Mark Driscoll
- 16 June 2013: Born Again to Follow Jesus (John 3:1–8) - There's a big difference between being spiritual, religious, or moral, and being born again to new life in Christ. Jesus said, "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." What does it mean to be born again? Pastor Mark Driscoll explains in this special sermon from Saddleback Church in Southern California.
- 9 June 2013: Acts #3 – Empowered by the Spirit to Follow Jesus - In Acts 2, Jesus’ promise is fulfilled: the Holy Spirit descends on his disciples, readying them to go and proclaim the gospel to all nations. He does this by giving them the gift of tongues, a symbol of the fact that barriers of location and language have now been removed. What is this gift? Can every Christian get it? Is it for today? What happens when its private use goes public?
- 3 June 2013: Acts #2 – Scripture Empowered by the Spirit - How did the disciples begin executing the biggest mission in the history of the world? The Bible says that while waiting for the Holy Spirit, they devoted themselves to prayer—they talked to God. The apostles led by following Scripture—through it, God responded. Consequently, the early church experienced success—but not without undergoing failure first. What can we learn from what they did?
- 26 May 2013: Acts #1 – Jesus Empowered by the Spirit - Picking up where the Gospel of Luke left off, the book of Acts describes how Jesus, having finished his work on the Cross, begins to build his kingdom on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit. This power has been given to all Christians, to be used properly, following the example set by Jesus. How was Jesus empowered by the Spirit? How is he using this power to accomplish his mission?
- 19 May 2013: Ephesians #17 – I Am Victorious - When was the last time you felt like you got shot—emotionally, relationally, financially, spiritually? What we tend to do in those moments is look up and ask, “God, where are you? I thought you were good.” What we need to know is that it’s not just us and God. There’s a third variable: Satan and his demons. We are in a war. Do you know your enemy? Your king? What weapons are you using to fight?
- 14 May 2013: Special from R12: The Four Points - In this special episode, we take a break from our regular Ephesian sermon series to bring you footage of Pastor Mark Driscoll's first of two sessions at the 2012 Resurgence Conference. For more information on the conference DVD set and this year’s Resurgence Conference, head to resurgenceconference.com.
- 5 May 2013: Ephesians #16 – I Am Rewarded - Slavery is among the most difficult topics in the Bible. Paul exhorts Christian slaves to obey their masters, but does that mean the Bible condones slavery? To be sure, American slavery is condemnable. But in Paul’s day, fair practices could be found. Then and now, employees are to obey their employers, and employers are to care for their employees. Jesus is Boss—he sees, knows, and rewards all.
- 29 April 2013: Ephesians #15 – I Am Fathered - The most important person in your life is your father. He has more power than anyone to influence you—for good or for evil. Hearing the word “father,” does it conjure up amazing memories, or does it cause you to sense loss because he has abandoned, betrayed, failed you? What kind of father are or will you be? Strive to become like Father God and bless your children the way he has blessed you.
- 22 April 2013: Ephesians #14 – I Am Loved - Jesus loves the church the way a groom loves his bride. He acts as her Head, Savior, Giver, Sanctifier/Cleanser, and Nourisher/Cherisher. This relationship provides a picture of what a marriage between a husband and wife should look like. The following sermon explores what it means for wives to submit to and respect their husbands and for husbands to love and lead their wives, the way Jesus would.
- 15 April 2013: Ephesians #13 – I Am Adopted - As a Christian, you’ve been adopted by God the Father, given a new identity, and welcomed into a family with Jesus as your big Brother. You’ve been adopted to worship. So, do not engage in sinful behavior. Do imitate God by walking in love as children of light, discerning what pleases him, making the best use of time, being filled with the Spirit, giving thanks, and submitting to one another.
- 8 April 2013: Ephesians #12 – I Am Forgiven - Are you bitter? Are there seeds of discontent in your soul that will cause you to become bitter? What are some characteristics of bitter people? If you’ve been sinned against, you have two choices: to remain bitter or to forgive. Paul gives six commands that help to end the cycle of bitterness. Who do you need to forgive, and who needs to forgive you? Forgive, because God in Christ forgave you.
