GETTING WHAT YOU DON'T DESERVE

Getting What You Don't Deserve!

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 15:21-39 CONCEPT: IN SPITE OF OUR UNWORTHINESS, IF WE APPROACH GOD RIGHT, HE WILL BLESS US INSPITE OF OURSELVES. INTRO: REVIEW THE TEXT - A GENTILE WOMAN COMES TO JESUS SEEKING MERCY AND HELP. BECAUSE OF HER RACE OR DESIGNATION SHE IS SEEN AS NO BETTER THAN A DOG. JEWS WERE RAISED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE IN FACT THE VERY CHILDREN OF GOD. THEY FOLLOWED STRICT RULES AND PURIFICATION LAWS AND SAW THEMSELVES AS HOLY AND SANCTIFIED. THEY WERE A SPECIAL PEOPLE, ORDAINED BY GOD TO BE HIS VERY OWN. THEY SAW ALL OTHER PERSONS WHO WERE NOT JEWISH, AS UNCLEAN, UNHOLY AND UNWORTHY. THEY LOOKED DOWN AT NONJEWS AND CALLED THEM GENTILES.

THE TEXT TELLS US IN 21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile[e] woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

THIS GENTILE WOMAN AS WE SAID, WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE IN A JEW’S PRESENCE, YET ALONE TRYING TO SEE JESUS. AS THEY SAW IT, SHE DIDN'T DESERVE AUDIENCE WITH JESUS. BUT BECAUSE OF HER NEED, IN SPITE OF HER CONDITION. SHE COMES TO GET FROM JESUS WHAT SHE DOESN'T DESERVE. SHE NEEDS WHAT ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE HER. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY BELIEVED SHE DIDN’T DESERVE IT, SHE CAME TO GET WHAT SHE DIDN’T DESERVE.

SOMETIMES IN LIFE WE FIND OURSELVES IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAVE GREAT NEEDS, BUT FIND OURSELVES FEELING THAT WE DON'T DESERVE TO GO TO JESUS. UNWORTHY. UNFAITHFUL. FEELING UNFORGIVEN... WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE ARE IN NEED, BUT SEE OURSELVES AS UNDESERVING. REV, WHAT DOES THIS TEXT TEACH US ABOUT GETTING WHAT WE DON'T DESERVE FROM THE LORD.

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED. THE FIRST THING WE SEE IS THAT WE

MUST GO TO THE LORD AND ASK FOR MERCY. HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER. THE DEVIL WANTS TO TRAP US IN A PLACE WHERE WE STOP BELIEVING OR NEVER FULLY BELIEVE THAT GOD IS A MERCIFUL GOD. IF HE CAN, THE DEVIL WILL MAKE US BE ASHAMED OF SINS THAT GOD HAS FORGIVEN OF US. AND BECAUSE WE STRUGGLE WITH SINS IN OUR LIVES, SO OFTEN HE’LL TRY TO DISCOURAGE US FROM BELIEVING WE CAN GO TO GOD WHEN WE FEEL SO UNDESERVING. WE STOP READING OUR BIBLE BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE HYPOCRITES. WE STOP PRAYING BECAUSE WE FEEL GOD UNWORTHY TO SPEAK TO HIM. WE EVEN STOP COMING TO CHURCH OR AVOID JOINING A BIBLE STUDY, JUST BECAUSE THE DEVIL HAS FOOLED US INTO BELIEVING THAT WE ARE UNDESERVING OF THE THINGS OF GOD. TELL SOMEBODY THAT THE DEVIL IS LIAR. GO TO GOD AND CONFESS YOUR SIN AND ASK HIM TO GIVE YOU WHAT HE PROMISED AND THAT’S MERCY THAT ENDURES FOREVER.

THE WOMAN CAME TO JESUS AND IN SPITE OF HER CONDITION ASKED FOR WHAT SHE DIDN’T DESERVE. SHE

CAME AND ASKED FOR THE POWER OF GOD TO BE MANIFESTED IN HER LIFE. SHE CAME TO HAVE HER DAUGHTER HEALED AND DELIVERED. BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THAT JESUS DID NOT RESPOND TO HER. HE ACTED AS IF SHE WASN’T EVEN THERE AND COULDN’T HEAR HER VOICE. HE IGNORED HER. OFTEN WHEN WE FEEL UNDESERVING AND UNWORTHY, WE PRAY AND CALL OUT, BUT WHEN WE DON’T FEEL LIKE JESUS HEARS US, ALL TOO OFTEN WE STOP PRAYING. WE STOP CRYING OUT. DON’T STOP PRAYING! TELL SOMEBODY, DON’T STOP!

BUT SHE KEPT ON ASKING AND CRYING OUT. SO MUCH SO, THAT THE DISCIPLES BEGAN TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HER SHOUTING AND SCREAMING. THE MSG SAYS V23, …AND THEN THE DISCIPLES CAME AND COMPLAINED AND SAID, “NOW SHE’S BOTHERING US. WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE CARE OF HER? SHE’S DRIVING US CRAZY.

