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Take your Bible and turn to the book. 2 Corinthians in chapter 11. 11. Hopefully I can present this message the way I would like to where it’s clear, understandable, and at the same time motivational, but it’s also a message that brings with it a warning to God’s people. The Apostle Paul is talking to a very carnal church, a worldly church, where they had 14 major problems in their church. And yet at the same time, he addresses them as saints in the Lord.

Now these saints weren’t living like saints. After going through all this time, ten chapters, mentioning all these various problems, it finally gets to chapter 11, and it says this in verse 1, “‘Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me. They thought they were doing such a great job. He had to inform them that they weren’t. They were thinking that they were so holy and he had to let them know that they weren’t.

They thought they were pretty good examples of the believer, but they weren’t. So Paul has really come down on him pretty hard. So he says they’re in verse 2, I am jealous over you with Godly jealousy. Now what is jealousy? is the fear of being replaced. You know, here’s a girl that likes the boy and then another girl tries to take her boy so she gets jealous, fear of being replaced. There is a true and living God and God, the Bible tells us, is a jealous God.

It means that God doesn’t want to be replaced. This is why he gives us so many commandments, warnings in scripture about not replacing God with anything, anyone, nothing. So he says they’re in the last chapter there in the book of 1 John and chapter 5, my little children, he said abstain from idolatry, keep yourself from idols. What it means is don’t let nothing come between you and the Lord, because anything that you place between you and God, God can remove.

So So here’s the Lord and here’s you. Anything you put between you and God, God can move away. So sometime it could be a job, it can be money, it can be fame, it can be health, it can be your wife, it can be your kids, it can be anything. God doesn’t want anything in the way. Because see, this is what life is about. So he makes a statement here in verse two, where I have a spouse you to one husband, That I and you ought to underline this that I may present you as a chase virgin to Christ.

Now, underline the word present because we covered the other night about presenting someone before the Lord. And here he’s using the same word again may present you. Now, it has the word here, chase virgin, chase virgin. I wonder if I was asked most people, what is a virgin? Many people today probably wouldn’t have a clue. They wouldn’t know what a virgin is anymore. Now a boy can be a virgin and a girl can be a virgin. Means they never had sex outside of marriage.

They kept themselves on the person they were going to marry and when they got married, they were virgins. Many people today don’t heed the scriptures. And so adultery runs wild or in occasion, any kind of sex outside of marriage. So it’s a terrible situation that we have in our world today. And shamefully, it’s also entered into the church and many of God’s people. They are not living holy lives. And they are scriptures that talks about abstain from fornication, keeping yourselves clean and talking about, no you not that your body is the temple of the Lord, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods.

So there’s many admonitions that are given to us in the scripture. But he says that I may present you as a changed version to Christ. Now I’m not sure how this works. All I know is that you So when somebody to the Lord, you convince them persuade them and you use the scriptures and it’s the Holy Spirit that convicts the person’s mind where they understand that they’re lost and they need to be saved and so they trust Christ as their Savior.

So once they trust Christ as their Savior, they’re His child and they’re His child forever. But see, there is still something here in the scriptures about not just getting to heaven. That’s because of what Christ did for us. we’re not talking about getting there, we’re talking about how you’re going to be presented when you get there. Some can think maybe like what kind of an introduction are you going to have? Is somebody going to present you to Christ? Here the apostle Paul says that I want to present you as a chase virgin to Christ.

In the words like here’s a husband and a wife and they have a daughter and the man become engaged, they’re spouts together to be married. But they’re looked upon doing this engagement period as though their husband and wife, though they don’t live together. He goes and builds the house and gets himself set financially and he gets everything ready and she stays with mom and dad and mom and dad has to vouch for her virginity. They have to be sure that whenever they present this girl to this guy when they get married, this daughter is a virgin.

And it’s a great shame upon the family if it’s not so. And if he finds out that she’s not of her, he can, as the Bible says, annul the marriage. How does this all fit in with Scripture? It’s very interesting. When he makes a statement here that I want to present you, you as though here you are, you trust that Christ is your Savior and you lived your life upon the earth and you kept yourself pure. There’s scripture that talks about when Paul wrote to Timothy as a young man.

He says, keep thyself pure. And there’s many scriptures in Thessalonians that talks about sanctify your vessel, this body of ours, keeping it pure. So during our lifetime God wants to, I believe we want to be presented before the Father without all this infidelity. Can you maintain that? Can you husband and wife, can you keep yourself pure only to the person that you married for the rest of your life? And that’s called faithfulness. If the man doesn’t or the woman other we call it been unfaithful.

Well, with the Lord, the Bible talks about spiritual adultery, a child of God that commits spiritual adultery. In other words, they have not kept themselves pure for the one they’re going to be married to someday, for example. You and I are told in scripture that we are one day going to be married to Christ. Christ is the husband and we are they what? the bride. So we’re the bride and he’s going to be our husband and there’s to be the marriage supper of the lamb.

