This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 come to the air. You can reach us till free at 1-800-576-3771. 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 want you to be sold upon the idea. Yes, even though salvation, going to heaven, is a gift that is free. You don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, you cannot buy it. And we’re going to heaven because of what Christ did for us. It’s not what we do for Him. You do not have to change your life. You don’t have to promise God to stop something or start something. There’s no commitment that you had to make for God to save you.

All you had to do is trust Him. And when you trusted Him, He saves you. He sets you free from the penalty of sin. You never have to pay it. And the devil can never get your soul. You’re going to heaven when you die. It’s a done deal. Yes, we believe that once you trust Christ’s Savior, you’re saved forever. And that there’s nothing that you have to do to stay saved. In other words, He is able to save me and keep me and present me faultless to the Father.

I do not deserve that. I didn’t deserve it 50 years ago and I don’t deserve it today and I will not deserve it tomorrow. That was all because of His love for me. But you do need to know how to answer those who believe that you have been simply given a license to sin because there’s people who accuse and slam the gospel of grace because it just gives people a license to do whatever they want to do and still get to go to heaven when they die.

Now I know that sounds bad, but can I as a Christian live however I want to live and still go to heaven when I die? Yes. You shouldn’t say that. That just causes people don’t live like a devil. I don’t know about that. I trust the Lord 50 years ago and I haven’t been trying to live like the devil. These people that are in the choir singing, they’ve trusted Christ as their Savior. They’re not trying to live like the devil.

But why are they trying to do right? Why are they here this morning? They don’t have to be. Because see, when you really understand salvation by grace. You understand how much he really loves you. But if you have to do something to keep it, then it’s got to be because you love him. And it’s your love for him that’s keeping your salvation instead of his love for you keeping your salvation. And then you have to get all the credit and all of the glory.

Look at what I’ve done instead of He did it all for me because He loved me. So yes, after you trust Christ to save you and you’re God’s child, you’re going to heaven when you die. You need to understand how as a child of God to learn to make the correct decisions in the midst of a wicked, crooked world in which we live. So take your Bible and look in Romans in chapter 14. The book of Romans in chapter 14, living by faith is believing that your choice are within the realm of the will of God.

In other words, the choices that you make for your life and God gives you the freedom to make a lot of choices within the realm of the will of God and within the will of God there’s a lot of room to make a lot of choices that will be right And God wants you to study His Word so that you can learn discernment. How to choose the best decision for your life. Now here in Romans 14, looking verse 22, has thou faith?

Have it to thyself before God? Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. In other words, is your conscience clear when you give yourself permission to do the things you choose to do. You see, you have to give yourself permission to make whatever decisions you make. I want to go here. I want to go there. I give myself permission to do whatever I do. When you give yourself permission, does your conscience agree that it was the right thing or does your conscience tell you you’re guilty because it was the wrong thing?

Because you can give yourself permission to do the wrong thing. things you know to do that’s right and you won’t do it. And the Bible says, and we talked about this last week about what is sin and you can do the wrong thing. But you know what was right and you do it anyway. So we’re making decisions all the time and these decisions affect our life, our life. There’s a God in heaven that didn’t just save you and then he’s got other things to do, know other worlds and galaxies and he’s busy over there on the other side of the universe and then we’re just down here doing it but we want to do it and then natural it’s all over what we’re going to meet him one day.

He is intricately involved in every decision you make. He’s watching, listening and many of the things that will happen in your life is because God either directed or permitted things to happen in your life. I believe in the providence of God. I don’t think he just wound up the world and let us take it like a time bomb and he’s busy doing something else No, I believe that God loves me and I’m his child and he knows everything It has happened in my life.

I Live believing that because I believe it’s taught in the word of God Look at that word again happy happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing but you allow do you realize why a lot of people are not happy in life because they’re filled with guilt and Guilt is like a yoke of iron upon your shoulders and it weighs you down until it destroys You see there’s peace and there’s joy There’s happiness when you’re not loaded with guilt and you don’t condemn yourself and that which you permitted yourself to do But we do these things So he says here in verse 23, and he that doubt it is damned if he eat because he eat it not a faith for whatsoever is not a faith.

