RiverValley Oshkosh Sermons: Recent Episodes
RiverValley Church
In the account of the rich young ruler, people get caught up in what he was asked to give up; that is probably a commentary on how deep a hold our own possessions have on us. In this sermon, Pastor Dave helps us see what he was asking, and what Jesus was offering.
Peter wraps up his first letter with a call to be watchful, resist the devil, and stand firm in the faith. He does this because we have a real enemy who is like a roaring lion. In this message, Pastor Dave describes our enemies character and strategies.
The air that we breathe is hostile towards humility. Peter concludes his first book by making clear that humility is the key to finding real rest in the chaos that is this world. Humility is the bended knee alignment with God. You should experience it for yourself.
We all spend a lot of time trying to justify ourselves. Sometime believers get discouraged because they aren't getting better faster. That can lead them to run away from God instead of to Him. In this message we look at being forgiven and justified.
In this second part of Romans 6, Pastor Dave lays out in 5 practical steps how we defeat sin. The steps include knowing our position in Christ and then responding to that position. The steps are: 1. You are justified by faith. 2. You died with Christ and rose with Him to new life. 3. So consider yourselves dead to sin. 4. Do not let sin reign in your members. 5. Give yourself to God and your members to righteousness.
Part Three of Romans is about living the Christian life. So far we have looked at condemnation and justification. Today we start sanctification. Sanctification is God's work of making us more like Christ. This week's message starts with: "Why we should not jump ahead to the application of Paul's books without first understanding the theological foundation?"
This Easter we are celebrating via the internet. Our theme is Jesus' victory over death. In this Easter message we see that death is unnatural. We weren't created to die so this whole aging thing feels quite unnatural. Jesus comes on the scene and defeats death by His resurrection, and at His return promises to destroy death once and for all. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Rev.21:4
The results of Adam and Eve's disobedience have reached through the centuries. Two of those consequences are a broken relationship with God and the decay and death of all creation. Romans 8 says that all of creation was subjected to the curse unwillingly, but with hope. Things like the coronavirus are results of that curse and the decay of creation. In both cases the Gospel brings solid hope.
Have you ever wondered if your prayer does any good at all? Pastor Wyatt answers this question in this sermon as we realize that God works through our prayers to unleash Gods power upon the earth.
Living by faith is the point of Romans 4. It is by faith alone, in Christ alone, for His glory alone. In this text, Pastor Dave reminds us that Old & New testament people are saved by faith in Christ alone: Some looking forwards, and us looking backwards.
How can anyone be righteous apart from their behavior? The answer is in Romans 3:21 and following. There is a righteousness that was promised 430 years before the Law of Moses was given. It is revealed in Jesus Christ and is accessible in only one way... Listen and find out.
Many Jews thought their place in heaven was reserved because they were Jewish, and because they had been circumcised. Once Paul explains that neither will save them, they are left wondering, "What is the benefit of being Jewish?" In the same way, you don't get to heaven by being Catholic or Protestant or by being baptized. So what's the benefit? In this message, Pastor Dave explains the great benefit of having the words of God.
What happens to people who have no access to a Bible? Paul anticipates the question as he shares how people are judged who have the law and how they are judged without the law. In this message we look at the truth that God has written his law on our hearts.
In this message we talk about the danger of self-righteousness. We tend to label some sins terrible and some sins excusable. When we think too much of ourselves and minimize our need for grace, we are blind to how kind God's mercy really is. The kindness of God should lead us all to repentance.
When David sinned against God with Bathsheba, his greatest fear was God removing His Spirit from Him. In this message in Romans we see the consequences of not repenting quickly. When we choose to suppress God's righteousness, our hearts become darkened because God withdraws His presence and revelation. The result is that every passion we have is in danger of becoming corrupt and evil.
There are a lot of modern distortions of the church. The Bible makes clear that the church isn't a building, nor is it an order of superior priests. The Church is the body of Christ and every single member is a minister of Christ in this world. Paul prays for the church in Ephesus and this message not only calls out distortions, but also shares the three deep things that Paul prays for all of us who belong to Christ.
Acts 1:8 explains that we are witnesses. For many that word brings fear, anxiety, and guilt. In this message we look at the difference between your part and God's part. The Holy Spirit softens hearts, convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and draws people to Jesus. Our part is to be a witness of what God has done in our lives.
When Jesus shares the parable of the sheep and the goats it sounds like the ones who had compassion on the poor, imprisoned, and sick will get to heaven and the rest are heading for destruction. However, a closer look may help you to understand this text much better. In this message we discover the keys to Biblical compassion.
"Why are you here?" is the question posed in this message. The Scriptures are actually very clear that we have been left here for ministry. Pastor Dave takes a look at the call to ministry, including the motive and model for ministry.
It is my conviction that every believer has to deal with strongholds. Strongholds are areas where Satan has taken a natural desire and supercharged it to create something that controls us. At the core of a stronghold are lies built up to drive a wedge between you and God. In this message we talk about how to overcome strongholds.
Suffering is a common experience. In this message Pastor Dave looks at a philosophical question generated by pain. He also explores the theological answer to suffering and a few practical reasons for pain. Although we try hard to avoid pain, it has some very good results.
Every believer is equipped to hear from God. Jesus said that the indwelling Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth. In this message Pastor Dave teaches about how we hear from God. He also teaches on the principles guide us in discerning whether we are hearing from God or something else.
Pastor Wyatt goes over God's plan for redeeming his people from the depravity of sin that we are in.
In Acts 2:42 we have the job description for every believer. As the church explodes on the scene of history, they begin to establish the key commitments. These four things that we are all to be constantly devoted to will lead to a full Christian life.
Why do verses 9 through 20 of Mark 16 have a parenthesis that says "Earlier manuscripts do not include these verses"? This message explains the manuscript evidence we have and the confidence we can have in the Scriptures.
As Jesus prepared His disciples to be His witnesses he encouraged them to press on, even if the world hated them. The cultural Christianity that pervades the US churches is working towards getting the world to like us, something that Jesus says is an incorrect focus. This does not mean we are to be unkind or obnoxious, but that Jesus makes very clear that the world hated Him first, and because of this, it will be in opposition to the kingdom, to real Christians, and to the Lord Jesus. To love the world is to be an enemy of God.
In this message from John 15:12-17 we look at Jesus' command to "love one another". This was not a call to love the world, but a call to the disciples to love each other, as they were only a day away from being questioned and persecuted for their faith. We look at the command, the example, and the new status Jesus gives us today.
Jesus invites His followers to abide in Him. This high honor is not meant to be something for the Spiritually elite, but is for every follower. We are invited to live every day in a relationship with our Savior. Pastor Dave explains how we abide in Christ and what the results are in this message.
The Bible tells us that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. This means that the Gospel is the power of God for both our justification as well as our sanctification - not just for the forgiveness of our sins, but also the power to grow in the righteousness Christ has given us. How does this work? In Colossians 1, Paul prays for believers to lean in to what God has given them and done for them, and lays out a pattern by which God will grow His people through the Gospel.
What do you need to know about the end times? The day before Jesus was arrested He sat down with his inner circle and told them what to watch for that would be a sign of things to come. The message he shared that day is still important for us today as we see what we need to do in response to the end.
It isn't enough to know that loving the Lord is the most important thing. It begins with making Jesus your Lord and living out your love for Him intentionally.
In Mark 12, Jesus gives the Jewish religious leaders a clear warning about their plan to kill the Son of God. He speaks to them out of the very Psalm they use for the passover so they can't miss it. In this message the characteristics of true grace are also outlined to counter the worldly concept of cheap grace. Proving even at the end God is still extending grace to the hard hearted. We conclude this message with a check of our own hearts.
Immediately after Jesus tells them that he is going to die in Jerusalem a third time, James and John ask if they can sit on His right and left. Talk about oblivious to the needs of others... Which gives Jesus a great opportunity to teach about the difference between the path of this World and the path of the Kingdom of God. They aren't just different, they are opposite. This message clarifies the differences.
This week in Mark, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler. The text says that Jesus loved him. In our culture we seem to think that love equals acceptance of everything. He loved him so much that he addressed the misunderstandings that he had about the gospel. He offers him the solution and an invitation to follow Him, but the rich young man goes away.
The heading in the Bible says "Teaching About Divorce" for Mark 10:1-12. But actually it was the Pharisees trying to get Jesus in trouble, the people wanting to know the acceptable conditions for divorce, and Jesus' reply that they are asking the wrong questions. The real equation is what did God design marriage to be and why? This isn't a complete study of every situation, rather it is an encouragement to pursue Biblical marriage.
A lot of people in our culture want to make Jesus into a blob of love and forgiveness. Of course those are part of His attributes, but He is also dead serious about sin. In this message he uses graphic language to express how serious he is about sin. He also clarifies what it looks like to be a follower of Christ every day.
Nobody likes to fail, but a failed attempt at something can be a great teacher. The disciples fail to cast out an unclean Spirit and it becomes a teaching opportunity for Jesus. He teaches them that their faith isn't in their ability to use thought format, but is in Christ and that some are only affected by preparedness in prayer. This message lays a foundation for being confident even in spiritual attacks.
