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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. So Jesus was really an unusual child. But now go back here just for a second. In verse 48, you’ll see that Jesus at 12 years of old could understand things that Mommy and Daddy, Daddy supposedly should have understood. And they wanted to know, why did you do this to us?

And he says there in verse 48, and when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou dost dealt with us? Behold, thy father, and I have sought thee sorrowing. Sorrowing. Look what you did to us. Was Jesus a disobedient child? could Jesus do anything wrong? He has to be an obedient. He has to be a perfect child. He could not fail. But He knew that they should have known. Don’t you know who I am?

Don’t you know who I am? So he says, he said unto them, how is it that you sought me? Wist ye not, or don’t you perceive, don’t you know, don’t you understand that I must be about my father’s business? Well wasn’t his father a carpenter? Well it depends on which father you’re talking about, doesn’t it? You see he had another father. It says, I must be about my father’s business, even at 12 years of age. Do you believe that kids can know the Lord when they’re young?

That children ought to be taught to know the Lord while they’re young? I believe that’s why Sunday school is important, O’wanna is important, ranch is important, because I believe that’s where you help mow their minds at such an early age. They can make a difference all the rest of their life. But it says, wish ye not, I must be about my father’s business. And get verse 50, and they understood not the say in which he spake unto them, shouldn’t they have known?

Shouldn’t Mary have known? Didn’t Joseph hadn’t he been told? Didn’t Mary know that that holy thing inside of her was the Son of God? She was told. Yet the Bible says she pondered these things in her heart. She wondered about certain things, amazed at other things. And yet it’s happening to them, in their own family. Do you realize that even Jesus’ own brothers didn’t understand who he was. I mean, if there had been a brother in your family that seemed like he was so spiritual, never did anything wrong.

Wouldn’t it have raised a flag of some kind? Wouldn’t you have known it? But you know we’re so blind that sometimes we can’t see. We don’t understand. And as you and I live our life, if they don’t, and they And they didnundle all the knowledge that they were given at you and I. We’re going to mess up too. We’re not going to understand everything. There’s going to be something you’re not going to understand me. Now I know that’s hard for you to understand.

But you’re going to love me to death as long as I say and do everything like you think I should do it. But what if I cross you? What if I cross you? You know, we can be buddy, buddy, friendie, friendie, and all the rest of it until I break your heart on something and that preach. I knew he was no good when he came here. I knew we should have never got him. I knew that. I knew he was no good.

I knew he wasn’t worth the quarter. John chapter five, the gospel of John in chapter five. John chapter five, I want you to look there in verse 13. Verse 13. Not everybody sees and understands all the same things. But there’s a Scripture here that says, and he that was healed, which not who it was. For Jesus had conveyed himself away a multitude been in that place. Now this man had only been all laid up for about 38 years. And every time that he got ready to get into the water that was troubled, then he says, I ain’t going to trouble the water.

And if whoever first went in the water, What, get healed? Well, it’s in the book, so it must be true. So he’s laying there and Jesus comes by and says, what do you want? I want to be made whole. He said, but every time I get ready to get in the water, he says, somebody always beats me. Somebody always gets there before me. Now, you know, there might be the possibility that he was there because of something that he may have done.

Now there’s other scriptures that talks about it wasn’t because of anything they’d done, but that the Son of God could be glorified like the blind man. It doesn’t say that about this guy, or the purpose of his infirmity. But after he’d been healed, Jesus did say to him, sin no more or less a worse thing come upon you, like it was a warning. And that’s mentioned down there in verse 14. But he didn’t understand who he was. So later on after he had been healed, Jesus saw him in the temple.

I wonder what he was doing there. You know what’s good is when people do trust Christ as Savior and they fall in love with the Lord, I believe they ought to go to church. Not because they have to, but they ought to just be something that kind of motivates a person to want to learn more about the Lord. But Jesus went to the temple and there he was, made him into temple. So when he found them there at the temple, he found out who he was.

