Matthew 15, beginning at verse
21. Let me introduce the message
this way. You know, the Bible tells us,
God's word tells us in the book of 2 Corinthians, in the last
chapter, it says, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith.
In fact, I wanna read that, just to get in the whole context of
2 Corinthians. the very last chapter this is
the exhortation and it's something that we all need to need to understand
and do but it's in 2nd Corinthians 13 5 examine yourselves whether
you be in the faith now that's that's the way that that is Revealed
here and written here is really important for us to understand
what self-examination is it says prove or test your own selves
Know you not your own selves the Lord. I want to know myself
And the only way that I can know myself is to go to his word Do
you realize that? You know, we don't know ourselves
as God sees us until we see and hear from God and We think we
do, but we don't. And he says how that Jesus Christ
is in you, except you be reprobates. Now, some translations say disqualified. Well, what is it that qualifies
us for the kingdom of God and for salvation? Well, it's his
grace, his mercy, his blood, his righteousness. And he says,
verse six, but I trust that you shall know that we are not reprobates.
Whenever we talk about self examination, We need to understand that that
doesn't tell us to look within ourselves to see, for example,
if we measure up in our works, or in our sincerity, or if we're
qualified based upon what we do, or anything like that. Because that's not going to get
it in the word of God. What we want to know in self-examination
is what he said there. Am I in the faith? Do I believe the gospel? Do I trust Christ alone for all
my salvation or am I looking elsewhere? That's the kind of
self-examination that you want to go through. And I want to
examine myself by the word of God, not by what people say about
me and not even what I say about myself. You know, you run into
a lot of people that say, well, I know I'm saved because, and
whatever follows that because kind of tells you where their
hope is. Well, because I've changed, I've reformed and all that. My
friend, that's not, that's a wrong standard. Does that mean we don't
need to change and reform? No, we do. But people can do
that without the spirit, without the gospel, without salvation.
You understand that. And so one of the things that's
important is is this look look back up in Matthew 15 look at
verse 12. Now Christ had been talking to
the Pharisees and he exposed their hypocrisy their false way
of salvation. What were they doing? They were
they sought righteousness by works of the law. And even they
had changed the law to the traditions of men Things such as washing
your hands, you know, ceremonially to purify yourself. Things like
what you don't eat, what you eat, and what you don't drink,
and what, you know, keeping the law. They sought righteousness
by works of the law. And he exposed that as being
false. And, of course, when you get
over into passages like Matthew 23, you ought to see the list
of things there he says about them. Blind leaders of the blind,
outwardly appearing righteousness, but inwardly full of dead bones
like an open grave. All of that. Two-fold more the
child of hell than the ones they convert. Things like that. And
it says in verse 12, then came his disciples and said unto him,
knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended? After they heard
this, they were offended. What is it to be offended? Well,
it's when the word of God tells you something about yourself
that you don't like to hear and don't want to hear and don't
believe. That's the offense. Over in John 6 61 you don't have
to turn there Christ had been speaking there of the fact that
he himself is the bread of life the manna from heaven the only
way of salvation and In John 6 61 it says when he heard the
disciples murmuring He asked him this question does this offend
you Does this offend you? That's important. When you hear
things, when you hear the gospel, when you hear things about our,
you know, Paul talked about the offense of the cross. What's
offensive about the cross? It shows me that all my works
and efforts to save myself and make myself right with God are
dead works, evil deeds, fruit unto death, and even dung. And so here's the point. Whenever
the Word of God tells me something about myself, am I offended or
do I believe it? That's a good way of self-examination.
