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Abraham's One God

Article by Mike Ford

The first commandment sets the stage for understanding Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. God wanted to know: Would Abraham put Him first and have no other god?


Abraham (Part Four)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham is the only biblical character singled out as a type of God the Father. He is also the only one to be called 'friend of God,' and is a good model.


Abraham's Sacrifice (Part One): Faith Perfected

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Scriptures place a paramount importance on sacrifice. Abraham's 'sacrifice' of Isaac confirmed him to the position of father of the faithful.


Abraham's Sacrifice (Part Three): Hope Demonstrated

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Abraham's resolute intent to sacrifice Isaac displayed his unreserved devotion to God's purpose for him. We must display the same kind of tenacity.


Abraham (Part Twelve)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Based on his long friendship with God, Abraham could systematically calculate the reliability of God's promises even in the lack of visual evidence.


Abraham (Part Five)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

We learn from Abraham's experience to trust God even when we have incomplete information. When we attempt to take the expedient way out, we will run into trouble.


Abraham's Sacrifice (Part Two): Love Exemplified

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The love of Abraham for Isaac serves as an emblem for the love of the Father for His Son and for all the children of Adam and Eve.


Abraham (Part Eight)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

If we surrender to God, allowing Him to shape character in us, He will enable us to live in hope, giving us direct access to Him, giving us a more abundant life.


Abraham (Part Nine)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

God helps us to overcome our problems in an unraveling process, sometimes taking us back through the consequences of the bad habits we have accumulated.


Abraham (Part Eleven)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

If we hold fast to principles, though it may seem initially uncomfortable and fearful, we will eventually receive respect and even admiration.


Abraham (Part Two)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham was a wealthy and influential man who instructed the Chaldean priesthood on the reality of God, showing the foolishness of worshipping the creation.


Abraham (Part One)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham came from a civilization in Mesopotamia that was highly advanced in science, including calculus and chemistry, and having indoor running water.


Abraham (Part Six)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham was willing to lay down his life to rescue his nephew Lot. His sacrifice shows us what kind of effort and sacrifice is needed to wage spiritual war.


Abraham (Part Three)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham did not come from a primitive, but a highly advanced civilization, having huge multi-storied dwellings with running water and indoor bathrooms.


Abraham (Part Ten)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lot equivocated with God's instructions, looking for escape clauses, showing him to be self-centered and worldly wise, compromised by the values of the world.


Abraham (Part Seven)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham's experiences teach us not to try to force God's will. When any sin or self-will is involved, the fruits of such an endeavor will be bitter.


Was Abraham a Jew?

Bible Questions & Answers

The word 'Jew' is first used in the Bible to identify the "men of Judah" in II Kings 16:6 (King James Version), a thousand years after the time of Abraham.


How Expensive Is Your Religion? (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by Mike Ford

Christianity is not for the faint of heart. Jesus urges us to count the cost of discipleship. Many of the patriarchs had to make hard choices, as do we.


Leadership and Covenants (Part Seventeen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

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.


The Handwriting Is On the Wall (Part One) (2007)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The scattering of the church was God-ordained, providing a test for godliness. The isolating demonstrated by some groups is an abomination and an affront.


The Christian Fight (Part Six)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Far more than on any other hero of faith, Hebrews concentrates on Abraham as the father of the faithful, the Bible's premier example of walking with God.


Martha, Martha

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mark Schindler

Martha used her gifts, but to an excessive extreme. Jesus had to reel her in, setting her on a more productive course. We must use our gifts responsibly.


Leadership and Covenants (Part Eighteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God based the promises He gave to His friend Abraham on the patriarch's proclivity to believe Him even when he had only partial (and disturbing) information.


Tithing: First Tithe

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Many churches understand tithing but do not believe that God commands them for today. However, tithing has always been God's way of financing His work on earth.


Hebrews (Part Thirteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham, the father of the faithful, did not have a blind faith; it was based upon observation of God's proven track record of faithfulness.


The Providence of God (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

A spiritual Israelite undergoes a metamorphosis in which his own self-centered will is broken so that God's creative work can be completed within him.


The Christian Fight (Part Seven)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The virtue of love gets the most attention, yet the life of Abraham illustrates how foundational faith—belief and trust in God—is to love and salvation.


