Oak Hill Church Sermon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Oak Hill Church
What are we called to do as believers?Nothing to earn our salvation, but plenty, after we are saved, as we demonstrate Christ's love to others.
In Titus 3:1-8, Paul shows Titus that Christians are people who were just as lost, just as sinful, just as broken as their neighbors, but then God graciously saved them and made them new. And now, because they’ve been transformed, they should be eager to devote themselves to good works and to cultivate a reputation in their community of gentleness, faithfulness, and perfect courtesy.
In I Samuel, we see an example of how to live in a Godly way when things aren't going the way you think they should. Hannah exemplifies the fruit of the spirit as she deals with a number of trials.
Words divide Christians more than anything else. In this sermon, Patrick reminds us of what James says: 1) What guards the unity of the church is us guarding our tongues and 2) We guarantee the unity of the church by making the law of God our standard.
Apart from Jesus, we can only hide from God, minimize our sin, or try to come up with some way to atone for our failures on our own (spoiler alert: that never works!). But in Jesus, we have an advocate. He knows our mess, has cleaned it up, and grants us continued access into his Father’s presence.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem, staking his claim as the long-expected King from the line of David. Contrary to expectation, he came not to conquer but instead to bear the curse for his broken, rebellious people.
The good news of the gospel is for everyone, giving us our only true hope for eternal life.
Oak Hill Church is Here for the Good of the Nations. Jesus’ command to take the gospel to all peoples is for all Christians. Some will go—the rest are called to faithfully send them. 3 John 5-8 shows us what it means as a local church to faithfully love and support those who go out for the sake of the name of Jesus.
As Christians, we are called to work for the good of our neighbors, those whom God has put in our path who need the love of Jesus. We don't do this simply by inviting people to church, but by loving people in the name of Jesus at home, at work, and everywhere we go.
Need alignment? Whether you find yourself slowly veering off the road of faith, or have a friend or family member who is slipping back into their old way of life, sometimes we need help to get our lives back in line with the gospel.
The Galatian church was being pressured to conform to the customs of the Old Testament to secure their salvation. Paul warned them, and us, that you don’t get saved by getting religion or even just by getting your act together. You get saved by getting Jesus.
The gospel is from God, not from man. Paul gives proof of this by his changed life. And though we may not have a Damascus Road experience like Paul, every one of our stories is a miracle of God's amazing grace. Have you experienced this grace in your life?
In many ways, we Iowans can fall into the same trap as the Galatians. We try to smuggle in our good works with God’s grace when it comes to our salvation. But when we add to the gospel, we lose the gospel and are in danger of losing our very souls.
The end of the world is coming soon, and eternity will be forever. How does that reality make a difference in your daily life?
Jesus' last words can make a lasting impact on our lives! But what did he mean when he cried out, "It is finished," and how does that free us from a life of performance?
Deep down we all long for Eden; we all want to be naked and unashamed. But when we sin, we experience shame, and we spend our whole lives trying to cover it up. Thankfully, in his kindness, God moves toward us and is ready to cover us in Jesus.
Because all human beings are made in the image of God (the Imago Dei), we are called to treat each other with honor and dignity no matter how different our convictions may be. In this cultural moment, the church must rise up and be known for its love and kindness.
Are you still walking down the road of disappointment? Jesus invites us to join him on a better road this year where our hearts can burn with hope as we see Jesus in the Scriptures.
The good news that God has come in the flesh to redeem his people has spread around the world, and one day Jesus will reign as King over all the earth, with people from every nation and tribe and language joyfully worshipping him.
Deep down, we all want a little peace this Christmas. But we’ll never find it in the warm fuzzy feelings that so quickly fade away. We need real peace with God that lasts forever. The good news of Christmas is that Jesus has come to give us this peace. Watch and find out how you can have it!
One of the main reasons why Jesus came was to set us free from the power of the enemy. And when he saves us, he calls us to “return home and declare how much God has done” in our lives. This message concludes with the brief testimonies of many Oak Hill folks and what Jesus has done for them!
When God sends something hard and unexpected into your life, how do you respond? Mary shows us the way through her honest struggle of faith. We too can come to him with all of our fears and questions, knowing He is with us and drawing us into his bigger story!
