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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. 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 prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us at 813-884-4328 or you can donate on the homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org. 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.

Whenever you get sick and you got to go to the doctor, do you ever ask anybody else who do you go to for your eye? Or for your throat or for your heart? Because Can I trust them do they know what they’re doing? Did they do a good job? Well, I went in there with my right leg bothering me and they cut off the left one. Well, that’s you know, I don’t know If I want to go to that doctor So when you’re talking about wisdom you and I are supposed to be problem solvers, so I told them I did.

When we lived in the backwoods, me and Betty, you know, we ran away and got married. And we came to live with my mom. And she was wondering, you know, where water was. Well, it was out there on the back porch, we had a pump handle. You had to pump it, get it. And then we’ve had also, you know, nice big old well, and you had to drop the bucket into here and get it and bring it out. And so I used to stand on the side and I used to watch my daddy dig wells because he was a, he dug wells.

And so I looked down over the edge and a great big old round circle about six to eight feet. You know I imagine from the kid’s point of view. And I look way down in there and there’s my daddy way down in there. And it’s just plain old dirt and he’s just digging and putting it in the bucket and somebody else is pulling it out and he kept doing that. After a while he got water on his boots and shoes and next thing he know he’s, he got water coming in and it’s starting to seep in from the side.

So once you get down to a certain level scene then the water table comes in here and starts packing out here, comes to water. I say, no. I look at every one of the college kids as a well and they’ve come to the fountain and so us teachers are taking the word of God, the water of the word and we’re putting water into their wells so that whenever they leave they’ve got a lot of water to help a lot of thirsty people when they leave.

See, a lot of people can’t quench the thirst of other people because they don’t have any water. Well, if you get a well with a lot of water, you can help a lot of people. So the more you know the greater the wealth of knowledge that you have, and you can help a person with that problem and that problem and that problem and that problem, because you’ve got a well that’s deep. And I told the college, I said, I study more now than I’ve ever done in my life.

I can’t say, well, I’ve done my study in 40 years ago, and I don’t have to do it again. No, you study, because the more you study, the more you learn, and the more you realize you don’t know. And you never get enough. And so you’ve got to always study and keep studying. It was kind of like whenever I went to school. The reason I quit school is because the more I studied, the more I knew, the more I knew, the more I forgot.

And the more I forgot, the less I knew. So why study? I’m gone. But I did finish the 10th grade though. I mean, I don’t know that now. I did finish the 10th grade. You know, I only had a couple of weeks to go in the 11th grade and I blew it. Cause I was so sick and tired of people telling me what I couldn’t, couldn’t do. So I ran away from home and joined the Navy. Ah, smart. Well anyway, I found out what I didn’t know.

Now, when you read and study these things, well, it will help you to know there is this wisdom that God give it all. The other verse I wanted to show youmilo in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 2. Look there again at verse 13 verse 13, where it says, which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the holy ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things. By spiritual means. So you need to understand spiritual things by a spiritual means by the Holy Spirit living within you the Holy Spirit God wants to teach his word.

And so God knows whether we have a Bible or not God knows what you could have known if you let him teach you. And you may live your whole life and never learn growing the Lord at all still saved. But he knows how you could have been used if you’d let the Holy Spirit you know put some. water in your well. And some people have a very deep well, and some people have a very shallow well, and they live a shallow life.

Because you see how much water you have depends on how well you can live. How much water you have to share. It gives you confidence, gives you boldness, because you’ve got a lot of answers to help a lot of problems. And some people don’t believe they have enough knowledge. I just don’t know what to do. Well, water in the well is your choice. Let the Lord teach you and you’d be surprised the difference you made. Now look at one more verse before we go look in verse 14.

1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14, but the natural man, now that’s the lost man, the natural man receive if not the things of the Spirit of God. For they are, what’s that word? Foolishness unto him. Isn’t it a shame when God’s children are so carnally minded that they think the things of God are foolishness. It’s foolish toisSpecial to go to church. I only go to church. I don’t need to study the Bible. I don’t need to witness. And so the things of God is foolishness on them.

And that’s why he says in the next chapter, you are babes in Christ. You’re shallow in your thinking. He says this, for they foolishness unto him. Now get this, neither can he know them. Talk about the lost man because they, those things are spiritually discerned. You have to have the Holy Spirit living within you to discern the things of God. So as you live your life that’s one of the whole things about life. Are you discerning the difference between the things of the world and the things of God, the will of God for your life?

