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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 You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the Bibleignmenistries.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.

What are we going to talk about tonight? Well, I want to have something good. Anybody got a Bible? That would be something good to talk about the Bible. So take your Bible and turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians, the book of 1 Thessalonians. There’s some things that deal with us as believers. That is very, very important. I want you to look there in the book of 1 Thessalonians in chapter 2. And notice verse 10, verse 10, ye are witnesses, and God also, how holy and justly and unblamably, and you are on the line these three words, we behaved ourselves.

Now you think it’s good for children to behave themselves. When you read the book, Sam Nguyen talks about Saul wanting to kill David, the Bible says David behaved himself wisely and then more wisely and very wisely he behaved himself. It means you just do right. yourself. Would it be a shame for somebody have to tell you as an adult, hey, would you behave yourself because you’re acting like a child? I’m glad there’s nobody like that here. But notice the rest of this verse.

We behaved ourselves among you that believe. Now, it does tell us that we are supposed to pray for everyone, Ephesians chapter 6, and especially do good unto them of the household of faith, the household of faith. I wonder who that’s referring to. That’s the believers. It’s nice to be nice to the lost people, but we’re to be super nice to believers. You see, that’s where most of our problems come from is not the lost people. It’s Christian being nice to one another.

And the Bible says, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples that you what love one another so you already knew it now the application of that now that’s a different story but now notice what he says here in verse 10 when he says we behaved ourselves among you that believed as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father, death his children. That ye should walk worthy of God who have called you into his kingdom and glory.

This is what God wants. God wants us to care about one another, the impact that we make in other people’s lives. See there’s got to be something that helps you to reach people. You see your love for the loss you realize that you can’t do it all. You can’t reach the whole world. But if we could get all of God’s children working together for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of Christ, you know we might be able to get the job done.

If God’s children would believe the same way beyond the same page, and it says in the book of Corinthians that there be no divisions among you, did you know there should not be any division among the children of God? And they will be, if everybody believed the same thing. But as time goes on, people change their doctrine. They change their belief. And then you can’t work together because the Bible says, mark them which caused division among you, that have not the same doctrine, and avoid them.

And that’s what God’s people. And that’s a shame. Now, I could refer also to the lost people. Now having said that, I want you to look now in the first chapter. The first chapter in verse 6, chapter 1 verse 6. When he talks to them about some of the things that they had done, remembering their in verse 3, without season your work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope, he wants to compliment them because there’s other people that see what they’re doing.

people saw what He did. He says, and you bear witness that we behaved ourselves among you the way we should have. And I don’t know if I could say everything that He has said, because He says holyly and unblamably. And because we often fail one another. But this is to God’s children, and he’s telling them some things about what they should do. But now in verse 6, and ye became followers of us, followers of us. You see, we were talking about that a little bit this morning and also in a couple of weeks past about being imminators of God and how you walk.

And he says here, ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, isn’t it something that you can have those two things in one verse? Much affliction and joy of the Holy Ghost. You see, God doesn’t remove the much affliction. Some of you are going to go through a lot of affliction, and it comes in different ways, different stages. I seem like I stay in a constant state of affliction at times.

One thing will be over and then there’s something else, and then there’s something else. It never stops. But if I waited until all my problems were solved, now I’m ready to serve the Lord. When would I serve the Lord? It’s not going to happen. So you have to serve the Lord in the midst of your affliction and you’ll have to learn how to have joy because if you don’t, you’re going to cry all your life. There’s always something going wrong.

It’s just you just come out of one problem into another problem and you might have a little spell and there wouldn’t seem like nothing is going wrong, and that’s one of the problems you’ve got to watch about when nothing’s going on. Because then you get boring, boring, and things dull. You know, usually there’s a great drop in your, I guess you could say, you know, how you think and how you feel, your emotions, right after a big day. Have something really wonderful happen and right after that just seemed like everything’s a, no what?

I was talking to Peter about that earlier this week. I was so pumped up for the open house and everything that’s gonna happen and the kids coming in and then right after it’s all over with, it’s just like a let down afterwards. Now I’m all excited about the Grace Conference. Oh, I can’t wait, can’t wait, but then it’ll be passed. Now what do I do? Now I gotta think of something else to do. Camp, camp, yeah, for camp! So then you get your mind on camp.

