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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 air. 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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Well, it’s good to have y’all here today. I want to talk to you about the guiding hand of a loving father. I wish I had about a hundred years of training on how to be a good husband and a good father before I got married and before I had kids. Isn’t it a shame you have to learn so many things on the job? And you sometimes about, you know, time to grant kids to come and you think, you know, I could have done a better job with my kids if I’d have the knowledge that I have now to go back and redo some things.

But there’s a lot of people who really misunderstand their father. Now, just so that you know, my earthly father was not raised as a Christian. He didn’t know, as far as I know, he didn’t know the Lord, didn’t know the Bible. And there were six of us kids, and we didn’t know anything about God, except what we heard, and some of the things we heard wasn’t good. I always thought Jesus Christ was a cussword, some time I ever heard it, because we weren’t raising church.

And I heard about God, but he was always asking to build a dam or something, and I didn’t know that you could really know God personally. But today I can say he’s more real to me than clothes I got on my bag. The Lord is good to me. But there was a time when I did not know the Lord. So I want to talk to you a little bit about the guiding hand of a loving Father. because there is no Father that is as good as our heavenly Father.

Our earthly dads can be good. We even have a day that’s set aside to honor our fathers, and we have Mother’s Day. Now Father’s Day is nothing like Mother’s Day. I don’t know what it is, but everybody likes to celebrate Mother’s Day, but Father’s well, you know, if it gets in there. But anyway, I hope that you’ll be able to follow along and it’ll be a blessing to you today. The first thing to realize is that we are not a child of God until we’re born into God’s family.

See, the Bible says in the book of Romans in chapter nine, verse eight, that is they which are the children of the flesh. These are not the children of God. So when you and I were born into this world, we have an earthly father, an earthly mother, and they were of the flesh, we were of the flesh. But God Himself is our God, He is our Creator, but He is not our Father until you’re born into His family. So that’s why that is so important to understand because there’s many the day who takes well were all the children of God.

No. And God will not send any of His children to hell. And that’s true. But those that do go to hell are not His children. And I hope that you will have that clarifying in your mind this morning. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That’s your first birth That which is born of the spirit is spirit. That’s your second birth but we have a flesh birth and a spiritual birth a born in the world a long time ago But I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was 18.

So I have had two births So if you’re born twice You only get to die once But if you have only been born once, then you’ll have to die twice. He says in John chapter 3 and verse 7, he says, Marvel not that I said to thee, you must be born again. You must be. And the only way you can be born again is by doing what God says to be born again. Now he makes it very clear and very simple.

He says in John chapter 1 and verse 13, which were born, not a blood. In other words, you’re not a child of God because well, your mom and dad were. So, and you’re in their bloodline. So you’re a Christian because you were born in America. America’s Christian, so therefore, yeah, makes you a Christian. I thought that at one time. If anybody had asked me, but nobody, I don’t think he ever asked me, but I thought I was a Christian.

And if I heard about heaven and I wanted to go there, so I think if anybody makes it, surely I will. And then I’d have bad days. If anybody’s not going to make it, surely I won’t. So I had an emotional roller coaster. And if you ask me where you have it going, when you die, I’ll say, well, based upon today, I don’t think I’m going to make it. But I’m so glad that God boiled it down and says exactly how it is, but it’s not because of the family you were born into It’s nor of the will of the flesh.

It’s not because you say I’m I want to be a child of God Therefore, I am a chalet God all of your will and all of your power that you have cannot make you a child of God You are a child of the flesh And you see you can’t give yourself that next level This is just like going from non-life like a rock A rock cannot give life to plant life. And plant life can’t give rise to animal life.

An animal life doesn’t give rise to human life. And human life does not get right life to divine life. You see, it has to come from another source. And you and I do not have the ability, the power, to give ourselves a spiritual birth. So it It is impossible for a man to give birth to himself. That’s why you can’t save yourself. If you have to be born again, then that means you have to be born by a power that’s greater than yourself.

You cannot produce your own birth. How many of you in this room plans your birth? Don’t raise your hand. You’ll look so foolish. And nobody in here would believe you. Now, in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 and 9, it says, “…for by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, not of works, that a man cannot save himself.” And that means he cannot help save himself.

