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

Turn in your Bible to the book of John chapter 19. 18. You know, last week I spoke on the subject, the discipleship made plain. Make clear, simple, because we know we’re supposed to make salvation, simple, clear. It’s either by grace or by works, but it can’t be both ways. A man’s either saved because he’s trusting Christ or he’s saved because he’s trusting himself, but you can’t trust both. Because he says without me, you can do nothing. And if you try to help, you can’t have it because salvation is free.

It’s the gift of God, not it works, lest any man should boast. So we know salvation is simple, it’s clear. When it comes to serving the Lord, remember you put the diaper on the baby after the baby is born, not before. Just don’t work that way. So now after you’re born into God’s family, there’s many things that God wants you and I to do. We call that discipleship. It means it’s our service to the Lord. So when he says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

That’s not what you do to be saved. That’s what you do to serve. So going to heaven is because of what he did for me, because he loves me. And I serve him because I love him. Now if I don’t love him, it didn’t stop him from loving me and didn’t stop him from saving me. It doesn’t stop me from having the new birth. I’m still going to heaven because of his great love for me, called grace. You don’t deserve it.

But because of what He’s done for us, God beseaches us. That means pleased with us. Challenges, motivates us. Because for the love of Christ constraineth us, or motivates us, that because Christ died, He died for all, and He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again. So you and I that know Christ is Savior, God wants us to serve Him. I want to talk to you a little bit about how fear destroys discipleship.

We all know that we’re supposed to serve the Lord. Then why doesn’t everybody serve the Lord? Well because there’s a few reasons. And one, I want you to look there in the Gospel of John in chapter 38, chapter 38, chapter 19. If you find chapter 38, let me know. But in chapter 19, looking verse 38, and after this, Joseph of Arab of theia, being a and get this disciple of Jesus. So we know he was a disciple. Now you don’t become a disciple in order to go to heaven.

You trust Christ’s Savior, you get to go to heaven. A disciple is a follower or a learner. And so you may learn Christian principles, you go to church all your life and learn all the things that God wants us and how he wants us to live, but you never trust Christ as Savior. So following the Lord and His example and all those things doesn’t save you. But God does want His children to be disciples, to serve the Lord. And so Joseph Vermatheia was such an individual and knows what he says here, but secretly for fear.

Now there are secret service Christians. That means they serve the Lord behind the scenes. They serve the Lord a little bit, but they don’t want nobody to know that they are. There’s a secret service. So some of you may be here today and you’re a secret service Christian. Nobody knows it. You go to work, but nobody knows you’re a Christian because you’re in the secret service. Now that makes time good, but it isn’t good. But now notice what I’m saying.

But now notice what he says here, but secretly for fear of the Jews. So he says, big sought pilot that he might take away the body of Jesus, and pilot gave him the leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus. Now why is the burial of Christ so important? As we talk about the death, burial and resurrection. Death, burial and resurrection. The burial of Christ is so important because it means he really died. His burial is the proof that he died.

So when Christ died on the cross, he paid for our sins and he had to die. The wages in his death. And he could not be risen again because to be raised again means to live again. He was alive and he was dead and he’s alive again. So therefore, He is alive again, because He was alive, and then He was dead. And we know He was dead, as they buried Him. And they put a hundred pounds of ointments and so forth on His body, wrapped Him up in cloth, and it says here in verse 39.

There came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, brought a mixture of Mur and Alice about a hundred pound weight. Then they took the body of Jesus, wound him in the linen cloth, with the spices and the manner of the Jews is to bury him. Jesus was buried because he was dead. And he rose again from the dead. But what I want to talk to you about is a little bit about this discipleship. You see, there are those who trust Christ’s Savior and are in the secret service of the Lord.

Nobody knows. they’re there. I do believe that God wants us as His children to let people know who we are, why we’re here, and then to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Take your Bible and turn to the book of John chapter 12. Just to the left a few pages, John chapter 12, Jesus has already said that if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me, and this He says they’re in verse 32. And if I be lifted up from the earth, that means on the cross, we’ll draw all men unto me.

In other words, Jesus is good to all the world, preach the gospel of why He was lifted up on the cross, right? To pay for our sins. And through that gospel message, He can draw all people unto Him. But you got to hear the gospel first. So Jesus says, you go into all the world and you preach this gospel. He says, and if I die, He says, then I can have a lot of fruit up there in verse 24.

But notice what he says here in verse 26. If any man, see those words, serve me. You don’t serve the Lord to go to heaven. But after you’ve trusted Christ’s Savior and you believe on Christ, yes, now as a disciple, God wants us to serve him. Let him follow me. Come to Christ for salvation, but you follow him for service. And so he says, and where I am, shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor.

