Sermon | Guarding Your Soul (Ecclesiastes 5:1-20)
Through Ecclesiastes, we consider guarding how we live so that we may remain on the path of righteousness and receive the gifts God gives us in this life.
Feb 23, 2025•39 min
Four Oaks Midtown Podcast
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Episodes
Teaching | Understanding Philippians: Magnifying Christ (Philippians 1:19-30)
Our efforts to spread the kingdom are opportunities for fellowship with God. This humble posture frees us to rely on His grace, enriching our efforts with the joy of knowing that God Himself empowers our work. This mindset allowed Paul to rejoice in his sufferings and boldly advance God’s mission—and it is the same mindset we are called to adopt as we walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. This is Understanding Philippians. Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fo...
Feb 20, 2025•16 min
Sermon | Heavenly Minded, Earthly Good (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16)
As we confront the vanities of this life, believers must train themselves to walk through trials and injustice with a sober mind and trust God’s mercy and sovereignty.
Feb 16, 2025•38 min
Teaching | Understanding Philippians: Imprisoned for Christ (Philippians 1:12-18)
Conversion is often described as “inviting Jesus into your life,” but this falls short of the gospel’s radical message—the good news for which Paul suffers. The gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) proclaims God’s decisive action to redeem sinners: the Father plans salvation, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit applies it, bringing us into the very life of the Trinity. Through the Spirit, in Christ, we come to the Father as His adopted children. Salvation, from start to finish, is the work of the Triune God,...
Feb 13, 2025•12 min
Sermon | Toiling in the Dust (Ecclesiastes 3:1-22)
Through the wisdom presented in Ecclesiastes, we are reminded to examine the toil of our lives relying upon God with hope as we walk through each season.
Feb 09, 2025•34 min
Teaching | Understanding Philippians: A Prayer of Gratitude (Philippians 1:1-11)
Joy and suffering—our culture sees them as opposites, but Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells a different story. Writing from a Roman prison, Paul proclaims a joy unshaken by chains, trials, or hardship. How? Because Christ, the true source of lasting joy, dwelled in him. In this episode, we unpack Philippians 1:1-11 and discover how gospel partnership, prayer, and God’s ongoing work in us transform the way we experience joy—even in the darkest moments. Check out the rest of our Understanding...
Feb 06, 2025•16 min
Sermon | Does How You Live Matter? (Ecclesiastes 2:12-26)
Ecclesiastes confronts us with the reality that in this fallen world, all of us experience God’s common grace and face death.
Feb 02, 2025•39 min
Sermon | Can Pleasure Ultimately Satisfy? (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)
Through Ecclesiastes, we consider what can be gained through seeking a life of pleasure.
Jan 26, 2025•27 min
Sermon | Is There Any Meaning in the World? (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11)
As mankind, we encounter the tension of striving to make meaning to the days given to us under the sun and the reality that what we turn to cannot ultimately satisfy our souls.
Jan 19, 2025•35 min
Sermon | The Vain Realities of Life (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)
Ecclesiastes invites us to honestly face the questions of life as it helps shape and form us in wisdom.
Jan 12, 2025•41 min
Sermon | Knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:7-11)
The Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians to remain faithful and recounts how faith and knowing Christ is central to all of life.
Jan 05, 2025•33 min
Sermon | Diligent Dependence (Mark 4:26-34)
Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God requires our faithful diligence while we wait upon and rely on God to see the fruit of the work.
Dec 29, 2024•40 min
Sermon | Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7)
The words from the prophet Isaiah stir our gratitude for the Prince of Peace that was born to us.
Dec 22, 2024•37 min
Sermon | Son of Man (Daniel 7:9-14)
As we consider the meaning of the “son of man” we see how what was perplexing to Daniel in his vision of the throne room was answered in Jesus.
Dec 15, 2024•39 min
Sermon | God With Us (Ezekiel 37:24-28)
Through the prophet Ezekiel, we are reminded that God has bound himself to his people and that all our hopes and God’s promises are met in Jesus.
Dec 08, 2024•41 min
Sermon | Tears in Ramah (Jeremiah 31:15-17)
Through Jeremiah’s prophesy, we are reminded that the coming of the Messiah happens over the backdrop of sorrow. But we have a Lord who uses these times of sorrow and we can look forward in hope since we have a God who has come and will come again.
Dec 01, 2024•35 min
Sermon | The Great Commission: Part 2 - Making Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)
Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples wherever they go, which is an extension of his earthly ministry.
