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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 BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

You know, sometimes you just can’t wait to see what discline you’re going to^^. udic. This could be my finest hour. But it might not be. But as you look over your life, you’d be surprised how many times you have thought, this was my finest moment. You know when that girl gets all dressed up and she’s ready to walk down the aisle and she says, I do. And, you know, that might be her finest moment, her finest hour. There’s different times in our life when we have this finest hour, the finest moment.

Sometimes I wondered when I’m going to have mine. I know it’s out there somewhere. I’m going to have the finest hour. You know, I’ve been playing golf off and on for 50 years. I’ve only had practice rounds. I’ve never played a game yet. But I think one of these times I’m going to get that hole in one. What a moment that’s going to be. I live. Every time I put a golf club in my hand, I’m anticipating this could be the day that I get that hole in one.

I had a friend of mine, Shannon Strickland up there in Georgia. He never played golf, just a kid in the church. He decided he wanted to go play golf. So me and Leon, we had mercy upon this poor kid, teenager, you know, 1920 years old. He hits the ball on a par three and we couldn’t see where it landed. We went up there and it was in the hole. A kid did it means nothing to it. It meant nothing to him.

And it means everything to me. It was his finest hour in my lowest moment. I think one of these days I’m going to hit the longest drive I’ve ever hit. One of these days I’m going to be Gary Steppen. Be my finest hour. You know, guy the other day named Mickelson, he was playing golf and he had a 59 staring at him in the face and he hit his putt on the last hole and it ripped out of the cup.

It went in the cup and ripped out. He would have broken a record or tied a record or something. little shot and it would have been a fine moment to remember for the rest of your life because most people never get a chance to do that. The ball game they just had, just Super Bowl. This guy catches the ball in the end zone, 108 yards and then he was blitzing down through there running all of it and he’ll probably be remembered as the longest run back in football history.

I think it broke a record. Do you know nobody can take that away from unless somebody else comes along and does it? What a moment! Did you know you go through life and you wonder when is my moment going to come? When is that dream boat going to walk by and hoping that maybe this will be it? But I want you to take your Bible in turn with me to the book of Luke, the book of Luke. All of that just to say, this could be your finest hour.

The finest moment of your life. Like I said last week, today is as young as you will ever be. Did you like that? I mean, it’s… Every moment from here on out, you’re getting older. But in the book of Luke chapter 16, I want you to look there with me. And there’s a statement here, found in verse 10, that is faithful and that which is least is faithful also in much. If you’re faithful in that which is least, you’ll be faithful in that which is much.

You know that guy that had that big run back, you realize the years of training that went into that? All the exercising that he did, all the runs that he’s made, and then the moment came, but he probably did not know before he took that ball. This was going to break a record. He had no clue, but he was prepared. Gave it all he got. There’s times when you don’t know how it’s going to work out, but you work and you prepare for a moment in time.

Have you ever noticed that in the Olympics, how hard they work? For four years they work and sweat, and yet what they do may only take about 15 to 20 seconds to do. All of that work, I’ve never been to a horse race. I feel like I’ve been in a horse race. But they talk about all this work and his, all these people and joining all, and getting all these stands, all the cars, all the gas that’s spent, and all those people in there, and money that they pay, and they do all of that, and they wait for several hours, and let me hold the horse race only last maybe 15, 20 seconds.

Hey, don’t seem like it lasts long. All of that for that moment. How important is it that thing that you’re working for? That moment in time when you say, I want to be used by God, I want to do something great for the Lord. And it seems like you’re always in training, always in preparation. Waiting for that big, big moment to come. The big moment, and I was talking about this with Phil Mickelson, it seems like he is so lucky.

But the more skills he has, the harder he works, it seems like the more luckier he gets. A lot of people want to wear the medals, but they don’t want to get any battles. They want to be greatly used, but they’re not faithful in little things. Faithful in little things, and God says you’ll be faithful in much. I’m going to say a few words about being led by the Spirit. So you know, as a child of God, you’re either led by the Spirit or you’re driven by the devil.

Heard that long time ago and kind of stuck up there. I’m either going to be led by the Lord or driven by the devil. So I know the Lord wants to have me do things because of the Holy Spirit leading me. So it’s either going to be by the Spirit or you can do your own thing and do it in the flesh. So people say, I don’t want to do anything in the flesh. I just want to do it in the spirit.