Where does your loss and loneliness lead you? Does it drive you closer to God or further away? In this first message of our Christmas series, we look at the life of an old widow named Anna and see how she responded to her loneliness very differently than the Grinch.
Psalm 103:15-18 lays out the dynamic of the Christian life—we are small and temporary, God is big and eternal. We cling to him, he holds us up. Apart from him we are nothing, but in him we are loved forever. And so we have ample reason to give thanks!
What’s your picture of God? Is he distant and aloof? Angry and disappointed? Exacting and strict? Who is God and what is he like? Thankfully, we don’t have to guess because he’s revealed himself to us. And his heart toward us is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love!
We have so many reasons to be grateful! This message gets really practical on what causes us to forget God’s blessings and what helps us to remember them. Count your blessings one-by-one and encourage your heart to give praise to God this week!
Despite the Coronavirus, the Election, and all the social and political tension, we have reason to be grateful! Jesus is Lord and his rule and reign will endure forever no matter what happens November 3rd.
The word “repentance” stings a bit. Seems a little intrusive. Kinda up in my business. But in reality, it is the gracious call of a loving God to bring us back to himself. So why do we resist? And what might happen if we turn our hearts back to God and each other?
The Day is coming soon when Christ will return. The clock is ticking. Time is running out. And you must make a decision. Are you a real believer in Jesus or just a religious actor? Which group are you in? Do you know for sure? Because your forever future in heaven or hell depends on it.
When life’s a bit wonky we often look to money for the security that only God can provide. But even though we’re fickle, He is unchanging, ready to pour out his blessings as we put our trust in Him.
Everywhere we look, we see evil, brokenness, rebellion against God. We long for him to move, to fix what is broken. And he will. But God also means for us to look within our own hearts, to see the lingering pride, rebellion, and sin, and to allow him to refine and restore us.
We can’t be faithful to God while being unfaithful to one another. So what does it look like to be faithful to our spouses and to those in our church family?
If you’re interested in learning more about divorce and remarriage, follow this link to view this previous sermon. - https://vimeo.com/384400752
God cares about his name being honored. He is worthy of our worship. But so often we belittle Him by not bringing our best to Him. We value the wrong things and end up giving God our leftovers. Thankfully he is gentle with us in our waywardness and invites us to return to Him.
2020 has been hard on so many levels. If we’re honest, we’re tired of it. We just want to get back to normal. But when we consider the life we have vs. the life we deserve, we’re reminded that God has loved us beyond measure. And this love beckons us to return to Him no matter how far we’ve drifted away.
Let’s admit it. As a culture, we’ve lost control of our words. We cannot tame our tongues. And yet Jesus is different. His silence and self-control speaks loud. It stands out in a world where everyone is talking and almost no one is listening. What then can we learn from his quiet strength and willing restraint? And how does this impact the world around us?
Jesus was called a friend of sinners, and here we see him showing kindness to a sinful prostitute and a prideful Pharisee. The challenge is to see ourselves in these two characters, so that we can receive his kindness and show his kindness to others. Now, more than ever, the world needs to see a difference in us as Christians, so let’s be known for our kindness!
Jesus waited 30 years to begin his earthly ministry, and when it finally did begin, he spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by Satan. Jesus not only models patience for us, his perfect patience ensures that the Father will be patient with us while he shapes us into Jesus’ image.
What's disturbing your peace? A difficult decision? Relational conflict? The chaos of the world around us? Only Jesus can give us a supernatural settledness deep in our souls in spite of our circumstances. And this peace leads us to become peacemakers in our church and in our world.
Lasting joy and true happiness comes from knowing Jesus and resting in him. When we just seek to be happy, we end up miserable. When we just seek to know Jesus, we end up with overflowing joy.
Love is the first and foremost fruit of the Spirit. But how do we love like Jesus? Is that even possible? Looking at the familiar yet misunderstood Parable of the Good Samaritan, we learn that when we are loved by Jesus, we can go and love like Jesus.
As we come to the end of this letter, Peter is giving us some final instructions on our faith journey. And the hope is that even if we fall on our faces with pride, feel weighed down by our worries, or get wounded by the enemy, the God of all grace will bring us home safely!
When suffering comes, it kinda shakes us and messes with us. We see it as a meaningless disruption in our lives; like a detour to the good life we want to have. But what if we saw it differently? What if we saw it as a purposeful invitation rather than a pointless interruption?
