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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 concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

Now take your Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 1. Just turn to your left there, just a few pages. pages, the Hebrews chapter 1. And notice what he says here in verse 3. Verse 3 is a wonderful verse to show you that there is no such place as purgatory. It’s not in the Bible. But notice what he does say about something that’s very important. See there in verse 3 referring to Jesus Christ who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power when he, Christ, had by himself purged our sins.

He already did that. He did that. Set down because the work was done. You see, you don’t have to go to a place and have people pray that you get out or pay money to shorten your time there. That’s religion, but it’s not in the Bible. People may mean well, but it’s just not the book. Because see, when you believe that it’s by your works, what not you’re open to determine what kind of works. And this is what separates all the religions.

They require different things, but they still require it. You see, not all religions require exactly the same thing, but whatever it is, it’s what you have to do. And that’s the poison. To go to heaven, there’s nothing that you have to do except trust Christ as your Savior. other than that makes it a false message. So should we join the church? Should we live right? Yeah, not to get to heaven. Going to heaven is free. It’s the gift of God.

That’s to show us how much God loves us. What we do because of that is to show how much we love God, but we don’t have to love God to go to heaven. We’re going to heaven because God so loved the world. God loved us. We should love him, but a lot of people don’t love God. They love themselves. You can love your church and not love God. You love the preacher and not love God. Well, sorry, a little bit, but it ain’t going to help you none.

Not of words. Now take your Bible and look in the book of Acts 13. Acts 13. Acts 13, these two verses will knock your socks off. These are awesome verses. They are very, very important because you see some people believe that Peter was the first pope. Okay, let’s just go along with that there because that’s not going to be a heaven and hell issue whether you believe it or not. I don’t believe it, some people do. I don’t believe it was ever in Rome, some people do.

But you’ll find out that Peter and Paul preached the same message. Well, see, well, they’re able to forgive people their sins. And when Jesus met His disciples and He told them and He says, and you can forgive people of their sins and whoever sins you forgive, they’re forgiven and whoever they are retained, they are retained and blah, blah, blah. So it looks like a few chosen people have the power to forgive sins. It looks good. Sounds good. But you ought to see what the Bible actually said.

So whenever he told them that, the book of Acts explains what he meant because watch what they said. Look what they said and how they said it to let you know what he was talking about and what that really means. In Acts chapter 13, look at verse 38, where he makes the statement, be it known unto you. Therefore men and brethren that through this man referring to Christ is preached unto you what? The forgiveness of sin. So something that you preach, a message that they will hear, they can have their sins forgiven.

Not anything they have to do, but something that they can believe. If they will believe this. And then look at the next verse. And by him, Christ, all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, not by your work. but you could be justified by just believing. Just believing. No works. He says, which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. That means keeping the law. That means trying to earn something, God says, it’s free.

Christ died for my sins. Why? So that I wouldn’t have to pay for my sins. Well, if I have no sins to pay for them, I have no hell to look to. I’m going to heaven because God loved me so much that He paid for all of Yankee Arnold sins. Many as they may be, but He loved me that much. And it be spitting in His face to say that wasn’t good enough. I got to help. Here’s a quarter.

That way I can say, I helped. No, you didn’t help. God don’t want our help. Doesn’t need our help. You couldn’t save yourself before and you can’t save yourself. Now, that’s why we needed a Savior. I hope people understand what I’m saying. I’m, it just gets me. Look down to the last paragraph on this page. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man come unto the Father but by me.

Salvation is not in a church. Salvation is not in a religion. Salvation is not in a denomination. Those are made by man and they can’t save. This church can’t save you. You say, I don’t have to join this church to go to heaven? No, it might be better off if you didn’t. But anyway, salvation is in a person. Look at the rest of it. It’s not in the Mormon church. It’s not in a Protestant church. It’s not in the Catholic church.

Salvation is in a person. You must accept the person. Jesus Christ as your savior. and nobody else can do that for you. The priest can’t do that for you. A nun can’t do that for you. Our elders can’t do that for you. Our deacons can’t do that for you. Our ushers, we know they can’t do that for you. Nobody can do it for you. It’s an individual decision. Will you believe that when Christ died, He died for my sins.

If He died for my sins, then that payment He made for my sins. I have a payment for my sins. I don’t have any sins to pay for. He did it for me. That’s why I’m going to heaven when I die. That’s the good news is that now that I have a payment for all of my sins, I couldn’t go to hell if I tried. I haven’t tried, but whenever I trusted him as my savior, he promised to give me something.

