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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. and 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.

Go there to your Bible, to the book of Matthew. Matthew and chapter four. Matthew chapter four, as you know, Jesus was led up into the mountain to pray. And he went up there pray, he was going to be tempted by the devil and but he was. And so Jesus after 40 days and 40 nights says, well, he was hungry. Wouldn’t you be hungry I’m hungry after 40 minutes. But he says here in verse three, and when the tempter came to him and he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Here’s a man who has an eight and forty days, he’s hungry, and if he’s who he claimed to be, why don’t you just take these stones and turn them into bread? Could he do that? He had departed, he could have done that, but he didn’t. He says in verse four and he answered and says, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. In other words, when Christ says that you may have life and have it more abundantly, you can trust Christ as saving you God eternal life.

But the abundant life comes from the living word in order to help you live an abundant life, a fruitful life. Or you can get more out of life than just being saved and never doing anything. I love it. He says, as it is written, in each case, three times it is written. There’s a good possibility that Jesus knew the Word. Think so? He knew the Word. And not only that, he was the Word and he gave the Word. And so that’s mentioned in quite a few places.

Now, take your Bible and turn to the book of Proverbs chapter 3, just in case you think, well, I can just lean on my own understanding. Yep, sure can. And this is why the world is in such a mess. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes. So you see there in chapter three of Proverbs, look what he says in verse five. These are two familiar verses. You ought to have them underlining in your Bible. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.

Lean not onto thine own understanding. Now what does the Bible say? Do not trust yourself. Don’t lean on your own understanding. The heart of man is deceitful. That old sinful nature that we have dwelling within us can’t be trusted. And that’s why it might seem to be right, but weigh everything according to the Word of God. Trust the Word of God. See, believing in God is great and but trust His Word. This is what God said and this is what He wants us to go by.

You think of all the books that there’s ever been in the whole world. There’s only one divine inspired Word of God. This is it. And God wants us to know it. This is God’s love letter to his children. And so he says here in this verse, trust in the Lord with all vine heart and lay not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy pass. How’s he going to direct your pass? According to the Word.

Don’t wait for him to appear on your bed post some night and whisper some little sweet things in your ear. Study the word of God. If you want, go to bed with the scripture and wake up in the morning and think about the scriptures. When you say they acknowledge God means thank God, thank God. And everything that you do, thank God. What would God do? What would God want? Does this please God? And so you learn how to have spiritual discernment.

Even all the problems that you have, and everybody’s He’s got a few. But don’t focus upon your problems as they’re so big you can’t do anything about and they’re so big God can’t do anything about. Or your problems are so small that you don’t want to bother God with them. God says cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you. So whether they’re big or whether they’re small, don’t embarrass God, that God isn’t able to do something about it.

You always live with that divine hope, that joyful anticipation, my God is bigger than any problem that I’ll ever have. And I don’t have to have the ability to solve everything. My daddy knows how to do it. And you get to where you learn how to walk the Lord, and you’ll trust Him to walk you through it. Look at this verse. When he makes that statement, be not wise in verse seven, be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord.

To fear the Lord is to depart from evil. So the word of God is necessary to discern right from wrong according to what God says is right and what God says is wrong. So that’s why you have to do that. Now turning your Bible to 1 John, the book of 1 John, I would venture to say that everyone in here believes in prayer. We ought to pray. And in the book of John chapter 14 it talks about, and whatsoever you shall ask, he will do.

And he says, if you love me, keep my word. You know that little phrase just like throwing in there. So whatever you pray for, it should be because you love him. He says, if you love me, keep my word. So you got to know the word in order to keep it. Here in the book of 1 John in chapter 3, I want you to see this verse. Look there in, let’s just start in verse 19, read down a couple verses here.

And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. In other words, do you condemn yourself and the things you give yourself permission to do? Guilt sometimes come because we allowed ourselves to do something we know was wrong. Well, if our own hearts will condemn us, what do you think God knows? And he knows everything. That’s why you want to have a sensitive heart where you’re sensitive to the things that you do, and the Holy Spirit that lives within you gives you great comfort and great peace when you obey, and he afflicts your comfort when you disobey.

So he is the great afflictor, comforter based upon what you’re doing with what he told you to do. Now look what he says here. In this verse 20, for if our heart can dim us, now this is a personal application for you as an individual. We’re great at being able to point out all the ills of everybody else or their sins and so forth, but it’s a self-examination because when you’re spiritually discerning, you learn how to judge yourself. And remember there’s a verse in the Old Testament, David, well he done had a bad day.

