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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 toll free at 1-800-800-800-800-800. at 576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calbryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I thought I’d speak to you a little bit about, are you ready? Are you ready? Years ago, I used to love the arm wrestle. For some reason or other I had a little unique, I could take their hand and I twisted it in and then just pull it toward me. And they’re always trying to push it down and I’m just pulling, you can pull it towards you. And I could pin, anybody I arm or I could pin them. And even when I was 45 years old, I had some college kids, they took me on, they wanted to challenge through some arm wrestling.

And it just broke their heart when, you know, I just pinned them and they couldn’t stand it. And it’s not because it’s straight, it’s a little technique. And so, and they’d get a hold of my arm and they’d just go, bam! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready. So then somebody has to go to the guy. One, two, three, and then you go, and then sometimes, one, two, and then they slam you, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

You’re supposed to go on three, I wasn’t ready. And then sometimes I try to steal off guard because you can catch a person off guard, you can slam your hand down quick. Well, sometimes they work the other way and they got mean. I mean, I like to break your arm off. But are you ready? Or you say, on your mark, get set, go! You know, it’s just a way of, are you ready? Are you ready? I remember one time I had a, this man and woman came to me, they wanted to get married.

I said, sir, you think you’re ready to get married? I’m ready, I’m ready. Six months later, I wasn’t ready. But you think you’re ready and you’re not ready. There’s a lot of people that are not ready to die. They’re just not ready. And there’s a lot of Christians that are not ready to meet the Lord either. Oh, they may know the Christ to say, but they’re just not ready. And so it’s important to be ready. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke chapter 12.

Luke in chapter 12. Now, remember this. If Satan is ready to attack you, remember? He is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may what? Devour. Well, if the devil is ready to devour you, you better be ready to defend you. So when is he ready to get you? So you better be ready. And if you’re not ready to defend yourself, then you might get devoured. And you don’t want that to happen. So here in the book of Luke in chapter 12, Look there in verse 35.

Now Jesus is talking here and he says, let your loins be girded about and your lights burning. Now chapter five, it talks about, you know, let your little light shine. We sing that song, this little light of mine. Well, the word light there in chapter five of Matthew is talking about men seeing your good works. Your good works. then they may glorify your Father, which is in heaven. So when you wanna let your little light shine, you’re talking about letting your works shine forth.

That they may glorify your Father, which is in heaven. So it’s not just a matter of living a good life and everybody just ooh and aha hah holy you are. If you don’t give the credit to the Lord and now they’ll know why you’re doing it, then you get all the credit and the honor and the glory. And that’s stealing. You’re robbing glory from God and God doesn’t like that. So he doesn’t mind you getting a little credit as long as you give the credit to him.

So make sure that you do that. So he says in verse 30, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding. Now, this of course is talking to the children of Israel. It’s talking about when the Lord comes back at the end of the tree relation period. You’ll see here in the book of Lucy, they didn’t know nothing about the rapture. They just knew that the Lord’s gonna, he told them, I’m coming, I’m coming back.

But here he’s talking about coming back at the end of the tribulation period in Israel. They’ll see him and so on. But you and I are supposed to be looking for the Lord too. But we’re looking for the Lord to come before the wedding. You say, how did we know that? Well, because we’re the bride. So we’re not coming from the wedding. We’re talking about going to the wedding. So the rapture is Christ coming back and getting us. So he comes for his saints.

Seven years later he comes back with his saints and he’s telling those people, you better be ready because you don’t know when I’m coming. Well now a lot of the same things can be said about the rapture. We don’t know exactly when he’s coming and we should be ready. We should be looking for the Lord and not be ashamed before him at his coming. So look there in verse 36 again. you yourselves like on demand that wait for their Lord.

You and I shouldn’t live like we’re waiting for the Lord to come back. And if we’re waiting for the Lord to come back, doesn’t mean that we sit around and do nothing. The word wait means to like people who wait on a table, they’re serving. We’re supposed to be serving the Lord, looking for Him to come back at any time. And then notice what it says in the last part of verse 36. That when he cometh and knocketh, they may open into him.

And that word immediately, it means they should be ready at any time, any moment. And I don’t believe most Christians are really that prepared, like they’re really looking for the Lord to come back. And yet, I believe that he is. Look what else he says. He says, blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. You’re on the line of find watching. So when he comes back, he wants to find you watching, looking for him.

Like you expect him. And that means the way you live reveals your expectancy. And if you’re messing around and playing games and you’re not serious about the things of the Lord, you’re not looking for the Lord to come back. But he says, there’s going to be blessed. Those servers going to be blessed. And look what else he says to those people that are going to be here talking about when Christ comes back at the second coming to the earth when Christ returns to the earth.

