Riverbluff Church Sermons

In 1987 the song “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Rules The World” was released.  It was tribute to mothers, and the powerfully influential role they play in our lives.  Thousands of extensive studies from all branches of the social and behavioral sciences acknowledge this impact for good or for harm. The scriptures definitively point out the significant role that mothers and other women played in...

In our day, global peace is highly sought after and yet a most rare commodity. What the Bible calls “Peace”, also known as “Shalom”, is rarer still. It is not just about the absence of war or strife, but about holistic human flourishing. The Bible names Jesus the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the one GOD sent to bring peace on the earth, that holistic, shalom, kind of peace. As a group, the disciples’...

On that first Easter Sunday, and over the course of the next 40 days, followers of JESUS would have their FIRST ENCOUNTERS with HIM as their Risen SAVIOR and LORD. Those first encounters radically altered the lives of those early followers. They would never be the same! GOD purposefully captured these first encounters in HIS Word, so that our lives could be transformed by these eyewitness accounts...

This service is a meaningful and sobering prelude to the Easter weekend. It simply means we will focus on the Lord’s Supper and what happened the night before Jesus was crucified. It is indeed a somber time but we need to be reminded regularly of what it cost God to save us.

Over the course of human history there have been many great sentences heard by human ears. I know of none greater than the single sentence recorded in Matthew 28:6; “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” It is the best news ever! I pray you will join us and celebrate the great news that “HE HAS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID.” Pastor Joe Still

This Sunday as we gather, we join with hundreds of millions of Christ followers all around the world to celebrate Palm Sunday. It was that day over 2,000 years ago when JESUS first publicly declared to everyone that He was the long awaited Messiah of GOD. The day is also the first day of the Holiest week on the Christian calendar, culminating in the celebration of our risen Savior and King. JESUS!...

There was a line from a song in the 70’s that went “feelings whoa whoa whoa feelings, whoa whoa whoa feelings, again in my life”.  The song was all about feeling our feelings. (They just don’t write songs like that anymore.) Dr. Dallas Willard who has written at length on the subject of how our feelings shape our souls, points out that; “Feelings are a primary blessing and a primary problem for hu...

Every renovation project that I ever worked on with my dad in his construction business always had some great challenge to present itself.  It’s just the nature of renovation work. The same is true with the work of Soul Renovation that JESUS desires to do in us. One of those great challenges involves our minds! I pray you'll engage in this message as we look deeply at one aspect of GOD’s Plan to R...

I have been deeply impacted by the writings of Dr. Dallas Willard. Thus far, in the 21st century, I believe him to be the greatest writer and thinker on the topic of “what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus”! In his book, THE GREAT OMMISION, Dr. Willard writes, “Jesus brings us reliable information about who we are, why we are here, and what the humanly appropriate motives are for doing whatever w...

In “The Heart of the Matter part 2”, Pastor Joe Still explored Jesus’ first recorded miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, where He transformed water into wine. We said that as miraculous as that is, it pales in comparison to the miracle that Jesus continues to perform every day, the transformation of a human heart! In this message, we continue to see HOW JESUS PERFORMS A MIRACULOUS WORK OF HEA...

I don’t think anyone has ever accused me, to my face, of being an “art snob”. Most would probably never describe me as “artsy”. In general, I’d not use those descriptors in a “bio” of myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m never moved or captured by a great work of art. There is a print of a great painting that hangs in my office, it is Rembrandt’s THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON. While it has hung ther...

The greatest opportunity, the greatest invitation, ever given to human beings, is to do life together with GOD. It would be a life, where the LORD is my shepherd and I can live without want. A life Jesus said, that would never thirst again. In His own words, Jesus says that those who would give themselves to Him would receive a “living water”, the Spirit of GOD Himself, that will keep them from ev...

