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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 Calvary of Tampa.org. We pray that you will 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.

The word hide, most people are scared to death by me. We just hear, well, we’re under grace. We’re just under grace. I may be under grace, but God still says, adultery is wrong. I may be under grace, but Stalen is still wrong. Most of the commandments are still right. There’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just that man is not able to perform and to fulfill the righteousness of the law. But when you read Romans chapter eight, the Bible says, the Holy Spirit indwells you that you might be able to bring forth the righteousness of the law.

God wants us. I don’t get up every morning and say, I’m not gonna break the 10 commandments. I’m not gonna break the 10 commandments. I’m gonna keep the 10 commandments. But if you love the Lord and you walk with the Lord, the law is fulfilled in one word. You make out of 90, what that one word is? Love. If you love the Lord, you’re gonna do right by God. Now, shall love the Lord by God with all by heart, mind, body, soul, and strength and so on.

And the first four deals with your relationship to God. and the next six, well that deals with your relationship to people. And so God said, if you love, then you’ll do right by God. And if you love, you’ll do right by people. And so because we do not love the way we should, sin abounds because love wax cold. So when people don’t do things the way God wants us to do them, then Christian service becomes nothing more than a ritual is that we do the right things maybe, but not because we really want to, it’s just that’s the way we’ve been trained.

Do you know you can train your flesh out to act, what to do, and the songs the same, the money you give, but not love God at all, but you can go through the motions. This is what they were doing. They didn’t really love the Lord. So he says here, well a man robbed God, yet you have robbed me. But you say, wearing have we robbed it? He says in tithes and offering. So we say, well, we believe you ought to give an offering to the Lord.

You can’t give the offering to personal or you’re giving the tithe. I believe it’s a good principle on how to give. It’s a good way to give. This church would not survive if it was not for the people in this church who tithe. Point blank. Most people just want to give a tip to the Lord and say, well, we’re all under grace. Well, if you’re in the grace, don’t you think that under grace would ought to do at least what they did on the law?

They did that because they had to. We got to do it because we want to. It doesn’t mean you don’t do it. It’s but you’re motive is different. You do it because you love the Lord. And that you believe because of what you’re doing, it’s honoring to the Lord and God’s going to bless you. Because see, God knows what goes on behind the scenes. God knows how you think, how you feel. And I believe there’s a lot of God’s children who robbed the Lord.

But enough of that, I don’t just see this. Look in verse 9, because now they had done so. You are cursed with a what? You’re cursed with a curse. Why is everything going wrong? Because of what they were doing. They were making unwise decisions. And they didn’t think it was that bad. Evidently, they didn’t know they were robbing God. They thought that we’re just, you know, I don’t care for those priests and I’m not going to do it and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And then they can’t figure out why this doesn’t grow or that doesn’t grow and why this doesn’t work. There’s a God in heaven that knows what’s going on. He knows every individual. He knows every person in this ministry. And get what he says. You have robbed me even this whole nation. So evidently God knows who’s doing what? Now look what else he said. Bring you all the tithe into the storehouse. Now, I do not believe the church is the storehouse.

That was under the law. It was what they did and they were brought to bring the grain, things like that. But there’s a principle here. When you read in the book of Corinthians in chapter 9, it is Paul that refers to the law and that you do not muzzle the ox that treads off the corn. Here’s the ox that treads off the corn. Well, he has to eat. So you don’t muzzle the ox that’s doing the work. And he’s the one.

that use the law to establish a point about God’s ministers and God’s people doing what they do. But anyway, so he makes a statement here in verse 10, Bring you all the tithen to the storehouse so that there may be meat in my house. God says, get your priorities straight and look what the next word. Prove me now He would say at the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open unto you the windows of heaven, that means it’s going to rain.

And he says, you’ll have so much, there won’t be room enough to hold it off. God says, would you put me first? He says, try me. He said, try me. Put me to the test. Since you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, have you ever put God to the test? Try Him. Or you’re afraid that He’s not going to come through and so you hold back and live in fear. Because you’re afraid to step out of the boat and walk on the water.

Because you’re afraid you’re going to sink. Do what God’s word says and trust him and enjoy the walk. And you’ll be surprised what God will do. And look what he says in verse 11. Now, verse 11, the first part of it, anyway, you ought to underline it. God says, this is what I’m going to do. I will devour, or I will rebuke the devour for your sake. And ye shall not destroy, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground, neither shall your vine-caster fruit before the time in the field sayeth the Lord.