And that’s really makes a difference. I go back to the book of Philippians, the book of the Philippians. And you’ll notice he makes this statement about having this confidence. Now notice in verse 4, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, talking about your first birth. If any other man thinketh that he hath, whereof he might trust in the flesh, I’m more. He says, do you know who I am? Do you know who I am? He said, I’m the great Apostle Paul, but he didn’t start off with Paul.

He says, I’m a Hebrew of the Hebrews. I’m of the tribe of Benjamin. Look at me. That’s what I had. And he could brag and boast about, but everything he’s talking about here is the accomplishment of the first birth. Is there people who can have the first birth and become doctors and lawyers and brilliant people, presidents and all that? but that’s the first birth. And they can achieve great things, maybe inventions and all that. Look at some of the things that people come out with with Facebook and how rich some of these guys are and they’re just like kids in Twitter or, you know, all these, the Google, now Amazon, all these monster things growing and people getting multitudes of millions of dollars can they do all of that and still be lost?

So you can have the wisdom of the world and there’s people who know how to make money. But when it’s all over with and when those people die, how much are they going to leave? Every last bit of it. Now they want to know my address, I’ll tell them where it is. But they’re going to leave it. So but you and I see we’re supposed to be a little different. We’re talking about our first birth in comparison to our second birth.

So in the second birth, Paul is letting them know, look, in the flesh, my first birth, if you want to brag, you want to accomplish something, be somebody, he said, let me tell you a little bit. So he says in verse five, circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews, touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness, which is the law, blameless. That means he was perfect, but if they broke the law, he had to make us sacrifice over the kids.

So I did it. He said, I did all of that. Look at me. I’m somebody. And then he says, but when I compare that to what I have with Christ, he says, all of those accomplishments, everything that I have and everything that I did is just like fertilizer. And you know what that is. I didn’t make that up. That’s what he says right there. See there in verse 7, but what things regained to me, those I kind of lost for Christ, ye doubtless and I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffer the loss of all things and do count them but done that I may win Christ.

A lot of difference, a lot of comparison. But he saw that what Christ had is so much better than what the world has. And though he told him a little bit about himself, take your Bible and just turn there. Hold your place right here. But go to the book of Acts chapter 7, the book of Acts, chapter 8, first mistake I’ve made. Well maybe a second. the book of Acts in chapter 7. But right before chapter 8 is chapter 7, and he makes his statement concerning an individual.

And this was one of the deacons. I don’t know if he ever preached two sermons, but he did preach one. And he was preaching this sermon, and lo and behold, he got stoned to death. His name was Stephen, looking in verse 54. He preached one sermon, and he made people so mad. But evidently he was not politically correct. He wasn’t evidently religiously correct because they didn’t agree with what he had to say and he didn’t have to say it that hard.

But you know it’s not a matter of whether or not you know how he said it was a matter of whether was it true. is what He said the truth. You know, truth really bothers people. Give what He says. And now, let’s just start us by verse 51. He says, you stiff neck and uncircumcised and heart and ears. You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do you. That you think that would have made people mad.

I mean, He’s talking to a group of people and I was like, He says, you stiff neck and uncircumcised. He says, you already resist and so forth. Does that look like he’s kind of, you know, tipped Owen through the tithers? No. Boom, right between the eyes. You say, he wouldn’t have made him so mad that when they’d done that, it’s not a matter of that. Truth. It’s not how he said it as he spoke the truth. And so they didn’t like it.

Look, verse 5, forth. When they heard these things, they all realized the era of their ways and they apologized. Well, that’s what they should have done, right? It says, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth, but he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus stand on the right hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens open in the Son of man, standing on the right hand of God.

Then they cried out where they loud voice and stopped their ears. I can’t take it anymore. Stop, shut up. And it says, and they ran upon him with one accord and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And this was his name before he became Paul, Saul and Paul. And he says, and they stone Stephen calling upon God and say, and Lord Jesus received my spirit.

And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice. Lord lay not this into their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting. It means gave his approval. On to his death. And at that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostle. And in verse 3, as for Saul, he made havoc of the church.

Andron into every house, hailing men and women, committing them to prison. He was one bad dude. He was a bad man. And he hated this Christianity. He hated the Christians, putting them in prison, consending unto their death. This was Paul. Now turn your page to chapter 9. And in verse 1, it says, and Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest. He wanted more. He wanted to do more damage.

