This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline, the 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 through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

God is still on the throne. He is still ruling today. He is as powerful as he’s ever been. He has not changed. The devil is not winning. The Lord knows what’s going on. People are not getting away with murder. You need to understand what God is doing. Some people’s judgment doesn’t always seem to line up with what truth really is. But in the book of Psalms in chapter 9, it talks about a personal dedication to God. believing that God is on the throne.

See, if you don’t think God’s in charge, it’s hard to trust the man if you don’t believe he is. God is the ruler of the universe. He’s the creator of heaven and earth. He made this world and he knows what’s going on. And he talks about the kingdom of life, the kingdom of darkness, one where he rules, the other one where Satan rules. But God overrules even in the kingdom of darkness. And so the Bible says here in verse one, if several words are used over and over again, I will, I will, I will.

Well this is talking about David pouring out his heart and he’s saying what I’m going to do and there’s a reason why I’m going to do this. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart I will show forth all thy marvelous works. And when he says I will praise thee with my whole heart, this is not halfway dedication. See, the shame of God’s people today is that they’re not truly dedicated to the Lord. Majority of people are not faithful to God.

They’re not dependable to the Lord. And God wants us to be faithful. Moreover, it is required in a store that are man be found faithful. That means dependable. And when he says, my whole heart means I have made up my mind. This is what I’m going to do. And my life is going to be one gigantic praise to the Lord. Would you say that your life is a testimony to the praise of God that you live because you praise in the Lord for what he has done, what he is doing and what he’s going to do?

You see, many times we can easily accept from God all the things we want and never really thank the Lord for what he’s done for us and is doing for us. But look what he says, I will show forth all my marvelous works. Lord, I’m going to tell people what you’ve done. It’s a shame that so many of God’s people never witness, never testify of how good God has been to them. If God’s been good to you, say so.

Also another psalm he says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Give what else He says in verse two, I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing praise to thy name, O thy most high. So I’m gonna be glad, I’m gonna be joyful, I’m gonna praise. Now does this sound like the typical Christian or the majority of Christians are always discouraged, depressed, down in the dumps, filled with despair? Or do they have hope and joy?

Can they see what God is doing that God is really working in their life? And the reason sometimes because we don’t think that God is in charge, because you and I know that if God was in charge, we wouldn’t have such a mess in this world. Well, the Bible says that God is still on the throne. Well, remember this, when he says that if you serve him, he will bless you. And if you don’t, he will chase in you in order for God to do that, he must be in charge.

That means that God must be watching your life. The things you say, the things you do, the things you think. Because God, if he’s on the throne, is going to act accordingly. You see, God is not following some pre-described plan that existed millions of years ago. You’re now living your life. You’re now making decisions. And you’re now getting the consequences of some of your decisions. Some of those will come down the road. Some of them when we get to heaven.

But to understand that God is still on the throne. Look what He says there now in verse three. When my enemies are turned back, does that mean you’re gonna have some? Yeah. They shall fall and perish at thy present. Maybe not now, but in time, but always believe in that. You have to live your life, believe in that serving God, it is worth it. And anybody that’s against you, You’ll let God take care of it. That keeps you from being mean and better and filled with revenge.

But look what he says on verse 4. And you ought to underline this for a vile hath maintained my right and my cause. God hath maintained God knows the cause for which you live. Why do you do what you do? Well, because God knows the cause. God knows the reason. God knows the motive. For thou hath maintained my right my cause. One of the biggest problems we have in America is everybody wants to fight for their rights, but nobody wants to fight for their responsibilities.

The only reason we have rights is because they’re a responsibility that has to be fulfilled. So I want the right to fulfill my God-given responsibility. They don’t come from government, but they come from God. And it says, thou hath maintained my right and my cause and get this, thou said it in the throne judging right. He is now on the throne making decisions doing things. God is working in this world. Did not God say what was going to happen in the world when people rebelled against him?

Yes. Didn’t he say what was going to happen to a Noah’s time? Yes. What about in lots of time? Yes. Well what about even doing the time when Christ was born? Did God already know everything that was going to be done to His Son? Yes. Even when He got on the cross, yes, God’s still in charge. God is still ruling. God’s still on the throne. He’s still the Lord. He allows people to have limits of what they can and they cannot do.

