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 with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline 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.

As you know, in January, the President of the United States has a state of the Union address. address, letting you know the condition of our country and the plans for the future. Jesus gave a state of the union address, but it was a state of the kingdom address, the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is that period of time when Jesus Christ comes to the earth and sets up his kingdom and will rule and reign for that thousand years.

And after that, a new heavens and a new earth. Just like we know that Christ is coming back again. And He’s coming back twice. The first time to take us out, so He’s coming for us. The next time He’ll come back to the earth with us. So when Christ comes the next time He’s coming for us and then He’ll come back with us to the earth, instead of the kingdom, from the earth. So there’s two phases of the second coming.

lot of similarities. And yet when we talk about the kingdom of heaven that period of time upon the earth, there will be people that will be upon the earth that came through the tribulation period and they will have wives and they will have children in the kingdom. And the Bible says that we will be here so there will be the saved and there will be the lost. And it will be a thousand years. But God says, let things alone and it will take care of everything at the end of time.

But He says, the kingdom of heaven is like this and then uses a parable. Seven times He says the kingdom of heaven is like this. And the reason is because officially Israel as a nation has rejected Jesus Christ as the came. And therefore, because he was rejected as the Messiah and rejected as a king, he spoke to them in parables, giving them some ideas of what they can expect during the kingdom, age. That it’s not going to be like it would have been and could have been.

But many of those same things that happens there are also happening in the last 2000 years since the cross until the Lord comes. And many of those same similarities we can also learn from it and apply them to the age in which we live. So as we look at some of these I believe it will help us as we look at the state of affairs in our world today and also what we can expect for the future. As you go through life, remember this, you are because you live in a sinful world, you live in a body that has a sinful nature, you are not going to always every moment, every day be totally 100% successful in your battles.

You’re going to fight temptations and some of them you’re going to lose. You’re going to fight anger and sometimes you’re going to lose. You’re going to fight bitterness but sometimes you’re going to lose. You’re going to fight jealousy and ending and sometimes you’re going to lose. So you’re going to fight a lot of battles and And sometimes you’re going to lose it. And so because you lose a few battles along the way, you might think I am a total failure.

Well, you can be a total failure, but I’m sure that you’d rather be a total success. But I don’t believe anybody’s a total success or a total failure because we live in a sinful world. And things hit us broadside and some things were not prepared for. We would like to say that we are people who are totally trusting the Lord. And yet there will be times when you’ll fail to trust the Lord and you’ll worry about things that you could have prayed about.

So yes, some success along the way and some failures along the way. But let me read something to you that a friend of mine wrote. says, it is impossible to succeed without failing. This may seem like a contradiction. But those who have experienced the greatest success have known the greatest failures. The man who never fails is the one who never attempts anything. And the more one attempts, the more he fails. But the more he fails, the more he’ll learn.

And the more he puts into practice what he’s learned, the more he will succeed. Good night. I’ve never learned anything from my successes. All I’ve learned is from my failures. Failure is opportunity for improvement. When you discover something will not work, try something else. If that doesn’t work, then try something else. Sooner or later, you’ll find a solution. I have read that Thomas Edison, when trying to invent the light bulb, tried 700 things that fail. Filey a friend said to him, Mr.

Edison, you have failed 700 times. Why don’t you quit? To which Edison replied, I have not failed 700 times. I have discovered 700 things that won’t work in a light bulb. He is responsible for more than 1,100 inventions which we enjoy today including the light bulb. Do you remember trying to learn to ride the bicycle, did you ride it perfectly the first time? Of course you did. Like everyone else, you fail. And if your experience was like mine, it didn’t feel good, but you wanted to learn to ride so you tried again and you probably fell again and again until finally you were able to balance yourself and ride for a long distance without falling.

You eventually got to where you could ride without holding the hand of ours. Every experience was a learning experience and you never would have succeeded if you hadn’t failed. So don’t let failure discourage you. It is the stuff of which success is made up. That was taken from a book written by Dr. Curtis Hudson. So everybody will have some successes along the way and everybody will have a few failures along the way. Here in the book of Matthew chapter 13, I want you to look at the first thing.

the seed of the soil and knowing that as we go through life we are going to sow seeds. Did you know every deed that you do is a seed? Every word that you say is a seed. Every thought that you have is a seed, this planet. Either in somebody else’s mind and some experience that you have and everything you see, say and do is a seed that is planted by which somebody else may imitate and do the same thing that you did.

