So you want your life to matter? What if the key to knowing that we matter comes not from manufacturing significance, but receiving it? Jesus doesn't just teach the ethics of the kingdom — he lives and dies them. And when he transfers us into the kingdom of God, we discover a significance so secure that we're freed to serve others regardless of what we get in return.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

In life, there are things we have to do, and then there are things we love to do. Between those two is a world of difference. Is Christianity just a list of things to do? Is Jesus merely after our behavior, or is he after something deeper?

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

When his opponents try to trap Jesus in a high-stakes theological debate about divorce, he reframes both the question and the answer around God. The transformative news that God abandons no one is exactly what saves us from treating relationships — including our relationship with God — as consumers who simply trade up when something better comes along.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

Jesus uses the misguided actions of the disciples to dial up his teaching on discipleship and what it means to belong to him. He is the one who sets the terms on who is in and who is out - and what that looks like. Jesus demands nothing less than an exclusive allegiance and ultimate obedience. Amazingly, he expects that we will gladly give things up for the sake of belonging to him and by doing so, we will find life.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

At a time of arguing among the disciples, Jesus points to a child to redefine greatness. Only when we recognize our need and dependence do we begin to see how upside-down true greatness really is. Only when we understand how God receives us will we ever show kindness to those who can offer nothing in return.When we experience the freedom of grace, we become servants—people who no longer step on others, but serve them in life-giving ways.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

We live in a world focused on technique and optimization, but we aren’t immune to times of pain and failure when life feels out of control. In Mark 9, a father’s prayer in a moment of complete helplessness reveals the shape of true prayer and the nature of faith. Where do we look when life is out of control? The answer to that question has the power to sink us or transform us.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

The Transfiguration in Mark 9 is Jesus pulling back the curtain on his own glory, but he uses resurrection language that confuses the disciples. What does Jesus rising from the dead mean? What does it mean for you? Jesus rising from the dead means that goodbyes aren't forever, and our vindication comes not from within us, but from outside of us.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

God loves and desires every part of us, not just the best parts. The gospel declares that it is the worst in us that draws God closer, and he longs to transform our ugliness to resemble his beauty. God wants all of us. Discipleship is a union with Christ that demands all of you, defines you most of all, and transforms you all the way.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes