Let's turn in our Bibles today
to Mark chapter seven. I've been bringing messages to
us for several months now from the gospel of Mark on Sunday
morning. And we've come now to Mark chapter
7 and verse 24. 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, a Syrophoenician
by nation, and she besought him that he would cast forth the
devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, let
the children first be filled, for it is not made to take the
children's bread and cast it unto the dogs. And she answered
and said unto him, yes, Lord, Yet the dogs under the table
eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, for this
saying, go thy way. The devil is gone out of thy
daughter. And when she was come to her
house, she found the devil gone out and her daughter laid upon
the bed. The title of the message this
morning is A Crumb From His Table. a crumb from his table. I'm sure that for this woman,
the reality was that this was much more than a crumb to her. That is the Lord Jesus casting
this devil out of her daughter. It was much more than a crumb
to her. It was a wonderful blessing, a blessing that she could not
believe could come from anyone other than the Lord Jesus. Now in looking at this passage
today, it's going to help us to read the parallel passage
in Matthew chapter 15. So let's turn there, if we will,
to Matthew chapter 15 and read this account in this
gospel. Matthew 15 and beginning in 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'm
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then
came she and worshiped 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. And her daughter
was made whole from that very hour. I brought a message from
this passage several months ago, and I mentioned in that message
that I had heard of a sermon preached by my friend back in
the 1980s, and it was entitled, All Dogs Go to Heaven. I had
never heard the message, but the next morning on my phone,
Zach, your dad had been watching or hearing the streaming and
he had searched and found that message and sent it to me. And
I was so thankful because I wasn't sure what passage of scripture
he preached that sermon from. But someone told me later there
was some kind of an advertisement at that time about dog food. And in that advertisement, It
said, all dogs go to heaven. And Brother Henry took that and
this passage of scripture and brought a wonderful message of
God's saving grace. All dogs go to heaven. The thing
about the word of God, as I said, I preached from this passage
in Matthew a few months ago. The thing about the Word of God,
and this is what you find as a pastor or as a believer, you
find that you never exhaust God's Word. Any other book, I mean
you take any book, book on medicine, book on chemistry, any other
book, and study it for 50 years, and it would become old. It would
become so stale. And you'd be so tired of it,
and you'd hate to think, I've got to preach from that book
once again. But this book, God's word, this
book is alive, and it never grows old. And so the message I'm bringing
to us today, yes, it's from the same passage, but the message
is much different. And I have three parts I want
to bring out to us, if you want to turn back to Mark. I have
three parts in the message. And the first part I want to
mention is the Lord, we are told, goes to the borders. He goes
to the very borders. of the Gentiles to Tyre and Sidon. He did not go into Tyre or Sidon. He did not go into the land of
the Gentiles, but he went right to the very border of the Gentiles. Several weeks ago, when we were
studying from this book of Mark, we saw that the Lord Jesus Christ
chose 12 apostles and sent them out to preach the gospel, and
he commanded them, do not go into the way of the Gentiles.
That was his command. They were to minister only in
the land of Israel. Do not go into the way of the
Gentiles. So the Lord Jesus Christ now,
he did not go into the way of the Gentiles, but he goes just
up to the border of the territory where there was a line of separation
between the Jews and the Gentiles. And then in another message after
that, we saw that the Lord led his disciples away by ship And
he said, let's go to a place where you may rest, that we might
rest a while. And of course, the people outran
him. And when the Lord Jesus Christ
stepped off that ship, he went by ship and they went by land. And when he stepped off the ship,
what he saw was a great multitude of people. And the scripture
says, he saw them as sheep, not having a shepherd. And so there's
no rest. There's no rest. In the providence
of God, he begins to minister to this multitude of people.
