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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. We just 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.

But look there in the book of John in chapter 1. chapter 1. In verse 9 that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Every man is born in darkness without the knowledge of God, without understanding, and it is God who takes initiative and reveals things to us. And you know according to the book of Romans in chapter 1 that the invisible things of Him are clearly seen because God has revealed them, talking about His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

But mankind, you know, when He knew God, He glorified Him not as God, became vain in their own imagination and they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into like the corruptible beast. So changing things because they can’t believe the truth so they change the truth into a lie. So in verse 90 says, the light of every man that cometh into the world, then every man is in darkness unless the light comes to them. And God says, go into all the world and preach the gospel so that every man can have light.

Now every man has a certain amount of light all where within him. Even the law of conscience, which is talked about in the book of Romans in chapter 2, where even though they had not the law, they still had reason. And God says they could see and they could understand that of his eternal power. And so he had two things that he gave. One is the word, one is the world. So the world, we use reason and with the word we use a revelation.

So man is accountable to God. He’s responsible and he says here light of every man that cometh into the world, but what if God never gave any truth any light how dark, how dark our world would be. And so this is why when Christ takes the church out of here, how dark the world is going to be. Now we’re not talking about the lights aren’t shining or there’s no sun and there’s a moon at the end of the tree relation period.

Yes, but it’s talking about because there’s no light, there’s no truth. And in the book of Isaiah talks about if somebody speaks blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, he says if it’s not according to truth because there’s no light in it, there’s no truth in there. Truth in light is pretty much the same thing. So it’s important. Looking in 1 John chapter 4, 1 John chapter 4, 1 John chapter 4, and looking in verse 9, Verse 9. It makes the statement, in this was manifested.

The love of God toward us. Now, you would not even know anything about God or the power of God if God had not reveal these things to us. But now he’s talking about the love of God is manifested. God manifest His love. How How do you know God loves us? How do you know God loves us? You see, if you didn’t have the Bible and you believed that there was a God, and if you looked upon the world and you saw all the bad stuff, you can’t find a person really that good that you could say, there is the righteous individual because they wouldn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit, and they all do things wrong.

And look at all the wars. There’s rape, murder, you name it, and there it is. All the sickness, all those things going on all over the world. And if you had to come to a conclusion about what is God like, well if God made this… You would say, I’m not impressed. Or if you looked into the mirror, say, God made this, you said, well, if I was God, I could have done a better job than this. And then if you look at yourself when you were young, yeah, that’s one thing.

But if you look in the mirror today, remember, you are looking the best that you will ever be in the future. Doesn’t that make you feel a little bit better? From this day forward, chances are you are not going to improve. Think about that, Angel. From this point on, you’re never going to look any better than you look right now. Isn’t that enough to kind of, you know, he said, I shouldn’t have come to church today. And we’re getting older and then we see death everywhere.

So if you had to conclude, what is God like? Is he a good God or a bad God? And so people think, well, if there is a God and he is in charge, look what he did. And without understanding about how we got the sinful nature. See, this isn’t what God did. This is what man did because he rebelled against light, rebelled against the Lord. There’s consequences, yes, but how would you say that I know God loves me? So God manifested his love in such a way that you and I could really understand.

Number one, you had to let you see just how bad you are, how bad things are, and that you are going to die. If you could live here forever, why should I worry about going to heaven forever? I’m going to be here forever. So God lets you see, hey, where’s your mother and father? Oh, they died. Your grandpa, well, they died. Hey, you’re next. You’re next on the list. You’re going to die. So without understanding something, so you and I would not make wise decision.

God doesn’t want robots. But he has designed life in such a way that you want something better. And you want to live long and you want to have a nice, happy, healthy life. but you wouldn’t know what a happy life would be if you didn’t have some misery in your life. If you didn’t have some pain, you would know that heaven is going to be without pain. Say what pain? God says, I’ll give you a touch of it and let you see so you’ll know what pain is.

I’ll let you have to make. Spirits is in sorrow and grief so that when Yav’a tell you, you want to go to a place where you don’t have none of that? Yes, I do. Hey, the desire has already been created. Isn’t God good? That we want something better. Then he tells us there’s only one way to get it, and that was through Christ. So here in verse 8, he that love of not, know of not God, for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Here in is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us. And how do you know? He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. That big old word, propitiation, simply means He became the payment for our sins. God was satisfied with the payment Christ made for our sins. So God is willing to accept that payment He made for you.

