>> [ Congregation singing ]

>> 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...

>> [ Congregation singing ]

>> ...as we present
The Living Word.

>> [ Singing continues ]

♪♪

>> Now here is your host,
Ray Sullins.

>> Thank you for joining
us today

for the Living Word program.

And as always,

it is our great privilege
to have you with us

as we give this time to our God.

It is further our prayer

that we will each praise
God this morning,

as well as do all those things

that we are encouraged
to do by him

as we join in these offerings
and sacrifices

before his throne.

What better way
to start the Lord's Day

than to give him such sacrifices
which are pleasing

by speaking to God in prayer,

by singing songs of praise,

and by studying
from his precious word?

So 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 the many great

and wondrous blessings of life.

And, Father, we ask
that you'll help us this day

and every day to be
those lights of this world

that others might know you,

have the desire to follow you,
and obey your perfect will.

Father, we know
that it is only through you

and your great love
and mercy and grace

that we're able to be found
presentable today and eternally.

And, Father, help us to live
every day with such insight,

knowing that the faithful
will be found such in the end.

And, Father, we most of all

are thankful for the great gift
of Jesus,

his death on the cross, knowing
that he died through love,

that we might have life now
and life eternal.

These things we pray
in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now let's sing our first song
of the morning

as we join together
in a great opportunity

to understand what it is
that Jesus has done

that we might be saved.

Won't you join in with
the congregation at this time

as we sing together,
Sing Hallelujah to the Lord.

>> ♪ Sing hallelujah
to the Lord ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah to the Lord ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah,
sing hallelujah ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah to the Lord ♪

♪ Jesus is risen from the dead ♪

♪ Jesus is risen from the dead ♪

♪ Jesus is risen,
Jesus is risen ♪

♪ Jesus is risen from the dead ♪

♪ Jesus is living
in His church ♪

♪ Jesus is living
in His church ♪

♪ Jesus is living,
Jesus is living ♪

♪ Jesus is living
in His church ♪

♪ Jesus is Lord
of heav’n and earth ♪

♪ Jesus is Lord
of heav’n and earth ♪

♪ Jesus is Lord,
Jesus is Lord ♪

♪ Jesus is Lord
of heav’n and earth ♪

♪ He’s coming back
to claim His own ♪

♪ He’s coming back
to claim His own ♪

♪ He's coming back,
He's coming back ♪

♪ He’s coming back
to claim His own ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah to the Lord ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah to the Lord ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah,
sing hallelujah ♪

♪ Sing hallelujah to the Lord ♪

>> If I were to ask you,
what is the hardest thing

for you to control in life,
what would your answer be?

Maybe you would say,
it's hard to control my kids.

Well, certainly that's
a big problem in our society

and we often see that
all around us today, don't we?

Others might say,

well, it's hard to control
my wife or my husband.

Well, watch out, you
might get in trouble for that.

Because the fact is,

is that sometimes we all
need a bit of correction.

The fact is, you see,

there are many things
that are hard to control

or difficult to control in life.

But again, what is
the hardest thing to control?

Well, according to the Bible,

there's one thing that is
really difficult to control

and that is our thoughts.

Think about that
for just one moment.

No one sees your thoughts.
No one hears your thoughts.

No one really knows what's
on your mind,

even at this very moment.

I believe that is why it is
so hard to control our thoughts.

because in many ways
they are so private.

We can think about other things

or picture other things
in our mind again and again,

and no one even knows it.

When was the last time
that you had a bad

or an ugly thought against
someone that you didn't like,

and they didn't even know
what you were thinking?

When was the last time

that you had a bad thought about
that person

who pulled out in front of you,

and they really didn't even know
what you were thinking as well?

I've gotten,

or rather, I've got
some bad news for you.

As those who certainly know
Christ and know Jesus,

we need to realize
that we are not justified

in having those thoughts
that are improper

just because others
don't know it.

You are not justified yourself,

nor am I justified
in such things.

In Luke chapter 16,
verse 15, we read,

you are those who justify
yourselves before men.

But guess what?
God knows your hearts.

Isn't this why Paul then said
in Philippians chapter four

and verse eight that
we need to think on good things,

things that certainly are above,

when there we read, finally,
brethren,

whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are
of a good report,

if there's any virtue
and if there's anything

praiseworthy, meditate
on these things.

So our thoughts must be good,

because we want to be
pleasing to God.

And by the way,

as we've learned,
God knows all of our thoughts.

They are not hidden.

On the other hand,

we must be those
who have good thoughts

because they make us who we are.

