Riverbluff Church Sermons

The Good News of Jesus for the Anxious! Have you ever been “worried sick”? Being worried sick is more than just a catchphrase. It’s a legitimate health concern! The Mayo Clinic informs us that excessive anxiety can lead to physical problems including high blood pressure, migraines, indigestion, or asthma. Additionally, chronic worry is linked to the development of several mental health conditions, like generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and depression. (I pray these statements didn’t cause you more worry!) In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares an actionable plan to set us free from excessive worry in the here and now! I invite you to engage in this message as Jesus leads us into Kingdom Living that lessens worry! Pastor Joe Still

"How to Choose the Best Storage Unit" Do you know what the biggest difference between that shiny new vehicle, you wish you could purchase, and the one that was crushed in the junk yard yesterday? Time! Everything in the junkyard today, was once an object of value. There was a day when it was bright, shiny, and new, and somebody said, "I want that. I'll pay money for that!" Then a moth got it, rust got it, a thief got it, or it got old, and it ended up in the junkyard. It didn't last. Nobody wants it now. All stuff is that way. All the stuff you have now is going to end up in a junkyard. You're just the “middleman”. The only difference between the merchandise in a junkyard and the merchandise at Neiman Marcus, Best Buy, or BMW is just time. Treasure is junk waiting to happen. If you need a mathematical equation here it is: TREASURE + TIME = TRASH! In light of this reality, JESUS gives his followers a better “Treasure Storage Strategy”! In this message, Pastor Joe Still shares how JESUS teaches us “HOW TO C

"What Prayer’s Doxology Proclaims" Many of us are familiar with a hymn, often referred to as “The Doxology”. In many Baptist churches, it would be sung immediately following the collection of the offering. The opening line is “Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow.” While many may think that is the only “doxology”, the word itself is defined as “an expression of praise to GOD”. There are actually many doxologies! JESUS concludes the prayer model He teaches to His disciples with a different “Doxology” in Matthew 6:13, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” In this message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to integrate JESUS’ great doxology into every prayer we pray!

" Lead Us…Deliver Us" In February of 2015, the Seattle Seahawks faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 49. The Patriots were leading 28-24 with 26 seconds left in the game. It was second down and goal-to-go with the ball less than two yards from the goal line and the Seahawks had one time out remaining. In their backfield, the Seahawks had arguably the best short-yardage running back that season in Marshawn Lynch, but Coach Pete Carroll called for a passing play. The pass was intercepted in the end zone, ran back out to the 4-yard line, sealing the victory for the Patriots. The question that has hounded Coach Carrol since that day is “Why in the world would you throw the ball on the one-and-a-half yard line when you have, what many consider to be, the BEST short-yardage running back in football? You had everything you needed to win and yet, you gave the game away. What were you thinking?” Before we judge Coach Carroll too harshly, I wonder how many of us live lives of perpetual defeat while havin

"Forgive AS Forgiven" In our phrase-by-phrase study of “THE LORD’S PRAYER”, what we’ve begun to see is really “THE DISCIPLE’S PRAYER”, JESUS sends a warning with a two-letter word in Matthew 6:12. That two-letter word is “AS”. The warning that JESUS gives on this matter, should stop everyone who follows Him, in our tracks. JESUS teaches that growing a life in the toxic soil of unforgiveness, not only has temporal implications, but also eternal consequences. In this message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to explore JESUS’ teaching on the eternity-altering, life-changing power of Biblical FORGIVENESS!

