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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 air. You can reach us totally. 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 not turn to the book of 1 John, the book of 1 John in chapter 5. As you notice, started there in verse 10. Verse 10 makes this statement, He that believeth on the son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his son.

that have the Son half life and he that have not the Son of God have not life. So whether you have eternal life or not, depending on whether or not do you have the Son? If not do you have the church? Do you have this certain preacher? Do you have all your good works? Do you have the person? So you can have all those things but if you don’t have Christ you got zero. But if you have Christ you have enough.

Christ is all you need to go to heaven. He that hath the Son hath life. If I got that, it’s all I need. It’s eternal life. He that hath not the Son hath not eternal life. So he says in verse 13, these things have I written unto you that believe. It’s all you have to do. That believe. On the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ that you may know that you have eternal life. So can you know you have eternal life?

Well, yes, if you have Christ. So Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. It’s okay to worship Jesus Christ. Why? Because he’s God. You can bow before Jesus Christ. Why? Because he’s God. He’s not an idol. He is God. But if you take salvation away from Him and put it into anything else is to put that above God. And that makes God angry. That makes God mad. God is a jealous God. God says that’s wicked. That’s an abomination and we’re not to do that.

Now let me just mention this to you. In the book of 1st Samuel in chapter 15 there’s a little story about Samuel telling Saul what to do and when he became king and how to deal with the Amalekites. He didn’t fully obey. And the Bible says that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. And the Bible talks about it. It is idolatry. It’s idolatry. Not to obey the Lord. So I wrote this little statement down. The reasons for rebellion are as witchcraft and idolatry, nothing for a moment.

Even if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you know you’re going to heaven when you die. The reasons that you give for not fully serving the Lord with all of your heart is witchcraft because it’s rebellion, it’s idolatry, you worship your excuses more than obedience to God. So can a Christian be involved in idol worship? Worshipping the excuses or the reasons why you’re not fully serving God like you all to. You may use a church as your reason for justification and you can use somebody else as a reason.

You can use your people where you work as a reason. I don’t kill what it is. Are there reasons those excuses? Do they supplant the word of God? Do you put those above what God has to say? Many people do. I want to read a couple things to you that I have because somebody has offended me. If the differences between what the Bible teaches and what the capital is, what the Bible does, what the Bible does, what the Bible does, what the Bible does.

church teachers are insignificant, then we are to be blamed for being divisive and therefore destructive to the unity of the Christian faith. However, if the differences are irreconcilable, then the wrong belief condemns somebody to an eternity separated from the Lord. So are the differences that we have and what we believe? And keep us in mind, this is not designed to attack anyone but to defend our position, my position that I have in the Word of God. Because there’s many people that become very hurt and very offended if you say something about their religious belief.

But it’s okay for them to say it about us. There’s a religion today called the religion of Islam. It’s okay for them to take our Jesus Christ off the cross and to say that he never came back from the dead. It’s okay for them to mutilate our religious beliefs. But don’t you say one word against their religion Because that offends them and they’ll cut off your head because you made them mad. Oh I take offense to that. If it’s good for the goose, good for the gander.

But that’s okay. It’s not going to change what I believe. But there’s others over one billion people that are also Roman Catholic. Now I’m not attacking the Roman Catholics. If you’re Catholic, listen to what I’m saying, that’s all. But follow my thinking. I just want a person to know what they are saying about me and what I believe because there has been an attack made and I think you ought to know what it is and so I don’t have no other way of doing this except in a public forum because otherwise you won’t be here and then I won’t be able to tell you.

So let Let me read this to you. For all its serious problems, the Roman Catholic Church cannot be faulted for misunderstanding what evangelicals are fundamentalists. Believe in the gospel of salvation, since it is spelled out in no uncertain terms in Romans and official canons and decrees. So they fully understand my position because they wrote it down and it’s in their material, it’s in what they teach. The following citations are from the Council of Trent, which met over a 19-year period, primary to denounce the teachings of the Protestant Reformation.

Although the Council met in the 16th century, its decrees were reaffirmed by the Church’s most recent counsels both Vatican I and II. Consider Catholicism’s position on what evangelicals uphold as the gospel. In other words, they will tell us what we believe. Now, this is what they say we believe. The sixth session, Canon 9, if anyone says that the center is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him be anathema.

So they say, this is what we believe, and those that believe this, let them be anathema. Now the word anathema, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, is a condemnation. of formal curse and is used in excommunication a person. So if I believe this heresy and they’re calling this heresy and if I believe that I’m supposed to be cursed, excommunicated, destined for hell. The sixth session, Kenan 12 said this, If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ’s sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.

That’s what I believe. So they fully understand what I believe. And, they say, I need to go to hell for what I believe. I have been under a curse for believing what I believe. And because I don’t believe like they believe, they get to go to heaven and I get to go to hell. They say this. I’m just telling you what they said. Don’t get mad at me. I haven’t said anything against them yet, have I? I’m only telling you that they understand who I am and where I’m coming from and what I believe.