Then as soon as camp is over, I’ll be going to the Grace Conference up there in Chicago. And then when that’s all over, we got college started. And so you can have afflictions all the way. Now do I expect the devil to leave me alone? No. He will work on me and he’ll work on you. There’s no stopping it. Do you think the people that they work in Sunday school will be without problem because they’re doing such a holy work?

Or if you work with a wana, well, those people are doing such a great work. God not going to let them have any problems. James is working with the Reformers unanimous. Do you think, well, he’s not going to have any problem? Everything’s going to go his way. The thing will be a piece of cake. Well, he gets to work with a choir and they sing all the time. So you know he’s not going to have any problem with anybody in the choir.

I was always told when the devil got kicked out of heaven, he landed in the church choir. That’s just what I heard. But now notice what he says here. In verse seven, so that ye were examples. You see, you were followers. Now you’re examples because somebody’s following you. This morning we talked about Jesus was our example that ye should follow in his steps. So in verse seven, so that ye were examples to all that, do what? To all that belief, not just there in thessalonica, you are.

But in all mass of them, everybody’s heard of your face. They’ve heard about you. I told somebody, I said, you stick with me and I’ll make you famous. And lo and behold, just like that, we put their picture upon the bulletin board down the hallway. Hey, look, that might be as far as it gets. But we do want your note. We appreciate all those people who work so hard because, you know, if they didn’t do what they did, if the ladies hadn’t cooked, we wouldn’t have anything to eat.

If somebody don’t clean the buildings, we won’t have a clean building. If somebody doesn’t teach, then there’s somebody to teach. Everybody is important. Now if I’m the devil, I’m going to work on you with everything that I got. Because, see, he’s got to get into your mind and he plays mind games with you. Gets you to question and doubt, all kind of stuff. That’s what the devil does. Now we know he does it. We know he does it. He does it with me, he’ll do it with you.

You’re no better than I am. So he makes his statement here. In verse 8, for from you sounded out the word of the Lord. not only in Macedonia and in okay, but also in every place your faith toward God is spread abroad so that we need not to speak anything. Everybody is heard about you. I want people all over the world to hear about the people from Calvary Community Church. How you love the Lord, how you sacrifice, how you do all the things that you do.

Did you know that when people came here and I had several of them that me. I can’t believe the workers you have. I can’t believe how many people, because you know, we just finished on Saturday and somewhere here all day. And then on Sunday, everybody’s working like little busy bees. People are watching and they’re impressed. They really are. And I had a person tell me one time and said, man, I could do something too if I had workers you have.

You’re not getting them? Go get your own. A preacher’s supposed to be jealous over his flock and I am. That’s why I wouldn’t ever even, anyone leaves. It just breaks my heart. I don’t like anybody ever leave. I want everybody to stay in the grow and the build and so forth and I want you to do right. Now if God leaves you to some place to do some kind of a work for the Lord and I’m like, I don’t care about that.

I’m just talk about when you get mad at me for something, because then I can’t help you. So it’s hard to listen faithfully to somebody when they’ve made you mad. That’s why I never make anybody mad. I’ll move right along. Verse 9, verse 9, for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you and how you turn to God from idols to serve. Salvation is one thing that’s free service is when you turn to the living in true God and serve him But now notice something because it’s so important and that is to live every day Looking for the Lord to come What are we waiting for we’re waiting for the Lord to come back and every day while he didn’t come today?

Well, he might come tomorrow What a beautiful day to go home. Oh, I love that song But look in verse 10, andGilbert, and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. So he says, this is what is going to take place. You and I should live every day looking for the Lord to come back. Now at the end of each one of the chapters here in the book of 1 Thessalonians, it ends with the talking about the second coming of Christ.

It’s like it’s, this is the powerhouse behind everything. We don’t know how much time we have and the Lord is coming back soon. And because He’s coming after us, we want to be found doing what God wants us to do. Now look there in verse 18. In verse 18, wherefore we would have come unto you, even I, Paul, once and again, but you You ought to underline these three words. Satan hindered us. You’re talking about the greatest soul winner of all times.

You’re talking about the greatest Christian probably of all time. Satan working on them. Satan hindered us. Kept them from doing exactly what they want to do. They got it done, but they were hindered. And maybe sometimes you’ll find that Satan is hindering you. I would love to be worthy of the devil opposition himself personally. I hope that he doesn’t think that he just has to send the little bitty guys after me. I want to be worthy of the devil himself coming after me.

