Mars Hill Church - Mobile, AL

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...

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...

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...

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)....

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...

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,...

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 Go...

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 th...

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 be...

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 th...

This week, we will examine Ecclesiastes 8:1-9. We all live under some type of authority, whether parents, teachers, bosses, government leaders, or other decision makers. How should we respond to the ruling authorities, especially when they are inconsistent or even self-serving or unjust? The Professor, like Paul in Romans 13:1-7, will urge us once again to look over the sun and trust God, the auth...

How do you navigate the difficulties of life? The problem of evil? The reality of suffering? The injustice of the righteous suffering while the wicked prosper? The wounds and betrayal of a child, a spouse, or a friend? The Professor shows us it is not by running from God, but by running to him. It's not by relying on our own limited under-the-sun wisdom. It's by clinging to the wisdom of G...

The Professor circles back again to our constant quest for more, saying four times that we are never satisfied. Yet, few people take the time to stop and ask why more is never enough. In pointing out the emptiness of this world, the Professor lifts our eyes to the fullness of God and encourages us to see all things as a gift from him. 

This week, we're looking at Ecclesiastes 5:1-7. Because Ecclesiastes spirals and repeats itself in a number of places, we'll cover 4:4-16 in two other locations during our study. In 5:1-7, the Professor turns from observations about life under the sun to instruction about approaching God. He points out wrong ways we can approach God and encourages us to instead approach with humility, atte...

This week the Professor points out the problem of injustice under the sun. If there is no God then we can't be surprised by injustice, can't have concepts of justice or injustice, and can never have hope in the face of injustice. Fortunately, the professor tips his hand again and points us to the God who judges all things at his perfectly appointed time. And through this revelation and his...