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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 years. 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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians and chapter 13, if you’re going to write down anything, I’ve got six things that I think will help you. First thing I want you to write down is enjoy this precious moment. Enjoy this moment. Don’t ruin this moment. I mean this day, this hour, this time. Learn to appreciate the very moment that you have. I think you’ll be happier when you learn how to do that.

Many people live in a dream world that will never be. When everything is right, like some people say, well, when I get everything right, then I’ll come to church. When everything’s right, I’ll do this. It’ll never happen. You have to learn to enjoy the ride. Happiness is not a destination. Boy, I’ll be happy when I get this or when I get that. No, you won’t. You got to learn how to be happy in the process on your way. So look what he says here in verse 11.

I want you to look at verse 11. Paul says, when I was a child, I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. So the first thing you need to do is put away childish things. You’re not a child anymore. Grow up. So when I became a man, I spake as a man. I understood as a man. I thought as a man. So if you don’t want to act like a child, grow up and become a man.

First Corinthians in chapter three. And you’ll notice what he says in verse one. He says, and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, not with meat. For hitherto you were not able to bear it. Neither yet, nor are you able. For you’re yet carnal, like a babe. For where is there among you envy and strife and divisions? Are you not carnal?

Or are you not a child? Children, wine, and complain, and moan, and groan, and murmur, and usually down in the mouth. But it says, when I became a man, I put away these childish things. Put it away, childish things is put in the way simple little stupid things that ruin your life. Look in Philippians chapter 3, Philippians and chapter 3. In order to enjoy the moment, there’s something you have to do. He says in verse 13, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.

Lord, I’m not complete. I haven’t accomplished everything that God has for me. It’s not over yet. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before. In the words, you got a race to run, so run the race. And let God have his way and however he wants to lead and to guide you. And you’ll accept that. You do not want to be found fighting against God, but I would be foolish to take on God.

And what really irritates God is when you, for the time you ought to be a mature child of God, you’re still just a babe. But when you grow up, he says, put away these childish things. Now, look in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 34. Verse 34, take note therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. In other words, don’t borrow evil from the past and don’t borrow evil from the future.

Just expect God to give you the grace that you need today to solve the problems of this day, because it’ll be sufficient. God will not require of you anything you can’t perform. If you can’t do it, God will be wrong to give you more than you can handle. God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. Every Christian can do exactly what God wants him to do every day.

That’s the book, that’s the book. And God says that all you have to do is be found faithful, but it’s learning how to think. The second thing I want you to write down is this. Have a positive outlook. Now there’s people who have negative outlook. What it is, they’re negative. Okay, what are they, they’re getting it. Lawyers always look for what can go wrong. Anybody understand or know what Murphy’s law is? What is Murphy’s law? If it can go wrong, it will.

Well, there’s Christians like that. They never think of anything positive. They’re always negative. Some people just don’t like change. In other words, if there’s a big old ditch, big old mud puddle, don’t dare me to jump over it. Cause you dare me, I’m gonna show you how I can do it. Even if I fall right in the middle of the mud. Now there’s other people that are finding another way of getting around it. I gotta try to show you that I can do it.

I’ve lived long enough now that I shouldn’t do it. So take your Bible, I want you to look at this, Over in the book of Nehemiah, got Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Nehemiah and chapter eight, this is on the page, 549 in the Old Testament. In Nehemiah chapter eight, look in verse one. And all the people gathered themselves together and you’re on the line is, as one man. It’d be like all of our church coming together And we’re like one person.

We’re all on the same page. We all believe the same thing. We all want to do the same thing. And we all work together for the same thing. And we pray concerning the same thing. Whoo, what a power that would be. Like they say, the world has never seen what God can do through one man that’s totally yielded to God. I don’t know if the world has ever seen What could be accomplished with one church totally yielded to the Lord?

What they could do, the impact they could make. I’d like to find out. But look what he said in verse two. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and, and, and women. And all that could hear with understanding. Look at verse three. And he read therein before the street, That was before the Watergate from the morning until midday. That was not a one-hour sermon. I don’t even think it was a two-hour sermon. From morning to midday.

Early in the morning, probably till noon. Well, that’s a long church service, isn’t it? And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood. This is where we get it from, which they had made for the purpose. I like that. So you got all the people together, made him a pulpit out of wood. And then he says in verse 5, and Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up in verse 3, and he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday.

So while he read, they all stood. So what are you doing, sitting down? While I’m preaching, you ought to stand. I’m standing. Why can’t you stand? How would you like to stand for the hour that I’m preaching? And look down in verse 8. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly. That means they started probably in the book of Genesis, and they read, and they read, and they read, and they read. And he says, and look at the last part of this verse, and gave the sense in the words and caused them to understand the reading.

So it not just that they read it, then they explained it so that they would understand Don’t that make sense? That’s what preachers do today, or supposed to do. Look in verse 10, and he says, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord, neither be ye sorry, and ye are underlined as part of the verse. You heard that song before, and we showed it to you in one of the Psalms.

The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. I mean, y’all, I’ve ever heard that before. And all over. Everybody ought to sing. He fills my mouth with laughter. All right. I’m looking verse 12 now. and all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great mirth and you ought to underline this, underline it.

Why were they so happy? So fill with joy because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. When you understand what God is saying in His Word and you can believe them, it can cause you great joy and peace and happiness. That’s where it comes from. But anyway, Proverbs chapter 17, take your Bible and turn to Proverbs chapter 17. And verse 22, it says here, a merry heart doeth a good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dry up the bones.

Now I believe this. I believe a lot of people’s medical problems is because they don’t have a merry heart. You let yourself become a bitter person and you’re going to have more health problems. It will affect your body physically. Haven’t you ever been to the doctor and he said, well, what’s your problem is you’re under too much stress. But why are you under stress. You see, a Christian is supposed to have somebody we can cast all of our cares upon.

So if you cast your cares upon the Lord, I know that that’s easy preaching and hard living. I was on the road one time and we were just traveling on preaching. This was 20 years ago or more. And we had a great big motor home back then. It was a continental trailway bus. And so we’re boogin’ around the country and Betty had to go to the doctor and the doctor says, I don’t know what kind of work your husband does, but you need to change jobs or do something differently.

He says, you’re in a lot of stress. So I went off the road and took a church. That man doesn’t know what he’s talking about. There is no stress like being a pastor because you’re dealing with people of all shapes and sizes, all different levels of spirituality. And they all want you to say just exactly what they want to hear, but don’t get on my case, don’t preach against sin. Help me spiritually, but don’t tell me what I’m doing wrong.

And they want to preach it with 50 years experience, but only 40 years old. Stress. Do you notice, even though I say and I hit things seriously and sometimes hard, I still have it with a little sense of humor, don’t I? Because I love to laugh. If you don’t love to learn to laugh, you can do a lot of weeping. I have been in such a jam that I had no possible way of getting out of it. And I said, Lord, this is going to be fun.

I’ve got to see you get me out of this mess. And I’ve got to just wait and see what God’s going to do. But I’ve never been afraid of getting anything because I always know God get me out of them, but learn to have a merry heart. Learn to laugh a little bit. Remember that sermon I preached on the woman’s stand there in the mirror? She was hungry, we’ve been married 30 years. And I’m old and I’m gray. And I’m sagging.

Give me a compliment. He said, well, nothing wrong with your eyesight. Let’s see that, but it’s humorous. But see how you laugh? Laughter is good medicine. That is good medicine. It will help you physically. It really will. Proverbs in chapters 15. And look there in verse 13. Verse 13. So it’s pretty much the same thing, but it says, a merry heart, makeeth a cheerful countenance. You want to improve your countenance? Did you know if you don’t learn to smile, you’re going to look older?

