by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Luke 17:7-10<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. What do you do when no one pats you on the back?<\/p>\n
A. You work hard, yet no one seems to notice your effort.<\/p>\n B. Why clean when you know the kids are just going to make a mess of it in a short\nwhile?\n C. Why give that extra effort at work when the boss doesn\u2019t notice and the family\ndoesn\u2019t appreciate it?\n D. I started thinking about this listening to a caller to Dr. Laura complain that she\nwanted to leave her marriage because her husband didn\u2019t appreciate her. \n
1. Is being appreciated a right?<\/p>\n
2. Should we only do things because others recognize our efforts?<\/p>\n
II. Our good deeds are to shine out – Matthew 5:14-16<\/p>\n
A. Yet, the goal is glory to God and not our selves.<\/p>\n
B. It is so tempting to do righteousness because others see us – Matthew 6:1-6<\/p>\n
1. It is the trap the Pharisees fell into – Matthew 23:5-12<\/p>\n C. Justification is seen as what other men accept and not what God accepts – Luke\n16:15\n
1. If we seek the praise of men, we don\u2019t believe God – John 5:44<\/p>\nIII. We do righteousness for God, but we must not make the mistake of thinking that God\nneeds our feeble efforts\n A. Our wickedness does not harm God and our righteousness does not benefit Him –\nJob 35:6-7\n
B. The whole duty of man is to serve God – Ecclesiastes 12:13<\/p>\n
C. Yet, God owes us nothing for our service – Romans 11:33-36<\/p>\n 1. Because everything we have is what God has first given us – I Chronicles\n29:13-16\n
D. We serve God because we love Him – Deuteronomy 10:12<\/p>\n
1. This, Jesus said is the greatest commandment – Matthew 22:36-38<\/p>\n
IV. The motivation for righteousness is because God says it is right<\/p>\n
A. We cannot do right because others will reward our deeds – Matthew 5:46-48<\/p>\n B. Too often we do good because of what we get out of it and not because it is right\nin of itself – Luke 6:31-36\n C. If respect of others is our motivation, then we will be sorely disappointed – I Peter\n3:13-17\n
V. This is not to say that our righteous deeds will be ignored – Hebrews 6:9-12<\/p>\n
A. The question is what motivates your service? – Galatians 1:10<\/p>\n
B. Bind your life to the Almighty this day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 17:7-10 I. What do you do when no one pats you on the back? A. You work hard, yet no one seems to notice your effort. B. Why clean when you know the kids are just going to make a mess of it in a short while? C. Why give that extra…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[634,357,1161],"class_list":["post-48958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-attitude","tag-encouragement","tag-endurance"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46803,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/since-i-dont-get-along-with-a-family-member-can-i-forgive-him-move-away-and-never-talk-to-him-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":0},"title":"Since I don’t get along with a family member, can I forgive him, move away, and never talk to him again?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Say if I did not get along with a family member. If I\u00a0forgive him, can I separate myself from him, like move away from him, and never speak to him again? Answer: Can you move? Of course! Once you are an adult you can live wherever you like. Now,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62996,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/work-as-for-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":1},"title":"Work as for the Lord","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Why should you work? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I had a friend that inherited a large sum of money before he was 18. There was enough cash available that he could live comfortably off the interest the money would generate for the rest of his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28249,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-exactly-meant-by-works\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":2},"title":"What is exactly meant by works?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the Missouri Synod denomination, although I really don't like to see the denominations as \"separations.\" I like to see us all as Christians -- just Christians with different ideas. Anyway, I had read that faith without works is dead. Which I do agree with.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15957,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spiritual-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":3},"title":"Spiritual Worship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Text: Psalm 95 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A critical danger that happens to most Christians is approaching the worship of God by rote. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We go through the motions of worship, but our minds are not fully engaged. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With their hearts not involved, worship becomes a drudgery \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We understand intellectually that is not right, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/toon_town_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/toon_town_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/toon_town_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92823,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-extra-mile\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":4},"title":"The Extra Mile","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Michael Cawthorn via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 What comes to your mind when you hear the word extra? Maybe as a student, you were able to do some assignments or additional homework for extra credit. Perhaps, as an athlete, you had to run extra laps as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21302,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-thirteen-year-old-daughter-isnt-listening-to-me-like-she-used-to-do-what-should-be-my-next-step\/","url_meta":{"origin":48958,"position":5},"title":"My thirteen-year-old daughter isn’t listening to me like she used to do. What should be my next step?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I am a single mother (I divorced 3 years ago, unfortunately). I have a daughter who is 13. I had a question regarding parenting: In the past, my ex-husband and I had a more lenient parenting style. We taught our daughter all the values of the Bible and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adolescence"","block_context":{"text":"Adolescence","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/adolescence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}