Oaks Parish

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 9:1-36Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionHartmut Rosa, Two Versions of the Good Life & Two Forms of Fear When something really touches us, we can never know or predict in advance what we will become as a result of this.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke Thousands in every age of the church spend their lives in this way and never come to the point of drawing near to God. They satisfy themselves with a miserable round of gossip about this preacher’s sermons or that writer’s opinions. They think “this man goes too far” and “that man does not go far enough.” Some doctrines they approve and others they disapprove. Some teachers they call “sound” and others they call “unsound.” They cannot quite make up their own minds as to what is true or what is right. Year rolls on after year and finds them in the same state – talking, criticizing, fault-finding, speculating – but never getting any further. They are hovering like the moth around religion, but never settling down like the bee to feed on its treasures. They never boldly lay hold of Christ. They never set themselves heartily to the great business of serving God. They never take up the cross and become thorough Christians. And at last, after all their talking, they die in their sins, unprepared to meet God.N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone The more open we are to God, and to the different dimensions of God’s glory, the more we seem to be open to the pain of the world. We are right to be wary when we return from some great worship service, when we rise from a time of prayer in which God has seemed close and his love real and powerful. These things are never given for their own sake, but so that, as we are equipped by them, God can use us within his needy world.Application Questions1. Consider a time when you experienced the power and presence of God in your life. How did this occasion impact your outlook on life? 2. How could ‘talking, criticizing, fault-finding, and speculating’ actually be getting in the way of ‘boldly laying hold of Christ’? 3. Why might faith in God be on the rise in our day?

Scripture Text: Colossians 1:15-20Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionDavid Wells Paul’s Christology, therefore, also encompasses the language of the kingdom of God in the Gospels. To believe on Christ is to enter the kingdom and is to become a part of the age to come. Paul, however, expands this thought far beyond the personal and ecclesiastical. If Christ is the Lord whom every believer serves, the Head to whom the whole churchly body is responsive, he is also the Creator from whom everything derives its existence, the center without which there is no reality. Whether above in the starlit firmament or below within human consciousness, Jesus has “supremacy.” Hebrews 1:1-4 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. John Piper We admire Christ for his transcendence, but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is mixed with submission to God. We marvel at him because his uncompromising justice is tempered with mercy. His majesty is sweetened by meekness. In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God. Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil. His sovereign dominion over the world was clothed with a spirit of obedience and submission. He baffled the proud scribes with his wisdom, but was simple enough to be loved by children. He could still the storm with a word, but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take himself down from the cross. Application Questions1. What Christological truth from Colossians 1 will influence your worship of Jesus this Christmastide? 2. How is God calling you to live in light of the supremacy of Jesus? 3. What relationship in your life needs the reconciling power of God, and what is the first step you need to take?

Read: Matthew 1:18-25Reflect: 1. How does thinking of Jesus as Emmanuel impact your life right now?2. Where have you seen God's hand in your personal life history?3. How do you rely on the Holy Spirit in your vocation?4. Wherever God has dwelled has always been the most holy place. And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are now the most holy place for our culture. How does this compel you this week - whether in thought, word, or deed?5. What does the incarnation mean to you?Pray: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Special thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).

Scripture Text: Matthew 1:18-25Quincy Robinson

The Oaks Parish PodcastSpecial thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).Read:Philippians 2:1-11Reflect:1. What is most striking to you about God's humility in the incarnation?2. How have you seen the impact of humility in your own life? 3. Why is Jesus’s physical body so important for our redemption?4. How could you profit this week from ‘pretending’ to be Christ?5. In prayer, respond to God about the ways in which the humility of the incarnation invites you to know him better.Pray:Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture Text: Philippians 2:1-11Scripture Text: Philippians 2:1-11Quotes for ReflectionN.T. Wright, Philippians for EveryoneThe eternal son of God, the one who became human in and as Jesus of Nazareth, regarded his equality with God as committing him to the course he took: of becoming human, of becoming Israel’s anointed representative, of dying under the weight of the world’s evil. This is what it meant to be equal with God. As you look at the incarnate son of God dying on the cross the most powerful thought you should think is: this is the true meaning of who God is. He is the God of self-giving love.Athanasius, On the IncarnationThe body of the Word, then, being a real human body, in spite of its having been uniquely formed from a virgin, was of itself mortal and, like other bodies, liable to death. But the indwelling of the Word loosed it from this natural liability, so that corruption could not touch it. Thus it happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all was consummated in the Lord’s body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished. Death there had to be, and death for all, so that the due of all might be paid. Wherefore, the Word, as I said, being Himself incapable of death, assumed a mortal body, that He might offer it as His own in place of all, and suffering for the sake of all through His union with it, “might bring to nought Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver them who all their lifetime were enslaved by the fear of death.”C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Now, the moment you realise ‘Here I am, dressing up as Christ,’ it is extremely likely that you will see at once some way in which at that very moment the pretence could be made less of a pretence and more of a reality. You will find several things going on in your mind which would not be going on there if you were really a son of God. Well, stop them. Or you may realise that, instead of saying your prayers, you ought to be downstairs writing a letter, or helping your wife to wash-up. Well, go and do it. You see what is happening. The Christ himself, the Son of God who is man (just like you) and God (just like the Father) is actually at your side and is already at that moment beginning to turn your pretence into a reality. Application Questions1. How have you seen the impact of humility in your own life? 2. Why is Jesus’s physical body so important for our redemption?3. How could you profit this week from ‘pretending’ to be Christ?