There is a battle being fought in our minds every day. Sometimes it feels like we’re in a tug-of-war being pulled back into our old way of life. And so we must arm ourselves with the mind of Christ to say no to sin and be set free to love others.
On the road of life, sometimes we get weary and start to waver in our faith. But if we look to Jesus, he will give us courage to keep going as he overcame and so will we!
As Christians we’re called to respond to evil with good. To bless others with our lips and our lives. In this special message to graduates (and all of us), we’re reminded that our “convictional kindness” can lead people to ask about the hope that lies within us.
In 1 Peter 3:1-7, Peter calls husbands and wives to embrace their God-given roles. Because God is in the driver’s seat, and because he is trustworthy and kind, we are free from the need to control or manipulate our spouses to make sure we get our way, and instead can love and support them in a way that blesses them and points others to the hope we have in Jesus.
Surprisingly, when we stoop down low like Jesus, the world stands up and takes notice. Take a listen to this timely message.
How do you respond to surprise events in your life? The way you respond can reveal a lot about what is in your heart and what you are believing about Jesus.
In a time of crisis, there is a heightened need to love one another. We are more easily stressed, more given to self-focus and even tempted to stray away from the faith. That’s why we need to love one another! So, what makes this supernatural love possible?
1) How can you "prepare your mind for action" each day and not drift into mindless entertainment, but put your hope in God's grace?
2) How have you grown over the last few years to become more like your heavenly Father? How have you slipped back into your old way of life?
3) What comes into your mind when you think about God and his posture towards you? How does his being a father and judge motivate you toward holiness?
In 1 Peter 1:10-12, we see that though we are not with the Lord bodily right now, he has spoken a gracious word to us (in both the Old and New Testament) and is now revealing his grace as he works to save his people. And on our journey heavenward, God means for us to be students of his grace, strengthened by his promises for the troubles we face.
Sermon Discussion Questions: 1) Have you experienced both deep joy and honest grief in the midst of this trial? 2) How is God refining your faith in this difficult time? 3) How is God lifting your eyes away from worldly joys to eternal joys in this trial?
If ever there was a time we needed hope, it’s now. By God’s great mercy we can have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!
Jesus is riding into your crowded and chaotic soul and asking, “Do you want real peace?”
God is doing some deep cleaning in our lives. What needs to go? What needs to stay? And as we look back on this Coronavirus someday, what will our stories be?
In this time of uncertainty we should grieve the things we have lost, but we should also see this time as an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and serve the world around us.
With no church service this morning, today's sermon comes to you from Pastor Doug's office. We hope you are comforted and encouraged by this word today.
God calls us to give to him, but not simply out of obligation or guilt. Our giving should come out of an overflowing joy caused by God's grace in our life.
Grace is the root and generosity is the fruit of a heart changed by Jesus. May we look to the beauty of Jesus’ generosity as the greatest motivation to give.
Most of us grew up taking Communion, but we were just going through the motions, never stopping to think about the meaning. So, what is Communion? Why do we celebrate it? And how should we take it?
If you want a passage of Scripture that clashes with culture and is difficult to understand, this is it! Though it deals with women wearing head coverings, what’s really at stake is the beauty of God’s design in creating us male and female and how we live that out in the church and in the home.
God is glorious—he is bigger, better, and more satisfying than anything else the world has to offer, and he has called us out of death and into his kingdom. As Christians, we live in a way that either displays this glory and commends God’s goodness to others, or we obscure this glory, giving others the impression that God is not worth their attention.
Life is short. Eternity is forever. So let’s do whatever possible to win more and more people to Jesus. Let’s be like Paul who surrendered it all for the sake of the gospel!
What do we do with the "gray areas" of life? How do we navigate issues like media, alcohol and politics? And how can we lovingly interact with those who have different convictions than we do? Gray areas can be complicated, but they don’t have to be divisive. Rather, they should lead us to love one another as Christ first loved us.
Sometimes we think singleness is a hindrance to the good life that’s awaiting us. But the Bible calls it a gift from God. So how can we maximize our singleness for the glory of God while dealing with the loneliness singleness can bring? Whether you’re single or married, divorced or widowed, we all need to hear the Bible’s teaching on singleness.
