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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 concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

I do believe that sometimes the preacher has to be rough. You have to be hard. You would rather not be. You’d rather just talk about the love of God. Well, the love of God says, rebuke them when they do wrong. Stand up, say something, and blah, blah, blah. And this is why the preacher doesn’t want to get too close to anybody because the closer you get to somebody, the more you know about what he does wrong. Then instead of you listening to what I say, yeah, but what about you?

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So that’s for a lot of preachers to keep their distance. I don’t want to. Most preachers don’t. They want everybody to love them, to sit on and talk about everything, all of their problems, the kid problem, the parents problem, that this problem, financial problem. And then when you make an enemy, they remember. and you’d be surprised what they will say. This is why even you among yourselves have to be careful what you share. You may be reading it on Facebook.

Okay, it was only for prayer, but you better be careful. You’d be surprised at times because it always comes back and I’ll read a lot of things by a lot of people right here in the church. And I know things because I can read. I don’t read good, but I can tell you, you do need to be careful what you say to anybody because your friend today may not stay your friend. And then when that friend leaves, they may know things about you, you wish you had never said.

So weigh your words carefully and make sure that you have a good friend that knows how a button to lip because if you realize they if they will gossip to you they’ll gossip about you that’s why you have to be very very careful. So here in Titus he’s told in this verse 13 rebuke them sharply and here’s the reason that they may be sound in the faith because you see what causes you not to be sound in the faith is believing something that’s not of the faith, or that’s not part of the walk of the faith.

You see that goes all the way down there to verse 2 in chapter 2, looking chapter 2 and verse 2, where it talks about that the age men be sober, grave, temperant, sound in faith, sound in the faith. And the sound in faith is you’ll notice the verse right before it says sound doctrine. Not everybody is sound in their doctrine and the Bible says rebuke them sharply that they may be. In other words, if you see somebody teaching something that’s not right and you know it’s not right, you have to be very careful that person doesn’t take what they teach and it’s contrary to what sound doctrine is and and you have to confront them.

Nobody likes the preacher to do that, and the preacher doesn’t even like to do that. But does the preacher have the responsibility? He still has to do it whether he likes it or not. A lot of people think it, you know, the preacher says whatever he wants to say, and it doesn’t matter. The Bible says in the book of James chapter three that the teachers have more responsibility. It means that God is gonna make you give account of what you’re teaching.

Do you know that teaching and being a preacher is a scary thing when you realize how much you say? And you got to give a count for it. Now, if you don’t care what God says and what God thinks, you just say whatever you want, tickle people’s ears and nothing. It’s no problem. But it scares me to death because I would hate to think that I taught something wrong and somebody believed it. That’s why I try to go buy this book as close as I possibly can.

And I’ve told people if you can prove that whatever I’m saying in teaching is contrary to the scriptures, you can come to me and see me. Just be nice. But now notice something else he mentions, all the way down there in verse 10, where he says, not forlorning, but showing all good fight-delloting that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. So not everybody believes everything the way they should. And whenever there’s different winds of doctrine that come by and people start believing them, you’ve got to confront it.

For example, A couple weeks ago, I preached a message on repentance redefined that somebody has come out with and people are starting to fall for it. So I feel like I have a responsibility to confront that, to say this is wrong and here’s why it’s wrong. And to look at the scriptures, they say, teaches what they believe. And if I don’t agree with that, I do not want people in this church just easily swallowing what they hear or whatever they may read.

So I want you to be knowledgeable of the scripture. I can’t control you. I can’t make you come to church. I can’t make you come on Wednesday night. I can’t make you come Sunday morning Sunday night. I can’t make anybody do anything. So I’ve got to take whatever I’ve got and give it the best I can to try to help those who want to know what the book says. And so therefore, a lot of things to consider. Look there in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, 1 Corinthians and chapter 16, 1 Corinthians chapter 16, look there in verse 13.

In verse 13. Where it says in verse 13, watch ye stand fast in the faith. Now remember, you can’t stand fast in the faith if you don’t have any faith. Stand fast in your confidence if you don’t have any confidence. So therefore you are to know what the word of God says, Believe it, stand there and you don’t move. Regardless of what you hear, if it doesn’t jive, I’d use that word, with the word of God, then you will not obey that.

You stick with the boat. And then he says, quit you like men. We had a teacher named Dr. Seymour and he says, quit you like men because men don’t quit. Quit like a man, cause men don’t quit. But it means to carry through, to do or to perform something to the end so that nothing remains to discharge or perform completely. In other words, know what your job is, know what you’re standing for, what are you trying to accomplish and finish what you’re after?

