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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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want to cover a subject that I believe is very important to understanding what Christ did for us and how it relates to our lives. To be able to explain just what did he do? How do I know that I’m going to heaven? Who are the righteous if there are none righteous? The Bible says that Joe made the statement, how can a man be justified with God? How can he be right with God? Because we often teach that heaven is a perfect place and man is not perfect, so how can he get there?

So something has to happen. But I want you to look there at your notes only as I cover them. But number one, the righteousness of man does not exist because the Bible makes his statement and I want you to see the verses. They’re down there but that’s just for your reference for later. I want you to take your Bible and look at these verses with me because I want to show you something so that you will truly understand. You need to understand this.

This is so important. It is powerful. In Romans chapter 3, look there in verse 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. None righteous. That means there were none righteous in the Old Testament, none righteous in the New Testament, there is none righteous, no not one. Now look in verse 23, same chapter Romans 3, 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God or the perfection of God, the righteousness of God.

Everyone has come short. Understand the predicament that we are in. It means that no man has ever lived good enough to be declared righteous because of what he has done. Nobody, no one. You haven’t either. You have never been righteous in the eyes of God by your works, and you never will be. So understand that. Now, turning your Bible to the book of Isaiah 64, all the way back there in the book of the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah, and you’ll notice what he says even back there in the Old Testament.

And when he says, as it is written, there is none righteous, none at one means it was written in the Old Testament. So they were told the same thing we are told. Now, if you have to be good to go to heaven, somebody’s not going to make it. If you’re going to heaven depends upon your good deeds. If you You had to earn your way to heaven. I’ve got some bad news for you. It is impossible. Nobody can be declared righteous by His works.

A man is not justified by works, but by faith alone. Here in the book of Isaiah 64, look there in verse 6. These are verses that you need to have marked in your Bible, underlined in your Bible. Draw a little maps to them. of you to do. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and all our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.

We are all as an unclean thing. All our righteousness are as filthy rags, the best we can perform, all of our good deeds are filthy rags in the eyes of God. So therefore it doesn’t look too bright for us. But now look there in the book of Isaiah in chapter 59, Isaiah chapter 59. And you’ll notice here in chapter 59, he makes a statement in verse 1, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, your iniquities.

God doesn’t say you have any righteousness. All we have is iniquity, sin. We’ve transgressed the law of God. No one is perfect. No one is righteous in the eyes of God. That is the declaration from a judicial God who made a decision. Everyone has sinned and we’re all in the same boat. There is no difference. And so he says here in verse 2, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear.

So that is what the Word of God has to say. Now has things changed or we better now because after you know this is the 21st century and everything’s changed. We’re better today than we used to be right. We’re not those wild savages of years gone by. I mean we’re not living in the dark ages, we’re highly intelligent people and we are so much more righteous than those people were centuries ago, aren’t we? No. We’re not one bit better.

All the technology that’s been created and we enjoy doesn’t make the human nature one bit better. They cannot do any kind of surgery, they can take away your old sinful nature. Wouldn’t it be neat just going to operation? Give me an operation. Take out my old sinful nature. Man, I would say everybody needed to have that surgery, but there isn’t anything they can do about it. Man cannot change the situation. Now, look at point number two, heaven is perfect.

This is a simple outline. You’ve heard that most of your life. Heaven is a perfect place. That’s why we want to go there, because there’s no sin there. There’s no sorrow there. There’s nothing wrong there. Everybody lives forever. Everybody’s happy and it’s wonderful and peaceful and no death, no pain, no sorrow. Nothing like that because there’s no sin there. Man, everybody wants to go there. It’s supposed to be like paradise. Paradise. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Well take a Bible look in the book of 2 Peter chapter 3, 2 Peter and chapter 3.

And you’ll notice that God has said in His word about this wonderful place that we are going to go to that there is no sin there. So He says here in that verse, Look in verse 13, nevertheless we according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. If righteousness dwell and it’s perfect there, there’s no sin there. There is a time and place in the future there will be no more sin wherein dwelleth righteousness.

So we know that heaven is a perfect place and in the book of Revelation chapter 21-27, look at that verse. I want you to see it. Well you get it right here in your notes. We’ll just read it off the notes unless you want to just go to the Scripture to verify that it is there and it is word for word and if you look at Revelation 21-27 it says and there shall in no wise enter into it anything that Father.

Neither whatsoever worketh abomination or makeeth a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. So no sin can go to this place. No sin. You have to be perfect to go to heaven. When you understand what you have to be to go to heaven, you understand why it’s so difficult for people to earn their way to heaven. But believe it or not, be thousands of churches today. And preachers telling the people just do the best you can and really working it and be faithful and go to church and give you money and all this stuff.

And it has nothing to do with getting to heaven. And they’re trusting in their good deeds how wonderful they are. I listened to a woman last week as I was having a Bible study and she stood up and she said, I do not believe in this once saved, always saved. I don’t believe in eternal security. I have been faithfully serving God for 50 years. That’s what she said, 50 years. And I don’t see myself as any one that would fall away and stop serving God.

