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Metaphors of God's Word
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod's Word is described as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, illuminating the way before us. It drives back the darkness, enabling us to see clearly in a world shrouded by confusion and deceit. As a lamp, it guides us internally, instructing us on how to walk by shining light on our steps, much like a map or guidebook that prepares us to avoid dangers and choose the right course. As a light to our path, it reveals external dangers, exposing pitfalls and temptations that satan and this world attempt to hide, helping us to avoid stumbling or falling into traps. By using God's Word properly, we can discern error, deceit, and sin before we step into them, allowing us to navigate around temptations and walk securely toward the Kingdom of God.
The Beauty of God's Law
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod's Word is a profound source of guidance and illumination, as expressed in Psalm 119:105, where it is described as a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. This imagery reveals the beautiful quality of God's law in providing insight into our own nature and directing us forward on the right course. When we engage with His Word, studying and applying it, we receive instruction that is deeply personal and beneficial. It highlights where we stumble and shows us how to regain our footing, ensuring we can please God and fulfill His purposes for us. Thus, the law serves as a beacon, illuminating the way to righteousness and life. Moreover, God's Word offers revival, strength, and encouragement, further showcasing its beauty. As seen in Psalm 119:25 and 28, it revives the soul clinging to dust and strengthens it amidst heaviness. It enlarges the heart to run the course of His commandments, as noted in verse 32, and brings hope, delight, liberty, good judgment, knowledge, and understanding through various verses in the same psalm. This edifying nature of God's law builds us up, filling us with wisdom and a hatred for every false way, making it sweeter than honey and a source of constant meditation, as celebrated in Psalm 119:97-104. Through these qualities, God's Word stands as a beautiful and indispensable guide to a life aligned with His will.
Approaching God Through Christ (Part Seven)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe have access to a Trailblazer, who has gone before us to show us the way. The only way can have fellowship with the Father is through Jesus Christ.
The Light of Day and the Dark of Night
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mike FordIf we keep God's commandments, we are walking in the light. If we hate our brother or become enticed by the ways of the world, we are living in darkness.
Preventing Deception
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughReligious hucksters use the bait of self-gratification, selling non-essential or even heretical ideas. The elect resist deception by knowing the real article.
Filling Our Vessels with Pure Oil
Sermonette by Bill OnisickA good spiritual lamp, fueled by God's pure oil, will shine brightly, uniting heart, emotion, and will keep the letter and spirit of the law simultaneously.
Paul: Grace, Law, and Obedience
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPaul's writings, because of their complexity, are frequently twisted to say that he was anti-law. By denigrating God's law, the unconverted set their own standards.
Dealing With Change (Part Three)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeHow we react to trials and change demonstrates what our foundation is. Agitation, anxiety, or pessimism indicate that we are not doing God's sayings in some area.
Things Pertaining to the Kingdom!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsBetween Christ's resurrection and ascension, He appeared to His disciples 10 times within 40 days, instructing them about things pertaining to the Kingdom.
Sowing and Reaping
'Ready Answer' by David C. GrabbeA basic agricultural principle, what is sown will be reaped, also applies to human behavior. Sin brings death, while following God's Word produces life.
A GPS for our Spiritual Pilgrimage
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David F. MaasSince God's thoughts are higher than ours, we must keep an intimate GPS-like dialogue with our heavenly Father so we can stay on the right path to the Kingdom.
Perspective Matters
Sermonette by Craig SablichGod's Word functions as a lamp to the feet and a light to the path, providing clear direction for those who follow it without interference. When personal or cultural perspectives are placed over this lamp, the path becomes obscured because human filters alter what the Word actually reveals about obedience, grace, and salvation. Proverbs 3:5 instructs believers to trust in the Lord with all the heart and not lean on their own understanding, while the next verse promises that acknowledging Him in all ways results in directed paths. This establishes a direct choice between relying on God's revealed perspective or on inherited interpretations that gradually harden into unquestioned authority. Traditions originating from respected teachers or long-held customs can shift focus from asking what Scripture actually says to asking what has always been taught, allowing perspective to replace the Word as the standard for approaching God. Such mixtures do not reject Christ outright but redefine obedience as optional or negotiable, creating a system that speaks of grace and faith while anchoring decisions in human reasoning instead of covenant requirements. The Bereans avoided this error by searching the Scriptures daily to verify even apostolic teaching, demonstrating that the Word alone serves as the unchanging foundation. When perspectives organize into systems, they can make lawlessness appear as sincere devotion, softening some commands while emphasizing others until the original light is dimmed. Only repeated return to the inspired text keeps the lamp unobstructed, ensuring that God's perspective corrects every other viewpoint and leads to life rather than to selective submission.
Editing Our Sins
Sermonette by Richard T. RitenbaughWe are so close to our sins that we cannot see the proverbial forest for the trees. We miss glaring faults in our character because of familiarity.