Now, nobody could make you trust the Lord. You voluntarily chose to trust the Lord. And when you trusted Christ as your savior, you now have a choice. You can either serve the Lord or not serve the Lord. You can be a disciple or not be a disciple. Means you’re not a learner or a follower of Christ. A lot of people trust Christ as savior. They’ll get into heaven, but they’ll be there in diapers because they’ve never grown in the Lord.

They’ve never grown, never matured. Don’t do anything for the Lord because they don’t love the Lord. So God speaks about this issue and it’s so very important. Look what he says there in verse 37, but though he had done so many miracles before them, yet, and here’s the thing, they believed not on him. So Christ did a lot of miracles. Some people believed, some people didn’t, but it was their choice. So some people will believe it and some people will not believe it.

Now look in verse 42, nevertheless among the chief rulers, also many believed on him, but notice what else it says, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, unless they should be put out of the synagogue. So they didn’t want to confess that they believed on him because they were afraid. They were a feared. Now, there is a thing about being afeard. You’re afraid of the consequences. Now, look at the next verse, look in verse 43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

So you’re not saved because you love God. They believed, but they would not confess Christ. Now, here we are 2,000 years later. You may have trusted Christ as your Savior, but because you’re afraid, you never witness. You’re afraid to carry tracks. You might be tempted to pass out one. You don’t know whether to pass out the track or you just pass out.

Many people are scared to death to ask somebody a question like, do you know if it’s certain that if you die today you’ll go to heaven? What’s so hard about that? You can ask them beautiful weather, isn’t it? Do you think it’s gonna get any colder or you’re gonna get warmer? You’re gonna ask a question. So you’re in fishing. Yeah, did he catch anything? You just ask the question. Why can’t you ask the question like, if you were to die today, would you go to heaven?

Has anybody ever taken the Bible and showed you how to have eternal life? Yes, I can’t do that. Why can’t you do that? Because you don’t want to do it bad enough. You’re afraid. If you’re a feared, say what? Say you’re a what? Say it. You’re a feared. and nobody likes it in a fear in person. Not put be afraid. But now, in verse 43, for they love the praise of men more than the praise of God. So you want the praise of God, but you want the praise of men more.

And if you say something, you might offend them and they won’t praise you. So you don’t do it. But what did he say? If any man served me, him will my father honor. Now you can get honor from people or you can get it from God. You can get praise from man or you can get praise from God. So you have to decide whether or not, who do you want to praise you? Man or God? Man, it doesn’t last very long, does it?

Therefore you today and against you tomorrow, ask any quarterback. When you make up your mind, I’m gonna serve Lord God, so that he will bless your life, he will honor you. And he’s gonna praise you when you can have it. So there are people who trust the Lord and do not confess Christ before man. Now, there are people who teach that if you don’t confess Christ before man, then you’re not saved. They say you have to do that in order to be saved and they got a couple of verses they like to use.

But the truth is, if you have to confess Christ before man, then what if there’s nobody around? Can you trust Christ all by yourself? If nobody else is around, no, because you got to confess it before man. Well, he is out there. What if you out there in an island? There’s nobody there. You can read it, you can believe it, but there’s nobody confessed to. Isn’t that a shame? That’s not true. That’s not the Bible. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 John chapter 2.

1 John and chapter 2. That’s to your right. 1 John is right before 2 John. And 2 John is right before 3 John. But if you can find third John, you should have been able to find first John and call just bigger. You’ll notice they’re in first John in chapter 2. I want you to look there in verse 15 because this is a book that’s written to believers, those who have trusted Christ as their Savior. He says, my little children, these things write on to you that your joy may be full, that’s in verse 4, that your joy may be full.

God wants you to have joy in this life, but He tells you how to have it. Most people are living in guilt, and guilt doesn’t produce the peace and the love and the joy that you want. Because when you’re afraid it produces terror, and some people are terrified of telling anybody about the Lord. Or inviting people to come out and hear this wonderful preacher at Calvary Community Church. You are proud of the preacher here at Calvary Community Church. I mean you do want people to hear me preach the gospel, don’t you?

You better say, this means yes, this means no. I told you last week when I was in the hospital, I was so glad to get that get well card from the deacon board. Five was four and three away against them. Then vote on that, you know. But look at verse 15, verse 15. Love not the world. Who’s he talking about? Christians? He’s not talking to lost people. He’s talking to Christians who can love the world. Neither the things that are in the world, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

What are you in love with? If you lost your house today, it should not affect your love for the Lord, when I would have. If you lost your job, lost all of your money. You lose your help. Should not affect your love for the Lord, one eye odor. It should not change. Your attitude toward the Lord should not change. Why? Because you love him more and you haven’t lost that, have you? He still loves you, doesn’t he? Have you ever heard that song?