So that means that you have no part in this new birth. You cannot produce it. But you can trust someone else to do it for you. And of course, that’s what we’re talking about. Titus 3.5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. And the Bible also says in Romans chapter 11 and verse 6 said if it by grace, then it cannot be by works. Otherwise grace isn’t grace. But if it is by works, then salvation cannot be by grace.

Otherwise works isn’t work. So it cannot be both ways. See the by grace or by works. And the Bible says for by grace are you saved. So we understand that and we believe that. Now it is impossible for God to lose any of his children. So once you are born into God’s family, you are his child. Remember, this is what God the Father said. He says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that come up to me.

That means I came to Christ to trust Him as my Savior. He says, I will in no wise cast out. That means that my heavenly Father will never, ever, for any reason, at any time, ever unborn me. He will never unsave me. He will never take away my salvation, my birth that He gave to me. So that’s how I know that I will never be cast out. He will never excommunicate me. Oh, churches might. Cause you know, you’re doing the bad things and my, we don’t need you anymore.

God cannot cast away his children. He cannot cast you out. He promises, says so. And then in verse 39, it makes it statement, this is the father’s will, not the preacher’s will, not yours. This is the father’s will, which have sent me that of all which you’ve given me, I should lose nothing. That means that once you trust Christ as your Savior, He’ll never cast you out and He’ll never lose you. But the promise that you will be there on the last day, you don’t have to worry about it.

I already know how it’s going to end up. I’m going to wind up in heaven. Not because I’m good, but because God is good. And if He says, He’ll never cast me out and never lose me, then can I know that I’m His child and I’ll always be His child. will not ever lose his children. We talk about the loving hand of the Lord. Remember, when you trust the Christ as your Savior, He put you into His hands. Your salvation is in His hands.

It’s not in my hands. Back there in the book of Isaiah, it talks about the Lord and His salvation and talks about the arm of the Lord. And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed in chapter 53 and verse 1. Talking about the power of God, He’s really talking about Jesus Christ. The arm, the power of God. Coming into this world to make a payment and he made a payment and when we believe that, we’re placed into the hand of the Lord.

He says, and I give unto them, not charge. I give unto them eternal life. It’s not temporary life. It’s not life until you sin again. It’s eternal life. He didn’t give it to you because you earned it or deserved it. He gave it to you as a gift. Now if for example, if I trust Christ as my Savior today, right now, this moment, does God save me? Will God save me? Give me eternal life and I can know right now this moment I’m going to heaven when I die.

Yes, I can know that. Now if that is true and I believe it is, can God right now at this moment take it away? he cast me out. Can he lose me? After all of his promises. That means that this moment, see because of what he did, I have eternal life. I’m his child. I’m going to heaven. And based upon that, that means that there cannot be anything that I will do from this day forward, could annul what he already has done.

He’s already saved me from hell. I can’t go there. He’s already given me eternal life. It lasts forever. I am his child and I will never be unborn. I’m his child for all eternity. He’ll never cast me out and never lose me. And then he says this, no man is able to pluck you out of my hand. We are in the loving hand of a loving Father. And he says, no man can ever pluck you out of my hand.

You say, well, you can take yourself out. Chapter and verse doesn’t say that. And if you are a person that includes you, you can’t take yourself out of there because he has given to us eternal life and we’re in his hands. And then he says, my Father, which gave them me is greater than all. So if there’s nobody greater than God and I am in my father’s hands. Should I feel secure? Because my salvation depends upon him keeping me.”

He says, and no man is able to pluck you out of my father’s hands. I am in the loving hands of a loving father who loved me. Now if he loved me, me in spite of all those bad things that I’ve done. And he’s given to me the free gift of everlasting life because he loved me. When did he stop loving me? Is there anything that I can do to cause him not to love me anymore? He loved me when I was that bad.

Well, can’t he keep loving me if I’m still staying that bad? I am loved with an everlasting love. It doesn’t depend upon me and my behavior. Depends upon how great God is and what promises He has made. I am in my Father’s hands. A little illustration that I’ve used a number of times, let me just show you real quick. This is the Lord and this is me. I thought that I had to get a good grip on God. Now if I can go to church and live a good life and behave myself, I’ll go to heaven when I die.

But if I do something wrong and I start slipping away, now I’m lost. I’m afraid of, man, I thought I was gonna go to hell there. And I went back to church and went back down to the front and paid through and hung on. Now I’m saved again, but if I don’t hang in there and do right, I can lose it. See, that means my salvation depends upon me. Doesn’t depend on him. The Bible says, if I trust Him, He saves me.

