White Oak Baptist Church

“I meet many faithful Christians who, in spite of their faith, are deeply disappointed in how their lives have turned out. Sometimes it is simply a matter of how they are experiencing aging, which they take to mean they no longer have a future. But often, because of circumstances or wrongful decisions and actions by others, what they had hoped to accomplish in life they did not. They painfully puzzle over what they may have done wrong, or over whether God has really been with them. Much of the distress of these good people comes from a failure to realize that their life lies before them. That they are coming to the end of their present life, life ‘in the flesh’, is of little significance. What is of significance is the kind of person they have become. Circumstances and other people are not in control of an individual’s character or of the life that lies endlessly before us in the kingdom of God.” — Dallas Willard

Put Off, Put On | Ephesians 4:17-24 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 8-25-2024 “I meet many faithful Christians who, in spite of their faith, are deeply disappointed in how their lives have turned out. Sometimes it is simply a matter of...

“Rather than appealing to the mercy of the Lord in the face of my sin, what I actually do instead is function as my own defense lawyer and present a list of arguments for my own righteousness…. In so arguing, I’m telling myself that I don’t really need to be rescued by the Lord’s mercy…. Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God; your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can be found only in Jesus Christ.” — Paul David Tripp

“Just as the sinner’s despair of any help from himself is the first prerequisite of a sound conversion, so the loss of all confidence in himself is the first essential in the believer’s growth in grace.” — Arthur Pink

Equipping the Saints | Ephesians 4:11-16 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 8-18-2024 “Rather than appealing to the mercy of the Lord in the face of my sin, what I actually do instead is function as my own defense lawyer and present a list of ...

“If you send a kite or a buzzard flying over a tract of country, what will it see? Why, it will be looking out for all the dead carcases, and it will be sure to be able to tell you how much carrion there is about. But if you send a dove over that same space, it won’t have an eye for it, for it has no taste for it, but it will tell you of everything that is fair and beautiful, like itself. So is it with the pure mind in the midst of God’s people; it sees purity. It cannot shut its eyes to impurity, but it rejoices in the truth, and speaks of it, and speaks it as well as it can at all times with a charity that thinketh no evil. But with the impure and the unbelieving, every place is defiled, and the man tars everything with the filth that is in his own bucket.” — Charles H. Spurgeon

Qualified | 1 Timothy 3:1-7 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 8-11-2024 “If you send a kite or a buzzard flying over a tract of country, what will it see? Why, it will be looking out for all the dead carcases, and it will be sure...

“No promise of our Lord Jesus has been spoken in haste, to be repented of afterwards. Infinite wisdom directs infinite love and, when infinite love takes the pen to write a promise, infallible wisdom dictates every syllable.” — Charles H. Spurgeon

Walk Worthy | Ephesians 4:1-10 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 8-4-2024 “No promise of our Lord Jesus has been spoken in haste, to be repented of afterwards. Infinite wisdom directs infinite love and, when infinite love takes the...

“Whatever enemies you have, it is enough that you have a Friend who is mightier than them all.” — John Wesley

Glory in the Church | Ephesians 3:14-21 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 7-28-2024

“The feeble gospel preaches ‘God is ready to forgive’; the mighty gospel preaches ‘God has redeemed.’” — P. T. Forsyth

Urgency! | John 3:16-17 | David Nelms | 7-21-2024

“Do you want to know where God’s justice is most powerfully demonstrated? On the cross. Do you want to know where God’s love is most powerfully demonstrated? On the cross. There Jesus, the God-man, bore hell itself, and God did this both to be just and to be the one who declares just those who have faith in him. There is thus a sense in which God views me, Don Carson, through the lens of Jesus. That is to say, my sin is now viewed as his, and he has paid for it. And his justice, his righteousness, is now viewed as mine. God looks at me and declares me just, not because I am (I am guilty!) but because he has set forth his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” — D. A. Carson

Feast | John 2:1-12 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 7-14-2024 “Do you want to know where God’s justice is most powerfully demonstrated? On the cross. Do you want to know where God’s love is most powerfully demonstrated?...

“Christ’s love is an active, working love. Just as the shepherd did not sit still bewailing his lost sheep, and the woman did not sit still bewailing her lost money, so our blessed Lord did not sit still in heaven pitying sinners. He left the glory which He had with the Father, and humbled Himself to be made in the likeness of man. He came down into the world to seek and save that which was lost. He never rested till He had made atonement for our transgressions, brought in everlasting righteousness, provided eternal redemption, and opened a door of life to all who are willing to be saved.” — J. C. Ryle

Because of the Great Love | Ephesians 2:4-5 | Rick Altizer | 7-7-2024 “Christ’s love is an active, working love. Just as the shepherd did not sit still bewailing his lost sheep, and the woman did not sit still bewailing her los...

