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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, 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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Take your Bible and just a couple of thoughts that I want to pass along to you tonight. And that’s in the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. And look with me in verse 6, because this morning, during the Sunday school hour, I was sharing with you what I had mentioned about before on the subject of yield ye your bodies. And last Wednesday night we even sung a little song. I’ll be careful of lies what you see.

I’ll be careful of ears what you hear. I’ll be careful of tongue what you say and so forth. Because if you’re gonna yield your body to the Lord, it means yielding your eyes to the Lord. It means yielding your feet to the Lord. It means using your hands for the Lord. Yielding your ears to the Lord. Yielding your tongue to the Lord. You see, those are the members of the body that he’s talking about in the book of Romans chapter 6 of yielding those things to the Lord.

So it means that if God controls the eye and God controls the ear and God controls the tongue and God controls the hands and God controls the feet, God pretty much got control of you, but don’t forget he wants your heart too. He wants you and if he gets you, he’ll have everything else you have. And so you don’t want to take a whole back from the Lord. See, growing in the Lord is that most Christians, after they trust the Lord, they never just totally yield their whole light body to the Lord at one time.

They grow in doing that and they may do it by just yielding little bits of their mind to the Lord. See, the mind is like a piece of ground, it’s territory and God wants to establish some territory up there and so you yield a little bit of this to him and then a little bit more of his thoughts and more of his thoughts. And so you learn to think the way God wants you to think and then you begin to watch what you look at not overnight and then you begin to watch what you say.

And these sometimes you don’t all do it all at the same time. It’s a growing process and the Lord wants us to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’re looking, verse six, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, have shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness. Now we were dark, the light came to us, now the light is commanded to shine from us.

It came to us, and now it’s commanded to shine from us. In verse seven it talks about, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. It means in this body that we have, we have a treasure. You are richer than you know. You have the greatest treasure in all the world, the knowledge of how to go to heaven, live in inside of you. You have that knowledge. And that’s why it makes a statement that the power may be of God and not of us.

God didn’t give us supernatural bodies. we had supernatural bodies and we could take credit for everything that’s done. But we still had these same old bodies and what I’ve done at Christian schools when I go there to speak. And I used to use this illustration. You got up in the morning, you looked in the mirror and you were ugly. You came to a church service, you trust Christ is Savior, now when you go back home looking in the mirror, you still are.

You’re still ugly. God didn’t change the body. He gave you a new birth, but it’s a spiritual birth and you can’t see it. But you are living inside of a body that’s going to fade away one day. But God wants to use this body that we have for His on and glory. And we only have so much time because everybody knows. The body is getting older. Now me inside, I’m still the same old-looking fellow I’ve always been. But the body is slowly changing, and I almost didn’t recognize him.

He didn’t got so old that I almost didn’t recognize what he looked like, but then I didn’t realize that my eyes were getting so bad I couldn’t see too good either. But now notice, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul was willing to go through. the prize Paul paid to get the light to these people. Now even though he’s talking about the world in general and that they are blinded and that we need to get the gospel to them, it’s also telling them, look, this is what we went through for you, the price we paid.

You see, when you dedicate your life to the Lord, expect God to interrupt your schedule. It means that God is going to allow a lot of things to happen in your life. Even the devil is going to do everything he possibly can to stop you. And so you have problem after problem after problem. I’ve had people tell me, I’ve never had any problem until I’ve dedicated my life to the Lord. I was doing fine until I said, I’m going to serve the Lord.

Well, why shouldn’t the devil bother those that aren’t? He’s going after those who say they will. But notice what he says in verse 8, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. So, trouble on every side. Now, when you read the first chapter in 2 Corinthians, it says that we are so thankful that the Father of comfort, the God of mercy, has comforted us in our troubles so that we can learn to comfort others who have troubles. And it says, we were nigh unto death.

We were beside ourselves. I mean, the problem that they had, the troubles they went through just to get the gospel to people that sometimes stoned them. They didn’t want anything to do with them that mocked them. Wouldn’t it be neat if we could just preach the gospel of those who are just so hungry they just want it. But it don’t work that away. But notice what he says in verse 9 persecuted but not forsaken, cast down not destroyed. And then he says this, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Jesus lives in us. When you yield your body to the Lord then the Lord is going to work through your body and when Jesus was here look what they did to him and if they’ll do that to the master what do you think they’re going to do to you? Therefore those who live godly are going to suffer persecution. There’s going to be problems. But it says in verse 11, but we, which live, are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake.