What was he gonna give me that would last forever? Eternal life. So he gave me eternal life 55 years ago when I trusted him. Well, 55 years later, would I still have it? He gave it to me as a gift. Well, 55 years from now, I’ll be pretty old, but I’ll still have eternal life, wouldn’t I? It can’t be taken away. He can’t take it back from me. He gave it to me as a gift, no strings attached. See, all these religions, they got strings attached.

You either do this or you don’t get this. You’ve got to keep these rules or you don’t get it, and all of them are going to take it away from you. If you don’t obey their rules and regulations, that’s why it’s a curse and not a blessing. Because most religions that depend upon their work, they don’t know for sure where they’re going when they die. The only way you can be sure, it was totally free. No strings attached. And that’s such good news.

You and I should understand that there is a way for you and I to be cleansed of all of our sins. We’ve all done things wrong. God doesn’t want anybody in heaven with a sinful nature. And all of us have one. Now what are we gonna do? So God says, I’ll give you a new birth. So when you trusted Christ as your Savior, He didn’t change your first birth, He gave you a new one. You’re born of God, then you become a child of God.

Everyone born into the world are not the children of God. There’s not the fatherhood of God. No, no, no. God is your creator, your creature created by him, but you’re not his child. He is not your father, till you’re born into his family. So the day you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were born into God’s family. Now, in Colossians in chapter 2, I think you ought to look at that verse in the Bible because you’ll say, that’s not in the Bible.

Yes, it is, and I want you to see it. The book of Colossians, Al-Aashians chapter 2. This is truly an awesome, awesome verse. See a lot of religion, they don’t teach the Bible. They won’t put a Bible in your hand or make it a poem. They just tell you what it says. And the people never learn the Bible. You see, one of the things that we do here that’s a little bit different, we want you to look at your Bible.

Look at the Bible. Look at what the verse says. If it doesn’t say that, then that’s one thing. And if it says that, the problem isn’t between you and me, the problem between you and what God says. So I’m not against anybody. I’m just trying to help you. Hey, this is what the Bible says. Prove it doesn’t say that. It does say this. So you see in Colossians 2, Luke what he says in verse 13, and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your heart or flesh hath he quick and her made a life together with Him having forgiven you, God on the line this, having forgiven you how many trespasses?

See when you sin, you trespass, you overstep the boundary, you’ve broken the law. God has forgiven you all of them. So if God has forgiven me all of them, why do I have to confess my sins to a priest. You’re dumb. But it sounds good and it means power. It’s mysterious. It’s like I can do something that you need me. You need me. I can tell you right now you don’t need me. You need this. But I can help you a little bit by telling you what it says.

Would it be great if all preachers preach the truth of the gospel and all the religions, all those churches, all over the world, if If they all preached the same thing, if they believed the same thing, they would know they have eternal life. Well, what burns me is they’re lying to the people and keeping them blinded. And the difference is heaven and hell. Now that’s serious. It’s not a game. Look what else he says in verse 14. Blotting out the hand right in the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

In other words, I did this not long ago, but I’ll show you. all those things that you’ve done. I’ve got a pen up here and I’m writing down all the bad things you do. You may have got some more paper. And I’m writing down all these bad things you do. Well God says all these sins of yours, when Christ went to the cross, He took everything you’ve ever done, all the things that were against you that would keep you from getting into heaven.

He took it and nailed it to His cross and He died and paid for all of your And the only thing he wants you to do is will you believe he did it for you? And if you will believe that and rest upon that payment that he made, you get to go to heaven. And you can say, I know I have eternal life. I know I’m going to heaven because of what Christ has done on the cross for me.

Now look there in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14. Just turn to your right just a few pages. The book of Hebrews. chapter 10, these are awesome verses that you need to understand. And notice what it says here in verse 14, chapter 10 verse 14 says, 4 by get this one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Those who trust Christ as their Savior, they have been made pure and holy because God like washed them all their sins away.

You’ve been made pure and holy. Now if you look at me, you see an old sinful man. And I look at you, I do too. But in God’s eyes, God has taken all of our sins away. Remove the stain of sin, gave us a snoop birth, and he sees me as his child, a perfect child of God, and I’m good enough to go to heaven. You see, people who are trying to earn their way to heaven by their good works won’t work because the payment was made but the payment is not put to your account till you believe that he did it for you.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that hosts so ever what? Believe it. When you believe it, that payment he made put to your account and God sees you without your sin. Now is that good news? Is that good news? That’s good news. That’s what he’s talking about. Now look there in verse 11, look in verse 11, because many times when they have mass and the priest offers mass, they say the bread or the wine becomes a literal body and so forth in the blood of Christ and it’s called trans-estentiation at how you receive Christ in you and so forth.

