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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 message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Don’t you take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 John, the book of 1 John? There’s an interesting little statement here. Years ago, there was a preacher that was at the Franklin Road Baptist Church up there. There around Murphy’sboro, Tennessee. And the guy’s name was, what was his name? Tom Wallace, he was a little short fellow. And he We preach the sermon on, this then is the message. This then is the message. And it’s been put in print since then.

This then is the message. Well, what is the message? You know we can get involved in a lot of things, teaching a lot of things and a lot of different kinds of messages. But when you stop and think about it, every person, their whole life teaches a message. Your lifestyle or beliefs, all of it comes to it tells a message. So whenever your life is over and somebody says some words over you, what they say about you can be a summary of what was the message of your life.

What did you do with it? How long did you live? Well he was born blah blah blah and he died blah blah blah. So this is a story of his life. And I used to have a thing on TV years ago called This is Your Life. Can you remember that? It was a long time ago. I used to love watching that. And sometimes the people would have no clue who they were going to bring out and they was all excited and so forth.

You know it. It always ended up pretty good and everybody was happy. But this is your life and everybody’s life has a message. I’m not an evolutionist, so that is not my message. I’m not an atheist, so that’s not my methods. I do have something that I believe in, so that is my message. And I would hope to think that if people know me for a while, they’ll know what my message is all about. So turn in your Bible to the book of 1 John in chapter 1 and look what he says here in In verse 5, this then is the message.

This then is the message. Now, when you study and find out what God did with this young kid, we believe he was one of the youngest of the teenagers that became this youth ministry that Jesus started when he was here. to be quite an old man. And he had seen a lot, done a lot, and then he had to suffer a lot, because he was placed on an owl in the Hall of Patmos. And there he was, I guess, until his last days.

But he was used by the Lord to write several books in the Bible. He wrote the gospel of John. He wrote 1st, 2nd, 3rd John. And then he wrote the book of Revelation. We say he wrote it means he was the human writer. There’s only one author of the Bible. But now whenever you start to think about it, in the Gospel of John there’s how many chapters, 21, right? So when you read the book of 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, you’ve got seven chapters, right?

When you read Revelation you’ve got 22 chapters, right? All those chapters added together make 50 chapters. So 50 chapters that John was used by the Lord to write. Now, you have the book of John, you have 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and you got the book of Revelation. So we had 21 chapters and 7 chapters and 22 chapters. 50 chapters told. But if you break those three segments down, you’ll find out in the Gospel of John, it talks about, you know, what to believe.

And then when you talk about the seven little books, seven chapters, it’s on how to behave. So how to believe, how to behave, and what to behold. So in the book of revelation the word behold is used 27 times. Now the word belief or forms of it is found 98 times or about 98 times in the Gospel of John and then you come to the book of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John. It’s about how a Christian is to behave.

So believe, behave, behold. And the word behold simply means to see. Lo, here, lo, see. So every Christian if you wanted to know a little bit about what is our message? Well, there’s something to believe and there’s something that we’re supposed to do in order to behave and then we’re supposed have a vision for the future to see something. The book of Revelation gives you all of that. Tells you what’s going to happen in the future so that we’ll be smart with our time here.

And yet each one of these needs the other because there’s not a good future for those who don’t believe. And it’s hard to get people to behave if they don’t understand why they should behave. Well, because believing gets you into heaven and you know where it is and what’s going to happen in the future. So you see how you need all of it put together. And so the God has been put good does. And I want you to look there in John chapter 3 verse 16.

If I was asked you, well if there’s 98 times in the gospel of John that it talks about just know believing what verse would you usually go to would be a good verse you would go to everybody has a maybe a different verse but outside of John 3 16 what verse would you use I’m waiting who said that do you know what it says it’s a good one very very I said to you either believeth on me hath everlasting life, either believeth.”

That’s all you got to do is believe. John 3 16, let’s all quote it, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, the whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. So as you read through the gospel of John, you should be able to find verses that will tell you to believe. So when you’re looking for a heaven track, the gospel of John is a pretty good one. And we can usually explain to gospel and have many people trust Christ to save it just from the book of John because it’s how to believe.

