>>  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 
 Till night shall vanish
in eternal day 
>> Now here is your host,
Ray Sullins.
>> What a privilege we have
this morning to join together
in the study of God's
living Word.
And we welcome you
to our program.
And we are thankful to God
that you have chosen
to give this time to Him
on this, the Lord's day.
And we're excited about
our opportunity, as always,
that we have gathered to glorify
the name of the creator,
and therefore, may we
each do our own part
to make this time
acceptable in His sight
and according
to His perfect will.
As we approach our Father's
throne at this time,
will you bow with me
before that throne in prayer?
Our God and Father in heaven,
we are so thankful for this,
another day of life,
and the great blessings
and privilege of it.
And, Father, we are thankful
because we know
that everything that
we have comes from You.
Thus, we see Your love daily
in our great blessings
spiritually and physically.
And, Father, we again
thank you, and, Father,
most of all, we're thankful
for the great gift of Jesus,
as we know that He gave His life
and shed His blood
that we might be redeemed
and that we might overcome
the things of this world
and the sin of this world
and that ultimately we might be
found presentable in Your sight
not only now, but eternally,
that someday we might live
with You in heaven forever.
And, Father, help us
always to do our part
that we might be full recipients
of Your grace, love, and mercy.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
This morning, we want
to start our songs of praise
by singing a hymn
that helps us to understand
the price that we must pay
if we are to be found
well-pleasing to God
and ultimately
make it to heaven.
So won't you join in with
the congregation at this time
as we sing together
"Have You Counted the Cost?"
>>  There's a line
that is drawn 
 By rejecting our Lord 
 Where the call of His Spirit is lost 
 And you hurry along 
 With the pleasure-mad throng 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
 Have you counted the cost 
 If your soul should be lost 
 Though you gain
the whole world for your own? 
 Even now it may be 
 That the line
you have crossed 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
 You may barter your hope 
 Of eternity's morn 
 For a moment of joy
at the most 
 For the glitter of sin 
 And the things it will win 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
 Have you counted the cost 
 If your soul should be lost 
 Though you gain
the whole world for your own? 
 Even now it may be 
 That the line
you have crossed 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
 While the door of His mercy 
 Is open to you 
 E'er the depth of His love
you exhaust 
 Won't you come and be healed 
 Won't you whisper "I yield" 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
 Have you counted the cost 
 If your soul should be lost 
 Though you gain
the whole world for your own? 
 Even now it may be 
 That the line
you have crossed 
 Have you counted 
 Have you counted the cost? 
>> When is the last time
you thought about
how great it would be
if you were rich?
We often think about that
if we were only rich,
then everything
would be better, and money
would allow us to buy
everything that we wanted
of this world's goods, and money
would also allow us to go
anywhere
that we ever wanted to go
and at any time,
and, oh, to be wealthy,
we often think.
Because of this great desire
that we have for money, though,
we always want to buy more,
and we often then think
of get-rich-quick schemes.
We think about the things,
for instance,
for a moment of
how many of us
would do whatever it takes
to have more money,
and therefore we sometimes
do things that we shouldn't.
Some of us at times
will fill out
or do those sweepstakes forms
or send them in by mail.
We do things, again, in order
that we might get a free car
or a trip
or some sort of money.
The fact is, we all would love
to get something for nothing,
but really, the odds are always
against us in those situations.
Even when a contest
is legitimate,
we are only one of millions
and sometimes even billions
that would have to beat the odds
to actually win something.
The chance of us winning
is so slim
that really it
doesn't exist at all,
and therefore we would actually
give ourselves to greater time
and have better chance
to be struck
by maybe lightning
or something like that
on a clear day when no clouds
were in the sky
then in even winning some sort
of contest that we try to win.
I mention all of these things
this morning
to bring us back to reality.
Happiness is really
not found in money
or even the things
of this world.
Paul told Timothy this --
"For the love of money
is the root
of all kinds of evil,
for which some have even strayed
from their faith
in their greediness,
and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows,"
1 Timothy 6:10.
Here we see that a love
for money
is the foundation
to all sorts of evil,
thus causing one to stray at
times from their faith in God.
Doesn't this sound like money
truly cannot buy happiness?
Certainly that would
be the case.
Are we, as followers of God,
supposed to be caught up
in the things of the world?
The Bible teaches us, no.
In 1 John 2:15,
we read, "Do not love the world
or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father
is not in him."
Here we see that if we love
the world or the things in it,
certainly more than God,
then the love of the Father
is not in that individual.
We in turn
do not love God at all.
You see, the fact is,
money and the things of life
will not only
bring us no happiness,
but it also will lead us,
usually, in
the opposite direction.
But then,
what about true happiness?
Well, true happiness can only
be found in Jesus Christ.
When we really learn
that we are those
who have nothing to gain
from this world,
except maybe physical things
and things that are passing,
we need to understand that
these things will not, again,
give us that joy
that the spiritual things
from God will, but why?
Because the spiritual things
from God are eternal in nature.
With those things in mind,
we then need to understand
and focus on a life
that is about living soberly
and righteously
and godly in this present age,
the very thing
that Paul told Titus.
And I believe this is also
what Solomon was trying to say
in the book of Proverbs
there in Proverbs 22:1 --
"A good name is to be chosen
rather than great riches,
loving favor
rather than silver and gold."
Truly,
the important thing in life
is that we as God's people
strive each and every day
to do those things that pertain
to spiritual matters
and the kingdom of God
and to continue enjoying
the blessings
that we have in this life
that might be physical,
but not to focus
on those things,
but rather to put God first,
knowing that by recognizing
that we put God first
that we will receive every good
gift and perfect gift from Him
not only today, but eternally.
Today we'll again be studying
from God's Word
and focusing on those things
related to our series
on a special people.
This morning, the specific topic of our study
will be a special name,
so please stay with us.
And after
our next song together,
I will return with this study
from God's Word.
Well, it's now time to join in
our second song of the morning.
The name of the hymn, "How Shall
the Young Secure Their Hearts?"
>>  How shall the young
secure their hearts 
 And guard their lives
from sin? 
 Thy Word the choicest rules imparts 
 To keep the conscience clean 
>>  The conscience clean 
>>  To keep
the conscience clean 
 'Tis, like the sun,
a heav'nly light 
 That guides us all the day 
 And through the dangers
of the night 
 A lamp to lead our way 
>>  A lamp to lead our way 
>>  A lamp
to lead our way 
 Thy Word is
everlasting truth 
 How pure is every page 
 That holy Book
shall guide our youth 
 And well support our age 
>>  And well support our age 
>>  And well support 
 Our age 
>> "But you are
a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, his own special people,
that you may proclaim
the praises of him
who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light."
We're so thankful that you've
continued with us this morning,
as we now get into
the meat of God's Word,
looking at yet another lesson
in our series
that comes from the passage here
in the book of Peter
that focuses on this unique idea
that we are a very
special people of God.
There are so many
characteristics that stand out
in relationship to God's Word
that make us special
or that make us be found
as special in His sight,
and therefore really likes
to the world of
just how special God is
or how special
we can be to illuminate
the truths of God's Word.
But yet, today, we want to again
consider another idea
that might help us to understand
the significance of something
that is special about being of
that holy and unique
and wondrous generation
that has been established
and a part
of the kingdom of God.
And so today I began by saying
to you, how important is a name?
I've actually had people
tell me before,
"Oh, names don't matter."
When you're dealing
with religious things,
they say,
"Well, a name, one name
is as good as another."
As a grandfather
now, I've got two
very young grandchildren
and one on the way.
I've been very blessed
to have that.
And I know one of
the very first things
that we start talking about
in relationship
to a new grandchild
or that the parents
start thinking about
is, "What will we
call him or her?"
And we might spend
any number of months
looking at names, and sometimes
even before one is pregnant,
they're already thinking about,
"Someday when I have a child,
I want to name my child
that name or this name,"
because it is a name that
they love or that is special.
And then when we have that child
and we assign that name,
oh, how neat it is to be
able to wear that name
and then to know that name
and then to be identified
by that name.
In my life, I was given a name
after my father,
and so I'm called the same name
as my father,
Jerry Raymond Sullins,
but then I'm a junior.
And so it's quite interesting
sometimes that
as we might travel together,
they might look at his passport,
and it says
Jerry Raymond Sullins.
And then they look at mine,
and it says
Jerry Raymond Sullins Jr.
And then they look
at my son's, Trey,
if he's with me, and they have
Jerry Raymond Sullins III.
And what it reminds me
is that names are important
because I've had some of them
wonder, "Is this legitimate?
Is this true?"
But you see
there is an identifier,
a senior, a junior,
and then a third
that makes the names unique
even though they are
so similar.
But if you were to say,
"Jerry Raymond Sullins Jr.,"
you're not going to get
a response from me
because I might not
wear that name,
or my son might not wear
that name or my father.
You see, you're going to wait
to hear the name
or the nickname that you use.
So names are important,
aren't they?
And when I was growing up
and I would be called
and my father would say, "Ray,"
I wouldn't think he was
talking to my sisters,
or when I had my children
and I would say, "Nikki,"
I wouldn't expect Trey or Chase
to respond when I said, "Nikki."
Oh, yes, names are important,
and not only names,
but sometimes
you'll be in a class
and you'll find
that you have the same name
as somebody else,
and what normally happens then?
Well, then somebody will say,
"Well, not just Ray,
but we're going to
call you Billy Ray,
or we're going to call you
by both of your names
so that we can distinguish."
You see, why do we
have to specify
what name identifies who?
Because names are important.
Well, you see, we understand
that in a physical sense.
And then we go on
and we get a driver's license.
They don't put your name.
They put my name on my driver's
license next to my picture.
And if I get a passport,
it's the same.
And if I go to vote,
they don't say,
"Well, you can't use your name.
You just pick
any name you want."
And I just go on the list
and I just point.
I say, "There's my name
right there,"
although it's not my name.
No, they're going to look up
and make sure that based on
where I'm voting
that my name matches.
Why?
Because a name is important,
who you are.
And there might even be
another Ray Sullins.
But it's important to know
that I am the one
that is from
Jerry Raymond Sullins Jr.,
not just Ray, because
there might be another man
that has a name that bears
a first or second name
that is different and
therefore unique and special.
As we think about
all those things,
then, we know the Bible
then speaks of the same truth.
Names in the Bible
thus would be important.
If I say to you, "Jesus,"
I don't expect you
to think of Peter,
or if I say, "Paul," I don't
expect you to think of James,
or if I expect --
or rather say to you, "Israel,"
I don't expect you to immediately think about
the church or
the kingdom of God specifically.
Or if I were to say
to you, "Jacob,"
I don't expect for you
to think about Isaac.
You see, because names, again,
specifically identify,
even in the Bible,
what it is that we know,
what it is that
we're trying to say,
or what it is that we are trying
to get across in that matter.
So what about some different
things, then, that we find?
And there are several categories
that we could look
at this morning,
but because of time,
there are a few things
that we'll look at
just to show the point.
What about the word "church"?
Some people say, "Well,
the concept of the church
isn't important."
The Bible has
a specific word, "ekklesia,"
which means church or the called-out, the assembly of God.
And certainly when we use
the word "church"
from the Greek word "ekklesia,"
it is a reminder to us today
that the church is the people.
Sometimes we drive down
the road and we say,
"Oh, I wonder
what that church is."
And we're looking
at a building.
Well, that's not
a church at all.
That's a facility.
You see, again, words
and the meaning of words
and what they identify --
What does the church identify?
You and me, the faithful
who assemble,
who worship,
who have left sin to serve God,
we are the church, not some
facility at some location
or some building
that has been erected
that we might assemble in.
You see, words, meaning of words, concepts of words,
all these things are important,
even from the religious
standpoint of a name
such as Father.
How many, unfortunately, misuse
the word "father"
in a spiritual sense today?
You know, even Jesus dealt
with this in Matthew 23
when He was cautioning them
to call no man Father.
Are there not religions today
that call men who are still
on this earth
their father,
their spiritual father?
Jesus actually said there's
only one spiritual father,
and that's God the Father.
Now, if I call a man besides God
the Father in a spiritual sense
and I'm somehow
elevating him,
have I not then done
what's wrong?
And then would that not identify
to me that using that name
or that word
that identifies a person
or the name of a person
that I use that in a proper way?
You see, certainly it would.
And these things, to me,
are very elementary
in trying to understand that,
yes, that's exactly
what we would think
as those who love God
and want to follow God.
