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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 able to the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue 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 BibleInemistries.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. As you know, it wasn’t long ago that we did so many things that when I got ready to preach most of my time was gone. You rejoiced, I remember that. So do I do all of that again? Well, I don’t think so. Take your Bible and turn quickly with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 16.

1 Corinthians chapter 16. You and I, one of these days, are going to give our final words, our final words. I remember in the Old Testament when Jacob laid dying, he called in all of his sons and he gave him a final word. You know, some people get that chance to do that, to give that final word. Some people, they just die like that and well, we never know at what time we’re going to go home to be with the Lord.

But I wanted to give you something that the apostle Paul that wrote most of the church epistles what he said toward the end of them as though it might be the last time he ever wrote them a letter. But I want you to look there in 1 Corinthians in chapter 16, looking verse 13, he says, Watch ye stand fast in the faith, quit you like men.

Quit you like men, quit like men. Those men don’t quit. At the camp we had the tug of war. John John tried to encourage everyone. Don’t worry about the water. Don’t worry about the mud. Now of course he wasn’t going in it. But it says you hang onto that rope and you don’t let go and you fight with every ounce you’ve got. And even when they start pulling you in, you just keep fighting. You fight all the way through.

And somebody, some of those kids literally did. I thought there was going to drown as they went through the mud. I was just glad none of their heads were under the water. Or John, John would have said, hang on, hang on. You only got one hour to go under there. But the key was learn to fight, to learn the struggle, learn to give it all that you have. And as men, this is what we ought to do. He says this, be strong, be strong.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of God’s children were strong in the Lord, in the spiritual warfare, that the devil couldn’t stop you. Nobody could stop you. You made up your mind. You’re going to fight to the finish. And we’ve only got a little bit maybe a little bit further to go. Most people quit right before victory. You may be down right now, but you’re not out. Always get up and keep struggling and fighting. What I mean say that it means just don’t quit and give it don’t give up on God.

You do all that you can, trusting the Lord to do all that God can do because there’s things God will do that you can’t do. but he won’t do for you what you can do. Remember that. And he makes this statement here in verse 14, let all of your things be done with love or with charity. Look in this verse here, I want you to see this, it’s called it so important. In verse 16 that ye submit yourselves under such and do everyone that helpeth with us and labored.

See we always try to make sure that people understand salvation is free. It’s a gift. You don’t have to labor. You don’t have to work. You don’t have to struggle. You have to do anything. Why? Christ did all the work. But when He saved you and gave you eternal life and left you here, now He wants you to work. So you don’t work to be saved, but we work because of service. And our labor for the Lord is our way of saying, thank you to the Lord for what is done for us.

And it seems like all of God’s children ought to be thankful for what is done for us. And notice what he says there in verse 18, For they have in get this refreshed my spirit and yours. There are people who love to encourage one another. Did you know just by the fact that you served the Lord, you encouraged somebody else? You said a ride in wine and pine all the time and mown and groan. You are such a discouraging individual.

Did you know that? Nobody wants to be around somebody. It’s always negative and down in the mouth and whining about something and always complaining. I don’t want to be around people like that. I really don’t. Neither do you. Well, why would you want to be one of them? them. Because you know people don’t like that. They want to be around people that are honest, have integrity, have character, and they stand strong. They know what they believe. They got confidence.

They got boldness. They’re positive. They’re encouraging. Isn’t that what you want to be? That’s what the word of God tells us. And so as you go down through here, it makes these simple little things toward the end of the book. Take your Bible looking 2 Corinthians, Corinthians in chapter 13. Second Corinthians chapter 13 and look there in verse 11, verse 11, where it makes a statement, finally brethren, farewell be perfect or be mature, be mature, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace.

You know why he says all of this? Because this church had every problem you could ever think of. They were in each other’s throat. God’s wonderful children. 14 major problems in this church alone. So he closed after he wrote him a stinging letter. He said, be mature. that the beginning of the chapter three, he taught that you’re carnal, you’re babes in Christ, you’re whiners, you’re divisive, you’re critical, you’re bitter. He says, be mature, be of good comfort, be of one mind living peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Remember, the God of love will be with you because you mature and you’ve got one mind and you love the brothers, you do the things God wants you to do. And the God that is the God of love, the God of peace, the God of joy, the God of whatever God is, He can make you. A lot of God’s people don’t stop to take the time to find out what God says. What’s the final word? Okay, Paul, after you didn’t said all this for 13 chapters, wrap it all up for me.

