Matthew 15. Let's ask the Lord's blessing. Our Father, how we thank you
that we can call upon you and ask you in the name of the Lord
Jesus for help. in our time of need. We realize
that, Lord, we are weak, frail creatures, and we know that.
We ask You, would You bless the Word to our hearts and understanding? Cause us to hear and to be comforted. Lord, I pray for Tommy and Robin
and the church down in Sylacauga. I know that, Lord, You do all
things well. And we realize that all these
things are absolutely according to Your perfect purpose. I pray
that, Lord, according to Your will, that You would comfort,
settle, give peace, Lord, that only You can give. We thank You
for Christ's sake. Matthew 15. I'm going to begin in the 21st
verse. This is the account of a woman
that came to the Lord because her daughter was vexed
with the devil. Now, verse 21. of this fifteenth chapter, it
says, Then Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of
Tyre and Sidon. You know, isn't it amazing how
the Spirit of God reveals things like this? That at first you
would think that's just a little extra bit of information. But you know that no scripture
is given except that it be honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ and
profitable for God's people. Now here was the Spirit of God
revealing the place where the Lord Jesus Christ must be. He departed into the coast of
Tyre and Sidon. I know what He's doing. He's about His Father's business.
I know that. He said that. He's come to do the will of His
Father. And what is the will of His Father?
That of all that the Father has given Him, that He should lose
nothing. There's a certain woman. That's
what one of the other writers in the Gospel says, a certain
woman. And this woman must have her
path to cross with His. And see, she would have never
gone to look for Him because no man seeks after God. That's
what Scripture says. So the only one that does the
seeking is the Lord Jesus Christ. So He comes to this place, and
then verse 22 says, and here is the reason, the Scriptures
gives us the reason why He was in the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
Behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried
unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed
with a devil." The time of love for her had
arrived. He came and she came to Him. Somebody say, well, she was seeking
Him. Yeah. Yes, she did. She did. You know why? Because in the
day of His power, He made her willing to come. No other explanation. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of Thy power. Here He was drawing her How do you know He was drawing
her? We compare Scripture to Scripture. No man can come to
Me. And she came. She came to Him. And the Scripture says, No man
can come except My Father which has sent Me, He said. Draw Him. So here she is. Here was the
one that the Lord had divinely sought after. She was seeking
Him. And she knew who He was. She cried unto Him and said,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David. How did she know who He was? The Spirit of God revealed it
to her. That is the only way. No explanation. He caused her to see Him, to
know Him. Psalm 65, verse 4, Blessed is
the man whom thou choosest, and causeth to approach unto thee,
that he may dwell in thy court. How do you know that she came
because the Lord drew her? The Lord said, that's a blessed
person. The one that God chooses and
God causes to approach. Oh, what a display of sovereign
grace. Effectual grace. This is how the Lord calls His
people out. He crosses their path. He causes
them to behold Him who is their only
hope. Now, this Scripture says that
she was a woman of Canaan. She was a Canaanite woman. She came out of a cursed nation. She was an idolater. Listen to
this, Deuteronomy 7. Let me read this to you. Deuteronomy
7, 1 and 2. When the Lord thy God shall bring
thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and have
cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, the Girgashites,
the Amorites, the Canaanites. This woman was Canaanite. the Perizzites, the Hivites,
the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou. And when the Lord thy God shall
deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them and utterly
destroy them. Thou shalt make no covenant with
them, nor show mercy unto them." This woman was a Canaanite. Surely
God is not going to show mercy to one like her. Surely Almighty
God is not going to have mercy on one who is such an idolater. And standing before Him is a
Canaanite woman, one that cried unto Him, and she said, Have
mercy on me. Lord, Thou Son of David. Listen to 1 Corinthians 1, verse
26-27, For ye see, your calling, brethren, how that not many wise
men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called,
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to confine the things to confound the things which are mighty. Here was a Canaanite woman, and here she is, an object of
His mercy, cursed. Let me ask you this. Who made you to differ? Didn't
you come from Adam just like me? Weren't you dug out of the
same pit just like me? What's the difference in me or
you and this Canaanite woman right here? What's the difference? The grace of God. God's grace. This woman had no hope in herself. This woman's daughter was vexed
with the devil. And that was the means by which
Almighty God was going to cause her to cry unto the Lord Her daughter was demon-possessed. Oh, how horrible! Demon-possessed. Vexed with the devil. All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. What a blessing! What an eternal
blessing! This woman's daughter was vexed
with the devil. That's the most horrible thing
you can think of. Really? That was the means by
which God Almighty caused this woman to come to the Lord and
cry unto Him for mercy. Her daughter was vexed. And listen to her words. She
cried unto Him saying, Have mercy on me. O Lord, Thou Son of David, my
daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. Have mercy on
me." You know, it's an amazing thing. We pray for that which
we know is our need. This was her daughter. And this
woman loved her. That was her daughter. That was her child. Have mercy
on me. I've told you this so many times. I've got people in my family.
