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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.

Let’s take a look at the Bible and see what we’re going to talk about tonight. about tonight. I would like to say this because I’ve heard a lot of people make statements that you shouldn’t know Bill Walls. I actually heard the Pope say something similar to that but not to me personally because I can’t speak whatever he was speaking. But the translator says that the Pope said that we should build bridges and not walls. And if you talk about building walls, you’re not a Christian.

Boy, that starts a storm and it’s something that maybe some people don’t know, but just to kind of give you an idea, take your Bible and turn to the book of, let’s see, Second Chronicles 14, Second Chronicles in chapter 14. And And you’ll find out that a man by the name of Asa was a good man. He was a godly man. And he had decided that he was going to please the Lord. He wanted to serve God, and so it’s written in Scripture, and so it’s very important.

At 2 Chronicles, this is on page 502. In chapter 14 says in verse 1, so Abajai slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa, his son, rained in his stead. In his days, the land was quiet ten years. And Asa did that whichirected good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. So we know this is a good man doing the right thing. And he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places and break down the the images and cut down the grows.

In other words, he got rid of all these false religions because he knew that there was only one true in living God and he decided I’m going to hang to what the Bible says and do what God wants me to do and get rid of all these false teachings out of here and says in verse 4, “…and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to do the law and the commandment.” Also, he took away out of all the cities of Judah, the high places and the images and the kingdom was quiet before him.

And he built fenced cities in Judah. For the land had rest, and he had no war in those years because the Lord had given him rest. Therefore he said in the Judah, let us build these cities and make about them what? And towers and gates and bars, while the land is yet before us because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. And then He talks about having a great military defense.

See, in verse 8, Isaiah had an army of men. And so this was a large army sufficient to defend themselves. So I see nothing wrong in being able to defend yourself from the enemy And if this is what it takes, I think it ought to do. By the way, if you ever didn’t go to the Vatican, there’s a wall around it. But there’s also a wall around, you ever heard the wall around Jerusalem? I’ve been to Israel six times, and I’ve always seen the wall around Jerusalem.

Now, I wonder why they built a wall, because there was somebody on the other side trying to get on the inside. And so that’s what they did. So I don’t think that it’s wrong to do that. Also, I want to show you one more that I think is good. Look in Psalms 122, the 122nd Psalm, just so that you know that these are in the Scriptures, whether you do anything with it or not. But in Psalms 122, 2 verse 7.

In verse, pray for the peace of Jerusalem that they prosper, that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. So I do not see that it is a wrong thing to do. When you read the book of Ezekiel, it often talks about the watchmen upon the tree limb. No, the watchmen upon the wall. And so the Bible also says in the book of Isaiah that when the or a wall, a defense against it. So there’s nothing wrong in people defending themselves, and I believe this is the case.

Now you know, the full opportunity of marrying people together. I hear it together. true. Over there I married that couple together, Jesse and Kyla. Colorado had a whole bunch. I had some in Georgia. I hope God forgive me for some of them. I probably shouldn’t have, but I’ve, you know, nobody’s perfect. But when people get married, they do have high expectations. And some of those expectations, well, when you make this statement, will you take this awful -witted wife, I mean, lawful-witted woman.

To be, you know, words, when you ask them the question for better or for worse, which ovych one do you think they expected to be? Better. Probably nobody gets married thinking, well, I hope it gets worse. When we say for richer or poor, well, I hope we get poor. Remember that he got married. I didn’t have no money. She had $17. That was a lot of money. And so when I asked the Secretary of War, I mean the Justice of the Peace, how much do I owe?

And he says, what did she worth? I said, well,tenance. Five dollars, all right? Okay. So I said, better give me five dollars. Hey, she knew a bargain when she got one. I mean, she knew. So did she get a discount? Oh, yes. I was 50% off. anyway. When we say to them, you know, in sickness and in health, do you really want to plan on staying healthy or you plan on getting sick? Well, most people, they don’t want to expect the bad things.

You know, that can be so negative, you know, you’re just negative. And so, when you expect nothing, then anything’s a bonus. Don’t expect anything’s a bonus. But who wants to live without expectations. We’re always expecting something to be better. Now right here, what you said here, tomorrow you’re hoping and expecting something to be better than today. I don’t know what it is. Might be some guy expecting to finally find that that girl and there might be some girl looking for that guy or somebody looking for that better job or tomorrow hoping we have better health.

