Playlist: Righteousness (topic)

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Repentance and Righteousness (Part 2)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Mechanically keeping the law is only the beginning of righteousness. By emphasizing principle, Christ came to magnify, not to destroy God's law.


Doing Righteousness

Sermon by Kim Myers

God's church, because it co-exists with the unrighteousness of the world, is in danger of becoming corrupted or leavened by the world's example.


Where Does Righteousness Come From?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Job was righteous because of the work of God, forming his righteousness out of nothing, guiding events and providing an environment in which character was formed.


Repentance and Righteousness (Part 1)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Nothing happens in our lives (including repentance) until God initiates it. A change of heart, by God's Holy Spirit, results in a total change of direction.


Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Physical hunger and thirst provide important types of the desire one must cultivate for spiritual resources, realizing that man cannot live by bread alone.


Conviction to Godly Righteousness

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Real repentance and conviction of righteousness should dramatically augment prayer, study, meditation, but most importantly, how we live our lives.


Considered Rather Than Commanded - Choose Life

Sermon by Mark Schindler

As God calls His people, He enables them (through His Spirit) to make considered decisions concerning living His way of life by obeying His commandments.


The Mystery of Goodness

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Because even Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, we must be careful not to assess goodness by surface appearances. God's goodness is our pattern.


By This We Know Love!

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

As God's people keep God's law in its spiritual intent, they begin to think like the Father and His Son, both of whom habitually do good.


Was Job Really Self-Righteous?

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

Self-righteousness is defined as being smugly proud of one's own opinion and intolerant of others. What Job repented of was his misunderstanding of God.


All His Ways Are Just

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Justice is more a process of doing (exercising mercy, love, and faith) in all of our interpersonal relations rather than rendering a verdict or sentence.


Amos (Part Nine)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Ancient Israel regarded Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba as a sacred shrines, but were not becoming spiritually transformed as a result of pilgrimages.


Sin (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Though relatively neutral at its inception, human nature is subject to a deadly magnetic pull toward self-centeredness, deceit, and sin.


Grace, Unleavened Bread, and the Holy Spirit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We eat unleavened bread because of what God has done, not what we have done. Eating unleavened bread symbolizes following God and displacing sin.


True Self-Control

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Self-control is the ability to focus our attention so that our decisions will not be directed by wrong thoughts. If we change our thoughts, we change our behavior.


Seeking God's Will (Part Five): Goodness

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God employs goodness when He shakes us out of complacency and directs us toward repentance. God's goodness is there to take advantage of if we trust Him.


Inclusivity?

Sermon by Ronny H. Graham

Many churches have abandoned traditional values and have embraced humanism, using buzzwords such as inclusivity, community, spirituality, and justice.


Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Love, justice, mercy, and fidelity (the weightier matters of the law) God desires more than meticulous, mechanical religiosity.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Sixteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Righteousness consists of applying the Law's letter and/or intent. Sin constitutes a failure of living up to the standards of what God defines as right.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Justification is not the end of the salvation process, but merely the opening to sanctification, where we bear fruit and give evidence of God's Spirit in us.


Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Two): Perspective

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Job's three 'friends,' exemplars of all men, made critical assumptions and judgments about Job on the basis of biased religious and cultural tradition.


The Priesthood of God (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A priest, having cognizance of his own weaknesses, has an obligation to empathize with other peoples' weaknesses and bear one another's burdens.


Producing Fruit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

To be made clean only prepares us for producing fruit. If we stand still, simply resting on our justification, the dark forces will pull us backwards.


Biblical Principles of Justice (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Though the Old and New Testament are complementary to one another, the emphasis of justice in the New Testament switches from national to personal in scope.


Amos (Part Ten)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

God requires a higher standard of righteous behavior from those who have consciously made a covenant with Him and are acquainted with His Law.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

To keep us secure from the temptations of the world, we must embrace our metaphorical sister, Wisdom, keeping us focused on our relationship with God.


Psalms: Book Five (Part Five): Psalm 119 (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Even though keeping the law does not justify us, it does point out to us what sin is. The law is a guide keeping us within moral and ethical boundaries.


Seeking God's Will (Part One): Holiness

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Determining the will of God is difficult to do unless we know the character of God. Holiness is the foundation for all of the other traits of God.


Psalms: Book Five (Part Six): Psalm 119 (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The keeping of the law is a practical response to God, providing us with principles for our lives, establishing our character and implanting God's values.


Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's holy law gives love its foundation, stability, and evenness, preventing it from degenerating into a sappy, sentimental feeling.


Examples of Divine Justice

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Nadab and Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira, and Uzzah, all aware of the penalties for their actions, rebelled against God's clear and unambiguous instructions.