- 3 April 2013: Easter Celebration 2013 - “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4). On Sunday, March 31, our church family gathered for over 42 services across 14 churches in four states through live broadcast to celebrate the most important event in the history of the world: the resurrection of Jesus, when he conquered Satan, sin, and death. This sermon features footage from one of the services at the Downtown Seattle church that day, including music and baptisms.
- 3 April 2013: Ephesians #11 – I Am New - When you know who you are, then you know what to do. In Christ, you are new. No longer are you alienated from God and walking in the futility of a darkened mind. The old is gone; the new has come. Put off the old self and put on the new self. Knowing your new identity in Christ allows you to change how you think, how you act, and what you desire.
- 21 March 2013: Doctrine in Amharic: A story from Ethiopia - Pastor Sutton visits a local Bible college in Dilla, Ethiopia, which has been sending out graduates since 1949. Mars Hill Global currently supports every church planter who graduates from this school.
Right now, we have a huge opportunity to translate resources we already have into Amharic, the regional language there. We're already working on a print run of the Bible in Amharic, and a translation of Pastor Mark and Gerry Breshears' book Doctrine.
Help us translate more of books and resources into Amharic and other languages by giving to Mars Hill Global today:
https://marshill.com/global
- 18 March 2013: Ephesians #10 – I Am Gifted - Jesus is in heaven, serving the church and giving gifts. He gives us himself, the Holy Spirit, and other people. To each Christian he also gives spiritual gifts to be cultivated (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12; Eph. 4; 1 Pet. 4). Some have multiple gifts and different levels of a gift. God gives gifts to equip the saints and build up the body of Christ. Your gift is not your identity, but how are you gifted?
- 12 March 2013: Ephesians #9 – I Am Heard - When we pray, we’re talking to our Dad. Prayer can be silent or aloud. You can pray alone or in a group. God always answers prayer with: yes, no, or later. Prayer can cause God to act, but oftentimes prayer is to change us. Praying also keeps us from grumbling and gossiping. From Paul’s prayer for his church, we learn that prayer is personal, relational, asking, yearning, expecting, and revealing.
- 4 March 2013: Ephesians #8 – I Am Afflicted - Christians will suffer; knowing what kind of suffering it is can help you endure your own affliction as well as comfort others in theirs. How are you and others around you afflicted? From Paul’s suffering, we see that we can be afflicted for others’ good, our growth, and God’s glory. How could your affliction be used as others are watching? Don’t waste your affliction; invest it. Don’t lose heart.
- 2 March 2013: Gidasu Has a Burden: A story from Ethiopia - Gidasu has a call and burden to preach, to teach, and to share the gospel of Jesus in Ethiopia. Today, he teaches at the Theology College in Dilla. Mars Hill Global supports all of the church planters who come out of this Bible college.
Pray for Gidasu as he teaches and for the call on his life to plant and preach. Please also prayerfully consider how you can support church planters in Ethiopia, India, and Chile today as part of our extended church family by giving to Mars Hill Global today.
http://marshill.com/global
- 25 February 2013: Ephesians #7 – I Am Reconciled - Despite a literal and spiritual dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles—centuries of conflict starting with Abraham—in Christ, they are reconciled. Their identity is no longer circumcised or uncircumcised, it is a new people, “Christian.” Even more amazingly, in Christ, God and sinners are reconciled. Christians are reconciled to one another and together are a dwelling place for God.
- 18 February 2013: Ephesians #6 - I Am Saved - Your own works cannot save you; only Jesus’ works save. Salvation means saved from the penalty of sin in the past, from the power of sin in the present, and from the presence of sin forever in the future. Those who are in Christ are saved from death, sin, worldly living, Satan and demons, the old nature/old desires, and God’s wrath. We’re saved by grace, then empowered by grace to do good works.
- 11 February 2013: Ephesians #5 – I Am Appreciated - If you’re a Christian, Jesus appreciates you. This means that God’s faithful people can receive encouragement and thankfulness from Jesus, even if they don’t receive such from other people. When you know that Jesus appreciates you, you exchange grumbling for praying, competing for celebrating, bitterness for thankfulness, performing for serving, and boasting for encouraging.
