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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.

Turning the Bible to the book of 1 Peter. Just a couple verses that I want to look at with you. Because the Bible says over and over and over again about you and I having a pure conscience. And doing the things out of a pure mind. And therefore because of who we are, it should dictate the way we ought to be. In other words, if you and I are children of God, we should live like children of God. If you don’t, you’re still a child of God, but you’re disobedient, or you’re a child of babe and Christ and carnal, but still a child of God.

In the book of 1 Peter 1, I want you to look there in verse 8. There are just some things that he writes here that I think is good just to take note of, because of where I want to go. In verse 8 says, home having not seen, you love. Now that’s an assumption, believing that wouldn’t it be neat if all of God’s children would just assume that all of God’s children ought to love their daddy? Wouldn’t it be neat if all the little children just loved their parents?

They loved their parents. You say, I love you. I love you too. Well, when they get a little bit older, they may not want to say that. I remember a little lady when he was really small. He couldn’t stand it if I left the house and didn’t kiss him by. Then he got a little bit bigger and then he would cry if I did kiss him by. So when we get a little bit older, you know, wouldn’t it be needed if all of God’s children just loved the Lord.

But that’s That’s not the way it is. But he does say here, home having not seen your love in whom, though now ye see him not yet believing. You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory because of your faith in Christ, because of you believed and you are to have joy unspeakable. Now he just mentioned up there, how in verse six you are in heaven through manifold testing and so on. In other words, the things in this world may not be going too good, but because of who you are and what you have in Christ.

We ought to have joy unspeakable. And we ought to have this joyful anticipation of Christ coming back very soon. And verse nine, he says, receiving the end of your faith, or the, if you look down the road and see the results of your believing in Christ, and what it gets for you. Not only the salvation of your souls when you get to heaven, but you realize that God is concerned about the here and now and what He wants us to do.

So look there in verse 13. Verse 13, it says, wherefore, because all this is true and you know that you have believed and you have this joy and you have this love, even though you’ve never seen God, Isn’t it something we have served the Lord all these years and never seen Him, except through the pages of this book? But one day we’re going to see Him face to face. In verse 13 it says, wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end, that joyful anticipation to the end.

Do you see, well, end of what? Well, I kind of think that 1 Peter, 2 Peter, have a lot in common, written by God. who is the author but written by Peter. But just take your Bible and look there in 2 Peter chapter 1 where he makes this statement in verse 13. In verse 13 of chapter 1 he says, Yay, I think it, me to necessary as long as I am in this tabernacle. Now that’s a reference to his body.

To stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ have showed me. In other words, I’m coming to the end. And so when you come to the end, you want to give it all you’ve got. Cram for exams. You want to get a good grade. You want to hear the words well done, thou good and faithful servant. So we know that the day is coming when all this is over with.

But while we’re in this life, it is a time of suffering, and we’re going to suffer in this life. By the very fact that we’re not in heaven in our glorified body, this, when you compare it to eternity, the best day here is a great time of suffering compared to glory there. But anyway, go back to 1 Peter in chapter 1, where it makes this statement in verse 13, where for good of the loins of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now we know that the rapture take place, we’ll come back to this world with the Lord. So he comes first and gets us and he comes back to the earth. And we’re going to have the joy of being in the kingdom with Jesus Christ and wherever he is, that’s where we’re going to be. We’re going to be with the Lord forever. Now you’ll find out there’s a lot of statements in here about grace, grace, grace, and that which was not known in time passes, now known and so forth.

I don’t believe that it’s a reference to people were saved differently in another time period. I believe all men have always been saved by grace. There is no other way of salvation. You can’t have another form of salvation because the only way you can change salvation by grace is you have to add works to it. There is no other way. It has to be something that’s required by man. So you’re saved by grace, but the dispensation of grace, the church age, the body ages.

This was not known in the time pass. We call this the dispensation of grace. They knew that, yes, grace is because they look forward to the payment Christ would make and knew they were saved by faith because they were going to be saved by grace. Christ was going to pay for their sins. The sacrifices in the Old Testament never paid for any sin. They only covered it until the great sacrifice was made. So everybody’s been saved by grace. Nobody’s ever been saved any other way.

But when Christ came, so I said, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. He’s the one that made all this possible. So they were saved by grace, looking forward. We’re saved by grace, looking back. But when he was revealed and came into this world and made that payment for all the sins of the world, everybody can be saved by grace. Now, what I want you to do is look in verse 14, because we’re not in heaven yet. We’re not at the end of our race yet.

