- ♪ Give me the Bible- ♪

>>Today we are blessed with a wonderful gift from God, the Bible. This book is God's living word. In its pages, we are told "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword." It is in this book of books that we find the answers to all of men's questions in need. This morning, your area churches of Christ welcome you to a program committed to that perfect law of liberty ♪ Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way ♪

>>As we present "The Living Word." ♪ Precept and promise ♪ ♪ Law and love combining ♪ ♪ 'Til night shall vanish in eternal day ♪

>>Now here is your host, Ray Sullins.

>>Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Are we lights in this world for Jesus? Good morning and welcome to "The Living Word" program. We are excited that you are with us this morning and are willing to give this time of offering to God. Together we will sing songs of praise and study from His perfect word. And certainly as we do these things, I will challenge us all to participate and do our own offerings to God collectively that we might be found acceptable and pleasing in His sight. But as we begin our worship to God at this time, will you bow with me before His mighty throne in prayer? Our God and Father in heaven, we are so thankful for another day of life, a great privilege that we have as your children to be servants and workers in your kingdom, and, Father ultimately to be even called children of God at all. And, Father, we know these things are possible through your grace, love, and mercy which was founded primarily in the great gift of Jesus as well as His resurrection. And thank you, Father for allowing us to be justified this day because of what you have done and also because of our willingness to obey what you have asked of the faithful. Father, we again are thankful for this day of worship and help us in spirit and truth to give you our very best in all things. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. I hope we're all ready to praise God in song for we have gathered for that purpose as we worship and praise Him. So won't you join in with the brethren as we sing together the next song of the day, "There is a Habitation." ♪ There is a habitation, ♪ ♪ Built by the living God, ♪ ♪ For all of ev'ry nation, ♪ ♪ Who seek that grand abode ♪ ♪ O Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ I long thy gates to see, ♪ ♪ O Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ When shall I dwell in thee ♪ ♪ A city with foundations, ♪ ♪ Firm as th'eternal throne, ♪ ♪ Nor wars, nor desolations, ♪ ♪ Shall ever move a stone ♪ ♪ O, Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ I long thy gates to see ♪ ♪ O Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ When shall I dwell in thee ♪ ♪ Within its pearly portals, ♪ ♪ Angelic armies sing, ♪ ♪ With glorified immortals, ♪ ♪ The praises of its King ♪ ♪ O Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ I long thy gates to see, ♪ ♪ O Zion, Zion, ♪ ♪ When shall I dwell in thee ♪

>>In Isaiah 9:2, we read, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." How interesting it is to find here that even under the old law, many were in darkness but they were awakened by a great light and brought to God. This is the same type of terminology that is even used in the New Testament. Under the Christian age, we also have been brought out of darkness in to light. Just as we read in 1 John 1:7. There the Bible says, "But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." You might ask the question, but why must we walk in the light? Well, the same text answers this question in verse five, as it says, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." Aren't we able to be like God thus striving to be the light as He is the light? For as we have read, God is light. Here is the light of God, understanding that He is pure and good and perfect. And therefore what we understand is that light pertains to righteous and righteous things. And on the other hand, we would see the contrast of darkness. Darkness referring to those things that aren't seen, are evil, even sinful things just as the text itself indicates. We cannot be of God and practice things of the darkness because there is no darkness in God at all as was clarified in 1 John 1. Likewise, if we are striving to be like God and there is no darkness in us either, what should we strive for? The light, and we should illuminate in all things. On the other hand, I also want us to consider what is found in the verse seven of the same opening. That verse says, "And the blood of Jesus, His son, cleanses us from all sin." So if we're walking in the light as God is in the light, we are not only able to have fellowship with Him and each other, but we are able to have as it says here, the forgiveness of sins which pertains to darkness. How wonderful it is to know that it is through the very blood of Jesus Christ that we can be continually cleansed from our sins as long as we are striving to do what? Walk in the light. So the question I would ask us this day is are we walking in the light? And now if we are, then why do we, rather, why would we not let Jesus know that we are willing to do what He commanded even within the gospels? To let our light so shine before men that they might see our good works and that those works might glorify the Father in heaven. Are you striving to be that type of a light? Are you striving to be a city on a hill? Are you striving to shine forth to the glory of God that the world might know him and find their way to be saved as well? I hope so and challenge you to be the light of the world even today. This morning, we are going to again study a topic from our series entitled, "In the Beginning was The Word." The specific lesson of the day is called The Word as King of Israel. So please stay with us this morning and after our next song together, we will be returning for this study from God's word. As far as our speaker of the morning. We are happy to again have Brother Trey Sullins with us. Brother Trey is a full-time instructor at the Bible Institute of Missouri here in Springfield. And we thank him for joining us and look forward to him leading our main thoughts from God's word at the appropriate time. For now, it's time to join in that second hymn of the day, the name of the song, "I Bring My Sins to thee." ♪ I bring my sins to Thee, ♪ ♪ The sins I cannot count, ♪ ♪ That all may cleansed be ♪ ♪ In Thy once opened Fount ♪ ♪ I bring them, Savior, all to Thee, ♪ ♪ The burden is too great for me ♪ ♪ The burden is too great for me ♪ ♪ I bring my grief to Thee, ♪ ♪ The grief I cannot tell, ♪ ♪ No words shall needed be, ♪ ♪ Thou knowest all so well ♪ ♪ I bring the sorrow laid on me, ♪ ♪ O suffering Savior, all to Thee ♪ ♪ O suffering Savior, all to Thee ♪ ♪ My life I bring to Thee, ♪ ♪ I would not be my own, ♪ ♪ O Savior, let me be ♪ ♪ Thine ever, Thine alone. ♪ ♪ My heart, my life, my all I bring ♪ ♪ To thee, my Savior and my King. ♪ ♪ To thee, my Savior and my King. ♪

>>Good Morning and thank you so much for joining in again with us on this Lord's day. It's always a pleasure that we have this ability to study from His word, to sing songs of praise, to offer our prayers and do all the things that we do in spirit and in truth. And it is such a great thing. We have this opportunity because God affords it to us and certainly without Him offering that, there'd be nothing that we could do. But as we've been looking over the last few weeks at the word as and the word certainly being Jesus the Christ and we've been seeing how, in so many different ways, Jesus represents all of these great things in, or for us in the scriptures as is revealed to us. One of the next things we want to look at though is in John 1 and then in verse 49 because, as we've seen throughout all of our studies so far, that the word or Jesus represents a great number of things that reveal to us exactly who He is as our Savior and as the one over us. And really that's sort of exactly what we're going to be talking about this morning, the fact that Jesus the Christ is the king. And if you look there in John 1 and in verse 49, the Bible says this, "Nathaniel answered and said to him, 'Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are the King of Israel.'" Now, certainly these words, He didn't quite understand. They hadn't yet seen the things that Jesus would do. They didn't know the fullness of what that statement meant. But he certainly understood as the prophecies even indicated, and as Jesus had even started to tell them that He was king. As the Messiah, they knew a king was coming, they knew a king would be the thing that ruled over them as His people. They didn't quite understand all the ins and outs of it yet, but certainly what a powerful statement He made. Now the thing about Jesus being king that's so incredible to us is that it is a different kind of a kingdom. When we think about a king, we think of the man on a throne. You know, the throne's probably made of gold or some other precious type metal worth a whole lot of money. He's got a big huge golden crown on his head. Maybe there's a lot of jewels crested around or crested around the thing. And he's got his guards around him watching him and protecting him as well. And as you pan out from this throne scene, you see a great castle around him and you see all of the people that are working for him and you see his armies then outside of that castle and then you pan out even more, and you see this great massive land that he's ruling over, this kingdom that he calls his kingdom. Well, that's not really how Jesus was. Yes, He's a king, but no, He's not sitting on that type of golden throne. And no, He doesn't have this golden crown on His head with these soldiers surrounding Him. And in fact, Jesus made that quite clear though so many people seem to have missed that point in His day and time. In fact, if you go over there to John 6 and look with me at the type of kingdom that Jesus was going to have. In verse 15, as Jesus started to go around and to teach and even to perform miracles, there were so many in that day, Jews mostly, who had heard of the things He was doing and had seen the miracles He was performing and heard the teachings He was giving. They knew Him to be the Messiah but they didn't understand what it meant for him to be a king, so this is what they did. In John chapter 6:15, "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone." Jesus knows all things, of course. And He had understood that these people who were here with Him were about to come and just forcefully grab Him, maybe in a forceful sense, even by arrest, who knows? But in whatever way, they were gonna try to make Him king because that's what they wanted. That's what they thought He was supposed to be. But in fact, if you jump all the way then to John 18, Jesus explains to us the kind of king He really was going to be. On His mock trial is usually how we call it because it wasn't really a trial. The evidence wasn't put forth. He was found to be innocent even by the apparent judge himself, Pilate, but yet Jesus still was put to death. Well, John 18, Jesus has asked a very simple question and look with me what He says there. It says in verse 35, John 18, "Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done?'" Jesus' question that prompted this is actually one of Pilate's questions. Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? And then Jesus' response was, "Now, do you actually think that or did they tell you to say it?" Certainly, Pilate had heard these rumors and had heard the things that the Jews were saying and so therefore he asked this question. So what we just read, verse 35, Pilate's response. He's saying, why would I know that? I'm not a Jew. I don't follow your religion. Are you as they say? And then Jesus' response was this in verse 36. Now notice how powerful these words are in relationship to that kingdom, in relationship to who He is as a king. It's not a normal kingdom as we would think. In verse 36, Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that they should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate therefore said to him, 