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. 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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Titus in chapter 1. I just want to kind of rehash a little bit of the things that were said up there at the conference and some of the things that I said and why I said them. There’s always the feeling that, you know, we got started. How do we finish? You got started? How do you finish? Well, I have to admit, some Christian probably haven’t even got started. Can’t finish well if you haven’t even started.

You ever seen kids that get in the car, you want to go someplace? Are we there yet or we’re there yet? We haven’t got out of the driveway yet. You have to leave before you can go anywhere. So in serving the Lord, you have to make, I believe, a conscious effort in the direction that God wants you to go to serve the Lord. That you may be saved, but you’re not a disciple or a follower of a Christ unless you make some efforts to go in his direction.

And how can two walk together, unless they be in a greed? So there’s things that you have to leave off in your life and put on in your life. This is what he’s talking about in the Ephesians. So as you read these scriptures, it does make it clear that we’re supposed to finish what we start. When Jesus said on the cross, it is what? Finished. Now, it is finished. I finally got that million dollars. They wouldn’t tell my dad.

It is finished. They got my mansion. See, we have goals in life and we think that’s what we’re shooting for. You know, money, popularity, fame, honor, glory, all those things. That was not his goal. His goal was to do the will of him that sinned him. He says, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. And he says, I always do those things that pleased my father. So he had a different purpose in living. Whatever it was for him, it was to finish the Father’s will.

So for you and I, we ought to have a goal in mind, but it should be that I want to finish His will. Then you’ve got to start someplace. And you’ve got to have some knowledge about what it is and how to get there. I just know this, if I serve the Lord faithfully every day until the day I die, I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to be when I die. I will be wherever I’m supposed to be.

All I gotta do is just take care of the day. Just take care of the day. One day at a time, there’s a song like that. But look at verse nine, look at verse nine, where he says, holding fast the faithful word. The Bible tells us that the word of God is faithful. It means you can rest upon it, count on it, and that it will do what it’s supposed to do. So when he says, holding fast the faithful word as he had been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the game-sayer.

You notice how important the word of God is? It is so important that we know the word and study the word so that we can do what God wants us to do. You see, that’s the key to staying strong and finishing strong, is you gotta believe right. So the Bible tells us to study the word of God. Look there in 2 Timothy in chapter three. 2 Timothy chapter three, and you’ll notice there’s a couple verses here that is very, very important.

See there in verse 10, he says in verse 10, “‘But thou hath fully known my doctrine, “‘manner of life, purpose, “‘fade my long suffering, Charity, patience. He says, you know everything I’ve gone through. My life is an open book. And he says, Thou hath known my doctrine. The only way they can know your doctrine is by what you believe and what you believe determines how you live. So he says, Look how I lived and what I’ve done, what I’ve gone through.

So therefore, he says, Continue in this. See that in verse 14? These little words, but continue thou, but continue thou. In the things which thou hath learned, and half-minute sure it of. You know, what do you believe? Well, as time goes on, if you thought they were truth, don’t change now. Don’t change in the middle of the stream. Keep believing that which got you where you are. And if you will, you might be able to finish. Remember, Satan’s worst thing he he ever does is try to get you to doubt the Word of God.

Because if he can get you to question or doubt the Word of God, he can control your life. He can get you away. He can feed you all kind of lies. And you won’t discern it because you don’t know the truth and don’t believe the truth anymore. The next thing you know, you’re out in the wilderness and don’t have a clue. How you got there? You don’t know how to get out of it? You’re trapped. So this is why it is so important to study the Word of God.

And he says, and he says in verse 14, but continue thou in the things which thou has learned and hath been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them. And that from a child they have known the Holy Scriptures. You know where we talk about no sound doctrine? Because see, it affects how you live. When you know the right thing, but if you don’t know right, you can’t live right. and you can’t start well and you can’t finish well.

Think of how many years you’ve known the Lord and you don’t know when the Lord’s gonna come back could be any time. Don’t you wanna be found faithful servant of the Lord when he comes? Because you know that you’re not far away. You know, most people never live to be a hundred, right? Well, if I’m already 70 And I think he said something about 3-score and 10. I would naturally assume that I may not have as many years on the other side that I’ve already lived.

