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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. Our 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.

Look at your Bible in turn to 1 John, 1 John 3, verse John and chapter 3. Look there in verse 1. We all know that one day we are all going to be just like the Lord. Dr. Curtis Hudson made a statement one time. He says, Lord, if I’m going to be like you someday, help me to be like you today. Well, I can do the most good. Isn’t that a good thought? Dr. Hudson and I preached in Lord conferences and he preached in our church in Colorado and also in Georgia.

Just a great man. But he passed away when he was 62 years old, I think, got cancer. But he was a champion for the clarity of the gospel. He loved the clear gospel and he presented it and did a tremendous job. But I’ll never forget the statement when he made that. Lord, if someday I’ll be just like you, why not now? Well, I can do the most good. First one says, behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

Just think about that. You are a child of God. God that created the heavens and the earth, he’s your Father. You’re his child. And I can look back and remember the day, the very moment I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I was telling them in the Bible study today about a time when Dr. Rach Stanford, he was the one that taught me and Dr. Hank Lindstrom and thousands of others about the clarity of the gospel, the wallet illustration, the two natures, the heaven tract, the ranch ministry.

We all got that from him. We’re not original. We’re just copycats. Because there’s nothing new under the sun, why waste my life trying to be an original. And one day after Ray had trusted Christ’s Savior, he thought he was already a grown man when he did. He was with his mom sitting in the room and he had quit his job and had a wife and three children. It didn’t have a lot of money and he was trying to scrape to make ends meet and now he’s worked with teenagers and teenagers don’t have any money.

So he was trying to do the best he could. But his mom was kind of like always on him. And it wasn’t very helpful. A little on the critical side. So one day she was in the house and he said, Mom, do you love me? And it kind of shocked her. She said, Of course I love you, son. Of course I do. Ray says, I mean, do you really love me? She says, yeah, of course I really love you.

And then he says, Mom, I mean, I mean really deep down. Do you really love me? And she knew where he was going. And he says, whenever Mom gets a certain way, she, her lips get tight. And she turned her head away from him. She says, you know I love you. And he says640, if you really love me, Why didn’t you tell me about the Lord? You said you knew the Lord and you knew that you could go to heaven.

Why didn’t you ever tell me? And she got teary eyed and walked off into the other room. He says he didn’t talk to no more about it at that time, but he says, I don’t know what really happened with my mom. But all of a sudden she wanted to help with those teenagers. She even bought some of the drinks, and she would start counseling the kids about how to have eternal life. And she just totally changed and became one of his biggest helpers.

All because he spent that one time with his mom, do you really love me? I brought it out because I know that one day we’re going to stand at the Great White Throne judgment and we’re going to see people that’s probably going to look us right in the eye and say, did you love me? Won’t it be something for a mother or a father to be there and a child that’s going to be going to hell for all eternity?

and say, why didn’t you tell me? Did you really love me? And the Bible says, God will wipe away tears from our eyes. I wonder if that’s one of the reasons. I don’t know, but it is something to think about. Look what he says here. In verse one where he makes a statement, Behold, what manner of love the Father had bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and that not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifyth himself, even as he is pure. Now, we know that the Lord is perfect, and we would like to be that way. But if someday I’m going to be like him, it means that I am not totally like him now.

It means that I am not perfectly like the Lord. No, my new birth, yeah, my new birth is perfect, but in my day-by-day life, I don’t always think and do and say everything that I wished I would say. But God says there is coming a day when we will be like him. So I just take it from that that I must not really be totally like him now. Now, one of the things that causes a little bit of a problem, there are many people who teach Lordship Salvation.

So what does that mean? Lordship Salvation is where people are told they must make Christ the Lord the Master of their life in order to be saved. And if Christ is not the Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all. Well if someday I will be like the Lord, then I must admit that I must not be totally like Him now. So that must mean that Christ is not totally 100% Lord and Master of my life at all times in every situation, every moment.

Now that’s my conclusion of the matter. your Bible and turn to the book of Psalms, the 17th Psalm in the Old Testament there, the 17th Psalm, 17th Psalm, and I want you to look there in verse 15. 17th Psalm verse 15. for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.” That’s taught all the way back here in the Old Testament. It wasn’t just John the New Testament, but way back here in the Old Testament it was a prayer of David.