Burley, I send you that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meet and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so blessed are those servants. If you don’t know when he’s coming. Now of course we know this is talking about the end of the tribulation period but much of the same truth can be applied to the rapture. And then he says in verse 39, and this know that if the good man of the house had known what are the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken through.

If you know when he’s coming, you ought to be ready and prepared to meet the Lord because one of these days he’s gonna happen. He’s gonna show up. Now look what he says in verse 40. Verse 40, you ought to underline this verse. Be therefore, and you ought to underline that word, ready. Be therefore ready for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Now this, I believe is referring to the tribulation saints, but it’s also could refer to when he comes the first time for us.

He could show up at a time that you don’t think, well he’s not gonna come today, he’s not gonna come this week, he’s not gonna come this year. Well we already know he’s got to come in September, October, so we’ve got months to go and we don’t have to worry about because we already know when he’s coming. I mean, Hank’s talked that too, right? So we know that he’s got to come this fall. Well, one of these falls he’s going to come.

So in between that, well, he didn’t show up this year. We’ll wait till next year because he’s not going to come back today or next week. We got time. So we can piddle until all about September 1st. I think we ought to get serious about it. What do you think? You think you got another year or two years? Or is it possible that the Lord says, “‘Fold you all, here I am, ready or not, here I come.” I used to love to play that.

Hide and seek. We’re not a good game. They should tell me we’re going to play hide and seek and now we all go hide. And then they went and done something else, I’m still hiding. An hour later, I’m still hid. But now I want you to see this in Luke chapter 12 look there in verse 46 Because there’s servants that are not going to be doing what God says he what he’s gonna He’s delaying his God Let’s just looking verse 45 But and if that servant saying his heart my Lord they layeth his coming Shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens and to eat and drink and to get drunk Well see that because he’s not looking for his pastor to come back So it makes a difference in how you live.

How you live depends on, do you really believe that the Lord could come back at any time and you’re looking for Him, you’re expecting Him? But in verse 45, but if that servant’s in his heart, my Lord did lay at this coming and shall begin to beat the men’s servants and the maidens. Looking in verse 45, the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he look at not for him. And at an hour when he is not aware will cut him a sonder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers But in these simple little scriptures see he used like the word Lord light as a master who has servants It’s not talking about going to heaven But just talking about being ready using an illustration to let you know that here’s a man who’s got some servants And he’s got a boss over him and so he doesn’t believe he’s coming back

So he begins to not be a good steward of what God’s entrusted him with, or what the man entrusted to him. So he says here in verse 47, and that servant which knew his Lord’s will, master’s will, and get this prepared not himself. Neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Verse 48, but he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Now look at the part of this verse.

This is the part that you need to underline Because there’s a principle here that explains what the story is about For unto whom soever much is given of him shall be much required And to whom men have committed much of him they will ask them more now talking about what men do But isn’t it also true that when God who knows what you know? Does God right now know what you know? Is everything that you know? He knows what you have said under and listened to for how many years?

To whom much is given, much is what? Required. So, God is going to hold you more accountable because you could have done more. There are some people who don’t know as much so they’re not held accountable for what they don’t know. So, you say, well, then I’d be better off not knowing anything. Sure, Agnus is blessed. No, no, no, no, no. There is a responsibility. And God says He wants us to know His will and to do His will.

And the part up there in verse 47, that knew His Lord’s will and prepared not. You know, I could preach a whole sermon just on that one statement. They knew the Lord’s will but did not prepare themselves. Do you think there’s the Christians that are like that? That they never prepared themselves to be used and therefore they never do anything because well I don’t know what to do or I can’t do that or I can’t do that. Of course you can.

You know, let me tell you that. You know why I can play the guitar? The little bit I can, you know why I can play the guitar? Before me and Betty ever got married. I don’t know where the guitar came from. It might have been mine, I don’t know. But I would strum the guitar. I didn’t know how to chord it. I just strum it. It didn’t matter what the song was, what key it was in. I still just, all I did was strum it.

And I would sing the Betty. And she just said to her, like, you know, she’s looking to, you know, listen to the greatest singing and all the world. And I got a voice like a potato grater, but you know, she’d sit there and just, oh, and I sing to her. I sing, come and say it by my side, little darling and she just said to her.

