Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Ecclesiastes invites us to honestly face the questions of life as it helps shape and form us in wisdom.

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians to remain faithful and recounts how faith and knowing Christ is central to all of life.

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.

The words from the prophet Isaiah stir our gratitude for the Prince of Peace that was born to us.

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.

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.

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.

Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples wherever they go, which is an extension of his earthly ministry.

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 the most critical earthly decision any human being makes. A wise man who embodies wisdom will find a wise wife and vice versa. Yet these words from King Lemuel come as inherited wisdom from his own mother. He’s giving his son grand’s wisdom, which we know, is always right. So we conclude our study in Proverbs by looking at how wisdom calls out the best in both men and women so that we might fulfill our royal calling as kings and queens tasked with exercising dominion over the earth. This is Understanding Proverbs.    Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

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.

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 experience oppression or oppress others. “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.” A society without God becomes morally corrupt in their perspective praising the wicked and oppressing the righteous. Those who seek the Lord must remain vigilant against evil to preserve the order and justice of society. This is Understanding Proverbs.  Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

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 homespun kind of wisdom that gets to the heart of how things work in the world that forces us to peer deeper into the habits and routines of life to unearth hidden wisdom. If we want wisdom we need to pay attention not only to God’s word, but God’s world. This is Understanding Proverbs.  Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

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.

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 context of fearing God. By God’s grace, the worship of false gods does not eradicate man’s ability to make truthful observations about the world. However, wisdom not only comes from, but also points to the Lord. Without knowledge of the true God all wisdom, though insightful, falls short. Only when we see wisdom in the context of God’s revelation will our paths be made straight. This is Understanding Proverbs.  Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

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.

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). How about the tragic observation that “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend (Proverbs 19:4).” Wealth gets you many friends, but some just want your money. Poverty makes everyone desert you. Faith allows us to live well in a world that often perplexes us by looking at the present through the lens of the future. God will punish the wicked. He will reward the righteous. Trust him. This is Understanding Proverbs. Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

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.

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 the will, the place of our deepest allegiances. Conversion happens when God’s grace switches the allegiance of our heart away from sin toward God. That’s what it means for his law to be written on your heart. That the place of our deepest loyalties is occupied by God alone. If that’s true of your life, by all means, follow your heart, because if your heart follows God then it will lead you towards worship, trust, and obedience. This is Understanding Proverbs. Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962

Though found innocent, Jesus is led to be crucified. As he is mocked and scorned, the insults thrown declare the truth of the cross.

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 feel ourselves burdened with heart sickness: “but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs reminds us that in the end the promises of God will overcome all the sadnesses we experience this life. That the righteous will find satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. Adam lost the tree of life by his sin, but the Second Adam, Christ, redeems what was lost and paves the way for us to find that ultimate peace and satisfaction. That’s the promise to a heart-sick Christian — that a tree of life awaits in the future. And wisdom comes as our guide in the present to lead us every step of the way home. This is Understanding Proverbs.  Check out the rest of our Understanding Series: https://www.fouroaksmidtown.com/teachings Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@fouroakschurchmidtown1962