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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.

I want to take your Bible and turn to the book of Proverbs. the book of Proverbs and chapter 11. Proverbs and chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11. Remember, if God opens up a door of opportunity for you, then He is going to judge you by whether or not did you go through the door? Did you take advantage of the opportunity? And God will give us opportunities. But many times those opportunities comes disguised as work. And you know how we feel about that.

So in some time instead of us eagerly jumping on an opportunity, we run from it because well, I don’t want to get involved. Some people just don’t want to get involved in people’s lives or people’s problems, but people have them. That’s how God uses you because you care, compassion, empathy, where you feel they’re hurt within you, where you’re willing to say, I wonder what it’d be like to walk in that person’s shoes. You see, sometimes we think nobody else has problems like I do, and mine are so big, but if you only knew what somebody else was going through, did you know that most of your problems are probably self-generated.

We create them. We didn’t solve it when it was small, and you know what happens to a molehill, and a big mountain, the difference is just more dirt, and sometimes we just throw dirt at stuff, and we pick it to death. But here in the book of Proverbs in chapter 11, there’s a verse I want you to look at, because it shows you the positive and the negative, Because you know when God opens up doors of opportunity, He’s also going to give us rewards for what we have done for Him.

So He looked there in verse 18, the wicked worketh a deceitful work. What it means is they find that what they do to supposedly bring all this joy and peace and happiness and purpose fails to deliver. it fails to deliver. It deceives them, not only to them, but what they’re doing and deceptive to other people. But look at the last part of the verse where it says, but to him that soeth righteousness shall be, and you ought to take that word sure and underline it.

Sure reward. Not only will you be rewarded, but you can count on it. It’s money in the bank. It’s a sure reward. In other words, it will deliver. You see, our service to the Lord is based upon the faithfulness of God to deliver. God will deliver. You can count on Him. That’s money in the bank. You see, while you and I are living for the Lord, God says that we are laying up treasures in heaven, and these treasures, you can count on it.

They are sure. Take your Bible, look in the book of Luke, chapter 6, the book of Luke, the Gospel of Luke, and Luke chapter 6, they’re diverse here. That’s pretty good. Because there’s a certain word here that I want you to see. Verse 35 says, but love, ye your enemies. Love your enemies. Mm. That’s, that’s, that’s pretty hard already, isn’t it? And do good. Do good. Land hoping for nothing again. And your, and your underlyingness. Reward shall be great.

See, it’s not only just that I believe in the Lord. only just that I will be rewarded in it’s a sure thing and I can count on that, but also to know that it is going to be a great reward. The Bible says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. You and I cannot see how great the reward is going to be. We have to take God at His word.

When we get to heaven, then we will see this great reward, this sure thing. But remember, now salvation is always free. It’s the gift of God, not of works. But our service to the Lord, God says, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love. See, it would be a sin for God not to remember the good things you did for Him. And God can’t sin. So He will remember. So what you have done for the Lord and will do for the Lord, it is a sure thing.

You’re going to get rewarded. And not only is it going to be a reward, it’s going to be a great reward. It will be worth it. It’ll be worth it all. So it doesn’t matter what people say. and do to you or for you or about you. It’s just just be faithful to the Lord. Look in 2nd John in verse 8. 2nd John, all the way over there to 2nd John. 2nd John, it’s right after 1st John. And as you read down through here, it’s a great challenge to God’s people about some things they need to remember and does a lot about love.

You see, See, John was a young young man, maybe even a teenager, when he began to walk with the Lord as one of his disciples. Well now times have passed and he’s an old man, and many believe up in his 90s. And he’d been put on the Alapatmas and he wrote the book of Revelation. And he wrote, you know, first, second, third John. And he makes a statement there in verse 4, I rejoice greatly, I rejoice greatly, that I found of my children walking in truth as we have received a commandment from the Father.

