My brothers and sisters, this text is toned and tenured with faith as the component that brings the miracle to life, and so against the backdrop of the famous faith text of Hebrews 11:1 as it says, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
From this verse we learn three important concepts about the process, the productivity and the power of faith.
First, we learn the concept of relative to now faith. It says now faith. And may I share with you that, Faith that operates on a Delayed schedule is not now faith.
Faith that will produce results is faith that operates in the now.
Faith must always, I said, always be ahead of schedule.
Now faith is faith that moves immediately.
Now faith, is faith that never waits on the result of a thing. Why? Because what I have learned is that now faith, is trusting today for a desired of the outcome for tomorrow.
Write this down, now faith has perfect attendance. In other words, now faith is never absent. Whenever a situation arises, you never have to wait on faith, not now faith. Because now faith is always daring a situation to come, so that now faith can step into action.
Now faith is like the sun, it is always shining.
Even on a cloudy day it’s still lights the day.
Even when the darkness comes, just like the sun, it’s not missing it’s just hidden only to shine again. Somebody, say now faith.
The second concept we learn is that faith is necessary for the invisible. What are you saying pastor? I’m saying that faith is like an ointment; it works best when it’s applied. In other words, the application of faith is for that, which is unseen. The Bible says, we walk by faith and not by sight. What that says to me is that, if I can see it, it’s not faith. I don’t need to believe for something that already exists. My faith is applied to something that I want to bring into being.
The Bible says, call those things which be not as though they were. So, I’m releasing faith to go after something to bring it to me.
Faith says yes, I’m invisible but available. The location of it is not a concern because faith says I will find the need. Faith says I just need permission to go after it.
Finally, the third concept we learn about faith is that it comes in the form of a question. What is your desired outcome? Remember Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The thing that is hoped for is what is absent.
So, the substance is not the thing that is absent.
The substance is what I have in my hand. So, I’m sending what’s in my hand to go after what I want to add to my hand. I’m sending the Tangible to go after the Intangible.
The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God.
So, if I want to please God, I must have faith. In other words, faith is mandatory. And if faith is mandatory whatever I assign it to is mandated to come to me according to the will and the ways of God.
If I assign it to HEALING, and it’s God’s will, healing is coming to me.
If I assign it to FINANCES, and it’s God’s will, finances are coming to me.
If I assign it to PEACE, and it’s God’s will, peace is coming to me
If I assign it to HAPPINESS, and it’s God’s will, happiness is coming to me
Faith is mandatory. Whatever I assign it to, that thing is mandated to come to me, but remember only if it’s God’s will.
My brothers and sisters can I tell you that your faith is waiting on an assignment. Look at the text. This woman in our focal text assigned her faith to her daughter’s healing. The expectation was for healing.
But before getting healed there were a few other things she had to get initially.
Before you get what, or what you’re believing the Lord for, He adds to what you are praying for, by increasing your faith.
Whenever, you receive from the Lord, it should increase your faith for the next request. If he, did it before, he can do it again. Because there is no way that the Lord can come through for you this time and you don’t believe Him even more for the next time. It may not come in the form in which we think, but the Lord knows how to bless us and when to bless us.
This job should give you, faith for the next job
This place in which you live, should give you faith for the next place to live.
Watch this.
The size of the next thing doesn’t matter. Because faith is not intimidated by the size of what you’re asking God for. In fact, the bigger the size of what you’re asking God for, the happier and stronger you make your faith. Tell somebody if you’re going to ask, ask big. I’m asking for some Big Stuff.
When looking at this, the tradition of the Jews and the Gentiles was that they didn’t interact. This woman caring nothing about the tradition of the land, she interrupts their retreat with a demonic situation.
In the 22nd verse the Bible says, “And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
This woman, this mother comes to them. The Bible says she “cried out” to Jesus. In the original writings of scripture, the phrase “cried out” in translated in English as to call or name it. In the 1st chapter of Genesis during the process of creation, the Bible says that God called the light day and the evening or darkness He called night.
God named it.
As she was crying out to Jesus, she was naming her problem. Please know that I’m not saying that God is a name it, claim it, snatch it, grab it, hook it, and crook it God, all I’m saying that she told the Lord what she needed.
She spoke to the Lord according to her need from Him.
She needed mercy, so she specifically named her issue, to Him to be merciful.
This is what Abraham did in the mountains when he was about to slay his son Isaac at the command of God. When Abraham was told not to slay his son because God knew that he wouldn’t withhold anything from Him, so, a ram was provided for Abraham to sacrifice. Abraham then said that God was Jehovah–Jireh, meaning the Jehovah – the Self-Existing One | Jireh meaning– the Lord our provider.
When we need something from God or have experienced the hand of God in our life, at times we name God, either what we need or what He’s done.
When we need Him to show His faithfulness towards us, or when He’s been faithful, we call Him faithful.
When we need God to give us some peace, or when he gives us peace, we call Him the peacemaker.
When we need God to make a way, or when He’s made a way for us, we call Him way maker.
When we need God to be a healer, or when He has healed our body, we call Him healer.
When we needed Him to save us, and then after He saved us, we call Him Savior.
Job called him a horse pawing in the valley.
Ezekiel called him a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Someone called him the lily of the valley.
And now I want to name God as my everything, because he’s everything that I need.
This woman needed the Lord to extend mercy, so I can see her in my imagination naming Him merciful.
This woman cried out saying my daughter is grievously vexed by a demon. The Amplified Bible says possessed by a demon.
That word possessed is equivalent to Ownership.
Another definition means taken up Residence.
