Category Archives: Sermons Preached

Sermons I Have Preached at Riverview Baptist

Breastplate of Righteousness: Ephesians 6:12-14

Posted on March 3, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Minnesota Representative (R) Walter Hudson is first and foremost a Bible Based Christian. He has a podcast called “Closing Argument”. On a recent episode he spoke of “Hallmark Theology”, which is what many Churches have defaulted to today. Hallmark Theology portrays Christianity – as – Walter states:

“a mandate to project positivity, approval, and good wishes regardless of circumstances, actions or consequences. That’s not Christianity. That’s Hallmark Theology. The Bible does not teach us to shine the light of affirmation. It teaches us to shine the light of truth. Truth is not always comforting. Truth exposes. It divides. It demands repentance. And truth carries consequences. If your version of Christianity never makes anyone uncomfortable, never challenges wrongdoing, never calls sin what it is, never demands accountability, then you’re not practicing Christianity, you’re practicing emotional validation with Bible verses taped on to it. … Hell exists because precisely because light is just not pleasant, light reveals reality, and sometimes reality can be unbearable. Light is not vibes. Light is not niceness. Light is not emotional soothing. Light is revelation, and revelation is often painful.”

You may disagree with that statement, but every bit of it is Biblically true. Jesus flipped over the moneychangers tables. Jesus shamed the Pharisees and Chief Priests. John the Baptist called the self righteous “a brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), and our Lord Jesus publicly called them the same (Matthew 12:34; 23:33). Jesus lashed out at the self righteous Sadducees,… Continue reading →

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Manifesting The Word Of God

Posted on March 3, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Titus 1:1-4 (KJV) Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, [mine] own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Introduction

What in the world are we doing in the Book of Titus? I imagine as you read this you’re thinking, “What does this have to do with me?”. As a matter of fact, in 30 years of ministry, the only sermons I’ve ever preached from Titus are in Titus 2:11-15. I didn’t realize that until just the other day. I usually preach the Gospels, the Church Epistles (like Romans, Corinthians), the General Epistles (like James, Peter, John), or the Revelation. Titus is called a Pastoral Epistle. There are two Pastoral Epistles,

Timothy (1 & 2)
Titus

Let’s talk about the two men Timothy and Titus. When Paul went out to preach there were two young men who went with him that he led to the Lord. Timothy, who Paul called “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2) had a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. Paul left Timothy is Ephesus to help establish the Church there.

Titus, who Paul called “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4), was a Gentile. When Gentiles began to enter the Church by faith in Christ (for initially it was entirely Jewish), Paul and Titus met with the Apostles to discuss whether saved Gentiles had to follow the Law of Moses. This meeting is described in:
Continue reading →

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Suiting Up For Battle

Posted on February 25, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Ephesians 6:12 For we WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our enemy is an ancient foe, one who manifested himself in the Garden of Eden as a crafty beast of the field, a serpent. Again, our battle is not against flesh and blood. The serpent was not a serpent, though it looked like a serpent to Adam and Eve. The serpent was a possessed creature, possessed of an angelic being named Lucifer, Satan, the Devil (Revelation 12:9). In the end God will imprison that old serpent (Revelation 20:2), and will ultimately cast it into hell. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 25:41 (LSB) {God} will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS

There will come a day when Satan and the fallen angels will be cast into a Lake of Fire forever, a day when God will re-create the earth without sin and sinners. But until that day, Satan “our Adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We have no ability within ourselves to do battle with a spiritual being like a fallen angel. We cannot, within our own abilities, wrestle with satanic forces and win. It is impossible. But our Lord Jesus said: Continue reading →

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The Worst Employer

Posted on February 25, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

I get most of my news off of the Internet, not the legacy media. The legacy media (NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, FOX) long ago stopped reporting just the news, and began reporting opinion and trying to push it off on the public as news. There is a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with flesh and blood. It has to do with Satan. As we’ve studied before, the Bible tells the children of God:

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) we WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, but against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS, against the RULERS OF THE DARKNESS of this world, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places.

We are in the middle of an angelic conflict, and what is fantastic is that most people who profess to be Christian have no idea this is going on. I heard a comedian joking to an audience that “when I was a kid, they taught critical thinking”. Thankfully they don’t do that anymore.

