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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here Godhestruth 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 concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

The next verse, are you aware of God’s presence in your life? As you live your life, are you aware you’re always living He’s living in the presence of God. Where does God live? Well, he live way up there in the place of God heaven. Where does God live? He’s living inside of me. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. God lives in me. Do you live in the presence of God? Though I know that whatever I say, think, do, I’m always in the presence of God.

See, nobody can live your Christian life for you. you have to do it. And he says it, for the love of Christ constraineth us, that’s to motivate us. Because we thus judge that if one died for all, then all were dead, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again. So the reason we should serve the Lord is because of what He has done for us. There’s our motivation that we need.

Correct your priorities. How was Mary’s choice better than Martha? you read this and Lazarus, he had these two sisters and Jesus often visited their home. But now time with the Lord is more important than service. But there has to be time with the Lord, and there has to be service. But which one is more important? Well, the first one is this. Get this story. Jesus. Now he came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister named Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. But Martha was comforted about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Did her therefore that she helped me? No, two sisters, Jesus is there. One is sitting there listening and learning and just eat up every word. And one is serving and doing work. Which one’s doing wrong? Jesus would not always be with her.

He was going to leave. He’s not always in their presence. Who makes the right choice? At this time, Mary makes the better decision. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, Thou art careful and trouble about many things. In other words, there’s more behind the scenes than what’s been revealed. Jesus knows there’s other things, many other things. Did you know that you can work yourself to death? And people that are workaholics, it could be a problem because you haven’t learned how to arrest and trust the Lord and then just enjoy some things in life and you’ll work yourself to the grave.

What do you think so many people, they finally retire, they die. Well, if that was on the option, I don’t know if I’d quit. But anyway, he says this, but one thing is needful, Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. In other words, I don’t want her to get up from doing this to go serve. There’s a time to listen and to learn. There’s a time to come to church and to listen and to learn, and then there’s the time for service.

But you gotta get your priorities right. And so it’s so important to make the right decisions why you can study the word of God and it’ll help you in your decisions. But Mary has chosen, that means she made a choice. And Mary and Martha had a choice. Everybody has choice. You’re free to choose. Notice that Mary and Martha made separate decisions that were not determined by Christ. He didn’t determine their decision. He can have a priority and say, this is what y’all do, but they make up their decision.

They determine what they did. You’re the one that determines what you do. Jesus revealed that both were free to choose. One thing that was needed for was learning before serving. Why do you think we want kids to come to college and learn the word before they start running? Because a lot of people run and they haven’t got the message right? Get the message down. Get the gospel down. Learn the word before you start running because if you don’t you’re gonna run out of gas.

We try to give them enough to keep them going for at least two or three weeks. Missionary Jim Elliot said, A man is no fool to give what he cannot keep the gain that which he cannot lose. What are the two biblical categories to consider when choosing your priorities? Temporal and eternal. And there’s a verse that has both of those in it. So when you’re making your decisions on a day by day basis, There’s always now, but God wants you to think about later.

The results down the road, eternity. Look down the road. Lift for things that’s gonna mount to something a hundred years from now. While we look not at the things which are seen, but all the things which are not seen. He says, for the things which are seen are temporal, and things which are not seen are eternal. So God wants us to focus on that which is not seen. That means on down the road. Believing the things that God says about heaven, where we’re going and a holy city that we’re gonna have and walking on gold and the heaven walls of Jasper and Gates of Pearl, that’s what we’re gonna do.

We’re rich. This world is not rich. And some people are worth themselves the death of the things of the world. And when you die, who gets it? Your little brats that you didn’t think deserved anything. And you’re going to give it all of them. I’m just telling you straight. Who deserves first consideration when we make our plans? Does it reveal my love for God? You see, the Bible says, Jesus said to them, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

If you love the Lord, then you want to do things that please the Lord. You’re making choices by where you go, how you spend your time, How you make money, save money, spend money, your whole life is do you love the Lord? And so life is revealing that by the decisions that you make. He also says, what other priorities does the Bible said for us? Love one another. Now this is very important, but let me just mention this to you.

You see, if you love one another, you see love worketh no ill toward anybody. Blood doesn’t do that because love always wants the the best for the other person. In other words, here’s a boy. He’s a girl. Boy, likes girl. If he really loves her, he won’t do anything to hurt her, blame her, shame her in any way or cause her pain. Not if he loves her. Because you say you don’t want to do something that would cause God to have to chase in that person.

Don’t you understand that if you lead somebody else into sin? That’s not love, that’s lust. And most people don’t know the difference. Don’t you want God to bless instead of having to chase somebody? Well, don’t call somebody to do something that’s wrong. Have you ever seen somebody do something wrong in because they were with them? They got caught too. And they have to go to jail too. And if you were the group that robbed the bank and you just held the horse, I’m watching enough cowboy moves is to know.

