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But look what he says down in verse 14. He said, and profited, profited in the Jews’ religion. Now this is the great apostle Paul. I want you to see something because it’s really felt a little light on him. Hold your place right here and look in the book of Philippians in chapter 3. The book of Philippians in chapter 3. And look what he says, a lot about himself. in Philippians in chapter three verse one, he says, finally, my brethren.

So he’s writing to those that do believe the truth, that of trust and Christ is Savior. He says, rejoice in the Lord. Now you know where he’s writing from? Prison. And he says, rejoice in the Lord. Isn’t somebody that’s in prison writing to those people that’s on the outside? Hey, let me encourage you. It seemed like I’d be backwards today, wouldn’t it? In verse one, finally my brother and rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you to me.

Indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs. Dogs? It’s really a reference for the people that are trying to do you in. As a Jew they used to call the Gentiles dogs. I ain’t making that up now. That’s what I’m not saying that. Even when he was on the cross he says dogs have compassed me round the bow which was a reference to the Gentile. Christ said that. But it was a reference to what they do.

They’re vicious and they want to devour you and tear you apart. He says in verse 2, beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concession. For we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoicing Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. You ought underlined that phrase, no confidence in the flesh. That means that you and I should not put any confidence in our flesh. That means by what I do can save me.

Why would I think that anything that I do could save me? Don’t put confidence in the flesh or in your good works. Like, I’m trusting in my money that I give. I trust in my good deeds that I do. And I trust and don’t do that, he says. Here else he says, looking verse 4, though I, and he’s referring to himself now, as a religious man, though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man think that he had to wear up, he might trust in the flesh, I’m more.

He said, now look who I am. Verse 5, circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews touching the law of Pharisee. That’s what he says about himself. He’s somebody. He’s always way up there in the Jews’ religion. He’s going to look at me. And if you think that being good’s going to get you to have a look how good I was. So he says in verse 8, concerning Zeala, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

It doesn’t mean he was perfect, but he was blameless. In other words, if he broke the law, he did what you had to do to correct the problem, and so he could be declared blameless. So the man was an awesome man, but he was religious, but he was lost. And look what he says about all those good things that he did. Look who he was. Now he knew the law. He tried to live by the law, and people that they tried to Earn their way to heaven Paul says I’ve been there done that Three says in verse seven, but what things were gained to me in the flesh?

Those I counted lost for Christ in Lord. I had all of that, but I didn’t have Christ That makes the difference You can have all your good works and not have Christ So he says here In verse 8, Yay, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ. In other words, I’d rather have Christ than have all that other thing that I’m trusting in.

He said, all those things is confidence in the flesh because he talks about what he did, what he believed. The sacrifices that he made. But that was all works for salvation. And he says, I had confidence in the flesh in what I could do, but I didn’t have Christ. So look in verse nine. Verse nine ought to knock your socks off. You ought to knock the line this verse in your Bible. Look what Paul says here. He says, and be found in him.

Talk about Christ. Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now in this verse there’s two righteousness mentioned. One is by works righteousness and by faith righteousness. In other words, there’s the righteousness that I do. And he says, don’t put confidence in the flesh. And whenever you die or when the Lord comes, don’t be found having your own righteousness trusted in your works to get you to heaven.

God’s always said it won’t work. But there is a by faith righteousness. In the word byixel, you trust Christ as your Savior and Christ gives you His righteousness. Now God gave you His righteousness that would make you as righteous as God. If I was made as righteous as God, if He gave me His righteousness, that makes me as righteous as God. I go to heaven on His righteousness. Now would you do that go to heaven on yours or his?

So whenever he comes or whenever you die, how do you want to be found in him or in your own righteousness? So he says, be found in him not having my own right, not. means not trusting in your going to church, not trusting in your keep on the law, not trusting in your money because God’s already said and there’s going to be a lot of people going to be very surprised because that’s exactly what they’re trusting in. For example, a lot of people tell me I’ve trusted Christ as my Savior.

I know I’m going to heaven when I die. Sounds good so far. Then I asked him a simple little question like is there anything you can do between now and the time that you die that could keep you from going to heaven. Oh yeah, then you don’t get it. You don’t get it because if there’s anything you can do that could keep you from going to heaven, that means that you’re not doing that. That’s why you’re going. So you’re trusting in your works because if you do bad works, you’re not going to make it.

But if you do live right, You will make it. So your salvation doesn’t depend upon him, depends upon you. You’re not trusting Christ as Savior. Oh, it would be great if a lot of people could understand what I’m saying, but they don’t get it. They don’t understand it. Go back to Galatians. So little by little, see, there was these legalistic Judaizers that would follow the apostle Paul around him whenever they could. They would take those people that he reached and retrain them.

