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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. For regular prayers and monthly support, make it possible for Bible on 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.

Now, why don’t you take your Bible, look in the book of Romans in chapter 7. Romans chapter 7, when you understand your sinful nature, that God has not changed it, altered it, eradicated it, but He just simply gave you a new birth. Now look in Romans, written by the apostle Paul, God used to reveal some great things. you’ll notice in verse 15, for that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I.

Describing you, huh? If then I do that which I would not, I can send into the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it but send that dweller than me. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dweller, no good thing for how to will. The will is present with me but how to perform that which is good, if I am not. the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do.

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more either do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” So how clear that is? Isn’t it clear? All he’s saying. All he’s saying is that when I want to do good, evil is present. It’s still there. And just because you do the good doesn’t mean this one doesn’t exist. And if you walk in the flesh to fill the lust of the flesh, doesn’t mean this one isn’t there. You grieve the Holy Spirit.

You grieve God, but you’re not strong in the Lord. And as we’ve said before, some people are so spiritually skinny they could use a cheerio for a hula hoop. You need to learn the word of God so that you can grow to be a strong Christian and that’s going to the right places with the right people doing the right things. Obey in what God’s word says and become strong in your Christian life. So when this old flesh over here says, I think I’m going to have a curse.

Now you’re not. You’ve got to be strong enough to say, no you’re not. But if you don’t do the things that you’re supposed to do and he gets strong, you say, I’m going to go to church today. Now you’re not. You’re going to stay home and watch Batman. You stay home and watch Batman. Well, that means you must not really be saved. No, it doesn’t. It means your flesh is really doing you in. Remember the illustration I gave here years ago when I first came, I had a little black doll and I said, this is Mike Tyson.

Anybody remember Mike Tyson? I used it as an illustration. Some of you all got to remember it. Some of you can incredulous. I said, here’s Mike Tyson. Over here in this room we’ve got Mike Tyson in this corner. And then you trusted Christ as your Savior. A little brand new little baby. And I had a little baby doll and this is you. Over here is Mike Tyson. Over here is a new birth, a Christian. And they’re in the same ring.

How would you like to get a little baby in the ring with Mike Tyson? And the Lord says, fear not. I will be with you. Be not afraid. I will not leave you and I will not forsake you.” And you say, yeah, right. I’m out of here. How is a little baby going to be able to stand in the ring with a Mike Tyson? See, that’s the old sinful nature. And here’s this little Christian. But understand, God also put in you the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit can take care of Mike Tyson. you can. But if you will lean upon the Lord. And you’ll let the Lord tell you how to fight Mike Tyson, you can win, but you have to yield to the Holy Spirit. You have to yield to what the Word of God says. So in Romans in chapter 6, it talks consistently about yielding members of your instruments of righteousness unto the Lord. No, you’re not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey whether sin and the death or obedience and the righteousness That’s somewhere in the book of Romans chapter 6 and There’s scripture that tells us there is going to be a battle back and forth in your Christian life And so you can be strong or you can be weak and some of you will find out that this little old

Mike Tyson Yeah, he’s going to beat the living daylights out of you because you don’t trust God. You don’t trust his word. You don’t think I don’t need church. I don’t need to study the Bible. I don’t need, I don’t need God. He says, yes, you do. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. And you would become filled with pride and we think we are smarter than God and you’re not smarter than God and you’re going to lose. And a lot of God’s children are living a defeated life.

they’re saved. They’re going to heaven when they die, but they’re defeated in the Christian life because of the flesh. And it doesn’t have to be that away, but that’s the way it is. Take your Bible and look in the book of Galatians in chapter 5. The book of Galatians and chapter 5. These are not new to you. These verses are something you’ve heard over and over again, But I want to always certain message that I’ll preach over and over and over again.

Sometimes just a little bit of a different angle but pretty much the same thing. Because the Word of God doesn’t change. If all I was going to do is teach something new from the Bible all the time, I’d never teach the old stuff. Look what He says. In verse 16, Galatians chapter 5, this I say then, walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Look up here. Walk in the spirit. How do you walk in the spirit?

Why don’t you float through the air like a hand? You know, you walk in the spirit simply by walking and obedience to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit teaches you the Bible, now obey it. Walking in the spirit according to the Word of God. And if you’ll do what God says to do, you won’t have time to get in trouble. Keep your life so filled and so busy doing what God says to do, and you won’t have to worry about all the things you’re not supposed to do.

