The Hamilton Minute

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Proverbs 16:6 (KJV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

We live in a day when churches are filled with people ready to hear and receive God’s mercy. Unfortunately, however, it is often accompanied by a de-emphasis or concealment of the truth of God’s Word.

Paul, the salvation-by-grace-through-faith Apostle, was asked if salvation is solely a product of grace what benefit then does the law provide. Paul responded, “Without the law, I wouldn’t have known God’s righteous standard and how far away from it I was.”

Any presentation of God’s mercy absent of God’s truth is no Gospel at all.

Iniquity is purged by mercy and truth.

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The American republic was founded on the principle that rights are given to us by God, not man.  As a result, men nor government can take them away. That’s why our Declaration of Independence refers to our rights as inalienable rights.

Government’s role then is to protect the rights that God has given to us.

The first freedom listed in the bill of rights, which government is entrusted to protect, is religious liberty.  The founders did this because they know that free exercise of religion is the fulcrum for all liberty.

Wherever the flame of religious liberty is extinguished, all liberty is imperiled.

"There were added that day about 3000 souls."

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The day of Pentecost concluded with 3000 converts being added to the initial body of 120 believers.  Then that 3120 spent time together daily going to the temple and interacting in each other’s homes. They devoted themselves continually to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, sharing meals together and praying together.

The 3120 that made up the early church came from Turkey, the middle east and Africa, and included Arabs and Romans.  In addition to the geographic and ethnic diversity, they also spoke different languages.  Yet they were made one family in Christ Jesus.

Scripture has the answer to the issues we face today.

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert place” Acts 8:26.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the height of a Holy Spirit outpouring in Samaria, where the Gospel was being preached with great power and droves of people were converting to follow Christ, the LORD instructed Philip to leave Samaria and head south to Gaza.

Philip didn’t know a divine appointment awaited him.

Through his ministry to the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Gospel would spread to Africa.

He left the crowd. To serve one.

I call this step down faith. It's easy to step up for the attention and applause of the masses, but do we have step down faith?

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”  Proverbs 29:2 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

During Congressional questioning Congressman Seth Moulton asked U.S. Central Commander General Frank McKenzie,

You went from 2,500 troops in April to 650 in July, and then turned around and put 5,000 back into Kabul. Why didn’t you plan for an evacuation and leave enough troops on the ground to conduct it?

To which the General responded, “I’m going to fall back on the orders I received.”

The White House ordered the troop draw down without a care for the Americans still in country or the Afghan allies who also needed to get out. Though the generals warned against it.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you.”  Luke 6:26(a) (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Several NBA stars are publicly expressing their COVID injection hesitation. Christian Orlando Magic star Jonathan Isaac is among them. After he astutely shared his reasoning, including his age, physical fitness level, and presence of antibodies in his system due to having had COVID previously, Forbes published a hit piece on him saying,

There is a bigger problem for the Magic here, one that goes back to Isaac’s entry into the league. He is deeply and vocally religious, which is not a bad thing in itself but has left him largely out of step with his teammates.

Get it? Deep and vocal Christian conviction is problematic.

"For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived."  Revelation 18:23 (NKJV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

While speaking, somehow, at a mega church in Brooklyn, NY Governor Kathy Hochul said,

All of you, yes, I know you’re vaccinated, you’re the smart ones, but you know there’s people out there who aren’t listening to God and what God wants… I need you to be my apostles. I need you to go out and talk about it…

Silly me, I thought the Messiah was the one who ordained apostles and sent them out.

Governor Hochul is an example of the adherents to the “non-gospel” of vaccination, these folks should be collectively identified as Branch Covidian.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."  Luke 15:20 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

When the the Prodigal Son parable is discussed the focus is usually placed on the young son who squandered his inheritance, yet returned home when “he came to himself.” But, if you look closely at the biblical text you will see it actually reveals the inexhaustible love of The Father.

Jesus’ story-telling reveals that this was no usual earthly father. When the young  son squandered all, brought shame upon himself and his family, The Father sees him from a distance, runs to him and restores him. That’s our heavenly Father.

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:41(b)-42 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

After Jesus resurrected their brother, Lazarus, Martha and Mary, hosted a dinner party in their Bethany home. You can imagine the excitement and the buzz that swirled through the town and the number of people who came because the Rabbi had returned.

Martha busied herself with preparations. Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, basking in his teaching.

Life’s demands can easily consume our focus, but one thing is necessary: that we remain at Jesus’ feet, anchored in His word!

"And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned’” Exodus 3:3.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In the burning bush encounter Scripture records that it began as Moses kept Jethro’s flock Exodus 3:1.

“When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am'" Exodus 3:4.

Notice, God didn’t speak to Moses until He gave full attention to what God was trying to show him.

Diligent attention to daily duty is necessary.  We must be careful, however, not to allow duty to become an idol.  Are our hearts still sensitive to God? Can God still get our attention?

