TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE In A Mystery BY Nathanael Ballew DATE: Sunday 10 November 2024 Bible Passages: Ephesians 3:1-21 Have you ever needed glasses? The first time you put a pair of glasses on that have the correct lenses, it’s almost miraculous! The world suddenly becomes much, much clearer! It’s almost as if you hadn’t realised how fuzzy things were until you put on the right pair of glasses. The same is true about Jesus. Once we understand what is available in Jesus, it’s as if the ...
Nov 10, 2024•14 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In BY: Duncan Banks DATE: Sunday 27 October 2024 From our guest speaker from the Further Faster Network. It's tough to get life right when you keep getting Jesus wrong. When you look deeper at Jesus, you understand everything about him is counter intuitive, counter cultural, upside down and maybe even a little backwards. So let's take a whistle-stop tour through his life and look at Jesus in a way we’ve maybe never looked at him before. Welcome: What's true of Riverside C...
Nov 03, 2024•30 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE In A Different Kind Of Tribe BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday 27 October 2024 Bible Passages: Ephesians 2:11-22 It is easy to nod along with Gandhi’s famous quote, ‘I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.’ But what if our judgement about other Christians is more of a statement about ourselves than it is about them? The beautiful, and inconvenient, truth about being a Christian is that the moment we become Children of God is the same moment we become a broth...
Oct 27, 2024•22 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE In A Community Of Grace BY: Ben Person DATE: Sunday 20 October 2024 Bible Passage: Ephesians 2: 1-10 EXCERPT: A famous story is told about C.S. Lewis, the twentieth-century English writer. During a conference on the difference and similarities between the major global religions, Lewis entered a room halfway through a debate. “What’s the rumpus about?”, he asked. He was told that they were discussing what was unique about Christianity. “Oh, that’s easy.” Lewis rep...
Oct 20, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE In The Know BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday 13 October 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Ephesians 1:15-21 EXCERPT: In the prayer of thanksgiving from Ephesians 1:15-21, Paul encourages us to rediscover all the riches that we have by being “in Christ. “ He prays for the church that we would know God more. He asks that we live afresh in the hope we already have in what Jesus has done for us. His prayer is that we would know that the resurrection power that raised Jesus from the de...
Oct 13, 2024•26 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE You’re In BY: Nathanael Ballew DATE: Sunday 6 October 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Ephesians Chapter 1, verse 13-14 EXCERPT: Mahatma Gandhi famously once said, 'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.' It's not difficult to understand what he meant. Why is it that followers of Jesus seem, sometimes, to be so unlike the Jesus they follow? Why does Christianity often appear to be bad news, rather than good? And, for some of us, the question is much more personal...
Oct 06, 2024•28 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE In A Very Rich Family BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday 29 September 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Ephesians 1: 1-12 EXCERPT: When you were young, did you judge a Christmas present on the size of the present? Were you slightly disappointed when you got a smaller parcel than someone else? What if God offers something to you that is the best possible gift, and yet you completed misjudged what it was. What if his gift to you was so much more wonderful than you ever realised. Welco...
Sep 29, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: I Want In TITLE: The In Crowd BY: Sarah Auger DATE: Sunday 22 September 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Acts 19:1-21 EXCERPT: What if Jesus wants to disrupt everything you ever believed to be true? What if the offer he extends to you is more incredible than you ever imagined, more disruptive to your life than you thought, and more transformational than you could ever dream? Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a jour...
Sep 22, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: A Necessary Embrace TITLE: I Will Not Let You Go BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 15 September 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Genesis 32:22-32 EXCERPT: There is one flag around the world that signifies surrender – the white flag. In war, when the white flag is raised, the battle is over. What if we could wave a white flag towards God? In the ancient story of Jacob, we witness a ‘white flag’ being waved. But, this white flag is no ordinary flag. In fact, as we look closely, we get to see that...
Sep 15, 2024•23 min
TEACHING SERIES: A Necessary Embrace TITLE: And Yet My Life Was Spared BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 8 September 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Genesis 32:22-32 EXCERPT: Imagine if you came face to face with God, what do you think would happen? What impact would it have on your life? The ancient figure of Jacob discovered that it changed everything. He was never the same again. That’s because once you’ve been face to face with God, you can be face to face with anything. Welcome: What's true of Riverside C...
