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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 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’re doing some studies on the life of Christ. We are now going to talk about a little fellow named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus. You ever heard of Zacchaeus? I mean he’s heard of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a we-we man and a we-we man was he. He climbed up in the sick and word tree for to see what he could see. For the Savior passed that way and he looked up in a tree, says Zacchaeus, you come down because I’m going to your house today.

something like that. Alrighty, turn in your Bible to the book of Luke chapter 15, the gospel of Luke chapter 15. We’re gonna look at a few little stories that leads up to the story because the story is really about the self-righteous and the center. And as you go through life you’ll always find the self-righteous and the center. People that they’re righteous in their own eyes so they think they’re better than others. Then you have centers that know I am a dirty scoundrel.

I’m a low-down individual and they don’t even want to lift up their head. I’m just too bad and then there’s those that I’m just so good. And there’s all kind of a riotism in between. But the two extremes is, I’m no good, and I’m very good. The self-righteous send the down and out center that knows what he is. So Jesus talks about these things. And if you will, look there in your Bible to the book of Luke in chapter 15.

Verse 1 says, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. Now those are the down and outers. Verse 2, and the Pharisees and describes, well, there’s your self-righteous hypocrites. So you have these two types of people. And many times those are the same kind of people that go to church too. There’s those who are looking down their long pears, silicone nose at other people, and they think they’re like Kellogg’s cornflakes just a little bit better than somebody else.

Remember that commercial these always cornflakes used to be a little bit better? Well, I used to love cornflakes. Oh, I love cornflakes. But now I love also, I love honey nut churios. Anybody like honey nut churios? And I love them too. I can eat just about any kind of cereal. I love cereals. But my wife won’t let me have too much of a But I love cereal. But notice what he’s saying here now. These are two groups of people.

And so the self-righteous look at it says in verse 2, the Pharisees and the scribes murmured saying, this man receiveth sinners and eedeth with them. See they’re judging. I mean if Jesus was really who he claimed to be. Well he wouldn’t be eaten with those down and outers. But do you know Jesus 8 with anybody. He ate with the sinners and he even ate with the Pharisees. He even went to the scribes home. Jesus would reach anybody. It didn’t matter how bad they were, how self-righteous they were, but Jesus never changed.

There were times when he would have to rebuke some of those self-righteous hypocrites and he called them at one time. He said, you white ensepricas. That’s not the best compliment in the world. And Jesus also, you know, we’re talking about herety-colle-o-herid, the fox. You said we shouldn’t say things like that. What he did? He did. He was the Lord. One time Jesus got mad in John chapter two and he Took some cord in his hand and he chased the people out of there and overthrew the tables.

And I mean, he was one mad man. And he got upset because he said, you made my father’s house a house of praise. You turn it into a den of thieves because he knew what they were doing. And he didn’t like what they were doing. So Jesus was what I would call a man’s man. He knew what to do, when to do it. And so this is what he did. And so it was a man’s man. as you go down through here, I want you to look over there now.

So there’s two other illustrations in here. We’ll kind of bypass those and just get to the one that talks about in verse 12. See in verse 12, the Bible, excuse me, verse 11, and he said, a certain man had two sons, a man had two sons in verse 12. And the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that fall up to me and he divided into them is living. So he did. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country.

There he wasted his substance with riotous living. So we know we got one bad son and we got another son. Well he stayed home and obeyed his dad and did right. Well the bad son, well he got in trouble wherever he went and did some bad things. So he was a bad man. Well, the other son, he’d always stayed at home and listened to his father and he was a good son. So he had a bad one and a good one.

But just like we’re talking about a self-righteous person and an old sinner. Now the Bible says that Jesus Christ cannot save the righteous because they don’t believe they need to be. that he can save an old center because he knows he needs to be. That’s why he said to the disciples of John who came to look for him because John was in prison. He says, you go back and tell him that the poor had the gospel preached unto them.

Well, he preached the gospel to everybody, but the poor received it. Because he said, it’s difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven because he trusts in his riches. Not because he’s rich, but he trusts in him. poor man don’t have anything to trust in. So he trusts the Lord. He got nothing to lose. So you have a division all the way through scripture. Christ says, I did not come to bring peace, but I came to bring the sword to divide between husband and wife, between the families, everybody.

