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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. and 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.

You notice there in verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bride and morning star and the get this the bride spirit and the bride say come. That’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s what we’re doing with our life and that’s what the church is doing asking the lost man to come to Christ. He says you will not come in to me that you might have life.

So he says, come, let him that hear it, say come, let him that is a thirst, come. And whosoever, see that word, God, unline that, whosoever will take him, let him take the water of life. What’s the cost? Freely. So this water is the water of life. Talking about eternal life, it is free. So if it’s free it cannot be referring to any good deeds that a man can do. Nothing. Even if he adds to or takes away it cannot change the fact that eternal life is free.

But the man that you witness to or that here’s the gospel in verse 18 when he says, for I testify unto him, now get this, this is every man, then the church and the Spirit is saying come but every man who hears this the gospel invitation every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book if amen shall add to it so if you add to the gospel of grace is it grace no longer grace so you can’t add to it and you can’t take away from it you can’t take and remove grace from the good news of how to have this free.

It’s free. It’s living water. It’s what we preach to everybody in the world. But the lost man and there’s a world of people adding to and taking away. He can’t really believe that. That’s too simple. You’ve got to make more. You’ve got to add works to it. So you cannot add to the words of the prophecy of this book. Now there is a blessing that God says in the book of Revelation chapter 1 and verse 3, blessed are those who simply they hear this word read and hear and that means hear means to understand, hear means to accept, hear means to believe it.

And so because this book of Revelation is written to the church and we’re supposed to say to the lost, come and if they come they will have eternal life but if they don’t the moment a person dies, all their opportunities are gone. The portion, in part here you see God shall take away his part out of the book of life. In other words, the opportunity to have eternal life is gone forever. Look what he says there in verse 10 of chapter 22.

And he said unto me, sealed not the sayings of the prophecy of this book. For the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust steel. In other words, when time is all over and there is no more time, all opportunities are gone. However a man is when he dies, he’s either just or unjust. If he’s unjust, let him be unjust steel. And he says in that which is filthy, let him be filthy still and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still and He did his holy, let him be holy still.

So only the wicked can do the filthy and only the righteous can do the holy. So it’s a separation of believers and unbelievers. So if you add to the Word of God because you don’t believe what he said, when you take away from the Word of God because you don’t believe what he said, and there’s lost people who will not believe the simplicity of the gospel. All their opportunities, when they die, it’s all gone. There are no more opportunities.

You can’t get into heaven, you can’t get into the holy city, all your opportunities are shot. Now, it’s either believers or it’s to the Christian. Have fun. Now, take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy and chapter 4. I’ll have to admit that verse really threw me for a loop. 1 Timothy and chapter 4. This is a true verse that shows you that it is possible for God’s people to go astray and to have shipwreck in their life.

See there in, before we read there, just look in first Timothy chapter one and look what he says in verse 19. Verse 19 says, “‘Holding faith and a good conscience, “‘which some having put away concerning faith “‘have made shipwreck.'” So you see, you and I, when we trust Christ as Savior, we’re on the foundation which is Christ. He is the rock. then we’re supposed to build on this rock. He says, take heed how you build. So you and I, as we learn the word of God, the verses in the Bible are like little boulders.

And so our faith goes down and wraps around this verse. We believe that one. And now faith goes down and wraps around this verse. We believe that. So the more faith you have in more of these truths of God’s word, the more solid you will be. So some Christians, they’re wide, they get involved in a lot of things, but their roots are not deep, so they don’t last. They burn out. So I’m just burn out. It’s not because of anything God told you to do.

The only thing you get burned out because your roots aren’t deep. So you burn out because the sun gets hot and your roots aren’t deep. You’re not getting and amoest it from the Word of God. In other words, I’ve been going at this thing for 55 years, and I haven’t even come close to being burned out. I don’t get tired of the Word of God. I don’t even think I get weary in the Word of God, the work of God.

I just go, go, go, go, go, why? Because my roots are deep within the Word of God that I have fresh water all the time, like a tree planted by the rivers of water. So you stay refreshed, you stay encouraged. The joy of the Lord is my strength. No joy, no strength. When you study what God’s word says and your faith is deep in the word of God, then you can serve the Lord with joy. But it says some have made shipwreck of their life.

Now look what it says here in chapter four. Looking verse one, we’re talking about how to behave yourself in the house of the Lord. In verse one, now the Spirit speak of the expressly, that in the latter times, some, not everybody, but some shall depart from the faith given he to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Does that mean that you lost your salvation? Not that mean you lose the salvation. It means you become a weak Christian. There are some Christians who are strong, there’s some Christians that are not very strong.

