Sermon
Why Do People Lie?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:17-32 I. It happens over and over, someone tells me about a situation to get some advice on what to do, but as the story progresses, it becomes painfully obvious that the person is lying. A. Critical facts are left out, the wrong attitude is expressed, and inconsistencies appear, especially…
Read MoreThe Work of Baptism
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 6:1-11 I. A frequent objection raised to baptism is that it is a work A. “We are not saved by works.” we are told. 1. Romans 4:4-5 – Faith justifies 2. Ephesians 2:8-9 – Saved not as a result of works B. Now certainly baptism is something done, hence it is a work.…
Read MoreWhen Children Go Wrong
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. The raising of a child is a fearful responsibility. A. God entrusts you with the care of a precious soul wrapped up in a tiny body. B. All souls belong to God – Ezekiel 18:4 C. Each child is a precious gift 1. Jacob understood this – Genesis 33:5 2. The Psalmist so stated – Psalm…
Read MoreWhat Is the Law? (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 19:7-11 I. Frequently, when people try to force an odd interpretation on the Scriptures or desire to ignore a portion of the Writings, they declare “Oh, that is part of the law, but I’m not under law. I’m under grace.” A. Seventh-Day Adventist divide the Old Testament into civil and…
Read MoreWhat is Salvation?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51 I. The question seems almost ridiculously trivial, but in the years that I have talked with people about their salvation, I’ve come to realize that some of the misinformation out there is rooted in the fact that people don’t know what they are talking about. A. There is a…
Read MoreWhat Comes Out of Your Mouth
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 3:1-12 I. People are not known for their consistency II. What we say does not match what we do A. The Pharisees talked about doing the right things, but they did not put them to practice in their own lives – Matthew 23:1-4 B. Claim one thing, do something else – Titus…
Read MoreTrials of Life (Sermon)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 12:5-14 I. God knows the hearts of men A. I Samuel 16:7 “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” B. Luke 16:15 “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men,…
Read MoreThree Kingdoms
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. John 3:1-21 A. In this teaching to Nicodemus, Jesus alludes to three different kingdoms. One directly and two indirectly 1. The kingdom of the flesh, or the world. 2. The kingdom of God, or the Spirit 3. The kingdom in heaven B. One preacher, Alexander Campbell referred to these three kingdoms as the kingdoms of nature,…
Read MoreThat Church Isn’t Doing Anything!
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 1:24-30 I. Periodically criticism is leveled at a church – not just this church, I’ve heard it said against many churches – “That church isn’t doing anything!” A. I will admit that there is always room for improvement. 1. There are many things I wish we had accomplished. 2. I sure there…
Read MoreSubstitutions
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. One of the local restaurants used to make wonderful chocolate-chip cookies. They were a bit expensive, but I would buy a dozen or sometimes more for the family. I used the past tense, because they changed their recipe. I suspected it the first time I saw them. I knew it as…
Read MoreA Study of Romans 14
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. I remember the shock I had a number of years ago to learn that Wayne Gretsky, the hockey player, was younger than I was. Somehow, I always thought that sports heros were older than me. A. Oh, we know we are growing older, but sometimes all the ramifications of maturity doesn’t hit…
Read MoreA Sin Leading to Death (Sermon)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. I John 5:16-17 A. Some sins lead to death, but others do not B. We should pray for those who sin which does not lead to death. C. We are not to pray for those whose sin leads to death II. How do we tell which sin leads to death? A. Which kind of death? 1. Physical…
Read MoreSin in Action
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. I’ve been telling my wife that clearly I need to lose some weight. A. Teasingly I’ve pointed out that the concerns of the last few weeks have some benefit, I’ve lost my appetite and dropped a few pounds. B. Perhaps I can keep that going. I’ve heard: 1. If you eat something and no…
Read MoreSir, We Would See Jesus at His Death
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 1:18-20 I. Certain Greeks once came to the disciples asking for the privilege to see Jesus – John 12:20-21 A. We don’t really know anything about the physical characteristics of Jesus. 1. We know that it was prophesied that he wasn’t handsome – Isaiah 53:2 2. But the reality is that they…
Read MoreThe Second Death
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Rev. 21:7-8 A. A sample of those who are going to die the “Second Death” B. Not a complete list, but it gives us an idea of the practices God views as punishable. II. What is the second death? A. First we need to answer, what is the first death? 1. All men have an appointment…
Read MoreThe Rights of God
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 11:1-18 I. When Peter returned to Jerusalem after the conversion of the Gentile, Cornelius, he met with opposition. A. He was accused of associating with unholy people – Acts 11:2-3 B. Peter recounted the events that led him to Cornelius’ house and the miracle that was done there. C. But the key…
Read MoreResolved!
