Rio Vista Church Sermons

Easter Sunday message: The resurrection of Jesus is both a reasonable and highly controversial explanation for the empty tomb. Without the resurrection, there is no gospel, but you don't have to give up your brain to believe that it happened.

Palm Sunday celebrates the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus, however, wasn't there to conquer, he had come to die. He was, therefore, the unexpected king. Holy Week is an opportunity to introduce others to your King and tell them his story.

A close friend of Jesus called Lazarus fell ill and, when Jesus didn't heal him, died. Jesus raised him from the dead, so those observing might believe. The Gospel changes how we think about death, while Jesus receives us even though we carry its stench.

Jesus encounters a man who was born blind. First Jesus restores the man's physical sight, then later gives him spiritual sight so he could see Jesus was the Messiah. God can use dark and difficult things to bring spiritual light to us and those around us.

Living water is another phrase commonly heard around churches, but what does it mean? Is it really water? Tom Hendrikse relates the story of Jesus and the woman at the well to answer those questions, and we learn that the Gospel changes what satisfies us.

You must be born again. That is a popular phrase among evangelicals, but what exactly does it mean? Sam Lamerson, President of Knox Seminary, examines a conversation between Jesus and a religious leader named Nicodemus to provide us with the answer.

All of us have faced temptation, and we will face it again in the future. How we prepare ourselves in advance for this happening will largely determine how successful we are in dealing with it. The gospel changes how we face temptation.

Everyone suffers at some point, it is inevitable. Jesus promises us that it will happen, but he tells us that's okay because he has overcome the world by suffering himself. The gospel changes how we suffer by guaranteeing our suffering will end in glory.

Our series on gospel living continues. Who is your neighbor? For most people, neighbors are others who look like them, think like them, and act like them. But God has a different definition for you. When you see someone in need, THAT is your neighbor.

When it comes to living as the renewing agents of God, obedience matters. Why? Because the law of God reflects the nature and character of God. When we, in love, obey God's law, the character and worth of our invisible God is made visible to the world.

We continue in the Sermon on the Mount and come to the part of Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus tells us we are "salt" and "light." What does he mean by those words? Answering that question is part of understanding how the Gospel changes everything.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his disciples that the change to come in the Kingdom begins today with a change in their hearts. The Beatitudes declare that the path to true and unending happiness starts when the Gospel changes everything.

Living as the renewing agents of God requires us to surrender absolutely everything to God (in whom we gain absolutely everything). It's scary; something we have to do every day. But why is it scary for you? And what would it take for you to give it away?

The Bible calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Where does that come from and what does it mean? In the same way, as we have to know who we are not, for the Gospel to change everything, we must know who Jesus is.

When we live for God's mission, we are his renewing agents in this world, bringing the Gospel to individuals for their personal renewal and renewing the world itself. One required attribute is humility: Knowing who we are and who we are NOT.

From the murderous act of a savage tyrant, King Herod, it seems unlikely that we will find a word of comfort. Dr. Warren Gage examines the prophecy fulfilled by Herod's slaughtering children, and that trail leads us to the God of all comfort.

John 3:16 is the best-known verse in the Bible; even unbelievers recognize it. The original Greek gives an indication what word the writer was emphasizing the most. It's the word "so," a word of measure, and God's measure is vaster than we can comprehend.

An understanding of what Christmas is begins with sorting out what Christmas is not. Pastor Tom Hendrikse has one shining example of the latter, in the "fake vs. real" debate. This recording is from our Christmas Eve 2016 service.

We marvel at Mary's willingness to be God's servant, and rightly so. What of Joseph, however? God's plan to save his people would cost Joseph everything as well. In the end, Joseph considered God's plan to be worth everything he had. And it was--and is.

God is making everything new again, through Jesus Christ and his power in us as renewing agents. This renewal won't finish until the Second Coming, but this mission is worth our giving everything to it. This week we see a perfect example of this in Mary.

John the Baptist is one of the most significant characters in the Bible. As we go through the season of Advent, the time of longing for our King to come, looking at John's ministry clearly shows how God brought all of prophecy together in Jesus Christ.

Jesus told his disciples that he would return someday to make all of creation new again. Those who believe the gospel, who are already made new on the inside, should live expectantly, looking for his return to happen at any time. But do we? If not, why?

Thorn in the flesh is an evocative phrase. The emotional context is usually negative. You want to avoid a thorn in the flesh, or remove it, and get past it as fast as possible. Paul has a different perspective. Thorns are given to us by God for a purpose.

You become like your gospel. While there is only one true gospel, there are any number of false ones. The true gospel of grace alone through faith alone because of the work of Christ alone is the only one that can produce a balanced life.

What does the gospel inspire? We've seen it inspires generosity and makes us cheerful in giving. This week our study shows that the gospel anchors us to Christ and in doing so sets us free. When Christ is our home, we stop seeking the world's approval.