11-13-26 Riverside Sunday Service | Revelation 12:11 CSB

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Empty Hands Holding Eternal Stories

The call to surrender what weighs us down opens space to receive God’s overflowing grace. Like cupped palms releasing debris to grasp living water, this posture transforms anxiety into trust. Testimonies shared today reveal how brokenness given to Christ becomes a canvas for redemption. When we stop clinging to control, we discover God’s faithfulness writes better stories than our striving ever could. [50:03]

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true worship.” (Romans 12:1, CSB)

Reflection: What heavy burden have you been clutching tightly? How might opening your hands to release it create space to receive God’s specific grace for this season?

Day 2: Campfire Sparks Igniting Eternal Flames

The Holy Spirit’s fire spreads through shared stories like embers passed between kindling. Youth testimonies about healed insecurities and divine encounters remind us that small moments of courage can ignite lasting transformation. Just as camp songs taught body and soul, our ordinary acts of worship train us to recognize extraordinary grace. [47:30]

“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:3-4, CSB)

Reflection: When has someone’s “small” testimony unexpectedly warmed your faith? What simple act of obedience could you take today to pass the flame?

Day 3: Tin Whistles Amplifying Shepherd’s Songs

Psalm 23 learned through tin whistles and sign language reveals God’s word permeates all dimensions of life. The children’s embodied worship mirrors David’s truth – divine companionship transforms dark valleys into spaces where goodness pursues us. Even beginner’s notes on a plastic flute become anthems when played for the Shepherd-King. [45:03]

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life.” (Psalm 23:1-3, CSB)

Reflection: Where have you been trying to “perform” faith rather than letting God’s presence transform your ordinary moments into worship?

Day 4: Scars Becoming Salvation’s Signposts

Tina’s story of medical trauma and divine guidance shows healed wounds make the best roadmaps. Her testimony echoes the resurrected Christ revealing nail-scarred hands – not as shameful reminders but as proof of victory. Every scar surrendered to God becomes a compass pointing others toward hope. [01:04:34]

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, CSB)

Reflection: What healed wound in your story could become someone else’s trail marker? How might sharing it shift from embarrassment to empowerment?

Day 5: Cookie Crumbs Marking Communion’s Joy

The post-service sweets table becomes sacred space when stories are shared over crumby napkins. Like the disciples recognizing Christ in broken bread, we taste God’s goodness through simple fellowship. These sugar-dusted moments remind us that testimonies thrive best when served with laughter and second helpings. [01:12:03]

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house.” (Acts 2:42,46, CSB)

Reflection: When has an ordinary snack shared in Christian community unexpectedly nourished your soul? Who needs an invitation to your table this week?

Sermon Summary

God’s goodness shows up in the big, the little, and everything in between, and God gives his people eyes to see where his kingdom is breaking through. Worship names the reality that Christ reigns, rose from the grave, and remains faithful in both the highs and lows, the light and darkness. Christ’s cross has accomplished all, covered all, and gives his people a place to rest when life feels confusing or heavy.

Revelation 12:11 gives the heartbeat for the day: “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” John writes to churches going through hard things, and the text says that victory is not denial of hardship. The blood of the Lamb declares that Jesus has saved and redeemed his people through his life, death, and resurrection. The word of testimony keeps that victory in view by telling the God stories of how he has met people, healed, encouraged, provided, and stayed near.

Testimonies from youth, kids, and adults show that Jesus is “crazy about” people at every age. God uses an encouraging word at the right moment, camp experiences, Psalm 23 learned through music and movement, and unexpected healing to remind his children that he is actively involved in their lives. The Spirit does not always give neat explanations for why he moves as he does, but the Spirit always invites people in. God does not ask permission before he heals or speaks, yet he calls his people into openness, boldness, and surrender.

Surrender looks like open hands. God receives what is not of him: brokenness, anxiety, sin, frustration, and death. God gives what only he can give: wholeness, life, gladness, joy, grace, and a filling that overflows. Anxiety loses its grip when a person gives life to the One who already knows the future and has declared his promises.

