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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.

God has been good to us and I want to try to explain a few things this morning that I hope will be a blessing to you. You know, whenever you people come to church, there might be some people come to church that don’t even believe in God. And some people don’t believe the Bible. Some people might say, I believe in heaven, but don’t believe in hell. And then there’s those who say, well, I believe it all. And then some people are very strong and mature and know the whole Bible.

Then you have some that don’t know too much. the preacher’s got to satisfy all those people. Sounds a little most on the impossible side. But I do want you to listen to what I have to say. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the gospel of John, the gospel of John. Most people think it doesn’t really matter what church you go to, just go to any old church. It doesn’t matter what kind of Bible they use, any old Bible it doesn’t matter.

Any version will do. Sounds like we ought to I started a church called the Church of your Choice. Just go to whatever church you want, just the Church of your Choice. I, let me sing your song. I knew you were up for this. I knew you were up for this. Each week take your voice to the Church of your Choice and sing all the hymns with respect. We’ll be glad to get you and your offering too. Be a cash money order or check.

Our doctrines are clear. Just be good and sincere. If you’re tired of your sin, we will welcome you in. If you’ll show up at least once a year. Come, one, and come all, through the church of your choice is our call. If you send, we won’t tell, and we’ll send you to, all to grab pictures of Moses and Paul.

Oh well, the gospel of John. Look at verse 23, and Jesus answering them, oh, what chapter? I thought you knew me by now. I thought you could read my mind. Try chapter 12. I thought if I just said the verse and read the verse, you ought to make know what chapter it was. Okay. But John chapter 12 verse 23 on page 11 32, do you have one of the Dead Sea scroll? It’s scroll nine. And Jesus answered them saying the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Verily, verily I say unto you, except that corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Now I want to show you a simple illustration that helps us understand this, I think, a little bit better. For example, you and I and picture a person standing right here. That’s you. That’s you. You have sinned against God and the wages of sin is death so you have to die. There’s a place called heaven but to go there you have to be perfect so you don’t qualify so you can’t go.

So how do you get this center. Good enough to go there. So God says, by your works, you’ll never be good enough. Nobody has ever lived good enough to earn the right to go to heaven, because perfection is required. But you’ve done all these sins. So people say, well, what do you have to do about all these sins that I’ve done? You know, there’s a holy righteous God that demands death. So many people think, well, you’ve got to turn from your sins.

No, you have to die for your sins. The wages of sin is turning or dying Dying you don’t have to turn from sin you have to die for your sins. So since you have sinned that you have to die well So I don’t want to die Everybody has within and believe it or not the desire to live forever But we would like to have a perfect body to do it in We would love to have a perfect place with a perfect body and live forever.

Can you believe that there wasn’t long ago before you didn’t even exist? It’s that you didn’t even know anything because you weren’t real. You weren’t here. You didn’t exist. Now that you’re here, you don’t want to leave. Some people just never satisfied. So now you’re here and you want to live forever, but to live forever with the Lord who you have to be perfect because of sin, it brings things to an end and you have to die. So how do you get this so-called new birth?

We hear about it. Parts of this I’ve explained before, but just one more time. You see, you cannot get a new birth until the old one is dead. You’re not supposed to have two at the same time. Because there’s only one of you. There’s only one of me. So I can’t get my new one until I’m through with the old one. And Jesus said, you must be born again. Now not talking about a new creation as far as of the flesh.

Because if you were born of the flesh in a physical birth a thousand times, well the last one won’t be any better than that first one was. So you need a new birth that’s born without a sinful nature. Our sinful nature is what’s caused all of our problem. And God says, you can’t go to heaven with a sinful nature. Cause if you went to heaven with that sinful nature, you’ll sin in heaven. So how can I get there without one?

Well, you can’t get rid of it without dying. You have to have death to pay for the sin. So over here is the new birth. This is the one that was born of God. And if it’s born of God, then God’s the Father, it’s the child of God. So it’s born because you heard the word of God and you believed it and lo and behold, you were born by the incorruptible seed. So if your new birth came from the incorruptible seed, it means it can’t sin.