In all you have to do is believe it. So he put it on the level that anybody can have it so we could know all of this and have this confidence and this great assurance. So this is why it’s manifested in the word of God and God is told us these things. Looking first John chapter three, looking verse eight. We know that the devil is real, we know sin is real, and we know that God is real, and we know Christ is real.

So what do we have to do to eliminate and to destroy the works of the devil? See there in verse 8, he that committed sin is of the devil. for the devil sineth from the beginning, for this purpose, see that word purpose, this purpose, the Son of God was manifested. Why did Christ come into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil? He is a liar, he’s a sinner. He has influenced the world and all those who are born in the world have an old sinful nature, just like the devil.

So Christ came into the world to destroy the works of the devil. So what Christ did is He died on that cross, paid for the sins of the whole world, and by giving you and I the new birth, were able to let the first birth die and get a new birth that has no sinful nature. The new birth, the new nature cannot sin. And therefore, whenever we all leave this world, those who have trusted Christ as Savior, we’re going to a place and the works of the devil has been destroyed.

Now see, he’s already lost. It’s just that he hasn’t been put away yet. He’s still free to do certain things. You and I have already received our new birth in Christ when you trusted Christ as your Savior. But it looks like you can take a flower and you can cut it and it’s dead because it’s separated from the source of life. But it still looks good and we can put it in some water and it’s great. But you know it’s only a matter of time before it’s going to wither, right?

You and I trusted Christ as our Savior. We were cut off. That old man has been cut off, crucified. We have been given a new birth. But since that day, I’ve still got this old withering body and it’s getting older and older and it’s just fade in the way. That’s why they talk about, you know, postman. They never die. They just lose their zip. Oh well, it’s gonna be a long day. But the work that the devil has done is going to be destroyed.

When Christ came, see, he had victory over sin and over death and over the devil. He had victory. Well, he gave us his victory and this old man one day is going to be put into the ground and the body’s dead, that’s gone. But my new birth I’ll live with the Lord for all eternity. But the work, remember Christ wanted to destroy it, the work. He was manifested to destroy the work of the, this is why in your Christian life God gave to you the Holy Spirit, not on Holy Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit lives within us. And as you yield to what God says to do, you are little by little, destroying the power that the devil has in your life. When you grow strong in the Lord and you walk with the Lord, then you’re not walking in the flesh, you’re walking in the Spirit. So you’re destroying the work that Satan wants to do in your life. Now some Christians, they haven’t learned it yet and they still are manifesting the works of the devil.

Know anybody like that? Glad there’s nobody here like that. So if you don’t walk with the Lord and stay strong in the Lord, there’s going to be the works of the devil. Can a Christian do the work of the devil? I hate to say it but yes they can. Some Christian because they can do it in a thousand ways and don’t even He deceives us. He deceives. And then he mocks you, makes fun of you, and lets you think, you’re not so great after all, are you?

No. You know, we don’t like somebody revealing to us that, no, I’m proud and I’ve had people who have strayed me out a lot of times. So we don’t always say and do the things that we should. But the work of the devil, when And it’s all over with. New heavens and a new earth. Christ came into this world and destroyed the works of the devil. He did that. And He did all of it. Look in John 14, the Gospel of John in chapter 14.

But good John, chapter 14. I love the 14th chapter. It’s got a lot of good stuff in it. Let me show you my favorite verses. Not my favorite, but it’s one of my favorite verses. Anybody got an idea which one it is? Verse 31. verse 31, but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me command even so I do. Arise and let us go. You see, arise, let us go. Why? Because see, that’s action.

That’s love in action. That’s passion. I want the world to know that I love the Father. Therefore, I cannot afford to be lazy. There’s too much to be done. I want to show my love to as many people as I possibly can. But here in the book of John in chapter 1, a lot of times, I know conduct funerals and I always like to read these verses. A verses one down to verse six. I do it a lot of time because it’s a consoling type message.

It kind of gives a person comfort. So here you are and we’re doing your funeral. Today we’re just going to print, we’re doing your funeral and your body’s laying up here in the casket here. That’s just a shell, real nuts gone, but here you are, you’re laying in the casket. So we’re going to try to say something nice. Have you ever been to a funeral where the preacher really told the truth about the person?

