Playlist: Wisdom and Obedience (topic)
Psalm Genres (Part Eight): Wisdom Psalms
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWisdom, as understood biblically, moves far beyond the secular definition of good judgment based on knowledge and experience. While philosophers and sages throughout history sensed that wisdom possessed some intangible, spiritual essence beyond mere decision-making, they could not fully grasp its true nature. Scripture reveals …
Biblical Wisdom
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWisdom involves learning from God's revealed instruction, accepting it, and putting it into practice with the help of God's spirit. Wisdom requires making right godly choices and living out those choices through conduct and deeds. Wisdom appears in actions such as loving the Lord, obeying His voice, and clinging to Him. …
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Wisdom, understood biblically as skill for living, finds its deepest connection to obedience in Solomon's concluding counsel in Ecclesiastes: "Fear God, and keep His commandments." This conclusion serves as safe guidance for every situation, not because it guarantees trouble-free living, but because obedience ensures one is not …
Sovereignty and Choice
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeScripture presents an apparent paradox between God's absolute sovereignty and mankind's responsibility as free moral agents, yet the concept of wisdom provides the hopeful intersection where these two principles work together rather than compete. Two extremes threaten to unbalance this relationship: one extreme so emphasizes …
The Sovereignty of God (Part Ten)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughReverence for God's sovereignty produces a chain of spiritual development beginning with the fear of God and culminating in wisdom expressed as obedience. Job and Isaiah both illustrate this pattern: when confronted with the reality of God's majesty and unlimited authority, both men were humbled to the point of abhorring …
Are You Missing Out On Blessings?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWisdom and obedience are presented as inseparable partners in recognizing and receiving God's blessings, standing in direct contrast to the world's obsession with material prosperity as the measure of success. Solomon's own experience, recorded in Ecclesiastes, demonstrates that those who pursue wealth are never satisfied and …
God's Sense of Justice
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWisdom, as presented through Proverbs 8:34-36, is defined as the right application of the knowledge of God—essentially the right application of God's law and way to daily life. The one who listens to wisdom finds life, while the one who sins against it wrongs his own soul, and Solomon's sobering conclusion is that those …
Seeking God's Will (Part Seven): Conclusion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe concluding sermon in this series returns to Ephesians 5:8-17 to trace how walking in light develops into walking in wisdom. Paul begins by declaring that believers, once darkness itself, have become light in the Lord through no effort of their own—this transformation results entirely from the Father's calling and the …