And now I beseeced thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we loved one another. This is love that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. You realize how much emphasis is put upon you and I walking in love. Because we love the Lord and we love the one God loves. It makes a difference how we treat people.

Because when you love the Lord and you love people, it makes a difference on what you say and what you do. It makes a difference in your testimony. And another verse I want you to look at, just kind of glaze over there to the book of 3rd John in verse 4. And you ought to on the line verse 4, where he says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. You see, it’s not talking about just your physical children, which is great if they do, But to know the people that you want to Christ, your children in the Lord walk in truth.

So that means that you are not going to have this experience, this great joy, unless you want people to Christ, unless you have taught and trained and see that others come to know the Lord and grow in the Lord and serve the Lord, because it’s such a wonderful thing. I have no greater joy, no greater joy. Isn’t that something you would like to experience? But not only that. Did you realize in certain the Lord God says that he not only wants us to have this sure reward, a great reward, but a full reward.

Now go back to 2 John and look there in verse 8. Where it says look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have brought, but that we receive a full reward. Did you know that your ministry has already begun? Your ministry began the day you trusted Christ as your Savior. When you began to learn to walk, to grow, to serve, your ministry began. Now it may not have finalized until down the road and you find out I can do this or this or this and this in a greater way, but your ministry has already begun.

ministry today and what I’m doing now began back then. So your ministry with the Lord has already begun. But see God wants us to receive a full reward. See after you serve the Lord say 10 years, a 15 year, 20 years. Now you know what to do. It takes time to prepare and to build a person where they’re more capable of doing more things to become more valuable to the ministry because of the wealth of knowledge they have and they know how to walk with the Lord and grow in grace and they’re becoming more valuable as time goes on.

So after you’ve learned is not the time to quit. That’s when you really want to see how much you can do. So as we get older, sometimes people want to just drop off by the wayside. Now you know something. What God has taught you all these years, don’t you think if God still has an open door for you, you should just keep on going until God closes the door. Keep serving on Lord as long as you can. I’ve had people say, well, preach it.

When are you gonna retire? I thought I already did. But retire, how do I stop serving God? I don’t know how to stop. I know too much. So I will never probably stop serving God. I may be limited in what I can do because maybe my body won’t wanna go, but I wanna accomplish as much as I can. You see, I wanna get a full reward as much as I can get. God will reward you for what you did.

And you’re gonna suffer the loss of rewards what you could have done and did not do. You see, when you gain all the knowledge on how to serve the Lord and become very effective is not the time to sit on the sideline. Do what you can with what you have as long as you can. So as long as you can, as much as you can, keep going because look Look what He says here in verse eight. Look to yourselves that you lose not those things which you have already accomplished.

In other words, things you’ve already learned and gained in your life. Don’t… Don’t set all that aside. Now’s the time to produce. Because the rewards that you get down the road is going to be based upon the work that you do. And the work that you do is based upon the work you’ve already done. The confidence that you have for the things of the future is because of successful past experiences. You’re gonna accomplish so much more. Look in Matthew chapter six.

The book of Matthew and chapter six. Chapter six is just loaded with all kinds of little jewels in it. Matthew and chapter six. As you go down through Matthew chapter six, you’ll see the words my father, my father, our father, thy father, thy father, all the way down through this. See, it’s something about, serve the Lord as looking to the Lord as, you hate your father, and you love him and you wanna praise him. Well, did you know that your heavenly father wants to, to please you?

He wants to give you something. I’ve got kids, I’ve got grandkids. Do you realize the joy it is of giving those kids stuff? We probably give them more than we should, huh? But they can find their little way of weaseling themselves into your little heart, pulling those little heartstrings. They can talk you into anything and you hate to hurt their feelings. You hate to see them cry. You want them to be so happy. And so we just sometimes just give in whatever you want, honey.

