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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 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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Take your Bible and turn to John chapter 20, John chapter 20. And I want you to look a few verses with me in the book of John because a lot of people don’t seem to get it. If you believe, you will receive if you believe. So if you believe what he said, you’re supposed to get something. And just from the gospel of John, I want you to see what he had promised. But in John chapter 20, look there in verse 24, John chapter 20 and verse 24.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, thrust my hand into a sight I will not believe. But you know what they said? We have seen who. We’ve seen the Lord. That’s interesting. In verse 26 he says, but after eight days again his disciples were within and Thomas with them and then came Jesus, the doors being shut, stood in the mist and says, Peace be unto you.

Then said he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold my hands and reach hither thy hands and thrusting it into my side and be not faithless but believing and Thomas answered and said unto him what a wonderful teacher you are. You are a trailblazer my Lord and my God. In verse 29 he says Jesus said unto him Thomas because thou have seen me, thou have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen yet have believed. Now I’d also believe that that could be a reference to us, oh, he’s on down the road, you know, that we’ve never seen it yet.

We believe it. But he says equally as good as seeing it is reading about it because he says we have a more sure word of prophecy and as Peter made the statement, and he says, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We saw him, we heard him, we touched him. As it says in the book of John, 1 John chapter one, but we have something better than that and that’s the word of God. Look what he says in verse 30, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book.

But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life through his name. So this is the reason that it was written, the whole Gospel of John. We sometimes call this the God’s heaven track. And so it’s used so much for evangelism and for the preaching of the Gospel. But take your Bible in turn to the Gospel of John in chapter three, the Gospel of John chapter three.

And if you don’t have some of these verses marked in your Bible, it would be good because to show somebody certain verses of what God promised. And if you’ll notice there in verse 15, whosoever, that’s an open invitation to anyone, whosoever does what, believe it. That’s all he has to do is believe, should not perish, but have eternal life. So in verse 15, what do you have to do? Believe, and what will you get? Eternal life. So when you say I believe it, then you should also be able to say I have it.

If I believe it, I have it. I believe it. I have eternal life. Now looking verse 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever opened invitation to anybody in the whole world whosoever, believe it. See that’s the only requirement. And if you do that one requirement, what should you expect? to get everlasting life. You will not perish means you will not go to hell but know that you have eternal life. Look in John 3.36, this is a very good verse.

I’ve used it a lot of times, a very effective verse. In verse 36, he that believeth on the Son, hath, present tense, hath, right now, everlasting life. How many times is God have to say something for it to be true. One time.parser Look how many times it says this in this one book alone. And the only requirement is that we believe. Something so simple. And when he uses all the words, it’s to make misconplicity of the gospel. So He makes a statement here in verse 36, He that believeth on the sun hath everlasting life.

And he that believeth not the sun shall not see life but the wrath of God abided the form. So God’s wrath abides upon those that do not believe. Now, I want you to look there in verse 18 of chapter three. Verse 18 lets you see that the only reason a man is condemned is because of unbelief. In verse 18, he that believe it on him on Christ is not condemned. That means you’re not condemned now. You won’t be condemned later.

And there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ. So you can’t be condemned today. You can’t be condemned tomorrow. You can never be condemned. And the reason is because you’ve already passed from death under life. You see, his death was put to your account. You’ve already died. So when you trust it, Christ is your Savior. God says you passed from death. And the Word is at verse found. John chapter 5 verse 24. Look there in John chapter 5 verse 24.

We’ll get to it in just a minute anyway, but I just, not sometime I just can’t wait. Looking verse 24. Verily, verily. Where are those words before somewhere? Verily, verily, I say unto you. He said, I see unto you, he that hearth my word and believe it on him that sent me. Now some people who believe in lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle evangelism, say, what is that? Well, I’m just going to live so holy and so godly that people will walk up and say, you know, you look so much like Jesus.

You act so much like Jesus, I just want to know what makes the difference. I’ve been waiting 70 years and nobody has done that yet. So how many people do you think you would witness to if you wait for them to ask you because of how holy you’re living, they want to know what makes the difference? I would venture to say you will not witness to many people. So lifestyle evangelism isn’t what it’s about. It’s he that hereth my word, not he that seeeth my life.

