popularity – La Vista Church of Christ

Horns of Destruction

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:54:52 +0000

Horns of Destruction (1) Horns of Destruction (2)

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Zechariah 1:18-21

I. Zechariah, at the end of Judah’s captivity, was given a vision of four horns

A. Horns are used symbolically to represent power.

1. In particular, the horns represented the power of the nations around Judah (see verse 21)

2. II Kings 18:11-12 - Assyria pulled away the northern tribes

3. II Kings 24:2-4 - Chaldeans, Moabites, Arameans, and Ammonites destroyed the southern tribes.

B. These were four horns which destroyed or scattered Judah

1. Four is used to represent the compass points: North, South, East, and West

2. God used the surrounding nations to destroy sinful Israel

3. And then God destroyed the horns

II. While it was the powers of the nations around Israel which pulled it down, Israel skewered itself on its own horns of destruction.

A. The horn of dissatisfaction

1. It did not take long after being freed from slavery for the children of Israel to complain about their life - Exodus 15:22-26

2. Barely one problem is solved before they continued their complaints - Exodus 16:1-3

3. This is only the beginning of a long list of complaints against Moses, Aaron, and God

4. In a strong sense, it was that habit of complaining, of always finding dissatisfaction with the things around them that kept Israel from entering the promised land for forty years.

a. After the twelve spies made their report, listen to what the people did - Numbers 14:1-4

b. God’s patience with such ungrateful people reached an end - Numbers 14:11-12

c. The complainers died in the wilderness as a result - Numbers 14:20-23, 26-33

B. The horn of doing your own thing

1. The next period of Israel’s history was the time of the Judges, recorded in the book of Judges. The very end of the book sums up the period well - Judges 21:24-25

2. It was a period of every man for himself.

a. Righteousness was defined in terms of what the individual thought was right.

b. The higher authority of God was ignored.

3. One of the reasons for requiring the people to gather for various feasts was to prevent this attitude of being a law unto themselves - Deuteronomy 12:5-9

4. Godly men disappear when man becomes his own standard - Psalm 12:1-4

5. Rightly are men warned not to lean on their own understanding - Proverbs 3:5

6. Because man does not fully understand - Proverbs 14:12

7. The period of the Judges was filled with the conquering of various sections of Israel and their rescue by God through the Judges he raised up to save Israel.

C. The horn of popularity

1. It became grating to Israel that they did not operate like the nations around them. Everyone else had a king. Someone to lead them. Israel thought they had no king - I Samuel 8:5-9

2. The motivation was to be like the nations, but it is tempting to let your leader make all the decisions. Yet, Samuel warned the people they would be responsible - I Samuel 12:12-25

3. You see, it is so tempting to continue borrowing practices from the other nations, even though those nations do not serve or even fear the Lord God.

4. In time, Israel became just like the nations around her. You could not distinguish them from any other nation.

a. They worshiped idols, just like the other nations. They even borrowed their gods: Baal, Asherah, Moloch, and others

b. Why Israel fell - II Kings 17:7-18

c. Several centuries later, Judah followed Israel.

D. The horn of self-righteousness

1. God restored Israel, but not to its former glory

2. Instead of yearning for the other nations’ status, the Jews turned inward and became proud of their difference.

3. They served God, but they were motivated by national pride and pride in their own righteousness. - Romans 10:2-3

a. Paul points to the root problem. They lacked faith in God - Philippians 3:9

b. They really did not trust God’s plan and God’s promises.

c. Instead they created their own law

4. They thought that whatever they did must be right and acceptable to God. They saw themselves as morally superior - Matthew 23:29-36

5. As a result the final destruction of Jerusalem came in 70 A.D.

III. What has happened in the past is for our learning - Romans 15:4

A. It was recorded so that we might not make the same mistakes - I Corinthians 10:1-12

B. The church is spiritual Israel, and it has been warned not to walk in the steps of physical Israel – steps that lead to the destruction of Israel

C. Warnings against grumbling

1. Dissatisfaction with the ways of God leave us open to sin. - James 5:9

2. We ought to be dissatisfied when God’s ways are not being followed, but too often we see any dissatisfaction on our part as an indication that changes need to be made. We become judges of the law - James 4:11-12

3. Despite these warnings, we have brethren whose hobby it is to find fault in their brethren. Whole publications are dedicated to ceaseless complaints.

4. I remember complaints against one publication that has now ceased to exist.

a. It focused on positive things, teachings about God’s word, and refused articles where fingers were pointed at other brethren.

b. The complainers complained that it didn’t complain enough.

