River Oaks Church Sermons

A sermon on the defeat of death and the hope of resurrection by Cody Brobst.
Trigger warning: The introduction to this sermon discusses the death of an infant. Also, an illustration is used that deals with suicide.
 
Application questions:
Why is facing the reality of death generally difficult for us? Think of personal examples of people in your life whom you have lost and the reasons it was hard. 
Why is “the sting of death” really the “sting of sin” (v. 56)? 
Is Satan responsible for this sting? After all He was the venomous snake who planted the idea in Adam & Eve’s minds in the Garden of Eden, right? 
Have you considered that you have victory over death too & not just Jesus (v. 57)? 
If the Bible describes plenty about the second resurrection and Christ’s victorious return, why do you think Paul calls it a mystery (vv. 51-52)?  
What various details as you think about Heaven, your new body & the return of Christ do you feel relatively in the dark about? Why do you think God did not see fit to include all of that in our Bibles? 
Where else in life have you struggled to accept God’s timeline? 
Paul drawing from Hosea 13 & Isaiah 25 goes into sayings that provide not just a judgement but a taunt or mockery of death (vv. 54-56). React to that. 
Do you think it’s healthy to exercise humor around something so serious? 
How would our Christian identity as offensive conquerors in a war through Christ (Rom. 8) empower us to not be afraid of death? 
Death is a thing not a person, so who are we actually fighting against? (Hint: see above commentary from v. 56) 
Our victory is imperishable, immortal and immovable. Notice the first two are futuristic realities while the third is taking place now in light of the future. Paul says “therefore *be* immovable” (v. 58). What immovable images come to mind? 
How can we be like a tree planted by streams of water? What cultural or worldly forces make us movable? 
Paul tells us to be steadfast & immocable in the “work” of the Lord and that our “labor” is not in vain. So how are your various vocations/callings informed by the victory we have in Christ? That one day we will be raised? 
Imagine the next time you are at a funeral, in the hospital bed, reading a painful news headline on a Tuesday afternoon. How does this passage shape what you will remember to reflect on and the attitude you intend to have? 

A sermon on the nature of the resurrection body by Rev. David Camera.
Application questions:
What analogies does Paul draw to prove the reality of a future resurrection of our bodies?
If you had to describe our resurrection bodies from this passage, how would you describe them?
Since we will bear the full image of Jesus when we are resurrected, his body is the pattern of our future bodies. Look up Luke 24:36-43. Describe Jesus’ resurrected body.
There are those who treat their bodies harshly (ascetics) and those who almost worship their bodies as ultimate. How would you correct both extremes from this passage?
Are there ways that you view and treat your own body that need correcting?
How should we view our current bodies from a biblical perspective?
Look again at vss. 42-44. Is there a connection between who we are now and who we will be at the resurrection? Will we know ourselves and be known as ourselves by others?
In vss. 47-49 Paul draws a comparison between Adam and Christ. How does this comparison support Paul’s argument that we will be raised?
What hope and comfort do you find in this passage?

A sermon on the reign of Christ (with focus on Reformed approaches as part of our Spiritual Formation 3.0 weekend) by David Camera.
Application questions:
What elements need to be in place if you are to have a kingdom?
In Jesus’ first sermon in Mark 1:14-15 he said “repent for the Kingdom of God is near.” What did he mean by the Kingdom of God and its being “near”?
How do we become members of his kingdom?
What is Christ doing now according to 1 Cor. 15?
What benefits and comforts can we draw from the fact of Christ’s reign now?
In the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught us to pray “your kingdom come.” What does this petition ask God to do?
How does the hope of Christ’s future kingdom help us in our day to day lives?
God made humanity in his image to fill the earth and subdue; that is to rule over creation as God’s vice regents.
How was Adam’s rebellion in the garden a reversal of God’s creation design?
How do we wrongly serve the creation today?
How are we to relate to the kingdoms of this world as citizens of Christ’s kingdom?(e.g. retreat, engage, oppose?)