In verse 12, I remember one time I told the kids to stand up and give me their favorite verse in the Bible and this girl stood up and said, this is mine. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I didn’t trust that girl. Some people are always looking for a special verse, whatever. Greet one another with a holy kiss. In verse 14, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all.

You see, there’s so much peace and joy and love that God wants us to have in this world. In the midst of all of our problem, all of our trials. But you see, some kind of Christians forfeit so much in their life. When you go away from God, did you know you’re asking for trouble? Did you know you can’t win against God? You can’t win. It’s a losing fight. It’s a losing battle. What a dumb strategy.

Hey, what a fight somebody come on. Come on, come on, I’ll take you. Come on, come on. There stand at the nut. You know how I built up my muscles? I used to fill the bathtub full of water and not pull the plug and then fight the current. Okay. Turn to the book of Galatians in chapter six. Galatians chapter six. Look, I mean, in books we are all covered so far. Because we’re covering the wrapping up part of it.

We’re forgetting all of our little details, and let’s just get to the conclusion of the matter. You see there in chapter 6, look in verse 17. Paul says from henceforth, from now on, let no man trouble me. Don’t trouble me. What he’s talking about is because there were people who were trying to add works to the gospel. And some of God’s people were being moved. He says, I marvel that you’re so soon removed from him. They called you into the grace of Christ into another gospel, which is not another.

But there’ll be some that would trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are an angel from heaven, preaching to you any other gospel than that which we preach unto you, let him be accursed. Please don’t trouble me. Don’t accuse me. He says, I have suffered for the cause of Christ. The message, the clear gospel, is offensive to people. It causes problems. And so you want to add a little work to it because you don’t want the problem.

You want to have a message like everybody else. There’s probably people that wish Yankee would add just a little bit of leaven to the gospel. Because we might double our size of our church. We might get a lot more people come here if I wasn’t so heart-headed, well blessed be God, I am. I am heart-headed. I am rock solid on what this book says and I don’t care to add in any human works into the gospel of Christ just so that we can raise the dough.

Look what he says, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Some of these people that camp, they actually bore in their body some of the marks of their sufferings that camp. I mean some of them got scant knees and some of them banged up their feet. I think little Michael Arroyo had a scar above his eye chasing some girl I think. I don’t know. No it’s not true. But we had a lot of fun, but there was a few little bumps and bruises along the way.

But then that’s what life is all about. You’re trying to teach people these things. I told them how they had this one little ledge on this year tree. You stand there and you cross your hand and you’ve got to face the tree and you’ve got to fall backwards into the arms of your teammates and trust them to catch you. I wouldn’t do it. I thought, I’m not going to do that. Because I just know that there’s somebody who would just love to see the preacher fall.

So it is a great step of faith just to fall by. I remember one time Lee Stanford was at our church, Dr. Stanford’s not, he was speaking for me. And he had his wife come up on the platform and he had her stand there and he went behind her. He says, no, honey. going to demonstrate faith to the audience. I’m going to stand behind you. You don’t know how far back I am, but I’m going to catch you. All I want you to do is just close your eyes and fall backwards.

She says, not on your life. Isn’t it wonderful that you can trust the Lord Because you know he won’t fail you. Look at Ephesians, a book of Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians chapter six. And look at verse 21. Verse 21, you didn’t know this, but the apostle Paul had affairs. Now when you we say that today, it don’t sound good. But look what the Paul says here, in Ephesians chapter six verse 21, but that he also may know my affairs and how I do.

And Tychicus, he says, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord shall make known to you all things. In other words, Paul said, I want you to know what I’ve been going through. Sometimes it’s good for people to know, hey, you’re not the only one. You remember the story of Elijah? He says, I’m the only one left. Nobody’s left to serve you, but little owe me. And that woman, Jezebel, scares me to death. I just gonna go out here under the dinner retreat.

