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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 radiolity internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us to our church and take a look at the Bibleline. free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org. We pray that you’ll enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

God knew what He was doing. He made all these wonderful things. And then the Bible says that all these things, and then when you read the book of Genesis and talked about all these creeping things and every thing, but they’re just things. What is more important? The baby crib or the baby? What’s more important? The baby’s milk and the food or the baby? weren’t important to baby or the diapers. If you can understand that little simple thing, here you are in this world.

And God made all this wonderful thing. He made all the animals, he made the planets and the story heavens and he made the earth and he made the clouds and the rain and the flowers and the trees and all this wonderful sunset that we enjoyed, the sunrise. Yes, some people don’t even know the sun comes up gradually. But God made all these wonderful things. And lo and behold, what do you think is more important? The person that God did it for are the things that he made.

The person, you are more important than the things that he gave to you. See those are just things. They’re temporary things. But the shame of it all is if what if you and I were to make the biggest, dumbest, stupid, foolish mistake of falling in love with the things instead of the one that loves us? Did you know that there are people in this world that don’t love the one that made them and gave them all that? reject Him and thought I love with this.

And why would God make us so that we would love Him? So God is not satisfied when we love people or things or the world more than we love God. What would it be a shame for a family to do so much for a little baby? And they shower this little baby with all kind of things, because they love this little baby. And then the little baby grows up and despises the mom and dad that gave them so much and did so much for them.

And then they despise them. You think it would hurt? You think it hurts? Well, of course it does. You think that God is hurt when we don’t love Him and we love things more? You know there’s people who don’t worry about if they never spend any time with God, but if you don’t come around and give many attention, they get mad and pout and pine and moan and groan. Well, take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans in chapter 1.

in chapter one. There’s a scripture there, I’ve used it in different ways, but I want to relate something else to you. Look there in verse 21, verse 21, Romans chapter 1. Here you are in this wonderful world that God has made and God spent some time preparing everything for us because he loves us. I can’t explain why he loves us, but he does. He made us in his image. He made us because he wants us and he loves us and he prepared so many thanks for us to freely enjoy but there are many things they’re just things This world is just a thing.

It’s not a person. And so it says here in verse 21, because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. So what is the key? That if you know there’s a God, it is accepted, expected that you would glorify Him as God. Don’t you see that? You look at that verse and see if that ain’t what you see. That when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. God, in other words, it was an expectation that they should have.

If God has done so much for you, isn’t it only reasonable for God to expect? You to be thankful? Huh? Look what it says. Neither were what? Neither were thankful. All right, so God expects you to glorify Him because He’s God. Look what He did for you. Remember, there’s no person ever been born on this earth before you have to do this greater than you. I’m not talking about Jesus Christ, I’m not talking about humanly speaking. And God doesn’t love anybody more than you, doesn’t love anybody less than you.

God’s a loved world and you and I are in the world. And because of God’s great love for us, isn’t it a shame that we Sometimes fall in love with the things that he made like a little baby Growing up and falling in love with the tricycle and and hating mom and dad They gave him the tricycle because they love them Some come make sense does it and when God has been so good to us Isn’t it a shame even for a Christian?

After God has saved him giving me eternal life not to serve a Lord Don’t you think that’s a slap in God’s face not to honor God now get what he says here several thing it says they became vain and In verse 12 became fools The same ones that God loved did so much for instead of them then so thankful for these Things that God gave to him to enjoy for his happiness for pleasure for true enjoyment in life They don’t love God, they gaveigroup.

And all God wanted, this is just to show how much God loves us. And we won’t love Him back for it. And God says that you become vain in your imagination and you became fools. So everyone who is not glorifying God what they’re like, giving God glory for what He it and giving God thanks to what is done. The Bible says, being unthankful, they become fools.

We’re going to be ashamed for you to be listed in this portion of the script. This is talking about you. Their foolish heart was darkened. Look in verse 25 and changed the glory of the Uncorruptible God into an image may like to corruptible man in other words. They wind up worshiping the creation Instead of God the creator You’re hearing by talk about Mother Nature It’s not nice to be cruel to Mother Nature Well Nature is not my mother I Don’t believe in evolution The other thing in verse 24, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness to the lust of their own hearts to get dishonor themselves.