Now does that mean that I’m not for a person having a good, clean life? Yeah, because you don’t want that to block what you have to say. You don’t want people to dismiss the message because of the way you live it. I believe God uses the man and the message and the motive. It all goes together. And you don’t want to say or do something and live in such a way that would cause people not to believe what you have to say.

But that’s not lifestyle evangelism. In other words, I’m just going to let my life speak for itself and people will just get saved because of how holy I live. No, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Did you know that even a rebellious person can witness and lead people to Christ because the power is in the message. But that doesn’t mean that you’re going to build anybody. See, winning somebody to Christ is a very easy thing to do.

It’s not as hard as building God’s children strong in the Lord. That’s where the work comes. Because that requires faithfulness, consistency, discipline in your own life. And so a lot of people never really build anybody strong in the Lord because they’re not strong themselves. So you really, you produce after your own time, Whatever you are is what you really produce. So you’ll notice there in that verse 24, he says, and believe it on him that sent me half everlasting life shall not, that means in the future.

See over there in the other verse we looked at in John 3, 18, you’re not condemned. Now here in the future you shall not come into condemnation. means that I can’t be condemned in the future. Well, if I can’t be condemned in the future, I must be saved forever.” Do you see that? And he says here, and shall not come into condemnation is passed from death and the life. Because you can’t condemn a dead man. He’s already dead. And you died in Christ.

Now, take your Bible and look there in John chapter 4. John chapter chapter four and look in verse 10. And just look at the words that are used here. You know, Jesus had said, I must needs go through Samaria. He knew that that woman was coming to the well at a certain time. He knew what kind of a woman she was. And I believe he knew that I need to talk to this one alone without all those other disciples there.

Because sometimes, you know, too many people gang enough on somebody that doesn’t look good. just everybody ganging up and everybody preaching to them all the same time. He makes a statement in verse 10, Jesus said unto her, if thou newest, the gift of God, and who it is that sest in the thee give me to drink, thy would have asked of him and he would have given thee living water if you only knew, if you just knew who I am and what I have, you would ask.

And a lot of people don’t know who he is and don’t know what he has and that’s why they don’t believe. So that’s our responsibility to present Christ to the world. And the woman in verse 11 said to him, sir, dah, has nothing to draw with. The well is deep. Where are you gonna get living water? And he says, if you drink the water that’s in this well, you’re gonna thirst again. But he says, I’ve got some water that once you drink it, you never thirst again.

You see, what is that teaching? eternal security eternal life Water that once you take a drink you never have to drink again because you see there in verse 11 though I mean verse 12 art thou greater than our father Jacob which gave us the will drink there of himself his children his cattle Jesus and said it to her whosoever drinketh of this water shall what? first again So he’s going to show her something that’s in contrast to that. What is in contrast to that?

Water that you never thirst again. In other words, it satisfies from now on. I had a drink of this water 51 years ago. And because I had a drink of this water 51 years ago, I’ve never had to take another drink of water. Now we’re talking about in salvation, always keep things in this context. So in verse 14, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall what? Never thirst shall never thirst. So there is a difference.

And see the one up there you’ll thirst again. That’s the salvation that the false teachers offer. You get saved today and get thirsty tomorrow. You’ve got to get saved again. You see, you’ve got to keep getting it over and over and over again. Or you can get thirsty again. It means you get lost again. You’ve got to get satisfied again. No, no, no. Mine is one time. One drink satisfies forever. But look now at the next one. Look in chapter 5, chapter 5 and verse 40.

Chapter 5 and verse 40. And look how simple it makes the verse. says in verse 40, you will not come to me. You just say you won’t go to church, or you won’t give your money. No, he says you won’t come to me that you might have life. So if I go to him, or what should I expect to get? Life. But if I don’t go to him, I won’t get life. Because he’s the one that has eternal life.

He is eternal life. That’s why when you get Christ, you receive eternal life. But it’s so simple. It just makes it so easy to understand. And why some people get so all balled up on this stuff, I have no clue. Well, except there’s no devil out there to kind of blind the mind. But anyway, look at the next verse. Look there in John chapter six and verse 35. John chapter six and verse 35. Verse 35. He’d already rehearsed to them about the bread, the manna in the wilderness, where he talks about, you know, they ate this bread, angel bread.

