The Good News in the Old Testament - I Samuel 15 (Saul)
/Pastor Jonathan's message today is about hiddenness that can be defined as a person who is secretive or deceptive as seen in the story of Saul.
Current Sermon Series
Our summer sermon series, “The Good News in the Old Testament,” will explore key narratives and figures in the Old Testament and how they relate to the New Teatament life and ministry of Jesus — demonstrating that the Old Testament is not just a historical book but also a revelation that leads us to a deeper understanding of the Good News we have in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
recent Sermons from The River
The Good News in the Old Testament - Samuel
/Matthew Joss, Director of Young Adult Ministries, continues our summer sermon series with a look at lessons from the life of Samuel, focusing on 1 Samuel 7:1-14.
Pentecost 2025
/On this Pentecost Sunday, Jonathan focuses on Galatians 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit.
Good News in the Old Testament - Ruth
/Chris Meckley looks at the book of Ruth, an incredible story of God's love and faithfulness for His people. The book of Ruth is profoundly a book of hope, in contrast to the end of the book of Judges where "everyone did what was right in their own eyes."
Good News in the Old Testament - Judges (Samson)
/The life of Samson can be seen as a play in 3 acts:
Act 1 - Early Life
Act 2 - "Adulthood"
Act 3 - Final Years
His life offers many lessons, most often negative. But his life also shows that, in the end, Samson returned to his initial calling and allowed himself to be used by God.
Good News in the Old Testament - Judges (Gideon)
/No matter what battle we are facing, we can be assured that, if we trust in God, we can be victorious just as Gideon, who put his trust in God, was victorious over the Midianites.
Good News in the Old Testament - Joshua
/The 2025 summer sermon series entitled “Good News in the Old Testament" looks at how there is good news in the Old Testament that leads us to a stronger relationship with Jesus. This week, Jonathan relates five "Ps" - Problem, Promise, Process, Purity, Perfection - to this message on Joshua.
God's Heart for the Nations
/On this third Sunday of Easter, Jack McDonald, one of our Deacons and the head of The River's Missions Team, considered the final words of the resurrected Jesus regarding God's concern for the nations and the mandate He gives to each of us.
The Presence, Peace, and Patience of the Resurrected Christ
/Easter Sunday is past but Easter is not over; we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every Sunday. Deacon Scott Cramer reminds us that if we believe in Him we will never be put to shame.
Easter Sunday 2025
/Happy Easter. He is Risen! Today's message centered on the resurrection of Jesus. Jonathan noted that the resurrection is based in reality; confirmed through people and relationships; and necessitates a response. But rather than a works-oriented righteousness, as other religions teach, Christianity teaches that Jesus brought heaven to us to make us right with God. We must make a decision to follow Christ.
Palm Sunday 2025
/Chris Meckley's Palm Sunday message focused on the history of Palm Sunday and the deep meaning behind it.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: Spiritual Gifts
/Jonathan's message today, the final message in the Discipleship Pathway series, focused on what the scriptures say about spiritual gifts and encouraged all believers to discover the gifts God has given them to use to share the Gospel.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: Sharing through Reason
/Matthew Joss looked at sharing Jesus through reason.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: What Hurts Our Witness
/Jonathan's message focused on ways Christians hurt our witness as mentioned in Luke 11.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: Shepherding Spiritual Generations
/Chris looks at the way that Jesus shepherded his disciples and shared his life with them, and talks about how we are called to shepherd those who are younger in the faith as well.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: Means of Sharing
/Jonathan's sermon today outlines ways of sharing your faith with others that may be more compatible with your personality.
Discipleship Pathway - Sharing Jesus: The Gospel and Barriers to Sharing
/Jonathan begins the third part of the Discipleship Pathway, Sharing Jesus, with a sermon on the barriers preventing us from sharing the Gospel. He outlined multiple ways of sharing and the main reasons followers need to share Jesus.
Discipleship Pathway - Following Jesus with our Bodies
/Today, Jonathan's sermon focused on caring for our bodies in a Biblical way, and what scripture says about things to do for self care.
Discipleship Pathway - Following God with My Money
/Chris Meckley continues the Discipleship Pathway with a message on Following God with My Money.
Discipleship Pathway - Following Jesus into Transformation
/We continue the Discipleship Pathway with Pastor Jonathan speaking about Following Jesus into Transformation.