So they become vain in their imagination and they become bold and they dishonor themselves and they don’t bring honor to God, they don’t bring honor to themselves. And then in the next verse he says, they changed the truth of God into a lie. And then for the rest of their life, they live a lie. They’re deceived, don’t understand it, and they’re a fool. Isn’t it a shame? That’s not how God intended it. Because we make so many foolish decisions with our life instead of seeking the will of God.

Do you know what God wanted more than anything after he created Adam and Eve? the Bible said that he walked with him and talked with him in the cool of the evening in the garden of Eden. He even made a beautiful garden for them. What? was Lord important? The man and the woman or the garden? The garden was made for them. That’s why God did it. God did all those things for them. Now listen, God hasn’t stopped. The thing that he made then is still now, it’s just not in this perfect form, but didn’t God still give us airy breath?

Ah, I don’t feel good breathing. Don’t you enjoy eating? I’m gonna have to, today, and I ate. Oh, it is. So I enjoy food. I think that’s one of the greatest inventions of all time. Food. I love to eat. My problem is not eating so much. And that looks like it might be somebody else’s problem too, but I am not talking about who it is. But everybody deals with the problem of overeating. I hate it when Milton Hale can sit down and eat 10 meals a day, and gorge on everyone and not gain an ounce.

That’s not fair. Gina, look at Gina! I’ve been… She’s… She’ll never be back. She’ll never be back. She’ll never be back. And probably, you know, look at her look, and probably look at her look at her life. And there’s others who struggle with it, and they can’t even look at a doughnut without getting in a pile. Just look at that. And Gina, but Robin can eat a whole dozen of them, and it won’t bother. Because her mother and her sisters, they’re all the same.

It runs in the family. That’s not fair. But somebody told me that life isn’t fair. life isn’t fair. Well, I guess not. But you see what I’m saying is, is that you begin to change things. When you’re not glorifying the Lord with your life and you’re not thankful to God, you become vain in your imagination. You won’t think right. You become a fool, but you won’t think you’re full. You’ll think you’re wise. You’ll think you’re smart. And you’ll begin to make your own decisions in about everything.

You don’t need God. You don’t need to read the Bible. You don’t need to go to church. You know what you’re saying? I’m too smart for all of that. That means you’re dumb. Just the way a dumb man thinks. I don’t need God to tell me what I can and cannot do. Now take your Bible and turn back there to the Old Testament, to the book of Genesis chapter 22. Genesis and chapter 22. Everybody knows the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Remember Abraham was an old man. He was about right at 100 years old when his child was born. He was 100 years old. His wife was 90 when she had a baby. Good night. I don’t believe God ever intended for the normal individual to have kids when they’re 100 years old. I don’t have the patience for them. I love to see them come. I love to see them go. Grandkids is the reward for not killing your teenagers when you had a chance.

But it is so wonderful. My grandkids, if I knew this, I’d have had them first. But don’t work that way. But the Bible says that God loved the man. And this man’s name was Abraham. God was going to do something different with this man. He’s going to take a man and And by a miracle, give him a child in his old age. And so the Bible says that Sarah was past the age of child bearing and that her womb was dead so to space she couldn’t have any children.

So God’s going to have to work a miracle and work a miracle he did. And a child was born. But you see before this child was born, so God already prepared, gave him a wonderful dad and mom. So that when this kid is born, he’s going to have a tremendous father. This is going to be a exceptional child. If this child is going to be the father of a great nation, and so from him, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he had 12 sons and but there’s the nation of Israel.

And the whole world has been blessed because of the nation of Israel. We don’t know all the way back to O Father Abraham. as time goes on the child is born I can imagine watching old Abraham outside the tent he’s already been gone through 13 years with Ishmael but this was his own this is the one that God said that he’s gonna blast this is gonna be his heir this one was special so time did Tom where they came trouble between Hagar and Sarah and so on.

