Playlist: Wealth, Desire for (topic)
How Big Is Amazon.com?
Commentary by Richard T. RitenbaughThe rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The number of billionaires in the world has risen 18% this last year.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twelve)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Corruption in the courts is a fact of life. We should not be surprised by this curse, realizing that God is aware and is allowing it for a purpose.
How to Become Rich
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughGod does not measure prosperity by the ownership of physical possessions but with the depth of a person's relationship with Him.
The Tenth Commandment
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Coveting begins as a desire. Human nature cannot be satisfied, nothing physical can satisfy covetousness, and joy does not derive from materialism.
Money, Control, and Sacrifice
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughWealth will certainly damage our character if we permit it to control us. Riches cannot buy forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, or eternal life.
Money, Control and Sacrifice (2015)
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughIn the important things in life, money is powerless. Wealth cannot buy forgiveness, eternal life, or God's Spirit. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath.
Agape: Does Not Envy
Sermon by Bill OnisickThe source of envy and covetousness is Satan the devil who coveted God's throne and proved himself as a murderer and liar from the very beginning.
Are You Missing Out On Blessings?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsOften physical prosperity works against godly character and spiritual well-being. To be rich toward God means to seek His Kingdom first, live His way, and trust Him.
Maintaining Good Health (Part 5)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the Bible, eating can be a symbol of fornication. Like Jacob and Christ, we must learn to curb our appetites, learning to distinguish holy from profane.
The Christian and the World (Part Nine)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughAnxious care and foreboding are debilitating and faith-destroying. Meditating on what God has already done strengthens our faith and trust in God.
Back to Life (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsJesus' deliberately delayed His return to Bethany until Lazarus had died so that He could bolster the faith of Martha and His other disciples, then and now.
Deceived by His Eyes
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughAbram learned that God gives material prosperity to those who are not seeking it. Those who seek riches are destined to fall into a snare.
What Does God Really Want? (Part 5)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWhat God really wants is for us to see things from His point of view, making the right choices, striving to build character, developing into His image.
The Christian and the World (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe best way to attain true wealth and the abundant eternal life is to loosen our grip on worldly rewards and treasures, and single-mindedly follow Christ.
Created to Do God's Will and Work
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod requires us to work and not deliberately seek welfare or food stamps, but He also does not want us to obsess on acquiring riches.
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.
Balaam and the End-Time Church (Part 1)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBalaam illustrates the paradox of someone who knows God's will, but willfully and deliberately disobeys, presumptuously thinking he could manipulate or bribe God.
The Christian and the World (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe prince of the power of the air is responsible for influencing the zeitgeist (dominant mindset of the time), pulling us away from God and His law.
The Commandments (Part Seventeen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWealth accumulated by honest work and diligence will be blessed, but hastily acquired by any kind of theft or dishonesty will be cursed.
God's Rest (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughCoveting—lust—is a fountainhead of many other sins. Desiring things is not wrong, but desiring someone else's things promotes overtly sinful behavior.
Habakkuk: A Prophet of Faith (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsHabakkuk was frustrated that God would use an evil people to punish Israel, yet he resolved to cease fretting and to become a responsible watcher.
God's Rest (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLust begets a guilty conscience, agitation, anxiety, depression, grief, torment. Wrong desire leads to lying, adultery, and murder—eventually leading to death.
The Christian and the World (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughClear vision lights the way spiritually. If the eye of the heart is aimed at spiritual treasure and the glory of God, it will remain singly focused.
The Commandments (Part Nineteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus taught that all outward sin stems from inner inordinate desire. What we desire or lust after automatically becomes our idol.
Spiritual Food Satisfies
Sermonette by Martin G. CollinsThose who view religion as a life of gloom and deprivation are too short-sighted to realize that the world's entertainments do not satisfy the deepest need.
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.
Thou Shall Not Covet
Sermon by John O. ReidBecause virtually every sin begins as a desire in the mind, the command against coveting (lustful cravings) could be the key to keeping the other commandments.
Contentment
Sermon by John O. ReidMany people live in a state of discontent. Tragically, what they set their hearts upon often displaces the love for family and a relationship with God.
More on Modern Liberalism
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The economic crisis was caused by wrong choices made by bankers acting like the seductress in Proverbs 7 to make a profit. Liberalism follows from Adam and Eve.
Maintaining Good Health (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWhile drunkenness and gluttony show self-centeredness and lack of discipline, often leading to poverty and ill health, moderation is the way to glorify God.
Are You Living an Abundant Life?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIf Christianity is lived the way Christ intended, rather than as represented by media caricatures, it is one of the most exhilarating and abundant lifestyles.
Matthew (Part Eight)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWe should not seek material rewards under the New Covenant, though God may sometimes bless us physically. Our focus should be on spiritual rewards.
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.
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.
Matthew (Part Twenty-Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus contrasts the enormity of what we are forgiven to what we forgive others. Our forgiveness is directly connected with our forgiveness of our brother.
Of Living Dogs and Dead Lions
Sermonette by Austin Del CastilloGuilt from failure to overcome is a dangerous distraction. When we consider God's profound pity, we realize that He is able to cleanse us, too.
Unity and Godly Diversity in One Body
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mark SchindlerTo take sides in any type of national struggle is to battle on behalf of mankind's wrong-headed, godless attempts to avoid the consequences of sin.
Why is Life So Hard?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe rigors God puts us through are not to crush us, but to shape us, transforming us into His image. True gain is walking through the anguish in victory.
God's Rest (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe two principal robbers of peace are pride and the drive to have complete control of our lives. Discontent and imagined victimization led Adam and Eve into sin.
The Chemistry of Government
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughExpectation of reward, fear of disadvantage, and charisma all constitute the chemistry of government and childrearing, but require the right proportion.
Four Views of Christ (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe dominant emphasis of Matthew is the kingly qualities of Jesus as a descendant of the royal house of David, representing the Lion of Judah.
Prayer and Seeking God
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughRather than having an apathetic relationship toward God, we must ardently, earnestly, and fervently seek God in order to imitate His behavior in our lives.
Conspiracy Theory (Part Seven)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Satan has done a good job of sabotaging the educational system of this nation, a deliberate effort by those motivated by a desire for wealth and power.
Water Scarcity
Commentary by Martin G. CollinsThere has been a tragic decline of clean drinking water around the world, caused by drought and pollution, causing an increase in water-borne diseases.
Abraham (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAbraham did not come from a primitive, but a highly advanced civilization, having huge multi-storied dwellings with running water and indoor bathrooms.