Riverbluff Church Sermons

Proverbs 31:28 tells us something incredible about Godly Mothers. It says, “Her children stand and bless her.” The verses just before, tell us why that would happen: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.” (Proverbs 31:25-27) This is not just some “honorable mention” thrown into the bible. These words declare the importance that GOD places on the role of a mother. The ways they influence our lives will never be overstated! Mother’s Day is a time to honor our moms as well as those “spiritual moms” GOD placed along the way in our lives. We will take time this service to do just that! I’m also grateful to the LORD for arranging our teaching series on the book of James, to bring us to the last two verses in that great book on Mother’s Day. In my 40+ years in vocational ministry, I don’t know of a m

In our verse-by-verse journey through the Epistle of James, I am so grateful that the LORD arranged for us to study this passage on the Sunday following the National Day of Prayer. This gratitude exists, because any deeply thoughtful praying, over the serious problems that plague our nation, can sometimes leave one feeling confused, depleted, and maybe even a bit discouraged about the effectiveness of prayer. For “spiritual seekers” that join us on Sundays, or even those new in our faith, our times of praise and prayer can often feel a little weird. For all of us, our early attempts at “praying” left us wondering if we “did it correctly” and wondering if anything would actually come from what we just did. Maybe that still describes your attempts at praying! For others, what they see as “unanswered prayer” has driven them to give up on praying altogether! So how does James, who we have seen give very down-to-earth, practical answers to many difficult issues we face, answer these struggles about prayer? In

“How do we navigate the Hard times in our life” Jesus said in John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We are warned that we will have trouble in this world.  As we continue in the book of James, we note that the Bible does not shy away from hard topics.  James recognizes that we will all face hardship in one form or another.  He then offers practical advice for how to walk through difficult times and persevere.  In this message Pastor Dean Infinger leads us to discover James' advice for successful living.

Since the beginning of 2024, we have been digging deep into our study of the book in the Bible written by JESUS’ little brother James. James can pack a “literary punch to the gut” at times. He uses very practical, but very challenging words to call us to a FAULTless FAITH! (Which is the name of our series.) In this message, Pastor Joe Still looks at what many Bible commentators say is James’ hardest hitting group of verses. In fact, several commentators agree that, next to the recorded warnings that JESUS gave to the religious leaders He encountered, this teaching from James is the most abrasive and unexpected in the New Testament. Why don’t you engage in this teaching, as we explore these very potent words the HOLY SPIRIT inspired James to write that we know as James 5:1-6?

As we’ve seen from our study through the first four chapters, James was teaching Christ-followers how to develop a faith without cracks or weakness, a FAULTless FAITH! In this message,  Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to the last five verses of chapter four, learning from James how to step into the future with a strong faith!

In this message from Pastor Joe Still, we continue our celebration of the Resurrection of JESUS, as we look at final moments Jesus spent with His followers before ascending into Heaven. The Gospel writer Luke records some of the most exciting and hope-filled words ever spoken by angels to humankind! We'll take time to reflect on three incredibly beautiful words from GOD, delivered by Angels at the Ascension of Jesus, “THIS SAME JESUS…”

This service is a meaningful and sobering prelude to the Easter weekend, commonly called Maundy Thursday. It is solemn and focuses on Jesus’ last supper with His disciples and His subsequent arrest, rejection, and death. It’s a truly different kind of worship experience that allows us to live out the teaching that Jesus gave His followers to “remember”. This service encourages us to celebrate the Resurrection with greater joy and deeper thankfulness!

The Friday before Easter Sunday is known as “Good Friday”. It is a day recognized and celebrated by followers of JESUS all around the world! Some might think, “well it wasn’t such a good day for JESUS”, and while I understand that line of thinking, it truly misses the heart of the Gospel and the heart of our Savior. The scriptures tell us: “FOR THE JOY SET OUT FOR HIM HE ENDURED THE CROSS, DISREGARDING ITS SHAME…” Hebrews 12:2 (NET1). God’s Word doesn’t say that JESUS “enjoyed” the mockery of the phony trials, or the brutal beating known as the “half-death”, or the humiliation and torture of death through crucifixion. It does say there was a “joy” for JESUS through it all! If you’ve personally entrusted your life to Him, you were part of that joy He was experiencing on that first “Good Friday”. What an incredible Savior we have! In this Easter Sunday message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to celebrate all that HE has joyfully done for us. It will increase HIS Joy, and ours

HOPE is not a frivolous nicety to have; it is an essential human need! This message from Pastor Joe Still takes the first step on “THE ROAD TO RESURRECTION HOPE”.

The story is told that Winston Churchill was once attending an official ceremony in London in his later years. Two men sitting behind him recognized him and began to whisper back and forth to each other. “They say Churchill’s quite senile now,” said the one. “Yes, they say he’s doing England more harm than good,” replied the other. “They say he should step aside and leave the running of this government to younger, more dynamic people,” continued the first man. Churchill turned around and in a loud voice added, “They also say he’s quite deaf!” Like Winston Churchill, most of us have had the experience of being attacked with words that judge our hearts and motives. Most anyone who is in the public eye experiences this quite regularly. Teachers, coaches, board members, politicians, business owners, just about everyone has felt the sting of words meant to belittle or attack. This is often the case even within the church. It has been said that the Christian church is the only army that shoots its own wounded. The

