The Root Cause of Sexual Sins

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I’ve become fascinated by the lists presented in the Bible when I came to realize that many of them are more than a collection of related items. Permit me to illustrate this with a list that Paul gave in Colossians 3. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead…

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Blind to the Truth

by Matthew W. Bassford Upton Sinclair once said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” Few better illustrations of this truth exist than the behavior of the craftsmen of Ephesus in Acts 19. They, along with everyone else in the city, are familiar…

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Sometimes the Best Thing to Do is Run!

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Sometimes-the-Best-Thing-to-Do-Is-Run.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-15   I.         Timothy was admonished to fight the good fight – I Timothy 6:12             A.        We are in a battle for our lives, and we must have the courage to do battle – Ephesians 6:10-18             B.        We cannot be passive against sin – James 4:7             C.        But a person trained in…

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Three Philosophies of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Three-Philosophies-of-Life.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 10:25-37   I.         Luke 10:25-37             A.        A lawyer, trying to test Jesus, asked him how to gain eternal life.             B.        Jesus, as was his want, turned the question around and asked for his opinion first.             C.        The response was to love God and to love his neighbor. To which Jesus agreed.             D.        The…

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Is it covetous to want to get married?

Question: Is it covetous to want to get married? I’m not speaking of an example of a man and woman loving each other and wanting to marry, but rather a man or a woman who wants to find a mate? I go to a church that is mostly elderly people, so there is no Christian…

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Is the love of money the root of all evil?

Question: The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Does it mean that all evil including evil that’s in our heart? Is the evil that people do seen or unseen? Or does it mean the greed for the love of money? People also skip out on the word for…

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I Saw, I Desired, and I Took

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013Spring3ISawIDesiredAndITook.mp3 by Lance Blackburn Lessons for Our Time

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Beware!

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Beware.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 2:1-3   I.         As the children were growing up, I felt that I was constantly reminding them to watch where they were going.             A.        They just assumed that most things around them were safe and rarely gave thought to the fact that it was people around them who were…

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Why are you only not to covet your neighbor’s things?

Question: Deuteronomy 5:21: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Why was covetousness mentioned in relation to only the neighbor and no one else, e.g, parents, siblings, relatives,…

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Mistakes of a Rich Man

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MistakesOfARichMan.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 12:13-21   I.         Someone approached Jesus, asking him to settle a dispute over an inheritance.             A.        Jesus declined, stating that it wasn’t his occupation             B.        But he pointed out the root problem between the brothers – greed                         1.         We know this without even knowing the facts in the case.                         2.         Whether it was…

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For the Love of Money

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Paul warned that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10). Because of the desire for wealth, Satan has pulled many Christians away from their service to God. Yet, the desire for easy money has led to the church being the target of many…

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The Story of Balaam

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/StoryOfBalaam.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Numbers 22:22-35  I.         Background             A.        As the children of Israel left their wanderings in the wilderness and move towards the promised land, they had to cross through the territories of a few countries.                         1.         The leaders of these countries were nervous to have such a large mass of people (a few million)…

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Notes on the Ten Commandments

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” Repeated in the New Testament: Matthew 4:10; Acts 17:16; Romans 1:25; I Corinthians 8:4-6; Philippians 3:19; Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10; 22:9 “You shall not make for…

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