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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 air. And 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.

Now let me tell you why you should get saved. Let’s just go back in time a little bit. For the day when Yankee Arnold was only 18 years old and a man was sitting with me in the living room and he explained to me that if I don’t trust Christ as my Savior, I’m going to hell. I told somebody one time, I’m trusting Christ as my Savior because I wanted fire insurance. I wanted fire insurance. But I don’t want to go to hell.

That’s why I needed a Savior because I was going to hell to pay for my sins and I don’t want to pay for my sins. And I don’t want to go to hell. That’s why I need a Savior. So I need to understand what do I have to do to escape hell? My fellowship with God and my relationship with God, you put that aside, that has nothing to do, but I don’t want to go to hell. I want to go to heaven when I die.

And after I trust Christ as my Savior, yes, I can learn the word of God and I can walk with God and fellowship with God and I can have a relationship with God, all those wonderful things. But if I don’t trust Christ as my Savior, there is no relationship with God. you have to have the birth in order to have the relationship. I told my daughter, I said, you’re my daughter because you are born in my family and that’s our relationship.

So the birth determines your relationship and it’s your walk that determines your fellowship. And if you walk with the Lord in the same direction, you can have fellowship with God according to your walk, 1 John 1. But if you don’t have the walk, you won’t have the fellowship and you can break the walk. God never breaks the walk. It’s you did that. And if you confessing your sin does not restore the walk. Confession your sin so that you can continue the walk.

You have to restore the walk with God. If you don’t restore that walk, you won’t have fellowship with God. So I decided I am going to, I want to have fellowship with God. I want to walk with God and I make that decision. God never broken it off with me. But you can break it. But if you think that’s what gives you salvation, then you have every reason to have questions and doubts. Well, I don’t know if I’m saved because I’m not walking with God anymore.

I don’t go to church anymore. And I don’t pray. I don’t give money to the Lord’s work anymore. I don’t do none of that stuff anymore. And I went back to drinking and chewing, going with the girls who do. That is the wrong basis for salvation. I want to know how can I be assured of not going to hell? And remember this, you can’t know you’re going to heaven until you know you can’t go to hell. You know how I know I’m going to heaven?

Because I can’t go to hell. So how come you can’t go to hell? Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about. Look at the next page. Page two, top of the page. Have any relationship, fellowship, or a walk with God doesn’t explain how to escape hell and go to heaven. It’s pretty, but it’s ineffective. That’s not why I talk to people. I don’t want you to have a good, wonderful walk with God. But I don’t tell you how to get saved.

You’re not going to have a wonderful walk with God. You’re not going to have any relationship with God. Am I against having a written? No, I’m not. I want people to listen to what I do say. Don’t read into it. Number four, none of the above reasons explains on how to get saved. You may have an imaginary walk, fellowship, relationship with God without being saved. You can be saved and not have fellowship with God. Can you trust Christ as your Savior, have eternal life and not have a wonderful fellowship with God?

Yes, you can. You can trust Christ as your Savior and never walk with God. And based upon what God said and what He did, you can still go to heaven. without being close to the Lord, without loving God. See, I’m not going to heaven because I love God, I’m going to heaven because he loved me. But I want the world to know that I love the Lord, so therefore I want to walk with God. Look at the next statement.

When your walk fellowship or relationship is not what it should be and the emptiness is still there, it will be normal to doubt your salvation. That’s because these things depend upon you and not the Lord. Your relationship with God depends on you and your fellowship depends on you and your walk depends on you. That depends on you. So your salvation depends upon you, not what God said and did. That’s why people have questions and doubts about security of their salvation.

They’re not assured. And I’ve had people come along and I say, well, we didn’t have anybody trust the Lord tonight, but I gave them assurance. And that can be good. You can’t give assurance to anybody until they believe in eternal security. You don’t believe in eternal security. You cannot have assurance. That means you have to be secure forever and it can’t change. If it can change, you can’t be eternally secure. And you’ll never have the peace of mind about where you’re going to go when you die.

for sure. I can’t go to hell if I tried. I haven’t tried. But I know I have eternal life. I know God can’t undo it. I know every person I ever lead to Christ, it can’t be undone. And that is so wonderful to know. But all these years I’ve been teaching and preaching. You can know your heavy turn life. You can know that you’re going to heaven when you die. Every time I give the gospel, I always teach that.