Jesus was divisive. But all of those who separated themselves to Him, they were unified. And those that don’t aren’t. So the Bible makes the statement that Jesus came to seeking to save that which was lost. And there are some people that know they’re lost and there’s other people who don’t think they are. They think they’re good enough and they don’t need to trust the Lord. I mean, they haven’t robbed the bank. Maybe they didn’t, you know, they murdered anybody.

So they’re not as bad. But God says that we’re all sinners. Everybody does things wrong. So he makes a statement here in this verse. And I want you to see this in verse 14. When he had spent all their rose mighty famine in that land, isn’t that usually the way it is just then you spend all your money in his famine? And he began to be in want. Well, if you spend everything you had, Remember, he could have stayed at home with his dad, had everything, he had servants, he had food, he didn’t have to worry about anything.

But you know, some people just want to strike out on their own and see what’s on the other side. Find out, what are you keeping me from enjoying? There must be something on the other side when you tell me I can’t go here and I can’t do this. You just don’t want me to have any fun. He said, want me to have a miserable life. And how many teenagers have said that to good, godly parents? Because you have kept me from, I’m not just, they can’t wait to go wild.

They get out on their own and then they just fall into one problem after another problem after another problem. Well, this kind of happened to this guy. So he says here in verse 15, and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed swine. Now this is a Jewish boy and they weren’t having nothing to do with the swine. But now he couldn’t get him the lower. He got one of the lowest jobs he could ever have.

He was the son of a rich man, had everything, and he made some bad decisions. And then the Bible says, look what he says in verse 16, he would feign have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did he? No man gave unto him. You see, whenever you go from the Lord, you go down, down, down. It’s kind of like going down a sliding board. Kind of hard to stop halfway. Most people when they go away from the Lord, they got to hit rock bottom before they finally wake up and realize, what in the world have I done?

And so this young man, the Bible says, he came to himself. He came to himself. In other words, these bad things that happened to him made him stop and think. So sometimes whenever you run from the Lord, remember God has what we call a hedge of phones. It means that when you try to go the wrong direction, it’s going to prick you and you’re going to hurt yourself. Anytime the Lord says, don’t do that, that, it means that’s going to hurt you because he loves us and we do things to run from the Lord.

So we’re going to hurt ourselves and God doesn’t want us hurting ourselves but there’s a hedge of thorns that he puts so that it will prick you and get you back to where you ought to be. God wants us always to walk with him, to talk with him. And so he says here in verse 17, And when he came to himself, this is a few things that he didn’t lose, but anyway, he said, how many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and despair and I perish with hunger.

Hunger makes a man think a little bit. He doesn’t have a job. Nobody would give to him. See today, we have people who do wrong and then they get to go to a swanky, you know, prison someplace and they get the TV and they get all the food and three meals a day and they don’t have to pay back the person that they wronged. You see in the Bible if you wrong somebody you had to pay the person did the wrong had to pay the wrong back to the person not to the state they paid it to the person that they wronged.

So they’re not doing that today and so I don’t like some of the things that we do. I like Bible way, it seems like it works better. But it says, how many hired servants and all and I’m starving to death. So he says this in verse 18, I will arise and go to my father and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and him no more worthy to be called my son, make me as one of the hired servants.

Now, as he done learned a lesson, as he done gone down to the bottom. He has wiped out. Now he’s going to go and willing to crawl back to his daddy. So I wonder what daddy’s been doing all this time. All this time that’s passed. I wonder how daddy’s been doing. You know, daddy’s usually love the kids and want their kids to do right. We want the kids to be blessed. We want them to have the best in life, but But sometimes they make decisions that they can’t have it.

See, God blesses obedience, but He’ll chase in disobedience. So there’s always these lessons we can learn. But now remember there was two sons. The one son had stayed there. One son went away. The one that went away, he had to learn a lot of lessons. And he came back humble. He left pretty prideful, but he came back humble. God has ways of teaching us not to be lifted up with pride. when you spell the word pride, the middle letter is I and that’s usually your problem because it’s about you and you get your feelings hurt, you get exalted in your own eyes and put down other people because I am better now.

Look what he says in verse 20, and he arose and came to his father but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and ran from him and didn’t want him to come back, back. What had nothing to do with him? Is that what it says? In Luke chapter 15 and verse 20. But when he was a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion, ran, fell on his neck and kissed him. Does it sound like a father who didn’t want his son?

No. Daddy loved his son. But he came back humble. And it says in verse 21, and the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the Father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe. Put it on him. Put a ring on his hand. Shoes on his feet. Evidently he didn’t have any shoes either. Must not have had a robe. He didn’t have much.