'Are you a king?' Then Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.'" Now Jesus lays it out quite clearly and in hindsight, we can certainly understand what He meant. But for these people who were, many of them so blinded by what they thought He should have been and then others so blinded by their hatred of Him and then Pilate who really didn't understand any of it but he's just trying to figure out what to do to accomplish and stay within the Roman laws and keep the peace in the land. Well, you've got all these different sides playing. And then here's Jesus. He rejects being a physical king at one point in His life, John 6:15. John 18 He says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it was, I would be the king." In other words, His point is, He's God and He has the power of God as God. If He wanted to be the king, there wouldn't be a Herod, there wouldn't be a Caesar there wouldn't be anyone else on the throne but Jesus the Christ. If that's what He wanted, He would do it 'cause He has that power. He would take any throne that He so chose but that's not the kind of kingdom that He had, was it? And in fact, that's exactly what Jesus explains. Over there in the book of John 16. What kind of a kingdom, or rather, what type of a king is Jesus? In John 6, beginning there, or chapter 16, rather, beginning in verse 16 you've got this great scene between Jesus and His disciples. And Jesus is asking the question who do men say that I, the son of man, am? And they respond with a few answers that some have been saying and people believe Him to be. And then Jesus turns to Peter and he asks Peter, who do you say that I am? And notice what Peter answers with Matthew 16:16. "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and I will give you the keys of the kingdom. And whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.'" Now that whole section there ranging all the way back to what Peter originally said, remember, we're talking about the king of Jesus and the kingship of Jesus. His king position wouldn't be one of this world. And when He came to this earth, He was going to set up a kingdom but He didn't set up a physical kingdom, did He? That's what He's telling these people here, His disciples. He's saying, I will establish my kingdom but my kingdom won't be of this world. I will establish my kingdom but my kingdom will be the church. I will give you the keys to these kingdoms. And notice how even those words are used interchangeably there. At the first he calls it, I will build my church. And then in the latter part, He says, my kingdom, because his kingdom is His church. But His church isn't going to be some physical nation. It's not going to have a headquarters and a capital city and a throne somewhere from which He's sitting. It's going to be a spiritual one. It's going to be his kingdom that is His body, the church. Now, if we had all kinds of time, we'd keep going into many of the details about this but to focus solely on what it means to be a king. When you think about Jesus being the king and the king over His church, it is certainly the case that a king isn't really a king without a kingdom. You might have noticed as we've been studying these things that a lot of the things we've been talking about are about the king and his kingdom, sort of the back and forth and the interplay there. If you are a king with authority but you have no people under you, it's not really a kingdom, you're just a king, right? You're barely a king even 'cause there's nobody that you're ruling over. But in that respect, certainly the Bible also shows us about His kingdom. And that's in fact what Jesus was just saying here. That His kingdom wasn't of this world but he would build his church and he would give them the authority in that kingdom to tell people what the kingdom was all about. And that wording there as is found in verse 19 is so important that these disciples who would be given the keys, a key opens something. Well, the king would be giving his servants the ability to show what was already bound in heaven and what was already loosed in heaven. They didn't have the authority to make decisions. But that wording there, if you'll notice again, "Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven" is the best way that you could translate all of the tenses within that Greek language. But you can understand that they were to establish the authority of the king on this earth and to establish the authority of the kingdom that is His body. And in fact, we find that numerous more times throughout the scriptures. We're not gonna look at these but in Colossians 1, there's a great passage there talking about how we are brought to this kingdom, which is in effect today. Another one there in 1 Thessalonians 2:12 dealing with this same kingdom of God. And then again in Hebrews 12:28, you find that the kingdom is in effect today. And if we as God's people, as Christians, want to be a part of this kingdom, certainly it means we have to be a part of His church. It means that we have to do as He wants us to do. Remember, we were talking just a moment ago about how a king isn't really a king without a people. Imagine