Playlist:

playlist Go to the God's Sovereignty (topic) playlist

God's Sovereignty, Ecclesiastes, and God's Will

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God knows the end from the beginning, but He does not give us all the details at once, except as they are necessary for us for His purpose to be worked out.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part One)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Most converted Christians realize that God is sovereign. But sometimes the Bible reveals something about God that makes us uncomfortable. Can we accept it?


The Sovereignty of God: Part Two

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

That God is sovereign means that He IS God, the absolute governor of all things. This has profound implications for us: It means He chooses goodness or severity.


God's Sovereignty and the Church's Condition (Part One)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

How involved in man's affairs is God? Is He merely reactive, or does He actively participate—even cause events and circumstances, particularly in the church?


The Sovereignty of God: Part Six

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The overriding issue of life is to whom we will give ourselves in obedience. Will it be ourselves, society, business, Satan or God?


The Sovereignty of God (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has consistently moved His creation toward its ultimate purpose, setting the bounds of nations, motivating rulers to pursue a certain course of action.


Human Will and God's Sovereignty (Part Three)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God-designed personalities, having His character, will make up God's family, not self-made personalities created by human will. We must yield as He creates.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We are mandated to live by faith, being given trials of faith in order to chisel our character. We must totally and unreservedly accept God's sovereignty.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Seven

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

One aspect of sovereignty that causes some confusion is predestination. God's sovereignty does not remove a person's free moral agency — we must still choose.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In the example of a child summoned by a parent to clean up his room, the child's dawdling and complaining are not predestined nor are they part of God's will.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Five

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Is God sovereign over angels? What about mankind's choices? God's sovereignty is absolute as He directs events toward the culmination of His plan.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Three

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Consider two end-time, dominant forces: the Beast power of Revelation 13 and God. To whom will we yield to in the coming years?


The Sovereignty of God (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Nothing and no one can thwart God's purposes. We need to develop the faith to yield and conform to His will as clay in the potter's hands.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Four

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God not only rules in heaven, but He is also sovereign on earth! He is not an absentee landlord, but One who is actively involved in administering His creation.


God's Sovereignty and the Church's Condition (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's hand was definitely involved in the scattering of the church. We should respond by growing and preparing ourselves for His Kingdom.


The Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility: Part Eleven

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's sovereignty and free moral agency set up a seeming paradox. Just how much choice and freedom do we have under God's sovereign rule?


The Sovereignty of God (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Those who have made a covenant with God can be corrupted unless they make a concerted effort to know God, realizing He has the right to do as He pleases.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Fully accepting God's sovereignty should drive us to seek Him so that we can come to know Him as completely as possible, which is vital to our salvation.


The Sovereignty of God: Introduction

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's sovereignty is one of the most important issues a Christian must consider. Have we acknowledged that He has total authority over us in particular?


The Sovereignty of God (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God not only upholds, but also guides and propels His creation, periodically overruling man's mismanagement with floods, fires, winds, and earthquakes.


The Sovereignty of God (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We are assured that even though inexplicable things happen in our lives, God is still sovereign. We must develop childlike faith to trust in Him for solutions.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Twelve)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Those who emphasize one trait of God, or one doctrine, at the expense of the others run the risk of distorting the truth, creating a grotesque caricature.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Eleven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Understanding God's sovereignty as a basic doctrine provides a link between knowledge and practice, as well as providing motivation to yield to God's purpose.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Eight

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

If God is manipulating everything in His sovereignty, why pray? What does prayer teach us? Here is why God commands us to come before Him in prayer.


Human Will and God's Sovereignty (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Human will is not sovereign in the body, but is just another servant, functioning according to the information it receives. We choose according to desires.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The purpose of prayer is not to overcome God's reluctance, but to help in yielding to His will. 'Prayer changes things' is only true if it conforms to God's will.


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.


Living By Faith and God's Sovereignty

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Some may doubt that God is in control, but God's sovereignty over His creation is complete. The course of world events are moving according to His will.


The Sovereignty of God (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

A converted person, accepting God's specific care with His children, realizes that both prosperity and deprivation are tools in the Creator's workshop.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We are not individually sovereign, but we are taught to give ourselves over completely to God's sovereignty. If we do, we will reap unfathomable blessings.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Eternal life is to live a quality life as God lives, having developed a close relationship with God, living by faith and accepting His sovereignty over all.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty, Part Three: The Fruits

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Here are four qualities of character that our full acceptance of God's sovereignty will build and that will prepare us for whatever work God may choose for us.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Faith in God and in the motivating power in God's Word have to be the driving force in everything we do each day.


