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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 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.

Take your Bible, turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, 1 Corinthians and chapter 10. There’s times that you and I know that sometimes people ask us if we could do something and sometimes you have to learn how to say no. That’s one of the hardest words in the Christian language, knowing how to say no in a nice sweet spirit. Because sometimes people just don’t like to be told no. It hurts their feelings. And sometimes people think the whole world revolves just around them and they want you to revolve around them.

And it can’t always be that way. I’ve lived long enough and I’ve watched long enough to see that God does not grant grant, and all of my request. I don’t know how you’ve been. Maybe you’ve gotten all of yours, but I haven’t gotten all of mine. I still got a few requests in the hopper that I’d love to see, you know, granted. But I want you to look at something here in 1 Corinthians and chapter 10. See, the Lord is using the Apostle Paul to say some very strong things to the people that are at Corinth.

Because if they hadn’t done everything right, they were God’s children. They have eternal life, they’re going to heaven. But he said he couldn’t talk to them as though they were spiritually minded because they weren’t. The Bible says they were carnally minded. And he says there is among you strife and divisions and envy and bickering and backbiting and comparison of one speaker over another, just all kinds of things. He had to put his foot down and say some things that were a little on the strong side.

So evidently there were some that were murmuring and complaining about things. You ever seen anybody like that? Just murmuring and complaining all the time. Well, believe it or not, you would think when you get saved, you’re not supposed to do that anymore. But we do. And the reason is because we still have an old sinful nature. And sometimes we just fail to control it. Sometimes we just feel like just let it rip and don’t worry about it. Just say whatever you want to say.

Like it’s when we came up to Billy Sunday one time and says, you know, I say a lot of things that I shouldn’t say. But after I got it off my chest, I feel better. He says, yeah. He says you can shoot somebody with a double barrel shotgun and feel a lot better. but you sure do a lot of damage. And sometimes you may not need to say all you wanna say, and just get it off your chest as though it’s, well, at least now I feel better.

You might have just destroyed four or five people in the process. So here in the book of First Corinthians, there’s some of this going on, and he’s kind of giving them a warning. So you look there in verse one, more over brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant because he just finished talking to them to keep your body under control. Because see that was one of the things less I beset aside, rejected for service, rejected for the prize.

Because there’s so much that you want to do. And so he said if you’re in a race you might as well run. And if you’re gonna run you might as well try to win. And if you’ve gone to do it right. You say I’m gonna serve the Lord. Then serve God God’s way. But you can’t serve God your way. You have to serve Him His way. You have to do what He wants, the way He wants. So He makes a statement here.

I would not have you to be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud all passed through the sea. We’re all baptized in the Moses, in the cloud and in the sea. And did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink? For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. So you see what he says when he took the nation of Israel out of Egypt, what he did when he went through the Red Sea, all of them went through.

And when he went into the wilderness, they all went there. And whenever the pillar of fire gave him heat and light, well, it did it for all of them. And when the cloud that was there and gave him cool in the heat of the day, it did it for all of them. When he provided the water, he provided water for all of them. And when he gave him food to eat, he did it for all of them. And yet in spite of what he did for all of them, which was all the same.

So if God saved me and God saved you, he did the same for both of us. He gave me the Holy Spirit, gave me the Holy Spirit. He did the same for both of us. And so God has given me time to live, gave you time to live. So you see, when you trust the Lord, see, there’s a few things that God has done the same for all of us. But in spite of what He’s done for all of us, not all of us respond the same way.

Neither did they. So He says here in verse 5, but with many of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. So some of them, for various reasons just kind of like turned their back up on the Lord. And the thing was behind it is they murmured and complained every time they turned around they murmured they griped about something. Then they started comparing what they were having to eat with what they had done in Egypt.

Did they forget so quickly how that they cried out to the Lord and he heard their cries and delivered them? Then he makes a statement here in verse 6. Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things. So what happened to them? There’s lessons for us to learn. Don’t do like they did. Because the same God who judged them is the same God that will judge us. We’re supposed to learn from what others have gone through.

So there’s things that people have done in obeying God. And so we have all these testimonies, and he says in the book of 119 some, the testimonies of Lord are sure making wise the simple. So we’re supposed to know the stories, listen to them and see what God did to those who obeyed and see what God did to those who disobeyed so that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We don’t have to learn by experience so many things that would bring hardship to us.