Because eternal security, That’s the purpose of sharing the gospel so that you can be sure of going to heaven. That’s the only way you really believe that it was by grace. Christ alone, faith alone, is because it’s eternal. If it’s not eternal, then how long was it good for? How long was it good for? Well, I’m saved for how long? Did you send again? What good is that? No, you got to go by what the book says. Look at number five.

Number five, salvation depends upon us believing who Christ is. He’s the Lord. What He did, He died upon the cross to pay for my sins. What He said, He that believeth of them, He hath their everlasting life. So you want to go to heaven when you die, let me tell you about Jesus Christ. He’s God in the flesh. You ever hear me say that? He’s God in the flesh. That’s who He is. Well, what did He do? He took all of my sins and paid for them on the cross and came back from the dead.

Well, what am I supposed to do about that? He said, he doesn’t believe in them. He had never lost in life. The only thing he wanted me to do is believe he did it for me. That’s all I had to believe. I believe he did it for me and I’m accepting him as my Savior. I’m trusting him to take me to heaven because he paid for my sins. There is no other way. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 1. Now, see, you may already be very secure, and you know you have eternal life, but do you know how to explain it to somebody who has questions and doubts? Anytime I call somebody and they’re not sure they’re saved. Well, I will say 10 years ago, but I’m not sure anymore. I deal with them like a lost person. I don’t try to convince them that they were saved because I don’t know if they were or not. I give them the gospel as though they never heard it before, and I want you from this point on, do you understand what I’m saying?

And if you’re a trust Christ right now as your Savior, God gives you right now eternal and you can know that you’re going to heaven when you die. Now look here in 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and look in verse 17. Understand a few words here. Later on in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we have the resurrection chapter. But in the resurrection chapter and verse three, it says, Christ died for our sins. Christ died for our sins. That’s the cross, that’s the message of the cross.

What did he do on the cross? Die for my sins. So I can say Christ died on the cross for my sins or I could say Christ died for my sins I don’t have to put the word cross in there, but it’s understood So it’s there’s no part in the cross word itself. Well, I understand it a lot of people died on the cross But Jesus came back from the dead Now here in 1 Corinthians in verse 17 chapter 1 For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the what’s that word?

The gospel now get this not with wisdom of words. Let’s the what? cross of Christ. Can you connect the gospel and the cross together? I think so. Because you don’t have any good news without the cross. And if I’m not preached across, I have to preach this good news. Christ died for me. And I want to… Now why did He die for me? So I wouldn’t have to pay for my sins. He did it for me. Best news I ever heard in the world.

Now look in verse 18. For the preaching of the what? Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us what they’re saved, it is the power of God. It’s because of what Christ did on the cross that gives it power. He paid for my sins. If he didn’t pay for my sins, then I don’t have a payment for my sins. I have no way to escape hell, but there’s power in this message. Now take your Bible and turn all the way over there to the book of 1 Corinthians 15.

Chapter 15. Chapter 15, and you’ll notice this simple little verse, you’ll notice there in verse 3, for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins. That’s the cross. They don’t have to say the word, but that phrase is talking about what Christ did on the cross. That’s why there’s no gospel without the cross. There’s no gospel. Good news with that Christ. paying for my sins. What made it good news was God was going to justify the heathen through faith and that’s the promise that he made to Abraham.

The just shall live by faith. So Christ had to die so that God the Father could keep his word that he promised to Abraham. That God would justify the heathen by faith alone. Faith in what Christ did for us is not what we do. So people who have questions and doubts about their salvation, mainly boils down to they were trusting in their works for some reason. There’s only a couple things you have to know, don’t understand that you have security in what Christ did on the cross for you.

Now, take your Bible and turn to John chapter three, the Gospel of John and chapter three. I know you have a photographic memory, but I’d appreciate if you look at the Bible anyway. I love the sound of the rustling of the leaves. In John chapter three, I want you to look there in verse 14, Because Jesus has told Nicodemus, you must be born again. And verse seven, he says, you can’t see the kingdom of God or enter into the kingdom of God unless you’re born again.

So now down here, he’s telling them how to be born again, and he uses an old Testament illustration. Verse 14 adds, Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up. What do you think that refers to? The cross, born behold. So even in John 3 16 where it explains what God gave, so you see there in verse 15, that whosoever believeth in him, were to believe in the one that God said was lifted up on the cross and he died there to pay for our sins.

