Mars Hill Church - Fairhope, AL

In a city captivated by impressive speakers and human wisdom, Paul deliberately made less of himself so people would make much of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, Paul reminds us how he came, what he proclaimed, and why our faith must rest in the power of God rather than the wisdom of men.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Paul reminds us that the world dismisses the cross and the preaching of Christ as foolish, yet God uses this very message to save His people and leave no room for human boasting.

The Corinthian church was fractured by division, jealousy, and pride because they were being shaped more by the surrounding culture than by the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:10–17, Paul reminds us that when we lose sight of Christ, our preferences and pride begin to divide what Jesus died to unite, and that the only cure for fractured relationships is lifting our eyes back to Christ crucified.

In 1 Corinthians 1:4–9, Paul reminds a struggling church that their hope was never found in their own strength, but in the grace of God that saved them, sustains them, and will one day make them blameless in Christ. These verses call us to rest again in the faithfulness of the God who always finishes what He starts.

We begin our study of 1 Corinthians by looking at verses 1–3. Though the Corinthians belonged to Christ, their lives were shaped more by the world than by the gospel. Yet Paul begins not with condemnation, but with grace, reminding them—and us—who we are and what we are called to be in Christ

In Jonah 4, we hear the heart of an angry prophet and see the heart of a loving God. Through loving discipline and probing questions, God exposes Jonah's heart—a man who is happy to receive grace yet struggles to extend it to others. As the book ends with an unanswered question, we're left to consider not only Jonah's response to God's grace, but our own.

In Jonah 3, we see God's prophet reluctantly obey, Nineveh humbly repent, and God graciously relent. Together, these events reveal the depth of God's mercy and His purpose to work in His people so He can work through His people to extend that mercy to the world.

We're in Jonah 2 this week where Jonah recognizes God’s sovereign hand behind both the storm and the great fish. In the depths of the sea, Jonah feels the crushing weight of his rebellion, yet it is there that he discovers the depth of God’s mercy and grace. From the bottom, Jonah confesses that salvation belongs to the Lord alone, pointing us to Jesus, the true and better Jonah, who entered the depths to rescue sinners like us.

Jonah 1:4–17 shows us a reluctant prophet running from God and a merciful God refusing to let him go. While Jonah descends deeper into rebellion, pagan sailors surprisingly ascend in faith and worship. Through the storm, the sea, and the great fish, we discover that Jonah is far more like us than we realize—and that God’s grace is far more relentless than we imagined.

We begin our study through the book of Jonah, looking at the opening three verses. Two things should shock us: 1) God’s merciful heart for sinners and 2) how reluctant God’s messenger is to share God’s mercy. Jonah has God’s word, but he’s out of sync with God’s heart. And as we study Jonah, we’ll begin to see how easily the same thing can happen in us.

Upon concluding our study through Esther, we pause and reflect on Mother's Day upon Proverbs 31. Wisdom, often personified as a woman in Proverbs, was modeled by Esther. It is a virtue worth pursuing. However, Proverbs 31 should not be read as a checklist for women and mothers; it is to be read as a reminder of the one who gives wisdom generously and ungrudgingly to those who ask. Ultimately, we are reminded of Wisdom incarnate--Christ Jesus. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," (Proverbs 1:7).

We're wrapping up Esther this week looking at Esther 10. In these short few verses we'll be reminded again that God’s presence may be hidden, but he is never absent—He raises up His people at the right time to work for the good of others and accomplish His purposes. Even in ordinary settings, His sovereign plan is unfolding, calling us to trust Him and use what He has entrusted to us for His glory.

Esther 9 gives us the completion of the great reversal—where God keeps His promises, defeats His people’s enemies, and secures their rescue, leading to justice and joy. In response, God’s people celebrate and establish Purim, not just as a moment to remember, but a reality to live in.

Esther 8 continues the beautiful reversal—where, through God’s royal servants, the decree of death is overturned with a decree of life and secured by the king's irrevocable word. Though God's people wait for the results of the edict to fully unfold, they live in joy-filled celebration as if it is already theirs.

Esther 7 reveals the great reversal—where God rescues His people through Esther and brings down the proud enemy. It reminds us that even when He seems hidden, God is still on the throne and for His people. It ultimately points us to the greater reversal in Jesus, where He takes our place, secures our rescue, and defeats our greatest enemies—sin, Satan, and death.

Esther 6 shows God’s hidden providence at work through ordinary moments—a sleepless night sets off a chain of events that honors the overlooked servant and humbles the proud enemy. This reversal points us to Jesus, the rejected and humbled servant who is now exalted, having triumphed over sin, Satan, and death. Because of that, we can rest in His care, trust His timing, and take heart knowing He is always at work—even when we can’t see it.

Esther 5 shows us what faith looks like—entrusting ourselves to God and refusing to lean on our own understanding. As Esther lays down her life and clings to God’s promises and grace, God transforms her and uses her to turn the tables, expose the enemy, and rescue His people.

