Riverbluff Church Sermons

"Getting UNSTUCK from the Chaos"

If you’ve been with us on our journey through the Book of Daniel, you may recall that the first 6 chapters were written not mostly in Hebrew, but Aramaic, the language of Babylon. They record the adventures of 4 young Hebrew men seeking to live faithfully in the midst of that hostile culture where they’d been taken as captives. Daniel shows us how it is possible to not only survive but thrive in that environment, all while bringing great glory to GOD!

Well, chapter 7 shifts back to the Hebrew language because these prophecies are not so much messages for people “out there”, as they are for us, “in here”, specifically given to “GOD’s people” to prepare us for the future. Until now, the dreams in the Book of Daniel have been given to pagan kings and Daniel is the interpreter. Now, Daniel himself is the one dreaming these fantastic and terrifying dreams. These prophecies designed for “GOD’s people”, are given to teach us how to look at the future so we can be the light of Christ in the present.  They are given to us to adjust our attitudes about the future “from stressful to peaceful”!

Now because studying biblical prophecy can be stress inducing, we must proceed with one very important rule.  That rule is, “DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER”!   I recall years ago reading about a pastor who did a teaching series on “The End-Times” and one of his church members, who disagreed with his interpretation of a specific passage, shot him!  My wife Kathy says that “we’ll have none of that!”

Join us as we see how these ancient prophecies can bring hope and give life to GOD’s people in our day!

Pastor Joe Still

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"How to Live with “INTE-GRITTY”"

In his book GROWING DEEP IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, Charles Swindoll writes:

“Several years ago, in Long Beach, California, a fellow went into a fried chicken place and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date late one afternoon. The young woman at the counter inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day-a whole bag of money (much of it cash) instead of fried chicken. After driving to their picnic site, the two of them sat down to open the meal and enjoy some chicken together. They discovered a whole lot more than chicken--over $800! But he was unusual. He quickly put the money back in the bag. They got back into the car and drove all the way back. Mr. Clean got out, walked in, and became an instant hero. By then the manager was frantic. The guy with the bag of money looked the manager in the eye and said, "I want you to know I came by to get a couple of chicken dinners and wound up with all this money. Here." Well, the manager was thrilled to death. He said, "Oh, great, let me call the newspaper. I'm gonna have your picture put in the local newspaper. You are the most honest person  I have ever met." To which they guy quickly responded, "Oh no, no, don't do that!" Then he leaned closer and whispered, "You see, the woman I'm with is not my wife... she's uh, somebody else's wife."

The man who returned the money could not be considered a person of integrity because, integrity involves “full-integration” across all sectors. The man in the above story had not fully integrated honesty into every sector of his life, just certain parts!

Join me as we study the fulfillment of this great promise from GOD to His people, as Daniel demonstrates for us this week, HOW TO DEVELOP A LIFE OF INTEGRITY!

Pastor Joe Still

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"Will I Speak Truth to Power and to Myself?"

This Sunday, October 11th, we celebrate the 2,565th anniversary of the fulfillment of significant Old Testament prophecies by both the Prophet Isaiah and the Prophet Jeremiah. I was blown away this week as I studied, to discover that we will be studying this event in the natural flow of our journey through Daniel, on the exact day this prophetic consummation happened!

Daniel chapter five details the fulfillment of these incredible prophecies. Isaiah foretold this event approximately 200 years before it occurred, and Jeremiah foretold this moment, at least 70 years before it happened.

I hope you’ll join us as we study the fulfillment of this great promise from GOD to His people, on the exact anniversary of its fulfillment, all while connecting its relevance to our lives today!

Pastor Joe Still

"Don't Let Pride Get Your G.O.A.T."

Healthcare professionals will sometimes use the phrase “silent killer” to describe certain diseases. A quick Google search describes Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) as the top “silent killer” because it typically causes no obvious symptoms for years while quietly damaging the heart, brain, and kidneys. Environmental healthcare professionals refer to carbon monoxide as the silent killer because it is a completely colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. In both cases these “silent killers” operate undetected and eventually lead to death.

I believe that GOD’s Word strongly warns us about a “silent killer” of our souls. The Bible uses phrases like: “God detests…,” “God will not endure…,” “God opposes…,” “God will pay it back in full…” to warn us of this silent killer’s destructive power. I don’t believe the Holy Spirit inspired these Scripture writers to use this strong language casually. I believe they use it because this silent killer is lethal to our relationship with God and with each other.

I’ve served in pastoral ministry now for over 40 years, and in that time, I’ve had people come to me for problems of depression, anxiety, doubt, addictive patterns, lying, and anger mismanagement. I’ve never had somebody ask for an appointment so they could talk about their battle with pride—which is but one reason I’m convinced it is the “silent killer of our souls”! If you think me wrong on this, I’d challenge you to go to any self-help section in any bookstore and compare the number of books you find on developing humility to all the other topics.

In our ongoing journey through the book of Daniel, we’ll see just how destructive pride can be and what measures we can take to avoid becoming a victim of this silent killer. Plan to join us as we as individuals, and as a community, declare war on pride!

Pastor Joe Still

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Website: http://www.riverbluff.org

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Daniel: Hope in a Hostile World - part 3

" Getting Rid of Your Batering Faith"

I write this today, on 9-25, what some are now calling “Dolly Parton Day”, reminiscent of the 1980 comedy movie “9 to 5”, in which she co-starred with Lilly Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dabney Coleman.  Since her passing last month on 8-25, much has been written and spoken about her “personal faith”.  And I’ve been once again fascinated by the conversations in our culture about “faith”, that her life and death have prompted.

