Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Sermon | Invitation to Come to Jesus

Jesus invites us to come to Him at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, and He gives a warning.

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Returns (Zechariah 9)

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Whether you cheer on the Cinderella team who defies all odds to make it to a championship game or the overlooked player who finally gets a chance to shine we all want to pull for the little guy. Underdog stories testify to the power of grit, determination, and self-belief. In many ways the victory of Israel over their enemies is an underdog story but with one significant difference: the victory comes not from their own power, self-belief, or determination, but God’s faithfulness to his promises. Zechariah 9 tells the story not of underdog Israel summoning the will to conquer her enemies, but rather the gracious God of Israel who fights on their behalf against her enemies. But even more shocking is the fact that this God adopts enemies as his own. This is Understanding Zechariah

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Restores (Zechariah 7-8)

In Zechariah 1-6, we encountered a series of visions given to the prophet Zechariah about God’s promise to the returned exiles of a New Jerusalem with a New Temple that surpasses the old in glory. In Zechariah 7-8, the mode of revelation shifts from an emphasis on visions to specific words about Israel’s past and future. Despite the difference in mode the message remains the same: Israel must not only return to the land, but to the Lord. They must not only rebuild the Temple, but also their true worship and obedience. When the Lord acts among his people he not only brings about peace and prosperity, but purification from sin. No man leaves unchanged when he encounters God. No greater threat exists to the Christian life than a heart that hears but does not heed God’s word. This is Understanding Zechariah.

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here

Sermon | Ask, Seek, Knock

Jesus tells us how we should position ourselves in asking and seeking and knocking, and He tells us the posture we are to have when praying for these things.

Sermon | Judging

Jesus talks about what judging is - discernment and evaluation - and then talks about how to judge correctly.

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Fights (Zechariah 6)

One of the key aspects of understanding the Old Testament is getting a handle on the three offices of Israel: the king, the prophet, and the priest. Each of these offices serves a unique function in the religious economy of Israel. The prophet speaks God’s words to the nation, the king leads the nation to worship God, and the priests teach the law and perform its rites. But the Old Testament continually points forward to a day when all three of these offices combine into one. We see one of those points in Zechariah 6 when Joshua the High Priest receives a crown. Zechariah’s prophecy sows seeds in his day that come to full bloom in the distant future when a kingly son of David becomes a great high priest who speaks the words of God not only to Israel but to the Gentiles as well. This is Understanding Zechariah.

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Builds (Zechariah 4-5)

If you read a lot of books by one author you find that, after a while, you begin to think like that author. As you recognize familiar patterns in your favorite authors you develop a sense not only of the kinds of stories they tell, but the way they tell those stories. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture we get insight into the kinds of stories God tells. We learn about one of God’s favorite stories to tell in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” God loves reversing the wisdom of the world which means the way he works will contrast with the way the world works. In Zechariah 4-5 we see that divine reversal through three visions that show us the grace of God at work in the midst of sin, suffering, and uncertainty. This is Understanding Zechariah.

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here

Sermon | Do Not Be Anxious

Jesus gives us a few points of logic - and then applications - as to why we should not be anxious.

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Saves (Zechariah 2-3)

God gives his people visions in order to help them see by faith a future not yet realized. It’s been said that, “If you wish to build a ship, do not divide the men into teams and send them to the forest to cut wood. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and endless sea.” Visions utilize images and symbols in order to cause us to long for the vast and endless sea of God’s future. Old creation, marred by sin and death, falls into decay and corruption, but God through Israel and ultimately Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, overcomes sin and death and ushers in a new creation that breaks forth in the present and assures us of its consummation at the return of Christ. This is Understanding Zechariah.

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here

Teaching | Understanding Zechariah: Yahweh Remembers (Zechariah 1)

The book of Zechariah unsettles us with strange visions of seven-eyed stones, flying scrolls, and conquering horns. We prefer the safe and familiar pastures of the gospels with Jesus walking, talking, and relating to the world in ways we deem “normal”. But the gospels feature exorcisms, miraculous healings, and angelic visitations. The Apostle Paul speaks of the third heaven, dining with demons, judging angels, and deflecting the fiery darts of Satan. Visions in the Bible remind us that we live in God’s world where odd things happens. Children learn about friendship, love, and courage not by attending philosophical seminars, but by reading stories with talking animals in magical worlds. Truth grips children first through the imagination and then the intellect. God grips us in the same way by drawing upon the things of the earth: olive trees, horses, oil, and fire in order to point us to heavenly realities. Children’s books help kids imagine a world that does not exist, but God’s visions challenge us to imagine by faith a world that does not yet exist, but will. And it reframes our perspective on the world so that we might go, as C.S. Lewis writes, “further up, and further in” to God’s world, which of course, is our world. A world which one day will overflow with the glory of God as the waters fill the sea. This is Understanding Zechariah.

Check out the rest of the Understanding series here