This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 Bible-ign 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. Now take your Bible and turn all the way over there to the book of Ecclesiastes. In the Old Testament the book of Ecclesiastes. And right after the book of Proverbs you’ll find a little bitty book called Ecclesiastes. Now Ecclesiastes is a book that has a lot of good stuff in it written by Solomon, the Prince of Preachers, and well, he writes a lot of it as though he was a man under the sun and as a lost man, as a man that doesn’t know God or doesn’t know spiritual things.

How would a natural man look at life? Well, the book of Ecclesiastes will give you that picture. And in spite of all the wisdom that he had and all the wealth that he had, the conclusion that he came up with was everything is vanity and vexation of spirit. In other words, vexation is like a curse upon you because you can work hard and make things, make money and get possessions only to leave it to somebody else who didn’t work for it.

In other words, if you knew when you was going to die exactly, you’d make sure you spin it all before you died. But usually when you get a good butt, you say to yourself, self, take down knees, eat, drink, and marry for tomorrow, you die it. And so young, play the fool’s game. And then there might be a God in heaven that says, thou fool, this day thy soul is required of thee. You see, what does that mean? God says, times up, what?

Not yet, not now. Do you know, there’s sometimes there’s things that I wanna do so bad. I hope God doesn’t come back yet. And there’s sometimes I would say, Lord, I’ve got so many things I wanna do. So many dreams, not yet. Don’t take me yet. Now, when I get up to, you know, I was age, I may not care. But not yet, it’s like there’s so much it can be done. I love excitement and adventure. I love stepping out as though you’re walking the plank.

And you don’t know what’s gonna happen, am I gonna drown or is this big old whale gonna get me? Or maybe you’re a shark. But a lot of people are afraid to walk the plank. They’re afraid to get out on a limb, But I don’t know how limb is where the fruit is. And so you don’t know how it’s gonna end, but you know you don’t wanna play it safe. You don’t wanna stay on the land. You wanna walk on some water.

You wanna see if God can cause you to float. Can God keep me afloat? Can God do this for me? I love the adventure, the excitement of putting God to the test. The leaving that he wants to do something wonderful and great, and I’m just thankful that I can be the object of his love, an object that he might be able to use. So you study the book of Ecclesiastes and you see that yes, there was a man who God had blessed with all the wisdom in the world and he was doing fine for a while and then he got old.

And when he got old, he played the phone. You know, a lot of people do that. They think it doesn’t matter anymore. And so, yeah, vanity and vexation of spirit. But look there in Ecclesiastes in chapter 10. Most of you ladies in here especially use perfume probably perfume. Why do you wear perfume? It smells good. And everybody wants to smell good, don’t you? But look there in verse one when he talks about your life. God wants you to be a sweet smelling saver in his nostrils.

It means he wants you to smell good. Do you know what makes a Christian? smell bad? Sin. Sin in a Christian’s life makes you stink. Ooh. Dead flies in the ointment. I remember Bill Butter work. He wrote a song. He called it Dead Flies in the Ointment. Dead flies in the perfume. Now ladies, if you had some perfume and had dead flies in it. Would you still use the dead flies in the ointment? Something that’s supposed to smell so good can stink to high heaven.

When it comes to you as a Christian, there’s things in your life that you’re supposed to be aware of. In Ephesians in chapter 5, he talks about spots upon your feast, your love feast, spots upon your garments. It means that like we’re in a white robe and you’ve got dirty spots all over it. And there are things that causes spot or wrinkle. And God doesn’t want anything that detracts from your life. That would cause somebody not to believe on the Lord or to look to the Lord or to trust the Lord.

In other words, always be examining yourself. And you do that with the Word of God. The Word of God is a mirror that you can look into and it shows you, hey, you got dead flies in the ointment. You got spots on your garment. You got something in your life that needs to be cleaned up. And this is what the Word of God does. And so he says there in verse 1, dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to sin forth a stinking smell of that paraphrased.

But that’s what he’s talking about. And then you go there to chapter 11, and he talks about you as an individual learning to sow that you might reap. And he says, casting forth bread upon the waters. And after a while, you’ll get some soggy loaves back. No. See there in verse 1, cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days. You invest now because you believe that return is guaranteed. I believe that if I invest in the Lord’s work, I’m going to get a great return better than the stock market, better than buying gold or silver or anything.

You know what I have invested in for 50 years? People, I invest in people. Because I want to invest in something that’s in this life that will live beyond this life. And gold won’t, silver won’t, the stock markets won’t, people will. I don’t want to be a success at something that won’t amount to a hill of beans a hundred years from now. So you have to make choices, decisions. The word of God gives us discernment. So you can make wiser choices.

Some people get it and some people don’t. But look what he says. As he makes the statement down here, even in verse five, as thou knowest not, what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her, that is with child. Even so thou knoweth not the works of God who make it thaw. There are things that God can do that you do not understand. You can’t see inside the mother’s womb and watch it grow.

Now today we’re getting a little bit more technology, but you see there are things that are hid from our eyes. of the things that are hid from the… Eyes of God’s people is how God works. We haven’t fully understood all of it. Only that he does work. But he has revealed some things in his word, but he also makes a statement in Deuteronomy. He said the secret things belongeth unto the Lord. God doesn’t tell everything. He doesn’t explain everything.

He just simply wants us to trust Him. And so I want you to see this down here in verse 9. Rejoice, rejoice, oh young man. In thy youth, let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth. Walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes, but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. You go ahead and do why you’re young anything you want to do, but one day you’re going to get old and you’re going to reap what you sow.

Look in chapter 12. We are going to get old, but remember what gets old is the body. We are inside of a house that’s getting old. And there’s the body and the soul and the Spirit. But remember the body is what makes us world conscious. You know, we see and hear and touch feeling all those things. And we have the soul which is you and God, believe it or not, God wants us to be happy. He wants our bodies to be healthy and our spirit to be holy.

So God wants His children to be healthy, to be happy, and to be holy. So He gave us a body, a soul in the Spirit. So as you go through life, understand, there’s things that you’re supposed to do for the body in order to maintain the body. And if you put wrong things into the body, it’d be like putting sand into the carburetor. Trump’s not going to run right. And the motor doesn’t run right if you don’t maintain certain things.

Somebody was just talking about changing in the oil in their car, how they loved it. But you see, you have to maintain things. And it’s a physical thing, but you live in a physical body. And if you do away with the body, you have to move out. It’s the only house you have to live in this world. So you’re and I have a choice. So with the body, the Bible makes a statement. Glorify God in your spirit and in your body which belongs to God.

Who does your body belong to? Belongs to God. So your body is loaned to you and to me just while we’re on the earth. And so we’re supposed to faithfully do what God wants us to do until it’s time for us to go home. You know the scripture I read last week about in the book of Luke and he talked about the things concerning, well, not a hair of your head will be destroyed. Of course you might die. And it says that some of you will die.

And then he says in two verses down, but not a hair of your head will be harmed. So while I’m laying there in my casket, my body is dead, but my hair is still continuing to grow. Isn’t that comforting? But I do believe it means that when God is using you, He says that these things will happen for a testimony that God can preserve you and not a hair of your head will be lost or harmed or hurt in any way until God’s through with your testimony.

Then He may let you die or whatever it is. I’ve always believed that my life is in his hands, and he’s the one who wants me to have a testimony, and I believe I can do that until he’s ready to take me home. So it doesn’t matter what happens in life or the things that people say and do, you. As long as I serve Him, I am invincible. I am almost like a superman. Let’s who are you until God is through with you.

So serve the Lord with all your heart. With whatever you have, wherever you are, and trust God to do that for you. Now look what he says in verse 1 of chapter 12, remember, remember what? Now by Creator in the days of thy youth. Because see if you go the other way and you do whatever is right in your own eyes and do whatever you please, there’s a day coming when you’re going to suffer the consequences. But look what he says, while the evil days come not because the longer you live, the more evil days you’re going to have.

Even in the book of Psalms, Psalms 90, which I use a lot of times at a funeral, when it talks about it teaches us to number our days and to apply our hearts unto wisdom. Because you see, he’s talking about you’re going to get old and if by three score and ten, in the years, but what if you have four score, another 10 years on top of that, then there’s still a heartache and sorrow, still a heartache and sorrow, and you’re still gonna die.

So regardless of how long you lived, but the longer you lived, the more evil days you’re going to have to face. So before those days come, do what you can. Why you can’t? Because you don’t know how long you’re going to live. You’re living in a body that’s temporary. So he says, nor the years draw night, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in him because the time may come. And as you get older, you may not have as much pleasure in the days that you have coming down the road.

Because you know the older you get, next thing to know, most of us, we got to figure out what doctor did I go to today? What feels I have to take this week to stay alive? Now I’ve got, you know, this happens and that happens and that happens and that happens. And you don’t have the pleasure that you used to have because you can’t do the things you used to do. So when should you give God the best years of your life?

Or it’s kind of like a teenager getting a Camaro that’s got beautiful fresh rubber tires on that car. Soorry burned the rubber off them tires, but the faster he runs the rubber off them tires, the sooner they go bald. And then the tread starts to show. Now instead of going 90 miles an hour, he has to go 20 miles an hour. He’s going to have to blow up. It’s learning how to pace your life for the long haul so that you’re not like a shooting star and it’s all over with, but you’re in it for the long haul.

Learning how to be patient. Don’t expect God to do everything all at once. Learn to walk with the Lord, not sprint. You sprint, you don’t last long. There’s a lot of people, they start off like a rocket and then they fizzle just as fast. I would rather after 25 years and 35 years and 45 years and 50 years to still be going, even when you get old. But I know time-wise things are going to come to an end sooner or later.

Either I’m going to die or I’m going to be a miracle and live forever down here. I don’t think so. But, what he says in verse 2, while the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain. In other words, serve the Lord why you can before you get old and you can’t see good. Because the time comes when you’re not going to be able to see as good as you once did.

