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 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 This teaching will be a blessing to you and your family. Take your Bible and just look there in Philippians 1. And look in verse 6. Now there is a possibility of a double understanding of this verse. One is that we know that Christ can do the job that He came to do until Christ comes back in the air for us, which He will.

But in verse six he says, being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you and that good work that was begun in them may not be just referring about salvation, but at the beginning they were supporting the missionary, the apostle Paul. And then because something happens in their church and they stop their giving, they stop flourishing, stop giving and Paul says, I have learned that in whatsoever state that I’m in, whether you give or whether you don’t, I’m going to continue doing what I’m supposed to do.

And so as he mentions as here in verse 6, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform until the day of Jesus Christ. In other words, he believed that there’s a good possibility yet you have now flourished again.” So go back there to the book of Philippians in chapter 4. So he says, “…that now at the last your care of me, your care of me, because evidently something happened, whether or not they turned on Paul, there’s this unity in the church, problems, it always takes its toll.”

But he makes his statement. He says, “…wherein you were also careful, you wanted to, but you lacked opportunity for whatever reason it doesn’t say. Maybe because they just had hard time, they didn’t have money, they didn’t have whatever it was. But he says, I’m not saying this just so that I get something because he made the statement, I say what I say because I want fruit to abound to your account. You see, there’s a lot of people, they may not be able to go to the foreign fields.

No, to go Bible school and become a missionary or whatever, but they work hard and they make money and to make that money took their time and that time took part of their life. So they’re giving their life when they give their funds in order to help somebody get to the foreign fields. Or when they give to the radio broadcast or they give to the youth ministry, they’re giving part of their life so that fruit might abound to their account.

That scriptural, and this is what Paul was talking about, see there in verse 17, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. Did you know that all of our life is about this issue? That whenever we get to heaven, there will be souls there because somebody had fruit. And why were they able to go and to do because somebody supported, somebody helped, somebody gave. Not everybody can just pack up and leave and go and whatever.

And yet some people it will become such a burden to them that they will. And so wouldn’t it be wonderful if God’s people, the church, was able to help a lot of missionaries go to the foreign fields? But look what he says down here in verse 11. He says, not that I speak in respect of what, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, there would to be content. Content means I’m at peace with it. You see, the whole chapter is about how to have peace.

And sometimes we’re at peace if everything goes well. Well, what Paul is saying is not everything went well. There were times when I didn’t have enough. He says, I have learned. Now this is the application of how to think. It doesn’t mean just because you think right, you’re not gonna have things go wrong, but you’ll know how to have peace in the midst of everything that goes wrong. Look what he says here. In verse 12, I know both how to be a based, and I know how to abound.

In other words, when I don’t have anything, I know how to be content. I know how to have peace of mind. And when I abound, I don’t get the big head. I know how to have peace. Everywhere and in all things, it didn’t matter where he went, what he had, what he didn’t have. He’s the same person. Some people can do great if everything is smooth. Do you know that one way to keep from rocking the boat is to keep both hands on the oars?

Keep busy and you don’t have time to rock the boat. You usually rock the boat when you’re not trying to get the boat to go anywhere. You stand up and anything and then boom. Have you ever tried to stand up in a canoe? But you see, when you learn to work together with people and you’re busy doing the right thing, you don’t have trouble or time to rock the boat. And a lot of people, that’s all they do is rock the boat because they’re not busy.

They’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They got too much time under him. If you’ve ever heard this statement on idle mine, an idle mine is what? Devil’s workshop, why? He’s working and he works on you. So he makes the statement, I know both how to abase and how to abound everywhere in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need, but I can learn how to be content in all of that.

Still have peace of mind because you learned how to think, because you understand life, you know that God is with me and He says rejoice in everything. You see when you’re hungry, rejoice. When you got more than you need, rejoice. Just keep on rejoicing. In other words, God likes people who rejoice because that’s their way of bragging on God. God means more to me than a full stomach. He means more to me than good clothes. God means more to me than a nice house and a nice car.