She had to leave and take Ishmael’s weather, so they left. But this child was different. This is a miracle child. Neighbor Ham knew it. For some reason, rather, he really loved this child. Look up there in verse 2. And God, speaking to Abraham, said, and he said, take now by son, thy only son, Isaac. And you ought to underline these three words. home thou loveth. You see there’s there’s a God in heaven that so loved man that he was willing to make for us anything we would have ever desired.

Who in the world today doesn’t desire the Garden of Eden? To live forever and to be in the Garden of Eden everybody wishes that. We’re always talking about being I wish I could be in paradise. Well, there are some Muslims that are dying to get to paradise, but they didn’t think we’re talking about. They think there’s 70 birds waiting for them. There were 70 Virginians up here waiting on them. But anyway, the Bible tells us that God said, whom thou loveth.

Now, if if Abraham I really loved Isaac. What is going to be the greatest test of his love? You see, God doesn’t mind all the things in the world that he made for man to enjoy. But God never intended anything in the world to take the throne of his heart. You see, you and I are supposed to have some little empty spot, somewhere in us that is like a holy place. It’s like there’s a little altar inside of us, a place where you meet with God and nothing else will satisfy.

And you can try to put anything else in there you want, but it doesn’t belong there. It doesn’t fit. It still leaves you empty. God designed that little holy spot within you to be filled only with the presence of God. And God is a very jealous God and God doesn’t want anything on the throne of your life except Him. God only wants you to worship one. That’s Him. God wants you and I to love Him more than anything you’ve ever made.

Anything you’ve ever seen, God is a jealous God and God wants you and I to worship Him, to love Him. Here’s a for him, his only son, and he loves his son. The Bible says, God knew he loved his son, but I wonder if along the way there’s a possibility that I’d give anything for my son. I love my son more than anything. Maybe he said I love my son greater than I love anything or anyone or anybody or maybe evenNormally God.

I WRITE HIM NO. Maybe he saw so much hopes and dreams and that little boy, because that little boy is an unusual little boy. That was given to me by God. I wonder if you could have seen that that was maybe just another thing that could take the throne that only belongs to God. Well do you know what this little experiment was on Mount Moriah? There’s some symbolism here. And on Mount Moriah is the very mount of all which Jesus tries to die a couple thousand years later.

I’ve been there. I’ve stood on that mount. And they believe that where the temple was built is a very same spot where Abraham offered up his son Isaac. So we know that Abraham is a type of God who so loved the world that was going to give his only begotten son. And so God says, not Abraham, I want you to take your only son, hope your love. And we’re going to see just how much you love your son. Do you love your son more than you love me?

Do you love your wife more than you love God? Do you love your children more than you love God? Do you love your home, your car, your money, your security? Do you love what? More than you love God. Well, God will put things to attest at times. Now, what a test this was. The Bible says, God said, Abraham, I want you to take your son up on that mountain. I want you to build an altar. And I want you to slay your son upon that altar.

What do you think was going through the mind? Now let’s drop the knife. Every human was a real man, a flesh and blood, a man of black passion such as we are. What do you think would do his mind that night as he laid there sleeping? What would you be thinking about? Tomorrow, I’ve got to take my son’s life. But he vio-says that he believed that if he did it, God would raise him from the dead and he believed God so much he was willing.

To run that risk. To do that. Because if we God, God can have anybody worshiping anything or anyone more than God. You see, the things that we have can become idle that we worship. And God did a jealous God. God doesn’t like anything to take his place. I’ve seen God working people’s lives. and move things out of people’s lives. Scared me to death. God doesn’t play games. God loves us, but whenever he took his son upon the mountain and he laid him out on that rock and he got ready to take a knife and to cut his son to kill him.

What did God do? God stayed his hand and says, there is a ram whose horn were caught in the thick. and God substituted. But I want you to see this verse. Look down in verse 12. And he said, lay not by hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fears God. Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, line only Son from me.” Now there’s a lot in that verse. One doesn’t God know everything?

