\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 7:13-29<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. How do you find the truth?<\/p>\n
A. People use numerous ways, but usually they revolve around avoiding effort<\/p>\n
II. Following the Majority – Matthew 7:13-14<\/p>\n
A. You see this in many areas of life. <\/p>\n
1. If most people say something, then it is assumed to be true<\/p>\n
B. Religion is no different<\/p>\n 1. If a denomination wants to grow, then it accepts a wide variety of practices\n– especially popular ones.\n
2. It is looked at as more loving<\/p>\n 3. This increases followers, which leads to more prestige and money in the\ncoffers\n
C. However, truth is narrow and falsehood is broad<\/p>\n
1. There is only one truth, but there are many ways to lie.<\/p>\n
D. If we wish to reach heaven, we have to follow the strict and narrow way<\/p>\n
1. Isn’t that being legalistic? <\/p>\n a. Merriam-Webster defines this as a view “that places primary\nemphasis on legal priniciples.”\n b. Oxford Dictionary says that in matters of theology, it means an\n“adherence to moral law rather than to personal religious faith.”\n c. Usually people view law as guidelines to be roughly followed, so\nlegalism is view as excessively adhering to the law or giving too\nmuch attention to rules and details.\n
2. Is legalism bad?<\/p>\n a. When we hired a lawyer to close on our house, we expected him to\nfollow all the law’s requirements in detail to ensure our ownership\nof the house.\n b. When I see a doctor, I expect him to give me the exact treatment\nneeded to cure whatever I have\n c. When I take my car to a mechanic, I don’t think he is dogmatic if\nhe says a Ford part doesn’t fit on an Oldsmobile.\n 3. Yet, when it comes to religious matters, people are convinced that\nanything is acceptable and God likes it that way.\n
E. God has always demanded obedience – Jeremiah 7:21-28<\/p>\n 1. But obedience only comes from strict adherence to what is required – Luke\n6:46\n
F. Most people will pick the easiest route. They will do what they want to do.<\/p>\n
1. If it happens to align with God, great! But if not, “Oh, well …”<\/p>\n
2. The result is that most people will end up in Hell and few will find heaven.<\/p>\n
3. Yet, most people are convinced that they are going the right direction.<\/p>\n G. Following the crowd will not lead you to the truth. Following the crowd will not\nget you to heaven.\n
III. False Teachers – Matthew 7:15-20<\/p>\n A. Far too many people justify their religious practices by saying, “My preacher told\nme this was true.” \n
B. We cannot be naive. There are false teachers – I John 4:1<\/p>\n
1. To succeed, they have to look very similar to true teachers.<\/p>\n
2. Thus, we have to look beyond the surface.<\/p>\n
C. A false teacher is involved in lying<\/p>\n
1. He is lying about what God said<\/p>\n 2. This tendency to lie will overflow to other aspects of his life. There will be\ninconsistencies between what he says and what he does.\n 3. The actions of his life will not match the righteousness that God requires\nof His people\n D. People will overlook error because false teachers are telling them what they want\nto hear – II Timothy 4:3-4\n
E. They love what they hear – Jeremiah 5:30-31<\/p>\n F. Truth will make us uncomfortable at times because it causes us to realize that we\naren’t measuring up to God’s standards – Jeremiah 23:28-29\n G. Jesus’ warning is important because people frequently excuse the warning signs –\nII Peter 2:1-3\n
1. It is easier to ignore disturbing hints than to confront error<\/p>\n 2. They are convinced that good can still come from someone they know is\npracticing error\n
IV. My Beliefs – Matthew 7:21-23<\/p>\n A. Even when we see erroneous practices in other people, we continue to excuse our\nown bad behavior.\n B. People are convinced that as long as they are sincere and acknowledge Jesus as\nLord, then it doesn’t matter what is actually said or done.\n
C. The only way into heaven is to do the will of God – Romans 2:6-9<\/p>\n
D. Jesus points out that we will appear before Him in Judgment – II Corinthians 5:10<\/p>\n
1. Some will claim Jesus as Lord<\/p>\n 2. They will claim to have prophesied, cast out demons, and done other\nmiraculous works.\n 3. These are offered as proof of their righteousness, but Jesus doesn’t\nrecognize them.\n E. It ignores the truth. God said miraculous gifts would end – Zechariah 13:1-3; I\nCorinthians 13:8-10\n 1. The only way a person prophesied, cast out demons, or did other\nmiraculous works would be that God was wrong.\n
F. Making religious claims is not proof of righteous teaching<\/p>\n
V. The Stability of Obedience – Matthew 7:24-27<\/p>\n A. When a person listens to Jesus and applies his teachings to his life, then he has a\nfirm foundation that will help him through the trials of life\n
1. Like a flourishing tree – Psalms 92:12-15<\/p>\n
2. Firmly rooted – Colossians 2:6-7<\/p>\n B. When a person only hears and does not obey, he has no stable foundation. When\ntrials come, he will collapse – James 1:22-25\n C. Surprisingly, many teach that Christianity is all about faith and that what you do\nhas no affect on your salvation – James 2:14-17\n
D. Obedience is an integral part of faith – I John 3:21-24<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 7:13-29 I. How do you find the truth? A. People use numerous ways, but usually they revolve around avoiding effort II. Following the Majority – Matthew 7:13-14 A. You see this in many areas of life. 1. If most people say something, then it is assumed to be true B. Religion is…<\/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":[300,478,441],"class_list":["post-68806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-denominations","tag-false-teachers","tag-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63449,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/self-inflicted-wounds\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":0},"title":"Self-Inflicted Wounds","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 7:1-5 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve mentioned to several people an interesting book by Gregory Koukl called Tactics. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It discuss how Christians can discuss the gospel with others, especially those who might be hostile to the ideas of Christianity. \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\u00a0It is about not only presenting points, but\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":62413,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/parenting-mistakes\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":1},"title":"Parenting Mistakes","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Scott Smelser The Family","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":63067,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mistakes-of-a-rich-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":2},"title":"Mistakes of a Rich Man","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Luke 12:13-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Someone approached Jesus, asking him to settle a dispute over an inheritance. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus declined, stating that it wasn\u2019t his occupation \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But he pointed out the root problem between the brothers \u2013 greed \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\u00a0We know this without even knowing the facts\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":63005,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/lessons-from-matthew\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":3},"title":"Lessons from Matthew","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel, Jr. of Palestine, IL April 8-13, 2018 My Beloved Children (I John) Mankind Is My Business Christianity Concentrate (Matthew 5-7) Compassion (Matthew 9) This Isn't What I Expected (Matthew 11) Does Jesus Offend You? (Matthew 15) Faith in God's Man and Method (Matthew 16-19) Truly Great Commitment\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":29411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/drinking-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":4},"title":"Drinking in the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Old Testament Sermon with Audio: Drinking in the Old Testament Article: Old Testament Beverages New Testament Sermon with audio: Drinking in the New Testament Article: New Testament Beverages","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\/2019\/10\/scan0013_tif-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52047,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/be-not-dismayed\/","url_meta":{"origin":68806,"position":5},"title":"Be Not Dismayed","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah came in the worse days of Judah\u2019s history \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Corruption was everywhere - Jeremiah 6:13-15 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah was told from his youth to preach the truth - Jeremiah 1:4-8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But that didn\u2019t make it easy. Jeremiah was opposed most of his life \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\u00a0After 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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68806","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=68806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}