Playlist: Maturity, Spiritual (topic)
How Emotions Affect Spiritual Maturity
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod displays emotions, but they are always under control, unlike mankind. Using God's Spirit, we can grow into emotional (not emotionless) spiritual maturity.
Spiritual Maturity
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Kingdom parables allude to the process of spiritual maturity, depicting a planted and cultivated seed becoming a sprout, eventually bearing fruit.
A Time to Grow
Sermonette by Ryan McClureHorticulture is not so easy as merely planting a seed and watching it grow. Tending and keeping implies continually watering, fertilizing, and cultivating.
The Patient Pineapple
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingThe majority of the growth or maturation of a pineapple plant takes place from within. The same holds true for our calling and conversion.
Adolescent Geriatrics
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe cultural phenomenon known as 'adolescent geriatrics' is when a senior citizen, ignoring the ravages of time, continues youthful styles, desires, and goals.
Growing Up
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughChildren who learn to obey their parents (and by extension, the laws of God and society) save themselves from untold grief later in life.
Godly Training and Admonition
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGodly training forewarns a child of danger or faults in human nature. The Scriptures do not contain many examples of exemplary child rearing.
Developing Discernment
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsHuman discernment can be developed and exercised, triggering early warning systems with the reactions of revulsion and confusion when confronted by evil.
Seeks Not Its Own
Sermon by Bill OnisickThough as a Pharisee, the apostle Paul had abundant knowledge of God's law and obedience, he was a spiritual babe because he lacked agape love.
Wrong Ideas
Sermonette by James BeaubelleOver the course of millennia, only a few have been willing to hold to the covenant with God or make the sacrifice for building the faith He requires.
Judgment According to Works
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBecause God sees the content of our hearts, nothing escapes His attention. He mercifully judges over a lifetime of behaviors, not just isolated incidents.
Conviction, Moses, and Us
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike Moses, we have to develop conviction, a product of a relationship of God, established by being faithful day by day in the little things of life.
We Are Part of Something Special
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingAs we mature, our rough edges become smoothed, and we become thankful for the bond between us, looking for ways to edify one another.
A Seed of Highest Quality
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod calls Israel a seed of highest quality, but she turned into a degenerate vine, bearing bitter fruit, rejecting God and relying on her own resources.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Seventeen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Wisdom can be defined as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right measure. Wisdom is not given as a whole, but incrementally.
Going on to Perfection
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidWe are bombarded by technology, competing for our attention, causing us to drift from our spiritual quest. God expects us to continue to mature spiritually.
Commencement
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGraduations bring advice-laden commencement speeches designed to inspire and motivate young people, sending them out to their destinations and destinies.
Is God's Way Simple?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJust because something is simple does not make it true and just because something is complex does not make it false. Deeper knowledge often comes with complexity.
What Does God Really Want? (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe priorities in Matthew 6:33 indicates that the primary emphasis should be on repentance and overcoming rather than mastering a technicality.
Knowing Christ (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughSanctification is the longest, most difficult, and most grueling part of the conversion process—a time when suffering and sacrifice are demanded of us.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Nine)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughSatan has attempted to obliterate the sanctification step from the conversion process. Sanctification is produced by doing works pleasing to God.
Recognizing the Intents of the Heart
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe are counseled to seek wisdom (the power of judging rightly) and discernment (the ability to consider the end of a thought pattern or behavior).
Patience With Growth
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughFruit maturation takes time. Waiting for the fruit is just part of the story; while we wait, we must also work, including thinning and pruning.
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Three): Attitude
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob had not achieved spiritual maturity, but had assumed the arrogant stance of attempting to debate the Creator on his own level.
The Purpose of the Ministry
Sermon by John O. ReidThe purpose of the ministry is to train members for service to God, edifying them, equipping them for their job, and bringing them to spiritual maturity.
Teaching Us to Think (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod is putting His children through a demanding educational program designed to teach godly values and impart spiritual maturity. Learning is hard work.
Freedom's Dark Underbelly
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAny freedom to choose must be accompanied by a set of standards against which choices are made. The people of the world do not have this freedom.
Four Warnings (Part Four): Founded on the Rock
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughMixing the solid foundation of Christ's teachings with the sand of worldly philosophies and traditions ends in calamity. We must build on the Rock.
The Mystery of the Church
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod desires to know whether the spiritual remnants will choose His teaching or assimilating into the world, biting and devouring one another.
Strengthening the Family
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod ordained marriage and the family for the physical and spiritual growth and nurturing of children. God's goal is a Family composed of mature spirit beings.
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Two): Perspective
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob's three 'friends,' exemplars of all men, made critical assumptions and judgments about Job on the basis of biased religious and cultural tradition.
