When you turn back to 2 Kings
8, while you're turning there, tonight I'm going to speak out
of Amos 8 on a famine to be dreaded. And it's where the Lord said,
Behold, I'll send a famine, not of bread nor of water, but of
hearing the words of the Lord. And that's a famine that absolutely
scares me to death. A famine of hearing the words
of the Lord. Now, I'm going to give you the
title of this message when I'm done. When Elisha told Hazel of the
atrocities that he would commit, Now I want you to look at the
severity of the atrocities that he would commit, verse 12 of
2 Kings chapter 8. And Hazel said, Why weepeth my
Lord? Speaking to Elijah, Elijah was
weeping. And he answered, Because I know
the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel. They
are strongholds without set on fire. And their young men wilt
thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and
rip up their women with child." Now, put yourself in his place.
What if somebody said to you, you're going to do those things? Things, really, that are even
too horrible to talk about. And here's Hazel's reply, verse
13, And Hazel said, What is thy servant, a dog, that he
should do this great thing? Do you think that I'm so morally
bankrupt that I'm capable of doing something like this? Am I a dog? Now, he wasn't the
first one to say this. Do you remember what Goliath
said? To David, when David came running
at him with the sling and the stone, he said, Am I a dog that
thou comest to me with staves? And then when Abner was accused
of great impropriety, he said, Am I a dog's head? Do you believe
that I could do something like that? Now, dogs are not presented
in a positive way in the Scriptures. I know we think of them as man's
best friend, but the Scriptures present dogs in a very negative
light. You were forbidden to give money
that came from the price of a dog to the temple. It was called
an abomination, the same thing as the price of a prostitute.
False prophets are called by Isaiah greedy dogs and dumb dogs. And then Paul called false prophets
in Philippians chapter three, beware of dogs. We are forbidden
to give that which is holy to the dogs. And one who falls away
is described as the dog returning to his own vomit. In Revelation
22, we read where those that are outside of the New Jerusalem
are described as dogs. Dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers,
murderers, and idolaters. So we see from that dogs are
not presented in a positive light. Now, Hazel says, am I a dog? that I would commit such acts. Now put yourself in this place.
What would you say? If somebody came up and said,
here's what you're going to do, you're going to come up to women
who are with child and rip the child out. How would you respond
to something like that? Am I a dog? All God has to do is leave me or you alone. That's
it. Just leave us alone. And that will describe us. If He removes the restraints,
there is nothing that I will not do. Beginning with losing
my interest in the gospel. Gradually, slowly, just losing
my desire to hear all the way to these atrocities mentioned
that Hazel would and in fact did commit. There's nothing that
you and I will not do if God removes his hand. Hazel did not
believe in the sinful, depraved nature of man. He said, am I
a dog that I do something like this? Now, come on. Do you think
I'm that bad? Now, there are four views of
human nature. Only four. There are only four
possible views of human nature. First, there's the evolutionary
view. Now, in the evolutionary view, men are evolving. Men are
gradually becoming better. Men really don't need a savior. And then there is the view that
men are born with a blank slate. We're born morally neutral, and
if we're educated the right way, we'll do the right thing. If
we're put in the wrong environment and given the wrong information,
we'll do the wrong thing. Now, if that's the case, if we're
born morally neutral, we do not need a savior. We need proper
education and a proper teacher. And if we have the right teaching
and the right information, we'll be okay. Now, the third view
of human nature is that of men being fallen, yet possessing
the power of free will, the power to choose that which is good,
to choose Christ and therefore thus to save themselves. Now,
if that's the case, if men do have a fallen nature, but do
have the power of free will, men don't need a savior. They
need a persuader, someone who can persuade their will into
the direction they ought to go. And the fourth view of human
nature is that of being totally depraved. Totally. Completely depraved. Sinful. Now what does that mean,
total depravity? Does that mean everybody's going
out doing what Hazel was going to do, go ahead and kill children,
kill men, rip women who were with child? Does that mean everybody's
out doing that? Well, of course not. Of course
not. But you would. You would. Apart from the grace of God.
Total depravity says man's understanding, he can't understand the gospel.
