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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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Well, let me tell you something. My experience that I had about a couple of weeks ago, about a couple weeks ago, I was asked to do a funeral service. So I went to do this funeral service, and I was told that the police were gonna be there because they served with the police force. And he was in the military, so the military will be there. And he was a shriners, so the shriners will be there. And they want me to say a few words.

I gave the invitation, and there was about five or six of the shriners, might be in some place out. I remember looking over there and a couple of the guys were, you know, they’d raise their hand. Maybe we went to the graveside, got to the graveside. I suppose, you know, say something at the end. Well, if you don’t direct your comment, it says it doesn’t change. They’re gonna let the military do their thing and they fold the flag and they present it.

And then the, well, I, when they hadn’t went first. And I, just a few comments. But then the Shriners came up there and did their thing and said nice things about the guy. But it’s all ritual. And they followed up on April and then gave it to the guy. And then they did another one and they laid it up on the casket and all. And the whole thing, as they said, had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Nothing to do about a payment that He made on the cross for our sins so we can have eternal life.

It was all about the fatherhood of God brotherhood of man and just about, you know, being good servant and all that. But see, it doesn’t matter if he was a good policeman or a good military man or a good strainer. All those good deeds count zero for entrance into heaven. None of those things has anything to do with going to heaven because heaven and going there is the gift, it’s free. Well, you’re always trying to figure out a way to get the gospel out during that various Well, God bless my little daughter.

Well, my little daughter isn’t a little anymore. She’s 52 years old. And she’s a son of every man wish they had. She is she can hunt, she can fish, she can do anything. I mean, this is one any Oakley, but she is a living Lucille Ball. She’s always getting herself into something. Well, we got to a text the other night. Help!

The baby tried to tell me something, I said, honey, I don’t even wanna hear it. Don’t even wanna hear it. Well, what she had done was she had put something on the Facebook about, yes, it had to deal with my sermon that I had done on the five dangers of Calvinism, where she put the link on her Facebook. And she was just gonna help her dad get the gospel out. Well, if you know how sometimes Facebook works, she got slammed with a bunch of people that don’t believe like we believe.

And now they were challenging her and knocking her dad and that’s a no-no for her. You don’t knock her dad ruth. So my daughter is going to defend her dad to the death. She emails back again. She says, you didn’t got me in a pickle. Get me out of this. And she calls upon the boss, I says, I haven’t done anything. I says, you got yourself into it. Now you get yourself out of it. And anyway, people are challenging her and she’s got to try to figure out how to do it.

So finally I told her, I says, just don’t answer them. I said, I don’t feel like I have got to answer everybody that asked me a question. So sometimes they’re not really wanting to know an answer. They just want you to answer so they can use that one to ask you another question and another question and another question and another question and they can take your whole life. I says, Trina, I still have fun. Would you believe that before I came out here, the teeth, my son to school class, I got another phone call from my daughter this morning already, I said, it’s Trina, hang it up.

She says, Dad, I said, I know, I know. really gets under your skin. Whoever it is ought to be lucky that she’s not within arms limp. She can shoot, fight, but anyway. Pray for my daughter. I says, I says, you have no doubt this morning. You’re going to be teaching more in your class than I’m going to be teaching in my class. Because you never know how many people are looking to read up and she’s had people come and come and come and come in, some good and some not.

Another one wrote, said, I used to believe just like your daddy, five years ago. But now they’re enlightened, of course, you know, don’t believe that anymore. So anyway, I just want to mention to you about a little word, you know, the one little word. But in this one little word can cause a lot of trouble. It’s called the word elect. Have you ever heard of the word elect? Well, you’ve heard of elections. When you have an election, you’re going to vote.

And when you you vote, you’re choosing. So the word elect simply means choosing. It’s just making the choice. That’s all it is. It’s something that God has chosen. It’s an elect. God chose. And so he talks about his son who is his elect. So he chose him. So what I want you to do, in your Bible to the book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 42. Isaiah chapter 42, Isaiah chapter 42, look there in verse 1, Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soul delighteth.

