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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Sibert 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. 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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Galatians and chapter 5, the book of Galatians and chapter 5. My first remembrance of Easter was when I was a little boy. We went to a school and I was in the second grade. And for some reason or other they let us out and they go looking for these chocolate Easter eggs. I did not know where chocolate Easter eggs came from. I was under the impression they came from those little bunny rabbits.

I found some of them and buddy were they good. But I thought you know rabbits don’t live just at the school. We live way out in the woods and they were a lot of rabbits. Enough said. I learned a hard lesson. Look how y’all read into stuff. Just read writing things. I didn’t even say anything. You read just read right into it. The next one was at somebody’s house and there was a whole bunch of relatives there and I don’t know anything about God.

I don’t know anything about the Lord, nothing like that. But they were having an Easter egg hunt and for some reason rather me and my cousin got into a mean, knock-down, drag-out fight. I don’t know if it was over the Easter eggs. I have no clue. I just know that we had bloody noses and we was going at it, trying to kill each other. But I must have been five, six, seven years old. And those are my memories of Easter.

Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I can’t say I look forward to Easter. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for me. But today I want to talk to you about Easter or Resurrection Sunday or Passover. What should we really call it? Now I know that sometimes we don’t always separate things. We kind of put it all together and co-mingle things together and we get all confused. See there’s truth and then there’s a lie. And there’s things for example that gets kind of mixed up a little bit.

When I was growing up as a child, I knew about Santa Claus, but you have over here, you’ve got Santa Claus, you’ve got, well, Rudolph the Red Nosed Rain Deer, Frosty the Snowman, and you’ve got jingle bells, and there’s a world over here. And then over here, you have Jesus Christ as a baby born into the world, the gift of eternal life. And that’s a wonderful story. But when I was growing up, I never heard this story. I only heard about this over here on this side.

So I found out that a lot of people mingled all together and I didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t true. Sometimes I think the same thing can happen even with one of the greatest events of all time, which is celebration of Christ coming back again from the dead. But look there in Galatians in chapter 5 and look there in verse 7. And it says in verse 7, you did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth.

Now the truth is one thing and sometimes people wonder why don’t everybody just know the truth? Wouldn’t it be wonderful that in America as kids go to school and colleges and universities and finally make it to the White House or in legislation. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they all knew the truth? The truth even about America. How we came to be a great nation and about our founding fathers and our religious, our Christian foundation that we have and really studied the Constitution and know what, you know, was put in there and that the Congress is bound by the change of the${ Constitution and about what they cannot do appro Ley by the chains of the Constitution and about what they cannot do to the people, they’ve forgotten something.

And so lo and behold, here we are and we’re in a mess because you’ve taken away the law and put into the emotions of man and you get it all mingled together. And next thing to know, we don’t know what’s right and wrong anymore. We mix humanism and Christianity together And you can’t do that. It won’t work. You won’t know what is absolute and what is not, what is right, what is wrong, what’s black and what’s white. Everything becomes a dirty gray.

And nobody can sort out the difference. But he makes a statement here in verse 8, this persuasion come up not of him that call of you. In other words, to believe the truth. It didn’t come from God. It comes from from else that wants you to believe alive. So in verse nine he says, a little leaven, leaven if the whole lump. Now I would hate to look at you and say, for sake of illustration, I’m gonna look at you as you’re just a lump.

But he says a little leavendelete, which is yeast and the lump is the bread, the dough, and you put the yeast into the dough and it makes it rise. And as it rises, it pumps it full of holes and it raises the dough. And that’s why a lot of preachers mix in a little lie because it raises the dough and more people are excited because the preacher tickles their ears and UCHIJ makes them legalizing feel good. Well, I’m not for making people feel good.

If the truth makes you feel good, feelAccessory feel good. But if it makes you feel bad, feel bad. There’s a thing in the Bible about conviction. In the words, God is right and you and I are wrong. That is the facts of life. God says, let God be true, and every man a liar. So what we like to do sometime is take a little truth and mix a little lie with it. And the Bible says a little lie, leavened the whole lump.

