This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

1 Corinthians chapter 15. I want you to turn your Bible there. I remember not long ago somebody bought me something me something and they couldn’t find a receipt. Have you ever had something and you can’t find a receipt for it and you want to take it back and they don’t want to take it because you don’t have a receipt? That happens all the time. You lose the receipt. What is a receipt? Receipt is the proof that you paid for something.

It’s the proof of purchase. So whenever you think about the resurrection, you say, what is the resurrection really? Jesus Christ coming back from the dead is our living eternal receipt. Jesus Christ coming back from the dead is your proof of payment. It shows you that you had a payment made for you and the scars in his hands and in his feet and in his side is the stamp that certifies you have payment in full. Jesus Christ is our proof of payment.

He is our living eternal receipt and therefore we should be thankful that Jesus Christ came back from the dead. Another good reason is for this. Jesus Christ when He was here, He says, when you kill me, I will come back again from the dead. I will come back. the third day. I will rise again. If Jesus did not come back again from the dead, then he was a liar. So Jesus coming back from the dead is to fulfill his word.

You see, if he hadn’t done what he said he did, we have no reason to believe anything else he said. Why would we believe that he made a payment for our sins? Why would we believe that there There is a heaven. Why would we believe He’s coming back again? If He did not come back from the dead, we wouldn’t have any reason to believe anything He talked about. So He coming back from the dead is the authenticity. It is the foundation of Christianity.

We base everything upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So here in the book of 1 Corinthians and chapter 15, I want you to look there in verse 1. Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein ye stand, but which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory, what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

And I’ll read verse four, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This is a very interesting portion of scripture. It is the outline for the rest of the whole chapter. A lot of verses in this chapter of the verse 58. But when you read this, there’s two things to keep in mind. It talks one about Jesus Christ coming from the dead. The other one, verse 51, talks about Jesus Christ coming from heaven.

So if you say, I believe one, but don’t believe the other, well, wait a minute, it’s the same chapter. Talking about the same person. Jesus Christ came from the dead, and He’s coming from heaven. But remember this, if He did not come from the dead, He ain’t coming from heaven either. But if he did come from the dead, he is coming from heaven. That’s what this chapter is about. Another reason is this. In the book of 1 Corinthians, we’re about 14 major problems.

They were having all kinds of problems in this church. I mean from sex to alcohol. I mean you name it. They were having the problem. all kinds of divisions in this church. I mean, this was one wild church. We say, how can we solve these problems? He says, one thing is you need to really believe and understand is that Christ came from the dead and that Christ is coming back. And in between his death on the cross and him coming back is a reason, a motive of why you and I should serve the Lord for the That’s why in verse 58 the conclusion of the whole matter was he says be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work and if he did die and did pay for our sins they’re all paid and there’s no more left to pay for.

There’s not one more sin to pay for. They’re all paid, paid for all of them. He died once, he was buried once, He arose once to give unto you and I, eternal life once and for all. So that when we trust Him as our Savior, He gives us eternal life. So He came back from the dead. Him coming back from the dead is the reason we’re supposed to believe everything else that He taught, because nobody could do this. And when He came back from the dead, He gave reasons on why we should believe it.

He talked about the various ones that had saw Him after His resurrection. He talked about 500 at one time who saw Him after the resurrection. He told the disciples, go into Galilee and I’ll meet with you. Now whether or not they met in Galilee and they knew He was coming, and over 500 brothers where He had His ministry came together and they saw Him. For 40 days He dwelt among them and they saw Him. And they were convinced that Jesus Christ was alive.

Paul says, I is one born out of due time, I also saw him. Now Paul shouldn’t say I saw him if he hadn’t seen him. And if he did see him, it’s okay for him to say I saw him. And if he did see him, and it is true, Christ is alive. That means he can conquer death. It means that if he can come back from the dead and still be alive, then what do you and I got to worry about?

See, all of our hope is based upon this truth. Christ came back from the dead. And he says, by which you are saved if you believe? Not in vain. How can your faith be in vain? I thought if you believe, then you’re saved, and how can you believe, or how can you trust in vain? Only if Christ did not come back from the dead. If Christ did not come back from the dead and you trusted Him as your Savior, wouldn’t that be in vain?

Yes. There is no salvation if Christ didn’t come back. He can’t come back and get you if he’s still dead. Because everything is based upon the fact that he said he was God and that this is the proof that you and I need. Evidence, facts. You see, I wasn’t there. And Christ says, blessed are those who have seen and heard him for themselves. But he said, blessed are they that believe and have never seen and never heard. I believe the record that was given.

I’ve never seen Christ. I’ve never met in the apostles. I wasn’t there when all this took place. But enough evidence is given to convince me that I can believe it all. There are four major questions that are answered in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 15. One of those questions is this. there a resurrection? And the answer is yes. From verse 1 to verse 34, the question is, is there a resurrection? And he says, yes, there is a resurrection.

So that when we trust Christ as our Savior, our faith is not in vain because he did come back from the dead. But what if he didn’t? If there’s no resurrection, then he didn’t come back from the dead. And if he didn’t come back from the dead, look what else? In verse 14, our Christ is not risen, preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. In other words, everything that I’ve been preaching for 40 years has no value to it.

And everything you believe is of no value to it. It was all in vain. It was for nothing. And if there is no resurrection, the Bible says we are of all men most miserable because there’s nothing to live for. There’s no purpose in life. The atheists were right, evolution is true. And if all that’s true, then why have morality? Why have laws to govern anybody? Why not just do whatever you want to do? It doesn’t really matter. Then lying is okay.

Cheating is all right. Murder can be justified. Adultery can be okay. Abortion can be justified. Why? Just animals. But look what else he says here. In verse 17, and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your what? You’re yet in your sins, and you are condemned, and you can’t get free of your sins. And you will die like that. But what if it is true? Then it’s the reverse of all of this.

We don’t have to be of all men most miserable. We can have fullness of joy here. enjoy a few of the pleasures of eternal things now because we believe that where we’re going is a place called heaven and the pleasures of eternity and fullness of joy in his presence. That’s what he says in his book, if all this is true. So that means that you and I have a reason for living. So is there a resurrection? I believe there is.

I believe there’s enough facts for it. The other question came up was, what are they going to be? These bodies. What are the bodies going to be like when they’re resurrected? Well, there’s several things that are mentioned here and this is in verse 35. In verse 35 and down to verse 50, the Bible says in verse 42 that our bodies will be incorruptible. That means they will not be able to be subject to death ever again, your new body you’re going to get.

In verse 43 says it’s going to be a glorious body. And verse 43 also says it’s going to be a powerful body. You realize the power that God has and you are going to have a body that has power to it. Have you ever read and heard about some guys that you know they’re very weak and so forth but some kid gets panned under a car and all the sudden the guys got all this adrenaline that flows through him and he can able to lift a car about several thousand pounds of it and he goes back, and he can’t do it and wonder why.

Well, there’s things like that, but remember this, Samson, the strongest man in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit, living within him, look what he was able to do. And yet the Bible says that we’re gonna have a body just like the body of Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that when the doors were shut and all the windows and so forth, everything was closing because the disciples were in an upper room, it’s scared for their lives.

All of a sudden Christ appears in their midst. And when he was walking with the two on the road to Emmaus, and all of a sudden he appeared and started walking with them. And he disappeared right out of their sight. So the power of a body that can go through walls, and the power of a body that can appear and disappear, God says that’s the kind of a body that you’re going to get, because the resurrection is true. You’re gonna get a body just like the Lord’s.

And so this means that we’re gonna have a spiritual body, a spirit body, but a spiritual body, a body that is designed to last forever. They make cars designed to break down the moment you make your last payment. And so you’re going to get a body that will never break down. It’ll last for all eternity in a new place. Now, if God said all of these things, and if He did come back from the dead, then everything else He says should be a piece of cake for you and I to believe.

And if that’s true, should effect our lives here and now. Yes it should. You see why? Because he’s coming back. If he’s coming back again, what’s going to happen when he does? Well, there’s another question that’s asked. And that question is, what about the people that won’t die? Look there in verse 51. In verse 51 says, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. That means that we will not all die. We shall all be changed.

See, there’s going to be a resurrection of people that died. But what about the people that don’t die? It means there’s some people that won’t die? Yes, it’s called the rapture. It’s when Christ comes in the air and the Bible says that every person who has trusted him a Savior will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. When he said, we shall not all sleep, means we will not all die but will be changed while I’m standing in this body.

If the Lord came right now, I would be automatically in the twinkling of an eye changed, glorified, receiving a body just like Christ and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Never see death. There is a generation of people living that will not physically ever die. I believe that’s going to be my generation. I don’t know if I’m going to be in that generation, but I believe it’s my generation. I believe Christ is coming back in my lifetime.

I hope that I’m around when that happens because I’m not afraid to die. I just thought I’ve never done it before. And I would rather, the Lord just change me and let me go to heaven. You know, without anything happening, I would prefer that. How many of you in here would prefer to go in the rapture? Let me see your hand. How many of y’all would prefer to go in the grave? Not a taker, not a one. Look there in verse 52.

In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. The dead shall be raised in corruptible. But that’s those who have already died. So they’re going to have a body that’s going to be changed. And we, that our God, who is going to be in the right place, is going to be in the right place. alive when Christ comes shall be changed. So did he come back from the dead?

Yes he did. If he came, he’s coming back. But if he didn’t come back from the dead, then he can’t come back from heaven. How did he get there? So the Bible says he is coming back again. And when he comes back again, you and I are going to be changed. And we’re going to be changed and fashioned like unto his glorious body. That’s what God’s going to do for us. And That’s why he makes this statement here in verse 53, for this corruptible must put on in corruption.

And it says, and this mortal shall put on immortality. That means people who are mortal, I’m a mortal person, means I’m subject to dying. Putting on immortality means I won’t be subject to death. What a miraculous thing this is going to be. But all this is true. It’s in the Word of God. And all of this is based upon, Well do we really believe He came back bodily from the grave? Him coming back from the dead was the acceptance of a payment that He made.

And God in heaven was satisfied with that payment. He is a living eternal receipt that our sins have been paid for. And that’s why from now on, even while I live and you live and we still sin, We have a receipt that says paid in for. Christ is my payment. He did that for me. I don’t deserve to go to heaven, but He loves me that much that He paid for my sins and I’ll go to heaven on what it did for me.

Let me just show you this very quickly. This hand represents you and me and this wallet represents sin. Now we all have sin on us. God loves us, hates our sin, and the reason is because our sin separates us from God. This hand represents Jesus Christ. See, we’re separated from Him. So the Bible says that if we pay for the sin, it’s eternal separation from Him. But God loves us and wants us to go to heaven and go to heaven.

We have to be perfect as righteous as God, and no one’s perfect, no one is righteous as God. So how can we get to heaven? Well, we can’t. We need a Savior. Man cannot save Himself, He has no hope. That’s why, see, it’s not according to your good deeds. It’s not because you went to church and you changed your life and you stopped sins in your life. You can change everything you want to. Try not to sin from this day forward.

That ain’t gonna get you to heaven. You see, you’ve already sinned. You’re already condemned. He that believeeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. That means he has not trusted Christ. If you don’t trust him, you don’t go. But this hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He came into this world because he loves you and me. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from it.

So Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead, our sins are pain. The resurrection of Christ is what we look to as the proof that everything He ever taught that it’s all true, because we know no man can come back from the dead. Nobody can do that. Nobody’s ever done that, but Him. And then He was able to be seen by over 500 at one time. That’s why the resurrection of Christ is so important to Christianity.

And we believe that because that happened and that was true, everything else he said is true. So how can this affect my life? What kind of an impact should this do to me? What’s the value of this doctrine? This doctrine of him coming from the dead and coming back again because I’m caught in between. I look back to his death and what he did for me. I look forward to Him coming again. And I believe that this doctrine is to help me now.

I don’t have to fear death. I don’t have to be afraid. I believe that the greatest enemies in the world, whether it’s the sins of the flesh, of the devil of the world and death itself, Christ, when He was here, conquered all of it and said He would help me face every problem, every trial, every temptation, all the world, all the devil, and all of his angels, and everything, and can give me victory in my life. Because Christ did it.

He said he would give me power in my life. To help me live the way I should live. He has done that. I don’t live like I used to live. I don’t think the way I used to think. God has changed me. He has done a wonderful work in my life, and I believe that. But now also, if he is coming again because that is true, then that means that when he comes, and I disappear here, I will appear at the judgment seat of Christ.

And if I’m going to appear at the judgment seat of Christ, that is a rewarding stand. The rewarding stand, that doesn’t determine your destination, you’re already in heaven. That’s to determine the rewards that you will get for all eternity. In other words, God is going to bless you. He’s going to give you praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. If all of that is true, and He says that He will not allow anything to come upon you in your life here greater than what you can stand, that you can’t have victory and he will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear, that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to his purpose.

So I know that I’m going to be in heaven and I know I’m going to stand today, Jim is here to Christ and I know that God’s going to reward me or I’m going to suffer loss of what I could have had. If all of that is true, then I also know that when he comes back to the earth to rule upon this earth, he said, if I serve him, I will rule and reign with him.” Now I don’t know what all that entails.

I don’t have to know. All I know is he promised. He promised he gave his word. And this is the only time that I’ve got to live to demonstrate, I believe it all, by how I live. You see, some people say, well I have faith. Show me your faith without your works. And I’ll show you my faith by my works. Because I believe all of that, I believe it should change my life. If you say, I believe it too, but it doesn’t change your life, you don’t believe it.

Every man lives according to his beliefs, according to his theology. If you really believe Christ is coming back and you come back soon and can come back today, it’ll make a difference on how you think and how you live. So should there be a doctrine that can help us, poor did laugh, and ate his own souls down here to face life. Give us a reason for living. I think so. And the Bible calls it having this victory. See there in verse 57, verse 57.

He says, but thanks be to God which give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And he can’t give you victory if he’s dead. He gives you victory because he came back from the dead and he is alive, alive forevermore. And now look in verse 58. Verse 58 is an awesome verse. If you don’t have it underline, you ought to underline this verse in your Bible. It’s the conclusion of everything that’s been said in this whole chapter. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Now let me ask you this, are you in the work of the Lord? Every person who trusts Christ as Savior is in the work of the Lord. Now you may not work too good, you may be a pitiful labor, but you’re in the work of the Lord. You, every person, is to be in full-time Christian work. You may be a housewife, that’s full-time Christian work. You work on a job, you work under somebody, you are still full-time Christian work, because it means that you’re working for God full time wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

You say, well, the preacher’s the one that’s in full time Christian work and no, the missionary. So are you. Every person is being full time Christian work. You’re working for God full time and God’s going to reward you. What kind of a mother you are for what kind of a child you are for what kind of a father you are what kind of a labor you are how you make your money how you save your money how you spend your money, how you think everything about your life full time.

God’s concerned about every area of your life you’re to do right. There’s no time when you say well I’ll just give God 10% so I’m not full time. No every person to be in full time Christian work for the Lord. You’re just in a different place but he says always be steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Now look at the last part of the verse for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord for as much as no means You’re going to labor according to how you understand this great truth, this teaching that he just spoke about.

If you really believe all of this, it’ll change your life. Now if you say, well, I can take it or leave it, it don’t really matter. And you don’t dwell on it. You don’t really meditate upon what God is saying. And the impact that this can have in your life. Now you’re going to have a haphazard life, slipshod, you’ll be unfaithful, undisciplined, go to church once in a while or you’ll give a little bit here and there, but you won’t be fully dedicated to God.

And every Christian should be. And the reason is because it’s all true. It’s not in vain. You did not trust him in vain because he did come back. You see, you trusted him in vain if he’s dead. So your faith is not in vain when you trust Christ. And if your faith in the Lord is not in vain, then your labor is not in vain. Your sacrifices are not in vain. Your discipline is not in vain. It’s all worth it.

You ever heard that song, it will be worth it all? It will be. So you may go through a lot of things down here. Don’t get mad, don’t get bitter or anything like that. Not at God. Always stay faithful, always keep serving God. All the days of your life, don’t stop, don’t quit, don’t change. Keep growing in the Lord. And much more, as you see the day of protein, the Christ could come back. Be more faithful. Cram for exams.

Look over here one more time. This, you and me, this sin. We have sin on us. This is Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Christ. The whosoever, anybody, whosoever, believe it than him, believe that he did it for them. Should not perish, but have everlasting life. Simple verse. This is God. This is people who believe that you’re saved by your good works. And so they think they have to get a good grip on God and they think they’re gonna go to heaven because they join the church or give money or pray to all these good deeds.

And as long as they hang on and do their best, they’re going to heaven. But if they do anything wrong, start slipping away and start sending in their life, now they’re going to hell. Gotta get saved again. And then if they do something wrong, they’re gonna lose their salvation out, they’re going to hell. Now they gotta get saved again. You see, that’s because see their salvation depends on how strong they are, how good they are. Their do’s and don’ts.

And God says that’s not salvation. That didn’t work the quarter. If you could save yourself, then what did you need Christ for? You don’t. So God says, if you will trust Him, He saves you. See any difference? He has me. He said, He will never cast me out. He said, He’ll never lose me. He said, no man can pluck you out of His hand. See, I’m going to heaven. Why? Because He is taking me to heaven. I’m trusting Him to save me.

He says, He won’t let me go to hell. He says, He’s taking me to heaven and He gives me everlasting life. And I’ll never cast you out and never lose you. And He, that believe it to me, hath everlasting life because you see, my going to heaven depends upon Him, not me. That’s how I know I’m going to heaven. Not because I do anything good. And all the bad that I can do can’t send me to hell. So you’re looking at an individual that cannot go to hell.

You say, well, because you think you’re so good? Because I believe he is God and he keeps his word. See, he came back from the dead and all of it’s true. All of it’s true. And so once you trust Christ as your Savior, He gives you what kind of life? Eternal life. And if it’s eternal life, how long does it last? Forever. If it lasts forever and all you send are paid, where are you going to go and you die?

Can you know you’re going to heaven when you die? You don’t have to wait till you die to find out, do you? No. You know what right now? You’ve been listening to Bibleline, teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s If you wish to stay safe, please subscribe to our channel. or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and everyday, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, Dear God’s Word on Bibleline, Everywhere, Every Time, Dear God’s Truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of John, the gospel of John in chapter 20. A verse we read a little bit earlier talked about Jesus, that when he would be born he would be called Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting fove of the Prince of Peace. The Bible says that his name would be called Wonderful, Wonderful because there’s many things that are different about him, totally unique about him. Even a man in his best state is still a center.

The best person you know is still a center. Jesus Christ was not a center. Jesus Christ was not just a man, but if He was just a man, what a man. No man was like this man. Let me just mention to you very quickly. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ did many signs, miracles, wonders. In order to get people to believe that He was who He claimed to be. The Bible says that there were to be external revelations, external revelation that means outside of the natural man, that God was going to reveal by these miracles that he was able to perform an internal response inside of a person, an internal response, in order to produce within us an eternal result, means that lasts forever, the gift of eternal life.

So God wants us to believe. But man doesn’t believe unless he can see something, hear something that’s totally unique. Jesus Christ being born to this world, his birth was not like the normal person. He did not have an earthly father. The Bible says the Holy Spirit came upon the woman Mary and the Holy Spirit placed the Frieud within the womb of Mary So that that which was born of her was a holy thing. He was wonderful in his birth because nobody was ever born like this man was born.

And the thing is that was so neat is not only was his birth, it was planned because God had planned this before the foundations of the world called the plan of salvation. And the Lord prophesied what He was going to do. He told in advance that Jesus Christ, when He came into this world, that He would be born We’re the first one of a virgin. We read that verse. It says in the book of Genesis in chapter three verse 15, talking about the seed of the woman Christ, bruising the head of the serpent.

But God foretold these things and prophesied of it. And because of that, nothing is quite like Jesus Christ. No man ever had any of these things told about Him. When you stop and think about it, since since no man can produce His own birth in order to create an individual without sin. You see, you cannot. You can get you and you can get your wife and you can produce a baby. can have babies. Youngens can have youngens. But you can never produce a perfect child.

This was a perfect child. No sin, no fault, no flaws in this child. And in his life, the Bible says that he went about doing good. So he had a wonderful life. Years ago they had a man, I guess, James Stewart that made a movie that called it, It’s a Wonderful Life. Anybody I’ve already seen that. Most people see that at Christmas. It’s a wonderful life. There is no life. Of any person who’s ever lived, quite like this man’s life.

The Bible says everywhere he went, he went about doing good. He never wronged anybody. He never wronged his mother. He never wronged his earthly father. Joseph, who was not his real father, but he never wronged anyone. He never wronged a brother. He never wronged a sister. He never told a lie. This man was unique. He was different. Never been another one quite like him. his birth. But he was wonderful in his life. And the Bible says that things that happened in his life had been planned.

He was totally in the hands of his father and the thing that had happened in his life prophesied thousands of years in advance. And to realize the power that it takes to live above sin. No other man has ever done it. When you talk about people talking about keeping the law. Out of 1500 years, not one person ever kept the law. Yet Jesus Christ kept the law perfectly. Means he never failed. He lived a perfect life. He could look at an individualortunately and say, which one of you can convince me or convict me of sin?

Point to one sin that I’ve ever committed. Now you and I wouldn’t dare do that to anybody. But Jesus was different. He was unique. And the Bible says that this man was wonderful in his birth. He was wonderful in his life. When you talk about the death on the cross, most of us didn’t determine when we would be born. Most of us are not going to determine when we die, the very day we’ll die, or by whose hand we will die if it’s that away.

This is different about Jesus Christ. See, he was wonderful in his death. You see, his death was planned. He was born that he might die. His death was not an accident. You might have an accident. Oh, you had a car wreck and you accidentally got killed. His death was no accident. His death was planned by God from the foundations of the world. And it was prophesied in the Old Testament and even in the 22nd Psalm told about how he would be piercing his hands and his feet.

In other words, looking forward a thousand years to the day when under the Roman government he would be crucified. You see, not just anybody could be held accountable by two governments, two nations, and rejected by both. What a man. And yet this person died a unique death. Not only were there other people who died on the crosses, but nobody died like this man. So how come? You see, they died for their sin. They did do wrong. But this man had done nothing amiss.

There was no fault found in him. Paulus says, I wash my hands from this man. This man had done nothing wrong. This man’s done nothing worthy of death. The only thing they could come close to accusing him of was blasphemy because he said he was God. But the thing was, he wasn’t lying. He told the truth. That’s who he was. And he told him, he says, when you put me on the cross, my father will tell you who I am.

He says, I bear witness of myself. I bear witness of myself. I said, I am the light of the world. I am the Son of God. I am the way, the truth and the life. That’s who I am. I am the Son of God. I am the Messiah. I am the Savior of the world. But my testimony is not to be believed by one alone. Everything had to be established in the mouth of two or more witnesses. He said, but there’s another one He’ll testify.

He says, one that you have listened to, one that you have followed. He says, a man named John the Baptist came on the scene and he was a bright and shining light. He testified of me and you went to his baptism and he baptized many of you with the baptism of repentance. He said, that man that you hold up in very high esteem, that man, his character, his integrity, that man says that I’m the Son of God that takes away the sin of the world.

He witnessed for me. He said, if you don’t want to believe it because of what I say, or maybe not because of what John says, he said, what about the works that I do? My very works, the way I live, the things that I’ve accomplished, tells you who I am. No other man is able to make a blind man see. Nobody else can make the lane to walk or the depth to hear. But listen, Christ making the blind to see did nothing for me.

He can’t do anything for me. just because he was able to make the dumb to speak. That didn’t save me. That didn’t pay for my sin. That doesn’t get me to heaven. Just because Christ would walk on water. That didn’t save me. That didn’t give me eternal life. That didn’t make me God’s child. But yet Jesus Christ would walk on the water and he could feed to 5,000. He could do all the miracles that he did. And the Bible says that Jesus Christ did all the things.

He says, believe me for the works that I do. The what I’ve done tells you who I must be. I’m not a normal man. I’m not the average Joe blow. Many people think Jesus, oh, he was just a good man. He died for a good cause. Jesus Christ was God. He was God in the flesh. He had a body like ours. But this man was a man. He died for a good cause. Jesus Christ was God. He was God in the flesh.

He had a body like ours. This man was different. He was wonderful in his birth. And he was wonderful in his life. And he was wonderful in his crucifixion. When he died, his death was foretold. It was prophesied. It was planned. And it was powerful. Because he says, I have the power to lay my life down. And I have the power to take it up again. No man take it my life from me. And yet when he came back from the dead it was by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit.

No man died like this man. But not just wonderful in his death. You stop and think about this. What’s the most powerful thing in the world? Now it’s wonderful that when we can look out and behold and we could see maybe a man walking on water because we know that’s America. That’s supernatural. Bible says that Christ did these things so that we could be leave. Look there in verse 30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book.

Signs are a miracle. Signs are external revelations to produce inside of a person an internal response. What does God want from me? Why did He do that? That I might believe that He He is the Christ, the Son of the living God that I might believe that. So Christ was allowed by the God, the Father, to produce a miracle that in an individual he might believe. And if he will believe that, an internal response, he would have the eternal results which would be eternal life.

So the miracles was to produce belief so that we could have eternal life. But I wasn’t there to see all those miracles that were done. I never saw one miracle, but the Bible says concerning the woman at the well in chapter four of the gospel of John, it says that the men in the city that came out said, we believe, not because what the woman said, but because we heard him hours that we heard him. So it’s not only by seeing is by hearing the greatest message in the world.

Remember this? There is no story. There is no message as great, as powerful, as moving, as the story of Christ’s death on the cross. You listen to the story of what happened to him when he was persecuted, when he was mocked and hung on a tree, what he went through and what happened and the story behind it, there is no story as moving as that story. to know that here was a perfect man in the hands of sinful men and had the power of all heaven behind him and what he could have done and the Bible said he could have called 10,000 angels and yet he allowed man to do what they did to him and he did it for a reason.

That took power. The power to refrain himself from power that he had lest he used it and not accomplish to purpose by which he came. They said, if you’re the Christ, come on down from the cross and we’ll believe him, but they didn’t understand. He couldn’t come down from the cross. If he came down, he couldn’t have saved them. He could not have paid for their sins. He could not be intimidated by them. What a man. Every person in this room would be filled with bitterness and hatred toward anybody, whoever wronged you.

And yet in him, he says, forgive them. Well, they know not what they do. They don’t know what they’re doing. See, he’s not like you and I. He was God in the flesh. The miracles that he did was to produce the leaf in us. But he says, there are those who were able to see like he told Thomas. And he says, because they’ll have seen, they’ll have to believe. But blessed are those who have not seen yet believe because they all hear the story and that’s why the Bible is written.

That’s why the gospel of John was written so that we might be leave because of what we heard and that’s why he says in not only in chapter 4 when they said we’ve heard him ourselves. 5 verse 24 says as many as… Here is the word. Here the word. And believe it on him that sent me half everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but has passed from death unto life. You see, you and I, we don’t have to see the miracles.

But we have evidence that it is true. And the evidence is not only what Christ said, it’s not only what John the Baptist said because everything has to be established in the mouth of two or more witnesses. It’s not only that his work bear witness of it. He says, My Father, My Father also bears witness of me in chapter 8 verse 18 and chapter 8 verse 28. He said, My Father tells you who I am. He says, When you lift me up, when you lift me up, My Father that created the heavens and the earth, My Father is going to tell you who I am.

And when He hung on the cross, when He had said, I am the light of the world, the world went dark when the light went out. He says, I am the temple of God. And he said that veil was rent from the top to the bottom. That was another miracle. Because it opened up the door way into the holy of holies so that you and I can have access to God and go to heaven whenever we die because his body was the veil, according to Hebrews in chapter 10.

You see, God the Father spoke because when he was on the cross, he said, when you lift me up my father will bear witness that I’m who I said I was. The Bible says that the earth shook and the graves were open and the people that were in the graves came out after his resurrection and walked through the city of Jerusalem. Now wouldn’t that scare you half to death? To see some uncle or some aunt that’s been dead and all of a sudden they’re walking the streets of Jerusalem.

You should know that was in the Bible. Chapter 27, a book of Matthew read it sometime. So what is all that proof? He is God. It proves that he is who he claimed to be. And he says these external miracles is to birds that inward response. Why? So that you’ll believe it. You will believe it. There is no story you have ever heard that has more documentation than this story that’s in this book right here. He says, search the scriptures.

For in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me. They’ll tell you if you’ll read it they’ll tell you in the Old Testament Scriptures they’ll tell you who I am. They told you where I was going to be born. They told you how I was going to live. They told you how I’m going to die and they tell you about my resurrection. It’s all in the book read the evidence. And written before he ever came into this world.

So I didn’t have to see anything, but I was 18 years old when I heard the greatest story I’ve ever heard in my life. Somebody told me the story of Jesus Christ. They told me that Jesus Christ was God’s Son, that He came into this world, that He died on that cross to pay for my sins, came back from the dead, and my only way, My only hope of going to heaven is if I accept that payment he made for me.

Through Christ is the only way of going to heaven. You cannot get there any other way. I today, I don’t have to live looking for some miracle, some sign to convince me. There is no story like this story. No man could write this story. This story took 1600 years to write and it’s perfectly woven together. No story quite like it. You see, all this is wonderful because you see Jesus was wonderful. He was wonderful in his birth and he was wonderful in his life.

He was wonderful in his death and he was wonderful in his resurrection. You know the greatest power in all the world. If a man could kill you, it would be the greatest power you could have to come back from the dead. I mean, if you had the power to make a blind man see, okay, but if you can kill him, I mean, so what? I mean, if you could feed to 5,000, but if a man can die, you can’t come back.

So what? But the power to come back from the dead to live forever. You know they always try to make some movies, you know, something like vampires and eating string to somebody’s blood so that they can live forever and all that kind of stuff like that. You see, they can get stories like that, but in the Bible, it’s real. It’s a real story. Christ says, if you’ll eat my flesh and drink my blood, my blood, you’ll live forever. I literally believe that if Christ had gave us a bite of His flesh to eat or a drop of His blood to drink, we would live forever.

His blood was precious blood. It was incorruptible blood. And when He died on the cross and shed His blood, it was the very blood that He shed that He took to heaven and offered on the mercy seat in heaven. I believe that. His blood might have failed to the ground, but when he left, he took every drop of it with him. How much of his blood did he have to shed? He shed all of his blood, but one drop would have been enough to pay for the sins of the whole world.

Because of the quality, the value of that blood. It was pure blood. It’s the Bible called the precious blood of Jesus Christ. In the book of Leviticus, half of 17, verse 11, said, for the life of the flesh is in the blood of Jesus Christ. I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul for the blood making the atonement for your soul. It is a wonderful thing to know that without the shitting rod there is no remission of sin Christ had to come.

He had to die to pay for our sins so that we could have as a free gift everlasting life and to think that somebody could a man, a natural man come back from the dead go out to your cemeteries and see how many of them have the power to come back. When I do your funeral, why don’t you just go ahead and get out of that casket? Don’t you have to have any funeral services? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? But you ain’t got the power to do it.

You can’t do it. You don’t have the power to do it. And if there is no resurrection, there is no Savior. There’s no resurrection. There is no proof because He prophesied that He would.geoning. He says over and over again, they’re going to kill me. Three days later I’m coming back from the dead. If he hadn’t kept this word, he was a liar. But he came back from the dead. And the thing that’s also wonderful is to think for a moment.

Get out here someday, get out here in the parking lot and jump up in the air and say, how high you can jump. So if you can jump clean off the earth. How high can you get up in this air? On your own steam, on your own power. On the Mount of Olive, they were all standing there watching him. And all of a sudden on his own power, A man began to go up off the earth and they watched him ascend up into heaven.

That ascension was a wonderful thing. Wouldn’t you like to have seen it? To see a person do something no man can do. He’s not just a man. From the beginning to the end, he’s not just a man. He was a man, but not just a man. He was perfect man and he was perfect God. He was the perfect God-man. He was God manifested in the flesh so that you and I could understand, see, the greatest miracle of all is the power to come back from the dead.

And that’s why in the New Testament they preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That power, the power that saves us, can give us eternal life. The greatest news in all the world. You take away the resurrection of Christ. We have no story. You take away the resurrection. We have no Savior. This hand represents you and me. This wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. Now God, He loves us, but He hates our sin. Now get this. You and I committed the sin we ought to pay for.

The payment for sin, the pay for the wrong we’ve done, is eternal separation from God in hell. You see, you’re going to die. And if you have not accepted the payment Christ made for you, you will go to hell. That’s where you’re going. To go to heaven, you have to be perfect as righteous as God. None of us are perfect, none of us are righteous. That’s why you and I needed a Savior because we can’t save ourselves. If we could save ourselves, we don’t need a Savior.

But God says you cannot save yourself. It is impossible for a man to save himself. This then represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. See God cannot die. So God sent his son, Jesus Christ, into this world. He took upon himself a body. And through this body, he became a sacrificial lamb. That’s why he called the lamb of God that taken the way the sin of the world. Jesus Christ came into the world because he loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from him.

So Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead, and God said anybody who, sure ever in the whole world, would believe that he did this, that he paid for their sins. He would give them as a free gift ever lasting life and you’ll go to heaven on what Christ did for you. Now what miracle am I supposed to perform for you today? Am I supposed to walk on water? No. Am I supposed to feed to 5,000?

No. Am I supposed to make the blind to see? No, no, no, no, I can’t do no those things. See, I’m just a man like you. But there was a man who did live and could do all of that. And the greatest miracle of all is he came back from the dead, seen of over 500 at one time, 500 people at one time. There’s enough witnesses. I can’t make people believe this story. I can’t see it, but I heard about it.

The Bible says, Faith cometh by what? Hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, then you are not saved and you will not go to heaven. But if inside of you is the desire that you want to go to heaven for all eternity and you don’t want to go to hell, you must accept Christ as your Savior. I offered you my wallet and you accepted it. What would you have? Empty wallet.

I offered you this Bible and you accepted what would you have? A Bible. If Christ walked in here and offered you eternal life and you accepted it, what would you have? Eternal life. If it’s eternal life, it lasts forever. And if it lasts forever, all your sins are paid and you’re going to heaven whenever you die. It’s the greatest news in all the world. I don’t need any miracles to convince me. What I’ve heard about it is good enough for me.

Blessed are they who have not seen yet believe because they heard about it. And that’s why he says, going to all the way on preach the gospel to every person, because all you’re going to get today and all you’re going to get on any day of any day during the rest of the mankind upon the earth is the story, that story. That’s why the Bible says the gospel, good news, that story itself is so powerful. powerful. That story is able to break down every man, every woman.

That story is why you’re supposed to tell it and tell it you should. Let’s pray, shall we? Every headbound, every act closed, no one looking around. If you’re here this morning and you have not trust the Christ as your Savior, let me encourage you. If you’ve never done this, do it now. Just talk to the Lord in your mind and say something simple like this, Lord, I am a sinner. be honest, God already knows it. Lord, I’m a sinner.

I believe Christ died that He paid for my sins. And right now, the best on how I will accept Him as my Savior. And friend, if you’ll trust Him right now as your Savior, God will save you and give you eternal life. And you can know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die. If you’ve never done that, do it right now. I’m not going to have you forward, not going to embarrass you, but I am going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand.

Raising your hand does not save I’m not going to embarrass you, but I do want to have prayer for you and raising your hand lets me know that what I said made sense to you. And that’s why I do it with hedge bile nice clothes. So if you will, you’ve never done it before and you want to go to heaven when you die. You must trust Christ as your Savior. Will you trust Him right now? Dependent upon Him to take you to heaven.

Not the preacher, not the church, not your good works. You can’t earn it. It’s free. It’s a totally free gift. gift. So you say, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior and preach I like you to pray for me. And when you just slip your hand very quickly and put it right back down to the end with it all. If you’ve never done it before, would you do it right now? If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, your God’s child, if your God’s child, you’re going to heaven when you die.

And the power that raised him from the dead is the same power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you to help you to do the things that you should do, not to get to heaven but because you’re going there. Serve the Lord. Honor Him not just on Easter Sunday, but every day of your life because you have divine power that in the beginning, his power, his life, in Christ’s name we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page.

If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website Calvary of Tampa dot 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. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. 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.

7. Yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before her shears is done. So he opened not his mouth. What would you do? Don’t we always want to feel justified? Somebody says or accuses us of anything. We want to get even, defend ours. He did nothing to defend himself. He listened to all the accusations, didn’t retaliate. Didn’t get even with anybody. Because his hour had come. See, when he was born into the world, he wasn’t born, and that’s the end of it.

No. He was born that he might die. You see, you and I, we needed somebody that was perfect to take our place. See, I may love you an awful lot, but I can’t pay for your sins and satisfy God. Why? Because I got to pay for my own. And I know you love me. any one of you would be willing to die for me. But it won’t work because you have to pay for your own. You see, if somebody was innocent, then that would be different.

But there are no innocent people. We’re all sinners. We’re all guilty. So Christ came into the world And he says, a body has now prepared me. And that body became that which bore our sins and he died on the cross. You see, God can’t die. So he was born into a body and there he can suffer death. And he suffered for you and for me. Now, some people will believe he did it and some people will not believe it.

So what’s the consequences if I don’t? See, nobody is going to make you believe it. But if you don’t believe it, understand. It is still true, it still happened, and he wants to save you from a place called hell. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, talked more about hell than he talked about heaven. So hell is real. And if you reject Christ as your Savior, you will spend an eternity in a literal fire burning Hell, never to get out.

It’s forever, it’s forever. But nobody can make you believe that. I believe it. And I’ve been preaching it for over 50 years because it’s real to me. I believe this book. I have not yet found all those mistakes in the Bible that everybody tells you about. And it’s something that I can study this book for 50 years and I can’t find any of the mistakes and contradictions in the Bible that everybody tells you they’re in here And I can’t find them yet.

And yet, they never read the Bible. They don’t even read it. But it’s full of mistakes and contradictions. I told the man one day I says, show me a couple of them. Just show me a couple. Well, they’re under. Show me one. They’re not in there. And I double dog dare them. Show it to me. So Christ died for you, died for me. And look what he says here. In verse eight, did he have a trial? Yes, he had a trial, but it was a mockery of a trial.

Oh, they led him to pilot and then the hair and then back to pilot and blah, blah, blah, blah. And one’s all over with. He says, I find no fault in this man. You can do whatever you want to with him. I’m washing my hands of this whole matter. He’s probably still trying to get that blood off his hands. Listen, when he died on that cross, he paid for every sin you have ever committed from the time you’re born to the time that you died.

The Bible makes a statement here in verse 8, he was taken from prison and from judgment. Who shall declare his generation? You see, he never got married. So he never had any children. If Jesus Christ is not the king of Israel, Israel is forever without a king. He was the next one in line. He was the only one that could claim the throne of Israel. Nobody else could. So Israel will be forever without a king unless he comes back.

got news for you. He is. He’s coming back. And look what he says in verse 8, for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken. In other words, he was cut off but not for his sins. Then why did he die? For our sins. See, he had committed no wrong, had done no wrong. He had made a payment for the sins of the world, and whenever He died, here’s the Son of God, and He’s dying on a cross, cursed as every man, this pang on a cross, and He was hung between two thieves.

I mean, the worst place in all the world He could be. And yet He did that, went through all of that. And then he says here, he made his grave with the wicked, with the rich and his dead. In other words, he was given a rich man’s tomb. Jesus was so poor. He couldn’t even afford, they didn’t even have a plot of ground to bury himself. He had nothing. Poor, dirt poor. And yet he made the dirt. He made the goal.

The goal is mine. The cattle is mine. The thousand hills are mine. It was all here. I’d say, send me some of those cattle and let me have some of the goal. Yet he could do anything and everything but the greatest thing he could do at this time is to do nothing. To do nothing. You know whenever they had rolled the stone away and they looked in and they saw nothing or the napkin that they saw nobody. nothing is a great message.

He’s not here. He is risen. But you see what He says here in verse 9, because He hath done no violence. Neither was any deceit in His realm. You see, now this is a report given over 700 years in advance about the one that was going to come to the earth. How would you like to get up tomorrow morning and there on the front page? It says all of us about somebody is gonna, you know, be born 300 years from the future and it tells everything about them.

And then 300 years pass and everything happens just like it says. You think it’ll happen? Not with the day’s news. It happened in the Bible. It was already written. When Christ came back from the dead and he was talking to those two fellows, they walked down the road. He opened up the Scriptures and said, look, all these Scriptures were talking about me. and he opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. The Bible is not written to satisfy curiosity seekers, but for those who are diligent concerning truth, you really want to know, you really want to know God?

God wants you to know Him more than your desire to know Him. And any man who really wants to know truth, God can get truth to you, to you, somehow, someway. And he might use people that will influence you to get you under the sounds of truth so that you can hear what God has to say. He says, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear, let him hear. Those that really want to understand, then listen to what I’m saying.

Now nobody can make you listen, really to understand, but the Bible says the gospel, the good news, is the light that helps you to see. And that’s why it’s called the glorious gospel of Christ. The light of the Word of God concerning how to be saved and go to heaven when you die is the light or the lens by which you understand the rest of Scripture. If you reject the light, you cannot discern the book. And the Bible says Jesus is the light of the world.

And John, in the book of John in chapter 1, says there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came to bear witness of the light. And this is the light that light of every man that cometh unto the world. And the world was made by him and the world knew him not. But as many as received him, the them gave heed the power, the right to become the sons of God. Jesus Christ came in verse 9.

He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he had done no violence. Neither was any deceit in his mouth. And look in verse 10, yet it pleased the Lord to do this to Christ. You see, when he took the sins of the world upon himself, it was God that caused his son to die. And he says, he had put him to grief. When thou shalt make his, and you ought to underline this in your Bible, His soul and offering for sin.

Is this taught in the Old Testament? Yes. Is this talking about Jesus Christ? Yes. And talking about Jesus Christ, being born into the world, and yet how He’s gonna be received. Well, 700 years later, isn’t this what happened? This was written in advance. So that anybody who wants to know the truth can read the truth. It tells how he was going to be treated. It tells him that he’s going to die. And how that he’s going to be led to a fake judgment.

And yet he’ll open not his mouth. All that happened just like the Bible says. And get what he says. He shall see, and here’s the part you need to understand. He shall see his seed, for he shall prolong his days it means that he’s going to come back again from the dead. He is alive and he’s dead and he’s alive again. To rise again is the same as he is alive. Now look in verse 11, he shall see of the travail of his son.

In other words he’s going to see the results of the payment that he made. When you read the book of Psalms, especially the second Psalm where it talks about God’s going to give them the heathen for his inheritance. In the Lord, what am like the son says, Father, if I do this, what am I going to get out of this? And God says, I’m going to give you the heathen for your inheritance. Those that believe that you did it for them, I’m going to take them because they’re born of God, the Father.

And God the Father says, I’m going to give them to the Son. And that’s why he says in the book of John chapter 6, all that come upon to me shall come to me and now the no wise cast out. So everyone who comes to the Lord, the Bible says the Father gives them to the Son. In other words, the Son is going to have something for what is, He’s the kernel of corn that dies and much fruit comes because of it.

So He makes a statement here in verse 10, He says, He shall see of the travail of soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall in you ought to underline these three words my righteous servant. This is only referring to Jesus Christ and he says my righteous servant the one that died justify many not everybody but those who trust him as Savior but it does refer to all those who trust him but he made a payment for all the sins of all the world and therefore he says for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him in portion with the great and so forth, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sin of many.” The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world. And all that you and I have to do is believe that he did it for us to understand what marvelous grace, important grace, powerful grace can do. I preached for a man some few years ago. He has the free grace seminary.

The president is Dr. Mike Halsey, and I preached up there for his ministry. And he wrote something because he had got it from his friend Hal Haller. Hal Haller also had gone to Dallas Theological Seminary, and so did Mike. And so Hal Haller is a teacher at Luther Wright’s Seminary. When I was at Florida Bible College, Hal Haller was at Florida Bible College, and he played a mean guitar. He was always the one that after you played the special, the ranked songs, he would go off on his guitar.

He’d all over the thing. He said, I don’t do all of that. I’ve already found it. I just got right there. Some people still looking for it. But anyway, he was a good friend of mine and I’ve been to his home. But this is what was written. And I want you to listen to the story. A 50-year high school reunion. And that’s where I met Debbie. Debbie DeBachal. A class made of mine and the illustrious 450 plus senior class of 1961.

Prior to the huge get together, the reunion committee had asked us to write the history of our lives since we walked across the stage to get our diplomas. and we wrote our stories with a vengeance. One bright classmate had argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, flown in the concord at almost three times the speed of sound to London to get a deposition. Another whose genius status, I noted in the third grade, is now a radio astronomer. While another has the distinction of been the only person in history to have survived the crash of the controversial V-tail Bonanza aircraft, whose breakups have killed 729 people over the years.

He’s been the subject of articles in every aviation magazine, as well as a two-part series on CNN. And I was in the reunion book that I read the story of Debbie DeBachal. Above each story is a picture of the author, his or her senior picture, taking way back when. And there above her story was Debbie’s senior photo. Her soft eyes stare at you from the page with a wispful look. A long, dark cascading hair carefully framed her face, a pretty 18-year-old girl, one of many in the senior class of our high school.

But something’s wrong with her mouth. Her mouth isn’t turned upward in a smile. There’s no light or spark in Debbie’s eyes. She just stares out from the pages at you. And there’s that haunting look in her eyes would say something’s wrong, something is very, very wrong. And something was wrong, her parents. During what should have been Debbie’s high school days, her parents worked hard to be good ones. They just didn’t know how. They wanted Debbie to excel, but guidance wasn’t their strong suit.

They wanted their daughter to be the quiet type. She wasn’t. serious and by their design socially isolated and above all Debbie study hard. Debbie grew up knowing that one thing above all else, her mother didn’t like her, although she tried. She was never able to please her. Something was always wrong with most everything Debbie did. Debbie’s family life was a debacle, but it wasn’t the only one. The family church was was a debacle tomb. The one place where the parental, imposed social isolation stop was her church.

They allowed Debbie to go to church and be a part of its youth group. With their blessing, Debbie was allowed to be with those youth and attend that church as often as she could. But something was wrong at that church. Something was very, very wrong. Debbie didn’t know it at the time, but when she was at church, when she was in the youth group, She was in the controlling tentacles of the legalist. In the handcuffs of the Pharisees, above all she heard was don’t, and the big don’t.

Over and over again, Debbie heard the do-nots. The adults, the kids, the deacons, and the pastor were super self-righteous and supercritical as all legalists are. They can’t help themselves, legalism breeds such. One day Debbie goes out to a nearby lake for the evening, a lake where others congregate. It’s there that Debbie sees her, the adult youth leader, legalist of her youth group, and there the legalist was falling down, stumbling drunk, playing the flirt with in every male in sight.

For Debbie debacle, that was it, the final straw, which broke the legalist muscle of the church’s hold on her. She left the church with the vow, I will never return. Later she marriage and it isn’t long until she finds herself being slapped around and eventually cheated on. Debbie is now 22, single mom, and anathema to the self-righteous. Not only had her marriage failed, but her mother’s abuse was escalating. Along the way, Debbie had learned something, fake it till you make it, but that’s what she did.

But all the while, Debbie debacle was falling apart and she knew it. She wanted to love and to be loved, but every relationship she entered fell apart. And as each one did, Debbie was becoming more and more angry, more manipulative, and more in a revengeful mode. One day, way back when, in all the anger, the manipulation, and the retaliatory attitude a friend told Debbie, God loves you. And Debbie laughed a mocking land. She remembered that her mother didn’t like her.

The first self-righteous church neither liked her nor wanted her. Her scarlet esse for sinner was too big. So now God loves her. God loves you, the friend had said. It wasn’t long after that that she trusted Christ alone as her Savior. And then it began, grace floods into her life and drives out the legalism. The bond slave to the commands and the rules is free. Salvation is a gift, and with all gifts, there are no commands or rules to get it.

The salvation of Debbie debacle is on the house. She finds a church where the pastor teaches Debbie in the congregation who God is, a God of grace, a God of truth. And as she learns who God is, she meets people at church who love each other and hurt too. The real Debbie, she learns that God is neither mean toward nor mad at her. She no longer has to fake it, they like her. Not who she’s pretending to be is because of grace that Debbie’s smile becomes a genuine one.

The mother who didn’t like her falls ill seriously ill and it’s Debbie who comes to care of her. Now it’s Debbie the lover showing love to the unlovely a one who every day gives her mother the love her mother had never given her. Debbie is glad she got to show her love for her mom before she died. During the reunion banquet, it was Debbie who led us in prayer, and you never heard a sweeter, more genuine one. Debbie was talking to us, she was talking to her father of grace, who loved her and whom she loves, and we all heard that love in her quiet tone and gentle voice.

You could sense her intimacy with God as she concluded with in Jesus name, amen. That prayer was the highlight of the banquet for me, it was a privilege to hear it. I didn’t just read Debbie’s story, one of many in the reunion book. I talked to her and as I listen I realized I was listening to a miracle of grace. God’s grace has rescued Debbie from the Pharisees from the destruction of their self-righteous constant criticism from their gossip and backbiting disdain they had for her she is of the Scarlet Letter S.

God’s grace had placed her in a warm circle of new father and brothers and sisters in Christ. They’re the family which love Debbie, the family Debbie never had, the one she’s been looking for all her life. Debbie Dee is no longer Debbie Dee, she’s Debbie Dee, Debbie Grace. One more result of God’s amazing grace and that was by Dr. Mike Halsey, pastor of the County Line Church. I preached her several times. I know the man, a good man. But you and I need to understand.

Some people don’t always adequately represent Jesus Christ. Don’t judge God by the way people are. I don’t even want you to judge God by the way I am. I fail in many areas to truly represent Jesus Christ the way I should. Maybe your neighbors and maybe the one you’re sitting with this morning, we fail, but I assure you God doesn’t fail. I don’t want you to reject the true God of heaven. I don’t want you to reject Jesus Christ because people are people, because we mess up, because we say and do things that we shouldn’t do, but I can testify to this.

I have seen the greatest miracle of all is the one that happened to me 50 years ago. I am not the same person that I used to be. I was a totally rebellious individual and I heard the good news of how Christ died for me and paid for my sins and if I trust him he would give me eternal life and I would become his child. I did that and I didn’t know that that was the beginning of the most wonderful life that anybody can ever have.

So 50 years later I can say the greatest moment in my life was the day that I met Jesus Christ when I was in that little obiti living room. And a man presented Jesus Christ to me. And I saw it. I understood. And I believed it. I hope that you believe it because I can’t make you believe. Let me show you something that might help in your decision. This hand represents you and me. The wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us.

It means everybody is a sinner. We’ve all done things wrong. We all fail. We all mess up. Nobody’s perfect. We all know that. But God loves us. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from God. So that’s why people die. That’s why people go to hell because we’re all sinners and it has to be paid. To go to heaven you have to be perfect is righteous is God and no one’s perfect. So because of our sins we can’t get in.

So how can I get to go to heaven when I have to die and pay for my sins? This man represents Jesus Christ. He’s God in the flesh. He came into this world. because He loves us, but also because I can’t save myself. I can’t save myself by my good deeds. So Christ took my sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead, and He said that if I would believe that He did it for me, He would put this payment to my account, and I get to go to heaven on what He did.

So it’s a gift, it’s totally free. You don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, but you must believe it. He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. If you’ll believe it, God said he would save you right now, give you eternal life, and you get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for you. That’s the best news in all the world. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed and no one looking around.

If you hear this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your savior, I know that probably 99% of you have, but there might be one of you in here that says that I’ve never understood it before. Or I don’t want to get trapped in some man-made religion. Or I don’t want to be a religious hypocrite. Friend, I’m not asking you to stop anything. I’m not asking you to join anything. I’m just asking you, will you receive? Will you receive Jesus Christ as your savior?

Will you believe he died and paid for all of your sins? God said if you would trust him right now, he would save you right now. It means you don’t go to hell today, you don’t go ever. He loves you that much. And he said, it never cast you out, never lose you. So he heads by a nice close and no one looking around. I’m gonna ask you in just a moment to raise your hand. It’s just to let me know that what I said made sense.

And I’d like to have prayer for you in closing. So is there anyone else who says, yes, I will trust Christ as my savior and preach out life for you to pray for me. Would you just slip your hand a very quickly and put a rapid down? Is it anyone at all? I’m not going to call you out, not going to embarrass you. It’s over and done with when you make a decision. And she God knows who you are.

He knows where you are. I can’t save you. I just want to know what I said, made sense. And I’d like to have prayer for you before you leave. Our Father, we do thank you so much for all you’ve done for us. We’re thankful for this special day that we give recognition to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is alive. And Father, I thank you for the one that indicated by an uplifted that they would trust you a Savior.

By doing so they become your child, your child, forever. You said in your word you’d never cast them out, never lose them. We pray, Lord, that they’d get a Bible and read and study it and join a good Bible believing in teaching church, where they can grow and learn your wording. And Father, you can bless them. We thank you for each person here. We thank for all you’ve done for us. In Christ name we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page.

If you’re 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 broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryuptampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-800-800-800-800. hundred five seven six three seven seven one online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calbury of Tampa dot o-r-g. 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.

I want you to take your Bible turn to the book of Luke the book of Luke gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 24, Luke chapter 24, looking verse 25, Jesus has come back from the dead. He is alive. And he says in verse 25, then he said unto them, O fold and slow of heart to believe, all that the prophets have spoken. Think what he just said. Do you know the Bible has been written for all these years, and there’s people who still will not believe what the Bible says.

And yet it was all prophesied in advance. Everything about Christ. He came right on schedule. He lived like he was supposed to, died like it’s prophesied. Everything was there. It wasn’t hidden. What Jesus did was not in a corner. Everybody could see and yet people will not believe it. And yet one of the greatest, to me, evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the miracle that He performed on me. I’m not the same person that I used to be.

Something happened to me over 50 years ago. I mean, something really happened to me. Something that changed the course of my whole life, changed my destiny because I was introduced to Jesus Christ by my father-in-law. In a little old living room, it wasn’t in a church. I didn’t go to church. My dad was a bootlegger. You see what’s that? He sold corn in jugs. My mother drank it and my sisters drank it and I preached against it. But the That was the most exciting day in my whole life.

The day I met Jesus Christ when I was confronted. Someone introduced him to me and I saw him for the first time. You see, I always thought Jesus Christ was a cuss word. It’s the only time I ever heard it. And I found out that that’s the most precious name in the world. And a lot of times I hear people using his name in vain. If it wasn’t for the Lord, I’d probably would take a two before and hit him over the head with it.

Because they wouldn’t like me talking about their mama that way, or their dad that way, or their children that way. But they talk about my Savior that way. But that’s all right. He’s going to get him in the long run. Here he says in verse 26, “…aught not Christ who have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded into them and all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. Do you realize how much scripture he must have covered in a short period of time?

All of them. I thought, man, what did he do? Just transplant it? Just take all that and put it into your mind all at one time. The teacher that he must have been. But look what he says there in verse 44. And he said unto them, these are the words which I speak unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me.

Then open here their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. You know, unless God opens your understanding, you won’t understand the Scriptures. You can sit and read it and study it from the day you’re born to the day you die, but if God doesn’t turn a little light on where you can see it, and that’s because of the element of belief. Can I believe what God said is true? And truth will always lead to more truth until you find the source of truth, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

He is the truth. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 53. The book of Isaiah chapter 53. Now I do not have the time. Jesus may have been able to do that in about 45 minutes and cover all those scriptures in the law, in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Him. I’m not going to be able to do that this morning. So I want to take one portion of scripture and the Old Testament and show you something.

You probably have seen it a hundred times, but look at it one more time, because it’s so important and it’s so precious. In Isaiah chapter 53, it starts off with a question who had to be leaved our report? It’s kind of like somebody writing, you know, in an obituary, a 750 years in advance. And it’s going to tell you who’s going to be born and it’s going to tell you how he’s going to live and going to tell you how he’s going to die.

And then he’s going to tell you that he’s coming back from the dead in advance. So he says there to whom is the arm of the Lord reveal. The arm of the Lord is a reference to Jesus Christ, the power of God. The Bible makes his statement in verse 2, for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, as he root out of a dry ground. You see, Jesus, his birth was prophesied in the book of Isaiah, chapter 7, verse 14.

He says that, therefore, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Jesus was called Emmanuel, means he is God with us. Jesus Christ was God. It’s mentioned in advance. And look what he says about him. He shall grow before him as a tender plant as a root out of a dry gram. He hath no form of calmliness. And when we shall see him, there’s no beauty that we should desire him. If you were in charge of designing your looks, would you look different than you do today?

If you were in charge, if you could decide how you would look, what would you look like? Is there anything you would change? When you look in that mirror in the morning, do you say you, Tiger, don’t you ever die? Or when you look in that mirror, say, I hate the way I look. When I was bigger than the other, my ears are lopsided. I’m going ball. I got wrinkles. I got unwanted freckles. What would you change? And yet here was Jesus Christ coming into the world.

He has a body. a body that he could have made him the most handsomeest man in all the world. Now, those men in here, now that’s what we would have done. I’d have probably tried to make myself look like that with a Jane Hayslip. Is he here this morning? Is he here? Where? Why is he sitting back there? You know, the guy’s 68 years old and he still looks like I do. I would have tried to do something that, you know, Jesus, he could lose himself in the crowd and they wouldn’t even recognize them.

He just looked like a plane of ordinary individual. No, no, I’d have done something about that. But it says, there was no beauty that we should desire him. Now, this is before he went to the cross. He just looked like any old plane ordinary individual. But look what he says in verse 3. He is despised and rejected of men. Now, you know, if I was going to write this, I said, everybody loved him. Everybody wanted to be just like him.

It looks like nobody wanted to be like him. They despised him. He made the world came into the world and the world wanted nothing to do with him. You know, that’s about the way it is today. People want nothing to do with Jesus Christ. They can accept every religion in the world and put it into schools and all that kind of stuff, but don’t talk about Christ. You can pray in the name of anybody you want to, but don’t say in Jesus’ name.

Jesus is so offensive to so many people. People are offended by Christianity. They’re not offended about all the other religion, but they’re offended by Christianity. They don’t want the Bible. They don’t want God. They don’t want our Jehovah. They don’t want Jesus Christ. He is despised and rejected of men. See, Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. When you reject Christ, you’re talking about rejecting the God that created the heavens of the earth. And there’s only one true and living God.

There’s not many gods. There’s only one true and living God. He says in the book of Isaiah, I don’t know of another God. Now God says, I don’t know if there’s another God. I’ve never found another God. There is no other God. He is God. He is God. And it says in verse three, He has despised and rejected him in a man of sorrows, acquainted with griefs. And we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not.

Jesus Christ was not loved and accepted by everybody. Even the religious crowd wanted to put him to death. What a nothing to do with him. How would you like to be God in the flesh? come into this world and look how your creation that you created, look how they treat you, they found no fault in him. He had never done anything wrong, a perfect individual. You know, you can think you’re doing a pretty good job until you come up against somebody who really does a good job.

And you can think of the little workmanship that you create and do is so great Satan, till you see an expert that’s got theirs. But Jesus Christ was perfect. Do you rely just by the fact that He was perfect? Was a rebuke to those who were not perfect? Truth automatically reveals, exposes air. He says here in verse 4, Surely He hath borne our griefs, carried our sorrows. That’s the sicknesses and the disease. while he was here before he ever went to the cross, there’s so much that he did.

And they were lying up and it says even late into the evening and he healed everyone that came to him. He could heal anybody of any problem. He could make the lane to walk, the blind to see, the death to hear, the dumb he could make him speak. He could even raise him from the dead. We could do all of that. And the common people heard him gladly. And I believe there’s people today that still are searching for the truth.

I was one of those individuals that for years, I wanted to know God. Even when I was in the Navy and I find myself up here in Pensacola, Florida, in a commissary store, you know, joined the Navy and see the world. And I was up there. And I’d go out there on the beach late at night and I would climb up into that little lifeguard stand. And late at night, nobody would surround just me and nature and I’d talk to God.

And I’d say things to God because I wanted to know God. And I prayed to God. But I didn’t know God. And then one day when Betty’s dad sat down with me in a little living room and started explaining it to me. I don’t remember a lot of times that he talked to me, but this night it was like somebody just turned on a light and I saw it and I understood. I was an 18 year old smart alec, nor all teenager.

You ever seen any of those? That knows everything, can’t tell them anything? But for some reason or other, I saw it. And it made more sense to me than anything I’d ever heard in my life. That night I trusted Jesus Christ as my savior. And I knew I had eternal life. Now some people accept Him, and some people reject Him. Now, you may be here this morning and you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior. You just don’t believe it.

Nobody can prove God to you. Nobody can prove that Jesus Christ came back from the dead, can’t prove it. We can believe it, we can state our reasons, our evidence that convinces us, but they may not convince you. If they don’t convince you, I have no hope for you. I can’t make a person believe. I can’t make a person trust. But I’m not talking about you trusting me. I’m just a man. I’m not talking about you trusting this church.

It’s just a church full of sinners. I’m not talking about you changing your life. I’m talking about there is a God in heaven that created the heavens and the earth. And He came into this world. And nobody has ever done the things that this man has done because he not just a man, he was the God-man, the perfect God-man. And it makes a statement here in verse five, but he was wounded, now he’s on the cross. Now we’re talking about What he went through for our transgressions, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. And look at verse 6, this is how God sees the whole world. All we like sheep have gone astray. Baaah, we’re just sheep. Sheep are some of the dumbest animals in the world. The turkeys might be right in there. I worked on a turkey farm. You used to kill them all the time. And they would look at me with one eye and I’d be heading right toward their head and with that electric knife and they just look at me.

I would have a clue. This guy’s fixing to do me in. But look what he says, but he was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our people upon Him with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to His own way. See that’s rebellion. See isn’t it true that everybody wants their own way to do their own thing? We don’t want to do what God says.

And if we wanted to, we were disobedient. We can’t perfectly obey God and everything. He even gave the Ten Commandments, God’s standard of righteousness and holiness, and everybody has failed. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, body, soul, and strength, and you haven’t, and neither have I. We love us. I love me. But most of us don’t love God. We love the world, but we don’t love God. And you made this statement here. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

So according to this verse, how many has gone astray everybody? And the Lord hath laid upon him Christ the iniquity of us all. See, some people don’t believe Christ died for everybody. But the Bible says he died for everyone who went astray. So if everybody in the world goes astray, and he laid all the sins of all the world upon him, then evidently he died for everyone. There’s nobody who has been so bad that God can’t save them. But I can tell you this, there are some people who think they’re too good that God can’t save them.

