Category Archives: Sermons Preached

Sermons I Have Preached at Riverview Baptist

Why Are You Here?

Posted on November 11, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

I want to start out this sermon by asking a simple question:

Why are you here today?

Some of you may be thinking, “Because I don’t want to go to that place called HELL”. Well, that’s a good reason. But we don’t come to a Church building in order to win frequent flier miles to Heaven. Salvation is entirely a work of Grace. When you:

Romans 10:9-11 (LSB) CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH Jesus [as] Lord, and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED; 10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”

The Bible is very clear that salvation is not a man-made work. It is a SUPERNATURAL WORK.

Titus 3:5-7 (LSB) {God} saved us, NOT BY WORKS WHICH WE DID IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we would become HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE.

So if you’re here today because you don’t want to die and go to HELL, that’s a good reason. But the day Jesus saved you, God could have taken you to Heaven right then. So if you’re saved, yes, you should be in Church because you are a part of the Church.

The Christian is not to “go to” Church, but to “be” the Church. Christians are members of Christ’s Body. Continue reading →

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Crucified With Christ, A New Creature

Posted on November 4, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

When Paul – guided by the Holy Spirit – started his letter to the Galatians – he was shocked that the Galatians had departed from the Gospel of salvation in Christ (Galatians 1:6-10). Pharisees – many saved by Grace – came into the Church that Jesus died for, and had begun to teach that unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.

Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians around 48 AD while in Antioch, Syria, following his first missionary journey. Paul would travel to Jerusalem in 49 AD and meet with the first Church to discuss circumcision and the Gentiles.

Paul and Barnabas came to the Apostles at the first Church in Jerusalem, and the Church on that day had the most important Business Meeting it would ever have. The Bible says:

Acts 15:5 (ESV) But some BELIEVERS WHO BELONGED TO THE PARTY OF THE PHARISEES rose up and said, “It is necessary to CIRCUMCISE {THE GENTILES} and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Now these Pharisees were sincere believers in Christ. They were not hostile Pharisees, trying to destroy the Gospel. But sincere believers can be in error. This is why God calls us TOGETHER to be His Church.

These Pharisees had received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. As Jewish citizens of Israel, they had been circumcised – most of them on the eighth day following birth. These people were SINCERE. They were not trying to cause divisions in the Church, but were trying to honor God the Son in all that they did. The Apostle Peter stood up and said, … Continue reading →

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We The Prisoners

Posted on November 2, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

The beginning of a person’s salvation is when that person REPENTS. I’ve heard people talk about REPENTANCE as “feeling sorry for or grieving over sin”. That’s not what true REPENTANCE is. The word “REPENT” means “to change the mind”. The first time the word “REPENT” is in the Scripture, it is applied to God Himself. We are told in:

Numbers 23:19 (KJV) God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that He should REPENT {nāḥam}: hath He said, and shall He not do [it]? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

Word Study nāḥam: The Hebrew nāḥam properly means “to sigh, to breathe heavily”. God does not plan a thing, then “sigh” because that thing didn’t happen the way He wanted. People often plan things, but because of circumstances that are unforeseen they can’t make it happen. So then they “sigh” and wish they were better able. “Sigh. I wish I hadn’t done that.” God is not like that. Let me tell you a secret:

What God has planned WILL come to pass, and there is nothing that you or I can do to stop God’s plans!

The nature of God is that He is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, and at all places at all times. What God has decreed will come to pass, even though we as humans do our best to stop Him. God is God, and we are not. Which brings us to the word “REPENT” in the New Testament. This was the first word used when preaching the Gospel. John the Baptist preached:

Matthew 3:2 (NKJV) “REPENT {metanoeō}, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

Our Lord Jesus Christ came preaching:

Matthew 4:17 (KJV) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, REPENT {metanoeō}: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand…. Continue reading →

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Treating Others

Posted on October 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

Those who are born of God (quickened by the Spirit) are born of GRACE. People born of GRACE are GRACIOUS. God’s people are not stingy nor greedy. The eighth commandment, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) and the tenth commandment “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17) address greed and stinginess. God equated stinginess to theft. He told Israel,

Malachi 3:8-10 (NKJV) “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, [Even] this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, THAT THERE MAY BE FOOD IN MY HOUSE, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you [such] blessing That [there will] not [be room] enough [to receive it].

