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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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Tonight I thought I would talk to you on a little subject, subject, not deep or anything like that, just kind of soft and easy and flowing along, you know. And you know sometimes there’s time when you want to pound a pole pit and haul in you a little bit, but this one is just the completed man. You’ll see the word used in the New Testament an awful lot, the perfect man. But when you look it up it’s talking about, you know, being complete.

You know, you can have a car and you can have a perfect part on the car. You know, the transmission, it can be perfect. But the starter shot. When it comes to the Christian, we’re perfect in Christ. But in living our life, God wants us to mature in the Lord. And there may be some areas in your life that you have done very well in. You have watched your testimony in certain areas and you kind of get those things under control, but there might be a couple of spots that you might need to take a look at.

The Bible says about not having any spot or blemishes. So there’s maybe a little work we need to do. I don’t think any of us would say we have arrived, but there’s always some work to do. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Peter and chapter 1. In 1 Peter chapter 1, we had mentioned that the last time when we spoke about the subject of grace that’s found in the book of 1 Peter.

And also that, yes, we’re saved by grace. We’re not saved by any works that we do. That eternal life is the free gift of God. And so simply by trusting Him as our Savior, God gives us eternal life. Well, we know that there’s a thing called suffering. And so when you read the book of 1 Peter, it’s got about 14 to 15 times, it mentions the word suffering or hints towards suffering. Now that’s a lot of times. That’s a lot of suffering.

But I wrote this little statement in here and I hope you’ll understand why I said that. You look at the note there, suffering is God’s way of revealing to us our spiritual condition. So we may think we’re doing fine until we have to suffer for something. And sometimes that suffering comes in different forms at different times. But all of us it appears that we all go through pretty much the same things, but we just don’t all do it at the same time.

God seems to have it filtered out to where your face in this today and somebody else is facing that and then it just kind of like rotates and then you can help that one and that one can help you. Everybody faces hardships, trials. So that’s why he says in verse 7 that the trial of your faith has been much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, honor, and glory at the appearance of Jesus Christ.

So we know that the trial of our faith, your faith is not tried like it is when it’s a time of suffering in your life. But understand this, as long as we’re in this body, we’re suffering compared to the new one we’re going to get. If we could only experience what it would be like to live in that new glorified body. I wonder if we’re going to have to watch our diet. You know, that really concerns me. Do I have to watch what I eat?

I’m going to just eat all the chocolatey clairs I want. Can I eat all the pizza that I want and never gain a pound? I have a brother-in-law. He can eat all he wants all day long. Never gain a pound. Never gain. His name is Milton Hale. He cannot gain weight. He’s tried every way he can. He cannot gain weight. And I can’t stand him. I can look at food in gain weight. But now also I want you to take your Bible and look there in the book of 1 Peter in chapter 5 and look down in verse 10, where it says, but the God of all grace who had called us into or unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, established, strengthened, settled you.

That word means to be complete. Suffering helps to complete your spiritual growth because God wants us to depend upon the Lord. So He brings things into our life that we can’t control, we can’t handle, we can’t stop. A lot of times we want God to deliver us from the problems. But God’s will may not be delivered from the problem. God may want to use the problem to accomplish His purpose, which may mean that He wants to teach you patience, learn to wait upon the Lord and see what God has to do.

So you want to learn something from it. It’s not always that God wants to deliver me from a problem, but we should always pray to the Lord helped me to be the kind of a testimony I should be in the midst of that problem. And I believe that there’s an awful lot to that. Now, look in 1 Peter in chapter 1 and look in verse 11 and verse 11. This is where he refers to the prophets in the Old Testament as they were studying in the Scriptures and even God used them to write the Scriptures, they did not always understand what they wrote.

So the Bible says they knew that there was these sufferings of Christ, knew about the glory of Christ, but couldn’t understand everything about that, even though God had explained them a lot. So he says here in verse 11, searching what or what manner of pine the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify. When it testified beforehand, the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow. Why is this in this chapter talking about or this book about suffering?

Because God wants us to know that Christ came and He suffered and then the glory that should follow. You see there in verse 7 again? In last part of verse 7 might be found under praise, honor, and glory. You see, we suffer first, then the glory. Most of the time we want the glory first and only. We don’t want to go to the suffering, but the purpose of the suffering is to accomplish something. So that’s why I want you to take your notes that I gave to you.