I have put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles in verse 3. And so you know when you read this, he’s talking about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was His servant. And when you read it, you’ll find that God has chosen certain people for service. He’s chosen His children to serve Him. He chose the nation of Israel to serve Him. He chose His servant Christ to serve Him, His Son. So the word is used in the scriptures, but don’t become afraid of it and scared of it.

And a lot of people like to put a lot of other stuff to it, but I wanna show you a couple things concerning this. Also look there in the book of Isaiah 45, Isaiah 45, just a couple verses to you, right? Isaiah 45, and look down there in verse four. For Jacob, my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect.

I have even called thee by thy name. I have surname thee, though thou hath not known me.” So even when Jacob was wrestling with the angel at night, there’d not be the Lord, the angel of the Lord, but he was given the name of Israel. So God gave the name, God chose that. God chose the people of Israel to be his light in the world. light in the world. God chose Israel to be the one through whom the Messiah would come into the world.

God chose Israel through whom would come the scriptures. So there’s choices that God has made. And so you and I believe it or not are elect of God. We have been chosen as a child of God to be a servant of God. Now God has chosen to save all of those who believe, and He’s chosen not to save those who do not believe. So the easiest thing in the world is for somebody to believe it. And when you believe it, you have eternal life, you get to go to heaven when you die.

But God does not determine who believes. That is a choice that God gives to us. So that’s a choice that we make. And God chose it to be that away. So God in His sovereignty has chosen to give man a free will to let you choose. But once you have made your decision and you trusted Christ as your Savior, God has chosen all of His children to serve Him. And you can rebel against God’s choice. You see, God wants everybody to hear the gospel, but there’s people who can rebel against that and not listen, not believe it, and therefore don’t get saved.

And there has chosen concern in His children, He’s chosen every one of us to serve Him. But does that mean just because God chose you, you’re automatically going to serve Him? No. Even though Israel was God’s chosen people to be what He wanted them to be, they still could rebel against Him, read the Scriptures. Did Israel become this great servant nation that God intended, or did they rebel against the Lord? They rebelled over and over and over and over again.

And to the place they finally were cast out of the nation altogether and were taken into captivity. Well see that wasn’t what God wanted but God has chosen to chasin those who are disobedient. God has chosen to bless those who will be obedient so there’s decisions that people make. Take your Bible looking Isaiah 65 just turned to your right Isaiah 65 and look there in verse 9 as he talked here and I will bring forth a seas out of Jacob and out of JudahRomney, an inheritor of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it and my servants shall dwell there.

So sometimes it says the same thing twice, but mine elect is my servants. has chosen those of his people and of his people and he has chosen the one that he is going to use, which I believe eventually becomes Christ as his final servant, his main servant, his righteous servant. And he will be the one by which God says is going to be the inheritor of all his holy mountains. And so we are looking down the road and this is choices, decisions that God is made.

Look there in the book of Mark chapter 13, the book of Mark in chapter 13. Mark 13, now look at here in verse 27. Now we know that Lord is going to come back at the end of the tribulation period. Let’s just start there in verse 24 where he says, but in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” So there is a sequence here. Verse 26, then shall they see the Son of Man. I believe the word they is referring to the nation of Israel, the various tribes of Israel, that will be all over the year and they will see and they will hear and they, according to the book of Romans in chapter 11, will be saved as in a day.

So they will see and they will believe. Look at verse 27 and then he shall send his angels and shall gather together his elect from the four corners of the year for a win. So God has made a decision about what He’s going to do, but what He’s going to do is based upon what the people are going to do. They will see Him, and where did you get those scars in your hands and in your feet? And He says, when I came to first time in the house of my friends, and they will see and they will believe and trust Christ as their Savior.

Then He’s going to gather them together and He’s going to set up His kingdom upon the year. But that’s what what God has chosen to do. So those are the ones God has chosen is those that believe on Him. So the believing is before the choice about the angels coming to bring them in together. Take your Bible and look there in the book of Romans in chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. This This is a very famous verse used by most Calvinists, but understand here in Romans in chapter 8.