Esther 4 shows us that God’s hidden providence does not remove suffering but meets us in it, calling us to trust His promises and step forward in costly obedience. As Esther moves from fear to faith, we are reminded that God works through ordinary people and moments to accomplish His purposes.

Esther 3 reveals an ancient enemy plotting to destroy God’s people. Yet behind the scenes God is already at work, raising up a faithful servant—one who refuses to bow to the enemy, stands silent before his accusers, and through whom the enemy will ultimately be crushed.

Esther 2 exposes a dark empire where people are disposable, and God’s people appear weak and vulnerable. Yet even in the midst of darkness and sin, God is not absent—behind the scenes He is quietly working to accomplish His purposes and rescue His people.

When God seems absent and the world appears sovereign, Esther shows us that He is quietly and meticulously ruling through ordinary circumstances to accomplish His purposes and rescue His people. Esther 1 exposes a kingdom that looks powerful and seductive but is deeply fragile, while slowly unveiling the hidden providence of God over all things.

In Galatians 6:11–18, Paul expresses his final concern about false teachers who undermine the gospel and boast in outward performance to gain approval. He contrasts them with a gospel identity that boasts only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the cross, the world has been crucified to us, and what truly counts is not religious status but new creation. Paul ends by reminding us that our identity, peace, and hope rest entirely in Christ’s finished work—not in our spiritual résumé.

In Galatians 6:6–10, Paul shows us the life a gospel identity produces. A Spirit-filled life supports the ministry of the Word, cultivates daily habits that strengthen the soul, perseveres when growth feels slow, and overflows in love and good deeds—especially to the household of faith. It is a life shaped by the One who poured himself out for us.

In Galatians 6:1-5, Paul provides us with instructions on the Christian life and our life in Christian community. He assumes we will struggle and sin, and he also assumes that brothers and sisters will care enough to step in and help. The language Paul uses gives us a brief roadmap on how: we confront, we repair, we restore, and we do it all in gentleness and humility knowing that we will each give an account before God (Rom 14:12).There is so much helpful, practical wisdom in this text. And it all overflows from resting in our identity in Christ (Gal 1-4) and walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:1-26). 

In Galatians 5:25–26, we are reminded that our life in Christ began by the Spirit and continues by the Spirit. Paul urges us to keep in step with the Spirit, freeing us from the pursuit of a self-made identity that only leads to comparison, pride, and insecurity.

How do we know the Spirit is at work in our lives? In Galatians 5:19–24, Paul provides evidence  by contrasting the works of the flesh with the fruit the Spirit produces in those who belong to Christ. 

In Galatians 5:16–18, Paul teaches us how to live the Christian life. The Christian life is lived not by self-effort but by walking in active dependence on the Holy Spirit. As we walk by the Spirit, we are freed from gratifying the desires of the flesh. But the Christian life is not easy! Paul shows us there is a real conflict we should expect. But that tension is evidence of the Spirit’s work within us, not his absence. And in the fight, Paul gives us assurance we can cling to: those led by the Spirit are sons and daughters of God, and if sons and daughters then we are fully supplied by our heavenly Father with everything we need to persevere to the end.

In Galatians 5:7-15, Paul warns believers to beware of those who would distort Christian freedom into merit, performance, and self-reliance. He reminds us that Christian freedom is neither legalism nor license, but the freedom to serve Christ and love others with the same love we have received.

We’re back in Galatians this Sunday, looking at Galatians 5:1–6. In these verses, Paul calls believers to stand firm in the freedom Christ has secured by refusing every form of self-salvation or law-keeping as a way to be right with God. Rather than returning to slavery, we are invited to cling to Christ alone—living by faith through the Spirit, a faith that expresses itself in love and good deeds rather than in license or anxious striving.

During the Christmas season, we take a break through the book we are teaching to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's incarnation. This year, we have spent the season through the Psalms to see how Christ is both the subject and the singer of the Psalms.

During the Advent season, we take a break through the book we are teaching to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's incarnation at Christmas. This year our Advent series leads us through the Psalms to see how Christ is both the subject and the singer of the Psalms.

During the Advent season, we take a break through the book we are teaching to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's incarnation at Christmas. This year our Advent series leads us through the Psalms to see how Christ is both the subject and the singer of the Psalms.

During the Advent season, we take a break through the book we are teaching to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's incarnation at Christmas. This year our Advent series leads us through the Psalms to see how Christ is both the subject and singer of the Psalms.

During the Advent season, we take a break through the book we are teaching to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ’s incarnation at Christmas. This year our Advent series leads us through the Psalms to see how Christ is both the subject and singer of the Psalms.

In Galatians 4:28–5:1, Paul reminds believers that we are children of promise, not slaves, and urges us to reject legalism, remember our true identity in Christ, and stand firm in the freedom His grace has secured.

