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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 concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family. Look at verse 13, happy. Happy is the man that finds its wisdom, and the man that gets its understanding. The word of God is where you gain the wisdom. That’s why I want people to come to listen, to learn, study the word. You study the word, you’ll become wiser in your life, because you’ll know what God says to do.

You see, just because you studied the Bible when you was in Sunday school, it’s not going to be sufficient to carry you all the days of your life because we have a fault. The fault is, is we don’t have perfect recall. We can’t remember everything we’ve been told. That’s why we have to stir up our remembrance, stir up our minds, help us to remember one of the reasons that a whole Psalm is written because he says, they forgot, they forgot.

And God says, they forgot. And a lot of times that’s excuse we use when we do, I forgot, I forgot. What God wants to help us remember, and sometimes those bitter experiences that we have is to teach us something so that we don’t forget it so quickly. God allows us to have sometimes deep, deep hurts to help us remember what caused the hurt. Sometimes we make decisions and we say things and we do things and we hurt other people deeply and when we hurt people that we know and love then we also are hurt because of what we say and what we do.

And the deep of the hurt, the longer you remember. So that’s why sometimes God wants you to learn valuable lessons. So He’s always working in your life and He’s given to us personalized attention. But look what He says about this wisdom thing. In verse 14, the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold. In other words, if you have wisdom, did you realize you can buy things for yourself that you can’t buy with gold and silver?

Did you know that he that winneth souls is wise and it don’t take money to win souls? But because you have wisdom and you know that that’s a wise thing to do, that you can win people to Christ and you’ll be rewarded for eternity. Now that reward for eternity is that better than the gold that’s temporary here. So you see wisdom is better than silver and gold and yet how many people give up everything to learn how to make money, how to make money and never learn how to live.

They don’t how to live. You can give some people a million dollars and they can blow it in a month. I like to try one time, you know, just one time just to try, you know. They say that money cannot buy happiness, but it can’t everything else. No. Look at verse 15. She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Wisdom. Wisdom can give you length of days. As he says in verse 16, length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches in honor, her ways, her ways of pleasantness and all her paths or peace.

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her and happy that everyone that retainted her. You often hear teenagers say, Boy, I just want to be happy. I just want to be happy and they think they can be happy doing the things that everybody else does in the world But that’s um Not a happiness at last. And there’s a lot of sorrow with it. And so, as you go down through here, looking chapter four and verse seven, wisdom is the principal thing.

And you have to have principal to work from. You mean that is your core value. The one thing that you have to have to make decisions, because you’re always making decisions, all of life is making choices. Wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all by getting, understand, understand. Understand God, understand man. Understand yourself. Understand life. And then say you’re not so shaken by the things that don’t happen to you the way that deep thank you because you understand.

You understand. You understand that when people get married, They don’t live in eternal bliss from here on out. You understand that. Because you understand they got a no sin for nature, both of them. And they don’t live happily ever after. They might live forever, but I mean they don’t live happily ever after. And people have problems. Kids have problems. You have children, you’re going to have problems with kids. You ought to understand that. You go to work, you shouldn’t expect everybody to treat you with love.

that ain’t going to happen. You should understand what people send for nature. They’re going to do you wrong. But you can live with it because you see, you have something that’s greater on the inside of you than he that is in this world. Something means more to you. You understand. So you can come to church because you understand the reasons why you should. You can support missions or the various ministries and get involved. Why? Because you understand. Not everybody has the same understanding.

They don’t have it. The Bible talks about the horse and the mule that have no understanding. I thought they were pretty smart. To me, except maybe a mule doesn’t. You know, stubborn, rebellious, stubborn as a mule. Is it possible that God’s children could act like a mule that has no understanding? Know anybody like that? Don’t look at nobody. Don’t do that. But451 wisdom is the principal thing. So then he says in verse 8, Exalt her, and she shall promote the…

You know why I want to start a Bible college? Because I want to teach young people wisdom, the wisdom of God. They’re not going to learn this in the average church. they’re not going to learn it. Most of them at home. They’re not going to learn it from all the secular universities at college there are. You’ve got to try to challenge people. If there’s anything that you want to do with your life of any value whatsoever or eternity, you’ve got to know the book.

