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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 radiolity 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% of our lives. for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you’ll enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

Now the will of the Father we find in John chapter 6 when they ask the question, What works must we do to do the work of God? He says, believe on Him whom He hath sent. So they were to believe on the one that the Father hath sent. They were to accept Christ as their Messiah. But they had rejected Christ as their Savior. Now, they were doing all these wonderful works because look what he says there in verse 22.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. So what were they using to verify that they had the right to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Their works. You see, it didn’t say they were trusting Christ, and they say, these were those that were saved, but then they lost it. No. They said, I never knew you.

You weren’t saved and then you got lost and then you get saved again. Now there’s no such thing in the scriptures. They had never trusted the Lord. He never knew them. And then he makes the statement there in verse 23. And then, well, I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity. Now, what was this work of iniquity prophesying in his name, casting out devils and doing many wonderful works. You see, when you trust in your works, regardless of what those works may be, is an abomination to God.

He says, all wheat like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord have flayed upon him the iniquity of us all. And it makes the statement that all our righteousness are as filthy rags, Isaiah 64, 6. So things haven’t changed. word still says the same thing means the same thing. And he says, you do the work of iniquity. So they were not trusting in the Lord. So they were not ready. This is why we do everything we possibly can to present the gospel to somebody.

Why? Because everybody’s going to die one of these days. And when you die, are you going to heaven? If you’re not going to heaven when you die, you’re not ready to die. Do you know when you’re going to die? So then you’re not ready to die. You see, I have accepted Christ as my savior. I have eternal life. I’m going to heaven. So therefore I’m ready to die. And it doesn’t matter when I die, I’m ready. If it’s today or if it’s tomorrow, I’m ready.

I’m as ready as ready can be. And I’m looking for the Lord to come back. But I know there’s a lot of people who are not ready to die, but they’re dying. They’re dying all the time. Are you ready? But everybody is going to die. Are you ready? Are you prepared to meet God? Life is getting ready. When Christ says, I’m coming back, be ye ready. Be you ready? Be ready to meet the Lord. Now go back there to the book of Matthew and chapter 25.

Matthew chapter 25, the story here with the 10 virgins. They were virgins, all of them. The thing is, when the wedding came, they were not already. Some were ready, some were not. That’s the point of the whole story. It’s better not to try to make everything mean something because we don’t have the proof that the meaning, their interpretation, would be right. But the point there in verse 10 They that were ready they that were ready and That’s the point When you follow it into chapter from chapter 25 be ye ready now in the story of the 10 virgins Has more to deal with what they think What they believe?

They were not ready and when you study about the Olivet discord in verse 14 And look at verse 14 for the kingdom of heaven is as a man Traveling into a far country who called his own servant now. This is going to be talked about what they do What they do and see it’s important for a man to be ready Because of what he believes and it’s important for a man to be ready because of what he’s doing those two things.

These are two stories to illustrate two different points. One, what do you believe? Two, what are you doing? And knowing that there’s consequences to our belief and to what we do. You can’t just do whatever you want to do, believe anything you want to believe without consequences. Now, should what we believe affect what we do. Now you and I as a child of God, do you really believe Jesus could come back at any moment? Now do you prove it by the way you live?

Do you prove it by your attitude? Do you prove it by your faithfulness to God, your actions, the way you talk, the way you walk? Is your life verification of what you You internally believe. So you have the story here about the virgins and about how you think. You see, look there in verse 44 of chapter 24. And it says, therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think. Not. So it deals with how you think.

Now, when you go down there to verse 14, for the kingdom of heaven is as a man. Now it’s going to talk about the things that you do, but look there in verse 46 of chapter 24. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he come at shall find so doing. One deals with the way you think and one deals with the things you do. So now we have a parable that deals with the subject of what you’re doing.

Did you know that God has given to every man in this world different levels of understanding of talents and abilities God knows what he’s doing? God knows the potential in every individual. God knows what you know. God knows what you could know. God knows what you could have done if you availed yourself. God knows what would have happened had you obeyed him. knows what is happening because you did not obey Him. So with every one of us in this room, God has given to different individuals, different talents and abilities, different amounts of wealth at different times.