So God wants us to be wise. And so he goes down through here and he mentions in verse 7, he says, neither be ye idolaters as some of them. So not everybody falls for the same thing. It’s just different things. See the devil gets some people this way and some people another way and he lures some with this and he lures some with that. But if he gets you to fall, it doesn’t matter why you fail. If you ruined your life, it won’t matter how he ruined your life, you ruined your life.

The reason won’t matter. all of it boils down because you take your eyes off the Lord and you look at the world. And the devil dangles the little things out in front of you and you go down. So in verse 8, neither let us commit fornication as some of them did, but not everybody did that, but some of them did. In verse 9, neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also attempted and were destroyed of the serpents.

In verse 10, neither murmur ye as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now he says in verse 11, all these things happen under them, for examples, and they are written for our admonition of whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. So you and I are supposed to learn the lesson from this@@ ye fall. So when you fall, I don’t know what happened. you could figure it out.

There’s a reason, and not God’s priestess sermon not long ago, you generally start stumbling before you fall. And then he says this in verse 13, there have no temptation taken you but such is as common to man, but God is faithful, and will not suffer to be tempted above that which you’re able but will the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So God doesn’t put anything upon us that we can’t bear.

God says we can. And with every problem, there is a solution. Now we face problems all the time. Problems can neither scare you or you can look for a solution. Knowing that God has made a way. You just don’t know what it is yet, but you’re not supposed to be ruled by fear. So, you studied the Word of God and you find out about something I want you to see here, and that’s found there in verse 4. And it all drank the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ.

Now take your Bible and turn there to the book of Exodus in chapter 17, Exodus in chapter 17. Exodus 17, there’s a nice little story here. Generally, when I go to Exodus 17, I always start with verse 8 where it says, then came Amalek. Anybody remember that sermon? Then came Amalek. All right. But I want you to notice what took place before Amalek came. And there’s a reason for some of this. But look there in chapter 17 and verse 1.

This is on page 91. in an old school for a reference Bible, and it says they’re in verse 1, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, journeyed from the wilderness of sin. Isn’t that a wonderful name for a wilderness? I wonder why they call it that. But anyway, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in refedim, and there was no water for the people to drink. There was no water for the people to drink.

Wherefore, verse the people did chide with Moses and said, give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, why chaiji with me? Wherefore do you tempt the Lord? In the words you’re out there in the desert. And you maybe have a couple million people and people are thirsty. I bet you there’s a lot of time for Moses says, Lord, why didn’t you just leave me on the back side of the desert? I was there for 40 years.

I was perfectly satisfied. Look how you have really wrecked my life. I had peace and contentment. You left me alone. I left you alone. Everything was fine. And now after being on the back side for 40 years, he happens to see a burning bush and in God has a word with him and now he look what he’s into. One problem after the other. Do you think he had more problems with the people than he did with the sheep. Do you think there might be a time when Moses says, you know, I think I’ve had enough.

I went out of this thing. And Moses was getting very discouraged, very depressed. Look what he said. In verse 3, and the people thirsted their full water and the people murmured against Moses. Now remember, we just spread that in the New Testament, lest you murmur and complain, then he sent the serpents. The serpents were like, here comes the devil and all of those little demons. You’d be surprised when you run from God and you start murmuring and complaining, you’d be surprised at all the little demons that have come out of you and enter you.

Now you’re not coming inside and dwelling within you, but you know what I’m talking about. You’d be surprised you’d probably have little demons or ways or habits that sometime they take over your life. You begin to think a certain way because that’s the way he used to think. Did you know that under pressure most times you revert back to what you used to do? You know, you can take a gopher and he can be set in his ways and learn that’s how he does it.

He’s been doing that way for 20 years. He goes to a teacher and starts teaching him how to correct the problem but when he gets under pressure he’ll revert right back to doing it the way he used to do it because it’s added. Have you ever seen somebody who explodes under pressure? So the the next time they get in the pressure, what are they tempted to do? Explode. You do the same thing. Sometimes you don’t learn. You don’t learn how to control that.

Well Moses, he got a problem. And so he says here, wherefore is this that thou have brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? Now it’s all Moses’ Moses’s fault. Moses, you did this. Look what you did. You brought us out of there. Probably Moses didn’t lasso anybody. He didn’t make anybody do anything. They probably all went on their own and just followed Moses because they knew that what they were leaving.