Nov 24, 2024•46 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: Wisdom for Kings and Queens (Proverbs 30-31)
We’ve made it to the crown jewel of women’s Bible studies across America — Proverbs 31. Where do we begin with such a famous passage? Well first we need to read Proverbs 31 in the context of Proverbs 1-30, as the embodiment of wisdom in the form of an idealized wife. Proverbs 1 begins with a father instructing his son to seek after wisdom with all his might. Proverbs 31 ends with another father, King Lemuel, telling his son to seek after a wise wife with the same vigor. The choice of a spouse is...
Nov 19, 2024•20 min
Sermon | The Great Commission: Part 1 (Matthew 28:16-20)
Jesus, in his authority, gives his final command to the disciples and provides the all sufficient motivation to the church for why we live how he taught us to and invite others to do so as well.
Nov 17, 2024•38 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: The Reign of the Righteous (Proverbs 28-29)
Proverbs extends the fear of the Lord beyond our own individual lives to the whole of society. A society that honors God will create an atmosphere in which the wicked “flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” The wicked walk around with a low-grade anxiety because they know that God and his righteous rulers will find them out. The righteous, on the other hand, act with boldness knowing that the Lord will bless their efforts. A righteous culture ensures the poor neither ex...
Nov 14, 2024•19 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: Kings, Fools, and Brawlers (Proverbs 25-27)
Proverbs purposefully repeats certain themes from different angles as a way of challenging our minds to consider the various ways that wisdom and folly manifest themselves in every day life. We’re presented with interesting and sometimes humorous characterizations of drunkards, fools, and brawlers as a way to alert us on who to avoid, who to befriend, and who to correct. If we take note of these characters we’ll be better equipped to navigate social situations with skill and prudence. There’s a ...
Nov 11, 2024•22 min
Resurrection Power (Matthew 28:1-15)
Just as Jesus said would happen, he is resurrected and appears to the women waiting at his tomb. As he sends them to share the news with the disciples, the guards at the tomb are paid off to spread a false account, and we begin to see how the good news that Jesus has been raised in power and conquered death changes the world.
Nov 10, 2024•35 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: All Truth is God’s Truth (Proverbs 22-24)
This section features another set of biblical ‘street smarts’ intended to help the simple man navigate the complex world of politics, commerce, and community. Many scholars note similarities between this section of Proverbs and the Egyptian document The Thirty Sayings of Amenemope. This similarity makes sense given the shared agrarian lifestyle of both Israel and Egypt. Proverbs takes common sense wisdom available to all people who pay attention to the patterns of life and reframes them in the c...
Nov 04, 2024•19 min
Sermon | The Burial of Jesus (Matthew 27:55-66)
Jesus’ body is prepared for burial and laid in a tomb. Fearing Jesus’ own words that he will rise again, the chief priests and Pharisees request a guard for his tomb.
Nov 03, 2024•39 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: Why Wisdom Requires Faith (Proverbs 19-21)
We encounter again and again in Proverbs the necessity of faith in the Christian life. Faith is not wishful thinking. It’s not replacing your rationality with superstition. Faith is about trusting God, believing that God is in control despite what your eyes see in the world. Without faith none of these Proverbs makes sense: is it really better to be an honest poor man than a rich crook? (1) Do false witnesses really get punished? Because there’s a lot of injustice out there (Proverbs 19:5, 9). H...
Oct 28, 2024•20 min
Sermon | Surrender and Access (Matthew 27:45-54)
As Jesus lays down his life for sinners, we see how access to the Father was initiated and granted by God through the surrender and sacrifice of the Son.
Oct 27, 2024•41 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: Why You Should Follow Your Heart (Proverbs 16-18)
You’ve probably heard many sermons bashing the idea of “following your heart” because as Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” There’s truth to that especially in light of the way our culture conceives of the heart as any desire or emotion that bubbles to the surface. But Proverbs tells us that the problem is not in following our heart, but rather what or who our heart follows. The Scriptures portray the heart as the seat of t...
Oct 22, 2024•20 min
Sermon | The Cross (Matthew 27:32-44)
Though found innocent, Jesus is led to be crucified. As he is mocked and scorned, the insults thrown declare the truth of the cross.
Oct 20, 2024•36 min
Teaching | Understanding Proverbs: The Hope of Wisdom (Proverbs 13-15)
Have you ever felt like you’ve lost all hope in life? That’s a dark place to be. Human beings need hope to live as much as we need food or water. When Solomon writes in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” he’s tapping into the deep sorrow we feel when we experience the tragedies of life in a fallen world. A Christian counselor once said, “Depression happens when a deeply desired goal or a dream becomes unattainable.” Yet, Proverbs provides a glimmer of hope for those of us who f...
Oct 14, 2024•26 min
Sermon | Jesus the Scapegoat (Matthew 27:1-31)
As Jesus sits on trial, we see how Scripture proclaims the truth that He is the righteous King who will suffer for his people.
Oct 13, 2024•37 min
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