And that's when he fed the 5,000 men, not including the women
and children. Mark tells us now, in going to
the borders of the Gentiles, he entered into a house And you
notice it says he would have no man know it. He went into
this house and he would have no man know it. Now, we may suppose
that once again, he has gone aside that they might rest a
while. But as Mark tells us here, he
could not be hid. He could not be hid. Before it was the multitudes
who met him. But this time, it's a single
woman, a Greek, a Gentile. And I would just take the opportunity
here to remind us that our Savior is sufficient to minister to
and to meet the needs of the many, the thousands, and yes,
to the single ones, to the one, as to this woman. Nothing is too large. and nothing
is too small for Him. You know that verse in 1 Peter
chapter 5, to believers, we are exhorted, casting your care upon
Him. It doesn't say casting your big
cares upon Him. It doesn't say casting your small
cares upon Him. No, it just says your care, casting
your care upon Him, for He careth for you. And that's what I see
here first of all, that this woman, she comes and he couldn't
be here. The Lord Jesus who healed many
of diseases. You read through the gospels
and you see that many were brought to him who were sick of all kinds
of diseases. Blind people, lame people, deaf
people, just everything you can think of. People were brought
to him. And he healed them all. He never,
now listen, he never had to advertise his healing. He never had to
advertise his healing. Neither did his disciples to
whom he gave the gift of healing. And yes, there was a gift of
healing that the apostles had. You say, well, is that in the
church today? No, there are no apostles here
today. Does God heal? Of course he does. All healing is of the Lord. We
know that. But my point is, the Lord Jesus
Christ himself and all of his apostles and those they laid
their hands on, they received these gifts as well. But only
those the apostles laid their hands on. You read through the
book of Acts, this is very clear. But they never had to advertise
that they were going to be in a certain place at a certain
time, that they were going to have a healing service. Sometimes
I see on these church buildings, you know, healing service on
Tuesday night or healing service. MD Anderson Hospital is one of
the best hospitals, cancer hospitals in the world, I assume. But I
see that they advertise. They advertise. Methodist Hospital,
they advertise. They're leading. They're leading
in medicine, Daniel. That's what they say. The Lord
Jesus Christ never had to advertise that he was going to heal, nor
did his disciples. And that should convince us right
there that there's no one today that has the gift that the apostles
had to heal. Because if there were, the poor
man, he couldn't rest. People would be at his door no
matter where he went, people would be there seeking healing. Because people come from all
over the world to the Houston Medical Center seeking healing. And if a person had that gift
like the power that the Lord Jesus Christ himself had, because
he is God, and the power that he gave to his apostles to heal,
there would be no need to advertise. Look with me, if you will, in
Acts chapter 5. And I encourage you to read through
the book of Acts. And when you read about these
miracles, see that it's always the apostles. The people would
have us believe that these gifts are still in the church and everyone
has these gifts. That's not so. The Bible doesn't
teach that. They were here for a specific
purpose for a certain time. But here in Acts chapter five
and verse 12, it says, and by the hands of the apostles, the
apostles, where many signs and wonders wrought among the people.
And they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch, and of the
rest doth no man join himself to them, but the people magnified
them, and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes
both of men and women. Now notice, insomuch that they
brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds
and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by
might overshadow some of them. They didn't have to advertise.
There came also a multitude out of the city's roundabout unto
Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and them which were vexed with
unclean spirits, and they were healed, every one. Every one. The Lord goes to the
borders of the Gentiles, And we see that he could not be hit.
And I just take this opportunity to remind us once again, that
if a person had the gift of healing today, you wouldn't have to look
for him, everybody would be headed in that direction who's sick.
That's just so. Now second, I want us to consider
the experience of this woman, and I'm not going to call your
attention to Matthew and then back to Mark and Mark and then
back to Matthew, but I'm going to point out to us what I see
and what is evident in both of these two narratives, both the
narrative in Matthew and in Mark, and that is that this woman met
with three denials. She met, she came to the Lord
and she met with three denials. First, she came to the Lord in
the house. She fell at his feet and she
besought him to cast the devil out of her daughter. He answered
her, not a word. That's the first denial. He answered
her, not a word. Let's camp there just a moment. He answered her, not a word. Where would you be? Where would
I be? Where would we be today if we did not have the word of
God? Where would we be? You know,
I was thinking about Herod, King Herod, the man who executed John
the Baptist. When the Lord Jesus Christ was
arrested and the priest took him before Pilate, and just as
soon as Pilate heard that he was from Galilee, he recognized,
well, that's Herod's place. He's in charge of that place. Well, Pilate sent the Lord Jesus
Christ to Herod. And Herod, the Bible says, he
was happy to see him. He thought he was going to see
some miracle. And he questioned him. The Lord
answered him not a word. That's what the Bible said. The
Lord answered him nothing. Could your situation be any worse? Could it? Could your situation,
my situation, ever be any worse if God does not speak to us? He doesn't have to. He doesn't
speak to everyone. Now, I realize he speaks to us
through his word, and so all of us here today, we have the
written word of God. But only God, the Holy Spirit,
is able to take this written word and make it effectual in
our hearts. Oh, I'm a preacher, I can talk,
I can speak, and I can speak to the outward ear, but only
God can speak to the heart. This woman came and she bowed
down and She besought him to cast the devil out of her daughter,
and he answered her, not a word. Denial number one. Now the second denial, she followed
crying after him and his disciples in the way. Now the disciples,
they asked the Lord to send her away, no doubt, Give her what
she's asking for. Do what she's asking for. But
just send her away. And the Lord spoke and he said,
I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That's the second denial. She
cried after them in the way. And yet the Lord said, I am not
sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Let's think about those words
just a moment. I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. He was sent. He was sent. The scriptures, he said that. John chapter three in verse 17,
he said, for God sent not his son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through him might be saved. The world was already condemned.
