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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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Turn in your Bible to the book of Galatians in chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6. before you answer the question. I think you ought to look at the Bible. You should already know the answer. Maybe you do and maybe you don’t. I don’t know for sure. But one thing I do want is I want people in our church to know the Bible because preachers come and go but you will go on forever. You are going to be here for a while maybe and you need to know how to govern your life.

You need to know what’s right, what’s wrong. You need to be, well, have sound doctrine. So here in the book of Galatians and chapters 6, if you look there in verse 9, it says, let us not be weary and well doing for endue season, we shall reap if we faint not. So you know we will reap if we do not faint, if we do not quit. And the reason for that verse, it’s so important to understand that. You just go ahead and keep sowing because you believe.

You believe what God’s Word says. So now look there in verse 7. Be not deceived. Be not deceived. So how are you deceived? You get deceived when you think it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to make a difference. Nothing’s going to happen anyway. That kind of an attitude is going to cost you dearly. So on the basis of Galatians 6, 7, a Christian who sins and confesses it, escapes the results or consequences of his sin. Would that be true or false?

That is false. You ought to know that. You should have got a hundred on that one. The next statement, turning your Bible to the book of 1 John chapter 1, 1st John chapter 1 and verse 9. Now remember this, it is written to the believer, those who already know the Lord. It’s not talking about how to have salvation. You see a lost man confesses that he is a sinner. A Christian confesses his sins. You don’t have to confess, He confesses his sins, what he does.

So the lost man doesn’t have to say it. Now Lord, forgive me for this and forgive me for that and forgive me for this. No, the lost man just, I’m a sinner. And he accepts Christ as a payment for his sins and therefore he has eternal life. This is talking about the Christian who, even whether he did or did not know that you’re going to read what you sow. you sow and you made some wrong decisions, you sowed some wild oats and you need to get things right between you and the Lord.

You see, when you confess it to the Lord, God will forgive you. Now, He may show mercy, but you cannot demand mercy. That’s something that God does. You can plead for His mercy, but you cannot demand His mercy. So here in 1 John If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and declenses from all unrighteousness. This is so that you can have a good walk with the Lord. You see fellowship is having things in common with the Lord, walking with the Lord.

And if you look there in verse 4 where it says there in chapter 1 it makes a statement in verse 4. And these things right we under you that your joy may be full. So we’re talking to the Christian having joy in the Christian life and you ought to know that walking into flesh is not going to bring you the joy that you want. You understand all of that? You’re clear. See, now you can judge your own life. You can make your own decision.

And you know that you’re going to suffer some consequences if you make the wrong decisions. And you can talk to the Lord and He can forgive you and you can plead for His mercy. But you may get the chasing hand of the Lord too. So that’s between you and Him. I don’t want to promise anybody you can confess it to the Lord and nothing will happen. When you had children and if your kid says, I’m sorry, did that mean you never chasing them?

because they said, I’m sorry. It didn’t work with me. It doesn’t work with the kids either. So therefore when they just because I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Okay. I won’t keep doing whoopi this time. Do you realize how well that’ll go over with the kids? And will that be every strain upon them disobeying the next time or not? No, it won’t restrain. So sometimes you have to just keep your word and do what you said just going to do.

But anyway, it’s a good thing to understand. So what one of these verses would you use? Of course, 1 John 1 and 9, I will give you the answer. Look at number 34 there on your page, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, before the judgment seat of Christ. Where in the world does it say that at? Where does it say we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Anybody got a clue? Where?

Second Corinthians 5 and 10. Look at that verse. For we must all appear. If we’re going to appear there, it means that we must disappear here. Don’t that make sense? Appear there, disappear here. Well how How fast can we disappear in the moment in the twinkling of an eye changed, caught up to meet the Lord? So it can happen in just that quick. Just think, here we are, there we go. That could happen very quickly. But what you need to see also, this is what God’s Word says.

Look there in chapter 5, but look in verse 1, for we know, now the word know is mentioned quite a few times throughout the book of 2 Corinthians, also in 1 Corinthians. But we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle word is off, I wonder what that means. So what house is he talking about? The body. He’s talking about your body. The house that you live. See, you’re not the house, but you have a house. And that’s why you should not fall in love with the house because the house is sometimes with age, they fall apart, don’t they?

You’ve had to do maintenance on a house. It’s expensive doing maintenance. Have you had to do maintenance on your body? Yes. And the older, for somebody else, that real quick. Yes. But the house that we live in is going to be dissolved. It means we’re going to lose this body. It’s not gonna live forever. But it says, we have, we have a building of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. So we have another body, some kind of a body, a soul-ish body, but whatever it is, we know that it’s only a temporary body because God’s gonna take these earthly bodies and they’re gonna be resurrected from the dead.

