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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. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

Now, take your Bible and turn it above the Romans very quickly, Romans in chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. and look in verse one. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, you’re born into God’s family. You have eternal life and He’ll never cast you out, never lose you. But because of what He did for us, He says in verse one, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God. In other words, because God had mercy on you and He saved you by grace.

You didn’t have to turn from your sins, stop anything, join anything. There was a gift. So he says that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable, see the word service? That’s service, that’s not to be saved. You see, you don’t present your body to the Lord until after you’re saved. You don’t serve the Lord to be saved, but you see, there’s individuals trying to get lost people to present your bodies a living sacrifice and you gotta commit your life to Christ promise to serve a Lord and let him be the Lord and the Master of your life.

No, that’s heresy. You’re telling them that’s what they got to do. They get saved. No, this is talking about after your saved. Look at the verse two, be not conformed to this world. This is those who already know the Lord, but you don’t tell a lost man he has to conform his life. He has to change his life. He has to promise how he’s going to live. He’s got to stop being bad. Turn from your sins and make Christ the to learn the master of your life in order to get to say, no, that’s works for salvation.

After you’re saved, yes, but how do you do it? How do you conform, not to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God? That’s what God wants his children to do, but God does not want lost people to present their bodies a living sacrifice. They got to get saved first. And I think that’s self-explanatory. Now go back here to your notes. The gospel was also to include repentance and remission of sins.

Our gospel must include why a man needs to repent, changes mine, but how he is saved, not of man but all and only of Christ and forgiveness of sins. All sacrifices in the Old Testament dealt with the main purpose, the forgiveness of sins. Eternal salvation has to do with the forgiveness of sins. It is clearly evident that the lost men must know what sin is, what the payment for sin is, and why he needs to be forgiven. This must be and should be included in the gospel.

I don’t know if Dr. A. Ray Stanford fully understood the value of those seven little simple principles he taught when he did the wallet illustration. But 50 years later, I find out that is the most simplistic way of understanding the gospel that is held up all these years because it is so truthful it is the gospel it explains it which one of the seven points would you leave out of the gospel well all have sin well we don’t have to tell them that you can’t leave out out because that’s a that’s a that’s that’s a nowhere all centers wages sin is dead well we don’t have to tell them what the wages sin is all right you can’t leave that out well you got to be perfectly go to heaven.

Do we leave that out? I wouldn’t leave that out because they need to know that’s part of the problem. You got to be perfect to go there. You cannot earn eternal life. Number four, you can’t earn eternal life. You can’t work good in heaven. Well, should we leave that point out? Well, no, that’s why we got to trust and cry because we can’t earn it. What’s the next one? Number five, Christ died. So we got to know why Christ died.

Why did He die? He died to pay for my sins. Came back from the dead. Number six is only believe. Or should we leave that out? Well, if I do believe it, number seven, go to heaven. I can know a heavy turn of life. Do we leave that out? Now, that’s the purpose of telling them the whole thing. Not one of those should you leave out. All of it put together and don’t skip on the gospel and leave out certain things.

It works better when you all put all of that together and it’s amazing how people will understand the gospel. Now look at the next statement. I know that it’s difficult for people to understand, but John’s gospel is a pre-calorie gospel. That did not, nor can not, change after the crucifixion of Christ. Although John wrote after the cross, what he writes about happened before the cross. It’s not a matter of believing that Jesus is Jesus, but that Jesus is the Christ.

And thestanbul is the one that was to be the lamb coming into the world, the down on the cross to pay for our sins and come back from the dead. That’s what the word Christ is referring to. And that is why it is so important. And there’s a couple verses in the gospel of John that even says that. Look in John chapter 20 here in verse 31, you got to your notes right there, just look at this. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is what?

Is the Christ. It’s not just believing that Jesus is Jesus, just believing in Jesus. You don’t have to know who he is or what he did. Yes you do. He says, unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins. So look at the next verse. John chapter 13 verse 19 says, Now I tell you before it come that when it come to pass, ye may believe and that I am He. Not just anybody, not just any Jesus.

I am the Jesus that pays for sin. He’s the Savior of the world. His name Jesus, believe it in his name, because his name meant something. He is Jehovah Yasha, he is the Savior. He is the protector, he is the deliverer. He is the payment for our sins. Now look there at the little boat, you may believe that I am he. You must believe that Jesus Christ is the payment for our sins, not just any Jesus. And see, there is a group that called themselves pre-grace, but they don’t have to believe in the death, blah, blah, blah, right.

They’ll tell you that they believe in it, but when you talk to a lost man, that’s not that important. And so they want to strip away everything they don’t need and just, well, the heavy eternal life, just believe in Jesus for eternal life. Well, that might be all you have to do, but that is not all you need to know.