Does God have to do that in order to know something? You know even when you get to the New Testament when Jesus Christ was born the Bible says He learned and He grew in statute and wisdom. The Bible talks about Jesus in the garden and that he feared even under death. He got to the woman at the well and he thirsted. There were things that he had to learn at one point he says only the father knows the son doesn’t know but that was at that time I believe he knows all about.

And for God to say I want to prove See, God wants things proven. God can know everything, but He wants us to go through the… Does God already know what we’re going to face tomorrow? Yes. Does He know what we need? Yes. Does He want us to pray though? Yes. He still wants us to come to Him, still wants us to pray, even though He knows He out, come on everything. But God is God. And He has a right to do anything He wants to do.

But one thing he doesn’t want is somebody loving somebody more than him. I love my wife, but I’m not supposed to love my wife more than I love God. Because if I do, I won’t love God right, and I won’t love my wife right. Loving God supremely, preeminently, you’ll love everything else right. And everything else will fall into place. But you don’t love God right. You won’t really love the way you should. What would my wife need more than anything else?

If I said, I’d love you more than God. What does she need? She needs to know that I love God with all my heart. Do you know there’s a commandment in the Bible that says, love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and mind, body, soul, and strength? Yes or no? Yes. Well, all my heart. And get what he says here. He says, now I know that thou fear’s gone. What was God after then? God wanted Abraham to fear him, to honor Him, to love Him, to worship Him more than anything.

And the way of proving that is are you willing to give up that what you love? Do you love God? Are you willing to prove it? Do you know one of the greatest things you can give to God to prove that you love God is by giving Him your life? It’s the same as taking your life, sacrificing your life for Him. That’s why when you serve the Lord, you’ve given up your right to do whatever you want to do down here for these things.

And you give it up and Lord you can take and let me be as rich or as poor as whatever it doesn’t matter. And it’s the blessed thing to possess nothing. Because you know that if God has me and all of me, then God will take care of me. and I don’t have to hold anything God can give me whatever he wants and take free whatever I have. It’s God at liberty to take your help without you getting upset with God.

It’s God at liberty to take your job, take your finances, without you getting upset with God. Or what would you do if God took these things away from you? What do you love more? Those things are God. Do you think that at times in your life God’s going to try you to find out what you really love? He’s going to, you might as well prepare yourself, you should be expecting it. Expect a baby, that’s the real thing. And the Bible says that troubles are like arrows that are shot into the air.

And see, there’s arrows that are been shot. These arrows are troubles. And here you are. And these arrows, and you are have an appointment and they’re coming sometime in the future. might be tomorrow morning, but buddy troubles on its way. But what God does is he tries to teach you some things so that when the fiery darts come, you can be shielded and protected. But if you don’t trust the Lord and you don’t look to God, these troubles are going to hit and you’re not going to be prepared and it’s going to be devastating for you.

And you’ll get mad and bitter and you’ll hate God. And it wasn’t God’s fault See God had given us free all things to enjoy But they’re not to be our God they’re not to be idols for us The Lord Being jealous once our love and once it supremely And he says I love this part. He says now. I know that thou hear his God Seeing thou has not withheld by sundine only son from you to keep him from me You willing to give it all to possess?

Nothing. And if God gives you a home, praise the Lord. It’s God’s. God gives you aWAYS. It’s God’s. God gives you finesse. It’s God’s. Let everything that you have belong to God. And you’re only a steward using those things, why you’re here? Because they’re just things. You understand what I’m////////? I hope you can understand it. Let me read a little poem for you. Always like a three-point outlancer and then a poem. And I read just not really like this poem.

Father, I want to know thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding. Now I do not try to hide from thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things, which I have cherished so long, and which have become a very part of my living self, so that thou mayest enter and dwell there without arrival. Then shall thou make the place of thy feet glorious.

shall my heart have no need of the Son to shine in it, for thyself will be the light of it, and there shall be no night there.” In Jesus’ name, amen. And a good one. It’s a good prayer. Let’s pray, Shai’an. 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. 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 1030 and at 6 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 we’ll close your thoughts from Pastor Arnold. Friends, 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. And just keep looking up.