God means more to me. God, if He could take all that away, the Lord is at hand. I still got Him. And it makes so much sense. But Paul said, I had to learn. I have learned. See the in verse 11? For I have learned those are lessons. Those are hard lessons, but you have to learn them. Notice what he says here in verse 13. This verse is why he could have peace of mine. You want to have peace of mine.

See, all of this is about finding peace for the soul, finding peace for the soul, the unity and the peace of God because of what’s going on without the peace of God, what’s going on on the inside, the peace of God regardless of where you are, what’s going on, learning to be content. And so he says, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, strengthen me when I have it, strengthen me when I don’t have it. Strengtheneth me when you give and strengtheneth me when you don’t.

You just learn how to have peace. I can do all things through Christ with strengtheneth me and all these situations. These are lessons that you learn. So he says in verse 14, no, but standing you have well done. That you did communicate with my afflictions you gave to me when I had need. Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me. He’s not talking about cell phones and iPads and all that, you know, and the telephone, the television.

He’s telling me, you didn’t give. You didn’t support my ministry. He says, as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. When I first came to Macedonia, you’re the only ones that helped me. But he started churches and a lot of them. He says, but see, Paul is bragging when he can brag. And so he made the statement here in verse 16, for even in Thessalonica, he sent once and again unto my, what, my necessity. Did you know that a lot of this is the purpose of this book?

Because there’s people who are forgotten a lot of things. But notice what he says. He says they’re in verse 17, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. Did you know one of the things you talk about if a preacher hits on Sunday mornings about Christians ought to give? Did you know invariably there’s always going to be some people there’s that’s all he talks about his money. All he wants is my money and yet if you don’t let them know their responsibilities, you’re failing them because God’s people are supposed to know their responsibility.

So because of that, a lot of time preachers are afraid to ever mention a need and yet you have to do it. So you run the risk of somebody loving you or somebody hating you, but because you want fruit to abound to their account. I want people to support the radio broadcast. Why? Because we’ve had people trust the Lord. It’s a good soul winning ministry. I like camp. I want people to support camp. And I want people to support the people that go to Bible college because they’re going to be soul winners.

And it’s worth it. But there’s a price to pay. You want people to support soul winning ministries. That’s why we want ministries that do that. And we’ve got a lot of work to get to do. But then he makes this statement there in verse 18, but I have all and abound. I am full, having received of Epaphroodius the things which were sent from you an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God. You have taken care of me.

I thank you for it. My needs are now met. Praise the Lord as he says, rejoice in the Lord. And this is what he says. And when And he says verse 19, he’s referring to the people in Philippi at this church because of what they did. This verse applies to the people who give. My God shall supply all your need because you supplied my need. You know I was always told that if you ever need money, it goes so winning.

The money is in the fish’s mouth. You go so winning. You take care of soul winning and take care of missionaries, and God will keep bringing people in to keep things going. But you get to where you don’t have missionaries and things begin to drive people whole of them. Because it’s all based upon souls, people. So he says in verse 19, my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. You met mine, he will meet yours.

You know, there’s even a thing about the tithe in the storehouse. He says, bring me all the tithes into the storehouse and see if I won’t open up the windows of heaven. So what do I mean by that? It’s going to rain. And if it rains, it’s going to cause the crop to grow and everything to grow, the fruit to grow, cows and all the animals will reproduce better. Everything will burn. You take care of me, he says. You know there’s people who they don’t take care of God’s work like you’re supposed to.

And after a while things begin to dry up, dry up in their own personal life. You see, you want to flourish? Learn to give. Learn to give the way God says to and He’ll bless you because of it. And so this is a wonderful statement. Now I have just a couple of things that I wanted to share with you because as you read the book of Philippians. It gives us the thoughts and the intents of our heart. Just like when you read Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 when it talks about, you know, the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword.

There isn’t even to divide in a sundure and so forth enough, the thoughts and the intents of the heart and so on. But as you read the book of Philippians and he talks about the people that he led to Christ and how precious they word to him and then all the things that happen to him. So this is a few of the things that if you wanted to write them down you can. I believe they are very helpful to you.

