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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 1-800-800-800-800-800. hundred five seven six three seven seven one online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calbury of Tampa dot org we pray that you’ll 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 I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Ephesians and chapter one I want to talk to you about a subject concerning the election of God, the election of God.

How God chooses, God makes choices. God has chosen His Son, Jesus Christ, and God elected and chosen the nation of Israel. God has chosen, He’s elected angels, He’s chosen, elected, you and I. But what does it mean when we talk about the election of God, the chosen of God, the predestination of God, the foreknowledge of God. Remember this, foreknowledge is an attribute of God, and predestination is an act of God. One is what God knows, another is what God does.

God may know that you’re going to rob the 7-11 store tomorrow, but God forbid that you would blame Him if you went and robbed the 7-11 store. God is not the author of sin. And so therefore, there are things that God knows and there’s things that God does. Predestination is an act of God as a destiny fixed beforehand. There is the foreknowledge of God. And so many times, and you study the Bible, it’s difficult trying to harmonize some of these things with the will of God versus the will of man.

The decision that God seemingly gave to you and I as free agents to choose. And then it seems like we’re all predestined and it’s not real at all. Can kind of mess up a man’s mind. I have been there and I’ve had to spend many hours studying the Bible trying to get something harmonized so that I could Have at peace with myself. I want you to look there in Ephesians chapter one and verse four. Ephesians chapter one verse four, he says, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Well that’s pretty heavy. You know what he said right there? Having predestinated us. And then the verse before that said, in verse 4, according to us, he hath chosen us. So here’s a couple of the ideas. Did God before the foundation of the world, he chose to save who he’s going to save and those that were lost, well, they were lost already anyway? So the ones that God did save it was still by grace, but God can choose to save whoever he wants as he looks out among you as though you represented the world.

And if I was the Lord, I would say, okay, I’ll save Gina, and I’ll save Wilbert, and I’ll save Cheryl, and that’s enough the rest of you go to hell. Now, what I did could have been by grace because nobody deserved it. But now, are we supposed to thank God? Is that cold and cruel? Why did he let the rest of us be born then? And some use the idea that here’s this sign over hell that we don’t understand it.

It says that whenever you die and you’re an unbeliever, you cast into the lake of fire. And then you’re supposed to think that I had no choice. And then a man goes to heaven. Well, he looks up there when he gets to heaven and he gets inside and looks over the gates chosen before the foundation of the world. Isn’t that wonderful? But the man that went to hell, he looks over the gate, chosen to go to hell from the foundation of the world.

Now, if you went to heaven, you would love that. But if you go to hell, you’re not going to like that. Now, I want you to notice something in his verse. According as he has chosen us and get these two little words in him, God has determined before the foundations of the world to save everybody that believes in Christ. That’s how He chose to save. He chose to save all those that will believe. And He says all those that believe will be holy and without blame before God.

Having predestinated us. In other words, the destiny fixed beforehand. God, before the foundation of the world, shows beforehand that all those that believe that are in Christ will be pure and holy, set apart, and they’re going to heaven whenever they die. Predestination is the security of every believer. Every person who accepts that That payment Christ made for Him is set aside, made pure and holy. God has predetermined that all believers, all those are in Christ, God has chosen to save all those who will believe.

God has chosen not to save anybody who does not believe. That’s a decision that He made before man ever got here. So it’s not based upon your good or your bad. Did you or did you not accept that payment Christ made? Now, won’t you take your Bible look over there in the book of 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and notice a very complicated verse, verse 13. Remember, always look at the book and go by what the Bible does say.

Now, I know that it’s possible to twist the Bible any way you want, but I try to harmonize it as best I possibly can. Here in verse, three, it says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. There’s a verse you cannot deny. It says chosen you to salvation. So am I supposed to in my father-in-law the man who led me to the Lord?

We used to go around on this all the time. And my father-in-law who led me to Christ didn’t understand some of this and he got kind of confusion. He had led me to the Lord. And I would get in there and I’d try to figure it out. Now, I don’t understand that. I don’t understand that. How do you reconcile this with John 3 16 that says, for God so loved the world that He gave His only be God? So the whole so ever believe it.

Now, is it who so ever is or not who so ever? He said, well, God chose to say those who He knew would believe. Then why did He let the rest of them be born then? I said, wait a minute. And I had a lot of questions. I was very inquisitive and a very hard headed. And I want everything to be proved to me not by philosophy or reasoning, just show me the book. And then I got to go by this.

Now, nobody said, if I stop where I did, I would be in trouble. But it says, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation and get this through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. When you and I, when we believe the truth, God from the very foundation of the world has already predetermined to save all those, He chose to save everybody that believes the truth. But now notice in verse 14, where unto he called you by our gospel?

How does God call people by the gospel? He says, going to all the world and preached the gospel to every creature. And he says, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. But you see, God does it through the gospel itself. And God will save whosoever it will believe. God is predetermined to save every person that will trust Christ as their Savior. But remember, when He talks about being chosen and talking about the election, it’s not just about being saved from hell.

I want you to take your Bible and turn back there to the book of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah and chapter 42. Isaiah 42. Remember this, Jesus Christ was God’s Son. Jesus Christ did not need to be saved. Jesus Christ did not need to be adopted into God’s family. He didn’t have to have any predestination placed upon Him. Jesus Christ was God’s Son coming to the world and God calls Him my righteous servant. Here in the book of Isaiah chapter 42, look in verse 1, Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect.

In other words, God looked upon the world and the world was lost and God needed a sacrifice and He had one Son. Jesus Christ. God elected. God chose His Son to be the payment for the sins of the world. Now the Son was willing to obey the Father in all things. He was willing to come into the world and to be the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. But God chose or elected His Son because His Son was the only one that qualified.

And notice what He says in verse 1. In whom my soul delighted, I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Now look down in verse four. He shall not fail. In other words, when he’s talking about chosen here and the elect is talking about for service, God has chosen his son to serve him in this way. This is what God wanted his son to do. To come into the world, to down the cross, pay for the sins of all mankind.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged. till he have set judgment in the earth, and the I shall wait for his law. Thus if God the Lord that created the heavens and stretched them out, he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it, he that giveth bread unto the people upon him and spirit to them that walk therein. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and he called him for a reason, talking about his son, Jesus Christ.

Now, notice what did he want them to do? Well, when he comes unto the world, in verse four, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and then that set in darkness out of the prison house. In other words, everybody in this world from God’s viewpoint in heaven is in prison. Every man upon the earth is a prisoner. He’s already a lost man. He is a prisoner upon this earth. He is in prison and he’s blind.

He cannot help himself and the people of the world, though they may have on a three-piece suit, a tie, and they decked out and the women can wear all the fancy clothes he wants. God says they’re blind and they’re naked. They’re wretched. They’re lost. They cannot find their way. They can’t find God. God’s the one who came seeking man and God wants every man to know the truth and to come to the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ so that they can have eternal life.

He says, preach the gospel to everybody in the world, every creature, because God so loved the world and God chose to save anybody, anybody, whosoever would believe. But it’s your choice, it is my choice, whether I will or I will not believe. I chose to accept that payment Christ’s made on the cross for me. God had predetermined before I was ever born, before the world was made, that everyone who believes would be made pure and holy be made a child of God and holy and without spot before Him in love.

Predestined to everyone that believes. This is what God says. Now I want you to take your Bible and look in the book of Isaiah chapter 61 this is also referring to Jesus Christ and he’s talking about My servant my righteous servant. He was elected chosen to do this job He says the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath them known him he’d approach good tidings unto them He this is the very verse that he read when you read the book of Luke When he met the people and he talked to them in the temple and he says this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears and And he says, He that sent me to bind up the broken heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of

the Lord. This was the year. This was the day that God sent His Son into the world, and it was the day of visitation, the day God visited the earth and revealed Himself, and He says, this day it’s been fulfilled in your, and they wished not who it was. They didn’t know who he was. And he came to do a job, and he got on the cross, came back from the dead, and God says, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, and he sat down on the right hand of the Father.

He was elected, chosen to do a job, and he did his job, and he sat down. Now, don’t you take your Bible looking Isaiah, and chapter 45, Isaiah 45. the nation of Israel. God chose Israel. Of all the nations on the face of the earth, God took a man, Abraham, out of the ear of the counties and said, I’ll make a great nation out of you. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he confirmed his covenant with all three of them and said that There will be a great nation and they were.

