This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I gave you something that I wanted to talk to you about because I think it is so very much important. So very important. The rapture, what will it mean to you? What does the rapture mean to the Christian, to the believer? And so if you just took those first six words there and redemption, reunion, rewards, rest, riches, and reigning, there, now you’ve got the whole sermon. Okay? Now you know what it’s about, right? And one redemption will be completed.

Number two, reunion of all of God’s people. Number three, rewards will be given. Number four, rest from our labors. Number five, riches in glory. And number six, reigning in royalty. Now, which one of these do you think I should look at first? Very good. We’re going to look at number six. I like number six so well, I’m afraid that if I start at number one, I won’t make it to number six. And I want number six, definitely. So I’m going to start with number six.

Don’t that make sense? Sure. Man, I knew you’d see it that way. So take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew chapter 19. Matthew chapter 19. You said that’s not one of the notes here. I know I expect you to write down some of these scriptures. Jesus Christ talking to his disciples. And oh, they have questions. And of course they want to know things. And just like you and I, we want to know things. So Jesus had told them some things that, you know, that people are going to get if they just listen to Him and serve Him and that’s a wonderful thing.

But look there in Matthew chapter 19. And verse 27, verse 27, then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed the. What shall we have, therefore? In other words, hey, what are we going to get out of this? I mean, they were fishermen and they fished, they caught fish, they supplied, met their needs and so forth. Now the question is, hey, we left everything to serve you. What are we going to get out of this?

So I think it’s a good question. only right that they know and the Lord’s going to tell them a few things. And remember, when it comes to salvation, salvation is not following Christ, salvation is not committing your life to Christ, salvation is not putting your hand to the plow and in looking back. Salvation is not enduring to the end. Those are all things that refers to service. Salvation is always free. And the gospel, remember, if it is grace, it has to be free, has to last forever.

Any one of those not there, it’s not the gospel. So it has to be free must last forever. That’s the truth. So if it’s say it’s free, but it doesn’t last forever, then it’s not free. And if it doesn’t last forever, it’s no good. So the gospel is always by grace through faith in that alone. So whenever we read this, we have followed you or forsaken something. You know it’s not talking about how to get to heaven. So this is talking to those about they’re following the Lord.

They’re serving the Lord. And he says here in verse 28, Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration. Now the regeneration, there’s two things, this word is mentioned twice, one in the book of Titus in chapter three where it talks about spiritually when you’re born into God’s family by the regeneration. This is talking about when the earth will be recreated in the sense that it’s going to be like the Garden of Eden.

When the Lord comes back in power and great glory and sets up his kingdom upon the earth, then that’s going to be a wonderful, wonderful time. So he says, in that time, when the Son of Man comes and sits upon his throne of glory, look what he says, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, he also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. So evidently the twelve tribes are not going to be lost forever.

The twelve tribes are going to be there. And the Lord knows who they are. He knows where they are. So according to this, this is a prophecy about the future that evidently the church is not going to supplant or replace as some teaching covenant theology. It’s going to take over and all the promises to Israel is going to belong to the church that is not true. What God promised to Israel will go to Israel, what God promises to the church goes to the church.

Then he says in verse 29, and every one that hath forsaken houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, lands, for my name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life. Now some people see that last line and they say, oh, you’ve got to do all of this and forsake this and that in order to inherit eternal life. No, that’s not what it says. You see, the first thing is what you work for, but there’s one thing you get that you inherit.

So you don’t inherit those other things. You work and you labor and God will give you a hundredfold, but when it comes to eternal life, that you inherit. Remember the guy that says, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life. When you become a child of God, you inherit what your father has. You don’t work for your inheritance. It’s given to you. So there are things that God is going to give to you and I simply because we are a child of God.

Now there’s other things that God’s going to give to us because we worked. We serve the Lord. And there’s many things that God’s going to do for us. Then in verse 30. And when he says, and many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first. And people always have problem with that. And I’m one of them. And so the whole 20th chapter is really time to explain what that verse 30 means. And so by the time you read the whole 20th chapter and you come over there to verse 14, it says, take that that thine is and go thy way.

