Bibleline Radio Show – 2018-02-06 – Is Salvation Really By Grace? pt.2


Transcription:

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

One of these days he says, you’re going to die. We’re all going to die. And you can have eternal bliss or eternal punishment in hell, your choice. If you’ll believe the truth, your trust crisis is Savior. If you don’t believe the truth, you can believe the lie. But the lie is going to cost you forever. Just think about this. You will never cease to be. I asked a man the other day. I said, where are you going? He says North Carolina, that’s different than the guy told me he’s going to Tennessee.

This other guy says, I’m not talking about your body. He said, well that’s all I am. I said, have you ever died before? He said, well no. I said, then you don’t know it’s true, do you? But here in the book of 1 Peter, look what he says here in verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope or a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

because Christ come back from the dead. We know there’s life after death, because Christ died and there was witnesses. He died, but it came back from the dead. Well, that’s the guarantee. Hey, we can live after we die. Like Ray Stanford says, I’m going to live till I die and then I’m going to live forever. So notice this in verse four, when you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were saved from something to something to an inheritance that’s incorruptible and undefiled that fate if not away reserved in heaven for you.

Why would God make a reservation for you if you’re not going to show up? See, whenever you trusted Christ as your Savior, God wrote your name in the Lamb’s book of life and you have a reservation and Jesus went to prepare a place for you that where He is we may be also. And then He says, I am the way the truth. Do we believe them or not? So does God’s Word tell that you can know that you’re going to heaven when you die?

And He says here, I have an inheritance because I am His child. Now you’ll see there’s certain verses that says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? You can inherit eternal life unless you’re God’s child. Well when you trusted Christ as your Savior, you become God’s child. Now you inherit what your Father has. heirs of God and join heirs with Christ. So I inherit that’s what he says. And inheritance that’s incorruptible down here, everything that’s corruptible. Nothing lasts down here.

Undefiled. It means it’s not even possible for sin to be in heaven. See, that’s why God can’t let you and I go to heaven the way we are because look what we did down here. Now How long would it take us to mess up heaven? It wouldn’t take long. So God’s gonna change us. And He’s gonna take your new birth that was born of God which has no sin. And your body that has that old sinful nature, God’s gonna change it.

And you’ll be changed from this old creature that you are. And that body’s gonna be changed and you’ll have a glorified body. Means you won’t have a sinful nature. So that when we all get to heaven, There is no possibility of us ever sinning again, because the devil isn’t there. There’s nobody there to tempt your eye. We couldn’t sin if we wanted to, we can’t. That’s why the Bible says, God cannot sin, and God cannot tempt you to sin.

God never tempted you to sin. You said, Lord, make me do this. Lord, I never told you and made you do anything wrong. That’s the other guy. Starts with a D, D-E-V-I-L, devil. And he is as real as God is real. And so notice what he says here. Undefiled, that fadeth not away. Down here, everything fades away. All of us are like grass that grow up and then we fade away and life is like a vaporist smoke, a beautiful little wild, it’s gone.

It wasn’t long ago that one of the most beautiful little boys in all the world was born 74 years ago. I sent a wave of doubts sweeping across the room, But he’s going to fade away even so come Lord Jesus comes soon. So one of these days we’re all going to die and want to be wonderful when we have a glorified body and we’ll be in heaven with the Lord. And look what he says in the verse, reserved in heaven for you.

It’s waiting on you. I’ve got a place. I’ve already got my ticket. Jesus is my ticket. I have him. It’s already been punched. And you know what I’m talking about, don’t you? He has the scars in his hands and his feet. I have a ticket and I’m going to heaven when I die because Jesus is the way. And if you have Christ, you have eternal life. And that’s the truth. And so you and I can know this and know that we have the truth of what God’s Word has to say.

God does not lie. Let me ask you a question. I’m even here to know right now that if you die right now you go to hell or if you see hands. go to hell, let me see you hand. Were you caught off guard? Would you lie for me to ask that question again? How many of you know, be on this shove it out if you died right now you go to heaven? Let me see you hand. Oh, that’s better.

Oh, that’s so much better. That’s so much better. I mean, are you going to hell again? I’m going to have a sense of sin. We ought to have a bunch, trust the Lord this morning. Now take the Bible and turn with me to the book Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4, God does not lie. You can take Him at His Word. And the reason I know that I’m going to heaven, because God said so and I believe Him. I have never had a Holy Ghost fit.

I don’t jump, shout, and hooten, hooten, and hold and kick the hills together, and lighten them bolts, going up and down with fine, and so on. And no, no, no. I’ve never had that thrill of that chill. But I trust it, Christ is my I savor, and according to the word of God, I’m saved because God’s word says so. It rests upon what God’s word says, not some experience that I might have had or how I feel about something based upon the book.

