Oakhaven Church Podcast

In the beginning, God creates earth in order to make a home there with His children. Our sin triggers exile, and God sets in motion soon thereafter the plan that will allow His kids to come home again. In the course of Jesus' birth narrative, He takes on the mantle of both Israel AND Moses on the way out of Egypt.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

As the calendar shifts to a New Year, we observe a more ancient reckoning of time and look more closely at the layers of meaning in the story of the magi. Matthew is helping us to see that Jesus as Messiah is the new Israel, a new Moses, and in today's study, a new Solomon. Born of the same royal line, the humble king is worshipped first by Gentile astrologers, who are also the first to call...

Merry Christmas from The Barn! We look at Luke’s simple account of Jesus’ birth, and the millennia leading up to it. The angels sing, the shepherds quake, and we are saved.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

We finish our journey through Advent by looking at Joseph’s quiet, faithful example in enduring shame and disgrace while submitting to God’s scandalous plans. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

Mary comes in a long line of women God uses to usher in the next chapter of His redeeming work with His people. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, even Mary's cousin, Elizabeth. In each case, God wants to make clear that He is the one working in and through the miraculous life He brings about. None of those important boys, however, holds a candle to the miraculous child Mary will bear.  She is a...

We are in a season of waiting right now. In this dramatic Christmas narrative sermon, we see the story of Jesus' birth through the eyes of an outsider and learn many lessons along the way. Matthew 2:1-12 To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

The smell of Thanksgiving turkey still lingers in the air as the decorations are deployed for Christmas. We have an intersection of themes today as we finish our journey through The Lord’s Prayer on the first Sunday of the season of Advent. It’s a perfect fit, though, as the theme of Hope in this first week relates very strongly to the theme of deliverance in the final line of The Prayer.  Ephesia...

There But For The Grace Of God Go I.  Why are you here?  Why weren't you born somewhere else?   Maybe somewhere less comfortable.  But here you are.  So What now? To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

“And lead us not into temptation” is the line of the Lord’s Prayer we will focus on today. In a few words, it brings up significant issues. Who’s tempting us? We’re asking God to not lead us there. Or are we? Once again, the issues of cause, God’s sovereignty, our choices, and related issues come into play in this simple phrase. We don’t want to be tempted, and when we are, we want to be like Jesu...

We come to perhaps the most vital part of the Lord’s Prayer today in our line by line study of the prayer Jesus gave us. When we forgive, we are being like our Father, whom we ask forgiveness even as He expects us to forgive one another . It’s all truly unfair, but grace is not about fairness, but about love. And if we are to forgive sin in one another, we must certainly "forgive" the di...

In our meditation on each line of The Lord’s Prayer , we come this morning “Give us today our daily bread.” As with all The Prayer, there is so very much embedded in these simple words. No one in the time of Jesus could hear that line and not remember the story of God’s provision of manna in the wilderness. So we are reminded that God is the source of our bread - all the good in our lives. We are...

"Your kingdom come." Three simple words that speak of an immensity of reality and an earnest desire on the part of the Creator that all His children be part of His amazing plan. You too.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

When we say, "Hallowed be Your Name," to God our Father in the Lord's Prayer, we are not just praising Him, we are commanding all the universe to praise Him as well. There is a whole lot going on in this "handful of words" Jesus gives us. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

 As we enter October at The Barn, we shift our attention to our prayer life as individuals and as a community. Jesus’ main and clearest instruction comes to us in what is usually referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” but the Lord isn’t the one who’s going to pray it. We are. Every word is laden with meaning and significance, and so we are going to take our time to savor each one. Today we will feast...

Throughout the month of September we have been looking at some of Jesus’ simplest but most powerful parables. First we saw how the gospel and the kingdom of God powerfully transform our lives in the parables of the mustard seed and yeast . Then we experienced the planting of the seed of the gospel in our hearts as the sower defined the seed of the gospel as God’s love pursuing each of us in a uniq...

Today we continue in a “mini-series” focusing on some of Jesus’ parables. Luke 15 holds three parables with similar themes back to back. We look this morning at the first two, parables involving a lost sheep and a lost coin. In the end there is no one on earth that is past saving, none that are past the fresh start only Jesus brings. He never gives up on a single one of us. To investigate this mos...

In a special narrative sermon, we explore Jesus' powerful parable of The Sower and The Soils. We spend the first half of the message determining what exactly the seed contains (hint: the great news of Jesus Christ); and spend the second half examining our hearts to see which kind of soil they hold.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

Jesus' very brief parables in Matthew 13 of the mustard seed and yeast point to the impact of the Gospel in our lives, and to our role as bearers of the seed/sowers of the yeast.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

Elder Pat Crowe surveys the story of Ruth.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

Elder Duey Unbehaun surveys the powerful New Testament Book of Hebrews.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

As Paul urges us to "put on the whole armor of God" in Ephesians 6 , he urges us to "Pray in the Spirit at all times." Being in constant contact with the Spirit empowers us in the battle in which we find ourselves that Paul describes. In modern times, our connection with wireless networks provides a good illustration of how being tapped into the Spirit enables us in the ways Pa...

In our journey with the Spirit since Pentecost, we have seen how He is poured out in our lives in order to foster and empower our witness to Jesus Christ. There are many layers to our life in Spirit, and in each of them, He helps us to bear witness to Jesus. He gives us words to say, power to choose His path when faced with temptation, and He grows His fruits in us. It is in this growth that our p...

As we continue to reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit as individuals and as the Body of Christ, we turn today to spiritual gifts and their impact on us and the world around us. Spiritual gifts are not just talents or abilities we are born with. They are placed in us by the Spirit in order to serve the common good of God's people as they bear witness to Jesus, just as He called us in Acts 1...

Larry describes three weeks at camp as well as their journey through God's interactions with his people across the ages. Time after time, He makes sure His people can sense His presence in a way that is uniquely meaningful, always meeting them - and us - where they/we are at. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

In this sermon by Jim Harwell, Moses and Peter both step out in faith in answer to God's call upon them. Their partnership with Him and with His Spirit is a powerful example for us today.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .