This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

One of the most difficult things that preachers have is trying to use the physical, the material the material that people do see and understand in order to teach the spiritual things which they cannot see nor understand. Christ went through this all the time, trying to get people to understand spiritual truths. Take your Bible and turn to the gospel of John chapter 6 and verse 63. In verse 63 it is the spirit that quickeneth or makes alive. The flesh profiteth nothing.

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. But some of you, there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believe not and who should betray Him. And He says, therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except that we’re given Him unto my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. It’s easy to get crowds.

It’s easy to get people, but it’s not that easy to get people to walk with the Lord. You see anybody, if they can get people to come out, they look like a very successful pastor or preacher because they can get crowds. But without that That person’s personality generally amounts to nothing. Will you walk with God because of who God is? And if somebody asked you, what do you believe? What do you believe? Well I believe the whole Bible. What does the Bible say?

I don’t know what it says, but whatever it says, I believe it. And I believe every word of it. But many people don’t know the Bible. I believe what my preacher tells me, but they don’t know what the book says. Your faith is not anchored in the rock. Unless you know what the rock says and what he teaches and hang on to that and believe that. Take your Bible and turn to the Gospel of John chapter 1, the Gospel of John and chapter I want you to notice some of the simplicity that Christ spoke concerning the most difficult thing in all the world for people to understand.

What’s the most difficult thing in all the world for people to understand? How to go to heaven? How to go to heaven? It’s the simplest, but most complicated and most difficult for most people. believe that you have to do many things in order to go to heaven. But Jesus Christ, who was the Lord who came here into this world, says how to get to heaven and how to keep from going to hell. Every Christian needs to understand this so that you can share the gospel with people.

Just recently I’ve had several people that I’ve had the privilege of leading to Christ that not long afterwards have passed away. Sometime I think, am I glad that I did witness when I did. I was, I’ll confess a sin to you. I said, oh, if I confess one of my sins to you. Yesterday morning I got a phone call and says, um, Yankee got a lot of things to do, but I got time for about nine holes of golf.

He said, you want to go walk nine holes of God? I said, I’ll walk nine holes of golf. I need to get up and do a little walking. So I went and played nine holes of God. After the first two holes, this man caught up to us and was going to join in with us so now we have threesome. And we was hitting along and doing all right, but I noticed that every time that man hit his golf ball, Milton hit his golf ball right where that man hit Yes.

I don’t think he planned it that way, but whatever that man hid his golf ball, that’s where Milton hid his golf ball. I would be completely on the different side, wherever they went, I went the other way. After about four holes of this, I realized that that man went out of bounds. Milton hid his ball and came probably within a few feet of going out of bounds, right? That’s where that man was. Mine went the other direction. And so all the time in my mind, I’m trying to figure out whenever I can get time, we walk together, like you always ask a person this question.

Do you know where you’re going when you die? That’s wonderful. I asked a guy right before he used to golf ball. So I was starting over to my golf ball and I was getting further away, but I heard somebody say to this man, do you know where you’re going when you die? And I thought Milton Hale, I was going to get him. And so the guy answered back, I hope so. Milton always likes to use this 100%. I don’t worry, he got 100%.

He always likes to use 100%. Do you know 100% that you’re going to heaven when he died? The guy says, I hope so. He said, that don’t sound like 100% to me, does it? And so I went on to my golf ball and I’m trying to hear, and Milton’s out there explaining the gospel to the man, man trusts the Lord. Do you realize that man may die tomorrow or the next day? We never know when. When you explain the gospel to somebody, it may be the last opportunity they’ll ever have to hear the gospel and trust Christ as their Savior.

But if that’s one guy can do that and Milton’s not a preacher, but he can preach the gospel, you don’t have to be behind the pulpit to preach the gospel. You can give the people the gospel on a golf course where you work in a nursing home or a hospital or anywhere. Everybody that knows Christ as their Savior can explain to somebody how to be saved. Did you know that that’s one of the things that God wants every one of us to do in our midst of serving the Lord to give out tracks and talk to people about where they’re going to spend eternity?

