we’ll be able to get all of this done today.

If not, we’ll just keep going until we do get done. No. First Corinthians chapter 3 and look at verse 1, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. Now you know that you’re a babe when you’re born into God’s family. The day you trusted Christ is your Savior. You and all of a sudden a spiritual giant. You may not even know anything about the Bible, you just don’t know, but you trust that Christ is your Savior.

It is the will of God that you begin to grow in the Lord so you need to understand that. Look at letters C there in your notes. When God wants to produce a squash, it takes six months. When God wants to produce an oak tree, it could take a hundred years. Which Which one do you want to be? A squash or an oak tree? An oak tree takes time. Some people are nothing but a squash. And it doesn’t take much for them to be squashed.

You heard about the mama tomato and the baby tomato? They were walking along and the baby tomato got further and further back. So mama tomato went back and… Catch up. That’s where it came from. I knew you’d appreciate that. Y’all are deep theologians here. Look at letter D. The Lord has provided everything you need to provide salvation from sin’s penalty. Now think about it. What you needed to save you from hell, he provided everything you needed. God sent his son into the world.

He lived the perfect life because that’s what we had to have. We had to have a near kinsman, somebody who was a human to live a perfect life, have no sin. And he could be a substitute for it. And he died on the cross. God took care of all of this. He came back from the dead, paid for all of our sins, whatever you and I needed to live with the Lord for all eternity. He provided everything. Now for your Christian life, there’s things that God has provided for you and I to mature in the Lord.

Look at the next statement under letter D. that everything necessary for you to grow as a child of God. Every child of God needs to understand the ingredients that are necessary for them to achieve maturity. Now, when you’re a little small baby, you don’t know anything. Somebody has to kind of feed you a little bit and help you to listen and to grow. And God has an uncanny way of working and dealing with his children. And he’s got children everywhere.

And God allows things to happen in their life. He sends certain people at times in their life that are very important to help that person. It doesn’t mean that all of God’s children respond to God’s intervention in their life. You’d be surprised when you get to have to find out how many times God has intervened in your life at the right time, but you paid it no mind. How that God sent just the right person with the right information to help you, to listen, to grow, mature, and you refused.

Some of God’s children are rebellious. In case you didn’t know that, I thought I’d tell you that. They don’t always walk with God. They’re not always seeking to, that’s why the Bible made this statement. Desire, the sincere milk of the word, desire. That’s something that you need to do. Desire, this, you can desire everything else in the world, but it won’t help you to grow spiritually. Spiritual food will help you to grow spiritually. The things of the world cannot help you to grow strong as a Christian.

So that’s why you need it. Another thing to notice here, look at number two. Spiritual growth takes time. It’s not overnight, it takes time. And God is willing to give you the time that you need to mature. You see, there’s things that God expects from somebody who’s been saved for a while than those that haven’t been saved for a while. So look there in your Bible to Hebrews in chapter five. Hebrews in chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5 and look in verse 12.

Verse 12, for when for the time you ought to be teachers, so there is a time limit in here. And the time is enough that you ought to be doing something that you’re not now doing. So he says, for when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the work of God or the oracles of God. So growth takes time. God is willing to give you time.

This is why when you come to church and you bring your Bible and you read and you study and you mark and you pray and you do the things that God wants you to do, you’ll begin to grow and you develop a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more knowledge. Remember I told you that I used to sit there in church and Betty, my wife, she was raised in church all her life. She knew all the books in the Bible and she could just run through them.

She knew different Psalms, memorized. And here I am with all of my pride. And I didn’t know there was an Old Testament and a New Testament. I couldn’t find any books in the Bible. And the preacher would say, turn to this scripture. And I’d say, where’s she’s turned to? And she would be there and I have no clue where to go. I could stand it. It forced me to learn the Bible because I hated being put down by my wife.

I couldn’t stand my wife being smarter than me. It just does something to you so it forced me to learn. So she’s doing, I think knows more than I do. Don’t ask her, you know. It’s enough that I can try to read her notes here. You know what, Shane? There are a lot of things that I say that you don’t believe, and then there’s some things I say, and you believe everywhere to it. You just believe the wrong thing.

All right, look there in Hebrews chapter 5 and look in verse 13. You must study what it says is the truth. And the truth is this in verse 13, for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness. The word of righteousness means you’re studying the word of truth. Thy word is truth. You’ve got to study the truth. So if you want to grow, you’ve got to know it takes you some time. You’re not going to get there overnight.

