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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Cover a couple slots with you. But I want you to take your Bible and turn there with me to the book of Romans. The book of Romans. And just start there in Romans in chapter 5. This is a little bit about perform and conform and transform. little words that buddy did do they say an awful lot. You and I in chapter 4 and so on we’re saved by faith. Good definition what faith is a man saved by faith without works.

It’s the best thing that could ever happen for salvation to be given to man. And we don’t have to earn it or work for it. We don’t have to deserve it. It just shows how good God is and how much He loves us. So He makes statement there in verse 8, but God commended his love toward us in that why we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That’s how God manifested his love, doing something for us when we didn’t deserve it.

Why were we yet sinners? Not saints. Now some people tell you that you’ve got to become a saint in order just to qualify to be saved. You’ve got to be good enough to save. Well, God can’t save any good people to get only saved bad ones because good ones don’t need to be saved. And He said, there are none of those so that everybody’s bad. Now, look what He says in verse 3. There’s some things that you and I ought to know.

We ought to know this. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation work of patience. We shouldn’t know that because the reason for saying that is because in chapter 6 he’s going to tell us some other things that we ought to know. And in the application of it in chapter 7 is a few things that we need to apply and we’re going to have trouble. We’re living in this world and regardless of how righteous and holy we are in God’s eyes, living in this old sinful world, we got problems.

And we’re going to have a lot of tribulation. So in the midst of all of us tribulation, God says it’s going to teach us something. So He’s kind of letting you know in advance that tribulation is designed to teach us something so that we’ll learn and mature because we got an old sinful nation we’re gonna have to learn how to deal with it. So he says knowing this knowing this. Now I want you to hold your place right here and turn over there to the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians in chapter 10.

Now here in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 it’s very easy to sometimes maybe pull the out of context. But in the context here, but this isn’t talking so much about the tribulation, as it is talking about temptations. See there’s a lot of temptation in this world, and he kind of shows how that the children of Israel, even though God had done some wonderful things for them, they… Well, they were tempted in the wilderness and many of them fell for various things.

So he kind of says, you know, take heed, last ye fall. So it means you can fall. You can be a Christian and you can fail in the Christian life. Because you don’t always stay as strong as you ought to. But these people they fell because of not so much of the tribulation but because of temptations. They were tempted. And that’s because of an old sinful nature that we have that causes us to desire something that we should not have.

But anyway, he makes a statement there in verse 13, there have no temptation taken you but such as a common demand. But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you’re able. So we’re talking about temptation here more so than just trials and tribulations. Now we have those things, but this is dealing mainly with temptation. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you’re able, but will with the temptation, he doesn’t remove the temptation.

He is to give you the strength and the grace to bear the temptation, and therefore he says that God can make a way. But the way to escape the temptation is your choice. You may not heed what God says, heed the warning. So therefore there is a problem here and it’s a temptation but it’s something that you and I need the Lord to give us a strength to make an escape route. How to deal with temptation. Now over here in the book of Romans we’re talking about the tribulations of life that we go through.

And not just the temptation to come from within, but the tribulations that comes from without. So we’re battling on both fronts. We’re battling inside, we’re battling outside. And most people’s downfall is not so much as what happens on the outside, it’s because of what’s going on on the inside. It’s an inside wrecking job so we can wreck our own lives by bad choices and conforming to the world but something’s lacking on the inside. So God tells us and I’m going to give you something that will help you to be able to battle inside, outside.

Now this is where he He talks about you can know these things. Now look in chapter six. Chapter six and says in verse three. And you’ll see this, no ye not, no ye not. In other words, don’t you know this? This is what you need to know and understand this. That when you were baptized in Christ, I believe this is not referring to water baptism, but the Holy Spirit baptized. And when you were placed into the body of Christ, his death was put to your account.

And whenever he was crucified, you were crucified. When he was buried, you were buried. When he rose from the dead, you rose from the dead to walk in newness of life. So you suppose to know and understand that now God expects us who have been raised from the dead to walk in newness of life. So we died when Christ’s payment was put to our account. So his death was put to us. So in God’s eyes, that’s when I died.