This is what had happened to this woman’s daughter; a demon has taken ownership or taken up residence in her body. Her mind is completely occupied by a demon.
So, 1st there was a demonic situation
But then there was dead silence
She speaks to Jesus, and He doesn’t speak back. There was nothing, not a Word.
Jesus was mute.
She comes desperately.
She comes humbly.
She comes crying. And He’s not speaking. Her situation is roaring, and the Lord doesn’t make a sound.
There is dead silence.
The text says He answers her not a word. Oh, my how would you feel like to be crying out to The Lord and He says nothing in return.
But watch the text.
She is unmoved.
Because she came for something.
She refuses to leave empty handed.
He answers her not a word, but she doesn’t move.
And may I tell someone this morning, that Just because the Lord didn’t speak that doesn’t mean He doesn’t hear your cry.
Because notice that the teacher doesn’t talk during a test.
The question is will you pass or fail.
Here’s the answer to the test.
Don’t move until you get the answer you came for.
He answered her not a word.
And she remained unmoved.
I can see here saying, that I came here for something and I’m not leaving until I get it.
I’m praying for the day when we come back to church and the people of God come to church with this same demeanor; I’m coming for something from God and I’m not leaving or I’m not letting, and I’m not going to give up, until I get it.
When we return, we should come in here with such an expectation that will pull on heaven, until heaven responds.
I have a question for the house.
Is there anybody that’s listening to me with an expectation from God?
Come on lift your hands and tell God, Lord have what I need.
Come on let’s stir up the atmosphere.
Don’t be cute with it.
Don’t be quiet about it.
If there is an expectation in your heart open-up your mouth and begin to shout Lord, please release it.
She has a Demonic Situation.
She cries out to Jesus and there is Dead Silence.
So, since Jesus is not talking, His disciples thought they would take the liberty and speak on behalf of Jesus.
Pick me up at the 23rd verse: His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
They were handpicked men to assist and be trained by Jesus. They were there to help prepare a nation and prepare them to elevate the world and yet they didn’t know Him. There’s nothing worse than having people around you that really don’t know you.
Jesus didn’t respond to the woman’s cry, and the disciples misread Jesus and said Jesus send her away, she cries out after us. Send her away. She is crying out after us.
And can I share this with you this morning. When Jesus is not speaking, the enemy all ways take the liberty and speaks.
The enemy speaks saying to us turn away. The Lord is not listening to you.
The Lord is not coming for you.
Turn away.
Your faith in God has failed you.
But I need to tell you that:
Faith in God has never, and will never fail you.
It’s faith that’s going to free us.
It’s faith that’s going to deliver us.
It’s faith that’s going to elevate us.
It’s faith that’s going to help us.
It’s faith that’s going to give us hope.
When all else fails, faith will always work. All things are possible to them that believes.
Don’t settle for a voice, outside the voice of The Lord. Because even when He’s silent He’s still speaking.
In His Silence, He wants to know, will we trust him.
The disciples misread the situation, since Jesus is silent, they thought they would take this as a moment to speak for him, they said, send her away.
Look at this woman. She remained unmoved. She came for something, and she wasn’t moving until she got what she came for.
I’m feeling old school. Tell somebody Don’t stop, keep pressing, keep praising, keep seeking, and keep trusting God.
In other words, don’t you dare give up until you get what you need from God.
Send her away. She is crying after us. The disciples made this about them.
She is crying after us.
Let me see. She said O Lord, thou Son of David. Let’s do that again.
Her words were O Lord, thou Son of David. She didn’t say:
O Andrew, O Bartholomew, O James, O the Elder, O James the Lesser, O John, O Judas, O Thaddeus, O Matthew, O Peter, O Philip, O Simon, O Thomas. She said O Lord, thou Son of David.
She said my daughter is possessed by a demon. So, what she is saying is Lord, I need you to do this for me.
Finally, Jesus speaks but to whom does He speak. He says I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I’m here for the Jews. I have a specific assignment. So, here again, this woman ignores Jesus. First, she ignored His Reaction. And now she ignores His Response.
He speaks, and it wasn’t what she wanted to hear but none the less, it wakes up something in her.
This woke up the worshipper in this woman. She went deeper.
The first time she approached Jesus, she came Wailing.
This time she came as a Worshipper.
The first time she came in Sadness.
This time she came Surrendered.
The first time she came Desperate.
This time she comes Deeper.
Somebody shout deeper.
She came and worshipped The Lord saying Lord, help me.
This is the essence of worship.
Because:
Worship says Lord You can.
Worship says Lord only You have the power.
Worship says Lord, all things are possible with You.
Worship says Lord, my faith is in You.
Worship says Lord, no one can do this but You.
This woman had done all she knew to do. And now to add insult to injury Jesus now insults the woman.
He gives her this final test. He says to her, it’s not good to take the children’s bread and give it to dogs.
CLOSE:
May I tell you, that He really wasn’t insulting her.
He was pushing her to a greater level of faith. Jesus said it is not good to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. And this woman responded, even the dogs eat the crumbs fall from their master’s table.
In other words, if being a dog is going to get my daughter delivered, then bow wow, bow wow. Whatever I’ve got to do, I’m waiting on a yes, and I’m not leaving until I get it.
Now I see what the Word of God is saying to me.
Ask and it shall be given.
That sounds like a yes.
Seek and you shall find.
That sounds like a yes.
If you knock, I’ll open the door for you. That sounds like a yes.
If you shall ask anything in my name, that I will do.
That sounds like another yes.
Somebody’s prayer request is about to become your praise report.
There’s a yes out there, lingering in the air, and it’s got my name on it.
Is there anybody Listening to me, expecting a, yes?
