Posts Tagged ‘God’
Contending with the Almighty
by Doy Moyer The book of Job is not as much about Job and his faith as it is about God and how He operates. Job was being tested, to be sure, but God even more so. Does God bless Job for nothing? Is God being unfair and unjust? Is God the true adversary? Does…
Read MoreThings to Remember
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Things-to-Remember.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 I. There are so many things to remember! A. Need to tie a string around my finger, but then I wouldn’t be able to bend it – there would be so many strings tied there. B. Then there are organizers: paper and electronic, for the technically inclined, which work…
Read MoreKnowing God
by Terry Wane Benton Just because one person does not know God, does not mean that nobody really knows God. The atheist and the skeptic do not know God, and they assume nobody can know God, but that is just their assumption based upon their own ignorance. Just because they don’t know God does not…
Read MoreBelief in God Continues to Decline
Source: Anugrah Kumar, “Number of Americans who believe in God dips to new low: Gallup,” The Christian Post, 20 June 2022. The number of Americans who say they believe in God: 1940s-1960s – 98% 2011 – 92% 2013-2017 – 87% 2022 – 81% “Belief in God has fallen the most in recent years among young adults…
Read MoreThinking of Beauty
by Doy Moyer “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” There is some truth to this as is evidenced by the different tastes people have in art, music, decor, fashion, etc. However, “beauty” as a deeper concept must have a foundation that is more objective and not merely subjective desire. When we say that…
Read MoreAs Though He Needed Anything (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/As-Though-He-Needed-Anything.mp3 by Doy Moyer Seeking God
Read MoreSeeking God
A series of lessons presented by Doy Moyer of Temple Terrace, Florida. May 22-25, 2022 Develop Your Mind for God Resurrection and the Christian Submission in Jesus (Ladies Class taught by Laurie Moyer) Truth about Truth Knowing the Will of God Trembling at God’s Word As Though He Needed Anything
Read MoreMetaphors 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 MoreGod 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 MoreHold 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 MoreIs God as active with mankind as He was in the Old Testament?
Question: Is God the Father as active with us as He was in the Old Testament? Answer: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through…
Read MoreWhy Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
by Jefferson David Tant One of the frequent questions I get, often from young people, is “If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world? Why do we have children starving in Africa? Why are women raped and murdered by marauding men? Why are innocent people mowed down by a…
Read MoreThe evil in this world makes me want to be a Buddhist
Question: I read your response to the person asking questions about theodicy. I don’t feel you did a good job answering: Inasmuch as I can understand God “letting” a bad person hang themselves, it makes no sense that innocent, good, sincere people should suffer as a result. A young couple on their second date in…
Read MoreI have trouble at times believing God is real
Question: Hi, I’m quite young (13) and I have been struggling with my faith a lot. It’s kind of hard to explain so I’ll try to put it simply. I want to believe in God but I am having trouble at the moment believing God is real. Just a few days ago, I was strongly…
Read MoreNo 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 MoreThe Blessed and Only Sovereign
by Doy Moyer The Lord “is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords…” (I Timothy 6:15). To say that God is sovereign is to recognize that He is in control. This is not to make a trite or bumper-sticker theology kind of statement. It is a recognition that God…
Read MoreLove 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 MoreReverence
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 MoreFinding God
by Don Bunting “If you want to find God … look inside your own heart.” Really? It is often suggested that the path to truth and knowing God is to look deep within yourself, to search your own mind and feelings. I believe it is important for us to know ourselves and be honest about…
Read MoreDoes God only care about our salvation?
Question: Hi, I am struggling with my faith. It is hard for me to trust God to answer my prayers for friendship and marriage because I think God only cares about my eternal destination and not about my life here on earth. God has given me everything I need like food and clothing but He…
Read MoreCan God only act if man permits it?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I came across a theory by the late Myles Munroe, and that is the idea that God needs our permission to act on Earth and gets this permission by way of our prayers. His premise for this theory is this: All spirits need a dirt body to act upon the Earth. Since…
Read MoreUzzah and the Ark
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Uzzah-and-the-Ark.mp3 Download Audio by Ralph Walker Was Uzzah really executed for an involuntary reflexive action? Preaching the Bloody Bible
Read MoreAgainst All the Gods of Egypt
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Against-All-the-Gods-of-Egypt.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Exodus 12:1-13 I. The descendants of Jacob moved to Egypt because of a severe famine and within a short time became slaves in that land – Genesis 15:13 A. Yet, God promised to rescue them and returned them to land promised to Abraham. B. When the time came, God raised up…
Read MoreThe Problem of Other People’s Suffering
by Matthew W. Bassford I first encountered the classical statement of the problem of human suffering in a religious studies class in college. The professor wrote on the board, “If God could stop suffering and chooses not to, He is not perfectly good. If God wants to stop suffering and can’t, He is not perfectly…
Read MoreWhy are singular pronouns and plural pronouns used in reference to God?