You know what’s happening is a result of your disobedience. He said, but if you would just obey me, believe me, believe me, try me. He says, and see if I won’t do what I promise that I’ll do. Because see, they had God bound by His word. You go back and you read the book of Deuteronomy where He said, I have laid before you life and death, blessing and cursing. It’s your choice. And when you get into the land, this is what I want you to do.

And if you’ll do what I tell you to do, I’ll put none of those things. these eases upon you. What a hell, you know, program that he had. And I’ll meet all of your needs and so forth. Social security program, he had everything that God had it all designed. His way will work. So then it says up there in verse 13, the last part, he said, what have we spoken so much against the God says, you’ve been talking about me.

God says, you’ve been bad-mouthing me. Zawin do that. God says, you’ve been doing that. You say, Wow, he says in verse 14, you have said it is vain to serve God. In the words, what’s the profit? Why should I serve God? That’s why you find in the book of Galatians in chapter six, it says, not to become weary and well doing, do not become weary and well doing, for you shall reap what you sow just in time, be patient.

Don’t faint, don’t stop, don’t quit. Just always keep serving God and God will bless you. So will they believe that? Look in verse 17 where he says, in that day when I make up my jewels, I will spare them as a man’s spare his own son that serveth him. To spare his son that serves him. Do you know that God knows which one of his children serve him and which one don’t serve him? And God can bless you and protect you and God can do all kinds of things.

Or the Lord might just because of pride, open up the gates and turn the hounds loose. And buddy, you’d be surprised how fast evil can come up on you. Men in the ministry, I’ve seen just about everything happen. But it says the wicked one day is going to get there. See there in verse 18, then shall you return and discern because see right now, see they haven’t troubled discerning. When you’re not close to the Lord, it’s hard to discern the air.

Because the only way you can discern air is to know truth. And they had gotten so far from the truth. The priest hadn’t taught the people like they should have known. And there was a price to be paid. So he says, and discern between the righteous and the wicked. Between him that servant God and him that serveth him not. So does God know those who serve him and those that do not serve him? God knows. And he says, the day is coming now.

In chapter four, I believe the first few verses here actually belong to chapter three. But nevertheless, I didn’t break up this and but Look what he says in verse 1. He says behold the day cometh now. We’re talking yes into the future He says that shall burn as an oven and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that come shall burn them up, say after Lord of Hosts, and that it shall leave them neither root nor brand.

Now, God says, look, I know that you’re saying, where’s the God of judgment? God says, be patient. You just go ahead and you serve me now with all your heart. And you just go ahead and try me and see if I won’t bless you like I said. He said, and concerning those people, you think, in a way with murder, he said, I’ll take Hebdo of them. I’ll deal with them. And so don’t you lose heart just because you see, even in America, we see so many people that are living so wickedly and they look so happy.

And wicked people are making money. And God’s people seem like they’re starvingeful after that. And if they don’t have any trouble in all of God’s people have problems. And like David says, it’s like the Lord chasing me. Every time I turn on God’s chasing me. Read the 37 Psalm and the 73rd Psalm together. Those two Psalms go together. Now, he says, the sun, as you in, of righteousness is coming. And it’s like, he says, like there’s paths in the stall.

been there all night long and They can’t get out and it’s dark and Well, behold the daylight comes and you open up the stalls and they come running out of that thing and jumping all over the place They says that’s that’s the way my people are going to be and the son of righteousness is coming and he says my people are going to rejoice See what he says there in verse two He says, but unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.

And ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the storm. And ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, after Lord of Host. God says, I’m coming, I’m coming. But then he tells him something very important. Looking verse 5. He says, Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This to me seemed like a fitting conclusion of the last book in the Old Testament, of the last thing that it says, before 400 years of silence.

I’m coming back. But before I get there for this great terrible day that I’m going to judge, he says, I’m going to send Elijah Now you and I know that They were looking for Christ to come back on On the white horse you know there’s a line of the tribe of Judah and do his damage. And Jesus shows up, born in a stable, making lowly like a lamb, to defend himself. And they mocked him, slandered him, and he didn’t retaliate.

He didn’t get even. Now, me, I was exact every one of them, then I went in. But he didn’t do none of that. He was a lamb to be slaughtered. And it says that the Old Testament saints, the prophets, could not totally discern between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. They knew about both of them, but they couldn’t put it together. So we know now and it’s easy for us because we say this happened the first time he came and this happens the next time he comes.

