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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 1-800-800-8 the Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-5-5. at 576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined 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.

Anyway, I’ve got some things I want to share with you at this morning. I hope that it will be a blessing to you. You know, I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was 18 years old. That was a few years ago. And I had never heard the message because I, you know, until I was 18, there wasn’t a Christian you threw into round for me. I didn’t go to church. My daddy and my mom, they didn’t go to church.

And I never remember one time going to church with my mom and dad. And I never saw them read a Bible. I don’t even know if we ever had a Bible in our home. I have no recollection of it. And I never saw them, you know, stop and have a word of prayer and, you know, thank the Lord for the food. But I don’t know where I got it from, but inside I knew that there was God. And I wanted to go to heaven.

And I heard that if you were bad, you’d go to hell. I heard it from somebody. I don’t know how I got it, but you know, it filters down to you. You’d be surprised things that can get into your mind. And then years later, it becomes such a blessing to you. You see, a lot of the kids in a wana, lots of kids in Sunday school, they don’t understand it yet. All we’re going, keep planting seeds. These teenagers just planting seeds.

One of these days, these things will grow. But I want to understand that there’s a thing about growing in grace after you trust Christ as your Savior. Now some of you in here have trusted Lord just recently, and I know that. But God wants you to grow in the knowledge of his son. He wants you to get some of the truth out of the Bible and be able to develop the way that God wants you to. See God’s not through it yet.

I hate to say it, he ain’t through with me either. God just is tagged to do you. He got a little tweaking to do yet. But he’s always working on us. And sometimes he’s working in us. I’ll have more time you working on me. But he has a job to do and he loves us and he wants the best work. Now, some of you’ve been here long enough, you know that me and Hank, we’re pretty close when it comes to the clarity of the gospel.

We kind of hinge the same way. A lot of the same basic doctrine. But we do have a different delivery. He is more about like a teacher. He just talks to you, soft, got a sweet voice. He does this mellow, wonderful voice. Well, good morning. Welcome to my blind. And Yankee comes on. Well, hello there. Hi, Aldo. And I’m more of a preacher. So we have a little different style. But I think it’s good for you. Not everybody’s the same.

And neither are you. Some of you in this room, you’ve got different styles. You’ve got different tones in your voice. You’ve got, but God made us all different. But He wants us to all to grow and to become strong in the Lord. So I wanna give you some things that I think will help you. Look in 1 Peter, chapter one, 1 Peter and chapter one. And do stay with me. I’m gonna, we’ll look at a few verses, but I want you to stay right with me.

And look at verse two and three. 1 Peter, chapter one, this is talking to the believer. those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. So in verse 2 he says, elect, this is chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit. On to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace be multiplied. So God and the Father wants to speak to you and me, His children. You see, we have been chosen by God because we chose God.

God has chosen all those who choose Christ to be made pure and holy and perfect and set apart and so forth. But God, before the foundations of the world, looking down to the telescope of time, says He is going to save all of those who accept His Son. So you and I have been chosen by God, chosen in the sense that He has chosen to save all of those who believe. And if you did not choose to accept Christ, God did not choose to save you.

Now He will save whosoever will. the chosen are the whosoever wills and the unchosen are the whosoever won’ts. Very simple. Verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again. So you and I were born again, born into God’s family, unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So whenever you and I trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Our hope is not in me.

My hope is not in this church. It’s in a person, a live person, a living person. And so once you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were saved from something to in verse 4, to an inheritance that’s incorruptible and fated, not away reserved in heaven for you. So there’s a place reserved for you in heaven who are kept by the power of God. See, you didn’t have this power to save yourself and you don’t have the power to keep yourself safe.

So you trusted Christ’s Savior, you were saved by Him and you’re kept saved by Him. You didn’t have the power to do it and neither do you have it now. Now, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of, well, let’s just look at one of the verse right here since we’re so close. First Peter chapter two, looking verse one and two.

Wherefore he says lay on a side all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all evil speaking as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. So we’re supposed to desire the sincere milk of the word of God that we may grow. Now you trust Christ is your Savior, you’re His child, but God wants us to grow. But when do you think He wants us to lay aside what’s mentioned in verse 1?

Wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, when should we lay all that aside? As newborn babes. These are the sincere miracle of the word, did you may grow thereby? So you’d be strong enough to do that. But it’s the will of God that every one of his children learn how to behave. Even our children that are born into our families, we want them to learn from the very beginning when we say yes or when we say no.

