Posts Tagged ‘excuses’
Imagined Obstacles
by Ray Warfel, Jr. “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned” (Colossians 4:3). I wonder if there is a play on the language here.…
Read MoreHebrews: Encouragement to Remain Faithful
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hebrews-Encouragement-to-Remain-Faithful.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 10:19-25 I. The book of Hebrews interleaves evidence of the superiority of Christ, His covenant, and His church with encouragement to the brethren to remain faithful. A. After giving evidence that Jesus is God’s son, the writer said – Hebrews 2:1-4 B. Jesus was a faithful son and so must…
Read MoreWould Jesus Do What We Do?
by Jarrod M. Jacobs This question is slightly different from the oft-asked question, “What would Jesus do?” Asking what Jesus might do in a situation is indeed a righteous question to ask. Such a question is consistent with Bible teaching (Colossians 3:17; I Peter 4:11; etc.). However, in this article, let’s put this question in…
Read MoreWhere the Blame Actually Belongs
by Terry Wane Benton Humans have a terrible habit of shifting blame. We saw it in the Garden of Eden when Adam blamed the woman and God who gave her to him, and we saw it in the people of Jeremiah’s day. God brought the truth before their consciences, saying, “Your ways and your doings have…
Read MoreObstacles
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Obstacles.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreIt Takes Effort
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/It-Takes-Effort.mp3 Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-11 I. How many of us truly enjoy working? A. I, like many of us, dream of times when we can take a moment off and do nothing in particular B. Yet, I don’t like to be idle for long. It grates on my nerves. II. In the beginning A. Man has always had work…
Read MoreA Round Tuit
by Jefferson David Tant Dear Reader, If you are reading this, you are probably wondering what in the world that circle represents. Well, there is a name for it. It’s called “A Round Tuit.” You may not be familiar with an image with that name, but the title of the circle is a well-known phrase.…
Read MoreAre You Too Busy?
by Roger Shouse We live in busy times. Most of us with children at home find ourselves coming and going all the time. The calendar is full of activities. There is very little downtime or quiet time. Our busy schedules often keep some of us from helping out in the kingdom of God. For instance,…
Read MoreSafe Sins
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Safe-Sins.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11 I. The lengths people will go to justify their sins is sometimes amazing A. It is a rare person who will say that something they are doing is a sin and that it shouldn’t be done. B. More common is to dress up the sin so that at…
Read MoreSpeechless
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Speechless.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MorePharaoh’s Compromises
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PharaohsCompromises.mp3 Text: II Corinthians 6:14-7:1 I. Most of here, even the little children, can tell the story of Moses and the ten plagues. A. It is exciting to read about the wonders God wrought against the Egyptians B. And even more amazing to see how stubborn a man, Pharaoh, can be despite the overwhelming evidence arrayed against…
Read MoreWhy Do People Refuse to Come to Jesus?
by Wayne Jackson Jesus was in Jerusalem attending one of the annual Jewish feasts—probably the Passover. On this occasion, he encountered a disabled man who had been in his affliction for some thirty-eight years. The Lord asked the poor gentleman if he would like to be made whole. After a brief exchange, Christ instructed the…
Read MoreJustifying Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/JustifyingSin.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreBusy Here and There
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/BusyHereAndThere.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 20:13-42 I. Ben-hadad, king of Aram, was determined to take Israel. A. At first he tried to cripple Israel by demanding anything he wanted – I Kings 20:2-6 B. He threaten to grind the capital of Israel into dust, but he was rebuffed – I Kings 20:10-11 C. He tried…
Read MoreI feel like I’m close to leaving the faith
Question: For the past few months, I have been drifting away from God. Yesterday I actually was very close to leaving the faith. Yesterday, I was researching Matthew 24:34. I felt that this was finally a good reason to reject the Bible and live my life as an agnostic rather than as a Christian. Then…
Read MoreBlaming the Wrong Thing
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BlamingTheWrongThing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 3:1-8 I. Years ago, an incident happened that makes a good illustration. An older woman bought a cup of coffee at a McDonalds, but not having a convenient place to set it, put it between her legs. As she drove off, the coffee sloshed and she ended up…
Read MoreJustifying Ourselves
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JustifyingOurselves.mp3 by Andrew Long
Read MoreWe know that sex before marriage is wrong, but we aren’t able to abstain and we can’t get married
Question: Hello, I am a girl who is in love with this boy. We have a child together. It has been shown to us and we now know that it’s wrong to have sex before marriage. We feel guilty every time we do it. We have tried so many times to abstain, but we keep…
Read MoreIs stealing OK if one is starving?
