Central Oaks Sermons

The Thessalonians “despised” prophecy. As a result of this, they were quenching the Holy Spirit from working among them like He sought to. Some Christians are at arms length from prophecy. Pastor Jacob makes the case here that prophecy is still a gift of the Spirit today and should be “earnestly desired.” May God bless you as you hear His Word preached.

In this series on church life, Pastor Jacob preaches about three things God wants us to do all the time. They are difficult things to do—impossible really. But there is a key phrase at the end of verse 18 that helps us realize these verses are verses of hope instead of drudgery.

This short series from the end of 1 Thessalonians 5 is about church life. This message is from verses 13b-15 and focus on responsibilities we have for one another in local churches. May God bless you as you hear His Word preached.

It matters how things are made. It matters how Scripture came. How Scripture came will either build or erode confidence in it. May God bless the preaching of His Word.

How does the Bible describe itself? What does it claim it does to us? Hebrews 4:12 gives the answer. May God bless the preaching of His Word.

God’s Word is compared to the rain and snow in Isaiah 55. The rain and snow are always effective to make something grow. So is God’s Word always effective for what God sends it out to do. Do we trust God’s Word to do the work of God?

God’s Word endures forever. People don’t. What does this say about which one we should pay attention to the most? May God bless you as you listen to His Word preached.

The Bible might be true, but is it enough? Is it all we truly need for following Jesus?

James and John heard Jesus say He was going to Jerusalem to die. In fact, they heard it three times. But they couldn’t quite see it. They only saw Jesus as a glorious King and not a suffering servant. But there was one person who could see who Jesus was in this account. It leaves us asking the question: “Who are we most like: James and John or Bartimaeus?”

When it comes to the Old Testament, some think it's not as important as the New Testament. But Jesus had a different view of the Old Testament. This sermon explains that view and gives implications for it as well.

Just a few final words from Paul before the book ends. May God bless you as you hear His Word preached today.

Paul wanted the believers in Thessalonica to know that they could be ready for the return of Christ. He even wanted them to know that God would make them ready. What confidence!

For some the return of the Lord can evoke fear. "Am I really ready?" This passage is for those who are ready but don't realize it. It seeks to encourage real Christians who are unnecessarily afraid of the return of Jesus. God bless you as you listen to this sermon.

Losing a fellow Christian to death is difficult. The Thessalonians had lost some fellow Christians, and they were grieving like someone who had no hope. But they could have hope. How? Paul explains in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

The Christians in Thessalonica were mainly praised by Paul, but they did need to grow in their love for one another--particularly in the area of work. It seems some weren't working and were relying on the wealth of other Christians, becoming a burden to them and sticking their nose places where it didn't belong. Love doesn't take, but gives. They needed to grow in that area, and so do many Christians today.

In this sermon, Pastor Jacob explains the message of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.

Paul wanted his readers to be ready for the return of Jesus. This involved them being holy. So, he asked God to do two things for them so they would become holy and ready for Jesus' return.

Paul tried his dead-level best to show the Thessalonians that just because his boy was absent from them that didn't mean his heart was.

Sometimes living for Jesus can feel like being in a fist fight with a 10-year-old as a 7-year-old. Sometimes we need some motivation to keep going. God's Word gives us two good reasons to have courage as we keep up the fight.

There's a key difference between someone who accepts the good news of Jesus as a good idea and someone who accepts it as God's Word. That difference is the point of this sermon.

Paul wanted to make sure the Christians in Thessalonica didn't grow colder to him because of his absence, so he reminded them of some things. What do we need to remember while we wait for Jesus to return so our hearts can grow warmer?

Helping people follow Jesus takes time. It's a slow process for people to move from where they are to be completely like Jesus and helping others follow Him. So what do we need to get through this slowness? Pastor Jacob shares here.

The mission of every follower of Jesus is to help others follow Jesus. How are we to do this? Part of the answer is to share our lives with others.

If we want to help people follow Jesus, we won't just ask the Holy Spirit to work in hearts, we'll also share God's Word with them. This is part 2 of a 4 parts on "How to help people follow Jesus."

Followers of Jesus know we're supposed to help others follow Jesus, but we often don't know how to do that. God's Word shows us how, though. We aim to help people follow Jesus by prayerfully depending on the Holy Spirit to change people as we share God's Word and our lives with them over time. This sermon focuses on the first phrase: "prayerfully depending on the Holy Spirit to change people . . ."

Every follower of Jesus has been given a command to make disciples. But what does that mean exactly? And how do we get over the fear of doing that? It can feel like skydiving.

Paul continued to remind his readers of he and his friends' actions when in Thessalonica. He wanted them to have confidence in him so they would in turn have confidence in the message of the gospel itself.

Can we really make a difference in the world? If so, how? Paul told the Thessalonians that their story spread everywhere. But what was their story? And can God use our lives to make a difference like that? Listen for God's voice from 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 as Pastor Jacob Riggs preaches.

There are marks of a Christian that show someone belongs to another world--heaven itself. When someone shows these marks, it brings great thanks to God from those who observe them. Listen for God's Word in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 as Pastor Jacob preaches.

