Israel, Selfies, and Idolatry
Sermonette by Mike FordThe religious hobbyist Micah practiced his own self-devised hybrid of religion, amalgamating some orthodox truth with abundant noxious, pagan admixtures.
The Fourth Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, not man, created, sanctified and memorialized the seventh day Sabbath from the time of creation, intending that man use this holy time to worship God.
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.
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.
Extremes of Idolatry: Graven Images and Sacred Names
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughSome stretch the second commandment to condemn the use of all paintings, photographs, and sculptures. Others claim only Hebrew names for God can be used.
The First Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry is the most frequently committed sin, seen in five commandments. God challenges us to either defend our body of beliefs or drop them in favor of His.
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 Third Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the the Third Commandment, God's name describes His character, attributes, and nature. If we bear God's name, we must reflect His image and His character.
Is the Symbol of the Cross Idolatry? (Part One)
CGG Weekly by Mike FordWill wearing a silver cross around the neck keep a person from harm? Will it stay the hand of Satan? Superstitions about the cross arose long before Christ.
Animal Idolatry
'Prophecy Watch' by Mike FordHave the animal rights groups gone too far? Mike Ford argues that their movement borders on—if not transgresses—the line between concern and idolatry.
What Will It Take?
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeYesterday the Supreme Court of the United States of America removed the ban on homosexual sex. ...
The Second Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsA Bible study on idolatry, concentrating on the subject of the second commandment: the way we worship.
A Picture Against a Thousand Words
CGG WeeklyA fundamental difference exists between images and language, and by understanding the difference, we can understand the second commandment's importance.
The First Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe first commandment reveals our first priority in every area of life: God. Anything we place ahead of Him becomes an idol!
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.
Who Is on the Lord's Side?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh explores the dynamics of choosing sides. The Feast of Trumpets is a Day of Decision, a time to determine whether we are on the Lord's side. This feast is a memorial of shouting or blowing the shofar, and trumpets were used in several ways in ancient Israel. The trumpet announced the arrival of a ruler, such as …
The Second Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany fail to perceive the difference between the first and second commandments. The second commandment defines the way we are to worship the true God.
The Commandments (Part 3)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry derives from worshiping the work of our hands or thoughts rather than the true God. Whatever consumes our thoughts and behavior has become our idol.
Why Worship God?
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany believe and attend church services without really answering this most fundamental of questions. Here are three reasons for worshiping almighty God.
The First Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIdolatry is probably the sin that the Bible most often warns us against. We worship the source of our values and standards, whether the true God or a counterfeit.
What Is an Abomination?
Bible Study by Martin G. Collins"Abomination" is a word that is quickly becoming archaic in modern usage because so few things are considered abominable anymore. Martin Collins provides both secular and religious meanings for the term, as well as a survey of biblical Hebrew and Greek words that convey a similar idea.
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.
The First Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe Ten Commandments open with the most important, the one that puts our relationship with God in its proper perspective. It is a simple but vital command.
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 2)
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.
The Commandments (Part 1)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWhat have we accepted as our authority for permitting ourselves to do or behave as we do — our value system, our code of ethics or code of morality?
Unity and Division: The Blessing and the Curse (Part Four)
'Ready Answer' by Charles WhitakerGod commanded the Israelites to utter blessings from Mount Gerazim and curses from Mount Ebal, most of which deal with hidden sins that give rise to hypocrisy.
Seeking God (Part One): Our Biggest Problem
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughAfter making the covenant with God, how does a person avoid backsliding? The answer lies in seeking God, which involves much more than commonly thought.
Keep Yourself From Idols
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAn idol is anything in our lives that occupies the space which should be occupied by God alone, anything having a controlling force in our lives.
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 …
Do You Have a Golden Calf?
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Mike FordAbijah 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.
Our Mission Possible
Sermonette by Bill OnisickBill Onisick suggests that if we inculcate the mission statement found in Deuteronomy 6:1-5 (known as the Shema), we will have a high certainty of life and a huge chance at success. If we get this one thing right (loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind) we will succeed at our objectives. Jesus Christ pointed out that the …
What Is Always True About the World?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsTo guard against the world, we must be careful not to fall into idolatry, based upon limiting God to tangible objects or those things which occupy our thoughts.
Humanism Dominates
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, lamenting that the course that America is taking has destroyed her virtue, claims that breaking the first commandment is the worst sin because its violation is the epitome of self-centeredness, putting the self before God, the most blatant form of idolatry. The secular humanists, infiltrating education, …
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.
Envy: The Most Precious Daughter
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeIt is easy to follow in Satan's footsteps, courting his daughter Envy, reaping the disquiet which accompanies her. Envy comes from pushing God from our thoughts.
Were the Ten Commandments in Force Before Moses?
Herbert W. Armstrong BookletIt is commonly believed that the Ten Commandments are part of the ritualistic law, and that they lasted only until Christ. But here is the rest of the story.
Asa
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, reiterating that the book of Chronicles, written around 420 BC, after Israel had returned from captivity, was not intended to be so much as a historical record as a sermon, drawing lessons from the historical record, showing what happens when the nation and its kings conform to God's covenants and what …
Holiness (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughTo appropriate the name of God means to represent His attributes, character and nature. Our behavior must imitate Christ just as Christ revealed God the Father.
Passover and I Corinthians 10
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike the Old Testament examples, the Corinthians had a careless presumption, allowing themselves to lust, fornicate, tempt God, and murmur.