You see, if you think you’re so good to go to heaven the way you are because I’ve been good, God wants you to know you have gone astray and you have sins And He paid for your sins. That’s the only way that you’ll get to heaven is believe in He did it for you because you cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, save yourself. He makes a statement here. In verse seven, look how lowly this lamb was.

When John the Baptist saw him, he says, Behold, the lamb of God which taken the way, the sin of the world, the sin of the world. But he was a lamb. That means a lamb doesn’t defend itself. A lamb is just led to the slaughter. And when they got ahold of Jesus, he did nothing to stop them. Although he could have called 10,000 angels, the song he just sung. He could have called 10,000 angels. But how many did he call them?

He let them do to Him whatever they wanted to do. Some of them said, hey, if you’re who you say you are, why don’t you come down from the cross, save yourself and save us? Now me, I would have come down, zapped Him and then went back up. But He didn’t do that. If He had come down, He couldn’t have saved anybody. He had to die for our sins. And so He says here in verse 7, He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

Yet he opened not his mouth in his defense. He didn’t try to justify anything. He didn’t try to just let it alone. And let people call what he wanted to, beat him however they wanted to beat him, nail him to a cross, piercing his side. He let them do to him whatever they wanted to do. Yet they even beat him with a cat of nine tails, put a crown of thorns on his head and beat the thorns down into a scalp.

Yes, he was one bloody mess and he allowed him to do it. God, God, he could have stopped anything, everything. But he stopped nothing. He was a lamb led to the slaughter. You see, the nation of Israel, they were looking for their knight in shining armor to come back on this white horse and deliver them from the iron hill of Rome. And here comes a lamb, a lamb. Now one day they’re going to find the wrath of the lamb that’s mentioned in the book of Revelation.

Vengeance is coming. Well, look at the Bible. what he says in verse seven, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is done. So he opened not his mouth. What would you do? Don’t we always want to feel justified? Somebody says or accuses us of anything. We want to get even, defend ours. He did nothing to defend himself. He listened to all the accusations didn’t retaliate.

Didn’t getopened with anybody because his hour had come. His hour had come. You see when he was born into the world he wasn’t born and that’s the end of it. No. He was born that he might die. You see you and I we needed somebody that was perfect to take our place. See I may love you an awful lot. But I can’t pay for your sins and satisfy God. Why? Because I got to pay for my own. And I know you love me.

And any one of you would be willing to die for me. But it won’t work because you have to pay for your own. You see, if somebody was innocent, than that would be different. But there are no innocent people. We’re all sinners. We’re all guilty. So Christ came into the world and He says, a body has thou prepared me. And that body became that which bore our sins and He died on the cross. You see, God can’t die. So He He was born into a body and there he can suffer death.

And he suffered for you and for me. Now some people will believe he did it and some people will not believe it. So what’s the consequences if I don’t? See, nobody is going to make you believe it. But if you don’t believe it, understand. It is still true. still happened and he wants to save you from a place called hell. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, talked more about hell than he talked about heaven. So hell is real. And if you reject Christ as your Savior, you will spend an eternity in a literal fire burning hell never to get out.

It’s forever, it’s forever. But nobody can make you believe that. I believe it. And I’ve been preaching it for over 50 years because it’s real to me. I believe this book. I have not yet found all those mistakes in the Bible that everybody tells you about. And it’s something that I can study this book for 50 years and I can’t find any of the mistakes and contradictions in the Bible that everybody tells you that are in here and I can’t find them yet.

And yet, they never read the Bible. They don’t even read it. But it’s full of mistakes and contradictions. I told them, one day I says, show me a couple of them. Just show me a couple. Well, they’re under. Show me one. They’re not in there. And I double dog dare them. Show it to me. So Christ died for you, died for me. And look what he says here. In verse eight, did he have a trial? Yes, he had a trial, but it was a mockery of a trial.

Oh, they led him to pilot and then the hair and then backed the pilot and blah, blah, blah, blah, and was all over with. He said, I find no fault in this man. You can do whatever you want to with him. I’m washing my hands of this whole matter. He’s probably still trying to get that blood off his hands. Listen, when he died on that cross, he paid for every sin you have ever committed from the time you’re born to the time that you die.

The Bible makes a statement here in verse 8, He was taken from prison and from judgment. Who shall declare his generation? You see, he never got married. So he never had any children. If Jesus Christ is not the king of Israel, Israel is forever without a king. He was the next one in line. He was the only one that could claim the throne of Israel. Nobody else could. So Israel will be forever without a king unless he comes back.

Got news for you. He is. He’s coming back. And look what he says in verse eight, For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. In other words, he was cut off, but not for his sins. Then why did he die? For our sins. See, he had committed no wrong, had done no wrong. He had made a payment for the sins of the world and whenever he died Here’s a the son of God and He’s dying on a cross Curse it is every man is pang on upon a cross and he was hung between two thieves.

I Mean the worst place in all the world he could be And yet he did that went to all of that and Then he says here He made his grave with the wicked, with the rich and his dead. In other words, he was given a rich man’s tomb. Jesus was so poor. He couldn’t even afford, he didn’t even have a plot of ground to bury himself. He had nothing. Poor, dirt poor. And yet he made the dirt. He made the goal.

He said, the goal is mine. The cattle is mine. The thousand hills are mine. Who’s all here? I’d say, send me some of those cattle and let me have some of the gold. Yet he could do anything and everything, but the greatest thing he could do at this time is to do nothing. To do nothing. You know, whenever they had rolled the stone away and they looked in and they saw nothing, oh, the napkin, but they saw nobody. Seeing nothing is a great message.

He’s not here. He is risen. But you see what he says here in verse nine, because he have done no violence. Neither was any deceit in his room. You see, now this is a report given over 700 years in advance about the one that was going to come to the earth. How would you like to get up tomorrow morning and there on the front page? It says, all of us about somebody is going to be born 300 years from the future, and it tells everything about them.

And then 300 years pass. And everything happens just like it says. You think it’ll happen? Not with the day’s news. It happened in the Bible. It was already written. When Christ came back from the dead and He was talking to those two fellows, they walked down the road. He opened up the Scriptures and said, look, all these Scriptures were talking about me. and he opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. The Bible is not written to satisfy curiosity seekers, but for those who are diligent concerning truth, you really want to know, you really want to know God, God wants you to know Him more than your desire to know Him.

And any man who really wants to know truth, God can get truth to you somehow, some way. some way. And he might use people that will influence you to get you under the sounds of truth so that you can hear what God has to say. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast.

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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Hot 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free. at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

The Bible tells us here in the book of Genesis in chapter one, if you’ll notice there in verse 26, And God said, let us make man in our image. After our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fall of the year and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image. And in the image of God created he him, male and female, created he them.

So God made the first man, first woman. And he says that they were made in his likeness. Now wouldn’t it be neat if all of us were really demonstrated in our own lives the image of Christ? That when a person saw us, that’s who they saw. But lo and behold, we have an owe sent from nature. And many times we probably reveal more about the devil than we do about God. And that’s not the way God intended it. And it won’t be that way forever.

The day will come when all this will be changed. We’re living in a sinful world where people do sinful things. He says in verse 28, and God blessed them, said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth. Now the earth had already been filled with animals, filled with birds, the creaking thing that creeps upon the earth. So the earth was already full. But God says, replenish your field of the earth now with people. So that’s what God wanted.

And they were to have dominion over everything that God had made. So there was a job for them to do. Now, so here in chapter one, it tells you what it did. And in chapter two, in verse seven and eight, God tells you how he did it, how he laid it all out. Looking, verse seven, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Man became a living soul.

Man was different than the animals. He was made in the image of God. And then verse eight, and the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. So we know that God made a man without a sinful nature, a woman without a sinful nature, put them in a perfect environment, they didn’t have to worry about the neighbors, pollution, everything was wonderful. What a first family. And then the Bible makes the statement there in verse 16.

And the Lord God commanded the man say, and of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat. So there was a lot of freedom given. Only one restriction, you could need of a certain tree. Whatever that fruit was. Now we know it had to be a banana because it had a peel. I don’t know why everybody always has an apple on a tree, but I really don’t know what kind of fruit it was. He said, but of the free of knowledge of good and even, thou shall not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest they’re up, dosh out, surely died.

And they did die that very day, spiritually cut off from the source of life after they had sinned against the Lord. The Bible says that God evidently had to share with them some things about salvation. And it says here in verse 21 unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothing. means that he had to take an animal and an animal was killed. Blood was shed because God was not pleased with the leaves that they were wearing.

He wanted a blood sacrifice and the blood sacrifice was what was required. So from the very beginning to the very first man and first woman. Now we often say, boy, what a bad thing Adam and Eve did. Look what they did to the whole human race. Yes, that’s what they did to the whole human race. But I believe Adam and Eve believed on the Lord. They wore the quotes of skin. And I also believe that we’ll see them when we get to heaven.

I also believe that they taught their children the truth, So that their kids would know and understand look there now in verse one of chapter 4 Adam knew Eve his wife nothin wonders what if Adam and Eve had had a son Before the fall Before they sinned That would have been interesting, wouldn’t it but in verse 1 this is after they sinned He says and she conceived and the and bear pain and said I have gotten a man from the Lord So the very first family the first man and woman They didn’t walk around, you know, and meet, gate, and grunt, living in a cave and trying to figure out how to make fire.

They were high, intelligent. Adam, the first man, called every animal that God had ever made. The files of the year, God says Adam gave it a name. And then he makes a statement here, I have gotten a man from the Lord, but they understood salvation. They understood the sacrifice. Then he says there in verse two, and she bear another son, and his son name was called Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a till of the soil.

Process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and offered unto the Lord. Abel, he also brought the first one of his flock and of the fat thereof. So there were two sons and they brought two offerings but two different kinds. One of the soil, the works of his hands, and the other one was a blood sacrifice. So they knew the very first family, I believe, was a godly family. I believe it was a godly mom and it was a godly dad.

And I believe they had a godly son. But what happened to the other one? I don’t know. You can’t blame it on the environment. You couldn’t blame it on the movies. Couldn’t blame it on what they are singing in school. So what was his excuse? You see, a sinful nature, something you have on the inside of you. And you can forget the blame game because that’s something that’s on the inside and we all sin. And it doesn’t matter about our environment.

Our environment makes a difference because it can affect our choices. But we still make the choice and we’re responsible to the Lord for our choices. And Cain could have made the right sacrifice, but he chose not to. And out of bitterness or hatred or jealousy, he killed his brother. Now, look in verse 16. Somebody just asked me this question just this week. Where did Cain get his wife? I can’t believe people are still asking that question. But everybody wants to know where did Cain get his wife?

All right, verse 16, And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, dwelt in the land of naught on the east of Eden, and Cain knew his wife. So where did Cain get his wife in naught? The land of naught. See there? That’s how easy that is? But back then, and I want you to see this verse, Look there in Genesis in chapter three and verse 20. This is where Cain got his wife. And verse 20 and Adam called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of what?

All living. At that time in the very beginning, she was the mother of all that was living because she was the first mom. So the first family I believe was a godly family and they had two children. One turned out right, one turned out wrong. They had another child, his name was Seth. He turnedGallery. But see, in their individual choices, we often say that this world is a dark world because the Bible says that it was filled with darkness and then the darkness was upon the face of the deep and then it says the spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the deep and then God said, let there be light in there light and God saw that it was good and so forth.

And that was even in the morning it was the first day. Even in the gospel of John it talks about the world being dark and Christ the light came into the world. Now as you go down through the various things there the light that was a cosmic light but there was not a specific light like the sun, the moon that reflected the light from the sun and how God divided everything. That was done on a different day, which was on the fourth day.

On the second day, God separated the waters from the waters, like take the water upon the earth and separate and put a blanket of water around the earth, and that would have given the earth a totally the hot house effect that would have been perfect environment upon the whole earth. Now, when the flood took place, the Bible says that water came down from heaven, from the sky, and also from the fountains of the deep. So it was coming from both directions and churning up everything.

After the flood, of course, that’s whenever we have man’s lifespan greatly shortened. Back then they lived to be eight, nine hundred years old. That’s a long time to live. Think of how many children you can have in nine hundred years. If you’re in good shape, how long? I don’t know. but you have the land and vegetation. That is the fruit. That’s where you have the growth. And then you have the light, which is a particular thing to a person where God can give you individually light.

And I’ll explain that in just a minute. And then you have the fish in the file. Those are things that swims in the water and that fly in the atmosphere. And so then we have the animals and man. And they are different. They’re not the same. We did not come from some blob of protoplasm floating around in the ooze of the Nile. We believe that there is a God who made animals and God created man and man is not an animal.

Man may act like an animal, but man is not an animal. And so there’s responsibilities that God gave to us that he never gave to animals. There’s no accountability for the animals. There’s accountability for man. As you go down through the different period of time, how God raises his children, how he has revealed different things to us. You’ll find out that God also does the same thing through the family. When the Lord reveal things in various stages, he says in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11, that God planned the ages.

A dispensation is a specific period of time and how God deals with man in regard to a specific responsibility and then the follow up with the consequences if that responsibility is not fulfilled. So every one of these are dispensations or periods of time. A dispensation is the same as like a dispensary, like a medical dispensary where you dispense the various things that they might need, the doctors of the nurses, and to dispense like that. Now, we have a period of time in what God has dispensed to us a responsibility.

What He gave to one, He didn’t give to everybody, but when you start off in the very beginning, innocence, conscience, humanism, promise, law, grace, tribulation, and kingdom, all of these, The seven of them have a specific reason. They’re named in scripture in a specific way because it reveals how God deals with mankind as a whole. But not only as a mankind as a whole, but also as a mother who has a child and how she raises the child. For example, when children are born into the world, we used to say they are in an age of innocence.

True? In other words, they are not responsible for what they do because they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s a time when those little kids are just born and they’re just totally naive. They don’t even know exist. And now all of a sudden they begin to develop a signs of a sinful nature. They cry and all that. And not because they’re hurting, but because they’re training you to find what they can get away with and what they can’t. They’re pushing the limits.

And so they can become what we call spoiled. So what we have is innocence. That means they don’t really understand everything. They don’t have the knowledge by which to think and be responsible for their actions. Then they go into a place where they learn a little bit of right and wrong conscience. So that they begin to think, to be able to reason a little bit. And as we begin to reason and so forth, we learn several things. Children learn to trust.

They learn to trust mom. They learn to trust Dad. And so as they grow a little bit and they learn to trust, they are taking their mom and dad at their word. They don’t worry about the bills. They don’t worry about paying the taxes. They don’t worry about the house. They don’t worry about school. They don’t worry. Because they totally trust you. Yeah, that’s your response. All the little kids wanna do is play. Just play, eat, sleep and play.

Isn’t that wonderful? Don’t you wish sometimes you could just go back to that age? But you have a conscience that begins to work. Now, not all people’s conscience work the same. Say, why not? Because they learn a different set of values of what is right and what is wrong. If not everybody agrees on what is right, you’re not gonna have the same conscience working for you that somebody else does. So some things that you will do will bother you, but it won’t bother somebody else.

Because they don’t believe that that’s right or they don’t believe that that’s wrong. So there’s a difference. So whenever you taste the children what the word of God says, then you have a set way of thinking. So you learn how to trust by taking the promises of God and believing them. We learn to trust Mom and to trust Dad and hear what they say and then believe in it. And this is why whenever Mama says to little Johnny, Johnny, you do that one more time, you’re going to get a spanking.

Well, whenever he does that one more time, what should he get? Now, I’m going to tell you one more time. Now, that’s the last time I’m telling you, then you’re right. You’re right. That’s wrong. You tell that child one time and you say, well, you’ve got to keep your word or your word means nothing. Oh, you’re giving his threats. That won’t work. You got to say what you mean, mean what you say. That’s how they learn because you see, most parents are not disciplined themselves, so they can’t discipline kids.

we take the word promise and we learn how to give a command and we say there’s going to be consequences if you fail then we should follow through with it. Then we have the law. This is where mom and dad learn how to lay down the law. Proverbs chapter one talks about and don’t despise the law of my mother because generally it’s the mom who is in the home that raises the kids that says lay down the law. And sometimes the mother always does this.

You just wait until your daddy gets home. You just wait until your daddy gets home. So daddy finally comes home and the kid wants to run. Why? He didn’t want to see that. Why? He ain’t been her all day. But the kid lives under the threat. When do your daddy gets home? When do you get daddy in? Daddy walks in the house. Hello there Johnny. Ah! Ah! say this is what’s going to happen and you receive that. That’s part of number four.

But number five is grace. When you talk about the numbers in scriptures, the numbers mean things. Number five is grace and so you got one, two, three, four, five is grace. Now you want a person to learn how to have this light, the knowledge to make decisions, but they learned that there’s a better way to live than just abandon the law of mom and dad because then you hate the rulesannounced restrictions. Did you know if you just learn how to love mom and dad and want to honor mom and dad then the rules and regulations are no problem?

It’s when you got to do them when you don’t want to do them But if you want to please the one that you love other than that’s okay, then you don’t mind doing it It’s when you got to do it and when you don’t care And so grace is learning how to live the way you should live because it’s a law based upon love. If you love me, serve me. And so as you go through the various states, remember this is like God has taken the whole nations of the world, all these people down to the time, and he has taught systematically the course of a man going through his life.

life. As a man lives his life, it’s laid out in the same way. And there’s different responsibilities at different times in your lifeespie. God holds me more responsible now for knowledge that I have that he wouldn’t have held me responsible for 20 years ago, 40 years ago, or whenever I was a child or when I was a teenager, but the older I get, the more knowledge I have, the more I’m accountable for, more I’m responsible for. I’m not supposed to get to the place in my life where I’m just going to coast on here and it doesn’t matter anymore.

Look at all those good years I gave to the Lord so I can blow the last few years. No, no you can’t. Well, you can do it, but that won’t be the wisest thing you can do. And the Bible says this before you actually, even though if you want to live by grace, the Bible says in the book of Thessalonians in chapter two, he says that we must through much tribulation. Much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. We must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.

But this is not talking about you and I going through the tribulation, this means in our life. Before you and I, as an individual, learn how to truly rest in the Lord is because we have gone through much tribulation. Now, number seven over there is the word Sabbath. What is the word Sabbath referred to? A day of rest. So we got number seven. A day of rest. And a person, and I was born, I was like that. And then conscience.

And then I want to do my own thing, go my own way, humanism. And then you learned what the word says. You learn a better way on how to live, but you also know you got tribulations in your life. And then you know that one day is coming when you get old enough that the Lord, the Lord God Himself, can rule and reign in your life now. See, I don’t have to wait till I get into the kingdom to let the Lord be the Lord and Master of my life.

I don’t believe a man that’s lost has to make Christ the Lord and the Master of his life to be saved. No, I don’t agree with that. Because that means you’ve got to earn your salvation and that’s worked for salvation. That’s not true. When you trust Christ as your Savior, He gives you as a free gift, eternal life. As a child of God, it is His will that we allow Him to be the Lord and the Master of our life, rule in our life, Be king in my life.

So this is why we have the Davidic millennial kingdom. See God laid this out. This is Bible No man figured this thing out. God figured this thing out When you talk about what God has done and then you see how it is in raising children the very same way See that’s what God did for us And this is what you do also for children A little here and a little bit there and there should always be the accountability and responsibility and so forth.

So these things are laid down in God’s Word. It’s very easy to understand once you kind of get a picture of it and you see it. And God’s Word, I want you to see this. Look over there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11. Now look there in verse 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders, the Old Testament saints, obtained a good report. be explaining who those Old Testament saints are.

Verse 3, through faith we understand that the worlds were framed, that word worlds is ages. The ages refers to the different periods of time, different age. We call this the church age, we call that the age of the law, and there’s different periods of time and how God dwelt with us. But remember in the part of our training, we’re supposed to not only know our responsibility but our consequences. Did God tell Admoneeb what their responsibilities were? You’re free to eat of any tree of the garden, but he gave him a grant.

Don’t eat the fruit off this tree. For in the day you do that, you shall surely die. So there was a responsibility to give them. He held them accountable, came looking for them, Adam where art thou? And then he says that they thou shalt surely die, consequences. So they were cast out of the garden. Kids need to know from the very beginning consequences to their decision. Now there comes a time when they’re on their own, Cain killed Abel and they got so wicked in the whole nation that during the flood, God had to send the flood and wipe out of everybody because everybody.

There’s a few of them that didn, but most of them didn, God started all over the water. But what was the consequences of those people in their disobedience? God sent a flood what was the consequences of God’s people violating the law of God? The fall of the temple the destruction of Jerusalem the Jews were scattered upon the face of the earth there was a consequence. rebellion. There’s going to be a consequence at the end of the church age because God’s people are going to stand in the jim and cetera Christ and give what?

An account. It’s not all free. Salvation getting to heaven, that’s free. But what happens to us after that, there’s an accountability and some people are going to be rewarded, some people are not going to be. There’s going to be tears shed in heaven. There’s going to be bonfires. Now that’s the consequences of of not living by grace during this period of time where we are. So, if we don’t do what we’re supposed to do, other consequences, God teaches us responsibility consequences, responsibility consequences because God holds us accountable.

Now, during the tribulation period, they’re not to receive the mark of the beast. They’re not to receive the mark of the beast. They’re not to fall down and worship this last one-world government to receive his mark or his name or anything about it, God says, don’t do it. Will they do it? There’ll be multitudes that will do it. God’s people are always required to live a holy life. But the consequences of their rebellion, their disobedience will be that there is a final battle of Armageddon.

Christ comes back in power and great glory. This is when he’s revealed. When he comes in the rapture, he is concealed. Here is revealed. This is when every eye shall see him. This is in power and great glory. So when every comes back in his feet, touch upon the Mount of all of them, he cleaves in the mist. And then the Bible says, there’s the battle of Armageddon. That’s consequence. That’s a result of rebellion against the Lord. And at this time is when the Israel nation of Israel will see the Lord and see the scars in his hands and in his feet and say, where did you receive these wounds?

And he says in the house of my friends, that’s in the book of Zachariah chapter 13. So Israel will be saved or born in a day. That’s in Romans chapter 11. And then the Bible says they’ll set up the kingdom upon the earth. But even at the end of this day of rest, there’s still going to be consequences to those who rebel. So God, down through time, teaches us. You might teach your children certain things, but they should understand, because after a while, it’s not between you and your children, it’s between your children and God.

And there is consequences to rebellion, consequences when you disobey God. And so you can’t live somebody else’s life for them. You have to cut the strain, let it go, but during those formative teenage years, you will try to teach them all that you possibly can. And got them in the right direction. But after that, they have to go. but you’re always concerned and you always pray and do everything to him. Now, I believe this is what a mother needs to understand because most time it’s the mothers who influence the children, more so than the dads.

In a different home, of course that’s different, but overall I think it’s true. What is this for? This is the bottomless pit. What’s it for though? It’s the consequence of the rebellion that get because of Satan. He is cast into the bottomless pit here at the end of the tribulation period. the final lake of fire for the final lake of fire called Gahimah that’s because after the great white throne judgment and the books are open they are all sent into the lake of fire.

That’s consequences for a wrong decision in life and what about paradise? This is when Luke chapter 16 when Abraham in a place called Hades or she old one Hebrew one Greek and as he tells the story the rich man also died in torment. He lifted up his eyes. But see, there’s a great God. That’s a place. There’s consequences. Good consequences, bad consequences, but consequences. There’s consequences to all of our decisions. That’s what we have to be careful. There’s consequences to angels who rebelled against the Lord and left not there and let their first estate and did things they should not have done.

And so God had to deal with him. There’s always this, the all the way down through time. And there’s multitude of decisions that we make in life and there’s consequences to our decisions. Do you understand what I’m saying? Can you follow me thinking? All right. Let’s pray, Shallelujah. Our Father, we do thank You again for Your blessings to us. We thank You for the free gift of eternal life. How that You died on that cross and paid for our sins so that we could have that wonderful gift to know that we’re going to to heaven whenever we die.

We ask Father your blessings upon each person here and help us to realize that as your children you have worked with us the same way that you did in the creation of the world and as you dealt with the nation of Israel and lay not the various dispensations, the various ages so that we could understand your logic, the thinking that you have put into this to reveal to man so that we could understand where you’re coming from. What our responsibilities are, what the consequences are, good and bad.

So probably we asked your blessings upon us. We thank you so much for being a person here today and for all the others. We asked your blessings upon them. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org. Click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Turn in your Bible to the book of Zechariah, the book of Zechariah. Gonna look at some scriptures today that, well, if Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, somebody has to fulfill these scriptures. If he’s not the one, then somebody somewhere has to do it if the Word of God is true. And I believe that it is. In Israel I enjoy kind of mingling some talk with a Jewish guide. And one day I saw her downstairs and my wife she says, Yankie, she’s sitting over there.

Once you go talk to her, well at the moment I really didn’t feel too good. I really didn’t want to. But when my wife says, Yankee, you ought to go talk to her, then I go do it. See, there’s the Holy Spirit and there’s my wife. And sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. So I was told that you’d have a happy marriage if you would just obey the scripture that’s in the Old Testament. And she told me about it.

She says, it says, husbands obey your wives and all things for this is right. She says, it’s in the Hebrew, it’s back there somewhere, but in one of these days I’m going to come across that verse. But until then, I talked to the lady and she was very nice. I said, well, if this is not a good time, she says, no, no, no, no, no, no, that’s a good time. And so I sat down, I talked to her a little bit.

And I says, do you believe that the Messiah has already come? Or do you believe He has yet to come? She says, I believe that He has yet to come. I said, so you don’t believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah. I says, it looks like Israel ought to be so thankful for Jesus Christ. I says, you owe your very existence as a nation to Jesus Christ. You owe your economy to Jesus Christ. I says, the only reason America is behind Israel is because of Jesus Christ.

You You take away Jesus Christ and there isn’t much there. She said, oh, we’re thankful for all of you people that come over here. I said, but are you thankful for Jesus Christ? She says, well, we owe an awful lot to all of y’all. It was so difficult to pin her down, to get her to admit. And I always like to try to let him say face a little bit, you know. And I said, well, if Jesus Christ is yet to come, I said, He still has to be born in Bethlehem.

There got to be another guy then, it’s going to be born in Bethlehem. I call it says in Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, but thou Bethlehem Ephrata, though by being little among the thousands of Judea, yet out of thee shall he come forth. That is to be ruler in Israel, who’s going forth to have been from old everlasting. I says, got to come from them. utherford. If he’s going to be the king in Israel, I says, it’s amazing in the last 2000 years.

most of the temple records, all of it, it’s all been destroyed. How is anybody going to come and prove that he is of the line of David, has a right to claim the throne of Israel? How would he be able to prove who he is? I says when Jesus was here, he had a right to claim the throne of Israel. They couldn’t deny him that right. It’s just that they didn’t believe he was. The Messiah, but he was born king of the Jews.

And so he has to be of the tribe of Judah. You know, I believe, I may be wrong, I believe that someday they’ll be able to prove what tribe every Jew is from by their DNA. I believe there’s going to be something found out some miraculous way because there still has to be the 12 tribes. And in the tribulation period, there’s going to be a 12,000 from each tribe. So they’re going to know what tribe, and if they have the temple rebuilt, the tribe of Levi’s, the only one has the right to be able to go into that holy of holies.

But in any way, whatever, we had a good talk. But I said, if Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, then the Messiah still has to come. I believe that Jesus Christ is not a first and last name like Ralph Arnold. Jesus is Jehovah. Yeshua. He is the Savior. He is the keeper, the protector, the provider. He is salvation. Jehovah. Yeshua. He is the Messiah. That’s who he is. God in the flesh. And when they talked about the Messiah, it was that he was going to come and he was going to suffer and there’s going to be glory.

There’s going to be the kingdom. Zechariah, look in chapter 9. Here’s a verse that if this is not referring to Jesus Christ, then it has to happen yet in the future. But look what he says in verse verse nine, verse nine, rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy King, cometh unto thee. He is just and having salvation lowly and riding upon an ass and upon the cold, the fold of an ass. This is how you’re going to show up in Jerusalem.

And this isn’t they put the palm leaves and so forth that in front of them branches. Shout out to Hosanna, to the king of Israel, behold Matthew and chapter 21. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem and were come to a Bethage, he says unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, go into the village over against you and straight away you shall find an Aztide and a cult with her. Loose them and bring them unto me.

And any man say unto you, you shall say the Lord half need of them. And straight away or immediately will send them. And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them and brought the ass and the colt and put on them their clothes and they set him there on. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches from the trees and strawed them in the way. And the multitude that went before and that followed cried saying, Hosanna to the Son of David.

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee. That’s who he was. All this written in advance. This is when he came the first time. Now go back there in the book of Zechariah. He made a payment for the sins of the world. The first time he comes see is lowly.

He comes as a lamb to be led to the slaughter. He opened not his mouth. Before his shears, he was dumb. He didn’t defend himself. He allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do with him. Now look there in Zechariah and I said unto them, if you think good, give me my price and if not for bear, good on the line, this next part of the verse. So they wait for my price, 30 pieces of silver. Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

That’s why I believe these connecting verses could have something to say about Jesus Christ. Now if this is not talking about Jesus Christ and it still has to be fulfilled, somebody will betray Him for the 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, cast it unto the potter because the money was used about the potter’s fuel. You see how Scripture has the perfectly dubbed payo. And yet this was written almost 500 years. In advance, before Jesus Christ ever came.

Now, to me in my mind, if I was Jewish and I was reading these scriptures, I’d want to know who is this talking about? If I was to read Isaiah 53, Lord, who have believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? I want to know who in the world is talking about. grow up before him as a tender plant. All our iniquity was placed upon him. All we like, sheep have gone astray. And he had laid upon him the iniquity of us all.

I’d wonder what now who is he’s talking about? And yet he was to die, come back again from the dead. All that’s mentioned in Isaiah 53. And yet the Bible says there is a veil that’s pulled down over their eyes so that they cannot see. Those who want to see, can see. And those that don’t want to see, can’t see it. Zechariah chapter 12 and looking verse 1, the burden or the message, the warning here of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stricts forth the heavens and left the foundation of the year, form the spirit of man which is within him.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round the bow, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. We are living at a day and a time in this country. When Israel don’t have a lot of friends, but we’re living at a time where we’re seeing things with the accelerator on the floorboard and things are happening very quickly, even in our nation. But look in verse 10 of chapter 12 of Zechariah, and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look upon me, and me is Tabbalah, chapter L-O-R-D, it’s the Lord, and they shall look upon Jehovah, whom they have pierced.

did they do this? See, this is a scripture that’s talking about in the future. Well, by the time this is fulfilled, the Lord had to come. See, that’s why when it talks about Jesus Christ and the government shall be upon his shoulder and he shall be called the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. How can he be an everlasting Father unless he has an everlasting Son. And he is the mighty God. Jesus Christ was to be called Emmanuel, which being interpreted as God with us.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory. The The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is Jehovah. Jesus is God. I’m not just believing in some man that lived or some prophet. Jesus Christ was God revealed in flesh. And He came into this world to do what He said He would do and He did it.

He came to suffer. He came to die. He knew He would be rejected. He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as received him to them gave he the power, the right, the authority to become the sons of God. You can’t make people trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. All we can do is present it and let people make their own decision. I’m just thankful that somebody explained that to me and I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior.

You see, I was always under the impression, good boys went to heaven and bad girls went to hell. Well, I didn’t know any good girls that died. I guess they were all bad. But I was told that, you know, if you’re good, you’ll go up and if you’re bad, you’ll go down. But nobody ever told me how good it had to be to go up and nobody had to tell me how bad it had to be to go down.

So I had mixed emotions. I really didn’t know where I was going to go when I died. I wanted to go to heaven. I wanted to go to heaven so bad, and I didn’t want to go to hell, that I was afraid to swear a cuss word. I was afraid to take a smoke. I was afraid to take a drink, because I was told that those things would keep you from heaven. And they’ll send you straight to hell. When I was 18 years old, my father-in-law sat down with me in a living room and opened up the Bible and showed me John 3 16.

And when he explained John 3 16, I finally understood that if what he said was true, I’m on bust hell wide open, because I had never trusted Christ as my Savior. And I knew then that all I had to do is to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross and paid for my sins. And if I trusted Him, that God would save me and give me eternal life. And I’d go to heaven because of it.

So simple. I didn’t have to earn it. I didn’t have to deserve it. I don’t have to live for Him. I didn’t have to stop anything, join Him, you think? Just believe it. that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I believe that I have eternal life and I’m going to heaven whenever I die. I didn’t know all this other stuff was in the Bible. The boy I’m glad when my father tried to start teaching me the Bible. I thought that’s such a big book.

I didn’t know there was an Old Testament and New Testament. I didn’t know. He just opened up the Gospel of John says, just start reading here. And I started reading the Gospel of John. It’s like a riot chapter 13, looking verse 6. And one shall say unto him, what are these wounds in thy hands? And he shall answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. He came into his own, he was rejected, they crucified him and says, they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.

And then And when he comes back and they see the scars, Israel will know he is the Messiah. He got these see the first time he came. The next time he comes back in power and great glory at the end of the tribulation period in order to keep man from destroying mankind from the face of the earth. Look what he says in verse 9 of chapter 14, and the Lord shall be king over all the earth. when the Lord comes back, the one that has the scars in his hands and his feet, he is going to be king over all the earth.

Did you know that the day is coming when little israel is going to be the greatest nation on the face of the earth? You see, I can’t believe that. Believe it. The book is true. And that day shall there be one Lord is name one. Look what he says there in verse 16, of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the king. The Lord of Host, and to keep the feast of the tabernacle, this day is coming.

This is into the millennium. See, God gives us a snapshot here, 500 years before Christ ever came. He’s coming. He is salvation. He is just. He makes a payment for the sins of the world. In Isaiah chapter 61, look there in verse 1, it makes a statement, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Now there’s the Trinity right there in that one verse. the Holy Spirit, Jehovah, and upon me Christ. Because the Lord hath the nordin’ me to preach good titans unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken heart of to proclaim liberty to the captain and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn.

Now, I want you to notice now in verse two, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, period. And the day of vengeance of our God is a different thought. Now, you wouldn’t know that by just reading this verse because it doesn’t seem like it seems like it just all flows together. But between the first part of that verse and the last part of that verse is over 2,000 years. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Luke, the Gospel of Luke.

And notice they’re in Luke 4. Stay with me now. Don’t go to sleep on me. I hate it when people go to sleep on me. I told one guy, I said, would you wake up that person sitting beside you? He says, nope. He says, you put him to sleep. You wake him up. Now, look there in chapter 4 and verse 16. It came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, stood up for to read.

There was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. So now Jesus, almost 700 years after what we just read in Isaiah 61. Seven hundred years later, Jesus walks into the synagogue and he stands up to read and they give him the scroll. He opens up the scroll of the book of Isaiah. And he begins to read. And what does he read? In verse 17, and there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written.

The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the broken heart of the preached deliverance to the captives, recovering of the sight to the blind, to set it liberty, them that are bruised, to preach in verse 9, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Now, why didn’t he read the last part of the verse? He didn’t. He read that much of the verse and get what he said.

He closed the book, gave it again to the minister, and he sat down. and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say to them, this scripture, this day, is fulfilled in your ears. This is the acceptable year of the Lord. In other words, God kept telling him, hey, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming. Jesus says, I’m here.

And they didn’t know the day of his visitation. You said, well, I don’t know if the Bible is true. You disprove all these things I’ve already showed you. You explained to me how they could have been written 500 to 700 years in advance before it ever happened. No man can do this. This is a supernatural book. They have found the Dead Sea Scrolls, they have found the Book of Isaiah, and they were written before Jesus Christ ever came here.

Jesus, when he was here, read from those books. You see, for three and a half years, they wanted to kill this guy. And he was the one that they read about every seventh day. But the veil was over their eyes, and the one that they keep reading about in the scriptures they kept studying, he’s standing there. It was him. And yet people can’t see it. Well, I believe it. Take your Bible, look there in the book of Luke in chapter 19.

Look in Luke chapter 19. Because it finishes the verse. It seems like toward the end of the book of Luke, he finally finishes that verse. But look why. In Luke chapter 19, look there in verse 41. And when he was come near, he beheld the city and he wept over it. Now look why he wept. Why do you think he wept? Look at this. He said, if thou hath known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong onto thy peace, but now their head from thine eyes.

For the day shall come upon thee, that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee around, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children with indy, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another.” And you ought to underline this part of the verse. Why? Why was the temple destroyed? Why was the nation of Israel destroyed? Why were they cast into the earth? Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I told you I was coming. I even told you the year I’d come. I told you the place that I would come. I told you my line of David and tribe of Judah. I told you everything in advance. And I came just like I told you I would. And he overlooks the city, the weeps. Have you ever wondered how God must feel? How God thinks? If he does this for the nation, do you think that God in heaven looks at you and me and weeps over us?

Does God know that you have mocked him, He trained him, despised him, and you won’t trust Christ as you’re saving. You don’t believe He is who are He is. Don’t you think that hurts God? Or is your conscience so seared that you have no sensitivity, no feeling? Is Jesus Christ the real Messiah? Or is He yet to come? I believe that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be. He came the first time just like He said He would, The field of scripture is just like he said, that he died on the cross, was buried.

I believe he came back from the dead, ascended into heaven, and he’s coming again. Look up here. This hand represents you and me and the wallet represents sin. We all have sin on this. God loves us. Hates our sin, but He loves us. And He says, because of sin, it has to be paid. And God says, to go to heaven, you’ve got to be perfect and none of us are perfect. God says, you can’t earn eternal life. You can’t work your way to heaven.

If I offered you my glasses and you’re accepting them, I have a pair of glasses. I offered you my wallet, you have a wallet. I offered you my Bible, you have a Bible. Christ walked in the house. and here and offered you eternal life, and you accepted, you would have eternal life. And if it’s eternal life, it would last forever. If it lasts forever, and all you’re saying to pay, where would you go when you die? And you go to heaven, what he did.

Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bound, every eye closed, no one looking around. I hope that what I’ve said made sense to you. If you have questions and doubts about trusting Christ because you just don’t know who he is, I can understand that. But if you listen to what I said today, there’s proof, there’s evidence. There’s a reason why you should. A reasonable man can look at the reasonable evidence and come out to unreasonable conclusion. Would you trust him?

I’m not going to have you forward. Not going to embarrass you. Not going to have you do anything. But right where you’re sitting, would you just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner, and I believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah. I believe He is God in the flesh. He promised He would come, and He did. He died on the cross and paid for my sins. I believe He did it for me.

And with the headbob nice closed, would you just say that to the Lord? Lord, I believe He did it for me, and I’m going to trust Him as my Savior right now. Now friend, you can only get saved once. If you’ve already done it, you don’t need to do it again. But if you’ve never done it before, and you’ll trust Christ as your Savior right now, I’d like to have prayer for you. I’d like to know what I said made sense to you, and I’d like to pray for you in closing.

Anyone at all before we close? So yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior, and preach, I’d like you to pray for me. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, then look for Him to come the second time. He’s not coming back the second time to make an offering for sin. He’s coming back to rule as the King of Israel. Our Father, we thank You so much for the offer done we have to come together as a body of believers, to read Your Word, study it, believe it.

We pray that those challenges motivate us to do what’s right. not because we have to, but because we want to. In Christ’s name we pray, amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3777.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.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.

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Bibleline Bibleline, they’re got to work on Bibleline everywhere, every time. Here got’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

In your Bible, through the book of John chapter 14. John chapter 14, look there in verse 1. You know you can go through a lot of scriptures and you won’t find, I don’t guess, a better portion of scripture that is so dogmatic. That’s what’s written here in these six verses. It seems like God says what he means and means what he says. And he says here in verse 1, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me in My father’s house or many mansions that were not so I would have told you I Go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself That where I am there you may be also and whether I go you know in the way you know Thomas if and the him

Lord we know not whether thou go and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes unto the Father, but by me. Nobody gets to heaven to this place that he’s going to build these mansions, whatever it looks like, but he says it belongs to him. He’s going to build it. It’s a literal place and it’s not a state of mind. And he says if I don’t prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also.

And then he makes a real bold statement. He says, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes into the Father except through me. You can’t get there any other way. We have a statement that we say a lot called faith alone in Christ alone. Faith alone in Christ alone. But what makes Jesus Christ so unique, so different because He was. Every human born of man at their best, at their best, is still only a man and a center at that.

I was thinking about this. When you read the Bible, isn’t it wonderful that we have in the Bible the story of the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon, that was so wise, smartest man. And we don’t have where anybody has ever been smarter than Solomon. But he was the wisest that ever was. Then you have a story about Samson, the strongest man that ever lived. Well I thought of myself. The strongest man, but Solomon in spite of all of his wisdom, was still only a man.

Samson, even though he had tremendous power that given him by God, he was still just a man. I thought about years ago when I heard this guy make this statement. His name was Cassius Clay. I’m the greatest of all time. Looked like a butterfly, seemed like a bee. You’ve got to remember hearing that. The greatest of all time. You’re still just a man, still just a man and a sinner at that. There’s a debate going on right now on who’s the greatest scholar of all time.

Jack Nicholas, Tiger Woods, Yankee Arnold, it’s still going on. The debate’s still out. But out of there, how good they have been, they’re still just a man. There’s nothing unique about them only but they’re maybe the best of the men. I had somebody send me something the other day. I think it was my remember who it was. But it was a picture, a video of an individual back in 1968 or nine or 70, somewhere down there of a guy named James Hayslitt.

You ever heard of him? How many of y’all have ever heard of him? All right, that’s not only about a quarter of the people in this room has ever heard of this guy. But from what I understand, he was a famous man. This guy was Mr. America, right? He was Mr. America. He had a physique and he could turn all kind of ways and the muscles are ripped and all over. He looked kind of like myself, you know. But he was a good-looking guy had muscles all over him and had the title Mr.

America. Now, majority of people, especially the men, would envy somebody with a muscles like that. I don’t remember anybody ever in the mind. You know how I built up my muscles? I knew you wanted to know. I had a strapping physique in the Strat’s Grove. But I used to take and fill the bathtub full of water, then I would take and pull the plug and then fight the current. But this guy today is about 68 years old. And I don’t know if I have ever seen a 68 year old man steel that looks as good as this guy does.

James Haysler, what’s the stand up James? Here he is right back at two right look at it. And I’m talking about, for 40 years, he’s been able to do something that most men can’t do, walk like this. I was over there one day, he showed me his gym and all those weights, he’s got dumbbells. That looks like a lot of work, but in spite of all of that, he’s still just a man, and a sinner at best. It doesn’t matter when you compare anybody in the whole world.

We at our best are just sinners. And we’re all going to die. So what makes Jesus Christ so different, so unique? Jesus Christ was born differently than you and I. He was born into this world by a virgin bird and nobody else can claim that. He was unique. By the way, you know how you pick a unique rabbit. You’ll kneec up on him. A bunch of smarties in here. But Jesus Christ was unique. See, there was no man ever like this man.

And if you’re all the rest of the people in the world, there’s somebody you can compare to. But when it comes to Jesus Christ, nobody is in the same class with him. You see, He was wiser than anybody, any man who has ever lived. No battle can compare with Him. And when it comes to strength, did you realize that Jesus Christ has all the power in all the world? He could just say words like I am that I am and they fall backwards.

He could just say the word and give a person the ability to see. He could just say the word and raise the dead. Have you seen anybody else lately doing anything like that? He was different. He was unique. There’s nobody like him. Jesus Christ. Something else. You see, there’s no one that can compare to him. The Bible makes this statement. In him was no sin. Hit that. In him was no sin. That separates the man from the boys. He was different.

He was unique. He was special. The greatest man that’s ever been born into this world and there’s no person that can compare to him. Nobody’s like him and he had no sin in him. I want you to take your Bible, look there in John chapter 8, very quickly just look at this. When Jesus was speaking, He said this in verse 44, to some people who didn’t believe on Him. So He says in verse 44, ye are of your Father the devil and the lust of your Father ye will do.

He was a murderer from the beginning and a boat not in the truth because and you are on the line this phrase. There is no truth in him. So you have the devil and there’s no truth in him. He is a liar. There is no truth in the devil. When it comes to Christ, there is no sin in him. The devil, there’s no truth in him. Big difference. Jesus is different. And so when we talk about You’re supposed to put your faith in Jesus Christ, but he cannot mirror it down and says, I am not a way of many ways.

I am the way. There is no other way. There is no other name. There’s no other Savior. He is different. He is unique. And he could claim something that you and I could not claim. He was the only begotten son of the Father. He’s different from you and I. He was God manifested in the flesh. And Jesus Christ was able to do something that no other man on the face of the earth could do. So what was that? I knew you were going to ask him.

He could die and pay for the sins of another. He could die and pay for the sins because he had no sin to pay for. In him was no sin. The Bible says for God have made him Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be sinned for us. Nobody else can claim that. He was different. He was unique. He could become sin for us. But you can’t do that for anybody else and nobody else can do it for you.

Only one person. That’s why when we say, my faith alone in Christ alone is because there is no other. There is no other way in salvation. There’s no one else that could pay for your sins. Except Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God. You know what makes him a little different from you and I? that word perfect. He was perfect. I know you think you’re close. If you’re not perfect, we have all sinned and come short of the perfection of God.

But he did not come short of the perfection of God. He was God. That’s why we have a very unique Savior. He was the perfect man, the perfect God man. Nobody liked him because he was the Lord. And he was able to do something. He could die and pay for the sins of the world. You can’t do that. Cassius Clay couldn’t do that. I can’t do that. Nobody could do that. Only Jesus Christ could do that. So, it’s faith alone and Christ alone.

There is no other. You know what else he could do that nobody else could do? That makes him really unique. He could come back from the dead of his own power. He could come back from the dead, and he did. So Jesus Christ did something nobody could do. That’s the pay for all the sins of all the world. He’s a man’s man. He’s really a man’s man. If there’s anybody you want to be like, then I won’t be like that man, because he’s different.

He’s really unique. That’s something that everybody can desire. And believe it or not, it can happen. You see, Jesus Christ had the power not only to pay for the sins of the world which nobody else could do, but he could come back from the dead which nobody else has ever done. And he was able to come back from the dead not to die again, never to die again. Over the last years and so the others, they raised them from the dead, they could die again, and they didn’t do it by their own power.

Only this man. This man’s different. There is nobody like Jesus Christ. I am not following some devised fable. Unfollowing truth. Jesus Christ is truth. In him is no lie. That’s why the Bible says in the book of Titus, God can not lie. Think about that. God can not lie. That’s why when you read the word of God, think about what it says. God can not lie. So if he makes your promise, he has to keep it. And the Bible says in the book of the first job about God promising us eternal life.

And if he makes a promise, he has to fulfill it. If he said, I trust him, he will save me. He has to. He can not lie. And him is no sin. He is truth. Jesus Christ comes back from the dead, ascended into heaven, which nobody else today been able to do their own power. The Bible says he’s going to come back again someday. I am so thankful that I had a man one day who came into my life.

I guess you could say it was kind of like a lighthouse and I finally saw the light. My father-in-law, who at one time was going to blow me away with a gun because I married his daughter and He couldn’t murder me. I wasn’t ready for eternity. What has God been gracious to me? And He sat down with me and He opened up the Bible and He explained to me how to have eternal life. I’ll never forget it. You know, there’s a lot of things that’s coming on since then, but I can remember that day.

I remember sitting there in the living room. I remember asking Him because I was upset because they didn’t have a television. They didn’t have a radio. They did. I never heard it. And I wanted something to do and I was bored stiff. And I don’t hand on boredom very well. That’s why whenever I started having devotions by myself, it was very difficult because I just not used to spending time with myself. I wasn’t my own type. But I had this man, my father-in-law, get a Bible.

And he brought me the Bible. And I said, I don’t know what to read in the Bible. He says, the gospel of John. I says, I don’t know where it is. He says, I do. So we opened it up to the gospel of John and he gave it to me and I started reading. I read the first three chapters. I even read John 3 16, didn’t understand it. I stood up and I took his Bible, and I threw it on the couch.

I can see it. I was so rude. I was so unkind. But he was so patient with me, so nice. I thought on the couch and I said don’t make a better sense to me and I started toward the door from glad side. And he says, Yankee, set up. I thought I’d rule myself at the time. But I was living in his house and eating his food. He says, set up. I said, and he got John 3 16 and he said there and he read it to me.

They explained it to me. And I got teary eyed. I had never been to a church. I don’t know what the rules were. I didn’t want to know what anybody did. I wasn’t raised in church. I never saw my mom and dad in a church. I never saw them read a Bible. I never saw them have prayer. I never heard the words, I love you. I feel my parents, never. And all of a sudden, I’m hearing that God loves me, God loves me, God loves me.

And then I can have you turn right and go to heaven when I die. And I just knew that what he said was true. I’m going to hell. I kept thinking I’m going to hell. I’m going to hell. And I just, it just overwhelmed me. I got up and I walked over to the door. When I got to the door. I was going to go outside, but my wife and some ladies were outside. And it’s at nighttime and my father lost still sitting there on the couch And I didn’t want him to see me with tears mind because I didn’t cry about anything So I did the only sensible thing a man could do turned up the light So my father was sitting there in the dark he says what’s wrong?

And I started just He said what’s wrong? Nothing I Couldn’t go outside. I couldn’t turn away long. I couldn’t do not subtract me. I was trapped I had a little pride and then I just started bowing like a baby. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t know you’re supposed to not not supposed to do. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do. I never saw anybody get saved. He hadn’t told me yet. All I know is what he said I’m going to help and that tore me up.

Because for so many years I thought I’m good enough I’ll go to heaven when I die because I didn’t drink. I never had a drop of drink in my life. I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life. I’m I’ve never sworn a cuss word in my life. I think the man goes to heaven, I ought to make it. I’m good enough. I’m better than a life about everybody else that I do. But regardless of how good I was and the best I had, I’m still just a man and a sinner and bastard.

And it all just kind of fell apart on me. And I saw it like a baby. My father-in-law could hear me, saw him, he says, what’s wrong? He knew what was wrong. He set me up. This was a plan. He was a show winner. Hevironment of people to Christ, and he knew what he was doing. But he wouldn’t tell me what he was doing. He let me go through this misery. And I said, I want to be saved. He said, well, you need to turn on the light.

So I turn on the light, and I’m just a ballon, 18-year-old teenager. And I walked over to the couch, and my father looked out on his knees in front of the couch, and I just joined him. And he put his arm around my shoulder and explained it a little bit more to me. So, Jank, will you trust Christ as your savior? I said, I will. And I ball a little bit more. And then he says, he said, now listen, God says that if you trust him, he’d save you.

True, he said, do you trust us? Yeah. He says, are you saved? Yes, yes, yes. Y’all say it. I’m saying it. I was as excited as I could be. I did not know that was the beginning of the greatest thing they could ever have to any man ever born to the world, because I passed from death under life. I just was able to become something that by my human efforts I could never have been. And no man could do this for me, but Jesus says, I am the way, I am the truth.

I am the wife, I am eternal life. So when you accepted Christ as your Savior, you got the way there, you have the truth. You have eternal life. That’s news I ever heard in my whole life. I was 18 years old. In September the 17th it will be 50 years ago. See I married my wife before I trusted the Lord, but we’re about three months later. I am so thankful, God has been so good to me. When I finally saw the light, did you know you can go to church all your life and never understand that to go to heaven is not by your works.

stop because you go to church. You can’t earn it. You can’t work for it. That’s why Jesus Christ is so you need. He’s so different. See, God says, none of us can earn it. None of us can work for it. That’s why Jesus Christ says, I am the way. So if I accept Him as my Savior, it’s a done deal. So when I trusted Christ as my Savior, when I was 18 years old, God promised to give me what kind of life.

The avalanche you like? The turn of life? Well if he cannot lie and he gave me eternal life. Almost 50 years ago, when I still have it today, yes, and he’ll never cast me out and he’ll never lose me. That’s a promise. God can not lie. He is truth. And you can trust him. The only way you’ll ever know if you’re going to go to heaven or not is if you can believe the one that can’t lie. And by trusting him as your Savior, he gives you as a free gift everlasting life and will never cast you out and never lose you.

And so I know I’m going to heaven when I die. So it’s faith alone. You see, you can’t put works into it because the best works of any man is still a sinner. And you can’t save himself. So it’s faith alone in Christ alone. There is no other. Nobody else qualifies. There’s nobody else to trust. He is the only way. I trusted him as my Savior and I pray that you have. Let’s pray, Shallelujah. Every head, bow, and every eye, close.

If you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, would you do it? Would you do it right now? I’m not going to have you stand up and come forward, not an embarrassed you, but right where you’re sitting. Would you simply say something simple like this? Lord, I’m a sinner. I’m just a sinner, but I believe you died on that cross and that you paid for my sins. And I’m going to trust you right now to take me to heaven whenever I die.

And for him God said if you were trusted, sincerely, then he said he would save you. You become his child and give eternal life. That’s the best news in all the world. So right now in the quietness of this moment, if you’re trusting Christ as you’re saving, never done it before. Would you just say something simple like this, preach it? That makes sense to me. And I want to be certain of the one to heaven when I die. And I want you to pray for me in closing.

Friend, I want to know what I said. Makes sense to you. For raising your hand won’t save you. But trusting Christ will. And I’d like to have prayer for you. So if you will trust Christ right now as you say to you, would you just slip in very quickly, put a wrap back down, do you know what I mean? Just slip it up real quickly, put a wrap back down. So that most of you, trust the Lord, maybe all of you have, I don’t know.

I’m not God. But if you’re not sure, you’re not positive, why not do it right now? And we’re not. Just slip it up very quickly, put a wrap back down. All right, how do we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us? For the free gift of eternal life, and for sending your son Jesus Christ into the world. There is nobody like him. No man can even compare. He is the greatest of all the time. We thank you for all you’ve done for us in Christ and we pray.

Riyam. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, With Dr. Ralph Arnold, we pray thatPhiladelphia’s message is a clear gospel of Jesus Christ. Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org.

Click on the Spinning Globe in the upper right-quarter of our homepage. If you’re 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 broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

friend one day it will happen the trumpet will sound 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

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can The Reaches Told Free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Once you take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans a book of Romans and chapter 4 Romans chapter 4 I want to talk to you a little bit about this thing of putting that on my account put that on my bill and There’s a wonderful story in the Bible about put that on my account and You may never seen it before but I want to show it to you today But anyway, here in the book of Romans and chapter 4 and verse 5, it’s talking about what David had to say.

And in verse 5, boy, this is a tremendous verse. You ought to learn this verse. If you ever go witnessing, you’ll need it. If you don’t witness, you don’t need it. But if you do witness, you do need it. But here in verse 5, but to him, that worketh not but believeth on him that justifyeth the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. In other words, by faith alone, God will take His righteousness and impute it, put it to your account as though you did it.

It’s like if I didn’t have any money in my account, and Peter Amato would go down here and put $10,000 in my account, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Now he would do that only because he loved me and he liked me. And I would, I have $10,000 in my account. Well, see, God has all the money and He’s willing to make that deposit. All He wants you to do is believe that He will do it. And He’s already made the payment.

He’s already got the money in escrow account and you’ll put it into your account whenever you believe it. But what I want you to see is this. In verse six, it tells you what David said in the Old Testament. And if you was to read that verse in the Old Testament, you might not know that’s what that means. There’s a lot of scriptures like that. And sometimes I wonder whether or not those people who have translated the Old Testament, did they use all the clear words they could have used?

I imagine they did. And so I believe that at the time when it was done, they used the word, the best word, the precise word that makes it as clear as possible. But there were times when they were translating into the King James that they didn’t have a word. There was no word in our language that would tell you what that word means. It was just not a word. And so sometimes they wouldn’t translate a word. They would just put that word in there.

And one of those words is like baptism. They’d put just put the word baptism in there. And sometimes they wouldn’t use the right meaning. But like the word Passover, Passover was a word that was made up. It’s not a word. There was no word for it, but we’ve come to know that that’s what the word mean Passover, and it’s a precious word to us today. And so as time goes on, there’s words that sometimes we don’t use in the last 400 years, and so people don’t know what those words means.

But I do believe it’s easier to find out what the word meant at the time of the translation of the King James than to try to come up with new meanings of new words and so forth. It’s a lot easier. Just trust this book. It is very good. It is very accurate. And we have all that we need. But look what he says in verse six. He says, even as David also described the blessedness of the man unto whom God and see that imputed righteousness without works.

So David knew in the Old Testament that man evidently, Needed the righteousness of God and that the man’s righteousness wasn’t good enough. So evidently they knew that. But now whenever you read in the Psalms where it talks about, you know, you think you’re reading in the book of Romans, chapter three, when it talks about there’s none righteous, no not one, there’s none that doeth good, no not one, and that they’re tongue and their mouth and all that. All that’s in the Psalms.

And so they knew that, that man had no righteousness of his own. There is none that doeth good, no not one. So they understood a lot of things that we don’t think they knew, but look what he says. In verse 7, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Now that statement is supposed to mean verse 6. And you say, well, I read verse 7, but I’d have never got that in verse 6. That’s why the Holy Spirit can take those words and explain them to us and do a pretty good job And we’ll understand more of the Old Testament because see the indwelling Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God and As you study the Word of God the Holy Spirit can reveal things to you that on the surface you may not see or the natural man doesn’t understand

Did you know that you have the key that unlocks the scriptures? the Holy Spirit living within you, the author of this book lives inside of you, and he’s just waiting to teach you his word. And he says here in verse 8, blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now that’s in the Old Testament, but isn’t it wonderful to know that here’s David who lived a thousand years before Jesus Christ and yet in the Old Testament David wrote on the clarity of the gospel and says that a man is not made righteous by his works, but God would impute his righteousness to you and that God would not put his sins to him.

So evidently there’s substitution in here somewhere. Somebody else paying for our sins. And when you read the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah, that will knock you off your feet. It’s a tremendous book. But now so that you understand a little bit more about this, put it to my account. I’ll take care of that. Take your Bible and turn to the book of, well right before the book of Hebrews, a little old, beady book called Philemon. It’s a very small book in the New Testament.

But the apostle Paul had been in, well he was in prison. While he was in prison he meets this guy on Essimus and while he’s in there he finds out that this guy was a slave and he had run away. He was in Rome and run away and so I guess if he was a slave would you try to run away? Well he ran away and now he’s in, he’s there with Paul in prison and And Paul talks to him about the Lord.

This slave, this runaway slave, he trusts the Lord. So now he has eternal life and he’s God’s child. But evidently he gets out. And Paul has a mission for him. And so it’s a pretty good little story. Look there in verse four. Now, so Paul is writing this letter to Philemon. And Feileman is in Rome and he makes a statement here. And because he’s a guy, he has a church in his house. So he’s somebody of reputation. And so it must have been a pretty good guy, but right off the bat, see, Paul wants to take this guy that he led to the Lord and send him back.

But he wants the guy that owned him to receive him and to treat him like a brother. He was a slave. And so he’d run away from home, so I imagine he was probably very upset and I don’t know how much slave costs those days. I’ve had one lately myself. But he begins to brag on the sky, really compliments him. You ever heard of the sandwich technique? Anytime you have to take any criticism on somebody, you always compliment criticism, compliment.

And people take it a lot better when it’s in a sandwich. But if you just hit criticism without compliments, they don’t like it too well. So that way you compliment them twice as much as you had to talk to them about something. I shouldn’t have told you that. Now you know what I do. So when I brag on you, you know, oh, here it comes. But anyway, he starts bragging to this guy on how great he is and how he’s heard such wonderful things about him.

And verse 4, I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers. I’m praying for you all the time. I make mention of you all the time. Wouldn’t you like to have somebody like the Apostle Paul say that about you? What I want he inverse five he said hearing of thy love and faith Which thou have toward the Lord Jesus and toward and you ought to underline these two words all saints? He’s setting him up He’s setting them up Because he’s got a request But he’s letting him know hey, I’ve heard such wonderful things about you and I pray for you all the time And I’ve heard of your love for all the saints.

See, whenever you read, you have to see all that stuff in it. It’s hidden, but it’s in there. Verse 6, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of Enchatur underlying this word. Every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus, boy, is he buttering him up, ain’t he? I mean, he just really compliment in this guy. He must be a super-duper individual for we have great joy and consolation in thy love. In other words, boy, my joy, my consolation, my comfort.

What I’ve heard about you is so encouraging after all Paul, I’m in jail. It’s a prison thing. He’s writing a wonderful letter to an individual who has great authority and he wants him to take this slave back. Now Paul has a mission, a job, and he knows how to deal with individuals. I guess after a while you got time to think, you know, sitting in a jail, you know, in the reminisce. But then did you know it’s so amazing how that God the Holy Spirit can take an individual, utilize in their talents, their abilities, their way they are about them, their character, and take and put his perfect word in them, and so that it comes through.

And yet it’s the Word of God, and yet it has the characteristics of the man. Now, how God can do that is amazing to me. But remember our statement I made before, and I didn’t originate it. I heard it 46 years ago. The gold is His, the mold is ours. The gold is His, the mold is ours. And if I had 10 different kinds of vessels up here, it wouldn’t matter the shapes of the vessel. If you poured gold into it, the gold is still all gold.

But the vessels is all different. You and I are simply vessels that God has put perfect gold into the vessels. These are the writers that God used to put together His word. You see, the gold is His. The mold is there. And it takes upon itself the form of the man. And as you read David in the Psalms, you can, this is David after a while, it’s a characteristic of it. It’s just like when I read the book of Hebrews.

Now it doesn’t say that Paul wrote Hebrews. But after reading all these other books, it looks like Paul had to write this. God had to use Paul. This has to be Paul. Now I may get to heaven and find out I’m wrong, but this has to be Paul. But just because of the things that it talks about and the way that it does it, you can see that there’s shapes to the gold, to the way the word of God is.

And God can do this. That’s why even with you and I, you see God gives us the gold and the mold is ours. And God can use different individuals in different ways to accomplish his purpose. It’s all a wonderful thing. But look what he says. He makes a statement in verse seven. He says, we have great joy and consolation in thy love because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by the brother. Verse eight, wherefore though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoy the that which is convenient in other words it will be so easy for me just to tell you what to do because after all I am an apostle you know but he said I don’t want to do that I want to be see to you I want to plead with you I want you to do something willingly not by constraint so he says there in verse nine yet for love

sake, I rather you ought to underline that word rather, I rather beseech the. Be in such and one as Paul the aged. Hey, I’m an old man now. And you know you’re supposed to respect your elders. Now why would you have to put that in there? You’re talking about psychology. The Bible has psychology in it on how to deal with things, how to word things. That’s why sometimes I don’t have all the right ways on how to write nice little letters.