Divorce affects a lot of people in our church and community. While our culture tries to convince us to “jump ship” when things get hard, God says something different. He wants us to stay married. But is it ever okay to get divorced? To remarry? If so, when? And how can we find help and healing if we’re struggling in our marriage?
Sex is something we rarely talk about in the church even though our culture is speaking loudly to us every day. So what’s God’s view of sex? And how can we guard our marriages from the evil one and bring great glory to Christ?
Christmas is a celebration of the first coming of Christ. Christians look back to what God did many years ago, sending his Son as a baby boy, come to save us from our sins. But we don’t only look back to see what God has done—we also look forward to what God will do. Christ has come to save us from our sins and he will come again to make all things new and to live with us forever in perfect peace and joy.
While it is easy to get hung up in the details of the visit of the wise men, it can cause us to miss the point of the story. These men travelled many miles over many months so that they could kneel before this child in worship.There was no question in their minds of who he was and there was no question in their mind what their response should be. What about in your mind?
Kids and grown-ups aren't that much different. At times, we both feel afraid and alone. But knowing Jesus as our Good Shepherd settles our hearts as we go through the dark times in life and gives us a passion to go after those who need his love.
Sometimes we forget the obvious that Jesus is the most important character in the Christmas story. There's a glory and transcendent beauty about him. More than a baby in a manger, he is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh to save us from our sins. And He's still shining his light in the darkness. So, how will you respond to Jesus this Christmas?
God has visited us. That's essentially what Christmas is all about. Christ has come to this earth to redeem us. Just like a sunrise, he breaks through the darkness to save us. And one day he will return to make all things right.
We're living in a culture that struggles with sexual immorality and confusion over our bodies. Consequently, many of us have deep stains and scars in our sexual past. The path of freedom is found in seeing that our bodies belong to God and that we have been bought with the price of Christ's blood.
In Corinth, members of the church were filing lawsuits in the Roman legal system, seeking to settle their grievances in court. For the sake of financial gain and personal satisfaction they were ruining relationships with fellow believers and bringing shame upon Christ and his church.
God has another plan for dealing with conflict. Grace reframes grievances. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, we see that a proper understanding of God’s grace toward us produces peace, humility, and unity that commends Christ to unbelievers.
As Christians, one of our responsibilities is to keep the church as pure and holy as we can. One way we do this is by confronting each other when our lives don't match up with scripture. While this may seem harsh at times, it has three important effects: 1) it protects the church, 2) it honor's Christ's sacrifice, 3) it saves people's souls.
Leadership matters to everyone because everyone is led, and everyone leads in some capacity. When Jesus came, he flipped leadership on its head. He turned everything upside down. No doubt, Paul's views on leadership were shaped directly by the crucified Christ, and he expected the leaders and teachers of the Corinthian community to take their cues from him - to follow him as he followed Christ. So the question is, "How do we lead like Jesus?"
God is building something greater than our minds can even begin to comprehend! He's building his church, and we get to be a part of it. But we must be careful how we build. Indeed, how we live and how we teach matters! It affects our eternity, influences our entire church family and shows if we take God seriously.
Christians are meant to be spiritual conduits--God’s grace flows into our lives, setting us free and making us new, and then it spills out of us as God uses us to bless others and point them to that grace.
All of us want wisdom-wisdom to comprehend the deepest spiritual realities of life. Thankfully we don't have to go and search for it or discover it on our own, because it's already been revealed to us. The question is, "Are we living by the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God?"
As the leaves begin to fall, we forget that death is happening all around us; yet for some reason we find it beautiful.
Paul came to the Corinthians in weakness. He had died to himself and was determined to preach one message - Christ and him crucified. In this way the message and the messenger were consistent, so that our faith would not rest not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The message of Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins, now raised from the dead and reigning as King flies in the face of worldly expectations. But it is God’s power to save whoever believes. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 calls us to look away from earthly wisdom, power, and status and boast in the cross alone.
Here we see Paul calling for unity among the believers in the Corinthian church who were divided like a bunch of middle schoolers in their cliques. But instead of simply telling them to stop being divided, he calls them to humble themselves and focus on the cross of Christ, which will cause division to melt away.
Starting is easy. Finishing is hard. Have you been running the race as a Christian, but lately it seems like you're sputtering and falling behind? Did you start off well, but now you're wondering how you can get back on track? Be encouraged that if God had called you, he will sustain you to the end. You will finish, because God is faithful!
