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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. 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 concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want you to look in Philippians in chapter three, Philippians and chapter three, Philippians chapter three, and look in verse 20, Philippians three 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 why 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, what you’re behind and pressing onto the things that are before us and so forth.

Well, because you 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 are those that mind heavenly things. You see if you will mind heavenly things and 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 is. Christians that don’t love the church don’t love the Lord. I’ll repeat that because 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. 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 two where it makes a statement in verse 12, buried with him in baptism? You were baptized with him.

So you have been crucified with Christ. Now in verse one of chapter three, 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 two, 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 is 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 in my happiness and 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 3, 4, ye are…what? Ye are in verse 3. Dead. Dead of what?

When did you die? 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 for 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 2 again, set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. And then he says in verse 4, when Christ, who is our life, shall 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. make so much sense to me. Now looking verse four, 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 saw us 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 a 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 3 deals with this two-edged theme in a way that should cause great joy and soul searching on the part of every believer. Look there, I want to show you something. In the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 3. Corinthians chapter 3. And looking in verse 16, verse 16, no ye not that ye are the temple of God. Now you know what the temple of God was in the Old Testament?

That’s where the Holy Spirit would come down in the Chicana glory in the holy place in the place where they had the mercy seat, the ark of the covenant, and God would meet with the people. And so your body is a type of the temple. And so you and I are the temple of God. So you did not come into the presence of God tonight. God does not live here in this church. He don’t live here. He don’t live in a house that you live in.

He lives inside of your body. So when I come to church, I know the Lord’s here Because I brought him. When you go to work tomorrow, you know the Lord’s with you why? Because he’s within you. And he said he’ll never leave you and never forsake you. The Chicana glory left in the old tabernacle and in the old temple because of their sins of their wickedness. But he says, I’ll never leave you and I’ll never forsake you. The Holy Spirit glows within us from now on.

And so your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Now look what else he says. See there in verse 17, if any man, now we’re not talking to the lost man, we’re talking to the Christian. If any man befiled the temple of God, now what’s the temple of God? That’s your body. Him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is what? Holy, which temple ye are. who? So that’s how God sees it. Now that means that you and I are supposed to keep our bodies clean and sacrifice it to the Lord.

That’s why I don’t like putting tattoos all over my body. Never have. People can. That’s up to them. But my body doesn’t belong to me. My body belongs to the Lord. That’s why I don’t use drugs and space myself out. I don’t use alcohol and I don’t use alcohol because my body belongs to the Lord. Now, if it says I can’t drink coffee, I will die. I definitely will die. I’m so glad I’ve always heard about don’t drink the juice of the bitter blackberry.

But I never found that verse, but they said it’s in the Hebrews, home release. But look there in verse 18. Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seem to be wise in this world. Let him become a fool that he may be wise. In other words, if you are so smart, if you are so wise, and you really understand this, you really got it down. be revealed by the choices you make. If you are really wise and spiritually minded, then you’ll serve God and you’ll discipline your life, and you will.

But if you won’t, it’s not because you’re wise, because you’re full. And that’s what God says. So He says, because this is true, let every man take heed how he build it there on. You see, there is a responsibility that you and I have. If you notice the first words are over there in chapter 3, verse 1, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual. Well, because they weren’t spiritually minded. What were they doing? It was so bad.

In verse 3, you’re carnal. Why? Because there’s among you envying and strife, divisions. Are you not carnal in walk as men or walk alike? Lost men. So there’s some of God’s children that will not see it, and There’s some of God’s children that will. So he makes a statement here because of who you are. See down there in verse nine, we are workers together, laborers together with who?

With God. You see, me and God, we’re working together. I don’t do anything, see, I don’t want without him. But what he wants to get done, he wants to use me. So I need him and he needs me. So together we get some things accomplished. What I don’t know he does. What I can’t do, he can. And it’s amazing how much more he does if I be obedient. Now, the older I get or the older you get, should you be trying to find out how little you can do or how much you can do?

When should I stop trying to go? You have no idea. You can’t see what’s going on in my little brain. I’ve got ideas of all kinds of things. I’ve only begun to fight. I’ve told the Lord, Lord, give me enough time to carry out some of my dreams that I still have. I got a whole sermon on this coming. You know what I did last night? I woke up in the middle of the night. At least I thought I woke up.