Smile. You say, well, I’ll get wrinkles. Yeah, but they’ll be in the right place. They’re mirror on the wall, crap. Anyway. A merry heart, make it a cheerful candidate, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Let up a little bit, because if you don’t, you may never be a happy person, because there’s always sorrows. There’s always something to upset the apple cart. I don’t care what it is going on, there’s always some problems that you have.

Now I’m not talking about walking around with a smiley face all day long. There’s times that you’ll have to be sorrowful and you’ll grieve. But don’t let it overwhelm you to the place where you can’t smile anymore, that you can’t be happy. Number three, I want you to write down, slow down. You don’t need to do all that you think you have to do. Slow down. The Bible says God has given us all things freely to enjoy. There’s nothing wrong enjoy in life, rest in the Lord, rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, learning how to depend upon the Lord.

The only reason you become a workaholic because you think it all depends on you and you just work yourself to death and never have any free time to do what you really want to do. So you have to be careful. There’s time, I mean you got responsibilities, you got to be able to figure these things out and look to the Lord for guidance, I believe that you ought to do with your life what you really enjoy doing it. If it’s possible, enjoy doing what you’re doing.

Learn to wait and depend upon the Lord and look to Him and believe in that God is going to do what He says He will do. I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined me, hurt my pride. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of a mighty clay, set my feet upon a rock, to establish my goings. And he had put a new song in my mouth. They’ve been praising to our God. Many shall see it in fear and trust in the Lord.

God put a song in your heart. Sing it. Does God done anything for you lately? But he put a new song in my heart. If I could, I ought to learn this thing. You don’t have to sing. Somebody, I was singing today and somebody says, but is that what you call a joyful noise? Oh, it’s coming down a hallway. Somebody stuck their head out and says, is that what you call a joyful, who did that? Hurt my feelings.

I could have been a professional singer now he’s discouraged me from doing it. See there, what I could have been. All right, look in Psalms 126, 126 Psalm. See if you just slow down and smell the roses, I did and a beast on my nose. Psalms 126, look at it. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. That was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue would sing. Then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them.

The Lord have done great things for us. We’re glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south, they that so in tears shall reap in joy. He they go forth and weep at bear in precious seed. Shout doubtless, come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Oh, that sounds good. Well, that sounds good. People in captivity learn the same. Some things you may not be able to change. You may not be able to change the situation where you work.

You can’t change the situation with concerning your health. So be it. One of the day we’re gonna die anyway. Learn to be happy and fill with the joy of the Lord until you’re no longer here. You’re going to have problems, you know it. You’re going to suffer, you know it. I already know it. And sometimes you’re going to hurt. But when you can muster just a little bit of a smile, do it all. Aren’t you impressed with people when they’re really going through the fire?

And they say, praise the Lord. I don’t understand it. I can’t help it. I can’t change it. but praise the Lord anyway. There’s people who can do that. And there are other people who find it very, very difficult to smile through anything. And some people just don’t know how to express themselves. But it doesn’t hurt to say, you know, God been good to me. And like Jobah, he did not sin or charge God foolishly. He simply said, the Lord give it.

The Lord take it the way. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I still got the Lord. You know what? The most precious thing in all the world is to have the Lord. Now you can lose everything else, but you can’t lose Him. So you see, you still got the best. You still got the best. I want you to write down this statement. Number four was the smile and laugh which was Psalms 126. Number five, live expecting a miracle at any time.

Live expecting a miracle at any time. And you can write down the scripture reference, James chapter four and verse two. Because this talks about ask and receiving. If you prayed, you should expect. You prayed? Expect. Live every day expecting God to work some little miracle. You know if God can work a little miracle, God can work a big miracle. If God does it, and God delights and performing for us when we’re totally helpless, and there’s no other way, no other visible means of support.

