Sermon Discussion

Below you'll find the pastor's presentations associated with each sermon along with discussion questions for your Life Group to use in response to each week's sermon.

9/6/26

Genesis 12:1-9
"Origins, pt. 29: Blessed to be a Blessing"

Pastor Matt Russell

Abram's call meant giving up land, clan, and inheritance, the very things that gave him security and identity. What is the modern equivalent for you? What is the thing that feels foundational to your sense of safety or identity to ever surrender to God?
Hebrews 11:8 says Abram "went out without understanding where he was going." The sermon contrasts his immediate obedience with our tendency to demand clarity, bargain, or add conditions before we obey. Where in your life right now are you waiting for more information or certainty before you'll follow what you already sense God is asking of you?
When Abram arrived in Canaan, the land was already occupied, likely the opposite of what he might have expected from God's promise. Describe a time you faced resistance or hardship after stepping out in faith. Did it make you question whether you'd heard God correctly, and how did you work through that?
Abram pitched his tent between "the house of God" and "a heap of ruins," never seeing the promise fully realized in his lifetime. In what ways do you feel that same tension? How do you deal with the reality of being caught between God's promises and the brokenness of the world? How do you maintain hope and a Godward focus?
Like Abram, we too have been blessed by God in multiple ways. And like Abram, we have been blessed to be a blessing to others in our sphere of influence. What does it mean to “bless” others? How specifically can you be a blessing to others in your sphere of influence?

8/23/26

Genesis 11:10-32, Luke 3:34-36
"Origins, pt. 27: The Faith"

Pastor Tom Gray

Based on your knowledge of him, how would you define Abraham? What about Sarah?
How does 2 Chronicles 16:9 tie into Abraham’s story? How does it tie into our lives today?
Scripture calls Abraham a “friend of God.” What does that mean? How can we be a “friend of God”?
Why is the object of our faith more important than the size of our faith? What does Scripture say about this?
Tom ended by talking about how our faith grows as it is tested. How has your faith been tested recently? How have you grown from it?

8/16/26

Genesis 11:1-9, John 17, Acts 2
"Origins, pt. 26: The Tower of Babel"

Pastor Tom Gray

Why is unity such an important ingredient in growth?
Why is language such a barrier AND a unifying thing?
God not only confuses languages, but forcibly scatters the people. Think about what the commission given to humanity was (“fill the earth”). How was Babel a rebellion to this?
How was God accomplishing His plan through the judgement handed out here?
Have you noticed a theme in Genesis? Rebellion, Judgment, new location. We see it with Adam / Eve, Cain, the Flood and now Babel.
What do you think God is trying to communicate to us with these patterns?
Read Deuteronomy 32:7-9. What does this teach us about God's judgment in Genesis 11?
How does verse 9 set us up for Abraham / Israel’s story that we are about to dive into?

8/9/26

Genesis 10
"Origins, pt. 25: From the Table of Nations to the Banquet Table of the Lamb"

Pastor Matt Russell

Genesis 10 is a list of names most of us would skip over. What does the fact that God included it in Scripture — cataloguing seventy specific peoples by name — tell us about how God sees the "ordinary" details of a nation, a family, or a person? Is there a "list" in your own life (an overlooked relationship, a season, a group of people) that you've been tempted to skim past that God may actually be paying close attention to?
The chapter repeats itself four times: by their clans, by their tongues, by their lands, by their nations. Why would the author go out of his way to keep naming the differences between peoples, rather than just saying "they all came from Noah" once and moving on? What does it look like, practically, to hold both truths at once? We are one human family, and our differences (ethnicity, language, culture) are God-designed?
In many ways our culture has elevated ethnicity other differences leading to what has leading to tribalism and identity politics. Why is this view of ethnicity unbiblical and how should the disciple of Jesus think about the concept of ethnic differences and identity?
Nimrod took the vision of "fill the earth" and turned it into "build my own name." Can you relate at all to the impulse we see in Nimrod to control outcomes rather than trust and obey God? Where in your life (ambition, work, even ministry) are you tempted to build something for your own name than to trust God's design for how things should unfold? What would it look like this week to hand that back to him?
Revelation 7:9 pictures the same categories from Genesis 10 (tribe, tongue, people, nation) but this time no one can count them, and "land" is gone. That gathered, uncountable multitude is where Yahweh is directing history. What's one concrete way your life, your relationships, or your church could reflect that reality now?

8/2/26

Genesis 9:18-29
"Origins, pt. 24: Foolishness, Wickedness, Love"

Pastor Tom Gray

We started with Noah’s foolishness. What other biblical examples can you think of heroes acting foolishly?
How does it make you feel to know that heroes of the Bible make foolish mistakes?
What contrast is there from Ephesians 5:18, of being drunk on (fill in the blank) and being filled with the Spirit?
What are those controlling areas you have to watch out for? (Screens, alcohol, relationships, calendar, money, etc.)
Why does wickedness follow so closely on the heels of foolishness? (Genesis 8:21)
Wickedness is either celebrated (Ham) or covered (Shem / Japheth). What is the outcome in this story of these two options?
How does the loving action of the two righteous brothers point us to Jesus and what he has done for us?

7/26/26

Genesis 9:8-17
"Origins, pt. 23: The Promise and the Picture"

Pastor Michael Pleasant

Why is grace such an important gift for us to understand?
Why do you think grace is tied so directly to Gods character?
What is so freeing about the new covenant we have in Christ not being tied to our works?
What do the rainbow and the cross have in common? What do they teach us?

7/19/26

Genesis 8:1-9:7
"Origins, pt. 22: Salvation and Goodness"

Pastor Tom Gray

What does it mean that “God remembered”? How does this encourage you today?
How would you define “faithfulness”?
How does faithfulness tie into our worship of God?
What stands out to you about Gods “oath” that He makes with Himself? (V. 21)
- See also Hebrews 6:13-19 and 2 Timothy 2:13
What are some examples of common grace blessings that we have in our lives? How often do we think and thank God for them?
What stands out to you about Gods blessing on this new round of humanity? (9:1-7)

7/12/26

Hebrews 10:24-25

"Retell. Remember. Respond."

Pastor Matt Russell

The definition of Christian Worship given on Sunday was “The embodied response of reverence, submission and allegiance to Yahweh expressed through obedience, sacrifice and praise for who He is and what he has done.” What aspect of worship grabbed your attention in a new way? How is this different than the way many Christians use the term worship?
Can you relate to finding yourself going through the motions in Sunday morning gatherings without meaningfully engaging your mind? What do you believe can be done to create more mindfulness in our corporate worship services?
Psalm 115:8 is clear that we become what we worship. In what ways can you see the truth of this principle in modern life and idolatry?
How can calling the elements of the gospel to mind serve to inform and form us in our daily experiences?
Matt discussed 6 gospel-centered elements that have been present in Christian corporate worship from the beginning. 1. Adoration, 2. Confession, 3. Assurance of God’s Grace, 4. Thanksgiving and Offering, 5. The Word, 6.Benediction / Commission. Take a look at Isaiah 6:1-8 and see if you can identify these elements in Isaiah’s worship.

7/5/26

Genesis 7
"Origins, pt. 21: Judgement Waters"

Pastor Aaron Crawford

Aaron talked about God being both a Righteous Judge and a Merciful Savior. Other than Genesis 7, where else do we see this play out in Scripture? What can we learn from these examples?
Why do you think Christians tend to shy away from talking about God’s judgment or wrath today? Do you think it is an important part of the gospel message? Why or why not?
Aaron made an emphasis to focus on all the theological elements of Genesis 7 including, judgment of sin, creation / de-creation, and the salvation of a remnant. Which one of these stood out to you the most and why?
What is the theological significance of the remnant that is spared from judgment in this chapter? Can you think of other examples of remnants in Scripture? What do we learn from all of these?
Righteousness has been an underlying theme the past few weeks from Abel, to Enoch, and now Noah. How would you define righteousness and what does it look like today? Why is righteousness such an important factor in Scripture?

6/7/26

Genesis 5:1-2, Psalm 145:3-7
"Origins, pt. 17: Generations"

Pastor Tom Gray

How far back can you go back in your family line? What spiritual significance do you see in your own book of generations?
What traditions or things have been passed down through your family generations? What spiritual things have been passed down?
How have you been involved cross-generationally at Mars Hill? What have you learned through those interactions?
How does generational activity impact discipleship and spiritual growth?

5/17/26

Matthew 20:20-28

Dr. Stephen George

How do you define “greatness?"
Jesus definition of greatness involves humility, faith and the way of the cross. Why do people have a such a hard time understanding this definition?
What does the phrase “the path of greatness lies through the cross” mean to you? What does it look like?
Suffering is a part of every humans life, and especially for the Christian. How does suffering tie into the idea of greatness?
Why do you think Jesus highlights serving as the model of greatness? What does that mean for us today?