spiritual blindness – La Vista Church of Christ

Malachi: Do We Truly See Ourselves?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 02:58:39 +0000

by Steve Klein

Malachi lived and prophesied in Judah and Jerusalem, approximately a hundred years after the first group of Jewish captives returned to their homeland from the Babylonian captivity. In point of time, this corresponds roughly with the events of the book of Nehemiah and the latter part of Ezra (circa 440 B.C.).

God's hand had blessed the Jewish people greatly during their first century out of captivity. The temple had been rebuilt and the offering of sacrifices had resumed (Malachi 1:7, 10). Their old adversaries, the Edomites, had seen their strongholds laid waste (Malachi 1:2-4) just as Obadiah had prophesied. Under Nehemiah's leadership, the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, making the city a relatively safe haven for God's people once again.

These blessed times had resulted in heartbreaking but predictable complacency, carelessness, and hypocrisy on the part of the Jews. They sacrificed, but did not offer their best. They worshiped, but considered it weariness (1:13). Some were even beginning to call into question the justice of God (Malachi 2:17; 3:13-15).

Into this spiritual morass, Malachi bears his prophetic burden from the Lord. The name Malachi means "my messenger." Twenty-four times in this short book of prophecy, Malachi uses the phrase "says the Lord" as an affirmation that his words come directly from God. Malachi's name suits him well, as he was indeed God's messenger—a spokesman for God and a prophet in the truest sense.

Interestingly, Malachi foretells of another person whom God would call "my messenger" who would "prepare the way" before the coming Messiah (Malachi 3:1). This person would be like Elijah and "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:5-6). Four hundred years later, when the angel Gabriel announced the birth of John to Zacharias, he said that John would "turn many of the children Israel to the Lord their God" and that "He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the ears of the fathers to the children... to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:16-17). So it is that the last great prophet of the Old Testament foretold the coming of the prophet whose work would usher in the New Testament age.

Malachi's message highlights the significant disparity between how the people perceived themselves and how God viewed them. Nearly every time the Lord declares truth or charges the people with wrong in the book of Malachi, the people ask Him to explain "in what way" His statements were true. As if to say, "What are you talking about?" "That's not true of us!" Note six such exchanges between the Lord and His people in Malachi:

When God says, "I have loved you," they ask, "In what way have You loved us?" (Malachi 1:2).
When God asks for honor from "you priests who despise My name," they inquire, "In what way have we despised Your name?" (Malachi 1:6).
When God charges them with offering "defiled food on My altar," they respond, "In what way have we defiled You?" (Malachi 1:7).
When they are told, "You have wearied the Lord with your words," they say, "In what way have we wearied Him?" (Malachi 2:17).
When the Lord says, "Return to Me and I will return to you," they ask, "In what way shall we return?" (Malachi 3:7).
When God declares, "You have robbed Me!" they counter, "In what way have we robbed You?" (Malachi 3:8).

The biggest blind spot of all is the one that all men have when they look at themselves. Through His messenger Malachi, the Lord demonstrates with painful clarity "in what way" His accusations against the people were true. And because the nature of man has not fundamentally changed since the days of Malachi, the Lord's accusations against His people stand true in principle still today, and our perception of our own faults remains just as dim.

It is quite likely that we are not as good as we think we are. The service to the Lord that we perform as a routine, as if checking off a to-do list, does not show reverence, but irreverence. Reserving the best of our possessions, our energies, and our time for ourselves and giving God what is left over is offensive to Him; we are not giving to Him, we are robbing Him! Here's the way the Lord put it through His messenger Malachi: "When you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you?" (Malachi 1:8). "You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!'" (Malachi 1:13). "You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Malachi 3:8-9).

Check your blind spot.

Open My Eyes that I Might See (Article)

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:08:20 +0000

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989

The writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 5:11-14, tells us that those full of age have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Most of us can understand how young Christians (spiritually young, that is) can be so easily mistaken in seeing evil. After all, they recently left the world behind and have yet to learn to see things as God does. But how does one miss seeing good?

The topic under discussion was seeing Jesus as someone like Melchizedek did. The author suggested this was something good that readers would find difficult to understand. They should be able to grasp the concept, but they have become dull because they have not used their spiritual senses. It's like what happens when we become old. We stop being so active because it's "kid stuff," soon, we can't do it because our muscle tone is gone from the lack of use.

