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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.

As we live our Christian life, life. We’re always, we’ll apply in the principle of replacement. You’re replacing something with something. And when the Bible talks about being not conformed to this world, but be a transformed by the renewing of your mind means that you are following the principle of replacement. You’re replacing the flesh with the Spirit, the wisdom of man with the wisdom of God. And you’re learning how to trade your treasures that are temporary here on earth with treasures that are eternal in heaven.

So I want you to take your Bible first of all as a little background to this and turn to the book of Matthew and chapter 10. Matthew and chapter 10. We sometimes don’t always understand the value of life, therefore we waste it. The value of time, we misspend it. The value of the Christian life and the command of what God wants us to do with our life. So here in the book of Matthew and chapter 10, he’s called them.

And then in chapter 10 and verse 5, he’s commanded them. And then he gives them some concern. in verse 15 about the value of what they’re doing from the lost man’s point of view. And then you have in verse 23 the comfort that God wants to give to us as we serve the Lord. And so the comfort he gives is because man is afraid to do what God wants him to do, to step out in faith. When you don’t have the confidence in your own talent and abilities And you got to trust the true and living God that you cannot see.

Trust in His Word when you’ve never gone that way before. It’s like trying to follow a footpath that’s in the sea. It’s traceless and it’s trackless. And you got to listen to His voice to the Word of God. So He says they’re in verse 26, fear not. And don’t be afraid of what people are going to say because if they called Him the Prince of Beelzebub, What do you think people are going to say about you? And you’d be surprised how many times we hold back because we’re afraid of what people are going to say.

In verse 28, he says, and fear not because of what people can do to you. They can be cruel at times. People can take your life. They can take your job. They can steal your funds. But fear not. What you’ve been called to do is more important than what people say. And what you do, what God has to say is more important than what people can do to you. You see, there has to be something that eliminates the fear, encourages fear that says its prayers and goes ahead.

So you need to be very courageous and be not afraid, as he told Joshua in chapter 1 of the book of Joshua. Then you’ll notice down here, he says in verse 30, he had explained to them that a bird cannot fall without the knowledge of the father. He says, and ye are of more value than many sparrows. Put a high price on you because God does. Put a high price upon that which he’s called you to do because God does.

Put a high price upon the lost man because God does. God loves that lost man so much he was willing to take his place and die in his place. That’s how much value that God put upon that man. And he says, whosoever shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul. He says, your life is worth more than all the value. of the whole world itself. We don’t always see things the way they really are. You are important.

I had a man tell me one time and really discouraged me. He says, God doesn’t need you. I thought, well, if he doesn’t need me, then why did he make me? I believe God does need me. And I believe God has put me into this world for a reason. And therefore I believe I am important. And I refuse to let other people lessen my value. Because God has put a high stamp of approval upon me and therefore I don’t feel intimidated by any man or anything It eliminated a lot of my fear Because I’m not afraid of what anybody can say or what anybody can do to me Because I got God who thinks it’s worth it and that five got something worth living for I want to do so So he makes a statement here in verse 30, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

That used to be important to me. He doesn’t have to count as high as he used to. But then he says in verse 32, whosoever therefore shall confess me before men. I will confess before the Father and whosoever denies me before men. I will deny him before the Father. He’s already talking to his disciples. He’s not talking about how to go to heaven. He’s talking about you not being afraid to confess Christ before men. It doesn’t mean like we just had a couple of people join our church.

They come down, they confess, but now they never have to do it again. No, it’s not talking about that. It’s talking about you as your way of life. What to do with your life? And so he says, if you deny me, I’ll deny you. But the only thing he can deny me is the rewards in heaven. He can’t deny me salvation because that’s based upon what he did for me. Rewards are what I do for him. So I got to understand the value of what I’m doing.

And this is why some people, they look at the world and see what does the world have to offer me. And so many people, they miss out on the Christian life and live in the way God wants them, but because they’re afraid they’re going to give up something. They’re going to lose. You can’t out give God. You can’t make a sacrifice bigger than what God’s going to give you when you get to heaven. Obedience is the very best key.