WHAT’S THE POINT? EXPECT THE DEVIL TO USE THOSE WHO

IN THE CHURCH TO DISCOURAGE OR DETER YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR CONDITION OR SHORTCOMINGS. SOME CAN ONLY SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU WERE OR WHAT YOU DID. DON’T BE HINDERED BY THOSE WHO DON’T WANT YOU TO GET WHAT YOU DON’T DESERVE.

AS THEY CAME TO CHRIST, HE TOLD JESUS TO DO SOMETHING, JESUS SAID, V24 But he answered and said,

I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

III. YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT GOD HAS MADE PROMISES TO THE RIGHTEOUS AND THAT HE SEES SINNERS DIFFERENTLY THAN HE DOES THOSE WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS. HE HAS MADE PROMISES TO THE RIGHTEOUS. THE BIBLE SAYS Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. BUT EVEN THOUGH YOU FEEL UNWORTHY AND UNDESERVING, DON’T STOP. EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW YOU ARE STILL DEALING WITH THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT ARE NOT UPRIGHT. KNOW THAT GOD IS A GOD OF MERCY AND HIS

MERCY ENDURES FOREVER. EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS LIKE HE ISN’T LISTENING, DON’T STOP. SOMEBODY SAY, LORD HAVE MERCY ON ME AND HELP ME!

WATCH THIS. SHE SHOWS US SOMETHING IN THE 25 VERSE THAT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. NIV - 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. NLT - 25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” CATCH THIS. WHEN WE ARE FEELING UNWORTHY AND UNDESERVING, THE DEVIL WILL DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO MAKE US STOP SEEKING GOD AND HE’LL DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO MAKE US NOT WORSHIP HIM. HE’LL DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO MAKE US NOT PRAISE HIM. HE DOESN’T WANT US TO COME BEFORE THE LORD AND PRAISE HIM WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS SOULS AND MINDS. JESUS IGNORED HER. THE DISCIPLES DID ALL THEY COULD TO DISCOURAGE HER. HER FEELINGS DISAVOWED HER AND MADE HER WANT TO

QUIT. BUT SHE DIDN’T. SHE KEPT PRAYING, SHE KEPT CALLING, SHE KEPT ASKING AND THEN, GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY, SHE BEGAN TO WORSHIP HIM.

LORD I’M NOT WORTHY OF YOUR GOODNESS OF I THANK YOU. THANK YOU LORD IN SPITE OF MY MESS AND IN SPITE OF MY WRETCHEDNESS. I COME BEFORE YOU LORD, ASKING FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS, CRYING OUT FOR YOUR MERCY. HALLELUJAH LORD! I’M SO GLAD THAT YOU SIT HIGH ON YOUR THRONE, BUT I KNOW YOU LOOK LOW. I KNOW THAT THE DEVIL WANTS ME TO FORGET. BUT I KNOW YOU LOOK BEYOND MY FAULTS. LORD I KNOW YOU DO AND WILL BLESS ME ACCORDING TO MY NEEDS AND SO LORD I BLESS YOU. LORD I MAGNIFY YOU. LORD HALLELUJAH ANYHOW! YOU ALONE ARE WORTHY. I KNOW YOU CAN AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL MAKE A WAY. AND SO I WORSHIP YOU. I GLORIFY YOU. I LIFT YOUR NAME. IN THE MIDST OF MY SHAME, I LIFT YOUR NAME. SHE WORSHIPPED HIM. I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL

TIMES, HIS PRAISE, HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH. AS SHE WAS WORSHIPPING HIM JESUS SAID 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

JESUS CONVICTED HER. SOMETIMES IN WORSHIP, AS WE BEGIN TO MOVE INTO GOD’S PRESENCE WE BECOME CONVICTED. IT’S NOT RIGHT TO BLESS YOU THE WAY YOU’VE BEEN LIVING. ACTING LIKE A DOG, LIVING LIKE A PIG, DOING WHAT ISN’T HOLY AND BEING WHAT WE OUGHT NOT BE. AS HE CONVICTED HER. SHE DIDN’T ARGUE, SHE DIDN’T MAKE EXCUSES. OFTEN, WE AVOID GOING TO GOD BECAUSE WE DON’T WANT TO BE CONVICTED. WE DON’T WANT TO BE MADE TO FACE THE SIN IN OUR LIVES. BUT WE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND ONLY THE TRUTH CAN SET US FREE.

SHE

ACCEPTED THE TRUTH, BUT CONTINUING TO SEEK THE LORD. SHE DIDN’T ALLOW THE TRUTH TO MAKE HER STOP BELIEVING THAT THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER. NO, SHE DIDN’T AVOID THE TRUTH BUT

CONTINUED TO SEEK THE LORD’S MERCY. LOOK AT THIS, 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

AND WHEN SHE SAID THAT, 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

GOD COUNTS OUR FAITH (EXPECTATION) AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE LOOKED BEYOND WHO SHE WAS, HE LOOKED BEYOND HER FAULTS AND BECAUSE OF HER FAITH, HE SAW HER NEED. HE COUNTED HER AS RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HER FAITH. OUR FAITH MAKES US WHOLE.