- ♪ 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 and 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.

>>Love suffers long and is kind. Do you have this kind of love toward God today as well as your fellow man? Good morning and welcome to "The Living Word" program. It is a great honor to have you with us this day as we've gathered to worship our God, and let me thank you for choosing to gather with us this day, the Lord's Day. As always, it will be our privilege this morning to sing songs of praise and to study from His perfect Word. And it is my hope and prayer that we'll all do our own part to make this time before God's throne acceptable in His sight. As we begin our offering to God this day, will you bow with me before His throne in prayer? Our God and Father in heaven, we are so thankful for this, another day of life. And Father, we know that all good and wondrous things come from You. Father, everything that we have physically and spiritually are Your gifts, and we thank You, Father. And help us to understand that not only are we provided with all that we need in this life, but that we're living every day, working toward that eternal life to come. And Father, in the end, by Your grace, love, and mercy, give us that reward which we know is only available through the great and wondrous gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. And Father, help us in spirit and truth this day to lift up and praise Your name in such a way that You will truly be honored and glorified. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Do you like to eat? Well, most of us do. But what about spiritual food? I hope we are as eager to gorge ourselves with spiritual food as we often are with physical food. Well, our first song in the morning reminds us of the great spiritual feast of truth and just how wonderful our God is as Redeemer and friend. So won't you join in with the congregation at this time as we sing together "Blessed Redeemer." ♪ Up Calvary's mountain, one dreadful morn ♪ ♪ Walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn ♪ ♪ Facing for sinners death on the cross ♪ ♪ That He might save them from endless loss ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer, Precious Redeemer ♪ ♪ Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree ♪ ♪ Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading ♪ ♪ Blind and unheeding, dying for me ♪ ♪ Father forgive them, thus did He pray ♪ ♪ E'en while His lifeblood flowed fast away ♪ ♪ Praying for sinners while in such woe ♪ ♪ No one but Jesus ever loved so ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer, Precious Redeemer ♪ ♪ Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree ♪ ♪ Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading ♪ ♪ Blind and unheeding, dying for me ♪ ♪ Oh how I love Him, Savior and Friend ♪ ♪ How can my praises ever find end ♪ ♪ Through years unnumbered on Heaven's shore ♪ ♪ My tongue shall praise Him forevermore ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer, Precious Redeemer ♪ ♪ Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree ♪ ♪ Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading ♪ ♪ Blind and unheeding, dying for me ♪

>>I read a verse in 2 Chronicles the other day that mentioned to me and really to all of us just how magnificent God is. In chapter six, we see the dedication of the temple by Solomon, and what a tremendous accomplishment this was, and how beautiful it was and majestic as a structure in the name of and for the sake of God. But furthermore, what a glory to God it must have been. You might remember the construction of the temple, which is recorded for us back in chapter three. How wonderful and impressive it must have been in size as well as appearance. As we read, we are told of its worth. And as so much of the structure itself was covered with precious metals and jewels as well as even gold. In verse four, we are told of the precious furnishings which were found in the temple. And again, they were very lavish, and no expense seemed to be spared. We read of, again, gold and bronze, and only the best that was to be used for the special furniture that was in the house of God. Probably this was the most magnificent structure on earth of the time, and all for who? The sake of God. All as an offering to the Creator. However, in all of its earthly splendor and all of its awesomeness, we still see that Solomon realized that it was far too insignificant and even small to house the true Creator of the universe. Read with me his thoughts in 2 Chronicles chapter six and verse 18. "There Solomon said, "But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built?" Here we find that the wisest man who ever lived realized just how great and mighty our God truly is. There is nothing in this life that can even in any way ever compare to just how magnificent God is. That is certainly something that all of us need to understand on a daily basis. Let me also finish these devotional thoughts of the morning by reminding us that this is the same God who was willing to lower Himself and to dwell among us on this earth as Jesus. Even John spoke of this in chapter one of the Gospel of John, and there we read that Jesus, the Word, came and dwelt among flesh, that we might know Him as God, the Son of the Almighty. Have you forgotten what a holy, perfect, and all-giving Creator we serve? In all of His magnificence, we think about the fact of just how precious our God is and how magnificent He is, and certainly therefore, the great opportunity we have then to have faith in our God and to obey Him. Are you submitting to this God today? Concerning our topic of study this morning, we'll again be dealing with our series entitled "Meditate On These Things." Our specific lesson of the day is entitled "Do God's Will." So please stay with us, and in a few minutes, I'll be returning with this study of the morning. But for now it's time to join in our second song of the day. The name of the hymn, "The Steadfast Love of the Lord." ♪ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases ♪ ♪ His mercies never come to an end ♪ ♪ They are new every morning ♪ ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness ♪ ♪ The Lord is my portion says my soul ♪ ♪ Therefore I will hope in Him ♪ ♪ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases ♪ ♪ His mercies never come to an end ♪ ♪ They are new every morning ♪ ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness ♪ ♪ The Lord is my portion says my soul ♪ ♪ Therefore I will hope in Him ♪ ♪ Therefore I will hope, in Him ♪