Well then you’re part of it and there’s people who do wrong and they encourage people to do wrong. If you really love somebody don’t you want them to do right so God can bless them. Why would you want God to have to chase somebody because of the wrong decisions? Think think think think don’t justify it think consequences. It ain’t over yet. He makes a statement. Oh Oh, no man anything but to love one another. For he that loveth also had fulfilled the love.

Love will not do the following. Love will not do the following. For this thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet. And if there be any other commandment is briefly comprehended in this say and namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You know, all these things, this isn’t under the law. This isn’t in the New Testament. But that doesn’t mean the law is bad.

God’s telling you you’re my child now and I want you to love others the way I love you and if you love others Then you will not do these things with that other person Because you have to have a high standard. If you don’t, you’re playing a fool, playing a fool. Now, talk about the page. But this is the will of God. Even you’re sanctifying that you should abstain from fornication. Sexual activity is outside of marriage. Right or wrong?

Wrong. In case some of y’all can’t say. That every one of you should know how to possess his body. That’s the body. controlling the desires of this old body, in sanctification and honor. Do you notice how many times the word should is mentioned in just those two verses? These verses, I’m showing you, are out of the Bible in case you didn’t know that. I didn’t make up these verses. God wrote these things. And they’re in the Bible for us to make decisions, right decisions, what to do, what not to do.

Don’t follow the world as a guide for morality. They had none That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter because that the Lord is the avenger that phrase is very important Because when you go against what God lays down You’re challenging God and you might as well know now you lose You lose You can’t go against God and win. It’s impossible learn it while you’re young. Some of you may have another 20, 30, 40, 50 years to live like myself.

I may have another 50 years. Who knows? But I know there’s consequences to making dumb, stupid, idiotic decision based upon the will of man. Who’s up first? Get all these things. Who deserves first consideration? Well, it’s the Lord. And what are the priorities? Love thy neighbor. What difference between life and God’s perspective, how on your plans and priorities? Greater riches. Notice the choices made by Moses. By Moses when he was come to years, refused, that’s a choice. He made a choice.

Refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, made a choice. Choosing choice. You see, God didn’t make them choose this. This decisions that people make. These are decisions that you can make. You can make good decisions or bad decisions, but you’re free to make them. That’s the liberty that you have in Christ. Choose in rather to suffer affliction with the people of God that do enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. See that little phrase? Pleasures of sin for a season?

Why do people sin? It’s pleasurable. It’s fun. If it wasn’t, people wouldn’t do it. Is that hard to understand? But just because it’s fun, just because it’s pleasurable, just because it doesn’t mean you should do it, you shouldn’t do it. You may hate your wife and want to kill her, should you do it? Now why not? Because there’s consequences. Do you realize that ain’t over just because you took care of her? You may wind up going to jail for the rest of your life.

I could go further on this but I’m not, I’m gonna, I’m not Jesus moved right along. Esteeming the reproach. This is what he did. He esteemed the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the consequences, the results, the recompense of the reward that he was going to get because of making the right decision. Do you think Moses made a right decision? Look how God used him because of his right decision. And everybody heard of Moses?

And Moses was a great man. And look how God used him because he made decisions. He made the decisions that God wanted him to make. He didn’t always have the best of attitude, but he went ahead and did what God said to him. By faith he foresoaked Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible, you are daily exercising your free will. You’re making decisions today. Some of you are deciding whether or not you’re gonna say for the third Sunday dinner.

You have open invitation. I want you to all stay. We got food already prepared, but you may stay. You may not stay. Lord said He wants you to stay. Now you can choose to disobey the Lord if you want. That’s up to you. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. God wants His children to be holy, to live a holy life. You know, in the period He says, be holy for I am holy. He said, well, I want to be in our heaven for it.

Now that’s what will make you a hypocrite. Seeing you love the Lord and then not living like you love the Lord. That’s hypocritical. He therefore that despises not man, but God. Who have also given to us his Holy Spirit. So we’re talking to the Christian. We’re talking to believers. People who already know the Lord. You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Can a Christian despise God? You despise his word. When you have no time for it, don’t read it, don’t want to do it.

And then whenever you do, you don’t obey it. You despise him. Oh, I just love the Lord. He’s so precious to me. You hypocrite. It ain’t real. You’re trying to say something nice when you’re in the Lord. people who think you’re spiritual, but as ungodless can be. You better not play games with God. God is an avenger. God evens his care. God takes care of it. God judges. God is a good God. He’s a righteous judge. But he’s less by any means than liberty of yours.