Some people want to rush it and you can’t rush it because you see it takes some learning and then takes some application. Wisdom is learning how to apply what you have learned to the experiences in life so that you yourself, you’re growing and becoming wiser. You don’t even become a fool, you wanna become wise in the things of God, and that’s because you’re studying the wisdom that comes from God. And God says that you can grow. Now look at your small letter A there under number three where it has, and we’ve already read the scripture, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word you may grow thereby.

Now notice down here at number letter B, study to show thyself approved unto God. Now this is a scripture, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 and this is what it says, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman. It must be that God wants every one of his children to work. So what is your work in in the Lord. Every child of God is to be involved in the work of the Lord. But he says, you study and studying is there’s desire and study, desire, study it.

That’s on you. That’s not on God, that’s on you. But a lot of people will not desire the right thing and because it takes work, they don’t don’t want to do the work. They don’t want to memorize. Well, I just can’t memorize. It’s because you won’t memorize. You can memorize. You just won’t memorize. It’s just not that you, well, I can’t study it. But you can, but you won’t. Christ made the statement to the fairy. He says, you will not come into me that you might have life.

He didn’t think you can’t come. He said, you won’t come. You could, but you won’t. You can do what you really want to do. It’s just don’t desire it strong enough. And you won’t study like you ought to. It takes time. It is effort. You know, I just don’t have time. Yes, you do. You have time to do everything God wants you to do. You may load yourself down with a lot of things that God doesn’t want you to do.

And then you won’t have time. But what are you doing between midnight and seven o’clock in the morning? So while I’m sleeping, see that? Why are you sleeping? Because you want to. I’m trying to prove a point all. You don’t have to eat three meals a day. Give up one of those meals. Somebody just went into cardiac arrest. Some of you maybe only need two meals a day. And then take that time, study the word of God. It does take time, and it takes effort.

But you’re studying truth, and truth will make a difference in your life. You’ll either study truth or you’re steady alive, whichever one you want. That’s what you’re going to get. But desire it that you may grow there by. So take your Bible and look in 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy and chapter 3, 2 Timothy chapter 3. And this is a great portion of Scripture. Chapter 3, look in verse 16 and notice what the Bible says here. In verse 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.

All scripture is given by God so that we can know what God wants. Look what he says, is profitable for doctrine. What’s right? For reproof, what’s wrong for correction, how to make it right? For instruction, teach it right. In righteousness that the man of God may be perfect or complete mature. Truly furnished unto all good words be able to do all God wants you to do. The Word of God is what that’s for. Now when you don’t want to do what God wants you to do then you don’t have time to study the Bible.

But if you do you’ll fine time. You will make time. So the thing is, is what do you want? You’re only going to live one time in life. There’s no reruns, no instant replay. Just one trip through life is all you get. What are you going to do with it? You get one chance to live. This is the only time you get to serve God on this side of eternity. Don’t you want to make a mark? Don’t you want to accomplish something?

Don’t you want to take advantage of this opportunity that God’s given to us? We can all give all the excuses on why we can’t do it. But God says, it’s my word. Steady it. You be surprised what the Word of God will do to you. What’ll do for you? I was talking to Peter Amato and was talking about the kids that go out so winning. And some people always want to know, well, all those people that you led to the Lord.

Where are they and how strong are they and what are they doing? They may be running around in diapers, but I’d rather run around in diapers than no diapers at all. I’d rather than be a babe in Christ and go to heaven than not get to go at all. But you ought to see what it does to those who go. Those that do work with those kids and those that do go, do you know they grow? Haven’t you noticed how that Jan who was up here just a minute ago, you see how he’s growing?

see his concern, see the compassion. Have you listened to Jesse lately? Have you heard Peter Amato? They’re doing the work and when you do the work, you grow, you get stronger. Because you get involved and you do it, it will work. It always works God’s way. So here in 2 Timothy chapter three, study the Word of God. It is profitable, isn’t that what you want? Look back here to notes. Number four, spiritual growth requires spiritual teachers. I’ve had people say, well, I’ve got the Holy Spirit.

That’s all the teacher I need. Well, evidently, you didn’t read what the Holy Spirit told you to read. When the Bible makes a statement, and we just read it just a minute ago over there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 5 when it says, fourth, the time you ought to be, what? Teachers. Well, if you’re a teacher and you’re supposed to be teaching evidently somebody needs to learn something. You can’t be a teacher if there’s no students. So evidently God wants you to be a teacher so there must be students, somebody to learn.

