Bibleline Radio Show – 2018-12-28 – Some Play So Others May Sing
Transcription:
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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.
Take your Bible and turn to the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah, chapter 6. Jeremiah chapter 6 back there in the Old Testament Jeremiah chapter 6 and look in verse 10 Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 10 generally if you want to understand about what’s going on in the world and what God thinks we just go to his word there’s something in his word that tells you how you and I are supposed to believe you just always find out where God stands and stand with God so simple Look at verse 10, to whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear, behold, their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot harken.
Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it. They do not have any respect for what the word of God says. Did you know that if the Bible was still the textbook of our public school and taught the Bible that more people would have more respect for God. They would have more respect for their mother and father. They would have more respect for each other if they were taught that this book is true.
But if you don’t believe in God, don’t believe in the Bible, then why not just let them live like animals, think like animals, and they’re like like animals. And then it’s the power it makes right. That’s why they want to have the majority, because the majority is always right. No, it’s not. Talk to Noah. He was not in the majority. How do I know my brother told me so? He says that he was not in the majority. The majority was wrong, weren’t they?
So you may be looked upon as being wrong, but you may be right. Because you see, you find out where God stands and that’s where you stand. So important. I want you to see this also. Looking verse 15, were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, I mean no. They were not at all ashamed. Neither could they blush. You ought to on the line at your Bible. But look what he says here. In verse 16, thus say of the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the, in your other on the line, these words, the old paths.
There’s people today that, well, we don’t like the old path. We’re moving into the 21st century. And what’s that got to do with anything? If I could, I’d go back to the first century. Truth back then is still truth today. There is no newer truth that can prove this truth is wrong. I still like the old truth because you see if it’s new, it ain’t true. And if it’s true, it ain’t new. It’s the thing that God taught in His Word, the old truth.
He says walk in the old paths because you see after a while people get to where they want to experiment, learn all the wisdom of the world. And they begin to chase all these rabbit trails insteadreek what does the word of God say get back to the book. And there’s people that don’t want to get back to the book. They don’t believe this book. Well, I just happened to believe it. Look what he says. Stangy in the ways and see and ask for the old paths.
Where’s the good way and walk their in? And ye shall find rest for your souls, but they said we will not walk therein. You know, it’s a shame when the world is like that, but it’s a shame when God’s people are like that. He was talking to his people Israel. This is why God had to chase in his nation because they would not do what God says to do. He says, walk in the old paths. You know what I like?
I’m walking in the same path that Dr. Hank Linsen walked in for 42 years here in this ministry. It’s what we were taught in Bible school. Truth doesn’t change. If it was truth 40 years ago or 50 years ago or back 2,000 years ago, it’s still true today. Truth does not change. Circumstances come and go. And whether it was a 19th century, 20th century, the 21st century, what’s that gotta do with anything? Well, we wanna move into the 21st century.
Well, what I wanted to or not, I’m here. Had nothing to do with my will. It just showed up. I just happened to live long enough. And so they said, no, we won’t do that. Look in verse 19, here on earth, behold, I will bring evil upon this people. Even the fruit of their thoughts. Does God know your thoughts? Yes, he does. Does he know your ways, the way you’re going, the way you’re living? Are you thinking? What you say?
Even your thoughts. That’s scary in it. To know that there’s a God out there that’s going to judge me, even according to my thoughts, I thought it was just what I did. Better watch it. Better watch. Take your Bible and look in the book of Isaiah. Go back to your left, the book of Isaiah, chapter 58. Isaiah, chapter 58. And look in verse 12.
In verse 12, he tells him this. And they, that shall be of thee, shall build the old ways places. They shall raise up the foundations of many generations. And thou shalt be called the repair of the breach, the restore of paths to dwell in. You see, the reason that I want to have a Bible college, I want to build a better foundation and set a new path for kids to get on. So they’ll know where they stand in the direction they ought to go.
And all we want is some kids that want the will of God for their life. But he talks about repairing the old paths, repairing the old ways that God has set up. Because see, we haven’t had a new Bible to give us new truth or to give us new ways. We’re supposed to walk in the old paths and the old ways and not move or change from it. So there was a lot of good things that happened at the reunion.