And therefore I know I’m going to heaven because of my walk with God. And so when she got through, she said it publicly, so I had to rebuke it publicly, which I did. And I says, in spite of everything you have ever done, if you don’t perform, you don’t go. Means that your salvation depends upon your obedience. That’s why you can’t know and believe in eternal security because you’re not secure. If you’re not eternally secure, you’re not secure. The only way you can be eternally secure is it totally depends upon the Lord.

And once you trust Him, He gives you everlasting life. So point was made. Now look at number three, the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness of Christ. He was without sin then, and He is without sin now. In Hebrews in chapter 4, I want you to take your Bible and look at this verse. Hebrews in chapter 4. There are several great verses here that you need to see in your Bible. Hebrews in chapter 4. And you’ll notice what the world of God says, look at first of all in verse 12, look in verse 12.

For the word of God is quick, that means it’s alive. So if the word of God is the living word, it means it can make you alive. You are separated from God, but if you’ll believe what the word of God says it can make you alive and bring you to God so that you can be with God. And he says, and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing the sunder of soul and spirit and the joint in the marrow which is the body and it is a discerner of the thoughts and the intent of the heart.

When you read instead of the Bible it can separate the spirit from the body and the body from the soul and the soul from the body and the body from the spirit, it can separate and then distinguish and discern what is going on in the mind and the intent, the motives of why you do what you do. God’s Word is a mirror that penetrates into your soul. So that’s what the Word of God does. And then if you know what the Word of God does, then you know what the Son of God can do because He is also called the Word of God.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. And He came into the world and the world knew Him not. But then He says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So here he makes this statement in verse 15, for we have not and high priests which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin.

You need to understand Jesus Christ was born into this world and the Bible says that when the angel came and and told Mary to that holy thing that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God, that holy thing. He was holy from the very moment of inception and never changed. He never sinned in his life. He can’t commit a sin today. He has no sin. Then he has no sin now. He’s never committed any wrong.

There was no fault found in him. And he was tempted, but he never sinned. So this is what the Bible says. Now look at the next verse. I want you to see in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28, just turn over to chapter 9, just a couple pages to your right. Chapter 9 and verse 28. The Bible says it’s appointed unto every man once to die, and after this the second chance. No, a judgment. Where you did trust Christ or you didn’t trust Christ.

But there’s no more opportunities. But Christ is going to come back again. See what he says in verse 28, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin. So he was without sin, then he is without sin now and there is no more payment to be made for sin because he’s not coming back to pay for sin ever again. The payment He made was once and for all.

It’s all been done. Because that’s true, you and I should understand there’s nothing that you and I can possibly do to save ourselves. That’s why we needed a Savior. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59, go back there. I want you to see this one because there’s several verses here. Isaiah in chapter 59. Isaiah 59 looked there in verse 16, verse 16. This is on page 764 in the old Schofar reference Bible, one of the church’s Bibles.

He says in verse 16, and he saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor, intermediate, a between. Therefore his arm, which I believe is a reference to Christ, brought salvation unto him and his righteousness it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate. Now go over there to the book of Isaiah chapter 52, Isaiah 52, this turn to your left. He is going to talk about his righteous servant. God, talking about his servant that is righteous, which is a reference to Jesus Christ, written over 700 years before he came.

And he says here in verse 13, Behold my servant. And then you’ll look there in chapter 53 in verse 11, where it says, He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justified many. So he had a servant that was righteous and a righteous servant that was going to justify others, make them as righteous as he is righteous. He died the unjust for the unjust that he might bring us the unjust to God.

Now look what he says there in verse 1 of chapter 53, who hath believed our report in the New Testament in the book of Romans it talks about and who hath believed the gospel. So what he’s saying here in chapter 53 is the gospel story and he says who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord, that is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed for in verse two, for he shall grow up before him.

As a tender plant talking about Jesus Christ was going to be born into this world, then he makes a statement there in verse five and noticed that he is going to be a substitute. And he says in verse five, for he was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities, chastitement of our peace was upon him with his stripes, we are healed. And then look at us. We in verse six, are like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.

The Lord hath laid on him his righteous servant, the iniquity of us all. So he had someone who was righteous, who was perfect. And God was going to take the iniquity of all and place it upon this innocent one, and he would die and make a payment for our sins. Go down to Isaiah 61. Isaiah chapter 61. When Jesus Christ came, it states in the book of Luke that he quoted from Isaiah 61 and verse 1. And verse 1, he simply makes this statement, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath the Lord in me to preach the good tidings.

He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaimed liberty to the captives, open of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And in the book of Luke, he sat down because the last part of that verse is to be fulfilled when he comes back the second time. So this is a statement about Jesus Christ. In advance. Now look what he says here in verse 10. Isaiah 61 verse 10, A, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garment of salvation. He clothed me with salvation. And get this, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness. Look up here. God says our righteousness is his filth. the rags and that God will take and put to our account. When you and I believe on Jesus Christ, He puts His robe of righteousness upon us. So if He was to give me His robe of righteousness, it would make me as righteous as God.