Read: John 1:1-14Reflect:1. What are you searching for in this season?2. Why is John’s term “the Word” (logos) helpful to anyone searching for spiritual answers?3. Where are you looking for God to show up?4. Where do you need to yield to God?5. John writes that we become the God’s children by his power. How does this reality help you meet a pressing concern right now and respond in a fresh way?Pray:Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Special thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).

Scripture Text: Johan 1:1-21Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionN.T Wright, John for EveryoneWhatever else John is going to tell us, he wants us to see his book as the story of God and the world, not just the story of one character in one place and time. This book is about the creator God acting in a new way within his much-loved creation. It is about the way in which the long story which began in Genesis reached the climax the creator had always intended.Gary Burge, John: The NIV Application CommentaryThe prologue to John is not about a message that offers hope, but about The Message that is the only hope. It is not about an idea, but a person. The Word became flesh tells us that God is intent on communicating with us not about mere concepts; he is intent on communicating about himself. The Word became flesh tells us that The Message is accessible and not hidden away for mystics and scholars but was lived in the world and was touched and heard by many. The Word became flesh tells us that the man Jesus was no mere mortal. He was not an inspired carpenter or a model human. Jesus was God himself—taking on the clothing of humanity, embracing it fully and eternally, walking in it, speaking through it, and delivering the reality of God to the world in a manner never done before. This prologue tells us that something definitive has happened in time, something objective and absolute. A marker has been placed in human history, and all humanity is now being called to mark time and progress by that post.Athanasius, On the IncarnationWhat, then, was God to do? What else could He possibly do, being God, but renew His Image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ? Men could not have done it, for they are only made after the Image; nor could angels have done it, for they are not the images of God. The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was He alone, the Image of the Father, Who could recreate man made after the Image. In order to effect this re-creation, however, He had first to do away with death and corruption. Therefore He assumed a human body, in order that in it death might once for all be destroyed, and that men might be renewed according to the Image. The Image of the Father only was sufficient for this need.Application Questions1. Why is John’s term “the Word” (logos) be helpful to anyone searching for spiritual answers? 2. Why does the incarnation of Jesus make so much sense? 3. John writes that we become the God’s children by his power. How does this reality help you meet a pressing concern right now and respond in a fresh way?

The Oaks Parish PodcastSpecial thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).Read:Isaiah 9:1-7Reflect:1. In what ways do you see a stark contrast between the government of Isaiah's child king and the kingdoms of this world?2. Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. As you reflect on the meaning of these four titles of the child-king, how is Jesus the specific answer to a darkness you are facing right now?3. "His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom." What questions, feelings, or reflections do you have about the promise of a kingdom with no end? Share those with God in prayer.4. How does “the zeal of the Lord” transform the way you face the darkness of this world?5. How does the promise of the Incarnate Son of God impact the way you enter this season of Advent?Pray:Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

Scripture Text: Isaiah 9:1-7Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionDietrich Bonhoeffer, God in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and ChristmasLook up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.John Oswalt, IsaiahHave we allowed the Child-King to take over the government of our lives? Only then can we know the benefits of God with us. We cannot have the light, the honor, the joy, the abundance, the integration that he offers in any other way. Alec J. Moyer, The Prophecy of IsaiahThe eye of faith looks at all this but affirms that, real though it is, it is not the ‘real’ reality. As always, the people of God must decide what reading of their experiences they will live by. Are they to look at the darkness, the hopelessness, the dreams shattered and conclude that God has forgotten them? Or are they to recall his past mercies, to remember his present promises and to make great affirmations of faith? Isaiah insists here that hope is a present reality, part of the constitution of the ‘now’. The darkness is true but it is not the whole truth and certainly not the fundamental truth.Application Questions1. How do we see tangible evidence that the government of Isaiah’s child-king provides a stark contrast to the chaos of worldly kingdoms?2. How does “the zeal of the Lord” transform the way we face the darkness of this world?3. Reflect on the meaning of the four titles of the child-king in verse 6. How is Jesus the specific answer to a darkness you are facing right now?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 8:1-21Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionJ. C. Ryle The last caution contained in the parable of the sower, is to beware of being content with any religion which does not bear fruit in our lives. Our Lord tells us that the hearts of those who hear the Word aright, are like good ground. The seed of the gospel sinks down deeply into their wills, and produces practical results in their faith and practice. They not only hear with pleasure, but act with decision. They repent. They believe. They obey. James 1:19-25 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. N. T. Wright Look out of the window at the people walking by. What sort of soil is the seed being sown in today? What can we do to plough up the rough ground, to remove the stones, to weed out the thorns? What can we do to sow the word more successfully? The answers will vary from place to place and time to time. But perhaps the first and most important answer is to ask ourselves how much mature growth, how much fruit, the word is producing in our own lives. If we have ears, we must learn to hear. Application Questions1. Which of the four soils represents your response to Jesus? 2. How is God calling you to “pay attention to how you listen”? 3. In what area of life does your doing need to catch up with your hearing?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

