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>> 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...
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>> ...as we present
"The Living Word."
>> [ Singing continues ]
>> Now here is your host,
Ray Sullins.
>> Thank you for joining us
this morning
for "The Living Word" program.
It is always a privilege
to have you with us
for this time of offering to God
as we approach His throne,
and we certainly welcome you
to this service
before our creator.
Today, we have the great privilege and opportunity
to worship and praise God
in songs of praise,
as well as the study
of His perfect word.
So won't you do your part
to make all that
we do acceptable in His sight
and according to
His perfect will?
As we begin our offering
to God this morning,
will you bow with me
before His throne in prayer?
Our God and Father in Heaven,
we thank you for yet again
another day of life
and the many great blessings
that are certainly available
to us in it.
For you are
a loving Father, God,
and you have given us
everything that we need,
physically and spiritually.
And again, Father, we thank you.
And Father,
we thank you most of all
for the greatest of all gifts,
your son Jesus Christ,
and what that means to us,
certainly each and every day,
that we might not only know
your will and obey it,
but ultimately be blessed
by our obedience
and by the love
that you have for us,
but also, ultimately,
that we might someday
have that opportunity to live
with you eternally in Heaven.
And Father, help us to live each
and every day
with those things inside
as motivation
to help us
to live appropriately,
to ever be faithful
and found as recipients
of your grace, love, and mercy.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
God has promised us
so many things in this life
and the life to come,
but one of the greatest
blessings and promises
that we have
ever received from God
will be dealt with in our
first song of the morning.
So won't you join in
with the brethren at this time
and lift up your voices to God
as we sing together
"Hide Me, Rock of Ages"?
>>  Oh Thou blessed
rock of ages 
 (Rock of ages I am) 
 Trusting now dear Lord
in Thee 
 (Dear Lord in thee
I'm trusting) 
 Keep me till
my journey's ended 
 (Journey's ended, keep me) 
 Till Thy blessed face I see 
 Hide me, O blessed
rock of ages 
 (Blessed rock of ages
hide me) 
 Till Thy blessed face I see 
 (Thy face I see in glory) 
 When the storms around me rages 
 (Round me rages, blessed) 
 Rock of ages hide Thou me 
 Keep me when
the storm clouds gather 
 (Storm clouds gather,
keep me) 
 Till the sun comes shining through 
 (Comes shining through
the shadows) 
 Keep me till my work is over 
 (Work is over, keep me) 
 Till I bid this world adieu 
 Hide me, O blessed
rock of ages 
 (Blessed rock of ages
hide me) 
 Till Thy blessed face I see 
 (Thy face I see in glory) 
 When the storms around me rages 
 (Round me rages, blessed) 
 Rock of ages hide Thou me 
 When my journey is completed 
 (Is completed, Savior) 
 And there's no more
work to do 
 (No work to do, O blessed) 
 Savior guide my weary spirit 
 (Weary spirit, to that) 
 Happy land beyond the blue 
 Hide me, O blessed
rock of ages 
 (Blessed rock of ages
hide me) 
 Till Thy blessed face I see 
 (Thy face I see in glory) 
 When the storms around me rages 
 (Round me rages, blessed) 
 Rock of ages hide Thou me 
>> The psalmist David
always had a wonderful way
of reminding us of
just how great God is.
In fact, in Psalm 94, we see
that he helps us to remember
that it is only through God
that we're able to bear
the things of this life.
In verse 17 through 19 we read,
"Unless the Lord had been
my helper,
my soul would soon have
settled in silence.
If I say my foot slips,
Your mercy, O Lord,
will hold me.
In the multitude
of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul."
Think of all
the wonderful things
that David reminds us of here.
He says without God's help,
his soul would have
already been silenced.
How true this is.
If we don't have God,
our soul is empty because it is
the soul of man that houses
the very essence of God.
And therefore God fills us
as His children
and guides us through the soul
that we might someday
live eternally with Him
as those who are souls of His.
He also reminds us
that we can count on Him
and that He will help us
when we fall.
He said if our foot slips,
God has always been there to
catch us as he has caught him.