Because there’s so many people who do not complete what they start off to do, and that’s the reason that this is here. So there’s a word that’s used here in the next verse that I I want you to underline it because it has something to do with the addiction program. When he says in verse 15, I beseech you brethren, you know the house of stuff on us that it is the first fruits of a cayah and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, addicted themselves.

Did you know that there’s good addictions and there’s bad addictions? You can become addicted to studying the Bible, addicted to praying, addicted to serving people, to witnessing. Those are good things. You don’t have to worry about the things you’re not supposed to do if you feel your life with the things you are supposed to do. If you do everything you’re supposed to do, you haven’t got time to get in trouble. You’d have to schedule it. So therefore, it will definitely help you.

Look there in the book of James in chapter 2, the book of James. James, in chapter 2, James chapter 2 is written to the believer, and it’s telling the believer how faith grows. And that’s why God says that He allows us to be tempted by the devil, though the devil Lord doesn’t tempt any man. He also says that we’re tested in various ways. And he talks about us. . . . . . Having our faith, as he says in verse 6 of chapter 1, first of all, let him ask in faith.

That means having confidence in what God says, nothing wavering. For he that waverth is like a, see, driven with a wind and pause to and fro because your confidence is, well, I know God can do it. No, I don’t think he can. Well, I think he can. Well, I know he can. Well, I know he should. Well, he can. Oh, man, you talking about getting mixed up. You can get confused. So James is talking about growing in your faith, having strong faith and looking into the perfect mirror, the word of God and become a doer of the work and not just a here only so that your faith is growing in the Lord.

So if you look there now in chapter two in verse five, Harkon might be levered brethren. Have not God chosen the poor of this world? And you ought to underline these three little words. Rich in faith. Because you see, he’s comparing the people who come into your assembly and they’re loaded. You know, they got all this money. They’re rich. Then there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s harder for a person who has a lot of riches to put their faith in confidence in the Lord because they got confidence in themselves, or confidence in their wisdom, confidence in their ability, they got confidence in the money.

And that’s where their peace of mind is because they have all their needs, but, and so they’re not rich toward the Lord. A poor man who has nothing, all he can do is trust God, but he becomes rich in his faith. So there is a difference, and God says that in his wordiness says, chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he had promised to them and here’s those two words why are they rich in faith they love him they love him what’s that they love him one of the richest things you can ever do is learn in your faith to love the Lord and we love him because we know that he first loved us and when you begin to doubt his love for you, your love for Him will change.

It’s easy to serve and to please somebody you really love. And whenever the devil tries to get you not to love the Lord, and so what he does is try to convince you that God really doesn’t love you, because if he really does love you, he wouldn’t let this happen to you. So there you go. Second Thessalonians chapter one, second Thessalonians in chapter one. Second thessalonians chapter one. And look there in verse three, in verse three. And it says in verse three, we are bound to thank God.

Always for you brethren, as it is me or necessary because that your faith groweth exceedingly. Your faith groweth exceedingly. Have you ever seen some people who have been saved for years? And then along comes some little upstart. He trusts Christ as Savior and He grows by leaps and bounds and surpasses many of the others been saved for a long time. Did you know that sometimes a new child of God is more excited, filled with more confidence and is willing to do whatever God wants from the do?

than some people who’ve been saved for a long period of time because, you know, well, I used to do that, but I got hurt. I got hurt. Well, I used to go to church and the preacher ran off with somebody, and so that cured it for me. In other words, they have been blindsided. They’ve seen things and they don’t like them. Well, they got us a bunch of hypocrites over there. But see, a new believer sometimes don’t know all of those things, and he takes off like a rocket.

I’ve watched it in ranch when I used to have teenagers trust Christ as Savior. And adults have been hearing it for years and those teenagers have just walked past them in their spiritual growth. They’ll learn verses, they’ll go to camp, they dedicate their life, they want to go to Bible college, they want to do something and serve the Lord and some other people just content just to sit on the pew all their life. Never grow, never get involved, never lift a hand.

