Tag Archives: Repentance

Wages or Gift



Paul uses an analogy that he says is imperfect but still communicates an essential lesson for us. We have been set free from sin as a slave-master whose wages are corruption, shame, and death. Now that we belong to Christ, why would someone want to still want to work a second job for sin? Sin still pays corruption, shame, and death. Instead, we should work wholehearted for Christ who doesn’t just give us wages but He gifts us right-living, holiness, and eternal life.

Romans 6:23

Taught Sunday morning, May 7, 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!


Baptism Proclaims



Paul uses baptism to illustrate why we should be denying temptations to sin and living more like Christ. Which prompts us to examine baptism as Paul did in order to better understand the spiritual significance of this ordinance given by Christ the Lord.

Romans 6:1-5

Taught Sunday morning, April 2, 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 Sees the Heart



It is easy to fool some people. You might be able to fool everyone you know, at least for a little while. But Christ sees both the actions and the thoughts and intents of the heart. And we see that as much as He hates sin, hypocrisy is one of the worst. We are better off coming clean with Him now rather than ignoring the conviction of the Spirit regarding our sins, even our secret ones.

Romans 2:1-11

Taught Sunday morning, February 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!


Forgetful Sinners



God says through Paul that no one can truly be an agnostic. There is enough evidence in creation to know there is an always and all-powerful Creator who is incorruptible and righteous. The problem is that humanity suppresses what they know and that leads no where good. Instead, it leads to foolish thinking, foolish desires, and foolish feelings which leads to foolish sin practices. And we all are guilty of the ingratitude that starts the downward spiral. But God is a good Parent, He pursues His sinful humans so that some will let Him rescue them. Will you?

Romans 1:16-32

Taught Sunday morning, February 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!


The LORD is our Help



The LORD our Help

It’s not a spectacular story compared to some in the Hebrew Scriptures. But it is significant for important reasons. It marked the end of dark time for the children of Israel when they had lost so much. But through repentance, the children of Israel, led by the prophet and judge, Samuel, experience a powerful victory through the LORD’s help. How? Because they let Him.  And they raised a monument to remind them of His help.

1 Samuel 7:1-12

Taught Sunday morning, January 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!


Son of David, Have Mercy



David is pretty heroic in Sunday School stories, pretty cringe-worthy at other points in his life. Yet God made a BIG promise to David that people are still talking about it in eternity. God would establish a “house” for David so that the Son of David would establish a “house” for God and be established in God’s kingdom forever. With all the talk about “seed” and “forever” it makes you wonder how anyone got confused about this covenant ever being about a temple in Jerusalem. It is so much bigger than that.

1 Chronicles 17:1-15

Taught Sunday morning, December 4, 2022 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!


In the Beginning…



There is so much joy at the announcement and birth of Jesus the Messiah. The anticipation had built for so long with promises made and symbolic teasers revealed. We want to spend a couple weeks letting the excitement build as we approach this Christmas. And the beginning of the story is the beginning of it all – Genesis.

Genesis 1-3

Taught Sunday morning, November 6, 2022 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!


I’d Rather Have Jesus



Podcast Title - I'd Rather Have Jesus

“The eyes of the LORD run to and fro over the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is loyal toward Him.” God is looking for opportunities to do great things. Unfortunately the problem is on our end. We are missing out on His answers to prayer by not asking or by not believing fully in Him. Let us lean wholly on His everlasting arms.
May I suggest listening to George Beverly Shea sing, “I’d Rather Have Jesus” first?

2 Chronicles 16:9

Taught Sunday morning, October 30, 2022 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!


A Sower, Seeds, and Soils



Jesus uses stories to whet the appetite of those in the crowd who want to know more, knowing that most in the crowd are not there for the teaching. But the stories pack a lot of truth that His faithful disciples ask to understand better. So Jesus explains this parable to them so they can know how to understand other parables He used. Let’s walk through this story to see how we measure up as soil for growing a Christian.

Mark 4:1-20

Taught Sunday morning, October 9, 2022 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!


Fruit of the Sin Nature



Paul’s letter gives a scary warning. The sinful nature, the “flesh” is in warfare with the Spirit for the heart and mind of the believer. We must choose which desires we will pursue. Paul warns that this list of bad behaviors and attitudes (not comprehensive) are incompatible with God’s Holy Spirit nor His kingdom. And while they may be a part of our past, we need to leave them in the past based on what our future holds and Who holds us (see also 1 Corinthians 6)

Galatians 5:16-21

Taught Sunday morning, August 14, 2022 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!