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

In the 16th Psalm, where David is referring to Christ, and he’s going to be buried, but he’s going to be raised again from the dead, and his body’s not going to see corruption. And then the verse makes this statement, in thy presence there is eternal joy and eternal pleasures, or evermore. Now think about what that verse is. In thy presence there’s eternal joy and eternal place. Now tell me why would I want to go there? Can you think of a good reason?

Huh? Do you realize what it’s like in the other place but in thy presence? So when God takes one of us from here, look at the place that He’s taken this to where there is eternal joy and pleasure in His presence. That’s why He says in the 116 some precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. So we have already been blessed because God has already, well, he said, this is where you’re going to be.

Now look what he says here in verse 4, according as he had chosen us and him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. So when somebody looks at that verse and they read it quickly like I did. According as he had chosen us, you see that part of the verse where it says, before the foundations of the world, that means before we were ever born. God already chose us.

And wouldn’t he chose us? He chose us to be holy and without blame. And in verse five, having predestinated us, destiny fixed beforehand, how come you can’t believe that God chose us and rejected others. He did it before the foundation of the world is right there. But people, when they’re already bent, they see everything from that bent perspective. And you’ll notice when he makes this statement here in verse four, according, as he have chosen us, see those next two little words?

Those two little words are so very important in him. You see, before the foundations of the world, God chose all of those that are in Him, in Christ. He chose all of them that are in Christ to be holy and without blame before Him in love. And He has already predetermined that those that are in Christ shall have eternal life and be with the Lord for all eternity. He’s already predetermined that. There’s not a secret. But you and I are the one that determines whether or not we will be in Christ or not in Christ.

See there in verse five, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace. We’re in, get this, he hath made us accepted where? In thee beloved. see you get in Christ by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. That’s why even down there in verse 12 when he says that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.

We’ve trusted in Christ. That means we were trusting him. A man who is really chosen by God before the foundations of the world and God chose to say that particular person, was that person ever truly really lost? Was he ever really in danger of hell fire? If God’s already determined, he’s going to heaven. In other words, if I was God and I looked down here at Warren, and I said, now I’m going to choose to save Warren. Warren is destined by me to go to heaven, predetermined, blah, blah, blah, blah.

If that’s true, is he ever in real danger of going to hell? If it doesn’t end up on his choice, I don’t even dependant upon God’s choice. And God’s already chosen him. So when was he lost? When was he lost? He didn’t have to get saved. Well, he never lost. Christ came into the world to seek him to save that which was so if there’s anybody he didn’t come to save would have been those who believed in predestination, all the Calvinists.

Because see, they believe in the perseverance of the saints that if you are saved the only way you can know that you’re saved and know that you’re one of the elect is that you have to persevere in the faith. Your persevering in the faith is the evidence of the proof to you, you are one of the chosen. But how does a person who is a Calvinist who believes that they are one of the elect, how do they really know they are one of the elect?

Were they using to determine? It can’t be that because, well, I trust the Christ must save you. No, that’s not good enough because if you don’t persevere, you doubt your salvation. That’s why their church has been filled with people who question and doubt their salvation because if they don’t live it in persevere then they have all these questions and doubts about whether they’re really safe. So what did God say? He said, if I trusted Him, I have what? Eternal life.

All my sins are paid. That’s how I know I’m going to heaven. The reason I knew I was going to heaven in 1960 is the same reason I had given today. Nothing has changed. The only He’s not new. I was going to heaven in 1960 because I accepted Christ as my Savior. How do I know I’m going to heaven today? Because the verse hasn’t changed. Still says the same thing. He said, believe it or not, that it’s a real life.

I got it because God said so. And that has not changed. He said, but what about all the way you live? And it has nothing to do with it. A man cannot know he’s saved because of the works he done, good or bad, the works that he’s doing, present tense, or the bad work that He may do in the future. If salvation is not by your works, it’s not because of any works I had done, any works that I am doing, or any works that I will do.

So works can never be the guarantee that you know you’re saved. It’s what did the book say? I know I’m saved because Christ died for my sins. It’s the only reason I know I’m going to heaven. And there isn’t any other reason that you can latch on, because like I’ve said before, If I say, well, I know I’m saved because I’m persevered in the faith. Well, what do you mean by that? Well, I’d go into church, lost me, go to church.

If that’s the proof that you’re saved, does that prove he is too? Well, I read the Bible and I pray and I give. Okay, can a lost man do that? Well, yeah. So if that proof, you’re saved, then that must be proof that he saved. Which way is it? If it doesn’t prove he’s saved, what does it prove you are? And who becomes the judge? Are you determining that you’re one of the elect because you’re persevering the faith, but you’re using your own judgment to discern?