*We apologize that a couple minutes are missing from the beginning of this replay, but jump right in for the majority of the sermon!Scripture Text: Luke 7Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionC.S. Lewis, Mere ChristianityNow Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable. This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods ‘where they get off,’ you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion.Joan Chittister and Rowan Williams, Uncommon GratitudeDoubt, on the other hand, is the mother of conviction. Once we have pursued our doubts to the dust, we forge a stronger, not a weaker, belief system. These truths are true, we know, because they are now true for us rather than simply for someone else. To suppress doubt, then, to discourage thinking, to try to stop a person from questioning the unquestionable is simply to make them more and more susceptible to the cynical, more unaccepting of naive belief. It is that doubt is the beginning of real faith.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeAll desire to see among Christians more good works, more self-denial, more practical obedience to Christ’s commands. But what will produce these things? Nothing – nothing but love. There never will be more done for Christ until there is more hearty love for Christ Himself. The fear of punishment, the desire of reward, the sense of duty are all useful arguments, in their way, to persuade men to holiness. But they are all weak and powerless until a man loves Christ. Once let that mighty principle get hold of a man and you will see his whole life changed.Application Questions1. How does Jesus’s interaction with the centurion and widow serve as an encouragement to our faith?2. What doubts do you need to bring to Jesus this week?3. Why is ‘faith alone’ such a precious reality for our relationship with God?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 6Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJ.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeThe Christian must be altogether another style of man. His feelings of love and his deeds of kindness must be like his Master’s – free and gracious. He must let men see that he loves others from higher principles than the ungodly do, and that his charity is not confined to those from whom he hopes to get something in return.Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says ‘Love your enemies,’ he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies—or else? The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of AmazementYou have a storeroom. It’s called your heart. If your heart is good, only good things will come out of the storeroom. If it is evil, then all you’ll have stored up is evil. Out of the overflow of the storeroom of your heart your mouth speaks. Whether it’s the image of the house or the storeroom or the good tree or the thorn bush, Jesus is painting images to recapture our imaginations. I don’t want my life to count for nothing, just as I wouldn’t want my house to be washed away by a storm. I don’t want to fall blindly into a deep pit, just as I don’t want my discipleship to be shallow and meaningless. If it is an unimaginable kingdom into which you and I are being called, then only the parables and the Spirit can enable us to imagine our way in. If it is an impossible command that Jesus demands that we follow, then only by his hesed will we be able to obey.Application Questions1. How can scholar J.C. Ryle say that Christians are altogether ‘another style of man’? What does that actually mean? 2. How can gospel-centered love help you love someone in particular this week? 3. Of the five illustrations that Jesus uses in Luke 6:37-49 to paint a picture of the Christian life, which picture speaks to you the most right now and why?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 5Quincy Robinson

