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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the 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.

your Bible. To the book of 1 Peter, the book of 1 Peter, you know, we trust Christ as our Savior. That is what gives us the free gift of eternal life. So I trusted Christ as my Savior, so God promised that He’d give me eternal life, so I know I have eternal life because God cannot lie. So because I have eternal life, it lasts forever because it lasts forever and all my sins are paid. I know I’m going to heaven when I die.

That can never be changed. Can’t be altered. God can’t change his mind. I am so glad. Because, you know, aren’t you glad God doesn’t make mistakes? Oh, I saved you, but that was a mistake. I have to take you, rub your name out. Now, once he does it, it’s done. He says, the gifts and column of God are without repentance. God doesn’t change his mind. He doesn’t give it to you today and then yank it away tomorrow. So we know that we have eternal life.

Sometimes we’d love to know what’s coming down the road. Okay, why didn’t God just take me on to heaven? Well, He left us here because there’s things He wants us to do. Gave us the greatest calling in all the world. That’s a high calling. It’s one that didn’t come from this world. So what we live for is not from this world. We’re listening to somebody else outside of this world telling us what He wants us to do. So the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross, paid for our sins, has a purpose for our life.

Sometimes we’d love to know what’s going to happen down the road. Well, you know, believe it or not, the Lord does tell us a little bit about what’s going to happen down the road. And then He says, if they will do this to the Master, what are they going to do to the servant? So you look here in 1 Peter in chapter 4, I’ll look there in verse 12, in verse 12. It says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning that wonderful rose-colored trail that you’re going to be walking down.

Would roses all on both sides and it’s going to smell so wonderful and be so nice and everything is going to happen? Wonderful for you? You like that verse? That’s the Yankee version. That’s the Yankee version. But that’s not what he said. Look what he just said. Let me think it not strange concerning the fiery trial. Wait a minute, stop the earth, I want off. Fiery trial which is to try you. It’s not maybe, it is, it’s going to try you.

As long as you and I live in this world, we can face one fiery trial after the other. But it says, it’s those some strange thing happening to you. So God does want us to know that there’s some fiery trials down the road and then he makes his statement in verse 15, but let none of you suffer as a murderer. You’re gonna suffer, but don’t suffer because you did things wrong. Let it be that if you suffer, you suffered for well-doing.

You did write and you paid a price for it. You know we think sometime if we do write, everything’s gonna go smooth, not necessarily. I’ve had a little bit of everything happen. And the more I love people, the more I wind up being hurt. You know, if you didn’t love people, they wouldn’t hurt you what they say, because I don’t care about it. But when somebody you know and you care about and love, they can hurt you the deepest.

Well, that’s what happens. So you see, there in verse 16, yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. Because see it will be worth it all. So the Bible does tell us that yes we’re going to suffer, but that’s something I want you to see. Turn back to your left to the book of Hebrews in chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. And as you and I as a child of God we run the race that God has set before us.

And there is a race. And this is what he wants us to do. And so as we run this fiery race, trials on every hand and stumbling blocks and thorns, you’re going to get hurt. And when you get hurt, you know, it’s like somebody just jab me with a needle, you know, it’s thorns along the way. And so he makes his statement here in verse two, looking unto Jesus the author and a finisher of our faith. who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now you stop and think about it. Could a righteous person be put to more shame than what Jesus was? Think of what the most righteous person that’s ever been on this planet and look how he was treated. Now some believe he was literally stripped naked and hung on a cross and hung there in shame. I don’t know. But just what they said and did to him, I mean, he said he was the king. So they put a crown of thorns on his head.

Put a robe on him. After they’d already beaten and blooded his back. And don’t you know that that would dry into that blood and then you’d rip it off of him? Says they spit on him, they slapped his face, put a thing over his head so they didn’t see. He said, who smite us in the head, hit him in the face? and then pull out his beard, all the things that they did to him. And he let them do that to him, his own creation.

He let his own creation. And why did he come into the world? Because he so loved them. And then he let them do that to him. You know, we’re not quite the same, weren’t we? You ever had anybody do you wrong? Does it hurt? Just a little bit. Do you mind? I hate it when I have to go to the hospital. I’m a winer. If I get at least a little pain in the eye, I’m a winer about it.

Complain, complain, complain. And I told this lady, I said, man, I am so sorry I’m complaining. She says, forget it. All guys do. That was not consoling, no. She says, they’re all like that. Oh well. Is that true? All those girls are women are shaking their head like this. Well, well. Anyway, but I want you to see this first three. See there in verse three. So as you run your race and you face in a lot of fiery trials, remember, consider Him, consider Him.

That endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself. Let you be weary in faint in your mind because the things that will happen to you will play on your mind. They cause you to become weary in faint. Faint means to pass out, I quit. You get weary, I quit. That’s why Paul had made the statement in 2nd Corinthians in chapter 4, it says, having such a ministry. We faint not means we don’t quit. We don’t quit. You get tired yet, but don’t quit.

Get weary, but don’t quit. And you can have a lot of things happen to you that you can’t explain. And the more right you try to do, the worse it sometimes seems to get. Well, doggy, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Psalms. All the way back here to the book of Psalms. Psalms 22. Psalms 22. Now let’s just take a little gander at our leader. You know the one that paved the way for us, our example?

Well that was Jesus. Did he know how he was going to be treated before he came into this world and did it anyway. Now you and I don’t know what’s going to happen to us and we’re scared to death. Somebody might not like me. They might reject me or whatever. Well, it is a price to pay. We are all of flesh. And the Bible says 103rd Psalm. He says that God pityeth us. Isn’t that nice to know? because he says he know of it we’re but flesh and that we get tired we get weary and we want to quit.

He’ll stop being faithful. But here in the book of Psalms in chapter 20 I want you to look there and he says in verse 1 my God my God why hast thou forsake him? You have any clue who said that? I’m sure you know. Jesus said that when he was on the cross. But what else was said? He’s not in verse 6, but I am a worm and no man. A reproach of men, and you ought to underline this, despised of the people.

He so loved the word God, so loved the world, and then he was despised. Alright, if they despised him, what did they despise him for? For doing wrong? They did right. Jesus never did any wrong. They hated him without a cause. Have you ever felt that sometimes people say and do things to you and it’s just not right? They do it and they don’t have a real good reason. They just do it. You know there are some people that are just plain mean, but you know you need to back up just a little bit.

Have you ever been mean? Have you ever been really unkind to you? somebody. You’re a snap. See things in a mean, ugly, cutting way just to be mean. So I’m not like that. Oh no. No. Everybody else is. But look what he says in verse 7. All, see that word all? All that see me laugh at me. They laugh at me. They scorn me. They mock me. They make fun of me. And so they said, well, he trusts it in the Lord in verse 8.

Let’s see if God will deliver him. Mocking. If you’re who you claim to be, why don’t you come down off of that cross and then we’ll believe you? They wouldn’t have believed him. Like I said before, I’d have come down and zapped him went and went back up, slapped her jaws. But the Bible says he was led as a sheep to the slaughter. He opened not his mouth. He didn’t try to defend himself. He didn’t stop them from doing what they could do with him anything they wanted.

The greatest power in the world and he allowed them to do that to Him. So whenever we get weary and faint in our own mind, He says, consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself. And then you encourage yourself in the Lord and see what God’s going to do for you. Looking in verse 11 where He just simply makes a little statement here. He says, Be not far from me for trouble is near and there’s none to help.

That moment of despair when there’s nobody to help. But you know, you and I know if nobody can, I can always pray and God will bless and God will help and God will come through. We Antar go to the throne of grace. Isn’t that wonderful? Jesus couldn’t. There was no throne of grace for Jesus. His own Father, God, He wouldn’t listen to Him, turned His back on Him. You see, you and I have that hope, regardless of how bad it gets.

We know that the Holy Spirit of God lives within us and will never leave us and never forsake us. And yet Jesus cried out, why has to offer sake in me? He says, none to have nobody to help, nobody. Now whenever you get down a little bit, consider him, you’re supposed to remember what he went through it. Remember, he was our example. I read that and sometimes it almost makes you want to cry just to weep a little bit.

When we consider how much wine we do sometime, I was up there with my son-in-law and he always has a nice little way of putting the same. And, wine and about something, obviously he went, he says, want some crackers with that?” I said, what? He said, you want some crackers. Crackers and wine go good together. That was my son-in-law, my ex-son-in-law. Well, not really ex-son-in-law, but look at Isaiah 53. I want you to look at that real quick. Isaiah in chapter 53, we’ve read it many times, but I want you to see it just one more time.

When he starts off there in Isaiah 53, in verse He says, who hath believed our report? And whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? The arm of the Lord is the power of God. Christ came into this world. He revealed God Himself. And He says, He shall grow up as a tender plant, little tender plant. Jesus was born and He lived. And He came into the world and the world was made by Him and the world what? were on knew him not and rejected him.