And they’re gonna be a glorified body. They will put on incorruption if it’s already corrupted. But if we’re still alive, this mortal body will put on immortality. So he says in verse two, for in this, in this body, we do what? We groan. You have a wake up and it gets hard and hard to get out of bed. Do you ever do any work on one particular day but because you haven’t used those muscles for a while, you can tell it in about two or three days later down the road.

And it really kind of hangs with you for a while. Well, let me tell you this. You’ve seen these videos on TV, ladies that are gonna have a baby, So they have to go to these meetings where somebody is trying to instruct the ladies that when you have the baby got to learn how to breathe, I thought I always knew how to breathe. I know how to breathe. But the ladies got to learn how to breathe. And the guys have got to be there to help them breathe.

But anyway, she says, now you’re ladies, you need to go out and get exercise. You need to exercise. You’ve got to get out there and walk. And better to walk on the grass because it’s easy on you. It doesn’t jar you. It’s softer, easier. And you men, she is your wife. That is your child. You ought to go with your wife. And you ought to be there and help her and encourage her. And everybody got quiet. Not a man said a word.

Finally, this one man raised his hand in the bag and says, ma’am, would it be alright if she could carry a golf bag? Just brings tears to your eyes, doesn’t it? You know, when you’re so sensitive to the needs of your wife, I remember one time I was a total Babakata. I go play a game of golf. And I always said, you know, it doesn’t rain on the golf course, you rain everywhere, but it doesn’t rain on the golf course.

So, maybe one of the things that I did was, you know, I was like, you know, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m like, I’m go with me because you know she gets tied up at home and she just doesn’t get to go. So I said okay she’s gonna go with me.

So I was gonna let her carry the clubs. So here’s Betty’s she’s carrying the clubs and it started to rain. And it rained. I mean it rained and her hair is down all over her face all over her. She’s soaked to the bone and so from then on it was hit the ball and drag Betty hit the ball and right then on. I think it was the last time she ever catted for me because I kept saying it wasn’t it was the last time yes and she never did it again so sometimes you got to learn some of these things to be sensitive learn to be sensitive now some of y’all could have figured this out in advance but I couldn’t I have to learn the hard way so did my wife but anyway there is the judgment seat of Christ this old body we have is going to die we’re going to

appear at the judgments of the Christ and then shall every man receive his own praise, honor and glory because there’s going to be a judgment. It’s a rewarding stand where God’s going to reward you for the gold, silver and the precious stones and you’re going to suffer the loss of what you could have had but you didn’t do. And so that everyone may receive, everyone may receive according to something according to what you did. So do you really believe that you reap what you sow?

We may not reap at all here but we want to reap the spiritual things there. Physical things here. So when you serve the flesh you’re going to reap of the flesh and you’re not going to like the results and when you get to heaven you’re not going to have what you could have had and so that is so important. Number 35, good works cannot save you, but Titus 3.8 mentioned that they are profitable on the men. So should Christians bring forth good works?

Oh, you have a verse to prove that. All right, look at this verse. Look at the verse. You got to see it. Titus chapter 3, Titus chapter 3, and look there in verse 8, and you’ll have ammunition. See, when you come to church or Sunday school, we’re fighting a war. When you come and you listen and you learn, you’re getting ammunition, ammunition to fight a battle. The verses you learn, the truth of them, and how to explain them is just giving you ammunition on how to fight an enemy, or how to encourage one of your soldiers.

You know that day we have too many people that are shooting the soldiers in the back. We kill our own troops. We fire at them, we shoot them, we try to destroy them. But the thing is, we’re supposed to be, well, I thought we were, we’re supposed to be on the same side. But sometimes we shoot at each other. We wound each other or destroy somebody, and we killed each other. And so over the years, oh, I had a lot of shots taken at me, and not from the enemy, from those that I thought we were on the same side.

So you do have to be careful. And don’t you be one to try and to shoot some of the truths. You know the ones that are trying to serve the Lord. Always try to help and encourage them. So we get some ammunition, but look there in verse eight. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will go to our firm constantly that they which have believed in the Lord and God might be careful to, and here’s those three little words, maintain good works.

Now you know what it’s like to have to maintain a road, you know what it’s like to maintain the body, do you know what it’s like to have to maintain good works? You see it’s one thing to start something but also to keep doing that, maintain things that you’ve done. In other words, don’t let things you do today destroy the good work you did yesterday. Let a bad attitude today destroy somebody you encouraged and helped yesterday. Maintain once you start influencing other people’s lives for the good, keep doing that.