You know why I didn’t go get drunk last night? I ain’t got time. I didn’t have time. I was doing something else. I always thought to do something else. Do what I am supposed to be doing. The Christian life is not a life of being negative. It’s a life of being positive. Do what God wants you to do, and if you want to get in trouble, you’d have to schedule it.

But notice walk in the spirit. That’s the spiritual birth, the new birth. Obey the word of God and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Do you still have the lust of the flesh? Yes. See, there’s some people tell you, well, if you’re really saved, you’re not going to want to go out here and do those bad things. Well, that contradicts this verse. This verse says you still have the lust of the flesh and the lust of the flesh you all do.

The only cure for this old sinful nature is a new birth with a new power, stronger desires where your desire to love God, to please God, to want more for your life is a stronger power than what this guy could ever offer you. And therefore you can have victory in your Christian life. This is shame that so many of God’s children have never learned the peace, love, the joy that comes from obedience of doing what God wants them to do with their life.

So notice what he says here. Verse 17, for the flesh lusts against the spirit, spirit against the flesh. Look up here. The spirit against the flesh, the flesh against the spirit. And they are contrary to each other. this one has no sinful nature. Can’t sin. Love’s righteousness. This one over here hates righteousness. Love’s sin is rebellious. They’re too different. And that’s why they don’t get along. But they only got one body to use. My old sinful nature only has one body that it can use to express itself.

My new birth only has one body to use to express itself. They’re both fighting over this one body, this piece of land, this piece of dirt. Because it needs my body. Like his person died and on his way up. I ain’t got no body. But, you know, somebody ought to get that. You know, that’s just, sure. See, where they come from? No, I don’t know. Now, look in verse 19, verse 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest.

In the words, if I was to fulfill the desires of my flesh, my old sinful nature, what is going to be the most important part of my life? manifested. Well, he says, the works of the flesh are manifest. They’re going to be revealed because it wants to use my body to fulfill these desires. And that’s why you have adultery must use my body. For in occasion uncleanness, less seriousness, idolatry witchcraft, hatred, variants, emulations, rafts, strife, seditions, heresies, envious murders, drunken and reveling, such as life, of which I told you before, as I told you in time past that they would shoot the things not inherit the kingdom of God.

Look up here. This one is not going to inherit the kingdom of God. The flesh and blood isn’t going to heaven. This birth isn’t going to arrive. It’s my new birth that’s going to heaven. And that’s why he says they’re in dwelleth righteousness. So only those that are righteous gets to go to heaven. That’s why just because you go to church, those that make you righteous? And just because you give money and read the Bible and pray that doesn’t make you righteous.

What makes you righteous is when God declares you righteous because He paid for your sins and gives you His righteousness. If God gave me His righteousness that would make me as righteous as who? That’s God. Would that be good enough to go to heaven on? That’s why I’m going heaven because he declared me righteous. He took all of my sins. Therefore in God’s eyes I am a righteous man. I am a just man, justified. Just as if I had never committed one sin in my whole life.

Well that’s good news. So down through here he says don’t be deceived. Don’t be deceived. If you walk in the flesh you’re gonna bring forth the works of the flesh and then God’s going to have to chase it in discipline you. And that’s why he’s talking about, see there in verse 7 of chapter 6, in verse 7 he says in chapter 6, this is to the believer, this is not to the lost man, to the believer. Be not deceived, God is not not.

For whatsoever a man soeth that shall he also reap. Only a believer has the option of so into the flesh or to the Spirit. The lost man doesn’t have the new birth. He only has the flesh. He can only sow to the flesh, but a Christian has a choice. You see, that’s why you hear me say sometimes. You can trust Christ as your Savior and live like you please. You now can live to please God and live a righteous life for God.

Now you can do it. You couldn’t do it before. Or you can choose to live in the world and for the world and for the things of the world and wreck your life, mess up your life. But God’s going to chasten you and discipline you and maybe take you home before your time. But that doesn’t do away with your new birth just because the flesh has control of your life. You see, if you don’t get this, in your mind you might think, if I do these bad things, I shouldn’t do those things, so evidently I must not be saved.

See, it doesn’t mean that. But if you don’t understand this, you’ll think that. Then you’ll think, well, I must not have really got saved or I’ve lost my salvation because I feel so bad, I feel so guilty because of all the bad things that I do. Yeah, and probably you should. But isn’t it wonderful to know that God never saved me because I promised him that I would not walk in the flesh. He never told you to do that.

I never promised God how I was going to live. I never told God I was going to quit my sins and I never told God I was going to make him the Lord and the Master of my life. I accepted him as fire insurance from hell. He said, well that’s a poor motive. Really? Think about it. I was going to hell. I’m not now. Now because I have eternal life and I’m going to heaven, I choose to serve God.

And I want to live as righteous as I possibly can, but I’m not doing it to go to heaven. I’m doing it because I’m going to heaven. I couldn’t go to hell if I tried, impossible. That’s why your new birth, born of God, cannot sin, cannot die. And whenever this old body Dies. To be absent from the body, present with the Lord. Now, look what he says in verse 22. But what if you walk in the Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, maintenance, temperance.

Against such there is no law. There’s no law against bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. But there is a law against bringing forth the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh, there’s a price to be paid. God’s going to have to chase and discipline you. Maybe take you home before your time. But there’s nothing wrong in bringing forth or walking in the Spirit. And you’ll notice that the fruit is singular and when you get one you get them all.

They’re all together. You can’t have one without all of it. It’s all together. It’s one fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is this. This is what it is. Because it all based upon one thing, love. You see, when I love God, it teaches me to be patient and a long-suffering, to be kind, to be gentle. All those things are tied up in this one word, love. Love is the greatest, strongest, motivating force in a man’s life. But nobody can make you love God.

After you trusted Christ as your Savior, yes, God gave you a new birth, gave you eternal life, and brought you by the Holy Spirit. And yes, you can betray Him. You can spit in His face. But the song that I sung while ago, I wanna kiss all the scars in His hands and in His feet. Because without the plan of salvation, there was no hope for any man. No man could have saved himself or delivered himself. Now, let me just give this to you real quick.

Turn in your Bible to the book over, John chapter three. John chapter 3, there was a question that was asked, and that question was about what about the unpardonable sin? It’s found in the book of Mark, found also in the book of Matthew in chapter 12, and talking about, you know, whatever you say about the Son of Man, it can be forgiven, but when you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, there’s no forgiveness in this life or in the age to come, or the world to come.

From now into eternity, no forgiveness. Now I can get into the part about, well, Hebrew and the Jewish people, and they rejected him as Messiah and get into all of that. But I think it’s maybe a little bit more. in John chapter three and verse 18. Look in verse 18. The only thing you’ll notice is this, in spite of the unpardonable sin, what does the verse say here in verse 18? He that, that believeth on him is not condemned.

But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed. The reason a man goes to hell because he hath not believed. If there is a sin that cannot be forgiven, it is the sin of unbelief. It can’t get it any other way out of this verse. There is no other way. And so there’s people who would not believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be, or that he did what he did by the power of the Holy Spirit.

They said he did it by the power of Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. They did not believe what the scripture teaches and what the Holy Spirit reveals. Now look there in the book of John in chapter 16, John chapter 16. And notice what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit that was going to come. Every person who trusts Christ is Savior, he says, on that day of the feast, he says, Jesus stood in Christ and if any man thirst led and come in him he drank and had the scripture have to set out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

This speak He of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive for as yet He had not yet been glorified. See, Christ is going to send the Holy Spirit to indwell every person that believes. So if you believe the Holy Spirit indwells you, I cannot blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit the unpardonable sin because I’ve already believed. If a man does not believe on Jesus Christ, he’ll be lost forever. Now look what he says here. Verse 7, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away.

For if I go not away, the comforter, the Holy Spirit, will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. When he has come, he will approve the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Sin because they believe not on me. Righteousness because I go to my father, you see me no more. Of judgment because the Prince of this world is judged. When you and I go into all the world and we try to preach the gospel, whether on the internet, the ready-go or ranch and reformers, unanimous, all the minutes, it doesn’t matter how we do it, get in the message out.

The Holy Spirit takes the gospel because the gospel lets a person person knows, hey, you’re an unbeliever. You need to be righteous, you’re not. You’re going to be judged. Our gospel message is what the Holy Spirit uses to reveal to a person. Look, I’m going to be judged and I deserve it. I’m not righteous. I need to believe. But if you reject this enlightenment that comes to you because of the Holy Spirit, using that gospel message and explaining it and you don’t receive it, the sin of unbelief is not going to be forgiven.

You will spend any eternity in hell. The only way you can do away with disbelief is to believe. 54 years ago in a little old living room in Athens, Georgia, I finally understood it. I finally got it. I’m a sinner and I’m going to hell and I started bawling like a baby. I was 18. I’d never heard anything before. I didn’t go to church. I’ve been a few times thing like that, but I’m coming to go. No, no. And I was just blown out of the water when I saw if what he’s telling me is true, I’m going to hell.

