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

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 13, because Christ says these things things that he’s going to teach us is to help us to understand all parables. Now a parable is a way of telling the truth in a story form where those that want to know the truth will understand it and those that really don’t want to know the truth won’t get it. It’s a tremendous way to teach. See the Holy Spirit didn’t convict them like the Holy Spirit does today.

See today we teach the Word of God and then we trust the Holy Spirit to take the truth and penetrate into a person’s mind so they can understand it. Nobody is one to the Lord because of our trickery, because we’re able to connive an individual. You can’t persuade them against their will because a person can’t truly trust Christ unless the Holy Spirit enlightens their mind and they see it. And when they see it, all they got to do is believe it.

Many of them just simply believe it. And there’s others that they deny the Holy Spirit refuse to believe it. You can’t make somebody trust Christ’s Savior. And when it comes to serve in the Lord, that’s something else that you keep in mind, as you can’t make anybody serve the Lord. But what we ought to do is to give them the opportunity, always striving to get opportunities. Because if I say, do you understand what He’s saying? To say, yes, I see what you’re saying.

I understand. That means you have light. That means that you’re going to be held accountable. the more you see and more you understand the more accountability you have. So can ignorance be bliss? So I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand. Does God know when you really understand something? God knows. So you can’t fool God. So whenever you study the Scriptures, there’s things God wants you to know. Here in the book of Matthew in chapter 13, look there in verse 3, and he spake many things unto them in parables.

Saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. When he sowed, sunseeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth, and forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth. When the sun was up, they were scorched, because they had no root they withered away. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them, but others fell upon good ground and brought forth fruit.

Some are hundred four, some sixty four, some thirty four, who have ears to hear, let him hear. So he just told them a parable. What does it mean? And in these scriptures, there are four illustrations, four illustrations. And out of these four illustrations, some people are always trying to make, well, it’s say something that it doesn’t say. trying to understand is this talking about how a man is saved. And if it’s talking about how a man is saved, well, it looks like a man can be saved for a while and then lose a salvation.

And so many people who teach that you can lose your salvation, remember when I talk about people who teach you can lose your salvation I’m talking about preachers, missionaries, and there’s multitudes of them that go to the foreign fields. And they teach from these scriptures scriptures of the opposite of what it really says. But the people out there, they don’t know the Bible. They don’t understand. And so it breaks your heart when you see what people are saying. I’ve listened many times to certain preachers on the radio and it just breaks my heart.

They listen to what they’re saying. If I’m a lost man sitting out there listening to I’ll listen to that. I ain’t got a chance. I ain’t got a ghost of a chance. Oh, I’d say to my mind, I can’t get saved because I just can’t live the life. I just can’t live the life. Well, I’m too bad. Or I’ve tried before and ain’t no sense trying again because I just can’t live up to that high standard because they will make it sound like you’ve got the performer, you’re not going to get it.

Then he says here in verse 10, and the disciples came and said to him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it’s not given. So we had a mixed audience makes group of people even though the disciples didn’t really understand a parable either He said you’re speaking of them in parables. They didn’t say we don’t understand either but they didn’t understand and The key to what Christ taught was always for people that wanted to know truth could understand the truth So he says because it is given unto you the know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to them it is not given.

So some people will never get it. They’ll never understand. But now he tells you why. It’s not because God has chosen a few people to believe and God has chosen another group of people not to believe. And so it’s not their fault. They can’t choose because God didn’t give them the faith to believe. There are some people that teach when he says in Ephesians 289 for by grace or you say through faith and that not of yourself. It is the gift of God.

They say the gift there is faith. And so you can’t be saved unless God gives you the gift of faith. Therefore it’s not your fault if you don’t believe, because God didn’t give you the faith to believe. And so those that do believe is because God gave them the faith. Well, that’s totally concerned scripture. That means that if God didn’t give you the faith, you didn’t have the ability to believe. So why should you go to hell? I think your fault.

God says everybody’s got faith. It’s just a matter of where you want to place it. Salvation is the gift of God. It’s not faith. Faith is not a gift. Now there’s another place where it talks about faith being a gift, but that’s to the believers, to the church and not for salvation. When it makes a statement here, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven. I had a man call me up this week.

He says, what does it mean when it talks about the kingdom of heaven? He said, I need you to probably sit down with me and explain this to me and it’s going to take a while for me to get this through my head. I said, well, let me just tell you and then see if that’ll help. I said, the kingdom of God is the sphere of everything that belongs to God. The kingdom of God is God’s kingdom from eternity past we turn into future.

