River Park Church Sermons

June 19, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange

June 12, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange |

June 05, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Ephesians 4:7-24 | Spirit-filled faith is about complete transformation: becoming “in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ”. Any area where you are not relying on God’s strength rather than your own, that is sin. Not sin primarily as wrongdoing; but sin as separation from God (cf. May 15). We cannot follow God in our own strength, in our own ways, or with our own abilities. Following Jesus and living in the power of the Spirit, we will be completely transformed!

May 29, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Luke 24:44-53 |Christians are first witnesses to who Jesus is and what he has done in our lives. We are not about changing other people or convincing other people. We are simply witnesses! (cf. Myron Penner “End of Apologetics”)

May 22, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Luke 23:32-43 |The question, “Who is Jesus” has captivated people ever since he lived. But each of us see Jesus in different ways because we are distinct individuals. Jesus gathered people around him by loving them and challenging them. He invites all he loves to join him in paradise—eternally and presently. How are we receiving Christ’s love? How are we receiving his challenge?

May 15, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Ephesians 2:11-22 | Sin is a biblical category about separation from God. We cannot be transformed by God when we are apart from him. WE cannot be transformed by God individually or (only) as individuals. Transformation (Sanctification), where we become more like God, is a relationship practice, not an intellectual argument. Shallow relationships will transform us in shallow ways. Deeper relationships will transform us in deep ways. Who are you “related” to? Cf. “Unwanted” by Jay Stringer (7).

April 3, 2022 | Resonate missionary Gary T

May 08, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | John 19:25-27 | Johnny Cash’s song “When the Man Comes Around” mistakes Jesus’ words in this text; betraying a macho version of Christianity that has too often been afraid of feminism and femininity. Jesus surrounded himself with women and men; not as a harem, but as a family. Jesus shows us what the love of a mother is for children; what the care of a mother hen for her chicks is.

May 01,2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Elected from the Beginning | The Reformed Doctrine of Election is not first about our position; but about our role. God has predestined us in love to join him in his good purposes—both now and forever. But he has definitely elected us to join him now! Transformation is about stepping out of our old selves and our own strength and stepping into our God-given roles.

April 24, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Luke 24:13-35 | God does not reveal his whole self to us; God does not love us because he needs us for some purpose or to complete himself. God’s love is fully devoted to the other—attending to our needs, meeting us where we are, inviting us further into relationship with him. This is our example to follow. The very act of following God’s example is transformational.

April 17, 2022 | Pastor Adrian de Lange | Luke 24:1-12 |This Sunday, we join the church around the world in celebrating our Risen Lord and we look eagerly for his transforming work in our hearts, in our community, and in our world

April 14, 2022Pastor Adrian de Lange: Lamentations 2:15-17; Mark 15:21-39

Pastor Adrian de LangeLamentations 5:11-22April 10, 2022

Pastor Adrian de LangeMarch 27, 2022Lamentations 4:1-17This chapter better helps us to see God’s value system. God doesn’t respect what we respect; his ways are not our ways. But Lamentation necessitates us to struggle and find liberation in honesty before God: we fall short and we will continue to do so; thus we can never hope in ourselves: we hope only in God’s restoration and his righteousness, not in our own strength.

March 20, 2022Pastor Adrian de LangeLamentations 3: 19-33The justice of God move us from third-person speech ("racism is a problem") to first-person repentance ("how can I live differently?"); from the abstract to the personal.

Pastor Adrian de LangeMarch 11, 2022 Lamentations 3:19-42The book of Lamentations comes to a climax in chapter 3, with an acrostic poem, which brings order to the chaos that the words of ch. 3 express. “Lament presents the possibility of an order ordained by God in the midst of a broken reality”. Jeremiah’s personal experience of suffering reflects takes sin and suffering from the abstract to the personal and experiential. Like Jeremiah, all of us experience pain and lament in deeply personal ways. The justice of God moves us from third-person speech (“racism is a problem”) to first-person repentance (“how can I live differently?”); from the abstract to the personal.

March 06, 2022Pastor de LangeLamentations 1:1-11Our community is growing in our need for and value of lament. We have moved from a “celebration” culture (where most our lives are in a good place) to a reality in which it is difficult for us to rejoice. Yet in pain, God desires to bring us together—close to one another and closer to himself. We cannot return to our old ways, we cannot find simple solutions, and we should not withdraw. God’s desire for us: lament together.

Sunday, February 27, 2022.Pastor de Lange.1 Thessalonians 5:8-24Scripture consistently pictures Satan as the accuser of God’s people. When we gossip and accuse one another, we do the devil’s work for him and tear down the body of Christ. Instead, we should “encourage one another and build each other up!” (1 Thess 5:11). This is what scripture calls edification: seeing the good and saying the good in the presence of others.

February 20,2022 Pastor Adrian de Lange Luke 18:18-30; Luke 19:1-10Imagine the conflict if the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus joined the same church! The first wants to hold onto what he has and follow Jesus; the second gives up everything. Do we love the dream of community (as the rich young ruler) or its reality (as Zacchaeus)?

