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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 to be a part of the Bible. 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.

Now isn’t it true that we often hear about, you know, good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell? Jesus is talking to the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious goody goodies. The goody-to-shoes, the religious people, the better than thou, the one that looked down their long, fair, sale connoes. I can say they would act like a bunch of Pharisees. They were real Pharisees. But Jesus said it’s those publicans, those tax collectors, the ones you despised, the get to go in before you.

Look what he says. He says, “‘Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness.'” See, he’s still talking about John down there in verse 26 about, who is John? Who is John? Why didn’t you believe him? You didn’t believe John. John. John was a forerunner of Christ. John told the people to believe on him. They wouldn’t believe it. They didn’t believe John and they don’t believe Jesus.

So there’s a story here that would penetrate them because Jesus is using this story to help them to understand that he knows, he understands, you and I can read this, and we can see that. But how much did they see and they understand? Look what he said. He says, for John came unto you in the way of righteousness. And ye, your underlineness, believed him not. But the publicans and the harlots believed him. And ye, when you had seen it, repented not.

You did not change your mind afterwards, so it means they could have. They could have changed their mind that you might believe Him. See, there’s a lot of people that say, well, they can’t believe because they weren’t chosen in all them. The scripture nails that is false teaching. Calvinism is false teaching. It is not truth. And you’ll see that they could have believed, but they did not believe. Jesus expected them to change their mind and they would not change their mind.

So look in verse 33, here another parable. He down is gonna tell them another story. You see, because Jesus, I believe, loves everybody. He wants everybody to have eternal life. And He wants them to see, He wants them to understand, but because of their hardness, their failure to believe the truth, he spoke in parables. So that the ones that really wanted to know the truth could understand it, they’d get it. The ones that didn’t wanna know the truth, the one they couldn’t get the story.

They just know there’s a story there. There’s a point there, but they couldn’t really see what the main purpose of the story was. So they perceived, hey, he’s talking about us. I’m not sure what he said, but I think he’s talking about us. See, that’s mentioned over there in verse 45. See, look at this verse, and when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spakeeth them, well, slap my mouth, he was. Go back here to verse 33.

Here another parable. There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard. Heads then round about. Digged a winepress in it, built a tower, let it out the husbandmen, and went into a fire country. Hmm. There’s a story here somewhere. There’s something that’s gonna relate to something that’s really true And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husband that they might receive the fruit of it. That only makes sense. And the husband took his servants, beat one, and killed another and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. Now, he had sent all these servants and they killed them. So last of all, it says, verse 37, last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, they will reverence my son. They’ll reverence my son. Hold your place right here and just look there in chapter 23. Chapter 23, look there in verse 35. He says that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous able unto the blood of Zachariah, son of Barakiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Verlea say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation. And why was all this going to come upon them? Because of some of the decisions they made. down there in verse 34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, wise men, and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify. Some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city. Do you know there’s other scripts off on? He said, you have killed all the prophets.

I sent them to you. I sent you word, but you didn’t believe the word that I sent. And then take your Bible and look there in Hebrews in chapter 1, Hebrews in chapter 1. Save your place there and Matthew will be coming back there. But in the book of Hebrews and chapter 1, look at verse 1, it says, God who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake and time pass unto the fathers by the prophets. Half in these last days spoken unto us by his son.”

Now go back there to the book of Matthew in chapter 21. And you’ll notice in verse 37, and last of all, he sent unto them his son. You think there’s any parallel here? that there’s possibility that this could be talking about God sent his son and he’s standing there in front of him and he’s telling them this story.

And they’ll reverence my son, verse 38, but when the husband saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir. Come, let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance. and they caught him and they cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbands?” Now, so far they haven’t nailed all this down. This wonderful little story. He’s fixing to say, thou art guilty like Nathan did David back in Samuel.

But look what he says. In verse 40, when the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They said unto him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men with their own mouths, their condemning themselves. With their own mouths, their condemning themselves. He’s telling Jesus what ought to be done to those people that did that wicked thing.