One of these days we’re going to go to sleep in this world and we are going to awake in his likeness. One day I’ll be totally like the Lord. I won’t have an old sinful nature. I won’t have this old body of flesh. I’m going to have a new body, a glorified body. I’ll be just like the Lord. You know, there’s only one gospel and you’re either saved totally by grace or totally by works, but you cannot be totally saved by part grace and part works.

Since the Bible says that a man is saved by grace and not by works, then man must be totally saved by grace and not by works at all. So if you’re saved by making Christ the Lord or the Master of your life, then you would have to be totally saved by your works. True. If you must make him the Lord and the master of your life and serve the Lord to be saved, even if it’s after you’re supposedly saved.

So then you’re still adding works to grace. So are you saved by grace or you saved by works? I believe a man is saved totally by grace. There’s a verse in the New Testament we’ll have to take the time to look at it, but I’ll just see if I can refresh your memory. You may have heard of it before. It’s found in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9. Ever heard of it before? For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

I think that’s such a wonderful thing. I want you to take your Bible and look in Psalms 51. Now, everyone has heard of a man named David. Remember that sweet little psalmist of Israel that would sing all those songs and play in his harp and kill him the giant and the bear and the lion? You know, the sweet little kid would never do anything wrong. Samuel came along and anointed him as the next king of Israel. And God blessed that young man, kept him safe.

Even when others tried to kill him, God protected him. And God loved David. David loved God. And it says that he was a man after God’s own heart. I mean to think of a man after God’s heart. You want to know how God thinks and feels about everything. The love of the Lord so much. But do you believe that David, if he was a believer, which I believe he was, do you believe that he had the Lord as the master of his life, all the days of his life?

And if he’s not Lord of all, remember, he’s not Lord at all. If he is Lord of all, then what some people say is this, if you get saved, that means that now you must make Christ the Lord master of your life, and that’s just shows or proves that you are saved. Oh, works don’t save you, but if you are saved, you will work because faith without works is dead. So therefore, if you are really saved, you are going to change your life.

You will stop your sinning and serve the Lord and Christ will be the master of your life if you’re really saved. So your life doesn’t save you, but it shows whether you are really saved or not. So therefore, how you live reveals to people whether you really met business or not. Doesn’t that make a lot of sense? a lot of people buy into that reasoning. But what I just told you is a lie. How you live your life does not prove that you’re saved.

Because if you live a good life, you say, well, that proves that I’m saved. And if I live a bad life, that proves I never really was saved. Now, there are people that teach, that’s how you tell. But I don’t believe that the Bible teaches that. If you would look at David’s life at a certain time in his life, you would say, this man, he has to be saved. Look what he did. I mean, he killed a giant. This man, well, he wrote the Psalms.

He has to be a Christian, and the Lord must be the master of his life because look how he lived. But do you know that there was a time in David’s life when evidently the Lord didn’t stay the little master of His life. He messed up, didn’t He? So when He messed up, that must be the proof that He never really was saved the whole time. Well, which way is it going to be? Well, He is saved when He did all those right things, but now we know He really wasn’t saved because now He did all these bad things.

Because we got to look at his life to prove whether or not he was or was not saved. Because you have to understand, and it’s evident that the Lord was not the master of David’s life, all David’s life. Because if he was, why did he mess up? Didn’t he kill a man? Didn’t he have a man murdered? Didn’t he commit adultery with Bashi? But didn’t he do that? Are you trying to tell me that a Christian can do that?

and still go to heaven when he dies? Was Christ the master of his life? Did he have to be Lord of all or not Lord at all? You see, people who hold that for life, they got a problem trying to justify this thing. You see, how you live, good or bad. Is not the proof that you’re saved. You don’t know for sure that I am. I really don’t even know if you are. Do I? Could you lie to me?

