Oak Hill Church Sermon Podcast

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.

Jesus is the key that unlocks every blessing that God has to offer.

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.