And we’re supposed to be disciplined. It’s very difficult to discipline children when we’re not disciplined ourselves. And then I want you to look there quickly in the 2 Peter and chapter 3, Second Peter chapter three, look there now in verse 18. Verse 18, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, both now and forever, amen. Grow in grace. So it is the will of God that you and I grow in the Lord to be strong.

God is not satisfied with the way we are today, because we can always keep growing, keep learning, maturing, learning more, and being more obedient. I wrote some things down that I thought would help you to understand some of the pitfalls in growing in grace. This is number one, a desperate mentality instead of a development mentality. What I mean by that, to be of a desperate mentality means that we’re controlled by what we panic. You ever want to find a panic button?

You’re always looking for it. To be impatient, feel with despair, to have that feeling of hopelessness. And so when we talk to the Lord and go to the Lord, it’s generally because we’re desperate instead of a development attitude. In other words, growing in grace or growing in peace and growing in joy, those are things that can be developed in your life. Take your Bible and look here in the book of Philippians in chapter 4, Philippians and chapter 4.

And you’ll notice there in verse eight. Finally, brethren, what’s over things are true, what’s over things are honest, what’s over things are just, what’s over things are pure, what’s over things are lovely, what’s over things are a good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. You don’t think on all of these things all at once. But you learn how to think, how to dwell, how to meditate. Here a little, there a little line up online precept upon precept upon precept.

the biblical principle and another biblical principle. God doesn’t give you all the light all at one time. He doesn’t help you to understand everything all at one time. Need to do we teach children to learn everything all at one time. They go to school for 12 years. Some of them, I never did. I didn’t need those last two years. I was already smart enough. But now you’re learning how to think and who was talking about this in Sunday school.

The second thing I want you to get is this fear instead of faith. God’s people are afraid. Sometimes we’re afraid that God doesn’t really love me unconditionally. Or I don’t love him enough. So either one of those will produce fear in your life and not accomplish that which God intends. So we let fear control us. afraid to step out to do something, to do what God wants to do, afraid to give a track, afraid to witness to anybody, afraid to give the way that I should give, because I don’t see how God’s going to do that.

And so we hold back and so fear instead of faith. And I want you to see this because I mentioned this first early, but first John chapter four, look there in verse 18, first John chapter four and verse 18. It’s a good verse to underline in your Bible because you need to be convinced God loves me. He loves you enough to save you. Do you think he stopped loving you after you became his child? He still loves you. And because he loves you, remember if we love him, serve him.

But sometimes because we don’t serve the Lord like we should, then we automatically think, well then it’s because I don’t love it. And because I don’t love him like I should, he’s not going to hear my prayer. He’s not going to answer me and therefore I have no hope. Now remember Christ is a living hope. It means as long as Christ is alive, our hope can be alive. He’s a person and he knows and he cares. She knows the hurts that we go through, the failures that we have, all the problems in the trials of temptation.

And just by being the pastor of this church, I know that a lot of y’all have trials and testings and you’re in a lot of pressure. I wish I had a magic one. I could just wave it and it all go away. But I can’t. I’ve got to watch you struggle. I’ve got to watch you struggle. I don’t want to solve all of your problems if I could. I would want to because see, that’s how you’re learning how to walk with God.

Your faith is on trial. You’re learning how to walk. Some of you are going to stumble and some of you are going to make a mess out of things. And I want to help you, but I can’t walk the Christian walk for you. I can’t live the Christian life for you. Nobody else can do it for you either. You see, you and the Lord walking together, and nobody can do that for you. God has lessons He wants you to learn from Him, and nobody else can stop it or change it.

And the sooner you learn that, the better off you’re going to be. Don’t start that blame game. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Learn to be responsible. Grow up. Don’t be a baby all your life. Don’t whine about anything. I mentioned that last one, he’s denied about it. You want some cheese with that? But anyway, we’re not going back down that road again. I want to look there in the book of Luke chapter five, the book of Luke chapter five.

Anyway, that verse that I didn’t read till you, you can read it. It’s a good verse. And it talks simply about the perfect love passes out fear and fear produces torment. and you don’t want that torment. You’ll notice it makes the statement here in the book of Luke. And it says here in chapter 5, in verse 5, And Simon Anstrain said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. And then the last part of that there, you need to underline it.

In the word after you have rationalized in your mind how something is not going to work and how you tried this and you tried that nevertheless at thy word. I will let down the net. He said, we didn’t work all night. We didn’t try everything we know. Unless it thy work, that’s growing in the Lord. But God has to allow you to come to the end of yourself when you can’t make it work, when you don’t have all the answers, when you can’t pull all the strings and control everything.

And you’ll find out as life goes on, you can’t control a lot of things in this life. But the only thing you need to worry about is that walk between you and the Lord, growing in grace, where you become stronger in the Lord, and God will bless you and reward you because of that. The other thing I want to put down is resting or trusting in circumstances. Resting or trusting in circumstances instead of God’s call. You see, a lot of times we are controlled by circumstances that you can’t control.

Instead of trusting the Lord, because God is in control of the circumstances. Now, if you don’t believe that, you should believe that. And to believe that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. All I gotta do is just love Him. I just tell people that you can trust Christ as a Savior. It’s a gift. Love the Lord with all your heart and you can live like you please. You shouldn’t say that. Listen to what I said.

Love the Lord with all your heart and you can live like you please. Because how do you want to live to please the one that you love with all your heart? It makes sense to me. I hope it makes sense to you. But you’ll notice in the last part of verse 10, he says, and Jesus said in an assignment, fear not, fear not. From henceforth, thou shalt catch men. In other words, I got something else for you. You see, God will closing one door.

In other words, I don’t want you to be a fisherman. He fished all night and came up empty. You see, the Lord can make that happen. When the Lord wants you to do something else, He kind of like closes a door because He wants to open another door. And so whenever you’re growing in the Lord, He’s gonna be leading you, guiding you by the provision of the withholding of it. Because God knows what He’s doing and you’re just going through life taking steps.

You’re walking with the Lord. And nobody else may not understand why you do what you do, but you’ll know between you and the Lord. There’s a certain piece there Number four was relying on a model instead of a master Relying on a model instead of a the master Relying on a plan instead of the person I should tell people this You’re playing your work and you’ll work your plan and you’ll work it plan as long as your plan will work and your plan don’t work you change your plan You did some of them?

You’re playing your work and you’re working your plan. You’re working plans on your plan of work. You’re playing don’t work. You change your plan. But sometimes you think, okay, I got all my ducks in a row. I got this plan. But see your success is not based upon a plan. It’s not based upon a model that I did this thing. And I’m like a machine and I did blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I went to church. I read my Bible.

I kept my devotions. I did this. I gave my money. What’s wrong? Why ain’t I happy? Because you see, you’re supposed to be building that relationship between you and the Lord, and I’ll show it when you’re born into his family, you’re his child, you’re his child forever. That’ll never change. But something about you and your heavenly Father is still not right because you see, you can learn all you want about rules and regulations, news and don’ts. But God is a person.

He’s a person. Learn to talk to him. He’s a person and he’s more important than a model or a plan. I said, well, I’m right with God because I go to church. You can be sitting here in this church right now and not be right with God. Well, I read my Bible. You can read your Bible and not be right with God. You can even pray and not be right with God. And I’ve seen a lot of people do a lot of things because, well, I prayed about it.

I prayed about it. I don’t care if you did pray about it. If it’s wrong, it’s still wrong. Was it the will of God? You said we don’t serve God according to our idea about God. We serve God according to His way. Laning up on him. What does the Word of God say? This is why you can’t grow without the Word of God. This is why Sunday school is so important because you’re learning some truth about God, what he wants and doesn’t want.

Church, Sunday night, you’re learning the Word and so important to learn the Word. Because you can’t know the will of God unless you know the Word of God in order to know the will of God. So it is the will of God to know the Word of God so you can know as well. Did that make sense? And some people get it and some people never do. They live their whole lives. And they live just like a lost man.

Look in John chapter 15, you’re right here in the book of Luke, just turned to your right, the John chapter 15. Look there in verse 5, he says in verse 5, I am the vine, ye are the branches, he that abideth in me, and I am him. It is a he that lives in the church. We’re talking about a person. And I and him, the same bring the forth much fruit for without me in your on the line is without me.

Not some little plan that you got. Not because you’ve got all the things in row and you’re mechanical and you’re just not bored but a robot. He is a person. I know wherever I go and whatever I do, I have a person, the Lord, lives in me. And so therefore knowing that helped me to watch what I say, what I do, how I think. Cause you always need some way of restraining yourself, to hold you back. Otherwise, you know, it doesn’t matter.