A sermon on how Christ's resurrection defeats the enemy of death (past, present, future), by Greg Lanier.
Application questions:
The resurrection ‘tradition’ cited in 1 Cor 15:3-4 mentions “according to the Scriptures” (twice). What passages does Paul engage in this text? Why is it important to note which sections of the OT they come from? (Hint: Law...Prophets...Writings)
Revisit verse 22. Now read Rom 5:12-21. How does Romans help explain more fully what Paul succinctly states here?
Reflect on how death stares at us as the “last enemy.” Where do you experience that most in your day-to-day lfie?
Why does a life of monotonous pleasure (“eat and drink…”) not satisfy?
How does resurrection hope change the way you see your daily calling?
Find out more at www.riveroakschurch.com

A sermon on Paul's teaching about the necessity of the resurrection by Pastor David Camera.
Application questions:
Is living forever in a resurrected body appealing to you? Why or why not? 
What were some of the Corinthian Christians claiming about the resurrection? Why would that be something they argued for? 
Let’s follow Paul’s logic here. Some of the Corinthians claimed there is no resurrection of the body. List all the implications Paul draws out if that statement is true. 
Are Christians resurrected or raised with Christ now? (cf. Eph. 2:4-7) What’s the difference? 
According to 15:3 Christ died “for our sins.” Why was it necessary for Christ to die? (cf. Gen 2:17; Rom. 6:7-11; 23) 
If Christ did not rise again from the dead, why therefore would our faith be in vain? (cr. v. 17) 
What is the hope of the Christian? (v. 19) 
Considering this passage, why is what we do with our physical bodies important to God? 
What comfort does the bodily resurrection of Christ give us in this life? 

Easter service sermon on the apostolic testimony to the bodily resurrection of Jesus in 1 Cor 15:1-11, by Dr. Greg Lanier.
Application questions
Why is the resurrection important to Christianity? Name 5 reasons (from this passage or from others).
Discuss the biggest objections to the resurrection of Jesus that you’ve heard (e.g., “the disciples stole the body,” “the disciples all just saw a ghost”). Which do you think are the hardest to answer?
Review the 5 lines of evidence discussed from this passage that demonstrate that it is reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. How would you share them with an unbeliever?
Remembered tradition (“I delivered…what I received”)
Fulfillment of the Old Testament (“according to the Scriptures” 2x)
Apostolic eyewitnesses (“Cephas and the apostles”)
Greater cloud of witnesses (“500 other brothers”)
Improbable transformations (James and Paul)
What are some other lines of evidence that support the facticity of the resurrection?
Find out more at https://www.riveroakschurch.com

A homily by Pastor David Camera on John 19:28 ("I thirst") as part of our Good Friday service.

A sermon on putting off the old and putting on the new in Ephesians 4:17-24, by David Camera.
Application questions:
How would you describe the life of a non-Christian? 
How does Paul describe the life of a non-Christian in verses 17-19? 
How is a person brought out of the futility, darkness and hardness of a life apart from Christ? (vs. 20-21) 
According to verses 22-24, what steps must a Christian take to grow in godliness? 
Why must Christians no longer live like the world? 
Why is it important for a Christian to remember their life and spiritual condition before Christ? 
How has this passage affected the way you see those outside of Christ? 
What specific vices must you intentionally put off, what virtues must you intentionally put on and what aspects of your thinking must you renew with the Word of God? 
What is the encouraging truth that Paul ends with in verse 24? 
Find out more at www.riveroakschurch.com

A sermon on Christ's gifts to his church to build one another up (Eph 4:7-16), by David Camera.
Application questions:
How does a Christian grow to maturity in Christ? 
Why does Paul place this instruction at this point in the letter? How does it flow from chapters 1-3? 
Summarize how Paul describes a life that is worthy of our calling as Christians? 
What do all the offices mentioned in vs. 11 have in common? 
What is God’s goal for the church? How will He bring it about? 
What part do you have to play in the church? 
Can a Christian mature apart from the church? Why or why not? Answer from the text. 
Describe a mature Church from this passage. 
Find out more at www.riveroakschurch.com

A sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6 by pastoral intern David Oh.
Application questions:
Read Eph 1:3-14, noticing the plural nature of God's salvific blessings. How does the text's emphasis on the church's communal nature convict or challenge you?  
Where have you experienced God blessing you through the gifting of another brother or sister in Christ?  
How do you normally react when you meet another Christian who is difficult to tolerate. How do you think our text today calls us to react?  
What area of your character are you most thankful for God's patience toward you? 
Discuss one aspect of our trinitarian unity (Spirit, 4:4, Christ 4:5, or Father 4:6) 
What would a healthy disagreement look like between two Christians?