SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that time of worship, and I want you to remember those songs, God is Good.
SPEAKER_01: We're going to build on that in just a moment.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 15.
SPEAKER_01: As we're working through this discover Jesus and we're covering his life from Christmas to Easter, we're not necessarily going to do that all in sequential order because sometimes we really need to grab that picture that helps us understand who Jesus is throughout the course of his life.
SPEAKER_01: And so here in Matthew chapter 15, we have an iconic story, and it's a little bit interesting because it doesn't make sense to us at our first reading, but it illustrates for us, when we understand this passage, this most important truth that Jesus' work is always to call us to a decision of faith in Him.
SPEAKER_01: That's what Jesus is always about.
SPEAKER_01: That's what he is always doing.
SPEAKER_01: And to understand in every moment what Jesus is doing, you must get in your mind that his entire purpose is when he is dealing with us in our lives or a person in their life, he is calling them to a decision of faith in himself.
SPEAKER_01: Now I want you to read with me in Genesis chapter 15.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus has been well into his ministry at this point.
SPEAKER_01: He's been preaching, he's been healing.
SPEAKER_01: Crowds are flocking to him.
SPEAKER_01: He's entered that space now where he's really become famous, and people are drawn to him for all kinds of reasons.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, he's beginning to separate a little bit because there's so many people who are just coming to him as the healer or whatever, and he is trying to manage that confusion, and he wants people to understand the real purpose why he came, so that we would place our faith in him as our Savior.
SPEAKER_01: And so, because of the pressure and the time of all this, here's another example of Jesus getting away to separate himself and kind of gather himself physically, spiritually, to strengthen himself, get past the exhaustion of the crowds and the ministry and all of that.
SPEAKER_01: And those times are important for all of us, and Jesus models them.
SPEAKER_01: So that's what's happening here.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says in verse 21, when Jesus left where he was, he was in the northern part of Israel, that he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.
SPEAKER_01: Now that's important.
SPEAKER_01: What that means is he is going north out of what would be considered Israel then, into what we would consider today Lebanon.
SPEAKER_01: Which means he is going into a pagan area, a non-Jewish area, a place where the nationality and the people groups in that area worshipped all kinds of pagan and false gods that you'll remember from times in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_01: And so here's what he says.
SPEAKER_01: Just then a Canaanite woman.
SPEAKER_01: What that means is, you remember the Old Testament, the idea of the land of Canaan, all in that Middle East there, and the Israelites come in and they capture much of that land.
SPEAKER_01: And uh, but it was referred to as Canaan before it was referred to as the land of Israel.
SPEAKER_01: And so what Matthew is telling us here, remember, Matthew writes his gospel primarily to a Jewish audience, helping them understand that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: And so he uses the term Canaanite to let them know this is a Gentile woman, not a woman who lives in the nation of Israel, and she is not of Jewish nationality or descent.
SPEAKER_01: And that's important in a moment.
SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
SPEAKER_01: Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and kept crying out, Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David, my daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.
SPEAKER_01: Yet Jesus did not say a word to her.
SPEAKER_01: That's a little bit not the picture we normally have of Jesus, right?
SPEAKER_01: It gets worse in our minds.
SPEAKER_01: So his disciples approach Jesus and they urge him, send her away because she cries out after us.
SPEAKER_01: So his disciples are frustrated by this woman and they just want to get her out of the way.
SPEAKER_01: They just like, make her go away.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we came here to rest.
SPEAKER_01: She's messing up our vacation.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus replied, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, he's saying, I'm the Jewish Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: I came through the promises of Abraham and David and all of that.
SPEAKER_01: And so he is beginning to set up a test for his disciples here.
SPEAKER_01: It sounds awful.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is saying, I only came for the Jews and I didn't come for these pagans like this woman.
SPEAKER_01: But we'll learn more as the story unfolds.
SPEAKER_01: But she came and she knelt before Jesus and she said, Lord, help me.
SPEAKER_01: This woman will not give up.
SPEAKER_01: He answered, and now he speaks to her.
SPEAKER_01: It isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to their dogs.
SPEAKER_01: Not the picture of Jesus we normally have, right?
SPEAKER_01: Yes, Lord, she says, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.
SPEAKER_01: Then Jesus replied to her, Woman, your faith is great.
SPEAKER_01: Let it be done for you as you want.
SPEAKER_01: Now, man, that's an incredible statement.
SPEAKER_01: She's crying out for her daughter to be healed, but Jesus opens the doors of heaven and he says, Your heart's desire, have it.
SPEAKER_01: Have it because of your great faith.
