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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.

Now, there’s a lot of people that can watch what somebody says. And then they have to have their experts, their commentators tell you what they really meant to say because you weren’t able to discern what they really meant. I think that I said that right. And so you have people who are trying to represent and hitting it from a different view, but it all depends on whether or not what he say really what you thought he meant. And so they’re trying to explain to us and they have all these experts.

You ever wonder what those experts on all these panels come from? They’re everywhere and So far not a person has called me up and asked me my opinion as smart as I am I ought to be invited on every talk show But so far nothing Therefore I must not know anything because I’m not an expert on me, but I believe I’m an expert in in the art of so winning. That was the name of my first book that I ever wrote called the Art of So winning.

And that was the name of it. Now I call it the gospel driven man book. But it was the book that I taught to the art of so winning. Because I think that it’s an art. It’s something learning how to win, persuade someone to put their trust in Jesus Christ. How to open up the conversation. and how to bring them to a close, how to get them to sign on the dotted line, and how to do all of that is an art.

Now some people say you’ve got the gift. No, it’s an art you can develop. And if you’ll understand that when it comes to salvation, there’s a lot of people who are trying to speak for God. God said in His Word, by grace are you saved through faith, but we’ve got a lot of those expert commentators that try to tell us what God really meant to say. Where God says it is the gift of God, no, no, no, well, well, well, He really meant to say you have to earn it.

When God said it’s not of yourself, well, this is what He meant. And then they try to make a deal with the people that are listening to Him. That if you want to go to heaven when you die, this is what you have to do. And what they tell you to do is that you’ve got to be good enough and earn it. And so there’s a lot of people that are making that deal. So they go to church because they’re under the impression, if I do this, I’ll get this.

But see, that’s not the deal God made. So they’re wasting their life trying to fulfill this dream of this deal that they haven’t got. And if I give money and if I go to church, if I’m of a good life, don’t beat my wife more than once a week. They think that all these good things that they’re doing, But see, they made a wrong deal with the wrong person because that’s not what God said. So Christ came into the world, died on the cross, paid for all the sins of the world, and all that you and I have to do is believe He did it for us.

He said that if you’ll believe it, this is the deal. If you’ll believe that I did that for you, I’ll put that payment to your account and give you eternal life as a free gift and you don’t have to earn it. and I can close on it today. You wanna get something you wanna close today. That was the best deal I’ve ever heard. It’s a deal that wouldn’t cost me anything. And all had to do is believe on Jesus Christ and look what I would get.

And all the people that are chasing a dream that can never be fulfilled. They made the wrong deal with the wrong person, the devil himself. And they’re trying to get something that God says can never happen. For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourself, it is the gift of God not of works, unless any man should boast. But we have experts, preachers all across the country trying to tell you, well, that’s not really what he meant.

He meant you got to stop being bad, and you got to start being good. And both of those are works for salvation. It is the gift of God. And when it comes to the Christian life, there’s people who don’t understand how serious God is about this. He wants us to dedicate our life to Him and to serve Him with all our heart. And God said, if you’ll do what I actually do, He said, I’m going to do some things for you.

Take your Bible, turn to 2nd Chronicles, 2nd Chronicles, and chapter 16. My father-in-law showed me this verse. I didn’t know this verse was in the Bible. I had no clue what the book was talking about. I didn’t even know what the chapter was talking about, but I saw a part of a verse and it burned into my mind. And I want you to see this verse. Second Chronicles chapter 16 verse 9. See we all have a reason why we do what we do.

But in verse 9 it says, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. And my father-in-law told me he says, the world has never seen what God can do with one man that’s totally yielded to him. And I said to your thinking I want be that man. The world has never seen I want to be that man. Now, you may not think, well, you’ll never be that man.

You ought to see what God had when He started with me. I mean, when you understand it and realize my testimony and where I came from and what I’ve been through, my testimony today is a living miracle that this book is true. I have tried to apply the the principles that are found in this book. And I’ve lived long enough to see that what God says, it is true. I’ve watched people deny it’s truth, go against God, resist the Lord, and I’ve watched God whoop them, and whoop them, and whoop them.

And I’ve also seen people that have put God to the test, and they’ve trusted Him. And they followed Him faithfully, and I’ve watched it seeing the results down the road of how God is blessed. It’s, you can almost live by sight, instead of just by faith. Because you can see what God is doing. But God’s word is true, and I love that part of the verse. I don’t care about the verse before, I don’t care about the verse afterwards.

I don’t even care about where it’s founded, but I marked it in my Bible, because that meant a lot to me. The eyes of a Lord are running to and to and to out the whole are looking for Yankee. Want to know what he’s served me? And I said, I’ll make God a deal. Lord, I’ll serve you. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care how bad things are. I don’t care what you have to take out of my life.