Christ is all I need. Christ is all I need. Well, if he’s all you need, then why are you falling apart because of those other things you don’t have? Done. Now, look at this. says in the last part of verse 15, if any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In other words, you have to make up your mind. What are you going to love? What are you going to love? You realize when I made up my mind to love Betty Arnold.

I decided there was four billion women on this planet and I chose the love of that one. That means I broke the heart of over four billion women. But I mean, somebody’s got to pay a price. But what’s wonderful about the Lord is the Lord loves us all. But I am limited to one of the rest of my life. And in June the 7th, you start 58.

It’s so far. I can’t remember. Who said that? We will be married 57. We’re going to start 58. Okay, thanks. Now we got that subtle. I hope my wife’s not listening anywhere. Now look at verse 16. Verse 16, very important. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. Now you’re supposed to be able to examine your own life.

Do you really love the Lord? I’ve heard people, I just love the Lord. I just love the Lord. And then they don’t do anything that shows they love the Lord. And they’re in love with the world. And they all they want is the things of the world. Or do you want to please God knowing that one day we’re gonna meet Him and every year we get that much closer. One of these days is gonna happen. we’re gonna be with the Lord.

Now, when he makes this statement, in verse 17, the world passes away. So don’t fall in love with anything that will pass away. Everything else that is words come pass away. So when he talks about loving the Lord, I wrote a little statement down. Decipalship is proven by what you love and by what you don’t love. Cause that’s what the book says. discipleship is proven by what you love and don’t love. So when he says, will you serve me?

Will you serve me? If any man loved me, let him serve me. If any man loved me. See, God is love and he wants to be loved. But he did something for us that would cause us to love him. He saved us from hell. He paid for all of us and gave eternal life, his children go to heaven, will get a new body, and all the things he has for us because he wanted to demonstrate to us just how much he loved us and he doesn’t charge us anything for it.

And so then he says, do you love me? Remember three times when Peter denied the Lord? Three times Jesus asked him the question. Remember what the question was? Do you love me? Do you love me? He never asked him, do you love the sheep? No, do you love me? So if you love him, it won’t matter. You don’t have a problem doing what God wants you to do. It’s whenever you’re trying to do what he wants you to do when you don’t love him.

This is why these scriptures are so important. Take your Bible and turn to Luke chapter 14. The Gospel of Luke in chapter 14. Luke chapter 14 is a tremendous chapter from about verse 25 to the end of that chapter talking about discipleship and to make some interesting remarks here and I want you to see this. You’ll notice in Luke chapter 14 looking verse 25 and there went great multitudes with him and he turned and said unto them if any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also look at the last part of that verse.

He cannot be saved. Decipome. Didn’t mean you can’t be saved. You can be saved because of what he did for you. But if you want to serve him you got to love him more than anything else in the world or you won’t be as effective as you ought to be. He’ll reward you for the things you do, but you do because you love him. In 1 Corinthians 13, talks about love in the Lord, love, love, love, love, love. Without love, it says a prophet of nothing.

You can have a lot of things you can do down here, but God’s gonna reward us according to the motive of why we did what we did. Did you do it because you loved the praise of man and if you, it’s just like I can remember. Am I preaching because I just love to hear the applause? Or if I could sing as good as skip, I just love the applause. Or do I love the Lord? Do you love the Lord?

Is that why you’re singing a choir? Play instruments because we just want the applause. Or do we because we love the Lord? Does God know the real reason why we do what we do? Did you come to church today so somebody else could see you here? I just come to be seen. Did you see me? You see me? Or do you come and go, I know I love the Lord. And if nobody else comes, I still want to come.

I want to be found faithful because I love the Lord. Now get this. He makes some strong statements. He shall in no I be my disciple. Now look in verse 27. And whosoever, doth not bear his cross, come after me, can not be my disciple. I don’t write it, I’m just trying to tell you. Look what he says. Well, it doesn’t mean that. Okay, you have to figure out what it does then. If that’s not what he meant, Then you have to figure out what did he mean?

Who was he talking to? Somebody about loving him and somebody about loving everybody else. He’s a jealous God. God is a jealous God. He wants you to love him more than anything else in the world. And you and I have been given the trial of faith. This little temporary time from the time you trust the Lord until the time you get to see Him face to face is to reveal what do you really love? Do you love the world?