So everything’s clear to us. We see they didn’t know that. They couldn’t put all this stuff together and even now it’s sometimes a little on the difficult side. But look what he says you’re in in verse 8 and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers as I come and smite the earth with a curse. Now I want you to take your Bible and just turn over there to the book of Matthew chapter 17.

Matthew chapter 17. But first of all chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16 Look what he says in verse 27, For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father. Now who is saying this? Jesus is saying this. So he’s telling about his second coming. When you’re going to come again. Because you see, the first time he came, he did not come in the glory of the angels and all the rest of them. That’s going to be when he is revealed in power and great glory.

He’s coming back again. But look what he says. He says, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I send you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. So he told them, there’s some of you standing here right now, you’re not going to die until you see me.

The way I’m going to look in the kingdom, I’m going to give you a photo op. He said, now he took him up on top of a mountain. And look what he says in verse 1 of chapter 17. After six days, Jesus take of Peter, James and John, his brother and bring them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine at the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. and behold, there appeared unto him, Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

And Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt wilt make three tabernacles, one for you and one for him and one for the other guy. And a voice came down from God out of heaven, says, shut up. This is my beloved son. Here ye him. They’re not all three equal. I assure you that Peter was always saying more than he should say. At least he said it, and it says they were sore afraid.

And then he says they’re in verse nine. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man. Get this until the son of man be risen again from the dead. And this is why later on, see when you read the book of Peter, when he talks about, he says, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We were in the mount with him. we saw Him and it’s His, but we have been given a more sure word.

Prophecy. In other words, I was there. I saw Him. I heard Him, but something better than seeing and hearing is to have the word of God. You and I have the word of God, a more sure word of prophecy. This will never change. Your memory may fade and you’ll get old and you won’t I don’t remember everything like this. But this book stays the same. I can still read the same words that I read 50 years ago. None of us changed.

And so the question came down in verse 10, and his disciples asked him, why didn’t say the scribes that Elijah must first come? Where’d they get that from? Well, they got that from the book of Malachi. Because they knew, well, if you’re the Christ, then here you are. And this is when you are upon the mount and they saw him in his glory. Well, where is Elijah? Because they knew that Elijah has to come. And look what he said.

In verse 11, Jesus answered and said to them, Elijah, truly shall first come and restore all things. So Jesus is saying Elijah will come. If they had accepted Jesus Christ, then John the Baptist would have been Elijah. But because they rejected Christ, he’s got to come later. And when he comes later, I believe Elijah is coming before he comes to the earth. That’s why a lot of people believe that the last two witnesses upon the earth is going to be Hank Lindstrom and Yankee Arnold.

No, no, I got that wrong. I wouldn’t mind that. I had a dream about that one night. Oh, it was a terrible dream. I had a dream and I was in Macon, Georgia. Then Betty hadn’t been married for a couple years, but her dad had already done told me all the stuff was going to go on. It scared me to death. And I’d go to bed that night. I don’t know if I had too many onions on my hamburger or what happened.

I don’t know. But I went to bed and I woke up and Betty was trying to get me to wake up because I was crying. I was loud and she, I I don’t know if I was hollering or whatever, but anyway, it was bad. And I was shaking, I was scared, crying, and she said, what’s wrong? What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I said, I was in the middle of the tribulation period. And I was leading people. And I said, there was another guy, but I don’t know who he was.

I don’t know who this guy was. And I said, bombs were busting everywhere. People were being killed. It was terrible. But it was all in color. It was so vivid. right in the middle of my dream. I thought I’m in the tribulation period. What am I doing here? What happened to the rapture? Like I left, scared me to death. That’s when I started crying. So anyway, she got me to wake up and I realized it was just a dream.

But boy, what a dream. Scared me to death. But look in verse 12, he says, but I say unto you that Elijah has come already and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listen. Likewise, shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” Now, I know that… It’s difficult sometimes to put all scriptures together where everything is totally understood. I wish that I understood all of it, but I don’t.

But take your Bible, just look over there real quick in the book of Luke. The book of Luke. Remember it says that he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the parents. I believe if parents today really love their children, then you want to be the right example for your children. And it would be great if all fathers love their children the way they should. And would it be great if all children love their daddy like they should or their mom like they should?

Well, what solid homes we could have. But because of so much sin in the world, it’s difficult today raising children. And then the raised children went out without the other, you know, a mate and a family. Because sometimes there’s single women having to raise their kids and their dad’s doing the same thing and it’s so it’s very difficult We live in a very difficult time I’ve had somebody tell me says I do not want to have kids Where the way things are in this world?

