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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. 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.

All right, take your Bible and open it up anywhere you want. And then turn to Romans. book of Romans. We’ll take a look at a few verses here tonight. We’ve been doing a little study here in the book of Romans kind of going through a few things and I wanted to kind of mention this because it’s so important. When God saved you, He saved your soul and He quickened your spirit and His spirit bears witness with our spirit, but he didn’t do anything with the body.

There’s our problem. The old sinful nature is in our flesh. It’s in our members. It’s in this old physical body. It has the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, all living in this old sinful flesh. So Paul had made the statement, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Because wouldn’t it be so much needed when God say if He just gave us our new body at the same time. Wouldn’t that have solved a lot of problems?

In other words, you wouldn’t have all the heartaches and the pain and misery. There wouldn’t be no most sin going on in the world except from all those lost people. But wouldn’t it be nice to be able to live a saintly holy life here? But God didn’t design it that way. So you looked there in Romans in chapter 7 first of all, and look what he says in verse 24, verse 24, Oh wretched man that you are. Is that what it says?

Is that what it says? None of y’all looking at your Bible? Romans chapter 7 verse 24, Oh wretched man that you are. I am, I heard you say that. I wanted you to say that. Now say that. And let’s just read this all together. Oh wretched man that I am. Now would that include the women? No. No wait a minute. Wait a minute. We got to include the women. The women have an old sinful nature too. Not like the men’s.

Nassau we’ve got a problem. But anyway, we do have a problem. We have an old sinful nature. Now we can call it the old man. I call it Amalek. I call it Mike Tyson. It’s uh, it’s your old sinful wicked heart. God says it’s desperately wicked and who can understand it? Only God. And this is why he tells us that we cannot trust our flesh. You cannot trust your own nature. Leng not unto thine all understanding. Now why would he say that?

Because you are not that accurate. You don’t always know the truth, tell the truth, believe the truth, live the truth. You can’t trust you. You say I don’t trust anybody. Well that includes you. You shouldn’t trust you either. That’s why we always go back to the book, glorify them through thy word. Thy word is, what’s the next word? Thy word is truth. The word is true. So we have this old sinful nature. Now if we as a child of God live in this old sinful body, and we do, this is what he says, in verse 13 of chapter 8, for if we live after the flesh.

You shall die. Now why’d you say that? You shall die. I thought it was already dead. Well, don’t we even live in the flesh? You have to keep resurrecting the flesh. But remember the old man died. He died. But he’s not really dead, but you’re supposed to count him as dead. That means whatever he wants, you don’t have to fulfill his desires. But we wind up doing half the time. But he did say this, for if you live after the flesh, you shall die because it’s like living in the flesh.

in a dead man.” In other words, here you are walking along and here’s this old dead man. Now let’s look pretty then you can’t see him, but here’s this old man, this old man, and he died. He was crucified, he’s dead. But lo and behold, he’s walking with you and you’re letting him be your guide. You follow him wherever he wants to go. You let him be the leader and the guide of your life. Now is that wise for us to follow after the flesh and let the lust of the flesh determine what we do because you can’t trust them.

They satisfy and there’s pleasure for a season but we don’t always like to look down the road at the consequences, the results of it. But he says, if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall what? The whole Christian life is about you living or dying. That’s what all of us about it. It’s either you’re walking in the new man or you’re walking in the old man. And if you walk after the old man, which God says is dead, then you are living a dead life.

You’re not producing anything live fruit of any kind that can merit anything. God only gives you credit when you get to heaven. He only rewards you for what you did in the spirit, when you did an obedience to him. So there is a difference. So he says, mortify the deeds of the body. If you ever been to a mortuary, what do you think about something more than mortuary? What does that refer to? Something dead. So your account as dead the deeds of the flesh.

So you don’t try to fulfill those desires. Now like we said before, if you see to fulfill the desires of your new birth you don’t have to worry about the desires of the flesh. He says walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Wouldn’t it be needed? We could all do that all the time. But we have this old sinful nature and one day we’re going to get rid of it. So look what he says over here in chapter eight and look down there now in verse 21 because the creature, the creation itself also shall be delivered.