He can't. It's beyond him. He's totally
dependent upon revelation. Total depravity says man has
a depraved will. His will is controlled by his
evil nature. Total depravity says man's affections
are wrong. He hates what he ought to love,
and he loves what he ought to hate, and he's completely unable
to do anything to save himself. He's totally dependent upon a
Savior, someone to come and do something for him that he cannot
do himself. Now, Hazel, like Goliath, like
Abner, refused to see himself in such a morally bankrupt state
as a dog. Now, it would be better to acknowledge
being a dog. The wise man said in Ecclesiastes
9.4, a living dog is better than a dead lion. Now, I want to ask
myself the same question Hazel did. Am I a dog? I hope you ask yourself that
question. Am I a dog that I would do such a morally bankrupt thing? Now, at this time, I'm not asking,
am I a believer? I'm not asking if I'm one of
the elect. I'm not asking if I've been born
again. I'm not asking if I have a new nature. Those are good
questions, and we'll deal with those at another time. But here's
the question for this morning. Oh, would to God that everybody
in here would listen. Am I a dog? Am I a dog that I would do such a horrible
thing? I love what Scott Richardson
said about dogs. He said they're smart dogs and
they're dumb dogs. They're pretty dogs and they're
ugly dogs. They're fat dogs and they're skinny dogs. But a dog
is a dog, any way you look at it. Am I a dog? It can be a good thing to be
a dog. Let me tell you why. The word
worship in the New Testament is defined to lick as a dog licks
its master's hand. When Gideon's army was pared
down from 32,000 to 300, the 300 were the only ones who lacked
water like a dog. David, the man after God's own
heart, called himself a dead dog. When he was speaking with
Saul, why would you be coming after such a dead dog as me? Such a flea. I think of a flea. A flea is about, of all the animals
or insects, a flea. I mean, sucking blood? What a
worthless animal, you know. A flea. I repeat. Are you a dog? Hazel wasn't. Goliath wasn't. Admiral wasn't. What about you? Now I want to show you three
people in the scriptures who were dogs. And it was a good
thing. First turn to 2 Samuel chapter
9. You're familiar with this. Many
of you are. If you're not, I trust this will
be a blessing. 2 Samuel 9, verse 1, And David said, Is there yet
any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him
kindness? for Jonathan's sake. Now, when David makes this statement,
he is recognized as the most powerful man in the world. As a matter of fact, 2 Chronicles
4 verse 17 says, ìAnd the fame of David went into all lands,
and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations." Everybody
in the world trembled with fear at the name of David. He was
the mighty warrior. He was basically, at this time,
not only was he the king of Israel, he was the most powerful man
in the world. And so when he makes this statement,
he makes this statement with all of his enemies being under
his feet. He's in control. And David says,
is there yet any that's left of the house of Saul? Remember,
Saul was his enemy. He says, is there any left of
the house of Saul that I may show him kindness? For Jonathan's
sake. Who was Jonathan? Jonathan was
Saul's son. Jonathan was David's best friend. And they had made a covenant
with each other many years before David makes his statement. Would
you turn to 1 Samuel chapter 20? Keep your finger there in
2 Samuel 9 and look at 1 Samuel 20. And this is many years before
this took place. This is Jonathan speaking. And
he says in verse 13, The Lord do so, and much more to Jonathan. But if it please my father Saul
to do thee evil, then I'll show it thee, and send thee away,
and thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as
he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only, while
yet I live, show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not,
but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for
ever. No, not when the Lord hath cut
off the enemies of David, everyone from the face of the earth. So
Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, let
the Lord even require the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan
caused David to swear again because he loved him for he loved him
as his own soul. And Jonathan said to David, he
went on tomorrow and told him how he was going to help him
on that day. But here's the point. Here's
the point. Jonathan and David made a covenant. Jonathan said,
I know the Lord's going to destroy all your enemies. And after I'm
dead and gone, I don't want you to remove your kindness from
my house. Now, many years have passed.
Jonathan's been dead a long time. And David doesn't have any enemies. He's speaking from supreme power. And he says, remembering that
covenant that was made long ago, Are there any of the house of
Saul that I can show kindness to for Jonathan's sake? Verse 2, 2 Samuel 9. And there was of the house of
Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him
unto David, The king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said,
Thy servant is he. And the king said, Is there not
yet any of the house of Saul, any of his descendants, that
I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto
the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, but he is not worth much. He's lame. He can't walk. He can't work for you. He can't
fight for you. He's lame. He's crippled. He's
lame on both of his feet. He's going to have to be carried.