He said, you know, the apostle Paul, he doesn’t know everything. You know, he wasn’t with the other disciples in Jerusalem. I mean, he’s really a nobody. Now let me tell you. And so then they mingle the works in there. This is what you got. You got to be circumcised. You got to keep the law of Moses to be saved. So they changed the message. And Paul says, I am amazed that you’re so soon for quickly removed from him that called into the grace of Christ to do another gospel, which is not another one.

But there will be some that will trouble you. And this is why there’s people that don’t know where they’re going when they die. Because if I met a guy on the street and I said, do you know how to get to heaven? No. Well then you’re lost. You don’t have to get there from where you are. Do you know how to get there and then you don’t. You’re lost. Always I get a man lost before I try to get him saved.

But anyway, looking Galatians. He says in verse 14, and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals and my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the tradition of my fathers. So he says, I know what it’s like to have a zeal. He says, I’ve been there. Hold your place here. But look there in the book of Romans. Romans in chapter 10, Romans 10. And look in verse 1. This is the Apostle Paul. Now remember he’s an Israelite.

But he says in verse 1 he says, brethren, he says, my prayer and hearts desire for Israel is that they might be what? Might be saved. He says, in verse 2, for I bear them record. That they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. That’s what he was like. He had this zeal. He was zealous of the tradition of his father. He knew the law, he knew the tradition, and he was going to kill those that try to mess up their little religious plan that they got going.

He was a Pharisee. Now today we would call a Pharisee a hypocrite. They taught, but they don’t do. But anyway, he says, for I bear them, Rick, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Remember, there’s two things that I’ve mentioned concerning these verses. You can have zeal, you can have knowledge. Sometimes you have a zeal to desire, boy, I want to do something for the Lord. I want to do something. But you don’t have the knowledge, at least a frustration.

But some people, they’ve got the knowledge on how to do a lot of things. But they don’t have any zeal. That leads to frustration too. So with zeal and no knowledge, it’s frustrating because you don’t know how to do what you want to get done. You want to do something, but don’t know what. And when you’re limited in knowledge, you’re limited in ministry. So that’s why you learn so that you’ll know how to do and then hopefully in the process you don’t lose the seal whenever I was 22 years old I had decided I’m going to go to Bible school And my father-in-law did everything you could talk me out of going to Bible school He says because Yankee she said you’ll go to Bible school and you’ll lose your fire He’s right now you’re on fire and you want to win souls and you want to do things and you want to go go go go go

He says, you’ll go to some seminary and some cemetery and they’ll kill you. Those dead teachers will cause you to be dead. Well, am I glad I found me a teacher that was on fire. I was Ray Stanford and Hank Lindstrom was down at the Baba College teaching and I had him for one of my classes. So, I don’t know what ever taught me, but I was in the class. anyway so that I don’t want you to lose the zeal that you have.

Don’t you lose your zeal? Now come up there and look at you in half within an inch of your life. But anyway here in the Romans he says in verse three, looking in verse three, they have a zeal but not according to knowledge. He says for they be an ignorant of God’s righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness. Isn’t that an awesome verse? It says what they were ignorant of, they were trying to establish their own righteousness and it says, and not get the last part of that verse, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

And get verse 4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that does what? Believe. That’s all you have to do is believe. And people say, well you got to do something. All you have to do is believe it. Trust Him. The only reason I’m going to heaven because I’m trusting Christ to take me to heaven when I die. Now am I going to heaven depends on Him, not me. Doesn’t depend on this church. It doesn’t depend on my wife.

It doesn’t depend on how I live. And people say, well, that means you can just go out here and live like a devil and still go to heaven when you die. Well, it’s better than living like you’re pleasing going to hell. I’d rather live like I’d pleasing go to heaven. Duh. If it’s by grace, it’s grace. People say, well, that means you just go out here and live wrong. Well, 49 years, I’ve been trying to live as holy God is I can not to get to heaven because I’m going on.

I just believe that if I’m a child of God I ought to live like it. I think if I’m a child of God I will use the language of the court. I’ll try to memorize this word. I mean these are the words of the king and I’m a child of the king. So you learn it. Anyway go back here to book regulations. You know what’s going to take us Six years you get to the Galatians. This right? Well, if you all spoke, your takes a long turn to the pages.