“No truth within the circle of theology is so eminently consolatory to souls burdened with sin as the great fact that Jesus Christ bare the sins of many and carried away on his own shoulders the transgressions of his people. Let others believe or disbelieve, I nail my colours to the cross where Jesus my Lord paid his blood as a price for me.” — C. H. Spurgeon

Unsearchable Riches | Ephesians 3:7-13 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 6-30-2024 “No truth within the circle of theology is so eminently consolatory to souls burdened with sin as the great fact that Jesus Christ bare the sins of many and ...

“There is sweet, lasting, and hope-giving comfort in the fact that sin offends God all of the time and in every way. You would not want to live in a world where the one ruling the world had no hatred for sin. If God did not hate sin, we would have no hope of justice and mercy and no standard of right and wrong to guide and protect us. If God didn’t hate sin, evil would reign unchallenged. It is God’s hatred of sin that causes him to restrain evil at the personal and community levels. … But there is more. It is God’s hatred of sin that drove Jesus to the cross. On the cross, God’s anger with sin intersected with his grace. In his hatred of sin, God was unwilling to leave his image bearers and his world in their sin-marred state. So in holy justice, he moved to right the wrongs that sin had done. But instead of wholesale condemnation and judgment, he poured out his grace by sending his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. If God did not hate sin, there would be no cross, and if there were no cross, there would be no forgiveness, no restored relationship with him, and no hope of transforming grace. If there is no transforming grace, there is no hope of personal heart and life change. All of the blessings of grace come to us because God hates sin and loves righteousness.” — Paul David Tripp

Mystery | Ephesians 3:1-6 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 6-23-2024 “There is sweet, lasting, and hope-giving comfort in the fact that sin offends God all of the time and in every way. You would not want to live in a world wh...

"For the New Testament truth is not that all laws of behavior have been abrogated by Christ, but rather that a Kingdom has been manifested in which what is right is also what is wholly delightful." — Erik Routley

A Dwelling Place for God | Ephesians 2:19-23 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 6-16-2024 "For the New Testament truth is not that all laws of behavior have been abrogated by Christ, but rather that a Kingdom has been manifested in which what is r...

“Since it is through faith in the Lord's promises that we are saved (Acts 16:31), then surely, if faith is mighty to solve the great and eternal problem of our sinfulness, alienation, and helplessness, is it not the way to tackle every problem—to look up to our almighty, ever-loving God and say ‘I trust you’?” — Alec Motyer

Peacemaker | Ephesians 2:14-18 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 6-9-2024 “Since it is through faith in the Lord's promises that we are saved (Acts 16:31), then surely, if faith is mighty to solve the great and eternal problem of o...

“If we become aware of the relentless pursuit of Christ, and give up trying to escape from him, and surrender to the embrace of ‘this tremendous lover’, there will be no room for boasting in what we have done, but only for profound thanksgiving for his grace and mercy, and for the firm resolve to spend time and eternity in his loving service.” — John Stott

Welcome to the Family | Ephesians 2:11-13 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 6-2-2024 “If we become aware of the relentless pursuit of Christ, and give up trying to escape from him, and surrender to the embrace of ‘this tremendous lover’, ther...

“We should never carry a worry of any kind even for a moment, but whenever any matter begins to perplex us we should go instantly and tell Jesus about it, and leave it in his hands, that he may manage it for us. The leaving it is the hardest part. We can easily take it to him, but we are so apt to pick it up again and carry it back with us, and keep it, just as if we had not taken it to him. We should learn to tell Jesus of our perplexities and sorrows, and then commit all to him without further anxiety. This is faith, and is the way to find peace.” — J. R. Miller

The Kindness of God | 2 Samuel 9 | Kerry McGonigal | 5-26-2024 “We should never carry a worry of any kind even for a moment, but whenever any matter begins to perplex us we should go instantly and tell Jesus about it, an...