Praise and encouragement make room for faith, while complaining can poison the atmosphere of trust. Christ receives the little that is offered, gives thanks, and multiplies it. Testimony therefore becomes a word of life that strengthens others to see God’s care in their own stories.

God’s faithfulness does not mean every painful situation works out exactly as desired. God remains present in celebration, uncertainty, grief, and waiting. Resurrection means pain is not the end of the story, and the church becomes a place where no one has to carry that waiting alone.

Key Takeaways

1. Testimony keeps Christ’s victory visible [33:49] Revelation joins the blood of the Lamb with the word of testimony. Christ’s finished work is the foundation, while testimony helps believers remember that his victory is not abstract. God stories put flesh and bone on the truth that Jesus is still present and still working. A testimony can become courage for someone whose own story is still unresolved. [33:49]
2. Open hands surrender and receive [49:46] Surrender is not empty resignation or spiritual defeat. God receives brokenness, sin, fear, and the desperate need to control the future. God returns wholeness, life, joy, and grace that cannot be manufactured by effort. Open hands confess that God is more than enough. [49:46]
3. The Spirit invites ordinary people in [42:31] The Spirit’s work is sometimes surprising, unexplainable, and beyond human control. God does not wait for people to become impressive before using them to encourage, pray, serve, or speak life. The lie of “not good enough” loses power when God’s presence becomes the measure of possibility. God’s invitation calls for availability more than expertise. [42:31]
4. Hope tells the truth about grief [01:05:31] Christian hope does not pretend that loss is good or painless. God gives his people permission to weep while refusing to let sorrow have the final word. Resurrection promises that God will make every wrong thing right, even when that restoration has not yet arrived. The church bears witness to that hope by staying near one another in the waiting.

## [65:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[12:41] - Eyes to See God Moving
[17:15] - Praise the Sovereign King
[32:24] - Testimonies and the Blood of the Lamb
[35:32] - Youth Testimonies From Camp
[41:52] - The Spirit Always Invites
[43:08] - VBS and Psalm 23
[47:11] - The Holy Spirit Spreads Like Fire
[49:29] - The Posture of Surrender
[52:30] - Speak Life and Give Thanks
[55:25] - Tina’s Testimony of God’s Care
[64:34] - God Is With People in Every Season
[66:49] - Prayer for Awareness and Encouragement
[69:00] - Next Steps and Small Groups
[72:03] - Blessing the Cookies

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 12:11
“They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives to the point of death.” [33:49]

Psalm 23
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” [44:45]

1 Thessalonians 4:13
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” [01:05:57]

Observation questions

In Revelation 12:11, what are the two things connected with conquering the enemy, and how are they different from each other? [34:43]
What kinds of God-stories were shared: encouragement, healing, learning Scripture, provision, or something else? What do these stories show about the ways God meets people? [46:18]
In Psalm 23, what does the Shepherd do for his people both in peaceful places and in “the darkest valley”?
What does the open-handed posture represent giving to God, and what does it represent receiving from God? [50:11]

Interpretation questions

Revelation 12:11 says that believers conquer by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Why does a testimony need to stay rooted in what Jesus has already done through his death and resurrection, rather than focusing mainly on a person’s experience? [34:43]
Psalm 23 does not promise that believers will never walk through dark valleys. What does it promise instead, and how might that change the way a person understands a difficult season?
The Holy Spirit does not always explain why he heals, provides, or speaks in a particular moment, but he always invites people in. What might it look like for an ordinary believer to respond to that invitation with availability rather than feeling like they must be impressive or fully prepared? [42:31]
Paul says Christians grieve with hope, not as people who have no hope. How can a group hold onto resurrection hope without minimizing grief, unanswered prayer, or loss? [01:06:01]

