Bibleline Radio Show – 2018-12-04 – Heaven Is A Place Pt.2
Transcription:
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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.
When you studied the book of Hebrews in chapter 11, it talks about Moses, Moses, Moses, and the Bible says, choosing to suffer affliction with the children of Israel, denied himself and says, I would rather suffer the afflictions with the children of Israel than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. And he esteemed the reproach of Christ’s greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. talks about Christ. Moses knew Christ in the Old Testament. And of course Abraham had said concerning the sea down down the road referring to Christ.
And then when Christ was here in the book of John, it says, before Abraham was, I am. They said, how can you have known Abraham? He knew Abraham. Abraham knew him. Now, everything is not spelled out. But if you read and you listen and you study it, you can find out an awful lot that God has revealed in his word. Now he says, secret things belong to the Lord. God hasn’t revealed everything. But he’s given to us enough that we can understand and enjoy.
Now I want you to look there in your notes. On page one, on down at the bottom, where was Abraham? Abraham was alive. That’s established. Abraham was still alive, but he was dead as far as the earth is concerned. Abraham was in paradise. Abraham knew the purpose of life because when he talked to them the most important thing that any one of these had ever done in their whole life, Lazarus the Night Rich Man, the most important thing they ever decided was to believe on the Lord.
How much wealth they had was not the issue. How poor he was was not the issue. Lazarus believed something. And he said, well send him back so he can talk to my brothers so that lest they come to this place of torment. See, hell is not a state of mind either. Hell is a place of torment. Heaven is also a place. And I’m going there. It’s a literal place. The next point, Abraham was in comfort. Abraham comments about hell and about torments.
for him knew that a man once in hell cannot get out. He says, you can’t get out. We can’t go there. Isn’t it nice to know that once you trust the Christ and you save it, you can never go to hell? Never, impossible. Says, it’s a great God, you can’t go there. I, Yankee Arnold, cannot ever in the future ever go to hell. Can’t go. Those that are in hell can’t never go to heaven. So when should you make this decision before you die or after you die it?
After you die it’s too late. So you get to choose where you will spend eternity. Years ago I made up my mind I don’t want to go to hell. I want to go to heaven. I want to know I have eternal life. So one decision that I made 57 years ago when When I was 18 years old, I trusted Christ as my Savior. And by trusting Christ as my Savior, God gives to me eternal life. And if it’s eternal life, how long would it last?
If it lasts forever, and all my sins are paid, where am I going? Why not I die? I’m going to heaven. See, the reason I can’t go to hell today, and the reason I can’t go to hell in the future, I don’t have any sins to pay for. You say, well, you don’t deserve that. Oh, of course. Nobody deserves it. Who deserves to go to heaven? has ever lived good enough to go to heaven. Never have, never will. Because, see, God says, all have sinned and comes short of the glory of God, short of God’s perfection.
I’m, how good you are, you’re not perfect. You have to be perfect to go to heaven and nobody’s perfect. Well, how are you going to get there? What if he gave me his perfection? What if he gave me his righteousness? That would make me his righteousness. He gave it to us a gift. I’m going to heaven on what he did, not what I do. People are trying to earn their way, have rejected what Christ did. That’s why they can’t go.
It’s the gift of God, not of works. Look at the next statement. Abraham knew about the life of the rich man and Lazarus. He knew about it because he refers to him. Abraham knew about Moses and the prophets, even though they lived many years after him. So here’s Abraham. Abraham died. 400 years later, here comes Moses. And he’s telling them about, listen to what Moses, and the prophets said, well, how does he know about them? Because you see, he’s already on this side of them and he says they have the law, they can listen to what the word of God says Because you won’t listen You see your eternal destination depend upon did you or did you not believe what God says about having eternal life?
It’s appointed and the every man wants to die and God has not created the world created man took a vacation and He doesn’t know what’s going on Now God knew what was going on before the flood He says, and men’s hearts is wicked exceedingly, and all they want to do is do things contrary to the way God wanted us to do. So can you get away with it? No, you don’t get away with it. Nobody has ever gotten away with anything.
There’s a price to pay. The next statement, Abraham looked beyond the grave. Abraham looked beyond the grave. Now there’s some wonderful verses in here, but I want you to this, turning your Bible to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. This is on page 1301 in a church Bible, right there in the pew is a Bible if you want to use it. But in Hebrews, how do you know that Abraham looked beyond this life? Well, the Bible says he did.
Look at verse 8, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing where he went. By faith he so journeyed the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. That’s beyond this life.
See Abraham never saw no building, built of God in the land of when he was there. This is beyond his days upon the earth.” Look what else he says. Through faith also, Sarah herself received strength. You can see seed was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised. She believed in the Lord. So whenever she died, okay, where did she go? Well, she went to the same place that Abraham went.
She got there first. In verse 12, therefore sprang there even of one and him as good as dead. So many as the stars of the sky and mold to do and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. Get this, these all died and see those two words in faith. Means they believed in the Lord. Not having received the promises, but having seen them a for all. They died and yet they never got to see everything in their lifetime.
because they were looking beyond their lifetime. And he says, by heaven seeing them are far off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Strangers means you’re away from home, pilgrims means you’re going home and they’re going home was not just to the land of Canaan. They’re talking about on the other side of the grave. Say, how do you know that? I knew you was gonna ask me that.
Look in verse 15. And truly if they had been mindful of that country from which they came out, they might have had opportunity to have a return. But now they desire a better country that is a heavenly country, something beyond this life. Even Abraham knew that and he says so. And also his wife knew that and it says so. So they desire something that was better, better than anything that you’ll ever have in this world. Yes, I believe one of the days I’m going to get a chance to see Abraham.
The Bible says that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are going to sit in the kingdom in the Book of Matthew in chapter 8, right hand-paid, right hand column. You’ll see it right there. It’s saying if you’re using no skill field, if you don’t, I don’t know where it is. But now, note it, he made a promise to them and it was a promise that would be fulfilled even after they died. Yes, one of these days God’s going to have the kingdom upon the earth and they’re going to be back and they’re going to be here.
here, and they will be here. Look at number two there in your notes. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek him, your heart shall live forever. I want you to see the book. This is so important. This is in the book of Psalm, the 22nd Psalm. This is really an awesome portion of scripture. 22nd Psalm, and you’ll notice in the 22nd Psalm in verse one, when he makes the statement, my God, my God, why thou forsaken me?”
That’s what Jesus said when He was on the cross. This is written 1,000 years in advance, 1,000 years before it ever happened. So people want to know how do you know the Bible is true? Man can’t be this accurate. Man can hope and guess and maybe, you know, hit a couple here, but the Bible is always right. The Bible is never wrong. I had a man tell me, he said, ah, the Bible is full of contradictions and mistakes. I said, show me one.
Well, it’s just out there all over the place. I said, show me one. No, he’s quoting what somebody else says, but he I’ve been studying for 57 years. I haven’t found one yet. It’s amazing that people never read the Bible, know all of them. And I can study it, never find them. But anyway, note when he says, he says when he was on the cross, he’s telling you how he thinks, how he feels. And you’ll notice when he makes the statement here in verse 14, I am poured out like water.
All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it’s melted in the midst of my bowels. This is when he was on the cross. My strength is dried up like a potchered and my tongue cleave up to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For, dogs, the Gentiles have compassed me, the assembly of the wicked having closed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. They pierced my hands and my feet a thousand years before the Romans ever did this.
And it’s telling how he’s going to die. But through all of this, he goes down here and he makes these statements about how wonderful it is because of the payment that he’s going to be making for everybody. He says, let everybody fear the Lord. Everybody glorify the Lord. And then he says this in verse 26, the meat shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek him. Your heart shall live forever. That’s eternal security. You see, when Christ died on the cross, who did he die for?
everybody. Only those who believe it can live forever with the Lord. If you don’t, you’ll be eternally separated from God in a literal fire burning hell. But now notice this verse. Look down there in verse 31. They shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born that he have done this. So here we are 2,000 years after Christ did this and we’re telling people about his righteousness. Not yours. You’re not good enough to go to heaven.
Never will be. You say, do you have to go to church to go to heaven? No. Do you have to give money? No. Do you have to live a good life? No. No to everything. All you have to do is the only thing you can do. You have to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you accept Him as your Savior, you have a Savior. It means He’s saving me from something to something. From hell to an inheritance that’s incorruptible, the fate of not the way reserved in heaven for me.
And He said, He’ll never cast me out and never lose me. That’s how I know I’m going to heaven. Why? Because I’m so good? No. I’m a dirty, lousy stinking rotten sin and out of bust hell wide open, just like you. But I’m going to go to to heaven because I trusted Christ as my Savior. If you trust Christ as your Savior, will God save you too? Of course. You’ll give eternal life to whosoever, believe it. And when you believe it, you can have eternal life.
Look at number three. Number three, but I want you to see this in your Bible. You’re right there real close. Turn back to your left, just a couple pages to Psalm 16. The 16th Psalm. Many times I will read these verses at a funeral service. Because I want them to know what the Lord says about something beyond this life. You notice what he says here? Jesus Christ, now this is King David who is saying this and writing this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
And he says about his body is going to be in the tone. And it’s not going to be corrupted. He says in verse 10, for that will not leave my soul in hell. That’s the same word as she-old or Hades in the New Testament means the place of the departed dead. This is the paradise where Jesus went. When he told the thief on the cross today, shout that be with me in paradise. This is what he’s talking about. Neither will thou suffer thine holy one Christ to seek corruption.
