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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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Peter chapter 2. Peter chapter 2. In chapter 2 and verse 2 it says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. It’s one thing to be born into God’s family. It’s another thing to grow in God’s family. You were born into His family when you trusted Christ as your Savior and now because you are His child, God wants us to grow.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans in chapter five. The book of Romans and chapter five. I want you to know there are some things that will help you in your walk with the Lord, say things that will help you to grow. But one thing every Christian needs to be convinced of is that the Bible is the Word of God, that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice for what you believe and what you do so that whatever you believe is in agreement with the Word of God and whatever you do does not go against the Word of God so that you know what to think what to believe and you know what to do with your life.

Here in Romans in chapter 5 and verse 1 says therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know that we’re saved because the Word of God tells us we are. How are you saved by faith? How do you know you’re saved by faith? Because the Bible says it’s by faith and faith alone. It says that a man is justified, made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ alone and therefore being justified.

Now that I’m going to be justified someday, I am justified right now. I’m just as if I have never sinned in the eyes of God and you and I are supposed to to believe that because the Word of God teaches that. You see, you cannot grow as a Christian until you’re sure of your salvation. If you’re always wondering whether you’re saved or whether you’re lost, you can never mature as a Christian. Because those building blocks are based upon the foundation and the foundation is Christ.

And if you’re not sure of your foundation, you cannot build as a Christian. You’ll never mature. You’ll always be a babe in Christ. So you need to make sure that if you trust Christ is your Savior, you know that you have eternal life and that you’re going to heaven when you die. That is the gift of God. Take your Bible looking first John chapter 2, the book of 1 John and chapter 2. And the Bible tells us there in verse 12, I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for His name saved.

Every one of us as little children in order to grow and to become mature, you have to understand believe that God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you of all your sins. And now as a child of God, you should forgive yourself, because sometimes Christians cannot grow because they’re still laboring under a load of guilt and will not forgive themselves. You see, you sinned because you were a sinner. That’s why you sinned. You still have a sinful nature and you’re still going to sin.

But God hath for a Christ’s sake not because of any great thing you’ve done, but because of what Christ did for you, God can justify you as though you never sinned, forgiven you of all of your sins. So you need to understand that and believe that because that is a foundation upon which you need to build and to grow. Otherwise, you’ll think afterwards, okay, I committed another sin, I must be lost. No God forgave you of all your sins from the time you’re born to the time you die, all of your sins are forgiven because they’re all paid.

The only reason God can forgive a sin is because the sin was paid for by Jesus Christ. And you’re simply claiming that forgiveness. Look in the Bible to the book of Colossians in chapter 1. You and I need to understand that we are only pilgrims in this world. We’re only passing through and that one day we are going to be with the Lord in heaven. And the Bible says in Colossians in chapter 1 verse 27, To whom God would mate known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory.

Glory is the perfection of God. Glory means there’s no sin there. It means that you and I have come short of the glory of God or short of God’s perfection. So the Bible says when we trust Christ as our Savior, we will one day be glorified. We’ll have a body that will not have any sin in it whatsoever. We will go into the glory of the Lord and to where it is perfect. Heaven is a perfect place. We will enter into that glory.

And the Bible tells us that Christ in you is the hope of this joyful anticipation of the perfection that one day you’re going to literally claim and you’re going to be there. But until then, you know you have been saved from hell and you’re saved to heaven. It’s an incorruptible place, undefiled, reserved in heaven for you. So you were saved from something to something, But we have to live in the nasty here and now. And now what’s causing most of our trouble is the thing that we have to go through now.

How do I grow as a Christian? What are some things God tells me that I should do? What are some things that I should not do? Romans 10, look there in verse nine. He says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. for with the heart man believeeth under righteousness. Remember confessing Jesus Christ to people is not what saves you.

It is when you believe with the heart the Bible says, man believeeth under righteousness. His faith alone is what gets him righteousness. You’re made righteous by your faith, not what you do. After you trusted Christ as your savior, the Bible says confession is made known unto salvation but not for salvation. Because you and I are saved, you and I should confess that. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, have you ever confessed to anybody that you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior?

That is something that God does want us to do. And I believe one of the things that helps a person to grow in the Lord is learning to confess Christ at all times in all circumstances, regardless of the trials and tribulations, all the time confessing Christ. In other words, acting like a Christian at all times. It is God’s will that God’s people confess Christ. Do I have to confess Jesus Christ in order to be saved? No I do not.

