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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, 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. And 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, we live our Christian life believing in the providence of God that God behind the scenes is able to move and work his will. Don’t we believe that? I believe that. I believe that God has a plan and He’s working His plan and I believe He’s right on schedule. I don’t believe He’s behind schedule. I believe He has a purpose in what He’s doing and He can use the wickedness of man to accomplish His will. So when He talks about He has the keys of David, remember now, David was the king.

He was the king. As a king, do you know that they used to talk about the divine rights of kings? What does it mean by the divine right of kings? That a king could do pretty much whatever he wanted to do. He has the authority. He can say, you live or you die. You can have your stone, they get part in you. The king, pretty powerful. But Jesus Christ has the key. And when you talk about the key of David, you’re talking about the right of royalty.

He is not only deity, whenever you hear those two phrases that are mentioned in the Word of God, the Son of Man, Son of God. Remember, you’ll talk about Jesus Christ, Son of Man, Son of God. If you talk about the Son of Man, that’s his humanity. Talk about the Son of God, that’s his deity. So as you study the scripture, you’ll see it talked about Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Okay, that’s true that he is the Son of Man.

He’s his humanity. He is the perfect man. Son of God, he is divinity. He is divine. He is deity. He’s God. He is the perfect God man. That’s who he is. And he has the authority as the Son of Man to set up on the throne of David. And it’s the right to rule. He has authority and he can open up doors and he can close doors. I am glad to know he’s not only the creator of heaven and the earth.

He’s not on the head of the church. He is also the king of Israel. And I know him. He’s a buddy of mine. He’s a friend of mine. Do you believe that God, Jesus Christ is able to open up doors that you can’t open. Have things happen that you can’t make happen? Have you ever got to the place where you have come to the end of yourself? You don’t like the guy that was in the hog pen when he came to himself?

He said, how did he come to himself? Nobody gave to him. Nobody helped him. He said, boy, I just love the Eastom of the Cornhouse that the hog’s reading. He said, and here I am, my father. My father, my father, has food to spare and the servants are even better than me.” He says, I know what I’m going to do. I’m going home and I’m going to tell my daddy. He says, I messed up. And his dad came and put a robe of righteousness upon him and gave him the ring and shoes on his feet.

He says, you’re my son. He’d, I’d just be a survivor. You’re my son. God in heaven knows what you and I need. He is opening doors and his closing doors. Have you ever prayed for something and you didn’t get it? And down the road you find out, boy, that was an answer to prayer. That you’re glad that God didn’t answer all your prayers. I’ve lived long enough to appreciate the fact God doesn’t answer all my prayers. Because sometimes I don’t pray exactly what, because I’m limited in knowledge.

And when you’re limited in knowledge, you’re limited in the quality of your prayer. So you don’t know exactly sometimes how to pray. Have you ever had something to come? But you don’t know how to pray. You’re not sure. You don’t know why I should do this, or should I do that? I’ll bottle that for about six months. Before I came down here, but it seemed like God started closing the door and God opened up another door. And I’m still expecting God to open up some doors and he’ll probably close a few other doors.

So you can’t do anything, but here’s one thing, keep it in mind. If God closes a door, don’t you charge it with a crowbar and a sledgehammer? You’ll wish you hadn’t forced that door open. If God opened the door, let God open the door. You don’t have to ever do anything wrong, sneaky, conniving in order to try to make your opportunity. If you can’t get something by doing right, you don’t need it. I don’t get what it is. If you can’t do it right, and you can’t be honest to get what you believe God wants you to have, then you don’t need to do it.

You always do right. It’s always right to do right. You don’t do wrong. God will never lead you to do wrong. my God can’t open up a door for me and provide for me or do whatever he wants me, that it don’t need to be opened. Now I don’t need to go through it. And I’ll forfeit it. And I’ll live long enough probably to realize, boy God is so much smarter than I am. And sometimes at the moment it seems like, God you got to come through.