February 13, 2022__Pastor Adrian de Lange 1 Corinthians 8:1-13Paul wrote to Corinthians in one church with different worldviews. Like the Corinthians, River Park Church has the exciting opportunity to find ways to honour different needs of different groups. Our goal is not, “Let’s all get together” but rather, “How do we make room for others to experience the good news of the Kingdom of God without stumbling blocks?”

August 08, 2021 Reverend Henry Wildeboer (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 )

August 1, 2021 Pastor Adrian de Lange. Jonah 1There is no difference in magnitude between the rebellion or sin of Christians and the rebellion or sin of those who are not in Christ. Jonah reminds us of the rebelliousness of God’s people, but also of the power of our God to order our lives and his world so that “all things work for the good…”

July 18, 2021 Pastor Layne Kilbreath Matthew 17:1-13 Old Testament Law recognizes that everything we have belongs to God already. Tithing simply recognizes God’s ownership of everything by returning the first portion of our earnings to God as an act of faith, trusting God that more will follow. Paul illustrates that a life of faith begins with giving generously, trusting that our generous God will give us even more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20-21). When we do this, God will bless us greatly with the riches of his Kingdom.

July 25, 2021 Pastor Case Vink Psalm 19: 1-4“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1-4‬a

July 11, 2021 Pastor Adrian de Lange Nehemiah 13:29-31; 2 Cor 9:6-11Old Testament Law recognizes that everything we have belongs to God already. Tithing simply recognizes God’s ownership of everything by returning the first portion of our earnings to God as an act of faith, trusting God that more will follow. Paul illustrates that a life of faith begins with giving generously, trusting that our generous God will give us even more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20-21). When we do this, God will bless us greatly with the riches of his Kingdom.

July 4, 2021 Pastor Adrian de Lange Nehemiah 13:23-29; Rev. 5:9-12What is Biblical Purity? We’re not talking purity rings and we’re certainly not talking ethnic separation. Purity in the context of the Old Testament sacrificial system is complete dedication to God of the entire community. Are we willing to please God before we please our own sexual desires? Are we willing to dedicate ourselves to God before we care for our own biological families? Are we willing to humble our cultural preferences for what is “obvious” or “the right way” to do things and seek unity with all God’s people instead? Revelation shows us what a pure community focused in worship to God looks like.

June 27, 2021 Pastor Adrian de Lange.Nehemiah’s final reforms are Sabbath Rest, Purity in the Family of God, and Firstfruits (Tithes). This Sunday begins a three-part series wrap-up focusing on Sabbath Rest. Summer is a natural time for rest, but do we really rest as a way of connecting with God; or do we simply flee, exhausted from our busyness. Jesus has a better way for us to rest: abiding with the Father.

Pastor Adrian de Lange on Sunday, December 19, 2021.Isaiah 9:1-7.

Isaiah 35:1-10.

Pastor Harrison on Sunday, December 05, 2021.Based on God's Word: Ephesians 5:1-2.

Pastor Adrian de Lange on Sunday, November 28, 2022. New Series on Advent. Message based on Luke 24:13-32.

Message from Pastor Adrian de Lange on Sunday October 31, 2021.Based on 2 Kings 5:1-19.

Message from Pastor Adrian de Lange on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Based on scripture from Galatians 3:23-4:7.

Message from Pastor Harrison Cho on Sunday October 10, 2021. Based on the scripture passage of 1 John 1 : 1-4.

A message delivered by Pastor Adrian de Lange on October 03, 2021. Based on John 1:1-14.

Message from Pastor Adrian de Lange base on Sunday, September 26, 2021.God's Word: Mark 3:13-35.

A message from Rev. Adrian de Lange on Sunday, September 18, 2021. New series about our Vision Statement, entitled: “Mosaic: Unity in Diversity”. Message based on Romans 12:1-5.

Sunday, February 5, 2022. Pastor Harrison Cho leads in the message based on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.The love of Christ unites us and allows us to flourish: only God’s love grows in us an ability to make room for others. When we try to love others in order to make them like us, we fail. But God has given us differences so that we might learn from, care for, and honour each other. The love of humans is short-lived; but the love of God is powerful and eternal.

January 23, 2022. Based on Matthew 16:13-22. Pastor Adrian de Lange.Jesus’ words to Peter on Mt. Hermon kindled the supernatural offense of the Kingdom of God against the powers of sin and darkness in this world. Jesus built his church at the gates of hell, with the intent that nothing could fracture the church (Christ's body)

Sunday, January 30, 2022. Based on Colossians 1:15-29. Pastor Adrian de Lange.Reformed Christians perhaps spend too much time emphasizing “total depravity” (the way in which sin affects all of creation); and not enough time focused on the Image of God given to each person we meet. When we spend our time magnifying and adoring Jesus Christ, we can only celebrate how our God reconciles all things and all of us to himself