No Growth Leads to Blindness

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately ·f°rgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:23-25).

It takes more than reading God's word to fully understand all that God wants us to do. We must always apply what we learn to our lives. Otherwise, we will forget what we have learned. This is the problem that the readers of the Hebrew letter had. We must avoid becoming people who are "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:6-7).

Peter gives a similar warning. He first gives a list of virtues that we must add to our lives. If we abound in them (or grow), we will not be unfruitful in our service to God (II Peter 1:5-11). In verse 10, he says that we will never stumble if we do these things. But if we lack these things, then we become shortsighted, blind, and forgetful (II Peter 1:9). In other words, if we don't have these virtues, we won't be able to see them in ourselves or others.

We Can’t Recognize What We Don't Have or Understand

To illustrate, let us use one of Peter's virtues: love. How can you see love if you don't have love in your life?

Suppose I meet you at a shopping mall and mention that I have a Chevy Nova in the parking lot. Could you walk out and point it out? Of course not! You need a little more information, like what color it is. You would need to know the year and style. You would probably have to read all the nameplates if you have never seen a Nova.

The same thing goes for love. You cannot point it out accurately until you know what you seek. Many think they know what love is, but they don't. Young people often confuse desire and passion for love. But true love has nothing to do with either of these things - see I Corinthians 13:4-8.

Also, consider:

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because he laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him" (I John 3:14-19).

So many people claim to love God, but their actions speak otherwise. When we refuse to recognize the needs of a brother and do not show love to a brother, how can we possibly claim that we love God? No, John tells us that by doing the works of love and not just claiming to have it, we know we are following God's will.

Think of it this way: if you cannot show love to someone you see regularly, how can you love God, whom you have never seen? (see I John 4:20-21). It reminds me of Jesus's statement in the Parable of the Talents: If you are faithful in a small thing, then you can be trusted to be faithful in significant things (Matthew 25:21).

This is all to show that one can think they understand what good is and believe they can point it out if they ever see it, but unless you truly understand it by doing what is good, you are probably walking right by it.

Sin in Our Lives Can Hide Good

Paul made a very disturbing statement in Titus 1:15-16. To the pure, everything tends to look pure. But to the defiled, everything tends to look defiled. We all see the world through colored glasses. We don't see the world as it actually is but how we would like it to be. The question is, what color are your glasses? Do you tend to see what is wrong in everyone's life? Then watch out! The sin in your own life may be biasing your outlook.

Satan works hard to keep people from seeing the light (II Corinthians 4:3-4). As a result, we end up stumbling in the light because of our many sins (Isaiah 59:9-14). It's like what happens when we first get up in the morning and turn on the light. Our eyes have become so accustomed to the darkness that the light hurts. We can become so accustomed to sin that the truth actually blinds us. John tells us in I John 2:9-11 that one who hates his brother is blind due to the sin in his life.

We Can’t See When Our Eyes Are Shut

The Jews could not see the truth because they simply refused to look. Isaiah 6:9-10 indicates that the Jews refused (feared?) to understand what God wanted. This passage is quoted in John 12:37-41 to explain why the Jews saw irrefutable miracles and yet could walk away and not believe. This refusal to see is why Jesus often spoke in parables (Mark 4: 12). It explains why the Jews in Rome were confused by Paul's preaching (Acts 28:25-28).

As a result, the leaders of the Jews were blind men leading blind men (Matthew 15:14). They refused to listen to Jesus (John 8:43). Instead, they thought themselves to be wise (Romans 11:25). But Solomon tells us that only a fool prefers the darkness (Ecclesiastes 2:14).

Examine Yourself

So, what have we become? Have we allowed Satan to blind us so that we can no longer recognize good? Are we unable to distinguish good from evil?

Have you ever said or known someone to say, "Well, I've never seen _________." (Fill in
the blank with some virtue.) What is disturbing about this statement is that many Christians are practicing these virtues in the world today. I would suspect you can find many examples of any virtue in question right within your congregation. If you haven't seen examples, then I would be concerned that you have become blind.

"Open my eyes that I might see,
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp, and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see:
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Savior Divine!"
—Charles H. Scott

Why does my boyfriend seem blind to our getting married?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 19:59:01 +0000

Question:

Hello,

I've been dating for over five years. We lived together; we separated a few times and came back together. We started going to church and asked God to give us the blessing to get married, and it was granted. We were at the height of the pandemic and couldn't get the necessary documents. When everything returned to normal, he changed his mind, saying that I didn't want to get married. Since I was even making a list of things for the wedding, I never doubted that I wanted to marry him since I prayed for him for a long time.