I said, but the phrase kingdom of heaven refers to a period of time. The kingdom of heaven is when the king sets up his kingdom upon the earth. And that’s a thousand year reign upon the earth. So the kingdom of heaven is when Christ rules upon the earth. He says, I see it. He says, you don’t tell me no more. I got it. I got it. I got it. Click. I says, it’s very simple. So the kingdom of heaven is like an island in the sea of God’s eternity.

So when you’re talking about the kingdom of heaven, God has given us some truths to explain this little island, this period of time that’s going to be a thousand years long and how you get into it and the seeds that are sown. And he says this kingdom is like a mustard seed and it will grow and fill up all the earth and become a great mountain, mountains kingdom. Then he makes a statement here in verse 12, looking verse 12, for whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundant, but whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

And you say, take away what? Give them what? The key here is understanding. See there in verse 13, therefore speak eye to them in parables because they see not hearing,iculty hear not. Neither do they, and here’s the word understand. They don’t understand. Now God says he that understand it, I will give him more. that doesn’t understand, well, lose the knowledge they already have, like they have already been given. See, if you don’t use it, what happens to it? You lose it.

You see, I used to study the Bible, study the Bible, study the Bible, but you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Light will be taken away from you and you’ll find yourself walking and darkness, but it’ll happen so slowly you don’t even know it. It’s like your eyes going bad, but you don’t know they’re going bad. Sometimes when I get my ears checked she said now is that better? I said man mine got a clue. I said I have to have it to compare it with something.

Because I could take out my hearing aid and if I don’t have my hearing aid, I don’t know if I’m hearing better or worse unless I’m comparing it with something that was how it was before. So whenever I check down stairs and I go on the computer trying to get my broadcast done, I look at the levels. And I know where I got my sound speakers set and if it gets to that certain level, I know how it sounds.

Well, if I put my hearing aid in, now I’m starting to hear loud. I know this is working pretty good. So if I don’t even put my hearing aid in, I don’t even know I don’t have it in because I don’t know I’m hearing it not hearing better or worse until you have something to compare it with. I know it sounds strange but it’s the way it is. You’ll notice in verse 14, and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which said, by hearing ye shall hear and shall not in your underlying those two words, not understand.

You will not perceive the last part of the verse, seeing you shall see and not perceive. So you can hear something, but you didn’t hear it. And you can see something, but you really don’t see it. One time he was talking to his disciples, and he was talking to them, and then the Pharisees came along, and he had made the statement about somebody being blind. And then the Pharisee says, are you saying that we’re blind? We’re not blind. Christ says, since you said you’re not blind, you say you see.

So therefore your sin remain eth with you in the Gospel of John. Your sin remains with you because you see. See, when you don’t see and you don’t understand, there’s a certain amount of forgiveness there because there’s no knowledge. Like there’s some people that are retarded, as you completely slow, or they don’t understand, they don’t grasp. They don’t have the same responsibility. Even you and I don’t require of them the same thing you do if somebody else is supposed to be normal.

Are you a normal Christian? Or are you abnormal? As a Christian, are you a retard? You don’t get it. You don’t see. You don’t understand. Now you don’t want to say that about yourself. Do you? So if you say, well, I understand what he’s talking about. Great of the what? responsibility because the more light and the more you say I perceive, I see it, I see it, I understand. You’re going to give a count for that. More light, more expected.

And then you’ll notice also there in verse 15, for this people’s heart is waxed gross, their ears are a doll of hearing, their eyes they have closed, less at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and you are on the line, these two words should understand, should understand with their heart and should be converted. I should heal them. We see you can’t get saved to understand. That’s why we’re always trying to help a person to understand you are a sinner.

Do you understand that? Sometimes I’ve gone through the hand gesture step by step one phrase at a time and this is represent you and me. We are all sinners. Do you know what a sinner is? And prove that point. And the wages of sinners death, that means eternal separation from God. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because you’re trying to get them to follow you. But when he says I understand, I understand, I understand, I understand, when they get through and they say, well, do you understand?

All that you can do is trust Christ is your Savior. And if they understand all that see, then it’s easier to get them to say, yes, I’ll trust Christ. Because they understand. But when they don’t understand, don’t keep going on. You got to stop and get them to see this point because you move on to the next thing. They don’t see that. They don’t perceive and they have to have a certain amount of understanding. So that’s why you had to make the gospel clear.