I want the devil to know my name. As they said one time, he says, Peter, we know Paul, we know, who in the world are you? I want the devil to know who I am, not for a sense of pride, but I want to be able to give him a black eye. I want to be able to punch him in the nose. I want the devil to know that there’s somebody that loves the Lord more than the things of the world.

And if you take anything that I have, I still love the Lord more. I love the Lord more than my health and more than my wealth more than anything in this world. I love the Lord. And I want the devil to know that. But I also want the Lord to know that. And the only way I can prove it to the Lord is by the things that He allows them me to see and to hear in this whole world.

And then I forfeit that for Him, for His sake. And to realize that you’re going to have afflictions in this world, but those afflictions are not going to stop you from serving the Lord, from trusting the Lord. See, that’s what the devil is after trying to use the afflictions to stop you because that’s what he does. He’s been in the business for 6,000 years or more, and he knows what he’s doing. He knows what’s worked on everybody else. Do you want to be like everybody else?

Or do you want to be different? This is why it’s so important. So he says, but Satan hindered us. Now look at the next verse. for what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming. And He’s not talking about just because they had trusted Christ as their Savior, but because they became examples of the believer. That’s why He makes that statement over there. We behaved ourselves among you that believe and then those that did believe behave themselves and became examples.

And so he says, my labor is not in vain, not only because you trusted the Lord, but because you grew in the Lord. And your love is manifested to everyone, your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience of hope, all those things you grew, you developed, you matured. And I can’t wait until you get to heaven to see what you’re gonna get. See, behind all of these things is something that every Christian’s need to understand. Is it we should do especially good to those who know the Lord and try to encourage one another.

Don’t you think that’s a good thing to do? Everybody needs encouragement. And so you come to chapter three. In chapter three, he talks about some wonderful things and how that he says, I want to know how you do it in certain areas. Soaution look there in verse three. He says that no man should be moved by these afflictions. What causes people to be moved afflictions? I don’t have money. My health is bad. Friends are mad at me. Everything’s going wrong.

My husband left me. My wife left me. My kids don’t love me. What is the reason? There is no reason that should come between you and the Lord. He says that no man should be moved by these afflictions for yourselves. for yourselves know that we are appointed, in other words, you know what’s going to happen. You’re appointed to suffer, you’re going to have afflictions and the trials and tribulation is what works the patience that makes you valuable because it teaches you in lessons by the experiences that you go through that you can be using greater ways.

So you can hang here looking verse five. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by any means that the tempter have tempted you and our labor be in vain. See, he’s not talking here about people not trusting the Lord. He’s talking about here of the growth of the people that knew the Lord, those that did believe. See, there’s a ministry, not just winning people of Christ, which is one ministry. There’s another one about challenging people to serve the Lord, to love the Lord.

So you don’t want there to be things in your light that would cause people not to do that. And then knowing that one day they’re going to stand before the Lord and people that you have challenged to serve the Lord and been a good example in front of them and they amount to something. And you don’t want your labor to be in vain. You want to see people succeed. If there’s anything any Christian wants is see somebody that they’ve influenced to succeed in the Lord.

To grow in the Lord. to have a ministry in the Lord and you help. Remember that little legislation I gave one time but there’s a Mercedes and you’re gonna give it to somebody? Oh yeah, and here’s a quarter. I helped. Well, that’s bad when it comes to salvation but when it comes to service, that’s a different story. You wanna be, I helped, I helped, I did that. Now look what he says there in verse 12. Up chapter three, verse 12.

He says, and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love. One toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you, to the end, he may establish your hearts. Unblamably in holiness before God. In other words, the way we behaved ourselves among you, we want you to do that in the lives of others. See, it’s easy for Paul to say this and to challenge him to do this if they did it. That’s what makes him good examples.

And so you want to be a good example. Can you be able to say to other people, look, you follow my example, follow me as I follow Christ. That’s good as long as you’re following Christ. But you want them to follow you long enough to learn how to walk. And then God may move you away and then they’ll walk between them and the Lord. But most people that are learning, they have to have help. You just don’t say, go walk with the Lord.