I just wanna die. And the Lord says, why don’t you shut up? That’s in the Hebrew. Says, I’ve got 7000 that haven’t biled the need of Baal. You’re not alone. You’re not the only one. You ever think nobody knows the Lord but me? Nobody serves the Lord like I do. Yeah, maybe they shouldn’t. But he makes this statement here in verse 22, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, a purpose. Get this, you ought to underline this in your Bible that you might know our affairs.

He might comfort your heart from me to you. I want you to know what I’m going through, what I’m facing, what I have to go through in my life, but he wants to come there and he wants to comfort you also. So it says in verse 23, peace be to the brethren. Love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Why we always have to tell God’s people about having peace and grace and love and joy?

because sometimes that’s the last thing we have. People are not yielded to the Lord as they should be. You know that those are the things that describe the character of God because they are the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not plural, it’s singular. If you get one, you’ll get them all. If you get one, you’ll get them all. It’s amazing how it works. But now notice in the book of Philippians turn over there to the book of Philippians and look there in chapter 4 Philippians chapter 4 but look in verse 1 he says therefore my brethren dearly been loved and long for my joy and my crown you often wonder well when I get to heaven God’s gonna give me a crown you know the crown may be some of those people that you led to Christ

I don’t know how it’s gonna work I really don’t know well I’ll talk about five different crown I I can’t even say, I don’t got one head. I’m not gonna wear five crowns, I don’t know. There might be a way that God talked about. He says, in every man shall receive praise, honor and glory. Well, that could be three crowns. To crown you with praise, to crown you with honor, to crown you with glory. Because see, down here, you may give up a lot of that for the cause of Christ.

Everybody wants something. Everybody want to be something, do something, achieve some great thing. Everybody to know who you are and what you’ve done. But you may have to become a dedicated nobody for the cross and be behind the scenes. Let me just mention this to you. I’m in the limelight all the time, but did you know if it wasn’t for my wife I couldn’t do what I do? She works behind the scenes. When they had to go to the emergency room, my wife goes to the nursing, she goes to.

When they had to stay up late at night, I don’t care who it is, she’ll be up late at night. She has to be up early in the morning. She would watch the little kids, she said, help, so that the adults could go to the meetings. I hardly ever hear her complain. She just does the job. She works behind the scenes. But there’s other people that always got to have, hey, it’s me. Look at me, it’s me, here I’m him.

Oh, you don’t quite get it. God says, if you do things for the praise of men, you have already received your reward. Now, if you want it from God, then you have to do it for him. But if you’re doing it for yourself, do you think there’s a God in heaven that knows the difference? He knows, he knows your heart. That’s why if you do it for him, it’ll be real. You do it for yourself. It’ll be hypocrisy. It’ll be a show.

So keep that in mind. And then I want you to see this verse. Look over in verse 13 and verse 13. He makes the statement, I can do all things through Christ which strengthen it mean because whether it’s a lot or a little rich or poor bountiful or empty. It doesn’t matter. Paul says in whatsoever state I am, I have learned to be content because Christ’s strength in its name. So when you’re really down and you don’t have any money, let Christ give you the strength you need to keep going.

And when you’ve got money, you better learn to trust the Lord instead of your money. You know the Lord give it and the Lord, take it away. And you’d be surprised how fast he can take it away. And so he makes a statement here and I want you to see that. Looking for 18. He says, but I have all and abound. I am full. Having received of a paparotius, the things which were sent from you. So there were something at the church there in Philippi.

They had sent an offering. They had sent some monetary goods to meet Paul’s needs. You see, when he makes a statement in Philippians 1 and verse 6, look at that very quickly. Be incompetent of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform until the day of Jesus Christ. You see, the people here, they were giving to meet the necessity of the Apostle Paul to carry on his work. And he says, I am confident God will keep performing through you.

And so as you read the chapter, he saw that I want fruit that will abound to your account. And to these people, he had made the statement, yet you’re the ones that he says there in verse 19, but my God shall supply all of your need. Why? Because you are supplying my need. Did you know you can become so stingy? And you’re afraid of investing in the Lord’s work. You’re afraid to give. Well, I got paid this and I got to pay this and I got to pay that.

