Playlist: Creation, Spiritual (topic)
God's Creation and Our Works
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike Joseph, we need to realize that God—not ourselves—is the Creator, engineering events that form us into what He wants us to become.
The Sabbath: Creation
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Sabbath provides an opportunity for God's children to develop a relationship with Him, reflecting on the spiritual as well as the physical creation.
The Pattern of Creation
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mike FordGod has a pattern that we can use for planet formation, a skill He will teach us after we assume a glorified spirit body following our resurrection.
Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 6)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughChrist emphasizes that the internal, weightier matters, which change the heart, take precedence over external ceremonial concerns that don't change the heart.
Human Will and God's Sovereignty (Part Three)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God-designed personalities, having His character, will make up God's family, not self-made personalities created by human will. We must yield as He creates.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGrace's influence extends beyond justification, into the sanctification stage where the believer yields himself to righteousness, keeping God's commandments.
Hebrews (Part Fourteen): Chapter 2, A Mind Bending Purpose (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Without a meaningful relationship with Christ, God's people cannot possibly bear fruit. Our responsibility is to yield to God's creative work in our lives.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod is intimately involved with the smallest details of our life, including our conception and birth, supplying spiritual gifts to carry out His work.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn terms of building character, God does the creating, assaying, testing, and proving; we do the yielding and walking in the pathway He has set for us.
Where Does Righteousness Come From?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeJob 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.
Unleavened Bread and the Holy Spirit (2019)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Egypt is not directly a symbol of sin, but instead the world. The Days of Unleavened Bread symbolize what God did for us, not what we did by our own power.
Unleavened Bread and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our exodus from the bondage of sin begins and ends with God. He commanded Israel to mark their escape with unleavened bread because of what He did.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We are being trained to become leaders, but before we can lead, we must be able to carry out responsibilities, conforming to God's leadership and covenants.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Fourteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Only God's calling, followed by repentance and a rigorous conversion process, will safeguard us from the fiery holocaust that is coming upon this the world.
His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)As the lives of the major biblical figures were predestined, so are our lives. God chooses, moves, and manages the lives of His servants.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, as Creator, takes the initiative (as the potter over the clay) for the elect's salvation, enabling us to build the repertoire of habits called character.
Hebrews: Its Background (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus qualified as High Priest, teaching us about living by faith in the New Covenant, which mandates that we keep His commandments.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod is pleased to save those who humble themselves, allowing Him to perform a mighty work through them, and putting everyone in debt to Him.
God's Rest (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath rest depicts the miracle of conversion, in which the transformation of mankind into God's image brings about a rest in which God takes pleasure.
Jesus Christ: First Savior, Second High Priest, Third King
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe book of Hebrews teaches that our relationship to Christ as our Savior, High Priest, and King is the key to salvation. He shows us the way to the Father.
His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Jesus Christ has full control of the church. Everything of consequence, including the development of our character, is engineered by Him.
The Source of Church Characteristics (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Jesus Christ is the architect of the church, indicating that the institution must take on the characteristics of the Builder, reflecting His character.
Unleavened Bread and the Holy Spirit (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God's command to eat unleavened bread teaches that He rescued His people from the bondage of sin, something they had no power to accomplish of themselves.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)In the combined history of Judah and Israel, when the leaders abandoned the covenants with God, the citizenry generally followed suit.
Psalms: Book Two (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe second set of documents and events consists of Book Two of Psalms, Exodus, Ruth, Psalm 147, and the Pentecost season, relating to faith within trials.
Choices and a Man After God's Own Heart: Turn, Turn, Turn
Sermon by Mark SchindlerHonoring our free choice and understanding our weaknesses, God alters time and chance for us, using our mistakes as tools to enhance our godly character.
Psalms: Book Four (Part Four): God as Creator
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe creation offers compelling testimony to the intricacies which preclude even the possibility of evolution. Evolution is a futile attempt to get rid of God.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Fifteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our relationship with God is often strengthened through hardship. We must choose to yield to God, living for a much higher goal than raw materialism.
God's Workmanship (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWorks are not the cause of salvation, but instead are the effect of God's creative efforts at bringing us into His image—a new creation.
Fasting
Sermonette by James BeaubelleThe best offering we can present is a humble and contrite heart, attainable through fasting, if done without pride and self-seeking.
God's Workmanship (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod assumes the burden for our salvation, but we are obligated to yield to His workmanship—made manifest by good works, the effect of salvation.
God's Workmanship (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod's creation did not end with the physical creation or our election, but God continues to work, giving us the motivation and the power to do His will.