This message tells the story of the transfiguration and the life-altering moment the disciples had with Christ and the life-altering moment you can have with Christ.
In Mark 8 Jesus begins to set his face toward the cross. He also begins training the disciples. Lesson #1- the values and truths of the Kingdom will collide with the values and ideas of the world. If you want to follow Jesus you will need to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow.
This week we are taking a look at what the Bible says about baptism. We are celebrating 9 baptisms this morning and then talking about the process of coming to faith and then proclaiming it in baptism. We will look at why be baptized, what does baptism do, and who should be baptized.
This Easter morning we took a look at the first Easter. The first Easter wasn't a joy-filled victory celebration. It began wondering if there was any hope at all. It moved to confusion as they tried to figure out what happened to the body of Jesus and concluded with Mary seeing Jesus for herself. Soon after that the joy turned into resolve as Peter and the other disciples encounter the risen Lord.
The cross of Christ is a place of senseless cruelty and amazing grace. As we look at chapter 15 of Mark we see the rejection of the religious leaders, the crowd, Pilate, and the soldiers. Yet the cross is filled with love. As Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice to pay for our sins there were a few who watched all day become convinced that this was no ordinary man.
Statistics tell us that fewer and fewer people believe in hell these days. Yet the Bible hasn't changed at all. There is a phenomenon called the unintentional results. The unintentional result of pastors not talking about hell because it's uncomfortable is that our people have assumed it must not be important. In this message we take a quick look at what the Bible says about hell.
Legalism is something of a swear word in evangelical circles, and with good reason. But Jesus tells us that our inclination towards legalism is a symptom of a much deeper sickness of our hearts. Mark 7 exposes our hearts for what they are, and leaves us with a longing for the One who can give us the new heart we so desperately crave.
This message highlights principles of faith that Jesus was teaching to his disciples in order to grow their faith. It also shows how Jesus is teaching those same things to us today in order that our faith might grow in Christ.
A few signs of the Messiahs arrival would be that He would be anointed to bring good news for the poor, heal the blind, and set captives free (Isa. 62). In Mark 5 He does all three of these things as he sets the demoniac free, heals the woman who touches his coat, and raises Jairus' daughter from death. Jesus does what no one else could do.
Have you ever been gripped by fear or doubt? The storm that caught the disciples on the sea of Galilee terrified them. They woke Jesus up in a panic and He spoke to the sea and the wind and all was still. The disciples moved their focus from the storm to the Lord. Now they were afraid of the power of this God/man because even the wind and waves obeyed him.
Jesus used parables for clarity and confusion. The parable of the sower is the first public parable that he uses specifically to help those who are part of the kingdom understand and those who have rejected him to stay confused. In this parable, Jesus makes clear that as we sow the Word of God it will be rejected, tried, abandoned, and a few will bare amazing fruit.
C.S. Lewis first suggested that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Mark chapter 3 may well be the place where he got that information. In this account, Jesus calls, consecrates, and commissions believers. He has to survive his family thinking he's out of his mind. But the worst is, that the religious leaders harden their hearts and accuse Jesus of serving Satan.
Are you hard hearted? Most people don't think they are, but hard heartedness affects your ability to see the truth. In these four short snap shots, Mark reveals some hard hearts. The narrative of Jesus' life escalates as the Pharisees ask questions about keeping the law. Jesus drops some particularly strategic messages that reveal who He really is. Messages they should have heard if they weren't hard hearted.
In this message on the calling of Levi we see that Jesus was a friend of sinners. Pastor Dave showed us some of the context and the helped us see the cultural lens we look through as we see what it really means to judge someone. The Pharisees judged the tax collectors as unredeemable, but Jesus saw them as in need of the Great Physician.
The crowd came to Jesus to be healed. Some stayed and became committed while others fell away, or were critics. Jesus came to address sin. In this account of the 4 friends of the paralytic we look at the curious, the committed, and the critics and see how they responded to Jesus' message that He had authority to forgive sins.
We had the privilege of hearing from one of our missionaries this Sunday, Zach Harrod. Zach and his family are currently serving as missionaries in the Czech Republic.
These four fishermen never thought of themselves as world changers, but Jesus knew they would be. He called them to follow and immediately he shared a clear message of repentance. He taught with authority, and he stayed the course without wavering. In this message we join these four disciples in watching the Master introduce the kingdom of God.
On the outskirts of the inner circle around Jesus was a young teenager named John Mark. He was there when Jesus was arrested and ran for his life. He was also there when Paul and Barnabas left on their first missionary journey, and he wrote the first short booklet about the life of Jesus. In this message we introduce our study and take a look at preparing the way for the Lord.