Well, these Pharisees were offended. Well, with that in mind, let's
go to the verses we're going to study. Look at verse 21. Then
Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
Now, he went into a Gentile land. And he departed, you know, you
could talk about the hatred of Herod, the hatred of the Pharisees,
and even I've got mentioned in your lesson, one of the things
that he left is because the multitude, because of the miracles, they
wanted to take him to Jerusalem and put him on the throne. And
that's not what he came to do. He didn't come to establish an
earthly throne in Jerusalem. He came to save sinners from
their sins and establish the kingdom of God, which is a spiritual
kingdom. And it says in verse 22 behold
a woman of Canaan of all places. Now, this is this is a place
if you were living back in that culture and you were around the
the Jews or the Israelites. You didn't want to have the reputation
of being from Canaan. Because they were known to be
an idolatrous people. Sinful people you see and here's
this woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and Cried unto
him saying have mercy on me. Oh Lord thou son of David now,
what does that tell you about her? It tells you he she understood
who he is One of the things in self-examination that I think
is I know is important for all of us we all claim here to believe
in Jesus Christ and And every church around here, every religious
group around here, they claim the same thing, don't they? They
say, we believe in Christ. Now here's a self-examination.
I wanna know for sure that the Christ in whom I believe is the
Christ of this book and not a counterfeit. Because there are counterfeits.
Paul talked about it. The Lord himself spoke of it.
He said in the last days, there'll be a lot of counterfeits. So
who is Jesus Christ? What does God's word say about
him? And the Bible says he's God manifest
in the flesh, perfect God and perfect man in one person. And
I know that's a mind boggling truth. And I know that it's hard
to explain theologically and doctrinally and all that stuff,
but it's true because God says it's true. Several years ago, we had some
visitors coming from another religious group where the gospel
wasn't preached. And one lady who was coming,
she seemed to have a real interest in the truth. asking questions,
studying it. She brought some of her friends
with her. And she told me this afterwards. In fact, she left
here too and went back to false religion. But she told me that
one of the people, after hearing me preach, asked her this question.
He said, what do you think about this election stuff? And she
looked at me and she told me, she said, I didn't know what
to tell him. I said, you didn't. Well, I know exactly what to
tell him. What do I think about this election stuff? It's in
God's word, isn't it? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of who? God's elect. Now, when I hear
that, shouldn't that stir me up to find out who these people
are? Who's he talking about, the elect?
You say, well, I don't like the fact that God chose some and
left, well, Does this offend you? You see what I'm saying? Who is Jesus Christ? What did
he accomplish on Calvary's cross when he died? Was it to make
salvation possible for people who would believe or cooperate? No, the Bible doesn't teach that. He died to save his people from
their sins, to put away their sins, to redeem them, which means
they belong to him. He bought and paid for them.
The redemption price. Put away their sins. My sins
are put away. Who shall lay anything to my
charge? You see what I'm saying? I cannot be condemned. Who can
condemn us? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather He's risen
again, seated at the right hand of the Father. ever living to
make intercession. He brought forth righteousness
that he alone as my surety and substitute and redeemer produced
for me. And my attempts to make myself
right with God in the sense of gaining or maintaining salvation
are nothing more than evil deeds and dead works. Now, when people
hear me say it, They might get offended at me, but when I read
it from the word of God, does this offend you? Here's what
I'm saying. Whatever God's word says about
me, that's true whether it offends me or not. God's Word says there's
none righteous, no, not one. There's none that do a good,
no, not one. That's man by nature. God's Word says the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he
know them. Who's he talking about? What is the natural man? That's
every one of us as we're naturally born, as fallen in Adam, totally
depraved, spiritually dead. Somebody says, well, that offends
me. Doesn't me. And on the same token,
if God brings me by His power and grace and goodness to see
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and brings me
to believe in Him, whatever God says about me then is true too.
