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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. and 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.

I would say take your Bible and turn the book of Proverbs, the book of Proverbs. All the way back here in the Old Testament, a book of wisdom, very important book, the book of Proverbs and chapter 3. A lot of people memorize these two verses and it’s a good verses to memorize but then they forget to apply it. Look what he says, Trust in the Lord, this is in verse 5, trust in the Lord with all vine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding.

I’d like to ask you a question. Yeah, which way are you leaning? Lean not unto thine own understanding, but is that the way you’re leaning? Did you know that the way you lean could determine the direction you fall. You know a tree in the forest, if you cut it down, you know you can cut a certain way and you can cause it to fall whichever way you want it to fall. Now I don’t do that. I just say get a stick of dying in my brother things, may the rings.

But you got to learn from what God wants to teach you. Lean not unto thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge God or thank God and he shall direct thy path. Now which way do you lean? When there’s something that seems to go wrong, do you trust yourself more than God? Or do you trust God more than yourself? Do you think you already have all that you need to know and you don’t need any more knowledge? You see learning the word of God is the knowledge by which you’re to trust and And when you don’t come to Sunday school or church or Sunday night or Wednesday Because whoa, you can’t maybe because you work or whatever But when you can and you don’t or you don’t study the Word of God doing the week Did you know every bit of knowledge that you did not learn?

Is gonna cost you The Word of God is complete and Thorah for the man of God to be complete in whatever it is God wants him to do So when you don’t know something it costs you something That’s why God wants us to know His Word. Because the Word of God, all of it, every story in the Old Testament, God wants you to know those stories. Because you see, it builds your faith, your confidence that if God told them to do this and they did it and this is what happened and then there’s others who didn’t do it and this is what happened, you learn from that.

Some people never learn and they just go through life and they’re miserable and they don’t have to be that way. God has so much for you and I. And that’s why you don’t judge yourself by what somebody else is learning. Well, I know just as much as so and so. When I was going to Florida Bible College, I got A’s and B’s, a couple C’s the first year. Bitty decided she was going to go to night school. One semester she made the President’s list.

I’m not going to have a wife smarter than me. So she only went that one semester. You know what What we used to do when I started going to church, which I said out here, not by words like John where he’s sitting here. And the preacher go up there and he says, take your Bible and turn to the gospel of John. Well, I didn’t know where John was. Still don’t know where he is. I didn’t know where John is.

But Betty, she’d have her Bible. She’s writing her way. Time I go through the table of contents and I can’t even find the table of contents. Then I finally got it. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans chapter 2. I bet he’s already got it. I could stand it. When we first decided that we needed to learn, learn, learn to pray. Well, I didn’t know how to pray. I didn’t pray, except between me and God when I didn’t even know him, and I don’t remember any of those prayers.

I was one of my cousins, one day I was in her house and somebody got we got ready to eat and somebody said, somebody needs to say grace. Some of my one relatives, I thought grace was a girl’s name. Anyway, she decided she would say the prayer, name was Jeanette. She had to be about five years old. I was about maybe seven. Just as God looked down to that little crack, bless us while we eat our snack, amen, John Ben, shout a rooster cody in chicken dad, rooster cody in the satisfy.

Now today I know that’s not appropriate, but at the time it was sufficient everybody dug in. But I didn’t know how to pray, and then it scared me to death whenever I was asked to pray in church. To pray. I didn’t know how to pray. We moved to Macon, the Cottobabtus Church, Dr. Sheihan with the pastor. We had just got down there and we were sitting on the back row. Just walked in, this Deacon medicine had us fill out a visitor’s card and I gave back to him and we were watching.

They sung some songs and made some announcements and they said, okay, we’re going to have prayer. And so the preacher got up there and he says, we’re going to have three people come up here and help us to pray for missionaries, all of them from the missionary. So he looked over there and he’d call somebody’s name, and then he’d call somebody else’s name, and he says, we have Brother Ralph Arnold. He’s visiting down here with us. And so we’re going to ask him to come up and close in prayer.

And there must have been about five, six hundred people there that night. I’m sitting in the back row. I told Betty, I said, did he call my name? I didn’t have hearing aids then, and I heard very well. I knew he called my name. I said, I’m not going. She says, you got to go. I said, I’m not going. That guy got up and started up. That guy got up and started about it. And people started turning around and looking.