I need you now. Now, now, emergency, flash flash, red lights. And it says, you know, the throne of grace, the throne of grace. What in the world is the throne of grace? It’s a place where you can go to get all the help that you need in time, in the time of need. To God’s the one that knows the timing and when you really need it. And I believe the Lord will come through. Can you trust Him? Can you trust the Lord?

I don’t know how I ever get through when I get carried away. I’m just talking about opening the door. anyway, that’s okay. It’s perfectly all right. I did not decide before I started tonight, I was going to finish the third chapter anyway. See how good that is? They don’t matter. But look in verse 8, I know by works, behold, I have set before thee an open door. Now remember this in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 16 when it talks about Paul says, I have an open door, a door of opportunity, an open door.

He says, but there are many what? Open door, but there are many adversaries. I don’t remember that, well I just talked to all that about a month ago or two months ago, you both remember all this stuff. But there’s adversaries, in other words, with every open door, there’s problems. There’s always problems. You’ve got problems in everything, and they don’t always run smooth. There’s always something that goes wrong. I don’t give what you do. He’s gonna find out, running with those teenagers.

right now they probably just oh he’s just a wonderful guy we’re gonna do everything he said but just gonna love him to death all he has to say one thing and they’re gonna cross them and they’re gonna hate his guts and then I’ll turn on him I never did like him to start with and then he’s gonna go home and cry why you know what somebody told me the other day he says you want some cheese with that I said what he says you want some cheese with that I says Cheeseful what?

He says, well no, cheese and wine and goes good together. You know who said that to me? My son-in-law’s sitting right there. I hit this golf ball that went in the woods and I’m just a wan and he says, you want some cheese with that? Now every time I hit the ball and he goes, well, especially if he’s close by, I’m going to bite my tongue, want some cheese with that. But now this church here, I believe, was not a mega church.

Now the church in Jerusalem when it first started, it was probably what you would consider a mega church. I mean a huge church. There were lots of people trusting Christ of Savior and been joining all the time. But look what he says in the last part. He says, for thou hath a little strength and has kept my word and have not denied my name. When he talks about a little strength, I don’t think he’s talking about the individuals. I believe individually, they were strong because he says, you have my word, you kept my word, you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

But they were fewer in number. You see, the strength of a church is not how many people you have. It’s the strength of the individuals that you have. You see, we could have 200 people in this church on a Sunday morning. That I don’t mean we’re a strong church. We will probably be as strong as the people that usually come on a Sunday night or Wednesday night and so on. The workers and thethat’s your backbone of your church that makes it happen.

A lot of people will not accept the responsibility, but I’m thankful for every person that darkens the doors. I don’t feel whether you get involved, you don’t do anything. I just like to see a warm body. I can talk to him, maybe influence him for the Lord, you know. But he says that you’re a little strength, that you’re not mighty in number. There’s a few of you, but you’re still, they’re getting praise from the Lord. Do you think there’s a God in heaven that looks down and knows how strong you are spiritually?

He knows whether you’re weak, he knows whether you’re strong. And he says that he’s going to either bless or chase him, because God knows our works, He knows our attitudes, why we do what we do. He knows what we say. You wanna know what the Lord really knows how you think. Look at the next church, but we haven’t got there yet, but we’ll look at it in just a minute. But look in verse nine. He says, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie.

just very quickly, take your Bible, look in the book of Romans in chapter two. Hold your place right there, but Romans in chapter two, and you’ll have a little bit of an idea probably what he’s talking about here, because there’s some people who think they’re Christians because they go to church, and there were probably some that thought they were Jews of God’s chosen people because they went to the synagogue and that they were saved and they’re gonna go to heaven.

No, no more than that. See there in chapter two, look there in verse 28, for he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh, But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart. In other words, those that accounted for the seed are those not just because you are of Jewish flesh, but because they had trusted Christ as their Savior. They were circumcised in heart, not in the flesh.