Could you deceive me? Could I deceive you? Wouldn’t it be something that I’m just a phony baloney? And I’ve been lying to you for two years. How do you know if I’m safe? about what is he trusting in to get him to heaven? Now, as a child of God, should I, Servo Lord, yes, will it be automatic? No. But see, what they say is this, false teachers, that if you get saved, you will, Servo Lord, not that you should, but that you will.

That means two different things. Well, if you’re really saved, you will go to church, you’ll love the Lord, you’ll want to pray, you want to give out tracks, you want to do good, give the missions and you’ll change your life and you’ll love all God’s children and you’ll… Not necessarily. A lot of Christians do most of their sinning after they’re saved. My wife, Trusted Lawrence, is about seven years old. My son was about three and a half, four years old.

He’s done most of his sinning after he got saved. I mean, can you see a four-year-old kid? Son, are you willing to turn from your wicked way? I’m sorry I didn’t go to bed last night when you told me. Well, don’t you ever do it again. I probably will never do that again, Paul. Not dumb, but he’s done most of his sinning since then. Christ is not the Lord and absolute master of every area of your life. Is it still possible for you to do things wrong?

Can you still commit adultery? Murder? See, I’ll thought of it. Don’t. So Christ can be your Savior. But as you learn to grow in the Word of God and you love the Lord, then you begin to discipline your life. How I live should show that I love the Lord. But you see, you might claim that you love Him and live a certain way and never really know Him as your Savior. Isn’t it true that in Matthew chapter 7 that there were people that said, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

Cast out devils in thy name and done many wonderful works. So evidently by their works, then they must have been saved. But were they? No, they weren’t saved. And so that’s why here in the 51st Psalm, this whole chapter down through here is talking about David confessing his sins of what he had done wrong. And he had messed up his life. And he says that I’ve done all these things. See that in verse seven, purged me with hystop and I shall be clean, washed me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Made me to hear joy and gladness, the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice, hide not thy face from my sins and blood out all of my iniquities, creating me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restoring to me the joy of thy salvation. Not restore the salvation, restore the joy of it. See, when you sin against the Lord, it costs you something.

It’ll cost you, yes, rewards in heaven. It’s gonna cost you things in this life. And you’re gonna have a lot of joy that you’re not going to have. But then the thing that everybody wants is to be used by the Lord. And so he says in verse 17, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, They broke it in a contrite heart. Oh God, that will not despise.” You see, he had to get himself right and he says, then God, I want you to help me to do something.

He says, and then I will turn people back to you. See up in verse 13, then, while I teach transgressors, thy ways, and sinners shall be converted into thee. God still used him after the mess up. But you see, he wasn’t saved and then he got lost and then he had to get saved again. But whenever he was a child of God and he did what was right, God blessed when he did what was wrong. God beat the tar out of him and He suffered at four times in his family and God still could use him But not the way that God could have used him look in 2 Peter chapter 2 2 Peter and chapter 2 Now everybody’s heard of a guy named Lot.

Abraham was called to go into the early counties and here comes Lot and everything was alright for a while until they got too many herds and servants and little friction. So Abraham just told them, said, look, you just do whatever you want to do. You just choose out whichever way you want to go. Now I’ll just go the other way. Isn’t that something for Abraham to do that? Well, as Lot looked upon the fruited plains where it was well watered and kind of going down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, oh, that’s where I’m going to go.

Well he went by looks and he went the wrong direction. It wasn’t long before he had messed up his whole life. No, the Bible says he was a just man. Look what he says here. And he says in verse 7, and delivered just lot. Now, that doesn’t mean only lot. It means just like. Lot was a justified individual. It means he had been made righteous not by his works but by the faith of the Lord. And he says, he delivered just like vexed with the filthy behavior of the wicked.

And that behavior was of the sodomites. And so he made the statement here. He says, and delivered just like vexed with the filthy behavior of wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” Now wait a minute, was the Lord the master of his life? Evidently the Lord was not the master of his life. Evidently he wasn’t serving the Lord away, He should have, but God still says He’s a righteous man.

He’s a just man. You see when you trusted Christ as your Savior, it is God who declared you justified, just by your faith. Believing that when Christ died, He died for you. And God says that Christ gives you His robe of righteousness. And if He gives you His robe of righteousness, then that’s as righteous as the Lord. And God sees the righteousness of his son instead of your sin upon you. Now that’s why, yeah, maybe a lot didn’t live, right?