In Galatians 4:21–27, Paul uses the stories of Hagar and Sarah to contrast two ways of relating to God—one through human effort and one through divine promise. Those who depend on their own wisdom and strength find only frustration and bondage, but those who trust God’s promise experience true freedom and joy. The gospel reminds us that freedom is found not in what we do for God, but in what God has done for us in Christ.

Presenting the truth, even in love, can be costly. In Galatians 4:12-20, Paul urges the Galatians to return to the freedom and joy they once knew and reminds them of his affection for them. Like a loving Father, he contrasts his longing for Christ to be formed in them with the false teacher's desire to use and enslave them. 

In Galatians 4:8-11, Paul reminds us that before Christ we were enslaved to false gods—impersonal masters that demanded everything and gave nothing. But now, through Jesus, we are known and loved personally by the living God who calls us His sons and daughters. Paul has argued that in Christ we exchange our slavery for sonship, and now he grows deeply personal—pleading with the Galatians not to reverse course and trade their sonship for slavery. 

In Galatians 4:1–7, Paul paints a powerful picture of our adoption into God’s family—no longer slaves but beloved sons and daughters. Through Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s witness, we are free to live with confidence, intimacy, and joy as heirs of our Father’s kingdom.

In Galatians 3, Paul shows that the law’s purpose was never to save but to reveal our sin and point us to Christ. In verses 23-29, he explains that the law imprisoned and guarded us until faith in Christ was revealed. Now, in Christ, we have a new identity, a new unity, and a new inheritance. The gospel truly changes everything!

In Galatians 3:15–22, Paul explains that God’s promise to Abraham came long before the law—and the law didn’t cancel or replace it. The promise was always pointing to Christ, the true “offspring” of Abraham, through whom the blessing would come. The law was given later to reveal sin, not to give life or replace faith. In short, God’s promise stands firm—our inheritance comes by faith in Christ alone, not by keeping the law.

In Galatians 3:1–14, Paul confronts the Galatian believers—and us—for drifting from the gospel. He shows how easy it is to begin by grace but slip back into self-effort, warns of the damage it brings, and calls us to daily rehearse the good news: Christ crucified for us, Christ living in us, and the Spirit empowering us.

In Galatians 2:17-21, Paul reminds us that we are justified not by law-keeping, but by faith in Christ, and what this means for our practical, everyday living. If we, like Paul, renounce law-keeping as a means of salvation and trust in Christ alone, then we are dead to the curse and burden of the law, alive to God, and living under the good, wise, and gracious reign of King Jesus, who loves us and gave his life for us. Living out of that identity, Paul has all the motivation in the world to pursue holiness.

This week in Galatians 2:15-16, Paul takes Peter and the Jewish believers to the heart of the gospel: we are justified—declared right with God—only through faith in Christ, not by any human status or activity. This essential truth must be guarded and proclaimed, for it is both the foundation and the fuel of the Christian life.

In Galatians 2:11–14, Paul confronts Peter and others for hypocrisy that contradicted the gospel. This passage shows us the need for gospel-centered correction, the ongoing struggle between what we know and what we love, and the vital importance of daily remembering and rehearsing the gospel.

This week we'll examine Galatians 2:1–10, where Paul gives more evidence for the origin and truth of the gospel. Sent by God for the sake of the gospel, Paul meets with Peter, James, and John, who each affirmed that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Their meeting results in unified fellowship and gospel application, and offers us confident assurance. 

This week, our study focuses on Galatians 1:13-24. In this passage, Paul tells us what his life was like before Christ, what happened at his conversion, and what his life was like after he met Christ. His story gives further evidence to the origin, power, and magnitude of the gospel of grace.

This week we're studying Galatians 1:10-12. In these verses, Paul shows us the power of the gospel to free us from the approval of man, and then begins to explain where he received the gospel he proclaimed. Knowing that it comes directly from Jesus gives us assurance and confidence that what we have believed is the true gospel. 

In Galatians 1:6-9, we begin to see the heart of the problem Paul is addressing. The Galatian believers are putting down and setting aside the work of Christ to pick up their own. Rather than resting in the righteousness they receive from Jesus and allowing that to fuel their works, they are attempting to add to Jesus' work and earn righteousness and acceptance before God by their works. Paul knows this has devastating consequences, and he acts quickly to address it.

We begin our study of the book of Galatians. Galatians is a powerful and concise letter that passionately defends the truth of the gospel: that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Paul defends the gospel, proclaims the gospel, and shows us how important the gospel is to ongoing Christian growth and life together. The gospel is not simply the way into the Kingdom of God, but also the way of living in the Kingdom of God. This week, we'll look at Galatians 1:1-5. As we begin, we will be asking our church to read through the entire book several times. Each month, we will also encourage everyone to memorize a verse from Galatians. This month, we're encouraging everyone to memorize Galatians 1:8: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."