Oh did he have a bad day? And people, they were ready to stone him and he says, he encouraged himself in the Lord. Sometimes there’s nobody else around. Sometimes there’s nobody to give you that great word of encouragement but there’s the Lord. And there you, and because of what you know, refresh your mind and encourage yourself in the Lord. Begin to look at it spiritually from a divine perspective. So look what he says in verse 21, Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

So your conscience is a great guide if your conscience has been prepared by the Word of God. So that what you do you have peace that you’re doing the right thing and whatsoever is not a faith is sin. If you don’t have the confidence that what you’re doing or allowing yourself to do or to say then you’re going to have this ill feeling even toward yourself and have you ever felt kind of rotten inside sometime when you say something you shouldn’t say or do something you shouldn’t do and you wish you hadn’t done that.

I’m sure all of us go through a little bit of that but look what he says. We’re talking about having confidence toward God, that your life is clean and that it’s pure before God. And then notice what he says in verse 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because, see that word because, you think because there’s going to be a good reason? we keep his commandments. And that commandment is found in, you know, 1 John chapter 2 and not loving one another and so forth.

Don’t talk about the 10 commandments. And do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Well, how do you know what pleases God? Remember Hebrews in chapter 11 that without faith it is impossible to please him. So it is the will of God that we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek to please them. Those that come to Him and believe this.

And you do it because you have confidence in your heart that I’m doing the right thing and it can give you a peace of mind. But if you’re not sure that what you’re doing is right, then you start condemning yourself because you feel guilty. And there goes your peace of mind and it kind of robs you of your joy. we know and understand that regardless of the errors that we may have in our judgment, God forgives, then accept God’s forgiveness and move on.

But if you fall in the mud, what should you do? Well, lay there. This is going to get comfortable after a while. No, get up out of the mud. But if you see somebody laying in the mud, what should you do? Well, walk up behind him real nice and Lord help me to help this brother and you put your foot on the back of his head and push him down some more. And that’s holding me. Sometimes we’d love to see other God’s people who have disobeyed, boy I’m glad God’s getting them now.

Get them, God, get them. Because I’ve been doing right and they’ve been doing wrong and they thought they’re going to get away. Man, I’m, get them. Now, you can pray a hedge around somebody because you want them to get pricked early and get back and get right with the Lord. But your motive is very important. Why do you do what you do? Why do you pray the way you do? Why do you judge others the way you do? Always be examining yourself.

Yes, spiritual person can examine themselves. Otherwise, if you don’t, then somebody else is going to. Look what he says. He says, and do those things that are pleasing in his side. Do you think this has anything to do with prayer? What he says, whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and you’ll find those mentioned in chapter 2 here and also you go back to the book of John where he talks on a lot about loving one another and so on and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

But if you’re not doing the things that are pleasing in God’s sight then God probably not going to answer your prayer the way that you want to. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Peter. First Peter chapter three, just a few pages to your left. There’s a great chapter here on husbands and wives and about the obedience and so on. But it goes all the way down through here and talks about, no, you wanna receive a blessing.

You should want God to bless you, bless your wife, bless your kids. We wanna receive these blessings. But look at this, look in verse nine, where he says, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contour your eyes blessing. Knowing that we are therefore called that you should inherit a blessing. Not only do you want to be blessed, but you want to be a blessing. I want to be a blessing to my wife. I want to be a blessing to my kids.

I want to be a blessing to the church. But I also want you to be a blessing to me. It goes both ways, see. The wife should be a blessing to her husband and the husband should be a blessing to her. And the kids, it wouldn’t be great if everybody, we want everybody to be blessed. You know, sometimes the word blessed can be called happy. Doesn’t most people, it isn’t the truth. Most people wanna be happy in life. Well, if you wanna be happy, you wanna be blessed.

I wanna live a blessed life where God can bless my life. But I know that if I’m rebellious to the Lord, I know that my Heavenly Father is not gonna bless my rebellion, he’s gonna chase in me. So I got a choice. Do I wanna be obedient or disobedient? Well, they both got consequences to them. So if I want God’s blessings, then I wanna walk with the Lord and do those things that are pleasing to him. And so because I wanna please the Lord, then I can ask the Lord for things because of my walk and obedience to the Lord.

But now look what he says down here in verse 10, for he that will love life or enjoy life, see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile, let him issue evil or shun it and do good, let him seek peace and pursue that. Now look in verse 12, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open under their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

But can God’s children do evil? If you read this, you’ll find out yes he can. God’s people can do wrong. Look in verse 14. But, and if we suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye. Because you know you did right and you may suffer for it, but there’s no guilt to it. it and you can have the joy of the Lord regardless to what people say and do to you you still can have this joy that you’re supposed to have.