I didn’t know I’m gonna preach up a storm tonight. Look down at the next verse, John chapter eight, And verse 24 says, I said there for unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sin. Jesus says you must believe that he is the Christ, or you will die in your sins, you’ll die lost. So it’s not just a matter, just believe in Jesus. There is a false Jesus.

There’s a false gospel. There’s a false Holy Spirit, false Spirit, not a false Holy Spirit, there’s only one Holy Spirit. So look at the next page. John chapter 1, and notice what he has here in verse 6, there was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light. Now get this, I put it in bold so that you would really see good. That all men through him might believe.

All men through Him might believe. See, John wanted people to know that he’s not the light, but he came to bear witness of the light. And that light was the true light, that light of every man that cometh into the world. And he was in the world, and the world was made by Him. And while I had Him was not anything made that was made. And so we have a payment for our sins. Jesus Christ, when John the bad to saw Jesus, it says, behold to what?

Now, the Lamb of God which take you the way the sin of the world, that was at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, not the end of it, the beginning of it. So did John know that Jesus was the one that was going to take away the sin of the world at the very beginning and everything you read in the Gospel of John happened before Jesus died. So that’s part of a pre-calvary gospel. That’s what they preached before Christ died.

And so this was the gospel. This was the message and therefore I don’t think it changed after Jesus died. You know what he told the person that died on the cross? And that person also died on the cross. He says, Lord remember me when thou come us into Thy Kingdom. Well… Jesus said unto him, today shall thou be with me in paradise. Now remember, Jesus had also mentioned in chapter 12 of the book of Matthew when he made the statement that an evil in a daughter’s generation seeketh after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the Wales Believer so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights where?

Heart of the earth. But now his body was placed in the grave. Jesus was not in his body that was in the grave. Jesus went to the place of paradise. Because he told the thief on the cross, today shall thou be with me in paradise. So he was in paradise. And when he told that thief on the cross, did that thief have to promise? I promise that I’ll turn from all my sins. He’s nailed to a cross. He’s not really going to have to fight it too much.

And I promise that I’ll serve the Lord for the rest of my life. Well, you only got a couple of minutes left. I mean, that would be easy for you maybe to keep. Jesus never told him anything like that. He believed that Jesus was not paying for his sins. He says, we have done and we’re getting what we deserve. But this man have done nothing to miss. And that’s why he says, when thou comeest into thy kingdom. So he believed he was a king.

He believed he was gonna come back from the dead. Just in that one little story that doesn’t say all of these things, but by just a few words, you can see it, he had to believe this, he had to believe this, he had to believe this. So he did believe in the death, the Berlin resurrection of Christ. And he knew that he had eternal life. And when Jesus said to him, “‘Today, shout thou be with me in paradise, “‘there’s nothing that that thief on the cross “‘could have ever done to change it.'”

He couldn’t change it, why? Because Jesus already said, “‘Today, shout thou be with me, You will be with me in paradise. He couldn’t change it and God can’t change it. When I trust the Christ as my Savior, 58 and a half years ago, God promised me eternal life and He can’t take it back. And I can’t give it back. I haven’t tried. I really don’t want to anyway. I kind of like the idea of no one to heaven when I die.

Look at the next verse here. What was John’s message from the very beginning of his ministry, that all men, Jews and Gentiles, through him that is on tribe, might believe. The gospel before Christ died is the same gospel after Christ died, because God never changed it. You find in the gospel of John what the gospel is and where did it change? What do we have to believe there? Because before that all they had to do is believe. They’re doing his life.

All they had to do is believe. Well after that all they had to do is believe. What do we have to do now? Just believe. Look at the next statement, John chapter one verse one, but as many as received him. Now this is at the beginning of his ministry. This is what he preached. To them gave he power to become the sons of God. Is this talking about being born again? I become a child of God born in God’s family.

Even to them that believe on his name because his name means something. It’s not just some Jesus that you can just believe in. No, it’s got to be a certain Jesus. The one that God sent, his son, God sent his son and his son died on the cross. Isn’t this exciting? Just so we don’t get washed away. Look at the next statement. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, ruler of the Jews, a master of Israel and was expected to know about the new birth, John chapter three.

Remember he came to Jesus and he says, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do the miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. And Jesus says, whoo, I’m impressed. No, he says you got to be born again. Oh. He said, well, how can you be born again? You got to enter to your mother’s womb and be born again? He says, that’s one of the fleshiest flesh, that’s one of the spirit of spirit.

This is the beginning of Christ’s ministry. The first miracle was in chapter two of John at the wedding. This isn’t at the end or after the law. This was under the law. This is how they were saved. He’s talking about the new birth. So anyway, as you read this, it makes a lot of sense when you just leave it in context and believe it this way. Now notice the next thing. Jesus answered very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit.

