https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/DogsDontGoToHeaven.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Revelation 22:12-17<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. When we want to illustrate a point, we often will search through life around us to find\nsomething similar. It is especially good if the audience understands the example\n A. Those points make a lasting impression on us because we are familiar with the\nillustration\n B. Thus Jesus’ illustration of a woman cleaning house just to find a misplaced coin\nstays with us, or his illustration of a man with two sons: one rude and refused to\ndo what he was told, but later changes his mind and the other who tells his dad\nwhat he wants to hear and then doesn’t do it, causes us to say “I know someone\njust like that.”\n C. I’m a dog owner and love my pet. There are numerous characteristics that make\nhim enjoyable, but I must admit that there are some habits that dogs have that are\nnot good.\n
II. Dogs in the Bible<\/p>\n
A. Dogs were domesticated early on, usually for guard duty – Job 30:1<\/p>\n B. The problem is that there were no leash laws, dog catchers, or humane societies to\ndeal with stray dogs.\n 1. Ancient cities often had packs of stray dogs wandering the streets living off\nthe refuge dumps, ready to eat anything they could find that was edible –\nPsalm 59:14-15\n 2. In times of war, they would appear in the aftermath – Psalm 68:23; I Kings\n14:11; Jeremiah 15:3\n
C. So while they had uses, people generally did not like dogs. <\/p>\n 1. They would throw stones or swing sticks at a growling dog to shew it\naway – I Samuel 17:43\n
2. Stray dogs can turn at any time – Matthew 7:6<\/p>\n
D. So referring to a person as a dog was an insult<\/p>\n
III. Why there are no dogs in heaven – Revelation 22:14-15<\/p>\n
A. Laziness<\/p>\n
1. A guard dog who doesn’t bark is worthless – Isaiah 56:10-11<\/p>\n
a. It refers to leaders who do not sound a warning – Ezekiel 3:17<\/p>\n
b. Those who do not tell others they have sinned – Isaiah 58:1<\/p>\n
2. Children of God are to be diligent – Hebrew 6:11-12<\/p>\n
B. Dogs tend to be greedy – Also Isaiah 56:10-11<\/p>\n
1. Dogs will wolf down their food rapidly<\/p>\n
2. It is a reference to leaders who run after gain – I Peter 5:2<\/p>\n
C. Dogs have disgusting habits<\/p>\n 1. If a dog eats something that disagrees with him or gulps it down in too big\nof a chunk, he vomits it back up\n 2. What is disgusting is that he will often eat it again. A dog doesn’t realize\nthat if it wasn’t good the first time, it isn’t going to be better the second\ntime.\n
3. That becomes an illustration – Proverbs 26:11<\/p>\n a. Foolish people act just like dogs. They repeat the same mistake\nnever stopping to think there is a reason why it was a mistake in the\nfirst place.\n
b. Peter used it for the same purpose – II Peter 2:22<\/p>\n
(1) Some people leave sin to turn around and return to it<\/p>\n (2) A dog who vomits feels better, but then returns to what\nmade him ill\n (3) For some we show the way to righteousness and how to\npurge sin from their life and then when they are feeling\nbetter they go right back into sin.\n
D. Dogs have unbridled lusts<\/p>\n 1. Unneutered male dogs are disposed to mate with anything anywhere. They\nhave no restraint\n 2. Thus people who show no restraint and abnormal sexual practices are\ncalled dogs – Deuteronomy 23:17-18\n a. A man who sells his body for sex, what we call a homosexual\ntoday, is referred to as a dog\n b. The point Moses is making is that God will not accept offerings\nfrom wicked people – Proverbs 15:8\n c. Offering worship to God doesn’t give license to sin. That is the\n“come on line” the harlot gave the naive young man – Proverbs\n7:14-15\n
d. Ill-gotten gains don’t bring honor to God when given to Him<\/p>\n
E. Dogs can turn on you<\/p>\n 1. Matthew 7:6 – Even if you feed a stray and it accepts your food, it doesn’t\nmean he won’t bite you\n a. Some people are like that. They are friendly as long as they getting\nsomething from you, but they will quickly turn on you if they see a\nbenefit to themselves\n
b. Those people aren’t worth giving what is holy and good.<\/p>\n
2. People who bite and devour each other – Galatians 5:15<\/p>\n
a. It comes from a focus on personal pleasures – James 4:1-4<\/p>\n
3. It can refer to false teachers – Matthew 7:15<\/p>\n
a. Such as Alexander who turned on Paul – II Timothy 4:14-15<\/p>\n
b. So the warning to beware – Philippians 3:2<\/p>\n
F. Dogs will run in packs acting worse in a group than when alone<\/p>\n 1. David’s prophesy about the Christ’s death referred to the mob as a pack of\ndogs – Psalm 22:16, 20\n 2. Because they are in a pack, they let someone else do their thinking, which\nultimately means no one is using their heads\n
3. Each wrong emboldens the others to do greater wrongs – Proverbs 1:10-16<\/p>\n
IV. There are no dogs in heaven – Revelation 22:14-15<\/p>\n
A. God’s people are sheep – Psalm 100:3-5<\/p>\n
B. Where will you spend eternity?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 22:12-17 I. When we want to illustrate a point, we often will search through life around us to find something similar. It is especially good if the audience understands the example A. Those points make a lasting impression on us because we are familiar with the illustration B. Thus Jesus’ illustration…<\/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":[478,35,386,156,179],"class_list":["post-62282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-false-teachers","tag-homosexuality","tag-laziness","tag-lust","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68755,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/for-eis-the-remission-of-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":62282,"position":0},"title":"For (eis) the Remission of Sins","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton It is argued by some that \"for\" the remission of sins, as used in Acts 2:38, should be understood to mean \"because of\" the remission of sins you already have. 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She\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":37834,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-atheists-worship-satan\/","url_meta":{"origin":62282,"position":2},"title":"Do atheists worship Satan?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, Earlier today a friend and I were talking about things in Christianity that tend to bother me.\u00a0 One of those things was the mantra of \"atheists worship Satan.\"\u00a0 It drives me crazy because first off, they believe in neither God nor Satan.\u00a0 An illustration: a husband and a\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":16697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/since-i-corinthians-147-mentions-instruments-doesnt-that-justify-instrumental-music-in-the-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":62282,"position":3},"title":"Since I Corinthians 14:7 mentions instruments, doesn’t that justify instrumental music in the worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In I Corinthians 14:7 Paul states \"And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?\" Is this referring to having instruments in the church? 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