The freedom to make your own decisions become a stumbling block and you make the wrong decision, then people stumble over you. Do you think you can fall and somebody not stumble? Somebody’s following you. Somebody’s watching you. They’re watching your testimony. And they’ll make decisions based upon you. They’ll be encouraged because of you. Your presence today could have encouraged somebody. Your absence next Sunday is going to discourage somebody. We’ll probably fit everybody on the first two rows next Sunday. The choices are yours.

And so are the consequences. You are going to be blessed by the Lord when you make right decisions. Now, nobody can make you make these decisions. Nobody can make you straighten up and do right. I had the hardest thing in the beginning of my Christian walk. Remember, I didn’t go to church. I’m 18 years old. I married this good looking thing. We ran away and got married. Her daddy came looking for me with a gun. He was going to park my soul in eternity and I wasn’t ready.

And instead of doing that, I didn’t know he was a Sunday school teacher in the Baptist Church for 20 years. And lo and behold, they would have a little devotion at night. And they put the table here and mother-in-law, my wife and father-in-law, and he’d talk about the Bible. I had no clue. I don’t remember anything he ever said. Night after night, don’t remember a thing he said. No, it’s in my mind. I have no recollection. I just know we did, but I don’t remember what he said.

But they were praying for me. They’ve been wanting me to get saved. But nothing stuck. I heard nothing. One night they’re gonna have a shower for Betty. I was already washed up. So some of the ladies that got together, they’re gonna have a shower forbade you and I didn’t have anything to do. You talking about poor they couldn’t even pay attention. We were broke with the Nintendum Amets. I’m sitting there, they didn’t have a, I don’t know if they had a radio or not, they didn’t have a television where sitting there.

I’m sitting in a living room with nothing to do. I’m bored stiff. I’m an 18 year old kid without a job living with my father-in-law, law, mother-in-law. My mother-in-law, I don’t think ever did like me. I don’t remember her ever being kind to me. Now, the daddy, yes, but I had to go through this and shower for Betty across the street and I’m sitting there in the living room wondering what in the world can I do?” And I said, I’m bored.

My father lost. He says, why don’t you read something? I said, I don’t have anything to read. He says, I do. I said, what? He says, the Bible. I said, I don’t have a Bible. He said, I got one. I said, I don’t want to read in the Bible. He says, I do. He got the Bible. And he brought it over to me and opened it up to the Gospel of John, John’s after one. He says, read this. I’m living in his home, eating his food, no job.

For some reason or other I felt like, okay, I’ll read it. And I started reading the Gospel of John. I got to even John 3 16 and I did not understand anything in it. Not a word, I didn’t understand it. I folded his Bible, I I stood up and I threw it on the couch. So disrespectful. A mean, egotistical, I mean, I was ashamed of the disgrace to the human race. And I got up to walk out. And my father-in-law says, yay.

What? Sit down. I thought I’d sit down. So I walked over and I sat down and he got the Bible and he opened it to John 3 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And he said to and explained that to me. That night I don’t know why I remember just about everything. It’s like a light went on. I see.

I can. I told this story over and over again. And all of the time before that, it’s the total dark page. I have no recollection. I just know we had to think, but this night, I saw what he was saying. And I thought, if what he says is true, I am going to hell. And that’s when he finally hit me. I’m as lost as a hound dog on the end of a soup bone.

And I stood up and I walked over to the door and I was going to go outside. I didn’t know what to do. I had never seen anybody get saved. I didn’t know that was something people did. I didn’t know. Never heard. I got ready to walk outside. But Betty and the ladies were outside. I could hear him talking. So I didn’t want to go outside. My father-in-law sitting here on the couch and I’m standing there facing the exterior door and getting ready to go out, but I couldn’t go there and he was there.

And I stood there and I don’t know why. I started weeping. I got tears in my eyes and I started to cry. And my fall in law looked and he says, what’s wrong, this is nothing. Pride, ooh. And I started sobbing, so I turned off the light. I didn’t want my fall in law to see me cry. So now my fall in law is sitting there in the dark. And I’m standing there, I mean, I sobbed. My heart was broken.

I didn’t understand it all. And finally, whenever I went back over to the couch and he took that Bible and explained the gospel to me, and now I knew I had eternal life. I didn’t know that that was the beginning of the greatest day for my whole life. I could have made a decision to not trust the Lord. I could have said no, just as easy I said yes. I knew nothing about convicting power of the Holy Spirit and all that stuff.

Those words that never enter my mind, I don’t know anything. I know is that what he says is true, I’m going to hell. And I didn’t want to go to hell. You see, I always thought if I was good, I’d go to heaven. And I wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t good enough to go to heaven and I wasn’t bad enough to go to hell. I didn’t think so. I still got no leverage that at the end, I can always put a tear in my eye and God will forgive me.