In fact, that next verse reveals to us the world was condemned
from the beginning in our head, that is, in Adam. When Adam sinned,
the world became under, or came under condemnation, all the world,
no exceptions. He did not come into this world
to condemn the world. He was not sent into this world
to condemn the world. Let me show you a verse in 1
John, if you will, 1 John chapter four. He was sent, he was sent
into this world, but he told this woman, I am not sent, but
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In 1 John, if you will, chapter
4, I want to read two verses here,
verse 9 and 10. And this was manifested, the
love of God toward us, because that God sent, God sent his only
begotten son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and
sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Now, when we read
that he was sent, this, of course, reminds us that he came into
this world as the servant of Jehovah, God's servant. He was
sent to be the propitiation for our sins. What then do his words
here mean when he says, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel? In his office work, we know as
a mediator, he has three offices. He's prophet, he's priest, and
he's king. Now, in his office as priest,
he was sent into this world to be the propitiation for our sins,
not just for the elect people among the Jews, but even among
the Gentiles. Because there's only one propitiation,
one sacrifice that satisfied God for the sins of his people.
But in his office as prophet, as prophet, He was only sent
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now, you find this
also in Romans chapter 15, when Paul tells us, now say that Jesus
Christ was a minister, a minister, a preacher. He was a minister
of the circumcision, that is to the Jews, for the truth of
God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. So we would
say in his office work as priest, he was sent to redeem his lost
sheep among every kindred and tribe and people. But as prophet,
in his ministry as a prophet, he was sent only to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. His ministry, as far as preaching,
was not among the Gentiles. Now later, of course, we recognize
and thank God he sent his disciples into all the world, not just
among the Jews. But the first time he sent them
out, he told them not to go into the way of the Gentiles. He was
a minister of the circumcision, that is, of the Jews. Here's the third denial. She
came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. Here's the third
denial. He said, let the children first
be filled, for it is not meet to take the children's bread
and cast it unto dogs. Now, it's clear, it's clear that
by children, he's referring to the Jews, the children. unto them pertained the adoption.
On the children, he's referring to the dogs, he's referring to
Gentiles. And that was a common way that
the Jews addressed all Gentiles. If you were not a Jew, as far
as they were concerned, you were a dog, a Gentile dog. And our Lord used the same language
here. I don't think he was speaking
reproachfully of any nationality, but he was using the common language
that the Jews used. The children refer to the Jews,
the dogs refer to the Gentiles, the bread, the bread. He said, let the children first
be filled, for it's not me to take the children's bread and
cast it under the dog. The bread, of course, represents
the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ, he is
the bread of life. In John chapter six he said,
he's the true bread which came down from heaven to give life
unto the world. In that same passage he said,
whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath life eternal. If you look in John chapter six,
let me point this out because Sometimes people do not fully
understand what it means to come to Christ, to eat his flesh and
drink his blood. You come to Christ by believing
on Christ. To as many as received him, to
them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name. To receive Christ, to come to
Christ, to feed on Christ. These are all words that are
saying the same thing, and that is by faith, by faith we believe,
we trust in Him. How do we eat His flesh and drink
His blood? By faith, not by some ordinance,
not by taking the Lord's Supper, not by eating bread and wine
or anything like that, no. By trusting in Him. As all our
salvation, as our Savior, we eat His flesh and drink His blood. And we don't do that just one
time. We don't do it just one time a week. When God reveals
your need and you're hungry, what do you do? You eat. And God's people are always hungry.
