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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. 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’ll enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

I ever prayed sometime and seemed like the sealant is made out of brass. prayers can’t get through. And I came across a great truth one day. My prayers don’t have to make a trip. God lives within me. He lives within me. He knows my thoughts before I even ask. He knows my needs. So there’s things that God knows and He wants to get done. But now look there in verse 2. Looking in verse 2, Isaiah chapter 59. If you don’t have verse 2, underline you ought to on the line verse two in your Bible.

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God. And get this, your sins. Have hid his face from you that he what? He won’t hear. It means that he’s not going to answer you. It’s like there’s a God got all this provision up there and you’re not gonna get any of it. It’s like, you know, having a rich uncle and he won’t give you anything. Maybe you don’t like you. Maybe you’re rebellious. Maybe you’re scared of grudge. But God is always for our benefit.

You must believe God loves you. God loves me. But God doesn’t tolerate sin, and you can’t tolerate it in your life. So that’s why when we do that which is wrong, and you realize that God gives you a little flashback, you better talk to the Lord about it. Keep your hearts right. Keep your hearts pure between you and the Lord. Now take your Bible and turn to Matthew chapter 21, the book of Matthew and chapter 21. Chapter 21. And look in verse 22.

This is a very interesting portion of Scripture. You see there in verse 22, and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer. Look at the next word. Believing you might receive you. Says, you shall receive. Now, remember I told you there’s a couple of verses that I haven’t got to the depths of yet. It’s hard for me to believe, but it says you gotta believe it. So I got a question and doubt. I got a hunch when I get to heaven.

There’s gonna be many things that I could have had. And because of my lack of faith, my little faith, I never got. I’m thankful for what I have received, But I keep thinking how much more I probably could have received or done if I could only believe. That’s why it says, Lord, I believe, Lord, help thy mind unbelief. And we always have these questions, these doubts. Well, look what he says. Yee, shout. But look at the point of it.

See the verse right before this where he says in verse 21, Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, doubt not. That’s why there’s some things that belongs to people who have faith and what God says and can really trust them. I wonder how much they can actually receive and how much is because of their faith in the Lord. Or how little faith I really have. But he says, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fake tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done.”

Good, right? When he says this mountain he probably was talking to the, to see this mountain right here? The Mount of Now you and I know that when Christ comes back again, His speech is going to touch upon the Mount of Orleans going to cleave in the mist. So what are you talking about? Any old mountain or this mountain right here? I’m often wondering about that. I also know that when Christ comes to the earth and He sets up His kingdom upon the earth, people won’t have to worry about anything.

God says, look, I’ll take care of everything. When a man wants to slap you on one cheek, he says, go ahead, turn the other one. Because Christ will be here during the kingdom. See, those verses reply during that period of time. time. Man wants to sue you. He said, well, let him sue you. Once you coat, give him a cloak also. It won’t matter. God will be here and justice will be served. You don’t have to worry about anything.

The vengeance is his, says to the Lord, God will take care of all of it. But until then, you and I, we have all these questions and doubts. What if you could live your Christian life without questioning worrying about what God says and just believe Him how much more peace and joy and happiness you’d have. Or to knock and finally find that job you’ve been looking for. Why? Because you didn’t quit. Or because you asked and you just kept on asking and you just kept on seeking and you finally found what you were looking for.

By the time we find it we’re too old to enjoy it. I won’t move right along here. But look there in James chapter 4. Look in James chapter 4. Over there in the book Look at James. Everybody likes James. Here in the book of James in chapter 4, look there in verse 3, you ask and receive not because you ask him is that you may consume it upon your own lust. In other words, you have desires that are not godly desires and you want things for the wrong reason.

See, I do believe this, that if I commit myself to the Lord, there’s a role of a disciple that I must follow. And if I will commit myself to do those things and discipline myself, I believe that my discipline will carry me to my ultimate goal. I will be able to please the Lord and I will get within the will of God for my life. And so all I got to do is just obey and keep walking and yield into the Lord.

And if I will do that, then it’s God’s responsibility to take care of everything else. That’s why he says in Matthew chapter 6, he says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things, all these things, what? The things that you and I are not supposed to worry about. Do you know there’s a lot of people they worry, worry, worry about what they’re going to eat, close to where, place to live. And God says, I’ll take care of those things.

take care of my responsibility. Lose your life or my sake in the gospel in God’s that I’ll take care of the rest of it. But that’s where faith comes in. And as you study the Word of God and the more knowledge you have of the Word of God, the more you can trust God for it and your faith grows and you’ll enjoy life better. And you’ll have the peace and the joy that you really want. And that’s what’s going to make the difference.

