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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.

Glad to have y’all here today and I want to speak on a subject that I kind of spoke on last week. But last week was repentance in the Old Testament. So I felt I need to have one on the New Testament. And so if you look there in your Bible to the book of Revelation, the book of Revelation and chapter 3, Revelation chapter 3, the Bible is not always written concerning this word repent to just the lost people. Most time you hear preachers telling people they got to repent and by that definition that they get out of a modern dictionary is to feel sorry for your sins, turn from your sins, penitence and all those things.

And that’s why so many people get mixed up on the gospel. This is why a person if you believe that you have to be sorry for your sins so that you’ll quit them is why a lot of times preachers tell a tear jerking story at the end and want you to tear up so that they consider that’s you’re under conviction so that you’ll be willing to quit your sins so that when they stand and sing 15 verses of just as I am you’ll respond and try to get things right with God.

Now the motive may be great and pure and the preacher may be doing the dead level best he can, but when you’re in error on something and give people the impression that you’ve got to do something that the Bible does not require, then I take an issue with that. I do believe that everybody has to repent in order to be saved, but I need to explain my terms. What does it mean? And we were always taught in college to define your terms, And not everybody means the same thing by what they say, but I do believe that this is important.

You’ll notice there in verse 19 of chapter 3 in the book of Revelation, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent. So the word repent is used and it’s used in many places. But here it’s talking to the believers. It’s not talking to lost people. So repent can refer to believers and it can refer to unbelievers and you have to use the context to see whether or not what is it that they are to repent of and that can be different for different people based upon the context.

You may say I’m going to marry this girl and then you repented you changed your mind it didn’t show up so you can repent you can change your mind about a lot of things Like I said last week, you could have decided to stay home this morning, but you changed your mind and you came anyway. Well, maybe he’ll have a good sermon today. And so you came with the hope and anticipation that it’s going to be worth your while.

And then after you’ve heard it, you might change your mind again. That’s called repentance. Now, I want you to see that he is talking to the believers about something they need to repent of, change their mind about to think differently, to reconsider. And he says here to the church at Leo to see in Luke in verse 15, I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would thou work cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold or hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sahendeth.

I am Scythe, increase with goods, have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and In other words, you don’t see yourself the way God sees you. You might think you’re doing a good job and everything is fine, but the way God sees you, he knows what you could be doing and should be doing because God knows the potential of every individual. He knows what you could have known had you applied yourself.

He knows how far short you are coming, but you may not see it because you’re just comparing yourself with others, and I’m just as good as I’m not as bad as, but you always compare yourself with what is the will of God. And how are you doing according to that? So in verse 18, when he talks about spewing you out of his mouth because he got that you make me sick. In other words, I’d rather you be hot or cold, but you’re lukewarm.

He said, I counsel thee by a me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thy eyes with thy sad that thou mayest see. So he’s talking to the Christians, not talking to lost people. This is what believers ought to do, but believers are not doing what they should do. So this is a rebuke to those who are not walking with the Lord as they should.

So he says in verse 19, “‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, “‘be zealous therefore and repent, change your mind.'” And that’s why he says there in verse 20, “‘Behold, I sinned at the door and knock.'” And most people think, well, he’s on the outside and he’s knocking at your heart’s door and you’ve got to open your heart and let Jesus into your heart. And many people use this verse. This is not talking to lost people on how to be saved.

This is talking about same people who are not walking with the Lord as they should. And the Lord wants to have fellowship with you. Now get this, behold, I extended the door and knocked. If any man hear my voice, open the door. I will come in, sup with him and he with me. And this is what God wants you to do. This is not how to have eternal life. This is to those who already have eternal life. You’re already going to heaven.

See, going to heaven is a gift. It’s totally free. You do not earn it. You can’t buy it in any way. And do you have to come to church to go to heaven? No, you don’t. Do you have to give money to go to heaven? No, you don’t. You say, well, you ought to. No, you don’t. Because salvation is free. It’s the gift of God not of works, lest any man should vote. So this is showing you that you can repent and it refers to the believers and not having to do with getting saved again, but there’s things in their life that is not right and they need to change their mind, think differently, reconsider and correct the problem.

Now look there in Revelation in chapter two. Revelation chapter two, and look there in verse three, starting verse three, he said, I know about you. I know what you’re doing.” And he says, and have born and have patience. And for my name’s sake, have labored and have not fainted. This is talking to believers in the church here at Ephesus. He says, I know what you’re doing. Does God look down and know what’s going on in Calvary Community Church? He knows every individual in this church.