Now you need to underline those three words shall be delivered and if you’re taking over there to verse 24 chapter 7 where it says Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death. So shall be delivered will be delivered because you see God is going to change everything in this world. The whole creation growneth and travailah until now, until the day when God’s going to redeem this whole world. He’s going to take and renew it.

And these bodies that we have that are pretty pathetic, they get old and old and older. And so he says here in verse 23, and not only they but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we, ourselves, grown within ourselves waiting for the adoption to it, the redemption of our body. Now see you were, and a lot of people look at this way, that you were a lost person and God has adopted you into his family by the new birth.

So they can call that the adoption. But he didn’t redeem or I should say didn’t give us our new body yet. They saved our soul, but our body is still just like it was. But there’s a verse somewhere in the Bible that refers to the earnest of our inheritance. Where is that verse found? The earnest of our inheritance. Somewhere where’s that found? Ephesians chapter 1, look over there very quickly, in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 12, you need to see this verse.

Ephesians chapter 1, see the inheritance, something that we’re going to get in the future, you inherit that. And so he makes a statement here in Ephesians chapter 1 in verse 12 that we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ. Remember that’s how everything starts. Verse 13, in home or in Christ, you also trusted when, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, so you heard it and you believed it, in whom also after that you believed, which could be understood as the very moment you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest or the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the Lord.

of the purchase possession unto the praise of his glory. Now God has already purchased our body for us. He just hasn’t given it to us yet. We’re still living here in this old physical body. Now look at Ephesians 4 and verse 30. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. So is it possible for a Christian to grieve the Holy Spirit? Yes, we can grieve God. Whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption and till this day this new body that we have is going to become a reality.

So we live now looking forward to the day that we’re going to get our new body, because as Paul says, who shall deliver me from the body, this body of this death? Because it’s a It’s great to want to serve the Lord. It’s just a shame that we have to go through this war that most times, sometimes we lose. We lose the battle and we don’t like to lose this battle, but that old sinful nature of ours, it deceives us and tricks us, lies to us, deceives us and all that.

So go back there to Romans in chapter 8. Romans in chapter 8. Now notice in verse eight, this is where we left off the other night. So then they that are in the flesh cannot not please God. Now the lost man is in the flesh, he can’t please God. And a Christian who walks in the flesh or act of the flesh, he cannot please God. How is a man to please God? Well I’m glad you asked. Now hold your place here.

Lincoln Hebrews chapter 11, the book of Hebrews chapter 11, always gets where you get used to where the books are and the chapters are and where to look for that on certain pages. That’s why I always recommend get your good old school filled in, it’s always in the same place. And then we get a new Bible, get you another old school filled in everything, you don’t have to remember everything because it’s in the same spot, I love it. But here in Hebrews in chapter 11, Look what he says here in verse five, by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him.

I think that day is gonna happen again. It’s gonna happen tomorrow at three o’clock. Wouldn’t it be nice? We don’t know when he’s coming, but we know he’s coming. He says, for before his translation, he had this testimony that he did what? That he pleased God. But in the flesh, you can’t please God. The flesh cannot please God. Even in 1 Corinthians in chapter one where you talk about that no flesh or glory in his presence. This is why God doesn’t want you and I walking in the old man because the old man can’t please God.

So you know you’re out of favor when you do that. But if you walk in the spirit in the new man and seek the word of God and do what God wants you to do God, oh bless you, you’ll be happier and when you get to heaven you’ll have rewards and don’t think that it’s not that important. Did you know little things down here last forever in heaven? So your eternity has been affected by your obedience or disobedience to God today because everything we do or don’t do is affect an eternity.

Now we’re getting to heaven, that’s free, that’s a gift. But the rewards you have or the positions you have and probably a lot of things that we don’t don’t know anything about, God is really going to reward those who faithfully serve the Lord. Be faithful, serve the Lord. With all that you have, with what you have, where you are, just keep doing right. Now note what he says in verse 6, but without faith it is impossible to please him, impossible.

And that’s why those that are in the flesh cannot please God because walking in the flesh is not walking by faith. walking by sight. Now take your Bible and turn all the way back to Romans and when you get back to Romans hold your place right there and look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and notice what he says because we all want to get this new body but we’re not going to get that new body yet but it’s coming but until then in this old body we’re going to groom.

