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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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Alrighty, what’s a good subject to study tonight? Colossians! Wonderful, that sounds good to me. So take your Bible and turn to the book of Colossians. I wonder what is hiding in here tonight. You know, there’s a lot of things in God’s Word, and you never get all of it and understand it all. You just get a little bit here and a little bit there and then later on you’ll go back and read it and you’ll say, Why did I see that?

Why did I see that? Because that’s what it is. It’s a treasure house. It’s got all the wisdom and so forth then and things that God wants us to know. I as a pastor can’t teach everything. Revealed in these scriptures. All I do is try to hit highlights a little here and a little there and try to put it together and then try to always say something that helps and challenges you and gives you a little comfort. Sometimes if you’re too comforted, I like to take an irritate you a little bit.

Just to kind of stir you a little bit. They always say the good preacher afflicts the comforted and compers the afflicted. So hopefully we’ll do a little bit of that. Now in chapter four of the book of Colossians, you know the very first verse I believe is probably broken in the wrong place because of manmade chapter divisions. Because it goes through chapter three and it talks about the husband and the father, you know the wife and the children in the servants and then it talks about the masters.

And so if you take the masters up there and put it with the other part over there, like in verse 22, servants obey in all things, then in verses 1 of chapter 4, masters give your servants. So I believe it belongs to the other play. But notice the Bible seems like it just touches a little bit of everything. And did you You know that when God says all of these things about husbands, you know, love your wives and wives, submit yourself to your husbands and children obey your parents, servants, what are they we have employers or employees, you know, somebody’s over, somebody embosses somebody around and you got to listen and do what somebody tells you.

All of this deals with the subject, as he says in verse 1, thinking, heaven. Keep your mind on heaven while you love your wife. Keep your mind on heaven when you submit yourself to your husband. Because God says in doing all these things, whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all unto the Lord. Because you’re thinking about the Lord. And God says that whenever you obey what I’m telling you, he says you’re serving the Lord. God says that he’s keeping the book and he’s going to reward you for what you’ve done.

So that’s why I died in verse 25. Look at that. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he have done. So in that verse, there’s like a chastening, a payment. If you disobey God, you cannot live as you please and get away with it. Oh, we try it. But the verse right before that verse 24 talks about the reward. So see, if you serve the Lord and obey Him and you obey Him by submission and most people don’t get that.

Submission is the key. Today everybody wants to rebel and do whatever they want to do. We don’t like anybody telling us. But notice what he says in verse 24. Knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. When husbands love their wives, they are serving the Lord. And when the wife submits to the husband, she’s serving the Lord. So when she’s not obeying her husband or submitting so forth again, you’re in rebellion.

You’re not just in rebellion to you. You’re in rebellion to God. When children don’t obey their parents, they’re in rebellion to God. And they need to see that it’s a critical thing. It’s not just a, you know, it doesn’t really matter. Yes, it does. It makes a difference between rewards or getting a blistering from God. So he says there to the masters. Tell you how to treat those that work for you. Masters give unto your servants, that which is just and equal.

No one that ye shall also, you have a master in heaven. Why should I be careful what I do? Because I’ve got somebody just ruling over me. Oh, I’m the pastor. I can do anything I want. Oh, really? I thought I was gonna have to answer to God too. I got to answer to God. Did you know I can become a mean old dictator, but there’s a God that’s gonna deal with me. and that scares me to death. Everybody, every man and every family, the husband can look at it and say, I’m in charge, I’m gonna be a dictator.

And a lot of them are, and they rule by the law, and the law does what? The law kills. The spirit give up life. And that’s what encourages the wife to enjoy her position, is when the man does like he’s supposed to. But now look what he says in verse two. This is interesting because it’s talking about prayer. All these things it tells us, think heaven, then he lays down all these responsibilities, and then he says, you’re gonna need to pray.

You’re gonna need a lot of prayer. So it doesn’t matter what you do, what your position is, whether you’re the man or the woman or the child, or the master of the servant, it doesn’t matter. It’s wherever you are, whatever you do, you better do a lot of praying, because you’re gonna need it. In verse two, continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. In other words, why you pray, watch. Always watching how you’re going to respond in the area that God’s given to you.

And are you obedient or disobedient? Are you challenging God’s authority by challenging the authority that’s over you? You better watch. It’s not a game with God. And many people bring upon themselves consequences that they don’t want, but they don’t even know what they’re doing. They’re planning corn and they’re expecting roses to come up. And it won’t happen. But now look what he says, there’s about four things mentioned here. And each one of them, well, it talks about the mouth, the mouth.

