A favorite story of mine, you've
heard it before, most of you. Matter of fact, you heard it
last year. I looked at some old notes and didn't know it, but
we looked at this January of last year. That's all right. We look at it every year. This is a true story. The true
story of our Lord, His conversation with this woman, the dealings
with this woman, and His treatment, our Lord's treatment of this
woman would shock everyone if they really looked
at it. Most people, their notions about some Jesus, if they would
look at this story, they'd be shocked at how He treated this
woman, what He said to her. But this woman's reaction, this
woman's reaction to what the Lord said to her in his dealings
with her, is the reaction and response of every true believer. Every one of us in here must
be faced with these things that she heard that he said to her. And our response, by God's grace,
must be the same as hers, or we're not his. He won't heal
us from this deadly disease. Verse 21, let's look at it. 21 and 22. Then went Jesus, Jesus
went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a woman, Mark's gospel says a certain woman, a woman
of Canaan, a certain woman, came out of the same coast and cried
unto him. I mean, she cried out, cried out, have mercy on me,
O Lord, thou son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed
with the devil. This woman came to meet the Lord
who came walking out of this town and came running and just
hollering and crying, oh, have mercy on me, oh Lord. This was
a desperate woman. Obviously a desperate woman.
Had a great need. A great need. And she came to
the Lord pleading with Him, begging Him to help her. I mean, she's
sincere. From the depth of her heart,
she cried unto Him. She needed help. Her daughter
vexed with the devil. And she's, she's desperate. She's
desperate. She comes crying to the Lord.
If the truth be known, folks, the truth be known, everybody
in here is in desperate circumstance. Really, we're desperately needy
of this same one to do something, not just our daughters and sons,
but for us. That's right, that's what this
book says, preacher included, starting right here with me.
We're desperately needy people. If the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't
have mercy on us, we're gone. The Scripture says
it's of the Lord's mercy that we're not consumed. That's what
the Scripture says, of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.
And the fact of the matter is, it's not like preachers are telling
people everywhere how much God loves them and has a wonderful
plan for their life and everything's going to be alright because God
loves you and peace, peace, when there is no peace. That's not
the way it is. God doesn't love people that rarely give him thought. No,
sir. That's not so. The fact of the matter is, Most
of this world's in the hands of an angry God, under the wrath of God. That's
what this book says. And God, Scripture says, and
the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of it more than anybody, Christ
said, God's going to destroy this planet full of people. That's not a God of love. But
that's the God of this book. And we're in desperate circumstances. And we are. We're in desperate
need, every one of us, starting with me, in desperate need of
God to have mercy on us. This world, everyone, nearly everyone in
it, is vexed like this girl was with the devil. That's what this
book says. He's called the God of this world,
and I know it's old-fashioned. I know modern, educated people
scoff at the notion of a devil, but again, Jesus Christ spoke
of Satan more than anybody. And to scoff at that is to call
Jesus Christ a liar. And he said Satan, as a roaring
lion, seeketh whom he may devour. Is that what the Lord Jesus Christ
said, what the Scripture says? And we all, every one of us,
need to cry out the same thing as this woman. God be gracious and help us and
show us our true need. Every one of us be sincerely
begging the Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. I'm vexed. And she calls him the son of
David. See that? The son of David. O thou son
of David. Why does she call him that? Well,
somebody taught her well, that the Christ would come from David,
king of kings. That the king, the true king,
would come from David. David was the only true king
of Israel, beginning king. And she comes calling on the
king, have mercy on me. What she's saying is, you're
Lord, have mercy on me, oh Lord, sovereign ruler over all. The only one that can and must
have mercy on me. And you're the king. You're the
king. She said, my daughter, verse
22, is grievously vexed with the devil. I want you to turn
with me, 1 Peter chapter 5. Turn over there with me. 1 Peter
5. 1 Peter 5. And read that with me that I
quoted to you. Just don't take my word for it.