You’d be surprised How many mornings I get up groaning? It takes me about five minutes to teach this leg how to take a step and then five minutes to get the other leg to walk. And then after about ten minutes I can walk. Now I know y’all don’t have that problem. But sometimes you have to, you know, like the little bear, ask a mama bear. Mama bear said, let’s go. And the little baby just, bear just stood there. Says, mommy, which foot do I take first?

What? Don’t think about it, just walk. Just get up and go. Just keep going. Now notice what he says here. In verse 1, for we know that if our earthly house, now what is the earthly house you think is this? What is this? Your earthly house. So we know that these bodies of ours is our house in which we live in on planet Earth. We’re space creatures. on a planet and we are in space and we can’t stay here without this spacesuit.

And one of these days, these spacesuits are going to give up and we’re going to, as says in the 90th song, we shall fly away. But now notice, he says, if this earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. We’re going to get a new body. I don’t know when the rapture takes place God automatically closes us with that new house from heaven or we are just get a glorified body But it does say that this body we have will be changed in a moment the twinkling of an eye and will be made Immortal that means not subject to death At this point in our lives, we’re all subject to die And we’re all going to die if lower terries It won’t be long Do you realize in another five years or so half of us could be out of here?

Half of y’all could be out of here Maybe all of y’all have begun God doesn’t want me yet But notice in verse 2 for in this in this body that’s yet to be redeemed It’s been paid for but he hasn’t taken it off the slave market of sin yet. We have been paid for purchase but we haven’t been changed. And then he says, for in this week groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house witches from heaven.

If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. Now I don’t care to be a spirit running around all. You know, what are you gonna be when you get to heaven? Float around like a haint? I don’t know what a haint is but we used to think a haint was like a ghost. I want me a body. I just kind of got used to a body and I hope you have a body. I don’t know if we’re all just spirits in heaven.

We all see each other as a spirit. I’ll tell Betty the other day. I said, I wonder what we really look like. You know, we’ve really never seen each other. You’ve seen their house they live in. But wouldn’t it be something that when you get to heaven, You don’t look anything like what you really are here. See, you have a body. Now, if you’re going to be in heaven for all eternity and you look like you did down here, wouldn’t there be a time in your life where you thought you looked a little bit better than maybe now?

Would you want to look like that? How old do you want to be when you get to heaven? How old do you want to look like 85 all your life? Or would you like to look back when you were 30 years old? I’ll bet you a good looking hunk when you were 30 years old. Ha ha ha. He was, he says he was. So wouldn’t that be neat? Ah that’d be wonderful. And then he says this in verse 4, for we that are in this tabernacle do grown being burdened.

Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life, mortality, subject to death. But we want to be immortal. We want to have life instead of death. We don’t want to die. We’d love for the rapture to take place. And this is why you’ll find this in the Word of God about the rapture and so on. But now, nobody else, he says in verse five. Now he, that hath wrought us for the same self thing as God who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Now, the word like that’s the part, The down payment part, he said, but the rest is yet to come. In other words, we haven’t got everything God wants us to have as His children. Because we don’t want to live in this body forever. True. So the day will come when God’s okay now, this time. So whenever different ones die. They’re just getting that new body that God promised them. So, death that bad, you finally were getting that new body.

You’re not burdened anymore, and you’re not grown anymore, and it’s just a change you’ve got to go through to get it. You don’t want to do that, do you? You want to get the body, but you don’t want to hurt, right? Yeah, no. So this is why he says in verse 8, Therefore, we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. See, many people, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses, don’t believe that you’re anything other than just a body. So when your body dies, that’s the end of you. That’s it. But that’s not all there is. I had one of them tell me, said, well, you can’t show me in the Bible where you have a body, soul and spirit. I said, I beg your pardon?

Thessalonians, 5, 23. That means right there. And it just blows their minds. They think they really know the Bible. No, they don’t really know the Bible. But this is in God’s Word, and it’s so important for us to remember. Now go back to the book of Romans. Back to Romans. And notice in verse 23 of the 8th chapter, because we’re talking about what we have to go through in these bodies, the sufferings that we’re going to go through. And so he says here in verse 23, and not only they, but our cells also which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to it, the redemption of our body.