When you start believing amercial, sometimes you don’t knowurion to stop. And we have wonderful things in our country,896 heritage and tradition. And so sometimes it’s hard for even RELEVED children to know the difference. And you just say, what is Christmas about in toys, you know, getting something, and not understanding what it’s really about, I was mixed up for years. And when it comes to this wonderful experience earthqu we have when we talk about Jesus Christ, the son of the living Godropolitan the cross paid for the sins of the world came back from the dead.

And then we have some things that I want to show you in just a moment. But first of all, take your Bible looking, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians and 5. Make sure you… Make sure you follow me. I know you have a photographic memory that you’ve totally memorized, but just once in a while look down like you’re looking at your Bible, I think they’re looking at their Bible. In 1 Corinthians 5, I want you to look in verse 6.

Verse 6 says, Pwr your gloryNar is not good. Well what were they bragging about? Well they had some peopleRogue that were living in sin. And they weren’t discouraged because of it, because it was an acceptable lifestyle. You see in Corinth they did a lot ofumerable things that was not right. And so as we live today we’re finding out There’s many things that people do that’s wrong, but it’s become an acceptable. The abominable is become an acceptable because nobody wants to offend anyone or say something that offends somebody because they get mad and all they’ll do is just go down to the next church that they come to that makes them feel good.

Well, when you read the Bible, the Bible is not about making you feel good. It’s about answering questions about solutions to real problems. Yes, the Bible is the solution to America’s problems. It’s the solution to your personal problems because it is truth. And it’s true because the one that created the heavens and the earth came into the world and told us before he died EDITION that he would come back again from the dead in three days. Nobody can do that unless they’re God.

You just don’t do that. You try it. You can’t do it. And yet over 500 saw him at one time. Christ came back from the dead. And notice what he says here in verse 6. Your glory is not good. No ye not that a little leaven, leaven of the whole lump. A little yeast, a little sin, leaven in the Bible is like a type of sin. And it ruins everything. Every one of us born into this world, or like a loaf of bread with leaven, sin.

We were born with a sinful nature and it has permeated our life. It permeates our thinking, all of our decisions. It permeates the way we love, the way we think, the way we feel, all of our emotions are all tainted because of sin. We are not perfect in any way. Now I headed to blow your bubble. You and I are sinners. Means that we have, harmatano, missed the mark of perfection. We have come short of God’s glory. So how do we solve this problem?

You and I, we can. But God did. And that’s what the resurrection is about. The resurrection is, he was alive and he died and rose again to life. So he was raised again from the dead, means that he was alive and died and lives again. So the resurrection is about living again. It makes a statement, all that who sin will all die because the wages of sin is death. So we’re all going to die, but to live again. And the Lord promises that we are going to live again with Him if we trust Him as our Savior.

Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Exodus in chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12 in the Old Testament and verse 26, verse 26. There’s a question here that when Israel came out of the land of Egypt and they were to have this memorial service, then the children would ask the question in verse 26, and it shall come to pass when your children shall say to you, what mean ye by this service? What does it mean? When we talk about we want to celebrate the birth of Christ, Christmas, what does that mean?

We celebrate what we call Easter. What does that meannah? What is What is the purpose of, well, it’s Easter eggs or the Easter bunny? What does it mean? What’s the purpose? So when the children ask what is the purpose, you and I are supposed to use that as an opportunity to educate. Now I wrote down in my notes, it’s not in yours, that about four things that I thought was very important. Don’t be judgmental of people that don’t know what you know.

Not everybody’s on the same page. everybody—- not everybody has that same element of education where they know things that perhaps you don’t know, Krugs, and you don’t be self-righteous like a Pharisee. Well, I don’t do that. And you might have your nose so stuck up in the air that every time it rains your drown. Don’t be a Pharisee. Don’t put on your cloak of righteousness like you’re so much better than everybody else because you know something they don’t know.

And if they say the word Easter, You’re going to go into a fit. Did you know that with most people, Easter means the resurrection of Christ in their mind, and they’re not thinking about the Easter egg or the Easter bunny. To them, Easter is a very precious thing to them. But I prefer the resurrection Sunday. I prefer because I think it’s more meaningful. I’d rather call it the Passover, because that’s the fulfillment of the Passover that he died, that’s the giving of his blood.