That doesn’t save anybody. This says you don’t put no confidence in the flesh. So, but these are people that had trusted Christ as their Savior. And yes, they were of the nation of Israel. Not look over there in the book of Romans in chapter 9 and verse 8. Romans chapter 9 and verse 8. Now you know chapter 9, 10 and 11 deals with the nation of Israel. Chapter 9 deals with the past of Israel. Chapter 10 with the present of Israel.

Chapter 11 deals with the future of Israel. But in chapter 9 looking verse 8, as he’s talking down through here about in verse like in verse 4, who are Israelites? Well, who are they? Just anybody? Oh look what he says down in verse 7, Neither because they are the seed of Abraham or they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed because which is faith And verse eight that is they which are the children of the flesh. These are not the children of God And see the Jews were taken upon this if we’re the chosen of God We’re God’s children You’re not God’s child unless you’re born into his family unless you believe on Jesus Christ So not everybody is a a believer just because of a well I got Jewish flesh.

No have you accepted Jesus Christ as you’re saying so he says that there is the devil and he has a synagogue. Remember this the devil has his preachers. They’re devil and he has preaching. I have a sermon that they’re working on getting ready for the radio broadcast called the the damnable doctrine of the devil. Well, that ought to be a good one. The damnable doctrine of the devil. Does the devil have doctrine? Does he have preachers? Yes, he does.

Does the devil have churches? Yes, they do. And there’s a lot of churches that are run by the devil. I’m serious. And can a Christian do the devil’s work? Just like, like I said, I know the Lord here tonight. How do you know the Lord here tonight? I brought him one verse there. I know the devil’s here tonight. How do you know? You brought him. Well, go back to Revelation chapter three. So he says, I’m going to teach a lesson and how that was done at that time in that church.

It doesn’t say all these things about it, but the church there at this time would know and understand more because it was to them. It’s in his context and dealing with that church. Second verse 10, because thy has kept the word of my patience. When you’re talking about keeping the word of my patience, it means that when trials and tribulations and all those things come, you waited and trusted in the Lord. That’s being patient. When you know the Lord and his word, and you can be patient, that means you don’t take matters into your hand, that means you don’t let anger or run rampant over you.

You don’t let yourself get so mad at angry, you say and do things you shouldn’t say and do. Then as he makes the statement here, I also will keep the in the hour of temptation. Now there’s two things about this verse. One is he talking about the tribulation period that’s coming upon the earth. And because of your obedience, I’m gonna save you from going into the tribulation period.

Well, if that’s the case, then that would make. Your obedience, reason why you didn’t go into the tribulation. Okay, but what about Christians that are not going to the tribulation? I can’t buy that. Now, isn’t it true that the devil in chapter 12, it makes the statement that he has deceived the whole world, our accuser of the brethren, goes before the Father and accuses us. And it says he deceived the whole world. Whether you and I like it or not, there’s times in our crime, we’ve been deceived.

We have not always believed all the truth all the time. We even lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves. And we have been lied to and been deceived. You know, the old devil has a heyday with us. But only by the grace of God are we aligned. You know, if I was the devil, if I was the devil, I’m not. But if I was the devil, I’d do everything in my power to kill all of you. I’d want to wipe you out of here.

I’d want to ruin your testimony, destroy somehow. And I wouldn’t care what I’d have to do to do it. If I can’t get it to you, I’m going to go through your wife. I can’t get it to your wife. I’ll go through the husband. I can’t get your husband. I’m going to go to the kids. I’ll go through something. Some house. Some way. I’ve got to stop you because the more you want to serve the Lord, the more the devil’s got to fight against you.

I just want to give him a big old black eye before I get out of here. here. I want him to know that we’ve been in a scrap. But I know this. If I don’t keep my eyes on the Lord, it will be the Torah that he… I don’t mind getting a whipping from the Lord. I just don’t want the devil to witness. Now God made a lot of him to have some freedom, but that’s why you got to be careful.

Pride cometh before what? A fall. And you have to be very careful. And I read a thing the other day about I am a soldier. I’m a soldier. Now the whole time I’m reading that thing about I I am a soldier. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking, as I yield to the Lord, as I yield to the Lord, as I yield to the Lord. Because I know in the back of my mind, I’m not going to be a good soldier.