See, it doesn’t depend on me. Nothing to do with me. My going to heaven depends upon the loving hand of a loving father. So Jesus Christ says that He paid for my sins. And He laid out His arms big and wide and He put nails in Him. That was to show how much He loved me. those loving hands of the Son of God. Place me into loving hands of a loving father. And he says, I’ll never cast you out.

I’ll never lose you. And nobody is greater than I am. And nobody can pluck you out of my hand. I am in the hands of a loving father. I hope that you can see that. Now, is it possible for God to lose any of his children? Well, There’s a verse that makes this statement. When you’re saved, you’re saved from something to something. From hell, because you’ve got to be saved from something. I’m saved from something to an inheritance that’s incorruptible and that fate, if not away, reserved in heaven for me.

And then he says, who are kept by the power of God through my faith in him? And he saved me and gave me salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In other words, it’s good to go until the end of time. I’m not there yet, but I know I’m going to heaven. And that verse, I have a place reserved for me in heaven, and it says that place that he reserved for me is incorruptible. It is undefiled and fade if not away.

That reservation that I have can never fade away. My reservation is secure. He can’t cancel it tomorrow. He cannot annul it. It’s based upon the promise of God that he can not lie. I’m not going to heaven because I love God Or I’m that good. I’m going to heaven because he loved me. He’s that good. And I am kept not by my power but by the power of God. This is good stuff. This is the Bible. This is as simple as I know how to make it because I want people to understand it.

These things have I written unto you that keep the Ten Commandments and go to Calvary Community Church. But these things have I are written unto you that believe, that you may know that you have eternal life. So it’s written to those that do believe it so that you can know it. And then he says, and that he may believe. You see, there’s a lot of people that have never trusted Christ’s Savior. I’ve shown them this verse. Well, the first part of it may not apply to them, but they may believe it.

And if they will believe it, they can know they have eternal life. So it’s good for those who know they have it, and it’s good for those who haven’t yet trusted Christ as your Savior. These things have I written them to you that believe that you may know, not hope, guess, maybe perhaps, know you have eternal life. If I was to walk up to you after the church service and say, where are you going when you die? What would you say?

Say, well, I’m going to heaven. If I say, well, how do you know? Because I’ve been good. I’ve been doing the best I can. I’m hanging in there. That doesn’t cut it. The only reason that I would be able to say I’m going to heaven is because Christ paid for all my sins and I don’t have any sins to pay for it. See you can’t know you’re going to heaven until you know you cannot go to hell and I cannot go to hell because I don’t have any sins to pay for.

How many of my sins did Christ pay for it? See if people say that, they say they heard that, they understand that, but then they still don’t know they’re going to heaven, they don’t get it. He’s like saying, he that believe it to me, hath everlasting life. You believe that? Yes, I believe it. Do you have everlasting life? Well, I don’t know. He said, if you believe it, you got it. Do you believe it? I believe it. You got it.

I don’t know. Are you married? Yes, I am. Do you have a wife? I don’t know. It’s great to know that you have eternal life. Now, the doctrine of internal security is not a separate doctrine about salvation. It is the gospel. You see, that’s what makes it good news. It’s not good news to be saved for a day or for a minute, moment even for a week but isn’t it good news to know that you are saved for all eternity?

That’s good news. And why couldn’t it last forever if he gave it to me as a gift? Now I added a couple things here to an explanation. I hope you get it. Believing in eternal security is the only sure way of proving that a person truly believes in salvation by faith, by grace, in Christ alone. See, it means you can’t add to it. So if at this moment right now I trust Christ as my Savior, God saves me by faith alone, by grace alone, and Christ alone for the glory of God alone, I’m saved right now.

Now, if that is true, then I should be able to say I am saved for eternity. I have eternal security because you see if I really believe it’s by faith alone I can’t add to it can I? If I really believe it’s by grace alone then I can’t add to it can I? If I believe that it’s really by Christ alone then I can’t add to it can I? And why would I add to it? The The only thing I can add to it is my works.

God says, not by works of righteousness. Not a works list. Any man should boast. So your good deeds, good life cannot give it to you and your bad life cannot take it away. Good living does not secure anything when it comes to salvation. It is truly the gift of God. So it’s without man’s works. So man has nothing to do with saving himself. When you trust Christ to do the work, He gives you the new birth, puts you in his hands, and now never cast you out and never lose you, and you can know you have eternal life.