That’s that body. That holy thing shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. In verse 11, Thou will show me the path of life, the way to have eternal life. Envy presence, get this, so important. Envy presence is fullness of joy, nothing lacking. At thy right hand there are pleasures for how long? Forevermore. I can’t make a person trust Christ as Savior. And maybe you don’t think hell is that bad, but can’t you believe that heaven might be that good?
Where would you want to spend eternity? Where do you want to go when you die? If God walked in this room right now, He told you everything about heaven and everything about hell and said, now, where do you want to go? Your choice. And He said, who’s to ever believe it? Can have eternal life? And pleasure’s forevermore. Word, you can reject it. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. He made a way for you. He paid for all of your sins.
He died for every person in the world. But He’ll let you choose. Because if God wants us to accept what He did for us, this is God’s way of saying, I love you. I’ll give it to you as a gift. Because you can’t earn it, you can’t work, you’ll never be good enough for it. So I’ll give it to you and it’s free. Do I have to promise God that I’m going to straighten up and fly right? I don’t promise God anything, no strings attached.
Not contingent upon anything else. You mean to tell me I can go out here and live like I please? Yes you can, you most certainly can. You mean I don’t have to serve him, no you don’t. And I’m still good at heaven, yes sir. Because that’s what God says. I serve the Lord because I want to. I come to church because I want to. And I read the Bible because I want to. Yes, I’m living like I please. And this is the way I want to live.
I want to honor the one who loved me so much, who paid for my son. Now what’s wrong with that? Something wrong with that. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t make us do it? And our eternal security would depend upon me loving God every moment of my life and me proving it in every area of my life. And when I fail to wear yourself sick, I don’t know if I’m going to. That’s why people don’t know where they’re going when they die.
I know I’m going to heaven when I die. It’s the best news. Now look back at your notes. Number four, in my father’s house on many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. place for you. A place heaven is a place. You know what a tent shack barn cave is? He says, this is a mansion. Now down here we often have homes of glory and there’s some people who say, who they live in a mansion.
When I was a kid, we used to sing a song. I don’t remember it anymore. I just know Lord Bill Me, just a cabin in the corn, rub glory land. You anybody heard that song before? Nobody in here has ever heard it before. Y’all who? Just the old ones. Another one back there. Anybody else? God bless you. God bless you. Yes, God. We had a lot of hands this morning. Lord, build me just a cabin in the corner and go.
But now that I learn more, I want to mention on Hallelujah Avenue. Another one is a cabin in the corner. That’s what I used to hope for because I go to sleep at night and I’d make this little prayer. As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen, John, Ben, John, Ruth to kill it again, chicken, diet, and roots to cry, nature satisfied.
Now that’s the prayer that we used to pray. We want to go to bed. Anyway, as we’re moving right along here, look at number five. But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. We are only permitted a peak, but Paul and John saw heaven. We see glimpses that he kind of lets us see, but this is what really blew my mind.
Look at number six, the Apostle Paul, he said, I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago, whether in the body or out of the body, he said, I cannot tell, but such a woman was caught up into the third heaven. Then he says in the next verse, he called up into paradise. So he saw, he saw heaven. And this is what he said, how that he was caught up in the paradise and heard unspeakable words. In other words, that’s like saying word that cannot describe what he saw.
Not only was he not permitted to talk about it, he couldn’t have the words to describe it. You ever heard that song, I can only imagine, I can only imagine, no, you can’t. You can try to imagine, but you can’t imagine. It’s what I can imagine, no, you can’t imagine. I have not seen ear, half not heard, neither has to enter to do the heart of man to think with God, have prepared for that. But if you want to sing this song, go ahead.
I can only imagine. I don’t, I can’t even imagine. But whatever it is, Paul sought and in the remaining days of his life, there’s nothing that would hold him back. He didn’t matter how much he suffered, he didn’t matter what anybody did to him. What it cost him, he said, by all means he gave it all that he had. Until the day he says, I have finished my course, I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith.
So he lived with all that he had until the day he died because he got to see heaven. But he also ran around with a guy named Luke and Luke is the one who wrote Luke chapter 16. So he had a man that wrote about hell and he got to see heaven. And that ought to make a difference. That ought to make a difference. You see, we can’t see hell. We can’t see heaven. I can’t see God. I’m trusting somebody I’ve never seen.
I’m believing the Bible that talks about things that I cannot prove. But it talks about so many things that I can see and understand that it calls me to believe in the things that I can’t see Take God at his word because God does not lie Look down at the last verse The last scripture number seven God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death because there’s no more sin Neither sorrow nor cry and neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away way.