So he says, the whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life or have eternal life. Now think about it. If you was to believe John 15, Whosoever, okay, who would that refer to? Anybody, right? If it refers to anybody, then Christ had to die for everybody. Right? No, look at that. Should not perish, that means cannot, will not go to hell. Now, if I cannot perish, if I check Christ as my savior, what does he guarantee in me?

I will not perish, I mean I will not go to hell. Have everlasting life, I mean I will go to heaven. Is that a promise? Is that a guarantee from God himself? That is eternal security. I am secure. I cannot go to hell. I have eternal life. And people said, well, I believe the Bible and even I’ve been saved. Where are you going to die? Woo, I don’t know. Why don’t you know? If it was the gospel you heard, it was the gospel you trusted that you ought to know what you were saved from and where you’re going to and why?

If you don’t know, are you sure you’re saved? What are you depending upon? Save from what? Now get this. Looking John 3 16. Most people say this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I agree. It’s a great verse. It like puts it all together and puts it all caps and says here it is. What a nugget. Look that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Gave his only begotten son. That’s the cross.

That’s when he was lifted up as Moses lifted up a serpent in the world even so the Son of Man must be lifted up. And Christ says in chapter 12 of the gospel, John, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. And so we preached the gospel about the man who died on the cross. What did he do onventures? He died and paid for my sins. Why? So that I could have it for the free gift ever lasting life.

Verse 16 again, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That whosoever, say that again, whosoever anybody, Believe it than him. Here’s the guarantee shall not perish. So if I trust Christ as my Savior and I said, I should expect from God I’ll never go to hell if that verse is true. I cannot go to hell Have everlasting life then I got everlasting life. If that verse is true. I got everlasting life. Yes or no So if this is true, then I’ve got confidence.

I know where I’m going when I I have absolute assurance I’ve got God’s word on it and the reason I can’t lose it It’s because I don’t hold on to it. He has me, not me, have him. I am in his hand and he says, no man can pluck you out of my hand. I have eternal life. Now. Look at the next verse here. I want you to look in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13.

I want those who come to this church to understand you’re not going to heaven because the preacher said so, because you joined the church, because you gave money, and you’re sincere. Now, the only reason you’re going to go to heaven is because you trusted Christ as your Savior, and He paid for your sins. Think about that phrase alone. He paid for your sins. How many? If he didn’t include all of them, he didn’t do you any favors. He doesn’t have to say, and I paid for all of your sins past, present, and future.

He doesn’t have to say that. Why? He paid for my sins. That includes all my sins. Whatever I did, whenever it was, he¯¯¯¯ it. True? Whatever. And whenever it was, he did it, and he died for me. But when he paid for my sins, He did it 2,000 years ago. All my sins were in the future, right? Well, if He died 2,000 years ago and paid for my sins, well, I could trust Christ as my Savior today. All right, I’m 76 years old.

Somebody tried to make me 77 while ago and it wasn’t true. I resent that. I can trust Christ as my Savior. If He already paid for my sins up for the 75 years I’ve lived. What if I wait and trust the Lord when I’m 99? Have you paid for those in that tune, 75 and 99? He paid for those two. Well, if he’s already paid for those, I can trust them then. I can trust them here. I can trust them here.

Trust them here. It doesn’t matter when I trust him. He paid for all my sins. Now, if he paid for all my sins, then I really believe that. And I believe it. He paid for my sins. Then I don’t have any sins to pay for it. I have people say, well, when you commit suicide, you ain’t going to heaven. Oh, really? Is that a sin? Yes, paid. What if I go out here and I be up somebody? Is that a sin?

Yes, a pain. Well, that’s just going to cause you to go out here and go all that? That must be more. Oh, why didn’t it work? I’m not doing that. Because see, I have something better to live for than trying to see how bad can I be. I want to see how on them that can be to the Lord. When I say I can live as I please after I get saved, yes. I decided since I can live as I please, I want to please the Lord by going to church, in his word and I want to please the Lord by praying and living a godly life and not.

Is there anything wrong with me living as I please? Well it may please you to go the other direction but your heavenly Father is still alive and you’re still going to heaven but he’s going to be to talk out of you. Maybe take you home before your time. I hope he does. But in 1 John 5 looking verse 13 these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you You may know that you have eternal life.