He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. He’s talking about the new birth. Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him. Art thou a master of Israel and knoweth not these things. In the words he should have known. Jesus expected him to know these things. This wasn’t something new. This is what was taught and it was taught. He says in the Old Testament. Look at the next statement. Jesus rebukes him for not knowing these things about the new birth.

Jesus expected him to understand why Moses lifted up a servant in the wilderness. Why the people were told only look and live. That was an illustration in the Old Testament. And Nicodemus should have known that. He should have understood that. And John chapter three verse 14, look what we have. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up. In other words, because the serpent was lifted upon a pole and all that had to do is look and live.

That was a story about Christ who was cursed and hung on a tree and paid for the sins of the world and came back from the dead. Look at the next statement. If Moses was expected to know what had typified the cross of Christ, then Christ expected it to be taught by the teachers of the law to the children of Israel. They should have known, they should have taught it. But remember, the lot of the Pharisees were teaching the law, but they weren’t keeping the law.

And so this is why so much damage was done. I’d just look over there very quickly in chapter 23 of the book of Matthew. Matthew and chapter 23, this is what the Pharisees were doing. They weren’t obeying the law themselves. And so they were very disobedient. So look what he says here in chapter 23, and look at verse 1, then spake Jesus to their multitude and to his disciples saying, the scribes and the Pharisees said in Moses, see, All therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not ye after their works, for they say and do not.

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, lay them on men’s shoulders, and they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men. They make broad difilectories, and enlarge the borders of their garment, love the uppermost rooms at feast and the chief seats in the synagogue and greetings in the markets to and to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi you know where’s all the honor and the praise look who we are look at my nice big beautiful robe and my phylactery and all these things that I’ve got he says in verse 8 be not ye call Rabbi for the one is your master even Christ and all year brethren and then he goes down here and says don’t call them your father and all these things like that.

But look what he says in verse 13. But woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you then that are entering to go in. In other words, you’re not going in and you keeping other people from going in. And buddy, they’re going to have to answer the God for what they’re doing. And this is what he was talking about them doing. He called them a bunch of hypocrites, He called on snakes, you serpents, and woe unto you, you blind guides and gnats, and you say you strain at them.

But look what he says here in verse 15. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, Yippah, chris, for you compass, see, and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourself. This is Jesus speaking. Is he afraid to offend Jesus was my man’s man. Jesus is no sissy. He’s God in the flesh. He pulled no punches. He hit right between the nine. He’s talking to the religious leaders of his day.

And he told them that they were wrong. He told them the other people. They were there in the common people. Look what he said in verse 17. You fools? Blind. And down in verse 19 you’re folds and blind. Look what it says in verse 25, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrite, for you may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. In other words, you clean up the outside and you look so nice and pretty.

He says, you just like that white seperate over there. You’re pretty white on the outside and you’re full of dead men’s bones. Boy, I mean he was rough, verse 27. So he goes down to her and he tells them and he said, how often I would have come and gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks together. See that’s right there in verse 37. He said, but you would not. It didn’t have to be that away. But see even in the book of Matthew they weren’t saved no different than they were in the gospel of John.

They’re not saved different ways. They were not, well, they’re on the law, so they had to keep the law. No, they didn’t. Salvation is always by grace. John 3 16 is at the beginning of Christ’s ministry. And what he said in Nicodemus was something he said at the beginning of the book of Matthew. It’s just that Matthew pitches one thing and Luke another and Mark another and John another. But all these things were written in this is a pre-Calvary gospel that was preached.

Look back of your notes now at chapter 3. And notice what we have here, that whosoever be leaveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is what he told him to the Jewish people, to the Pharisees. This is something that he told him right at the very beginning of his ministry, for God so loved the world. You think, well, this is what he said after he doesn’t already be paid for all the sins of the No.

But it’s quoted as though it’s already past tense, like it’s already happened. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Well He gave Him but He hadn’t died yet. But He’s as good as dead because that’s why He came and He was going to fulfill that responsibility. But God so loved the world He gave. This was a done deal in the mind of God. Christ was speaking to Nicodemus as though He was already given as a payment for Him.

He was expected to believe on God’s Son before Christ came and before Christ died. Has only begotten Son. The hosts who ever believe it in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. You’re not saved through the law, not through the changing of your life and your works and turning or giving up and promising. No, you’re saved through Him.

You have eternal life. The only reason any of us in this room have eternal life because we have put our trust in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross to pay for our sins. For God’s it not His Son into the world, He condemned the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but He that believeth not is condemned already because He have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

He have not believed in the name. He have not believed in the name, not just any Jesus, but knowing who this Jesus is. And he says, except you believe that I am He, the one that was to be the Messiah that come and to make a payment for the sins of the world. If you don’t believe that, then you get on the be saved. Now look down at the bottom of the page. Remember, these are pre-calvary scriptures. They were given to Israel before Christ died.