Well, this was back then when I was around. Nothing mattered. I just sang and strum the guitar. And then one day I bought me a nice guitar. But I was going to save some money and fix this electrical cord. And so I’m trying to strip the wire down to the metal so I can get at it and put some black tape on it and make another connection. And I went, we didn’t want it like that. I had cut right across my knuckle.

the bone and I looked at that finger and it was pearly white and it didn’t start bleeding yet. It was just looking at me. My bone, like I see my neck all the way down. And then all of a sudden here she came. It was starting to overflow. And anyway, I went to the doctor and they stitched it in here and they stitched it across their inside. And then they stitched it on the outside, put a thing on it.

I said, Doc, I like to play the guitar. He says, son, you’ll never use that finger. That finger will never bend anymore. You cut down into the knuckle. You cut all your muscles and your tendon. You cut it off. He says, you virtually almost cut off your whole finger. That broke my heart. Because that would have ended my serenading days to my dear little darling. And so I sat there one day, but I’m going to use that finger. And so I took the stuff off of it.

The stitches were all over the place. And I sat there and I rubbed that thing. I said, I’m going to use this finger. I’m going to massage this thing. And I’m going to work this thing. And I’m going to stretch this thing. And I’m going to have me a thing. He says, you’ll never be able to do it. I’m going to do it. I worked that thing. And I was sitting there doing something at the table. And I was just rubbing that thing.

And after a while, I looked down here at it. And I wonder if I could bend it. I want to try. I couldn’t move it, so I’ve been like that. I don’t know what happened. The Lord had to heal my finger. He did something. And so I decided I’m going to learn. I want to learn how to play the guitar. And so when I went to Florida Bible College, and there’s Ray Stanford and all these guys up there in Hank Lindstrom, and they were all up there, and they played the guitar every ranch meeting at the camps and all.

And I’d sit out there and I’d think, man, I wish I could play the guitar. I don’t know how. So I got me a guitar and I started beating that thing at the death and I had to start working on my fingers and finally learn a chord and I get another one so far. And then I went to Indian camps. At Indian camps they didn’t have many they could play the guitar and I was still learning and so I would fake my way through it.

I’d stom and I’d pretend like I was doing something I’d I didn’t have no clue where I was at in general, but they didn’t know it. It sounds bad anyway. And after a while, I went to Colorado and I started with a Bible study with two little kids. And they didn’t know, but one of them trusted the Lord. And they can think, you know, I got more kids, more and more and more. And I would just play the simple chords that I could, because the only ones I knew.

next thing you know we had 25 in our powerhouse five and I had five and six hundred teenagers coming to ranch and I like to totally forfeited the whole ministry of youth ministry just because of this one little finger it would have changed my whole ministry and then we had over 200 kids go to Bible college from that youth work all because something you know so simple I can do this you say well I don’t know how to do it you can you can do whatever you set up your mind to do.

You got a body, you got a mind, you can do it. Play your harmonica. This is the easiest breathing. You can breathe, you can play a harmonica. Anybody here is breathing, you’re already doing part of it. See how you do it? I do put a harmonica in there to go. Hey, I’m building your self-esteem. I’m trying to convince you. You can do something, but If you say, well, I can’t do that. Of course you can’t, if you don’t do something, but there that is.

It’s a piece of cake. So he’s right, it’s a piece of cake. Oh, you gotta do it, hurry. amines, but you start off with something simple, a little bitty song, and then somebody, I’ve had somebody say, man, I can do all that too. If I had your talent, where do you think I got it? Kmart? See, a lot of people they want to be used, but they don’t prepare themselves. A lot of people love the same, but you don’t prepare the same.

He’s been singing in the That’s why I’ve never heard him. And lo and behold, he, you know, he finds out, you know, he, he’s, he’s up here singing. She’s going, oh, does he share an age of yet? No. But it’s wonderful to be able to try something. Just because you’ve never done it before doesn’t mean you can’t. What would you like to do? Some people are a good soul and that James is a good soul in her. But you know how come he’s a good soul in her?

You just happened one day, it just took over his body and he didn’t. He just been doing it for a good while. That’s all you do. I’ve won thousands and thousands of people to Christ. But it’s all because I started with just one, this one, and then got another one, and then get another one. And you just keep on, keep on, and that’s why you get a whole bunch of them. And so you try to prepare yourself to be used, fit for the master’s use, so that God can use you.

And you’d be surprised that people has got a lot of talent and abilities, but just have never ventured out to see just what they can do. Fear will hold you back. But after you, you know, you do it for a little while. And then it’s not as hard. Just like that first time you got to witness to somebody. You have to have that first time. This one guy, he’d never been bear hunting before. And he said, well, what do I do?

He says, oh, it just comes natural. So yeah, you’ll just know what you’re supposed to do. So he went with a bunch of guys up into the woods. Well, the guy went out of the house. And after a while, they heard him. And they heard him hollering. They opened the door and he’d come running down over here on the big old bear was chasing him. He says, open the door. So they opened the door and he ran in the bare end, right behind him.

He ran out the back door, slammed it closed. He says, you all clean out and I’ll go get another one. But you got to have that first one that you got to clean. You got to get that first and after a while. You know, the first one is a rough one. But after you did it, it becomes easier for you. Take your Bible and look there in the book of Acts chapter 21. Acts chapter 21. Won’t you see this?

Acts chapter 21. Now you know the apostle Paul in the book of Acts chapter 20 was talking about going to Jerusalem and he said that didn’t know everything was going to be following me there but he made the statement that bonds and afflictions abide me. Now look in chapter 21 and verse 10 and as we tarried there are many days there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus and when he was come into us, he took Paul’s girdle and bound his own hands and feet and said thus saith the Holy Ghost.

So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle and shouting, deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. They’re warning Paul, don’t go. Verse 13, then Paul answered, what meaneth ye to weep and to break my heart? and you are underlying these words, for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Now that’s being ready. He’s not only ready to be bound but he’s ready to die, prepared to die. That’s That’s taking a big step. But let me ask you to do it. Everybody knows in this life you’re going to have to suffer. Are you ready to suffer anything, whatever it may be, for the cause of Christ? Have you already resolved that in your mind between you and God, Lord, I don’t care what it is. I don’t care how bad it is.

I’m ready to suffer regardless of what it might be. You’re free to use me any way you want. However you deem necessary for your honor and glory that by my body, whether I live or whether I die, Christ may be magnified in my body. I’m ready. Did you know what my job is as the pastor to get you ready? I’m supposed to get you ready for heaven. So you try to take and give the gospel so that the lost people can trust Christ as Savior.

Is my job done just because you want somebody to Christ? No. Just begun. That’s just the first thing. That just gets them to heaven, but are you prepared to meet the Lord? So we try to get people prepared to suffer. And that’s one of the most hardest thing you can do to try to prepare people to suffer. Now, you know you’re going to, right? And buddy, you have no idea. I could write a book over all the things that I’ve done and that brought suffering.

Just suffer. Not because you did something wrong, but because you did something right. I remember one time I was way down there in the Grand Canyon. gone down there, there was an Indian tribe there called the Havasupai Indian tribe. The guy that used to bring in the mail by horseback still does it, named Charlie Chamberlain, he came to our Bible college, brought his whole family, appears wife was a Havasupai. And his kids went to our Christian school. And I met him down in the canyon, when we was having camp down here one year.

And we’re down here in the bottom of the canyon. And four or five of us was checking out the lower parts of the canyon right before it gets to the Colorado River. The Colorado River is one wild river when it gets into the gorge. Well, there’s this waterfall. They had two big waterfalls down here. One is a 60-foot drop and another one’s a 90-foot drop. But it was beautiful down in the bottom of the canyon. What we had circled around behind one of of the waterfalls.

And when we did, my son didn’t go, he stayed over there because he was young at the time. We all went on the backside of the waterfall. And so we decided that we’d just dive through the waterfall. And each one dove through the waterfall and went on the other side. And I just waited to everybody gone. I’m the oldest, you know, I should let them go first. Big mistake. So I’m there all by myself. And I just didn’t feel like just diving through the waterfall.

I just eased into the water. I thought I’d just swim through the waterfall. But as I begin to swim through the sea, and I went under the waterfall so I closed my eyes and I just kept swimming. And I kept swimming. And I realized it’s getting darker. I didn’t push off enough to get through the waterfall. And a 90 foot waterfall coming down will push you down. It was pushing me down into the lake. But I didn’t know it at first and I didn’t take a lot of air with me.

I wasn’t planning on staying for a while. But I would begin to hurt and it was dark. And I couldn’t go up. I was doing everything I could to go up. I’m trying to go up and the water’s pushing me down. It just wasn’t working. And it came to me what was happening. And so then I started going forward and getting that money at the waterfall. And when I got out, then I started going up and then I could start seeing it started lightening up.

And then when I finally got to the top of the water and I busted through, my lungs were burning and I thought I was hurting. And I looked over there and all four of the guys sitting on the thing. A hundred yards away from me, looking the other direction. They had no clue what almost happened to me. How close I came have been taken out of this world.

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. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. 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 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 Bite Online. Now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Hot 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.