Did you know that there’s a God in heaven that can allow you to become rich and poor? Did you know that it was God that caused Job to become rich? And And it was God that allowed Job to become poor. It was God that allowed him to have good health and bad health. God gave him children and God took his children. Now we say we believe the Bible. Don’t you understand that God in heaven is working in our individual lives now because Because He wants one thing from you and I to maintain our integrity, our trust in the Lord.

Do you love Him? And how do you know you really love Him more than anything else in the world? And sometimes that is by God giving you the world to see if you love Him more than the world and then to take it away from you to see if you love him still. Or more. Because it’s so easy to say, well, I love the Lord when everything is going great. And He’s really laying on you. And then just that quick, He can take your finances away, your health away.

Everything can fall apart and start crumbling. Just like that. Is God still worthy of your love and your devotion and your faithfulness? What happens to you in life is not important. It’s how you’re ready. respond that is important. Doesn’t matter what comes and what goes, it’s how do you respond to it? Because God says that He gives to each and every individual certain talents and He requires something from us. And as you go through this, you’ll find out, look there in verse 15, under one He gave five talents to another two, to another one, to every man, according to his several ability or his individual ability, straight way took his journey.

Like he gave you something and then he left. Verse 16, then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made him five more. In other words, he invested it and made some money off of it. Oh, that’s great. And then he says in verse 17, likewise he that had received two, he gained two more. Verse 18, but he that had received One went and dig in the earth and hid his Lord’s money. He was afraid of failure.

You ever seen somebody that God has blessed with talent and ability? And they’re afraid to use it for the Lord. So they hide it. In other words, not a blessing to anybody. I know people, they got tremendous talent, but they will not use it for the Lord because they’re afraid of what somebody may say of, I don’t understand it. I cannot figure this out. I thought, man, if I had a voice like, I sing all the time. But some people are just afraid.

They’re scared. Do you know what courage is? Courage is fear that says it’s prayers and goes ahead. Without an element of fear, there is no courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s in the presence of fear. But some people are afraid to be used by God. Well, I don’t want to be involved. I don’t want to be involved. I don’t want to be a failure. They become a little hurt and hide themselves. there’s a verse of scripture for you.

There’s somebody who God had blessed and they went and headed in the dirt because they were afraid they might lose that. But whatever the reason is, God did not accept it. But anyway, look verse 19, after a long time the Lord of those servants come and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought five more. Saying, Lord, God delivers unto me. Five, tell them, behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. Remember, whatever they were given, it wasn’t theirs.

Do you realize everything you have doesn’t belong to you? And what do you have that wasn’t given to you? It’s God that gave you life. God gave you the ability to think, the reason to relate, to record. God gave you that, To make money, God can give you that. And you know God can take that away from you too, just as easy as you got it, you can lose it. You can’t play games with God. Have you ever heard this phrase if you don’t use it, you can lose it?

Well, I used to be and I used to, and I used to, yeah, I know your degrades has been, that ever has been. But it’s not what you used to do, well, what are you doing now with what God’s given to you? Listen, if God has given you anything, You’re to use it for his honor and glory until you’re no longer here. To your dad. Do what you can with what you got where you are. And God will bless you.

But you’ll notice the word there in verse 21. Where says his Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I’ll make thee ruler over many things. Enter. See that word enter. Enter. Look down in verse 23. His Lord said to him, well done thou good and faithful, servant thou spent faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter! But because we’re talking about entering something, Christ is coming back at the end of the tribulation period to the earth, power and great glory.

And He says you’re gonna enter into the kingdom upon the earth. And He wants you to be able to enter into the kingdom. Are you ready? Are you ready? And he’s talking to the people that’s going to be living during the tribulation period. Now you and I, we’re going to be taking out seven years before that. But you know a lot of the same thing that God tells them is going to hold true for you and I. Now I don’t know the day or the hour.

I really don’t care. But I know he’s coming. I believe he’s coming. And that’s why I want to serve the Lord as diligently as I possibly know how. And I want to try to do things as right as I know them according to this book because I know the day will come I’ll have to stand before God and give a count of everything that I’ve ever spoken in this pulpit Everything that I’ve been preaching all these years I got a given account of And so whenever I do I want to be very careful that did I teach what the book really says That’s why I want you to look at the book to verify Not just to believe blindly don’t follow the preacher blindly Although I would be blind leading the blind, I want you to believe it because the book says it and you believe a certain truth because you saw it for yourself.

