Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Sermon | Anchored in Union with Christ (Colossians 3:1-4)

At the heart of the Christian life is our union with Christ, through which all that rightfully belongs to Him is graciously given to us. Because Jesus reigns now at God’s right hand, we are invited to view ourselves and our circumstances from His perspective. Though we do not yet comprehend it, the fullness of His glory will be revealed when Christ returns, and we will share in that eternal future with Him. Until then, we are called to live with attentive faith, allowing the reality of the gospel to shape every part of our lives.

Understanding Esther | Pride and Providence (Esther 5-6)

I loved reading Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books as a kid because of the way this format drew me into the story. These books contained decision points marked by page numbers. You flipped to page 98 for choice A and page 105 for choice B. Of course, as a kid, I kept my thumb on the original page just in case I chose the wrong outcome, but real life carries higher stakes. We rarely get a chance to undo our choices which freights our decisions with meaning and significance. Esther stands at the point of no return as she resolves to risk her life by coming before the king unprompted to plead for the deliverance of her people. She maneuvers the web of political relationships in the royal court to bring about her desired outcome, but not without risk. Her plan requires the alignment of a host of variables outside of her control, yet she courageously steps forward. The fate of her people lies not in the casting of lots or the whims of an unstable king or conniving counselor, but the providence of God bringing about a stunning reversal. This is Understanding Esther.

Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings

Sermon | Faith in Christ: The Antidote to Legalism (Colossians 2:16-23)

Legalism often masquerades as devotion, drawing us to what feels right, looks impressive, or seems perfectly obedient. Paul reminds us that moralism, mysticism, and aestheticism do not guide us to Christ, faith alone does. As we face these temptations to judge ourselves or others by feelings, appearances, or rules, we can learn to rest in Jesus, trusting Him to justify, preserve, and sustain His people even when our preferences, perceptions, or practices differ.

Understanding Esther | If I Perish, I Perish (Esther 3-4)

In the final film of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, the main villain Bane watches the city of Gotham devolve into chaos and destruction while he calmly knits. This detail alludes to a character in Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities who knits while sentencing people to death. Nolan deploys this subtle hint to cue the audience to read his Batman narrative in light of Dickens’ novel. In a similar way, the author of Esther uses careful allusions in order to place the narrative within the wider scope of the Bible. The dialogue, decisions, and dramatic tensions introduced in Esther 3-4 pull on the narrative threads of prior Old Testament books underscore the unchanging and sovereign goodness of God towards his people. This is Understanding Esther. 

Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings

Sermon | Alive Together with Him (Colossians 2:13-15)

In Christ, we are given a new life, freed from sin’s dominion and united to Him as the source of our fruitfulness. We not only receive a new status as saints marked by forgiveness but we are given a new future. A future where Christ has triumphed over all powers and calls us to live with our eyes fixed on Him as both our means and our end. Let us rest in this truth and walk in the freedom, identity, and hope that are ours in Christ.

Understanding Esther | The Ascent of Esther (Esther 1-2)

A good film rewards repeated viewings with deeper insight, appreciation, and meaning. We begin to appreciate minor details in the lighting, production design, and movement of the actors. Every subtle piece of dialogue or placement of the camera enriches our experience of the narrative and internalizes the major themes in a powerful way. The book of Esther, at first glance, tells a simple story about a queen who ascends to the heights of power in order to save her people. A closer examination however, reveals a multi-layered narrative of remarkable depth that subverts expectations and traces out the surprising way in which God works through fallen people in a broken world. The drama of Esther serves not only to get us into the story, but more importantly, to get the story into us. Esther 1-2 sets the stage by introducing the three main characters King Ahasuerus, Esther, and Mordecai whose lives intertwine to bring about the dramatic deliverance of God’s people. This is Understanding Esther.

Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings

Sermon | Rooted in Christ (Colossians 2:6-12)

In Colossians 2:6–12, Paul calls believers not just to receive Christ, but to walk in Him, firmly rooted and built up in faith. The life that flourishes in Christ must be grounded in Him, not in empty philosophies or self-sufficient thinking. This passage invites us to examine what shapes our minds and desires: does what we meditate on draw us closer to Jesus or pull us away? Remembering our baptism and the joy of salvation reorients us, reminding us that we are not the source of life but recipients of grace. To walk in Christ is to cultivate vigilance, humility, and direction, to set our faces toward Him and live a life worthy of His calling.

Understanding Esther | Strangers in Exile (Esther Overview)

In this episode, guest podcaster Brian Seagraves joins us to explore the book of Esther. Together, we’ll consider the surprising moral ambiguity of its main characters, how the story is told with God’s name absent yet His sovereignty hidden in plain sight, and the dramatic reversals that shape the narrative. We’ll also reflect on why Esther retells history the way it does—not simply to record the past, but to shape how God’s people live in the present. This is Understanding Esther.

Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings

Sermon | From Alienation to Fullness in Christ (Colossians 1:21-2:5)

Once we were alienated from God, hostile in mind, and marked by sin, but through Christ’s death we have been reconciled and now stand holy and blameless before Him. Paul reminds believers to remain steadfast in the gospel, thankful to live in the fullness of God’s revealed plan that prophets and angels longed to see. His aim is to see the church mature in Christ, knit together in love, firm in faith, and walking in the wisdom found only in Him.

 

Understanding Ruth | A Harvest of Joy (Ruth 4)

The book of Ruth focuses on two things that reveal our dependence upon God: land and children. We typically think of land as just matter that we through technology impose our will upon, but in the ANE land meant life, provision, and security. Central to Israel’s conception of land is the idea of an inheritance — God himself apportions various plots to tribes and families. These are gifts to be received rather than objects to generate profit. God nourishes his people through the land. Similarly, God grants children as a gift. Land and children remind us not only of our dependence, but our place as one rung in a ladder of generations through time. Everything in our modern world drives us to focus on the here and now. But land and children gives us a broader perspective. But even these temporal things are not the final end, for as we learn in the NT, the great inheritance we possess as Christians is an eternal kingdom, a new creation. And that the extension of our life in time through children is only finally fulfilled in our resurrection. Ruth draws us into that fundamental reality of God as our ultimate provider, protector, and redeemer. This is Understanding Ruth. 

Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings