Playlist: Job's Friends (topic)
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Two): Perspective
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob's three friends sit with him during his time of ruin and suffering on the ash heap. They make assumptions and judgments about his situation based on appearances and visible evidence. The friends insist that Job must have sinned because suffering follows sin according to their view of retributive justice. They urge him …
Job: Things Left Unsaid
Sermon by David C. GrabbeJob's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, offer no real consolation or help during his trial. From chapter 3 through chapter 31, they debate with Job, arguing from a narrow perspective that his disastrous circumstances could only be the result of some great sin that had provoked the Almighty. As Job protests his …
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Three): Attitude
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob's three friends finished their speeches and sat staring at Job because they had little more to say. Throughout their dialogue with Job the three friends made significant errors in judgment because of their preconceptions, assumptions, and false expectations about situations and people. Their speeches displayed wrongheaded …
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part One): Job's Character
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob's three friends were designated as Edomites from a place renowned for its wise men. They lived east of Canaan and believed in the God of Israel. They possessed some very deep theology and were believers though they were Gentiles. They took part in the long dialogue section of the book that contains about thirty speeches. The …
Are We Good Comforters?
Sermonette byII Thessalonians 2:16-17 emphasizes comfort and consolation. The words of comfort we give to others should be true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind.
God's Perspective
Sermonette by Ryan McClureHuman nature skews our view of reality; there is always more than meets the eye. We would do well to adopt the approach of 'Good or bad, it is hard to say.'
Why is Life So Hard?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe rigors God puts us through are not to crush us, but to shape us, transforming us into His image. True gain is walking through the anguish in victory.
Pre-Feast Annoyances
Sermonette byAs we prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles, chances are that there will be things that test our patience and even a few more will crop up when we get there.
Prosperity: What Is True Wealth?
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsJob's three comforters applied various traditional approaches in their attempt to understand his plight. None were sufficient answers.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Five): Cultivating Patience
Sermon by David F. MaasJob's so-called friends angered God with their pompous accusations against one whom God Himself had proclaimed as righteous. Accusing Job of self-righteousness places one in the same position as these friends. Job repented in dust and ashes of his total misunderstanding of the magnitude and greatness of God's power.
Keeping the Truth Pure
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)If we allow doctrine to be contaminated with man's flawed reason, it will defile the truth. Job's friends used profane sources in their arguments.
Trial by Fire
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike a loving parent, God brings just the right pressures to bear to bring about necessary change in His children. Each trial has a place in His purpose.
Avoiding Detrimental Assumptions
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe world's religions have attempted to cast Almighty God into their faulty images, crafting an evil and destructive situational ethics.
Hope to the End (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We need these horrific times and conditions to learn the consequences of foolish decisions in order to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
Passover and Hope
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Passover is a beacon of hope in an otherwise hopeless milieu. Jesus provided hope at His last Passover, exuding confidence despite what lay ahead.
Serving the Brethren Through Prayer
Sermon by Ted E. BowlingA clear expressions of God's love is fervent prayer for the brethren, which unites the body, bears burdens, invites God's power, and cultivates compassion.
Reap the Whirlwind
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamHaman's evil purposes were thwarted; he had sown the wind only to reap the whirlwind, paying for his evil communication with his life and his family.
The Secret Sin Everyone Commits
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsSelf-righteous people tend to trust in their own heart, be wise in their own eyes, justify themselves, despise or disregard others, and judge or condemn others.
Many Excuses
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe need to avoid the trap of self-justification, allowing our hasty words to lure us into sin. We must be quick to listen, and slow to speak.
His Eye is On the Sparrow (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)As God has His eye on the sparrow, He has had His eye on us through the entire process of scattering so the tests we have endured will bear good fruit.
Matthew (Part Eight)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWe should not seek material rewards under the New Covenant, though God may sometimes bless us physically. Our focus should be on spiritual rewards.
Truth (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOnly a converted person humbles himself before the truth, making a conscientious effort to follow the light of evidence, even to unwelcome conclusions.
In the Wake of an Unnatural Disaster (Part Nine)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Philosophers and educators have been Satan's chief tools in recent history. God has allowed Satan to do his work, realizing that all humans require testing.
The Witty Side of God's Inspiration
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsJesus Christ was a master of satire, word play, absurdity, irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration. Humor in the Bible reveals one dimension of God's personality.
Lamentations (Part Four; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe prophets and the religious leaders bear the greatest blame for the destruction by providing a quasi-religion and not teaching the Law of God.