And then the trouble really began. He said, who made you? Who made you well? So he told him that Jesus did. In verse 15, the man departed and told the Jews it was Jesus, which had made him whole. See, he didn’t know who it was. Now he does. Not because he does. He’s not afraid to tell it. because he said it, got Jesus in trouble. Now they want to kill Jesus because of what he said. Therefore in verse 18, the Jews sought the more to kill him because he had not only broken the Sabbath, he said he was God, making himself equal with God.

So if Jesus did anything, they understood what he said. But that’s what he meant. See, when they did understand what he said, they didn’t believe what he said. He said he was God. We’re going to stone you white because you said you were God. I am. Some people get it. Some people don’t. Some people never understand. Take your Bible and turn to Acts chapter 12, the book of Acts, and chapter 12. Everybody knows that everybody ought to pray. Everybody having a hard time.

So we got to pray. There was a church there in Jerusalem. And it says in verse 5, Peter therefore was kept in prison. Now ain’t that something? Here he is. He just had denied the Lord and Christ comes back from the dead and makes everything right. He preaches on dead penny costs to all these people that get saved that day. Man, he’s on a road. He is now the head honcho in Jerusalem. And everybody’s coming out here, the great apostle Peter.

And, well, behold, everybody wants to sign them up for no radio and television. He just needs a big dog. But the Jews, they said, no. We don’t want you to preach in his name. No more. And they just all, they just beat him up, put them in prison and they kill James verses right before it. But give what he says in verse five. S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S But prayers was made without ceasing of the church under God for him.

When Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains the keepers before the door kept the prison. He must have been one bad man. Two soldiers, chains in prison? He had a jail ministry. You know the time may come when God will bless some of y’all in here with the jail ministry. You have no idea what could come down the pike in very soon, and it can turn very ugly, very quickly.

It wouldn’t surprise me. But anyway, verse 7, and behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him and a light shined in the prison. He spoke Peter on the side and raised him up saying, a rise up quickly and his chains fell off from his hands. The angel said unto him, gird thyself, bind on thy sandals, and he did. And he said unto him, cast thy garment about thee and following, well wait a minute, you see the angel did what Peter couldn’t do, what take care of the chains.

But Peter could put on his own shoes and his own robe, couldn’t he? What he could do, he could do. Serving the Lord is God doing what God can do and you doing what you’re supposed to do. We pray like it all depends on God, and then we work like it all depends on us. And then you get something accomplished. So in verse nine, and he went out and followed him and whisked not that it was true, which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.

In other words, he thought this was just a dream. Peter thought he was in a vision, but it was really happening. The change really did fall off. He will lust free. He really did walk out of that prison. And when he got to the house, it’s unreal. He said in verse 10, when they were past the first and the second word, they came unto the iron gate that lead us under the city, which opened to them of its own accord.

Hey, that’s bookey. You’ll see where people can appear and disappear. The gates can open up, chains fall off. What, is this a movie or something? This is the Bible. These things happened and it was real to these people. They couldn’t explain how it happened. All they know is it was real. It did happen. There’ll be things that’ll happen in your life and you can’t make it happen, but there’ll be little miracles like. That will just leave you totally be like, I don’t know how God did it, but God did it.

there was a whole church that was praying for Peter to be released. And lo and behold, he got released. And then he says there in verse 11, and when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of assuredly that the Lord had sent his angel and have delivered me out of the hand of Herod. And from all the expectations of the people of the Jews, they wanted to kill him. He said, I’m free. Hey, this is real.

This is not a dream. And then he says in verse 12, When he had considered the things he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who, certain name was Mark, where many, many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a dancer came to Harken named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened up the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood at the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad.

What were they praying for? They were praying for Peter to get out of the jail. Well, he’s out of the jail. Hey, he’s out the door. You’re crazy. What are you praying for? They didn’t understand. They were as surprised as Peter was surprised. God was answering their prayer. And then when he answered, they didn’t believe it. I’ll tell you, because maybe God didn’t do it the way they thought. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, it’s as angel.

