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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 a 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. The FBC way was the Bible way. It’s what did the Bible teach. It’s just what we learned at the thought of the Bible college. And then he says, decided to attend Grace College in Indiana. Here I began to take seminary courses as an undergraduate student. By this time I was quite sure the FBC was just one way among many other good ways.

So then he says he launched into the Bethany Fellowship, a church still offered, and going strong, I converted others to Calvinism and to the Plymouth Brethren style of church fellowship. Spinhires and so forth in the seminaries and so forth. So I don’t know how much you accomplished, but he just went from one cemetery to another cemetery, and cemeteries can kill you. Then he says in point number seven, move to Pennsylvania, became more interested in leaving my and joined a reformed Baptist church.

So, he’s moving right along. Then he moved from a Baptist church to join a mega Presbyterian church in America. Spent nine years there. And then he became an anti-baptist and discovered biblical scholarship. Spent another nine years there. Then he left the Presbyterians to worship with the Mennonites. All of that to say this, there were countless conversions along the way. I was blessed by them all, but these Christians all explained the gospel in various ways. Among the Anabaptists, for example, the emphasis is not on justification, but upon discipleship and the way of peace.

Among my emergent friends, the emphasis is upon following Christ. Among my FBC friends, Ephesians 2 8 9, among my Catholic friend baptism and sacraments, among my Presbyterian and Reformed friends, total depravity and election by God’s free grace. But among all of them, it has been Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now he don’t know what he believes or how long he’s going to believe it. Do you think that you’re going to stay the same unless you stay in the good, strong, sound, Bible teaching?

You can drift without ever knowing you’re going to drift. You don’t have to plan it. If I was the devil, all I have to do, if I want to destroy your life, is get you away from good, sound, theological teaching of the Word of God. Why do you think we want to teach people what the Word of God says? You get into it and you read it and you study it and you believe it. There is a difference between salvation and discipleship.

You see salvation is simply you come to Christ for salvation. The discipleship is you come after Christ, you follow Christ. So coming to Christ to be saved and then you follow Christ in discipleship and you can be saved and never be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. But should I be a disciple? Should I as a child of God, should I discipline my life to be what God wants me to be? So take your Bible and turn to the book of Philippians in chapter 3.

Philippians chapter 3 and look 2nd verse 4. I want to give you just a few things on how to discern discipleship. Because you see, salvation is simple. It is clear. It’s by faith alone. And what Christ did on the cross for us, salvation is us accepting what He did. Believe in He did it for us. He paid for my sins. If He paid for all of my sins, then all of my sins are paid. I do not have to pay for any of my sins, not even one.

I deserved to pay for my sins, but Christ paid it for me. That’s substitution. I didn’t deserve that. But He loved me. And that shows me how much He loved me because of what He did for me. As a child of God, it is the will of God that I follow the Lord. And I believe that steps toward discipleship begins with dissatisfaction. There was a time in my life when I was so dissatisfied with who I was, where I was, what I was doing, and I had no dream or vision about what to do with my life.

So in most cases, with most individuals, there is no desire to grow and to do and to be unless there’s some sort of dissatisfaction where you are with what you have and what you’re doing or not doing. And so I enjoy watching as Christians begin to talk about how so this satisfied they are on their job. Well things are not really totally just wonderful at home all the time. You see, problems make people struggle. Struggle means it makes you stronger and you find something better than what you had than where you are.

I would have never gone to Bible school if there had not been inside of me this desire that I wanted something better. I was so dissatisfied with who I was. I was dissatisfied with my whole life. And I didn’t see anything getting any better. You’re talking about faith is born in desperation. When there’s no other physical hope, no strength left. When you don’t know what you’re going to do or how you’re going to accomplish anything, and you realize if God doesn’t do it, it can’t get done.

It won’t get done. So here in Philippians chapter three and verse four, the apostle Paul lays out his dissatisfaction. He could say, look who I am. But he says, though I might have confidence in the flesh. If any other men think that he hath wear off, he might trust in the flesh, I’m more. circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, the Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law of blameless.

But what things were gained to me those I counted the loss for Christ? You see, there has to be something better than what I have. When you realize and you come to the end of all of your talent, your abilities, your wisdom, and you realize, I still come up so short, how can I in this world ever be satisfied? You can’t. It’s impossible. You just go for one thing to the neck. There’s no end to it. But when I made up my mind to serve the Lord, I’ve been satisfied as I’ve watched God work in my life over the years.

You know, one of the last points I have, but I just can’t stand waiting that long, is the discipleship produces durability. Discipleship produces durability. It makes you endure. It gives you a toughness, a strength to do what you thought you could have never done. there was no discipleship. And all I had was just my salvation, but no purpose for living. We would still be of all men most miserable. It’s because Christ came back from the dead that my life is not useless.