That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our, and here’s those two words, mortal flesh. You see, we live in a body that’s mortal. It means it’s subject to death. It means that we can be killed. It means that we’re not supernatural here. It means that we have a body that’s getting old and we can hurt and we’re going to have pains and we got troubles and we have memory losses and all kind of things that happens to us.

And you’re going to get sick. We have a godly man like Dr. Polson and Mrs. Polson. They’re hung up because they’re sick. We have bodies that are getting older. We’re going to have more problems and more aches and pain. And when we want to serve the Lord, you serve the Lord in spite of all of those things. And so there’s a price to pay. And so he says in verse 12, so then death worketh in us, but life in you.

In other words, we’re willing to die to give our life to get the gospel to you. As I look back on it that day when I trusted Christ as my Savior, and I was 18 years old, I can’t tell you all the things that have happened to me. Good and otherwise, What a ride. What an adventure. My life to me is more exciting than Indiana Jones’s. I was talking to my daughter the other day and it was her birthday.

So I called her up and I sang happy birthday to her and then Betty says, Jake, I want you to write something in a card and look on Senator. So I wrote in there, your life is more exciting than Mrs. Indiana Jones. because she is like something that’s always going on. She’s always excited about something. She’s either going into something, getting out of something, you know, like a… she reminds me of Lucio Ball. Always, you know, but she’s funny that she is a joy to be around.

As nobody like my daughter and I love her to death. But he says in verse 13, we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you. And now in verse 15 tells you why they were willing to go through all of this. You see there in verse four, he says, see and therefore we have this ministry, we faint not, we don’t quit.

But look how many things happens that makes you wanna quit. But you just keep going, you just stay faithful. I felt if I’m going to quit serving the Lord, I should have stopped long time ago, so I had time to do something else. I ain’t got time to learn anything else. This is all I know. This is all I’ve been doing. And I guess I kinda like it. And if God doesn’t want me to preach, He should have told me so long time ago.

I don’t even know if God’s ever called me to preach. I said, I’m just gonna preach because I can’t stand it. I’ve got to do it. And if He don’t want me to do it, He can stop me. And so far He ain’t stop me. So I just keep on preaching. But it says, all things in verse 15 are for your sakes. All these things that He’s talking about, you know, there’s people that are blind, they cannot see. And yet there’s people that have never seen what Christ is like.

And that’s why when you give the gospel story, to mutilate the gospel is to mar the image of the face of God. You see, people can only see God through the story of the gospel. When you tell the story, it says for therein in the book of Romans in chapter one, verse 17 and in verse 19, 18, 19, He said, in the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed. And in the gospel also is the wrath of God revealed.

And Paul says, I’m not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it and also to the Jew and also to the grave. But the gospel is a beautiful story. It’s the greatest story in all the world. And that’s why when we say that far by grace argues saved through faith that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. It means that a man can’t have any part in it.

Man can’t take any credit for it. It’s not of works. Salvation is the gift of God, and therefore Christ did the work. He died on the cross, paid for our sins, so that all that we have to do, it’s the only thing we can do, believe He did it for us. And it’s so simple. I can go to heaven and just believe in. I was talking to a lady the other day and I sat there and talked to her and I said, I want you to do me a favor.

Look me right in the eyes. I don’t remember ever doing this before. I said, look me right dead in the eyes. And she said right at me. I said, you heard what I said about how to go to heaven, right? Yes. And that Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid for all of your sins. True. You heard that. Yes. He came back from the dead and said that if you would trust him as your savior, he would give eternal life.

You understood what I said? Yes. Will you right now, except Jesus Christ as your savior? She said, yes, I will. I said, if you trust him right now, then God said, you have right now, what kind of life he said everlasting life. I said, if it’s everlasting life and all you send under page where were you going to die she said I’m going to heaven. I said so where are you going to go in your die she said I’m going to heaven.

I said how do you know she says Christ died for my sins. I didn’t have prayer with her. I didn’t have her sign a card. I didn’t ever stand up and walk and I’ll. I’ve all died long. Will you believe it? Some people have trouble believing that that’s all a person’s got to do but that’s the only reason any person in here knows that you’re saved. You do not know you’re saved because you walk and I’ll You don’t know your say because you raised your hand.

