WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:07.980 Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:10.939 and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:15.759 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here, 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:19.539 and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.199 but because we're following Jesus together as one community, 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:27.960 and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced there's no one so good. 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:32.759 They don't need God's grace, and no one's so bad that they can't have it. 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:38.760 And so that's why we turn week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.219 We're continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark, 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:48.960 and you'll remember that the Gospels tell us the story of Jesus in His life and His death and His resurrection. 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.740 If you've looked at this morning's passage, you may have noticed something strange, 00:00:53.740 --> 00:01:00.400 which is that we ended chapter 6 last week, and suddenly we've jumped to verse 24 of chapter 7. 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:04.040 And so you might be thinking, what happened to 7, 1 through 23? 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:07.260 And the answer is we did cover it. We just covered it a little bit early. 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:11.379 When I was gone on vacation and Wes Cowton came here as a guest preacher, 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:13.939 he preached 7, 1 through 23. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:19.540 And so I figured I would spare you hearing the same passage preached twice in a six-week period. 00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:25.160 And so that's the reason we're moving to verse 24. 00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:30.480 Now, in the last couple portions that we've looked at in the Gospel of Mark, 00:01:30.520 --> 00:01:32.020 we've had these negative examples. 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.680 We talked last week about the negative example of the disciples 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:37.300 and the fact that they were hard-hearted. 00:01:37.740 --> 00:01:41.640 They did not understand that Jesus was the good shepherd who had come to care for them. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.280 And when you looked at 7, 1 through 23, 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:48.200 there was also the negative example of the Pharisees who were consumed, 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:50.500 not with hardness of heart, but self-righteousness. 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.079 They believed all that mattered was what was on the outside. 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:59.159 Jesus rebukes them and tells them that it's what's on the inside that's actually important. 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:02.060 And so now, after those two negative examples, 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:09.080 we're finally going to have a positive example of what it looks like to have great faith in Jesus. 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:12.759 The disciples had too low a view of Jesus. 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:16.180 The Pharisees had too high a view of themselves. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:21.860 Here we have a woman who, in the parallel passage in Matthew chapter 15, 00:02:22.420 --> 00:02:23.180 Jesus says, 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:25.760 O woman, great is your faith. 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:31.980 So we have just a simple question as we come to this passage this morning, 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:32.659 which is this, 00:02:32.760 --> 00:02:35.240 how do we have great faith? 00:02:37.260 --> 00:02:40.020 We're not going to be like the Pharisees or the disciples. 00:02:40.020 --> 00:02:46.200 Instead, we want to be people who see Jesus for who he truly is. 00:02:46.700 --> 00:02:51.160 And so it's for that reason we're going to turn now to Mark chapter 7. 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:54.160 As we turn, remember that this is God's word. 00:02:54.260 --> 00:02:57.300 And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold, 00:02:57.800 --> 00:02:58.920 even the finest gold, 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:00.580 and it's sweeter than honey, 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:04.200 even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb, 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:07.780 which is why we read now starting at verse 24. 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:13.719 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 00:03:14.399 --> 00:03:18.000 And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, 00:03:18.579 --> 00:03:19.959 yet he could not be hidden. 00:03:20.859 --> 00:03:25.839 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him 00:03:25.839 --> 00:03:28.099 and came and fell down at his feet. 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:32.259 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:36.439 and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:38.079 Verse 27. 00:03:39.019 --> 00:03:39.959 And he said to her, 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:42.280 Let the children be fed first, 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:47.919 for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:49.900 But she answered him, 00:03:50.079 --> 00:03:50.780 Yes, Lord. 00:03:51.459 --> 00:03:54.919 Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:56.819 And he said to her, 00:03:56.819 --> 00:03:59.500 For this statement you may go your way. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.599 The demon has left your daughter. 00:04:03.340 --> 00:04:06.719 And she went home and found the child lying in bed, 00:04:07.079 --> 00:04:08.979 and the demon gone. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.900 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word. 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:16.199 Our Father in Heaven, 00:04:16.539 --> 00:04:22.680 we praise you and thank you again for the miracle that you speak to us. 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:26.639 You're not a God who's far away and distant, 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:29.500 but you're a God who's close and near. 00:04:30.039 --> 00:04:33.560 And one of the ways that we know that is that you've given us your Word, 00:04:33.659 --> 00:04:35.019 that we could hear and learn. 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:37.800 And so we ask for that this morning, 00:04:37.919 --> 00:04:43.560 that you would use these words from hundreds of years ago 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:46.860 to make an impact on us and our lives, 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:48.459 that you would encourage us, 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.339 you challenge us, 00:04:50.339 --> 00:04:52.019 but even more than that, 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.959 you would help us to see Jesus for who he truly is 00:04:55.959 --> 00:05:00.819 and respond to him with joy and love and gratitude. 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:04.279 Now, we ask these things thankful again 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:06.639 that we don't have to earn them or deserve them, 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.019 but instead we simply ask them in Jesus' name. 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:09.959 Amen. 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:10.120 Amen. 00:05:13.739 --> 00:05:16.979 I'm wondering what you would say if someone asked you, 00:05:17.099 --> 00:05:22.120 what are the major challenges that Jesus faced in his ministry here on earth? 00:05:22.919 --> 00:05:24.620 Some of you might immediately think, 00:05:24.719 --> 00:05:27.159 well, he had this opposition from the Pharisees. 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:31.839 We might also think of the ways in which the disciples failed to understand him. 00:05:31.919 --> 00:05:33.659 They abandoned him in his darkest hour. 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:34.979 And those things would be true. 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:38.140 I don't want you to miss another challenge that Jesus had, 00:05:38.200 --> 00:05:39.680 though at least here in the Gospel of Mark, 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:43.360 we see Jesus had trouble finding time to eat. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:46.300 And we've seen that a couple times. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:50.520 Back in chapter 6, remember things were so bad, 00:05:50.580 --> 00:05:51.360 they were so hectic, 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:55.160 after his disciples returned from the mission that he had sent them out on, 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:56.920 that they didn't have time to eat. 00:05:57.020 --> 00:05:59.000 And that was when he pulled them away 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:00.920 and meant to go on a retreat, 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:03.280 and the 5,000 came and he had to feed them. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:05.739 And so there's a certain irony here that we didn't talk about, 00:06:05.799 --> 00:06:08.119 the fact that Jesus' disciples can't eat, 00:06:08.219 --> 00:06:11.159 and what they end up doing is having to feed other people in the midst of that. 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:13.819 That's not the only time we saw that, though. 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:16.139 Remember in chapter 3, the same thing happened. 00:06:16.219 --> 00:06:18.159 The crowd had gathered around Jesus. 00:06:18.619 --> 00:06:21.539 They were pressing in so much that he was not able to eat. 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:23.519 And that's when his family came, 00:06:23.599 --> 00:06:25.699 and they tried to stage a little bit of an intervention 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:30.019 to rescue Jesus from himself and his reckless schedule. 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:34.399 That helps us understand what's happening at the beginning of this passage. 