Let's look at it. 1 Peter 5, I said Christ said
it, well He did. He said it to Peter. The Lord
said it to Peter. Peter, Satan hath desired thee,
to sift you. Peter writes it here in verse
8, 1 Peter 5 verse 8, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour." Some it's more obvious than others,
you know, that he has under his dominion. And 2 Timothy, let me read this
to you. 2 Timothy, verses 25 and 26,
says, to the preacher in meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves. If God, peradventure, will give
them repentance to the knowledge of the truth, that they may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive
by him at his will." So, you see what I'm saying? This is not just the story of
the Lord healing a woman's daughter vexed with the devil. This is
to us. We might as well not look at
it. Now this poor woman comes to the Lord Jesus Christ for
mercy. That's what she asks for, that's
mercy. Have mercy on me. Surely the Lord Jesus is glad
she has come. Surely he's so happy that she
has decided to let Jesus, and I'm
talking in the language of modern preachers. Surely he's happy
that she has decided to let Jesus save her daughter, and she's
accepted him as her personal Savior. And he's going to be
so happy that she has come, and just wish she'd come so much
sooner. He wanted so badly. Is that right? Look at it. It says in verse 23, he answered
her not a He ignores her. He totally ignores her. This
woman, now understand this. Think about the picture now.
Here's a woman comes, the Lord Jesus Christ comes, she runs
to him, and I believe she fell down at his feet and started
crying, oh Lord have mercy, crying, literally crying, begging him,
have mercy on my son of David. Please help me with my daughter.
I need help badly." Surely, he's so touched and so happy she's
come. He ignores her. He doesn't even
answer her. He doesn't even speak to her. I believe he turned his back
on her and walked away. Huh? Have you ever heard a modern
preacher preach on them? I probably don't know what to
do with that. He ignores her. How could he
do this? Why would he do this? Why would
he do that? Why would he ignore her? Because this is the true Jesus
Christ of Scripture. This is the God of the Bible.
This is the Jesus in this book, not the one that preachers are
telling people about. This is the true one. He doesn't
have to answer anybody. He's not waiting, hoping people
will come calling on Him. He's just at their beck and call. He's just waiting, you know,
like preachers say, out their hearts door, just hoping so much
they'll let Him know. That's not so. He doesn't have
to answer anybody. He's not waiting on anybody. Kings don't hope that their subjects
come up and do something for them. We know very little
about a king today. We're trying to do away with
about the last one on earth, the last dictator on earth, Saddam
Hussein. hope people would let him be
king and people that would accept him as their personal dictator.
He was just so happy about it. He killed thousands of people just
at a whim. That's a king. That's a dictator. That's a ruler. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
It's not this Jesus that men are talking about. He's not obligated to answer
anybody, is He? He's not obligated to answer
anybody at any time. Most folks go a lifetime, most
people. I went many years without giving
God a thought. God just gives food and rain. everything that we have. A man
can receive nothing, John said, except it be given him from above.
God Almighty gives a man life, sustains that life, or woman,
sustains that life for years, a young person, gives them, people
in this country especially, born under privileged circumstances
with most of what this life has to offer. Who made you to differ?
Why were we born in America and not born in Iraq? Sovereign purpose
of God Almighty. We have more to be accountable
for. But people go years, and I did it, you did it. People
are still doing it. Go for years without giving God
a thought. Rain comes down, without which
we can't live. Give God thanks for the rain.
If it rains too much, you'll kiss Him. Raining on their parade
or their Sunday party. Go a lifetime without giving
God thanks, without giving God the glory for everything they
have, thinking that they did it, that because they're smarter
and bigger and better and more tender or whatever, that they
do what they do because they're... No, sir. By the grace of God,
we are what we are. No flesh, he said, should glory
in his presence. Let the wise man not glory in
his wisdom, Scripture said, the strong man in his might, or the
beautiful woman in her beauty. Why is anybody born one way and
not another? Sovereign purpose and grace of
God. And people go a lifetime. Some
people go a lifetime without giving God a thought. But now,
let some trouble come along. Let somebody get sick. Somebody
die. Something bad happen. Lose a
job. House burned down. Whatever. crying on the go. All of a sudden start crying
on the go. God help us. Oh, Lord. Well,
he's just supposed to drop everything and just so glad they finally
caught him. Is that right? He didn't answer her. He ignored
her. Is that right? Ignored her. And God, most of the time, people
you see these vigils, these prayer, the whole, everybody in the world,
the nation, the community and all that has these prayers for
things. That young girl that was kidnapped,
they didn't know what happened to her, and everybody started
praying. Everybody, collectively, started praying. People, or they
said they did. People prayed that don't normally
pray. Surely God's going to hear. No,
He didn't. That girl's dead. Right? Why didn't God hear him? He doesn't have to. That's not the God of this Bible.
