Riverbluff Church Sermons

Most of us, when walking into a dark room, immediately begin to run our hand along the wall in search of the light switch. We do this to illuminate the room we’re entering because we don’t want to crash into furniture and break a precious little toe, or something worse! Often, when characters in cartoons get an idea, a little light bulb appears above their heads. This is an indication that they’ve...

We are blessed to celebrate the 249th anniversary of our nation’s independence. It began at the signing of that great document known as our Declaration of Independence, signed in Philadelphia, PA, on July 4, 1776. A short 12 years later, on June 21, 1788, another great document was ratified by the 13 original colonies (now states) and the “Constitution” became the official framework of the governm...

In this message from Pastor Joe Still, we'll examine the teachings from God’s Word about the Humanity of our Lord Jesus. This will also help us remember Him and know Him as He really is; stirring an even greater affection for Him.  2 Peter 1:3 from God’s Word gives us this great promise: “For as you know Him better, He will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly...

I am so very grateful to GOD for the privilege I’ve had this week to observe our incredible team of Kingdom servants, a.k.a. our VBS Team. The Holy Spirit has worked powerfully through each and every one of them to joyfully magnify JESUS in the hearts and minds of children and students. It has filled me with joy. As we continue in our ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE series, with our time in GOD’s Word this...

Dads, it is not too late to tell your family that what you want for FATHER’S DAY is for them to come to church with you! This Sunday we get to celebrate dads at Riverbluff. We’ll have several from our church family sharing some of their heart-felt thoughts about their dads and husbands. We will also continue in our ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE teaching series. This Sunday, we turn our attention to what w...

If my math is correct, there are 201 more shopping days until Christmas!! Did that statement surprise you?  Are you wondering, “Why on earth is Pastor Joe bringing Christmas up in June?”   I think most of us would agree, that for the world, Christmas is the most celebrated of the Christian Holy Days, with Easter coming in second. For many Christ-followers in the “Western World”, those are often th...

The Great Commission…most all of us are quite familiar with the final words our Lord Jesus shared with His disciples, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, instructing them to “go and make disciples.” Indeed, with this command, Jesus gave His followers a “life purpose” that would guide them wherever they would go and with whomever they would speak from that day forward. Certainly, in the years tha...

We continue this Sunday with our series on Essential Beliefs. This week we will be focusing on Eternal Security. I have a friend who retired from pastoring, and he often says that one of the enemy's biggest schemes is to steal the joy of Christians. Have you ever had thoughts like: Am I really saved? Did I follow the right steps to gain salvation? How can I go to heaven after what I've done? If yo...

The previous message in our ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE teaching series, we began with the essential beliefs Christians have about GOD. We continue that journey here in part two of that message! Pastor Joe Still looks at three characteristics that are absolutely unique about our GOD.  We’ll see how those unique characteristics deeply impact everything we do!

Our culture seems to have a fascination with celebrities, people who are rich or powerful or popular. We want to know about what they do, how they live, and even what they wear. It’s the topic of many magazines, podcasts, and late night shows. What if one of these could actually interview GOD? He is, after all, the most powerful personality in the entire universe. No one is richer than GOD! It is...

Christian Confessions, Creeds, & Core Belief expressions, have been around a very long time, some since the 2nd century. I, along with others would argue that some of the New Testament statements found in the writings of the Apostle Paul, became the earliest Creeds of the Christian Church. Do these hold value for us today? I believe JESUS' half-brother, Jude, would answer, “yes” to that question,...

When you were growing up, maybe like me, you were taught the prayer, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food." Many of us learned at an early age, God's great and God's good! If you've been in church any length time, you’ve heard some pastor or worship leader say, “God is good," and the congregation shouts back, "All the time." Then he'll say, "All the time," and they say, "God i...

While Riverbluff’s “Weekly Update” arrives in your inbox every Friday, this one comes on what is the most sacred Friday of the year. It is often called Good Friday. It is “good” because it is the day, over 2,000 years ago, when GOD demonstrated how truly Good and unconditionally Loving HE is toward humanity. HE demonstrated this by sacrificing HIS one and only begotten SON on the Cross of Calvary....