Did you know that you’ll have more if you learn the art of giving? If you’ll learn to be a channel of blessing, remember the little illustration I gave you one time? I prayed to God and God gave. And I shared. And God gave and I shared. And God gave and I, well, I keep the man. And God gave and I, and God, God? Amen. Heh. You got this? You thief? God didn’t give things to us to hoard, but to love and to care and to share.

And if you will be a channel of blessings, you’ll continue to receive. But you’d be surprised how much has been taken away from God’s people because they stopped trusting God. They become afraid. There’s a verse in the Bible in the book of Job where Job says, That which I have feared has come upon me. And you’re afraid of a place of on the loose, so I become stingy. Now it’s when you begin to sow. If you sow sparingly, you will reap.

Sparely if you sow bountifully, you’ll reap bountifully. See, it all depends on how much confidence and trust you have in the how mature are you. So that’s why he’s talking about let’s be mature. Now take your Bible and turn there to the book of Colossians. Hey, we’ve been here before having me. Colossians in chapter four and look in verse 12. Colossians chapter four and And look in verse 12, I want you to see what he says about this. And verse 12, he says, Epaphras, who is one of you a servant of Christ saluted you.

Look at this. Always laboring fervently for you in prayers. you know praying is a work prayer is serving the Lord labor prayer isn’t the easiest thing in the world it takes time and effort to read the Word of God it takes time and effort struggling through a prayer for somebody because that’s the most difficult time to focus and stay focused because your mind wonders. You see because every time you start praying for somebody, the devil comes up and sprinkles some of this little space dust over you.

Make you a spacey. You can’t think. You can’t hold your thoughts. It’s a war. Did you know you can accomplish more for God through prayer than any other form of work? Well, I never try it. Try it. Learn to pray. Did you know that God may be working in your life to teach you to pray because it forces you to go to Him when He has got you at the point of despair. Face is born. And get the last part of that verse.

That ye may stand mature, complete, and all the will of God. That’s what he prayed for and he worked at it. Barbarantly prayer. Prayer should not be an excuse. First serving the Lord and doing other things that God wants you to do that you should not do. Well look in verse 13. For I bear him record that as he had a great zeal for you and then that are in Laodicea and them in Hyruleopolis. You see when you see the word Laodicea, it’s usually a word that goes toward the book of Ephesians, the people there, the church and Ephesus.

But you’ll notice that you may stand, that you may stand. If there’s anything that a preacher wants is his people to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. When you hear different philosophies and so forth, you’ll say, I know what I believe because the Word of God says, blah, blah, blah, blah. Turn your page there if you’ve got a notes show for reference. Bible, looking for 16, where he says, and when this epistle is read among you, cause that be read also in the church of the Laodicean’s inephesus and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicean or the book of the Ephesians.

In other words, I’m sending one to you and one to you. You make sure you get their letter and you make sure you get their letter and they were to pray for one another and to encourage one another. Wouldn’t it be neat if everybody did everything they’re supposed to do. But what is that in verse 17? And say to Eric Chippeter, he said, take heed to the ministry which thou hath received in the Lord that thou fulfill it. Now, stop and think for a moment.

What is the ministry that God’s given to you? What do you believe God wants you to do in your life? See, that’s one of the reasons why you studied the Bible so you can do what God wants. Because if left up to you, you’ll just do whatever comes in your mind. And then after you didn’t live your life, what did you accomplish? But when you do that, what God wants you to do, he says, fulfill it. Do it. The little Nike commercial, just do it.

Just do it. Do what God wants to do. Somebody had a shirt on the camp and it just hadn’t, I just do it. I don’t remember who had it. But I saw it. I’m looking for his 18. The Sagutation by the hand of me, Paul, remember these words, remember my bonds. You see, Paul had more freedom in jail than most people do out of jail.

You see, in the book of John in chapter 8, in verse 32 and 34, when he talks about, if you know the truth, the truth will make you free, but if you don’t know the truth, then you believe a lie. If you believe a lie, you’re captured by it. If you’re captured by it, you become its servant. You become the servant of sin. When you become a servant of sin, you become a slave to sin. The majority of God’s people are slaves.

You’re not free. You’re only free when you’re obedient to God. Otherwise, you become a slave to habits that you shouldn’t be a slave to. You’re slave. 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 2 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 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 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.