“Whatever one may say about the love of God in Christ Jesus there is always something more to be said.” — Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Blessing & Glory of God in Our Priorities | Haggai 1 | Pearson Johnson | 5-19-2024

“Afflictions, they are but as a dark entry into your Father’s house; they are but as a dirty lane to a royal palace.” — Thomas Brooks

Patroness | Romans 16:1-16 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 5-12-2024

“Jesus came from heaven down to earth. He left all grandeur behind Him, He passed by palaces and thrones—to be born in a manger! He was born lowly, that He might raise men up to God. The poor have a friend in Jesus. If no one else loves them, Jesus loves them. He came to give them liberty, to proclaim to them the gospel of God’s grace.” — D. L. Moody

Poiema | Ephesians 2:10 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 5-5-2024 “Jesus came from heaven down to earth. He left all grandeur behind Him, He passed by palaces and thrones—to be born in a manger! He was born lowly, that He m...

“There is no ‘of course’ about being a Christian. It is something entirely new. It is by no means inevitable or something which is bound to happen. Indeed, becoming a Christian is a crisis, a critical event, a great upheaval which in the New Testament is described in such terms as a new birth, or a new creation, or a new beginning. More than that, it is there described as being a supernatural act wrought by God Himself, something which is comparable to a dead soul being made alive. It means the direct intervention of God in a human life by His infinite grace in and through Jesus Christ His Son.” — D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Sola | Ephesians 2:8-10 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 4-28-2024 “There is no ‘of course’ about being a Christian. It is something entirely new. It is by no means inevitable or something which is bound to happen. Indeed, b...

“This name by which John drew attention to Jesus is important. He called him the Lamb of God. This meant that Christ had come into the world not alone to be a teacher, but chiefly to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world, to die in the place of sinners. He was called a lamb, no doubt, because of his gentleness and meekness; but the principal reason was because he was to save us from our sins by bearing them himself. ...Now all who come to him are safe for ever from condemnation. Long ago their sins were laid on the atoning Lamb.” — James Russell Miller

Alive | Ephesians 2:4-7 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 4-21-2024 “This name by which John drew attention to Jesus is important. He called him the Lamb of God. This meant that Christ had come into the world not alone to be ...

“Biblical piety does not rest content with its own expression but always points beyond itself to the God who saves despite our pieties and rituals. Biblical piety takes us out of ourselves, out of our vain endeavors to make something of ourselves religiously, and focuses our attention not on what we can do for God but on what God has done for us in his reconciling and atoning work in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are called to testify not to the sublimity of our worship nor to the virtue of our moral achievements but to the God who redeems us from the sin in our worship and morality. We are justified neither by spirituality nor by morality but only by the vicarious, forgiving love of God as revealed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.” — Donald G. Bloesch

Christian Conduct in a Cretan Culture | Titus 3:1-8 | Pearson Johnson | 4-14-2024 “Biblical piety does not rest content with its own expression but always points beyond itself to the God who saves despite our pieties and rituals. Biblical ...

“Brother, the day will come when there will not be one Canaanite left in the land; when, if you should search through and through, there will be no tendency to sin, no wandering of heart, no error of judgment, no failure of righteousness, no inclination to transgression. You will be as perfect as your covenant head, Jesus Christ. Where will you be then? Not here, I trow. I notice that God always puts his jewels into fit settings, and the proper setting for a perfect man is the perfect joy of heaven. In a pure region the pure heart shall dwell; and you, believer, shall go on towards that sacred height, till, one of these days, your Lord will say, ‘Dear child, you have fought long enough with corruption and sin; come up hither; the conflict is all over now.’” — C. H. Spurgeon

Dead | Ephesians 2:1-3 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 4-7-2024 “Brother, the day will come when there will not be one Canaanite left in the land; when, if you should search through and through, there will be no tendency ...

“He prays, but He hears prayer. He weeps, but He causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for He was man; but He raises Lazarus, for He was God. He is sold, and very cheaply, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver; but He redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price was His own blood. As a sheep He is led to the slaughter, but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. As a lamb He is silent, yet He is the Word, and is proclaimed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He is bruised and wounded, but He heals every disease and every infirmity. He is lifted up and nailed to the tree, but by the tree of life He restores us; indeed, He saves even the robber crucified with Him; indeed, He wrapped the visible world in darkness. He is given vinegar to drink mingled with gall. Who? He who turned the water into wine, who is the destroyer of the bitter taste, who is sweetness and altogether desire. He lays down His life, but He has power to take it again; and the veil is torn, for the mysterious doors of heaven are opened; the rocks are split, the dead arise. He dies, but He gives life, and by His death destroys death. He is buried, but He rises again; He goes down into hell, but He brings up the souls; He ascends to heaven, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.” — Gregory of Nazianzus

Beyond Doubt | John 20:19-31 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 3-31-2024 “He prays, but He hears prayer. He weeps, but He causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for He was man; but He raises Lazarus, for He was God...