And somehow or another because of the miracles they became convinced. But isn’t it something that you can see great things and what God’s done for you. And then the very next event can scare you to death. Because those are past. This one now. God brought me through a thousand of them, but I got one more. I don’t know if he can do it. You know, this problem is too big. I don’t know if God can handle this one or not.

Well, look what he says in verse 4. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, what shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me.” Have you ever thought that, you know, there’s times in your life where, you know, you love somebody and they love you and all of a sudden it seemed like you’re really trying to strangle each other? They’re ready to stone him. Think about Jesus Christ. He was here. He was perfect. Never did anything wrong to anybody.

And look how the world wanted to treat him. What did they want to do? They wanted to stone him. They wanted to kill him. And he hadn’t done anything wrong. And sometimes somebody has to have somebody to vent their hands. problem on. Sometimes if people vent their problem on you, you’re probably not the cause of it. It’s just they don’t want to put it on the other person because they might be big and they can whip them or something.

They don’t know how they’re going to come back on them. So they take some poor innocent little person and just let it all flow on that one person. But he says, they’re ready to stone me. So look what happens. In verse 5, and the Lord said in the Moses, go on before the people and take with thee of the elders of Israel and thy rod. Wherewith thou smoteest the river take in thine hand and go. And behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in horrib.

And thou shalt smite the rock.” Now we know from the New Testament in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 10 there, that the rock, that spiritual rock, when you spiritualize some of these things, because the scripture tells you that’s what it is, that rock was Christ. So here’s Moses in the wilderness, all the people, and they’re thirsty, and so the rock was a symbol of Christ. So he’s going to smite the rock. See, that’s what happened when Christ came the first time.

When Christ came, he was smitten of the Father, and he brought forth the living water. Remember when Jesus stood on that day of the feast? So did he try and says, if any man thirst, let him come in to me and drink, and as the scripture hath set out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This fake key of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive, for yet Christ had not been crucified yet. But it was a picture of the Holy Spirit which they were going to receive.

So as you go down through here it says there in verse 7, and he called the name of the place, Massa and Meraba, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord saying, is the Lord among us or not? So the rock is a picture of Jesus is among you. And in the book of John chapter 1 where it says he tabernacled among them and the word became flesh and there he is. He tabernacled among them and so therefore we beheld his glory the glory is of the only begotten of the Father.

So Jesus Christ came and then you’ll see there in verse 8. Then came Amalek. The rock being smitten is the first thing, see, we’re to believe in because if it wasn’t for what he did on the cross for us, we could not have eternal life. It doesn’t do away with your old sinful nature and the first thing you realize right after such a wonderful experience. When you were totally helpless and you could not produce the water, the Lord did it, and then came Amalek.

And then you’ll see that it was almost like the two-arm natures that you’ve seen me do. See there in verse 10? Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek and Moses and Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. And it Reincarnated when Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed when he let down his hand Amalek prevail. See this illustration? All depends on which way it is. It’s the same illustration. It reveals the two nations.

So there is stories in the Old Testament that can be used to illuminate the biblical doctrine in the New Testament. So therefore he says learn these stories as he says in the book of Romans in In chapter 15, he says, the Old Testament, the Scriptures were written for our admonition, for our learning that we may understand some of these things. So anyway, I want you to take your Bible looking, Deuteronomy chapter 3. Just turn to your right to the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 3.

Deuteronomy chapter 3, and notice there in verse 23, there’s some things that are written here that goes pretty good. But the time came when Moses did something that he should not have done. And he wished that he hadn’t had done it, but he did. The next time there was a problem, he was told to speak to the rock. And he didn’t do it. He smoked the rock the second time. And so in verse 21 of chapter 3, and I commanded Joshua at that time saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God have done unto thee, these two kings.

So shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms with all thou passes. You shall not fear them for the Lord your God, he shall fight for you.” That’s a good verse to underline. That’s a good verse. He shall fight for you. And I besought the Lord at that time. Now here’s where Moses made a request to God. But God didn’t grant him his request. He makes his statement, I besought the Lord at that time saying, oh Lord God, thou hath begun to show thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand.

For what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works and according to thy might. I pray thee, I pray thee. Let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain in Lebanon. Let me go.” God had told him because of his disobedience. You can’t go into the land because he got mad. He got angry, got angry at the people. And the Lord had told him, says, speak to the rock.

And he didn’t speak to the rock. He smoked the rock. And when he smote the second time, it’s like Christ being crucified all over again. You see, that similar to what you read in the book of Hebrews in chapter 6, he says, you can’t do it twice. It’s impossible. And he ruined the type, that upset God. And the Bible says God was wrath. He was mad, angry with him. Sometimes people don’t always, you see, does God know the things that we’re going to do before we do them?

Yes. Well, that means it must be the will of God. No, it wasn’t. knew that Moses was going to do this, but God didn’t stop Moses from making a bad decision, but he let Moses suffer the consequences of his bad decision. So he says in verse 25, I pray they let me go over and see this good land that is beyond Jordan for 40 years. He had been leading the children of Israel. Now he could understand why all of those other ones had to die off because of their disobedience.

They came back with an evil report and turned the hearts of the people against going into the land because they didn’t believe what God said. They said, there’s giants in the land. Yeah, but God gave us promise. Joshua and Caleb believed them, but so many of the people suffered the consequences. And their carcass would die in the wilderness. Now, here’s a man like Moses, a hundred and twenty years old, and he couldn’t go into the land. Something he wanted to him, he would lead the people.

Look what he says in verse 20, but the Lord was wrath with me for your sakes and would not hear me. He would not listen to me. He would not grant me my request. And the Lord said unto me, let it suffice thee, speak no more unto me of this matter. God says, don’t bring it up again. Now we just read in Sunday’s school about, you know, taking it to the unjust judge and the woman that did so and her continual coming she sorrowed him and burdened him and we read him.

And so their scriptures it says, don’t quit, don’t let go. Pray always, never stop. And then there’s times when God will let you know that request is not going to be granted, no sense even praying for it. There’s been a few of my little dreams that I’ve had that I’ve had to give up on. And then there’s some that I just don’t quit on. I just keep hanging in there like a pit bull because I do believe that it’s for the Lord’s honor and for God’s glory and therefore I’ll let go when I die.

But I’m going to hang on to some of my requests until the day I die. But he says here, let it suffice thee. I’ve given you my answer. Be content with it. Now he’s telling what has already happened. So this This isn’t happening right here. He’s already telling this. So he says in verse 27, get the up into the Mount of Piska and lift up thine eyes, westward and northward and southward and eastward and behold, it would thine eyes for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him for he shall go over before this people and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. Isn’t it something in the Bible says that his eyes were not abated or this physical strength? And yet he was getting to be an old man of 120 years old. And yet he was able to stand on top of that mountain. God wouldn’t let him go into the land, but he let him see it.

That was a little mercy, wasn’t it? Just a little mercy. But you see, if God had not taken that sin so seriously, do you know it could have affected Joshua? Do you think Joshua learned a lesson by what was happening? That he said, and we don’t have anything against Joshua. Joshua served the Lord. He says, for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. And He was a good leader and God used Him. But He learned some lessons from His instructor, as you would say, the leader that came before Him and God blessed Him.

Now just think about this. You remember the story about Elijah? We talked about it just recently. But Elijah was a prophet, and he did seven miracles. The last one was a Lulu, mainly because of Ahab and Jezebel. And things weren’t going good. See the king, he really hated Elijah. His wicked wife says, I’m going to kill that man. I’m going to kill that man. So did she kill him? Was he afraid of her? After all of that he could take on 450 of the prophets of Baal and run from one woman.

Don’t you run from a woman. Don’t let him scare you to death. There’s a moral of the story. But you still, you got to do right. But here’s this wicked old Jezebel. I want you to look at this. Look in 1st Kings in chapter 19. 1st Kings in chapter 19. This is a pretty interesting chapter. As you know, he began to run. He said, you know, there’s a sound of abundance of rain. And Jezebel was going to kill him,bane, so he begins to run and he finally goes into hiding, scared to death.

And then he says, Lord, I think it’s just about time for me to die. So he mentions that in verse three. He ran for his life and in verse four of chapter 19 he says, but he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. Came and sat down under a juniper tree. He requested, he had a request. Aren’t you glad that you’ve lived long enough not to have all of your request answered? See this is another request that God didn’t grant to him.

And you know what? He never did die. You realize that if God had answered His request, He would not have got to ride the chariot to heaven. No man has ever done that before. And look how pitiful He was! Lack of faith! Running for His life! God take me home. Heh, what He did! But look at the trip He got. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message.

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 Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free, 1-800-576-3771. It’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bible and 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. Friends, 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.