SPEAKER_01: And from that moment, her daughter was cured.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this is a fascinating story.
SPEAKER_01: And it really is an incredible one to grapple with because it helps us understand the nature and the character and the purpose and the methodology of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, this story is a little off-putting because you think, well, Jesus is not responding the way I normally would.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he ignores this woman and lets his disciples try to get him to let him go away, and uh, and then he calls her a dog and, you know, all this kind of stuff going on.
SPEAKER_01: And then it sort of looks like he just heals her because, like, okay, fine, whatever.
SPEAKER_01: If you'll just be quiet, I'll heal you.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's the kind of way the story looks.
SPEAKER_01: And it's really important for us to understand what's really going on culturally here in this story because it helps us understand a picture of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Now, it's also interesting because in our culture today, there are so many people who misunderstand who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, I that sort of my study method when I'm studying these scriptures, I spend time and I read through it and I pray through it and I try to get figure it out and work through it and all that.
SPEAKER_01: And after I've spent enough time with it, then I go to like commentaries or different things because I'm trying to make sure that I'm in the right track and I'm not abusing the picture of this scripture.
SPEAKER_01: And so one of the things I did just for fun was I Googled this story, right?
SPEAKER_01: And now, since AI is taking over the world and it's taking over our phones and all this kind of stuff, AI now produces the first one or two sort of responses to your Google deal.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this is not a negative AI thing, and so all you tech geeks out there don't get weird, okay?
SPEAKER_01: Like I'm it's cool, like it's good, fine, whatever.
SPEAKER_01: But here's what happens: what it illustrates is why it's so important that we understand who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_01: All of the first several responses that came up from that Google request, they were things like this Jesus relented to this woman and was convinced to heal her daughter.
SPEAKER_01: Or Jesus started out with this whole Jew thing, and I'm only here for the Jews, and just because this woman's story was so tragic, the heart of Jesus was convinced to go extend his mercy or whatever.
SPEAKER_01: And there's all these weird answers that go on there.
SPEAKER_01: And really, what AI does is it captures all of this stuff, it searches all this stuff that's already out there, and then it synthesizes it and pulls it together, which tells you there's a whole bunch of stuff in our culture that doesn't understand who Jesus is and what's happening.
SPEAKER_01: We had an event this week that illustrates.
SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm not meaning this to be political, I'm not meaning this to be negative or whatever.
SPEAKER_01: So please just work with me.
SPEAKER_01: Be mature in this illustration.
SPEAKER_01: This week at the prayer breakfast, when the priest from Episcopal Bishop or whatever launches into the idea of show mercy to these people and these people and these people.
SPEAKER_01: Again, I'm not trying to be critical about her or whatever, but that thought process is a common thought process in our culture.
SPEAKER_01: That was not just a random comment.
SPEAKER_01: There are people that have this image of Jesus and they have changed or watered down the idea of mercy that it's somehow being gracious to people.
SPEAKER_01: Or it's allow them to have a sense of their own where they are and make them feel better about it and ease their struggle in the midst of their whatever.
SPEAKER_01: And you hear that all around.
SPEAKER_01: People will talk about Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: It's interesting that now we have this conversation about Jesus going on so much in our culture now, which is praise the Lord, but it also shows us that we have to understand who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_01: Because these ideas that Jesus is this gracious, careful person, and he just loved people and he touched these people and healed them and whatever, is a misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what he is about.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, in this story, what you see illustrated is truth number one, the purpose of Jesus is always about salvation decisions.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is always designed in his conversations, in his meetings, in his interactions, he deals with them personally where they are with a singular focus of their faith decision to trust him as Savior.
SPEAKER_01: That's why Jesus is willing to step into any circumstance and use that for his purpose to bring them to salvation.
SPEAKER_01: Mercy is not be nice to people that we disagree with.
SPEAKER_01: Mercy is not allow someone who is confused or struggling or in a situation and just make them feel better about where they are.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus loves us more than that.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus loves us so much, he does not want us to spend an eternity separated from God in hell.
SPEAKER_01: Mercy, scripturally, the mercy that Jesus brings is we deserve to spend an eternity in hell for our sins because all of us have rejected God and gone our own way.
SPEAKER_01: But God's mercy for us is that Jesus went to the cross and died in our place to offer us a means of salvation so I don't have to pay the price that I deserve to pay.
SPEAKER_01: We all deserve to be judged for our sin.
SPEAKER_01: And mercy is not some generalized, we're gonna make you feel better or bless you in your sin and your struggle.
