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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. 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.

We want to welcome you to Calvary Community Church. Whether you’re here in person or on the internet or in spirit. Often have people say, I can’t be there in person, but I’ll be there in spirit. Hello to all of you spirits. I was thinking, what in the world am I going to talk to you all about tonight? You know, I sweat that out every time I got a speech. Because I got so many things I could talk about. But sometimes I’m trying to whittle it down.

What do I think you all really need? And sometimes I think, well, they’re so smart. They know the Bible so well. What in the world do you tell all these experts here that’s been sitting on the sounds of the Bible for all these years? They know them as much as I do. So I thought, well, I’ll just tell you what you already know. Megan, just remind you. Sure if you remember it like the Lord says. So take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke, chapter 11, the book of Luke, and chapter 11.

So I just wrote down these three little words called teach me Lord, teach me Lord, teach me Lord. You know for years that would have been my heart’s desire, Lord teach me. I want to know. I want to know your word. I want to know your will. I want to know your way. I want to know. I just want to know. I’ve always felt like if I knew exactly what God wanted me to do, I will do it. I don’t have to question God.

I just believe him. I just want to know what’s right. If I just discern the truth and really know it, I want to do it. And I mentioned this to you before, but look there in chapter 11 and verse 1. And he came to pass. He came to pass. That as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And when you read that, teach us.

Isn’t it wonderful to have an attitude, Lord, I’m willing to learn. Do you know why you come to church or Sunday school or Wednesday night, Sunday night? Because you should come, I want to learn. I want to be taught. I want more. And because you know that the more you have, the more you know, you more understand, the more you can discern the more powerful your influence in the lives of other people can be. And you know that when it’s all over with it will be worth it all.

Now turn in your Bible to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy in chapter 2. 2 Timothy in chapter 2. Teach me Lord, teach me Lord. Just say that in your mind, you don’t I’ll just say it in your mind, teach me, Lord. Why? Because you’re ready to learn. You’re willing to learn. You want to learn. You want to know more. So he says in 2 Timothy chapter 2, Thou therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

And the things that Thou have heard of me, among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. You want God to teach you because you want to teach others so that they might teach others also. You want God to teach you so that you can teach others so that they can teach others. See, it’s not just for you to learn and be fat and sassy, you know. Why know the Bible?

Yeah, but. Who does it profit? Who cares how much you know until they know how much you care? And talking to people and sharing it with others and seeking to have a minutule where you can teach somebody. And I love that. And the things that thou hath heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also who shall be able. A lot of people are not able to teach.

Maybe it’s because they don’t care, don’t believe it’s true, won’t apply themselves, won’t listen, won’t learn, and they don’t grow. They just don’t grow. You should be able to explain to somebody why you believe what you believe. The Lord ought to be precious to you. The Word of God ought to be precious to you. So you ought to be able to teach people something that God has taught you. Unless, of course, you didn’t listen. You didn’t learn anything. It’s hard to teach what God taught you if you didn’t learn anything.

But if you have learned something, you have something of value. And that makes it important. Turning the Bible to the book of Hebrews in chapter five, Hebrews in chapter five, just a couple pages to your right. Now notice what he says in verse 11. verse 11, where he says, of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered or explained, seeing that you are a doll of hearing. For when for the time you ought to be teacher.

So there was a time when they ought to have been able to teach. They’ve been saved long enough, maybe going to church long enough, but he says you ought to be able to teach. But he says, you have need. You’re online list of a little word, you have need. What do you need? What do you need? Somebody teach you again, which would be the first principles of the word of God. So if you can’t teach the word of God, you need to learn.

You got to start all over again and come back to that foundation and get grounded better and stronger because when you talk to new people, all you’re doing is trying to ground them in the word of God. Would you say you You are grounded, you know what you believe, and you’re satisfied. You know what you believe. And you own your faith. Can you say, I own my faith. It doesn’t belong to somebody else. It belongs to me. This is what I believe.

This is my greatest possession. Is my faith in what God’s Word says and I own it. It’s mine. Otherwise, you have to find out what other people believe to find out what you ought I don’t want to believe. And some people are only as strong as the last person they talked to. Somebody else come a long week or need, they can cast doubt and they can’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know what I believe. Well, I believe whatever the preacher says.