The Bible says he does. And he statement. He says in verse 4, Nevertheless, I have somewhat against it. In other words, you’re doing, you’re working, you’re doing a good job. You’re showing up, you’re being faithful. He said, but there’s something missing in your life. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee because thou have left thy first love. In other words, God is saying, you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, but you don’t love me like you used to. Isn’t it true that a man can marry a girl and and they’re supposed to live happily ever after.

Now he’s still doing all the right things. He goes to work, he comes home, he gives her the money. And he cuts the grass and he does all the things he’s supposed to do, but she can tell whether or not, do you love me like you’re used to. And he may know, well, you know, you’re doing all the right things, you go through the motions, but do you love me like you’re used to? Is it possible that two people can live together and not love each other like they’re used to?

So he says, but you’ve left your first love. You see that first love, we love him because he first loved us. Whenever you begin to grow in your love for the Lord, and you wanna please the Lord, and you wanna sacrifice for the Lord, and you dedicate your life to serving the Lord, and as time goes on, you lose the love, but you’re still going through the motions. You’re still coming to church, and every once in a while you’ll read your Bible, and every once in a while you’ll pray, but you don’t love the Lord like you, that God wants you to love Him.

If you love Him, then you do all those other things. But you can do all those other things and not really love Him. And that’s why He made the statement. He says in verse 5, remember therefore from when star art fallen, you’ve fallen out of loving the Lord. And repent and do the first works. Get back to loving God like you ought to. So it’s a word repent and he’s not talking about how to be saved. He’s talking to the believers.

Now turn very quickly over to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews. That means the man’s supposed to make the coffee. Hebrews in chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. And you’ll notice in verse 5. talking to those who know the Lord, talking to his children. And he says in verse five, and ye have forgotten the exhortation you forgot. Is it possible for God’s children to forget things? You know what you’re supposed to do, but you forgot. I’m finding out the longer I live, the more I’m forgetting.

He says, in verse five, and ye have forgotten the exhortation speak of the new as unto children. That means your God’s show. My son despised not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him because the Lord is going to chasten faint not when thou art rebuked when God tells you no you don’t get your own way and you don’t get to fulfill your own dreams your own plans and it seems like life can become a feller to you.

But don’t you remember the Lord will chasten those whom He loves and He loves His children. So once you trust a Christ as your Savior, you are to serve the Lord and do whatever He wants. You’re not to have God as a power in your back pocket to use whenever you want. He’s not your credit card. He’s not just somebody that’s an escrow account and whenever you come up black and you can just use it to do whatever you want to do.

The Lord wants to use you to do what He wants. So it’s His purpose and His plan for your life, not yours. Now, don’t do what He says in verse 6, for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, remember, we just read that in the book of Revelation in chapter three. As many as I love, I chasten and rebuke. He’s talking to His children and He makes a statement for whom the Lord loveth, He chases, encourages every son whom He receiveth.

If you endure chasing, God deals with you as with sons, God doesn’t cast you out, He doesn’t lose you, He doesn’t declare that you’re no longer His child. The reason He chases you is because when you did something wrong, you’re still His child. When you commit sin, you’re still His child. He said, I’ll never cast you out, never lose you, but He’s going to deal with you as a father and a son, and He loves you. He wants his children to learn to talk to him.

Now, I want you to look down here at Acts 20 verse 21, right there in your notes, testify in both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, some people think that God’s just a big old mean God, and he’s got this salvation that’s all about works, and you’ve got to earn your way to heaven, and if you work hard enough, you’ll make it. God says, change your mind.

think differently. Don’t see God that away. See God as someone who knows you and loves you in spite of everything that you’ve done, he wants to give you eternal life. Change your mind about saving yourself by your words and put your trust in what Christ did. So when you change your mind, reconsider, think differently, repentance toward God, put your faith in Jesus Christ. And when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, he saves you and gives you eternal life.

Now, the next paragraph there, the Webster’s Scholastic Dictionary gives a meaning for repent. To feel regret for something done, or left undone, to be penitent. To remember with self-reproach or sorrow. It gives the definition for repentance, act of repenting, sorry for sin, penitence, contrition. So some preachers say that men must turn from their sin, be willing to turn from sin, or be willing to be made willing to turn from their sin. And so they cannot be saved if the salvation depend upon them changing their life, because God will not save anybody who’s trying to save themselves.

If you believe that any form of behavior, your performance in life has a part in your salvation, God cannot and will not save you. Your only saved if you accept Him as your Savior and Him alone, He is not somebody you help save you. In other words, He died on the cross so that if I will live right I can make it to heaven. No, He doesn’t need your help. And many people believe that Jesus… It’s necessary. They just don’t believe he’s enough, so they’re gonna have to help him out a little bit.