You planted a seed. Have you ever talked to somebody and planted a seed in their mind and they do it? You’re glad. And have you ever planted a seed in somebody’s mind and it was the wrong seed? And they become mad and angry at somebody because of what you said, your gossip about somebody. They’re all seeds. Think that you plant. So there are seeds of the soil. Of course, the scripture here in this parable of the sower is talking about sowing the seed of the word of God.

Look at verse 3, and he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow, and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the foul came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, and they had not much earth. And forth what they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth. When the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them, but others fell into good ground and brought forth spruce.

Some hundred poles, some sixty poles, some thirty poles. And he says, who has ears to hear? Let him hear. Spoken parable, because those who wanted to hear could understand the parable. And those who didn’t want to hear could not understand this parable, because they had mixed doesn’t multitude and and yes yet the Holy Spirit did not entwelle them. And so he spoke in a way in which he could explain truth to those who wanted to know truth and those who didn’t really want to know the truth could not understand what he was talking about.

Tremense way to teach. Now he goes to and explains this but the seed of the soil there will be opposition. Some, birds came and got it. Some, Stony ground. Some, the briars. Some, the son. As you look back over your life, you’ll know that as you have lived your life, there has been opposition. So what is one main thing that you can expect coming this year? You are going to have opposition, things that goes against you. It’s not going to be a free ride or an easy ride.

says is easy if you totally trust Him. But you’re going to have a lot of things that kind of make it hard for you, a hard path, because you’re going to waver in your mind. You’re not going to totally trust the Lord. You don’t have questions to doubts about a lot of things. But understanding that because of the Lord, He is able to sustain you and get you through. But you’re going to have opposition. That’s just the facts of life.

And as He gives this parable, He says, the kingdom of heaven is like this. They also will have opposition. You and I in this period of time in which we live, we are going to have and going to face some opposition. Look in verse 24. Verse 24 says, Another parable putty forts and venoms in, the kingdom of heaven is lagging unto a man which so good seed in his field. And while men slept, his enemy came and so pears among the weak and went his way.

When the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tears also. So the servant of the householder came and said unto him, sir, this not thou so good seed and thy few. From Winston hath it tears. He said unto them, and enemy hath done this. The servant said unto him, will thou then that we go and gather them up? And he said, nay, lest, while you gather up the tears, you root up also the wheat with them.

Let them both grow together until the harvest. All right. How would you apply that to today? Here you are, you’re an individual. You trust in Christ as your Savior. You’re like a piece of ground. You’re the good weak that’s to bring forth good fruit. And Lord behold, as you decide, I’m gonna serve a little of all my heart. You dedicate your life to the Lord. You read His word, you pray, and you give, and you do all the thing that God says to do.

And Lord behold, somehow, and you don’t know where it comes from, you find out there. There’s somebody else that then grew up alongside of you, and it’s called an old sinful nature. Anybody in here got one? And despite of all the good that you want to do, not God says, just let them both grow together until the end. And so here you and I are, we’ve got the new nature so in the week. And we got an old nature, so are the taters.

And as we go through life, we’ve got both of these things. And so you might as well know that you’re gonna have to face it and live with it for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just do away with your sinful nature? Go to the doctor, said, doctor cut out my scent from age. I don’t want it anymore. But it won’t happen. He says, no, let him let him let him alone. Right now, say as long as you live in his body, you can’t have one without the other.

So you got both of them living in this six foot of dirt for the rest of your life. But the day will come when that law will be over, but not yet. So I can guarantee you that as you live your life, you’re not only going to have opposition from other people, things that are going to go wrong, all those things, yes, that’s part of your life, but you’re also going to have a problem with you’re going to have times where you’re going to have a difficult time discerning between the spirit and the flesh and you’ll have thoughts in your mind and you won’t have clear thinking about which one is this.

Is this from the noober or the over? And And because you’re motive, you feel is right. You do what you think is right. And it may disagree with the word of God. So during this period of time, you have to keep studying the word of God so that you can keep your discernment sharp. As he says that you may rightly divide the word of truth. That means with clear understanding, knowing the difference between right and wrong and clear cut.

And that’s what you have to do concerning the decisions you make. And that helps you because, well, you’re discernment. And the discernment is according to your understanding. And your understanding is according to the knowledge. And your knowledge is according to the spiritual knowledge. If you only gain the wisdom of the world, you have not the wisdom of God to notice the difference. So you and I have oppositions in the world and we have the flesh trying to imitate. Did you know that you could have got up this morning and come to church and still be sitting here in the flesh?