So look in verse 3 and just look at those first few words here. He is despised and rejected of men. He knew before he ever came he was going to be despised. He knew he would be rejected. Now you may not mind if you died for somebody who was worth dying for. You know that loved you. You might not mind dying for your wife if you knew your wife really loved you. You may not even mind sacrificing for your kid because you know you loved your kid just close and they’re a pretty good kid.

But what if it was your worst enemy? Your worst enemy. The person who hated you said, oh, mine of evil, would you want to die in their place? knowing they despised and hated you and what nothing to do with you. Now we think we know love. I don’t think we have much of a clue because we’re even tangency. When that sinful nature we really don’t understand true real love and we don’t show real love. Sometimes our showing of love is motivated by it’s something we want or something we want to do or probably most times about ourselves.

But that’s not what it is. And so when you read that and you think this is what he did, looking verse 6, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth. He did not speak in his defense. He didn’t try to get away. He let them do whatever they wanted to do to him, and that they did.

Look in John chapter 1, John chapter 1 verse 11. Sometimes it’s good just to refresh our minds about who he is and what he went through, because he says, we’re all running a race, and we’re all living in this world, and you’re to suffer from a fiery trial. And so because it sometimes can get so hot this fiery trial, you just want out. You want to just quit. You think if I wasn’t serving God, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe wouldn’t.

If I hadn’t give to the church like I did, I probably wouldn’t be lacking a little bit right now. Or if I hadn’t done this, or I hadn’t have done that, if I hadn’t taken a strong stance. Maybe all this wouldn’t be so bad. The Bible says, if you live godly, you shall suffer something. Not everybody’s going to love you for it. Not everybody’s going to appreciate you for it. You would think they would, but they don’t. It’s not going to happen.

So here in the book of John in chapter 1, look there in verse 11, in verse 11, he came unto his own and his own received him none. Now it’s one thing for the other people, the Gentiles, to reject him, but hey Israel, hey you don’t know this, but I’m the one that gave the law. I’m the one that told Moses what to write. I’m the one that said Moses, Diner, to let all those people come out of that.

I’m the one. I am that I am. And they didn’t know who he was. And yet here he was, the God of the universe, he created the world and all the people, and here he is, and they received him not. But anyway, this is what you might have to go through. Sometimes the closest ones to you, sometimes it’s family, can be the hardest on you, because you can try to win them to the Lord and sometimes they’ll tell you where to go.

And no uncertain terms. And sometimes they think they’re good enough and who do you think you are trying to preach to me? I was told by my mother, my stepdad, to get out of the house and leave them alone that they want to hear preaching and go to church. That hurt. When I would sit there and talk to my sisters and I couldn’t get through to them, that hurt. They’d mock and they’d even make fun of me. But it hurt.

But I didn’t quit. And eventually, they all trusted the Lord. Just keep so inseeds. You see, when you get the sword in your hand, and somebody says, I don’t believe that thing will cut. Just keep using the word and keep cutting after a while. They’ll bleed. And so just have cut, don’t throw away your sword. Well, if you don’t believe that, okay, I don’t believe the Bible. Okay, I don’t use that in. No, keep using the sword. And I’m quoting Phasians 2, masculinized 1 John 5, 13.

Keep on preaching. Keep on going at it. Look in the book of Luke chapter 4. The book of Luke in chapter 4. Luke chapter 4. Now Jesus in His day went to the synagogue. That’s like us today when we’re going to church. So we go to church because that’s where those who know the Lord and love the Lord all go. So all those that go to church or those that are saved and love God and know how to manifest the fruit of the Spirit.

Right? So Jesus went to the synagogue. See, we’re in verse 16 and it came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was. as his custom was, he went to the synagogue. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as his custom was. Except this day was a little different. He stood up for to read. And there was delivered in him the book of the prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found the place where it was written and he begins to read.

And as you go through he read all of this, down in verse 21 and he began to say to them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears and he’s quoting from the book of Isaiah 61, where he says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. And it’s known to me to preach the gospel and heal the sick. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Hey, that’s me. And they were thrilled. I mean, they were overwhelmed with such great joy.

With open arms. These were the religious people of the day, the leaders, you know, the leaders. Now, it makes a statement there in verse 28, and all they in the synagogue, all they in the synagogue, when they heard these sayings were filled with joy. Raph, well what did he do wrong? Was he telling the truth? But they didn’t believe the truth. They wouldn’t listen to the truth. Now, so here you are today and there’s times when you’re trying to talk to somebody and they don’t want to hear it.

