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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 me give this to you, because this is really good. Just to do some thinking, you know, kind of work the old mind up there. There’s a couple of statements in here that’s really, really good. Prayer is not a spare wheel that you pull out when you’re in trouble. It’s supposed to be the steering wheel that directs the path through the journey. So as you go through life, prayer should be the steering wheel that guides your life and always talking to the Lord and seeking directions.

Number two, so why is a car’s windshield so large under rear? you mirror so small because our past is not as important as our future. So look ahead and move on. I like that. Friendship is like a book. It takes a few minutes to burn but it takes years to write. Number four, all things in life are temporary. If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, Don’t worry, they won’t last long either. One way or the other.

All the good that you have doesn’t last very long, and all the bad you have doesn’t last very long. You’re getting a little bit of everything in life. Old friends are gold. New friends are diamonds. If you get a diamond, don’t forget the gold, because to hold a diamond, you also need a base of gold, the value of friendships. One of the things that I’ve enjoyed over the years is I made friends when I was at Florida Baba College, you know, back in the 60s.

And we’re still friends to this day. Now, I’ve made a lot more friends, but I’ve still got many of those same old friends, and you don’t want to just take them for granted. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, relax. It’s just a bend, not the end. When God solves your problems, You have faith in His ability. When God doesn’t solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities. I thought about that for a little bit.

Maybe there’s reasons why God doesn’t do everything for us because there’s some things we can do for ourselves. You know, like, Lord, would you go over and get my shoes? Lord, you’ve been over and get my socks for me, and Lord probably get them yourself. There’s things we can do for ourselves, but we want to have maybe an excuse for us not getting something that we should get or do what we should do because, well, I prayed about it.

I think more sin has been committed by it. I prayed about it. Just because you pray about thing doesn’t mean you got the answer or that you pray for the right thing. A blind person asked Saint Anthony, can there be anything worse than losing eyesight? He replied, yes, losing your vision. You can be blind and have a vision. Can’t you Tom? Nothing good statements. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them. Sometimes when you are safe and happy, remember that somebody probably was praying for you.

>] We don’t know until we get to heaven how many times God answers somebody’s prayers about you. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It only takes away today’s peace. Isn’t that a good statement? I like it. Anyway, you’ve just been delivered to 10 commandments. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew, the book of Matthew. In chapter 12, Matthew and chapter 12, we talk this morning about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and tried to explain a little bit about what is it, Prove.

Prove an awful lot. from the beginning of his ministry that he would die. And is he who he claimed to be? Look there in chapter 12 and verse 38, I quoted these two verses this morning, but I want us to take a closer look at it. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, said, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and he said unto them, and evil and adulterous generations seeketh after a sign.

But there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For his Jonah was three days and three nights in the Wales belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold a greater than Jonah is here. In other words, they got right with less light.

They got right with less light. Some people have more light and still don’t do right. Isn’t it something we’re so blessed to live here in America where we can have a church on every corner, we can learn the Bible and study the Hebrew and the Greek and get our little phones together and we can look up everything we want to and know everything we want. majority of people are further from the Lord than probably we’ve ever been. Does it look like America is getting stronger spiritually or weaker?

I think Christians are getting weaker. They’re being conformed to the world and that’s why you can’t get much done because so many of God’s people have fell in love with the things of the world and they forgot about what God maybe wants to do for them or through them. And so when you have more light, there’s going to be greater judgment. Does God know how much light we could attain if we would obey the light we’ve already been given?

When we are standing before the Lord, God knows not only what we have done, according to the light that we had, but He knows what we could have done with more light. And he knows how much light we could have received, but we blinded ourselves and choose to walk in blindness to this world. And that’s why he says in the book of Peter talks about you can be blind and you can’t see a far off. And so he makes a statement here in verse 42, the queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost part of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and be holy greater than Solomon is here.

He’s like, don’t you know who I am? Do you know who I am? Here is God in the flesh, God. And people listen to other men better than they’re listening to God Himself. And not a one of them were able to do what Jesus did. It’s like they wished not who it was and how great he was. He says, don’t you realize that? Now I’m going to be honest with you. Let me tell you something. I believe that I do my dead, live, or best on teaching the Word of God.

But there are some churches where they are packed to the guilds, thousands of people. And I’ll listen sometime to some of their sermons that they preach. And it’s fluff. There’s no substance. But people are there in groves and they’re giving money to the Lord. And the preachers are living high on the hog and got their airplanes and they got everything and living in mansions, all coming from people and they’re not getting anything in return except they’re getting their ears tickled.

I can preach thus saith the Lord. And people don’t realize what they’re missing, what they could learn if they applied themselves. And it’s like they really don’t care, like there’s no interest. Take for example, on a Sunday night or a Wednesday night, why shouldn’t we have as many on Sunday night and Wednesday night as we do on Sunday morning? Why not? Is it because, whether they just can’t go, their car doesn’t start on Sunday night and Wednesday night. It doesn’t run.

