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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.

Turn in your Bible to the book of 1 Timothy, 1 Timothy, chapter 5. The scriptures tell us an awful lot about the sin of gossiping, hillbears devouring one another, all these things that people do when they disobey God. What are some things that people say and it’s not true but then people believe that it’s true and then so they talk or treat that person as though that’s a wicked person and it’s not true. Wouldn’t that be a terrible thing to do?

Look there in verse 15 or some are already turned aside after Satan Remember this you’re either going to serve the Lord or you’re going to serve Satan. There isn’t anybody else You know what I’m just going to do what I want to do. Okay, you’re going to serve Satan. No, I’m not gonna serve Satan I’m just gonna do what I want. What’s the difference between you and him? So you have a nature just like his so it’s a bit rebellion to God’s it seems So you’re either going to obey God or you’re going to obey the devil who we serve is revealed by the decisions that we make.

Then he makes this statement here in verse 17, let the elders that rule well. Now that’s preachers, elders in our church, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. So what does that mean? Art like this. If a man goes to work and he’s going to say in the church and he makes $100, if the average of the people is $100, then how much should the preacher make if he gets double honor? $200. If they get 500 average, the preacher is supposed to get twice that.

If they got $1,000 average, then the preacher gets $2,000. That is if he has committed himself to the study of the Word of God. Look what he says. In verse 17, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the Word and doctrine. Preachers are supposed to give himself to these two main things. That’s the word, studying, knowing the word, and prayer. Because that’s a powerful thing to know. Because that’s what you teach the people, and that’s what governs their life, is the knowledge they gain from what the Bible has to say.

And then the prayer that he does on behalf of interceding for people. One of the most powerful things you can have is somebody that can pray and talk to the Lord because he’s either a holy man or a righteous man, godly man. But look what he says. In verse 18, for the scripture sayeth, this is the Old Testament, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that should have out the corn. In other words, the ox that treads the corn ought to be able to eat of the corn.

And what he’s talking about, the preacher that preaches the gospel should live of the gospel. And he says this, and the labor is worthy of his reward. This is what belongs. Then he says in verse 19, that was the positive. Now here’s the negative. Against an elder or preacher, received not an accusation, but before two or more witnesses. So that you don’t just listen to what somebody says, there has to be witnesses. And also in conjunction with this, It’s based upon the truth of the Old Testament law to or more witnesses.

So that it’s established and it’s true because they’re going to check it out and prove before you just believe what somebody says, find out if it’s true. Because what if it isn’t true? Have you ever heard somebody say something against a preacher and it not be true? And yet people believe it. That the devil can, he doesn’t want people to believe that the pastor is either a good man Godly man because he don’t want people going to listen to the guy.

The devil will say and do whatever he can to destroy. Then in verse 20, if it’s true… Then, that sin, the elder, rebuked before all that others also may fear. In other words, can the preacher just do whatever he wants to do and get away with it? No. If he’s wrong, he’s to be confronted. And if he’s confronted, it’s to be between two and three witnesses at least, and it be proven to be true, and then it’s supposed to be known to the people, to rebuke the person, so that that person knows he can’t get away with it.

and then everybody else in the church knows, look, if the preacher got rebuked, everybody ought to get rebuked. If you really did believe what the scriptures teach, then there is to be church discipline. We should challenge and motivate one another to serve the Lord and to do right. Now, look now in the book of John, the Gospel of John. When Jesus Christ came, well, there was the problem of believing Him. And some would believe on them if they saw miracles done.

But there was the religious leaders that they had a problem with Christ. See, they didn’t believe He was who He claimed to be. And the reason the Apostle Paul made the statements that he did is because they had a lot of accusations made against him because people were saying things against Paul. And it wasn’t true. Paul says, look, find out if it’s true first. He said, I’m the guy that led you to Lord. I’m the guy that’s been teaching and training you all the years.

He says, listen to what I’m saying before you just quickly believe something and then you act upon it and it not be true. Well, what about Jesus? Did he have anybody ever say anything like that about him? Oh, yes. Why do you think they put them on a cross-in crucified him? Because somebody said, somebody lied about him. Remember, they had witnesses, but they were false witnesses. They lied about him. They said, he said things they didn’t say. And then something they said about him, well he claimed to be God.

Well he was. And that wasn’t a lie. It was the truth. So anyway, in the last part of verse 18, looking verse 18 of chapter 5, therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not had only broken the Sabbath, but in their opinion he was wrong and they convinced the people that he was wrong. But also that God was his father, making himself equal with God. Jesus said that God was his father. Well, they know that if God was his father, they know he’s saying he’s God too.