I’m going to be judged. I’m not righteous. I have never been saved. And so that night, I believed on Jesus Christ. I believed that what he did on the cross. He did it for me. He died and paid for my sins. He was nailed to the cross because he, my sins, the Bible says in Colossians chapter, were nailed to his cross. The only thing nailed to his cross was the Savior and he took my sins and he was nailed there because he was nailed to that cross, came back again from the dead and said, if I would believe he did it for me, he puts that payment to my account.

I get to go to heaven on what he did for me. I did not understand 54 years ago what the new birth was all about. All I know is I’m lost, I’m going to hell, and if I don’t trust Christ as my Savior, I’m going to burn forever. So I trust He Christ as my Savior. I struggled in my Christian life because I did not understand this. And I got into a few arguments with people too. And I was wrong, do.

But lo and behold, when I saw this and I began to understand this, it just opened up a whole new world. Now I know why I am the way I am. So you’ve always thought I was just nice and sweet. You didn’t know me when. And I’m just thankful that God was patient with me. But when I saw this, I understand there’s two births. Not one. There’s two of them. And therefore I can walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

But if you don’t walk in the Spirit, you will fulfill the lust of the flesh. I hope that all of this makes sense to you. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin on this. Now God says that He loves us. Do you understand that God loves you? He hates your sin, but He loves you just like your children. You love your children. You don’t like what they do wrong. Your parents love you.

Well, they’re supposed to. God loves you. He really does. But our sins, we’ve all sinned. We came from the first atom with a sinful nature and we’re all guilty. So we’re all condemned and the payment for sin is death, eternal separation from God. So you see, to go to heaven, you have to be perfect. Nobody’s perfect. So how can you go? You can’t. People are trying to earn their way to heaven. Well, if you’re going to earn your way to heaven, that means you’re going to have to be good.

Well, there is no such place as a good heaven. There’s only a perfect heaven. So even if you were good, you still couldn’t go. Nobody has ever lived good enough to deserve to go to heaven. That’s why we needed to save you. God says, you cannot earn your way to heaven. Jesus comes along and says, you must be born again. That was just of the flesh, is flesh. You need a spiritual birth. And how do you get that as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become sons of God, children born of God.

This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. into the world because… Well, he loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from him. So Jesus Christ, who had no sin, didn’t have to die. So he took all of our sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead, and says, if you’ll believe he did it for you, he’ll put this payment to your account, and you will be in God’s eyes as though you never committed one single sin in your whole life.

Past, present, future, all my sins were paid. born of God does not commit sin. 1 John 3-9. Whosoever is born of God, does not commit sin because his seed remained it than him and he cannot sin because he’s born of God. Which one is born of God? This one. Whosoever, this one, born of God, does not commit sin. For his seed remained it in him and And he cannot sin because he’s born of God. This one does sin, but this one isn’t born of God.

The second one is. I hope you understand what I’m saying. Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re here this morning, maybe you’ve never understood before. Yes, you can have an old sinful nature, and you know you’re in trouble. You know you’ve done the wrong. There’s guilt. You need to be perfect. Not just good. You need to be perfect. And for none of us are. That’s why Christ says you must be born again.

And it’s by faith alone. All you have to do, only thing you can do is, will you believe that when he died, he died for you. Would you trust him as your savior? I pray that you will. And if you’re watching by internet, right there on the screen, the little button just says, yes, I will trust Christ as my savior. I pray that you will. And you that have trusted Christ to save, you already know you have eternal life.

This is why you still do the things that are wrong. You still have an old sinful nature. But the only cure for not fulfilling the works of the flesh, the lust of the flesh is to obey God. Walk in the Spirit. Read and study God’s Word and stay close to Him. And stay around God’s people, doing the right things. And become a strong Christian. God will help you. He really will. You have the Holy Spirit living within you. You in the Holy Spirit, you can handle that little Mike Tyson, that old sinful nature of yours that wants to be the job.

God loves you so much. With the heads bowed nice and closed, no one looking around. If you’ve never trusted Christ’s Savior, would you trust Him right now? And if you will make that decision, I’d like to know and I’d like to have prayer for you. So would you just slip your hand out very quickly? Anyone at all? So yes, that made sense to me and I will trust Christ as my Savior. And when I’ll be close, if you have trusted Christ of Savior, praise the Lord, your God’s child, see you in heaven.

Father, we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us. And bless those that are here and those that are watching by the internet. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. 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 the Bible. No donation is required. If 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. us today toll free at 1-800-576-3771 or you can write us at 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 336-34. 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.