Question: I am preparing for Bible class that I am teaching this evening during our regular midweek services and need to be prepared in case I am challenged by one of our members who might have the idea that stealing is okay if one is starving. Your response? Answer: “People do not despise a thief…
Read MoreWell, Nobody’s Perfect
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/WellNobodysPerfect.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:1-6 I. At times a person sins and is caught. He has no regrets about his particular sin, except the embarrassment of being caught. He offers the illogical argument, “Well, nobody’s perfect.” A. It is illogical because it insists that sinning can be acceptable since everyone else also…
Read MoreAccidents Don’t Happen
by Kent Heaton “Morning Afters Can Be Tough” the poster proclaims. The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecology announced a new plan to help women who do not want to become pregnant following a tryst with a lover with a drug called the “Morning After Pill.” A poster with the aforementioned heading has a cup…
Read MoreWho Is Responsible for Sin?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/WhoIsResponsibleForSin.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ezekiel 18:4-20 I. A number of years ago, I couldn’t find a parking space in our lot because of some school function across the street. I finally found a spot on the side of one street among many other cars and walked to the building. When I came out,…
Read MoreSin Is Always Wrong
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/SinIsAlwaysWrong.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Satan’s goal has been to lead God’s children away from him. A. So how do you accomplish this? How do you get people to do those things that are harmful to their souls? B. One way is to minimize the result of sin. To say it is not as harmful as it…
Read MoreOnly Human?
by Frank Bush A year or so ago, I had a student in my office. He was there because his behavior was much less than what I expected of a Bible college student. After discussing the matter, he crowned his long recitation with the excuse, “After all, I’m only human.” When he said that, I…
Read MoreMy family won’t go to church because they think people will judge them for not attending. How can I get them to go with me?
Question: I have a question to ask you that I do not know how to fully answer. My family members are not convinced that going to church as a family is the best thing for the family. I believe that going to church is important especially as a family, but they believe that everything taught…
Read MoreIt’s Time To Grow Up
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ItsTimeToGrowUp.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:22-2:3 I. It seems every parent at some point tells their child, “Why don’t you just grow up?” A. In one sense, that is what they are doing; but what the parents want is for the child to stop acting so much like a child and more like…
Read MoreIsn’t it alright to go to a denomination if a faithful church isn’t close?
Question: I am a member of the church of Christ and my children have started going to an Alliance Missionary church. There is not a church of Christ close to them, and the one that is 20 miles away does not have young people. I don’t want to discourage them, so I told them the…
Read MoreThose “Other” Sinners
by Robert F. Turner “And John answered and said, `Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us'” (Luke 9:49). Answered what? The word may mean, “began to speak” but Vine says, it is always “where something has preceded, either statement or act to…
Read MoreShifting Blame
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. It doesn’t take long to realize that people generally avoid blaming themselves for their own mistakes. A. We fill our conversations with excuses for why things must be the way they are. B. “I can’t help myself” or “It’s just the way I am.” C. However, we know that we can do anything with…
Read MoreReasons for Missing Services
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 18:22-39 I. People come up with some fairly bizarre reasons for being anywhere else but at services. A. They need to be at work, attend school events, sporting practices, sporting events. B. Some are just plain tired or don’t feel well – nothing specific mind you – just a vague…
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