We didn't get married. We moved back in together. He betrayed me many times, and I forgave him with all my heart. I don't hold a grudge about it; he will resolve it with God by himself. We are still together. Last year, he started going to church and didn't want me to go with him, but I started to go on my own. He went to a retreat and came back and said we had to get married. The next day, he said he had never said that and that I was deluded.

I also made mistakes in the relationship. I didn't cheat on him like he did on me, but I lied to him about something that had happened to me, and I wasn't comfortable telling him. He said he forgave me, but I feel he didn't. I have always dedicated myself to being a good wife and taking care of him. He took care of me in his own way, and I feel very loved.

I found out I was pregnant. He freaked out, broke up with me, and kicked me out of the house. I am praying to God that he will break this man's heart and things will become as they should be. I really want to get married, build this family with him, and follow the way of the Lord properly. But it seems that he is blind. He is not acting like he is normal. Doesn't God give us the blessing again? I don't want to live a life without God and a proper marriage.

Answer:

"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:4-5).

You seem to want this relationship to work so badly that you are willing to ignore the truth.

The Bible is clear that God doesn't listen to the prayers of sinners (Psalms 66:18; John 9:31), but you have been living in sin for years. He wants you out of sin, and a marriage would be a step in the right direction, but you have chosen to continue in fornication because you would rather be with your boyfriend than be right with God.

Your boyfriend has repeatedly demonstrated that he doesn't have the qualities of a good husband. He has sex with other women besides you. He tells you one thing one day and something different the next day. He pretends to be religious while living like a heathen. He doesn't want to be seen at church with you. Worse, he has you convinced that this is all your fault. His actions clearly state that he has no intentions of marrying you.

Then, on top of every other sinful behavior he has engaged in, he threw you out of his house when he found out that you were carrying his child. This is a man who wants benefits without responsibility. That is why he doesn't want to get married or acknowledge his child.

However, you don't want to see any of this. Based on your behavior, I must conclude that you don't respect yourself. The guy has treated you horribly, and you blindly ignore it all. I can hope that he will change his life around, but I don't expect it to happen. However, you can change your life.

Stop sinning and lying to yourself that sin is alright. Become a true Christian, not one in name only. Learn your Bible, follow its teachings, and attend a church faithful to God's commands. Raise your child up in the ways of the Lord. Then, when your life is spiritually stable, look for a man who will help you live righteously.

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces" (Matthew 7:6).

I … Have Need of Nothing

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 21:27:31 +0000

by L. A. Stauffer
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014

Life was great for the Laodiceans. Business was wonderful, prosperity was abounding, and they flourished with riches. They had the best chariots, top-of-the-line clothing, the finest food from the markets, and palatial homes with plenty of acreage. What else could they possibly want or need -- lest it be an increase in the things they already possessed? They were rich, had gotten riches, and had, in their opinion, "need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17).

But this was their assessment of life. Jesus had a completely different view of these brethren. He looks beyond the facade of materialism and peers deeply into the hearts and souls of men. He looks beyond the outward appearance and observes an entirely different person beneath the fabric of worldly success. As with our heavenly Father on whose throne Jesus sits, "there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and laid open before" His kingly omniscient eyes (see Hebrews 4:13). Jesus, as manifested in a vision to John in his glorified state, walks among the churches, the seven golden lampstands, and tells each of these churches in one form or another, "I know thy works" (see Revelation 2-3).

What Jesus saw and knew about the Laodiceans was not very flattering. His eyes, as flames of fire with a piercing look into their lives and souls, saw brethren that were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. These were saints who had not wholly forsaken the Lord. They were not cold, but neither were they hot; they were, Jesus said, "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:16). And in this state, Jesus found them repulsive -- so much so that he wanted to "spew" or vomit them out of his mouth (Revelation 3:16).

Our Lord's message to them intended to open their eyes to what has real value. He counseled them to buy from Him real gold refined by fire -- treasures in heaven that would make them genuinely rich (Matthew 6:19); to outfit themselves with divinely designed garments of white -- the righteous acts of the saints that cover the shame of man's nakedness (Revelation 19:8); to anoint their eyes with spiritual salve -- the word of God that pierces their souls and opens their eyes to what the mirror of God reveals about who they really are (see Hebrews 4:12; James 1:25).