SPEAKER_01: Mercy is Jesus wading in to the difficulties of your life and your question and everything else with the purpose to save your soul for eternity.
SPEAKER_01: And if Jesus has to confront our sin and challenge where we are to make sure that we understand, we're gonna die and go to hell if we don't accept him as our Savior.
SPEAKER_01: As we have sung today, he is good.
SPEAKER_01: He is good.
SPEAKER_01: And goodness is not to leave someone in their confusion or their difficulty or affirm their struggles or their sin or their lifestyle or whatever it is.
SPEAKER_01: Goodness is to help them understand there is a way for you to be forgiven, for your sins to be paid for, and for you to be in a right relationship with God.
SPEAKER_01: To know him as your father, to be forgiven, to be saved, and to be saved from an eternity in hell and spend an eternity in heaven with him.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is always about that.
SPEAKER_01: And when you see a story like this and you you struggle with why is he handling it this way, you see at the end of this that Jesus is good and he has a purpose in what he's doing.
SPEAKER_01: He's not confused, he's not lost, he's not being convinced, he's not discovering something, he's not figuring something out.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is on purpose from his goodness through this whole story to reach into this woman's life and use this situation to encourage her faith and strengthen her decision and faith to trust him as her Savior.
SPEAKER_01: So, truth number one is that is always what Jesus is doing.
SPEAKER_01: He is always focused on our salvation and not our comfort or our circumstances or anything else.
SPEAKER_01: And it's shocking sometimes when you see this story.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus doesn't say a word.
SPEAKER_01: Then he ignores her and interacts with his disciples, and he comes up with this like, I didn't come for like pagans, I didn't come for all this, I just came for Jewish people.
SPEAKER_01: And she doesn't know what's happening, but she knows and understands that this is the Son of God, the Son of David, and she's coming to him, and she's not going to let go.
SPEAKER_01: And what he is doing is interacting in a way.
SPEAKER_01: Then when he challenges her and talks to her, he is interacting with her in a way that draws her salvation.
SPEAKER_01: I've been praying about this this week, and we've been singing about the goodness of God, and it's really been it's really struck me as I'm trying to help people understand the purpose of what Jesus is doing.
SPEAKER_01: If you think about all of his interactions throughout his ministry and the stories that you have, the rich young ruler, he challenges him and what's in his heart, trying to get him to understand what true salvation is and how to inherit eternal life.
SPEAKER_01: When a Roman centurion comes to him and they have this interaction, Jesus is working with him to challenge his faith and to see that he understands Jesus is the Savior.
SPEAKER_01: When people are broken and they're hurting, like the leopard who comes to Jesus and says, Are you willing to heal me?
SPEAKER_01: Jesus deals with him in a very personal and unique way that strengthens his faith.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, Yes, I am willing.
SPEAKER_01: And he literally touches him and hugs him to show him the love that is the question in the man's life.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus steps into each person's life and he interacts with them in a way, even if it seems difficult or off-putting or strange or I don't understand what's happening, I may not understand the first moments of that interaction, but I can trust in the goodness of Jesus that he is about one thing, and that is to save us and to reach us.
SPEAKER_01: As I was thinking through that this week, I was in Dave's office, Pastor Dave's office, and he's hanging all this stuff on his walls, and everybody's like, did we finally drive Dave crazy?
SPEAKER_01: He's banging his head against the wall in his office all day.
SPEAKER_01: And one of the things he hung on his wall is one of my favorite quotes from the book, The Chronicles of Narnia, and there's a picture of Aslan the Lion.
SPEAKER_01: And if you know the stories, you know that Aslan is a picture of Jesus, and there's the quote on there that says, He is not safe, but he is good.
SPEAKER_01: And then we spent the weekend with our kids in North Little Rock, babysitting and playing with Killy and our grandson and all of that.
SPEAKER_01: And our daughter, because of the love that we all have for the Chronicles of Narnia and all that, they decorated his nursery room, his bedroom, as a as the as Narnia.
SPEAKER_01: There's a forest and snow, and there's all this, and there's Aslan, and there's all these things.
SPEAKER_01: And Janet did this incredible picture of the uh voyage of the Dawn Treader, where she literally has a ship coming out of the picture and waterfalls of water and 3D relief coming out of the picture, if you know the story.
SPEAKER_01: It's awesome.
SPEAKER_01: And the more I'm in there and the more I'm around him, I'm just struck, and I keep thinking, he is not safe, but he is good, and what that story means.
SPEAKER_01: And when you get a picture like this of Jesus, you think, why is he doing that?
SPEAKER_01: What why is he putting her off?
