This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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.

I want to show you something very simple, and then I hope that you’ll see it and understand it. I had some notes, but I can’t seem to find them. I’m just getting older, you know what I mean. Something you haven’t seen for a while, but I wanted to show you this. If I was to present this little message, I want you to see it in several parts because Now some people, when Christ was here and He preached to mix multitude, those that wanted to know truth and those that didn’t, they would hear different things.

Now when I say let this hand represent you and me, the wall of represents sin, we all have sin on us. God says that we’ve all sinned and the way the sin is death, so we’re all condemned and we can’t save ourselves and it’s got to be perfect to go to heaven. So just by that part alone, if you listen to that, it’s all negative and it’s bad news. Heaven is perfect, we’re not. We committed sin, that’s not good.

We got to pay for it and then help. That’s not good. Can’t earn you a heaven, that’s not good. Nothing’s good. It’s all bad news. But then if I say the other part, number five, Christ died for our sins, came back from the dead, said if we would believe it, we could have eternal life. Oh, that’s good. That’s good news. Christ died for me. If I believe it, I can have eternal life and know I’m going to heaven and I die.

So if you’re sitting there listening, so I’m going to take a note of what Yankee just said. And then you’re only wrote down the bad news. Did I say that? Yeah, he said that. That’s exactly what he said. Somebody else say, listen, and they only wrote down the good news. Boy, that was good news. Boy, that was good news. Somebody said that was nothing but bad news. One is negative and one is positive. But I only preached the one message.

Did I need both of them? Or do I just need one part of it? I needed both. Because you see, you can’t appreciate the good news unless you understand the bad news. And so because everybody has the need for the good news, they’ve got to understand why God did what He did the way he did. Now as I’ve studied the Scriptures and especially in the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I kind of step back and try to figure out, now what’s the purpose of these books and the way they’re laid out?

What’s the point? Why didn’t he just write one book that said it all instead of four guys from four different angles telling the same story? And yet we know that everything Christ did, as he says in the book of John, that these things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that by believing you may have life through his name. So it tells you the purpose of the book at the end of the book.

Generally you think, well you tell the purpose of the book, at the beginning of the book, why am I writing this book? And as you go through it you study what’s the point of this book? What’s the point at this one. And you find that each one of these books, whether it’s of all the miracles that Christ did, the way He handled Himself, the questions, the answers, everything was for a reason trying to deliver the evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

All of it is based upon belief. Do you believe? What do you have to believe? Look at what he did to get people to believe. So when you go through it and you study it and you see these things you realize. There’s more here than meets the eye. So the idea that I hadederation in my mind is what is that last piece of evidence? The last piece of evidence that Jesus gave, the evidence that proved that everything he said and everything he did was true.

So when you read that it’s very interesting. I want you to get by them. Just go to the book of Matthew. Go to the book of Matthew. Matthew. And you’ll notice that in Matthew, yes, it talks about the genealogy of Christ and who Christ is concerning the lineage as it goes all the way back to David and showing that he is to be the king of Israel and that he is of the tribe of Judah and going all the way up and showing that all of this is true.

So here in Matthew in chapter 2, look there in verse 1, where it says in verse 1, now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. So it seemed like all for the gospel starts off with when Jesus began his ministry, as it says in Mark, in the beginning of the gospel, like in Luke, in the beginning of the gospel and in one in the beginning about his birth and in Matthew +# in the beginning about his birth. So some start with John the Baptist in others start when he was born but in the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ and his ministry even began when he was 12 years old when he says, I must be about my father’s business.

I love the way it’s worded. He says, was he not that I must be about my father’s business? In other words, don’t you know who I am as a 12-year-old boy? Don’t you know who I am? That was to his parents. Don’t you know I must be about my father’s business? And And he’s not talking about Joseph who was a carpenter. So he had a ministry. Now he didn’t begin officially his ministry until he was 30 years old. But in verse one he says, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews?