The Lord's issue with the Laodiceans is an age-old problem of spiritual blindness -- the inability of Christians to examine themselves honestly to see themselves as God sees them, as the word of God portrays them, and as they really are. Paul tells the Corinthians to "try yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves" (II Corinthians 13:5). Christians can do this only when they can look into God's perfect law of liberty, the mirror of His word, and see a true reflection of themselves. But many of us are unable to do this. We're good morally, faithful to our families, attend services regularly, and think of ourselves as having "need of nothing." Life in Christ is so much more than this.

So many among us fail to study earnestly to prepare ourselves to teach others the gospel; we do not pray fervently for all the needs of the church and its members individually; we overlook the need to have visitors and new members into our homes; we ignore Bible class material and the study it demands to complete the questions; we make little effort to give friends or neighbors tracts to read or to invite them to gospel meetings; we have no Bible studies in our homes with our children; we notice visitors but make no move to introduce ourselves and to make them feel comfortable and welcome in our assemblies.

We're comfortable in our jobs, enjoy our vacations, and never miss going to the amusement parks, bowling, golfing, fishing, or canoe floating. We are diligent to keep up with our investments and mutual funds. We find time to shop and keep up with the latest fashions, watch movies and our favorite TV shows, and spend hours upon hours on our iPads. So many of us, brethren, are comfortable with life, have what we need materially, and have that mindset that we "have need of nothing." If we're honest and willing to confess it, how many of us could say that this thought has crossed our minds?

But so many of us desperately need some eye salve that will heal our blindness and open our eyes to the message of our Lord, who says plainly, brethren, "Be zealous therefore, and repent." This opens the doors of our hearts and lives to intimate communion and fellowship with our Lord (Revelation 3:19-20).

The Way (Hamilton)

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 18:00:13 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Way-1.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Isaiah 35

I. At times I will be studying and a verse sticks in my mind.

A. In Isaiah 35 is a prophecy. It is obviously talking about the time when Jesus walked on this earth - Isaiah 35:4-6

B. What struck me was the description of a highway - Isaiah 35:8-9

1. Such an interesting roadway.

2. The unclean, those tainted by sin, will not use it.

3. The fool in his wandering will not stumble across it.

4. The violent beasts will not be found near it.

5. But the redeemed will walk there.

C. I recalled that Paul often referred to Christianity as “The Way”

1. Saul sought to persecute the followers of the Way - Acts 9:2; 22:4

2. Priscilla and Aquila explained to Apollos the way of God - Acts 18:26

3. People spoke evil of the Way (the kingdom) - Acts 19:8-9

4. Demetrius caused a disturbance about the Way - Acts 19:23-27

5. Some Jews believed the Way was a sect of Judaism - Acts 24:14

6. Felix was acquainted with the Way - Acts 24:22

II. What is this Way?

A. John 14:6 - Jesus said he was the Way.

B. It was by Jesus’ death that a new, living way was established

III. Why sinners will not follow the Way

A. God said the way would be made easy - Isaiah 42:16

B. Every obstacle would be removed - Isaiah 57:14

C. Hosea 14:9 - The wicked stumbles on the path

D. Jesus was the rock of stumbling - I Peter 2:7-8

1. To walk the way required belief, acceptance, and obedience to Jesus, which many are unwilling to yield.

2. They insisted in walking their own path - Romans 9:32-33

3. Jesus made them choose - John 15:18-25

E. People love wickedness too much to walk on a clean path - II Thessalonians 2:9-12

IV. The fool cannot find the path in his wanderings

A. The way is narrow - Matthew 7:13-14

B. God encouraged His people to put up guideposts - Jeremiah 31:21-22, but they still wandered.

C. God would be a voice guiding them - Isaiah 30:20-21

D. But the lazy would rather attempt to take a shortcut through the thorns - Proverbs 15:19

E. You see the fool doesn’t believe in God - Psalm 14:1

1. If there is no God, then there is no guidance. So man strikes out to find his own way.

2. But there are more wrong ways to a goal than right ones. Experiment after experiment fails.

3. We see in our society thousands of failed social experiments.

a. Marriage is not necessary

b. Children shouldn’t be disciplined

c. Sexual freedom

d. Abortion on demand

e. Normalization of homosexuality

4. People see the failure, but they will not accept that the old paths of God are right, they think we only need to “fix” our method and it will work.