And that is number one the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts. And that’s what we have been studying here in the fourth chapter. The quality Of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts. If you want to raise the quality of your life, raise the quality of your thoughts. Learn to think the way God wants you to think. You see, if you want to reach your spiritual goal in life and be mature like God wants you to, it is the result of proper thinking.

So as you look there in chapter three of the book of Philippians, there’s three things that are mentioned that I believe are very, very important. One, it talks about seeking this power of his resurrection. Also, to seek his purpose, attaining that what God has for me. And then he talks about seeking this prize. You see, the whole thing boils down to one word, and that’s the word press. You see there in Philippians in chapter 3 in verse 14, I press toward the mark.

The mark about having the power of his restoration, the know how to live the way God wants me to live. But not just to live the way he wants me to live, but live for the purpose that God has for me. that I can attain that which I have been apprehended for. And then as he says, this prize that he has for me, pressing toward the mark for the prize. You see, there’s a time coming when you’re going to win the prize because you ran the race if we could only believe it and remember it.

The third thing is to plan for success, plan for success. But look what he says here in Philippians in chapter 1, and look there in verse 21, Philippians chapter 1 verse 21, because you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you have a purpose in your life, you plan to win. But what is it that I’m after? See there verse 21, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. So there’s a verse here that talks about gaining, and there’s a verse in Philippians chapter 3 that talks about loss.

See, they’re in verse 7 of chapter 3, but what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. So your whole life is boiled down to profit and loss. What you to gain what you lose. I want to lose everything in this world that won’t amount to a hillabanes 100 years from now. And I want to gain everything that will last for eternity. So the thing that you have to look at is the things that are not worth fighting over.

The things of this world, of whether it’s fame or position or power and all that stuff, he says, all those things I count them, but dung, manure for the cause of Christ. Because you see, you lose yourself in the life of Christ, his life for my life. But in doing so, I will get to experience the power of Christ, of his resurrection, the power to come back from the dead. I want to live as a person who has come back from the dead and walk in newness of life.

And the power to not only live for the Lord, but you want to have a purpose in life, the purpose that God has for me to live, and that I want to seek that prize that He has for me. The fourth thing that I wanted to mention to you is seek open doors. Seek open doors. God opens doors. God closes doors. Did you realize that because God loves you, He opens doors for you? And He makes things happen that you couldn’t make happen and you’ll stand back one day and you’ll wonder, I have no clue how God did that.

God had to do that. God has really been good to me. And this is why He says there, and if you’ll look there very quickly in Philippians in chapter 1, and it says in verse 12, but I would that you should understand brethren that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. The reason God opens doors is for the the furtherance of the gospel. That’s why God may allow a lot of things to happen in your life.

That you didn’t plan for the furtherance of the gospel. The other day Gary Stephanie and I was out on the golf course and we had these two guys with us. And we were together and the other two and so there’s a force of you know. So you know you sooner or later you’re going to talk to these people. You’re trying to figure out when and how. And because that means more to us and just hitting that little white ball.

But if we can get a chance talking we want to do it. So on the first tee, I thought I’m going to try something different. The very first tee, I told him I said, look, I just want to know if I can talk to you guys for two minutes when we get through. I got something I want to share with you just for two minutes when we get through. Sure. They were nice and kind and friendly. They had no clue.

But they had given their word. So when we got through, we pulled into the area and I said, come here. They walked over there nice and friendly. They had no clue what I’m going to do. So when they stood there, I explained the gospel to them and they both trusted the Lord. Because it was an open door. It worked out real good. This little lady was running around there in that little golf cart and she, um, selling stuff to the golfers and they would hit them all and they’d go down and she’d stop and they’d get a sandwich or a drink or something like that and she’d boogie on around.

And so she came up and I said, can I give you something? I said, you know, if somebody really loves you, they would want to do something special for you, don’t you think? Yeah. I said, God really loves you and He wants to give you something that’s free. I said, doesn’t that sound good? Yeah. I said, I also want to give you something. And I says, this is my picture when I was 17 and had hair. See that? That’s what she did, she laughed.