- 3 February 2013: Ephesians #4 – I Am Blessed - We oftentimes assume that God doesn’t want to bless us, or, if he does, that we have to pay him back. But God is good; we don’t have to make him bless us. His people are blessed in Christ with holiness, predestination, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, grace, and are sealed by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit—all to the praise of God’s glory. We bless the God who has blessed us.
- 3 February 2013: Running with the Gospel: A story from Ethiopia - Nothing in Abebe's life was going well—nothing. Then one day, his wife asked him, what if this lack of joy was because he'd been refusing a call God had placed on his life to preach?
Today, Abebe pastors a church of 69 people in an area dominated by Islam. By the grace of God, people are meeting Jesus—and yet the pastors are aching to do more. This is where you come in.
Abebe is one of 20 church planters Mars Hill Global supports in Ethiopia. Please prayerfully consider how you can support church planters in Ethiopia, India, and Chile today as part of our extended church family by giving to Mars Hill Global.
http://marshill.com/global
- 28 January 2013: Ephesians #3 – I Am a Saint - Paul writes to the church in Ephesus and starts by saying they are saints in Christ. A Christian’s identity is primarily saint, not sinner. You will sin some of the time, but you are a saint all of the time in Christ. A saint is remorseful over sin, receiving conviction from God; there is no condemnation for the saint. A saint is faithful and powerful over sin through the empowering grace of God.
- 26 January 2013: Praying For Birhanu - Birhanu is a church planter in the Bench Maji region of western Ethiopia to the Surma tribe, well known for the large lip plugs worn by the women. Birhanu and his wife have been called by Christ to bring the good news of his gospel to lost souls because, as he says, "They have no good news." Birhanu asks for prayer for three things, and Pastor Sutton closes by praying for Birhanu, an emotional moment for him.
- 21 January 2013: Ephesians #2 – I Am in Christ - There are only two categories of human beings: those who are in Adam, and those who are in Christ. Are you in Adam or in Christ? In Ephesians 1, Paul says that if you are in Christ, you can be faithful, you are blessed, you were chosen and made blameless, you are forgiven, you can know the will of God, you are reconciled, you have an inheritance, you have hope, and you have the Holy Spirit.
- 14 January 2013: Ephesians #1 – I Am __________? - Who do you think you are? God says you are made in his image and likeness; you’re a revelation receiver who is humbly honored, made to mirror, and blessed to bless. Satan lies and tempts our pride to believe that we can achieve an identity (e.g., through Items, Duties, Others, Longings, Sufferings), rather than simply receive it from God. This is identity idolatry, worshiping created things rather than the Creator.
- 7 January 2013: He Made Us Family: Why Life Is Hard for Jesus and His People - We learn in the remaining verses of Matthew chapter 2 that Herod is a king and a killer, overseeing the slaughter of innocents (like many of us today); that God is sovereign and supernatural, and he speaks and sends; that Jesus is the greater Moses, the greater Israel, the greater King, and he provides the greater Exodus; and that Jesus’ people experience difficulties, duties, and delights.
- 31 December 2012: Best Of: Works Righteousness Vs. GIft Righteousness - Works righteousness is in fact unrighteousness. We are not saved by our good works; we are saved by the gift of Jesus’ work on the cross. Our unrighteous sin goes to him, and his righteousness comes to us. Do not trust in yourself as the works righteousness man in the parable did. Trust in the Lord as the repentant, humble sinner who received the gift righteousness did. Confess your sin to Jesus. Receive the righteousness of God in Christ. And then celebrate with joy.
- 21 December 2012: He Made Us Family: Jesus Was Born So That We Could Be Born Again - At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but why was he born? Jesus was born so that we could be born again. Once you’ve been born again, everything changes; you have a new Lord and you become a new person with a new identity, new power, a new mind, a new community, and new desires. This is the gift exchange: give Jesus your sin, be born again, and receive these gifts he gives.