And they don’t. The devil and the fallen angels of this world work with “philosophy and vain or empty deceit, following man made tradition and not Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Our enemy is NOT flesh and blood. When Lucifer led a rebellion of a third of the angels from Heaven against God (Revelation 12:4), and he was cast out of Heaven to this earth, he has made it his priority to do everything he can to destroy humanity. It was this same Lucifer who, as “that Old Serpent” appeared in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve (Revelation 12:9). When the Messiah came into the world through a virgin and the Holy Spirit, it was Lucifer who led Herod to kill that Christ Child (Revelation 12:4, 6; Matthew 2:3, 14-16). When Herod could not find Jesus (for Joseph was led to carry his family to Egypt), he… Continue reading →

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The “L” Word

Posted on February 25, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

I saw a young lady the other day “deconstructing” her faith on Youtube. This is a new and popular thing to do among so called “young ex-Christians”, some Christian music artists who’ve made millions singing about Jesus. This young lady was saying “I thought I was a Christian. I made myself a Christian, but now I’ve changed my mind.”. She said:

“I got saved (mocking voice on saved) when in a very vulnerable position. I was struggling with alcohol, drugs, you know. That’s how I got in. When I came to the faith, I was like, the prime Christian. I was the Christian on fire. My whole congregation, I lit a flame up under their —es. They loved to see me coming. I can’t tell you how many times I went up in front of the Church, because you had to do that if you were found out in sin. … I would show up on my pastor’s porch and tell him I had sex with somebody. Then I would stand in front of the congregation, and confess my sin.”

The girl was never saved. Her testimony was all about I. In one short statement about her faith, she never spoke about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, but about I. This young lady was never born again. She was a repeat fornicator. How can I say with assurance that she was never saved? Because Jesus spoke of such people.

Mechanics of Salvation: Jesus explained the mechanics of salvation in His parable of the Sower, also called the Parable of the Soils. It’s found in three Gospels:

Matthew 13:3-23
Mark 4:1-20
Luke 8:4-15

In this parable Jesus talks about the Sower sowing the seed of the Gospel. As the Sower sowed, some seed fell on the packed down path (Matthew 13:4). Other seed fell on rocky ground (Matthew 13:5-6). Yet other seed fell among thorns (Matthew 13:7). But the seed that fell on good soil, it PRODUCED fruit (Matthew 13:8).

Jesus was careful to explain the parable to His disciples, but NOT TO THE CROWD. Only those who were in a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with Him heard the explanation. Why? Why did Jesus speak in parables? I’ve heard preachers mistakenly say “to make it easier to understand”. But Jesus explained this:… Continue reading →

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Right Place, Right Time

Posted on February 13, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 27:8 As a bird that WANDERETH {nāḏaḏ} from her nest, so is a man that WANDERETH {nāḏaḏ} from his place.

Word Study: The word translated “WANDERETH” is the Greek nāḏaḏ, which means to “stray, retreat from the safety of, to be chased from”. The safest place for a bird to be is in its nest. It is when the bird leaves its nest to seek food or freedom that it is subject to being attacked by a bird of prey. God even gave a special provision in the Law:

Deuteronomy 22:6-7 (LSB) If A BIRD’S NEST happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you SHALL NOT TAKE THE MOTHER WITH THE YOUNG; 7 you shall surely LET THE MOTHER GO, and TAKE THE YOUNG FOR YOURSELF, that it may be well with you and that YOU MAY PROLONG YOUR DAYS.

If you came upon a bird sitting on her eggs, it was acceptable to take the eggs for food – but not to kill the mother. The nest was a place of safety. How does this relate to the man? In the Bible, there are times when the relationship we have with our God is poetically expressed, as if God is a Mother Bird and we are the chicks. This is particularly found in the Psalms: Continue reading →

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You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Building

Posted on February 10, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

In the 1950s Solomon Asch (pronounced ash) conducted a series of social psychology studies to determine how people conform to group peer pressure. Asch had a PhD in psychology, and taught at Swarthmore College and Harvard University. Dr Asch wanted to see how peer pressure would cause someone to conform to the majority opinion even when that opinion was obviously wrong. Dr Asch asked an individual to take part in a vision test. The test subject was placed in a group of 7-9 people, but here’s the rub:

Only one person was being tested.