Do you remember what
Solomon said?

For as one thinks in his heart,
so is he.

Proverbs chapter 23
and verse seven.

In other words, we will
eventually be what we think

if we have bad and evil
thoughts.

We will then have what?
Those who eventually do

and say things that are evil.

However, if we have good
or righteous thoughts,

then we eventually will also
bear the fruit of those things

that are good and righteous.

So what do you think about
in your daily life?

Is it something that is
pleasing to God as it should be?

Is it something
that again shows forth

that you are a good person,
that you live in the world

as you have been commanded
by God to live?

And therefore you think about
those things

that God has given you of a
spiritual and righteous nature,

not like the world.

If this is true, then
you'll be found pleasing to God.

If not, why not choose today
to get control of your mind,

to get control of your thoughts,

and to begin to think
on those things

that will make you
a better person.

This morning we will
be continuing our series

which is entitled
Buy the Truth and Sell It Not.

Our specific lesson today

is called, What Role Does
God's Authority Play in Truth?

So please stay with us for
this lesson from God's Word.

And after our next song
together,

we will be returning and
be led in this study of the day.

As far as our guest speaker,

we're happy to have
Brother Trey Sullins with us.

Brother Trey is
a full-time instructor

at the Bible Institute
of Missouri,

and he's also one
of the ministers

of the Kansas Expressway
Church of Christ.

We always are thankful
when he joins us.

We look forward to him

leading our main thoughts
from God's Word.

But as for now,

won't you join again
with the congregation

as we sing our second song
of the morning.

The name of the hymn,
Blue Skies and Rainbows.

>> ♪ Blue skies and rainbows,
and sunbeams from heaven ♪

♪ Are what I can see
when my Lord is living in me ♪

♪ I know that Jesus is well
and alive today ♪

♪ He makes his home
in my heart ♪

♪ Never more will I be
all alone, since he ♪

♪ Promised me that we
never would part ♪

♪ Green grass and flowers
all blooming in springtime ♪

♪ Are works of the master I live
for each day, I know that ♪

♪ Jesus is well,
and alive today ♪

♪ He makes his home
in my heart ♪

♪ Never more will I be
all alone, since he ♪

♪ Promised me
that we never would part ♪

♪ Tall mountains, green valleys
the beauty that surrounds me ♪

♪ All make me aware of the One
who made it all, I know that ♪

♪ Jesus is well,
and alive today ♪

♪ He makes his home
in my heart ♪

♪ Never more will I be
all alone, since he ♪

♪ Promised me
that we never would part ♪

>> Good morning and thank you
so much for being here with us

again on this Lord's Day.

It is a pleasure to be here
that we can study God's Word

and to worship him.

And what a gift
that he gives to us,

that we can do this
every first day of the week,

and that we even have
the opportunity.

Without him, of course, there'd
be no chance for any of this

to happen, that we can serve him
and worship him.

We've been looking at truth
over the last few weeks,

as you probably will remember,

and as we have seen
the truth now,

these two other lessons before,

we have discussed many
great things

that show us the introduction to
truth, particularly God's truth.

What is God's truth

and why does that even matter
to us as his people?

But as we continue on now,

what we want to do is to see
the specific idea of what role

does God's authority play
in truth.

More particularly,

we'll be looking at
how does that truth get to us.

When we think about God
as the creator,

the one who has all authority,

how then does his authority come
to us in the truth?

And that's the process we're
going to be looking at.

Now, thankfully, the Bible
provides those answers to us

and shows us exactly
how he gives us that authority.

As we even look out to the world
around us,

there's a whole lot of answers
out there that you might find,

as some will teach that today,

the God still authorizes

and gives us stuff directly
into our brains.

We might have visions and dreams
and these kinds of things.

We might see signs and symbols
throughout the world.

But what does the Bible say?
That's what we want to know.

We want to specifically see,

how does God tell us
that he authorizes us

and gives us the truth
in this world today?

And as we jump even into
John chapter 16 and verse 13,

there's a great passage here

which is going to serve
sort of as the catalyst

that we will get back to here
later in our study.

John 16:13 says, however,
when he,

the spirit of truth has come, he
will guide you into all truth,

for he will not speak
on his own authority,

but whatever he hears,
he will speak,

and he will tell you things
to come.

Now you can see right there
a simple pattern that's laid out

that is actually
a little bit later,

as I said in our study
this morning.

But that simple pattern

you find right there is
that these apostles --

that's who John was talking,
or Jesus was talking to --

were going to be given
this truth,

were going to be given
this revelation from he,

the spirit, the Holy Spirit.