When are you supposed to know that you have eternal life? When you believe, these things have been written unto you that believe. So whenever you believe, you can know you have eternal life. These are written that you may know you have eternal life. Who’s it written to? Those who believe. Well, I’ve had people say, well, you just get them saved and we can teach them eternal security down the road. Well, wait a minute. If I can know I have to be sure of going to heaven, why can I tell them at the beginning instead of waiting five years or 10 years, that’s why they have all the questions in doubt because you didn’t tell them the truth at the beginning.

Every time I witness to somebody, I always try to give them the teaching on eternal security. And I’ll show you that just a minute because I know you want to know. Now look back in your notes. The word forever or everlasting secures the length of our salvation. When it says, you have eternal life. How long will I have eternal life?

If you pay for all my sins and all my sins are paid. Where am I going when I die for my sins are paid and I got eternal life? I’m going to heaven. Now, how can I change? I can’t change that. Why? Because I didn’t get it because I was good and I can’t lose it if I get bad. Either it’s a gift or it’s not a gift. Either God meant what he said or he’s a liar. Can’t be both ways.

But look what he says up there in verse 10. He that believeth on the son of God, half the witness in himself. He that believeth not God has made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son. And this is the record that God has given to us, half given past tense to us. those who believe what kind of life. And he that hath the son hath, and he that hath not the son hath not.

So whether you have eternal life or not, depending on whether you have the son. See, when you accept Christ, look down here in verse 20. This in the last line, this is the true God and eternal life. So when you accept Christ, you have eternal life. And he said, I’ll never leave you and never forsake you. How long will I have this eternal life? It’s not temporary life, it’s eternal life. Now, go back here to your notes. I’ve only got a few minutes left here.

Look at letter F. If a person trusts Christ as their Savior and they do not know for sure they are going to heaven, then they haven’t trusted Christ as their Savior. Period. If after witnessing they cannot tell you how they know they’re going to heaven, how do you know they are? How can you say you’re saved? If when you get through talking to them, they don’t know where they’re going when they die and they don’t know why? Well they’re saved!

Blessed be God, how do you know they’re saved? That’s why I always ask them a backup question. If I see you 10 years from now and I ask you, where are you going to that? What would you tell me? Well, I don’t know. You didn’t get it. I’m going to heaven. Well, how do you know Christ paid for my sins? What if a hundred years from now Christ paid for my sins? Hank did that with a guy at Bell’s desk that same camp I was telling you about and his name was Willie James.

He said, well, James, if you believe it, you have what? He said, everlasting life. He said, what about 10 years from now? He said, I still got it. What about 100 years from now? He said, I still got it. He said, what about 1,000 years from now? He said, I don’t think I’ll let that long. But finally, he got it. If you believe it, you have what kind of life? Ever lasting life. Can you know you have everlasting life?

When can you know it? The moment you trust Christ as your Savior, He that believeth, ha, present that you’ve got it. And if God says it, that’s good enough for me. Look down at the little letter that someone wrote to me, this was just recently. Says, hello Pastor Arnold. My name is Veronica, and I just want to say thank you for your ministry. I found your powerful sermons on YouTube and tune in weekly to your live online broadcast at your church.

It has been a blessing to me because I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior through one of your messages. I was a victim of the Lordship Salvation heresy, Armenianinism and Western holiness movement. Thank you for the clarity of the gospel. I had always heard about John 3 16, any Ephesians 2 8 9, but for the first time, these beautiful verses made sense. I was going to church serving God was a youth president, but I wasn’t saved. I thank God almighty for taking me out of these false teachings.

I cried the day I heard the true gospel because I was living the Christian life, but I was never saved. I live in Riverside, California, and have been praying to God to lead me into a church like yours. And God willing, hoping to visit one day, For now I have been viewing your live broadcast, YouTube videos and listening to the audio archives. I rejoice greatly in your ministry and pray for you and your family and the church. I can’t wait to meet you all in heaven.

Isn’t that a good letter? That’s somebody who’s been playing the game, doing what all the preachers tell them to do, but not making the gospel clear. I’ve never met this woman, but she heard the gospel and because of eternal security, now she has hope and she has confidence. It does bring peace, it does bring joy. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m so glad I can come to church because I want to, not because I have to.