Remember he just climbed out of a hog pen. I wonder what he smelled like. You A comes home to daddy. And daddy accepts him. It’s kind of a picture also of the way we are and the way God is. That God is willing to receive us. Remember, they had asked the question, why does Jesus sit with the sinners? Because those Pharisees wouldn’t. They wouldn’t have anything to do with a young guy like this. He’s not deserving. He’s not worthy.

But Jesus isn’t like that. He’s like a father who has a son who won a stray. And now he’s come back. And there’s another son that he had, that his son didn’t leave. And so he has a problem. There’s a self-righteous son who is a picture of the Pharisees. And so he says there in verse 25. And now his elder son was in the field. And as he came and he drew night to the house, he heard music and dancing.

He called one of the servants and asked, hey, What’s going on? In verse 27, he said unto them, “‘My brother is come, and thy father have killed the fattest calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.” And he was what? Joyful, excited for his brother. Is that what it says? No, it says he was angry. Would not go in. Now, this is what the Pharisees were doing. They separated themselves from, they’re so much better. And the one thing that you and I need to keep in mind as we go through life, in God’s eyes we’re all sinners.

No one’s any better than anybody else. Now some people have maybe done more worse things, but in God’s eyes we’ve all sinned and come short of perfection, short of God’s glory. So therefore, we should look at the Lord compare ourselves with the Lord, not compare ourselves with other people. Well, I’m better than her, or I’m better than him. No, in God’s eyes he says we have all sinned. And so he makes the statement here, he would not go in.

In verse 29, and he answering said to his father, lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, yet thou have never gave me a kid, that I may make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots thou have killed for him the fattest calf.” Look how bad he is and look what you did. It’s not right. It’s not fair. I’ve been here all the time.

So you find out, okay, what was the problem with the son? I’m better than him. You ought to treat me better than him. But the Father loves both sons. The Lord I believe loved the Pharisees, the scribes, and the publican, those old sinners. He loves the whole world. But you see, there’s some people who think that they’re just so much better than other people and they don’t need the Lord. Well, God has a way of showing us that we all need the Lord.

And so he says in verse 31, and he said unto him, son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is dine. I will meet that we should make merry.” It was meet or fit that we should make merry him. And be glad for this thy brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and now he’s found. Shouldn’t you rejoice in that? When you care about somebody else. Maybe they messed up, but don’t you have a forgiving spirit, a compassionate heart?

This is one of the things that you and I are supposed to show in our life is compassion for other people. Be impatient with people who are now where you and I once were. We didn’t know somebody helped us. There’s a lot of people hurting and we need to keep that in mind. So take your Bible and look at Luke chapter 18. That’s a good chapter. Chapter 18 of Luke. And look in verse 9. Verse 9. Here’s a story again about a self-righteous man of Pharisee and an old center.

And you look in verse 9 and says this, and he spake this parable unto certain which get this trusted in themselves that they were righteous. And what did they do? Despised others. See there? I didn’t make that up. That’s right there in the Bible. Jesus is telling this. Jesus says it. He spake this parable under certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous because they don’t see themselves the way they really are. Do you know there’s a lot of problems with just pride and envy and jealousy?

And sins that you sometimes you can’t see externally. But there’s a lot of people who have a lot of sins of the mind, but they don’t perform anything. They can be just as mean and ugly and hateful as somebody who actually says, I hate you. And somebody else can hate you too, but they didn’t say it, so he’s right just and that was not. God looks at the heart and the heart of man is deceitful. everybody sins. Everybody has problems.

Nobody is exempt. The most godliest person you know is still a sinner. The preacher sinner. Deacons and elders sinner s, even their wives. Don’t tell my wife I said that though. But look what he says here in verse 10. Two men, two men, you always got to have the comparison to to teach something. Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one of Pharisees, the other are a publican. See the difference? It’s always showing you the contrast.

A Pharisee, in verse 11, he says, the Pharisee stood and he prayed thus with himself because evidently he’s not talking to God, he’s just talking to himself to hear himself talk. Some people pray but they’re mimicking and quoting something or, you know, repetition, as the Bible says in Matthew chapter 6, vain repetition. And he talks about making long pretense and prayer to be heard of other people. And they’re not talking to God at all. They ain’t nothing but a show.