And then you’re able to influence other people’s lives because you’ve let the Word of God influence your life. You’ve ever seen smoke? There’s a song used to go that’s smoked, it’s in your eyes. Anybody remember that? Smoked it’s in your eyes. Well I’ve had smoke in my eyes and I don’t feel like singing when I got smoke in my eyes. I get teary-eyed because I get smoke in my eyes and then I can’t see too clear. Well see that’s the way a lot of people are.

Something’s in Isaac they can’t see clearly and so God wants clear things away. Sit your affections and so forth upon him and God said that he will bless you. He’ll take care of things. Look there in the book of Mark, the book of Mark. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the book of Mark, and chapter 11, Mark, chapter 11. The book of Mark is a picture of Jesus Christ in constant motion. Almost every verse in the book of Mark starts with the word and.

And the key word immediately or straightway, he was a servant. He was always going. He’s the servant. And that’s what you find in the book of Mark. So he’s always going, always giving. And in Mark. And in chapter 11. Look in verse 22. Chapter 11 verse 22. Jesus answering a said unto them, and you had to unline these words, have faith in God. Well, you’ve got to have a reason to have faith in God. You’ve got to trust Him for something.

Well, you’ve got to need something then. So God is so good to us. He lets us as children of need have the possibilities of coming to the throne of grace and asking for help so that you and I can have all that we need in the nick of time. That’s what he means. Now look in verse 23, verse 23, for barely I say unto you, whosoever shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart.

But shalt believe that those things which He saith, shall come to Him. He shall have whatsoever He saith. There’s verses over and over again that some people needed healing, different things. There’s a dumb spirit and a deaf spirit and this blind and so forth, and everybody’s needing all these problems. And they would carry all these people with all these problems to Jesus. And so night and day He was at it. He’s the person in this person and that person.

And all that came to him, he healed. He was a busy man. And he says, come into me and I will show you things that you don’t know. And you realize that a lot of things he was able to do. And he healed people of various diseases and so forth. And he says, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall be lead at those things which he says, shall come to path, he shall have whatsoever he said. whatsoever, anything.

It almost seems like there’s no limit, but you and I know, according to other scriptures, and it keeps making this statement, be it unto you according to your faith. Be it unto you according to your faith. Do you believe that our quality of life is a direct ratio to the quality of our trust in the Lord. Think about it. If you go through life and you’re miserable, good, you’re supposed to be because you didn’t trust the Lord. And there’s things that if you’ll trust the Lord and walk with God like He said, you’d be surprised how all of a sudden all of a can turn to joy and peace.

And the peace that the world cannot give and the world can’t take it away. Because see it has nothing to do with the world it has to do with you and God. And God’s the one that can give you a settled peace because you’re doing what pleases him. If your peace and your joy and your happiness is dependent upon other people’s response to you then you’re going to be very limited. Because people don’t always do what they’re supposed to do.

So you’re you’re limited. Now I want you to look at the next verse, looking verse 24. Therefore I say unto you what things soever ye desire when you pray, when you pray. So it’s assuming that you’re going to, you’re going to pray. Believe that you receive them and ye shall have them. You know that’s powerful. In other words I’m I’m supposed to live and rejoice now because of what God’s going to do because of my prayer. And he hasn’t done it yet.

But because of my faith in the Lord, I know He will and I rejoice now in advance. I rejoice in advance. Before I came down here to Calvary Community Church, did you know that I had already done scouted out this place? I mean, when I decided I was getting interested, that I was already looking at you people, do you realize I already saw certain potential of what could be done here at this church? Did you know that I had already figured out about camp and what I wanted to do?

I had already planned on Reformers Unanimous before I came here. I did. I most certainly did. And I also wanted to do more with the radio ministry. And I rejoiced in the Lord before I got any of it. Because I knew that somewhere down the Lord I don’t know how God’s going to do things. But I trust Him that He’s going to do it. And lo and behold, I told Betty yesterday, I said, you realize in two more months I will have been here two years?

It seemed like I just got here. And two years has almost passed. Look what it says. In verse 25, and when ye pray, stand praying, look at the next word. I want you to underline the word forgive. When you stand praying, Forgive. And you see that word if I want you to circle the word if. That means that there’s a… The answer to the prayer request is contingent upon something. Now here in the book of Mark, I believe that this is an Old Testament position.

