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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 Bibleignmenistries.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.

Once you take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 16, there’s not a lot of things I want to say in the 16th chapter. I have gone through the book of Romans before while I’ve been here. And I wanted to cover just a couple verses here because there’s one of the verses that really had something important. All of them are important, but this one kind of struck me as is extra important, you know. So it says here in verse 17, now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly means your own loss on desires. And by good words and fair spaces they seek the hearts of the simple. And then that last phrase, till I preached on verse 17 many times because of marking those that teach false doctrine. And we try to bring that out at times. And false doctrine, false teachers, false messages. So we try to make people aware. And especially when it comes to the gospel.

And then the clarity of the gospel is also the foundation on which you clarify other doctrines because it affects so much and then it affects your Christian life. So doctrine is important. people will say, well, just long as we love each other. Well, if you don’t love scripturally, you don’t love correctly. You have to believe doctrine. So you’ll know what to love and what not to love. And then God says, I want how to do it. So doctrine is important.

Now, he says this statement here, and I want you to notice in the notes that you have. The title is simply the Deception of the heart. Now we know that Satan is alive and well on planet Earth. He is in the deceiving business. He’s the liar and he likes to lie. And so he lies to us. And if he could deceive the lost man, well do you think he can deceive the safe man? Satan is busy and he seeks to deceive us all the time.

Otherwise all of God’s people would automatically do all the right things if they weren’t so deceived. But you see most people live according to their basic truth theology. And so you give yourself permission to do certain things because you don’t believe something else. Like I know I’m going to get chasin’ if I do this but I’m going to do it anyway. Then there’s something wrong when you’re thinking because you don’t think it’s going to be that bad. So somebody’s lying to you.

You don’t think it’s going to be It’s going to be more fun. It’s going to be worth it. It won’t be worth it. And it’s not going to be best. But you do it because of air and you’re thinking your judgment. So the Lord addresses this. Now, I’m a stickler when it comes to the gospel, salvation by grace, and all you have to do is trust the Lord and no work whatsoever. But for 57 years, I’ve been saved. So I don’t have to worry about am I doing anything to get saved?

That was taken care of a long time ago. But there’s a lot of other things that I should do. Now I want you to look there at number one in your notes. When you are deceived, what does it cause? What’s it going to cost you? What will it do to you? What’s the point? Number one, it causes division. See there in verse 17? Mark them which causes divisions. Now why would you cause division? Because you’re deceived about something. This is what destroys churches.

This will destroy a marriage. will destroy your own life. This is stories just about everything there is. When you become deceived, you’re making decisions that are irrational because you don’t have all the facts. You’re deceived about something. Some truth is being left out and some lie is being put in. So it affects your whole life. So that’s why you want to study the word of God in such a way that you protect your mind, the Hellman of salvation. That was to deliver you from the things that the fiery darts of the wicked one, then you notice that whenever God mentions those pieces of armor that you’re supposed to put on in Evasions chapter 6, where does it say when to take them off?

So when do you take them off? You put them off, but it never says take them off. Now it does say take and put off the old man, but it never says put off the new man. So that means that there’s provision that once you put it on leave it on and it will help you. Look at the next statement number two causes offenses. You talk about something that causes irritation. So easily offend people is because sometimes we expect people to treat us right.

We expect people to do us right and you know just to do right because you know we won’t be right or you should be right but when they don’t you get offended some people were their feelings on their shoulders and there’s dare anybody to say anything because they’re so easily offended so you have to what because see when you get offended you’re deceived by something you’re not thinking clearly you’re letting something bother you that if you thought the right way it wouldn’t bother you know that being offended is a choice just like happiness is a choice.

They’re decisions that you make. I might say I am going to tell a funny joke and you may say in your mind, I don’t care how funny it is, I’m not going to laugh. So I can tell the funniest joke in the world but you’re the one that decides whether you laugh or not, right? You can sit there and look at me like that was the worst joke you’ve ever heard and it might be. But you are the one that decide whether or not You’re going to laugh or you’re not going to laugh.

Whether you’re going to enjoy something or not enjoy something. See, we’re the one that we give ourselves permission to act the way that we do, to think the way that we do. Now, the other thing I wanted you to see there in verse 18, verse 18, it says, for they that are such serve, not our Lord Jesus Christ. So we know there’s people who cause division, and when you’re not doctrinally correct, you cannot serve the Lord correct. So he says, they which cause division of money, they are not serving the Lord, but their own fleshly desires.

So this is why you have to be careful about what do you believe and why do you believe it? And do you know that what you believe is the truth? Notice what else he says. How will they deceive you? How will people deceive you? See, Satan uses people and God uses people. So you could today be used by the Lord and tomorrow, you could be used by the devil. You can say something today that’s right in scripture and doctrinal and tomorrow you could be walking in the flesh.