In other words, you and I are supposedly that whatever we do, it’s the will of God. And if you don’t have the faith that it is the will of God, then you have the faith that it’s not the will of God. And if it’s not the will of God, why did you do it? you and I are commanded in the scripture to live by faith. The just, those who have been saved by faith, are to live by faith. As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord by faith, so walk ye in him.

So we have that responsibility. Look at the little statement I wrote here, since no one can make all of your decisions for you. It is imperative that you learn how to make the right ones for yourself. Here are some biblical principles I believe are taught in the Word of God that will help you discern right from wrong. Because the preacher can’t walk around and hold your hand. I don’t have anybody to walk around and hold on. You got to learn how to stand on your own two feet.

You have to learn how to walk with God. You see there’s a lot of things that are right and wrong but I do not like to set a whole bunch of rules and regulations for people. I have very few. When you want to be a leader, look out because I have some of them. I have a lot of requirements that I think is scriptural, what God says not to do, or what He wants them to do. But the rest of the people that are not committed to a position of leadership, I just don’t believe sometimes people are ready yet.

So you can float, do whatever you want, come and go, but I require those who know crisis, Savior, and are leaders, especially be faithful. Now, there’s things that you do in life, a lot of decisions about things. And you might not think, I don’t see anything wrong with this or wrong with that and somebody else might. So it’s easy to make a whole bunch of rules and regulations. A lot of churches have them. But I try to stay away from as much as possible because I want people to make the decisions.

How, Godly, do you want to be? How spiritual do you want to be? I never told the people in church how many hours that I spend in prayer. Because if I told somebody I spend four hours every morning in prayer, you’d think, well, if I want to be spiritual, I got to spend four hours every morning in prayer. That ain’t true. Well, I read the Bible one hour every day before I meal. So that’s what I got to do.

I get up every morning at four o’clock and have my quiet time. Next thing you know, you think, well, I’ve got to get up at four. You don’t want to live your life by somebody else’s rules. Living by grace is when you do what you do because you believe this is the will of God for me. This is what God wants me to do. and your conscience needs to be clear. Now, you’ve heard me say before, there’s things that I don’t do, there’s places that I don’t go.

You may give yourself permission and it doesn’t bother you when I order. It’s fine. But see, in my mind, there’s things that will bother me if I did the same thing. So I haven’t given myself permission to do certain things because I don’t believe it’s the will of God for me. I have set a high standard for myself. I want to be an example of what I believe faithfulness and loyalty and love evangelism. You name it of what a Christian ought to be.

I believe that’s my responsibility. Not only am I a Christian, I want to live like one, the way a Christian ought to live, in every area of my life. Doing that causes people to take potshots at you. They’re always waiting for that mistake that you make so that they can shoot you off your little perch But of course if you never commit yourself to do anything to be anything Nobody’ll ever bother you nobody else you did you because they won’t even know you you’re a Christian Well, I want everybody to know I’m one But look at 1 Corinthians in chapter 10 1 Corinthians chapter 10 just turn to your right 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and notice verse 31, whatever, therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, you’re to underline this part of the verse, unless you want to learn underline the whole verse.

Do all to the glory of God. Now this is simply a principle because there’s some things that it doesn’t say in the Bible what to do or what not to do. In our day, we may have things that they didn’t have, you know, 2,000 years ago, but you might have to decide, should I or should I not? Is it wise or unwise? But you don’t want to do that which you condemn yourself for doing because that produces the guilt that takes away the happiness and the joy and the peace.

Well, I got the right do anything I want to do. Yeah, you’re free to make the choice Free to make the choice, but all choices have consequences understand it There may be a God in heaven. It says well if you studied and knew this verse you would have done that But because you didn’t study it you didn’t know and Ignorance of the law is no excuse or Agence of the word of God is no excuse. Did you know if a lost man applies biblical principles to his life?

It can get the same resolved if a Christian does it Did you know that you can take some seeds? A Christian can take some corn and plant it in the ground, and a lost man can take some corn and plant it in the ground. And if it rains on both of them, both of them can grow. You see that? This is deep. If a saved man and a lost man go outside and it’s raining, they both gonna get wet.

It rains upon the just and the unjust. And God says in the Book of Romans in chapter two that his goodness to man is what leads a man to repentance. The change is mind about God because he’s so good. So he’s laid down some principles for us. So whatsoever you do, inward or deep or drink, he says, do it all for his glory. In other words, he is glorified. He is pleased with that decision. And when you know God is pleased, you’d be surprised at the peace that you’ll have.