If you want to be forgiven, then you needed to forgive. But in the New Testament, in the book of Ephesians 4 verse 32, he says, forgiving one another because God hath for Christ’s sake forgiven you. So I should forgive because I have been forgiven. Here is talking about forgiving so that you can be forgiven. Now there’s the difference. So because I have been forgiven, then as I go through life, I should forgive. And if you don’t forgive, did you know that there could be a possibility God will not answer your prayer because you will not forgive?

And the reason you don’t forgive is because you’re refusing to give something to somebody that you can give. Well, I just can’t forgive him. I’ll never forgive her. Wait a minute. Is that what God said whenever you wanted forgiveness of all of your sins? God hath forgiven us of all sins. And now here we are and we can’t forgive someone. And we have bitterness in our heart and God knows it. And you will not forgive someone who’s wrong to.

That’s wrong. And you wonder why God won’t give you peace and joy and happiness because you’ve you’ve got bitterness in your heart and the iniquity that you’re hiding from God. God can’t see this, but you’re asking God for something. God says, you get rid of that and I’ll give you this. So it’s up to you. You can have so much more, but you have to read the scriptures and believe what it says. And God says, or in verse 20, but if you do not forgive neither will your father, which is in heaven forgive your trans pastor.

See, this was before Christ died on the cross. Aren’t you glad that we’re under grace and not under law? But there are still principles in the Word of God about asking and receiving. Prayer is asking and receiving. So is there any reason, and this is why you examine your life, is there any reason that God would have for not answering your prayer? What do you need? Well, why wouldn’t God give that to you? I would hold that from you.

There must be a reason because God is a good God. We sung that tonight. And I believe that God is a good God. Now, another verse that I wanted to give to you right quick because I can see our time is only got two verses left. Look in Proverbs, the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 28. Proverbs 28. Look at this wonderful, wonderful verse. Proverbs chapter 28. And look at verse nine. Proverbs 28 and verse nine.

And he says here in verse nine, he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law. Even in Yoda on the line, even his prayer shall be an abomination. In other words, you could pray, But your prayer, because you will not listen to what the word of God says, you will not do what God says, do, but now you want God to be a little puppet on the strange, and you pull these strange in this, when the puzzle opened up and all these blessings fall down upon you.

No, God is looking for righteous people whom he can bless. And you’re the one to determine what kind of a person you are. And so he makes this statement here. Look in verse 10, Whoso causes the righteous to go astray in an evil way. He shall fall himself into his own pit. But the upright shall have good things in possession. The rich men is wise in his own conceit, but the poor that hath understandeth, searcheth to him out. When righteous men do rejoice, there’s great glory.

But when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. Now looking for 13, he that coverth his sin shall not prosper. But who so confesses and forsakeeth them shall have mercy. And verse 14, happy is the man that covers his sins. No, happy is the man that fearth always, but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. Look at verse 20, done in verse 20, a faithful man shall abound, and you’re not lying those two words with blessing, a faithful man.

Oh, look what he says in verse 26, he that trusted in his own heart It’s a fool. That’s the man that does that. And of course, the next two verses in the next chapter are really good too. You can read the whole chapter, but we don’t have time for all that. Looking first Peter chapter three, first Peter and chapter three, and we’ll close with these verses, but I referred to these verses the other, well last Sunday, first Peter chapter three, when we talked about husbands on how to love your your wives.

By the way, I think that was a good sermon. And I think everybody, if you didn’t hear it, you ought to hear it. It’d be a blessing to you. Or you know somebody that needs that message. It’s good for them. First Peter in chapter three. Look what he says there in verse nine. Not, Reggulant or rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrary to wise, blessing. Somebody does you wrong, be a blessing to them. Don’t worry about what they do.

Don’t render evil for evil. You know what, you did me wrong, I do you wrong. You’re unkind to me, I’ll be unkind to you.” No, no, no, no. God said, don’t do that. So he says here in verse 10, “‘For he that will love life, I mean to enjoy life. And see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, let his lips that speak no guile, mean no deceit, no secret treachery. Let him issue evil and do good and let him seek peace and pursue it, or pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Sounds pretty clear to me. So whenever the Lord’s talking about, you know, his ears are open unto the prayers of the righteous. In the book of John chapter 5 verse 24, he says, along this line, he that, heareth my word, and beleaveth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but his past from death under life.

He that heareth my word. Now see, you might hear it, but do you really hear it? Do you believe it? This is what God’s talking about. See, God can hear everything. He hears the idle words. He hears the profanity. He hears the dirty jokes. And then you expect God to bless. As though he didn’t hear it, no, correct the problems. Always examine your life, because God is. And God lets problems comes into our life to get us to see those things that we refuse to see, to face things we don’t want to face so that we can correct the problem because God in heaven is just waiting.