I’m not going to stand. The devil’s not going to get me. None of this is going to happen unless I keep walking independent upon the Lord. So in your mind, your attitude, you better keep your dependence. I’m trusting the Lord as I trust the Lord, as I walk with the Lord, because without that, but he would fall quick. It don’t take much. And the temptation, remember this, he says that with the temptation, it’s common demand, but with that temptation, God also will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

Did you know with every problem, Every trial, every temptation. God says, there is a way of escape. There’s a way of escape. And if you’re said, I can’t take anymore, I can’t take anymore. He says that it’s not going to be more than you can bear. Whether you like it or not, the scripture says, God doesn’t put up on us more than what we can bear. Now, if it breaks you, it’s because you didn’t trust the Lord. But nobody has more than they can bear.

It’s just that it becomes a yoke of iron because you will not serve a Lord with joyfulness of heart. He says, I’ll put a yoke of iron upon your neck and dill it destroys you. So there’s testing that are going to come. And because they held fast His word, they did the work He says to do and they were, they had the love that they should have had and they stood strong. And though they were not many, they were mighty in the Lord.

And when the trials and tribulations come, he says, because thou hast kept my word. The Lord says, I will keep thee when the trials and temptations and that hour comes. Now, whether he’s talking about doing my lifetime here or whether he’s talking about the tribulation period upon the end, which I think that’s be secondary, I believe the rapture takes place obedient or not obedient. When he comes, ready or not we’re going and we’re all out of here and no Christian is going from the church ages going into the tribulation period.

Look in verse 11, behold I come quickly. Now he got something he said, behold I come quickly. It’s only been 2000 years, behold I come quickly. I guess time depends upon how God sees it based upon how we see it. Do you know one of these days when it’s all over with in word heaven, it’s going to seem like it was so quick. I’ve already realized that concerning my life. It wasn’t long ago I was playing in the backyard with my sister cutting off a dog’s tail.

You know that was about 65 years ago. 65 years has passed since I chopped that little tail off that dog. Did you know that I can still see that little dog? In my mind, I can still see that tail wagon on the other side of that log. I can still see it. You ain’t never done that before. Where do you think hot dogs come from? You know what the Indians said when the dog fell over the cliff? Dog gone.

Okay, we’ll move right along here. Verse 12, in the book of Galatians in chapter 2, it talks about how Paul had met with some of the people who had been in the Bible. He had hunchows, the other disciple, and he says, they seem to be pillars in the church. And then he talks about the church and that the word of God is supposed to be taught to the people and it’s the grounds upon which we build and it’s the ground of truth.

And there’s pillars of truth. And whenever you become strong in the Lord, you’re supposed to be like a pillar, like a piece of marble or granite that is strong and can support. People can lean against you because you’re strong, you’re solid. Well, he says here in verse 12, him that overcometh what I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God in the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which coming down out of heaven from my God.

Now, remember this, there’s a lot of things in here that I think the hints is too, but never fully explained. But remember John whenever he was up there and they had the great white throne judgment and he stood out there and he said, and I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepares a bride adorned for her husband. And the tabernacle of God was with men. And he says, and he went to show me the lamb, the bride.

And then the next verses that talks about, and I saw the holy city, the lamb’s wife. The holy city is where you and I are supposed to live. I believe that’s the as the bride and it’s only 1500 miles high long and wide. How do you like that for a honeymoon? Pretty good size. Place to live. And so for half the size of the United States. And I believe it’ll hover above the earth and the nations of the earth are going to walk in the light of the holy city.

Because it won’t be a need of a moon or a sun because it says the land will be the light thereof There’s a lot that God never told it. Oh, yeah It’s got streets of gold in the gates of pearls and it got the walls of Jasper and all these things and the Street out the river and the fruit trees that give fruit every 12 times of fruit on it. No, it can be awesome And we’re only getting a little taste of it here and a little taste there.