For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship Him. So now the rest of this book is going to be laying the foundation, the groundwork, that Jesus has every right to claim the throne of Israel. He was born King of the Jews. This is who He was. This is what He was going to do. And as you go through and you see all the things that Jesus did because of Him being born King of the Jews.

But now SHALL go all the way to the last chapter, or almost to the last chapter. disclos to see something in Matthew 26. Look at Matthew 26, and you’ll notice through all of this it’s always about who is this man, just who is he? Who does he think he is? Who does he claim to be? What do people think about them? And then Jesus even asked him the question, whom do men say that I, the son of man am?

He gave the answer in the statement, who do they say that I am? But because it’s all about who am I? Do you know who I am? Do you know You know who I am, you remember that sermon I preached on? Do you know who I am? In Matthew chapter 26, look in verse 68, saying, prophesy unto us thou Christ. Who is he that smote thee? You say you’re a Christ. Well they knew that Christ is supposed to be the Son of God.

Christ is supposed to be the Lamb of God. You see, they knew that. And if you are who you say you are, who is it that smote you? Remember they put a sack over his head and they slapped his face. They beat him with their fist. All these things they did to him. It was a test to see who are you. If you are who you say you are, come down from the cross and we will believe. It’s all about who is he?

Who is this Christ? Like I talked about this morning when he says, the Christ. Who’s son is he? Why is David’s son? Well, if he’s David’s son, how can David call him Lord if he’s his son? Interesting. But now I know it’s what else he says. You’ll notice three times because it’s always about either Either believing who he is or denying who he is. And you’ll notice in verse 70 that Peter, but he denied before them all saying, I know not what thou says.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Verse 72, and again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. I don’t know the man. Verse 74, then began he to curse and to swear, said, I know not the man. See, everything. Everything in life is your identification println to Christ. Do you know Him? Do you know who He is? Our eternal destination is dependent upon you knowing who Christ is. Who is He? What does He do? What do you believe?

What is the reason for you believing that Jesus Christ can save you to start with? He can save you. How do you know? If you don’t know how you know, He can save you. How do you know He has? What are you going by? What’s the foundational truth? What’s your reason? What is the evidence? Everybody has to have evidence. See, that’s what gives you confidence, boldness, surety. That confidence that you have. You know that what you believe is true.

What is this great truth? When Christ came for three years, everything He did was to convince Him He was who He said He was. And did He give any evidence? Did He give any reasons for them to believe what He said? And He said to some people, He says He did not many miracles there because of their unbelief, because they wouldn’t believe. And then when He did do some miracles, they followed them only because they could get a free meal.

were intrigued by the miracles, but He only used them so that they would be convinced. Look, only God can do this. Only the Messiah, the Christ can do what I’ve done. I want you to believe Me.” So the question comes up in verse 11 of chapter 27. Look at that verse. Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked Him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews. Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus says, you said it, man.

I didn’t say it quite like that, but he says, I’ll say it. In other words, I don’t know if he believed it, but he said, I am the king of the Jews. Anyway, they put some things up there, but I won’t you look there in verse 29. When they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head. And they read in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail King of the Jews.

Do you think they really believed he was the King of the Jews? If they really did, they would not have mocked him. It wouldn’t have been a mockery. But putting a robe upon him and crown of thorns, that’s what the king was supposed to wear. They made fun of him. They mocked him. Why did they do that? Because they didn’t believe he was who he claimed to be.

You see, Christ had given evidence over and over and over again by the things that he said, and they were astonished at his doctrine, at his authority of the scriptures. Where did this man learn such things? And he would say over and over again, the words that I speak speak are not my words, but the words of Him that sent me. I did not come to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me so that people would believe.

And even when He prayed, there was time when He was saying, my Father, I am not praying to You because I need to do it where they can hear, but I want them to know why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want them to know you. Everything he did was to convince people giving them evidence. And the reason is because God says you’re hard-headed and you’re stiff-necked. You want to know why should I believe it? And so he gave us all these reasons.