So there’s a wedding kind of. So between the time you trust Christ as your Savior and the time you get married you’re supposed to live like you are married. As though there is nobody else you are not in love with anyone else. You’re not in love with the world, you’re not in love with things you’re not in love with another person. There’s no other idol of yours. Nobody else deserves all of your work. You’re focusing only on one thing, the one you’re going to marry, and you keep yourself pure for that wedding day.

Now this is since you’ve been saved. Now the scriptures teach you this. I’m not making this up. This is the book. It’s the Bible. But now, load it what it says in verse three. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve, through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. So he talks about in verse four, how that you and I can become, or I should say, become unfaithful to the Lord because we will worship another Jesus Jesus or another Spirit or another gospel.

And see, we’re to keep ourselves pure on the gospel of grace and not change and not accept another message. There’s not to be another Holy Spirit. You’ve got to keep yourself there, try the Spirit to see whether they are be of God or not. And there’s not to be another Jesus. Nobody else is to take His place so that as we live our lives, sure we may not do everything perfectly right, but we can always, in 1 John 1 9 is in the Bible.

And I’m so glad it is. When we fail or make a mistake or do something that’s wrong, we can confess our sin and get right back with the Lord and keep going So that you keep yourself pure between you and God So you could be presented to God as a changed virgin now. That’s an individual choice. Nobody can do this for you You can’t do it for me. I can’t do it for you now. Look in the book of Colossians the book of Colossians Just turn to your right You got Philippians Colossians and in Colossians in chapter one in Verse 22 when you trusted Christ as your Savior it was because you understood that Jesus Christ Who was the Savior of the world?

Who was God in the flesh and by whom all things were created and Who made all things and we were made for his pleasure and by whom all things consist this same one in his own body on the cross paid for our sins. So verse 22, in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight. If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven where of I Paul and made a minister.

So the people in Paul’s day and around the world got a chance to hear the gospel. They did quite a job didn’t they? They sure did. And they didn’t have telephones, they didn’t have automobiles, they didn’t have the internet, and yet they were able to get this done. They must have been committed and they were. But you’ll notice that there’s something here he wants to do. Now Paul says to present you. So getting to heaven, that’s a gift, that’s free.

Now how you’re presented when you get to heaven is a different story. You see God said that we’re gonna stand before the Lord someday and give a count of how we lived in the flesh, in the body. Whether good or bad we got to give an account. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. So here he’s talking about if If you continue in the faith, now look up here, you trust Christ as your Savior That’s getting you into heaven.

You’re going to heaven because of what Christ did for you. You have been made pure and holy Perfect, you say well, how can you be any other way than I can all this other stuff because now he’s talking about what you do for the Lord He wants to present you Talking about Paul not Christ Paul this is how I want you there. I want you to be presented before the Lord when you get to heaven I want everything to be right that you did right so that you’re not ashamed before him that is coming which means that you can’t be ashamed and Whenever you’re gonna wipe away tears from your eyes means you could have tears in your eyes And whenever you’re gonna have the loss of rewards it means that there could be some grieving there You’re gonna have some loss of something that you could have had

So it’s important that you and I as a child have God realized why we should be faithful to the Lord. If you continue it means that you will be approved as he says here in the last word there, where it says, an un-reprovable. The Apostle Paul uses the same word in the book of Corinthians in chapter 9 verse 27 when he says that after I have preached the others, I myself should be a a castaway or dis-approved, rejected, disqualified for the rewards.

In other words, God says, you’re running in a race, but if you don’t run right, you’ll be disqualified. So many of God’s children, from the time they trusted Christ of Savior, until the time they get to heaven, you’re running a race. And if you don’t run the race that way, God says to running, you could be disqualified and yet means you don’t get the rewards that you could have had. Paul says, I want you not only to run the race.

I want you to play by the rules and I don’t want you to be disqualified or I want you to be there where nothing could be laid against you as they keep you from being rewarded in heaven. See there in verse 28, the converse 28, home we preach talking about Christ, warning every man. Now this is not to the lost man. This is to those who trusted Christ of their Savior, warning every man, teaching every man and all wisdom that we may present every man.

Perfect or mature in Christ Jesus. See it’s one thing to trust Christ as your Savior. You have eternal life. You’ll go to heaven when you die. But when you get to heaven, do you want to be there in diapers? That’s better than not being there at all. Or to be there as a mature individual because you run a race, you fought some battles and you stand there and God says, well done. My good and faithful servant. Now, getting there is one thing, but hear him say, well done.

