Playlist:

playlist Go to the Wisdom (topic) playlist

Ecclesiastes and Wisdom

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

There is a vital linkage between wisdom and understanding, understanding comes only through hard work and experience. Wisdom is skill in living.


Knowledge and Wisdom

Sermonette by Mike Ford

The wise of the world are fools in comparison to those who find and protect godly wisdom, realizing that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.


Understanding and Wisdom

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

Knowledge, understanding and wisdom leads to righteousness and ultimately knowing God and attaining eternal life. By applying diligence, wisdom will accrue.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Nine): Wisdom as a Defense

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The type of wisdom Ecclesiastes teaches is not of the purely philosophical variety, but is a spiritual sagacity combined with practical skill in living.


Biblical Wisdom

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While Greek culture rendered wisdom mostly mental and contemplative, it is not truly biblical wisdom unless it follows through with a specific behavior.


Knowledge and Wisdom (Part One)

CGG Weekly by Mike Ford

Anyone, of any age, with the gift of God's Holy Spirit, through study, prayer, and meditation can gain wisdom, that skill in living that we all need and want.


Knowledge and Wisdom (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by Mike Ford

Some people seek fame and fortune with every waking hour. They are foolish because their priorities are wrong. What they are looking for has no value beyond the grave.


Discerning Truth and Applying Wisdom

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Spiritual discernment is a gift from God, enabling us to judge between good and evil, comparing things with God's Word to see if they align with His standards.


Sovereignty and Choice

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Some theologians see law and grace at the opposite ends of a continuum. They cannot imagine how God's sovereignty and man's free moral agency can co-exist.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our supreme objective in godly living is attainment and cultivation of wisdom, which consists of attributes giving us skill in living.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Thirteen): Confessions

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

As he closes Ecclesiastes 7, Solomon makes a confession about the search for wisdom, saying that, even to him, true wisdom remained beyond his grasp.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God wants us to use wisdom to change ourselves, humbly replacing our perspective with His perspective. God gives wisdom as a component of His grace.


Developing Discernment

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Human discernment can be developed and exercised, triggering early warning systems with the reactions of revulsion and confusion when confronted by evil.


Good Old Age

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

Always understanding that it is God who orders life, our success at a good life depends on our yielding to His direction. We will reap what we sow.


The Purposes of Aging

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Modern society is obsessed with youth and staying young, but aging is a natural process God intended as part of life. Aging is a process for gaining wisdom.


What Is Christ's Hidden Treasure?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The parables of the leaven and the treasure hidden in the field show two sides of the same coin. The hidden treasure is the God-given solution to the leaven.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Sixteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Ecclesiastes 1-6 contains an indictment of materialism. The only lasting fulfillment comes from establishing and maintaining a relationship with God.


Get Understanding

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

If we ask God for wisdom, we will also need to be ready to work to achieve it. Good results do not just magically happen; 'some assembly' is required.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Ten): Paradox

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Ecclesiastes 7 contains a paradox: wickedness appears to be rewarded and righteousness seems to bring trouble. We must be careful in how we respond to this.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Seventeen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Wisdom can be defined as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right measure. Wisdom is not given as a whole, but incrementally.


The Elements of Motivation (Part Two): Vision

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The Kingdom of God is our goal, and our vision of what it means gives us compelling motivation to overcome, grow, and bear fruit in preparation for eternal life.


Hating Evil, Fearing God

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Paul warns against mixing good and evil, as the fruit is wickedness. The proper fear of the Lord plays a significant role in ridding evil from our lives.


The Danger of Trusting in Oneself

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Those wise in their own eyes, including philosophers, politicians, educators, and religious leaders, have failed in their quest to make the world better.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Wisdom does not give us complete understanding into the ultimate purposes of God, but when accompanied with faith in God, it will brighten our countenance.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Twelve): Paradox, Conclusion

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

There is a danger that arises when the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper: trying to put God under obligation to bless us through becoming 'super-righteous'.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Biblical wisdom (sagacity, quickness of perception, soundness of judgment) is achievable by anyone called of God because God is the source of this wisdom.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Fifteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our relationship with God is often strengthened through hardship. We must choose to yield to God, living for a much higher goal than raw materialism.


Sovereignty and Its Fruit: Part Ten

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Once we accept God's sovereignty, it begins to produce certain virtues in us. Here are four of these byproducts of total submission to God.


Even From My Youth

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Solomon teaches that childhood and youth are vanity, and that having fun while forgetting God may create flawed character and permanent sorrow.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Ten)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Like Job, we must surrender to God's will and purpose for our lives, realizing that both pleasant and horrendous times work for our spiritual development.


Recognizing the Intents of the Heart

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

We are counseled to seek wisdom (the power of judging rightly) and discernment (the ability to consider the end of a thought pattern or behavior).


God's Kingdom in the Parables (Part Three): Hidden Treasure

'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe

In Matthew 13, the hidden treasure the man finds provides the spiritual solution to the leaven - corruption - the woman hides in the three measures of meal.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Thirty)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

In the matter of deference to civil authority, we must remember that we must give governing officials respect, even though they may be the basest of men.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Fourteen): A Summary

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Along with the central paradox of Ecclesiastes 7, the chapter emphasizes the importance of an individual's lifelong search for wisdom.


Sin (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Thoughts, words, or behaviors not in alignment with the mind of God are also violations against God's law. Foolishness should never be part of our conduct.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Gossip about us from someone we may have trusted can be painful, yet our tongue has likely been just as detrimental against someone who may have trusted us.


The Longsuffering of Our Lord Is Salvation

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Because God has demonstrated incredible longsuffering with our shortcomings, we should similarly exercise forbearance to those who have offended us.


Foolishness and Cleansing

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Human nature has a perverse drive to take risks, pushing the envelope, taking unwise chances, foolishly gambling away the future. Foolishness is sin.


Do You See God? (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Conversion is a lifelong process in which we endeavor to see things as God does. We must understand and act on the fact that God is deeply involved with us.


Deuteronomy (Part 5)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's faithfulness is the foundation of our faith. We cannot live by faith unless we believe we have a God who is faithful in everything He does.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

To keep us secure from the temptations of the world, we must embrace our metaphorical sister, Wisdom, keeping us focused on our relationship with God.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Eighteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We accept most of our opinions, prejudices, and beliefs unconsciously. We must scrutinize our own beliefs through the principles of God's Holy Scriptures.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Eight): Death

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 highlight the Bible's attitude toward death, particularly its insistence that we allow the reality of death to change our approach to life.


Elements of Motivation (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Vision is a picture in the mind's eye that is undergirded by faith and scriptural revelation, enabling one to anticipate events that have not yet occurred.


Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God emphasizes Ecclesiastes during the Feast of Tabernacles to show the result of doing whatever our human heart leads us to do. The physical cannot satisfy.