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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.

Look what else he says here. In the next verse, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 9, it says, but as it is written, But as it is written, I have not seen, you’re half not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. Now, I wrote down in John chapter 14, in verse 21, where he says, if you love me, if you love me, serve me. And then it makes a statement in chapter 14 in verse 23.

The other one is in verse 21. in verse 23, he says, and he that loveth me, my father will manifest himself to him. So if you really want to know the Lord, love him, serve him, and God will reveal himself more to you than someone who doesn’t love him. So when he simply says, if any man served me, him will my father honor. But God want you to serve Him because you love Him. And if you love Him, He makes a statement here, that God has prepared for them that love Him.

And if you love Him, you serve Him. So those who serve Him, they haven’t got a clue what God’s going to do for them and give to them. You cannot imagine. Look at the next point, the victor’s crown. Number one, 1st Corinthians chapter 9 verse 25. Look there in verse 25 where it says, and every man that strived for the mastery. Now the word strive, that’s the way in which you work. You’re striving for something. It’s not something that you just haphazardly do.

It’s on purpose. It’s with intensity. It’s with fervency. But you’re striving towards something, giving it all that you have, striving it says, for the master in other words, to be the best, to do all you can for the Lord, why you can, and it links down to the word incorruptible, which stands for the incorruptible crown. You do this this way and look what I’m going to give to you. Look the whole verse and every man that strive every man that strive it for the mastery is tempered or shoved controlled and all things.

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible crown. There were crowns not added, but it is understood to be incentenced. So there is a link between the striving and the incorruptible crown. See down here you make accomplished things and people give you awards and so forth, but they fade away. They’re not going to be worth much. Their value is only in the minds of the people who remember what you did. When nobody remembers it, it has no value to it.

You think about it. There’s no value. I got a ribbon where I got this roar. Look at my trophy. But if nobody knows even what it’s for, what value was it? Or whenever it’s junk, and I’ve seen them in garage sales, yard sales, all these trophies and things like that, I thought I’m going to go out and buy me a whole bunch of them. Put on there, you know, what I wanted this for. I mean, that’s how they got there.

Somebody bought it and gave it to them. And that was in somebody’s judgment that he was deserving of it. I can’t help it. Nobody appreciates me like they should have. I just came out. Look at the next verse. It says, and Revelation 4 and verse 4, and round about the throne were four and twenty seats. And upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, cloven white raiment, and they had on their heads, and you ought to underline this word, crowns.

Crowns of gold. That means that they were earned. The Bible talks about five basic crowns and you earn those because of what you do. A martyr’s crown, a soul winner’s crown and so forth. And these are various crowns that you can have. So these are things that you have to earn. They’re the result of what you’ve done for the Lord. You and I can’t see yet the value. Only thing we have is God’s Word. that it will be worth the, remember I said Sunday night, it will be worth it all.

So it will be. Look at the next verse. In verse 10 of chapter 4 of Revelation in verse 10 and 11 it says, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth forever and ever and cast and you ought to line these two words, they’re crowns. See, you have to have them before you can cast them. They are the result of your faithful serving to the Lord. Now, always keep in mind, rewards are earned.

Salvation is free. Getting to heaven is the gift of God. It’s not a reward. I’ve heard people say, well, he’s gone to his reward. Well, that all depends. If you trust Christ as your Savior, you get to go to heaven. That’s by grace and grace alone. And what is it that keeps a man from just doing whatever he wants to do in life without any restraint? You see, knowing these truths is supposed to be the restraint that you need upon your life.

That’s why you study doctrine. You study the word of God. And when you know these things, it causes you to think about the results of your decision. Because a lot of times we get down and discourage and we think of just stopping and quitting and letting loose and letting go and just doing whatever I want to do and just maybe falling to any sin you want. Well what’s to keep a Christian from doing that? Because you know that it’s true.

After you trust Christ as your Savior and you have eternal life, you can live any way you want and still go to heaven when you die. That’s just the truth. Don’t ever apologize for that. To soften that in any way is not to believe truly in grace. If it is by grace, then it is by grace. And not one word can enter into the picture. So what’s the key of Christian from living in sin? Truth. Teach doctrine, proper doctrine.

