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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.

I want you to take your Bible and turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 11. You say, we’re going to finish that? Yeah, well, not exactly. But in chapter 11, I want to read a verse to you here. And it’s in chapter 11 and verse 29, verse 29, where he says, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. I automatically assumed the Lord’s body here is talking about the Lord and his body.

We’re having communion service and his blood and his bread. And so that’s been my stock answer for all these years. And I got to think him when he says they’re not discerning the Lord’s body. So then I got to think, I wouldn’t have many bodies does the Lord have. And so I want you to take your Bible and just turn to 1 Corinthians in chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and there’s a verse here that lets us know that there’s more than one body.

In the book of Corinthians, believe it or not, it lists at least three different bodies and all three of these bodies can belong to the Lord. One is the body that you happen to be inhabiting right now, that you’re dwelling in this body. All of what he says are in verse 16, know ye not that ye are the temple of God, that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.

For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Therefore it looks like our bodies is the temple of the Lord’s, where the Lord lives. Now I know there’s other verses, we’ll look at them in a little bit that says, no you’re not that you are the temple of the living God. And you’ve been bought with the price, therefore glorified God in your body and in your spirit which are gods, like my body belongs to the Lord. So when he says about discerning the Lord’s body, yes we should discern you know about the communion, the purpose of it and all that.

But I wanted to take just a little bit further in application, not that that’s what it’s referring to but I do believe that we should discern the Lord’s body. And if you just take the body that you have, do you really discern that body that you have and who it belongs to? And what are you supposed to do with it? What are you not supposed to do with it? And is there consequences to misusing the body that we have?

And then we know also that when we trust Christ as our Savior, all the individuals from Pentecost rapture were baptized into the body of Christ. Well, that’s a different body altogether. But it’s a body of believers. And the question came in my mind is can I misunderstand or misuse this body that I have my physical body? And I would think yes, I can. And can I misuse or abuse the church, the body of Christ. Can I offend this body?

Can I hurt this body? Can I do anything that weakens this body? And even though we are a local church, a local assembly, we’re part of a broader, I guess you could say, body that’s a spiritual body that belongs to the Lord. And regardless of who people may be, where they may be, if they’ve trusted Christ is Savior, they’re part of this body of Christ. So as a Christian, I won’t… But, I really don’t. I’m sorry, I’m a fucking shit!

We’re okay. Go! Mmm. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Only the more. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Okay. I’m sorry. Okay, okay. But, um, you know what. Now, let’s look at it. Yeah, look at it. Okay, get it. We’re good, okay. I think they’re just gonna have to be patient. Can I offend this body? Am I to discern the Lord’s body?

In other words, the church. Can I really discern the purpose of the church? And sometimes I wonder whether or not people do they really discern the reason why we have services, why we do what we do? Or it’s just say, you know, if you want to, if you don’t want to, no big deal. You don’t have to take it seriously. I don’t have to alter my life around it, but if it meets my convenience, then if I want to go, I can.

If I want to support it, no, I can. But if I don’t want to, it’s not no big consequences to it. Or do I really discern the purpose of my physical body and how it’s to be used, where I should go, what I should think, what I should say? And what about the body of Christ itself? Can we abuse this body? If I misuse this body, I can lose this body. God says he can destroy it. If we abuse our church, can we lose our church?

Can someday the church doors of the Calvary community church be closed? That possible? If enough of God’s people want it, then you can lose it. Or if it’s not taken seriously, you can lose it. So see, we don’t have guarantees that these things here are going to last. Now spiritually in the body of Christ, yes, we’ll live forever. Now I want you to take your Bible looking 1 Corinthians in chapter 12. 1 Corinthians and chapter 12. And you’ll notice there in verse 13, where it says, and 4 by 1 spirit are we all baptized into one body.

Now in the book of Corinthians, yes, it talks about different bodies. But now is this body here? Is this talking about my physical body? Or is this talking about the church body? This is talking about the spiritual body, the whole thing. Or is it just talking about just the local church body. Well that’s why can we discern the differences in the various bodies. And he says whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, have been all made to drink and do one spirit.

