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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.

They weren’t very happy about this situation, and that’s why Jesus said this. And Jesus said in verse 16, here’s what these say, and Jesus said, and then, have ye not read out of the mouth of babes and succent thou hast perfected praise? And he left them and went out of the city into Bethany and he lodged there. So he left the temple, left Jerusalem, went back toward the Mount of Olives and up toward Bethany and he lodged there. Now the next morning they got up, they all went to the village in, got them a big old pancakes and some eggs and sausage, got them a big old full meal because it’s going to be a long day and they headed back into Jerusalem.

Except there was no village in there and no waffle house. What have been the, you know, if you was God and you knew the future and you know what, man, I just snapped my thing and just let one be there just for the moment, just so you can, you know what I did the other day. Yeah, it was yesterday. So far ago I can hardly remember when it was. But I sat down at this little restaurant, I had to go get my eye checked, you know I’m sitting there, and this little girl sitting there beside me.

And I looked over at the table, she looked up you in the little thing, she gave me a big old smile, little oriental girl. She got just a smile on her face and talkative and just smiled at me. And I looked on her plate and she had this pancake. I bet he doesn’t usually let me eat pancakes. But I looked at that pancake. I could taste it. Oh, I was ready to take it off that kid’s plate. I didn’t know a pancake could smell so good.

I haven’t had one in so long. But I looked at that pancake and I said, honey, I could eat the other half of that pancake. So she said, we’ll just get what you want. I’m going to get what I want. That lady came. That lady came and I said, I want a pancake. I did. I got a pancake. And that little girl, I said, I’m going to get a pancake like you. Well, she was so so thrilled that she influenced my judgment.

And sometimes little kids, they’re colorblind. They don’t worry about who’s black and white and paint and green and chartreuse and pin strike and poke it out and all that. They don’t worry about all this stuff. They just get along and play and forget all about it. But out of the mouth of babes. And he says, they were singing praise the Lord and Hosanna and so forth. Hey, the Lord’s there. But now the kids could see it, but these big shots, these know it all, these prideful individuals, you know, the leaders, they couldn’t see what was happening right in front of them.

They really didn’t know who he was. As I’ll say, they wish not who it was. So anyway, in verse 18, in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. That’s what I was talking about. He audited something, got something to eat. Don’t they eat breakfast before you leave? Well, I’ve been in Israel six times. When we got up out of bed, you know, in our five-star hotels, and we all went down to breakfast, they had five different kinds of fish that you could eat for breakfast.

Have you ever eaten fish for breakfast? there that fish is so good I could just eat and eat and eat all it tastes so good. Five different kinds of fish and you could just eat all you wanted to know. And then of course we had all kinds of stuff at the table at the table. I thought isn’t this what Jesus had when he was here? I don’t think so. He didn’t have that. He didn’t have a buffet every time he stopped to eat someplace.

But now notice in verse 19 when he saw fig tree he came to it and he found nothing there on, but leaves only and said unto it, let no fruit grow on it henceforth forever, and presently the fig tree weathered away. Now the purpose of the fig tree is to produce something. Leaves? What’s the purpose of a fig tree? They have figs. You want figs on the tree. I’ve got a fig tree in my yard. I planted it with my own little hands.

And it would be real big in producing fruit today if I hadn’t accidentally with Milan more ran over it about three or four or five times. I figured all about it and I’m just a singing and just running the next thing. No, I don’t run over my fig tree. It was just starting to come up. But anyway, win some, lose some. But the Bible does say in the kingdom will all have our own little fig tree to send under.

I won’t mind. But anyway, here’s a fig tree. And many people think that, you know, the fig tree is kind of like a picture of the nation of Israel. He has presented himself as the king to the nation of Israel and the leaders, the leaders, the Pharisees and the elders and the Sadducees, all of them, they rejected him and says, the fig tree, there’s no fruit on it. Remember, he also made the statement that there is going to be a cutting down of every tree that brings it not forth through to righteousness.

Well, every individual in the world because we’ve all sinned and so therefore everybody dies. So he was looking for this fruit of righteousness on this tree. Israel as a nation should have accepted their Messiah. He had it fulfilled from a scripture how they could clearly know if they did believe their scriptures. He’ll come writing into the city on a donkey and this is what they’re going to say And it happened and they saw it, but they couldn’t put it together.

