https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Rash-Decisions.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Acts 19:23-41<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Our text illustrates the making of a riot<\/p>\n
A. Certain men feared that Christianity would impact their income. – Acts 19:24-27<\/p>\n 1. They stirred up the masses with fear of lost income and fear of a lost way\nof life.\n 2. The fear spread through the city, even when people did not understand\nwhat was going on – Acts 19:29, 32\n 3. The people shouted an essentially meaningless slogan for two hours – Acts\n19:34\n B. Fortunately the town clerk was able to calm the people down by getting them to\nthink – Acts 19:35-37\n
II. We often face people who desire to pressure us into making a quick decision<\/p>\n A. Sales people tell us that it is only available for a limited time, that the prices can’t\nbe guaranteed, that there are others waiting to buy this very item.\n 1. Someone called me up while I was writing this sermon offering to sell me\ninsurance for my electric bill.\n
a. If my electric goes out, how is insurance going to get it back on?<\/p>\n b. If the electric company miss-bills me, do I need insurance to\nstraighten it out?\n
B. The pressure is also in business.<\/p>\n 1. I have a hard time remembering ever being told to take my time with a\nproject. It seems that everything needed to have been finished yesterday.\n 2. I also noticed that it was the crisis projects that frequently got the best\nfunding. I suspected that several of the crisis were manufactured to loosen\nthe purse strings.\n C. Con-artists use the same technique. Have you ever notice that when someone\nasks for a handout that it is always an urgent matter?\n D. Or how about this quote about politics: “The whole aim of practical politics is to\nkeep the populace alarmed – and hence clamourous to be led to safety – by\nmenacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” [H.L.\nMencken, In the Defense of Women<\/i>, 1920]\n E. False teachers also look for ways to stir up the masses: the imminent return of\nJesus, the stock market is about to crash, the world is going to shutdown at the\nend of the century, global warming.\n
F. People who make quick decisions frequently make wrong decisions.<\/p>\n 1. They don’t take the time to gather the facts. They don’t shop for the best\nprice. They don’t consider other possible alternatives.\n 2. People understand that an ill-considered request will often be in their\nfavor.\n
III. How to avoid acting rashly<\/p>\n
A. Gather your facts<\/p>\n 1. Proverbs 13:16 – Prudence acts with knowledge. A panic situation doesn’t\nallow time to gather information.\n 2. People call the building all the time for help. One of my standard\nquestions is: “What congregation are you from?” or “Who can confirm\nyour situation?”\n
a. Few want to wait while I check out their story.<\/p>\n
b. Some refuse to give me a number to return their call.<\/p>\n c. While waiting a few hours may be uncomfortable, it is rarely a life\nor death situation. If a person needs help, then a short wait won’t\nmake any difference.\n
3. Proverbs 19:2 – Acting without knowledge leads to errors.<\/p>\n
4. Proverbs 18:15 – Prudence demands that we seek out information.<\/p>\n
B. Be cautious<\/p>\n 1. Just because something sounds reasonable at the moment doesn’t mean it\nis – Proverbs 14:15-16\n
2. The naive ignores the evil in front of him – Proverbs 22:3<\/p>\n
3. Proverbs 12:23 – Don’t reveal everything you know<\/p>\n a. You can catch a liar when you don’t tell him the answers in\nadvance.\n b. It is how the “psychics” work. They draw the answers out of their\nsubject without their awareness.\n
C. Plan<\/p>\n
1. Proverbs 21:5 – Decisions should be thought out in advance. <\/p>\n
a. Possible problems should be considered before they arise.<\/p>\n b. You want to avoid making a hasty decision. It won’t save you in\nevery case, but it will minimize difficulties.\n 2. For example, what would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? Or if\nyour house burnt down? Or if your car broke down?\n a. Most of us would panic. But if you had a rough idea of the things\nyou needed to do, bad decisions could be avoided.\n 3. Psalm 4:4 – Meditate on your bed. Think about God, His righteousness\nand the things you need to do to please Him.\n
4. It is a lesson that we are to learn from the ant – Proverbs 6:6-11<\/p>\n 5. Forethought will often reveal that things need to be done in a different\norder.\n a. Teenagers, what should you do first when it is time to strike out on\nyour own?\n b. Let’s see: I need a place to live. I need a car. I need to find a good\npaying job.\n c. Proverbs 24:27 – Find a job first, otherwise you can’t afford a\nhouse.\n
IV. Sometimes in our eagerness to have people saved, we unwittingly press them into an ill-considered decision.<\/p>\n
A. We are not to be hasty in our approach to God – Ecclesiastes 5:1-2<\/p>\n
B. People must weigh the cost of being a Christian – Luke 14:26-33<\/p>\n
1. Christianity is not a religion of convenience, but of commitment<\/p>\n 2. It is an important decision that cannot be put off, but it cannot be made\nrashly.\n
C. It takes knowledge, forethought, and planning to be acceptable to God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 19:23-41 I. Our text illustrates the making of a riot A. Certain men feared that Christianity would impact their income. – Acts 19:24-27 1. They stirred up the masses with fear of lost income and fear of a lost way of life. 2. The fear spread through the city, even when people…<\/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,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[390,763,765,764],"class_list":["post-4987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-conversion","tag-decisions","tag-pressure","tag-rashness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63811,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-cant-tell-me-what-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":0},"title":"You Can’t Tell Me What to Do!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Colossians 1:3-12 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is generally the cry of the unhappy \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou can\u2019t tell me what to do!\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t recall ever hearing this in response to something agreed upon. It always comes with a disagreement. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI have the right to live my\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":54850,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/conviction\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":1},"title":"Conviction","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:37-54 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We live our lives avoiding disagreements \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We don\u2019t like being told we are wrong \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We avoid causing other people to be upset with us \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\u00a0A Nebraska superintendent made the national news because she forbade references to Christmas in her school\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":54025,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/going-before-and-following-after\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":2},"title":"Going Before and Following After","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 5:21-25 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The phrase \u201clay hands upon\u201d in I Timothy 5:22 deals giving your blessing to another person \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Such as when Jacob blessed his grandchildren - Genesis 48:14 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Such as when someone is appointed to a duty - Acts 6:6; 13:2-3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It can\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":90105,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bravery\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":3},"title":"Bravery","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Samuel 14:6-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we were teenagers, my brother, after a history class, pointed out that wars are cyclic. They tend to break out once per generation. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If a war appeared glamorous and popular, the next war would come sooner \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If a\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":55206,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/blind-to-the-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":4},"title":"Blind to the Truth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/blindfold-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/amazing-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":4987,"position":5},"title":"Amazing Grace","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John Newton was born in England in 1725 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Before he reached the age of seven, his mother died. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His father remarried and John was sent off to a boarding school \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At the age of 11, John left school to become\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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4987","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=4987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4987\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}