“WHERE DO ALL THE FIGHTS AND QUARRELS AMONG YOU COME FROM?” (James 4:1) What a great question for our day and times! As I write this, I know that our President will be giving his “State of the Union Message” tonight. Any who plan to watch, go into it anticipating “FIGHTS AND QUARRELS” to arise from his talk, as well as from the “other party leader” who will follow with their rebuttal! Also, this week, it seems the Presidential Race has been narrowed to two main candidates. This sets the stage for 8 months, filled with “FIGHTS AND QUARRELS”; but JESUS has better plans for HIS disciples and HE inspired HIS little brother James to show us that better way. Why don’t you watch or listen to this message now and learn from James how to live above the “FIGHTS AND QUARRELS”? Pastor Joe Still

**Please Note: There is a small lapse in the sermon at minute 24:55, due to a power failure. There In 1990, the term “Emotional Intelligence” was coined by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer in their article “Emotional Intelligence” in the journal Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. It was later popularized by Dan Goleman in his best-selling, 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence. Goleman described Emotional Intelligence as a person's ability to manage their feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. According to Goleman, Emotional Intelligence is the largest single predictor of success in the workplace. Goleman’s book rightfully had a significant impact on Human Resourcing in the workplace. The search for people with “High EQ’s” began replacing the search for people with “High IQ’s”! In our day “Emotional Intelligence” is sometimes referred to as “Social Intelligence” or “Relational Intelligence”. Interestingly, James, the little brother of our LORD JESUS, wro

In an age when words have been weaponized like never before, those of us who follow JESUS, must pattern our “way with words” from the clear teachings of GOD’s Word and not the way of the world. No place in the scriptures, are GOD’s instructions for how to use our words more clearly addressed, than in the letter written by James, the little brother of our LORD JESUS! James is an eminently practical letter, and its purpose or its subject or its theme is to show us the difference between a mere profession of faith and a real possession of faith. In our day, that difference shows up most prominently in the ways we wield our words. In this messsage taught by Pastor Joe Still, James shows us how to build a Christ-honoring culture through the way we choose our words!

In this message, Pastor Dean Infinger continues our study of the book of James.  The passage focuses on James 2:14-26 which concerns the combination of Faith & Works.  As Christians, we can struggle with the topic of works. Often we feel we need to make up for past sins with works.  We can desire to earn the grace that God freely gives.  Scripture is clear that our salvation is through the work of Christ alone and His sacrifice for our sins on the cross.  However, shouldn’t our actions reflect the teachings of Jesus with good works?

"To dwell above with those we love, that will be a glory. But to dwell below, with those we know, that's another story." While I was not quickly able to find who authored that brief poem, their words still hold great truth! If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you know some relationships in the church can be a bit challenging. So how do we grow a church that even the lost would love? In this message, Pastor Joe Still shares how James, the little brother of our Lord Jesus, gives us some very practical relationship tools!

In our study of the incredible letter written by the earthly brother of our LORD JESUS, we have celebrated how “down-to-earth” and practical the counsel is that James gives us for growing a “Faultless Faith”. Unfortunately, James’ practical approach to living the Christian Life, has been misunderstood by some, leading them to a “works-based” pursuit of faith in JESUS. In this message,  Pastor Joe Still takes a little deeper dive into the “Gospel Theology” of James, on which every practical admonishment and challenge he makes, is built. It is the key, to unlocking everything James teaches us in his great letter!

God’s Word speaks of our salvation in three different tenses. We have been saved. We are being saved. And, we shall be saved. These do not create contradiction nor tension. All three truths are there. I have been saved, that is, in the past when I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior; I was saved forever from the penalty of sin. And one day, I shall be saved from the possibility of sin, when I go to Heaven. But right now, I am being saved from the power of sin. While I’m confident that Jesus’ half-brother James was interested in all three tenses of our salvation; his letter, that we are walking through, focuses on that present tense of our salvation, being saved from the power of sin. And James shows us, in very practical terms, how GOD’s Word blesses us by accomplishing that in our lives! In this message, Pastor Joe Still teaches from James how to very practically get blessed by GOD’s Word.

Have you ever heard of daredevil Bobby Leach? On July 25, 1911 he became the second person to ever successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Later in his life, Bobby Leach died from surgical complications after slipping on an orange peel, severely damaging his leg. Which once again proves the saying, “It’s the little things that kill you!” Far too often, we live as if “sin” is just a “little thing”! In his great work, THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN, puritan theologian John Owen wrote these famous words, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you."  This is the great warning from the Apostle James in the passage Pastor Joe Still shares in this message...  unless we deal with our sin, it will be killing us!

What could be the possible connection between, our suffering, God’s Wisdom, and our faith and doubts? In this message, Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to James 1:5-11 for answers to this question by examining back-to-back verses, the first we love, but the second sinks our souls if we misunderstand what James writes.

The word “FAULT” has several synonyms that provide different shades of meaning. One is “WEAKNESS”, such as a moral weakness. Another is “RESPONSIBILITY”, as in the case of wrongdoing or failure. Yet another meaning is “GEOLOGICAL”, as in the San Andreas Fault. There seems to be no real positive aspect to the meanings associated to the word “FAULT”; but, WHEN you add the suffix “less” to that word, the meaning is completely flipped. It becomes “FAULTLESS”, a word of great strength! That is the work that James, the brother of JESUS, sets out to accomplish in his epistle that bears his name. James was teaching believers how to develop a faith without cracks and weaknesses, a FAULTLESS FAITH! No other New Testament book is quite like James. Catchy, practical, and in your face, the book of James jumps straight into the nitty gritty of daily life. James takes the lofty doctrines of the Gospel and brings them down to earth. James steps on your toes! At times, he punches you in the gut. You can’t read James withou