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 4:1-30Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJ.C. Ryle, The Gospel of Luke The first event recorded in our Lord’s history, after His baptism, is His temptation by the devil. From a season of honor and glory He passed immediately to a season of conflict and suffering. First came the testimony of God the Father: “You are My beloved Son.” Then came the sneering suggestion of Satan: “If You are the Son of God.” The portion of Christ will often prove the portion of Christians. From great privilege to great trial, there will often be but a step.C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters Nearly all vices are rooted in the Future. Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone It is a central part of Christian vocation to learn to recognize the voices that whisper attractive lies, to distinguish them from the voice of God, and to use the simple but direct weapons provided in scripture to rebut the lies with truth. The Christian discipline of fighting temptation is not about self-hatred, or rejecting parts of our God-given humanity. It is about celebrating God’s gift of full humanity and, like someone learning a musical instrument, discovering how to tune it and play it to its best possibility. At the heart of our resistance to temptation is love and loyalty to the God who has already called us his beloved children in Christ, and who holds out before us the calling to follow him in the path which leads to the true glory. In that glory lies the true happiness, the true fulfilment, which neither world, nor flesh, nor devil can begin to imitate.Henri Nowen, Life of the Beloved You have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power-hungry, and, in the long run, destructive. The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: 'These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting belief.Application Questions1. How have you recently experienced temptation and why this challenge? 2. What is the meaning of Jesus’s victory for your own spiritual battles? 3. What do you learn from this passage that gives you hope in the face of temptation?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Please note: A couple minutes are missing from the beginning of this replay, but jump right in for the majority of the sermon!Sermon Text: Luke 3:1-21Bryan BuckN.T. Wright, Simply Good NewsMany people today assume that Christianity is one or more of these things – a religion, a moral system, a philosophy. In other words, they assume that Christianity is about advice. But it wasn’t and isn’t. Christianity is, simply, good news. It is the news that something has happened as a result of which the world is a different place.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeLet us work on, and believe that help will come from heaven when it is most needed. In the very hour when a Roman emperor and ignorant priests seemed to have everything at their feet, the Lamb of God was about to come forth from Nazareth and set up the beginnings of His kingdom! What He has done once He can do again. In a moment He can turn His church’s midnight into the blaze of noonday.Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of AmazementLuke devotes sixteen verses to John the Baptist and his followers beside the Jordan, yet only two for the unexplainable baptism of Jesus. It is unexplainable because One who has never and would never sin submits to a baptism that is a sign of repentance. He is not repenting; he is identifying. It is the first step toward an eventual death on the cross. Here, with John, he submits to a baptism of repentance for sins he never committed. On Golgotha he will die for sins he never committed so that he can forgive each and every sin.Application Questions1. How does Luke 3:1-2 situate us in the world of John and Jesus and how does this give us hope for our own time?2. How is baptism a form of imperial rebellion?3. Follow the through line of Luke’s point in chapter three. Where do you need to repent of your own “small-scale injustices” so that your life is aligned the coming of God’s kingdom?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 2:1-21Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionFrederick DankeThe faith of the shepherds is revealed by their decision to proceed to Bethlehem to see this thing. Like Mary in an earlier recital (Luke 1:39) they went with haste. What they found at Bethlehem is spelled out in detail in order to emphasize the nature of the response that follows. Depth of spiritual commitment is determined by the quality of one's fidelity after the majestic voice is no longer heard. They find an ordinary Jewish couple and the child who lies in the manger. Instead of being disappointed they published the angelic interpretation of this child. Thus they are the first evangelists.Alfred EdersheimTo the question, whether this hope has ever been realised—or rather, whether One has appeared Whose claims to the Messiahship have stood the test of investigation and of time—impartial history can make only one answer. It points to Bethlehem and to Nazareth. . . . Admittedly, He was the One perfect Man—the ideal of humanity; His doctrine the one absolute teaching. The world has known none other, none equal. And the world has owned it, if not by the testimony of words, yet by the evidence of facts. Springing from such a people; born, living, and dying in circumstances, and using means, the most unlikely of such results—the Man of Nazareth has, by universal consent, been the mightiest Factor in our world’s history: alike politically, socially, intellectually, and morally. If He be not the Messiah, He has at least thus far done the Messiah’s work. If He be not the Messiah, there has at least been none other, before or after Him. If He be not the Messiah, the world has not, and never can have, a Messiah.Bishop John HooperRead the second chapter of St Luke, and there ye shall see how the shepherds that watched their sheep all night, as soon as they heard that Christ was born at Bethlehem, by and bye must go to see him. They did not reason nor debate with themselves who should keep the wolf from the sheep in the meantime, but did as they were commanded and committed their sheep to him whose pleasure they obeyed. So let us do, now we be called; let us commit all other things unto him that called us. He will take heed that all things shall be well. He will help the husband; he will comfort the wife. He will guide the servants; he will keep the house; he will preserve the goods; yea, rather than it should be undone, he will wash the dishes, and rock the cradle. Cast, therefore, all your care upon God.Application Questions1. When was the last time you experienced the good news about Jesus as “great joy”?2. How might you make space to treasure and ponder the truth about Jesus?3. What about the shepherds’ response challenges you?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 1:39-56Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionMarcus Aurelius, Meditations Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship Bewilderment is true comprehension.Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement They were, all of them, quite simply amazed. Zechariah’s friends, the shepherds, all who heard the shepherds, Joseph and Mary, the people in his hometown of Nazareth, those in Capernaum, those who heard the boy Jesus in the temple, the disciples, the parents of the girl who had died, even the Pharisees: all were amazed, astonished, in awe and afraid. Three decades later, as Luke interviews the ever-decreasing group of eyewitnesses, he finds them still amazed, still struggling to put into words just what it was like to encounter the rabbi from Nazareth. And thirty years away from the event that was Jesus’ life, Luke still finds himself amazed as well.Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly The dominant note left ringing in our ears after reading the Gospels, the most vivid and arresting element of the portrait, is the way the Holy Son of God moves toward, touches, heals, embraces, and forgives those who least deserve it yet truly desire it.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke Let us learn from this holy woman’s example to lay firm hold on Bible promises. It is of the deepest importance to our peace to do so. Promises are, in fact, the manna that we should daily eat and the water that we should daily drink as we travel through the wilderness of this world. We do not yet see all things put in subjection under us. We do not yet see Christ, and heaven, and the Book of Life, and the mansions prepared for us. We walk by faith, and this faith leans on promises. But on those promises we may lean confidently. They will bear all the weight we can lay on them. We shall find one day, like Mary, that God keeps His word, and that what He has spoken, so He will always in due time perform.Application Questions1. What good news have you received recently, and why did it bring you joy?2. What amazes you about Jesus, and how might these insights refresh your faith?3. How is faith an extension of belief? In what specific way can your history with God strengthen your faith this week?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Matthew 5:13-16Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionPliny the Elder, Natural History But of all the things that are necessary to the life of man, nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine.Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are.George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans), Middle March For the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone Our present passage, then, is a kind of gateway to all that will follow, and its theme is clear. Jesus is calling the Israel of his day to be Israel indeed, now that he is there. What he says here can now be applied to all Christians, but its original meaning was a challenge to Jesus’ own contemporaries. God had called Israel to be the salt of the earth; but Israel was behaving like everyone else, with its power politics, its factional squabbles, its militant revolutions. How could God keep the world from going bad – the main function of salt in the ancient world – if Israel, his chosen ‘salt’, had lost its distinctive taste?Application Questions1. In what ways has the church lost its saltiness in our culture? How might we reclaim our identity as salt and light in a way that impacts our society?2. Why is our physical presence in a place essential to understanding God’s ongoing work in the world?3. Faithful presence embraces limitations and includes staying close to the light, being rooted in place, and discerning with commitments. Which of these areas is God inviting you to focus on in your current season of life?

