https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Given-to-Change.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Proverbs 24:21-22<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. For many people, trying out something new is exciting. You don’t know exactly what the\nresult will be, which is part of the fun\n
A. So we try out new restaurants or travel to places we’ve never been before<\/p>\n B. Some changes are fun, but not always. For example, changing jobs every few\nmonths would be a disaster.\n
II. Governmental Changes<\/p>\n
A. During the reign of David, Absalom offered Israel change<\/p>\n
1. He made many promises of better times – II Samuel 15:2-6<\/p>\n a. He offered people what they wanted and not what was needed or\nright\n
b. And the people loved it – II Samuel 15:12-13<\/p>\n 2. But they were empty promises. Though Absalom took over the\ngovernment, he did not survive long because God was against him\n
B. There was period of time in Israel’s history that rulers changed rapidly<\/p>\n 1. After King Baasha of Israel died, his son reigned for two years – I Kings\n16:8-10\n
2. This didn’t go over well with the people – I Kings 16:16-17<\/p>\n
3. Seven days into his reign, Zimri committed suicide – I Kings 16:18<\/p>\n
4. This didn’t settle the problem until civil war broke out – I Kings 16:21-22<\/p>\n 5. It was a period of many changes, but none of them were good changes.\nThe rulers never got better.\n C. Countries prosper when their governments are stable because people know what\nto expect\n 1. This helps us understand why God tells his people to be obedient to the\nrulers\n
a. Be subject to rulers and authorities – Titus 3:1<\/p>\n
b. God put them in power for reasons – Romans 13:1-7<\/p>\n c. Thus, we should be subject to the rulers for God’s sake – I Peter\n2:13-17\n
2. Solomon gives details for dealing with rulers – Ecclesiastes 8:2-5<\/p>\n
a. Don’t quickly abandon a ruler<\/p>\n
b. Don’t get involved in evil<\/p>\n
c. Don’t question a king’s authority<\/p>\n
d. Instead, wait for the proper time and use the proper procedures<\/p>\n (1) Thus, it is not no change, but controlled and considered\nchange when needed\n
III. Religious Changes<\/p>\n
A. Korah staged a rebellion against Moses – Numbers 16:1-3<\/p>\n 1. They thought they could serve God better than Moses, or at least just as\nwell\n 2. The problem was that they were going against God’s chosen leader and for\nthat they ended up dying in a novel way – Numbers 16:30-31\n
B. In Jeremiah’s day, God had a complaint against Judah – Jeremiah 2:11-13<\/p>\n
1. Most nations stick with their idols, even though they are not real<\/p>\n 2. But Israel exchanged God for false gods who could not do anything for\nthem\n
C. In the New Testament, there are also warnings against changes – Ephesians 4:14<\/p>\n
1. The number of innovations in religion is staggering<\/p>\n
2. There is always another new fad that draws people<\/p>\n D. But as before, people only think about what they want. They are certain that God\nwill like what they like. But they never consult God \n
1. Prove what is acceptable – Romans 12:1-3<\/p>\n
E. Christianity produced changes to the world – Acts 17:6<\/p>\n 1. But it was a change demanded by God that resulted in the betterment of\nmankind\n 2. Those that accepted it weren’t going by feelings, but examined it to see if\nit matched what God said – Acts 17:11\n
3. It wasn’t change for the sake of changing. It had purpose – a good purpose<\/p>\n
IV. Personal changes<\/p>\n
A. Sin also offers changes. <\/p>\n
1. The seductress is noted as being a rebel – Proverbs 7:11<\/p>\n B. It is far too easy to let emotions carry you away because you are being offered\nexactly what you want\n
C. But like other changes, we have to consider what God wants<\/p>\n
1. God’s wants us to change to remove sin from our lives – I Corinthians 6:9-11<\/p>\n
2. We have changed from darkness – Ephesians 5:6-10<\/p>\n
V. Don’t be a person given to change – Proverbs 24:21-22<\/p>\n
A. That is, don’t change just because it is exciting to change<\/p>\n
B. Give consideration. Is it improving your life? Is it what God wants you to do?<\/p>\n
C. Change for a purpose because the wrong change could destroy you<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 24:21-22 I. For many people, trying out something new is exciting. You don’t know exactly what the result will be, which is part of the fun A. So we try out new restaurants or travel to places we’ve never been before B. Some changes are fun, but not always. For example,…<\/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":[674,50],"class_list":["post-59676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-change","tag-repentance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61961,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-change-in-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":0},"title":"A Change in Law","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 8:7-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Among those calling themselves Christian, many have a difficult time understanding the place the Old Testament has in God\u2019s scheme of redemption \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A few cling to the laws regarding the Sabbath and so modify the New Testament teaching of worship on the\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":91421,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-question-of-god-repenting-or-changing-his-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":1},"title":"The Question of God Repenting or Changing His Mind","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton A skeptic thought he found a flaw in the Bible and the God of the Bible. He believes the following is a contradiction in the Bible: Does God change his mind? \"For I am the Lord; I change not\" (Malachi 3:6). \"God is not a man,\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":14195,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-a-change-in-the-law-mean-god-changes-his-mind-a-lot\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":2},"title":"Does a change in the Law mean God changes His mind a lot?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Since God changed His Law, then apparently God changes His mind a lot. Answer: Actually God planned the change all along. The Law of Moses defined sin and bound it to mankind, but it could not in itself save. It spoke only of future salvation. \"For the law made\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":9476,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-it-a-contradiction-when-god-changed-his-mind-about-the-eating-of-animals\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":3},"title":"Isn’t it a contradiction when God changed His mind about the eating of animals?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read\u00a0your article\u00a0about contradictions in the Bible, and I agree most are silly ones and, unfortunately, usually malicious.\u00a0 However, I feel I have something rather genuine to present to you.\u00a0 (Yes, I am a vegan. This will clarify a few things about my perspective.) At the beginning of Genesis\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":27198,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-microevolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":4},"title":"Is there microevolution?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to make clear that I believe that God created everything according to Romans 1:20.\u00a0I was with friends and the topic of a movie called\u00a0Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed came up. I mentioned that someone I knew said \"You Creationists don't believe in evolution, but we evolutionists believe in\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":34674,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/being-made-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":59676,"position":5},"title":"Being Made New","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 42:1-12 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is that time of year when we begin thinking about the new year. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sure, it is just a date, a marker in the sand, but it becomes an opportunity to look at what was done and resolve to do better. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul\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\/59676","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=59676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}