Buried for Exaltation



Jesus endured the shame and humiliation that we deserved even unto death on the cross. But after He commended His spirit back to the Father, what would be done with His battered and dead body? God plans exaltation and honor for the body of His Son, the conquering Hero. Protected and verified by witnesses, the stage is set for the greatest miracle in human history.

John 19:31-42

Taught Sunday morning, December 17, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Finishing Well



Jesus on the cross finishes His journey well – both as Substitute and as Example. He cares for His mother, teaching us the importance of family, in particular the family of God. He teaches us about the limitations of our humanity as He thirsts helplessly on the cross. And as always, Jesus shows the utmost priority He made of His relationship with God – finishing what what the Father gave Him to do and not worrying about the other seemingly unfinished tasks.

John 19:25-30

Taught Sunday morning, December 10, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Repentant Thief and Vindicated Judge



Part Two of The Judge Speaks
The Judge gave warning to those who rejected God’s chosen Savior. Coupled with the warning is the offer of forgiveness for one’s rejection of Jesus. The prayer of Jesus was graphically answered when one of the murderous thieves changes his mind about the Man on the middle cross. Fearing God, he admits his wrong and asks for mercy from the King and Judge of the living and the dead. And Jesus tells the repentant thief that he will join the King in the garden that day. Jesus knows His vindication will come from His Father. He too rests in the justice of God.

Luke 23:24-47

Taught Sunday morning, December 3, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


The Judge Speaks



While continuing our tour of the closing chapters of John’s Gospel, we supplement our picture of the crucifixion with Luke’s account of the Gospel story. Having been condemned, the Judge of all the earth gives four sayings of judgment that we would be wise to hear. Words of warning, words of mercy, and words of vindication. This is Part One of Two.

Luke 23:24-47

Taught Sunday morning, November 26, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Enduring Shame with Hope



Jesus undoubtedly endured excruciating pain and suffering on our behalf before dying in our place on the cross. That is the substitutionary atonement. Sometimes overlooked in that is the shame, humiliation, and rejection that He endured as our sacrifice – in order that the sting of our shame and humiliation would be shared by Him, in our place. We too can trust the Father to vindicate injustice in His time.

John 18:39 – 19:16

Taught Sunday morning, November 19, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Pilate and The King



The Jewish authorities had already decided to have Jesus executed and intended to get the Roman authorities to do the dirty work for them. Pilate however is uncooperative at first and decides to hear Jesus for himself to know who this Man is who is called the King of the Jews. Pilate gets more truth than he is interested in hearing and misses out on the answer to his question.

John 18:28-38

Taught Sunday morning, November 12, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Tempted and Tried



Ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Peter wasn’t necessarily in the wrong place but he hadn’t prepared himself (Luke 22:31-46) and when the test came, he failed miserably. What can we learn from his situation and other Scriptures to keep us from failing similar tests?

John 18:12-27 and Luke 22:31-62

Taught Sunday morning, November 5, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


One Man’s Death



The chief priests and religious authorities were intent on keeping power and were opposed to Jesus. And one of the leaders accidentally prophesied the truth of what Jesus came to do. We now understand that it is better that Jesus died for all the people than for all those people to perish, entering eternity without Jesus.

John 18:14 and John 11:45-52

Taught Sunday morning, October 29, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Take the Cup



God received glory through the Son who received glory from the Father. But in the middle of this is an ugly cross.  And Jesus resolutely accepted the cup of wrath handed to Him.  But being human, Jesus still felt the sorrow and turmoil of making the decision to endure the pain and suffering.  But as our Savior, He did not sin and obeyed the plan of God.  And as our Lord, He calls us to follow Him through the cross to the crown.

John 18:1-11 and Matthew 26:36-42

Taught Sunday morning, October 22, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!


Unity in Love



Jesus prays that His disciples and their disciples would be unified by His Spirit in them and that unity would create a visible unity among His people through humility, love for one another (John 13:34-35), and serving one another through the Spirit. And Paul echoes that teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 4:1-6ff, and Philippians 2:1-4. Others will see that kind of loving unity and they will know that God has been at work. And we are practicing for eternity, Jesus prays that we will be with Him forever in glory.

John 17:20-26

Taught Sunday morning, October 15, 2023 by Brad D Harris

We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!