00:06:34.919 --> 00:06:39.120 Verse 24, we find out Jesus did not want anyone to know 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:43.839 that he'd gone away to this region far away from Galilee. 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:50.620 Potentially, Jesus here is still trying to get the break 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:54.000 that he's been working at for multiple sections now. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.379 And yet, it seems like every time it's impossible for Jesus to escape 00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:01.519 and have some time to himself 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.620 because he's constantly followed by these folks 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.120 who need his healing and his power. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:09.800 And of course, that's exactly what we see here. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.519 Verse 24, yet he could not be hidden. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:16.420 Jesus wants some time away, 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:20.519 and more and more that is impossible for him. 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:25.519 Verse 25, immediately, a woman comes to him. 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:28.959 She has this problem, which is that her daughter has an unclean spirit, 00:07:29.219 --> 00:07:32.939 and it sounds like she knows a little bit of Jesus and his power, 00:07:33.099 --> 00:07:35.939 and so she thinks this will be her answer. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:39.579 Now that Jesus has entered the region in which she lives, 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:41.979 she will have a chance at a miracle. 00:07:43.099 --> 00:07:46.579 But we find out something unexpected and different about this woman, 00:07:46.579 --> 00:07:50.240 that she's a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:53.699 Now this reference, Gentile, when we see this in the New Testament, 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.019 it's talking about someone's ethnicity, 00:07:56.259 --> 00:07:59.279 and it's a way of saying this person is not Jewish. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:02.319 We heard this in the Old Testament. 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:03.979 The phrase would be used, the nations, 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:07.699 which is a way of talking about those who are not part of God's chosen people. 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:10.939 And it's not just that she's not ethnically Jewish. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:13.959 We also find out she's not Jewish by geography. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:16.680 She's a Syrophoenician by birth. 00:08:16.859 --> 00:08:19.899 That's a reference to the region in which she grew up, 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.899 the region in which Tyre and Sidon are located. 00:08:23.239 --> 00:08:25.719 These are cities that are in the area of Phoenicia. 00:08:26.159 --> 00:08:28.659 So she's in this city that's in a larger area 00:08:28.659 --> 00:08:31.839 that's separated from the land of the people of God. 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:35.419 Mark here is driving home the point for us 00:08:35.419 --> 00:08:38.559 that she is an outsider in multiple ways. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:41.979 She is not just non-Jewish by nature. 00:08:42.459 --> 00:08:44.459 She's also not a Jew by nurture. 00:08:44.979 --> 00:08:48.819 By ethnicity and geography, this woman is a Gentile. 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:50.379 And so she is the wrong person, 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:53.099 in the wrong place, 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:55.399 with the wrong gender. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:00.000 And on top of that, she doesn't have an unclean son. 00:09:00.119 --> 00:09:02.159 She has an unclean daughter. 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:05.959 Mark is portraying for us 00:09:05.959 --> 00:09:09.899 this overlapping complex of cleanliness issues. 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:12.079 There's a constellation of reasons 00:09:12.079 --> 00:09:14.019 why Jesus would be expected 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:16.139 not to interact with this woman. 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.399 It's not just that she's in the wrong place, though. 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:22.639 Jesus is also in the wrong place. 00:09:23.439 --> 00:09:25.039 It should be a surprise to us 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.039 that Jesus has decided to travel to this region, 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:31.879 which is northwest of where he was in Galilee. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.639 Jesus almost never plays away games. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:43.379 This is one of only a few times 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:46.779 where we see Jesus in Gentile territory. 00:09:47.339 --> 00:09:50.639 We have only seen it once before in the Gospel of Mark. 00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:54.679 Think back all the way to Mark chapter 5, 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:57.079 when Jesus healed a man with a demon 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:58.960 who was in the country of the Gerasenes. 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:01.759 We find out later in the story of the Bible, 00:10:01.900 --> 00:10:03.759 in Acts chapter 10, verse 28, 00:10:03.920 --> 00:10:06.780 that Jews were not supposed to visit Gentiles. 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:10.100 And so Jesus is going outside of the expectations 00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:11.400 and rules of his people, 00:10:11.540 --> 00:10:13.360 both in the region that he's visiting 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.780 and the woman that he's interacting with. 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:17.940 Why? 00:10:20.180 --> 00:10:23.379 It's not a coincidence that this story comes at this place 00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:26.000 because in the section right before it, 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.600 the section that Wes preached on, 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:30.080 chapter 7, verses 1 through 23, 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.019 Jesus has this encounter with the Pharisees 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:36.039 where he talks to them about this issue of cleanliness. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:38.740 And if you think back all the way 00:10:38.740 --> 00:10:39.960 to when Wes preached on that, 00:10:40.740 --> 00:10:41.480 he tells them, 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:44.460 it's not what's on the outside that makes you unclean, 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.179 it's what's on the inside. 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:49.339 In other words, 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:53.079 Jesus here is giving us a text case 00:10:53.079 --> 00:10:54.779 of what he's just taught. 00:10:57.579 --> 00:11:00.719 Jesus, let's see if you actually believe 00:11:00.719 --> 00:11:03.159 what you just said in the previous passage. 00:11:03.479 --> 00:11:05.699 Let's see if you're actually going to act on it. 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:07.439 And he does. 00:11:07.959 --> 00:11:11.819 He finds maybe one of the stickiest issues 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:15.680 that he can to prove that he believes what he's taught. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:17.960 To prove that he's not afraid 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:20.360 of being made unclean on the outside, 00:11:21.060 --> 00:11:24.940 he's more concerned with what is on the inside. 00:11:25.700 --> 00:11:27.220 And so it's with all of that background 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:29.440 that we understand we have a test case here 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:31.420 that Mark is presenting us with 00:11:31.420 --> 00:11:34.720 to show us that Jesus is going to put his money 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:36.020 where his mouth is. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.220 We pick up then again in the story, 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:42.860 here this woman comes, verse 25 and 26, 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:46.580 she immediately enters into this confrontation with Jesus. 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:50.160 It tells us that she fell down at his feet, 00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:52.399 verse 25, verse 26, 00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:56.060 she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 00:11:56.460 --> 00:11:58.200 And the verb tense of this word beg 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.100 indicates that this is not something that she did once, 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:03.980 it was something that she did over and over again. 00:12:04.300 --> 00:12:07.500 This woman is showing us how desperate she is 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:10.600 as she creates a scene right in front of Jesus 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.840 so that she has the best chance possible 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:15.919 of healing for her daughter. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:19.059 And it's at that moment 00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:22.860 that Jesus does something unexpected and surprising. 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:26.019 Think back to what we've seen before. 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.700 Chapter six, he sees the 5,000 on this hill 00:12:29.700 --> 00:12:31.139 and we're told that he believed 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:32.600 they were like sheep without a shepherd 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:34.320 and he was filled with compassion. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:37.040 The end of chapter six, 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:38.480 our passage from last week, 00:12:38.520 --> 00:12:39.120 what does he do? 00:12:39.180 --> 00:12:41.520 He's going out and healing people 00:12:41.520 --> 00:12:43.700 right after he's had this interaction with the disciples. 