Love Abounds

Matthew 23:23-26 - Kingdom Influence (Part 2)“Do I live today like I need Christ’s grace as much as the first day I believed? Or is there evidence of a cold hearted, duty bound relationship to religion? It’s a hard pill to swallow when you find out that you’ve left a Pharisee’s legacy, but God will transform us, even when we don’t think we need his grace.” (Paul Tripp)

Matthew 23:13-22- "Kingdom Influence" -- three woes, three questions: 1. Are you consistently inviting people into the kingdom? 2. Are you mortifying indwelling sin? 3. Are you focusing on what matters most?

Matthew 23:1-12: Kingdom Character - - - Jesus denounces the religious leaders who opposed Him. What kind of heart does Christ demand and cultivate in the lives of His followers? These qualities: humility, transparency, freedom, unity, and service. Jesus demands these, Jesus demonstrated these, Jesus forms these in all who would take up their cross daily and follow Him.

Matthew 22:41-46 "The Supremacy of Christ" - - - "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?" (v.42) - Josh McDowell states that children need from their parents, Affirmation; Acceptance; Appreciation; Affection; Availability - - Today we will consider the eternal relationship between God the Father and God the Son- (all these the Father gave the Son, and we also have in Christ from the Father - - and the Son's supremacy in his identity, victory and destiny.

Matthew 22:34-40 - "The Greatest Commandment" - - 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (v.37) - - - and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (v.39) - - On these two commandments depend the law and the prophets. '

Matthew 22:15-22 - "Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar, and unto God the things of God."

Matthew 22:1-14 "The Kings Wedding Feast": "Go therefore to the main highways and as many as you find there invite to the wedding feast...and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests" (v.9-10)

Matthew 21:33-46-- the parable of the wicked tenant farmers: "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end" (v.41)---but is there a way for wretches to enter the Kingdom? John Newton comes to mind..."that He would give His only Son to make a wretch a treasure"