Something’s missing upstairs. And so they were a little upset. So now he’s talking about a fig tree and so that fig tree withered immediately, withered. Now I also believe that as a Christian, we’re not just to have nice foliage on our tree. You know, some people are just so concerned about we got to have good character, which we ought to have good character. But the purpose of that tree, and you and I are a tree of life, is to have some fruit.

People that trust Christ is Savior from our tree. We’re a tree. And we’re not just to be here so we can have pretty foliage on it. Now he says there’s no fruit on it. Let it wither. And I believe this is what causes a lot of Christians to wither in their Christian life because they have no fruit in their life. And that will make you one big sarpus. I mean, you are going to frival up and you’re not going to have the peace, the love, the joy, the happiness, excitement about your life because you don’t have fruit.

You’ve got to have some fruit. But anyways, we’re moving right along. In verse 21, he makes a statement. This is a powerful verse, by the way. They were already there and they could see the Mount of Olives because that’s where Bethany was. Jerusalem and there’s a little Kidron Valley that runs through there. And so they, he says this in verse 21, Jesus answered, send them to them, Verlias, send to you, if you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done.

You ever want to try that? He says all you got to do is believe But you have to believe that whatever it is you want to do is the will of God true And you must love the Lord and it has to be for God’s purpose And if you do all things according to his will and pray according to his will So if you know positively that it is God’s will for that mountain to me move Then you can pray and ask for it.

That’s gonna happen But of course you’ve got a problem, you’ve got to figure out a few things in advance. But remember this, when he said this about this mountain, he was telling the truth. Because remember in Zechariah chapter 14, when he comes back again in his feet, touch upon the Mount of Olives, what’s going to happen to that mountain? It’s going to split. And the water from the Mediterranean sea is going to go all the way down through there and right into the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is way low, Mediterranean here. And there’s gonna be a river and there’s gonna be water and there’s gonna be life and the people gonna pitch their tents running and go fishing. I’ve been to the Dead Sea, I’ve swam in the Dead Sea. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. I even tried to go under and I couldn’t even go under the water. I could have drowned if I had to turn myself upside down and put my face down first, But that wasn’t going to do that.

The first time I went in there was with Hank Lindstrom, and I don’t even know if we ever got any pictures of me and Hank out there knowing it. We got some, anyway. I got some pictures of when we went. And the potions were with us, and if I get out, you know, shake off the dust off of them and try to… It’s a video. It’s a video. Maybe we’ll show them one of these days. But he even looks younger too.

Yeah, I looked a lot younger. But now, In verse 22, and all things whatsoever, you shall ask in prayer, believe in, you shall receive. Now, he also makes a statement in the book of Revelation in chapter 6. He says, at the end of the tribulation period, the stars are going to fall and the heavens are going to shake and the mountains are all going to move. The whole earth is going to shake and move. So if you can ask Him to shake in your mountain and move in your mountain, you know that your prayers are going to be answered because He didn’t say when, but it’s going to take place.

Now in verse 23, when He was coming to the temple, well that’s where He was, that before the day before it, now He’s doing it again, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching. So God is showing that He came legitimate offer and you had the lawyers and you had the Pharisees, you had the Sadducees, you had the elders of the people, every one of them had their moment with the sun and they all rejected Him.

So I believe there’s more here than just, you know, just read a nice little story and you go through the book of Matthew. But it says here, they came to Him and they asked Him a question, who gave you the right to do what you’re doing? Who gave you this authority? It wasn’t them and they didn’t give it to you, where did you get it from? That’s a good question, isn’t it? So they’re asking Jesus, where did you get the right to do all this and speak with just power and so forth?

Who do you think you are? So Jesus said to them, He says, I got a question for you. If you answer my question, I’ll answer your question. That sounds good. I said to you one time, how come every time you ask a question, you always have to ask another question, he says, why not? So in verse 24, Jesus answered instead of them, I also will ask one thing, which if you tell me I and likewise won’t tell you, while authority I do these things.

The baptism of John, which was it? Heaven or man? So now they reason among themselves. Saying, if we shall say from heaven, He will say unto us, why did you not then believe Him? But if we shall say of men, we fear the people for all whole John as a prophet. So the bunch of scaredy cats, they didn’t want to go out on a limb. So they said, we can’t tell. See in verse 27, we can’t tell. We don’t know.

So Jesus says, I ain’t going to tell you either. He says, neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. That sounds like fair game. So, but this is written because there’s these groups of people. And Jesus is confronting each and every one of them in the legitimate place as a nation of Israel. He came in like he was supposed to as prophesied. So then he says there in verse 28, this little parable is a response to these Pharisees, these chief priests and the, you know, these elders and these lawyers describes, he’s explaining it to him.

So he uses an illustrator, he says, but what? He’s still talking to them. Certain men had two sons, came to the first, said, son go work today in my vineyard. He answered and says, I will not. But afterwards he repented and he went. And he came to the second and said, likewise, and he answered and says, I go, sir, but he went not. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to him, the first, Jesus said to them, barely I say unto you that the publicans and the harlot.

Now that’s not among these groups, you know, the elders, the leaders, and they’re not the Pharisees and they’re not the Sadducees. These are tax collectors and harlots. But look at the comparison. He said, I came to you and you would not believe it. John the Baptist came and you would not believe him. So he says here in verse 31, Verily I send you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, you believed them not.

But the publicans and the harlots believed him. And ye when you had seen it, repented not afterwards, that you might believe him. So you can see that you have to repent in order to believe, Change their mind. But they could have believed. See that? That you might believe him. You are the one that determines whether or not you believe or you don’t believe. He puts it right back into their face. And says, this is what you have done. The harlots, the tax collectors, they saw it.

They believed it. Look at you. Now, whether or not they got the picture or not that he was talking about them, they really get it later. So he doesn’t let up. He said, let me tell you another little story. So the parable is a story. When you’re speaking to a mixed multitude and you want those who want to really want to get it, they can understand the truth. Those that really don’t want to know truth, they can’t get the meat of it.

All they heard is a story. So it’s a way of teaching truth in a mixed multitude where some get it and some don’t. But look in verse 33, here another parable. There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard, hedged it round about, dig the winepress and built the tower and let it out to a husbandment and went into a far country. He had some land, he built him a winepress, leased it out to somebody and he went. Now sooner or later, you know, he’s going to want something for what he owns.

It’s his. So in verse 34, when the time of the fruit true near. He sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. In other words, we have a right to it. It’s ours. You’ve been working for me. Now, I come to get something from it. Just like when he came to the tree, there was to be something there and it wasn’t there. He came to the nation of Israel and looking for the fruits of righteousness and there was none.

He presented himself as the king and they were to accept him as their king and they refused to do so. They came up short. All of these little stories is actually one big story. These are just little sub-topics and sub-stories in order to get the big picture. So he says here in verse 35, and the husband men took his servants and he beat one, killed another, stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise.

And last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, they will reverence my son.” Now, do you see maybe a possibility that he could have talked about Old Testament, saints, and how he sent the prophets and how that they were killed and rejected? And last of all, he sent his son. Do you think they’re going to figure this out yet? Well, they are our head at bunch. But you and I, we can read that story and we can pick it up just like that.

We can say that, hey, we know what he’s talking about. I know what he’s referring to. I know he’s hitting them right between the eyes. So in verse 38, and when the husband meant saw the son, they said unto them among themselves, this is the air. Come, let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance. So the man sent a son and they killed him. You think he’s referring to anything? Look at verse 39, they caught him, cast him out of the vineyard.

Remember Jesus was taken outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem. You’ll also see that in the book of Hebrews 13th chapter where he was taken outside of the city. This is what he’s talking about, out of the vineyard and slew him when the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh. What will he do unto those husbands? Now he’s given them an illustration, so can you figure this out? So he says, this man owned a piece of property. He built him a vineyard and he has a wine press there and he’s got some people that work for him and he went into a far country and afterwards when it was time for them to get the fruit.

He sent His servants and they killed them. He did it again, same thing. But last of all, He sent His Son and they killed Him. What do you think that the head man is going to do to those servants? And you know what they said? In verse 41, they said in him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men. They saw that they’re wicked and let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruit in their seasons.

They got it. But something’s still missing. Jesus said of him, did you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected. That’s them. It’s now happening at this time, at this moment, with all the key people of the nation of Israel, they’re fulfilling the very scriptures that he tells them about. Therefore, he says, in verse 42, the stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Therefore, say I unto you, the kingdom of the Lord. of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Up in verse 41 again, he will miserably destroy those wicked men. Now what happened to Israel after Christ was crucified and came back from the dead, and When to heaven Israel fell, the temple was destroyed.

The nation of Israel was wasted and they were scattered upon the face of the earth for almost two thousand years. Now look at verse 45. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, you ought to underline this. They perceived that he spake of them. Well what do you know? They finally got it. They thought he’s talking about us. He sure was talking about them. And so he says in verse 46, but when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the people.