Scripture Text: Ephesians 2:11-22Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionDavid Brooks, How to Know a PersonPeople need social skills. We talk about the importance of “relationships,” “community,” “friendship,” “social connection,” but these words are too abstract. The real act of, say, building a friendship or creating a community involves performing a series of small, concrete social actions well: disagreeing without poisoning the relationship; revealing vulnerability at the appropriate pace; being a good listener; knowing how to end a conversation gracefully; knowing how to ask for and offer forgiveness; knowing how to let someone down without breaking their heart; knowing how to sit with someone who is suffering; knowing how to host a gathering where everyone feels embraced; knowing how to see things from another’s point of view.Tim Keller, Prodigal GodChristians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus, that they want to “get to know Jesus better.” You will never be able to do that by yourself. You must be deeply involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know him and grow into his likeness.N.T. Wright, Ephesians for EveryoneFor Christians a church building is not a ‘Temple’ in the strict sense. It is the people themselves who are the ‘place’ where God is now deciding to live. One might almost say that God himself has, in a sense, become a stranger and asylum-seeker within his own world, the more so since, as the early Christians knew, the Jerusalem Temple itself had been solemnly condemned by Jesus. The living God was now seeking to make his home in the hearts and lives, and particularly the communities, that had declared their loyalty to Jesus, and were determined to live by the gospel.Application Questions1. Why do you think it’s so difficult to experience unity in our culture today? 2. What can it mean that Christ makes us into a new community, the dwelling place of God himself? 3. Consider the David Brooks quote from his work How to Know a Person. Among the social skills listed, what stands out for your growth as an “illuminator”?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenHelpful Links:Click here to sign up for a discipleship group today!Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionRobert M Thune and Will Walker, The Gospel-Centered LifeEvery good story has a hero. And the hero of the Gospel Story is Jesus. Humanity needs a Savior, a Redeemer, a Deliverer to free us from the bondage and condemnation of sin and to restore the world to its original good. This Rescuer must be truly human in order to pay the debt we owe to God. But he can’t be merely human because he must conquer sin. We need a substitute-one who can live the life of obedience we’ve failed to live, and who can stand in our place to bear the punishment we deserve for our disobedience and sin. This is why God sent Jesus into the world to be our substitute. Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of TreesThere is a good reason for this ideal appearance: stability. The large crowns of mature trees are exposed to turbulent winds, torrential rains, and heavy loads of snow. The tree must cushion the impact of these forces, which travel down the trunk to the roots. The roots must hold out under the onslaught so that the tree doesn’t topple over. If there is a weak spot anywhere in the tree, it will crack. In the worst-case scenario, the trunk breaks off completely and the whole crown tumbles down. Evenly formed trees absorb the shock of buffeting forces, using their shape to direct and divide these forces throughout their structure. N.T. Wright, Colossians for EveryoneLearning to think, rather than merely going with the flow of the world on the one hand, or blindly obeying what look like stringent regulations on the other, is part of the key to it all. One aspect of Christian maturity, and certainly one of the road signs on the surprising route to Christian holiness, is that the mind must grasp the truth: ‘you died, and your life has been hidden with the king, in God!’ Once the mind has grasped it, the heart and will may start to come on board. And once that happens the way lies open to joyful Christian holiness.Application Questions1. How does who/what we love shape who we become? 2. In what particular ways does Colossians 3:1-17 reveal the uniqueness of the gospel compared to other approaches to personal change and transformation?3. What earthly patterns or behaviors need to be put to death in your life, and how might a shift in your spiritual rhythms lead to lasting transformation?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenRecommendations for Further Reading:The Prodigal God by Tim KellDeeper by Dane Ortlund

Scripture Text: John 15:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionT.S. Elliot, “Little Gidding”, Four QuartetsWe shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.Tim Keller, Prodigal GodThe prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it.Dane Ortlund, Gentle and LowlyHe astounds and sustains us with his endless kindness. Only as we walk ever deeper into this tender kindness can we live the Christian life the New Testament calls us to. Only as we drink down the kindness of the heart of Christ will we leave in our wake, everywhere we go, the aroma of heaven, and die one day having startled the world with glimpses of a divine kindness too great to be boxed in by what we deserve. D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to JohnJesus insists that his own obedience to the Father is the ground of his joy; and he promises that those who obey him will share the same joy–indeed, that his very purpose in laying down such demands is that their joy may be complete (cf. 1 Jn. 1:4). What is presupposed is that human joy in a fallen world will at best be ephemeral, shallow, incomplete, until human existence is overtaken by an experience of the love of God in Christ Jesus, the love for which we were created, a mutual love that issues in obedience without reserve. The Son does not give his disciples his joy as a discrete package; he shares his joy insofar as they share his obedience, the obedience that willingly faces death to self-interest (12:24–26).Application Questions1. In what ways does the anatomy of a tree illustrate the gospel of grace available to us in Christ? Consider the roots, branches, and fruit in your reflection.2. Grace is the paradoxical means by which God produces fruit in our lives. As you reflect on your heart, what attitudes, habits, or distractions might God be calling you to prune so that the fruit of His grace can flourish?3. As we embark on a new ministry year, what intentional step can you take to deepen your relationship with Jesus and experience His grace more fully?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 30Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionRoger Ellsworth, The Shepherd King: Learning from the Life of David To strengthen ourselves in God means we remind ourselves of what Scripture says about God and his promises, and we bring those truths to bear on the situation. Every trial causes opposing voices to ring in the ears of the child of God. One is the voice of our circumstances, telling us that our situation is hopeless. The other is the voice of faith, telling us that our God is sufficient for the trial.Ralph David, 1 Samuel Here is a sobering and disturbing picture for God’s people. Are there not times when you think it cannot get any worse? And 1 Samuel 30 says, Yes, it can. There are times when you conclude that your present trouble is the last straw; you simply cannot take any more. Then comes Ziklag, the last straw after the last straw.John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom When you send love out from the bountifulness of your own love, it reaches other people. This love is the deepest power of prayer. Prayer is the act and presence of sending this light from the bountifulness of your love to other people to heal, free, and bless them.Application Questions1. How have you experienced “the last straw after the last straw”? 2. Why does the victory of Jesus lead to the restoration of life? 3. What’s one thing you can change about your habits in order to be strengthened in the Lord?

Scripture Text: Revelation 1:9-20David BastQuotes for ReflectionG. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the DivineThe description of the Son of Man is full of Old Testament phrases, which we may trackdown to their various sources. . . But to compile such a catalogue is to unweave therainbow. John uses his allusions . . . for their evocative and emotive power. . . His aim isto set the echoes of memory and association ringing. . . John has seen the risen Christ,clothed in all the attributes of deity, and he wishes to call forth from his readers the sameresponse of overwhelming and annihilating wonder which he experienced in hisprophetic trance.James Denney, Studies in TheologyThere is not in the New Testament from beginning to end, in the record of the originaland genuine Christian life, a single word of despondency or gloom. It is the mostbuoyant, exhilarating and joyful book in the world. The men who write it have indeed allthat is hard and painful in the world to encounter; but they are of good courage, becauseChrist has overcome the world, and when the hour of conflict comes they descendcrowned into the arena. All this is due to their faith in Christ’s exaltation, and in hisconstant presence with them in the omnipotence of his grace.Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of RevelationRevelation . . . reminds us that the church’s witness to the world is authentic only asprimarily a witness to truth – to the one true God and the truth of his righteousness andgrace. In western societies today this witness to the truth . . . faces a relativistic despair ofthe possibility of truth and, even more, a consumerist neglect of the relevance of truth. . .Revelation . . . shows the power of a theocentric vison to confront oppression, injusticeand inhumanity. In the end it is only a purified vision of the transcendence of God thatcan effectively resist the human tendency to idolatry. . . The worship of the true God isthe power of resistance to the deification of military and political power and economicprosperity. In the modern age we may add that it is what can prevent movements ofresistance to injustice and oppression from dangerously absolutizing themselves.

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 28:3-25Andy TobinPaul Miller, A Praying LifeBut unlike these other kinds of experts, power in prayer comes from being in touch with your weakness. To teach us how to pray, Jesus told stories of weak people who knew they couldn’t do life on their own. The persistent widow and the friend at midnight get access, not because they are strong but because they are desperate. Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life.John of Landsberg, A Letter from Jesus ChristI know those moods when you sit there utterly alone, pining, eaten up with unhappiness, in a pure state of grief. You don’t move towards me but desperately imagine that everything you have ever done has been utterly lost and forgotten. This near-despair and self-pity are actually a form of pride. What you think was a state of absolute security from which you’ve fallen was really trusting too much in your own strength and ability. Profound depression and perplexity of mind often follow on a loss of hope, when what really ails you is that things simply haven’t happened as you expected and wanted. In fact, I don’t want you to rely on your own strength and abilities and plans, but to distrust them and to distrust yourself, and to trust me and no one and nothing else. As long as you rely entirely on yourself, you are bound to come to grief. You still have a most important lesson to learn: your own strength will no more help you to stand upright than propping yourself on a broken reed. You must not despair of me. You may hope and trust in me absolutely. My mercy is infinite. Eugene H. Peterson, Run with the HorsesIt is, of course, far easier to languish in despair than to live in hope, for when we live in despair we don't have to do anything or risk anything. We can live lazily and shiftlessly with an untarnished reputation for practicality, current with the way things appear. It is fashionable to espouse the latest cynicism. If we live in hope, we go against the stream. Application QuestionsAre there any circumstances in life that make you feel desperate? How might you direct your desperation toward God? How is God calling you to seek him wholeheartedly? Is there any part of God’s will for your life that you have not yet embraced?

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 27:1-12; 28:1-2Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionTim Chester, 1 Samuel for You The state of our hearts is often shaped by what we say to our hearts.A.W. Pink, The Life of David Alas, when unbelief dominates us, God is forgotten, and deliverance, our own ease, obsess the mind; and hence it is that—unless divine grace interpose—we seek relief in the wrong quarter and by unspiritual means.Richard D. Phillips, 1 Samuel It is true—no, it is a glorious truth—that the heroes of the Bible, excepting Jesus Christ, are all scoundrels and criminals, breakers of God’s law and sinners to the core. This shows the Bible’s honesty; no other religious tome dares to display the human weakness and sins of its heroes the way the Bible does, because the Bible is not trusting in man but in God.Application Questions1. David was concerned not only for himself but also for the welfare of family, friends, and others entrusted to him. How does this resonate with your own experience?2. In what way might you be tempted to take matters into your own hands right now? What has resulted from that decision in the past, and what does it look like to trust God instead? 3. How do you need to preach the gospel to yourself this week?