"For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though they be many are one body, so it is with Christ.  For the body does not consist of one member, but of many."

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Look briefly at one of your fingers. 

You've just witness one of the greatest displays of God's creative intent there is.  No other person in all the world, even an identical twin, shares your fingerprint. 

God specifically designed each of us to be unique.  That means we shouldn't try to carbon-copy anyone else in the Christian faith. 

If God made you an arm in His body, or a kneecap, praise be to our glorious God for drawing us to become a part of His body. 

How freeing it is to realize that we were never meant to copy anyone but Jesus.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” Hebrews 10:35 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Sometimes there’s a delay between crying out to God in prayer and seeing those prayers answered.

It is imperative for us in those times that we don’t waver in our confidence in our God.

The next verse goes on to say, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Hebrews 10:36 (ESV).

You see, the delay between supplication and delivered answer is one of the ways God develops endurance in us.

He desires that the roots of our faith grow down deep, that we become trees planted by rivers of living water … steadfast, immovable, always abounding in His work. In this we grow beyond superficial Christianity.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the climax of the account when Jesus restored Peter’s personal relationship with him, and Peter’s call to ministry, He saw John following them.

Jesus had just predicted that Peter would give his life for the Gospel, when Peter said, “What about John, LORD?”

Jesus responded, “What does he have to do with your calling? You follow me.”

With those words, Jesus hit a consistent flaw of the human condition.  We derive value and self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people.

Your ups, your downs, your failures, your victories were never meant to be compared to other people.

We have been called to serve an audience of One. The only approval you need is His.

"So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped" Numbers 16:47-48 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Often, when the concept of intercession is raised, we normally think about prayer and we should. Prayer is one form of intercession.

Here, we see another – living intercession.

At the climax of a plague, Aaron runs into the fray, armed with incense, and where he stands, the plague stops. Aaron literally stands between the living and the dead.

May God move us to be living intercessors for our day, and where we take our stand in Christ, the plague stops!

You shall have no other gods before me.

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.

In 1954 Americans lived under constant threat of nuclear attack from the USSR.

When American children practiced duck and cover in classrooms across the country, President Eisenhower realized that our pledge had no distinction from any other republic.

After hearing a sermon on February 7^th of that year, President Eisenhower signed a law adding the words “under God” to our pledge.

The president recognized the true source of unity, of indivisibility is unwavering submission to the God of the bible.

As we go about our day, let us all remember the only true source of national unity is submission to almighty God.

"Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds” Matthew 14:22.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Here Jesus instructed His disciples to cross a lake and meet Him on the other side of it. As they went, they were met by a violent wind storm that halted their progress.

Often in our Christian lives we receive clear instruction from the LORD, only to be met by an obstacle that halts our progress. We must, however, recognize that the onset of a storm does not cancel out God’s instructions.

Halted progress does not equal denied destination.

When Jesus directed the disciples to go to the other side, He absolutely meant for them to get there.

Delay does not equal denial.

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

Statistics show that children who grow up without a father are 5 times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime. They’re 9 times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. Yet the percentage of children born to fatherless homes has skyrocketed in America. As of 2015, 25 percent of white, 53 percent of Hispanic and 73 percent of black babies are born into fatherless homes.

While Scripture teaches that the weight of raising children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord falls upon fathers, seems like we need a movement that says fatherhood matters.

"Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' So David put them off.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.

As David prepared to face Goliath, Saul tried to outfit David with Saul’s personal armor. But David didn’t have Saul’s armor when he faced the lion or the bear, and David realized he did not need the armor to slay Goliath.

Today, many Christians yield to the temptation to be hipper, cooler, and even a little fuzzy on the clear teachings of Scripture in order to face the Goliaths of our day. But Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men" John 12:32.

We don’t need a cool light show to be an ambassador for Christ. All we need is to offer what we have freely received.

We know the transforming power of Christ because He has transformed us.

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

What are gates? They are defensive tools used to keep stuff out, to keep an advancing force at bay.

Too often the enemy is successful in putting Christians on defense, when the facts are the Lord established His church as an aggressive, offensive, territory-taking body.

The Lord never meant for us to sit on the sidelines of life or to cower in the corner as a result of the wickedness in our culture.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of the world cannot be contained.

The Lord is building His church and the mamby-pamby gates of Hell shall not prevail against us.

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers.

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.

One word has proven to be debilitating in our society: the D-word.  Discrimination.

What we fail to realize is discrimination is not automatically a dirty concept. We discriminate against thieves and murderers when we send them to prison. We discriminated against sexual predators by keeping them away from children. And yes, we rightly discriminated against men when we keep them out of women’s restrooms.

According to Psalm 1, we have to discriminate against the counsel of the wicked in order to be blessed. Good thing God isn’t debilitated by the D-word.