Whenever you die, do you want the preacher to say the truth about you? Or do you want them to kind of embellish it a little bit in your favor? Here we have Lynn up here today. I thought she was going to start seeing an old happy day. So here we got a person up here. It could be you. But he says, let not your heart be troubled. Now you can apply this to a lot of things, because a lot of times we have a troubled heart.

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, he says, believe also in me. Believe what I’m telling you. See, it’s one thing to believe that there is a God, nothing to believe in God. See, believing in God is one thing, but the comfort you cause to have is believing what he said. Jesus is what God said. He is the word that came and spoke. He is the revealer of God. Look what he says. In verse 2, in my father’s house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Now wouldn’t it be a shame for him to go and prepare a place for me and I’m not going to be able to show up. I messed up so he took away my salvation. lost my reservation. In the book of 1 Peter in chapter 4, it says that we have a place reserved for us in heaven. The faith is not a way.

Eternal in the heavens. We’ve got a place. So I already know I’m going to heaven. But one of the greatest things you can do is that if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, let your loved ones know it. Let them know it. Because when you die, it’s great comfort when they know that you trusted the Lord. Some Some people have so much pride they don’t want to tell anybody anything. And then whenever they die, then people don’t really know.

And they may have trust the Lord. But they didn’t tell anybody. No, you don’t have to tell anybody you trust the Lord. And you can still be saved, go to heaven, but you should, because it brings great peace and joy. And so I remember this one time when we got who was talking to me about it. Led just one lady to the Lord. She says, now we need to work on your husband. She said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I don’t want my husband up there. Well, maybe she needs a little bit more teaching, you know, to love everyone, you know. She did want her husband in heaven. I don’t talk to him. But finally Sandy gave him. But anyway, that’s just joking, just joking. In verse two, he says, I go to prepare a state of mind for you. No, it’s a literal place. He’s revealing things that you and I would not know if he had not told us.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. What did he say? I will come again, I will. So he’s left and he’s gone to prepare a place and he promised I will come again. Do you believe that? You believe he’s gonna come back? One of these days it’s gonna be all over. And so either we’re gonna go by the way of the grave or go up in the air, I’d just go up in the air personally.

I just never died before, and so I don’t want, that’s one experience I really don’t have to have. So I’ll let, you know, Tom and others go to that. You heard that? I said that under my breath. Oh, you must have read my mind. I didn’t even say it out loud. You must have read my mind. I didn’t even say it out loud. Oh, I did. But look what he says, in verse four, and where I go you know and the way you know, the way you know.

Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And he says, if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father. And from henceforth ye know him and have seen him. Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us. Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you and I yet hast thou not known me, Philip.

He that have seen me have seen the Father. Then how says thou then show us the father he reveals the father he manifests as the father you want to know anything about God You got to go through Christ the more you study about Jesus Christ the more you’ll understand about God Jesus Christ is the revelation of God in the flesh and the Bible actually says that so It’s something that we need to always remember now Now where is it saying the Bible and the word became flesh, and the word became flesh, where is it at?

John 1 14 who can quote it. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us full of what? Faith and truth. So we have the Scriptures given to us and it’s important to always remember God has revealed these things unto us. Now this is why you who have been enlightened, what is the purpose of God leaving us in this world to share that message that enlightened us so that other people can be enlightened? There’s people who do not know what God hath revealed.

They don’t know the Son. They don’t know the truth of the gospel how to be saved. They don’t know God loves them. So God manifested it to us. But where is it saying the Bible that God have commanded the light to shine out of darkness? All right, we’ll close with these verses. Look there in 2 Corinthians 4, 2 Corinthians 4. When the Bible talks about this, it’s very important. He says, this ministry, he says, it’s so important we faint not.

We don’t quit because people are in darkness and you and I are needed. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In other words, if our gospel be hid or is veiled, remember Moses came down from the mountain, his face glowed and so he had to veil his face. That was the law. and I, God said, He wants the glory of the face of Jesus Christ to be seen. And it’s to be seen through a message.

So if we veil the gospel, you’re availing the face and they can’t see God. This is why He says here in verse 4, in whom the God of this world had blinded the mind of them which believed not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, the glorious gospel Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your servants for Jesus’ sake, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness have shined in our heart to give, shined in us to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

So you know truth and God left you here so that you would share truth. Therefore we are revealing things to the world that they could not know if we don’t tell them. Yes. Look up here. I know this is something to all the same before, but you can see it one more time. Let this hand represent you and me. And the wallet represent a whole of our sins. God says that he loves us. Now he hates our sin, but he loves us.

And I’m so glad of that God loves me. But he doesn’t like what I do wrong. Doesn’t like what you do wrong. And to pay for sin is eternal separation from God in a place called hell. I want people to know there’s a place called hell, but God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And God says nobody’s perfect, nobody’s righteous. Because of sin see we can’t get in.

So God says you cannot earn eternal life. You can’t work your way to heaven. It’s not by your good deeds. You see, you don’t have to join a church to go to heaven. You don’t have to give money to go to heaven unless you gave it here. No, that’s not true. You don’t have to give money to go to heaven. There’s nothing you can do by your good deeds that will get you into heaven. This hand represents Jesus Christ.

He’s the Lord, God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. But because he loved us and hates our sin, he took it, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead and said that if you and I, if we would believe it, he did it for us. He would put this payment to our account and we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us.

Now that’s the best news in all the world. If I offered you my wallet and you accepted you’d have an empty wallet. If I offered you my watch and you accepted, you know what time it is. If Christ walked in here right now and offered you eternal life and you accepted you would have eternal life and if it’s eternal life, it would last forever and if it lasts forever and all you sins are paid, where would you go when you die?

To heaven. So can you know you’re going to heaven before you die? Yeah, boy, that’s the best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? With heads by a knife closed, no one looking around. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your savior, friend, I can’t think of a better time than right now. You don’t have a guarantee that tomorrow will ever come. But why not right now? In the quietness of this moment, just between you and the Lord, just talk to the Lord.

And say something like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner. I’ve done things wrong, but I know you love me. And you sent your son Jesus Christ to die to pay for all my sins. And I believe he did it for me. And I’m going to trust him right now to take me to heaven and the winner of the right guy. And friend, God said, if you would believe that he did it for you, he’d put that payment to your account and you get to go to heaven on what Christ did for you.

Would you believe that? If you’re making that decision, I’d like to have prayer for you. I’m not gonna ask you to stand up. I’m not gonna embarrass you. I’m not gonna ask you to come forward or anything like that. I don’t want anything from you. I just want you to receive the free gift of eternal life. And I like to know it because I like to have prayer for you. And I do it with heads bowed so that you’re not put on the spot.

Is there anyone at all this morning say, yes, preacher, that made sense to me. I want to be certain of the one to heaven when I die and I’d like for you to pray for me in closing. Would you just slip your hand out very quickly and put it right back down? If you’ve never done it before, but you’ll do it right now. Just slip it up real quick. You want it all. Yes, God bless you, sir. God bless you.

Anyone else, you can slip your hand out very quickly and put it right back down. There’s no gimmicks to this, no tricks to it. I won’t probably know your name. I just want to know that what I said made sense to you. Anyone else before we close? Our Father, we thank You so much for all You’ve done for us. We’re thankful for the free gift of eternal life. We ask Your blessings upon the individual indicated by an uplifted hand that they will trust You as Savior.

By doing so, they become Your child and You’ll never cast them out, never lose them. Father, because of all that you’ve done for us, we’re going to let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Lord, we want to be used so that others can hear the gospel. Thank you so much for this ministry and all that it stands for, it’s rich heritage in Christ’s name and reprieve. Well it’s almost Christmas and we’d like to give every listener a Christmas gift.

Just for listening, we’d like to send Dr. Arnold C.D. on understanding difficult passages of of the Bible. No donation is required. We’ve compiled on CD Dr. Arnold’s teachings on difficult passages. For example, does James chapter 2 teach that true faith will produce works? Does 2 Corinthians 5 17 mean that a true believer will no longer desire to sin? These and many other verses are explained in their biblical context so that you can have confidence in the agreement of all the Word of God.

Call us today, toll free at 1-800-576-3771, or you can write us at 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, no donation is necessary, just your address, so that we can send to you this important teaching. God bless you and Merry Christmas, and thank you for listening to 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. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.