Fatherhood Matters
September 21, 2021
00:01:00
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
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"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.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Paul’s epistle to the Romans was written to believers. This verse highlights the fact that it’s possible for Christians to be conformed to the world’s ways.
The word “conformed” there means to be squeezed into the mold of another. Rather than to be squeezed into the world’s mold, the Lord requires us to be transformed by having our minds renewed by God’s Word.
Everything about us must be held up to the light of Scripture. And whenever there’s any discrepancy, we must be transformed.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Newly published information from Lifeway Research shows 77% of self-identified Christians in dozens of states think it’s a sin to lend money to someone who can’t afford to pay it back. Still, few say payday loans are immoral and one in six Christians have admitted to taking out a high-interest payday loan.
The federal government’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the typical two-week payday loan charges the equivalent of a 400% interest rate.
These “sharks” prey on the poor, elderly, and most vulnerable in society.
Sound the alarm and make sure your family, church, and neighborhood steer clear of this vermin.
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
This Scripture underscores the harrowing reality that permeates the life of many who profess to be Christians. The blessing of being a Christ follower comes not only from hearing God’s Word, but obeying it.
James continues, “for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres, being not a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
“And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” Esther 4:14.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute
Esther, a young girl became Queen of the Persian Empire when Israel was subject to Persian rule. A wicked man named Haman tried to get the King to exterminate all Jews. Esther, a Jew herself, was Queen when this genocidal conspiracy was brought to bear. But her uncle Mordecai put her royal position in perspective.
“Perhaps God made you Queen for this very moment, to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people.”
Like Esther, perhaps God gave you the platform, position and influence you have for this very moment, to stand against darkness. Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.
David, the son of Jesse, just an ordinary giant slayer.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
David’s battle with Goliath is an epic drama where the little boy stands in God’s power to conquer the Philistine giant.
David didn’t awaken that morning expecting to slay a giant. He didn’t stroll in with an entourage after a rugged mountain range training camp like Rocky in Rocky IV. He was just a regular kid bringing his brothers’ lunch. But fully confident in God’s immeasurable power, though he saw Goliath, David never acknowledged him as a giant, saying, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares defy the Lord of hosts?”
When regular people are fully persuaded, fully confident in God’s power, giant’s fall.
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”
I'm Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Acts 17:26 conveys to us the reality that we were born and placed in the 21st century by God’s specific design. He determined before time where we would live and when we would live there.
If you’re in Minnesota, Mississippi, or Maine, God put you there on purpose.
He’s not surprised by the darkness we see around us, nor is He caught off guard by it. In fact, He specifically prepared for it by making sure you’re alive right now. God can do whatever He wants, but He’s chosen to use you and me as ambassadors of His kingdom.
We are His torches to light up the darkness.
"Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you” 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV).
I'm Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Many who oppose Christianity target their hostility on our foundation, the Bible. They say it is unreliable because Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are contradictory accounts of the creation story.
In actuality, the 2 chapters are complimentary and not contradictory.
When Jesus was asked about marriage, He quoted from both chapters 1 and 2, saying that He made them both to be male and female in the beginning. "And for this cause shall a man leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife."
Genesis 1 is an overview of the creation story and Genesis 2 is an up close examination of day 6. If Jesus relies on them both, so can we.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
I am Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
What is the proper role of government? Romans chapter 13 outlines government’s function and it is basically this: to restrain or to punish wickedness and to reward righteousness.
Government was never intended to be our savior. Government is our servant.
As we focus on our civil occupations and our civic engagement responsibilities, let us never forget that government is not our God. We don’t put our trust in it; we put our trust in our Christ.
As a result, what we want is a government that stays out of our way and leaves room for our church to do our business of fulfilling the Great Commission.
What is the source of America's greatness? Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19th century French political thinker and philosopher, had this exact same question.
This is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
On the heels of the French Revolution, he came to America in 1831 to investigate America's ascendency. In doing so, he found that America's greatness did not lie in her economic system. It did not lie in her banking system. Nor did it lie in her educational system.
He found that America's pulpits, aflamed with righteousness, was the source of America's greatness. He opined that America is great because she is good, but when America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.
Let us pray for restoration of the flame of righteousness in our pulpits.
What would it take for you to compromise your principles?
My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.
Recently I heard a statement that went like this, “I don’t think principles matter if you can’t get elected.”
Principles form the core of who you are. Principles form the foundation of a civil society.
George Washington in his farewell address identified religion and morality as indispensable supports.
“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness,” George Washington said.
It makes me think of a scripture. “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?”
What would it profit a man to gain an election yet lose his principles?
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:1-2 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The city lies foursquare. Its length, width, and height all equal: 1,380 miles for each dimension.
The city’s wall is 216 feet high. Twelve gates surround the city, with each gate made of a single pearl.
Streets of gold so pure their translucent.
No need for a sun. God’s glory light’s the city.
No tears. No pain.
I wouldn’t miss it for the world!
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Have you ever seen one of those track and field events where the runner starts out in blazing fashion, leading the pack for majority of the race, only to stumble just before reaching the finish line?
Starting the race well and running well are vitally important, but if we don’t finish the race well, all else can be overthrown.
The Apostle Paul penned those words, having fought the good fight, right on to the end as he faced imminent execution under Nero’s sword.
Let us all brothers and sisters set our courses to finish well.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Prior to the passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, over 80% of American families were debt free.
Today, over 80% of the American people are saddled with debt.
I was asked recently asked what advice I could offer in the midst of the national tension we currently face. One of the things I said in response was to work toward getting completely out of debt.
So much fruitfulness and faithfulness to God has been robbed from us due to the impact of crushing debt.
One of the best things you can do for your family right now is to become debt-free.
“Faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Karl Marx, an emissary of evil, and Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” were evangelists of diametrically opposed messages, yet they both lived in London and the same time.
In fact, when asked the name of the person he most detested, Friedrich Engels, Marx’s cohort in chaos, responded unequivocally: “Spurgeon.”
A generation later George Bernard Shaw, a hardcore communist, seethed in hatred for William Booth and his Salvation Army of volunteers.
Time and again, robust Christian witness has been the inoculate against the proliferation of Marxist poison in society.
“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness.” 2 Timothy 3:10 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Apostle Paul penned his second epistle to Timothy, now an Elder in the Church at Ephesus, about 64-65 A.D. while imprisoned in Rome awaiting his imminent execution under Nero.
In warning Timothy about the coming perilous times, marked by the increased anti-Christian persecution in the Roman empire in 64 A.D., Paul directed Timothy to his speech and his feet.
In speech, Paul gave Timothy priceless Biblical instruction. In feet, Paul left Timothy a legacy of lifestyle.
Christ-following demands consistency between speech and feet.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In his October 11, 1798 address to the Massachusetts Militia, John Adams, 2nd President of the United States and founding father said,
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
He understood that in order for the American Constitutional Republic to survive long term the church in America must make disciples of its populace.
An immoral people will always destroy themselves through lawlessness. To think otherwise, is to suffer under a grand delusion.
