Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Sermon | The Last Will Be First (Matthew 20:1-16)

Jesus describes what life in the kingdom is like through the parable of the laborers in the vineyard and reminds us that God is the gracious King. 

Sermon | The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:13-30)

Jesus challenges a young man to give up everything for the kingdom and challenges us to consider the cost of discipleship and the temptation of greed.

Sermon | Marriage As It Was Intended From The Beginning (Matthew 19:1-12)

Jesus responds to the Pharisees' questions regarding marriage by describing God’s intention for marriage from the beginning.

Sermon | Forgive Your Debtors (Matthew 18:21-35)

Jesus responds to Peter’s question on how often we are to forgive by using the parable of the unforgiving servant to remind us we are to forgive as the Father forgives us. 

Sermon | The Strategy of Reconciliation (Matthew 18:15-20)

Jesus addresses the disciples regarding how to treat their brother or sister when they find them in sin. 

Teaching | Understanding Hebrews: Love Your Brothers, Respect Your Leaders (Hebrews 13)

Do you ever skip reading the opening and closing sections of some of the letters in the New Testament? You know, the parts where we see lists of names, greetings, and other details that seem irrelevant to our lives? That’s a mistake because these opening and closing sections give us insight into the way the early church understood their life as a community. The institutional structure of the church existed only to serve the organic relationships forged by the Holy Spirit. The New Testament does not recognize “lone ranger” Christianity. We’re not reading old documents about abstract theology, but letters written by people who love one another. We’re reading prayers about real people in real time with real friendships facing real struggles. Hebrews 13 challenges our modern conceptions of church as an ‘event’ or ‘experience’ with a bold vision of God’s household. There’s not category for an individualistic Christian experience. We cannot know Christ without knowing his body. This is Understanding Hebrews.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

Teaching | Understanding Hebrews: For the Joy Set Before Us (Hebrews 12)

We often don’t think about the fact that Jesus exercised faith. He’s not just perfect in his divinity, but also his humanity. God created us as dependent creatures. Our dependence upon God manifests as faith or trust. Therefore, Christ the perfect man manifests trust perfectly. He demonstrates the perfection if our faith. He’s not just the source and object of our faith, but also the exemplar of faith. Our faith in Christ strengthens when we meditate upon the faith of Christ. He’s the captain of our faith who leads us alongside the great cloud of witnesses chronicled in Hebrews 11 toward the eternal joy set before us. This is Understanding Hebrews.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

 

Sermon | The Heart of the Father (Matthew 18:10-14)

Through the parable of the wandering sheep, Jesus reveals the heart of the father and the spiritual reality of how we ought to care for others.

Teaching | Understanding Hebrews: The Faith that Pleases God (Hebrews 11)

Well-meaning preachers emphasize that the characters in the Old Testament serve not as moral examples, but pointers to Christ. We’re not to see ourselves as David, but rather see David as merely a pointer to Christ. But Hebrews 11 rejects this either/or mentality. We view the Old Testament saints not only as pointers to Jesus, but also exemplars of faithful living. Furthermore, faith is not a New Testament thing, but an Old Testament thing. Salvation from beginning to end comes by faith alone. The Old Testaments saints believed beyond their visible circumstances to a greater and better future promised by God. We by faith look back on the sacrifice of Christ, but they looked forward to it. Our perspective on Christ may differ, but the substance of our salvation remains the same: the once-for-all offering of Christ on the cross for our sins and his glorious resurrection. If we try to run back to Moses and Abraham we’ll just find them running the opposite direction toward Christ. This is Understanding Hebrews. 

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

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

 

Sermon | The Little Ones (Matthew 18:1-14)

Jesus speaks to the disciples about how to correctly consider themselves and those around them.