You don’t know your say because you signed a card. The only way you know your say because you believed what he said. He said if you believe it, he that believeth of me, hath, present tenth, hath everlasting life. The only reason somebody would accuse us of being easy believerism is if they believe there’s more to believe. If there’s more to do than just believe. Because see, I don’t believe there’s anything else any man can do except trust Christ is Savior.

and that is the only thing. So in verse 15, because the message is so important and people are blind without the gospel and that the gospel is the light that helps people to see, he says, we’re willing to go through all of this because we have this treasure in earthen vessels. And the world wants to destroy the vessel. That’s why you and I cannot allow these bodies of ours to dictate to us what we do. The body is a wonderful tool, but it’s a terrible master.

And Paul says, I do not want my body to dominate my life. I want to keep my body in subjection. So he says here in verse 15, for all things are for your sake that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many, read down to the glory of God, the abundant grace. A man is not saved by works, he saved by grace and grace alone. Grace is something you don’t deserve. You didn’t earn it, you didn’t work for it, you can’t buy it.

All that you can do is accept the payment he made for you. And then look in verse 16 for which cause. This is why I enjoy being a pastor. I enjoy selling people on the idea of the greatest cause in all the world to live. I could fight the cause of abortion and I’m against abortion. I can fight the cause against homosexuals. I believe it’s totally wrong and it’s wicked, ungodly. sin and I do not apologize for that. And I could fight all kind of causes in political realm.

But I believe that the one that I’m fighting is greater than all of them, all put together. Because if you want to save America, you should get America saved. And I think sometimes preachers get sidetracked, though I am for saving our country as much as possible, but I do believe that I would rather people trust Christ as Savior and go to heaven when they die than to have a wonderful country in which they have the freedom and the liberty to live like the devil.

I’d rather know the Lord and be persecuted. But it’s not going to be my call except there’s a cause. You see that word there in verse 16 for which cause we faint not. It’s the reason why we don’t stop. It’s the reason why we don’t quit. It’s the reason we keep going. Even though you’re 74, 74, he’s an old man. How old are you, Al? 85. He’s just a kid. Caleb was 85 when he says, I won’t that mountain.

I’m only 71 years old. Steve back there. How old you Steve, there’s always a liar in the bunch. There’s always somebody. But you see, even though we’re getting older, it doesn’t mean we have to stop serving the Lord. God has something for us as long as you can draw a breath and as long as you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose and there’s a cause. And He says here in verse 16, for which cause we faint not But though our outward man perish, this means this old body of ours, yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is but for a moment when you compare it to eternity.

This period of life that God’s given to us, it’s only for a moment. I’ve often said I can endure anything for a short period of time, Real short, this period of time God’s given to us is just a moment in time. When you compare it to eternity, it’s nothing. So because it’s such a short period of time, it must be a valuable piece of time that God gave to us. Therefore we ought to use our lives for the Lord in every way that we possibly can.

and he says, this little period of time works for us a far more exceeding weight of glory. In other words, what we do for the Lord now in this little moment of time works for us for eternity. What we’re going to have for eternity based upon just that little bit of time that we gave to the Lord, it must be worth it and it will be worth it. And that’s That’s why he says in verse 17, for our light affliction, whatever we’re going through, it’s just a light affliction.

All of these things that Paul mentioned about all the trouble and the persecution and been knocked down, all of these things that happened to him, the stonings that he went through, the people that left him, all the heartaches he went through, this light affliction, see it all comes to pass. One of the greatest promises in the Bible, it came to pass and it came, but it passes. And one of the days, we’re going to pass. You know, it was just yesterday and years old.

You know, one of the biggest kicks that keeps me young is my track. I always showed them this track. This is my picture when I was 17 and had hair, see? And you’d be surprised how many people said, you know, he looked just like you. Well, I drew it anyway. But you’ve got to find something that keeps you moving, keeps you going. Now, look what he says in verse 18 as we close. while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. What are you looking at? See you and I are supposed to look beyond this life. We’re supposed to be able to see into eternity. We can see all the way to the Judgement Sea to Christ. You ought to be able to picture yourself standing there and knowing that you’re going to give an account to the Lord. Every man shall give a count of himself to God because God has given us so much time, so much talent, so much ability and he wants us to do something because he gave us a reason to live.

He gave us a cause. And when we get to heaven we’re going to have to answer for how we did. Of course we would like to hear him say, well done thou good and faithful servant, but we We may be going to a big old bonfire because he says he’s going to take the haywood and the stubble, the wasted life. It’s going to be burned up. But there should be some gold, silver and precious stones, some of the things that we’ve done for the Lord since we’ve been saved.

Can you see that? Can you picture that? It’s because it’s going to happen. One day it’s going to be real. Did you know that any day now, any day now, any moment, you could hear a trumpet? And we’ll be taken out of here. I’ve often wondered how long will I hear that trumpet before I get changed? Because he says he shall appear, and he’s going to sound the trumpet, voice of the Archangel. Women, if it all happens exactly at the same time, I’m chained before I hear it.