You could have evil thoughts in your mind while I’m talking about good thoughts. Well, I’m reading the Bible and when we pray, you could have evil on your mind. There could be somebody you’re mad and bitter at, you just wish you could just choke them to death. You’re going to have a fight with your husband this morning and still have anger and bitter and you wish you could just do him in. Some evil thoughts, you’d be surprised. Hey, that’s that old flesh.

How long you got to put up with them from now on as long as you’re in this world, in this body. But isn’t it nice to know that there are little parables that God gave that sees deeper than you read the story, but how do you apply that story? What is in this thing for me? Look at the next statement. And this is in verse 31. Verse 31. And another parable, putty forth unto them, saying the kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of buster seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds.

But when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Now this story is told pretty much in the Old Testament to book a Daniel about, never condensored. And he says, thou art this tree. And God says, you’re gonna cut it down. He says, in the files of the air, we’ll come talking about people coming and lodging in it. You know, I believe America is one of the greatest nations in the world, but you know, America is the most idolatrous nation in the world.

Idolatrous nation. In America, we worship every God there is. The Buddhists can come, the Hindus can come, and the Christians can come, and the Muslims can come, and everybody can come to America and worship their heathen gods without persecution. You said, that’s a sign of our greatness. No, it’s not. Our nation was started off as a Christian nation. And then you couldn’t do anything if it violated the Christian principles regardless of your religious belief. But that’s slowly changing. In America, that started off as a literal tree has grown to be a great big nation.

And now the vultures of the world have come live in our branches. One day because of the pride in lifted up, it’s going to cut our nation down. God’s going to chop it down. God ain’t going to tolerate it. So yes, something starts off small can become big. Did you know that today people look at the bigness of something as whether it’s successful or not? But church has thousands of thousands of what they must be doing something right, not necessarily.

You got a crowd, but you ain’t got nobody growing in the things of the Lord and so greatness is not the best sign. If you want to be strong, it’s not going to be because of all the toys that you get. It’s going to be because did you or did you not learn the Word of God? You are going to be spiritually strong only by the Word of God. You’re not made spiritually strong by anything else. Only by the book.

Now in the next parable look there at number four, the 11 in the loath, verse 33, another parable spake he unto them, the kingdom of heaven is lacking in the leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leaven. You might know what leaven is, leaven is like yeast, you put it into the bread, what does it do to the bread? Caused it to rise and it pumps it full of holes, raises the dough, lot of preachers add a lot 11 to their message because it raises the note.

People come because they see something and it’s something that you are either strong because you’re spiritually strong or like I said you’re not strong. If you have to be totally entertained in order to keep you right with God, you’re not right with God. Your motive isn’t even right. You’re to be spiritually minded because you mind the Spirit. He makes a statement also in the book of Galatians in chapter 5. A little 11, 11 if the one, the whole other.

Or here you are. As an individual, and as we go on into the New Year, if you tolerate a little 11, and 11 in the Bible represents sin, it’s a type of sin. A little 11 in your life if left unchecked will do what to your whole life. It will permeate your whole life and sin tolerated let go with freedom will permeate everything in your life once in. You can’t tolerate sin and be spiritually strong for long. You can get away with it for a little while there is pleasuring sin for a season.

But the sin that nobody even knows about can permeate your thinking and the thinking will eventually affect the actions because your life, the way you live, your actions are a bipartisan the way that you think. And little sin in the mind tolerated permeates all of your thinking without you knowing it because it’s deception. And so you can keep yourself Close to the Lord so you can recognize that’s 11. And if I don’t watch that, it’s going to destroy my life.

Be strong. Do right. The next thing I want you to see is number five, the hidden treasure. In verse 44, again, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a treasure hidden in the field, Now, which one a man had found, he’d hide it and for joy, there abgoeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field? Now, I believe that this and its context is a reference to the nation of Israel. Israel is the treasure in the earth.

And because of their rebellion, God scattered the ten tribes or the twelve tribes eventually. they were everywhere. But because God wanted them in order to get them, he had to buy the whole world. He had to get all of us in order to get some of them. But God is the God of the Jews. Salvation is of the Jew. That’s what it says. But God was willing to pay a price to get all of them, sell off all that he had to buy the field, because the field is where the treasure was hid.

So he had to own the whole field in order to get that treasure. So the Bible says that Jesus Christ came into the world and made a payment for the sins of the whole, whole world in order to get a few of us. He paid for the sins of every man in order to get a few of the people to believe it. He didn’t just pay for the sins of just those who want to believe, like some people teach.