Revelation chapter 4, look in verse 11, look in verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for Thou hath created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Did you know this? You were created by God for God. It says here, He created all things for thy pleasure they are and were created. God wants us to please Him. You see, everything is not just to please us. So most people in life, they always want to find out, well, what makes me happy?

What pleases me? What do I want? It’s my life. And God says, no you not that you’re bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body in the Spirit, which are gods. You belong to God. So we are God’s children. And God wants His children to please Him. And He says that you cannot please God except by faith. So take your Bible and look in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11. Hebrews in chapter 11. This is a very important verse and something you need to believe and don’t let the devil snatch the seeds of the truth of God’s Word out of your mind, but let them germinate, think, and meditate upon the truth of the Word of God so that they take hold.

Otherwise, it’d be like the parables where the little black birds come in there and steal the seed away before you get a chance to think about it. That’s why while you’re sitting here in church, all of a sudden There’ll be some of these black birds that come flying in here. Now you don’t see them. You don’t see them. I see them. You don’t see them. Those black birds they fly in here. As soon as I give you a good verse, a good truth, it flies right into your little brain.

It says, I wonder when he’s going to get through. I wonder what we’re eating today. You’re thinking about your boyfriend. I wonder where he’s at. And you’d be surprised how you’re going to pay those bills tomorrow. And you’ve forgot about what the preachers telling you. And he snatched those seeds out of it and flies away. And you walk out the door and somebody says, well, what did he learn today? Nothing. I didn’t get a thing. Now, it’s not because the table wasn’t prepared.

it’s because you didn’t eat and digest and meditate upon what is being said. Here in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 5 says, by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death. Now that’s what we’re looking for. That day when the Lord comes and we’re going to be translated out of here and not see death. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? It could happen today. Instead of eating in our third Sunday dinner, we’ll have the marriage supper of a lamb.

He really had to do a job to be our marriage, our supper down here. Now look what he says, and he was not found because God had translated him. For before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God. When he said he was not found, that makes me think somebody was looking for him. You know, whenever Elijah had that happen to And in Him they weren’t looking for Him. They weren’t looking for Him. He’s not there. One of these days you’re going to try to find…

Has anybody seen the preacher? You know, Him and His wife, they’re missing. And all of y’all are still here. And they say, well, where’s the preacher? You know, the rapture must have took place. You know what you’re going to think? What happened to me? Why am I here? You won’t believe this. But years ago I became the pastor West Evangelical Free Church on 80th and Sims in Arvada, Colorado. And I forgot all about this time change. And me and Betty and the two little kids, we got to church early.

We didn’t know it was early. But we got to church and nobody showed up. We waited half an hour, nobody showed up. And in my heart, I thought, the rapture has taken place. And we are left. You have no idea how comforting it was when I saw another believer. And then I found out and I felt so dumb, so stupid. I’ve never made that mistake again. But anyway, look what he says here. He had this testimony and you ought to underline this in your Bible.

He please God. He please God. Now after you trust Christ as your Savior, the devil will tell you, hey, you need to please yourself. Go your own way. own thing. It’s your life. And the Lord says, I bought you your mind. I want you to do what I want you to do with your life. And so you have the devil and you have the Lord and they’re both working upon your mind. You see, there is the will of God and the will of man.

And so you’re torn about what you’re going to do. And there’s this tug of war that goes on inside of you. You see, one day you’re going to be in heaven with the Lord. God wants you to believe the truth while you’re here so that you’ll do what He wants you to do because He says, I’m going to bless you. I want you to please me because when you get there, I’m going to please you. You want to see what your obedience is going to get you.

He said, but I’m not going to show it to you. I want you to believe me. Take me at my word. Since God doesn’t lie. I’m going to trust Him. I’m going to take Him at His Word. Because, see, I know the devil is working on my mind to get me to believe what he wants me to believe. It’s not going to mount anything. No big deal. I mean, after all, it’s my life. Why can’t I do whatever I want to do?

It ain’t going to hurt nobody. Nobody else will ever know, and he will lie to you until he ruins and destroys your life. And you’ll spend your years that could have been invested in the things of God, or you can waste your whole life and it destroys. Think of all the people that you could reach between now and the time you go home. The reason God left you here so far is so that you can reach as many people as you can before it’s all over, before you leave.

How many are you going to take with you? How many people are you going to lead to the Lord? Just like this one I just found out. I’ve led this family to the Lord about probably 35 years ago. It was a simple little thing. I just gave the gospel to church, and they trusted the Christ as their Savior at church. Now she’s dead. Is it important now? It’s important now. See why you’re living? Nothing seems that important. Eternal values, but put God first.

And you’ll be surprised how God will bless your life. Now look what he says in verse 6. ABE But without faith, I mean, he’s taking God into the work. Faith is not, you know, just blind faith is believing the truth. When it comes to the Lord, faith is believing the truth. Believe in what God says is true. that he is able to do what he promised he would do. But if God is a liar, then no promise is secure.