Look there in verse 37 of the book of Matthew in chapter 27. And he says there in verse 37, and set up over his head, his accusation, written. was accused. He was accused of the claiming that he was the king of the Jews. This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Verse 42 says, he saved others himself. He cannot save if he be the king. Is he who he claims to be? You would think after three years they would either be convinced one way or the other.

Some were still mocking, making fun. Some of the people heard him gladly. And yet there were others. In John chapter 6, the multitude that was hearing him, they were greatly offended because of the things that he said. So he turned to his disciples and he says, will you also go away? He said, who shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Well, I’ll also go away.

Just think who he was and they wish not who it was. This was God in the flesh who came to visit man. And in the book of Luke, he says, because thou knewest not, chapter 19, thou knewest not the day of thy visitation when God came to visit. You weren’t home. He wasn’t welcome. No room in the inn, no room anywhere. They didn’t want him in their home. They didn’t want him in their government. They didn’t want him. He was rejected.

He was crucified. Look there in verse 54 where it says, now when the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying, you are on the line this. Truly this was the Son of God. This is who he is. He is the Son of God. Those things that happened, the earthquake, the darkness, all the things that they saw, some convinced some people and something would convince somebody else and something would convince somebody else.

See, I don’t know what it is it convinces everybody of what they believe. But I know this. I have been convinced. I have all the evidence that I need. I need no more evidence. I haven’t needed any more evidence for 53 years because that night when I trusted Christ as my Savior, I believed with all my heart that He was who He claimed to be and that He would save me and give me eternal life. This has changed my whole life, changed my life.

I’m not the same man I used to be. It doesn’t matter what’s come and gone, it doesn’t matter about all the heartaches and the problems. And I’ve had a lot of them. When I sat down and I wrote that song, we saw the rainbow through the rain. What do you think that song’s about? Listen to the words. We saw the rainbow through the rain. Not when it’s sunshining. It’s that there’s always problems. There’s always something that caused the tears to flow.

There’s always heartaches and problems and despair. And yet there’s something that you see, the promises of God that keeps shining through and you just keep on moving, just keep on trusting. And you don’t know how God’s going to deliver, you just believe that He will. And if He doesn’t, like the three Hebrew boys that said, if He doesn’t deliver us, we’re still not going to bow the knee to Baal or to bow the knee to the king. We’re not going to fall down and worship you.

And if we burn, we burn. Did you know God set that whole thing up? God already knew that those three Hebrew children were not going to burn in the fire. He knew they were going to be cast in it. But He looked at Aaron and says… How many do we throw in there? I said, with three? I see four. And one looks like the Son of God. I don’t know if he ever saw the Son of God before, but one looks like the Son of God.

And they came out and there was no smoke smell on them. Nobody’s hair was singed. The fire never hurt any of them. Now don’t you try that. Don’t you try that. And don’t jump over some fins at the zoo and see if the lion is going to keep his mouth shut because, hey, Daniel, it did. for him and you think they’re going to get locked, John? The Bible says, temp not the Lord thy God, like jumping off the empire state building.

Say, if God doesn’t want me to get hurt, I won’t get hurt. Well, halfway down. Hey, so far so good. But you know, you have an appointment with the country, mashed potatoes. So as you go through and you read these things and you see that God has done all of this. Now, I want you to see something after it’s all over with. In verse 18 of chapter 28, he says, And Jesus came and spake unto them, say, And all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever.

I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Something must have happened between this point and that verse we read over there where he was on the cross and they were watching Jesus. It says, truly this was the Son of God. Something must have happened somewhere in between here. There it is. Chapter 28 in verse 1, where it says, in the end of the Sabbath, that began to dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the Separachah.

And behold, there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the door or stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment, white as snow. And for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became his dead men and the angel answered and said unto the wind, fear it or not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified, he is not here.