He paid for the sins of every individual. And you are, in the eyes of the Lord, is an individual, you are a treasure, a great treasure. And he was willing to die to pay for our sins so we could have eternal life. Now in the next parable, if you notice there, in verse 45, again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. Who when he had found one pearl of great prize, went and sold all that he had embodied, believing that this could be a reference to the church.

This is the embodiment of all believers put together. And we are processed over time because a pearl is something comes from a grain of sand that gets into an oyster and in order to keep the irritation from irritating, coats it so that it’s not irritating anymore and keeps on until you’ve got yourself a nice pearl. I’ve ate a lot of oysters but I’ve never found a pearl. Never been my luck. What the Lord says, this is like a pearl of great price.

That we usually refer to this as a woman in the Old Testament, concerning a woman in Proverbs 31, a pearl of great price. And a man is wise if you can find such a woman. And the Bible tells us that here you have a pearl of great price. And I believe if it’s a reference to the church, not as a primary application, because this is all to the nation of Israel, but because of the rejection of the Messiah, of the King.

Many of these things are applied to the time in which you and I live, a lot of similarities. And the pearl of great price is the church. And as we go through life, there’s many things in this world. In order to insulate us, God, He puts a coating around us. It’s the Holy Spirit to protect us, the leaders and the guidance. The reason for children of God coming together as a body believer is for our protection. Because in the world, yes, there’s the friction.

And there’s the stuff that’s going to try to destroy you. But Christians working together and praying for one another can make everybody like a choice for them. And we’re to pray and to give and to help and so forth and do the things that we should and all of us will be better and stronger because of it. If you go any other way, it will not work. The last thing I wanted you to see in verse 47, again, the kingdom of heaven is locked onto a net which was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind.

I used to be scared to death of the internet. World wide web. But the Lord here is talking about here another kind of web. But at the end of time, it’s like a fisherman taking in and casting the net into the sea, pulling everything in, and then after you got everything in, then you separated. There’s a judgment of the nations where God is going to put in the nets, and He told His angels to go into all the world and to take their sickles and cut down everything, and bring them in, cut down the vines, and bring in all the grapes into the big valley of Jehoshaphat.

He’s going to stop him with his feet and the blood’s going to run as high as the horses. Brian of her beard of 200 miles, died in toward Jerusalem and all. So all these things are taught in the Bible throughout the scriptures. But here he talks about a web, a net that’s at the end of time, drawing them all in and then he’s going to separate them. Matthew 25 talks about the separation of the sheep from the goats. And we know that whenever the Lord comes and takes us out of this world, he’s separating his children from the world.

And when Christ comes back and sits up his kingdom on the earth, all those who have not trusted Lord will be cast into the lake of fire. And only though the leavers will go into the kingdom. There’s always separation. As you and I live our life, yes, we’re supposed to be separated from the things of the world. We’re not supposed to live like the world, think like the world, act like the world. We’re God’s children, we’re supposed to be different.

So all these things are taught in his word. But now get what he says here. When he drew it to shore and sat down and gathered the good into the vessels, but the bad he cast away. What makes it good? What makes it bad is whether you believe or you haven’t believed. You haven’t trusted Christ to save it. That’s explained in the Gospel of John very clearly. So he says here in verse 49, “…so shall it be at the end of the world, end of the age the angel shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, shall cast them into the furnace of fire.”

You know, Jesus is the one that says this, Do you actually believe that people who don’t know the Lord are going to be cast to a furnace of fire? What God says. But give what He says here. In verse 52, then said He unto them, therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure. Things new and things old. In other words, I believe it’s also a reference that while we live, we are learning new things, but we’re not to forget the old things.

I have covered these parallels before, but I always try to in every sermon give something old and something new, something old in order to refresh your mind and just a little bit, not a lot, a little of something new. Because that’s what you gotta have to learn a little bit more and a little bit more, he says, here a little, there a little, little, not a lot. Some people say, well, I wanna hear something I’ve never heard before. That isn’t the key.

The key is not forgetting the things that you think you already know. Having your mind remembered, stirring up the remembers, the Bible talks about over and over again. As he talked about there in the book of Psalms, God talking to His people, He says, lest you forget, lest you forget, you forgot God, you forgot, you forgot. You see, if you never learned another thing for the rest of your life, you still know enough to live a God they like for the rest of your life.

If you don’t forget, but the thing is that we have so many things going on in our lives that we, little by little, we forget things. So we’re to be reminded, and then a little bit more, and a little bit more, and they will help you and be a blessing to you. 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 10 30 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 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 everyday, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.