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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. From Reach Us Tool 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.

You see, if you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 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 like 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 wants 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 ever heard that statement called the idol mind is the is what? Devil’s workshop. He’s going to work and that’s why you just have an idol mind. 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 that 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 own body, but until then, until then. What are we going to do? Well, you notice there in chapter 8, you notice the verse 22, before we know, we know something. You see, we know that the day is coming, we’re going to have a new body without an 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 the 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, now 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, he makes his statement in verse 23. And not only they, but our cells also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we, our cells, grown within our cells, waiting for the adoption to it, the redemption of our body. So we are going to be delivered from this old body that 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 arelopp you going to do about it? Now look in verse 26. And he says in verse 20, likewise, likewise, campaignerNJ the spirit also help of our infirmity. So evidently, this is said becausefarious something that went before it Krug Corker BerksPhiladelphia He’s telling us, how am I going to be delivered from this old physical body? Well, the Holy Spirit that indwells 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 up our infirmities. You see, the Lord doesn’t have any infirmities. the whole 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 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 Beel’s above, by the devil himself. No, no, no. So he says here in verse 26, the Spirit also help us 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.

there’s times 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 itself make up the intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered in verse 27. And he that searches 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 that hope that you have. If you can see it in heaven, there’s nothing to hold 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, Lord, I want you to lead and guide and direct.

Okay. How’s he going to do that? There’s 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 searches the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. He make up the 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 wanna 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, it’s 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 verse. But a lot of people try to find a purpose in Romans 828.

So anything that happens is Romans 828. And so God took my little girl. God took my son. Romans 828. Now we can use Romans 828 if we understand what God is talking about here and putting it in its rightful place, in its context. Because see we’re talking about He questioned how to perform, how can I deal with this old sinful nature, how can I have victory in my Christian life, and there’s things that we do know there’s things that we don’t know.

But I do know Cheongw that all things work together for good to those who look at it, to them that love God and to them who are the called according to His purpose. So this goes a little bit further than just these are some things that God has predetermined because of foreknowledge and predestination and so on. Those things are there, but this is to those who love God. Now you may not love God, and if you don’t love God, things that happen to you can make you a mad and bitter and critical and judgmental and hateful and because you don’t know what’s happening, you don’t like what’s happening, and you’d be surprised how Christians can, I don’t go to church anymore because God fail me and God did this and God did that and they’re looking all those things.

Romans 828. It’s not Romans 828 on everything. It all depends if you are letting whatever happens to you conform you to the purpose that God had and that’s revealed in the very next verse. You see there in in verse 29, for whom he did for know, he also did predestinate to and be conformed to his image, the image of his son. So as you mature and grow in the Lord, what you’re supposed to be looking like and acting like and talking like should be like the Son of God.

You see, we are supposed to be growing in the image of his son. So, all the things that happens in the tribulation that goes on, and yes, even that old sinful nature that we have can press us to the Lord so that the Bible says can conform us to the image of his son. So if you’re allowing whatever happens in life to conform you to the image of Christ, then it can be good. But if it doesn’t conform you to the image of Christ, you’ve got a problem.

And therefore the very thing that could have helped you can harm you. Those people who are seeking to serve the Lord and be whatever God wants them to be, problems in life can be a stepping stone. Those who are rebellious to the Lord, the things that happen to them can be a stumbling block. The same experience. If you’re serving God with all your heart and things seem like they go wrong, it’s not that God is quipping you, but God is simply disciplining you, teaching you, helping you to learn more, get closer to God.

But that very same thing, if you’re rebellious, can be a woman. Same experience. It all depends on where you are and whether or not you’re trying to walk in the Spirit or the flesh. That one thing, one trial and tribulation that you have can make you or break you. You see, God doesn’t mind all these things pushing you to Christ so it conforms you to His image. But whenever you don’t, then that thing becomes a stumbling block in your life.

And you stumble over the very thing. You know why they stumbled over Christ because they will not believe it was by grace. And so the Bible says they stumbled over the rock, over the stone, because they saw it not by faith but by works, by keeping the law. And so these verses down through here, now you and I know from the other page that one day the Holy Spirit is going to change these old bodies of ours. We know that because by the foreknowledge of God he’s already told us.

There’s some things he has already predestined. Now here in this verse it says about being conformed. Over there in chapter 7 we were talking about well how to perform. He says this is the way. Now, take the Bible and turn to chapter 12, chapter 12. And you probably already know where I’m going because you know what the verse says. In Romans in chapter 12, look now in verse 1. I beseech you therefore. So if we could take chapter 9, chapter 10, chapter 11 and kind of move that out of the book because it’s like a parenthetical expression added into a sentence and just move that out we would take chapter 12 and slide it right up against chapter 8.

And so then you would read from chapter 8 and go right into this verse. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your what? Your body. Present that body of yours. The Holy Spirit lives inside of your body. So does that old sinful nature live inside of your body. Present your body as a living sacrifice as though you’re sacrificing that body for the Lord. That means that the desires of the flesh are sacrificed. It’s like it’s been crucified.

You don’t want to fulfill those desires. Now, inwardly you have those sinful desires, but there has to be a stronger desire. The only way you can satisfy and I should say conquer the desires of the flesh is have some desires that are stronger. I’ve had these old sinful desires all my life and I will until the day this old body is put in the grave but I’ve also got some desires that God gave to me so I I have a choice.

And if I will satisfy these desires, these desires begin to grow. And when they grow, they dominate these desires. And I can control because of the power of the Holy Spirit living within me and helped me to understand. So he says, to know this, to know that now you don’t know everything. But you do know you want the will of God and the Holy Spirit is going to enter sea on your behalf because he knows the will of God for your life and he lives inside of you and he knows the problems that you have.

