Riverbluff Church Sermons

Every person has some desire to see their life, and the lives of people they love, flourish! GOD’s Word tells us that our lives will flourish as we are “planted in the House of the LORD” (see Psalm 92:12-13). In this message, Pastor Joe Still explores how to best be “planted in the HOUSE OF THE LORD”!

I remember having a conversation with a farmer about ripe fruit. The farmer told me that when you pick fruit that is not ripe, that it can be very difficult. He mentioned that you could hit the fruit with a baseball bat and not dislodge it from the tree. However, when the fruit is ripe you can just brush it with your fingertips and it will fall into your hand. Has someone brushed up against you th...

I believe it was Theologian Dale Bruner who first called the HOLY SPIRIT, the “shy member of the Trinity,” because He doesn't like to draw attention on Himself and He is always gentle. While I have personally found those attributes to be true, the scriptures also point out that the HOLY SPIRIT desires to be very active in our lives, especially helping us guard our minds! In a day when our minds ar...

GOD’ Word is replete with accounts of GOD’s people marking HIS goodness with great celebrations and construction of memorial markers! This message will be such a celebration and it will become part of our “Memorial Wall to GOD’s Goodness” in our main hallway. We have so much to celebrate - our 82nd anniversary of GOD planting our church, the provision of a new home and new name 22 years ago, and n...

One of the realities of storms is they churn up insecurity when they blow into town.  Our hearts and minds can be flooded and blown about with all kinds of concerning thoughts. One of the insecurities that Satan repeatedly tries to churn up in us relates to our “Eternal Security”. But, GOD has given us an assurance of our Salvation’s Security in the Person of the HOLY SPIRIT! In this message, Past...

Many of us were taught to avoid conversational topics like Politics and Religion.  I fear that teaching has played a significant role in bringing us to where we are in our culture today; the boiling point! Maybe instead of being taught to “avoid”, we should have been taught “how to”; how to have conversations about such topics, granting respect and honor to those with whom we might disagree. And t...

Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP LEADER - September 15, 2024 by Riverbluff Church

In Matthew Chapter 24, the Gospel writer records JESUS teaching His disciples about the global conditions before His 2nd Coming. There, JESUS tells them (and us), that before His Great Return, “There will be more and more evil in the world…” v12 (NCV). This week’s school shooting in Winder, Georgia, is but one example of the growth of “more and more evil in our world”. How are we as followers of J...

If you have ever seen a fish out of water, you know that it just flops around, wiggling and jumping all over the place. If it's out of water, it's out of its intended environment. The fish is trying to move but it can't go anywhere because it's not in the environment it was made to be in. So it flops and twists and flips, absolutely going nowhere. Why? Because it's trying to be “fishy” in a non-wa...

After my message two weeks ago (August 11, 2024) on the armor of God, the question came, “can we pray the armor onto someone else?” While the answer is, “not exactly”, the heart of that question is “can our prayers help others against the spiritual attacks of our great enemy and his minions?” The answer to that question is absolutely yes! While each of us needs to welcome the reign of Jesus person...

I’ve talked often about growing up in the home of a Residential Home Builder.  It gave me the skills to actually build the house Kathy and I have lived in since we married in 1983.  One of the skills my dad taught me was how to spot good quality building materials, which is quite important, because all construction products are not created equally.  Plywood is one such product! Plywood’s name tell...

In this message,  Pastor Joe Still continues our journey through the Bible, growing to know the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit! Join us as we celebrate the Goodness of our GOD!

Believed to be written in the 5th century BC, Sun Tzu’s, THE ART OF WAR is a military classic. I’ve read that it is still required reading for certain Marine programs, for Navy SEALs, and for Officer Training. It may seem “non-pastoral” to reference this, or to even admit that I’ve read it and it’s in my Kindle library; but it has actually become a popular resource for business leaders in our gene...

THE PARABLE OF THE NEW CAR A man who had never driven or even ridden in a car, was given the gift of a brand new car. He was so very happy with his new car. He invites his friend over to show them his new car. He shows them the beautiful paint job. He shows them the soft upholstery. He has them sit in it. He points out all the amenities like the stereo system and other optional equipment. But, the...

While every week I look forward to the time we gather together to celebrate JESUS and fellowship with one another, I am especially eager for this week’s gathering. This Sunday we have the special blessing of Students leading us in worship and sharing what the LORD has done in them, around them, and through them, at FUGE Camp this Summer! I am also looking forward to our continued journey in our st...

Staying Calm When a Crisis Comes A message from Acts 27:9-29 by Pastor Joe Still

I pray your celebration of being blessed to live in a nation filled with so many freedoms was filled with joy this Fourth of July. Our national freedom is a remarkable thing to be deeply treasured! So too, is our “Freedom in Christ”! Luke 22 records several discussions Jesus had with His disciples. In verse 35, we read Jesus asking them an interesting question. He told them to think back to the ti...

This past Wednesday our nation celebrated “Juneteenth”! The holiday, with it’s name derived by combining the month “June” and the ordinal number “nineteenth”, became a national holiday in 2021. While Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Jubilee Day has only been celebrated nationally for a few years, it has actually been celebrated since 1866, starting one year after General Gordon Grang...

In this Father’s Day message, Pastor Joe Still will take some moments to honor and pray for dads. As little children, many of us grew up thinking of our dads as strong and powerful. They could lift us over their heads and throw us up into the air, evoking laughter and shouts of joy. It was a trait, for which we were grateful. While we now realize the source of that power was their muscle mass rati...

Where are your roots? You might have been asked that question a time or two by someone wanting to get to know you a little bit better. How did you respond? Did you tell them your hometown, your college alma mater, or maybe even your neighborhood? Did you share about your family? The Bible speaks about our roots and also a seemingly unrelated concept of wings. We will explore our connection to root...

The Apostle John included many truths and statements JESUS made about the PERSON of the HOLY SPIRIT. One of those recurring truths that JESUS points His followers to is a need one must have if they long to see the HOLY SPIRIT moving and growing in their lives, their church, and their community. If your heart is heavy to see a great movement of GOD in you life, I encourage you to listen to this mes...

About ten years ago, news outlets began reporting on an outbreak of “Identity Theft” scams targeting the IRS and our tax returns. In that season the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released a report that “confirmed IRS identity theft cases, and these returns accounted for additional losses estimated to be more than $5.2 billion.” That was for just one year. While th...

While I’m not a slave to what may be known as the orthodox “church calendar”, I do keep up with it, knowing that millions of my brothers and sisters in Christ live closely tuned into it. With PENTECOST Sunday approaching, I went back and reread a short, but wonderful book by A.W. Tozer entitled, HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. In my opinion, it is a Christian classic and I believe every fol...

Proverbs 31:28 tells us something incredible about Godly Mothers. It says, “Her children stand and bless her.” The verses just before, tell us why that would happen: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing...

In our verse-by-verse journey through the Epistle of James, I am so grateful that the LORD arranged for us to study this passage on the Sunday following the National Day of Prayer. This gratitude exists, because any deeply thoughtful praying, over the serious problems that plague our nation, can sometimes leave one feeling confused, depleted, and maybe even a bit discouraged about the effectivenes...