F. Rightly did Paul say - I Corinthians 3:18-20

G. The foolish, who see themselves as wise, will not be attracted by the gospel - I Corinthians 1:26-29

V. Yet, the saved will enjoy the path

A. A highway is a way to reach a destination quickly and safely.

1. God would do something new, creating a highway for his people through the desert - Isaiah 43:18-20

2. It would not only speed them on their way, but it would bring them along paths were water would sustain them.

3. It would be made clear and well marked - Isaiah 62:10-12

4. The path avoids evil - Proverbs 16:17

B. The way of God is to do good works - Ephesians 2:10

C. It is a path that requires faith - II Corinthians 5:5-9

D. It is a path that requires love - Ephesians 5:1-2

E. It is a path that requires righteousness - I John 1:7

F. How do you find that path? - Romans 6:4

Fear of Truth

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 19:45:22 +0000

by James W. Adams
(1914-2013) in Words Fitly Spoken, p. 60

My daughter’s friend expressed great interest in the doctrine of “Premillennialism.” It so happened that I was at that time engaged in a series of studies involving the subject on a television program. My daughter suggested to her friend that she might tune in, watch, and listen. Her friend said, “Is he for it or against it?” When informed I was opposed to it, my daughter’s friend said, “In that case, I don’t want to hear it!”

There are many who feel the same way. They refuse to hear or read anything contrary to their preconceived beliefs and practices lest they find their cherished idols to be mortal delusions. On the other hand, truth has nothing to fear from investigation. Like pure silver, the more you rub it, the more it shines. It is said that “a philosopher of Florence could not be persuaded to look through one of Galileo’s telescopes lest he should see something in the heavens that would disturb him in his belief of Aristotle’s philosophy” (Buck). So it is with many; they fear testing their beliefs by the word of God lest they find them to be untrue.

"'Present your case,' the LORD says. 'Bring forward your strong arguments,' The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; as for the former events, declare what they were, that we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; declare the things that are going to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, and your work amounts to nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination" (Isaiah 41:21-24).

"But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing" (Zechariah 7:11).

This Is Amazing!

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:17:30 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/This-Is-Amazing.mp3

by Raymond Warfel

Blind to the Truth

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 22:02:42 +0000

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 with the miraculous powers of Paul and the large numbers of Ephesians who are coming to Christ. However, the craftsmen are much more interested in income than in eternal life. Because Paul’s success means that they can’t make as much money from selling idolatrous shrines, rather than obeying the gospel themselves, they start a riot to oppose it.

Still today, there are plenty of people who would rather serve Mammon than the Lord. Consider the man who lies because his boss expects it or the woman who never attends Sunday services because she works every weekend. To their number, we can add the denominational preachers who invest countless hours in trying to explain away passages like Acts 22:16 but won’t spend five minutes trying to figure out what it means. I’ve known exceptions, but most people who are required to maintain a doctrinal position to keep their job will continue to maintain it in the face of overwhelming Scriptural evidence.

However, money is far from the only thing that can blind our eyes to the truth. There are few passages that are as straightforward as Matthew 19:9. I’ve studied the verse with any number of couples before they even obeyed the gospel. Not once has any of those Biblical novices had any trouble figuring out what the text means, even when it had dire implications for their own marriage.

Ironically, the people I’ve encountered who struggle with comprehension in Matthew 19:9 have much more Scriptural experience than that. 99 percent of the time, they’ve got a problem. They’re unscripturally divorced. They’re unscripturally remarried. They’ve got a loved one who is unscripturally divorced or remarried.

Then, with such powerful motivation, they return to “restudy” the text. The ones who know enough about Greek to get into trouble, use their Greek to do exactly that. Others engage in massive Scriptural-reinterpretation projects. I’ve seen novella-length papers arguing that Christians are still under the Law of Moses, written with the sole goal of applying Deuteronomy 24 to modern marriages instead of Matthew 19. Sadly, none of this changes the teaching of Matthew 19:9 or what the Lord will do on the day of judgment.

It's easy for us to shake our heads at how easily others fall into self-deception in their study of the Scriptures. However, these things should call us not to arrogance, but to watchfulness and fear. If others who are knowledgeable about and even devoted to the word can make such grievous errors, none of us are exempt! Money, family, and even the fear of what others might think can render us equally blind. Only through awareness of our own vulnerability and stern commitment to the truth can we avoid stumbling ourselves.