The Sovereignty of God: Part Nine

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's sovereignty seems to imply that prayer is pointless. Yet the function of prayer is not to change God's mind, but ours!


The Sovereignty of God (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Prayer is not a dictating to a reluctant God, but a demonstration of our attitude of dependence and need. It is a means to get into harmony with God's will.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Six, Conclusion)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our responsibility is to yield to God's sovereignty. Nevertheless, God has enabled us to freely sin, but holds us responsible for governing ourselves.


Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Four)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Government may be the most important subject in the Bible because it touches on how Christians are to govern themselves under the sovereignty of God.


Living by Faith: God's Sovereignty

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Since God is sovereign over His creation, we need to be careful about reviling someone in authority, even someone who may have been appointed to bring evil.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Even though we have the free moral agency to run counter to God's purposes, we court disaster if we presumptuously plan against these purposes.


Power Belongs to God (Part One)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Where does real power reside? All power has its source in God—and not just the kind of power we typically think of.


An Abuse of Sovereignty

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Most professing Christians agree that God is sovereign, but there is a wide range of beliefs with regard to just how involved God is in their lives.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God is intimately involved with the smallest details of our life, including our conception and birth, supplying spiritual gifts to carry out His work.


Psalms: Book Four (Part Four): God as Creator

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The creation offers compelling testimony to the intricacies which preclude even the possibility of evolution. Evolution is a futile attempt to get rid of God.


God Has the Last Word

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We need to realize the seriousness of the times, waking ourselves out of our zombie-like slumber, casting off the works of darkness.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The term 'grace' describes a generous, thoughtful action of God, accompanied by love, which accomplishes His will, equipping us with everything we need.


God's Creation and Our Works

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Like Joseph, we need to realize that God—not ourselves—is the Creator, engineering events that form us into what He wants us to become.


The Providence of God (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We have to exercise faith, realizing the timing will be right for us, enabling us to accept His provisions and decisions for us without fear or anxiety.


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.


Boundaries, Incursions, Migrations, and God (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Even though the way God exercises His sovereignty is inscrutable to us , calling the foolish to confound the wise, all He does fits perfectly into His plan.


How God Deals With Conscience (Part Five)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Joseph knew and recognized his brothers before they knew him, even as God knows our guiltiest secret sins that we think we have effectively hidden.


Power Belongs to God (Part 1)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Paul knew that only through strengthening his relationship with God was he able to both abound and be abased. When we are in trouble, we need to contact God first.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In terms of salvation, works cannot save, but good works are the fruit of God's involvement. Grace frees one; works prove that one has been freed.


Spiritual Strongholds (Part Three): God's Intervention

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

In addition to dispatching the talent sized hail, God responded to Joshua's request to extend the day—requiring an infinitude of miracles.


The Great Wave and God

CGG Weekly by John W. Ritenbaugh

Is it not galling, indeed angering, that renowned people from the world of Christianity cannot give a forthright and true answer straight from God's Book?


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Grace's influence extends beyond justification, into the sanctification stage where the believer yields himself to righteousness, keeping God's commandments.


Passover of the Most High God

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Among God's many titles is one that proclaims His supremacy over all others: 'God Most High.' It provides confidence in God's governance of our lives.


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.


Truth and God's Governance (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

God puts people where He wants them and gives them the responsibilities that He desires them to fulfill. They can be either faithful or unfaithful leaders.


Power Belongs to God (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Human beings, even those who have been called, have an innate fear that God will not always provide. This fear originates in doubt about God's power.


Power Belongs to God (Part 2)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We may be going through a period of hopelessness, but must believe that all things work together for those who believe and are called for His purpose.


The Providence of God (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Calamities, trials, anxiety, evil, and calamities, as well as blessings, happen to Christians in order to become fashioned and molded into God's image.


Sovereignty and 'Once Saved Always Saved'

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Those who believe in the "once saved always saved" doctrine fail to see that God has a more extensive and creative plan for mankind than merely saving him.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God, as Creator, takes the initiative (as the potter over the clay) for the elect's salvation, enabling us to build the repertoire of habits called character.