Now he’s going to take and get some letters, Damascus, so that he can go and take care of the churches there. And that’s when on the Damascus road, lo and behold, he saw bright light. And it blinded him. The others could hear a voice but they didn’t know what it said. But Paul, he knew what he said. He says, Lord, why are you doing this? Jesus says, why? Why persecute us thou mean? He said, who are you? He says, I’m Jesus.

Look what he says in verse 5. He said to him, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord says, I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted. See, when he persecuted the church, who was he persecuted? When people persecute you because of your position in Christ and what you’re doing for the Lord. they’re persecuting Him. You’re supposed to be glad you can suffer for Him. They’re persecuting you and they’re bringing things against you, but you’re doing it because of the Lord. And so God says, why are you doing that to me?

And I feel for people who get mean and mad and nasty with me because I know my Heavenly Father, they’re going to get them. I’ve watched and lived long enough. everybody who goes against Yankee Arnold sooner or later pays the price for it. I don’t have to lift a finger, but I’ve watched. I’ve seen people die because they messed around and they malt or made fun of the public and God deals with them. I just have to let it happen.

But I’ve warned people, I’ve told them I said you ought not say that you ought not do this because I’m a godly man. I know whether I am or not. I’m a godly man. And shame on people who don’t see and understand and appreciate that and will say and do things against me, there’s a price to pay. And it’s a shame, but it’s the book.

I don’t know a lot of things, but I know the book. I don’t know all of it, but I know a lot of it. But now notice what also he says here. He makes a statement in verse 15 when the Lord told him, it says, but the Lord said unto him, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. And look in verse 16, you’re undilining.

For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. In other words, he was causing me to suffer. That’s what Jesus says. Why persecuted thou me? Now God’s gonna fix it to where He’s gonna get persecuted and He’s really gonna suffer. And did He? Oh, did He. Look what He says down here in verse 20. He said, and straight away or immediately, He preached Christ in the Son of God, that He is the Son of God.

or the crisis, deity. This is why they didn’t believe that Jesus Christ was who he claimed to be. He says that he claimed to be God. And they heard that. They just didn’t believe it. But all that heard him were amazed and said is not this. He that destroyed them, which called on this name in Jerusalem and came hither for that intent that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests. So they had a problem with disciples of Christ.

Trust in this man. They didn’t believe he was genuine. And so Barnabas comes along and he’s the comforter and he kinda comes alongside and kinda shows him the ropes and introduces him around. And remember, he didn’t run around with the apostles, Saul appalled him, but he was there and he saw things. But now they don’t trust this guy. take it by them turn, hold your place where you were, and not go to the book of Galatians, the book of Galatians, chapter one, Galatians chapter one.

Now Paul is bringing a lot of persecution upon himself because now he’s preaching the very message he used to condemn. And look what he says. This is awesome. He says in verse six, now he had gone to Galatian, these people to the Lord and Lister and Antioch, Iconium and Derby. He says, I’m marvel that your so-shoon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

Now how do you pervert the gospel of Christ? Ad works to it. See if it’s free, all the way you can pervert it is to add something to it and the only thing in the end to free is work, a cost, a price. If it’s free and no longer free, it’s because now you got to pay a price to get it. So that means it’s been a no, it’s been perverted. So this is what they were doing. Perverted in the gospel, now down in verse 10, he says, now do I now seek to persuade men or God?

Do I I seek to please men. For if I yet please, men, I should not be the servant of Christ. In other words, you’ve got to make up your mind. You’re going to serve the Lord. You’re going to serve people. Now you can serve people, but who do you please? You can’t always please everybody. You can’t please people all the time because people change. They’ll be for you today and against you next week. I can preach a good sermon the day and preach everything.

That was a great sermon. That was a wonderful sermon. But the next Sunday, if I preach something they didn’t like, they won’t come back. They didn’t come back. And they don’t even have to tell you why, they just checking out a few other places. For the gospel’s sake, because we’re not clearing the gospel. Oh well. And so if you let stuff like that bother you, you won’t keep moving. You’re gonna, well I don’t wanna offend that person. Well I don’t wanna offend them.

And then I don’t wanna offend them. Actually it’s wild, you don’t be able to say anything. What can you teach as far as truth? Because truth is offensive. Sorry it makes a statement here. If or if I yet please, man, should not be the servant of Christ. Now look what he says, for I certify you brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. Now Lord I didn’t get this message from man. He said, I got this from the Lord.

I got it straight from Jesus Christ. See what he says there in verse 12? For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. The gospel he preached was by revelation of Jesus Christ, Christ revealed Himself to the Apostle Paul on the road. And then later on he was on the other place from Damascus. But look what he says here in verse 13. For you have heard of my conversation, that means you’re the manner of life.

