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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 Bibleignmenistries.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.

First of all, I want you to take your Bible turn very quickly to the Book of Exodus. We’ve got a lot of things to cover this morning, So if you’ll kind of step it up a little bit, that would help. The book of Exodus in chapter 14, the Bible tells us that there’s a story written about an east wind that came and, believe it or not, just kind of pulled the water back and made it dry and people could walk across in it and then the water came back in.

Now, we’ve never lived in our time when we’ve ever seen things like that, have we? I think we have. I think really believe it or not, I believe that we were blessed with America. But hearing the book of Exodus in chapter 14, look in verse 18, just a couple verses verse 18, and the Egyptian shall know that I am the Lord. When I have gotten me on or upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen, and the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillars of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them.

And it came between the camp and the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was a cloud, God’s in charge of the cloud, and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these so that the one cannot near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the east to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. I believe there’s a story similar in the Bible that what we have seen and experienced, but not everybody sees things the same way. There’s a human perspective and a divine perspective, and it all depends on where you are. So what are the acts of God making a divine statement?

Now insurance companies probably can give you a good definition of what acts of God are. I want to tell you what I believe that’s found in the Word of God. The first statement I have here in bold, it is natural for a man to question the reasons why storms hit a particular area and not another. Is it all about nature or nature’s God? Now if you’re just totally scientific, don’t believe in God and you can believe, well it’s just nature, but maybe it’s nature’s God.

The head of FEMA says that Hurricane Irma could be the worst storm of any century. That’s what they said. Millions of people were evacuated, millions, houses and shelters, many hospitals and senior citizens homes, clothes and homes and businesses were boarded up and braced for the storm. The media that was covered in the story finally took a break from their Russians hacking into the election. So there are some good things that can come out of this. Irma and Harvey are neither Republican or Democrat or independent hurricanes.

They are apolitical. They are considered acts of God. These are not accidents caused by man, but acts of God that are beyond the control of man. An act of God is an unforeseeable natural phenomenon explained by describing an event which involves no human activity or agency, which is not realistically possible to guard against, which is due directly and exclusively to natural causes and which could not have been prevented by any amount of foresight, plans, and care. Now that’s what I understand those acts of God to be.

Why we want insurance coverage. Look at the next statement. A little question, maybe you think a little bit. Can the actions of man determine the actions of God? Now, some people would say, yes, some people say, no. I mean, how can a little person on the earth influence a big, great, mighty God that created the heavens and the earth? But how many of y’all have ever prayed in your life? Let me see him. Evidently, you believe it. You believe that you, one little individual, can influence God to do something one way or the other.

Or why did you pray? So do we believe that God can respond to whatever we want, how we pray? Interesting. It was on news last night. There was even in the paper. And he was talking about how all this is blamed upon global warming and mainly because Donald Trump pulled out of a Paris Agreement Accord. If he hadn’t had done that, we would never had these two hurricanes. Now I have a problem with that and I’m sure you probably would too.

We’re going to blame it on global warming. You ever know in the flood? Anybody ever heard of that? Let me see. All right. Caused by global warming. Do you believe that? Or do you believe that God may have brought the flood? And you know what else he did after that flood? The rainbow was God’s promise to never flood the world again.

Oh, maybe the little police is here and there. We’ve had somebody head to church. Not a little waterhole I hear overflow. You’re gonna have local things, yes, but you’re never gonna have another world flood. I don’t get how warm the world gets. Now you’re talking about the greatest judgment depending on the world is last hurricane. No storm is like this up. And God says, I got one coming. It’s called the Great Tribulation Period. You can see anything like it yet.

He says, never been on time like it before. There’d never be a time like it afterwards. And you’re talking about climate change, hellstones of 120 pounds, heats that’s going to burn your skin. God describes all kinds of things that are going to have an empty earth, walking back and forth as a drunk man. There’ll be bad news. One-third of the world is going to be burned up by fire nuclear blast, you see, we’re living very interested in exciting times.

But the Bible says men’s hearts failing them for fear, seeing those things that are coming up on the earth. You and I don’t have to live in fear because we know sooner misdemeanors later we’re all going to die. And when we die, we have to be with the Lord. So you may lose your house here, but I told him in a Sunday school class, you ought to see the mansion I got on the other side. I don’t have to worry about hurricane, cyclones, Sornators, earthquakes, fire, it’s all insured for eternity and I can never lose it.

So there’s things you may lose in this world, but there’s some things you can never lose and we’ll talk about that a little bit. I wrote this big statement in here, if global warning was a result of man’s deeds, was it then an act of God? Hmm, interest to just to think about it. Draw your conclusions from what the word of God has to say. And let’s put a couple verses in here just to kind of ease into the subjects on the next page, which you have not yet turned to.

Bottom of the page 115 Psalms 3 says, but our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Do you believe that? You’re supposed to believe the Bible. Do you believe the Bible? Daniel 4.35 said, then, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand or send Him. Hey, what are you doing? Why’d you do that?

Can you dictate to God? Number one, does the scripture anywhere really say that God controls the weather? But there’s some scriptures here that I do want you to see. So look there in Exodus chapter 9. You’re already in Exodus, just turned back a couple pages. Exodus chapter 9 and look at verse 22. This is when Moses went down to Egypt and I just want you to see it. We say we believe the Bible, the Old Testament, then there must be somebody who’s in charge.

Who knows what’s going to happen a day later, a two days later, three days later, what’s going to happen? That’s prophecy. In verse 22, in the Lord said unto Moses, stretch forth thy hand toward heaven. That there may be hail in all the land of Egypt upon man and upon beast and upon every herb of the field throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven and the Lord said thunder and hail and the fire ran upon the ground and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

So that there was hail and fire mingled with hail very grievous such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. and the hell smote thereof throughout all the land of Egypt. All that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hell smote every herb of the field and break every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hell.

You think there’s a reason? God was doing something. God was saying something. Can the acts of God be a divine awareness? Verse 27, and Moses, or Pharaoh sent, called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them, I have sinned this time. Now he did the other times too. The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked. Do you think how people lived had anything to do with what was happening? When you read the Scriptures, just draw your conclusion from what the Bible says.

Or whatever will be, will be, and there’s nobody in charge up there. I mean, God may have created the earth, but he took a vacation. He don’t even know what’s going on. You know, I draw you. You saw how big heavens are? I mean, he’s busy. But all of this is so important for you to realize there are important verses about what God says in his word, about whether. Look at the next scripture. Psalms 135 verse five says, for I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is above all gods.

What’s the word of the Lord please? That did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places. Now look at the next part of the verse. He causes the vapors to ascend from the end of the year. He make it lightning for the rain. He bring it the wind out of his trasuries. I believe God’s still in the throne, and I believe God’s in charge. Not only do I believe that God is in charge, I believe God is in control.

See some people, you can be in charge of something not being in control. Look in the next segment, Jeremiah 10, 12. This is a verse that we often use to show, he equals NC square, that matter is created out of energy, where God is able to create matter, the earth out of his power. See there? He hath made the earth matter out of his power. He hath established the world by his wisdom and has stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

When he out of his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens. And he causes the vapor to ascend from the ends of the earth. He may get light and with rain and bring a fourth of the winds out of his treasure. In Nahum, chapter 1, verse 2, on page 952, we won’t take the time to look at it, but look at these scriptures. You can look at them later. God is jealous, and God does not like to be replaced by anything.

Any one, anybody, any other God’s, man made or whatever. does not want to be replaced. God wants you to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, body, soul, and strength. And God does not appreciate it when somebody else puts something else in God’s place. And one way to find out whether or not you’re putting something in God’s place, if God took away everything that you had, does God still have His place in your life? There’s a song we used to sing all time in ranch, any camps, Christ is all I need.

Anybody ever heard that song? Christ is all I need. All I need. How do you know that’s true? They didn’t take away everything you have. It’s the argument really need. Or you fall apart because the world’s fallen apart. Look what he says. He makes a statement here in Neum, God is jealous and the Lord revenge it. The Lord revenge it and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserved a wrath for his enemies. God does not want to be replaced.

So if you understand there is a righteous holy God and he looks down and you’ll see that God has many times used storms, brothers, anything because God is in control of it, to either bless a nation, chase a nation, even an individual, as you’ll see in the moment. Look at the next verse, the Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm and and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

God says… He hasn’t surrendered his authority over anything. When we pray and we ask for America, all we’re asking God to do is to stay the natural force of something that’s set up because of working according to nature’s laws. You see, there are certain laws that, you know, if I plant this seed and I cover it up, it gets a little water on it and that something’s going to grow. But God can override any of his laws that he wants.

He can suspend things. He can cause a man that walks upon the earth and because he pleased God, he was and he was not. And all of a sudden he disappeared. Or, Elijah that was caught up in a world in himself. The law of gravity has just been suspended. Now God can do all of that. The natural man has any weight when he tries to walk on water is going to sink. But God, He can suspend that and He can walk on the water.