It’s like another sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Not good. Look what it says in verse 11, and every priest, they did this in the Old Testament, and there’s people who still call themselves priests, and they’re doing it today. And he says in verse 11, and every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering, oftentimes the same sacrifice, which can, what does it say? Never take away sin. All the mass. Never take away sin. Whatever it can do, it cannot take away sin.

You see that? Regardless, nothing else. It can’t take away your sin. And what’s the purpose of all of it to take away your sin? But it can’t. So that’s why it’s so important. Now I want to give you these two verses before we close. Look there in the book of Acts in chapter eight. The book of Acts and chapter eight. But to understand something, and I may be misusing this verse just a tad, but I want you to see the impact of what it does say.

This is in the book of Acts in chapter eight, and look at it in verse 20. I believe that there was a man named Simon here, who had trusted the Lord, he believed it. But he also wanted the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to do miracles like somebody else was doing, and he was even willing to pay for it. He makes his statement here in verse 22, repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

What did he do that was so bad? What did he do that was so wrong? Well, he says up here in verse 20, Peter said unto him, thy money perish with thee because here’s that, thou hath thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Now just understand this. Are there people today that think that the gift of God, eternal life, can be purchased with money. And by their money, they’re buying something from God. Or they think their good works is purchasing salvation.

They’re kind of earned their way to heaven by what they do, what they give. And God says, no way. You were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. That’s how you were redeemed. That’s what paid for our sin. And I think it’s wrong for somebody to try to manipulate the message of the gospel, adding things to it, stripping things from it, and making it something that’s terrible because the gospel is the best news in the whole world.

It’s the news that everybody should hear. Now let me give you this one because this was here in the book of Acts. We already looked in the book of Acts chapter 13 about Paul. Now let’s close with the one about Peter and I believe it’s important that do we see what he says here. Look at Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. What did you starts there in verse 34. I want you to see verse 34 also. Because I want you to see who’s speaking here.

If Peter was, if he was the first pope, you need to understand what he said. Now I don’t believe that he was the first pope because they said the pope was not supposed to be married. And we know that Jesus healed his mother-in-law. And I think it’s a shame if a man gets a mother-in-law Well, I get in the wife. So looking verse 34, verse 34, he says, then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth, I proceed that God is no respecter of persons.

Then you go down through here and you notice what he says. He’s given the gospel and now notice what he says here about Jesus Christ. And verse 41, not to all the people but unto witnesses chosen before of God. These are those he witnessed to after his resurrection from the dead. And verse 42, and he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead, the living and the dead.

And verse 43, and to him give all the prophets witness. That means the Old Testament prophets preached this. Now he’s preaching this that through his name, Jesus, whosoever anybody, believe it, that’s all it says, in Him shall what? He said, shall receive remission of sins. It means your sins are taken away. You did them. I did them. We’re guilty, but we don’t have to pay for them. Somebody stepped in and took my punishment. And he made that payment for everybody in the whole world and says, go into all the world and preach the gospel.

It’s good news. How their sins can be forgiven if they would only believe. See, if you really believe that He did that for you and you trust Him as your Savior, and there’s a lot of things you have to realize, I don’t have to do this to go to heaven. I don’t have to go to church to go to heaven. I don’t have to give money to go to heaven. I don’t have to live right to go to heaven.

I’m a sinner. That’s what I am. Christ died for sinners. And I know it may be not sound right, but this is not my design. I didn’t write this book. But if this book says this, this is what the book says. I believe this book. Look up here, just a minute. I want you to see this. This puts everything in perspective. This hand right here represent you and me. This wallet represents sin. Everybody is a sinner. Everybody. There is no righteous people in this world.

We’ve all done things wrong, everybody. The Bible says we committed the sin and we have to pay for it. And the wages of sin is death. Eternal separation from God. So the world is guilty and we’re just waiting for the day of execution when we leave this world. We were born in sin. We live in sin. We die in sin. We’re going to hell. But God says, I love you. I want you to go to heaven. I want you to live with man.

He says in heaven, he says, it’s a perfect place. It’s perfect. I’m perfect and I want you to come, but you’re not perfect. In other words, it’s a way of God saying, you’re not good enough to come. You can’t come, God, if you come, you’re gonna be bringing that with you. And I hate sin. God is holy. And so therefore he says, because of sin, we can’t get in. So he says, you cannot earn eternal life. You can’t change the situation.

If you started being good from now on, What you’re going to do with what you’ve already done. You already messed up. We’re all sinners, but God loves us. And this is part I want everybody to understand. God loves you. I’m not talking about your religion. I’m not talking about our religion. I don’t even like religion. I’m not talking about a denomination or headquarters. I’m just talking about God so loved the world that he did something about it. And this hand representing Jesus Christ.