The New Testament cannot begin until the death of the test aid. In other words, whatever Jesus said, when you read the book of Hebrews, you’ll find out if God made out a will. Do you ever have somebody make out a will? I made out a will and I’ve got something I left of this kid and I left something to this daughter and I left something to you know but then I get anything till I die. Because see the will is of no good until I die.

I got to die. Or Betty, one of us has got to kick the bucket. Or maybe both of us. But we have a will made out. But so let’s say I got this will and I got $5 million that I’m leaving to my kids. Or maybe. And then I die. Wouldn’t it be ashamed if my kids never read the will to see what I left them? Would you read it? You’ve had a rich uncle that left you something and you knew he was really, really rich.

And he left you in the will. you want to read the will and find out what he left? Well see this is the will of God. So when Christ died the will takes effect. So he says that he would die and pay for all the sins of the world and whosoever would believe in him would have everlasting life. See he has to die before the will becomes any good. So whenever I believe it, now that he’s dead I’m in the will because these things have I written unto you that believe?

Well, I believe, then it’s written to me. So I read the Bible, I wanna study what’s in the will of God. I wanna study God’s will. And God says, if I will do this, I can have these blessings. If I do this, I can have these blessings. If I do this, I can have these rewards when I get to heaven. I do this, he’ll guide my life. I do this, I’ll have the peace of God if I do this.

And now all these promises in the word of God. So you read and study the will of God. It’s not just a book. There are precious promises that God has given for us. They’re in the well. And some people never study the well. Me, I want everything I can get. If he left it for me and he loves me, then buddy, I want to claim it. Done at the bottom of the page. The New Testament cannot begin until the death of the testator.

In verse 15, this is how the Old Testament people were to be saved. In John 3 16, they knew that God had a son and why he was given. In John 3 18, it says that a man is condemned if he does not believe in the deity of the son. That’s why you’ll always hear it say, Jesus Christ. Let this him represent Jesus Christ. God in the flesh. What is that saying? That’s the deity of Christ. Jesus is God.

And that’s why we always want to try to make that clear. Let him this hand represent you and me and the wallet represent sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. He hates our sin, but he loves us. But he says the wages of sin is death. And since we have all sinned, we’re all condemned, and therefore we cannot save ourself. We’re just waiting for the dead execution. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven and to go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous as God.

None of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We’re all sinners. So God says, you cannot save yourself. You need a Savior. So there’s nothing you can do. Turning from your sin doesn’t save you. You mean if I was a smoke, well, if I give up my smoking, does that save me? No. Well, I drink. Okay, I quit my drinking. Now I’m saved. It’s amazing. You can stop on lost people can stop sins. Can’t they? Can’t lost people?

They give up certain sins. So now they’re saved. Well, they never trust Christ. But see, just because you turned from your sin didn’t save anybody. So you don’t have to do that in order to be saved. And so God says you cannot save yourself by anything you stop or anything that you start. So you turn them from your sin and you stop being bad and living for the Lord means start being good. Well, that’s works for salvation. This then represents Jesus Christ.

He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us, hates our sin because it separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. So he took all of the sin of all the world and paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead and said the only thing we have to do, because it’s the only thing we can do. If you can’t earn it, then you’ll have to give it to us.

But he doesn’t give it to somebody, he doesn’t want it. He won’t save you if you don’t want to get saved. If you don’t want to turn life, you don’t have to have it. If you don’t want to go to live in heaven with God, you don’t have to. But me, I think that’d be kind of dumb when I consider the alternative. So when I realized that Christ paid for all of my sins, I believed it, that He did it for me.

And He puts that payment to my account and I get to go to heaven. And what Christ did for me, that’s the best news in all the world. There is no other gospel. There’s no other gospel. No plan B, no plan C. It’s A all the way. Let’s pray, show him. But his bow knives close and no one looking around. If you are watching by internet tonight, I hope that what I’ve said made sense to you. But if you’ve never trusted Christ as your savior, right now it’d be a good time to do so.

I told a man one time, I says, you need to trust Christ as your savior right now. He says, well, I’ll think about it. I says, then do me a favor. says, don’t die until you do. They said, I can’t control that. I said, that’s the point. That’s the reason you should trust Christ as your Savior right now, while you’re in good mind and you can make a good decision. Only a fool would turn down a free gift. And so if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior right where you are, say, yes, I will accept Him as my only hope of going to heaven.

I believe you died on the cross, paid for my sins. And right on the screen, you’ll say, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior. I’ll pray that you’ll do that. 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 tampayouthranch.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 Bible Eye. 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. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.