Category: Speakers

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Pastor Matt Tarr

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6

“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” These words from Christ when He is confronted by the striking level of unbelief found in the hearts and minds of those in his hometown of Nazareth are a commentary on mankind as a whole, as the unregenerate will do absolutely anything to suppress the Truth in their hearts. It is only God’s Word and the work of the Spirit that can change men’s hearts.

Add. Ref.: 1 Corinthians 1:22-23

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 5:21-43

– Humankind is often reluctant to truly consider our position before God. Realistically, though, we are completely unworthy of Him. However, the Lord is so gracious and merciful and has such compassion toward us, that He brings Himself down to us to rescue us from sin and death. This compassion is on display in Mark 5 when He goes to heal Jairus’s daughter, but also stops to attend to a divine interruption.

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

– Christ’s power is unmatched and terrifying in its scope. So much so that, when He demonstrates His power and authority by casting out a legion of demons from a possessed man, the people in the region beg Him to leave due to their fear of Him and their unwillingness to submit to His supremacy. And although this is a sad commentary on man’s depravity, it is an opportunity to see the Gospel at work as Christ commissions the very first missionary.

– Add. Ref.: Galatians 5:19-21

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

– After just demonstrating His authority over creation at the end of the previous Chapter, in Mark 5 Jesus immediately gives another demonstration of His authority by commanding a host of demons numbered in the thousands, and they immediately obey Him. This ability to readily command some of the most powerful and dangerous created beings shows how Christ’s own power is truly something to be reckoned with.

– Add. Ref.: Mark 9:20-22, 2 Kings 19:35

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

– At the very end of Mark Chapter 4, Christ calms an unprecedented storm with no more than a word. For although the storm was had made the disciples terrified, they did not understand that they had with them the Son of the Living God, and the power and authority which he possessed was far more cause for fear than the worst natural disaster man could ever possibly encounter.

– Add. Ref.: 2 Thess. 1:6-10

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 4:26-34

– We can rest knowing that God will grow His Kingdom by His sovereign will, but what exactly will it look like? Christ explains this to us using the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and we see by this description an example of what the Kingdom will be like as it grows, and also how it applies to us in the context of the Church.

– Add. Ref.: John 3:3-5

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 4:26-34

– How Christ’s kingdom grows is outside the control of human beings. While men scheme and devise worldly tactics to grow their churches numerically, we see in Mark how Christ explains that evangelism and discipleship are the work of God, not men. It is our job to scatter seed, to deliver a faithful proclamation of the Gospel, and it is God Who grows His Church accordingly to His sovereign will.

– Add. Ref.: John 12:23-24; Joel 3:11-13; Matthew 13:24-30; John 4:34-42

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Pastor Matt Tarr

– Scripture: Mark 4:21-25

– Facing the knowledge that we do not control the soil (heart) of those in whom we sow the seed of the Gospel, the Christian may wonder what our purpose is? Christ Himself reveals the divine intention of our work to us in Mark Chapter 4 by using the parable of the lamp to define our duty in evangelism. Our job is to scatter seed and be a light in the darkness, and our Gospel proclamation is the only method God has ordained for His message of salvation to spread. The Christian, therefore, is responsible for putting their light on a lampstand where it can shine forth and pierce the darkness, rather than hiding it away.