God chose them for something spectacular. Look in Isaiah 45 and verse 4. For Jacob, my servants, say, and Israel, mine elect, mine elect. God chose to build a nation, a special nation, of a special group of people, for a specific thing. God was going to use the nation of Israel in which to bring the Messiah into the world. God was going to use the nation of Israel to bring the Word of God to the world. And God was going to use the nation of Israel as a testimony to all the world of what God would do through a nation that would obey God.

But Israel failed in so many ways. They failed to obey the Word. But the Word did come to us, and the Messiah did come. But Israel as a nation did not fulfill the obligation that God had placed upon them. They failed miserably and they were scattered upon the face of the earth. And God says that they will be coming back to their land in the last days and they have. And God is going to raise up the nation of Israel.

And once again, they will be destroyed. Israel will be in the tribulation period. And then Christ will come back and power in great glory. And Israel will be born in a day. A nation born in a day believing that that one that they crucified 2000 years earlier was the Messiah and they will believe on the Lord. So these things are written in God’s Word for that reason. To help us to understand what God chose, why he chose. Now notice there in Isaiah chapter 43 and look in verse 1.

He says, but now thus saith the Lord that created the old Jacob and he that formed the old Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. You are mine. You belong to me. You are my special people to do a special job.” And he says in verse 3, “…I am the Lord thy God, I am the holy one of Israel by Savior.” Look what he says in verse 10, “…

ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen.” He says, “…I have chosen you to serve me.” You see, when it comes to salvation, God has simply chosen to save all believe, that believe, he that does not believe is already condemned, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. That’s why he’s condemned. Now because God didn’t choose him, but because he hath not believed. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth upon him.

But God has chosen to save everyone that will believe, but after you are saved, there’s thing God wants us to do. God chose Israel to do a job, but Israel did not do that job that they were supposed to do. Take your Bible and turn to 1 Timothy in chapter 5. First Timothy and chapter 5. You know that by bringing out about Christ being an elect and angels being and elect, I must be heading someplace, and I am. So I want you to stay with me until we get there.

We’re not there yet. First Timothy and chapter five, look there in verse 21. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels. Now the angels didn’t need to be saved, so you can always take the word elect and just say, well, talk about saving from hell. No, Christ didn’t need to be saved, but he was an elect. Israel as a nation did not need to be saved from hell. You call you save individuals, not nations.

Angels are also elect. Means they were chosen by God for something. Well, what did he want the angels to do? He says here, I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels. The angels that God has elected are chosen. Remember Satan let a rebellion. And one third of the angels rebelled against God. But God has a purpose for his angels. Well, what is that? Take your Bible-looking of the Hebrews, just turn to your right a few pages.

The Hebrews and chapter one. Hebrews and chapter one. The Bible says in verse six, as he compares Jesus Christ with angels. Remember the Bible says that Christ was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death, but only so that he might redeem mankind and lift us above the angels. So he says here in verse six, and again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, referring to Christ, he said, and let all the angels of God worship him.

One of the purposes of angels that God has for angels is that they worship God, they worship God. But also he says this, in verse seven, and of the angels he sayeth, who makeeth his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Interesting. I wonder what he means by all of this. Well, everybody says in verse 4, are they not all menersteins, spirits, minister, four of a day of salvation. Everyone who trusts their Savior in her eternal life.

We inherit a home in heaven because we’re the sons of God as a son of God, We are heirs of God and join heirs with Christ. So all of us that are heirs of God, God has chosen, elect angels to come into the swirl and to minister to you and I, but their spirit that you cannot see. How many are here this morning? I don’t know. How many do you have? I don’t know. And I don’t care. All I know is this is the Word of God.

And I believe the Word of God. And I believe that there are angels of God that protect me K M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M

M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M Now, you and I don’t have to be afraid of anything in this world.

Remember in the Old Testament there was a story where the prophet of God was kind of nonchalant and not word and the Syrian showed up, whole army. And his servant was afraid. He said, what are you afraid? He said, look at all of them. And he said, yeah, but those with us are more than those that are with them. He said, who are you talking about? This is only me and you. He says, Lord, open his eyes that he can see.