So now you and I have been crucified. So see there in verse six, knowing this. So the Christian life is a matter of understanding a few things, knowing, seeing, discerning. So he says, knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, the body of sin. See the old sinful nature is in our body. God saved your soul, made you spiritually alive, But the sinful nature is in the flesh, it’s in our physical bodies. That’s why the Bible talks about the, we went to the redemption of the purchase possession.

Our bodies have not yet been redeemed, oh paid for, but not actually changed and to liken his glorious body. We haven’t had that happen yet. And God also calls this body redemption an adoption. But here in verse 9, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, die of no more. Death have no more dominion over him. So you and I, we’ve already accepted that death payment. So in God’s eyes, we can never be charged with sin. Means that we can never be separated from God.

That can be no more death to you and I. We’re not talking about that physical death now. We’re talking about you can never be separated from God. If you could be separated from God, it would be a type of a death. You see, in the book of Revelation, the individuals that are lost, will have the second death. They will die twice. They die first is when they’re separated from their physical body and then the day when they stand at the great white throne judgment and they’re separated from God for all eternity and the second death the Bible says is the lake of fire.

But he says to the believers they will never be hurt by the second death. We never have to be worry about being separated from God ever again, we have been joined together with the Lord forever. And he probably used something a little stronger than that stuff they call gorilla glue. You ever heard gorilla glue? When we’re joined together with the Lord, nothing can separate you. It’s stronger than that gorilla. I saw that commercial, the gorilla on that. Do you all see that?

See there? Y’all saw it too. So now you’re going to think about the Lord and your salvation is stronger. Nothing can separate you from it. Now I look down in verse 16 because now he says, no you’re not, but to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey whether sin and the death of obedience and the righteousness. Do you understand and know that this body that we have, our sinful nature dominates our physical body, it uses this body to satisfy desire.

Well since we trusted Christ as our Savior, now the Holy Spirit lives within us. And so He tells us, know you not that the whom you yield yourself, servants who obey His servants who are to whom you obey, whether sin, under death, or of obedience, under righteousness. All right, look at me just a second. And I often say this and I say it to a lot of you. You trust Christ as your Savior, your God’s child, He’ll never cast you out.

You know you’re going to heaven. Now you are free to choose. You can choose to be obedient. You can choose to be disobedient. Another way of saying that is after your saved, you can live like you please. And most people don’t like that statement, but they understand this one. You’re free to choose. You can choose to serve the Lord. You can choose to rebel against the Lord. But there’s consequences if you’re rebellious. There’s wonderful blessings and rewards and usefulness, purpose if you’ll obey the Lord and serve God.

If you make the wrong decisions, God may have to chase and discipline you, but you’re still His child and that’s always good to know. So God tells us this. You are now, you can choose and you may choose this, you may choose that. That’s what that verse says. Verse 16 says, don’t you know you’re free now to choose. You couldn’t serve God before, but now you can. But it’s not automatic. It means it’s deliberate decisions that you make. So now look there in chapter 7 and verse 18.

He says, for I know, for I know. See the more you know, the more you can understand and the more you can do. Paul had a problem understanding some of the pressures that he was going through because of this old nature that he still had. God gave him such wisdom and insight what to write the Holy Spirit guided him and we have here a wonderful test. I’m so glad chapter 7 is in the Bible because if it wasn’t in here, I’d really have a big, big problem.

But having it in the Bible, I understand a little bit more. So I’m glad God’s off fit to put this in here, because when you want to do right, you’re going to find out you want to do wrong. And sometimes when you want to do wrong, something’s bothering your conscience up here. So he says in verse 15, for that which I do I allow not. For what I would, that do I not? For what I hate that do I am.

If then I do that which I would not, I can send unto the law that it is good. Now that end is no more I that do it. But it’s that old sinful nature that dwells inside of me. For I know that in me that is in my what? Solar Spirit. Flesh in my flesh, in my body. Dwelleth no good thing for to will is present I mean, the desire to please God, to serve God, it’s there. But you see that word, how to perform, how to perform.