SPEAKER_01: Why is he, why is he calling her a dog?
SPEAKER_01: What's happening in this moment?
SPEAKER_01: And it just reminded me that it is so easy for people who don't know Jesus to misunderstand who he is.
SPEAKER_01: And I found just something, it was it was a blessing to me to read this, and I just kind of want to share this with you because I want you to get this picture of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: So many times we think, why do these negative things happen to me?
SPEAKER_01: Or why won't Jesus answer this prayer?
SPEAKER_01: Or why won't Jesus change this?
SPEAKER_01: And we've got to understand that he is always good, pulling us to a decision of faith that draws us to him.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the interaction when that occurs.
SPEAKER_01: If you know the story of the Chronicles of Narnia, Lucy has gone through the wardrobe and she's met Mr.
SPEAKER_01: Tumnus and seen Narnia, and she goes back and he gets her brothers and sisters, and they all go in, and things begin to become dangerous and difficult, and the Beaver family rescues them, sort of takes them back to their house to hide them.
SPEAKER_01: And they have this conversation and they start talking about Azlan.
SPEAKER_01: Aslan is this fierce lion who is a picture of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: C.S.
SPEAKER_01: Lewis took that statement from Scripture and the picture in Revelation chapter 5, where he says, Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah, has brought about our salvation.
SPEAKER_01: And he builds that into a picture to help us understand Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: When they first hear about Aslan, Susan, the older sister, says, Is he quite safe?
SPEAKER_01: I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.
SPEAKER_01: Mrs.
SPEAKER_01: Beaver says, if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or just plain silly.
SPEAKER_01: Lucy says, then he isn't safe?
SPEAKER_01: And Mr.
SPEAKER_01: Beaver says, Safe?
SPEAKER_01: Who said anything about safe?
SPEAKER_01: Of course he isn't safe, but he's good.
SPEAKER_01: He's the king, I tell you.
SPEAKER_01: And later, C.
SPEAKER_01: S.
SPEAKER_01: Lewis says this about Jesus in explaining that picture.
SPEAKER_01: The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go, his love for us does not.
SPEAKER_01: It is not wearied by our sins or our indifferent.
SPEAKER_01: And therefore, his love is quite relentless in its determination that we should be cured of those sins at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to him.
SPEAKER_01: You see, Jesus looks at this woman and he knows in a short period of time, I'm going to die for your sins on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And I know the situation that you're in is difficult, but I need you to understand that it does not do any good to heal your daughter or cast out the demon, and then a few years later, both of you die and go to hell.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus didn't come to make the earth a better place to go to hell from.
SPEAKER_01: He's not the captain of the Titanic rearranging the deck chairs before we all die, and it's a better, more pleasant experience when we crash and drown.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to save us for eternity, and so his moment, his purpose in these moments is to bring us to a decision of faith and interact with each of us personally so that he is speaking to us and we understand our faith.
SPEAKER_01: So how does that work in this situation?
SPEAKER_01: What's he doing in this moment?
SPEAKER_01: Well, he's got two things he's doing.
SPEAKER_01: First of all, he is going to make sure that she understands that he is the savior and that she trusts him as the savior.
SPEAKER_01: And then he is going to help his disciples understand in this moment.
SPEAKER_01: Look, fellas, we came for everybody.
SPEAKER_01: And that whole get rid of the pagans and people are not Jewish and all that kind of stuff, you're going to have to come to grips with that and understand that God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
SPEAKER_01: This is one of those pictures that reminds us that Jesus came for everyone, that he died for everyone to give everyone an opportunity to be saved.
SPEAKER_01: In Jewish culture at this time, they felt like the Messiah was coming back, and they misunderstood many of them that he was coming back as the Son of David to reestablish the throne of David, to overthrow the yoke of Rome and to make us this great kingdom in the world again.
SPEAKER_01: No, that whole process was just a process to bring the Savior into the world, but the Savior was brought into the world for all the world.
SPEAKER_01: He used the Jewish people to Bring him to the world, but he was brought for everyone.
SPEAKER_01: Remember, we looked at the lineage of Jesus, and in the lineage of Jesus are Gentiles who were brought in to show that Jesus was a savior for all.
SPEAKER_01: Up to this point, he's already interacted with two other Gentiles.
SPEAKER_01: The woman at the well that we refer to was a woman in Samaria, and she was saved and made Jesus her Savior.
SPEAKER_01: And then he interacted with the Roman centurion that I mentioned a moment ago, and he was saved, and his faith was blessed.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the two people that Jesus tells them that their faith is the greatest, neither of them were Jewish.