Now, if a man must do any of these things to be saved, then he merits his salvation by his good works. The biblical definition of repentance, metaneo, metanoia, we’re talking about the word that means to think differently. So as you look at some of the verses in the Bible, in the special of the New Testament, you’ll see the word like think. Suppose, It has to do with your mind. And so when you think about the mind of man, and he’s thinking certain things, then God says you repent.

You change your mind and believe something different. And sometimes the change in of your mind can lead to a change of action. When it comes to salvation, you are to repent. Change your mind about saving yourself by your works and put your faith in Jesus Christ. So me changing my mind about saving myself and I can put my faith in Christ. So trusting the Lord, that’s in context what do I do as a result of a change of mind?

Then I believe in trusting Jesus Christ is my Savior. When a person, and we’ll show you this in just a moment in the book of Matthew, but it is so important for a person to understand what the meaning of this is. Now look there at the statement, the word repent is using connection with unbelievers for salvation and believers for service. So the word can be used for both. Like last week we talk about how that God repented, but did God turn from sin?

So it doesn’t always mean turn from sin in order to be saved. Now there’s things that God has put into his word that every believer should turn from iniquity. A Christian should turn from sin. But that’s because they have power steering, the Holy Spirit living inside of him. And there’s things that Bible says about a Christian committing himself to the Lord, but not to be saved. In Romans in chapter 12 verse 1 and 2, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body.

So you don’t present your body is a living sacrifice. So after you’re saved, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, and the other one is your reasonable service. So you don’t commit your life to Christ in order to be saved. You commit your life to Christ when you want to serve the Lord. But salvation depends upon you trusting Christ and Him alone as your Savior. So context is very, very important. Now take your Bible and turn to Matthew chapter 21.

Matthew chapter 21, do not be afraid of the word repent. Just understand what it means. But the problem is, is many people use the word and do not tell people what does it mean. They’re left with the idea that they’ve heard over the years, It means to turn from your sins. And they illustrate it this way. If I’m walking this way, then I gotta turn and walk this way. I’m gonna turn from my sins. Now I gotta follow the Lord.

And if you don’t turn, you’re gonna burn. Now it sounds spiritual, but the only problem is, they’re asking a lost man to do the impossible. because the sinful nature lives where? Inside of me. Now how do I turn from me? Remember the illustration I gave? Doggy, you stop acting like a doggy and I’ll make you a chicken. Can a doggy stop acting like a doggy? Can you stop your sins? No, you may pick a few apples off the tree but it’s still an apple tree.

Anyway, Matthew chapter 21, look in verse 28. What thinkings, see those words, think you ought to underline that in your Bible because evidently we’re gonna talk about the word repent. They’re thinking something, he says, but what think ye, he wanted them to think. A certain man had two sons. He came to the first and said, son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and he says, I will not, There’s your typical teenager. I will not, but afterwards he repented.

What do you think it means? Changed his mind. He changed his mind and what was the result of him changing his mind? He went. In verse 30, he came to the 2nd and said, likewise. And he answered and says, I go, sir. And he went not. He didn’t do it. So he says, which of the two did the will of his father? They said unto him, the first. Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

For John came unto you in the way of righteousness. And ye, and here’s those words, believed him, not you did not believe. Now in the book of Acts in chapter 19 when Paul was talking to some disciples that were there at Ephesus, he asked them, says, on the what? Where’d you baptize? They said, we don’t know what you’re talking about. He says, on the John’s baptism, he says, look, he says, John truly baptized with water, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him that is on Christ which was to come.

So John the Baptist did not preach works for salvation. John the Baptist did not tell everybody got a turn from your sins in order to be saved. He did not teach that. He told them to trust Christ as their Savior. And so here what he’s talking about, he says the publicans and the harlot. This is about as low as you can get. The tax collector in the harlot’s. That’s why most of us here today still don’t like tax collectors.

Somebody always calls them in the phone and says, this pastor aren’t on this. Is this the IRS? You say, why do you do that? It would depend on whether I talk to him or not. Anyway, he says, if the harlot’s go into the kingdom of God before you. Now, who is he talking to the religious leaders? You You know those people that are supposed to keep the goodie-goodie-two-shears? These are the people that were the leaders, the religious head. They’re in Jerusalem and he’s telling them this.

There’s harlitz and they’re going to get to go into the kingdom before you. Why? Look how bad they are. What a terrible illustration to use that is he telling the truth because they trust in their works and he’s trying to get them to say, look, change your mind. differently. You’re not better than they are. Look what he says in verse 32 now. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye, ah, believed him not. But the publicans in the harlot, what do they do?