I want to hear it. And then I want to go slowly. I want to enjoy it. But I know he says you’ll disappear here and you’ll appear there, but I want to go slow enough enough that I can be able to tell somebody, I told you so. I told you so. I told you. I told you. And I hope it happens in the daytime so that I can look at some people and say, I told you. I told you.

But what do you see? Can you see that? Can you believe that it’s going to happen? And that one day it will be worth it all. It will be. You realize that in just a few short years from now, we could be in the kingdom upon the earth. Did you know seven years from now we could be living in a place like the Garden of Eden when God takes that thousand year reign and we’re going to be here ruling and reigning with Christ.

All the things we got between us and that is seven years of tribulation and I’m going to be up there doing that period of time. So it’s a wonderful thing to know and it should help challenge and motivate every last one of us. Look up here. This is the most important thing you can ever know or ever do. If you know it, share it. But if you’ve never seen it before, I want you to pay attention. This hand represents you and me.

The wall represents sin. We all have sin on us. The Bible says for us to pay for sin, it’s death. Because the wages of sin his death. Eternal separation from God, in hell. But God loves us. And to go to heaven, we have to be perfect because righteous is God and nobody’s perfect. God’s perfect, heaven’s perfect. And most people, they don’t know that you have to be perfect to go to heaven. See, there is no such thing as a good heaven or a pretty good heaven.

There’s only a perfect heaven. And no sin dwells there. And so because you have to be perfect to go there, because of sin we can’t get in. No man has ever lived good enough, or woman, to earn their way to heaven. God says you cannot earn it, you can’t work your way to heaven. And God says there’s only one way. This end represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into this world because He loves us.

He hates our sin because our sin separates us from the Lord. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. But He took all of our sins of all the world, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God says that whosoever would believe it, that He did it for them. He died for me. You know, people here that Christ died for our sins and can’t put it together. If Christ paid for my sins, It means I don’t have to pay for them.

He paid for my sins. I don’t have to pay for them. He says, the only thing I had to do was believe He did it for me. And I believe He did it for me. And that day, 52 years ago, He put this payment to my account. I go to heaven on what Christ did. I don’t go to heaven on what I’ve done. And He says that whenever you believe that, He gives to you as a free gift ever lasting life.

And if it’s everlasting life, it lasts forever. If it lasts forever, and you send your all, hey, where are you going to go when you die to heaven? So if I trusted Christ as my Savior 52 years ago, and God gave me eternal life, when I still have it now, it was a gift, remember? It was free. Grace means that it cannot incur a debt. Means I don’t owe Him anything for it. I don’t have to live a certain way to keep it because it was free.

It was a gift. He loved me that much. And because I have this free gift of eternal life, I can know that I’m going to heaven whenever I die. If I die today, I die tomorrow, whenever I die, I’m going to heaven. That was the best news I ever heard in my whole life. Yes, I believe in serving the Lord, but not to get to heaven. But I believe in serving the Lord because I’m going to heaven. I’m a child of God.

You are a child of God. And therefore we have the greatest cause in all the world. And because of this, we have this ministry, we faint not, we don’t stop and we don’t quit. We keep on serving the Lord in spite of everything that seems to happen to us and seems to go wrong. Don’t always think that everything that goes wrong, God’s against me. Paul had all of that happen to Him. It’s just the price you have to pay to be a disciple.

Salvation is free. It’s a gift. But following the Lord, serving the Lord, yes, there’s a price. Let’s pray, shall we? Every headbound, every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re watching by internet or here tonight, if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you write down the quietness of this moment, just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this. The Lord I know I’m a sinner. And I believe Christ’s doubt on that cross and paid for my sins.

And I’m going to trust Him as my only hope of going to heaven. For in God’s said, if you would trust Him, He would save you. And if you’re making that decision, I’d like to know. I’d like to have prayer for you. And so I’m going to ask you in just a moment if you’ll raise your hand. Just letting me know. Is there anyone at all before we close? Yes, pray for me. I will trust Christ as my Savior and preach I like you to pray for me.

We just slip you in a very quickly and better write back down, and we’ll talk. If you’re watching by internet, remember all that you have to do. It’s the only thing you can do. Will you believe that when Christ died, He died for you. He paid for your sins. And if you accept what He did, then God said that He would put that payment that He made to your account. And you get to go to heaven on what Christ did.

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 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.