People often fail to keep God in their thoughts accurately after making a covenant with Him. They substitute their own ideas for His revelations, forming unworthy conceptions that constitute idolatry and produce moral decline. God charges them to seek Him diligently by learning His attributes and character, as Abraham did through knowledge rather than guesses. Without this right conception, they lack awe for His majesty and cannot know, love, or live as He does. Eternal life requires knowing God intimately. God may prompt actions, as with David, to reveal hidden sins like self-reliance and absence of God in thoughts, opening the way for mercy and restoration.

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Focusing on God's Thoughts

Sermonette by

We have the responsibility to hear God's still, small voice and to act upon His thoughts, thereby shunning the deceitful input constantly coming from Satan.

Does God Cause Pandemics?

'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe

The Israelitish nations of the West are fulfilling what the psalmist observes in Psalm 10:4: The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. Even where the Bible is still generally accepted, it is fast becoming just another viewpoint among the cacophony of voices. Nominal Christianity's approach to it has undercut and weakened its potency in many minds, in part through painting a distorted image of God. For some, God exists but is largely uninvolved in what happens with nations and individuals. Most viewed the pandemic as a tool of satan which conveniently meant they could see the pandemic as an undeserved attack rather than a divine consequence of unrepented sin. This nation rejects the thought of God creating calamity.

God's Glory in a Volcano

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Most scientists' comments about volcanoes serve to prove their indoctrination into evolutionary theory as they refuse to consider God's creative power.

God, the Church's Greatest Problem

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

People often fail to keep God in their thoughts in a true and accurate way. They imagine conceptions of God that are unworthy of Him and act as though those conceptions are real. This practice forms the essence of idolatry. Wrong thoughts about God begin when people stop seeking Him after making a covenant with Him. They allow their imaginations to run wild and substitute their own ideas for what He has revealed. Such misconceptions lead them to live in ways that displease Him and produce moral and spiritual decline. God charges those in covenant with Him to seek Him so that they may live. Seeking involves learning His attributes, character, and the way He lives life. Abraham provides an example of one who added up what he knew about God and acted on that knowledge rather than on guesses or emotions alone. In contrast, most people today hold vague or false ideas drawn from many sources other than His Word. These ideas leave them without awe or respect for His majesty. A right conception of God serves as the necessary foundation for right conduct. Without it, people cannot truly know Him, love Him, or live as He lives. Eternal life consists in knowing God in this intimate way. Therefore those He has sought out must continue seeking Him with diligence throughout their lives.

God and Reality

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

What God puts us through is designed to reveal reality to us. Accepting His doctrine without looking for loopholes will keep us true.

Do You See God in Deuteronomy?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God displaced the Amorites because they had defiled the land; not one righteous person existed. Israel was warned not to defile themselves with demonism.

God's Simple Commands

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God puts His commands in such clear terminology that no one can retort with 'yes, but....' We continue to sin because we do not really believe what He says.

A God of Many Dimensions

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God has 'soft' virtues, which most churches proclaim loudly and often, and 'hard' ones, which get little attention. God has having a range of character traits.

God, Satan, and David's Numbering of Israel

'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe

God's sovereignty extends over all things, even over beings who have corrupted themselves. As seen in the life of David, when God moved him to number Israel, He did not cause him to sin, but rather revealed the sin already present in David's heart—self-reliance and the absence of God in his thoughts. David's focus on military might and personal circumstances, rather than trusting in God, demonstrated a deeper issue of selfish ambition and presumption. These sins existed in his heart before the census, and God's action in prompting the numbering simply brought this hidden sin into the open for healing to begin. David's failure to consider God and His instructions, evident in both the improper census and his handling of the Gibeonites, showed that God was not in his thoughts, leading to grave consequences. Despite this, God, in His mercy, opened the way for David to see his error, allowing restoration to start.

God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has providentially given us trials to build character, proving beyond a doubt that we believe Him and have a burning desire to be at one with Him.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The purpose of prayer is not to overcome God's reluctance, but to help in yielding to His will. 'Prayer changes things' is only true if it conforms to God's will.

God's Epistle

Sermon by John O. Reid

We as Christians have the obligation or responsibility to provide a light or shining example in a darkened world that generally hates God's way.

God, Satan, and David's Numbering of Israel

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

An apparent contradiction exists between I Chronicles 21:1 stating that Satan moved David to take the census while I Samuel 21:1 says that God did.

God Is Aware

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Unlike human beings, who are very limited in their awareness, God knows all of our secret desires and urges, which are continually open to Him for inspection.

The Faithfulness of God (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God has a very real concern for us, promising to never leave us. We have to strongly believe in His faithfulness to build a relationship with Him.

Moses, Servant of God

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Moses sacrificed great worldly honor to become a servant of God, demonstrating real servant leadership. God praises Moses for his faithfulness and meekness.

As in the Days of Noah

Sermonette by Ted E. Bowling

The 2014 movie 'Noah' is blatantly Satan-inspired and anti-God. It assassinates the character of a just man who walked with God, doing violence to God's Word.

The Commandments (Part Two)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Idolatry constitutes the fountainhead from which all other sins flow, all of which amplify obsessive self-centeredness and self-indulgence.

If the Lord Wills

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Do we prefer to take matters into our own hands, make our own plans, and look to God for a blessing only after we have decided what needs to be done?

The Second Commandment: Idolatry

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The 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 Commandments (Part One)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

What 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?

Spiritual Blindness: Choosing a Curse

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

God proclaims a cause-effect relationship between sin and madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. Sin causes blindness, and blindness begets more sin.

Is Education the Answer? (Part 4)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Because the secular progressives control the media, entertainment, and education, Americans have no inkling about how sin destroys the quality of life.

The Commandments (Part Three)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Idolatry 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.

Beware the Second Flood (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The immediate danger lies not as much in the specific teachings of the flood from the serpent but in their sheer volume. The peril lies in being swept away.

Lot's Day and Our Day

Sermonette by

The West is obsessed with materialism and guaranteed security, as many institutions protect—even encourage—mediocrity, incompetency, and malfeasance.

Avoiding the Ruts of Our Carnal Mind

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Bill Onisick

If we could see the traffic of our perpetually wandering minds, we would be embarrassed as to how often it strays from God's thoughts and His laws.

Finishing Your Gun Lap

Sermon by John O. Reid

The most dangerous lap we encounter is when everyone around us tends to be compromising. Today, what was once aberrant behavior is now considered normal.