And sometimes, you know, people say things that we can learn some from. One of the couples that was up there, Bill and Mary Murphy, I preached for them in their church, I’m done in Miami, Florida over there. I preached for them one time up at their church in Wyoming. I preached at their church in New Mexico, and I preached at their church in Oklahoma, number times. So he’s a good man, got a good wife, but they admitted at the conference, they had had a lot of struggling, and I know they did.
They really struggled. And sometimes they struggle because of each other. And sometimes they struggle because of the kids. She was going to give a talk. And so I know her, I respect her, I set there, and I listen to her. And she shared a few things that really has hurt them over the years. And how even though you went to Bible college and you’ve been in churches and you’re ministering to people, sometimes you hurt. And not everything goes just the way you want.
But once you take your Bible, look in the book of Galatians in chapter 6. Galatians and chapter 6, there’s a verse there I want to share with you. Because it deals with this subject, and she talked about some of the things that that no doubt many people have gone through. Many people have hurt. And there’s been struggles between a husband and wife. And sometimes you think you’re so strong. I share with them at the reunion. I says, when I went to Florida Bible College, I struggled every step of the way.
I quit college every Friday. I just thought it’s not worth it. I couldn’t see down the road. What’s it’s going to lead to? I was making great sacrifices, working a full time job, night time, going to school in the daytime, and I was dragging, I was so tired. I averaged the first two years. I averaged two and a half hours of sleep a night. I thought I’m gonna die. I don’t get a chance to see my wife, except here, gone.
Come in the house and go. Same thing with my kids. I never saw my kids. It seemed like for a couple of years. And you think, is it worth the sacrifices you’re going through? And so I, they don’t Friday, I quit. And then on Sunday nights, they would have afterglow. I had everything but a glow. You know that little halo you’re supposed to have up there? Well mine had already dried and dropped and turned into a hangman’s noose. Cut off all circulation.
We’d go down to the coconut grove and the students would sit around and everybody’s having a rough time Some reading popcorn They’d have much They’d come over to our house and they’d sit on the floor because we didn’t have furniture And we’d sit around and which sing talk and give testimony. We didn’t know that we didn’t plan none of this It’s just we did it And I said to her, not listen to kids, give testimonies at our house and then down at the beach when we went down to the coconut grove.
And as we’d sit there and we’d listen and it’d be kid, stand up and say, you know, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have a job and they don’t have any money. We don’t have a harley anything to eat. But if Yankee can make it, so can I. And I’m ready to quit. But I didn’t tell them. I never told anybody because I just didn’t have the… I didn’t want them to know that I couldn’t hang it.
I couldn’t hang in there. I was just, I guess you can call it pride, whatever it was. I didn’t care what you call it. John Wayne called it True Grid. I was really True Grid. And different kids were standing up and says, Yankee has got so much faith. If there’s anybody that’s a man of faith, it’s Yankee. And I thought, oh my stars. So Monday I’ll be back in school. Next Friday I quit. Back at the afterglow on that Sunday night.
and we got each other through school. It wasn’t because I was so strong. It was because God used other people in my life to help me. Mary put it this way. She says, you played the music that helped me the same. You played the music that helped me the same. She says, me and Bill, we’re married. But it wasn’t because I was so strong. She says, because other people played the music. So I could sing. It was your words of comfort.
The time you exhorted me, when you gave me that word that I needed or shared a verse with me, it was because you were strong and you helped me keep going. Sometimes in your life, it’s not because you’re so strong. It’s because somebody else says just the right thing and just the right time, God sends them by your way. See here in Galatians and chapters six, Let’s look there in verse one, where it makes a statement, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you with your spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of maintenance, considering thyself, as thou also be tempted.
You with your strong, you with your strong, you with your walking in the spirit. Sometimes you get down and you get lonely, you hurt, and you can’t figure out a way to keep going. And just sometimes it’s what somebody has said or something that they wrote to you. Somebody’s praying for you. And whenever you understand that, it will help you so much because you stop and think about this. I lost my organ player, as you know. But Mrs. Polson stepped up, Jan stepped up, and they played the music so that we could sing.
You have these guys that helps on the instruments. They play the music so we can sing. He leads the choir so that we can sing. We have some ladies that will be fixing food next week from early in the morning. Tell them to get over here at 4.30 in the morning. See, they’re playing the music so the rest of us can sing. We get to serve and do certain things because somebody else, somebody else helps or somebody else encourages us.
No man’s an island unto himself. We do things because somebody else helps. You see, James does a thing on Friday nights with the Reformers Unanimous so that we can sing. You see, that’s part of ours. That belongs us too. That doesn’t belong to James. He’s just playing the music to the rest of us can sing and we can say, look what we got. I came over here the other night. I hardly ever do this. I poked my nose in the door and, Well, there’s Steve Yant in there with a bunch of guys and he’s talking to them.
And he’s playing the music so that somebody else can sing. Somebody else can learn. Somebody else getting stronger because somebody else cares a little bit. You’d be surprised where God has put you at different times in your life so that you can play the music so somebody else gets the same. I figure like I’ve done a lot of singing, but only because I’ve had somebody else making the music. They have been the ones behind the background. My wife does that.
She doesn’t want the limelight. Me, I’ll take all I can get. She doesn’t care about it. She will just work behind the scenes and just quietly and so far like I dare. And there’s others that, you know, Dr. Hudson even said, unless thou two thine own horn, it will forever remain in the state of untootedness. Something like that. So you see, you do have a purpose and a reason. You’re not gonna make it because you’re so strong, it’s because God is sending by at different times in your life somebody who’s a little stronger than you are.
Then you can do this, you can do this. God needs you, and they encourage you. And you keep going. You might have wanted to leave your wife, maybe you wanted to leave your husband. Maybe you wanted to leave your kids. I was in Colorado and I left my kids and they followed me all the way to Georgia. So we moved down here to Florida. Now they’re showing up. Time to move on. But everybody needs help. It’s not because you have all the answers.
It’s because God sometimes sins by somebody that does have all the answers. You know, one of the speakers made a statement along the line, what is greater than love? It’s greater than love. And he says, trust. I listened for a while. I said, no. There ain’t nothing greater than love. And I mentioned this the other night. I said, look, I am commanded in Scripture to love everyone in this room. I am not commanded in Scripture to trust you. Now, I may love you and I want the best for you, but I wouldn’t trust you with my pin number.
I wouldn’t trust you with my wallet. I wouldn’t trust you with my bank account numbers, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I can love you without trusting you. Trusting is trustworthy, worthy of trust. As you study the scriptures, you’ll find out that there’s some wonderful things mentioned about there’s God and he so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Now, whosoever beleaveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That’s because he loves us.
He did that because he loved this. Now, he also wants to trust you. Trust me. You may love your wife. Do you trust her? Do you trust your wife with the credit card or the checkbook? I know some that can’t trust their husband out of their sight. Do you love him? Oh, I love him. Do you trust him? That’s a different story. People have to learn to be trusted, earn the right to be trusted. Means you made a statement, keep your word.
Be honest, do right. Earn the right to be trusted. You may love one another and love your kids, but have you ever had a teenager you didn’t trust? I didn’t trust none of mine. There’s times when it comes and it goes and when they come to your dad, I love you. You know they want something. Can I have the car? No. And you’re not even sure if they love you. So you see you can love and not trust. God loves us.
Did you know and I’ll use a simple illustration because somebody brought up even just a little bit earlier. Here you have the devil. Goes up there with the other sons of God and lo and behold, there’s there’s the Lord. And he says, have you considered my servant Job? Do you know why God allows the devil to go after Job? I believe that God wanted to show the devil, that Job loved him more than the things that he gave him, more than his children more than his wife, more than all the wealth.
Joe blubbed me and God says, I trust him. To allow you to be tested to the hilt is God’s way of sin. I trust you. You see, I know that God loves me. I want God to trust me. You see, faithfulness has to be the result of somebody trusting you to do something. Does God trust you? I had a man tell me one time. He was a millionaire. He said, God, give your million if he could trust you. I wanted to slap his jaws.
I had a man, Timmy, if I had a million dollars, Jakey, I’d give it to you. You know, to help you in the ministry, put it on a radio. If I had a million dollars, I thought he probably got 200 in his pocket right now, I’m going to give me a penny. He’s lying, he’s dying. So you see, there is aouston about trust that is very, very important, but I don’t think it’s greater than love. And when God allows a trial to come into your life, did you know that testing is God’s way of saying, I’m trusting you.
He says, I will not allow you to be tested above what you’re able to bear. And you can cast all your cares upon me. And I’ll never leave you, and I’ll never forsake you. Now, I’m trusting you. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we have a heavenly Father that trust us so much that He allows us to be tested to the hilt. But never more than what you can bear. Are you having a rough time? Having a lot of problems?