How perfect is that? Is your judgment that accurate? And the only reason you’re going to say you know you’re saved, and not going to be because you trusted Christ is going to be because I’m persevering in the faith. And that’s why that is such a dangerous doctrine. And there’s people who are not clear on it, and so that’s why the churches are being filled with people people who hope they’re going to heaven and they don’t know and understand the Bible says we have eternal life.

Now, look what he says in verse 6 again, to the praise of the glory of his grace. We’re in, he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Now, one of the verses they have problems, when’s it just hold your place right here? Look here in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5. 2 Corinthians 5. Because if you believe that you’re accepted into beloved, okay, how do you explain 2 Corinthians 5? In verse 9. In verse 9 says, wherefore we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him.”

See there? At Contradict Salvation by Grace, it makes your acceptance based upon your works and not upon grace because we labor and therefore your eternal salvation depend upon you laboring. Is that true or false? So you know, if it contradicts Ephesians 2, 8, 9, it’s got to be referring to something else, right? And see to talk to the believer of the unbelievers, there’s only two kind of people there are. So we believe that this is talking to the believer because it says in verse 1 in context, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we, these are believers.

house, this tabernacle, dissolved, dies. We have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this this body we groan and as we get older we do more groan in earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. So we’re going to get us a house. So that means this body that we live in is our house to live on planet earth. This is my spacesuit. You got a spacesuit.

When your spacesuit gets too broken down, you’ve got to move out. And we don’t want to move out. Now, look what he says. In verse 3, if so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. Now, this is not talking about without clothes, it’s talking about being without a body. You hear about this guy that died known as the way of his eye and got no body. That’s a joke. So in verse 4, for we that are in this tabernacle body do grown, get this being burdened.

Not for that we would be unclothed, but clove upon that mortality this body that we have that’s subject to die. We’re mortal individuals. Immortal means you’re not subject to death. Immortal means you are subjected to death. We’re mortal individuals. Might be swallowed up of life. In other words, we would like to have this body of ours that subject to death, but hasn’t died yet. We would rather be changed in a moment in the twinkling of and I caught up to meet the Lord in the air, but it may not happen.

That’s why in 1st Corinthians 15 it goes to all of that, but we do have that desire. When he said in verse 5, now he that hath wrought us for the self, same thing as God, who also hath given to us the earnest of the Spirit. The earnest of the Spirit is the down payment that we’re going to get the body next. See we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit until the redemption of the body. That’s what he says over the Ephesians in chapter four verse 30.

But now hold your place right here and just look there in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 13. What would you start in verse 12 because it’s kind of connected together. In verse 12 he says that we should be to the praise of his glory. When we talk about the praise of his glory is because this is what grace can do for us. See no man can save himself. But the payment Christ made has to be for everybody because he’s not a respected person.

If I stood up here and I handpicked a few of y’all and left the rest of y’all, you might want to know, well, why did he pick her? Why did he pick him? And let the rest of you go to hell. You said, well, that’s not fair because the one I chose, they get to go to heaven. The one I didn’t choose, you even got a chance. So God actually, if he chose something to go to heaven, he also had to choose others to go to hell.

If he could have chose all of them to go to heaven, he also chose some of them to go to hell by not choosing them. Don’t we tell people when it comes to the gospel, no decision is a decision. No decision is a decision. Well, I’m not going to decide right now, then you just made a decision. Now, he said to verse 13, in whom, tell my Christ, you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of the good news of your salvation, in whom also after that you believe you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession unto the praise of his glory.

Now you’ll find the praise of his glory mentioned throughout here. It’s also mentioned in Ephesians chapter 2, and if you look over there real quick, you’ll see this. Look what he says in verse 7, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. In other words, it’s like God has a trophy case and you and I are the trophies of God’s grace. We’re not the trophies of our work.

We’re the trophies of God’s grace. Look what God has done. He took that old center, he saved him, and now he’s a perfect child of God for all eternity. And the only thing is that we have to give praise to the one that deserves the glory, the credit for what is done. Now. If you’ll notice back here in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5, hold your place there in Ephesians. And you’ll notice what he says in verse 6, therefore we, that’s believers, we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

Now we know that the Holy Spirit lives within us, we know that Christ is in you, the hope of glory, we know that God says our body is the temple of the Lord and all that. But he says, in a physical sense, we’re still here in this world, in this old body, and to be, in this body is not in his presence there. But one day we will literally be there. And this is what he says, to be at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. We can’t see God, but we walk in this world with our eyes upon the things of the Lord, believing that what God says is true, and we believe it, and we live and move and have our being because we know and believe that He could come at any time. Why? Because He said so. We believe we’ll stand at the judgments of the Christ. Why? Because He said so. We take Him at His Word.