Romans chapter 8, if you’ll notice there in verse 29, for whom he did foreknow, and he also did, predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his son. Now the only ones who get to be conformed to the image of his son Or his children, those who believe. So God has, from the beginning, the foundation of the world, chosen to have all of those that believe on him, could form to the image of his son. So that when we shall see him, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

So it is the will of God that all those who believe, God has already predetermined beforehand, all those that believe will be just like his son. Now you and I are the one that determined whether or not do we believe or do we not believe. If you say he simply chose us and it really was not our choice, then how can he say he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed.

It wouldn’t be because he hath not believed, it would be because he couldn’t believe. So he says here in verse 30, more over whom he did predestinate. Then he also called and whom he called. Then he also justified and whom he justified. Then he also glorified. So in the eyes of God, all those who believe on Christ in God’s eyes, it’s like a finished deal. God already sees me glorified and in heaven in his son because you see God came look down to the time and we always say the telescope of time and he sees us as individuals and God has simply chosen all of those who believe.

He did not determine who believes but God being God has for knowledge, knowledge beforehand. It does not mean he determined what everybody’s going to do. Otherwise he could not and if he had to be made us do them then there’s no choices for us to make. We are pre-programmed and we’re automatically going to do the will of Allah. I don’t believe I’d jump. I believe that we are given pre-choice by God. God has determined consequences when he says, whatsoever man’s soah, that shall he also reap.

Well, if this fatalistic predestination is true, whatsoever man’s soah is because he had no choice and therefore it wasn’t his decision, he was pre-programmed every decision that he does, and therefore the consequences should not be off on him because of something that he did that was wrong. It would because God made him do all of that. Would this God know everything from the beginning? Yes, he does. It doesn’t mean that he programmed you to do the wrong. That is not true.

That’s fatalistic determinism by a majority of Calvinists that it is not true and it’s not right. So we don’t believe that. Look what else he says here in verse 31. What shall we say then to these things? If God before us who can be against us? In other words, if God is the one who says how it’s going to be, that if I trust Christ as my Savior, and why do I need a Savior? Because I’m a sinner. And why am I saying because I’ve done all these bad things, I have a sinful nature and I cannot save myself.

I believe Christ died, paid for my sins, and I believe that. God is chosen to save all of those that will believe that when Christ died, He paid for their sins. So whenever I believe that, it was Christ who died for me. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals to me my need of Christ, and I trust Him as my Savior, because of the Word of God that’s being used. And it’s God who justified me. So if I got the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on my side, Does it matter what people think and say?

They can’t change that. Because God’s the one that’s in charge. He’s the one that’s in control. And so he makes a statement here in verse 32. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Well, wait a minute. If this wasn’t done as a choice, and we didn’t have a decision to make, and God was willing to give up his son, Well, you know, he could have eliminated all of this in between stuff and just simply made us the way that he wanted us to be.

If he’s just going to make us as a robot anyway, why not just leave us as robots and he totally controls our will and we don’t have the decision to make and we wouldn’t have to mess with all that gardening stuff. We wouldn’t have to mess with the serpent and the tree and then the devil down through the ages and all the sin and the problem. Why didn’t just eliminate all that? Not even have to start with. I mean, if God’s going to do all of this here, unless He’s going to give us a choice, then all of it makes sense.

So then if I’m going to have a choice, I must have a choice to make. There has to be a no. And there has to be consequences to my decisions. So God being just did it just that away. So therefore he lives it with a man to be able to choose. So then in verse 33, verse 33 says, he who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect. See you and I, when you trusted Christ as your Savior, see God has elected to save all of those that believe.

And then all of those who believe, God has chosen that we will be made in the image of Christ. And He’s chosen to let us have a little time here on earth to serve Him. See that was God’s choice. But can a person reject that payment Christ made? Yes. Can a person after He saved, rebel against the idea of serving God? Yes. People do. that being able to make decisions has not been taken away from us. There’s another one I wanted to show you because I can see that time is passing by.