Otherwise, I’d have to live to be 140, just to be halfway. I don’t think I’m going to live that long. So I’m running out of my precious little time. I want to accomplish as much as I can while I can because I want to finish well. I want to be considered to be faithful. And I’m sure that’s what you want. So you’ve got to continue and you know the Scriptures in verse 15, it makes you wise. And then all Scriptures given by inspiration of God and so forth.

And we’ve covered this a number of times and it’s so important. in chapter 4 and look in verse 7. How do you finish well? Well, like Paul says, the time of my departure is at hand. And he says, as he looks over his life, I’m ready to go. I’m good to go. I have fought in verse 7, fought a good fight. Let me ask you this. How have you been fighting your battles? You know, trials and tribulations and temptations and When you name the problem, I don’t know what the problem is.

How you been doing? Do you fight a good fight? Remember, there’s the devil that uses everything possible, by all means, to trap you, to trip you up, to devour you. How you doing? Well, he got me. And some people totally fall apart because it seemed like everything goes wrong. I got a few things. I want to say about that during the church service. I hope you really listened to that. But look at the next day, have finished my course.

Finished my course. Now in the book of Acts, it talks about in chapter 20, where Paul says, I want to finish my course with joy. In the ministry that Christ has given to me. So you’ve got to know what did he give me? What did he want me to do? And I want to finish. I want to finish it with joy. You don’t have to go through life, you know, totally down and under the circumstances. And so it’s good to keep in mind and keep thinking about, but what I want you to see is this.

He says, in the last part of it, I have kept the faith. But this is one of the things that I was trying to bring out at the reunion. Because all of us sat during classes and we were all taught the Word of God. So we knew our responsibility. We have been given some tool by which to administer the Word of God to whether it’s lost or whether they’re saved. And so it’s to help to enlighten people and we’re just touching people as we go through life.

So since we have been given something to whom much is given, much is required. So we have a great responsibility. God’s going to hold us responsible for what we know. But God knows what you could have known had you applied yourself. God knows what you could have done had you done some of the other little things that were important. But sometimes we don’t think they’re in part, we’re just waiting for the big opportunities to come by. So here I am Lord, when those great big opportunities come by I’m ready.

I’m ready. You know, I’m ready to be something. And God simply keeps giving you little things to do. And you don’t take advantage of those. Well, doggy, you’re in any heap of trouble. You’ll see he that is unfaithful in that which is little is unfaithful in much. So if you won’t be faithful in little areas of your life, you won’t be faithful if God gave you something big to do. So you want to be used of the Lord? Be faithful in little things.

Love your wife, love your husband, love the kids, watch your talk, be patient, be kind, be forgiven, be gracious, be merciful. You see, if you won’t do that on a small scale, there’s something that doesn’t seem as important. Oh, wait a minute, doesn’t the Lord tell us, put on the new man, which is created in righteousness? And you won’t do that. So don’t expect God to use you in a big way if you won’t be faithful to Him in little ways.

always be faithful, always be faithful. So he says, I have kept the faith. Therefore, he says in verse eight, henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, you see that phrase? The righteous judge, what is he referring to? He referring to God keeps the books. As you and I serve him, aren’t you glad that God sees and knows everything because he won’t forget anything. He sees every heartache, every trial, every affliction, every hurt, every pain, and he keeps the books, and he’s going to make it right.

A righteous judge, you can’t lose serving God. And serving God has nothing to do with what people think. I’ve just told this recently. think about in Noah’s day. The majority of the people did not agree with Noah, did they? But who was right? The minority or the majority? Only a handful ate one into the ark. I venture to say I bet there was a lot of mocking going on, pointing fingers, laughing, criticizing, they were wrong. See, it doesn’t matter how many were wrong.

They were right because they did what God says to do. You are better off to make sure that you don’t try to live the Christian life according to an opinion poll. You do what you do because you’re convinced of one person’s vote. That’s really all that matters. That’s the Lord. You put him first and you serve him and then you can enjoy life. But you don’t and you try to please people and you want to play politics, you might as well forget it.