God says I'm righteous. And I know in my heart and my
thoughts that I've never done a righteous thing by my doing. I'm a sinner. But he says I'm
a sinner saved by grace. And I love it. I'm not offended
by that at all. God tells me that of all the
blessings that I've enjoyed, physically and spiritually, there's
not one of them I deserved or earned. Does that offend you? Doesn't me. I'm a recipient of
the free, sovereign, electing, distinguishing grace of Almighty
God. How do I know that? Because I
trust Christ, the true Christ of the Bible. And I've spent
my life for the last almost 40 years studying this book in order
that I might be assured that the Christ I'm trusting is the
one that's described in this book, God's word. Well, here's this woman of Canaan. She knew who this man was. She
knew who Jesus of Nazareth was. She said, have mercy on me. Now,
anytime you read these histories, we don't have all the information
about a person's life, where they heard what, when they heard
what, everything they knew. But these words give us a clue. Have mercy on me, oh Lord. Thou Son of David. That's the
Messiah. So I contend that she knew that
Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. And if you know anything about
the Old Testament, the Messiah is God manifest in the flesh. He's the Lord our righteousness.
He's the only one who can have mercy. And she's pleading for
her daughter now. She says, my daughter is grievously
vexed, troubled with a devil. So there she is. Well, one of the things we learn
here, this woman of Canaan, is it's another testimony that it's
always been revealed by God in the Old Testament, even in the
Old Testament, that he has a people out of every tribe, kindred,
tongue, and nation. It's not just for the Israelites
and even the Israelites. We've been talking about this
this week because a lot of stuff going on and you'll hear some
of these news commentators. They talk about the Jews in Israel
today and she says well, they're the people of God there, you
know, because they're God's chosen people. The Bible says that no,
they are now listen to me. I mean, I don't have any animosity
towards them. And they're right to be a country
and I'm behind them. They're a democracy and they're
an ally. But I don't support them for
any religious reason. That's over. The old covenant's
gone. The new covenant. Who is the
Israelite and the Jew in the new covenant church? It's believers. Read what Paul wrote in Romans
2, 28 and 29. He's a Jew which is one inwardly,
circumcision of the heart. They are not all Israel which
are of Israel. Who are the Israelites, the spiritual
Israelites, the children of the promise? Well, who are the children
of the promise? Those who believe the promise
that God made. And I can tell you right now,
God never promised to save any person based on their works.
And that's what the religious Jews believe. believe that God
promised to save them based on their works. Well, they're not
children of the promise. Now, does God have any of his
elect people among that nation? I believe he does. And Paul in
Romans chapter 11 especially told Gentile believers to be
careful now, don't get puffed up as if there's not going to
be any of these national Jews saved because God has a remnant.
Pray for their salvation. I knew a man who said he believes
that in the future, the whole physical Jewish nation is going
to come to Christ. I told him, I don't believe the
Bible teaches that, but if it's true, then I'm all for it. I wish he'd save all the Arabs,
don't you? Because if he'd save all the
Arabs, then all that trouble would stop. I wish he'd save all people,
but he's not going to because he says he won't. He has a remnant
according to the election of grace. But you remember the promise
that was made to Abraham back in Genesis 12, when he said that,
well, and I think I've got the, yeah, I've got that listed. I
will bless them that bless thee, curse them that curseth thee,
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. All
families of the earth, not just Jewish people, not just Israelites,
We'll look at verse 20 23 It says but he answered her not
a word now she comes to him said Have mercy on me. Oh Lord thou
son of David My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil and he didn't
answer her a word And his disciples came and besought him saying
send her away for she cries after us they thought she was she was
begging them and That's a little proud, isn't it? And you know, you think about
this, look at verse 24. But he answered and said, I'm
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Isn't
that seem strange to you? You know, Christ is represented
in scripture, described in scripture. As as one who who will well,
I'll just quote him john 6 37 He said all that the father giveth
me shall come to me and him that cometh to me. I will and no wise
cast out He never has and never will turn away Any of his sheep
who come to him calling on his name? Somebody asked me one time,
so what about those who aren't sheep who call on his name? Those
who aren't sheep will not call on his name. They won't do it. Oh, they'll say the name Jesus,
but it's not the right one. It's a counterfeit. So, when
he says, I'm not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel, one commentator said this about that, and I've got
it in your lesson. As the great prophet, the prophet
of God, the Lord was sent by the Father to the Jewish nation,
therefore he was called the minister of the circumcision. And the
Bible says to the Jew first, and the Greek also. And then,
then it says as the, As the great shepherd or the good shepherd,
he made reconciliation on the cross for all the elect of God,
Jews and Gentiles alike, and that's the spiritual Israel.