He’s equal with God. If you’re a human and you have a child, your child is human as you. Yeah. If God is God and God has a son, his son is just as good as God. I can say he’s good as God. He’s good as God. So when you go down through here and it talks about the judgment. But what he says in verse 30, I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge. And my judgment is just because I seek not my own will.

But the will of the Father which had sent me, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. In other words, you are not going to believe me. If I only say what I am, then you are not going to believe what I say. and maybe they don’t have to, but he says, I’ve got some witnesses. I got more than two. I’ve got more than three. And so they were to believe him. Hold your place right here and look there in the book of Numbers in chapter 35.

In verse 30 says, Who so killeth any person? The murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses. But one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. In other words, nobody is to ever die because of what one person said. So you had to have two or more witnesses because you’re talking about taking a man’s life. If two people got together and said something about somebody, they could have him killed? Well, yeah, but there was something else to it though.

And so look there in the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 17. See, God didn’t tolerate in the nation of Israel. Anybody believing anything else except the truth. And that was that he was God. They were not to tolerate all religions. See in America everybody can have any religion they want because that’s what slowly wanting to change our laws and our land because we have people here who have different religious beliefs. They no longer hold a Christian faith. There was articles that I’ve read where the Muslims want to replace the Constitution with the Quran.

Well, should that be out. It shouldn’t be allowed. But you know, if they get it in enough places of leadership, get enough on voted in and little by little, they’re wanting to get into places of politics because they know that they can change our country without having to bomb it. They can We just… Pass laws and take over our country. But look what else it says here. Look in verse 2, If there be found among you within any of our gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worship them, either the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded.

That would take care of all these astrologers in our country and all those who worship their little horoscope and all that stuff again. See, that’s a wicked thing. The horoscope, something so innocent. It’s just fun. No, it ain’t just wicked. How do you know God says so? You go by what the book says. He says in verse 4, and it be told thee, and thou have heard of it and inquire diligently and behold, it be true. Now, keep this in mind.

We talk about two or more witnesses. It’s not just because somebody said something. It is to be inquired, searched into diligently and yet this, and it was true. And the thing was certain, there’s no doubt about it because you don’t just take a man’s life, but he says it’d be found to to be true.” And then He makes this statement. He says, and the thing certain, that such abomination is rotten Israel. In other words, the man or woman, guilty of it, then shall thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing unto the eye gates, even that man or that woman and shall stone them with stones till they what?

die. This is God’s way of putting away evil from Israel. Okay, you think you can just live like you please and get away with it? They didn’t do it then. You don’t do it now. Get what he says. In verse 6, at the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. Now get this, the hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death.”

In other words, who’s the one that’s got to throw the first stone? The one that brought the accusation. Before you make an accusation, you’ve got to be willing, am I willing to take this man’s life? And is it true? You see, this was to stop gossip. But in verse 7, the hands of the witnesses shall be first upon on him to put him to death and afterwards the hands of all the people. So thou shall put the evil away from among you.”

You see the ones that were the executioners were the people themselves. Remember the hangings in the Old West outside where everybody can see it. Why do they want everybody to see it? This is what happens to those who commit crime. Crime doesn’t pay. Well long before we live at a time where a crime does pay. Everybody does something and get away with it because our laws protect the criminal and they let the victim suffer the consequences. I go back to the book of John in chapter 5.

You see whenever just in the New Testament says to be established in the mouth of two or more wits this is what is referring to but it’s to be searched into and verified to make sure that it’s certain it’s right and a person most to die. So when they said these things about Jesus, they were trying to get Jesus to be rejected because, you know, stirring up the people. And the people were to have them stoned or crucified them.

But now look what he says in verse 30. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of him or the Father which have sent me. But he says this, there is another that bear witness of me. And I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. In the words, I’ve got somebody that knows what I said and will bear witness and say that what I’m saying is the truth.

Who was it? Well, he says right there in verse 33, he says, you sent unto John and he bear witness unto the truth. For I received not testimony from man, but these things I say that you might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light at first but because they found out he was talking about Jesus and Jesus claims to be God. See, either the Pharisees, these hypocrites, had to either believe that Jesus was telling the truth or then they’d have to believe on him.

And that would mess up their little, I guess you’d call it their scam because they were religious scam artists. were scamming the money off the people because the scriptures would always leave to Christ. So he says, I’m going to give you some witnesses, not just what I say. But it’s also, John said it. He says, and you know John. You heard John. John said that I was the light. John said that. John’s the one that said you ought to believe on me.

