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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 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.

Let’s see, what are we going to talk about today? It’s got a good subject. You have a Bible? No, there’s one in the pew right in front of you. Church Bible and it’ll be the same kind that I’m using so it’ll help you. Old Schofield reference Bible. And when you get it, turn to the book of Luke chapter 15, Luke chapter 15. Just about everyone sooner or later gets to hear about the, the prodigal son, the story of the prodigal son.

Well, I want to say a few things about it, but I got something that I wanted to share with you. And one, that there’s one of these boys, there was two of them. One, there were some things that he did not lose. And there’s another son that there were some things that he never had. So you say, well, what is that? Well, that’s what I’m going to talk to you about it. So it’s going to take me the whole hour and a half, three hours.

So you just have to fashion your seat belt and hang on. The book of Luke in chapter 15, there was a question that came up and they wanted to know because the Lord has a way of reading people’s minds. It says in verse 1 of Luke chapter 15, then drew near unto him all the publicans and the sinners for the hearing. Now the publicans are the old text collectors. The down and out are they would come and hear Christ.

But then there was the snobs, the super duper religious individuals, the long nose fair They look down their nose and they think they’re better than what they are. Verse 2, and the Pharisees inscribed murmured saying, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. This man receiveth sinners. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? That’s the only kind of people there are. They’re all sinners, but some people don’t know they are. How many of you in here know that you are a sinner?

Let me see your hand. Okay. I mean, if you don’t know you are. Or you are, you just don’t know it. everybody is a sinner. That means you’re not perfect. Oh, so you’re perfect. Well, nobody in this world is perfect except the Lord. We’re all sinners and Christ receiveth sinners. That’s good news. But he gets into a little dissertation here about three different illustrations about something being lost. And he’s really answering the question about why does he receive these sinners.

So I want you to kind of jump over to another portion of scripture that kind of breaks down these two individuals so that when we go back there to study the two sons you’ll have a better picture of it. So look there in chapter 18, Luke chapter 18 and look there in verse 9. Now remember remember this was written almost 2,000 years ago and you would have think, well nobody would be like that today. But notice in verse 9, and he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous.

Now get what he said. He spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. So there’s people who are religious, they trust in themselves that they’re righteous and therefore they know they’re good enough to go to heaven because look how good I am. Well I go to church and I read the Bible and I pray and I do all these good deeds and so Christ is talking to those people that think they’re righteous because of their good deeds the way they live.

Isn’t it true that there’s a lot of people who go to church? Just so they can look down their nose at other people who are not as good as they are. And they don’t give as much as they do, and they don’t dress as nice as they dress, and you despise other people. You better be careful. There’s a God in heaven that knows truth. And he knows the heart and motive of every individual. And he knows why you do what you do.

And he makes a statement here. He’s going to tell a story of him. verse 10 he says, two men, two men went up into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other one a publican. Now the Pharisee is the law keeper, you know the goody goody two shoes. He does everything right. He keeps the law. He walks around in this nice big long flowing robe and you know he had the phylactries and all these embroidery things around it.

I mean he really looks the part and he loves to walk down the street and pray long pretentious prayers in front of everybody so everybody know how holy he is. God says he’s a hypocrite. He does it just to be seen but it’s not real. But now notice what he says here. In verse 11, the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God I think thee that I am not as other men are. I’m so much better. I’m so good.

Look at me. I’m not like everybody else. Oh, this is what he said, just a little yank-yology here. But he says, I am not as other men are extortioners and unjust adulterers or even as this old tax collector, this Republican. Boy, I’m glad I’m not like that. Now Jesus is telling the story and Jesus says there’s people like this and he was saying this to certain ones that trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Did you know that if you have not trusted Christ as your Savior you’re not good enough to go?

You cannot earn your eternal salvation. You cannot work your way to heaven by your good deeds. But are there people that are doing that? I mean, 2000 years after he said it, people are still doing it. And they believe that they’re good enough because of how righteous they are. And then people begin to exalt themselves, look how good. And then you have to despise othersapter who don’t live as good as you do. Well, so he says there in verse 12, he begins to brag just a little bit.

He says, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. Now there’s another man that was there, and things weren’t going too good for him. You see, the Bible says that we’re all sinners and that there is no different. I mean, there’s not the righteous and then the unrighteous in life, as though some people, well they’re better than other people and therefore they’re closer to heaven than what you are because you might be down here on the bottom.

