Playlist: Bearing Fruit (topic)
Spiritual Maturity
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Kingdom parables allude to the process of spiritual maturity, depicting a planted and cultivated seed becoming a sprout, eventually bearing fruit.
Magic Doesn't Work (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughMagic is always used as some kind of weapon, but not to build or develop moral strength or character. God chooses a life-long process of sanctification.
Ensuring Our Calling
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBecause judgment is now on the house of God, we must be diligent, making sure of our calling because it is not yet a sure thing without effort on our part.
Assurance That We Know Him!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIf we know God, we no longer have the feeling that God is against us; we have no dread of God, but instead have awe and respect; we know that God loves us.
Do You Recognize This Man? (Part Four)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughFruit is a product of growth requiring knowledge, work, patience, truth (light) and water (God's Spirit). Only by remaining on the vine will we bear fruit.
Giving All Diligence!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe recipients of Peter's epistle were having difficulty holding on to their faith, having succumbed to fear as a result of lack of discipline and laziness.
Endeavoring to Keep the Unity
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe leadership of a father and a husband has a profound influence upon family, society, and culture, especially regarding unity.
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.
Spirituality and True Conversion
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe must guard against the fuzzy, emotional spirituality without a Deity, based upon a worldly syncretism of Eastern and Western philosophical thought.
Listening
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBiblical listening is not just hearing, but active understanding and responding, leading to changed behavior. Not hearing is tantamount to rebellion.
Joy in the Lord
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGodly joy is a fruit of the Spirit that does not come naturally. It takes a while to mature, but it is infinitely more intense than human pleasure.
Principled Living (Part Four): Giving of Ourselves
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs Christ sacrificed for us, we are called to sacrifice for others. Love is an action, a behavior, rather than an emotion, described in I Corinthians 13.
Judgment According to Works
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBecause God sees the content of our hearts, nothing escapes His attention. He mercifully judges over a lifetime of behaviors, not just isolated incidents.
Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Seven)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBoth Shabbat rest (ceasing from activity) and nuach rest (pleasantly creating) are necessary for the proper keeping of the Sabbath.
Are You Light In The Lord?
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsLight is a revealer of truth and a means to expose error. When we receive God's Holy Spirit with Christ dwelling in us, we become a light to the world.
On Works
Sermon by John O. ReidWorks are necessary for a Christian, and have not been neutralized by grace. Good works serve as the evidence of faith; faith without works is dead.
The Longsuffering of Our Lord Is Salvation
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsBecause God has demonstrated incredible longsuffering with our shortcomings, we should similarly exercise forbearance to those who have offended us.
Patience With Growth
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughFruit maturation takes time. Waiting for the fruit is just part of the story; while we wait, we must also work, including thinning and pruning.
The Prayers of Jesus
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughChrist's example teaches us to pray humbly in all situations, including decision making, resisting temptation, and acquiring spiritual strength.
Real Conversion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe process of conversion is actually God's workmanship creating a new spiritual being with godly spiritual character- the image of Christ.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Seven): Cultivating Goodness
Sermon by David F. MaasGod has provided strategies which will facilitate His people's cultivation of the spiritual fruit of goodness, working effectively as Christ's sharecroppers.
Do You Recognize This Man? (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThough we were freed by God, we will fall into slavery again if we do not maintain our vigilance. Our forbears never learned to live as free men and women.
Is Your Eye Single?
Sermonette by Richard T. RitenbaughIf our goal is wrong, our entire being will be off. Our first priority is to be loyal to God, casting aside all distractions and other interests.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Three): Cultivating Joy
Sermon by David F. MaasStrategies for cultivating joy include developing contentment and gratitude, giving rather than getting, finding pleasure in work, and valuing God's law.
Creation Stewardship
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe as Christians should strive to be the most conscientious environmentalists or creationists in the world because the earth and its fullness are the Lord's.
The Glory of God (Part 4): Glorifying God
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughA 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.
Living a Life that Pleases God
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaEven as Enoch lived a life that pleased God, the Scriptures identify seven qualities that enable us to live a life that pleases God.
Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Nine)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is universal and for all time, applying to each and every one of us.
Heavenly Citizenship (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAs citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are strangers, foreigners, aliens, or pilgrims to the world, but full-fledged citizens of God's Kingdom.
Imagining The Garden of Eden (Part Six)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe rivers identified in the Garden of Eden were given in the context of pre-flood geography, making the use of modern topographical maps irrelevant.
What Is Always True About the World?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsTo guard against the world, we must be careful not to fall into idolatry, based upon limiting God to tangible objects or those things which occupy our thoughts.
The Christian and the World (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe entire world is antagonistic to God because of the spirit generated by an unseen ruler. Our Christian duty is to stay awake and keep our guard up.