I said, I’m not going. I said, no, I’m not going. I was scared to get petrified. Find the she elbowed me. That woman’s got the wonderful elbows in the world. Right between third and fourth rib. I got up and I started down the aisle. And when I got up there, the preacher went over here to sit by the piano. This other guy came up here and he took a seat. what they had went left and that was for me.

I sat down here. And so the preacher says, brother, why don’t you go ahead and play? So this guy got up there and he prayed. And he grabbed a hold of the horns of the altar. Hold almost, gracious, heavily, Father, creator of heaven and earth. And I’m sitting there, I’m shivering. I had never heard anybody get God’s attention like that before. I’m serious. And I thought, I got to pray like that. I’m a Georgia boy and I thought of a sudden the only prayer I knew was as I lay me down to sleep I prayed the Lord and I saw the key and I didn’t think this is not going to be appropriate and I have no idea how to pray.

It’s a patient in public. I didn’t know what I was going to do. But when he got through he says in Jesus’ name, amen and amen. I thought am I supposed to do amen and amen. I’ll be honest with you. I was learning to pray. I sat there, and for the first time in my life, I prayed as honest and sincere as I could. Lord, what in the world am I going to do? What am I going to say?

Lord, help me! I said, Lord, and I remembered the story in the Old Testament about Samuel and how that he heard the voice, Samuel, Samuel, that his dad arrayed me that story, and I’m saying, Lord speak to me, speak to me. And this other guy got up there and he began to pray. And he went in the Creator and all of the, I mean, they prayed such beautiful words. And I’m over there, Lord help me, help me, help me.

I was in panic mill. And I said, Lord, speak to me. And all of a All of a sudden, as real as real can be, I heard Ralph. Ralph. I thought the Lord’s doing it. The Lord’s… Lord’s, Lord, Lord is really, He’s speaking to me. Ralph. I thought, but this sounds too real. I thought it came from over here and I looked over there and the preacher was going. The other guy had got finished and I didn’t know it.

I was waiting for amen, amen, and amen. And I’d ever heard a thing. I jumped up out of my seat without a clue as to what a first word would be. And I had my Bible still in my hand and said, Lord, thank you for the Bible. And then I prayed. longer than both of those guys. I don’t have a clue what I said. I remember nothing. But I tell you this, I said, they’re not going to catch me that way again.

If I have to make up something. But I learned how to pray. God will put you in situations that you’re forced to learn because you’re forced to listen. And so the question is, are you listening? Are you leaning on the Lord? Do you trust Him? Well, some people need to listen a little bit more. Because see, when you listen, it’s for the purpose of laboring. So God wants us to labor. Let me ask you a question. Are you a Christian?

Well, if you’re a Christian, are you living for Him? And if you’re living for Him, well, you know, as the Bible says, are you leaning on Him? Are you learning from Him? Are you learning? How are you learning? Are you faithful to come and listen and learn what God has for you? Don’t you want there to be a change in your life? Something for the better? When you leave this light that you can say, I did what God wanted me to do with my life.

Or all of your problems, so big they destroy you. Because you didn’t take the time to grow in the Lord and get strong enough. Don’t say, well, nobody has to go through what I have to do. No, just about six, seven of the big and people on planet Earth. Everybody has problems and you’re going to have yours and God not going to eliminate the problems He wants to give you the grace to bear the problem. You see, living by the power of God is not the subtraction of problems.

It’s the addition of strength that you get by leaning on the Lord. And so the Bible talks to us about listening and it talks to us about about laboring and we’re supposed to labor for the Lord. But first Corinthians in chapter three, I want you to look at this first, because it’s so important. First Corinthians in chapter three. And look in verse eight, you’re a Christian, you’re somebody special. You want there to be something different in your life, just start obeying what God says to do and buddy, it’ll change your life.

Your life will be more exciting than watching Indiana Jones. You’ll go from one problem to the next, one crisis to the next, and you’ll be so much fun, you won’t be able to stand it. First Corinthians in chapter three says in verse eight, now he that planet and he that water through one. Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. So God says, now salvation, that’s free. That means going to heaven is a gift, that’s free.