But if God tells the truth, every promise is secure. That’s why I believe in eternal security. I am secure. That’s how I know I’m going to go to heaven because I can’t go to hell. If I can’t go to hell, then I’m going to heaven. Look what he says. Verse 6, but without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe, must believe. Now nobody can make you believe anything. He can believe whatever you want.

Must believe that he is and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, diligently seek to please him. If you will diligently seek to please God. Why do you you think we want young kids to go to Bible college? So you can learn how to please God. And most kids when they get old enough, they’ll go off to some secular college in university, why? Because that seeks to please them. I want a good job. I want money.

I want a trade. I want this. That’s to be good. What about God? What does God want me to do? So at least you studied the God’s Word. Find out what he wants. And maybe he wants you to be a doctor. And maybe he wants you to be a lawyer. Maybe he wants you to be a, but don’t you think, You’ve got to find out what God wants first, instead of putting that behind and then you’re seeking your own will and then you chase that dream and you chase that dream and they’re like these little bubbles, look, kill kids, blow in all these little bubbles and they pop in their hands.

By the next thing you know, you’ll be 80 years old and all those little bubbles of all popped and you’ve got nothing. Remember the man who cleans the ladder for 20 years, then find out he’s leaning on the wrong wall? Do you want to be that person that spends all their life, chasing their dreams. And don’t you understand that man’s goals and purposes in life change because the desires change? Don’t you remember that girl you used to look at and used to flirt with and you used to love?

And then another one came along. And then another one came along. He’s the man of my dreams. I’m having a lot of dreams. There’s one guy says, I’m gonna be a farmer when I grow up because I want to be outstanding in my field. Some people, they ruin their whole lives because they don’t listen to what God, what do you want me to do with my life? It belongs to you. And you’ll be surprised. You’ll listen to the devil and he’ll tell you all kinds of things and actually you know, your life is shot.

The light that has been spent. It came and it went and now you stand before the Lord and every man shall give an account of himself before God. Now take your Bible, I want you to see this very quickly. Look there in the book of Romans in chapter 14. Romans, in chapter 14. Romans chapter 14, and look what he says here in verse 10. I try not to put a stumbling block in people’s way because I don’t just stumble in over something.

I wanna try to live my life as the way I should so that you don’t stumble over some misdeeds that I do. But humanly speaking, we’re not perfect. do things wrong. Don’t use the disobedience of other people or even people you look up to as an excuse for you not doing what God wants you to do. Don’t let people ruin your life because you look well if that’s a Christian and that’s the way they’re living, I don’t want to, yeah but that’s not what God is.

This is between you and God, you and him. See if you keep it right this way, you’ll do all right this way. But some people they want do this way and never think about this way. It’s you and God. That’s the purpose of your life. How are you doing between you and God? As you study the scriptures, you’ll say, and Noah walk with God, and Moses walk with God, and they walk with God. Your whole life is did you or did you not did you walk with God?

That’s what the important thing is did you walk with Him. Look what he says here in Romans in chapter 14, look in verse 10, But why does Thou judge Thy brother? Why doesundai Thou said it not Thy brother? For we, Shaul, what’s this word? All stand before the judgment, see the Christ. That’s the rewarding stand in heaven. And we’re going to be rewarded. See, salvation is a gift. It’s free. He paid the price. But what we have when we get to heaven depends upon what we do for the Lord.

I’m not asking anybody to do something for the preacher. I’m saying, do it for the Lord. Serve God. The only thing I ever want anybody to do is to do what God wants you to do with your life. I’m just being honest with you. It’s not do we please the preacher. He ain’t no better than you are. We have to give an account to God. Look what he says here in verse 11, for it is written, as I live, sayeth the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then, verse 12, every one of us shall give account of himself to the preacher. Is that what he said? Every one of us shall give account of himself to, you’ve got to meet with God coming up. You’ve got a day with the big man. I mean, you’re going to be face to face with God, and you’re going to give an account. Now what do you think you’re going to give an account for? I wonder what it could be.

Maybe your life, your decisions, what are you going to give an account of? Are you thinking in your mind, maybe he wanted me to do something, and I was supposed to do it. Is that possible? Or do you think that he just wants to find out how you’re doing? Did you have fun? Did you enjoy life? Did you get to do what you wanted to do? Huh? Oh, you did. Now, let me tell you what I wanted you to do.

And he brings out the word. Now, since every one of us has got to give an account of himself to the Lord, what do you think the devil wants you to do? If you know this one day, you’ve got to stand before the Lord and you’ve got to give an account to the Lord. This is not to get to heaven, you’re already going to heaven. But you see, He has given us time to live, though we should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them and rose again.