And I’ve had Devil’s Food Cake, but the bread came down and they ate it, but he says, they’re all dead. They all die. So what’s he trying to say? There is the bread that will not give you something that his bread will. So in contrast, there’s temporary and there’s permanent. Hank Lindstrom had a good sermon on how permanent is your salvation. Anybody ever heard of that? Probably a million people. And and yet it’s a it’s on a CD. It’s great.

We still send it out. But how permanent is your salvation? It forever. forever. And as you look at this scripture and you make the statement in verse 35, and Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He that come up to me shall never hunger, never hunger. He that believe it though me shall never, what does the word never mean? Well, slap my mouth. That sounds like forever. Never, never So once you entrust Christ as your Savior and you eat this bread, you will never hunger again.

You drink this water, you’ll never thirst again. Well what’s talking about? What’s the purpose of that? To show you how eternal your salvation is. Christ taught eternal security. Christ taught once saved, always saved. And we ought not apologize for that or be timid about that but be bold about that. And And it doesn’t matter if everybody asked that question, oh, you mean you just think you can just trust Christ, is your Savior, give you eternal life, and then live like the devil and still go to heaven when you die.

Yes, I do believe that. Most assuredly, I believe that. You mean you believe you can just go out here, live like you want and still go to heaven? Yes, a thousand times yes. Should I? No, but I can. This is a powerful message. And don’t be intimidated by what you think somebody else might misconstrued it. Christ said it and he knew what they would think because they did. And so that’s why many of them walked away from him. The Lord says, Peter, because it’s obvious, he says, were you also going?

That’s in chapter 6. Because what he taught was hard for them to kind of anchor on. They couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t see it. And he even gave from illustrations and they couldn’t see it. He said, well, we believe that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God. And I believe in we know we have eternal life and so forth.

But this is all taught right here. And once you have it, God says you cannot, cannot lose it. See there in verse 37, just look in verse 37, he says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that come up to me.” Look what he says. I will in no wise cast off. That’s what he means when he says when you eat this bread, you’ll never hunger again. Because I will never cast you out. You won’t have to do it again.

When I trusted Christ as my Savior 51 years ago, do I ever have to do it again? How many times can I get saved? There’s some people think they can get saved, you know, over and over and over again. You can’t get saved twice. How many times have you been born into this world? I asked a man that one time, he said, oh, many times, I believe in reincarnation. I said, have you been born again? He said, sure.

I’ll try not to use that exact phrase that way anymore. I asked one guy, I said, where are you Where are you going to die? He says, Tennessee. Okay. Not everybody’s on the same wavelength. Sometimes you got to find out, you know. That’s why when you talk to somebody of different religions, always ask them, say, would you define your term? When you say eternal life, what do you mean? When you say grace, define your term. What do you mean by grace?

Half everlasting life. Define that for me. What do you think that really means? Don’t always tell them. Get them to define their terms. You’d be surprised how they’ll walk right into it. Because they don’t fake it through. When it says, not of works. Would you tell me, what do you think that means? When it says, it is the gift of God. What do you think that means? And some that they can’t explain it. But anyway, looking verse 39, verse 39 is so important, it goes right along with that.

This is the Father’s will which have sent me that of all which have given me I should lose nothing. He’ll never cast you out and he will never lose you. Anyway, I want you to look there in verse 47 where he says, very, very I send to you, he that believe it on behalf everlasting life. What’s the requirement? What do you have to do? According to this work, what do you have to do? Believe and if you did believe what would you have?

When would you have it? Right now when you believe it see the word of God and see like I’m doing this to you. That’s what you do to the lost man You get him to see it Sometimes I’ll misread the verse where he makes the statement like in verse 37 I will in no wise cast you out unless you send again. I’ve had some babies to see that I knew it was in the Bible I said look it’s not there.

I added that oh Now some people don’t like to be tricked either. I’ve had some of that. But anyway, as we’re moving right along here, I look there in chapter six and verse 50. Chapter six and verse 50. For he makes the statement, this is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat, and look at the next word, not die. You eat this, you will not die. You know, this is similar to what he was telling them back in the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis.