5. Galatians 5:25-26 - Let us not challenge one another out of pride and envy

D. Warnings against becoming our own standard of righteousness

1. Everyone thinks his own way is right - Proverbs 21:2

2. We cannot be self-willed - II Peter 2:10-11

3. Jude is filled with warnings - Jude 4, 8, 10. 16

4. In today’s church it common to hear ideas justified because “I think.”

a. They declare it is “obvious,” yet they will not appeal to the Word, knowing their belief is not there.

b. Worse is the argument that we all do some things without justification, so there is no harm in doing other things without justification.

E. Warnings against imitating the world

1. Luke 16:14-15 - The Pharisees justified themselves by the praise of men.

2. Their religion sought the praises of men - Matthew 23:5-11

a. I find it spreading in the church men who seek titles “Director of Education,” “Outreach Minister,” “Youth Minister,” etc.

3. Peter compromised the truth because of what others thought - Galatians 2:11-14

a. The early church fought the pull of imitating the Jewish religion - Galatians 5:1-4

4. We cannot imitate the world

a. I Peter 1:14-15 - Don’t be conformed to former lusts

b. Not to live for the lusts of men - I Peter 4:1-2

5. Yet today, brethren see no harm in adding instrumental music, like everyone else or establishing organizations to carry out God’s work like the denominations.

F. Warnings against self-righteousness

1. Luke 18:9-14 - People have a tendency to trust in their view.

2. They think themselves as being something - Galatians 6:3-5

a. To do so will set ourselves for a fall - I Corinthians 10:12

3. Their standard of righteousness is being better than others - II Corinthians 10:12-13

4. It saddens me to see this so prevalent in the church

a. The idea of “church of Christ” beliefs instead of the “Lord says”

b. An infinite number of divisions

(1) Just the other day, I was corresponding with a preacher who said he heard a particular curriculum was unscriptural. I pointed out to him that he knew a large number of brethren who used the curriculum, so why would he assume that these brethren would use something they knew to be unscriptural.

(2) His response was, you know a lot of brethren are involved in unscriptural practices.

c. The search for reasons to divide fairly takes my breath away.

(1) Yes, sin exists, but our goal is to unite people under the truth, not to isolate ourselves from the so-called “unclean”

(2) I Corinthians 1:9-13 - Christ is not divided!

(3) Yet brethren search for division. “You talk to brother so-and-so, so I can’t talk to you.”

5. Errors exist and they must be exposed and dealt with, but the goal is to bring all into the unifying doctrine of Christ and not the isolating idea of our own self-purity - III John 9-10

IV. Israel was destroyed by the nations around her for her sins. We too will be destroyed if we follow her ways.

Should We Follow the Majority?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 21:19:09 +0000

by Jefferson David Tant

The title presents an interesting question. Following the majority is a common practice in our everyday lives. When elections are held, whether for the President of the United States or for our High School Student Body President, the “majority” always wins. In a presidential election, I may vote for the losing candidate, but then I accept the vote and continue to live and serve in the nation under the leadership of the person I didn’t vote for.

So, if “majority rule” is the accepted standard in our nation, is that the “accepted” rule in our service to God in His church and His kingdom? It seems that is common thinking in our time. I read in the newspapers the church conventions that various denominations have from time to time, and changes in practice or changes in the creeds are offered. A vote of the delegates decides on a practice's reception or denial. I believe my readers would agree that this is a common practice.

God’s Word has some advice about following the majority, following the masses. Note Exodus 23:2, "You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice"

Through the centuries, it is evident that the masses, the majority, have not followed after God. Oh, some claimed allegiance to God, but in examining their lives, it is apparent that they were following God in name only.

Consider the subject of baptism. A very large number of churches do not follow the Bible teaching on this. The Bible teaches the necessity of baptism. Note the Apostle Peter’s words to the household of Cornelius: “And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days" (Acts 10:48).

By whose authority did Peter command this baptism? Note Christ’s words to the apostles in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Thus, what Peter commanded was what was taught by Jesus Christ.

All Bible scholars familiar with the New Testament’s original Greek language will agree that the Greek word “baptize” can be correctly translated as “dip, submerge, immerse.” Let’s look at what the “majority” practices today concerning baptism. Some denominations, including the Salvation Army and the Christian Science Church, do not practice baptism in any form. And many denominations do not practice the Bible’s mode of immersion but rather sprinkle or pour water. These include the Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, etc.

As for various church leaders, God’s Word teaches that bishops or elders must be married and have children. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; {of good...: or, modest} Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity” (I Timothy 3:2-4 KJV) Notice that these leaders must be married and have obedient children. That’s how they prove their leadership qualities. How many churches allow single men in these leadership positions? The Catholic Church forbids married men to be in positions of authority. The Bible says otherwise.