I try to explain a little bit, but I’m not God. I’m not the Apostle Paul. I can’t explain everything as clearly as I’d like to or how even how sometimes I understand my mind delivering it is a difficult thing. So here in the book of Matthew talks about entering and entering. somebody didn’t get the answer because they didn’t believe what is said. Now in the last part down there and says in verse 25 he said I was afraid I was afraid.

Who was afraid? Well the one that only got one. He was afraid he’s gonna lose that so he was afraid. And see some people God really blessed and there’s some people God won’t. But you see there’s things that because of what you believe their thing because of what you do. And God is going to hold us accountable for both. Did you know you’re responsible for what you believe? Otherwise, why hold you accountable to no truth? Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needs not to be ashamed, but rightly dividing the word of truth.

Sanctify them through thy word thy word is truth, were to know the truth. But he says here in verse 25, and I was afraid, what was afraid of? I lose it. in verse 26, and his Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant. Now, this is a story not about God, it’s not even Jesus Christ. It’s a story about a man that had hired servants. It’s about a man upon the earth that has, you know, these people working for him and he gave them different ones and he’s coming back.

Now, he uses that story of what really happens down here and how he’s gonna use them or bless them. and relate it to a real thing that’s coming in the future. See, I know and I believe that if I serve a Lord, it could affect greatly how I get to serve a Lord during the thousand year reign. I not only want to be here, I want to rule and reign with Christ. And he says, if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him.

Now you may know Christ is your Savior, You’re an heir of God, but a joint heir with Christ means you suffered with Him and for Him in this life since you’ve been saved till the day we get to go home. So all the things that happens to us in life are opportunities for us. Because God says, I want to be able to say, well done, thou good and faithful, serve an end to thou unto the joy of the Lord.

And what oh God has for I don’t understand it all. I don’t know all the decisions. I don’t know. I don’t care. to be good. Whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it. Our faithfulness to God is going to be worth it. Did you know what God said about the person that had been given a talent and didn’t use it? Did nothing with it. Nobody profited from it. He says he was a wicked, wicked slothful servant. In verse 27 he says, in Yorandalani, thou newest.

You knew what kind of a man I was talking about this man in the servant. He says in verse 27, thou, artist, therefore to have put my money to the exchangers. Then at my coming I should have received my own with interest. You could have at least invested put it in the bank. Then when I come back, I could at least got some interest off the money, but you didn’t do anything with my money. You see, there is a God in heaven that has invested in every one of us.

We are His inheritance. God has made an investment in my life. That’s why Paul says, I don’t want to labor in vain because I don’t want God to have bestowed upon me His grace in vain. I want to serve the Lord. I want God to get something from my life. You see, whenever you buy a piece of ground and you want a planet, you want to get something from it. Well God has invested a lot of time in you.

He not only have purchased you at great price, but now He wants to use you. And He invests a lot of time and effort into you and leading you and guiding you and protecting you and giving you time and giving you a mind and giving you the Word of God and giving you the Holy Spirit to englowing them and then Him not to get anything from your life. I believe I don’t owe God anything for my salvation, but from all the things that He’s done for me since I’ve been saved is enough that I should invest whatever I am, whatever I have for His cause.

A reason for living, a purpose, and many people don’t have that. They have nothing to live for. You see, it’s not just that you get up in the morning, you go to work and you come home, you pay your bills, you go to sleep, you get it and day in and day in. But if you’re doing it for the Lord, and you’re serving God on your job, and you’re serving God at home, and you’re trying to be the right kind of an employer or employee or whatever, and you’re trying to be the right kind of a mother or a father or a son or daughter.

You’re doing it because of your love for the Lord. God says, you serve the Lord Christ. You do serve Him. So now look at this, I want you to see that. Down here in verse 30, there’s an interesting verse. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outward darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now many people try to figure out what this is talking about. I’m one of them. But I want you to take your Bible and just hold your place right here, but look there in Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew chapter 13. You need to see this. It might give you just a little bit of light, but Matthew chapter 13 and in verse 50. Let’s just start there. First of all, look there in verse 47. When you see the phrase kingdom of heaven, I believe it refers mainly to the kingdom of the king, up on the earth, the thousand year reign. He’s talking about how you get into it, how you stay there, all these things, and how you’re going to rule.

