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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 We support Make It Possible for Bibleline to continue on the page. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the Bibleline Minister’s O.R.G. home page. 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.

to the book of Romans in chapter 1, the book of Romans chapter 1. I want to speak to you this morning on a subject out of appreciation for the song that Peter just sung, Amazing Grace, and understanding really what Amazing Grace is. You know it’s amazing that people all over the world sing that song, Amazing Grace, and have no idea what Grace really is. It means that salvation going to heaven is totally a gift. It’s free. That you do not earn eternal life.

You do not work your way to heaven. Christ already paid for it. And you do not add anything to grace. Grace is the absence of work. Means you do not deserve to go to heaven. And by your works you never will deserve it. It’s the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. is so very, very important. Now in your notes I have a little title called Calvinism is destroyed by a parable. And I want to show you that to you in just a moment.

But there are people who have a weird idea about what grace really is. And I want to explain that to you. So in your notes there the following simple acrostic tulip is a classic reform 5.Kavanese viewpoint. So they call it the tulip. It’s the flower that God hates. The tea stands for total depravity of man. They teach that man is so depraved, he cannot think, reason, choose, make choices of any kind. He’s dead. And because he’s dead, he can’t do anything.

I know that’s a problem. So they believe that man is so dead and so out of it that he can’t make a decision. So God reaches down and chooses to save who he wants. So if you represented the world and I was God and I looked out upon you, you’re all dead. You’re all separated from me and you can’t do anything about it. You have no desire. You do have no interest. You cannot seek God. You cannot find God.

You don’t know God. You don’t want to know God and you’re gone. You’re really gone astray. So it’s grace if I pick this person and that person and that person and that person and you are not be upset about it because you’re all going to go to hell anyway. But if I save some of you, you ought to be thankful that I saved some of them. Of course I didn’t save you. I mean you still get to go to hell.

We don’t believe that here. The U stands for unconditional election that God chooses whoever He wants. And it’s not your choice, it’s God’s choice. He chose who He wants to save and it’s unconditional and means that you don’t have a choice in the matter. So you don’t get to choose. And so therefore those who go to heaven, God chose and those who go to hell, God chose. And nobody really chose anything. We’re really just puppets in this world. We don’t believe that here.

The L stands for limited atonement. Limited atonement means that Jesus cries when He died on the cross. It didn’t have to pay for everybody’s sins. He just paid for those few that He chose. And so the rest of you didn’t have your sins paid for. We don’t believe that here. You see we believe the Bible. This is not Bible. They’ll make it sound like Bible but it’s not Bible. The I stands for irresistible grace. In other words, when God gives you the faith to believe you just can’t resist it.

In spite of all the things that Bible says that they resisted God and they resisted the Holy Spirit, they say you can’t resist it. But we don’t believe that here. We believe that you can resist salvation. You can say no to God. They don’t believe that. The peace stands for perseverance of the saints means that if God saves the five of you, you five will mature in the Lord and you five will persevere to the end and you you will remain faithful.

It caused guaranteed. And if you don’t, then that’s a sign you weren’t really saved to start with. And that’s a whole can of worms. We don’t believe that here. But I do believe that God answers every one of these charges. Very simple and one parable. One little parable that he gave. And I want to show that to you today. But first of all, before we get there, I wanted to read something to you. I just got this just a couple days ago.

I get them. all the time. He says, I got myself tangled up in Calvinism. I got so confused and depressed. I doubted my own salvation. I even told the Lord, your yoke is too heavy and it’s unbearable. Everything in my life was negative. I thought how I spread the gospel when I don’t even know if I’m saved. My wife has been dragged down with me. But the Lord took me to your video on Calvinism. And just like that, the weight lifted off me.

The Lord took me back to when I first believed. One saved always saved. Now I look forward to spreading the gospel. Thank you and praise me to the Holy Spirit for directing me to you. You’re now in my prayers and made the Lord He rewards on you for your steadfastness. And His name is John. I live in a small settlement in New Zealand. We’re over there on the other side of the world all because of our YouTube ministry. And remember, these are just a few of the ones that we will hear from.

Just think of how many people are being reached and never say a word. Like I mean a radio message you listen to and you never call the radio station or call the people or send a note or say thank you. But you listen all the time. When you’re riding up down the road and you’ll hear somebody and never say a word. Well, that’s the same way it is with us. But we believe that we’re planting seeds that will grow.