He He says, if I serve him, he’s going to reward me. Why? Because he said so. So we live by faith in the Lord. We don’t live by sight because that means living and only according to what we see in this world. We read the Bible and it gives us eternal vision. We see beyond this life. See, that’s what he says, like the Holy Place, right? Cause you’re right there at it, looking for 17 of chapter four. He said in verse seven, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, how would you like that?

Your whole life is just a moment. But our light affliction, which is but for a moment, work for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. This is where God is going to reward you when you get to heaven because of the work that you did for him. In this little moment of time, God’s given him. And here’s why, verse 18, while we look not at the things which are seen. We don’t walk by sight, we walk by faith.

He says, but at the things which are not seen, that’s faith. For the things which are seen are temporal things of this world, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So now this chapter five is going into the details about what that means and why we labor why we do those things. See there in chapter four and verse one, therefore, sin we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint none. So even though we’re in this world, we have a ministry that God’s given to us and the only way we can do and continue to do faithfully what God wants us to do is because we don’t faint.

You don’t pass sight, means you don’t quit. And that’s why he tells us about the gospel that we have. And then he gets down here in the verse 8. We’re troubled on every side, but we didn’t quit. He says, we are perplexed, but we didn’t quit. Persecuted, but we didn’t quit. You see, we can’t afford to quit. We’re serving the Lord because we see beyond this, we’re beyond this life. And because we do that, chapter five helps us to kind of keep all of this in sight, because this is why he makes the statement about all these labors and so forth that we are doing.

Now, back to chapter 5, look in verse 8, we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Isn’t that true? Now, there’s nothing in any of these verses that says we can’t go to heaven if we don’t work in labor. But whether we stay here or whether we go there, we want to be accepted in the Lord. Accepted means well pleasing to the Lord. I want to please the Lord while I’m here and if I go there I want him to say well done, thou good and faithful servant.

This is talking about you being well pleasing to the Lord. Remember in 1 Corinthians in chapter 3 verse 8, he says, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. So when you talk about labor you’re talking might reward. That’s not salvation. Salvation is always free. Labor refers to your service for the Lord and then there’s going to be a rewarding stand and lo and behold. The very next verse is talking about appearing at the Judgement of Christ, look at verse 10, for we must all appear before the Judgement of Christ.

This is to the believer and we are all going to appear at the Jebus, not only the faithful, only the immediate, no, every person, every believer is going to be caught up to be the Lord. And everyone may receive the things done in his body. So it’s talking about what you’re going to receive, while you were in the body, while you were on the earth, and did you live by faith? Did you live for the Lord? Well, God’s one is going to judge all these things.

And he says, according to that, he have done, whether it be good or bad. That’s the quality of whatever your works are. First Corinthians chapter 3 talks about the quality of your work. Is it gold, silver, and precious stones, or is it a haywood and stubble? And if it’s haywood and stubble, that’s going to be burned up. You wasted your life. He says in the very next verse, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, we persuade others.

It’s not about securing our salvation. It’s not about us working for our salvation. We are accepted in the beloved Christ for salvation. We are accepted for the reward because of our labor. And if you keep that straight, there’s no problem. Otherwise, you’ve got to really do a lot of twisting of scripture. Now, what is the motive of why we do what we do? Well, look what he says in verse 14. In verse 14, it says, for the love of Christ constraineth us, that means the motive ate us, to challenge us, to exhort us.

And here’s the reason, because we thus judged that if one died for all, then we’re all dead. And that he died for all. women. If one died for all, then we’re all dead. Do you think all really means all? Or just the elect? Verse 5, and that he died for only the elect. No, he died for all. Now get this, that they which live, that’s those who trust the Lord, should not henceforth. That means from now on for the rest of their life, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.

So a Christian should live for the one who died for them, but he died for all, but not all, believe not all are saved.” Now, just hold your place right there because I want to come back to this. Look there in the book of Romans in chapter 3. Romans chapter 3, when the Lord considers the whole world guilty before God. Then he says that no man can deliver, save himself from the condemnation of the law. So he says in verse 19, now we know that what things whoever the law sayeth, it’s safe to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped in all the world.