We’re still in this process of suffering. So that’s why he says in verse seven, the trial of your faith been much more precious than gold and silver. They’ll be tried with fire, maybe found on the praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So the day is coming when yes, we will be through with our suffering here in this world. And then we’re gonna have wonderful glory for all eternity. Not everyone will serve the Lord. And so some will serve the Lord and suffer because of it.

Some are going to do wrong and suffer for that. So as he addresses these Christians here, he’s telling them, he says, you’re going to suffer. But if you’re going to suffer, suffer for doing right, not because you did wrong. So he’s addressing them about a Christian life. How are you going to live? So in verse 14, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance when you didn’t know. You don’t live like the world, act like the world, think like the world, so you tie this verse in to Romans chapter 12 and verse 2, be not conformed to this world, or fashioned like this world.

But be it transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove or discover what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So as you talk about your life here in this world then God says don’t be fashioned like this world. You’re different. See what He says over there in verse 11 of chapter 2 when He says dear beloved we’re strangers and pilgrims in this life but we’re just passing through we’re so journeyed but we’re not going to stay here forever and people are going to die.

So He makes a statement here in verse 15, but as He which hath called you is holy. So be holy. And y’all are on the line, this word or circle, all manner of conversation or your manner of life, your behavior. And every area of your life, you and I are supposed to be holy. So if nobody is making fun of you about trying to be a holy joke, well maybe you need to be a little bit more holy, unless some people are afraid or ashamed.

I had people telling me, you’re going to be a preacher before I ever knew anything about being a preacher. Even when I went to Florida Bible College after four years, I didn’t know I was going to be a preacher. I just wanted to learn how to tell people how to go to heaven. And it just happened. And so I would do this job and then I’d do that job and I figured, well, if God doesn’t want me to do it, don’t stop me.

Because I was always wondering, you know, how am I supposed to know when God calls me? So I asked Virgil Edwards one time who was the pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia. I walked up to him and I says, how do you know when God has called you? Because he’d always talk about God called me to preach. Now, you don’t want to do it unless God calls you. And so I asked him, I said, how do you know?

He says, you’ll know when it happens. You’ll know. I thought, well, that sounds mysterious. So I waited a couple more years and he’s telling, I don’t know if he’s going to call me on the phones and a telegram. All I know is that when you read and study God’s Word and you see the situation the way it is, you get a burden. I’m so glad that I don’t have to wait until I hear this voice or something going on to tell me I should tell somebody how to have eternal life.

Today, me and Betty, we had left the downtown Bible study and so we went to someplace and she wanted to show me some things. Anyway, I I said, I want some Mexican food. I love Mexican food. So we went to this Mexican restaurant. And this lady came up and she served this and so forth. So we got ready to leave. And it was almost around 2 o’clock or so. And so most people, they close at 2 o’clock. So almost everybody was gone.

So I pulled out one of my little blue tracks with my picture on the front of it. And I laid it on the table there. And she came over to get the bill and so forth. And I said, can I ask you a question? That’s just not busy in here. I said, I just got to ask you a question. And she says, OK, she pulled up the chair. And she sat down in my desk. Now most of them, they never do that.

But she just pulled up and said, oh, the table. And I’m very sat in here. And I’m sat in here. And she sat down there. Young girl, 24 years old. I found that out of that for her. So I said, son, now tell me now. honestly now, tell me the truth. Do you know where you’re going when you die? And she didn’t know. She didn’t know. I said, I do. I know I’m going to heaven. I said, I’ve lived almost 75 years, only one person ever told me.

I said, can I take just two minutes and tell you how you can know? Sure. And that’s what she’d said down. So I went ahead and I went through, and when I said those words, God loves you so much, he’d rather die than live without you. It’s amazing how quickly her eyes just filled with water. And she looked at me and I explained the gospel through it. And I said, does that make sense? Yes, she had never heard it like that before.

And she trusts Christ as Savior. Isn’t it a shame that all of God’s children can’t make the gospel simple and clear? Now, if I had to believe they have to turn from their sins, well, then I’m gonna have to take a little bit longer. And I gotta name them what they are. And then I gotta tell them how. And then she has to really watch to see if she really turned from them or not. I want to know if she meant business.

And then I got to make sure that she’s willing to make Christ the Lord and the Master of life. But you can’t do that to three minutes. But if it’s just to be saved, then it don’t take long. It’s when you want to add in all that other stuff that strip that junk away. That isn’t what they need. And give them what they do need. Now you’ll notice what he says here. In verse 16 he says, be cause. See that word because?

Because it is written. Be holy for I am holy. That means you and I are supposed to live a sanctified life. Set apart for the Lord. That’s why the Bible says that Paul separated himself unto the gospel. In other words, he sanctified himself for a purpose. We often say that this is called a sanctuary. it’s because we use it for that which is honoring to the Lord. We want to do holy things in here. And so we want to do what’s right.

And our bodies are supposed to be sanctified, kept from the filth of the world and so forth. And as it says in the book of Thessalonians, know, keep your body sanctified, the sanctification of your body. So there’s a lot of words used in it. And we have been made pure in holy when we trusted Christ the Savior. Now, because of what you are, Cost is done. This is how you’re supposed to live. Now, if you were born a fireman, you should want to put out fires.

If you were born a policeman, you should want to, you know, please. Well, if you’re a Christian, you should want to live like a Christian, you’re a child of God. So God is talking about us not fashioning ourselves after the things of this world, but he says, as obedient children. And so why should we obedient children? Because remember, he says, whom never seen yet you love. You should want to be like the one you love. So who do you want to be like?

Because it is written be holy for I am holy and if you call on the Father who without respect the person’s judgment according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourn in fear. One of these days we’re going to stand before the Lord and He’s going to reward us for what we’ve done. So God does want us as His children to work for Him, to serve Him. But we don’t do it to go to heaven. we don’t do it, we still get to go to heaven.

But wouldn’t it be neat if all of God’s children fell in love with the Lord and just wanted to please them for the rest of their life? So God says, this is what I want you to do. Now I want you to take your Bible and look there in 1 Peter, in chapter 3, 1 Peter, chapter 3. And notice whenever it says here in verse 15, because it talks about the suffering, even talks about in chapter 3 of a husband and wife relationship and what goes on there and how to do the things that are right and honoring.

And then he makes a statement, but first of all I want you to look down there in verse 13. He said, and who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good? But, and if you do suffer, in other words nobody should bother anybody that does right, but they do, don’t they? And you may suffer. And those that live Godly will suffer persecution. But he says, but, and if you suffer for righteousness sake, miserable are ye.

What does it say? Happy are ye. And the only way you can be happy is because you know you’re suffering because you’re doing what’s right. That’s all deals with conscience. The Bible says whatsoever is not a faith, it is sin. And whatsoever a man AUTHOR to do good and do it that not do him is sin. So when you know what to do, and if it’s right, you can do it and your conscience is clear because you know it was right.

You see, we have to give ourselves permission to do those things so we have to allow ourselves to do themNewsletter. So if your mind is pure, and he keeps talking about this as you go through these scriptures, and your mind is clear, your mind is pure, you believe his word and you want to be holy, you separated yourself from things of this world that you want to please God. And then when you know the will of God and then you will do the will of God, then your conscience doesn’t convict you of sin because you’re not guilty.

See the conscience If it has been trained by the Word of God, it can be a very useful tool. But without the training from the Word of God, your conscience in the world, if you know wrong and believe wrong and live wrong, your conscience can be shared like with a hot iron and doesn’t bother you at all. There’s a lot of people who do a lot of things and doesn’t bother with them when I order. But when you study the Word of God, and then when you don’t do what the Word of God says, It’ll bother you.

And just like somebody asked me one day, says, is that seat saved? I says, no, but it’s under conviction. But you should be under conviction when things are not right in your life. Well, the Holy Spirit, who is the great comforter, makes you uncomfortable. Because you know in your mind when you are not right, and God can reveal these things to you. And so you’ll notice what he says in verse 15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with maintenance and fear because you want to say and you want to do that which is right.

And the answer that you give should be right and you can’t give the right answer if you don’t know the right answer. This is why we read and studied the word of God. And this is why it makes a statement in verse 16, Having a in your underlyingness good conscience Having a good conscience because see to have the right answer to give the right answer You need to have a good conscience Because you know what to say and you’ll know how to say it Because it’s so important and get this that whereas they speak evil of you as evil doers They may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good and here’s that word conversation or your men of life.

So God is telling us, look, live right, do right. And you might suffer for it, but make sure that your conscience is clean. You did that which was right. And if you suffer because you did right. Then happy are you. But if you suffer because you made wrong decisions and bad decisions, well then you should feel guilty and your conscience will not be clear. You should not condemn yourself and that which you gave yourself permission to do. Remember when you sin against God you gave yourself permission on how you think.

What you see where you go, all these things. You’ll also notice when he says here in verse 16, having a good conscience and the word up there in verse 15 about the answer. to every man. Now look all the way down there in verse 21. The light figure, we’re unto even baptism that also now save us, not the putting away of the field to the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. So he uses an illustration here that we won’t get into here now, but we will later when we get to this portion of scripture.

But God is talking about having your conscience clean, having your conscience clear. Otherwise you will not be happy and whenever you suffer, if you don’t understand how God works, you’ll be mad at God. And then you’ll feel guilty because you didn’t do right. Have you ever thought something and you got mad about it and you find out it wasn’t that way at all and you shouldn’t have gotten mad? Have you ever had to say the words, I’m sorry, I’m wrong.

But talking about your conscience and it goes through here in a lot of scripture, but I want you to take your Bible and turn over there to the book of Romans, the book of Romans in chapter 2. Romans in chapter 2, and look in verse 15, as the Bible is discussing this issue about who sinned and who didn’t sin, things of the conclusion all have sinned. And he shows how that the Gentiles have sinned and the Jews they have sinned.

Even though they had the word of God, they had an advantage. But it didn’t really profit them because they didn’t obey the word of God, even when they knew the will of God and what God demanded, then they still couldn’t keep it. And even though the Gentiles who did not have the law given, they had the world, and so they had the power of reason and the revelation of the world and so they still reject God. It became vain in their own imagination and their foolish heart was darkened and so all these things were in there.

So look what he says here in verse 15, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts, the means while accusing or excusing one another. Did you know you cannot accuse anyone or excuse someone unless you have a certain sense of judgment, of right and wrong. If you accuse somebody, you’re wrong, then you had to have something by which to base that upon. If you accuse somebody or excuse somebody, there has to be a some justification in your mind of why are you doing what you’re doing?

Why do you accuse and why do you excuse? So it reveals that a man has a conscience and God is going to hold a person responsible for their decisions. We are accountable unto God. Now look in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians and chapter 8, 1 Corinthians and chapter 8, and look in verse 7. See not everyone knows the Lord, not everyone loves the Lord. But for those who do know the Lord and love the Lord and wants to please the Lord, they have a conscience by which they don’t want to offend the one they’re trying to reach.

And some of the things that we may excuse in our life because we know that between us and God it won’t matter. But in somebody else’s mind, they may not see and understand what we know. So the Bible talks about us doing things not for your own conscience sake, but for the sake of the other person’s conscience. And so that’s why he makes a statement in verse 3. But if any man loved God, the same is known of him.

And then down here in verse 7, he said, how be it? There is not in every man that knowledge. For some, with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol. And their conscience, being weak, is defiled. So you can have a defiled conscience of people not knowing what you know. So you’re saying be patient with people who are now where you once were. And so sometimes people who learn a lot become judgmental and critical because well I know so much more than you do.

And I’m superior to you. And then you can look down on people and not treat them the way that we ought to treat people. And so that does happen. Now, take the Bible and look in chapter 10. First Corinthians chapter 10. In verse 26, and we’ll read down here to verse 29, but I want you to see that for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast and you’d be disposed to go, Whatsoever is set before you eat, asking no questions for conscience sake.

But if any man say unto you, this is offered in that sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that cheweth it, and for conscience sake for the earth is the Lord and the fullest thereof. Conscience, I say, not thine own but of the other. For why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? Why should I let another person determine what I do and don’t do. Well, there was one little simple phrase that’s mentioned in here. You ought to draw a line to it and underline this statement.

Why? Why? Why? He says there in the last part of verse 33 that they may be saved. See the last part of verse 33? He said, even as I please all men and all things, not seeking my own prophet, but the prophet of many, they may be saved. So that’s why you will limit yourself in certain things. And maybe the places you go or you say don’t you say well I got the right yeah I know and sometimes people fight for their rights instead of fighting for the responsibility.

We want to make an impact in people’s lives so our conscience is very very important. Looking second Corinthians in chapter one second Corinthians and chapter one. The Apostle Paul had gone through an awful lot and he was having a lot of trouble because of things that were happening to them. And they thought they were really going to die. The troubles that they had, people that had turned against them, and all these things. But just look up at first of all in verse 8, 4, we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble, which came to us in Asia that you were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life.

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God which raised the dead, who delivered us past tense from all so great to death, and doth deliver present tense in whom we trust, and future tense he will yet deliver. So the way to have successful experiences in the future is by having some successful experiences in the past. It’s what gives you confidence and It helps your conscience to be clear and pure because I’ve trusted Lord.

I’ve tried God. He has come through. He has done this for me and you can trust Him. 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 4081 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.