Riverwood Church - Waverly, IA: Sermons

When making small talk with a young person, we often ask, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" And when they respond, we might follow up with something like, "That's great! How are you going to make that dream become a reality?" But rather than ask WHAT they want to do and HOW they are going to do it, perhaps we should be asking "Who are you?" When we ask this of ourselves, this critical que...

Ancient nations longed to have a king rule over them because they believed that a good king would make them safe, strong, victorious, and fulfilled as a nation. We aren't much different in our day and age. While we do not want political kings, we do find personal kings. We long for things, people, or experiences that make us feel safe, strong, victorious, and fulfilled. The problem is, none of the...

Ever felt like a failure when your Plan A didn't go as envisioned? This week, in "The King 2.0" (Part 17 in the "His Story" sermon series from Riverwood Church in Waverly, IA), Pastor Erin Bird shows us the biblical pattern that Plan B might actually be God's Plan A, and you aren't a failure at all - rather you are exactly where God wants you to be.

"Jesus Loves Ruth" is Part 16 in the His Story series from Riverwood Church in Waverly, IA. This week, Pastor Erin Bird walks us through the Old Testament book of Ruth.

Launch Sermon PlayerTo surrender is incredibly difficult (just ask a kid who doesn’t want to obey their parent!). But to have the type of relationship with God that we want, it means we have to surrender. In the story of the battle of Jericho, there are four types of surrender that can help someone become […]

Launch Sermon PlayerOn April 30, Riverwood member Nate Luck shared his story about his spiritual journey of finding Jesus.

Launch Sermon PlayerIn Deuteronomy 18, Moses told the Israelites that God would raise up a prophet, a leader, like him. Listen in to learn how Jesus fulfills this prophecy completely.

Launch Sermon PlayerHave you ever looked at a decision and said in your head “I can’t do that!” or “That’s not possible”? In the book of Numbers chapter 13, we see the Israelites, upon hearing some hard news, adopt a mentality of “impossible!” But in the midst of the people saying, “we can’t!” there were two men who looked toward God […]

Launch Sermon PlayerWhat is your definition of a GOAT?  Is it an animal or is it more?  In this next message in the His Story series, we take a closer look at (the very boring book of) Leviticus and see how 2 goats show us that Jesus is the GOAT.

Launch Sermon PlayerA few years ago, the Ten Commandments were in modern-day news. Should they still be observed? Should they be ignored? Or do these ancient Jewish laws fulfill some other purpose for Jesus-followers in light of the Gospel? Listen in as Pastor Erin explains from Exodus 20:1-17 how the Ten Commandments should or should not affect your life today.

Launch Sermon PlayerEvery human alive has had at least one significant day that changed their lives. Whether it’s the birth of a child, a wedding, graduation day, or their own birth, everyone has gone through a day that changed everything. The ancient Israelites went through a day that changed them as a nation and changed their religion. […]

Launch Sermon PlayerRunning a marathon requires a lot of work and training to get up to the point of running 26.2 miles. But what if you did all the prep work in the last week instead of taking months to train? Or what if you had to give a book report, but all you used in your […]

Launch Sermon PlayerThe story of Jesus goes through some very questionable characters. For instance, this week in Genesis chapters 37-50, we meet a cocky 17-year-old who gets sold into slavery by his half-brothers and thrown in prison by his master, while his older brother sleeps with a cult prostitute – who turned out to be his daughter-in-law. Pretty […]

Launch Sermon PlayerEver felt unloved or even unlovable? The story of Leah and her dysfunctional relationship with her husband, Jacob, and sister, Rachel, from Genesis 29 shows that you are seen, heard, and attached to God, who is worthy to be praised. So listen in to hear just how much you are loved.

Launch Sermon PlayerAbraham is the father of the Jewish faith. The covenant God established with Abraham in Genesis 15 promised a nation would come from Abraham and his descendants. But did you know that same covenant ceremony also pointed to Jesus and the Gospel? Listen to to hear how God revealed the Gospel thousands of […]

Launch Sermon PlayerWe use language everyday. When we communicate well, things go very smoothly. But when there is a breakdown in communication, there is a breakdown in unity. So why would God confuse the language of humans in Genesis 11? And how does the story of the Tower of Babel point to Jesus? Listen in to […]

Launch Sermon PlayerThe story of Noah and the Ark is one of the most horrific stories in all of Scripture. The mass killing of every human on earth except 8 people? Really?!? Come on! And yet, hidden inside this Rated-R story is evidence of Jesus and His gospel message of love and grace.

Launch Sermon PlayerWhy do we do the things we don’t want to do? We eat too much, we drink too much, we buy too much. We know we shouldn’t do them, but we do them anyway. In this fourth message in our His Story series, we see through the sad story of Cain & Abel […]

Launch Sermon PlayerFor some people, the subject of sin is a very uncomfortable topic. For others, it is a ridiculous topic. And yet for others, it’s simply no big deal. But the Bible treats the topic of sin as a very important one that MUST be addressed. And the topic is first discussed very early in […]

Launch Sermon PlayerThere is a mistake that many Christians make with their theology. They start at the wrong place in the Bible. If you follow Jesus and don’t want to make the same mistake, listen in. And while you are at, you’ll also hear about the crazy love God has for humans.

Launch Sermon PlayerWe all love stories. We love reading about a character who overcomes great odds on some kind of adventure. Well, guess what? God wants to author an amazing story in your life. But we’ll warn you – that epic story begins when you understand what the Bible is.

Launch Sermon PlayerSometimes we mistakenly treat intangibles (like love) as if they were tangible objects (like cookies). We act as if giving away the intangible will leave us with less. But things like love and grace and respect aren’t like cookies or gum. Rather, the more you give it away, the more you actually have. […]

Launch Sermon PlayerTruth is incredibly important. In this second part to the Values series, we look at the topic of truth, seeing how there is a negative affect of truth, but a powerful positive aspect to it as well. So listen in to learn why Riverwood as a church values truth, and what it can do for you as […]

Launch Sermon PlayerIf your relationship with God seems a little stale, or you are investigating the Christian faith, or you just want to start your new year off right, we invite you to listen in to this first message from the Values series about the amazingness of Grace.

Part 4 of 4 in the Do Christmas Different series from Riverwood Church in Waverly, Iowa. This week's passage is John 3:16-17 (along with Luke 2:10).