And Just Whose Fault Is It?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:03:00 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/AndJustWhoseFaultIsIt.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Romans 9:14-24

I. I received a note that I found disgusting

A. A woman complained that her husband wasn’t giving her the affection she deserved, so she kicked her husband out and brought in a boyfriend.

1. That sin doesn’t justify sin apparently doesn’t matter to her - Romans 3:8

B. What disgusted me is that she described herself as a Christian, claimed that the boyfriend showed up two days after she prayed to God about the situation, and so she claimed that God wanted her to commit adultery!

1. The fact that God does not support sin doesn’t matter to her - James 1:13

C. I bluntly told her she was sinning both in her actions and in blaming God for her sins, to which she replied that her church told her to feel no guilt for what she had done because it is all her husband’s fault.

D. It reminded me of Proverbs 30:20

II. How can people be so blind?

A. Isaiah asks why God caused Israel to stray - Isaiah 63:17

1. At first this sounds contradictory.

a. God has no sin - I John 1:5

b. He doesn’t vary - James 1:17

2. Yet there are many similar statements in the Bible. For example - John 12:37-41

3. But consider which came first, God encouraging people to stray or people straying?

a. John mentioned the people not believing Jesus, but he also said why - John 12:42-43

b. Isaiah mentioned the fact that Israel was sinning

(1) They rebelled - Isaiah 63:10

(2) They sinned for a long time Isaiah 64:5-7

4. The phrase “made us to err” or “cause us to stray” is the Hebrew word ta’ah. It means to wander or be lost.

a. While the English implies a forcing, the Hebrew implies an allowance or a suffering

b. The question is whose fault is it that Israel strayed? - Isaiah 53:6

B. Paul repeatedly said that God gave the Greeks over to sin - Romans 1:24, 26, 28

1. But notice that this was only after the Greeks continued to push further into sin.

2. This was God’s response to their sins.

C. Sending a deluding influence - II Thessalonians 2:9-12

1. Which came first, the delusion or the lack of love for the truth?

D. When people insist on sinning, God does give people over to what they demand - Psalms 81:11-13

1. In other words, if you really want to sin, God won’t stop you

2. Why? To test people - Deuteronomy 13:1-4

E. God left Israel to her sins - Hosea 4:17-18

III. God lets the wicked be wicked to accomplish His will

A. God made use of Pharaoh - Romans 9:18-20

1. God could have raised up any man to rule Egypt, but this man was select, because of his character to give God opportunity

2. God knew in advance Pharaoh would be stubborn - Exodus 11:9

B. God let the Israelites follow after astrology - Acts 7:42

1. Why? Because they wanted to worship idols - Acts 7:41

C. God allowed the nations to go their own way - Acts 14:16

D. God hardened Sihon so that he would be destroyed - Deuteronomy 2:30

E. The Canaanites were encouraged to think that they could destroy Israel - Joshua 11:19-20

F. When God needed to punish Israel for its sins - II Samuel 24:1

1. How? God made use of Satan - I Chronicles 21:1

G. When Israel became corrupt, God deceived the people - Jeremiah 4:10

1. How? Ezekiel 14:6-11

a. God would allow false prophets to say what they wanted

b. Notice the prophets would be punished for their lies even as God made use of it.

2. How? He took away true prophecy - Isaiah 29:9-10

a. It wasn’t hard. It was what the people wanted - Isaiah 30:8-14

3. The people did as they pleased - Jeremiah 7:24

IV. Actually God gives people the truth, but it is in a form that the wicked won’t accept

A. Isaiah was sent to teach what people did not want to hear - Isaiah 6:10-12

1. Thus, God’s plans were carried out

2. The people fooled themselves - Jeremiah 5:21

B. God let people make their own false conclusions - Jeremiah 44:16-18

C. God sent the Messiah knowing full well he would be rejected - Isaiah 8:14-15

1. It was a trap laid for the wicked

2. The Jews stumbled over the truth - Romans 9:32-33

3. Because they did not obey God - I Peter 2:7-8

4. And thus God’s plan to save all mankind was accomplished

D. God uses people’s character for or against them - Romans 9:18

1. It is not saying that God forces people to be stubborn or yielding.

2. God presents things such that those who are wicked refuse it and the righteous flock to it - Luke 10:21

E. This is the reason the gospel is preached - I Corinthians 1:21

1. God picked a method that the worldly would reject - I Corinthians 1:22-29

2. The same message brings different response because of the heart of those who hear it - I Corinthians 1:18

V. What does this say about us?

A. If we ask for sinful things, we might just get it.

B. If we insist on doing wrong, it might just be the easier path

C. And if we do, it will be no one's fault but our own

D. Let us pray that we do not wander - Psalms 141:4-5; 119:10-11

Spiritual Illumination

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:41:00 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/SpiritualIllumination.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: II Corinthians 3