What do you believe? Now when you go to the book of 1st and 2nd and 3rd John, go over there just for a second. The book of 1st John and you’ll notice that if you understand this is already talking to those who have believed. So in 1 John, we’re not talking about how to get to heaven. 1 John is talking about those who are already going to heaven and you’ll find he says over and over again, my little children, my little children, my little children.

And he also talks about, you know, you’ll walk with God, heaven fellowship with the Lord. And so look there in 1 John, and you’ll notice He says they’re in verse three, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship. See once you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, you are now related to the Lord and that never changes. But your fellowship with the Lord, I mean how are you getting along with God?

Are you walking with Him? How can two get along and agree unless you know, walk together unless you agree with each other? So walking with God, heaven, fellowship, just you agreeing with God. As you go through life, just keep agreeing with God. You keep reading the word and just keep on agreeing. And you’d be surprised how it’ll help you. It just eliminates a lot of your decisions. What complicates life is having decisions. You don’t know which one to come down on.

So if you just let the Lord make the decisions for you, I agree with him. I disagree with him. Whatever he got to, I disagree with him. Not disagree, I agree with him. So he says here, only have fellowship with us. So fellowship with us, you already know the Lord, but this is so that you can have joy. Look here in the last part of verse three. And fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ. So for Christians to really have good fellowship together, it’s because we have fellowship with the Father.

Lord. And the closer we get with the Lord, the closer we get to each other. And so the greater the fellowship will be. And then you’ll see one of the reasons. Now there’s about four reasons that’s mentioned in the book of 1st John that are the basics of why God had him write this book. One, it says right there in verse 4, that your joy may be full. So if there’s anybody that wants you to be happy, it is the Lord.

He’s one of the design life. So he wants us to be happy. And he also, believe it or not, he wants you to be holy. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to be holy. He wants you to be hopeful and helpful. So there’s four basic things as you read the book of 1 John that will really kind of help you in your Christian life because this talks about how to behave, How to live for the Lord.

How to walk with God. And so as you go down through here and he says in verse 6 of the first John chapter 1, if we say that we have fellowship and walk, see we’re talking about your walk. And your walk is how you have fellowship with God. Are you walking with the Lord? Are you walking in agreement with God? So as you go through life and it doesn’t matter what you do, what server by hand finds to do with all the time.

You just keep agreeing with God, agreeing with God. And you’d be surprised how we can eliminate a lot of stress between husband and wife and kids and on the job and everything. Just keep agreeing, just do things that God wants you to do. How does God want me to respond and just do that? But look in verse seven. But if we walk not, so he’s talking about those who walk, and though that don’t walk right. So sometimes you think, and there’s people who read, you know, 1 John and they say, well see there if you’re really saved, if you’re really saved, you’re not going to go out here and walk the wrong way.

Well wait a minute, he just said you’re getting right if we walk not in the light. You just say you weren’t saved. He says you’re not obeying the truth. You’re not walking with God. You’re saying something, but what you say isn’t true. So that’s why he says here. And I’ll just see this. Look there in chapter 2 and verse 3. Chapter 2 verse 3. And where you see the word no, no, no. Well, just put the word love there because that’s what he’s talking about.

And you’ll see that toward the end of the chapter. And so in verse 3, and here by we do know that we know him if we keep his commandment. And the word is a reference toward your love, that you love him if you do what he says to do. Now you may be saved and not love the Lord, but if you do love him and he asks us to love him, and he also tells us things not to love.

See there in chapter 2 verses 15 through 17, where he’s talking here about things not to love. He says, and if you love these things, then the love of the Father is not in you. So, look what he says in verse 15, love not the Father or the world, neither the things that are in the world. So if he tells you not to, it means it’s possible to love the things of the world. And so he says in next verse, if any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in.

So we’re not talking about salvation. We’re talking about your love for the Lord. And if you love the Lord, then walk and live, behave like you love the Lord. And if you don’t, then it means that you don’t love Him and therefore you’ve got a spiritual problem. So he says there in chapter 2 as he goes down to, did you just look at it very quickly? You see there where He makes a statement in verse six. He that say it, he abided in him, ought himself also to walk.