Now, I want you to notice in the book of Romans in chapter 1, I want to just use this to explain that God says that people are without excuse, knowing that there is a God and knowing that there is judgment against being unrighteous, and that there is a day coming when you’re going to have to give a count. So God puts those things inside of a person when they’re born and looked there in verse 19, Romans chapter 1. He says, because that which may be known of God is manifest, and see that word, in them.

Things that can be known of God, that God says you can know this. Now you may not know everything, but there are some things you can know. And those things that you know are evidences that there is a God. He says, for God have showed it unto them. God has revealed things to mankind. So that mankind is without excuse. They know there’s a God. They may not know God, but they know there is a God. And then he makes this statement, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, no word, the invisible things that you cannot see can be seen by the things that are made.

Now we’ve never seen God, but we’ve seen that the world is here, and we didn’t do it. Somebody made it. And he says, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are and you are done the line is without excuse. What about all those innocent people? There are no innocent people. Now, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, Jesus Christ taught in many ways.

in many ways, sometimes he referred to the sun, sometimes the moon, sometimes the lilies of the field and the birds of the year. And sometimes he would take a store that everybody knew. And he said, let me tell you the story about the man that went forth to sow. It’s a simple little story, but you ought to see the depth of this story because that’s really what it’s about. In chapter 13, he makes a statement here in verse three, and he spake many things unto them in parables.

Now a parable is a way to teach spiritual truths to a mixed audience, where you have people who wanna know truth, and you have people that don’t wanna know. Those who want to know can understand, those who don’t wanna know will not understand. And those who do really wanna understand that didn’t understand can ask the question. And his disciples came to him and they asked him, says, what do you mean? But at least they responded. No, get this. He says, behold, a sower went forth to sow.

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside. Files came, devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth. And forthward they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth. When the sun was up, they were scourged and because they had no root they withered away. Some fell among thorns and the thorn sprung up and choked them, but others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit. Some a hundredfold and some sixty, some thirtyfold, who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

So the question comes is what is all is talking about. Explain what you mean by all of this. So I just want you to look in your notes there and we’re not going to turn to these verses but I just want to read them to you. Because God says that the soil that he talks about here is determined by your response to previous light. In other words, the soil, whether it’s by the wayside or whether it’s stony ground or thorny ground or a good ground depends upon the mind of the man.

Because you see he’s not really talking about just a sewer so in the seed and some crop growing up he’s talking about the people that he’s talking to. Their minds, some of it’s on the wayside. Some people’s minds is stony. Some is thorny and some is good ground. And that’s why some could receive and some did not receive. But the seed was sown to all the minds. Now get this. John 1 and 9 says, that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

There’s certain amount of light that everybody will have. Then he says in verse 10, he was in the world and and you ought to underline the world was made by him. Why did he have to say that? Because that’s the evidence that there’s a God. The world that we see every day of our lives is the evidence there is a God. Now some people will accept that evidence and some people will not accept it. And that doesn’t matter how many tracks God has laid around.

all the animals and all the people, all the plants, all the stars, the earth itself. And when you look in the mirror, that’s the evidence. There’s a God. You prove there is no God. I don’t have to prove there is one. You prove there is not one. Now get this, the next statement. Luke 12, 48 says, but he that knew not to commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes, but under whom, so ever, much is given.”

Now this is the only point that I want to dwell on today. Under whom, so ever, much is given, the great of the light, of him shall be much required, the great of the responsibility. And to whom men have committed much of him, they will ask them more. The more you responsibility give somebody, the more you expect from somebody. So the Bible is clear. You and I have been given light. But the condition of our mind is what will make the difference whether we accept it or we reject it.

Now as we go through all four of these types of soil this morning, one of these is yours. One of these represent you. You are one of these. So we’re going to help you to discover yourself. It’s kind of like the guy that, well this man he had a son that was kind of lost. He just didn’t know who he was. And he was a long-haired hippie, and he just couldn’t find himself. Got a haircut, and there he was.

He was the next-door neighbor’s kid. He’d been raising him for ten years, didn’t he? Now, when you go through this, you’ll see some things that are made very clear. But now, look there now in your notes. Look in verse 10, and the disciples came and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because, now here’s the reason, here’s a reason, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

You said that that doesn’t sound fair, it looked like God chose some and God rejected others. God chose some people to see it, Now the people not to see it. Well, let’s not quit too soon. Look in verse 12, for whosoever hath understanding, to him shall be given more understanding, more truth, more light. And he shall have more abundant, more light or less light. That’s what we’re talking about. Understanding things, seeing things, Hearing and believing. You see, those are choices that we make.