Let’s say for example, if you become, since you’ve trusted Christ, a stronger Christian, are you more saved? You mean just because you got stronger, it doesn’t mean you’re more saved now. Because if you become a weaker Christian, that doesn’t mean you’re less saved. See, they can’t think. They can’t reason. There’s no logic in their understanding. If God saves me, He gives me eternal life and said, I’ll never cast you on evolution. Blessed be God, believe that. And all the other verses in the Bible cannot contradict that truth.

Meza might be another understanding of it. And there is because the Word of God does not contradict itself. There is none. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Don’t be afraid that you’re saved by grace. And And don’t be scared to say, well, I don’t know if I want to use that term, once saved always saved. Once saved always saved is the gospel. That’s what makes it good news. That once you’re saved, you’re always saved. Who wants to be saved for a day?

Or an hour? Or a month? Even a year? No, good news is you’re saved forever. Once you’re saved, you are always saved. Once he saves you from hell, he can’t never send you to hell. Because he didn’t save me because I promised that I’m going to be a good little boy now. He saved me by grace. I did not deserve it. That payment Christ made put to my kind of going to heaven. Now, should a Christian serve God? Yes.

I don’t know anybody who hit it any harder than what I do. What do you think we have a Bible college for it? So we make sure these kids go to heaven. No. They’re already going to heaven. We want them to learn the word of God so that they can be strong, not more saved. So he says here and look there in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15. He said, but I carry long that thou mayest know how about orders to behave thyself.

Does the Word of God tell us how God’s people ought to behave? That’s why you come to church to learn how to spiritually behave. You cannot use your mind, human reasoning, and guide your life. You study the Word of God so that you’ll know how to be spiritually minded. Minds the Spirit. Flestly minded. Mind to flesh. It’s all simple that is. So when you study the Word of God, mind the Word of God. Be spiritually minded. So he makes a statement here in verse 4, a chapter 1 in chapter 4.

Some will depart from the faith, given he to seducing spirits and doctrines of devourance. They’ll listen to other things. They’re children of God but they’re listening to things that were not going to make them strong. Now hold your place right here and look into book of Ephesians in chapter 4. The book of Ephesians chapter 4. Sometimes while I’m talking I think of another verse. Have you noticed that? Just once in a while I do that. But in Ephesians in chapter 4 look what he says in verse 12.

Ephesians chapter 4. Now he already said that he He gave to the church some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some teachers, and in the verse throughout for the perfecting of the saints. I mean to equip the saints to teach them. But not all of God’s children listen. Not all of God’s children are obedient. Not all of God’s children grow. Some of them live like the devil. But they’re still God’s children. that’s why God’s going to have to chase them and discipline them, maybe take them home before their time.

But there’s a choice they got to make. So he says here, for the perfect of the saints, for the work of the ministry, then notice what he says in verse 13, till we all come in the unity of the faith and all have the same knowledge and we all have or become a mature man in Christ. Now look in verse 14, that we henceforth, now here’s why you want to grow in the Lord so that you can keep your salvation.

No. Verse 14, that we hence forth be no more children tossed to and from and cared about with every wind of doctrine that we’re reading about in 1 Timothy and chapter 4 and verse 1 because if you don’t grow strong in the Lord, you’re going to grow weak in the Lord. And you can even get to where you doubt your salvation and question whether you’re going to heaven or not and think that you’re lost because of what Some people say, but if you have ever been saved, you still are saved.

You can’t lose your salvation and nobody has ever been saved twice. It’s impossible to save you twice. God can’t give you eternal life twice. And the only way you could have lost your salvation is Christ didn’t pay for all of your sins when He saved you. Because you committed a few more. Oh, now what am I going to do about those? Wait a minute, he paid for those too, all of them. So once you understand it, it makes so much sense and it’s easy.

And if there’s verses that talks about us serving God, but they always want to take him and make it into something else. Let me give you another one that I have. I won’t be able to finish all of these. I’m going to do some of this tonight. But take your Bible and turn to Ezekiel chapter 18, the book of Ezekiel chapter 18. Ezekiel chapter 18, and there’s a verse here that might knock your socks off, Ezekiel 18 and verse 24, it refers to God chasing his people because of their disobedience.

And he says, even those who know a man are righteous individuals, but they’re not living right. And he says, they’re going to die. So he makes this statement here, and he’s equal to 18. Look what he says very quickly there in verse 4. Behold, all souls are mine. As the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the Son is mine. the soul that sineth, it shall die. But if a man be just and do that which is lawful and right, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah goes on down there, then he shall live.

See that in verse nine, I’ve walked in my statute, I’ve kept my judgment to deal. Truly, he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. And if he’d be got his son, go to the whole thing, he’s talking about those who live and those who die. Did you realize that whether you live or die is in God’s hands? He can take your breath just like that. He can cause that heart to stop just like that and you don’t have to ask your permission.