In this message, we’ll continue our look into the greatest prayer every taught, found in the greatest sermon ever proclaimed, by the greatest teacher the world has ever known. His name is JESUS! We will also celebrate the two ordinances that our LORD JESUS told us to engage, Baptism and Communion. It is going to be a great time of celebrating the Goodness of GOD together! (If you are participating via livestream or recording, you may want to gather your own elements for Communion in advance. It will allow you to more fully participate in the service!) Pastor Joe Still

"The Prayer that Brings Heaven to Earth" Some of you know that I have long loved J. R. R. Tolkien’s great work, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, both the books and movies. The last of that trilogy is entitled, THE RETURN OF THE KING. Near its conclusion, when it almost looks as if all hope is lost, the true King returns, vanquishing all of the evil forces. A great coronation and celebration follows, with a truly complete peace finally coming over a weary land. And the people of the Kingdom, enter into an enduring rest under the unending rule and reign of the King they love. I love that great work of Tolkien, because it dramatically portrays and even greater story of an even greater King, KING JESUS! While Tolkien’s work is often labeled “fantasy fiction”, there is nothing fictional about the coming return of the One True King of all this earth. And our hearts long for His return. In the greatest sermon ever preached, we find the greatest prayer ever prayed. In that prayer KING JESUS tells His followers the coming of

This Sunday marks 50 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in the United States. It will also be the first observance of NATIONAL SANCTITY OF LIFE DAY, since the Supreme Court overturned that ruling on June 24, 2022. Declaring in that decision, that the Constitution of the United States does not guarantee the right to an abortion! It was a decision for which I give thanks to GOD. It was also a decision that should call the people of GOD to even greater action and deeper commitments to the SANTITIY OF EVERY HUMAN LIFE! In this message, we’ll celebrate our GOD who declares that every life is sacred to HIM. We will do this by being equipped to make a tangible difference in the lives of unborn babies and birth moms in unexpected pregnancies. Several special guests will share with us from their personal experiences in these efforts! Pastor Joe Still

"Overcoming Our 3 Big Problems in Prayer" “PRAYER” has been center stage in our nation, since the January 2nd, Monday night football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. In that game, Damar Hamlin nearly died, immediately prompting prayers, and appeals to the world to pray for his recovery. Which, as you may know, has been quite miraculous! This event has once again stirred public debate about the purpose of prayer, the power of prayer, and the proper place of prayer in public life. It fascinates me that in our journey through the GREATEST SERMON EVER PREACHED, we find ourselves arriving at the GREATEST PRAYER EVER PRAYED! In this message, and for the next several weeks, we are going to dive deep into when JESUS prayed, how JESUS prayed, and what JESUS believed and taught about PRAYER! Pastor Joe Still

The Oppression of Approval In this message, we continue our verse-by-verse study of the greatest sermon ever delivered. It contained JESUS’ greatest invitation to come and live in HIS Kingdom, as well as HIS most comprehensive single teaching on how to live in the Kingdom of GOD in the here and now! Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to Matthew 6:1-6. Here JESUS uncovers the tyranny that seeking the approval of others, can have over our lives!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Pastor Joe Still leads the gathering of the River-family on the first day of the new year, worshipping GOD together. What a great way to get 2023 started! In this message, he shares his prayer for us for 2023. It centers around 3 Big Truths about our GOD!

Merry Christmas! This family-oriented, Carol, Communion, & Candlelight Service is always one of my favorite gatherings of our River-family. It is very special and truly prepares our hearts to celebrate the first coming, “Incarnation” of our LORD JESUS! I promise that, in a clear and relevant way, we will present the Good News, that JESUS has come to rescue, each and every person, from their own personal brokenness and shame. Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS! -Pastor Joe Still

A Full Christmas – Part 3: Christmas is Fullness of Freedom Depending on who you read, and how they interpret scripture, there are some theologians who point to over 500 verses in the old Testament that point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah of GOD. J. Barton Payne, pointed to as many as 574 verses and Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservative estimates say Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry. Regardless of the count, many of the prophecies about the coming Messiah speak of one who would “set the captive free” and “break the chains of bondage”. Paul telling the Christians at Galatia about Jesus, wrote, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free…” In this third message in our Christmas series, Pastor Joe Still shares how having a full Christmas requires it to be full of the FREEDOM THAT JESUS BRINGS!