And I think, nah, I wish I could word this the right way. Mike, I don’t know if Mike’s in here. I don’t see him. But Mike, he really writes a book. good. And I said, might write this for me and he’ll write that thing. And that’s great. Let me sign it. And I sign it. Might write it and I sign it. But anyway, he says here, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I’m an old man. I’m in prison and I got a request for you.

In verse 10, I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus, whom I I have begotten in my bonds.” In other words, I led this guy to the Lord on this list, and he was a slave, he was your slave. He ran away. And he says, though he ran away, it was only for a while that he might come back and be with you forever. Now, isn’t that better? So he says in verse 11, which in time pass was to the unprofitable, but now profitable to the end of me.

Lord, He’s richer now than He was before. That slave that ran away, He says, He’s now, He’s my son in the Lord. And He’s richer now. And He can be a prophet to you and to me. So He has a request. He says in verse 12, whom I have sent again, thou therefore receive him. I want you to receive Him. That is my own bowels and my own tender mercy. In other words, I want you to receive Him as though He was me.

Receive Him as though He was me. With the same love and care and concern that I had for Him, I want you to receive Him that away. Because if He came back, you might have put Him in change and executed Him, I don’t know. But He makes the statement in verse 13, whom I would have retained with me.” No word, he’s so valuable. I’d love to keep him here with me. That in thy stead, in other words, in place of you, he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel.

Now, I’d love to keep this man here with me because he’s profitable to me. Now, he left you and you lost a great value. It wasn’t proper, Paul, anymore. You lost something, but I gained something. Now, I’m going to send him back to you, and I want you to receive him as though he was mean. So he makes the statement in verse 14, but without thy mind, without thy mind. Or without your permission, what I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.

You notice how you said, die benefit. Die mind. I wouldn’t do this without your permission. I wouldn’t keep this guy and use him in a ministry without your permission. Boy, you can’t butter anybody up better than this. This is art. This is Christian life at its best and how to challenge and encourage somebody to do the right thing. Now Paul wants him to do the right thing, But he’s talked about how that, you know, your love has been heard and your faith, our joy, our consolation, all this, and it really pours it on pretty thick.

And then he says here in verse 15, for perhaps he therefore departed for a season that thou should have received him forever. Not only back as a servant, but as a son, and he will be a son of God forever. That’s a long time. And then he says in verse 16, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, especially to me. But how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord? So you can receive him back.

So evidently Paul convinced this slave to go back to his owner. No, if that had been me, I might have went the other way. I probably got on that another ship and went another way. I might have been like Jonah, but he sent him back. And so notice what he says in verse 17. I’m if you ought to underline this word, if, if thou count me therefore a partner. Receive him as myself. In other words, if I am worthy of financial support from you, because you have communicated to me, maybe that church helped.

I don’t know. But we’re, you know, when you’re serving the Lord together, we’re labors together. We’re partners together. We’re in the same work for the same reason, the same love for the gospel’s sake. He says, I want you to receive him as myself. And then look what he says in verse 18. 18, you ought to underline that whole verse. That is a tremendous verse. If he had wronged thee or owe thee art, put that on mine account. Put it on my account.

Imputed to me, this is Romans chapter 4. This is substitution. I will take whatever he owes you. I will pay it.” And then he makes the statement in verse 19. He really kind of nails it in verse 19 where he says, I Paul have written it with mine own hand. I will repay it. I’ll be it. I do not say to thee how thou owe us unto me even thine own self beside. So the The aged apostles is not going to say anything how much he owes him.

I’m not going to say anything about that, Paul says. How much you owe me. I’m not even going to make that an issue. But look what he says in this verse again in verse 19. I, Paul, have written it with mine on him. I will repay it. O, bit, I do not say to thee how thou oweest unto me, even thine own self beside. Verse 20, Ye, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. refresh my bowels in the Lord, having confidence in thy obedience.

I wrote unto thee, knowing that thy will also do more than I say.” And Andy, I wonder what Philemon did with the next one. You think he received him? He wouldn’t have a choice. He would be a bum not to do it. But it’s a simple little story and illustration how that you can lead somebody to the Lord, and they’re now more valuable than they were before, and encourage them to do the right thing. And it says to Philemon, if he owes you anything, you put that on my account, you know, that’s love.

When Christ went to the cross, well, what did He do? He said, put that on my account. I will pay it. And how much do you think He paid? All of it. He paid our whole debt, paid it in full. That’s what the Lord did for us. Now take your Bible and why you’re right here. Well, just look over there in Psalms 32. 32 in the Old Testament. And look in verse 1, verse 1. It says in verse 1, this is on page 613, says, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven.

If his transgression is forgiven, it means it’s something or somebody else had to make the payment for it. To forgive you of a debt somebody else had to pay it. So God is talking here in the Old Testament by David that to be forgiven means that you are forgiven what? A debt. You owed a debt you could not pay and he paid a debt he did not owe. There’s a song like that. And then he says in verse 2, blessed is the man unto whom the Lord impudeth not Enoch doesn’t put it to your account.

Now is this in the Old Testament or not? It’s right here in the Psalm. And in the New Testament, the biblical Romans in chapter 4 and verse 5 down to verse 7 and 8, talking about this, how that it means that he puts his righteousness to your account, but he doesn’t impute his sins to your account. That’s why when you read throughout the Old Testament forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, forgiven. Forgiven means debt paid, debt paid, debt paid, debt paid, debt paid.

It means that you owed debt, but somebody else paid for it. Look in Psalms chapter 2, Psalms chapter 2, and look there in verse 7, real quick. Psalms chapter 2 and verse 7 says, I will declare the decree, the Lord had said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And then He makes a statement down in verse 12, kiss the sun. That means to accept the sun, to believe on the sun. Lest you be angry and you perish from the way.

When His wrath is kindled, but a little, and look at the last part of that verse, blessed are all they that put their trust in who? Him. To be blessed is to have His righteousness put to your account. To be blessed is not to have your sins put to your account. That’s salvation. It’s right here in the second Psalm. It’s not hidden, it’s right there. And David understood that. You think if you understood the gospel, do you think they’d ever tell anybody about it?

Oh, this is a I know how to go to heaven and have eternal life and I’m not going to tell nobody. I can’t believe the Old Testament saints did that. I believe they explained it. Look very quickly in Isaiah 64. There’s a verse here you probably have never heard before in your whole life and look there in verse 6. In verse 6 and verse 6 says, but we are all righteous because we keep the law and we make our sacrifices.

Is that what He said? Look what He said. But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness or as filthy rags. Now He didn’t say all of our wickedness is our right. The best we have to offer. So they didn’t claim to have all this righteousness by their works. It’s by grace and grace alone. Man’s always saved that away, but it’s substitution. Put to your account. And we all do fade as a leaf means we all die.

All our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. So we’re all in debt. So Christ went to the cross and He made a debt payment. And when you and I believe that He did it for us, that debt payment He made put to our account. And that’s why He put that on my account. Our sins, His righteousness to me. I think it’s a great accept. And whenever you do accept Christ as your Savior, well, He gives us His right.

Well, look at Isaiah 61. Look at Isaiah 61. And down in verse 10, look in verse 10. Here, Isaiah 61. Now, you know the verse there. Christ spoke that when they went into the temple in the book of Luke. But verse 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath closed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of what? Righteousness. So you see, he made a payment for all of my sins and gives to me the robe of righteousness.

So when God looks at me, he sees the robe of righteousness, the righteousness of Christ. We go to heaven on His righteousness. That is what He has done for us. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you’re wasting here today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can and reaches toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

I know that eventually I’m gonna be with Christ and it’ll be a far better. So we know and we live and go through Whatever it is because we know there’s something better. But that’s in the next life. But can God help me in this life? Can He help me now? Can He meet my needs? Can He give me the strength and the grace that I need to go through whatever these problems may be? I believe that He can. Let me read this to you.

Nothing left to do but fling, care aside and simply cling. One billow passed, another rose to meet thee, across thine onward track. On every side, new trial seems to greet thee as if to turn thee back. Until thy soul overwhelmed in darkness sinking can raise some misivize, you to his will, and while thy flesh is shrinking, his purpose recognized.” Ooh, that’s good. But I would always read and I would clip out little things. And then I put them all on one piece of paper.

Some of these I’ve got over 40 years ago. I was with Dr. Lee Robertson, who was the president of Tennessee Temple. I was 22 years old. And I went to go to Bible school and I went to summer school. And because I had a lot of people that I led to, the Lord, He asked me if I would be the first full-time soul winner for Tennessee Temple. And I was in His office one day and He gave me a book called Crowded to Christ.

And I was going through so many trials and tribulations. My wife and kids was in another state. I’m living in a rescue mission. All kinds of things was going wrong and He gives me this book after a few months and says, I want you to read this. And I would sit there late at night and I would read this book and it would talk about the trials of your faith. In other words, understanding that there’s a God who has a higher purpose in your life.

Did you know one of the greatest things you can live for is the purpose of which God created you for? And when you don’t know what it is, it’s like you’re always searching, always trying to find it, but never arrive. And there’s people who live their whole lives and never find out what is it that God had for me. What did God want for me? And they stripped themselves of all the reasons for living. And they simply go through life and they’re miserable.

Because the true inward joy comes from the inside of knowing that all of it’s true and you believe it. And that faith in what God says is worth living for. the power that you need to restrain yourself from doing things that you shouldn’t do. But God’s ways have never ceased to be through the impassable and the impossible. Terra and rage must give place to trust, to be wrecked a right brain’s relief, relief instead of rage. In other words, when you know that there is no other way for you to get something done or make something happen and you’re at the last you have to trust the Lord and see what God’s going to do.

Can God get me out of this? And that’s what God wants. You know when God looks upon the whole earth, remember it makes his statement, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for a man whose heart is right, that God can make him strong on his behalf. God is looking for one thing. He’s looking for faith. He’s looking for somebody who has faith in him. When God wants to get a great work accomplished, he’s looking for the man that has the faith in him to do the work.

And God will use him. Wrecked outright on Jesus’ breast. Only wrecked souls thus can sing. Little boats that hung the shore, fearing what the storm may bring. Never find on Jesus’ breast all that wrecked souls made by rest. So from the time that you’re an infant to all age, let it be forever settled in your mind. You know I was watching TV one night and they were advertising. anti-aging cream. Anybody ever seen anything like that? Anti-aging cream. So believe it or not, I have developed an anti-aging pill.

You take it and guarantees you will not age another moment. And it contains arsenic. I thought I could make millions off of this. So you just take one of these pills and guaranteed anti-aging. It would just take your life and you won’t age anymore. But listen, before me lies on unknown sea, the past I leave behind. Strong waves are foaming at the prah, the sails bend to the wind. Sometimes I know not when or how, all things will be revealed.

And until then content am I to sail with order sealed. Do you believe in can you trust the Lord to reveal things to you as you go? Or do you have to have them lay it all out for you so you can decide if you want to go or not? I had to make up my mind years ago I’m gonna serve the Lord. I don’t know what’s down the road. I don’t care. I’m going to follow the Lord wherever He leads me.

I will go. Nothing else matters. The winds, the waves, it doesn’t matter. I am supposed to live believing that my heavenly Father will not lead me astray. And ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me and he will comfort me. Because I know when it’s all over with, yay, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Because see, I can see past this life so that I can enjoy it while I’m here because I have this hope.

My joyful anticipation, it’s all true. Though I cannot see it. I believe it to be real. Once it was my working, his it hence shall be. Once I tried to use him, now he uses me. You realize how many people go through life trying to use God. They just want God to be their sugar daddy, their Santa Claus, but they have no desire to love him, to walk with and be content with his presence and be joyful in the things of the Lord has nothing to do with things has nothing to do with health has nothing to do with wealth it is the Lord’s presence himself that means so much to you it will cause you to have the strength and the grace that you need to want to walk with and please him I want you to take your Bible and look in Ephesians chapter two we

We know that we’re saved by grace. Feasies 2.89 says so. For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourself, it is the gift of God not of works. Last day, any man should boast. Somewhere along the line, somebody explained that to us and we believed it. But God didn’t take us home the day we trusted him. Well, wouldn’t that have solved a lot of problems? But if he took us all the heaven, the moment we trust him, the Lord, there would have been nobody here to tell me about the Lord.

So God left us here so that we can tell a few more. But look in verse 11, Wherefore remember that you’ve been in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, been aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world. There’s three things that I see in that one verse.

Without Christ, without God, without hope. Without Christ, without God, without hope. Now, when you get to the place where you have no hope in life, no purpose, no reason to live, it’s because you have lost your vision about who came back from the dead. Christ is alive and he lives within you. He is your hope of glory. He is the only reason you have for living. And if he’s not enough for you to live for, yes, you are of all men most miserable.

There isn’t anything better. I’m so glad that I learned this at a younger age, so that I can give to the Lord, majority of the years of my life. And I’m thankful for it. And I’m thankful that I’ve had the privilege of walking with the Lord all these years. Do you think he’s going to desert me now? No. But to live your life without hope, without the Lord. That’d be a terrible thing to go through. I want to read this to you.

A little bird I am, I am shut from the fields of air, and in my cage I said and sing to him who placed me there. Well, please, a prisoner to be, because, my God, it pleases thee. Nothing have I else to do. I sing the whole day long, and he whom most I love to please, doth listen to my song. He caught and bound my wandering wing, but still he bends to hear me sing. My cage confines me round, a broad eye cannot fly.

But though my wing is closely bound, my heart at liberty. My prison walls cannot control the flight to freedom of the soul. it is good to soar. These bolts and bars above to him whose purpose I adore, whose providence I love, and in thy mighty will to find the joy, the freedom of the mind.” You see, living in these bodies, there’s a song that I sing sometimes when it’s talking about these bars of bone that hold my soul. It’s like a prison.

I’m in this prison and I can’t get out. I’m limited. I don’t have all the talent and ability because I’m limited to what this physical body can do. If that’s all that I look to for my wisdom, strength and my gr-listen, Christ says, He is my wisdom. He is my power. Through prayer, I can soar. I can accomplish great things. I can believe great things. Attempt great things from God and expect great things from God. But many people never attempt anything because they’re so afraid.

Afraid to step out because they feel that God is going to desert him and let him sink. Remember what I said before about Peter stepping out of the boat? When Peter stepped out of the boat, he says, Lord, bid me come to thee. I’m going to walk on the water. Now, you know, there was other disciples in the boat, but only Peter got in the water. Yes, he began to sink, but he did walk on the water. But did Peter drown?

No, he didn’t drown. Did he sink? But he didn’t drown. He started to see because he looked at the problems instead of keeping his eyes focused upon the Lord. Your problems, yes, they’re going to come in life and they’re going to be huge. You’re going to see the waves and the storms and you don’t know how you’re going to handle it. But keep your eyes focused upon the Lord. He will not fail you. You know what those other guys said that was still in the boat?

I was going to do that. I could have done that. I was just getting ready to do that. I know, but they didn’t. Those are the little boats that hugged the shore. While there’s some who want to walk on the water and get on out there and experience and see what’s going to happen. I know my God is able to deliver, able to save from direct human ill, able as when he saved the Hebrew children, Almighty still. But if for chance his plans are not my plans, if hid in darkness should my pathway be, if when I plead he does not seem to answer, North here for me.

Then though men scoff and bitterly deride me, listen, I fling my challenge to the sky. God may deliver, but if not, I’ll trust Him and trust Him die.” Remember, that’s what the Hebrew children said. O King, you can mark it down. My God is able to deliver us, but if not, we won’t bend and we won’t bow and we won’t burn. In Romans 8, I want you to look at this very quickly. Romans 8, there’s something here I wanted to share with you because it deals with here and now.

He says in verse 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this, get this present time, present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. And see, you and I must believe that this isn’t the only life. There’s another age, another life coming. And we’re gonna be there one day. And it says, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that you’re going to have someday. You see, the Christian that has this hope has reasons to live.

But without that, you are of all men most miserable because there’s no purpose in life, no reason to keep going on, no reason to discipline yourself. And he says here in verse 19, For the earnest expectation of the creature waited for the manifestation of the sons of God, the earnest expectation, expectation. The whole world growneth in travail even to this day, waiting for the day when the earth is going to be made pure and whole again. But you see, it’s a relationship that shows you that it goes back to us.

We are supposed to live in earnest expectation, this hope, this joy that we have, joyfully anticipating the fulfillment of the promises of God. I’ve lived long enough to see that God has answered my prayer. Even the desires of my heart, He kept His Word. If there’s anything that I do, I want to give other people hope that God, yes, is alive. Christ did come back from the dead. He is concerned about your life. He does know what’s going on.

And he says, call upon him and see if he will not do great and mighty things which you did not know and understand and you couldn’t make happen. So he says in verse 20, for the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of him who have subjected the same and hope because the creature or the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation, groaneth and travaileth and pain together until now, and then you draw a line up where it has present time, that one day we know that the sufferings of this whole world is going to be changed.

You and I are going to be changed. This body of mine is going to be changed and we live with that hope that when it’s going to get better now this better it might be when I’m taking home to be with the Lord but when I’m taking home to be with the Lord it will be better as Paul says which is far better you see we have something that’s going to be better than it is now and then by our faithfulness to the Lord he’s going to reward you for your faithfulness but you see sometimes you don’t look to the Lord they don’t trust the Lord.

When you have the power within your own ability to do things, you don’t need to depend upon God like you should. And by doing so, you are gonna rob yourself of eternal rewards. And then when he gets down here, he makes this statement. In verse 24, for we are saved by hope. Did you know even when you trusted Christ as your savior, you know you needed to be saved. You knew you were gonna be judged. You knew you were headed to hell and yet you be lead what he said.

He said he would save you if you trusted him. That anticipation, you expected him to do what he promised he would do. So you trusted Christ as your Savior and he saved you. But in your life, in your Christian life, are there still things that you expect from God? you pray and because you prayed you expect. But you see if you don’t expect something why not? You see if you have everything that you need there’s nothing to hope for.

God has so designed life that you and I are always desiring something else. But the thing that you and I are supposed to desire is the thing that honors and pleases the Lord. But look what he says, but hope that is seen, not hope. But what a man seeeth, what is he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience, wait for it. Do you realize the patience that God must have?

Have you ever thought about how long he’s waited on you when he could have zapped you? There’s not one of us in this room who deserves to live, but he’s patient with us. He’s given us time to correct problems in our life. He’s given us time to grow, gives us time to read his word, gives us time to pray. God is a very patient God, the God of all patients, the God of all comfort. You see, he’s trying to teach you to be a little bit like him.

Strange as that may be. You know, in the book of Exodus in chapter 13, 14 and 15, I preached to sermon not long ago, dealing with the subject of detours, dead ends, and dry holes. Anybody remember the sermon? You don’t remember it, I’m going to preach it again. Dead ends, detours, and dry holes. Because, you see, whenever God led the children of Israel, out of Egypt, he brought him to the Red Sea. At the Red Sea, a dead end.

But he had already took him on a detour which was a longer way. It wasn’t the shortest way. In serving the Lord, sometimes there’s detours because God knows what’s best for you. Just follow the Lord. And that’s what causes you sometime to think, I must be out of the will of God because God has taken so long, he took the long route. Because I need it now, God’s never late. He’s always on time. And sometimes there’s just plain dead ends.

There’s no way that you can solve the problem. But God led them to a dead end, right up to the Red Sea. And then in the 15th chapter it says that there were dry holes. In other words, their expectation was not met. You talk about having the death of a vision. You have a vision of what you want to do. And then you can’t make it happen. So after a while you get to all the frustration, the struggling, trying to manipulate, trying to make, and you just said, I’m just going to trust the Lord and let God do it.

If God wants to do this, then let God do it. I’ll be faithful. I’ll do what I can. But there’s some things I’m just going to trust him. I’m just going to walk with him. I heard this little poem one time. Kind of goes like this. Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life? Because sooner or later, all of us is going to come to that Red Sea when it seemed like it’s impossible. So have you come to the Red Sea place in your life or in spite of all that you do, there’s no way out, there’s no way back, there’s no all the way but through.

Then wait on the Lord with a truss rain till the night of your fear is gone. He will sin the wind and he will heap the floods when he says to your soul, on, and his hand will lead you through, clear through. Here the watery walls roll down. No folk can reach you, no wave can touch, no mighty a sea can drown.

The tossing billows may rear their crest, their foam at your feet may break, but over their bed you shall walk dry shod in the path that your lord will make. when it seems impossible, you just keep trusting the Lord because He is alive. How many of you in here believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Then do you believe that He is alive? If you believe that He is alive, do you believe that He can still chart the course for your life?

And that He will lead you, He’ll guide you, and that He can defend you and protect you and provide. Do you believe that? Look up here. Let him just hand represent you and me. The wallet represent everything we’ve ever done wrong. All of us are sinners. God, He loves us. Now you don’t love our sin, but He loves us. For you and I to pay for what we’ve done is death and hell. You see, we have earned the right to die.

Wages is something that you earned. And so because of what we have done, we have a payment to make. And the Bible says that God loves us, wants us to go to heaven. But you have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We’ve all failed. We’re all sinners. And God says, you cannot earn eternal life. You cannot work your way to heaven by good deeds. This hand represents Jesus Christ.

He is the Lord, God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin did not have to die. But because he loved us, he took our sins and died for us in our place. God says that if you and I, if we would believe he did it for us, he would put the payment that he made to our account and we get to go to heaven on what he did, not on what we do.

He says the moment you believe that he did it for you, he gives you the free gift of eternal life. And if it’s eternal life, it lasts forever. And if it lasts forever and all your sins are paid, then where would you go when you die? You get to go to heaven. So whether you’re here tonight or watching by internet, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever they leave it, then Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Oh, that’s good news. Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. I hope that what I’ve said will be an encouragement to you. I know most of you here, maybe all of you. You’ve trust the Christ is Savior, but you may have a heavy heart. You know, we live in a world where things don’t always work out right. I don’t know what you’re having to face, but whatever it is, he is alive.

He’s waiting to hear from you. Faith is born in despair, but your faith grow. Trust Him. Don’t doubt Him. Believe. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, then would you tonight the best? You know how? Just say, Lord, I don’t understand at all, but I believe Christ died, paid for my sins. I believe He did it for me and I’m going to trust Him to take me to heaven when I die. And if you’re making that decision, I’d like to have prayer for you.

Would you just tip you in it very quickly and say, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior tonight. And bring your life to pray for me. Is anyone at all? If you’ve already trusted Christ as your Savior, yes, your God’s child. But do you realize you can become a miserable Christian until you realize there’s only one main purpose in life, and that’s for Christ to live through you. He loves you. He wants the best for you. And He will reward you when you get to heaven according to how much you have yielded your life to Him.

Father, we thank You so much for all that You’ve done for us. We’re thankful for this time together. And Father, for Your Word that lets us know we don’t have to be of all men most nippable. But individuals that are filled with joy because we have hope. We have that belief that what You promised You will perform. Bless each one here in Christ and we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.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, we will be changed. Hot 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calbryoftampa.org. 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.

Years ago, there was a movie that came out, And it seemed like they showed this thing all about every Christmas called, It’s a Wonderful Life. Everybody remember seeing it? It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s kind of a story about a man who, everything in his life was falling apart. I mean, he was ready to commit suicide. Well, he even tried. And for somehow another, this angel kind of takes him back and he says, I wish I’d never been born and it shows him some of the things that would have happened without his influence in life.

By the time they got through with him, he realized that it was great to be alive, and that it ended with it’s a wonderful life. Well, the title of my sermon tonight is called, It’s a miserable life. It’s a miserable life. Doesn’t it just have a ring to it? It’s a miserable life. Now, just to be honest with you, there is a lot of people who are in nothing but misery. Even if they trust Christ’s Savior, it’s a miserable life.

I have met so many miserable people. And I wonder why are they so miserable? Now over the years I’d read different books and periodicals. And when I find a good poem, something that kind of says how I think and feel, I would cut it out and I’d save them. When I was teaching in Bible College in Colorado, I had a student there who wrote down all of my notes, jokes, and my quotes. And at the end of her four years, she gave me a copy of them, and I didn’t know she was going to do this.

There were over 3,000 notes, jokes and quotes. So I put them in a book. I still got a, well I think one copy left. Only made about ten gave me some of the ranch directors because they were always hurting for good jokes. I figured mine were good. And I always had people trying to help me out on my jokes. Every Christmas somebody would give me a joke book, letting me know that the ones that I had were stale, and that they already didn’t hurt all of them.

They say, you need new jokes. No, I just needed new kids. That’s never heard the jokes before. But I had these poems. And I have a couple of them that I’d like to even share with you tonight. But these are statements that have helped me over the years because there is time to in my life when I felt so miserable as a preacher. Not everything in my life has run smooth. I know you thought it did, but it hasn’t.

I’ve had a lot of speed bumps along the way. When I’ve gone ski and then I go down the hill, they call them moguls. There’s bumps all over the place. Experienced skiers can handle all of those and know how to switch them side to side. I only know one way to ski. That’s straight down. And whatever I hit, I hit. And most of the time I knew I’m going to crash at the end or two or three times before I got to the end.

But I love skiing. I love to go in as fast as I can. But there’s things in life, believe it or not, not that makes a man think life is not worth living. If you haven’t been there yet, just wait. You will. There’s things that can happen into your life as a Christian. Even if you are a strong Christian, you can despair of life. I want you to look there in 1 Corinthians in chapter 15. This is called the resurrection chapter.

If it’s a resurrection chapter, it is the life-giving chapter. Because the resurrection is Christ coming back from the dead. It means Christ is alive. It means that we’re supposed to be excited about this eternal life that we have. But he looked at it in verse 12. Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, I’ll say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead. It’s kind of like today. You say, I believe in the resurrection of Christ.

But you live like there’s no power from his life. In other words, you have no power to live. And it seems like it’s just one big frustrating experience. One big life of failure. So how can I ever succeed? How can I win? So he says here in verse 13, but if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. If Christ be not risen, then as I preach in vain and your faith is also vain. Yeah, and we are found Jehovah’s Witnesses because we have testified of God that’s in the Greek.

Because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if, so be that the dead rise not. And if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, you’re yet in your sins, then they also, which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men, and you ought to underline these two words.

Most miserable. Wouldn’t it be a shame to say the words I believe in Christ or I’m trusting Christ and then not really be trusting Christ? Do you think there’s people like that? They know the words and they can say the words, but never really have trusted Christ as their savior. Isn’t it something that sometimes maybe even some of God’s children can talk about how much they love the Lord? I just love the Lord. But they never do anything in their life that shows that they love God.

There’s a problem. Now you may know Christ is your Savior, but you can live your life as though Christ never came back from the dead, like He’s still dead. In other words, He’s not alive. If you believe He is alive, then your life should be alive. Whatever the word of God is, it can make you. If the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, it can make you that way. If it’s powerful, it can make you that way.

If it’s sharp, it can make you sharp. Whatever the word of God is, it can produce. And so He says, if in this life only, do you know one of the greatest benefits to believing that what God says is true are things that happens beyond this life. We’re looking forward to the day when we get to heaven, but the thing is we’re not there yet. Can Christ do anything for me now, today? Or is it just something that, okay, He saved me, but then He’s like, let me alone and I’ll see you when you get here.

And I have to do the best I can, make my own way until I die. Or can I live with the hope that Christ lives in me now? I want to read something to you. God is a tower without a stare, and His perfection loves despair, because faith is born in despair. When you have totally come to the end of what you can do, when you totally feel trapped. You have no talent, no ability, no wisdom, and you don’t know how to deliver yourself.

That’s right where God wants you. Now some people take a long time to get there. Some people get there real quick. Kind of like going down a sliding board. Hard to stop halfway. Many people have to go clean to the bottom before they look up and realize the one that can help me is the one I’ve been running from. Now you can say the words, but it doesn’t affect your life. And you can become of all meant most miserable, despair life.

Even want to commit suicide. You know, there’s all kinds of people with all kinds of reasons on why life is not worth living. And yet some people have all the money they want. Some can have a wonderful family. They can have all Whatever, great job, money in the bank, and yet no desire to live. There’s got to be something more, something better. He emptied my hands of my treasure store and his covenant grace revealed. There was not a wound in my aching heart, but the bomb of his breath had healed.

O tender and true was the chastening sore, in wisdom that taught and tried, till the soul that he sought was trusting in him, and nothing on earth beside.” I love that. I’m always looking for certain things that express how I think and how I feel or what I’m going through. You see, faith works better when there is no natural hope. Let me read that again. Faith works better when there’s no natural hope. If there be but a straw for sight to cling to, then faith finds difficulty.

George Mueller says, remember it is the very time for faith to work when sight ceases. In other words, when you can’t see a way, you don’t see with your natural eyes how God can change things or deliver you. When it seems beyond your ability to perform, when you want something more, isn’t it true that most of us live every day of our life believing that the next moment is going to be better? Tomorrow is going to be better. My finances is going to be better tomorrow.

My help is going to be better. We always live with that anticipation. It’s going to get better. And then when it gets worse, that is devastating. And it strips us of all of our ability to trust in ourselves. You talk about how God can so humble on individual because God wants to exalt the individual, but he must empty you of yourself to take away all of your pride and humble you. Nobody likes to be humbled. Nobody wants to be put on a shelf.

The greater the difficulties, the easier for faith. As long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on as easily as where natural prospects fall or fail. You know, there’s a lot of truth in what has been said here. Jehoshaphat cried out in his despair. And I want you to see this verse. Look all the way over there in the Old Testament to the book of 2 Chronicles. Second Samuel and Second Kings and then second Chronicles. And look there in Second Chronicles and chapter 20.

Chapter 20. Things were pretty bad for old Jehoshaphat. He would have a bad day. So he decided, I need to pray. So he prays to the Lord. He asked God a few questions, you know. Just look in verse six. And he said, oh Lord God of our fathers are not thou God in heaven. Looking verse seven, are thou not our God who just drive out the inhabitants and so forth? In other words, are you only the God of the past?

Jahasafat needed a God of the present. I need something now and he calls upon the Lord. So look there in verse 12, where he says, Oh, our God will thou not judge them? Forget this, for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us. Neither know we what to do. Ever been there? Have you ever seen a problem so big, you just don’t know what to do. And it can hit you in a hundred different ways, and it doesn’t matter tonight how strong your faith is tomorrow could be a different day and things can happen tomorrow that quick that can cause you to question and doubt God and wonder whether or not am I in the will of God?

The devil loves to cause God’s children to worry and to fret but we talk about the resurrection of of Christ. Oh, we believe that. Never doubt that. Well, don’t you understand what that means? He is alive. He tells us in His word to pray, but pray believing, not doubting, because a man who doubts is a man who wavers and he says he’s a double-minded man. Let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. See, it’s easy to talk a great battle, but then when you actually have to fight the battle, that’s a different story.

See, people, they want to wear the medals, their victories, but they don’t want to fight. Well, man, you don’t get these unless you win the battles. So there’s things that God says in his word, Neither know we want to do, but look at the last part of that verse, but our eyes are up on the… They were at the end of themselves, but God had him right where he wanted them, looking to him and trusting him. So sometimes God has to pull the rug out from under you.

He has to turn off the lights. He locks all the doors. When it appears that there’s no means of provision in any way, and you’re totally left destitute except for him. He’s all that you have left That’s just when you begin to live Now if you can stay that way and put not your confidence in the house that you own or the money you have in the bank Or any of your health that you have so you may have all those things today and say well I don’t need anything right now.

Everything is wonderful. I Want to be as dependent upon the Lord with all of those things is if I didn’t have anything Do you realize how easy it is to get lifted up with pride? You are tested just as much by the abundance of things as it is with the lack of things. They both try your faith. Can you be just as faithful with all of God’s provision or when it seems like the apostle Paul I’ve suffered need? I need it and I’ve had to learn to do without.

But still you go on. Look at Bible, look in the book of Philippians in chapter 1, the book of Philippians and chapter 1. Tremendous statement here, made by the great apostle Paul. And look here in verse 21, he says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Okay, well, what if there is no Christ? Well, what if he didn’t come back from the dead? Most people are trying to find out what is their worth living for?

Now, stop and think. take Christ out of the equation. Okay, there’s no Christ. There’s no God. And it’s just you in this life. What would be the value of life? What would be the purpose of life? What am I now living for? If there is no God, there’s no life past this life. And I am here in this life now, and I see all the sorrow and the misery, the destruction, the disease, the death, If there’s no answers, what would be the value of life?

What’s wrong with me taking somebody’s life? There’s no God. What’s wrong with me doing whatever I want to, to get whatever I want? It doesn’t matter who I walk on, how I treat people, because there’s no God. There’s no consequences down the road. So therefore, I must take vengeance upon anyone who wrongs me because I don’t want to be wrong and I’m going to get even if it’s the last thing I do. You see, you’ll be of all people most miserable because there’s really not anything worth living for if there’s no God.

There’s a long life for my wife and my kids. Did you know you can lose your wife and your kids? You can lose them? Nothing flat. You lose your job. Lose your health. And some people have wrapped their whole lives around things they can lose. And that was their purpose in living. I know parents who have given everything for their children and their children hate their guts, despise them. What nothing to do with them? And yet they can do everything in the world for them.

But they don’t appreciate it. They expect you’re supposed to. There’s got to be something more. better to live for. But look what he says here in verse 22, but if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, what I’m going through. Yeah what I shall choose I don’t want. I’m in a straight betwixt to having a desire to depart and to be with Christ and you ought to underline this in your back, which is far better.

This is far better. In other words Paul always lived what I know that eventually I’m gonna be with Christ it’ll be far better. So we know and we live and go through whatever it is because we know there’s something better. But that’s in the next life. But can God help me in this life? Can He help me now? Can He meet my needs? Can He give me the strength and the grace that I need to go through whatever these problems may be?

I believe that He can. Let me read this to you. Nothing left to do but fling, tear aside, and simply cling. One billow passed another rolls to meet thee, across thine onward track. On every side new trial seems to greet thee, as if to turn thee back. Until thy soul overwhelmed in darkness sinking can raise some mis-of-eyes, yield to his will, And while thy flesh is shrinking, his purpose recognized. Oh, that’s good. But I would always read and I would clip out little things and then I put them all in one piece of paper.

Some of these I’ve got over 40 years ago. I was with Dr. Lee Robertson, who was the president of Tennessee Temple. I was 22 years old and I went to go to Bible school and I went to summer school. And because I had a lot of people that I led to Lord, he asked me if I would be the first full-time soul in a for Tennessee Temple. And I was in his office one day and he gave me a book called Crowded to Christ.

And I was going through so many trials and tribulations. My wife and kids was in another state, I’m living in a rescue mission. All kinds of things was going wrong and he gives me this book after a few months and says I want you to read this. And I would sit there late at night and I would read this book. And it would talk about the trials of your faith. In other words, understanding that there’s a God who has a higher purpose in your life.

Did you know one of the greatest things you can live for is the purpose of which God created you for? And when you don’t know what it is, it’s like you’re always searching, always trying to find it, but never arrive. And there’s people who live their whole lives and never find out what is it that God had for me. What did God want for me? And they stripped themselves of all the reasons for living. And they simply go through life and they’re miserable.

Because see, the true inward joy comes from the inside of knowing that all of it’s true and you believe it. And that faith in what God says is worth living for. It’s the power that you need to restrain yourself from doing things that you shouldn’t do. But God’s ways have never ceased to be through the impassable and the impossible. Terror and rage must give place to trust. To be wrecked a right brain’s relief, relief instead of rage. In other words, when you know that there is no other way for you to get something done make something happen and you’re at the last you have to trust the Lord and see what God’s gonna do.

Can God get me out of this? And that’s what God wants. You know when God looks upon the whole earth, remember it makes his statement, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for a man whose heart is right, that God can make him strong on his behalf. God is looking for The one thing, He’s looking for faith. He’s looking for somebody who has faith in Him. When God wants to get a great work accomplished, He’s looking for the man that has the faith in Him to do the work.

And God will use Him. Wrecked outright on Jesus’ breath. Only wrecked souls thus can sing. Little boats that hung the shore, fearing what the storm may bring. find on Jesus’ breast all that wrecks souls made by rest. So from the time that you’re an infant to old age, let it be forever settled in your mind. You know, I was watching TV one night and they were advertising anti-aging cream. Anybody ever seen anything like that? Anti-aging cream. So believe it or not, I have developed an anti-aging pill.

You take it and guarantees you will not age another moment. And it contains arsenic. I thought I could make millions off of this. So you just take one of these pills and guaranteed anti-aging. It will just take your life and you won’t age anymore. But listen, before me lies on unknown sea, the past I leave behind. Strong waves are foaming at the prah, the sails bend to the wind. Sometimes I know not when or how. All things will be revealed.

And until then, content, am I, to sail with order sealed. Do you believe in can you trust the Lord to reveal things to you as you go? Or do you have to have them lay it all out for you so you can decide if you want to go or not? I had to make up my mind years ago, I’m going to serve the Lord. I don’t know what’s down the road. I don’t care. I’m going to follow the Lord wherever He leads me.

I will go. Nothing else matters. The winds, the waves, It doesn’t matter. I am supposed to live believing that my Heavenly Father will not lead me astray, and yet, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me, and he will comfort me. Because I know when it’s all over with, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Because I can see past this life so that I can enjoy it while I’m here because I have this hope.

My joyful anticipation, it’s all true, though I cannot see it. I believe it to be real. Once it was my working, his it hence shall be. Once I tried to use him, now he uses me. You realize how many people go through life trying to use God. They just want God to be their sugar daddy, their Santa Claus. But they have no desire to love him, to walk with him, and be content with his presence. And be joyful in the things of the Lord has nothing to do with things, has nothing to do with help, has nothing to do with wealth.

It is the Lord’s presence himself that means so much to you. It will cause you to have the strength and the grace that you need to want to walk with and please him. I want you to take your Bible and look in Ephesians chapter 2. We know that we’re saved by grace. Ephesians 2, 8, 9 says so. For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works. Last day, the man should boast.

Somewhere along the line, somebody explained that to us and we believed it. But God didn’t take us home the day we trusted him. Well, wouldn’t that have solved a lot of problems? If He took us all of the heaven, the moment we trust the Lord, there would have been nobody here to tell me about the Lord. So God left us here so that we can tell a few more. But look in verse 11, wherefore remember that ye been in time past Gentiles in the flesh who were called on circumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, been aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world.

There’s three things that I see in that one verse, without Christ, without God, without hope. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the Clear Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. Now a closing thought from Tester Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us down below. toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans chapter 14. Make sure you have a Bible. Everybody knows, especially if you know Christ is your Savior and have a little Bible knowledge, that one day when we leave this world, we’re going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ is an important thing because the Bible says that we are going to give an account. Look there in verse 10, but why does Thou judge Thy brother or why does Thou set it not Thy brother?

for we shall and get this all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. In other words, instead of us judging one another just to realize there is someone that is going to judge us. And that’s because we’re going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ. So I’m going to be judged. You’re going to be judged. But now we’re not going to be judged to see if we get to go to heaven. We’re already there. This is a judgment that takes place in heaven for all believers.

So when you trust Christ as your Savior, you will go to heaven when you die and then stand at the Judgement City of Christ. The Judgement City of Christ is a rewarding stand where God is going to reward you for what you did. Now notice what he says in verse 12. Verse 12, very important verse. So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Now do you believe the Bible? verse is just as important as John 3 16, Ephesians 2, 8, 9, 1 John 5, 13, where it says you can know you have eternal life.

We should know that we’re going to stand before the Lord, and we should know that we’re going to have to give an account of what we’ve done since we’ve been saved. Our sins is not the issue because they’ve been paid for, and that price has been paid once and for all. We’re not going to pay for sins, but we’re going to suffer the loss of what we could could have had. Now he says that if someone brings to someone a cup of cold water only in the name of the disciple, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

So rewards once they’re earned are laid up in heaven and you’ve laid up treasure in heaven that you cannot lose. Thieves can’t get it. It doesn’t rust. It doesn’t corrupt. So your rewards that you’ve laid up in treasures are eternal treasures, they’re eternal rewards. So you can’t lose rewards once they’re earned. The Bible does talk about us having a full reward. In other words, the servant of the Lord with all your heart, all your life. It’s one thing to start serving the Lord.

It’s one thing to finish up your life, still serving the Lord. So we wanna run a race, but we wanna finish the race. We wanna finish our course. And it’s not finished because you got tired and quit serving the Lord. In this verse 12, he says, shall give an account of himself to God. He says, all of our works that are, hey, wouldn’t stubble are going to be burned up. It means they’re going to be by the discerning eye of Jesus Christ.

And there could be big bonfires up there waiting for some of us that we thought we had a lot of good works laid up and find out that was just trash. Because our motives weren’t right, we didn’t do what we did for the Lord because we loved Him. There’s no doubt going to be some of us, and I may be one of them, may have to give an account to the Lord and tell them why I failed. All says in the book of Corinthians, it says, just nothing before the time.

He says, I’m not even worthy to judge my own self. And he says, when we get to heaven, he says, then, every man shall have praise of God, but not until then. I titled today’s message called, How I Fail God. Would it today we were to stand before the Lord? And today we have to give an account. And God wants us to give an account and tell them why we failed him. What would you say? What would be your reason?

Remember, you’re talking to God Almighty. I mean somebody that knows everything. Knows everything that you did. Knows what you didn’t do. Knows what you could have done. Knows all of your potential. 1 Corinthians and chapter 9. This is a tremendous chapter. I’m looking in verse 24. Would you be saying to the Lord, Lord, I failed because I followed the path of least resistance. In life, you’d be surprised how many people are always looking for the path of least resistance.

They don’t want to war. They don’t want to fight. They just want to get through life happily without a struggle. But they don’t want to do anything that causes anybody any discomfort or offense in any way. But did you know that the gospel is offensive? The truth of the Word of God is offensive. Jesus Christ, just look at the world, is offensive to a lot of people. God, the Bible, Christianity is offensive to this world. If you’re going to serve the Lord, Christ says, he said, look what they do to me.

Shall the servant have it better than the master? If they do this to me, what do you think they’re going to do to you? And if you will live godly in this present world, you shall suffer what? Persecution. Now, if you’re not suffering some kind of persecution, you may not be living as godly as you ought to be. You may not be taken to stand that you ought to take because you’re afraid of that. And so in order to not to have that happen, some people don’t serve the Lord at all.

Looking verse 24, no you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain and every man that strive for the master is tempered or self-controlled in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so fight not as uncertain be so fight I not as one that beeth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection.

Unless by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. He says, I take this body of mine and I discipline my body. I bring my body into subjection. I make my body my servant, not my master. And because of that, he says, when I preach to others, I don’t want to be a castaway or a person who’s rejected, disapproved that you didn’t run the race right. you ran a race but you didn’t run it right.

And he says you’re disciplined in all areas. You see you can have a hundred head of cattle inside of a fence and have ten gates, close nine of them but you can still lose all of your herd who because you didn’t close that one gate. Your character has to be right in every area or you’ll lose your character through one area of your life not guarded. So you have to guard your life in every area of your life. But you would not want to say when you get to heaven, I failed you Lord, because I followed the path of least resistance.

I didn’t run well. I didn’t resist the devil. I gave in. You don’t want that to be said. But one day we’re going to give an account to the Lord for what we did. The Bible teaches that. Look in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, look there in verse 24. You don’t want to give to the Lord a reason. You’re excused. They say, excuse is nothing but a reason stuff with a lie. We’re going to tell the Lord, remember God is perfect.

But there has to be a reason why we fail. You see, no Christian has to fail. We fail because it’s a choice and we made bad decisions in our life. But a lot of time we don’t like to own up to the decisions that we make and we already blame somebody else. You know that started in the Garden of Eden, that old blame game. Adam, it was that woman you made. It was that serpent that did it. Everybody got to blame somebody for why they do what they do instead of just saying, I did it.

So he says here in Hebrews in chapter 10 and verse 24, he said, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more as you see the day approaching would you say that you are a dedicated person to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see how do you know that when you’re really dedicated to God? Well if you serve God out of convenience means I’ll serve the Lord if it’s convenient for me.

I go to church if it’s convenient. Now I give if it’s convenient and I’ll I’ll pray when it’s convene. I’ll read the Bible when it’s convenient. But some things are just not convenient, so therefore I don’t do that. We alienate ourselves from good Christian fellowship. Whenever it says they’re not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together, the UC is the day approaches that more people are forsaken the assembling of themselves together, with God’s people. And yet this is what God wants us to do, but we reason in our mind is not that important.

There’s a reason why we do what we do. There’s always reasons. A man can justify anything that he wants to do, or not do. And the Bible says that every one of us, not here to judge everybody else, but to judge ourselves, to examine our own lives and say, why did I fail the Lord? Why did I not do what God wanted me to do? Ask yourself this question. Who wants me to go to church? God did. The preacher didn’t make this up.

This is his idea. He didn’t design the walk of a Christian that’s all revealed in the scriptures. Upon the first day of the week, we’re to come together. And so this is what God wants us to do. But what would you miss church for? Think for a moment. What would you miss church for? I believe even when you travel on the road, stop into somebody’s church. Be a blessing to somebody. You go on vacation, man. Don’t take a vacation from God.

Drop in on somebody and listen. You love how to hear a good sermon someplace on the road. Some that might change your life. You might be a blessing to somebody. Try to put things in a proper perspective. God says what He required us to do, we’re going to give a count. He says we have been put in trust with the gospel even so we speak, not as please in men, but God which tryeth our heart. You realize that we’re going to have to give an account to God.

What did we do with the gospel? He trusted us. Did you fail Him? Did you let Him down? We’ll have to give an account to the Lord on this. There’s a lot of things that God has required of us as His children. We’ve got to give an account like it or not. I won’t be judging you. You won’t be judging me. But it’s something that God says He’s going to require of us. If a man have a friend and if he falls down, he’s got a brother to help him up.

Well, that’s because they’re strength. When people are joined together in unity and they help and encourage one another. Everybody needs a friend. If you got more than five, you’re truly blessed. But if you get three or four friends, personal friends, that you can really talk to and have different, you’re rich individual. You don’t have to have a lot. Most people never do. You can go to a church of a thousand people, and you’ll have about 20 people that you’ll know real good.

You can go to a small church, and you’ll have about 20 people that you know real good. See, it doesn’t change it because there’s a lot more people. In Romans 13 and verse 14, He says put on the Lord Jesus Christ Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof You know what many Christians do in their life they make provision for the flesh it means you’re providing an opportunity for the flesh To be satisfied You know why a lot of Christians get in trouble because they make provision for the flesh There’s many things in the Word of God that God does not condemn you don’t see old verse in your says thou shot not smoke Thou shall not drink coolers You know you can go through a whole lot of things not not in there But it does say that not to make provision for the flesh

That your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Which is of God and you’re a glorified God in your body and in your spirit Which are gods the verses that Tim read this morning? So we are to make provision for the right thing and not to make provision for the wrong thing. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make not provision for the right. In other words, you make provision for the flesh, you make opportunities to get in trouble.

You watch the wrong things and see if it doesn’t get you think in the wrong way. You see the wrong thing and it can permeate your mind. We’re gonna have to given account to the Lord why we fail. And if you fail, is it going to be because I indulge myself in the sinful lustful appetites? And this is why I didn’t do what God wanted me to do. Galatians chapter five, look in verse 16. Says in verse 16, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Now you will have the lust of the flesh because that’s the flesh. Because when God saved you. He didn’t change their old sinful nature. He just simply gave you a new nature, a new birth. And you now have a choice. You can yield yourself to the Lord or you can still yield yourself to the flesh. And if a Christian yields to the flesh, he’s going to have the works of the flesh and you’re not going to like the results.

And he says, be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever man saw it, that shall he also reap. So many people reap what they sow. He says, be not deceived because a lot of people are deceived. And then in verse 17 says, for the flesh lusts against the Spirit. Whenever you feed the flesh or make provision for the flesh, you’re causing a war on your own. You’re making war. And that’s what wars against the soul of a man, as it says in the book of Peter.

We have enough trouble as it is without making trouble. says you don’t trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. Well, you’re causing trouble to trouble you because whenever you feed the flesh, you’re you’re you’re creating a little monsters inside of you that’s going to war against your soul and you’re not going to have the peace and joy that you want. And you’ll find why a lot of Christians, even preachers, evangelists, missionaries fall in the sin for the simple reason they feed the flesh.

They made provision, opportunities to get in trouble. He makes the statement here in verse 17. Now flesh lusteth against the spirit the spirit against the place and these are contrary the one to the other. So if you want to be spiritually strong why would you make provision for the flesh? Why would you want to go to places you shouldn’t go? Why would you want to watch things you shouldn’t watch? Why do you want to hang around people that you shouldn’t hang around because they won’t make you strong?

You can’t have it both ways. So if you want to be spiritually strong it’s like you got to love the wheat of the flowers but you got to hate weeds because the weeds destroy the flowers. If the Lord was to tell you, why did you fail me? And you’ll have to tell your story. Well, I looked at things that I shouldn’t have looked at. I had a lot of it. So I saw all the inconsistency in other people. I’ve had people say, I’d go to church, but there’s so many hypocrites that church.

Just pull a hypocrites. I know those people over there. I said, there’s hypocrites where you work, you still go to There’s hypocrites at the grocery store. You still go get groceries? I says the whole world is full of hypocrites and you’re probably one of them Everybody’s a hypocrite Nobody does everything right the way they should everybody puts on a little bit of a front Not everybody’s is always that open and honest Everybody’s a little be a little deceptive in some way We don’t want everybody to know everything about our thoughts everything we say and did that was wrong the shame that would come no look what he says in verse 8 finally brethren what’s your things are true what’s your things are honest what’s your thing or just what’s your thing to pure what’s your things are lovely what’s your things are of a good report if

there be any virtue and if it be any praise and you ought to underline these words think on these things learn how to think think the way God wants you to think and it’ll help you to control your eyes and your ears and your tongue. Look in 2 Corinthians in chapter 10. In verse 12 it says, for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. But they measuring themselves, and by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, you’re not wise.

We’re to run a race and there’s a course that we don’t always understand. God may move you here, move you here, step here, step there, bless, take it away. There’s always things going on in our life just like in a person’s life. You may have been in times in your life where you’ve had a lot of money. Then there’ll be time when you don’t have a lot of money. There’ll be times when you’ll have a good help and then there’ll be times when you don’t have good help.

Well, what’s the key? What are you supposed to do when you go through all these things? Be faithful to do what you can with what you have, where you are, with what talents and abilities that God has given to you. And it doesn’t matter because, see, there’s always somebody who wants to judge something and I can tell you this. Job’s three friends that he had that put him down and always had the answers. Well, see, they got married and had kids and there’s a lot of Job’s friends still around.

But sometimes cannot even look and examine their own life to see whether or not, why am I doing what I’m doing? Not how are they doing, what are they doing or not doing? Every man shall give a count of himself to God. Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own work. There’s a God in heaven that’s going to judge us. So we don’t have to judge one another, but we know that we’re going to have to give an account to the Lord.

And we may have to tell the Lord, why was I a failure? Why didn’t I do what I should have done with my life? Take your Bible and turn to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 6. You may have to say something like this, Lord, I failed you because I united with worldly people and organizations. I joined up with the wrong crowd. I followed the path of least resistance. I did what everybody else did. You know, one of the problems that most people have is they look at whatever somebody else is doing or not doing, and they compare themselves, and God says, that’s measuring yourself by somebody else’s not wise.

You want to compare yourself among somebody and compare yourself with Christ and what Christ said. Are you doing, what I’m doing as much as everybody else is, and I didn’t ask you that. Are you doing what he asked you to do? That’s what you compare yourself with. You want to compare yourself about how good I am. Yeah, but compare yourself with who is perfect. Now, how you doing now? And always keep things in their proper perspective and you’ll be all right.

But look what he says in verse 14 of chapter six, he says, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion have light with darkness. So God says, unbelievers should not unite with believers, believers with unbelievers. And even if you’re a believer in Christ, you should unite with somebody who knows know the Lord. So that a believer who loves the Lord should only unite with the person who knows the Lord and loves the Lord.

So it won’t matter whether or not you convinced everybody else you were right or I was right. It doesn’t matter how many people believe in you. Is it did you or did you not obey the book? God’s the one that we have to account to. And so we’re not right or wrong based upon how many people agree with us. Truth is truth. Truth doesn’t change. because it’s truth and if it’s not true it’s still wrong. Look in 1 Corinthians in chapter 10, look in verse 23.

Some of the reasons might be is I rode the fence and my Christian testimony, in other words I just didn’t get on one side of the other and we’re kind of like in Revelation chapter 3 some people are just Luke warm. They’re not hot for the Lord. They’re not really cold. They just Luke warm. We call them fence straddlers. Luke, what does God say about those that are loot warm? He says it makes him sick and makes him want to bomb him out of his mouth.

That’s a Christian who’s not committed. He plays a little bit on both sides. Goes to church a little bit, reads a little bit. Does everything just a little bit to keep God off his back, but nothing serious. Never gets really serious about the things of God. And here in 1 Corinthians 10, all things lawful for me. Lawful for me, but all things are not expedient all things are love of me But all things edify not just keep these two words in mind expedient and edify Not all things has to be done.

Oh, you so I got the right to do anything. I want to do Yeah, but if you love the Lord and you love people You have to find out is it expedient do I need to do that? Do I need to do that? does it edify If whatever I’m doing that I can discern from myself because a lot of things that’s not in the Bible But there’s principles laid down in Scripture Well, then I should use the scriptures to discern whether or not I should do this or do that because Let’s say my wife was to pass away and here.

I am. I’m a single man Do I lawfully have the right to remarry? Yes, I do But that doesn’t mean that it would be wise for me to do so. It may not be wise It may not be that’s what God it may not be expedient may not be that it’s wrong But it might not help me to be the best that I can be for the Lord. I Can go to a dance I can go to a rock and roll dance But I don’t believe it will be expedient for me.

I don’t be necessary. I don’t I don’t believe it’s gonna try to help me spiritually I believe that might be making provision for the flesh wouldn’t you I don’t believe it’ll edify me. I don’t believe going to a dance and watching those women out there jumping all over and gyrating and so forth and making all these sexual movements. I don’t think it’s going to help my mind towards spiritual things. Well, you see, I don’t have to have a verse in the Bible that says, you can’t do that.

But I question the wisdom of individuals who can’t discern, so you have to warn. Most people do exactly what they want to do. But they’ll ride the fence. verse 31 of the same chapter. He says, whether therefore ye eat or drink or what whoever ye do do all to the glory of God. If whatever it is you do, you can say, I’m doing this for God’s honor, for God’s glory. Then go ahead. Do it. You’re the one and I’m the one that’s going to have to stand before the Lord.

We should examine ourselves and you cannot examine yourself with a good microscope if you don’t have a good discerning understanding of the Word of God. Because if you can’t understand the truth, the Bible is the lens by which you examine yourself. You can’t close your Bible and say, well, I don’t see anything wrong with me. Well, when you look into the perfect law of liberty, the mirror of Shinzo God and it reflects upon yourself and you say, oh, I see dirt there.

I see dirt there. I see dirt there. I see dirt there. And then you go your own way as though you saw nothing. Immediately forgetting what manner of man he was. When you look into the mirror of the Word of God, you’re supposed to let the water of the word cleanse you. Are you afraid God may talk to you? You afraid God may speak to you? Make God may want to speak to you? something in your life, it’ll make that day a lot better for you.

The last thing is I 379 eliminated Bible reading and prayer. You know I’ve never seen a Christian if they will do these two things, drift too far from God. But if you leave off, you’re not going to stay very strong. And that is if you’ll spend time reading the word because that’s how God speaks to you. And if you’ll spend time talking to God, it’ll help you. You see, you can’t truly pray right between you and God in a submissive humble attitude and casting all of your cares upon the Lord and requesting things from God.

If it’s genuine, that’s genuine. The rest of your life will take care of itself. But you don’t do that and you don’t read and you don’t pray. Your Christian life’s a mess because this is the only way that personally you can stay close. You can’t stay close but because you stay around people who stay close. What do you think joy is? The joy of the Lord is not something you get against from somebody and you’re rubbed by osmosis and it just jumps into your body?

Joy is something that happens between you and God. It’s a personal thing. The joy of the Lord is my what? Strength. And without the joy of the Lord, there is no strength. And that’s why there are so many Christians that are weak. And it says some are sick and some are dead. How? Now I fail God. Look up here. Letting this hand represent you and me, the wallet represents sin. Now we all have sin on us. God says that He loves us.

He hates our sin. You see, we committed the sin so we ought to pay for it though. Payment for that is death and hell. It’s not going to church. It’s not giving money. The payment for sin is death. So I commit it. I’m guilty, I gotta pay. Eternal separation from God, in hell. But God loves me, wants me to go to heaven. And to go to heaven, I’ve gotta be perfect because right is God, no sin. Cause see, heaven is perfect and God is perfect and I have to be perfect to go there.

There’s the problem. Because of my sin, I can’t get in. The Lord says that I can’t save myself. I need a sager. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord, God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from Him. So what Christ did for one person He did for everybody? Christ took all the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back again from the dead.

And God said that if we would believe He did it for us, He would put that payment to our account and we will get to go to heaven on what He did. See, I didn’t earn it,adiq didn’t work for it, I don’t deserve it. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourself, it’s the gift of God, not of works, let’s any man should vote. That’s the best news in the world. And you can know that you’re going to heaven when you die, it’s the best news in all the world.

No tricks to it, no guinea. Let’s pray, shout it. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services mayohydrate going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and everyday, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

And so in your own life, when you study the Word of God, and you understand the meaning of the Word, it becomes power, in your life. Like we’ve said before, when he says, the gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone, that believe it. Well, also the word of God tells us that to those who do not believe, the gospel, it’s to them, it’s foolishness, but unto us, which are saved, it is the power of God.

So that the word of God and the gospel itself, is the power that motivates the believer to do what he does. You take away the power or the understanding of the meaning of the Word of God and you have no power to do what you ought to do. Why do you think it is when you take teenagers to count and you give them nothing but the Word of God? It changes their lives. But if they get away from the Word of God, then their lives go back the way it was.

So you have to continually keep reading and studying and feeding upon the Word of God, and it becomes the power to maintain the Christian walk. You get away from church, you stop reading your Bible, you don’t have devotions, you don’t read, you don’t do anything like that. And you cannot, and you will not stay strong in the Lord. And then you’ll wonder why the Lord is not real to me. Well, what did the, why should he be? Because the Word isn’t real to you.

So you understand the meaning, and that’s why you study. And if you don’t study and don’t understand the meaning, it’s just like, yes, is the gospel powerful? Yes, but aren’t there a lot of people who read the Bible, but don’t understand the gospel? Preachers that preach and don’t understand the gospel because when you don’t understand it, there’s no power, no power, they don’t give it. And so there’s a lot of people’s lives never changed. See, I do not try to change people’s lives.

I believe that if I teach the Word and you understand it, if you ever get the mean, it’ll change you. Don’t you think that’s the way it ought to work? The Word of God is the power that you need. So when he makes a statement here in the book of Hebrews in chapter 4, for the Word of God is quick. It’s alive, it’s powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. Pearson even to the dividing of Sunday of soul and spirit, the discern of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

You want to understand yourself, study the word of God, because you get away from the word of God and the thing that swells up inside of you all the time will be pride. And then it’ll be me, mine, mine, and I can see me and what I want. And it’s all about me. But when you get into the word and start studying the word, it’s all about the Lord. And so you can tell an awful lot because of what God’s word means.

And now look down in verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest. So what is this high priest? Someone that goes to God on your behalf. So I need wisdom. I need help. I need strength. I need grace. I need understanding. I need compassion. I need some love. I need some peace of mind. I need all of this. whatever your need is. I have a high priest that is passed into the heavens. Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession.

In other words, I’ve got someone that represents me there. I know that I believe that and I might as well capitalize on it. Wouldn’t it be a shame for you to have a high priest, but you never used him? So you don’t go to the Lord about anything. You never talk to the Lord. That’s why when he says, uh, I’m asking God the Father for this in Jesus’ name. Why do you say in Jesus’ name? Because He’s my high priest that represents and intercedes for me.

So I’m praying to the Father, but through the Son, in His name, because of Him. And so that’s why we try to say and do everything we do for His honor, for His glory, because I want Him to represent Me. He still intercedes me. ministry. You see, He was the Savior of the world. He was the prophet. And now, during this church age, He is the priest. He intercedes for us. Why? Because you need some help. He is to help you.

When He makes the statement in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13, He is our helper. Now, if I need anything and He is my helper, do you think that I’m between the two of us, we can’t get it done. If he’s my helper, if I had the powerful, most strongest man of all, walk inside by side with me and he can handle anybody and everybody, what am I afraid of? There’s Peter Amato. Oh, he’s big. He probably works for the mafia.

I mean, he just looks, I just look at him. Look at him. He’s big, tall, He looks just like one of those guys and he’ll do yin. He’ll knock you off. He’ll put concrete shoes on you. But if I know the Lord and He can take you, I don’t have to worry about that guy. That was a dumb illustration, wasn’t it? But look what he says now in verse 15, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.

In other words, your failures, your weaknesses, your shortcomings, you don’t measure up, your defeat, your depression, all these things where you come up, sure you need help, you need strength. And that’s why it’s always good to know I can go to the Lord. He enders seeds for me. He will help me. And that’s why he says in verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne to grow I got somebody who totally understands. And it says that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

And we’re all going to have times of need. One of the reason God allows us to have time of need is it forces us to go to the Lord. God wants us to walk with him, to talk to him. So we have a high priest, and that’s the ministry that is going on at this present time. But look there in Hebrews in chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7. In Hebrews chapter 7, look in verse 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that means totally, completely, that’s another word is called eternal security.

To eternally secure you, that come unto God by him, seeing he and here’s why. liveth, ever liveth to make intercession for them. So he ever liveth, he doesn’t die and then somebody else has to be the hybrid, he ever liveth to intercede. Now because of what God’s Word says and what’s going to take place, I know that eventually one of these days we’re going to all be with the Lord and he says he’s going to come and get us and then he’s He’s gonna take us to the kingdom.

And the kingdom upon this earth, the kingdom has to have a king, a king. So he is the prophet and he’s the priest and he’s coming one day and he’s gonna be the king. And if he’s going to be the king, is there anything in the word of God that talks about Jesus being the king? It’s just mentioned in the Old Testament over and over and over again. That’s why he has to be of the son of David, tribe of Judah.

He’s going to be the king. And when he came, I’ll remember it says in the book of Matthew in chapter 2 and verse 2, where is he that is born king of the Jews? He was born a king. We did a cantata one time and I’d say it’s called born a king. He was born a king. But anyway, he is the king and a king has to have a kingdom. he’s going to set up his kingdom upon the earth called the kingdom of heaven.

And that’s why when you read, instead of the book of Matthew, you have where he sets up and proves by his genealogy that he had the right to claim the throne of Israel. He has the right to be the king. And because of that, they never said that you don’t have a right because he was of the right line. He did have a right. He had the authority. He could have been the king. He should have been the next king.

But… He was rejected and crucified. So one day the king will come back to this earth. Now take your Bible and look there in the book of Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19. And notice in verse 11, you see the first time he came as a lamb to die. This time he doesn’t come back as a lamb, but the scripture does tell us that they were afraid because of the wrath of the Lamb. I’ve never seen a Lamb get upset, but now there’s going to be the wrath of the Lamb.

Here He says in verse 11, And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse. A hay that said on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he doth judge and make war. See, he was the ruler and the judge, and he is what Moses said he was going to be from among you, from out of the midst of you. And he says he’s going to make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire in his head were many crowns.

He had a name written that no man knew but himself, and he was clothed with a vestredipped in blood. And his name is called the Word of God, when who this is. The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses. I’m right behind them. I’m there’s the horse right behind them. That’s my horse. Three miles back, Peter, Motto and James, as we’re moving right along. And he says there in verse 15, and out of his mouth go, if they sharp sword, which is the Word of God that we studied over there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 4 and verse 12, that with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.

That means that when he sets up his kingdom, nobody gets away with anything. So if a man slaps you on one cheek, don’t worry about it. Just turn the other cheek. Jesus is ruling here. If a man wants to sue you and take your coat, don’t worry. Give him two coats. Compare you go with go two miles. Don’t worry about it. Lord’s here and he’ll take care of it. See, a lot of the kingdom rules of how he’s going to rule is in the book of Matthew.

So many people go to the book of Matthew and they take all those things that are applied to the kingdom and apply them to now. They don’t belong here. That’s how he’s going to rule. And that’s why he set up his cabinet. That’s why he lay down his constitution, the rules of how he’s going to rule his kingdom. And so here he’s coming back and he’s going to rule with a rot of iron. And then he makes WATCHED the statement in verse 16, and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

There is nobody over him. God has given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father. And that word Lord, I mean to you, Yes, he is the Lord. He is Jehovah. And, or is it in the Old Testament, Yahweh. But anyway, you talking about something that’s going to take place in a kingdom going to be set upon the earth.

And we’re going to rule and reign with the Lord upon this earth. Look there in Revelation in chapter 5, Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5 and on page 1335. And He makes a statement here in verse 10, and hath made us unto our God, kings and priests. We shall reign on the earth. Reign on the earth or over the earth, but we will be here and we will rule and we will reign with Him. And it says here that as kings, now who knows?

James may be the king of Florida. Peter might be the king of, yeah, okay. Okay. Ha ha ha. This is get Peter a motto day. Hey. Where’s hotter or not? Oh, this, Alaska, Alaska. And he might put me as king of Hawaii. That person went over Hawaii and they said, It’s supposed to be Hawaii or Hawaii. They say it’s Hawaii. They say, well, thank you. You’ve been welcomed. You’re alone with that. I mean, that was right up there. So what about Fred Pena?

Well, he didn’t make it. He’s going to work for James. Okay. But now take your Bible and turn there to the book of 1 Peter and chapter 2, 1 Peter 2. First Peter chapter 2, it talks about something that is the primary meaning goes to the nation of Israel because this is why God wanted Israel to be so different. they were to be the ones by which God would work through as a nation to show them what it would be like to other nations if God was their God and Israel messed up.

But notice what he says in verse 9, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. So see you and I, when we trust Christ as our Savior, all of us in the sense are like we’re we’re interceding on the behalf of others. That’s why the Scriptures tells us to pray for one another. That means you’re interceding for someone else. That’s why the Lord allows you the opportunity of going through various experiences so that you can be a good priest.

Christ came into the world and he learned obedience by the things that he suffered. He suffered so that he could be the perfect high priest in representing us because he knows what it’s like to be human. You and I don’t really sometimes sympathize with others who hurt because we haven’t faced what they’ve had to face. So the Lord in order to increase your ministry allows you to experience more and more the longer you live so that you can be comforted by God so that you’re able to comfort others with the comfort wherewith you were comforted.

So if you’re going to be a priest don’t you want to be a good one? Don’t you really want to be genuine and when you say some I feel your pain you really can feel their pain. I know how you think or I know how you feel you can really say that because you have gone through something like that. Now we can’t, we’re not the perfect intercepts because we haven’t experienced everything like everybody has but you can always be comforting and you can always pray and intercede.

That’s why praying for one another is a form of intercessory prayer to intercede for others. You are a priest. There are people who are experiencing all kinds of things and God allows you to be a part of other people’s lives. There are people who don’t want to be a part of anybody’s life. They just want to be a loner. Stay away from everybody. Do nothing for nobody. Just me and that’s all. But, missed not on so much. Do you know it’s such a blessing over the years to see people that you’ve seen and talked to and prayed for?

And then somebody called you and said, no, thank you so much for praying for me. You have no idea what I was going to, but I really appreciate you praying for me. Or it encourages people to know, you know, Peter Motto has been praying for me, or Rick Ryder has been praying for me, or somebody’s been doing it because, but it helps people. It encourages people. It means they know you went to the Father through the Son on my behalf because I have infirmities, I have weaknesses, I have problems.

And so therefore I want to be a good high priest. I don’t want to just be a pastor, I want to be an intercessor, I want to help people. And though I may not be able to help you all individually, I can still talk to the Lord on behalf of every one of you. True? Well, can’t you do the same thing? Do you pray for me? You know, when I got back, I had people say, we’ve been praying for you.

We’ve been praying for you. Did you know that there’s a possibility if you hadn’t been praying for me? I might not have learned what I’ve learned. I might not have been a blessing like I was. And maybe I could have done a lot more. But the Lord just works things out. And there’s people that are hurting right now. There’s people in the hospital. There’s people that’s got bad knees and bad ankles and you know bad hearts and bad lungs and bad blood.

The bodies are falling apart the longer we live. Do you know anybody like that? Do you need prayer? That’s why you say look and you encourage others. Look pray for me. I was Got up that one morning and the guy that works with Dennis Rosker up there. He comes about to pick me up every morning at 8 o’clock. So we get in the car and we’re driving down the road and he says, let’s have a prayer for the day.

And I says, are you going to pray? You want me to pray? He says, I’ll pray. I say, you’re going to keep your eyes open. I mean, the guy’s driving the car. I just wanted to make sure that I knew him by my head. Well, we were praying. So he’s driving and he just starts praying. Eyes wide open. Lord, thank you for such a beautiful day. Boy, you have been so good to us. All the coolness in the air.

We feel so good. We thank you for our health. And Lord, we go into the meeting and we just pray. And he went on for about 10 minutes until we got there and he said, amen. And I’m used to praying. And when I’m driving on a road, I’m not praying to myself. I’ll talk and I’ll pray. But this guy kind of shook me up a little bit. The next morning, God in the car, eight o’clock, he says, you want to pray?

Yeah. I want to make sure he didn’t close his eyes while I was having my eyes open. Anyway, a lot of fun. But you can enter seed for other people. Did you know that your wife might need some prayer? Or did you just take it for granted? You know your husband might need some? You know you got kids, you got grandkids. You know they might need some prayer. You know the preacher might need some today. How many of y’all pray for Mike over here?

You know look at Mike. Don’t he look like he needs prayer. He needs prayer. I mean, you take about Dan down here. Dan needs a lot of prayer. I used to tell people, they said, well, I’m praying for you. I said, well, I appreciate that. I need the prayer and you need to practice. Sometimes you say things and you say, well, I shouldn’t have said that. But you’ll take Mrs. Seimor sitting right here. Do you realize that she’s living with Jim Seismor?

She needs prayer. Don’t you need prayer? She needs it, see there? But everybody needs prayer. She’d take about Gary Steffin’s his old wife. She’s a sweet lady. But look who she’s living with. She needs prayer. She needs a lot of help. But really in sincerity everybody needs some. It wasn’t the last time you prayed for Mr. Polson or Mrs. Polson. What about Lynn? What about Sandy? What about Tom back there? You know, Tom will call up here every day and say, I want to pray for y’all.

So we put him on the speaker phone, and so we’ll listen to Tom and he’ll have prayer for us. Don’t pray long, but we know Tom’s prayed for us. You’d be surprised how many people are hurting, and you may not even know. But God may put somebody up in, you know sometimes when you can’t sleep at night, and you wake up and you can’t sleep, you don’t have to do. start pitching people’s minds and start praying for that person.

You got somebody that’s really, you know, they’re like a burn of the saddle, you know, like you got a splinter in your foot, you know, somebody that’s a constant pain, you know, maybe God wants you to pray for them. Now, you can chew them out, you can bless them out, you can tell people about them, but if really pray for them, to where they actually know and believe that you really do care, that it can change your life. But that’s one of the things that God is allowing you on the behalf of others because you are, you’re a high priest.

You’re a priest that she says right here, a royal priesthood, a holy nation that peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time pass were not of people or now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, strangers and pilgrims. Strangers means you’re away from home, pilgrims means you’re going home.

So in the meantime, help each other in the journey and pray for one another. one another. So y’all pray for all the deacons, pray for all their wives, pray for their kids, pray for the Sunday school teachers, pray for their want to workers. You know you stop from thinking about it, there’s a lot to pray for. There’s a lot of people hurting. Pray for our country, pray for the election. I mean, talk to the Lord about it. We can talk to everybody else about everything we don’t like and know what we like.

But when talked to the Lord, talk to the Lord. Look up here, this is you and me. This is sin. I got me some beautiful sin this week. So my gave me a new wallet. Every time I pull out this wallet I’m gonna think about the person that gave it to me. That’s not a good idea. I don’t know if that’s a good amount. I connect him with sin. No. This is sin. I mean, you and me. The Bible says that we’re all born in this world with a sinful nature and that’s why we sin.

God says he loves us. He hates our sin, but he loves us. But the payment for sin, the wages, death and hell. Now God loves us once us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven, we have to be perfect. His righteousness is God, but we’re not perfect. We’re not righteous. We’re sinners. And because of sin, we can’t get in. And God says, you can’t earn eternal life. You cannot work your way to heaven. It’s not by your good deeds.

There is none righteous, not one. There’s none that doeth good, not one. So we can’t do good to get to heaven because there is none good. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord. He’s God in the flesh. He came into this world because He loves us, loves the whole world. He hates our sin, all of our sins, but he loves us. So he took our sins and he paid for them. Came back from the dead and said, all I have to do is file believe that he did it for me.

He put that death payment to my account and I get to go to heaven on what he did. I didn’t earn that. Not only deserved it. I must send her, say, by grace. If Christ walked in here right now and offered you eternal life and you accepted, what would you have? If it’s eternal life, it lasts forever. If it lasts forever, and all your sins are paid, where would you go when you die? To heaven. So can you know you’re going to heaven before you die?

Yes. And once you trust Christ’s Savior, you become a child of God and you’re going to heaven when you die. Now you may not always live like a Christian, but you still are if you trust the Lord. But your heavenly Father may have to chase and discipline you. to our idea, take you home before your time. Serve the Lord, guard yourself. Be wise. Watch what you see and what you hear. Let’s pray, shall we? Our Father, we’re thankful so much for all that you’ve done for us.

We’re thankful for your word that we can read and study and get encouragement. To be exhorted, challenged, motivated, But Father, there’s a lot of people here that no doubt are hurting. And we need to encourage one another to pray for one another, to intercede on their behalf. And the Father, because of understanding what people go through, you allow us to many times suffer and to hurt. We don’t have all the answers, but having compassion is feeling their hurt within our heart.

And I pray, Lord, especially for those that are this ministry that are not doing too well, had various things happened to them. But we ask you to listen to upon each person here. And we want the best. Lesson the service to follow in Christ and we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live and now a closing thought from Pastor our arl. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Hot 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. 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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Deuteronomy. It’s the book of Deuteronomy, by the way it’s in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy chapter 18, Deuteronomy chapter 18. You’ve heard over and over again that Jesus Christ is the prophet, priest and king. Prophet, priest and king. He’s all those things. He’s a lot more. We’ll just kind of give you an idea. here in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18, where a prophecy is made by Moses in the Old Testament about a prophet that will come.

And if you look there in verse 15, it says, the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the mist of thee. So he’s going to be one of them from the midst of them, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall harken.” They had asked Moses the question at one time, who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? And he says, there’s going to be one that’s coming, that is a ruler and a judge.

He’s going to come. But it’s a prophecy and it’s a good prophecy and it tells us about Jesus Christ going to come. And yet in the New Testament, it refers back to this verse when it’s talking about Jesus Christ. So take your Bible and turn all the way over there now to the book of Acts and chapter 7. Acts and chapter 7. Always, always, always study the Bible. Don’t allow just what you hear on Sunday morning or Sunday night or Wednesday night be the limit of your Bible study.

You should always be studying God’s Word. And if you read it enough, you don’t have to worry about trying to memorize Scripture. It’ll just come to you naturally. You take John 3, 6, that’s a big verse. But you know if you just hear it enough, you’ll memorize that verse. But it’s mighty good verse. Here in the book of Acts, in chapter 7, I want you to look there in verse 32 where he says that this is a sermon that Stephen’s is preaching and he’s rehearsing some things into the ears of the rejectors of Jesus Christ.

And you would think by the time he finished this sermon, boy, everybody would just be right there and believe every word and probably want to put him on a pedestal and bow down and worship him. Well, that ain’t exactly how it happened. Verse 32 says, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled and thus not behold. Then said the Lord to him, put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where thou stand at this holy ground.

I have seen and I have seen the affliction of my people, which is in Egypt. So in verse 34 I underlined, I have seen.” And then in the next part of that verse, I have heard their groanings and come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send. So I have seen, I’ve heard, and I will send thee into Egypt. So God in heaven had heard the cries of His people and was going to send a A messenger.

Somebody to speak for him. A glow between. To intercede. To do something for the people in place of God. So you see a intercessor in between or a mediator is someone who kind of represents both sides and can help you. But anyway, makes a statement here. In verse 35 then Moses, whom they read. refused to say, and who made thee a ruler and a judge. The same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hands of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

He brought them out after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren. Like unto me him shall ye hear.” Now this is the quote from the Old Testament. This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which specked to him in Mount Sinai.

Hmm, that’s interesting. Before Abraham was, I am. You see, Jesus goes back a long way and they were what we call theophanes, a pre-menifestation of Christ before he came to the earth. So he had revealed himself, in many cases you’ll find when it talks about the angel of the Lord. It’s a reference to Jesus Christ himself. But anyway, he says in verse 39, to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them and in their hearts, turned back again into Egypt.

And then he kind of hit some right between the eyes. He says, you’re the same way. In verse 51, he says, you stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. Now he did not have a course on how to win friends and influence people. I mean, you stop and think about that. I mean, a preacher shouldn’t make people upset. You don’t think I would do a thing like that. He says, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You do always resist the Holy Ghost.

As your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just one, of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers. So he was prophesied to come and he came. But did Jesus, did he ever prophesy? You can read many of the prophecies of Jesus Christ. He was the fulfillment of many prophecies. Revelation chapter 19 says he is the spirit of prophecy.

In other words, He is the object of prophecy. It’s all about Christ. And so the more you study about Christ, the more you have to study about prophecy. And it talked about before He came and when He came and what He said. And see, a prophet was one who did two things mainly. They foretell and foretell. To foretell means in advance, to tell what’s going to take place before it happens. And so Jesus Christ was a prophet. And he also to tell forth.

So even when he was here, he would tell forth that which had been prophesied and verify much of the scripture and he put his stamp of approval upon the teaching of Adam and Eve, upon the flood upon Jonah. All those things that people might question, he validates. So he was a prophet in the sense that he would tell, and then when he was here, he would teach forth the Word of God. So it’s a foretell and tell forth. You and I, when the Bible talks about the New Testament about being prophets, we mainly are telling forth.

We’re telling forth and giving forth to others that which God has revealed in his word. Doesn’t mean we are profitable. We got a special revelation from God. No. So Jesus Christ, when he came, he was, he was a prophet. And the Bible says that he is a priest. Now a lot of times we don’t understand, you know, the purpose of, of what a priest does, because we don’t live in those days when they had the temple and the sacrifices and, you know, the high priest.

But… Understand that Jesus Christ was not just a prophet, but he was also, and this is not one of my points that I was going to bring out, but he was a savior. He is the savior of the world. Look there in John chapter 4. John chapter 4. And you’ll notice that it makes the statement in verse 42. This is John chapter 4 verse 42, page 11 20 in your Bible. And it makes the statement verse 42, and he said unto the woman, now we believe, not because of by saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

Now that doesn’t mean the world is saved, but he’s the only Savior of the world. He could save the world if the world would believe. So he that believeth, we saved, though that do not believe will not be saved. So Jesus Christ is a prophet, but in the midst of all of this, He is the Savior. And it was prophesied that He would come and die and make a payment for all of our sins. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans, the book of Romans in chapter 8.

Romans and chapter 8. See what’s good now is knowing that we have ourselves a high priest, someone that enter veens for us, enters seeds for us. A high priest was someone who interceded for the people. And so they were a go between God and the people. And so the high priest would offer a sacrifice for himself and for the sins of the people once a year as he went into the holy of holies and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seed.

So Jesus Christ is called a priest, but he’s a priest not after the order of Aaron, but of Melchizedek, who has an endless life and Jesus Christ is endless and the ministry that he has is because there is no end to him. Somebody else doesn’t have to take over after him. So here in the book of Romans in chapter 8, look there in verse 26. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself make it the intercession for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered.

Someone who goes on our behalf and represents us. It’s like this. I’ve had people that I’ve known, and then sometimes I have somebody with me, and I will introduce that person to the other person. When I first met Greg Steer down here, I think Peter and James was with me and they went over there with me and I introduced them to Greg and Greg to them. You’re just you know representing somebody to somebody and sometimes when you want to get a job and you know somebody works there, you would say put in a good word for me.

Would you speak to them for me. Or do you ever ask anybody, pray for me? Well, that’s interceding. That means I want you to go to the Father on my behalf. I want you to put in a good word for me. I want you to pray for me. So we do that all the time. Well, you see, Jesus Christ was the perfect high priest because he was perfect God so he could represent God. And he was a perfect man so he could represent man.

Isn’t it nice knowing that you got somebody that’s perfect and never lost a case representing you? He’s better than Perry Mason. Really is. He never loses. And so he, and you, and intercedes for you because we have infirmities. We don’t always know what to do. We don’t always know the will of God. We don’t always know what we should or should not do in every case because we’re human. But anyway, it makes intercession and look in the last part of verse 27 where it says, make it intercession for the saints to intercede for the saints.

So evidently we need somebody still to intercede for us, even though we’re saved. We need somebody to still go to the Father on our behalf. So God is very good for us. Look at our verse 34. Verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also make it intercession. So you’ve got the Holy Spirit that lives within you, that intercedes for you here, and I’ve got Christ on the throne there who intercedes for me there.

So I’ve got an intercessor here and I’ve got one there. I should be pretty well taken care of. And to help my infirmities, my weaknesses, when I need help, you and I, we have no clue how fortunate we are that we have a God that is watching over us in our life. The reason we have lived as long as we have, or even as well as we have is because there’s somebody who has been watching over us and little by little, even though we don’t always see it, God is working in our life.

And I made a statement years ago, if you put everything in God’s hands, it won’t be long before you see God’s hand in everything that you do. And some people can’t see God doing anything for them, maybe because they are trying to control everything and do it all themselves. Learn just to rest in the Lord and just trust the Lord. you’d be surprised how God will take care of everything. That’s what he does, and he does a pretty good job of it.

Take your Bible and turn there to the book of Hebrews in chapter 4. Hebrews and chapter 4. So you and I are supposed to study the word of God. And whatever of the word of God says we’re supposed to yield to it. Learn, obey, and it makes a statement in verse 12 that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. And it says it’s quick, it’s alive, it’s powerful. So whatever the word of God is, it can make you.

And when the Bible talks about, you know, the word dutamos, it’s a word we get toward dynamite. The gospel is dynamite. And then when you go to Corinthians in chapter 13, I believe it was chapter 14 where it talks about the word. Just look at this. Look over there. I don’t just see this. Look there in 1 Corinthians and chapter 14. And look in verse 11. You notice in verse 11, this is on page 1224, where it says, therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him, that speaketh, a barbarian, the word meaning comes from the same word that the power of God.

Because see, words have meaning. Words are powerful. Words can do an awful lot. And so the meaning of the word and the giving of the gospel, if it’s clear and a person can understand the meaning of the gospel, it has the power of God to save. And so in your own life, when you study the word of God and you understand the meaning of the word, it becomes power in your life. Like we’ve said before, when it says, The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it.

Well, also the word of God tells us that to those who do not believe the gospel, it’s to them, it’s foolishness, but unto us, which are saved. It is the power of God. So that the word of God in the gospel itself is the power that motivates the believer to do what he does. You take away the power or the understanding of the meaning of the Word of God and you have no power to do what you ought to do.

Why do you think it is when you take teenagers to count and you give them nothing but the Word of God? It changes their lives. But if they get away from the Word of God, then their lives go back the way it was. So So you have to continually keep reading and studying and feeding upon the Word of God and it becomes the power to maintain the Christian walk. You get away from church. You stop reading your Bible. You don’t have devotions.

You don’t read. You don’t do any of that time. And you cannot and you will not stay strong in the Lord. And then you’ll wonder why the Lord is not real to me. The Wadi Da. Why should he be? Because the Word isn’t real to you. So you understand the meaning and that’s why you study. And if you don’t study and don’t understand the meaning, it’s just like, yes. Is the gospel powerful? Yes. But aren’t there a lot of people who read the Bible but don’t understand the gospel?

Preachers that preach and don’t understand the gospel because when you don’t understand it, there’s no power. No power. They don’t give it. And so there’s a lotcms. People’s lives never change. See, I do not try to change people’s lives. I believe that if I teach the Word and you understand it, if you ever get the mean, it’ll change you. Don’t you think that’s the way itgeoned the Word? The Word of God is the power that you need. So when he makes a statement here in the book of occas in chapter 4, for the Word of God is quick.

It’s alive, it’s powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. Pears it even to the dividing of the sun, your soul, and spirit into discern the thoughts and the intents of the heart. You want to understand yourself. Study the Word of God. Because you get away from the Word of God and the thing that swells up inside of you all the time will be pride. And then it’ll be me, my, mine, and I can see me and what I want.

And it’s all about me. But when you get into the word and start studying the word is all about the Lord. And so you can tell an awful lot because of what God’s word means. And now look down in verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest. So what is this high priest? Someone that goes to God on your behalf. So I need, I need wisdom, I need help. I need strength, I need grace. I need understanding, I need compassion, I need some love.

I need some peace of mind. I need all of this. Whatever your need is, I have a high priest that is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. In other words, I’ve got someone that represents me there. I know that I believe that and I might as well capitalize on it. Wouldn’t it be a shame for you to have a high priest, but you never used him. So you don’t go to the Lord about anything.

You never talk to the Lord. That’s why when he says, I’m asking God the Father for this in Jesus’ name. Why you say in Jesus’ name? Because he’s my high priest that represents and intercedes for me. So I’m praying to the Father, but through the Son, in his name, because of him. pundits and so that’s why we try to say and do everything we do for his honor, honor for His glory because I want Him to represent Me. He still enters, he has a priestly ministry.

You see, He was the Savior of the world. He was the prophet. And now, during this church age, He is the priest. He enters seeds for us. Why? Because you need some help. He is to help you. When he makes a statement in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13, he is our helper. Now, if I need anything and he is my helper, do you think that between the two of us, we can’t get it done? If he’s my helper, if I had the powerful, most strongest man of all, walk in side by side with me and he can handle anybody and everybody, what am I afraid of?

There’s Peter Amato. Oh, he’s big. He probably works for the mafia. I mean, he just looks like just look at him. Look at him. He’s big, tall. He looks just like one of those guys. And man, he’ll do yin. He’ll knock you off. He’ll put concrete shoes on you. But if I know the Lord and he can take care, I don’t have to worry about that guy. That was a dumb illustration wasn’t it? But look what it says now in verse 15, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.

In other words, your failures, your weaknesses, your shortcomings, you don’t measure up, your defeat, your depression, all these things where you come up, sure you need help, you need strength. And that’s why it’s always good to know I can go to the Lord. He intercedes for me, He will help me. And that’s why He says in verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne to grow high. I got somebody who totally understands.

And it says that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And we’re all going to have times of need. One of the reasons God allows us to have time of need is it forces us to go to the Lord. God wants us to walk with Him, to talk to Him. So we have a high priest, and that’s the ministry going on at this present time. They’re in Hebrews in chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7.

In Hebrews chapter 7, look in verse 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that means totally, completely, that’s another word is called eternal security. To eternally secure you, that come unto God by him, seeing he, and here’s why. ever liveth, ever liveth to make intercession for them. So he ever liveth, he doesn’t die and then somebody else has to be the high priest, he ever liveth to intercede. Now because of what God’s Word says and what’s going to take place, I know that eventually one of these days we’re gonna all be with the Lord and he He says, He’s going to come and get us.

And then He’s going to take us to the kingdom. And the kingdom upon this earth, the kingdom has to have a king, a king. So He is the prophet and He’s the priest and He’s coming one day and He’s going to be the king. And if He’s going to be the king, is there anything in the word of God that talks about Jesus being a king? He’s just been in the Old Testament over and over and over again. That’s why He has to be of the son of David, tribe of Judah.

He’s going to be the king. And when He came, I’ll remember it says in the book of Matthew in chapter 2 and verse 2, where is He that is born king of the Jews? He was born a king. We did a cantata one time at our church called Born a King. He was born a king. Anyway, he is the king and the king has to have a kingdom. Well, he’s going to set up his kingdom upon the earth called the kingdom of heaven.

And that’s why when you read and studied the book of Matthew, you have where he sets up and proves by his genealogy that he had the right to claim the throne of Israel. He has the right to be the king. And because of that, they never said that you don’t have a right because he was the right line. He did have a right. He had the authority. He could have been the king. next king. But he was rejected and crucified.

So one day the king will come back to this earth. Now take your Bible and look there in the book of Revelation chapter 19. Revelation and chapter 19. And notice in verse 11, you see the first time he came as a lamb come to die. This time he doesn’t come back as a lamb, but the scripture does tell us that they were afraid because of the wrath of the lamb. I’ve never seen a lamb get upset. But now there’s going to be the wrath of the lamb.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Sunday morning services begin at 10 30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Vital Line, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and everyday, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 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 through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

Be convinced you can do all that God says you can do. confidence that is not backed by action is dead. That’s James chapter 2 by the way. The little statement there inside the box, how you live is an expression of your opinion about God. You only limit yourself by your own limited thinking. No man is ever any bigger than what it takes to get him down. What will it take for you to have your dreams destroyed. What is that vision, that dream that you have, that you want to do?

And what is it that’s going to take to destroy it? In other words, the death of a vision, when it seemed like there’s no hope and you’re in total despair, you see, You have to have the knowledge that if I quit because I got a little discouraged down the road five, ten, fifteen years later, you’ll figure, what did that little discouragement cost me? Well, I think what I could have done, I could have had, and I got a little discouraged.

I looked at the problems instead of the God who’s a big God. They can solve anything. The God of solutions. Number five, this is fear. Fear is a success crusher. God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of love and power and of a sound mind. But anyway, number five, fear not controlled will destroy success. To fill a man’s mind, and this is important, with worry, fear and anxiety is the most costly and the least productive activity of man.

These are dead giveaways to an undisciplined mind. They are a poor substitute for clear, cut thinking. Happiness is like success is not a destination, but a way of travel. As love grows, fear goes. As you learn to love the Lord more and more and more, it’ll dissipate all the fears, and you’ll have less fear in your life. right now when you’re young, so you become afraid to step out by faith. Don’t you think Peter was a little fearful of stepping out of the boat?

But you know why he stepped out of the boat? He wanted to walk on water. Have you ever wanted to walk on water? Or do you want to be like everybody else? Never does anything. You want to live your life like millions and millions and millions of people. They were born, they lived, they died, accomplished nothing. or do you want to do something with your life? Fear will keep you from doing it because you’ll be afraid. Afraid I’ve been a failure.

Afraid God won’t come through because your trust is not really in him. And you limit yourself by your own limited thinking. So thinking about what you could do in that little box I got there on the bottom. Worry and fear are acquired habits. You weren’t born that way. You learned how to worry. And most people today are experts at it. You can start them and you can stop them. They’re in your hands. And some people will worry all their life.

As Paul Harvey would say, age two. Look at number six. Sewing before reaping. You see, if you want good things to happen, so good things first. Before you can reap the harvest out there in the field, you have to plant the seeds. And some people, they want all these good things to happen to them. Start sewing, start sewing good things, doing good things for people. Everywhere Jesus went, he went about doing good, just doing good, doing right. So the right thing.

Do you realize when Peter, it didn’t have the money to pay his taxes? Jesus says, go catch fish. The money was in the fish’s mouth. The money’s in the fish’s mouth. What I’ve seen in 50 years is majority of the time, the money that I’ve needed for the Lord’s work was always in the fish’s mouth, the fish that I caught, people that I wanted to Christ. They seemed to have caught a vision and they said, Yank, you need to be on radio and they would help me pay the bill.

I’ve had some say that Yank, you need to be on TV and they would pay the bill. I’ve had people when I went on the road, I had people in different places all across the United States that would send me just a little bit every once in a while, people that I led to the Lord over the years. You see, there is an advantage. The money’s in the fish’s mouth. When a church is not growing and the church doesn’t have the finances, the money’s in the fish’s mouth, we need to go fishing.

You need to go fishing. What about that as an individual? Go fishing. Remember what the Lord says, say, first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be what? He’ll be added. We see you got to get your priorities straight. The number one thing that you can always do is seek in the lost. Let it be your goal that motivates you in everything that you do. Because see, that’s what holds your testimony in line.

It helps you to be aware of what’s going on. So important. Look at the next statement here on the number six. Don’t expect physical and material blessings on credit. Ephesians 1, 13 says that God has already blessed us with spiritual blessings and the Hephiles. There must first be action before reaction or response to set in. You must sow righteousness to reap blessings or rewards. If you stand still and watch the world go by, it will. So what are you doing?

Oh, I just sat in on the corner watching all the girls. I mean the world go by and it will. It’ll go by. And one of these days you’re gonna wake up an old person and realize that all I did will stand and watch the world go by. I didn’t do anything. Compensation works regardless and guarantees you 100% fair treatment, but it demands payment in advance. Sacrifice is not hard if you perceive what it really means to give up something of lesser value or something of greater value.

When God asked you and I to yield our bodies as a living sacrifice, we’re going to give this up, but is it a big sacrifice to give up something of lesser value for something of greater value? Do you think you could serve the Lord and lose? Your heavenly Father is going to give you so much more. It will be worth it all. And He says that the glory that we’re going to have, He says, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared what the glory which we will gone to get.

So whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it. That’s why we should look that away and believe it. But as a Christian, so in and reaping, so the seeds first. In other words, put forth your faithfulness, serve the Lord and do what’s right and then trust the Lord from all those seeds that you plant Some day down the road to grow. As God will take care of it, you just keep sowing, just always keep sowing. Don’t worry how it’s going to work, just sow the seed.

Why do you do that? Because you have confidence in the seed. You have confidence in the Word. You’re just going to keep planting the Word, planting the seeds. And God’s going to bless you because you do that. Number seven, enthusiasm is the interest or the excitement you put into your goal. How excited are you about the things of God? You love the Lord. Do you love the church? Do you love His people? Enthusiasm. An unlit candle cannot light another candle.

So it says here, an unlit candle can never light another candle. I wonder where that came from. Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic. As a team captain with his team, I was excited just watching those team captains at camp. They just look like playing on normal everyday kids. So you put them in front of about, no, 30, 40 other kids on teams and they come alive. And because they got excited, their whole team got excited. They followed their leader and in serving the Lord, that’s the way it is.

God is looking for leaders, somebody that takes that step willing to try to walk on water, even though you’ve got anything I might think I may feel. Yes, but at least I got out of the boat. I got out of the boat. You know those other ones that were still in the boat? You know what they said? I was just fixing to do that. I thought about that. I was going to do that. Oh, but they never did. And there’s going to be people all your life and you’re going to hear them and they’re all going to be saying, you know, if I’d have only, if I’d have only, if I’d have only.

not only. So we’re going to start a club called the if I’d only club. See how many members I can get? If I’d only, if I’d only, something to say, if I’d only went to Bible college, if I’d only went to this, if I’d only done this, whatever. Look at the next statement. You are involved in a great work for a great God. Act like it. Your success happens when preparation meets opportunity. Why would a person go to Bible school?

Preparation. Prepare. Why do you come to Sunday school? You’re learning. You’re preparing. And why do you kids go to school? We call we’re preparing them. We’re teaching. We’re always trying to prepare people for life. How to live the Christian life. It’s so important. Look at the next statement I have there. See opportunity as on wheels and you must be ready to seize the moment when it passes your way. Watch, pray, study, equal preparation. And many people cannot take advantage of opportunities that come by because opportunity is on wheels.

They keep on rolling. Preparation means that when the opportunity comes I’m prepared to take advantage of it. And most people are not prepared and they don’t even see opportunity. I’ve had people say, well, I never have opportunities like you do. Look at number eight. Environment may be your influence. Show me the company you keep and I can tell a lot about you. Your environment, whether it’s family, work, or church, over a period of time can become even stronger than willpower.

Probably 90% of our environment is negative. Therefore, it becomes easy to be saddled with a defeated mind. It takes a continual effort to stay positive. Remember to thank God in everything. Quality of friends, this is a very important statement, quality of friends is better than quantity of friends. I’d rather have a few people that know the Lord, love the Lord, and have good quality than to have a thousand friends that aren’t worth a quarter. It’s better to have a few friends.

And that’s why if you want to serve a Lord, you better surround yourself with people that are serving Lord. If they’re always cutting you down and negative and pulling you down and holding you back and you need to get new friends. Are you going to be like them at the end of life? Well, I would have, I could have, but my friend, but my friend, you’re going to use that person as an excuse for the rest of your life.

Number nine, share and bear burdens. This is where you put it into practice. No man is an island to himself. Your overall well-being is greatly dependent upon your ability to cooperate with others. Cooperation is unity and unity is power. Forget ego, me me me me and make it we go. The thinking power of two or more together in harmony with God and amen at a common goal is at least eight times out of the individual. Teamwork fills the gap in your own thinking.

Benjamin Franklin says, if we don’t hang together, we’ll all hang separately. And when you help someone else up the hill, you both get closer to the top. Number 10, you didn’t think we’d cover so much so fast, did you? I can read fast. Number 10, now this is a good one, don’t procrastinate. People are always, you know, one of these days, I remember years ago they had this little thing come on there and it was, I wish I could remember the guy’s name.

It wasn’t a clamp, it was somebody else that, the old man walks out, he’s buried to this great big old large woman and Montpauch Kittle. And every time he goes out the screen door, it just about falls off the hinges. He said, I’m gonna fix that one of these days. I’m gonna fix that one of these days. Now you and I knew he never fixed that door. But one of these days I’m gonna fix that. And there’s a lot of people, you know, one of these days I’m gonna carry track.

One of these days I’m gonna witness somebody. One of these days I’m gonna leave it track. One of these days, one of these days. The road is always paved with good intentions. It’s just that they never get done what you really wanna get accomplished. And so, now this is important. So look there as I read this. Some bulls are quick to rush headlong for Angel’s fear to tread. Even too much gas into the carburetor can cause the motor to stall.

Patience, patience, patience. To claim patience when action is demanded is disobedience. Delay obedience is disobedience. Did you know that? Delayed obedience is still disobedience. And do not squander time for that is what life is made from. When you waste time, you waste life. And when you waste life, you You waste yourself. God despises laziness. Did you know the Bible read the book of Proverbs? And look how many times it talks about being sloppel. Lazy. Lazy man can’t get anything done.

If you ever want to get anything done, find a busy person. A busy man can always find time to get things done. But a lazy person doesn’t have time. do anything but they never have time. You always get James to get something done because it’s always busy anyway. You see, when you’re already in, it’s easier to steer a car that’s moving than one that they don’t even know how to move. And most Christians are like the little kids playing behind the steer of all of the We’re going to go to the middle of the car.

Where are you going? Nowhere. Just playing cars. And there’s other people. But other people say it’s easy for the Lord to steer and guide you when the car is moving. But the car that’s not moving doesn’t need to be guided. It’s not going anywhere. Get in motion. Get in motion. Start it. The next statement. Shunning away from what has to be done is the biggest thief of time. Success will never knock the home where procrastination lives. But the devil will lean on the doorbell.

The devil will always lean on the doorbell until you answer the doorbell. Procrastination is a terrible thing. The successful person must faithfully do what needs to be done. Whether he likes to do it or not, the road to misery and failure are paid with good intentions. There are two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. Climate are set on an acorn. I think the climbing is going to be more successful. You should for something will not bring it to you, but the act of doing the right thing, the right way will bring you to it.

Do not hope for a brighter tomorrow. Do something to make it brighter today.” And this is a statement I learned from Dr. A. Ray Stanford. Your future is being determined by your obedience to God today. Your future is being determined by your obedience to God today. Is today important? Yes, because it determines your future. And when you waste days, it can alter the course of your whole life. Believe it or not. Number 11, you might as well know that there’s always something going to come up.

The devil is not going to let you alone. Adversities are God’s stepping stones to success. Always look at every problem you have as an opportunity. If you don’t, your attitude is not going to be right and you’ll despise hidden opportunities because see, a lot of times success comes disguised as work. And so because people don’t like work, they can’t see the opportunities that comes away. Problems are unsolved opportunities. Remember every problem has a solution and a problem once solved is no longer a problem.

happens to you is not as important as your response. Problems become stumbling blocks or stepping stones. All depends on your attitude toward them. Do you have problems? So what? Everybody else does too. You’ll need to stumble over yours or use them as an opportunity to step up and increase your faith and become stronger in life. Don’t you curse your problems? You don’t curse the night you light a candle that you’re measured in the eyes of your fellow man by your ability to stand up to adversity.

You understand what that’s saying? People watch you to see how do you handle adversity? How do you handle problems? Because everybody’s got them and it reveals things about your character. No man has given more temptation than he has the ability and the strength to overcome. Because the Word of God tells us that God will not lay on you any more than you’re able to bear. You just don’t know what I’m going through. I don’t have to know, but God knows.

And it’s not an excuse or a reason to stumble and serve in the Lord. And don’t you dare use it as an excuse. God ain’t gonna accept the excuse. Why should I? I’m not God, but that’s between you and Him. You can be as strong as you want to be and you’ll be as weak as you choose to be. I don’t like baby and people. I’d like to tell you straightforward and right to the point. Make up your mind what you want and then go after it.

You want to be faithful, then be faithful. But you can’t be faithful. Yes, you can. It’s the devil that tells you you can’t. You can. Look at this statement in the bold, if he looks for the way out that God has made, God’s always made a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Look at the next statement, to be knocked down is not to be defeated. It’s when you stay down. That’s when you’re defeated. Adversities and obstacles and problems are opportunities given by the Lord to help you grow.

So the Lord is allowing you to have all these problems so it reveals to you what you don’t know, so you’ll go to the Lord. And God says that I will teach you and give you what you need. But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. God’s trying to get you anchored. So what you want to do is you want your roots of faith to go down into these big old boulders in the Word of God.

And you latch on to this verse. That’s a great promise of God. And you put your roots around that one and you got another group of faith that goes down here and rips on to this one. And another one on to that one. So it doesn’t matter which way the winds of adversity come. You’re anchored into the Word of God and you’ll be rock solid because you’re anchored to the rock. Number 12, runaway emotions, runaway emotions, you have some of those, is a life jumping out of gear.

You don’t know what’s going to happen. When you let your emotions control you and take and you lose control, you don’t know what you’re going to do. That’s why it’s dangerous. So look there at the statement I have, the greater number of dissatisfied, insecure and fruitless lives stem from a lack of self-discipline and God-discipline. Uncontrolled emotions result only from a mind not submitted to the power of the Holy Spirit. It is poor reasoning to lose your head when you are in most need of it.

And that is a good statement. When you throw mud, you lose ground. The difference between a mole hill and a mountain is dirt, just more of it. And some people make a mountain out of a mole hill. They throw more dirt on. So anyway, these are a few things that can help you in developing your mind and to learn these things and to memorize them so that you’ve got them all the days of your life. And if you’ll apply them, you can learn how to be faithful.

And if there’s anything that I want is for God’s people to be found faithful. The day will come when we’ll have to stand before the Lord and where you faithful, where you faithful to the Lord. Look up here. Some of you are still in disbelief that we covered all 12 of these points. I watched some of you whenever they were passed out. Bitty doubt he still can’t believe it. You’d be surprised with the preach you can see from up here.

This hand represents you and me. The wall of represents sin. We all have sin on us. But God loves us. Hates our sin, but He loves us. And to pay for this sin is eternal separation from the Lord. But God doesn’t want us to have to pay for sin, so He paid for it. You see, we have to be perfect to go to heaven and none of us are perfect. We’ve all done things wrong. God says that you can’t save yourself and that we’re all condemned.

And so He did something for us that we didn’t have the power to do. This end representing Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord, God in the flesh. Came into the world because He loves us, but He hates our sin because our sins He separates us from the Lord. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die, so He took our sin, paid for them on the cross and came back from the dead. And God said, if we would believe He did it for us, it put this payment to our account, and we get to go to heaven on what He did.

Eternal life is the gift of God. For He God hath made Him Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, to be sinned for us. That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The whosoever, believe it in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. We go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. Let’s pray, shall we? The hedge bow knives closed, no one looking around.

I pray that you have trusted Christ’s Savior, most of you in this room know that you have. And I know that times you struggle with faithfulness, seeking to be consistent in your Christian life. But do you always talk to the Lord and stay close to Him? Realize the times you’re going to have a lot of questions and doubts, a lot of adversities. But understand where they come from and why God lets them come. Because they can either be stumbling blocks or stepping stones.

And you can rise and learn more and draw closer to the Lord. To have a purpose, to have a gold, to understand that you need to sow before you expect to reap. Sometimes we always expect God to give, give, give, give, give, and we never have to sow, so, so. But we do need to. And if you’re here tonight and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, or if you’re watching by internet, understand that God loves you and he paid for your sins.

He said, if you would believe that he died for you, that he would put the payment he made to your account and all your sins would be forgiven. And you can go to heaven. There’s only one way and that’s through Christ. You can’t earn it. You can’t work for it. So will you believe that Christ died for you was buried in the rose again from the dead and is alive forevermore and will save all those who come to Him?

So if you have never done so would you do it right now? And if you will make a decision, I’d like to know it. I’d like to have prayer for you. And I’m going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand. Raising your hand does not save you. Just let’s me know that what I said made sense to you. And you say in preacher, I will trust Christ as my Savior tonight. And I want you to pray for me.

In one of all, just slip your hand very quickly, but if I take down in one of all, I follow. We thank you so much for this time together. We ask your blessings upon each person here. And we pray Lord that the message would be understandable and that the Holy Spirit will pick out the little nuggets here and there that can be applied to each person and help them to see and understand what they might need to correct in their own life.

The Father we pray for the strength and grace of the earth. We Christ and we pray Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771.

If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. One-line donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calbryoftampa.org. 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.

Like in 1975 about that I Set down and wrote down a lot of Stuff that I like on How to think how to think I? Put out a book in the 1978 on notes jokes and quotes a little things that I had learned over the years and They were over 3,000 of them that were in it and And some of those have worked their way into this, but I thought I’d just give you a copy of them and hope that it’ll be a blessing to you.

Because I don’t feel like preaching much tonight, I just want to talk. Sometimes I raise my voice and I get excited sometimes. Sometimes I just have so much passion that I can’t stand it. I get motivated beyond my ability to perform. And so I’m hoping that somewhere along the line, I might be able to strike a match that can strike a match, that can strike a match, and there’ll be a flame in the wind. See, whenever you and I leave this world, we want to have been a flame in the wind, for the Holy Spirit of God is able to sweep across your life and set a lot of people on fire for the Lord, Because you want others to know the Lord and to love the Lord, to serve the Lord.

And so anyway, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. And what makes it this sermon even worse is that that’s not even one of the verses that are on your notes. And you know that I’ve got to have at least a 20-30 minute just to introductory. But not really. Look in verse one, 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse one. Verse one, let a man sow account of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found rich. Popular. Faithful. It is required that you be found faithful. Now if you’re faithful, you will be successful. And if you are successful, it was because you were faithful. Faithfulness is the key. Walk by faith. Be consistent. Faithfulness will get you wherever God wants you to go. Faithfulness will help you to do everything God wants you to do. Be faithful. Don’t let the devil ever take anything away from your rob you.

Now I want you to take your notes there and just look at them with me. And there’s a lot of little quotes in here. And so I won’t dwell long on them because you’ll have them and you can read them for yourselves. But I used to put this down into 10 things. You know, one run, two, three, three, four, four, five, five, six, six, seven, heaven, eight, eight, nine, nine, ten, ten. And I had a little memory pegs and I could remember all of these points on here.

And so number one is the run and the attitude. And you got the planning for profit. All these things that will help you in your Christian life to be faithful. So where I have it to top of it, how to be successful, is how to be, and you ought to write this word above it, faithful. How to be faithful? Because if you’re faithful, you’ll be successful. You may not be a success in the eyes of the world, but we’re not talking about it in the eyes of the world.

We’re talking about in God’s eyes. Where you’re pleasing to the Lord with what you do with your life. So number one, attitude or altitude determines your altitude. Attitude determines your altitude. Determine how high you go. What kind of an attitude do you have? Do you have a positive attitude or a negative attitude? You always see what you can do or you always see what you can’t do. Remember the 10 spies that went into the land? Well, how many spies went into the land?

Oh, that’s right. The 10 were negative and two were positive. But the two that were positive were right in the 10 that were negative and they were wrong. So you got to watch that you don’t let that bent that you have of a negative attitude. Always seeing the problems keep you from going with God wants you to do. So look at this. All actions are born within the mind. potential is established by your positive biblical attitude. Renew the caliber of your thoughts to renew the caliber of your life.

In other words if you don’t like the way your life is, it’s because it is the direct ratio according to the quality of your mind. And so therefore you have to improve the quality of your thoughts to improve the quality of your life. You will live how you believe. So you let the Word of God control the mind, and actions will take care of themselves. So I’ve never tried to get people to change their life. Changing their life will take place when their mind is changed.

That’s why you renew the mind. And so teach truth, have confidence in the word, and trust the Word to do what you can’t do. The next statement is number two, have goal will travel. They used to have a guy on TV named Paladin. Anybody remember Paladin? Have gun will travel. Oh I like that show. Have gun will travel and have a little card. We ought to have one called have gospel will travel. Have a gospel will travel. Once I’m pretty good.

Have a goal will travel. So you got to decide what is my goal. So you know where you’re going. What do you want to do with your life? life. That’s your purpose in life. And every man needs a purpose. So I have down here, I rather aim at something and miss the name at nothing and hit it. Dr. Lee Robertson, I heard him say that the first time in 1964, I wrote it down. But I’ve heard other since then, but they already get it from a source, you know.

He also said, everything rises or falls on leadership. Everything rises or falls on leadership. So what kind of a leader are you going to be? Because there’s people that are watching you and will follow you. And they will sometimes be like whatever you are. If you’re a dud, there’ll be a dud. You’re sharp, you might be sharp. You’re so whether they might be so winners, doesn’t know what you are. See, the greatest thing you’ll ever build is not a ministry but yourself.

And then whatever you are, you reproduce after your own time. God has placed it with us the ability to reproduce after our own kind. And so that’s why it’s so important to reproduce. Think about who you are and what you are and what God wants you to do. The next statement I have here is if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do. Isn’t that a good statement? If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do.

It doesn’t matter what you do. It doesn’t matter what you’re going, because you don’t know where you’re going anyway, but when you know what you want, then you got to get on the right road to get there. And then the next statement, you will never achieve success until you define what success means to you. Do you want to be a success in life or a failure? You have to decide what does faithfulness mean and how do you get faith?

If I got to be so faithful, where do I get it. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. See, the Holy Spirit that lives within us leads and guides us according to the power of the Holy Spirit. He leads us according to the Word. He never leads you contrary to the Word. It’s the Holy Spirit that leads you according to the Holy Bible. So keep that in mind. Without a goal, you are a drifter and a drifter is equal to a loser.

So without a goal, without a way of reaching what you want, without the desire to be faithful, you are a loser. You’ll lose. You’ll gain, like the Apostle Paul says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. You live for anything else and you’ve wasted your life. You’ll lose. There’s nothing more important than the Lord.

Never joined the crowd until you know where it’s going. Yard by yard, it’s hard. Inch by inch, it’s a cinch. You know what I did one time? I pretended. I had a little hot seat that was supposed to be electricity going through a chair. And I was going to have my brother take the hot seat. and was gonna pretend like it was hooked up and it was gonna shock him and then he was supposed to fall down on the floor like he’s had a heart attack and he was dead and then I was gonna say we need the rapture to take place well anyway my brother came up there and he said in the hot seat and I asked him some questions and he lied but if you tell a lie you know he’s supposed to get shocked so I I did it and he got shot and he went, oh, he went,

I mean he can act buddy. Oh, he went all over the place. And he fell out on the floor and he’s dead. And I said, boy, now the time for the reactor to take place. And I had just covered about the trumpets are going to blow. And the guy Michael Jackson, and this is not the one with the white glove, it’s a Michael Jackson, and he was behind a counter in the back of the auditorium. And he jumps up and he plays the trumpet.

When he played the trumpet, I had just talked about the trumpet’s gonna sound and the rutches gonna take play. It hit the trumpet and it blasted buddy. I mean, it hit hard. My brother jumps up off a thing and he jumps up, ah, he jumps up like that, you know? And then I was on the thing and I ran up the stool. I had a stool sitting there and I jumped on the stool like I was going up and everybody’s going up.

Scared him to death, but we had people trust the Lord that night. It was, that was a good skit. I was like, just like good skit. But a guy that y’all have probably heard of is Oliver B. Green. He’s on the radio everywhere. He’s dead now, but he’s been dead for years. But he used to come to the church that I passed up there in North Side Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia. And this was back in 1961, 62. And so he had a casket.

And he had a person in there. But we didn’t know the person was in. And he was just going to talk on the resurrection and things like that. And it wasn’t long before he talked about they got to come up out of the grave. And almost that thing opened up and this guy starts getting out of it. Kids start crying. Kids start crying because it scares the kids to death. And then the next night he was talking on how that Jesus Christ said he was the light of the world.

And if he’s the light of the world that when he put him on the cross that God was going to show the world that He was truly who He came to be, the light. And so God threw the main switch of heaven and all the lights went out. It was dark upon the earth. Well, He had somebody stationed back to the church and all the lights went out. And He said, all the lights went out and all the lights went out.

Pitched dark and then whack. She’d start a crying and screaming. She’d just scared people of that. I don’t do stuff like that. And it’s just, you know, it’s just, you’re trying to be vivid, trying to make sure things come alive. Dr. Curtis Hudson was preaching, and he was telling this one story how that this good guy was always told in Bible college, you know, that whatever you do, if you’ve got a point to make and you can’t remember the next point, just repeat the last point and just keep hammering it until you think of what the next one was going to be.

And so this guy was up there preaching along and he’s preaching on the second coming of Christ. And behold, he comes and the Bible says, Jesus said, I will come again. And he couldn’t remember the next point. I’m coming. I’m coming. I’m coming. And all of a sudden he got so excited, but he landed on top of the podium and it fell over and he landed over the top of the thing and landed in the lap of the lady sitting on the front pier.

He says, ma’am, I apologize. I am so sorry. I am so sorry, I apologize, I just for nothing. You told me three times you were coming. So you have something to worry about real good. And sometimes you just don’t remember everything you’re supposed to. These are things that I tried to remember over the years of how I’m supposed to think. But my attitude determines my altitude. And I gotta have the right kind of an attitude. And I have to have a goal in my life.

I have to know where I’m going. And if I don’t know what I want, I’m just going to go in circles. And it’s too far down the road now to lose direction. And it was like running a race. I’m almost at the finish line. Oh, I forgot which way I’m supposed to go. Oh, no, to run. Finish your course. Finish the race. Number three, plan for profit. Plan for profit. Always try to figure out something to do every day of your life that helps you to reach that goal that you have.

And if you want to have a well done someday, you need to be faithful every day. Every day seek to be faithful, faithful to the Lord. A short pencil is better than a long memory. If your memory is not perfect, learn to take notes and write things down. That’s why it’s always good. I’ve had people say, Boy, I enjoyed that sermon preacher, and by the time they get to the door, they can’t remember what I preached on. Now, I can’t either, and I just did the preaching.

A short pencil is better than a long memory. That’s why I like to put things down in notes now. I’ve got notes galore. Do you know I’ve got sermons from the first time that I started preaching back in the 60s? I’ve got notes. I don’t throw away anything like that. A little scrap piece of the paper. napkins, still got them. They’re disintegrating, but I’ve not got them. All kinds of things that I’ve got. Little poems that I’ve read, not found about three or four poems the other day that I wrote years ago, I forgot all about.

But once I wrote down, you can always go back and find some of these things, and it’s so important. But I wrote a little statement here, it’s in the thing here. But it’s called plan your work and work your plan and work your plan as long as your plan will work when your plan don’t work, you change your plan. Isn’t that simple?

Plan your work and your work your plan. If you work your plans long as you plan to work, when your plan don’t work, you change the plan. But you’ve got to have a plan. See, most people do not, you know, plan to fail. They just fail to plan. See the next statement? No one ever plans to fail. They just fail to execute the right plan. People seldom fail because they lack ability, but because they lack a schedule to fulfill their goal.

And this little statement of light, your dreams are more lightly to be fulfilled if you don’t oversleep. You can’t love sleep and accomplish much for the Lord. Because if all you want to do is sleep all the time and goof off and with no direction, you waste a lot of time. When you waste time, you waste life because that’s what life is made out of. So you’ve got to have something. I try to go every day and just go.

Even when I don’t feel good. I don’t feel good now. But I don’t serve the Lord just when I feel good. And all the time, just go. Just go. Just keep on going. You’ve got to try to do what you can. But if you wait until you’re always in top shape to do anything, you’d be surprised how little you’ll get accomplished. But always push yourself. Push yourself. Make yourself go. Make yourself do the things you’re supposed to do. Let me just mention this to you.

Do you realize that when I was going to Bible college hard, it must be? Just think about it. To work a full-time job, I worked about 10, 11, 12 hours a day. And go to college full-time. That only left me with a few hours, just a few hours, that I couldn’t even sleep. I didn’t see my wife and kids. It didn’t seem like for just a little bit. Hello, hon. Good night. Because I was always going, and I kept one if it would always be worth it.

It was worth it. It was worth all the sacrifice. And those long days and those long nights, because I would work some time. I never went to bed until after 12 o’clock at night. And then I only got a couple hours of sleep and I was up early in the morning. But go and go. You’d be surprised that your body can take a lot more than you think. If you’ll just make yourself go, control the body. Don’t let the body control you.

It is a great servant, but it’s a terrible master. And you do well, I don’t feel like it. I just don’t feel like it. Take that word feel and throw it out to one and do what you’re supposed to do regardless. You’ll always have excuses. The devil will always be working on you and trying to discourage you. And he works through the flesh. Number four, think big, plan big. And when he’s talking about think big, because God is big.

Do you realize we have a big God? Do you believe that? And because God is big, I can think big. If I can think big, then I can expect a big God to do big things in my life. And I’ve enjoyed looking back over my life, but you know what? I’m not dead yet. I’m still expecting big things in the future. I don’t know how long I’m gonna live. I don’t really care, but buddy, I wanna live every moment until it’s all over.

And I’m looking forward to whatever God has for me down the road. Be convinced you can do all that God says you can do. God confidence that is not backed by action is dead. That’s James chapter 2 by the way. The little statement there inside the box. How you live is an expression of your opinion about God. You only limit yourself by your own limited thinking. No man is ever any bigger than what it takes to get him down.

What will it take for you to have your dreams destroyed? What is that vision, that dream that you have this? You want to do? And what is it that’s going to take to destroy it? And in other words, the death of a vision, when it seemed like there’s no hope and you’re in total despair. You see, you have to have the knowledge that if I quit because I got a little discouraged, Down the road, 5, 10, 15 years later, you’ll figure, what did that little discouragement cost me?

Well, I think what I could have done, I could have had, and I got a little discouraged. I looked at the problems instead of the God who’s a big God, they can solve anything. The God of solutions. Number five, this is fear. Fear is a success crusher. God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of love and power and of a sound mind. But anyway, number five, fear not controlled will destroy success. To fill a man’s mind, and this is important, with worry, fear and anxiety, is the most costly and the least productive activity of man.

These are dead giveaways to an undisciplined mind. They are a poor substitute for clear, cut thinking. Happiness, like success, is not a destination, but a way of travel. As love grows, fear goes. As you learn to love the Lord more and more and more, it’ll dissipate all the fears. And you’ll have less fear in your life. right now when you’re young, so you become afraid to step out by faith. Don’t you think Peter was a little fearful of stepping out of the boat?

But you know why he stepped out of the boat? He wanted to walk on water. Have you ever wanted to walk on water? Or do you want to be like everybody else? Never does anything. You want to live your life like millions and millions and millions of people. They were born, they lived, they died, accomplished nothing. Or do you want to do something with your life? Fear will keep you from doing it because you’ll be afraid afraid I’ve been a failure Frayed God won’t come through Because your trust is not really in him and you limit yourself by your own limited thinking So thinking about what you could do in that little box.

I got there on bottom worry and fear Are acquired habits? You weren’t born that way You learned how to worry. And most people today are experts at it. You can start them and you can stop them. They’re in your hands. And some people will worry all their life. As Paul Harvey would say, age two. Look at number six. Sewing before reaping. You see, if you want good things to happen, so good things first. Before you can reap the harvest out there in the field, you have to plant the seeds.

And some people, they want all these good things to happen to them. Start sowing. Start sowing good things, doing good things for people. Everywhere Jesus went, he went about doing good, just doing good, doing right. So the right thing. Do you realize when Peter, it didn’t have the money to pay his taxes? Jesus says, go catch fish. The money was in the fish’s mouth. The money’s in the fish’s mouth. What I’ve seen in 50 years is, majority of the time, the money that I’ve needed for the Lord’s work was always in the fish’s mouth.

The fish that I caught. People that I wanted to Christ. They seem to have caught a vision, and it’s a yank, you need to be on radio, and they would help me pay the bill. I’ve had some say that, Yekah, you need to be on TV. And they would pay the bill. I’ve had people, and I went on the road. I had people in different places all across the United States that would send me just a little bit every once in a while.

People that I led to the Lord over the years. You see, there is an advantage. The money’s in the fish’s mouth. When a church is not growing and the church doesn’t have the finances, the money’s in the fish’s mouth, we need to go fishing. You need to go fishing. What about that as an individual? Go fishing. Remember what the Lord says, the first that came of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be what? He’ll be added.

We see you’ve got to get your priorities straight. The number one thing that you can always do is seek in the lost. Let it be your goal that motivates you in everything that you do. Because that’s what holds your testimony in line. It helps you to be aware of what’s going on. So important. Look at the next statement here on the number six. Don’t expect physical and material blessings on credit. If he’s in 113 says that God has already blessed us with spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.

There must first be action before reaction or response to set in. You must sow righteousness to reap blessings or rewards. If you stand still and watch the world go by, they will. So what are you doing? Oh, I just sat in on the corner watching all the girls. I mean the world go by and it will. It’ll go by. And one of these days you’re going to wake up an old person and realize that all I did was stand and watch the world go by.

I didn’t do anything. Compensation works regardless and guarantees you 100% fair treatment, but it demands payment in advance. Sacrifice is not hard if you perceive what it really means. To give up something of lesser value for something of greater value. When God asked you and I to yield our bodies as a living sacrifice, we’re going to give this up. But is it a big sacrifice to give up something of lesser value for something of greater value? Do you think you could serve the Lord and lose?

Your heavenly Father is going to give you so much more. It will be worth it all. And he says that the glory that we’re going to have, he says, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which we will go on to get. So whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it. That’s why we should look that away and believe it. But as a Christian, so in and reaping, sow the seeds first.

In other words, put forth your hatefulness. Serve the Lord and do what’s right and then trust the Lord from all those seeds that you plant. Someday down the road to grow. As God will take care of it, you just keep sowing. Just always keep sowing. The warehouse gonna work just so the seed. Why do you do that? Because you have confidence in the seed. You have confidence in the Word. You’re just gonna keep planting the Word, planting the seeds.

God’s going to bless you because you do that. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at six o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Vital Line, 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the Internet. The regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771.

Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.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. in your Bible to the book of Psalms, the book of Psalms. I was trying to figure out what kind of a title to have on today’s sermon. I thought about the oak tree and the pine. God, that would make a good sermon.

And so then I thought about the fern and the bamboo. And then I thought about the biggest mistake God ever made. Then I thought, well, God can’t make a mistake. But if God could make a mistake, what would be the biggest mistake God ever made? I believe that it would be that God gave to man a free will. Do you realize the damage that has come to the world because man was given the ability to choose the right of choice to make up his own mind, to say no, and look at the damage over the years because man made the wrong choice.

Did God make a mistake and given you and I a voice, a choice to choose right or wrong, But they were bad, and look what’s happened to everything. And there they were in the Garden of Eden, and nothing was going on. Everything was perfect. Everything was just right. And then God told them one thing not to do. Gave them a choice. Told them it would be consequences. Boy, Peter just never gave us a free will. We would have such a wonderful life.

We’d all been not on this world. We’d have been perfect. There would have been no sin, no problems. And you know what? God made a mistake. Now God didn’t make a mistake. God knew what man was going to do before he did it So I guess we’re back here to the book of Psalms in chapter one trying to decide what is the title of today’s message But notice there in the book of Psalms in chapter one the first Psalm first one Says blessed is the man That walk if not in the council of the young God in or standeth in the way of sinners nor seed in the seat of the scorn-porn.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law that he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither. And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff, which the wind driveeth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment or centers in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord kneweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly, sharp parish.” You see in verse 1, it talks a little bit about the separation, things that makes us different. You and I, when we trusted Christ as our Savior, we were separated from the unbelievers, because you’re now the leaver. You became a child of God. So you’ve been separated from just been a child of the flesh. So there is a separation. There’s a difference. You’re not the same as you used to be.