But I wasn’t real sure. I was preparing this sermon. I had a, oh, this was a good sermon. I had the outline. And what I was going to do, and it was no testament, and I was in the New Testament, and I’m getting together this sermon. I’m dreaming this. This isn’t my dream. And I thought, man, this is good. Boy, this is good. But I couldn’t write it down because I’m sleeping, you know. And then I woke up, and I couldn’t remember what it was.

I can’t remember what it was. Oh, I’m sick. Because it was a really good sermon. And so then I, I don’t know if I was driving or something. I was at the restaurant. And I think, I said, Billy, I think I got parts of this coming back to me now. She grabbed a piece of paper and she started writing. I got them right here. So.

Can’t read it, but I mean, it’s there. But you have ideas and dreams. Don’t get so old and so tired and so worn out that you don’t have a vision anymore to do something. The Lord isn’t back yet. You know, kind of like the little kid that walked down on the porch, grandma, every night she’s reading, studying the word, rocking in her rocking chair, and says, grandma, why do you study in the Bible every night? Every night you study the Bible.

She says, cramming for exams, son, cramming for exams. You know, exam time’s coming. We’re gonna have to take a big test. Now we have a little few ones, but then we got a big exam coming. We’re gonna have to stand before the room. How do you like it when the apostles had took a three and a half year course with the Lord Himself as a teacher and then they failed their final exam? The fail, the final exam. They all forsook Him.

We’ll never leave you and we’ll never forsake you. That’s what they said. Peter wasn’t the only one. They all said it. And every one of them left. A bunch of wimps. But that’s what happens. So He says here that there are going to be rewards that are going to be given. And as it makes the statement down through here in verse 11, no foundation can no man lay, then that which is laid, which is Christ. He is the foundation.

He is the rock upon which we build. You see, you have to be saved first before you can start building upon this foundation. He has to be that which you are depending upon and trusting in to get you to heaven. And now because of that, then every man is to take heed how he build a Therapun because he can be even hay, wood, or stubble, or gold, silver, and precious stones. Those are the things that we have. But see what he says in verse 11, for other foundations, come not verse 11, on the last part of verse 10, where it says, but let every man take heed how he buildeth.

You see, how you build is your choice, and you build it because of how you believe, what you believe about the Lord. So that depends on what you do with your life. And so God is going to do all these things for you. and he wants to do a work in your life. Take your Bible and turn over there to the book of, 1 Corinthians in chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and look there in verse 10. Now we’re talking about the great and first and the last and the exaltation and the Ben Humble.

In verse 10, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believe. But he says, as he compares with the other disciples, the other apostles, I labored more abundantly than they are. I don’t believe in, I know Paul says I don’t want to brag and things like that, but he says, I’m doing this for a reason.

I’m telling you something, not because I want to, but because he says you have compelled me because he had to defend himself as an apostle, which he didn’t have to do, but he did do it and to let them know, look, God saved me as one born out of due time. Because see, the next time Christ had made the statement, he says, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

So when Christ comes back and powering great glory to the earth at the end of the tribulation period and the nation of Israel will see him and says, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Paul says, I was on the road to Damascus, and I saw the Lord. And he said, I was like one born out of due time, because it’s not supposed to happen until over here, but it happened to him over here. And because of what God allowed him to see and to hear, motivated that rascal, the labor more abundantly than all the rest.

And he says, his grace that he bestowed upon me was not in vain. In other words, God is given to you and I the privileged, the freedom to not only know the Lord, love the Lord, serve the Lord, but not to waste your life. And don’t let the grace of God be bestowed upon you in vain. The privilege that God gives to you and I and let it go to decide as though it doesn’t matter. Set our affections on things that are above.

Look at number four real quick. Where has rest from our labors. Now we know the time will come and we get tired in this life. We get so weary in this life. We get tired of fighting the battles and we wonder whether or not is faithfulness worth it. You’ll have to decide that for yourself because nobody else can make you faithful. Nobody else can determine whether or not you’re going to show up, you’re going to do this and that and the other.

Servilor with all your heart. And you and I are supposed to know and to believe. Yes, rest is coming. And I believe that this thousand year reign upon the year of God does refer to that as the Day of Rest. Like if there was, you know, six days and the Day of Rest. And two thousand from Adam and Eve until the flood and from the flood until the cross, two thousand years, and then two thousand years since then that’s six thousand years or six days we got a Day of Rest coming right ahead of us.

