Mars Hill Church - Mobile, AL

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 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.

As we close 2025, we prepare to resume our study through Galatians by reflecting upon how our identity is grounded in our justification. We are saints chosen by God; a peculiar people.

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 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.

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 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."

This week, we conclude our "What We Value" series by examining biblical worship. In the Bible, we see that God's character, nature, greatness, and grace fuel a variety of responses, attitudes, and actions. Some examples include singing for joy and bowing in reverence (Psalm 95), faithful obedience (Genesis 22:5), humility and confession (Isaiah 6), and silent listening (Psalm 62:1). All of these attitudes and actions overflow from reflecting upon the greatness and grace of God (Ps 95:3-5 and 7, Col 3:16-17).

We're in week 4 of our What We Value series, and this week we're looking at Gospel-Driven Missions. In Abraham, we see that God's blessings were always meant to overflow to the world. In Jonah, we see a reluctant prophet who lost sight of God's extraordinary grace and therefore kept God's blessings and grace to himself. Thankfully, in Jesus, we receive the True and Better Jonah, who came to seek and save the lost. Remembering and rehearsing his grace ought to lead us to pray, "Bless us...so that the world may know and sing for joy (Psalm 67). 

This week, we're exploring intentional discipleship. Jesus commanded us to proclaim the gospel to not-yet disciples and teach and train already-disciples. Paul says he aimed to proclaim Christ...and present others mature in Christ. Discipleship happens in a variety of ways and contexts, but not without faithfulness to Jesus' command and intentionality with those around us. 

This week, as we continue exploring “What We Value” at Mars Hill Church, our focus is on gospel community. We're not just talking about community groups, but how we were created, the gift of our new kingdom family, the unifying power of the gospel, and the ethos, culture, and attitude we should have toward this family.

This Sunday, we launched our summer series, exploring five principles and practices that we value at Mars Hill. Every church has theological imperatives that it holds tightly (ours are outlined in our statement of faith). Additionally, every church also has theological distinctives that shape how it practices its beliefs and identity. We've traditionally referred to these as our three pillars, which serve as umbrella categories for all that we do. Over the next five weeks, we'll examine Biblical Teaching, Gospel Community, Intentional Discipleship, and two other values that are sometimes overlooked: Gospel-Driven Missions and Biblical Worship. We last studied these as a church in 2018, so this series will be a helpful refresher and encouraging study for new and old. This week, we're examining Biblical Teaching and our need to center and submit everything we do to the ultimate authority of God's word. 

This week, we come to the conclusion of our study of Ecclesiastes with a look at Ecclesiastes 12:9-14. In these verses, Solomon emphasizes the meticulous care he took in crafting his words, saying that his words are the words of truth given to confront, challenge, and encourage us in an uncertain world. He closes by summarizing his chief purpose in writing: that we lift our eyes over the sun to God and walk faithfully before him.

In Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8, the Professor urges us to make the most of the life and gifts God has given, encouraging us to remember God and rejoice in his blessings, whether young or old, all the days of our lives. 

We're in Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 this week, and Solomon continues to offer practical wisdom as he approaches the conclusion of Ecclesiastes. In these verses, we're encouraged to act, to act wisely, and to do so by faith in our loving and wise God who sits over the sun. 

We're studying Ecclesiastes 10 this week. As Solomon turns toward the conclusion of this book, he begins to offer practical wisdom for life under the sun. Though the world often ignores wisdom and exalts folly, the Professor urges us to pursue wisdom. His call to pursue wisdom and reject folly echoes throughout the Bible and into the New Testament, where we see Jesus is the wisdom of God in the flesh.

This week we're studying Ecclesiastes 9:11-18. In these verses, Solomon reminds us, yet again, about the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of life. The only way through is by lifting our eyes from under the sun (and ourselves) to over the sun (and God). The story he tells to illustrate his point powerfully captures the whole storyline of the Bible, the invitation to trust the true and better poor, wise man Jesus, and the way we are to live and walk every day as followers of Christ. 

After catching our attention once again with the subject of death (9:1-6), the Professor turns our eyes to enjoying the gifts God has provided under the sun. Through his words, we are pointed to the true and ultimate gifts of life and joy in Jesus. 

This week we're studying Ecclesiastes 8:10-9:6. Under the sun, life is confusing, perplexing, and even frustrating. How do we navigate life when justice is slow and even perverted? When life is unfair? Do we take things into our hands and rely on our own power and wisdom? The Professor once again points out a problem under the sun in order to redirect our attention and trust over the sun to the God who sits on his throne, ruling with perfect wisdom, timing, and love.