00:12:44.280 --> 00:12:45.820 So our expectation would be 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:47.080 that Jesus, of course, 00:12:47.140 --> 00:12:49.920 would be happy and willing to intervene 00:12:49.920 --> 00:12:51.420 in this woman's life. 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:53.560 That he would be filled with compassion 00:12:53.560 --> 00:12:54.560 and sympathy for her. 00:12:54.640 --> 00:12:56.120 That he would want her daughter 00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:57.300 to be healed immediately. 00:12:57.740 --> 00:13:00.920 We would think after what Jesus just taught us 00:13:00.920 --> 00:13:02.780 that he would be eager to show 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:05.179 that he's not afraid of someone who's unclean. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:10.899 And Jesus does the exact opposite. 00:13:12.079 --> 00:13:15.679 He insults this woman for her race. 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:19.559 He flips the tables on us 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:21.159 as we're expecting this momentum, 00:13:21.159 --> 00:13:23.259 as we're seeing the direction he's headed, 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:27.199 as we think that Jesus is going to make good on his word, 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:30.740 he does something that should catch us off guard. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:32.580 Verse 27, 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:33.860 And he said to her, 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:36.419 Let the children be fed first, 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.720 for it is not right to take the children's bread 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.600 and throw it to the dogs. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:46.580 The woman asks for healing. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:47.860 He calls her a dog. 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:51.240 Now, some folks have pointed out 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.220 that the term he uses for dog here 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:54.639 would not be a stray dog, 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:56.240 but a pet dog. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:59.360 That makes it less of an insult. 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:01.820 That does not stop it from being an insult. 00:14:02.700 --> 00:14:04.220 Okay, if someone calls you a pet dog, 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:04.940 you're not going to think, 00:14:05.060 --> 00:14:06.820 Man, that's such a great thing they said to me. 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:08.620 I'm glad I'm not a stray dog. 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:10.919 I mean, yeah, it's better to be a pet dog 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:11.740 than a stray dog. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:13.240 Jesus just said, 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:14.840 She's a dog among humans. 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:16.980 You cannot avoid the way 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:18.500 in which he's just insulted her. 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:19.820 On top of that, 00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:22.340 dog was a term that Jews would use 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:24.000 to refer to Gentiles. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:25.960 This is a type of slur 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:28.620 that Jesus is using against her. 00:14:29.659 --> 00:14:31.559 And he's actually making a point 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:33.559 that we see throughout the Gospels. 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:34.840 He's making this point 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:37.279 that he's come first to the Jews 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:38.919 and then to the Gentiles. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.159 So when he says, 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:42.179 Why would I do this 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:44.679 when the children should be fed first? 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:45.500 What he's saying is, 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:46.980 Why would I help you, 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.220 an unclean Gentile woman 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:50.679 in a Gentile territory 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:52.820 with a daughter who's demon-possessed, 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:56.340 when I have Jews who need me? 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.379 Why would I not follow 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:01.680 the priority of my ministry? 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.720 In the parallel passage in Matthew 15, 00:15:04.900 --> 00:15:05.560 he tells her, 00:15:06.020 --> 00:15:08.480 I was sent only to the lost sheep 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:09.520 of the house of Israel. 00:15:10.900 --> 00:15:12.020 That's why, by the way, 00:15:12.060 --> 00:15:14.560 we don't see Jesus leaving Israel very often. 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:17.500 That's why in Romans 1, verse 16, 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:19.460 Paul tells us that the Gospel 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:20.700 was first to the Jews 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:22.960 and then to the Gentiles. 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:27.659 And yet that doesn't answer the question 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:29.740 of why Jesus responds in this way. 00:15:30.580 --> 00:15:32.799 Because he's just taught us 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.419 that uncleanness doesn't bother him. 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.100 He's just demonstrated 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:39.879 that unclean areas don't threaten him 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:41.019 because he's the one 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:42.500 who chose to travel there. 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:45.759 So why is it that Jesus 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:47.980 insults this woman? 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.059 I want you to think about it this way. 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:55.740 When I was in my final year of seminary, 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:58.019 I was trying to find a job, 00:15:58.480 --> 00:15:59.220 any job, 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:00.799 and so I was beating the bushes 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:02.220 to figure out what openings 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:02.940 there might be. 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:04.720 And one of the opportunities 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:05.559 that I explored 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:07.000 is something you all are familiar with 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:08.460 if you've been with us for a while, 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:10.659 which is to work for our college ministry, 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:11.459 RUF. 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:13.319 Jonathan Clark preached here 00:16:13.319 --> 00:16:14.480 maybe a month ago. 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:16.019 He's starting a new college ministry 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:17.039 at UCCS. 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:19.019 And so I was trying to figure out 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:20.259 what would be an opening for me 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:21.659 to be able to serve in ministry. 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:23.439 And as someone coming out of seminary, 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:25.059 if you're a new grad, 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:26.659 it's much harder to find jobs 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:27.860 than if you're someone with experience. 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:30.480 And so I was talking at that time 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:32.079 to this college ministry 00:16:32.079 --> 00:16:33.319 about a potential opening 00:16:33.319 --> 00:16:34.980 at a school in New England. 00:16:35.659 --> 00:16:37.079 And I called the man 00:16:37.079 --> 00:16:39.059 who was in charge of hiring for this job, 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:41.159 and we had an hour-long conversation. 00:16:41.979 --> 00:16:44.559 During that hour-long conversation, 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:46.979 that man kept challenging me 00:16:46.979 --> 00:16:48.500 and pushing me at every turn. 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:50.500 He was borderline a jerk 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:52.139 for an hour on the phone. 00:16:52.719 --> 00:16:52.879 Okay? 00:16:54.219 --> 00:16:55.919 At the end of the phone call, 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:56.799 he says this, 00:16:57.719 --> 00:16:59.559 I'm sorry if I was hard on you, 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:01.799 but if you can't handle me, 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:03.719 you can't handle this school. 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:07.519 What was he saying? 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.039 I was testing you 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:11.700 to see what you were made of. 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:14.220 The fact that I was a jerk to you 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:15.799 was part of the interview 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:17.519 because I wanted to see 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:18.400 if you were going to be able 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.339 to push back on me. 