He rose again, that was for my justification to give me life. And you don’t co-mingle knowingly, worshiping some false God and true God and try to put it together. people are not worshiping some false God because they like to eat a hard-balled egg. I eat hard-balled eggs all the time. Has nothing to do with the sex of goddess the ostrich. Yes, I have put in here a lot of notes that you can look at about where it came from and all that, but it’s not going to solve anybody’s problem.

I can know it and understand it and know that there is false teaching in this old world, and there has been a co-mingling of that which is false, with that which is true. And so they bring it together, and so after a while you wonder, well, what is truth? when it comes to Christ, Christ, and so-called Easter is about Jesus Christ coming back from the dead. Yes, Easter can be the sex goddess, the ostrich, and the rapid reproduction of bunny rabbits, and Easter eggs, and all about sex, and all that, or it can mean new life.

Did you know the Jewish people have for years and years used the hard-balled egg at their Passover? And it represented them new life. But you see, as you study the scriptures, you’ll find out that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. That is the one that I believe has lined the planets, determined the seasons. And I believe even in the twelve signs of Zodiac, because I believe they taught a story. And if you study all twelve signs of the Zodiac, which I’ve done, there’s a wonderful story about Jesus Christ coming into the world.

all the stuff. But you see astrology twist truth. And so there is truth that God gives, but there’s people who take truth and twist it and put a spin on it. And then after a while you don’t sure what is truth and what is not true. That’s why we study the Word of God. We go back to the Scriptures. But while we’re right here, look there in verse 27. This is what you say that you shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover who passed over the houses of the children of Israel and Egypt.

When he spoke the Egyptians and delivered our houses and the people bowed the head and worshiped God and they all went out and hid Easter eggs. No, you don’t add that into it because it doesn’t go with that. See, there’s things that you may do. Is there anything wrong with a person? Or let’s take a little child. Have you ever, besides Easter, ever hid anything and let the kids find it? Was that sinful and wicked and wrong? No. Is it wrong for a parent as in a game to take something and hide something and kids find it.

My parents did that every year for Christmas. I never did find them. I’m still looking for some of those things that they promised me. But it wasn’t sinful. Is it sinful for you to eat a hard-bought egg? Is it sinful to color on egg? When you begin to worship that Easter egg or fall down and start bowing to some Easter bunny, you do have a problem. But there’s nothing wrong with little kids enjoying some fun because that’s basically all it boils down to.

You asked the majority of people living in America. Did you know that if youetheless Easter eggs and little kids find those Easter eggs, did you know that you’re worshiping the The sex goddess the ostrich? You’re what? Most people haven’t got a clue because to them that’s not what it means. I did it for years and had no clue what it meant. So there. I even celebrated Christmas and had no idea what it meant. I didn’t know about Jesus Christ until I was 18 years old.

But I did get some ideas about what God was like because I was never told the truth. It’s one thing when children can be taught and enjoy something, and this is fun and game, and has nothing to do with Christ coming back from the dead. You want to do that, do that, but it has nothing to do with Christ and His resurrection. It’s a separate thing altogether. The dangers when you put it together and says, this is about Jesus Christ.

What? Easterbunny is bringing Easter eggs. Have you ever seen a bunny lay an egg? I had a problem with that one time, remember? And it wasn’t chocolate. In the book of Judges, it makes a statement. And if you’ll look down there in your notes, Judges 2.13, they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Aseroth. And it can, yes, you go all the way back to the very beginning when a guy by the name of Nimrod. And also a Hammurabi and the Code of Hammurabi and how that they had similar laws just like in the Bible.

Remember they come from the flood and Noah and his family and they all came from there and God split them up and gave them different nations because they wanted to come together as one. And one religion and to worship the heavens. And God put a stop to it. And yes, so a lot of religions have their basis in back in O Babylon, and yes, there’s many books that have been written, and there’s people that take a lot of secularism and things from the Bible, it’s truth and try to mingle together.

And in the Word of God, even back in Genesis 3, or the Lord told Adam and Eve says that that she is going to have a child from her seed, and it will bruise the head. But you see, there’s a story there about a woman is going to have a God-child. And that story was told from the very beginning of a woman going to have a child. But the truth is, it will be a virgin that will have a child.