Look at Galatians in chapter 1, and look in verse 15. Now this is really awesome. It’s all the way back to, hey, let me start at the beginning. When he’s born! Now, I believe there’s two births that could be referred to here. One, the physical birth, and the other one, when he was born in the God’s family. But he talks about when God separated me from my mother’s womb. It’s kind of like what you need to see what he says about it in Jeremiah chapter 1.

Look there and hold your place right here. We’ll come back. I don’t know what you’re laughing about. Jeremiah chapter 1. I want you to see this because it relates to it. If this is true about Jeremiah and if it’s true about Paul, did you know there might be some truth in here about you? You might be able to relate to some of this. Look there in verse 4 of this first chapter in Jeremiah. He says in verse 4, then the word of the Lord came in to me saying, before I formed the in the belly, I knew you.

And before thou came his forth out of the womb, I sanctified your set you apart for a particular job. Or is there something I wouldn’t do? He says, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak. I’m a child. The Lord said to me, say not I am a child, but I want you to go and do everything that I tell you to do. And Jeremiah could have said, hey, wait, wait, wait, wait.

I didn’t ask to be born. Who did? Did you ask to be born? But here we are, lo and behold. But he said, look, this is God’s will for for me before I was ever born. Now I don’t believe in the fatalistic predestination type of teaching. I believe that Jeremiah could have rebelled against the will of God. It’s the will of God for him and what God wanted for him, but he had a choice of whether to do it or not.

God has a will for me. God’s not willing that any should perish. Does that mean nobody’s going to perish? No, they’re still going to perish. Why? Because they don’t trust Christ to Savior. He is the Savior of the world. That means the world saved? No. But He’s the only Savior in the world and all those who trust Him can have eternal life. He, that believeth Him, He hath everlasting life. He, then you don’t have it until you believe. So even though God has a will for His life, He had to choose whether or not to obey it or not.

He even got to one place, He says, I determine I’m not going to say another word for God. I will not speak. And then He says, but His word was in my bones as a plane of fire and it could not stay. It could not hold back. I had to do it. And this is what the word of God can do for you. And it can burn inside of you. And that’s what that zeal comes from. You want to do something.

And so look what he says in verse nine. Then the Lord put forth his hand, touch my mouth and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. And this is what I want you to do. And he told them what to do. Now go back to the book of Galatians. the book of Galatians in chapter 1. In verse 15, he says, But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace.

Now, he was born into this world, and there came a time when he saw the light. I guess he could really sing that song. I saw the light because he saw the light on the Damascus Road. Jesus Christ appeared to him as one born out of due time. I’ll explain all that later. We might get into it. We’ll go to book back chapter 9, but it’s really it’s an awesome story. It really is. But now why did God save him?

Look what he says by his grace. Now, he was already in the Jews religion. He’d already done all these wonderful good works, and he was already a Pharisee. He was as religious as they come. But he says, I was ignorant of God’s righteousness. So when the Lord shone upon him and revealed to him, he says, I was saved by grace. And why didn’t God just take him on the heaven at that time and leave it there? Look what the next verse says.

And you ought to underline the first part of them. reveal his son in me, to reveal his son in me. That’s what God did for you and for me. So God wants to reveal his son in us. And then the last part of that verse says, that I might preach Him among the heathen. And so he says, when I heard and I understood what God wanted me to do, he said immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. He says, but I spent three years on the backside of Arabian Desert, just me and the Lord.

See what he says? He says in verse 17, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter. So he didn’t go to Jerusalem for a while there. But he spent time with the Lord and the Lord educated him. And the Lord used him in a great and wonderful way. Anyway, he says, then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days.

But other of the apostles saw I known, save James the Lord’s brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold before God, I lie not. Is that lie not? Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Silesia and was unknown by faith, under the churches of Judea, which were in Christ. But they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preached the faith which once he destroyed and they glorified God in me. That last verse was a good verse to underline in the Bible.

And they glorified God in me. They saw what God had done for me. They saw how God had changed me. They could see me living for God. Now, they were apostles at the beginning. They didn’t want nothing to do with Paul because they knew the reputation that he had. He was a bad man. They didn’t trust him. And a guy named Barnumus, which he would like a comforter who came alongside and he helped him and caused some of the others to live out a little except him.

And Paul had to even flee for his life. had to take them over a basket, a wall in a basket, because they was going to kill them. Forty people at one time took out a vow, we’re going to kill this man. We’re not going to eat sleep until we kill this man. No, stop and think, huh? How many times has that happened to you? Has anybody threatened you lately? They said something and it hurt my feelings. Do we ever get feelings hurt?