SPEAKER_01: One was the Roman centurion and one was this woman.
SPEAKER_01: And so you know when you see the end of the story that he is working with a purpose, even if it seems strange in how he gets there.
SPEAKER_01: And so he first makes her wait.
SPEAKER_01: And listen, we need to understand when you come to the Lord and pray, if he is making you wait, he is good and there is a purpose.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the Bible says in the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, there's a whole discourse about waiting on God.
SPEAKER_01: And one of my favorite verses as a child growing up, Isaiah 40, 31, but they that wait upon the Lord, he will renew their strength.
SPEAKER_01: He literally gives you the strength to wait so that he can accomplish the purpose he's doing in the waiting.
SPEAKER_01: But they that wait upon the Lord, he shall renew their strength.
SPEAKER_01: They will mount up with wings as eagles, they will walk and not be fiery, they will run, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.
SPEAKER_01: He is waiting, but he actually, in his goodness, is giving us the strength to wait.
SPEAKER_01: So it may look at first blush like Jesus is holding this woman back, but what he's actually doing is allowing her to exercise her faith and continue to pursue him and strengthen her focus on him and realize more and more and more that I am not going to leave because he is my only hope.
SPEAKER_01: And in this waiting, he is building her faith and growing it.
SPEAKER_01: In this waiting, he is also using her testimony to impact others.
SPEAKER_01: You see, the disciples are still in that Jewish mode and they're still learning and they're still thinking, you know, it's cool that Jesus saved one or two like, you know, Gentile people, but like he really is our Savior.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, in our Sunday school class this morning, if you're not in Sunday school, if you're not in a Sunday school group, you're missing incredible things.
SPEAKER_01: We have some fabulous Bible teachers in our church, and I just want to encourage you, if you're not in one, you too bad for you because you're missing out.
SPEAKER_01: Our teacher in our class this morning, not me, somebody else teaching, we went to Acts chapter 10 and we looked at the story where a man named Cornelius, who was a Roman, came to Peter and God gave him a vision, and he says, Look, I'm tired of y'all not going into the uttermost part of the earth.
SPEAKER_01: I'm tired of y'all stuck on this, you know, national Israel Jewish thing, and so I'm just going to make it clear.
SPEAKER_01: And so he gives him a vision.
SPEAKER_01: He brings Cornelius, Peter, and all of a sudden Peter says in a fascinating picture, I finally understand.
SPEAKER_01: Go back and look at it, Acts chapter 10.
SPEAKER_01: I finally, fully understand that Jesus came for the nations.
SPEAKER_01: You think, well, you are here.
SPEAKER_01: Like, why did it take you so long?
SPEAKER_01: I'm glad I'm not the only slow learner in the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: He is working with the disciples, and that's why he turns to them and he gives them this lost sheep of the house of Israel.
SPEAKER_01: He's not offending her, he's not downgrading her, he's not dealing with her, he is giving her the strength to wait, and while her faith is growing, he is using her faith to challenge theirs and to grow theirs.
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes God may be waiting in your life, he's doing something in your life because he's going to use you and your circumstance to impact someone else.
SPEAKER_01: And if we forget that God is not good, and if we forget that Jesus is not about this specific work, we're going to miss opportunities for God to work with us.
SPEAKER_01: What's scary, Pastor?
SPEAKER_01: And this waiting and this struggle, he may not seem safe to you, but he's always good.
SPEAKER_01: He's always good.
SPEAKER_01: What's this conversation about the dogs?
SPEAKER_01: Again, culturally, you have to understand, the Jews also often referred to other nations as dogs.
SPEAKER_01: And when they would use that word, it was the word for one of these mangy, feral dogs that ate out of the garbage and attacked people and all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_01: Dogs.
SPEAKER_01: They're dogs.
SPEAKER_01: This is a different word that Jesus uses.
SPEAKER_01: And he's about to set up a conversation to test her and to make sure that she understands.
SPEAKER_01: And so he creates this scenario.
SPEAKER_01: It isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to their puppies sitting under the family dinner table.
SPEAKER_01: That's the word that he uses.
SPEAKER_01: It's not the word dog, and he's not insulting her.
SPEAKER_01: He's painting a family picture, and the dog is in the house.
SPEAKER_01: It's a part of the family.
SPEAKER_01: It's a part of the provision.
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have the first primary purpose that the child does.
SPEAKER_01: But you dog people, you love your kid, your dogs almost as much as your kids.
SPEAKER_01: Like it's weird.
SPEAKER_01: Like y'all have health insurance for your dogs.
SPEAKER_01: You take them on airplanes.
SPEAKER_01: The last airplane I was on, somebody had a Labrador retriever sitting in the aisleway and they're not even wide enough for our legs.
SPEAKER_01: And you got a lab sitting in the middle of this row in the middle of like, what is that about?
SPEAKER_01: And don't challenge somebody with a dog on an airplane because they'll throw you off.
SPEAKER_01: Now I love dogs.
SPEAKER_01: Don't think I don't like dogs.
SPEAKER_01: I'm allergic to dogs.
SPEAKER_01: If I come to your house and you have a dog, I'm probably going to be in the hospital two hours later because I can't breathe.
SPEAKER_01: But dogs are great, right?
SPEAKER_01: I love dogs.
SPEAKER_01: But here's what he's saying: that dog, he's painting that picture.
SPEAKER_01: You love these dogs.
SPEAKER_01: They're a part of your house.
SPEAKER_01: That has been the same in every culture.
SPEAKER_01: Archaeologists show us pictures of dogs and their love and their place and homes and families and all of that.
SPEAKER_01: And what Jesus is saying, he is not putting her off.
SPEAKER_01: He is trying to make sure she understands.
SPEAKER_01: And so he says, Listen, I'm the Jewish Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: Why am I going to feed you before I feed the children?
SPEAKER_01: And she understands and shows, yes, you're the Jewish Messiah, but you came for all of us.
SPEAKER_01: I know you are starting with them, but they're the path to get to all of us.
SPEAKER_01: And so, in your scenario, Jesus, I understand your picture, and I'm not offended.
SPEAKER_01: I know that you are testing me to see if I understand that I can be in the family.
SPEAKER_01: And she picks up his illustration and says, but hey, they eat off the table just like the kids do.
SPEAKER_01: The kids slip them food underneath, crumbs fall in.
SPEAKER_01: Nobody stops the dog from eating at the same table and being a part of that.
SPEAKER_01: And what she is saying is, I understand that you came through them and first for them, but I believe that you came for all of us.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus says, Great is your faith because you understand exactly what's happening.
SPEAKER_01: This is a woman who owns this moment.
SPEAKER_01: She recognizes that Jesus is not offending her, that Jesus is helping her understand, and he's drawing her in, and he understands her faith, and he is capturing this truth with her.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I came for you, and I need you to understand that I came for you and who I am, and he engages in this exchange to draw her through.
SPEAKER_01: And we may be offended about how Jesus is handling this woman, but she was not offended.
SPEAKER_01: She was blessed because she understood, and Jesus was opening the door, and she stepped through and she trusted Jesus as her savior.
SPEAKER_01: You may not understand what Jesus is doing in the first part of the moment, but you can trust the heart of Jesus that he is working to build your faith.
SPEAKER_01: And someone who does not know Christ as their savior, someone who is lost, they don't need some sanitized, ridiculous, liberal theology of the mercy of God.
SPEAKER_01: If they are lost and have not had Jesus as their savior, they need to understand that you're going to die and you're going to go to hell and spend an eternity separated from God.
SPEAKER_01: But his mercy for you is not to make you feel better, his mercy for you is to send Jesus to the cross to take your sin on himself, pay the full wrath and punishment of God on the cross, rise again, conquering death and sin, and come to offer you what you don't deserve.
SPEAKER_01: And to give you mercy and take away what you do deserve.
SPEAKER_01: That is what the mercy of God is.
SPEAKER_01: And there is no other biblical definition.
SPEAKER_01: And when people paint these other pictures of Jesus, listen, Jesus will wade into someone's life, and if he has to offend them, he will.
SPEAKER_01: The rich young ruler.
SPEAKER_01: How do I inherit eternal life?
SPEAKER_01: Keep the commandments, Jesus tells him.
SPEAKER_01: He says, Well, I've kept all the commandments.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus ain't gonna bless him for being a good guy because he's still going to hell.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus steps into his life and says, Okay, big boy, let's try this one on precise.
SPEAKER_01: And he puts his finger right on the man's doubt and question.
SPEAKER_01: Because he loves him.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the Luke version of the story says, Jesus looked at him, comma, loved him, and said, Jesus is not going to let you in ignorance miss the understanding of what God's mercy is.
SPEAKER_01: But he is going to wade into that, whatever it feels like, to bring you to that place of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: He may not always seem safe, but he is always good.
SPEAKER_01: And when Jesus steps in and offers you salvation, how do we make a choice of faith to trust him?
SPEAKER_01: It's very simple.
SPEAKER_01: It is illustrated here.
SPEAKER_01: And if you'll take these four principles, if you'll understand what it means to trust him and take these four principles, you can run them through every single interaction that Jesus has with every person that's described in all four Gospels.
SPEAKER_01: In every instance, first, they have to acknowledge Him as Lord.
SPEAKER_01: We have started a study in the men's business luncheon on Tuesday.
SPEAKER_01: I'd love to invite you.
SPEAKER_01: We're going through Hebrews chapter 11, the Hall of Faith, that we call sometimes that, the Faith Hall of Fame or whatever.
SPEAKER_01: And it says in there very clearly what faith is.
SPEAKER_01: Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
SPEAKER_01: That's why Jesus is working to build her faith.
SPEAKER_01: He who would come to God must believe two things, that he is God, and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.
SPEAKER_01: That's what the Bible tells us faith is.
SPEAKER_01: And so in this woman's life, he is trying to determine does she understand I am God?
SPEAKER_01: She three times refers to Jesus as Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And the first time she really shows why she's come to Jesus, and Jesus hears it and understands, and that's why he knows he has something to work with, and he knows exactly how to strengthen her faith and pull it out of her more.
SPEAKER_01: When she first comes to him, she says in verse 22, Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David.
SPEAKER_01: That is a very specific and common reference to the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: It is repeated throughout the book of Matthew multiple times.
SPEAKER_01: It's used in Luke, it's used in Mark.
SPEAKER_01: It is a very common understanding.
SPEAKER_01: He is the Son of David.
SPEAKER_01: That is built on the Davidic covenant that the Messiah would come through him.
SPEAKER_01: And when she says that, he knows, even as a pagan person, she has sorted through who this Jesus person is.
SPEAKER_01: This Jesus person that she'd come.
SPEAKER_01: Her fake religions that she'd sorted out, and she had realized he is the Messiah that they speak of.
SPEAKER_01: And she specifically refers to him as son of David.
SPEAKER_01: So Jesus knows this is a woman who has a fledgling faith.
SPEAKER_01: She's come to me for this, and I'm going to strengthen and I'm going to grow that and pull that out of her.
SPEAKER_01: And two more times she refers to him as Lord.
SPEAKER_01: You will never be saved until you call Jesus Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Bible says in Romans 10 how we make a salvation decision.
SPEAKER_01: With our mouth, we confess him as Lord, and in our heart we believe God has raised him from the dead.
SPEAKER_01: You place your faith in what he's done and you confess him as Lord because of who he is.
SPEAKER_01: And she says, Jesus, you are Lord.
SPEAKER_01: If God is speaking in your life, whether it's a salvation decision or whether you're already a believer and you're struggling with a situation, you're trying to understand something, he's placed a call in your life to teach Sunday school or witness to a friend or invite somebody to church or whatever it is, listen, you first begin by making a choice of faith, by recognizing Jesus as Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And whatever he's asking me to do, whatever he's trying to do in my life, he is good.
SPEAKER_01: And there is a purpose in this, and I must follow it because he is Lord.
SPEAKER_01: He's not a teacher, he's not a historical figure, he's not a rabbi, he's not some interesting pulled together coalescing of different Jewish teachers or whatever anybody else says.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is the Son of God, he is eternal, he is the King of kings, and he is the Lord of Lords.
SPEAKER_01: That is who Jesus is, and that is the only person that Jesus is.
SPEAKER_01: He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.
SPEAKER_01: When she then humbles herself for him, the Bible says that she came and knelt before him when she approaches him.
SPEAKER_01: Now you've got to understand, again, in original language, this is a very specific description.
SPEAKER_01: She comes and she prostrates herself before Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: You are Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And she is on her face before God.
SPEAKER_01: Because he is God.
SPEAKER_01: In eternity, we are going to spend eternity worshiping Jesus in that fashion as the lion of the tribe of Judah who took away the sins of the world.
SPEAKER_01: And to come to Jesus, you must humble yourself before him.
SPEAKER_01: But the Bible tells us what that means.
SPEAKER_01: Humble yourself before God, and he will exalt you in due time.
SPEAKER_01: Cast your cares on him because he cares for you.
SPEAKER_01: So to come to Jesus, when he's speaking to you in your life, if you're going to be saved, if you're struggling with a salvation decision, you humble yourself to come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: If you are already a believer, listen, you humbled yourself already when you came to him and made him your Savior.
SPEAKER_01: Don't get up off your knees now when he's trying to do some work in your life.
SPEAKER_01: You have to place your total dependence on him.
SPEAKER_01: What's all this business about?