You’ve heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews religion. How that beyond measure. I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. So, he was a bad man doing a lot of bad things. And so, does that mean that God overrode his will? No. He could still have rebelled it and not believe in the Lord, not accepted it, and he didn’t have to obey God’s will concerning his life. But he had encounter. And I don’t know of his encounter when the Lord was as great or greater than the one that I had.

In 75 years I’ve never had a moment like that moment, 57 years ago in that little old living room in Athens, Georgia, when I broke down and wept like a baby. And I never saw anybody else to get saved. I didn’t know how anybody else did anything. All I know is if what this man told me is true. I’m going to hell and I want to go to heaven and I trust the crisis my Savior tonight that night and that was the beginning of the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened in my whole life.

That night was important to me and that was as important to me as that event that happened with what’s that guy’s name? Paul. Now get what he says. How I wasted it looking verse 14 and profited in the Jews religion above many my own equal or my own age, and my own nation being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my Father, and then it plays God for me to hear the gospel and he believed on the Lord. Look up here, this is so important, you’ve got to watch this now.

This is the most important part of the whole sermon. I want you to listen, pay attention. represent you and me. Everybody in the world, you are Gentile, it doesn’t matter. Red and yellow, black and white, all of us. The Bible says that we have all sinned. We’ve all done things wrong. Nobody is any better than anybody else. And the pay for this sin is eternal separation from God. And since everybody sins, everybody’s condemned, that’s why everybody dies. To go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous has got it.

None of us are perfect. None of us are righteous because of this sin we can’t get in. So I want you to understand that your good deeds will not take away one sin. All of the good things you’ve ever done in your whole life has never paid for one sin, not even one. This sin represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord, God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin. So how can I have my sins washed away where all that’s left is me and I get to go to heaven, what can wash away my sins?

What can wash away my sins? There’s got to be something that washed my sins away. The blood of Christ, what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. We sing the song, but listen to what it says. Jesus Christ came into this world because He loved us. He took all of our sins upon Himself and shed His blood, paid for our sins, came back from the dead, and said if we would be lead that He did it for us, all our sins are washed away.

We’re forgiven of all of our sins, and now because all my sins are forgiven, all paid, I get to go to heaven on what Christ did for me. I understood that 51 years ago in a little old living room when my father might explain this to me. I didn’t get all of it all together, but I knew this. I knew I was a sinner and Christ paid for my sins. If I trust Him, I’ll go to heaven whenever I die.

And that was the best news I ever heard, my whole cotton-picking life. You didn’t know this, but I am a cotton-picker. I used to pick cotton. I really did pick cotton. So you can call me a cotton pig every one. Let’s pray, shower. Every head bow and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re here this morning and maybe you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, you’ve been religious, maybe you’ve been religious all your life, maybe you’re sincere.

Maybe you’ve done a lot of good things for a lot of people. But if you haven’t trusted Christ as your Savior, see, you still don’t have to go to heaven. You must trust the Lord. He’s the only one that can get you to heaven. So I’m going to ask in just a moment to raise your hand. Raise your hand does not save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you and you’re saying, preacher, that made sense to me.

And I’m going to trust Christ as my Savior this morning and I’d like for you to pray for me. So with headbound, nice clothes, and no one looking around, is there any word at all? Say, preacher, I will trust Christ as my Savior right now and I’d like for you to pray for me and close. And would you just slip your hand very quickly and put a right back down, any word at all, just slip it up real quick for a right back down.

If you’ve never done it, do it right now. Yes, God bless you now. God bless you. I appreciate that. Yes, sir. Anyone else? Just slip it up very quickly. If you trust Christ right now, did you know God saves you right now? Yes, God bless you. I appreciate that. Anyone else? I’m not going to embarrass you. I’m not going to have you forward. I’m not going to pin you against the wall. You see, salvation is you receiving what Christ did.

Does not you try to promise to be better, to do good? No, we are sinners. Christ died for sinners. He died for you. He loves you. Would you trust him right now? If you’ve never done so, say, Lord, that made sense to me. I believe Christ did it for me, and I’m trusting him right now. Anyone else before we close? Our Father, we thank you so much for those that indicated by an uplift at hand that they would accept Christ as their Savior and no one that anyone who so ever trust you you guarantee them a free gift eternal life.

We ask the blessings on those that come our way to visit with us and for those that come week after week for their faithfulness we thank you so much for them. In Christ name and be brave. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well if So if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Main. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address. And God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 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.