MARANATHA CHURCH

The women who came to the tomb on Easter morning brought spices to honor someone they loved who was gone. The angel's first words were not comforting. They were a question: whom do you seek? In this Easter sermon from Mark 16, we ask the same question because it is possible to show up at church on Easter Sunday with genuine devotion and still be oriented toward a Jesus who is no longer in the tomb...

Gethsemane means oil press. In this Good Friday sermon from Luke 22, we move through three pressings, tracing Jesus from the garden to the trials to the cross, each stage applying more weight than the last until there was nothing left to give. The ancient olive press produced different qualities of oil at each pressing. So did the suffering of Christ. This is a service that moves slowly, pauses be...

Palm Sunday looks like a triumph. But in the middle of the procession, while the crowd is shouting and the cloaks are on the road, Jesus is weeping. In this sermon from Luke 19, we slow down to ask why and what it means that the king who sees everything you have been avoiding is riding toward the cross anyway, because the grief is not going to stop Him.

The man who found the treasure sold everything, and he did it in his joy. In this sermon from Matthew 13, we ask the question these two parables will not let us avoid: what are you not willing to sell? Most of us believe the treasure is real. The problem is we keep finding reasons to hold something back. This sermon is for anyone who has been circling the field for a long time without buying it. T...

Why does genuine transformation feel so slow? In this sermon from Matthew 13, Jesus answers that question with two surprising parables: a mustard seed nobody wanted in their field, and leaven hidden in three measures of flour. Instead of the cedar tree and conquering king his audience expected, Jesus describes a kingdom that begins small, works secretly, and transforms everything it touches from t...

We examine the core doctrinal differences between LDS theology and historic Christianity. While we use the same vocabulary, God, Jesus, salvation, etc, the meanings are fundamentally different. Topics covered: the nature of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, salvation, human destiny, and much more. Our goal: equip Christians to engage these critical differences with both truth and love.

In this sermon from Matthew 13, we look at how the enemy sows, through people, through distorted doctrine, and through an atmosphere of spiritual inattention, and why God's patience with the field is not the same as his approval of what's growing in it. We also ask the question the parable will not let us avoid: not who around you might be a weed, but what you are.

Are Mormons Christian? They use the same words, God, Jesus, salvation, but mean completely different things. In Part 1, we examine Mormonism's origins: Joseph Smith's visions, the golden plates, the Book of Mormon, and the doctrine of living prophets. We also explore controversial revelations that kept changing when circumstances demanded it. Every claim is sourced directly from official LDS mater...

Hearing the gospel is not the same as believing it. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus exposes the dangerous assumption that proximity to the truth equals possession of it, and shows us that the only evidence of genuine faith is fruit. Three soils hear the word but end in disaster; only one bears the fruit that proves saving faith.

Most of us have collapsed the distinction between knowing Jesus and belonging to Him; we assume proximity, heritage, and familiarity are enough. In Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus uses a real-time moment to issue a verdict on the Pharisees (and us): the family of God is not defined by bloodline or religious credentials, but by doing the will of the Father.

Most Christians have experienced a moment of the Spirit's presence, but few are living in the sustained, daily fullness God intended for every believer. In this final message of our Holy Spirit series, we walk through Romans 12:1-2 to discover how surrender produces revival, conformity kills the fire, and the Spirit renews everything from the inside out. We are challenged to stop settling for a lo...

Spiritual gifts are one of the most divisive topics in the modern church. In this message, we examine Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 to answer: What does the Bible actually say about the baptism of the Spirit and the gifts? Discover how the outpouring is still active today, why the gifts have caused division, and how to pursue and steward them biblically, with love, order, and accountability.

The temple has been cleansed. The Spirit dwells in you. But what does He build inside? Before the Spirit releases power and gifts, He forms character. Isaiah 11:2 gives us the blueprint, seven attributes the Spirit establishes in us so that when power comes, it doesn't destroy us. Formation sustains power and gifts.

"You shall be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16 The goal of the Christian life is not your exaltation. It's Christ's. And an unholy life does not magnify Christ. It obscures Him. King Hezekiah inherited a temple in ruins. The doors were shut. The lamps were out. The altar was cold. God's presence had departed. But Hezekiah knew something: God fills what has been made ready. So he commanded consec...

"It is to your advantage that I go away." How could Jesus' departure possibly be better than His presence? The answer reveals the Holy Spirit's greatest work: making Jesus real. Two thousand years removed from the upper room, we might think the disciples had it better, walking with Jesus, hearing His voice, seeing His miracles. But Jesus says no. The Spirit dwelling in us is a greater gift than Je...

What happens when faith keeps its structure but loses its breath? In Ezekiel 37, God shows us that it’s possible to have the Word, the form, and the familiarity, and still lack life. This sermon calls us to rediscover the Holy Spirit not as an idea to manage, but as God Himself, the breath by which we live.

As we reflect on God’s faithfulness, 1 Samuel 7 reminds us that every victory we celebrate flows from returning to the Lord with our whole hearts. Thus far, the Lord has helped us.

In Matthew 12:38–45, Jesus confronts our desire to believe on our own terms. When we demand signs that fit our expectations, we may miss the one God has already given. Jesus points to His death and resurrection as the only sufficient sign and warns that outward change without true repentance leaves us farther from life, not closer. This sermon calls us to receive Christ as He has revealed Himself...

We sing that the weary world rejoices, but rejoicing is not automatic. In John 1:1–18, we are told why. The Light of the world has entered our darkness, revealing not only comfort but truth. This sermon explores who Jesus truly is—the eternal Word, the Creator who became flesh, full of grace and truth—and why His coming demands a response. John shows us that light can be welcomed or resisted, that...

We often excuse our words by saying we were tired, upset, or that we did not really mean what we said. But in Matthew 12:22–37, Jesus shows us that our words reveal far more than momentary emotion. They expose what rules our hearts and which kingdom we belong to. This sermon explores how spiritual bondage distorts our vision, silences our witness, and trains us to confuse comfort with faithfulness...

Power usually makes us skeptical. Kings and leaders often disappoint. But in Matthew 12:9–21, Jesus reveals a different kind of authority—one marked by mercy, justice, and compassion for the weak. This sermon explores why Jesus uses His power to heal, not to crush, and how He challenges the way we think about God’s authority.

In this sermon, we look at the original purpose of the Sabbath, how the Pharisees weighed people down with man-made expectations, and how Jesus restores the heart of God’s command. He shows us that true rest is not found in a day, a rule, or our own effort. It is found in Christ Himself, the One who is greater than the temple and the One who gives rest to weary souls.

Everyone is exhausted, but no one knows how to rest. Matthew 11:25–30 exposes why. Pride keeps us from coming to Jesus. False ideas about God keep us from knowing Him. And our obsession with control keeps us carrying burdens we were never meant to carry. In this sermon, we see why Jesus alone reveals the Father, why His claims offend unless they are true, and why real rest begins where our self-ru...

When John the Baptist asked, “Are You the One?” Jesus answered with His works. But the same miracles that confirmed His identity became judgment for the cities that refused to repent. This sermon explores honest doubt, stubborn unbelief, and the urgency of responding to Jesus as He truly is. Do not miss the call to see Him clearly and follow Him fully.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”?Why does following Him create conflict, even inside our own families? And what does it actually mean to take up our cross, lose our lives, and find true reward in Him? In this sermon from Matthew 10:34–42, we confront one of the most jarring teachings of Jesus. He exposes the illusion of comfortable Christianity and cal...