Because you know you’re pleasing the one that as everything in in his hands and he can control. And he can open up doors and he can close doors. He can give you good help and he can allow you to have bad help. He says in the word, some are sick. Some are weak, some are dead. It means that some are sick. By the will of God and some are dead by the will of God. So can you live as you please and get away with it?

Oh, no, no, no, no. Never think you can. But can you live as you please? Yeah. But there’s a price to pay. But understanding why should you make a better decision, a wise decision. Look there in Colossians, a book of Colossians in chapter three. Let me just say this about the thing about what so ever you eat.

I want to get in trouble to say something about eating. I can sure to get in trouble about that. Do you eat to meet a need or do you eat to meet a want? There’s a difference. We eat because we need to eat. If we don’t eat, we die. But do you eat what you need to eat? Or do you just simply eat whatever you want and you know that if you just eat whatever you want As much as you want Whenever you want there’s a price to pay Yes or no Yes, there is and so when you sit down and you eat and when you get full It’s satisfied stop Just because you still got five items on your plate Was so I don’t want it to go to waste it will it will You’re either burning or wear it So The next time you go through the line or whatever you do

You think I want to eat what I need Now you need some food and there’s a lot of freedom gods given to us about food But learning how to say not is enough When’s enough enough? I like when these years, the beer commercials coming in. No when to say when. I know when to say when. Don’t take the first one. And you don’t have to worry about it. Don’t say when. I will never become an alcoholic if I never take the first drop.

So by doing so, I have lived long enough to understand that there’s a few restraints in my life that I’ve never had a regret for. I could regret if I do something that I shouldn’t do and that I don’t know how to say no or how to quit and I become addicted. What if I just try some drugs? You know if I want to quit I’ll quit? But what if I can’t quit now? What if I just take a little social drink and the more I drink the or social lie yet.

And after all, I’m very sociable. But now, is it wise? Do I have a right? You’re free? God said it’s free. But it says, don’t use your liberty, your freedom, as a cloak of maliciousness, or as a stumbling block. So we can do whatever we want. You’re free, because God did not save you or me because we predetermined that we would serve him and not do certain things and we would do other things. There was no condition on our salvation.

We were free. I, as a child of God, I don’t have to serve him. I do not have to go to church and I do not have to give any money and I do not have to pray and I don’t have to read my Bible and I’ll still go to heaven because he loved me that much and nobody can make me do it. God can’t even make me do it. He can only make me suffer consequences for my stupidity but because he loves us, he loves us enough to give us freedom and he says, if you love me, if you love me, serve me if you let me.

Now if you don’t let them, all your legalism in the world ain’t gonna work for you. It ain’t gonna make you spiritual or godly. It’s just gonna make you a man of a law that lays down the strictness of the law and no freedom and it kills. And that’s why a lot of people rebel against it. I despise the legalism and yet it doesn’t mean that I don’t have standards or convictions or led by biblical principle. Here in Colossians, I want you to look in chapter 3, look in verse 17, and whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

So you give thanks to the Lord by Jesus Christ because of Him. Now. If that doesn’t motivate you, then nothing’s going to motivate you. But what I want you to notice is something very important here. In verse 18 it says, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband as it is fit in the Lord. Verse 19, husbands, love your wives, be not bitter against them. Verse 20, children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Fathers in verse 21, provoke not your children to anger lest they be discouraged. Verse 22, servants. Verse 23, it hit all of us. Whatsoever you do, do it hardly, get this as to the Lord, not unto men. So when it talks about wives, submitting yourselves to the husband, do it as unto the Lord. Looking verse 21, knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, and New York on the line for ye serve the Lord Christ.

when he says children obey your parents, for ye serve the Lord. Serving the Lord teenagers is obedience to God. That is serving the Lord when you obey. Husbands, love your wives. Loving your wife is serving the Lord. So if you don’t submit yourself to your husband as good wives ought to, you’re not serving the Lord. And if you do not love your wives as you ought to, You’re not serving the Lord in that area of your life. Children that do not obey their parents are not serving the Lord in that area of their life.