You need anything. You just see Papa. Now I don’t say you mean your mean old mummy and daddy won’t let you have that, you come and see me. No, I don’t do that. It’s close, but not exactly. Matthew chapter six, there is a warning in this portion of scripture about doing things to be seen of men. Says when you do things just to be seen of men, well, you have your rewards. in verse 2, therefore when thou doest thine arms do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.

Verily I say unto you, they have their reward because there’s a God in heaven that knows why a person does what he does. So they’re motive. They’re motive. Very, very important. So they did things to be seen of men and he says, what I want you to do is go in a closet. Now you literally don’t have to go into a closet, but it should mean or referring to you don’t do things just to be seen of men because the Bible tells us in chapter 5 to do good works that men may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

So you see, it all depends on are you doing it for yourself or you’re doing it for others? Are you doing it for the Lord? And if you’re doing it because you love the Lord and so forth, then any credit that comes your way, you just pass it on to the Lord. The Lord did that. The Lord used me. Give God the honor. Give God the glory. It’s one thing whenever it stops with you and you don’t thank God for what He’s done for you.

should always be thankful to the Lord that we had an opportunity to be used by God. So he says that whenever you pray or do your arms, don’t do it just to be seen of men. So he says here in verse 6, but thou when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy father which is in secret, and thy father which seeeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” You see that verse? You ought to underline that phrase, he will reward thee openly.

So you and I know that yes the day will come when we’re going to get a sure reward. It’s a sure thing. You can take it to the bank because God means what He says, lay up treasure in heaven, watch so that you can’t lose it. And that rust doesn’t get it, and moth, and so forth. Nobody can steal it away from you. What you have laid up, you’re going to get credit for it. It’s a sure reward. It’s a great, great reward.

You don’t know exactly how great it’s going to be until the day you get to heaven, but you have God’s Word on it. So it’ll be a great reward. God wants us to receive a full reward. To get all the rewards you can, serve the Lord all your life. All your life, not just part of it, all your life. The Bible talks about what I like the Apostle Paul, I want to finish my course, finish my course. And the ministry that he has given to me.

So are you saying that God has finished with you? He’s finished with you when He takes you home. If He left you here and you still got a pulse, you got a purpose. So He says, I want you to deep as in mind, I want you to receive this reward. And whenever you get the heaven, there’s something He’s going to do. And He says here in verse 6, your Father which seeeth in secret shall reward thee openly. It means it’s not going to be done privately, it’s not going to be done behind the scenes, it’s going to be done where everybody will see and everybody will know your love for Him because God is going to reward you.

You don’t have to do it to be seen of men, but men should see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. You see you have to get a balance in there. But it’s very, very important. Look there now in verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth. So what’s the alternative to that? Well verse 20, lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven. Who told us to do that? God did, Jesus Christ. He told us to do that.

Usually, I’m not interested in rewards, maybe not. But God is. They are a thermometer of your love for Him. Your rewards are something that God’s going to give you because you loved him. And you say, I love him, but if you don’t serve him, you do not love him. You may know him, you’re going to heaven when you die. But if you don’t serve him, you don’t love him. If you love him, you serve him. Love is action and it demands.

Love for your wife demands faithfulness. You’re not faithful, you don’t love her. Same thing to the husband, wife, kids, that you do right because love compels, love motivates. For the love of Christ constraineth, the motivates me that if one died for all, then we’re all dead, and that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again. So the word is very simple and very clear. This is closed with this verse in the book of Revelation in chapter 22.

Revelation chapter 22, there is going to be the time when it takes place. We know that whenever we get to heaven, we’ll stand at the judgment see to Christ, God is going to reward us. But there’s other scriptures that talks about when the Lord comes, He’s going to bring His reward with Him. So whether or not this is for those at the end of the millennium, or it’s a reference to us who serve the Lord because He’s still talking to the church.

It makes a statement there in verse 16, I testify. He says, I, Jesus, have sent my angels to testify under you these things in the churches on the root and the offspring of David in the bright and morning star. So He’s still talking to the church. And he’s telling us some things and he makes this statement there in verse 12. And behold, I come quickly and you are under my reward is with me. Now why would he tell us that?

Hey, I’m coming. He’s not coming alone. He’s bringing something with him. He’s got something. Well, the Lord says, I’ve got something for you. I’ve got the rewards. This is the great reward, the sure reward. I’ve got these rewards for you. So he says, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his, what, work shall be. So you think it’s worth it or not? The God that created the heavens and the earth, he’s opened up these doors of opportunities Sometimes in some time these doors of opportunity, well, they may have some adversities, there might be some temptations along the way, some trials and tribulations along the way.

Afflictions, but so what? Big deal. There are only opportunities. God wants us to perform a work in the midst of all of these things that goes on because He says, I want to reward you because my reward is because it shows your love for me. Don, do you think God wants to reward you? I think so. Do you think God wants to be loved? He gave us this big old world and all the things in it, and God just wants love.

He gave to us something that He had, the ability to love. He loved us and now He wants us to love Him. That’s why when you and I were born in this world, we were born with a capacity to receive love and give love. How we doing? And everything we do about service is all based upon, if you love me, if you love me. Well I hope that you love the Lord and you love Him enough that you want to show the Lord how much you love Him.

And that is going to be revealed by how hard you work for Him. Like Paul says, I labored more abundantly, abundantly, than they all. Maybe he loves the Lord more than somebody else. I don’t know. But look what he says, they give every man according as his work shall be. He’s coming, he’s coming back and he’s going to give us something. He’s going to give us rewards. Rewards are not free, rewards are earned. So nobody can make you love the Lord, nobody can make you serve the Lord.

All I want to do in a ministry is give people opportunities to serve. Create little ministries whereby you can say, I can serve God here and I can serve God there. Everybody can’t do everything. It’s better to get involved in one thing and do it well. Or you can get off the horse and go in 10 different directions at one time.

Some people have to wear many hats because sometimes somebody else is negligent in their responsibility and they’re not faithful. Remember, put it this way. If the pastor can’t depend on you, God can’t depend on you. If the pastor can’t depend on you, through the local church, God can’t depend on you. You prove your faithfulness to the Lord by the body that He gave to you in which to serve the Lord. That’s why you are to be found faithful. It is required in a store that a man be found faithful.

I haven’t figured out how to be faithful to God without the local church, without doing what God wants me to do through the body of believers. This is what God intended, so every one of us have responsibilities. And God will open up those doors of responsibility or opportunity, but also did you realize that sometimes it seemed like God has closed all those doors of opportunities, and it seemed like sometimes he just places you on the shelf and you don’t get used.

We know maybe God knows you don’t take advantage of your opportunity. So he just closes the door and don’t give you anymore. That’s between you and him. But he says, we will go on to maturity if God permits. So there’s a heavenly Father. So if you have aired along this line, just talk to the Lord. He has big ears and he loves to hear. His ears are open unto the cries of his people. And he’s waiting for you and I to say, simply, Lord, I was wrong.

I failed. I want to be used. As I’ve lived over my last 51 years, one of the things I kept telling God all along, and I still say, Lord, I just want to be used. I just want to be used. I want to do something. you have that little desire and you say, I just want to do something for the Lord. He’s done so much for me. God is so good. Let’s pray, shall we? Our Father, we thank you so much for this time together.

We ask your blessings upon each person here and Father, there may be some that have never trusted Christ of their Savior. Lord, I don’t want them to be confused by thinking that they have to work and do all these good deeds. That’s for your children. That’s for rewards. But Father, for salvation to go to heaven, all they need to know, all they need to do is a Christ died for them, paid for their sins. And if they will accept that payment He made for them, believe in He died for them.

That means that He paid for their sins so they don’t have to. They don’t have to go to hell because you paid for it. We ask now your blessings upon this service and blessing Christ in every part. Amen. 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. 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.