You eat through of this tree, you shall die. And you eat the fruit of this tree, you shall live. Because there was a tree of life. And the Bible says that he had to put angels out there to guard that tree lest they eat of that tree and live forever in that condition. Would it be a shame to live like you are and like I am with an old symphonic forever? Man, I, well that conjures up a whole bunch of questions in my mind.

You don’t want to go there. Take your Bible and look here in verse 58. Now in verse 58 where he says, this is the bridge which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth of this bread shall live for how long? So you see the contrast. You eat this, it doesn’t last. You eat this, it’s forever. Christ is trying every way he knows how possibly, and he’s the Lord, And I believe he uses the best illustrations you could ever use because who can use them better than him?

He knows everything. And this is what he’s teaching. This is the Lord. This is what God said. Anyway, all the way through, you’ll find out it’s still the same simple thing. Now I want to do this. Take your Bible and turn to 1 John chapter 1. 1 John and chapter 1. You do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ He says you have eternal life and that you can’t lose it. He’ll never cast you out You can know that you’re going to heaven when you die And that’s a wonderful thing Look in verse three first John chapter one verse three He’s 13 21 in a go-go Bible verse three says now Now John that wrote the gospel of John is also used by the Lord to write this.

Now look what he says. You see over there it’s just believe, believe, that’s all you got to do. Well now he’s talking about something else. Now we’re talking about fellowship. We’re talking about your communion with the Lord. We’re talking about your walk with God. And he’s talking about here, he says in verse 3, that which we have seen heard the We declare we unto you that ye also may have an underlying this word because this is one of the keywords in the whole book.

Let you know the purpose of the book of 1 John right at the beginning. We’re not talking about salvation in the book of 1 John. Though it does let you know that these things have I written unto you that believe that you may know you have eternal life. This is about fellowship. So he says, may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ. Look at there. Our fellowship together, depend upon our fellowship with Him.

If we’re not right with Him, we won’t be right with each other. And when Christians can’t get along with each other, because one of them isn’t right, or maybe both of them with the Lord. If you take care of it this way, this will take care of itself. Because if I love him, I will love others. But if I don’t love him, you’re not going to love others. And then you won’t care about your testimony. You won’t care about the things you say and do.

You don’t give you hurt somebody. You don’t give you a fand. It nothing matters. But when you love the Lord, it changes everything. So now we’re not talking about how to get to heaven. We’re talking about your walk with the Lord. So he says here in verse four, in these things, Right we unto you to the believers that you’re what your joy May be pulled, but your joy in the Lord Depends upon your walk with the Lord So he says there in verse 6 if we say if we say We have fellowship with him and walk in darkness or after the flesh we lie and we’re not doing the truth.

We’re not obeying the truth. We’re not living the truth. But in verse 7, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. So if I walk in the light as He is in the light and if I’m walking with the Lord then it’s easier to walk with you. So our church will be as strong as our fellowship with God. If you’re not right with God, you will not be right with one another.

It won’t happen. And that’s what causes people sometimes to be bitter and hateful and mean and critical. It’s a dead giveaway that something’s missing between you and the Lord. Now you may know the Bible and you can quote it backwards and forward, but if your fellowship isn’t right with God, it’s not going to be right with people. You’re not going to have a forgiving spirit. You’re going to have a condemning spirit. You want to destroy and pull down instead of trying to help and build up.

It reveals an awful lot. You see, this is talking about your walk with the Lord. And that’s why I made the statement in verse 8. If we say we have no sinful nature, which we do, we deceive ourselves. Because that’s the only way you can walk in the flesh is because you still have no sinful nature. So what should we do? See there in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

So verse 9 is in the word of God to the child of God because sin in your life is going to rob you of your joy. And that joy is because you don’t have the fellowship between you and the Lord that you ought to have. Now when I sin against my Father that affects my walk with the Lord. That affects my joy. That affects my peace of mind. That affects my blessings upon this earth. So I want things to be right.

So he says here in his word, if you look there in verse nine, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is for your walk with your Father. So can I still sin after I’m saved? Yes. Do I go to hell? No. The judge of all the earth is cleared me. I can’t pay that penalty. Christ did that for me. But in my walk with the Lord, if I don’t do right, then it My Heavenly Father.

And so I need to keep things clean between me and my Heavenly Father. 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 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