The River Church Sermons

How do we really change the shape and formation of our lives for good? I’ve been pushed often to just try harder, or pray or read my Bible more. I’ve tried “white-knuckling” it, trying to exert more will-power to stop doing the stuff I know doesn’t please God. I’ve also fallen into the temptation to make and follow more rules, to build a religious-boundary hiding my broken insides. I’ve been a Chr...

It's not difficult to think of ways that community can be an important ingredient for transformation into maturity--encouragement, accountability, support, etc. But what if the role of church community in transformation is more spiritually powerful and personal than simply providing some necessary encouragement and accountability for growth? What if obeying Jesus' command to love one another is ac...

We are in a new series, The Big T... Transformation. Change for the better or as Bill MacPhee said the other day, change for good! I like that. How to change for good. Well, this week is step one - what you believe will change you. We are what we believe. John 1:1-17 - believe that God sent Jesus and your world changes with it.

We are starting a new series called Transformation - How to Change for the Better. This is the year of growing deeper in our faith. If we want more out of our walk with Jesus, we’ve got to make some changes. There are things you are doing right now that maybe you need stop doing. There are things you are not doing that might be a good idea to start doing. And that goes for your thinking as well. S...

Let's celebrate not just an incredible moment in human history, but let's celebrate the reality that God has not only entered into our suffering, but in the resurrection, worked out a majestic solution to the human predicament. We will open the windows and doors of our lives to hope!

Cat Stevens wrote the song, Wild World ages ago. "Oh baby baby it's a wild world It's hard to get by just upon a smile…" A smile is not enough but it sure helps after a break up, news of a layoff, 3rd quarter disappointing results, feeling rejected or misunderstood, or being persecuted for being a Christ follower. But is it enough? Distressed, tested by fire, an inexpressible joy. How do those go...

I have discovered that people will anchor their lives to something temporal or what is eternal. It is revealed most clearly through suffering. A bad situation won’t keep a good man or woman down. But have you ever asked yourself why that is? I Peter 1:1-9 reveals the answer. It’s living a Christ-centered life by fixing your hope to the eternal reality of the resurrection. Let me challenge your thi...

Our new series is entitled “Why Jesus is the center of becoming a mature follower of Christ.” Not the catchiest title we've ever come up with, but don't let the title take away from how important this series really is! Jesus and the resurrection are at the center of everything for us as believers. Last week Bill did such a beautiful job of bringing home the Truth that for those of us in Christ, li...

As we journey closer to Easter, our next four Sunday gatherings will focus on how Jesus' cross and especially his resurrection are not only the center of all history, but the indispensable cornerstone to life that is hopeful, non-anxious, confident, loving, and purposeful. A disciple or follower of Jesus who is on the path toward maturity keeps growing in a life that is shaped by Jesus' cross, and...

I am speaking on a very controversial topic this weekend from the life of Elijah: depression. Did Elijah fall into depression? Was it severe? How do we know? Lots of questions. One of the problems is we are trying to diagnose a 9th century BC patient with 21st century medical knowledge. All we really know is Elijah got kicked in the butt. He went down hard. Jezebel wanted him dead after slaying he...

If you’ve ever been in a conflict or conversation about a tense issue (which, duh, you have—welcome to planet earth), then you’re well aware of how frustrating and unhelpful it can be when someone responds with defensiveness and blame shifting. And if we’re all honest, we’ve each done our fair share of defensive and blame shifting responses ourselves. But beyond being frustrating and unhelpful, de...

Did you ever go to a Billy Graham crusade and hear George Beverly Shea sing Victory in Jesus? OK, maybe that was before your time. But the moment was electrifying as thousands and thousands of people gathered. The Billy Graham crusades highlighted victory in Jesus. Billy Graham would get up and talk about the cultural problems we face, idols, and then launch into a gospel message. Jesus is always...

