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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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

The title of today’s message is on focus on the future. When When you read the Bible, you’ll find that God does an excellent job in teaching us tremendous spiritual truths by explaining natural things that we can understand. But here in the book of Matthew in chapter 6, look at verse 19, verse 19, it says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, and where mot and rut doth corrupt and wear thieves break through in steel. So the reason for laying up treasure in heaven, and remember you can only lay up treasure in heaven while you live it.

So you can’t wait till you die and think it doesn’t matter. Evidently there’s something you’re going to have when you get there. And God says lay up treasures in heaven. So He’d say it in verse 20, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither mop nor ruck to corrupt and where thieves do not break the root nor steal. Is there anything in the Bible that God says about do’s and don’ts? I’ve had people say, well, you know, you don’t have to obey a whole bunch of rules of do’s and don’ts.

Well, there are things that God says to do, and there’s things that God says don’t do. But we want the freedom to choose those things that we do, and we are free. You can obey or disobey. You can accept or reject. You can build or destroy. There’s a lot of choices that we have in life. But He makes this statement here in verse 11, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So when you think about focusing upon the future, how far into the future?

Most people think about only what’s coming this week or maybe next month or the next year or they’re thinking about retirement, but they’re thinking about the future, but it’s limited. When I talk about focus upon the future, I’m talking about eternity. And this is what Christ is talking about. So he says in verse 22, the light of the body is the eye. If therefore thy eye be single, the whole body shall be full of light. But if thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? You were born into a world, God says, that you were blind. That means you could not see in people of walking in darkness. And Christ is the light that came into the world, so the people that were blind in the world could see. Mike got song says I once was blind but now I see didn’t mean he didn’t have visual eyesight maybe had 2020 but he couldn’t see couldn’t see the things that God wanted him to see so then he says here in verse 24 no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one love the other this is why a man’s only supposed to have one wife no we’re not really or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.

He cannot serve God and man. In other words, you can’t have one eye on eternal things and one eye on earthly things. You’re going to love one of the other. So God says, make up your mind, get on one side of the fence of the other. The reason many Christians are struggling in their Christian life and they don’t have too much victory in their Christian life is because they’re fence straddlers. They haven’t made up their mind or committed themselves which one they’re going to focus upon.

If you focus upon eternal things and eternal values, then why you hear you want to lay up treasures for those so you see things differently. The focus upon eternity is what helps you to see clearly in this world and if you don’t then you can’t see and you’re blind because you can’t see the things that God wants you to see and if you can’t see you can’t walk The way you should because you don’t have any eyes, you’re gonna stumble, you’re gonna fall.

So God is very clear in what He says. Here in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 12, there’s two things that are mentioned in this verse. One is what you do to others and what others do to you. Because really that’s what life is about concerning people. What they do to you, what you do to them. You can boil all kind of things down under those two little headings. What people do to you and what you do to them? You probably treat everybody perfectly and they all treat you wrong, right?

Sometimes we can’t see exactly how we treat people but sometimes we can be prejudice and mean and ugly and unkind we can and sometimes not even see it and Sometimes somebody has to remind us of our unkind ways But God says do unto others as you would have them do unto you because how I treat somebody should not be based upon how somebody treats me. But I can see that if I’m focused upon future things. God’s gonna reward me not for how people treat me but by how I treat them.

But once you see it and understand that then everything can be alright. Otherwise you’re gonna be very hurt and bitter through most of your life and you will not be a happy individual. Now go be happy camper. The next thing I want you to see there is, excuse me, verse 13, he says, inter ye at the straight gate for why does the gate and broad is the way that lead us to the structure that many there be which go in their act.

Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which lead us on the life and few there be that binded. So there’s quite a few things in this verse that you could show the comparison to. Just like it was two things up in verse 12. There’s two other things here in this verse, the narrow way and the broad way. And the few and the many. It’s a tremendous way in which you teach. You’re always in comparison, trying to show something with something.

So God is comparing the things of eternity with the things of the world. The things of the world He says doesn’t last, which means that the things in heaven will last. So there’s always this comparison. You reveal your wisdom by the decisions that you make. So you have the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of man. So there is a comparison. So God wants you to make your choice. God don’t make the choices for you. Now he’s, in a sense, given you the truth, and there’s the things of the world, and you can believe.

So you can be as happy as you want or as miserable as you want, based upon how you decide. It says there in verse 15, Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but, inwardly, they are ravening wolves. Now, let me ask you this. Do you know the difference between a sheep and a wolf? Do you know the difference between a sheep and a wolf? Sheep are not wolves and wolves are not sheep. Things that are different are not the same.