You don’t have to labor, You don’t have to lean, you don’t have to learn, you don’t have to listen, you don’t have to know those things. All you have to do is trust Christ to save you, get to go to heaven. And that’s what makes your Christian. Now as a Christian, God wants you to live like a Christian. So He says, one person plant, another person waters, but God that gives the increase. God’s the one that saves the soul.

I’ve never saved anybody. I had to mean one time thinking, I just want to thank you for saving me. I said, I didn’t save you. I can tell you who can. Only the Lord saves. And notice the last part of verse eight where he says, every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. But now listen, God did not call you and me to go and labor alone. I’ve had some people and they talk about, you know, I’m so lonely.

I’m just so lonely. Well, you know, I may be lonely at times, but I’m never alone. Did you know that the Lord is with you forever? He said, I’ll never leave you and never forsake you. You belong to Him. Look what He says in verse 9, 4 we are laborers together with who? With God. So let me ask you a question. You’re a Christian. You’ve learned how to listen. You learned how to lean. You’ve learned how to labor. With God.

But are you labored? What is your ministry? If you could define, what is my ministry? What is my ministry? I’m laboring together with God. Okay, don’t what? Be more specific than that. What are you actually doing for the Lord? When you get to heaven and God says, I want to reward you for what you did. All right. What did you do? And now God knows everything right. we know that, because God says, okay, I want to reward you now.

What did you do? Well, well, I was going to, and I meant to, I promised that I was, what did you do? All the intentions in the world, not going to matter. Well, what did you do? We’re labors together with God. Okay, how you doing? You’re doing anything at all? Maybe God wants to help you find something to do. The way to cause a pastor to have a heart attack is to say, look pastor, what would you want me to do?

Don’t two of you do it at one time. Now the thing is, I want to try to have a ministry that helps you have a ministry. I don’t need another ministry. I already had one before I came here. I came here because I want to help you have a ministry. I want to teach you to do something. I don’t want your life to be the same as it was before I met you. I want to see growth in your life.

I want to see dedication in your life. I want to see more determination in your life. I want you to do everything God wants you to do. What do you do? I just make me a bad man, does it? I want to help. And… It doesn’t make me a bad man, does it? I want to help. And so I always try to figure out a way to get you to think. But one more last thing I want to mention to you.

So turn there to the book of Titus. The book of Titus and chapter two, chapter two. Now look there in verse 11 where it says, for the grace of God, that bring of salvation. Remember the law cannot bring salvation. The preacher can’t bring salvation. You cannot bring salvation. You cannot save yourself by your own good works. Only the grace of God brings us salvation so that we could have eternal life. there is no salvation. The works can’t do it.

But now notice, hath appeared to all men, but all men haven’t seen it. The gospel is for everybody, but everybody hasn’t heard it. Now get what he says in verse 12. This is what grace that brings salvation teaches. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live. You mean the Bible trying to tell me how to live? I’ve had people say, I don’t care for anybody trying to He’s trying to tell me how I can and cannot live.

All right. Maybe God will have to do a number on you to get your attention. You’ve heard where sometimes it seemed like He has to put a two before over some people’s heads? What would He have to do to you to get your attention? He might. Who could? He can. He’s able. Here He says, teaching us that denying ungodliness because God wants you to be godly and denying worldly lust. You have them, you have desires that are worldly, carnal, materialistically minded, but God says he wants you to deny those things just because you haven’t desired to do something doesn’t mean you should do it.

That doesn’t make it right. But look now, he says should live soberly, and Godly in this present world. And here’s the word that I want you to see, looking. Because we learn how to lean, and we learn how to learn, and we learn how to labor. And now toward the end of our life or something that should be motivating us all the days of our life, is what are you looking for? I’m looking for the Lord. Looking for the blessed hope.

Isn’t that a wonderful verse? Looking for that blessed hope hope and the glorious appearing of the great God in our Savior Jesus Christ. He’s coming back and I’m to be looking for them. But until He does show up in the next verse says, to be zealous of good words, be zealous of good words. Years ago, we had a bus ride in Colorado. We ran buses everywhere. We had about 12 buses we ran every week. 1978, we averaged 685 in church.