He knows how to use them. And if you’ll let the Holy Spirit just do whatever He wants in your life and you can believe it and trust Him, it will conform you to Christ. But now, there is a difference and I’ve brought this up before. If you let the world conform you, it’s outside pressure to conform you into whatever it wants you to be. So some people are conformed to the world. That means they let the pressure of the world shape them, determine how they think and feel and say and do their thought everything.

Or because of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you, you let the Holy Spirit transform you. So the only way the world cannot conform you is there’s a power on the inside stronger than the power that’s on the outside. Now is there a verse anywhere in the Bible that says greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Isn’t that a verse in the Bible that says something like that? Or in the book of 1 John, think you’ll find it there.

So we have the Holy Spirit living within us. And without yielding to him, you cannot keep the world from conforming you to its shape. What it wants you to do. So that’s why we read and study the Bible. So when you read the Bible, you’re putting the mind of God into your mind. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to transform your life. You see, when you got saved, your life was not transformed. See, a lot of people say, well, when you get saved, your whole life will be transformed.

Not necessarily. Your life being transformed is whenever you decide to yield your body as a living sacrifice, is holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable servant, and be not conformed to this world of being transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discover. What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? The Holy Spirit knows the perfect will of God. So as you ew to the Holy Spirit and let him teach you the word of God, because remember you have a book with the author living inside of you and he wants to teach you his word and if you’ll let him teach you his word you’ll be able to stand when others fall.

You’ll have the wisdom of God. It’s in the book. Let this book transform your life and you’d be surprised what it will do for you. So in one verse you have how in the world can perform. And in chapter 8 he tells you how, by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of each one of us, you don’t feel the Holy Spirit. I know which thing that’s on every time I fill the Spirit. But anyway, there he is.

No, he’s up there. No. They thought when they saw Jesus, he was a Spirit. He said, I’m not a Spirit. Reach forth your hand and touch me and feel. That’s flesh and bone. No blood, just flesh and bone. You and I have been blessed by God. Are you going to have tribulation in his life? Yeah, lots of it. But tribulation works with patience. Patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit. So the Holy Spirit can teach us an awful lot of things.

But if you desire to be conformed to the image of Christ, God can let all the things that happens to you, all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, that are called according to His purpose to conform us to the image of Christ. Now we know that one day when we leave this whole world we get our new body, everybody is going to be like Christ. Dr. Hudson used to say, Lord, if someday I’m going to be like you, why not now?

while I can do the most good. I remember him saying that over and over and over again. Why can’t I be like you now? While I can do the most good. We all know we’re gonna be in the image of Christ when we get to heaven, we’re gonna be like the Lord. But we shall see Him as He is. But we’re not there yet. Wouldn’t you like to have something about you that’s honoring to the Lord? You don’t know me when I was lost.

I remember me when I was lost. And I remember a bunch of years I struggled in my Christian life trying to make decisions. And I didn’t always know the right thing. Sometimes I made wrong decisions, but all the process God was teaching me something, teaching me. But he said, I’ll never forsake you and I’ll never lose you. I’ll always be with you. That carol is blue. And he will use you. He will honor you. If you yield to him, if any man served me, him will my Father honor.

Look up here, this hand represents you and me. The wall it represents sin. We all have sin on us. Now God says He loves us, but He hates our sin. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God in a literal fire burning hell. But He loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven, we have to be perfect. No sin. Nobody’s perfect. We’re all sinners. But the Bible says that we cannot save ourselves.

We cannot deliver ourselves. We need a Savior. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. So He took all of our sins, died in our place, came back from the dead and said if we would simply believe that He did it for us, He would put this payment to our account and we get to go to heaven on what He He did.

You know what? Nobody can do this for anybody else. It’s all a personal thing. I had to myself. I had to believe this. My wife, she had to believe this. My daughter, she had to believe this. Bob, over here, he had to believe this. Every individual has it. You can’t do it for anybody else. It’s a personal thing. He that believeth on me hath everlasting life, and so when you believe it, he gives you eternal life, and you get to go to heaven on what Christ did for you.

Let’s pray, shall we? With his bow and eyes closed, and no one looking around. If you’re here tonight and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I’m not going to ask you to stand up and come forward, wouldn’t embarrass you for anything in the world. But I like it when I can say somebody understood what I said. they trusted Christ of their Savior. And this is just a way for you to tell me, preach it that made sense, and I trusted Christ of my Savior tonight.

So I just ask you just to slip your hand up. That’s your way of telling me, and I want to know. But if you’re already trusting the Lord, you don’t have to ever do it again. You can only get saved one time. But if you never have, would you trust Him right now? And if you will, would you let me know by just slipping your hand up very quickly and put it right back down? Then what at all? If you’re watching by the internet, right there on the screen.

Says, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior. We’d love to hear from you. Our Father, we thank you so much for all that you do for us. We thank you for the free gift of eternal life. We’re thankful, Lord, that you love us enough that you work with us. Until the day we have the redemption of these old bodies, and Father, we get another body that will have an oaths in full nature. But until then, we know that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared the glory that shall be revealed.

So we commit ourselves to You. We thank You of our church and all the ministries. We’re thankful for the number of the people that have worked so hard and a lot of these ladies. And so far we don’t sometimes know how it’s all going to work out. But we know that You do. We don’t have to know everything. We just trust You. And keep moving forward. In Christ and every Christ. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr.

Arnold? Well 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. 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 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. Tada can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe it or the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.