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:1-17Mike KellyQuotes for ReflectionJohn Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion Nearly all the wisdom which we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But, while joined by many bonds, which one precedes and brings for the other is not easy to discern.

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 25Quincy Robinson

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 24Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionDavid Brooks, How to Know a Person Jimmy’s gaze when he greets a person derives from a certain conception of what a person is. Jimmy is a pastor. When Jimmy sees a person—any person—he is seeing a creature who was made in the image of God. As he looks into each face, he is looking, at least a bit, into the face of God. When Jimmy sees a person, any person, he is also seeing a creature endowed with an immortal soul—a soul of infinite value and dignity. When Jimmy greets a person, he is also trying to live up to one of the great callings of his faith: He is trying to see that person the way Jesus would see that person. He is trying to see them with Jesus’s eyes—eyes that lavish love on the meek and the lowly, the marginalized and those in pain, and on every living person. When Jimmy sees a person, he comes in with the belief that this person is so important that Jesus was willing to die for their sake. As a result, Jimmy is going to greet people with respect and reverence. That’s how he’s always greeted me.A.W. Pink, The Life of David One stroke of his sword, and he steps into a throne. Farewell to poverty! Farewell the life of a hunted goat. Reproaches, sneers, defeat, would cease; adulations, triumphs, riches would be his. But his at the sacrifice of faith; at the sacrifice of a humbled will, ever waiting on God’s time; at the sacrifice of a thousand precious experiences of God’s care, God’s provision, God’s guidance, God’s tenderness. No, even a throne at that price is too dear. Faith will wait.Tim Keller, Forgiveness Forgiveness is more of an event or a process. At first, when you make those commitments—granting forgiveness—you don’t feel forgiving at all. You are still angry. But if you keep the commitments in a disciplined way…then slowly but surely you will feel the forgiveness you have granted. Application Questions:1. How have you experienced the power of mercy in your life? 2. To experience gospel-empowered mercy requires sacrifice but offers great gain. How is this true?3. Is there someone in your life who needs mercy?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 23Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionAndrew Murray, Waiting on God Oh, the blessedness of waiting on such a God! a very present help in every time of trouble; a shield and defense against every danger. Children of God! will you not learn to sink down in entire helplessness and impotence, and in stillness to wait and see the salvation of God? In the utmost spiritual famine, and when death appears to prevail, oh, wait on God. He does deliver, He does keep alive. Say it not only in solitude, but say it to each other— Psalm 33 speaks not of one but of God's people—'Our soul waits on the Lord: He is our help and our shield.' Strengthen and encourage each other in the holy exercise of waiting, that each may not only say it of himself, but of his brethren, 'We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.' Mark Vroegop, Waiting Isn’t a Waste Waiting on God is living on what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life. Henry Smith O Lord, grant that I may dedicate all my hope unto your providence, power, and mercy, only commending all my troubles, miseries, calamities, adversities, and crosses whatsoever unto you only to be relieved and comforted. O let me not so much as think that the hand of man can hold me up in the least of my dangers, and yet my God, since you work sometimes by means, and sometimes without means, let me not refuse the aid of man, whom it may please you to raise and appoint for my good. Amen. William Cowper, stanzas 3-5 of “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds that you much dread, are big with mercy and will break in blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Application Questions:1. Concerning what specific situation in your life is God calling you to seek him? 2. What truth or promise do you need to cling to for your own encouragement or share with someone else for their encouragement? 3. How have you experienced God’s providential deliverance from trouble?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 21-22:5Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionWendell Berry, Jayber Crow, A Novel Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told.Dane Ortland, DeeperTo grow as a disciple of Christ is not adding Christ to your life but collapsing into Christ as your life. Closed vents can’t be cleaned, full cups can’t be filled, and the Spirit does not enter where we are quietly operating out of self-dependence. But the distraught, the empty, the pleading, the self-despairing, those tired of paying the tax of obedience to God and trying to live on what’s left over—theirs are hearts irresistible to the humble Holy SpiritRoger Ellsworth, The Shepherd KingIt is, to be sure, a most costly decision. Those who left Saul’s kingdom to join David left behind many comforts and conveniences and entered into a life that entailed sacrifice and suffering, but the peace and joy of being a follower of David far surpassed the hardships involved. So it is for all those who, by the grace of God, leave Satan’s kingdom for Christ’s.6Tim Chester, 1st Samuel for YouDavid describes his experience in the cave of Adullam in Psalms 57 and 142. In Psalm 142:4 he says: “I have no refuge”. But immediately in the next verse he goes on to say of the Lord: “You are my refuge”. This encourages us to think of all the times when we are tempted to think or to say: I have no refuge; I have no hope; I have no future; I have no one. This may be our experience and it is real enough. But there is a bigger reality, and it is to this that faith turns: God is my refuge; God is my hope; God is my future; I have God.Application Questions1. Distressed, delirious, downtrodden- Do any of these terms describe your life right now? 2. Why is vulnerability a prerequisite for the power of the gospel? How do you personally find yourself resistant to this posture? 3. How did God meet David in his time of need, and how might that give you hope for your circumstance?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 19Quincy Robinson