I says, don’t hold back anything. You are free to do anything in my life you wanna do. Good battery, it doesn’t matter. Take everything I’ve got away from me. They sung that song last night, Jesse did, for whatever it takes for my will to break. I mean, that’s an awesome song. He ought to come up here and sing it again. But that is an awesome song. God has been so good. Now take your Bible and turn to another verse with me.

Look in Psalms 37, Psalms 37, Psalms 37. And look there in verse four, verse four and verse five. When I saw those verses years ago, I thought, this is awesome. I’m sitting here thinking and I forget all about, you know what anybody else is saying? And I’ll think about a phrase. You notice in verse four, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. That seems like God wants to make a deal.

Like God said, hey, I’ll make you a deal. You delight in doing whatever I want and you shall have the desires of your heart. In other words, if what you want is to serve the Lord. God’s all for that. And if you’ll take and dedicate your life to the Lord, it’s amazing how that the Lord himself can give you desires that can be fulfilled because he’s going to give you the desire. The light thyself in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.

Well, if I saw that verse 50 years ago and at 50 years later, I should be able to look back over my life and say, did he keep his word? Did he do what he promised? So I can say 50 years later, God kept his word. I delighted to do whatever God wanted me to do. And I have lived long enough to see. I’ve gotten the desires of my heart. God has blessed my life. And I may die tomorrow, but I have enjoyed my life with the Lord.

You don’t know how long you’ve got. But I can tell you this, I believe that God’s Word is true and God means what He says. And the art of the deal, when it comes to salvation, it’s totally free. Requires nothing if you accept your faith, when you believe He did it for you. When it comes to the Christian life, God says, I want you to give me your all. Serve me with all your heart. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, body, soul, and strength.

to get to heaven, but because I want whatever it is God wants me, I want to accomplish whatever God wants me to come. I want to do with my life what God wants. Is it worth it? He made a deal. Every child of God, he says, if you’ll serve me, him will my Father honor. God wants us to be found faithful, and if you will, God says he’ll bless your life here, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor, and when you get to heaven God’s going to reward every man according to his own labor, but God doesn’t make you labor.

God doesn’t make you serve him, but it’s the art of the deal. Really understanding the deal. I can’t see why anybody would pass up such a deal as this. Dr. Stanford used to always make a statement. He says when that man explained the gospel to me, clip and never follow him, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Think of the word, an offer I couldn’t refuse. In other words it was such a great bargain, such a great deal. I can’t turn it down.

What? It’s free. So he accepted Christ as his Savior. Do you know there’s an awful lot of people in this world? And they’re going to be in heaven because they’re so glad that Dr. Stanford didn’t turn down that deal. And to make up your mind, I’m going to serve the Lord. You realize you’re serving the Lord is revealed by the art of the deal. Do you really understand that there’s nothing that the devil can offer you? There’s nothing that the world can offer you that is better, superior, in any way, over what God says if you’ll serve me.

You may lose a lot in this life, but you’re going to see your retirement plan. You ought to see what I’m not waiting for you. And if you believe it, it’s amazing what God will do. Now, very quickly as we’re moving along here, I don’t know if I’ll finish all of this, but I’m going to do my dead level best. Turn your Bible to 1st of thessalonians in chapter 2. 1st of thessalonians in chapter 2. And look in verse 4.

You don’t have verse 4 and your Bible underlined you, you’ve probably not saved. No, but you ought to underline it. Aren’t you glad you’re saved by grace? Now look at verse four, this is on page 12, 68, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which, rather, do you think it pleases God for you and I to preach the gospel that he has entrusted to us?

You think so? Then that’s one of the reasons. You say, well, you’re supposed to, because you’re the preacher. No, I’m preaching because I believe that and because I did that. You see what this verse is talking about, this is something every child of God ought to do. God’s children, all of God’s children, you’ve been put in trust with the gospel. So you speak, not as pleasing men, but God. It pleases God that you will be found faithful to do what God wants you to do.

Now take your Bible and look in second Corinthians chapter 5. Second Corinthians in chapter 5. Second Corinthians chapter 5 and look in verse 11, a verse 11. The verse right before it tells us that we know we’re all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Every one of us, all of God’s children, it means we’re going to have to give an account someday. So then he says in verse 11, knowing therefore the tear of the Lord we go to on the line us three words.

What do we do? We persuade men. So winning is persuading people to put their trust in Jesus Christ. Even Felix said, to Paul, he said, almost thou persuaded me. Almost you persuaded me. You ever heard that song, almost persuaded, almost persuaded. You could be almost persuaded, but eternally lost. And some people are planning on doing it down the road, trust in the Lord. Do it now. It’s so important. Also look out in verse 14. Verse 14 says, for the love of Christ constraineth.