So I’m waiting on the Holy Spirit to lead me to tithe or to give money. Yes, I tithe. I don’t think it’s an evil word. I think it’s a good place to give. But it’s a place to start. And I don’t think if you give to the Lord, I think you’re wrong, you’re wrong. So there’s a time, well, I’m just going to wait on the Holy Spirit to lead me to give. And if He doesn’t lead me, I’m not going to do it because I don’t want to do it in the flesh.

You know, you don’t get rewarded if you do it in the flesh. And I guess doing it in the flesh means I don’t really want to do it. So if I don’t really want to do it, I ought not do it. So I know I ought to read the Bible, but I don’t want to push this thing. I just want to be led of the Spirit. And if I do it when I don’t really want to do it, then I’m doing it in the flesh.

And reading the Bible in the flesh is no way to go. So therefore, I’m waiting on the Holy Spirit. Now I know I ought to witness, but I’m waiting on the Holy Spirit to lead me to witness because I don’t want to do it in the flesh. Do it in the flesh, everything goes wrong. So I don’t want to take and do that. So I’m just not going to do it until the Holy Spirit leaves me. Did you know there are certain things in the Word of God that call commands?

It means you go ahead and you do it and you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you as you do it. And you’ll be surprised what God will be able to do for you. Why don’t you try it this way? I’m gonna read the word of God until God stops me. I’m gonna give until it hurts, until I ain’t got anymore. Try that. Wouldn’t it be better to do something than nothing? I’m gonna witness until God says, don’t do it no more.

And if he don’t never tell me to stop, I guess I’ll just keep on doing it. That’s how I became a preacher. I said, I’m gonna preach until God stops me. I just can’t stand the idea of people going to hell. And I can’t stand the idea of people not knowing the word of God. So I took those little desires that I have, and so has God called you? I don’t know. I don’t know, I got the word of God.

You got the word of God. I just want to be obedient, tell people what I know, as many as I can, for as long as I can. But I believe it’s the will of God for me. You see, I believe it’s a lot easier to steer a car when it’s moving. Some Christians are playing behind the wheel, jumping up down in the seat like some little kid, you know? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, man, blu- minced, mm, mm, mm, mm, beep, beep, beep, beep.

Ah, where are you on? Nowhere, you’re making noises. Just pretend that you’re not moving. And you’re waiting on God to lead you. Waiting on God to guide you. And maybe that hour will never come. Faithful in that which is little. Look at the rest of that verse says, and he says, and he that is unjust in the lease is unjust also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, that means the things of the world, who will commit to your trust, the true riches, commit to your trust, that’s what this is about.

You see, when you want to serve the Lord, you gotta remember God has committed something to your trust, he’s trusting you, but he tries you, he tests you, and he gives you little things to do, little areas of your life that you say, It doesn’t matter. That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. That doesn’t matter. You’re attitude. It doesn’t matter. Just do whatever you want to do. And if you can’t be faithful in little things, God’s not going to bring bring in those big things by.

Because you’re not prepared. You’re not faithful. You won’t do what I told you to do. So you’d be surprised how sometimes big opportunities might go to somebody else because of their faithfulness to the Lord. Something to think about. Take your Bible and look in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians and chapter 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, the Apostle Paul says this in verse 16. This is on page 12 19 in an old school for a reference Bible, church Bible.

Verse 16 says, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. But if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel, still committed unto me. God has committed something to your trust, the gospel. The good news on how to have eternal life. Now you may do something with it, and you may not do anything with it.

You’re not faithful in little things. You may not be faithful in big things. So how much do you want to be used of God? Well, how faithful are you? Are you faithful to do what you can do with what you have, with what you know where you are? Are you dependable, trustworthy, faithful to the Lord? Moreover, it is required in the steward that a man be found faithful, something so simple, so easy. And you’d be surprised if you’re faithful, there may come that day when that one moment in time may be your hour, your hour, your finest hour.

Winston Churchill said this, to each, there comes in their lifetime, a special moment Legendary tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing. Unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy. If that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour. You see, you have your moments, you have your times. But if you’re not prepared, you will be unqualified to take advantage of that one moment in time that God wanted to have your finest hour.