Don’t become mean and ugly and unkind and destroy the very people that you want to help. You ever seen a drunk do that? When they’re sober, oh I love you. And when they’re drunk, sometimes they say and do things that just really hurts and destroys and rips the heart out of somebody. They really love. But because they’re under the influence of alcohol or you get under the influence of the old sinful nature, you’re capable of anything. When you don’t stay strong in the Lord, you will become stronger in the flesh.

And the flesh is not somebody you want to influence your life. So it is good to have that. Also, look over in verse 14. Verse 14 says pretty much the same thing, but it says, and let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful. So it’s good to be fruitful, maintain good works, a good testimony, because the basis of all of this is don’t be weary in well-doing. For in due season you shall reap if you don’t quit.

You’ve got to maintain your walk with the Lord. So all of these verses really go together because it’s just one big picture. to the believer and what God has done for you and why we should serve them. Look at number 36, your good life apart from anything else can get people saved. Your good life apart from anything else can get people saved. In other words, just live a good life in front of people. You know, if you just live a good life, people will see how good of a life you’ve live and they’ll ask you, why do you live such a good life?

Then you have an open door to tell them. So don’t you think that this lifestyle evangelism is better than confrontational evangelism? Well, what do you think? It’s wrong. God says go into all the world and preach the gospel. Nobody can get saved because of the way you live of your life. So far in 71 years I don’t think I’ve had anybody come up to me and ask me, there’s just something different about you. And I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

There should be. But the heaven said, oh please tell me how to be saved. I know that there has to be something there. So far I haven’t had, maybe you have, but they’re rare and far between if anybody. And if you don’t say anything about why you’re doing such a good job of living such a great life, then you get all the credit on our Negloria. God doesn’t get none unless you tell them why you do it. So I do believe that my lifestyle should not prohibit a person believing my message, but my message is more important.

But I do believe that I’ve had this, I’ve had kids come to ranch, trust Christ is Savior, and they haven’t matured one eye odah and they start telling people how to be saved and they do everything wrong in the book. Because they haven’t even thought about it, they don’t care about it, they don’t even care about it, they found some good news and they share it. But it is important that you have a good life to back up your testimony because you don’t want them to reject the gospel message because of something that’s wrong in your life.

Number 37, number 37, the Bible commands us to study God’s Word above anything else. I believe that’s a good statement to make. Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that need not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. I believe it’s in the Bible somewhere. Somewhere in the Bible it’s in there. Anybody know where? 2 Timothy 2 15 very good number 38 some people do not believe the Bible is God’s Word in such a case it is better not to use the Bible as you witness and use reason well if they don’t believe the Bible you don’t want to use something they don’t believe right if you’re in a battle and you got a sword and the other guys got a sword and you get up to each other and he says I don’t believe your sword will cut me.

Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t use it then. You’re dumb. You’re dumb. I’m not going to throw away my sword just because somebody doesn’t believe it’s cut. You just start quoting verses and verses will start cutting. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. So you stick with the Word of God and you just keep a swingin’ away. And after a while, you’ll see blood. I have used the sword and after the service is over with, I’ve had people comin’ out and they said, my feet are bloody.

And I haven’t even touched their feet. What they mean is you use the word of God and it cut me deeply and the blood’s running all the way down to my feet So just keep using the sword put your confidence in the word just because they don’t have confidence in the word I’ve led people to the Lord Because I just kept on quoting the Ephesians to 8 9 explaining to him. Well, I don’t believe the Bible You know you may not believe the Bible But I just want to show you what it says look here and I show the feast or get with the feast John 3 16 just keep doing it.

And it’s amazing how sooner or later they just didn’t understand it. The next one, number 39, which is not a fruit of the Spirit. Now one of these is not the fruit of the Spirit. Now I’m not going to tell you which one it is. I want you to look at it for a minute and really think it over because this is really difficult, really hard because everybody knows they should have the fruit of the Spirit in their life.

And if you don’t have this one then you probably are not very spiritual. And that is what what is the word that you know is not the fruit of the Spirit. It’s love right? Love is not the fruit of the Spirit. Joy is not a fruit of the Spirit or is it? Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. Anxiety is a fruit of the Spirit. Boy y’all got that one right. What is anxiety?

