Posts Tagged ‘peace’
Not Peace but a Sword?
by Terry Wane Benton What did Jesus mean here? Does it contradict other verses that show He came to bring peace on earth? “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father,…
Read MoreRighteousness, Peace, and Joy in Jesus’ Kingdom
by Terry Wane Benton “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The kingdom should feature an emphasis on righteousness. Living by righteous standards is what the kingdom is about. Dietary laws of the Old Testament had illustration value in foreshadowing…
Read MoreA Resource for Grace and Peace
by Terry Wane Benton “Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:4-5). The…
Read MoreAt Peace with God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/At-Peace-with-God.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamiton Text: Romans 5:1-11 I. How do you know that God has actually forgiven you? A. It is a frequent question. People make mistakes, fall into sins, and though they struggled back out of those sins, they still wonder whether God could ever forgive such a sinner as themselves. Perhaps God has…
Read MoreBe at Peace with All Men
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Be-at-Peace-With-All-Men.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreThings that Make or Destory Peace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Things-that-Make-or-Destroy-Peace.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreNever Again Will They Learn War
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Never-Again-Will-They-Learn-War.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 65:17-25 I. King Nebuchadnezzar had enough with the rebellion of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah A. He removed the nobles to retrain them in his ways; yet, the stubborn Jews continued to rebel. Jehoakim was removed and his son Jehoachin was put in his place. B. He removed the…
Read MoreWhat Does Peace Look Like?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/What-Does-Peace-Look-Like.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 12:5-14 I. A prize was once offered to an artist who best depicted the concept of peace A. One image was of a calm lake perfectly mirroring the distant mountains. Overhead was a blue sky with puffy white clouds. B. Another picture was of rugged, bare mountains with foaming waterfall…
Read MoreHow Does the Birth of Jesus Bring Peace on Earth?
by Wes Adams “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’” These are the words of a well-known carol by Charles Wesley. The song describes the scene in Luke 2, in which angels are announcing the birth of Jesus. The angels declared, “Glory…
Read MoreThe Secret of Learning to Be Content
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Secret-of-Learning-to-be-Content.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:10-14 I. Paul faced many adversities during his life – more than most of us will see – II Corinthians 11:24-27 A. What sort of person would you be with this sort of life? What attitudes would people notice first? B. Bitter? Hardened? Depressed? C. Yet, through these experiences, Paul learned…
Read MoreBlessed Are the Peacemakers
Adapted from a lesson by Dorris B. Billingsley published in The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 6, April 1952. Jesus began His great Sermon on the Mount by relating a number of characteristics that would be possessed by those who would be ready for His kingdom which was soon to come. He said, “Blessed are the poor…
Read MoreA Pattern of Peace
by Doy Moyer John 20:18-21 shows an important pattern. Jesus was raised up from the grave and first appeared to Mary Magdalene then to the disciples (sans Thomas). Notice the pattern: Mary to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18). The disciples to Thomas: “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Jesus offers…
Read MorePeace, Perfect Peace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Peace-Perfect-Peace.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 3:13-18 I. Peace is a commodity much desired and rarely found A. As Christians we are told to live in peace – II Corinthians 13:11 B. God is a God of peace – Philippians 4:7 C. So we expect that those following His teachings find peace – Galatians 5:22-23 D. The problem…
Read MoreWhat I Would Say To My Children
by Jefferson David Tant Raising children is, I believe, one of the greatest responsibilities God has given us. By God’s design, a man and a woman have created something which will never cease to exist — a spirit that has been made in the image of God. Can you imagine the awesome feeling of responsibility…
Read MoreDon’t Live in Fear
by Terry Wane Benton Fear of the virus, Fear of the vaccine, Fear of getting the virus, Fear of spreading the virus, Fear of side effects of the unknown, All are legitimate issues that we must grapple with and approach with caution and discernment. But each person must also be cautious about unreasonable fear and…
Read MoreActs 2 and 3 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
by Doy Moyer When you layout Acts 2 and 3, there are some great comparisons. Both begin in the same basic way (Men of Judea, Men of Israel) and contain at least these similarities: They start by clearing up misunderstandings and reference a direct act of God’s power (Acts 2:15-20; 3:16-18). They show how the…
Read MoreThe Christian’s Duty to His Brethren
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ChristiansDutyToHisBrethren.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Thessalonians 5:8-15 I. Each of us come from diverse backgrounds. A. We come together to worship B. We come together for fellowship C. Yet that coming together is not always smooth. 1. Just as a family experiences times of irritation, so it happens among brethren. 2. Paul’s desire was for the Corinthians to…
Read MoreJehoshaphat’s Peace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/JehoshaphatsPeace.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 9:16-26 I. King Jehoshaphat, in general, was a good king – I Kings 22:42-43a A. To be said by God that he did right is a high complement B. But, like most men, Jehoshaphat had some character flaws – I Kings 22:43b 1. His father, Asa, had removed many of…
Read MorePerfected in Unity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PerfectedInUnity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:13-26 I. In Jesus’ final prayer to the Father before his arrest, Jesus expressed his desire that his followers be united, just as he and the Father were one – John 17:22-23 A. That “one” is not numerical, but a unity in purpose and action. II. Through this unity we…
Read MoreWhat do I do to feel peace?
