Rivercrest Presbyterian Church - Sermons

Samuel is born to an imperfect family but they do prioritize something that's of utmost importance; worship. Hannah has communicated her vow to her husband, he has supported her and encourages her to allow the Lord to establish His word. This family's right choices impacts their next generation as we will see Samuel benefit from their lifestyle.

The prophet Samuel was born to a broken family, just like all of us are. His mother Hannah, dealt with guilt and shame from being barren, but upon honest humble prayer she was remembered by the Lord who loves her.

As Jesus does in all of His teaching, His desire is not just to treat the symptoms, but to get to the heart. And as a measure of grace, He comes and meets us in our blind spots, He meets us with a promised deliverance, and He meets us with a legacy of love.

A heart full of discontentment is the result of loving money. We not only forget about who we are but we forget about our Savior and the eternity which we now live in through His righteousness. Our identity must be that of Christ, to trust and rely on the Lord in all things as He provides for us. Being wise and discerning with money is good, but it doesn't address the root issue of a love of...

The rich young ruler doesn't have a money problem but rather a heart problem. Jesus already knows the situation before it arises and He warns the ruler of the dangers of prosperity and holding our desires and comforts so closely to money. Ultimately the Lord wants our heart and to steward our entire lives for His will and glory, not for ourselves.

Trust and faith in the Lord push back against anxiety and worry. Stewarding all aspects of our lives, Christians are called to lean on their Savior who cares deeply for them and will meet all of their needs.

Christians are justified, adopted, forgiven, made clean, set free, and secured in the salvation of Jesus Christ. So Paul gives us instructions, marks of a true Christian, that we pursue in our sanctification until glory. Thinking back on what's already been accomplished by our loving Savior we move forward and walk by faith as we rejoice in hope, are patient in tribulation, and are constant i...

Jesus is the light that has come into the darkness. The promise for all who believe in Him is that they will no longer walk in darkness, but in the light. This life of hope now shines into a desperate world and proclaims the excellencies of Him who called us out of such darkness and into His marvelous light.

Christians are the light of the world here and now because of our union with Christ. Our witness shines the gospel into the world in which our Savior created and walked. This is His chosen way of life for His people and one that gives us courage as He helps us each and every step of the way.

Christ came in to the world, not in grandeur or with great fanfare, but into normal life. This is precisely where the Lord meets His people, in the ordinary. For the wise men to recognize the star and visit Herod meant they left normal life behind to pursue the One the prophets foretold. The same is required of believers today, to respond to this bright troublesome light and be changed by Him.

Everyone is born into sin, the gloomy darkness but Christ has come and the light is shining into the darkness. Isaiah acknowledges the anxious and worrisome with strong language, that rather than fearing the world and the possibilities of worst case scenarios, we are to fear the Lord. He is ultimate and mighty, the Prince of Peace and Everlasting Father who came as a baby to shine into the darknes...

God makes a declaration in the first moments of creation with His first words being, "Let there be light." Advent always starts in darkness but the light has come into the world and the darkness has not, will not, and cannot overcome it. This rumor of light is Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Deity, coming to fulfill His promise of redemption from all eternity.

Peter closes out his second letter with specific instructions for the church. As we continue to faithfully follow after Christ we are to be on guard and rooted in the Truth so that we don't fall into lawless living. Until Christ comes again we are to grow in grace and knowledge of Him who is our Savior.

Holy living won't just happen in the believer. Jesus demonstrates for us how to live a holy and sacrificial life, one of witness to the world as we join Him in His ultimate plan of redemption. It's His will that is being done through His sanctifying people who must trust in Him and wage war against the sin in our hearts.

Peter has established the importance of his letter, that believers would remember the gospel and stand firm in the face of scoffers and false teachers. The Lord is patient and steadfast towards His people and will judge the world justly. Being outside of time He is greater and grander than all else, deserving of our adoration and praise.

As Peter begins to conclude his final letter he shifts the focus back to his main point; to encourage believers to remember the gospel. Jesus is coming back despite what scoffers say and the hope is for Christians today and until the Last Day when our faith and hope become sight and reality. 

The way of the world is the way of greater angst, anxiety, and ultimately fear. It's a pathway of always walking and never arriving. But what Jesus offers us is something greater. He offers us the way, the truth, and the life. 

Peter continues to emphasize the importance of knowing truth versus false teaching. God has consistently dealt with the righteous in grace and love while judging the wicked, keeping a remnant for Himself. Believers today can rest in Him knowing that it is Christ's righteousness that seals us forever in eternal life, while false teachers and the wicked will not last. 

The eye witness accounts of Peter are unreasonable, though he would have no reason to lie. But the apostle doesn't say "Take my word for it." but rather claims that the Old Testament prophets have been pointing to the very person and moment he is talking about; that Jesus has come and His Word is to be trusted completely.

Peter understands his calling to love believers and is encouraging them to remember the truths of the gospel even after he is gone. The legacy of a Christian is a life of love towards one another, one that points to Christ.

Faith is expressed in faithfulness. For Peter to encourage believers he points them to what faith becomes, not that we would be blind and ineffective in this life, but that our faith would lead to virtue, knowledge of God, steadfastness, brotherly affection, and most importantly - love.

Identity of a Christian cannot be separated from the knowledge of God. The life of godliness as a gift involves knowing the Lord who has revealed Himself to us, as well as revealing ourselves to Him. Through His covenant promises He has demonstrated His love and made us partakers of the divine nature; and Christians are called to such an excellent and abundant life.

Peter begins this letter both with an identity and a goal. He has been saved into servitude of the Lord and at the same time is focused on multiplying grace and peace to all believers who stand equally at the foot of the cross. 

Walking in grace, understanding the call to obedience, and understanding our failure to do it perfectly...it doesn't crush us...but it compels us, and it points us back to our Savior.

Christianity is not an individual faith. The Lord saves His people to a family that is the Church. Therefore unity in the body of Christ is utmost, that the light of the gospel would shine through us as we are together and loving one another.