Now even though we’re talking here in the book of Corinthians and yes addressed to this church that’s kind of a carnally minded church and had major problems, difficulties. The Lord never said anything to him about questioning their salvation, but he did say things to help them to grow and to mature in the Lord. Now I want you to take 389 your Bible and turn all the way over to the book of Hebrews, the book of Hebrews in chapter 10 Hebrews and chapter 10 Hebrews chapter 10 there’s another you know a bunch of scriptures it talks about a few things that might need to take a look at look there in verse 5 Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5 where for when he cometh into the world he saith sacrifice and offerings thou would it not But he said, but a body has stopped preparing me.

Now is that talking about my body? Is that talking about the church? What body do you think this is talking about? I can’t hear you. He’s talking about his body. This is the body that was prepared for him. And this is the result of Mary, the Holy spirit, seed been planted and lo and behold, that holy thing became the Son of God. So this is a body, but he’s referring to his own body. Then you’ll notice when he comes down here and he makes his statement in verse 10, by the which we all, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

And I believe he’s talking about the literal body of Jesus Christ. And so this body, he paid for all of our sins and talks about after he had made this payment, he sat down on the right hand of the Father. And then in verse 14, for by one offering he hath perfected them that are sanctified or made pure and holy because of the payment Christ made on the cross for us. And when we believe that, God gives us this free gift of everlasting life.

Now take your Bible and let’s look at another verse. Look there in 1 Corinthians in chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. And you’ll notice that even though we read this verse and we kind of read over it, maybe a little fast at times, it does say there in verse 27, Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.” This word body here. What do you think this word body refers to?

What do you think it refers to? Your body, the church itself, or the body of the Lord? Well, it kind of looks like it’s talking about the body and the blood of the Lord, but let a man examine himself and let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself or judgment upon himself, not discerning the Lord’s body, not discerning the Lord’s body. In other words, there has to be an understanding that we have.

When it comes to these physical bodies of ours, do we really understand that these bodies belong to the Lord? And that we are not free to just do anything we want with it, take it anywhere we want, or use it any way we want to. Now, there’s a lot of things we can do in life. A lot of things we can be. probably a lot of talents and abilities we may have, but whatever it is, this body is not supposed to be a tool for the devil to use.

This body belongs to the Lord, and it should be used for the Lord. So do you believe that all of God’s children really understands this? And because they understand it, they would not dare misuse this body. Do they take it to the right places? do the right things with it. Really take care of the body the way we should. Now, I wanna give you a couple verses to look at, look in 1 Corinthians in chapter six. 1 Corinthians and chapter six.

Just to give you a few things to think about, concerning this. You’ll notice it says in verse 13, verse 13 says, “‘Meads for the belly and the belly for meats.” they kind of made for each other. If I need a tummy, my tummy needs to have something put into it. So God has made things for my tummy. And my tummy was made to have something put into it. It’s kind of like they were made for each other. But now notice, but God shall destroy both it and them.

Now the body is not for fornication. Now this body, you think we’re talking about the body of Christ. We’re talking about the body of the church. Or we may be talking about our own body. Hmm? You think you’re talking about our own body. Alright, look what he says. Now the body is not for fornication. What in the world is that? What is that? Well, whatever it is, you know what don’t sound good, does it? It doesn’t look good. It looks like it could be something pretty bad.

So some people say, well, adultries for adults and fornication for those that are not adults. But it can be adults that can commit fornication, even upon people that they’re not married to and sex outside of marriage, and it would be right or wrong. It’d be wrong. So should you take the body that belongs to the Lord. Does your body belong to the Lord? So if my body belongs to the Lord, does God want me to take and have my body join together with a harlot?