When a people like Israel – born of the Grace of God – becomes greedy and will not give, then it brings a curse on that people. God wanted His people to give “THAT THERE MAY BE FOOD IN MY HOUSE”. Was God Himself hungry? No. But giving to God’s house gives to those in need. The money that comes into this Church supports missionaries, who carry the Gospel where we cannot go. Our Operation Christmas Child boxes that we fill each year go to poor and needy children who otherwise would not have a Christmas. Through Samaritan’s Purse the Gospel is shared with these children. The food we carry out to the homeless feeds them, and as we distribute food we pray with them. … Continue reading →

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Be Careful

Posted on October 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 23:1-3 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Jesus often used exaggeration (also called hyperbole or overstatement) to shock or wake up His listeners to a Biblical truth. For instance, in:

Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV) If your RIGHT EYE CAUSES YOU TO SIN, TEAR IT OUT and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into HELL. 30 And if your RIGHT HAND CAUSES YOU TO SIN, CUT IT OFF and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into HELL.

Does Jesus actually expect you to rip out your eye, or cut off your hand? No. But Jesus was imparting to the crowd the horror that is sin, and the horror that unconfessed and unrepented sin can bring us to. Sin is not a small thing, but a big barrier. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). It would be horrible to rip out an eye, or cut off a hand. As horrendous as the pain is – or even the thought of doing it – the ripped out eye or cut off hand is but temporary pain. You can get over it. BUT HELL IS FOREVER TORMENT, forever separation from God. My commentary notes:

“Jesus uses vivid imagery to convey the gravity of sin, urging His followers to take drastic measures to avoid temptation and sin. The disciples hang on his every word, grappling with the radical nature of his teachings and the call to live a life of holiness and purity. The scene is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of Jesus’ words and the profound depth of His love and grace.”

In another case Jesus told His followers:

John 6:53-58 (HCSB) Jesus said to them, I assure you: UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, YOU DO NOT HAVE LIFE IN YOURSELVES. 54 Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, 55 because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. 56 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.

Did Jesus expect His disciples to cannibalize Him? No. But what He was saying was being saved is more than mere acknowledgment of Jesus – He must be an intimate part of your life. Continue reading →

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The Author, The Achiever, The Architect

Posted on October 28, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

I was at my doctor’s office this past Wednesday, and while I was waiting (and waiting) I was “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:15-16) by reading a good book. The book I’m currently reading is Thomas Watson’s “The Doctrine of Repentance”. Watson was a Puritan Pastor (1620-1686) who rejected the teachings of the Church of England, a spin off of the Catholic Church. He was persecuted as a “non-conformist” because he would not follow the state endorsed churches. Watson died at 66 years old, suddenly, while in his prayer closet with the Lord. The man loved Jesus! In talking about repentance, Watson wrote:

“Before a man can come to Christ, he must first come to himself. … where we cannot see our own sin, there can be no repentance. … Would it not be strange if two people lived together, and ate and drank together, yet did not know each other? But this is how it is with a sinner; his body and soul live together and work together, but still he does not know himself. He does not know his own heart, nor what a hell he carries within him. {Listen to this} People are veiled over with ignorance and self love; they do not see what deformed souls they have. The devil does with them what the falconer does with the hawk. He blindfolds them so they cannot see he is carrying them to hell…”

I like that statement about the sinner, whose “body and soul live together and work together, but still he does not know himself”. I really believe that the reason for the confusion in our country today (transgenderism, choose your pronouns, people trying to be animals or furries, boys in girls sports) is because people are desperately seeking identity, seeking who they are. Beloved,

You will never discover WHO you are until you discover the ONE WHO created you.

It is my prayer today that God give as many as are under the sound of my voice the gift of repentance. When the Apostle Peter was telling the Jewish Church how the Gentiles were being saved through the Gospel of Christ, the Church leaders praised God, saying,

Acts 11:18 (ESV) Then to the Gentiles also GOD HAS GRANTED REPENTANCE that leads to life…. Continue reading →

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Repent, Restore, Reap

Posted on October 28, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

The great Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill said before he went to be with Jesus:

“I don’t ask people if they’re ‘saved’ anymore. Who isn’t ‘saved’, from the White House to the jail house? I look a person in the eye and say, ‘Does Christ live in you?’ ‘I was saved in…’ ‘I didn’t ask you that. I’m asking you does Christ live in you?’ Christianity is the only religion in the world where a man’s God comes and lives inside of him. A Chinese scholar was given a copy of the New Testament. He’s read the Quran, he’s read the Vedas (the Hindi writings), and all the (other) sacred books. (He was asked) ‘What’s the most amazing thing you read?’ He said ‘The most awesome thing is in Ephesians chapter 2. It says ‘I times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. At the end of that chapter it says, ‘You are the habitation of God’. Does your God live inside of you? That’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever read! I’ve never read where a man’s God comes and makes that man the habitation of God.”