When the Bible says here in verse 9 that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, that was you believe that Jesus Christ he is the Lord. And you believe that he died and he paid for your sins and came back again from the dead. The only way people can ever hear about that is that somebody who believes that in their heart tells somebody about it. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word. Take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Timothy and chapter 4.

The book of 1 Timothy and chapter 4. Look there in verse 12. Says, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers. What are you supposed to do between the time that God saves you and the time that God takes you home to be with Him in heaven? God expects you to be a Christian, live like a Christian, act like a Christian, talk like a Christian in every area of your life until you get home.

That is God’s will. That is a way of you confessing Christ before the world. You’re not to live like the world, think like the world, do the things the world does. God expects his children to be different, to live different, to think different. And therefore you do not look to the world for leadership. You don’t look to the world for guidance. You don’t look for the government to what to do. you’re to look to the incorruptible Word of God.

To find out as a Christian what does God want me to do? Under any circumstance you’re to live and and think and do like a Christian is supposed to. Why? Because you are a Christian. That’s what you are and you’re supposed to live that way. In verse 12, let no man despise that youth but be thou an example of the believers in what? In word? In conversation or behavior, in charity, in love, in spirit, at your attitude, in faith, and in purity.

For how long? Well, look what he says in verse 3. Till I come. Now here, of course, he’s talking about the Apostle Paul. When Paul comes and he’s going to minister to that, I believe we ought to do it also till the Lord comes. Or until you leave this world. Take your Bible and turn all the way over there to the book of Matthew and chapter 10. Matthew and chapter 10. understanding that as a child of God, you and I are commanded by the Lord to live a certain way.

There’s things you’re not to do in your life. Then God says to put off. And he says here in chapter 10 and down in verse 28 and fear not them which kill the body. And verse 31, fear ye not therefore ye are a more value than many sparrows. See verse 26 tells you what you are called to do and that you’re not to be afraid. Down in verse 28, you’re not to be afraid of what people can do to you even if they kill you.

Down in verse 31, you’re not to be afraid of thinking that I’m not worth anything. I don’t have much value to me. A God can’t use me. I don’t have any talents and I don’t have any ability. God says you’re not to put yourself down. You are valuable because God thought you were worth it for him to send his son to die for you. If nobody else ever trusted the Lord, but only you, you were worth dying for. God thought you were worth the whole world.

If a man shall gain the whole world and who’s soul, what did it profit the man? So God says your soul, your one soul, is worth more than all the world all the wealth and all the world. So if God says you’re valuable, you’re valuable. If God says you’re important, you’re important because it was worth what He did in order to get you. And so God so loved the world. And God’s not a respecter of person. That means that not one person in this world is worth more than anybody else.

But neither is anyone worse less than anyone else. So then he says here in verse 32, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Is it God’s will that you while you’re here you’re supposed to confess Jesus Christ before others? You don’t do that to be saved. You were saved by your faith trusting in what he did for you but when God saved you gave you eternal life and left you here.

You’re supposed to confess Christ before other people. And don’t you be afraid? And don’t you be ashamed of saying, I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ. I know in whom I have believed and I’m not ashamed of that. No man should be ashamed of that. Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if you’re not ashamed of it, then preach it. If you’re not ashamed of it, tell people about it. Or why do you hold back?

Are you afraid. Listen, in this world there is nothing that can happen to you that’s greater than death and death is our doorway to heaven. Here he makes the statement, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven, this is not for salvation. This is for rewards so that you understand that look in chapter 10 there and look in verse 41 verse 41, he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.

And he that receive it they righteous men and the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of the disciple. Verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward. Rewards are earned. Salvation is free. Going to heaven is the gift of God. It’s not of works lest any man should boast. So getting to heaven is free.

Rewards, something that you have when you get there is a result of what you’ve done for the Lord. So when he’s talking about confessing Christ before men, this is not what you have to do to be saved. And God have mercy upon all those preachers who are trying to get people to confess Christ before men in order to be saved because the Bible doesn’t teach that. A man does not have to let anybody know who’s trusted Christ is saving.

You can trust Christ as your Savior and never let a soul ever know it. But it be a shame and a disgrace to you if you do so. Here in Matthew and chapter 10, look again there in verse 33, but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven. One of the things that will help you to grow as a Christian is learning to talk about the Lord openly and unashamedly and boldly to anybody.

And don’t be afraid of the results. This is why the disciples in Christ, they turned the world upside down. But today we’re afraid or ashamed. We’re timid or shy. We don’t want to offend anybody. We don’t want to make anybody mad. Why not? But remember when he says here, but if you will deny him before men, him also, my father will deny in heaven. What’s he going to deny you? Salvation? You can’t deny you. Salvation because that was a gift that he gave you without works.

