\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Luke 11:37-54<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. We live our lives avoiding disagreements<\/p>\n
A. We don’t like being told we are wrong<\/p>\n
B. We avoid causing other people to be upset with us<\/p>\n 1. A Nebraska superintendent made the national news because she forbade\nreferences to Christmas in her school so as to not offend anyone.\n
2. Of course, what she did was offend an entire country<\/p>\n
C. As Paul spoke with Felix, Felix became afraid – Acts 24:25<\/p>\n
1. Couldn’t Paul have worded his message to be more acceptable?<\/p>\n
2. Or is this simply the nature of the message of the Holy Spirit – John 16:8-11<\/p>\n
D. The word “conviction” carries three meanings<\/p>\n
1. The effort of convincing someone of something.<\/p>\n
2. Being convinced of something<\/p>\n
3. A strong belief that affects how we live<\/p>\n
II. The effort of convincing someone of their sin<\/p>\n
A. Nathan’s talk with David – II Samuel 12:1-14<\/p>\n
1. Without Nathan, David would have continued to hide his sin<\/p>\n 2. He would have become use to the guilt, convincing himself that this was\nnormal.\n
3. Nathan’s role was just as critical as David’s repentance<\/p>\n B. This is the task of every prophet of the Old Testament and every preacher and\nelder of the New Testament\n
1. The apostles sent to convict the world of sin – Jude 14-15<\/p>\n
2. This is what Peter did in his first sermon – Acts 2:36-37<\/p>\n
3. This is what Paul did for three years among the Ephesians – Acts 20:25-31<\/p>\n
4. A bishop must be able to exhort and to convict – Titus 1:9<\/p>\n
C. Unless people are convinced that they are in sin, there is no motivation to change<\/p>\n
1. Why change something that is not “broken?”<\/p>\n 2. Unless a person realizes they don’t know it all, they will not be ready to\nlearn – Proverbs 1:7\n 3. Look through the gospels and see how often Jesus first shows a questioner\nhow little he knows or how wrong he is before he then answers the\nquestion. – (example in Luke 11:37-52)\n
D. Reproof is a blessing to the sinner – Psalms 141:5<\/p>\n
1. Anything that rescues the lost is a benefit, even if it is painful at the time.<\/p>\n
2. Who wants to be lost in Hell for all eternity?<\/p>\n
3. It is by hardship and rebuke that evil is removed – Proverbs 20:30<\/p>\n
E. But reproof is not often appreciated<\/p>\n
1. The wicked will turn against the one reproving him – Proverbs 9:7-8<\/p>\n 2. But in the long run, those who listen will appreciate the effort – Proverbs\n28:23\n
F. It is essential that we reprove the lost – Ezekiel 3:17-21<\/p>\n
III. Being convinced of one’s own sins<\/p>\n
A. Each sinner must be convinced of his own sins.<\/p>\n
1. To fail in this is to self-destruct<\/p>\n
2. David could have raged against Nathan and killed him<\/p>\n
a. But in doing so, he would have killed himself<\/p>\n
3. Instead he said “I have sinned against the Lord.” – II Samuel 12:13<\/p>\n
B. Examples of conviction<\/p>\n
1. Nineveh repented at Jonah’s teachings – Matthew 12:41<\/p>\n
2. The Jews were cut to the heart at Peter’s teaching – Acts 2:37<\/p>\n
3. Saul reacted to the Lord with fear and trembling – Acts 9:8<\/p>\n
C. Conviction opens the heart to instruction, but not everyone is so affected<\/p>\n
1. Not everyone who is convicted will turn from his sins<\/p>\n
2. Felix was struck with fear, but he dismissed Paul – Acts 24:25<\/p>\n
3. The Jews who stoned Stephen were cut to their hearts – Acts 7:54-58<\/p>\n 4. Proverbs 15:32 – Conviction is a start, but one must then heed the\ninstruction\n
5. Proverbs 10:17 – Heeding instruction leads to life<\/p>\n
IV. A strong belief that shapes our lives<\/p>\n
A. Another word for faith<\/p>\n
B. Romans 4:20-22 – Abraham’s faith is what carried him through<\/p>\n
C. Paul was convinced of God’s love – Romans 8:38-39<\/p>\n 1. It was that conviction that enabled Paul to endure so much – II Corinthians\n11:22-29\n D. It was Peter and John’s conviction that allowed them to boldly stand before the\nJewish council – Acts 4:19-20\n
V. What about you today?<\/p>\n A. Are you convinced of your sinfulness? Do you understand the reality of the\nwaiting judgement if you do not leave your sinful life?\n
B. Have you been fulfilling your duty in convicting the world of their sins?<\/p>\n
C. Are you convinced of God’s love? That He is able to save you from your sins?<\/p>\n
\n
Suggested songs:<\/p>\n
• “Let Us Know Jehovah” by Matthew Bassford<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:37-54 I. We live our lives avoiding disagreements A. We don’t like being told we are wrong B. We avoid causing other people to be upset with us 1. A Nebraska superintendent made the national news because she forbade references to Christmas in her school so as to not offend…<\/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_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1090],"class_list":["post-54850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-conviction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":86658,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/condemnation-or-conviction\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":0},"title":"Condemnation or Conviction?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores To many, \"conviction\" is the same as \"condemnation,\" and most of us familiar with condemnation don't like it much. You know, the (not so) subtle voice that hisses, \"You're not good enough!\" \"You're a failure!\" \"It's too late for you, there's no hope because you'll never change!\"\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":34917,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-faith-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":1},"title":"What Faith Is","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Faith is the demonstration of our conviction that we trust the reality of what we cannot see. That is not the same as saying there is no evidence. Trusting the reality of what we cannot see means only that our faith is not dependent on first-hand material\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":21417,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-amazed-that-a-church-of-such-conviction-still-exists\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":2},"title":"I’m amazed that a church of such conviction still exists!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I found your site while looking up information on \"Edom.\" I read your home page and was amazed that a church of such conviction to uphold the biblical teaching manner of the Bible still exists! I have been looking for a straight forward Christian, Bible-believing church for some time\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":50872,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/faith-is-the-evidence\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":3},"title":"Faith is the Evidence","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Doy Moyer \"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen\" (Hebrews 11:1, NASB). Some translations say that faith is the \"evidence\" of things not seen (KJV, NKJV). What does this mean? We often point out that faith is not blind. Because of the\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":91786,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/peters-conviction\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":4},"title":"Peter’s Conviction","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Peter, another eyewitness and apostle of Jesus, was recorded by Luke regarding several of his testimonial accounts. See Luke's impressive documentation of Peter's presentation of the evidence of Jesus, as Luke recorded them in summary in Acts 2, 3, and 10. Luke recorded these speeches to\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":25474,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-a-church-loses-its-distinctiveness\/","url_meta":{"origin":54850,"position":5},"title":"How a Church Loses Its Distinctiveness","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Tom Holland via\u00a0The Sower, Vol. 54, No. 3, May\/June 2009. When \"called out\" people who are supposed to be distinct and committed to the Lord and His Word become like everyone else, what right do they have to make a claim that they are a \"church of Christ\"? The\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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54850","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=54850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}