He doesn't have to. Usually he doesn't. Usually he
doesn't. He doesn't hear. Matter of fact,
there's only one person he ever said that he always heard. Right? Jesus Christ. Christ said, I
know you always hear me. Well, but our Lord is trying
this woman. How do you feel about what was
just said? Let me ask you, everybody in here,
how do you feel about that? Do you think the Lord was unfair?
Do you believe what was just said? The Lord ignored this woman. Was she sincere? He didn't answer
her word. Well, she went running to the
disciples. She went running to the apostles.
The Lord turned his back on her and walked away. She went running
to the apostles, to the disciples. Look at it. And they said, the
disciples came and besought him. After she went to them, they
came back to him saying, Just send her away. She's begging
us. She's crying unto us. You know, these fellows, these
apostles were true preachers. These fellows weren't in it for
the money. They weren't interested in what people thought about
them. They all got killed because people hated what they said.
The Lord told them to say what He told them to say, and they
went out and said it, and people killed them for it, hated them,
said, we don't like that. Christ says, it's not you they
hate, it's me. You're just saying what I've told you to say. They
were true preachers. They weren't in it for money.
They weren't in it for a name for themselves. And there's still some fellows
like that today. Well, this woman came to them.
This woman came to them to help her. Asked them to help her. And being the true men that they
were, they came back to Christ. They went straight back to him,
he said. Men, these preachers and so-called
counselors and all that today, they love it when people come
to them for advice about marriage and what have you, you know. They love it. It gives them a
real sense of their own importance, they think, and power and, you
know, counselors. I told you, a psychiatrist is
a leading profession in suicides. Boy, I tell you, I don't want
to go to those fellas for help, do you? Sure don't. Well, these fellas were true
fellas. And then she came to them, help me, help me. What did they do? They went running
to Christ and said, Lord, we can't help her. Just send her
away from us. People come to me for help and
I think, you know, I've got my own troubles. What can I do about
my marriage?" You go to the Lord, that's where
I go. Go straight to Him for help. They went back to the Lord,
Lord help us. People ask me, whenever somebody
asks me a question, whenever they say, I've got a question
for you. Oh, man, I've got questions of my own. As soon as they ask me that,
I start quietly, secretly, asking the Lord, Lord, I can't help them. Would you
tell me something from your word I can give to them? Just let
me think about a scripture that you have. I don't know that.
There's nothing I can say or do to help them. I can't help
myself. Either that or send them away. You see that? These are true
fellows. These aren't hirelings. It's not Reverend Dr. Peter. Well, all right. So the Lord
answers verse 24. He speaks. And I think he said this to them,
and they went back and told her. All right? Verse 24, he answered
and said, I'm not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. I'm pretty sure that he said this to them, and they
went back and told her, Lord said he's not sent, but to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel. And that's fitting because whatever
the Lord says to you and me, he says to a preacher. That's
right. You know what he tells us? The
same thing that they told her. He's not sent but to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. He doesn't have to answer. He
doesn't have to save you. He's not hoping you'll let him
do anything. No, he's king of kings. He might have mercy. He might
not. It's up to him. And he said that he's not sent. He's only sent to the lost sheep. Lost sheep of the house of Israel. What's her reaction? You ask me, somebody may ask
me, why do you continually preach God's sovereignty and God's election
and so forth? Why do you continually preach
that? I know people that listen to the radio think he's going
to say it and I'm waiting on him to say it. I know they do. I know they listen to it thinking
he's going to say elect. At some point in his message
he's going to say it. And they wait on it. There it
is. I told you he'd say it. Why? Because that's the language
of this Bible. That's the language of Scripture.
That's exactly what the Lord Jesus said to this woman. I'm
not sent. I'm sent, number one. I wasn't
called for. Man didn't call for me and ask
me to come, I was sent by God. And I'm not sent, but to certain
people. Not whoever will let me, but
I'm sent by God to a certain people. God says, call his name
Jesus, he shall save his people. Christ said, all that the Father
giveth me, that's who I came for. I'm not trying to get anybody
to do something for me or let me do anything. I came with a
job to do. I came to certain people. I'm
not sent but to the lost sheep. I'm not sent to argue with goats.
