Good morning, everyone. Let's
see if I can get things settled here. As Scott Richardson might say
sometime, I've got an encyclopedia here. I do send greetings from Father
Grace Chapel and I want to read a hymn. I guess it's kind of
a tradition. Joe will send Walker usually
a hymn from, it's usually from Gatsby's hymn, but this kind
of goes with a message somewhat this morning, so I want to read
this to you. It's number 172 from Gatsby's
hymn and from S. Medley. I'm not sure who that
is, but it's from S. Medley. Though I'll be nothing.
Jehovah's awful name, Revere. in humble praise with holy fear,
in glory thronged divinely bright, all worlds are nothing in his
sight. The numerous proud self-righteous
host, who fondly of their something boast, will find their something
nothing more than what will prove them blind and poor. O may my
soul such folly shun, nor ever boast what I have done. but at
God's footstool humbly fall, and Jesus be mine all in all. Though of myself I nothing am,
I'm dear to God and to the Lamb. Though I have nothing, I confess,
all things in Jesus I possess. I thought that was pretty good. As I was sitting there, I was
reading that on the table there, this doing remembrance of me.
I mean, of course, we always think of the Lord's table, but
it's a good reminder to see that everything we do in here is for
remembering Him. It's not about us. And all of
our hymns or songs that we do should be in remembrance of Him.
That was a good hymn, brother, a good hymn, a good song that
you sang. So it was honoring of Him and
what He's done, so. Okay, I've got one more thing
that I want to read you. It's a quote that don't necessarily
go directly with my message, but I just like this quote, so
I wanted to read it. This is from J.C. Ryle. There is a common,
worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have,
and think they have enough achieved Christianity, which offends nobody
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing and is worth nothing. That's what this world's religion
is about. And I want to go ahead and get
started, so if you would be turning to my text, which is Matthew
15. Matthew 15. I've entitled this message, Truth,
Lord. Matthew 15, starting in verse
21. Very familiar account. Matthew 15 and verse 21. Then Jesus went thence and departed
into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And 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 the devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought
him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us. But he answered
and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Then came she and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It
is not me to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord, yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.'
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy
faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt." We see some things in this passage
that I don't know about you, but there are some things here
that are very familiar to me. One familiar thing to me is here
is we see a dog in this passage. Not only do I have a dog, but
more importantly, I am a dog by nature before God. Some may
not see themselves here, but I do. I'm a dead dog before a
thrice holy God as I am born in Adam. We are all dogs before
Christ, holy God. Compared to one another, we may
not look that bad, but not before him. As it concerns dogs, maybe
not all here or who that hear me like dogs, and I'm talking
about the four-legged furry kind now, but I imagine some do. I'm sure most have something
they enjoy, or maybe they have some kind of a pet that they
enjoy. That thing which takes effort on our part to take care
of. Paul and I have a 120 pound plus
Burmese mountain dog. We call him Louie or teeny tiny
one. But even as big as he is, he
depends on us for everything. Food, water, affection. Anything he needs, we have to
provide. He even has to have us to go
to the bathroom. He's trained to go outside. He
has a little bell he rings on the back door. Most of us know
dogs, especially if they are in the wild, or maybe even a
stray dog, and they can be quite mean and dirty, especially if
they're in a pack. But if they have to fend for
themselves, they do what they need to to get what they need.
We are just like this as we are born in Adam. Every one of us
are out for our own way, and we have great confidence in our
own way by nature. We despise God's way and will
bite anything that tells us of the God of Scripture. We read
of dogs in Scripture. Our text is one of them, but
there are others. What did our Lord say in Matthew
7, 6? Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn again, and win you." Generally, when you read
of dogs in the Scripture, and we can tell this from our text,
that dogs refers to anyone who is not an Israelite. But it also
means anyone who is against Christ. Even if we might say the name
of Christ but add something else in with Christ in any way, that
is a way to salvation or a way of salvation. What do we read
from the Apostle Paul where the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians
3, 2? Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the
concision. Paul is not referring to a fine
furry friend here. He is talking about that animal
that is called man. Here in Philippians, Paul is
talking about those who add some kind of work of the law for salvation. But we also read of them who
have once known the Lord through the gospel. Having heard and
taking it in, they then turn back from it. They turn back
from Christ to their own way, in other words. Turn with me
to 2 Peter 2, 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2, verses 20-22. 2 Peter 2, verse 20. For if after
they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they have heard the gospel,
they are again entangled therein and overcome The latter end is
worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they
have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto
them. But it is happened unto them
according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
vomit again, and the sow that was lost to her bawling in the
mire. We are told that those who come
to the knowledge of Christ do so through the gospel being proclaimed
to them and by His Spirit. Those who do this and then turn
from this commandment, this commandment to submit to His righteousness,
which is Jesus Christ, that's the commandment being spoken
of there in 2 Peter 2. But it says there in that passage,
their latter end is worse than before they heard the gospel.