Looking for six, he is not here. I wonder where He is. He is not here. For He is what? The last piece of evidence has been provided. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the last piece of evidence that this man who claimed to be the king, this man that claimed to be the son of God, this man that was the great servant in Book of Mark, and this man that was God in the flesh, this man has given us the last piece of evidence that anybody needs.

And if that doesn’t convince you, nothing will ever convince you. Jesus came back from the dead. Now, there’s a lot of people today that don’t believe in teaching the resurrection of Christ. But if we don’t have a resurrection, we don’t have a Savior. Jesus came back from there. So as you study the whole book of Matthew, it ends up with this last piece of evidence. You studied the book of Mark and it’s this last piece of heaven. I believe you Bible looked there in the book of Mark and look there in the last chapter 16.

I want you to see this because a lot of similarities in each one of these four gospels. But you’ll notice, and I’ll just jump back one extra chapter, chapter 15 of the book of Mark. And you’ll notice in verse 32, and says, let Christ the king of Israel, descend now from the cross that we may see and believe. The people were looking for a reason to believe him. Give us some proof. And yet he had spent three and a half years giving them evidences to who he was.

And they still would not believe. Alright, we know you’re up there now. We know you’re nailed to the cross. Now, why don’t you come down from the cross and the thieves on both sides says, yes, why don’t you come down and save yourself and us? And then everybody will believe because you know that you can’t come down off that cross. And I’ve told you before, I would have come down. I zapped him and went back up. But he did not come down from the cross because if he came down from the cross, could have been saved.

Is it something that here’s someone that could have very easily have done whatever they requested? If they wanted him to jump through some hoop, then he could have jumped through some hoop. They want him to do some little miracles just for them special. He could have done all of that. But he was fixing to give them the greatest miracle of all. No man of his own power has ever come back again from the dead. Did you know if you could come back from the dead, you wouldn’t have to fear dying.

And that’s the point of the resurrection. So that we don’t have to fear death. We don’t have to be afraid. We know that we all live on the other side of the grave. When they kill this body, we know we’re still alive because Jesus came back from the dead, just like he promised, just like he said. It says down there in verse 39, just a little different twist, but it says the same thing as Matthew in chapter 27 when he talked about the centurion.

In verse 39, and when the centurion which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost, he said, truly this man was the Son of God. He was who he claimed to be. See, one place he, this man is the king. This man is the Son of God. He’s who he claimed to be. Now what is it that convinces us? Because here we are on this side of the resurrection 2000 years later and God wants me to serve him.

Why should I? Why should I? Well who is he? Who is asking me to do this for him? Look I’ve only got one life to live and why should I live it for somebody that I can’t see? I mean why should I jeopardize my future of what I want to do and I want to be and where I want to go for somebody I can’t see who died 2000 years ago He’s God oh And this God has my life in his hands Like this one man he wanted to see just how wise You know the man on the top of the mountain peak really was You know there’s always a screw that sits on top of a mountain peak and you have to climb up his grip be able to speak mountain.

You know about 30,000 feet up in the air, you know, and you’ve got to go see this guy. And you ask him questions, he knows everything. He said, I’m going to trick this guy. So he put a live bird in his hand. And he climbed up this mountain and he gets up there. He says, Oh, why is one the bird in my hand? Is it dead or is it alive? And if he says it’s alive, I’m going to kill it.

If he says it’s dead, I’m going to let In other words, whatever he says, I’m going to trick him. And he’s wrong. The point is, can I prove that he’s wrong? There are people who are determined to prove God wrong. That God’s way isn’t the best. God doesn’t know everything. What about my will? I can be happier without God. There’s a person called the devil and he lies. He deceives. So the O’Wise, one sitting on the top of the mountain peak, he says, it shall be.

be as you desire. It shall be as you desire. Good answer. So it will be according to what you want. Do you want to believe? You can. Do you don’t want to believe? Nobody can make you. Nobody can make anybody trust Christ a Savior. All we do is present the evidence the best that we can and leave it to the individual. Will you believe this? Will you believe this most wonderful, wonderful message. 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 two 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. That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.