I went with all the world refers only to the elect or all the world could be all the world, may become what guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh, no person be justified in his sight. Well, why is the lost man you got to consider about that anyway? If he was one of the chosen, it doesn’t matter. He’s going to heaven regardless. I mean Christ could go unto the cross and or he could decide just forgive all of y’all and you can get to go.

No, he can’t forgive anybody of their sins until the sins are paid for. Now get what he says. In verse 21, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, been witnessed by the law and the prophets. It’s recorded in the Old Testament, salvation is always by grace. Now get verse 22, very important. Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, get this unto all all and upon all them that do what? That believe.

Well, if it’s only for those that will believe, then it should not be to all, only to the believers. This is contradictory of Calvinistic teaching. Salvation is unto all, but it’s only upon them that believe. If they can’t believe, they can’t be to them. Do they? Anyway, go back to 2 Corinthians 5. Now, notice what he says here in verse 15, and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, but rose again.

See, this is what we should do. All Christians should serve the Lord, but they don’t. For the love love of Christ constraineth that demotivates us. But it doesn’t for everybody, but it should. Then he says here in verse 16, we’re for a henceforth, noe, no men after the flesh. Yet though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth, noe him, no more. Therefore if any men be in Christ is a new creature, new creation. Old things are passed away, the old birth.

Behold, all things are become new, a new birth. And so Christ has taken our sins, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, gives us His righteousness, and we go to heaven on what Christ did for us. This is why He says we are ambassadors for Christ, and we are, as He says up here, the ministry of reconciliation, going into all the world and telling people this good news how that they can have eternal life. Anyway, those are my humble thoughts. Look up here.

Just in case somebody’s watching from Ireland or… I got one today from France. France, didn’t really matter. But I love it when we get it from all over. Now people are making comments and they trust Christ as Savior because of the thing. Look up here, this hand represents you and me. The wall represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. He hates our sin, but He loves us. And for us to pay for sin, the way the sin is death.

We have to die. But once we die, I say, we have no way of getting back. That means that we’re eternally separated from God. And you have to make the decision and get it taken care of before you die, because once you’re dead, you’re dead. To go to heaven, you have to be perfect as righteous as God. None of us are perfect. But the Bible says you cannot save yourself, you can’t work for it. You see, all the world is guilty before God.

We’re all in the same boat. So this hand represents Jesus Christ. He came into this world because He loved the whole world and that Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. But He made the statement in John 14 verse 31, He says that the world may know that I love the Father. This is why I’m going to do this. He took all the sin of all the world and paid for it on the cross and came back from the dead.

And He offers His righteousness to anybody in the world. It’s unto all, but it’s only upon those that believe. So when you and I believe He did this for us, He puts this payment to our account. We go to heaven on what Christ did for us. No tricks to it, no gimmicks. God loves all of us. And that’s why we don’t have to worry about whether or not. Can I witness to the wrong person? I don’t think so. Let’s pray, show it.

The headbound eyes closed and no one looking around. If you’re watching by internet tonight, if you have never trusted Christ as your savior, I want you to know God loves you. He paid for your sins. It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve done, how wicked you’ve been. God loves you. The only thing he wanted you to do, the only thing you can do is will you believe that when he died, he died to pay for your sins.

He came back from the dead, says, will you believe I did that for you? You can do that. You say, I believe that. I believe he did it for me. And Vryne, if you’ll believe it, God said, he didn’t save you and give you eternal life. And right on the screen, he says, yes, I’ll trust Christ. This might save you. If you will trust Christ, just click it. Let’s just know that somebody heard, somebody believed. That’s the greatest news in all the world.

Father, we thank you again for your blessings. Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Pray for a good ranch meeting tomorrow night and this Friday night, so I went in. And for kids that are making up their mind by coming to college, we pray, Lord, that these kids will know that we care about them. We love them and we want them to be here and we want to help them. We want them to know your word. And so Father, we just commit ourselves to you.

Thank you for all those who help and teach and for getting the job done in Christ’s name we pray. Are you ready to learn how to live your life as a strong Christian, lead others to Christ, or excel as a church worker or ministry leader, then look no further, then Florida Bible College of Tampa. With traditional and online classes taught by instructors, with years of experience, Florida Bible College of Tampa can help you grow in your Christian life. Whether taking individual classes or working toward a one-year degree, Florida Bible College of Tampa is here for you.

To learn more, visit online at floridabiblecollege.us or call the Red Minister Bob Gilbert at 850227 5325. That’s 850227 5325. 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.