You have no guarantee on how long you’re going to live. But as he goes down through here he’s talking about those that God can take and he can. But he says if you’re rebellious and disobedient he’d already laid down the law to Israel that if you do this and this You were to be killed. If your son or daughter rebelled, parents could have their kids put to death. But wouldn’t that make him yes, Mom? Yes, Mom. Yes, Mom. You bet, Mom.

Now, we’re not under the law and we’re not Israel. This was under the law. And whenever they sinned, they had to kill an innocent animal. That’s why they had all the sacrifices. But that’s why they were taken into captivity. That’s why there were certain laws laid down that jetted us. But he says, you’re not gonna have to die for this one, and this one doesn’t die for this one, you die because of you coming. Every soul sin is, we all die.

So you and I have all sins, we’re all gonna die. So, but look what he says down in verse 21. Verse 21, but if the wicked will turn from all his sins, see there’s a verse in the Bible that actually says, turn from all of your sins. Is it in the Bible? But we’re not talking about salvation, we’re talking about physical life or physical death. The whole chapter is talking about physical life or physical death. And God can take your life and Israel under the law, he did.

And he had many of them that died because of their rebellion against the Lord. And there’s other ones that God spared. So God can let some live and some die. You remember when the twelve spies went in and they came back and ten of them had an evil report and convinced the people, hey, they’re giants in the land. We can’t go in. the children of Anak and we can’t do it. Joshua and Caleb says, yes we can, yes we can.

God promised. We got it. No, no, no. And so they turned the children of Israel and all the people that was against it, God says, you’re going to die in the wilderness. So they all died. Joshua and Caleb didn’t die. And all those who had 20 and under lived go into the promised land. So God can even hope for 40 years. That one died, that one died, that one died, that that one didn’t that one didn’t that one didn’t that and then we get God.

So he says here in verse 21, but if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live and he shall not die. Now if you’re talking about how to go to heaven, oh that would be a works verse. But we’re talking about how to go to heaven. No and the context will not talk to you about that. This is different altogether.

So they’ll take a verse and try to make it say something, there’s no hell in this verse. Not talking about how to be saved. This verse is talking about your physical life, whether you lived or whether you died because God don’t you know, look I had that power. Everyone in this room, all souls he says are mine and he says all that sin will die. So you’re all going to die but you want to live as long as you can before you die.

True? If God came in here right now and said look I’m taking a load this afternoon at one o’clock. I bet most of you wouldn’t want to go. You’d want to hang on just a little bit long. I’ll take the next load. What’s the next trip? Five years. That’ll be good for me. You’re running to go to heaven. You’re ready to go to heaven, but well, not yet. Well, take your Bible and turn to the book of Isaiah, chapter 61.

The book of Isaiah, chapter 61. When you talk about man’s righteousness is one thing. That’s why in that verse he said, but when the righteous shall turn away from his righteousness, see that was in that verse, his righteousness. We don’t go to heaven on our righteousness. Going to heaven is always on his righteousness. See if Christ walked in here right now, he came into this world, he kept the law perfectly, did not sin and here’s Yankee, he came into this world and he broke everything, he did everything wrong.

And the Lord says, look, I’ll give you my righteousness. I’ll take all of your sins. I’ll pay for what you’ve done. And he gives me his righteousness. Well, if he gave me his righteousness, then that makes me his righteousness is God. Now, look what he says in Isaiah chapter 61. Look there in verse 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garment of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom.

Dick himself with ornaments as the bride adorned with herself with jewel, for as the earth bringeth forth her butt and as the garden causes things that are sown in it to come forth, spring forth. So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nation. God is talking about His righteousness that He’s going to give to everybody that will believe. Now take your Bible and turn over there with me real quick to the book of 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians and chapter 5.

And see whether or not is it my righteousness that I get saved by and keep myself asian or is it God’s righteousness. Look what it says. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. This is an awesome verse. You ought to have this verse underlying your Bible. If you don’t have it underlying, you probably are not saved. Scratch that last remark. As the judge tells the jury, disregard that last remark. Here in 2 Corinthians 5, look at verse 21, for he, God hath made him Jesus Christ, who knew no sin.

He was perfect to be made sin for us that we might be made the what? Righteousness of God in him. Now look up here. Let me show you this, because this is so important to get it. This is you and me. This is sin. We have all sinned. The soul that sineth shall die physically. We’re going to die. But when we’re dead, there is no way to get back to God. So you will be eternally separated from God. If you die, unjust, you will be unjust still forever and ever and ever.

