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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.

Anyway, we are gonna look at a few little notes here, and I want you to take your Bible and follow along with me. So let’s take a look there in the book of Psalms, the first Psalm in your book of Psalms. Psalms number one. Now we know that you’re not gonna take the time and the class here today to go through the whole psalm and try to explain what it means to be blessed. But if you’ll look at it, it is a tremendous psalm.

But let’s look there in verse 1. In verse 1 it says, blessed is the man. Now a lot of time you can take the word blessed, it means he’s happy because he’s been blessed and to realize that there is a God who blesses his people. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

So God says, blessed is that man, happy is that man. Great is the individual that will not live like the world and think like the world and follow the people in the world and seek his counseling from the world. That’s why God gave us his word and that’s why we’re supposed to read it, study it and it does make a difference. And then the Bible says, because you have done that, here is how you will be blessed. How will you be blessed?

In verse 3, He shall be like a tree.” In other words, verse one is telling you how to be like this tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth his fruit in his seasons. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he do it shall prosper because you’re making wise decisions. And prosper doesn’t necessarily always mean here in this life you’re going to be prospering because you sought to put treasure in heaven. When you get to heaven and God rewards you for what you’ve done for him, you’re gonna be so happy.

You’re gonna be so glad that you did. But you don’t wanna be like the ungodly. So there’s always people who will do what God says and there’s people that won’t. So he says in verse four, the ungodly. So to be blessed means to live like the godly and the wicked are those that are ungodly. And they says, but are like the chaff, which the wind driveth away. In other words, they’re at the mercy of every wind of doctrine that comes along because they’re not grounded like a tree.

The wind’s come and it can bend, but it’s grounded. And so in life, you have a lot of problems, pressures that blows against you, trying to uproot you, try to destroy you, but because you’re grounded in the word of God, you can stand. And he says you can be fruitful. So then he makes a statement in verse five, therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

So that is a tremendous portion of scripture. Now look at number two and turn to Psalmsipeg, Psalms 119. Psalms 119. These are some mighty good verses that we’re going to be looking at today and they will help you tremendously. Psalms 119 and verse 63, you ought to underline this verse in your Bible because sometimes you don’t know who should be your closest friends. All my closest friends are godly friends. I don’t have any close, ungodly friends. Now, I’ll try to be friendly with people because I’m trying to help and reach them and change them with the word of God and so forth.

But I don’t want them influencing me in the wrong direction. And if you hang around the wrong kind of people too long, you’d be surprised who might get who. You’re trying to get them, but they might get you. So you got to be careful. Stay strong with the right kind of people. But you’re noticing verse 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee.” Isn’t that a good statement? That’s who I want to be a friend with.

All those that fear the Lord. And how do you know they fear the Lord? Because the Bible says in Proverbs, they fear sin. People who are careless in their life and don’t care what they say or do and where they go and who their friends are, you better be careful they don’t become your closest friend. So you got to be careful. So it’s a good verse, really is. Number three, look in Psalms 133, Psalms 133. Psalms 133, often I have used this verse and trying to help God’s people to dwell together as they should.

And he says here in verse one, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together and unity. That would be good for a husband or wife too, wouldn’t it? Think so? Or parents and their children. Or people in the church. Wouldn’t be neat if the whole nation was like that. You know, years and years ago, the lost people had a higher standard of character than the believers do today. Years ago, I remember you never had to lock your car, You didn’t have to lock your house.

You didn’t have to worry about it. We never locked our house, but now you don’t know who to trust. You don’t even know if you can trust the neighbor next door. So things have changed because when you’re not taught right and wrong, you don’t think there’s anything wrong. There’s no restraints. So then people do whatever they want. They want this. They take it. They want that. They take it. So that’s why it’s so important to teach these kids that are in our schools.

schools, they should be taught the Bible. They should be taught what God says is right, what God says is wrong. It becomes a restraint mentally for the people, for those teenagers, for the college kids today. There’s nothing to hold them back from doing anything they think about. And that’s a shame. Proverbs chapter 1, just turn it to your right to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 1, this is a verse that I memorized years and years ago. Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 10.

You know, if sinners entice the consent, I’m not. So I would talk to the teenagers that camp in the college kids. If sinners entice the consent, I’m not. Don’t give yourself permission to do what they want you to do if it’s wrong. Always try to be in control of yourself, realizing that you don’t want to be upon in somebody else’s hand. So it’s a good verse to know. And the reason he says this, and we looked at this last week in 119, saw him, how of all shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to thy word?

Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. Why do we memorize scripture so that we don’t sin against the Lord? And without reading and studying in memorizing scripture, well you’ll just do what seems right because it doesn’t seem bad to you. Okay, so then you, that’s how you make your decisions. But it doesn’t mean that’s acceptable to God. So in the 19th Psalm, David makes the statement, he says that I’m not hurt by presumptuous sins and that I will do things that are acceptable in thine eyes as the 19th Psalm in the last verse.

Very good, very good. Alright, look in Acts chapter 2, Acts chapter 2 in the New Testament, the book of Acts chapter 2. Now you talk about something that really virtually changed the world, and that was because of God’s people in the first century what they did. So in chapter 2, look in verse 42, chapter 2, verse 42, and look at these four things that happened to the believers what they did and what they continue to do together. Verse 42, and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles, the doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and in prayer.

Those four things will help a Christian help a church stay strong. But now what’s interesting is, well, how often did they do this? This will knock your socks off. Look in verse 43. fear came upon every soul. Many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. Now look what he says in verse 44, and all that believed were together and had all things common. All that believed were together. Wouldn’t it be neat if every person we went to Christ would all come together and study God’s Word?

All of them? Well this is what turned the world upside down in those days. Remember, Christ has just been crucified. He’d been resurrected. They saw him. They saw him alive. And now they see Peter and others are able to do these miracles and so forth. I guess that would kind of get your attention. Now look what he says in verse 46.

And they continuing, what’s that next word? Monthly. Daily. daily with one accord, believe in the same thing in the temple, and breaking bread from what? House to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. They had one purpose in mind. They were going to reach as many people as they possibly could with the gospel. So they did all these things, and this is why they were able to turn the world upside down in their day. And they only started with 120 in the upper room, and and think about this, we can have 120 churches in the city of Tampa and they don’t even know God’s alive.

True? And look what they did. They turned the world upside down. And then notice what he says there in verse 47, praising God and having favor with all the people and get this and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved, those that were being saved, because they believed. So everyone who believed because that was why they did it and those that were being saved became part of the group and they would come together and study the Word and pray and all these things and really that’s turned the world upside down.

So that’s a good one. All right here you are, you’re a believer, you’re coming along, you’re reading and studying with God’s people and somebody wants you to go to their Bible study. Jehovah’s Witnesses want you to come to their Bible study. So of course you say, well yes! Well, I want you to look at the scriptures and see what the scripture says about that. Look in Romans in chapter 16. Romans chapter 16, and I would underline this verse in your Bible because you need to know it.

Remember, as he says in the 19th Psalm in keeping of them, talking about the Word of God, there is great reward, but he also says in the very same verse, there is warnings. So God doesn’t make the decision for you. Now he’s told you what he wants you to do, but he can’t make that decision. He allows us to make decisions for or against his will. So you can obey his will and disobey his will, but God always lets you know, look, I’m warning you.

There’s consequences. When God tells you not to do something, it’s because God, that’s gonna hurt you. That’s gonna hurt you. That’s gonna hurt you. Now you think it’s gonna bring you peace, and joy, and happiness, and pleasure, and all that? That’s gonna hurt you. God will not withhold any good thing from those who walk upright. You put God first and you live like you’re supposed to. God said, I will not withhold any good thing to them. But if you don’t serve the Lord and make the rise decision, there’s consequences to all of our decisions.

And some of those decisions in this life cannot be undone. Some decisions you’re making this like cannot be undone. I got mad at my hand and I cut it off. Six months later I realized, man, that was a stupid thing I did. Okay. Does that put it back? No. You become an alcoholic and you liver, you get cancer. Lord, I was wrong. I played the full. Forgive me. God can forgive you not hold it against you, but the damage to the body still doesn’t heal the body.

And people think, well, all I do is just confess your sin and everything’s cool. No, it’s not. There’s consequences in this life for the rest of your life. So this is what he says in verse 17. Now, I beseech you brethren, mark them which caused division. That’s why you need to have one of those black markers. You got to have a marker. You oppose or mark them. Go up there and put a big old X on their forehead. No.

Mark them which cause the visions and get this and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and do what? Join them and avoid them. One of the things that’s hurt me over the years is having to do this with people that I know and love and I have inside of me, I don’t want to do that. But I’ve seen people that change or offenses, contrary to the teachings of the Word of God, and I’ve had to make some tough decisions.