You’ve got to know the book. So you want to promote wisdom. You have to promote the word. And when you promote the word is because you care about the people. You want the best for them. You want people to make wise decisions because everybody is going to make decisions. And there is a way that seems right unto a man, but it leads to destruction. So the only thing to offset the wisdom of man is the wisdom of God. So that’s what you look for.

Take your Bible and turn all the way over there to the 15th chapter, the 15th chapter. I just want to point out a few thoughts to you here. In the 15th chapter of Proverbs, look what he says in verse 1, a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. Isn’t that a wise verse? Have you ever applied that verse? Have you ever thought in advance? If somebody says this to me, I am prepared to speak very kindly.

And you can determine that ahead of time. Most people, they find out what era takes another person and then do it. Because they know how to make them that. So you make me mad. No. You allowed them to make you mad. They just know that if they say this, you’re going to react this way. Fool them next time. Don’t react that way. So you can’t make me mad. You can’t make me mad. You’re not gonna upset me. And in smile, this is big and pretty.

That’ll really get their goat. You see, you can turn. You don’t have to be a puppet in everybody’s hand. Don’t let people use you. But he also says here in verse 3, look in verse 3, and he says, the eyes of the Lord or in every place. Be holding the evil and the good. Do you think God sees everything that happens to you? People that do you wrong, say wrong things to you or about you? Listen, do you think these verses I’m sharing with you haven’t become real in my life after 50 something years?

You’d be surprised at things that I’ve had people say about me, lies that have been said about me. It doesn’t matter. I know God knows. And then I can just smile because that is a great thing to know. That brings great comfort. It keeps me from getting bitter because I know God knows. I understand. I know that sometimes it’s not just what the people want to do. Sometimes the devil gets the best of people. And sometimes people say things they wish they hadn’t been said.

We’ll cut them some slack and let it go. Don’t make everybody fall down and bow to you and beg for forgiveness. Beggu, dirty scoundrel here. And then give them a whole list of penances they got to do to make up for it. Looking verse 10, correction is grievous unto him that forsakeeth the way. And he that hated reproof shall die. Correction is grievous unto him that forsakeeth the way. Nobody likes to be corrected when they know they’re doing wrong.

They don’t want you to say anything about it. That’s why sometimes people when they want to do wrong, they don’t want to come to church. You know how people don’t go to church? Because they don’t want to. You know how people don’t come to church on Sunday night or Wednesday? They don’t want to come. People generally do what they really want to do. True? Unless you know they got work or their sake or something like that, but most people that you do what you really, down deep, you really want to do.

But a wise man understands that. You understand you can’t make everybody understand. You can’t make everybody love God. You can’t make everybody walk with the Lord. You can’t make everybody do all the things you want everybody to do. Nothing’s going to happen. So you’re thankful for the ones that will. And you just keep feeding and keep trying to do right by those that will respond and love what God’s Word says. Look there now in verse 13. This is a good verse, powerful verse, a merry heart.

Make us a cheerful countenance. See, when you’re happy inside, It’s easy to smile, but nobody likes a phony smile. They don’t like it when you pretend that you’re just, and you’re not. Or if it’s just a show, you know, generally when you have that which is normal, normal. They’re very such a thing as normal. Some people, when they’re really happy and excited, they go way above the line of being normal. And they get all excited and talk a blue streak or whatever it is.

But when they’re discouraged or depressed, they go just as far below the line as they do above the line. You ever noticed that? They are generally the quickest one whose total emotions, their countenance will change and fluctuate like a yo-yo. The best thing to do is learn to be normal in your Christian life. Another way one of the teachers told us this way said be spiritual in your natural life and natural in your spiritual life. So that as you live your life It just seemed like a natural thing to do because it’s the way you really are Because then when you just live your natural life the way you really you don’t have to put on a show You can just be real you can just be you But see whenever you’re too emotional high and too emotional low It’s too such extremes on a consistent basis

Then it’s a sign of an unstable mind. You’re not consistent. It means that you’re confidence in your trust is not steadfast on the Lord. You’re governed more by the experiences of life. Or what people say and do or don’t do. You are manipulated. And that’s why you have to be careful. But anyway, a Instead, you’re not steadfast on the Lord. You’re governed more by the experiences of life, or what people say and do or don’t do. You are manipulated.