Metaphors of God's Word
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughChrist says His words are Spirit and Life; they have a quality above human words because their source is divine. If ingested, these words lead to eternal life.
Firstfruits and the Master Potter
Sermon by Clyde FinkleaThe Potter and Clay analogy provides instructions for understanding character-building tests and trials in the life-long sanctification process.
Hebrews (Part Fifteen): Chapter 2, A Mind Bending Purpose (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Even though we must cooperate in cultivating spiritual fruit, God alone creates character and takes responsibility for creating spiritual offspring.
Magic Doesn't Work (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughMagic is always used as some kind of weapon, but not to build or develop moral strength or character. God chooses a life-long process of sanctification.
Five Easily-Neglected Doctrines
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Here are five easily neglected doctrines, which, if carelessly observed or distorted, could jeopardize the salvation of God's people.
Using Power Righteously (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God has singled each one of us out individually, calling us, gifting us with capabilities, and preparing us for eternal life as members of His family.
Leadership and Covenants (Part Seventeen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Because the world is under the sway of the wicked one, if mankind were left to its own choices, the world would revert to the condition before the Flood.
Living by Faith: God's Grace (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Because we are all sinners, we have earned only death; justification is not earned, but must come through faith and believing God as did our father Abraham.
Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWhatever life is, it derives from a non-material, non-physical, imparted life-force having a spiritual source. God creates and sustains life, as well as ends it.
Our Awesome Destiny (2000)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThrough a miraculous combination of knowledge plus the spirit of God, we realize that our destiny is to be a part of the divine Family.
Christ's Responsibility, Resurrections, and All in All
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Christ's resurrection was bodily. He will destroy death before returning control back to the Father, at which time the entire creation would be all in all.
Our Awesome Destiny
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUnderstanding is totally different from knowledge. Some people with ample knowledge are incredibly ignorant when discerning the plan of God.
Jesus on the Holy Spirit
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJesus taught about the Holy Spirit's function to carry out God's work, including inspiring one to speak the words of God and to resist the power of Satan.
Hebrews: Its Background (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Although God never intended the Old Covenant to endure eternally, the spiritual law (shared by both the old and new covenants) lasts forever.
We Shall Be God
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Though it may sound pretentious or even blasphemous, God's Word shows that we will become literal offspring of the Eternal God, sharing His name and nature.
Trial by Fire
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike a loving parent, God brings just the right pressures to bear to bring about necessary change in His children. Each trial has a place in His purpose.
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.
The Talking Blood (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Christ admonishes His people to prepare for difficult times by cultivating a close relationship with their Savior. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing.
Deleavening the Home
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIf each of us individually puts out the leaven of malice and consume the Unleavened Bread of sincerity, we would fulfill our community responsibility.
The Sabbath: Redemption
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod has blessed us with the Sabbath, a period of holy time, when He redeems us from the clutches of our carnality and this evil world.
Born Again (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Things pertaining to the New Covenant can only be understood by those who have been circumcised in the heart, which equates to having been born again.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe biblical instructions for Sabbath keeping apply far more to the church than to the Israelites, who did not have the fullness of scriptural counsel.
Government (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur attitude toward government must be one of submission. The church cannot perform its function without the cooperation of the carnal civil governments.
Philippians (Part Eight)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWe 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.
The Providence of God (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod uses calamities as part of His creative process. Like Jacob, who initially succumbed to weak faith and fear, we must repent of our loss of devotion to God.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Twenty)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Abraham realized that his promised Descendant could not possibly be a mere human being, but the Creator Himself.
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.
The Source of Church Characteristics (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The seven churches of Revelation 2-3 all existed simultaneously and the characteristics of five of them will apparently be extant at the return of Christ.
Psalms: Book Two (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Pentecost season generally corresponds to Book II of the Psalms, Exodus, and the story of Ruth. Major themes include exile, separation, and redemption.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Fourteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Solomon ruminates about life being seemingly futile and purposeless. A relationship with God is the only factor which prevents life from becoming useless.
The Trinity and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The Father and the Son are two separate personalities, with the Father having pre-eminence. The Bible contains no evidence of a third person in the God family.
The Fourth Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, not man, created, sanctified and memorialized the seventh day Sabbath from the time of creation, intending that man use this holy time to worship God.
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThere are varieties of spirit, motivating people to 'go with the flow' and conform to a sheep-like mob psychology. Satan's spirit encourages sinfulness.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus magnified the Sabbath, giving principles by which to judge our activities. Each time Jesus taught about the Sabbath, He emphasized some form of redemption.
The Commandments (Part Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath is a period of time God purposefully sanctified and set apart for the benefit of mankind, a time dedicated to God's spiritual creation.