And yet there’s many religions that teach the woman and the child story. And if you look there in your notes on the back page, you’ll notice up there where it says, in Babylon, they call Astaroth and Beyol. But those names are used in the scriptures, but it’s a false religion. Greece, they had false religion, Italy and Egypt. And there was the mother and child cult. And what the devil likes to do is delude the story before the truth shows up so that, oh, we’ve heard that a thousand times.

We’ve been hearing that for years. That’s nothing new. So to discredit the truth, you see, there’s always humanism that comes from the devil, and men get away from believing what God says and believing the truth, and they brainwash people, and they have false religions. And so even in Constantine’s day when they tried to declare Christianity is now the new religion of the Roman Empire, but people had different religious beliefs and co-mingling putting things together. Well, a lot of things that different times in history mean certain things and other times they don’t mean it.

We have words in the King James version that at one time meant this and now they mean something totally different. And it’s the truth. The words have changed the meanings. But at the time it was written, it was the perfect word for the Scriptures. At the time it was given. So once in a while, you might have to say, you know, it’s not a mistranslation. It’s that the meaning of this word has changed and people don’t know it. So sometimes we have to explain the meaning of that word.

I don’t believe that a lot of people today are trying to worship something that’s false. I do believe that Christians might need to be careful that they don’t become so judgmental in other people’s lives that all we want to do is rip people to stretch because they don’t know what we know. I may know certain things, but is there a great value in trying to set everybody straight? I don’t believe that’s wise. I don’t believe it’s going to accomplish anything.

I believe it’s more important because keep hammering on the truth of what it is more so than what it is not. And yet there’ll be some people they will never know. But somewhere along the line you hope that some people will see and understand that Easter is all about Christ. It’s the resurrection of Christ. So when somebody mentions Easter, I don’t get out of, been out of shape. But I do believe that resurrection Sunday would eliminate a problem. But most people don’t know what you’re talking about then.

Or you’re going to celebrate resurrection. Well, we celebrate Easter. But you get to find out it doesn’t always mean the same thing. And I’ll be showing you want to define your terms. So with you and I here at Calvary we believe that it’s an important day. Jesus Christ came back from the dead. It’s resurrection and it’s all about Christ. It’s not about anything else but Christ. But if you want to, there’s nothing in the Bible says you’re supposed to dress up on Easter, but a lot of women just love to dress up.

Look how my wife dressed me just for today. You ain’t never seen me look so pretty, but I didn’t do this. But is it wrong? Is it sinful? I should hide my head in shame and be ashamed of myself. Well I’m not. I ain’t never felt so good, but this has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. See a lot of people can dress up nicely. And know nothing about Jesus Christ. A lot of people may have all the other stuff and buy all the other stuff and totally forget what true Easter is about.

Did you know that in the Bible you really in truly worship the Lord when you obey the Lord and do what God wants you to do? And he says upon the first day of the week and that’s because this considers you to be a part of the Bible. every Sunday is considered the resurrection Sunday. It’s the Lord’s day. The Lord’s day. So you see, because this day that set apart once a year because of the Passover, as described in the Old Testament, Christ came back from the dead.

Now generally we believe it was on the 14th of the month of April, and then on the 17th that He came back from the dead, because in the Old Testament, And when he talks about the flood, that it settled upon Mount Ararach in the seventh month on the 17th day. You see, that’s three days from Passover. And so on the 17th day Christ came back again from the dead. When you study the book of Genesis and you look there when it says, on the first day it was evening and morning and God saw that it was good.

And that was the first day. The second day, it doesn’t say that it’s good. Because you see, the first day is like the light came into the world. The second day Christ died on the cross. The third day talks about the land appearing. And that’s a picture like of the resurrection. And God saw that it was good. But that was the third day. On the third day, Christ came back again from the dead. And there’s a civil calendar, or the national calendar, there’s a sacrificial type of religious calendar, and that’s the same day.

I’ll just talk about the seventh month, but that’s going from like in October, and you count seven months, and you’ll come up with the same time as you do on April the 17th. Christ came back again from the dead. That’s what it’s all about. But if you really believe that, and it really means something to you, then it will affect not only this day, but every day of my life. 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 two 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 home page 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 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, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.