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:20.379 I wanted to see 00:17:20.379 --> 00:17:21.339 if you had the spine 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:22.680 to handle the types of students 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:23.839 that I know are at this school 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.539 because if you can't stand up 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:26.539 for an hour on the phone, 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:28.440 there's no time that I have 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:29.440 to talk to you anymore. 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:32.400 He was testing me. 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:34.200 He wanted to see what was there. 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:35.839 Now, long story short, 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:37.959 that school didn't just not open up for me. 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:39.079 It didn't open up for anyone. 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:40.899 There still is not an RUF there. 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:43.879 But I learned something important 00:17:43.879 --> 00:17:45.519 about life and about that man 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:46.079 in that moment. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:49.199 People will do things to you 00:17:49.199 --> 00:17:51.139 to see how you respond. 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.059 Jesus here, like a good teacher, 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:57.099 is testing this woman. 00:17:57.619 --> 00:18:00.299 He wants to see what she's made of. 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:02.419 He wants to understand 00:18:02.419 --> 00:18:05.200 the level of her faith. 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:06.919 That's the way tests work. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:08.460 If you're a student or in life, 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:10.659 tests reveal and show 00:18:10.659 --> 00:18:11.899 what's already there. 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:15.319 Tests allow a chance for you 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:16.220 on the outside 00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:17.079 to demonstrate 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:19.159 what was already on the inside. 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:21.919 That's, by the way, 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:22.639 part of what happens 00:18:22.639 --> 00:18:23.519 in the book of Job. 00:18:23.639 --> 00:18:24.919 God uses Job 00:18:24.919 --> 00:18:27.180 to demonstrate Job's faith 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:28.200 in the midst of suffering 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:29.880 and to show him off 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:31.380 as an example to the devil. 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:35.140 Here, Jesus is testing 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:36.620 this woman's faith 00:18:36.620 --> 00:18:39.680 to show her off to us. 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.580 A good teacher, right, 00:18:42.620 --> 00:18:43.660 if they're testing you, 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.660 they hope that you pass. 00:18:46.120 --> 00:18:48.000 No teacher who's worth anything 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.799 sits alone in a room 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:51.500 putting their hands together 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:52.039 and giggling 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:53.440 about how no student's 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:54.000 going to be able 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:55.200 to mount this test. 00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:56.980 No, a great teacher 00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:58.099 wants you to pass. 00:18:58.339 --> 00:18:59.099 A great teacher's 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:00.120 preparing you 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:01.200 throughout the school year 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:02.579 to do as well as you can. 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:03.440 A good teacher 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:04.480 is cheering you on 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.940 because they want you 00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:06.799 to succeed. 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:08.500 The test is there 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:10.519 so that they can show off 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:11.779 what you know. 00:19:13.360 --> 00:19:15.120 Jesus here is testing 00:19:15.120 --> 00:19:16.440 this woman 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:18.160 so that he can show 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:19.480 what she knows 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:20.480 and believes. 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:22.360 And so we see 00:19:22.360 --> 00:19:23.120 in verse 28 00:19:23.120 --> 00:19:24.980 that she passes the test. 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:26.440 She enters into 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:27.500 his illustration 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.559 and demonstrates 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:29.420 her faith 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:30.120 by showing 00:19:30.120 --> 00:19:31.620 that she understands 00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:32.539 the nature 00:19:32.539 --> 00:19:33.880 of God's grace. 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:35.960 Yes, I'm a dog. 00:19:38.099 --> 00:19:39.380 But don't you give 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:39.940 good things 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:40.839 even to pets? 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.240 Yes, I don't have 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:44.759 anything 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:46.480 that should impress you. 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:47.920 I have no reason 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.180 to ask something 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:49.759 from you. 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:51.559 But isn't that 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:52.319 the type of person 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:52.920 that you are? 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:54.880 Aren't you 00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:56.100 the type of person 00:19:56.100 --> 00:19:57.060 who gives 00:19:57.060 --> 00:19:58.560 money and bread 00:19:58.560 --> 00:19:59.340 without price? 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:00.300 Aren't you the person 00:20:00.300 --> 00:20:01.380 who cares for people 00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:02.160 who can't give 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:02.900 anything back? 00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:04.279 Aren't you the type 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:04.800 of person 00:20:04.800 --> 00:20:06.000 who shows mercy 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.720 even to dogs? 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:10.080 And Jesus here, 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:10.820 verse 29, 00:20:11.080 --> 00:20:11.900 is delighted. 00:20:12.560 --> 00:20:13.840 He is the teacher 00:20:13.840 --> 00:20:15.200 who is thrilled 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:16.519 to see his student 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:17.860 get an A. 00:20:18.800 --> 00:20:19.660 He says to her, 00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:20.740 For this statement 00:20:20.740 --> 00:20:22.120 you may go your way. 00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:23.060 The demon 00:20:23.060 --> 00:20:24.200 has left 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:25.040 your daughter. 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:27.460 In the same passage 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:28.420 in Matthew 15, 00:20:28.600 --> 00:20:28.940 he says, 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:29.720 O woman, 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:31.279 great is 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.600 your faith. 00:20:34.600 --> 00:20:35.900 Jesus is asking 00:20:35.900 --> 00:20:36.960 whether she would 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.080 see and believe 00:20:38.080 --> 00:20:38.680 and act 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:39.820 on his goodness 00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:42.240 and she 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:43.220 does. 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:46.040 Jesus is testing 00:20:46.040 --> 00:20:46.420 her 00:20:46.420 --> 00:20:48.039 and she 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:48.500 passes. 00:20:51.060 --> 00:20:51.880 Now I told you 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:52.440 at the beginning 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:53.200 we were looking 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:54.460 to answer the question 00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:55.720 of what does it mean 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:56.700 to have great faith 00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:57.640 and how can 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:59.000 we be people 00:20:59.000 --> 00:20:59.980 of that type 00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:00.380 of faith? 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:00.960 And we see 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:02.120 at least a couple 00:21:02.120 --> 00:21:02.880 things that I want 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:03.620 to focus on 00:21:03.620 --> 00:21:04.400 in this woman. 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:05.279 First, 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:06.120 her persistence 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:07.740 and second, 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:08.600 her humility. 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:10.180 Now first, 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:10.920 her persistence 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:12.380 and second, 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:13.620 her humility. 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:15.200 One of the 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:15.779 characteristics 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:16.560 of faith 00:21:16.560 --> 00:21:17.100 is that it 00:21:17.100 --> 00:21:18.019 is relentless. 00:21:19.080 --> 00:21:20.060 And it's relentless 00:21:20.060 --> 00:21:21.220 not because the person 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:22.140 who has faith 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:23.320 believes they deserve 00:21:23.320 --> 00:21:23.840 something, 00:21:24.060 --> 00:21:25.039 but because that person 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:26.340 with relentless faith 00:21:26.340 --> 00:21:27.720 understands God 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:28.360 and his grace 00:21:28.360 --> 00:21:29.420 and his character. 00:21:30.100 --> 00:21:30.779 A person 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:31.620 with great faith 00:21:31.620 --> 00:21:32.920 does not give up 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:33.480 easily. 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:34.440 That person 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:35.720 comes back to God 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.200 again 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:37.160 and again 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:38.000 and again. 00:21:38.620 --> 00:21:38.980 In fact, 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:39.680 this is a theme 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:40.380 that we see 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:41.240 throughout the Bible. 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:43.080 In Genesis chapter 32, 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:44.380 Jacob wrestles 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:44.960 with God 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.060 throughout the entire 00:21:46.060 --> 00:21:46.460 night 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:47.600 and refuses 00:21:47.600 --> 00:21:48.720 to let him go 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:49.480 until God 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:50.200 blesses him. 00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:52.560 Jacob is relentless 00:21:52.560 --> 00:21:53.640 in his encounter 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:54.200 with God. 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:55.380 Luke 18, 00:21:55.540 --> 00:21:56.660 Jesus tells this story 00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:57.500 about a persistent 00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:58.780 widow who needs 00:21:58.780 --> 00:21:59.680 justice from a 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:00.520 terrible judge 00:22:00.520 --> 00:22:02.260 and so she harasses 00:22:02.260 --> 00:22:03.520 him over and over 00:22:03.520 --> 00:22:04.680 again until he 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:05.620 gives her what she 00:22:05.620 --> 00:22:06.060 wants. 00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:07.880 And then Jesus 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:08.480 says, 00:22:08.820 --> 00:22:09.460 that's the way 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:10.160 you should be 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:10.720 in prayer. 00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:11.480 You should be 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.080 coming back 00:22:12.080 --> 00:22:13.200 again and again 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:14.480 telling God 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.640 what you need 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:16.500 and want. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:18.560 Same thing 00:22:18.560 --> 00:22:19.340 happens here. 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:20.259 This woman 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:21.500 is not put off 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:22.640 by Jesus' answer. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:24.779 She doesn't say, 00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:25.740 oh, okay, 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:26.900 I guess you're not 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:27.540 here to help 00:22:27.540 --> 00:22:28.460 people like me 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:29.440 and then walks 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:29.800 away. 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.200 She has 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.340 Genesis 32, 00:22:33.540 --> 00:22:34.380 Luke 18 00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:35.300 type of faith 00:22:35.300 --> 00:22:36.500 that refuses 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:37.480 refuses to let 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:39.099 go and refuses 00:22:39.099 --> 00:22:39.920 to give up. 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:41.700 And Jesus 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:43.519 loves her 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.099 persistence. 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:46.180 Jesus loves 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:46.940 the fact that 00:22:46.940 --> 00:22:48.359 she is 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:49.039 relentless. 00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:51.900 Remember the 00:22:51.900 --> 00:22:52.619 disciples in 00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:53.380 chapter 6, 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:55.000 all the disciples 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:55.859 had was a lot 00:22:55.859 --> 00:22:56.259 of fear. 00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:58.720 Here instead, 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:01.019 she continues 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:01.980 to ask for help. 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:05.380 brothers and 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:05.740 sisters, 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:07.000 having great 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:08.360 faith means 00:23:08.360 --> 00:23:09.200 that we 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:10.259 keep asking 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:11.400 God again 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:11.980 and again. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:13.000 Having great 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:13.900 faith means 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:14.460 that we 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:15.720 don't give 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:16.299 up. 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:18.319 Having great 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:19.099 faith means 00:23:19.099 --> 00:23:19.579 that we're like 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:20.180 the widow in 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:20.900 Luke 18 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:21.660 who keeps 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:22.539 crying out 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.640 for justice. 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:26.579 Keep asking. 00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:30.039 God invites 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.960 you to 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:31.519 test him. 00:23:33.539 --> 00:23:35.019 God loves 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:35.799 great 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:36.519 faith. 00:23:38.159 --> 00:23:38.399 And so 00:23:38.399 --> 00:23:39.119 keep asking. 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:39.740 Keep asking 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:40.279 that God 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:40.980 would change 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:41.699 you and 00:23:41.699 --> 00:23:42.119 your heart. 00:23:42.939 --> 00:23:43.599 Keep asking 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:44.119 God that he 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:44.720 would change 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:45.319 the hearts 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:46.059 and lives 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:46.439 of those 00:23:46.439 --> 00:23:46.919 you love. 00:23:47.659 --> 00:23:48.579 Keep asking 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:49.399 God that he 00:23:49.399 --> 00:23:50.099 would redeem 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:51.220 past failures 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:52.039 and sins 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:52.980 and mistakes 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:54.379 yours 00:23:54.379 --> 00:23:55.720 and the 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.099 ones of 00:23:56.099 --> 00:23:56.459 those you 00:23:56.459 --> 00:23:56.779 love. 00:23:57.639 --> 00:23:58.559 Keep asking 00:23:58.559 --> 00:23:59.259 God to 00:23:59.259 --> 00:24:00.259 protect you 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:01.199 from sin 00:24:01.199 --> 00:24:01.919 and compromise. 00:24:02.939 --> 00:24:03.679 Keep asking 00:24:03.679 --> 00:24:04.599 God for the 00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:05.319 wisdom that 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:06.019 you know you 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:06.779 need and you 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:07.559 don't have. 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:09.740 Keep asking 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:10.740 God to give 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:11.379 you purpose 00:24:11.379 --> 00:24:12.419 in your work 00:24:12.419 --> 00:24:13.859 that you 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:14.659 could sustain 00:24:14.659 --> 00:24:15.799 and bless 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:16.619 others. 