God doesn’t see you the same way. You’re different now. And yet at the same time in our Christian life, God says, I don’t want you to do some of the things that others do. I don’t want you to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. So I don’t want you to listen to them. I don’t want you to walk the way others walk. And then he says, and not to stand in the way of the sinners. I don’t want you to do that because it has to deal with what we do.

One is what we hear and then the other hears, nor said it in the seat of the scornful. This is what we say. So there’s three things here that gives us some things that says God said, blessed is the man that walk us not. Doesn’t act like the world. Doesn’t think like the world. Doesn’t talk like the world. Because in God’s I said, you’re not of the world. You were, but you’re no longer. You’re in the world, but God doesn’t want us to be like the world.

And then he makes a statement there in verse one talking about our separation. So we’re separated. And then in verse two, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law that he meditate day and night. Now if the man does this, doesn’t do the other, but he does this, then the man is to be saturated. So we’re separated, but then we’re saturated. We’re saturated with what the Word of God says. It permeates our mind so that we want to do what God says to do.

We want to walk the way He says to walk. And we want to sit in the counsel of the Godly and not the walk in the way of the ungodly. It’s causing you to have a separation because the Word of God saturates you. And because of that, He says you meditate upon the Word of God. says in the book of Joshua in chapter 1, it says that we may have success all the days of our life. Now not success in the eyes of the world, but success in the eyes of God, what God considers it to be.

And then we’re situated in a certain spot. See, there’s a lot of places that we choose to put our home, where we choose to live. Look, there’s 50 states in the United States, we can choose to live so many places. But the thing that you and I should understand that there’s a better place to be no situated and that’s to be situated by the river of life. You see, there’s a place that you can be that will sustain you all the days of your life, all the days of my life.

There’s a place that we can be. And whenever it doesn’t seem like things are flourishing like you’d like to say to them, but you yourself as an individual are supposed to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Look there in verse 3. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. That is a good verse.

And this is talking about the God’s child that is saturated with the word of God. And he does the thing that God says to do and therefore he is situated in the right spot for the blessings of God. And every person that I know of that knows the the Lord loves the Lord wants the blessings of God upon their life. And I want that and I’m sure that you do too. But it says in verse 4, the ungodly are not like this.

The ungodly doesn’t love the word of God. They’re not situated by the river of life. Talking about the word of God itself. They don’t plant themselves into the word of God so that their roots go deep. I mentioned to you about the oak tree and everybody knows that an oak tree goes real slow. And they say, well, there’s two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. One you can climb it. Two you can sit on an acorn.

But an acorn tree will take a little bit longer to grow because it’s got deeper roots. It’s a stronger tree and it produces hard wood that burns good. Now pine tree is not exactly like that. And a pine tree, it, it grows faster and roots is not as deep. When there’s a storm, they blow over quite easily and they can be a danger. It’s just that there’s a difference in the root system. This one person, he was very sick and tired of life.

He didn’t like his job, didn’t like his wife, didn’t like his health. He didn’t like people. He didn’t like the world. He didn’t like God. And matter of fact, he just hated everything and hated himself. So he just one day told the boss, he says, I quit my job, told his wife I’m quitting, don’t want to be married to you anymore. He says, and I’m just going to quit my spirituality altogether. I don’t want church no more. I just quit everything.

And I’m going to go out into the woods and I’m just going to end my life. I quit. You ever think like that? think like that? That I’ve had enough. I don’t want to go to no more. Stop this world Lord and let me off. Well, he thought I’m gonna have one last talk with God. So he’s got out there in the woods and he says, dear Lord, before I end it all, you have anything final you’d like to say to me.

I mean, can you talk me out of this? Can you give me one good reason why I should not just end it all right now? give me a good reason and the Lord says have you ever seen the fern and the bamboo? He said well yes. He said well you see this beautiful force that I have. He said you know that I plant the fern and I plant the seed for the The bamboo. He said even if I plant them both at the same time and I can give them water and I give them sunlight.

He said you know that that burn will just grow up immediately. Beautiful green and it’s great. Beautiful. He says but that that bamboo seed didn’t grow it on. He said but I didn’t give up on that that bamboo. He says after the first time, he said, year the ferns came out more abundantly and covered the floor of the forest and it was beautiful greenery look great he says but that that bamboo still didn’t grow the seed didn’t grow at all he said and I watered him he said and I gave it sunlight but the bamboo seed didn’t grow the third year still the same story Then you grow.

The fourth year, then you grow. He said, but in the fifth year, there’s a little sprout. He says, in comparison to the ferns, he says it was small and insignificant. He says, but you realize in six months that bamboo can be a hundred feet tall. He says, those five years that nothing happened. He says there was nothing wrong. He says I created them both. He says but that bamboo was built in its root system so that when it started to grow it could grow as tall as it goes.

He says I didn’t give up on that bamboo. He He said, just because it didn’t grow, He said, I don’t give up on you. I don’t give up on people. He says, my word doesn’t go and not come back. It accomplishes what I sent it forth to do. He says, when it comes to anything that I’ve made, He says, I’m the Creator. He says, and it will accomplish that which I intended. So whenever you and I understand that our good days, all we talk about how blessed we are of God, but those bad days are the days that God is spending time causing us to deepen our roots into the Word of God.

it’s not wasted time. So every one of us may flower at times, but he says, there’s other time when he says, I’ve got your root system going deep. And I want you to hang on to what the Word of God says. And so your faith grips this rock and your faith grips this rock. And this one goes down 20 feet and grips a whole of this verse. And this one gets a whole of this verse. So that whenever you really start to grow, he says, in the wind start coming, he says, the root system is what sustains you.

And just like that bamboo, it might seem like a year ago by two years, three years, four years, times of law, nothing exciting, but it’s not lost time. It’s because God is spending time giving you experiences. So the good things, oh, we love the blessings of God, but the bad days are not really bad days. But we look at them as bad days. Those bad days is where we’re gaining experience that will deepen our relationship with the Lord and cause us to be a stronger Christian.

And then whenever your roots go deep, you can grow and be higher. And the man says, Lord, how high can I rise? He said, well, how high can the bamboo tree rise? He said, as high as it can. He says, that’s what I want for you. I don’t quit on you. I want you to rise and give me glory as high as you can. Just be faithful and God will bless. I believe that the Lord will. Remember this because we often think about the bad days.

It’s amazing that many times in our calendar we can’t remember certain days unless something happened on that day. Here’s the Lord. They gave you and made the right of choice. Did God make a mistake when He gave you the right to choose? He saved you, gave you eternal life, and then set you free to live. Now you got the freedom to choose to serve the Lord or not to serve the Lord. How did you do with your choice? You have a choice to read God’s word or not to read God’s word.

What kind of a decision did you make? You have a choice to witness for the Lord or not to witness for the Lord. It gave you choices. Did God make a mistake? Did he trust you too far? Did you let him down? Did you fail? Did God make a mistake when he left you here? Said, taking you on home. Whenever you think about the 12 disciples Christ spent three and a half years at least with his disciples. Taught him, walk with him, and he spent time with him.

And then whenever it was all over with it, the big test came, they all failed. They all failed their final exam because it says in the scriptures that they all forsook him, every one of them did. But Peter, remember him, God bless Peter. He said, Lord, though everybody forsake you, I won’t. I will never forsake you. And the Lord says, before the night’s over, You could deny me three times. Nah, not me. I don’t know what everybody else is gonna do, but man, I’m rock solid.

You know, Peter’s roots were not very deep. It didn’t last the night, did it? It didn’t last the night. Because before the night was over with, he’d done messed up. Done messed up. And can you believe that Jesus and Peter exchange a glimpse at each other? Jesus looked at Peter, looked at him, and Peter saw him after he denied him three times. And it came into his mind and he wept. Because he knew what he had promised. And literally he knew that within a few hours he was going to let the Lord down so bad.

You talking about failure? Did God make a mistake with Peter? Did he make a mistake with him? how bad he blew it. And yet God still used Peter on the day of Pentecost. What a great honor to use this man. See, God didn’t use a man because he was perfect. God used a man because he realized, I’d have messed up, I accept it, and then make things right with the Lord. And when Jesus came to him, he says, Peter, they says, do you love me?

How many time that he asked Peter, do you love me? Three times. Who knew I did it three times? You got any clue? How many times did he deny him? Three times. You know one time there was a girl. She was blind. A girl was blind. She hated herself. She hated the world. She hated everything and everybody hated God because she was blind. She hated everybody and everything except her boyfriend. And he asked her, says, Will you marry me?

She says, If I can see the world, if I could just see the world, I’d marry you. Somebody donated her some eyes. The surgery was a success and she could see. Totally changed her outlook on life. And a boyfriend asked her, says, Now that you can see, will you marry me? And she looked at him and she was shocked. She didn’t know he was blind. And she says, There’s too much of the world that I want to see. I don’t want to spend my life tied down to a blind person.

And he He wept, walked away. Several months later after he got over some of his grief, he wrote a little letter. He says, take care of yourself and take care of my eyes. Wouldn’t it be something to look one day into the face of Jesus Christ and you realized who has done so much for you and how little we respond in a good way to the Lord. Now notice here in the book of Luke and chapter 22, looking verse 54, then took they him and led him and brought him into the high priest house.

Peter followed afar off. When they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire and earnestly looked upon him and said this man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, woman, I know him not. And after a little while, another saw him and says, thou art also of them. And Peter says, man, I am not.

And about the space of one hour after another, confidently affirmed, saying of a truth, this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilean. And Peter says, man, I know not what thou sayeth, and immediately, or while he yet spake the cock crew. And the Lord, get the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. What that look must have done. Did you know one day we’re going to stand before the Lord and we are going to look into the face of Jesus Christ?

I’ve often tried to picture what Christ really looks like, but I just can’t seem to do it. But all I know about the Lord is what the Bible describes about His character. I know what he’s like because the Word of God tells me this is Jesus. He is God and this is what he’s like and this is who he loves and this is what he promised and you know all the things that he will do and things he won’t do and then he makes the statement here in verse 61 and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembered the Word of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cock I croaked thou shalt deny me thrice, and Peter went out and went bitterly.

When he knew he had blown it, he had failed the Lord. I believe Peter loved the Lord, but I believe he took his eyes off of him. I believe he got scared, but I believe he still loved the Lord. But he didn’t realize how shallow his roots were. See the roots didn’t go very deep because a big test come along and he wasn’t able to stand. But see, God doesn’t just forget about it and let you alone. I believe there’s some of these teenagers and even adults that you pour a lot in and say I watered and I gave sunshine and I did all these things and in some Christians will just seem to take off and grow and in some of them look like they are never gonna grow.

And then I see years later all of a sudden there’s a little sprout. But in all those years, they’re still going through experiences of life and their roots are still going down. And then one day you’ll be surprised how God will just bless a person and that person begins to make wise decision. And then down the road, there could be 10, 15, 20 young guys who become those into the ministry that came out of our youth group. But right now you wouldn’t give a quarter for them.

But we won’t see things the way God sees things. I think it’s not worth it. It is worth it. is he their God’s children. And God can do a better job raising his kids than I can. And God’s word is true. Now take your Bible-looking Ephesians in chapter three. The book of Ephesians and chapter three, verse 13. Wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. That ye, and you’re to underline this phrase, Being rooted, grounded in love. Now, the only way sometimes God can root you and ground you in love is to have a lot of hateful things happen to you. Lot of ugly things, bitter things. Because, see, God’s gonna teach you love. It’s not just gonna be by showering you with love. It’s gonna be because you learn how to love the Lord in a situation that’s bitter, because things are not right, because people can be ugly.

And that’s to bring out the sweetness in you. How is God doing? Did God make a mistake with you? Did God send you some bitterness that you didn’t respond to very well? What have you been facing lately? What do you think God wants you to do? How do you think He wants you to be? You see, outwardly sometimes we can fool everybody, but God knows the inside of an individual, how they’re thinking. And you can carry a lot of bitterness and hatred on the inside because you don’t like the circumstances, because God has given us some things that we don’t understand.

But the Lord is working on you because He wants you and has made you something special. And He wants you to sink your roots deep and rise as high as you can in your honor and glory to the Lord because of what He’s done. But look at that verse one more time in verse 17. that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded. In love, may be able. See, the reason for being rooted and grounded in a certain thing is because there’s something God wants you to do.

You may be able to comprehend, to understand what all the saints, what is the breadth and the length and the depth and the what’s that word height. So that it goes deep, that it goes wide, that it goes high because of what God is doing and working in your life. And that’s why he says all these things on in verse 20. Now, unto him, that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, there’s power working in your life, whether you understand it or not.

There’s experiences that you’re going through, not just the good things, sometimes the so-called bad things, because God has a purpose. God is working in our life to develop us into something good. You pitched all the good things that happen to you in your life. And you say, boy, my God was so good to me. You know, God’s characteristics doesn’t change. When all those so-called bad things happen, God is still just as good. It’s not God changed. God was good, God was bad.

No, God is good. And so those bad things that we consider bad, instead we don’t understand and see the fruitfulness of it yet. We don’t see the cause, the purpose of it yet. But like the bamboo, nothing for the first year, the second year, the third year, the fourth year. But the fifth year, a little sprout. This hand represents you and me and the wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. Now God says that he loves us.

God’s the love of the world. He hates our sin because you see, it separates us from him. And he says, the wages of sin is death, and since we committed the sin, we have to pay for it. We got a debt. And that is eternal separation from God in hell. But God loves us, wants us to go to heaven. And to go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us.

We’re all sinners. And the Bible says that if we want to go to heaven, we got to get rid of it. The only way is by death. This This hand represents Jesus Christ, He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. Now did God make a mistake and give a man a choice? Look what you get to choose. Christ took all of our sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead and says, now, if you will believe that I did that for you, if you’ll choose to believe it, I choose to give you as a free gift, eternal life.

So we choose to accept the payment he made, believe in he did it for us. And he chose to give us as a free gift, everlasting life. Our sins are paid and we get to go to heaven on what Christ did for us. You didn’t earn it, you didn’t work for it. It’s by grace, are you saved through faith? That not of yourself, it is the gift of God. It’s not of works lest any man should boast. Did God make a mistake?

God don’t make mistakes. God is perfect. God is righteous. That’s pretty shocking. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. 771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calbre oftampa.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. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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. Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org. 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.

The word hide, most people are scared to death by me. We just hear, well, we’re under grace. We’re just under grace. I may be under grace, but God still says, adultery is wrong. I may be under grace, but Stalen is still wrong. Most of the commandments are still right. There’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just that man is not able to perform and to fulfill the righteousness of the law. But when you read Romans chapter eight, the Bible says, the Holy Spirit indwells you that you might be able to bring forth the righteousness of the law.

God wants us. I don’t get up every morning and say, I’m not gonna break the 10 commandments. I’m not gonna break the 10 commandments. I’m gonna keep the 10 commandments. But if you love the Lord and you walk with the Lord, the law is fulfilled in one word. You make out of 90, what that one word is? Love. If you love the Lord, you’re gonna do right by God. Now, shall love the Lord by God with all by heart, mind, body, soul, and strength and so on.

And the first four deals with your relationship to God. and the next six, well that deals with your relationship to people. And so God said, if you love, then you’ll do right by God. And if you love, you’ll do right by people. And so because we do not love the way we should, sin abounds because love wax cold. So when people don’t do things the way God wants us to do them, then Christian service becomes nothing more than a ritual is that we do the right things maybe, but not because we really want to, it’s just that’s the way we’ve been trained.

Do you know you can train your flesh out to act, what to do, and the songs the same, the money you give, but not love God at all, but you can go through the motions. This is what they were doing. They didn’t really love the Lord. So he says here, well a man robbed God, yet you have robbed me. But you say, wearing have we robbed it? He says in tithes and offering. So we say, well, we believe you ought to give an offering to the Lord.

You can’t give the offering to personal or you’re giving the tithe. I believe it’s a good principle on how to give. It’s a good way to give. This church would not survive if it was not for the people in this church who tithe. Point blank. Most people just want to give a tip to the Lord and say, well, we’re all under grace. Well, if you’re in the grace, don’t you think that under grace would ought to do at least what they did on the law?

They did that because they had to. We got to do it because we want to. It doesn’t mean you don’t do it. It’s but you’re motive is different. You do it because you love the Lord. And that you believe because of what you’re doing, it’s honoring to the Lord and God’s going to bless you. Because see, God knows what goes on behind the scenes. God knows how you think, how you feel. And I believe there’s a lot of God’s children who robbed the Lord.

But enough of that, I don’t just see this. Look in verse 9, because now they had done so. You are cursed with a what? You’re cursed with a curse. Why is everything going wrong? Because of what they were doing. They were making unwise decisions. And they didn’t think it was that bad. Evidently, they didn’t know they were robbing God. They thought that we’re just, you know, I don’t care for those priests and I’m not going to do it and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And then they can’t figure out why this doesn’t grow or that doesn’t grow and why this doesn’t work. There’s a God in heaven that knows what’s going on. He knows every individual. He knows every person in this ministry. And get what he says. You have robbed me even this whole nation. So evidently God knows who’s doing what? Now look what else he said. Bring you all the tithe into the storehouse. Now, I do not believe the church is the storehouse.

That was under the law. It was what they did and they were brought to bring the grain, things like that. But there’s a principle here. When you read in the book of Corinthians in chapter 9, it is Paul that refers to the law and that you do not muzzle the ox that treads off the corn. Here’s the ox that treads off the corn. Well, he has to eat. So you don’t muzzle the ox that’s doing the work. And he’s the one.

that use the law to establish a point about God’s ministers and God’s people doing what they do. But anyway, so he makes a statement here in verse 10, Bring you all the tithen to the storehouse so that there may be meat in my house. God says, get your priorities straight and look what the next word. Prove me now He would say at the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open unto you the windows of heaven, that means it’s going to rain.

And he says, you’ll have so much, there won’t be room enough to hold it off. God says, would you put me first? He says, try me. He said, try me. Put me to the test. Since you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, have you ever put God to the test? Try Him. Or you’re afraid that He’s not going to come through and so you hold back and live in fear. Because you’re afraid to step out of the boat and walk on the water.

Because you’re afraid you’re going to sink. Do what God’s word says and trust him and enjoy the walk. And you’ll be surprised what God will do. And look what he says in verse 11. Now, verse 11, the first part of it, anyway, you ought to underline it. God says, this is what I’m going to do. I will devour, or I will rebuke the devour for your sake. And ye shall not destroy, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground, neither shall your vine-caster fruit before the time in the field sayeth the Lord.

You know what’s happening is a result of your disobedience. He said, but if you would just obey me, believe me, believe me, try me. He says, and see if I won’t do what I promise that I’ll do. Because see, they had God bound by His word. You go back and you read the book of Deuteronomy where He said, I have laid before you life and death, blessing and cursing. It’s your choice. And when you get into the land, this is what I want you to do.

And if you’ll do what I tell you to do, I’ll put none of those things. these eases upon you. What a hell, you know, program that he had. And I’ll meet all of your needs and so forth. Social security program, he had everything that God had it all designed. His way will work. So then it says up there in verse 13, the last part, he said, what have we spoken so much against the God says, you’ve been talking about me.

God says, you’ve been bad-mouthing me. Zawin do that. God says, you’ve been doing that. You say, Wow, he says in verse 14, you have said it is vain to serve God. In the words, what’s the profit? Why should I serve God? That’s why you find in the book of Galatians in chapter six, it says, not to become weary and well doing, do not become weary and well doing, for you shall reap what you sow just in time, be patient.

Don’t faint, don’t stop, don’t quit. Just always keep serving God and God will bless you. So will they believe that? Look in verse 17 where he says, in that day when I make up my jewels, I will spare them as a man’s spare his own son that serveth him. To spare his son that serves him. Do you know that God knows which one of his children serve him and which one don’t serve him? And God can bless you and protect you and God can do all kinds of things.

Or the Lord might just because of pride, open up the gates and turn the hounds loose. And buddy, you’d be surprised how fast evil can come up on you. Men in the ministry, I’ve seen just about everything happen. But it says the wicked one day is going to get there. See there in verse 18, then shall you return and discern because see right now, see they haven’t troubled discerning. When you’re not close to the Lord, it’s hard to discern the air.

Because the only way you can discern air is to know truth. And they had gotten so far from the truth. The priest hadn’t taught the people like they should have known. And there was a price to be paid. So he says, and discern between the righteous and the wicked. Between him that servant God and him that serveth him not. So does God know those who serve him and those that do not serve him? God knows. And he says, the day is coming now.

In chapter four, I believe the first few verses here actually belong to chapter three. But nevertheless, I didn’t break up this and but Look what he says in verse 1. He says behold the day cometh now. We’re talking yes into the future He says that shall burn as an oven and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that come shall burn them up, say after Lord of Hosts, and that it shall leave them neither root nor brand.

Now, God says, look, I know that you’re saying, where’s the God of judgment? God says, be patient. You just go ahead and you serve me now with all your heart. And you just go ahead and try me and see if I won’t bless you like I said. He said, and concerning those people, you think, in a way with murder, he said, I’ll take Hebdo of them. I’ll deal with them. And so don’t you lose heart just because you see, even in America, we see so many people that are living so wickedly and they look so happy.

And wicked people are making money. And God’s people seem like they’re starvingeful after that. And if they don’t have any trouble in all of God’s people have problems. And like David says, it’s like the Lord chasing me. Every time I turn on God’s chasing me. Read the 37 Psalm and the 73rd Psalm together. Those two Psalms go together. Now, he says, the sun, as you in, of righteousness is coming. And it’s like, he says, like there’s paths in the stall.

been there all night long and They can’t get out and it’s dark and Well, behold the daylight comes and you open up the stalls and they come running out of that thing and jumping all over the place They says that’s that’s the way my people are going to be and the son of righteousness is coming and he says my people are going to rejoice See what he says there in verse two He says, but unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.

And ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the storm. And ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, after Lord of Host. God says, I’m coming, I’m coming. But then he tells him something very important. Looking verse 5. He says, Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This to me seemed like a fitting conclusion of the last book in the Old Testament, of the last thing that it says, before 400 years of silence.

I’m coming back. But before I get there for this great terrible day that I’m going to judge, he says, I’m going to send Elijah Now you and I know that They were looking for Christ to come back on On the white horse you know there’s a line of the tribe of Judah and do his damage. And Jesus shows up, born in a stable, making lowly like a lamb, to defend himself. And they mocked him, slandered him, and he didn’t retaliate.

He didn’t get even. Now, me, I was exact every one of them, then I went in. But he didn’t do none of that. He was a lamb to be slaughtered. And it says that the Old Testament saints, the prophets, could not totally discern between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. They knew about both of them, but they couldn’t put it together. So we know now and it’s easy for us because we say this happened the first time he came and this happens the next time he comes.

So everything’s clear to us. We see they didn’t know that. They couldn’t put all this stuff together and even now it’s sometimes a little on the difficult side. But look what he says you’re in in verse 8 and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers as I come and smite the earth with a curse. Now I want you to take your Bible and just turn over there to the book of Matthew chapter 17.

Matthew chapter 17. But first of all chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16 Look what he says in verse 27, For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father. Now who is saying this? Jesus is saying this. So he’s telling about his second coming. When you’re going to come again. Because you see, the first time he came, he did not come in the glory of the angels and all the rest of them. That’s going to be when he is revealed in power and great glory.

He’s coming back again. But look what he says. He says, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I send you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. So he told them, there’s some of you standing here right now, you’re not going to die until you see me.

The way I’m going to look in the kingdom, I’m going to give you a photo op. He said, now he took him up on top of a mountain. And look what he says in verse 1 of chapter 17. After six days, Jesus take of Peter, James and John, his brother and bring them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine at the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. and behold, there appeared unto him, Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

And Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt wilt make three tabernacles, one for you and one for him and one for the other guy. And a voice came down from God out of heaven, says, shut up. This is my beloved son. Here ye him. They’re not all three equal. I assure you that Peter was always saying more than he should say. At least he said it, and it says they were sore afraid.

And then he says they’re in verse nine. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man. Get this until the son of man be risen again from the dead. And this is why later on, see when you read the book of Peter, when he talks about, he says, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We were in the mount with him. we saw Him and it’s His, but we have been given a more sure word.

Prophecy. In other words, I was there. I saw Him. I heard Him, but something better than seeing and hearing is to have the word of God. You and I have the word of God, a more sure word of prophecy. This will never change. Your memory may fade and you’ll get old and you won’t I don’t remember everything like this. But this book stays the same. I can still read the same words that I read 50 years ago. None of us changed.

And so the question came down in verse 10, and his disciples asked him, why didn’t say the scribes that Elijah must first come? Where’d they get that from? Well, they got that from the book of Malachi. Because they knew, well, if you’re the Christ, then here you are. And this is when you are upon the mount and they saw him in his glory. Well, where is Elijah? Because they knew that Elijah has to come. And look what he said.

In verse 11, Jesus answered and said to them, Elijah, truly shall first come and restore all things. So Jesus is saying Elijah will come. If they had accepted Jesus Christ, then John the Baptist would have been Elijah. But because they rejected Christ, he’s got to come later. And when he comes later, I believe Elijah is coming before he comes to the earth. That’s why a lot of people believe that the last two witnesses upon the earth is going to be Hank Lindstrom and Yankee Arnold.

No, no, I got that wrong. I wouldn’t mind that. I had a dream about that one night. Oh, it was a terrible dream. I had a dream and I was in Macon, Georgia. Then Betty hadn’t been married for a couple years, but her dad had already done told me all the stuff was going to go on. It scared me to death. And I’d go to bed that night. I don’t know if I had too many onions on my hamburger or what happened.

I don’t know. But I went to bed and I woke up and Betty was trying to get me to wake up because I was crying. I was loud and she, I I don’t know if I was hollering or whatever, but anyway, it was bad. And I was shaking, I was scared, crying, and she said, what’s wrong? What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I said, I was in the middle of the tribulation period. And I was leading people. And I said, there was another guy, but I don’t know who he was.

I don’t know who this guy was. And I said, bombs were busting everywhere. People were being killed. It was terrible. But it was all in color. It was so vivid. right in the middle of my dream. I thought I’m in the tribulation period. What am I doing here? What happened to the rapture? Like I left, scared me to death. That’s when I started crying. So anyway, she got me to wake up and I realized it was just a dream.

But boy, what a dream. Scared me to death. But look in verse 12, he says, but I say unto you that Elijah has come already and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listen. Likewise, shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” Now, I know that… It’s difficult sometimes to put all scriptures together where everything is totally understood. I wish that I understood all of it, but I don’t.

But take your Bible, just look over there real quick in the book of Luke. The book of Luke. Remember it says that he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the parents. I believe if parents today really love their children, then you want to be the right example for your children. And it would be great if all fathers love their children the way they should. And would it be great if all children love their daddy like they should or their mom like they should?

Well, what solid homes we could have. But because of so much sin in the world, it’s difficult today raising children. And then the raised children went out without the other, you know, a mate and a family. Because sometimes there’s single women having to raise their kids and their dad’s doing the same thing and it’s so it’s very difficult We live in a very difficult time I’ve had somebody tell me says I do not want to have kids Where the way things are in this world?

But now Moses was born in a bad time Wasn’t Our Jesus probably was born at a bad time You remember how many they wanted to kill or those little beady babies? all of them. So don’t have kids because it’s a bad time. No, you trust the Lord to walk you through having children just like you do marriage or your job or anything else. But look what he says here. We know that Zachariah and Elizabeth are going to have a baby.

You see there in verse 14 chapter And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. And he, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine or strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he get to turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and the power of Elijah, Elijah, who turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the judge, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And he was going to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and he came. And that’s mentioned in the first part of chapter three, and then in chapter four, I believe a reference that will definitely be Elijah. So he is the messenger, the voice of one. All you and I are are just cheap radio sets. I believe that’s the way Ray Stanford always put it. We’re just cheap radio sets transmitting a powerful message. We’re not the message.

He’s the message. He’s the messenger. We’re supposed to talk to people about what Christ has done on the cross for us. And by believing on him we have as a free gift everlasting life. So I hope that you have enjoyed a little bit of the book of Malachi. So where we’re gonna go next week? I don’t know, but wherever it is is gonna be good. It’s the word of God So yeah anyway, but look up here For you that have never seen this We had a lady that came to the Bible study today and we was talking about you know the wallet illustration the wallet illustration And I I realized I asked us this have you ever seen the wallet illustrations?

She says no like poor thing Poor thing I says when I get through our shirt to your case, okay So I had the joke showing her the wallet illustration. This is you and me and the wallet Represent sin we all have sin on Us and the Bible says that all of us have sinned and the wages of sin is death eternal separation from God To go to heaven we have to be perfect and righteous as God and none of us have perfect none of us are righteous And because of sin, we can’t get in.

And God says that we cannot save ourselves. We committed it, we got to pay it, we have a debt. And so the Bible says that Jesus Christ, this hand represents Jesus Christ, is God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because it separates us from Him. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die, but because He loved it, He took our sins, paid for them on the cross, came back from the dead, and said if we would believe that he did it for us, he would give us as a free gift ever lasting life.

And he says, these things have already done to you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. Now, I try to tell people to understand this, because it’ll help. The first four points is bad news. The last three points, good news, point number one, we’re all sinners. That’s bad news. wages of sin is death. Bad news. Got to be perfect to go to heaven. Oh, that’s bad news. You can’t earn your way to heaven by your good works.

All that bad news. So I always want to make sure a person understands the bad news so that they’ll appreciate the good news. This hand represents Jesus Christ. Number five, Christ died. So he died to pay for our sins. That’s good news. Came back from the dead and said, all I had to do is believe it. All I got to do is believe it. And he puts that payment to my account. And if I believe it, he says, you can know that you have eternal life.

That’s good news. So you see, in the way we present the gospel that we’ve been doing for almost 50 years, is it because it explains the bad news and the good news. Let’s break show him. Every head, bow and every eye, close, no one looking around. If you’re here tonight or if you’re watching by internet, understand, yes, God loves you. He loves all of us. And you may wonder or question whether or not God really loves you, but he does.

And when he sent his son to down the cross, it was to pay for your sins, to pay for yours. That’s how God wanted to show you that he loved you. And that he would give you as a free gift everlasting life. Why? Because that shows you how much God loves you. And that if you believe He did it for you, He wants you to know that you have eternal life. And know that you’re going to heaven, so He made a promise.

Two immutable facts. One, that there’s nobody greater than God, and that He can’t lie. So He gave His word, would you believe Him? If you will believe that Jesus Christ died on that cross, paid for your sins and trust Him to take you to heaven when you die, God that he would save you right now and give you the free gift of eternal life. So I hit bow nice clothes, no one looking around. Is there anyone else that says yes, that made sense to me and I will accept Jesus Christ as my Savior tonight.

I would not like to know and I would like to have prayer for you. So is anyone else that says yes, that made sense to me and I will trust Christ as my Savior. I want you to know it and I want you to pray for me. Would you just slip your hand very quickly? If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, your God’s child, do you think that serving the Lord is in vain, that there’s no profit to it?

Do you begin to question the love of God, doubting God? Because you don’t think He really loves you anymore because of all the things that seem to go wrong in your life? You see, those aren’t things going wrong in your life. Those are just tests to see whether or not do you really love Him? Do you really love Him? Do you love Him more than your wife or your husband or your kids or your job? Do Do you love him more than your wealth?

Do you love him more than your health? There ought not be anything that would come between you and your love for the Lord. See, God tells us in Romans, there is nothing that can separate you from his love, but is there anything that can separate him from your love? Bob, well, thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one for being here. In Christ and we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, The teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. One-line donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. 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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Malachi. Let me have y’all read the book of Malachi Very good very good The book of Deuteronomy and Leviticus All those Old Testament books Book of palms job But the book of Malachi the book of Malachi this is the Last lesson that I will do in the book of Malachi It is a very small book book, but it’s a powerful book. The last book before the 400 years of silence, but it’s amazing how this book ends up because it ends with a prophecy that Jesus is coming.

Jesus is coming. Now remember the children of Israel because of their rebellion to the Lord had been sent into captivity. They’d been there for 70 years and then they came back. You have Ezra and Nehemiah that were prophets. We believe that Malachi came a little bit after that time, but they had gone back and rebuilt the temple and it did not have the glory of the former temple Solomon’s. People were discouraged. They had carried with them from Bible on a lot of baggage.

The priest had come back with multiple wives. And the tribal Levi was supposed to keep themselves pure. They were not to do that. But they had broken God’s Word. And so the Lord says, how much I love you, I love you. And they said, we’re in hostile love dust. So in chapter 1, just to look at a couple review before we finish chapter 4, you’ll notice they’re in verse 2 of chapter 1, he said, I have loved you, say, after Lord, yet you say we’re in hostile love dust because you see, they didn’t believe that God loved them anymore.

When you stop believing that God loves you, it will affect your service to the Lord. What they had done is they had looked at the enemy, the other nations round about. They see other people getting away with murder. It seemed like where is the God of judgment, the God of justice. Why doesn’t God do something? And because they didn’t see God working and chasing the other nations, oh God did it for Israel. They come back to the land and they see all the status gone on and it seemed like God’s not interested.

Kind of like, you know, Seeing people do more wicked than what you do, and they get away with it. The book of Habakkah talks about that an awful lot too. He talks off of how long, oh Lord, how long do they have to wait? Now here in the book of Malachi, he says, I have loved you. He does compare where he talks about Jacob. He says, how I loved an esol. But these guys had already been dead for a long time.

But what he refers to is the Edomites who came from esol and the itemarians, they had been chasing also. And the Lord says, look, I brought you back into the land. But when I had taken you out of the land, they laughed and they mocked. And God said, I’ve whooped them. And they’re not coming back. But I love you. And so there’s a problem. Because you see, in our Christian life, if we would only understand all the trials and testings that we go through, it’s all about do we.

Love God do you love it? so God is going to have You tested To see do you love him now God says I love you and you and I are supposed to know that God loves us because of what he did for us he Send his son to down the cross pay for our sins So we could have eternal life and because of his love for us we’re supposed to love him But a lot of people do not love the Lord and because they don’t love him.

Well, they don’t serve him So he makes a statement down here in verse six. He says, a son honored his father, servant his master. So there’s two things mentioned in that one verse that kind of shows you the relationship between God and his people. God says, I am a father. I am your father. Why don’t you give me the honor and the respect that I deserve? And he says, a man who works for somebody and has a master, at least you show them that respect.

He says, but you don’t even do that for me. He says, where is my fear? Where is my respect? So God wasn’t getting from the people what he expected. So God says that he is weary with them, and then in chapter 2, the last part of it, they were weary with God. Well everybody is weary with everybody. God’s not happy with them and they were not happy with God. So now you have where he says, you have despised my name, the last part of verse 6.

You despise my name because you don’t reverence me as a hother and you don’t serve me. You see, God doesn’t want the service without the respect. want you to respect him. And so sometimes people just don’t. I fear God. Means I have a high holy reverential respect for God. And I want to serve him. I love the Lord. Love is a very powerful motivating force in a person’s life. And so he says down in verse seven, he says, we’re in have we pollutedly because now he says my altar is polluted.

So he makes a statement there in verse 10, who is there even among you that would shut the doors for not in kindle of fire? He said, in the temple, he says, you set the thing on fire and you do the altar and you burn the sacrifices. And he says, you’re going through the motions. He says, but you have polluted my altar. And they said, well, why do we do that? You see, they never see it from God’s perspective.

So God’s trying to help them to see, because most people say, you know, it’s not that bad. It’s not that bad. What I’m doing is not that bad, because we compare ourselves with other people who are going or not doing. He says, when you bring the sacrifice, he says, look at what you’re bringing me. He says, they’re defiled. You’re supposed to have a sheep that’s without spot, without blemish, without being sick, without broken bones. He says, and you’re offering me junk.

He says, offered to the governor. He won’t accept it. But God says, you’re offering to me. They were going through the motions, but their heart’s not in it. They’re just playing little games. And so the priests weren’t right, and because the priests weren’t right, because the priests were to be the ones that taught the law. They went to the temple and they were to teach the people. You see that over there in verse 11 in chapter two, where it says, Judah half dealt treacherously and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem for Judah had profaned the holiness of the Lord.

And because of that, they’re supposed to teach. Look up there also in verse nine. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways but have been partial in my law. They were supposed to teach the word of God to the people and that they had not done. Notice those two words in verse 12, where it says, the Lord will cut off the man that doeth the master, this is the teacher, and the scholar, the student, out of the tabernacle of Jacob.

In other words, when the people come, you’re supposed to teach them, and they weren’t teaching the truth. The people were ignorant. They didn’t understand stuff. And because of that, the people would not respond the way they should. And so they would not take and bring the right offerings. They would not give the 10% like it was supposed to the temple because the tribe of Levi, which was the priest, they were to live off of this. Everything’s fallen apart. chaos.

The Lord very, very upset. And so he says they’re in verse 14. Yet you say, wherefore, because the Lord hath been witness, he says now there are another problem that he dealt with them was, he says because you men, you have not been faithful to your wives. And when he talks and uses the word tractorsily over and over again here, you’ll see it up there in verse 10, you’ll see it down there also also in verse 14 and in verse 15, the word treasure, you have been unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

And they had taken otherwise doing things that God told them not to do. They were not to be unequally yoked outside of the nation of Israel. They had done all of this. And then they had children. He says, you have polluted the seed that’s mentioned in chapter two in verse three where he said, Behold, I will corrupt your seed. And so God was very upset with the priest and with the people. Now look there in chapter two and in verse 17.

He says, ye have wearied the Lord with your word, yet ye say, Where in have we wearied him when ye say, everyone that doeth able is good in the sight of the Lord and He delighted to them. Or where is the God of judgment? Whenever you live your Christian life and you get burned out because you don’t see a difference, you can’t discern between righteousness and unrighteousness. When it all looks the same and God’s people don’t live any different than the people in the world.

And it seems like God doesn’t care because God doesn’t do anything to them. And so they think in their mind, well, if God is so good and God is so righteous and God is so fair. Why don’t He punish them? He’s done it to us. Why don’t He do it to them? So they question God. You know it’s hard to serve someone when you don’t really believe that He loves you or that you can trust Him. Or what’s the reason?

What’s the prophet? You’ll see this is when he makes the statement about what prophet is. See there in chapter three, look in verse 14, where it says, ye have said it is vain, vain to serve God. And what profit, what profit? Everybody wants to know, what am I going to get out of this? He says, we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked more and more and more before the Lord of Host. And yet in verse 15, now we call the proud happy.

Yea, that work wickedly are set up and they attempt to God. They’re delivered, talking about the judgment. It doesn’t happen to them. It’s kind of like having children who always want to know why mom and dad are so strict on them and the other kids get away with murder. And the other parents, they let the kids say out all night, do all of whatever they want to do, and they’re not strict. And yet my mom and dad, they make me do this and I got to do this.

They never heard about the child labor law. Yeah, but those aren’t those aren’t your mom and dad’s kids. Mom and dad has a responsibility here. God has a responsibility to his children. And when you trust Christ as your Savior, your God’s child, God is going to give you a lot more personalized attention than the kids that run up down the street. They don’t belong to him. They’re going to get theirs. He said, just be patient. Just wait and you’ll see that their day is coming.

So in chapter 3 and in verse 1, he says, the Lord is going to suddenly come to his temple. And I believe that the messenger who came right before he suddenly comes to his temple is John the Baptist. And if you read Isaiah chapter 40 or 39, you’ll see where he makes the statement, he is the voice of one crying in the wilderness and he is going to make the way straight the mountains and the earth and all that.

So what’s all I talking about? Just preparing people to meet the Lord. Hey the Lord’s coming but he get right but he get ready. Here comes the Lord and John the Baptist came on the scene preaching and getting people ready. He shows. I’m not even worthy to bend down and tie his shoes or latch his sandals on or. He said, but I baptized you with water, but he that cometh after me. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

So that day was coming. Then he also gets on another interesting subject. A subject that nobody likes to talk about because they help with the subject of getting. But you’ll notice there is a word mentioned here. And it kind of reveals what God wants. Okay, God, why are you saying all of this to these people? What do you want? What’s the purpose? There’s always a purpose. You see there in verse seven, even from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them.

See the next word? You ought to underline it in your Bible. Return unto me. And I will return unto you. God says, the reason things are not going good for you is because you haven’t returned to me. You’re not serving me with your whole heart. You’re giving me lip service, but your heart’s far away from me. You know, 400 years passed, and when Christ came, it don’t seem like much has been accomplished in all those 400 years. He dealt with them the same way.

But he says here, but you say, we’re in, shall we return? Well, what should we do? What do you mean? What’s going on? And so he says in verse 8, Will a man rob God? In other words, God had dried up the heavens. God had caused the grain not to grow. God had caused the cattle not to multiply. See, most people don’t know that there’s a God in heaven that affects all of life. Everything. The weather. I believe that the weather is controlled by God, not the weatherman.

I believe God is in control. And God can withhold His blessings because of the rebellion of the people. Or God can open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing. See the people, the Levin tribe was supposed to bring all their product, a tent, whatever they had, and however God bless them, and bring it to the storehouse so that the tribal leave I had what they needed. But because they were rebellious, they didn’t bring what they needed, so they began to sell.

They took bribes. Their judgment wasn’t right. So the people hated the priest, and they had no respect to the priest. When leaders don’t have the respect for the Lord they should have, then people lose respect for their leaders. This is what was going on. So he says in verse 8, will a man rob God? Can you picture a man walking up to God with a 45 and says, stick him up. What are you doing? This is a robbery. I want what you have.

He’s going to rob God. Now, do you think you can rob God and get away with it? And yet there’s people that will rob, rob God. So a lot of people take verses that deal with the nation of Israel and try to apply them to the church. And we don’t mind it as long as all those other things, but the word tied, most people are scared to death of it. We just hear, well, we’re under grace. We’re just under grace.

I may be under grace, but God still says adultery is wrong. I may be under grace, but still in this still wrong. Most of the commandments are still right. There’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just that man is not able to perform and to fulfill the righteousness of the law. But when you You read Romans chapter 8, the Bible says, the Holy Spirit indwells you that you might be able to bring forth the righteousness of the law. God wants us.

I don’t get fed every morning, so I’m not going to break the 10 commandments. I’m not going to break the 10 commandments. I’m not going to break the 10 commandments. I’m going to keep the 10 commandments. But if you love the Lord and you walk with the Lord, the law is fulfilled in one word. You make out of 90 what that one word is. Love. If you love the Lord, you’re going to do right by God. Now shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, body, soul, and strength and so on.

And the first four deals with your relationship to God. And the next six, well that deals with your relationship to people. And so God said, if you love, then you’ll do right by God. And if you love, you’ll do right by people. And so because we do not love the way we should, sin abounds because love wax. Cold. So when people don’t do things the way God wants us to do them, then Christian service becomes nothing more than a ritual.

It’s that we do the right things maybe, but not because we really want to. It’s just that’s the way we’ve been trained. Do you know you can train your flesh how to act, what to do, and the songs the same, the money you give, but not love God at all? but you can go through the motions. This is what they were doing. They didn’t really love the Lord. So he says here, well a man robbed God, yet you have robbed me, but you say, where in have we robbed it?

He says in tithes and offering. So we say, well we believe you ought to give an offering to the Lord. You can’t give the offering to first of all, you’re giving the tithes. I believe it’s a good principle on how to give. It’s a good way to give. This church would not survive if it was not for the people in this church who tithe. Point blank. Most people just want to give a tip to the Lord and say, well, we’re all under grace.

Well, if you’re under grace, don’t you think that under grace would ought to do at least what they did on the law? They did that because they had to. We ought to do it because we want to. It doesn’t mean you don’t do it. It’s but you’re motive is different. You do it because you love the Lord and that you believe because of what you’re doing it’s honoring to the Lord and God’s gonna bless you because see God knows what goes on behind the scene God knows how you think how you feel and I believe there’s a lot of God’s children who robbed the Lord but enough of that I don’t just see this look in verse 9 because now they had done so you are cursed with a what your curse with a curse why is everything going wrong because of what they were doing

They were making unwise decisions and they didn’t think it was that bad. Evidently they didn’t know they were robbing God. They thought that we’re just, you know, I don’t care for those priests and I’m not going to do it. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then they can’t figure out why this doesn’t grow or that doesn’t grow and why this doesn’t work. There’s a God in heaven that knows what’s going on. He knows every individual. He knows every person in this ministry.

And get what he says, you have robbed me even this whole nation. So, evidently, God knows who’s doing what? Now look what else he said, bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse. Now, I do not believe the church is the storehouse. That was under the law. It was what they did. And they were brought to bring the grain, things like that. But there’s a principle here. When you read in the book of Corinthians in chapter 9, 9 it is Paul that refers to the law and that you do not muzzle the ox that treads off the corn.

Here’s the ox that treads off the corn. Well, he has to eat. So you don’t muzzle the ox that’s doing the work. And he’s the one that used the law to establish a point about God’s ministers in God’s people doing what they do. But anyway, so he makes a statement here in verse 10, bring you all the tithe into the storehouse so that there may be meat in my house. God says, get your priorities straight. And look what the next word, prove me now, he would say, after Lord of hosts, if I will not open under you the windows of heaven, that means it’s going to rain.

And he says, you’ll have so much, there won’t be room enough to hold it off. God says, would you put me first? He says, try me. He said, try me. Put me to the test. Since you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, have you ever put God to the test? Try Him. Or you’re afraid that He’s not going to come through and so you hold back and live in fear. Because you’re afraid to step out of the boat and walk on the water.

Because you’re afraid you’re going to sink. Do what God’s Word says and trust Him and enjoy the walk and you’d be surprised what God will do. And look what he says in verse 11. Now, verse 11, the first part of it anyway, you ought to underline it. God says, this is what I’m going to do. I will devour or I will rebuke the devour for your sake and ye shall not destroy and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground.

Neither shall your vine castor fruit before the time in the field said to the Lord, you know what’s happening is a result of your disobedience. He said, but if you would just obey me, believe me, believe me, try me. He says, and see if I won’t do what I promise that I’ll do. Because see, they had God bound by His word. You go back and you read the book of Deuteronomy where He said, I have laid before you lifeq and death, blessing and cursing.

It’s your choice. And when you get into the of the land. This is what I want you to do. And if you’ll do what I tell you to do, I’ll put none of those diseases upon you. What a health program that he had. And I’ll meet all of your needs and so forth. Social Security program. He had everything set up. God had it all designed his way will work. So then it says up here in verse 13 the last part, he said, what have we spoken so much against the gods?

You’ve been talking about me. God says you’ve been bad-mouthing me. Zah, I wouldn’t do that. God says you’ve been doing that. He said, wow. He says in verse 14, you have said it is vain to serve God. In the words, what’s the profit? Why should I serve God? That’s why you find in the book of Galatians in chapter 6, it says, not to become weary and well doing. Do not become weary and well doing, for you shall reap what you sow just in time.

Be patient. Don’t faint. Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Just always keep serving God and God will bless you. So will they believe that? verse 17 where he says, in that day when I make up my jewels, I will spare them as a man’s spareth his own son that serveth him. To spare his son that serves him. Do you know that God knows which one of his children serve him and which one don’t serve him? And God can bless you and protect you and God can do all kinds of things.

the Lord might just because of pride open up the gates and turn the hounds loose and buddy you be surprised how fast evil can come upon you men in the ministry I’ve seen just about everything that happened but it says the wicked one day is going to get there see their inverse 18 then shall you return and discern because see right now see they haven’t troubled discerning when you’re not close to the Lord, it’s hard to discern the error because the only way you can discern error is to know truth.

And they had gotten so far from the truth. The priests hadn’t taught the people like they should have known, and there was a price to be paid. So he says, and discerned between the righteous and the wicked, between him that servant God and him that serveth him not. So does God know those who serve him and those that do not serve him? God knows. And he says, the day is coming now. In chapter four, I believe the first few verses here actually belong to chapter three, but nevertheless I didn’t break up this.

But look what he says in verse one. He says, Behold the day cometh. Now we’re talking yes into the future. He says, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that cometh shall burn them up, sayeth the Lord of hosts, and that it shall leave them neither root nor brand. Now, God says, look, I know that you’re saying, where’s the God of judgment? God says, be patient.

You just go ahead and you serve me now with all your heart. And you just go ahead and try me and see if I won’t bless you like I said. He says, and concerning those people, you think getting away with murder? He said, I’ll take care of them. I’ll deal with them. And so don’t you lose heart just because you see, even in America, we see so many people living so wickedly and they look so happy. And wicked people are making money and God’s people seem like they’re starving half the day.

And if they don’t have any trouble and all the God’s people have problems and like David says, it’s like the Lord chasing me. Every time I turn on God’s chasing me. Read the 37 Psalm and the 73rd Psalm together. Those two Psalms go together. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part 2 of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast.

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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to Here today’s program again, or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, Calvary of Tampa dot 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. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

Remember a guy named Hezekiah? God was going to take his life. us prepare to meet my God. And Hezekiah said, no, wait, wait, not so fast. Lord, if I’m dead, I can’t do anything for you. I can’t praise you from the grave. I mean, let me live. Let me live. I don’t want to die. And evidently he had some boils and he was going to die. So God gave him 15 years. So did that prayer change God? Did he change God’s mind?

It would appear God changed his mind. If he changed his mind, why? Because he prayed and changed God. I guess interesting. Remember this, when he comes to what the word of God says, because God says, I changed not. I’m the same yesterday, today, and forever. And whatever we do, we base it upon the immutability of God. Impossible to change. God is not a man. God is God. So are we little peons down here able to get God to change his mind about stuff?

Remember this, circumstances change. You change. God doesn’t change. Prayer is getting you in the right place where God can do for you what he always wanted to do for you. God has always wanted to bless Israel and he’s always wanted them to be a light to the world that hasn’t changed. God doesn’t change. And so there’s circumstances with people where we either obey and if we do, God is bound by His Word to keep His covenant that he has to do certain.

And if we disobey as the nation of Israel did, then God was bound by his word that he had to chasten Israel. See, God didn’t change. What happened was the people changed. Circumstances change. Now, in your life and in my life, it is you you and I that are growing. You and I are the one that are learning things by which we correct decisions. God doesn’t have to correct anything. He doesn’t have to repent, change his mind. The Bible talks about when he repented, he grieved, they called it what man was doing.

The Bible tells us in the book of Zachariah in chapter 8 that God says, I fought to do this unto you, but when you correct the problem, I didn’t do the evil that I was going to do. You said, well, then God changed his mind. God was only being consistent with his character because of their change. He didn’t have to do this. that they hadn’t corrected the problem, God would have done this. That’s why when you read even in the book of Romans in chapter 9 about the choosing of vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy.

Can God the potter form or shape the vessel the way God wants? Of course he can. is it God free to use a vessel of rebellion to demonstrate his wrath and a vessel that obeys God and yields to God.God can use them to show his blessings upon. When I understood this years ago, I knew that if I served God, I have got God bound by his word, he must Bless me. His choice was made before I was ever born.

But I know if this book is true and if I obey his word and walk in his way, do his will, God is bound by his word. He can’t choose not to bless me. He must bless me. Remember a guy named Jacob who wrestled with the Lord all night long because he wanted one thing. He wanted God to bless him. He said, you mean God wasn’t a blessing? No, it was Jacob getting right where God could. Did you know it’s kind of like this?

Whenever you get right and God will move in your life and block you here and block you there and lead you and He’s trying to get you one place, right? If He can just get you right here, then He is going to unload His blessings upon you. And if not, and you’re rebellion, then you don’t get it. not that God changed. It’s that God got you in me where he wants us. And if you will do what’s right, God must hear your prayer and God must answer your prayer.

And when you understand that, that will give you more power in your prayer and not until. That’s why he says down here something very important. Look there in the book of Malachi in chapter three, even from the days of your fathers, you are gone astray from mine ordinances and have not kept them. See, the purpose of this whole thing of the whole letter is for them to return unto me. Why? Because God still loves them. Why? Because God still wants to bless Yes.

Return in me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of his returning, is based upon whose returning? There’s. If you will do what God says to do, then God is obligated and he can’t make up his mind and he’s already made up his mind. Well, he’s already wrote it in his word. God cannot lie. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. And get what else he says here. Return into me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

you say, we’re in shall we return? Will a man rob God yet you have robbed me?” But you say, we’re in have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings. You see, their tithes and their offerings were supposed to be given to the tribe of Levi. And then tribe of Levi would have what they needed to live off of. All right? When the priests became evil and didn’t do what they wanted or should have, Then God says, you have wearied me.

He said, they were sick of God. They didn’t want anything to do with really God Himself. They had the rituals down. They were doing the things, but their heart was far from them. When Christ came, He said the same things to them. And He says, because you have despised me, I’m going to have the people will despise you. So here’s God, here’s the priest, and here’s the people. He said, because you despise me, I’ll have the people despise you.

And so the people lost respect for their leaders, and they refused to bring them what they were supposed to have. So that means that now in order for them to live, they began to take bribes and all kinds of things. And when Christ came, He told them about this and confronted them with it because they were supposed to be taken care of their parents and they weren’t taken care of their parents. And they were given money to the temple and they were taken bribes and all that wickedness.

But look what He says. In verse 9 He says, you are cursed with a what? a curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation. So what was happening to them is a result of what they were doing. God didn’t change. So God had already laid it down in the book of Deuteronomy saying that I lay before you life and death. And if you will do what I say do, it will be life, blessings. But if you don’t, then I’m going to take it all the way from you.

You obey me, you’re in the land. You disobey I’m taking you out of the land. See, the principles of God doesn’t change. And in your own personal life, if you will understand, I know if I rebel against God, which will be my choice, God won’t make me do it. But if I rebel against the Lord, and I go my own way, do whatever I want to do with my life, my life, I can fight for all I want to.

Then I know that my heavenly Father, based upon his word, is gonna beat the Torah out of me or take me home before my time. Is that the book? That’s the book. And I know that I believe that. So I decided I’m going to serve the Lord. So for 50 years, that’s what I’ve been doing. And I think I just going to keep on doing that. I kind of like the benefits. I like the retirement plan. So you got a retirement plan, yeah, boy.

You say, I want to see your portfolio. Portfolio. Ha ha ha ha. I just lay up treasure in heaven. That’s where you’re going to have it. Anyway, look what he says in verse 9. You’re cursed with the curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation. Now get verse 10. He says, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. And the reason for that was because that’s what God told the other tribes to do so that the other tribe, the Levite, would have food to eat.

But when they didn’t take care of their needs, everything falls apart. And so God says, why don’t you try me? Try me. Prove me wrong. So that’s why He says they’re in verse 10, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in minehouse. In other words, God says, you put me first. Take care of what God says first. And then all these other things, God says, will be added unto you. There’s principles laid down in here.

Now some people they cringe at the word tide because it means a tent. Whatever it was, a tent goes to the Lord. And that was under the Jewish law. No doubt about it. But Abraham paid ties to Melchizedek. This was before the law. 430 years before the law was ever given. So, Titan was before the law. Titan was under the law. And after that, it doesn’t say that Titan has been done away with because it’s a principle in giving.

I don’t worry about whether or not do you give a tent, do you give a tent, do you give a tent? I think it’s a minimum. If they gave that much under the law, I think I ought to do more in the grace. But it’s a good system on learning how to give, how to determine. And I believe that if I put God first in my giving of my funds or my money to the Lord’s work, I believe that it’s up now to God to see how He wants to bless my life.

I have removed an obstacle that says, God’s it. Like I can’t because youDeliveryDate didn’t do this. I would rather go ahead and do it because I don’t want there to be any reason that God can use not to bless me. I want every blessing in this life I can get. And when I get to heaven, I don’t even know what a reward is going to be. But if God’s giving them, I’m wanting them. Whatever it is. He’s got for places of ruling in the kingdom with us.

I don’t care if I don’t get anything now, but when I get there, I’ll probably wish I had him. And God says that we are reward motivated people. Everybody wants something. I didn’t ask to be made this way. God made us this way. And God’s the one that tells us about this beautiful place called heaven so that we would desire to go there. He’s the one that told us about hell so that we wouldn’t want to go there. So in life we get a little bit of heaven and we get a little hell on earth so that you could have joy and you can experience pain so that you can make a wise choice on what you want forever.

Don’t it make sense God is so smart. How do you figure out all of this? And so he says there in verse 10, bring you all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in my house and prove get that. prove me now. Not 20 years from now, I don’t even prove me now. In other words, things can change. And God’s tell them, look, it can change. Not because God changes, but you need to change. You know whenever I have people come to church, I can’t make people come.

I probably make them go, but I can’t make them come. But whenever you come to church, you know why I teach in the Bible? Because I expect the Word of God to change you. And if it doesn’t change you, I will lose confidence in the book. But I shouldn’t. But I do. I think, have I labored in vain? I expect people to grow. And to grow it means something changed. There is a before and there is an after. But with God, see, there’s no before, there’s no after God, is the eternal I am.

He’s the same yesterday, today, forever. Nothing changes with God. But He has used time to let us learn some things about an infinite God that never changes. gives his word, he cannot lie. Has principles that he’s laid down in the Word of God? And if you could find what are all the rules? You know, I thought about that years ago, I want to go through the Bible and find the rules by which God plays by it. I think you’ll make a fantastic book.

What will God do and what will God not do and why? I’ll read it. Because God is such a good God, but I don’t believe people really understand God. And like I said before, is God somebody that you want to use? Or are you someone that God will use? And it depends upon what you do. So he says here, and prove me now, here with saith the Lord of hosts, get this, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, it means the rain is going to come.

And when the rain comes, the crops are going to be watered, and the fruit’s going to come, and the cows, and all the sheep and so forth, they’re going to multiply. And he says, in verse 11, God says, I will rebuke the devour for your sakes, and ye shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of Hope. In other words, you put me first, try me.

Now that to me is like God’s challenging people. Now, you know, there’s a verse in the Bible in the book of Romans in chapter 15 that says, Old Testament Scriptures were written a four time for our learning that we might understand God, that we may know why God does what He does, to understand the ways of God. So God says there is a way that seems right unto a man, but do you know the ways of God? Why God does what He does?

find out what God says and that He cannot life. And as God looks upon the people of the earth, He’s looking for one ingredient in every individual. He’s looking for one thing, faith. He’s looking for faith. Someone that believes in. Some day, somewhere, somehow, and sometime, some young kid is going to Pick up this book and read it and believe it. And God’s going to raise them up and can shake the world. God’s just looking for an individual that he can make himself strong on his behalf.

So who might that be? Do you ever sit there and think, I want to be that individual? If you can’t shake the world, wouldn’t you like to shake the man that shakes the world? To God to use you we limit ourselves by our own limited thinking So God says I Will rebuke the devour for your sake and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground Do you realize that you can work and God because you’re not right with him God can devour your money The Bible talks about, I think it’s in the book of Haggi-Aron, and he says, you put money into bags that has holes in it.

You put money into bags that has holes in them. That means that you may work and you labor to make something and you lose it. That’s why he says lay up treasure where? In heaven, why? So you can’t lose it. Lay up treasure in heaven, and you can’t lose that. Boy, that’s good stuff. He says in verse 13, your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? What did we say against you?

He says this, ye have said it is vain to serve God. Then no, it doesn’t pay to serve God. Do you get weary and well doing? Because you expect to get paid here. You see, with the nation of Israel, they were promised to land and the prosperity here in this life. With you and I, it’s not the blessings that God promised to Israel. God says that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. In other words, we’re not working for it down here as a nation because as a people, the church is not that nation Why which we set up and we want God to bless a nation?

We want God to bless this nation where we live But what is talking about is a little different You see God says you were here and I’m gonna reward it there Nation of Israel you obey me here and I’ll bless you here I’ll put a hedge about you the enemy can’t get to you. I will not take any of the diseases of the Egyptians and put them upon you and I’ll bless your land. I’ll bless you with water. I bless you with fruit I bless you with it and all that and so They blew it How are we doing?

Now it’s our turn and God’s giving us two thousand years to get the job done going all over on Priest the Gospel and it says teaching all nations, baptizing, discipling. We’re supposed to do that. So after 2,000 years, we have reached the world, haven’t we? We won the world of Christ. All the nations of the earth want to honor the Lord. We could pat ourselves in the back. Well, we have done a great job, haven’t we? No, we haven’t.

Look at the world. Look at the United States. Is it greater, more Christianized, I should say? I don’t think so. They said, it is in vain to serve God and get what else is it? What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Host. Now we call the proud happy. Yay, they that work wickedness or setup. Yay, they that temp God or even delivered. It would seem like all the evil triumphs.

But the one part there that says that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Host. Now we call the proud happy ye. They that work wickedly are set up. Do you see wicked people getting in place of leadership and they’re making the rules by which us believers are going to have to live by? That’s because the people are getting away from the Lord. So this is why I know if the Word of God is true, then God, there has to either be a revival in America or God has to judge America.

And I believe that the judgment is already on its way. So anyway, look up here. This hand representing you and me, this wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us. God loves us, but He hates our sin. The Bible says for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from the Lord. In hell. But God loves us. That has not changed. How God thinks and feels about sin, it hasn’t changed. And God says to go to heaven, you have to be perfect.

As righteous as God. Guess what? It ain’t changed. God says that no man can save himself by his works. that hasn’t changed. And God says that He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world because He loves us. He took our sins, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God said if we would believe that He did it for us, that He would put this payment to our account and we get to go to heaven on what Christ did for us.

That’s the best news in the world. And by the way, that hasn’t changed either. The same gospel to the first man to the last man, never be born. It’s all the same. It’s only thing any man has ever done or ever can do is simply accept Christ as their Savior. And when you trust Christ as your Savior, God says He gives you as a free gift everlasting life. And He says, these things have I written unto you, not believe that you may know that you have eternal life.

So if God said it, and I believe it, can I know that I have eternal life? If God can’t lie, and he says, I’ll never cast you out. Never. He said, I’ll never lose you. No man can take you out of my Father’s hand. But if that’s true and God can’t lie, how can I go to hell in the future? Impossible. Now, if I can believe what God says, then I have no problem. If I can’t believe he means what he says, then I got a problem.

So as you study the Word of God, it’s to give you an eye comfort and boldness. See, I know that God doesn’t change. I know that God wants to get me where he can bless me and anybody else. God will bless him. God has a purpose and his purpose in what he wants, he may know that the purpose of this trial or test in this to develop your character. See, God wants the best for every individual and he knows what’s best.

That’s why he’s working in every person’s life to give you individualized attention. You want God to be personally involved in your life? He is. You just didn’t know it. And he will do things to bring you closer to him. And God wants to bless you because he’s God. God loves you. All he wants you to do is get to where he can. And he says, if you return to me, he says, if you do what I say to you, and it’s a type to teach by, but you have no idea the windows of heaven that God can open.