Sep 08, 2024•22 min
TEACHING SERIES: A Necessary Embrace TITLE: Unless you bless me BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 1 September 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Genesis 32:22-32 EXCERPT: Life doesn’t just happen to you…you’ve got to make life happen for you. That’s the mantra, isn’t it? You can’t trust anyone except yourself. And so, if you want to be successful in life, you’ve got to get out there and make it happen. That’s what Jacob thought. But he was in for a shock. Join us as we begin this series to discover the shock of d...
Sep 01, 2024•19 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know TITLE: Don’t Stress The Details BY: Nathanael Ballew DATE: Sunday 25 August 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 3:16-22 EXCERPT: Can we compromise? God has shown in the Bible that he is faithful through the generations. And he asks us to love him with all that we have. But do we find it too easy at times to compromise on his commands? Are you a planner or a blagger?! Some of us need all the details sorted before we act, whereas others are happy to see what happens. ...
Aug 25, 2024•26 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know TITLE: How To Know? BY: Olivia Anwana DATE: Sunday 18 August 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 3:11-15 EXCERPT: We all need guidance in life at some point…whether a decision is wise, what we should do, or which is the best opportunity to take. How do we know what God wants? How does God guide us, and can we ever be 100% sure? When looking for guidance, how did we know if something is of God or not? Moses learnt some crucial lessons about God’s guidance. There are ...
Aug 18, 2024•31 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know TITLE: Longing for the miracle BY: Naomi Woodruff DATE: Sunday 11 August 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 3:8-10 EXCERPT: So often, we look for the spectacular. We long for God to do amazing miracles, that calm our doubts and help us believe. But what if miracles are sometimes more mundane than that? God’s people were looking for a miracle. No doubt Moses was, too! But what he didn’t bargain for was that he might end up being the miracle. It when we look back thr...
Aug 11, 2024•24 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know TITLE: Look Who’s Talking BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday 4 August 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 3:6-8 EXCERPT: Have you ever been in a situation when someone has really surprised you in the way they act? What if God is like that? If we have the wrong view of God, it dramatically impacts what we presume he might be doing or saying. If we have an unhealthy view of God, it may feel devastating when we go through times that God feels distant or silent. Having the rig...
Aug 04, 2024•22 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know SERMON TITLE: Turn To See BY: Jenny Barthow DATE: Sunday 28 July 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 3:1-3 EXCERPT: In Exodus 3:3-4, the exact same phrase is used twice: Moses ‘goes over to look’ at the burning bush and God sees that Moses has ‘gone over to look’. This phrase is important and has two aspects to it: a. Turning away from one direction. b. Giving attention to another direction. This is crucial in our search for God. We often long to experience that he ...
Jul 28, 2024•17 min
TEACHING SERIES: Closer Than You Know SERMON TITLE: The One Who Hears BY: Andy Worthington DATE: Sunday 21 July 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Exodus 2:11-25 EXCERPT: God hears and sees even when you’re in the middle of circumstances where it might seem that he doesn’t. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this perio...
Jul 21, 2024•28 min
TEACHING SERIES: What’s In A Word? TITLE: In The Unknown BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday, 16 July 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Psalm 103; 11-17 EXCERPT: Looking at God’s faithfulness in the unknown. As we looked at God’s faithfulness to Riverside’s in the last 40 years, this week we look at how He is faithful in the unknown, and we trust Him to lead us in these next 40 years. Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a journey together t...
Jul 14, 2024•23 min
TEACHING SERIES: What’s In A Word? TITLE: Through The Years BY: Tim Chilvers and Nick Cuthbert DATE: Sunday, 07 July 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Psalm 100 EXCERPT: Looking at God’s faithfulness through the years. As we are celebrating Riverside 40th birthday, we look at what God has done, is doing and our expectation and hope for what he will do. He is faithful. Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a journey together to help peop...
Jul 07, 2024•22 min
TEACHING SERIES: What’s In A Word? TITLE: When We Are Not BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday, 30 June 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Psalm 25:4-11 EXCERPT: God remains faithful even when we don’t. When we get it wrong. He gets it right. We look at what God has done, is doing and our expectation and hope for what he will do. He is faithful. Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a journey together to help people get to know Jesus and grow as ...
Jun 30, 2024•18 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen TITLE: Finding Meaning In The Mayhem BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday, 23 June 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 12:5-13 (Daniel 10-12) EXCERPT: “It just doesn’t make sense.” Have you ever said that to yourself? Whether it’s some homework that you don’t understand, a form you need to fill in, or a situation that is beyond you, we all face perplexing things sometimes. What if it is life in general? And, what if the hardship you go through seems to cloud out God. Is there ever any ...