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.500 If you 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:19.980 want to have 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:20.759 great faith, 00:24:21.919 --> 00:24:23.179 keep asking. 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:25.560 in the 00:24:25.560 --> 00:24:26.000 words of 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:26.259 Winston 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:26.680 Churchill, 00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:28.000 never, 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:28.840 never, 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:30.740 never give 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:31.000 up. 00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:33.220 And for the 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:33.600 Christian, 00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:35.660 never give 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:36.580 up in 00:24:36.580 --> 00:24:36.860 prayer. 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:39.720 Keep 00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:40.900 coming back 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:41.779 to God. 00:24:41.779 --> 00:24:41.819 God. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:46.500 That raises 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.240 another question 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:47.680 for us 00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:47.819 though, 00:24:47.899 --> 00:24:48.139 which is 00:24:48.139 --> 00:24:48.359 how do 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:48.539 we 00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:49.220 sustain 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:49.960 that 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:50.359 kind 00:24:50.359 --> 00:24:50.519 of 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:50.960 persistence? 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:53.259 How are 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:53.720 we able 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:54.440 to stay 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:54.980 relentless 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:56.180 before God 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:57.339 week in 00:24:57.339 --> 00:24:57.700 and week 00:24:57.700 --> 00:24:57.980 out, 00:24:58.059 --> 00:24:59.079 day after 00:24:59.079 --> 00:24:59.420 day? 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:01.920 Well, 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.440 she shows 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:02.759 us the 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:03.240 answer for 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:03.759 that as 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:04.079 well. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:05.460 We stay 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:06.099 persistent 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:06.639 in our 00:25:06.639 --> 00:25:07.319 faith because 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:08.379 we rely on 00:25:08.379 --> 00:25:09.139 God and 00:25:09.139 --> 00:25:10.200 his character, 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:11.480 not ourselves. 00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:13.539 We're able 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:14.259 to remain 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:15.340 persistent in 00:25:15.340 --> 00:25:16.059 our faith because 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:17.400 we rely on 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:18.340 God's character, 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:19.580 not ourselves. 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:20.700 And so we 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:21.059 see this 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:21.480 tremendous 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:22.460 humility that 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:22.799 the woman 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:23.460 models for 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:23.700 us. 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:25.039 She is not 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:25.799 coming to 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:26.819 Jesus based 00:25:26.819 --> 00:25:27.200 on her 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:27.539 status. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:28.480 She's not 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:29.080 coming because 00:25:29.080 --> 00:25:29.920 she's a Jew 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:30.420 because she 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:30.819 isn't. 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:31.840 She's not 00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:32.460 coming because 00:25:32.460 --> 00:25:32.840 she's from 00:25:32.840 --> 00:25:33.240 the right 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:34.000 place because 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:34.620 she isn't. 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:35.779 She's not 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.600 coming because 00:25:36.600 --> 00:25:37.120 she's the 00:25:37.120 --> 00:25:38.140 right gender 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:38.759 because she 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:39.200 isn't. 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.779 She is 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:41.620 coming because 00:25:41.620 --> 00:25:42.580 she knows 00:25:42.580 --> 00:25:43.160 that Jesus 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:44.340 is a man 00:25:44.340 --> 00:25:45.380 of mercy. 00:25:46.360 --> 00:25:46.740 And so we 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:47.220 see that 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:47.880 humility in 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:48.580 verse 28 00:25:48.580 --> 00:25:48.960 when she 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:49.460 says, 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.680 even the 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:51.539 dogs under 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:52.140 the table 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:52.539 eat the 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:53.019 children's 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:53.299 crumbs. 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:55.019 In other 00:25:55.019 --> 00:25:55.319 words, 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:56.539 I know 00:25:56.539 --> 00:25:57.160 I'm a 00:25:57.160 --> 00:25:57.559 dog. 00:25:58.420 --> 00:25:59.279 I know 00:25:59.279 --> 00:25:59.799 I haven't 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:00.480 earned anything 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:00.940 from you. 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:01.240 I know 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:01.539 I don't 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:01.960 deserve 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:02.299 something 00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:02.840 from you. 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.840 And I 00:26:05.840 --> 00:26:06.660 know that's 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:07.279 not what 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:07.860 matters. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:10.240 I know 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:10.819 what matters 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:11.240 in this 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:12.140 situation is 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:12.920 your mercy 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:13.340 and your 00:26:13.340 --> 00:26:13.720 grace. 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:14.700 I know 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:15.660 the kind 00:26:15.660 --> 00:26:16.220 of character 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:16.660 that you 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:17.039 have. 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:17.740 I'm aware 00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:18.000 of the 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:18.400 fact that 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:18.960 you're at 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:20.519 least as 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:21.620 kind as a 00:26:21.620 --> 00:26:22.360 regular human 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:23.440 is to her 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:23.779 pets. 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:26.319 And so I'm 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:27.000 crying out, 00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:27.519 I'm calling 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:28.220 on you to 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:28.799 be that 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:30.000 kind as 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:30.299 well. 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:32.519 And so 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.140 that's why I 00:26:33.140 --> 00:26:33.740 pray every 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:34.559 Sunday when I 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:35.059 end our 00:26:35.059 --> 00:26:35.660 prayers together, 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:36.299 I say we 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:36.880 ask these 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:37.720 things not 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:38.279 because we've 00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:38.660 earned them 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:39.160 or deserved 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:39.480 them. 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:40.259 Because we 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:40.940 want to be 00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:41.619 people like 00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:42.440 the Syrophoenician 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:42.779 woman. 