But now, what if a wolf puts on sheep’s clothing? Oh, now he’s a sheep. Is he a sheep now? No, he’s still a wolf. This looks like a sheep, But he’s not a sheep. And as you go through life, you need to understand that God says that when he saved us, and we’re part of his fold, we’re part of his flock. Are we wolves? Are we sheep? Are we wolves or sheep? How does the shepherd look at us? Are we wolves or are we sheep?

So if we are wolves, then we can understand why we should go through life devouring one another, right? If we were wolves, you’d expect wolves to act like a what? A wolf. And to devour one another, to destroy. All right, is that the will of God? No. Okay, so we’re sheep. And he is the shepherd of the sheep. And many places in the scriptures were called sheep. Does the sheep attack the wolves? No, sheep don’t attack. So as sheep, he says, I want you to be harmless as the dove.

Why is this a serpent? Well, I don’t know how wise a sheep is. One that I’ve seen have been pretty dumb. I don’t know if I’d stand there and let a wolf just start chewing on my neck. They have virtually no way of defending themselves. So there’s wolves in the world that will attack you as a sheep. And so when they attack you as a sheep, remember it’s the wolf that devours the sheep. The sheep don’t devour the wolf.

The sheep has to totally trust the shepherd. For protection. Yes or no. The Lord is my shepherd. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. The reason I have comfort is because not of my talent and my abilities, but because I have a shepherd who promised to watch after me. So you’re the sheep. So when a wolf tries to rip you to shreds, that’s what they do. You’re not a wolf. We are supposed to trust our shepherd Who fight our battles?

the battle is the the Lord Not by my might not by my power not by my strength, but by the spirit of God Say it the Lord. So we are cheap and there is a tremendous difference Now look what else he says here in verse 17 even so every good tree bring a fourth good fruit But a corrupt tree bring it forth evil fruit good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit need the can corrupt tree bring forth good Fruit we have two trees we got two fruits Two trees good tree battery good tree brings forth good fruit and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit So simple that is Okay, which one are we Are we a good tree or a bad tree?

well, if you understand what he said a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit and And a bad tree cannot bring forth a good fruit impossible. So you know there’s got to be an explanation to all of this. Here I am as an individual born into this world with a sinful nature and God says all of my works are a filthy right. I cannot bring forth good fruit. Christ says there is none good, no not one, not one. So I am a tree that has bad fruit, so I must be a bad tree.

Therefore, God has to cut down this tree. Everybody who’s born into the world is a bad tree because we came from a bad root, and because of a bad root, we got bad fruit. That’s how easy it is to understand? That’s the whole human race. And God says, we all sin, we all die. the good tree. That’s the new tree. That’s a different tree. In the book of Isaiah chapter 53, it says that when Christ was born, He was born a greaser by a tender plant, root out of a dry ground.

So He is a different tree. He didn’t have a bad seed in Him. So He is a good tree and everything that He did was good and everything we do is bad. So God says He’s going to cut down the bad trees, keep only the good trees, but there are no good trees. And so this good tree begin to spread its good seeds and everybody who will eat so-called the apple off of that good tree, it’ll make them a good tree because they’ll have a good seedlet in them.

So years ago, about 45 I didn’t recall, I trusted Christ as my Savior. I tasted and seen that the Lord was good. I was born into God’s family. His seed was placed inside of me and took root, and I am now a child of God. My problem is I’ve got two trees. I bring forth two kinds of fruit. I can bring forth the good fruit because I have that tree, and I can bring forth the bad fruit because I’m of sinful tree.

And I have got these two roots inside of me, and that’s why I can bring forth two kinds of fruit. So whenever you try to discern whether or not is somebody saved or lost, you can’t tell because you might see good fruit one day and bad fruit the next day. Have you had they desire to do right and serve a Lord at the same time you wanna shoot that husband of yours? Then you look there in verse 21. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter to the kingdom of God, but he that doeth the will of my father, which is in heaven.

Many will say to me that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works. So we have the will of God, the Father, and the will of man. Their opposites, they’re not the same. God says, this is what I want you to do, except my son. This is what they did. They brought forth their good works. there’s a difference. There’s a contrast. So easy to see, but Christ taught this way, comparing so that you could see and understand greater truths.

And as you read this you also find out there’s something else that’s in here. There’s two major results. He says in one, he says, talking about up there in verse 21, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. There’s some going, enter into the kingdom of heaven. And then 9 and verse 23 says, depart from me, I never knew you, depart from me. So come on in to depart. He’s come on in and depart the same thing. That’s not the same thing.

But Christ is the one who taught this. Some are going in. Some are not. And I think it’s a tremendous lesson, but there’s something also in here that many people overlook. Look down in verse 24. Therefore, whosoever hear at these sayings of mine and do it them, I will liken unto him as a wise man which builds his house upon a rock. And everybody knows the story, the wise man builds his house upon a rock. Rock, and the wise man built his house upon a rock.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand. Remember Sunday school? Oh, the foolish man built his house upon the sand. So now Christ is talking about two houses. But what are the two houses? The two houses represents the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. He says, whosoever, here at the sayings of mine, That’s the word of God. That’s the wisdom of God. And do it them. I will liken him unto a wise man. Okay, so inspire all these things now.

He is comparing. So here you and I are. And we’re trying to make decisions for our life. Look here in Proverbs chapter one, and look in verse five. So on page 672, an old school for reference, verse five says, a wise man will hear, will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain under wise counsels. Looking verse seven, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. That’s a fool, he doesn’t.

Then he makes a statement here in chapter two, looking chapter two. So that thou incline and vine ear, verse two, and apply thy heart to understanding. See, it’s one thing to hear words of wisdom. You can hear words of wisdom. When you come and study the Bible, whether church, home, wherever, You hear words of wisdom, but understanding means you understood the words of wisdom. Here in the words of wisdom doesn’t make you wise, but did you understand what you said?

So when Christ was here, he always tried to help the people to understand what he said and he would say to us, he said, but understand what I said? Did you understand that parable? Do you understand? Because sometimes you can go to church and you heard that a thousand times. Do you understand what was said? You really understand. Did you see it? Then he makes his statement here in verse four. If thou seeketh her as silver, search it for her as for head treasures, then thou shall understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God to understand.

When you search for her with all your heart, one of the greatest things that you could ever have is understanding what God is saying. Now just hear what he said. But he mentions this in the book of James. You know, you can be a hear of the word and not a door because you didn’t really understand what he’s talking about. I’ve given the gospel to people that heard the word, the clarity of the gospel, but not understand what I said.

And then I would use this illustration and in another illustration. I’ve won people through the Lord in three minutes and I’ve had some that take me an hour and a half, two hours to reach. So you go over it and then I’ve had some that I’ve talked to for several hours and they never did get it As clear as I can make it and I couldn’t get him to understand it Verse six talks about for the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth comeeth knowledge and understanding And then he says down in verse 11 discretion shall preserve the understanding shall keep thee You have to understand what’s being said See it’s one thing to sit down and say well, I read my devotions this one you, but did you understand what you’re reading?

Well, no. Then that’s why you meditate. Meditate means to sit there and chew it over and over and over again like a couch who could. So shall thou find favor and good. Get this understanding in the sight of God and man. Understanding. Verse 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. You’ve got to understand from God’s view on what God is saying. Don’t trust your judgment. You are limited in knowledge. You’re limited in judgment.

And therefore the conclusion might be wrong. And yet it affects your life. You have to focus on the future. Focus on eternity. Verse 13 says, happy is the man that finds it wisdom and the man that get it understanding. So many times they put these things together to get wisdom. So the Bible refers to wisdom as a woman, as a woman. Now we know we talked about the two houses there in the book of Matthew. In verse 15, she talking about wisdom.

She is more precious than rubies and all the things I can desire are not to be compared under her. So the greatest thing that you can get in this life after trusting Christ is your Savior is wisdom. Okay, where are you going to get it from? From God. Why do you study the Bible? Why do you go to church to learn the wisdom of God? Because if you learn and you learn the wisdom of God, you’ll make wiser decisions in your life that affect eternity.

Your future is being determined by your obedience to God today. And if you are not obedient to God today, that one day is going to cost you something in eternity. Oh, it can’t cost you your salvation. You’re not going to hell, but it’s going to cost you something. And yet, how many days does most people really waste in their life? And every day is a day that you could have bought something with some words of wisdom if you’ve understood Maybe made better decisions So important, but he says in verse 15 length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor her ways Are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace So it doesn’t matter what other people say and do you can still be at peace because you learned some words of wisdom you’ve learned how to trust the

Lord, not to worry about things. And then he says here in verse 19, the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding how he established the heavens, God knew what he was doing. He wants us to know what he’s done and why he’s done it. Look there in chapter 4 and verse 7, he says, wisdom is the principal thing, therefore he get wisdom, and with all by getting and get understanding, exalt her. And she shall promote the wonderful, wonderful things that we have here in this book.

Here we have an illustration that is used in the book of Proverbs. If there’s anybody who knew and understood women, I guess Solomon was one of them. I guess you could say he was an expert. He had 700 wives and 300 porcupines, concubines. And it was one of the reasons why God split the kingdom after he died because of all his shenanigans. And yet God said he was the wisest man that ever lived. Nobody has ever been smarter than this guy.

