by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 15:1-14<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. In our zeal to live as God requires, we will at times take on more restrictions than God has\nplaced upon us.\n
A. Ecclesiastes 7:15-16<\/p>\n 1. A confusing verse. Is Solomon saying don’t follow God’s laws strictly?\nHave a little sin in your life?\n
2. The answer is a few verses later in a wise observation – Ecclesiastes 7:20<\/p>\n
3. A person who sets a goal to live a perfect, sinless life will fail.<\/p>\n
a. Only our Savior has never sinned<\/p>\n b. Yet, some will strive so hard for perfection that they become afraid\nof doing things that might be wrong.\n c. The end result is that by avoiding an overt act of sin, they commit a\nsin of neglect – James 4:17\n 4. A person who longs for absolute perfection is unable to obtain it because\nwe are not always fully sure whether something is right or wrong.\n
a. It is that uncertainty that can lead to sin<\/p>\n b. We either say, “Oh well, no one is perfect” and we casually do\nthings we ought not to do.\n c. Or, we avoid all uncertainty and thereby not do what needs to be\ndone.\n
B. The Pharisees were a group who zealously strived to follow God’s law perfectly.<\/p>\n
1. They developed a system of rules designed to keep people from sinning.<\/p>\n a. Where God left something vague, the Pharisees strived to come up\nwith crisp definitions so mistakes would not be made.\n b. The problem was their rules were of man, not of God – Romans\n10:1-3\n
2. Matthew 15:1-14<\/p>\n
a. Rules about washing before meals was not commanded by God<\/p>\n
b. Rules that one law can replace the obligation to fulfill another law<\/p>\nII. I was asked a question that went something like this: “Our congregation meets in a rented\nhall. Would it be wrong to make use of the facilities available for a potluck gathering? I\nunderstand that the church doesn’t have authority to own a kitchen, but I was wondering\nwhy we couldn’t rent the facility where we happen to meet for a meal that is separate from\nthe worship service.”\n
A. In answering this question, let us return to the basics<\/p>\n B. The services of the Lord are not to be used for social activities – I Corinthians\n11:20-22, 34\n 1. The purpose of coming together is to worship God, not for partaking of\nmeals\n 2. I frequently receive invitations to come hear the gospel preached, but the\nincentive to come is the free food.\n 3. I’m also told about the distraction fresh-perked coffee and other savory\nsmells make near the end of services\n 4. Then there are some who become distracted, leaving services for a moment\nto make sure food is turned on at the proper time or not becoming overly\ndone.\n 5. The appetites of men take precedence over the worship of the Almighty\nGod!\n
C. It is not the church’s responsibility to provide social entertainment for its members.<\/p>\n 1. Brethren are encouraged to enjoy each other’s company and to share meals\ntogether – Acts 2:46 (Notice the “house to house.”)\n 2. But the church is not asked to provide a hall for potlucks or wedding\nreceptions.\n a. Such would be a misuse of the Lord’s funds because the Lord has\nnot authorized such spending.\n
b. To use the Lord’s money for such purposes would be wrong.<\/p>\n
III. Yet, in avoiding this problem, we can make rules that God has not made<\/p>\n
A. I heard some say that it wrong to eat in the building.<\/p>\n
1. I know of no passage where that is stated.<\/p>\n 2. My office is in the building and there have been times when I end up\nmunching at the desk while I’m trying to get material put together because\nI’ve run out of hours in the day.\n 3. If men are gathered to make repairs, I know of no reason why food cannot\nbe brought to nourish these workers.\n 4. These examples do not violate I Corinthians 11 because no one is gathered\nfor worship\n
5. Nor is the Lord’s money being spent on food or social entertainment<\/p>\n
B. The example of Paul<\/p>\n 1. In Acts 20:7, the brethren are gathered to partake of the Lord’s Supper in a\nthird story room\n
2. Paul speaks at the gathering until midnight.<\/p>\n
3. About that time a young man falls out of a window to his death.<\/p>\n
4. Paul goes down and raises the man back to life.<\/p>\n
5. But notice what happens next – Acts 20:11<\/p>\n a. This was not the partaking of the Lord’s Supper as only Paul is\nmentioned as eating\n
b. The Lord’s Supper is shared by all – I Corinthians 10:16-17<\/p>\n c. The meal takes place after midnight, so it is no longer the first day\nof the week\n 6. But for our purposes note that the meal Paul ate was eaten in the same\nfacility used for worship just a few hours prior.\n
C. Conclusion<\/p>\n 1. So long as the worship is kept distinct from worldly matters, it doesn’t\nmatter if the same facility happens to be used for multiple purposes.\n 2. However, this doesn’t give a congregation the right to use the Lord’s\nmoney to build a multi-purpose facility.\n
a. Buildings are built as a convenient place to gather.<\/p>\n b. They are places which saves the congregation money in the long\nrun over renting a facility.\n 3. When the Lord’s money is spent, it must be spent in accomplishing the\nLord’s will.\nIV. You might say, “Ah! I understand. A church can rent a facility that might have a kitchen,\nbut it can’t spend money to build a kitchen or dining hall.”\n
A. Once again, we must be careful not to make a rule that God hasn’t made.<\/p>\n
