Weekly preaching & conference messages from Oak Hill College, London
Join us each week for sermons and conference talks from Oak Hill College’s chapel services — teaching rooted in Scripture, shaped for real life Christian faith and ministry. Whether you’re a student, church-leader, or simply exploring faith, Chapel Talks offers biblically grounded reflections to encourage, challenge, and equip you. With talks drawn from the Bible and Christian tradition, we aim to deepen worship, nourish discipleship, and inspire faithful service. Subscribe now to make time to listen, reflect, and grow in Christ.
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Why Your Success Is More Dangerous Than Your Failure | Philippians 3:3–10 | Eric Ortlund
In this Oak Hill College Chapel Talk, Dr. Eric Ortlund (Lecturer in Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew) preaches from Philippians 3:3–10 on the shocking truth behind Paul’s former life as a Pharisee. It was not Paul's moral failures that kept him from Jesus; it was his success and obedience in the flesh.
Dr. Ortlund addresses how Christian ministry, academic excellence, and moral successes can subtlely obscure the grace of the gospel far more than our failures do. Discover what it truly means to receive "a righteousness from God that depends on faith" (v. 9) and to know Christ deeply.
Key Topics Covered:
Why Paul described his strict biblical obedience as "rubbish" / putrid foul waste
The crucial difference between fleshly self-righteousness and Christ’s imputed righteousness
Why moral or ministry successes can make the gospel feel dim and distant
Practical steps for turning biblical truth into heartfelt prayer and personal fellowship with God
Passage: Philippians 3:3–10
Speaker: Dr. Eric Ortlund (Oak Hill College, London)
00:00 – Intro: A Shocking Truth in Philippians 3
00:15 – Kept from Jesus by Success, Not Failure
01:14 – Counting Past Obedience as "Rubbish"
03:22 – Confidence in the Flesh vs. Righteousness from God
05:31 – The Doctrinal Level: Imputed Righteousness in Devotions
07:45 – The Experiential Level: What Being "Right" Feels Like
11:15 – Why Success Is More Dangerous to Faith Than Failure
15:35 – Justification Depends on Christ, Not Our Feelings
18:35 – From Doctrine to Relationship: "That I May Know Him"
21:45 – God Doesn't Need Slaves: Experiencing Gospel Love
30 Sept 2026
The Lord Is My Portion | Lamentations 3:19-33 | Blessing Chishanu
In this Oak Hill College Chapel talk, speaker Blessing Chishanu preaches from Lamentations 3:19–33. Rather than rushing past pain or sanitising grief, biblical lament invites us to face tragedy square-on before turning our hearts toward God. Drawing from Church history, Augustine's reflections on the fall of Rome, and Jeremiah's grief over Jerusalem, Blessing challenges us to evaluate where our ultimate hope lies—and whether Christ remains our sufficient portion when success, recognition, and ministry ambitions fall away.
00:00 - Sitting with Spiritual Grandparents & Historical Context
03:47 - Opening Prayer & The Misleading English Cottage Painting
06:22 - Standing in the Rubble of Jerusalem & God's Sovereignty
09:41 - Dignifying Grief: Why We Must Sit in Lament
12:33 - "Yet This I Call to Mind": Turning toward Hope
13:10 - Point 1: Remember God in the Darkness
18:00 - Point 2: Remember His Character (Love, Mercy, Faithfulness)
25:11 - Point 3: The Lord Is My Portion—Is Christ Enough?
30:05 - Stepping into Uncertainty with Defiant Hope
30:35 - Closing Prayer
23 Sept 2026
Loving God with All Your Mind | Mark 12:28-31 | Mike Gilbart-Smith
What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your mind in a culture that separates love from thought?
In this Oak Hill College Chapel Talk, Associate Teacher and church leader Mike Gilbart-Smith explores Jesus’ command in Mark 12:28–31. Addressing modern misconceptions of love, the rise of Artificial Intelligence, and the nature of Christian worship, Mike unpacks four essential ways we are called to love God with our intellect:
A Posture of Worshiping the Lord — Approaching theology with awe, moving from study to praise.
A Pursuit of His Word — Receiving God as He has revealed Himself, rather than creating Him in our image.
A Practice of Remembering — Learning truth not merely to pass exams, but to live faithfully.
A Patience in Maturing in Love — Loving God with the mind you have today while looking forward to eternal perfection.
📖 Scripture Reference: Mark 12:28–31; Deuteronomy 6:4–5
🎙 Speaker: Mike Gilbart-Smith (Associate Teacher, Oak Hill College)
📍 Venue: Oak Hill College Chapel, London
🌐 Learn more about Oak Hill College: https://www.oakhill.ac.uk (https://www.oakhill.ac.uk)
📌 Subscribe for more chapel talks, lectures, and biblical theology resources.
00:00 - Introduction: Does Love Exclude the Mind?
00:02:03 - The Greatest Commandment & Hearing Truth (Mark 12 / Deut 6)
00:03:33 - 1. A Posture of Worshiping the Lord
00:06:44 - 2. A Pursuit of His Word (The Challenge of AI & Identity)
00:11:22 - 3. A Practice of Remembering
00:12:12 - 4. A Patience in Maturing in Love
00:14:04 - Concluding Prayer
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