I'm not trying to convince goats. People who all they do is butt,
butt, butt, butt, butt, you know. Yeah, butts. I'm not sent to
you. I'm not talking to you. I'm not
arguing with you, he said. Lost, and they're lost. Everybody
God comes to, they're lost. They're not just good people
that need help every now and then. They're not just people
that know some things that just need a little more education.
They're not people who are basically good people, but they just need
a little, you know, honing around the edges. Lost sheep, the scripture
says. Lost. You know what it means
to be lost? Ask Walter Groover. I've never
really been lost. Well, my wife says I have it
in the car on vacation, you know, somewhere. I never would have
bid it. No, no, I know right where I'm at. Don't you, Dan? No husband's ever been lost on
the road. Ask Walter Groover, though, what
it means to be lost. He was out hunting down in Mexico, that
flat land, no mountains anywhere, no water. He went out hunting. I don't know what he was hunting. The men told him, don't go out
alone. Don't ever go out alone. Don't do it. It's dangerous. Native men down there. I hear
this gringo. I know more than they do. Dumb
Mexicans. I'll go out. I've been hunting
before. He went out and got disoriented
in the heat and 110 degrees down there in the shade. ran out of
water, got dehydrated, mind started leaving him. Not only did he
not know where he was, he was losing his mind. He got down
on the ground and he was dying. He's lost. That's what it means to be lost.
He doesn't even know the way. He can't find the way. Even if
he knew the way, Brother Stephen, he couldn't go it. He's down
on the ground. He's a goner. Was he saved? What does it mean to be saved?
What does it mean to be saved? Somebody came and found him. Somebody came and got him. Somebody
came and picked him up, poured water down his throat, took him
home. That's what it means to be lost,
and that's what it means to be saved. And that's what this Jesus must
do for every son of Adam. We're lost. We don't know the way. We don't
even know we're lost. That's how lost we are. I ain't
lost. That's every natural man's reaction. I know, I know, I know. He said, I'm not sent but to
the Lord. Only lost people need be found. Only lost people need
a Savior right. Lost people, not sent to the
lost sheep, not goats, of where? Where do they come from? The
house of Israel. Who's that? God's elect. I said it. God's elect. God's chosen people. That's what
he said to this woman. What do you think about that? What's her response to that?
First, he ignores her. He doesn't answer her at all. Secondly, he said, I'm not sent
but to my elect. This is the test of every true
believer. Are you listening to this? Now, what's your reaction? It's the test of all of God's
true people. You see, our Lord, he said the same thing. to that
woman at the well, he said, you don't know what you worship,
salvations of the Jews. Remember that? Salvations of
the Jews, and you don't know what you worship. See, God, the test of true believers,
God's people, he said there in that chapter, chapter four of
John, he said, worship Him. They worshiped Him as God. that true worshipers come to
church, believe what they believe, because they believe God is God.
They don't come to do God a favor. They don't come thinking that
God is pleased with them. They come because they worship
God as God. They believe He is God and that
everything they have and are is by His grace and He is God. And He is said to worship, so
they come to worship. Desiring His glory. God's people
are in this for God's glory. Not for what they can get out
of God. Well, I'll worship you. No. They come because He deserves
to be given thanks. Why do we sing these hymns? Because
it's the thing to do on Sunday? No. Because God deserves to be
thanked and to be praised. That's what the angels are doing
right now. That's what everybody's doing. Because God is God, that's
why. And we're in His hands. We have
everything from Him, and we're breathing breath right now that
He gives us, and the minute He stops it, we're gone. You see, we live because He says
live. We have because He has given. So we come to worship. That's
what it's all about. Look at it. Look at what she
did. Verse 25, after hearing that, she came and she worshipped
him. You see that? She worshipped
him. Surely she ignores her, and then
she says, I'm only sent to the lack. She worships him. She worships
him. But she's still needy. Lord,
help me. Help me. Now do you reckon the Lord will?