What do you think of when you hear the word saint? Are you a saint? This is one of the most widely misunderstood words in our Christian vocabulary. But if we are in Christ, we are saints. That's our identity. And God knows there's a gap between who we are and what we do. He knows we will often act un-saintly. The church in Corinth was a prime example. Indeed, God's saints aren't perfect; but we keep pressing on to become who we are in Jesus - and we do it together!
Most of us have a "song" that's replaying in our minds over and over again each day. It's a song of self-centered grumbling and anger. So how do we move from a heart of whining to a heart of worship? How do we get a different song in our heads that honors God and satisfies our souls?
Our 4th and final 'G' gives us the answer: "God is gracious, never forget it!"
Only God can satisfy our deepest longings and desires. He alone is good. But so often we forget; our hearts are prone to wander. Thankfully he is patient with us even taking us through valleys to remind us that He is enough - he is all that we need.
"God is Good, so we don't have to look elsewhere." That's the 3rd 'G' in our series.
Are you controlled by what others think of you? Do you crave their approval and fear their rejection? All of us, to some degree, struggle with the fear of man. It's a horrible way to live; enslaved by the opinions and expectations of others is absolute bondage. So, how can we be liberated from the fear of man and be motivated to love others instead?
This week we look at the second 'G' namely, "God is Glorious, so we don't have to fear others."
We all struggle with the need for control. We want things to be secure in our world. But sooner or later, life has a way of spinning out of control and falling apart. In these moments, instead of looking to ourselves and grasping for more control, God comes to us as our safe and strong refuge. He invites us to let go and know that He is God.
"God is GREAT, so we don't have to be in control." That's the first "G" in our series.
The culture around us and our own hearts tell us to pull it together, put your best foot forward, and not let people see your weakness. The story of Sarah (and her husband Abraham) shows us that our weakness is meant to display his glory, that we don’t have to pretend or attempt to take control, and that nothing is too hard for the Lord.
In this world it is easy to go with the flow. It is easy to ignore or gloss over sin when it seems that everyone around us is doing the same. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a faith that was stronger than the beliefs and actions of those around them. They knew that no matter what else happened, their God was in control and would be with them everywhere they went. Even into a fiery furnace.
Contrary to what our culture might think, the Bible doesn't suppress women; it empowers women to lead and serve in their unique, God-given calling.
The story of Deborah encourages both men and women to embrace our different roles so we can flourish and fight together in the mission God has given us!
What made Joshua so courageous? Why did Moses change his name to mean "The Lord Delivers"? It was because of the promises of God. Joshua had repeatedly seen tangible demonstrations of God's faithfulness over his lifetime and he believed God's promises of faithfulness to come. That promise would eventually bring us Jesus, the one who would lead God's people into the true and eternal promised land.
Rahab was a prostitute. Most would have written her off. But God welcomed her in. After hearing the stories of God's redemption and victory over his enemies, her heart melted in faith; and her faith bore the fruit of action as she welcomed the spies into her home.
Just like in her day, God is on the move; and you can be included if you take hold of Christ. Truly, if there is room for Rahab in God's family, there is room for you too.
God’s grace in the past is meant to inspire confidence to persevere as we look at our present realities. Caleb had a front row seat to God miraculously delivering the Israelites from slavery and leading them to the front step of the Promised Land, and he was ready to move forward with God. Like Caleb, we can keep our confidence in Christ by continually rehearsing his past grace to us.
Waiting is hard. After all, you're here and you would rather be there. There seems so much better than here. But God has you here for a reason; and in this time of waiting He is doing something in you. The story of Hannah helps us learn what to do when waiting is hard.
Sometimes when we look at the various Bible characters in the Old Testament we think of them as "superheroes" we could never be like. But the story of Daniel gives us a window into how we can live in the plain, mundane moments of our lives. Far from being just a story of deliverance from the lion's den, Daniel shows us what it means to be a man of integrity in a world of hostility.
Life is a series of moments. Some of these moments are bigger than others. Some are what we could call "defining moments" when we must speak up, take action, and intervene, even when it costs us something because people's lives are at stake. Sooner or later, God will give us moments like these. The question is: Will we have the courage to act? Will we be brave enough to speak? Will we seize our "Esther moments?"