Last week we finished our sermon series, “Rebuild” from the book of Nehemiah, and in last week’s sermon Pastor Joe mentioned that Nehemiah was not the end of God’s story. In this message Pastor Dave Hardin will take a look at how the book of Nehemiah reveals God’s overarching plan of redemption, and how that plan continues to unfold in the New Testament through the promised Redeemer, Jesus Christ....

In this message, Pastor Joe Still brings us to the end of our journey through the book of Nehemiah. We’ll see that the old saying “all’s well that ends well”, sadly, does not apply to this story. This story closes on a pretty sad note. So what should we take away from this kind of ending. What do we do as God’s people, when in our own story things take a turn for the worse? Where do we go? As we c...

Acts of great personal sacrifice that provide for the needs of others, not only captures our attention, they usually capture our hearts. We are drawn to acts of great selflessness because they stand in such stark contrast to our common experience of human selfishness. These acts call to us that we can be more! As Pastor Joe Still leads us to continue in our study in Nehemiah, we come to chapters 1...

In his book COVENANT & KINGDOM, Mike Breen describes these two themes as the “genetic code—the ‘double helix’ of DNA running through the Bible”. I believe he is right. These two themes can be found woven in the whole of GOD’s Word. While some may describe “Covenant” and “Kingdom” as “theological words”, their more common counterparts are “Relationship” and “Responsibility. “Covenant” A.K.A. “Relat...

Life is a gift from GOD! In John 10:10 we read the recorded words of JESUS, “…but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 (NCV).  “Life” is central to the message of JESUS’ Gospel. Now look at the context of those words from JESUS. “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness”. John 10:10 (NCV) The destruction of “Life” as GOD i...

When Martin Luther launched what has become known as “The Reformation” he began his famous “95 Thesis” with these words: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent, He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance”. Repentance is not a “one & done” event in the life of a Christ-follower. It should be an everyday, all of life experience. In this message Pastor Joe Still prov...

In this message from Pastor Joe Still,  we return to our study of the book of Nehemiah, picking up where we left off, Nehemiah chapter 9.  Nehemiah 9 is the longest recorded prayer in the bible.  It is a prayer of Repentance. Repentance is the beginning point of any lasting life-transformation. Nehemiah 9 provides us with some of the greatest insight into what Biblical repentance looks like. Liste...

There is another global celebration happening just a few days into the New Year. This year it falls on January 6. While it is not as well known and the number of revelers will be significantly smaller, it holds rich meaning for those who participate. It is called the celebration of EPIPHANY, some call it 3 KINGS DAY! While not as widely celebrated by Christ-followers here in the U.S., it is celebr...

This Sunday is the day after we have celebrated Jesus’ birth; but what do we do next? After all the Christmas gifts are exchanged, opened up, put together, and the clothes tried on—what’s next? After all the Christmas gatherings, the parties, the get togethers and festivities are over—what’s next? After Jesus was born, the shepherds came rejoicing, the Magi came with their gifts for Jesus—what’s n...

In this Christmas Eve message, Pastor Joe Still shares the Christmas story - the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Most of us love to hear someone tell a great story.  Those of us who do have discovered a great truth: “all ‘story-tellers’ are not created equally”!  Great “tellers” of stories begin with a great opening line that immediately hooks the listener. I believe the Christmas Story is the beginning of the greatest story ever told.  While I love how the Gospel writers Matthew and Luke communicate the acc...

One of the wonderful recurring themes in the first two chapters of both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke is JOY!  Over and over again in those four chapters of the Bible, people are not only finding joy, but GREAT JOY! So why in our day, is rich, life-changing joy so elusive? In this message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to look to those who were finding GREAT JOY to see what they can tea...

Though much of our world loves the “celebration of Christmas”, many seek to remove the only reason for Christmas, while other less militant hearts simply ignore the CHRIST of Christmas!   Every year efforts to remove “religious references” of Christmas are undertaken, while simultaneously attempting to keep or co-op specific assets and aspects of Christmas that only come through JESUS! “Christmas...