So we’re going to give an account to God one day. And nobody can do this for you. It doesn’t matter what your friends do, it doesn’t matter what everybody else does. This is you and Him. Doesn’t matter what the rest of the church does. Doesn’t matter what the preacher does. It’s a personal thing. How are you doing? Are you ready to stand before God and give an account of why you did what you did with your life? You’re sinned to take and care of.

Well, you’ll never be punished in heaven. You’re not going to the jubbies of the Christ and God’s gonna bring out a cat of nine tails and make you suffer and kick you out of the kingdom. He can’t do that with his children. You’ll always be with the Lord. But when you see what you could have done or see what you could have, you know, received as far as either positions or rewards, I don’t know what it is. But God doesn’t lie, does He?

But whatever it is, it must be good and it must be worth it. It must be something that He really wants to give to us. Have you ever had children and you want to do some great things for them? but because of their disobedience you couldn’t do it. There’s a lot of things I wanted to give them, but because they were good I couldn’t. No, let me show you something. I learned this from John John while ago. I saw him do this.

Now look up here very quickly. Let this hand represent you and me. The wallet represents sin. I think this is how he did it. And we all have sin on us. Now God says he loves us. He hates our sin, but he loves us. us. And for us to pay for sins, eternal separation from God. But God wants us to go to heaven and to go to heaven, well we have to be perfect because righteous is God, no sin.

But since we’ve all sinned, well we’re all condemned. And God says you cannot save yourself. You’d have to be perfect. Nobody’s perfect. This hand represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh, came into the world because He loves us. Now He hates what we do wrong because our sin separates us from Him. I can’t get to heaven and He can’t get to me because of sin. It separates us. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die.

So He took all the sin of all the world and paid for them to cross, came back from the dead. And He says that if we would believe, if we would believe He did it for us, He would put this payment to our account. See, I can’t believe for you though, I have to believe for me. I have to believe he did this for me. You have to believe he did that for you. I believed he did it for me and he promised me eternal life.

And God tells the truth and he doesn’t lie. So if I believe it, what do I have? Eternal life. If I have eternal life and all my sins are paid, where am I going to go when I die? I’m going to heaven. That’s why I know I’m going to heaven. I don’t have any sins to pay for. He paid for all of mine. He paid for all of yours. The only thing you have to do to go to heaven, believe that he did it for you.

You can do that because it’s a gift. It’s totally free. God loves you that much. He came back from the dead and said, if you’ll believe it, He would give you eternal life and you get to go to heaven on what he did. There’s no tricks to that. Now the devil will tell you that’s not true, but God says it is the truth. Your eternal destination depend upon you believe in the truth. Isn’t it good that God made it free?

It’s free. You don’t earn it. It’s the gift of God. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed and no one looking around. Why not right now in the quietness of this moment? just talk to the Lord. You see, He knows your thoughts. You don’t have to make some stilted made-ups prayer. God knows what you’re thinking. Just in your own mind said, Lord, I don’t understand at all, but I know I’m a sinner. I know I’ve done things wrong.

And I believe that when you died on that cross, I believe you died for me to pay for my sins. And right now I’m going to trust you as my Savior. And friend, God said, if you would trust Him, He would give you eternal life. Believe Him, God doesn’t lie. Would you trust Him? If you will trust Christ as your Savior this morning, I’m going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand, not yet, but in just a moment.

Raising your hand does not save you. I’m not going to embarrass you. I’m not going to have you stand up or come forward. I’m just going to ask you right where you’re sitting, if what I said made sense and you say, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior, I I want to have prayer for you. I think it’s the wisest thing anyone can do. Only a fool would turn down a free gift. And friend, this is free. Doesn’t cost you anything.

So in the moment, I’m going to ask you if you’ll trust Christ as your Savior. And if you will, would you let me know by just slipping the hand up very quickly and put it right back down? Is there anyone at all? Just slip it up very quickly and put it right back down. Anyone at all? Just God bless you. God bless you, sir. And God bless you. Anyone else? Just slip it up very quickly, put it right back down.

You say, yes, that made sense to me. And right now I will accept Christ as my only hope of going to heaven. Yes, God bless you, sir. Smartest thing anybody can ever do. There’s no tricks to it. God doesn’t lie. If you trust Christ right now, He promises you eternal life. If it’s eternal life, it lasts forever. And if it lasts forever and all your sins are paid, When you get up, you can say, I know I’m going to heaven because today I trust the Christ is my Savior.

It’s not because you make any promises or pledges. You haven’t done anything like that. You don’t have to sign a card. You don’t have to give any money. It’s a free gift. Anyone else before we close? Anyone else? Our Father, we thank You so much for being so good to us and meeting our needs. We thank You Lord for these that have indicated by an uplift at hand that they would trust You as Savior. By doing so, you guarantee them eternal life.

You’ll never cast them out, never lose them. Help them to understand and believe that with all their heart. In Christ’s 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, 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. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.