Do you realize the tongue, the things we say reveals all of our attitudes? You see when he talks about Oveter in verse 8 of chapter 3, but now you also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth, lie not one to another. You see all these things reveals the mind your attitude How you’re thinking So when he comes over here and he says you’re gonna need to pray because regardless of the position you have You always have a reason why we can lose it.

We’re always under stress because somebody’s expecting something from us and We don’t know whether or not can I deliver? There was a lot of pressure being a wife. That’s what they tell me. I wouldn’t know. A lot of pressure being a child. There’s a lot of pressure kids going to school. I used to hate going to school. There was bullies. Even when I was in the 14, 15, 16 years old, I was in a fight. It seemed like every day I was in a fight.

I don’t remember ever starting to one of them, but I was fighting all the time. You walk down the hallway, and if a couple guys are coming this way, And if your eyes made contact too long, you got troubles. You’re gonna have a fight. They’ll be waiting for you on the school guard. I was in a fight all the time. I’d get on the school bus and somebody pick a fight with you. I just looked like somebody that somebody wanted to beat up on.

And so I was always in, you know what I did one night? I had enough of it. I went downstairs and I took that great big old iron poker that we had to kind of flip all that hot coals in there and stir them up a little bit. And it was a big old heavy iron bar that put it in there. So this one kid, he says, I’m coming after you. I’m going to get you after school. So as soon as they get off the bus, I went to the house called, know him and his friends coming to the house, they’re coming to get me.

So in mama, I never saw mama. I saw her on the weekend. I went downstairs and I got a hold of that bar. I’m ready. I didn’t know it took time to build up muscles. I thought I’d just done it. We anyway, they met me down at the bottom of the hill and we got in the fight. Bloody nose, scratches, cut. And I’d go in time, I got a kid and I was trying my best to kill him. Oh, I was going to try to crack his neck.

It was just all the time. I’d go of the golf course. The golf course, just so I can make a few dollars, you know, and I’d come in and I’d look down there and there are some kids that are waiting on me. They’re going to take my money. I just went and worked for three and a half hours carrying two golf bags, 18 holes. And my my shoulders are run like blisters and I finally get through and I come down there and I’m not going to get out of it.

They’re going to take my take. I didn’t done it over and over again. They take my money. I’m all right if I can find a couple friends that might be there when I get in but most time they’re out caddying so it never worked out and I’m here. I come and they come up get hold of me and they take my arms and hold me. they take my shoes off and they throw them into the creek.

Oh, I’m not so mad. I wanted to kill. I’m talking about I was angry. Malice, whoo. I never swore. But if you wrote it down, I would have probably signed it. But I would get so angry. Because of what they did and then take my money. And I didn’t work all day. And they just take it. And laugh, laugh when they did it. One day I’m sitting in the catty shack, minding my own business like I always do. I don’t want to bother nobody.

Just when Guy walked in there and he had a golf ball. And he looked over at me. He threw the golf ball and hit the concrete floor and bounced up on the wall and he catch it. As soon as he did it, I know what he’s going to do. He started on that corner. Catch it. It wasn’t long before he had to bounce in right there and right up there. And then he thought over there and bounced up there.

I said, he hits me, I’m on killing him. I didn’t know anything about the Lord now, I understand that. I said, one more time, and he bounced that thing and it hit right here by saw my head. He laughed, he thought it was so funny. He threw another one, hit me. Before he could catch his breath, I jumped up and I got ahold of him and I actually had him on the concrete and I had him by his ears I was banging his head on the concrete and some guys come around his buddies and I’m banging their buddy on the concrete.

It wasn’t funny. I was scared to death but I had enough. But that shows you what anger can do to you and be venge and after a while you get stuck in a rage you don’t care. I don’t care what they do to me. I’ve had enough of it. But this is what you got an old-send-phone nature, buddy, mine was really good. I mean, he was really alive. And so they all got to hold me and they drug me out of the little caddy shack, drug me outside.

And I fought six guys in a row. I had to fight all six of them in a row. And I was wiry, but I was like a piece of rebarbe. I was skinny as a rail. First thing I’d do is I’d go for their neck and I’d get them in the cross, and I would squeeze it. And I don’t care if they’re biting my ear, pulling my hair, picking me, I’m going to squeeze until they can’t breathe. But we always had a discipline about us that if you give, I give, I give, I give.

Okay, that’s it. The seventh one had me down by the creek. He had my head under the water and you can’t breathe under there if you didn’t know that. You know that there’s no air underneath the water. And I thought, I’m going to die. This guy’s going to kill me. He wasn’t as big as I am, but I already I’m so tired, I can’t do nothing. And he was pushing my head under the water. And a bigger guy came by and stopped him.