Oh, do I do? I get my feelings hurt. You get your feelings hurt. But how many times have we been stoned? I don’t mean that way. Paul says I was beating with rods, but, you know, he wasn’t a race car driver either. Words have changed just a little bit, but it’s important for you and I to understand it. Look, we have an awesome message. This gospel that we have is not preached by everybody. Everybody don’t know this message. Church’s don’t understand the truth of the Gospel and it’s so important.

Look up here. You happen to be here this morning. Maybe you’ve seen this before. Maybe you haven’t, but it won’t matter. You watch it one more time. Watch my hand. At no time will it ever leave my wrist. I am not a magician. Nothing’s going to happen. I’m just want to illustrate something. This is you you and me. This book represents all the bad things we do. God calls it sin. It doesn’t matter what you call it. God calls it sin.

It’s rebellion to God. It’s imperfection, whatever it is. And we all have sinned. And God says to pay for what we did wrong is death and hell. So since everybody sins, everybody’s condemned. And God says, this hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He doesn’t have this in. But our sin separates us from the Lord. So I can’t get to him. He can’t get to me. Now if you die like this, then you will be eternity separated from God.

So you don’t want to die like this. So what Christ did was something wonderful. He said, if we pay for sin, it’s eternal separation from the Lord. And to go to heaven, you’ve got to be perfect. No sin. Well, you’ve got to debt. You got to pay it and God says you can’t pay for it by your good life There’s only one thing that God wants next death the way it’s in his death the soul that’s finished up died So when Christ came into the world It was appointed on the every man wants to die and so Christ died for every man So this hand represent Jesus Christ.

He was perfect. No sin. He came into the world because he He loves us, but not our sin. It separates us. So what Christ did is He went to the cross and He paid for our sins. Now He did this 2,000 years ago, pay for all of our sins and all that we have to do is believe that He did it for us. And He says that He would give us a free gift over the last few months. He died, paid for the sins, came back from the dead.

And God says, if I will simply believe it. Now if you try to earn your way to heaven you’re not trusting it. If you think you’ve got to go to church and do all these good deeds to get you to heaven, then you’re not trusting him. You can’t trust both. You can’t put confidence in Christ and confidence in the flesh. Flesh is a reference to you. You can’t have any part in this. He wants all the credit, all the honor, all the glory because He’s doing it all the work.

That just makes sense to me. So He made the payment for the sins of the world and said, that if you would believe he did it for you, he would give you as a free gift ever lasting life. And as everlasting life it lasts forever and you get to go to heaven whenever you die. So simple, so simple. Even a little child, a little child can understand. And that’s why he says the son, suffer or permit a little children to come underneath for such as the kingdom of heaven.

And so all you got to do is just as a child. I’m a son. I believe he He loves you to pay for your sins and God’s of the saving, give you the free gift that are lasting life. They make good news. That’s the best news in the world. Let’s have a prayer challenge. Every head down, every eye closed. No one looking around. If you’re here this morning, I’m not going to have you forward. I’m not going to have you join anything.

I don’t want your money. Keep it. I want you to talk to the Lord. I want you to understand that only the true and living God knows what you’re thinking. So you don’t become a religious hypocrite because you’re not promising to stop anything. You’re not committing to do anything. All you’re going to do is accept what he did for you. So would you just believe that he loved you and paid for your sins and came back from the dead and would you trust him, depend upon him to take you to heaven whenever you die?

If you will, I’d like to have prayer for you and I do it head by night’s close because I don’t want you to be embarrassed. I’m not gonna pin you up against the wall to try to trap you in any way But right what you’re sitting say preacher that made sense to me now. I want to be certain of one to heaven when I die So this morning Right now. I will accept Jesus Christ as my Savior And break your life Peter pray for me Would you just slip you hand it very quickly and put a right back down here with all?

Just slip it up very quickly put a right back down say yes, that made sense to me. There’s no tricks to it. No, you need God loves you that much, that He would give you a normal life, that when you get up to leave you, He’d say, hey, I’m going to heaven when I die. The day I trust that Christ is my Savior. And He said, it never cash me out, never lose me. I know I’m going to heaven because it’s free.

And when else before we close? Our Father, we do thank You so much for all You’ve done, of course, and for the one that indicated by nothing at the time that they trust Your Savior. By doing so, they become your child, born into your family, and given the free gift of eternal life. And then you are never cast to not enough of this. We ask your blessings upon this today. We ask your blessings upon the service to the Father, Christ and the replacement.

You have 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 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 Bible Live, and now we’ll close you thought 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.