Because I know that it’s going to hurt and damage and you have to make decisions. And sometimes nobody knows why you have to do something. And then if you try to tell them, then you’ve got to say things that you don’t want to say, and you get caught one way or the other. It’s just like this. If you wait too long to warn the people, then a wolf can eat up the flock. But if you say something too soon, I don’t see that.

That’s not a wolf. So do you wait until the wolf eats a few of them, or you tell them in advance? So whichever way you go, there’s going to be somebody who will not understand. You’ve got to live with them. But this verse is very, very important. And look what he says here in verse 18, for they, these people that teach and cause divisions, and sometimes these people can be people that are in the church. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly or their own lust, their own desires.

And by good words, get the good words, fair speeches, deceived the hearts of the simple. So that’s what the book says and you’re supposed to be able to discern. Now how can you discern whether somebody with fair speeches and good words and all that? How do you know if it’s wrong? You have to know the truth. You cannot discern air if you cannot, I should say you can’t discern truth if you can’t discern air. You have to be able to discern it.

So that’s why you have to study what the Bible says in order to know whether, hey, that’s right and that’s wrong. And then you got to decide. Look at our next one down here. Number eight, what does the Bible say about fellowship and with unbelievers? Second Corinthians chapter six. All right, let’s look at second Corinthians in chapter six. Now believe it or not, all the Sunday school classes are supposed to be teaching the same thing, except a couple of the classes I’ve told them to teach whatever they wanted to.

But mainly all the classes will be teaching pretty much the same thing. But different teachers have a different way of presenting something. Not everybody teaches the same way. And we are blessed in this church to have such good quality teachers in some of these other classes and so forth. So if you ever want to go to one of the other classes and just see what they’re doing, feel free to do so. I’m not one of those preachers are getting mad and I don’t get jealous.

Remember I used to have them all but I’d rather have some teachers learning how to teach and somebody else fill them in and they learn. That’s how you do it. But anyway, if you’ll notice here in 2 Corinthians in chapter 6, they’re in verse 14, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. So here’s a young lady. She trusted the Lord, she comes in the church and she’s dedicated her life to the Lord. And here comes this Devanare, you know, and he’s tall, dark, and handsome, and she falls.

Oh, but he’s not saved. But if he’s not saved, she ought not give him a first look because she’s going by the external. But what does the Bible say? And I always try to tell the college kids this, but most of them don’t listen, but I tell them anyway, you will never marry somebody you don’t date. So you don’t date anybody, you wouldn’t marry. You find out where that person stands first. You need to know where they stand spiritually.

Do they know the Lord? And do they love the Lord? And are they serving the Lord? Not they promising that they’re going to. No, no, no, no. If you’re not doing it now, you don’t know if they’ll do it later. And they should be able to do it without you. If they only do it because of you when they get upset with you then they’re not going to do you better be wise. Your whole life can be ruined by making a few bad decisions that can affect yourSynopsis but once you say I do I do I do you better do.

So well I married the wrong one. I mean times I’ve heard that well it’s not my fault I married the wrong one. Well God did not put a gun to anybody’s head and make somebody get married. Now father-in-law might have, but I used to tell him, me and Betty ran away, we got married and her dad came looking for me with the gun. He was gonna, he wasn’t gonna make me marry her. He was gonna blow my brains out.

So anyway, it was too late, we had a little piece of paper. So anyway, he thought that the only hope for his daughter was to get Yankee saved. So he started working on me and praying for me. Him and Mom, but it only took him three months to get through to me. But finally I saw what he was saying. I never knew that that one little decision that night would change my life forever. Can you believe that? I could have said no, just as easy as I said yes, but I said yes.

And all of a sudden I’m saved. And I thought, you know, what I heard, I was supposed to jump, shout, and hoot and holler, and click the heels together, and lightning bolts, and you know, thunder’s going to roll, and shivers go up and down my spine, and all that kind of… It was a dud, total dud, nothing happened. My father says, what does the Bible say? Says if I believe it, I’m saying, He said, well, are you safe? I guess so.

I guess so. That’s the same thing I said when the guy, he says, will you take this one, be your lawful, I mean, your lawful wedded wife? And I said, I guess so. I did. And then whenever I got out of there, we were walking out the steps in Anderson, South Carolina. They said, did you pay him anything? I said, no. So I walked back, I felt a little guilty. I walked back in and I asked him, I said, how much do I owe you?