No, they weren’t made for each other. Your body belongs to the Lord and your body should be used for the Lord. It’s not to be misused and some people they sin against their body because however a person satisfied the lust of the flesh. It creates a stronger desire. That’s why it’s a sin against the body because the desire to get stronger. It becomes a bigger monster and if you couldn’t control it when it was a small desire, what are you gonna do and it becomes a greater desire?

So it’s harder down the road to conquer… The lust of the flesh when you start giving into the lust of the flesh and it’s a sin against your body because your body now craze and wants to be satisfied the way it was satisfied before. It’s like a person who gets on drugs. They try some, you know, little stuff that may be not too bad. But then when that satisfaction wears off, they got to have something stronger and then something stronger and something stronger.

It’s the beginning of the destruction of the body and your body belongs to the Lord. Look what he says here in verse 15, no, you not that your bodies are the members of Christ, your bodies are the members of Christ. They belong to the Lord and the Lord lives within you and you are the temple of God. Then take the members of Christ and make them members of the the harlot? What’s the next two words say? God forbid. So it’s not the will of God for people to take their bodies if you are a Christian, you are a believer, you are to honor the Lord with that physical body of yours.

And he says in verse 16, what? No you not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body. For to sayeth he shall be one flesh. God made that when two people married come together as a man and a woman to become one and they have one flesh to come one, but God has designed it this way. But He didn’t say take this body that you have and join it to a harm it. You see, that’s illegal, that’s wrong, it’s immoral, and you don’t have the right to do it.

You say, well, well, we love love each other. Love has nothing to do with this. Truth does. You don’t go by feeling. You don’t know how we feel about each other. I don’t care. A man with a man is wrong and it’s wicked. A man with a woman, it is wicked when it’s outside the marriage. And I don’t believe you should have two living. But anyway, we’ll move right along. Look at the next verse. He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

You’ve already been joined to the Lord in one spirit. So your spirit and your body belongs to the Lord. And he says that down here in verse 20. It belongs to the Lord. So you’re not to take this and join it to anything else. Be not conformed to this world. And the world does not set the standard for God’s children. He says in verse 18, see those two words, what does it say about this? Flee, fornication, Flee. It doesn’t say experiment, try it out, see if you like it.

No, Flee, stay away from it. That means you’ll have to guard what you think, what you see, who you’re around. All these things, these are all important things. Isn’t it amazing that as we watch some of the news, which I’m not too proud of all the news and all the revelations that are going on right now. But it seemed like some of the things have come home to roost and people are finding out that nobody will ever know. Oh no, it’s on Facebook.

It’s in the newspapers and they’ve always got people who are trying to dig up dirt on somebody. And so God says, keep your life pure. Just keep doing right. And it’s amazing how that some people are doing, I can get sidetracked here so easy, but I’m gonna do my dead level best to stay into this. Now, notice what it said in verse 19. What, no ye not, don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and you are not your own.

You do not belong to you. You have been bought and paid for, you belong to the Lord. And God’s only allowing you the use of that body if you’ll use it for His glory. When you stop using that body for His glory, then God can just take you out of that body or set you on the side and you become ashamed to the cause of Christ. And a lot of this has been done and is being done. Now, He says you’re not your own.

And verse 24, you’re bought with the price, glorify God, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belong to the Lord. So if you understand this, this is what God’s word has to say and I think we ought to go by this. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 27. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 27. Look at Paul says about the body. Do you discern? The purpose of the body, the use of the body, do you understand that this body has sinful desires within because it has a sinful nature and it’s in our members, it’s in our flesh.

And you can’t trust the flesh. So he says here in verse 27, but I keep under my body, mean I keep my body in subjection. Less that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway or disapproved or rejected.” In other words, I’m striving for the mastery. In other words, if I’m going to run, I want to win. And he says up there about, I want to obtain an incorruptible crown. But if I can’t control my body, I can’t win the race.

And if I don’t control my body, I will not gain the crown. And the body that you and I live in is our home on planet earth. It’s our little space suit. And if we don’t take this little space suit, we’re going to have to get another space to live. Absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Now, is that word body? Is that the church to be absent from the church is to be present with the Lord?

