- ♪ 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.

>>In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Good morning and thank you for choosing to be with us for "The Living Word" program on this the Lord's Day. And we are excited that you have given this time to your God that we might together participate in those things that are according to His perfect will that we read of in the Bible. We are glad that you have joined us that we might worship together and hopefully give offerings of worship in an acceptable way as we sing songs of praise and as we study from His perfect word. I also hope that we'll each do our own part to make sure that our offerings are acceptable in His sight according to the way that He commands once again in that word. As we begin our offering to God this day then, will you bow with me before His mighty throne in prayer? Our God and Father in heaven, we are so thankful for this another day of life, the great blessings and pleasure that we have as those who are Your children. You've given us so much Father and we know that we have everything that we need spiritually and everything that is of necessity in a physical sense in order to be productive in this life and to be good stewards of what you have entrusted to us. And help us every day to live in such a way that we might illuminate for Your sake and to Your glory, that the world might know You through us, that they might desire to follow and obey Your will that they might also have eternal life. And when this life is over, Father, through Your grace, love and mercy, may we be recipients of the great and eternal reward of heaven, knowing that we'll have the pleasure to live with You eternally according to Your perfect will and promises. Father, we thank You again for Your great love, the great gift of Jesus, and in Jesus' name we pray, amen. This morning we want to begin with a song of praise that helps us to consider the love of God and certainly the love that God has had in order that He has given and created all that He has made. Are you willing to start this morning and to sing with the congregation as we join in together in the song, "Who at the Door is Standing"? ♪ Who at my door is standing ♪ ♪ Patiently drawing near ♪ ♪ Entrance within demanding ♪ ♪ Whose is the voice I hear ♪ ♪ Sweetly the tones are falling ♪ ♪ Open the door for Me ♪ ♪ If thou wilt heed My calling ♪ ♪ I will abide with thee ♪ ♪ All through the dark hours dreary ♪ ♪ Knocking again is He ♪ ♪ Jesus, art Thou not weary ♪ ♪ Waiting so long for me ♪ ♪ Sweetly the tones are falling ♪ ♪ Open the door for me ♪ ♪ If thou wilt heed My calling ♪ ♪ I will abide with thee ♪ ♪ Door of my heart I hasten ♪ ♪ Thee will I open wide ♪ ♪ Though He rebuke and chasten ♪ ♪ He shall with me abide ♪ ♪ Sweetly the tones are falling ♪ ♪ Open the door for Me ♪ ♪ If thou wilt heed My calling ♪ ♪ I will abide with thee ♪

>>Isn't it wonderful to serve such a magnificent God? I think that sometimes we forget just how wonderful God is. He is one who has done so much for us and has given us so much in this life. However, if we go to the writers of the Bible we find that these followers of God understood and proclaimed exactly who God is and His power. For example, consider some of David's thoughts which are found for us within the Psalms. There in Psalm 18, even unto Psalm 19. There we read things such as this. "Therefore, will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. The heavens declared the glory of God; and the firmament show his handiwork." You see, David here in these verses acknowledge that God is the giver, He is the creator of all. And as we have just read there, it's the same confirmation of what we know even from the book of Genesis itself, that God truly is the creator of the universe. Notice also what Isaiah said in Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 8. "But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and You are our potter; and all we are the work of Your hands." This great prophet of God also acknowledges that our God is the very giver of even life and the molder of you and I. He is the maker and the one who certainly has given us the opportunity to exist at all. Again, I am sure that Isaiah had even the idea of Genesis in mind, that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and then later that He breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life. Even Paul and Peter in the New Testament continue to refer to the mighty hand and power of God, again helping us to understand that we serve a God who certainly is worth the praise and homage and devotion that we offer to Him. Everyone who heard them speak of God and the glory and the majesty of God were reminded of the confidence that they could have in a God of all power and a God who created all things. But we must also ask, is this also what people see in us as servants of God today? Do they understand that we follow and we believe in the only true God of all and the universe itself? Have we made that clear and do people understand that the God we serve is the God that they need to know in order that they might have eternal life as well? You see, the question is we must understand whether we have truly acknowledged God and whether we in all ways are showing forth His preeminence, His glory and His awesome nature in all that we do and say and