Because you see, every man’s going to die. And the thing is, is where they’re going to go when they die. That will help you as a Christian to grow stronger and faster than anything else is your concern or compassion for lost folks. Now look there in John chapter 1. Look how simple this statement is in verse 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, specifically or even to them that believe on his name.

He came unto his own, his own received him not but as many as received him. Now that means the very moment that you trust Christ as your Savior, you become God’s child. And if you’re God’s child, God says you have eternal life and he’ll never cast you out, never lose you. Look there in John chapter one and look in verse 29. Verse 29, the next day John seeeth Jesus coming unto him and sayeth behold the Lamb of God which takeeth away the sin of the world, the sin of the world.

Now when he makes this statement he’s also giving the gospel that there’s somebody that’s going to take away the sin of the world. That means everybody in the world, everybody that’s here, everybody listen to the radio. Everybody in the world, Christ came to die to take away the sins of the whole world. All that you have to do is to believe that He did it for you. Look there in John chapter 3. John chapter 3, here is a simple story about a man named Nicodemus.

The Bible says in verse 1, Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and He said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou do, except God be with him. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was offended by that statement.

He didn’t know what Christ meant by that statement. To tell a grown man you’ve got to be born again. You know what he thought? He asked, how can a man, when he is old, enter into his mother’s womb and be born again? So now Christ is having to use something that’s physical to explain something that’s spiritual. So he made the statement here in verse 5, Verily, verily I send to you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

So a man must be born again by the Holy Spirit of God. The water of the washing of the water by the word itself, believe in that the words that Christ spoke. And when you hear the words and believe it, the words give to you eternal life. He says, the words that I speak are eternal life. And when you hear the words and believe it, the words give to you eternal life. That’s why it’s always he that believe it, he that believe it.

Believing the words. that he spoke those are eternal life. And so he made the statement here in verse 6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Your first birth, your flesh birth is born of the flesh. You live, you die. And then he says that which is born of the spirit is spirit. That means whenever you trust Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit of God takes the words that Christ speaks. And when you believe that the Holy Spirit your plants those into your heart and you’re born again, a new birth born into God’s family, the very moment that you believe that Christ died and paid for your sins and you’re trusting Him as your Savior, you’re born into God’s family.

Look how simple He tries to make it. Christ, God Himself, trying to help a person to understand a simple truth in verse 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, But whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have eternal life. Everybody has heard of John 3 16. You’ll notice in verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Now look up here. You’ll notice every once in a while I’ll always have nothing but a gospel sermon. I like to read the gospel through every message, but sometimes just on the gospel because I don’t want people to forget the most important thing of all. Christians need to hear over and over again so that they are reminded that they are supposed to be telling people this most wonderful news. This hand represents you and me, this represents sin, and this represents Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, for God so loved the world, that you and me, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever anybody, open invitation or whosoever, believe it in Him. That means you believe that He died, paid for all of your sins. He says, you shall not perish. That means you will not, in the future, you cannot go to hell. But half everlasting life means that you will go to heaven whenever you die. John 3 16, so simple.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Notice what he says in verse 18. Verse 18 is very important for every Christian to understand so that you can explain it to the people that don’t know it. Now look what he says in verse 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned when. Already why is he condemned already?

Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. When you believe on Jesus Christ, when you believe that he did this for you, the Bible says you are not condemned. But those that do not believe this, they’re already condemned. just waiting for the day of execution, the wrath of God already abides upon them. And that’s why those who believe on Christ are delivered from that condemnation. See there in verse 36, he that believe it on the Son hath, present tense, hath right now, what, everlasting life.

And he that believeth not the sun. See the world is divided into two groups and it’s not rich and poor. It’s the saints and the aunts. It’s those who believe and those who do not believe. He that believeth hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the sun shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. And you’re only waiting for that day when you leave this world and you’re open your eyes in eternity in hell. That is what is clearly taught in the Word of God.

And so the Bible says Christ uses all the illustrations trying to help a person to understand these spiritual truths. Now look there in chapter 4. He comes to a woman. The person was a man. A man that was a very religious man. And this very religious man, What did Christ tell him? You need to be born again. Well how did you get born again? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. He quotes John 3 16, was talked to Nicodemus.