Surely now he will, won't he? Surely now he'll help her, won't
he? Surely. Surely now he's going
to have mercy on her, surely. Let's read it. Verse 26, He answered
and said, It is not meet, that is, it is not fit to take the
children's bread and cast it to dogs. The children are Israelites,
children of Israel. She's a Gentile woman, Canaanite,
Syro-Phoenician, Gentile. The Israelites called them dogs.
And he said, it's not fit, it's not right for me to give children's
bread to dogs. Brother Mack, he called her a
dog. What do you think about that?
What's she going to think about that? What's she going to say?
First, he ignores her. First, he ignores her. Secondly,
he says, no, I'm going to sit to the elect. And then he calls
her a dog. Now, what's she going to say?
What do you say? What do you think? If I preach this message,
and I'm just preaching it like it's written If I stood in an
average place in Rocky Mount, Virginia today and preached this
message, people would be absolutely gritting their teeth and their
veins sticking out in their neck, if it was lawful and stonely.
You know that? Just for saying what this Pilate
says. Honestly. Honestly. What's he going to say? He ignores
her? He said, I'm only sent to the
elect, and he calls her a dog. What's she going to do? She's
going to do what every believer does. She's going to react the
same way every single believer does, by God's grace. Look at
it. She says, verse 27, truth, Lord. Doesn't she? Lord, everything
you say is truth. Truth. Notice that, Brother Gabe? Truth. Not true, but truth. He is the truth. Whatever he
says is truth. We're saved by the truth. We're
delivered from ignorance by the truth. We're set free by the
truth. Truth. Everything Christ said
is the truth. People say true things without
saying the truth. People say God is love. That's
true, but that's not the whole truth. You understand? You follow me? Barbara, you with
me? Men say some true things. God is love. Yes, it says that,
but that's not the truth. The truth is God is holy. God
is angry. God is wrath. God is judgment. God is love, yes. God is mercy,
God is grace, yes. God is just. That's the truth. It's true that Jesus Christ died
for people. That's not the whole truth. He
died for his people. He died for his people, given
to him by the Father. He died and put away their sins
forever, gave them his righteousness. He sends the Holy Spirit to reveal
who Christ is to them, keep them by his grace, cause them to grow
in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and persevere, preserve
them, and that they persevere until the end in the faith. That's
truth, he said. Truth. Truth, Lord. Truth. Yet, look at it, yet,
she says, The dogs, truth Lord, you're the truth. Everything
he says is the truth, Lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs
which fall from their master's table. What she's saying is, I'm a dog. Yes, you're right. Truth, I'm
a dog. I'm a dog. That's her response. It's all
said and done. She says, yeah, truth. And I'm
a dog. And I'm just asking for crumbs.
I don't deserve to sit at the table. I don't deserve the T-bone
steak from the table. I don't deserve anything. But I'm just looking for some
crumbs. And I'll be a dog if I can be
your dog. I'll be a dog if I can be your
dog. And I just want crumbs. Just crumbs. Look at it, what he says. Are
you going to answer her now? Oh, he sure is. He answered and
said unto her, verse 28, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto
thee, even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole. Only two people in all Scripture,
Christ said, had great faith. And this woman's one of them.
Two Gentile dogs. The other one was a Roman centurion.
A Roman centurion. A Gentile dog. A Roman centurion.
Not a Jew, not a Jewish Pharisee or scribe or religious person,
but a Roman soldier, an old rough, gruff Roman soldier who heard
about Christ. And that Roman soldier one time
had a son who was dying, and he sent word to Christ ask him
to come to his house and heal his son. And finally, he sent word again
and said, he said, no, don't come to my house. I'm not worthy
for you to come to my house. I'm not worthy for you to come
into my house. And the Lord said he has great
faith. And this woman, this woman said, I'm a dog. I don't deserve
anything, I just want crumbs." And the Lord said, she has great
faith. Great faith. He said, you get what you want. What's that? Mercy. Her daughter
healed. What about us? What about us? This is saving faith. Her reaction,
and the reason she reacted, you know, the average person, how
would you have reacted? Hmm? How would you have reacted? Ignored you? I'm just simply
lack. I didn't call you a dog. If you're
a dog, you don't deserve anything. How would you react? All of God's
people react the same way. It's truth. Truth, Lord. I'm
a dog. I'm a dog. You know how all dogs
go to heaven? My pastor preached this, and
that's what he called the name of the message, All Dogs Go to
Heaven. Our Lord's a dog lover. He's
a dog lover. There ain't no dog. Every dog, every person in Scripture
who is called a dog, went to glory. I told you about the children
of Israel, didn't I, who went into the Promised Land? And you
remember, there were only two people over the age of 20 that
went into the Promised Land. Of all those hundreds of thousands
of Jews, only two people went into the Promised Land. I told
you who it was, didn't I? You remember? Joshua, which is the
Old Testament name for Jesus, God our Savior. Joshua, who was
Moses' right-hand man. That's a picture of Christ. That's
Christ. Joshua, he's going in. And what's the name Caleb mean?
