The Doctrine of Israel (Part Five): A Remnant of Judah
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughDespite her former relationship with God, absolutely no nation could ever out-sin Judah, even though God had given her multiple warnings to repent.
Lamentations (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the recent solar eclipse, reminds us that in the peoples of past cultures believed that solar and lunar eclipses were omens of impending tragedy, leading to rituals to combat their influence. Although the Bible uses the imagery of the eclipse to portend the confusion at the end of the age, …
Lamentations (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh warns that these laments contain little that is jovial or uplifting, but instead are saturated in despair, sorrow, mourning, and even recrimination against God on the part of a personified Jerusalem, whom God depicts as a grieving widow, blaming others for her troubles while overlooking her own sins as the …
Lamentations (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, creating a hypothetical scenario in which God sends the Russians- to devastate America and reduce it to a vassal state, suggests that such a catastrophe would resemble the conditions described by the Book of Lamentations. The Scriptures describe the Chaldeans as a bitter and hasty nation, ruthless and …
Lamentations (Part Four)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, while acknowledging that technology has given modern culture some marked advantages over ancient societies, laments that the fields of psychology (with its propensity to deny sin) and mental health have not kept up with advances in the "hard" sciences. Instead of resolving basic interior problems, modern …
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.
Psalms: Book Three (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, aligning Book Three of the Psalms with the hot summer months, the Book of Leviticus in the Torah, the Book of Lamentations in the Megilloth, and Summary Psalm 148, indicates that this portion of Scripture deals with the somber theme of judgment on a people who have rejected their God and have produced a …
Lamentations (Part 2; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh contends that while Scripture does allow for individuals to share their faults with one another for encouragement and brotherly advice, no man has the power to forgive sins or grant absolution, a prerogative retained by Christ and God the Father alone. Trusting human allies rather than God to also seems to be a …
Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Three)
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughThe lives of the Minor Prophets span the latter part of the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and extend into the post-Exilic period. As witnesses to the decline and fall of these two unrepentant nations, the prophets report the conditions and attitudes that led to their defeat, captivity, and exile. In Part Three, …
How to Survive Exile
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, addressing our current scattered state as a form of exile, asserts that exile has been a form of punishment God has used from the very beginning, with our original parents through the patriarchs, through the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, right up to the present time. God exiles to punish for sin, …
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe are mandated to live by faith, being given trials of faith in order to chisel our character. We must totally and unreservedly accept God's sovereignty.
Sky Like Iron, Earth Like Bronze
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughJust about half of the continental United States suffers under severe drought conditions. And lack of water is not the only thing we need to worry about. Richard Ritenbaugh warns that such "acts of God" should make us take note.
The Book of Joel (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, reflecting on the devastating locust plagues described in Joel, marvels that the prophet, instead of promising a silver lining on a very black cloud, affirmed that things were going to get intensely worse before they got better. Nevertheless, Joel, whose name means Yahve is God, in the middle of his prophecy, …
Manasseh
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh posits that the thesis of the books of Chronicles is that, if one follows the terms of God's Covenant, blessings will accrue, and that, if one does not, curses will ensue. God sternly warned ancient Israel never to make covenants with the people whom He had dispossessed, nor to have anything to do with their …
Habakkuk: A Prophet of Faith (Part Four)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, focusing upon the poetic prayer-song at the end of Habakkuk 3, concludes that this passage is one of the most inspiring parts of God's Word. The moving prayer-song, asking God to revive His work in the midst of years, and to temper judgment with mercy, provides a model of an effective prayer. Though the prophet …
His Eye is On the Sparrow (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, cuing in on three scriptures, Psalm 11:3-5, Luke 12:7, and Philippians 4:19, reflects on a frightening earthquake in 1971, in which he realized that he was in no way in control of the alarming situation, a relentless shaking that threatened to destroy the entire foundation. This earthquake has grounds of …
Why Are You Here?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, following a pattern, routinely calls the lowly and weak to guard against pride. God will transform the weak of this world through His Holy Spirit.
How You Can Glorify God!
Article by Martin G. CollinsThe Bible commands us to glorify God in all we do, but sometimes we are not sure just how we can do that as sinful human beings. Martin Collins shows that the key is righteous character.