And do for you more than you ever dreamed in your life. Isn’t there a verse in the New Testament of the book of Ephesians in chapter 3 where it says, and God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you’re able to ask or think. I think that’s in the Bible. I think there’s another verse that enters and says, cast all of your cares upon him for he cares for most of you. He cares for you, Every individual, you see, there is not a problem that you have greater than he can solve.

Do you understand that? Do you believe that? See God wants one thing from you, your confidence, your trust. He wants your respect and not to give him that respect. God says that’s an abomination to him. Let’s pray, show him. With every headbound, every act closed, and no one looking around if you’re here tonight, and you never trusted Christ as your Savior. Why not trust Him right now? You see, God doesn’t change. He loves you. It doesn’t matter how many bad things you’ve done.

He still loves you. And when He died on that cross and paid for the sins of the world, yours was included. And if you will believe He did it for you, God said He would save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. Wouldn’t you like to know that you’re going to heaven? Take God at His Word, He doesn’t lie. He said, if you trust Him right now, He would save you right now. Give you eternal life.

And you can know that you’re going to heaven because He said, I’ll never cast you out and I’ll never lose you. That’s because God loves you that much. If you have already trusted Christ as your Savior, as you go through life, there’s an awful a lot of things that God wants to teach you. One of those things is that he’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t change. We are the one to change. And when God answers our prayer, it’s because we have said or done that which he required and he will do it.

And as you look at the question or the prayer is to be within the boundaries of the will of God, His purpose, His purpose. Our Father, we thank You so much for all You’ve done for us. We thank You for this time together to study the Word. Bless each one. In Christ name we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that You were 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the bell to the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now we’re closing thoughts from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-800-800-800-800. 576-3771. One-line donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calbryoftampa.org. 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.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Malachi, the book of Malachi. And a few things I want to dwell on tonight, just three things. One is about the messenger that is to come. And the second thing is about God who says that he never changes. And third, where he says, you have robbed me. Who in the world in the right mind would walk up to God with a gun and say, stick them up, this is a hold up.

Say, I’m going to rob God. Now who in the right man would try to rob God? And yet people rob God. So we’re going to take a look at that. But first of all, look there in Malachi chapter 2 and verse 17. Chapter 2 verse 17. He said, you have wearied the Lord with your words. Now the people said that they were wearied because of what God has done. So the people were weirried with God and God was weary with them.

When you read the book of Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 14 where he talks about the nation of Israel, he says, from the top of your head to the bottom of your foot, he says, you’re sick. You have weirried me. He’s like, you’re rotten to the core. Now sometimes we say things like that about certain people. But God said this to his people, Israel. And then he says, come unto me and let’s reason together. Let’s reason together, saith the Lord.

But he says, we’re in have we wearied him. When ye say, everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighted in him. Oh, where is the God of judgment? In other words, it looks like, and maybe you’ve done this. Have you ever seen wicked people do wicked things? And it seemed like they get blessed, and you do righteous things, and you get the tar be out of you. Like, he’s always whooping you. And like David says, it’s like the Lord has chasing me over and over and over again.

Well, here he says, where in have we wearied you. And where is the God of judgment? we want to know and we believe that God ought to be fair, but even God isn’t fair. People are not fair. Life is not fair. But in the midst of this judgment and about us setting in judgment on God, because remember as you read through the book of Malachi, you see that question asked over and over again. We’re in hostile love does. We’re in have we polluted die of altar.

I mean show us where we’ve been wrong, because in their minds they don’t think it’s that bad. Most people don’t believe that what they do is that bad until they see what God says. Now if we compare ourselves with the Lord we see how far short we have come. So chapter 3 he says, somebody you have been waiting on. There’s somebody that’s written in the covenant that is coming and he is coming. So he says in verse 1, Behold, I will send my messenger, He shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple.”

Isn’t that amazing? It says, and suddenly come to his temple 400 years later he shows up. And then if you follow a little bit down lower when he talks about when he comes, he’s going to be an judgment. So, um, he came right on schedule. Now, I want you to, okay, here, but just look there in the book of Isaiah chapter 40. And you read this in the New Testament also, especially in the Gospel of John, a chapter three of Matthew, where it taught you where it’s bad to shows upon the scene and he’s a preaching.

And here in the book of Isaiah chapter 40. A little bit more, I don’t know if you can see here, but I don’t know what happened. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. their in verse one. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lord’s hand, double for all her sins.

In verse three, and then all of a careful sky. It just seemed like it’s another subject. The voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. There’s L-O-R-D all camps. Means Jehovah. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough way made plain. Now you may have a little trouble trying to understand some of that.

But let me just see if I can just make a comment about it. There’s a lot of mountains in Israel. There’s a lot of mountains around the world. But you know all of those high peaks, those great big mountains, gods that I have placed my temple in my holy heel of Zion. Though there’s mountains higher, there was none as great as this holy heel. And And it was like those are exalted and this one is humble and God’s chosen a humble place.

But Israel at one day it will be the greatest nation. And so today it’s a humble nation. It’s a little bitty nation. But God’s going to use this nation to be a blessing to the whole world. Now you’ll see that if you’re looking in the book of Malachi and you’re looking chapter three, look there in verse 12 where it says, and all nations shall call you blessed. For ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Right now, nothing was going right for Israel.

The temple wasn’t glorious like the previous one was. The sacrifices God was not satisfied with. He was upset with the priests, the leaders of the people, and he was upset with the people, and seemed like nobody was pleasing God. And so God was telling him, he says, look, all this can change. This can change. And God wanted to show them how much he loves him. But he said, God can’t change. He can’t bless this obedience. So here in Isaiah in chapter 40, when he talks about making things right, like, here comes somebody, prepare to meet the Lord.

It’s like when you’re going to have company, you want to clean up the house and make it look presentable. You don’t want there to be anything that would cause that person to be offended in any way. It’s people get your lives right. When you read in the book of Luke and talking about John the Baptist, it’s talking about that get things right. And John the Baptist was supposed to take and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.

That means then daddy begins to watch what he does, what he says, how he lives, how he thinks. Everything, but you see, we don’t have that today. We need the fathers to turn their hearts to the children. Because that’s what changes lives. That’s what changes homes. When you set the right example for the kids because you love them. Otherwise parents go astray when they lose the love for their children. But anyway, he said, this is gonna happen. In verse five, he says, “‘And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

“‘And all flesh shall see it all together “‘for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.” So Jesus Christ is going to come and come suddenly to the temple. Look what he says in verse 6. The voice said cry and he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grasped. All the goodness of thereof is as the flower of the field. And then down to the last part of verse 8, And the word of our God shall stand forever. And then in verse 9, The good tidings are the good news.

So John the Baptist came on the scene and he preached and was worn in the people, prepared either way of the Lord, he’s coming and he says, I baptize you in water but he either come up after me, shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and that was coming next. So go back here to the book of Malachi now. And when the Lord comes to the earth, even though there’s a little of a gap in here, it says in the last part of verse 2, he is like a refiner’s fire and like full of soap.

He shall sit as a refiner and purify of silver. He shall purify the sons of Levi, because remember the tribe of Levi is the priest. And they’re wicked right now, but he’s coming. He’s coming and he’s going to make things right. This is my righteous servant, the righteous branch. And he says, in verse 4, then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, as in the former years. So this is what’s going to take place.

And it’s looking on down the road. It ain’t happened yet, but it’s going to. Now he did come, but not everything was fulfilled at that time. Some things are going to be fulfilled later. Now look up there in verse six. To understand, I am the Lord, L-O-R-D caps. I am Jehovah, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed because God doesn’t change. God has mercy, God has grace. But just like when you play any kind of sports, there’s always rules that you have to play by.

And sometimes you break the road you get disqualified or you get kicked out of the game, whatever reason. But there’s rules that you play by. But believe it or not, in the Bible, there are rules that the devil has to play by. He has to go by certain rules. He has limitations put on him. There’s something he can do. There’s something he can’t do. And so when you understand that he is limited, he can’t do anything he wants to do.

A God can block him here and block him there. He can put a fence around you and protect you and all kinds of things that can happen. But you need to understand there’s also rules by which God has limited himself. In other words, God has his own set of rules. Love has rules. If man loves his wife, it becomes a set of rules upon him. There’s things he will not do. There’s things he will do because of love. Same thing with a woman.

So it has its own set of rules. There’s boundaries. Now with the Lord, He says, I change not. Now isn’t it true in scripture that the Bible says in God repented? Now it seems like a contradiction as though God changed His mind. We say always the repent means to change your mind and reconsider to think differently. So there’s a problem with that. But I do want I want you to look at a few verses with me. Now hold your place right here in Malachi.

Turn all the way over there to the book of Numbers. Numbers in chapter 23. Chapter 23 and look there in verse 19. Verse 19, because the more you understand about the ways of God, it will help you in your Christian life. It will give you confidence, give you boldness. Then it’s gonna affect your life and your trust. In verse 19, God is not a man. Do you understand that? Now Jesus became a man, but God, the Father, is not a man.

Now he was a perfect God man when he came into the world and born into the world. But we’re not talking about him. We’re talking about this. God is not a man, get this. That he should, what? Lie. So is he saying that all men are liars? I’m afraid so. All men are liars. But what else? She’s a neither the son of man that he should repent or change his mind. Have he said and shall he not do it?

Or have he spoken and shall he not make it good? Since God is God and God cannot lie. God can’t do anything wrong. God has never wronged any person. That means he can’t wrong you. So that means you can trust him. If he says something and he makes a promise, does he have to keep his word? I would think so, because it’s part of his character. See God’s mind, his will, his character, that can never change. It can’t change because of what the word of God tells us.

So there’s a few other scriptures that I wanted you to take a quick look at, but look in In James chapter 1, go to James chapter 1. Now don’t lose your place there in the book of Malachi now, but James in chapter 1, and look there in verse 17. Now, the Bible tells us that when a man is tempted, he cannot say, I am tempted of God because God does not tempt a man to sin. God doesn’t dangle bait out there in front of you and try to get you to sin.

Now, the devil will, but the Lord will. And you are enticed whenever your sinful nature that you have, your lust desires that which it shouldn’t. So you have an old sinful nature. So you can’t blame everything on the devil. You can take the devil and put him in the bottom of his pit for a thousand years, and people still want to do what’s wrong. That’s going to take place one day. So you look there in verse 16, where he’s a do not err, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift, every perfect gift is from above. And comeeth down from the Father of lights, with whom is no a verableness, neither shadow up turning. It means that God doesn’t change. And that’s a good thing to know. But while you’re right here so close, look there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13. Look there in verse eight, you ought to underline this verse. And look what it says even about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.

So if this is true, how can God repent or change his mind? Or when I pray to God, can I change God’s mind? Isn’t that what prayer is? In other words, I’m not going to get something unless I pray. So when I pray, I change God’s mind. Well, that’s interesting. Have you really thought much about that? Is there a contradiction in the Bible? In other words, Lord can I have that pink Cadillac? No, you cannot. And we think God is like a friend.

So we just stay at Him and by our persistent in asking and wearing Him down, we finally got God to change His mind and give me that pink Cadillac or that million dollars. Wouldn’t that be great? So all we got to do is just keep begging and weary him and we’ll get it becauseparse there’s an illustration in the Bible about something like that. But he talks about an unjust judge or something you know. Well we’re not going to look at that tonight.

But I do want you to know that he says, blessed is the Lord. He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if he doesn’t change, can he change his mind? It’s an interesting subject. Look at Hebrews chapter 6. We’re right here in Hebrews. Look at Hebrews chapter 6. Look in verse 17. There’s two things about the Lord that says that he can swear by no greater so that there’s nobody greater than God. And then it was impossible for God to lie, So that ought to be pretty sure.

So if nobody can override God, because there’s nobody greater than God, can God save you today and then he changes his mind tomorrow? Wouldn’t that be terrible? Because if he can change his mind on any one person, he could change his mind on all of us. But see what I know about God is that God can’t change his mind. And the Bible tells us in the book of Romans in chapter 11 that the callings and the gifts of God are without repentance.

It means it’s without a change of mind. God can’t change his mind. So how does all this, you know, prayer supposed to make a difference? That’s an interesting question. I wish we had a good answer. verse 18, that by two immutable things in which there’s nobody greater and he can’t lie, in which it was impossible for God to land, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us so that we can have sure in our anchor, look in verse 19, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.

Why is our anchor secure? Because there’s nobody greater than God and God cannot lie and God gave his word. So you and I are supposed to rest and that’s what gives us our confidence in our bolder. So whenever we say, I know I have eternal life. I know I’m going to heaven when I’ve done. What is it based upon the word of God? God said so and God can’t change it. why like that. You ought to like that too.

But all of this reveals something that I want you to see looking for 6 in Malachi. For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not concerned why because God had made a promise. He had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they were going to be the foundation of a kingdom upon the earth that will last forever, and that they’re going to have a king over them and a kingdom that will never cease. God gave His word.

So God can’t let the nation of Israel, the people, He can’t never let them be totally annihilated. Oh, they’ve come close over the centuries, but they’re still going. There’s some people living in our time that would love to just annihilate all of them, but they still keep going. But now God never changes his mind, his will, or his nature. Change involves before and after. So here’s God. God is the eternal person I am. Can you have a before and then God changed it?

And then there’s after. After God did this, or before God did this, that God had to change something. Is it possible If God cannot change. The second thing to look at on this is if God changes, is it because God made a mistake? Has he now made a mistake? Because if something changes, does it change for the better or for the worse? Anything that changes in our understanding is it changes for better or changes for worse. Isn’t that what we do when we get two people to be joined together in matrimony.

We always tell them because even if things change, you’re supposed to keep your vow for better or for worse, richer or poor, in sickness and in health. Those are changes, aren’t they? All those are changes. But if you give your word, regardless of what changes, better, worse, you keep this. Because see, they give your word. That’s why you’re supposed to be scared to death. They give your word because God hears our vows and it’s important. So is it better or is it worse?

So did God do this and then God did it better? God is perfect. Then it can’t change. It can’t get better. It can’t get worse because God is God. Whatever God does. It’s always perfect. God can’t do any wrong. He can’t do any less than perfection in anything. He can’t change his mind because if he changed his mind is because he finally learned something that he didn’t know and he had to make a correction. Did you tell God something?

And God said, I never thought of that. And now he changed his mind. For example, remember a guy named He says, God was going to take his life. So prepare to meet by God. And He says, wait a minute, not so fast. Lord, if I’m dead, I can’t do anything for you. I can’t praise you from the grave. I mean, let me live. Let me live. I don’t want to die. And evidently he had some boils and he was going to die.

So God gave him 15 years. So did that prayer change God? Did he change God’s mind? It would appear that God changed his mind. If he changed his mind, why? Because he prayed and changed God. Oh, I guess interesting. Remember this, when it comes to what the word of God says, because God says, I changed not. I’m the same yesterday, today and forever. And whatever we do, we base it upon the immutability of God. Impossible to change. God is not a man.

God is God. So are we little peons down here able to get God to change his mind about stuff? Remember this, circumstances change. You change. God doesn’t change. Prayer is getting you in the right place where God can do for you what He always wanted to do for you. God has always wanted to bless Israel and He’s always wanted them to be a light to the world. That hasn’t changed. God doesn’t change. And so there’s circumstances with people where we either obey, and if we do, God is bound by His Word to keep His covenant that He has to do certain.

And if we disobey as the nation of Israel did, then God was bound by His Word that He had to chasten Israel. See, God didn’t change. What happened was the people changed. Circumstances change. Now in your life and in my life, it is you and I that are growing. You and I are the one that are learning things by which we correct decisions. God doesn’t have to correct anything. He doesn’t have to repent, change his mind. The Bible talks about when he repented, he grieved, they called it what man was doing.

The Bible tells us in the book of Zechariah in chapter 8 that God said, I fought to do this unto you, but when you correct the problem, I didn’t do the evil that I was going to do. You said, well then God changed his mind. was only being consistent with his character because of their change, he didn’t have to do this. But if they hadn’t corrected the problem, God would have done this. That’s why when you read even in the book of Romans in chapter 9 about the choosing of vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy.

Can God the potter form or shape the vessel the way God wants? Of course He can. Is it God free to use a vessel of rebellion to demonstrate His wrath and a vessel that obeys God and yields to God that God can use them to show His blessing to on. When I understood this years ago, I knew that if I serve God, I have got God bound by His Word. He must bless me. His choice-was made before I was ever born.

But I know if this book is true and if I obey His Word and walk in His way, do His will, God is bound by his word, he can’t choose not to bless me. He must bless me. Remember a guy named Jacob who wrestled with the Lord all night long because he wanted one thing. He wanted God’s blessings. He said, you mean God wouldn’t have blessed? No, it was Jacob getting right where God could. Did you know it’s kind of like this?

Whenever you get right and God will move in your life and block you here and block you there and lead you and he’s He’s trying to get you one place. Why? If he can just get you right here, then he is going to unload his blessings upon you. And if not, and you’re rebellion, then you don’t get it. It’s not that God changed. It’s that God got you in me where he wants us. And if you will do what’s right, God must hear your prayer and God must answer your prayer.

understand that that will give you more power in your prayer and not on appeal. You’ve been listening to Bibleline a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. 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 in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.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, 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book. 2 Corinthians in chapter 11. 11. Hopefully I can present this message the way I would like to where it’s clear, understandable, and at the same time motivational, but it’s also a message that brings with it a warning to God’s people. The Apostle Paul is talking to a very carnal church, a worldly church, where they had 14 major problems in their church. And yet at the same time, he addresses them as saints in the Lord.

Now these saints weren’t living like saints. After going through all this time, ten chapters, mentioning all these various problems, it finally gets to chapter 11, and it says this in verse 1, “‘Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me. They thought they were doing such a great job. He had to inform them that they weren’t. They were thinking that they were so holy and he had to let them know that they weren’t.

They thought they were pretty good examples of the believer, but they weren’t. So Paul has really come down on him pretty hard. So he says they’re in verse 2, I am jealous over you with Godly jealousy. Now what is jealousy? is the fear of being replaced. You know, here’s a girl that likes the boy and then another girl tries to take her boy so she gets jealous, fear of being replaced. There is a true and living God and God, the Bible tells us, is a jealous God.

It means that God doesn’t want to be replaced. This is why he gives us so many commandments, warnings in scripture about not replacing God with anything, anyone, nothing. So he says they’re in the last chapter there in the book of 1 John and chapter 5, my little children, he said abstain from idolatry, keep yourself from idols. What it means is don’t let nothing come between you and the Lord, because anything that you place between you and God, God can remove.

So So here’s the Lord and here’s you. Anything you put between you and God, God can move away. So sometime it could be a job, it can be money, it can be fame, it can be health, it can be your wife, it can be your kids, it can be anything. God doesn’t want anything in the way. Because see, this is what life is about. So he makes a statement here in verse two, where I have a spouse you to one husband, That I and you ought to underline this that I may present you as a chase virgin to Christ.

Now, underline the word present because we covered the other night about presenting someone before the Lord. And here he’s using the same word again may present you. Now, it has the word here, chase virgin, chase virgin. I wonder if I was asked most people, what is a virgin? Many people today probably wouldn’t have a clue. They wouldn’t know what a virgin is anymore. Now a boy can be a virgin and a girl can be a virgin. Means they never had sex outside of marriage.

They kept themselves on the person they were going to marry and when they got married, they were virgins. Many people today don’t heed the scriptures. And so adultery runs wild or in occasion, any kind of sex outside of marriage. So it’s a terrible situation that we have in our world today. And shamefully, it’s also entered into the church and many of God’s people. They are not living holy lives. And they are scriptures that talks about abstain from fornication, keeping yourselves clean and talking about, no you not that your body is the temple of the Lord, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods.

So there’s many admonitions that are given to us in the scripture. But he says that I may present you as a changed version to Christ. Now I’m not sure how this works. All I know is that you So when somebody to the Lord, you convince them persuade them and you use the scriptures and it’s the Holy Spirit that convicts the person’s mind where they understand that they’re lost and they need to be saved and so they trust Christ as their Savior.

So once they trust Christ as their Savior, they’re His child and they’re His child forever. But see, there is still something here in the scriptures about not just getting to heaven. That’s because of what Christ did for us. we’re not talking about getting there, we’re talking about how you’re going to be presented when you get there. Some can think maybe like what kind of an introduction are you going to have? Is somebody going to present you to Christ? Here the apostle Paul says that I want to present you as a chase virgin to Christ.

In the words like here’s a husband and a wife and they have a daughter and the man become engaged, they’re spouts together to be married. But they’re looked upon doing this engagement period as though their husband and wife, though they don’t live together. He goes and builds the house and gets himself set financially and he gets everything ready and she stays with mom and dad and mom and dad has to vouch for her virginity. They have to be sure that whenever they present this girl to this guy when they get married, this daughter is a virgin.

And it’s a great shame upon the family if it’s not so. And if he finds out that she’s not of her, he can, as the Bible says, annul the marriage. How does this all fit in with Scripture? It’s very interesting. When he makes a statement here that I want to present you, you as though here you are, you trust that Christ is your Savior and you lived your life upon the earth and you kept yourself pure. There’s scripture that talks about when Paul wrote to Timothy as a young man.

He says, keep thyself pure. And there’s many scriptures in Thessalonians that talks about sanctify your vessel, this body of ours, keeping it pure. So during our lifetime God wants to, I believe we want to be presented before the Father without all this infidelity. Can you maintain that? Can you husband and wife, can you keep yourself pure only to the person that you married for the rest of your life? And that’s called faithfulness. If the man doesn’t or the woman other we call it been unfaithful.

Well, with the Lord, the Bible talks about spiritual adultery, a child of God that commits spiritual adultery. In other words, they have not kept themselves pure for the one they’re going to be married to someday, for example. You and I are told in scripture that we are one day going to be married to Christ. Christ is the husband and we are they what? the bride. So we’re the bride and he’s going to be our husband and there’s to be the marriage supper of the lamb.

So there’s a wedding kind of. So between the time you trust Christ as your Savior and the time you get married you’re supposed to live like you are married. As though there is nobody else you are not in love with anyone else. You’re not in love with the world, you’re not in love with things you’re not in love with another person. There’s no other idol of yours. Nobody else deserves all of your work. You’re focusing only on one thing, the one you’re going to marry, and you keep yourself pure for that wedding day.

Now this is since you’ve been saved. Now the scriptures teach you this. I’m not making this up. This is the book. It’s the Bible. But now, load it what it says in verse three. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve, through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. So he talks about in verse four, how that you and I can become, or I should say, become unfaithful to the Lord because we will worship another Jesus Jesus or another Spirit or another gospel.

And see, we’re to keep ourselves pure on the gospel of grace and not change and not accept another message. There’s not to be another Holy Spirit. You’ve got to keep yourself there, try the Spirit to see whether they are be of God or not. And there’s not to be another Jesus. Nobody else is to take His place so that as we live our lives, sure we may not do everything perfectly right, but we can always, in 1 John 1 9 is in the Bible.

And I’m so glad it is. When we fail or make a mistake or do something that’s wrong, we can confess our sin and get right back with the Lord and keep going So that you keep yourself pure between you and God So you could be presented to God as a changed virgin now. That’s an individual choice. Nobody can do this for you You can’t do it for me. I can’t do it for you now. Look in the book of Colossians the book of Colossians Just turn to your right You got Philippians Colossians and in Colossians in chapter one in Verse 22 when you trusted Christ as your Savior it was because you understood that Jesus Christ Who was the Savior of the world?

Who was God in the flesh and by whom all things were created and Who made all things and we were made for his pleasure and by whom all things consist this same one in his own body on the cross paid for our sins. So verse 22, in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight. If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven where of I Paul and made a minister.

So the people in Paul’s day and around the world got a chance to hear the gospel. They did quite a job didn’t they? They sure did. And they didn’t have telephones, they didn’t have automobiles, they didn’t have the internet, and yet they were able to get this done. They must have been committed and they were. But you’ll notice that there’s something here he wants to do. Now Paul says to present you. So getting to heaven, that’s a gift, that’s free.

Now how you’re presented when you get to heaven is a different story. You see God said that we’re gonna stand before the Lord someday and give a count of how we lived in the flesh, in the body. Whether good or bad we got to give an account. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. So here he’s talking about if If you continue in the faith, now look up here, you trust Christ as your Savior That’s getting you into heaven.

You’re going to heaven because of what Christ did for you. You have been made pure and holy Perfect, you say well, how can you be any other way than I can all this other stuff because now he’s talking about what you do for the Lord He wants to present you Talking about Paul not Christ Paul this is how I want you there. I want you to be presented before the Lord when you get to heaven I want everything to be right that you did right so that you’re not ashamed before him that is coming which means that you can’t be ashamed and Whenever you’re gonna wipe away tears from your eyes means you could have tears in your eyes And whenever you’re gonna have the loss of rewards it means that there could be some grieving there You’re gonna have some loss of something that you could have had

So it’s important that you and I as a child have God realized why we should be faithful to the Lord. If you continue it means that you will be approved as he says here in the last word there, where it says, an un-reprovable. The Apostle Paul uses the same word in the book of Corinthians in chapter 9 verse 27 when he says that after I have preached the others, I myself should be a a castaway or dis-approved, rejected, disqualified for the rewards.

In other words, God says, you’re running in a race, but if you don’t run right, you’ll be disqualified. So many of God’s children, from the time they trusted Christ of Savior, until the time they get to heaven, you’re running a race. And if you don’t run the race that way, God says to running, you could be disqualified and yet means you don’t get the rewards that you could have had. Paul says, I want you not only to run the race.

I want you to play by the rules and I don’t want you to be disqualified or I want you to be there where nothing could be laid against you as they keep you from being rewarded in heaven. See there in verse 28, the converse 28, home we preach talking about Christ, warning every man. Now this is not to the lost man. This is to those who trusted Christ of their Savior, warning every man, teaching every man and all wisdom that we may present every man.

Perfect or mature in Christ Jesus. See it’s one thing to trust Christ as your Savior. You have eternal life. You’ll go to heaven when you die. But when you get to heaven, do you want to be there in diapers? That’s better than not being there at all. Or to be there as a mature individual because you run a race, you fought some battles and you stand there and God says, well done. My good and faithful servant. Now, getting there is one thing, but hear him say, well done.

There’s a different story. all together because if you haven’t done well, he can’t say, well done. And that doesn’t mean he said, enter down to the joys of the Lord. Now you may be there and you will be there if you trust the Christ of Savior, but this is a warning. Not everybody is going to get the same thing once they get there. There is something to be afraid of. He says in the book of 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 11, he says, knowing therefore the tear of the Lord, we persuade men.

So there’s something about all of this that Christians need to be aware of is how are you going to be presented when you get there. And the Apostle Paul says, I want to present you comprehend the Lordmorrow in, strong in the Lord. The Apostle Paul says, I have not held back anything that was good and profitable under you. I have taught you the whole counsel of God. I taught you the word. What you do when it is up to you.

I just want you to be aware that there’s warnings in the scriptures and how you are presented in heaven at that moment is going to be very important. And did you have idols in your life? Did you commit spiritual adultery? Or you may not do anything physically, but spiritually you can commit spiritual adultery. Well, you don’t love the Lord like He used to. You’re not as dedicated as you used to be. These are all personal things that you have to weigh in your own mind.

Now, take your Bible and turn contrace to the book of Hebrews in chapter six. Now, if in your present time, this life, we fail and serve on Lord and we don’t grow, we don’t go on to maturity. Is there a price to pay? Well, I think there is, but I want you to see this in Hebrews in chapter six, look in verse one. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, Let us go on unto perfection. That word means maturity.

Let’s stop being a baby’s end-dipers and needing the baby bottle. Let’s grow up. Learn how to handle spiritual response abilities. So how do you know it says all that? If you look at the four verses right before this, look in verse 11 of chapter 5. Of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing your dull of hearing. See, a lot, of God’s children get to where they don’t want to hear the Word of God anymore.

In order for you to grow spiritually, it’s not done by the singing, it’s not done by the drama, it’s not done by any of those things, it’s done by the Word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Not many people love to hear the Word of God so that they can do something about what they hear because most people like the way they are don’t want to be disturbed and just want to playGGGGGGGG. But if you go by the scriptures, God says they’re dull of hearing, don’t want to learn.

For when for the time you ought to be teachers, people that ought to be able to teach, they can’t teach. They could, but they can’t. And can’t because of their dollar hearing. They don’t want to hear anymore. They don’t want to learn a word because they don’t want to do anything with it anyway. Why should I have to learn the Bible? I’m not going to do anything with it. But you should learn in order that you might teach. For when for the time Saban you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again.

It means that there’s children of God that didn’t grow, didn’t mature, and they have to be taught again and again and again because you see, you don’t learn something until you begin to use something. When you begin to use what you know, then you begin to grow. But if you don’t, then you don’t know. It’s like I’ve told people before. You don’t know the Bible until the Bible controls your life. If you don’t live by the Bible, you don’t know the Bible.

The only way to really know the Bible is to put it into practice. Then you find out what he meant, then you learn it. But if you don’t do that and you don’t obey the Scriptures, you don’t believe the Scriptures. If you don’t believe the Scriptures, you’re not going to learn it. It all goes together. He says here, which be the first principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat.

I used to listen to people all the time, why? I need some more meat, eat. I get sick and tired of milk, milk, milk, milk. Well, that’s not really their problem. Anybody can eat meat, can eat meat on their own. But sometimes you have to feed people a little milk and a little meat. I always try to teach something very simple that you know and understand you’ve heard a thousand times because there’s other people that don’t know what they know as much as they do.

Then you try to give a little bit of other so that they can chew on it for a while. So you get a balance between the two. Then he makes a statement in verse 13, For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of rights. It doesn’t mean he’s not saved, he’s not unskillful. It’s just like you can have all the tools in the world. I got tools that I still haven’t mastered yet. But you can have all the tools in the world, but you not know how to use them.

And you can have a Bible, and you can read the Bible. Bible, but you’re not skillful until you know how to use the Bible. Can you use the scriptures to win people the Christ? Can you use the scriptures to teach somebody? If you can’t do that, you’re unskilled. Now you’re saved. You can have not a head knowledge, but no experience because you’re not applying the scriptures. So you’re not going to be as strong as you would have been otherwise.

And it is true that the scripture says here that when for the time you ought to be teaching, you won’t teach. And he says you’re unskilled for. But that’s a personal choice. Notice what he says for everyone that uses milk is unskilled in the word of right for he is a what what is he? The babe Don’t matter how long you’ve been saved. I’ve been safe for 50 years. Don’t tell me. I’m sorry I’m not telling you. I’m telling you.

This is what the book says you explain it You explain how would you apply these scriptures because you do I do too But in verse 14, but strong meat belong to them that are of full age those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Those who can discern and those who are using the scriptures have a right to the meat, not the babes. They don’t need meat. But now he says in chapter 6, we need to leave that which be the first principles of the oracles of God about how you’re saved because you see after you are saved you don’t have to get saved again just because a babe doesn’t grow doesn’t mean you have to unborn him and get him saved again.

So he says there in the last part of this verse 1, let us go on to maturity not not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead verse and a faith toward God. Now look up here, you and I were saved when we understood that repentance means it’s a change of mind about trusting in my dead works because my works can’t save me and believe it in Christ. The issue is always law and grace. Grace versus works. So if a man believes he saved by his works, you got to change your mind.

That’s not true and believe on Christ. So he says in this verse, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward Christ. So we know that repentance is talking about turning from your works and believe it on Christ. Not turning from your sins. Good works. People who trust in their good works together to heaven. You got to think you can’t save yourself by your works. You’re saved by grace. And so once you believe that you don’t have to do that again.

And the reason is because it’s impossible for a man who has been saved to ever down the road get saved again. So he says, you don’t lay that foundation anymore. So then he says in verse three, and this we will do. No work, do what? We’re gonna go on to maturity. We’re not gonna try to get you saved again just because you’re a babe in Christ, you haven’t matured, you haven’t grown, you ought to be doing something, you’re not doing it.

How does God want to present you? I mean, how do you think God wants you to arrive as a babe in Christ, or did God give you enough time to grow? Did God give you and me enough time to live mature in the Lord. Or do you think he wants us to go up there and not grown up in the Lord, still like babies in the Lord and never did anything for God? I mean God said, I gave you 30 years to live.

40 years to live after you were saved and what in the world did you do? Look at you. Do you think your heavenly Father could be ashamed? The Bible says that he can be ashamed of us. He said because we were ashamed of him. He says that he will deny us. No, he can’t deny us salvation. but he’ll deny you the rewards and then how much other things go with that I don’t really know I (?,m just gonna warn according to what the scripture says and when it’s silent I’ll be silent but when it speaks I’ll try to speak and try to tell you as much as I possibly can So he says there in verse three this will we do if God permits see God is the one that permits you to go to maturity Because if you don’t believe him and trust him then you can’t go forwardocamp mature

because a Christian cannot grow without knowing God’s Word. So if God tells you something of what He wants you to do in life and you don’t believe that, well if you don’t believe that, then you can’t grow. Because believing God’s Word is to apply the Word of God and God will give you more light, more knowledge and you’ll grow. But He’ll hinder you from understanding because you will not obey what He already told you. So if Christians are not going to obey the light they already have, why should God keep giving a Christian light?

If you don’t apply what you have already been taught. But you’re not learning is not because it’s not being taught. You’re not learning because you’re not applying what you’ve already been told. And God won’t let you learn anymore. God prohibits it. And you’ll stay a babe all your life. Not because it’s God’s choice. It’s because the will of the person will not submit to the truth that he already has. In verse 4, the reason that God will permit some things and not permit other things, and why we will do what we do is because it says in verse 4, it’s impossible for those who have been once enlightened, tasted the heavenly gifts, made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

So these are those that I’ve already trusted the Lord. They’re really happy to turn alike. They’ve already received the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God, the powers of the world to come, the age to come, if they, if they that have already been saved shall fall away. Now, fall away doesn’t mean lose your salvation. If because you can’t fall away and lose your salvation because you can’t get saved again. See that phrase? To renew them again unto repentance.

Why did it say there in verse 1, not lay in again the foundation of repentance? You can’t do it again because you see it’s impossible for those who have been saved to ever lose their salvation and get saved again. They can’t be done. So you don’t have to win them into Christ again. So well, you must be lost and we got to get you saved again. God never said that in His Word. He never cast the doubts on salvation like that.

But He did say that you need to start where you are and start growing and start maturing. If you follow away, follow away from what? We’re not talking about you can’t lose or salvation. But if you no longer as a child of God, you won’t grow, you won’t mature. You don’t eat the word of God. You just want to apply it. You don’t teach. You don’t do anything. And God says, this is what’s going to be the result. Now look at the results.

This is the result in a Christian’s life who falls away from serving the Lord. Does it stay faithful? It doesn’t continue in the faith. Say, yes, say, but doesn’t do anything. He says there in verse 7, for the earth which drinketh in the rain that comeeth off upon it and bringeth forth herbs. Now we’re talking about in the Christian life bringing forth fruit, bringing forth that which God wants out of our lives. The earth which drinketh in the rain that come eth off upon it bringeth forth herbs, food, meat or fit for them by whom it is dressed, prepared and get this on the line.

Receive it, blessings from God. Receive it, blessings from God. So it all depends on whether or not you want the blessing. Just like here you are, you’re a piece of ground and there’s rain that comes down from God and the rain waters the ground, the fruit grows and you enjoy the blessings. But that which beareth forms, briars is rejected. So you’re burning up that which doesn’t produce fruit. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr.

Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771. 771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 1030 and at six o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.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. We will be changed. Hot 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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. Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

So God knows. You say, well, it won’t bother me. Yes, it will. You cannot just do anything you want to do. That’s why when the Bible talks about being not unequally yoked together, it means that you’re not supposed to marry somebody who does not know the Lord and I wouldn’t marry somebody who does not want to serve the Lord. So let’s say you do and the person you marry doesn’t. Is there going to be conflict? There’s going to be a lot of conflict on how the children are raised, raised, school they go to, everything, all the discipline, the church you attend, everything is affected.

You say, won’t it? Yes, it will. That’s why the Word of God is given, not to be mean or unkind to anybody. It’s because God knows. He’s always right. And just because there’s a few exceptions that you might find and so forth, doesn’t change the principle in the Word of God. So these people were willing to do whatever God said. And that’s what they did. Now take your Bible and go back now to the book of Malachi. You see how you can just about go anywhere in the Bible when you start studying one book, you’re in another book, and then you’re in another book.

But back to the book of Malachi. So he has gone through and he says some things to the priest about what they should do, how they’re supposed to be. He reminds them of Levi, who was a high priest of Aaron who came from him. And so God had told them it was because they were godly individuals. They were good examples. And this is what he wanted them to be in, and they were not. And see what they were doing up there in verse eight of chapter one.

If you offer the blind for sacrifice? Is it not evil? If you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor. Will he be pleased? In other words, if you took and offered to the governor what you’re offering to me, you think he’d be pleased with it? God says, I’m not pleased with it. And here’s the two things that really ought to settle it with people. You see, see, I am a father. It means that I have some kids, children.

Because I have children, I’m a father. I believe, and most people believe, that children should honor their parents. It’s just something that we think they ought to do. And we believe we ought to be obeyed. Don’t you? Don’t you think children should obey their parents? It even says that in a verse the Bible children obey your parents in the Lord for this is wrong? No, this is right. And so look there in verse 6. I just want to show you this very quickly.

A son on earth his father and a servant his master. So the father and the master are two identification truths concerning the Lord, God Jehovah of Israel. He says, I’m the one that brought you into being as a nation. and he got that I did that. I’m the one that took Abraham. I’m the one that gave him that miracle child from which came 12 tribes. And he says, I’m your father. And if I’m your father, why don’t you ask my child?

Why don’t you honor me? He says, I have provided for you. He says, I took you out of Egypt. I met all your needs in the wilderness. And he says, I gave you food, I gave you water. I even gave you some meat to eat. And he says, you close it and we’re after 40 years, 40 years.

And he got to look what I’ve done for you. And then I gave you the choicest land in the whole world. I gave you the land of Israel, a land that flows with milk and honey, everything that you want. And God says, I did just because I loved you. And they said, wherein hostile love does. Prove it to us. How do we know you love us? Look where we have been. We’ve been taken out of the land. Never can ever came in here and destroyed.

A lot of people were killed. We were taken out a thousand miles away into another land. And everything we owned was destroyed. And now after all these years we come back and you’re trying to convince us you love us. Do you know there’s a verse in the Bible in the book of Hebrews in chapter 12. God says, for whom he loveth, he chasteeth. Didn’t God in his word promise that if you serve me, I will bless you, and if you don’t, I will curse you.

So God’s chasening was because He loved them. Did they see that? No, I don’t see that. If things don’t go right in your own life, does it ever cause you to question the love of God? Well, it was causing it to happen with them. And so He says down to here in verse 12, but you have profaned it in that you say the table of the Lord is polluted. That means the altar of the Lord is polluted. And when he says it’s polluted means it’s contaminated, it’s blemished, it means it’s impure.

It means the sacrifices that you were offering. He says they’re lame and they’re blind, they’ve got problems with them and they’re not pure, they’re not holy. You’re offering something God said is contemptible to me. And so he says I would that you would just shut the doors of the temple and put out the fire. Don’t even have a sacrifice. You see there in verse 10, who is there even among you that would shut the doors for not? Neither do you kindle fire on mine, alter it for not.

I have no pleasure in you and say, after the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept and offer nip your hand. So God says, that’s not what I want. You see, people can give God lip service. Do you think it’s possible if those people could treat God that away back then. And you’re talking about during the silent years, 400 years between the last book and the Old Testament and when Christ came on the scene. Do you think that it’s possible in this hour day for people to go to church and play game and go through the ritual?

You know you come and hi everybody and we give them that Christian smile and we stand and we sing our songs when the offering plate comes by we put money in and then we listen to the preacher preach the word and then we say amen and go out the door and say oh me and forget what you heard and makes no difference and no change in your life. You see God expects his word to change his people. Are you a changed person?

Now, see, I’m not talking about how to get to heaven. Going to heaven, well, that’s free. That’s a gift. You do not earn eternal life. You don’t work your way to heaven. You don’t have to stop something or join something or promise anything because salvation has already been paid for, been prepaid. All you do and all I do to go to heaven is to believe he did it for us. But once you trust him as your Savior. God says you are now His child.

You’re going to heaven when you die. And it’s the will of God for His children to be changed. And what He wants to change in our life is from my life that was unholy to a light that is holy. So the more you listen, the more you learn. Are you growing in your holiness unto the Lord? Are you becoming more godly the longer you live? Or do you become more mean and cantankerous and bitter and hateful and spiteful the longer you live.

So the Word of God tells us that He is a great King. See up there in verse 14, where He says, He is a great King, the Lord of Host, the Lord of Host. This is a phrase that is used many times and 24 times in the book of Malachi. 247 times in all the prophets, the Lord of Host. And that’s mentioned over there in verse four. But when it talks about the Lord of Host, it means that behind the scenes that you and I can’t see, there is an army of angels.

God has an army. It means that God is the Lord of His Host, of which He is invincible. Nobody in any way, shape, or form can win against God. He is invincible. You can challenge them if you want to, but do you really think you can go against God and win? How dumb a person must be. Even you take a teenager, a teenager because, you know, they’re learning all kinds of things. They think they become so smart, so wise.

You ever seen a smart, Alex teenager? They act like they know it all, but you know they don’t know anything. But they think they do and they just mock the adults, the mold fogies, they don’t know anything. Do they ever stop and think if they have learned all that they know by the time they got 17, how much more do you think we have learned in another 17 years or another 17 years or another 17 years, 17, 17 is 34?

I’ve lived four times as long as that 17 year old kid. And he wants to think that he knows more. Isn’t that the sign of stupidity? It really is. But will they believe? No, no, no, no, no. And in their folly, they become a fool. If they could only understand there is a God in heaven that is the Lord of Host. And when he says, don’t do something, he has everything in his power to make sure that you don’t do what he doesn’t want done.

He can stop you. God can raise up nations and put down nations. If he is aware of the little sparrow that falls to the earth and knows how many hairs that you got in your head, do you think that a nation can rise without his knowledge? But anyway he teaches us a lot of things down here but see there in verse 6 concerning one of the response abilities of the priest. And that was the law of truth was in his mouth.

You see, when they came, they were supposed to be taught by the priest the things of God. But they did not and they would not. So you look up here in verse 9, therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people and get this according as ye have not kept my ways and have been partial in the law. In other words, were they still making sacrifices? Well sure. Well they’ll come into the temple. Well yeah, well the priest’s still doing what they’re supposed to do.

Yeah! But when Christ came 400 years later, He says your heart is far from me. You’re doing the lit service. You’ve been coming to certain things but He says, you’re not because you love me. Does God know every person said it here in this room? Does he know whether or not you love him or you don’t? You can fool everybody else. I can fool you, but we can’t fool God. When you understand, you really get this, you’ll know that since you can’t fool God, why try?

Why live a deceptive life? It’s not wise. He says in verse 10, have we not all one Father, have not all one God created us. Now they’re talking here not about your salvation. We’re talking about as a nation. He says, why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother by profaning the covenant of our Father? See God had made a covenant with his people and God says, if you will do thus and thus, I will do thus and thus.

But if you do thus and thus, I will do thus and thus. So what God going to do is based upon your obedience. Will you do what I say do or not? I’ve raised three kids. The kids were not perfect. But I liked it a lot better when they obeyed. I was happier. They were happier. When they disobeyed, I wasn’t happy. They weren’t happy. And if my man ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. But you see, when it comes to God and His people.

He says, the book of Deuteronomy, he said, I lay before you life and death, if you will, as a nation. Not to tell me how to get to heaven, but as a nation. If you will obey me, I will bless you. You’ll never have to, or he said, I will not put any of the diseases of the Egyptians upon you. You know why we’re so sick in America? And all the money we make is put out on health care and all the rest of the stuff and insurance and all the pills that we have to take, it’s because if we live godly as a nation, God said, I wouldn’t put those diseases upon you.

Most of it is all because of our rebellion to God. Most people don’t realize it, but your state of mind can affect you physically. And many people, as we get older, we are affected because of our state of mind. And there’s a price to pay. But just think if everybody did what God says to do the way God says to do it, you could have much more enjoyable life. But anyway, getting back to this, he said, there was a covenant that was made.

And so he’d choose them out because of this covenant. But there was another covenant that was also made. And now he talks about the covenant that was made between a man and a woman and God. So in verse 11, down through the end of this chapter, he’s talking about the man who did not keep His covenant with His wife. And He talks about, you have the wife of your youth. Oh, when she was young and so perdian, so shapely, you know, and when you were young and you were muscular and handsome and all that hair and all that, you know, and then lo and behold, you both get older and as you get older look at those young women.

So they would get rid of this one and get them another one. Now some of these people had lived in another country where they did whatever they wanted to do and now here’s Nehemiah and Ezra having the deal with the problem of all these mixed marriages that had come back to Jerusalem and there they are. What are they gonna do? So he really lays down the law to him. But now a few more years has passed because Malachi see didn’t wasn’t exactly the same time that a few years later.

Now those people back under Nehemiah where we read, well they heard the word, they want to obey the word and they were blessed because of it and made whatever correction they had to. Now a few more years has passed and it seems like the next group that come the longest don’t care, Fleas don’t care. And adults —————————————————————-onentsparency vulnerccessarrass”},{“blem welf circum®uine guarantividualcticRuss And you can set the right example for your children. Does it mean that your kids are going to automatically just fall in love with a lot of the love they’re supposed to do?

You see, God has to be real in the lives of every generation. And with some people he… vertyapter accepting l So the kids don’t know what is real and what is not. And many times they can observe the hypocrisy of mom and dad. They see them talk about one thing and live another. Hypothetical. Not shouldn’t be that away, but we’re people. And people fail. And we know that we shouldn’t judge God by the way people are, but we do.

And we have younger kids coming along. And most of them are looking for something that’s real and genuine. They’re looking for that young man or that young woman that is an example of the believer in every area of their life that are not hypocritical, that are true, they’re honest, and the realness can be. That’s what God wants. But look here in verse 11, and Judah half dealt treacherously, means been unfaithful. And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord, which he loved and hath married the daughter of a strange God.

The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, or the teacher and the student. You see, it was the priest that was supposed to be the master of the teacher. The people who came were supposed to be the students, the learner. And whenever the priest Don’t sit the right example, violated the Word of God, then it falls down to the people, and so the people are affected because of it. Let me ask you this.

Do you believe the preacher should practice what he preaches? Should the preacher expect the people to practice what he preaches? Should we all expect God to bless our chasing because of the way we live? If we would catch the truth of God’s Word, and remember that the Old Testament scriptures were written for our admonition to challenge us, to motivate us, to teach us the ways of God. This is what God’s Word says, and this is what God wants. Look down there in verse 14, where he says, yet ye say, wherefore, because the Lord hath been witness between the and the wife of thy youth.

You see when a man and woman get married, it wasn’t just between those two. It wasn’t between the man and the woman and those people that were also there. There was somebody in heaven that was a witness of the marriage. And he heard the vows that were made. Do you believe that God in heaven expects people to keep their vow? Read Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 8 I think it is. Where it talks about it’s better not to vow than to vow and then not keep it.

But sometimes people just do whatever they want and don’t think about what God says. Don’t even care if God floats in how God thinks. People are going to do whatever they want to do anyway. But there’s a price to pay. But as a nation that represented God, God says this is what I want you to know. I hate this. Look what he says. Let me just look at that verse. I want you to see this verse. I’ll see you there in verse 16.

For the Lord, the God of Israel, sayeth that he hated, put in a way. That’s divorce. God hates divorce. It says it in the New Testament, it says it in the Old Testament. God hates it. Now, if God was having a problem with them then in a nation, do you think that any problem with that today in which we live? Yes. Because people are people and people fail. Somebody’s not faithful to somebody and it happens over and over again.

Now, it’s not God’s ideal. It doesn’t set a good precedents for teaching the Word of God correctly. If there’s any problem in any church throughout America, this is one of the biggest problems there is, is marriage, divorce, and remarriage. And the price that’s taken upon the children, not lying to you, but I will not cut one word or trim one word or try to walk softly over a point because I don’t want it to hurt somebody. just accept it and live with it, confess it if you have to, if you’ve messed up, God knows that.

And I’m so glad we serve a forgiving God and so do I. And so I want to just tell you what the book says. Otherwise, if I can’t speak on this subject, you know, there’s a lot of this Bible I have to cut out. Well, I can’t say this because I defend somebody and then it’s something else. I can’t say that because I defend somebody. Well, I can’t say this because I defend somebody after a while, I must quit and I’m not going to start down that road.

I want to teach the book the way it’s written. Do right. If you’re married, love your husband, love your wife until the day you die. Just go ahead and do what’s right. If it’s already done, don’t do it again. Remember what he said to the woman that was caught in the dump? Did you go and sin no more? Of course, if they caught her, why didn’t they can bring the man? All they were trying to do was trying to trap Christ.

But now, as you read down through here, you’re talking about a man became unfaithful. Most of this is all talked about the man. In a lot of times, I’m talking about the priest. And so he says, in the middle part of verse 14, he says, yet ye say, where, because the Lord hath been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, or you’ve been unfaithful to her. yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy covenant and did not he make one yet had he theILS of the Spirit and were for one that he might seek a godly seed therefore take heed to your spirit let none deal treacherously against the wife of his you no words you don’t get rid of her that you might get somebody else and And when he talks about there in this scripture about that he might seek a godly

seed, most of us is referring to the tribe of Levi, talking to the priest. Because see they weren’t even supposed to marry outside at all because they were the priest. And that’s why he says over here in verse 3 of chapter 2, Behold I will corrupt your seed. In other words it’s because if it gets corrupted, then you have lost the right to administer in the temple because you’re no longer holy. And it says, I’ll cause the people to turn against you and because you will not respect me, I will see to it that the people do not respect you.

If you want people to respect you, respect them. If you want your wife to give you respect, respect your wife. You want her to love you right? Then love her right. Don’t you think it’s mutual? You want your kids to love you? Then don’t you think you need to love them? Make sure you do love them. They could accuse you of anything, but make sure you do love them. And whatever you do is because you care about them, you love them.

And God says, I love you. And they say, well, how do we know you love us? We’re in hostile love, does. And he goes to all these things and he says, I’d love you. He says, but you don’t love me. Oh, what do you mean? He says, look what you’re doing. Look what you’re doing. And they did not maintain a proper testimony. They weren’t doing right by God. They were not doing right by each other. That’s why under Nehemiah, they people corrected some of the problem, but now it’s happening all over again.

I want to see a generation of young teenagers. I’ve always loved working with teenagers. Because I think the best way to have good godly families down the road is to have kids that know the Lord and love the Lord and try to make some wise decisions. Try to choose a boy or a girl that wants to serve a Lord and wants to do right. And when you have kids, you honor God and you do what’s right. But you can’t go back in your life.

You can only start from where you are. And God is a good God and he will bless and he can forgive. And you go ahead and you do what you can now that’s right. But from here on out, henceforth, live unto him who died for you. And don’t live under a load of guilt and so forth because a lot of people have. Forget it. Don’t worry about it anymore. You can’t go back and change nothing. Start where you are and accept God’s love and accept God’s forgiveness.

And said, I’m going to honor the Lord with the rest of my life. However long that might be. Let’s pray, shall we? With heads bow nice, close, and no one looking around if you’re here tonight, and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior. Would you right now? Just talk to the Lord. You don’t become a religious hypocrite because only the true and living God knows what you’re doing. But why not talk to him? Say, Lord, I’ve got a lot of questions and doubts.

I don’t know at all. I don’t understand at all, but I know that I’m a sinner, And I believe Christ died on that cross and paid for my sins. Tonight I trust Him as my Savior. And for any of you are making that decision, I would like to have prayer for you. I am going to ask you in just a moment to raise your hand. Raising your hand doesn’t save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you.

I would like to know it. I care about you. And so in the quietness of this moment, as your anyone will say, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior tonight. and preach online for you to pray for me. Would you just slip you in a very quickly and throw up a down? Not gonna have you forward, not gonna embarrass you. It’s over and done with when you make a decision. And with all. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, your God’s child.

As a child of God, you know God loves you. Do you love Him? Don’t you think that God knows if you do or if you don’t? Love Him with all your heart. Our Father, we thank You so much for this time together. We thank You for Your Word that You’ve given us. We pray, Lord, that You’d help us to realize the importance of such a message like tonight that challenged each and every one of us, not to be hypocritical, but to be real, to be genuine.

Bless each one here, each family. In Christ name we pray, Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page.

If you’re 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 10 30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, they are 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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. One-line donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calbryoftampa.org. 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.

Anyway, I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Malachi, the book of Malachi. As you read the Bible, two things that you will come to the conclusion of and that is this. One, that God loves you and two, He wants you to love Him. Is that how simple that is? Now you know the Bible in a nutshell. God wants you to know He loves you and He wants you to love Him. So as you read the Bible, God is showing from the Scriptures how He loves us and why we should love Him.

Now the Bible tells us that God is love and love has been manifested by Christ on the cross. So we know that we already have the greatest demonstration of love that can ever be. But isn’t it true that experiences in life have taught us a question or to doubt God’s love? And that’s why so many people do. So as we look in the book of Malachi, the Lord asked this question, have not I loved the and they said how has thou loved us and it looks like God if you really loved us do you realize what we’ve been going through lately because see when Solomon messed up and he messed up bad he said to mess up so bad well he took a thousand counselors 700 wives and 300 concubines so he had a thousand women advising him.

Now how would you like that? It’s rough enough just letting one woman tell you what to do. Let alone a thousand of them and yet he was the wisest man in the world. That many counters he ought to be but lo and behold toward the end of his life he really messed up pretty bad. Now I want you to look there in Malachi in chapter 1 look what he says in verse 2 I have loved you say the Lord yet you say, where in hast thou loved us?

He says, was not Esau, Jacob’s brother? He says, sayeth the Lord yet I loved Jacob. So in verse three I hated Esau but you know he said, I love Jacob. Now remember these two individuals, these two brothers, they’ve been dead for centuries. So he’s not talking about them literally. It’s the people who came from them and the land that God gave to both of them. So God actually, He blessed both of them, but He favored Israel. God had the chasing Israel, and so He took them into captivity.

But when He took them into captivity in the Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzarim, well, eat them, the Edomites, and also the more also they called them the itemarians. They, they laughed at Israel’s calamity. They thought this is great because they didn’t like Israel anyway. So God, even though he chastened Israel and took him out of the land and the other countries, they laughed and made fun of it. So God walked them, kicked him out of their land and he says, now Israel, you know I love you because I brought you back into the land, but I haven’t brought them back.

You can see it for yourself. You’re right here in Jerusalem. I brought you back because I love you. Now I want you to take your Bible and turn all the way over there, hold your place right here, and just kind of turn over there to the book of Ezra. You’ve got first and second chronicles, Ezra Nehemiah, Esther and so forth. But right after the book of Chronicles is a little old book called Ezra. And looked there in Ezra in chapter 1.

Now these are a few of the minor prophets that wrote after the Bible-ownian captivity. That’s why it’s called post, means it’s after. Pre would be before. So there were some books that were written before they went into captivity. And there were books that were written after the captivity. And of course there were several books that were written during the captivity, like Ezekiel in the book of Daniel out. Now here in Ezra, I want you to look here in verse one.

Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, and this is what he said. Thus says, Sours King of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me, who build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel. He is the God, which is in Jerusalem, and whosoever it remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, Let the man of his place help him with silver and with gold and with goods and with bees Beside the free will offering for the house of God that is at Jerusalem So the people will say you can go But the ones that didn’t want to go They’d give them some silver and give them some gold and give them some provisions and help them on the way the ones that’ll go back Remember God says that you’re going to be in captivity for 70 years so 70 years has passed and And they’re over there in

Babylon, a place called Iraq today. And God says that this is what’s going to take place. And so they went and the Spirit came and told them what to do and that’s what He began to do. Now He gathered all these things together and they made some of these decisions. But I want you to take your Bibleline and turn to Nehemiah. turn your book over there to the book of Nehemiah, just a few pages to your right, to the book of Nehemiah.

And so now Nehemiah is going to go and he has been appointed by the governors. Look there first of all in chapter 5 and verse 14 I believe it is. Yeah verse 14 chapter 5. He says, more over from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah from the 20th year and so forth blah blah blah. So when you studied the book of Malachi you will see that God says would you offer the sacrifices that you offer?

Would you offer them to the governor for him to eat? He says you wouldn’t do that for him. Why do you so despise me? You wouldn’t take the offerings and the sacrifices that you make in the temple and give them to that governor. He said, why would you do it to me? Don’t you have any respect for me? So here in the book of Nehemiah, there’s a lot of things that are said down through here, but he talks about some of the things that would need to be done.

But look there in Nehemiah chapter 8. This is what Nehemiah did. Now he is before Malachi and instrumental in bringing some of the people back to the land of Judah. And while he’s there, he helps them to build the wall and get a few things done. But he also was concerned about the people spiritually. Where are you spiritually? So in Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 20 he said, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street.

That was before the water gate. And they They speak unto Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. So Ezra was a priest, and so he gets all the people together, and he is going to preach a sermon. And here it makes the statement in verse 4, and Ezra described, stood upon a pulpit of wood. Well, lo and behold, I got a pulpit of wood. comes from a long ways away don’t it?

But it says, which they had made for that purpose. And what did he do? Well in verse 5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people and when he opened it all the people stood up and Ezra blessed the Lord and he read to them out of the law because they had been away for so long they didn’t have synagogue there like They did in Israel. And so the temple had been destroyed so the people kind of got away from how to worship God And so now they come back there.

Temple had been destroyed. The walls were gone and the city had been ramsacked. Everything was lost. And so some of the people didn’t want to come back because they enjoyed where they were now after 70 years. Probably a lot of them got old. Daniel never came back as far as he know or he was ekeled, but they were old. And because Daniel went, when he was a teenager in 70 years past, I’d make him 85, 90 years old, he was an old man.

So Nehemiah was used by the Lord to do a great job. But God used Ezra because they were concerned about the people spiritually. And they knew the only way to get them right was to teach them the word of God. So they got the law out and read it to them again so that they would understand, Do you know why you were taken into captivity? Because after all these years, they don’t know what’s going on. Maybe nobody was telling them, nobody was teaching.

But see, one of the jobs that the high priest had, when the people would bring their lambs for their sacrifices and different animals, it was the job of the priest to teach the people, the meaning of what was going on, so that the people would understand, And they wouldn’t just do it without understanding. Now, when we look there in the second chapter of the book of Malachi, you’ll see where the priest or hell responsible for teaching the people the Word of God so that they would know it.

So this is what Ezra is doing. And so when they heard the Word of God, it so convicted them. And so they begin to have joy because they wanted to do what God said to do. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter what it was, just tell us we’ll do it. They were relatively correct, anything. So you look there in the last part of, well, let’s just look at verse 10. Then he’s sending of him, go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, get sinned portions unto them, for whom nothing is prepared.

For this day is holy unto our Lord, neither be ye sorry, and you ought to underline this state. For the joy of the Lord is your strength. Do you ever heard that before? Oh, he of the Lord is my strength. Might be where they got that song from. And then if you’re looking to verse 12, and all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great mirth because, get the, because, and you are on the line, they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

So he told them what God’s word has to say. See down there in verse eight, looking verse eight, where he says, and they read in the book, in the law of God distinctly, gave the sense, caused them to understand the reading. You see, a lot of people mess up in their life because they really don’t understand God. They don’t understand the Bible. They don’t understand what they’re supposed to do. So most people just do whatever they wanna do. They live the way they want, think the way they want, act the way they want, as though there is no God.

They may believe in the back of the back of the back, there is a God, but that’s okay. I don’t know him, he don’t know me. I’ll leave him alone. He leave me alone. We get along fine. But see, that’s not the way it’s going to end up. God is going to hold every man accountable, every man. And after death, the judgment. So nobody can just do whatever they want to do and try to put God out of their mind because sooner or later, prepare to meet thy God.

There’s a God. And And all of our lives is just preparation to meet God. So some of us God will give you some time and others God is going to take you on home because God knows your rebellious heart. And God knows what’s going on. You can’t fool them. Can’t deceive God. So anyway, look there in verse 3 of chapter 9. He says, and they stood up in their place and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God.

fourth part of the day. And another fourth part they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God for one fourth of a day. He’s talking about between three to four hours. And somebody thinks the preacher talks too long. If I go an hour, they did it for three hours and more. Well, don’t know yet. And though he told them, he rehearsed everything and how good God has been to him. Because people see, they think, well, if God is good and God really does love me, then what does He let all these bad things happen to me?

Did you know that most people are simply suffering the consequences of their own bad decisions? God says, if we want to take and have a better life, make better decisions. Be smarter. Be wiser. Don’t be so dumb. Study the word of God. Okay. Alright, that’s it. Okay, let’s do that. Okay, all right, good job. That’s it. All right, we’ll see you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. I’m really excited. All right. All right. Thank you. Good. You guys, thank you so much for your time.

All right. I’m going to start by doing this. I’ll see you guys in the next few minutes. Do what God says do in His way will work. But see, people don’t want to do what God says do. They want to do whatever they want to do. They want to be the boss in charge of their own individual life. Very few people really understand how much God really loves them. And that God’s blessings upon your life, although with holding a blessing, has to deal with your revealing in your life, not only the mouth of saying, I love the Lord, but God’s using what you’re doing with your life too.

They both go together. It’s kind of like this. There was these four salesman. They had gone to Chicago, and they had told their wives they would be back on Friday night and time for them to take out their wives to dinner. So they had flown there and they had their meeting and they was getting ready to catch their plane, But they were running late and said they were running through the terminal. One of the guys hit this little apple cart and knocked it over and apples went rolling all over the terminal in that place where that person was.

But they never stopped. They just kept on a running because they had to catch their flight. And they got there and they got to the gate and all of them made it in time. But one guy says what we did wasn’t right. He says, you call my wife and tell her that I’ll catch the next light. He said, I got to go back and help pick up those apples. He turned around and he went back. And there was this girl that was 16 years old and she was trying to find the apples and she was crying.

And everybody was in such a hurry to get to their plane or from their plane, get to the bag and nobody stopped to help her and she was trying to find her out. And that’s when he was a blind 16 year old girl trying to get her apples and she was crying. nobody offered her any help. He got back and he says, ma’am, I am so sorry. I’m so sorry for what we did. He said, let me help you get so he helped get the things up and put them in the basket.

