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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.

Put in your Bible through the book of Colossians. The book of Colossians in chapter one. Colossians chapter one, I want you to look there in verse nine. For this cause, we also sense the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness, given thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, That is a mouthful. There’s a lot of stuff said right there in those few verses.

When Paul says, when we heard you had trusted Christ as your Savior, we began to pray for you. And we pray that in verse nine, you would be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That’s a good thing to pray for people. So if that’s a good thing for Paul to pray for people, that’s a good thing for you and I to have. Then he mentions in verse 10 that you might walk worthy.

So you have to know truth and understanding and spiritual discernment in order to know how to live. So those two things go together and all of it is because he hath delivered us and he hath sanctified us and pasteurized us. He’s made us pure in the Lord. And he says, because of the payment that Christ made on the cross for our sins. So that’s a wonderful thing for us to have for our life. Know His Word, His will, and then do it.

Now I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke, the book of Luke chapter 14. Luke chapter 14, Jesus is giving them a couple stories here. Verse 16, down to verse 24, he tells about a great supper, and he says that he made many to come. He sent out servants in verse 17 to come. All things are now ready. Everything’s ready. That means nothing you have to do. It’s already. And in verse 18, and they all with one consent began to make excuse.

First said, I bought me a piece of ground, and I must need to go and see it. I pray that had me excused. Another said in verse 19, I have bought five yoke of oxen. I go to test them. I pray they had me excused. Now you would thought that he would have tested them before he bought them. Or when he says up there, I bought me a piece of ground. I got to go see it. Well usually you probably go see it before you bought it.

That’s why it’s called an excuse. It’s not the truth. There are reasons or simply a lie. But then He makes a statement that came back and said in verse 20, another said, I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come. He’s don’t want to tell the truth. He’s already in picked. I’m married a wife. I can’t go. Oh, I could get lost right here. But I’m not. I’m not. I have got control. . . . . . . .

. . I’m going to move right along. So in verse 21, he says, and so that servant came, showed his Lord these things, then the master of the house being angry said to his servants, go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring and hit the poor and the maim and the halt and the blind and the servants is Lord. It is done as thou have command, yet there’s still room. The Lord said unto the servant, go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come.

My house may be filled for I say unto you that none of those men which were bitten shall taste the He said, The Lord said unto the servants, Go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring and head of the poor, and the maim and the halt and the blind. And the servants is Lord. It is done as thou have command, yet there’s still room. The Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come.

My house may be filled for I say unto you that none of those men, which were biden shall taste of mine. of my supper because they wouldn’t come. They don’t get to eat. But everything that we read here is about something already been prepared and they would not partake of it. So he says, get anybody. And generally it’s most of the poor folks. Did you know when you’re talking about salvation, salvation has been paid for and is available to everybody.

But a lot of people people will not avail themselves of something that’s already completed. Everything’s done. All that we have to do to go to heaven is to accept the payment Christ made on the cross for us. And He would give us as a free gift everlasting life. And if it’s everlasting life, it lasts forever. And if it lasts forever, then all you send are paid, where would you go and you die? Well, you get to go to heaven.

So in this little story, He’s talking about something that’s free, doesn’t cost you anything. verse 25 to verse 35 is talking about something that’ll cost you everything. Something free and something that’s going to cost you. But something that’s free is salvation. Salvation is always free. It doesn’t cost you anything. It means you don’t have to perform anything. You don’t have to do anything. Ray Stanford always made this statement when he trusts the Lord. He says the day he trusts the Christ is saved.

He says you mean I can trust Christ is my Savior and and live like I please.” And so go to heaven when I die. And Clifton No Fowler says, that’s a crude way to put it. But God loves you that much. You mean I can trust Christ as my Savior, and live like I please? Most preachers will tell you, you can’t go to heaven if you want to live like you please. And yet, that is the truth of the gospel.

That’s what lets you know then it has to be free. It must be by grace because I can accept it and live like I please. I don’t have to serve the Lord. But when God says if we will serve the Lord, He wants us to serve Him willingly. Not because I’m forced to, but because I choose to. To come to the supper, it was a choice people can make. God does not make people except Christ as their Savior. Once you trust the Lord, God does not make you serve Him.

Now there’s consequences. There’s consequences on those who miss out on the supper too. And there’s consequences for those who know Christ is Savior and do not serve the Lord. But it says if you’re going to serve Him, there’s a great price to pay. See there in verse 28? For which of you intended to build a tower that it’s not down first count the cost. There’s a cost involved. There’s a price that has to be paid. And a lot of people begin, but they don’t finish.

