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 air. which has 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.

You know, when you look at all the things that are gone on in the world, and I have to admit, it doesn’t look like things getting any better. What did we need to see us making progress? We were changing something. But the more you listen and read and hear, it seems like everything’s just going downhill, downhill. You wonder is, does God know what’s going on? Does God care? I mean, we’re just waiting for Him to do something because we know sooner or later He’s got to do something.

He can’t let this go. If you ever felt like maybe God wants you to be God’s avenging angel, forget it. Vengeance is mine, save the Lord and that probably doesn’t mean He’s gonna do it through you. But when you stop and think about the whole Bible and kind of back him up and get in a panoramic view of the Bible in a whole, the Bible God tells us that God looked down. And when He looked down, you know what He said, I don’t want to get involved.

He looked down and He saw this world. So how bad it was. And then God came down. He came down here. I mean, God, the Creator, the heavens and the earth. He looked down and then He came down. then the Bible tells us that He laid down. Then the Bible tells us that He sat down. Then the Bible tells us that He reached down. Then He tells us He’s coming down again. And then when you think about all the things that are wicked going on in the world, He says finally put down.

So we have a simple little view of God’s actions and whenever we preach and teach we’re just telling that story over and over and over again from a different perspective maybe, different verses, but we keep saying the same thing because you know people don’t get it the first time. I believe there’s a lot of people that think that how they live has nothing to do with anything, and it’s not gonna affect anything, and you can just live any way you please, and nothing’s going to happen.

You know, that’s kinda like how they were doing in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even the times of the flood. When you stop and think about all the things that God promised to happen. So take your Bible and turn to the 14th chapter of, what’s a good chapter, 14, chapter 14. There in the book of Psalms.

Psalms chapter 14. Now, as we look at these simple little verses, you’ll find that some of these verses also are found over there in the book of Romans in chapter three. it elaborates a little bit more, but the thought comes from the scripture as it is written, there is none righteous, no not one, as it is written. As it is written means it’s written in the Old Testament. So back here in the Old Testament, God says something and then validates it in the New Testament.

So you notice there in chapter 14 and verse 1, the full have said in his heart, there is no God. Now would you think there are people today who are living their lives as though there is no God. They don’t believe there’s a God. They don’t think about God. God is not in their mind. And that’s why whenever we talk about the Bible and God and what He says is right and what He says is wrong, there’s people that, well, it reminds them that maybe there might be a God.

So they don’t want to think about it. They don’t even want to hear it. Don’t you want to don’t talk to me about that. And yet He says they are corrupt. They have done abominable works. there is none that doeth good. You remember reading something like that in the book of Romans in chapter 3? It’s all right there. But notice what he says in verse 2, the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men. Do you think if he looked down then that he might be looking down now?

Do you believe that the reason he not only looked down but he came down was for the reason that he wanted to get involved. Do you realize what this world would have been like if God had not got involved? Even in our time today, he realizes people when it comes to serving the Lord and doing what God wanted, they don’t want to get involved in people’s lives. They just be happy and content just to live their own life without being involved in anything because it requires sometimes some sacrifice of their time, maybe of their money, their labor.

And they really are selfish individuals and don’t want to get involved in anybody’s life. Did you know that serving God, it can be a drain upon you, that it causes you to give up something? You have to give up something to do something that God wants you to do. So what are you willing to sacrifice for the Lord? people say nothing. I’ll leave God alone as long as He leaves me alone. But you and I know God looks down.

And notice what He looks down to see. He says in verse 2, the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. Do you think that’s important to God. God created man, put him on this beautiful earth that he had created, and then he looked down to see what man would do. Now God already knows, God already watches, he looks. And sometimes God is grieved because of the way people look and think and act.

Now, hold your place right here and just look over this in the book of Genesis in chapter 6, the book of Genesis in chapter 6. And notice that God allows people to live wickedly. God doesn’t stop you from making wrong choices, but there’s consequences. Sometimes it seems like you get away with it here, but there’s a day of reckoning coming. Notice what he says here in verse 5, and God saw the wickedness of man. So evidently God looked down.

He saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. It wasn’t once in a while that was always like that. They thought about wickedness. They perfected the art of wickedness. And so the Bible says in verse 6, and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it greed him at his heart. You say, well, why didn’t you just stop all of that?

Well, he did. He did. See, God is patient. He’s long suffering. But the Lord says he was going to bring judgment up on the earth. So he did. And so you find there in verse eight, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation and Noah walked with God. So evidently there’s a lot of people who did not walk with God. So God looks down and says, who cares?

Who is seeking God? And so when you read that in the New Testament, there’s none that seeketh after God. There’s none that understands us. So this is why the question was asked here. And look there in verse 3, they are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy. There is none that doeth good, no not one. See, this is in the Old Testament just like it is in the New Testament. So God looked down, God, to see all of the stuff that’s going on down here on the earth.

Do you think that if God judges these people in the Old Testament that it’s possible that he’s going to judge these that are living today. I just look forward to the day when God is gone to. The exact judgment upon people. Not because that’s what I want. I would rather people trust Christ to save your heavy eternal life. Wouldn’t it be nice and neat if we could just live a quiet, wonderful, peaceful life? And everybody would just do right.