They are dogs who have returned to their own vomit. They have
turned back unto their own way from God's ways, that is, Jesus
Christ. They've turned back unto their
own way. Our Lord himself in this passage here specifically
calls this woman a dog. This is that little baby Jesus,
meek and mild, as the world likes to call him. He calls her a dog. So she is one. And so am I. God has all the preeminence.
He will not share his glory with another. Man has no more preeminence
than a beast. A dog is a beast. Isn't that
what we are told in Scripture? And I only have one verse down
here in my passage, but I want everybody to turn back to Ecclesiastes
3. Ecclesiastes 3, but I want to
read that. Ecclesiastes 3, starting in verse
18. Three verses here. Ecclesiastes
3, and that's just after Proverbs, if you can't find it. Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 18. I said in my heart concerning
the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them,
and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the
sons of men befalleth beasts. Even one thing befalleth them,
as the one dieth, so die the other. Yea, they have all one
breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast, for
all is vanity. All go into one place, all are
of the dust, and all turn to dust again. So we are a nothing people, in
and of ourselves. Some whom he loves come to know
this by grace. And I know most of this world
does not think it grace to come to know that you are a dog. Most
people think they're a pretty good people. They want to tell
God what it is that they can do for Him. But as has been said
before, you will not be saved unless you are first lost. What
did our Lord say to the scribes and Pharisees when they murmured
of Him eating and drinking with publicans and sinners? Mark 2.17,
when Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that
are whole have no need for the physician, but they that are
sick. I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. Unless you come to see that you
are nothing but a dead dog before this thrice holy God, you will
never see mercy. This woman is a dog. She, in
fact, agrees with our Lord, doesn't she? But here's the good thing. Whose dog is she? And I'm giving
away the punchline here. She is by her own admission his
dog, the master's dog. She will take whatever he provides. So let's look through this passage
and see what we can glean of the truth of God, the will and
the purpose of God being carried out towards one of his, and mercy
sought. So the will and purpose of God
being carried out toward one of his. Matthew 15, 21, verse
21 of our text. Then Jesus went thence, and departed
into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. I like to look at the meanings
of some of these names that we have in Scripture. They're in
there for a purpose, and they certainly do have meanings, some
of these names. I don't always see what God's
saying when I see the meanings of these names, of these words.
But God does give them for a reason or a purpose for them being there.
We read that our Lord departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre means a rock, and Sidon
means hunting. And I see this in two ways, and
I think it's true as it's said in both ways. They both agree
with one another. Christ did not do things on a whim. Nothing
happens is circumstance. The rock went hunting for one
of his. The direct context is Jesus Christ,
so I can assuredly say this. But at the same time, we can
say one of his went hunting for a rock. She went looking for
him because of him. Both are true, and both are by
his grace and his will. All we know as fallen sinful
creatures is circumstances. That's all we know by nature.
He comes to us in grace. He comes to us in grace before
he meets us. But Jesus Christ does things
on purpose. He went to this place specifically
to meet this woman, this dog. What does this woman do when
she comes to where he is? I mean, how did she hear of him?
How does she even know he can in any way help her? She had
to hear somehow. Maybe she heard how he healed
so many up to this point. Maybe she heard that he was that
promised one, the Messiah. I'm sure what she heard specifically,
I'm not sure what she heard specifically, but she heard something of the
Lord of Glory that caused her to think that he is the only
one that could help her at all. Did she come thinking, I can
do something for him and then he will surely do something for
me? I don't think so. What do we read? All we can go
by is what God's word tells us in verse 22. And behold, a woman
of Canaan came out of that same coast and cried unto him, saying,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David. My daughter is
grievously vexed with the devil. She came out of the same coast,
Tyre and Sidon. She was hunting for a rock. What did she come looking for
from this rock? Mercy. So mercy sought. She cried out
to him for mercy. Mercy, that is compassion. She wanted him who seemingly
to her knew nothing about her and had nothing to do with her.
and that it was not common for him to be around such a woman
as this Gentile woman. But we read in Mark 7, verse
24 through 26, And from thence he arose and went into the borders
of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have
no man know it. But he could not be hid, for
a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit,
heard of him, and came and fell at his feet. The woman was a
Greek, Syrophoenician by nation, and she besought him that he
would cast forth the devil out of her daughters. And that's
the other account that we have of this. She asked for mercy. Why? It's not a trick question. She
needed it. She wanted it. But then she uses
that phrase, thou son of David. We are talking about that promised
one, that one who was said to be David's son, yet David's Lord. We are talking about the Messiah,
that one who to come was promised to show mercy to those who need
mercy. Then she gives the reason, my
daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. She has something
that she cannot control, something that she has responsibility in,
and she has no control over it. We read in the other accounts
of this, and we just read it, that this is a young girl, a
young daughter that she's responsible for. She cannot do what's needed
to help her. Her daughter is grievously vexed
with the devil, but she is the one in need of mercy. She has
a problem that she cannot control and it has to come from somewhere
else outside of her to deal with this. So she asked for compassion
from the only one that can help. What is the answer from our Lord?