You see, we have the same
privilege in Jesus Christ.
He is always with us to help us,
to care for us, no matter
what the need might be in life.
But the final thing
that David mentioned there
is the relationship
that we have to anxiety,
which certainly is something
that we all face in life.
He says that God is always
with us as a comfort
when anxiety comes our way.
Let me remind you that anxieties
are fears which we have due
to uncertainties or things
that we're unsure of in life,
but, oh, how truly comforting
our God can be,
and how truly comforting our God
is in relationship to anxiety
and things as such that
come our way.
He is always with us
to guide us, to guard us,
and to direct us in each
and every walk of life.
God is the only place
we can find that true peace
and solace that we need in order
to be able to live our lives
as He requires.
So now the question is,
do you have Christ in you?
And if not, why not?
Choose today to accept
the will of God
by confessing
the name of Jesus Christ,
repenting of your sins,
and being bare with your Lord
and Savior in baptism.
Then and only then
can you have the help from God
that you desire,
in order that you might be seen
as a faithful child,
and therefore receive those
wondrous rewards and blessings
that are promised to such.
This morning we'll begin
a new series of study
which is entitled
"A Special People."
And our specific topic of
the day is a special church.
So please stay with us
and through our next song
and we will praise God together.
And after that, we will be led
in this study from God's Word.
As far as our guest speaker
of the day,
we're happy to again have
brother Jerry Sullins with us.
Brother Jerry is the director
of the Bible Institute of Missouri here in Springfield,
and we thank him
for joining us again this day.
Now it's time to join in that
second song of the morning.
The name of the hymn --
"Seek Ye First."
>>  Seek ye first the kingdom of God 
 And His righteousness 
 And all these things shall be
added unto you 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 Seek ye first the kingdom
of God 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 And His righteousness 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 And all these things shall be
added unto you 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
 Ask and it shall be given
unto you 
 Seek and you shall find 
 Knock and it shall be opened
unto you 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 Ask and it shall be
given unto you 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 Seek and ye shall find 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 Knock and it shall be opened
unto you 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
 Man shall not live
by bread alone 
 But by every word 
 That proceeds
from the mouth of God 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 Man shall not live
by bread alone 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 But by every word 
 (Alleluiah...alleluia!) 
 That proceeds
from the mouth of God 
 Singing allelu...alleluia! 
>> Welcome to "The Living Word" broadcast again,
and we're so thankful that
you have decided this morning
to view this program
and to listen to what the Bible
has to say about
so many important subjects
that relate
to your soul's salvation.
This morning,
we're beginning a new series
that is based upon
what the Bible has to say about
what is the church,
or better said,
who is the church?
In this series of lessons,
we will be discussing
many things
that relate to,
who is the church?
The church has never been
in the mind of God
to be a social organization,
an organization
that is just a building,
a fraternal organization,
an organization that bears
the name of some religious man
or follows after a creed
other than God's Word
that is His holy word,
the Bible.
It's never meant to be that.
But yet the Bible is very clear
as to what it means
when the word church is used.
And so we're going
to have many lessons,
several lessons,
in the next weeks
that will help us to understand
what the church is.
Now, I'm going to challenge you,
as you consider yourself
to be a Christian
and a member of the church,
if you can really determine
that the church
that you're a part of,
or the so-called church
that you are a part of,
is really the church
that you read about
in the New Testament.
I personally am asked
the question many times,
"Well, what denomination
are you a part of?"
I say, "I'm not a member
of any denominations."
Then they will ask me, "Well,
what church do you go to?"
And I say,
"I am going to and worship
with the church of our Lord."
The church of our Lord is made
up of a certain type of people
that is well-defined
in the Bible.
And so I would like for you to
consider these important facts
as we begin this series.
The word church comes from
the word ekklesia in the Greek,
which means, simply,
the called out
and those who are summoned
out of the world.
It's mentioned over 115 times
in the New Testament.
Well, what church was it
actually talking about?
Or who was the church
that it was talking about?
Well, Kyriakos, which simply
relates to those of the church,
that is the church
of the Lord, is defined
as of or belonging to the Lord.
There's a verse in the Bible
found in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9,
which this whole series
is based upon,
which I'd like for you
to consider as you consider
the church
that we read about in the Bible.
"But you are a chosen generation," Peter said,
"a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
that you may proclaim
the praises of Him
who has called you
out of darkness
into His marvelous light."
So the church is not a building,
a social organization.
The church is made up of those
who have obeyed the gospel,
as you heard
in last week's program,
concerning what you must do
to become a child of God.
The Lord then adds you
to His church,
as we see that was established
in Acts chapter 2.
In fact, in Acts chapter 1
and chapter 2,
that is the church of the Bible,
that is the church
that we are a part of.
We call ourselves
the church of Christ
because that is the designation
that is given to us
in Romans 16 verse 16.
"The churches
of Christ salute you."
We do not call ourselves
after some man
or some creed or some doctrine
or something of some thought
or idea
that maybe some person
has an unusual name
so that they can
gather people together
and to teach them
some other doctrine
other than that
which is found in the Bible.
But we are the church
of the New Testament,
the Church of Christ.
Now, the church
is an institution
that is made up of those
who have
been called out of darkness
into His marvelous light
that we must --
that we can show forth
the praises of Him
who has called us
out of that darkness,
and that is
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Well, when was
the church thought of,
and who actually thought
of the church?
Even before the beginning
of this world,
the church was in the mind
of God
that it would be established.
When I'm speaking of the church,
I'm talking about
a saved individual,
of saved people
who have obeyed the gospel
and have been put in
to the body of Christ.
The Lord God himself instituted
two institutions for men
and women to be happy in.
One was called the home
and the other was called
the church, the ekklesia.
Those who were summoned
out of the world
or called out of the world,
those who belong to Christ
who have obeyed the gospel
of Christ as Jesus
designated that they must do
in order to become a member
of the church
of the New Testament.
Over 100, or actually over 66
times in the book of Ephesians,
the church is mentioned
as far as being spoken of
in the Old Testament
through prophecy.
Let's read Ephesians chapter 3, verses 8 through 10.
"To me," the apostle Paul said,
"who am less than
the least of all saints,
this grace was given that I
should preach among the Gentiles
the unsearchable
riches of Christ,
and to make all see what is
the fellowship of the mystery
from the beginning of the ages
has been hidden in God,
who created all things
through Jesus Christ."
And this important verse --
"To the intent
that now the manifold wisdom
might be made known
by the church
to the principalities
and powers in Heavenly places,
according to the eternal purpose
which He accomplished
in Jesus Christ our Lord."
So before the beginning
of the world, that is,
that was prophesied by prophets
like Isaiah
in Isaiah chapter 2,
Daniel in Daniel chapter 2, verse 44,
where it was prophesied
that a kingdom would be set up,
that all nations
would flow into it.
And as we said in Isaiah
chapter 2,
that the word of the Lord
would come out of Jerusalem,
which it did in Acts
chapter 2,
when the church was actually --
which we see the church
came into existence
in the beginning of the church,
when Peter stood up
and preached that first sermon,
convicted the people
of their sins,
and they were willing
to repent of the fact
that they had crucified Jesus,
the Son of God.
And Peter said in Acts 2:38,
"Repent and be baptized,
every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ,
for the remission of sins,
and you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit."
And the Bible continues to say
in Acts 2 that the Lord
did what? He brought
these people into the church,
and they were added
to the body of the church,
which was made up
of baptized believers there,
beginning in Acts chapter 2,
when the church actually began.
Jesus spoke of that
as a kingdom.
He said to his disciples
in Mark 9, verse 1,
"There are few
who are standing here
who shall not taste of death
till they see the kingdom of God
come with power from on high."
That happened in Acts 1
and in Acts chapter 2.
Jesus said to Peter,
and actually
His other disciples were there.
But He said, "Who do you say
that I, the Son of Man, am?"
They told him several different
people that were saying
that he was
maybe one of the prophets,
Isaiah and others.
He said, "But who do you say
that I am?"
And Peter said,
"Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God."