That was our average. We had high days of over 1,000. But we had this one bus route and went by and the guy was a Mormon. And it didn’t take long. He started coming out, but we got his kids and he trusted Christ as his Savior. And he told me, he says, now, when I die, I want you to preach my funeral. He says, and whenever you preach my funeral, I want you to be wearing a Western suit.

I says, I don’t have a Western suit. He says, then, I’ll buy you one. He bought me a Western suit to wear for his funeral and he hadn’t died yet. I got that suit when I was slim and trim. Now you know where I’m going don’t you? Then I began to realize I put it on one time and it was a little snug. I thought I hope he died soon. But when he died and he did die, eventually he died.

They asked me, Yankee, don’t forget where that suit. So I got the shoe horns and I forced my way into those pants and I did the funeral for him. His daughter, Shelly, she sung a song what a beautiful day to go home. You know, we’re always looking for the Lord to come back at any time. So she sung that song and we just got the words just recently. I just want to read it to you or hum it somehow.

It goes like this. Jesus is coming. He’s coming again, though it is imminent, no one knows when. He will come quickly to catch us away. Won’t it be wonderful if it’s today? What a beautiful day for the Lord to come again. What a wonderful day for the Savior, to descend, will be caught up on high, to the world will say goodbye, for we never will die, if today we cleave the sky. What a beautiful day for the Lord to claim His own.

on. What a wonderful day God will reap where he has some. I don’t know when it will be that my Savior I shall see but what a beautiful day to go home. Sign seems to tell us the day is at hand. God’s way is perfect. His promise shall stand. Nothing can hinder our Savior’s return. Come, then, Lord Jesus, for the our hearts yearn. What a beautiful day for the Lord to come again. What a beautiful day for the Savior to descend.

will be caught upon high to the world will say goodbye, for we never will die. If today we cleave the sky, what a beautiful day for the Lord to claim His own, what a beautiful day God will reap where he has sown. I don’t know when it will be that my Savior I shall see. But what a beautiful day to go home. What if it’s today? Isn’t today a beautiful day to go home? But if he should leave us for one more day, what do you think we ought to do?

How do you think we ought to live? We’re going to see him soon. We’re going to see him soon. It’ll all be over. By the way, I had to get rid of that suit. I’d have to lose 100 pounds today to fit back in it. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. The wall that represents sin, we all have sin on us. God loves us. Hates what we do wrong but He loves us. And the Bible says that the pay for the sin is eternal separation from God in a place called hell.

But God loves us once it’s to go to heaven and to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. None of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We’re all sinners. We’ve all done things wrong. So God says you can’t save yourself. Theorry of God that bring of salvation works do not bring salvation. We cannot save ourselves. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin because it separates us from Him.

So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. He took our sins, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God said if you and I would believe that He did it for us, He would put this payment to our account. We get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. That’s free. The gift of God. Best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed and every eye closed and no one looking around.

Or if you’re watching by internet, understand that we’re not asking people to come forward to sign anything, to give anything, because salvation is free. What they do here, you can do right where you are. Would you trust Christ as your Savior? Would you just simply believe that when He died, He died for you? paid for your sins. If he paid for your sins, then you don’t have to pay for them because he did it. Well, you believe that he did it for you.

And if you’ll trust them as your Savior, God’s it to give you eternal life as a gift. You’re there in the auditorium. I’d like to know what I’ve said made sense. And I’d like to know if you trust Christ as your Savior. And I’d like to have prayer for you. If you’ve already trusted the Lord, then you don’t have to do this. But in just a moment, I’m going to ask for raise your hand. Raise in your hand does not save you.

It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. And you say, preacher, that made sense to me. And I will trust Christ as my Savior right now. And friend, if you’ll do that, would you slip you in a very quickly and put a right back down and say, well, it’s all your Christian. How you doing? How you doing? Anything to take care of? Your Heavenly Father is waiting to hear from you. Talk to them about it.

Cast all your cares upon them because it cares for you. When you go outside the church today, always Just keep looking up. Just keep looking up. One day he’s going to split the skies and he’s coming for us and you’re going to hear a sound, the voice of the Archangel, who will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye and caught up to meet the Lord. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Father, we thank you so much for this time together.

Bless each one for being here. In Christ and 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 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 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 home page 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. 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. Friends, 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.