Ray Bentley - October 13, 2019 - Matthew 23:1-12
The last public message Jesus gave was not not a sermon on salvation, or the resurrection, or principles of living in the Kingdom. It is a scathing denunciation of false religion under the guise of truth. False religion is characterized by a lack of compassion. I wish I could say there are no hypocrites at Maranatha. Unfortunately there are hypocrites in every church. We’re all still sinners even though we are forgiven. Fortunately, Jesus didn’t say "follow my people. He said "Follow Me!" Men have let me down. But Jesus has never let me down! The good news is that He came to take away the load of sin that always outweighs our good deeds.
Ray Bentley - November 10, 2019 - Matthew 23:23-36
Jesus warns us against majoring in the minors. Legalists (like the Pharisees) are sticklers for details, but are blind to greater truths. They can actually be theologically correct, but their tone and application turn it into abusive/damaging ap...
Ray Bentley - November 17, 2019 - Matthew 23:37-39
Jesus' heart overflows with love. Luke 19:41 tells us that Jesus wept as He looked over the city of Jerusalem and thought of its coming judgment. Oh how He wanted to protect them from the terrible judgment that would follow their rejection of Him...
Ray Bentley - November 24, 2019 - Matthew 24:1-8
Signs of Christ's coming. Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple. Jesus warned them that there will be deception. There seems to be an acceleration of this in the End Times. Jesus described six signs: deception of false Christs, dissension a...