Say, Oh sure, come on in. You deserve it. You’ve been more good than you have been bad. I thought. And then when you say, explain to me, there is none good. He didn’t believe if not, is condemned. And I had never trusted Christ as my Savior. But that night, when He explained it to me, it was clear as a bell. I understood. I’m a sinner. I’m lost. I’m going to hell and I need a Savior. I didn’t trust the church.

I didn’t trust the preacher. This was in a little living room in somebody’s home. But it was the best news I ever heard in my life. Nobody has ever explained it to me. now almost 76 years except that one man, my father-in-law who told me how much God loved me. And I had a decision to make and God will let me choose yes or he’ll let me choose no. I decided to trust Christ as my Savior, my decision. God already made is he would save whosoever would believe it.

Look up here, this hand represents you and me. This wall represent sin. We all have sin on us. God, He loves us. So God loves you, He loves me, He loves the whole world. But He hates sin. And say, we have all sinned. We’ve choose to sin. We can know what’s right and still choose to sin. We do wrong because we want to do it. It’s our nature. It’s hard to live above sin. You know that and I do, but God says He still loves us.

But to pay for this sin is eternal separation from God in a literal fire burning hell. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven we have to be perfect as righteous as God. None of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We’ve all come short of God’s perfection. So God says you can’t save yourself. You don’t go to heaven by going to church and giving money and doing all these good deeds.

Salvation can’t be earned. You can’t buy it. This end represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin. Didn’t have to die, but because he loved us, he took our sins and paid for them, came back from the dead. And it says the only thing that we have to do is believe he did it for us.

Setting there that night I understood. I believe that. And he says he doesn’t believe it’s half, present and half, right now half everlasting life. I have everlasting life. He paid for all my sins. And the reason I’m going to heaven because I don’t have any sins to pay for. I’ve been as pure as pure can be in the eyes of God. When you look at me, I’m just an old man, with an old sinful nature, and I’m imperfect. But God sees me as His child, with all my sins paid for and forgiven.

And I’m going to heaven on what He did for me. So you can’t know you’re going to heaven until you know you can’t go to hell. I can’t go to hell. I can’t go today. I can’t go tomorrow. I don’t have any sins to pay for it. Christ died for all my sins. And I believe He did it for me. But that was a decision I had to make. Nobody can make it for me. My father-in-law couldn’t make it for me.

My wife, she couldn’t make it for me. My mother-in-law, I don’t think she would have made it for me. I had to make that decision myself, just like you have to. And nobody can make you trust Christ as Savior. They can’t even force you to do it because it’s something between you and God when you say, I believe He did it for me. God knows whether you believe it or not. So you’re not trying to earn your way to heaven because you know you’re already going.

You don’t try to earn something you already have. I’ve already been saved. I’m not trying to be saved. I have eternal life. I’m going to have them when I die. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed. No one looking around. If you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, why not right now make that decision? It is yours. It’s yours to make. God allow you to choose. You can say yes, you can say no.

But that was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. So in the quietness of this moment, just between you and the Lord, would you just talk to the Lord and say, Lord, I don’t understand at all. I got questions, I got doubts. But the best I know how, I know I’m a sinner. And I believe that when Christ died, I believe He died for me. And right now I will accept Jesus Christ as my savior and preach our life again and pray for me.

friend I love to. If you’re watching by internet, right on the screen says, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior. I pray that you let us know. But in the auditorium here, I’m going to ask you just a moment to raise your hand, raising your hand doesn’t save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. So with his bond nice close it in one of all before we close it, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior.

Would you just slip your hand very quickly, put it right back down. I’m not going to have you forward, not going to embarrass you. right where you’re sitting. Not going to draw attention to you. Yes, God bless you, sir. You can put it down. Anyone else? Just very quickly slip it up, put it right back down. You’re not claiming to be anything, stopping anything, joining anything. All you’re doing is receiving a free gift of everlasting life. And by trusting Christ right now, He gives you everlasting life right now.

And when you get up to leave, you can say, I have eternal life. I’m going to heaven when I die. Not because I’m good, but because He is. Anyone else before we close? Anyone else? Our Father, we thank You so much for loving us, for giving us that free gift of eternal life. We ask Your blessings especially upon the one that indicated that they would trust Your Savior. By doing so, it’s a sign of good judgment. Only a fool would turn down a free gift.

But Father, they become Your child and You become their Father. We ask Your blessings now upon each person here. Thank You so much for the food that’s been prepared. and give us good time of fellowship. In Christ’s name we pray, amen. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics. And we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771, or write to us, and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Mail. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, And God bless you and thank you for listening to Bible Mind.

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 the day and every day. leaving that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.