It means it doesn’t have a sinful nature. No sinful nature can’t sin, can’t sin, can’t die. So that’s why once you become a child of God, you’re his child for how long? Forever. But you can’t get this birth until you’re through with this one, because you can’t have both of them at the same time. Now I know it might seem a little confusion, but just don’t go to sleep yet. You have to have a death. So what Jesus Christ did coming into the world made of a woman, Mary, used by God to prepare a body, and therefore He was made under the law, the condemnation of the law, but see the law could never condemn Him because he, when He was born in the world, He was the only one without a sinful nature.

He couldn’t sin. He didn’t have a sinful nature. He never desired anything wrong. He never wronged anybody. Never offended God the Father. See, Jesus was perfect, so He didn’t have to die. The law could not touch Him. The law could not condemn Jesus. But everybody else that was born into the world because of a sinful nature, the law of God condemns all of us. So we’re all in the same boat. All have sinned. All are condemned. And because of that, no man can save himself.

A man has no hope. He can’t deliver himself. Now He lives is not going to change the situation. That’s why He didn’t have to turn from His sins for God to save Him. He has to die for His sins. And that’s eternal separation from the Lord. Because He doesn’t have any power to come back. Now what’s He going to do? So Christ came into the world and the law couldn’t touch Him. The law couldn’t condemn Him. So Jesus Christ didn’t have to die.

So he voluntarily, because of his love for us, took all the sin of all the world upon himself, and he was at kernel of corn. That died, was buried, and rose again. Now when you and I believe that he did that for us, then his death became my death of the first birth. It’s when it died. So in Christ I was crucified and buried with Him and rose again with Him. So when I rose I had this new birth to walk in newness of life.

So in reality I didn’t really die. But it was put to my account, but that’s how God sees me. sees me in his son. And because his son is perfect, I’m perfect. I’m in his son. And so therefore, in God’s eyes, I die paid for my sins, the death of the first birth. And I came back again from the dead in my new birth. So I’m supposed to live like this old man is dead. And I’m not supposed to satisfy the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

But that’s easy preaching and a little difficult to live. Because now as a child of God, how do I perform this miraculous life? To live without this old sinful man trying to get at me and having victory over me. So the Bible tells us there’s some things that you and I need to understand. You see, once you’ve trusted Christ is saving, you have a new birth, born of God. This new birth loves God. All those things that are good and right, that’s from the new birth.

All the sin and the rebellion that comes from the old man. And I’m supposed to live as though he’s been crucified and I’m now have to satisfy those desire But that’s how God sees it judicially. This is true But the hard part that we have is application How to perform That which is good with this old simple nature that we have Sometimes gets a little on the difficult side and what I want you look there in verse 26 if a man If a man served me, let him follow me.

And where I am there shall you my servant be. And if any man served me, him will my father honor. You see, verse 24 is what has to be done for our salvation. So when I was 18 years old, I trusted Christ as my sake. I didn’t understand all this. All I knew is that I’m lost. I’m going to hell, Christ paid for my sin. I’m going to trust to take me to heaven when I die. And God saved me, gave me a new birth.

Afterwards, I started understanding a lot more of these difficult things. But you see there in verse 24, where he said, except the corner of wheat fall into the ground and die. See, he was the one that died for everybody else. And then he was buried and then he came back much fruit. So every individual that believes that he did it for them all these people except his death as their death and his burial as their burial and lo and behold them that one that died much fruit.

Look how many people in the last few thousand years that have trusted Christ as their Savior and they’re going to heaven when they die all because one died. And if he didn’t die there was no hope because he and I could not have saved ourselves by living a good righteous life because it was impossible. If Christ had not died, we could not go to heaven. Therefore, there’s nothing for you to do except trust Him as your Savior. Believe in that He did it for you.

And when you do, He gives you eternal life. Now, once we have been dead and buried and raised again from the dead, now God says, I want you as my children. I want you to serve me. He said, if any man served me, him was my father honor. So I believe that. So take your Bible and turn to the book of John chapter 15. Just turn to your right. Just a few verses there. But look in John chapter 14, first of all, chapter 14.

But there’s a verse here, verse 31, that’s one of my favorite verses. And it’s because of what Jesus said in this verse. He says that the world may know that I love the Father, even so I do. He did what he did because he wants the world to know he loves his Father. That’s why he wants us to go into all the world and tell everybody in the world what he did for the world because of his love for the Father.

Isn’t it true that we talk to a lost man? We’re always telling, look, God loves you. God loves you. Who do we usually witness to without telling them God loves you? Somewhere in there we tell them God loves you. He paid for your sin because God loves you Because most people don’t know God loves. Well, how do you know God loves it? Well, he died for you You see you were over here and you were gonna have to go to hell and pay for your sins and he paid for it and that Payment is put to your account when you believe it his death became yours when you believed it and his burial and resurrection became yours because you believed it and God says, now you’re his child.

That’s been born again, born from above. Now you’re his child. And that child of God, because it has no sin for nature, it doesn’t sin, can’t commit one single act of sin, not one single thought that’s wrong. That’s the new birth. I still got this one over here that plagues me to no end. I have problems with him all the time. He’s always lying to me, deceiving me. But now that I know Christ is my Savior, there’s some things that God says, I want the world to know that I love my Father.

So what is he going to do? He’s got his disciples, those who believe on him, and he’s going to send them out so that they will tell people how much he loves them. So he says in verse 1 of chapter 15, see verse 1 goes back to the verse right before it. It’s as to follow through. There’s no break division in here. He says, I am the true vine. And my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he takeeth away.

Now it’s not so much that you and I have to try to produce this fruit, is that we bear the fruit that comes from us. We’re the branch that’s holding the fruit, but the power comes from the Lord. And he’s the one that works through the branches. You see, you and I never saved the soul. It’s the Lord working through us. And so he says, for you and I to abide in him. Now, to help you to understand the verses here, If you took the word abide and simply put the word serve, then you’ll understand it better, because that’s what it’s talking about.

To abide in the Lord means to serve the Lord. By yielding to Him, letting Him use you, it means to live where you’ve been placed. You’ve been placed here as a child of God. Live like a child of God. Act like a child of God. Learn to use the language of the court, the divine language, the heavenly language, God’s word. And he says in verse two, every branch in me that bareth not fruit, he take it the way. And every branch that bareth fruit, he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit.

He says, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. In the words, you by yourself, you can save us all. Our only reason you have people who trust the Lord through you is because the Lord is working through you. And he’s the one that produces the fruit that’s barren, they’re on the vine. but the Lord’s the one who saves us, He’s the one that uses us.

And so you and I, after we trust the Lord, we have a choice. We can serve the Lord. And if we serve the Lord, He wants us to bear fruit. And because He wants you to bear fruit, He wants you to bear more fruit and much fruit. So you’re the one that determines how much fruit you bear by your yieldedness to the Lord. And some Some people are maybe a little fruit and some 60 and some 100 full. But every one of us as a branch.

In the vine are supposed to abide in the vine. Serve the purpose abiding in the vine. Serve the purpose of the flow of the juices and the goods that produce the fruit. We don’t save anybody, but God uses us as we yield to Him. Now this is not talking about how to get to heaven. Many people read this and they say, well, see there? They took the branches and they threw them in the fire. And that’s a sign that you’re lost.

No, if anybody has anything to do with a husband, tree, or realizing that if you want something, you got to prune off all this stuff. Well, you see, when you trusty Christ as your savior, you probably had a lot of bad habits in your life. Bad thoughts. You didn’t have control of every area. But as you begin to grow in the Lord, and as the Holy Spirit that lives within you, reveals things to you that you need to cut off out of your life, to cut this out, and to cut this out.

What’s the Lord doing to you? He’s pruning you. Why? So that you can have more fruit. And there’s always things in our life that needs to be cut off out of our lives. So God wants to clip and cut and things like that. Well, these things that he cuts out are like, we don’t need those anymore. God prunes you for a reason, for a purpose. He says, now men, when they take a literal vine and they do this, men take those branches that doesn’t bear, and men will take those and cast them into the fire because they’re not used.

But for you and I, it means that you are set aside, you’re not used by God. You see, God wants every one of us to bear fruit. And a lot of God’s children don’t bear fruit. And so it’s like you’re not being used. God says, if any man served me, him will my Father honor. And one day, you’re gonna get the praise, the honor and the glory that God wants to give to every one of us when we get to heaven, but we’re not there yet.

And you only get that honor, That recognition, that praise, because we’ve served. And you serve in order to bear fruit. No fruit, are you serving? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Can I follow without fishing? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. That’s why some people, when they really understand this, they want God to use them to reach other people for the Lord, why? Because that is the greatest sign of love. You can ever be ever manifest from your life.