>>We're so glad you continue with us this day as we go to God's Word and look at another lesson from Philippians chapter four, where we've been learning about those things that Paul said by the Holy Spirit we should meditate on, in order that we have a certain outcome. And that outcome is that by meditating on the right things and having the right heart and mind, being fed by the things that it should be fed by, that the results are going to be that we are striving to be virtuous and as well those who are praiseworthy. And so certainly that's what we want to build on as well even this day. As we move now to verse nine, you might recall most of our discussion for several weeks has been in verse eight, but in verse nine, to me there's a key point that is being made of action. And so you know, sometimes we hear a lot about things. You might say, well, for a couple of months now, we've learned some good stuff. And the question now is what have we actually put into practice from what we've learned? And in verse nine what we actually learn is it says, "These do. These do." And so it's building on that concept of an action upon what is made of knowledge or understanding. So we have learned by understanding unto knowledge what is required, that we strive for virtue and a moral praiseworthy excellence. But here, what are we doing? Are we gonna really act on each of these things? Now, to be more specific, let's read verse nine and study a few things from it this morning, because it really goes a little bit deeper than that, because we're going to find someone was an example of these things that they should follow. Paul actually says there to the Philippians, "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." You know, there are four different verbs that are used here, and all of these verbs as we would look at them are things that the Philippians have already been seen to have been doing. It's actually in the past tense in the original language. And so he is saying the things that you have learned already, the things that you have received already, the things you have heard already, the things you have seen already. But now I wanna look a little bit deeper at these words, because the words that are used within this passage actually give us an insight into what he's talking about. So what is it that they were doing in relationship to learning? Excuse me, or having learned certain things? Notice with me there that the original word is knowledge, but it is the fact of knowledge by experience. So what is he saying there? He's saying, well, the things you have learned in your life by experience. How many things do we learn in life by experience? Well, most of the stuff we learn, we are told. But the real teacher is what? Experience. So he said, "You've learned already by experience many things," and we obviously are talking about spiritual things. He then says, "And you have received." The idea of receiving is not just a matter of maybe knowing or hearing, but it is actually taking. So if I am offered a gift and I receive that gift, I take it and I've received it to myself, but it goes a little bit deeper. It involves, the Word says, a strong personal initiative. So not only am I going to receive, but I'm active in receiving. So I've learned by experience and I'm active in receiving certain things of the past. And so I've already been actively learning and receiving information and growing based on what life has taught me and what as we have seen, I've experienced in life. And then the next word, the third word, "And the things that you have heard," past tense. This is the idea of a comprehension by hearing, specifically by being told something. So listening. So you know, the Bible often says, "Open your eyes." And Jesus says, "He that has an ear, let him hear," what the Spirit says to the churches there in the book of Revelation. So open up your ears, get the wax out of your ears. Well, he's again talking about past tense, the things you have heard. So again, you have experienced many things in life, and then you also are those who have taken strong personal initiative to take and receive what you need within those things to better yourself, and you have listened and heard what you have been told by perhaps men like Paul, apostles, and by the Holy Spirit Himself. And then he says, "And you saw. You saw." It's interesting, because the word saw here is the eye, the eye, and it can even emphasize or lend itself to the idea of the eye of the mind, that which the mind sees. So I might see something and I might think, "Well, what is that? I'm not sure what that is." But then because of my mind and experience and what I've learned and been told, I might say, "Oh, well, I recognize that to be this kind of a car, that kind of a car, or this kind of a tree, or that kind of a tree." You see, I have seen or I saw with the mind. There again is a depth of understanding because of the opportunity by experience and, well, strong initiative as well as listening and seeing that I have to be qualified to act. And that's why after he says those words, you might recall in verse nine again, "The things, the things that you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do." Paul says, "If you wanna know what being a proper doer or actor is like, then you should look at what I have done. You should look at my experience. You should look at the personal initiative I have taken. You should look how I was willing to listen to God and how I was willing to use my mind to see the things that God revealed to me, and if you look at those things in me and do those, and do those." It reminds me of what Paul said to the Corinthians. You might recall with me in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, in verse one, he said, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." So Paul says, "I strive to imitate Christ and I'm telling you that you should be able to look at what my experience is and listen to what I say and see what I've done, and those things you should be able to do and therefore know that you also are doing what is acceptable to God." Another verse that is very similar to that, but then shows the emphasis that he is giving on God, is Ephesians chapter five, and there in Ephesians chapter five, verse one, he says, "Be imitators of God as dear children." See, children imitate their father or their parents, their mothers, those who are their parents again. And so be imitators of God. He is our Father. So Paul says, "I want you to imitate God or Christ ultimately, but if you imitate me, if you again consider the things that you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, and if you do those things, there's going to be a great benefit, a great benefit in what it is that God asks of you." Now, we don't have a a lot of time, but I would like to go over to the book of James just briefly, there near the end of the New Testament, and you might recall with me in the book of James, that James very well emphasizes this idea of what a doer is. And there in verse 22, for instance, it says, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, because when we only hear the word, we deceive ourselves." You see, that's why, when we've just looked in our previous text, that hearing the word was a listening and then an application by experience and by what we see and by what we understand, and application within life of what we should do. See, doers are people who hear and act. Those who hear and do not act deceive themselves. In fact, he goes on to say, "If anyone is a hero of the word and not a doer, it's like he's looking at his face in the mirror, but then he is not seeing that proper reflection. He's one that that has missed the mark, and not seen the perfect law of liberty or the Word of God." We ought to be able to look into the Word of God and see that reflection of Christ in our lives that, again, show that we are imitators of those things that we are to do, and therefore we are listening and acting rather than listening and rejecting or not doing. Unfortunately, I'm afraid many in the world today, even the religious world, are not too busy listening. They might be doing something, but they're not too busy listening to what the book says and doing what they hear from the book. They might be doing things that they wanna do for themselves or that they've been told by others, but doers of God's will. You see how important it is that we know what God wants and we do what God wants? He is the Savior. He is the one who has laid down the commandments, and He is the one worthy to be followed. Not another man, not other individuals. But then notice with me the final benefit back in our main text there, as he says, "If you will do these things that you have seen of me and heard and listened to, then the God of peace, the God of peace will be with you." If I were to begin the lesson and say, "Do you want the God of peace to be with you?" Everybody would say, "Yes, certainly." Well, then I would back up and be able to say, "Well, are you striving to do the things that you have learned and received and heard and saw in men like Paul, through the Holy Spirit, that were righteous in the eyes of God?" You see, there is a direct result when we get it right, when we do what is right, that which we know and we have learned to be proper in the sight of God. And that is the benefit of the God of peace. Everybody wants peace. The world wants peace. Where is the greatest peace? God, because if you'll notice here, it is described in two ways in this passage. First of all, in verse nine, it says, "The God of the peace." He Himself is the very essence of peace. He is the description of this care and solace that we can have, because he is the God of peace, like He's the God of love and the God of so many other things. But then if you back up in verse seven, it says, "And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." You see, He's the God of peace, and the peace of God, which is beyond our comprehension, will actually guard our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. So I say I want that peace. I want that ability to know that my heart and mind is guarded by Jesus Christ, because I have the peace of God from a God of peace. How do I achieve that goal? Well, I meditate on things that keep my mind where it needs to be, so that as I grow and mature, as I produce the things of righteousness, then I am able to, again, as I learn and receive and hear and see that which is righteous and proper in men like Paul and others who are righteous around me, and I do and implement, I know, I know God is with me. And the good news is, it's not just the God of peace who offers the peace of God that surpasses understanding, which will guard our hearts and minds, but all the benefits, of God, all the love of God, all the grace of God, all the mercy of God, and on and on and on. You see the point? Today, we need to understand that if we'll do our part, God has already done His. Did you catch that? God has already done His part. He's already prepared and made available and acted in a way that provides us everything that we need unto life and godliness. The question is, will we respond? Will we love Him enough to obey Him and His way, and will we therefore be recipients as we have read even this day of the God of peace and the peace of God, so that we might not only have what we need now, in the present life, and the things that we face from day to day, but also that will receive the greatest reward of all, a mansion in heaven when this life is over. ♪ There are things as we travel this earth's shifting sands ♪ ♪ That transcend all the reason of man ♪ ♪ But the things that matter the most in this world ♪ ♪ They can never be held in our hand ♪ ♪ I believe in a hill called Mount Calv'ry ♪ ♪ I'll believe whatever the cost ♪ ♪ And when time has surrendered and Earth is no more ♪ ♪ I'll still cling to that old rugged cross ♪ ♪ I believe that the Christ who was slain on the cross ♪ ♪ Has the power to change lives today ♪ ♪ For He changed me completely ♪ ♪ A new life is mine ♪ ♪ That is why by the cross I will stay ♪ ♪ I believe in a hill called Mount Calv'ry ♪ ♪ I'll believe whatever the cost ♪ ♪ And when time has surrendered and Earth is no more ♪ ♪ I'll still cling to that old rugged cross ♪ ♪ I believe that this life with its great mysteries ♪ ♪ Surely someday will come to an end ♪ ♪ But faith will conquer the darkness and death ♪ ♪ And will lead me at last to my Friend ♪ ♪ I believe in a hill called Mount Calv'ry ♪ ♪ I'll believe whatever the cost ♪ ♪ And when time has surrendered and Earth is no more ♪ ♪ I'll still cling to that old rugged cross ♪

>>Let me thank you again for choosing to be with us this day for "The Living Word" program. It is my hope and prayer that together we've all benefited from this time before God's throne, and let me invite you every Sunday morning at 7:30 as we give this time of worship to our Creator. Now, for now, let me ask you if you have any questions or comments about today's lesson, maybe like a free transcript or free CD or DVD of the program, or possibly we could assist you we're free Bible materials or free Bible correspondence 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, TheLivingWordProgram.com or if you prefer, you may call us at 417-869-2284. Praise be to God that we are challenged to be doers of His Word and not hearers only. I hope we all are taking the things of God to heart and striving to put them into our daily Christian walk. The question for us today is, are we doing what God commands and are we fully submitting to His perfect will?

>>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. ♪ To 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 shall vanish in eternal day ♪