First Corinthians 10:1-13 uses two views of the 40 years of wandering by God's Chosen People to give us some powerful examples of God's consistent blessings and his warnings about our lives. As we move into 2019, the reality of God's blessings and the truth of His warnings can be helpful companions on the way. Jesus said, "I am with you always."
Imagine being stuck in a cave with no lights. After a while the darkness would begin to feel oppressive. Then imagine a tiny light starting to appear. It was into deep darkness that a child was born and his name was Mighty God. In this message we look at Jesus, the Mighty God, who brings hope into the dark.
What's in a name? Isaiah gives 4 names to Jesus, the first of which is Wonderful Counselor. In this message we look at the characteristics of kings, the results of their leadership, and in contrast, Jesus, who is the Wonderful Advisor...
Every Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. This year we are looking at Isaiah's prophetic words about the coming Messiah. We begin by examining the unusual, joyful, and powerful birth that changed the world.
As we think about our walk with the Lord we sometimes forget that we are in a spiritual battle. We cannot approach our life here on this earth passively. There is too much at stake that we cannot afford to live in passivity.
Some sin clings to us like a leaf that doesn't drop in the fall, but it will drop when the new life of spring courses through the tree. In the same way some of the old self is put off by putting on the new life and allowing it to course through our spiritual veins. This final message of the series is all about what we get to put on.
Many people think that Christianity is about improving your behavior. A crucified life isn't about improving a behavior or two, it's a core exchange of purpose and identity. This week we look at killing sin and how to break the pattern of sin.
Just because our culture has reassigned sin titles that are not nearly as offensive doesn't mean God no longer cares about sin. This is the first of 3 messages on killing sin. In this message we look at how to make sure you fail, and ways to move toward victory.
Guilt and shame are two results of the fall that follow us to the grave. In this message we explore two distortions of the normal guilt and shame from the fall. They are guilt without shame and shame without guilt. The cross has the answer for both of these distortions.
The Psalms are filled with heartfelt expressions of the battle between David's fallen soul and the Spirit of God. In this message we look at how our emotions flow from our sin-stained souls. This doesn't mean that feelings are sin, they are not, only that they flow from a damaged and insecure soul. This message will give you some practical ways to address anxiety, fear, worry, and panic.
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it will not bear fruit. Our lives are that seed. I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer my life. A crucified life is a life that belongs to Christ - our agenda and all. In this message we look at four aspects of a crucified agenda.
"There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When you read this verse, do you add a phrase beginning with the word, "unless?" This week we look at our non-condemned state and we transition to how we practice living the crucified life. How important is this position? Find out in this message.
What does Paul mean when he says, "If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it?" Is this the lamest excuse in the book, or was he saying something else. In this second part of sermons on Romans 7 we will see what Paul was saying and explore the new crucified life, and the residual indwelling sin.
In this message Paul begins to describe the battle that wages war inside of all believers. He explains that the law is good, but we are not. You may find it odd, but the understanding that the law is good and the acute awareness that we are not righteous is a sign that we are Christians. In this message Pastor Dave also takes time to explain how we interpret Scripture and why it's important.
Why did Jesus have to die? This is an important question to answer. Although justice is a difficult concept the Scriptures are clear that God has assigned the wage of sin and then paid that wage through Jesus. We then have the privilege of proclaiming a crucified Savior who initiates our reconciliation, pays our debt, and forgives us.
Today we introduced a new series called "Following Jesus Will Kill You." This series is based on Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ..." This message starts the series by clarifying what it means to have been, PAST TENSE, crucified with Christ, and how we live that life out in flesh.
The final sermon in the Life Practices series is on investing eternally. As we grow spiritually we realize that we can trade temporary things for eternal ones. This sermon focuses on three areas in which we can invest eternally. We can invest our resources, our character and our testimony for eternity.
Anxiety is the thief of awe. Anxiety causes us to focus primarily on our circumstances, and not focus on the things God has put around us to remind us of His glory. So how can we handle anxiety biblically? What kinds of things can we set our minds on to help us remember our awesome God? All of the means for our victory over the worries of life are rooted in a proper awe of our God.
Sometimes the instructions God gives in His word are the direct way that we are to address a problem. In this message you will see that a life of praise is a practice that will help you conquer your natural tendency to suppress the truth. Don't recognize the connection? Well listen and see if it doesn't make sense.
This week, RVC elder Eric Leinen teaches about the Life Practice of "remembering" by examining the life of the Israelites, their forgetfulness, and God's faithfulness to us in the midst of our own forgetfulness.
This week we began our new series called "Life Practices." Over the next few Sundays we'll explore different spiritual disciplines to grow in our walk with Christ. This message focuses on John chapter 15 and what it looks like to abide in Jesus.