Lord, have mercy on me. Would you save my family? Lord, have mercy on me. Would
you save my brother? Lord, You saved my sisters. Have
mercy on me. Lord, for Christ's sake, would
You show mercy to this poor sinner. I tell you, affliction is often
the means by which Almighty God brings His chosen vessels to
Himself. This woman's daughter Vexed with
the devil. She was sick. I told you this. Mr. Spurgeon said that health
is a great blessing. The only greater blessing is
sickness. What a blessing. I've heard people that were dying
say this. This sickness has been the greatest
blessing to me. This is a quote. This is a quote. This cancer's been my friend.
It's the means by which Almighty God's going to usher me right
into His presence. That's how Almighty God settles
His people down. Lord, have mercy on me. David
said, Psalm 119.71, It's good for me that I've been afflicted,
that I might learn Thy statutes. Lord, have mercy on me. Verse
23, But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought
him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us." Oh my, how obvious it is in ourselves
what sinners we are. Here was a brokenhearted mother. She was hurting. She was hurting. Her daughter was vexed with the
devil. And here she was crying out for
mercy, and the disciples knew that she was a Canaanite. There's
no way in the world that the Lord's going to have mercy on
her. There's just no way. Not from where she's from. There ain't no way God's going
to have mercy on her. The objects of God's mercy. His disciples. Now let me tell
you something. This is the way we are. Here's
us. The objects of God's mercy. His
disciples. Those that God Almighty had shown
mercy to. His disciples. Saying, Lord,
send her away. For she crieth after us." No,
she wasn't. She was crying to the Lord. She
wasn't crying after them. They are what they are by the
grace of God. He answered her not a word. Then
he told her in verse 24, he said, I am not sent but unto the lost
sheep. of the house of Israel, there is the will and the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am sent to the house of the
lost sheep, my people. All that the Father had given
Him in electing grace, all that the Father had everlastingly
loved, all that He had chosen, and gave to Him as the surety. That's who He's coming to get.
He's coming to all of His people. God has a people. They've always
been His people. And they're lost sheep. Sheep. Lost sheep. And here she's crying
unto Him. She says in verse 25, after hearing
Him say, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel." You know, Satan would say, the
world would say, the flesh would say, you see there, I told you
that that sovereign grace, y'all try to make it so narrow that
nobody, nobody can get in. You just make it so narrow. You
just talk about just the elect of God. This is what false religion
says. She cried unto him, Lord, have
mercy on me. And he said, I'm not sent but
unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. How did she know that she wasn't
one of them? She cried. She worshiped. She said, Lord, help me. Help me. I'll tell you, you're going to
find that a person that Almighty God brings to see their need
of Him, and they cry unto Him for mercy. Do you know who is
going to cry for mercy? Truly, out of a heart made alive
by power and grace, mercy and compassion. You know who will
do that? A sheep. A sheep. I'm not sent but unto
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Lord, help me. Help me. She did the only thing she could
do. When he told her that he was not sent but to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel, what else could she do? Listen to this. His next response
seemed less encouraging than the first. Look at verse 26. But he answered and said, It's
not meat. It's not fit to take the children's
bread and cast it to dogs. Oh, my. You know, she is in a spot that most people
would just think there is absolutely no hope here. He told me, I came and I told
him, Lord, my daughter is vexed with the devil. Help me. I'm sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. She worshipped Him, cried unto
Him, Lord, help me. Have mercy on me. It's not me,
not fit to give the children's bread and cast it to dogs. Let
me ask you this. Where is she going to go? Where
are you going to go? Job said, though He slay me,
yet I'm going to trust Him if He killed her right where she
sat. He's right. I heard the Lord when He told
some of the disciples, not His twelve, His apostles, but some
that were following Him, no man can come to Me except it were
given unto Him, my Father. No man can come. And He said,
that's a hard saying. That's a hard saying. You're
making this. You're taking away all of our
ability. You're taking away all of our
freedom. You're taking away all of our
will. You're taking away And they didn't follow him anymore.