The Two Great Commandments: First Principles
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod made male and female in His image and has determined that the binary metamorphize into unitary in order to accomplish higher Spiritual purposes.
The Spirit and the Way
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe are being judged by our works, based upon what we know and what we are doing with this knowledge. The more we know, the more God expects from us.
When Our Change Comes
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRepentance and conversion leading to transforming into Christ's image depend on change. Christianity is a force for personal change, leading to universal change.
Success in This World
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe must invest in our own self-improvement and preparation, continually striving against stagnation and deterioration, and the powerful pulls of the world.
Philippians (Part Nine)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughGodly righteousness demands humility, a readiness to admit shortcomings, a yieldedness to correction, and a willingness to be refashioned.
Displaying Gentle and Patient Conduct
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod's people must follow the spirit of the law regarding the treatment of others, being humble, sincere, and gentle, esteeming others before themselves.
Suffering Disgrace For Christ's Name
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe can always expect new challenges, including persecution, and must never be content with standing still, but must press on to spiritual maturity.
Re-Embracing the Berean Model
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David F. MaasWe must use Berean self-reflexiveness to become teachable, to search for hidden sins, to detect spiritual blindspots, and to admit when we are wrong.
Giving All Diligence!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe recipients of Peter's epistle were having difficulty holding on to their faith, having succumbed to fear as a result of lack of discipline and laziness.
Together We Stand - But on What?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPaul, using the body analogy in I Corinthians, focuses on the need for unity and inter-relatedness by concentrating upon sound doctrine.
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part Seven)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe letters to the seven churches of Revelation warn of losing our first love, heeding false teachers, compromising God's Truth, and forgetting right doctrine.
Could You Stand Alone?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWould we have the same courage to stand spiritually as the brave unarmed man who resisted the tanks of the Chinese Red Army in Tiananmen Square?
Be There Next Year!
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWhether we do or do not make it to the Feast of Tabernacles next year depends on our faithfulness at stirring up the gift of God's spirit within us.
He Who Overcomes
Sermon by John O. ReidIt is not profitable to focus on the place of safety or the specific time of Christ's return, but instead to make the best use of our time to overcome.
Freedom and Unleavened Bread
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughChristian freedom has nothing to do with location or circumstance but how we think. By imbibing on God's Word, we will incrementally displace our carnality.
Grace Upon Grace
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughForgiveness is only the beginning of the grace process, enabling us to grow to the stature of Christ. Paradoxically, grace puts us under obligation to obey.
Satan (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe spirit in man is initially good, but capable of being influenced by the spirit of this world, and surcharged with Satan's negative attitudes.
Do You See God?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUnless we acknowledge God's sovereign authority in our lives, following through with the things we learn from scripture, we, like atheists, will not see God.
Our Family Resemblance
Sermonette by Craig SablichEven though we may not recognize changes in ourselves, when we do the work of God with the right heart, we begin displaying the spiritual family traits.
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.
The Continuous Testing of Our Faith
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe constant tests to which God submits His people enable them to build character by responding in faith. God perfected Abraham's faith through difficult trials.
Discerning Spirits and Discerning the Body
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsBecause of the culture of deception fostered by Satan and his children, we must develop discernment to tell the difference between truth and falsehood.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Two): Cultivating Love
Sermon by David F. MaasThe opposite of selfishness is not self-hatred, but mature self-love, loving ourselves as a responsible, caring parent would (or should) love a growing child.
The Failure of Miracles to Produce Righteousness
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins asserts that miracles and signs from God, while certainly generating awe and fear, seldom lead to righteousness, but more likely to continued rebellion. Jesus points out that only an adulterous generation seeks after miracles and signs. No greater period of miracles took place in history than at the time of the …
A Leader in Every Man!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAs Joshua felt fearful at assuming leadership, most men also feel the same trepidation, but God Almighty has placed in their DNA the ability to lead.
Love Thy Neighbor (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Jesus set the bar very high when it comes to love. We no longer live for ourselves, but to Christ, who commands us to love everyone, including our enemies.
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.
Promised: Protection and Healing
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod gives several conditions for receiving protection and healing, including God's sovereignty, God's purpose, and one's level of growth.
Faith and Prayer
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughConstant, earnest prayer keeps faith alive and makes certain the receiving of the qualities that make us in the image of God. God's purpose comes first.
The Commandments (Part Twelve)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughParents need to teach their children to consider the long-range consequences of current behaviors, chastening and disciplining them while there is hope.
Offerings (Part Six)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe sin offering was for sin in general deals with our evil nature, while the trespass offering deals with the fruits of that nature.
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.