Metaphors for God

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Metaphors-for-God.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 18:1-19   I.         Figures of speech have long been used in communicating ideas.             A.        Prior to the modern usage of font styles, the content of the text itself called the reader’s attention to what was important.             B.        Figures of speech grabs your attention because they depart from the usual rules of…

Read More

In the Midst of Evil

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/In-The-Midst-Of-Evil.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:3-9   I.         Abraham was told that his descendants would be strangers and slaves in a land before being brought back out 400 years later – Genesis 15:13             A.        That nation, Egypt, was one of the more wicked places on earth, totally given over to idolatry                         1.         It became one…

Read More

Angry Words

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Angry-Words.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:25-5:2   I.         The Bible speaks of two types of anger             A.        The quick, fly-off-the handle, hot tempered anger             B.        The slow, methodical, vengeful anger             C.        Both are dangerous for different reasons             D.        Colossians 3:8                         1.         Orge (anger) is the slow building type of anger                         2.         Thumos (wrath) is the passionate hot-tempered type of anger…

Read More

God Revealed

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/God-Revealed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 15:1-6   I.         In the beginning, Adam and Eve had fellowship with God             A.        God directly interacted with His creation – Genesis 2:15-22             B.        He walked in the garden – Genesis 3:8             C.        But they had sinned and that sin – separated them from God – Genesis 3:22-24             D.        That has remained true…

Read More

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Hold-to-Gods-Unchanging-Hand.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 1:3-11   I.         The world seems to be constantly changing.             A.        The one constant seems to be the turmoil             B.        The change is rarely beneficial             C.        Early in the last century a blind poetess, Jennie Wilson, wrote a reminder to us that the world changes but God does not II.        Men are unreliable…

Read More

When Wisdom Calls

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/When-Wisdom-Calls.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Proverbs 1:20-33   I.         Will Rogers once said, “Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing, nobody listens and then everybody disagrees.”             A.        I’m sure those in politics get frustrated when it seems no one listens.             B.        But then we all do. We might not be the deepest…

Read More

Fools

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Fools.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:37-54   I.         We see fools all around us,             A.        But no one wants to be thought of as a fool                         1.         (1995) In Wesley Chapel, Florida, Joseph Aaron, 20, While repairing a car, found he needed to bore a hole in the pipe. When he couldn’t find a drill, he…

Read More

Peace, Perfect Peace

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Peace-Perfect-Peace.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 3:13-18   I.         Peace is a commodity much desired and rarely found             A.        As Christians we are told to live in peace – II Corinthians 13:11             B.        God is a God of peace – Philippians 4:7             C.        So we expect that those following His teachings find peace – Galatians 5:22-23             D.        The problem…

Read More

Obedience Is Necessary

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Obedience-Is-Necessary.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Read More

Spiritual Education

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Spiritual-Education.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

Read More

What Is Cowardice?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/What-Is-Cowardice.mp3 by Anthony Hamilton

Read More

Why Do Wars Exist?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Why-Do-Wars-Exist.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 59:1-18   I.         In my youth, the Vietnam War was being fought. It was an unpopular war that generated a lot of protest songs.             A.        One song called “War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong exclaimed, “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!”             B.        So can wars and acts of…

Read More

A Trustworthy Statement

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A-Trustworthy-Statement.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton II Timothy 2:8-13   I.         If we died with him             A.        Related to Romans 6:3-7                         1.         In baptism we share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus                         2.         Death leads to life                                     a.         New (different) life here on earth – Romans 6:4                                     b.         A life after physical death – Romans 6:5                                     c.         The latter is what…

Read More

Unconditional Love

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/Unconditional-Love.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 136:1-26   I.         I was reading a book that began to speak of the love of God.             A.        As many denominational writers do, he referred to the unconditional love of God.             B.        By this, he and others believe that God loves all people, no matter how they behave.                         1.         Often a parallel…

Read More

The Ugly Ways of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Ugly-Ways-of-Life.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

Read More

Honor Your Father and Mother

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Honor-Your-Father-and-Mother.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-3   I.         One of the Ten Commandments of the Old Law is brought to the New Law intact. It is the commandment to honor our parents             A.        The word “honor” in this passage means to fix a value on something, to consider it a prized possession.             B.        The original Hebrew…

Read More

No Other Gods

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/No-Other-Gods.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 40:12-26   I.         The Ten Commandments formed the prologue to the Law of Moses             A.        They were the foundation of the Old Law             B.        Even though the Law of Moses ended, nine of those ten commandments are still in effect today.             C.        Understanding these basic laws can help us understand the New…