Because God said, I want the world to know that I love my Father. So I’m sending you out as my friends. I want you to serve. I want you to bear fruit. And those people are the ones that trust the Lord through you. So I I believe God wants all of us to be soul owners, to tell people how to get to heaven when they die. Because you realize this, the devil don’t care how much you go to church, how much money you give, how much you do, everything else.

Just don’t talk about the Lord. And yet that takes more courage and more strength, more grace of God. They explain to somebody, look, I just want you to know God loves you. Jesus Christ paid for your sins. If I was the devil, that’s the one thing I don’t want you to do. I wouldn’t want you to do that or anything. And yet that’s the one thing Christ says to do. That’s more important than anything else that you do. Because see, nobody’s going to go to heaven because you go to church.

And they’re not going to heaven because you gave money. Now if it’s used for those reasons, it can be useful, but I’m talking about you can sing and not win a soul. But God saves because of using you for His honor and for His glory, abiding Him, serve Him for the purpose of reaching fruit, of bearing fruit. And the fruit is not something that you produce, that’s something God produces through you. And you don’t know whether or not it’s going to be a little fruit or a lot of fruit, you never know.

But does God have the freedom to use you? However he wants, wherever he wants, can he trust you? God says he has entrusted us with the gospel, even so we speak. Not as pleasing man, but God which triath our heart. We speak with the mouth. The tongue and sometimes it’s the most difficult thing in the world. You know the hardest part about witnessing is getting started. Just getting started. But once you get started, it’s amazing how easy some time it can flow.

Now some people will tell you to shut up mind your own business, leave you along and tell you where to go. I’ve had all of us. And I’ve had people get mad and get up and walk away and and so forth. When I try to talk to my stepdad, my stepdad says, if I want to talk to my dad, I want to talk to my dad. I’m going to hear preaching, I go to church, and I’ll shut your mouth and leave me alone.

Don’t you come over here preaching to me every time I turn around. And that used to just tear me up. I didn’t know how to do it a better way. But years later, my stepdad trusts the Lord. When I graduated from Florida Bible College, and I had to go over here and speak for Hank, but after I graduated, then I went up to Georgia. And when I got to Georgia, My stepdad was in the emergency room. He was in ICU.

And when I got to the door, I’m just looking through this little glass. And I could see my mom inside my stepdad and he was in with tubes and all that going on. He had heart surgery. And they didn’t know if he was gonna live or not. And I remember watching my mom standing there and she was just crying. And my stepdad saw me with my little face inside that little glass through the window. And he went like this.

And my mom looked and she saw me. And she says, you want him Yankee to come and pray for you? So I got to go into the room. And I stood beside my stepdad. And he had already trusted Christ as Savior, but he had never served the Lord. And he wanted me to have prayer for him. I had prayer for him. He lived a little longer. A couple months later, he passed away. But I’ve seen God work, but he’s in heaven now.

My mom used to get up and walk out of the house. But I love my mom. I didn’t want my mom to go to hell. My mom used to haul the liquor. My dad made it. They had a liquor steal. My sister got real mad one time when they, she heard the explosions. Somebody called on her and she lost about a thousand gallons. They dynamite at her with any way that’s another story. But it’s, I led her to the Lord too.

She’s in heaven now. And my mom, she’s in heaven now. I’m so glad that we don’t have to live good enough to go to heaven. Cause none of us could. Salvation going to heaven, that’s the gift of God, it’s by grace. I’m so glad that we have a message that we can talk to anybody anywhere. And we don’t have to try to get them to change their life, stop something, join something. I just want people to look, God loves you.

We’re all sinners. Nobody’s even better than anybody else. Would you trust the Lord? Would you believe he died on that cross and paid for your sin? Do you trust him to take you to heaven and get died? You’ve been listening to another great lesson from Pastor Arnold, and we hope that you’re growing in the knowledge of the Lord through this ministry. To help you continue your growth and maturing, we are going to give those who make a financial donation in any amount, the DVD teaching series, How to Witness to a Jewish Person.

You know, most Christians think Jews really know the Old Testament, but in reality, most know very little. Though most are familiar with some terms of the Bible, very few know any details about how Abraham, their patriarch, was saved. Most have never read Isaiah 53 and have no idea it’s all about Jesus. So for this month only, for a donation in any amount, we’ll send you this DVD teaching series on how to witness to the Jew. 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 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 4081 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.