You see, whenever you think about your life, there’s a lot of gaps in there. You don’t even remember as time goes on. But there’s certain things that happens that always stand out because there’s a fine moment. Something really happens, something special. Haven’t you had that desire that you believe that God wants you for something special? And you haven’t really attained to it yet. It hasn’t happened yet. You believe it’s still out there. But you know, having successful past experiences will do wonders for your confidence for the future because you believe and you keep studying, you keep preparing.

I still keep preparing. Every sermon that I preach, I prepare and I prepare as best that I possibly can. I want to always try to seek to do my dead level best. I believe that I’m talking to somebody that is like me, that has a deep burning desire to want to do something. Wondering when is my finest hour going to come? I knew you’d like that. So I gave it to you. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Genesis.

The book of Genesis. The book of Genesis in the Old Testament in chapter 24, Genesis chapter 24. You know Abraham’s getting old and he’s also got an old son. Sons getting old. And he said, I need to find a wife from a boy. So he had a servant going to send his servant back to where he came from. And that was a long ways away. I mean, if you went straight across maybe about 500 miles, something like that, cross a desert, he’s going to send his servant to look for him a wife.

He told him where to go, the family to go to. And he said, I want you to do this for me. you see there in chapter 24 verse 1, Abraham was old, well stricken in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. Abraham said unto his elder servant of his house that ruled over all that he had. He said, I’ve got something I want you to do in verse four, but thou shalt go unto my country and to my kindred and take a wife of my son Isaac.

Don’t you think that’s the way we ought to do it today? Well, okay, so that’s not gonna hunt today. Okay. You don’t want somebody picking who you’re going to marry. All right. Yeah. Now that you are married, don’t you wish they had him? No, not just the words that they don’t. So he says, I want you to go. And that in verse 27, he says, and he said, blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who have not left destitute my master of his for his mercy.

And in his truth, I being in the way, the Lord led me. I being in the way. In other words, when you’re already doing what God wants you to do, God can lead and guide you. And this is what God did for him. You see, when you talk about how he had to probably go across 500 miles of desert, it probably was maybe a little uneventful. Not exciting time in his life, but he got to where he was going.

And when he got there, there was a moment in time, well what about Rebekah? about that little girl that says, yes, I will go. She knows she could have been sitting there, you know, I’m 20 years old. I’m all a non-old man. I mean, who am I going to marry? But the ugly slobs around here. They don’t know my God. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Wine and pan and moaning groan. But this was a girl that knew the Lord.

She loved the Lord, she prepared herself. She was ready and she believed that this was of God and she hadn’t even seen the guy like some girls. He was a man. I knew this one girl that became an archaeologist just so she would do anything to dig up a man. Now some of y’all didn’t even get that. Don’t you feel bad when others get something you didn’t get it? But here she Yes, and she probably, you know, my life has been so dull and so boring around here, you know, dad and family, boring.

And then lo and behold, here comes a guy that’s looking for a bride for a guy, 500 miles away. But that might have been one of her finest moments. And she said, yes, and she was ready to go. You know, there’s a lot of things that God does for us. If we would only stop and think that maybe God is working in your life and you don’t even know it. And He’s checking to see, are you faithful in little things?

That when you don’t get your way, you still love them, you’re still faithful. When your wife doesn’t, she’s not exactly, you know, that perfect little wife you thought she was when you got married, but you still love the Lord and you still do right anyway. Or that husband, or the kids. You see, and you’re battling through all kinds of things. You’ve got health problems, you’ve got financial problems, you’ve got every kind of problem in the sun, social problems, the family problem, all kinds of things going on.

And just think, oh, there is a bright spot, you know, you’ve got to pay taxes coming up pretty soon. I know you’re looking forward to that. But you see, God is watching every one of us. And there’s a time. And it seems like you may go through a long period of time and it’s like a drought. And God says, I’m trying to get you prepared, giving you time to get ready, because I got something good for you. And many of God’s people will forfeit it because they won’t be prepared to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes.

I don’t know what it is. I don’t even care what it is. For me or for you, I just believe the book. And there’s a lot of things. Think about this. Noah had minded his own business and everybody else was getting corrupt, but he wanted to go ahead and do what God wanted him to do. And when the Lord says, everybody’s doing whatever they imagined themselves to do, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

God told him, said, I want you to build a boat, big boat. So he built an ark. How long he worked on that ark? I don’t know. Some say maybe 120 years. But whatever it was, he took him a while to put it together. Look how long he lived. But when we say the word Noah, we always say of Noah and the ark. That one thing, his defining moment, the thing that he stands out for, for what he’s well known.