There’s a different story. all together because if you haven’t done well, he can’t say, well done. And that doesn’t mean he said, enter down to the joys of the Lord. Now you may be there and you will be there if you trust the Christ of Savior, but this is a warning. Not everybody is going to get the same thing once they get there. There is something to be afraid of. He says in the book of 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 11, he says, knowing therefore the tear of the Lord, we persuade men.

So there’s something about all of this that Christians need to be aware of is how are you going to be presented when you get there. And the Apostle Paul says, I want to present you comprehend the Lordmorrow in, strong in the Lord. The Apostle Paul says, I have not held back anything that was good and profitable under you. I have taught you the whole counsel of God. I taught you the word. What you do when it is up to you.

I just want you to be aware that there’s warnings in the scriptures and how you are presented in heaven at that moment is going to be very important. And did you have idols in your life? Did you commit spiritual adultery? Or you may not do anything physically, but spiritually you can commit spiritual adultery. Well, you don’t love the Lord like He used to. You’re not as dedicated as you used to be. These are all personal things that you have to weigh in your own mind.

Now, take your Bible and turn contrace to the book of Hebrews in chapter six. Now, if in your present time, this life, we fail and serve on Lord and we don’t grow, we don’t go on to maturity. Is there a price to pay? Well, I think there is, but I want you to see this in Hebrews in chapter six, look in verse one. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, Let us go on unto perfection. That word means maturity.

Let’s stop being a baby’s end-dipers and needing the baby bottle. Let’s grow up. Learn how to handle spiritual response abilities. So how do you know it says all that? If you look at the four verses right before this, look in verse 11 of chapter 5. Of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing your dull of hearing. See, a lot, of God’s children get to where they don’t want to hear the Word of God anymore.

In order for you to grow spiritually, it’s not done by the singing, it’s not done by the drama, it’s not done by any of those things, it’s done by the Word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Not many people love to hear the Word of God so that they can do something about what they hear because most people like the way they are don’t want to be disturbed and just want to playGGGGGGGG. But if you go by the scriptures, God says they’re dull of hearing, don’t want to learn.

For when for the time you ought to be teachers, people that ought to be able to teach, they can’t teach. They could, but they can’t. And can’t because of their dollar hearing. They don’t want to hear anymore. They don’t want to learn a word because they don’t want to do anything with it anyway. Why should I have to learn the Bible? I’m not going to do anything with it. But you should learn in order that you might teach. For when for the time Saban you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again.

It means that there’s children of God that didn’t grow, didn’t mature, and they have to be taught again and again and again because you see, you don’t learn something until you begin to use something. When you begin to use what you know, then you begin to grow. But if you don’t, then you don’t know. It’s like I’ve told people before. You don’t know the Bible until the Bible controls your life. If you don’t live by the Bible, you don’t know the Bible.

The only way to really know the Bible is to put it into practice. Then you find out what he meant, then you learn it. But if you don’t do that and you don’t obey the Scriptures, you don’t believe the Scriptures. If you don’t believe the Scriptures, you’re not going to learn it. It all goes together. He says here, which be the first principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat.

I used to listen to people all the time, why? I need some more meat, eat. I get sick and tired of milk, milk, milk, milk. Well, that’s not really their problem. Anybody can eat meat, can eat meat on their own. But sometimes you have to feed people a little milk and a little meat. I always try to teach something very simple that you know and understand you’ve heard a thousand times because there’s other people that don’t know what they know as much as they do.

Then you try to give a little bit of other so that they can chew on it for a while. So you get a balance between the two. Then he makes a statement in verse 13, For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of rights. It doesn’t mean he’s not saved, he’s not unskillful. It’s just like you can have all the tools in the world. I got tools that I still haven’t mastered yet. But you can have all the tools in the world, but you not know how to use them.

And you can have a Bible, and you can read the Bible. Bible, but you’re not skillful until you know how to use the Bible. Can you use the scriptures to win people the Christ? Can you use the scriptures to teach somebody? If you can’t do that, you’re unskilled. Now you’re saved. You can have not a head knowledge, but no experience because you’re not applying the scriptures. So you’re not going to be as strong as you would have been otherwise.

And it is true that the scripture says here that when for the time you ought to be teaching, you won’t teach. And he says you’re unskilled for. But that’s a personal choice. Notice what he says for everyone that uses milk is unskilled in the word of right for he is a what what is he? The babe Don’t matter how long you’ve been saved. I’ve been safe for 50 years. Don’t tell me. I’m sorry I’m not telling you. I’m telling you.

This is what the book says you explain it You explain how would you apply these scriptures because you do I do too But in verse 14, but strong meat belong to them that are of full age those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Those who can discern and those who are using the scriptures have a right to the meat, not the babes. They don’t need meat. But now he says in chapter 6, we need to leave that which be the first principles of the oracles of God about how you’re saved because you see after you are saved you don’t have to get saved again just because a babe doesn’t grow doesn’t mean you have to unborn him and get him saved again.

