Category: Pastor Matt Tarr

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

– Jesus, as He is actually presented in Scripture, is quite different from the Jesus we often hear about. The true, biblical Jesus was One Who was driven, fierce, and uncompromising. This is no more evident than when He begins to speak to the thousands following Him in parables but without offering an interpretation, leaving the crowds confused. Most shockingly is that this was actually Christ’s full intention, as He had saved the revelation of the meaning of His parables for only a select few who had ears to hear, while leaving the rest to their blindness.

– Add. Ref.: Isaiah 6:9-12

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 3:20-35

– There is one sin mentioned in Scripture that is unforgiveable: Blaspheming the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to commit this most grievous of sins? There are many differing viewpoints of what it actually means to blaspheme the Spirit, but many of them are wrong. Learning what this sin actually means, however, has an impact on the life of the believer as much as the unbeliever, as it all comes down to one question: Who is Christ?

– Add. Ref.: Proverbs 6:16-19

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 3:13-19

– When Christ calls together and appoints the twelve apostles, He does something miraculous. This is a highly unusual group of men that have no business being together, and even less business serving the Lord. However, in this act, Christ demonstrates His divine election which can be applied to the life of every believer throughout history whom God has called forth out of iniquity, creating a universal church of men and women who are in no way deserving, but are appointed nonetheless by God’s sovereignty.

– Add. Ref.: John 6:44; Romans 9: 10, 16, 20-21; Ezekiel 34:1-18

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 3:7-12

– Continuing through the third chapter in the Gospel of Mark, we see the author step back from the narrative and provide a summarized look at Christ’s ministry in Galilee, which also serves to summarize the life of Christ as well. And it is here that we see the true scope of Christ’s influence in the world at that time, as people come from far and wide to see Him, but not for the right reasons.

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 3:1-6

– The Pharisees were at their wits end with regard to Jesus’s ministry, and would begin to look for any means by which they could charge Him and rid themselves of Him. When Christ heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees care nothing for the implications of Christ’s words or works, but are consumed by their desire to catch Him in error. It is here that mere men attempt to put the Son of God on trial, only to be put on trial themselves. This encounter is the final offense for the priests and scribes, and the catalyst for their plot to kill Him.

– Add. Ref.: Psalm 7:11; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 2:23-28

– As Jesus’s ministry continued, opposition to His teaching grew amongst the scribes and Pharisees. They would seek any means to catch Him in error, even accusing Him of breaking non-inspired laws on the Sabbath. Christ, however, is Lord of the Sabbath, and in proclaiming this He makes yet another bold proclamation of His deity.

– Add. Ref.: 1 Samuel 21:1-6; 22:6-20; Hebrews 4:1-3, 9-10, 11

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 2:18-22

– When the Pharisees demanded to know of Christ why He and His disciples were not fasting in accordance with the Jewish tradition, they were answered with a declaration of Jesus’s deity, and a proclamation that He had come to establish a New Covenant over which the Old Covenant had no bearing. Jesus transcended man-made rules and traditions, and was offering a Kingdom which was not attained by following rules, but by faith alone in the One Who fulfilled the Law.