That’s why it’s so important to teach people what the truth is, so that there’s a reason why you should live godly. But when you get right down to it, isn’t it true, Saved or lost everybody lives the way they want to Everybody lives the way they want to Don’t read in your hick or you want to you don’t want to go you want you everybody does what they want to do Those that committed culture because they wanted to those that committed murdered till they wanted to You see even when you want to live godly you want to everybody does what they want to but God says now I want to give you something that can help your discernment between right and wrong to make right decisions.

Though God will never cast you out and never lose you, you can’t go to hell. Your heavenly Father says He will chasten and discipline you. Maybe take you home before your time. But it says, if you will serve me, I’m going to make it work your while. All you got is my word on it. Remember in the Old Testament, all they had was God’s word that the Messiah one day would come and make a payment for the sins of the world.

And they believed it because even though it was future, they trusted in Jehovah. So we’re looking back to the payment that Christ made. Now we’re looking forward to His return. And He says that when I come, I’m bringing my reward with me. So He’s going to give it to every one of us. Look there at verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, in your underlying needs to work, to receive. Glory and honor and power. Now if the Lord is worthy to receive those things by these that are there at that time, isn’t He worthy to receive the praise, honor and glory now?

If he can receive it then, can’t he receive that now? Can’t we give to the Lord the praise, honor, and glory that’s do the Lord? Whenever God does something for you, you ought to praise the Lord and thank the Lord and be good and honor the Lord. Brag on the Lord. I don’t think he would mind. He might even enjoy it. But this is what God wants. God says he wants everything that hath breath. praise ye the Lord. Look at number two, positions of authority.

The day will come when God going to give you something. I don’t understand all of it. I’m not able to understand it all. But here in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21 where it makes the statement that whenever he comes back, power and great glory, and sets up his He’s paying him upon the year. He says in verse 21, his Lord said unto him, well done thou good and faithful servant. Thou hath been faithful over a few things. The word faithful.

And I will make thee ruler. I will make thee ruler. You see, that’s the link that goes back to thou hast been faithful. Because you did this, you’re gonna get this. So whenever you get to heaven and you don’t get what you thought you should have gotten, you should have done more for the Lord while you could have, would it be better to serve the Lord now with all that we have because we know that when that time comes, we’re going to be glad we did.

Or do you want to wait until you get there and then have all the regrets? Aren’t you glad you still have some time left to straighten up? You know, I don’t know if I want to live longer or not. I might mess up. I had a man tell me one time he says, I just pray to the Lord that if God knows I’m going to mess up my life, I just pray He’ll take me home. Isn’t that a good prayer?

Lord, if you know I’m going to mess up my life, I want you to take me home first. I know quite a few people have said that, and God didn’t, and they messed up. Bad. And God didn’t take him home. God let him live for years. So I don’t think that’s a good prayer, and God probably won’t honor it. God may just let you live your ungodly life, set you on a shelf, and never use you. let the years just pine away and have the misery of knowing that I could have done something.

If I’d have only, if I’d have only, we’re going to start a club called If I are Only Club. For all those people that were If I are Only. Well, you’re not in heaven yet, so you don’t have to be part of that If I are Only, you can just go ahead and do it club and serve the Lord now with what you have. Look at that last part of that verb. Thou has been faithful over and get to few things.

As you look at this whole life of ours, God calls it you a light affliction, and there’s just a few things in life that God gives to you. When you compare it to eternity, you realize how few opportunities it seems like we have. And yet they come disguised. You know all of your God-given opportunities come disguised as work most of the times. And all the problems, the heartache, trials, all those things are nothing more than opportunities for you to be found faithful through whatever it is so that you don’t say or do something against God that you shouldn’t so that you know God will reward you for it.

So while you’re in this life, you are going to suffer for the Lord. I’ve listened to people and they tell me sometimes, I just don’t know how I’m going to get through this. And they’re ready to break down. I just don’t, I don’t have any strength. I don’t have any joy. I just can’t go on. I’m not happy. And buddy, they’re at the bottom of the barrel. We have a, I had a radio station out in Colorado, not in Pueblo, my brother and I.

And we had a person that would come on and you know they had their little time slot. It wasn’t long, maybe 15 minutes. And as the years roll by, you get to listen to a certain person and they begin to make an impact upon you. This individual was a quadriplegic. She didn’t have use of her arms or legs. And she was always on our radio, uplifted, bright, charming, positive, such a blessing. Somebody asked her, says, you know, I wish that I had your smile and your positive outlook.