Now that’s the most difficult thing in the Christian life is trying to learn how to perform. And live the way God wants you to live. Now you know from chapter 5 how wonderful He is to us and given us this free salvation, chapter 6 telling us, hey, you’re dead and you crucified. You got new life, walking, newness of life. And then chapter 7, hello, your old sinful nature is still with you. It’s still there. But you and I are supposed to live like it’s dead.

and bring it to life, not resurrect the old man that was dead and buried. But now how to perform this little act is difficult. And this is why so many Christians they struggle in their Christian life and so many fall because they got that old sinful nature still with them. You cannot ever improve that old sinful nature. Don’t try. So God wants you to improve that new man, get him big and strong and healthy. And so God tells us, now, you can’t do this.

What I’m going to do is I’m going to have the Holy Spirit of God. He’s going to indwell that body of yours. So now I’ve got the Holy Spirit living inside of me and that’s chapter 8. See chapter 8 now, He’s given us that which we need to deal with the old man. Now I can’t handle the old men, but the Holy Spirit can. And so I am to yield to the Lord and longer I yield to the Lord.

You see, if you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The lust of the flesh, those desires, they never change. They never change. And you can still have them. You start satisfying the desires of the flesh. They become light little monsters and they grow and they attack and those things can control your life. But if you’re walking the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Now you still have them but you don’t have to fulfill them.

But the key is not trying to fight the desires of the flesh. Learn to fulfill the desires of the Spirit. In other words get so busy doing what God wants you to do and think about what God want you to think about and say the thing God wants you to say and you won’t have time to do the other. Let it consume your life. Let it consume your thoughts and you’ll find yourself. You’d have to schedule it when to get in trouble.

Get busy doing what God wants you to do because if you don’t. Have you have you ever heard a statement called, the idol mine is the, is what? Devil’s workshop. He’s going to work. And that’s why you just have an idol mine. You’re not thinking about spiritual things. And you’d be surprised how you can think of all the wrong things you’re not supposed to do, and you dwell on that, and you think the Christian life is fighting that old flesh.

No. Let the flesh alone. just go ahead and start being obedient, yield into the Lord and you’ll be surprised what it will do for you. So now he says here in verse 24 of chapter 7, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body? Well there’s several things and if you look over there in chapter 8, look what he says in verse 21, because the creation itself also shall be delivered. So there’s a time coming when God’s going to deliver us from this old sinful body wherein dwells this old sinful nature and give us a body that doesn’t have one.

The new body we’re going to get will not have an old sinful nature. Won’t that make you happy? And you won’t have that battle anymore. So we are going to be delivered from this old body, but until then, until then. What are we going to do? Well, you notice here in chapter 8, you notice the verse 22, before we know, we know something. You see, we know that the day coming, we’re going to have a new body without an old sinful nature and we won’t have to battle anymore.

But we do know that God has given to us his Holy Spirit that indwells our body. Now what’s the value of that? Well this is what it’s about I believe. And if you’ll notice here in chapter 8, he says in verse 8, so then they that are in the flesh cannot place God. But you’re not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, is none of his.

So when you trust in Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells you. Now that Holy Spirit that indwells you is the power that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead. And you see there in verse 11. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall live inside of you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. So this body one of these days is going to be quickened made alive where it doesn’t have a sinful nature.

And I’ll have total victory, but not yet. But we look forward to the day that it’s going to take place. So we now work and live and strive and even struggle in our Christian life, and tribulation is teaching us to be patient and wait upon God. Just because He hasn’t given us this new body yet doesn’t mean He’s not going to. And because I have this body with an old sinful nature, and I’m getting older, few aches and pains here along the way, I know there’s an income into it.

And this is why when you look over there, it makes a statement in verse 23. And not only they, but our cells also which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to the redemption of our body. So we are going to be delivered from this old body, but it hasn’t happened yet. But wouldn’t it be neat if the Holy Spirit that lives within us could deliver us from the power of the old sinful nature that lives within us?