So we’re right at the end of the six days and ready to go into the seventh day of rest upon the year. I think it’s exciting. I’m looking forward to it. Number five, riches and glory. How rich is the believer in Christ? According to Romans 8, 17, we own it all. You are not only heirs of God, you’re joint heirs with Christ. You see, there’s things that you get because you are a child of God. you inherit eternal life just because of who you are.

So you’re an heir of God. Join heirs with Christ, that’s different. That’s what you get because you have suffered with Him. Therefore you will reign with Him. Now to what degree and all that, I don’t know. A lot of people think that doing the millennium upon the earth, the Christians that are unfaithful now won’t get to go in. I have a little problem with that. I’ve listened to it, then I can use some verses to try to show you that that’s the case, but the part to bother me is this, it’s when the Lord comes back for me, I believe He’s coming back for all of God’s children, ready or not, obedient or disobedient, when the Lord comes, all of us are going to be snatched out of here, all to saved.

Whether you’re serving Lord or you’re not, you’re going to be gone. And it says, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. And we’re going to rejoice always. And it’s hard for me to believe that the first thing he’s going to do is kick me out of the kingdom for a thousand years. No. I believe that I will be here and I’ll rule and reign with Christ, but the dimensions of that, I don’t believe are totally revealed. I’d like to imagine a little bit, but that’s kind of difficult.

the scriptures are silent, I’d rather be silent. When the scriptures speak and I know it and understand it, I try to teach it that way. But I have to be honest, Yankee doesn’t know everything. Now you might, but I don’t know everything. When it comes to a lot of things in the Bible, I am no Hank Lindstrom. I mean, he can probably close the book and go, I can’t do that. I know a little bit here and a little bit there and just enough to kind of keep self, you know, on course.

And so I hope these things will help you. Number one, redemption will be completed, reunion of God’s people, rewards will be given, rest from our labors, riches in glory, reigning in royalty. Don’t that sound good enough? I think that sounds good enough. So, look up here. This hand represents you and me. The wallet represents sin. The Bible says that we are whole sinners. It means we’ve all done things wrong. But God loves us and He hates our sin. And the Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death.

That means to pay for what we’ve done wrong is eternal separation from God in hell. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. To go to heaven, God says you have to be perfect, no sin. Since everyone has sinned and we’re all guilty, none of us can go into heaven. God will not allow any sin. In heaven. So the Bible says you and I cannot earn eternal life. All of our good deeds will never pay for sin.

So we need a savior. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us and he hates our sin because our sin separates us from the Lord. So Jesus Christ, you had no sin did not have to die, but because of his love for us and hate for sin. He took the sin paid for don’t have to die. the cross. When he said he paid for sin, just say it this way, he paid my sin.

He died for me. Don’t think about the world, because for you to be saved, you must believe he did it for you as though nobody else is in this world. As though I’m the only person in the world and he came into this world and he died to pay for my sins because he loved me. And he doesn’t want me to go to hell and I don’t have to pay for one of my sins, why he died in my place.

All those bad things that I’ve done or ever will do. And I should pay for them.” He did. And he suffered like I should have suffered. Came back from the dead and said that if I’ll simply believe that he did it for me, if I will accept that, then I would have a payment for my sins and I don’t have to go to the hell and I don’t have to pay for one sin. In spite of how bad I have been, how bad I am or how bad I’ll be in the future.

He died for me. And He promises me eternal life when I simply believe that He did it for me. So the best you know how the only thing you can do, the only thing you need to do is believe He did it for you. And if you’ll believe that He did it for you, He will save you and give you the free gift of everlasting life. Let’s pray, shall we? If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you trust Him right now?

Just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner and I believe Christ died, paid for my sins, and I will trust Him and Him alone is my only hope of going to heaven. And friend, if you’ll trust Him, God will save you. Would you believe it? I pray that you’ll trust the Lord. There is no other way. Our Father, we thank Thank you so much for the free gift of eternal life.

We ask you to bless those that are here and those that are watching by the internet. And I pray, Lord, that if they have never trusted you, save you, that they would do so. Believe in that you die for them. And Father, for those that know you’re a Savior, I pray, Lord, that the things tonight that we spoke on would help challenge and motivate each person to be found faithful. We also pray, Lord, for the ready to broadcast this coming Friday, and you’ll bless them the things will be said and done to honor you.

In Christ’s name 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 are 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. 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 10.30 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. live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.