And that’s why you have to be careful. Anyway, a cure. cheerful heart make it a cheerful count on this merry heart, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. So sometimes we want to break a person’s will, but we don’t want to break their spirit. Like having a teenager that’s a little rebellious, how to break their will without breaking their spirit, how to get a great big stallion under control, but not break the spirit of the horse.

I love to see people who have a little touch of rebellion. And then by the word of God, see them surrender all that strength of theirs. That’s what we call meekness is strength under control. Moses was a meek man. Does it mean he was a weak man? He was a strong powerful man, but under control. So this is what you’re looking for. Look what he says there in verse 18, a raffle man stirruth up strife, but he that is slow to anger appeases strife.

There’s a verse in the book of James that says, be swift to hear and slow to speak, swift to hear and slow to speak or slow to wrath so that You don’t overreact to something just because you heard something. You wait and you think it through. And always consider that you’ve heard it maybe second hand or third hand or fourth hand. And it may not be true at all. I have been amazed over the years that I’ll have all kinds of email things sent to me.

So what I usually do is I forward it to Eddie. I said, Eddie, check this out for me. And I don’t know how this kid does it. But he can check it out. He’ll find out in about five minutes. He emails me back and says, Daddy, this is junk. Or this is a hoax. This isn’t true. And he sends me the documentations of what he’s talking about. And I thought, man, if I didn’t have him filter not some of this stuff, I would believe a lot of things.

It’s not true. Cause so much isn’t true. And there’s people that are always sending out things. And it’s not always the truth. Some things, oh, I love to get things. Some of y’all have sent me stuff. And I’ll see that in a laugh. Some of you know, I even used it. Some of them, most of the time there would be jokes or something. But sometimes some serious stuff, government stuff, things like that. And I like to see things and know what’s going on.

Because I can’t catch everything I saw. But always be concerned about that. Look up there in verse 20. I want you to see this. The verse before that I preached a whole sermon on the hedge of thorns. pray in a hedge of thorns about your children. But anyway, in verse 20, a wise son make it a glad father. So if you want a wise son, when is the good time to start teaching your son to be wise?

When he’s 30, from the crib, as soon as that child is born, start training him. They usually start training you from the time they’re born. Do you know the kids can even learn to lie and deceive? And all they want you to do is hold them and they’ll make you think, you know, I’m dying and they’re screaming and kicking and they can throw a tantrum and it don’t take long. Who in the world taught them how to do all that?

It just came with their old little body they got. They got no sinful nature. Except my little granddaughter, she doesn’t have one. Look what he says in verse 20, A wise son make it, they glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother. And if you’ll read the first proverb, the first chapter, it talks about sons obey the instructions of thy mother. You see, the daddy usually has to go and provide for the family and the mama gets to raise the kids and they say that, you know, the mother has got to mow the minds of the kids.

And they said, maybe that’s why we got of many mold-minded kids. But the mama is supposed to build the character in those kids. And that’s why he says in that book of Timothy that the woman saves herself. And the childbearing because she gets to teach not the men, but she gets to teach the children. If every mother in America raised those children and loved those children and developed those children, you’d be surprised that difference our country would be. But most parents have not raised their children correctly.

They’re not wise themselves and generally because the generation before them and the generation before them. It would have been difficult from my mother and father to have taught me all these wonderful great Christian principles. Why couldn’t they teach them to me? They didn’t know. They didn’t know. Their parents didn’t know them either. And so it’s difficult to train children and teach children when then you don’t know. And most of the times you get married and you have kids and you’re learning on the go.

You don’t even know what caused it for about 10 years. And then you got children and you’re trying to figure out what to do with them. Make sure you know that I’m gone and got married. And you think, well, when my kids get old enough, men, I’ll just sit back, take it easy, they go get jobs and they’ll come home and bring all that money in here and I won’t have to work. can just retire. Now if that’s how you’re thinking, let me refresh your mind a little bit.

Let me give you some understanding. 99% of the time that ain’t going to happen. They may come back but they’re bringing probably their husband or their wife and three or four kids with them. And you’re going to support them. And you’re going to do all these things for them. And the Bible says in the book of Corinthians, Paul made the statement about it is for the parents to lay up for the children, not the children to lay up for the parents.

