Bethany Church

The abandonment and suffering of Jesus, while serving as the payment for our sins, has also been a great source of encouragement for those who have gone through their own excruciating trial. This morning we look at three scenes of increasing abandonment and suffering to embrace a King who saved through silence and won by losing.

The rapid events of Jesus’ arrest and trial continue as Jesus is whisked away to face an unjust courtroom while Peter faces a trial of his own. This Sunday we will look at how both men respond under intense pressure and how Jesus’ faithfulness gives even the greatest denier Gospel hope.

In the upper room discourse, Jesus takes the historical celebration of Passover and connects the arc of his ministry to this redemptive meal. Jesus connects the arc from the first Passover, to His sovereign fulfillment of Passover, to the assurance of the final feast in the new heaven and earth.

Mark 14 begins the Passion narrative of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest and execution. As tensions rise, it feels like a coming storm. There is a cast of characters and controversy swirling around Jesus, a woman of extravagant love, and a disciple set on betrayal. And In the midst, we find Jesus at the eye of the storm confident, committed, & caring. Let’s see!

Today we complete our study in Mark 13 which details Christ's clear explanation of the facts of what would be taking place in the world prior to His second coming. We do not know when He will return, but we do know what we should be doing until He does based on His instruction in this chapter of Mark's gospel.

The topic of the end times can cause great excitement, speculation and anxiety. Because of this, Jesus admonishes his disciples to prepare them for these days by challenging them to be expectant, watchful, and persevering. In this message we will look at three imperatives for the end times.

After hours of questioning and discussion in the temple, Jesus goes on the offensive and turns the tables with a dangerous question that he had already posed to the disciples in private – Who is the Messiah? The answer to that question shapes the heart of love and the direction of our giving. This morning we look at three types of love.

What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God; and what is our responsibility as citizens? At the heart of Jesus’ answer is the definition of true love and worship and a call to make sure you are in the Kingdom and not just near.

Deeply embedded in the human heart is the desire to live forever, but not everyone believes we do - and many fear death. This Sunday Jesus challenges the religious skeptics of his day and by doing so reminds us of our certain resurrection, and the hope that comes from the power and faithfulness of God.

This Sunday as we look at the second of five interchanges in Mark 12 between Jesus and his opponents, we will examine one of the most profound and influential political statements ever made in the history of the world. Jesus challenges all of us with his call for Christians to obey both the state, and God. But what do we do if they conflict? This morning we will look first at the trap, then the question, and then Jesus’ answer.

The prophet has big questions for God, asking why bad things happen. God answers as He always does, calling us to trust He is in control. We are then called to live a life characterized by our belief in God.

This Sunday we see Jesus walk right into conflict again with the ruling leaders of the day on what they perceive is their turf, the temple. Through their conflict we will see that when we are driven by fear we struggle to not only accept Jesus as our ultimate authority, but we also resist his rightful claims on our everyday lives and the world he has created as well.

Jesus has entered the Passion Week in the Gospel of Mark and this Sunday we consider his use of a strange visible parable to challenge the contemporary corruption of the temple, which gave the appearance of fruit, but was empty and fruitless. This morning may he challenge us individually and corporately as we consider Jesus’ challenge- Are we producing real fruit through faith in Jesus, prayer, and forgiveness?

Jesus clearly and unabashedly declares himself King. But as we look at the passage and surrounding area in Mark we will see that his Kingdom looks nothing like what those original crowds expected. Jesus came not to overthrow political systems but to save a world of hurting people from their sin.

We all love rags to riches stories, but how about humble to glory stories? This Sunday we scan the entirety of God’s saving purposes by looking at the image of a lopped off tree that blooms again to cover the whole earth with God’s reigning peace and perfect rule. Don’t you want to be there to see that day in the new Kingdom? This morning we look at FOUR BRANCHES of the NEW KINGDOM!

This morning we look at the 2nd of 4 Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah by entering into a cosmic conversation between God the Father and The Servant. We will see that the Servant’s mission pointed Isaiah’s contemporaries to a future deliverance from a problem even greater than their Babylonian captivity – the problem of separation from God. We look at THREE CHORDS of the song today that point us to Advent.

Isaiah wrote to a people who would live in discouragement after a great defeat and exile. In many ways they are like us. They felt as if God could never redeem their past and that their future circumstances would never change. But God breaks through with a message of HOPE, a cry in the wilderness that Yahweh would save! We hear THREE VOICES of HOPE this morning, to kick off our advent season, that bring tidings of good news for all!

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well...” Mark 10:52a