Now, Now here in Matthew in chapter 10, look what he said in verse 37 very quickly, he that love of father or mother, more than me is not worthy of me. And he that love of son or daughter, more than me is not worthy. In other words, you can’t pay the price. You gotta love the Lord enough that you can pay the price of losing everything else. I have to be willing to serve the Lord if I lose my wife, if I lose my kids, if I lose my brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and all the rest of them.

If I lose everything, I’ve gotta love the Lord enough. He’s got to be worth it to me to pay whatever price it is to serve the Lord. And many people are not willing to pay that price. They want more, but they can’t pay the price because they love something more than him. And so he says here in verse 38, and he that take if not his cross and follow that meat is not worthy. In the words, you can’t pay the price.

You can’t afford to carry that cross because you’ve got to be a vessel that’s fit for service and people don’t want to commit themselves. They don’t want to serve the Lord that bad. So therefore they don’t used. They come, sit, soak, and sour, and never serve God. Never do anything, never step out. Never see what could God have done with my life. And so they sat around this trillionate thumbs. I wonder, I wonder what I could have done. I wonder what God would have wanted me to go.

I wonder what I could accomplish. When you get to heaven and you find out, lo and behold. And so he says here in verse 39, He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loses life for my sake shall find. In other words, your purpose for living can only be found when you lose your life for his sake. And if you’re not willing to lose your life for his sake, you’ll never find the life that you could have had.

Or your live life. You’ll go to jobs and you’ll make money and you’ll live and so forth. But will you ever accomplish that with God intended? A lot of difference. And you need to have the confidence in your own mind. I’m doing what God wants me to do. But some people don’t feel like they are of much value. Now I want you to look at your notes here. And I just want to refer to a couple things in the world of God, trading our treasures.

You might not think you have much to give. I’m just a poor man. I don’t have anything, just a poor man, yeah. And all the wealth of this world, you already know that when you die, you’re going to leave how much of it? You’re going to leave it all. How much did you come with? Negative. Negative is a J-bird. And when you leave, he’s going to be the same way. Well look at it in the top verse, I have showed you all things.

How that’s so laboring, you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Now most people do not believe that. It’s more blessed to get than to give. And so people spend their whole life trying to get and accumulate more and more. I’ve got to have better of this and better of that. There they go. And that’s why some people can’t afford to serve the Lord.

So they can’t afford to. I just can’t afford to give to God what I should give and do with my life what I can’t afford. After I read the Bible, I found I can’t afford not to. I can’t afford not to serve God because it will cost me a lot more not to serve Him than it does if I did serve Him. Now I know that might sound a little deep and a little spiritual and all I can, but still the truth.

you cannot give God. So in the Old Testament, when God wanted a great job to be done, he looked for a man who had just about given totally up on being used by God. You see, whenever he was down there in Egypt, he’d already decided that I am going to deliver the people of Israel from the iron hill of this Egyptian authority. But the only problem is they didn’t follow He said, who made you a judge and a king over us, a ruler?

So he ran for his life and was on the backside of a desert for 40 years. 40 years learning the way of the Egyptians and learning 40 years later how humble he really was and all he was now doing was just keeping some sheep. Really has been humbled, not worth much. And he can’t accomplish anything. So he can’t go back to Egypt. Man out there in the wilderness, got married He had a couple kids just living his life. And one day he saw a bush that was burning, it was on fire.

And the only problem was it didn’t consume it. So out of curiosity he got a little bit closer. And God spoke and said, take off your shoes. You’re standing on a holy ground. And when he did, God talked to him. He says, I got a job for you. He says, I’m not interested. He says, I want you to go to a place I ain’t going. And so God had to give him five answers because he had five questions on why God ought get somebody else because I’m not the man for the job.

And you’d be surprised how many people said, well, no, I’m just not the man for the job. I can’t do it. I can’t go. I can’t sacrifice. I can’t, you don’t know. I got a wife and two kids. I got a wife and five kids. Now if you have 10, I can understand it. But if you go, but so there’s always a reason excuses that we give. Now, he makes a statement here in this verse. I want you to look right on your hand.