Yes or no? You can. You can be easily deceived. Now notice what he says here. By good and you are done in the line of sin, you are done in the Bible. Good words and fair speeches. and you are done aligning this in your Bible. They saved the heart of the simple. So God wants you to learn doctrine so you can discern right from wrong. That’s why it is so very, very important. Now, the devil is always going to fight and he’s got little demons that always are going to work.

Now, what should take your Bible and turn over there to the book of James, the book of James. You’d be surprised just how many different things you can get out of one little old chapter. Now I had some other things I was going to speak on tonight, but I sat down there and I was reading that in Romans. Next thing to my mind, no my mind has gone over there to James in chapter 1, died in verse 26 and 27.

Then the next thing you know I’m over there in verse 1 and next thing you know I’m through the whole chapter again. And I done taught this I don’t know how many times but I thought no I never saw that before I never saw that before. I began to write it down a little bit and make sure you know I got myself set a notice this afternoon But I wanted to pass them on to you because I thought you know being deceived cost And it causes you something.

It’s going to cause you to lose something. And that’s why the worst thing you want to happen to you is for you to be a deceived Christian. Saved but deceived. Now look what we have here at number three. Causes of a lack of joy. But first of all, I want you to look there in James chapter one verse 26. Look at verse 26. If any man, if any man among you seem to be religious or spiritually with sure. You know, the poets have it all together.

I don’t believe this is using a bad sense, that bad, but and bridalith not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart. See that phrase? Deceiveth his own heart. Now you can be deceived and you can deceive yourself. See, we don’t want to give the devil all the credit, you have within you a sinful nature and you can’t trust that old man because he’s lying, he’s desperate and who can understand it? Jeremiah 17, 9. So it’s a very important verse, but notice what he says, and Breilith not his tongue, his religion is in vain.

In other words, your maturity is not as mature as you think. You’re not as complete as you think you are. If you cannot control the tongue, the tongue is what reveals what’s on the mind. And so when you don’t think right, you won’t talk right or do right. Now look what he says there in chapter two. He just wants you to to see the see there in verse 12, these two main things. So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

What you say, what you do. And you will speak right and you will do right unless you’re deceived. And you can be deceived so easily. And this is why so many of God’s children are having to be chasing or they lose out on God’s blessings and so many things that’s going to cost them. Now look there in James chapter one and look in verse two because if you become deceived you will not understand or appreciate the power, the blessings of the testings that you’re going to have in your life because you’ll be deceived as to their value.

All your problems and hard apes and despair have value to them because they can be used to teach you valuable lessons. And if you don’t perceive it correctly, like God’s word says here, but then you’ll despise the testing. You’ll complain and grind and grumble and murmur. All the things that God despises, you will do. But you won’t know you’re doing it. It’s because you’re deceived to the value of things that seems like they go wrong in your life. So when he says here in verse two, my brother counted all, and what’s the word?

Joy. So if you are deceived, it’s going to cost you something. It’s going to cost you the joy of learning, the things you should learn, and the peace that you want to have. It’s gonna cost you something. So there’s their value in coming to college and learning God’s Word. Because if you don’t, it’s gonna cost you something, and it’s gonna cost you an awful lot of joy that you could have had, and the peace of God that you could have had.

Now hold your place right here, but look also over there in 1 John, 1 John chapter 1 and verse 4. And you will see that one of the reasons for the book of 1 John and chapter 1 was of the whole book, but it says in verse 4, these things rightly under you that your joy may be full. But what if the devil deceives you and you don’t think this book is important? don’t think serving God is important. So He lies to you, does it affect your life when you believe the lie?

When you permit yourself to be deceived, and some people as you’ll see are self-deceived, they deceive themselves, and they don’t even know it yet it makes a difference in their whole life. But the purpose is that you might have some joy. The peace of mind that comes because you believe what God’s word has to say. Go back here to number four in your notes and you’ll notice causes a lack of patience. So when you look there and you see what he says in verse 3, knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But if you don’t see the value of the trial that you’re under, you’re not going to see the fruit of the benefit of having to be patient. This is why God does not always give you what you want when you want it. Otherwise there would be no need of patience. What there? Where you think tribulation is a problem that keeps you from getting what you want? Something that happens in life because it robs you of something in the immediate and you can’t get there a goal that you have or something happens to you or somehow you where you feel or all kinds of things.

So he says, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But when you’re deceived, see that’s something that you’re not gonna develop in your life because you’re allowed to dev up to deceive you. Look at the next statement, and cause of a lack of maturity. You know how do you know that? Well, what he says? You see there in verse four, he says, and let patience have hurt perfectly. Well, if you didn’t get the patience, it can’t complete the other part.