That's what John 6 says. John 6, 66. John 6, 66. They followed him no more. John 6, 67, 68. Then said Jesus
unto the twelve, Will you also go away? And Simon Peter answered
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. The Lord was wrestling with Jacob. And the Lord said to Jacob, Let
me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee
go, except thou bless me. This woman, though it appeared
as though the Lord was not going to hear her, she cried out with
a heart that was made honest. When he said, It's not me, it's
not fit, to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs,
and she said, truth, Lord, I'm a dog. I heard somebody say
one time, yes, sir, but I'm your dog. Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat
the crumbs which fall from their master's table. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving. I'm not going to go. Oh, the
blessing of being put in a situation that causes us to know our need
of Him. And you listen to these next
words. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, is thy faith. Be it unto thee
even as thou wilt." And her daughter was made whole from that very
hour. Now you listen to this. The Lord
Jesus Christ knew that He was going to show her mercy. He knew
He was going to show her mercy. But do you know what He did?
He showed her that in the midst of great trial, when it appeared
to her that there would be no hope that He would not have mercy
on her, He gave this woman great faith. Two people, it is recorded
in the Scriptures. Oh, great faith. One of them
was this woman right here that asked the Lord, would You help
me? My daughter, my daughter, in fact. And the other one was
a Roman centurion. To his disciples, when they were
out in the boat and the storm was great and everything, they
cried unto him and he said, Why did you doubt? O you of little
faith! This woman went through a great
trial. Great trial. Great trial. Oh, what a trial to be sitting
at the feet of the Master and to hear Him say, I'm not sent
but the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It's not me. It's
not fit, not proper that I should give the children's bread to
dogs. What a trial. But the Lord gave this woman
great faith to believe Him, and unto whom much is given, much
is required." People say, oh, I tell you, I'd love to be a
great faith warrior for the Lord. Really? Let me tell you something. Almighty God gives a man or woman
great faith unto whom much is given, much is required." This woman believed God. But, oh, the struggle. The Lord sustained her. The Lord
kept her. You know, I'm telling you, we
talk big. We're big talkers, you know. Oh, I'm a prayer warrior. No,
you're not. You know how I know you're not?
Because you just told me. You had your reward. And you
didn't get much. This woman right here. Oh, the
trial. He says, O woman, great is thy
faith. Faith looks with eyes given from above
to Christ alone. Faith finds its reality in the
Word of God. Here He is, right there. There's
God's Word. She came and she cried after
Him. Not after the disciples, after
Him. Faith is evidenced by repentance and humility. It's not for me
to give the children's bread to dogs. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Truth, Lord. Yes, sir. But the dogs eat the crumbs that
fall from the master's table. And Lord, I'll stay right here
and I'll eat them right here. If I can eat from your table,
just the crumbs, faith doesn't fail. Now, can you imagine? There was
that account that I read about Peter and the other apostles,
and there was many of them that heard that saying when the Lord
said, you know, no man can come. No man can come except my Father
which has sent me drawing." He said, that's a hard saying. And
they didn't follow him anymore. And here was a woman right here
that the Lord told her the things that she heard sounded discouraging. But she didn't leave. Why? Because
she was kept by the power of God through faith. That's the
only way. That's the only reason, Don,
she didn't leave. God kept her. Can you imagine what would have
naturally happened if you'd heard words like that, discouraging
words? You'd think, well, I thought
maybe it'd help me, but I guess not. She didn't leave because
the Lord wouldn't let her leave. He made her willing in the day
of His power He taught her and kept her. And if you're here tonight, the
only reason you're here tonight, if you believe him, is because
he didn't let you go. If he'd let you go, you'd have
left a billion times and would have justified it. I got good reason. I mean, you
know, I got offended. They offended me. They said something
I didn't like. Can you imagine how easily in
her flesh she could have heard those words and thought, well,
he doesn't care for me. And he kept her. Great is thy
faith. And I'll tell you this, faith
sees in reality that which it asks for, mercy. Matthew 7, 7
asks, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. No record in the Word of God,
no record in the Word of God where any person ever came with
a heart, a heart that desired mercy from the Lord, and He turned
them away. Nobody. Nobody. Come unto Me, all ye
that are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You
remember what I told you about what old Maurice Montgomery told
me. I was going through a real tough trial. Believe me, he didn't
just pull this out of the top of his head. I was going through
a tough time a few years ago. He told me, he said, you know,
sometimes the Lord will put you out on a limb and make you think
he's going to leave you there just to let you know that you
need him. May the Lord add his blessing
to this and cause us to see We need Him. He's not going to forsake
you. He's not going to leave you. To the glory and grace of
our blessed Savior. Amen.