I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first and the first shall be last, and many shall be called and fewer chosen.” Boy, that’s clear. It’s a glass of mud. But if you put everything in its context and with all of the scripture, I think there’s a clear meaning of what these scriptures are really talking about.

One, look there in Matthew, our way right here in chapter 20. And notice what he says here in verse 27, in verse 27, where he says, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. In other words, If you want to be here, then you’ll have to serve here. It means that if you want to be exalted, then you’re gonna have to abashe yourself. And like he says, you’re in verse 27, let him be your servant.

Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Mark chapter nine, the book of Mark in chapter 9. Mark chapter 9 and they’re in verse 35, verse 35, because see they had come to Christ and they want to know who’s going to be the greatest. Everybody wants to know who to be the greatest. So he says there and let’s just look at it in verse 34, but they held their peace for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest.

He sat down and he called the twelve and said unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be… Last, and servant of all. If you want to be first into kingdom, number one, then you’re gonna have to be last here. You have to serve here. So whatever you want there, you have to do the opposite here. So God says the way up is down. So if you’re here in this life, it’s always about you and your number one.

then you won’t serve others. But if you’ll serve others in the kingdom, they might serve you. Depends on what you do here and now. So I believe this is very important. So you look there again in verse 35 and you ought to underline it where it says, if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all. Well, that’s here, that’s now. and servant of all. So look there in Matthew chapter 23. Turn to Matthew chapter 23.

Matthew chapter 23, Jesus tells his disciples something else along the same line. But if you want to be first, then you have to be last. You want to be great, then you’ll have to be a servant. And the more you want To be honored there, the more you have to serve others here. So he makes a statement in Matthew chapter 23. He makes a statement here in verse 11, but he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be a based. So if you want to be first, then you’re going to be last. But if you’ll be last, then you’ll be first. If you will humble now, you’ll be exalted there. But if you don’t, you won’t. And there’s a price to pay. And he thou humble himself shall be exalted. So the way up is down. Here in this life, you and I have the greatest battle of all time, learning how to submit our will to the Word of God.

Then the problem is, is so many of God’s children don’t know his will. They don’t know his word. So they don’t know what to do. And so they just do the best they can with the knowledge they have. And so they think that’s acceptable. Well, then why didn’t God just take the Bible and leave it in heaven? Nobody needs it. Nobody will go by it. But he did give us the word. And you and I are going to be judged by this book.

not only knows what you and I know, he knows what we could have known had we studied. True? I mean, God knows all the options. He knows everything that we could have done. He knows what you could have been if you did none this or that or whatever. And God is going to judge us accordingly. So when he makes the statement in whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be a base and he that humble himself shall be exalted. So there’s a first and there’s a last.

I thought one time, okay, here we’ve gone through the tribulation period and lo and behold, now it’s the kingdom upon the earth and the first shall be last and the last shall be first. So here comes the last and here’s the first, but the first will be last and the last will be first. So that means we all go in the same time. I thought that sounds pretty good. I wonder, did I think of that all by myself. I’ve never read it nowhere, but I ain’t sure that’s what it’s talking about.

But I do believe there’s something to the humbling and exalting or whoever wants to be number one or the greatest you’re going to have to serve the more. Serve now. In your mind, you and I will do so much more if we understand that simple little principle, it will be worth it there for me to be humble here and to submit now and seek the best for everybody, try to always exalt them and lift them up as much as possible.

I was asked if I would do something for Greg Stewart, her having his 20th anniversary. You see, I had wrote a poem one time about Dr. Curtis Hudson, and I talked about him being a flame in the wind. I wrote one on Dr. Stanford, and I talked about being a flame in the wind. So I wrote one for Greg Steer. And he’s another flame in the wind, trying to get more people to hear the gospel. So I wrote this.

