Grace Hill Church - Collierville, Tn

THIS EPISODE: Nearly every area in life in which we might have found peace in has been shaken over the last year. Thinking back over this turbulent time, who or what has really brought you peace? The resurrected Jesus has brought us peace. Not momentary comfort or distraction from circumstances—but true PEACE that can be deeply experienced and abide even in the midst of life's terrible storms. After his resurrection, Jesus spoke peace into the fears of everyone around him. He also speaks peace to our fears today. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: John 20:1-21 (CSB) The Empty Tomb 20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!” 3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb.

THIS EPISODE: In the final days of Jesus pre-crucifiction, his triumphal entry into Jerusalem is breathtaking to consider: This Jewish carpenter riding a borrowed, unbroken colt through a screaming crowd shouting to him, “Save us!” But how did this same crowd get from “save us!” to “crucify him!” in only a matter of days? These people knew they desperately needed a savior, but also felt certain they knew exactly what their salvation should look like. They were desperately trying to make Jesus into the person they wanted him to be. But Jesus rescues us in ways we often don't understand. His insight is eternal and he (thankfully) doesn't let our circumstances or expectations reshape his work in our lives. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXTS: Zechariah 9:9 (CSB) Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion, Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Mark 11:7-11 (CSB) 7 They br

THIS EPISODE: In the late 1500’s, a Spanish Carmelite monk wrote a deeply reflective poem about the spiritual crises that must occur in our journey toward true devotion to Christ. In “The Dark Night” he describes how some face these critical moments and grow, while others give up the faith. No doubt Asaph wrote Psalm 73 to aid us in the same inflection point that we all encounter at some time. Because we too go through crises of faith—through dark nights in which our journey towards true devotion to Christ faces a test that challenges our faith in Christ to the core. And Asaph wants to show us how to successfully navigate through this dark night. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Psalm 73 (CSB) God’s Ways Vindicated | A psalm of Asaph 1 God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. 3 For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 They have an easy time until they die,[a] and their bodies a

THIS EPISODE: Grace Hill: What Happens When We Die? We've all heard stories of near-death experiences. And it seems they almost all have similar elements of being “out of body”, seeing departed loves ones, seeing "a light", feeling loved... But does everyone experience the same thing? And if no, then why? What if some people (of other faiths, or even no faith) seem to have different experiences than the stories we’ve heard? And a larger question: What even is death, really? And what does God do in us at death? These are important things to consider. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Luke 16:19-31 (ESV) [19] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, [21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s s

THIS EPISODE: With so much fear & anxiety around us today, we must remember Jesus' powerful promise: “I will build my church...” “But what if...” ⇠ These words can seem so unnerving, controlling and emerge so easily inside us, especially in uncertain times. “I will build...” ⇠ Words from Jesus so deeply comforting & re-centering, if we can really understand them in their true context & meaning. Jesus cares more deeply for the Church that we can even fathom. And it's HIS Church to build, not ours—not in buildings, but in people. He is sovereign, he's good, and he always keeps his promises. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Matthew 16:13-18 (CSB) 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Mess

THIS EPISODE: Was Jesus' suffering and death really necessary? And how much does the WAY it all happened matter? Was so much pain & suffering really paramount to our ultimate redemption? As we consider this for a few minutes together, we explore some truly remarkable aspects of Jesus in the process, and his ability to deeply understand us in our own suffering & trials. Because of his great love for humanity, he was humbly obedient to his Father's plan. And we see that through the profound pain and suffering of his experiences, he not only understands us in the midst of our own, but is able to be truly with us in the middle of our mess. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Mark 8:31 (CSB) 31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days.

THIS EPISODE: What are you tempted by the most in life right now? Temptations are only human, right? But when we give into temptations, it also inevitably leads down sordid paths and arrives at unhealthy destinations that we never really intended. Jesus can help. The good news for us today is Jesus not only understands our temptations, but was tempted just as we are. And today we can find hope and help from Jesus in his how he handled his temptations. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXTS: —Hebrews 4:15 (CSB)— 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. —Matthew 4:1-11 (CSB)— Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not liv

THIS EPISODE: What can we even believe anymore? With misinformation, disinformation & “fake news” roiling all around us today, we're living in a world where the existence of any absolute truth is constantly under attack. But there is absolute truth, and it's more critical than ever that we deeply understand and embrace it. In this episode we focus a few minutes on three specific ways God defines absolute truth for us, and what's really at stake if we lose sight of it. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXTS: —John 17:17 (CSB)— 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. —John 14:6 (CSB)— I am the way, the truth, and the life. —John 1:14 (CSB)— 14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. —Ephesians 1:13 (CSB)— 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. —Colossians 1:3-6 (CSB)—

THIS EPISODE: We all need to be taken care of at some point. Even the most capable & resilient of us experience moments or seasons of profound hurt, deep brokenness, anxiety, even despair. We also all share the same core question as an undercurrent of our worst moments and our best: Who's really there for me when I need it? Who’s really going to take care of me? There's something very unique about the God of Christianity, and his ability to do exactly this. Psalm 147 paints a vibrant picture of the heart of our God and how he takes care of you. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Psalm 147: 1-11 (CSB) God Restores Jerusalem 1 Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely. 2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them. 5 Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite.[a] 6 The Lord helps t

THIS EPISODE: Today we're talking about good vs evil. ⇢ We have a real enemy, and he is pure evil. Unfortunately, it's far too easy for us to let our attention be misdirected to lesser "enemies", and lose sight of fighting the “good fight” that matters the most. Hands down, the biggest problem we face as Jesus followers is not a president, a political party, our constitutional “rights”, or even religious freedoms. It's when we (i) fail to use the life-giving power of Jesus to love & serve others well, and (ii) let our current circumstances keep us from even remembering what that really looks like. When we're tempted to take our eyes off Jesus & fix them on someone or something else, we've lost already. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Mark 1:21-28 (CSB) Driving Out an Unclean Spirit 21 They went into Capernaum, and right away he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. 22 They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching them as one wh

