Harden Not Your Heart
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid, reflecting upon our deadly carnal human nature, warns us to be on guard against our deceitful evil hearts. God wishes to replace this deceitful heart with a new heart, totally composed of God's Holy Spirit. Our carnal human nature has been compared to a coiled spring, totally under control when we put our full weight …
The Heart's Self-Absorption
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughII Timothy 3:1-5 contains 19 characteristics of carnality. The common denominator is self-absorption and pride, placing the self above others.
The Beatitudes, Part 6: The Pure in Heart
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughPurity before God is far more than just being clean. John Ritenbaugh explains that to Jesus being pure in heart touches on the very holiness of God!
Are Humans Good or Evil?
'Ready Answer' by Richard T. RitenbaughPhilosophy debates whether human beings are by nature good or evil, but the Bible is consistent—and perhaps surprising—in its description of man's nature.
Evil Is Real (Part Four)
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughVanquish the sins at their point of origin—the human heart—and our deeds will be clean before God.
Original Sin and Holiness
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod gave Adam and Eve a neutral spirit and free moral agency; they chose the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, predisposing their offspring to sin.
Our Hidden Enemy
CGG Weekly by John O. Reid (1930-2016)One of our greatest enemies lurks within us, poised to bring disaster upon us if we allow it to take control. This devious enemy even hides its motives from itself.
Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Two)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughJust as a dead person does no works, so a faith that does not include works is also dead. A person in whom living, saving faith exists will produce works.
Patterns of Resistance (Part One)
CGG Weekly by Joseph B. BaityIt is natural, as age increases, for a person to feel the end creeping up on him or her, and we begin asking how, when, where, and what is to be our end.
Job, Self-Righteousness, and Humility
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe story of Job reveals a man whom God forced to see himself as he really was, and his true self-image paved the way to a leap forward in spiritual growth.
Overcoming Hypocrisy
Sermonette by Bill OnisickBill Onisick, warning us that we are continually in danger of being deceived by our hearts and carnal nature, a nature which distracts us from following God, though we go through the motions, cautions us to not practice hypocrisy before Almighty God. Most have deluded themselves into thinking their ways are pure and acceptable …
God Works in Marvelous Ways (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod's mysteries have been in plain sight from the beginning of time, but carnality has obscured them from mankind.
Communication and Coming Out of Babylon (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh suggests that we are highly susceptible to negative attitudes from satanic spirit sources. As God and angels are spirit forces, so Satan and his demons are both invisible and immaterial. Words are the medium through which spiritual concepts become lodged in our cerebral cortex. Percepts become concepts through …
The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Seven): The Sin and Trespass Offerings
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughSin and human nature affect everyone in society—from king to commoner—but God has covered sin from every angle in the sacrifice of His Son, fulfilling Leviticus 4-5.
Take the Red Pill
Sermonette by Bill OnisickIf we were to consciously monitor our thoughts, we would be appalled about the percentage of our day that we are exclusively wrapped up in ourselves.
Wilderness Wanderings (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIsrael's trek was not only a physical journey, but a mental wandering caused by rejecting God's leadership. The potential to sin is a test of resolve.
Sin (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThough relatively neutral at its inception, human nature is subject to a deadly magnetic pull toward self-centeredness, deceit, and sin.
Living By Faith and Human Pride
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod wants us to walk—live our lives—by faith, but our pride and vanity frequently get in the way. Critically, pride causes us to reject God and His Word.
From Pride to Humility
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)Two tests to reveal the presence of pride are the way we treat others (especially our own family) and the way we receive instruction or correction.
Values and Conversion
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur natural carnal human nature (our heart, Jeremiah 17:9) is committed to values that are destroying us spiritually. These are values derived from family, religious, and cultural traditions—old wine that cannot go into new wineskins. Conversion involves incorporating new and godly values and tastes, which clash violently …
Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe half-time show of the recent Superbowl exemplifies the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the pride of life. Each choice we make changes our brains.