When God looks to find Yankee, He finds me having the righteousness of Christ, he doesn’t see my filthy rags because his son made a wonderful deal. He took all of my sins and all I had to do was believe that he did it for me and he would give me his robe of righteousness. So if God gave me his robe of righteousness, when God sees me, he sees Christ. And when he sees Christ, I’m perfect and righteous in God’s eyes, I’m going to heaven on his righteousness, not my righteousness.

No man goes to heaven on his righteousness. God will give you the righteousness you need to go to heaven on, and that it is free. So look at number four, the righteousness of God imputed. It means put to one’s account by faith alone, because if it’s not by works, it cannot be by anything added to faith. It means there’s nothing you can do as far as a good deed to merit God’s righteousness. Because you see, there isn’t anything that you can do that would be righteousness.

We have no righteousness. Therefore is by faith and faith alone. Can’t have anything included with it. So I’ll look there in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. in your Bible, you’ve got to see this. 2 Corinthians and chapter 5. And look what he says here in verse 18. Verse 18, so important to see what the word of God has to say. This is on page 12, 33, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 18. And he said, all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself.”

Now look up here. In the book of Isaiah, it made the statement, your sins have separated between you and God separated us. And therefore, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. It means we can get with God. But how is this possible. What separated us was our sins. So what God did was do something about the sin problem. And you didn’t have to do anything about it. There wasn’t anything you could do about it. And stop in your drinking and smoking and lying and dipping in chewing doesn’t take away your sins.

It doesn’t correct all the ones you’ve already done. It doesn’t remove the sins of mind. It doesn’t remove the old sinful nature. Every person here, you have an old sinful nature. You are capable. Listen to me. You are capable of every sin in the book. All of them. You say, well, I’ll never do that. Don’t you dare say that. I’ve lived long enough to see what people say, I’ll never do that. Do it. And you are capable of it.

You may restrain yourself, but that desire for sin dwells inside of you. You have an old sinful nature. God never took it away. Don’t deceive yourself. You still get mad and angry and bitter and filled with jealousy and envy and malice and you name the sin and you’re capable. Now I know there’s a lot of priests today that like to make everybody feel good and they never mention sin. But if I can’t talk about sin, I can’t talk about the Savior.

That’s why you need a Savior because of a dirty word called sin. You say, well, what is sin? Well, whatever it is, you did it because it says all have sin and then come short of God’s perfection. And we are guilty. And we have no righteousness of our own to demand salvation from God. Say, Lord, you’ve got to let me in because I sung in the choir. I took up the offering. I kept some of it. No, no. You can say whatever you want, but you don’t get to heaven because of your good deeds.

So understand that. So he says here in verse 18, all things of God who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the men. of reconciliation. Now get this, to wit that God was in Christ. Reconcile in the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, not imputing their trespasses unto them. In other words, you did the wrong, but he didn’t put that wrong that you did to you. He took and put the wrong that you and I did and imputed to Christ.

He bore all the sins of all of the world. Now look what he says down here in verse 21, for he hath made him to be sinned for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Look up here, let me just show you a simple illustration. This is you and me. This is sin. We all have sin on us. God, He loves us. Now he hates our sin, but he loves us.

Now to go to heaven we have to be as righteous as God, and nobody’s righteous. Not one. We’ve all sinned, and we’re all condemned. And that means that we are condemned to a literal fire burning hell. That’s why you need a savior. Why are we going to hell? Because we’ve all sinned. If there’s anything that I want people come to this church to hear. There is a thing that we do call sin and it’s wrong. And that there’s a place called hell and I don’t want to go there, but it’s a literal fire burning hell and nothing in the world is going to take that away and I can’t sugarcoat it any better than what the Word of God does and it doesn’t sugarcoat it.

That’s why we need a Savior, someone to save us from our sins and from our destiny, which is hell. So God says He loves us, wants us to go to heaven, but to go to heaven we got to be perfect, no sin. And because of sin we can’t get in. So God says you cannot save yourself. Being saved, going to heaven is not by your works. That’s why in Ephesians 2 8 9 it says, for by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works, because you don’t have any.

All of your righteousness is no good. So God doesn’t let you go to heaven because, well, you mean well, and you’re sincere, and you go to church, and you love your kids, and you love your wife, or your husband, and you pay your bills. That has nothing, absolutely, nothing to do with going to heaven. And yet most people believe that whenever you die, He puts your good works on one side, all your bad works on the other side, and whichever outweigh the other determines where you’re going to go.

That’s not the Bible. That’s religion. That’s not in the Bible. The Bible simply says you have no good works. You cannot save yourself, and God doesn’t want your help. He doesn’t need your help. We hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson today from Dr. Arnold and pray that Bibleline is a blessing in your life. We are so grateful to our listeners and supporters who help us accomplish so many great things for the Lord. During this month, to every person making a financial donation in any amount, we’re going to send to you the DVD teaching series on how to witness to Roman Catholics.

Many Catholics love the Lord so much, but sadly they are lost. Although the Roman Catholic Church uses words like grace and mercy, they rely upon works as the cause of salvation. So many wonderful people are being deceived by the world’s largest religion, and this DVD series could help you win them to the truth. Again, we’re so grateful to those of you who support this ministry. 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 for supporting Bibleline. 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. 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.