It would be so nice. But we know that there are people that are bent on destroying us. There’s people who live for the day when they can proclaim that Allah is God over all the earth. And the only way they can do that is that they can do that is that they can do that. is they’ve got to take care of everybody else. So their goal is to destroy Christianity. And they don’t want to hear about Jesus Christ who came back from the dead.

They don’t even believe a lot of things that we hold dear and true to us. So there’s a lot of wickedness coming. Take your Bible and look in the book of John chapter 3, the gospel of John, the Gospel of John in chapter 3. We know that we go to the book of John when we want to see just how much does God love us. Remember though God looked down and he saw there was none but seeks after God.

None that doeth good. None that understandeth. And then the Bible tells us not only did God look down but God, he came down. And we know he came down in the person of Jesus Christ. So notice there in John chapter 3 and look in verse 31 verse 31. He that cometh from above is above all. So he came down, he came down. He that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is above all and that he have seen and heard that he testified.

And no man received with his testimony. He that hath received his testimony have said to his seal that God is true, for he whom God hath sent, has spoken the word of God. For God giveeth not the Spirit by measure unto him, and look at these wonderful words, the Father loveth the Son and have given all things into His hands. If the Father loves the Son, why would you give the Son to die for all those wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked people whose imagination was only for evil continually?

Unless God also loved us, so He has to love us an awful lot. Does it say anywhere in the Bible that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son? Of course, where? John 3 16, but He came down and He did what He did because God so loved the world. Now look what He says here in verse 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Now remember no one deserved it. nobody sought after God.

So God, He looked down and He solved the situation the way it was and laid down prophecies in the Old Testament, telling them how He’s going to come down, how they can expect Him to arrive. So He told them the nation, He told them the tribe, He told them the family, He told them the city, and He even told them when He was coming, very year, came right on schedule, born at the right time. Do you believe that when God looked down, He looked down at the right time?

And when He came down, do you believe He came down at the right time? Now the Bible says this, not only did He look down and He came down, but the Bible says that He laid down. Now where do we find in the Bible that He He says, I have power to lay my life down. Where’s that found? John chapter 10, very good. Let’s go there. John chapter 10. And you’ll notice that there’s a few verses here. And verse 17.

Well, let’s just look up a couple of the verses there just so you can see this. In verse 15, he makes a statement. as the Father knoweth me. Even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.” So when God looked down, then He came down and… That wasn’t enough. He has to lay down his life for everyone. I lay down my life for the sheep. Then he says in verse 17, therefore, doth my father love me?

Because I lay down my life that I might take it again. And in verse 18, no man take it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. again, this commandment have I received of my Father. So Christ came into the world and He laid down His life for the whole world. So He came into the world and He laid down His life. Now we know of course that He was raised from the dead.

He ascended into heaven, But then the Bible tells us that he also sat down. Where does it say he sat down? He sat down. Alright let’s just take a look at the couple verses. Look in Hebrews in chapter 1. Hebrews in chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. And you’ll notice here that he says, I have in time passed, spoken through the prophets, but it happened these last days, spoken unto us by the Son. And his Son is the heir of all things.

And so he says this in verse two, by whom he made the world. Verse three says, who being in the form or the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power When he had with your help, no, when he had by himself purged our sins, what did he do? He sat down. Now why did he sat down? Because the work of redemption was done. Remember on the cross when he said it is finished.

And when it’s finished, it’s finished. paid for our sins. And this is what the Bible says. He purged our sins. There’s no such place as purgatory. Christ has already done this for us. Think of Bible and turn there to the book of Hebrews in chapter 10. Hebrews in chapter 10. And look in verse 12. Verse 12. And you’ll notice in verse 12 where he says, but this man referring to Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever.

It means he doesn’t have to ever do it again. The payment for our sins is permanent. It’s forever. Set down on the right hand of the Father, the right hand of God. So the work was done and he sat down. There’s nothing that you and I have to do to pay for sins. It’s already done. That’s why there is no more sacrifice for sin. There is no more sacrifice for sin. Look in verse 26, for if we sin willfully after, you say, what if I sin down the road?

Oh, you will. But what if I sin down the road on purpose willingly? There still remain if no more sacrifice for sin. Why? Because the payment he already made took care of the sins that were in the future that you commit after. Wilfully or any other way, there’s no more sacrifice to be made. Look their inverse 18 of chapter 10. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. See if you could commit a sin in the future, they could cause you to lose your salvation.

How could you ever get saved again? Because Christ isn’t coming back to pay for that sin. So that means if you could lose it, you can never get saved in the future. Now, have you sinned since you’ve been saved? Aren’t you glad it was covered? That’s the best insurance policy you can ever have. This is what we call eternal life insurance. And the premiums have already been paid all the way through. You don’t have any payments to make. I think that’s pretty Good, look there in chapter 12.