And so far, they’re right. So I’m telling you, they’re right. This is what I believe. But they say, I should be anathema, a cursed. In the sixth session, Canon 30, if anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification, the guilt is… is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant center that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be open let him be anathema.

Boy they got it down what I really believe. I can’t believe they really understand what I believe so well. So they know where I’m coming from. Now I’m not talking about you. I don’t know what you believe. I’m just telling you about what I believe. The seventh session, Canon 4th. If anyone says that the sacraments of the new law are not necessary for salvation, but without them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification let him be anathema.

Well they nail me again. They’ve made four statements and all four of them is what I believe to the hilt. I really believe that a man is justified, made righteous by faith and faith alone. Now unless a man or a church is perfect, how can the unjust justify the unjust. You didn’t get that, so I’m going to repeat it. Unless the church or a person is perfect, then that means they are unjust. How can the unjust justify the unjust?

It can’t I believe that what is written in the world is so important. Roman Catholic process of salvation through works. So Paul gives the biblical teaching that salvation is by grace through faith and not of. Of what it is the gift of God, Ephesians two eight nine Paul insists that to him that work if not, but believe it on Jesus Christ justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. And again in Galatians, but that no man is justified by the law and the sight of God, it is evident for the just shall live by faith.

Demanding that works are necessary for salvation is an outright rejection of Christ’s perfect and complete A toman for sins on the cross. Therefore I take issue. Can the unjust justify the unjust? No. Christ alone is the justifier of the unjust because he is just. He is righteous, he is perfect. He can declare me perfect in righteous because the payment he made on the cross was put to my count by faith and faith alone. Now, I wrote down something also, and I wrote this, do they have idols of silver, gold, or wood that they pray to or through are used for protection?

This is just a question, it’s not an attack, but do they not? Is the pope made more than a man? Just think not just think. Think. Think. Do they make him to be more than a man? If he’s just a man, then he’s a man like all men. And he’s a sinner like all men. God says that God is true, that God is perfect, God is righteous. Every man is a liar. Would that include him? Would that include him?

It’s just the Bible. I’m not attacking anything. But is every man a son of God’s word says there is none righteous no not one there’s none that doeth good no not one all have sinned and come short of the glory of God if that is truth then the pope is not perfect he’s just a man and And if he’s just a man to be made into more than a man, his idol worship, his idol worship. I didn’t say that, God said that.

You can’t lift men up higher than they are. They’re just a man. The best man in this world is ever lift, he’s just a man. And he’s a sinner at that, but he’s just a man. For example, if you make a woman more than just a woman, did you exalt that person to be more than a woman? Or is he just a woman? Mary was used by God. The Holy Spirit planted that seed, that holy thing inside of her womb.

and she gave birth to the Son of God. But she was just a woman. She was a virgin. And she declared about Jesus her savior. If he is her savior, would that mean that she needed to be saved? If she needed to be saved, does that mean she was a center? To make her any more than what she is is witchcraft, rebellion to God. It’s heresy. She’s just a woman that God used. She’s not to be prayed to or through.

I don’t need Mary to get to God. Jesus came to open up the way, that I can have access unto the Father through the Son, and no one else. It’s idolatry, it’s wickedness that plays anything between you and God except the man Christ Jesus. He is the mediator, the only mediator, there is nobody else, and to to make something into more than what God’s Word says is idolatry. God is a jealous God.

It’s not to be done. The church, the Catholic church stole the saving power from Christ and claimed salvation is in her church. Now think about who Christ is, what He did on the cross. He died to pay for all the sins of all the world so that everybody in the world can be saved because of Him, to steal that power away from Christ and claim it for your own, our church can now save you. And you must belong to our church is heresy.

I didn’t teach that. God’s Word says that. Don’t get mad at me. If I’m going to teach this book, teach the book or throw the thing on the trash and go do whatever I want to do. Go sell cars. But this book is true. God says there is truth and there is heresy and there is lies. There is deception. The priest, and I preached a couple of weeks ago, on who can forgive sins. No man can forgive you of any sin when the sin is against you and God.

If you sin against me, I can forgive you. You sin against me, I can forgive you. But if you sin against God, you’ve got to deal with Him. No man can intervene. And there are priests of different religions. And they’ve stole from Christ the power of forgiveness. And they claim it. We have it. You come to me. Confess your sins to me. And to lift any man above a man is idolatry and it’s wicked. The Catholic Church has left a helpless naked man on the cross with no power to save.

And that’s why you still see him hanging on their cross. because he has no power. He can’t save anybody. Cause he has no power. He can’t save anybody. A c- According to their religion. But I don’t believe Jesus is on the cross. He died on the cross and I believe he was buried and he came back from the dead and that he lives forever in heaven and that he will give to me and only him. The free gift of eternal life.

If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior and Him alone, you’re not saved. And you are anathema. No, I didn’t say that. God did. That’s why Christ died so that you and I can know that we have eternal life. He didn’t put that into people’s hands. He didn’t put it into a building or a church. It’s in a message. The gospel points everyone to Jesus Christ. That’s from Romans chapter 1 and verse 16, but I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it.