Look there in 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter in chapter 1. And you’ll notice there in verse 2, I want to show you something that I believe it’s important because, because, because, because, because, because. And I said the word because, because, I I want you to see that one statement is made because of the other statement, because of the other statement, because of the other statement. See the verse 2, he says, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Now, elect. So he’s writing to believers. These are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. Because, through sanctification of the Spirit, because unto obedience, that means Your faith that was placed in Christ, you’ve seen other scripts about obey the gospel, obey the gospel, believe the gospel. This mentioned in the book of Romans and also in a few other scriptures and also in here in Peter, you’ll see it later. Where he makes this statement, because you were sanctified by the Spirit, because you obeyed, you believed the gospel because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

So as you back it up, it’s all because Christ died. you believed it. You were made pure and holy by the Holy Spirit. And because of that, you have been chosen to serve the Lord. God has chose to use anyone who wants to be used. Isn’t that good? God chose to save all of those who believe. He didn’t say you had to earn it, you’ll work for it, or buy it, just buy believing. And then to give us that choice to serve the Lord because of what Christ has done for us.

Therefore, we should serve it. Not to get to heaven, but because we’re going there. Look there in the book of Ephesians in chapter 1. But wait a minute, you’re right there so close. Just look here in 2 Thessalonians in chapter 2. Because of the word called that you saw while ago over there in the book of Romans in chapter 8. But you’ll notice in verse 13, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Verse 13 says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you.

Brethren, be loved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. And if you stop right there, look, hey, God, see God chose to save me before the foundations of the world. And I’ll let you. Now that you didn’t finish the verse. Chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. That’s what we just read in 1 Peter 1. Same layout. He chose to save all of those who believe on him.

Through sanctification you’ve been made pure and holy instead of part by the Holy Spirit and believe of the truth. So when you hear the truth and you believe the truth, then the Holy Spirit gives you a new birth, your set apart, you belong to the Lord, and God has chosen to save all those that believe. And then look in verse 14, where on two he called you by our gospel. So how are you called by the gospel? So that’s why when we give the gospel the good news so that people can hear and understand what Christ did on the cross for them, then they hear it and hey, you know that’s good news.

There’s no tricks to this. You mean all I have to do is believe that He did it for me and God will save me and give me eternal life? Yes. I was talking to a person and I said, doesn’t it make sense that if you can have eternal life simply by believing that’s something you can take care of right now? Isn’t it? I said, yeah. I said, then why don’t you believe it? I said, will you believe it? Yes, I will.

I mean, it’s kind of like the way that I worded it. And it’s sometimes a lot of whether people here understand it. It depends on how you word it with people. Remember, the gospel is not clear just because you understand what you said. This when they understand what you mean. So you have to make that clear and go over and over and over. Now go over there to the book of Ephesians very quickly. Ephesians chapter 1. And you notice there in Ephesians chapter 1, look in verse 3.

As you look down through that telescope of time, you’ll see somebody setting there in the heavenlies. See there verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us. blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. And here’s those two words that most people like live in Christ. You see because you’re in Christ, God sees you as high and lifted up, exalted, seated in the heavenlies in Christ. And been blessed with all spiritual blessings.

So there’s things that you have received just because of now who you are, your child of God. Then He says in verse for according as he hath chosen us in him. How did he choose us in him? He has chosen those that are in him in Christ. He didn’t choose to put us in there unless you believe. When you believe you are placed in Christ and God has chosen all those that are in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Having predestinated destiny fixed beforehand. But predestination is always for the believer, not the lost man. God has predetermined the destiny of all of those who believe. So when you believe, you have eternal life and you get to go to heaven whenever you die. And that’s some pretty good news. And it’s all because of what Christ did on the cross for us. See that in verse 7, to whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his great.

See if he was just going to choose us to go to heaven, why didn’t he just choose us not to ever up send in the first place and when Christ wouldn’t have had to die? He could just vice up this whole step. But see predestination according to the fatalistic teaching of Calvinism is not true. This book is true and God says that he so loved the world and the world is everybody in the world, Not just those few that he wants to go to heaven and he chose them and the rest of the people can go to hell.

No, that is not what God has done. For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourself, it is the gift of God. And faith is not the gift. Its salvation is the gift of God. Not a word, lest any man should boast. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again don’t forget to include your mailing address and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed. God, I can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.