You can even talk to religious people. I go to church. I mean Betty stopped at a place last night and saw a guy sitting over there. I guess he was kind of like laying in the seat, you know, and had a newspaper and some of the drink, tear the ass up, why? So I got ready to leave. I walked around and says, can I share this with you? Give us to you? I’d like you to read it. He looked up and he says, not interested.

So I slapped him. No, I didn’t. I says, he said, you can keep it. Thank you, sir. I walked now. But sometimes I get to win one. But now what if I let that? Oh, I’ve been rejected. I can’t handle this. I’ll never do that again.” You know, that’s what some people do, because they can’t stand being rejected. It’s hard. See, you’re in his place. You’re doing this for the Lord. He’s just using you. So when people are mean and ugly and unkind, you’re just pretending your mind.

They did they did that to him. They did that to him. You remember when Paul was Saul and he was doing ugly to God’s people? And on that Damascus road, the light shone, and he says, why persecuted thou me? I ain’t never seen you. I ain’t know who you are. I ain’t bothered you. He was doing it through those people that belong to Him. I belong to Him. You belong to Him. So when people are mean and ugly and unkind, just think that they’re doing this to the Lord.

I’m just representing Him. They’re treating Him that way. And you might be able to salvage a Christian life out of this. Otherwise, you’re going to get so hurt and offended by so many things that doesn’t go your way. I quit. I quit. No, it says here in verse 28, and all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city led him unto the brow of the hill where on their city was built that they may cast him down headlong but he passed him through the mist of them win his way.

Now where did this take place? Where did this take place? See there in verse 16 again? And he came to where? Nazareth where he had been brought up. Home town. Probably people probably knew who he was. Look what he says down there in verse 22. And all bear witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth and they said is not this Joseph’s son. We know who he is. Wouldn’t you like to have a little respect from your own kind, from your own because of how good and godly you are, but it may not happen.

But when it doesn’t, you’re going to consider what Christ went through and it’s, you’re going to be able to live with it. You’re going to live with it. I know you will. Look in John chapter 7, the Gospel of John in chapter 7. John chapter 7, Jesus is here talking to you. to the people there in Galilee. See there in verse 1 of chapter 7. After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee. And He says, the Jews were going to kill them.

So they tried to tell them certain things. And so He departed from Galilee. And as it goes on down though, He got into a good discussion with them. And then in verse 37, in the last day, that great day of the the feast, he used to study and cried. And he said, if any man thirst, let him come into me and drink. And as the scripture hath set out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, which they that believe on him should receive.

But the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. In verse 40 it says, many of the people therefore when they heard this saying, set off a truth. This is the prophet. Others says, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee, have not the Scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him, a division because of him.

You see, whenever you present the gospel to people you’re causing them to make a decision that divides, it separates. They become a child of God. They’re going to heaven when they die. It splits, it divides between the believers and the unbelievers. And some people can handle it. Some people can’t handle it. Just think in some foreign countries, if they trusted Christ of their Savior, anybody found out they’d kill them. They’d kill them. If they found out that they had accepted Christ of their Savior.

A lot of Muslim countries, if you denounce the religion of Islam and you become a Christian, you’re dead. They’ll kill you. They’ll cut off your head. Literally cut off your head. And there’s a lot of people that have paid a great price over the years just because they trusted the crisis their Savior. And so sometimes people keep quiet, keep it secret. Can a person trust Christ as Savior and never tell anybody? Yeah. Now there’s some people that say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, yes you can.

I think Nick and Amos for a while was one of those. And because of fear of the Jews, they kept quiet. Hello, this is Peter Amato and from all the staff at Bibleline, we want to thank you for tuning in to today’s program. This month, we’d like to send to our listeners and supporters the book, The Declaration of the Gospel. This is yet another book authored by Dr. Arnold, And it addresses the concerns over what is called the crossless gospel.

Is it enough to simply tell someone to believe in Jesus for them to be saved? Does the topic of sin need to be addressed in order for someone to understand what the gospel really is? What are the essential points that a lost man must be told in order for him to be saved and what does believing in Jesus really mean? These are just a few of the topics that are covered in this book. For the month of May, when you send a gift in any amount, we’re going to give you the book, The Declaration of the Gospel.

Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bible Eye. Thanks for joining us on Bible Eye. 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.

Caught 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.