if not, then why not today? Either follow God, turn to God, or restore your commitment to God to prove before this world as lights of the world that God truly is one who should be obeyed and followed. Today in relationship to our guest speaker, we are happy to have Brother Brent Green with us. Brother Brent is a full-time instructor at the Bible Institute of Missouri. We're always glad when he joins us to lead us in our main thoughts from God's word. As far as our topic of the day, we are still considering variety of discussions in the works of the flesh that are found there in the book of Galatians. Our specific lesson of the day is entitled Hatred. So please continue with us this morning and after our next song together, Brother Green will be returning with this study from God's word. The name of our next hymn is "Only a Step". ♪ Hear the sweet voice of Jesus say ♪ ♪ Come unto me, I am the way ♪ ♪ Harken, the loving call obey ♪ ♪ Come, for He loves you so ♪ ♪ Only a step, only a step ♪ ♪ Come for He bled for you and died ♪ ♪ He's the same loving Savior yet ♪ ♪ Jesus the Crucified ♪ ♪ Casting your heavy burden down ♪ ♪ Come to the cross, the world may frown ♪ ♪ Yet you shall wear a glorious crown ♪ ♪ When He makes up His own ♪ ♪ Only a step, only a step ♪ ♪ Come for He bled for you and died ♪ ♪ He's the same loving Savior yet ♪ ♪ Jesus the Crucified ♪ ♪ Open for you, the pearly gate ♪ ♪ Loved ones for you now watch and wait ♪ ♪ Terrible tho't, to cry too late ♪ ♪ Jesus I come to thee ♪ ♪ Only a step, only a step ♪ ♪ Come for He bled for you and died ♪ ♪ He's the same loving Savior yet ♪ ♪ Jesus the Crucified ♪

>>What a joy it is as always to be able to open the pages of the Bible, God's word and be able to study from it. In Galatians chapter 5, we have really contrast between the fruit of the spirit and the works of the flesh, but just prior to that, Paul reminds here the churches of Galatia of the fact that they've gotta make sure that they don't bite, devour, consume one another. Consider with me the words we find there in Galatians chapter 5 starting in verse 13. Paul here says, "For you brethren have been called to liberty, only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the laws fulfilled in one word even in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another beware unless you be consumed by one another." These Christians like all who have obeyed the gospel plan of salvation, have been freed from sin. They have liberty, but they weren't to use that liberty in an inappropriate way to do whatever they wanted, no, rather they were to love one another. They were to love their neighbor as themselves. But the warning given there in that final verse we read, if they didn't do that, they would bite, they would devour, they would consume one another. Christians aren't to do that. As you go through Galatians chapter 5, Paul continues to show them that they were to walk differently as Christians. There in verse 16, they were to walk in the Spirit. Verse 18 of chapter 5, they were to be led by the Spirit. They're also in verses 22 through 23, they were to pursue the fruit of the Spirit. That is, to add to their lives those Christian virtues or attributes that would bring them closer to God as they pattern themselves after His very nature. They were there in verse 24 to crucify the flesh. That is to put the works of the flesh, those attributes that follow after the fleshly desires, they were to get those out of their lives and to crucify them. And finally there in verse 25, they again were to walk in the Spirit. You see, Paul is really driving home this point that he's making towards these brethren. As Christians, they're not to be like the world any longer. They're not to bite and to devour, to consume each other by giving themselves over to any form of immorality. Rather, they're to be godly and walk after the Spirit. They're to be those who again, remove all filth and all overflow of wickedness to use language like James would use and to rather be those that are filled with all of these godly characteristics and attributes. Among this list of things they were to get rid of is one of these attributes we find there in this list of what is called the works of the flesh. There in verse 20, amid idolatry and sorcery, contentions, jealousies, outbursts to wrath, selfish ambitions, ascensions, heresies, we find this little word, "hatred". Hatred is one of these immoralities, one of these works of the flesh identified there that again will be something that will cause this consuming effect. That is as we demonstrate that towards our fellow man, but particularly towards our fellow Christians. Christians are not to be filled with hatred. And why? Well, one reason and we'll come back to this several times, but one reason given in verse 21 is if you are filled with these works of the flesh as Christians, it says there in verse 21 that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. Christians of course, are part of God's kingdom on this earth as spiritual kingdom of the church, but also they are are going to be a part of that heavenly kingdom that is going to be something forever, that eternal kingdom that will never cease to have that home in heaven. If you practice these things in this life, you will bite, you will devour or you'll consume each other. And quite frankly, as the