THIS EPISODE: Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Ever prayed for something unlikely/impossible to happen, and then seen it actually happen before your eyes? Today I invite you to ruminate over this with me for a few minutes, starting with one of Jesus' most famously impressive miracles—which completely blew the minds of a few discouraged men—and their remarkable response to him after the experience. And then we have an even greater miracle to candidly discuss together, and the hope that it may elicit a similarly remarkable response from us. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Luke 5:1-11 (CSB) As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he

THIS EPISODE: We're all looking to be known and looking to know others—looking for something to believe in, follow & give our lives to. Recently we've grappled with facing two realities: That WHO you subscribe to often shapes WHAT you subscribe to. And that subscribing to Jesus means often means doing the hard things. We see several facets of this visible when Philip & Nathaneal decided to follow Jesus. And as we consider their story, we can have a better understanding of how Jesus knows & sees us, and has invited us to follow him in the same way. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: John 1:43-51 (CSB) Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus[a] decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46 “Can anything good come o

THIS EPISODE: We want the benefits of Jesus, but do we really want the way of Jesus? Last week we began exploring what it really looks like to be a Jesus “follower”, and the reality that who you subscribe to reflects & shapes what you subscribe to. This time we're diving headfirst into what subscribing to Jesus should look like right now— in the midst of the very contentious political season we're all surrounded by today. What does following Jesus look like amid these very troubled waters? Spoiler: It's about more than simply embracing the good news of the Gospel—it means doing life differently. Not perfectly, but striving to authentically follow Jesus in all his ways. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXTS: Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies Matthew 4:17 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Romans 2:4 4 Or do you despise the riches of

THIS EPISODE: Reality Check: We are, more than ever before, a people drawn to be subscribers, fans & followers. And it's only normal to want to closely follow those who you most admire, enjoy, learn from and aspire to be more like, right? Another Reality: WHO you subscribe to very often shapes WHAT you subscribe to. Let that sink in for a minute. And as we take a few mins to reflect on this together, we invite you to consider just what it looks like to be a Jesus “follower”, and the 14 little verses in John revealing 15 highly compelling reasons he's worth subscribing to the most… PRIMARY TEXT: John 1:1-14 (CSB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,[a] and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome[b] it. 6 There was a man sent from God w

THIS EPISODE: Hope is powerful. And also one of the defining marks of Christ followers. What's at the center of your hope right now? We so often need to be reminded of the depth & absolute solidity of our true hope. That despite the confusion, pain and suffering that comes from living in a fallen world, we can know with absolute certainty that God will one day complete what he's started in the lives of believers and in the whole of his created universe. Jesus constantly shows up in scenes of deep hopelessness. Then he changes the future, heals the sick, raises the dead and speaks life & hope into hopelessness. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXTS: John 11:23-26 and 39-44 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never d

THIS EPISODE: Many of us feel like we're caught in the middle of impossible things right now. Weary, discouraged, broken, confused—we need to be deeply reminded that we serve a God who specializes in the impossible. The whole coming, living, dying and rising of Jesus Christ is a testimony to the impossible, miracle working nature of our God. The same is true no less in our world & lives today. God often does impossible things through impossible people in impossible places to accomplish impossible plans. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Luke 1:26-38 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not

THIS EPISODE: These often involve waiting: Following Jesus, growing in our faith & discipleship. We're not a "waiting people" today, are we? But there's often good that comes from our waiting. Waiting time isn't wasted time. John the Baptist knew a little about waiting. But what good was it? What did God do in his life through his waiting? Today we look at three deep truths reflected in the waiting: A life of knowing who we are & who Jesus really is, A life of true humility, And a life of pointing people to the true Savior. What is your life telling others about your savior in your waiting? Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: John 1:19-34 19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to h

THIS EPISODE: We begin a new series "Wait For It" looking at several of the scriptural narratives that offer us hope in this season of Advent. We consider the Messiah most expected vs. who he really is. When Jesus first came, many desired a Messiah to lead them against the Romans, not a prophet telling them to repent. And even today, we mostly look for a functional Messiah to help us with immediate needs, political threats & personal ambitions—someone to repair our structures, systems & leaders, not someone to reshape our lives. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Galatians 4:4 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Mark 1:4-8 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized

THIS EPISODE: In thoughtfully reflecting on God's promises to us, some powerful truths have emerged: Because we can trust God for what he's done, we can also trust him for what he will do. God promises to fix what is broken. Though they may feel impossible sometimes, God's promises are for now & for later too. His timing is always perfect—though his promises may take some time, his delays are not denials. And now we return to the story of Joseph & his brothers to consider that, yes, God always keeps his promises. But the reality is that they often come about in surprisingly different ways than we expected. Explore with us why & how God's sovereign goodness in life's every circumstance is always a constant. Even the unexpected, confusing & seemingly tragic things we face can be fully trusted to his goodness and his promises to us, no matter how dark the day may seem. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Genesis 45:1-28 (NASB2020) Then Joseph could not control himself

THIS EPISODE: God's promises might take some time. ⇢ But God’s delays are not denials. God keeping his promises to us sometimes doesn't happen in the way or timing we think they should—but his ways are not our ways. They're far wiser, more insightful & complete than our limited perspectives can possibly see or understand. Are the promises of God worth waiting for? Are the promises of God worth the pain that you may have to endure? Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Gen. 37:1-11 (NASB) Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he m