I. What does it take to understand the Bible?

A. I had one woman object to an article stating that the Ten Commandments were not directly in effect because they were a part of the Old Law.

1. She told me to read several verses which stated not to add or remove from the Scriptures.

2. But then she went on to say I couldn’t understand the Bible if I didn’t have the Spirit of God.

3. So why direct a person to the Bible if you think the person can’t understand it?

B. The concept that a person needs aid by God’s Spirit to understand God’s Word has its origins in the teachings of John Calvin.

1. Calvin did not believe a person could become a Christian unless God first chose him for salvation.

2. He believed that people were too corrupt by Adam’s sin to seek or comprehend salvation without the intervention of God

C. Is God a respecter of persons?

1. A core flaw is that Calvin made God the sole arbitrator of salvation. Calvin claims that God selects who He saves or destroys without any consideration for who is saved or lost.

2. God doesn’t wish any to perish - II Peter 3:9

3. God makes judgments without partiality - Romans 2:11

a. What are those judgments based on?

(1) God’s standard is the truth - Romans 2:2

(2) God judges deeds against that truth - Romans 2:3-10

b. Those judgments are without consideration of who is being judged - Romans 2:11

II. If we are being judged by the truth, it would seem important to know the standard to which we are being held

A. The truth is God’s word - John 17:17

B. We are commanded to understand it - Ephesians 5:17

1. If it requires the Spirit of God to understand, then we return to God deciding who saved or lost by His choice alone, not based on an impartial judgment against the truth.

C. How is the truth known?

1. Ephesians 3:1-7 - Paul received his knowledge from God, which he then wrote, and which when we read we then understand

2. Paul’s job was to teach God’s word, for which he desired prayers - Ephesians 6:19

3. This is how God chose to spread His message - I Corinthians 1:21

4. The word revealed through preaching - Titus 1:3

D. Where did that truth come from?

1. It didn’t come through man’s wisdom - I Corinthians 2:6

2. God prepared it things which men could not figure out - I Corinthians 2:7-9

3. God revealed them to the apostles - I Corinthians 2:10-11

a. The same thing promised by Jesus - John 14:26

b. (Too many take this out of context to apply it to all Christians, but this isn’t who Jesus is talking to).

4. The apostles received the revelation of God and passed it on to us - I Corinthians 2:12-13

III. But not everyone wants the truth

A. The natural or worldly man depends on natural or worldly wisdom

1. The divine revelation looks like foolishness to him and so he rejects it.

2. Same thing Paul mentioned earlier - I Corinthians 1:18-24

B. The spiritual man, the one who depends on the spiritual wisdom from God, is able to accurately judge the truth of the matter and doesn’t fall under the judgment of mere men.

C. Now think: what makes the difference between the two? Is it God causing some to reject or accept or is it the man’s attitude toward true wisdom?

D. Not everyone loves the truth - II Thessalonians 2:10

E. Some prefer their own ideas - Ephesians 4:17-19

1. Again notice that it is the evil man’s choice, not God’s, which leads to their not understanding God.

F. Wickedness blinds a person - Proverbs 4:19; II Corinthians 4:2-4

IV. Where is the action of the Holy Spirit?

A. Is it in direct revelation of understanding to selected people, or is it in the revelation of God’s will through the apostles?

B. So the word goes forth, yet not everyone chooses to listen - Romans 10:14-17

V. We are expected to understand God’s word

A. We must grow in our knowledge - Colossians 1:10; II Peter 3:18

B. Without growth, we will be unstable - II Peter 3:16

C. God wants everyone to understand - I Timothy 2:3-4

D. We are to work at it - II Timothy 2:15

E. We strive to become unified in our knowledge, having the same mind - I Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:2

VI. These are not unobtainable commands because God is withholding understanding.

A. God is asking all men to do what all could do if they so desired.

B. What about you? What is your desire today?