Rivercrest Presbyterian Church - Sermons

In the parable of the sower, Jesus is explaining the importance of receiving the gospel message. The sower, who is Christ, and the seed, which is the gospel, are constant and true. It's the soils the seed lands on that are different; the hearts of everyone who hears. 

Jesus is a friend of sinners, drawing close to us and extending grace. Though the woman is known to be sinful, she approaches Jesus with humility and faith, while Simon the Pharisee treated Jesus as if he doesn't need Him. There is no one too sinful for God's grace, and no one too far from the feet of Jesus.

Jesus is a good friend, one who reminds John and others of the eternal hope and healing they have in Him by faith. John the Baptist gets high praise from Jesus above all other people, and still as he sits in prison he doubts the Messiah. And it's Jesus' response that is remarkable; He is gentle and patient. The same is true for us in our doubts, that our Great Friend is slow to anger, ab...

In two accounts, Jesus heals and helps loved ones of individuals. For the centurion it was his beloved servant, and for the widow it was her only son. Jesus marvels at the faith of the centurion, healing his servant from afar with authority. It's a testament to how powerful and capable Jesus is in our helplessness. And then Jesus sees the mother in tears and has compassion on her. In a powerf...

Over and above the shine of worldly trinkets, our Heavenly Father, our kind and loving Father has the good gifts of restoration, and life, and eternity for us. We can't get blinded by the counterfeit gods of the world like money, and comfort, and security. These are fleeting. But we must remember that our Savior is here with us. May we be found here with Him!

To be a disciple of Christ we must know Jesus, become like Jesus, and act as Jesus did. He prays, He unifies, He helps, He gives hope. The apostles and the great crowds all go to Him because there is no other person in which they can live. Christians today are to live in the same manner, showing their faith to a watching world.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, He is the Law-Giver, the Healer, and the Son of Man. Accused and despised by the Pharisees, Jesus does what is right in their midst even though they believe His actions during the Sabbath are against the law. They are blind to Him and His mission; to seek and save the lost. Today, we can be blinded too. It's important for Christians to intentionally have time wit...

Jesus cleanses a leper and gives mobility back to a paralyzed man. These miracles point to Jesus' power in restoring and healing the broken and hopeless at a deeper level, a sin level where our greatest need is. Forgiving sins is mankind's greatest need, and Jesus does that for all who believe in Him by faith. Now, those who believe, like the paralyzed man's friends, are sent to be...

Jesus calls His first disciples after performing a miracle in their midst. Simon Peter expresses fear before Jesus when they catch an abundance of fish, but Jesus calmly comforts him and then calls him to respond. Discipleship isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle of surrender and trust in the Almighty God of salvation - the One also concerned with our spiritual formation.

Jesus rebukes fevers and demons in His public ministry. His authority as the Son of God is unmatched. People with various diseases are coming to Him and everyone of them is healed. Though He is serving, healing, giving, and blessing all of these people He doesn't let His tiredness keep Him from doing His Father's will. For us today, Jesus can heal us - He's not too tired or too busy...

Jesus continues His ministry by teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum. A demon-possessed man interrupts His teaching, but Jesus calmly rebukes and casts the demon out. Through holy authority, righteousness, and reverberation Jesus is bringing truth and salvation. 

After being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus returns  to Nazareth to proclaim the gospel in His hometown. At first the people marvel at Him and anticipate what He will do as His fame has grown. But Jesus, after reading Isaiah in the synagogue and teaching about His identity as Lord, is rejected. Not only are we today to follow Jesus and know the gospel, but live it out even when it's difficul...

Jesus enters into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days. While anyone else would have failed, Jesus never gave in to the lies and schemes of Satan. Being well prepared and in full trust of the Word of God and His Heavenly Father, Jesus succeeds. He is truly able to sympathize with our weaknesses as one tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

Luke provides a genealogy of Jesus just as He begins His earthly ministry. From the line of David and Abraham, Jesus fits the requirements of being the Messiah, but Luke's record traces Jesus' roots all the way to Adam and ultimately to God. Being the Second Adam, Jesus does was the First couldn't. He lives a perfect and obedient life so that all can be saved to redemptive life. Thr...

As John the Baptist preaches from Isaiah about the coming Messiah, many wonder how they can live according to the high standard of the law. True heart change doesn't come from behavior modification, it isn't earned or found within someone's own willpower; it is only through Jesus Himself. 

Jesus grew in favor with God and man. As any human grows, so did the Son of God. He perfectly honored His earthly mother and father, while also perfectly honoring His Heavenly Father. Jesus at the age of 12 stays behind at the Temple to keep growing in wisdom and stature in the Lord, having an understanding of His role in the plan of redemption and bringing in the New Covenant. He sought first the...

As the angels appear to the shepherds, there is a humbling and beautiful reality taking place. Though Joseph and Mary are to listen to Caesar Augustus, the real King is being born in a stable. And the command from the Lord to His angels isn't to go tell it to the Roman leaders, the people in positions of power - but to the least of these. Shepherds were unwanted and cast out to do dirty work,...

The Lord comes, not just to the affluent, and not just to the most prominent, but the witness of Scripture is that He comes to the needy, He comes to those who understand that without Him coming to us, we'd have no way of getting to Him. And Mary serves as a model for us, not for how to earn the favor of the Lord, but as a model for receiving the grace and mercy of the Lord.

In the ordinary life of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Lord remembered them and His promises to His people. God meets us in the same way, in our lives to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Zechariah is sent home to tell the truth and good news to his wife, not change the world. Christians today can have peace knowing that a life with Christ is...

The gospel of Luke begins with the goal of a witness and his pattern for presenting the truth of Jesus Christ. Luke is believable not because of his convincing arguments or intelligent writing, but because of his real-time witness of the Son of God. And why does he write this? So that all who read his account will have certainty about Jesus.

Without Christ we are completely needy and unable to do any good, yet through Christ we can do all things. Dependent upon the Lord is the faithful walk of a Christian, and the Church is to uplift, support, and encourage each other to be content and joyful regardless of circumstance, because God will supply our every need. We don't need to doubt, we need to trust.

Conflict, anxiety, and fear arise in all human beings, including inside the church. Engaging with these struggles requires the redemptive work of Christ, who cultivates peacemakers and teammates in the gospel. To think about the good, to dwell on truths of God, to rejoice in this great salvation must be how the church moves forward in love, to make disciples and live freely in hope of our Savior&a...

The Christian life involves a faithful pursuit of Jesus, to follow Him obediently and diligently. Paul strains towards the goal of holiness, is grieved by those in the church who aren't actually pursuing Christ, and reminds us of the assurance of hope and sanctification that has been made possible through Jesus. May we live in that identity, knowing our eternity is set while chasing after the...

We are not, and never will be, good enough on our own. That's the bad news. And that's the burden of human existence. But the good news is that Jesus is. And in and through His grace He gives us His righteousness by faith.

Gospel life focuses on exalting Jesus with the family of faith. In describing Timothy and Epaphorditus the apostle Paul calls them son and brother, faithful friends, focused on what's most important, and striving for the kingdom of God. May Christians today be known for the same things, enjoyed by the Church and pursuing the Lord with their adopted brothers and sisters.