It’s better to have a humble heart where you talk to the Lord and maybe nobody knows what you’re saying. They don’t hear you and you don’t pray publicly. you just pray silently. But this Pharisee stood to pray, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are. Well, isn’t that a wonderful thing? I’m so glad I’m not like everybody. But you are very fortunate to have somebody like me. You are lucky. Is that sound a little arrogant?

I mean, egotistical? I’m glad we don’t have anybody like that here. He says, I think that I am not as other men are extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and even as this publican. I fast, now you didn’t say Republican now, that’s not a Republican and a Democrat here. It was a tax collector. Everybody despises tax collectors. How many of y’all are really in love with the IRS? Don’t, no we got a camera on it. But that’s tax collectors, nobody likes tax collectors.

because they always want more than we’re supposed to pay. And then sometimes it’s so hard and difficult for us to be so godly and holy and then pay all those taxes. And we’re always looking for a loophole how to get out of paying more than in my share. But anyway, he says here in verse 12, “‘I fast twice in the week.” Means two days out of the week, I don’t even eat. I fast. And I give tithes of all that I possess.

Now, is this being said so that other people can hear you pray? Look how great I am, look what I do. And he says, I do all the, and this public and standing the far off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. But smote upon his breasts and God be merciful to me a sinner. Now he knows he was a sinner, and he just wanted God’s mercy. The other man prays because he’s demanding from God because, look, I am so good.

I deserve. I deserve. And there’s so a lot of people who think they’re going to go to heaven because they deserve to go to heaven. And those other bad people, they deserve to go to hell. Well, I’m glad I’m not like them. But God’s Word says, not of works. any man should boast. Any man should what? Both. But what does a self-righteous person do?

Boast. He brags about how righteous he is. A sinner, if it wasn’t for the grace of God and the mercy of God, I’d be going to hell. What am I today? I am a sinner saved by grace. And if you’re not saved by grace, you’re not saved. Grace means unmerited. You didn’t deserve to be saved. Nobody in this room are watching on the Internet. No one has ever deserved to be saved. We’re saved by grace, unmerited. So that means that you do not earn eternal life by going to church, giving money, praying, fasting, all those are things that all there might be nice to do, but they will not get your little pinkies one inch closer to the pearly gates.

You’ll go to heaven only because God loved you. He paid for your sins. And all you had to do to go to heaven was believe He did it for you. So when you believe He did it for you, He gives you eternal life. You did not earn it. You did not work for it. You did not deserve it in any way, shape or form. So God will save the person that will trust Him. See, there are some people that God can’t save.

God can’t save the people who are trying to save themselves. He only saved those who trust Him because they realize they cannot save themselves. So you have people who are trying to save themselves because they think they can. You have other people who know they can’t save themselves so they trust the Lord. Now which is the best? To spend all your life trying to save yourself and God’s already says, it’s not by works. Like a guy who spent 20 years of his life climbing the ladder, Finally gets to the top and find out was leaning on the wrong wall.

And that’s where a lot of people are. They’ll find out they have wasted their whole lives. Now look what he says down here in verse 14, I tell you, Jesus says this, this man, referring to the sinner, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalted himself shall be a based. And he that humbled himself shall be exalted. To trust in works is to exalt yourself. To trust in Christ is to humble yourself. So there’s a lot of people who are exalting themselves.

And you say, where are you going today? Well, I’m going to heaven. Why? Because I go to church, because I’m a deacon, because I sing in the choir, because I, I, I, I, if it depends on you, you don’t go. You only get to go to heaven you a trusted Christ in Him alone, as your only hope of going to heaven. Now look there in the book of Luke chapter 19, see we’re just kind of moving right along here.

In Luke chapter 19 you’ll notice there in verse 1, there’s a story given here about a little feller. But now He’s not just a tax collector, He’s the chief of of the tax collectors. Now he’s the head honcho. What did they do that was so bad? Well, they generally collected more than they were supposed to collect and then they would keep a portion without ever reporting it. So they were extortioners. They took money that didn’t belong to them. I’m glad we don’t have people like that today.

They do things like this. So in chapter 19 and verse 1, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now, there really is a place called Jericho. I’ve been there six times and I enjoy going to Jericho. I’ve even looked where the walls fell and looked and saw the remains and how they were, they fell. All the stuff that makes it interesting just like the Bible says, but there’s a place called Jericho. 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. Without the thoughtful gifts and prayers of our listeners, we 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 looking up.