What happens when the greatest leader in the Bible misses the moments that mattered most to his own kids? In this message, Pastor Phillip Martin continues the "Parenting Is Hard" series by looking at Moses, the man who led Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea, and the decision he made that left his own sons on the outside of his faith. Built around Proverbs 22:6, this sermon makes the case that what you train into your kids, good or bad, never really leaves them.The message digs into Exodus to trace exactly where Moses' presence at home started to slip, why fear pushed him to send his family away right as God was calling him into the biggest moment of his life, and how that choice echoed all the way to his grandson. Along the way, this message names the specific signs of absent parenting, from physical distance to emotional disconnection, and offers real, doable steps for admitting it, showing up, and rebuilding trust with your kids.Whether you're a parent, a grandparent, or someone still carrying scars from a parent who wasn't there, this sermon speaks directly to how the presence or absence of a parent shapes generations.Scripture Focus: Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 20:7, Exodus 2-4, Exodus 18, Ephesians 6:4Subscribe so you never miss a message, and share this sermon with a friend.Website: https://www.ilovemygrove.comGive: https://ilovemygrove.com/give/

Why do so many of us swear we'll parent differently than our own mom or dad, only to catch ourselves repeating the same patterns? In this sermon of the "Parenting Is Hard" series, Pastor Phillip Martin at The Grove Church in Kingston, TN tackles that question head-on in a message called "Forgiving Mom and Dad," teaching from Ephesians 4 on how bitterness toward our parents shapes the way we raise our own children.Phillip breaks down a series of parenting types, the abandoner, the hooper, the commander, the punisher, the screamer, the manipulator, and others, and explains how each one leaves a mark that shows up later in your marriage and your parenting. He then turns to the story of Joseph in Genesis, betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers, and shows how Joseph's response offers a real, practical model for forgiving parents who hurt you, even when they never asked for it.Whether you have a great relationship with your parents or one that's been broken for years, this message gives you language and perspective for working through it, and for becoming the parent your kids need instead of just reacting to the parent you had.Scripture Focus: Ephesians 4:31-32; Genesis 37 and 45 (Joseph and his brothers)Subscribe so you never miss a message, and share this episode with a friend.Website: https://www.ilovemygrove.comGive: https://ilovemygrove.com/give/

What does the story of the prodigal son actually teach us about being a parent? In this message, Pastor Phillip Martin of The Grove Church in Kingston, TN launches a new series called "Parenting Is Hard" and reads Luke 15 not as a salvation story but as one of the most honest pictures of a messy family in all of scripture, complete with a father, a runaway son, and a jealous older brother.

Pastor Phillip talks through the hardest parts of parenting: the days before a child leaves home, the helplessness of watching them hit rock bottom, and the choice a parent has to make between bitterness and compassion when that child finally comes back. He backs it up with sobering stats on parental stress and burnout, then walks through a list of parenting mistakes to avoid, from constant criticism to favoritism between siblings, setting the stage for a series that will dig into divorce, adult children, and family healing in the weeks ahead.

Whether you're raising toddlers, dealing with a grown child who won't speak to you, or still working through how your own parents raised you, this sermon from is a grounded, biblical starting point.

Scripture Focus: Luke 15:11-32, Proverbs 22:6

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What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? In this message from The Grove, Pastor Tyler Brown breaks down 2 Timothy to challenge how we measure true success. He emphasizes that the accomplishments on our resumes will eventually be forgotten, but a life lived for the gospel has eternal implications. 

This sermon walks through the practical steps of building a gospel legacy: receiving faith personally, living it daily without getting distracted by the world, and actively carrying it forward by pouring into others. 

Scripture Focus: 2 Timothy 2, Acts 6, Ephesians 1

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Have you ever noticed that history just keeps repeating itself? The truth is, human nature doesn't change. The self-centered, status-driven culture of the ancient Roman world looks a whole lot like the world we live in right now. In this message, we dive deep into Luke 12 to unpack Jesus' straightforward warnings to a crowd that was dangerously distracted by their own selfish agendas.

We are breaking down what it actually means to be a "worldly" person and why Jesus pushed back against it so firmly. The core takeaway? We have to step away from our common reality of worldliness and adopt the uncommon reality of a Kingdom perspective. If you want to know where your heart really is, you just have to look at your treasure. Tune in to learn what it means to stop stressing over earthly possessions and start becoming truly rich toward God.