The same way that we wear
the name Christian itself.
Do you remember there
in Acts 11:26
when we find the idea
that it was there
that people, the followers,
the disciples of God
were first called Christians?
Well, if I'm supposed
to be a Christian,
wouldn't it be significant
that I certainly then,
wearing the name of Christ,
if you might notice the root
or the foundation of that word,
that I use the name Christ to
identify what I'm connected to,
not a man.
You're not
a follower of Ray,
I would hope, or the follower
of a man named John
or even a man
named Paul or Peter.
But we are followers of Christ.
In fact, in the Bible,
we even see that Paul and Peter
and others always
encourage people to do what?
To look to Christ.
To look to Christ.
To follow Him.
To know that He was the Savior.
John the Immerser,
or the Baptizer,
did the very same thing.
He pointed to the Christ,
the one who's name
alone salvation is found in.
Let me tell you,
if the Bible says
that there's salvation found
in no other name
but Jesus, then
the name of Jesus,
the Christ, the Messiah,
oh, that's an important name.
And there's no
other name like it.
There's no other name
like any of these names.
And another thing
that I'd like to think about
just for a few moments
about names
is, what about the things that
we call ourselves as the church?
Should we as the church
or followers of God
call ourselves after mere men?
Should we call ourselves
after maybe those
who "founded" our denominations,
our religions?
Should we call ourselves
after maybe different types
of characteristics or acts
that we should participate
or be involved in as Christians?
And what about today?
I travel around Springfield
and around the country,
and I see that people just are
picking and choosing any name
to refer to themselves
from a religious standpoint.
They might even be a simple idea
or concept or truth
that is found in God's Word
rather than a name
that gives credit to the one
who shed His blood
to purchase the church,
Acts 20 and verse 8 --
or 28, rather.
You know, when we look
at the idea of the church,
what was it that
in the New Testament --
what name do we find
in the New Testament?
The types of names that gave
glory to Christ as those who
were followers of Christ.
You'll not find anyone
in the New Testament
saying, "I was of Paul.
I was of Apollos."
The only time you'll find that,
in 1 Corinthians,
is when it is found
in a negative way
and being condemned as such.
What you'll find
in the New Testament,
rather, is Romans 16:16,
the idea such as "the churches
of Christ salute you."
1 Corinthians 1:2,
"the church of God."
The concept there
of Ephesians 4:12,
"the body of Christ."
There 1 Timothy 3:15,
"the church of the living God,"
and there even Hebrews 12:23,
"the church of the firstborn."
What do you notice
about every title,
every time that a name is used
to identify the church
or the assembly of God's people
in the New Testament?
Never gives glory to men.
Never talks about,
really, the things
that someone must do to be found
right in characteristics
to be proper before God,
but it in every case gives glory
and honor to God, Christ,
and the creator Himself.
Why?
Because names are important.
Let me challenge you
this morning
to think about the names
that we use in religion
and make sure that
everything that we do,
everything that we say
is according to and giving glory
to the one
who is deserving of such,
the only one that died for your
sins and mine, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, may we boldly
and in a proud way
be able to stand
before the world and say,
"I am a member
of the church of my God."
>>  Whate'er you do
in word or deed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Do naught in name
of man or creed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Do all in His name 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 In word or deed,
as God decreed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Be not deceived
by worldly greed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 The Spirit says,
"In word or deed" 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Do all in His name 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 In word or deed,
as God decreed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Till toils and labors
here are done 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Dear Christian friends,
if you'd be one 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 Do all in His name 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
 In word or deed,
as God decreed 
 Do all in the name
of the Lord 
>> Let me thank you again
for choosing to be with us today
for "The Living Word" program.
I hope and trust that together
we have all benefited
from this time together
before the throne of God.
And let me invite you to join us
each and every Lord's day
at 7:30 as we give this time
to our creator.
But for now, let me ask you
if you have any questions
or comments
about today's lesson.
Maybe like a free transcript or
a free CD or DVD of the program,
or possibly we could assist you
by helping 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 wonderful it is
to be God's children
and to proudly wear
the name of Christ
as true followers of God.
There is no greater name
that we can have from God
than that which is about
being a true Christian.
So the question
this morning is,
are you faithfully wearing
the name of God 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.
>>  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 
 Till night shall vanish