Ready set wait. A runner hears the gun and does not lift her head to her ascent. She remains in a four point sprint start waiting position. Her head bowed. Her feet firm ready to bounce. She’s in a race but does not move. It’s so counterintuitive we can hardly imagine the scene. A runner that doesn’t run? What is she waiting for? Unless she is running a different race. From a biblical perspective,...

I have heard this phrase thrown around for years, “We are to serve the Lord.” What in the heck does that mean? Psalm 100 says to do it with gladness. Joshua said, "As for he and his house, they will serve the Lord." OK. But what does that mean? Elijah is called to serve the Lord in I Kings 17-19 by confronting a wayward king and an idolatrous nation. You also see him serving Obadiah, and the widow...

Here are a couple big, fat biblical-theological ideas of which I am convinced: 1) God is an expert teacher and 2) the Bible is repetitive. If you spend any time listening to the tales and teachings of scripture, you quickly discover that a handful of very basic themes reappear again and again. I do not think this repetition is a failure of literary beauty; I think it is a mark of pedagogical brill...

The reluctant prophet. That is the story of most of the prophets, except eager Isaiah who said, “Here I am, Lord, Send me!” I hate to say it, but I kinda think he’s a bit too happy for me. Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, I can relate to these guys. Jonah got spit up on the shore of Nineveh. He tried running. Jeremiah needed convincing. Before you were born, I appointed you. How dramatic. Elijah,...

Elijah is the story of every one of us, if we desire more. Do you want more? Contentment is often the product of choosing compromise over commitment. But it’s momentary. You can be content for awhile, but you will yearn for more. Holding on to what you have does not lead to lasting contentment. Elijah challenges us to seek more in our lives. But it comes at a cost. All good things do. Do you want...

Watch our River Kids as they share with us the Christmas Story with us. Then, I'll put forth my best effort to follow their dazzle with a message about a handful of shepherds who leave the nighttime darkness of their fields to find the light emanating from the manger bed of Jesus. They heard the good news from an angel, they took the initiative, they got up, and they went to see. At this stage of...

Jesus came into a world of darkness to save us from our darkness. Think about that. The world is a dark place. But so also are our hearts. That is why Jesus himself was born into such a broken and vulnerable set of circumstances to a poor family. He became human to absorb our fallen humanness, to heal, not destroy. We deserve death. We get life because in his humanness, he sacrificed himself on ou...

We live in a world that often feels make believe. The line between fantasy and truth has been blurred. We are told one thing, but we know it's not true. We refuse to believe what we know is true because it's inconvenient. We cover up some, bury others, and believe what is most convenient whether it’s true or not. Yet, in the midst of this fantastical haze we live in, the Christmas story breaks thr...

Whether you are snuggling up to the season or sketching out a survival strategy, join us for some connection, worship, and a simple sermon in that space between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’re going to re-experience an often-overlooked slice of the Christmas story and learn something about the beauty of living in response. In the meantime, may God smile richly on your celebrations!

Acts of the Holy Spirit by The River Church of the South Bay

At the heart of life with Jesus is a paradox. On the one hand life with Jesus is, to reference the late pastor-theologian Eugene Peterson, “a long obedience in the same direction.” On the other hand, Scripture shows us that one of the greatest threats to our individual joy in God and the forward advance of God’s mission is settling for business as usual. So what does it look like to live with sett...

Ask any young person entering the workforce what they hope for in their career and you'll hear (among other things) a consistent theme: purpose. Ours is a cultural moment especially shaped by a fundamental desire of the human heart--we want not only a desirable lifestyle, but also a desirable purpose to give our lives to. All of which brings to light the beauty of life with Jesus. Jesus invites us...

This week I want to tell you two stories and intertwine them together. The first is of a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb. The author of this story, CS Lewis, said Eustace was so annoying he almost deserved his name, and it's a bad name. I want to tell you how this annoying boy became a dragon, and then how he turned back into a boy. It's a beautiful story! The second story is of the young church...