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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 air. 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.

But anyway, where are we gonna talk about tonight? The Bible, all right? Let’s… Find something in here. Let’s go to, oh, what’s a good verse. Let’s take a look in. 2 Corinthians. That’s a good chapter. Is that a chapter? Okay. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Now make it 13. 2 Corinthians chapter 13. I want to just read a few things here to you. There’s a lot of people that take a phrase, state amount of context, and then try to make it say what they wanted to say without leaving it in context.

And there’s a lot, you know, about deductive reasoning and studying logic. And there’s inductive. When you read into the Bible, you go into it and you find out what does it really say in in draw conclusion. A lot of people, they approach things. They draw on a conclusion already, and then they go to the Bible, trying to find the text that’ll prove it. And that’s not what we do. We go to the Bible as though we know nothing, have nothing, and see what the word of God says, and draw from it our views.

So anyway, here in chapter 13, the Apostle Paul has been talking to these disobedient Christians, and they were Christians. They were believers. But it says in verse one, this is the third time I’m coming to you. In the mouth of two or more witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before and foretell you as if I were present the second time, be an absent now I write to them which hitherto have sinned. And to all other, that if I come again, I’m going to bring the razor strap.

I will not spare. since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which toward you is not weak, but is mighty in you, for though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lived by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. So examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves, know you not your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobate, but I trust that you shall know that we’re not reprobate.

Now I pray to God that ye do know evil, not that we should appear approved but that you should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. So then in a way this is an interest in the portion of scripture and many Many people have a little problem with that verse 5 where he makes a statement. Examine yourself whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves.

So it’s easy to say, well, that’s because Paul was beginning to question and doubt their salvation because they weren’t living right. And they had all these sins in their life. And now he was saying, you need to really check and see if you’re really saved. That’s not what Paul was talking about. But it seemed like you could make it say that if you wanted to, but if you leave things in his context I’ll find that it’s not really talking about that, but just something I can just show you real quickly.

See in verse 4 For though he was crucified to weakness yet he lived Then he says in the last neck part, for we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God. So they need to examine, say, now, are you living for the Lord? Are you living by the power of God? You need to examine yourself and see whether or not are you living the way God wants you to live. And I do believe this is mainly what he’s talking about.

Are you living for the Lord? You know the Lord. And he goes through quite a few places. He goes through quite a few places and he kind of sheds a little light on that. But let’s just take a couple of looks there in the book of 1 Corinthians. Look in 1 Corinthians in chapter 2. 1 Corinthians 2. And you’ll notice some of the things that he says so that you have no doubt about what Paul thinks about these Christians who were not living right.

So there are a lot of people who teach that if you don’t live right, that it’s a sign that you’re not really saved. And so if you don’t have the power of Christ inNaturally, then it’s a sign you’re not really a believer. And so you got to get things right and all kinds of things. So you become fruit inspectors in your life. But he says there in chapter 2 and verse 5, he says that, and you ought to keep notice of this one little thing and you might want to write it down or just on the line it if you want to.

He says that your faith, your faith, should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Here once again we see this statement about the power of God. And he’s talking about the believers ought to have the power of God in their life. But as you look at their life, they had no power in their life. I believe that once you trust the Christ is Savior, you should have God’s power in your life. lives within us.

And there’s things He wants to teach us. But these believers, well, they had the power of the devil in their life. They had to power the old nature in their life, but not the power of God working in their life. But when He says there in verse 5, your faith. So He’s talking about your faith that you have in the Lord. Look there in chapter 3. Look in chapter 3 and also verse 5. So you know he’s talking to believers but he’s also talking to those who need to have their faith strengthened in the Lord.

He doesn’t He doesn’t tell them to question and doubt their salvation. He deals with the problem in a doctrinal way. He talks about the things that they need to know and understand, and he kind of lets them know where they are and where they need to be. And who is Apollos, but ministers by whom, and here’s those two words, ye believed. So he says you believed and you ought to understand these things, and God doesn’t want all this bickering and backbiting and jealousy and envy and all that stuff going on.

He wants more for them. So he’s telling them down there in verse 8, is this talking to how do we saved or is this about how we ought to serve the Lord, that he says, everyone shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. So he’s using something to challenge and motivate them to correct things in their life. And talking to him about, look, do you realize you’re going to stand at the judgments, say to Christ, and you need to take heed how you build upon this rock?

He talks to him about the gold, silver, and the precious stones. He talks to him about the hay, wood, and a stubble. This all is going to be a wasted life, going to be all burned up. And you’re missing out. So he hits them about serving the Lord, but not trying to get them to question or to doubt their salvation, but why they should really honor the Lord, why they should serve the Lord. Now look there in chapter 15, chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians.

And you know there’s several verses that are mentioned here that are very, important so that you know that he is talking about those who have already trusted Christ as their Savior. And you’ll notice in chapter 15, look in verse 2, by which also ye are saved. If you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. And now of course as you read and study it, you know the only way they could believe in vain is Christ did not come back from the dead.

If Christ didn’t come back from the dead, of course you believed in vain. My preaching is in vain and everything is lame. We have all been most miserable. But did Christ come back from the dead? Yes. So then they did not believe in vain. But He says, you have believed and you have not believed in vain. And so you are a child of God and you are going to heaven and that’s what he’s saying. Look there in verse 11.

And verse 11 says, therefore, whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye did what? Ye believed. So it’s laid out in this very clear, but they believed. Look in verse 14. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vein, and see those two words? Your faith is also vain. But we’re not talking here now about getting them saved again. We’re talking about your faith growing in the Lord. He says you’re acting like little children.

You’re not strong in the Lord. You still need milk and you can’t handle meat because you are divisive and you’re fretting about this and you’re doing this and he names all kinds of things. Fourteen major problems in the book of Corinthians. And so they were a bunch of disobedient individuals. Now look what he says in verse 17. Verse 17, and if Christ be not raised, see those two words, your faith. You’re yet in your sin, but Christ did come back.

So now he’s talking to them. He says, in those scriptures we read in opening, examine yourself whether you be in the faith. But being in In the faith means, are you strong in the faith? Are you standing in the faith? Are you sound in the faith? So when he says you need to examine, now how are you doing? Are you in the faith? Are you sound in the faith? Are you strong in the faith? If you’re not, you need to examine yourself.

Paul says, you wanna examine me? Because you notice in that chapter, there back here in chapter 13 and verse 3 where he says in 2 Corinthians chapter 13, he says, since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, he says, evidently he did because you are my work in the Lord. You are my fruit. I am your Father in the Lord. I led you to Christ. You see that in 1 Corinthians. So there’s a lot of these things that are mentioned in here that we ought to understand, but look in 2 Corinthians chapter 1.

2 Corinthians and chapter 1, and you’ll notice there in chapter 1 in verse 24. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 24. He says, not for that we have dominion over your faith. Now he’s not talking about over your salvation. He’s talking about what you ought to believe. Not like I’m setting myself up as the pope over your life. I’m not the authority in your life, but I want your faith to grow in the Lord. I want you to be strong in the Lord.

Paul was always concerned about them. Well we’re right close there. Look here in 1 Corinthians in chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16. Look at verse 13. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13 where it says, watch ye stand fast in the faith. So don’t always seem that whenever you see that in the faith, whether you be in the faith, well that means meaning you better check and see whether you’re really saved or not. He’s not talking about salvation. He’s talking about are you strong in in the faith?

Are you standing in the faith? Are you sound in the faith? Because he says, stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men because I say quit men don’t quit. Be strong. Be strong to carry through to do or to perform something to the end so that nothing remains to discharge or perform completely so that when you get through it, like you can say I finished my course. I ran raised that God said before me and I finished my court, but some people are not running.

They didn’t know there’s a race going on. But we’re supposed to stand the way God wants us to, to have a sound doctrine come from, like I said before, sound doctrine from sound words. And that’s what produces a sound mind. So we read and we study the word of God so that we can know what God wants us to know. Now take your Bible and look in 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy and chapter 2, we’re becoming back to 2 Corinthians, so just always keep your place there.

But 2 Timothy and chapter 2, there’s a word that’s used here and it’s used a number of times in Scripture. It’s found there verse 15, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 where it says, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Now why do we study the word of God so that we can be approved as a workman? So this word approved It’s the same word that’s used over there where it talks about apostate or the word, I guess you could say if you look at it, it doesn’t sound very good that you are a reprobate.

