River Oaks Church Sermons

A sermon on Paul's teaching about the necessity of the resurrection by Pastor David Camera. Application questions: Is living forever in a resurrected body appealing to you? Why or why not?  What were some of the Corinthian Christians claiming about the resurrection? Why would that be something they argued for?  Let’s follow Paul’s logic here. Some of the Corinthians claimed there is no resurrectio...

Easter service sermon on the apostolic testimony to the bodily resurrection of Jesus in 1 Cor 15:1-11, by Dr. Greg Lanier. Application questions Why is the resurrection important to Christianity? Name 5 reasons (from this passage or from others). Discuss the biggest objections to the resurrection of Jesus that you’ve heard (e.g., “the disciples stole the body,” “the disciples all just saw a ghost”...

A homily by Pastor David Camera on John 19:28 ("I thirst") as part of our Good Friday service.

A sermon on putting off the old and putting on the new in Ephesians 4:17-24, by David Camera. Application questions: How would you describe the life of a non-Christian?  How does Paul describe the life of a non-Christian in verses 17-19?  How is a person brought out of the futility, darkness and hardness of a life apart from Christ? (vs. 20-21)  According to verses 22-24, what steps must a Christi...

A sermon on Christ's gifts to his church to build one another up (Eph 4:7-16), by David Camera. Application questions: How does a Christian grow to maturity in Christ?  Why does Paul place this instruction at this point in the letter? How does it flow from chapters 1-3?  Summarize how Paul describes a life that is worthy of our calling as Christians?  What do all the offices mentioned in vs. 11 ha...

A sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6 by pastoral intern David Oh. Application questions: Read Eph 1:3-14, noticing the plural nature of God's salvific blessings. How does the text's emphasis on the church's communal nature convict or challenge you?   Where have you experienced God blessing you through the gifting of another brother or sister in Christ?   How do you normally react when you meet another Chri...

A sermon on Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 by David Camera. Application questions: Make a list with your group of your top 5 prayer requests.  Why does Paul pray? (I.e., What is the reason he speaks of in v. 1 and v. 14?)  To whom, for what, and to what end does Paul pray?  What does the phrase "…filled with all the fullness of God" mean? (cr. 4:13)  How can Paul’s prayer inform our own prayer life?...

A sermon on the wisdom and power of God by Rev. Cody Brobst.  Application questions: What is meant by ”the mystery of the Gospel”? Are there hints around what this means throughout the book of Ephesians (start with verse 6)?   What is Paul’s goal with the Gentiles? What message is he trying to send about the nature of the church this side of Christ's death on the cross?  How does this inform “who...

A sermon on Ephesians 3:1-6 by Dr. Ben Shaw. Sermon application questions: How is the term "mystery" used in Scripture? How is Paul using it here? What is the "mystery" of Christ? How does the OT reveal the gospel? Why is the inclusion of Gentiles so important to the biblical gospel, both OT and NT?

A sermon on Christ's work demolishing the dividing wall of hostility and building the church, by Rev. Greg Lanier. What are some examples in both OT and NT of the “dividing wall of hostility” between Gentiles and Jews/Israel? Why is motivating Paul to address this?  Why is it important to think through the corporate (“we”) aspect of Christ’s work and not limit it to the individual (“I”)?  Revisit...

A sermon on God's grace of saving us from spiritual death in Ephesians 2, by David Camera. How does Paul describe the condition of humanity in 2:1-3? List out the words/phrases.  What does Paul say is the reason God saves us? (v. 4)  When did God love us? Where is the first mention of God's love in Ephesians?  Contrast our former predicament with our present status in Christ.  Where have we seen t...

A sermon on Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23 by Pastor David Camera. How does a person's self-perception impact the way they approach life?  Paul begins in verse 15, with "…for this reason." What reason/s?  Do you ever thank God in your prayers when you see good things in others?  In verses 17-19 Paul reports the content of his prayer. For what does Paul pray?  In verse 17, Paul teaches that the...

A sermon on Paul's introductory praise of the Triune God by Rev. David Camera. Application questions: What comes to your mind when you think of a blessing?  Look at verses 3-14, list all the “blessings” God has made available.  What words or phrases are repeated?   Why do you think Paul repeats himself?   What has God the Father done, what has God the Son done, what has God the Spirit done?  How a...

Introducing the letter of Paul to the church at Ephesus, by David Camera. Application questions: How would you describe yourself to someone you did not know?  What impact does our identity have on the way we live?  Read Acts 19:1-20:41. Summarize Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in your own words.  How does Paul describe himself? Why is this important?  How does Paul describe the Christians in Ephesus? ...

A sermon on the qualifications for ordained leadership in the church by Rev. David Camera. Application questions Review the list of character qualifications in this passage. What sorts of categories do they include? Why does Paul include these and not others that modern leadership gurus might include (like 'visionary leader' or 'efficient' or 'charismatic speaker')? Why must an elder/deacon be abl...

A sermon on remembering God's faithfulness and offering prayerful praise by pastoral intern Daniel Turner. Application questions: What does Paul offer thanks for? Why is it important to thank God for what you see in others (and not just yourself)? What are you thankful for as you head into 2026? Find out more at www.riveroakschurch.com .

A sermon on the last verse in the Johannine prologue by David Camera. Application questions: We often hear the phrase, “seeing is believing.” What do we mean by it, and it is true in relationship to believing in Jesus?  If someone said to you, God has revealed himself to many people, throughout history, Jesus is only one of them. How would you respond in light of John 1:1-18?  What is faith accord...

A Christmas Eve homily by Pastor David Camera. Find out more at www.riveroakschurch.com

A sermon on the "the Word became flesh" in John 1:14-17 by Greg Lanier. Application questions: Reflect on this claim: “‘The Word became flesh,’ as part of the bigger picture of the Triune God, is the deepest and boldest claim imaginable.” Why might this be true? Read Exod 25:5; 29:46; Lev 26:11-12; Ezek 11:20; 2 Cor 6:16; Rev 21:3. How do these passages show that the core theme of the Bible is tha...

A sermon on John 1:6-13 by Pastor Cody Brobst. Application questions: Review the prologue (John 1:1-18) together and notice what concepts repeat.  Why is Christianity incompatible with other worldviews (hint: John 14:6)?  How is the Light revealed through witnesses?  What makes John the Baptist’s witness unique specifically?  What are ways you most enjoy revealing the Light (witnessing) to others?...

An advent sermon on John 1:1-5 by David Camera. Application questions: Do you put up Christmas lights? If so why?  Read Genesis 1:3-5. How did God create all things? What was the first thing He created?  John starts with "In the beginning” to connect the coming of Jesus to Genesis 1. What is John teaching us by doing this?  Summarize in your own words what we learn about the “Word” in these verses...

A sermon concluding our series on Exodus by David Camera. Application questions: Do you think most people believe that it is easy for loving God to allow people to dwell in His presence forever? Why or why not? What must we not forget about ourselves and about God?  Summarize the narrative of Exodus so far in your own words.  What was the purpose of redemption?  What is therefore surprising about...

A sermon on the ark as the shadow of the presence of God by Greg Lanier. Application questions: Reflect on the fact that these chapters re-narrate what we’ve already covered, only now the craftsmen actually do the fabrication that earlier Moses had instructed. What is Scripture trying to teach us with this repetition?  Reread the following passages to trace the ark of the covenant through the Bibl...

A sermon on genuine heart change (vs. a "change of heart") from Exodus 35-36 by Rev. David Camera. Application questions: Share some ways you have experienced a “change of heart” in your life. What causes such changes?   Recap what has happened in the Exodus story from chapter 32-34.  What evidence of a change of heart do we see in the Israelites in this passage?  In Numbers 10, the Israelites fin...

A sermon on God's disclosure of his name and attributes to Moses on Mt. Sinai, by Rev. David Camera. Application questions: Make a list of life and death issues, choices and situations as a group.  Look back to Exodus 3:13-17. What do we learn about God’s name in this passage?  The name “LORD” is literally “I am” in Hebrew. Explore together what God’s name “I am” teaches us about His nature.  What...