Welcome to the Sermons archive of Righteous Rivers. Here, you’ll find messages tested against Scripture’s plumb line.
In a time when opinion often masquerades as truth and charisma can overshadow clarity, this space is a call back to Scripture—rightly handled, reverently taught, and powerfully lived. We stand unapologetically for exposition.
Before a sermon is preached here, it is first examined in the light of biblical exegesis, hermeneutics, and spiritual discernment. We do not bring our meaning to the text—we draw God's meaning out. For that reason, every message you hear or read here is rooted in these convictions:
Exegesis, Not Eisegesis
We ask, “What did the Holy Spirit intend?”—not “What can I make this say?”
Exegesis demands humility: historical context, original language, and audience matter. Exegesis asks: What did the original author intend? It considers historical context, language, grammar, and the audience’s cultural setting.
Eisegesis is a counterfeit. It imposes our own bias or assumptions onto the text. That is not our way, we reject it..
→ Learn the difference between Exegesis and Eisegesis.
Hermeneutics: Our Interpretive Lens & Fence Against Error
Biblical Hermeneutics is the disciplined approach to understanding Scripture as it was written. We interpret Scripture:
Literally (not allegorizing unless the text demands it).
Historically (God spoke to them before He speaks to us).
Grammatically (words have meaning).
Contextually (no verse is an island).
This process guards us from error and roots us in truth. → Learn more about Biblical Hermeneutics
As a Biblical Theologian and scholar, Tanya Owens, traces God’s revelation progressively, through Scripture itself—not by imposing pre-existing systematic categories onto the text. This differs from Systematic Theology, which organizes doctrine around topics (e.g., salvation, sin, church) often outside of the biblical narrative flow.
Unlike systematic theology’s topical approach, we follow Scripture’s own unfolding story—From Genesis to Revelation, we track God’s categories, not ours. Both have their place, but Tanya's commitment is first to what God unfolds through the biblical record itself.
→ Learn more about Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology
We preach primarily from the NIV (New International Version) but also draw from the KJV (King James Version), NLT (New Living Translation), GNT (Good News Translation), and others—always anchored in and cross-referencing the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.
Why? Every faithful translation seeks to do one thing: Accurately convey God’s unchanging truth in the language of His people. While translations may vary in language and phrasing, the truth of God’s Word remains steadfast and trustworthy.
I've witnessed a minister angrily reject a screen-projected NKJV verse, claiming modern translations "deceive" by altering the 1611 KJV. This troubled me. While the KJV is a literary treasure, its 17th-century language isn’t more holy—and newer translations aren’t conspiracies. The truth is: God’s Word isn’t locked in one era’s English. The gospel transcends language—whether Hebrew, Greek, or the vernacular of our day.
Newer versions like the NIV or ESV rely on:
Older manuscripts - discovered since 1611.
Clearer modern English - so truth isn’t buried in archaic words.
Advances in linguistics - to capture the original meaning.
Specialized scholarship - historical, textual.
Here, we honor the substance of God’s Word—not the style of one translation. Whether you read ESV (English Standard Version), NLT, NIV, or KJV, our goal is the same: rightly divided truth, accessible to all. So that you may hear the Word. Hold fast to truth. Run with what is clear.
Too many sermons today are shaped more by culture, trends, or the preacher’s brand than by Scripture. In other words, some minister's sermons are geared to platform-building, not people-equipping. Here, we return to the Word—examined and rightly divided—not for applause, but for transformation.
Here, we preach:
For the remnant who crave substance.
For the teacher who demands accuracy.
For the seeker who deserves truth.
For the Intercessor who needs words that pierce the heavens.
For the Called who require clarity, not confusion.
God's Word is the Authority
Like Micaiah, we say, “As the Lord lives, what He tells me, I will speak” (1 Kings 22:14).
Like Isaiah, we refuse to "speak smooth words" (Isa. 30:10)
Like Jeremiah, we refuse to "prophesy deceit" (Jer. 14:14)
Like the Moses, Solomon and John, we refuse to add to or take away from God's word (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18–19).
Only the Word—rightly divided, faithfully delivered.
The time is near. Prepare to go deeper.