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 3:7-14 I. The old year is behind us and a whole new year lies before us A. What does this year hold for you? 1. What would you like to do? 2. What will you actually do? B. Each day is unique 1. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” 2. Today…
Read MoreThe Poor Among Us
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 72 I. Poverty is an existing problem. It has always been this way and it will continue until the world ends. A. Jesus said “You will always have the poor among you.” – John 12:8 B. Poverty comes from a variety of sources: Circumstances, incapacity, and sometimes even by choice 1. These…
Read MoreOur Father in Heaven
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:1-13 I. God calls us to be His special people – II Corinthians 6:16-18 A. If we will separate ourselves from the world, God will be our Father and we will be His sons and daughters B. Why did God pick the role of a father to describe His relationship with…
Read MoreDancing (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. A. It is difficult to be a Christian B. We live in a world that says it follows the Bible, but doesn’t care what the Bible says C. As result we face many temptations and those we know don’t recognize the sins. II. What do we do? A. Live like a hermit or monk? Withdraw from…
Read MoreNeutrality in War
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/10/Neutrality-in-War.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Obadiah 10-15 I. The book of Obadiah is directed to the nation of Edom. A. Edomites were related to Israelites through Abraham. B. While never fond of each other, they usually managed to live peacefully next to each other. C. When Israel fell, Edom did not make any overt move…
Read MoreThe Jesus Seminar
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. At the beginning of April, 1996, three major news magazines [Times, Newsweek, and US News and World Report] all carried the same lead story – “the search for the historical Jesus” A. This wasn’t a coincidence. A group of self-proclaimed scholars, called “The Jesus Society”, were behind the stories. B. Questions regarding who…
Read MoreIs Anything Done in Moderation Not a Sin?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 6:8-15 I. I was asked recently what I thought about the argument that gambling once in a while (two or three times a week) wasn’t sinful because “anything done in moderation is not a sin.” A. We could address the issue of gambling from a number of viewpoints to show…
Read MoreA Heart-Felt Religion?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/09/A-Heart-Felt-Religion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: John 4:19-24 I. It seems many people today are struggling with the concept of worship. A. Suppose a visitor comes to worship with us. We sing songs of praise to God. The lights are on, eyes are open, no one is swaying with hands in the air. 1. This…
Read MoreGrace and Law
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 1:14-17 I. False ideas don’t always die. They end up getting recycled at a later time when the present generation has forgotten the teachings of the past which showed the ideas to be false. A. I remember from childhood a big debate over the role of grace 1. The core was…
Read MoreFishers of Men (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Jesus told his disciples that he would make them fishers of men – Mark 1:16-18 A. I’ve seen a few ponds where you can drop a hook into the water and in minutes find a fish dangling off the end, but most of the time fishing takes much more time and patience.…
Read MoreFaithful Fathers (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 I. It is not arbitrarily that God is referred to as our Father and we His children A. After the wandering in the wilderness, God told them they endured hardship because He was treating as a father would treat his children. B. We can learn from God what is expected…
Read MoreThe Eternal God
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 11:25-36 I. Imagine going back to the early days of this country and trying to explain the marvels of our time to someone living then. A. Explain how we get around by automobiles: “Well, they are kind-of like carriages, but there are no horses. They have a motor in them…
Read MoreDrinking
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Drunkenness is an old problem among men A. The earliest record is Genesis 9:21 1. Noah was acquainted with the effects of wine – Matt 24:38 II. The effects of alcohol A. Prov 20:1 – It deceives the mind. B. Isa. 28:1-3,7-8 – It causes errors in judgement C. Hab 2:15 – It lowers moral standards D. Prov…
Read MoreDrifting
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 I. J.D. Tant, a preacher in Texas back in the late 1800’s, often ended his articles with the warning, “Brethren, we are drifting.” A. Such seems to be the tendency of man. B. We forget the past and just assume that what is currently done has always been that way…
Read MoreLight and Dark
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/08/LightAndDark.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 13:8-14 I. If you look at the religious philosophies prevalent in the world today, you will quickly find that most see the world divided into two camps: good versus evil A. It is argued that good and evil balance each other. B. Some take it a step further to say…
Read MoreDisciplining Children (1)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. The world in its wisdom comes up with many theories about how children ought to be raised. A. In the 1960s a psychologist named Benjamin Spock became famous with a book proposing that children should not be spanked 1. He argued that other, non-physical methods were just as effective 2. Spanking would damage a…
Read MoreWhy is Suicide a Sin? (Sermon)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 3:1-11 I. A young man asked me, “Why is suicide a sin?” A. At first it seems a strange question because the answer is so obvious. B. But the young man was struggling with how to explain this to someone he knows. C. You can’t turn in your Bibles to a passage that…
Read MoreThe Rebel’s Cause
Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-15 I. Israel – the name means “one who wrestles with God” A. Jacob received the name when he wrestled with an angel, asking for a blessing – Genesis 32:24-28 B. It became the trademark of his descendants – Deuteronomy 9:7, 24 C. One that lasted their entire existence as a nation – Ezekiel 2:3-5…
Read MoreA Commitment
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Robert Turner told a story about a hen and a pig who became very good friends. One seldom saw them apart. One day as they strolled about the barnyard lot, the hen suggested that since they had never eaten breakfast together, that they do that the next morning. Never being one…
Read MoreThe Autonomy of the Local Church (Hamilton)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. One area that sharply distinguishes the Lord’s church from the various denominations is its organization A. The church is the organization through which God’s wisdom is made known – Eph 3:9-11 1. It is a product of that wisdom and is organized by God. B. The head of the church is Jesus – Ephesians…
Read MoreAiding and Abetting
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Did you know that holding coats could be a sin? A. Saul held the coats of those who stoned Stephen – Acts 7:57, Acts 22:20 B. He never threw a stone, and yet he was guilty of that death C. He approved of what the others were doing, showing it by helping. II. You don’t…
Read MoreSubtle References to the Trinity of God
Text: Isaiah 48:12-16 I. Often I find people making statements, such “the Holy Spirit is never said to be Deity, Divine in any way.” Or, statements that Jesus is the first of creation and thus is not fully God (or divine). A. The problem is that proof or denial often requires a complete knowledge of the…
Read MoreGender-Neutral Bibles
I. Our society has been extremely concerned about avoiding giving offense to various sections of our culture A. Just to use certain words can be perceived to be an insult by various groups. B. All variations of Negro are off limits, as is use of colored to refer to people with very dark skin tones, though people of…
Read MoreThe Glorification of Mary
Text: I. A notable difference between Roman Catholicism and other denominations is the veneration of Mary A. It is not a question of whether Mary existed or even her role in the birth of Jesus. B. The question more revolves around what honor Mary deserves. II. Was Mary sinless? A. The Catholics teach that Mary was immaculately conceived, allowing…
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