Defining Trials
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidTrials define who we are by placing choices before us, forcing us to have faith in God. Character is built by making right, though difficult, choices.
Days of Trials
Sermonette by James BeaubelleThe conversion process resembles a battle, requiring that we must put on armor, expecting continuous skirmishes to enter God's Kingdom victoriously.
Trials: Much Needed Experiences
Sermon by John O. ReidGod uses trials to test our hearts, but He never places a trial before us to tempt us. God uses trials we bring on ourselves to draw us closer to Him.
Trial by Fire
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike a loving parent, God brings just the right pressures to bear to bring about necessary change in His children. Each trial has a place in His purpose.
The Continuous Testing of Our Faith
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe constant tests to which God submits His people enable them to build character by responding in faith. God perfected Abraham's faith through difficult trials.
Walking With God Through Trials
Sermonette by Craig SablichTrials, instead of prompting a 'woe is me' attitude, should be re-evaluated as valuable experiences, nudging us into God's divine purpose for us.
Who Will Be Kept from the Hour of Trial?
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeGod promises some Christians that He will keep them from the Tribulation, the 'hour of trial.' Here are the characteristics of those whom God will protect.
Testing Spiritual Character
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAn outward trial can be a catalyst for character development. By testing ourselves, we can take the edge off the pressure of God testing us.
Facing Times of Stress: Grieved by Various Trials
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsFaith from God will be required to endure and profit from trials, bringing about character and genuineness of faith, as well as patience and trust in God.
Tested: Our Trust in God's Promises
Sermonette by Austin Del CastilloThere is an apparent contradiction between God's promises to protect and heal, and the persecution, health crises, and death that we all experience.
Trials Are a Gift From God
Sermon by Mark SchindlerGod is able to allow a setback or a handicap to help us transcend our trials, building sterling character. The weaknesses we live through make us strong.
Hedged About on Every Side
'Ready Answer' by StaffSatan accused God of hedging Job about on every side, saying that if God would let down the hedge, they could see what Job was really made of.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Sermon by Ryan McClureIt is solely God's prerogative to test and to prove, while Satan's function is to tempt, to trip up, and to destroy. God tests but does not tempt.
Enduring to the End of What?
Sermonette by Craig SablichEvery previous event and decision in our lives has shaped our resultant character, including the bad decisions that led us down a wrong path.
In the Hands of the Potter
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingAs the Master Potter, God will apply the water of His Holy Spirit to make us more malleable, enabling Him to turn the lump of clay into a flawless work.
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Eleven): Paradox, Continued
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughHard trials are not punishments from God for unrighteousness but tests of faith in which He is intimately involved to prepare us for the world to come.
Hope in a Turbulent World
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Greek and Roman myths have shaped the world view of Western culture, including our attitude toward hope, a concept which is often abused and distorted.
Firstfruits and the Master Potter
Sermon by Clyde FinkleaThe Potter and Clay analogy provides instructions for understanding character-building tests and trials in the life-long sanctification process.
Running God's Marathon With Christ
Sermon by Mark SchindlerChrist endured many more than three temptations; rather, He was tested continuously, and perhaps the intensity increased as He neared the end of His life.
God's Good Work in Us
Sermon by John O. ReidDespite the privileged position of our calling, God does not cut us any slack in terms of trials and tests to perfect us. We must accept God's sovereignty.
From Pilgrims to Pillars (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David F. MaasThe intensity of the heat in both the refiner's furnace and the potter's kiln resembles the fiery trials we must endure for the Refiner to remove the dross.
God Is Preparing Us For the Kingdom
Sermon by Kim MyersToday, the church is experiencing more overwhelming trials than ever before, indicating that God is preparing His people for the end time.
Keep Walking
Sermonette by Ryan McClureGod uses trials to test and humble us, but He never impedes our ability to move forward toward His goal of creating us as a family in His image.
The Miracle of God's Calling
Sermon by Kim MyersDo we appreciate the miracle of our calling, an event which changed our orientation regarding our belief structure, diet, and moral behavior?
The Providence of God (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughCalamities, trials, anxiety, evil, and calamities, as well as blessings, happen to Christians in order to become fashioned and molded into God's image.
Job: Things Left Unsaid
Sermon by David C. GrabbeEven the accuser of the brethren made no accusations against Job, the first of several curious absences—things left unsaid—in the book of Job.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Trials are a means to produce spiritual growth, unless we resort to super-righteousness, straining to please God by exalting our works.
Spiritual Heat Treatment
Sermonette by Christian D. HunterAfter metal has endured its prescribed heat treatment, it glows brightly. Our job, as God's metaphorical metal, is to endure the trials of heat treatments.
Don't Grow Weary While Doing Good
Sermonette by Ryan McClureWhen facing the character-building tests God provides, we may become weary, forgetting that these trials are necessary for God to test what is in our hearts.
Are You Worthy of Your Calling?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPaul encourages the Thessalonians to thank God for their salvation, surrender without complaint, ask God for wisdom, and look for opportunities to serve.
No Longer Brain Dead
Sermon by Mark SchindlerAs God teaches us spiritual things, He expects us to act less like blockheads and more like adults, making the truth of God the bedrock of our lives.
Why Does God Allow Us to Be Afflicted?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIn God's hands, trials and afflictions are tools to produce refined character and joy, and to move us away from worldly choices and back to His purpose.
The More Things Change
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe tend to think of the early Church as a 'golden age' of unity and momentum. But early church members experienced problems similar to what we face today.
Whom the Lord Loves He Chastens (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIf we endure chastisement and discipline from God, we prove we are His children. Sanctification is an incremental process, requiring trials and chastening.
Unity (Part 8): Ephesians 4 (E)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe group that one fellowships with is less important than the understanding that there is one true church, bound by a spiritual, not a physical unity.
Fear and Faith (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by Mike FordThe spies returned on the 8th of Av, and as the 9th of Av began, the people murmured, beginning a long list of calamities to befall Israel on this date.
Our Spiritual Wilderness
Sermonette by Ryan McClureTime after time, the children of Israel accused Moses of leading them to their deaths, failing to trust God in spite of His track record of provision.
The Healing of a Man Born Blind (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIronically, the blind man who could not see physically eventually sees spiritually, but the Pharisees, who could see physically, could not see spiritually.
Lacking Nothing (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsScarcity seems to redefine the value of everything, including tools, food, or sentimental objects. Utility trumps every other consideration.
Hebrews (Part Fourteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughLike Jesus and other heroes of faith, we need to look beyond the present to the long term effects of the trials and tests we go though, seeing their value.
Becoming Fearless
Sermon by Mark SchindlerWhen Job was afflicted with physical problems, he learned that God was using them to perfect him. Afflictions are intended to bind us together.
Wilderness Wandering (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Christ's suffering was not confined to crucifixion, but also consisted of rejection, humiliation, and the duress of persecution. Glory follows suffering.
Are You Sure You Believe in God? (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsReal saving faith is a gift from God, but we are obligated to walk by this faith, developing incremental levels of faith through obedience.
The Christian Fight (Part One)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughDespite God's many blessings, real Christianity more resembles a running battle against persistent forces than a leisurely stroll down the path of life.
Answered Prayer Through Faith
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsFor prayer to be successful, our petitions must be specific and synchronized to God's will, but we must patiently and humbly accept God's timetable.
Labor Pains
Sermonette by Ryan McClureDuring the past century, the world has experienced 'practice contractions.' These birth pangs will increase until Christ returns to establish the Kingdom.
Our Hope
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our hope is based on having a living Savior. At times we are discouraged and overwhelmed, but God has not left us—though unseen, He is in the trials with us.