Tag Archives: faith

The Blessing of God



The LORD singled out Abraham and Sarah to leave their home and come be a part of God’s great plan to bless all the nations. This was perhaps more radical than we imagine with greater reward than we grasp. And they packed up and obeyed, joining God in a story that basically takes the reader through the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures and through the entirety of the New Testament.  And they gained the blessing of God, which is relationship with God Himself.  Let’s go too!

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 now 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!

Genesis 12:1-5

Preached Sunday morning, January 24, 2021 by Brad D Harris

Prairie Oaks Baptist Church
402 Viney Grove Road in Prairie Grove, AR
P.O. Box 424, Prairie Grove AR  72753
prairieoaksbaptist.com
on Facebook @prairieoaks


Trust God’s Way



What bears the weight of your life? Where are you leaning your life? Jesus said the wise man placed the burden of his life on Jesus’s teachings. Solomon wisely agrees in Proverbs 3. Lean not on your own understandings but to trust in the LORD with all your heart.

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 now 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!

Proverbs 3:1-12

Preached Sunday morning, November 1, 2020 by Brad D Harris

Prairie Oaks Baptist Church
402 Viney Grove Road in Prairie Grove, AR
P.O. Box 424, Prairie Grove AR  72753
prairieoaksbaptist.com
on Facebook @prairieoaks


By faith, they persevered.



The writer of Hebrews is giving us an avalanche of examples of commendable faith in the build up to grand finale. We need to see three big lessons from all these examples. One, for all of us, faith is occasionally mixed with failure. Do not let failure define your faith, but trust in God to redeem the failure. Two, faith sometimes brings victory on earth. Other times, faith shows the value of heaven when victory is harder to find. And three, we have greater opportunity to be heroes of faith in the new covenant than these Old Testament examples did.

Hebrews 11:32-40

Preached Sunday morning, August 9, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Rahab and Joshua



Rahab teaches us as much about Jesus as Joshua does.  She enters the story with a sordid reputation that tarnishes nearly everyone who associates with her. Yet she is crucial to knowing God and the work that the LORD was doing with the Israelites and Canaanites. So much so that the New Testament reveals more about her and through her than the Hebrew Scriptures do.  We are all more like Rahab than we may realize.
Sinners saved by grace.

Hebrews 11:30-31

Preached Sunday morning, August 2, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Moses traded up



It boggles the mind how Moses willingly traded the power, prestige, pleasure and treasure of Pharaoh’s household in order to identify with slaves. Yet with a hope that could not be realized in this life or even in this world, Moses by faith counted the cost and saw the gain in following Christ. How about you? Following Christ may cost you less than Moses forsook, but it’s still hard to let it go sometimes. But what holds us back is garbage compared to what is offered before us in Christ. Let’s endure together.

Hebrews 11:23-29

Preached Sunday morning, July 26, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Generations with God



The focus in previous section was on Abraham and Sarah being on journey of faith in life. This section focuses on their passing the faith to next generation before dying. Death was not what mattered. Being faithful through death is what mattered. Believing in the resurrection is what mattered. And preparing the next generation of faith is what mattered.

Hebrews 11:17-22

Preached Sunday morning, July 19, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Pilgrims with God



By faith, Abraham and Sarah waited and endured, moving forward. They lived in tents, meaning they didn’t live for the things of this world nor for the approval of this world. They dug wells, they improved the circumstances of those around them for generations to come. Abraham and Sarah built altars, they sought to draw others to the true God around them and for generations to come.

Hebrews 11:8-16

Preached Sunday morning, July 12, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Faith beyond sight



Fireworks are a short-lived thrill.  But it takes faith to live for something eternal because what is eternal is invisible to the eyes of the flesh.  Abel chose to pursue the invisible God with sacrificial worship.  Enoch walked with the invisible God knowing that the LORD rewards those who seek Him.  Noah prepared for eternity by not trusting his eyes but trusting the Word of God.

Hebrews 11:1-7

Preached Sunday morning, July 5, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Just Live by Faith



The confidence given to us by the superiority of Jesus Christ, in Whom we trust, is to valuable to let doubts and discouragement take its place.  Steadfast faithfulness has its reward and is commended by God with righteousness.  Let us persevere like the other redeemed sinners who have gone before us.

Hebrews 10:35 – 11:2

Preached Sunday morning, June 28, 2020 by Brad D Harris


Forgiven by God to Know Him



“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).  But what does it mean to fear the LORD?   Yet the psalmist tells us in Psalm 130 that we are forgiven our sins in order that we would fear the LORD.  Perhaps we should reconsider our forgiveness in order to better know the LORD who forgives.

Psalm 130

Preached Sunday morning, June 7, 2020 by Brad D Harris