In the book of 1 John, it talks about the sin unto death. In other words, God will allow you to commit sin, but there is a limit to what you can do before God will step in. And it’s different perhaps with different people because God is given every individual personalized attention. So you can’t just do whatever you want and think that there’s no consequences to it. There’s always consequences. Something is being done. There’s a God in heaven that’s working behind the scenes.

with the kings of the world. The God says the kings of the earth are in his hand. And even though there’s the water that flows, he says, I’m the one that curves the bank. I’m the one that determines the flow of the water. God’s the one that can bring the floods and the hurricanes. God can bring the fire. God can bring the earthquakes. God can do a lot of things. He says, I’m the one that can do all of this.

I can open up the windows of heaven. I can close the windows of heaven. I can bring people into your life. I can take people out of your life. I can give you a job, take it away. I can give you help. I can take it away. I can give you money. I can take it away. God, I can do anything. God plays by the rules, but He makes the rules. But He always does right. The Bible talks about God judges righteously.

And the last part of this, Bau’s said it in the throne, judging right means it’s being done at the time David was going through his problems. David, as he wrote writes, most of the Psalms is always talking about some of the things he’s going through. And the hurt, the damage that people were trying to do to him, many trying to kill him. And yet the Bible says, I know that God’s on the throne and he judges right and he’s taken up my cause.

Do you really believe Romans 828 for all things work together for good to those that love the Lord? If you love the Lord then things will work together for good. God’s one has to do that. If you rebel against the Lord it must be God that knows when and how to chasten every individual. If God is still on the throne. God is on the throne. But we see what’s happening with individuals where majority of God’s people don’t love him like they should.

Families that are falling apart breaking down because there’s no faithfulness to God. Because they don’t believe evidently that God is on the throne. And if the whole falls apart, we often hear about the nation because the nation is made up of family made up of individuals. Would you say that America is on the right? course that we’re getting better and better stronger and stronger and more godly, or we’re becoming a wicked, wicked nation. We are in trouble. God is going to chasten our country.

But the Bible says that God is still on the throne and he knows what’s being done. Look what he says there in verse 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. Is it possible for a child of God to forget how good God has been to him and get to live in your life and you stop being faithful like you should because you forget about the goodness of God in the land of the living.

So when you as an individual, if it can happen to a Christian and you forget God, the Bible gives us illustrations of what he does with people that forget God. What is an individual, a family, or even a nation? All we have to do is study about the nation of Israel. And over the years, the centuries, no nation has ever existed for long as a great power who become immoral, because immorality follows idolatry. When people no longer love the Lord, they no longer care about their morality.

And so when you become steep in idolatry, where you either worship yourself or man, or life, or jobs, or money, or pleasure, anything you put before God is idolatry. And so many people the day, they worship pleasure, church, if it’s convenient, and they’ve lost so much they have forgotten the responsibility. And so God says because you have forgotten God that God has not forgotten what to do. He is still ruling and he says the nations will be turned into hell.

That’s the individuals that live within a nation. Nations will rise, nations will fall, but nations cannot do whatever they want to do. There is a price to pay. Look in verse 20, put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. And regardless of what a man may accomplish in his life, he’s still just a man. You cannot make yourself into something that you are not. You are a man. You are only a man.

Only God is to be worshiped and I am not God. I am not to be worshiped. You are not to be worshiped. We’re not to bow the feet of any man. There’s only one true and living God. Look up there and see what he says in verse 7. But the Lord to get this, the Lord shall endure forever. He had prepared his throne for judgment, and he shall judge the world in righteousness. He shall minister judgment to the people in up-rightness.

So God is on the throne, and God will hold court when God is ready to hold But I guarantee you everybody is going to court. Every Christian is going to be rewarded for what he’s done, suffer a loss of what he could have had. And I’m glad that Christ took our payment for our sins, so sins will never be brought up for us. But what we could have done for the Lord is going to be a shame to find out how little we did.

Because we forget why we’re here. We forget about what what church is about. We forget about what the Word is about. People are drifting. All we like sheep have gone what? A stray. They don’t care anymore. And yet the Bible says, as you see the day approaching, when Christ could come back at any time for Satan not the assembling of yourselves together, but most people do. Only if it’s convenient, if they’re not doing something else, they deem more important.

If I was to miss church today, and I’m supposed to give a tent of whatever God has blessed me with. Well the next Sunday when I come back, should I still give for the Sunday I missed? Yes. You know a lot of people won’t do that. That’s one of the best ways that majority of Christians they rob God. If I don’t go, I don’t have to give. We don’t give because we go, we go because we’re supposed to go and we give because we’re supposed to.

People don’t believe the Bible anymore. They won’t practice it anymore. It is the will of God for people to do right. But nobody can make another Christian do right, but I want you to understand there’s a God who’s still on the throne and God is still judging and God is seeing what we’re doing and what we’re not doing. And you cannot win going against God. Look what he says here in verse 9. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Are you going to have troubles? Yes, but he’s a refuge. He doesn’t eliminate the troubles. As you and I go through life, we think our lives are being blessed is I don’t have trouble. God says to be blessed is to have the strength and the grace to find that place of refuge. Rest in the time of storm, a person that we can go to that gets us through all the difficulties of life and keep the cause because the Lord knows the cause, the reason, the why, the motive of why we do what we do.

And we should always be found faithful. Look what he says in verse 10, they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord have not forsaken them that safety. See God’s not interested in forsaking us. Why would a child of God forsake the Lord? Why would you forsake the word? Why would you forsake the church that you need so bad? Why would you forsake the ways of God? He says, don’t do away with the ancient landmarks.

Keep the old paths. Keep doing what’s right because it’s a right thing to do. Look in verse 13. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, consider my trouble, which I suffer of them that hate me. You are going to live, you’re going to have the troubles that the Bible talks about, but there’s a place of refuge. And he also says that there’s those that will hate you, but you need to understand that, Lord, consider my trouble, understand, I’m a child of flesh and I’m weak, and I don’t have all the strength that I need.

And trust the Lord to give you that which you need, bear what you need to bear. And he says, that now lift me up from the gates of death. Let me tell you this, when you accepted Christ as your Savior, you were delivered from the gates of death, or I should say the gates of hell. But majority of God’s people have never gone to the gates of Zion. The gates of Zion is what we often talk about the joy of the Lord, the blessings of God.

Enjoyed the good things of God. They have been shayed from the jaws of death and hell, but they never go to the gates of Zion. And you’ll hear a lot of songs sung about the Mount Zion, the place of joy and happiness, doing the will of God, enjoying the things of God. A majority of Christians have never understood. Take your Bible now and turn to the book of 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. But the other night we were talking about 2 Thessalonians in chapter 2, because there is going to be a one-world government, one-world religion.

We often think that if that’s going to happen, then that That means that God is not in charge. But understand, the God in heaven that knows everything that’s going to happen, he knew what man was going to do way before man ever did it. He says, thy word is forever settled in heaven. God knows the end from the beginning. And even though God has given to man a free will, God did not isolate himself from his own foreknowledge. He knows what man is going to choose.

He knows every person that’s going to heaven. He knows every person that’s going to help, but he didn’t determine it. He gave man a choice. And because God is still in charge, God is letting people suffer the consequences. of their decisions. In this life, we suffer many things because of decisions of other people. But if we understand that God in heaven knows our cause, he knows who the enemy is and who hates us and who does things to us, God says, I am still on the throne.

I know what’s going on. I know I know what’s being done. I just want you to trust me. And I will be your place of refuge in the times of the storm, the oppression. And because of all of that, God says, I want you to know, I know what’s gonna happen in the future. So here we are right here. We’re right before the rapture. Jesus Christ is going to come from heaven for his saints. seven years later, he’s going to come with his saints to the earth.

And there is going to be the seven years of tribulation upon the earth where the Antichrist is going to roll. But God knows what he’s going to do. And God says that he cannot manifest himself because he has been hindered by the church, the Holy Spirit that lives in this world. When Christ comes and takes us out of this world, there is not going to be any restraint and God is going to let the Antichrist have all the authority he needs to deceive the whole world.