She laughed. Anyway, I gave her the track and I talked to her about the Lord and she trusted the Lord. It was so easy, just like a right fruit just falling right off. See, all you do is you just find a way to do it. Don’t try to sometimes, you can’t make it up ahead of time. You just got to see an opportunity and you’ve just figured out how you want to do it. And if you do it long enough, you’ll come up with some things that you can do it.

But that’s what this is all about. And so you seek open doors. Number five is don’t be afraid. Paul could not say, I have peace with God. I have the peace of God. I have learned to be content. You see, when you’re not, you’re afraid. When you don’t have peace, you have fear. And fear will rob you and destroy your life. And you don’t want that to happen. And you want to learn that in the process of all of these things, proper thoughts of other people, learn to think proper thoughts of other people.

Don’t always look for the bad. Don’t always see all their fault. see a soul for whom Christ died, and it’ll be a proper way of thinking. The other, number eight, is think heaven, think heaven, think heaven, think God. As he says, lean not unto thy own understanding, and all thy ways acknowledge him, acknowledge God, think God in everything. And he will direct thy paths. So learn to develop that in your life where you’re always talking to the Lord about everything.

And the ninth thing is be willing to learn the hard lessons. You see, that’s what Paul is talking about here in chapter 4, verses 10 to the end of that chapter. Hard lesson, learning them. Everything is not going to be smooth. not going to work out the way you planned. But regardless of what happens, you know God is always there. He’s always with you and He will help you. He’ll lead you. He’ll guide you and that He will provide for you.

And number 10, desire fruitfulness in the lives of other people. Because the one thing that will help challenge you more than anything else with the right motive is when you want other people to succeed in their Christian life. Do you want them to succeed? Do you want them to be helped? Do you want them to be blessed? Do you want them to be rewarded when they get to heaven? Do you want fruit to abound to their account, then you always use that as the motive for you.

Thinking properly in order to try to help other individuals. Look up here. Letting this hand represent you and me and the wallet represents sin. We all have sin. God, He loves us. Now He hates what we do wrong, but He loves us. And to pay for what we do wrong is eternal separation from God in hell. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven, heaven, you have to be perfect. You’ve got to be righteous.

as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We have all come short of God’s perfection because of sin. So God says you cannot save yourself, deliver yourself. No amount of good works will ever pay for your sins. I like what Freddy said the other night. You see, you don’t have to be pretty good to go to heaven because God doesn’t have a pretty good heaven. You have to be perfect to go to heaven because God got a perfect heaven.

That’s required. This hand represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates what we do wrong, but He loves us. But our sin separates us from the Lord. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. So He came into the world, lived a perfect life, took all the sin of all the world msec, paid for it on the cross and came back from the dead and said that if we would be lead that He did it for us, He would put this payment on account and we’d get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did.

Christ died for my sins. It means that I don’t have to die and pay for my sins. Christ died for my sins. praise shall we? Every headbud, every eye closed. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you do it tonight? If you’re watching by internet, remember this, God loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you and that if you will trust Christ as your Savior, you can go to heaven when you die.

Salvation is free. Christ paid for it All you need to do, the only thing you can do is to believe He did it for you. When you believe that, He gives you as a gift, a free gift everlasting life. And you can know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die. I pray that you will. Our Father, we thank You so much for all that You’ve done for us, for giving us the free gift of eternal life. And Father, as Your children, we pray for wisdom in all these matters, Because we’re a church, we’ve got families, we have individuals.

We’ve probably got problems just like they had in the first century. In that church that we just read about tonight, that Father, we pray that You’d help us to be obedient, to look to You, to realize that You are at hand, and we can cast all of our cares upon You. And if we will learn to think right and bring all of our petitions before You, We know according to your word that you will guard our hearts and minds.

And we just thank you so much that you can help us to learn how to think. To think the way you want us to. To have the mind of Christ. Thank you so much. In Christ’s 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 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 Bible Eye, 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.