Riverbluff Church Sermons

ADVENT is simultaneously a journey into the past and into the future of our Christian Hope. Through it we celebrate a truth about GOD, “For GOD was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself…” (2 Corinthians 5:19) The word ADVENT means “coming” or “arrival” and central to our faith is the “double-Advent” of Jesus. His First Advent occurred in a stable in Bethlehem and His Second Advent could occur at any time. This double focus on past and future prepares us to celebrate the birth of Jesus, while filling our hearts with eager anticipation of the return of Christ as King, coming back to rule and reign over His creation forever. At Riverbluff, we lead our church family and encourage individual households to participate fully in the month-long celebration of Advent. We do this as a means of appropriating all the Grace GOD has ready for us to receive. It rekindles our desire to see our Lord’s return while simultaneously keeping us focused on the true meaning of Christmas throughout the “mad holiday rush”! In t

A Day to Give Him Thanks November 22, 2020 We are filled with gratitude for all that GOD has done on our 40 DAYS OF PRAYER Journey! I’ve had many conversations with so many in our River-family who have given testimony that ABBA-FATHER has truly begun a good work in their lives and that they are communing with HIM in prayer in new and fresh ways. Even in this “unprecedented” year of 2020 we have so much for which we can be thankful! In this services, Pastor Joe Still will lead us to take time to express our thanks to GOD for the great things HE has done and is doing in our lives and in Riverbluff Church. We will give thanks to HIM for HIS Saving Grace as we witness baptism. We will give HIM thanks for raising up spiritual leaders among us as we ordain four new deacons. Through sharing in the Lord’s Supper, we will personally thank JESUS for HIS great sacrifice, which has made possible our friendship with GOD!

40 Days of Prayer - Part 6: HOW CAN I ASK GOD FOR HEALING? November 8, 2020 Throughout our 40 DAYS OF PRAYER journey, we’ve seen GOD tell us in HIS Word that HE greatly desires that we make our requests known to HIM, asking HIM for what we need.  We’ve also seen in many passages GOD promising to hear our prayers and that HE will answer our prayers.  We see this promise to answer, in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you…” GOD promises to answer our prayers, but sometimes HIS answer is “NO”! There are many examples in the Bible where GOD says “no” to men and women who were strong in their faith.  GOD said no to some prayers Abraham prayed.  GOD said no to Moses, no to Daniel, no to Elijah, no to Peter, no to Paul.  GOD even said no to Jesus. In this message, Pastor Joe Still explains what do we do when GOD tells us “NO”?  How do we move ahead in relationship and intimacy with HIM?  We’ll be looking to GOD’s Word to answer these important life questions!

40 Days of Prayer - Part 6: HOW CAN I ASK GOD FOR HEALING? November 8, 2020 In Exodus 15:26 GOD’S people are instructed to “listen carefully to the LORD your GOD…because I am the LORD, who heals you.” Our GOD is a GOD who heals. This is who HE is and it is what HE desires to do in the lives of HIS people. Our great frustration in knowing HIM personally as HEALER is rooted in the false belief that we can approach HIM for healing on our own terms. GOD gives promise of healing but it is established in HIS premise. With every promise of GOD there is a premise from GOD and that is true for healing. Join us as Pastor Joe Still continues our 40 DAYS OF PRAYER Journey. This week we will look at GOD’s directed pathway to come to HIM and ask for Healing!

40 Days of Prayer - Part 5: PRAYING MISSIONALLY November 1, 2020 As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, one of the things he told them was to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”. The overall story of the Bible shows that from before creation God has always had a plan to put the world right and receive the glory that He so wonderfully deserves by re-establishing His kingdom through His One-and-only Son, Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture we also see that God has always been creating a people to whom He would reveal His glory and through whom he would reveal His glory to the world in the carrying out of His kingdom mission. One essential aspect of participating in God’s kingdom mission is prayer, which is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray that God’s kingdom would be experienced here on earth as it is in heaven. In this sermon Pastor Dave Hardin  shares from the beginning of the book of Acts where we can see the that Jesus tells His disciples that they will be empow