God says there’s no difference. God says you’re all sinners. Only God is perfect and we’ve come short of God’s perfection. So therefore when they’re despised in others because they’re not as good as they don’t see themselves the way God sees them. So in their own eyes they exalt themselves and humble others. So he makes a statement here in verse 13, and the publican standing up our off would not lift up so much as his eyes and the heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I’m not worthy. I’m just a sinner. He knew what he was. He was a sinner. He knew he wasn’t good enough. He didn’t cry out for justice. He just says mercy, mercy. And then he says, God be merciful to me a sinner, a sinner. So he understood he was a sinner. And this Pharisee that was So goody, goody thought he was so righteous. And the truth of the matter is, it was just the opposite.

Just the opposite in God’s eyes. God says that that man, that publican, went down to his house justified. Look what he says in verse 14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other one. Didn’t say he was justified more than the other one, But the other one wasn’t justified at all. You see, the only way you and I can ever get to go to heaven is because we admit to God, look, I am a sinner.

I cannot save myself. I am not worthy. I want mercy. I don’t want to go to hell. That’s why Christ died to pay for the sins of the whole world so that anyone who believed that he did it for them, God would give them as a free gift everlasting life. If it’s everlasting life and all my sins are paid, then where will I go when I die? The heaven. This is why I understand Christ was born into the world.

He lived a totally perfect righteous life. I was born into the world. I lived a totally sinful life. But what Christ did is He swapped with me. He took my sins and He says, when I believe that He did it for me, He gives to me His righteousness. If God gave me His righteousness, that would make me as righteous as God. Now is that good enough to go to heaven on? Yes it is. I’m not going to heaven because I’m so good.

I’m going because He is so good. He loves me so much and He’s given me the free gift of everlasting life. And that’s good news. Now go back to the story. You see back there in chapter 15. He makes this statement there in verse 3. He spake this parable unto them. So he tell them another story here. What man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one of them, does not leave the nine and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it?

Christ says that he came into the world to seek and to save that which is lost. came looking for the lost. God only had one son and he was a missionary. He came looking for the lost. That’s why when we want to serve the Lord. So we always talk about we need to reach the lost, reach the lost, reach the lost. In other words they’re lost. Where are you going to die? Well I don’t know you’re lost. Ask me Yankee where are you going to die?

I’m going to heaven. I’m not lost. I have been lost. I’ve been lost a lot of time. I am so thankful for GPS. I wish that I had him years ago. One time I was driving, I think it was going up the Panhandle of Florida. My wife, she wakes up in the middle of the night and she looks over there and lo and behold, there’s, there’s Yankee, let me handle wheel driving. Sounds asleep. Driving 70 miles an hour down the highway.

I went to several towns and had no clue. I thought I was still waiting to get to the town and I had fell asleep and went to two towns. I can’t explain how that I stayed awake but my angel had put in for transfers. See everybody has guardian angels. I got more than most people. But you’ll understand here some things are lost just by ignorance. You know just go straight. AndRowe, little kids, they get away from mommy and daddy, they don’t, they don’t faint.

They just do whatever they want to do at the time. And they say, you know, where are the kids? I don’t know where he is. They gone astray. The Bible is all about sheep. Go astray. Well, here’s a sheep that’s gone astray. Now, it’s lost. So he says, you go try to find that one sheep. you search for it till you find it. See they asked the question, why do you eat wood sinners? Why do you receive sinners? Because he came to seek that which was lost.

You see a sinner that is a sinner, knows he’s a sinner, needs a Savior. People that are so good and so righteous and I’m better than you are, I don’t need a Savior. So they don’t trust Christ. You trust Christ when you know you need one, but many people they don’t know they’re real need. Church cannot save you. Giving money cannot save you. Now if you want to give us something, that’d be fine. But I think we’ll get you to heaven.

Eternal life is the gift of God. It’s not a works list any man should boast. So he makes a statement here in verse 5, and when he hath founded, he let on his shoulders rejoicing, and when he come with home, he called up together his friends and neighbors and under them, rejoiced with me for I have found my sheep which was locked. You know, when that guy called me up on the phone this week, his wife had passed away.

He considered me to be his pastor and she did too and I talked to her on the phone many times. But next thing you know, she was in the hospital and then intensive care and then we had. So I did the funeral yesterday. Did you know whenever I’m going to do a wedding or a funeral, I just like I get a chance to go fishing. Now you know what I’m going to do this morning? I’m going to try to feed each one of you just a little bit, but I’m also going fishing.

