A Heart of Stone or a Heart of Flesh?

by Jarrod M. Jacobs Twice in the book of Ezekiel, God spoke about the fact that He would take the people and remove their “stony heart” so they might have a heart of “flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). In context, the “stony” heart describes the person who has been disobedient and obstinate against God. The heart…

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The Fall of Zedekiah

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-Fall-of-Zedekiah.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 52:1-11   I.         The fall of Jerusalem and the end of the kingdom of Judah was a sad time period.             A.        Josiah was the last good king of Israel, but the kings that ruled after him did evil in the sight of God.             B.        King Jehoiachin began his reign at the…

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Attitudes

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Attitudes.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 3:7-16   I.         Many Christians understand that acts of immorality will keep them out of heaven, but many don’t realize that our attitude or disposition is important in determining our outcome as well.             A.        What is your attitude?                         1.         Sometimes we hear someone say “he has an attitude!”                         2.         I use to…

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Why the Jews Did Not Believe

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WhyTheJewsDidNotBelieve.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 12:27-43   I.         It is a curious thing, the Son of God lived among men (John 1:14) yet He was rejected             A.        John 1:9-11 – Even among those who were expecting Him, those who had claimed to be God’s children, did not accept him.             B.        How can this be? II.        Because they…

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Is my repentance too late? Am I lost forever?

Question: I grew up going to Sunday school every now and then but never learning anything. I said the sinner’s prayer when I was 22 while in AA at the time. I decided to stick with AA. I had a hard time believing in or contacting God. I didn’t pursue church or the Bible until…

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Pharaoh’s Hard Heart

by Matthew Bassford There are few Scriptural discussions with more doctrinal overtones than the discussion of what God does to Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus. The text does, after all, say several times, “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” It’s this way in every translation of the Bible I’ve ever seen. That’s the evidence. Calvinists, though, like to…

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Can you explain what “if we sin willfully” in Hebrews 10:26 means?

Question: I am confused at what I am reading in Hebrews 10:26-27: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (ESV). I am confused because I know…

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When Hard Hearts Need Hard Words of Truth

by Terry W. Benton The preacher was all alone in his stand for truth and right because the assembly had become so worldly, and now he was the “troubler in Israel”. He was so discouraged that he decided to quit preaching. He was miserable when preaching the truth because no one wanted or appreciated the…

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Quit Horsing Around

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 32   I.         The Bible is filled with reminders to look at the world around us and learn from the examples we find.             A.        The ant is an example of industry and not procrastinating – Proverbs 6:6-11             B.        Job recommended – Job 12:7-10             C.        There is wisdom to be learned in observation -…

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Why didn’t the Jews believe Jesus?

Question: Why didn’t the Jews believe Jesus? Answer: It is a curious thing, is it not, that the Son of God came to live among men (John 1:14), and yet he is rejected by the very people who had been expecting his arrival for thousands of years. “He was in the world, and the world…

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