Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen
Article by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)After 200 years of rejecting Davidic rule, Israel fell to Assyria, and its people were carried to Media. Judah lasted about 150 years longer.
The Commandments (Part Six)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughGod gave the Sabbath to His people so they can know Him intimately. Idolatry, scattering, and captivity are the natural consequences of Sabbath-breaking.
The Signs of God
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeJesus Christ is not against signs; the book of John is structured around eight signs. The Old Testament is full of signs that the Pharisees missed.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughHow and why a person keeps the Sabbath determines whether this test commandment is really a sign between God and His people or an act of futility.
The Fourth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughAt creation, God sanctified only one day, the seventh, as a day of rest. At Sinai, He again sanctified it as a holy day, tying it to creation and freedom.
The Fourth Commandment (Part Two): Christ's Attitude Toward the Sabbath
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIn the Gospels, questions about the Sabbath center on how to keep it, not whether it should be kept. The way Jesus approached the Sabbath gives us an example.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus magnified the Sabbath, giving principles by which to judge our activities. Each time Jesus taught about the Sabbath, He emphasized some form of redemption.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath reminds us that God is Creator and that we were once in slavery to sin. The Sabbath is a time of blessing, deliverance, liberty, and redemption.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe biblical instructions for Sabbath keeping apply far more to the church than to the Israelites, who did not have the fullness of scriptural counsel.
Scattering and Gathering: Images of History and Prophecy (Part One)
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)Gathering and scattering cannot be done at the same time, but can be accomplished at different times. God gathers to reverse the effects of calamity.
The Beatitudes, Part One: The Sermon on the Mount
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe Sermon on the Mount is as vitally important today as when Christ preached it. It contains the way we are to live as God's representatives on this earth.
The Second Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe natural mind craves something physical to remind us of God, but the Second Commandment prohibits this. Any representation will fall short of the reality.
Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Three)
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughAs witnesses to the decline and fall of Israel and Judah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai report the conditions that led to their defeat and captivity.
The Sin of Self-Deception
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn our relationship with God, we must emphasize principle over pragmatism. If we are led into deception, it is because our carnal nature wanted it that way.