And if anybody was to see, a lot might think that he’s not saved. Evidently, he must not be saved because look where he’s living. Did you know he lost his girls? They wound up committing adultery with Him. And they had Edom and Moab. They had lots of problems down the road because of that little shenanigans. And do you know his wife? She turned back and turned into a pillar of salt. So you’ve got what he lost his whole family.

But God still says he was a just man. He wasn’t just because he lived right, because he lived a righteous life. You are not going to heaven because you live a righteous life. Even after you trust Christ’s Savior, your destiny is not determined by your life. And it’s hard for people to believe that. Can you believe that you’re really, really saved, totally saved by grace? I am saved by the grace of God. There is no amount of good works I did to be saved, there is not one ounce of good works I’ve done since I’ve been saved that’s helped get me more saved than I’ve been.

Have you ever heard somebody say, you know, the so-and-so trust the Lord and they got saved? And then they told me somebody got gloriously saved. Oh, he was gloriously saved. That’s like saying, no, this guy laying in this casket here. Well, He’s dead. Now this guy over here, he’s really dead. He’s gloriously dead. Always thought dead is dead. Saved, saved. But some people have been gloriously saved. Always just saved. So how did he get more than I got? Did he get more than me?

I was saved. He was gloriously saved. Now this guy, he’s dead. But this guy’s really dead. I’m saved, but he’s really saved. If you’re not… If you’re not really saved, you’re not saved. You’ve heard you’ve got to be a born-again Christian. Well if you are, you need one Nau those words. IDEM a believer in the Lord. I have been saved, but does that mean that Christ must be the Lord and the Master of my life. Because if he is, I got problem with all these people.

I would venture to say that the Lord is not the master of everything in their life. I’d venture to say they haven’t turned from all of their sins. And I bet you that, you know, if he’s not Lord of all, he’s not Lord at all. I bet just, you know, whenever I had kids and we had three of them. And so when the kids are born and they’re coming along, I could tell them to do this, this, this and this.

You’d be luckybley if they did one of them, but sometimes they’ll do two of them. I ain’t never had them when they did all of them. Well, if they don’t obey you in every area, they didn’t obey you at all. I told you to wash the dishes, cut the grass, make the bed, sweep the floor. Now, if they didn’t sweep the floor, does that mean they didn’t do the others? Dumb. Well, if he’s not master of all, he’s not master of all.

This is a good little slogan. It sounds good. But it stinks to high-end. It’s just not true. As I was learning to walk with the Lord, it was one step, stumble, another step, stumble, stumble, another step, another step, another step, stumble, stumble, stumble, stumble, step, step, step, step. And it’s a walk with the Lord and you learn and you don’t obey perfectly in every area. In what area of your life right now do you perfectly obey? Perfectly obey. Every area.

One day I will be just like the Lord. But not yet. I would love to be just like Him now. While I can do the most good. Where I can affect the most people. Where I can reach the most. Look what he says in verse 9. Lord Noah how to deliver the Godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of tocment to be punished. The Lord know of how to deliver the Godly. You see, Lot was a just man, a righteous man.

He knew the Lord and yet the way he lived wasn’t the way God wanted him to. God had to chasten this man. You are not going to perfectly obey the Lord in every area. Did you know that when you hear things like that, and then when you start stumbling in the Lord, one of the things that you will do is start questioning your salvation? Well, I guess I must not really be saved, because the Lord is not the master of my life.

I’ve actually talked to people, and they say, oh, yeah, I used to be saved, but I started drinking again. I used to be saved, but then I started smoking again. I used to be saved, but I started using profanity again. I used to be saved, but I started using drugs, or I ran off on my wife or out on my wife. Oh, I don’t care what the reason is. I used to be, I used to be. Did you know that if you ever used to be saved, you still are?

If you’ve ever been saved, you still are saved. because you see, you can’t get saved and stop being saved. It don’t work that way. 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 Dye-Link 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 goVALOINEMINISTRIES.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 are 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.