He wants to bless us so much. That’s what the book says. And we believe the book, don’t we? We believe this book. And you’d be surprised what God can do if we yield ourselves to Him. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. And the wallet represents all the things that we do that’s wrong. Everybody does things wrong. The Bible says that we have all sin. Come short of God’s perfection. See, God is perfect and heaven is perfect and we have to be perfect to go there.

None of us are perfect. We’ve all done things wrong and God says the wages of sin is death. Not the wages of sins is death. One sin is all it takes. One sin we have to die. One sin and we’re condemned for all eternity, but God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. To go to heaven we have to be perfect because righteous is God and none of us are perfect. We’ve all sinned and come short of his perfection and God says you cannot save yourself.

You cannot work your way to heaven. It’s not by our good This hand represents Jesus Christ. He is the Lord. God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sins because our sins separates us from God. And even after you trust Christ as your Savior, there are things that happen in your life. These sins keep you from having the fellowship with the Lord that you want to have. It keeps you from the peace and the joy.

So Christ, when He died, He paid the penalty of our sins, which is death and hell. which is death in hell. He came back from the dead. The penalty for our sins is already paid. So when I believe he did it for me, he puts this payment to my account and I never have to pay the penalty of my sins by being eternally separated from God. He paid for all of that. And now because I’m his child, God says, I have eternal life.

I’m going to heaven whenever I die. These things have I written unto you that believe that you may know that you have eternal life. Look what we get yet just by believing God. We believe He did it for us and He puts this payment to our account and all I had to do, I believe it. And I get to be a child of God. I get to go to heaven when I die. He’ll never cast me out, never lose me.

Look at all the opportunities God gives us in life. So after you trust Christ to save you, yes, you’re His child, you’re going to heaven. But you’re not there yet. And God wants His children to talk to Him. You know, I thought one time, I wonder if God gets lonely. I wonder if God gets lonely. He wants to talk to us and walk with us and fellowship with us, but see, He’s perfect. And He can do it. only because there’s a mediator, Jesus Christ.

See, like, here’s me, and here’s the Lord, and here’s Christ. So you see him and Christ, they have no problem. Christ, because of his death on the cross for me, we have no problem. So I can have all the fellowship I want because of Christ. Christ is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Let’s pray show you. Every head bowed and every act closed and no one looking around. If you’re not sure you’re going to heaven.

Why not right now just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this? Lord, I don’t understand it all. I got questions. I got doubts. We all do because we have an old sinful nature. We have a very difficult time totally trusting the Lord in every area of our life. But you realize that God says because we’re sinners, we can’t save ourselves. That’s That’s why we don’t trust ourselves. We don’t trust our works to get us to heaven because we don’t know quality our works.

Our God says they’re no good. God says they’re like filthy rags. And God says that you’d have to continue in all things in which the law commanded we’ve all failed. So you can’t save yourself. But what you believe that Christ died, that He paid for your sins, and what you trust Him to take you to heaven when you die. If you will, God said He would save you, give you eternal life and you become His child. If you’ve never done so and you’ll do it right now, I’d like to have prayer for you.

Right where you are, all that you have to do, the only thing you can do is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. And by believing that He died on that cross and paid for your sins, God said He would give you eternal life and it lasts forever. It never cast you out, it never lose you. So in the quietness of this moment, as anyone else says, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior and preach, I’d like you to pray for me.

Just lift it up very quickly, I’ll rub it down, and say it with all. If you’ve already trusted Christ to save you, you never have to do it again. But you know there might be some of you, yes, you trusted Christ as your Savior, but you’re struggling. You’re having a hard time. Lot of problems in life. Humble yourself to the Lord. Don’t be defiant. Don’t be proud and boastful in front of God. God can humble you very quickly. He can send you problems you can’t solve.

It doesn’t do it because he’s mad at you. He does it because he loves you and he wants you to see because there’s so much more he He wants you to enjoy. Our Father, we thank You so much for this time together. Bless each one. And Father, we know that there are those that are hurting because of some sickness or illness and some that are needing jobs and Lord, they’re just a wide variety. But I pray that You’d help each one to seek, to ask, to knock, and you stay at it, be leaving.

Believing that You will come through just like You promised. each one to examine their own life and see if there’s a reason that would cause you not to bless them. Thank you for this time 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 Bible 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 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 a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound, and 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.