What comes into your heart and mind when you think about the reality Jesus is going to return to earth? In this sermon, Pastor Jacob encourages us to prepare for the return of Jesus by sharing the major themes from the book of 1 Thessalonians. For a pdf of the sermon, click here: https://bit.ly/2x97dVl

Where is history headed? What should we be doing as we wait for the culmination of that day? This sermon is from Revelation 7. Read a pdf of this sermon here: https://bit.ly/2WYARqQ

When the disciples of Jesus understood He was going to die, it brought great sorrow in their hearts. But Jesus promised their sorrow would turn into joy when they saw Him after His resurrection. This is a promise for us as well that when we see Him, all our sorrow will also turn to joy--all because of His power in the resurrection.

The 9th commandment is about "bearing false witness." What did this mean? Is it just about lying? And how can the gospel of Jesus give us new desires to keep this commandment?

Stealing is obviously wrong, and everyone agrees with it. But everyone also does it whether we realize it or not. The biggest question is, "How can we go from just not taking something that belongs to another and instead give what we have to those who need it?"

Adultery is so obviously wrong to almost everyone that we could miss the full implications of this commandment to us if we haven't technically cheated on our spouse. But Jesus shows us in Matthew 5 that the heart of an adulterer is the same heart as someone who lusts after another. But in the gospel there's not just forgiveness for our breaking of this commandment, but new desire to obey it.

Not murdering is the one commandment most of us are fairly confident we don't break. But Jesus sheds light on this commandment that leaves us all, once again, guilty. But, there's good news.

"Honor your father and your mother" is a commandment that looks different for different people. A teenager at home is called to honor their parents in a different way than a 60 year old should honor his mother in a nursing home. Most importantly, this sermon shares how the gospel is the true motivator for honoring our parents even if they've been less than honorable to us.

People are stressed, and God's people are no different. Thankfully, God has modeled and designed a way for His people to recuperate--by devoting one day to rest and worship. The fourth commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." May God bless His Word as you listen.

This sermon focuses on the third commandment from God for His people--"You shall not take my name in vain." The surprising thing about this commandment is it goes well beyond simply not using profanity in speech. Pastor Jacob Riggs shares.

Kevin DeYoung said: "The first commandment is about worshiping the right God. The second commandment is about worshiping God in the right way." In what ways do we make a false representation of God in our worship? And how can we truly know what God is like in order to worship Him like He desires?

God gave His people 10 commandments--or 10 "words." These commandments are foundational for how we are to live for God. The first commandment is "Have no other gods before me." What does this mean? How do we break this commandment? And how can we actually follow it? Pastor Jacob preaches these truths from God's Word here.

Why are followers of Jesus on the earth? Why doesn't Jesus just send us right to heaven after saving us? Because He's given us a mission. The mission is clearly taught in Matthew 28:18-20--the main text for this sermon. May God bless the preaching of His Word.

Many people, perhaps most, don't see much value in the Church--even among professing Christians. Does she have value? What is it? Why does she have value? In this sermon, Pastor Jacob shares 5 biblical characteristics of the Church of Jesus in an effort to help us see that the Church should be a foundational part of our lives as followers of Jesus.

For someone following Jesus for any length of time, God's Word can unfortunately become something we know we should engage, but don't necessarily want to engage. But the writer of Psalm 119 sees God's Word very differently. He loves God's Word. How can we move from just seeing God's Word as important to enjoying it and yearning to know it and do it more?

What is the primary thing a follower of Jesus should build his life on? The gospel of Jesus Christ. In this sermon, Pastor Jacob shares what the gospel is and how it can be the foundation not just for conversion, but for all of life.

Jesus said He came not to do His own will but to do the will of the Father. In John 6:39-40 Jesus tells us what the Father's will is. This sermon is hopefully helpful for those wondering how they can know for sure that they have eternal life. God bless you.

In this Christmas series, Pastor Jacob looks at different reasons the Bible gives as to why Jesus came. This sermon is from John 9 where Jesus healed a man born blind. What we learn by the end of the story is that the ones who were truly blind were different than what we might have originally thought.

Sometimes as followers of Jesus we wish God would remove us from this culture that's increasingly secular. But in Genesis 36-37 God put His people into a hostile culture and blessed them in the midst of it. How should a follower of Jesus expect life to be in the midst of a culture that's moving away from God? That's the main point of this message.

Joseph and his brothers finally reconciled. God did the work in each of their hearts and brought them to a place where they humbled themselves. God wants relationships to be reconciled on earth, but He doesn't always promise they will be.

One of the worst things you can do to someone, according to our culture, is make someone feel guilty. But is guilt always a bad thing? In Genesis 42, Joseph's brothers acknowledged their guilt and it led to good things. We have a choice with our guilt as well. It can lead us to repentance or it can lead us to death.

Joseph's time in the pit was one of the ways God prepared him to stand before Pharaoh and interpret his dreams. For followers of Jesus, times of difficulty are also times of preparation--but not for a better life later on earth. Instead, our problems prepare us for something infinitely greater--the glory of God.