As some areas you may obey, and some areas you disobey. Now I know there’s some people that teach he’s either Lord of all or he not Lord at all. That isn’t true. I’ve had children, I’ve got grandkids and some areas that they obey and some areas they don’t. And you’re the same way. Some of your areas of your life you are obedient, in some areas of life, you’re not, you pick and choose. But look down here in that verse again, in verse 24, knowing, knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive, knowing that of the Lord, you shall receive.

But you should also know that if you don’t do what God says do for his honor and for his glory, you will not receive what God has for you. That’s why you even talked about husband and wives. Be right with the Lord, because if you don’t, then your prayers will be hindered. Verse 3 to chapter 3. So important. I could get lost in some of these verses, but I’m gonna move right along. Verse Corinthians in chapter eight, looking first Corinthians chapter eight, just turn to your left very quickly.

Look in verse nine. He says in verse nine, but take heedless by any means, this, get this liberty of yours. Become a stumbling block to them that are weak. See, not everybody’s strong. Not everybody’s as strong as you are. And some people, if they did the same thing that you permit yourself to do, and it doesn’t bother me. Okay, but could it bother somebody else to the point that they could become weak? And Stumble because of it. And go further than you would go.

You see, there’s the cliff right there. Now, some people get exhilaration, trying to see how close they can get to the cliff that I fall over. There’s just something about, you know, living dangerously, living on the edge. I know, but what if somebody else is on the edge and they just go just another step too far? He says, you know, maybe not for you, but because you love somebody else and they’re weaker in the Lord. They’re not as strong.

Maybe you ought to back up from that edge for their sake because you love them because you want the best for them. If you restrain yourself from doing that, what punishment is there? But if you go too far, there is a great punishment, a lot of great damage. How much suffering have I gone through in my life because I missed I don’t take a drink. Boy, I’ve lost a lot. I’ve suffered a lot because I never drink. Because I never had a cigarette in my mouth and I’ve never tasted.

I have no clue what it’s like. Boy, I’ve really left that. I mean, it’s just a poor life that I’ve had because of that. I don’t wake up in the morning coughing and hacking. I don’t have lung cancer. Now, let me tell you this. I’m not trying to break, I’m trying to help people. I’m going on 68 years, no, I’m always 68. I’m going on 69. They don’t matter, I’m up there. At this point in my life, and I want you to understand this, my heart rate averages between 50 and 60 all the time.

My blood pressure is about 110, 120 over 60, 65 all the time. I don’t have headaches. I don’t have a Any medical problems? I’m not diabetic. I don’t have to take any kind of medicine for anything. I don’t have high cholesterol. I’m fine. But I do have to watch myself. I believe that serving the Lord and putting him first in my life does make a difference physically. And if I don’t watch myself, I can go downhill real quick. Now, I may die tomorrow.

something. I got to die something. But I’m going to thank the Lord and praise the Lord for what He has done for me. And the things that I have restrained myself from doing, I believe, would have hurt me or harmed me. I simply believe that I can do more for the Lord longer if I stay healthier. Now, is something wrong with me? I don’t think it’s wrong to think the way I’m thinking. Like Paul made a statement about women.

He said, I would, did all of them were like me. Leave them all alone. I believe that people would do better if they did love the Lord more. And they disciplined themselves to watch themselves, guard themselves. it’ll keep you from a lot of addictions that you don’t need. It probably would take away a lot of medicine you don’t need. Now some of it, I’m not a doctor, I’m just simply telling you that I know enough that it can affect you physically when you don’t do right spiritually.

The guilt of permitting yourself to do whatever you want to do can take its toll upon you in time. it can wear that body down so that body can’t go. Now like I said, I may die tomorrow or the next week, but I am gonna praise the Lord today for what He has done. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future, but I do believe that it will make a difference in your life if you try some of the biblical principles in the Word of God and to live where you can forgive other people.

Live without bitterness and hatred and the grudges, the meanness and the unkindness. You can do this, you can do this. So he says there in verse nine, but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. And there’s a lot of weak people in this world. I don’t believe that I’ve hurt anybody in this life by my staying away from certain things that could maybe more harm me, but it might cause somebody else to be harmed.

I want my love for them to discipline me because I care. If you don’t care about nobody, but then you can do whatever you wanna do. But there’s a price to pay. 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 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 Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. And just keep looking up.