Could you explain Ecclesiastes 2:26?

Question: Could you explain Ecclesiastes 2:24-26? What is meant in verse 26 by “… while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight …”? Answer: The book of Ecclesiastes is exploring the purpose of life. Solomon shows that…

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How could Jesus bear our sins?

Question: I need help answering a question. I know I can always count on you to help me out. “The soul that sins dies. The son does not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father does not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and…

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Why Do Wars Exist?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Why-Do-Wars-Exist.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 59:1-18   I.         In my youth, the Vietnam War was being fought. It was an unpopular war that generated a lot of protest songs.             A.        One song called “War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong exclaimed, “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!”             B.        So can wars and acts of…

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The Ugly Ways of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Ugly-Ways-of-Life.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Why aren’t churches protesting sin?

Question: Hello, Why aren’t more churches protesting sin as the Westboro Baptist Church does? Answer: First, you find no command or example that God’s people are expected to lead protests. We teach that sin is wrong. We teach why sin is wrong. But marching around funerals and other places does not accomplish any teaching. “But…

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God never said Judah and Samson actually sinned

Question: I frequent your website. First, I want to say thank you for what you do. Christ bless you and everyone involved. But I want to chime in on this talk in regards to whether Samson and Judah actually sinned (Why wasn’t Judah punished for seeing a prostitute?). The asker made some fantastic points, to…

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Do past sins disqualify us from certain jobs?

Question: Does our sin disqualify us from things? If I were a thief would that mean I can never be a bank teller? If I were a former drug dealer could I never be a lawyer or police officer? I have done bad things in the past in the profession I currently hold but have…

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Prisoners of Hope

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Prisoners-of-Hope.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Zechariah 9:9-12   I.         The book of Zechariah is one of both scoldings and exhortation.             A.        The people after their return from captivity had fallen into complacency and indifference toward their religion.             B.        Zechariah calls them to change through warnings – Zechariah 1:2-6             C.        And he encourages them through visions of the future.…

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Am I obligated to confess mortal sins I didn’t know were wrong?

Question: I have a question about not confessing sins. As a kid, I really only thought mortal sins were things like not killing people, not stealing from people, not cheating on your wife, etc. I didn’t really know about other mortal sins at that time. To be a mortal sin, it is required that you…

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I still struggle with sin

Question: Hi, I came to your website to get answers to hard questions in life, and it is a blessing that you are willing to address the questions of people no matter their background. I have been baptized in the church of Christ so please don’t be so hard on me because I should know…

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The Embarrassment of Sin

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Embarrassment-of-Sin.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Our Sin

by Ethan R. Longhenry “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him…

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Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Pornography

by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…

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What do you do about an adult child who remains a homosexual?

Question: If a child, who is an adult, wants to live a homosexual life, does not want to listen to God’s word, and does not claim to be a Christian, can a parent still talk to them? Can they visit their parents? Can they have a meal together? The parents are members of the Lord’s…

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A Psalm of Penitence

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/A-Psalm-of-Penitence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51:10-17   I.         There are several psalms which deal with sorrow over sin and repentance: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 143.             A.        The context is given at the beginning of Psalm 51             B.        David was a man dedicated to God.                         1.         Though he was told at an early age that…

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Does Sin Trouble Us?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Does-Sin-Trouble-Us.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Hard Sayings

Hard Sayings – Part 1Hard Sayings – Part 2 Text: Hebrews 5:5-14   I.         There are hard sayings in the Bible             A.        When Jesus was followed by a crowd looking for free food, he began explaining that they needed to seek spiritual food that only he could offer – John 6:35                         1.         Eventually Jesus said something hard to…

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Remember Lot’s Wife

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Remember-Lots-Wife.mp3 by Ralph Walker Was Lot’s wife’s death an unfair result of a simple reflexive action? Preaching the Bloody Bible

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The Living Redeemer

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-Living-Redeemer.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 49   I.         When we get ourselves into difficulties, most of us depend on our family to help us out             A.        I Timothy 5:8 – A Christian is to provide for his own.             B.        Proverbs 17:17 – A brother is born for adversity II.        In the days of the Old Law a…

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Resist the Devil

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Resist-the-Devil.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 4:1-10   I.         When we are faced with temptation, it is a struggle to resist             A.        The urge to give in seems overwhelming. Even when we know we should not, too often we do it anyway – Romans 7:14-15                         1.         Since the action goes against what we know and want to…

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Satan’s Devices

by Jefferson David Tant The apostle John wrote some words concerning Satan in Revelation 12:9: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” We are…

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The Wiles of the Devil

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-Wiles-of-the-Devil.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:10-18   I.         Satan is a real being             A.        Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted him – Luke 22:31                         1.         Much like Satan wanted Job – Job 1:6-12             B.        Peter warned us that Satan wants to devour us – I Peter 5:8-9             C.        Thus, we have to know our enemy – II Corinthians…