You try it and you’ll find out that God is still in charge. And God says the storms, the earthquakes, all these things are to show the power, the wonderful works of God. It’s not just the stars and the heavens and so forth and the sun and the moon and in the earth itself, it’s the things that happens because many scriptures refers to the storms that reveal the power of God, because it’s power you and I can’t control.

Does it mean it’s out of control? What else he says? Verse 5, the mountains quake and the hills melt. The earth is burned at its presence. The world and all that dwell therein. If you read and study the Bible, you’ll find out that God is in charge. We may not agree with all the things God does. But God doesn’t have to always give us an explanation. I use an illustration with the college kids the other day. If I was to say, train to go up there and close that window and she says, why?

A natural teenage response. Because I said so. Why? Because it’s a hurricane coming and the windows open, it’s going to flood everything in your room. Oh, she needed a reason. Now, daddy may give her an explanation, but God may let things happen in your life and not tell you why. But it doesn’t mean that God does not have a justifiable reason for what he does, because God is perfect and cannot make mistakes. God is in control. Now, the last verse there, verse six, who can stand before his is in dictation.

Who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? Look at number two. God controls the skies and the rain. In Psalm 77, I’ve taught these verses many times. I like to take 77 and 78 and Psalm 73 and put those Psalms together and teach a wonderful message. Or because when I looked at the prosperity of the wicked, my foot had well nice slipped. But until I came into the sanctuary of the Lord, then I understood the end. In other words, don’t worry about how much everybody has or how much nobody has because things come and things go.

With some people that are rich and people that are poor, most of them are just changing places. They had it, now they’ve lost it, they didn’t have anything, now they got it. People just like it, like a bunch of yoyos. The things of this world are all going to be lost, you’re going to lose everything. God has a way of trying to keep us focused on eternal values. God controls the skies, He controls the rain. He says, Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary, who is so great a God is our God, until you go into the place of the presence of God and listen to what his word has to say.

The reason you want people to go, go to the word, get into the book, go to this because this is the word of God. This is coming into the presence of God because here you’re listening to what God, God, in his presence. I want to hear his voice. This is his voice. This is his word. This is God’s word. So you go to the word of God and you find then you begin to understand a lot more than you do by just, well, I don’t know, it just seems to me.

It’s just natural. Everything just happened. There’s no reason for it. It’s just that God has a place for the sun to move and the circle that He has to make. And this talks about in the book of 19 Psalm, or it talks about the path in the sea, and talks about the storms and the currents and all these things. It’s just natural. And they’re saying that God has said in nature. And so because you can’t see God, you just accept what you see.

But by faith you’ll find out there’s a God behind these things, and God can use things and powers that lie beyond anything we can imagine, and we can’t stop it. Look at the next statement. Page 3, as Paul Harvey would say. Psalm 77 verse 15 says, He says, thou hath with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Because he’s talking about when he went and brought them out of Egypt. And across the rich, it caused that thing to spread open.

Verse 16, the water saw the O God, the water saw the, they were afraid, the debts also were troubled. The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out of sound. Thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heavens, the light means lightness, the world, the earth trembled and shook. You see, God said, all these things shows His magic, His power, His wonder. And then He says in verse 19, there’s three or four things that I just kind of highlighted here because I want you to see this.

Thy way is in the sea. In other words, God can use the sea to accomplish His purpose. The great waters, He says, and thy path is in the great waters. And thy footsteps are not known. In other words, when you and I, we say, I want to walk with the Lord, I want to follow the Lord. Well, if He walks into sea, remember you cannot trace the steps into sea. There’s no tracks left. And though other people have walked before us and they have lived with the Lord and walked with the Lord and He says in the Scriptures and they walk with God, they walk with God, they walk with God.

But when you get ready to walk with God, you got to walk with God. not every body else, it’s a personal thing between you and God and you can’t always follow somebody else’s footsteps. You’re gonna have to buy faith in water. In other words, buy faith trusting God that he’s gonna lead and guide you and bless you and protect you and as we often say give you praise and honor and glory one of these days. But for now you got to trust in his watch, care, love and provision.

Look at the next statement, the storms declare the mighty strength of God’s power. Now God controls the wind. There’s a story where God uses this. He explains it in Mark chapter 4 verse 37 and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship and that it was now for. Now he had told him to get into boat and go on the other They did. Did Jesus know about the storm coming? He not only made the storm, He sent the storm.

He sent the storm right where they were. Did God know that? And He says here in verse 38, and He was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow. They awake Him and said to Him, mastered, and here’s the point. Carest not that we parry, do you not care whether we live or die? Don’t you care about us? When you see a storm of life, maybe you’ll question whether God, do you really love me? You could have stopped this.

Think about all the people who lost their homes and yet you may be here and you didn’t lose your home. And all the people that lost the power and yet you didn’t lose your power. You have electricity. You’re enjoying the air condition. This church didn’t lose anything. They didn’t get one drop of water inside, and God was good to us. God was bad to them. God has a reason, though you may not understand it, though I may not understand it.

But aren’t you glad that no physical life of our people was lost? A lot of things may be lost. A lot of things you don’t have to understand, but you’re to believe that there is a God, and you’re supposed to always thank the Lord Lord and praise the Lord. And what if you only had today what you were thankful to the Lord for yesterday? And God knows how to work in our lives. He knows what every individual needs. And I believe God gives every individual, individual care and attention.

But look what he says here in verse 39, and he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the seed, peace be still. He can cause it to start and to stop. He says he can. Now, do you read hand or he can? But what does the Bible say? And then in verse four, he said unto them, why are you so here on the line that? Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? No faith in what?

He had already told them to go to the other side. Evidently, they already knew God had promised them he’d meet him on the other side. And they they were supposed to be on the other side. They questioned, we’re gonna, in other words, we’re not gonna make it. But they already given his word. You’d be surprised how God can allow things to happen in your life to see whether, do you really trust him with your life? Do you really love him more than you do your house?

You see, yes, I do. Or if he took your house, you still love God, right? You’re not bitter at God. You’re not mad at God. You’re not mad if he takes your home. What if he took your health? What if he took your wife? What if he took your kids? Do you love the Lord more than anything else in this world? It’s always going to be in everything you have in life a test of your love. The trial of your faith, trial of your faith.

What do you love? do you really want God to see how strong you are? Look down at number four. God uphold and sustains the universe. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3, who been the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power. Everything is under God’s power. Even the devil can only do what God permits him to do. God doesn’t make him do anything. God does not make you serve him, but God will allow you to serve If you don’t, there may be consequences.

God will not make you trust Him as your Savior. God will allow you to reject Christ, reject God, reject everything that you want. God will allow you to die. God will allow you to go to hell. But that ain’t what He wants. He wants you to go to heaven. And He says, who so ever believe it. So it’s who so ever will believe it. God will not make you believe. God will not make you serve you. God will not make you honor Him.

But there’s consequences to your decisions. And your decisions, in many cases, affects the decision that God makes. Notice down at the bottom, God has power over the clouds. Out of the South comeeth the whirlwind and the cold out of the North. By the breath of God, frost is given. Verse 11, also by water, and he wearyeth the thick cloud, he scateth his bright cloud. He is turned around about by his counsels. It is that they may do get this whatsoever.

He commanded them upon the face of the world in the earth. Now, if this is true, then none of these things are accidents. Are they acts of God? Or God doing things because of people? I hope insurance company never figure out what I’m talking about here. Look at the next statement. He causes it to come. Well, therefore, and get this. This is right there in your Bible. He calls it to come whether for correction or for his land or for mercy, but God has a reason.

You may not always discern it. You may not discern why God will let one house and everybody dies and another house right beside him and everybody lives. I called up the other day to see how Jim Scudder was doing because I know he has a place down there in the Keys. And he has a little place, not a big place, a little place right on the canal there, and he got a boat there in the water, and it’s just a beautiful little place.

And I’ve been there. We’ve been there. Stayed with him. So we, I couldn’t get a hold of him because his cell phone wasn’t working or something. So I called up there and talked to his son, and he says, Mom and Dad, they flew up there on a Thursday, and they got there safely, and so they checked with their house down there, and they said, nothing. Nothing. No water. Nothing else. And a half a mile from them. Everything was totally wiped out.

Ninety-nine-five percent. Everything was totally wiped out. And here says Jim Scudder. And his place not touched one eye only. Right there on the water. And nothing happened to him. Don’t miss out on all the fun. Join Pastor Jesse and Kyla Martinez on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. for Tampa Youth Ranch at Calvary Community Church. Tampa Youth Ranch is a great mix of live music, games, Bible study, food and fun, where teens 13 to 18 get to know God and the Bible with their friends.

Check it out online at tampayouth ranch.org and see the cool pictures from past activities and all the fun you’ve been missing. No ride, no problem. Call 813-334-4655 today for information on getting a ride to Tampa Youth Ranch. Thanks for joining us on Bible I. 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 in looking up.