And she just went on bragging to this girl. And the girl told her, says, look, I can’t use my arm during my legs. Every day I have to depend on somebody to come and give me a bath, I call my hair, brush my teeth, put my clothes on me, set me in my wheelchair, roll me into the other rooms, take me everywhere I go every day. And when I wake up in the morning, a lot of days, most days, she says I wake up with tears.

I don’t even want to live that day. I am so down and so discouraged. But I consider what other people can do and I can’t. I’ll help us, I am. She says, I tell the Lord, I just don’t have the strength to go on. I’m not sure if I want to. I’m discouraged. I’m depressed. I don’t have any smiles to give. And she says, I talked to the Lord, and I said, Lord, can I borrow yours? Can I borrow your smile today?

She told the lady, she says, this isn’t my smile, it’s God’s. My joy is not mine, it’s God’s. I borrowed it from Him. And my strength to go on and face this day, I borrowed that from the Lord too. I don’t have anything on my own. I’m not worthy of anything. When you stop and think, have you ever planted a garden and couldn’t find a rake or a hoe from your barred one? Are you going to hang a pitcher and you need a hammer and you have to maybe borrow a hammer from a neighbor?

Have you ever considered that when sometimes you don’t have $5 on you, you might bar it from somebody? I’ll pay you back. I’ll pay you back. You know the thing about borrowing a smile from God or joy from the Lord? You don’t have to pay them back. He’s got plenty left over. So when you need a smile, just borrow one from the Lord. When you need some strength to face that day, just borrow some from the Lord. all the strength you need.

This year’s his. And you be surprised what you can do with his joy and with his smile. They’ll lift you right up and you give the people what God gave to you. But this is what you’re talking about in serving the Lord. Aren’t you glad as we said here, we’re not quadruplegic are we? We got use of our arms and our legs. Most of us could still walk around and talk and sing and take a bath and eat and comb our hair, you know, wash our face and close our something.

We can do all those things. What do we have to complain about? And yet you’d be surprised how many Christians are down in the bottom of the garbage can and always whining and pining and moaning and groaning. Just borrow some things from the Lord. That’s what God tells me. He says, my strength, my joy, my peace, my happiness. And you’d be surprised the difference it can make in your life if you just learned to look to the Lord the link, suffer, reign.

There’s a link between the two. See the word if, because you don’t have to. Nobody can make you. There’s a choice that you can decide for yourself. Nobody can make you trust the Lord. Nobody can make you serve the Lord. It’s a personal choice, but it reveals the wisdom that you have. To me, a man would to have to be a fool. If he knows Christ and won’t serve him. There goes a fool because the Serval Lord is the most important thing in all the world.

Now look there, he says, in number three, an eternal inheritance. Galatians 4-7 says, poor for the heart, no more age serving but a son. And if a son than an heir, you’re on the line, the word heir. This is who you are. You have an eternal inheritance. See by trusting Christ as your Savior, God becomes your father. father so you inherit what your father has so your heirs of God but it says your joint heirs with Christ you see one is by birth and the other one is by a service and when we are joint heirs with Christ is because we served with Christ we suffered with Christ so therefore we’ll reign with Christ so joint heirs is because of service, heirs of God, the Father.

That’s because of my birth. So I’ve got a great inheritance. And when you trusted Christ as your Savior, you are saved from something too, and inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled, that made if not away reserved in heaven for you. That was because you got saved. So you became a child of God. You get to go to heaven. You get to live in the holy city. But there’s so much more that we don’t fully understand. And so he says there in Matthew in chapter 5 and verse 5 blessed are the me for they shall inherit the earth.

We’re going to get it. In Luke 22 28 to 30 it says ye are they which have, and you ought to underline those three words, continued with me. He says ye are they which have continued with me in my temptation and I appoint unto you a kingdom. I’m gonna appoint a kingdom to you. Now I don’t know if he’s just talking about the kingdom upon the earth or after that when it says the increase of his kingdom there will be no end.