In other words, this is your motive. Constrange you, motivate you because we thus judge. In other words, because this is how you think it. You’re supposed to judge this in your mind. This is so that you understand the deal. You see, you can’t judge something because if you don’t understand the art of the deal, what God promised, what God wants. So he says, because we’re we thus judged that if one died for all, then we’re all dead. And that he died for all, that get this, they which live.

He died on the cross, paid for the sins of everybody, but they which live, those who do trust them, those who have eternal life, is what he says, should not henceforth, that means from now on, live unto what? From now on, you’re not to live for yourself. You may, your salvation isn’t dependent upon who you live for, but the love of God can strain at us. In other words, I should learn to love the Lord because I know that God loves me and love should respond to love.

It’s the love of God that helps to restrain your life that keeps you from doing things because that hurts my father. That hurts my father. I can’t do that because that hurts my father. I don’t want to do anything that changed my father or hurt my father. I just don’t want to do that. So it’s a restraining force in your life. If you don’t love the Lord, then you don’t care if you hurt Him. You don’t care if you violate His principles.

You don’t care if you waste your life. But loving the Lord is the only thing that holds you on course. Betty and I have been married 56 and a half years. June will be 57 years. Now that’s a long time, but one of the things that constrains me to do right be a good husband, a good father, is because I love my wife. But if you take away the love. There’s nothing to hold you on course. Truth is supposed to constrain us, to do the things that are right.

So notice what he says. He says in verse, last part of verse 15, unto him which died for them and rose again, you should live for the one who died for you. Who died for you? Well the Lord. So why should I serve him? Look, God will make a deal with you. You put him first. You serve the Lord and you’ll be surprised at all the good things that God can do in your life and how he can bless it.

Watch over you and how he can move you here and move you there and all things that happens to you. But he’ll do it because of his honor and his glory because God wants to be able to use you freely. God doesn’t want to chase on us. He wants to bless us. But if we refuse to obey the Lord our heavenly Father because He loves us won’t let us go, he’s got a chaser and disciplined. That’s why I said that there’s no problem that any teenager has that 30 or 40 years can’t correct.

And he’ll bring all these things you’re going to take your Bible down, turn that to the book of John, the Gospel of John, the Gospel of John and look in chapter 12, John chapter 12. Remember the scripture tell us in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 4 and verse 2, he says, Moreover is it required in a steward that man be found faithful. If you’re faithful, you are successful because God will reward you for your faithfulness. Not the results of your faithfulness.

Be found faithful and God will use you. God will bless you. Now, notice what he says in John chapter 12 and notice he’s talking here in verse 25. Yeah, what he says, he that loveth his life shall what? Lose it. If you’ll give up your life for the Lord, you’ll save it. Majority of Christians, I don’t think really understand the depth of this truth. Give what else he says, he that hated his life in this world shall keep it under life eternal.

Understand him that your love for the Lord should be so strong that your love for everything else seemed like hate. And then notice what he says in verse 26, you ought to lie in verse 26. If any man served me, now this is not for salvation, salvation is always free. But if you will serve me, look at the deal he makes. If any man served me, let him follow me and where I am, there shall also my servant be.

If any man served me, him will my Father. what? There’s a deal. I want the Lord to honor man. I want to honor him. I want God to praise me. Therefore I have to praise Him. You see, you reap what you sow. You want love so love. You want joy so joy. You’d be surprised the difference it can make in your life of what God says in His Word. You shall reap what you sow. You sow to the Spirit.

You shall love the Spirit reap the things of the Spirit of God. You’ll have such wonderful life and joy and peace that God has promised to those who put him first. It’s right there in the book. If any man will serve me. with this thought. Years and years ago, after I had trusted Christ as my Savior, I came to understand a little bit better of the value of a decision that I made. You see, sometimes we make decisions and we don’t know how valuable it is or how terrible it is.

Have you ever bought something at a flea market and you got home and it didn’t work? But you thought it worked, but it didn’t work. I’m going to tell you it back. They’re gone. And you’ve lost money. You ever bought something, even a piece of land. And then because, well, it got a little intact, so you sold it. And later on, that same piece of property is worth thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars today. You thought, if I’d have only held on to it, I didn’t know.

You realize how valuable some of those silver quarters would be worth. If you’d have got all that paper money that we had back then, it was back by silver certificate and you just got that silver or got that gold, how much gold valuable it is today. But sometimes we don’t know, but we made deals. Have you ever gotten married and thought this was the best deal I’ve ever made and then and then the war began and you have you ever questioned whether or not boy if I had to do it over again I wouldn’t make that mistake again so some of us I shouldn’t say us it’s not me some have to live with your mistakes and you realize it men I should have thought this thing through a little bit more.