He’s the Lord God in the flesh. Remember we said there was a few things that we all believe the same? Well, they believe there’s a God I believe that. They believe Jesus was God I believe that. Jesus is born of a version, I believe that too. And they also believe that the Bible is true, I believe that. They believe there’s a heaven and hell, I believe that too. So those things we do believe. But let me show you something that’s been a stumbling block.

You see, when you add works to the gospel, you stumble. You stumble over grace. You stumble over Christ when you add works in it because the pride of man, the ego of man wants to say, well, I got to do something. You got to earn it. You can’t tell me all those bad people can go to heaven too. You’re one of them. Well, all those hypocrites. Yeah, you too. There is no difference in God’s eyes. We’ve all sinned. This hand represents Christ.

Came into the world. He had no sin, didn’t didn’t have to die, but he loves us and he says our sin separates us from them. So I can’t get to God. God can’t even get to me because sin separates. So Jesus Christ took all the sin of all the world, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And he said that if you and I, if we would believe he did that for us, he would put this payment to our account.

I go to heaven on what he did for me, what he did for me. I’m not going to heaven on what I do for him. What I do for him had nothing to do with me getting to heaven. I’m going to heaven because of what he did on the cross for me. I did not pay for my sins. gesto he did it as my substitute. Why did he do that? Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

Now whosoever, believe it than him, should not perish, means he won’t go to heaven. But have everlasting life, we go to heaven because of what Jesus Christ did for us. That’s the best news in all the world. Every person can know their going to heaven. And the only way you can know it is that it doesn’t depend on you. If it depends on how you live, you just give yourself a reason to doubt whether you’ll ever make it. I’m glad that it doesn’t depend on me one eye older.

I’m going to heaven because God loved me so much He did this for me. And He did it for you. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed, every eye closed. By the way, part two on this tonight. And I’ll also have some more notes. But if you’re here tonight or this morning and right now, and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I’m not asking you to stand up or come forward. I’m not asking you to sign the card, make a pledge or promise.

I don’t want anything from you. I want to have prayer for you. And I like to pray for those who say, preacher, that made sense to me. And this morning I will trust Christ as my Savior. I’m not asking you to stop or join anything. I just want you right where you are to be honest between you and God. If you were to die right now, are you positive you’d go to heaven? If you’re not sure, would you right now say, that made sense to me and I’m going to trust Christ as my Savior this morning.

And friend, if you will do so, God said he would save you right now, give you eternal life. And you can say, when you get up, I’m going to heaven because today I trusted Christ as my Savior. I believe He died and paid for my sins. I don’t have to pay for them. He paid for them. And if you’ll believe that, I’ll like to have prayer for you. So it hit by a nice close. And one of the things I’ll say, yes, that made sense to me.

Now I’ll trust Christ as my Savior. And pray for me. Just slip your hand very quickly and go right back down. I’m not going to ask you to come forward. I’m not going to embarrass you. But right where you’re sitting. So you can’t go wrong because you’re not. This is between you and God. You can’t go wrong by trusting the only true and living God there is. You may have heard about it all your life, but never trusted him.

Never really believed that he did it for you. Maybe you trust the church, you can trust the preacher, you can trust so many things. You’re good works, but have you really trusted Christ before we close? One last chance. Anyone else? Yes, that made sense to me. I’m going to trust Christ right now as my Savior and preach a life you to pray for. slip you in it very quickly, put it right back down. You weren’t all, you weren’t all.

Our Father, we thank You again for Your blessings. Thank for all You’ve done for us. We’re thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Good News. It’s the only thing that really separates, helps people to see and understand what they’re trusting in. The gospel is such good news for every individual. And Father, for anyone here that is not trusting You as Savior, Lord, I pray that they really not have peace and joy until they come to know you. And follow for those that might be watching by the internet, that they would trust you as Savior also.

And Lord, we know that there’s many people that watch. We thank You for all You’ve done for us. Help us as a church to be thankful of what You’ve done for us. And we’re not going to heaven because of good things we’ve done, but because of what You did for us. Christ in the Christ. Have you heard about Bibleline Institute, the online Bible College of Bibleline Ministries? There are 11 different Bible College courses to choose from, and for this month we’d like to give you a free enrollment to the class Cult Evangelism 1 taught by Dr.

Arnold. For your gift to Bibleline Ministries in any amount, you’ll have full use of the 10-hour course which you can access whenever you like, and as often as you’d like, it’s all online. The classes include video instruction, lecture notes and quizzes if you’d like to submit and again it’s all online. When you send in your gift, please include your email address and we’ll enroll you in the class, Cult Evangelism 1. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

Again don’t forget to include your email address or contact information. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bible Life. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.