So he says there in the last part of this verse 1, let us go on to maturity not not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead verse and a faith toward God. Now look up here, you and I were saved when we understood that repentance means it’s a change of mind about trusting in my dead works because my works can’t save me and believe it in Christ. The issue is always law and grace. Grace versus works. So if a man believes he saved by his works, you got to change your mind.

That’s not true and believe on Christ. So he says in this verse, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward Christ. So we know that repentance is talking about turning from your works and believe it on Christ. Not turning from your sins. Good works. People who trust in their good works together to heaven. You got to think you can’t save yourself by your works. You’re saved by grace. And so once you believe that you don’t have to do that again.

And the reason is because it’s impossible for a man who has been saved to ever down the road get saved again. So he says, you don’t lay that foundation anymore. So then he says in verse three, and this we will do. No work, do what? We’re gonna go on to maturity. We’re not gonna try to get you saved again just because you’re a babe in Christ, you haven’t matured, you haven’t grown, you ought to be doing something, you’re not doing it.

How does God want to present you? I mean, how do you think God wants you to arrive as a babe in Christ, or did God give you enough time to grow? Did God give you and me enough time to live mature in the Lord. Or do you think he wants us to go up there and not grown up in the Lord, still like babies in the Lord and never did anything for God? I mean God said, I gave you 30 years to live.

40 years to live after you were saved and what in the world did you do? Look at you. Do you think your heavenly Father could be ashamed? The Bible says that he can be ashamed of us. He said because we were ashamed of him. He says that he will deny us. No, he can’t deny us salvation. but he’ll deny you the rewards and then how much other things go with that I don’t really know I (?,m just gonna warn according to what the scripture says and when it’s silent I’ll be silent but when it speaks I’ll try to speak and try to tell you as much as I possibly can So he says there in verse three this will we do if God permits see God is the one that permits you to go to maturity Because if you don’t believe him and trust him then you can’t go forwardocamp mature

because a Christian cannot grow without knowing God’s Word. So if God tells you something of what He wants you to do in life and you don’t believe that, well if you don’t believe that, then you can’t grow. Because believing God’s Word is to apply the Word of God and God will give you more light, more knowledge and you’ll grow. But He’ll hinder you from understanding because you will not obey what He already told you. So if Christians are not going to obey the light they already have, why should God keep giving a Christian light?

If you don’t apply what you have already been taught. But you’re not learning is not because it’s not being taught. You’re not learning because you’re not applying what you’ve already been told. And God won’t let you learn anymore. God prohibits it. And you’ll stay a babe all your life. Not because it’s God’s choice. It’s because the will of the person will not submit to the truth that he already has. In verse 4, the reason that God will permit some things and not permit other things, and why we will do what we do is because it says in verse 4, it’s impossible for those who have been once enlightened, tasted the heavenly gifts, made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

So these are those that I’ve already trusted the Lord. They’re really happy to turn alike. They’ve already received the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God, the powers of the world to come, the age to come, if they, if they that have already been saved shall fall away. Now, fall away doesn’t mean lose your salvation. If because you can’t fall away and lose your salvation because you can’t get saved again. See that phrase? To renew them again unto repentance.

Why did it say there in verse 1, not lay in again the foundation of repentance? You can’t do it again because you see it’s impossible for those who have been saved to ever lose their salvation and get saved again. They can’t be done. So you don’t have to win them into Christ again. So well, you must be lost and we got to get you saved again. God never said that in His Word. He never cast the doubts on salvation like that.

But He did say that you need to start where you are and start growing and start maturing. If you follow away, follow away from what? We’re not talking about you can’t lose or salvation. But if you no longer as a child of God, you won’t grow, you won’t mature. You don’t eat the word of God. You just want to apply it. You don’t teach. You don’t do anything. And God says, this is what’s going to be the result. Now look at the results.

This is the result in a Christian’s life who falls away from serving the Lord. Does it stay faithful? It doesn’t continue in the faith. Say, yes, say, but doesn’t do anything. He says there in verse 7, for the earth which drinketh in the rain that comeeth off upon it and bringeth forth herbs. Now we’re talking about in the Christian life bringing forth fruit, bringing forth that which God wants out of our lives. The earth which drinketh in the rain that come eth off upon it bringeth forth herbs, food, meat or fit for them by whom it is dressed, prepared and get this on the line.

Receive it, blessings from God. Receive it, blessings from God. So it all depends on whether or not you want the blessing. Just like here you are, you’re a piece of ground and there’s rain that comes down from God and the rain waters the ground, the fruit grows and you enjoy the blessings. But that which beareth forms, briars is rejected. So you’re burning up that which doesn’t produce fruit. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. 771. 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 six 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. 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.