Everyone that believes can have the power of God to save them. And see, the devil will do whatever possible. Just strip away from Christ the power to save. And what the devil does is… is interject works into salvation. Because if a man is saved by grace means you don’t deserve it. You don’t earn it. You don’t work for it. They always say, well, there’s a few things you have to do. You’ve got to do this and then you’ve got to do this and you’ve got to do this.

And anytime you add to it, you can never know for sure if you’re going to go to heaven. I know that I know that I’m going to heaven when I die because of what Jesus Christ did for me. And understanding you well this morning, I did not attack the Catholic church. I agreed with what they said about what I believe. And I told you what God’s word said.

They state what they believe. I stated what the word says, and you can take it from there. But I believe that what God’s Word says is the truth. Let me show you something. You never seen this before. Let this hand represent you and me and the wallet represents sin. Now the Bible says that we all have sin on us. That means that everybody’s in the same boat. Nobody’s any better than anyone else. Listen to me. God’s Word says we have all sinned all.

None of us are good enough to go to heaven. That means that Mother Teresa will not go to heaven because Mother Teresa did good works. That means that the Pope will not go to heaven because the Pope’s trying to do good works. It means that Mary is not going to heaven because Mary’s trying to do good works. It means that no Catholic priest or mother superior or anybody is going to heaven because they do any good not only them, but anybody else in the whole world.

It means that Yankee Arnold, this preacher, I’m not going to heaven because I do good works either. And neither is Fred down here. He’s not going to heaven because he’s been a good boy. And Peter over here, he’s going to go to heaven because he’s been good. No, he’s not. No man. My wife is a good wife. Been married to her going on 52 years. But she can’t go to heaven because she’s been such a good wife. She cannot earn her way to heaven.

She is in reality no better than Mother Teresa or Mother Superior. But in the eyes of God we are all sinners and there is no difference. We are all the same in God’s eyes and you don’t put and lift a man up to be more than a man. Just a man. Just a man. And you understand that I am just a man. But God loves us. He loves all of us the same. God so loved the whole world. And he paid for all the sins of the whole world.

So that anybody in the whole world, if they would believe that Christ did it for them, they could know they have eternal life. You see, to go to heaven, you have to be perfect. Nobody’s perfect. That’s why you can’t earn eternal life. You can’t work your way to heaven. There’s only one way to get to heaven. And that’s to believe that when Jesus Christ, who was God’s son, came into the world, because he loves us, that He paid for my sins.

He paid for all of them. And all that I have to do, the only thing I can do is believe He did it for me. And God made it on the level that anybody can have it. You see, if I accept it as a free gift, and He gives me eternal life right now as a free gift, can I know I’m going to heaven if I have eternal life? If all of my sins are paid, there’s none for me to pay for.

Then what sin is going to condemn me to hell? I can’t go to hell. I’ve got eternal life. So can I know I’m going to heaven before I die? Yes. But if my going to heaven depends upon my good works, well, then I’ll have to wait till I live my whole life before I find out if they were good enough. That’s why most people don’t know where they’re going when they die because they don’t know how they’re going to live.

How good are you going to live? Am I going to mess up before it’s all over with? That means you’re trusting in your good deeds to get you to heaven and God says you can’t save yourself. Don’t try that. Don’t go down that road. Just be honest and admit, Lord, I’m a sinner. I believe Jesus Christ paid for my sins and I’m going to accept that payment He made for me so I don’t have to pay it. And He made that payment for you.

And the day you trust Him, He gives you as a free gift of everlasting life. And you get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for you. Would you trust Him? Would you trust Jesus Christ and Him alone as your only hope of going to heaven? I hope of going to heaven. I pray that you will. Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re here this morning, maybe you’ve heard these things before, maybe you haven’t.

But you say that made sense to me. And I want to be certain of going to heaven when I die and preach out life for you to pray for me. Friend, I’m not going to have you forward. I’m not going to embarrass you, but right where you’re sitting. If what I said made sense to you, would you trust the Lord? I’d like to have prayer for you and I’m going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand.

Raising your hand doesn’t save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. I’m not trying to put you on the spot. I just know that we don’t have a guarantee on life and you may never come back. I might never get a chance to talk to you again. And I would hate to think that you left this auditorium without trusting the Lord. So in the quietness of this moment, just between you and the Lord, would you say, Lord, I know I’m a sinner.

I believe Christ died and paid for my sins. And I’m going to trust Him. I’m not going to trust a church. I’m not going to trust a preacher. I’m not going to trust a priest. I’m not going to trust nobody but you. Friend, how can you go wrong by trusting the only true and living God there is? He knows who you are. He knows what you’ve done. Knows what you’re going to do. Still loves you. Would you trust Him?

Would you believe He died for you? And He said, if you trust Him as your savior, He would give you the free gift of eternal life and you get to go to heaven whenever you die. Whatever the reasons are that you use for not trusting the Lord becomes an idol that you worship. You put it between you and him. Our Father, we thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one for being here. We pray your will to be done in Christ and we pray.

Amen. 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 P3 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 six o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by Going to our church website, calvary oftampa.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.