There’s always something that we’re expecting. So I was sitting down one day in my office and I wrote down some of my expectations for life. And everybody has expectations, some good, and some not so good. You were hanging around people that are always negative, always, they always down in the mouth. Well, when you’re always down in the mouth, think of Jonah, came out all right. Now 2 Corinthians chapter 3, 2 Corinthians chapter 3, look at it very quickly. Now you know that I had mentioned this verse not long ago, just a couple of weeks ago when we talked about how God’s grace is sufficient.

It’s all that we need for whatever that day brings forth. But one thing that it may not cover, you know, you want to get an insurance policy, we want to cover everything. But there’s grace is a wonderful thing, but it may not cover all of your expectations because sometimes you can expect this and you only get this. And so you know you’ve got to build in disappointment because it may not work out the way you want. So that’s why you have to watch is your expectations from the Lord on things God promised.

If not, then you’re expecting what you’re going to do. And you have sometimes more confidence in you because you know what you will or will not do. But then lo and behold, we have to trust people. And sometimes we expect people to do things and they don’t come through. So when people fail you… There’s disappointment. So how can a Christian keep from becoming so discouraged? Because a lot of things in life discourages us and we have moments of despair.

Now, when you read the book of Joshua in chapter 1, Moses dies and God is going to use Joshua. And so he says to him, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Be only strong and very courageous. And he talks about meditate in thy word day and night, that thou may have observed to do everything that he tells them to do, and that they may prosper and so forth, make that way successful. So this is what you want.

So in verse 5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Learning to expect what God promises that he will do, and I don’t think you’re going to find yourself too disappointed in life if you learn how to trust the Lord. Now I want you to take your, we don’t have to take the time to look there now, but in Matthew chapter 6 it says, in setting your priorities straight, it says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

Seek ye first. So there’s a priority, things that we need to do that’s first and we should expect God said, and all these things shall be added and you can expect certain things to be done. But your life is going to be one great big disappointment if you expect an easy road. Now look at the little things there I got where it says A, B, C, and D. Now in Psalms 37 and verse four was one of my favorite verses, not my favorite, but one of them for a long, long time and still is, where it says delight thyself and the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

So there is nothing wrong in having desires. But seek the Lord first, delight yourself in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. See, you put God first, and then the desires that you have will be probably greater desires that please the Lord, because you put him first. But if you don’t, then you’re going to desire things that God’s not going to be able to fulfill in your life. And so you’re going to be in for a lot of disappointment.

So things that I don’t expect in life every day. And if you’ll see there letter A, an easy road. Now I desire it, but I really don’t expect it. I know that there’ll be some days I’m going to have an easy road. Some days I’ll have a few easy hours. That doesn’t mean every hour will be wonderful. If you make a lot of decisions, you talk to a lot of people and you hurt some people sometimes. And people don’t always do what they say they will do, so you’re going to have disappointments.

Everyone to love me, now I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t love me. It just breaks my heart. I probably will not sleep for 10 seconds tonight worrying about that. Now you know that everybody does not love you. Now can you see me running for president of the United States and say in some of the things that I say and so forth and everybody out there going, oh, he’s so wonderful. You can’t see that either. I don’t either. But everybody is not going to love you.

You already know, don’t expect it. You know that if you serve the Lord, that every man who lives godly shall suffer persecution. It’s not going to go your way. So don’t expect an easy road. It’s not going to be there. And don’t expect everybody to love you. Don’t expect fame and wealth and so forth. Now I might desire it, but I don’t expect it. Happiness and health, I desire it, but I don’t expect it all the time because every once in a while, whether I want it or Sometimes I don’t feel so good.

Sometimes you don’t feel so good either. Sometimes you don’t look so good either. Sometimes I don’t look so good either. But we get sick and we have bills and we got to go to the doctor. I’ve noticed that the older I get the more doctors that I go see. Now I have to check my daily schedule that somebody says, can you meet with me and blah, blah, blah, blah. I don’t have to go check my church calendar. I got to go check my doctor’s calendar.

Well, I see I’m adding over here and here because the older you get, you may have to go see them about moral things. So just so that you know, regardless of how good and shape you are in now. I mean, for years I didn’t have to go to the doctor. Only until this last year Betty never went to the doctor. She didn’t have to go. Not until she got about 73 years old and all of a sudden you know you have a few things you got to go get checked.