How many kingdoms will there be? I don’t know. But God says if if you’ll serve me now, you’ll rule and reign with Christ.” You see, this is just the dressing room to get ready for eternity. We’re just preparing to meet God. And in verse 29, and I appointed you a kingdom as my Father had appointed unto me. It sounds pretty good to me. Look at the next page. At the top of the page here where it talks about in chapter eight verse 16 and 17 about the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And the way his spirit bears witness with our spirit is through the word of God. The word of God tells us we know it and we believe it and we accept it. And if children then heirs, heirs of God by birth, join heirs by service with Christ. And there’s the word if. If so be that we suffer with Him, we shall be also glorified together.

There’s something more for those that suffer for the Lord. In the words you may give up all of your plans and dreams here, your desires and so forth for the cause of Christ. You may give up money for the cause of Christ. You may give up time for the cause of Christ. There isn’t anything you can give to the Lord or sacrifice for the Lord that He won’t pay you how much more in advance. You can’t compare it to Him, that it will be worked at all.

Look at Colossians in chapter three here in your notes. Verse 23 says, and whatsoever you are the underline that whatsoever, whatsoever you do. Do it hardly as unto the Lord and not unto men. When you go to work tomorrow, you look at it this way. You’re not going to work for that boss, man. You’re going to work for God tomorrow. And you do your work like you was working for God. You wanna give it all you’ve got. You wanna be honest, you wanna be fair.

You wanna be just, you do all the things you’re supposed don’t you ever cheat on your job, lie on your job, do things you should not do on your job. You always do right. You always honor God. You’re to do whatever you do as unto God. When that woman is cleaning that house, you ought to clean that house as though she’s working for the Lord at God’s house. Everything that you have belongs to God. And always remember. Look down here in 1 Peter.

1 Peter chapter three in verse eight and nine says, Finally, be you all of one mind, having compassion one of another. Love his brethren, be pitiful, be courteous, Not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrary to all of those things, blessing. Knowing that ye are there unto call, and you gotta underline, that ye should inherit a blessing. Now, you don’t know when or how, but you got God’s Word on it. And all of this is upon the premise that God is righteous.

Remember we read that verse the other night in the book of Hebrews in chapter 6. God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love. It would be a sin for God to overlook what you did or to forget about what you did. can’t forget it would be a sin. God is righteous. So anyway, as you read these things that supposed to help encourage you to be found faithful to certain or listen, nobody can solve all of your problems.

They’re not meant to. You’re not meant to solve all of your problems. You’re just meant to go through your problems, to endure your problems. Letting God walk you through these learning experiences because you don’t know how long a problem’s going to last. Some problems don’t last long and in other ones seemed like you’ll never get out of it. I used to wonder sometime it seemed like it was a long dark tunnel and finally lo and behold I saw light at the end of the tunnel and as I got closer it was as guerrilla with a flashlight.

Yeah he went them all. But in Acts chapter 20 look their verse 32. And now brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to, and here’s three little words you ought to underline, build you up. See, it’s one thing to be saved to have eternal life, another thing to be strong, to be built up. And then He makes a statement, to give you, you’re gonna line those three words, build you up and to give you something.

You’d be surprised how many times the scriptures talked about receiving something from God. And we’re not talking about just about salvation. Salvation is only the beginning of wonderful things. I did that 51 years ago. I trusted Christ as my Savior. That gave me eternal life. Well, that gets me to heaven, but there’s so much more. And I want that much more. I want it. Look at the next statement, treasures. and loot cell that you have, give on, provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens.

Provide yourself bags which wax not old. In the Old Testament it talks about putting your wages into a bag that has holes in it. Now what does that mean? You can work and you get your money and you put it into a bag and you lose it all. Do you know there’s people of the day that they work and work and work and as time goes on they have nothing to show for it. Isn’t that discouraging just a tad?

Have you ever tried to save something? I saved my money one time for a whole year. And then I blew it on an ice cream cone. Sometimes you just don’t have much to save. But there is a thing in the God’s Word that talks about laying up treasure in heaven where you can’t lose that. Are you ready to learn how to live your life as a strong Christian, lead others to Christ, or excel as a church worker or ministry leader, then look no further, then Florida Bible College of Tampa.

With traditional and online classes taught by instructors, with years of experience, Florida Bible College of Tampa can help you grow in your Christian life. Whether taking individual classes or working toward a one-year degree, Florida Bible College of Tampa is here for you. To learn more, visit online at florida-biblecollege.us or call the Register of Bob Gilbert at 8502275325. That’s 8502275325. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught 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.