40 Days of Prayer - Part 4: FINDING A GREAT RHYTHM FOR PRAYER October 25, 2020 So much of life is lived in rhythm. Sunrise has a rhythm. Our moon has a rhythm. Tides have a rhythm. Ocean waves have a rhythm. Music has rhythm. Walking has rhythm. And even our heartbeat has a unique rhythm. When most things in life are working well, they are in rhythm. The same can be said about prayer. A prayer life when it’s working well will have a sweet rhythm about it! In this message Pastor Joe Still continues our 40 DAYS OF PRAYER Journey, we’ll take some time to consider a great rhythm for prayer using the “Disciple’s Prayer” that Jesus gave us.

40 Days of Prayer - Part 3: HOW TO TALK TO A GREAT-MULTIFACETED GOD October 18, 2020 I remember hearing somewhere that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”.  Wasn’t that a line in a song?  If so, I’m sure it predates me.  (Yes, I could google it to find the details, but my focus is more about diamonds than the song.) All the world over, diamonds are thought of as a rare and beautiful commodity. In most cultures, they are highly valued.  Their value is contingent upon many factors.  One of the factors is the “cut” of the diamond.  Often the more “multifaceted” the cut, the greater the value.  The multifaceted cut allows greater refraction and reflection of light, which many think adds something to the beauty of a diamond. Our GOD is beautiful for many reasons!  I believe part of what makes HIM so beautiful to us are HIS Multifaceted nature and characteristics.   I’ve found that my delight in GOD has grown as I’ve learned how to commune with our Great-Multifaceted GOD in prayer! As we continue our 40 DAYS O

40 Days of Prayer - Part 2: Knowing the God You're Talking To October 11, 2020 I am told that when “The Wizard of Oz” hit the big screen in 1939 it was thought to be a visual masterpiece. Not only were the visuals great, it also had many memorable lines in it, such as “We’re not in Kansas anymore”! I think we can all relate to that right now.  Another great line from the movie is “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” It comes from the lips of The Great and Powerful OZ, who deeply desires to be unseen and remain unknown, but gets outed by Toto who pulls back the curtain.     In Matthew 6:6, Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Unlike the character in the movie, our GOD wants to be known. Though HE is currently “unseen”, GOD, our FATHER, greatly desires for us to know HIM in prayer. The Big Question for this Sunday is, do I really know who I’m talking to when I

40 DAYS OF PRAYER KICK-OFF! October 4, 2020 Everyone I know loves getting gifts from time to time. Things like new clothes, new tools, or new electronics. What most of us don’t like is the “USER MANUAL” you often must read before you can quickly enjoy your new prize. Manufacturers discovered our frustration, and fearing that we might be harmed by our new possession, resulting in legal action against them, they created QUICK START GUIDES. These are truly a blessing to owners of a new gadget! In this message, we begin our 40 DAYS OF PRAYER Journey, I want to give you a QUICK START GUIDE to the wonderful gift GOD has given us in Prayer! -Pastor Joe Still

UNITY: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? - September 20, 2020 Contained within the word “UNITY” is the word “IT”. Not only is IT within the spelling of UNITY, IT is also essential to successfully live in IT! According to the Apostle John, IT is the “secret sauce” of UNITY. In this message, Pastor Joe Still shares the recipe of that secret sauce. To quote the Psalmist, “Come taste and see…”! Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

September 27, 2020 Proven Paths for Growing in Prayer Would you like to grow more confident that GOD hears you when you pray? Would you like to grow in your capacity to see GOD answer your prayers? Would you like to grow in your ability to hear GOD giving you guidance in decision making? Would you like to grow a real, live, conversational relationship with GOD? Would you like to grow in your ability to ask GOD for healing for yourself and others? Would you like to grow in your ability to quickly release anxiety and live with Peace of mind? Would you like to grow in feeling forgiven, ditching the guilt and shame you feel? Do you really, earnestly, desire any or all of these? If you answered YES to that last question, I hope you’ll join us as we look at Proven Paths for Growing in Prayer. Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

