Playlist: Fruit, Bad (topic)

listen:

All Leaves, No Fruit

Sermonette by Bill Onisick

Jesus cursed the fig tree because it lacked fruit and produced only leaves. It symbolized pharisaical hypocrisy, where works and talk are not in alignment.


What's So Bad About Babylon? (1997)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Babylon constitutes the fountainhead of instruction that, like strong drink, impairs the ability to function properly while creating the illusion of ability.


What's So Bad About Babylon? (2003) (Part 2)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The entire Babylonian system has an enslaving, addicting, and inebriating quality, producing a pernicious unfaithfulness and Laodicean temperament.


The Fifth Teacher

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Corinth had four positive teachers, yet a mysterious fifth teacher was also influencing them and instilling beliefs that were the source of all the bad fruit.


The Wisdom of Men and Faith

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The pressures and conflicts that the church has undergone is part of the spirit of the time that has embroiled religious and political institutions worldwide.


Belief and the Firstfruits

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

God has bless,ed the firstfruits with precious belief and knowledge which must be protected, guarded, nourished and exercised so it will not slip away.


Spotting False Teachers

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

True shepherds have genuine concern for the flock, as opposed to hirelings who only devour or take advantage of the flock.


Matthew (Part Twelve)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

To establish sound doctrine, we must build on the foundation Christ's teaching, taking the straight and narrow course rather than the wisdom of this world.


Matthew (Part Eleven)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Life consists of a series of choices, often a dilemma of a pleasurable choice on one hand and a difficult choice (that produces more growth) on the other.


Testing the Spirits (Part 1)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The Apostle John exhorts us to test and discern the spirits, judging between the true and the false, using the scripture as the steady standard of truth.


Jude

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The book of Jude, a scathing indictment against false teachers, may be the most neglected book in the New Testament. False teachers twist grace into license.


Satan (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Satan uses disinformation, spread through false ministers/prophets, teaching smooth things that destroy. We must test the spirits to ensure a teaching is from God.


Looks Fair, Feels Foul

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Be wary of things and people that appear attractive and fair on the outside, but are actually foul and destructive underneath. Evaluate the fruit.


Teachings From Tabernacles

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David C. Grabbe

If we neglect our cultivation of spiritual fruit during the year, the harvest will reflect that. The fruit of one's labors will be evident at harvest time.


Every Action Has a Reaction

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Every action has a corresponding reaction; even the little things we do matter. Sin produces increase (the leavening effect) just as righteousness does.


Do Unto Others and Reap What We Sow

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Reaping good fruit does not happen immediately. If we feel we are not reaping, we must consider that we might be reaping some negative things we have sown.


John (Part Twenty)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Just as a seed must die to itself in order to bear fruit, we also must sacrifice our lives, submitting unconditionally to God's to bear abundant fruit.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God is doing more than merely saving people; He is producing children in His image. The difference between the covenants is in the quality of the faith.


John (Part Twenty-Two)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus encouraged His disciples by promising to send the Holy Spirit to empower them for the challenges of the Christian life, making us sensitive to God.


Satan (Part 5)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

To resist the Devil is to resist unlawful desires, not allowing him to manipulate our emotions. Satan works on fear of being denied something pleasurable.


Responding to God's Pruning Is Not Passive (Part Two)

Sermon by David F. Maas

Briars, thistles, thorns, and weeds are visible emblems of sin or its consequences, which we must pull up by the roots for the balance of our physical life.


Psalms: Book Three (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Book Three of the Psalms deals with the somber theme of judgment on a people who have rejected their God and have produced much rotten spiritual fruit.


God's Rest (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lust begets a guilty conscience, agitation, anxiety, depression, grief, torment. Wrong desire leads to lying, adultery, and murder—eventually leading to death.