He answered her, not a word. The quietness must have been
deafening as the saying goes. Was the Lord of Glory being mean
to this woman? Is the Lord of Glory being mean
to us when we ask for help, but it seems as if no help is coming? The disciples seem to think that
they know more of what is going on than Christ knows. He answers
her, not a word. Yet they want to put their two
sins into it, and they think she's crying after them. They
say, for she crieth after us. Was she crying after us? No. Could they show her mercy that
she needed at this time? She was crying after Jesus Christ,
the Lord. He knew her need, and He knew
just how to deal with her. Was He being mean to her? Absolutely
not. But we read after the disciples
chimed in, the Lord of Glory said this, But he answered and
said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. I am only sent to those who are
God's children. Our Lord tells us in John 12,
and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
unto me. He was and he does. What was our Lord doing with
this one whom he was calling a dog? He was drawing her unto
Himself. Does what our Lord did and said
deter her? Does she still need mercy? Which
one of you needing mercy will stop because someone else around
you does not like it or doesn't like how things are transpiring?
Those who have this need will not be deterred because the need
was put in them by Him to begin with. What does she still then
say even after being ignored? And then he seems to deny her
plea because she is a Gentile. What does she then do? Does she
come up to him and say, how dare you ignore me? What do we read? What does she say? Does she say,
now listen you Jew, I have something to say to you. Is that what she
says? What does she say? Help me." This woman needed help, and our
Lord knew she needed help. He was not trying to be mean
to her, and He was not really ignoring her. Our Lord Jesus
Christ knows what He is doing. He knows things we do not know.
What does He go on to say? The woman is pleading with him
to help her, and what does our Lord do? Verse 26. But he answered
and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast
it to dogs. The glory of the Lord. He will
come to where we are. He will make sure that he meets
us exactly at the appointed time and place. We will not direct
him as to what he needs to do. or things that we want. I know
this world, they look to God to get things that they want.
They want a new car or they want to win the game or they want
their house fixed up. This woman was in a place where
if she did not get help from Jesus Christ, she knew her daughter
was going to perish and she would perish right along with her. He seeks those who are of a broken
and contrite heart. I was just reading the bulletin,
and this just kind of fits right in with it. This is the kind
of people, he says, he will cause you, yea, he will force you. But he will do this in love.
He will force you to admit what you are and who he is. What does she answer? Verse 27,
and she said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which
fall from their master's table. Lord, you are right in everything
you are doing. I am a dog and I have no value
to you. There is nothing I can add to
you by you helping me or by you having mercy on me, but I need
mercy and you are the only one that can give it. God's people,
those who have been brought to that place of reverence for Him,
know that even a crumb from Him will suffice to their everlasting
soul. This is the one who is being
drawn in to the Master. They admit they will eat His
crumbs if He will give it. Not if He can. All those who
come to Christ know He can give it, but is He willing to give
it? Is He willing to allow some crumbs
to fall to such a dog as I am? Our Lord has compassion on His
people, but His people will not rule over Him. They will bow
down to Him as their Master. He needs nothing from us. How
are we going to add to Him? If you find anywhere in Scripture
where a man or a woman come to the Lord of glory with them standing
up to Him face to face, Please let me know where that is. God
will make you, He will force you to bow down to Him. This
is not a game. This is not a man like you and
I are. He's not a fallen, sinful man. This is the Lord of glory. That
one who for a son came down and was made a curse and sin for
his people. made a curse and sin for his
people. And I mean to say it just like that, not imputed anything,
but made. These very things that I am and
that I deserve, are you going to come to him and tell him,
I think I will let you have mercy on me? I will accept you since
I have offended you. A God you need to accept is no
God at all. A God that will accept you is
a merciful God. He created all things, and all
things were created for Him, so that He might get the glory.