Somebody asked me, did you like to fish? Oh yes. But you see the kind of fish I’m after, they’re people. They’re people I go fishing. And I thank the Lord for every opportunity I get to go fishing, because I might catch somebody. Now, sometimes we like to catch the big fish, and sometimes we forget about the little fish. Do you know those little fish grew up to be big fish? I like to win little children to the Lord. And teenagers to the Lord.

But you know, the hardest people to catch is those old folks, because they’re setting their ways. They even become hard-headed. You ever met anybody like that? Yes, yeah, I’m one of them. Yeah, I know. So he says they’re in verse 7, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one center that repentant More than over 99 just persons which need no repentance. So he’s talking about here’s these Pharisees And they think they’re so good. They don’t need a Savior But there’s always someone that says, I need to be saved.

I was one of those a few years ago. I knew I was lost. And that’s really what broke me down. I used to think I was good enough to go to heaven. But after my father-in-law talked to me and showed me the Bible, I knew I wasn’t. And that hurt. Especially whenever you’re talking about your pride. You mean I’m not good to go? No. I thought I was. So you notice what he says there in verse 8. You see some things are lost because of just plain carelessness.

Here’s a woman that has a diary. You know so when she gets married she got this thing so she got this 10 pieces of silver. She loses one piece, does not light a hot candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she finds it. When she had found it she calls her friends and her neighbors saying hey rejoice with me. I found the piece that was lost and there’s joy, joy, joy, because something was lost. I found it.

If you lost a million dollars, when you try to find it. Now, I don’t mean this in a bad way now, but I was raised out in the country. Even when Betty and I ran away and got married, we came back, we lived with my mum for a while because I didn’t have a job, didn’t have a place to live and didn’t have any money. But she wasn’t used to living in the house like we lived in. You see, we had the water, we had running water, you had to run and get it.

We had a pump outside. And our bathroom facilities was a two-seater outside, in the dark. And you had to carry a flashlight with it, and you had to be careful where you put it or you lose it, especially if you had a two-seater. Now one time I dropped a nickel in the outhouse. But there’s no way this boy’s going down there a nickel. So I’ll throw a quarter in there. And since I’ve got to go down and get the quarter, I might as well get the nickel while I’m there.

Now that didn’t happen. I’m smarter than that. But sometimes when you’re looking for that one lost sheep, you’d be surprised. You might get a bunch of lost sheep. So when we had about 15 or so, trust the Lord yesterday, you’re going to imagine, I was in the hall of heaven. That is joyful. That is such a wonderful thing. But if something’s lost and you’ve got to find it. Now I want you to look there now in verse 11 because he says, a man had two sons.

Now these two sons is going to be a picture of the Pharisee and the sinner. The Pharisee, not a publican. What we read about in chapter 18, it’s a good picture of it. So if you understand it, you can understand this a little bit better. There was one son, looking in verse 11, man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that fall up to me and he divided under them his living.

And not many days after the younger son gathered altogether took his journey into a far country and their wasted his substance with righteous living. So if this happened to the younger son, their chances are his older brother was not a very good older brother. He was probably a little on the dictatorial side. Probably filled with a little pride. He probably looked down his nose at his brother and he didn’t change because he didn’t see how bad he was. He didn’t see that what he did could have helped drive his younger brother out of the house.

And you see that in just a second. So I wondered, here’s a father with two sons. If a man loves his children, he loves his kids and so he probably taught and trained them a lot of stuff. There were things that they knew about what’s right and what’s wrong. Probably truth that was embedded in their mind that they would have a conscience that would work for them, that they could discern, make good decisions. They also knew that they’re going to inherit what daddy had.

So they had to have a daddy who had quite a bit because daddy had servants and all that, you know. And they’re going to inherit what daddy has. But the younger son also knows that usually whenever the daddy dies, that all goes to the number one son. But why he was able to say, well, whatever I can get, the heart that falls to me, whatever I have, the younger son decided to leave home. And it wasn’t a pretty picture.

You see the reverse trump? And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of God’s that fall up to me. And he divided under them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country. In other words, get as far away as he probably could. So when you got away, you know, whenever you have just been given something, did you realize that somebody just gives you a bunch of stuff if you don’t really appreciate It don’t take long for just like water.

Just goes right through your hands. Easy come easy go. So far God has blessed me. He’s not allowed me to inherit anything. All of a sudden thought about it. I had this one guy, he was in church and he says, preach, I want you to pray. Pray hard. I says, why? He says, because if I win the lottery, I’m gonna give 10% to the church.