There's nothing he can do for you. He would be nothing but
a burden. That's it. He's powerless to
do anything for you. lame on both of his feet. And
if you read about this young man that's lame on both of his
feet, you read about it in 2 Samuel chapter 4, he was lame because
of the fall. Just like you and I are lame
because of the fall. He's lame on both his feet. Verse 4. And the king said unto him, Where
is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house
of Makir, the son of Ameliar, in Lodibar, the place of no bread.
He can't get to you. He cannot get to you. He is lame. Verse 5, Then King David sent
and fetched him out of that place of no bread. He fetched him. Oh, Lord, fetch
me. Fetch me. I'm lame in both of
my feet. All I can do is carry, but fetch
me. Fetch me. Verse 6, Now when Mephibosheth,
the son of Jonathan, The son of Saul was coming to David. Put yourself in this fellow's
place. As far as he knows, he's going to be executed. He's an
enemy of the king. Of the house of Saul. Because
here he is. I don't know what he's been doing,
but I know he's lame. He couldn't go anywhere. Somebody grabbed
him, gets him. Maybe they put him on a cart
or a horse. They bring him to the king. What's he thinking? Now, when Mephibosheth, the son
of Jonathan, shameful thing is what his name means, was coming
to David, he fell on his face and did reverence. What else
could he do? He's in the presence of the king.
He does reverence, waiting to see what's going to happen. And David said, Mephibosheth, And he answered, Behold thy servant,
and David. Now, David looks upon this poor,
lame man. And what's he thinking about? He's thinking about Jonathan.
And who does he see when he sees this poor, lame man? He sees Jonathan. And David said unto him, Fear
not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's
sake. Now, God only has to have one
reason to show you, Thomas. You know what that is? For Christ's
sake. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. No other reason is needed. Isn't that wonderful? But fear not, Mephibosheth, I
will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake,
and will restore unto thee all the land of Saul thy father,
and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually." And he bowed himself and said, that thou shouldest look upon
such a dead dog as I am. It's a good thing to be a dog. Look down in verse 13. So Mephibosheth
dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's
table, and was lame on both his feet. You know, that lameness
didn't change, did it? But his feet were covered under the king's
table. It's a good thing to be a dog. Turn to Matthew 15. I have talked to a lot of people
over the years, and generally when people talk about their
favorite story in the New Testament, I found many people refer to
this. Matthew chapter 15, verse 21. Then Jesus went, thence, and
departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman
of Canaan, a woman from a cursed place, came out of the same coasts
and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son
of David. My daughter is grievously vexed
with the devil. Now you look at how this woman
came. She came, first of all, with a great need. My daughter
is demon possessed. Not a thing I can do about it.
And she came to the right thing. Have mercy on me, Lord. Have mercy on me. She knew she
was not in a position to bargain. She knew she was not in a position
to buy. Her only hope was mercy. And
she came to the Lord knowing who He is. Have mercy upon me,
O Lord, Thou Son of David, the Messiah. Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou
Son of David! What a plea! Verse 23, But he answered her,
not a word. She was met with silence. No
response. No answer. He didn't answer her
prayer. Have you ever met with the silence
of God? Where He doesn't respond to you?
Whatever it is you're doing and it hasn't got past the ceiling?
Silence. But you know what she did? She
continued to cry. If you've met with the silence
of God, the one thing for you to do is to continue to cry. Verse. Twenty three, but he answered
her, not a word. He ignored her. That seems pretty
heartless, doesn't it? She comes with this great need,
but he answered her, not a word. And the disciples came and besought
him, saying, send her away, for she crieth after us. But he answered
and said, I'm not sent, but into the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. I didn't come for everybody.
I didn't come to save everybody. I only came to save the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. Now listen to me real carefully.
When the Lord Jesus came to this planet, he did not come to save
everybody. If he did, everybody would be
saved. He did not come to save everybody. When Jesus Christ
came, he came to save the elect, those the Father gave him. When
he died on Calvary's tree, he wasn't dying for all men without
exception. He was dying for the elect, accomplishing
their salvation. Now that's what he came to do.
He said, I didn't come to save everybody. He'd come to help
me. I didn't come to help everybody. I didn't come to save everybody.