They believed. So you see, believing and not believing is the key. That’s why he says in the book of John in chapter 3, he that believeth on me is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already? Why? Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Only two kinds of people in this world. Those that believe and those that don’t believe. What else he says here? In verse 32, for John came unto you in the way of righteousness and you believed him not but the public and the harlot’s believed him.

And when he had seen it, look at the next word, repented not afterwards that you might believe. You see, you have to change your mind and believe. When you study the Gospel of John, you do not find the word repent used. But all way through the Gospel of John, you’ll find that by faith you’re saved. About 98 times, believe, believe, believe, by faith and faith alone. That’s all you have to do. Well that’s too easy. So you can’t believe in this cheap grace, this easy believerism.

So what right does any preacher have to make it hard for people to go to heaven? When the Lord did all the work, it made it easy for us and all we had to do is accept what He did for us. It’s the gift of God, it’s not of works lest any man should boast. But give what He says, and ye when ye had seen it, repented not atwards and you ought to unalign this in your Bible then that you might believe him.

You see you change your mind and put your faith in what Christ did for you. Here you’d have to turn from all of your sins before you can believe. Do you have to change and turn from all of your sins in order to believe? Or can you believe? You see, they got it backward because when we trust Christ’s Savior, we believe the message and then later on we may change some things in our life. because you’ve learned to love the Lord.

See, the more you love the Lord, the more you want to clean up your life. When you don’t love the Lord, then you don’t care about clean up your life. You don’t care about your testimony. You don’t care what people think. But when you love the Lord, everything matters. But anyway, page two, on the back, Acts chapter 20, turn the Bible to the book of Acts and chapter 20. So in Acts chapter 20, there’s an interesting verse here in verse 21.

Where he says, testify in both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a change of mind where God wants us to put our faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. If you had to turn from your sins in order to be saved, think about it. How many of your sins would you have to change from? If you do have to turn from your sins, get a hundred preachers, and you can get Baptist preachers.

Put them in a room and give them a piece of paper and say, now give me the list and all of you ought to agree because if you’ve got to turn from your sins, you ought to give me a list of which ones. Are they all equal or just major sins and the little sins doesn’t matter? You know, if it’s a black lie, but it’s different than a white lie, some people have colored blind. Then the part two is, howswick long do I have to stop doing these sins?

You see, that’s a can of confusion. God is not the author of confusion. That’s what the devil does. The devil always adds to the gospel and then if you trust in Christ’s Savior, he’ll mess up your understanding of the Christian life. Well, it’s just so hard to serve the Lord. So hard. Well, I’m 75 years old and I don’t think it’s hard serving the Lord. The Bible says it’s hard for the wicked and they’ve hardened their necks. He says if you do not serve the Lord with joyfulness of heart, he said I will put a yoke of iron upon your neck until it destroys you.

Jesus is coming to me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn to me for my yoke is so hard. That ain’t what the Bible says. Somebody lying to you. You go contrary to God and you resist the Lord and see if it ain’t worse than serving God. You rebel against the Lord and see if you don’t lose your love and your joy and your peace and your happiness and your purpose in life.

But anyway, he’s talking to believers here and what he did because He’s also letting them know I went from house to house. I did it publicly. Preaching the gospel so that people could trust Christ as their Savior. And this is why this is so important. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke. Turn to the book of Luke. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The book of Luke, these are the verses that I first heard from evangelists, visiting guest speakers who would come and buddy they knew how to tear it up and they would teach turn or burn.

Luke chapter 13 because it’s mentioned twice here except the man repent he shall all likewise perish. He’s mentioned there in chapter 13. Look what he says in verse three. I tell you, name, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Verse five, I tell you, name, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Set it twice. And so therefore, unless you repent. Now should a man repent? Yes he’s got to repent. But now what do you want a person to repent of?

Well in the context, you ought to find out what it’s talking about. Then, reserve the last Saturday of the month for the Iron Sharpen’s Iron Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast at Calvary Community Church. Join us at 730 for a home-cooked breakfast. Then, at 8am, the featured speaker of the month will present a one-hour classroom style men’s Bible study in a relaxed atmosphere where questions and dialogue are welcomed. The scripture tells us that Iron Sharpen’s Iron and this men’s Bible study is open to those of all levels, whether new believers or mature Christians.

The Iron sharpens Iron men’s Bible study and breakfast. Don’t miss this monthly opportunity for fellowship and the study of God’s Word. 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.