But Peter continued knocking. And when they had opened the door, they saw him, they were astonished. Why? How would it be astonished? Wasn’t that what they were praying for? You see, you’d be surprised that you might pray for something and be totally surprised God answered it. But some people’s prayers are so generic that if God ever answered that they wouldn’t know it, they’d never ask for anything specifically. You know, I had a friend of mine named Robert McCurry up there in Atlanta.

It’s in this to me. I got it. Let me read it to you. Good little story. Yeah, we got to end up with a story, you know. Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the floor shop door against the November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her joint. This was Thanksgiving week.

And the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss. Troubles had multiplied. Her husband’s company threatened to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long-awaited holiday visit. What’s worse, Sandra’s friend suggested that Sandra’s grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to emphasize with others who suffer. As she had no idea what I’m feeling, thought Sandra with a shutter.

Thanks, given, thankful for what? She wondered, for a careless driver whose truck had hardly scratched when he rear ended me. For an airbag that saved my life but took my child’s. Good afternoon. Can I help you? Sandra was startled by the approach of the clerk. He said, I need an arrangement, Stanford Sandra. For Thanksgiving, I’m convinced that flowers tell stories. She continued. Are you looking for something that conveys granted to this Thanksgiving? Not exactly. Sandra blurted out. In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

Sandra regretted her outburst. I was surprised when the clerk says, I have the perfect arrangement for you. Then the bell on the door rang and the clerk greeted the new customer. Hi Barbara, let me get your order. She excused herself and walked back to the small work room then quickly reappeared. Carrying and arrangement of greenery, bows and what appeared to be long stemmed, Thorney rose. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped. There were no flowers. Do you want these in a box, ask the clerk?

Sandra watched. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers? She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. Yes, please, Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. You think after three years of getting the special I wouldn’t be so moved by its significance. But I can feel it right here, all over again.” She said as she gently tapped her chest. Sandra stambered. Uh, that lady, she left with no flowers. That’s right, said the clerk. I cut off the flowers.

That’s the special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, filling much as you do today, explained the clerk. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer. The family business was failing. Her son had gotten into drugs and she was facing major surgery. That same year, I had lost my husband, continued the clerk. For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone.

I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, too much debt to allow any travel. So what did you do, Asandra? I learned to be thankful for the thorns,” answered the clerk quietly. I’ve always thanked God for the good things in my life. I never questioned Him while those good things happened to me. But when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, why, why me? It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith.

I’ve always enjoyed the flowers of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God’s comfort. You know the Bible says that God comforts us when we’re afflicted. From His consolation we learn to comfort others. Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. I guess the truth is I don’t want comfort. I lost a baby and I’m angry with God. Just as someone else walked in the shop, hey Phil, the clerk greeted the balding, wrote on man, my wife sent me in to get our usual thanksgiving arrangement.

Twelve thorny, long-stem stems, the laugh-filled as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped around the arrangement from the refrigerator. Those for your wife? Sandra? You mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that? Well, four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. Phil replied, after 40 years, we were a real mess. But with the Lord’s grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here, the clerk told me she kept a vase of long stems to remind her of what she had learned from thorny times.

That was good enough for me. I took home some of those dins. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific problem and give thanks for what that problem taught us. As Phil paid the clerk he said to Sandra, I highly recommend the special. I don’t know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life, Sandra said to the clerk. It’s all too fresh. Will the clerk reply carefully? My experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious.

We treasure God’s providential care, more doing trouble than at any of the time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore, so we might know His love. Don’t resent the thorns. Tears rolled down Sandra’s cheek. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. I’ll take those twelve long-stem thorns, please. I hope you would,” said the clerk. I’ll have them ready in a minute. Just thank you. How to much do I owe you?

Oh, nothing. But I promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year of arrangements is always on me. The clerk smiled, handed the card to Sandra. I’ll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first. And it read, My God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear.

Teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you along the path of pain. Show me that through my tears, the color of your rainbow looks more more brilliant. it. Praise him for the roses, thank him for the thorns. Lift simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to the Lord. We often try to fix problems with W.D. 40 in duct tape, and God did it with nails. Everybody needs to learn something and we learn from each other.

But we don’t always understand everything and comprehend everything. And as the scripture says, they whist not. They didn’t get it all. And you and I, regardless of how close we get to the Lord, are not gonna get it all. You’re just gonna have to trust the Lord as you go. Believe in that He loves you supremely. And it doesn’t matter what you’re facing, How deep it hurts, how deep it cuts, how dark it is. There’s a God who walks with you, beside you, who does understand it all.

Just walk with the one who does. You don’t have to know it all. This hand represents you and me, and the wallet represents all of our sins. God says that He loves us. He hates what we do wrong. And because of all this sin that we have done, there’s a payment to be made. And that is eternal separation from the Lord in a literal fire burning hell. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God.

And none of us are perfect, none of us are righteous. We’ve all come short of God’s perfection. God says we need a Savior. Now God fully understands the situation. Sometimes we don’t grasp how bad it is. But we need to understand at least a couple things. I’m a sinner. I’m condemned and I need to be saved. This hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us. And that he took our sins and paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead.

And God said if I would just by believing it, just believing he did it for me, he would give me as a free gift everlasting life. I can’t fully understand that. I have questions about maybe a lot of things, humanly speaking. But he said, he loves me. And he said that he would save me. And he said he’d give me eternal life. And he said I’d be his child. I don’t understand how he’s gonna do it all, but he said it, I’d just believe him.

He knows how to take care of all the little details stuff. Don’t worry about it. All you need to do is trust Christ as your Savior. He gives you eternal life and you’ll get to go to heaven when you die. Let’s pray, show him. Every head bob, every I close. No one looking around. If you’re here tonight, maybe you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior. Just understand this. God loves you, paid for your sins. Said, if you believe he did it for you, he would give you as a free gift everlasting life.

Never cast you out, never lose you. If you’ve already trusted Christ as your Savior, God’s child. Has God’s child? There’s a lot of things. Even as a child of God, you will not understand in this life. I don’t. You’re not going to. We won’t live long enough. Long as we’re in this body with these finite minds, we’re not going to grasp it. But you and I are supposed to know and understand that we have a Savior. We have a heavenly Father that understands it all.

And He sees and and knows exactly what you and I are going to have to face or what you’re facing. He knows how you feel. Those all that hurt every pain. Trust the Lord with it. Just look to him. Just know that he’s walking with you. Cares about you. That he loves you. Don’t doubt that. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, friend, the only thing you can do is to trust the Lord. God said, if you’ll believe that he loves you and died for you paid for your sins that he would give you as a freak, you have to ever last in life.

He said he’d never cast you out, that you can go to heaven. He loves you that much. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that hosts so ever, believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And if you are watching and you’ve already trusted Christ as your Savior, no doubt that There could be thousands of you that have a hurting heart. And you don’t have one explanation. You don’t understand. You don’t do a lot of problems and heartaches.

But God knows. God understands. Just trust him. He’ll walk you through it. One step at a time. One moment at a time. Our Father, we ask your blessings upon each person here those that are of you in the broadcast, that Lord, you’d be close to it and help each one, and that if they need to trust your Savior, they would do so. And Father, we pray that those in this auditorium, if there’s anyone that has not trusted you, they would do so right now.

So we’ll head by a nice close. Is there anyone else that says, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior and preach I like you to pray for me. Would you simply let me know by raising your hand? I’m not going to have you forward. Now I got an embarrassment, but right where you’re sitting, you say, yes, that made sense to me. I want to be certain of going to heaven when I die, and I’ll trust Christ as my Savior tonight.

Is there anyone all before we close? Just slip it up real quickly, but write down. It won’t at all. Our Father, we thank You for this time together. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for Your blessings upon each one of us. And yes, we’re even thankful for the thorns because they’ve taught us great lessons. Sometimes they’ve him to sin and kept us from going astray. Thank you for your word. Thank you for these people. 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 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.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live 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