“O that we may have grace to accept now what God the Father sets forth! The Romish priest sets forth this and that; our own Romish hearts set forth such-and-such-another thing; but God sets forth Christ. The preacher of doctrine sets forth a dogma; the preacher of experience sets forth a feeling; the preacher of practice often sets forth an effort; but God puts before you Christ. ‘There I will meet with thee.’” — C. H. Spurgeon

Good Friday Service | 3-29-2024 “O that we may have grace to accept now what God the Father sets forth! The Romish priest sets forth this and that; our own Romish hearts set forth such-and-...

"There is no form of melancholy which will not yield before the grace of God; there is no shape of distress which will not give way before the divine energy of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, when he uses Christ as the consolation." — Charles Spurgeon

We Would See Jesus | John 12 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 3-24-2024 "There is no form of melancholy which will not yield before the grace of God; there is no shape of distress which will not give way before the divine energy ...

"One thing we do not need to worry about: God’s faithfulness in maintaining us in our faith. This is not to say, of course, that we have no part or responsibility in the matter. ...But we begin, as we always should in the Christian life, with God and his grace. He protects both from human onslaught (persecution) and from spiritual onslaught (Satan). Nothing on earth and nothing in heaven, these verses teach, can 'separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Rom. 8:39)." — Douglas J. Moo

In the Heavenly Places | Ephesians 1:20-23 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 3-17-2024 "One thing we do not need to worry about: God’s faithfulness in maintaining us in our faith. This is not to say, of course, that we have no part or responsib...

"This physical, created world, with all of its sights, sounds, locations, experiences, and relationships, has no capacity to make your heart content. This physical world was designed by God to be one big finger that points you to the only place where your heart will find satisfaction and rest. You heart will rest only when it finds its rest in God, and God alone." — Paul David Tripp

Paul's Prayer List | Ephesians 1:15-19 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 3-10-2024 "This physical, created world, with all of its sights, sounds, locations, experiences, and relationships, has no capacity to make your heart content. This ph...

“Being connected in the body of Christ is more than formal association. My shoe is associated with my body. It is attached to my foot for many hours a day. But it is not a member of my body; I can take it off and I won’t be hurt. If you try to take off my foot, however, I would strongly object because my foot is organically joined to other members of my body. It shares the same life-blood and the same nervous system. So when the Lord tells us that we are one body and are members of one another, he is saying that the church is more than a voluntary association. Its members are interconnected and interdependent, as well as mutually responsible for and accountable to one another.” — Joel R. Beeke

Saved, Sealed, Secured | Ephesians 1:13-14 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 3-3-2024 “Being connected in the body of Christ is more than formal association. My shoe is associated with my body. It is attached to my foot for many hours a day. B...

"A Christian may be stripped of anything but his God; he may be stripped of his estate, his friends, his relations, his liberty, his life, but he can never be stripped of his God. As God is a portion that none can give to a Christian but himself, so God is a portion that none can take from a Christian but himself; and, therefore, as ever you would have a sure portion, an abiding portion, a lasting portion, yea, an everlasting portion, make sure of God for your portion." — Thomas Brooks

Inheritance | Ephesians 1:11-12 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 2-18-2024 "A Christian may be stripped of anything but his God; he may be stripped of his estate, his friends, his relations, his liberty, his life, but he can never b...

"He who fears the Lord has no anxious concern as to his affairs. He can rest satisfied, knowing that he cannot be visited with evil, for all things must work together for the good of one in such a case. What seems to be evil will become but a means of blessing, by causing the heart to cleave more truly to the God of all grace." — H. A. Ironside

Grace Abounding | Ephesians 1:7-10 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 2-18-2024 "He who fears the Lord has no anxious concern as to his affairs. He can rest satisfied, knowing that he cannot be visited with evil, for all things must work...

"The fact that this choice was made in eternity past, even before this world was created, is startling. God knew that Adam and Eve would fall into sin and that I would be born into a sinful world and live my life in sin (Rom 5:12), and he still decided to create this world and me! The depth of his love can never be truly understood. The key, of course, is that God had already decided to come, become incarnate, and die on the cross for my sins before he performed the act of creation. The possibility of my salvation was ensured before the decision to create had been made! My only response can be, “Wow! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!" — Grant R. Osborne

Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-6 | Pastor Lonnie Polson | 2-11-2024 "The fact that this choice was made in eternity past, even before this world was created, is startling. God knew that Adam and Eve would fall into sin and th...