And the gospel is not clear because you understand what you said. The gospel is clear when the lost man understands what you said. So he makes his statement here in verse 16, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for theyvery hear. Now you want to be a blessed individual. How many of you have ever said, Lord, I want you to bless me. Bless me. You want to be blessed? I want God to bless me with what?

Good hearing and good vision. Now I wear glasses and I got a hearing aid. So I’m not talking about a physical body. More than anything else in this life, you should want to hear what God has to say. You want to see what He means and see the future, have spiritual eyesight because without it, what do you have? You don’t have anything. And the scripture talked about Christians in the book of Second Peter being blind, blind Christians because they cannot see a far off.

They have no vision of the future. Now notice what he says here in verse 17, for verily I send to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them. Now he’s talking about Old Testament saints because the promises of them and they lived their whole life without ever seeing the fulfillment of those promises, but they like Abraham believed in a far country and believed the promise of God that it was going to happen.

and look for a city whose builder and maker was God. So he says here, and they have not seen them. They have not heard them. And verse 18, here ye therefore the parable of the sword. Now when he explains the parable, it’s to give people understanding. Because after he gets through, he says to his disciples in another scripture, he says, do you understand? Do you understand what I’m saying? I’ve wondered many times that after I’ve preached so many sermons and I’ve wondered how many people have actually understood what I’ve said Because if you really hear it and listen to it and you believe it It should change a person’s life if you go on like you never heard anything Didn’t see anything then he said it’s like a man that looks in the mirror and Behold his face and then he go out the way and he immediately forgets what he saw

like it didn’t make a difference. And the scripture says be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only. So why do you hear the Word so you can be a doer of the Word? And if you don’t become a doer of the Word then what’s the reason for hearing the Word? It’s not just so we can just tickle our fancy, it’s for a reason. In verse 18 he says, hear ye therefore the parable of the sword. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understand at that, now understands, that’s a very important word, understand at that, not, then comeeth the wicked one and catches the way that which was sown in his heart.

This is he which received seed by the wayside, but he that receiveeth the seed in the stony places, the same as he that heareth the word and immediately would joy receive it then. Yet hath he not root in himself, but doeth for a while, for when tribulation or persecution rises because of the word by and by he is offended. He also that receive of seed among the forms is he that heareth the word and the care of this world, and that his seedfulness of riches choked the word and he become unfruitful.

But he that receive have seed into the good ground as He that heareth the Word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, bring forth some hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. Not everybody brings forth the same amount of fruit, but those that did understand it and were fruitful brought forth fruit. So every one of these illustrations here, there’s four of them. Can you tell me which one refers to the lost man and which one refers to the safe man?

So if you looked at all four of these illustrations, how many refer to the saved and how many refer to the lost man? All right. Now look there at the first one. When it says in verse 19, he explains it in verse one, what is going on? Trying to get him to understand. When you’re talking about these illustrations down through here, there’s four, and the first one where he makes the statement that the seed that fell up by the wayside is the devil, and the devil is the one that steal the seed away before the person gets the chance to receive it.

and he says there in verse 19, see, and then comeeth the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received at seed by the wayside, but he understandeth it what not he didn’t understand. And the reason he didn’t understand it is because when the seed was given the birds of the air that gets the seed by the wayside, he refers to as the devil that feels the seed from the mind before he believes it.

That’s the lost man, he doesn’t understand. Verse 20 is the saved man. How do you know? The same is he that heareth the word and immediately with joy. Receive it that he understands. He receives it. It says, yet hath he not root in himself? But doerth for a while. So he saved, he endures for a while, and so you see why some people say then for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, bind by, he is offended.

But he started, he believed, but he is like the person who has no root. And if you don’t have any roots down into the Word of God, you’re not going to stay straight. strong and so the person is not going to be fruitful. Still saved. Verse 22, he also that receive it, seed among the forms is he that hearth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choked the word and he became unfruitful. So he did believe it.

He did understand, but he’s not fruitful. See, it always boils down to, OK, now that saved. Are you or are you not fruitful? Verse 23, but he that receive at seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also bear fruit and bring forth some hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. So he gives us a very simple illustration and there is four stories in one story. There’s only one sower and as you sow the seed some people are not going to understand it at all.

