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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. And 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.

So look here in the book of Luke in chapter 14 and this is not talking about how to be saved is talking about discipleship, been a disciple. Disciples is where we get the word discipline. Comes from the same thing. And lots of God’s children, a lot of them, do not discipline themselves. And if you don’t discipline yourself and make yourself do what you’re supposed to do, you will never attain what God has for you. So he says in verse 25, and there went great multitudes with him and he turned said unto them, If any men come to me, hate not his father, mother, wife, children.

Brethren and sisters, yea, in his own life also he cannot be my disciple. Now you can be saved. Have eternal life, go to heaven, but you’re not his disciple. A disciple is a follower, a learner of Christ. Does God want all of his children to serve him? To follow him? Yes. So he wants us to be like him. That’s why he says in the book of Ephesians in chapter 5, be imitators of God. It means imitate God. Be like God would want you to be.

So whenever you have problems all the way, think, what does God want me to do? What does God want me to be? How does God want me to respond? And you’re always thinking about that. So you see there in verse 27, and whosoever, doth not bear his cross, come after me, cannot be my disciple. In other words, if you can’t discipline yourself, you cannot be his disciple. you won’t follow Him. You have to learn how to discipline your life.

Can you make yourself behave? Can you tell yourself what to do and then make yourself mine? That’s why He’s talked about being spiritually minded, fleshly minded. What do you mind? So when you have a child and you say that, my child is a very obedient child. He minds me. Means He does what you say. And Some kids are just, you know, they don’t mind. So they’re rebated. So you have a choice. Now take your Bible. And as you think about this thing here, God is building something.

You see, once you’re on the foundation, which is Christ, you’re saved. God wants to build you. Now he talks about how God is the one that built the universe. God built it. He built all of this stuff. He even talks about Moses and how that Moses, he was like a builder, he had a house. So look during the Bible to the book of Hebrews in chapter three, Hebrews and chapter three. Hebrews chapter three, and you’ll notice in verse two, Hebrews chapter three, verse two.

Talking about how the Lord is a great high priest. He says in verse two, who was faithful to him, that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house concerning Israel. He helped organize it. He established Israel as a nation and what God did through him and all the stuff that God was able to accomplish through one man. So he says in verse three, for this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, talking about the Lord.

And look what Moses was able to do. And so much as he who had built the house had more on than the house. And every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God. And Moses, fairly, was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after. Now Moses was a faithful servant of God and God used him to build something. But somebody that’s better than Moses was the Lord Himself.

And the Lord, the Lord wants to build you and me. So does God have an idea what he wants to build us into? What do you want to do with me? So God is busy and he’s working in your life to build you strong in the Lord. And that’s why there’s a verse, and I want you just to hold your place right here, but look there in the book of Jude, the Book of Jude. And you’ll notice there in verse 20.

Look what he says in verse 20. in the Book of Jude. But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost of the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life and of some half compassion, making a difference, making a difference. God wants to build you where you’re strong enough to make a difference. This little letter that I got up here is because about 40 years ago I was strong enough to make a difference in somebody’s life.

But I get these things all the time. You know that since you’ve been here, how many of these things have I been read? A lot of them. From all over. But you’ve got to make a difference and you’re not going to make a difference if you’re not strong and don’t let God build you. So you read the Bible so that God can give you the knowledge and And then you apply it in your life so that God can build you strong.

And so he’s going to bring things in your life so you’re going to apply it. Because God knows what he’s trying to make out of you. He’s not trying to make you into an echlear kick. I love echlear. But anyway, he’s trying to make something of you. He wants to try to make you like him. Now he’s already saved you, giving you eternal life. You’re his child. You’re going to heaven. But he’s not through working on you. He’s still working on you.

little song, he’s still working on me. He’s still working on you. And so you and I need to understand that. Go back to Hebrews in chapter 3. And notice what he says in verse 6, But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we? If we hold fast the confidence and the Rejoice in of the hope firm until the end till we reach that mature point. Till we become what God wants us to be in our life.

You see God is building you and working on you. You’re a house that he’s working on. He’s building and he says and you can be this. You can do this because if you keep walking with the Lord and keep trust the Lord he can build you or whatever he wants. But if you become rebellious and hardened that God will have to just break you because you’re not teachable and pliable in his hands. And so he says here, if, see that one place here, if we hold fast, hold fast the confidence, not hold fast our salvation, salvation you already got it.

We’re not talking about salvation. We’re talking about this confidence that you have. Remember, whenever you know what God wants to do with your life and you have confidence in that, God wants to use me. God wants me to be prepared. So I read the word of God because I’ve got confidence this is what I need to do to reach that goal, to transform my life. I need to be active and do what God wants me to do because I got confidence that this is what God wants me to do.