But He can deny you rewards that you want to have. And that’s why He says, if we will serve the Lord down here, God says, by your good work, you’re laying up treasures, treasures in heaven that thieves cannot break through and steal. And moth and rust does not corrupt. It means once it’s laid up, it cannot be lost. That’s why it’s to your advantage to serve the Lord. And it’s to your disadvantage if you don’t serve the Lord, because it’s cost to you hit blessings now and it’s going to cost you rewards when you get to heaven.

You say, what are those rewards? I don’t know and I don’t care but whatever they are it will be worth it all. It’ll be worth it. Take your Bible now and turn to the book of Psalms, the book of Psalms in chapter 17, the 17th Psalm. Never go to meetings or join in amusements where you would not like the Lord to find you. You should not say things you don’t want to be saying when the Lord comes and you don’t want to be doing something you shouldn’t be doing when the Lord comes and you shouldn’t be in places you shouldn’t be when the Lord comes.

That’s why the Bible says children abide in him that when he shall appear you may not be ashamed before him at his coming. Don’t be ashamed. Now if you knew when he was coming, oh that maybe you could plan it and get away with it. But do you know exactly when he’s coming? Do you know the day of the hour when he’s coming? No. So then you ought to just go do right because you wish you had of anyway.

Look there in the 17th Psalm and notice what he says there in verse 4. In verse 4 he says concerning the works of men by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the path of the destroyer realizing that in this world the world has a path that it travels and the world is doing everything it can to lure you into the path that leads to destruction. Satan doesn’t care how he destroys a Christian just as long as he destroys you.

He doesn’t care how he has to ruin your testimony as long as he wins. You can use a thousand reasons. Well it was because of some Christians. I didn’t like what they said. I didn’t like this and I watched this movie and I did the reasons won’t matter as long as you quit serving the Lord Satan wins. You lose and And there is a path that leads to destruction and the world is trying to lure you into its path But there’s another path you see there in verse 5 hold up my goings in thy path That my footsteps slip not in other words There’s two paths the one that the world walks in and the one that God has for you And you’re the one that determines which path you take Every child of God if you want to grow strong in the Lord and you want to be mature in the

Lord You’re gonna have to make up your mind which way do you want to walk which way do you want to go? Do you want his blessings? And if you don’t make the wise decision remember this all the fruit comes from a root and The root decision is I will serve God and then you make all of your decisions in relationship to that one major decision If you say I’m not going to serve a Lord all of your decisions then are in relationship to that decision So you have to settle it in your mind.

If you really want to grow in the Lord, what am I going to do with my life? I will serve God. I won’t serve God. And your decisions will reveal which one you really want to do. And you can lie and you can cheat and you can deceive and blame and all the rest of it. Why you didn’t do what God wants you to do. But the only main reason because I did not really want to serve God. Because nobody can make you serve the Lord.

And nobody can stop you from serving the Lord if you choose to do so. choose to do so. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Mark 8, the book of Mark and chapter 8. There’s a verse here that every Christian needs to understand that this is talking to a Christian not talking to a lost person. He says, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? It’s not talking about Christian going to hell, it’s talking about your life because you see a fairy in verse 34 when he had called the people unto him with his disciples he said to them whose silver will come after me let him deny himself take of his cross and follow me this is to the Christian not about how to get to heaven but how to live your life This is talking about those who already know they’re going to heaven, but now what are you going to do from the time that he saved you?

In the time you get to heaven, what are you going to do? You got to make up your mind. He says, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life or my sake and the gospel of the same shall find him. In other words, that’s your purpose in living. If you will do what God wants you to do, you’ll find your purpose in living. It’s why God left you here. And then he makes the statement in verse 36, for what shall it profit us?

man if he gained the whole world and lose his purpose for living. If he loses his life he wastes his time. Remember life is what time is made out of and when you waste time you waste life and you don’t get much of that to live. You only got so many years in which to live, so many years in which to accomplish something for the Lord. If he gains the whole world and you lost your purpose in living what did it profit?

What did you gain? And then he uses this phrase, what shall a man give in exchange for his life. Remember that if God tells you I want you not the forsaketh the assimilation of yourselves together and you do. Okay, what did you get for it? You traded obedience for disobedience. Or was it worth it? What did you gain by disobeying God? Whatever you gained is temporary because what it cost you was something eternal. Rewards that you would have gained when you got to heaven.