Faithful dog. Wherever Joshua was, Caleb was
right there. That's a faithful dog. Wherever
Joshua was, and you read the story, Caleb's right there. Whatever Joshua said, Caleb,
that's right. Good dog. Good dog. There's a fellow named
Lefebvre Schiff. That's my favorite story. In
the years to come. A fellow named Lefebvre Schiff.
in the Old Testament. David was king. David was king.
They knew he was king. David could cut your head off
or let you live. David could take everything you owned or
give you everything that he owned. That's king. That's a king. That's
a sovereign king. David might hear you and might
not. He's king. There was a fellow named Bathsheba,
lame on both legs, crippled, down in a house. He was a son
of Saul, the old king that was an enemy of David. He was one
of Saul's sons, and David gave order to kill all Saul's sons. Kill all those enemy sons. Kill
them all. They don't deserve to live. They're
an enemy of mine, and they're traitors and rebels, and they
might start insurrection against the king. Kill them all. But
there's this one fellow. One fellow named Mephibosheth,
lame, crippled. What did David need with a cripple?
What did David need? Let's just say it like it is.
What did David need with that fellow, that poor fellow down
there in Lodabar, who was by birth an enemy? What did he need with him? Nothing.
But David sent word, sent two of his men down there to get
Mephibosheth and bring him up there. Why? Because David had
a friend that he loved dearly, named Jonathan. And Jonathan was Mephibosheth's
father. Saul was his grandfather. But
Jonathan was a friend of David. And Jonathan and David made a
covenant together. I've got to tell the whole story.
Jonathan and David made a covenant together. Jonathan knew that
David was true king, and Jonathan said, would you have mercy on
somebody in my house for my sake, because of the relationship we
have, because of this covenant? Let's make an agreement. I know
you're going to be king and sit on the throne, and nobody in
my house deserves to live. They're all enemies. My father
and brethren and all that are enemies of yours, but I love
you, and we're Brethren, would you have mercy on just one of
my sons when I'm gone and have mercy on him and spare him and
don't kill him? David said, I'll do it for your
sake, Jonathan. And David went down there and
fetched that Mephibosheth. Sent word to him. Sent these
two men down there to get him. Fetch him. He can't come. He
can't come. These two men had to pick him
up and bring him all the way to the king, and set him down
before the king. What do you think Lefebvre was
going to say? He's an intimate. He deserves
to die. All of his other brothers are dying. What's he going to
say? He says, I'm a dead dog. He said, I ain't nothing but
a dead dog. We'll kill him. David said, no, you're not. You're
going to sit at my table and eat with me every day from now
on, and ain't nobody going to touch you ever. You're my son
from here on out. All dogs sit at the king's table. Dog. And this woman says, I'm
a dog, Lord. I'm a dog. Great faith. All dogs. All dogs go to heaven. Good people don't. Self-righteous
people don't. People who think they're something
and everybody else, they don't. They don't go there. This is
a faithful say and worthy of all acceptation. Christ came
into the world to save sinners. The chief of sinners, Paul, was
the greatest apostle, yet he said, I'm not fit to be one.