People come and go. I’d love to spend about two hours talking about the Republican and the Democratic Party conventions and what happened. I’m sick at both of them, but anyway. So who are you going to vote for? Me? No. I should have run, but I didn’t. So anyway, I guess you’ll have to take second choice now. You’re right in. That’ll be four people. Well, look what he says here in verse 10, for demons have forsaken me, having loved this present world.

You want to finish well? Depends on what you love. Depends on what you love. Who do you love? And so you are tested all the time about some of these things about who we love. Now, Look here in 2nd Timothy in chapter. Well… First Timothy, I think the first Timothy, I’ll just say, go back there to your left. First Timothy and chapter one, and look in verse seven. Here was second Timothy. This first mistake I’ve ever made, I heard that laugh.

Second Timothy chapter one, and look in verse seven, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power. of power and of love and of a sound mind. Isn’t it wonderful to know what God did give you? He’s all I’m afraid he’d had to come from God. You see, courage comes from the Lord, confidence and boldness because you know what God’s Word says and you believe it. trusting is the evidence of faith. So you live by faith.

Well, if I live by faith, then if I’m going to have faith in it means I’ve got to trust what he said. God said, I believe that. I trust. He will do what he says he will do. So it is a very important thing. Look what he says there in verse 12, For the which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed. See this is where boldness and confidence come from because of what you know.

When you know the Word of God and you’re confident, you’re sure it can give you boldness. And then you don’t have to be afraid of afraid of that lion who seeks to devour you because you can withstand all the wiles of the devil or of that lion that wants to devour you because you know what you believe. I know whom I have believed and ampersuaded. He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Whole fast, the form of sound words, sound words come from sound doctrine. And That produces a sound mind. So you know what to think. Satan wants to play games with your mind. Want you to imagine things that are not even real. It was interesting, one of the words that they use in a letter that was sent to me by the alumni, re-imagine, re-imagine. That is a very emerging church terminology. terminology. That’s not fundamental terminology. That’s getting away from that which is truth and glum by your imagination.

And you thought wrong, so rethink it again. So they were rethinking what they’ve already imagined. But anyway, that’s another message. But look here, down here in verse 14, he said that good thing which was committed under the keep, keep by the Holy Spirit which dwelt in us. This thou knowest. See the more you know the stronger you can be. Also to look there in chapter 4, and I believe it’s chapter 4, might not be chapter 4, because I often make mistakes sometimes.

And that’s first I mean, 1 Timothy chapter 4. I know I wanted to go to Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 4, he says in verse 11, as Paul writes to him, these things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, conversation, in charity, in spirit, that I mentioned a while ago, faith in purity till I come.” Then he makes a statement about, don’t neglect the gift. I mean, don’t neglect the ministry that God has given to you.

You study the word of God so that you can, you know, do what God wants you to do. But if there’s somebody that’s trying to destroy you, he’s got to work on your mind. So the Scriptures tell us here in verse 15, meditate upon these things, give thyself holy to them that thy by profiting me appear to all. God wants us. To be profitable. And to be profitable, you have to succeed. So he says here in the last part of verse 16, take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine.

See, this is why there’s a lot of people that have over the years, you know, come to Florida, Baba College and gone out into the world and 20, 30 years later, 40 years in some cases. They no longer believe what they used to believe. And they’ve changed, but they think they’ve changed for the better. They always think they’ve changed for the better. And then when they go back and you see, this is what the Scripture says. This is what they’re saying.

They’re not even compatible. You think, where did you go to school? Where did you go to school? Surely that’s not what Florida Bible College taught. I happened to have spent four years there and I had a good basic Bible college education. So he makes a statement in verse 16, take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine and see that word continue in them, continue for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and then that here the So you see, you can save yourself.

I can start a whole new denomination. Save thyself. This is the Save Thyself church. So can you save yourself? Well, in the book of Acts, it talks about unless you abide in the ship, you shall not be saved. We’re going to call ourselves the ship heights. You’ve got to abide in the ship. All we need is a ship. But see, it’s talking about something else. They would be physically left alive because they were thrown, getting ready to get down in a little bit of boats and leave everybody else.