And just to look at this one here in your notes, We won’t look at all the scripture references on this, but I do want you to look there at the scripture notice. Acts chapter 3 verse 16, and his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong. Whom ye see and know ye the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness. It means it’s a perfect wholeness. In the presence of you all, God is able to make a man that’s broken and can heal him.

He can give him a new arm if he wanted. He gave him a new eyesight if he wanted. He can make a man that’s blind to see and deaf to hear and dumb to speak. God can do all kinds of miracles. He can make things complete or whole. You see, we are not totally complete yet in this life as a child of God. But God allows the things in this world to help build us to be kind of a person that God wants us to be.

So even though you’ve trusted Christ as Savior, now you’re a child of God. And this is why in 1 Peter chapter 1 it talks about we have been born again. And then he talks about the flesh, it will fade away. But the seed, incorruptible seed, endure forever. So we, first of all, we have to suffer in this life, and as long as you’re in this body, you’re going to suffer. Some of y’all are probably in pretty good health and you’re doing fine talk at that.

Praise the Lord, but don’t expect it to stay like that. Sooner or later you’re going to have some failings of the flesh and you’re going to do everything you possibly can to help feel better and stay better. This is why we praise the Lord for like aspirin and ibuprofen and all those medicines that we can take and we’re thankful for doctors that can do all kinds of things. But sooner or later there’s a limit to what they can do.

And then it’s going to take its toll and we’re not going to recover. You see, who wants to die healthy? But I mean, I would rather the Lord just take me right on out of here. And I may never live to be as old as, you know, 94. Or, I’ll back there, 88. Or back there, well, I don’t know how old he is. That’s Mr. Almond, but been married 72 years, so you know he has to be in his 90s, right?

90 what? Exactly 90. All right, 18 years old when you got married. So was I. I hope I’m as good as shape as you are when I’m 90 years old. But one of these days we’re all gonna have to leave this whole body here and we’re gonna be checking out. But now notice it, Romans chapter 12 and verse two. And this is what he says, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

See, the will of God is perfect. There’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s also about not only knowing the will of God, but are you willing to complete the will of God your life. See, a lot of people want and desire the will of God for their life. But to do the will of God will take discipline on your part. It means you’re going to have to apply yourself. When he said then be not conformed to this world, well that’s a choice you make.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That’s the choice that you made. See, salvation is a choice. You can trust Christ’s Savior or not. If you choose to trust Christ’s Savior, look at all the benefits you get. But as a child of God, you now have a choice. Do you want to be complete? Do you want to go from a child of God, a babe in Christ, and you want to grow up and be in a mature adult that can handle spiritual responsibilities?

Well, see, this is what God wants. And if you want that, it’s not like, you know, I can do a part which you may do this part very well, But see, that part works with this part that works with this part. I mean, which is more important, study in the word of God or praying. Which is more important? Witnessing to the lost or fellowship with the Christians. Well, you may do one of these, excellent. I’ve seen some people that are faithful in their witnessing talking to the lost man.

But they’re pathetic when it comes to studying the Bible. They don’t read, they don’t study and they don’t pray. I know some people like this. and they don’t fellowship with God’s people. But you’d be surprised, they’ll pass out tracks and do all the things that’s supposed to be doing like that. And they’re doing a good job there, but they leave these other things undone. Even Christ got on to the Pharisees because he says you have forgotten the way to your matters of the law.

You forgot about mercy and judgment and goodness and forgiveness and, you know, those good things. You forgot about that. So as you live your Christian life And you would read the book of Ephesians where it talks about your garments being unspotted by the world. In other words, you’ve got, you’re doing a good job, but you’ve got a few little spots that you need to clean up in your life. Now if you don’t want somebody to point those spots out to you, then you examine yourself.

And if you will correct the problem, no one else has to. But do you get offended when somebody tells you you have a spot? Remember I had a, I don’t know how in a world it happened, but I got a spot on my tie. Betty must have got it there from the other side of the table. She says, Yankee, come here. And so she got it off and it looks fine. This is my Easter tie. Still got Easter egg on it.