But he had wisdom like no man has ever had. And he wanted to learn everything he could. And some of the things he learned were not the things he should have learned. And some of the decisions he made was not the decision he should have made. I guess he was what they call a Don Juan. A Don Juan. I had just one kid and he thought he was God’s gift to the women. And I said, you must be Don Juan.

He kind of smiled. I said, that’s because they don’t want you no more. Anyway, in chapter seven of the book of Proverbs, he talks about in verse five, a woman. That woman in verse 5 is different from the woman in verse 4. God says there’s two houses, and in these two houses there’s two women. And there’s the woman who is the woman of the world, and there’s the woman of that is of God. But it’s referring to wisdom, the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world.

And despite of maybe explaining this, I would venture to say that some of you you will not understand what this illustration is all about. It is about the wisdom of the world versus the wisdom of God. And God is using two women and two different houses as an illustration. Did you understand what I just said? So that when you read this, you’ll say, okay, this is the bad woman. This is the good woman. The bad woman is the humanistic philosophy of the world.

And the good woman is the wisdom of God, and they’re both after you. And here you are a simple minded man passing through life. And the wisdom of the world is luring you. And so it says here in verse 5 that they may keep thee from the strange woman. See wisdom and understanding will keep you from the strange woman. The knowledge of God’s word, the wisdom, will keep you from the wisdom of the world. But if you don’t know that wisdom, this wisdom will get you.

If you don’t find the right woman, the wrong woman is waiting for you. He says in verse 7, and behold among the simple ones I discerned among the youth, a young man bored of understanding. He didn’t have to understand. Passing through the street near her corner and he went the way to her house. I always teach that it’s better to try to stay away from the edge so that you don’t fall over the edge. My little rules and regulations that I have are simply to try to help people not to cross over a boundary that God set.

So I set a few that keeps you from doing and breaking the one that God set. You can break mine. But if you do, you’ll wind up breaking God because you’re gonna get too close. At my house in verse six, he says, I looked out and I saw this in verse eight and he went the way to her house. So there’s a woman who has her house. This man who’s void of understanding he went the wrong direction, got on the wrong road.

Starts looking for the wrong thing. And whenever you start running from the Lord, you can bet your bottom dollar, somebody’s there to help you get a further and further away from the Lord. There’s always somebody. In the twilight in the evening, the black and dark night, verse 10, and behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot and subtle of heart. See, she was dressed a certain way. She is loud and stubborn, her feet are by not in her house.

And with her much fair speed, she calls him to yume with a flattering of her lips. She forced him, he’d go up after her like a martin to a gourd. And as an ox go to the what? Ox goes to the slaughter, where as a bull to the correction of the stock. Till a dart strike to his liver as a bird hasteneth to the snare and you are on the line this, knoweth not that it’s for his life. See I am fighting for your life more than you will ever know, because if I can’t win you with the wisdom of God, the wisdom of the world will get you.

Because you’ll think and reason things out logically in your own mind and you’ll yield to your own understanding and you won’t compare it with what God says. And the choices that you’ll make in life will be in direct ratio to the caliber of the wisdom that you have. That’s why you have to be careful. Talk to about here in verse 27 and you are on the line these two words, Her house, Her house. It leaves you in the wrong direction.

That’s the wisdom of the world. This is the humanistic philosophy of man. And that’s why you’re always comparing what God said with what man says or even how you think. Look there in chapter 8 and look down in verse 11. For wisdom is better than rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to her. There’s nothing you can really compare to the wisdom of God. The fear of of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way in the pro-word mouth do I hate.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. The wisdom of the world is to love sin. The pleasures of this life. And you can get so caught up with a lot even of just good things. But these are choices that everybody has to make. Nobody can make them for you. You are free to choose and be something for God or you’re and free to ruin your life. Serving God is your choice. We at Bibleline would like to extend a free offer to those who support this ministry financially.

This month we are sending a free copy of Dr. Arnold’s teaching series on First and Second Peter. It is a small way that we can show our appreciation for your support of this radio program. Peter’s epistles are filled with lessons of suffering, trials in your faith on the roles of husbands and wives, warnings of false teachers, and the imminency of the return of the Lord. The CD Series is certain to help you in your home Bible studies, so contact us today to receive your CD teaching series by Dr.

Arnold on 1st and 2nd Peter. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. the thoughtful gifts and prayers of our listeners who would not be able to remain on the air. God bless you. 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, believe in that the Lord is coming soon, just keep in looking up.