Rio Vista Church Sermons

God has planted this church and its body of believers in a vast and beautiful city where his mission is both vital and challenging. Multicultural, multigenerational, and fast-growing, we are ground zero where the postmodern world meets the gospel.

This week starts a conversation about Community that Moves You. The first part of which is what makes a true friend. Jesus prayed that God would give us unity, and also said the world would know we are his followers when they saw how we loved one another.

A vital part of worship is the Sacraments. We observe two, Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Communion). Tom explores the meaning of these sacraments and why they are important to the life of the church. The message concludes with two believer's baptisms.

Worship's setting is not fixed. We're an ever-changing people who worship a never-changing God. From one generation to the next, the people of God express their worship in different ways. Ryan Brasington teaches from history to explain why change is good.

Worship tells God's story, but just what story is that? Pastor Tom Hendrikse explores that question in this week's message and uses illustrations from classic novels and movies to show how humanity longs to be a part of such an epic tale.

Our series on What Moves You in Worship, Community, and Renewal begins with John's vision of heaven from Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Through his eyes, we see the genuinely unfettered worship of an indescribably glorious God. Worship is about God!

Our series in Exodus, from Bondage to Freedom, moves into Joshua for a few weeks so we can see what happens in Israel after Moses, arguably their greatest leader, is gone. Joshua takes over and is engulfed immediately in a battle against fear and anxiety.

Our series in Exodus, from Bondage to Freedom, moves into Joshua for a few weeks so we can see what happens in Israel after Moses, arguably their greatest leader, is gone. Joshua takes over and is engulfed immediately in a battle against fear and anxiety.

Our series in Exodus, from Bondage to Freedom, moves into Joshua for a few weeks so we can see what happens in Israel after Moses, arguably their greatest leader, is gone. Joshua takes over and is engulfed immediately in a battle against fear and anxiety.

"Sometimes, you need a God who understands." The words of Bishop Clarence Glover, Senior Pastor at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church, who preached on the story of the woman caught in adultery from John chapter eight. An inspirational message for each of us.

Will Buschmann wraps up our series in Exodus by looking back at the big picture that we are freed from a life of bondage by God. In the end, he asks if we are living a life of worship that is all consuming, or do we withhold parts of our lives from God?

Both Moses and David wrote of their desire to know God and to see his glory. It was the one thing they asked of him. In the New Testament, Jesus also has one thing he asked of the father, that we might be with him and see his glory. We're his "One Thing!"

After the golden calf, God expresses his displeasure with Israel, saying that he won’t go with them to the promised land. Moses intercedes and tells God that if he won’t go with them, there is no point in going. We need God himself, not just his benefits.

A mountain covered in cloud for 40 days and nights, a disappearing leader, a pile of gold, and a roaring fire. It sounds like the setting for an adventure story, but it’s the setting for this week’s message concerning patience and waiting on the Lord.

The description of the Tabernacle is a bewildering collection of details until you understand that the specific elements of its construction are depicting our path back to God. He came to live (tabernacle) among us so we might be able to live with him.

Today our Exodus story begins God's instructions for building the Tabernacle and within it the Ark of the Covenant. The rich imagery surrounding the Ark tells us a great deal about our heavenly father and the kind of relationship he desires us to have.

The tenth commandment prohibits us from coveting our neighbor's possessions. It is unique among the commandments as it doesn't forbid an action (such as do not kill, commit adultery, or steal), but concerns how we are on the inside. Are we content?

The ninth commandment deals with truthfulness. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. That goes beyond simply not telling a lie about someone, and extends as far as protecting their character. Not by lying, but by speaking the truth.

You shall not steal, on its face, a reasonably straightforward mandate to follow. All you have to do is avoid taking something that doesn't belong to you. What if this commandment reached beyond tangible property, though? What else might we be stealing?

Our series on the Ten Commandments continues with "you shall not commit adultery." As with all of the commandments, the purpose is to preserve something. You shall not murder protects life, for example. You shall not commit adultery protects marriage.

You shall not murder; this seems like the easiest commandment for most of us to keep, doesn't it? Very few of us want to be a killer, but what if we understood this to mean you shall not dehumanize another person? Are we as comfortable then?

The first four commandments concerned our relationship with God. After the 5th commandment, the focus is on our relationships with each other. What does it mean to honor your parents? What if they have done dishonorable things to you? Listen and find out.

Sabbath keeping means different things to different people. Is it Saturday or Sunday, and are you permitted to do anything at all? Tom Hendrikse explains it's not what this commandment prevents you from doing, it's what it frees you from that matters.

What's in a name? In God's case, his name represents his character. As the people of God, we should portray his name well and bring honor to it. We don't do that, though. Maybe we should stop and consider how seriously God takes the handling of his name?

You must not make any idols seems like a very easy commandment to keep because we don't carve idols in our 21st-century lives--except that we do. We fashion for ourselves an image of God in our hearts; the question is how accurate an image do we make?