SPEAKER_01: She keeps coming back and keeps coming back.
SPEAKER_01: She won't let go because she knows she's got no other hope.
SPEAKER_01: She's not going anywhere else.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is not the next answer.
SPEAKER_01: He's not a possible answer.
SPEAKER_01: He's not her last resort.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is the only answer.
SPEAKER_01: Faith is not something that you conjure up and you have enough of to give to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Faith is simply a choice on who Jesus is and his strength.
SPEAKER_01: That's what faith is.
SPEAKER_01: It's just him.
SPEAKER_01: When a man named Jairus, whose daughter had died, came to Jesus and asked for healing.
SPEAKER_01: And in his journey, he was struggling with his faith.
SPEAKER_01: But because he was dependent on Jesus, he cried out and he said, Help my unbelief.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus says, I got you.
SPEAKER_01: I got you.
SPEAKER_01: And he carries him through and heals his daughter.
SPEAKER_01: And finally, you commit yourself to Jesus completely without reservation.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus knows her heart.
SPEAKER_01: Woman, your faith is great.
SPEAKER_01: She has prostrated herself before Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: She has pled for him.
SPEAKER_01: And here's one interesting last thought.
SPEAKER_01: This starts with her daughter who is demon-possessed, and like any other mother, you will move heaven and earth for your children.
SPEAKER_01: But look at what her cry is.
SPEAKER_01: In verse 25, she came and knelt before and she said, Lord, help me.
SPEAKER_01: Help me.
SPEAKER_01: This is her personal decision to trust in Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: It is her decision to place her reliance on him.
SPEAKER_01: It is her decision and all her responsibility as a mother and everything else, all of that that she carries.
SPEAKER_01: She comes to him and she says, I need you.
SPEAKER_01: This is personal to her.
SPEAKER_01: It's not only about her daughter, but it is, I need you.
SPEAKER_01: I can't carry my daughter.
SPEAKER_01: I can't heal my daughter.
SPEAKER_01: I can't meet those needs.
SPEAKER_01: I can't save myself.
SPEAKER_01: I can't do anything.
SPEAKER_01: But you are the son of David.
SPEAKER_01: You are the living God.
SPEAKER_01: You are the Messiah that God promised through the Jewish people.
SPEAKER_01: And I am casting my lot on you and nowhere else.
SPEAKER_01: And if Jesus, if you don't do this, it won't ever happen.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus says, Woman, your faith is great.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, this is the strongest affirmation of any person who places their faith in Jesus that we know in Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Is that incredible?
SPEAKER_01: It is so powerful, her trust in Jesus, that he says, I'm not just going to heal your daughter.
SPEAKER_01: Whatever your desire is, it's yours because you have given your heart to me.
SPEAKER_01: That's how you trust Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: That's the decision that God is trying to do in our lives.
SPEAKER_01: And when we come to these moments where I'm not sure what God is doing, I'm not sure if he's left me, I'm not sure why he's making me wait.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure why he's answering my questions.
SPEAKER_01: If you've never accepted Christ as your Savior and you're not sure all of this is true, listen, this is your story right here.
SPEAKER_01: What is true is that Jesus cares about your eternal soul, your life for eternity.
SPEAKER_01: He loves you so much.
SPEAKER_01: He died for you.
SPEAKER_01: And he is speaking into your life and he is orchestrating every circumstance that he can, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's challenging to you, because he is trying to get through to show you how much he loves you and how much he wants to save you.
SPEAKER_01: Respond to him today.
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, I'm going to invite you to come.
SPEAKER_01: If you're watching, right there where you are, you just kneel before Jesus and say, Lord, help me, just like this woman did.
SPEAKER_01: Call us, contact us, we'll walk with you, we'll answer your questions.
SPEAKER_01: Here in the room, if you've never accepted Christ, I'm going to invite you to come.
SPEAKER_01: In a moment, we're going to sing.
SPEAKER_01: Our pastors will be at the head of the aisles where you can get to them.
SPEAKER_01: You come and give your life to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: If you are already a believer, but you are in the throes of a decision or God's doing something in your life or you're struggling with something, see this woman who steps into this horrific moment and understands that God is at work to build her faith.
SPEAKER_01: And I want to encourage you to trust.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you for this incredible story and what the picture is.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you for pictures in Scripture like the lion and the tribe of Judah.
SPEAKER_01: Man, lions are big and they're scary and they're but they're powerful and they're kings and they conquer.
SPEAKER_01: And we're drawn to them.
SPEAKER_01: I pray today that people will be drawn to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Give us the freedom to respond.
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.