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:43.700 We want to 00:26:43.700 --> 00:26:44.740 recognize before 00:26:44.740 --> 00:26:45.399 God that we 00:26:45.399 --> 00:26:46.099 can keep coming 00:26:46.099 --> 00:26:46.559 back with 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.099 courage and 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:47.819 confidence because 00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:48.399 we're not 00:26:48.399 --> 00:26:49.500 relying on our 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:49.819 merit. 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:52.180 If you are 00:26:52.180 --> 00:26:53.200 or were relying 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:53.799 on your merit, 00:26:53.879 --> 00:26:54.480 you might as 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:55.220 well give up 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:55.500 now. 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:56.920 In fact, I 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:57.440 would recommend 00:26:57.440 --> 00:26:58.259 that you never 00:26:58.259 --> 00:26:59.119 pray again 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:01.299 because you 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:02.039 have nothing 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:02.680 to offer 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:03.119 God. 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:03.159 God. 00:27:05.879 --> 00:27:06.699 This woman 00:27:06.699 --> 00:27:07.459 knows that. 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:08.599 That's the 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:09.619 basis of 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:10.919 her claim. 00:27:13.619 --> 00:27:14.339 What we're 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:14.959 saying when we 00:27:14.959 --> 00:27:15.579 pray in Jesus' 00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:16.439 name is that 00:27:16.439 --> 00:27:17.199 we know we 00:27:17.199 --> 00:27:17.839 can't claim 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:18.559 things for 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:19.219 ourselves, 00:27:19.379 --> 00:27:20.239 but God is 00:27:20.239 --> 00:27:21.500 good and 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:22.000 Jesus is 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:22.239 good. 00:27:22.939 --> 00:27:23.879 We know we 00:27:23.879 --> 00:27:24.539 haven't earned 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:25.759 anything and 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:27.079 God tells us 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:27.779 he's going to 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:28.879 listen and 00:27:28.879 --> 00:27:29.179 hear. 00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:32.019 And so what 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:32.459 she's doing 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:33.059 here is she's 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:33.740 appealing to 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:34.480 God's character. 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:36.940 She's asking 00:27:36.940 --> 00:27:38.299 God to act on 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:39.120 what he has 00:27:39.120 --> 00:27:39.740 done and who 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:40.860 he is, not 00:27:40.860 --> 00:27:41.480 what she's 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:42.100 done or who 00:27:42.100 --> 00:27:42.759 she is. 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:45.539 And that's the 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:46.400 same thing we 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:47.079 do when we 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:48.000 stay relentless 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.160 in prayer. 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:50.400 We're appealing 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:51.440 to God's 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:51.819 character. 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:52.720 That's how we're 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:53.420 able to keep 00:27:53.420 --> 00:27:54.039 coming back 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:54.740 month after 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:55.180 month and 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:55.600 week after 00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:56.380 week and 00:27:56.380 --> 00:27:57.299 day after 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:57.700 day. 00:27:58.420 --> 00:27:59.200 We're like 00:27:59.200 --> 00:27:59.759 this woman 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:01.059 reminding God 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:02.240 of what he 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:03.019 has promised 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:03.420 in his 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:03.740 word. 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:04.420 We are 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:05.160 coming back 00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:06.220 reminding God 00:28:06.220 --> 00:28:06.599 of his 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:07.759 great mercy 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:08.700 and love. 00:28:11.620 --> 00:28:12.599 I told you 00:28:12.599 --> 00:28:13.259 a few weeks 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:15.200 ago about the 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:15.839 importance of 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:16.359 God being 00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:17.099 with us. 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:19.079 And I also 00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:19.720 shared with you 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:20.700 that as I 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.480 prepare every 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:22.500 week to stand 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:23.180 before you and 00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:23.940 present God's 00:28:23.940 --> 00:28:24.839 word, I ask 00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:25.440 him over and 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.019 over that he 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:27.220 would be with 00:28:27.220 --> 00:28:27.779 me and he'd 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:28.480 also be with 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:28.720 you. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:28.779 you. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:30.960 And when I 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:31.680 pray that I 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:32.460 don't say 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:33.579 because we 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:34.480 are such a 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.400 great church. 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:37.920 And I don't 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:38.660 say we need 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:39.279 you to be with 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:40.059 us because we 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:40.880 deserve it. 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:44.079 No, I say we 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:44.960 need you to be 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:45.779 with us and you 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:46.360 should do it 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:47.079 because Jesus 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:47.980 made a promise 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:49.140 in John chapter 00:28:49.140 --> 00:28:50.220 14 that he was 00:28:50.220 --> 00:28:50.980 going to send 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:52.140 his Holy Spirit 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:52.940 to be with his 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:53.319 church. 00:28:53.900 --> 00:28:54.819 And so you 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:55.799 need to honor 00:28:55.799 --> 00:28:56.759 your promise. 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:58.920 you need to 00:28:58.920 --> 00:28:59.740 do what you've 00:28:59.740 --> 00:29:00.799 said you were 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:01.519 going to do. 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.980 It's not because 00:29:03.980 --> 00:29:04.619 we have earned 00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:05.220 it or deserved 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:05.960 it because you 00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:06.920 have told us 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:07.799 what you're going 00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:08.299 to do. 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:10.240 If you're crying 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.019 out to God and 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:11.879 you're asking him 00:29:11.879 --> 00:29:12.839 for wisdom in 00:29:12.839 --> 00:29:13.579 your life for the 00:29:13.579 --> 00:29:14.500 situations that you 00:29:14.500 --> 00:29:15.039 face that are 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:16.099 beyond what you 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:17.240 know how to 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:18.259 respond to. 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:20.920 We don't ask 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:21.940 for wisdom because 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:23.059 we deserve it or 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:23.519 have earned it. 00:29:23.579 --> 00:29:24.460 We ask it because 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:25.420 God made us a 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:26.660 promise in James 00:29:26.660 --> 00:29:27.480 chapter 1 verse 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:28.160 5 that he would 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:29.060 give wisdom to 00:29:29.060 --> 00:29:29.800 those who ask 00:29:29.800 --> 00:29:30.220 for it. 