No, I’m sorry. So you’ve got things that happens to you in your life. This is what 1 John 1 9 is. for you to kind of examine yourself and stay clean between you and the Lord. Look at the next one there. First Corinthians 13, 10 says, but when that which is perfect or complete is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. See, they didn’t have the complete word of God. And so when the word of God was completed, well, then you don’t need those sign gifts.

the Word of God is complete. You don’t need anymore. There’s not going to be any more scripture. This is all we need. And so we don’t believe in extra-biblical source of authority. Now there’s a lot of religions that got a lot of extra-biblical sources of authority. And we call those cults. Look at the next statement. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 9. I want you to look at this in your your Bible because there’s a good statement here and I wrote it down but I want you to see it.

And 2 Corinthians chapter 12, and where he says in verse 9, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee. Now you notice God did not remove the problem. You see as time goes on some of us are gonna have some difficulties. You can have financial difficulties and God not solve the problem. It doesn’t mean God’s gonna always give you all the money you need to do everything you need. It doesn’t mean you’re always gonna have good health.

One of the days you might get an illness or a sickness and find out you’ve got cancer or you’ve got this or that or you name it and God won’t heal you from it. And you may have to endure. But he says, my grace is sufficient to see you through it. But not always to deliver you from it. But sometimes God, just believe it, God will walk you through it. You’re going to suffer in this lifetime, we’ve said this over and over again, but just to hit it one more time.

Now notice the next part of the verse. He says, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. My strength is made perfect. Now I want you to look there in your notes that I wrote down. If your strength was equal to his strength, you would not recognize his. You see, if your strength was as strong as God’s, you wouldn’t recognize his. You wouldn’t need his. You would be able to handle it all by yourself. But God says his strength is made complete by the weakness of your strength.

Because you can see and recognize God had to do this. Or I committed this to the Lord and you learn to trust the Lord. And he’llDeliveryDate give you the grace to keep walking through whatever the turmoil may be. Whatever the heartache may be. And there’s going to be a lot of pain in life. There is a lot of grief. I made the statement the other night. and I was talking to some of the missionaries, and I related to them, even though I’ve been serving the Lord for the 50 years, everything that I’ve done has always been under stress.

I’d like to say I had no stress whatsoever, you know, because a doctor or tell you, stress isn’t good for you, but stress was always pressure upon me to get something done, to do something. And a lot of you don’t want that stress. I feel like God put a burden upon me, gave me a responsibility, and I felt stressed to fulfill that responsibility, and I’d love to be able to say, I had absolutely no problems. I walked through it as a man of courage.

I had faith that you wouldn’t believe. And it was so easy. No, I struggle through just about everything I’ve done in the Christian life. But the key thing was, I always knew the Lord would walk with me through it. And all the stress, see, you don’t need courage if there’s no stress and no fear. Courage is fear that says its prayers and goes ahead. I was talking to Berba Boudrum and he told me he says, he’s had nothing but stress since he’s been in the ministry.

You may think, I wanna do something where there is no stress at all, no pressure upon me. No, we’re always under the gun. ocobo, there’s always this burden.443, Paul talked about, I am always burdened down. Thank you so much for waiting on me. And yet at the same time he talks about rejoice in the Lord always, in the Lord. But there is the pressures of life. There was people trying to kill him. All the things that he went through, all the hardships.

You read the chapter right before this chapter. And you’ll see why Paul says his grace was sufficient because in spite of everything that people did, whatever they said, the cares of all the churches. He says, his grace was sufficient. Grace to keep you going, so that you didn’t stop. God wants you to be complete. Complete means that I can rest in the Lord in spite of all the stress of the world. The fear of failure, the lack of participation from somebody else that could have maybe helped it make it a little bit easier.

you’ve got to do it anyway. So just keep doing what you’re supposed to do and God will bless you because of it. Look there in your notes there to Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 13, the very next verse, till we all come into unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, a complete man, a man that’s no longer a child that’s tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. So you learn how to trust the Lord and grow up in the Lord and speak the truth and speak the truth in love and that you don’t walk the way you did when you were the lost man.

All these things are important. In Colossians chapter 1 verse 28 says, home we preach, warning every man, teaching every man and all wisdom that we may present every man perfect or complete mature in Christ Jesus. Does God want us to be mature. So that’s why we look at people and we think how can I help that person if they know Christ? How can I help them to grow stronger in the Lord? When I look at the teenager, the college kids, I want them to grow stronger in the Lord.