God's Calling and Election

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We have been given something far more valuable than the lottery, namely our calling. We are obligated not to squander this valuable opportunity.


Boundaries, Incursions, Migrations, and God (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The globalist enemies of language, borders, and culture have made themselves enemies of the will of God, who set up boundaries for all the children of Adam.


Do You See God in Deuteronomy?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God displaced the Amorites because they had defiled the land; not one righteous person existed. Israel was warned not to defile themselves with demonism.


Sovereignty and Submission

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Being reared in a democratic nation sometimes complicates our relationship with God; God's government is actually a sovereign, benevolent dictatorship.


How Big Is God?

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We must not have a one-dimensional perspective of God. Our puny minds can only grasp a tiny sliver of what God really is.


How Does God View Human Government?

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

As obnoxious as tyrannical power may seem, we have the obligation to behave lawfully. Even the vilest of leaders has been allowed by God to rule.


Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In terms of building character, God does the creating, assaying, testing, and proving; we do the yielding and walking in the pathway He has set for us.


Choices and a Man After God's Own Heart: Turn, Turn, Turn

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Honoring our free choice and understanding our weaknesses, God alters time and chance for us, using our mistakes as tools to enhance our godly character.


The Glory of God (Part 4): Glorifying God

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

A raw display of emotion and exuberance does not necessarily glorify God. What we do to glorify God will reflect just how highly we esteem Him.


Seeking God in the Mundane

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Pentecostalism, with its sensationalism, is dangerous to a true believer. God is more interested in quietness and meekness than in bombastic displays of power.


God's Non-Transmittable Attributes (Part Two): Omnipresence

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

In Psalm 139, David points out God's attribute of omnipresence, that is, His ability to be present everywhere at all times by His Holy Spirit.


Why Was Hebrews Written? (Part Eleven): God Is Not Silent

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Christians must seek God Himself and truly listen to what He says in His Word. Only then will they have the heart of wisdom to deal with today's challenges.


God's Non-Transmittable Attributes (Part One): Omnipotence

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Among God's many attributes are those that He cannot pass on to others because they define Him. God's attribute of omnipotence defines His power over all.


God and Government

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Government run by carnal men will never work, but those under the New Covenant, having God's law written on their hearts, can make any form of government work.


Futility, Sovereignty, and Faith

CGG Weekly by Levi W. Graham

The Law of Entropy teaches that matter is moving toward disorder. But when we remember God's sovereignty, we can conclude that there is a purpose in this futility.


Preempting God

Sermonette by Joseph B. Baity

The purpose of activism is to take matters into one's own hands, often resulting in violence. Moses' slaying of the Egyptian may have been social activism.


Truth and God's Governance (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The best human leaders are those who recognize that they are not the ones running things. Exceptional leaders submit to the reality of God's sovereignty.


Truth and God's Governance (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Jesus as not a typical revolutionary, seeking to overthrow a human regime, yet the truth He spoke was so radical that He was put to death cruelly for it.


Wisdom: Only Through The Grace of God

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Solomon glomed on to his gift, forgetting its source. He could have been used as mightily as David if he would have remembered the Gift Giver.


Are You Sure You Believe in God? (Part Two)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Belief in God involves more than believing He exists, but in faithfully obeying what He asks us to do. Genuine faith gives us access to genuine power.


Is God to Blame?

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The 9/11 bombings were tragic and terrible. Some have since asked, 'Was God involved? Is He to blame?' These tough questions have challenging answers.


Examining God's Judgments

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The fall holy days picture various judgments by God, bringing about liberty, reconciliation, regathering, and restoration.


Cyrus: God's Anointed

'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

When we think of messiah, we think of Jesus Christ. Yet the Bible has a much broader definition. The pagan emperor Cyrus the Great was also a messiah!


Genesis 1 and Free-Moral Agency

CGG Weekly by John W. Ritenbaugh

What does Scripture say about free-moral agency? Are we human puppets on a string, manipulated from above? How does free will relate to God's sovereignty?


Providence

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

Studying examples of God's hand both favoring and putting down, we must reach out to Him daily for His Divine Providence to be at work in their lives.


Our Way Forward

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

As God's instruction manual, the Bible contains the answers and guidance we need in times of trouble. Scripture reflects His mind more than any other resource.


No Failsafe Needed

Sermon by Mark Schindler

The free-will God has allowed mankind has led to some tragic consequences or disruptions, but none of these are outside of His control.


Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The book of Hebrews resonates for the church of God at this time due to the strong parallels between our circumstances and those of the first century church.


Where Does Righteousness Come From?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Job was righteous because of the work of God, forming his righteousness out of nothing, guiding events and providing an environment in which character was formed.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Four): Other Gifts

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God has given His people tremendous gifts that, if used, will build their faith and draw them closer to Him. He wants us to succeed because we matter.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Solomon warns against bad choices in our investment of time. Our knowledge that we will ultimately die should motivate us to use our time circumspectly.


Abraham's Sacrifice (Part Four): Providence Manifested

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac encourages God's people that they need never doubt God commitment and ability to give them everything they need.


Mightier Than the Sword (Part Four)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

John Locke rejected all contact with any influence of the will of God, promoting secular liberty and human reason as the final arbiter of all truth.


Enduring to the End of What?

Sermonette by Craig Sablich

Every previous event and decision in our lives has shaped our resultant character, including the bad decisions that led us down a wrong path.


Esther (Part Five)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God allows each of us to experience trials and tests to humble us, leading us to repent, obey and trust, followed by an often-dramatic deliverance and joy.


Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Despite being perhaps the oldest text in the canon, Job contains many detailed, even scientific, insights into the creative and sustaining power of Christ.


Another Look at the Book of Job

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Where did Job's righteousness come from? Was his character a product of evolution, or was it intelligently formed out of nothingness like the rest of creation?


Hebrews (Part Fourteen): Chapter 2, A Mind Bending Purpose (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Without a meaningful relationship with Christ, God's people cannot possibly bear fruit. Our responsibility is to yield to God's creative work in our lives.


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.


Joshua and the Gibeonites (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

We must be very careful about ascribing human behavior—and especially human sin—to God, concluding that it must be God's will, or it would be different.


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.


Psalms: Book One (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Because Jesus is God's Son, we can avoid the rod of His anger by paying respect with worshipful awe. We must know both His instruction and Him personally.


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.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Three): Time

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Solomon reveals that God is solidly in control of time. Knowing that God is sovereign over time should fill us with faith in God's workmanship.


Why Are You Here?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God, following a pattern, routinely calls the lowly and weak to guard against pride. God will transform the weak of this world through His Holy Spirit.


The Master of Time

Sermonette by Levi W. Graham

Time can be viewed as our greatest adversary or our principal asset, depending on how we use this commodity to conform to the purpose God has intended for us.


Resistance (Part Two): Solutions

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Moses, Jonah, David, and Gideon demonstrated resistance to God's prompts, indicating that they initially feared men more than they feared God.


Before the World Began

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mark Schindler

God had each of us in mind before the foundation of the world, realizing how we would develop spiritually, reaching our ultimate destination in His family.


The Vessels of Wrath

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Sometimes we see God as unfair, but when we remember that we are worthy of death, we understand that God has demonstrated far more mercy than harshness.


Hebrews: Its Background (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus qualified as High Priest, teaching us about living by faith in the New Covenant, which mandates that we keep His commandments.


Psalms: Book Two (Part Four)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Eight of the psalms of Book Two were not written by David, but by Asaph, the sons of Korah, and Solomon. These psalms have more of a group emphasis.


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.


The Model Prayer (Part Nine): Kingdom, Power, Glory

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The final, glorifying clause of the Model Prayer returns the focus to God and leaves the petitioner confident in God's ability to fulfill his requests.


Unleavened Bread and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our exodus from the bondage of sin begins and ends with God. He commanded Israel to mark their escape with unleavened bread because of what He did.


Words Without Knowledge

Sermonette by Levi W. Graham

Elihu respectfully admonished Job for presumptuously taking God to task for his affliction, instructing Job that his words were without wisdom and insight


Our Heavenly Citizenship

Sermonette by Austin Del Castillo

The rampant disorder in America may encourage God's people to choose political sides, but doing so may place them in a position of opposing God's will.


The Handwriting Is On the Wall (Part One) (2007)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The scattering of the church was God-ordained, providing a test for godliness. The isolating demonstrated by some groups is an abomination and an affront.


Promised: Protection and Healing

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God gives several conditions for receiving protection and healing, including God's sovereignty, God's purpose, and one's level of growth.


The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God personally handpicks individuals with whom He desires to form a reciprocal relationship. This relationship must be dressed, kept, tended, and maintained.