Application questions

What is one “God story” from your own life—big or small—that you could share with someone this week? It could be a time God encouraged you, provided for you, carried you, corrected you, or met you in a hard place. [01:06:34]
Is there an area of anxiety, frustration, sin, grief, or need for control that you have been holding tightly? What might it look like to place that specific burden into God’s open hands this week and receive his grace instead? [01:07:32]
Think of someone who may be discouraged, ashamed, or believing they are “not good enough.” What specific word of encouragement, prayer, text, or act of care could you offer them? [39:15]
When you are disappointed or under pressure, do your words tend more toward honest worshipful prayer or toward complaining that drains trust? What is one promise of God you can speak over that situation instead? [54:38]
Where have you been waiting for something to be made right: healing, reconciliation, provision, direction, or relief from grief? How can this group walk with you in that waiting so you do not carry it alone? [01:06:13]
Psalm 23 says goodness and faithful love pursue God’s people. What is one small sign of God’s care that you may have overlooked recently? How could noticing it help you worship God in your present season? [01:06:49]

Sermon Clips

32s

#ChurchCommunityHope

“As a church, we get to be together with each other through some of the most difficult parts of our life, and we don't just magically say it's good, but we do testify to the reality that that's not the end of the story. And as we wait for that redemption and that resurrection and the ending where God makes every wrong thing right, we're here. You're not alone. You're not forsaken. God loves you and we do too.”

39s

#AllAreWelcomeChurch

“because, really, as we gather as a church, we come from a lot of different places. There's some of us here celebrating what God has done. There's some of us still very uncertain about what God may do. There are some of us that are somewhere in the middle of the journey. And I think the most important and cool thing about the church is that whether it works out the way we want it to or not, part of the reason we share testimonies is to testify to one another what Joe said, that he has not forsaken you, that he loves you, and that he's not going anywhere.”

38s

#ReceiveGodsLove

“God, thank you for your presence which never leaves us or forsakes us. God, thank you for saving us from sin and death. Thank you for giving us hope when we're hopeless, grace when we need grace, love when we need love. And we just pray today, God, that we would see that you are constantly showering us, lavishing us with your goodness and your love in all the different places of our life. God, may we have eyes to see where you are present, ears to hear your voice, and hearts that are just open to receive your goodness and your love in absolutely everything.”

27s

#VictoryThroughTestimony

“But but the apostle John gets this message from the spirit of God to give to these churches and to us that that we overcome. We conquer, we experience the victory of Jesus through two things, through the word of our testimonies and the blood of the lamb. We know that we have been saved and redeemed because Jesus lived, died, rose again, and invites us into a brand new life.”

36s

#TrustGodsTiming

“Do I know why he does what he does when he does? No. I'm not on that mailing list. Right? My philosophy of the spirit of God has always been he's wonderful, he loves me, he's with me, he doesn't ask me for permission. He doesn't ask me for permission when he decides to heal somebody or speak a word of encouragement through somebody. But he's always inviting me. And I think that's really the point of these testimonies. We don't always know what God's gonna do. We don't always know how to explain what God does.”

39s

#ReceiveAndBeTransformed

“But you know what? What else this posture is? It's a posture of receiving. So I'm giving to the Lord, but what am I receiving in return? K. I'm giving him brokenness. He's given me wholeness. I'm giving him an empty jar. He's filling me to overflowing. Right? I'm giving him my my death and my sin. He's given me life and that more eternal. Right? I'm giving him my broken spirit. He's given me gladness and joy,”

41s

#YourStoryMatters

“So may you be encouraged by these testimonies today, and may you remember you have a story too. And I don't say that just generally like, oh, he's talking to the guy behind me. Like, you have a story too, each and every one of you. And may some of the stories we've heard today open our eyes a little brighter to see the ways that God is caring for you, ministering to you, loving you, and growing close to you. So what I would love to do today is just to just spend a moment in prayer. So I invite you, if you wouldn't mind closing your eyes and and bowing your heads with me.”

39s

#CoveredByGrace

“God, thank you so much, God, that you are present in our highs and our lows and the light and in the darkness. God, that no matter what comes our way, whether it is something that we've experienced, something that's experiencing around us, God, we can just rest assured in you because on your cross, God, you have accomplished all, you have covered all, and we are covered by you and what you've done in your life, your death, and your resurrection. So, Jesus, we just give you everything that we are today. We pray your kingdom come and world will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

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