Maundy Thursday Communion Service 2025 Maundy Thursday 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.

Fun fact: In a healthy human being over half of our body’s composition is water, 60% to be exact.  That means that if you weigh 175 pounds you’re walking around with about 105 pounds of water! Even with all of that water, your body still must have an adequate daily supply, or bad things begin to happen in you. Most people don't realize how bad dehydration is for you. When you get dehydrated, you g...

JESUS FORSAKENNESS means my FORGIVENESS  FOR OUR FORGIVENESS, JESUS FORSAKEN SUBSTITUTES? The label might read “plant-based meat substitute”, but I’m sorry, there’s just no such thing as a “Garden Burger”; I don’t care who puts one on their menu. “Hamburger” means meat! And please, don’t try to fool me into thinking “carob” is “chocolate.” It never has been nor will it ever be, in any universe! Se...

This Sunday, as we continue in our teaching series, “WHAT JESUS SAID IN RED”, we examine the third of the seven, recorded statements, Jesus made while dying on the Cross.  This statement, found in John 19:25-27, is a very personal statement of love Jesus makes directly to his mother and one of his very best friends. Jesus endured incredible pain as his organs began shutting down. Even in the midst...

The older I’ve grown, the more aware I’ve become, I can learn something new from anyone, if I will listen carefully and truly “be in the moment” with them. My grandkids have been especially helpful in teaching me this lesson! This principle is particularly applicable when it comes to GOD’s Word. Every person who shows up in the scriptures had their story handpicked by GOD to be included in His Hol...

While it may not surprise anyone, I have a number of hard copy Bibles in my personal library, (along with many digital editions)! My favorite Bibles, are the “Red-Letter” editions. They have the words the incarnated JESUS spoke printed in red, which make HIS spoken words really stand out. Yes! I am keenly aware that every word in the Bible was GOD-breathed. But, I also know that every word in our...

Have you ever been peppered with the “Why” questions from a young child? Why are clouds white? Why does the car blinker make that sound? Why do birds fly or dogs bark? And during hardship, we can begin asking our own questions. Why did this happen? Will I ever get back to normal? How will this affect the people I love? Why do bad things happen to good people? If you have ever asked these questions...

This Sunday, as we open ourselves up to God’s Word together in worship, I’m excited to say that Dr. Curt Bradford will be leading us! For those of you who are newer to Riverbluff, Curt was Lead Pastor at Riverbluff from 1988-2014. He has also been personally mentoring me since 1981. The LORD has multiplied Curt’s mentoring ministry, as he now mentors pastors all around our state. He is currently s...

It only takes a few moments with any news source to realize that evil is active in our world today. But, as bad as things are, the Bible says that there is “restraining power” at work, holding back the full measure of evil that could be released on earth. The Apostle Paul wrote to his friends in the church at Thessalonica about this: “I expect you remember now how I talked about this when I was wi...

This morning as I write this, it’s Valentine’s Day.  Kathy and I have already exchanged gifts and cards. We’re looking forward to spending the day together, and hopeful we’ll get a nice lunch at a great little Lowcountry restaurant! The Greeting Card Industry is also “hopeful” today.  They’re hopeful they’ll make a ton of money off of card sales. I guess, in some small way, I helped fulfill their...

This week, I’ve had conversations with several people who expressed the same concern. I actually don’t recall a week, when this particular topic came up unsolicited, as frequently as it did this week. The topic and concern was over seeing an increased activity of Satan, in our world, but specifically right around them personally, and how it brought on feelings of hopelessness. In the Gospels, we n...

This week has been a week of extremes! Tuesday was filled with such great joy as our 4th grandchild, Easton Everett Housand was born. He got here with a few minor struggles, but by the grace of God is progressing very well and will be going home very soon! Then came the news of the Wednesday night mid-air collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Blackhawk Helicopter in our nation’s c...