September 13, 2020 How to Love God with Your Mind in a World That's Gone Mad n 1963, Hollywood released a movie entitled “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World”. It was a comedy about the pursuit of stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers. In our day that could be the title for the year 2020. It truly seems as if our world has gone mad. How does the Word of GOD direct disciples of Jesus to set our minds while living in a world that feels like it is crumbling around us? Watch now as Pastor Joe Still helps us look to the LORD for answers. Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

Life Beyond Belief - September 6, 2020 In this teaching by Pastor Joe Still, we will study an interesting passage from 2 Kings 13 Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

August 30, 2020 Sheltering... Where? Part 5: How to Shelter in God's Revelation In this message Pastor Joe Still closes out our journey of learning from Job how to SHELTER IN THE LORD. Like you, I pray we never again face a “Shelter in Place” order; but if we do, I pray we’ve all grown in the knowledge that GOD our FATHER is the only sure and certain shelter in whom we can place our trust. This week we watch as GOD Himself speaks directly to JOB. GOD answers Job’s questions and accusations with a flurry of questions of His own. GOD’s questions reveal some things about HIMSELF that transform Job forever. This revelation gives Job a renewed and even deeper trust in the LORD, while radically altering how Job views his circumstances. Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

Sheltering... Where? Part 4: Finding the Perfect Shelter August 23, 2020 In the fourth message in the series, "Sheltering... Where?" Pastor Joe Still continue our journey with Job and we see where he found the Perfect Shelter for all times! We'll be reading from Job 19. Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

In this message, we continue our journey with Job, learning how to Shelter in the LORD. Jesus told His followers "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows..." John 16:33 (NLT2). In this season of global pandemic and national unrest we are all experiencing the truth of our LORD's prophetic Words. These earthly "trials and sorrows" are at times so overwhelming that it feels like we've been knocked down by them. This week we'll examine how Job "gets up" after being knocked down by a string of overwhelming tragedies that left him down but not out! We'll learn from Job how Sheltering in GOD enables us to"get up again and keep going" when "we get knocked down". Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

SHELTER...WHERE? Part 1: HOW TO FIND A STRONG SHELTER JOB 1-42 August 2, 2020 As we move through what feels like "storm" after storm, I want to lead us to examine the life of a man of faith, who endured multiple, simultaneous "storms". This man's name was Job. Though he endured waves of calamity I pray none of us will ever know, we can learn from Job how to find a true and certain Shelter from the storms of life we will encounter. We'll walk with Job as he asked some of life's most difficult questions in his struggle to find Shelter. Questions like "Why do those fully devoted to GOD often suffer so much?", "Where is GOD when we suffer?", and many more. I pray you'll join me every Sunday in August as we learn from Job where we can find a Shelter to whether any storm. If you have friends and family far from God yet close to you, this would be a great journey to invite them to take with you. We'll display the beautiful Gospel of Jesus each week. -Pastor Joe Still Music courtrsy of Hooksounds.com

July 26, 2020 UNDIVIDED, Part 3: WALK HUMBLY This message concludes our 3-week City-Wide teaching series, UNDIVIDED. My prayer is that this series will have been used by the LORD as "baby-step #1" that launches us as God's people to reject any racism, prejudice, or bias that still has a foothold anywhere in our hearts. Also that we would begin a vibrant journey of proactively joining GOD to "DO JUSTICE" through a fresh and heightened "LOVE of MERCY". None of that will happen, and I fear our land will continue to suffer much trauma, unless we as the people of GOD begin to once again "WALK HUMBLY" with our Good and Beautiful GOD. -Pastor Joe Still Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com

JULY 19, 2020 UNDIVIDED, Part 2: LOVE MERCY In the second part of our city-wide series, UNDIVIDED, Pastor Joe Still focuses on the message from Micah 6:8 to LOVE MERCY. Music courtesy of Hooksounds.com