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Mental Incinerators

by F. Yater Tant The whole world is aware of the accumulating mountains of waste and garbage threatening our planet. Air pollution, water pollution, land pollution are all becoming familiar terms. Every major city seems to be having problems with garbage disposal. We must find some way to handle the garbage, or it will finally…

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My Own Worst Enemy

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/My-Own-Worse-Enemy.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Esther 7   I.         There is a phrase popular in our culture, “I have become my own worst enemy.”             A.        It is the realization that in our struggles against what we perceive as evil or wrong, we end up realizing that we are the source of our greatest problems.             B.        I have…

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Extremes

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Extremes.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 7:11-22   I.         In March, 2000, Mona Charen wrote an article that appeared in the Omaha World Herald under the title “Nation With No Sin”             A.        In it she made the point that while the nation for the most part believes in God and believes religion is important, at the…

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Safe Sins

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Safe-Sins.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11   I.         The lengths people will go to justify their sins is sometimes amazing             A.        It is a rare person who will say that something they are doing is a sin and that it shouldn’t be done.             B.        More common is to dress up the sin so that at…

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Would the Israelites who died in the wilderness not enter Heaven?

Question: Jeffrey, When studying in Hebrews the other night, I was noticing the reference to Psalms 95. Where it states: “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me though they had seen my work. For forty years I…

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You Must Rule Over It

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/You-Must-Rule-Over-It.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 4:1-12   I.         Ask a person why they gave into a particular sin and the most common rely is: “I don’t know. I couldn’t help myself.”             A.        Losing control in the face of temptation has been around since the beginning.                         1.         God even warned Cain that he had to master his…

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Have We Forgotten Our Shame?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Have-We-Forgotten-Our-Shame.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 44   I.         It is surprising the odd ideas people have about forgiveness             A.        Forgiveness is the dismissal of any debt or obligation to me                         1.         I cannot forgive someone’s sin.                                     a.         This is only something God can do, because our sins incur a penalty, which God – not you or I…

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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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God Wants Me to be Happy

  by Doy Moyer This is one of the catchphrases we hear of what is sometimes called moralistic therapeutic deism. The idea is that 1) God wants us to be nice to others and 2) He wants us to be happy. For the most part, God is seen as deistic, not really getting involved in our…

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Sin Synonyms

by Joan Rieber Sentry Magazine, December 1999 Sometimes reading the scripture in English is like eating diet food, you get volume, but the flavor and texture are lacking. Word studies in the original languages can supply what is missing. The Greek words for ‘sin’ are especially rich. I am not a scholar, so some of…

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Can you break a covenant with Satan and turn back to God?

Question: Hello sir, I have quite a few questions if that’s alright. Is it possible to make a covenant with Satan and break a covenant with God? Can you break the covenant with Satan and turn back to God? Does God ever lose hope in someone and cut them off completely? Does God love all…

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David – A Man After God’s Own Heart

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/David-A-Man-After-Gods-Own-Heart.mp3 by Ross Ward Text: I Samuel 13:14 The Story II Samuel 11:2-5 – sin with Bathsheba A time when Kings go to war Bathsheba was very beautiful David inquires about her David summons her Has a relationship with her A child is conceived Progression of sin Saw Dwelt on her Inquired about her Summoned…

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Sins Against the Church

by Joe Shane Sentry Magazine, March 2000 Are there sins against the church? If so, what are those sins? Simply put, the answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second is more complicated. Let us begin with a quote from a preacher who will remain nameless. (Since he will have no…

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Genealogy Women

by Whit Sasser The genealogy of Jesus Christ, recorded in chapter 1 of Matthew, is interesting and educational in more ways than one. But, one item of interest has to be the women who are mentioned. Generally, it is a list of the male ancestors of Jesus beginning with Abraham, but a few women are…

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Purge Me with Hyssop

by Johnny O. Trail Most scholars believe David wrote the fifty-first Psalm after his transgression with Bathsheba. If this is the case, it is one of the most penitent Psalms in the Old Testament. From the passages recorded in Psalm fifty-one, it appears the writer was heartsick over his sins. Psalm 51:11-12 says, “Do not…

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The Convenience of Sin

by Mark Chatfield Sentry Magazine, June 2002 I was late for an appointment, driving in an unfamiliar part of North Carolina, and my PT Cruiser was beeping at me because it was low on gas. The exit sign said, “Gas 0.5 miles,” but I had already gone more than a mile down the obscure side…

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If sin is breaking the law, can someone sin against me?

Question: Good day, I know that sin is breaking God’s law (I John 3:4) my question is, can someone sin against me? How am I to forgive someone? Answer: “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day,…

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