As long as you don’t see another person, I got to freedom do whatever I wanna do. But when you realize I have a person of the Holy Spirit living inside of me, this changes everything. This changes everything. You see, I don’t have to worry about whether you are there or you are not there. I know that I got to watch what I think. I got to watch what I do. I’m always on guard. And if I fail to watch and guard, I can ruin my whole life.

I can ruin my testimony. So you want to grow in grace, learning from the Word of God, and God will give you the strength and the grace that you need to do what God wants you to do. Number five, being the preoccupation with results instead of your relationship with the Lord. The reason that that is so dangerous is because you could be so preoccupied with results of something and you can’t control results. Last night, several trusts the Lord at Ranch.

That’s what you after is those good results. I want that same joy when next Saturday night nobody responded. Isn’t it true that some Sunday mornings I could give the gospel and you’ll hear me say, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. And then sometimes nobody says anything. I am supposed to be thankful to the Lord that I was obedient and that I gave the gospel. Whether somebody did or they didn’t. Now we want that extra blood because we want people to trust.

That’s the result. That’s what we want. But I better not hang all of my life upon the results that hang up on other people’s decisions. You see, you can’t make people trust the Lord. Have you ever passed out tracks? have you had some of them getting back to you? Have you ever knocked on doors? Somebody tell you to get lost. Say, oh no, no, you get it wrong. I’m here to catch you because you’re lost. And you’d be surprised.

Just be found faithful to the Lord. That’s where your joy should come from. Because there’s something that we can’t control. There’s circumstances that you and I have no power over. leave the results to the Lord. And if people trust the Lord, praise the Lord. If nobody prays the Lord, you’re still faithful. Praise the Lord. Because God’s gonna reword you not for the results of your service, but because of your service. You’re faithful to it. Moreover, it’ll require inner steward that a man be found faithful.

And God’s just looking for people to be found faithful. So it’s not so much your ability, your availability. Can God use you? Number six is comparisons instead of your commitment to your own unique ministry. Did you know that God made us all different than he has? And that if you want to truly be different, serve the Lord. If you don’t serve a Lord, then you’re just like a mass of humanity. They’re all the same. All that in the same thing.

Lives are not really the… You’re not as different unless you serve a Lord. I’ve always had this little desire. I want to be different from everybody in the world. I don’t want to be like everybody else. I’m different. I’m Yankee Arnold. I don’t want to be anybody else. I might want to be like a few people, but I don’t want to be them. Because I am so satisfied with me. You ought to be satisfied with who you are and what God’s given you.

You’re unique. And the Lord tells us not to compare ourselves with others. That’s when you get into trouble. Look at this scripture. I want you to say this. Look in 2 Corinthians, chapter 10. 2 Corinthians and chapter 10. Let’s take a look at the chapter 10. But 2 Corinthians 10, look what he says in verse 12. Verse 12, for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are what?

Not wise. In other words, you’re not supposed to compare what you’re doing with what somebody else is doing. I must be doing a good job while I’m doing this as much as you are. Well, a lot of he doesn’t. Did you know that he might not be doing everything he ought to be doing? Did you know that God gives some people more than he gives to other people? just the facts of life. One man, he gave ten talents, one man five talents, one man one talent.

And God expected all men to be found faithful with whatever he gave to. This is the book of Matthew chapter 25. Some of y’all, God has blessed with the ability to make more money than what somebody else has. Some people just don’t have it and they’ll never do it. Some people, everything they touch seems to Turn to gold. Mine turns to gold. You say, why didn’t God give me a million dollars? Why? Because they can’t trust you with a hundred.

But you see, don’t compare yourself with others because when you want to exalt yourself, you’ll always compare yourself with others who are doing worse than you. And whenever you’re having a bad day and nothing’s going right, and you’ll always compare yourself somebody who’s got so much more than you got in order to justify your feelings. Remember when I told you about the dog that bit the duck got down in the mouth? Some of you all never got that that’s why I repeated it.

So you’re going to get down in the mouth because you know you’re comparing yourself and that could be so defeating or it can take and make you feel like you’re doing something and And God says, you’re not really doing what I know you can do. You want to compare yourself with the Lord? He has no fault. 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 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 Bibleline, 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 every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. And just keep looking up.