And there you are. And you wonder what? What because God says you can be a weak Christian and you could be hemorrhaging. And you show up but you don’t have any blood. You’re dead. But you see, some Christians. Their faith is dead. They’ve hemorrhaged to death. They let one little thing hurt them. Some preacher hurt them or some Christian in the field or somebody it weren’t hurt them. And so they take it out on God and say, I’ll never be back and I’ll never do this and I give them up and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

All because somebody hurt their feelings and they started bleeding and just bled to death. Now, there’s Christians that are hemorrhaging. to death. Over, not big things, it’ll be little things, just a little bit of things. You say, it can’t happen to me. Yes, it can. Every person sitting here can hemorrhage to death spiritually, because all it takes is just a little bit, because you begin to question your faithfulness to God. Whether I need to go to church, do I need to give, do I need to do this, do I need to pray, do I, no, I don’t need it anymore.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t the churches all be packed? Not. I’ve had God’s children tell me, I used to go to church, but I ain’t been in church in 15 years or 20 years. Well, what happened? Well, I was there and they did something. They wanted to have a fundraiser and they got into a big old argument and I don’t want none of that stuff. So I just left the church because I didn’t want to take you to the site. So they didn’t want to take a site.

So they just quit and leave the church. They didn’t want the argument. That’s really been steadfast in the faith. They let somebody say or do something that gets under their skin. And the next thing you know, that’s it for them. Now, growing in the Lord is growing strongly. Look what he says here. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is me are necessary fit because that your faith Groweth exceedingly and the love of every one of you all toward each other abounded.

How do you know when your faith really growing when you learn how to love people? When you learn how to help people? When you learn how to forgive people? When you can be strong enough to help somebody else. Anyway, these are some simple things, but I believe that they’re important things because some Christians, they will hemorrhage. They’ll let some little thing that somebody says or does cut them to the quick. Did you know you can kill somebody with a sharp word?

A sharp word. And you didn’t think it was that important, but you hurt them. You can hurt people’s feelings so easy. I’ve done it. I’ve had to say, I’m sorry so many times I hate doing that anymore. Look there in Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. Now this is a good story because it deals with a man that was a Roman, a centurion, and he had a problem. And he brought it into the disciples and well, it didn’t work so good.

But look what he says here in verse 5, this is Matthew chapter 8. And notice what Jesus says in relationship to this man that was not a Jewish man. man. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion beseeching him. Say, Lord, my servant, lie at that home sick of the policy. Greaviously tormented. Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. This centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou should have come under my roof.

But speak the word only. Speak the word only. That was confidence in Jesus. All you have to do is just speak the word. He believed it. That’s faith. He speaks his word. We have his word. All that the Lord should have to do is speak once and we ought to believe him. But he makes the statement here, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this man, go and he goes to another come and he come to my servant.

Do this and he do with it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to them that followed, verily I say unto you, I have not found so in your underlying these two words, great faith. No, not in Israel. You see, faith is so important because of the object of our faith. You can put a lot of faith, great faith that Herman over here can save you and take you to heaven. But I can assure you it will be in vain.

But you can Put confidence in the Lord and you can get all the way to heaven. Because see, it’s the object of your faith. You’re putting your confidence in him. This is what we’ve been talking about. And so he makes a statement here. Verily I send to you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel, so great of faith. What was so great about him? He says you don’t have to come. You just speak the word.

I believe. Jesus could say that to a lot of other people and they didn’t believe it. He talked to his own people and they wouldn’t believe it. And He makes a statement, He says, when they come into the kingdom, they’re going to come from the east and the west and they’re going to dangle their feet in the river as they sit there with Iebohem, Isaac, and well, I didn’t say river, but I mean, I knew you are. So that’s going to be done.

Now, take your Bible, turn the page, if you’ve got no scope of your reference Bible. And look there in verse 23. Now we have a different situation, but this deals with a couple of disciples. And verse 23, and when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, in so much that the ship was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him and woke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish.

And he said unto them, why are you fearful, O ye of what? Little faith. Little faith, fear. When you start living your life in fear, as it says in 1 John chapter 4, perfect love casts us out fear. Perfect love casts out fear. But fear produces torment. And a Christian can bring torment into their life. They torture themselves. You know like a pterse that comes and scares you to that. Well you do that to yourself when you do not put your confidence in the Lord.

Fear is the result because you’re afraid. God’s not going to take care of me. What was they afraid of? Jesus was right there with them. They said, yeah, but he was asleep. Isn’t it sometimes we want to, God, do you see what’s going on? Are you aware of what’s going on? Do you really understand what I’m going through right now? The Lord says, no, I didn’t have any clue. Well, that’s what he says here. And he says unto them, why are you fearful?