We determine by what we hear whether to believe it or not to believe it. And then he says, but whosoever half not from him shall be taken away even that which he had. See, God has given certain amount of light to everybody, the light of everybody that comes into the world. And God knows that we know there’s a God. And this truth, if you do not believe the evidence and the truth, then God says their foolish heart is darkened.

You lose the light you had and your mind becomes darkened. And then the Bible says they become as fools, claiming to be wise but they become fools because they refuse to believe the truth. So if you’re going to believe a lie, a man is a fool. And the Bible says in the book of Psalm that, the fool have said in his heart there is no God. Now, it wasn’t because that’s how he was originally born. No, that’s because of education.

And we have people of day that are teaching in our schools, there is no God. You don’t need the Bible, we don’t need Christianity, we don’t need truth. So lo and behold, look at our country. Look at how the morals have gone down the drain. You’d be surprised how teenagers are living today and how adults are living today because they don’t believe the truth. Now get this, he makes a statement in verse 13, therefore speak eye to them in parables and get to because they seen, see not.

And hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. You see, it’s the people that are doing this to themselves, not God, but they’re the one that are doing it. when you reject truth, when you reject light, you harden yourself, you harden your own mind. And therefore it becomes more difficult for you to ever understand and to believe, to see. And then you have, yes, some people that see it and understand it and there’s truth, and their minds are good soil and they can just believe it.

Now look what he says in verse 14. He quotes an Old Testament verse, and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which saith, by hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand. You’ll hear it, but you don’t understand it. You don’t get it. You see, the soil is talking about the minds of individuals. Where is your mind? And some people do not have a mind to receive truth. You can’t know truth. No, there’s no right and wrong. And there’s people by the wayside that say, I don’t know and I don’t care.

You ever talk to people like that? They don’t know and they don’t care and they don’t want you to talk to them. I come across people like that all the time. Already made up their mind. There is no God, there’s no heaven, there’s no hell. And when I die, that’s all there is to it. Who told them that? It wasn’t God that told them that and that’s not the truth, they believe a lie. So then he makes this statement in verse 14.

He says, seeing you shall see and shall not perceive you will not understand the truth. Look in verse 15, for this people’s heart is wax gross. Not that they couldn’t, but they chose not to. This has nothing to do with God choosing certain people to believe in other people, He won’t let them believe it. No, this is people who are doing it to themselves. I may stand up here and I can tell you the truth about how to go to heaven and that it’s a gift and that it’s totally free.

You may think in your mind, that’s too easy. Can’t be that way. The gift of God, you got to work for it. That makes sense? And you can refuse to accept the payment Christ made on the cross for you. And somebody else can sit here and say, you know, that makes perfectly good sense. Because some people will want to know the truth and some people will not want to know. And it doesn’t matter how hard you explain it, some will believe and some people will not believe.

Here’s what he says. And this is so important, this part of the verse. For this people’s heart is wax gross, that means calloused. And their ears are dull of hearing. And their eyes underline these three words, they have closed. Who did this? They did it. People want to blame God. No, don’t blame God. They did it to themselves. God so loved the world, but there’s people that don’t believe God so loved them. They don’t believe that there is a God.

You’d be surprised at the things that you’ll find out from people when you talk to them. And he says here, they have closed and here’s the reason. less at any time. Any time it means they can. Any time they could if they choose to open their eyes and see and to believe. So it’s not God that doesn’t want them to see. It’s that they have rebelled against the truth and the light that God’s already given them. So when God wants to give them more light, they reject that.

And it’s the gospel that is the light that helps them to see and understand these things that they’ve known about God, but didn’t understand. understand. And so when they see that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe it would not perish but have everlasting life. So God see is revealing the truth to those who have already revealed light and they accept that light and they accept that light and they accept that light and when they see and hear the gospel they can believe the gospel.

But when you harden yourself by doubting and questioning and not wanting to know or that there is no God. Now some people’s mind become like a rock, hard-headed, but if they’d ever came across when they can know the truth they’d want to know, but there’s some people that don’t want to know I had a man tell me the other day he says, I’m an agnostic. I says, that means without knowledge. So you’re proud that you’re ignorant. I don’t do that to many people just those who are a little smart L.K.

But now look back in verse 15. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, their ears of dull appearance and their eyes they have closed, lest any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears. See, it’s they’re the one that determine it and get this should, see that word should, should understand with their heart and should be converted. That means turn again to the truth and I I would heal them. In other words, the Lord’s there and he’s ready and he will.