He came to save his sheep. But what's he doing here? He's
making a point. Let me show you what point he's
making. It says in verse 25, then came she and worshiped him,
saying, Lord, help me. Now, she cried after him. He
didn't answer a word. And when the disciples interjected
and spoke, he said, well, I'm not coming but to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. What did she do? Did she get
offended? Did she turn around and just
say, well, fooey on you, I'll go back. No, look what she did. She worshiped him, saying, Lord,
help me. She recognized his right to do
what he's pleased to do, to save whom he will. And look at verse
25 or 26. It says, but he answered and
said, it is not me to take the children's bread and to cast
it to dogs. Whoa. Now, did she get offended? No. Look at verse 27. She said, truth,
Lord, what you say about me is true. I'm a dead dog sinner.
I don't deserve the least of your mercies, the least of your
blessings. What is he doing? He's making
a point about God-given, Holy Spirit-wrought humility. If God
says I'm a dead dog sinner, you know what, folks? That's what
I am. Doesn't offend me at all. Doesn't
offend you at all either, does it? And she said, truth, Lord. You're
right. She's taking sides with the Lord
against herself. That's what we do when God brings
us to faith in Christ and repentance of dead works, isn't it? Lord, be merciful to me. What
did the Pharisees say? Oh, I thank you, I'm not like
other guys, other people. I do this, I do that, I give
this, I give that. What'd that old publican say?
Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. Be propitious to me,
the sinner. Peter one time he you know when
he Got into the throes of despondency. He looked at the Lord and he
said depart from me. I'm a sinful man He wasn't just
waxing eloquent there. He was telling the truth. Oh
If thou Lord should us mark iniquities Lord Who would stand? So this is the case any description
of that the Lord has of me in this book, does it offend me? Or does it bring me to humbly
beg for mercy? And that's what this woman's
doing. She wasn't gonna let it go. She knew he was and is the
savior of sinners. She knew that he was and is the
healer. And she said, truth, Lord, yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the master's table.
I think about, just give me the crumbs from the table. Well, we know for a fact that
when God saves a sinner from grace, by grace rather, he gives
us more than the crumbs, he gives us a feast. Our cups run over,
doesn't he? And we know it's all free grace.
It's all based upon his righteousness alone. And then he said in verse
28, then Jesus answered and said in her old woman, great is thy
faith. This is God given faith. Great is thy faith. Be it unto
thee, even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. You see that? This this great faith always
This great faith God-given faith that causes us to look to Christ
in the glory of his person and the power of his finished work
Always brings us down into the dust There's one old preacher. You say we make our headquarters
in the dust in the dirt Because we know that when God gives us
faith to believe in Christ, he brings us in that context to
see that everything that we highly esteem in our religious pride,
social pride, whatever pride we have, it's nothing but dumb,
as Paul said. It's worthless, vanity. And when he shows us that and
brings us in our human, and this is something, now pride is something
that we have to fight all of our lives because of the flesh.
You remember when the disciples were arguing over who's gonna
be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, you know? And he told
them, he said, he that's first will be last and last shall be
first. He's talking about humility there. I'll tell you who's gonna
be first, Christ is. And everybody else, we're on
the same plane down here. We're in him. But notice that
her daughter was made whole from that very hour. This is what
he's teaching. This is what he's showing. You
know, the Bible tells us that he that exalts himself Shall
be last he that humbles himself. Well, we know that by nature.
We're not going to humble ourselves It takes the spirit of God to
bring us down Just like this woman But you think about that
him telling her that uh, you know I'm not gonna give the children's
bread to dogs. And what did she she didn't walk
away like the pharisees So who does he think he is? You know,
no truth lord truth lord, but Even the dogs eat the crumbs
from the table. That's the humility of God-given
faith. Okay, we'll close there.