Question: I am a drunken adulteress. God has come to me to be reborn again, and I’m failing. Please help me. What do I do to feel peace? I hate the daytime and awake through the night with nightmares of my sins. Help me. Answer: “The things which you learned and received and heard and…
Read MoreCalm Under Pressure
by Dennis Stackhouse How can a person remain calm even when he or she is under pressure, sometimes immense pressure? Perhaps we should ask if it’s even possible to remain calm in this pressure-cooker world we live in? When we view this from the spiritual perspective we can say that it not only is possible,…
Read MoreStillness and Joy
by Gary Henry “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). Nowadays, one reason we know so little about joy is that we know so little about stillness. In this age of the world, most of us are busy with a myriad of priorities and projects. And we pride ourselves in it. The…
Read MoreIs being implacable condemned?
Question: Is being implacable condemned in Romans 1:31? “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Romans 1:31, KJV) “Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful” (Romans 1:31, ASV) Thanks for your time. Answer: The Greek word aspondous (irreconcilable) doesn’t appear in all the manuscripts. Because it also appears in a similar list in II Timothy…
Read MoreRomans 14: “Follow After Things Which Make Peace”
by Melvin Curry Truth Magazine, January 4, 1979 When Paul affirmed that “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all” (Romans 10:12), he was fully aware of the problems posed by the fellowship of Christians with such different religious backgrounds. The Greeks were used to change, continually…
Read MoreKeep the Unity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/KeepTheUnity.mp3 Text: Ephesians 4:1-6 I. The wedding day comes and a couple joins together in a covenant due to their love for each other. A. The two become one flesh. They are united and now see everything from the same point of view. 1. Some of you are smiling out there. No? It isn’t always perfect blissful…
Read MoreIt Is Well
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ItIsWell.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreGod’s Peace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/GodsPeace.mp3 by Andrew Long
Read MoreNow that I’ve made significant progress against one sin, how do I know where to next make improvements?
Question: After many years of struggling with masturbation, with sinful thoughts, or watching sinful material, I feel like I’ve finally defeated it. All of the material on this web site has helped so much. Whenever I have urges I handle them without sinful thoughts or looking at sinful material anymore, and I feel so much better.…
Read MorePeace of Mind
by Carey Scott Our lives are a mess. We have so much going on all the time that we seldom take a pause to reflect upon our lives and determine if we are capable of having peace in our souls. All the inventions that were supposed to make our lives easier have really only given…
Read MoreReligion and War
by Doy Moyer “If religion is so great, why are religions responsible for so much war?” First, this type of statement assumes that all religions are essentially the same. They aren’t. Some religions actively teach peace. Biblical Christianity (not the perverted forms) is one of them. Second, this assumes that everyone claiming a religion is…
Read MorePeace with God
by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 48, Nov. 28, 2008. Do you ever feel that God is mad at you? You know, those times you have messed up and don’t think God could love someone like you? Do you ever have moments of doubting that you are a real Christian, that you have…
Read MoreIs There Unity in Diversity?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 12:3-16 I. You find the motto of the United States in many places, “e pluribus unum,” “from many, one” A. It describes the sentiment that people from all over the world can come, settle here, make a life for themselves, and be united with all other citizens. B. Or described as…
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 MoreShould you only teach a subject once to a Christian who disagrees with you?
Question: Would I be wrong for preaching the whole Bible, even the parts that offend other people? I do not think so, but then again it would be nice to hear someone else on that. I mean I was thinking that the Bible said to preach to all of the Word, but they say that…
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