Jun 23, 2024•24 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen TITLE: How To Survive The End Of The World BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday, 16 June 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 7:9-14 (Daniel 7-9) EXCERPT: Since Covid there’s been a big influx of apocalyptic movies and endurance entertainment. We’re fascinated by the stories and intensity, and some of us secretly long for a life that is simply about survival. And yet, beyond the entertainment, our culture doesn’t offer much hope. What if there was really hope in the face of the end of t...
Jun 16, 2024•27 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen SERMON TITLE: Under Pressure BY: Nathanael Ballew DATE: Sunday 9 June 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 6:10-16 (Daniel 4 & 5) EXCERPT: What are you like under pressure? Do you thrive on the adrenaline, or do you buckle under the weight? Each of us is different in times of real pressure, for a whole variety of reasons. But one thing is sure – if you know the outcome, it changes how you see the situation. Daniel faced a choice. He could have acted to avoid the pressure. But...
Jun 09, 2024•19 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen SERMON TITLE: Speaking Truth To Power BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 2 June 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 4:1-3 (Daniel 4 & 5) EXCERPT: Who is the most powerful person you know? What does it mean to be ‘powerful’? And how can we use that power in a healthy and good way, rather than a destructive, self-centred way? “We are easily drawn in by energy, drive, charisma and what seems like success. But how can we tell if what we are seeing is healthy, biblical leadership?” (M...
Jun 02, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen SERMON TITLE: Courage Under Fire BY: Guest DATE: Sunday 26 May 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 3:8-12, 19-26 EXCERPT: Everyone loves a movie with an act of courage. When the world seems against the hero, and they boldly, courageously defy the odds. But what does courage look like in our culture, without the soundtrack and camera crews? What does it take to be courageous even when under attack? “So courage, dear heart. I know you are tired. I know the darkness is thick and th...
May 26, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen SERMON TITLE: Being an Influencer BY: Sarah Auger DATE: Sunday 19 May 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 2:14-23 EXCERPT: Do you want to be an influencer? According to indeed.com, there are 5 levels of influencer in our society – from being a ‘nano-influencer’ (under10k followers) up to being a ‘mega influencer’ (over 1m followers). In a sense, we are all influencers to some degree. But how are we influencing people, and towards what? And what are we influenced by? “Our legacy ...
May 19, 2024•28 min
TEACHING SERIES: Citizen SERMON TITLE: I Don’t Belong Here BY: Judy Moore DATE: Sunday 12 May 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 1:6-21 EXCERPT: At some point in life, we face a choice. A choice that causes us pain. A choice to do the difficult thing, but the right thing. Daniel faced the same choice. He was a long way from home, in a place he didn’t belong. Everything within him would have battled against making a scene. Keep quiet. Fit in. Don’t make a scene. And yet, he chose the only way he knew – ...
May 12, 2024•25 min
TEACHING SERIES: Bend, Don’t Break SERMON TITLE: Citizen of Where BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 05 May 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Daniel 1:1-5 & Jeremiah 29:4-7 EXCERPT: In an election year, how do you live when you feel like you don’t fit in? It can be easy to resist and complain. And yet. In the ancient book of Daniel we find a people who are a long way from home, in Babylon. But, how they live changes everything for them, and for the people they live amongst. “By the rivers of Babylon, there we...
May 05, 2024•22 min
TEACHING SERIES: Bend, Don’t Break SERMON TITLE: The Questions We Have BY: Discussion Panel DATE: Sunday 28 April 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Psalm 91:2 EXCERPT: Last of the series on mental health, wellbeing and resilience. How do we recognise when we were near breaking point? And how do we build healthy patterns and expectations for life? How do we care well for ourselves and for each other? ‘I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2) Welcome: Wha...
Apr 28, 2024•40 min
TEACHING SERIES: Bend, Don’t Break SERMON TITLE: Building Resilience BY: Tim Chilvers DATE: Sunday 21 April 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: Psalm 130 & 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 EXCERPT: How can you be more resilient in life? How can we be better equipped to nurture mental wellness and resilience in our daily lives? In this third part, we will explore ways to build resilience in your life. . “I desperately needed people living in the real world, in the same world as me… Above all, I needed friends, not fix...
Apr 21, 2024•29 min