So he says, if I would yield to him, he would give me the strength that I need. But now we find out there’s a lot of things about the Christian life we just don’t know. We don’t even know sometimes how to pray the way that we ought to. Have you ever felt like there’s times when you don’t even want to pray? And then if you did you don’t know what to say, you don’t know what to pray for. Sometimes we can be just feel so defeated and so in despair like it’s not worth living.

Life can be cruel at times. People can be so mean and ugly at times. So what are you gonna do about it? Now look in verse 26 and he says in verse 20, likewise, likewise the Spirit also help of our infirmity. So, evidently, this is said because of something that went before it. Because as a child of God, we have this whole sinful nature, and now he’s telling us, how am I going to be delivered from this old physical body?

Well, the Holy Spirit that in dwells you, one of these days is going to quicken your body like the one that raised up Christ’s body from the dead, and he lives inside of you. Now there’s other things I could say right now but I don’t want to get too sidetracked. So we’re now looking at this verse 26, help of our infirmities. You see the Lord doesn’t have any infirmities. The Holy Spirit doesn’t have any. I mean there’s no weaknesses.

When Jesus was He didn’t have any weaknesses in the sense that you know He caved in and He He finally lost the battle and no he didn’t because Jesus said that all things that I do, I do them by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that was a problem that they had with Jesus. They said you do it by the power of Beelzebub, by the devil himself. No, no, no, no. So he says here in verse 26, the Spirit also help with our infirmities.

You and I need help. And God has given to us a helper, one who comes alongside and to be a blessing to you and I. Isn’t that where it’s comparatively something like that? That is a helper alongside to be that strength that we need. Because there’s time when you struggle in the Christian life. But now notice what he says here. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Holy Spirit It’s a make of intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered and verse 27 and he that search at the heart Knoweth you see in verse 26.

We know not But in the next verse, he does. Sometimes we don’t know what God’s going to do out there. We don’t know that all preparations that I need. I don’t know the people that God may want me to come in kind of, but He may allow a lot of things that happen in my life to prepare me for something down the road that only He knows. And you and I don’t know. So with patience, we wait. And the last part of verse of chapter 28 is talking about, you know, that hope that you have, if you can see it in heaven, there’s nothing to hope for, nothing to believe for, nothing to be patient for.

So God doesn’t tell us everything, but He knows everything. And He makes intercession for us. So even though we’re here today and it doesn’t matter what struggle you’re going through. I don’t know about the problem. I don’t have to know. I know that the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you knows and he intercedes for you. The Bible says he intercedes for you and he is preparing a way for you and leading you. You ever say to Lord I want you to lead and guide and direct.

Okay. How’s he going to do that? as a Holy Spirit that lives inside of you and he can quicken your mind, cause things to happen, to think. And the devil cannot read your mind. He may interject thoughts into your mind and that’s why you need to know the word of God so you can discern your thoughts. But the Holy Spirit can lead you and bring scripture to your mind so that you can do what God wants you to do.

Look what he says in verse 27. And he that searcheth the heart, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he make of intercession for the saints according to the will of God. See, God knows His will for us. The Holy Spirit knows God’s will for us, what He wants us to do. When you and I just yield to the Lord and we don’t fight God and we just let God do with us whatever He wants, bring into our life whatever He wants, He’s leading in guiding us because He knows the will of God.

And He may not tell you everything about the will of God. But if you don’t even know it, don’t you have a desire, you want to do it, and then you trust Him. Now, a lot of people have as their favorite verse Romans 828. The tire went flat on the car, Romans 828. My wife wouldn’t let me have any pizza. Romans 828. I’m 10 pounds overweight. Romans 828. And Romans 828 becomes a catch-all verse for whatever it goes on.

Romans 828. All things work together for good, not so fast. There’s a lot of things in life that doesn’t work together for good. This is to a certain group of people. Number one is to those who know the Lord. And two, it does say who loved God. And it does say, according to his purpose, or did I misread it? I think those three things are found right there in that person. 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 Paulus at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the gospel-driven name.

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.