John’s the one that said that he was not even worthy to step down and get in tight shoes. But I have a greater witness than that of John. For the works which the Father had given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father had sent me. He said, look, I’ve already raised the dead. I turn water into wine. I can walk on water. And he said, I fed the 5,000. I’ve raised the dead.

I called the blind to see and the death they hear. He said, what else do you want? He says, what I’ve done? My works. That tells you who I am. You think, well, that ought to be enough. That ought to convince them. No, my good convention. Some people, you’re never going to convince. Even when we witness the people, some people we win, some people, you’re never going to win. Just accept the fact. Jesus couldn’t convince them. I mean, if I saw somebody do all those things, I know that there’s no normal man.

Something’s going on here. I want to investigate. I want to find out. I want to listen to this guy. and the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. And you have not his word abighted in you, for whom he hath sent him, you believe not. He says, you don’t believe what God says, because God bears witness of me. And he makes the statement a little bit further.

He says, I am the light of the world. He says, when you put me on the cross, he says, my father will tell you who I That’s why whenever Christ was on the cross, what happened to the lights in the world? They were all turned off. They got dark. He said, when you put me on the cross, he said, my father will tell you who I am. He said, I said, I’m the light of the world. You don’t believe that.

My father’s going to tell you who I am. He bear witness to me. And my father turned off all the lights and they got dark while he hung on the cross. He says, my father’s going to do that. Now, you did with all these testimonies, these witnesses, they would really believe it. I would have scared me to bed not to trust the Lord. He says in verse 39, search the scriptures. Now what is the scripture? Scriptures is the Old Testament.

He says for in them, you think you have eternal life. You think you have eternal life just because you have the scriptures. He says, search the scriptures. He says, and you’ll find out they testify about me. See what he says? And they are they which testify of me the scriptures tell you who I am. And if you really knew the scriptures really believe the scriptures then you would believe that I am truly the son of God. I am the Savior of the world.

I am the one that’s come to make the death payment for the sins of all mankind. You would believe that I am what I claim to be the son of God. He said if you believe the scriptures but you don’t believe the Bible. You know the people who believe that you can be saved and lost, lose your salvation, you got to be good to go to heaven and all that stuff. They don’t believe the Bible. They don’t believe the Bible.

Because see, they don’t believe the gospel message. The message of the gospel is that when you believe that you have eternal life, if you don’t know you have eternal life, you don’t believe the message. You don’t believe the message. You’re not believing in Christ unless you know you have eternal life, unless you know that you’re going to heaven when you die. If you don’t know for sure you’re going to heaven because you don’t believe it. Look there in verse 40.

And this is a very, very important verse. And ye will not come to me that you might have life. It’s just not that they cannot come, it’s that they will not come. He says you will not come. He just says you could not come. Because Christ will save anybody. He says you will not come that you can have life. the reason they don’t have life because they won’t come. It’s their fault, not cause. I’ve had people say, well, God chose to save Psalm and let the rest of God go to hell.

God came to save the whole world if they will believe it, but they won’t come to him. They will not believe. They will not trust him. He says, and ye will not come to me that you might have life. I receive not honor from men, but I know you that ye have not the love of God in you. You don’t have the love of God in you. see that a lot of people live their lives and they love a lot of things in this life but they don’t love God.

One of the greatest things you and I can do is love the Lord. You know how Jesus Christ could say to them that you do not have the love of God in you because he knows every man. Does God know right now whether you really love him or not? If you really love the Lord That is the key to loving him and being found faithful to him. If you’re not faithful to the Lord, you don’t love him. You’re deceiving yourself.

You’re deceiving yourself because love is what makes you do anything. It’s like a man said, I love my wife, but then you’re not faithful. Something’s wrong with that. You love God. You’ve got to be faithful to God. You’re not faithful to God. You know, there’s something wrong with a love problem. All these scriptures are dynamite. He’s in verse 40. I am coming my father’s name. you receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, you will receive.”

Now remember this, since Jesus Christ has been here, there’s a lot of people come and go and people claim to be prophets and so forth, but there’s never been one, not really, a real prophet that came on the scene and claims to be sent by God until we have this guy named, you ever heard a guy named Mohammed who started the religion of Islam? Did you know there’s a day coming when the people of Israel, I believe, are going to accept that religion?

Someone’s gonna accept? He says, I came in my father’s name. He’s gonna come in his own name. There’s only been one. This is why there’s a good possibility that the Islamic religion could be what leads into the the great tribulation period and be the worst religion that’s the world’s ever known. What would happen and what would this world be like if the Muslims were totally in charge of this world? What kind of freedoms would we enjoy? And would it be true that chances are you would lose your head?