Now he comes to a woman. But what about this woman? Oh this wasn’t a religious woman. This was not the godly woman like Nicodemus was. This was a woman that nobody wanted anything to do with. This woman was a heartache and married five times and was now living with a man that wasn’t her husband. So what’s wrong with that? Everybody does that today. If it was wrong then, is it still wrong today? Yes, it’s still wrong. You’d be surprised how many people are living together and are not married.

It is a sin, it is wicked, it’s ungodly, and it’s not based on love but lust. It’s not based upon responsibility. God says that this woman had been married five times and was living with a man that was not her husband. So how do you know that? It was just a guess. Look in verse 18 of chapter 4. Christ talking to the woman says, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hath is not thy husband, and that sayest thou truly.

So that means a woman wouldn’t live in with a man, weren’t married. You’re not going to believe this. But I know Christian men living with women that are not their wives, living together outside of wedlock. Is it wrong? wrong, wicked. And it’s not right. So the people, what do they need to do? Can they be cast into hell? No, no. Because once they’ve trusted Christ as their Savior, then God’s child forever. But God will chasten them, God will discipline them, and perhaps even take them home before their time.

But whatever the Bible says that a Christian will be judged according to their works, and they They were suffer the loss of what they could have had. And yes, it will be softer, it will be hurt, it will be pain, there will be tears, there will be anguish and weeping and gnashing of teeth. When a Christian finds out what he has cost himself an eternity, going to heaven, oh that’s free, because that’s based upon what Christ did for you.

But every Christian should live as godly as they possibly can. Now notice, he says there in verse 10, when he came to this woman. Jesus answered and said to her, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that sayeth to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldeth of asketh him and he would have given thee living water. He said, if you only knew who I was and what I have, I’m God and I have the gift of eternal life to give to anybody who will believe on me.

And this woman says, give to me this water that you’re talking about.” So he says there in verse 13, Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. He made salvation so simple that this woman who was living in sin could understand. Yes, even Christ can forgive her of all that she’s done, he still loves her and he would give her eternal life and he used the object of water.

Just like you drink the water to refresh your body. He said, I’ve got some water that when you take it, you’ll never have to drink again because one little drink will do you. You know that commercial, you take and eat one potato chip and you just can’t eat just when you got to have another one. Well this is one swallow of water that will satisfy. I was saved and guess what? I’ve never had to get saved again and I’ll never have to get saved again in the future because one drink was sufficient for the rest of my life because he gave me eternal life.

In the last part of verse 14, but the water that I give him shall be in him a will of water springing up into everlasting life. Turn in your Bible there to the gospel of John chapter 5, chapter 5. And notice there in verse 24, verily, verily means truthfully, truthfully. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hearth my word and believeth on him that sent me half present tense right now, half everlasting life. If you will hear the words and his words are eternal life.

And when you hear his words and believe on his word of what he said about how you are to get to heaven, then God said he will give you eternal life and get the rest of this verse. And believe it on him that sent me half everlasting life. That means you have it now. And shall not, that means in the future, tomorrow the rest of your life, in the future, shall not be condemned, never be condemned. But has passed from death unto life.

That means that when I trust the Christ as my Savior, God saved me, gave me eternal life, and He promises in His Word, I can never be condemned in the future. No condemnation. Never to be condemned means I can never be lost in the future. any preacher, any preacher who teaches that you can lose your salvation, believes in worth for salvation. And if they believe you can lose your salvation, they don’t understand the gospel. That man is a false teacher.

Christ is the one He says, I forgive you of all your sins. I give to you eternal life and you shall never perish, never perish. You can never be condemned again. Look in verse 39. As he talks to these verses, he says, search the scriptures for in them. You think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me that you might have what? Life. Search the scriptures. You can search that Bible all your life and read that book.

And you can study this book and quote the whole Bible. But if you don’t go to Christ and trust Him for eternal life you don’t have eternal life because He says the scriptures talks about me. You can’t have eternal life without Christ. And if you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you’re not saved. It is so simple. Take your Bible and turn there to the gospel of John in chapter 6. In verse 37 Jesus Christ made this statement.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that come up to me I will know wise cast out.” Now look up here a simple illustration I’ve showed you before but one more time. This is the Lord. This is you and me. A lot of people believe that they must hang on to God in order to go to heaven. If they get a good grip on God they went forward in the church they pray through, hung on, and hang on to God, and they’re going to go to heaven as long as they hang on.

And if they start slipping away, and now they’re lost, and got to get saved again. Now, they’re saved again. And then if they do something wrong, then they lose their salvation, now they’re lost again, and got to get saved again. You see, this is not the Bible. This is a person trying to save themselves by their own strength. And so they think as long as they do all these good deeds and they go to church and they live right and pray through and all these good deeds, they’re going to be saved, but if they do anything wrong, if they start sinning in their life, then they lose their salvation.

That’s not the Bible. That’s religion and religion will not work. I’m against religion. Christ teaches, he will save me. Now I am in his hands. He said, he will never cast me out for no reason. He said he will never lose me. He said that I am in his hands and no man can pluck you out of his hand. Now if I cannot be cast out, I cannot be lost in any way and I can’t get out of his hand, how can I ever be lost again?

I can’t for no reason because my security is based upon his strength. He’s the Savior. He is taking me to heaven. I’m not taking me there. He’s taking me there. He’s the Savior, not me. I’m trusting him and he said, if I trust him, he will guarantee me eternal life now because it depends upon his promise, his work, and he’s God and he can’t lie. That’s why once you trust Christ is you’re saving, you’re saved for how long? You’re saved forever and he’ll never cast you out.

Look there in verse 39 and this is the Father’s will which you have sent me that of all which you have to give him, I should lose how many? Nothing. Never lose you. Now look in verse 48. Verily, verily I send you he that believeth on me. Believeth on me. half everlasting life. The very moment you believe on Jesus Christ, God gives to you eternal life and you become his child for all eternity. These great truths that we have just covered.

After he said all of this… They couldn’t understand what he’s talking about. When Christ says that I am the bread of heaven, it means all the world is hungry and needs to be fed, but not just with physical food. There’s an emptiness in every person. There’s a vacuum in every individual that can only be satisfied with the bread from heaven. Everything else is a substitute. You can try everything you want to, chase all your little dreams and all of them end up with nothing but soap bubbles.

They pop in your hand, they leave you empty. Christ is the only thing that will truly satisfy. That’s why he says in verse 48, I am that bread of life. I’m that bread of life. Taste and see that the Lord is good, but they couldn’t understand something so complicated. So he says, all right, if you eat my flesh and drink my blood, do you understand that? They got offended at that. Does somebody would say something so gross like that?

What do you mean? He says, the words that I speak are life. The Spirit gives them life. When you hear the word and believe it on him that sent you, sent him, God says that you are saved that very moment and shall not come into condemnation. The greatest truth in all the world. This truth that we’re talking about right now, there is no message, no story, so great as this one. Nothing in the world is as important as this story.

It’s called the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news on how a man can be saved and be sure of going to heaven when every dies. One more time, you and me sin, we’ve all sin. The Bible says that we committed it and we ought to pay for it and that means eternal separation from God in hell. Now God loves you. He wants you to go to heaven and to go to heaven you have to be perfect. This is righteous as God and none of us are.

That’s why we all come short of perfection. We need to be saved because you can’t save yourself. If you don’t get a savior before you die, you go to hell. Hope I’m making it clear. That’s why you need a savior and there’s only one. No man comes unto the Father except through Him. You reject Him. You can’t go. You reject Christ. You can’t have eternal life. You reject Him and you’ll spend eternity in hell. But he came because he loves you.

He hates your sin so he took it and paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead, and said if you’ll believe that he did that for you, he’ll give you as a free gift everlasting life, and you’ll go to heaven on what Christ did for you. Let’s pray shall we? Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr.

Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man.

The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. 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.