Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Sermon | Repentance is Fitting (Colossians 3:5-11)

The Christian life is one of continual repentance, rooting out sin with persistence and being remade in the likeness of Christ. Our desires, our words, and even our relationships are to be reordered by His Spirit. As we confess and turn, we are freed from the idols of control and covetousness, and we learn to see others not through suspicion or rivalry but through the reconciling love of Christ, who is all and in all.

Understanding Esther | The Fall of Haman (Esther 7-8)

One of the dominant themes in the Bible is how the weak overcome the strong. Esther illustrates this dynamic by how she channels the strength of others against themselves. The authority and emotional volatility that makes the King a fearsome tyrant becomes the means by which Esther brings salvation to her people. The massive ego of Haman that drives his murderous crusade against the Jews becomes the cause of his downfall. Words and indirect influence enable Esther to act with great agency in a world with the cards stacked against her. Yet she’s not alone. Remember Esther means “hidden” which not only describes her concealed Jewish identity, but also the hidden way in which God works in the background on behalf of his people. In chapters 7-8, Esther’s hiddenness gets exposed which places her at the mercy of the “hidden” sovereignty of God. The stakes rise as the various threads of the narrative come together in surprising and unexpected ways. This is Understanding Esther.

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

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