But how do we get to that point
of John chapter 16 and verse 13?

Well, it all starts
with God the Father.

And this is kind of the obvious
thing to all of it, right?

Even in Matthew chapter 28,
verse 19 to 20, Jesus says,

or 18 through 20, Jesus says,

all authority has been given
to me in heaven and on earth.

And so you think about
what he's saying there.

All authority was given
to Jesus, given by who?

Well, by God the Father.

All the way back in the book
of Exodus,

chapter 13 --
or chapter three, rather,

in verse 14,
God says to Moses,

tell the people
I am has sent you.

That statement,
I am, refers to the fact

that God is the all-powerful.

He's the all-existing.

He's the always existing,

eternal one,
and self-existing God of all.

There is no other being like him
in existence

or has ever been in existence.

He's the only one
and that is God.

Now, when you think about God
as such an all-powerful being,

of course he's going to be
the one in authority.

You consider with me some
other ideas as well about God.

Why is he an authority?

Well, he is the only one
like that.

The only one
who has this eternal existence

that is in the future
and in the past.

He's also the only one
who has all power.

There is no other being
like him,

as we said, but he's also
the one who created all things.

Now, as even the Bible
illustrates in several places

that when you own something
and you make something,

it's within your power to choose
what you want to do with it.

And so if you have a vehicle or
a house or whatever it might be,

you get to decide how
you're going to use that thing

or not use that thing
or abuse that thing,

or whatever the case might be.

It is yours to make
those decisions with.

And so it is with God.
He created this world.

He owns this world.

Therefore he's going to decide
what he wants to do.

He is the one in authority,

is what we're trying
to point out here.

In Ephesians chapter four,
verse six,

the Bible also tells us
that he is above all,

and so he remains
at that place of being

in authority over all things.

There is no time in history

that mankind has become
greater than God,

that we've learned
ourselves to be like him,

or like Jesus has become
greater than the father.

But God the Father still remains
at the top of this.

His authority,

his position as the one
who authorizes,

is going to pass down
that authority

throughout this whole process.

We've already talked about,
in fact,

the second part of this process.

Where does God the Father
first delegate his authority to,

in Matthew 28:18-19
again, or 20 again.

It says all authority
has been given to me

in heaven and on earth.

So God the Father
passed that authority down

to Jesus the Christ.

And it was Jesus the Christ
then.

What did he do with
that authority?

Well, John chapter one,
verse one tells us,

and the following verses,
that he came to this earth

and he spoke the words of God.

He is called "the word" there
in John 1:1 --

And the word delivered the words
or the truth of God.

He delivered what God
has authorized for us today.

And Jesus went about the earth
doing that in that first century

in which he lived,

and continued to do that,
not only to teach

and to speak the words of God,

but to confirm those words
of God.

He used miraculous things
and the powers

that he certainly had as God

to be able to prove what
he was saying.

And this is the next element
of the truth

that we've been looking at,

that it's not just
that God said these things.

It's not just that we have some
words written for us in a book,

but it's that even biblically
and historically,

there were things that
were done to confirm these words

that prove they have to be
from God.

In fact, even this book itself,
the very Bible

that we can hold
and look at today,

is evidence that God exists

because it could not have
been constructed by mankind.

There's just no way
that it could have been done.

Too many years, too many
authors, too many backgrounds,

and yet
not a single discrepancy,

not a single thing
that is incorrect throughout it.

But all that being said
in the Old Testament,

that first step of God's
authorization,

where he himself
was speaking to people,

he would confirm that truth.

He would tell people,
this is what you need to do.

And then he would perform
signs and wonders.

Think about the plagues
in Egypt,

just shortly there
in the book of Exodus.

He confirmed what he said
with miraculous things.

Well, Jesus did the same thing
as he was going around healing

and even raising from the dead

and all these different signs
and wonders that he did

that confirm what
this man is saying is the truth.

You've got to think about
why that's so important.

Because if we are God's
people or God's creation today,

we might hear any number
of different things

out there in the world.

In fact, we were just
in the country of Ghana

not too long ago,

and there was a great
big billboard there

right off the one of the main
roundabouts in the city.

And this great billboard,
it said on it,

"the savior of Ghana
and of the world,"

and there was a picture
of some man's face on it,

some man who was now claiming,
as the billboard said,

to be of the third religion
of the world.

Whatever that means,
I'm not entirely sure,

but that's what he was claiming,

that he was the savior
of the world.