Oh, ye of little faith. Then he arose, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. But the men marvels, saying, what manner of man is this? That even the winds and the sea obey him. Wouldn’t that have been something to have been there? But if you had been there, and you saw the waves and the wind obey his will. You think that would have gave you enough confidence. you were never doubted for the rest of your life.

Did Peter ever doubt after this? Yeah, boy. Have you ever said, Lord, I’m gonna serve you all the days of my life. And in lo and behold, some comes up and man, you just so quickly. You’re done in the dumps again. Wondering why this and wondering why that, because we don’t understand. God doesn’t always want us to understand. It would be easy for me to bear those burdens those troubles and trials if God just tell me why. But then you are not all the reason.

He doesn’t want to tell you why on everything. He wants you just to trust Him. Trust Him why because He’s God. He gave His Word. As you think about what I’m talking about tonight, Do you have great faith, weak faith, no faith? Are you hemorrhaging? You’re growing in the Lord, you’re getting stronger. I just stand in. It is so very, very important. Look up here. I have the faith that every time I do this, it’s gonna help somebody. It might help some Christian to be faithful to give the gospel, somewhere, somehow.

It might even help somebody that’s watching, they may trust Christ as their Savior because of it. I had another preacher who emailed me and that he has won some people to Christ because he’s watched the internet and how I do the wall of illustration. And then he, and I don’t even know who he is. Sometimes you can’t always tell, but he says he’s a preacher and he watched. This is you and me. This is sin. We all have sin on us.

How do I know that’s true? God said so. And God says that all of us have sinned. Well, that means everybody. But me. No, he says everybody. How do I know it’s true? Because God says so. He’s got to, that’s confident, believe in God. So if I can believe God on these little bitty things, why can I trust one of the other things? And so the Bible says the wages of sin is death and because of sin we all die.

And we’re all condemned to an eternity separated from God, because God said so. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven, and to go to heaven we have to be perfect, because God said so. And God says you cannot save yourself, you cannot earn your way to heaven, and the reason is because God said so. And if God says so, that must be the way it is. It doesn’t matter whether we like it, understand it, none, it don’t have to.

All you have to do is, God said it. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord. God in the flesh came into the world because He loved us, hates our sin, because it separates us from Christ. So He took all the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And He said if we would believe that He did it for us, He would put the payment He made to our account, we go to heaven on what Christ did for us.

Because God said so. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that hosts so ever, believe it in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” We go to heaven on what He did for us. Now the Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith. The confidence that you put into Him believing that what He said was true. He took your sins and He died on the cross and came back from the dead and He did it for you.

when you believe he did it for you, that’s confidence in him. You’re being saved by your faith in Christ alone. Not in your works, faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone, there is nothing else. And God says he gives us eternal life and we go to heaven on what Christ did for us. Let’s pray, show it. Every head bowed and every eye closed and no one looking around. If you have never trusted Christ as your savior, number one, this is the most important thing you can ever do.

And so I’m gonna ask in just a moment to raise your hand. Raising your hand does not save you. It just lets me know that what I said may sense to you. And you say, preach to that made sense to me. I will trust Christ as my savior and I’ll life you to pray for Him. Whether you’re in the auditorium or watching by internet, I pray that you’ll trust the Lord. Is there anyone all before we close? Yes, I will trust Christ as my savior.

That makes sense to me. You know what I thought? If you know Christ as your savior, your God’s child, Are you hemorrhaging? How’s your phase? What’s going on in your life that would cause you to lose confidence in the Lord? Cast away not there for your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. Our Father, we thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one. We thank you for the workers that we have in a wannam. and father for every night of the week it seems like.

And then people are going and doing some things and having ministries. Give us a good name, Christ name, good name. Due to the generous offer of an anonymous Colorado supporter of Bibleline, we want to make you an offer you cannot refuse. He has purchased 68 copies of the book, The Gospel Driven Man, by Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, to be given to anyone who donates any amount as a thank you for helping to keep Bibleline on this station. He writes, What would be the most important item one could receive that would be appreciated?

Which would answer many questions? Which would be easy to read, understandable, and use God’s Word as the source? What came to mind was your book, The Gospel Driven Man. This book has helped me and my wife considerably. We have given the book out as gifts before and continue to do so. All the basic doctrines you hear me teach on the radio is found in this book. book per donor. So remember, mail your gift up any amount today and we will send you your copy of the Gospel-Driven Man.

Be sure to include your mailing address. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. 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. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Cut up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.