God says, what’s that in your hand. Moses answered and said, Lord, He says, they will not believe me nor hearken unto my voice. For they will say the Lord hath not appeared unto me. Because he, what happened before, 40 years before that happened to him. Who do you think you are? Who made you so holy, holy? Oh, you’re going to be a preacher, huh? You’re better than me, huh? You holy, Joe. You think you so much more righteous than I am?

You’d be surprised to think that people say they can hurt and cut you. Well, the Lord said unto him, what is that in thy hand? And he says, a rod. Did God ever use that rod? You know, that’s all He had in His hand. It was a rod. And God used that rod. You say, how do you know? Well, I watched the movie, 10 Commandments. I saw Charleston Heston standing there with that thing. And I saw when he thought it down, it became a snake.

And they threw theirs down and never came snakes. But it’s naked at first nakes. I like that part. Or whenever Moses stood there and he oversaw that great big ole sea and he Stanched deal and see the salvation of God. You see he used what God had given him. It’s all he had. A rod. See God can use you with what you have. I’ve had people say well if I could sing like that I could serve the Lord too.

Oh, you mean you can’t serve a Lord unless you can sing like that. Oh, I can serve a Lord if I can play the piano like Larry Locano here. Well, just come and see me. I’ll give you some lessons. You don’t have to play the piano like Larry. You don’t have to sing like Jesse Martinez. You don’t have to be like anybody else. God wants to use you with what you have. He says, well, I don’t have anything. I knew you was going to say that.

So this sermon is designed with you in mind. I want to help you. Look at the next statement, who hath made man’s mouth? Moses said unto the Lord, oh my Lord, I am not eloquent. Neither he had to nor sinst thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. He had a peachy pediment. So he had a problem. You ever said, I just can’t speak and fund the people. You know, it’s kind of like a man.

He speaks words up to 200 words a minute. And a woman speaks words to 300 words a minute. And Gus up to 500. But you’d be surprised, God, he says, who made man’s mouth? Did God eliminate what he wanted him to do just because well I’m afraid to talk in front of people? What’s that gotta do with anything? Well I’m shy, who cares? That’s not an excuse. That is not why you can’t do the job. That is not a good reason.

That’s a lie. And some people don’t believe that I used to be shy and timid, scared to death of people, getting up in front of people. You look at me now and say, well, he does it with ease. Yeah, you ought to see me for the first 30 years. But I’d have to do it because that’s what I’ve got to do. I can’t afford to get out of it. I can’t quit. It’s no longer an un-option. I’m always trying to challenge and motivate people to do more than what you think you can do because I believe it’s the truth, that’s what God’s word.

He says in the next verse, and the Lord said to him, who hath made man’s mouth or who makes the dumb or the death of the sin or the blind have not I the Lord? And God says, I want you to do this while I can’t do that. Get somebody else. So he got Aaron and what did he have problems? He had problems because of Aaron. When he went up on the mountain to get the law, and when he come down, Aaron says, I don’t know what happened through this golden thing, and all of a sudden this cow jumped out.

La-la-la, our pants on fire. The people, they’ll always blame. We like to serve the Lord, but, but somebody else said, did whatever. You just don’t understand. No, God does. God knows. Look at the next statement. What are they among so many? There’s a lad here. This is in John chapter 6 and there’s all these people and well they’re hungry. So they got to have something to eat. So Jesus told the disciples, run down here to Burger King and McDonald’s and get some hamburgers and let’s just feed everybody.

Is that what he did? Here’s God. He says, what do we have? Well, if there’s just little lad here, you’ve got a couple of fictions from bread, you know, that’s all he’s got. That’s all we have. Well, it says there’s a lad here which has five barley loaves and two small fizzes, but what are they among so many? Look how many people, and there’s not much here. But Jesus could take that little bit that this little boy had, and he fed thousands.