You ever heard of a man by the name of Moses? I think Moses also had a defining moment, a finest hour. He had several of them. He was on the backside of the desert. Forty years. Boy, this dream that I had sure got messed up. I thought forty years before. that whenever I was going to lead the children of Israel out, they all would have got behind me and I could have done it. And instead, they didn’t want him.

So he went on the backside of the desert for 40 years. Dream gone. Death of a vision. God can’t use me. And he had all the questions and doubts and took care of sheep. I believe God was preparing Him. Till He got empty of Himself. And Lord behold one day, He saw a burning bush, a burning bush. What a defining moment. His whole life changed. Everything changed. God said, I want to send you back to Egypt. But look how many years passed.

And you have no idea how many years may pass in your life and then God will give you a defining moment. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour. You have no idea what you have already forfeited because you didn’t prepare to take advantage of something God had for you because maybe you weren’t faithful in little things because it did matter. Nobody knows anyway, who cares? I’m waiting for the big things to come along for me.

I’m so important. Faithful and little things. Do them well. And you’ll be surprised what God may do for you. You know there’s a little boy named David. You ever heard of David and Goliath? Just kind of goes with it, don’t it? That might have been a defining moment because he was prepared and he could do the job and he knew he could because he’d already done it twice with a bear and a lion. And here was a time and look, God had all these people see him.

God raised him up, but he’d already been faithful. He was a good son, an obedient son. had something for him. And that moment has been written down in the Word of God for all these thousands of years, and everybody gets to read about David and what he did. David, the little boy that slew the giant cut off his head with his own sword. But what have you hadn’t have done it? He was faithful in little things, and God used them to be faithful in big things.

And that is what God wants us to do. Remember this, when we talk about the flesh, the flesh, your own will, your own way, always leads us because of pride. No, we want. And maybe God has something different than what we want. Is God able to shape your life the way He wants? To shape your will? To guide your spirit? Not break it, but guide it. The Lord wants to lead us, to guide us. Who knows? There may be another defining moment in the ministry of Calvary Community Church.

You know, because sometimes you don’t see something great until after it’s over with. So you don’t have it anymore. There’s been times in my life when I consider, you know, if that was a great moment. I wish I’d have known that then. When I used to run a youth ministry and I could play the guitar, we’d have about 20, 25 playing guitars and watchtubs and coconuts and anything to make a noise. And all these teenagers sitting on the floor and I had them up close and they were all over the place and I give the invitation and we’d have an average between 15 to 25 trussle or to every Thursday night for years.

I just thought that was just something regular but you know in my life that was a defining moment. One of my finest hours and I didn’t even know it at the time. There’s times when you’re doing something that’s wonderful and great but at the moment you may not see it. Years later you’ll see you know if it hadn’t been for this thing, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That one decision, I didn’t know it was going to do this but look what God has done and you ought to find spots in your life where you can say this is when God changed something in my life.

God did this and my God did a work with this. I had no clue that when I come down here that we’d be starting a Bible college. It may be the biggest bomb that’s ever exploded, but a few years from now it may be the seed of an awesome thing. And it could have been when we came together as a bunch of men and we talked about this and we took it to the congregation and they voted 100%. It may be the planting of a wonderful thing that could have been this ministry’s finest hour.

A moment that defines us and given us some because we’ve been so faithful to the gospel, to presenting the gospel, that God says now it’s time to teach others how to do what we do. Pastor Yankee here, let me ask you a question. Did you appreciate today’s message? I know I don’t often have the chance to ask you that question. But, dear friend, the answer to that question is very important. The answer to that question, what kind of impact is this program having on you, is why we bring this program to you every day here on this radio station.

We do not hear from many listeners, but today I’m talking to you. If Ivalan has made an impact on your life, would you let me know? Recently, the overall response, your letters and emails, as well as your financial support, has been down and we really could use your help today. If this ministry has been a blessing to you, would you please consider helping us? We greatly appreciate your prayers and financial gifts, especially during this time of year. Contact information is coming up in just a minute, but please, consider supporting Bible line today with your prayers and financial support.

Thank you. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. 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. 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. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org.