So always remember when you’re witnessing not everybody will hear and understand it. Some are going to hear it and believe it but never do anything with it and some are going to believe it and start off but they get choked up with the things of the world and never become fruitful and some are going to hear it and believe it and become fruitful in their life and some a hundred fold some sixty and some thirty fold so you don’t win everybody but you will win somebody and so it’s a tremendous thing now take your Bible look in Mark chapter four and notice you’ll get just a little bit clear understanding because now this same parable is used again and Mark chapter for looking verse 13.

And He said unto them, No, you not this parable. How then shall you know all parables? The so are so of the word. These are they by the wayside where the word is sown, but when they have heard Satan come it immediately and take it the way the word that was sown in their heart. So the bird that came along the wayside and got the seed that the soresos is a pitcher of the devil who steals the word from the person’s mind, lest he should understand and believe it.

Then he says there in verse 16, and these are they likewise which are sawn on stony ground who when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness. So they receive the word. and have no root in themselves. So endure, but for a time afterwards, when affliction or persecution arises, for the words say immediately they are, and what’s that word? You got online? They’re offended. Have you ever seen people that can come to church in the preachers say one word and they get so offended they don’t come back?

That’s scripture. That’s scripture. You can witness to somebody and say just the wrong thing and buddy they don’t want to think do you anymore. more. They write you off at the drop of a hat. So easily offended. And then he makes a statement here in verse 18. And these are they which are sown among forms, such as hear the word, they hear it, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, choke the word and it become it unfruitful.

So the reason that you sow seed is so that everything comes up and bears fruit. God created the whole heavens on the earth and created this world and created all the animals to reproduce and all the plants to reproduce and all the fruit trees to reproduce and all green grass, everything to reproduce is after its own, everything reproduces. Everything living reproduces. And so when God creates a Christian, a saved man, a saved man is to reproduce. And so everything is based around this.

Now look what he says in verse 20, these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word and receive it and bring forth fruit some thirty full, some sixty and some a hundred. Now look there in Luke chapter 8 and now notice in verse 4. Now as you read, if you read chapter 13 first of the book of Matthew, it kind of gives you a visual picture and it’s the best one. Then you get to the book of Mark, it’s not as much, but it’s got a little bit more detail concerning of what it means in the explanation.

Book of Luke gives you just a tad more. Now in the Gospel Luke in chapter 8, looking verse 4, and when much people were gathered together and were come to Him out of every city, He spake by a parable. A sore went out to sow His seed, and as He sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down in the fouls of the air devoured it. Some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. And others fell on good ground and sprang up and bear fruit a hundredthful. And when he had said these things, he cried, He had the half an ear to hear. Let him hear. Now you heard a prayer, but do you understand what he’s saying? Now a lot of people will listen to the parable of the sower. See, I know that, and I’ve heard the parable of the sower, but they never apply it to themselves.

Did you realize that you are represented in one of these parables? One of these is you. Now, you figure out which one it is. You’re one of them. Now, notice in verse five, there’s nothing in here about the seed springing forth, coming forth. It just simply said it was trodden down the fouls of the air devoured it, but we know what the birds of the air represent, the devil that stole the seed so that they wouldn’t hear and understand.

Then it says there in verse 6, there’s a word there. I want you to know in the line it calls sprung up as some fell upon a rock and as soon as it was sprung up, that means it germinated. That means it came forth into life. That’s why the first one is a lost man in verse 5, of verse 6 is a saved man but withered away because it lacked moisture. Like we have a lot of teenagers that came to ranch.

Some of those teenagers believe it or not, we may never see what’s going to happen with some of those kids. You know some of those kids that came to ranch gave us nothing but headache. Some day may be evangelist and pastors of some churches, radio evangelists. have no idea. You say, now, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t kind of short. See, I’ve lived long enough and I’ve already seen the results. I’ve seen what people have done. But the reason they fall by the wayside see sometimes because they didn’t get any moisture.

They didn’t get any nurturing because we let them slip through the cracks. Look at verse eight. Others fell on good ground and here’s two words, spring up, spring up. In verse seven is talked about and some fell among thorns and the thorns spring up with it. So they did spring up, but also other things did too and choked it out. But you see there’s life in verse 6 and there’s life in verse 7 and there’s life in verse 8.

Some fell all on good ground and spring up and bear fruit a hundred fold. Not do you get it? See how simple it is? Did you understand the parable? Do you really understand what Jesus was saying. He says there’s things like in this world the cares of this world, the riches of this world, is what causes a lot of God’s people not to be fruitful. And yet God says that some fell upon good ground and sprang up. Are you a new listener to Bibleline?

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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.