Well, what does that produce in your life? This is what produces your perfection, or you’re maturing in the Lord. And so some people never mature in the Lord. And so it costs them because being deceived by words and fair speeches of somebody that gets your eyes off the Lord and causes you to be deceived. And therefore you don’t see the things of God working in your life and you don’t know and appreciate the value of it so you don’t get the patience that you’re needing and then you don’t get the maturity that you need.

Remember this, God is always working in your life just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not being done. God sees you, knows you, everything is going on and he is keeping the books and so when he says here a lack of maturity that you may be perfect or complete and entire lacking nothing. So God wants you to be a total man, a good Christian man. Remember when you read over there when he talks about intemity in chapter 3 verse 16, you know the Scriptures, they give everybody inspiration of God and so on, and all the things that it’s good for that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished into all of the good works, that the man of God can do that which God requires so that you’re not lacking in anything.

You You can do everything God wants you to do. That’s why I say learn as much as you can about everything that you can because then you broaden your horizon, you broaden your ability to do more things. And so it’s a rich fulfilling life that God has for you. The next thing is number six causes a lack of wisdom. Why? Because whenever you have anything happens and you don’t know how to solve it, that’s That’s what causes it to be a problem.

Well, a problem is you don’t have the answer. So a man of wisdom doesn’t have to have all the answers, he just knows where to go get him. And so there’s a good place. It’s called the Bible. Don’t wait till you have a problem to try to find the solution. That’ll drive you nuts. Because you look high and low all the way and you can’t find an answer. So what you do is you prepare in advance. So you study the Bible and then when something comes up, you’ll have more wisdom on how to solve that problem.

You can solve that problem. You can solve that problem. So what happens is sometimes you’re not prepared for certain problems. And God’s going to always be teaching you things. Just when you think you have got all the answers, then he changes the questions. And then you got to learn some more. But at least when you get to be up in age like me and Al and Dr. Polson, you don’t have any more problems. See, we don’t have no more problems.

And even if you get seen out, you don’t even know it. If you lose half of your mind, you don’t know. You lost half of your mind. But I guess, I don’t know. I haven’t done it yet. I guess. I could have already lost half of my mind. I don’t even know it. So I just figured I got a gigabyte up here. And so don’t worry, I can get more in here. I got to delete something. So I deleted a lot of things that I didn’t need.

So you asked me a question. I don’t remember it. So I didn’t need that. that. But get what he says here in verse 6, but let him ask in faith, or I should say verse 5, if any of you lack wisdom, so being deceived, it will cost you wisdom because you won’t look to the Lord, you won’t study God’s Word, you won’t learn from your lessons, you’re not going to have the wisdom that you need. God wants us to have wisdom.

Now it also, number seven in your notes there, it causes a lack of stability. This is why in verse 6 through 8 he says, but let us ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. So it produces instability. You see, be in deceived, not understanding the value of things, making the wrong decisions, all these things are the result of Your instability.

God wants you to be stabilized. Another way in 1 Peter chapter 5 when he talks about casting all your cares upon the Lord and all that, and he says in the devil resist and so forth, he’s like a pursuant lion, a roaring lion, and whom he resists steadfast faith, steadfast. So you’re stable and you can handle a lot more pressure and problems that you go through lying. While you’re young, you’ll struggle a lot more. But when you get a little bit older, where’s the suppose of getting the little wisdom that when we don’t have all the answers we know just slow down take it easy I don’t have to be smart enough to everything and then well I don’t know that I just trust the Lord with that and sometimes we worry about everything But notice these things are important look at number eight Number eight look in verse 12 verse 12 says blessed is the man that endure a temptation

So when you’re deceived, you’re not going to endure the things you’re supposed to endure because you’re looking for a way out, not a way through. You’re not looking to learn something from what God has brought into your life. You’re looking for a cop out. You don’t want to go through it and you’re griping, complaining. Or you can face things the way God wants you to face things. When Jesus Christ was here, do you think he worried? I mean, he probably had some anxiety.

Don’t you think at times? You know, he just, you know, fell apart times. He probably lost at the time. Now he got angry a couple of times, but that was a righteous anger because of what they were doing in the father’s house. And so there’s nothing wrong with some righteous anger. We call it righteous indignation. But he does say here, blessed is the man that endured temptation. Because when he’s tried, see, it’s not if you’ve got to be tried, You will be tried.

It’s going to take place. It’s going to happen. So look at number nine. It causes a loss of rewards. See, there’s rewards that you could have had. But you see, if you don’t think right and keep your mind from being so deceived, well, then you’re not gonna serve the Lord the way you should. And if you don’t serve the Lord the way you should, you’re not gonna endure the temptations and you’re not gonna reap the rewards that God wants to give you.

So the reward is here, and when he is trite, he shall receive the crown of life. But this man that he mentions here in verse 7, for let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. Do you think this double-minded man is going to receive the crown of life? No. God’s word says no. So is talking about you receiving something. But look at the things that can keep you from receiving that which God has for you.

And he says, which the Lord hath promised to them, that love him. Now, being deceived can also cause you not to love the Lord the way you should. So you have to be careful. It’s a battle you’re going to have all the days of your life, but you understand it. You know there’s values to all of this stuff. A lot of hardship that God brings into your life and allows to come. Look at the next statement. 10 causes you to heal to temptation.

You’re going to be tempted. But God doesn’t tempt any man to sin. God is not the author of sin. God never does anything to lead you into unholyness. See, the Holy Spirit is a Holy Spirit, not an unholy spirit. The Holy Spirit can never lead you to do anything that’s unholy. The Holy Spirit up God never can cause you to do anything that’s not like God. So the Holy Spirit always leads you to do right. So if you’re doing wrong, don’t say, well, the Lord led me.

No, he didn’t. Lord never leads a child of God to do what’s wrong. Now the devil will, but remember the desire for sin comes from within and Satan knows that and tries to trap us. So you learn a little patience and you don’t have to experience what everybody else has done before you and watching traps and realizing I don’t have to have that happen to me. You watch the things that happens to people who rebel against the Lord and you don’t have to repeat it.

Learn and you’ll be surprised. You’ll be blessed but it will help you. But verse 13, let no man say when he is tempted because he’s going to be. I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted He any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust. So that shows you that every child of God has an oath of nature that’s still within him and it can draw you away.

And so you begin to listen to the deceptions of that old man thinking that the lust of the flesh is going to be worth whatever it’s going to cost you in the spirit. It is not going to be worth it. He’ll lie to you and deceive you. And you’ll think it’s not going to be… That bad. No, it’ll be a lot worse. There’s a song that used to sing at Northside. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay and take you further than you want to go.

Something like you. I don’t forget the words of it, but it’s along that line. Then he says here in verse 15, for when lust have conceived, it bringeth force sin because you’ve got the sinful desire. Then there’s nothing wrong in having that sinful desire because that’s part of your flesh. It’s when you fulfill that desire. And that’s why he says when it bring it for sin, then it finish it bring forth death. It will separate you, death will separate you, it will separate you from everything God wants to have for you.

It’s going to cost you so much, it destroys your Christian life. All because you allowed yourself to be deceived. Looking for 16, look at those first three words. Do not err and we talk to the lost men or we talk to the saved people. Do not err. This is to the Christian. So can the Christian sin evidently look there in chapter 2. Look in chapter 2. Now we know we’re talking to the brethren because you see there in verse 1 my brethren verse 1 have not the faith of our Lord Jesus tries with the respective persons.

means treating people differently for advantages or for some gain. Treat people the same regardless of what goes on. But he’s come down here and he makes his statement. In verse 9, but if you have respect to persons, you commit sin. Is it possible for Christians then to commit sin? That’s what he says. And then he relates it to, I guess you could say the Old Testament, the law. And he says, for whosoever shall keep the whole law and the fendant one point he’s guilty of all.

So if you’re saying it doesn’t make any difference, which one, the penalty is still the same. So here you are, he says, well, if you say don’t do this and you don’t do this, but you did this, he still broke the law. And there’s still a penalty to be said because you have a flesh nature. And so he says in the last part of verse 10 guilty of a guilty Is it possible for a child of God to still do things that bring and produce guilt in his life?

See the guilt in your life is why you need first John one nine It’s not because God is guilty. God doesn’t need forgiveness He hadn’t done anything wrong, but you did now the payment has already been made the sin has been forgiven given, but you have the guilt. You didn’t have that guilt before because you hadn’t done the sin, but he’s paid the penalty for all sin. But if you want peace of mind, you want joy, better you find what would get rid of the guilt.

And it’s not by denying the guilt. It’s by confessing only enough to a colon what it is. This was wrong and this was sinful. So you can face your sins so that you can forgive yourself. Otherwise that sin will destroy you. And you’ll be under such a burden. This wife’s been interested in some time and talk to people and they trust Christ as their Savior. And they’ll tell me, it’s like a load has been lifted off my shoulders. Well, as a Christian, and when you sin against the Lord, it’s like putting a load back on your shoulders as a Christian.

You still need to get those off of you. And that’s why 1 John 1 John 9 is so important. 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. 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. God 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.