They said they wanted one word that described Greg’s ministry the last 20 years. So I said the one word that best describes Greg’s ministry the last 20 years is compassion. Jude 1, 22 says, and of some have compassion. What went you out to see a reed shaken by the wind? Not John the Baptist or Greg Steer to the spirit only would they been. The eyes of God ran to and fro in search of a man to share the truth of the gospel around the world and challenge the youth to care.

Greg is a man with a heart on fire, a passion to reach the lost. To make this blaze the Saint desire and serve at any cost. May God continue to use Greg Steer in the quest for the souls of men, blown upon by the breath of God to produce more flames in the wind. And I hope I haven’t wrote the last of these flames in the wind, because there’s going to be a lot of people, and there’s a lot of flames in the wind.

People that are on fire to serve the Lord, it’s better to burn out than rust out. And so people who want to serve the Lord Lord must be willing to burn out for the sake of other individuals because you care about others and you want the best for them. You’re always seeking the best for individuals. So look there at number six, reigning in royalty. Did you know that you are a child of God? Did you know that you’ve been a child of God?

You are a child of of the king? You’re a child of the king. You’re royalty. That’s who you are. The Bible says that now we are strangers and pilgrims. But there’s a verse there I want you to see. Look there in 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter and 2. And look there in verse 9. Look in verse 9. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 makes the statement, but ye are a chosen generation and you ought to underline these two words, a royal priesthood.

And if you’re a royal priesthood, you’re also going to rule with Him in the kingdom so you are of royal blood. You have the right as a priest to intercede for others, and it also makes the statement down in verse 11, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers. That means you’re away from home. Pilgrims means you’re going home. Abstain from fleshly lust. Whatever it is, which war against the soul. Now you will find out as you live your Christian life, there are things that may not bother some people, but they will bother you.

You decide, you discern. What is the things that war against my soul that keeps me from being and thinking and doing the thing that God wants me to do? And then you clean up your life accordingly. You will be as dedicated as you choose to be. Your life will be as separated as you choose to be. So it’s an individual thing. Nobody can make you live godly. I don’t care how many rules and regulations laws that we can put upon people individually, you’re the one that decides how close you decide to walk to the Lord.

Now go to number one. Number one, redemption will be completed. You see in the book of Ephesians it says that you have having the lead you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest expectation of our inheritance. It means that when you trusted Christ as your Savior, you received the Holy Spirit, which is like the down payment on getting the rest. So if you got Him, you’re going to get the rest of everything He says.

And He says, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption. and that is the redemption of the body. You see, it’s been paid for, it hasn’t been redeemed yet, and taken off the slave market of sin, though the payment’s been made, just like the price has paid for the sins of the whole world, but some people do not accept that payment. But you and I, one day, are going to be glorified in our bodies.

I want you to look in Philippians in chapter three. Philippians and chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3 and look in verse 20. Philippians 3 verse 20. And he makes a statement in verse 24, our citizenship conversation, our citizenship is in heaven. In words, that must be where you were born. The new birth from above, born from above. From whence also we look for the Savior. So say we don’t look for the blessed tribulation period. We’re looking for the blessed Savior.

From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Now, what did he all of a sudden, what are you talking about this for? Oh, what’s the purpose of that? Why do you throw that in here? When he’s talking about knowing the power of his resurrection and so forth and forgetting those things, which are behind and pressing onto the things that are before us and so forth.

Well, because see there in verse 19, as he refers to those who do not walk the way God says they should walk, and that they are enemies of the gospel, he says in verse 19, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. So the difference is there are those who will mind heavenly things, and there are those who will mind earthly things. So who do you want to influence you the most?

Those people in the world that mind earthly things or those that mind heavenly things. You see, if you will mind heavenly things, then you want to hang around people who talk about heavenly things. That’s what makes church so important, where Christians come together in this study about heavenly things. Now the world is not going to teach you those things, but it shows you where your heart Christians that don’t love the church don’t love the Lord.