scripture says here, you'll not make it to that eternal reward. So we've identified here one of these works of the flesh that is detrimental not just to our lives here on this earth, but also to our eternal reward. Well, as we think a little bit more about hatred, let's first think about what it is specifically. What is the definition of this work of the flesh that will keep us from that heavenly home? Well, as we consider the idea of hatred, a couple other words that might be used to help us identify such would be words like hostility. Hostility is the idea that no longer you unify with one another, no longer do you have peace, but you have the opposite. Often we might see people that are hostile towards each other, but even nations. Maybe one nation is hostile towards another nation, it even results in a war breaking out. Another word that would help us define hatred is that of opposition. Sometimes we might think of a friendly competition between opponents, but here the opposition is rooted not in the idea of a friendly competition, but the idea that we loathe each other, we can't stand each other, we want nothing to do with each other, and we count the other side as an enemy. That's the idea of opposition here. Or even the word enmity. We might not frequent that word in our language, but it's the idea of drawing a line and setting yourself as an enemy against somebody else. All of these words help us to understand the definition of hatred. Something that is hostile, something that is in opposition, something that is at enmity against somebody else. Now, if those words aren't enough, sometimes to understand one concept, you look at the opposite. The word hatred here is literally the opposite of love. And not just any kind of love, but the very love that God showed towards the world. The love of John 3:16 where it says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son." That's the sacrificial, willful love that we see frequented throughout the New Testament. That's the opposite of hatred. So hatred does not demonstrate the love of God, hatred does not sacrifice of itself. Hatred is selfish. Hatred is focused on the one who might think, well, I can gain something for myself if I treat my brother, that is in a foul way, in a negative way. Hatred is the opposite of this love of God. Several times in the New Testament we can see this word hatred employed that maybe again helps us to better understand what it is. On one such occasion we can look at Luke chapter 23 in verse 12. This is actually used of two individuals, Pilate and Herod, who once had such a hatred one for another. Luke chapter 23 and verse 12 is one of these occasions where this word is employed and again, it helps us to understand the definition or understand how this word is used in the New Testament. Luke 23:12 says, "That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other for previously they had been in enmity with each other." This is kind of a sad occasion because they become friends over this hatred that they would then have towards Jesus or this opposition they would have towards Jesus because of what was transpiring. And how sad it is of an occasion where these two become friends over the matter of ultimately putting Jesus Christ to death. But you notice what it said there? Previously, they were at enmity. They had hatred for each other, they were hostile towards each other. They were at opposition. That's the usage here that again helps us to see between two individuals the idea of hatred. Yet another place given to us in a different context really very much as a warning is what we find in Romans chapter 8 in verse 7. Romans chapter 8 is again, a letter written here to the church at Rome. And Paul says this to the brethren there. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Paul there speaks of the carnal mind, a fleshly mind like James 3:15 is a mind given over to that earthly wisdom. Wisdom that is earthly, sensual, demonic, wisdom of the idea of man that is focused just on the physical things of this life. And here Paul says to these brethren of Rome that that carnal mind is enmity against God. If you're only thinking about satisfying the flesh, you're only thinking about what you can gain from this life, that selfishness, not that sacrificial love, but that selfish hatred, Paul there says that's enmity with God. You've drawn a line and set yourself as an enemy against God. Now just think about that for a moment. When in the Bible did it ever turn out well for anyone to be an enemy of God? Know when you set yourself as Paul talks about here, against God's law, against God's authority, against God himself, it is as if you have chosen to be an enemy of God. And what happened throughout the scripture? God would pass judgment and punishments would follow. Destruction would follow when you think about the enemies of God saying themselves in array against Him. That's not something we want to be a part of, that's a work of the flesh that never we as Christians should have in our lives. Yet another verse that would help us as well is a verse in James chapter 4 in verse 4. Here again is another place where this word hatred is employed and we can understand the concept of it and again, something that we should not have in our lives. James 4 in verse 4. James says, "Adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." That