The blessings of God upon you now. You exchanged something that was permanent, that was spiritual, that was eternal, and you gave it all up for something that was temporary. For a moment, have you ever seen a little child and you can offer them a piece of candy for something valuable and they don’t know the value of it? Oh give me the candy. And that’s the way Christians are. Satan offers you little trinkets and you take them and yet Satan offered Christ the kingdoms of the world and he says no he turned them down because he knew the real value you revealed your wisdom by the decisions that you make by the life that you live you don’t give to God’s work the way you should all right you disobey all right by your disobey that you exchanged that obedience force up What did you gain by not doing it?

See, I was going to give $50, but I changed my mind, and I’m going to keep it for myself, and I’m not going to give to God’s word. OK, you made a choice. You exchanged it. I’ll tell you that $50 is not worth any amount of what you supposedly gained with it, and what you can buy with it based upon what you could have done by your obedience to God. Do you read the word? Do you pray? He said, no.

What did you exchange for it? I exchanged my Bible reading for worries. Instead of praying, I worry. What shall a man give in exchange for his life? See, as a child of God and you wanna grow to maturity, that is revealed by the wisdom that you have and the choices that you make. You have to settle it in your mind. I want God’s best for me. And when you get that clear in your mind, that helps you to make all these other decisions that you need to make.

But it all goes back to that. Look in the book of Luke chapter 14. And Luke chapter 14, I want you to notice there in verse 27. He makes the statement similar to what we saw just a moment ago in the book of Mark, but a few things I wanna share with you. In verse 27, and whosoever, doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Now you can be saved without being a disciple. You can have eternal life because that was a gift.

God gives you that. But you may never serve God. And he says, whosoever, that means iss a choice. You see, your salvation was a choice. Remember John 3 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever, whosoever, that’s a choice. God doesn’t make people believe, God doesn’t make people reject him. Now out of those who do believe it, God says whosoever, Whosoever will could have something and those who won’t, they won’t get it.

God will use those, they will dedicate themselves, and I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I want to serve Him. I want to grow. I want to be what God wants me to be. So then He says here in verse 28, why does some Christians seem like they start off like a rocket? And then they fizzle out just as fast. They never maintain that steadfastness in the Lord. the Lord. He says, for which of you, intended to build a tower, set it not down first.

In other words, there’s something you ought to do first. Set down and figure out what’s it gonna cost me. You as a child of God need to understand, if you say I’m gonna serve Lord, it’s gonna cost you. All kinds of things that you’ll have to do in your life. And it’s going to cost you because you’ve got to replace it with something better. And a lot of people are not willing to pay that price for discipleship. You see, salvation costs us nothing.

But discipleship will cost you everything. And he says, how many of you do not sit down first? And it says in verse 28, count the cost. What’s it going to cost me? Look what else he says down in verse 31. 31 or what king going to make war against another king said if not down first. First of all you got to counsel in yourself. What’s it going to cost? What is it going to take to finish? Otherwise you’ll be like the verse 30 says, this man began to build but was not able to what?

Wasn’t able to finish. You started off but you didn’t finish because you didn’t count the cost. Serving God can cost you friends. It can cost you an awful lot. It can cost you finances. It can cost you promotions because you might let people know you’re Christian and that you believe that serving God is more important than anything else in the world in you. And maybe you don’t want to go to the places where you used to go. You don’t want to do the things that you used to do.

You say, well, well, Maybe you do want to do them, but you realize it’s not the best. And so as a child of God, you’re going to have to make a decision. And you sit down and you think, what’s it going to cost me? And you need to understand also what am I going to gain because of it? And realizing that what you, it cost you is only costing you here. But what you gain, you’re going to gain it there.

And you cannot out serve God. You cannot out give God. that God will take care of you here and reward you when you get to heaven. And then he makes the statement here in the last part of verse 31, sit us down first and consult with whether he be able with 10,000. In other words, it’s not do you have enough money to finish, do you have enough faith to finish. You grow because of that little confidence that you have in God.

I want God’s will for my life. And I believe that God will bless me. And I believe God will help me. And when you face your temptations and your trials and your tribulations, I believe God will help me. And because I believe that, though I don’t understand a lot, by faith, because I’m going to keep on studying the Word of God and faith coming by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and your faith increases. And as your faith increases, that’s what you need to sustain you through life, whether you have money or whether you don’t have money.

the people of four year or whether people are against you. You’ve got to sit down and think, can me and God, between me and God, we can whoop anybody. Me and God can take on any trial. Me and God can whip any temptation that I have. Me and God. Without Him, I can’t do anything, but with God, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr.

Arnold? Well, if You’ve never contacted us before. We want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man.

The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again don’t forget to include your mailing address and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, we just keep looking up.