And it can never be anything less than eternal security. Now that you are a child of God, you want God to use you. Don’t you want to do something for the Lord? I always wish that I had a father that if I did something, my father would be proud of me. I’ve never had that experience. My mama left my dad when I was seven years old. Last thing my dad gave me was a quarter, and that was my inheritance.

You see, I would have loved to have had a father that as you did things in your life that say, you know, I’m proud of your son. I’m proud of you. And I’d want to do things to make my dad proud of me. See, now I’ve been given a new father, a heavenly father, and I want to make my Father proud of me. I want to do what God wants me to do. So this is what he says in Psalms 31 and verse 3.

He says, for thou art my rock and my fortress. Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. The loving hand of a loving God, knowing that he’s placed me in his hands and knowing that my heavenly father whom I cannot see. Loves me so much he said I’ll never leave you never forsake you. And that he would indwell me forever wants to lead me. He wants to guide me. So I say, Father, how will you guide me?

How are you going to guide me through life? And he says, thou shalt guide me with thy counsel. And afterwards receive me to glory. So it’s been about 57 years now since I trusted Christ as my Savior and he has walked with me and he has guided my life. I have enjoyed my walk with the Lord. But I know one day my walk is going to be over and he’s going to receive me in the glory. But see my walk doesn’t affect my destination But it sure has made the travel awesome.

I’ve enjoyed knowing the Lord and walking with the Lord. But you see, there is a loving Father who cares about each and everyone of his children and he wants to bless his children. He wants you to know him kind of like he knows you. Now, will guide me with thy counsel. Did you know that the Word of God is is God’s counseling. It’s God’s love letter to his children from the hands of a loving Father. He gave us a love letter and it says, I want to guide you.

I want to give you counseling. You call it, you see, we are all like sheep. We’ve gone everyone to his own way. And we want to direct our own path and be whatever we want to be and go where we want to go and do whatever we want to do. Sometimes we fail to remember, I belong to my Father. My Father loves me. You see, God guides you with the counseling of His Word. If you don’t study His Word, the only thing you got left is your judgment.

That’s what leads you astray. The Bible says in Jeremiah, it is not within man that walk of to direct his steps. You’re not smart enough to guide yourself. You don’t know it and you don’t always know the right way The Bible says the devil will deceive you with a lie But you can know the truth and the truth will set you free from the lies now He said I will instruct thee and teach thee In the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye It means that the eye of the Lord is always looking out for His children.

And 139th Psalmy says, his thoughts about me are continually multitudes of thoughts from God about little O’Me. So God is not only my Father, but He is a loving Father. And He knows what will bless me and what will hurt me. And anything God says, don’t do this, it’s because God knows that’s going to hurt you. And it’s not the best for you. Always do right. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of you will never lead you contrary to the truth of the Word of God.

And to know and to understand that God wants to guide me with His eye because He sees everything. He knows everything. He knows the future and He wants to guide me. Now, would I be a wise son of God to rebel against such wisdom, such love to think I can do better without Him? Some people are very arrogant and feel with pride. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not until thine own understanding. Now get this, in all thy ways, thank God.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him. And He might or shall, He shall direct thy pass. You see, you have a heavenly Father who just didn’t give you birth and born you into His family and then forsaken you. He is watching over you. And if you will obey Him, He will bless you. And if you disobey Him, Your loving Heavenly Father is going to have to chase in you, but He doesn’t chase in you because He hates you. He didn’t stop loving you when He saved you.

He loves you forever. Do you trust the heart of your loving Father? Do you trust His heart? He’s like this, search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me. Know my thoughts. In other words, your appeal should be to your heavenly father to search you, to try you, to see if there’s any wicked way in you that needs to be dealt with. Gotta be corrected. You see, whenever you read the study of the word of God, it’s the mirror that helps you to see your soul, to see yourself the way God sees you.

You take away the mirror and you don’t really see how you are. You think you might look pretty good, but that’s only because you’re comparing yourself with what other people say and do, but you go to the mirror, the holy mirror, the perfect law of liberty, and you study and see how God wants you to be. And seek to bring your life in accord with the counseling of the Word of God, and you’d be surprised the joy that will be there, the peace, the love, the happiness.

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.