They feared the multitude because they took him for a prophet. Now when it says, and they feared the multitude in verse 26, says we feared the people. You see, when you’re not truthful and you’re not right, you have a reason to be afraid. If you believe that what you’re doing is right and of the Lord, we don’t have to fear. We don’t have to be afraid. Just do right, tell the truth, and you never have to remember what you said.

If you tell a lie, you’ve got to remember. And It’s hard to remember a lie when you know it’s a lie and you tell another lie to cover another lie that tells another lie to another lie. These people really messed up. Here’s all these hundreds of years, the prophecies in advance and then it happens that day and they were there and he’s telling them all about what’s been rejected. You have rejected your king. And so it’s over. Two thousand years later, Israel’s still without a king.

But one day he’s coming back and he’s going to set up a kingdom up on this earth. And we’re going to rule and reign with the Lord forever and ever and ever. Now there’s a lot of things that follows this and we may look at it as we go down the road. up here. This Sunday you know we’re going to be covering a subject on repentance. I will be using a few of these verses that are found here in verse 28 down to verse 32, but I’ll be using it in a different context.

And so, don’t say, well I already know that, yeah, but I’ll hit it from a different angle. You’ll see. This hand represents you and me. The wall of represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. Now He hates our sin, but He loves us. For you and I, to pay for sin, is death and hell. We are all guilty. We’ve all sinned. We’re all condemned. But God says that He loves us and He wants us to go to heaven, and we’d have to be perfect, not good, perfect.

And none of us are perfect. We’ve all come short of God’s perfection. So God says, since we’ve all sinned, we’re all condemned. We can’t save ourselves. This end represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin because our sin separates us from the Lord. So Jesus Christ who had no sin did not have to die. He took all of us sins, paid for the monocross and came back from the dead.

And God says that if you and I, if we would believe that what He did, He did it for us. He did because He loved us. He paid for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to pay for our sins. But that payment is not put to your account till you believe this. You’re not forgiven until you believe it. This sin payment is not any value to you until you believe it. But when you believe it, that payment is put to your account and you get to go to heaven.

I want Jesus Christ did for us. Let’s pray show him. But it has bow nice clothes and no one looking around. Right where you are, right now. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, if you’re watching by the internet, would you right now, the best of all, would you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior? Some people 2,000 years ago were told over and over and over again, and they rejected Him. The stone they rejected was Christ. He was the one that was to build a nation.

The stone they needed. The king came to set up a kingdom. So they rejected the king, they couldn’t have the kingdom. They’d be ahead and came to the head of the church. But if you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you write down the quietness of this moment and say, I don’t understand it all? Maybe, friend, you’ve got a lot of questions, a lot of doubts. But trust the Lord with your question, trust Him with your doubts. You know that you’re a sinner, maybe you don’t understand it all, but you can believe that when Christ died, He died for you.

And if you trust Him as your Savior, He’ll give you a free gift of our lasting life. Never cast you out, never lose you. Would you trust Him? I pray that you will. Our Father, we ask Your blessings upon those that listen, hear in the auditorium, those that listen by way of internet. We’re thankful for each person. And Father, we want to bring people closer to You, Whether for salvation or for service. And Father, we know that among our number we have people that are not feeling well.

Many people have been sick. And we do pray, Lord, as you watch over and bless them. And help our bodies to heal. But you always seem to give us grace. But Father, just watch over. We got some kids coming to college. Not a lot, but a few help us to do right by them. to teach them your word and be the right example, help us to be faithful to those that you do give us. And Father, see the advantage of serving you, of knowing your word.

And we pray that people all over that, a lot of seed to have been sown, but Father, we do pray that for good results. And what we want to see, a lot of kids come to read and study your word. They become godly individuals. We just commit it to you. And we ask all the needs to be met. Father, we don’t know where all the money is going to come from that we need, and how everything is going to work, we don’t know.

But Father, we move by faith by trusting You, and believing that what we do is for Your honor and for Your glory. And we want You to look over this ministry. It belongs to You, we’re just Your servants. We’re not here to be bosses, but we just want You to lead and guide us, and we’ll follow. Bless us, come in Sunday when we have third Sunday dinner, pray that many people will come, that each person will bring a little bit for somebody else.

We commit all these things to you, and ask Father your blessings on us. So much that we want to do. Help us to be faithful to do what we can and trust you for the difference. Bless us in Christ’s name we pray, amen. 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 Mail. 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. Believe it that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.