But we’re talking to the believers. This is not a test on how to get saved. This is a walk with the Lord. And you can say a lot of things. You can say whatever you want, but that doesn’t make it true. And so as you go through, he says there’s things to love, and there’s things not to love. Because here you’re talking about your behavior. The way you live. And I wanted you to see this also in 1 John chapter 3.

Look there in verse 9. So many people say, well, if you’re really safe, you’re not going to go out and practice sin. You won’t practice sin. No, most of all I know are experts at it. So when he says you won’t practice sin. So there’s two words. One is poeio, which means one single act. praso, praso, praso, praso, praso, praso. So if the word is praso, it means to habitually commit to practice. And if the word is poeo, generally refers to not one single act.

So here in this context, it’s talking about the word poeo, which means that you cannot commit one single act of sin. So look what he says here in verse 9. Whosoever is born of God, death not commit sin. For his seed remained in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God. So you see, if you’re saved, the new birth can not sin because the seed remained in me. He cannot sin. That is the incorruptible seed. In our flesh birth is corruptible.

It came from a corruptible sin. So it sins. It practices it. It does a real good job. But you’ve got to remember, which one is born of God? Well, not the old one, it was the new one. And so some people say, well, if you’re really safe, you’re not going to go out here and practice sin. Well, hold your place right here. And I just want you to turn it over to the book of Romans in chapter seven, Romans chapter seven.

And just notice this, you’ll notice there in verse 18, it’s more than just one place, but especially in verse 18 in 19, where the Apostle Paul says, for I know that in me that is in my flesh, do I look no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that, which is good, I find not, for the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do. Now that word do here in this verse is from the word prasal and the word prasal means to habitually come in.

So the Apostle Paul is stating right here that he practices sin. He says, the good that I do not. And there’s a word there for quail. Here is prasal. And so he’s talking about, he does. So people who say, well, if you’re really safe, you’re not gonna go out here and do habitually commit sin. But you do. Now what do you do when you say the Apostle Paul must must not have been saved. You really got a problem. You have a problem.

So anyway, go back here to the book of 1 John. So remember this, 50 chapters, three different segments of books written by John. The Gospel of John, believe the book of 1 second third John, what’s the word? Behave, very good. And the book of Revelation, Behold. The word Behold is found how many times? 27 times, very good. So in believe, or forms of it is found about how many times? 98 times in the book of John. So, believe, behave, behold.

And so it’s an easy way to try to remember some of these books and what the content is about. So go back to your first John. So in first John, there are several things that he wants us to see. And one is our happiness. He wants us to be happy. And that’s based upon your walk with the Lord. Remember, happiness is not a destination. It’s not something that you find finally after. Happiness is found really on the way of duty and the pathway of duty.

Doing what you’re supposed to do. Happiness is you gotta find happiness. And if you want to be happy, do what God says to you. He says happy are ye if you do them. If you do what God says to you. But anyway, here in verse John chapter 2, look at verse 1, because God also wants us not only just to be happy, he wants us to be holy. See what he says in verse 1, my little children these things right eye unto you that you sinned none.

In other words, not to walk in the flesh. Not to walk after the Old Sinful nature, but if you do, it doesn’t mean you’re not saved. It just simply means that you’re not walking with God and you’re not obeying the truth. And therefore your heavenly Father might just have to beat the tar out of you. Or maybe take you home before your time. So you need to keep that in mind. Now, look there in verse 26 of 1 John chapter 2 verse 26, where he says, these things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

Now, he talked about some of the people that try to rob you. If you read the book of Galatians, you’ll say, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth. You did run well. What has hindered you? So here you’re talking about down there in verse 19, they went out from us to let it be made known that they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they were no doubt have continued with us, but since they didn’t, they weren’t.

And you tie that verse into Acts chapter 15 where they had this little congregational meeting up there with all the big shots. And he came to the conclusion that, no, you don’t have to keep the law to be saved or to stay saved. And so he says, but there are some who came from up here that says that this is what we are saying. They said, let be known and no uncertain turn. We do not have such a message.