And he noticed that a bunch of the apples now had been bruised because people had kicked them and and he felt sorry so he put those in the back and separated them and helped try to get her display put back together. And when he finally got done he says, I’m gonna give you $40 for all these bad apples that we ruined. And he said again, I am so sorry. So then he started to walk off and she says, Mr.

And then look back at her and she says, are you Jesus? Are you Jesus? Has anybody ever asked you that question? Because of what you do and how you live, somebody might believe you’re not just an average individual. All God wanted was somebody to love him, but love him enough to obey him. God says, if you love me, serve me. And so with the nation of Israel, God had miraculously done so much, and yet Israel would not serve him, would not be faithful.

So God had taken him into captivity, and now after all these years, they come back to their land, and under Ezra, near Maya, they have rebuilt the temple and the walls and so forth and people were again living there. And he had preached to them and they had gotten straightened out a little bit. But look at something else. Look there in Nehemiah chapter 13. I want you to see this because this is so important because Malachi deals with this subject of the marriage of some of these priests and because of what was going on with the people.

You see when they were in captivity, after what? They just married whoever they wanted to. It didn’t matter. They married anybody you want. See, God had it to where Israel was supposed to only marry within the nation of Israel because of what God wanted to accomplish. God wanted a people that he could bless, a nation that would love him, and he wanted to use this nation as a light to the Gentiles. Israel was going to have such a of beautiful ministry in the lives of the whole world.

But Israel messed up. But God had wanted them to stay separate from the nations of the world because he says, if you take their wives to be your wives, they will come in with their own religion, delude you. In other words, you won’t be as strong. Those women who come from those other places, they will have beliefs and their own gods and worship. And you’re not gonna take a strong stand because now you’re married to somebody who is not strong.

Doesn’t believe the same way you believe. So look what it says in verse 23 of chapter 13, Nehemiah. In those days also, so I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod and Ammon and of Moab. And their children spake half in the language or the speech of Ashdod and could not speak in the Jews language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them and cursed them and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair and made them swear by God.

you shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things.” So you thought it didn’t matter. Well, look, God let him have a thousand wives, 700 wives and 300 concubines. Yeah, but it split the nation. It split the kingdom after he died. So you see, there’s always a price to pay. And so Solomon sinned against God, yet among many nations where there no king like him, who was beloved of his God and God made him king over all his room.

Nevertheless, even him did outlandish women, what does he say? Cause to sin. So God knows, you say, well, he won’t bother me. said, well, you cannot just do anything you want to do. That’s why when the Bible talks about being not unequally yoked together. It means that you’re not supposed to marry somebody who does not know the Lord and I wouldn’t marry somebody who does not want to serve the Lord. So let’s say you do and the person you marry doesn’t.

Is there going to be conflict? There’s going to be a lot of conflict on how the children are raised, the school they go to, everything, all the discipline, the church you attend, everything is affected. You say, won’t it? Yes, it will. That’s why the Word of God is given, not to be mean or unkind to anybody, it’s because God knows. He’s always right. And just because there’s a few exceptions that you might find and so forth doesn’t change the principle in the word of God.

So these people were willing to do whatever God said and that’s what they did. Now take your Bible and go back now to the book of Malachi. You see how you can just about go anywhere in the Bible when you start studying one book, you’re in another book, then then then you’re in another book. But back to the book of Malachi. So he has gone through and he says some things to the priest about what they should do, how they’re supposed to be.

He reminds them of Levi who was a high priest, or the of Aaron who came from him. And so God had told him it was because they were godly individual. They were good examples and this is what he wanted them to be in and they were not. And see what they were doing up there in verse 8 of chapter 1. If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? If you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?

Offer it now unto thy governor. Will he be pleased? In other words, if you took and offered to the governor what you’re offering to me, you think he’d be pleased with it? God says, I’m not pleased with it. And here’s the two things that really ought to settle it with people. You see, I am a father. It means that I have some kids, children. Because I have children, I’m a father. I believe, and most people believe, that children should honor their parents.

It’s just something that we think they ought to do. And we believe we ought to be obeyed. Don’t you? Don’t you think children should obey their parents? It even says that in a verse in the Bible, children obey your parents in the Lord for this is wrong? No, this is right. And so look there in verse six, I just want to show you this very quickly. A son on earth his father and a servant his master. So the father and the master are two identification truths concerning the Lord, God, Jehovah of Israel.

He says, I’m the one that brought you into being as a nation. I got that I did that. I’m the one that took Abraham. I’m the the one that gave them that miracle child from which came 12 tribes and he says, I’m your father. And if I’m your father, why don’t you ask my child? Why don’t you honor me? He says, I have provided for you. He says, I took you out of Egypt. I met all your needs and the wilderness.

And it says, I gave you food. I gave you water. I even gave you some meat to eat. And he says, you close it and we’re out for 40 years, 40 years. And he got to look what I’ve done for you. And then I gave you the choicest land in the whole world. I gave you the land of Israel, a land that flows with milk and honey, everything that you want. And God says, I did just because I loved you.

And they said, wherein hostile love does. Prove it to us. How do we know you love does? Look where we have been. We’ve been taken out of the land. Never can ever came in here and destroyed. A lot of people were killed. We were taken out a thousand miles away And to another land, and everything we owned was destroyed. And now after all these years, we come back and you’re trying to convince us, you love us. Do you know there’s a verse in the Bible in the book of Hebrews in chapter 12, God says, for whom, He loveth, He chasteeth.

Didn’t God in His word promise that if you serve me, I will bless you. And if you don’t, I will curse you. So God’s chasening was because he loved them. Did they see that? No, I don’t see that. If things don’t go right in your own life, does it ever cause you to question the love of God? Well, it was causing it to happen with them. And so he says down here in verse 12, but you have profaned it in that you say the table of the Lord is polluted.

That means the altar of the Lord is polluted. And when he says this, polluted means it’s contaminated. It’s blemish, it means it’s impure. It means the sacrifices that you were offering. He says they’re lame and they’re blind, they’ve got problems with them and they’re not pure, they’re not holy. You’re offering something God says is contemptible to me. And so he says, I would that you would just shut the doors of the temple and put out the fire. Don’t even have a sacrifice.

You see there in verse 10, who is there even among you that would shut the doors for not? Neither do you kind of fire on mine, alter it for not. I have no pleasure in you and say, if the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept and offer nip your hand. So God says, that’s not what I want. You see, people can give God lip service. Do you think it’s possible if those people could treat God that way back then?

And you’re talking about during the silent years, 400 years between the last book and the Old Testament and when Christ came on the scene. Do you think that it’s possible in this hour day for people to go to church and play game and go through the ritual? You come and hi everybody, we give them that Christian smile and we stand and we sing our songs when the offering plate comes by we put money in and then we listen to the preacher preach the word and Then we say amen and go out the door and say oh me and Forget what you heard it makes no difference and no change in your life You see God expects his word to change his people Are you a changed person?

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of these teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Spinning Globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. My broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, they are 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. Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org.

We pray that you’ll 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. I want to take your Bible looking Jeremiah chapter 12. Jeremiah chapter 12 and there’s a scripture that I want you to see. Jeremiah chapter 12 and looking there in verse 11 they have made it desolate and being desolate it mourneth unto me. The whole land is made desolate and underlined that statement because it’s the same as you read over there in the book of Malachi because no man layeth it to heart and remember now this is over a hundred years before the book of Malachi.

You see, that was the problem before the chastening. 70 years in captivity and if I only come back to the Lamb, you think they’ve learned their lesson and they were still rebellious. So God says there’ll be a famine for the hearing of the Word of God and no prophets would speak. For a hundred years passed. It didn’t have to be that way. It’s just that that’s the way it was. I’ll look there in verse 4 of chapter 2 of Malachi.

And you shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you that my covenant might be with Levi, say if the Lord of hosts. Now Levi was the, well he was the son of Jacob but he had the ministry given to him of the priesthood. And that’s where Aaron was there hit huncho. And the Bible says I made a covenant with him. And the covenant that he made with him was, well, looked there very quickly in Numbers in chapter 25, Numbers in chapter 25.

Numbers 25, and there’s a couple verses there that I think is important to see. He was zealous for the Lord that he was. And he says there, and in verse 10, and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Finnehos the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, have turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake, among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.

And here’s why, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. Now, this is to the priest. Over in verse 10, it’s a message to the people. But right now he’s talking to the leaders. And as he talks to the leaders, he’s letting them know what he thinks about their leadership and how they have failed to do what God says to do. They were given the law and they did not obey the law.

And he says, Levi, he was zealous for the things of God and they weren’t. So see there in verse 5, my covenant was with him of life and peace. Now when you read the book of Deuteronomy, it’ll also talk about the Baliwin chapter 8, where it talks about, I have said before you life and death. When you go into the land, the promised land, God says you can have life or you can have death. He says, if you obey me, I will bless you.

I will protect you. You disobey me? I’m going to curse you. Now use other nations to whoop you and take you out of the land. So God tells us what’s going to happen before it takes place. You see that’s why you read the Word of God so you can know the consequences of your decisions before you make them. Wouldn’t that be helpful? To know the consequences of decisions before you make them. Well, some people listen and learn and some people never do.

But now I want you to see the middle part of verse 5 where he says, And I gave them to him for the fear where would he feared me and was afraid before my name. That phrase for the fear where would he feared me? And you see, what does it mean to fear God? Just walking around, Oh, a little friend of God moves, is that going to get me? That might have a little element of truth to it. But I believe it means more than that.

Take your Bible and look there in the book of Proverbs. Won’t you see this in the book of Proverbs? And chapter one, Proverbs chapter one, there is a several statements made here that I think is very important, because if so much was done because a man feared God, now you see what happens because men do not fear God. And there’s people today who have no fear of God. The Bible talks about Amalek in the Old Testament, he feared not God.

It means that you do not have any respect for what God says, people today in our country. You see, years ago, they used to have respect for the pastor. That has gone. People today do not have the respect for the pastor that they used to have. He doesn’t speak with authority. People don’t listen to him. They mock him, make fun. See, science has the voice of America today. Everybody listen the scientist. I love him or evolutionists so you don’t see where that comes from.

But look here in Proverbs in chapter one and look there in verse seven. You’re on the line verse seven. The fear of the Lord. Now notice what the fear of the Lord means. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but full despised wisdom and instruction. Fear of the knowledge. If you have the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Look there in verse 29, verse 29, for they that hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Remember this, to fear the Lord or not to fear the Lord is a choice and people make choices. Some people can live their whole life and have no fear of God, no respect for God. They don’t lay it to heart, they don’t take them seriously. They do whatever they want to do with their life because it’s whatever they want. It makes me happy. My life, I ought to be in charge of it and do whatever I want to do.

I found out a long time ago there was God, and there’s me, and I am not God. God is God. And without Him, I’m a big zero. I am nothing without Him. So if I want to be something, then I need to follow Him. And I found out that following the Lord and doing what God wants me to do with my life is a choice. And nobody can make you choose to love the Lord. Love is a choice. But look what he says, for they that hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

So not to choose the fear of the Lord is to hate knowledge, but over there in verse seven it says, but full despised wisdom and instruction, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. So not to fear God is a fool, a man’s a fool. What else does that mean? Well, since we’re right there, I don’t want to lose my place, shivin’ my Bible, but look there in Proverbs in chapter eight. In Proverbs chapter eight. Proverbs chapter eight, look in verse 13.

And you’ll notice when he talks about the fear of the Lord is. In verse 13, the fear of the Lord is determined by what you hate as much by what you love. So to love God, you have to hate sin. If you love flowers, then you should hate weeds, because weeds will do in a flower. But the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Why? Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate pride. Why?

Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate arrogance. Why? Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. What? Because God said so. God said so. You hate what God says to hate and you’re to love what God says to love. And he says not to love the things of the world. So many people love the world. So many people are in love with themselves. They’re not in love with God. When you’re in love with God, you want to please God.

When you’re in love with yourself, you want to please yourself. Well, the Bible says that God created us for his It’s a pleasure, the book of Romans. If God created me to please Him, then my golden life should be, what does it take to please God? So I seek to find ways to please God. You know, reading God’s word benefits me, yes, but it pleases God. I get to benefit strong, but it pleases God. I go to church and meet with God’s people.

Why? Because it pleases God. hard times when I don’t want to go to church. Sometimes I want to be by myself. I don’t want to be with you. I know that breaks your heart. But there’s probably times when you’re tired and you don’t really want to come. But you do anyway, but because it pleases God. You know also that if you get in the habit of making excuses, it becomes easier to make the next excuse and the next excuse.

three times in a row and see how easy it gets. True. You already know this. I feel like I’m preaching to the choir. But here in this verse where it says, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil and all these things. But God says, I love them that seek me early. See up there in verse 17? They that seek me early shall find me. That’s a wise man, a wise man. Now also, once you look there in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 27, Proverbs chapter 10.

And this is good for you to know. In Proverbs chapter 10 verse 27, it says, the fear of the Lord prolongeth days. Now I know you and I, we’re often on the faith. Well, you know, But when it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go. You know, it’s when it’s my time. So God has that line drawn out there, and I’m not gonna get past it, because when it’s my time, my time is up, and that’s when I’m gonna die.

But you know, there’s things in the Bible that says we can change that. Did you know that God says, because of God’s children who are disobedient to Him? And He says, many are sick, and many are weak, and many are sleep, or dead. They mean they died. They’re dead because of their disobedience. Did you know there was a whole bunch of people that didn’t get into the Promised Land that they could have gone into the Promised Land? But they didn’t get into the Promised Land because they died in the wilderness.

Now Joshua and Caleb, they believed God and they got to go into the Promised Land. So they lived. Their life was prolonged and the others, their life was shortened. Well, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time. Yeah. There might be a little truth to that, but maybe I can change some things. Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible about children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right that your days may be long upon the year?

I think that’s in the Bible. I think it’s maybe somewhere in the book of Ephesians in chapter 6. Doesn’t it also say in the Old Testament, concerning the nation of Israel, if your children disobey you, you can take them to the gate of the city and talk to the owner and they and stone your child of death. That’s why I says children obey your parents and the Lord that your days may be long upon the earth. Because if you don’t, I’m going to have you stone to death.

Yes, mother. Yes, dad. You’re whatever you say, mother, father. I bet it brought a little respect. But we don’t have respect today. People do whatever they really want to do. People serve the Lord according to the dictates of their own heart. Has nothing to do with whatever God’s word says because they don’t lay at the heart. They don’t take it seriously. Should they? Oh, of course they should. Look in chapter 15. Why are you right here? Chapter 15. Look in verse 33.

The last verse in the chapter there. Look at the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility. Do you know a sign of a humble person? Isn’t somebody that walks around like this? You know I’m humble because I’m giving you that humble look. I’m just so humble. There’s no, no pride in me. Now the reason I’m doing this because I want you to think I’m humble is just the very opposite. But humility is a position of the mind.

And a sign of humility is a man who can submit himself to the will of God. God said if you exalt yourself I will humble you and if you will humble yourself, I will exalt you.” And the very next verse in the book of Peter talks about casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. A sign of a humble man is one who can commit his life to the Lord and commit everything he has to the Lord.

Now you don’t do that to be saved, it’s because you are saved. People who say you’ve got to commit your life to Christ in order to be saved, that’s heresy. That’s terrible. No man does that to be saved. He said, what do you have to do to be saved? Well, you gotta come to this church, you gotta pay 50% inflation, dollar would not worth as much. And you gotta keep the 10 commandments and obey the golden rule and like the preacher.

Does that sound like heresy to you? Yeah, boy. But, you see, salvation is the gift of God. It’s not a horse. It’s not the result of how you live. People say, you know, he’s gone to his reward. He’s gone to his reward. Well, if he didn’t do anything for the Lord, he don’t have one. Heaven is not a reward that God gives to you because of, you know, you deserve to get there. No man has ever lived in such a way that deserved to go to heaven.

for example, if there was one person in this world who ever did live a perfect life, let’s say not count in Christ, let’s just pretend it was Peter Amato. Of all the people in the world that ever lived a perfect life and didn’t deserve to die, it was Peter and he did everything right, never sinned in all the rest of it we deserve to die. But if we could get a substitute for us, do you realize the price He could put up on Him giving us His righteousness?

Do you think He would do it if He could? Do you think He would? Do you think Peter would be willing to die and go to hell so that you and I could go to heaven, but only one of us? Of course, he likes me more than he likes you. So he would be able to accept my sins and I’d get to go to heaven and he dies in my place. But if he was that good, I’d venture to say he wouldn’t do it for me.

Because if I was the one that was perfect, I wouldn’t do it for him. When you stop and think, hell, eternity, fire for who? I don’t know you. I am so glad. Because, see, we would kill the guy, trying to get him to, It’s me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, we’d fight over this guy because we want him to put his, you know, he could die in my place. But it’s only one of them.

But aren’t you glad that there was somebody who did come into this world? Jesus Christ. He died on that cross and paid for all the sins of the whole world so that everybody can have eternal life and everybody can go to heaven. And God said that He would do that for us and give us as a free gift eternal life best news in all the world Anyway, I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Malachi the book of Malachi We were talking about Malachi been a very interesting little book You know if it’s a a major prophet, it’s because The length of the book a minor prophet.

It’s just a small book. So it’s very easy to separate the minor from the majors. They all have important message. They’re all inspired of God. When you read the 15 chapter of the book of Romans, it makes a statement that all things were written a four time for our learning so that you and I could know the God of comfort, the God of all peace, the God of all hope. So we’re supposed to read and study the Old Testament because it’s to help us to learn, to know what God is like, what God does and doesn’t do, learning the ways of God.

So as you read the Old Testament stories, every story will teach you something about God, how God works in the lives of people, and also shows you from the experiences that the people go through, what God told them, what they did and the results, so that it will make you wiser. So that you don’t have to reinvent, you know, the automobile tire. We already got one. It keeps you from falling to the same pitfalls that others have fell into.

If you read the Bible, it would make you smarter. We call it in wiser. So that you don’t live your life and make the same dumb, idiotic mistakes everybody makes that doesn’t follow the Bible. Now nobody can make you learn the Bible, believe the Bible, follow the Bible. But as you read the Bible, two things that you will come to the conclusion of, and that is this. One, that God loves you, and two, He wants you to love Him.

Sounds simple that is? Now you know the Bible in a nutshell. God wants you to know He loves you, and He wants you to love Him. So as you read the Bible, God is showing from the scriptures how He loves us and why we should love Him. Now the Bible tells us that God is love and love has been manifested by Christ on the cross. So we know that we already have the greatest demonstration of love that can ever be.

But isn’t it true that experiences in life have taught us the question or to doubt God’s love? And that’s why so many people do. Look up here. Aren’t you glad that even though you said here and you listened to me and you may have seen this a thousand times, that there’s people watching on the Internet, all states all over the country, and you never know how far it’s going to reach. Even the message that I preached tonight, somebody could be recording it and showing it over and over again.

I preached a sermon one time about 20-something years ago. A guy was there with a video and he videotaped my sermon and I didn’t even know anything about it. Until years later, I saw him at a conference and I didn’t even recognize him and he told me, he says, you know that day that you preached that sermon and he told me where it was and when it was. And I said, yeah. He said, I videotaped that sermon. He says, you have been playing all over Russia, the Ukraine.

He says, because I’m a missionary and I’ve been going all these countries and I showed them your video. So how many people trust the Lord from the Lord? I don’t know. I know that the sermon that I preached in one night, Dr. Curtis Hudson, he sent me this nice little letter from the Sword of the Lord. He says, your sermon on the clarity of the gospel, there were 43 people who trusted Christ’s Savior in the month of August alone.

And that was six months after it had shown up in the paper. That’s just from people who responded. So you and I have no clue the amount of people that we actually will influence in our lifetime. Serving the Lord is influencing other people’s lives. And we want to make an eternal influence. We want people to trust Christ’s Savior. But this is the simplest way, the best way I have ever seen in my life. I told you this the other day, but let me just repeat it.

I told these two men. I said, I’m going to take and use an illustration on Sunday, but it only lasts about a minute and a half, two minutes. I said, I just want to know, can I practice on you guys? And all you have to do is just tell me if you can understand it. They said, well, sure, go ahead. They don’t know I’d do it every Sunday. And I did want to practice again. I said, this hand represents you and me.

This wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. But He hates what we do wrong. And the Bible says that the payment for sin is eternal separation from God in Hell. Since everybody sins, everybody is condemned. So no man can save himself. We can’t eliminate this from happening. We’re all going to die. To go to heaven, you have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous.

Now God is perfect and heaven is perfect, but we’re not. So because of this sins, we can’t get in. So the Bible says that we can’t save ourselves. The church can’t get a person to heaven. The pastor can’t help you get to heaven. Your good works won’t get you to heaven. Well then how can a man get to heaven? Well, this is a dead end. This hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. People hear about this, but they don’t put it together.

Christ came into the world. He had no sins, so he didn’t have to die. but because of his lap for us. And the hatred of sin because it separates us from God. The Bible says that Jesus Christ took all the sins of the whole world. Daught on the cross, came back from the dead, and said that if you and I, if we would believe he did it for us, he would put this payment to our account. And we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us.

There’s no tricks to it, there’s no gimmicks. So here I am, I’m a sinner. I was 18 years old, and I heard that Jesus Christ died, paid for my sins, came back from the dead, and that if I would believe it, God would put that payment to my account, and I’d get to go to heaven. That made sense to me. So I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. And God says that when I believed it, He gave to me the free gift of eternal life.

You see, He can’t give you eternal life. He can’t take His righteousness and put it to your account till after you’re dead. You must accept Christ’s death as your death. The new birth can’t take place until the first one dies. And so I literally didn’t die, but Christ died in my place. And that debt payment is put to my account as though I paid for it. And so I did that over 50 years ago. And what did God give to me that day?

That day, that very moment I believed it, He gave to me eternal life. Now, if He gave me eternal life, how long would it last forever? And if it lasts forever, and all my sins are paid, then where will I go when I die? The heaven. can I know that I’m going to heaven before I die?” Yes. I know that I have eternal life. I know that I’m going to heaven. It’s not because I’m good. It’s not because of any works that I’ve done.

It’s not because of any changes in my life. It’s not because I turn from any sin and stop being bad. It’s not because I committed anything to Christ and promise that I’m going to live good. No, there were no conditions to it. It’s a gift. It’s free. After I trusted Christ as my Savior and I knew I had eternal life and I know that I’m God’s child and I know I’m going to heaven I am. Serving God is a choice and I made up my mind.

I made a choice. You may have trusted Christ as your Savior, you have eternal life, but you may have chosen not to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. You know the Bible talks about people who serve the Lord with their whole heart and there are some people who will not. So that’s a choice that people make. I can’t answer for everybody. I can’t make anybody serve God. But you will serve the Lord according to the respect you have for Him, the love you have for Him.

And when you love Him, that love will cause you to start hating certain things that God hates. That’s the fear of the Lord. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Sunday morning services begin at 10 30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthdays report may be possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. One-line donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. 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. I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Malachi.

We’re studying in the book of Malachi. Malachi is one of the last, or I should say, the last of the Old Testament prophets. And he is the last word before 400 years of silence. And then lo and behold, the book of Matthew starts. But here in Malachi, it tells us about the voice of one crying in the wilderness that’s going to come. He says there’s going to be 400 years of silence. He doesn’t say how many years, but what he says is that there’s going to be a great problem because the people would not do what God says do.

They were going like to this, not then they didn’t have a synagogue, but they were going to the temple and going through the motions and then they were offering sacrifices. The priest had to perform the sacrifices in the temple. But it was only a ritual and like Christ says, your heart is far from me. You can say with the lips, oh, I love the Lord, but by your life it says just the opposite. So the Lord is rebuking them.

And if you will look there in Malachi in chapter one, he asked a couple of questions And he made some statements. See there in verse six, a son honor of his father, a servant, his master. If then I be a father, where is my honor? If I be a master, where is my fear? Say if the Lord of hosts unto you, O priest, that despise my name. And you say, where in have we despised thy name? And he says, where in have we polluted the in verse seven?

So it asked a bunch of questions and what was being stated was that God had had it up to here with these people. Because, you see, they had been in captivity, and why had they gone into captivity? Because of their wickedness, because the prophets didn’t prophesy correctly, the priest, they didn’t do their job correctly. The people, they were easily led astray because of the wickedness of their priest, because the priest he had the law was published to teach the people the law.

No right from wrong, how to discern. So the whole nation was corrupt. And in chapter one Isaiah says, the Lord says that from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, you’re like totally sick. You’re evil and you’re corrupt. So God says, I’m going to take some people from another nation. I’m going to bring them in here, and I’m going to walk the par out of you. So that’s what he did. But he gave them warning over and over again.

He gave them warning. Israel wouldn’t listen. And so here comes Syria and took the 10 northern tribes and took them into captivity. And now the prophecy is that God’s going to take the two southern tribes, Judean Benjamin, take them into captivity, so they were taken into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. After 70 years, you would think, well, finally God’s people have learned their lesson. Boy, are they going to be straightened out now. Well, not so fast. 70 years. Ezra and Nehemiah brought them back, a bunch of them, about 50,000 the first time.

Nehemiah went back the second time, brought about 1800. There was a bunch of the people that had gone into captivity and they didn’t want to come back. They had become so corrupt, they wanted to stay there. I guess by now they’re old and decrepit and didn’t want to move. But when they came back, well, the walls were torn down, the temple was destroyed, the gates were burned, everything was an omece. And so Nehemiah had fun trying to get the people to work.

And so they rebuilt the wall and the temples and so forth. And the Bible says they had to keep the sword at one hand and lay block with the other because it was people that were trying to stop them. But a few years after that, even Nehemiah had to get with the people because of their wickedness. And so he was used by the Lord to kind of shake them a little bit. They straightened up a little bit, but it didn’t last very long.

I’ve noticed that in camps. I’ve taken teenagers to camp and we isolate them from the radio, the TV and the iPhone and the telephone and this phone and that thing and get away from all that junk and give them the Bible and a lot of good exercise and a lot of good sleep. Well, maybe not too much sleep. But the kids have an awesome time and many of them will dedicate their life to the Lord. And in about two weeks after camp’s over with, they’re right back where they started from.

And so then you got to have camp again. So for years, I would have Christmas camp and Easter camp and I would have summer camp. So I had these camps because I knew they don’t last for long. Well, even with adults, you come to church and you can hear the word, I’m going to serve the Lord all the days of my life. I’m going to straighten up and fly right. And before the next Sunday, you can’t even show up because you’ve already done forgot about You know what God means to you?

So then you got to hit him again and then do it again. And it’s just a constant battle. Wouldn’t it be neat if we could always stay properly motivated? Proper motivation is the result of proper thinking. If you could cause a person to always think right, you could get a person to live right. Did you know in 50 years since I’ve known the Lord, I’ve never had to have anybody fire me up. Challenge me to serve a Lord, to do right, to go to church, anything.

Nobody has to why? Because I’m a grown man. I can think for myself. It’s reasonable to me. So I don’t have to have somebody always trying to pick me up out of the mud. I learned long time ago. I don’t like the mud. I don’t have to worry about God chasing me every time I turn around because I don’t really want to get what chasing you see I had a dad who beat the Torah to me every time I turned around scared me to death well the last thing I want is for my heavenly Father to always have to bring out you know the two before or the bull whip I would rather have his his loving hand his gracious hand his mercy and his grace I I don’t want to make God mad.

So I can make decisions for myself. I wish that God’s people would grow up and not be babies that are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine that comes by. Some people is only as strong as the last person they talked to, but they never grow in the Lord. They never become strong the way God wants them to. So He also makes some statements over here. He says, when you come into the temple, he says, don’t you remember the law I gave to Moses?

Now the tribe of Levi, which was supposed to be the priestly Levi from where Aaron and so forth came from, and they’re supposed to offer the proper sacrifice at the right time for the right sin, and they’re supposed to be without spot, without blemish, you know, you only wanted to give God the best you had. Well if you look what he says here it makes a statement down here in verse 13 he said also, behold what a weariness is it and you have snuffed it say it to Lord of Hosts and ye brought that which was torn lame sick.

Thus, you brought an offering, should I accept this at your hand? In other words, you kept the best and gave God the rest. I think there’s something wrong with that. And so here we are 2,000 years later, and people today, they want to keep the best and give God the rest. If there’s anything left to give to God, God only receives a little tip from us every once in a while. What does people really sacrifice? What do you receive?

really give up to show God. I love you. God has sent his son, Jesus Christ, to down the cross, to pay for our sins, to give us the free gift of eternal life, give us the privilege of serving him on this side of the grave. And most people can’t even say, thank you Lord. Do you know your whole life should be one big thank you to the Lord for what he hath done. If he never did another thing for you for the rest of your life, what he hath done is enough for me to dedicate my life to him.

And I’m supposed to believe that I belong to him, everything I have belongs to him. So why should I be afraid of giving God anything that already belongs to him? Whatever we have should belong to the Lord. And God should have the freedom of taken anything he wants. If God wants what you have, then so be it. What if he wants to take your health? Is he free to do that? Is he free to take your wealth? Is he free to do that?

I mean you’ll let him do it without raising the fire on the rockers about death. What if he takes a lot of things from you and you don’t see why he should do it? He don’t owe you an explanation. God does not have to give you a reason why he does what he does. But if you read the Bible, a lot of times God will lay down principles in His Word. And now I preached a sermon a couple of weeks ago on because, because, because, because God has a reason why He does what He does.

Now I want you to look there in verse 14. In verse 14 it says, but cursed be the deceiver, which ation is flocked a male and vow of and sacrifice unto the Lord a corrupt thing. And Lord, here you are and you got too sheep. is perfect. Nothing wrong with it. And you got one that looks a little lame, it’s a little on the sickly side. I mean, it’s really bad. I’m going to give this one to the Lord.

And God says, don’t you remember my law? In other words, what they were saying was, if you look there in verse 13, it’s a worrisome thing to do what God wants me to do. You know what? Here we are living in good old America with all the wonderful blessings that we have. I don’t know how long, but wonderful blessings that we presently enjoy. And we have an option where we can either go to church or not go. We can pray or not pray.

We see we today, we don’t have to pray to God, meet my needs. Obama, meet my needs. And Obama says, hey, I can do that. All I got to do is keep raising taxes and taking all this money from all those rich folks and give it to all the rest of you folks who don’t have any money. That’s called a redistribution of wealth. Our government doesn’t have the authority to do that, but I’m not getting on that tonight. I want to, but I’m going to let it slide for a little bit.

But anyway, he says in the last part of verse 14, and you’re on the line, for I am a great king. God said, I’m a great king. He said, I’m somebody. If I am somebody, why don’t you treat me like I’m somebody? That’s why he says over there in verse six, a son honored his father, a servant, his master. Where’s mine? Where’s my respect? Like at one committee, he always says, I get no respect. I just get no respect.

God says, why don’t you respect me? I want to show you something. They’re in chapter two. Chapter two, he says, and now O ye priests, this commandment is for you. This commandment is for you. Now, what he says is, you do not take me seriously. You see when he says in verse two, if ye will not hear and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, sayeth the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings.

Yay, I have cursed them already. And why? See that word? Because. Because why? Because you don’t take me seriously. You don’t lay at the heart. Do you believe that all God’s children today, those who know Christ is Saviorornings? Take it to heart that what God says, they take it seriously. You know, I guess maybe my problem was that after I trusted Christ as my Savior, I really believed, I really believe this is the Word of God. And I believe that what God’s Word says, I’m supposed to do.

So for 50 years I have tried to guide my life out of the principles found in God’s Word, because I believe that it’s right. In other words, I have laid it to heart. I take God seriously. That’s why I went to Bible school because I take it seriously. That’s why I’ve drug my wife and my kids all across this country and go into Indian camps in Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, and Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Why? I’ve done what I’ve done.

Because I take it seriously. But you know, I’ve got a lot of God’s people today that don’t take it seriously. They just think it’s a weariness of the flesh. I get tired, bored. I don’t want to go to church. You know, when I don’t want to go to church, you know what I do? I go anyway. When I don’t want to give a tenth of what I make and more, you know what I do? I do it anyway. God said so.

I do it because God wants me to do it. Has nothing to do with what I want. Servant God is not doing what I want to do. It’s doing what God wants me to do. And God’s people don’t take it seriously. It is so important for people to see this and understand it. So, I want you to take your Bible, look in Jeremiah chapter 12. Maya, chapter 12, and look at this scripture. There’s a scripture that I want you to see.

Jeremiah chapter 12, and look in there in verse 7, chapter 12 and verse 7. In verse 7 he says, I have forgotten mine house. I have left mine heritage. I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of our enemies. Over God says, look, you have no idea how much I love you. Remember when he started off with the book of Malachi, he says, oh, how I love thee, how I loved you. He saw have I hated talking about Edomites and so forth and that land there.

But Jacob, He says, oh, how I love thee. And what I’ve done for you, and he showed his mercy. And then all they did is just snub their nose at him. They rebelled against him, walked against him. And so he says down here in verse 10, and you’re the underlying this one, many pastors have destroyed my vineyard. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard. In other words, there’s preachers today that no longer believe that this is the word of God, so they don’t use the word of God.

And many people who go to church anymore don’t even need to carry the Bible because they don’t even use the Bible. Here, if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles in the pew in front of you. And on Sunday morning, everybody needs to have a Bible because we teach the Bible, because we still respect the book. And if we respect the book, we ought to teach the book. But anyway, here in chapters, I want you to see another verse where it makes the statement that God says in verse 11, they have made it desolate.

And being desolate, it mourneth unto me. The whole land is made desolate and underlined that statement because it’s the same as you read over there in the book of Malachi because no man layeth at the heart. And remember now, this is over a hundred years before the book of Malachi. You see, that was the problem before the chasening. 70 years in captivity, and if I only come back to the land, you think they’ve learned their lesson. And they were still rebalious.

So God says there’ll be a famine for the hearing of the Word of God. and no prophets would speak. For a hundred years passed. It didn’t have to be that way. It’s just that that’s the way it was. I’ll look there in verse four of chapter two of Malachi. And you shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you that my covenant might be with Levi, say, of the Lord of hosts. Now Levi was the… Well, he was the son of Jacob, but he had the ministry given to him of the priesthood.

And that’s where Aaron was there, hit Hancho. And the Bible says, I made a covenant with him. And the covenant that he made with him was, well, looked there very quickly in Numbers in chapter 25, numbers in chapter 25, numbers 25, and there’s a couple verses there that I think is important to see. He was zealous for the Lord that He was, and He says there and in verse 10, and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Finnehos the son of Eliazer, the son of Aaron the Priest, have turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake, among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. And here’s why, because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the children of Israel. Now this is to the priest. Over in verse 10 it’s a message to the people. But right now he’s talking to the leaders and as he talks to the leaders he letting them know what he thinks about their leadership and how they have failed to do what God says to do.

They were given the law and they did not obey the law. And he says Levi, he was zealous for the things of God and they weren’t. So see there in verse five. My covenant was with him of life and peace. Now when you read the book of Deuteronomy, it’ll also talk about the Baliwin chapter 8 where it talks about, I have said before you life and death. When you go into the land, the promised land, God says you can have life or you can have death.

He says, if you obey me, I will bless you. I will protect you. You disobey me? I’m going to curse you and I’ll use other nations to whoop you and take you out of the land. So God tells us what’s going to happen before it takes place. You see, that’s why you read the Word of God so you can know the consequences of your decisions before you make them. Wouldn’t that be helpful to know the consequences of decisions before you make them?

Well, some people listen and learn and some people never do. Now I want you to see the middle part of verse 5 where he says, and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me and was afraid before my name. That phrase for the fear wherewith he feared me. And you see what does it mean to fear God? Just walking around. little friend of God, that’s going to get me. That might have a little element of truth to it, but I believe it means more than that.

Take your Bible and look there in the book of Proverbs. Won’t you see this in the book of Proverbs and chapter one, Proverbs chapter one, there is a several statements made here that I think is very important because if So much was done because a man feared God. Now you see what happens because men do not fear God. And there’s people today who have no fear of God. The Bible talks about Amalek in the Old Testament. He feared not God.

It means that you do not have any respect for what God says, people today in our country. You see, years ago they used to have respect for the pastor. That has gone. People today do not have the respect for the pastor that they used to have. He doesn’t speak with authority. People don’t listen to him. They mock him. Make fun. See, science has the voice of America today. Everybody listen to the scientist. I love him or evolutionist, so you don’t see where that comes from.

But look in Proverbs in Chapter 1. And look there in verse seven. You know what I mean? The fear of the Lord. Now notice what the fear of the Lord means. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but full despised wisdom and instruction. Fear of the knowledge. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Look there in verse 29. Verse 29. For they that hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Remember this, to fear the Lord or not to fear the Lord is a choice.

And people make choices. Some people can live their whole life and have no fear of God, no respect for God. They don’t lay it to heart. They don’t take them seriously. They do whatever they want to do with their life because it’s whatever they want. It makes me happy. My life I ought to be in charge of it and do whatever I want to do I Found out a long time ago. There was God And there’s me and I am not God God is God and Without him I’m a big zero.

I am nothing without him so if I want to be something then I need to follow him and I’ve found out that following the Lord and doing what God wants me to do with my life is a choice and Nobody can make you choose to love the Lord Love is a choice But look what he says For they that hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord So not to choose to fear the Lord is to hate knowledge, but over there in verse 7 it says but full despised wisdom and instruction, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

So not to fear God is a fool, a man to fool. And what else does that mean? Well, since we’re right there, I don’t want to lose my place, shiv my Bible, but look there in Proverbs in chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8. Look in verse 13. And you’ll notice when he talks about the fear of the Lord is. In verse 13, the fear of the Lord is determined by what you hate as much by what you love.

So to love God, you have to hate sin. If you love flowers, then you should hate weeds because weeds will do in a flower. But the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Why? Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate pride. Why? Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate arrogance. Why? Because God said so. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. What? Because God said so. God said so.

You hate what God says to hate and you’re to love what God says to love. And He says not to love the things of the world. So many people love the world. So many people are in love with themselves. They’re not in love with God. When you’re in love with God, you want to please God. When you’re in love with yourself, you want to please yourself. Well, the Bible says that God created us for his pleasure, the book of Romans.

If God created me to please him, then my golden life should be, what does it take to please God? So I seek to find ways to please God. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the Clear Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and everyday, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, they’re got to 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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.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.

To stand or to fall, you have to admit the Bible does say that we can fall from grace. says so in the book of Galatians in chapter 5. In verse 4 where it says, Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. But does that mean you can fall from salvation? I believe that you’ll see in just a moment that it does not refer to losing your salvation.

No man, once he is saved, can ever lose his salvation. One of the best ways to study the Bible and to understand what the Scriptures are teaching is always used the lens of the gospel to discern the rest of the Scriptures. So if you really understand the gospel, really believe it, you have a greater potential of understanding deeper truths than anyone else will ever come close to. Look there to first verse, to stand or to fall. It is my choice.

Now once you trust Christ as your Savior, you are on the foundation. The foundation is Christ. And Christ is a foundation that never changes. Now you may tremble on the foundation, but the foundation will never tremble under you. You’re on the foundation. There is no other. Romans chapter 5 and verse 2, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

But in the first part of this verse, when it talks about this grace wherein we stand. You see, when you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were saying, I believe that Jesus Christ, that on the cross, paid for my sins and that I’m saved by grace, God gives me eternal life. I am his child. And that is a definition of salvation by grace. It’s not of works. You stand right there. That’s my position. That’s my position. So God saves you based upon your belief of what he promised, because that’s what faith is.

Faith is not staggering at the promise of God, but believe in it. Now, whenever you believe that, God wants you and I to stand on that truth all our life. Now, if you quit believing that and standing for that, then you’ll have questions and doubts in your mind. But it doesn’t change the fact that God has saved you and that God has given you eternal life. God cannot change that at all. But you will not have the confidence. You will not have the assurance that you need.

And so therefore it’s going to cost you in your Christian life because you won’t serve the way you should, because you doubt your salvation. Corinthians chapter two and verse five, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Now faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God so that your faith should stand in what God says, not in what man says about God. In other words, if your only hope of salvation is based about what Yankee told you or what you just believe what I say instead of you verifying it with what the book says what if I’m wrong what if I’m wrong now what you’re gonna do so you should believe what you believe because the Bible teaches that and you’re convinced of that so that your faith is not in the pastor it’s not in the church it’s not in your good works it’s only in what the

Lord says and you understand what his word said and you believe what he said Remember, even the people that came out that day to see the woman at the well says we believe Not because of the woman, but because we heard him ourselves and we believe that thou art the Christ the son of the living God. So you are to believe what you believe because it is the truth and you see it and you understand it and you believe that.

But not to stand in the wisdom of man regardless of how wise the man might seem to be. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 1. This is where we usually get a definition of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 1 says, Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, which I preached unto you, which also ye have received and wherein ye stand. So where is our position? We stand upon the gospel. That is our foundation. That’s what gets us into the family of God, into the kingdom of God, so that we know what we believe.

We know why it’s true because of what Christ has done and what he said. Only by Christ coming back from the dead do we understand that God accepted the payment. That’s why Jesus Christ didn’t be the propitiation or the satisfaction for our sins. We’re in ye stand in 1 Corinthians 16, 13. Look at this. It says watch ye stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Now here he’s changing it just a little bit because now we’re talking about standing as a result of our choice after we have been saved.

It’s a statement that warns us because he says here, watch ye stand fast in the faith. Now if he has to tell us and to warn us to stand fast in the faith, it means that it might be possible and must be possible that a man may not stand fast in the faith. So you may know Christ is your Savior and you have become grounded in the Word of God, But is it possible that you could not stand for the faith but fall in the faith?

Can you fall? Can you stop believing what you now believe? Yes you can. But if you did, would you still be saved? Yes you are. Because God cannot deny Himself. But notice what He says in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 12. If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. Now here He’s talking about us reigning with Christ. So there is a price to pay for your disobedience. For my disobedience, there is a price that will pay in eternity.

Not just maybe in the kingdom reign, but for how long I do not know it might be forever. In verse 13, if we believe not, in other words, I don’t believe it anymore. Look at the last part of the verse, yet he abided faithful. He cannot deny himself. He can’t deny himself. Because he made a promise and his promise was that if you trusted him one time, like drinking that water, one time, he has to guarantee you that you’ll never thirst again.

And if you eat that bread one time, then he guaranteed that you wouldn’t have to eat that bread again. I mean, it means you don’t need to get saved again. So God cannot deny himself. So when he says up there in verse 17, looking verse 17, and their word will eat as death a canker or in some translation they put it cancer, but it’s just like that. Of whom is Hymenius and Phileadus, who concerning the truth have erred. So they did know the truth, but now they have erred concerning the truth.

But not only have they aired concerning the truth, it says here, saying that the resurrection is passed already and you are to underline the next statement, overthrow the faith of some. So some Christians have their faith overthrown. In other words, they don’t believe it anymore. They get so confused, they get mixed up because of what somebody else has told them. But now notice what he says, overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God’s stand if sure. in this seal and you are underlying this.

The Lord knoweth them that are his. So the Lord knows you, even though you may get to where you don’t know the Lord. So once you’ve trusted Christ the Savior, you have eternal life and God said that he would never test you out. I want you to look there in 1 Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter one, and look there in verse 18. 1 Timothy chapter one and verse 18 says, this charge, I commit unto thee, son Timothy. According to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them might as were a good warfare.”

Now the Christian life It’s war. It is a warfare. In other words, you’re fighting against the devil and he wants to win. You’re fighting against the lust of the flesh and it wants to win. You’re fighting against the temptations of the world and they want to win. And the trials of the earth that you’re in a battle. A battle for your soul. That means your life upon the earth, the effectiveness that you can have. Because see, there’s a God in heaven that wants to reward his children in the kingdom and many of God’s children are forfeiting every last thing you want.

they could have had. This life is the best days of our life because it’s such a great opportunity that God has given to every one of us to be found faithful. Now He can’t eliminate the war and then you expect to wear the medals. You’ve got to fight the battles. Fight the battles. And this is why the Bible says endure to the end. You and I are supposed to endure to the end, not for salvation, but for the Christian life, endure for how long just this day tomorrow.

No the end all your life serve the Lord with everything that you got don’t stop now look what he says in verse 19 holding faith and a good conscience because you can lose your faith some people have their faith overthrown they were saved but no longer believe but they’re still saved they’ll still go to heaven. I think a lot of people who afterwards think they’re going to go to hell are going to be very surprised to wake up when they die and find out they’re in heaven.

And then won’t it be just a surprise in that people who think they’re going to heaven will wake up and they find themselves in hell? And that’s the case too. I think it could be a lot of surprises on both sides. I would rather a child of God go to heaven and diapers than not go at all. If we believe salvation was something else, we would say, well, they have to prove that they’re saved now. Or they got to do all these good things.

A man can do the most wicked of things, but if he’s trust in Christ’s Savior, that is the crux of the matter, where God is so good that he would give us as a free gift eternal life. See, there’s sometimes, I think, people who really don’t believe that say they believe it, but don’t really believe it. Well, I believe they ought to do something. They ought to be some proof. No, they don’t have to be any proof. Any time you think a person have to have some proof, you’re going to be a come a fruit inspector.

You’re going to be starting looking for results in a person’s life to see whether or not they’re really saved. You only have one thing to go by. Does that person put their faith in Christ and that alone is their only hope of going to heaven? That’s all you can look at. Now as a person who’s supposed to love the Lord, yet we can look at their lives and see whether or not do they love the Lord by the way they live.

And the best we can do is to try to look at Him and see whether or not, you know, He said, if you love me, then serve me. So if a person, because you can be a Christian and not love the Lord, not serve the Lord at all. But should you? Yes. Should you dedicate your life? Yes. But look what he said in the last part of this verse. Holding faith in a good concept which some having put away concerning faith and made shipwreck.

So they were in the ship but they have had shipwrecked. They were saved but their as far as their life goes their lives are wrecked. And they have fell upon the rocks of disbelief. No longer understand, no longer solid, no longer strong. A Christian can fall. Can you fall? Yes, you can. Can I fall? Yes, I can. Now look at the next verse. 2 Corinthians 1, 24 says, not for that we have dominion over your faith, but our helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand.

See, the only way that you can stand in the Lord is by your faith. And if your faith is overthrown, you’re not going to stand for the Lord. It won’t matter what church you go to, it won’t matter how you live, it won’t matter if you give, you don’t give, it won’t matter if you’re with you, so don’t, it’s nothing matters because your faith can be overthrown. And it is a fight, it is a battle. And the thing that you and I are supposed to be concerned is that we want people to stand fast in the faith so that their joy is full.

Like he said, but our helpers of your joy, we want people to have full assurance and to have joy in the Christian life. And so they can be strong enough that whenever the trials come and testings come, they can be strong enough to weather it. See, many Christians can’t take the trials and tribulations. They fall completely apart. And that’s us to sign they’re not strong in the Lord. They’re weak Christians, but still a Christian. Look at the next verse.

In Galatians and chapter 5 verse 1 says, stand fast therefore in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free. So if it’s a command for us to stand fast, it also means that you may not stand fast, that you could lose your footing, that you could fall away and you can. Remember, you never fall away from salvation, but you may stop believing in salvation by grace. And if you don’t believe in salvation by grace, then you’re going to question your own salvation.

And then if you don’t really understand whether you’re really saved and you start teaching worse for salvation, then you’re going to confuse a lot of other people. And you can begin to teach and preach a curse message. So he says, here, stand fast therefore in the liberty where with crisis made his free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. So is it possible for a person to become entangled again? Yes? With the law? Yes? In the words of lost man believed you’ve got to be good to go to heaven.

He finds out it’s all in by grace. Well, if he don’t stay strong in that and keep believing what he’s supposed to by getting into the word so he can begin to believe what he used to believe and become entangled again. Think just like he did before he ever trusts the Lord. Look at the next verse. In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 to 14, put on the whole armor of God. Why? That you may be able to what? Stand.

Well, if you don’t put on the whole armor of God, it means that you probably won’t stand. What do you think a preacher wants people to come to church so that he can teach them the Bible? How to understand what God says? Why, for his benefit? No. It’s for the people, it’s for them. So they can stay strong in the Lord. People who stop coming to church don’t last long. They don’t last. They’ll be getting into all kinds of things that they never thought they would ever do.

And believe in things they thought they’d never believe. Because see, this is a step of obedience to meet together with God’s people so that you can stay strong. If you don’t do that, you’re not going to be there. You will fall. put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wilds of the… Who’s that fella? Of the devil. Now, that means that the devil is able to trick you. We talk about the wilds of the devil, the tricks of the devil, because that’s what he does.

He lies, he deceives, and so this is why a lot of Christians are not very strong in the Lord. Now look in Philippians chapter 1 verse 27. Only let your behavior, your conversation, your manner of life, be as it become the gospel of Christ. That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs. That you stand fast in one spirit. So it may be possible, and it is possible that a person doesn’t stand fast in the Lord.

He said that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the God. See, it’s not automatic. Well, if you really saved your servant, no, you won’t. Otherwise, why we got this? It’d be automatic. It is an automatic. Not everybody serves God. Not everybody walks with the Lord. Many of God’s children are in the world. He says, you’re in the world, but you’re not of the world. Be not conformed to the world. But many of them do.

That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. Now that’s what God wants his people to do. Everybody beleaven the same thing because you only got one Bible. You don’t have two Bibles. That’s why you shouldn’t have two or three different kinds of churches. Let alone a thousand different kinds of churches. If everybody approached this book and believed this book and the Holy Spirit taught us all this book, do you think the Holy Spirit in this book would teach me to believe one thing and teach you to believe something else?

It’s holy contrary. No. It’s because people are not believing what the book says. use the Bible and twist the Bible, put a span upon the Scriptures because they can’t believe it means what it says. Philippians chapter 4 verse 1, Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and long for my joy and crown, and I get to so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. So if he has to tell you to stand fast in the Lord, is it possible then that you might not stand fast in the Lord?

Yes, because that’s why he’s warning us, challenging us, beseeching us that we stand fast. Colossians chapter 4 verse 12, it paphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluted you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand, get this perfect and complete in all the will of God. See, God saving you and saving me is just the beginning of our Christian life. It’s not the end of it. It’s not that, you know, that was all that God wanted to do is just to save your little soul so you don’t go to hell.

That’s just the beginning. There’s your whole life. Everything that involves you, God wants you to do what He wants you to do and that’s what we’re after. We’re trying to get God’s people to serve the Lord and to be found faithful. Do you find out it’s difficult? Isn’t it difficult to get people to be faithful? How difficult is it just to get people to go to church? Think well, could be done with God’s If all of God’s people believe the same thing and we’re as dedicated as they ought to be, could turn the world upside down.

Now look what he says there in this next verse. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 8 says, For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what think can we render to God again for you? For all the joy wherewith we joy for your mistakes before our God. Did you notice that standing fast in the Lord and the joy of the Lord go together? There’s a lot of people who want to be happy in the Lord. I just want to be happy.

They want to have joy. But joy comes because of your stand that you have in the Lord. Not that you’re saved. I mean, say I’m conjoined that I’m saved. I’m not going to hell. I know. But I mean, I’m not in heaven yet. I still got a life to live. So your strength in the Lord is what’s going to give you joy. God, joy of the Lord is my strength and a lot of Christians are weak. They don’t have any strength and you don’t have the strength.

You don’t have the joy. Because you see you focus upon your problems and all everybody’s got them But if that’s all you focus upon that becomes so big and it can just drain you dry and they say you’re not a happy camper You’re not happy with anything But joy of the Lord doesn’t matter what happens. You know, it’s just temporary You’re gonna be passing through it and God will give you the strength and grace you need to bear it Regardless of the temptation, you know that your heavenly father is not gonna allow anything greater than what you can stand and you can stand it You say I just can’t take anymore.

Yes, you can You can take anything God gives you. You never have to fall. We fall because it’s a choice. Failure in the Christian life is our choices. It’s not the will of God, it’s what we do because we take our eyes off the Lord because we’re weak in the Lord. Look at the next one. In 2 Thessalonians in chapter two and verse 15, therefore brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.

If he has to tell you this, it means that it’s possible that you may not stand. And when he says here, stand fast, hold the traditions which you have been taught. In other words, keep believing that. Continue in the faith. You’ll find that mentioned throughout the book of Hebrews about continuing the faith and enduring to the end and in the book of Matthew. All these scriptures that, but they mean something. And but everybody wants to take that end already and that’s talked about.

You got to hang in there if you want to get saved finally eventually. It’s not talking about that. Now look at the next one. Fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall, fall. Can a Christian who refuses to stand fall? Now look there in Romans chapter 13 and verse 14. Says, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling rock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

Does that mean that it’s possible? If God has to tell us not to do it, It means that maybe some Christians will do it. Not only will they fall themselves, but they become a stumbling block to other Christians. And you put a stumbling block in a brother’s way and cause him to fall. Can a Christian fall in the servant or yes? I see it all the time. And yet I cannot allow all the people that fall so discouraged and disappoint me and give me such despair that it ain’t worked on it at all.

Then just let them all, just do whatever they want to do. I don’t care anymore. and just develop an, I don’t care attitude. You can’t do that. You still strive. You’re always have, because you’ll have a few people that will serve the Lord and it makes it worth it. But whether they do or whether they don’t, you still have a responsibility to challenge and exhort one another to do right. Look at the next verse. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 12 says, Wherefore let him that thinketh he stand to take he lest he do what?

lest he fall. And who is the one that can fall? The one that thinks, it ain’t gonna happen to me. It’ll never happen to me. Boy, I’ll never fall. You can fall at any time. You know how long it takes to yield to a temptation? Oh, not like that. Don’t take long at all. You can fall very quickly. All you gotta do is take your eyes off the Lord. It can happen to anybody at any given time. I don’t care who you are.

I don’t care if whether it’s the preacher, the deacons, or anybody else. The layman in the church. Everybody’s acceptable because we all have a sinful nature and the devil knows how to lure. He knows how to trap and get us to fall. Remember the devil is after one thing, to get a Christian to fall from standing in the faith. First Timothy chapter three and verse six says, not an novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Look at first Timothy chapter three, verse seven. Moreover, he must have a good report of them, which are without, lest he fall into reproach. and the snare of the devil. So is it possible for a Christian to fall into the snare of the devil? All these are warnings to us because it’s possible. If it wasn’t, then there’s been no sense in putting it into the book. And if it was all less automatic, that if you’re really safe, you’re really gonna serve a look, you’re really safe, then why are, what’s the who’s these verses to?

Because there’s people who fall and they don’t serve the Lord. And some of them will never amount to the hell of age. They’ll never be strong. And that’s why he made the statement in the book of Corinthians in chapter 11, where he talked about, he said, in summer, sick and summer, weak and summer, what? Dead. Why are they dead? Because they fell. Why are they weak? Because they fell. Why are they sick? Because they fell. Christians fall. Fall into temptation.

Fall because of the devil. Fall because they get lifted up with pride. You name it. Christians can fall. And they fall away from the truth of God’s Word. They can fall to every wind of doctrine that comes along. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, 1st 9 says, but they that will be rich. Fall into temptation. and a snare and do many foolish and hurtful lust which drowned men in destruction and predation. Isn’t that a warning about being rich? And yet you’d be surprised how many people want to be.

I want to be a millionaire by the time I’m 30. It’s better just to serve the Lord with what you got, where you are and if God blesses you praise the Lord and if He doesn’t, that’s fine too. If some people never learn, money is not the purpose of the Christian life. The possessions of this world is not where it’s at. not what makes happiness. That doesn’t bring peace and joy and all that doesn’t bring the purpose. God can use everything we have and we ought to use it for the Lord when He says here, they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and in many foolish and hurtful lust.

In other words, it’s a result of choices that we make. Look in 2 Peter in chapter 1 and verse 10, wherefore the rather brethren, so we talk in the Christians, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things, you shall never do what? You won’t fall. These see are verses in the Bible that warns us so we can choose to stand or to fall, but it’s all because of decisions that we make.

So he says here, if you do these things, you won’t fall. But look in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 7, he says, Yee, therefore, be levered. Seeing you note these things before. Beware, lest ye also get this being led away with the era of the wicked. So can a be levered, a brethren be led away with the era of the wicked? Look at it. I didn’t write this verse. This is the Bible. He says, Paul, Paul from your own steadfastness is that the will of God that all of his people stay steadfast in the gospel and to stay strong in the Lord.

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might because if you don’t then you’re going to be false and acceptable to the wiles of the devil. Then when He makes a statement there in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 4, Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law ye are fallen from grace. Can a Christian fall from grace? Yes. It means falling from When grace is failing to keep believing that you’re still saved by grace.

You see, when you were saved, you were saved because you believed you were saved by grace. Or later on, you no longer believed you’re saved by grace. So, you have fell from what you used to believe. But did you fall from salvation? No, you can’t fall from salvation. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to Bibleline. LiveAlignMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you’ll 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.

God still loves His people, and He wants them to believe it. Even though here God had told them, I brought you out of Egypt. I brought you into the land that I promised you. And I told you that I would whoop all the enemies. All you had to do is trust me. They had trouble trusting God. After seeing him open up the Red Sea, where they could walk across on dry ground. They saw all of this. They literally, as a people, they saw their shoes and their clothes that didn’t wear out after 40 years.

I think I got some of my clothes that’s 30 years old. But 40 years, it never wore out on them. They saw how God provided them miraculously. Waters out of rocks in the middle of a desert. A special little health food bar that came down from heaven called Angels Food or Mana. And God took care of them. And it came on certain days and not on other days and double on one day. And they had trouble trusting God. Now you’d be surprised.

Here we are living in good old America. Don’t you think God was good to let us be born here in America? What have we been born in some other country? And our parents were, say, Muslims and taught us all of that. And then we would wind up believing that. You know I’ve talked to Jehovah’s Witnesses and they’re Jehovah’s Witnesses because their parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’ve talked to Mormons and they were Mormons because their parents were Mormon. And I’ve talked to the Church of Christ and you name the religion, I’ve talked to Catholic, their parents were and they are.

And they believe that they’re right and probably fight to the death that they’re right and yet you know everybody can’t be right. the some reason or other they can’t believe that they could be wrong. Everybody’s wrong, but them. Well, here you and I don’t we believe it. We’re right. And all the religions are wrong. You say, well, that’s the truth. I mean, we really are right. And the way you can separate truth and errors is that everybody believes in your work for salvation, that’s false.

And so there’s a few people who believe it’s by grace and it’s totally free and they’ve got to say you can give me eternal life and You know, there’s maybe not that many people that believe that, you know, the Bible says the way to heaven is narrow It means it’s only one way and The broad way that leads to destruction a lot of people believe that There’s religion man’s way and there’s God’s way. That’s what’s narrow So I guess I’m narrow-minded Some people are so narrow minded they could look to a keyhole with both eyes.

That’s pretty narrow minded. Look in verse 1, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. Now that burden is talking about, it’s a heavy sentence. It’s a heavy thing God is unloading upon the people. You see, sometimes some people can’t carry much. You can unload too much upon people and they crush them. you ought to see what God unloads on these people. He said, well, it’ll destroy them. God loads it, buddy. And he pulled no punches.

He hit them right between the eyes. He talked about, you know, we should not try to offend people. And I’d do everything I thought they can not to purposely offend. But I know that just by me being me, I offend. I don’t really want to. I don’t want to hurt nobody. But I have a great love and appreciation for what truth is that sometimes I just figure in my mind, get a grip, get a life. Don’t worry about it.

This is what God said. Boom, that’s it. And so I sometimes fail to be really sensitive to people and how something that I say might affect them. Though I don’t want to purposely hurt somebody’s feelings, I know that in time I do. But you ought to see what God says. So he says here in verse two, I have loved you, sayeth the Lord. Look what he says, I have loved you. Now wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

God, you just split the nation because of what Solomon did. You lie to your series to come in and take Israel, top 10 tribes, then you’ll love the Bible and they come in here and do that and destroy our nation. God, you let people starve to death. They boiled their kids because they were hungry. You let them be taking a thousand miles in the captivity for 70 years, and then after 70 years, a lot of those people were too old, they couldn’t come back.

Now they’re ingrained in the beliefs, or falling in love with Babylon, and didn’t want to come home. Not all of them did. Come back, the city is destroyed. There’s all kinds of problems. People tried to kill them while they were trying to build the wall, try to get them to quit. And Yimiah says, I can’t come down and talk to you. Got the Lord’s work to get done. And they worked and laid blocks and had their guns and bazookas and all that stuff up there and tanks.

Okay, well maybe they had a sword and a spear. And they built and they did what God says to do. But that didn’t mean that all the people were spiritually minded. certain things that you can have for your homeland. And they wanted their temple built and they did these things and there were some great problems that they had that they had to deal with. But under Nehemiah, see a lot of the people did do some good things and spiritual things and well it had to be enough time after that that maybe Nehemiah was no longer on the scene.

And he couldn’t keep that tight control upon the people for some reason. Now we know he had gone back and they came back later with 1800 more but as time moves on there’s probably 30 years difference in here between when he probably stopped his work and makes a note here’s Malachi because by the time the book of Malachi is written the temple is built. They have been doing the sacrifices and the people were corrupt. So he begins to lay down the rule to them about, look what I’ve done for you.

I loved you. And even though you were all these things that have happened, he says, I did because I love you. Now have you ever had children and you didn’t want to spank them, but you knew you had to spank them because they were rebellious and you’d rather have them feel the pain coming from a loving hand than the pain that would come on down the road because of bad decisions that they never learned and never suffered for. So sometimes because you love children, you have to discipline them, you have to tell them no.

There has to be correction. It’s not because you hate them because you love them. And this is what the Lord says. I loved you. He says, don’t you remember that there was Jacob in Esau? He says, and I love Jacob and not Esau. But Jacob and Esau, they had been dead for years. I mean, thousands more years or so. Don’t go on. So he’s not talking about those two individuals, but what they represented. Because you see, Esau, well, he became Edom.

Let’s eat them. And so, Moab, those people on the other side of the Jordan River, if you ever go over there and you look at it, it’s desert. It’s terrible. And you look at the land of Israel and it’s blossoming like a rose, totally different. Looks like a land of paradise. And everything they grow there, their grapefruits, their grapes and all that stuff, it’s just Just like you was reading in the book of Numbers where they went into the land and spied out the land and it came back with all this, the fruit.

It’s true. Man, you can eat good in Israel. And every time I’ve been over there, six times, I think, man, you can eat like a king. And they have something that they raise that’s bigger and better than just about anywhere else in the whole world. But see, what God says here in this first two was not, he saw Jacob’s brother, sayeth the Lord. Yet I love Jacob. Talking about, I loved Israel. I gave them the best land. I gave to Israel, the choice, the promised land, the land that flows with milk and honey.