Jesus can take that little that you have and multiply it. If it stays in your hands in your control, you’d be surprised how it can just light water. In the old tenement talks about having pockets with holes in them. You put in the money and it just goes right through the hole. You feel like you’re just working, you can’t get ahead and you make money and it’s just gone. Try to save some and as soon as you save the thousand dollars, the card broke down cost a thousand dollars.

As soon as you save $500, their conditioner blew up and next thing you know, there goes that money. You ever have anything like that happen? Have you ever had anything like that happen? Yes. Here’s the testimony right down here. You’re going to have another testimony on your hand. But it happens. But now you’ve got to learn things of this world are coming and going. And so are you. So you want to trade some of these temporary treasures that you value so much and give them up for something that will last a lot longer, that will last eternity.

Look at the next statement, such as I have, give ID. I love this. In Acts chapter 3, there’s Peter coming up to the temple, you know, and all of a sudden here’s a man on the arms, on the floor, on the floor, he says, silver and gold, have I, I’m a whole bunch. He said, I’m the pope. And I have a place over here in St. Peter’s Cathedral, and I got all this this gold and silver like that, well how much you need?

Peter didn’t say that and he was not the first pope. They said, well the pope can’t have a wife. Well they forget that Peter had a wife so Peter couldn’t have been the first pope. It would have been a shame for a man. It shows you how dumb he really is if he has a mother-in-law and no wife. Can you figure out anybody who’d want a mother-in-law and no wife. He had a wife. So therefore he was not the first pope.

And I’m so glad. But such as I have given him power and used what he had. Silver and gold have I none. He didn’t have none of that. And you had to look at me and people, do you think that he must have been a failure in life? Look what Peter could have been. If he had to serve the Lord, he He could have been a pope. No. He had nothing, no valuable stuff. Look at the next statement where it says, for your sakes he became poor.

Who are we talking about here in this scripture? Well, this scripture is talking about Jesus. Did you know that at one time there was this guy, he lived on another planet. It’s called heaven and he was rich. I mean, he owned everything. on the whole universe. All kind of power, have anything he wanted, and he left glory and came into this world and humbled himself as a man. And though he was rich, he became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich.

Why did he do all of that? He was rich! But he became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich. Who have ever figured that Jesus Christ, when He came into this world, would have probably had to be on food stamps? Well, I don’t think so. He just makes them bread. But now notice that verse. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor that you threw His poverty.

He only lived here for a short period of time and threw His poverty. We don’t have you ever owned a home. Did He have a Mercedes? He didn’t have one. You say, well, did he have a triumph? I don’t know, he was trying with her throughout the land. It’ll be a long day. Look at the next statement. She cast in all that she had. Now, the Bible says this is what Jesus did. So Jesus goes to the temple there, and he’s against the treasure, and he’s gonna watch.

You know what he’s gonna watch? He’s gonna see how much money people put in to the offering. Do you think he came this morning? You said, was the Lord here this morning? sure was I brought him. Now it’s the devil here. Yeah, you might have brought him. But yes, the Lord came this morning. Do you believe that God was watching the offering this morning? Do you think he was watching the song service? Sing unto the Lord. Everyone that has voice, let him praise the Lord.

Did you sing this morning? Was God watching? Oh, here you are. Up here. He poured out his hard getting everybody to sing and here you are. Praise the Lord. I am. Are you happy Lord? Yeah. Now I know that wasn’t you because everybody here sings. Next Sunday we’re gonna be watching. And we’re gonna have the cameras rolling because I want those people to watch all y’all smiles. Now but what about this Treasury business? Was God watching to see how much they put in the offering?

They were watching. God created heaven. The one that doesn’t need a dime from anybody. But see, we give because it’s like a thermometer of our love for the Lord. It’s a thermometer of our faith that we have in the Lord because it shows that we trust the Lord and that we believe that I can plant some in God’s work and trust the Lord to give back whatever He wants me to have. Did you know that, and I believe this, a lot of people don’t.

I get criticized all the time. Whatever they gave them the law, if they wanted to give 10 percent, I’m not under the law. I don’t have to give anything. But I don’t want people under the law to give more than what I will give under grace. So I would say that’s a good place to give. That’s a good measure to give, whatever you wanna do. So I’ve always made sure I’ve always given more than a 10%, always, my whole Christian life.