You might give me a good definition. What does it mean to be anxious, anxiety? What is it? What does it mean? Fear? Fear of the unknown? The modern fear? Could worry be part of it? anxious, uncertainty, insecurity, all these things, that’s not a fruit of the Spirit. Where in the world does it talk to you about the fruit of the Spirit? What book? The book in Galatians tells us about the fruit of the Spirit. What chapter tells us about the fruit of the Spirit.

Chapter 5. And anybody know what verse? Galatians chapter 5, I know it’s on the left hand page, it’s on the right hand page, it’s at the top, where’s it at? On the right hand page, left hand column, down at the bottom, that is if you’re using the right kind of Bible. But anyway, you’ll even know exactly where it’s found. But the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long sufferings, and goodness, faith, mittings, temperance, and so forth. And against which there is no law against bringing forth those things.

But there is a law against walking in the flesh. There’s not a law against walking in the Spirit and bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. Those are okay. Next one, number 40, you need to feel an overpowering emotional desire to serve the Lord before you serve Him in love as spoken in 2 Corinthians 5 14, you need to have an overpowering emotional desire to serve the Lord. What do you think? Some of you don’t sound like you’re really too sure.

Well I guess it could be dependent on how do you mean it? Is love an emotion? It’s a motion. Fear is an emotion. But But the scripture just simply says in chapter 5 of Corinthians and verse 14, but the love of Christ constraineth us means to motivate us because we thus judge that if one died for all, then all were dead and they which lived should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again.

love is a motion and we should but if you only serve the Lord, if you love Him, you may never serve Him or some people. I wind up loving the Lord when I started serving the Lord. If it wasn’t for me going ahead and doing what was right because it was right to do, I don’t think I would have ever loved the Lord as much as I do. I started studying the Bible because I was told, you ought to study the Bible.

Well, I didn’t want to study the Bible. And I wanted, I had to pray, but I didn’t want to pray. I had to start going to church. I didn’t want to go to church. But I started obeying and doing the right things. And love grew. There’s a song about that, eh? Love grew, huh? Yeah, there’s a song. Yeah. Love grew, love grew. And your love begins to grow. So sometimes it would be great if we could just get everybody to love the Lord.

You know, that’s one thing the preacher always working on in church. If you can just get everybody to fall in love with the Lord. But if they don’t love the Lord, do I still want you to do right? Yes, because you’re still going to reap what you sow. You You still want them to sow good things, so they’ll reap good things. Still make right decisions, but your joy is because you did it because of love. Love will give you the inner joy and the inner peace.

Otherwise you do it because I have to do it, and it robs you joy. But you can still do right. And never know that because you sat during church with the wrong motives, you could have had a fight with your wife this morning, but you said here, and next thing you know, you hear the word of God and it just starts to bless you. Next thing you know I shouldn’t have said what I did this morning. After the services of, I’m sorry.

I’m sorry. So you still put yourself in the right place to learn the right things and always keep doing the right thing. I’ve witnessed to people at times when I didn’t really want to do it. I did it because it was the right thing to do not because I really wanted to. But after I do it, boy am I so glad that I went ahead did it. So I don’t hear which way you go with that. Have fun. Number 41, number 41.

Well I got to move on here. Y’all sure take a lot of my time. What verse tells us that the Word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword? What verse says that? Hebrews 4, 12, 42. What verse tells us that we should be workmen with the Word of God? We’ve already mentioned the verse. Where is it found. 2 Timothy 2 15, very good. And at 43, as you begin to open a conversation about the Lord, you should at the very first gain favorable attention.

Is that true or false? That’s true. You should always try to smile, be happy, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, 30 brave, clean and reverent. Those of the boys got lost. I learned them when I was 11 12 years old. You didn’t know I was a boy scout when I was 12 years old. I got 13, I became a Girl Scout. 44 and opening the conversation with the person. The most important thing is one, give the gospel to tell him he is lost, three, tell him in generalities for it, make him your friend and then give him the gospel.

As much as possible, make him a friend and give the gospel. But if you can’t got time to make a friend, sometimes you can just be nice and kind, and they know you’re not an enemy, and then give them the gospel. Number 45, a good way to witness to people that will be interesting to them and yet not offensive is to give your personal testimony. I believe that. I’ve won a lot of people to the Lord just by sharing my testimony.

Let me tell you what happened to me. This is the most important thing that ever happened in my whole life. I’ve lived 71 years and only one man ever told me this. Can I share it with you? I did that just recently. So your personal testimony and the kids in the college are learning this way to give their testimony. What I thought, what I found out, what I did. You’ve been listening to another great message from Pastor Arnold and we at Bibleline thank you for tuning in.

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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. Friends, 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. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.