Question: Blessed day. In my discussion with the Unitarian Church, I used Genesis 1:26 to prove that God is not only one person. They ask me if God in Genesis 1:26 is in the plural form then why is it, in Genesis 1:27, there is only one God who created man? They used the verb…
Read MoreThe Godhead Dwells in Us
by Whit Sasser God Dwells in Christians II Corinthians 6:16 Ephesians 4:6 Philippians 2:13 I John 4:12-16 Christians Dwell in God I John 4:15-16 Christ Dwells in Christians Colossians 3:11 John 6:56 John 15:4-5 John 17:23, 26 Galatians 2:20 Galatians 4:19 II Corinthians 4:10-11 II Corinthians 13:5 Ephesians 3:17 Romans 8:20 Philippians 1:20 Christians Dwell…
Read MoreTwo Unchangeable Things
by Matthew W. Bassford In addition to the other things that make Hebrews challenging for us to follow, the writer assumes that his readership is familiar with the Old Testament. He jumps from allusion to allusion, rarely pausing to explain his references to the Law with more than a phrase or two. However, because our…
Read MoreAs Though He Needed Anything (Article)
by Doy Moyer “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). “As though…
Read MoreGod Is Light and in Him Is No Darkness at All
by Mark Chatfield Sentry Magazine, March 2001 Einstein said, “It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.” With all his knowledge, he knew a simple truth that nothing can be seen when light is totally absent. Moreover, man could not exist at all except that God said, “Let there be…
Read MoreHoly, Holy, Holy
by Ken Green “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory’ ” (Isaiah 6:3)! The very first rule, the commandment that earns the #1 spot, states who God is: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of…
Read MoreDoes the Bible Assume God’s Existence?
by Kenneth J. Wells Sentry Magazine, March 2002 “And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in aflame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great…
Read MoreNot Served by Human Hands
by Whit Sasser The Bible says in Acts 17:25, “nor is he (God) served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” The one, true, living God is not served by hands as the idol priests had to do — providing upkeep and…
Read MoreWhy do some people think Christianity is a problem?
Question: Why do people think that the concept of religion and God is a problem? I understand that many evil examples by apparently religious persons have turned people away. Still, I don’t fully understand why they think it’s something that needs to be eliminated. Answer: “He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he…
Read MoreIf God gave one person a gift of healing but not another, does that make Him a respecter of persons?
Question: If God gave someone the gift of healing but to another person he did not, would that make Him a respecter of persons? Answer: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who…
Read MoreReasons to Glorify God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Reasons-to-Glorify-God.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreSome Thoughts on God’s Wrath
by Doy Moyer One way in which God’s wrath is spoken of in Scripture is that God sometimes removes His protection and allows people to feel the consequences of the sins to which they have given themselves. Rather than intervene, He lets the “reap what you sow” principle work. Sometimes God’s wrath is carried out…
Read MoreHow is it good when your wife commits adultery?
Question: Romans 8:28 says everything works for good. If you were in a marriage relationship, where you did everything you possibly could for your spouse, where you sacrificed a lot for them, then they cheated on you with the possibility of leaving you with some STIs, How is that good? How does it work for…
Read MoreThe Problem with a Comprehensible God
by Matthew W. Bassford In my time as a preacher, I’ve had my share of conversations with people who thought they had a moral or philosophical justification for their agnosticism/atheism. They found something in the Bible they didn’t like. Maybe it was God commanding the slaughter of the Canaanite children. Maybe it was God condemning…
Read MoreA Gender-Neutral God in Hymns
by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, I found myself going through some hymns of hope and comfort that a hymn blogger has been posting daily through the coronavirus pandemic. The style (organ plus choir) isn’t my thing; from my perspective, you’ve got a nasty instrument drowning out the good parts. However, the hymns themselves…
Read MoreThe Heavens Declare the Glory of God (Psalms 19)
by Mike Johnson Psalm 19 is beautifully written and has been revered by many people over the years. From it, many conclude that there is a God who created the universe, and He has revealed Himself to mankind through the Scriptures. From Psalms 19:12-14, the awesomeness of these concepts should cause introspection on the part…
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