And now because of that, I know that everything that comes into my life, God can use it to shape me into the image of Christ. And He’s going to teach me patience. And sometimes we don’t want patience. But God’s going to teach you how to slow down. Some things He’s going to teach you just to walk by faith and trust when you can’t see anything. A lot of work God has to do. But I want you to notice when he says, we hold fast confidence.

See the things that you have already learned, don’t let that slip, don’t let that go. Because it’s so important because you see, tomorrow’s truth that God’s gonna teach you is to be added to the truth you already have. When I wanna lay the blocks in our house, when I built our house, when I wanna lay this block, I had to put it on top of this block. But if I do away with this block, then this block can’t be built on this block.

So I gotta keep these blocks where they are and lay blocks on top of those and I can keep building. And so in your Christian life, there’s truths that God wants you to learn. And so you keep walking according to the light that you have, the truth that you have, and God will bless you. Also, I want you to look down here at another scripture because it’s so important, look down in verse 14. for we are made partakers of Christ.

If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Now start talking about your salvation. It’s talking about, see once you trust Christ as Savior, well that’s a done deal. Now we’re talking about you and I going toward maturity. And we can go toward maturity if we’ll hang on and keep believing the things that we’ve learned. But sometimes you kind of get weak in your faith and so there was these people in Israel and they know along with you.

would trust the Lord and believe what God says. And because of their unbelief, they just would not believe. Hardness of their heart. So he kind of warns us as Christians. See there in verse 12, take heed brethren. But brethren is to the believers, not to the lost man. This is talking to the believer. And so he says, lest there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God so that you don’t serve God.

See, there’s things that will happen in life that will cause you to, I’m not going to serve God anymore. Or you can believe what God says and just keep believing it and keep getting stronger and stronger and stronger. But you have to believe what God says. Take your Bible and look there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 4. Look in chapter 4 and you’ll also notice as there’s another part of this that’s very, very important. See in verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens.

Jesus the Son of God led us whole fast. Let us, us is, I believe the Apostle Paul, but I forget that right now, let us, believers, hold fast our profession. That word profession, same as your confidence, hold fast to your confidence that you have in the Lord. Things are going to happen in life and always remember this. If God is in it, so is the devil. If you’re doing what God wants you to do, so is the devil going to be after you.

And a good statement to remember is when you face the light, darkness is following you. When you face the light, darkness is right behind you. And he’s always after you. The devil will never stop and he wants to destroy you. He wants to get you where you don’t believe what God says and you’ll stop believing and up trusting and you won’t grow in the Lord. This is why in chapter five when he says, for the time you ought to be teachers.

See what he says in verse 11, of whom we have many things to say hard to be explain, sing your dull of hearing. Like you don’t want to hear it anymore. I’ve had enough. You don’t read the Bible. You don’t study. You don’t want to go to church. And you just leave it all. in verse 12, for a win for the time you ought to be teachers. You ought to be mature enough that you could now teach the Word of God and you can’t.

And you’re just like a child. You can’t handle spiritual responsibilities. So the Lord is working in our life. And that’s why in chapter six, He says, first, forget those things about salvation. You’re already saved. Let’s go on to maturity. This is why He says they’re in verse one. Let us go on into perfection or to maturity, not laying again this idea that we had to not trust in our dead works for salvation, which is what repentance is not trusting in your works.

So you trusted in Christ, He saved you, gave you eternal life, and now you are His child. And so in verse three, he says, and this is what we do if God permits. God will permit you to grow and to mature if you believe Him. But if you don’t believe what God’s Word says, you’re going to hinder your own growth. You’ll never be strong and you’ll be weak for the rest of your life and it’s going to take its toll.

So God says, this is what He wants us to do. Now take your Bible and turn over there to chapter 10. Look in chapter 10. In chapter 10, you’ll notice just like He says in chapter 3, let us whole fast. Let us, let us, let us. Let us. Let us just suppose it would be good for you. So here in the 10th chapter, look what he says in verse 22. In verse 22, let us draw near with a true, hard and full assurance of faith.

You see, he’s talking about the believer. His faith getting stronger in the Lord. He’s growing in the Lord. He’s learning and applying it. And the whole thing boils on it is, do you love the Lord? Do you love the Lord? And so He makes this statement in verse 22. Let us draw near. So, he’s not talking about how to be saved. He’s already talking to the believers about growing strong in the Lord. And then in verse 23, he says, let us hold fast the profession or your confidence of our faith without wavering.

You see that same phrase mentioned in the book of James in chapter 1, where it talks about, do not be a double-minded man. becomes unstable in all of his ways. You make up your mind, you set your face like a friend, and say, this is what I’m gonna do, and I’m gonna do it. And you put your confidence in the Lord, and you trust Him. And so he talks about here in verse 24, let us consider one another to provoke him to love and to good work, trying to challenge other people.

Look, let’s just be faithful, stay faithful, keep serving God. And if you’ll do it, you’ll be surprised. You’re gonna like the results. And one day when you’re mature enough and you got to where you can handle spiritual responsibilities because you’ve earned the right to be trusted in God’s work. Because you have to be faithful. You have to be faithful. If you do not discipline yourself, you will not be faithful and you will not be used and you need to look in the mirror and says, the hour of the man.

But look what else? See there in chapter 10. Look what he says in verse 35. This is why after you’ve gone through all these 10 chapters, lo and behold, when he talks about in chapter 3 about holding fast your confidence and if you do you will be able to Mature in the Lord and you’ll be able to do what God when God has given us his assurance in his word That if you just keep believing him and keep walking and keep trusting him This is what you do.

So you see in verse 35 past not a way therefore your confidence which has great recompense of reward. You’re gonna cost yourself an awful lot of the rewards that you could have had for all eternity and the blessings of how God could have used you in this life. This little brief period of time that we have to live. It’s so valuable because it’s like there’s not much time. I used to think I had a lot of time and every year it like I got one year less, like I’m running out of time.

Do you know I want to accomplish more now than I ever have in my life? It’s not like, well, I’ve done paid my dues and I’m just going to prop up my feet and relax and there’s nothing else to do. No, I want to do more than I ever have because I do not want to cast away my confidence, which has a great recompense of reward. God’s going to reward you when you get to heaven for what you did for him.

But what you do for Him depends upon what you know. And so that’s why He says in the last part of this verse, He said, which hath great recompense of reward. But look in verse 34, where He says, for ye had compassion to me in my bonds and took joyfully the sporn of your good, knowing in your cells that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance. So don’t let the things of this world ever come between you and the Lord.

Let nothing stop you. Make up your mind. I want God best for my life. Nothing else matters. Nothing else is important as me being what God wants me to be with my life. Do you believe that God knows how to raise his children? He knows what’s coming down the road. He knows every problem there is. He’s not surprised by anything. and God wants to use you, God wants to bless you. Don’t rob yourself of all of that. And be the person that God wants to be.

So those four words that I gave you. Let’s see if we can remember those four little bitty words. Transformation. God wants to transform you. And he does that little by little, little by little. Hear a little, there a little. Line up online, precept upon precept. Let me give you one another verse that I just thought of. I think you’ll like this for looking second Corinthians, second Corinthians and chapter 3, second Corinthians chapter 3, chapter 3. And understand there in verse 5 where he says, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves but our sufficiency is of God.

Whatever you need to be what God wants you to be, It’s sufficient. God is sufficient. He was sufficient for my salvation and He is sufficient for your spiritual growth. He’s given us what we need. But you’ll notice that there’s something that’s very interesting here. You go down there to verse 14, but their mind referring to the Jewish people because when Moses came down from the mountain, his face was a glow and they saw him and he had to put a veil over his face.

And he says, simultaneity is the gospel of grace. Because if the gospel be hid, it’s hidden to those that are lost. So Moses had to veil his face, but God doesn’t want the gospel to be veiled because the gospel reveals the face of the Lord. And that’s found there in verse four and verse five of the chapter four. But notice what he says here. He says in verse 15, but even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart, the mind, the heart, they can’t see, they don’t understand.

So he says here in verse 17, now the Lord is that spirit where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And I will tell you this, if you really want to enjoy life, if the Lord is the spirit of the Holy Spirit that lives within you will lead and guide you and you follow. You’ll never know such liberty in all your life as you have when you follow the Lord. Because you see if you don’t let the Lord be the Lord and the Master of your life you’re gonna fall into this trap and that trap and sin is gonna trap you and you talk about all of your freedoms will be taken away.

Your liberties will be taken away. But you want real freedom. It’s in serving the Lord. But notice what the Holy Spirit in you will do for you. Look at the next verse. But in verse 18, he says, but we all with open face be holding as in the glass the glory of the Lord and get this are changed into the same image from the glory of the law into the glory of the Holy Spirit by the spirit of God.

So you have the Holy Spirit living within you. And as you read the word of God and apply the word of God and you love the Lord, you’d be surprised the Holy Spirit is going to change you little by little. And down the road, you’re going to like what you say. You’re going to like what you became. But you let all that go by. And you just go ahead and think that You’re like it says in Jeremiah where he says, it’s not with in man that walk up to direct steps, but you’re gonna prove it wrong and you’re gonna do it anyway.