I'm really not fit to be one. Any preacher, any person, anybody
that thinks there's something when there's nothing is not going
to be with God someday. God's going to get all the glory
and honor, all of it. Anybody that thinks they've had
anything to do with them getting to heaven is not going to be
there. Not going to be there. Only dogs who realize they're
there because the Master called them. And I know you've heard
this story, and I've got to tell it. I've got to tell it. You know,
I have a dog named Abner. I love that. He's a wonderful
dog. And my neighbors have one. Any of y'all have dogs? You have
dogs? Three of you. What good is a dog? I'm serious. Please, somebody. I know people,
you know, oh, but my dog, he's just a dog. Listen, you could
kill every dog on this planet and the world would be alright,
wouldn't it? Hey, come on now. Dog lover,
I know it. Be honest. Do we need dogs? What good are dogs? As long as
they save people. They're just dogs, aren't they?
They're just dogs. Is that being too unreasonable?
No, they're just dogs. A dog is a dog. My neighbors have a dog named
Heidi. And now I have two dogs, Abner and Annie. I chose them
both. I chose them both. Set my love
on them. Brought them home with me, feed
them, clothed them. I'm not ever going to sell them or give them
to anybody. They're my dogs. But they're just dogs. I don't
need them, but they're my dog. And I love them. Now my neighbor
has a dog, and one day, We hadn't lived in our house very long,
and this dog came walking up on the property. Well, I don't
need three dogs. I don't need two dogs. I didn't
need one dog. Now I've got four. I sure didn't
need a dog in the house. Did you hear that? I gave it
to my child. All right, another dog came walking
up on the property. Oh, it's a pretty dog. It's a
sweet dog. But I don't need another dog.
Just another mouth thing. So I said, get. I didn't say
it very nice, Rick. How do you run off a dog? Come on, I really don't know
when you'd like to be here. They'll come to you that way. Get! And she did. Next day she was back. So I tried
to be rougher. Get! Next day she came a little closer. I know what's happening. You
see, Abner and Annie are telling her. They were telling her. They're going to her house. If
you just keep coming, he'll abuse you. I threw a rock at her. Please don't get mad at me, but
I threw rocks at her. I wasn't going to kill her. I
wasn't going to maim her. I was just going to interrupt
with a rock. She ran, took off. The next day
she's back. Through two rocks. Finally, listen
to it now, finally, she kept coming. What am I going
to do? It's not that I couldn't have,
I could have done her in. I could have done her in. There's a sheep farmer up in
West Virginia who had sheep and dogs. You know, if you ever get
a taste of sheep blood, they'll slaughter them. They'll pray
for coyotes, dogs, whatever, kill them. And he was having
trouble with neighbors' dogs and all who were killing his
sheep. You know, that's just his livelihood. And so he had
sheep dogs. He got on his property. You're
a good shepherd, you want to protect your sheep. He called
his neighbors, you've got to do something about your dog,
and they didn't. So one day a neighbor called him and says, my dog up
there, you see my dog? He said, if he's been here, he's
here. It's just a dog. He's protecting the sheep. Well,
what do you think I did, old Heidi? Well, I got three dogs. Finally, one day I said, oh,
come on. Come on, Heidi. Come on in. And she eats their food. She
sleeps where they sleep. She's there 24 hours a day. She
will not go home again. I called my neighbor and I said,
just send a little food every now and then to feed your dog.
It's up here. It didn't matter. They didn't
care. She's my dog now, and we call her our dog, don't we? Call
her our dog. All dogs, importunate dogs, keep
coming, you know. But you can't run off. You call
them a dog. Well, I know I'm a dog. But I
sure need a master like you. Now, old Heidi's got about the
best place on the planet. So a dog comes to our place,
they've got it made. They don't have to do anything. All dogs go to heaven. Great
is thy faith, woman. Great is thy faith. That's the
faith of every one of God's people. Is that the way you feel about
yourself, Margaret? Is that the way you feel about yourself?
I don't deserve to be here. I sure am glad to be here, though.
I'm nothing. I'm nobody special. I believe
the Lord's had mercy on me. I'm not some good Christian.
The Lord's had mercy on me. I'm a dog, and I'm here because
I'm worshiping the Master for letting me come. You see? That's why we come. All right. I've been too long. Let's sing a closing hymn, Brother
Gabe. Was it 233? Is that the number? 233. In the green book. Let's sing just two
verses. 233, the first and third verses,
okay? Stand. First and third verses. Death of mercy, can there be? Mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His rod forbear? Me, the chief of sinners, bear? Now incline me to repent. Let me now my sins lament. Now my foul revolt deplore. We believe and sin no more. you.