Searching for Israel (Part One): The Promises to the Faithful

Article by Charles Whitaker

Where is Israel today? God's ironclad promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob give ample clues for identifying Israel—and the answer is surprising.


Isaac

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

The name Isaac—'laughter'—suggests his optimistic disposition, someone not afflicted by fear and doubt. Isaac serves as a type of Christ, honoring his father.


The Overlooked Work (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Not all waiting is actually waiting on God. We might convince ourselves that we are waiting on God, when He is really waiting for us to move forward.


Faith (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Far from being blind, faith is based on analyzing, comparing, adding up from evidence in God's Word, our own experience, and our calling by God's Holy Spirit.


Leadership and Covenants (Part Nineteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The seven 'I will' promises Got made to Abraham were truly foundational promises, impacting the lives of multiple billions of people up to the present day.


Psalms: Book One (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Hebrew word used to mark appointed times connotes a pilgrimage. The Hebrew year contained five steps or seasons, corresponding to God's holy times.


How Expensive is Your Religion?

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mike Ford

we must soberly count the cost before we embark on our spiritual trek. Are we willing to give up our job, our family, or even our life to follow God's plan?


Building Relationships

Sermonette by Ryan McClure

The Scriptures provide many examples of how difficult relationships were dealt with by humility, deference, longsuffering, and prayer.


The Providence of God (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus and Abraham rose above their emotional pulls by exercising living faith—a faith built on acts of obedience. Faith can never be separated from works.


Deceived by His Eyes

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abram learned that God gives material prosperity to those who are not seeking it. Those who seek riches are destined to fall into a snare.


His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

From the beginning, God has set apart certain individuals, putting them through a sanctifying process, perfecting their character until they reflect His image.


God of Our Salvation

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Great White Throne Judgment is a general resurrection to mortal life, allowing the majority of those who have ever lived an opportunity for salvation.


Why Israel? (Part One)

'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Israel plays a prominent part in Scripture. Here is God's stated purposes for choosing and using the children of Israel throughout His Word—and beyond.


Willingness to Believe

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Americans (like most of the Western world) tend to be skeptical, cynical, and jaded, demanding mountains of evidence before becoming convinced of anything.


Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Faith permitted Enoch, Noah, and Abraham to receive God's personal calling. Like our patriarchs, we were called while we lived in the wicked world.


Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's calling is personal and individual rather than general, opening otherwise closed minds, replacing spiritual blindness with spiritual understanding.


God Has Faith in You

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid

It can be encouraging to us that our patriarchs and the prophets had serious doubts, but God overrode all their fears in accomplishing His purpose.


Hebrews as a Sermon (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God designed the sermon of Hebrews to motivate God's people, who are going through the same turmoil as those living in 65 AD, facing persecution from society.


The Doctrine of Israel (Part Twelve): Joseph

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God frequently bypasses the firstborn, selecting for His purposes another sibling. Jacob selected Joseph's second son, Ephraim, to receive the blessing.


Passover of the Most High God

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Among God's many titles is one that proclaims His supremacy over all others: 'God Most High.' It provides confidence in God's governance of our lives.


Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The best use of imagination would be to assimilate events, principles, lessons, and doctrine from scripture, transforming us into the image of God.


Hebrews (Part Seven)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

With godly hope, we need to envision the successful accomplishment of God's purpose for us, realizing that God has bound that promise with an oath.


Leadership and Covenants (Part Sixteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Abrahamic Covenant was made with one man, but it impacts all of mankind to the New Heaven and New Earth and beyond, involving billions of people.


Witness and Warning to the Powerful

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God coordinates events to place one of His servants in a position of high visibility and sometimes great power at the center of world events to sound a warning.


Passover and Hope

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Passover is a beacon of hope in an otherwise hopeless milieu. Jesus provided hope at His last Passover, exuding confidence despite what lay ahead.


Prove Yourself A Man!

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Masculine leadership is demonstrated by men who embrace God's commandments, love and protect their wives, and instill a love of God's truth in their children.


The Handwriting Is On the Wall (Part Two) (2007)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The sheep do not belong to any man or group, but to Christ. It is Christ's responsibility to get the sheep into the Kingdom, not the ministry's.