He says, how much is she worth? I says, it’s $5 enough. He says, OK. So anyway, I said, Betty, give me $5. I didn’t have any money. That was one of the reasons her dad didn’t want her to marry me. I didn’t have a job, didn’t have a money, didn’t have a place to live. Betty had $17 total. So anyway, she gave me $5. She got me for $5. And I’ve been working for 56 years as a result of that.

Now, that’s a pretty good deal. You got to admit that’s a pretty good deal. But I don’t think I could ever have found a better woman in all my life. But when we got married, we were not equally yoked. We were unequally yoked. And so sometimes you have to watch, and I’ve said this before, you take a horse, a race-horse, and you take a donkey, and you yoke them together. Now you’re going to have problems because they don’t pull the same way.

One’s fast and one’s slow. And there’s people that are just like that. They get married. And so one is boom, and the other one’s slow. And he likes her because, well, she’s out there, and she’s, yeah. And he likes you because you’re nice and slow and steady. And so nobody wants to change each other until they get married. And the very thing they like to bottom now, they hate. Because somebody has to do some adjusting. And after about 50 years, you finally learn how to pull together.

So it just takes some time. All you need is about 50 years, you know, putting up with each other and you finally start learning what they’re like. I used to tell it says, a wise man finds out what irritates his wife and then avoids it. Then a foolish man finds out what irritates his wife and does it. He knows if he does this, she’ll do this or listen. And they do it to each other. And they love each other.

They want peace and joy and happiness, but they do everything. That’s the opposite. Why? That’s because we all got this old sinful nature we live with. But God does say in verse 14, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? It don’t get along. What communion hath light with darkness? It don’t get along. Or what Concord, or I should say, what are you having common? Have Christ with the devil, Bel-El. Or what part had he that believeth with an infidel?

And then where he just don’t go together. So if you want God’s best for you, I believe this also can take place even in a ministry. It also I think holds true even in business. You have to be careful even in business. up with somebody that doesn’t have godly principles in government, and God may have to chase them, and then you’re tied to them. It’s just like having a Jonah on board. When Jonah was on board and God was going to chase in Jonah, remember he sent the whole big old storm and everybody in the boat was in trouble.

So for the sake of peace, they had to throw Jonah overboard. But Jonah didn’t mind. So you have to be careful of joining up with a Jonah. And so that’s why you have to watch. You don’t have jonas in place of leadership in a church. Or marrying a Jonah, a person who is rebellious to to God and you marry a rebellious person. It’s like a girl standing out there and she’s hitchhiking. Why are you hitchhiking? I’m waiting for me a fellow to come along.

Well, where do you want to go? You want to go. I don’t care where I’m going. I don’t care where he’s going, but wherever he’s going, I get in the car, you’re going to go wherever he goes. You need to find out where is he headed. Is that where you want to go? No. Don’t you get in that car. Because you married that guy that’s going the wrong direction. You’re going the wrong direction. And it’s not going to have all the peace and joy.

So God tells us all these things. Look at him then verse 17. He says, Wherefore come out from among them and be separate? Sayeth the Lord, touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you. Because then God is now talking to you as his child. This is not on how to be saved. He says, and I will be to you as a father and you will be. be to me as a child, as my children. See, you can live your Christian life as though God is not your father, and you can live as though you’re not his child.

But if you want the peace and joy, then you better not join up unequally and be unequally yoked. That’s why he says in verse 18, and will be when he says, except you receive you, and will be a father under you and you shall be my sons and daughters.” So this is talking about as a child of God, shouldn’t a child of God be yoked together with the Father? Because that’s your dad. You’re his, you had the same bird, that’s why Christ says, coming to me all ye that labor and are heavy, Layton and take my yoke upon you and learn of me for how’s the rest of it go?

Or I am meek and lowly. So God wants us to take upon His yoke, His burden, His purpose in life. So you find those that have got the same purpose in life. This is why we can have a good, strong church if we have the choir directors on the same page. If we have the youth directors on the same page, all the elders on the same page, all the deacons on the same page, we can get a lot more done.

True? But what if half of us want to go this way and half want to go the other way? Every time you do something, a few people are four, but most people are negative don’t want to do anything. So you always have to go through that. But this is why. Now look, in chapter 7 of this same book, chapter 7, in verse one. He kind of gives you an idea. Having, therefore, these promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

So God wants us to live a life that is decent, respectable, holy, maturing in the Lord. So you know what God once and he says, joining up, being unequally yoked with others, you will not be what you ought to be. 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 4 2011 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. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.