I’m so glad you give because you have to. No. Because you want to. Listen, did you listen to John John when he was up here? Doesn’t he sound like somebody who has a passion to reach somebody? Doesn’t, when Jesse came up here awhile ago, doesn’t he sound like they have a passion? I mean, there’s a fire inside of their bones. They wanna do something for the Lord. But you take away the eternal security and they won’t be like that.

That’s because they know when they lead this kid to the Lord of that teenage is the Lord, they’re saved forever. Now let me show you my wallet trick. Watch my hand closely at no time will it ever leave my wrist. Now this is similar to what I do every week. This hand represent you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. So I always present the problem. God loves us, but hates our sin. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God, becausePercent is death.

We have a problem. We’re going to be eternally separate from God in a literal fire burning hell. But God loves us. Wants us to go to heaven. But to go to heaven, we have to be perfect. No sin. God will not allow any sin in his perfection. So how can I get there? So I’m not talking the lost man, but would you like to have a relationship with God? What do you mean? What do you mean? It’s nebulous. There was a precious term to me like being washed in the blood.

I don’t tell a lost man, would you like to be washed in the blood? Well, not really. But that’s a precious term to me, but I know what I mean by that. of God says, He loves us. We committed the sin and we have to pay for it. We’re guilty. And we cannot save ourselves. This sin represents Jesus Christ. God in the flesh, I always tell you who He is. He came to this world. He was perfect. He had no sin.

He didn’t have to die. But because He loved us and He hates our sin because our sin separates us. So what Christ did for one He did for everybody. He took all the sin of all the world, paid for on the cross came back from the dead. And it says the only thing he wanted us to do to go to heaven is to believe he did this for me. When I believe it… He gives me that free gift of everlasting life.

He’s a believer in half everlasting life. If you don’t believe it, you don’t get everlasting life. And you don’t get everlasting life by asking for everlasting life. If you believe what he did on the cross, he did it for you. He died and paid for your sins. You believe that? He gives you everlasting life. And you can go to heaven on what Christ did for you. So that’s why he says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sin.

son Jesus Christ, the whosoever believe it than him should not perish. That’s a guarantee I will not, if I believe I will not, I cannot go to, I am secure. That is forever, eternally secure. I cannot go to hell. But have everlasting life. I am going to heaven when I die. It is secure. Nobody can stop it. Nobody can change it. And God can’t change his mind. We’ve got God bound by his word. He has to obey it. He promised.

And he means what he says. I love being bold on his behalf because I know God doesn’t lie. He tells the truth. And there is no salvation outside of what I’ve told you about. There’s no plan B, C, or D. Only a plan A. I hope that you have survived this morning. Let’s pray shout with every head, bow, and every eye closed. No one looking around. I’m not gonna have you stand up or come forward. I don’t want anything from you.

I just want you to understand that salvation is free. Have you really trusted Christ as your savior? Or you just hope you’re saved? Have you taken God at His word? Do you really believe that when Christ died, He died for you? He did. Came back from the dead and said, if you believe He paid for your sins, then by accepting Him, you are accepting a payment for your sin. He was the payment. And that means you don’t have any sins to pay for because he paid for them.

Would you believe he loves you that much? I’m going to ask you just a moment for raising your hand. Raising your hand doesn’t save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. And I like to know. And so I’m going to ask you in the quietness of this moment, if what I said made sense to you, just slip your hand up, but down this, yes, I trust Christ is my Savior. I believe he died from me.

If you’ve never done it before and to do it right now, God bless you, ma’am. God bless you, sir. I appreciate that. Anyone else, just quickly, just leave it up. I’m not gonna have you pointed out, not gonna opinion against the wall, but right where you are, say, that made sense to me. I wanna know for sure, I’m going to heaven. So right now, I will accept Christ as my savior, as my only hope of one to heaven. Would you do that?

Anyone else before we close? Our Father, we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us. We pray Lord for these that have indicated and up with the hand that they would trust your Savior. By doing so, they become your child. You’re given eternal life and they can know that they’re going to heaven when they leave. And Father, for those that are watching by internet, we pray that many would understand and put their confidence there trust in you.

We thank you for this day and for all the blessings you bestowed upon us. We thank you for that and everything you’ve done for us. Thank you for giving us a good day. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. This is your invitation to join us for our 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. God 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.