It’s not just us, but he says also his whole creation, growneth and travaileth and pain together until now. So this is why he says, we are heirs of God. See up here in verse 17? And if children, then heirs, heirs of God. And that’s one thing, your heirs of God. And then your joint heirs with Christ that we might be glorified with him. So the last part of that here, join heirs with Christ. if so be that we suffer with Christ.

So there’s things you get because you are God’s son and there’s also things you get because if you suffer for him, if we suffer, we’re also going to reap some glory that not just because you’re going to be changed in a moment, twinkle of an eye, yes, where we caught up in the glory, but God’s going to reward those who do suffer for him. That’s why you find in verse 18, he says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed.

So He’s given you laid out here in the eighth chapter, you’ve got a choice. Walk in the spirit, walk in the flesh, you walk in the spirit, you’re still going to suffer in this life. But the glory that you have because of what you did and suffered for Christ, if you do it, look what God’s going to do for you. It will be worth it all in the long run. But one of these days it’s going to all be over.

All your opportunities is going to be gone. So I didn’t notice what he says about the world in verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creation itself, waited for the manifestation of the sons of God, and for the creature, the creation was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of him who have subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of the corruption unto the glorious liberty of the children of God.

This world is going to be changed because God is going to change his children. And if we’re going to be changed in order to have a new world, then it has to change the world. And he says, this world is going to be renovated by fire. God’s going to destroy it, it’s been reserved, and to punishment until that day against ungodly men the Bible says. So we know that all these wonderful things are going to take place. But it also gets to this thing about hope.

What you’re looking forward to means that you don’t have it now. And so if we know what’s coming and we can believe it, well then we can, with patience, wait for it. But if you have it and you can see it here and now, well there’s no reason to hope for something and there’s no reason to have faith because to live by faith is to live not by sight. It means you can’t see it. So we can’t, we don’t yet have this happening right now, but we by faith believe it it will.

So he says here in verse 24, for we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeeth, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then we do with patience, wait for it. And that’s where faith comes in. We believe that I’m going to get a new body. And because I know I’m going to get a new body, I can be patient and wait for it.

So Paul is saying, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Because that’s where it is with us. O wretched man that I am. And we get right down to it. You don’t have to admit, even though you’re a Christian, at times you’re pretty wretched. You’re pretty wicked. You feel sometimes terrible about the way you act. You ever get that ugly feeling then your guts and you said or did something, you know you shouldn’t have done. You feel so guilty and you can sometimes you can just despise yourself.

Welcome to the club. Everybody else the same way. This is why God wants us to live by faith, put your confidence in the Lord and not try to live your life trying to satisfy this old physical body that we have because it’s got a sinful nature. And it’s only natural for it to want to be satisfied. So you look at the things of the world, you see what other people are doing and how they’re getting along and what they have.

And it seems like they’re having so much fun and you’re just slaving away from the Lord. Yeah. But remember you will win. You will win in the long run. All right, but what I want you to see here. Look back there in verse eight. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. In other words, when you were a lost man, you were in the flesh, born of the flesh.

You needed to be born again. So when you were born again, now God sees you as his child. He doesn’t see you in the flesh, the first birth. He sees you in the second birth. So therefore, when you walk after the flesh, that’s in disobedience to God. That’s like living under this old man. choose that to walk this old man’s at the mercy of the devil. Wouldn’t you better have a spiritual walk with the Lord and be at the mercy of God and trust the Lord and all the things that you can have?

This is why these things are so important it wrote in here. Now, look what he says in verse 9, but ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. So does the Spirit of God dwelling you. That very moment you trusted Christ as your Savior, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Is that something you’re going to get or something you already have? You have already received the Holy Spirit.

And how much of the Holy Spirit did you get? Huh? You got all of the Holy Spirit. You didn’t get a leg and then you get an arm later. Now you get all of the Holy Spirit. Now as some people say, you know, it’s not how much of the Holy spirit you have is how much does the Holy Spirit have of you? Does he have all of you? 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.