The other participants were actors that Dr Asch employed, and they were supposed to purposely agree to give a wrong answer. The participants were shown cards with one standard line, and three comparison lines labeled “A”, “B”, and “C”. The participants were asked to specify which of the comparison lines looked like the standard line. Very simple. Dr Asch would ask the participants which line matched, one at a time, and would always ask the test subject last. When the first few cards were shown, both the actors and the participant (who didn’t know the others were actors) all answered correctly. Then the actors intentionally began to give the same wrong answer. At first, the test subject stood against the group, and answered correctly. But after the first or second disagreement, the test subject – about 75% of the time – would conform to what the actors said. Only about 25% of those tested refused to give a wrong answer in order to please the group. This only mattered in open discussion in the group. When secret ballots were taken, conformity to the group dropped.

Recently Senator Josh Hawley questioned Dr. Nisha Verma, a board certified OB/GYN, asking her simply (and about 10 times) “Can men get pregnant?”. She refused to answer the question. The Senator asked her:

“It’s not complex. I’m trying to get to an answer, and I’m trying to test, frankly, your veracity as a medical professional and as a scientist, can men get pregnant?”

She refused to answer, but verbally danced around the question. Why?

Because we live in a dark, sin addled world. Jesus said, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). He said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes in Me will not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).

When someone comes to Jesus and gives their life to Him, He “sets them free from slavery to sin” (Romans 6:17-18, 20; Titus 3:3). Believers do not become sinless, but to us sin is abnormal, not normal. Jesus knew that when He sent us into the world that the believer would be at odds with the unbeliever. Jesus told us:

Matthew 10:34-36 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD. Continue reading →

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Be Strong In The Lord

Posted on February 10, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

I love a good steak. When you’re getting a good steak from the store, the best steaks come not from the the part of the cow where the muscles are, but from areas on the cow that are not exercised. Muscle makes tough meat. The more it works, the tougher it is to eat! I’ve heard about a type of cow called Wagu Beef (Kuroge). The Wagu beef is fed a specialized diet. It is kept in clean, calm, stress free environments with ample space, good water, nice shade. The cow is fed only the best grain feed, beer or red wine to stimulate its appetite, and everything is done to keep the animal happy and rested. The more it works, the tougher it is to eat. The animal is kept in a pristine state – until the day of slaughter. When killed, the animal feels no pain during the process. The cow is petted until one day – surprise – it becomes Wagu! Sold for up to $300 per pound, in the end its nothing but food.

We often complain about trials and tribulations (like this winter storm we just went through”. Sometimes the complaining is accusatory. I’ve heard people say,

“If God is such a good God, why do we have trials and tribulation? Why is life so often tough?”

Trials and tribulations drive us into the arms of God. I hope you prayed frequently during the storms, asking that God be glorified as this fallen world buffeted us. I know I did. I learned how to pray in a hospital with a shattered led. Trials and tribulations make us stronger. Our Lord Jesus said in His ministry: Continue reading →

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Hungry For God

Posted on February 6, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

The Bible has a lot of prohibitions against bragging. The person who loves to brag on their own accomplishments, their great feats, is in a very dangerous position. Goliath mocked David, and boasted:

1 Samuel 17:44 Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.

Goliath filled himself with himself, with his own power, with his own prowess. David on the other hand emptied himself. Rather than boast back to Goliath, he bragged on the power of God in him:

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (LSB) David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I COME TO YOU IN THE NAME OF YAHWEH of hosts, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have reproached. [46] This day YAHWEH WILL DELIVER YOU INTO MY HANDS, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the camp of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, [47] and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh does not save by sword or by spear; for THE BATTLE IS YAHWEH’S, and He will give you into our hands.”

Goliath’s power and size were given to him by God. That which we have, be it beauty, or wit, or charisma, or power, the station we occupy in life, these all come from the hands of God. “Pride goes before destruction” we are told in Proverbs 16:18. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace” notes Proverbs 11:2. If you have been given great gifts, give God the praise, not yourself. … Continue reading →

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The Deceiver, The Lāhâ (Pronounced law-hah’)

Posted on January 21, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 26:18-19 As a MAD MAN {Lāhâ} who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, 19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

Word Study: Last week we learned about the meddler, who sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong. The meddler “meddles with strife that doesn’t belong to him”. The Bible warns that this is like “taking a passing dog by the ears”. He brings his own punishment on himself. But this week we look at the “MAD MAN” or the Lāhâ, “the arsonist or person who loves to see things burn, or to make others weary or faint”. The Lāhâ is not self destructive, but loves to start trouble. The Lāhâ is described only one other time in the Scripture, in the Book of Genesis during the time of Joseph. The Scripture says:

Genesis 47:13 (KJV) And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan FAINTED {Lāhâ} by reason of the famine. Continue reading →

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