But now Moses was born in a bad time Wasn’t Our Jesus probably was born at a bad time You remember how many they wanted to kill or those little beady babies? all of them. So don’t have kids because it’s a bad time. No, you trust the Lord to walk you through having children just like you do marriage or your job or anything else. But look what he says here. We know that Zachariah and Elizabeth are going to have a baby.

You see there in verse 14 chapter And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. And he, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine or strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he get to turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and the power of Elijah, Elijah, who turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the judge, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And he was going to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and he came. And that’s mentioned in the first part of chapter three, and then in chapter four, I believe a reference that will definitely be Elijah. So he is the messenger, the voice of one. All you and I are are just cheap radio sets. I believe that’s the way Ray Stanford always put it. We’re just cheap radio sets transmitting a powerful message. We’re not the message.

He’s the message. He’s the messenger. We’re supposed to talk to people about what Christ has done on the cross for us. And by believing on him we have as a free gift everlasting life. So I hope that you have enjoyed a little bit of the book of Malachi. So where we’re gonna go next week? I don’t know, but wherever it is is gonna be good. It’s the word of God So yeah anyway, but look up here For you that have never seen this We had a lady that came to the Bible study today and we was talking about you know the wallet illustration the wallet illustration And I I realized I asked us this have you ever seen the wallet illustrations?

She says no like poor thing Poor thing I says when I get through our shirt to your case, okay So I had the joke showing her the wallet illustration. This is you and me and the wallet Represent sin we all have sin on Us and the Bible says that all of us have sinned and the wages of sin is death eternal separation from God To go to heaven we have to be perfect and righteous as God and none of us have perfect none of us are righteous And because of sin, we can’t get in.

And God says that we cannot save ourselves. We committed it, we got to pay it, we have a debt. And so the Bible says that Jesus Christ, this hand represents Jesus Christ, is God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die, but because He loved it, He took our sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead, and said if we would believe that he did it for us, he would give us as a free gift ever lasting life.

And he says, these things have already done to you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. Now, I try to tell people to understand this, because it’ll help. The first four points is bad news. The last three points, good news, point number one, we’re all sinners. That’s bad news. wages of sin is death. Bad news. Got to be perfect to go to heaven. Oh, that’s bad news. You can’t earn your way to heaven by your good works.

All that bad news. So I always want to make sure a person understands the bad news so that they’ll appreciate the good news. This hand represents Jesus Christ. Number five, Christ died. So he died to pay for our sins. That’s good news. Came back from the dead and said, all I had to do is believe it. All I got to do is believe it. And he puts that payment to my account. And if I believe it, he says, you can know that you have eternal life.

That’s good news. So you see, in the way we present the gospel that we’ve been doing for almost 50 years, is it because it explains the bad news and the good news. Let’s break show him. Every head, bow and every eye, close, no one looking around. If you’re here tonight or if you’re watching by internet, understand, yes, God loves you. He loves all of us. And you may wonder or question whether or not God really loves you, but he does.

And when he sent his son to down the cross, it was to pay for your sins, to pay for yours. That’s how God wanted to show you that he loved you. And that he would give you as a free gift everlasting life. Why? Because that shows you how much God loves you. And that if you believe He did it for you, He wants you to know that you have eternal life. And know that you’re going to heaven, so He made a promise.

Two immutable facts. One, that there’s nobody greater than God, and that He can’t lie. So He gave His word, would you believe Him? If you will believe that Jesus Christ died on that cross, paid for your sins and trust Him to take you to heaven when you die, God that he would save you right now and give you the free gift of eternal life. So I hit bow nice clothes, no one looking around. Is there anyone else that says yes, that made sense to me and I will accept Jesus Christ as my Savior tonight.

I would not like to know and I would like to have prayer for you. So is anyone else that says yes, that made sense to me and I will trust Christ as my Savior. I want you to know it and I want you to pray for me. Would you just slip your hand very quickly? If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, your God’s child, do you think that serving the Lord is in vain, that there’s no profit to it?

Do you begin to question the love of God, doubting God? Because you don’t think He really loves you anymore because of all the things that seem to go wrong in your life? You see, those aren’t things going wrong in your life. Those are just tests to see whether or not do you really love Him? Do you really love Him? Do you love Him more than your wife or your husband or your kids or your job? Do Do you love him more than your wealth?

Do you love him more than your health? There ought not be anything that would come between you and your love for the Lord. See, God tells us in Romans, there is nothing that can separate you from his love, but is there anything that can separate him from your love? Bob, well, thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one for being here. In Christ and we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, The 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. 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. 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.