When there’s nothing else you can do, So that way he definitely will get the honor, the glory, and the credit. When you are totally in despair, true faith is serving God when it appears that God has let us down, when it seems like God has failed us. Look at this verse over in the book of Psalms. Since we’re right here in Psalms, look in Psalms chapter 50, the 50th Psalm. And look at verse 15. Verse 15 is a good verse underlying in your Bible.

upon me in the day of what? See, it’s like saying you’re going to have that day of trouble. You’re probably going to have a lot of days of trouble. So what do you do, call upon the Lord and get what he says, I might deliver thee. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. That’s why you had the day of trouble so that he could deliver. He could have delivered you before the trouble, but he let you have the trouble so that you cry out to the Lord so that you would brag on him when it’s all over with.

Now, sometimes I believe God’s children cry out to God. He delivers them and they never thank him. So since you didn’t pass the test, you might have to take it over again. You know, you always have to come up against something that’s bigger than your faith in order to challenge your faith to grow, to get over that obstacle. God’s not going to move the obstacle. He wants to give you the faith that you need to accept the challenge. That’s what forces your faith in the Lord to grow.

Otherwise, you and I would never grow. We’d never mature. Never be the way God wants us to be. Number six was just write this down very simple, just never give up. Believe that failures and dead ends and dry holes and detours and all those things are just stepping stones to success. They’re just stepping stones to success. I said, your failures and your dead ends and your dry holes and your detours, they’re just stepping stones to success. Because you believe that God works all things for your good.

You want to be strong in the Lord. God wants you to be strong. Well, tribulation worked with patience. Patience is a strength of a strong man of God. But tribulation is what develops the patience. Many people don’t let tribulations perform its work. It’s to build you strong in the Lord. Alright, look up here. Letting his hand represent you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. Now God says that He loves us. He loves you, loves me.

He hates our sin because our sin separates us from God. So the payment for sin is death, eternal separation from God in hell. And God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. But God says that we’re not righteous, we’re not perfect. We’re not good enough to go to heaven. He says there’s none righteous, no not one. All have sinning them short of God’s perfection, the glory of God.

So God says we cannot save ourselves. Going to heaven is not by my works. I’ll never be good enough. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord. God in the flesh, He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. God says that if we would believe that He did it for us, He would put this death payment He made to our account as the payment for our sins, then I have no sins to pay for.

All my sins are paid. They’re all forgiven. And if they’re all forgiven, then I would have as a free gift eternal life and get to go to heaven whenever I die. That is not because of any good deed that I’ve done. It’s all because of the work that he did. So all I had to do to go to heaven was believe that Jesus Christ paid for my sins and trust Him as my only hope of going to heaven. That’s the best news in all the world.

Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around if you’re here tonight or if you happen to be watching by internet. Right where you are, you don’t have to do anything as far as your good works are concern. You don’t have to do anything about your sins. Christ already put cure that. And he says that if you’ll believe that he died of that cross and paid for your sins, he said he would save and give us a free gift, everlasting life.

So why not write down the quineness of this moment just between you and the Lord? Say something simple like this, Lord, I’m a sinner. I know that. And I believe you out on that cross and pay for my sins. And right now the best on O’Haul, I want to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. For in God said, if you’ll trust Him, He’ll save you. Give you eternal life and you can know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die.

I pray that you will. For the heads by a nice close, if you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, would you trust Him right now? I’d like to have prayer for you in closing. And we’ll all just to slip your hand up very quickly and by that you mean just pray for me, I will accept Christ as my Savior tonight. I want to be certain I’m going to heaven. Is there anyone at all?

Our Father, we do thank You so much for giving us the clarity of these things in Your Word so that we can be found faithful. And Lord, they help us concerning our attitudes to know that You love us And we live in a troublesome, sinful wicked world. But Father, you said, Riese, we’re gonna have these troubles. But to call upon you and you would deliver us. And then we would give you the praise and the glory, the honor, the cause of it.

We thank you so much for all you’ve done. Master of Blessings upon us in Christ’s name. 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 Bibleline 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. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at six o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, 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.