But anyway, when he’s talking about saved thyself, it’s because there’s somebody trying to destroy you and he works on the mind. So he says, if you will do this and meditate in God’s Word and study and realize that to have a sound mind, you’ve got to have sound words that sound doctrine, you can stay strong. That’s what makes you sound. Sound in the faith. Now we often say Dr. Hank Lindstrom, he was sound in the faith. And he was, he was sound.

You knew what you were going to get. And he was faithful. You didn’t have to worry about him. There are some people scared me to death. And yet they also went to Florida Bible college, but it scares me because they’re not sound in the faith. So he says, you’ll save yourself. And then if it saves you and you’re the minister, it’ll help protect those that hear you. See, we’re always trying to help protect people. Just turn in your Bible to 2 Timothy chapter 2.

I won’t just see this very quickly. See there in In verse 23 of chapter 2, a second Timothy 2, verse 23, he says, but foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife. And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. You know, when you don’t know truth, people make decisions that hurt themselves, but they’re deceived and they don’t know it.

Have you ever seen an alcoholic in denial? I’m not drunk and they’re wagging all over the place. I didn’t do that. I’m not drunk, never have been drunk, they haven’t had a drink in 20 years. And you can smell it all over them. In denial. Well, there’s Christians that do the same thing. They’re in denial about those things in their life that they’re, you know, harboring, feelings, all those things that you don’t hear about. And they don’t forgive. And they carry grudges and bitterness.

And all those things that are wrong, but they’re in denial. It’s always somebody else’s fault why they think and feel the way they do. So he says here, he makes a statement in verse 25, and meekness instructing those that oppose himself. If God pervention will give them repentance, a change of mind to the acknowledging of the truth. See repentance, change of mind is to acknowledge truth. That’s what it’s about. And you are a sinner and you have committed sins and you cannot save yourself, acknowledge the truth.

Change your mind. You can’t save yourself. See that God does know you and love you and He’s paid for your sins and you’ll trust Him as your Savior. But then, but He’s here. He’s talking to the believer. The living in verse 26. And that they may, and you see that word, recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will. Did you know that if you don’t believe the truth and stay on course, you’re not gonna finish the race.

Satan will lie to you and deceive you and capture his children, God’s children. And the only way to get people free from a lie is with the truth. And usually nothing else will work. And so you only have to present truth, present truth. And we love in truth. So we just keep teaching the book, keep teaching the word. And hopefully the word of God will help them see and correct the problem. And this is why he told him over there, He says that you’ll be able to save yourself from being taken captive by the CETVIL because if the devil gets the preachers, the devil can get the flock.

That’s why God’s people should always pray for the preacher and the leaders in our church. Right? Because if I was the devil and I wanted to take this church down, you know who I’d go after? You. No. And if God can’t, you see, if the devil can’t get the man, then he’ll go after the wife, can’t get the wife, goes after the kids, can’t get the kids, goes after anybody else. He doesn’t stop, he’s always after. And so this is why you have to be very, very careful.

Pray for one another, encouraging one another, because the devil can take you captive with a lie. How many times I can maybe say something that’s really good. And if you believe in the Bible, you’ll think about the rest of the service and never hear anything else that I said. The devil can do that. Or next thing you know, you’ll think you heard what you thought I said, but I really didn’t say it, but you think I did, and it’ll have the same effect as if I did say it.

Did I say that? If you believe it, it’ll have the same effect upon your life. And you’ll be surprised how you can think and imagine the devil has a heyday because he can capture God’s children. Always be careful. Relight. You got started, didn’t you? Do you want to finish? Finish well. Let’s pray, shall we? Father, we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us. We thank you for your word you’ve given us. Help us to read, to study, believe it, trust it, and help us to finish well in Christ and we pray, Amen.

It’s time to make plans for the summer. Join us for summer camp July 9 through the 13th and fits Gerald, Georgia. At summer camp, teens ages 13 to 18 will enjoy fun competitions while learning about the word of God. Over the years, hundreds of kids have been reached with the gospel at summer camp. This is your opportunity to make summer meaningful and memorable for a teen in your life. The cost of summer camp is $150. If you’d like to donate a summer camp scholarship, you can do so by calling 813-884-4328 for more information.folio 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.