I’ll be honest. I did not take seriously marriage. I didn’t understand the value of what I was getting. I didn’t understand it at all. I was a dumb, stupid teenager, didn’t think about anybody except myself and whatever I wanted. When I saw Betty, that’s the one I want. And so I went after Betty. I met with her boyfriend that she had and I And I took care of that. You say, what did you do? I threatened his life. That’s all.

Nothing serious. Because I knew he would be between backed off. And anyway, I went after Betty. Now I even asked her dad, can I marry her? And he said, no. I says, why? He says, because you don’t have a job, you don’t have any money, you don’t have a place to live. mother says, and you’re a hudlem. And everything they said was the truth. But I didn’t care. I’m going to get that girl. And now I didn’t understand that what I had was so valuable.

She was just another teenager, but there was something about her. And after she married me and her dad led me to the Lord, I began to slowly realize I got myself a jewel. I I don’t deserve this. And to realize that 56 years later, I’ve never met a woman that I thought was better than what my wife is. What a deal. And the thing is, I didn’t pay anything to get her. She bought me for five bucks. And I thought, I just, you call it grace, it is grace.

I don’t deserve such a wonderful, but that’s the grace of God has been good and has blessed. And I thank the Lord for my children, my grandkids. I thank the Lord for this ministry. I don’t see how God has so blessed, I think it’s all because God knows in my heart, I love him. I love him. And the Bible says is God is seeking those who will love him. And I love the Lord. And I love the Lord more than anything else in this whole world.

And I wanna please him. So I’ll try to be a good dad, I’ll try to be a good husband, I’ll try to be a good preacher. But your secondary, I love him more. Now, if I ever stop loving the Lord, I lose everything. I wanna gain. I want to win this art of that I want to make the best deal I possibly can. You hear Trump talking about he wants to renew these deals and so forth like that. I’ve made the best deal in the world and I don’t have any regrets that I trust in Christ as my Savior.

And I don’t have any regrets about serving the Lord. I’m just thankful that somebody explained some things to me and it explained a few verses to me. And I saw those verses and I will think about that. Man, I don’t want to blow this. I only got one life to live. I never thought I’d live this long, and that’s the truth. I thought somebody would have done me in by now. Look up here very quickly. This is you and me.

This is sin. Everybody has sinned. God loves all of us. He hates our sin, but he loves us. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God in a place called hell. But God wants us to go to heaven, and because heaven is the perfect place, we’re not. Because of sin, we can’t get in. And so God says you have to be perfect in none of us are perfect. God says you cannot earn eternal life. You can’t work your way to heaven.

It’s by grace. It’s not by your works. So no man can earn eternal life. This hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He came into this world because, well, He loves us, but He hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die, but because He loved us, He took all the sins of all the world. Paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. He said if we would believe it, he did it for us.

He’d put this payment to our account. Remember this, it’s so simple. Why did Christ die for us? He died to pay for our sins. Why? So that we wouldn’t have to. And then he came back from the dead and says, the only thing you have to do is believe I did that for you. That’s doable. You can do that. Is where you believe that. And so when you believe it, he puts this payment to your account. You go to heaven on what He did.

Why? Because He just payment was for all of your sins. The reason you can’t know you’re going to heaven till you know you can’t go to hell. And I can’t go to hell. Why? Because I don’t have any sins to pay for. He paid for how many of my sins? Christ died for my sins. And I’m going to heaven because all He wants me to do, just believe me to. Why should I pass that up? There’s no trace to it, no gimmicks.

A man has to be a fool to turn down a free gift like that. Wouldn’t you say? Let’s pray, show him. Every hit, bow, and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you hear this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you trust Him right now? Just say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner and I believe Christ died, that He paid for my sins and I’m gonna trust Him right now as my Savior.

Bring God said, if you’ll trust Him right now, He’ll save you right now and give eternal life right now. And when you get up to lead, you can say, I’m no, I’m going to heaven because Christ died for me. He paid for my sins. Would you do that? I’m not gonna have you forward, but right where you’re sitting and say, preach that made sense to me And I want to know that I’m going to heaven, and I’ll like you to pray for them.

We’ll just slip you in it very quickly, put it right back down, and we’ll let it all. Then we’ll let it all. If you’ve already trusted Christ of Savior, you that are watching by internet, right on the screen says, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior. If you will do so, we’d love to hear from you. Just let us know that someone trusts the Lord. Our Father, we thank you again for your blessings. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.

Thank you for this time together, for all the goodness you’ve done for us, and help each one to understand my heart where I’m coming from and why I want the best for them in Christ’s name we pray. Men reserved 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 8am the featured speaker of the month will present a one hour classroom style men’s Bible study in 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 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. 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.