You can very easily misread things. And some people do when they really want to do whatever they want to do with their life. You can always find verses to justify whatever a person wants to do. Now, 1 Corinthians in chapter 11, look in verse 24, verse 24. And notice this verse here. Which body do you think he’s talking about? And when he had given thanks, he’d break it and says, take, this is my body which is broken for you.

This due in remembrance of me. I think we won’t have too much of a problem to understand it. That this bread or the cup that we take is not the real body of Christ, but it represents his body. And we are supposed to do this in remembrance of what the Lord has done for us. Now in 1 Corinthians and chapter 12, look in verse 14. Verse 14, for the body is not one member, but many members. This body that’s mentioned here, is this the body, the literal body of Christ?

Is it your literal body or is it something else? What does this word body here refer to? You see, you’re supposed to discern the bodies, discerning the body that you live in, lest you misuse it. Discerning the body of Christ, and what he did with the shedding of his blood, and the taking upon himself, the sins of the world, upon that body, body has not prepared me. And to realize the church body, you see, there’s things that we do that can either edify the body of Christ, the church, or there are things we can do that can destroy our local assembly.

And in the book of Revelation in chapter two and chapter three, when he talks to the churches, he says, I want you to do this, you’re doing a good job here, but you need to do this, lest I come and remove thy candlestick. Means I’m gonna close your doors and you will not be alight because of rebellion or disobedience. And this is important. Now, when you go down through here, you’re looking verse 15. Verse 15, if the foot shall say because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?

So what body are we talking about here? The human body? This is a representation of the human body. But as we look at this human body, It also represents another body. What body is that? The church. So you have a physical body and my finger is at my whole body. And I got a thumb, but it’s not my whole body. I got an arm, it’s not my whole body. But what if my whole body was an eye?

That’s all I had was one big eye, I went right here and before it, big old eyeball. If my whole body was nothing but an eye, I might be able to see good, but only in one direction unless somebody moves me. But if I was just one big OI, now everybody knows that in every body there’s always a couple of heels. in this one body if it was all just a nose. My luck did be a running nose. You know, I did break my nose when I was young.

Now it runs with a limp. Thank you. I appreciate that, Bob. But if I was just a nose, where would the rest of the body be? Everybody’s not the same. And in the body of Christ, he lets us know that we’re all different, but we’re all part of the body and that everything and everyone in the body of Christ. is important. And he says, you are members in particular, and there are some people in the body who may not think that highly of because, you know, well, they can’t do this and they can’t do that.

And they’re not as important. God says they’re all important. Every individual is important. Now, take your Bible and look there in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 3. He’s talking about body here again. But now notice, in verse three, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love or charity, it profiteth me nothing. What body do you think we’re talking about here? What body? If I give my body to be burned, well that’s your body because I wouldn’t do that.

We’ve got to be talking about yours. I’m not planning on doing anything like that with my body. So you have a body and you can give that body to be burned and have not loved. A lot of people are willing to sacrifice an awful lot, but they don’t love. They don’t love one another. They give a lot of money at the substitute for my service and I don’t have to love people to treat people right. I just look who I am.

I’m giving a lot of money. or somebody else does something else. And some people come to church just so maybe they can just do a particular thing and they get honor and glory and that’s why they do it. But God knows whether or not, do you do what you do because you really wanna benefit the people that are there and be a blessing to people. You wanna edify, not edify, but edify. Second Corinthians in chapter four. Second Corinthians chapter four, look at that one very quickly.

Chapter four and look in verse 10. St. Corinthians chapter 4 verse 10 says, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Now, body’s mentioned here twice. But sometimes I understand you gotta think enough, what body are we talking about? Which one refers to what? But whatever it is, we’re supposed to magnify Christ in our body. Our bodies belong to the Lord, so we have a body that belongs to Him and should honor Him.

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That’s 8502275325. 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.