Playlist:

playlist Go to the Dependence Upon God (topic) playlist

Living by Faith: Humility and God's Justice

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Humility, poverty of spirit, and acknowledging our total dependence on God are of the utmost importance. God responds to those who are humble.


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!


Separation and Oneness With God

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Since the beginning, God's purpose has been to bring all things into harmony with Him, giving mankind a respite from the heaviness of a sin-laden world.


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.


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?


Do We See Ourselves As God Sees Us?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Praying without gratitude is like clipping the wings of prayer. Thankfulness is not natural to carnal human nature which loves to grovel as a timid worrywart.


God's Workmanship (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Works are not the cause of salvation, but instead are the effect of God's creative efforts at bringing us into His image—a new creation.


The Greatness of God's Power

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Paul emphasized the power of God living in us through the Holy Spirit to enable us to develop into His family. Through God's power, we will triumph over death.


Fasting and Reconciliation

CGG Weekly by John W. Ritenbaugh

Fasting makes us feel helpless and weak, producing humility. Only then will we listen with the intensity needed to truly believe, repent, and submit to God.


Living by Faith and Humility

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

People resist God because of their pride, but pride can be neutralized by humility, a character trait that allows a person to submit to God.


Holy Days: Atonement

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Atonement, a day of fasting, pictures God's solution to the problem of human sin. This Bible study shows why this solemn day is so vital!


Who Do You Trust? (Part Four): You Shall Soar Like Eagles

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mark Schindler

Even Hezekiah, more righteous than any other king, stumbled. But Almighty God is always ready to pick us up, enabling us to soar like eagles.


Living By Faith: Humility

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Paradoxically, God stoops to us when we humble ourselves. Humility produces honor from God; if we humble ourselves, He will hear us.


Job, Self-Righteousness, and Humility

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The story of Job reveals a man whom God forced to see himself as he really was, and his true self-image paved the way to a leap forward in spiritual growth.


A Day Without Work

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Refraining from work on the Day of Atonement symbolizes our inability to atone for our sins. We, humble and poor in spirit, depend upon God for everything.


Isaiah 58 and Fasting

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Fasting puts us in a proper humble and contrite frame of mind, allowing God to respond to us, freeing us from our burdens and guiding us into His Kingdom.


Our Declaration of Independence (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

While our independence means that we are self-directed and can make our own decisions, we are still members of a society and must conduct ourselves accordingly.


The Beatitudes, Part Two: Poor in Spirit

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

What is it to be poor in spirit? This attribute is foundational to Christian living. Those who are truly poor in spirit are on the road to true spiritual riches.


The Poor in Spirit

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Nothing that we could ever do could impress God, except for our contrition, acknowledgment of our infirmity, and remorse for our sins which displease God.


Praying Always (Part Six)

Article by Pat Higgins

Jesus' command to pray always contains the advice Christians need to strengthen their relationships with God as the return of Christ nears.


Of Freedom and Independence

Sermonette by Austin Del Castillo

Ideas of independence apart from God emanate from carnal human nature which is aligned to the rebellious mind of Satan.


The Peculiarities of Atonement

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Fasting teaches us to realize just how dependent we are on God. Every day, every hour, every minute, He supplies us with everything we need for life.


The Quest for Happiness

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Happiness is the result of faithfully keeping God's Covenant, ensuring peace, prosperity, and an abundant life. The world's joy only disappoints in the end.


Childlike

Sermon by Bill Onisick

Our physical family provides a type of what we aspire to become as children of God, realizing that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus Christ.


Seek My Face

Sermonette by Ryan McClure

God turns His face away from those who have committed sin. Our entire spiritual pilgrimage is a quest to see God's face in full splendor (Revelation 22:1-5).


Facing Times of Stress: Contentment

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

If we trust God, we do not have to worry about the future. Having abundance and having need both have their unique problems and difficulties.


New Covenant Priesthood (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Pride elevates one above God, denigrating any dependence upon God, replacing it with self-idolatry. We ought to boast or glory in the Lord instead of ourselves.


Faith (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Pride is a perverted comparison that elevates one above another. Because of its arrogant self-sufficiency, it hinders our faith. Faith depends on humility.


Without Me, You Can Do Nothing (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

We tend to avoid acknowledging our weaknesses, but at some point, each of us will admit our powerlessness and inability to carry out God's will on our own.


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.


What We Can Learn From This Day of Atonement

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's solution to mankind's separation was sending a second Adam, Jesus Christ, to make reconciliation possible. Fasting shows our dependence on God.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The paradox of Ecclesiastes 7 shows an unrighteous man flourishing and a righteous man suffering. The solution to this conundrum is found in Psalm 73.


The Christian and the World (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Anxious care and foreboding are debilitating and faith-destroying. Meditating on what God has already done strengthens our faith and trust in God.


Division, Satan, Humility

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Throughout the course of Biblical history, whenever sin appears, confusion, division and separation are the automatic consequences.


The Sabbath: Redemption

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God has blessed us with the Sabbath, a period of holy time, when He redeems us from the clutches of our carnality and this evil world.