And you think they’d be smart enough to see what he’s saying. But do you know I believe that there’s people who can go to church and hear the Word of God week after week after week and never really think that that’s talking about them. Boy, if so and so was here that would have been perfect for them. Boy, I’m glad that was just good for those people behind me. Oh, am I glad that all known sin is behind me?

Oh, and they don’t never take it. You know, maybe this is talking to me. Do you ever realize that sometimes God may be speaking to you through what the Word of God is saying? And that there’s things that God knows about you and He can take a simple little message and all of a sudden He can give you flashbacks, things that’s in your life that’s not right and you won’t correct it. And you know why most people won’t correct a problem?

P-R-I-D-E, pride. That have to admit they’re wrong. And some people won’t even do that before God. Let alone people. We never like to admit it to people, but I mean God, especially when he knows. Now look what he says here. In the book of Matthew in chapter 21, He says in verse 41, they said unto him, He shall miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husband, and he’ll get somebody else to do it, which shall render him the fruits in their season.

Jesus said unto them, did you never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected? The same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in his eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Now hold your place right here and just look there in the book of 1 Peter in chapter 2, 1 Peter and chapter 2. First Peter chapter 2 and you’ll notice that there is a quote from the Old Testament, just like we just read as it is written. So here in 1 Peter chapter 2, look what he says there in verse 7, verse 7, he says unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient or unbelieving, the stone which the builders disallowed or rejected, the same made the head of the corner.

He was rejected for the nation of Israel, but he become the head of the church. So we are called, as you look up there in verse 9, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I’m going to get somebody else that will bring forth the fruit. I’m going to use someone else. Did you know that the church, the true church, is made up of believers in Christ? And there has to be believers in every age, all the way on down.

Every hundred years are all these believers, and I believe without a break. There’s always been believers has always been a remnant. God, see, ours can only be extended through so winning. The nation of Israel could only be extended by having physical children, ours by having spiritual children. So we are a spiritual nation, a royal priesthood. We are something really special because Christ, when He came, He was the stone cut out without hands. Jesus Christ was a stone of stumbling.

People stumble over Him because they didn’t see Him. They didn’t know Him. They didn’t understand Him. But He says, those that believe or on the foundation. And there’s others that don’t believe it, and upon them the stone will fall and crush them in judgment. The same stone that is the foundation for one person crushes another person. And the difference is between believing or not believing. Just look up there in verse four, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.

He also as lively stones, living stones, are built up a spiritual house, unholy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. That’s why he says in verse six, wherefore also it is contained in the the scriptures behold, I lay in Zion a cheap cornerstone, elect precious. He that believeth on him shall not be confounded or confused or ashamed.” As he says in Romans in 10, in verse 11, on the you therefore which believe he is precious.

But under those that do not believe, he is not precious. So as he talks to these people there and he tells them, have you not read? Do you not know the scriptures about the stone that the builders rejected? Here you are and it’s your time. This is happening right in front of you. It’s you. It’s you. It’s talking about you. And they can’t see it. So go back there to the book of Matthew in chapter 21. And he says in verse 45, when the chief priest and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he’s spake of them.

But when they sought to lay hands on him, because they wanted to put a robe on him and crown him as the king of Israel and they just wanted to show their appreciation and that’s why they wanted to lay their hands on him, right? No. You would think if they understood, why would they want to reject them when he’s telling them and quote in the scriptures that they are fulfilling by what they’re doing? So he says, because they took him, they feared because they took him for a prophet.

So you see where it says, for a prophet and then over there in verse 26, but if ye shall say of men, we fear the people for all hold him John as a prophet. Fear, profit, fear, profit. Same thing. One was to the forerunner of Christ and one was concerning Christ. There’s a lot of good, interesting things that can be dug out of these scriptures. But when you read them, just try to see what can I get out of this.

And if thisgpu is true, what can I learn from this that’s going to help me in my personal life? I believe that if this is true and it happened just like he said and they fulfilled the Scriptures, how stupid do I want to be? Why can’t I grasp the truth? And say, I know that this book is true and it’s real and one of these days I’m going to be checking out of here. So I want to serve the Lord, while I can with what I have.