I only came to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Those are the only folks I came to save. Now how did she respond
to that? I know the way the natural man
responds. That ain't fair. That's not right. All of a sudden
we become God's judges. That's not right. I would do
that. That's the way the natural man responds. That's not fair.
But how did she respond? Look in verse 24. But he answered and said, I'm
not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then
came she. And what? What? Worshiped. Christ. Is to be worshiped. Whether he helps you or not. He's to be worshiped for who
he is. without reference to what He
does or does not do for you. He is to be worshipped because
of who He is. He's the God of glory. Then she
came and worshipped Him. And remember, you'll only worship
a sovereign, one you can't control or manipulate. Then came she
and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, Help me. You're the Lord. You're the Lord of creation.
You spake the world into existence. You're the Lord of Providence. You're the one who controls everything.
You are the Lord of salvation. Salvation's in your hand. Help
me. If you don't help me, I won't
be helped. Lord, help me. Lord, help me. Can you pray that prayer? Lord,
Help me. Verse 26. But he answered and said. It's
not meat. It's not right. To take the children's
bread and to cast it to dogs. I don't know where the Lord ever
dealt with him by like this. First, he doesn't say anything
to her. Then he says I've only come to the elect. And then he
says, you're a dog. You're a dog. It's not proper.
It's not right to take my gospel, the children's bread, and to
throw it out to dogs. And you know what she said? Truth. That's the truth. She didn't
argue with what the Lord said. She didn't turn around and say,
well, if he's going to be that way, I'm not going to have anything. That's the
truth, Lord. That's the truth. Lord. I'm your dog. Yes, I'm a dog,
but I'm your dog, and I wouldn't dare accept the place setting
with the children. But I sure will be a dog with
the other dogs under your table, being grateful for any crumb
of mercy that will come my way. What if the Lord said to you,
when you come to Him, it's not right to take the children's
bread and cast it to dogs. How will you respond? Are you a dog? Look what the Lord said to her
when she said this. Verse 28, Then Jesus answered
and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee, even as thou
wilt." And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Turn to Numbers 14. Can you see
where it's a good thing to be a dog? Now this is the Spies, the children
of Israel sent twelve spies into the land that God had promised,
the land of Canaan. And it was indeed what God said
it was, a land that flowed with milk and honey. Great blessings,
but they said, we can't handle the giants. We can't defeat the
nations there. We'll get killed if we go in.
And two people, Joshua and Caleb, said we can take it because the
Lord has promised this to us. Now, it says in verse 21 of Numbers
14, this is God's statement, that as truly as I live, all
the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have
seen my glory and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the
wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice, surely they shall not see the land which
I swear unto their fathers. Neither shall any of them that
provoke me see it, but my servant Caleb." You know what Caleb means? Faithful dog. Faithful dog. Now what is the
most outstanding characteristic of a dog? Think of cats and dogs. Cats don't follow their master,
do they? They could care less. But one of the things I love
about dogs is their faithfulness to their master. Their whole
life is swallowed up in following their master. That's it. That's all they care about. But my servant Caleb, because
he had another spirit within him. Yeah, he had another spirit. The Holy Spirit, because he had
another spirit with him, hath followed me fully. Him will I bring into the land
whereunto he went, and his seed shall possess it. Caleb, that
faithful dog, followed me fully. I told this story before. Brother Charles Pennington was
hunting out in the woods. And while he was hunting, he
came upon a dog with its leg caught in a trap, in pain, still
alive. So he tried to set that dog free. He tried to bite him. Every time
he did, he was scared to death. It would just bite and snap at
him. So he said, I took a forked stick, and I took it and shoved
it against its neck to make sure it couldn't bite me. And I opened
up the trap, and the dog didn't let the stick, and the dog just
looked at me and just limped off lowly, and it was gone. And so I kept hunting. And I
felt something behind me. I could feel it. I turned around,
and it was that dog following me. And that dog, he said, followed
me into the day it died. Caleb followed me fully. I ask again, are you a dog. Everybody who wasn't a dog, they
were bad. Hazel ended up doing everything
he said he was going to do. Mephibosheth, the Syro-Phoenician
woman, Caleb, they were dogs. Now here's the title of my message.
All dogs go to heaven. Let's pray. Lord, we field today.