And he opened his eyes and he saw a whole army of angels. Oh, they were there, whether you could see them, they were already there, just the man of God saw them. You’d be surprised how God has watched over you and protected you when you didn’t understand how he was doing all of that. You can’t explain some things. And how you just, miraculously just missed this and just missed that and that just happened. And how close she came in.

Oh, you got a lot to be thankful for it. I want you to take your Bible and look there in the book of Colossians in chapter three. Colossians and chapter three. You got Philippians and Colossians chapter three. And I want you to look up there in verse 12. Colossians chapter three verse 12 here in talking to God’s people. He says, put on, therefore, as the elect of God. Now he’s referring to God’s people. You and I are the elect of God.

God has chosen us. God has chosen to save all those that believe, and so when you believe, you are the elect. You’re the one that God has chosen to serve him. You see, God doesn’t want lost people serving him. God wants his people serving him. If you trusted Christ as your Savior, God has chosen you to do a job. God elected Christ to do a job. Did Christ do the job? Wholeheartedly, never failed. Did God choose Israel to do a job?

Did Israel fail? Yeah. God has chosen angels to do a job and some of the angels rebelled against God. That’s where your demons come from, the devil. The angel that God created now. What about you and I? Well, I can’t give account for anybody else You can’t account for anyone else But what about you if you are a child of God Then God has chosen all of his children you’ve been elected Chosen by God to serve him and you’re to be a righteous servant Look what he says.

In verse 12, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved. In other words, God has chosen all those who have been made, puree, by trusting Christ as their Savior. You are called be loved. How do you be loved? Let God love God. God, but will you let God love you? Will you be loved by God? So when you accepted that payment Christ made for you, He says, brethren, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

If you’re saved, you are a Beloved. This is addressed toullivan who are been made pure and holy by the payment Christ made. You’ve been set apart, sanctified, Hologioso, holy, set apart for God for the purpose of service. Look up here. Letting this hand represent you and me and this wallet represent sin. Now we all have sin on us. Everyone here is a sinner. Just like me. We’re all sinners. God loves us. Now he hates our sin, but he loves us.

All of us are in the same boat for all have sin. All have come short of God’s perfection. The wages of sin is death and since every man sin, every man is condemned. And God wants every man to be saved and to483 to go to heaven. So Christ died for all of us. Oh, men, you see, to go to heaven, you have to be perfect, but nobody’s perfect, nobody’s righteous. So that’s why no man can save himself. And so a man cannot do any good deeds to get to heaven because you see, it can’t be bought.

We’re already condemned to pay for what we’ve done. So a man has to be saved. This is Jesus Christ. God’s Son, God chose his Son to come into the world because he had no sin. He was his righteous servant. He took all of our sins, the sins of the whole world upon himself came back from the dead. And God said that if we’ll believe that he did it for us, God is bound by his word. He has to save everyone who believes, whosoever believe it.

For God so loved the world that he gave has only begotten Son, that whosoever be leaveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God from the foundation of the world has predetermined to save all those that will believe. And all those that will not believe God has predetermined, they’ll spend an eternity separated from God and a literal fire burn in hell. Salvation is free. It’s a gift and it’s whosoever believeth. Let’s pray show him. With every head bond, every eye closed, and no one looking around.

I hope you understand what I’m saying. I have no axe to grind. I just want to preach the book. And I want you to understand that God loves you. He sent his son to die for you, to pay for your sins. He said, if you’ll trust him as your savior, he’ll give you eternal life as a gift. You don’t earn it. You don’t work for it. You don’t buy it. And God says, once he saves you, you’re his child forever.

You They are never cast you out, never lose you. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, I hope you understand the importance of telling people, getting them out under the sounds of the gospel. Let God use your power of influence in the lives of other people to get them under the sounds of the gospel. It’s so important. Our Father, we ask Your blessings upon each person that’s here to help them to understand that you have chosen them. They have been elected, unknowned by you, called to serve you, not to be saved, but because we are saved.

And I pray, Lord, that each person here would respond to you, correct anything in their life that needs to be corrected, and I love you with all their heart. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach by the line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10 30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, Calvary of Tampa dot org.

Thanks for joining us on Vital Line and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. to live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.