They’re out of gas. Well maybe. But everybody’s got a reason. I just want to make sure that they understand, do you realize what you’re forfeiting? Do you realize concerning the Bible college, the quality of the teachers that we have here in this college? And they’re all on the same page and they’re teaching the Bible and teaching the truth. You think anyone who wants to really know the Bible, why don’t they avail themselves of that opportunity? Now if we had, you know, 10,000 students, and we had big buildings all over the place, and we had, well, we would look important.

Would people pay us more respect? Care more about what we had to say? I believe the time will come when like Dr. Hank Lindston passed away and the day may come, hope it’s not soon, I may pass away. And then people say, you know boy, I wish I had a came out more to hear him preach. When should they make that decision? Right after I die, of course. Maybe it would be better if they would avail themselves of the opportunity of learning the Word of God.

the reason you learned the word of God and more of it is because you want to do something. But when people don’t want to do anymore, they’re comfortable in what they’re doing. They’re not interested really in correcting or changing anything in their life. Well, that I’m good to go. It’s just like I am. And people are easily bored. Now, Bible puts it this way in the book of Hebrews in chapter 5. They’re dull of hearing. Like, what do you think that there are some people who go to church on Sunday morning, on Christmas, and resurrection Sunday, just to pay their respects to God at least twice a year.

And all those other Sundays, well, they’re, we just don’t have time. They’re all busy. Do you think they’re going to have to answer to the Lord for what they’re doing? If you believe the Bible. Every man is going to have to give an account of himself. I want you to take your Bible and look there in Matthew and we’re in the same chapter 12. But look what he has here in verse 35. Verse 35, a good man out of the good treasures of the heart, bringing forth good things.

An evil man out of the evil treasure, bringing forth evil things, But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Now I’m so glad that once we trust Christ as our Savior. We don’t have to worry about this But you know, there’s still a possibility we’re gonna have to give an account unto God for things that we did or or didn’t do according to 2nd Corinthians in chapter 5 and verse 10.

Not so much as sins, but the quality of our work that we say we did this for the Lord. And did we do it because we loved the Lord or we did it because well it was really for the praise of man. But in our minds we may think that we’re doing the right thing, but that’s why everything is going to be looked at through the eyes of the Lord. And the Bible talks about the eyes of the Lord as a flame of fire.

And that’s why his eyes are going to burn up all that haywood and stubble. And the only thing that will be left is a gold and silver and a precious stones. Take your Bible also and look in the book of John chapter 11, the book of John in chapter 11. So you see, he is who he claimed to be. But there were people that did not believe that, didn’t believe he was who he claimed to be. Now is his promise true that whatever he says he will do.

In John 1 chapter 11, I want you to look there in verse 19. Of chapter 11. And many of the Jews came to Mary and Martha, or Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Now the comfort they could give wasn’t exactly the comfort they were looking for. You see, they had already sent word out to find Jesus and tell them that, you know, Lazarus was sick. Well, Jesus didn’t come. Lazarus died. Now, Jesus knew that Lazarus was going to die.

But Mary and Martha didn’t know. It didn’t look like Jesus was very concerned about their particular problem. And they were supposed to be a close knit little group. So they was a little upset with Jesus because he didn’t do what they wanted him to do. Now it’s easy for us to become bitter individuals because we don’t always see God doing what we would like for him to do. So he says here in verse 20, then Martha as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him but Mary sat still in the house.

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hath been here, my brother had not died. He’s dead because it’s your fault. If you’d have been here, this wouldn’t have happened. We told you in time, but you didn’t listen. I wonder if there’s other words that could have been in here that’s not all in the scriptures here, because the last part of this book says there’s a lot of things that happened that are not written down. She says in verse 22, but I know that even now, whatsoever thou will ask of God, God will give it the.

That confidence in him, Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he shall rise again in the last day. We know that. She believed in her resurrection. But Jesus was talking about, I am the resurrection. I mean, I can do it now. I don’t have to wait till the judgment day. I can do it right now. In 25, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He didn’t believe it than me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

And who shall ever liveth now? And believe it than me, shall never die. Believe us thou this? And of course, her answer was, Yea, Lord, I believe, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary, her sister, secretly saying, the Master is common, called for them. As soon as she heard it, she arose quickly and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

The Jews then, which were with her in the house, and comforted her when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying she goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then said Mary. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, She fell down at his feet saying unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hath been here, my brother had not died. It seemed like sisters are saying the same thing. If you’d have been here, he would not have died.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping in verse 35, Jesus went. Now why did Jesus weep? Have you ever really thought about why did Jesus weep? Why did he cry? Jesus wept. Why did he weep? Anybody got a good answer? You want to throw it out right now. Why did Jesus weep? He’s going to die twice. He’s going to die twice. Now, I haven’t heard nobody say that, but that’d be true. He’s going to die twice.

He’s already in a place of comfort and he’s going to bring him back into this miserable old world and he’s angry about it. Why did he die? Why did he weep? Anybody else got a good thought? Why you wept? What’s that? Compassion for the sisters. The other people were weeping and I think it says somewhere in the Ecclesiastes, you know, weep with those who weep. But here’s Jesus, the Son of God, could it be because they didn’t believe what he said or there’s some questions or doubt or he’s been blamed and they yet knew who he was and things are not working out for them.

