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Genesis 3:17-19: Consequences for Adam
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod curses the ground from which humanity gets its food. Adam must toil to bring crops out of the soil. The earth will not yield easily and will not collaborate with man. Nature became competitive with man for dominance. It became man versus nature rather than man cooperating with nature. The important words in this curse are for your sake. God cursed the ground for the good of man. It was a beneficial curse. God puts man through hardships and privations to do us good in the long run. The stresses of the trials and the tests provide lasting lessons and create good character. God closes the loop that He started when man was created out of the dust of the ground. After a lot of hard work and pain and suffering in trying to live his life man would go right back into the dirt. Man's life was going to be concentrated in hard work and strenuous work overcoming obstacles that nature would put in his way. If he wanted to get anything out of life he would have to overcome those obstacles and enjoy it because that is what his life would be. This curse is actually a gift from God. It is talking in terms of work. If we are good in His sight and if we are trying to live as God wants us to live then we have those gifts from God from our work and it is a wonderful thing. This curse that was given to Adam can lead a man and a woman to merge their lives of hard work with the work of God putting the two together. Amidst this struggle we learn the lessons that lead to eternal life.
Responding to God's Pruning Is Not Passive (Part One)
Sermon by David F. MaasOur Heavenly Father, the Vine Dresser, has provided His junior partners some valuable tools to assist in pruning and cultivating His emerging spiritual crop.
Why Work?
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughJesus said that His Father has been working continually, setting an example for us to develop a passion for creating, along with tending and keeping.
The First Prophecy (Part Three)
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughFor his sin, Adam is promised great toil and suffering throughout his life, but just as in all things God does, a silver lining appears amidst the woe.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Nine)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Neither Satan nor his demons cause us to sin; we chose to sin, and we die as a result. We were created upright, but bring judgment on ourselves.
Eating: How Good It Is! (Part One)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe Bible frequently uses analogies from physical life to explain spiritual principles. There are over 700 references to eating in Scripture.
Resuming Ecclesiastes (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe disappointment in the vanity of life is good for our spiritual preparation, making us disillusioned with all the world's glamorous but false choices.
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.
His Own Vine and Fig Tree
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughProperty rights will be held sacrosanct during the Millennium. God brings His people back to their own land, and to restore it to be like the Garden of Eden.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Twelve)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The first use of the word 'grace' in Scripture is in context with the rescuing of Noah, a preacher of righteousness from the line of Seth.
Abel Glorified God!
Sermonette by Martin G. CollinsAbel offered his sacrifice in obedience to God's instructions. We must worship Him in a spirit of truth, bringing about a profound change in heart.
No Children, No Hope For the Future
Commentary by Martin G. CollinsMany of the leaders in Europe do not have children; they are emblematic of the curse of barrenness. Western civilization has chosen death rather than life.
Famine (Part Three): The Abundance of God's Salvation
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAfter Christ's return, famine will be the penalty for not keeping His Feast of Tabernacles. God will establish conditions in which famine will never occur again.
Faith, Hope, and the Worship of God (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUsing assumptions, some have concocted some nine conflicting calendars. The preservation of the oracles has not been entrusted to the church but to the Jews.