He doesn’t explain everything He talks about in the one of the, talking about the, I’ll give you a new stone, a white stone with a name on it, nobody knows. Now he’s talking about him, I’m gonna give my name and he’s talking about a name here. See, I will write upon him the name of my God, which is a new Jerusalem which come in and I won’t write upon him my new name, the last part of verse 12. I’m gonna write my new name.

I don’t know what all this. You can speculate all you want to and anybody else can, but they can’t tell you what it really means because it doesn’t say. I’ve read that enough of the Bible to know that there’s some things God doesn’t explain. It’s kind of like just dang it right there and just trust them. It will be worth it all when we see Christ. It will be worth it all. Now we don’t have time to cover this last church.

I might have to get that the next time. But I do believe that we probably have a few things we need to pray for. So therefore, we’re going to conclude and then have a few prayer requests. But first of all, I want you to look up here. If you’re here tonight, or if you’re watching by internet, I want you to understand more than anything else in the world, you don’t serve the Lord to go to heaven. These scriptures is talking about those who are already going to heaven, but they’re not going to heaven because they promise to live a certain way and so on.

Look up here. This hand represents you and me and the wallet represents sin. Now we all have sin on us Now God says that he loves us and I hate what we do wrong, but he loves us You know just when I talk to a lot person. I’m always explaining this sort of three times God loves us. He hates what we do wrong, but he loves us. You ever know how I do that? I keep doing because I want people to know I don’t care how much bad you’ve done God still loves you And the greatest part about this whole thing is and God loves you God loves us And because we have committed the sin, we have to pay for it, and that’s eternal separation from God and Hell.

But God loves us, wants us to go to heaven, but heaven is a perfect place. And to go there, we’d have to be perfect. Well, because of sin, well, we’re not perfect. We can’t get into heaven. So how can I get to heaven? Well, if you have to be perfect, you can’t. You can’t go. There’s no way you can do enough good things to pay for all the bad things and you’ll never be perfect. You see, you have to be good to be good.

You have to be perfect to bring forth perfect works. Only a perfect person can live a perfect life and you’re not perfect. You are sinners So what do sinners do bring for sin and the best we have to do is still a sin. It’s not good That’s why God says our righteousness or its filthy rags. So man cannot save himself This and represent Jesus Christ 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 So he took hours.

Payful on the cross came back from the dead. And God said that if we would believe that He did it for us, He’d put this payment that He made to my account. All my sins are paid. See, there they are right there. He paid for them. I don’t have to pay for them. He paid for them. I get to go to heaven on what He did for me. That is a gift of God. It is not a works list.

Any man should boast the best news in all the world. Let’s pray, show Him. But heads bow nice clothes and no one looking around. If you are here tonight and you never trust that Christ is your savior, right now in the quietness of this moment, would you just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner. I got questions, I got doubts, I don’t understand at all, but I believe that he died on that cross and paid for my sins and right now I will accept him as my savior.

And friend God said, if you would trust him right now, he would savior right now, give you eternal life right now. and you can know that you’re going to heaven when you die. I like to have prayer for you. So I’m gonna ask you in just a moment to raise your hand, raise your hand does not save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. And you say, in preacher, that made sense to me.

And I wanna be certain I’m going to heaven. And I will accept Jesus Christ right now as my savior. And I’d like for you to pray for me. Does anyone just slip it up very quickly and put a rep A down? If you’ve already trust the flirt, you don’t have to do it again. But if you haven’t, would you do it right now? And what is all?

Our Father, we do thank You so much for loving us, giving us a free gift of eternal life, the privilege of serving You, not because we have to, but because we want to. And You said in Your Word that You would walk with us and talk to us, that You could use us in. And Father, we could be a blessing to You and You would bless us. You said when we get to heaven that You would reward us for what we’ve done for you.

You said when you set up your kingdom upon the earth, we could rule it and reign with you. Father, we thank you for all that you’ve done and what you’ve made available to us. We ask to bless them upon each one here now in Christ and we pray. Amen. 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.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now we’re 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.