Oh, that’s great. No, that’s not great. You should believe what you believe because you read it in the Bible. You studied it for yourself. So it says, in verse 12, for when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. So it is the will of God that we prepare ourselves and grow and once you start growing in the Lord, I believe it’s God’s will that everybody become a teacher.

I can’t find an outlet, you know, I get a pass on that. It doesn’t mean me. If it doesn’t mean you, then who does it mean? If it’s not the child of God that should do it, who is supposed to do it? Well, that’s the preacher’s job. Oh, really? Do you think every mother can teach their children? You think every dad can teach children? Don’t you think everybody’s supposed to teach somebody? That’s why we listen and we learn so that we can be effective in the lives of other people.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we are all an example. Some are good, some are not so good, but we’re an example. Do our kids watch us? Do you kids watch you? You bet they watch you. And so it is important. Take your Bible, look in the book of Ephesians in chapter five, the book of Ephesians, chapter five. Look there in chapter 5. And you’ll notice in verse one where it says, be ye therefore followers of God, an imitator of God.

Follow the Lord. And then he says, as dear children, and walk in love. And then you come all the way down there where it makes a statement in verse eight, for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord walk as children of light. So that means that after you get saved, God is not pleased nor satisfied that you live the way you used to live. Though it has nothing to do with going to heaven, you’re going to heaven because you trust the Christ.

But does God want us and expect us as his children to grow strong in the Lord? Yes or no? If he does, that means he wants us to walk in light, well, you have to know what the light is. You have to know what the Word of God says. you have to know the truth and you have to discipline yourself. And he says, be imitators of God, imitate God, be act like your daddy. That’s why you learn all you can about the Lord and then imitate him.

Notice what he says up there also. In verse 11 where he says, and have no fellowship with the unproofful works of darkness but rather reprove them. So that’s a believer that’s not supposed to do certain things because it is not the image of God. You’re not supposed to walk in the flesh because walk in the flesh means to walk in darkness and God says you’re a child of light so you’re to walk in light. Then he says down here in verse 15, see then, see then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil.

You and I don’t have a lot of time to live. And that’s the reason that we’ll look at it just a minute, but look over there quickly in the book of James in chapter 4, the book of James in chapter 4. Because of what we’re supposed to be doing, God wants us to understand the importance of doing what we’re supposed to be doing. realizing that we don’t have all the time in the world. See, then James chapter 4, you’ll notice when he says in verse 13, it’s okay to have some plans and that we often make something.

But in verse 13 says, go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, continue there a year, buy and sell and and get gained. In other words, we’re going to go someplace and we’re going to buy and sell and make a profit. That’s nice. That’s nice. They’re willing to work. They’re willing to make profit. They’re not lazy, but they left something out of it. Look what he says, verse 14, whereas ye know not what shall be on the moral.

In spite of all your plans, in regards to all you’re planning hard work that you want to do. You can’t control what’s going to happen tomorrow. You can’t control all that has to deal with even your health or your wealth. Some things are taken out of your power to control. But he does say this, for what is your life? What is your life? Isn’t that a good question? What is your life? Years ago, they used to have what’s called this is your life.

years ago, 50 years ago on television. Anybody remember that? This is your life. I used to love watching that because I loved it, the climax at the end, when the person’s all excited and there’s people that come out and say, and it’s just, office good. And they had no clue, and each one would tell things about what that person meant to them, and it was good, this is your life. Now you and I are gonna die. Now what if I had today to do your funeral?

All right. What do you think will be on that tombstone? You see, I’ve already figured it out. Here lies the prettiest girl in the world. James is going to have one, the greatest guy ever known to mankind. Everybody’s going to have something. But you’re not there. That’s just the old body. And when we get to heaven, we’re going to find out just how much we were accomplished. how really great we were. There’s always something going on in our lives that makes us…

Put aside the things that are so important, and we get so buried sometimes with a lot of little bitty things, little bitty stuff. And sometimes God has to ring our bell to get us to realize that there’s something more important. You didn’t lost focus. You’re not honed in like you ought to be. So this is what he says. concerned what is your life? Look what he says, it is even a vapor that appear for a little time and then vanishes the way.