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:31.800 And so like this 00:29:31.800 --> 00:29:32.640 woman appealing to 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:33.540 God's character and 00:29:33.540 --> 00:29:34.620 his mercy we do 00:29:34.620 --> 00:29:35.180 the same. 00:29:35.560 --> 00:29:36.580 God we need you to 00:29:36.580 --> 00:29:37.560 give us mercy because 00:29:37.560 --> 00:29:39.000 you have said you're 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:39.779 going to do it. 00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:42.340 Honor your promise. 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:45.320 If you're a parent 00:29:45.320 --> 00:29:46.519 and you're crying out 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:47.700 to God to help you 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:48.519 as you raise your 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:49.820 children you can't 00:29:49.820 --> 00:29:50.660 cry out to him 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:51.580 because you are 00:29:51.580 --> 00:29:52.800 such a great person. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:55.160 No you cry out to 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:56.300 him because God has 00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:57.379 told us in Malachi 00:29:57.379 --> 00:29:58.859 chapter 2 that the 00:29:58.859 --> 00:30:00.200 heart and desire of 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:00.919 him is that there 00:30:00.919 --> 00:30:01.680 would be godly 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:02.359 children who would 00:30:02.359 --> 00:30:03.379 be raised to 00:30:03.379 --> 00:30:04.579 worship him generation 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:05.460 after generation. 00:30:05.919 --> 00:30:06.799 And so you come to 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:08.379 God and you say this 00:30:08.379 --> 00:30:09.680 is what you say you 00:30:09.680 --> 00:30:12.139 want and it's not 00:30:12.139 --> 00:30:12.940 going to happen unless 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:13.399 you help. 00:30:14.879 --> 00:30:15.599 And so I am 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:17.019 throwing myself on 00:30:17.019 --> 00:30:18.399 your mercy and your 00:30:18.399 --> 00:30:18.819 grace. 00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:20.599 If you're someone who 00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:22.039 needs help in work and 00:30:22.039 --> 00:30:24.180 school you can come to 00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:25.379 God and appeal to his 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:26.540 character and say you're 00:30:26.540 --> 00:30:27.540 the one in Genesis 00:30:27.540 --> 00:30:29.040 chapter 1 and 2 who 00:30:29.040 --> 00:30:30.160 said be fruitful and 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:30.600 multiply. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:33.320 And we're not going to 00:30:33.320 --> 00:30:34.540 be able to do it unless 00:30:34.540 --> 00:30:35.340 you're with us. 00:30:36.080 --> 00:30:37.220 And so we need you to 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:38.860 honor your promise and 00:30:38.860 --> 00:30:39.620 your character. 00:30:40.040 --> 00:30:41.700 We need you to show up 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:42.860 not because we are 00:30:42.860 --> 00:30:44.440 great but because you 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:45.160 are. 00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:52.120 God delights in a 00:30:52.120 --> 00:30:54.840 persistent faith that 00:30:54.840 --> 00:30:57.320 throws itself on his 00:30:57.320 --> 00:30:57.740 mercy. 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:01.220 God delights in the 00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:03.240 persistent faith that 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:05.259 cries out and claims his 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:06.779 promise and his 00:31:06.779 --> 00:31:07.160 character. 00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:13.380 there's a beautiful 00:31:13.380 --> 00:31:15.960 humble confidence that 00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:16.779 this woman has. 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:18.800 There's a beautiful 00:31:18.800 --> 00:31:20.279 humble confidence that 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:21.240 comes when we see 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:23.180 ourselves rightly and 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:24.400 we see God rightly. 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:27.519 The humility comes from 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.620 seeing ourselves rightly. 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:31.519 The confidence comes 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:32.540 from seeing God rightly. 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:34.519 We understand our 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:35.740 misery and our sin as we 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:36.799 confessed earlier this 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:37.940 morning and we 00:31:37.940 --> 00:31:40.240 understand God's grace. 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:43.480 There's a principle in 00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:44.660 James chapter 4, 1 00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:46.400 Peter 5 that tells us 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:47.640 God opposes the proud 00:31:47.640 --> 00:31:49.680 but gives grace to the 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:49.920 humble. 00:31:51.720 --> 00:31:53.960 Great faith is 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:54.480 persistent. 00:31:55.799 --> 00:31:57.720 Great faith is 00:31:57.720 --> 00:31:58.059 humble. 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.380 And that's where God 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:01.900 has promised to show 00:32:01.900 --> 00:32:04.420 up and do his work. 00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:06.120 That's what we're about 00:32:06.120 --> 00:32:07.380 to sing together on page 00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:07.660 10. 00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:08.400 You'll see our closing 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:09.340 hymn before the throne 00:32:09.340 --> 00:32:10.140 of God above. 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:11.380 And we're singing about 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:12.759 the fact that our plea is 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:13.720 not on anything we 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:15.160 deserve or earn but on 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:15.960 God's grace. 00:32:16.580 --> 00:32:17.680 Verse 1, I have a 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:19.340 strong, a perfect plea 00:32:19.340 --> 00:32:22.519 because I have a great 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:23.580 high priest whose name 00:32:23.580 --> 00:32:25.380 is love, whoever lives 00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:27.039 and pleads for me. 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:28.900 And then in the second 00:32:28.900 --> 00:32:30.140 verse we praise God that 00:32:30.140 --> 00:32:31.360 we're basing this not on 00:32:31.360 --> 00:32:32.200 our merit but on his 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:32.539 grace. 00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:33.680 When Satan tempts me to 00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:35.619 despair and tells me of 00:32:35.619 --> 00:32:37.039 the guilt within, upward I 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:38.339 look and see him there 00:32:38.339 --> 00:32:39.960 who made an end to all 00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:40.460 my sin. 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:44.200 It's not me, it's God's 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:45.460 grace that gives me 00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:47.220 confidence and hope. 00:32:48.899 --> 00:32:50.379 How do we have great 00:32:50.379 --> 00:32:51.039 faith? 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:54.039 We keep asking. 00:32:55.319 --> 00:32:56.740 And we keep asking not 00:32:56.740 --> 00:32:58.460 because we deserve it but 00:32:58.460 --> 00:33:00.579 because God is good. 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:03.759 He delights to show 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:06.740 mercy to those who know 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:08.240 that they need it. 00:33:09.159 --> 00:33:10.279 He delights to show 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:11.859 mercy to you and me. 00:33:12.139 --> 00:33:12.519 Let's pray. 00:33:13.679 --> 00:33:14.779 Our Father in heaven, we 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:15.919 praise you and we thank 00:33:15.919 --> 00:33:19.500 you that we can come and 00:33:19.500 --> 00:33:20.839 speak to you like this 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:21.079 woman. 00:33:21.220 --> 00:33:22.059 We ask that you would 00:33:22.059 --> 00:33:24.879 give us great faith that 00:33:24.879 --> 00:33:25.679 we would never, never, 00:33:25.779 --> 00:33:26.819 never give up. 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:29.019 and that we're to come 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:30.319 from our confidence not 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:32.099 in ourselves but in you 00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:33.439 and in your grace. 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:34.919 It's with that heart that 00:33:34.919 --> 00:33:36.279 we ask all of these 00:33:36.279 --> 00:33:37.480 things in Jesus' name. 00:33:37.779 --> 00:33:38.019 Amen. 00:33:38.019 --> 00:33:40.900 I invite you to stand. 00:33:40.900 --> 00:33:41.400 Amen. 00:33:41.400 --> 00:33:41.900 Amen. 00:33:41.900 --> 00:33:41.960 Amen. 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:42.460 Amen. 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:42.500 Amen. 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:42.559 Amen. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:42.619 Amen. 00:33:42.619 --> 00:33:42.720 Amen. 00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:42.799 Amen. 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:42.859 Amen. 00:33:42.859 --> 00:33:42.900 Amen.