I’ll repeat that, cause some people may not get it. If you don’t love the church, you don’t love the Lord. And I’m not talking about the building. I’m talking about God’s people. They are the church. If you don’t love God’s people, God says, how can you say you love me whom you cannot see when you don’t love the ones you do see? I didn’t make that up. That’s not yankiality. That’s actually a verse in the Bible, found in the book of 1 John.

So you and I have a responsibility to seek those things which are above. While we’re right here in the book of Philippians, look there in chapter three of the book of Colossians. Colossians chapter three, and look at the first four verses, these first four verses. In verse one says, If ye then be risen with Christ, that means that you were crucified with Him and you were buried with Him. Now you are risen with Him. See there in chapter 2 where it makes a statement in verse 12, buried with Him in baptism?

You were baptized with Him. So you had been crucified with Christ. Now in verse 1 of chapter 3, as he says, seek those things which are above, because you were born from above, and you and I are supposed to desire heavenly things. You and I are supposed to be looking into the future about what do I want there? What do I want for all eternity. Not only getting there, I’ve already took care of that. I’m going there. Now, what do I want to do or have or be when I get there?

I want all that God has for me. But that depends upon what I do for Him now. And what I do for Him now depends upon my knowledge of what that’s going to be. So you see how you need to know what God says He’s going to do. Because that is what challenges and motivates us to do the things that we do now because we believe it. So look what he says. In verse 2, set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

Now if you want to know what is the biggest reason for encouragement and discouragement, it’s probably found right there in that statement. It depends upon what you’re looking at. What do you want? What do you expect? What is your desire? If it’s to be strong to pass the test in this life of all the trials and tribulations and temptations because of what God’s going to do for you in the future, then you can weather it. And you don’t mind all these things that are going on.

But if you can’t, because you’re thinking about here and now and what I have and my happiness and this, then you’re not going to like these things. Because they robbed you of your joy. They robbed you of your happiness. They steal from you. But the Christian has said his affections on things that are above, or he should. This is for the believer. Then get what he said. In verse three, for ye are, what? Ye are in verse three. Dead.

Dead of what? When did you die? When I trusted Christ. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, his death was put to your account, and God accepted his death as your death, and that’s when you died. So because you are dead to this world, You are not to live for this world, but to realize who you are, I am from heaven. I was born there, born from above. That’s where my citizenship is. I am in this world as an ambassador for Christ, but I’m here representing that country, my king.

I’m an ambassador in this world. Now, what kind of an ambassador am I? Well, that could change from day to day. And because of that, while I’m here, I’m not to set my affections on things of this world. Look at verse two again, set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. And then he says in verse four, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear. You see, when God gives you eternal life, did you know that Jesus Christ and eternal life are the same?

So he has given you himself. He is my life. He is my eternal life. He is the Lord. It’s God. And that’s why he can’t never leave you and never forsake you. And that’s why you can’t lose eternal life because you can’t lose him. Makes so much sense to me. Now looking verse 4, when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. So we know that that time is coming. So when the rapture takes place, we are going to be changed in a moment, the twinkle of an eye, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

Look at number two, reunion of all of God’s people. The one word together in 1 Thessalonians 4 17 should comfort our hearts. It will be reunion and recognition. It would be mockery to tell us not to sorrows others who have no hope and then say we will be together if we would not know each other. I don’t think God’s pulling little tricks on us. I think when I get to heaven and if you’re there, we’re going to recognize each other.

Now I don’t know exactly how old we’re going to look. I mean if that’s the case, I would rather have died when I was 30. You know I looked a lot better when I was 30. I had hair when I was 30. Some of y’all did too. And that day is coming. So we rejoice and we look forward to that. Look at number three. Rewards will be given. Rewards are things that you earn because you work for them. The judgment seat of Christ will be exclusively for the Christian.

The lost people will not be there. First Corinthians chapter three deals with this two-edged theme in a way that should cause great joy and soul-searching on the part of every believer. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part 2 of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. 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. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link. If you are 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 broadcasts of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.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.