God lives in the Christian. Paul starts out this section with the word “BRETHREN”. He’s not talking to Jews (as Paul was a Jew), but but to fellow believers in Christ. The Christian is a person who has been “born again” or “quickened” by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). The Christian is “indwelt by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 8:9). The Christian, as we saw in the last chapter, is called of God to:

Galatians 5:16, 18 (KJV) WALK IN THE SPIRIT… 18 if ye be LED OF THE SPIRIT, ye are not under the law.

The Child of God, the Christ follower, is not to follow after the flesh and after sin, but to follow after the Spirit of God. The Christian is not to be a sinner, but a saint, a disciple of Christ. Saved by Grace, the Bible says to the children of God:… Continue reading →

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The Nature of Christ

Posted on October 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

When the early Church began to grow, and Peter along with the other Apostles went out with the glorious Gospel of Christ, the Church reached out to the Jews, but spent little reaching to the Gentiles. All preaching was on Solomon’s Porch in Jerusalem. All of the Gospel was shared where it was comfortable. We all have that problem within us. We like to stay with the familiar.

It is true that on the Day of Pentecost that God gave Peter and the Apostles the ability to speak in other languages so as to share the Gospel. But the Bible tells us that these people that heard the Gospel on Pentecost were jews:

Acts 2:5 (ESV) Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem JEWS, DEVOUT MEN FROM EVERY NATION under heaven.

These were Jews, not Gentiles. These were Jews who had been living in other countries so long that they had adopted the language of those countries. God gave the 120 from the upper room the ability to share the Gospel in the language these Jews were speaking:

Acts 2:6-8 (ESV) And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that WE HEAR, EACH OF US IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE?

The Holy Spirit empowered the 120 to preach the Gospel. The barriers that God erected at the Tower of Babel were removed – temporarily – so the Gospel could go forth. But listen – the Gospel was being preached to the Jews, not the Gentiles. The languages that they were preaching the Gospel in was the language of “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabians” (Acts 2:9-11). Could Gentiles have been hearing the Gospel? Certainly, but the target was the Jews. Though Phillip did witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:27-39), the target audience of the Gospel was the Jews, not the Gentiles. Continue reading →

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Christ Is Our Peace

Posted on October 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Jesus is an Israelite, but He came to save the world. Not just Jews, but ALL NATIONS. He came as a fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham, “In you shall ALL THE NATIONS be blessed”. The Bible says that Jesus Christ came …

Romans 1:16 (ESV) … to the Jew first and ALSO to the Greek.

Not just to the Jews – but to the Gentiles as well. When Christ came to this world through Israel, Gentiles were segregated from the Jews. Unbelief and fickleness crept into the Israel that God saved by Grace, and Israel was no longer the “light to lighten the Gentiles”. The Gentiles were shunned by the Jews, for the Gentiles were not circumcised.

Ephesians 2:11-12 (KJV) Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world

There was a sad time in our nation’s history when there were “Whites Only” laundromats, “Whites Only” drinking fountains, “Whites Only” restaurants, “Whites Only” schools and businesses. Those who were black were expected to ride in the back of the bus if they rode at all. Imagine how you would feel as a black person in this atmosphere.

This is what the Jews did to the Gentiles.
Not for water, or clothing, or eating, or transportation.
They were told GOD DON’T WANT YOU!

The Gentiles were identified as “Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision”. We were not worthy to go and make sacrifices to God in the Temple. We were not worthy – according to the Pharisees – for us to approach God through a priest. The Outer Court was called the Court of the Gentiles, but even the Jews had taken over this “Blacks only” place. Imagine this. Continue reading →

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The Rapture

Posted on October 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

When confusion is evident, God is not in it. It is the devil who tries to throw a wrench into God’s Work. In the case of the Church at Thessalonica, people were told that “The Day of the Lord” was passed, and that those who died before Jesus came would miss His coming. Christians began to fret and worry that their loved ones would miss out on the glory of Jesus’ coming. So let’s read the Scripture in context. The Apostle writes: Continue reading →

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