And anyway, they let me alone that day. But that would happen all the time. I would just get so sick and so tired of it. And I got to where, you know, it made me a bitter individual. I didn’t have a dad. I never saw my mom, because she was always working and she worked at the nightclubs. And so I did not grow up with parental care.

I had, even after I trusted Christ as my savior, my biggest thing I had to get over is this revenge idea, given even with somebody who does me wrong. Now you’re not like that, I’m glad you’re not like that. But I would get angry and very angry. But look what he says here in verse three. He says, well, they’re all praying also for us. So pray for yourselves, pray for one another, and Paul said, pray for us. Where was Paul?

He was in prison. He’s in prison. He says, pray for me. He says that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds. I’m in prison. And Paul just wanted to have an opportunity. You know the devil says whenever he gets you boxed in, I got you now. I got you now. You can’t do anything. Look at some of the wonderful letters that Paul was able to write.

From prison and yet it’s blessed people for 2000 years. So did the devil, did the devil stop Paul? Not really. He used the time and he would write. But what I want you to see, something very important here. When he said, the speak, the mystery of Christ, of which I am also in bonds. Now so you don’t try to find there’s something really mysterious here in this verse. Not really hold your place right but look there in Ephesians in chapter 6.

Ephesians chapter 6 Look what he says there in verse verse 19 Because you’ll see in just a moment. He says the letter that I wrote to you I want you to share it with the people in Laodicea and that’s The the church their Ephesus, but look what he said in verse 90 and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the what? The gospel. Over there the mystery of Christ, the mystery of the gospel.

You see, this is a truth that is beyond the reach of natural man. Man always adds works to the gospel but the truth of the gospel. This truth is that there’s nothing like this. It’s by special revelation that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and have given unto us the ministry of reconciliation. What a ministry. There’s such power in the gospel and he says, I want y’all to pray that I’ll have the boldness to open my mouth as I ought to speak, that I make known what is the mystery of Christ.

Now you’ll understand a little bit more when you studied the book of Colossians in chapter 1, where it talks about that on the right hand page and left hand column down toward the bottom chapter 1. Then anyway, go back now to the book of Colossians in chapter 4. He says in verse 4, he says that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Well see, that’s the same thing we just read over there. That’s why studying the book of Ephesians and the book of Colossians together really feeds one another.

explain one another. It gives you a little bit more of an insight. There are two churches and looked at from two different points of view, but look what he says here, as I ought to speak. Everybody can speak, but to speak as you ought to. Oh, that’s a different story. I want to show you a verse that that will help you. It will really help you. Look in John chapter 1, John and chapter 1. It’s about Christ. I never saw this before and I started, you know, looking at it and thinking about it.

And I thought, I think there’s more here, and I’m not getting all of it, because I would read this verse here in verse 17 of chapter 1, for the law was given by Moses, like grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. I often wondered about that verse. And then when you look in verse 16 where he says, and of his fullness have all we received in grace for grace. I really had a problem trying to figure out why that stuck in here.

I mean, it seems like it doesn’t fit there. And I got to thinking, when you understand the law, the law has no mercy, the law has no grace, the law has no love, the law has no forgiveness, the law has no life, the law kills. That’s what Moses gave. So if it’s going to show us something in contrast, it must be everything the law isn’t. And in this sense, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. See, it’s one thing to say, the law is truth, but the law is not grace.

It has no grace. It demands the death penalty. It has no forgiveness. But whenever you think about Jesus Christ, He is truth as truth can be. He can’t be any more truth than what He is. He is the truth. And it’s one thing for you and I to speak the truth, but to speak the truth as we ought to speak, he says you need to be full of grace. That’s why he talks about your speech being seasoned with grace.

In other words, be ingracious. And how you say things. Buddy, if I had to try to work on this, this is not the easiest thing in the world. Don’t you know that most times, whatever you say, it may be right, you may be right, but the way you say it may not be right. And because of the way that I am, you know how, well that’s the way I am. It’s wrong, you’ll see. I mean, here’s a thief. He gets saved.

It’s so easy for us to say, you know, the thief’s and well, you know, I’ve always been a thief. Now I’m saved and I want to serve the Lord. But I can’t stop being a thief because that’s what I’ve always been. And you know, that’s just the way I am. So you know, you don’t expect me to change, do you? You want to serve the Lord, but you don’t want to stop being a thief. Now you don’t have to stop being a thief to be saved.

But if you want to serve the Lord, you might I have to think about that. Well, that’s just the way I am. You know, that’s not acceptable. Well, what about here? You go to Africa and you become a missionary and you win a headhunter to the Lord. You know what a headhunter is? That’s somebody like to cut off people’s heads. Maybe eat the rest of the body. I don’t know. It’s a cannibal. Cut off your heads. Okay, he trusts Christ as a savior.

And you say, you need to dedicate your life to the Lord. All right, I’ll do it. But now you’re gonna have to give up. Oh, I can’t give up my head, honey. Because see, that’s just the way I am. I’ve always been like this. You don’t expect me to change, do you? Now you may expect the thief to change and you probably would expect that headhunter to change, but here you are. Well, all you’ve done is lie and cheat and steal and feel what pride and anger and bitterness and hatred and all those things.

But you don’t expect me to change, do you? Do you believe that God wants His people to continue as they are after they’re saved? Or do you think that getting close to God studying His Word should change a man? I believe it should change a man. But if I don’t change, I’m still saved, just as saved as I’ll ever be. I do not believe in evidences of salvation. I believe I’m saved because God’s word says that and it doesn’t change and that’s my point of contact.

Are you seeing this on the radio? For that point of contact, pick your hand and put it on the radio. If you want to have a point of contact, put it behind the radio and touch the wire. You get a point of contact. But anyway, look again at that verse, verse 17, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. It’s not enough just to say the truth. It’s important how you say the truth in grace. In the book of Ephesians and chapter 4 says, speaking the truth in what?

In love. So it’s not just a matter of, well I know right. Yeah, but I don’t do right. Go back there to the book of Colossians chapter 4. He says, as I ought to speak, verse five, walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time. So whether it’s believers or unbelievers, you’re supposed to walk in wisdom. Walking in wisdom concerning those that are without is giving them what they need and that’s having the boldness to preach the gospel.

Because that’s what Paul is talking about. you do it and then how you do you do it. So you might just haul or somebody you can walk up somebody. Hey, where you going when you die? I’m going to hell. Good. Well, I witness to him. Well, not exactly. That’s how I used to witness. Where you going to die? I’m going to hell. See you there. And I’m, yeah, I didn’t even think what I’m saying. I’ll pray for you. Well, if you go in the hell And I thought you know I could go in here and explain the gospel But I didn’t know how to do it right and that’s why you have to learn look what he says here in verse 6 Excuse me.

I want you to look in the description with me hold your place here and go all the way over there to the book a Ecclesiastes in chapter 12 Ecclesiastes In chapter 12. This is the last chapter So I’m telling I try to use one hand. I can’t I don’t want to let the my pages go So then I won’t be able to find them back But in the book of he pleased the ashes chapter 12 look there in the last chapter on the right hand page and look in verse 9 Look in verse 9.

This is a good little portion of scripture Because it deals with even preachers when they get old, that you still have a purpose and you still have a reason. And it’s important to know what to say and you always working on how to say it. You see they’re verse 9 and moreover because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yet he gave good heed, sought out, said in order, many proverbs. Now of course we know he’s talking here about Solomon himself.

And yes he did get old and yes he had made a fool of himself. But you know you can learn a lot of things and so even when you get old, remember still keep reading, keep studying, keep searching, put things in order helping people to understand. See, that’s one of the things that we do as teachers or workers in various ministries. And look in verse 10. He says, the preacher sought to find out acceptable words. Not just saying things, but trying to figure out what am I saying?

What words am I using? Well, they understand what I’m saying. Remember that time I told you about when I was with Dr. Stanford over there in Egypt and he was up there in Alexandria? And one night, I look over there and Ray has got a light on under the covers. We’re in the same room. I thought, what are you doing? And he pulled the cover down and picked us up at me. He’s 85. He had a flashlight and he was studying the Bible and writing some notes, but he didn’t want to wake me up.

And he was trying to find the acceptable words that he could use at the next day when he has to speak. And I thought, that’s wonderful. is wonderful. Good night. I’m going to bed. But that was Ray. Ray was always doing that, but he was trying to find just the right thing. Now look what he says here in verse 10, and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. So it’s what you’re saying, but you’re looking for the right words.

We’re always struggling for that because words is how we communicate And then he says in verse 11, words are like nails. You ever build a house and you’ve got nails? I want time I asked this guy, he was sitting there, and I told him to get me some nails. And he went over there and he was separating all the nails. And he was putting some on this side and some on this side and some on this side. And someone said, what are you doing?

He says, well, these here have got the head on this side, So that must be for this side of the house and they head on the other side. They have to be for this side of the house So what no that’s as much sense as some people got You and I are to redeem the time Trying to take advantage of everything that we can to try to help people to see and to understand 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 by the line 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 and 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. The 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. Friends, 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.