you tomorrow said, "I'm the king." Well, king of what? Who are you ruling over, right? And so in the case with Jesus, if He's the king, then He has to have his people and His people, He has given a law. And in fact, that law is right here within this New Testament, within these scriptures. Look with me at 1 Timothy 6:15. A great passage here defining exactly His authority as king. Now, we live on this earth. This is a physical place that we live. We go here and do this, we go there and do that. And we are a part of a nation, a part of a kingdom, a part of a country is usually what we call them nowadays. But in any case, and at any rate, we are physical. Jesus is a spiritual king in a spiritual kingdom. And as such, it doesn't have to be bound by the same laws of citizenship and things. You can not, or you can be a citizen of His kingdom while simultaneously being a citizen of the kingdom, wherever you live or the country, wherever you live. And there's no problem with that. But here's the truth of it, In 1 Timothy 6:15, the Bible says this, "Which he will manifest in his own time. He who blessed or is the blessed and only potentate, the king of kings and Lord of Lord." It's talking about the fact that Jesus the Christ and his power would be seen and manifested before us and it calls Him the only potentate, king of kings and Lord of lords. The idea behind that is quite obvious, isn't it? That His authority is supreme, king of kings. In some times in history, we've called that an emperor but nonetheless, whatever you want to call it, the point is His authority spans all the different nations of the earth. Whether you're a first century Christian and you live there around the time of Peter or Paul or whoever Christ is your first person that you are under the authority of. It's not the Roman government. Whether you live today, even in this country, certainly you follow the laws of the land and you pay taxes and do all the things that they want you to do, so long as they are not in objection to the government, or so long as they're not an objection to, rather, the laws of Christ. Well, He's your first authority as well. If you live in this country, you follow the authority of Christ. And wherever you live, that king of kings is our primary authority. He's the one who tells us first and foremost what we must do. And as such, it is our position then to make that choice. If we're going to follow after him, if we're going to serve Him, we've gotta be a part of His kingdom. Matthew 16:16-19 there shows us that His kingdom was that church and these other passages that we referenced outline that for us. And it's our choice then to ensure. If we wanna be a part of that kingdom, we've gotta be a part of His body, following, serving, and doing as He says. And a final passage we wanna consider here is 1 Corinthians 15:24. It says, "Then comes the end when He, being Jesus, delivers the kingdom to God the Father." If you wanna get to heaven, you gotta be in His kingdom and you've got to be in His kingdom as a following servant of His, faithful to the end. ♪ He is my everything, ♪ ♪ He is my all ♪ ♪ He is my everything, both great and small ♪ ♪ He gave His life for me, ♪ ♪ Made everything new ♪ ♪ He is my everything, ♪ ♪ Now how about you ♪ ♪ Some folks may ask me, ♪ ♪ Some folks may say, ♪ ♪ Who is this Jesus you talk about ev'ry day ♪ ♪ He is my Savior, He set me free ♪ ♪ Now listen while I tell you ♪ ♪ What He means to me ♪ ♪ He is my everything, ♪ ♪ He is my all ♪ ♪ He is my everything, both great and small ♪ ♪ He gave His life for me, ♪ ♪ Made everything new ♪ ♪ He is my everything, now how about you ♪

>>It was great having you with us today for the "Living Word" program and I hope that together we have all benefited from these offerings to God. But let me invite you back every first day of the week at 7:30 as we give this time to our creator. But now let me ask you if you have any questions or comments about today's lesson, maybe you'd like a free transcript or free CD or DVD of the program or possibly we could assist you with free Bible materials or free Bible correspondent courses. No matter what your need is, please feel free to contact us at the following address, The Living Word, 2540 North Kansas Expressway, Springfield, Missouri, 65803. Many of these items are also available on our website. That address, thelivingword program.com. Or if you prefer, you may call us at 417-869-2284. Praise be to God that we have a king through Jesus Christ who rules us according to His perfect will. The question is, are we subjects of that king today and are we doing the things in this life that are fully pleasing to Him? Why not do God's will fully today?

>>Our prayer is to help the world know more about God through this television program. "The Living Word" has been brought to you under the oversight of the Elders of Kansas Expressway Church of Christ in Springfield, Missouri, with the assistance of the following area churches of Christ. ♪ Seek and save the lost ♪ ♪ Give me the Bible, holy message shining ♪ ♪ Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way ♪ ♪ Precept and promise, law and love combining ♪ ♪ 'Til night ♪