And so some of you young guys that are so young and healthy and bulk and work it out. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. It’ll change. You’re gonna be puny and helpless and some little woman’s gonna have to… You know what’s gonna happen to these guys? Because it’s the truth. There’ll be winers. Now you know and I know that most guys are winers. They get a little headache. Oh honey, I can’t move. I can’t move. Would you give me some soup?

And he gets you to the soap. Why don’t we do give me the paper? Oh, I can’t remember. How do you get me to TV changer? I mean, it’s sitting right there beside you, but you can’t reach it. I’d have to move. So how do you know all this? I’m married. Like I told you, I said, whenever my wife gets sick and the dishes are piling up, there is no way. I’m going to have my wife get out of bed and go in there and wash those dishes.

I figured they can just wait until she gets better. Now you all have visited for the first time, I’m not really like this. You probably believe every word I’m saying. I’m the only preacher that’ll tell you, don’t believe everything I say. The next statement’s in a little bowl there. Expect nothing in anything will be a bonus. If you aim at nothing, you’re more likely to hit it, and you’ll be successful. But it’s better to aim at something and miss than to aim at nothing and hit it.

So if you do expect all these things, you’re in for a life of a lot of disappointments and life is full of that. So if you don’t expect all those things and things are not going right, what’s your problem? You didn’t expect it anyway, did you? Did you expect everything to go right and no problems? No, life is full of problem. The reason we studied the Bible so that God can teach us how to solve problems. And it’s hard for you to help somebody else solve their problem when you never solve any of your own problems.

Don’t run from problems, try to figure out how to solve them. Look at number two, there are no notes. Things I don’t expect to get because I already have it. Some things I don’t expect to get because I already have it. I already have salvation. So if I’m already saved, I’m not trying to get it. So I’m not coming to church to try to get salvation. I don’t give money to try to get saved. I don’t do anything to get saved.

Why? I’m already saved. I will say 55 years ago. When you trust Christ as your Savior, He saves you when you trusted Him. So from that point on, I’m never trying to get saved because I already am saved. So I’m not trying to do anything to go to heaven. I’m already going to heaven. I couldn’t go to hell if I tried, not haven’t tried, but I’m not going to hell. I can’t go to hell. I have eternal life. I’m going to heaven when I die.

Christ paid for how many of my sins? All of my sins. when we have here letter B, justification from all my sins. I have been justified, declared righteous. Well, if it didn’t include the very next sin, then I just became unrighteous and unjustified. So when I got justified, it had to be for all of my sins, but if it was only for that moment, well, the next moment, I didn’t lost it. How long can I live without sin? Well, if I’m gonna be unjustified because I failed.

No, once you’re justified in declared righteous, that’s for all time in eternity. You can only get justified one time. You can only get saved one time. You can’t get saved twice. Salvation is of the Lord. And His salvation is an eternal salvation. So that’s why when you trust Christ to save you, He gives you the next point down here, the free gift of eternal life. Now if He gave me eternal life, the day I trusted Him, which was 55 years ago, would not today I still have eternal life?

What about 10 years from now? Will I still have it? What about 100 years from now? I remember Hank Linsermas, this one guy named Willie James, he says, Willie James, if you live a thousand years from now, would you still have it? He said, well, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll live that long. So I had to go over it again with him, but once you have it, you have it. Look at number things I expect to receive from the Lord in this life.

There are things that you should expect to receive in this life. So just look quickly there in the book of Psalms and 62, Psalm 62, Psalm 62 and look in verse 5. Just showing you that as a child of God you can expect your heavenly Father who loves you, cares about you, is is watching over you and wants to bless you. So in verse 5, my soul, wait thou only upon all of my friends, my neighbors. No, for my expectation is from him, from the Lord.

So you learn how to trust the Lord and your expectation from God because God won’t fail. But now he won’t fail in doing what he promised. So that’s why you studied the Bible so that you’ll find out what did God promise me. And then verse 6, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory. the rock of my strength and my refuge is in him.

Trust in him at most of the time. Trust in him at all times, at all times. You people pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lie to be laid in the balance. They are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” So you may be blessed by God and your riches can increase and there’s nothing wrong in heaven.

As long as you get it right, save it right, spend it right and to do right by it. And use it to lay up treasure in heaven and for the Lord’s work, that’s not a thing wrong with it. But you don’t set your hope, in riches of this world. That’s why you’re not to make the riches the gold of your life. The Bible says they who seek to be rich will pierce themselves through with many arrows. In other words, going to produce a lot of sorrow and like, now you can do it.