And the Bible says that with a revelation that we saw the souls of him that were beheaded for his name’s sake. It looks like everything is lining up just like God said it would. And they’re going to make his peace treaty with Israel. He says in verse 44, how can you believe which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that coming from God only? In other words, they were so hip on themselves that they looked upon each other.

Oh, I honor you and you honor me and we honor each other and we’re somebody and we’re we’re the doodads. I mean, we really got it made. We’re the big shots around here. He says, you don’t seek honor from me, and you don’t see the give honor to me. So whenever you’re like that, you’re a thief. See, they were not as righteous as they thought. They were self-righteous in their own mind. They sought to justify themselves even before man.

So there was some great thing and God says, you don’t want to be like a Pharisee, which is a hypocrite. In verse 45, do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. is one that accuses you even Moses in whom you trust. In other words, you trust the law. You say you believe the Bible, you believe the law, you believe the scriptures. Yet the scriptures tell you about me and you don’t believe it. Moses told you in chapter 18 of the book of Deuteronomy that a prophet like unto him will come one day and it’s talking about Jesus Christ.

You’re on the 18th. He says Moses told you about me and you don’t believe him. Do you think Jesus was a wimp? He stood up and knew that these people wanted him dead. See over there in verse 13, 18, they wanted him dead. And this is his answer back to them. He didn’t run. He didn’t have to hide. He says, what I’ve done and what I’ve said has not been done in a corner. Jesus was a man’s man. And look what he says there in now in verse 46.

For had ye believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote with me. That’s powerful. So he’s saying you don’t believe the Bible. You don’t really believe what you say you believe. You say you believe the Bible. You don’t believe the Bible. And this is why I say to people today, you don’t believe the Bible. I told a preacher that I said, you don’t believe the Bible. I said, read and go on to hell because you don’t believe the Bible.

He believed you’re saved by what you do and you have to live right. And I says, you believe that? You’re lost as a hound dog in the end of a soup phone. And people that get up here and can talk about getting a baptism of a holy ghost and all that. They’re funny. They don’t believe the Bible. They don’t believe salvation is totally, really truly, by grace. And they believe you can lose your salvation if you ever had it.

They don’t believe what Christ said. You You don’t believe the Bible. You believe what you think the Bible says. You believe what you think the Bible ought to say, but you don’t believe what the Bible says. It doesn’t say all that stuff. So a lot of people just do not get it. When I say they don’t get it, they don’t get eternal life. They ain’t going to heaven when they die. Look up here. Letting this hand represent you and me and this wallet represent sin.

Now we all have sin on us. Everyone here is a sinner. Just like me. We’re all sinners. God loves us. Now he hates our sin, but he loves us. All of us are in the same boat for all have sin. All have come short of God’s perfection. The wages of sin is death and since every man sin, every man is condemned. And God wants every man to be saved and to go to heaven. die for all men. You see, to go to heaven you have to be perfect, but nobody’s perfect.

Nobody’s righteous. So that’s why no man can save himself. And so a man cannot do any good deeds to get to heaven because you see it can’t be bought. We’re already condemned to pay for what we’ve done. So a man has to be saved. This is Jesus Christ. God’s Son. God chose his Son to come into the world because he had no sin. He was his righteous servant. He took all of our sins, the sins of the whole world upon himself came back from the dead.

And God said that if we’ll believe that he did it for us, God is bound by his word. He has to save everyone who believes, whosoever believe it. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever be leaveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God from the foundation of the world has predetermined to save all those that will believe and all those that will not believe God has predetermined they’ll spend an eternity separated from God and a literal fire burn in hell.

Salvation is free. It’s a gift and it’s whosoever beleath. Let’s pray show him. With every head bond, every eye closed, and no one looking around. I hope you understand what I’m saying. I have no axe to grind. I just want to preach the book. And I want you to understand that God loves you. He sent his son to die for you, to pay for your sins. He said, if you’ll trust him as your savior, he’ll give you eternal life as a gift.

You don’t earn it. You don’t work for it. You don’t buy it. And God says, once He saves you, you’re His child forever. You know, never cast you out, never lose you. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, I hope you understand the importance of telling people, getting them out under the sounds of the gospel. Let God use your power of influence in the lives of other people to get them under the sounds of the gospel. It’s so important.

Our Father, we ask Your blessings upon each person that’s here to help them to understand that you have chosen them. They have been elected, unknowned by you, called to serve you, not to be saved, but because we are saved. And I pray, Lord, that each person here would respond to you, correct anything in their life that needs to be corrected. And I love you with all their heart. In Christ name we pray, amen. 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, just keep looking up.