He said, he saw because he despised his birthright. He said, I gave him that land over there. He said, because I loved you. And it boiled down because of Jacob and the way Jacob was. Now he was a supplanner. He was a liar. He was a deceiver. At most times he was a bad man. But there’s still something on the bottom that he loved the Lord. You ever seen people who loved the Lord but still they keep doing stupid things?

Well Jacob did that. But the times and the moments of his battles that he had and like he fought with the angel and he wouldn’t let him go and say, you bless me, you got to bless me. Jacob wanted the blessings. He did not despise the birthright. He just had a little help and stole it. He wanted it. And God blessed him. But he says in verse three, he’s, and I hated Esau, laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Whereas Edom saith, we are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, they shall build, but I’ll go down. And they shall call them the border of wickedness and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. And as you stand there in Israel and you get upon the ridge of, like you name of it now, you look down toward the south and you see all the greenery. And then you see this desert, the cycloid was talking about here.

This is 400 years before. Where God says, I am going to bless this one, and this one has been chasing. But it says, because I love you. It’s almost a type of the spirit and the flesh. It’s almost a type of a Christian who serves the Lord and the Christian who doesn’t. So God doesn’t honor the flesh. God doesn’t honor the man who walks in the flesh. But the Christian that loves the Lord and will walk with the Lord, God has promised in his word that he will honor that man.

If any man served me, him will my father honor and God will bless.” So he makes this statement and he says, and then verse four, the border of wickedness. And I believe that you can see from the border all the things that God’s talking about. But look at what he says in verse six. In verse six, a son honored his father and a servant, his master. If then, I be a father, where is my honor? If I be a master, where is my fear or where is my respect?

Where is my respect? Lord, there’s something that God wants from the people of Israel. Now you and I are commanded in the book of Romans chapter 15 that the Old Testament written for our admonition and so we’re supposed to learn some things from it. They can help us. So as you see how God deals with Israel, it’s like Israel is a person, like it’s sometimes referred to as just Jacob. Even though there’s can be millions of them, but it’s just like God talking to that one person, Jacob.

With you and I, you and I were born miraculously into God’s family by faith and faith alone. So when we trusted Christ as our Savior, God gave us eternal life and as a child of God, we have a piece of property. This body of mine is the Holy Land. And I live in this Holy Land. And I’m supposed to conquer this land for the Lord. You see, I have an Amalekite that lives inside the Holy Land. He was there first.

And remember the message that I preached on then came Amalek. Well, Amalek was there before there was a king in Israel. And so my old sinful nature, the old Amalek that lives inside of me, has this piece of property. But God says to me as a child of God, I’m given this property to you. Now I can do similar to what the spies did. the twelve spies, they went into the land. Two of them says that we can take this land.

Ten of them says there’s giants in the land and we can’t do it. That is similar to a Christian and saying. I want to serve the Lord. I want the blessings of God, but there’s too many battles and I can’t handle it. I got too many addictions. I got too many problems. You see, there’s 10 of these amulex and two of these I can, Joshua and Caleb. So inside of you, you fight this battle. And God says that you’re supposed to bring all of your thoughts into the captivity of crosshairs.

You see, the devil wants to capture your mind. That’s a piece of property. That’s territory. And so I’m supposed to surrender this piece of property to the Lord so that he can capture all of my thoughts. If I don’t, then the 10 spies that lives on the inside of me will say, well, I can’t ever have victory and get the benefits of this this piece of property that God says is mine and my right to live. I have the right because I’m a child of God and my body belongs to the Lord and I’m supposed to do this.

Have you had any problems lately? Any battles going on? You see from the time that you trust the Lord until the day we get home, there’s always these little pockets of the enemy that’s still is inside of this body and it will battle against you. Israel always had battles going on trying to get victory. Now under a couple of the kings they got a lot Solomon and David but David was a man of war. It will not be until we leave this body and get our new body.

That will be the land that flows with milk and honey for real and there won’t be no enemy in it when we get our new body. But until then we’ve got these battles going on. And so God is telling us here in the book of Malachi. Jacob have I loved and I have blessed you. I’ve done all these things for you. I even had to chasten you. I even had the enemy come and destroy the temple and everything else in order that I might get a remnant, a handful that will serve me.

And I believe God’s always had that little remnant in any exist even today. But look what he says in the last part of verse 6, O priest that despise my name. And ye say, wherein have we despised thy name, ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, wherein have we polluted thee? So the temple had to be built. They had to have the sacrifices going on. They were making their offerings and so on. So the priests were there and this was going on.

But see, this wasn’t done so much on the Nehemiah because they had to build all the stuff. And so I believe by the time they got through, Nehemiah is an old man in Ezra. And after this, you know, the books, some of the prophets, Sakurai and Haggai, they already off the scene. And here’s a letter written to God’s people and it’s a warning. Evidently they didn’t, they didn’t heed the warning, didn’t pay any attention to it. And they said, the table of the Lord is contemptible.

In other words, do you believe that even though like Sunday we had what we call the Lord’s table, a divine command? Do you believe that some people, even God’s children still believe that’s just a contemptible thing and they don’t talk to the Lord. They don’t examine their life. They don’t judge anything. But they’ll partake of the Lord’s Supper and make mockery of it. I hope and pray that nobody does. But with as many people, there’s always that possibility that things are done with a lot of people that are simply ritual and there’s no real meaning to it.

There’s no really love for the Lord. You see, they were going through the motions. They still were making sacrifices. But the problem was, is it wasn’t doing it God’s way. You see, they would even, God had told them, says, whenever you bring an offering, He says, this offering is to be without spot, without blemish, healthy, the cream of the crop, the best you have. Well, that’s not exactly how they were doing things. They didn’t do it the way God says to do it.

You see there in verse eight, and if ye offer up These animals that they were offering, the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? If he offered the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor. Will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Seth, the Lord of Host? Now, you see, when it says the word governacy, for a while there’s the Nehemiah was probably the first governor when it came back. And then he left for a while and whether somebody else filled in.

But there’s also historically about a Persian governor and whether somebody else was filling in while gone and the time of the, I don’t know. I don’t know if anybody really does know. But it’s not referenced to a king. They didn’t have a king. And the Bible says in the book of Isaiah chapter four verse three where he talks about and they shall be without a ephod and so forth for many days and without a prince. And so that has been proven to be true.

Look what he says here. When they’re supposed to be offering the best, they weren’t doing what God says. You see, they were going through the ceremonial. It’s like people today, they go to church, but there’s no change in their life. They hear the word. They read it in the Bible. They all stand. They all sing songs. And walk out that door, and there won’t be one change in their life. Why do we come to church? Why do we study the Bible?

To change things. To change things. You and I are supposed to be growing spiritually. And growing spiritually will affect our lives. But if nothing that you hear or read or see in God’s Word or sing about changes your life, stop it. You just plan a game. When I said and read and study the Word of God, I do it with a heart, Lord, reveal to me something that I need to do or an attitude that I need to correct.

There ought to be something that’s real between you and God, and nobody can make it real to you. But there’s a God in heaven that knows when people are playing games and if it’s just going through the motion, putting in the time because you’re afraid not to because you’re afraid God will zap you, but you will just do enough to try to give a tip to keep them off your back. I’m not sure if y’all really are following me.

I hope you are. I’m not God, but I have a responsibility to keep you on your toes. I’m supposed to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comforted. I hope I do a good job. So he says in verse 9, and now I pray you beseech God that he will be gracious unto us. This hath been by your means. Will he regard your persons safe, the Lord of Host? God has done so many things and people will not give him the honor or the due respect.

Remember the other night I was talking about, I think it was Sunday night, about how that God says when we get to heaven, He’s going to reward us for what we deserve. And if we deserve it there, it’s because we what? Deserve it here. And if we deserve it here, it’s because you’ve done what God says to do. But it doesn’t mean that everybody agrees with you and think you deserve anything. And you may not get the respect that you deserve.

But there’s a God who does watch and keeps the books. And remember, do you believe that God deserves to be honored, to be respected, to be feared? God deserves to be obeyed, doesn’t He? He’s God. Does he deserve our love, our worship, our gifts, our talents, our treasure? Does he deserve it? Well, if he deserves it, then why don’t we perform it and give it to him? He is gone. Look up here. Hey, somebody’s watching by the internet. I would hate for them to hear all this good stuff and not understand how to go to heaven.

Letting just hand represent, you know what I did the other day. There are these two guys. I says, can I, ask you a question? I said, sure. I says, this coming Sunday morning, I’m going to do an illustration that lasts about a minute and a half to two minutes. And I want to know if I can just explain it to you. You don’t have to do anything with it. You don’t even have to believe it. Just tell me if you understand it.

I’ll just say, can I do that? Oh, sure. Go ahead. I didn’t tell them that I do it every Sunday. But this coming Sunday, see, I’m going to do an illustration to explain something. And I simply wanted to know if they could listen to it because they won’t be there. And they could tell me whether or not did it make sense because they understand it. So I did. Anyway, this is you and me. The wallet represents sin, all the things we’ve done wrong.

But God says He loves us, but He hates our sin. And the Lord says that He loves us and wants us to go to heaven. And go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And none of us are perfect. None of us are good enough to go to heaven. The Bible says that because of sin, it has to be paid. And since we committed it, we have to pay for it. And that’s eternal separation from God, inhale.

But God, He loves us. He wants us to go to heaven. But He says, you can’t earn your way to heaven. You can’t buy it. It’s a gift. And this is what I mean. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates. So Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God said that if we would believe that He did it for us, He’d put this payment to our account and we’d get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us.

That was the best news in all the world. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, all that you have to do is believe that God loves you, paid for your sins, and will you trust Him to take you to heaven whenever you die? Let’s pray, shall we? His bow nice clothes, no one looking around. Friend, if you are watching by internet and you’ve never trust the Lord, would you just talk to Him right now? See, God knows who you are and knows where you are.

And He loves you. He paid for all of your sins, would you believe it? He said, if you’ll believe that He did it for you, He would give you as a free gift ever lasting life. Never cast you out, never lose you. You can know that you’re going to heaven whenever you die, because Christ paid for all of your sins. and I’m not sure if it’s written on for you to pay for. He already did it. I pray that you’ll believe that.

Our Father, we thank you so much for all that you’ve done for us, for your word that you’ve given us, for the, a brief study here in the book of Malachi that has a lot of good stuff that can really help us to see how you think, how you love us, even though you have to chasten us sometimes. We pray, Lord, that we would realize that the things that you talk to them about, maybe we we could learn something from it and correct things in our own life that, but if we would judge it, we won’t have to be.

So we thank you for this time together and I ask Lord your blessings upon each person here. We pray for a good day this week, a good Sunday. So bless us in Christ and we pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, Go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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. soon and just keep looking up.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline, Bibleline, they’re 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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. 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.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Malachi. Malachi. That sounds pretty good. I think it’s in the Old Testament. It ought to be a pretty good little book to take a look at. It’s not got a few chapters, not very big. The book of Malachi is really the last voice of the prophets. As you know, the Bible says in the book of Hebrews that God had sent his prophets and last of all, he sent his son. And in between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the book of Malachi is given to us.

And it kind of takes the Old Testament and the New Testament and kind of bridges at 400 years gap in there. You know, after the book of Malachi, almost 400 years of silence that God never talked. And I guess if there’s anybody who’s ever been hurt, it’s been the Lord. Because He talks over and over again about what He has done for the nation of Israel and still Israel rebelled against Him. And you think about sometimes the hurt that He must have gone through.

And then the thing is, even though He chases them, He so loves them. It’s just like you and me. He loves us, He saved us and then when we rebel against Him, He still loves us. And so when He has to beat the tar out of us, He still loves us. And I guess even here in the book of Malachi kind of pours out his heart of how he feels about Israel. And it uses the name Israel in chapter 1, chapter 3, it talks about Judah, but it’s really a reference because of the people that had been taken into captivity into Assyria.

Well, the 10 tribes, the northern 10 tribes were taken years before Babylon came and took the southern two tribes which was Judah and Benjamin. But as time went on, the 70 years passed that they were in captivity over in Iraq. Michael will say Iraq. You don’t the word is. And the time came when they were to come back to the land. But when they got ready to come back, not everybody wanted to come. So God used, you know, Ezra and Nehemiah and they brought some people back.

And even though they came back at one time, there was about 50,000 of them. Later on, Nehemiah went back and brought some more, about 1,800 he brought back. Anyway, they tried to get the walls built and the temple built, but when they finished building the temple, they were really down because the temple had none of the glory of Solomon’s temple. And so they were disappointed because it wasn’t as big as it used to be. It wasn’t as glorious as it used to be.

And here in this simple little book, it kind of tells us that there’s a lot of prophecy that is going to be used in the New Testament that fulfills the prophecy given in the Old Testament. Now, in the New Testament, there’s about 260 chapters in the New Testament. And 250, one of those is a reference to the Old Testament. So out of 260 chapters, you have all of these scriptures that are mentioned. And it’s… Incredible. I think it was 209 chapters or prophecies given.

So about 51, there wasn’t any prophecies given in some of those chapters or reference to Old Testament scriptures. But in the Old Testament, there were certain books that were never mentioned in the New Testament, but all of the books were except for a few. And you had the Book of Ruth and Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah and Ecclesiastes and Lamentation. Those are the books that you won’t find in the New Testament references to them. All the other books in the Old Testament are mentioned in the New Testament, and it puts the stamp of approval upon all of those books.

Now, Malachi is a good book in reference to prophecy because it talks about the Lord coming, talks about John the Baptist. It talks about both of the coming of Christ. When he comes, when John the Baptist shows up, and when he comes at the end, we’ve mentioned this in the book of Revelation, we talked about the Morning Star and the Son of righteousness. The Son of righteousness is found in Malachi in chapter 4. But the book of Malachi is important because the purpose of the book is repent and be blessed, or rebel and be cursed.

So for 400 years Israel rebelled. And because they rebelled, they were cursed. And there was a hunger and a thirst for the Word of God. They were hungry for bread. And so after 400 years, God sent the bread and Jesus was the bread. Now, America has been going for a little over 200 years. Can you imagine 400 years? How lost the people Israel must have been. How easy it was for them without a king and without a prophet to go astray.

So by the time Jesus gets here, they were a pathetic mess. They were religious but lost. Now Malachi’s problem was they had gone back to the land under Ezra, near Mayan, and established. Now the book of Malachi was written probably after Haggai and Zechariah. And so that those books were written a little bit sooner. And I don’t believe that the book of Malachi was written during the time of Ezra or Nehemiah because Malachi deals with the way the people were and the temple was built.

It talked about the sacrifices in the temple. And see they had to go back and rebuild the wall and the temple so it couldn’t have been at the same time because it wasn’t done yet. So there’s certain little clues that kind of let you know that the book of Malachi had to be written later. And even though Nehemiah was there, it has to be after Nehemiah. Now we believe that around 450, 455, something like that, when the decree was issued to go back and to rebuild the temple and all.

And the Bible tells in the 70 weeks of Daniel that the first seven weeks was 49 years. And so that 79 years was in the building of the temple and the end of that would throw it up to close to 397 BC. So that would fit about the time that many believe that the book of Malachi was probably written. And since the temple was there and the people were there, the book is divided into two main things. One, it is a rebuke to the priest because of how they were administering the sacrifices and so forth in the temple.

And then it was also concerning the people themselves. One in the first part deals with where God is speaking directly to the priest. And the second part from a chapter 2 verse 10, it talks about where the prophet Malachi is talking to the people. So God speaks to the priest and the prophets speaks to the people. And it references about two comings of Christ. But look there in, I want you to see this, look in chapter three of Malachi.

And you’ll notice there in verse one, where it says, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple. Isn’t that interesting? So this is a prophecy and it’s according to the scripture, the next thing to happen. Now, their only problem is they didn’t know because they weren’t walking that close to the Lord. They were rebellious. So they couldn’t see the signs. They didn’t understand Daniel’s prophecy in the 70 weeks and so on.

But he says, no, I’m going to send my messenger and the Lord is coming. whom ye seek and suddenly he will appear come to the temple. Now this is a reference to Jesus Christ when he comes the first time. Now if they believe this and John the Baptist did come on the scene and he didn’t do it. Now look there in chapter 4 of Malachi and in chapter 4 it makes a statement verse five, which I believe is a reference when Christ comes, which is yet in the future.

Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. See the great and dreadful day of the Lord is not when he came and was born into the world. That’s a reference to another period of time. But this book is important because it kind of says, you know, you’re not going to hear from me for 400 years and no word. And then all of a sudden the king is going to appear suddenly in his temple.

But he said, I’m going to send the forerunner first. So he tells us this, do you have any clue who that might be? It’s John the Baptist. Now hold your place right here and look all the way over there to the book of Isaiah in chapter 40. Isaiah and chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40 and look there in verse 1. Where God says that he is, yes, he’s going to chase in his people, but she’s going to get a double wenny.

Verse 1, comfort ye, comfort, E my people say, if you’re God. Speak eat comfortably to Jerusalem and cry into her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. And then lo and behold, verse 3, the voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness. Now wait a minute, do you realize there’s almost 700 years in in between this. In verse one and two, God does pour out His double whammy upon the children of Israel and then 400 years of silence.

Now see 70 years is when they went captivity. Then they go back to their land. Then they had to rebuild the walls and the city and so forth. The Bible says in troubleless times and then they rebuilt the temple and that’s the temple that was standing when Christ came, but Herod, who was a little before Christ, had already rebuilt and got the temple looking pretty good. And so they called it Herod’s temple. It was in a lot better shape.

But look there in verse 3, the voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough way places plain. And in verse 5, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” This is when he suddenly appears like he promised. Now a couple hundred years after this, well, Malachi wrote and refers to the very same time.

But see, whenever Christ comes, He is the bread of life. He is the living Word. In the 55th chapter of the book of Isaiah, where it talks about, oh, everyone that thirsteth, let him come and let him buy. And why do you labor for that which does not satisfy and so forth? Because what he’s talking about, it’s going to be free, it’s something you can have and you can have it now. But look in verse 6, the voice say, said cry and he said, what shall I cry?

shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the Theum, the grass withereth, the flower of the fated, because the spirit of the Lord bloat upon him. Surely the people is grass, the grass withereth, the flower of the fated, but the word of our God shall stand forever. Now I believe, and this could be a little yank eology, interjecting into this, that he says the people are like grass. He says, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

He just said that he’s going to send his messenger and then the arm of the Lord is revealed as you read in the book of Isaiah 53. He shall grow up before him as a tender plant. And then when he He makes a statement here in verse three, and the glory of the Lord is revealed. Suddenly he shall come to his temple. This one is not like people that are like grass that die and fade away, but this Son of God that’s coming is the word of God that liveeth and abideth forever.

Now I believe there is a connection here and it’s talking about this, And because this is what we call the good news, the gospel, the good news, good tidings. But look at the very next verse there in verse 9. O Zion, that bringeth, and here’s those two words, good tidings. Get the up into the high mountain. O Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings. See, this is the good news. I believe myself personally that there is so much wealth of knowledge in the Old Testament that we probably will never see in this life.

But when we get to heaven and we will see everything, we’ll know everything, this will be like somebody just turned on a bright light and we will see all the scriptures and what they really mean and how much debt there is. And we might be studying this book for all eternity. Who knows? This is the living Word of God and there’s no bottom to the depths of this stuff. And I even imagine things that might not even be here.

What if it, what about all the real stuff? And I see a little bit of this, and I see a little bit of that, and I get all excited about it. And I just love it. But anyway, go back to the book of Malachi, the book of Malachi. So the one is going to deal with the presence of sin. And then also in chapter three and four, we’ll deal with the future where Jehovah talks about. About 400 years I’ve got somebody coming to the temple.

Don’t you wish he’d have just told him how many years it was? Well, he’d already done that in the book of Daniel. But I want you to go back there to verse 1 now. In to verse 1. God still loves his people and he wants them to believe it. Even though here God had told them, I brought you out of Egypt. I brought you into the land that I promised you. And I told you that I would whoop all the enemies.

And all you had to do is trust me. They had trouble trusting God. After seeing him open up the Red Sea where they could walk across on drag round, they saw all of this. They literally, as a people, they saw their shoes and their clothes that didn’t wear out after 40 years. I think I got some of my clothes that’s 30 years old. But 40 years it never wore out on them. They saw how God provided them miraculously. Waters out of rocks in the middle of a desert.

A special little health food bar that came down from heaven called Angels Food or Mana. And God took care of them and it came on certain days and not on other days and double on one day and They had trouble trusting God Now you’d be surprised Here we are living in good old America Don’t you think God was good to let us be born here in America? What have we been born in some other country and our parents were say Muslims and Taught us all of that and then we would wind up believing that You know, I’ve talked to Jehovah’s Witnesses and their Jehovah’s Witnesses because their parents were Jehovah’s Witness.

I’ve talked to Mormons and there were Mormons because their parents were Mormon. And I’ve talked to Church of Christ and you named the religion, I’ve talked to Catholics, their parents were and they are. And they believe that they’re right and probably fight to the death that they’re right. And yet you know everybody can’t be right. But for some reason or other they can’t believe that they could be wrong. Everybody’s wrong but them. Here you and I don’t we believe that we’re right and all the religions are wrong.

You say, well, that’s the truth. I mean, we’re really all right. And where you can separate truth of errors is that everybody believes in your work for salvation, that’s false. And so there’s a few people who believe it’s by grace and it’s totally free and God will say you can give eternal life. There’s maybe not many people that believe that. The Bible says the way to heaven is narrow. It means it’s only one way. And the broad way that leads to destruction, a lot of people believe that.

There’s religion, man’s way, and there’s God’s way. That’s what’s narrow. So I guess I’m narrow minded. Some people are so narrow minded they could look to a keyhole with both eyes. Now that’s pretty narrow minded. Looking verse one, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. Now that burden is talking about, it’s a heavy sentence. It’s a heavy thing God is unloading upon the people. You see sometimes some people can’t carry much. You can unload too much upon people and it crushed them.

You ought to see what God unloads on these people. You say, well, it’ll destroy them. God loads it, buddy. And he pulls no punches. He hits them right between the eyes. He talks about, you know, we should not try to offend people. And I do everything I possibly can, not to purposely offend. But I know that just by me being me, I offend. I don’t really want to. I don’t want to hurt nobody. But I have a great love and appreciation what truth is that sometimes I just figure in my mind, just get a grip, get a life.

Don’t worry about it. This is what God said, boom, that’s it. And so I sometimes fail to be really sensitive to people and how something that I say might affect them. Though I don’t want to, you know, purposely hurt somebody’s feelings. I know that in time I do. But you ought to see what God says. So he says here in verse two, I have loved you, say, of the Lord. Look what he says, I have loved you. Now wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

God, you just split the nation because of what Solomon did. You lie to your series to come in and take Israel, top 10 tribes. Then you lie on the Bible, I’m gonna come in here and do that and destroy our nation. God, you let people starve to death. They boiled their kids because they were hungry. You let them be taking a thousand miles in the captivity for 70 years. And then after 70 years, a lot of those people were too old.

They couldn’t come back. Now they’re ingrained in the beliefs, father, fallen in love with Babylon and didn’t want to come home. Not all of them did. Come back the city is destroyed. There’s all kinds of problems. People tried to kill them while they were trying to build the wall, tried to get them to quit. And Yhemiah says, I can’t come down and talk to you. Got the Lord’s work to get done. And they worked and laid blocks and had their guns and bazookas and all that stuff up there and tanks.

Okay, well maybe they had a sword and a spear, okay. And they built and they did what God says to do. But that didn’t mean that all the people were spiritually minded. There’s certain things that you can have for your homeland and they wanted their temple build and they did these things and there were some great problems that they had that they had to deal with. But under Nehemiah, see a lot of the people did do some good things and spiritual things and well…

It had to be enough time after that that maybe Nehemiah was no longer on the scene. And he couldn’t keep that tight control upon the people for some reason. Now we know he had gone back and they came back later with 1800 more, but as time moves on, there’s probably 30 years difference in here between when he probably stopped his work and Make sure you know here’s Malachi. Because by the time the book of Malachi is written, the temple is built.

They have been doing the sacrifices. And the people were corrupt. So he begins to lay down the rule to them about, look what I’ve done for you. I loved you. And even though you were all these things that have happened, he says, I did because I love you. Now, have you ever had children and you didn’t want to spank them, but you knew you had to spank them because they were rebellious and you’d rather have them feel the pain coming from a loving hand than the pain that would come on down the road because of bad decisions that they never learned and never suffered for?

So sometimes because you love children, you have to discipline them, you have to tell them no. There has to be correction. It’s not because you hate them because you love them. And this is what the Lord says. I loved you. He says, don’t you remember that there was Jacob in the e-sauce? He says, and I love Jacob and not Esau. Not Jacob and Esau. They had been dead for years. I mean, thousands more years or so. Don’t go on.

So he’s not talking about those two individuals, but what they represent. Because you see Esau, well, he became Edom. That’s Edom and so Moab, those people on the other side of the Jordan River, if you ever go over there and you look at it, it’s desert, it’s terrible. And you look at the land of Israel and it’s blossoming like a rose, totally different. Looks like a land of paradise. And everything they grow there, They’re grapefruits, they’re grapes, and all that stuff.

It’s just like you was reading in the book of Numbers where they went into the land and spied out the land and it came back with all this, the fruit, it’s true. Man, you can eat good in Israel. And every time I’ve been over there, six times I think, man, you can eat like a king. And they have, they raise that’s bigger and better than just about anywhere else in the whole world. But see what God says here in this verse two, he was not, he saw Jacob’s brother, sayeth the Lord, yet I love Jacob.

Talking about, I loved Israel. I gave them the best land. I gave to Israel the choice, the promised land, the land that flows with milk and honey. He said, he saw because he despised his birthright. He said, I gave him that land over there. He says, because I loved you. And it boiled down because of Jacob and the way Jacob was. Now he was a supplanner. He was a liar. He was a deceiver. At most times he was a bad man.

But there’s still something about him that he loved the Lord. You’ve ever seen people who love the Lord but still they have… They keep doing stupid things. Well Jacob did that. We’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible Line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

It’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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. My broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will shout. We will be changed. Paught 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 to come. 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 through the Bibleline website at Calvary of Tampa.org.

We pray that you’ll 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. Amalek, this whole nature lives on the inside of you. Amalek believe it or not came first. That’s mentioned in the book of Genesis, they’re talking about how that he came first and was brought into the world. In chapter 36 of the book of Genesis and talks about the children of Esau.

And you’re going down through there, it says about Amalek and that these were the kings before they ever became a king in Israel. So they had kings first. When you and I were born and you were up, the flesh came before the Spirit. You have king and ables. King came before Abel. And then you’ve also got Esau and Jacob. Esau first and then Jacob. And you have Ishmael and then Isaac. The flesh is first. You had Amalek from Esau before.

They became nations before Israel became a nation. And so they went down into Egypt for 400 years and came out a great nation. And now the battle begins. And there has been this battle going back and forth all these years. Now, the Bible tells in the book of Jeremiah 17 and verse 9 that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked and who can know it? Well, that’s talking about this whole sinful nature. Where’s this sinful nature dwell inside of you?

It’s depth spurt, it’s wicked. You cannot truly understand why you do what you do. You don’t understand all about this sinful nature. God just simply says, don’t trust it. He’ll lie to you, He’ll deceive you. You may show mercy to Amalek, but Amalek will never show mercy to you. Amalek only has one desire and has to do you in to ruin your life. and he doesn’t care how he has to do it. And he’ll lie to you and deceive you to ruin your life.

That’s that old sinful nature that you were born with. And you’ll think a thousand times that it’s your idea. You thought of this and you thought of that and you did it. And the devil is using no amulek inside of you to lure you to do anything he wants you to do. Wake up. Don’t let amulek do that to you. And the only way you can defeat amulek is to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his mind.

And then you can discern what Amulex up to, and how he works, so that whenever he wants to do something, you say, not this time, and you can put him down. But this Bible is gonna go on, and this Bible is real. This is real is what Israel was meant for me here, and that Amulex was here, and they have literally had their battles, and it’s going to come. Take your Bible looking to Deuteronomy 25, Deuteronomy 25, and here it makes a statement in verse 17.

Look at verse 17. He says, remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when you would come forth out of Egypt and how, get this, this is what Amalek did. As a children of Israel, we’re going to the wilderness, to the desert, how he met thee by the way, smote behind most of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee when thou was faint and weary and he feared not God. So you know that Emily has no fear of God.

Your old sinful nature does not fear God. Hapes God. This old sinful nature is the nature of the devil. That’s why he says concerning the flesh, year of your father, the devil, and the works of your father, he will do. That’s why the devil is a liar. The devil is a murderer. The devil is a deceiver. And so are you in the flesh. And you’re capable of doing every wicked deed known to man in the flesh. And he says, now do you remember what Amalek did to you by the way?

Whenever you were coming through and he would wait and he would smoke behind those of you over here to always get those who were stragglers. They’re safety in numbers. When people come together and they pray for one another, encourage one another because Emma Lake is after every one of us. Just like I am Israel and inside of me I’ve got this old amalek and he’s trying to destroy me. So we need to rely that’s what Emma Lake is doing to every other child of God and every one of us in this room got a little amalek, a little pears living inside of her and I saw the Ben-Mond, I saw the Hussein living inside of you.

Yeah I guess you can say a little Mike Tyson, this is one of the big two up, het you down. So he says, that were feeble and behind the, he said, when the vow was faint and weary, do you know the same verses on the New Testament in the book of Galatians in chapter 6? Faint not, be not weary and well doing, or in due season you shall reap if you faint not. It means if you don’t quit, don’t start.

Then a striker, you realize that a lot of people that I’ve known over the years, they’re strong in the Lord, they go to Sunday school, they go to church Sunday morning Sunday night, Wednesday night, and then after a walk, well I can’t come on Wednesday night, then I can’t come on Sunday night, then I can’t come to Sunday school. They’re sitting up, they’re out of all together. Well I don’t know what happened. I do. It’s called Amalek. Amalek will defeat you.

I’ve seen Amalek destroy marriages. People have been married for years, loved each other, and all of a sudden, no amulek gets stirred up and stirred up the other amulek in the wife and them. Amulek and the man and they go at each other. That’s not the new birth. That’s the old one that’s fighting. The new one doesn’t do that. The new one doesn’t want a divorce. That’s the flesh that wants that divorce. That’s what ruins the children. That’s because of children to become rebellious Now people could do whatever they want to do with their life, but remember behind the scenes There’s an amalek living inside of you and the last thing we’re supposed to do is try to grow a vote amalek Some men they learn how to deal with their wives They know what they like they know what they don’t like and then they own purpose they do it

Just to irritate. They know what they’re doing but they still fight over nothing. Like I told you last week when that woman she says, Honey, Christmas is coming and I want something shiny. I wanted to go from zero to 150 in three seconds. And he gets her back from scales. And then the award begins. And give what he says, and he feared not God. He is not afraid of God. And in verse 19, therefore he shall be, when the Lord thy God have given the rest from all the enemies round the bow, and the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess them, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it.

The day is coming, see, when we find it, when we get to heaven, God says the former things. We will remember in no more. There’ll be no more sinful nature, and we won’t remember all about this guy has done, because in heaven’s see all we have there is the new birth. We’re in dwelleth righteousness. Now that’s why God will have to wipe away all tears from our eyes because there’s going to be a lot of heartache and sorrow and we see all those people that we could have reached, lies we could have affected, but because while we live here, we allow this O Amalek, must destroy our lives, cause us not to study, because of Amalek, we don’t support mission, because of Amalek, we’re not faithful to do what we suppose it is, because of Amalek.

Now you blame everybody as you want to, it’s that central nature you get on the inside of you. Our biggest fear is not communism, it’s not the religion of Islam, it’s not all of those things, it’s not the government, It’s not the White House. Your biggest problem is that little ambolate that lives on the inside of you. He’s what’s going to destroy you. And he’s what’s going to ruin your life. Ruin your health because he doesn’t want you to stay strong and help them do the things that’s right, because he doesn’t care if your body’s a temple of God.

He don’t care what he has to do as long as he can bring you down. 1 Samuel, chapter 15 very quickly. 1 Samuel, chapter 15. Remember when they got their first king they wanted a king. Okay, you got a king. We won’t be like everybody else. I can do like everybody else. So he told me, now this is what I want you to do Saul. This is on page 334, look here in chapter 15, and look there in verse 1.

Samuel also said in the Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore hearken Now unto the worst of the words of the Lord, thus saith the Lord of hosts. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not. Now that was the order.

Spare not destroy Amalek. Now I remember you will eat a whoop him or he’s He’s going to walk you. It ain’t going to be a draw. He went, came back, came back to him, saw, said, hey, I did what you said. I did everything you said to do. He says, and what mean at the building of these sheep that I hear in my ear? He said, oh, we just, the people wanted those so that we could sacrifice them to the Lord.

Start making exceptions to the rule. Bend in it just a little bit. They were not that bad. And verse 15 says, and so is it, they have brought them from the America. They, the people did it. And he’s became, he’s responsible, but he blinded on the people for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the young to sacrifice unto the Lord. I got it. Isn’t that wonderful? That’s all I’ll give you just a hang on.

Verse 16, then Samuel said in the song, stay and I will tell the what the Lord have said to me this night. He said, and it’s saying, Sam, you says, when you were small in your own God made you the king of Israel. But now you’ve got to big for your britches. I’m just kind of paraphrasing just a hair. And it says you didn’t do what you’re supposed to do. Verse 20, Saul said in the sanguine, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and I have gone the way which the Lord sent me and have brought egg yag the king of the Amalek.

I’m not that word egg yag, the king of the Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalek. I’ve got the king here. Look at God, I’m not going to kill you. Samuel says, what’s he doing here? You were supposed to kill him. You were not supposed to spare. See, there’s people who want to serve God their way. Have you ever heard people say, well, you serve God your way and I’ll serve God my way? Listen, we serve God God’s way, oh, we don’t serve God.

But he didn’t serve God God’s way. He had partial obedience. And there’s a lot of Christians that I know partial in their obedience. They haven’t come pulling into the place where there’s no whatever you want I’ll do. What if you want me to get I’ll do I wouldn’t be obedient to you. Some people have areas of their life they’re all flimmings to God. I’ll do this for God I’ll do this for God but this is my area. There’s a price to pay and buddy you will pay it because Amalet will have no mercy on you.

You know the proverbial nose of the camel into the tent it won’t be long before the camel is where? All the way into 10. Look in verse 23. Revelliant is at the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is the iniquity and idolatry because thou have to rejected the word of the Lord. He had to reject the beat from being the king. That doesn’t affect the salvation. He said, oh, what’s going to happen to me? He says, the sanger said, you’re going to be with me.

You’re going to be with me. And what you got is going to die and die who did. And so in verse 33 and Samuel said, as thy sword hath made women chiles, so shall thy mother be chiles among women and Samuel, hewed egg, egg, and pieces before the Lord and give you. That’s what the Godly man did with him because you will either slay him or he is going to slay you. And you see he has desires. He desires the things of the world.

He has sinful desires, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, what you see, and the pride of life, what I can be. And many of God’s children instead of being what God wants them to be, want to be what they want to be. Instead of seeing this world, look the way God says to see the world from a divine perspective and instead of a human perspective, then there’s a price to pay for that. And it affects their whole life.

It affects all the the decisions of their life. Loss of the eyes, the loss of the flesh, and the pride of life. That’s why God says love not the world either the things that are in the world. That’s this one over here and Many of God’s children are gonna waste their life. Oh, you might live 20 30 40 50 years after you trust Christ is your savior for now And waste all of it and never lay up treasure in heaven because you lived your life The way am I like wanted you to live your life instead of living your life the way God wanted you to live your life Nobody can make you change Nobody can make you do anything you can do whatever you want to and everybody knows You’re gonna live as godly as you really Saban I live and you’re gonna live as worldly and as carnal you minded as you want to live

May not deceive God is not muck what’s remained so if that shall he also read their choices that you and I make. And somehow we make good ones and sometimes we don’t. Look there in the second Samuel, second Samuel. Just turn to your right to second Samuel. Saul and Jonathan were dead. David was asked not to participate in this fight but a messenger came to see him. When he came to see him he had some news for him. So is the inverse three.

David said to him, from which coming style? And he says unto him out of the camp of Israel, am I escaped? David said to him, how went the matter? I really tell you what happened. He answered that the people are fled from the battle, that many of the people also are fallen and dead and Saul and Jonathan, his son are dead also. David said unto the young man that called him how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan, his son is dead.

How do you know they’re dead? The young man that told him, said, as I happened by chance. Listen, as you live your life, you’ll always notice that if you don’t want to really serve the Lord without your heart, there’s always going to be somebody or something to help you further away from God. But if you want to serve the Lord, they’ll always seem like there’s somebody or something that’ll help you in that direction. But it all depends on what you’re looking for.

And And some people are going to find what they’re looking for. If you go through life and you’re miserable, good. You’re supposed to be. Because peace of mind and joy happens belongs to the child of God who’s certain. You are ruining your life, you can do so, but listen, you not only hurt yourself, but you hurt every person that loves you. Because if people really love somebody, you want the best of them. And you can rip the heart out of some people, just because of your sharp tongue sharp tongue and because you don’t really care and you don’t care about yourself, you don’t care about anybody else or anything but there ought to be something on the side of you if you know Christ is your savior.

I’m God’s child. I want something better. I want something more for my life. And he says, as I happen by chance, it just happened to be-+ there. Well, what was he? He says in verse 8, he said to him, he said, who are thou? He He says, I am a what? I’m an Amalekite. What did this Amalekite do? Well, he says here in verse 10, so I stood upon him and slew him. He says, I killed him. I killed Saul.

I did it. He thinks he’s going to get a reward from David. Well, how did David take this? Verse 13, David said unto the young man that told him, which art thou? He says, I am the The son of a strange animality and David said to him, how was I not afraid? Remember the Amalekites had no fear of God. Remember the book of Exodus that we read? The book of Deuteronomy chapter 25 that we read? The head no fear of God.

And he said, how come you are not afraid? Now lay your hands against the Lord’s anointed. And he called one of the young men and sent him, go near him, fall upon him, and he smote him, that he died. That’s how David took care of our amalek. And as you read the rest of this, the question keeps coming up. How are the mighty fallen? See there in verse 19, the beauty of the Israel is slain upon by high praise of the mighty fallen.

And you see it down there in verse 25. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle? I’ve seen Amalek slay many of God’s people. I’ve seen many pastors and evangelists and missionaries get slain by Amalek. I’ve seen them rowing their life, rowing their testimony. And they don’t watch what they see with their eyes and hear what their ears. They don’t watch where they go and the things that they say, the people that they are around. You say, we’re here too straight.

It preserves because I don’t trust this guy. He lives only inside of me. See, I would don’t preach a sermon one time called the black birds. See, you can’t help it when the black birds fly over. But when they stop and build a nest in your hair and lay eggs, you’re going to help that. And you might not be able to stop those thoughts that are coming to your mind. You don’t have to stop them. And let him build a nest and hatch.

Because as a man, thank you. It is so important. Did you know this in the story of Esther, a queen during the captivity? There was Mordec, a Jew, and there was Haman. Haman didn’t like the Jews. They’d be hated more at the time. So he buys the phlemon. How he wanted to destroy and annihilate all the Jews. But remember, Amalek always wants to destroy the nation of Israel. You can see they represent that first, this birth here, the second birth.

And so the first is going to always come after him. And persecute that which is born of the Spirit. And Haman had the Galilean bill. He was building them for more than time. But the Lord revealed some things to the king and lo and behold, I’ve done it. He was going to honor the man instead of kill the man. When he found out what was going on, Haman was an aggregate. Means he came from Agad and he was still causing trouble.

One, almost an hour as a whole nation in captivity. They’d already passed the law until the Queen goes in and she says, I’m a Jew. And it was all discovered. And so he was hung on his own gallows that he had built for more time. But he was not a malatite, a peg-a-tite. Now this follows through the scriptures. How long are you and I going to have trouble with this malatite? As long as we live in this body, as long as you live in the body, you’re going to have trouble with Emily.

And he’s after you. He’s waiting for you to get weary and well doing. He’s waiting for you to become a straggler. One time I had a problem with a deacon in the 90s. I was trying to figure out how I was going to deal with it. So I told him the story that I heard from somebody else. That this pastor had a good deacon. But next thing you know that they can just stop being faithful. And he knew he was going to have to go and see him and talk to him.

And he didn’t want to do it, but he knew he was going to have to. So he went to see him, knocked at the door, and that they can have the preacher come in. And so they both sat there in front of the fireplace, and it was just spitting. And they just watched the flames and some hot coals on the part there. They didn’t say anything to each other, they just started to fire. So finally the preacher got the help running, got one of the burning hot colds, and pulled back about two feet away from the others, and then just sat there, and they just watched it.

All of a sudden that hot, glowing ring cold started turning a little white. Great. He says preach I get your message. I’ll be there Sunday See when you get separated from the rest you get cold, but you don’t know it You’re losing your vision, but you don’t know it Why because he’s a deceiver he lies to you you think if it ain’t fine. It’s not fine Your faithfulness to God is more important than anything else you’ll ever do in this life And then my life wants you to tell you that you don’t have to do anymore Like I said, you either slave him or he’s going to slave you.

Look up here just a moment. This is you and me and the wall represents sin. Now we all have sin on us. Now God says that he loves us but he hates our sin. And the Bible says because we’ve all sinned, we are all condemned. The payment for sin is death. We have to die. But to go to heaven, we have to be perfect as righteous as God. And we’re not perfect. Heaven is, God is, but we’re not, because of sin, say we can’t get in.

So God says, I love you, but you can’t save yourself. It’s not by going to church, it’s not by trying harder, it’s not by putting any sins, it’s not promising God you’re going to live better. That has nothing to do with going to heaven. You have to be born again and there’s only one way to do that. You must believe this. She You have to be born again. And there’s only one way to do that. You must believe this.

Jesus Christ is God’s Son. He has no sin, doesn’t have to die. He came into the world and took up on flesh. And he loves us, but he hates our sin because our sin separates us from the so Christ took the sin, hate to go across, came back from the dead, and he said that we would believe that he did this for us, that he would put that payment to our country, and we get to go to heaven on what Christ did.

I’m going to heaven whenever I die because Christ paid for all of my sins. And if he paid for all of them, there’s none left for me to pay for it. They’ve all been paid. All I had to do is believe that he did it for me. That’s a gift that’s free. Now that old sinful nature that you have, that old animal like you get said, now that’s too easy. You got to do something else. It can’t be that easy.

Oh, hang on. He’ll lie to you. Take the… Oh, you got to just go to church. So he’ll always lie. Just do the best you can. You’re good enough. You ain’t robbed no bank. Ain’t murder nobody, have you? You’re all fine. You’re fine. Now God says that you’re condemned and you are a sinner and I’m a sinner and the whole world is guilty. That’s why we need to save here. Christ paid for it. He came back from the dead.

And if I trust Him as my Savior, He would give me as a free gift, everlasting life, and I get to go to heaven on what He did. That’s the best thing that I’ve ever heard. If I offered you my wallet and accepted, you’d have an empty wallet. You’re learning. But if Christ walked in here and offered you eternal life and you accepted, you would have eternal life. And if it’s eternal life, it would last forever. and you’d go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for you.

Let’s pray, shout it. Every head bowed and every eyes closed, no one looking around. If you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted Christ as your, if you’ve never done it, would you do it right now? Don’t you. You want to go to heaven when you die. If you want Lumia heaven, you have to trust Christ. There is no other way. You can’t, aren’t eternal life. You can’t do anythingRemoved. cultivating good deeds. So why not light now in the quietness of this moment?

Just talk to the Lord. See, God knows who you are. He knows where you are. He knows what you’re saying. He knows what you’re thinking. Just say, look, I know I’m a sinner. And I believe Christ’s down there, causing pain for my sin. And today, right now, I will trust him as my savior. And friend, God said, if you trust him right now, he would save you right now and give eternal life. Would you do that? I pray that you will.

And if you will, I’d like to know it. I’m gonna ask him just a moment or raise your hand, raising your hand does not save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. And you’re saying, preacher, I believe you. I know I’m a sinner and I believe Christ died and paid for my sins and I’m gonna trust him right now. That’s my only hope of going to heaven. And I’d like you to pray for me, O’odham.

You’ve already done it, you don’t have to do it again, but if you’ve never trusted Lord, would you trust him right now? And we’re gone. You didn’t know Christ is your savior. Amalek lives inside of you. He wants to ruin your life. He wants to get you separate from the Lord. He wants you to walk away from God. He doesn’t want you to live a righteous life or Godly life. He doesn’t want you to be found faithful. Don’t let him have the victory.

Determine your mind today. As a child of God, I want to be as faithful as God wants me to be. To do whatever God wants me to do. And, friend, God will give you the strength and the grace that you need to do just that. We’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible Line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. For Sunday morning services begin at 10 30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now we’ll closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. 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.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.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.

Eternal security has to do with how God sees you. and assurance has to do with how you see yourself. Now, eternal security means that once you have trusted Christ as your Savior, God, being bound by His Word and cannot lie, has promised to you and I salvation. That means that God promised to save us from hell to give us eternal life and take us to heaven whenever we die. that cannot be changed because it depends upon the faithfulness of God.

Assurance is how you see yourself. There are some people that are very sure they have salvation and then there are others that are not sure. John chapter 4 tells the story about a woman that none of the Jewish people really wanted anything to do with. they wouldn’t even talk to them. Didn’t have anything to do with them. Had no dealings with them. I guess you could say this was a racial issue. But the Bible says Jesus says he must needs go through there.

In verse 8, for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat. But he says here in verse 9, then said the woman of Samaria, unto him, how is it that thou been a Jew? a Jew ask of drink of me which am a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. And this is a racial issue. It is a social issue. It’s just like today, there’s people who consider themselves to be better than others.

And we’re not better than other individuals, though we might see ourselves that way. God says there’s no difference. God so loved the world, going to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to they give me to drink, thou would have asked of him and he would have given the living water. Now, the woman to have assurance of salvation, you have to know who it is that’s got this gift and you have to know what the gift is.

Well, he said, if you knew, you would ask. So the rest of the chapter is spent convincing her who he is, because he already knew that if she knew who he was, she would ask him and she would receive. Well as the story goes, he revealed things to her and she saw it, she understood and she believed it. But now did she understand that when she accepted this gift, that it was a gift that would last forever? But if you look at the story here, it makes the statement, you would have asked of men, he would have given the living water.

The woman said to him, sir, they’ll have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from Winston has this living water. He said, if you drink the water that’s in this well, you will thirst again. But he says, if you drink the water that I will give you, you will never thirst. So she knew that the water he was talking about was living water, that would never have you thirst again. you’d never have to do it again. To salvation is once you trust Christ as Savior, you need to understand that He that believeth only hath everlasting life.

That’s the gift of God, eternal life. So that when you believe it, you have something, you have eternal life and that God will never cast you out and never lose you. So this is made very simple, very clear throughout these scriptures. And then she goes into the city and says, come and see a man that told me everything that I did. Dr. Hudson always brings that on this point that see there. He told her one thing and she exaggerated.

Look at what you guys are doing right now. What are you doing? What are you doing? Oh God. I just didn’t get a photo. I was in200, I think. I have a photo. Wait a minute. Okay, it’s going to end this up. Doin, doin, doin. I’m glad that we can search these things. Okay why this question is going too much. That’s a brilliant example. Of course. I don’t realize. Yes, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m coming back on the record.

God likes it. I’m trust you. Yeah, it’s loud. that there were many that believed on them, not because of what the woman said, but because they said we have heard him ourselves and believe that he is the Christ, the savior of the world. So they believed that. Now, whenever you believe on Jesus Christ and God gives you as a free gift everlasting life, at that moment you are secure and once sure. You are secure and once sure. You are sure at that moment you have eternal life that you’re going to heaven whenever you die.

Because you can’t be saved until you know what you’re doing. You must believe on Jesus Christ, know what you’re receiving the pre-gift of eternal life because that’s what he offered. That’s what he promised. So when you take God in his word and are saved, you know you’re saved from something to something from hell to heaven. And so this is brought out in this chapter and many scriptures that we won’t take the time to look at it. Now what’s your turn in your Bible, the first John chapter chapter 5, 1 John and chapter 5.

In this book, it is written not to the lost people, it is written to those that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They know they have eternal life and they are secure. Remember, security is because that’s how God sees you. God sees every one of his children, born into his family as safe and secure. And when you’re born into God’s family, you are sure. You have assurance of yourself that you know you’re saved. At that moment, you know you have eternal life.

Now here in 1 John and chapter 5, look in verse 13, this is still written to believers. These things have I written unto you that they leave on the name of the Son of God, so it’s written to the believers, that you may know that you have eternal life. This is so that not only were you sure, when you trust the Lord, you still are sure, because it is so easy for people who to be saved and know they have eternal life and then to because of false teaching, get to where they don’t even know they’re saved anymore.

Don’t believe in eternal security anymore. If once you have believed in Christ and trusted Him as your Savior and you no longer believe it, are you still eternally secure, even though you don’t believe it? Yes. But see, assurance of your salvation is how you see it, and your perception can be based upon what somebody told you to look at. Like for example, some say if you’re really saved, it will manifest itself in your life. Well, if everybody looked at their life as the evidence of their salvation, majority of people, I would say most people have to come to the conclusion that they’re not saved.

If I had to look at my life as the evidence to prove that I’m saved, I’d come up to the conclusion I’m not. Because how many sins would I tolerate? How many sins can I commit? How many questions and doubts? What about my thought life? person has enough in their life that could be used as evidence that they’re not really saved. But you see, that’s because you would lose assurance of your salvation. But if you forget about looking at yourself because your salvation doesn’t depend on you and it depends on what Christ said.

Well, what Christ said is still true and it doesn’t lie. Then you have eternal security based upon what God said. So God knows those whom he has saved, given eternal life, and are born into his family, and so you are safe and secure. But you may get to the place where you no longer are full of assurance. When you study the book of 1 John, it talks about as a child of God having full joy, that your joy may be full and your joy cannot be full if your thousurance is missing.

If you no longer believe what you used to believe, you will have the joy, the blessings, the happiness that you used to have because whenever you get to the place where you think you have to do something to be saved or you look at your life to see if I’m really saved, you’re looking at the wrong thing and you’re basing something upon something that is not a criteria for your salvation to start with. So therefore you’re not going to have assurance.

And you’re going to lose the peace. You’ll lose the joy. You lose the happiness, the blessings that you did have. And this is the case with many, I say, multitude of God’s children. These scriptures are very clear that you can have eternal life and be eternally secure and have full assurance of it at one time when you trust the Lord. And then there are those that will have also additional problems. Looking Galatians in chapter one, the book of Galatians, 1 and verse 11.

Verse 11, but I certify you, the word brethren is talking to those that have trusted Christ of their Savior, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. So we know that this is talking to believers is talking to the brethren. Look in chapter three in verse 15. Verse 15 says, brethren, I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disanellah or adiff there too.

Verse 15 is clearly written to the believers. But what he’s making the statement about here says, if it be confirmed, no man disanellah or adiff there too. Once you understand what the gospel really is. Nobody can add to it, and you can’t take away from it. Once you trust Christ to Savior, if God promised you eternal life, you can’t take away, you can’t disanell it, you can’t add to it. You can’t change it. It’s unchangeable. Down in verse 19, he says, my little children, we’re not talking about lost people, we’re talking about those who have trusted Christ as their Savior.

Now look in verse 28. Now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise. We are. We are the children of promise. This is who we are. Now what was the problem in the book of Galatians? Remember the Apostle Paul even in the book of Acts talks about going to Galatia and the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lister and Derby outside of the city of Lister is where he was stoned to death. But he went to these cities, he won these people to Christ, and then he would go on, and then later on, he wanted to get Barnabas to come back through and revisit these people on his second missionary journey to see how they’re doing, to strengthen them, to establish them in the faith, keep them strong.

And the reason was because when Paul would leave, there’d be legalistic Judaizers trying to put them under the law, saying you gotta keep the law to be saved. You gotta be circumcised to be saved. Put them under the law to be saved. The same thing today is lordship salvation. Telling people that you’ve got to make Christ the Lord and the master of your life. No difference in trying to make the law the master of their life. In other words, it still boils down to you must serve God in order to be saved.

You’ve got to do this in order to stay saved. Saved up too, but from now on, but you’re on your own. You’re going to have to walk the walk and talk the talk. It’s a straight and narrow way. And yet they take scriptures out of context and try to make a different message out of it and change the message that God had given. And the reason these Christians were not happy like they used to be, and joined the things of the Lord like they used to be, reason they turned against the apostle Paul, that once they had loved deeply, now that everything has changed.

Because these legalistic Judaizers would come down and take the very people that Paul had led to Christ. See, they can’t lead them to the Lord. The false men, they can’t lead them to Christ. They could only take Christians and change them because they already have knowledge of the Lord and they wanna serve the Lord and they wanna do what’s right, but they just catch them with some false teaching and then twist their minds. And then they’re not doing it for their sake.

They’re doing it for their own sake to make them look like something great. Also look there in chapter four and verse 31. So then brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. This is who we are. We are over and over again and say we are we are Because now they no longer understood who they were they thought that they were Keeping their salvation So if you’re trying to work for something that means you now don’t have it So if I am not now a child of God I am working on being a child of God by my good works Then it means that I am not a child of God now This is you are a child of God You don’t have to try to do this to prove you’re a child of God you are a child of God

So he brings these things out. Look in chapter 5 in verse 11. In verse 11 says and I brethren. If I yet preach circumcision or the law, why do I yet suffer persecution? Because he preached salvation by grace without the law. He says, then is the offense of the cross cease. In other words, the only thing that motivate the Apostle Paul in the preaching of the gospel was the gospel of grace. That’s right, I think grace is a motivating power.

That is what causes you to go forward. When you understand, it is free, free. So you know if it’svu free, that’s challenging. That’s motivating to tell people about because there’s no tricks to it. There’s no gimmicks to it. You can be honest with people. Tell them up front, we’re all all sinners. But God loves us and paid for our sin if we can have eternal life Bey and they can have gh Now, if you tell a person they have to be good to go to heaven or change their life in any of these things, well thenOTO That’s notReuters that’s badSimilarly because Nare they gotta live their whole life.

wondering if they’re going to be good enough, good enough, or bad enough to go to hell, and not understanding how free it really is. So we stand fast upon the salvation of grace. Look in chapter six and verse one, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, but we’re talking about in every chapter here, we’re talking about brethren, we’re talking about believers, those who have trusted Christ as their Savior, if a man be overtaken in a fault, and this is what we’re talking about in this book.

They have been overtaken. Something has happened. They have believed something that wasn’t true. Faith is being overthrown. They’re having shipwrecked and it’s hard to have shipwrecked without a ship. You have to be in the ship in order to have shipwrecked. Look what it makes the statement there in verse 4. Christ has become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are justified by the realm ye are fallen from grace. So the Bible say you can fall from grace. Yes it does.

Sists are right there in that verse. Now what does it mean to fall from grace? Evidently he’s talking to these believers here in Galatia you have fallen from grace and they have. So how do you explain what he means by that? Because you can’t twist it, you don’t run from it, but you should have an explanation for it because every question in doubt they have, you will have because there’s times in your life where you’ll wonder, what am I really saved?

Am I really saved? Most of the time we ask those questions right after we trust the Lord and wondered whether or not, well, if I didn’t really mean it, I mean it now. And if I really didn’t trust the Lord, I’ll do it again. times of people done that. But in chapter six and verse one brethren it’s written to those that believe. Now the last one I want you to see there’s verse 18. Look at verse 18. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, amen.

He wants them to understand at the conclusion of this book, understand grace so that you’ll understand how to live your Christian life. And the reason for the two natures being taught there in chapter 5 verse 17 down to verse 22, you’re talking here about the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. See understanding all of this stuff about how to live the Christian life is all based about what you really believe about salvation. If I really believe that I have to do something, And so they are preaching a message that works upon the pride of man.

I am doing something. You got to do something. And that’s what man wants to do. He wants a little bit of the honor, a little bit of the glory. Because look who I am. Look what I’ve done. Look how I live. And yet it’s hard for a person to humble themselves and says, It’s not by any works that I have done. It is by grace and grace alone. I take no credit, no honor in my salvation because God did it all.

He saved me and gave me as a free gift everlasting life. And to believe that, if a person doesn’t get grounded in the Word of God, they will get moved from this great, tremendous truth. Look their in Galatians in chapter 1. And look in verse 6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed. When it says removed, it means you have moved. You no longer believe what ye used to believe. You’re no longer strong like ye used to be.

You’re not as steadfast as ye once were. You have moved. And they moved in their Christian life because they moved on their salvation. they no longer believed, like they once believed, were they still saved? Security, eternal security, is from God’s viewpoint. God knows his children and the foundation of God’s stand to assure the Lord know of them that are his. So you’re eternally secure when you trust the Lord. Though in your life, if you don’t become grounded in the Word of God, stabilize in the Word of God, root it in the Word of God, then every wind of doctrine that comes along is going to move you and shift you.

You’re not going to be sure anymore and if you’re not sure anymore, you’re not going to serve like you ought to serve Because serving the Lord you have to understand it’s because of what he did for me and not trusting in my good works That I’m going to heaven because of what I do for God. It won’t work that way So he says in verse six I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ.

The grace of Christ is the gospel of Christ. That is the gospel. He says unto what? Another gospel. And there’s a word here, and this word here is heteros, and it means a gospel of a different kind. He says there is not a gospel of a different kind. And then in verse 7, which is not another, this word another in the Greek is olives, and it means another gospel of the same time. He said, there is not another gospel, but there be some that trouble you.

So these Christians here in Galatians, they were secure, but not sure. In other words, they have now lost their assurance of salvation and now are trying to earn their salvation, keep their salvation by the law by doing the good deeds. When you try to earn something that you’ve already received, you’re not going to be a happy camper because you’re not going to like the results you see in your life. You’re not going to like the disappointments and the despair and the flaws and the mistakes and the misgivings in your life where you fail so many times because that means I’m not really saved.

I got to try harder. I got to try harder. I got to try harder. Be more faithful. Be more faithful. At least a total frustration and despair because a person that was trust in Christ. Now that is out the window. Now that’s what I got to do. And so their joy is gone. Their assurance is gone. Are they still saved? Yes. Because you see eternal security is what God did. God gave you eternal security. You’re secure whether you believe it or not.cms It means you’re going to heaven like it or not.

So when I don’t want to go to heaven no more. I I don’t even believe in God anymore. And a lot of Christians have done just that. Gone to Bible school, gone to seminary, believed everything and then change. No one will leave it. Go to some university and they have their faith records there. They love to take young people’s minds and shake them everything that’s decent. No one will believe the Bible. Don’t believe in God anymore. But the foundation of God’s stand of sure if once you are saved, how long are you saved?

forever Eternal securities have God’s your eternal secure whether you no longer believe it or not But your joy will be gone Your purpose and how you live for the Lord will be totally changed because now it’s not serving the Lord because of your great love for God And because what he did for you is because what you must do for God or you ain’t gonna make it Everything changes, Christian life changes, the joy changes. No longer living by grace.

So he makes this statement here in verse seven, which is not another, but there’ll be some that trouble you and would and you ought to underline that word pervert. It means to reverse the change. And they were removed from the gospel. So he says in verse eight, though we are an angel from heaven preached unto you, any other gospel than that which we have preached and you let him be a curse. there is no other gospel. So if you did believe in you have eternal life and you are eternally secure and you have full assurance of that, it brings such great peace and joy and happiness in a person’s life.

I know that I’m saved. I know I’m going to heaven. Anyone who salvation depends upon how they live or what they do for God, or then they can never know they have eternal life because it’s always based upon their performance and they’re not through performing yet. They still have to wait until they live their whole life. They’ll know if they’ve been good enough. These things are made simple and very clear in God’s Word. Look in Galatians in chapter 3 and verse 1.

Galatians chapter 3 and verse 1, we know that we’re talking to Christians. Why in the world would the Apostle Paul call these Galatian Christians that he led to Christ call them fools. Looking verse one, oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you like somebody the devil has done, got a hold of your mind and messed you up. You no longer believe like he used to believe because now they’re not serving like they used to serve their blessedness has gone their happiness has gone their joy is gone all because some legalistic Judaizers came down and twisted their minds and caused them not to believe what the Apostle Paul had preached to them.

Now eternal security, and full assurance and go hand in hand. One is how God sees you and the other one is how you see it. But there’s a lot of people don’t see things in God’s way anymore. And because now they think they can lose your salvation. Now if I don’t perform, I’m going to hell. And I’ve talked to many, many people, many preachers that no longer believe the right way. And because we know, we don’t have to go to church.

We don’t have to change our life. We don’t have to do anything. We can accept God’s free gift and God will let us go to heaven because of that, because he loves us that much. And I believe a lot of God’s children totally abuse their freedom, their liberty. They become a stumbling block to the world because we’re not as dedicated to God as we ought to be. See what he says in verse 1, Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth.

See, obey the truth. Talking about they have changed on the gospel anymore. You changed on it. You no longer believe like you used to believe. But now even though they don’t believe it, like they used to believe it, are they still eternally secure? Yes. Do they have full assurance of their salvation? No. They no longer understand. So Paul has wrote a whole book. Remember that this book is the binding inspired by God given to a man to explain to God’s people because God’s people can get all messed up and they do get messed up.

That’s why he makes the statement there in chapter 4. Look there in verse 11. I am afraid of you. I’m afraid of you. Unless I have bestowed upon you labor in vain. In other words, if If you don’t know because of your so-called full assurance you did have these I don’t know But I’m addressing it in such a way that I’m believing that you are He said but Christ is not being formed in you see that in verse 19 My little children of whom I travail in birth again in other words like I’ve got to get you saved all over again You can’t get a man saved again But you got to go back to the gospel the clarity of the gospel Any time I come across someone who is not sure they’re saved.

Well, I was saved at one time and I believed at one time, but I don’t believe it anymore. Well, if I’m going to try to help them, I have to go back to salvation, back to the clarity of the gospel and salvation verses to get them to understand eternal security. Now, they may have already known the Lord before and no longer believe it, but I’m not God. I don’t know. But I have to deal with them as though they’re lost until I can get them like Paul says right there in verse 19.

We don’t face anything today that they didn’t face back then. Same problem. They face we have to face. And there’s many Christians that will doubt their salvation for when it’s not necessary. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were 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 toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s For any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re 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 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joininghari us on Bibleline, and now we’ll closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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.