Then look what He says we go down here to verse 17 and notice in verse 17 he says for it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well-doing than for what? So you can suffer in this life. You can suffer because you’re doing right and you can suffer because you’re doing wrong. Now which would be best? You’re going to suffer. Now which ones would you like to choose? God considers this time in this world a time of suffering because you realize what we’ve got waiting on us a home in heaven, a glorified body.

Everybody loves each other, no pain, no problems, no heartaches, no sin, no death. But He says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that we’re going to have one of these days. The suffering of this present world can’t be compared to what God’s going to give to us. So if we discern the word of God and be leaving what God’s word says, yes, you’re going to suffer. Things are going to go wrong, but cannot we keep walking with the Lord and trusting the Lord?

I think so. Look in the book of Hosea, the book of Hosea. Oh, back there in the Old Testament. You say, we’re in the world that found. Well, you’ve heard of Daniel. You know where Daniel is right after Ezekiel. So you know where Daniel is. It’s the very next book, Jose. Jose, can you see? Well, look in Jose, chapter four, it’s on page 923 in one of the church’s Bibles. But look at this. And look in verse six, there’s a time when God stops sending his prophets and almost 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

But he told him, says, one of the problems that my people have is they won’t listen to the Word. So you see in verse 6, and you ought to on the line in this verse, very good, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because, see that word because thou hath rejected knowledge. Now here we have been blessed with an inspired book called the Bible, the Word of God. and many of God’s people have neglected the study of the Word of God and every thing you haven’t learned from the Word of God is going to cost you in your life.

You just don’t know it because you cannot spiritually discern but you can use your judgment and make the best decisions you can but when you’re limited in spiritual knowledge you’re limited in spiritual judgment so you want to learn the Word of God so that you don’t go through the Lord. Why do you think He says over and over again. I would not have you to be ignorant, brother, and why? Because there’s so many ignorant brethren.” So he says, because thou have to reject in knowledge, I will also reject the that thou shall be no priest to me, sae and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God.

I will also forget thy children. And they were increased, so they sinned against me. Therefore will I change their glory into shame? That one statement you ought to underline that. Does you realize what God is able to do to God’s children because they’ll make decisions and there’s consequences to making wrong decisions. And he can take that glory that he wants to do, bring glory to the Lord, he’s going to bring shame to God’s children. Why do you think he says that, you know, abide in him that when he shall appear we may be confident and not ashamed before him at what?

At his coming. Is it possible that some of God’s children can be ashamed when the Lord comes or when we stand at the Jeb and Sidah Christ and realize what we could have done and we did not do that. And then he goes on down here and says a little bit more but understand another word because in verse 10, for they shall eat and not have enough. They shall commit hortom and shall not increase because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

When you reject the Word of God, you’re rejecting God. When you do not have time for the Word, you don’t have time for God. You’re too busy. You don’t have time for God. And yet our whole lives are based upon are we obedient or disobedient to the Word of God. And this is why we should be very, very careful. Look in the 138 Psalm. The 138 Psalm. Now I love the 139th Psalm because it’s just rich and about being born and so forth.

But in the 138th Psalm and then, The 138th Psalm and looked there in verse 2. He says, I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth. You are the underlinedness part of the verse. For thou have magnified thy word above all thy name. Do you think that God wants us to have respect toward His Word? You see, you can’t grow strong in the Lord without growing strong in the Word. And so God says there’s many babes in the Lord, but learn the Word of God so that you can do what God wants you to do.

Now let’s590 close withuyomi. Look there in the book of Colossians. The book of Colossians in chapter 3, and you notice this is on page 1265, 1265. This in the New Testament telling us what God wants us to do and he starts off in chapter 3 that if you have been risen with Christ and seek those things which are above. Now that takes spiritual discernment, seeking things that God says about beyond this life, seeing into eternity. Then hedL says in verse 2, set your affections on things above, not on thingsctx on the earth.

So there’s two things about what you’re seeking and where it is. But the key to all of this, and he tells us down there a little bit further, to mortify the members of the flesh. In other words, consider them dead. You’ve heard of a mortuary, you’d be mortified, scared to death. In other words, cut those things out of your life, the things that get you in a lot of trouble. But then he talks about put on the new man which is written down here in verse 10.

So this is talking about your new birth and the new birth is created as it says there in verse 10, renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. So this is why people who think you have to commit your life to Christ in order to be saved, get it all wrong. Because in the book of Romans in chapter 12, he said, I beseech you, therefore, brother, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable, service.

