Playlist: Paul, Suffering of (topic)
Lamentations (Part One; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAn introduction to the book of Lamentations, focusing on grim hardships (similar to Paul's perils) Christians may face in the future.
Day By Day
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaEcclesiastes teaches us to rejoice when times are good and to reflect soberly when times are bad. Adversity is a tool God uses to create something beautiful.
Assurance (Part Three): Glory and Hope
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe sufferings we go through are minuscule compared to the glory which we will receive, completely eclipsing the glory of Adam and Eve before their fall.
Why Are We Afflicted?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAffliction is a necessary aspect of life, yielding strength of character, while ease and comfort weaken us. Christ was perfected as High Priest through suffering.
Why Does God Allow Us to Be Afflicted?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIn God's hands, trials and afflictions are tools to produce refined character and joy, and to move us away from worldly choices and back to His purpose.
Soldiers of Christ
Sermonette by Ryan McClurePaul enjoins God's people to enlist as soldiers of Christ, enduring hardship, keeping themselves from the world, and putting on armor for spiritual battle.
Acts (Part Ten)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe martyrdom of Stephen had the paradoxical effect of spreading the Gospel into Gentile venues, enabling individuals like Cornelius to be added to Christ.
Facing Times of Stress: When God Is Silent (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsParadoxically, when God seems to be silent, He is feverishly at work micro-managing what otherwise appears as insignificant details.
Trials: Much Needed Experiences
Sermon by John O. ReidGod uses trials to test our hearts, but He never places a trial before us to tempt us. God uses trials we bring on ourselves to draw us closer to Him.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Seven)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Solomon exercised a lifetime of hard work trying to find answers, but fell short because some things are discoverable only through God's revelation.
We Can Make It!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)A disciple cannot escape the kind of persecution directed against his teacher. In the wake of this kind of abuse, people can succumb to depression.
According to My Gospel
Sermonette by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)Paul's believed that there is only one gospel and used the terms 'gospel of God' and 'gospel of Jesus Christ,' teaching the same things as Jesus Christ.
Is God a Magician?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughTechnology makes us susceptible to the 'quick fix' mentality, expecting miraculous solutions to all problems, making us susceptible to false miracles.
Don't Give Up (2015)!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsHave you ever wanted to just give up? Have trials weighed you down to the point of despair? Is old age sapping the strength and determination?
Magic Doesn't Work (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPeople are attracted to magic because they think it brings quick results, bringing them their desires, erasing their fears and providing for their needs.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Nineteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Ecclesiastes 7 contains a series of 'this is better than that' observations. Wisdom seems to carry more sadness and sorrow than mirth or foolishness.
Power Belongs to God (Part 1)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPaul knew that only through strengthening his relationship with God was he able to both abound and be abased. When we are in trouble, we need to contact God first.
Acts (Part Nineteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughPaul encountered persecution but also saw his work bear fruit. He was driven from the synagogue, but paradoxically won over its leader, Crispus.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Father and the Son are two distinct beings, not co-equal as the trinity doctrine proclaims, but with the Son deferring to the Father in all things.
Unity (Part 8): Ephesians 4 (E)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe group that one fellowships with is less important than the understanding that there is one true church, bound by a spiritual, not a physical unity.
Numbers (Part Three): Poised at the Jordan
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe last chapters in Numbers describe a lengthy holding pattern in which not much seemed to happen. We must have patience as we wait for the Kingdom of God.
Preparing for Bad Times (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBoth the watchman and the one who hears have a responsibility to make preparations for bad times, helping themselves and others through the tough times.
Abraham (Part Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWe learn from Abraham's experience to trust God even when we have incomplete information. When we attempt to take the expedient way out, we will run into trouble.
Keep Your Heart With All Diligence!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsChrist does not remove His people's trials, but He provides help for those going through them, using the cleansing power of the trial to heal their minds.
Acts (Part Seventeen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughPaul, by circumcising Timothy, demonstrates a reluctance to flaunt his religious liberty, preferring instead to exercise cautious conservative expediency.
Titus (Part One): Introduction
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Cretan people had earned the reputation of duplicity. Church members faced the consequences of being tarred with the same brush—sometimes deservedly.
Facing Times of Stress: Persecution
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPersecution involves a wide spectrum, ranging from torture, physical beating, social excommunication, imprisonment and death. Our boldness should match Paul's.
John (Part Eleven)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe storm on the Sea of Galilee instructs us that when we are in a trial and getting nowhere, if we invite Christ into the situation, we will have peace.
Jesus the Door
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJohn 10:7-10 proclaims that Jesus is the door of the sheepfold or corral. If we follow Him in and out, we will have abundant life, now and in the Kingdom.
Faith (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPride is a perverted comparison that elevates one above another. Because of its arrogant self-sufficiency, it hinders our faith. Faith depends on humility.
Defining Grace
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe entire life of Christ was a manifestation of God's grace, revealing the nature of God by means of a life lived to give us an example to follow.
Matthew (Part Twenty-One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe Pharisees and Sadducees, who normally opposed each other, joined forces against their common enemy, Jesus. They should have recognized Him as the Messiah.
Church Unity Despite the Spirit of the World
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe unity of God's church does not derive from organizational expertise, the conformity of ecumenism, or the tolerance for evil, but from the family model.
The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe true source of joy does not consist on any worldly commodity, or any self-centered, hedonistic pursuit, but instead a spiritual gift, bestowed by God.