Dr. John Oakes gave two classes at a conference “ONE” in Portland, Oregon 8/22/2026.   The notes, power points and audio are below (audio for the first class will come soon): Apologetics and the Christian World View Notes     Apologetics Class: Defense of the Christian Worldview PPT        Dealing With Difficult Topics Biblically PPT  […]

Dr. John Oakes gave a series of sermons from the Book of Ruth summer, 2026.  Themes include hesed: covenant love, salvation history, messianic prefigures (Jesus as kinsman-redeemer) and God’s love for the poor, the outcast and the foreigner.   Notes, ppts and audio are included. Ruth I A Love Story Notes    Ruth I A Love […]

Dr. John Oakes is now leading a church planting in Merced, California.  His lessons and sermons will be posted here.  There is another, earlier article, with many sermons and lessons from 2022 to 2025.  Here is the link:  Earlier Merced Sermons       More  recent sermons are below! 8/30  1 Thess II We Are Family […]

Question: How does the Christian see this comparison? “Egyptian magic reached a high point of organization and influence during the New Kingdom period (around 1550–1069 BCE). That’s why Moses was given the miracle of rod turned into a snake. Greek medical theory was completely at its peak and dominated the entire Mediterranean world during the […]

Question: If Jesus is God, to whom was He praying?  Also, why didn’t Jesus leave behind writings of His own? Answer: One of the great mysteries, if not THE great mystery of the Christian faith is that there is one God, yet three “persons” in that one God.  This is the idea of the Trinity.  […]

Question: If Jesus cannot sin, was His temptation genuinely possible or merely theoretical? Answer: That is a good question.  The answer is that his temptation was absolutely real.  Just because we do not give in to a temptation does not mean that we were not tempted.  In fact, as a Christian, I only give in somewhat […]

Dr. John Oakes is giving a class at a Jubilee Conference in Queretaro, Mexico July 31 and Aug 1.  The notes in English, as well as the Power Point in both English and Spanish are here.  I will upload the audio after teaching the class. Answering Calvinism Notes    Answering Calvinism PPT      Respondiendo […]

Dr John Oakes preached a series of eight sermons from the Book of Joshua in Merced, Winter, 2026, as well as six sermons from Judges Spring, 2026  Notes, PPT and audio are available here: Joshua I Be Strong and Courageous Notes    Joshua I PPT    Joshua I Strong Audio    Joshua II Preparing to […]

Dr. John Oakes gave a series of sermons from 2 Peter March and April, 2026 for the Merced Christian Church.  The notes, PPTs and audio are here! 2 Peter I The Knowledge of Christ Notes    2 Peter I PPT    2 Peter I Audio    2 Peter II Confidence In God’s Word Notes    […]