The Direction of Your Life

The Direction of Your Life – Part 1The Direction of Your Life by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:19-24   I.         Whenever I taught someone to drive, I was reminded that people have a tendency to go in the direction they are looking.             A.        When a person first learns to drive, they tend to look at things…

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The Root Cause of Violence

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do…

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Why are there hostilities between the straight, alt, and LGBTQ communities?

Question: Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven’t, but in somewhat recent news, the “alt” community (which is a community of emo, gothic, and other similar groups) and the LGBTQ (a group that represents what the letters stand for, but also peace, love, and tranquility) have become somewhat hostile toward Christians. One example of hostility was…

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Rejoicing in an Evil Report

by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, a Facebook friend of mine posted the following quotation from C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, something she apparently does annually. “Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite…

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Rock Throwers from Way Back

by Warren Berkley If you watched the classic Andy Griffith TV Show, you remember Barney, Thelma Lou, Opie, and Goober. How about Earnest T. Bass? He appeared on several episodes, always in trouble for throwing rocks or bricks. “Bless his heart,” Andy once said, “he’s so ignorant, all he knows to do is throw rocks.”…

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Actions and Reactions

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ActionsAndReactions.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 6:20-36   I.         How should you act? How should you react?             A.        We live in a “me first” age. People demand their rights. They seek to get even when wronged.             B.        But let me tell you about a radical view of life II.        Actions – Luke 6:27-28             A.        Love your enemies                         1.         The root…

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Wrongfully My Enemies

by Terry Wane Benton Ever had people who seemed to hate you for no good reason? They made up their mind that they did not like you, but that was not enough. They worked behind your back to undermine you and sought to get rid of you or ruin you. David would say “welcome to…

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Can someone despise himself?

Question: Can someone despise himself? Doesn’t Ephesian 5:28-30 tell us that we all love ourselves? Please, more insight on this issue will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Answer: Despising Trials and Pain Job despised his life because of his trials. “Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said, “Let…

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Jesus: “Public Enemy Number One”

by Larry Hafley How do we explain the Jews’ hatred of Jesus? What motivated them to kill him? If I had been a Jewish lawyer, here is the case I would have presented. (Let the reader understand that what follows is based upon the ignorance and envy of the day (Matthew 22:29; 27:18; John 5:39).…

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Hate the Sin, But Not the Sinner?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/HateTheSin.mp3 Text: II Peter 3   I.         It is common to face criticism when a strong stand is taken             A.        I noticed in the papers many years ago , that the Methodists and Episcopals were in a quandary.                         1.         The majority wanted strong stands against homosexuality, but a large element objected                         2.         The objection was that if you take…

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The Death of Stephen

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DeathOfStephen.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 7:51-60   I.         The early church started in Jerusalem, during the Feast of Pentecost when many Jews were visiting from wide-spread nations. Acts 2:9-11 lists some of the representative nations.             A.        The church grew rapidly. Three thousand were added to the church on the first day – Acts 2:41             B.        By…

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Hate Speech

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HateSpeech.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 5:10-16   I.         One popular trend arising around the world is to criminalize talk that is branded as “hate speech.”             A.        Now we all know that “hate” isn’t good, so these laws passed quickly and easily             B.        But what exactly is “hate speech?” I found definitions, such as:                         1.         Speech that attacks…

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Does God hate me?

Question: Hello sir, I’ve often thought of this but would like some clarity if that is OK. I have been looking at the advice you give others online, and you give really good and useful advice! I guess my question is, why does God make me suffer? Does he hate me or something? I know…

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I’m so mad! I’m afraid someone is going to get killed!

Question: I’m a Christian, I’ve had the born-again experience. I know that we all slip sometimes, but I’ve done more than slip. I have ruined my testimony to my family, which I’m sure doesn’t matter to them anyway. They’ve all been in church their whole lives and treat Jesus like he’s a fairy tale. I…

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I am so tired of the hatred and violence. What can I do?

Question: Mr. Jeffrey, I really need your help with a lot of things! First of all, I know my life isn’t right and before I try to change other people I need to change myself first. I’m a Christian but yet I find myself still committing sins. I want to change this world! I want…

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Does God get angry and hates?

Question: Since humans were created in God’s own image then does that mean we are sort of like God or that he imagined us? I am guessing that we are sort of like Him. (Why do we say “Him?”) Does this mean God gets angry and hates because in the Bible it says He doesn’t…

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Does God hate anyone?

Question: Does God hate anyone? And if so, who? Answer: “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And…

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The Works of the Flesh: Murder – Real and Imagined

by Kent Heaton The blood of Abel (Genesis 4) still cries through the ages of centuries as a sad reminder of man’s inhumanity to man. The early world was destroyed because “every intent of the thoughts of [man] was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5) as men filled with rage against their fellow man shed man’s…

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Where does it say that those preaching God’s word would be hated?

Question: I’m looking for a passage: You will be not liked very much if you preach the Christian word. Please give some direction as to where I might find this. Answer: Several passages could fit roughly with what you are looking for: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds…

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Is a person condemned if others hate him?

Question: Is it really possible that a person is condemned to hell if people fight with him or still hate him after an incident that he is perhaps sorry about but has no courage to talk about it? He would think he has nothing against his past friends in his heart. I don’t think that…

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They’re Out to Get You!

Text: Isaiah 8:9-15   I.         No all that long ago, when popular opinion was shifting against the then current president, the president’s wife blamed the shift on the presence of “a vast right-wing conspiracy.”             A.        The world is filled with people who fear that secret societies or groups are colluding to manipulate what is happening around us.…

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