I can say this, I’m thankful to the Lord that I can stand here and read my Bible. I can read every word of it without my glasses. I like that. But some of y’all look fuzzy out there. I’m not even sure who you are. I’ll put on my glasses. Oh, that’s you. But you know, what causes that? I don’t know. You know what I got in both of these ears? I’m going to say nothing. Wax. I got hearing aids to help me to hear a little bit better.

Well, look there in verse 3, in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves. When your body gets old and you get bent over, you can’t walk like you used to. The grinders, your teeth cease because they’re few. And those that look out of the windows be dark because you can’t cease a good. The doors shall be shut in the streets when the sound of the grind in is low and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird and all the daughters of music shall be brought low.

No, we can’t. I can’t hardly hear him anymore. You be surprised the price you’re going to pay for living to be an old. But you’re supposed to use the time that God has given you serve the Lord in the days of thy youth. Why you’re young. Do all that you can because the day will come when you may not be able to do all that you’d like to do. And then when he makes a statement he goes through here says a lot of stuff.

But looking for seven, then shall the dust return to the earth as it was? The Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” So you see, you, you, you are important. You are specially designed by God. You have that mind, the will, the intellect, the emotions, that which makes you, you. Aren’t you glad there is Is it anybody in the whole world just like you? You are different. And yet we’re all the same and there is no difference, and yet you are different.

God said so. You are specially designed by God. And the body is going to come and the body is going to go. You will live forever. You’ll exist forever. You may exist in hell or with the Lord and live with the Lord for all eternity. But see, it is the Spirit that makes you God-conscious. You’re God-conscious. You don’t see dogs getting together for a prayer meeting. Or no horses, they bow their heads before. Well, they do bow their heads because they eat and they hate.

But I mean, they’re not praying. As far as I know, so you read the Scriptures and you find out that God had a plan. He designed a man in a particular way. He did not evolve. He didn’t come from some one cell to Miva, some jelly protoplasm, some big bang theory. He was created by God, made a special way. God understands man. And God has taught us in His Word what He wants us to understand about God. And it is sufficient for us to live our lives the way God wants us to honor Him.

So he makes the statement down here, look there in verse 12, and further and further. By these my son be admonished of making many books, there is no end. Much studying is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, keep His commandments, this is the whole duty of man. And it says, this is the whole duty of man. It means that there is a God and there is a duty, a responsibility.

And if there’s a responsibility, there is accountability. Verse 14, for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. And that’s the same thing you read in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10 and 11. Until God has many things for us in His Word. And it’s to teach us that the Word of God is powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divided asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discern of the thoughts and the intents of the heart, and of the joints and the moral, the body.

God designed us, the Word of God can discern you. And that’s why it’s like a living book. And when you read it and study it, God will reveal Himself to you in a way that it cannot be done no other way. This is the way. This is what God wants. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. The wall of represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us, but He hates our sin. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from the Lord in a place called hell.

But God loves us, wants us to have eternal life, wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. ourselves. We can never do enough good works to ever pay for our sins. We can do enough good works to pay for one sin. That’s why we needed a Savior. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh.

He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin did not have to die. So He came into the world. He took all the sin of every individual, paid for it on the cross and came back from the dead. See, the payment for our sins has been paid. When you and I believe that He did it for us, He gives to us His righteousness.

And if He gave me His righteousness, that would make me as righteous as God. I go to heaven on His perfection, His righteousness that He gives to me. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God in Romans chapter 3. So when you accept Christ as your Savior, you are accepting not only a payment for your sin, you are accepting the righteousness of God. And that’s why you go to heaven. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed, every eye closed, and no one looking around.

If you’re watching by internet tonight, and we know that we have many people that do, and we’re thankful for everyone of you. But friend, we want more than anything else in the world is for you to trust the Lord. Or if you’re in the auditorium, if you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, understand, God loves you. He sent His Son to down the cross for you to pay for what you did wrong. And He says, if you’ll believe He did it for you, He would give you as a free gift everlasting life.

And you get to go to heaven on what Christ did for you. If you trust Him, He will save you. Would you believe that? I pray that you will. We had about nice clothes and no one looking around. You never trusted Christ as your Savior. Why not right now in the quietness of this moment? Say, Lord, I know I’m a sinner and I believe you. Dad, on that cross, I’m paid for my sins and I will trust you right now as my Savior.

And pray if you’ll do that, God will save you, give eternal life. And I’d like to know it. I’d like to have prayer for you. So is anyone at all before we close? Yes, pray for me. Just let me in very quickly and better back down. They want it all. Our Father, we thank You so much for this time together. We’re thankful so much for the payment that Christ made for the sins of the world and for the free gift of eternal life.

We also pray, Lord, for these that are hurting. But Lord, some things are in Your hands and we have to leave them there. And we just commit ourselves to You and our people. And we know we have to be patient and and trust you to walk with us and show us the way. Help us to be wise. Do what we can, while we can. The day will come when no man can work. But until then, help us to work with all our heart.

In Christ name we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 Broad 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.