And don’t think for a moment, but you do want to be nice to the kids. They may be the ones that determine what nursing home you go to. You laugh. And one of these days we’re going to be old and feeble and somebody’s got to make some decisions for us. But it’d be nice to your wife, too. Maybe you ought to be nice to your husband. And I’m going to get sidetracked here. I can see that coming. But understanding things that maybe you don’t understand about life can be gained through the teaching of the Word of God.

And that’s why it’s so important. You see, it’s humility before honor. Humility before honor. Look at the last verse here in verse 33. In verse 33, the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility. Humility before honor. Humble, submit yourself to the will of God. That is a sign of wisdom. Study the word of God. That’s a sign of wisdom and yield yourself to the Word of God. That’s a sign of wisdom. And you’ll be surprised that as you do so, you will find yourself been able to reap what you sow.

And there’s a lot of scriptures that talks about this one main thing in all by getting, get understanding where you can say, no, I understand that. I remember Christ was given some parables and he looked at his disciples and he says, Do you understand this? And they said, yes, sir. Later on, they didn’t get none of it. It’s so easy to say what you think you understand. But if you understand what God wants you to do, what should you do?

You should do it. If you know what God wants you to do, do it. And if you don’t know what God wants you to do, find out. But you’re not going to find that out in a day’s newspaper, watching Hannity or Rush Limbaugh you’re not gonna find the will of God there Maybe some good advice on things, but not the word of God look up here This hand represent you and me and I just checked before I came over here today.

I was in the office there and I checked There was about last Wednesday night or last Sunday night. There was three to four thousand people that had clicked on the Internet So how many people watching any given time I don’t know Because they may watch for a little bit then turn it off They watch a little bit and turn it off or they see me want to do this and they cut it off Or maybe they listen to the sing and says that’s enough of that in color of I don’t know So sometime maybe they’re people who listen to the whole broadcast and if they do we want them to know this This hand represents you and me.

While it represents sin, we all have sin on us. Not God says that He loves us, He hates our sin. For us to pay for sin is eternal separation from the Lord. But God says He loves us and don’t want us to be separated from Him. Everything God has done is so that we wouldn’t have to be separated from Him. He loves us and wants us to be with Him. But He is a holy God, a perfect God. And He says for us to go to heaven, we have to be as perfect in His right.

as God and none of us are. So God says, you cannot save yourself. We are sinful individuals and we are condemned. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us, hates our sin because it separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. But because he loved us, he took our sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead.

He said, if we would believe that he did it for us, he would put this payment he made to our account and we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. Let’s pray, shall we? With head bow and eyes closed and no one looking around. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you have eternal life, you’re going to heaven when you die. And yes, God wants you to be wise. He wants you to understand why He does what He does.

He wants you to understand that He can use you, but He can’t bless this obedience. He He wants you to understand that. He wants you to understand that this life is short and we’re going to be with the Lord pretty soon. And that He’s going to reward you for what you’ve done for Him. He wants you to understand that. And that your rewards will last for eternity. He wants you to know that. And if you’re here or watching by internet and you’ve never trusted Christ’s or Savior, He wants you to understand that you are a sinner and that the wages of sin is death.

that you are condemned because you’re guilty. But he wants you to understand that Jesus Christ died on that cross, paid for your sins and came back from the dead. And he wants you to understand that if you trust him as your Savior, he will save you and give you eternal life as a free gift. And he wants you to understand that if you trust him now, he will save you now. Would you do that? That’s a sign of wisdom.

Would you be wise? So it has bow nice clothes and no one looking around. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you trust Him right now? And if you will trust the Lord, I’d like to know it. I’d like to have prayer for you. Would you just slip your hand up very quickly and put a rep back down? Our Father, we thank You so much for the opportunity we have to come together as a body of believers and for the things that we get to do and sing and mention people in prayer.

In the teacher word, the reader study it. Refresh our minds. We ask your blessings upon those that are watching by internet. Or there’s a lot of people that are hurting, need answers, helping to understand that you do love them. And we just thank you so much for all you’ve done for us. We commit ourselves to you in Christ name and pray. 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 six o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcasts 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.