Worshipping the Temple (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeIsrael turned the Temple into an idol, making it more significant than God. Similarly, we may esteem the church more than the God it should glorify.
Worshipping the Temple (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeThe Jews put greater trust in the Temple of the Lord than the Lord of the Temple. They thought the Temple provided security, but God overthrew everything.
Lamentations (Part Two; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJerusalem recounts her sins as a nation, depending on her own strength or on her lovers (political alliances) rather than upon God.
Lamentations (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe book's five acrostic songs (chapters) answer the question, 'Why did this happen?' God brought the punishment on Judah because of gross and sustained sin.
Lamentations (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Lamentations show poignant before-and-after vignettes of formerly happy times contrasted with the horror of the present as God punishes Judah.
Lamentations (Part Five; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAmidst the devastation, the narrator has hope that God would rescue his humbled people. Though He punishes, God is still faithful and loyal to His people.
Lamentations (Part Four)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIn Lamentations 2, Lady Jerusalem sidesteps godly repentance, opting instead for self-centered recrimination against Almighty God.
Psalms: Book Three (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBook Three of the Psalms deals with the somber theme of judgment on a people who have rejected their God and have produced much rotten spiritual fruit.
Tisha b'Av
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaThe 9th of Av commemorates major historical tragedies. When it occurs on a Sabbath during a Shemitah (year of release), horrible things occur.
Lamentations (Part Three; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAs Lamentations opens, Jerusalem is personified as a widow who has had to endure the destruction of her family as well as the mocking scorn from the captors.
Lamentations (Part Four; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe prophets and the religious leaders bear the greatest blame for the destruction by providing a quasi-religion and not teaching the Law of God.
Will the Church of God Be Thrown Down? (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeI Peter 2:5 calls Christians 'living stones'; is it possible that the the spiritual Temple will at some point be left with 'not one stone . . . upon another'?
The Miraculous Survival of Israel
Commentary by Clyde FinkleaAmerica recently moved her embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which appears to have proven accurate the "ten jubilee" prophecy of Rabbi Judah ben Samuel.
How to Survive Exile
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod exiles to punish for sin, separating individuals and groups from Him in order to spur repentance. There is something to exile that God finds very good.
Lamentations (Part Eight)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we approach the coming self-examination prior to Passover, we can apply six significant lessons taught to ancient Israel through the book of Lamentations.
Will the Church of God Be Thrown Down? (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeThe church has Christ as the Chief Cornerstone. As long as there is a church, there will also be at least one living stone upon another.
Psalms: Book Three (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBook Three of the Psalms addresses the compulsion to fast and to mourn. Judah's faithlessness brought about the horrific destruction of Jerusalem on Av 9.
Stay in Jerusalem
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)Those who returned to Jerusalem did not completely fulfill their commission, failing to completely rebuild the walls and failing to totally rebuild the temple.
Lamentations (Part Seven; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughLamentations 3 and 4 show the stark contrast of a once proud people (secure in their wealth, technology, and cleverness) suffering bitter humiliation.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, as Creator, takes the initiative (as the potter over the clay) for the elect's salvation, enabling us to build the repertoire of habits called character.
Be Strong and Work
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David C. GrabbeWhile the returned Judean exiles prioritized their own houses over building the temple, we should understand that it is always time to work on God's house.
Fear and Faith (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by Mike FordThe spies returned on the 8th of Av, and as the 9th of Av began, the people murmured, beginning a long list of calamities to befall Israel on this date.
On This Side of Jordan
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)When the circumstance of sin ceases, what happens to the law? The concept of sin as a reality will be gone at a certain point in time.
The Torment of the Godly (Part One)
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerGod's prophets have a difficult job. They see the world through God's eyes, and they are tormented by the rising tide of sin and the coming destruction.