Go serve the Lord. They don’t know anything. They got to be taught. They got to be brought along. So important. Now, look in verse 13. And you’ll notice that behind it again is a wonderful verse. To the end he may establish your heart unblamably in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you ought to underline that whole line with all his saints. So you see, you’re talking here about God’s people, not the lost people.

Now we already had enough sermons on reaching the loss, reaching the loss, reaching the loss, and we ought to do that. But there’s another part of our ministry, and that’s in the lives of other Christians. So one day when Christ comes back, we’re going to all be together. Now right now, something heaven, and some’s on the earth. And Ephesians in chapter three talks about the family of God. Those are in heaven and those that are on the earth. about us loving the Lord and serving the Lord in such a way that we might know and understand the height and the breadth and the depth and so forth of the love of God.

Now you get to chapter 4 and it tells us about these bodies of ours and that it is his tool belongs to him and he owns the house in which we live. So he says here about this body that we have. verse one. Furthermore then, we beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received of us, how ye ought to walk and to please God. Now you’ve received it from us. We were a good example.

We’ve taught you. Ye have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God in your underlying esteem. So ye would abound more and more. He did what we did sacrifice what we sacrificed for your benefit. Serving the Lord is for other people’s benefit, but it helps you to grow at the same time. That’s what matures you is whenever you start trying to help somebody because you’re going to have to put up a lawful lot with people.

Some people are not going to be lovable. You were trying to love somebody that’s not very lovable. There’s a few people out there like that. to be kind to those that are not kind to you, to forgive others who won’t forgive you. I know some people say, I’ll never forgive them if it’s the last thing I do.

And then you gotta forgive them because God’s words have come in just to forgive one another. Now, forgiving somebody of what they did to you really does more for you than for the person. It cleans your mind, cleans your slate, and it means you don’t hold grudges. Because if you don’t, that builds inside of you and causes bitterness. The next thing you know, it really hurts you. It destroys you. It’s a wrecking job, but it’s done from the inside job.

So forgiving somebody really releases you. You’ve released the person that wronged you. Otherwise, you’ll try to either get even. You become hurtful and bitter and so forth. Don’t do that Just forgive him. It isn’t worth it and you’ll find out this Here he makes a statement so you would abound more and more now look in verse three In verse three for this is the will of God even your sanctification that you should abstain from Fornication that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and and sanctification and honor.

That means taking this body of ours with all of its sinful desires and keeping it under control. To know how to possess it, how to control it. And that’s with the Lord. So therefore he gives us some good things down through here and notice when he says down here now, in verse 12, that you may walk honestly, Toward them that are without, that you may lack nothing. Verse 13 gets into the subject that we often talk about the rapture.

He says, but I would not have it to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep. But we don’t have to sorrow as those who have no hope. We know we’re going to see each other again, even those that have already died in the Lord. Because if we believe, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air when He comes back. So He makes a statement there in verse 16, For the Lord Himself shall descend.

From heaven, with a shout, with a voice of the Archangel, with the Trump of God, and the dead in Christ, shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, And so shall we ever be with the Lord. We’re for comfort one another with these words. These are supposed to bring great comfort to all of God’s children. Because we know that those who have already died, we’re going to see them again.

And it’ll be the ones that died, the ones that we know, or there’s no value in telling us that, you know, hey, you’re going to see them again. Well, this is the same one. There’s no value to it. So it’s the same ones. We’re going to see our loved ones again. So even as you end chapter four, you see that it’s talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Because you see there’s got to be something that we can look to and believe in, and that’s why in the book of Titus it talks about the blessed hope.

The blessed hope. We joyfully anticipate this wonderful event taking place in our own lifetime. Now chapter five, as we’ve covered many times before, there’s going to be a time coming and the Lord tells us that we should understand that we are going to be delivered from the wrath to come. That’s in verse 9. So we’ll be delivered from that. And we have obtained salvation from the wrath to come. So when he mentions the rapture in chapter 4 and then the wrath to come, which is after the rapture, it tells us until that time, until the Lord comes.

If you’ll notice there in verse 23, and the very God, the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we are supposed to be looking for Christ to come and to be found faithful until that day, until that moment. Body, soul, and spirit. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, A Teaching Ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tapp of Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part 2 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 by the line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 1-800-576-3771. 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bible line 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. live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.