Why? Because I just don’t want somebody under the law to outdo me. Now you can have your own reason, your own motive. But I thought, what kind of work could we do for the Lord if everybody did give to the Lord but they believe that that’s what God wants them to do. Now look at this verse, and Jesus said over against the treasure and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. He was watching and many that were rich cast in much.

Evidently we don’t have any rich people in our church. No, I’m just joking. No, but God has been good to us. He really has. And we’ve got, he said, how you doing financially? Well, we’re keeping our nose above the water line So that our feet don’t drown. So God has blessed us and we thank the Lord for it. But look at the next statement. Where he said, and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow.

Now women, Jesus knew this woman was a widow. Jesus knew this woman was poor. And he watched it. So he wrote out of check and gave it to her for $5,000. No, he didn’t do anything. And she threw in two mites, I mean as little as she had, which make a farther. And then it says, he called unto him his disciples and he said to them, Verily I send you that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury.

This woman who only gave justice, small pittance, a couple pennies, she gave more than those rich folks and they gave a lot. says she gave more. Because see they gave out of their abundance and she gave all that she had. She was poor, she was a widow, she gave all that she had. Now will somebody watching this? God knew this. Do you think she did that just so Jesus would say this about her? I doubt it. Do you believe that whenever she gets to heaven, God’s going to reward her for what sacrifice she made?

But now know that. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Now nobody told her to do that. You see nobody can make you sacrifice. everything that you have. Now make it up. You can be as dedicated to God as you want to be. But you don’t point fingers at somebody else who doesn’t do exactly what you do, but everybody ought to do something.

Everybody that knows Christ is Savior should serve the Lord. Everybody should carry traction and witness for the Lord. It should, but you may not. Some will do more than others. But God says also in His Word, be it unto you according to your faith. Be it unto you according to your faith. Your rewards in heaven is going to be unto you according to your faith. Your blessings in life could probably be according to your faith. What do you trust God for?

Are you willing to step out on the limb? Remember out on that limb is where the fruit is. The fruit’s not on the trunk. I mean I go pick apples and they’ve run all over the trunk or out there on the limb. You know how I used to get plums? I climb the tree and get out as far as I can remember them. And I would eat these great big old, I mean, they grew in this cemetery. And for some reason or the ground was really enriched.

And these cherries, won’t you? And I said it, and I would eat until my tummy would almost bust. And nobody knew about this tree in the cemetery but me. And then, whenever we wanted a Christmas tree, my mom and daddy, Stepdad, never knew where I got my Christmas tree. In the cemetery grew the prettiest trees you’ve ever seen. And they were big, but at the top they were perfectly shaped. And so I would climb up that tree and I would cut down my Christmas tree.

And it was perfectly shaped. And I would take it home. and mom will say, where’d you get that? I was just down the road. And then somebody else liked my Christmas tree. So I cut down a few more trees for a price. And people were trying to figure out, what happened to those trees in the cemetery? Did I tell? No, I did not tell. You said, that was wrong. You got it right. I never told you I had been perfect all my life just until last year.

But you see, there’s times when you realize you don’t have much and you don’t consider whatever you do a great value. See, some people don’t go to church because they don’t put a value on it. They don’t give the way they should become. They don’t put any value on it. They don’t read their Bible codes, well, I don’t need to. They don’t put a value on it. You see, they have misplaced their values. Don’t miss out on all the fun.

Join Pastor Jesse and Kyla Martinez On Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. for Tampa Youth Ranch and Calvary Community Church. Tampa Youth Ranch is a great mix of live music, games, Bible study, food and fun, where teens 13 to 18 get to know God and the Bible with their friends. Check it out online at tampayouth ranch.org and see the cool pictures from past activities and all the fun you’ve been missing. No right, no problem. Call 813-334-4655 today for information on getting a ride to Tampa Youth Ranch.

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 4 DHS Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will shout. We will be changed. God 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.