This is after their saved. You see, you present your body to the Lord, and how you’re going to live after your saved is your reasonable service. A man doesn’t do that to be saved, because that would make salvation by works. But verse 2, wants to live in difference, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed. God wants every child of God to be transformed, that you be transformed by the renewing of your mind, with the word of God, that you may prove or discover what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

So this is why we’re supposed to study the word. Now in order to do all these things down through here in chapter 3, He wants us to do, He says this in verse 16. Look at verse 16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly and all wisdom. In other words, you ought to strive to learn as much as you possibly can, getting the wisdom of God that comes from above. Or you’re gonna wind up using human wisdom.

And if you use human wisdom, you’ll make no better decisions for your life than the average lost man who is smart. He’ll be a genius, but he’s lost. and he can’t prepare for eternity and he can’t lay up treasures in heaven. But you and I we can. And teaching, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed to all the name of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God and the Father by him, and then down in verse 23 says the same thing and whatsoever you do, do it hardly as to the Lord and not unto men knowing, looking verse 23, knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ.

Do you think you need to know the Word of God? Is it God’s will? That’s what makes Sunday night important. It makes Sunday night important. Makes Sunday school important. Makes search service on Sunday morning. Makes your personal devotion important. I mean, studying the Word of God can have all kind of advantages for you. If you don’t study the Word of God and you can’t find time to study the Word of God, Who are you hurting?

Who are you hurting yourself? And that’s self-affliction. You’re afflicting yourself. It’s like taking a hammer and just smashing your fingers. Oh, whoa, that hurts. I hit another finger. That one hurts too. Well, well I hit my thumb. Well that hurts. Well I want a person to do that. They go through life and they whine and pine and they did it to themselves Suffering the consequences of their bad decision because they didn’t have time to spend with the Lord I hope that makes some sense look up here.

This is you and me You ever seen this beforehand? the illustration I Think I did it out there every service And it ain’t it ain’t changed in 40 years But if the gospel doesn’t change, but this is you and me and this is sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. Now he hates our sin, but he loves us. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. But God loves us once since I go to heaven, but God can’t let sin into heaven because of sin we can’t get in.

So God says you cannot save yourself. This son represents in Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. of the world because he loves us, but he hates our sin because our sin separates us from him. So Jesus tries who had no sin didn’t have to die, but because he loved us, he chose to die. He says, no man take it from my life for me. He said, I lay it down of myself. So he took the sins of the world and gave himself and he died.

And paid for the sins of the whole world and came back from the dead. It says the only thing you have to do, I believe I did that for you. You can handle that. You can do that. I’ve told a couple of people just recently. I said, do you understand what I’m saying? Yeah. I said, if all he wanted to do is believe that he did it for you. I said, you can handle that, can’t you? I can handle that.

There’s a waitress. She said, I can handle that. I said, if you accept this payment, God says, you have a payment for all of your sins. I said, if you got a payment for all of your sins, and he gives you the free gift of eternal life, I said, where are you going to go in there? I said, I’m going to heaven. I said, how are you doing? Christ paid for all of my sins. See, they have a basis.

They know why they’re going to and heaven, they got some security. So anyway, I think it’s the best thing in all the world to know that you have eternal life. After they trust Christ’s Savior, yes, do I want them to study the Word of God? Yes, I do. I want them to walk with the Lord. I want the Lord be real to them. And I’ve said this before, He’s more real to me than the clothes I got on my back.

Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re watching by internet, right where you are, you can trust Christ as your Savior. You can believe that when Christ died, He died for you. And all you have to do is believe He did it for you. And He’ll put that payment He made to your account. That means that gives you a payment for all of your sins. That means you don’t have any sins to pay for.

It means you get to go to heaven because of what He did for you. And He loves you that much. And He says He’ll give you eternal life. He did half the Son half life eternal life. And if you will trust Christ’s Savior right on the screen, He says, yes, I’ll trust the Lord. I’d appreciate hearing from you. Just click it And let’s us know that somebody out there heard and understood. And I pray that you have all trusted Christ as Savior.

But with heads by nine clothes here in the auditorium, if you’ve never trusted Christ, we did trust Him right now. We say, Lord, I don’t understand at all. I know I’m not saying about I’m going to trust Christ as my Savior. And for in God’s sake, if you trust Him right now, He’d save you right now and give eternal life. I pray that you would. Father, thank you so much for this time together. Thank you for all you do for us and help us to have.

great discernment for the days that are yet to come. Bless each one. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. 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 than 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 floridabiblecollege.us or call the Registrar Bob Gilbert at 850227 5325. That’s 850227 5325. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Kamehameha 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.