Heaven is a place. Heaven is a place. Let me read this to you. This is heaven, what a place. It was written by a man named Dick Geary. It says, heaven, what a place, where I’ll at last see Jesus’ face, where all the trials I place on earth will vanish with my heavenly birth. The The pearly gates will open wide, and I’ll be greeted with a tide of all my loved ones who have gone before. Dear God, I couldn’t ask for more.
Eternal joy, eternal peace, the pains of this life, all will cease. And I will walk those streets of gold, just as my Savior has foretold. That love will bloom as near before, and I’ll know joy forevermore.” Remember the verses we read, this is all in her. With that celestial choir I’ll sing and make the halls of heaven ring, heaven what a place. At last I’ll fully know his grace. The loved ones that I leave behind, I pray this joy will also find.
And if my life dear Lord I pray has helped to guide some in this way, then I will not have lived in vain for in their lives your love will reign and they someday will see your face with me in heaven. What a place. I’m going there. I’m a child of God. Do you know who I am? You see, I don’t have an image problem. God loves me and it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks or says, because I’m going to live forever.
I was talking to a friend of my name Ray Stanford, he says, he was 94. No, he was 95 at that time. He said, I’m going to live until I die, and then I’m going to live forever. I’m going to live forever. I’m going to heaven when I die. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, doesn’t it make you want to go to heaven when you die? There’s no tricks, there’s no gimmicks. It’s free. Your always been paid.
And all you have to do is believe that Jesus loves you that much and He’ll give it to you as a gift. Look up here. This hand represents you and me and the wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. I hate our sin and everybody sins. None of us are perfect. But you see, the payment for sin is eternal separation from God in a literal fire burning hell. So we’re all guilty. We’re all condemned.
We’re all in the same boat. But God loves us. He wants us to go to heaven. He wants us to be with Him forever. That’s why there’s that inward desire of you to know God. What is God like? I’d like to see God. Face to face. Well, God put that in you. And one day you’re going to see God face to face. But to be able to be with for all eternity in heaven, you have to be perfect, no sin.
And there’s the problem. All of us have sinned. And none of us can save our cells, and none of us can save anybody else. You can’t save yourself, and you can’t save anybody else. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord, God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. And people have heard this all their life.
Christ came into the world, down across, paid for sins of the world, came back from the day. People hear that, but they don’t get it. Why did he die? What to pay for my sins? Well, if he paid for my sins, why do I have to pay for my sins? What do I have to pay for my sin? If he paid for my sin, because he’d be the payment is not put to your account unless you believe he did it for you.
God puts this one thing, God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son. The whosoever, believeth, should not perish, but have everlasting life. And God says, when you believe He did it for you, He gives you as a free gift eternal life, and you can know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die. That’s the best news I’ve ever heard. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, doesn’t it make sense to trust Him when there’s no tricks involved, no gimmicks?
You don’t have to promise, stop, start, join, sign a card, give money, but in your mind, does God know who you are? Does God know what you know? Because God knows what you understand. And God knows that if you say, I believe that, God knows that. And He said, who so ever believeth a hat is a free gift, a hat right now, a hat everlasting life. Heaven is a place. And I’m going there. And I want you to go with me.
Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed, and no one looking around. If you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I’m not going to have you stand up, not going to embarrass you. Not going to have you forward, not going to trick you. But I am going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand for prayer. If what I have said made sense to you, and you say, preach to that made sense to me, and I want to know that I’m going to heaven.
And I will trust Jesus Christ as my Savior this morning. I’d like to know it, and I’d like to have prayer for you. And so I do it with his bow so that you’re not embarrassed. And you’re going to do it very quickly. From right where you are, which is a preacher that made sense to me and right now I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. I want to go to heaven when I die and I’ll life you to pray for me.
Would you just slip it up very quickly put a right back down? Then what at all? Then what at all? If you’ve never done it before, do it right now. You don’t have a guarantee of tomorrow. You only have this moment. you trust Him. They want it all. Our Father, we thank you again for the opportunity you’ve given us to share your word. We pray that each person here that knows this and understands it. What also realized the importance of sharing it with others.
We ask your blessings only, the person here. We thank you for this church and for those who support this ministry. Not because we’re trying to earn our way to heaven or buy our way, but because we’re thankful for what you’ve done for us and there’s a lot of people that’s never heard. And follow me, Esther Blessings, upon them. And those that are watching by internet, we pray that if they will trust Christ as Savior, that they let us know by just pushing on the internet and it lets us know that they trust with you.
We thank you for this day. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. The Esther Blessings in Christ’s name. 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 Mail. 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.
