Israel, Selfies, and Idolatry
Sermonette by Mike Ford (1955-2021)The religious hobbyist Micah practiced his own self-devised hybrid of religion, amalgamating some orthodox truth with abundant noxious, pagan admixtures.
Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen
Article by Charles WhitakerAfter 200 years of rejecting Davidic rule, Israel fell to Assyria, and its people were carried to Media. Judah lasted about 150 years longer.
Deuteronomy and Idolatry
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe are admonished to internalize the book of Deuteronomy in preparation for our future leadership roles.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Four): God's Indictment
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though Jacob's offspring have had a special relationship with God, their carnal nature led them to test God's patience, growing more corrupt than even Sodom.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part One): Origins
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBecause Abraham trusted God, his descendants have received unprecedented blessings. If the Israelites would have kept God's law, they would have served as a model.
Deception, Idolatry and the Feast of Tabernacles
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJeroboam, pragmatic and fearful, established a more convenient idolatrous festival to prevent his people from keeping the real Feast of Tabernacles in Judah.
The Second Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe natural mind craves something physical to remind us of God, but the Second Commandment prohibits this. Any representation will fall short of the reality.
The Beast and Babylon (Part Eight): God, Israel, and the Bible
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThough she transgressed every commandment in multiple ways, the sin through which Israel's unfaithfulness is most frequently demonstrated is gross idolatry.
Hosea, Gomer, God, and Israel
Sermon by Kim MyersTo dramatize the perennial harlotry of Israel and the incredible love God exhibits toward His people, He commands Hosea to marry a harlot, Gomer.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Three): A Cycle of Rebellion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIsrael consistently cycles through God's deliverance, apostasy through idolatry and immorality, God's chastening, national repentance, then deliverance again.
Do You Have a Golden Calf?
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mike Ford (1955-2021)Abijah had three good years but was suddenly cut off because he didn't remove the idols. One act of faith is only something to build on, not a cause to rest.
The High Places (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeKing Jehoash (or Joash) of Judah, though he overcame much and did many good things, did not quite have the fortitude to rid the kingdom of its high places.
The High Places (Part Four)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeUzziah was the third successive king of Judah who failed to remove the high places from the land. His downfall lay in not handling worldly greatness.
What Will It Take?
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeWhat would have to happen for us to wake up and, instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, actually turn back to God with the entirety of our being?
Passover (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe temple Passover commanded by Hezekiah was a very unusual circumstance in which the king centralized worship to keep Baalism from defiling the Passover.
The Torment Of The Godly
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles WhitakerBoth Lot and Ezekiel were tormented by the abominations, sins, and defilement taking place within their culture, polluted with idolatry and paganism.
The Second Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMost people consider the second commandment to deal with making or falling down before a pagan idol, but it covers all aspects of the way we worship.
Passover (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughMajor reinterpretations have significantly distorted the meaning of Passover and Unleavened Bread, blurring the distinction between the two events.
Asa
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAsa left a few things undone, losing steam in his later years and playing it safe. Idolatry was so ingrained in the land that Asa grew weary in well-doing.
The High Places (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeGod points out four kings of Judah who did not remove the high places. Many kings neither built nor destroyed high places, yet God points out four who failed.
Remember When
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamRonny Graham, reflecting upon mankind's propensity to selectively filter events, forgetting the bad and remembering the good when assessing "the good old days," asserts that our civilization has undergone a terrifying free-fall of morality and ethics for multiple decades. Some feel the good old days are a myth, while others …
The Fourth Commandment (Part One) (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMost people think the fourth commandment is least important, but it may be one of the most important! It is a major facet of our relationship with God.
The Fourth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughAt creation, God sanctified only one day, the seventh, as a day of rest. At Sinai, He again sanctified it as a holy day, tying it to creation and freedom.
Be There Next Year
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMembers of God's church usually come home from the Feast of Tabernacles with renewed strength. Yet, some fall away each year. Here's how to stay the course.
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsModern Israel has a form of religion, but it is empty and unsatisfying because it refuses to obey God and substitutes the traditions of man in its place.
Sabbathkeeping (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughHow and why a person keeps the Sabbath determines whether this test commandment is really a sign between God and His people or an act of futility.
The Sin of Self-Deception
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn our relationship with God, we must emphasize principle over pragmatism. If we are led into deception, it is because our carnal nature wanted it that way.
Manasseh
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though Manasseh was absolutely the worst king ever to lead Judah, Manasseh finally got the message that God only is God, and sincerely repented.
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe must become leaders in our own families, protecting them from the curses that are already falling on our nation. We have the obligation to fear God.
A Different Kind of Savior
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Jews were looking for a military leader like Jehu, a hasty, callous, impetuous man with a temper, bent totally on eradicating the legacy of Jezebel.
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsHosea is an account of Israel's unfaithfulness to the covenant with God, and the redemptive work of God to rescue His unfaithful spouse from slavery.
Not Just a Better America
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, after pointing to some recent miraculous interventions of God on behalf of America, warns people not to conclude that God tacitly approves or condones the American way of doing things. God does not endorse the American system any more than any other system not based on God's Laws. The Millennium will not …
The Nature of God: Elohim
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUnderstanding Elohim teaches us about the nature of God and where our lives are headed. Elohim refers to a plural family unit in the process of expanding.
The Commandments (Part Two)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry constitutes the fountainhead from which all other sins flow, all of which amplify obsessive self-centeredness and self-indulgence.