As to women pastors, many denominations are also going against God’s Word in this matter. God has given us this exhortation: “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet..” (I Timothy 2:12). God has other important roles for women to fill, but being “in the pulpit” is not one of them.

Much more could be written, but this has been written to encourage the readers to consider whether it is better to follow the doctrines of men or the Word of God. And just who is behind the “doctrines of men?” Is it not Satan, whose mission is to deceive? And what better way to deceive people than by pretending to lead men to God, but instead leads them to follow the multitude? He still deceives people today, even as he deceived Adam and Eve.

Consider Christ’s words in Matthew 22:14: “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:13-15).

And who are these “false prophets?” Are they not those who stand in church pulpits and teach something different than what God’s Word says? But they can make it sound good.

Dear Readers, please understand that Satan is still at work today, even as he was long ago in the Garden of Eden. Beware, lest you follow the multitude rather than the Word of God.

Can I pursue a career singing pop music?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 22:38:58 +0000

Question:

Can I pursue a singing career in pop music? I have an opportunity to get myself out there, but I would like to know if it is OK to pursue a career in entertainment because I don't want to lose my soul. Please, I would love an answer. I'm very conflicted at the moment.

Answer:

The first thing to consider is what you will be singing. The importance of music is not the melody, but the words. The melody invokes moods or emotions, but those are nothing without words to tell the story. That is why in speaking about music for Christian worship Paul said, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19). The style of music is never mentioned, but what the music says is very important. Thus, can you choose your own music and not feel pressured to sing songs with lyrics that are inappropriate for a Christian?

The second thing to consider is that the entertainment field is driven by popularity and popularity is a fickle beast. People literally will do anything to maintain or increase their popularity since that impacts their income. This is why too many entertainers will sexualize their acts with inappropriate dress and movements. Sexual themes tend to be more popular with worldly audiences. Therefore, you have to ask yourself whether you stay faithful to the Lord and not compromise your dress and behavior just to become more popular.

The third thing to consider is that entertainers have to travel, so it is going to be difficult to find a church to worship with. There are going to be times when you feel too tired to go to worship. You'll tell yourself that it won't matter because no one knows you are there anyway. Then there will be a problem where the venue you want to use will insist that you give performances during the times of worship service and Bible study. Without constant encouragement from brethren, we all have a tendency to slip. Thus, you need to examine yourself and your commitment to the Lord. Can you turn down opportunities because God comes first in your life?

Response:

Thank you so much, brother. I really appreciate it. I'm going to focus on the Lord and live my life according to his will. I'm going to turn down my opportunity and live a quiet life praising the Lord. Thank you so much and God bless you!

You’re in the Minority

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:13:00 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

One of the arguments often made by those who promote moral and social change away from God’s standards, for example in the matter of so-called “homosexual marriage,” is that “you conservative traditionalists are in the minority.” It is claimed that more and more people are “coming around” to support “homosexual marriage” rights, according to polls. I am not so sure that this is really true since polls can be skewed to obtain desired results. But it is true that people do change positions. Recently, a prominent “conservative” U. S. Senator who had always opposed “homosexual marriage” before found out that his son is “gay” and now supports it. How convenient! And whatever gains are made in support of “homosexual marriage” simply show how effective the radical homosexual rights proponents have been in using public schools, entertainment, and the mass media to pound their message into young skulls full of mush and brainwash our youth.

However, even if it could be proven that those of us who believe that true marriage can be defined as involving only a man and a woman are in the minority, that would not bother me one bit, because of what Jesus said. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). God’s moral standards are not dependent on majority opinion and are not subject to popular vote, executive orders, Congressional action, or Supreme Court decisions. Men may change the laws to suit their own whims and fancies, but Jesus also said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). In fact, He reminded us, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

I think about the days of Noah. He, his wife, his sons, and their wives were certainly in a minority. He had 120 years to build the ark (Genesis 6:3, 13-14, 22). During that time, he was “a preacher of righteousness” (II Peter 2:5). I can just imagine the kind of response that he received. “Noah, this God who you claim is going to flood the earth is so old-fashioned. Yes, people used to believe in Him, but not any longer. We’ve progressed beyond all that myth and superstition nowadays.” But Noah just kept on building and preaching while the people kept on mocking and scoffing, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away…” (Matthew 24:38-39). They couldn’t say that they weren’t warned (Hebrews 11:7). The majority, “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (II Peter 3:6). But the minority, “a few, that is eight souls, were saved” (I Peter 3:20). No wonder modernists deny the flood — it stands in stark judgment against them.