He’ll save anybody. All you guys do is believe the truth. But if you choose not to believe the truth, don’t blame God for that. You see Calvinists say, you can’t choose. Jesus said you can. Now who you gonna believe? Jesus are the Calvinist. When he says you can know and you can believe and you should three times in this one verse he uses that word should. It should be different. He says that their eyes, they have closed in verse 51 and should understand and should be converted and should heal them.

All these right there in this verse of what could be done. Now I want you to take your notes. Look on page two. I wanna show you why I believe that this is so important. So I put certain things in bold a little bit and a little repeating, because I believe it’s important. So at the top of the page there, that verse Matthew 13, 13, therefore speak I to them in parables because they see and see not. It’s just like you’ve got eyes you can see but you don’t see.

You have ears you can hear word but you don’t really hear. You don’t understand. The Bible says this, I have not seen, ear have not heard, neither has entered to do the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them to love him. But God hath revealed them unto us that do love him. But he revealed them unto us by his spirit. Yeah, the spirit searches all things. He had the spirit of God that dwells within us, can teach us the things about God that no man can know.

But he says, the natural man received if not the things of the spirit of God, because they’re spiritually certain and he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling him. But if a man, the natural man, which all of us were at one time, we were all lost at one time, but somebody brought to us the light of the gospel. Help us to see how to go to heaven. Most of us in here, maybe all of us, that one time thought we had to be good to go to heaven, and that was a lie.

That we had to go to church, and we had to give money to go to heaven, and that’s a lie. We were all probably thought at one time, you have to wait till you die to find out wasn’t you good enough to make it. And if it was good, you go to heaven and bad, you go to hell. And we thought we have to wait till we die to find out if we didn’t go to heaven. And that’s a lie.

We find out the truth of God says, you can know right now, why? Because it’s free. And it’s just a gift of God. He doesn’t give it to us as a reward for us behaving ourselves. This is to show us how much God loves us. And so He gave us a free gift of every life of life to whosoever would be leave it. That it was a gift, that it’s free. You try to earn it, you can’t have it.

You can’t have it. Do you believe your good works has anything to do with it? You can’t have it. You can’t go. I didn’t make the rules. I’m just telling you this is what he said. And it’s the same for everybody. So going all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. It didn’t matter what kind of soil it was, just preached the gospel to everybody. Because even those, regardless of not at any time, at any time they can change their mind and believe it.

But whether they do or not, that’s their choice, not gods. No. In your notes there, look at Matthew 13, 14, top of the page. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, by hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand and see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart, there’s the cause. It’s waxed gross. It means they’ve hardened themselves calloused, and their ears are dull of hearing. And their eyes, see those three words? They have closed.

They closed. They closed their understanding. They didn’t want to hear it. They don’t want to believe. And you can’t make people see. You can’t make a blind man see. So the next statement, he says, their eyes, they have closed, get to less at any time. They should see with their eyes at any time. You can believe the gospel today and if you don’t believe it you can believe it tomorrow. You don’t believe it tomorrow. You can believe it naked.

Of course, you don’t know how much time you’ve got to live. So if you want to wait till tomorrow, you can. You wait all year if you want. But you’re running at risk. You could die. And the longer you wait, the more calloused or hardened or gross your understanding is going to become. You’re not going to see as much out of sight, out of mind. You may hear it today and say, you know, I’m gonna think about that for the next 10 years.

Yeah, good luck. Do me a favor. Don’t die. Leave the next part less at any time they should see with their ears or their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should it be converted? It means turn again to truth and I should heal them. It was the will of God to save them. The good seed was sown to them. They chose not to believe good. This refutes the teaching of Calvinism. Look at the next statement.

Four types of soil. The birds get the seed before the person understands and accept it as truth because of their own previous rejection of light. Don’t know, don’t care, not concerned, and it just lays by the wayside. And they don’t think about it. Don’t want to think about it. Because if you If you think about something, it might make sense. You may see that, you know, there’s no trick to this. But some people don’t even want to hear it.

That’s their choice. You can’t make it, but God says, so the seed, you sow the seed. You sow the seed to all kinds of ground. And it went everywhere. You see, Jesus Christ said, just sow it on good ground. No, He said, sow it everywhere. Every person, every individual. This is your invitation to join us There are third Sunday dinner held in the Florida Bible College of Tampa building on the Calvary Community Church Campus. The dinner is a family-style, covered dish dinner, and a great way to showcase your favorite dish and pick up new recipes.

Each month you have the opportunity to invite your family and friends to join us for our Sunday morning service at 1030, and then stay for our third Sunday dinner immediately following noon. Sundays at Calvary Community Church, where you’ll be fed spiritually and physically. 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. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.