06 The Jesus Way - Ministry
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 6: Relationships By Louie Marsh, 8-17-2025 1) Jesus has a deep & abiding LOVE for people. “10And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was...
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05 The Jesus Way - Ministry
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 5: Ministry By Louie Marsh, 8-10-2025 If I’m going to follow the Jesus Way, I need to understand how He ministered to everyone. 1) Jesus deeply LOVED people and they knew it. “7And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus stood up and said...
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04 The Jesus Way - Prayer
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 4: Prayer By Louie Marsh, 8-3-2025 Last slide hand illustration of prayer. 1) Prayer was one of Jesus’ TOP priorities. “16But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:16, ESV) As far as Jesus himself (αὐτός) was concerned, two more imperfects (these periphrastic) describe what he kept doing (iterative). At every opportunity he would slip quietly and secretly (ὑπό in the participle) away from these crowds and would be praying. We catch a glimpse of the soul life of Jesus, his frequent communing with God in lonely...
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03 The Jesus Way - Staying On Mission
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 3: Staying On Mission By Louie Marsh, 7-27-2025 Last week we looked at choices, this week we look at what happens after you make the choice. 1) Jesus SET HIS FACE to go to Jerusalem. “51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you...
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02 The Jesus Way - Choices
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 2: Choices By Louie Marsh, 7-20-2025 1) Jesus gave up His right to act APART from his father. “4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:4–7, ESV) “19So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord,...
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01 The Jesus Way - Life
River Church Sermons
The Jesus Way Pt. 1: Life By Louie Marsh, 7-13-2025 To Live Like Jesus Means My Life… 1) Has MEANING & PURPOSE. “46I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46, ESV) “39Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say,...
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10 The Book of Romans-The Gospel Manifesto-How God Cares for Me
River Church Sermons
The Gospel Manifesto in the Book of Romans Pt. 10 How God Cares for Me By Louie Marsh, 7-6-2025 One night I had a wondrous dream,One set of footprints there was seen,The footprints of my precious Lord,But mine were not along the shore. But then some stranger prints appeared,And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"Those prints are large and round and neat,"But Lord they are too big for feet." "My child," He said in somber tones,"For miles I carried you alone.I challenged you to walk in faith,But you refused and made me wait." "You disobeyed, you would not grow,The walk of faith, you would not...
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09 The Book of Romans-The Gospel Manifesto-Unity How to Get Along with One Another
River Church Sermons
The Gospel Manifesto in the Book of Romans Pt. 8: Engaging My Culture By Louie Marsh, 6-15-2025 Intro: 50 Years & Counting then 5 pictures about changing culture. 1) I engage my culture by overcoming evil by DOING GOOD. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of...
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02 50 Years & Counting
River Church Sermons
50th Anniversary Part 2: What I’ve Learned Along the Way By Louie Marsh, 6-22-2025 Intro – Last slide me preaching at ordination. 1) People will surprise you… · In GOOD WAYS. “5and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient to do all the...
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08 The Book of Romans-The Gospel Manifesto-Engaging My Culture
River Church Sermons
The Gospel Manifesto in the Book of Romans Pt. 8: Engaging My Culture By Louie Marsh, 6-15-2025 1) I engage my culture by overcoming evil by DOING GOOD. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all....
info_outlineSuffering & God’s Response
Pt. 3 Why Am I Suffering?
By Louie Marsh, 3-23-2025
Last slide – Don’t know what he died of.
1) God ALLOWS us to experience the consequences of Free Will.
“15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”” (Joshua 24:15, ESV)
2) Why doesn’t God DESTROY evil & suffering?
· The Argument Against God.
¨ If a good, eternal and all-powerful God exists, He could annihilate evil at will, and thus end all pain and suffering.
¨ A Being who had the power to do this, is cruel and unjust not to exercise this power and thus end all evil and its consequences.
¨ Theism (the belief in one God – Christianity is Theistic) affirms the all-powerful, loving God we have just described; Who never the less does not annihilate evil.
¨ Therefore: He is cruel and unjust, or He does not exist!
· What’s Wrong with the Argument?
¨ It places a restriction on the nature of God, something you can NEVER do!
“35all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”” (Daniel 4:35, ESV)
¨ It presupposes that our reasoning processes are equal or superior to God’s, and that our solution must be the right one!
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)
¨ It doesn’t work when you try and apply it practically.
Tell Dr. Walter Martin Story of being on the radio with an atheist challenging him to do this as a philosophical experiment.
3) How Then Should I Respond to Suffering?
· I need to ACCEPT that suffering will happen to me and mine.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18-19 (ESV)
· I need to REMEMBER that God is active in my suffering.
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
· I need to EMBRACE suffering as part of my spiritual growth.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ …10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Philippians 3:8, 10 (ESV)