But it’s talking about more than just being disapproved, it’s being disapproved as though there is no hope for you. You’ve turned against it, you rebel against serving God, and you’re just a case for God to take on home. And that’s why he says, many are sick and weak, and some are dead. Because you know the truth, you’re just not going to obey the truth. And you have rebelled against it. And God’s talking about, we study the Word so that we can be approved to be a workman.

they were not being approved. They could not do the work. They were still like babes in the Lord. They were not maturing in the Lord. And so this verse gives us a meaning because of the context, what it means to be approved of God as a workman that need if not to be ashamed. So whenever Paul makes the statement in 1 Corinthians 9, look over there real quick in 1 Corinthians in chapter 9. You’ll notice he uses this word again and it’s the same word that’s used over there but it’s cares with it a lot more meanness in this like criminal intent.

So first Corinthians in chapter 9 Paul says that we’re all in a race. In other words it’s not a race against another Christian this is why if you could only understand we never race against another Christian so don’t compare yourself with them. It’s like, you know, there’s 10 people running and you’re comparing yourself with who you’re ahead of. But there’s somebody ahead of you. But your race isn’t against them. You’re racing against time. You’re racing against the devil. You’re racing against that old sinful nature.

You’re racing against all the trials and tribulations and the problems, the obstacles that are in your way to keep you from doing what God wants you to do. That’s why you should never be envious of another Christian because it has nothing to do with your race. Your race is your race. It is your course. It’s what God has for you and God will allow all kinds of things to happen but you’re running an obstacle race and the thing is that you want to run your race.

Now here, yes, he’s referring to the Olympic times that was in his day but he says in that race, you know, you’re like running against somebody and one receives the crown. Well, I don’t receive a crown if I beat you. I receive a crown if I finish my race. If I do what God wants me to do, if I finish my race, my course, if I finish, I’ll get rewarded for what I did, has nothing to do with competing against anybody.

When you understand that, it will help you so much in the Christian life. part of your running, your race is trying to help another brother run his race. You’re supposed to help one another finish their race with joy, but I know Christians who try to put Christians down, try to hurt Christians, cause them to stumble. Bad examples for them. Anything they can trip on them, trying to hurt so they won’t finish the race. So it makes them mad so they want to get out of the race.

That is not the Christian life. I hope I’m being clear on this, but look there in verse 24. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain every man that’s striver for the master is tempered of self-control and all things. Now they, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible crown. So we’re talking about the believers. This is Paul trying to motivate carnal Christians to run the race.

It’s not talking about how to be saved. And so he doesn’t say a whole bunch of things trying to get them to, well it’s a sign you’re not really saved. Paul doesn’t deny their faith. It’s just that they’re not living their faith. There’s no power in their Christian life. They’re not running the race. They’re not running to win. They’re comparing themselves among themselves and they that do that the Bible says are not wise because your race is not with them.

Your race is what God has set for you to do. You remember in the book of John last chapter when God was talking about John? And Peter says, what about John? And Jesus says, it’s none of your business. As you get the phraseology, but you just do what I told you to do. Don’t worry about John. If I want John to last, wait until I come back. What’s that to you? So then he started her gossiping again. And it got out that John not going to die.

That’s not what he said. But it never stops. Look there in verse 26, I therefore so run not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beat at the air like a shadow boxer. Nobody there. Just wasting your time, spending your wheels accomplishing nothing. And that’s what most Christians are doing, just marking time, getting nowhere. How many of y’all been in the military? Are a few of you have. You know what mark time means? You have March and step right where you are.

You’re not going anywhere, but you can stand there and you can mark time all day long. But I love the March. I used to love the March. Oh, I love the March. And we would have, when you get out of step, if you get out of step, what are you supposed to do? You just skip. If you skip, you get right back in step. It’s so simple. I’ve watched guys when they get out of step and they try and figure out how to get in step.

Just keep walking, just, and there you are. Just skip. You’re right in step, huh? Three, two, three. Oh, fiddle fiddle. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I might have known that was coming. So we don’t have to learn how to skip. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. That was for those that could not keep me, and they always sort of left, Link. Give me your lift, right, and lift, give me your lift, right, and lift.

Anyway, I’ll get signed right here, look in verse 27, but I keep under my body, in other words, I keep my body in subjection because I can’t trust my body. My old sinful nature lives in my body, and my body is a good tool to use, but it’s a bad master. Don’t let the desires of the body control your life. And you be surprised how many are controlled strictly by the body. The things you see and hear, touch, taste, feel, want, desire.

It’s all about the body. And the body is temporary. And there he goes, the hay, the wood and the stubble. But he says here, but I keep my body under subjection. Bring it under subjection. lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be disapproved, disapproved for service and disapproved for rewards. So instead of studying the word of God so that you can be approved under every good work, you might be disapproved. That means you’re not fit for service.

There were people in boot camp that had to be washed out because they couldn’t even finish boot camp. went through book camp twice. But anyway, it is so important to realize this word is disapproved to be rejected for service. Now go back there to the book of 2nd Corinthians in chapter 13. 2nd Corinthians, does Paul doubt their salvation? No. Do they examine their works? That’s what they should do. Did Paul say they evidently they weren’t saved? No, He didn’t say that.

But he does tell him some things. So if you’re looking again in verse five, because he right above that, they had been putting pressure on about the Apostle Paul. So when you read 1 Corinthians chapter nine, and says, Paul talks about have not either right to take a wife and kids and so forth. Don’t I have a right to live with the gospel? Don’t I have, but he says, I did not abuse my power in the gospel. Let somebody would say, He says, did I do you wrong by not letting you take care of my financial needs?

He says, I supplied my own needs. And just so I wouldn’t be chargeable to any of you. He says, did I wrong? Yeah. He says, forgive me this wrong if I did that. He says, but I didn’t want somebody saying Paul’s just doing it for the money. So he says here and you’ll see that if you just look really quickly right there in chapter 11, where he says in verse 7, have I committed an offense in abasting myself that you might be exalted because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely.

I robbed other churches, taking wages of them to do you service. And when I was present with you and wanted, I was chargeable to no man. For that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplies, those poor people in Macedonia. He says, in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you. And so will I keep myself. And he says in verse 11, why? Because I don’t love you. He says, God knows. Sometimes the more you love somebody, the more it hurts.

It hurt Paul that they felt about him the way they did. And this is why he also made the statement. If you look there in verse 14 of chapter 12, he relates it to a family that has children. He says in verse 14, Behold the third time I am ready to come to you, And I will not be burdensome to you. For I have, but I seek not yours but you.” That’s not what I’m not seeking, what you have, I’m after you.

And if you read the book of Thessalonians in chapter two, where Paul talks about when he came there, the way he was, his character, the way he behaved himself when he came there. He says, you know quite well what I’m talking about. So he says here, and I will not be burdensome to you. For I seek not yours but you. for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you.

Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. You know, he’s talking to carnal Christians. Do you think they really appreciated what Paul went through to get the gospel to them? I don’t think so. I think they just took them for granted. They listened to what other people say, and they were carnal. And if you read chapter 11 all the way through and see what Paul went through, they get the gospel to them. And then for them to say and do what they’re doing and questioned, they said, wait a minute, in verse three of chapter 13, since she seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, I got a question for you.

You need to go and examine yourself. Is Christ speaking through you? Did not I lead you to Christ? Why do you say over and over again? Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ. Paul lived in such a way he could actually tell people, look, follow my example as I follow Christ. Every one of us should be able to say, follow my example. Even if it’s not perfect, shouldn’t get you into too much trouble. People ought not to get into a lot of trouble if I follow your example.

When you think, what kind of a Christian are you? I’ve had people say, Yankee, you ought not to tell people that. Well, the Bible said that. The Bible even says somewhere be thou an example of the believer in word and faith and charity and so forth and Timothy over there. So yes, it does say that. And we’re supposed to example. Hello, this is Peter Amato from Bibleline, and I’m excited to tell you of our free book offer for the month of January.

During this month, for a gift in any amount, we’re going to send to you the mysteries of the New Testament. Have you ever wondered what the mystery of the gospel was or the mystery of the blindness of Israel? How about the mystery of Babylon? Well, we’re featuring a book written by Dr. Dan Arbeghast that explains all these mysteries found in the New Testament and we’d like to send a copy to you for a donation in any amount. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road Tampa, Florida, 33634 or you can call toll free at 1-800-576-3771.

We hope you enjoy the teaching of Dr. Arnold and thank you for your continued support and prayers. Once again, contact us today for this wonderful book on the mysteries of the New Testament. 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.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon just keep looking up