God says you can do anything you want with your life. You can waste your life. You can see fame and popularity and wealth and all those things. But He just tells you ahead of time you’re gonna have problems and it’s gonna hurt you. And anything God says not to do is because he knows that that’s going to hurt you. That’s not the best for you. God always wants the best for his children. Believe that. So he says you’re in verse 11, God had spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God.

Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for thou rendereth to every man according to his worst. So as a child of God you know, as he says in the New Testament, that as a Man soweth that shall he also reap. So you learn how to put your confidence in your trust in the Lord. Now look down at the bottom of the page very quickly. First John 1 9, God to forgive my sins when I fail. Now this is what I can expect in my Christian life.

These are some things I can’t expect, but it all is based upon what God is going to do. I can expect God to do what God promised. My expectation should be of the Lord. So he says that I should expect God to forgive my sins when I fail. We are you going to fail? I expect I’m going to fail. I expect that when I asked the Lord and I talked to the Lord about it, I know the Lord’s going to forgive and I know that.

So that’s a wonderful thing to know. I can expect that. And I can expect God to answer my prayers. Why? Because God promised that he would. So I believe that when I pray, I can expect God to hear my prayer and to answer my prayer because I want it according to His will. I don’t believe I’m going to talk God in doing something against His will. Hebrews chapter 12 verses 5 through 7, God to chase me when I rebel.

See, once you trust Christ as Savior, you are His child for all eternity. As a child of God, can I live like I please? Yes? Can you get away with it? No. There’s consequences. So God is going to chase in you when you’re disobedient. He promised to bless you if you’re obedient. Now which one do you think I want? I mean if you’re sensible and reasonable, can’t you figure this thing out? God said, can I live any way I play?

Yes, you can. I can live to please me, walk in the flesh, and I can seek to please God live in the Spirit and have the blessings of God rewards when they to get to heaven? Now, wait a minute. What did he do for me? My motive. Why should I serve him? Because we are supposed to consider that we are to be motivated by the love that Christ had for us. Because he did love us. And this is the love that God is talking about in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5 and verse 14.

For the love of Christ constraineth us, because with us, judge that if one died for all, then all were dead, and that they which lived should not henceforth live unto themself, but unto him who died for them and rose again. So I should live for the one who died for me.” So that makes sense. But I got to make a decision. And every man’s going to receive what he deserves. Now salvation, nobody deserves. That is the gift of God.

Going to heaven is free what you have before you get there depends upon what you do for the Lord. But notice the next statement. First Corinthians 10, 13, God to deliver me from temptations because it says in there that we’re all going to be tempted, but he will not allow you to be tempted above that which you’re able and that God will with the temptation. make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Now not all of God’s children look for a way of escape from a temptation and that’s why they wind up falling in to temptation and yielding to temptation because they didn’t seek the escape route.

There’s always a way out of every temptation problem trial if you’re just trust the Lord he’ll lead you out. So you’d be very very careful. So I can expect God to give me the strength and the grace and they open up the way the door to flee temptation. And you need to know that and do that. That letter E I already know and I expect God to allow me to suffer. He says think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you.

And he says you’re going to suffer because Christ suffered, we’re going to suffer in this life. This time that we’re in this world is a time of suffering. Now think, this is the worst Christians will ever have. The best for us is coming. To the lost man, this is the best that he will ever have. To us, it’s the worst we’ll ever have. I’m so glad I’m going to heaven when I die. The next statement, I can expect God to comfort me when I sorrow.

He says that He is the Father of all mercies, father of all comfort. And he wants us to be comforted so that when we work with the lives and the lives of other people, we can help comfort them. We’re with the comfort. We were comforted. It’s a wonderful chapter. You need to read that whole chapter. It’s very, very good. And I do expect God to reward me when I get to heaven. Don’t you expect that? If you serve a Lord now and you know you’re going to stand at the jebbins of the Christ, you should be looking for that, that’s the great expectation.

Don’t you expect God who is the just God of all the earth shall not he do right? And he says, every man shall receive his only word according to his own labor. So when you stand before the Lord, aren’t you expecting God to do right by you? That’s why we can serve him with confidence because we know that God has already taken care of everything. It doesn’t matter what happens in our life. It just wants us to be found faithful to do right.

And if you put your expectations in the Lord, then you don’t have to worry like some people worry. 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 Mailing. 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 Bibleline. 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 4081 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.