So whenever you start off here in 1 John chapter 1 verse 5, when he says this then is the message, what is the message? When it comes to salvation, believe, gospel of John. And when it comes to behaving for 2nd, 3rd John, And when it comes to a vision of what’s coming in the future, behold the book of Revelation. Now going back here to 1 John where it tells us and encourages us, you can say that you’re walking with God and that’s why he goes down through chapter 2.

He that saith, he that saith, he that saith. It’s easy to talk but a little bit more difficult to walk. So he says, if you are not walking in the light, then you are not in agreement with God. You’re not having the fellowship that you think you’re having. So the book of 1 John, especially let you know, here’s the flesh, here’s the spirit. This is your first birth, your second birth. And so if I walk in the flesh, I’ll bring forth the words of the flesh.

If I walk in the spirit, I’ll have the fruit of the spirit. And so this is where God wants me to walk. He doesn’t want me to walk over here, but I got a choice. That’s why he says in 1 John 3, 9, that whosoever is born of God, this is the one that’s born of God, not this one, cannot sin. The word po’ale cannot commit one single act of sin. Now the flesh habitually prassel commits sin. So the Apostle Paul in chapter seven, it says, though he wants to do right, but how to perform that which is good I find none.

So then he says, the things that I don’t want to do, I do, and the word there is prassel. He practiced. So Paul had a problem with the flesh just like you do, just like I do. And so when people say, well, if you’re really safe, you’re not going to want to live and walk in the flesh. Well, then why does he draw so many of his children into the flesh? Because you have a flesh nature and it’s not gone.

So it is not the will of your father to walk after the flesh. And you’ll find this especially in the book of Romans in chapter 8. When you trust Christ as your Savior, God no longer sees you in the flesh, he sees you in the Spirit. Does it mean your spiritual just means that’s your position in Christ? So a Christian can walk in the Spirit or after the flesh. So you’ll notice that in the book of Romans after the flesh, after the flesh, after the flesh, but God no longer sees you in the flesh, but you can walk after the flesh.

And there is a difference. The old man, the lost man, can only walk in the flesh. He can’t walk in the spirit, but the Christian can. So you’ll see a difference. So look there in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 15. Whosoever hated his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. You would be surprised reading common terries trying to see how they explained this. It’ll blow your mind. And they’ll write three pages trying to explain what it really means.

And I thought I can do that in one paragraph. So simple. You see, it makes the statement, who’s whoever hated his brother? Look up here. Which one of these hates? Hate comes from here. So if you hate your brother, he doesn’t have eternal life abiding in him. He does. But see, See, this one doesn’t hate his brother. This one does. So when I hate, it lets me know which one is controlling my life. So when you’re hating your brother and hating the things of God, that means you’re not loving the things God and you’re walking into flesh.

So this is a perfect book to let us know how to behave. you can judge for yourself. Am I right with God? Am I walking with God? Do I have fellowship with God? My father? Like I should? Well, this is what this is about. So we notice there in verse 26 when he says, I am written unto you concerning them that seduce you. There’s people who want to always tear you down, change the message. But remember in chapter 1 and verse 5 when he says, this then is the message.

What is our message? Well, when it comes to salvation, only believe. When it comes to service, behave to what God says do. And for the future and the motive, behold, means I see. I see what God is saying. And 27 times behold is used in the book of Revelation. So God used this guy to give us some tremendous truth that can help us in our Christian life. So as you go through here, you’ll see all of this. Now, look in 1 John 5, 13.

1 John 5, 13, where it says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. As with every Christian, there are times in your Christian life because there’s some who want to seduce to cause you to question, cause you to doubt. What God said. So you have to always go back. What did he say? These things have already written on you that believe that you know you have eternal life.

Don’t question and don’t doubt it. Keep believing what God says. Continue in the doctrine that is sound. And the Bible says, mark them which cause divisions contrary to the doctrines which you have learned and what. Join them? No, avoid them. Because false teaching can take its toll upon God’s children. So these are just some things to think about. Let’s pray, shall we? Father, we thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one. Pray for a good service to follow in Christ.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you are blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again, or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link.

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. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.