I often talk about, no, I’m 70 years old, but no, that’s really pretty young. That’s really young. When you compare to some people that has really lived a long time, like Al Marshall, 83 years old, I mean, that’s way up there. Ray Stanford was 95 years old. Job, I think, was what, 140 years old or something like that? I mean, he was up there. Did you realize that after God told Abraham that you’re going to have a child? He was already an old man.

Did you know he lived to be 175 years old? 175. And God gave him not only Sarah, gave him another wife afterwards and a lot more kids. That is where he made the mistake. I mean, what man would be in his right mind? But anyway, who wants a child when you’re 150 years old? Maybe he had the daughters that could take care of all the little really kids. I chase rabbits once in a while. Once in a while there’s a rabbit he gets up and I have to go chase it.

I used to go hunting with my uncle and he’d always tell me, he said, don’t shoot a rabbit if it won’t run. Don’t shoot a rabbit if it don’t run. Well, if it runs, I won’t hit it. That was my thing. And I want to shoot a rabbit. Cause after a while, you know, I’m looking at my uncle and he’s walking in front of me and he’s got a couple rabbits hanging on his side. Now I want to rabbit.

So he walked over the hill and I was kind of playing along, you know, and kicking the ground and moping a little bit. And all of a sudden I looked down beside this tree and there’s said a rabbit. I looked down at that rabbit, that rabbit looked up to me. I said, what are you doing? He says, I’m Westing. You know how you catch a rabbit? A unique rabbit? Unique up on him. But I looked down at that rabbit and that rabbit sitting there by this tree.

And I turned around and I had my gun right there. And I remember what my uncle said. If it don’t run, you don’t shoot. It’s a run. He evidently didn’t understand what I said. I said run. Yeah, rabbit didn’t run. He was just sitting there. And look at that man. I’m looking for him. We’re having a showdown. So I got a gun And that rabbit would not run. I thought if he does run, I’m gonna miss him. So my uncle was out of sight.

Now, what do you think I did? Not so fast. Now, to make a short story longer, I looked at that rabbit and I thought, this rabbit’s gonna move. So I’m, but I’m ready. I stomped my foot at the rabbit. And I was ready for the rabbit. As soon as he moved, I’m shooting. I mean, if he just flinches, I got him. Boom! And that rabbit jumped and scared me to death. I pulled a trigger and I missed a rabbit.

And that rabbit stopped and he looked up at me again. I said, you can forget about running. Boom! My uncle come over the hill and he said, I heard some shooting. I said, he said, get your rabbit. I said, yep. He says, did he move? I said, he sure did. I blew that rabbit 20 feet. But anyway, you know, it all depends on perspective. You know, it’s just perspective. You say, that’s cruel. No, not really, not really. Not when you like to go hunt rabbit and squirrel and deer and elk.

And I’ve gotten a few things over the years. God’s been good to me. But anyway, I don’t go hunting like I used to. I love to hunt when I was one time I was up in Georgia. I’d come down from up in Colorado. And I love to go hunting. But they kept telling me about, boy, there’s a lot of deer in Georgia and they just want you to kill as many as you can. My daughter killed eight of them one year.

And so my father-in-law took me out there, my stepdad, to go hunting. And they put you on a deer stand. You know, you stand right here and you wait for the deer to hunt you. I’m going out there in the Colorado, you go hunting. You know, you walk. The deer don’t hunt you. But anyway, they did it different down here in Georgia. And so my stepdad told me, he said, the deer, he says, you might as well just forget about it.

From about 12 o’clock to 1 o’clock to a clock, they are not going to be out. They’re going to be sleeping someplace. So you just go ahead and take a nap. So I’m over there, 10 o’clock. By noon time, the sun was coming down, it felt good. I leaned up against this tree and I had my gun there. all of that felt good and it wasn’t that long I was out, boy I was out, then I heard something. I didn’t want to make a quick move, in case I saw a deer.