But he says here in verse 47, again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, which cast unto the sea and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down and gathered the good into the vessels, but cast the bat away. So shall it be at the end of the world, the angel shall come forth and sever the wicked from the just separation. Shall cast them into the furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

the nation of teeth in New Wayland refers to those that are cast into the fire. That’s what I see there. So he’s talking about the same period of time and what’s going to take place. Look also in Luke 13. Luke 13, let’s start there in verse 24 because this is similar to chapter 7 of the book of Matthew. He says, strive to enter in at the straight gate. For many I say unto you, we’ll seek to enter in shall not be able.

When once the master of the house is risen up and have shut the door, and you begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not when you are. Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk and thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets, verse 27. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not when you are.

Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity.” Now doesn’t that sound similar to what we read in Matthew chapter seven? Now look what he says in verse 28, “‘There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “‘When ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “‘and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves are thrust out. So we’re talking about that period of time when Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are going to be here and you’ll sit but you won’t be able to come in and you’re going to be cast out.

You see there’s going to be a judgment of nations in Matthew chapter 25 which is right after where we’re reading right now and that period of time is coming. And so when you put it all together it kind of helps to formulate it a little bit better. you can understand. I don’t know exactly when Christ is going to come back to the earth in power and great glory. But I believe He’s coming. And all I know is people should be ready.

We go out seven years before. I don’t know when the rapture is going to take place. There’s clues, but to come out and definitely say that, I’d have to have a special revelation from God and I haven’t got it. And I don’t know if anybody’s going to get it, but I do know this. I want to be ready. Now, I believe right. I trust that Christ is my Savior and I’m going to heaven. I’m ready to go. As far as my life goes, I want to do right because I want to honor the Lord in what I say and what I do.

I want to deal with you right. I want to be a good pastor. I want to rebuke if I need to. I want to praise you whenever I can. No, only good people. But there’s teachings in the Word of God, I believe that God hasn’t seen fit to tell us everything yet. And so until then, I’m just going to sail with order sealed. And whenever he gets ready to reveal everything, then that’s fine with me. I’m just looking forward to the upper taker.

I may die. And if I die, I’m ready. If you were to die right now, are you ready? But if you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, you’re not sure of going to heaven when you die, then you’re not ready. So how can I get ready? So how can I get ready? Well, I’m going to show you. This hand represents you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. Now God says He loves us.

Now He hates our sin, but He loves us. And He says for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God in a place called hell. And there will be nation of teeth, anguish of spirit. But God says He loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect, none of us are righteous. We’ve all sinned, come short of God’s perfection.

And God says, no man can save himself. All of our good works, God says our works of iniquity. All of our works are as filthy rags. There is none good, no not one. So we cannot save ourselves. That’s why we do not tell people you have to go to church to go to heaven. Or you have to give money to go to heaven. You don’t tell people they have to promise to be good and stop being bad to go to heaven.

It’s not true. None of us will ever live good enough to go to heaven. That’s why Christ died. This hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. But because of love, He took our sins, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God said, if you and I, if we would simply believe He did it for us.

That’s on the level anybody can have it. All they have to do is believe it. And if you’ll believe that He did it for you, He puts this payment to your account and you get to go to heaven on what Christ did. That’s grace. You don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, you don’t buy it. And God says, when I save you, I give you the free gift of eternal life. And He said, if you’ll believe it, you can know that you have eternal life.

So can you know you’re going to heaven? I know it. I’m ready. If you hear this morning, you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior. Then friend, you’re not ready. You’re not ready to die. You’re not ready to meet God. I’m not trying to scare anyone. I’m just trying to tell you what the book said. God’s the one that put all the warnings in there. He’s the one that says to watch where to look up one day He’s coming. But until then, would you trust Him?

You that know Christ is your Savior? Yes, you’re ready because you trust the Christ is Savior, but what about what you’re doing? I don’t want you to be ashamed before a man is coming. Do right. Serving, honoring. I always keep looking up. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line 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 globity 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, calvaryuptampa.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, and 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.