Four Oaks Midtown Podcast

Ecclesiastes confronts us with the reality that in this fallen world, all of us experience God’s common grace and face death. 

Through Ecclesiastes, we consider what can be gained through seeking a life of pleasure. 

As mankind, we encounter the tension of striving to make meaning to the days given to us under the sun and the reality that what we turn to cannot ultimately satisfy our souls. 

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, K...

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 bold...

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 c...

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...

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 fal...

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 ou...

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 g...

As Jesus sits on trial, we see how Scripture proclaims the truth that He is the righteous King who will suffer for his people.

Every father and mother wants to give their children the absolute best: the best education, financial situation, home, you name it. That’s a good and natural instinct, but the greatest blessing that father and mother can give to their children is wisdom. There’s no more precious inheritance than imparting the skill of living well in God’s world. Solomon’s collection of Proverbs come to us Spirit-i...