And as he goes around Ghana

and teaches these things
that he's teaching to people,

how many of his words
will be confirmed with miracles?

Not a single one,
not a single one.

Not a single sign or wonder
will he perform.

That's what sets apart
the truth that God brought

and the truth
that we find within these pages,

and any sort of thing
that man can come up with,

that God confirms
what authority he has

with the power
that he has as well.

But that continues on with us,

then, as we look throughout
the rest of this study.

We've got now God the Father,

who delegated first
that authority

to Jesus Christ the Son,
Matthew 28:18-20.

But what did Jesus then continue
to do with that?

As we said, he walked around
and spoke

and confirmed those things,

but that wasn't the end of it.

That's where we pick up
again in John chapter 16.

You see, Jesus left this earth,
and one of the teachings

that he continually taught
his disciples,

and even a lot of
the other followers that he had,

the 12 and many others,

that he was not going to be
on this earth forever.

Very shortly, in fact,

he was going to be leaving, and
he would continually tell them

he was going to be leaving
and dying even.

But they didn't understand
what that meant.

In their minds,
this is the Son of God --

He can't be leaving.

He's got to stay here forever.

Well, they figured it out pretty
quickly once it all came to,

and it started to happen
before their very eyes.

But that's where John 16:13
comes in.

Jesus knows he's going to leave.

So what does he say in verse 13
again?

When the spirit of truth
has come,

he will guide you
into all truth,

for he will not speak
on his own authority.

But whatever he hears,
he will speak,

and he will tell you things
to come.

So you've got God the Father,
you've got Jesus the Christ,

and now you've got
the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit
then was given the message

that would be delivered
exactly as well to the people

that needed it, and
not just some random message.

Not just something that
the Holy Spirit wanted to bring.

But as it says, even in
this passage, he will give --

he will not speak
on his own authority,

but whatever he hears,
he will speak.

AKA he's going to say
exactly what comes right down

this chain, straight
from God the Father himself,

straight from the authority
of all things himself.

That's what he's going to speak.

Now, that's really important
as well, because very shortly,

as we said,
Jesus the Christ died.

He left this earth and would
be raised again the third day.

And after he was raised,
he continued to prove

that raising a few more times.

And then he left again.

The ascension that we find
there in the book of Acts

and referenced right at
the end of the Gospels

in most of them.

You find that the apostles
in the book of Acts

continue to propagate
the truth of God.

They went around everywhere,

as it's even mentioned there in
the Bible, in the New Testament,

that the whole world
was preached to.

They kept going around

and preaching by the power
of the Holy Spirit,

the authority of God
that was delivered to them,

God the Father, Jesus
the Christ, the Holy Spirit,

and then given to the apostles.

That brings us then to
where are we?

Because here we are today,
2,000 years later,

after those events have
happened.

Where is God's authority today?

Well, what we have is
something so powerful.

1 Corinthians chapter 13
is explaining

how the miraculous things
need to be done with love,

and they need to be done
in a proper way.

And the great love chapter,
as we say there,

it's really about
miraculous things in love.

But at the end of that chapter
or that section,

rather, Paul gives a
really great exhortation there.

He says that when that
which is perfect has come,

that which is in part
will be done away.

That which is in part,
in context,

is a direct reference to
the miraculous things.

You see, God's authority
on Earth

would be given in the words
that he delivered,

confirmed
by the miraculous things.

But Paul says there

that those miraculous things
would be done away with

once we have the perfect.

Well, we have the perfect today,
don't we?

These words within this book
were written down by those

who were directly inspired
by God the Father

to Jesus the Christ
from the Holy Spirit,

written down
so that we have it today.

Those are the words
we have to follow

if we want to approach our God
for an eternity in heaven.

>> ♪ 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" ♪

>> We praise God that you
have put him first this morning

by choosing to give this time
to him

as we have worshiped
our creator.

And it's always wonderful
to have you with us,

and we invite you back
every Lord's Day morning at 7:30

as we give this time
always to God.

But for now,

let me ask you 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.

The Living Word,
2540 North Kansas Expressway,

Springfield, Missouri 65803.

Many of these items are
also available on our website,

including archives
of this program.

That can be found
at TheLivingWordProgram.com.

Or, if you prefer, you may
call us at (417)869-2284.

What an-all powerful God
that we serve

who has all authority
over all things.

May we therefore always submit
to God's full authority

as given to us in the truth,

and may we always do everything
which God says and commands

that we might always
be found pleasing in his sight.

>> 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.

>> [ Congregation singing ]

♪♪

♪♪