Some of those conversations make “faith” sound like a commodity, or some kind of bargaining-chip with God; but what does God’s Word say about “faith”?

Join me as we explore the third chapter of the Book of Daniel and see true, biblical faith, declared and demonstrated in real life!

Pastor Joe Still

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How can we pray for you? http://www.riverbluff.org/help/prayer-request

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Ditching Our "I'm GOD" Delusion

Did you know, according to Wikipedia, that nationally syndicated Radio Hall of Famer, self-titled “Charlamagne tha God,” graduated from Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, after attending night school following a period of incarceration as a teenager? (His given name is Lenard Larry McKelvey.)

While not everyone who has been clinically diagnosed with a “God-complex” (also known as “delusions of grandeur”) has chosen to grant themselves the title “tha God," some people actually suffer with this diagnosable, psychological malady. According to BrightQuest Treatment Centers, true clinical delusions of grandeur affect a very small percentage of the general population (roughly 0.2% to 0.5%). Though the population percentage needing treatment for this condition is very small, I fear that we have all, at least once in our lives, “dabbled” with a delusional moment of acting as if we were GOD!

In Daniel chapter 2, we see this dabbling lived out in the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. It is the beginning of his self-destructive “God-complex”. We also observe Daniel’s pathway to ditch any dabbling delusions that seek to capture our hearts and minds.

I pray that you have already made plans to join us for this message, as we learn from Daniel how to Ditch our “I’M GOD” Delusions.

Pastor Joe Still

"Living with Hope-Built Resolve"

For most who read this, 25 years ago today was not a day filled with hope.  Instead, fear, confusion, and anger gripped us, and our nation, as we repeatedly watched those twin towers explode and fall, the Pentagon in our nation’s capital in flames, and saw the debris field of Flight 93 strewn across the Pennsylvania countryside.  Hope was somewhat allusive that day and we again realized how truly hostile our world could be!

Reading the newsfeeds on my phone this morning, I am again reminded of how hostile our world is!

The 27th book in the Bible bears the name of a young man who faced a day far worse than our, “9-11”.  His name was Daniel.  On his day of great hostility, his entire nation was destroyed.  The great Temple in Jerusalem where he and his people worshipped was ransacked and burned. Many in his nation were either killed, or taken captive and relocated to a foreign land.  And that was just the first of many hostile days in the life of Daniel!

And yet, he lived with HOPE!

This is the first message in a new sermon series on the Book of Daniel.  Why don’t you make plans now to join us each Sunday for the next several months as we learn from Daniel, how to live with HOPE IN A HOSTILE WORLD?

Pastor Joe Still

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Website: http://www.riverbluff.org

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Did you know that the first meal ever eaten on the moon was Holy Communion? Like me, some of you may remember living through this, while others have only read about it in history books.

The year is 1969 and the date is July 20th. Americans across the country gathered around their TVs waiting to see what 10 years earlier President John F. Kennedy said the United States would be the first to do. Put a man on the moon. And on that July day, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in their spider-like Lunar Module.

It would still be some time before Neil Armstrong would utter those now famous words, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Before those words were spoken, there was a period of time when Aldrin and Armstrong would have to wait. Buzz Aldrin came prepared to do something worshipful in the waiting. Blessed and commissioned by his church, he had brought the elements of Holy Communion with him. And in those moments before Neil stepped out of that shuttle onto the moon, Buzz sat in the quietness of space and poured that juice into a little chalice. And there on the moon, on July 20th, 1969, he took the bread and he ate it, and he drank the cup!

This Sunday we will do the same together!

Pastor Joe Still

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Like some of you, I grew up in a day when there were only 3 major television networks to watch on public airwaves.  They were ABC, CBS, & NBC.  In those “early days”, there was also a popular TV Game Show, that eventually aired on all three networks.  It was called “TO TELL THE TRUTH”.  It first aired from 1956-1968 and most recently ran from 2016-2022 with a few other revamps and restarts in between.

The premise of the show is there are three contestants claiming to be a person with an unusual distinction or occupation. One is telling the truth, and the other two are counterfeit. Four celebrity panelists ask them questions trying to discern the truth.

Living in our day, filled with fake news and AI generated images, much feels counterfeit.  Discerning what is real and what is truth can be challenging.  Though we may feel we’re the first generation to face this challenge, we are not.  In fact, for thousands of years, Christ followers have faced this great challenge of separating satanic counterfeits from GOD’s Truth!

That is the primary reason the Apostle John wrote, what we call, his 2nd Epistle (letter).  And John’s HOLY SPIRIT inspired words still provide clear directions for discerning GOD’s Truth in our day.  This week we let the Apostle John guide us into discerning real Truth!

Pastor Joe Still

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Connect with us:

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If you’re a movie go-er you may recall a film released in 2015, simply entitled, “The Walk”. It dramatically depicted the 1974 high-wire walk, taken by that French daredevil Philippe Petit, between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. It had some incredible cinematography. But, that walk was anything but simple!

In 2nd John, the apostle challenges all followers of JESUS to a different kind of “tightrope walk.” Starting this Sunday and running for 2-3 weeks, we will study this one chapter book of the Bible.

Make plans to join me as we take our first step on the tightrope of following JESUS that the Apostle John invites us on!

Pastor Joe Still

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Connect with us:

Website: http://www.riverbluff.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverbluffChurch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverbluffchs/

How can we pray for you? http://www.riverbluff.org/help/prayer-request

Give to the Kingdom work of Riverbluff Church: http://www.riverbluff.org/give