I look at all the people in the church. I want you to grow strong and be strong in the Lord that regardless of what the devil does, regardless of how many pressures you have, Regards of your sickness your finances the social problem. I don’t do what the problem may be You’ll still walk with the Lord and give him credit and give him praise and Be complete as a man of God on the be Everything may not work out to your advantage, but if it blesses God You can bless God through anything Does God know what we’re going to face before we face them?

Yes, and he allows us to face them He doesn’t always deliver us from all these things, especially when you’re living in this old world. Let the problems of life have its perfect work. I want you to see this because I, well I got it down here, I’ll show you in just a minute. Look at the next statement, Colossians 4, 12, Epaphras, who is one of you a servant of Christ, so who did you? Always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete.

So I was thinking, here’s the word perfect and here’s the word complete. Why would he say complete, complete, or perfect, perfect? Because you look up the word perfect and then we say the word complete. You look up the word complete and it’s a little bit different of a word. And that’s because there’s something God wants us to know about this. Accomplish the fulfillment of your maturity. God wants us to be mature. Now complete that which maturity demands. If you’re grown up in the Lord and you’re mature in the Lord, do you think you’re supposed to be mature in the Lord and then do nothing?

Or is the purpose of maturity to complete the will of God for you? Is it just a matter of you knowing what the will of God is or is it doing the will of God? I think that you know. So God wants us to be perfect, complete in Him so that we can do what God wants us to do. So it’s a matter of knowing and doing the will of God. Look at the next statement. Also I have here in the book of 1st Thessalonians 3 and verse 10 says night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith or complete that which is lacking in your faith.

This is what helps us as children of God when we fellowship with one another and we share things with one another. Sometimes you can find out you know where they need help and some people need special prayer. I’ve had some of the missionaries that have gone and this morning we had a Nadine, she left, but she came into the office before she was ready to leave and she was ready to walk out of the offices. I got to go and I just wanted to tell you goodbye and all that for her.

I said, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let’s have a word of prayer. So pray for her. I want her to have safety. I want to thank the Lord for her being able to come and for the thing that she’s been able to learn. I remember when she first came to our camp and I’ve seen how the Word of God and a lot of people counseling who saw that she was lacking in a few things concerning her faith and have been able to stabilize her.

And that’s true, y’all have seen that. And now her attitude, everything is totally different. But to watch them grow and mature in the Lord is such a blessing, it’s a wonderful thing. I looked the other night and lo and behold sitting beside John John was a young boy and I didn’t recognize the boy. So I walked up and next thing I know I said, do you know where you’re going to go in your day? He looked at me and he said, yeah, you told me.

Remember? We got your work trying to figure out it. And sitting there, but John has him here in the service and he’s listening and learning and growing. And then we had a lady sitting back there the other night, and I failed to give the gospel as clear as I ought to, but I always know, and I’m counting on you recognizing there is a person that I don’t know, and somebody ought to make sure they talk to them before they get out of here, right?

One on one is still the best, but Peter got a hold of her, she trusted the Lord, and then squalled out during the parking lot. Just thrilled. And then Betty told me about a lady down the hall here and I went down there and talked to her and she started crying on me. You see some people, the gospel, it just does something to people. Don’t get to the place where you get, well it’s old to you. You just take it for granted.

And it doesn’t work anymore. There’s nothing there. It’s like this man walk into a restaurant and he says, is that seat saved? That says no, but it’s under conviction. A lot of people need to get under conviction where they realize they’re lost and they need to be saved. Everybody needs to be saved. I like that. I think that was pretty good. You get that right down there. You’re right down. Alright, look there in 2 Timothy 3 17 there in your notes that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works.

To be mature, that the scriptures, all scriptures given by inspiration of God, that God says that there’s enough scripture all that you and I need to equip a man to do the work of God. And so he means to be thoroughly furnished, fully equipped, and to do all good works. So you and I, the scriptures tells us that the word of God is sufficient. It’s sufficient to do whatever we need to do so we’re to read, study it, memorize it and it’s what we need to be complete the way God wants us to be.

Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well if 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. A 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. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.