No, I don’t play the lottery. I don’t believe in any form of the gambling. It doesn’t like it. I don’t want to take and get to where I gotta, You know, taste the big dreams of getting rich quick. A lot of people just live that way. Well, that’s fine. Do whatever you wanna do. It’s not for this boy. And I’m not gonna pray that you win the lottery.

Cause it’s to be ashamed. That’s how God has to support his work is by you winning the lottery. So don’t even come and ask me to do it for ya. I’m not gonna do it. So he says here in verse 13, And not many days after the younger son gathered altogether, took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with riotous living. Now we can imagine a little bit about what that means and what it refers to.

And evidently the older brother already had a clue what he was doing and how he was living because he throws it up to him later. So anyway verse 14, you see when you run away from that which is right, you’d be surprised how quickly you go downhill downhill downhill downhill. That’s what happened to Jonah when he ran from the Lord. When you don’t serve God like you should, you’d be surprised at things that will happen in your life and it just seemed like one thing after the other just gets worse and worse and worse and worse and worse.

That’s what he says here in verse 14. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his field the fiend swine. Isn’t this a perfect little setup for a little Jewish boy? Feeding the swine, the hogs, pigs. I was talking in Sunday school, I think it was Sunday school, I was talking about slopping the hogs.

Well, that’s just what you do. We’ve done a lot of that. And sometimes all the leftovers for a week put a nutrauff and hogs just seem like they just go Wow! Over! Slap! That’s what they call it. Slap the hogs! So he says here, he began to be in want and in verse 16, and he would feign have filled his belly with the huss that the swine did he that no man and no man gave unto him. In other words, I’ve seen people that rebel against mom and dad.

Now, on a rare occasion, I would maybe pray that God take him home. But most of the time, Lord, put a hedge of thorns about them. You see, that’s what happened to this guy, begins a hedge of thorns, where he’s so uncomfortable, where he’s totally humiliated, where he’s ashamed, where all of his decision begins to hurt, to prick them, so that he wakes up and realize, hey, this isn’t working out the way I thought. Have you ever realized that you might like to go fishing and you got a $5 lure?

And you know it in the knee hung up on the bottom. And you’re sitting there in the boat, just hung up on the boat and you can’t get it loose. Let it loose and it’ll hold further away. Nothing happens. Nothing works. Now you can sit there and hold that thing for the rest of your natural life. Or you can learn to cut your loss Put another one. That’s what I do every time I go with Jim Seismore. I just put another one on there.

Now he’s got a knack for doing that there. I just hate doing that there. I can’t tie that little knot with that little nylon, or cat gut or whatever that thing is. But there’s some people that are just playing good on how to do these things. But sometimes you have to just take your loss whenever you’re serving the Lord. And you have even a child, sometimes it’s a husband, sometimes it’s a wife. And you’ve got problems. And the only thing you can do is go ahead and keep you served in the Lord.

Don’t get hung up on one thing because it may not work out that way. But you don’t want something to so paralyze you that you can’t move. God’s Word says, this young man was going to learn some lessons. Jesus is telling this story and He’s telling it because some trusted in themselves that they were righteous. You see, the older son, he believed he was so much better than the son who went away from home and wasted everything on righteous living.

But because the older son didn’t do like he did. Therefore, he wasn’t as bad? You’d be surprised how many people think they’re so much better because well I don’t live like so and so and I didn’t do this like somebody else did. Did you ever think about the sin of pride which is a thing that God despises? It’s because a person instead of humbling themselves before God they exalt themselves and God said if you exalt yourself he is going to humble you.

But if you humble yourself, he will exalt you. Now which way you want it? You’ve been listening to another great message from Pastor Arnold and we at Bible Line thank you for tuning in. In appreciation to those who support this ministry financially, we would like to send to you a copy of the Jim Tingen story. The Jim Tingen story is a true story about a young man that just couldn’t explain the gospel clearly. He wasn’t the type of kid that most people made friends with, but he knew that people needed to hear the gospel to be saved.

Believe me, you’ll be affected by this story in a profound way, and this book is offered to you as a gift for your donation in any amount. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. So for this month, receive a free copy of the Jim Tingen story with your donation of any amount. It’s a small token of our appreciation for your support of Bibleline because without your thoughtful gifts and prayers from listeners like you, we would not be able to remain on the air.

Thank you once again for your continued support. 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 4 D-811 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 caught 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