There is no such thing as purgatory. Nobody’s going to do any good work. Nobody’s going to pay one penny and get you out of purgatory. There is no such place as purgatory. It’s not in the Bible. People make a lot of money from it. I’ve thought about setting it up myself, but I just… But God loves us, hates our sin. And He says to go to heaven, you have to be perfect, as righteous as God, and none of us are.

We have all come short of God’s perfection. This end represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into this world, He was perfect. His perfect righteousness. He did everything right. We did everything wrong. So what He did is He took all of our sins and paid for it on the cross. But I need His righteousness. So when I believe this, He gives me His righteousness and I go to heaven on what He did for me.

So in Ezekiel 18 verse 24 when it says about the wicked and his righteousness. You see that’s about physical life. It’s just the same thing is true. If a lost man obeys the law, the law doesn’t pay him anything. But if he breaks the law, he has to pay. The same thing goes for a good, a saved man and a lost man walks out these doors and it rains outside which one gets rained on? It rains on both of us.

And we both had the same kind of problems, save men, lost men, and we both die. But don’t you want to live longer? If a man takes another man’s life, he might have shortened his life. They might, they just love him, take his. So we want to live as long as we can. But when we talk about going to heaven, we have to go to heaven on God’s righteousness, the righteousness of Christ. And if he gave you his righteousness and make you his righteousness, God, that’s why it’s one of them now closing verse is the book of Philippians in chapter 3.

The book of Philippians in chapter 3, look at this verse. This is on page 1259 in a church Bible, but in Philippians chapter 3 verse 9. And look what it says, and be found in him not, see that word not, not having my own what? Righteousness. So, people who say, well, you’ve got to do more. You’ve got to do… No, no, no, no. Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law. In other words, trying to earn my way to heaven.

Trying to keep my salvation because I will say by grace, but I’ve got to keep it by my good works. Not by works. Has nothing to do with your going to heaven. I’m going to heaven before it calls on what Christ did for me. Look at the last part of that verse. He said, and he found in him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but get this, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by what?

By faith. So there’s a by works righteousness and a by faith righteousness. A by works righteousness means you work and God says, don’t be found trusting in your works, but be found in him. having his righteousness, which is by faith and faith alone without works. I’m just telling you what the book says and they can just keep writing their letters to me. They’re always trying to straighten me out. One man says, are you, aren’t you open-minded at all? I says, no I am not.

I says, my mind is like concrete. It’s permanently set. He said, well, I’ll debate you anytime. I’ve had two of them last one. They want to debate me. I says, if you want me to come and talk to your people, let me know when. See, they want to come here and debate in front of you and spread their filth and their trash and their garbage. I’m responsible for what happens here and what’s preached here. And they ain’t getting in.

Say, you’re, Your heart knows. You’ve got that right. I know what I believe. And I believe that what I believe is what I ought to believe. I believe it’s the truth. Let’s pray show it. Every head bowed and every eye closed and no one looking around. If you hear this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, don’t you think that now would be a good time to do just that? The only thing you have to do, it’s the only thing you can do is where you believe that He did it for you, that He paid for your sins.

All you need to do is Christ died for you and you accept what He did for you. And He gives you as a free gift everlasting life. When you get up to leave you and say, I know I have eternal life, I know I’m going to heaven because today I trust that Christ is my Savior. And friend if you’re making that decision, I’m not going to embarrass you, I’m not going to point you out, I’m not going to have you come forward, but I am going to ask for a raise your hand, raise and your hand does not save you.

It just lets me know what I said made sense to you. And you’re saying, preach to that made sense to me. And today I will accept Jesus Christ as my savior. I believe he did it for me. And I wanna go to heaven when I die. And I’m trusting him right now. If you’re making that decision, would you slip you in a very quickly and put it right back down? Just real quick to slip it up, put it right back down.

No tricks to it, no gimmicks. Then what at all? If you have trusted Christ as your savior, your God’s child. Learn to defend your faith. Learn the word of God. Know what you believe and know why you believe it. Our Father, we thank you again for your blessings. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. We thank you for this time together as we remember the Lord’s Supper. As you told us to do in Christ’s name we pray. Men, reserve the last Saturday of the month for the Iron Sharpen’s Iron, Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast at Calvary Community Church.

Join us at 730 for a home cooked breakfast. Then, at 8 a.m., the featured speaker of the month will present a one-hour classroom style, men’s Bible study, and a relaxed atmosphere where questions and dialogue are welcomed. The scripture tells us that Iron sharpens iron, and this men’s Bible study is open to those of all levels, whether new believers or mature Christians. The Iron sharpens iron men’s Bible study and breakfast. Don’t miss this monthly opportunity for fellowship and the study of God’s word.

Thanks for joining us on Bible I. 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. Taught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, Just keep in looking up.