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionWilliam Blaikie, 1 Samuel In the case of Jesus Christ, we have all the noble qualities of Jonathan in far higher excellence than his, and we have this further consideration, that for us He has laid down His life, and that none who receive His friendship can ever be separated from His love.”Jeremey Linneman, Why Do We Feel Lonely at Church? It’s helpful to think of our daily lives in terms of discipleship patterns, the habits of life we have learned both intentionally and unintentionally. In this broad sense, discipleship is always happening: We become what we consume, as our patterns of life direct and dictate our deepest feelings, thoughts, and motives. We are always being conformed to the heart and personality and lifestyle of another person or system.C.S. Lewis, The Four LovesIn Friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’ The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside. Let us not reckon without our Host.Application Questions1. Consider someone who’s been a good friend to you. What’s made them a good friend? 2. How did gospel faith characterize David’s friendship with Jonathan and Michal? 3. What’s one action you can take this week to cultivate friendship?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionWilliam Blaikie, 1 Samuel In the case of Jesus Christ, we have all the noble qualities of Jonathan in far higher excellence than his, and we have this further consideration, that for us He has laid down His life, and that none who receive His friendship can ever be separated from His love.”Jeremey Linneman, Why Do We Feel Lonely at Church? It’s helpful to think of our daily lives in terms of discipleship patterns, the habits of life we have learned both intentionally and unintentionally. In this broad sense, discipleship is always happening: We become what we consume, as our patterns of life direct and dictate our deepest feelings, thoughts, and motives. We are always being conformed to the heart and personality and lifestyle of another person or system.C.S. Lewis, The Four LovesIn Friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’ The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside. Let us not reckon without our Host.Application Questions1. Consider someone who’s been a good friend to you. What’s made them a good friend? 2. How did gospel faith characterize David’s friendship with Jonathan and Michal? 3. What’s one action you can take this week to cultivate friendship?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:5-30Bryan BuckQuestions for ReflectionRichard D. Phillips, 1 Samuel, The Reformed Expository CommentaryThe safest habit is for us to leave others’ opinions of us to themselves, concerning ourselves more deeply with what God thinks of our character and actions. Saul shows us what becomes true of anyone who craves personal praise: he loses the capacity for both joy and love. Not long previously, we were told that “Saul loved [David] greatly” (1 Sam. 16:21). Now, because of his own proud and insecure spirit, Saul begins to loathe and fear a young man who has been nothing but faithful in service to him.Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey MountainEnvy feeds on our illusions and misunderstandings about ourselves and others. When we come to understand our true identity in God, we realize that we are uniquely loved and gifted. This awareness diminishes the power of envy, as we no longer feel the need to compare ourselves with others. Instead, we can appreciate our unique path and the blessings bestowed upon us, recognizing that God’s love is abundant and tailored for each individual Timothy Keller, “The Evil of Envy”, Gospel in Life Envy is a complex emotion that involves more than just a desire for what others possess. It encompasses a deep sense of resentment and discontentment with one’s own situation, coupled with an inability to rejoice in others’ blessings. This emotion can eat away at one’s peace and joy, creating a cycle of bitterness and dissatisfaction. S. G. DeGraaf, The Promise and DeliveranceOnly faith makes us willing to be the lesser. Faith causes us to surrender the rights we pretend to have.Application Questions1. Where does envy tend to show up in your life? 2. What do we learn about envy’s effect from Saul’s experience? 3. What’s one way that the gospel can set you from the bondage of envy this week?

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:20-50Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJeremiah 9:23-24 Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD. Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 121.4, Sixth Century All that we read prefigured in David at that time, dearly beloved, we know was accomplished in our Lord Jesus Christ; for he strangled the lion and the bear when he descended into hell to free all the saints from their jaws.William Blaikie, Expository Lectures on 1 Samuel Should we not pray more really, more earnestly if we did realize these possibilities? . . . Is it not a good habit, as you kneel each morning, to think, ‘For aught I know, this may be the most important day of my life. The opportunity may be given me of doing a great service in the cause of truth and righteousness; or the temptation may assail me to deny my Lord and ruin my soul. O God, be not far from me this day; prepare me for all that Thou preparest for me!’Richard D. Phillips, The Reformed Expository Commentary David’s response to the situation at Elah teaches us that the great affairs of life are all essentially theological. What we do with our lives, how we decide whom to marry, or not, what priorities we pursue, or whether we witness the gospel to friends and neighbors all reveal what we really believe about God. Regardless of our formal profession of faith, if we seldom act on the basis of biblical truth, we show that the world holds greater sway over our minds and hearts than God does. If we shrink from doing difficult things for God, we show that we think him weak, distant, or indifferent.Heath Thomas & J.D. Grear, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel Goliath is not really the problem here. A leather strap and a little rock can fix him. The real menacing giant in this story is the unbelief that dominates the hearts of God’s people. The obstacle is not found in God; it is not found in God’s opponents; it is found in God’s own people. I suspect God was more insulted by Israel’s disbelief than He was by Goliath’s blatant, blasphemous defiance.Application Questions1. What feels overwhelming right now?2. What does this story have to say about our tendency to trust in outward appearance? 3. How can trust in the victory of Christ change how you approach a particular this week?