Look in chapter 12, look in verse one. Whereas as we’re foreseen, we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Let us run with patience, the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, the spies in the shame and his… Set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus had a race to run. He finished his race. Set down. You and I, the Bible says there in verse one and two, that we are in a race. Our race is not over. We have no right to set down until the race is done. And then when the race is done, then that’s a different story than he’s gonna. Give us whatever miracles or I guess say rewards that he has chosen to give to us now The Bible tells us that the Lord not only to all these wonderful things for us, but that he reached down Now look in Matthew chapter 14 Matthew chapter 14 Because without him reaching down for us that doesn’t help us too much So in chapter 14 you’ll notice they’re in verse 22, 14 and verse 22.

It’s a simple little story but understanding that while we’re down here on this earth there are pines when you and I as a child of God we’re going to stumble, we’re going to fall. And when we stumble and when we fall, you should always know that the Lord upholds you with His right hand. It means He’s holding on to you and He doesn’t let you go. But now He will let you stumble. He will let you fall, but He also let you learn lessons that can pick you up.

Look what He says. He says, straight way Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, to go before him unto the other side where while he sent the multitude away. When he had sent the multitude away he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the Eden was come he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with the waves for the way and when it was contrary. Now, who sent him in that boat to go to the other side?

Who told him to do that? The Lord told him to do that. Well, it’s a shame because the Lord didn’t know there was going to be a storm. I mean, he would have never sent him into a storm if he had known there was going to be a storm. Do you ever question and doubt whether God is still looking down on you and that God didn’t see that happening? God didn’t see that happening because if he had not known that he would have stopped it evidently he’s not in power or he didn’t see, he didn’t care.

And he really doesn’t love you. And so you’d be surprised how your mind can just turn little flips. And you can question and doubt the provision of God. I go through that all the time. I call it mental gymnastics. And so he says here in verse 25, and in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went under them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea and they were troubled saying, it is a spirit and they cried out for fear.

But straight way immediately Jesus spake unto them saying, be of good cheer. It is I be not afraid. What women be of good cheer? Wait, wait a minute. Do you realize there’s a storm here and we’re, we’re in a heap of trouble. And he says be of good cheer. Oh, that’s easy. You say you’re God. We’re not. Don’t you realize how serious this situation is? Do you have a question and doubt God’s provision for you? Now we know sooner or later, one of these days, he’s not going to totally heal us from something because all of us have got to die.

You’ve got to die of something. Right? I mean, who wants to die healthy? Dan, beat me. But we know we’re going to die someday, somehow. And it may be pretty, it may not be pretty. Have you ever gone and seen, you look at somebody in the casks, you say, don’t they look good? Now that may look good to you, but that does not look good to me. You say, why, they’re dead. They’re dead. And they’re talking, oh, that’s just, you know, that’s not the way she smiles, she doesn’t smile like that.

They got her smile wrong. She’s dead, who cares? She’s dead. But no. In verse 28, and Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou bid me come into thee on the water, see some people want America. Some people want America. They are willing to step out of the boat, step out of that comfort zone. They want to see something done in their life that they can’t really answer, I did it. They want something so miraculous, something so deep great that you know it will be on your power to make happen.

Because you want that sense that I saw God working. I sense God working. I want God to do something. Well, He wants to walk on the water. So you know what He did? He walked on the water. Now He may not have walked long. It doesn’t tell exactly how long it was. But He did walk on the water. And verse 20, the end, Jesus, He said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the wood chip, He walked on the water to go to Jesus.

I would have liked to know just how far away He was. But evidently He was pretty close because he just reached out in his hand and got ahold of him. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus, but when he saw the wind bustress, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And verse 31, and immediately, Jesus reached down. He stretched forth his hand because he was going down.

He was sinking, And Jesus reached down. I like that because there have been times when I think I’m going to drown. I’m not going to make this. I don’t know what it is, but me and water just don’t get along. That’s why I stopped taking baths a long time ago. Just joking, just joking. And I always thought, you know, why take a bath tonight? I’m just going to get dirty again tomorrow. And so, you know, here’s women. You know, they wash all these dishes and they just get dirty and the next time they use them.

And this old codger lived in no shack, him and two dogs. And a guy came to see him and put some food before him and says, well, I’ll help you watch the dishes. He said, no, don’t worry about that. I just let soap and water take care of it. And so they did that again. And then I just let soap and water take care of it. and says afterwards, he opened the door and he says, so water, get in here in the two dogs, they walked in.

So you may want to get you some soap and water. It wouldn’t be a lot cheaper, they’d just lick it clean and you don’t have to worry about, now some of y’all gonna go out and buy two dogs and you’re gonna do that. But in verse 31, and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, although of little faith. Wherefore this docket? Now, I’ve often wondered, I didn’t marvel so much just that he got out of the boat.

I marveled that what would have happened if he had not taken his eyes off the Lord? How far could he have walked? How long could he have stood on water? Have you ever wondered what you could have done for the Lord if you had only, if you had only? Do you feel like you have joined the if I are the only club, there ought to be a club, if I only. And you think, I wonder what I could have done if I had just been faithful here or faithful there, how different my life could have been.

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 Bible line 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 48 11 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