God does not deceive people. God does not tempt man to sin. But God will allow the Antichrist to deceive the whole world and that’s in the very near future. But just because God allows people to do things. Doesn’t mean God’s not in charge. It doesn’t mean God isn’t ruling. God has never relinquished his authority. He’s never relinquished his throne. He’s still sovereign God. They write the power to do whatever God wants to do. But he says, this is what he’s going to do.

And if I ever, who wins God? Who’s in charge? God. Does God know that he’s gonna renovate this by fire, he’s the one that’s going to do it. When he is let’s say to go into the bottom of the foot, it is God that put him there. A little man in our form of government comes to the top and God says, promotion come up not from the east or the west or from the south comes from God. God can raise up a man, God can raise up a nation and God can cause them both to fall.

And we would do well to remember it and not forget it. How you and live our Christian life is a reflection of what we believe about God still being on the throne. He hasn’t quit. And there in verse 8 I want you to look there in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8. Then shall that wicked be revealed. That’s the antichrist in that tribulation period. Hong the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of is coming.

This is when he comes at the end of the Tribulation parod in power and great glory. This is when he comes with his saints to the earth. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, after the tribulation, with all power and signs and lion wonders. The Bible says that God will give him and allow him to have the permission to do all this wickedness upon the earth. Why? so that he will be able to convince those people who would not believe the truth, that they will believe a lie.

It’s not that they have to believe a lie, it’s that they chose not to believe the truth. So he makes the statement here in verse 10, and with all the sea-able-ness and unrighteousness, keep his in mind, unrighteousness is is deceptive. All sin is deceptive. People think, I don’t think it’s that bad. That bad depends on whose perspective. If God says something is wrong and sinful, it is wrong. It is sinful. He didn’t ask us for a vote. It’s not done according to majority opinion, but he makes this statement and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because, here’s the cause, because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.

The rapture takes place. People won’t believe the truth. And because they refuse to believe the truth, God’s going to let the Antichrist who is the lie. So they see the world and they’ll believe it. They’ll believe the lie, but they wouldn’t believe the truth. Look at the world today. The reason that many Christians are not in church today is because they believe a lie. The mystery of iniquity does already work. Not that it’s going to in that one little seven-year period of time, it’s already being done.

People are forgetting God. Nations forgetting God. Families forgetting God. Individuals forgetting God. Is there a price to pay for all that? You read the Old Testament to see what God did to a nation. Get what he says here in verse 10. He says, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause, God, who is still on the throne, shall send him strong delusions that they should believe a lie. God’s doing this.

God is allowing the Antichrist to come to a head into the nations to vote upon having a one-world leader. Our world is getting set up. The world is going to want it. They’re going to want peace, and there’s going to be an individual that can promise them. I’ll give you peace. He says, peace, he meets a piece of this country, peace of this country, peace of this country, peace of this country, until he gets all of it. Get verse 12, that they all might be damned who be lead, not the truth.

And then you’re going to online these last few words. Pleasure and unrighteousness. Is there pleasure in sin? Yes. There is pleasure in unrighteousness and God says, I’m still on the throne. I haven’t forgotten. I gave my word. You can do whatever you want to do. But I remember, I promised some consequences and some retribution, there’s going to be judgment coming. Payday’s coming. And I believe most Christians don’t think that it’s that serious of a deal. It’s a serious thing to me.

God’s work is a serious thing to me. Preaching is serious to me. I realize I’ve got to count to God for everything that I teach from this book. That scares me to death. I also realize I’m supposed to be an example of a believer. So are you. We’re the one that has to decide, but we can serve the Lord or not serve the Lord. Be faithful, unfaithful. It’s your choice. The mystery of iniquity is at work. Just like Christ was the mystery of godliness.

God manifested in the flesh. The mystery of iniquity See, it’s the Antichrist, the seed of Satan manifested in the flesh. Somebody’s going to be just like Satan, and yet so powerful, so good that he can deceive the world. He says it’s already work. Think of how many people are deceived week after week because they refuse to obey the truth. Put God’s first, love them with all your heart, and serve them by speciality. 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. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible 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 homepage.

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. For 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, calbre of tampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live 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. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.