And you’re gonna go your own way and do your own thing. Who’s gonna lose? You’re going to lose. I’ve never seen any man go against God and win. You can’t go against God and win. But I’ve watched those who put God first and lived their life and you don’t have to look back with regrets in your life. It’s the most wonderful thing in all the world. So does God have something for you? Oh, I think if you just kind of look on the horizon.

And it said, be not conformed to this world, but be it transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. There’s the will of God, as found in his word, study it. But just studying it will not make you spiritual. And doing what it says, you can do that and still not love him. Aren’t there other people NBN go to church? Can a lost man go to church?

Can a lost man pray? Can a lost man read the Bible? Can a lost man ging? He can do all this thing. That doesn’t make him spiritual. But he’s nobody can substitute that genuine, true love that you should have for the Lord. I don’t know how to make people love God. If I could turn that little switch on or be the greatest thing in the world. Because you see, that is what motivates. That’s what will help you to choose the best, is your loving, and you don’t wanna offend God.

You don’t wanna hurt God. You don’t want God to be ashamed of you. But you see, you take that love away, and there’s nothing that makes all this fit. That’s why you gotta have the transformation, the information, the activation, and the motivation. Look up here. This hand represents you and me. And the wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. Does God love us? Yes, He does. Does God hate our sin? Of course. latest But the Bible says we committed a sin, but He still loves us.

But because of sin, we have to pay a penalty, a debt. And therefore, it is eternal separation from God in hell. God loves us, wants us to go to heaven. But to go to heaven we have to be perfect, no sin. But we’re all sinners. God says you cannot save yourself. You cannot earn your way to heaven by your good deeds. This sin represents Jesus Christ. God’s Son came into this world. He had no sin, he didn’t have to die.

But he loved us but he hates our sin because our sin separates us from God. See, I can’t get to God. God can’t get to me because of sin. He says you’re separated by your sin. So Christ didn’t have to die, but because he loved it, he took all the sin of all the world and died for the sins of all the world. He made that payment one time because it’s appointed under every man once to die. And after this, the judgment.

So when Christ died for me, he only had to die one time. But he died at one time and took not only my sins died once, He took all the sin of all the world and at one time a moment in history paid for all the sin of all the world and came back from the dead and said that whosoever in the whole world would be lead that he did it for them. He would give them as a free gift ever lasting life.

We go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did, best news in the world. Let’s pray, shall we? We head by nice clothes and no one looking around. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, if you would trust Christ as Savior, God He would save you and give you eternal life. If you’re in the auditorium tonight, and maybe you’ve heard it a thousand times, but I really don’t know who saved and who’s not. But have you honestly trusted Christ as your Savior?

If you trust Him, you only have to do it one time. You don’t have to do it twice. But would you right now say, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior. I want to know that I’m going to heaven when I die. Salvation is different from being a disciple. That’s a different issue. Right now I’m just talking about how to go to heaven. To go to heaven all you need to do is believe that Christ paid for your sins.

That means you don’t have to pay for them if you will accept that payment He made. Would you do that? If you’re making that decision you said, preach it, that made sense to me, and I’ll trust Christ right now, it’s my Savior, and I’ll like you to pray for Him. It would just slip you in it very quickly and put it right back down to Him at all. If you’re watching by internet, we’d love to hear from you. I’d like to know what we said made sense.

with your head still bound your eyes closed. Have you made that decision? Yes, I do want God best for my life. I do want to serve him. I want to study his word like I should. And I want God to bring into my life whatever I need to apply. And so he may bring along just the right problem, just the right testing at the right moment because he knows what you need. And you’re going to look You look to Him and you’re going to trust Him.

You’re going to walk. Let Him walk you through it. And they’ll give you all the strength and the grace that you need because you love Him. You love the Lord and you want His will for your life. I pray that you will. Father, we thank You so much for Your blessings. Thank You for Your opportunity to teach Your Word and not just pray Your Lord that we have blessed in each one here. We love these kids. We love each adult.

We love those that are watching by Internet. and what you’re real for the fire here, Christ David. Hello, this is Peter Amato from Bibleline, and I’m excited to tell you of our free book offer for the month of January. During this month, for a gift in any amount, we’re going to send to you the mysteries of the New Testament. Have you ever wondered what the mystery of the gospel was or the mystery of the blindness of Israel? How about the mystery of Babylon?

Well, we’re featuring a book written by Dr. Dan Arbeghast that explains all these mysteries found in the New Testament, and we’d like to send a copy to you for a donation in any amount. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, or you can call toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. We hope you enjoy the teaching of Dr. Arnold, and thank you for your continued support and prayers. Once again, contact us today for this wonderful book on the mysteries of the New Testament.

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. We’re leaving that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.