There could be maybe a reason that maybe we don’t know. But I was thinking about this. Eddie, and I mentioned this before, he sang his share songs that, well, I still feel the nails every time I fail. And I do something that’s wrong as if I as a child of God, and if I don’t serve the Lord, after all that he’s went through to me, does that grieve the Holy Spirit? Does that grieve God? Can we cause him grief because of our unbelief?

maybe in anything because whatever his word tells us to do and we refuse to do it, could he look at that as we’re just rebellious children? We can’t trust him, we can’t take him at his word. But whatever it is, Jesus wept. And they said, look at this, how he loved him, verse 36, then said to you, behold how he loved him. Well, maybe that is the reason that he loved him so much. But Jesus knew what he was fixing to do, and it’s not like, well, I miss him and he’s been gone and I didn’t get a chance to say bye.

He’s the Lord. He’s fixing to raise him from the dead. He’s fixing to see him. So it does become interesting, but he raised him from the dead just like he had the power to do it. And if he had power to raise a man that’s dead from the dead, I wouldn’t want to blame him or be in kind to him or be mad at him when I realized what he could do to me. Don’t it make a little sense?

I want you to take your Bible looking to book of Acts chapter 2. The book of Acts in chapter 2. Acts chapter 2 and look there in verse 22 the scriptures tells us what God had planned and how that Jesus Christ had to die at the hand of sinners and all this wickedness that took place upon him and that he was going to raise him from the dead. In verse 22, ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.

Him, been delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding the bit. In other words, death could not hold him. Death could not hold him because he had power over death and death couldn’t keep him down. He had the power to lay his life down. He had power to take it up again.

And yet it was all prophesied in the Old Testament. Now you read the rest of these verses and actually goes back to the 16th Psalm where David had made the statement about Jesus Christ, his soul would not see be left in hell or his body see corruption. Turning your Bible to John chapter 10, the gospel of John and chapter 10. And you’ll notice if he can raise himself from the dead and if he can raise Lazarus from the dead, then it’s evident he can raise us from the dead.

He’s talking about our bodies and they will live again. So it’s not the end of a person just because well we have a funeral service, a person has died and we often say he’s gone to his reward. Well I don’t know if heaven is a reward, I don’t think so. It’s not like he’s earned the right to go to heaven. No. He might go to his reward if he’s got rewards. But I’ve noticed that I have never been to a funeral world.

The preacher actually tells us all about the wicked things this man has done in his life. We always come in about how good those people are. One of these days I thought about, if I had the courage, tell it like it is. I mean, let this dirty scoundrel up here. I mean, just like an atheist all dressed up, nowhere to go. And you can know just tell them of what kind of a person he really was. And so I let mama one day she was sitting here with a little daughter and the preacher was up here talking about how wonderful this man was.

And she leaned over and she says to her little daughter, she says, go up here and see if that’s your daddy in that casket. Because we never want to say anything bad about anybody. I’ve had to do funerals where I’ve not had, well, all the right words I’d love to say. It’s so much easier when the person has trusted Christ as Savior and you can say that and they’re going to heaven and blah blah blah and you’re going to see him again.

And some people, I’d hate to say, well, you’re going to see him again. Well, where did he go? Well, he went to hell. And nobody, we would never tell anybody that. that because you don’t know if the person trusts the Lord it didn’t. But unless I talked to them and they give me a testimony that they trusted the Lord I usually don’t say where they come and they die unless I know they trust the Christ to say but I do say this wherever he is he wants you to trust the Lord isn’t that true?

Wherever he is but sometimes that leads it open and you have to be very careful. You’re supposed to try to comfort people at a time like that. Jesus had to go through that. But now look what He says here in chapter 10. In chapter 10, looking verse 17, therefore, doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man take it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.

This commandment have I received of my father. So you’ll find out that the Bible says the Holy Spirit quickened him in the book of Peter chapter 3 verse 18 so on. The Holy Spirit did it and God raised him from the dead and Jesus says I did it. It looks like the Father of the Son and the Holy Spirit are all involved in raising up Jesus from the dead. But the key thing I wanted you to see is I have the power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again.

So if he has all this power and the greatest thing that we know about is a lot of things can go on the surface in this life of what we can see and understand. But let’s say for example if Bob Brooks right now was to die. But right before he dies he says, now I want y’all to understand. In a week from now I am going to come back from the dead and I’m gonna ride a donkey into the parking lot, sitting on it backwards, playing a banjo and seeing a Yankee Doodle went to town.

And we wouldn’t take him at his word, we wouldn’t believe it at all. But a week later, lo and behold, here comes Bob and he’s doing exactly that. We will think now Bob knows something we don’t No. Bob has an ability that we don’t have. What he’s seen in the future and he had to make it happen or something’s going on. So before I would get upset with Bob, I’d want to find out who are you. Where’d you come from?

How did you know that? Do you see Jesus told him all of this? He says, I am going to be crucified. I’m going to die. And in three days, I’m going to come back again from that. He told disciples this over and over again and they didn’t get it. And still they did not get it. But he told him what was going to happen and there was a great division among the people because of what Jesus Christ had said.

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 broadcasts 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.