B. Acts 6:1-4<\/p>\n 1. The church in Jerusalem was responsible for the care of a large number of\nwidows \n
2. Such was required in certain cases – I Timothy 5:3-16<\/p>\n 3. The number of widows in Jerusalem that met these qualifications must have\nbeen significant. It took six men to coordinate their care.\n
4. Notice they were serving food daily and serving at tables<\/p>\n a. The wording implies to me that meals were being served at a\ncentral location in a dining hall, though it is possible that they were\nmaking home deliveries.\n
b. Where was the food being prepared?<\/p>\n C. If a congregation had a large number of widows to feed and having a kitchen and\ndining hall allowed the congregation to meet that duty with less cost, then there\nwould be nothing wrong with building it.\n D. Does this mean every congregation needs to run out and buy a kitchen and dining\nhall? No, because most congregations don’t have so large a number of widows on\ntheir rolls that a kitchen and hall would make the facility practical.\n
V. God stated what He wanted to state in exactly the way He wanted it expressed.<\/p>\n
A. We cannot go beyond what was written – I Corinthians 4:6<\/p>\n B. But neither may we eliminate what God has allowed in our zeal to stay within the\nbounds of God’s law.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 15:1-14 I. In our zeal to live as God requires, we will at times take on more restrictions than God has placed upon us. A. Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 1. A confusing verse. Is Solomon saying don’t follow God’s laws strictly? Have a little sin in your life? 2. The answer is a few…<\/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":[32],"tags":[151,38,945],"class_list":["post-63521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-eating-in-the-building","tag-morality","tag-strictness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":85055,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-narrow-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":0},"title":"The Narrow Way","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chadwick Brewer \"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narrow-cave-300x225.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":90355,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-restrictive-nature-of-submission\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":1},"title":"The Restrictive Nature of Submission","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores Submitting to the authority of God's will is not only serious business, it's also very restrictive.\u00a0Because of its very nature, those who submit to authority can only operate within its bounds. What passes for Christianity in America, and across the world, really isn't because it goes beyond\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":5411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-apostles-educated\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":2},"title":"Were the apostles educated?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 28, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know that apostle Paul was educated. What about the other apostles. Where they educated? Answer: Of Peter and John we are specifically told, \"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that\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":61546,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":3},"title":"Notes on Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Enjoyment of Life According to Ecclesiastes Contentment in food and drink, in labor, and being good in God's sight - Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 Have fun, do good, take pleasure in what you produce, and respect God - Ecclesiastes 3:13-15 Take pleasure in today. Don't say \"Tomorrow I'll be happy\" -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-life-why-are-you-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":4},"title":"The Meaning of Life: Why Are You Here?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 6:6-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is it that you are looking for out of life? What are you expecting? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So many people never find contentment with their lives because they are expecting things that life cannot deliver. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They decide they can\u2019t be happy with life\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":15476,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/enjoy-what-god-has-given-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":63521,"position":5},"title":"Enjoy What God Has Given You","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 50 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Have you given a gift that wasn\u2019t appreciated? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s nice, but it wasn\u2019t what I hoped to receive.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThanks, but it would have been better if you also included ...\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Or worse, it just sits there, not being used \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s frustrating to\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\/63521","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=63521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63521\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}