I also think of the Israelites in Egyptian bondage. The kingdom of Egypt was the largest and most powerful world empire of its time, and while the Hebrew people grew so that the Egyptians were afraid of them, Israel was still in the definite minority. Think of the kind of power that the Pharaoh had over the Israelites. Although the effort wasn’t successful, he passed laws that commanded the Hebrews to kill (abort?) their male babies, and he was able to reduce them to a state of slavery in making bricks to build his cities. And we know his response when God sent Moses to tell him to let the people go. “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). However, the very Lord at whom Pharaoh sneered and jeered used the Ten Plagues to show how powerless the Egyptian idols really were and to bring the greatest nation at that day to its knees so that it did end up letting Israel go. Then when Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after the Hebrews, He brought the Israelites to safety and destroyed the Egyptian armies (Exodus 14:5-31). The minority overcame and became a great nation.

And then I think of the Christians in the ancient Roman Empire. We read the book of Acts and marvel at the rapid and widespread growth of the early church, but the saints were still a vast minority in the Roman Empire and subject to intense persecution as Satan tried to use the full forces of Rome to stamp out the church. We see the beginnings of this persecution in Acts and references to it in the epistles, but we find its full-blown power described figuratively in the book of Revelation. I can just hear the unbelievers of that day. “Oh, you Christians are just a small, weak minority. You’ll never amount to much of anything but eventually, just wither away.” Well, we know what happened. In spite of the rabid persecution, Christianity continued to grow until it became first a legal and then finally the official religion of Rome. And to make matters even more interesting, it was this formerly-despised church, admittedly apostate by then, which kept alive the learning and advancements of Graeco-Roman culture during the Dark Ages following the fall of Rome until they could be rediscovered during the Renaissance and Reformation. For the benefit of Western Civilization, the minority became the majority.

No, being in the minority does not bother me at all, so long as I know that I am right with God. I stand in pretty good company, along with Noah, Moses, and Paul. It has been said that God and one man make a majority. The world may laugh, jeer, mock, and scorn at God’s people and God’s ways as it, through its wisdom, does not know God (I Corinthians 1:21). The evidence that God’s word is the truth is clear, and as long as I stick with it, I can be assured that what I believe is true. And with that knowledge and the hope that it gives me, I can say with Isaac Watts,

“Should earth against my soul engage,
And fiery darts be hurled,
Then I can smile at Satan’s rage
And face as frowning world.”

How do these mega-churches attract so many people?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 02:13:47 +0000

Question:

I wanted to get some feedback from you as to the way church services are conducted on TV (T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, etc.). It seems with these mega-churches, the attraction that they receive is astounding. It makes me wonder what the attraction is, as so many are lead by personal satisfaction, emotional feelings, and proclaiming the Holy Ghost. It never ceases to amaze me how people are so naive in their thinking, yet when challenged are on the offense. The reason I ask is that we had a recent lesson on "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing" and to recognize that is not the obvious ones, but those who stand up on national TV or large seminars and falsely preach the word that we should be aware of.

Answer:

Satan does not restrict his attacks on Christians to just one avenue. He lays out multiple traps in hopes that one or the other will get you; perhaps while you are focused on the one you won't see the other you are backing up into.

Some people are swept away by following the crowds, never stopping to wonder everyone else knows what they are doing. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). The television evangelists are skilled at drawing large crowds because they give the people exactly what they want, though it is not what God says they need. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (II Timothy 4:3-4).

I see this often. People call up wanting to know what programs we have for their children. I almost never have someone ask what our position is on various topics. People aren't that interested in whether their church teaches the truth or even whether they agree particularly with what their church teaches. They want to be entertained.

Then too, the mega-churches often gain large followings by avoiding taking stands. People are told they are welcomed just as they are. If a couple is married when they have no right to be so, are they going to go to a church where their sin is exposed and refuted or one where they can stay in adultery while being told that God loves them just as they are? "For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning" (II Peter 2:18-20). It is common to find lessons that are emotional, but essentially empty of content. People leave feeling good about themselves and never convicted about a sin they don't want personally give up.

The reality is that few people will really look at what someone is teaching if all they are being fed are words that they want to hear. Their guard is down because they are happy to be told they are going to heaven without much effort on their part.

For the same reason, we can be caught by internal false teachers. We might be on guard against those who are not among us, distrusting what they teach, while at the same time never thinking to check if those we are familiar with are also truthful. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears" (Acts 20:29-31).