Tamworth Congregational Church

NOT wanting to have any (+/-) effect on PART 2 of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - I will keep my comments 'brief' until next week's sermon is posted. Hint, the modern/contemporary equivalent of this (particular) parable is powerful. THANK YOU for providing the background on John Bunyan's conversion experience.

Nice exposition of Luke 17:1-10 ☑️ ...wow, Christ's understanding of humility (in contrast with the stumbling block of pride) - increase our faith, indeed 🕊️

In the (secular) realm of psychology, there's a saying, "Hurt people - hurt people" And "Forgiven people - forgive people" ...is a hallmark of the Christian Counselling process. In my opinion, the Lord's "Kingdom of heaven" comparison (from vv. 23-35) of the Unforgiving Servant is an application of the church discipline process (just outlined in vv. 15-18). Verse 31 indicates that the matter had already passed the "or two more (witnesses)" step (cf. 16) ...and had risen to tell it to the church step - in this case, the Master (or Lord) of the church. If only Islam had a Savior, then forgiveness would be possible in the Middle East. Praying for peace (through reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ) ✝️ Thank you for providing all the sermon notes and PDF attachment.

Chapter 13 is a Turning Point (in Matthew's Gospel) - no more Kingdom announcements in simple terms [Christ's genealogy, and testimony of the wise men] or figures of speech [the Sermon on the mount] ...after Israel's rejection of their King (and His Kingdom) - Jesus now uses Parables to explain the church age - that is, the various responses to the Gospel until the King returns 👑 Praying for the recognition of Christ's reign in His body, the church.

The details of the treasure unsought (v.44) and sought (v.45-46) are profound, and I pray will be encouraging to believers. The Sell/Sold everything "Miracle" ...is so amazing when a believer understands (by faith) their riches in Christ - now and eternal ✝️ The insights into Treasure New and Old (v.52) 🔍 ...are a parallel (in my opinion) with what Jesus meant in Luke 5:39. After explaining the principles of old/new wineskins, Jesus concludes with the following statement (Luke 5:39), "And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, 'the old is fine.'" Faith before/after the cross is ALWAYS centered on Christ, my two favorite 3:16s ...Genesis and John 🕊️

The love of the Father (modelled perfectly by Jesus Christ) - allows the redeemed ...ie: the younger son, to understand 'how' we were drawn to salvation (by God). A selfless desire to do what's best for another person (ie: Biblical Love) also explains how Judas deceived the disciples (by saying all the right things) - yet, Jesus knew all along that such a love was utterly despised (and rejected) by the "Man of Kerioth".

Witnessing God's JOY "throw-off" someone's self-styled leadership, and threaten their illusion of purity ...is the BEST antidote for the hurricane of hatred Christians encounter as we proclaim our love for Jesus Christ. Muslims don't understand (Biblical) freedom, Catholics are confused by grace (alone) and when compared with Heaven - how anyone can agree with the title of Joel Osteen's book, "Your Best Life Now" ...is proof of Society's inability to understand the depth of God's JOY in recovering the lost. Praying Pastor Comparetto's series on the parables of Jesus will unleash the JOY of God as listeners engage with the mission field.

When interpreting "Eschatological" passages (particularly from Ezekiel) - focusing on, 'This is what the Lord God says: “It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went."' (Ezekiel 36:22) ...will always ensure God's gospel of grace is presented ✝️

It's noteworthy how the results of Jesus' preaching brought about "Eternal" convictions - in other words, am I truly saved? Contemporary (post-modern) preaching is more focused on "Your best life now" (eg: help me with my finances - or, I'm a great guy, so where are all the women hiding? ...etc). Nevertheless, those who listened to Jesus thought more about matters of Heaven and Hell. The Good Samaritan exposed the "Said faith" of the Priests, Levites, Scribes/Lawyer and helped listeners to "See faith" motivating the genuine love from a foreigner/stranger ...and alien to the nation of Israel. Christians struggling with assurance of their salvation should be comforted "Seeing" God use faith (in the completed work of Christ) ...informing our motivations to love anyone in need.

Love without limits is what it takes to "Earn" ones way into eternal life - has anyone loved without limit (their whole life)? ...No. Just making sure the question (asked by the lawyer) was answered. Not only have we been forgiven for our lack of perfect love toward God (and others) when we were saved, but God continues to forgive us for our inability to love God and others ...without limit. The Good Samaritan (story) was used by Jesus to expose the lawyer's hard-heart. Perhaps a good 'response' question would be, "Did the lawyer repent?"

When I graduated, the BIGGEST subject was the meaning (or length) of a day - was it 24 hours? ...or billions of years?? Hebrews 11:3 is clear, "By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible". That eliminates evolution from the debate - since (evolution) requires a gradual process of making/becoming 'something' from the visible. It's "Time" for Christianity to wake up from our hangover with Post-Modernism and re-engage the battle for the beginning (of time) - Believing Christ's victory over sin is the only way to see the reality of a young earth (and the foolishness of consensus "Billions of years" science).

For the Pope to say Buddhists worship the same God he worships, and insist that Muslims should (also) be considered "Brothers and Sisters" who worship the same God - this can only be done offering a FALSE substitute of peace (Jesus would never be associated with such hypocrisy). This explains why mother Teresa's home for the sick and dying in Calcutta had a picture of a Hindu God. It's a religion of ceremony, of human achievement, of self-achieved righteousness through sacrament, ceremony, and/or ritual ...based on a temporary peace. Faith in Christ (alone) is the only way to ETERNAL peace 🕊️

This Christmas, I've been reading about the worship of Mary - I didn't realize how interconnected the practice of indulgences are with [that practice]. Praying the curious questions about Christ (and their answers) will assure believers that "Christ Alone" is sufficient to set us FREE 🕊️

The contrast between night (those who reject) and light (those who proclaim) - has never been greater. Praying the church will succeed where the vine-growers failed and demonstrate genuine respect (and love) for Jesus Christ. May the rich (theological depth) of the music that will be presented remind everyone to trust (and rejoice) in our CHIEF CONERSTONE.

I grew up in the "Charismatic" sector of evangelicalism that taught the importance of 'binding' Satan. Unfortunately, in the war against sin, their convictions lead more to pride being cultivated rather than humility. Basically, the same problem Jesus confronted in the Parable of Two Sons, the first son (who regretted his actions) understood humility, whereas the second son never saw the foolishness of trying to earn grace. When I discuss matters of Satan with those within the charismatic movement, reminding them that even the (super) Archangel Michael relied on the Lord to rebuke Satan (Jude 1:9) ...tends to bring the conversation back to reality.