And Jesus said,
"Blessed are you,
Simon Barjona,
for flesh and blood
has not revealed it unto you,
but my Father who is in Heaven."
And he said basically this --
upon this rock
that is the confession
that Peter made,
"You are the Christ,
the Son of God,"
I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto you the
keys to the kingdom of Heaven.
And whatever you loose on Earth
shall be loosed in Heaven.
And whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in Heaven.
My friends, that took place
in Acts chapter 1 and 2,
when the apostles were assembled
together there
in the city of Jerusalem,
as Jesus told them to go there,
and they would begin
that church,
they would begin to call people
out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
And as they repented
and they were baptized,
Jesus added them to that church.
No doubt Christ or God has put
all things under His feet
and gave Him to be head over
all things to the church,
which is His body.
We know that for sure in
Ephesians chapter 1, verse 22.
"He delivered them
from the power of darkness."
Colossians 1, verse 13,
"into the kingdom
of the dear son of his love."
That's what he did,
in whom they had
redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness
of their sins.
They became a member
of the Lord's church.
They were the Lord's church,
not a denomination.
Denominations didn't
begin to exist
until about 600 years
after the church actually began.
The question is,
do you honor Jesus Christ,
the Lord and His church?
Are you a part of His church?
He built his church.
Upon this rock,
I will build my church.
He is the foundation of
the church, for other foundation
can no man lay than that
which is laid in Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians chapter 3,
verse 11.
"He is the Savior of the church,
for the husband
is the head of the wife,
even as Christ also
is the head of the church,
and he is the Savior
of the body."
Ephesians chapter 5,
verse 23.
And, yes, all things have been
put under His feet,
as we said in Ephesians 1,
verse 22,
He purchased the church
with His own blood.
Acts 20 verse 28.
And we know that He is
the king over His kingdom,
and He will reign
over that kingdom.
There's only one kingdom,
there's only one church.
He said, "I will build
my church."
Now, the question is,
are you that peculiar person,
that person who is of
God's own special people?
His special, special person who
was purchased with His blood?
Are you a member of that church?
Not of a church
that is based upon men
and upon their creeds
and doctrines and ideas,
but based upon the Word of God
being judged as Jesus someday
will judge you by His words.
John chapter 14, verse 28.
My friend, it's your decision.
So you're going to learn in
the next few weeks who you are,
if you are indeed a Christian
and you've obeyed the gospel
as Jesus demanded
that you obey the gospel,
that you have a special name.
There's a special speech that
you must have as a Christian.
You must have a special gospel
that you preach to others
and that you live before others.
Your creed is only in Christ,
and it is by His authority
that you do all things.
Colossians 3, verse 17.
You will hear of
the special organization
that the church makes up,
each individual taking
their place in the kingdom.
You will understand
then what that religion
is that they follow
and the pathway
that leads them to salvation.
And so we hope and pray that you
will pay special attention
throughout the next weeks
and determine whether or not
you are a part of that church
that Jesus established
in Acts 2.
And many people have asked me,
as I've said before,
"What church are you a part of?"
I'm a part of the church of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am the church
as well as my son
and all of those
who have obeyed the gospel.
Will you give attention
to these wonderful words
that will lead you
to Heaven someday?
>>  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 
>> Let me thank you again
for choosing to be
with us this day
for "The Living Word" program.
It is our hope and trust
that together
we have all benefited
from this service to our Lord.
And I encourage you
to join us each
and every Lord's Day morning
at 7:30
as we give this time
to our Creator.
But for now, let me ask if you
have any questions or comments
about today's lesson.
Maybe you'd like a free transcript
or a free CD or DVD
of the program,
or possibly we could assist you
with free Bible materials
or free
Bible correspondence courses.
No matter what your need is,
please feel free to contact us
at the following address.
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.
How blessed we are that God
loved us enough to create us,
and then to prepare
a kingdom for us
to be a part of which
is eternal in nature.
The question today is,
are we a part of that kingdom
which Jesus built?
Why not make sure
that you are even 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 the Kansas
Expressway Church of Christ
in Springfield, Missouri,
with the assistance
of the following area
churches of Christ.
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