So what are you going to accept of Him? If you are not wondering,
if you're not questioning, will He accept me? Then you do not
know the God of this Bible. But if He knows you, if He knows
you and the dog that you are, He will lovingly and kindly force
you to admit who and what you are and who and what he has done. He will cause you to do this
publicly. When you do, you will hear these
sweet words. Verse 28, Then Jesus answered
and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto you even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. This was no surprise to Jesus
Christ that this woman had faith. The faith that she had is the
faith that he gives. You know the passage of Ephesians
2.8? For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. The grace, the salvation,
the faith is all a gift of God. But faith is not just something
that God gives to His people outside of Himself. It is the
very faith of Jesus Christ that is given to us. There are several
passages in Scripture that tell us this, but here's one, Galatians
2.20. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. The faith which is given is the
faith of Jesus Christ, which he showed by giving himself for
his people. Because it is his faith, then
that object to which that faith looks to is Jesus Christ. He is both the source of faith
and he is the object of that faith. He is where faith comes
from, and he is the one to whom faith looks to. Faith is the
fruit of a spirit, the Scripture tells us. When you look at these
accounts given in the New Testament, this one here, and the Centurion,
Blind Bartimaeus, and any others that we read in the accounts
of Scripture, there's one common thing in all of them. Each may
have different things that they have need of. Each may have been
in a different place when the event happens in different circumstances.
But there's one thing common among them all. The common thing
is who they go to for help. If in your time of need you go
to someone else other than Jesus Christ, then the faith you have
is not the faith of Jesus Christ. because his faith causes you
to look to him. When by faith that one of his
looks to him, by that faith given by him, help will come. Be it unto thee even as thou
wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. So what do we conclude from all
this? Jesus Christ, if you are one of his, He will come to you
where you are. He will give to you a new heart,
that heart like David cried out for in Psalm 51, 10. Create in
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
He will then cause that heart, because it can now see what we
are by nature and who He is, He will cause that heart to be
broken. This is the kind of people He
saves. What else do we read in the Psalms
about those with this kind of heart? Psalms 34, 18. The Lord
is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such
as be of a contrite spirit. He will, just as He did this
woman, He will cause you to take sides with God against yourself. Truth, Lord, but the dogs That
is what I am, dear Lord. You are speaking the very truth
of God. But the dogs eat the crumbs that
fall from their master's table. You are my master, my Lord, and
I know you will take care of me the way you see fit. This
is not the only place in Scripture where we read of such a one that
is brought before the king, and they see and admit they are a
dead dog before him. So if you would turn with me
to 2 Samuel 9. I think this is a breakthrough
to me or to all of you. 2 Samuel 9. Verse 5. Then King David sent and fetched
him out of the house of Makar, the son of Ammiel, from Odoar. He was at this place where he
was sold into slavery, a place of no bread. And that's where
God's people come from. Go back to verse 4 here, and
that's where we read that. And the king said unto him, where
is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
behold, he is in the house of Maker. He's sold into slavery. That's what that word means.
The son of Ammiel. In Lodabar, that means no bread. That's where God's people come
from. That's what Amul means, son of God. Let's read verses 6-8. Now when Mephibosheth, the son
of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was coming to David, he fell
on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth,
and he answered, Behold thy servant, and David said unto him, Fear
not, for I will surely show thee kindness for John thy father's
sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father,
and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed
himself, and said, What is thy servant that thou shouldst look
upon such a dead dog as I am? Mephibosheth did not start telling
everybody, I told you so. I knew I was from this kingly
bloodline. No, he submits himself to the
king, admitting that he is a dead dog, undeserving of what he is
going to receive. He is lame on his feet. And what
is the end of this? Just like it was for the Syrophoenician
woman, he was blessed by Jesus Christ. but not just with crumbs."
Then says Ziba unto the king, according to all that my lord
the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for
Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one
of the king's sons. He will eat as one of the king's
sons, it says. You won't tell the difference
between them, even though Mephibosheth is lame on both of his feet,
see verse 13. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem,
for he did eat continually at the king's table, and was lame
on both his feet. He was seated at the king's table.
He was eating no crumbs. He was eating of the plenty.
But because he was seated at the table, no one could see he
was laying on both his feet. He was covered by the Lord, the
Lord's table, His righteousness. He feasted on the Lord. We all
feast on the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we
hear the gospel, we are seated at His table feasting. We are
at his table, hearing of him and what he has done. He has
done it all, so there's nothing left for me to do. I can sit
and rest and feast on him. Yes, I thank God he shows me
I am a dog, but I also thank him that he has taken me in unto
himself, making me his dog, and I will ever be blessed in him.
In closing, I will leave you with this one verse, Ecclesiastes
9 and verse 4. For to him that is joined to
all the living, there is hope. For a living dog is better than
a dead lion. Amen. Dear old God, apply these
words to our heart, dear Lord. Thank you for allowing us to
safely be conducted here to hear your words, dear Lord. May all
things be done to your honor and glory. Amen. Thank you.