And lo and behold, I saw two of them right dead in front of me and they didn’t see me. And I thought if I move, they’re gone, but I got to get my gun turned out away, what am I going to do? Those deer forgot they’re not supposed to even be out. They’re supposed to be taking their nap. So I tried to move real slow, real slow. I mean, I could have been used as a speed bump. I moved slow.

And I got around there. And then I tried to move up a little bit because I was sitting down, you know, and I got to get up on my knees because I can’t shoot sitting down. I’m not going to get up on my knees. So I got up and then they saw me and they took off. When they went down over the hill, I jumped up and I looked and lo and behold, there must have been about 10 or 15 of them over the hill.

And I stood up and I saw them things and they started running all over the place and I started a fire and you thought you was in Vietnam. I emptied one clip, threw in another clip and kept on the fire. And I, and I, I was shooting everywhere. Didn’t get one thing. They shocked me. I was shocked. They said you got buck fever. It was not. I was shocked. But anyway, there must be a point to this story, but I don’t have a clue what it is.

See, that’s one of them rabbit trails. As you serve the Lord, you’ll find out you’re gonna get a whole bunch of them. And you’ll think at times they haven’t got no reason, no purpose in your life. Have you ever planned something and then seemed like everything goes wrong? It’s like, Lord, I dedicate my life to you and then expect God to interrupt your schedule. and it seemed like nothing is what you planned or what you thought. Because that’s the way the Lord works.

He doesn’t want you to have it so planned that He can’t move and He can’t work. Trust the Lord to work His will in your life. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin on sin. God loves us. We know that. He hates what we do wrong, but he loves us. And the Bible says for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God. In hell. He loves us wants us to go to heaven and to go to heaven.

We have to be as righteous as God is and none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We cannot save ourselves. God says all our righteousness or is filthy rags. In the words, we don’t have any good. deeds. God says, there’s none righteous, no not one, there’s none that doeth good, no not one. We’ve all sinned and come short of his perfection. So man cannot save himself by his good works. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord, God in the flesh.

Came into the world because he loves us. Hates our sin because it separates us from him. So Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die, but because he loved us and our sin separates us. He took away that which separates us and paid for them to cross. Paid for all the sin of all the world. You see, God did all of this because of how close He wants to get to us. But see, He can’t get to us because of sin.

Christ paid for it, came back from the dead and said, if you and I, if we would believe that He did it for us, this payment He made is put to our account and we are joined together with the Lord. We are in union with Him. we have eternal life and we’re going to heaven whenever we die. That’s the best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head, bow, and every eye, close, no one looking around.

Or if you’re watching by internet, I pray that what I’ve said makes sense to you. That you’ll understand that the Bible is true. Jesus Christ is who he claimed to be. He does know the future. He fulfilled the scriptures. He came and he died to pay for our sins so that by faith alone we can have the free gift of eternal life. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I pray that you would do that right now. So in the quietness of this moment, would you just talk to the Lord and say, Lord, I don’t understand at all, but I know I’m a sinner.

And I believe Christ died and paid for my sins, and I’m going to trust Him as my only hope of going to heaven. Friend, you can’t earn it. It’s a gift. Would Would you receive it? Would you believe it? He says, some believe, some would not believe it. Nobody’s going to make you believe it. That’s something between you and God. But if you’re making that decision, I’d like to know and I’d like to have prayer for you. So I’m going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand.

Raise your hand. Just let me know that what I said made sense to you. I’m not going to have you forward. I’m not going to embarrass you. But I’d like to have prayer for you in closing. Is there any one at all before we close? Yes, God bless you. Anyone else? If you trust Christ right now as your Savior, God saves you right now and gives you eternal life and He’ll never cast you out and never lose you. Remember, if you’ve already done it before, you don’t have to do it again.

Anyone else before we close? Anyone else? Our Father, we thank you again for your blessings. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. We pray, Lord, you will, to be done in the lives of each person here. And we’re thankful that we have your word that we can read and study it. Work in our lives. We thank you for it in Christ’s name, 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 Bible line 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 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.