Read More

Love and Respect

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Love-and-Respect.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 5:25-33   I.         There are some topics that are joined such that you cannot have one without the other.             A.        Faith and obedience are two sides the same subject.                         1.         You can’t really have faith without obedience – James 2:14-18                         2.         And you can’t really have obedience without faith – Romans 4:2-5…

Read More

Reverence

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Reverence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 89:1-16   I.         Hebrews 12:28-29 – Offer service to God with reverence and godly fear             A.        Reverence means                         1.         “A feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration.”                         2.         The word literally means “with downcast eyes” or bashfulness.             B.        Psalms 2:11 – Serve God with fear, rejoice with trembling             C.        Psalms 89:5-15…

Read More

Boredom

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Boredom.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         The child has a room full of action figures, video games, cable TV, VCR, a huge collection of video tapes, every piece of sports equipment known to man, his own telephone, a fully loaded computer with Internet access — but he doesn’t have anything to do. He’s bored.             A.        Boredom is…

Read More

Denying Oneself

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Denying-Oneself.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:11-14   I.         Self-improvement books abound. People constantly look for means wherein they can make themselves better.             A.        “Better,” in most people’s books, means happiness.             B.        But to many people there are limits to betterment             C.        Ingrid Law captured the idea when she wrote, “You can’t get rid of a part that…

Read More

Prisoners of Hope

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Prisoners-of-Hope.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Zechariah 9:9-12   I.         The book of Zechariah is one of both scoldings and exhortation.             A.        The people after their return from captivity had fallen into complacency and indifference toward their religion.             B.        Zechariah calls them to change through warnings – Zechariah 1:2-6             C.        And he encourages them through visions of the future.…

Read More

The Hope of Eternal Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Hope-of-Life-Eternal.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 15:12-19   I.         It is no secret that many ministers in the denominational world lack faith in the Bible.             A.        Methodists: 51%, Episcopalians: 35%, American Baptist: 33%, Presbyterians 30%, American Lutherans: 13% doubt Jesus’ physical resurrection [Jeffrey Hadden, results of a survey of 7,441 Protestant ministers published in PrayerNet…

Read More

A Talk About Faith

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/A-Talk-About-Faith.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

Read More

The Embarrassment of Sin

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Embarrassment-of-Sin.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

Read More

Yet Not with a Whole Heart

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Yet-Not-with-a-Whole-Heart.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Chronicles 25:1-16   I.         Amaziah was the son of Joash.             A.        His father started reigning at an extremely young age because his grandmother had killed all the heirs to the throne of David, except him. – II Chronicle 22:10-12                         1.         She was eventually killed and Joash was placed on the throne.…

Read More

Fruitful Christians

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Fruitful-Christians.mp3 by Jeffery W. Hamilton Text John 15:1-8   I.         We know that Jesus’ words in John 15 concerning the vine and branches are dealing with individual Christians and not denominations.             A.        Jesus is the vine, each one of us are branches off that vine, and God is the vinedresser.             B.        But don’t get so caught up in…

Read More

Death

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Death.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 14:1-15   I.         Death is first mentioned in Genesis 2:17 as a consequence for partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil             A.        In the punishment of Adam, death is mentioned – Genesis 3:19             B.        Yet, Adam lived 930 years before dying – Genesis 5:5…

Read More

Our Home

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Our-Home.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 5:1-9   I.         God has promised us a place of rest – Hebrews 4:1-3             A.        There are days when I turn over in bed and start to think about all the things I need to get done today.                         1.         Even though it is earlier than I need to get up,…

Read More

Yesterday

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Yesterday.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 90   I.         Yesterday only exists in fading memories, worn out photographs, and history books             A.        It is a collection of, often times, imperfect records kept in imperfect medium II.        Yet, it is also one of the finest learning centers available, if we are willing to go there to learn             A.        Paul…

Read More

Unleavened Bread

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Unleavened-Bread.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Exodus 12:14-20   I.         Sometimes you can’t wait             A.        When Lot invited men to spend the night at his home, he didn’t have time wait for bread dough to rise, so his feast was served with unleavened bread – Genesis 19:3             B.        When it was time for Israel to leave Egypt, the…

Read More

It’s Going to Be OK

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Its-Going-to-Be-OK.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

Read More

Mary’s House

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Marys-House.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 12:12-17   I.         In Acts 12 we learn that the persecution of the church intensified in Judea.             A.        Herod had the apostle James killed – Acts 12:1-2             B.        It was a popular act, and so he planned to repeat it by having Peter killed – Acts 12:3-4             C.        But Peter did not…

Read More

Hospitality (Hamilton)

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Hospitality.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: III John 3-8   I.         Sometimes you are so familiar with a term that you never stop to examine whether your use of the term is actually correct             A.        Years ago, I was studying about hospitality. There are several passages in the New Testament that tells us to be hospitable                         1.         Romans…

Read More