My faith is not useless. It’s not in vain. There’s a reason. There’s a purpose. There’s something to be accomplished. I wrote a little statement down. Your life is only as important as the thing you really live for. Your life is as valuable as the thing that you live for. What do you live for? Look what he says here in Philippians in chapter 1 and verse 19. Where Paul made this statement for me to live is what? Is Christ. For me to live is Christ.

And the reason that is so important is because Christ is of such value. Put anything else in that place, that word, and that equals your life. What keeps a man’s life from being in vain is not to live for that which is in vain. Living for Christ is not in vain. It’s the most valuable thing you can ever do. And that value is what gives value to your own life. Do you have a rest here? People talk about it.

You know, we need to have men voted into office that have values. You hear them talk about family values. And then therefore, abortion, something’s wrong here. You see, if people had personal values, then you don’t take guns and shoot down little kids in a school. If you had personal strength in your values, most men wouldn’t be walking off and leaving their wives and divorces in each other. It’s because of a breakdown of values. But you know, true, real values comes from God, comes from this book.

But we don’t need this book. See, I’ve decided that we don’t need the Bible. We don’t need God. So without that, how can you have value? There is none. There is none. Outside of the Lord, there is nothing worth living for. Number two, right down, if you’re writing down anything, what does God want me to become? Did you know that being a disciple of Christ, a learner, a follower of Christ, reveals to me what God wants me to become.

I follow a learner of Christ. Take that away. There’s nothing left. There’s nothing left. He’s everything you need to be. He’s everything that you want. should be everything that you desire. When you begin asking that little question, there, there begins value and vision. There begins value and vision. Turning your Bible to the book of Romans in chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, and notice what he says, because you’ll You’ll notice that there has to be a dissatisfaction here. There also has to be vision here.

There has to be purpose. If I told you, I got a clock in my office, it’s worth a million dollars. And I decided to sell it. And Peter Amato will only give me ten dollars for it. I was always told it’s only worth what you can sell it for, what somebody will end the buy it. That’s your value of it. I haven’t figured out yet why all these people on the television are always talking about it. Buy gold, buy gold, buy gold.

Well, why are they selling it? Why would you sell your gold to somebody out there? If it’s so valuable, you’re I’m only gonna go up, up, up, up, up. Why would you sell yours? And get that paper money so they can have that gold coin. But that’s another message from place out. That’s one. I am valued at the price someone was not only willing to pay, but did pay. You realize as you look at your life, what is your value?

Well, it’s valued at the price somebody’s willing to pay. Did you know that God sent His Son into the world and paid the ultimate price? There was no greater price that could ever be paid just for you. Did you realize that in the eyes of God that you are of more value than all the wealth in the world?

God said so. He even says if a man gains the whole world and loses life, he’s lost. What does he gain? He gained the whole world and loses life. What does he gain? So his life. you, you are more important to God than you realize. Do you realize the value? Don’t cheapen your life by living for something so cheap. I want my life to be a valuable life, to mount to something.

And that’s going to be revealed by the decisions that I make, the one that I choose to serve. He plays great value on me. I should place great value on Him.” Now, he says here in this verse, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. be not conformed to this world. God would not be satisfied if you become conformed to this world.

As you look at your life, are you becoming conformed to the world or is the Lord transforming your life into something better? That’s, I believe is what it’s about. What does God want me to know? What does He want me to know? In discipleship, new desires must replace the old. Look there in Philippians in chapter 3. Philippians and chapter 3. Philippians and chapter 3, I want you to know from verse 8 to verse 11. Look in verse 8, ye doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done, that I may win Christ.

And to be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, faith, and in verse 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. To know the power of his life must mean the death of your life. You see, they’re in conflict. You have to decide, do I want his life or do I want my life?

Am I willing as a child of God to say, I want Him to live His life freely as He wants through me. Or do I demand that God leave me alone and let me do what I want to do? It’s my life. And therefore you become the judge and God, and jury everything in your own life. And that’s why I believe that to know the power of another life you must like go the one that you have. True discipleship is the dynamics of the Christian life.

You see it is where you get the power to change your life. But if you don’t become a disciple of Christ, you’ll never have the dynamic, the power, the dynamite. That explodes in your life and gives you all the power that you need to do what God wants to do and to transform you. It’ll never happen. You’ll just be a child of God that you go through your daily life and nothing ever happens. Nothing ever changes. Be the same way 20 years from now as you were 20 years ago, or you can see God changing things in your life because, See, he keeps on changing you.

He keeps on transforming you. He keeps on teaching. He keeps on guiding. We won’t take time to look at this first because of the time. Trying to be aware of where we are. What does God want me to do? Deciporship. Deciporship. Gives the Christian direction. You see, when I say, I want to follow the Lord, I’ve got direction that quick in my life. I know where I’m going. I’m following somebody. Or take that away. Take Christ out of the picture.