Good. Glad to hear it. You said, Brizzy, you don’t know what I’m going through. I don’t care what you’re going through. Everything is common to every man. Every man has a hard time. Every person suffers. Every person sooner or later has health problem, family problem, this problem, you name the problem. But God has given you and I the opportunity to show, do you love Him more than anything else in this world? God is going to reveal these things to you.
He’s going to trust you. Now you may have it smooth today, but I guarantee you, in the not too far distant future, the bottom gonna drop out. Things are gonna happen. Because see God says the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold and silver. Do you know that heartache you’re going through? That problem that you have right now is worth more than all the gold and all the silver in all the world. Your problems. God says it’s greater value.
The trial of your faith being much more precious than gold and silver. You see the hard times you go through is because God loves you so much and He’s trusting you to be found faithful because you see when you get to heaven He wants to reward you for all of those things that He allowed to happen in your life and those were just opportunities for you to Prove your love and your faith on this to the Lord. Can God trust you?
Stop and think. When you had teenagers, most of your old enough, didn’t you want to trust your kids? But because of the way they were, you were scared to death to trust them out of your sight. And wasn’t it true that the more obedient they were, the more freedom you gave them? And the less obedient they were, the more you took away liberties. Did you know that in serving God it’s the same way? He that is faithful in that which is little will be faithful in much.
So do you want to have God’s blessings upon your life? Did you know that most of God’s blessings come disguised as work and problems and trials and temptations? Because that’s not the way we look at it. It’s not the same perspective, but it’s still the same truth. Look up here. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, well then all these other things doesn’t really matter. You have a real big problem. Did you know that if you died right now, you would spend an eternity separated from God?
If you do not trust Christ as your Savior, wouldn’t you say that be a big problem? But it is a solvable problem. All problems are solvable. But God wants to use them because you are more valuable to Him than the problems that you have. God only uses them because He loves you. I told the Lord years ago, Lord, you’re free to try me any way you want. Anyway… I don’t know what it is. I don’t give his house, if it’s wealth, it’s ministry, it’s kids, it’s family.
I don’t know what it is. I’m yours. You’re free to do whatever you want with me without me getting bitter back at you. I want to maintain my integrity and not charge God foolishly. Isn’t that what you want? Aren’t you glad that God loves you enough and trusts you enough to let you get tested a little bit? thought about this. Lord, I just want to sail through life. Don’t let nothing go wrong. Go wrong. Go wrong. Go wrong. Have you ever heard of Murphy’s law?
If he can’t go wrong, he will. And God has designed life in such a way to bring us closer to him. Because you need him. Let the Lord walk you through it. Whatever you’re facing. It doesn’t matter what you’re facing. God wants to use whatever it is to build your character. to build your character. That’s more important than anything else because see, sooner or later we’re going to die. We’re going to be in heaven. But until then, look up here.
This hand represents you and me and all it represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us but He hates our sin. And for us to pay for sin, eternal separation from God in hell. A literal fire burning hell. Now if you don’t want to go to hell, you better listen to what I’m telling you. You don’t go to heaven because you’re good enough or because you stop all your bad things and you promise to be good.
That won’t get you to heaven. See, heaven’s a perfect place. You have to be perfect to go to heaven. Now how you doing? And God says there’s none righteous, no not one. There’s none perfect. So nobody can save themselves. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God and the flesh. He came into this world because he loves us but he hates our sin because our sin separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die but because he loved us he took the sins of all the world.
Patered on the cross and came back from the dead and God says if I would believe he did it for me he would put this payment to my account I get to go to heaven on what he did. You see it’s not what I did it’s what he did. No man earns eternal life. You don’t join a church to go to heaven. You don’t stop all of your sins to go to heaven. You can’t do it. You don’t have to promise God how you’re going to live to go to heaven.
That’s works for salvation means that you have to deserve it. God says no man deserve it. You’re saved by grace through faith. It means that God will give to you eternal life if you’d simply believe that what He He did was for you. If He paid for all of your sins, then they’re all paid. All that you have to do is believe He did it for you. When we talk about Christ died for my sins, it means I don’t have to.
I don’t have to. I don’t have to go to hell and pay for one sin because He paid for all of them. Best news in all of them are. 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.