word enmity there translated in the New King James is the same word for hatred there in the works of the flesh. So again, if you choose to be a friend of the world, you choose to be a friend of all those immoralities listed there in Galatians 5, you choose to be a friend of things that are opposed to God, you choose to reject His law and His authority, you make yourself an enemy of God. You are set at enmity against God. To understand the definition and to see these usages helps us to understand something that we should never be a part of as God's children. As we understand those things, let's think also about the outcome of this hatred and the outcome is not good in any way whatsoever. Number one, the outcome of hatred is harm. The one who is doing the hating is harmed, the one who is being hated or the recipient of this hatred is also harmed. Hatred results in harm in one of these two ways or maybe both of them in every situation in which hatred is employed. Number two, hatred results in death. If we survey just a few quick biblical examples, I think we can see this. Some of these are probably very familiar to most people who have read the Bible at any length whatsoever. Go all the way back to Genesis chapter 4 and we read the account of Cain and Abel. There you have two men, one whose sacrifice was acceptable to God, the other whose sacrifice was not acceptable to God. And as a result and probably a catalyst to the situation, because his sacrifice was not accepted, Cain hated his brother Abel and he plotted how he might kill him and God even warned him, "Look Cain, sin is crouching at the door but you can rule over it." But he was very angry with Abel. When the occasion came there in Genesis 4, he killed his own brother. That's where you see that anger, that hatred we're talking about results here even in physical death. Similar example is found in 2 Samuel chapter 13 where you have two half-brothers, Absalom and Amnon. They had the same father David, but they had different mothers. And Amnon actually had committed himself a sin against his half-sister Tamar, and Absalom, the full brother there of Tamar was so upset that he wanted to kill Amnon. And he waited and he plotted as the account shows, and when the day came and the opportunity arose, he killed his half-brother Amnon. Why? Because of hatred in his heart for that man. Now truly, Amnon was deserving of death according to the law, but it was not Absalom's right to take judgment in his own hands and to kill his brother. No, Amnon should have faced the court so to speak, he should have faced a trial and he should have been put to death, but not by the hatred of his own brother Absalom. What about Jesus there in the New Testament? John chapter 15 shows us that Jesus was hated by those of this world. We mentioned there Pilate and Herod would become friends over this matter of Jesus and his crucifixion. But in John chapter 15, Jesus speaks of the hatred that the world would have towards him. John 15, beginning there in verse 18. Jesus says "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you." Shouldn't come as a surprise to Jesus' disciples that they're hated because Jesus says the world hated me, had hostility towards me, was opposed to me, was one who again, set themselves as enemies of me. The very son of God hated by the own people that he came to save. And then down in verse 25, it says, this is Jesus continuing, "but this happened that the word might be fulfilled which was written in their law. They hated me without cause." Because of this hatred, Jesus Christ was put to death. Because of this work of the flesh, Jesus Christ, the son of God, was killed. Hatred results in death, hatred results also in damnation as we read there in John 5:21, that those who practice such things, these works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. In 1 John chapter 3 in verse 15, those who hate are compared to murderers. It's that hatred that leads to murder, hatred that leads to so many other sins and those who have hate will not inherit eternal life. Let's make sure we remove all works of the flesh, particularly hatred and make sure we don't have that in our lives at all in this world. ♪ 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 ♪

>>Again, let me thank you for choosing to be with us this day. I hope our time together has been an encouragement as well as a blessing to us all and you're invited to join us every Lord's Day morning at 7:30 as we give this time to the service of God. Brethren now, let me ask you if you have any questions or comments about today's lesson. Maybe you'd like a free transcript, a free CD or DVD of the program, or possibly you would like 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, TheLivingWorldProgram.com. Or if you prefer, you may call us at 869-2284. Brethren, may we always realize that as we follow a God of love, that hatred of others plays no part in the life of faithful Christians. Hatred is of the world and only a part of that which chooses to follow the world. So our question today is, are we behaving like God or do we choose to behave like the world?

>>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. ♪ Give me the Bible ♪ ♪ Holy message shining ♪ ♪ Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way ♪ ♪ Precept and promise, law and love combining ♪