All right, now where you going? Who you following? Who’s your God? Who’s your guide? Who’s leading you? discipleship for the child of God is everything. Yes, salvation is free. It gets you into the family of God. It gets you into heaven. You become his child. You’re going to heaven when you die, all because of what Christ did for you. And you can stop right there if you want. many Christians do. But you’ll never know a dynamic life. You’ll never understand.

Because serving the Lord and making up your mind, this is what I want to do. It gives you direction. It has given me direction for 52 years. Because I’ve made up my mind. I don’t care where he leads me. I don’t care what He brings into my life. I don’t care what He takes out of my life. I just want to be satisfied that I’m doing the will of God for my life. It’s a lot easier way to live, so much simpler.

I don’t have to try to manipulate God or manipulate people. I don’t have to try to misuse people or use them for a stepping stone to walk over people. I don’t have to be no dictator to nobody. I want to lead as I am being led. And I want you to follow as I follow. I want you to learn as I learn, because I want to teach you everything that I possibly can that he has taught me. I want to teach you to be as durable in your walk the Lord, as I’ve been in my walk with the Lord.

If that sounds prideful and all the rest of it, that’s your choice. You can believe that. I know God knows my heart. And I don’t know another way or a better way to say it. It sounds prideful. And so be it. Humility is not a position of the body, It’s a position of the mind. It’s a man who submits himself to the will of God. Pride is when you want to do your own thing and go your own way, and God can’t tell you anything.

That’s pride, and God hates pride. But it’s so easy to point fingers at somebody else and accuse him of the very thing that you’re guilty of. Give me a think of that. The last thing I wrote down is, what does God want me to enjoy if it satisfies it last? And when the days are good and when the days are bad, joy is not affected by circumstances. See, He says, my joy I give unto you, the world can’t give it, and the world can’t take it away.

Not real joy. They always say, Joy is Jesus in you with nothing between. Sounds pretty good to me. Good way to look at it. Look up here quickly. This hand represents you and me. The wall of represents sin. This is you and me, and this is sin. We all have sin on us, but God loves us. He loves you, loves me. And He says that for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God and hell. But He doesn’t want us to go to hell.

He wants us to go to heaven because he loves us. But heaven is a perfect place. There’s no sin there. And God says, we’ve all sinned and come short of his perfection. So God says, you can’t earn your way to heaven. It’s not by going to church and giving money. There’s only one way to go to heaven. Our sins have to be paid. This hand represents Jesus Christ. God in the flesh came into the world because he loves us, hates our sin because of the separation.

from Him. So Jesus Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. So if we would believe He did it for us, He would put this payment to our account and we get to go to heaven on what He did for us. That’s salvation. That’s free. That’s where God gives to you and I the free gift of eternal life. And He says, these things have I written under you that believe. You believe. It’s all you have to do.

That you, that believe it, may know you have eternal life. Know that you’re going to heaven when you die. It’s the best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? With heads bowed nice and closed and no one looking around. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, why not right now in the quietness of this moment? Just talk to the the Lord and say something simple like this. Preacher, I know I’m a sinner. Don’t understand that I’ve got questions in doubt, but I believe it when Christ and I had He died for me.

And that I’m going to trust Him right now as my only hope of going to heaven. And if you will do that, just that much. I’d like to know it, and I’d like to have prayer for you. I’m not going to have you forward, I’m not going to embarrass you, but right where you’re sitting. If what I’ve said made sense to you, you say, yes, it does make sense to me, and I will trust Christ right now my only hope of going to heaven and I’d like you to pray for me.

Would you just slip you in a very quickly and put it right back down? If you didn’t want to talk, you didn’t want to talk. Our Father, we thank You so much for all that You’ve done for us. We’re thankful for the free gift of eternal life. We ask now follow Your blessings upon this time together as Your people, those that are saved, that have eternal life, that already know they’re going to heaven. We pray, Lord, that each person here would examine their life.

In relationship to their discipleship, what kind of a disciple have they been? With your head still bowed, your eyes closed. You trust that Christ is Savior, yes, you’re going to heaven. But are you that kind of disciple that God is pleased with? These are things in your life that you need to talk to the Lord about. God says, as a child of God, yes, we can confess that. I’m not to it because God knows it anyway. See, serving the Lord has to be done in purity, honesty.

You can’t do it no other way. So why not right now? There’s a reason why you need to talk to Him. Say, Lord, yes, I’ve sinned against you. Name it. Tell them what it is. And Father, I know as your child you said, if I would confess, you would forgive. Father, we just pray that you would watch your reach one here, help them to be wise. And Father, as we examine ourselves, help each one of us to do what’s right in Christ’s name and reprieve.

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 Watch Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool 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.

You are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 40-8-11 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30, and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast 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. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.