Can you see that? You’re smart enough to see that, can’t you? So for the time you ought to be teachers, so is there wrong in having teachers teach The Word of God, I believe that it’s what God wants us to do. Look at letter A on the number four. God has given to you the Holy Spirit as your inner and ultimate teacher. He lives inside of you, the teacher of the Word of God. But you know that Holy Spirit that lives inside of you has already lived inside of a lot of the other, older believers, mature believers, and the Holy Spirit that taught them can teach you.

And you can learn faster and you can grow quicker. And instead of taking you 20 years, you might be able to learn it in just a few years. This is why we encourage people to go to Bible college so that you can learn. In a three or four years, what might take you 25, 30 years to learn because you’re learning from the people who’ve already had the Holy Spirit in them teach them and now they’re teaching you. You know that’s the way it is in life.

We assume that parents know more than babies, don’t you? Don’t we assume that it’s going to be the parents that’s going to pose a teach that little baby? And it learns how to walk, learns how to talk, and then you spend the rest of your life teaching and shut up and sit down. But you’ve learned. That’s what you do. Look at letter B there. the Lord wants you to know the truth and he is willing to personally teach you through his Spirit who indwells you.

Let us see, always pray for spiritual understanding and enlightenment like the psalmist says in Psalms 119. When he talks about in 119 Psalm, thy word is pure making wise the simple, enlightening the eyes, more precious than honey and so forth. The word of God is rich and able to make those who obey it wise and the chastening of the Lord and the things that you’ll learn, all those wonderful things that God has given to us in 119 Psalm. Look at letter D.

God also gave teachers for the students. Take your Bible and turn to Ephesians in chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. So the Bible says that when Christ ascended into heaven, what that he first descended into the lower parts of the earth and led captivity captive and brought them out and gave gifts on the men. That’s mentioned up there in verse 8 and 9 and 10 and gave gifts on them in. Now look what He says here in verse 11. And He gave some To the church.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. And verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints. Did you see the word teachers there? Well, if everybody has the Holy Spirit, you don’t need a teacher. Just let the Holy Spirit teach you. Well, the Holy Spirit put it in the Scriptures to have teachers. Teach you spiritual things. Is it possible that I might as the pastor be able to teach you some things from the Word of God that would help you to understand it better.

I got a letter this morning from somebody in another state that heard one of my YouTube messages and emails his thank you that really cleared up and he’s a pastor. Really cleared up my thinking on this. And another one on Calvinism, they heard a message that I did on Calvinism, and I got another email. I have given some of these, I give them to Peter and I give some to James and I give some to Jesse and says, because there’s too many, I can’t handle all of them.

But I figured they can handle this one, they can handle this one, they can handle this one. Some of them they got a dig and you know, they’re a little work. But they can handle that. But some of the ones I think is, that’s just really hard. This is a good one. And now I’m trying to just take care of that. But you’ve got to have teachers. That’s what the word of God says. Look what He says these teachers are supposed to do for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, to all all coming to the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

He hands forth being no more children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. But you learned what the word of God says so that you’re not weak. Now let me ask you this. If you are asked to teach a Sunday school, could you do it? See I can handle it. Somebody else says, well if you give me five-year notice. I’ve enjoyed once in a while when I spring it upon the Deacon Board. I told the deacon that says, be ready always to have a sermon at the drop of a hat.

I said, I’m going to walk into the pulpit and all of a sudden I get sick and I can’t preach. And I says, the only time you’ll have to prepare is from where you’re sitting till the time you get to the podium. You better be ready. Or you’re going to be very embarrassed. But I expect every deacon to be able to teach the Word of God. Shouldn’t I? Shouldn’t you expect that from them? So far they’ve been ready. They live in holy fear of every board meeting we have.

I’m sinned because we have another one right after church service this morning. But to be prepared, be prepared, the boy Scott model, be prepared, on my honor I’ll do my best, take what they give me and still to rest. We’re to be trustworthy, loyal, help-profiliency, courteous, kind of cheerful, brave, clean, and reverent. There’s 12 of them. The 13th Scott law was, I remember the other 12, But you’re to study the Word of God. The Word of God says that, and there’s just a big teacher.

You have been listening to another great message from Dr. Arnold, and we hope that Bibleline is a blessing to you. In appreciation for your support of this ministry, we’d like to send to you a gift. During this month, for a gift in any amount, we’re going to send the Bible promise book. It is a book that organizes verses of the Bible by topic. For example, if you wanted to know of verses that address humility, or forgiveness, or obedience, you would simply find that topic in the table of contents, go to the chapter listed, and there you would find the verses that address that topic.

It’s a wonderful study guide and resource for your own devotions, as well as for lesson preparation, and we’ll send it to you for a gift in any amount for this month. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. 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. Cut up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.