Government (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Only those who are governable will be allowed to govern with God. No government will work without each individual submitting in his area of responsibility.


Confidence in the Flesh Versus Faith

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

We must turn from our own gossamer righteousness to God's solid righteousness, accepting a higher standard than the rest of society.


Being a Christian

Sermon by Clyde Finklea

Micah provides a formula for being a Christian: 1.) Doing justly, 2.) Exercising mercy and 3.) Walking humbly. These demand total commitment, not a pretense.


Importance of the True Gospel

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The way back to unity is to embrace the vision that once kept us focused on the same goal, giving us active, kinetic, dynamic and explosive power.


Philippians (Part Eight)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

We must willing to yield to God's shaping of us, willing to be corrected and changed as He sees fit. If we become self-satisfied, He cannot work with us.


Holiness of God (Part 4)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

To be like God, we need to work on purifying ourselves, purging out sin and uncleanness, reflecting our relationship with God in every aspect our behavior.


Conscience (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

A conscience can only function according to what it knows, and will automatically adjust in the way it is exercised. Conscience follows conduct.


Self-Government and Responsibility (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jacob's Trouble, or the Great Tribulation, comes about because people are not meeting their God-given responsibilities: keeping His Commandments.


Spiritual Renewal

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Paul admonishes the Corinthians to resist contentions, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, backbiting, whispering, slander, conceit, and agitation.


God's Perseverance With His Saints (Part One)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God, as our true Shepherd, provides total protection of His called out-ones forever. Being kept in God's name refers to assimilating the attributes of God.


Assurance (Part One): Self Examination

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Salvation is an ongoing work of God, obligating us to walk in the Spirit. If we do, we will be not captivated by the lusts of the flesh.


The Two Witnesses (Part Five)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The olive trees in Zechariah 4:11 refer to the Two Witnesses who pour oil (spiritual instruction) into a golden bowl, supplying the churches with nourishment.


Elements of Motivation (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Even though sin offers fleeting pleasure, we must learn to intensely hate sin, regarding this product of Satan as a destroyer of everything God loves.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Psalm 73 describes someone seeing the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer, but it is not true that people in the world are leading superior lives.


The Secret Sin Everyone Commits

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Self-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.


Laodiceanism

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Our love for beauty must be coupled with love for righteousness and holiness. Our relationship with Christ must take central place in our lives, displacing all else.


Conscience (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lawful behavior with a wrong attitude, motivated by pride, displaying lack of sensitivity to others or lack of wisdom, also constitutes sin.


Titus 2:11-14

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We are obligated to dress and keep what is placed in our care, improving what He has given to us. We dare not stand still, but must make effort to grow.


Four Views of Christ (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The dominant emphasis of Matthew is the kingly qualities of Jesus as a descendant of the royal house of David, representing the Lion of Judah.


The Doctrine of Israel (Part Nine): Romans 11

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Paul poses two questions in Romans 11: Has God discarded Israel for all time? Will God graft physical Israel into the Covenant people of Abraham?


Hosea's Prophecy (Part Five)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Israel demonstrates divided loyalties, vacillating between God and the world, veering more toward the world, resembling a panting dog or a pleasure-bent prostitute.


Loyalty and Submission (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Loyalty and submission to God (not always easy) empowers and guarantees ultimate success and leadership, actually freeing us from the fear of death.


Loyalty and Submission (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In marriage, loyalty, trust and subjection are demanded of both partners. If we are not loyal to God and life, we are automatically subject to Satan and death.


The Glory of God (Part 2): In Christ

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

When we (following Jesus' example) display the way of God in our lives, bearing His name, and keeping His commandments, God's glory radiates in our lives.


Knowing God: Formality and Customs (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The notion that it does not matter what we wear if our heart is right on the inside is foolish. Our clothing ought to reflect our inward character.


God's Powerful Gospel

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The true gospel includes the complete revelation of God of His plan to reproduce Himself. If a gospel does not produce repentance and faith, it is false.


Whose Morality Are We Following?

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Moral legislation over the years has steadily eroded because liberal leaders have rejected biblical standards of morality in favor of personal choice.


Politics and Christ's Return

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Because we are set apart by God, we are not to become involved in the world's political, judicial, or military systems. Our term in office has yet to begin.


Building on Christ's Foundation

Sermonette by Martin G. Collins

Even with all the quality materials and workmanship, its perpetuity would only be guaranteed if its people would walk faithfully in God's laws and statutes.


Abraham (Part Ten)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lot equivocated with God's instructions, looking for escape clauses, showing him to be self-centered and worldly wise, compromised by the values of the world.


John (Part Twenty-Four)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Though Christ knows that we will inevitably fail, as all of the disciples stumbled, He knows He can pull us through as long as we yield to Him.