Scripture Focus: Luke 12, Ecclesiastes 1

It’s easy to celebrate living in a free country while quietly serving time in a prison of our own making. From the trap of unresolved bitterness to the heavy burden of living up to other people's expectations, many of us are locked up without even realizing it. In this episode, Dr. Phillip Martin asks a hard, grounded question: what is actively stealing your freedom?

We dive into the reality of the human struggle outlined in Romans 8, exploring why we constantly fall back into the habits and mindsets we want to escape. Dr. Martin highlights how things like pride, legalism, shifting priorities, and fear create invisible bars around our lives. We also look at the ancient punishment of being chained to a heavy burden, and how we often do the same thing to ourselves spiritually by carrying our sins and grudges.

Ultimately, true freedom requires an outside rescue. Just as a captive cannot unlock their own cell, we need someone with the keys. Tune in to hear how Jesus provides the ultimate way to break out of your personal prison and step into real, lasting freedom.

Scripture Focus: Romans 8, John 8

What would you do if you found out a thief was trying to break into your home? You’d lock the doors, secure the perimeter, and take immediate action. But what do you do when the enemy is actively breaking into your spiritual life? In this message, Dr. Phillip Martin unpacks the sobering, everyday reality of spiritual warfare. We tend to brush off deep struggles as just "bad days," "stress," or "relationship issues," but often, they are targeted attacks designed to steal our joy, destroy our families, and kill our futures.

Dr. Martin dives into the parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10 to expose the enemy's stealthy playbook. From planting seeds of doubt and paranoia to using pride and counterfeit seductions, the thief is relentlessly trying to climb the fences of our lives. Tune in to learn how to identify these subtle attacks, silence the voice of strangers, and start tuning your ear exclusively to the voice of Jesus.

Scripture Focus: John 10:1-15, Genesis 2:18, 1 Thessalonians 2:18

What would you do differently if you knew the exact date and time your life would end? In this message, we introduce a new series at The Grove: Defending Your Days and Maximizing Your Life. Diving into Proverbs 29:18, Dr. Phillip Martin unpacks how a lack of vision causes individuals, marriages, and families to quietly "perish" or drift into reckless, unrestrained living. This message is a direct wake-up call to stop letting the "raptors of life" steal your hours and to start living with an eternal sense of urgency.

He also opens up about the specific, future-focused vision of The Grove. He explains why the church is leaning heavily into two major ministries—Legacy Christian Academy and Guardian Sports—to reach young families and children who aren't stepping through traditional church doors anymore. Finally, he uncovers how spiritual attacks on your marriage, health, and finances are often the enemy’s strategy to pull you away from God's mission. Listen in to find out how you can defend your days, back your leaders, and invest in what truly outlasts you.

In this sermon, Dr. Phillip Martin brings us to a temporary pause in our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Revelation as we examine the breaking of the sixth seal in Revelation chapter 6. Up until this point, humanity has lived through the preliminary warning signs carried by the Four Horsemen. But when this seal is broken, human history reaches a terrifying tipping point where God's patience concludes, and there is no turning back.

Dr. Martin strips away the complex theological jargon to focus strictly on what the text says about the coming "wrath of the Lamb." We look at the worldwide seismic shaking, the darkening of the skies, and the literal spirit of fear that will grip the hearts of every king, commander, slave, and free person left on earth. This message is a sobering, urgent reminder to stop ignoring the warning signs in our own lives, drop our grievances, and ensure we are living in blameless peace with God today.

Scripture Focus:

Revelation 6:12-17

Matthew 24:29, 36

Luke 21

Hebrews 10:30

In the message, Dr. Phillip Martin guidse us through the gripping reality of the fifth seal in Revelation chapter 6. We live in a society that has watered down the image of God into something soft and one-sided, focusing strictly on "puppies and rainbows." But what happens when we look honestly at scripture and realize that an angry, vengeful side of God is actively present in both the Old and New Testaments?

Dr. Martin dives straight into the halfway point of the seven-year tribulation period to discuss the Christian martyrs waiting under the altar in heaven. They pray differently than anyone else in scripture, asking God "how long" until He judges and avenges their blood. This message serves as a fierce reality check about what it means to be a true believer, forcing us to ask ourselves if our hearts are genuinely changed or if we are merely coasting on a comfortable, superficial faith.

Scripture Focus: Revelation 4, Revelation 5, Revelation 6, Psalm 50:21, Deuteronomy 32:35, Matthew 24