Did you know it takes faith to begin serving the Lord and faith to continue serving the Lord and faith to finish the race? I made it my mind years ago. I ain’t finished yet. I want to serve the Lord all the days of my life. Now I’m not serving the Lord to get to heaven. I’m serving on the Lord because I’m going there. I want to. I do this thing willingly because I have the desire that I want to do this.

So what I want you to do is take your Bible and turn to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 20. Deuteronomy chapter 20. There’s a verse there I want to show you because it’s very important that you understand the principle that is involved. You and I, when we trusted Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us. And when the Holy Spirit indwells us, He is to empower us. He is to teach us, to lead us, to guide us, give us everything we need to serve the Lord.

All God is looking for is a willing vessel, someone who wants to be used. Do you want to be used? the key. But look what he says here in Deuteronomy chapter 20 because not everybody is on the same page at the same level, has the same burden, same desire. The same spiritual understanding and when you’re limited in knowledge, you’re limited in ministry. So not everyone serves the Lord to the same degree that someone else might. Some people are ready to say, look, I want to take the bull by the horns, I’m ready to go and get something done.

And then there’s others says, well, I don’t know. Or would you just help just a little bit? Oh, okay. And little by little, some people get a vision. And when they get a vision, they get excited. then they want to do it. If you’ve never done that and you’ve never caught a vision, might explain why you don’t want to do anything. But once you do, it should be that nobody can stop you because of the burden that you have.

Here in Deuteronomy chapter 20, he says now in verse 1, when that goes out to battle against thine enemies and see eth horses and chariots and people more than thou, be not afraid of them. You see, oh yeah? You mean they’re bigger than me more than me and I’m not supposed to be afraid? He said for the Lord thy God is with thee. Oh that makes it different. See me and God we can handle anything. Me and God can beat anybody.

Between me and God, what were the smartest two people on earth? In the world. Me and God. What I don’t know He does. What I can’t do, He can. Pretty good. So you don’t have to be afraid. Be competent, be bold. Look what he says, and it shall be in verse two, when you are come nigh unto the battle, that the pre shall approach and speak unto the people. And shall say unto them, here, O Israel, ye reapproach this day unto battle against your enemies.

Get this, let not your heart faint. Fear not, do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them. For the Lord, your God, is he that goeth with you with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. So what’s the problem? And then it turns right around and he says something that seems like it’s totally contradictory to this. You see, the Lord has commanded all of us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

But some people don’t want to face that challenge because there’s problems out there, all kinds of problems. And you might lose. There’s people that don’t like to be talked to. They might reject you. You could lose your job. You think of all the negative things that could happen to you. Look how many people there are. But he makes the statement here, some of you are going to have reasons for not going into the battle. But he says in verse 5, what man is there that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated?

Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle. Another man get it. What man is he that planted the vineyard? Half not yet eaten of it. Let him also go and return unto his house unless he died in the battle and another man get rid of it. In other words, a man may not give himself wholly to the battle if he’s thinking about something else. Did you know that you can take a vacation and after about two days you ready to go home?

You ever go see your in-laws? You haven’t seen him in 10 years, but after about two hours you’re ready to leave. You laugh because you know what I’m saying? It’s true. Well, you know that’s the way it is in a lot of things. But you see, there’s some people that, well, it’s brand new, and they’re concerned about their home or they’re concerned about their garden. He says, you know, maybe you’re not ready yet. You need to just stay home.

Because see, we got a big job that needs to be done. We got a war going on. We got to have somebody that can give themselves totally to what’s being done. You’ve got to be able to stay focused and you may not be as focused as you want to be. And so he makes a statement here in verse 7, what man is there that hath betropped a wife and hath not taken her, let him go and return to his house lest he die in the battle in another man take her.

Wouldn’t that be terrible? Now you can understand that. So you know, for the first year they weren’t even supposed to go into battle. to stay home and just please his wife. So that after about a year, she’s ready from the go. And then it says in verse eight, and the officers shall speak further unto the people and they shall say, what man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted, in spite of what God said. Hey, I’ll be with you.

I’ll be with you. See down there, when he makes the statement, I will be with you in verse four. The Lord shall fight. He goeth with you to save you. What are you afraid of? And yet when Jesus told his disciples, they’re in John chapter 14, be not afraid. Be not afraid. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house, so many mentioned, if it were not so, I would have told you. But I go to a prayer place for you, that where I am there, you may be also.

Why are you afraid? People are afraid to step out by faith and serve God. The afraid God is going to fail. You know what he said? I’ll never leave you and I’ll never forsake you. I’ll never leave you. I will not forsake you. Do you believe that? Yeah, there’s a battle that needs to be fought. There’s things that God wants us to do. But some people are not ready to put their hand to the plow because they keep looking back.

In the words of, I want those that can look ahead. those that can follow. He says, and if you are not willing to do this because you love something else more, he says you’re going to be looking back instead of looking forward. And I believe this is what God wants us to do. He wants us to keep doing the things that is right. But he says you’re going to be faint-hearted. He says, look what he says. In the last part of verse 8, let him go and return unto his house.

Lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his because you see everybody influences somebody else. And if you try to make people do something and their attitude isn’t right, do you realize a bad attitude produces another bad attitude that produces another bad attitude? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of God’s people had the right attitude? All of them want to serve the Lord. Did you realize that your attitude is affecting somebody else’s attitude? Did you know that the wife influences the husband?

You just, I didn’t know that. It does. And a husband influences the wife, and the parents influence the kids, the kids influence the parents. Everybody influences somebody. No man is an island unto himself. So therefore, every man is gonna give an account of himself to God one day. So that’s why we’re to have the right kind of an attitude. But God wants those that are of a willing attitude because that’s what God wants. And it’ll work God’s way. Take your Bible and turn there while we’re over there in the book of Judges.

Look at the book of Judges in chapter five. Judges chapter five, God used judges and they would go in through their cycle. You know, they would obey God, bless, and then they would disobey and God whoop them. And then they would be in bondage and then that’s quite a little Lord. And then he would deliver them and then he’d bless them. And then they would disobey and cycle. They just kept going to the cycle. Like they never learned, knowing somebody like that.

Never seemed to learn from what they’ve experienced. And they just keep repeating themselves. That’s why history repeats itself because people don’t learn their lessons. But notice what he says here in Judges in chapter five. There’s a song that they’re singing because God was able to use two women in the previous chapter to deliver them from their enemies. So when they got through they said, let’s sing the song. So it says there in verse one, then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Ebenehulm on that day saying, praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel when the people willingly offered themselves.

I want you to notice something in that verse. You see the children of Israel didn’t want to do anything. Barack was scared to death. So God had to use a woman as a lightning rod, you know, to energize them. And Barack says, I’m not going unless you go with me. So the woman says, I’ll go with you. They had a great victory. God blessed. And so they’re thinking about this because he says they’re in that verse two, when the people willingly offered themselves.

You ought to underline that. See, God wants us, yes, there’s a war, there’s a battle, but to do so willingly, fight because you want to. When I get to heaven, I want the devil to have known who I was. He may know who you are, but I wanna make sure he knows who I am. I don’t want him to have to send his little bitty demons after me. He can send those after you. I want the devil to know that I yielded my life to the Lord.

I was willing to face a lot of battles. And you know, for 52 years I’ve been fighting battle after battle after battle. But the battle is worth it. You see, some people they want to make a six-foot splash in a six-inch mud puddle. You want to wear the medals, but you don’t want to do the battle. Well, when the judgment, see the Christ comes and God rewards you for what you’ve done for them, you’re going to have to have done something.

nobody can make you do that. It has to be real. It has to come from you. You have to realize there is a war. You’re gonna be fighting the devil. You’re gonna be fighting the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. These things that lead you astray offer you trinkets. Remember Jesus when he was tempted by the devil. He offered him the kingdoms of the world and he said no. But the old devil can just dangle up there a few little trinkets for you and I and man we’ll just grab out of instrument our whole life chasing these balloons that just pop and leave you empty.

That’s what happens. It’s all vanity and vexation of spirit that doesn’t satisfy him. Well look down in verse nine. Not in verse nine it says, my heart is toward the governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. So it wasn’t just the people, it was the leaders that willingly offered themselves. You see this is why it’s so very important. I’ve often wondered about the power of the Holy Spirit and things like that in a situation like that.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Numbers in chapter 11. book of Numbers in chapter 11. As you know, Moses had a few problems, about two and a half million of them. How does it like to be Moses? Living in a desert for 40 years, he might not have ever had a filet mignon. I mean, he had manna for 40 years. And we want, look for what they had to go through. But look what he says in Numbers in chapter 11, look in verse 11, Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?

I mean, what you got against me? I mean, what have I done wrong lately? God, why did you do this to me? He was content to be on the back side of the desert with his wife and kids, and for 40 years he was there. And then God said, Hey, I got a job for you. He gave God five reasons why he was not the man for the job. And God had to tell him, Hi, he was the man for the job.

He kept giving one excuse after the other. The book of Exodus of light, he was not the man, but he was the man. And so he says, Wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? What in the world have I done that you did this to me? Well, he says in verse 12, have I conceived all these people? I mean, these are not my kids. Have I begotten them that thou should have say to me, carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father, beareth the second child unto the land which thou swearth unto their father?

When shall I have flesh to give unto all these people? For they weep unto me saying, give us flesh that we may eat. How can I take care of these people? We’re like the will of a wilderness, and they want meat to eat. They’re sick and tired of this manner that you’ve been giving them. And they complain. So here’s Moses. What’s he gonna do? So he says, in verse 13, when should I have flesh to give unto all this people?

For they weep unto me, saying, give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone because it’s too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me. I pray thee out of thy hand. I, he said, if I have found favor in thy sight, let me not see my wretchedness. Don’t let me see how weak I am. Don’t let me see what a failure I am because I can’t provide you giving me a bigger job than I can handle.

You ever feel like that? He said, I don’t wanna see how bad I am. So the Lord told him, says, look, I can solve this problem. So he says there in verse 17, and I will come down, God said, and talk with thee there, and I will take of the spirit, which is upon thee, and we’ll put it upon them. and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee that thou bear it not thyself alone.” He says, you get 70 men together and I’m gonna take the spirit that I gave to you and I’m gonna spread it out among them so that they can help bear that burden.

Did you know that the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament would come up on a person to do the job? And if you wanna have an idea, the difference that it made or you gotta do is read the scriptures Because you see, the people didn’t have the wisdom that Moses had to make the decisions for the people because when you put two and a half million people together, you got problems. If you got a hundred people, you got at least a hundred problems.

If you got ten people, you got ten problems because people are problems. Everyone who has a job is because somebody else has a problem. And we’re all problem solvers. The reason we have churches is because everybody has a problem. Believe it or not, Christ came into the world because the world had a problem. We’re problem solvers. You’re looking for answers. But look what He says. And it says, and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee that thou bear not thyself alone.

So He says, and I’m going to give them some flesh to eat. Verse 20, but even a whole month. He said, I’m not going to give them food just for one day because they kept quite a little submitted. He says, I’m not going to give it to them for a day. I’m not going to give it to them for a week. I’m going to give them meat for a whole month until it comes out their nostrils. In verse 20, and even a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils and it be loathsome unto you because that you have despised the Lord, which is among you, and have a whip before for him saying, why came we forth out of Egypt?

So Moses is to get the people and tell them all of this stuff here. Look at any verse 23. And the Lord said in the Moses, is the Lord’s hands waxed short? In the words, there’s a person who got a problem, but I got a short hand, I can’t reach it. Now God can reach. God can do things because that’s who God is. That’s what God does. He’s powerful. Me and God, well, we can handle anything. Me and God.

Without Him I can do how much? Nothing, but with God, do all things. You are supposed to believe that. The same spirit that was up on Him dwells within us. Did you know you have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of you? And the Holy Spirit is to teach you the word of God to give you wisdom and discernment so that you can know the things that God has for you. Now look what else he says. Luke, verse 25, and the Lord came down in a cloud and spake unto him and took of the spirit that was upon him, gave it unto the 70 elders when he came to pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease.

In other words, God, the Holy Spirit gave them wisdom on how to cancel two and a half million people. See, he was having the deal with them from morning to night. They needed spiritual discernment, understanding spiritual truths, understanding what the word of God said, the law of God, and teaching the people and God enabled them to do it. They couldn’t do it before. You know, I’ve seen a lot of Christians. They limit themselves by their own limited thinking. They don’t realize that when you trusted Christ as your savior, you got a new birth, a new birth with different talents and abilities.

to do things you couldn’t do before. You see, you’re still limiting yourself because of the limitations of the flesh. Otherwise, if you’re only gonna go by the talents and abilities that you have physically, what do you need the Holy Spirit for? What makes the difference? But there is a difference. Did you know the Holy Spirit live inside of you? If you yielded yourself to the Lord, He can teach you wisdom, give you understanding that you can’t get no other way.

It can change your life, and you can’t have the power that you need to make a difference. 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 two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, You can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing 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 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 1030 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. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. The Lord and the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.