A Full Christmas – Part 2: Christmas is Fullness of the Spirit In his book entitled “JESUS, CONTINUED…”, J.D. Greear, teaching on JESUS’ incredible statement in John 16:7, does a masterful job of asking and answering the question, “How is the HOLY SPIRIT inside you, better than JESUS beside you?” Grasping the fullness of what JESUS taught about the HOLY SPIRIT is essential to having the fullest Christmas experience ever, because the HOLY SPIRIT is active at every turn of the Biblical Christmas story! In our Christmas teaching series, A FULL CHRISTMAS, we’re exploring the depths of Paul’s brief reference to Christmas in his letter to the church at Galatia. You can read in in Galatians 4:4-7. In this second message in our Christmas series, Pastor Joe Still shares how to have a more fulfilling Christmas through the “FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT”!

A Full Christmas - Part 1: Christmas is the Fullness of Time Why, in this season filled to the brim with presents and parties, do we so often end the Christmas season feeling empty? It turns out, the frantic pace, unreachable expectations, and overwhelming amounts of eggnog and sugar cookies don’t leave us feeling fulfilled. Does GOD have a better outcome for you this Christmas? How would you like to take back the season and step into our Heavenly FATHER’S design for Advent? Is it possible to arrive at the end of the Christmas season feeling full instead of empty? What if a few minor changes could yield a significantly different experience this Christmas?  In this message from Pastor Joe Still, we'll reflect deeply on GOD’s good plans to exchange the emptiness produced by busyness and fatigue with a life filled with hope, joy, peace, and love this Christmas!

Jesus’ Hope: We’d Get Even Better! I am filled with hope and anticipation about the new, month-long celebration we begin on this Sunday called ADVENT. It is a great season of HOPE entered into by Christians all around the world. It is a season where we reflect on the HOPE JESUS brought into the world that first Christmas day. It is also a season where we rekindle, and renew, the HOPE we have in JESUS’ promised return. It reminds us that, “all our HOPES are in JESUS! While JESUS loves it when we place all our HOPES in Him, He also has HOPES for us! HE has HOPES of how we can flourish in this life until HE returns again, to take HIS rightful place as King over all the earth. We’ve spent the past 10 weeks or so examining those HOPES in HIS message known as the Sermon on the Mount. In this message we'll explore the HOPE JESUS has that we can “Get Even… Better”. Pastor Joe Still

The fourth Thursday in November houses our national day; designated by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President of these United States, as the day every American should give thanks. If we’d be vulnerably transparent, most of us would have to admit that we will not spend much time on “Thanksgiving Day” actually expressing gratitude. In fact, we’d have to go further and confess that we may actually be a gratitude-challenged person. For followers of JESUS, giving thanks should not be a government assigned day of the year, but a way of life. GOD’s Word has much to say about gratitude and giving thanks. In this message from Pastor Joe Still, we’ll step away from our current sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount and turn our attention to Thanksgiving, not the holiday, but the way of life! During this service, we’ll get the national celebration of Thanksgiving off to an early start. We’ll celebrate through worship in song! We’ll celebrate through baptism! We’ll celebrate in the study of GOD’s Word! We’ll c

How to Live Without All the Lies In this message, Pastor Joe Still continues our journey through JESUS’ Sermon on the Mount.  We pick up in Matthew 5:33-37 and learn from JESUS how to “LIVE WITHOUT ALL THE LIES”!

"Jesus on Divorce" In this message, Pastor Curt Bradford continues in our teaching series based on The Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. This passage is direct teaching from Jesus to His disciples about life as one of His disciples. Christians have the wonderful gift of forgiveness and a relationship with God that lasts forever; but we also have been given a new and grace filled way to live.

When a Lingering Look Brings Hell on Earth In this message from Pastor Joe Still, our verse-by-verse journey through the Sermon on the Mount brings us to Matthew 5:27-30. Here JESUS addresses how a lingering look leads to lust and unleashes a kind of “hell on earth” for everyone it touches. And, like JESUS always does, HE brings hope and healing into the devastation of desires gone wrong. **ATTENTION PARENTS** This message comes with a “PG” rating.