You love the Lord. You know most of our harlot and sorrow and grieving comes because of things we’re losing in this world. Has nothing to do with our love for the Lord. That can be just as strong and as real as it always has been. And it’s so very important. Now, this is why it says we’re supposed to in the verse 28, counting the cost. You see, salvation Christ paid the cost. When He talks about discipleship, you serve in the Lord, which is your choice, is going to cost you something.

Service isn’t free. Rewards for your service is what God’s going to pay you and reward you for what you did for him. But he said, you don’t have to do it. That’s why it’s a reward. You earned it, but you didn’t have to earn it. You didn’t have to do anything. You don’t have to go to church and you’ll still go to heaven. You don’t have to give any money for missions or offering, and still go to heaven. Because that’s because God loves you.

Now, the question is, do you love him? So our service is the way we show God that we love him. And hopefully everyone in this room has trusted Christ, the Savior, and you want to love the Lord. And you wanna show that you love the Lord by the things that you do for the Lord. Now take your Bible and look in the book of Matthew chapter 10. Matthew and chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. There’s a couple verses that are mentioned here that I think will go right along with what we’re talking about because remember he talked about loving the Lord and hating Mother and Father and brother and sister.

Hate Him? I don’t hate my mom. I don’t hate my brother. Maybe my sisters. No, I’m in the seven. But here in Matthew in chapter 10, notice what he says here in verse 37, verse 37. Verse 36 tells you who he’s talking about at the household, your family. But he makes a statement, he said, I did not come to bring peace upon the earth. Well, wait a minute. Remember when little baby Jesus was born, peace, joy to the world, and it’s been everything but that sense then.

So look two verses before this. Look in verse 34. He said in verse 34, think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law. Now we understand why we got so much trouble on the family’s eye. He said, well, what is the meaning of all of this?

Well, they explained it. See, they’re in verse 30. And a man’s foes shall be the day of his own household. And notice what he’s talking about in verse 37. It explains what he’s talking about over there in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15 and 16. But it also helps us to see what he’s talking about in the book of Luke in chapter 14 when he talks about hate your mother and father and brother and sister and all that.

And this is what he’s talking about, like in verse 37. He that loveth father, our mother, what’s the next three words? More than me. He’s done against you loving your mother. mother and your father and your brother and your sister and everything. But do you love them more than you love the Lord? If you love anything, become between you and God. You will not serve the Lord as faithful as if you love Him supremely. I love my wife, but I love the Lord more than my wife.

I love my children and I love my grandchildren, which I had them first. But I love them, but I don’t love them more than I do the Lord. Because God can move out of your life anything you put between you and the Lord. God’s a jealous God. He wants us to love him more than anything else. And this is what he said. Now look at the rest of this. He’s that love of Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me.

And he’s that love of Son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Who you see, what do you mean worthy of it? Women. It costs to serve the Lord. There’s a price to be paid and most of God’s children are not willing to pay the price. They’re not worthy of the rewards that you could have when you get to have because those rewards in heaven that he wants to give to you, you’re not worthy of them unless you serve him.

You see you’re not going to get them just because God has them. He said, every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. And if you don’t labor, you don’t get the reward. Now getting to heaven is free. But you realize this little time that we have up on the earth is given to you and I an opportunity to gain eternal rewards, something that will last for all eternity. I don’t even know what they are, don’t care what they are, but whatever it is, it will be worth it all.

So many of God’s children cannot or will not pay that price. Because you see, these scriptures here is talking about your service, talking about your discipleship, talking about paying a price. Can you pay the price? Can you sacrifice? What have Ghibbera given for the Lord. What have—————- youMpServer you give enough? What have you sacrificed for the Lord? What price have you paid? And yet most people they work for everything that’s in this world, in this life, for this time,Rose, youeu arerors of all.

When you leave, what treasures have you laid up in heaven? It’s not important right now, see? It will be. The day will come. When Every man shall give a count of himself to God. Romans chapter 14 and verse 12. Every man that knows Christ is Savior. Are you ready to learn how to live your life as a strong Christian, lead others to Christ, or excel as a church worker or ministry leader? Then look no further, then Florida Bible College of Tampa.

With traditional and online classes taught by instructors, with years of the experience, Florida Bible College of Tampa can help you grow in your Christian life, whether taking individual classes or working toward a one-year degree, Florida Bible College of Tampa is here for you. To learn more, visit online at floridabiblecollege.us or call the Register of the Redistr. at 850227 5325. That’s 850227 5325. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church He 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.