Morningside Live

Palm Sunday: 1. Trusting God’s Plan Over Your Own Path Proverbs 19:21 — “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” As you think about your major, career path, or future plans, where are you tempted to prioritize your own agenda over God’s will? What would it look like to truly surrender your plans to Him? 2. Handling Anxiety About the Future Psalm...

1. Knowing Christ Personally Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Question: What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Him, and how can you tell which one describes your life? 2. The Limits of Religion Philippians 3:7–8 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sak...

From our 2026 Missions Conference: Discussion questions 1. How should the passion revealed in this text (for my sake and the gospel’s) shape your day-to-day life? 2. Have you ever experienced tension between choosing Christ and the Gospel and choosing family and possessions? Have you ever made the wrong choice in a particular situation? How can you be prepared, by God’s grace, for the next opportu...

From our 2026 Missions Conference. 1. The Dangerous Omission John 17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” How does knowing that Jesus chose not to remove you from the world reshape the way you see your daily environment (home, work, school)? 2. The Meaning of Mission John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so...

Discussion Questions 1. A Divided Heart James 2:4 – “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” In what ways do we subtly show partiality? What does this reveal about our hearts? 2. God Alone Is Judge James 4:12 – “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” How does remembering God as Judge change the way we t...

1. The Incompatibility of Faith and FavoritismJames 2:1 – “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”How does James connect faith in Christ with the command to avoid favoritism, and why are the two incompatible?2. God’s Standard vs. Ours1 Samuel 16:7 – “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord look...

1. What Does True Religion Look Like? James 1:26–27 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Question: What stands out most to you in how Ja...

1. Examine Yourself Through the Word James 1:22 “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Question: In what ways can a Christian deceive himself by hearing God’s Word regularly but not applying it? 2. The Danger of Auditing Christianity Romans 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Question: What are...

1. Listening to God FirstJames 1:19“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”Question:What does it practically look like to be “swift to hear” when it comes to God’s Word in your daily life?2. Guarding Against Spiritual DullnessHebrews 5:11“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.”Question:In wha...

1. Are You Enduring by God’s Strength or Your Own? James 1:12James says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.” Are you trying to white-knuckle your trial, or are you consciously trusting that God is the One upholding you? What would it look like this week to rely more intentionally on His sustaining grace rather than your own grit?2. Where Are Your Eyes Fixed During Trials? Hebrews 12:2Sc...

1. Joy in Financial Trials“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” — James 1:2 Question:How does James’s command to “count it all joy” challenge the way you normally respond to financial stress or uncertainty? 2. Divided Loyalties“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” — Matthew 6:24 Question:What are some subtle ways money competes with God for your trust, affection, or dec...

Preached Friday night, January 30, 2026, hours before a Saturday snowstorm.

1. Counting Joy, Not Denying PainJames 1:2; 2 Corinthians 4:17James commands believers to “count it all joy,” not to feel joy automatically. What is the difference between denying pain and choosing a joyful perspective rooted in faith? Leader Prompt:Emphasize that biblical joy acknowledges real pain while interpreting it through trust in God’s purposes.2. “When” Trials Come, Not “If”James 1:2; Joh...

Sermon Application Questions1. Do I Rejoice or Resent When God Shows Mercy? Scripture: Jonah 4:1; Luke 15:7Question: When I see God show grace to people I think “don’t deserve it,” do I rejoice or do I feel resentment in my heart? Leader Insight: Help your group see resentment toward grace often reveals hidden pride. Emphasize that heaven celebrates repentance, even when we struggle to.2. Have I F...

Opener: "Hymn of Heaven" (Men's Quartet) OutlineI. Jonah’s Repenting — Revival Begins With Me (vv. 1–4)-Jonah as a living picture of the Gospel-Revival starts with the awakening of God’s people-Repentance before evangelism; humility before powerII. Nineveh’s Repenting — Revival Can Come to Anyone (vv. 5–8)-Genuine faith evidenced by sorrow, prayer, and turning from sin-Repentance det...

1. Hearing God AgainScripture: Jonah 3:1Question:What does it reveal about God’s character that He spoke to Jonah “the second time,” and how should that shape the way believers respond after failure? Leader Insight:Highlight that God’s faithfulness is anchored in His covenant love, not our flawless obedience. Encourage the group to view setbacks not as disqualifications but as invitations to retur...

1. Prayerlessness and Spiritual DriftScripture: Jonah 2:1–2 – “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me…”Discussion Question:Where are groups or individuals tempted to drift into prayerlessness, and how does that tendency often affect spiritual direction or decisions?2. Honest Admission Before...

1. When Life Feels Out of ControlJonah 1:17a — “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.”How does remembering God’s control over every detail of creation change the way you respond to unexpected or painful events?2. The God Who PreparesMatthew 17:27 — “The first fish that thou takest up... shalt find a piece of money.”If God can prepare a fish with a coin to meet a tax need, how...

1. Running from God in "One Area" (v. 3)Is there one specific area of your life where you're "running from God"—perhaps in matters of lust, greed, gossip, or unforgiveness—even as you try to be an obedient Christian elsewhere? What practical steps can you take this week to stop running and turn toward obedience in that area?2. The Ripple Effect of Disobedience (v. 12)Jonah...

1. When Storms Are RagingJonah 1:4: "But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to break up."What are the specific "storms" (e.g., financial, relational, health, or fear of people) you are currently facing, and what is your default place of refuge (before you consciously turn to Christ)?2. Running and Pur...

1. When Storms Come, Where Do We Turn?“They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.” (Psalm 107:27)When life spins out of control, do we first cry out in panic, or do we trust the God who controls the storm?2. What “Natural Religions” Compete for Our Worship?“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them… so that t...

1. Can Anyone Outrun God? Proverbs 15:3 – “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”What are some of the common “Tarshishes” people run to when trying to avoid God’s presence?2. Pride or Grace? Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”Why do so many resist God’s grace, even when it is freely offere...

1. Am I Listening to God's Word or Avoiding It? Jonah 1:1–2 "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah... Arise, go to Nineveh..."Have you been actively listening to God's Word, or have you been tuning it out when it's inconvenient? What specific area of your life is God speaking into that you might be avoiding?2. Where in My Life Am I Running from God's Will? Jonah 1:3 &quo...

Presented with Spanish translation 1. Bowing the Knee Philippians 2:10 – “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Am I willing to bow the knee to Christ now, or am I resisting His authority until it will be too late? 2. True Submission Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” In what areas of my life (finances, family, career, desires)...

Christ's Exaltation Philippians 2:9 1. Will I Choose Humility Over Self-Promotion? Scripture: James 4:10 — “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” In what situations this week might I be tempted to push myself forward instead of serving others? 2. Am I Seeing My Suffering as a Path to Glory? Scripture: Romans 8:17 — “…we suffer with him, that we may be also glor...