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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.

Or turn in your Bible to the book of Matthew. You know a couple of weeks ago, we talked about a little subject, somebody has to get the donkey. You remember that? Somebody has to get the donkey. But a lot of time we’re ready for that big job, but to get a donkey, I mean, surely I’m more valuable than a donkey. But somebody had needed that donkey. Who needed that donkey, by the way? Jesus needed that donkey. And if Jesus needed it done, then it must have been an important thing because, you see, He was supposed to fulfill a prophecy writing in to Jerusalem on a donkey, and somebody had to go get it, and he wrote in.

And sometimes God may need you to do some little job. Don’t lift yourself up so high that you can’t do the little jobs. Sometimes we think we’re just too big for our own britches. God has an ought to have the freedom to use us anyway he wants without murmuring and complaining. Right? I mean, he should. So we learned some hard lessons as we go through life. And then we talked a little bit about some of the things that was going on and the groups of people that he had talked to.

And he taught him a lesson on humility and ought to submit themselves to one another and how that God is going to reward people because of submitting themselves. And remember he says those which are first shall be last and those that are last shall be first. We believe here in our lifetime, you know, it’s me firstitis. With some people it’s me onlyitis. Some people are just all they think about is themselves. So be careful and put other people first.

But there’s some people that had problems with the Lord. He made a legitimate offer to the Kingdom of Israel, to the nation of Israel. And the Bible says that He talked to the chief priest, the Pharisees, the lawyers, the scribes, the Sadducees and they all rejected him. But he says, the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom before you. So it was sometimes the common people that didn’t exalt and lift themselves up and think they were too good and they heard them gladly.

The Pharisees at one time and the chief priest asked them, says, why does he eat with sinners as though they weren’t. What is he with sinners? So Jesus in the book of Luke gave him three illustrations on why he ate with sinners. And it’s a good study. It really is. But now we’re in chapter 22. Now the other night we talked about how that the Lord left them speechless. You see they kind of tried their best to trap the Lord and And they try to ask him questions.

They just knew he didn’t have the answers. Didn’t they realize who he was? Well, evidently not. They did not believe he was who he claimed to be. So he had made a legitimate offer to the nation and he was rejected. Remember the verse it says, he came unto his own but his own received him not. They did not receive him, did not believe him. Now you need to know, Okay. He brought in the greatest sign at that time while he was alive coming into the city.

They didn’t believe who he was. They all had questions trying to trap him. They really didn’t want to know the truth. And then he tells him, now, this is what’s going to be the result. There is a result of you not listening. And so in the last part of chapter 21, he tells them that there’s going to be weeping and wailing and gnashing the teeth. And so then we showed from the book of Matthew chapter 3 and Matthew chapter 13 how that that was the unjust, that was the wicked, those that were the tears, they were the lost.

And those who do not receive Jesus Christ, there’s going to be a lot of weeping and wailing and and that’s not for the believer, that’s for the unbeliever. So how would you deal with people that are false? They give you the impression that they’re so holy, but they’re not. And so we often talk about the religious Pharisees as those that look down their long Phariseeical, and knows that everybody else and think they’ll let Kellogg’s cornflakes us a little bit better.

So you have people that need to listen and need to learn and see what he has to say. So chapter 22 you go through that and he has some questions and they got questions for him. He answers all the questions. So now I want you to take and go to chapter 23. Chapter 23, he lets you know what he thinks about those who have a false message. Are there false teachers and false preachers today? What do you think Jesus thinks about them?

He got them way up there, doesn’t he? Or do you think they’re way down here? They’re way down here. And he doesn’t have any respect for them either. And he says some very strong things about those who have a false message. I’ve often had people ask me if I would become part of the ministerial association for the clergy. And I have had opportunities to become part of it. Well, I generally never join anything. I don’t want to be a part of something because I don’t want to be labeled with them.

I don’t want somebody to think, you’re just like them. I am not just like them. I am different. And I believe that things that are different are not the same. I’m not the same. I am different. And it’s by choice. I’m not interested in being like everybody else. If everybody else was right, I’d want to be just like them. But if I think they’re wrong, I don’t want to be like them. I want to be me. I don’t want to be anybody else.

You ought not want to be me or anybody else. And you just want to be you. But be the best and the strongest you can be. Now this is a very strong chapter. Chapter 23, it’s hard. I mean you talk about somebody that’s hitting right between the eyes. Now the Bible tells us in 2 Peter about those who make merchandise of the people and like a dog that returns to its vomit. A lot of interesting appealing terminology there. he really lays it on him.

And this is what he said. Now, these are, remember, these are the religious leaders of his day. And we have people today that think they speak for all the Christians and all the church and so forth. Have you ever heard of Reverend Jackson? Reverend Jackson and preacher Al Sharpton? You ever heard of him like that? You ever heard of some of guys, well, you know, Reverend Benny Hinn, you ever heard of him? You ever heard of Armstrong? Herbert Armstrong?

And what about this other guy that we often hear about to guys in California on the Lordship Salvation? What’s his name? What was his first name, John, not John John, but John MacArthur. I mean, do I want to be labeled with guys like that? I don’t think so. I know so. But now look what he says about these religious leaders. These were the ones who sit in Moses’ seat. These were the ones that were supposed to teaching the people the Word of God.

And they’ve mutilated the Word of God. So look at what he said in verse one, then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples. So in the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, in other words according to the law, what you’re supposed to do. He says, but do not ye after their works, for they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

But all their works they do for to be seen of men, all their works. They do what they do to be seen of men. They’re not doing it for the Lord. They’re not going to help anybody. They love the praise of man. This is somebody good stuff through here that while he’s saying these things, he’s also giving us some good teaching about maybe some things that we ought to be thinking about, attitudes that we ought to have. And that is not to be hypocritical or do things just to be seen of men.

Look in verse five, but all their works they do for to be seen of men, they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments. In other words, the way they dress, the colors on backwards or the borders on their big robes and things like it have. So that if they had hats and sing like on their heads, so that people think, there’s a holy man. And you say, a sign of holiness is when I put my Bible here and I look real holy.

Do I look more holy? Well, I think you get the idea. Don’t put on an air about yourself. Don’t exalt yourself. You be you, but be real. And then he says this, and this is something else about them in verse six, and love the uppermost Rome’s at feast and the chief’s seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets and to be called a man, Rabbi, Rabbi, Rabbi, Rabbi. You’re really something in the way they do it to be seen of men, to be looked up to, just to be respected, but they don’t deserve it.

And verse 8, but ye are not to call them Rabbi, be called Rabbi. For one is your master even Christ and all ye are brethren. Call no man your father upon the year for one is your father which is in heaven. Neither be ye call masters for one is your master even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. So that means you have to serve others. If you want to be used in the kingdom of God, then you have to humble yourself and submit yourself to the will of God so that you can do what God wants you to do.

God resisted the proud but gave grace to the humble. Being humble is not a position of the body as it is a position of the mind. It’s a mind that is submissive to the will of God. And that’s what God wants. And if you resist the Lord by exalting yourself and going your own way to do whatever you want to do in your life is like pushing against that wall over there. The Lord resistive the proud. In other words, keeps you from being what God wants you to be.

You’ll never be on your own power, your own steam, your own talent and abilities. So when you get that out of the way and just let the Lord lead and direct you, it will work. See there in the next verse, look in verse 12, and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be obeys and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Now he’s explaining because he says, don’t be like these Pharisees. Then he says some things that that gives you appearance that they’re standing there.

And this has been a long dissertation that he’s given, but now notice some things that he says here. And this is exactly what people do today. A lot of religions, a lot of religions. They’re very passionate about what they believe. You’ve got Mormons that really believe what they believe. You’ve got Jehovah’s Witnesses that really believe what they believe. And they will compass this entire world trying to make converts to believe what they believe. That true? And they will outwork most Christians.

They’re more dedicated, committed than God’s children are. So were these religious hypocrites. Look what he says here in verse 13. But woe unto you scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Get to for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. In other words, there’s some that could go and would go, but you hindered them. Now these are some statements down through here that really bother me.

bothers me because I see in some of the things that Jesus says that people’s decisions affect other people’s decisions. Can you see that? Your decision affect others’ decisions. I’ve often thought, what if I had never gone to Bible college. It wasn’t affected anybody. It wouldn’t change anything. I mean I’m just one little old individual. Just a little old Georgia boy. But what if I hadn’t have went? What if I hadn’t have gone to Colorado? What if I hadn’t have gone to, what is it called?

Athens, Georgia. What if it affected anything? And you think when you get to heaven and see the results of the decisions that you made. You’ll wish you had given more and done more because of the impact that you could have had on how many more people. You see, these people weren’t going and by their message and what they were doing was blind and in keeping other people blinded so they couldn’t go. So then he says this in verse 14, Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrite, for ye devour widows, houses, and for a pretense, make long prayers, therefore ye shall receive the greater damn nation, greater judgment upon them.”

It even makes the statement in the book of James in chapter 3. Be careful about just teaching because somebody is liable to believe what you say. You ever think of that? Be careful of the advice you give to somebody because they might take it. And what if it’s wrong? What if it’s wrong advice? But you didn’t care, you’re just, David, vice. Way, words carefully. Way, you’re attitude, your advice. Know the truth and make a difference. They believe probably that what they knew and And what they believed and how they stood, it was right.

It even makes a statement that they did what they did because they believed they were doing God a service. They believed they were doing God a service. And yet they were killing the Christians and persecuting them. But they thought they were doing God a service. Look at how many people today that are in the religion of Islam that believe they are doing God a service and sometimes when I think about what they say and what they’re doing, how in the world can they really believe that this is serious.

How can you really believe that cut it off somebody’s head just because they don’t believe like I believe? And this is okay. God wants me to do this. Or as some man just recently raped a 12-year-old girl saying, oh, this is the will of Allah, claiming that this was the will of Allah. To me, that is a shame and a disgrace to believe that this is what my God wants me to do to a 12 year old girl. But anyway, these things are happening.

Look there in verse 15. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you compass, sea and land. So there’s motivation here. They do have a vision. They do want to accomplish something. They are after converts to make one proselyte. Look what they’re willing to spend, the time and effort that they put in just to get one person. And when he is made, you made him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. And that’s why he says, you’re blind guides.

You’re blind leading the blind. You see, we studied the Word of God so that we can have light. He says, you are the children of light. We want to help people to see the truth. If we don’t do it, who’s supposed to do it? I used to sit by the hours and I would think, why should I do it? Why me? Okay. Beautiful. Awesome. Thank you. All right. That’s good. I’m gonna stop. Okay. All right. All right. All right.

All right. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. All right. All right. All right. Okay. All right. All right. All right. Well, so. All right. I’m not even more responsible than anybody else, so why should I do it? I mean I got dreams of my own. I got plans. I got something I want to do. What’s wrong with that? If everybody believed like that, everybody would be preaching. If everybody believed that, everybody would be going in all the world and preaching the gospel.

I love it, duh. Maybe that’s what he meant. But we always, well, if I don’t do it, God will get somebody else. God will get somebody, if God, if I don’t do it, God will get somebody, you know, there isn’t always somebody else. You remember reading over there in the book of Ezekiel when he says in God said, I look for a man to make up the hedge, I found what? I found none. So God’s some done. He does look and can’t find a man.

Can’t find a man. A man who is willing to forget everything and do what God wants him to do. You mean give up my life or what? The little one says in verse 16, whoa, unto you, he blind, blind guides would say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, it is a debtor. You fold and blind, for wither is greater. The gold or the temple, let sanctify the gold.

And whatsoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing but whosoever swear by the gift that is upon it. He is guilty.” See, what does all this hear mean? Well just hold your place right here look there in the book of Matthew chapter 5. The book of Matthew in chapter 5 as Jesus is explaining some things about the kingdom that he sets up upon the earth. He kind of gives them a little bit of his constitution and he’s laying it out in chapter 5 and saying under the law it it says this, but I say unto you, and he tighted it a little bit more, under the law thou shalt not commit adultery, but I say unto you lust in your own heart.

And he says, did you know this column of man a fool? You’re to be in danger of hell, fire. Look what he says here in verse 21, ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, I shall not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, whosoever is angry with his brother, without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say unto his brother, Rukha shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou full shall be in danger of hellfire.

Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee. Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother and then coming off of thy gift.” I mean he’s strong. You talking about requiring perfection. You see what he says up here in verse 20? He says this, he says, but I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

They were the law keepers. So now he tells them the law and their have to exceed the law. And so now he’s tightened it even more and talking about not just the things that you do but how you think and how you feel in the motive behind it. It tightens it even more. In other words, he’s requiring, and it sounds like you almost got to be perfect. That’s why they all needed a Savior. So he uses the law to show them they’re not as righteous as they think.

These lawyers and these Pharisees and the scribes and all, they were not as righteous as they think they are. And so there’s a lot of these things that are mentioned in here. But look, why we’re just looking at a couple Luke there in the book of Luke chapter 20, the book of Luke in chapter 20. Luke chapter 20, and notice what he says here in verse 45, then in the audience of all the people he said into his disciples, beware of the scribes which desire to walk in long roads and love greetings in the markets and the highest seats in the synagogue and the chief rooms at the feast, which devour widows houses and for a show make long prayers, the same shall receive greater damnation.

So the Bible says there are certain things that will bring greater judgment. And that will take place. Now go back here to Matthew, chapter 23. See, there’s other scripture that talks about what you swear. Don’t swear by this or swear by that. And I’ll show you that on the next page. We’ll look down there in verse 19. ye fold and blind for weather is great of the gift or the altar that sanctified the gift. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swear by it, and by all things.

things they’re on. And who so shall swear by the temple, swear by it, and by him that dwelt therein? He’s trying to teach him something. He had said earlier, don’t swear by anything. But because these Pharisees, they were swear by the temple. And I swear by the altar. And swear by this and I swear by that. He said, let your yay be what? Yay and your nay say what you mean and mean what you say. I swear a stack of eyeballs.

That’s what I’m saying is true. That shouldn’t make what you say any more true than I say it. And it’s the truth. I swear on my mother’s grave. Well, which is more important, the temple or the gold in the temple? Which is more important, the altar or that which is laid on the altar? The temple or the thing that the temple stands for? See, there’s something greater and something lesser, greater and lesser, and most people never learn discernment for their life.

You’re always making decisions between something that’s better than something else, in some cases worse than other things. Now look there in chapter 23 and verse 22, and he that shall swear by heaven, swear by the throne of God, and by him that said that they’re on. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you paid tithes of men and angels and human, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law.” In other words, the purpose of the law is also, as it says here, the law is law, but then they never showed judgment.

They showed no mercy. They showed no compassion. They showed nothing. But your people, and these are people, and they were laying upon them law, law and law, and no man can live under all of that. The legalism for salvation, the law can’t do anything for you. And when you talk about the Christian life, some people want to place themselves under the regulations of the law. I would rather serve the Lord because I love him than not. Say, well, you got to.

No, I don’t have to. But it sure is more peaceful and wonderful and joyful. when you serve them or because you want to. 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 Main. 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.