We're always needy. We're always needy. Why? Because
we live in a body that still has a nature of sin. So, Shemeth's third denial. It's not meat, he said. Let the
children first be filled, for it is not meat to take the children's
bread and cast it unto dogs. You know, the gospel was first
preached to the Jews. Even when the Apostle Paul wrote
the letter of Romans, he said, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The gospel was preached to the
Jews first. The bread was for the children
first. Not me to take the children's
bread and cast it to the dogs. She might have reasoned. I said
she might have reasoned. She might have reasoned, then
when is my time coming? If first, if first the bread
goes to the children and then to the dogs, and you're referring
to me as a dog, as a gentile, when does my time come? But no, she didn't do that, did
she? She had a need, an urgent need. Her daughter was possessed
of a devil. When the Lord Jesus Christ said,
let the children be filled first, he didn't put a period then. He didn't end his sentence then.
Let the children be filled first. But he continued, for it is not
meat to take the children's bread and cast it unto dogs. Truth,
Lord! Yea, Lord, that's true. Yet, yet, even the dogs eat of
the crumbs which fall." Now notice, from their master's table. Yes,
he's the master of the children, but he's also the master of the
dogs. In other words, he's God Almighty. He's Lord over all. And Lord,
all I need is a crumb. Now the only way she, when she
called him Lord, Lord, help me. She said in that title that she
recognized that he had the power to grant her request. And what
would seem like a crumb to him, It's like if you were tipping,
say you were at a restaurant and you were tipping the waitress,
she'd given you good service, and your bill, let's say, was
$35, and you give her $100 tip. What if Bill Gates was there?
Now, Bill Gates, he could give her $10,000 tip, right? And probably
wouldn't miss that as much as you would the $100. She recognized
that just a crumb from his table because of who he is. That's all I need. Now, if it
was anyone else's table, I'd need a whole loaf of bread. And
then they couldn't help me. But saying who you are, just
a crumb. The dogs eat the crumbs, just
a crumb. Great, our Lord, great is thy
faith, O woman. You know, the Lord, we read,
he only was amazed at two things. He was amazed at this woman's
faith, and he was amazed at the unbelief of the Jews. Two things. He was amazed at
the unbelief, and he was amazed at faith, both times. that he called people or said
they had great faith, they were Gentiles. This woman and Centurion
later on, they were Gentiles and yet they had great faith.
You know, it should be, it should be, it's not, but it should be
the easiest thing in the world to believe. Right? To believe God. He cannot lie. He cannot fail. He's never going
to make a promise that he cannot make good. Should be the easiest
thing in the world to believe. But faith is a gift of God. Faith
comes from God. This woman believed God and she
had her need met. Just a crumb, that's all. Now
let me say hurriedly, there's another part of my message. There's
three obvious lessons about prayer. Number one, there is what we
call importune prayer. That means we continue to pray. If this woman had stopped after
the first denial, her daughter would not have been depossessed
of the devil. No, but she came a second time.
She came a third time. And when we pray, our Lord gave
several parables showing us when you ask and keep on asking, knock
and keep on knocking, seek and keep on seeking, there is importunate
prayer. And then there's also intercessory
prayer. You notice when she came, she
didn't have, the devil didn't possess her. The devil was in
her daughter, but when she approaches the Lord, it is, Lord, help me. Intercessory prayer. She prayed
for her daughter, just like she was the one. And there's submission
and prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ, and this
is our example as in all things, when he prayed, he said, oh my
father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt. There is submission in prayer. And then lastly, there's sovereignty,
God's sovereignty in prayer. This woman, came three times,
and I could not help but think that the Apostle Paul tells us
that he had a thorn in his flesh, and he besought the Lord three
times that the thorn be removed. And God said no. Now God answered
his prayer. My grace is sufficient for you.
This woman, she came three times, and the Lord granted her request. God is sovereign in all things,
and he's certainly sovereign in the way that he answers our
prayers. And that's part of being submitted
to him, isn't it? Not my will, but thy will be
done. I pray that the Lord would bless
these thoughts Words to all of us here today. If you get nothing else, get
this. Your problem, no matter what it is, not too little, it's
not too big. Casting your care upon him, for
he careth for you. We're going to sing this hymn
number 242, hymn number 242, and then we'll be dismissed.