That’s us. Compared to eternity, we are just a little vapor, just a breath. We’re just here not very long and then we’re gone. You know, it wasn’t too long ago that I was running around barefooted backwoods of Georgia, wearing my overalls, no shirt, no shoes, no socks, barefooted running all over the place. And all of a sudden, 70 years has passed. And they were in the world at the time going. Where’s it gone? I was talking to Dr. Polson, I think, yesterday.

I said, you realize that eight years, just little old bitty eight years, just little old bitty eight years, I’ll be 81 years old. Now don’t that blow your mind? If it doesn’t bother you, it does mine. I’m gonna be an old man soon. Don’t you even say it. Remember, respect your elders. But we’re changing, we’re always changing. We’re getting older now. Now take your Bible and turn all the way back here to the 90th Psalm, the 90th Psalm. And I told you all this before.

A lot of times when I do a funeral, I love to read the 90th Psalm because there’s a one main verse that I like in this whole 90th Psalm. I mean the whole thing’s good, but there’s one verse that really sticks out to me. And I want you to look at that verse 12, teach us. See that verse 12? Teach us. So teach us to do what? To number our days. How do you number your days? I don’t know, I mean days I’m gonna have.

You know, it didn’t say number of your years, number of your days. You’re not gonna be here long. We’re gonna be moving out one of these days. Anybody ever heard that song, some glad morning when this life is or aye’ll, lie away, well, let’s see there in verse 10, last part of verse 10, for it is soon cut off and we, we what? We fly away. Doesn’t that sound good? What do you date them off, fly out of here?

I was listening to you already the other day coming over here to the church. They had a song on there and you could tell was that some color folks were singing the song. Swinging down, we’d cherry to stop and let me rise. And it was just going on. And they were, no, they’re singing it, but there’s about two or three other verses singing at all the same time. And they were just, oh, it came out. They were great. And I’m next to you know, I don’t foot pedal, just the good and the heavier.

You ever give it gas, according to beat. And so I’m listening to this thing here, And I’m pitching this through cherry to stop and let me ride. Don’t you all sing it in the choir. I’m just saying, it’s just, I don’t care. But I thought, wouldn’t that be a way to go? Coming down to get me in a big old chariot. And I wouldn’t mind it if everybody saw me when I go. But you know, the Bible says, and I believe that the Abraham was carried by the angels in Abraham’s bosom.

It was carried by the angels. So I got my guardian angels. They’re going to say, finally we got him. Let’s get him out of here. And they’re going to carry me away. I’m going to fly away. But when he sits down here in verse 12, so teach us to number our days and look at the rest of it and to apply our hearts unto wisdom. Are we wise enough to do that? Yeah. Yeah. The reason we study the Bible because God wants you to know, you don’t have a lot of time.

Get all the wisdom you can as quickly as you can. This is why kids that have been taught the word of God from a child up, they have an advantage if they use it. But a lot of them don’t even appreciate some time if they come from a Christian home, or if they even went to a Christian school. Sometimes when they take all that knowledge, everything they will learn, and as soon as they get old enough to get on their own, they go wild.

You think they could have been so wise. They were given the tools by which to discern, and then they throw it all away. Wouldn’t it be a shame for God to say, number your days and apply your hearts into wisdom? and you blow it, you throw it all away. You waste your whole life for a few small things here in this life that will not last. Nothing in this world will last. Why would you chase anything in this world and give up all that God has for a few little pleasures in this world when God has so much and it will be worth it all when we get to heaven?

Look over in verse one, he says, Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou have formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turneth man to destruction, because all men have sinned, all men will die. All these bodies we have are going to be destroyed. These bodies cannot last. They’re not meant to last. All of the ones that Adam and Eve got, if they hadn’t ascended, so we’ll be walking right here today.

Wanna be something? But he says in verse three, saying, return ye children of men. So you see, God created us, Now death is a man returning to meet his maker. Death is a man returning to meet his maker. God made you and you’re going to die. You’re going to be destroyed and you can’t stop it. And you don’t know how much time you have. So God says, apply your hearts under wisdom.

Teach us to number our days to see how important every day is. What’s the value of every day? And so he says here in verse four, you for a thousand years in thy sight or but as yesterday, when it is past and as a watch in the night, They’ll carry us them away as with the flood. They are as a sleep. In the morning they are like grass, which grow with up. Now in the book of James it talks about this also and how that we’re just like grass.

It grows up and the heat comes out and we’re dead. So we’re not going to last forever. It wasn’t long since Tyler was just a cute little kid. Better used to have him in her Sunday school class, I think. Maybe not, I remember. Did you ever have me in class? You had Trent? Okay. But it wasn’t long ago that he was a cute little kid. Now look at him. Now he’s a big kid, not cute anymore. One of these days he’s going to be a man.

But he’s changing, he’s growing. Some people never make it that far. I’ve had funerals for little kids and I’ve had funerals for teenagers. I’ve had funerals for big adults and I’ve had really up their age. And it is so much better to do a funeral for somebody that you know is Trustee Christ a savior. One of the hardest struggles that I have is when you don’t know and nobody seems to know if that person had Trustee Christ. And you can’t really say.

And so sometimes the preacher, in order to comfort everybody, make everybody feel good, sometimes the preacher goes too far and says too many nice things about the person laying in the casket. And this one preacher was up there and just bragging about what a wonderful husband he was, what a wonderful father he was. And so the mom was sitting out there, she says, go up here and look at that cass and see if that’s your daddy. So see, somebody else might not see him the same way.

But the days are short, and we’re going to be out of here. So he says, a thousand years in his sight is like that. Now that’s a long time for us, but when you compare to eternity, our lives are not very long. And so if a man is wise and knowing that this is only the staging area, we’re just getting ready, getting prepared for eternity. We’re just getting prepared to meet God. You see, none of us have seen him yet.

We’re just preparing to meet him. And I think you should want to do all that you can, in every way that you can, for as long as you can, as diligently as you can, because you know, you’re going to see Him soon. And as He says, be wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is, redeeming the time, using your time that you have as fruitful as you possibly can. I was at the house today and we saw somebody was moving in next door to it.

I went in there and I sat down and I got my Bible out and I sat there and I read most of this afternoon. And I said, there, and I read, and I study. I go back and forth and all over the place. Sometimes I just get caught up in it and I can’t. And the next thing Betty will come in, she says, Yankee. Oh, I don’t fell asleep. You ever sit down and start reading? They just fall asleep.

It’s always a good sleep. It’s a good sleep. And she came in the door. I said, I didn’t even know you left. gone next door and passed out about 15 Spanish tracks. So she was out of angelizing where her meno-othermen’s in the house they’re just reading and studying. But it is it’s redeeming the time taking advantage of an opportunity. But look what else she says here. In verse 5, thou carry us them away as with a flood they are as a sleep in the morning.

They are like grass which grow with up. In the morning it flourish it and groweth up. In the Eden it’s cut down and wither it. And you don’t believe you’re gonna wither when you get old. You just look at the old folks. We start withering and hair starts falling out and all kind of things here and there. You know whatever the body is going to die and it’s already starting to destroy itself. And sometimes you want to can how long am I going to get.

And years ago, just think about it when the founding of this country, when they didn’t even have hospitals, you didn’t even have to worry about Obamacare because nobody cared. There was no hospitals along the way when they were in wagons going across and there was doctors everywhere. And it’s amazing how they managed to live and survive. Of course, most them didn’t live past 35, but they, you know, plowed on. And now we’re so concerned, so concerned.

Get what he says here. When he says here in verse 7, 4, we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Because of sin, We are in a sinful world. We’re in a crooked and perverse generation, in which those that know the Lord are the Shiners’ children of light. Hello, this is Peter Amato from Bibleline. We hope you’ve enjoyed the message from Dr. Arnold and pray that Bibleline is helping you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And thanks for your donations and support of Bibleline, we’d like to send Dr. Arnold’s complete teaching on the book of Revelation. Compiled on one disc are 27 lessons in MP3 format of all 22 chapters of the revelation of Jesus Christ that was given to the Apostle John. Dr. Arnold provides clear insight and understanding to this often misunderstood book and for a donation in any amount we’d like to send this gift to you today. You may contact us by calling 1-800-576-3771 or by mail to 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 336-34.

And don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. Once again, thank you for supporting Bibleline and may God richly bless you. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If predecolphins incapqd 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.