Untitled Sermon

When the Devil has your Daughter

Mark 7:24-30

Intro: Illustration of this past week seeing a once beautiful friends mug shot.

When you know the woman in the mugshot it’s different.

You might not believe in the devil.  You should.

The devil is the opposite of everything God is:

Holy- wicked

Wise- fool

Love- Hate

Merciful- shows no mercy

God wants you to believe in Him. The devil doesn’t want you to believe in him.

Illust.- A thief and a murderer want you to believe they don’t exist. You’ll never stop them. Satan is a thief and a murderer.

The devil had the daughter of the woman we meet this morning in our text. We can learn a lot from her.

1. Don’t let your past keep you from fighting for your children.

A. Her culture was ungodly.

Tyre & Sidon. As far North as Jesus would go in ministry. He didn’t go to minister. Tyre had been the center of Baal worship and that affected Israel in a devastating way in OT. Where Jezebel was from.

“did not want anyone to know”

So few in this region interested in Jesus He pronounced judgment on them (Matt. 11:21-22). Mostly Gentile region filled with idol worship.

There are people who grow up not even knowing a Christian.

B. Her character was ungodly.

v. 26: Woman, Gentile, Syrophoenician (at that time Syria ruled over the area of Phoenicia) by birth.

She would have been a worshipper of false gods. It’s likely her embracing of false gods that led to her daughter’s dilemma.

We may have raised our children around the wrong people.

We may have raised our children around the wrong religion.

We may be largely the reason our children are captured by the devil.

C. Her curiosity helped her.

“heard of Him” (25)

Wonder what she heard?

Love

Mercy

Power

Teaching- Come!

If not for the devil having her daughter who knows if she would have ever come to Jesus.

If you don’t love yourself enough to come to Jesus at least love your children, enough to!

If the devil has your daughter the greatest thing you can do is go to Jesus yourself.

2. The devil takes great delight in destroying our daughters.

A. This girl was unsaved. Saved people can’t have devils living in them.

Unsaved is bad enough!

You may have a daughter who is blind to the gospel. That is of the devil (2 Cor. 4:4).

You may have a daughter who believes a different gospel. That is the devils doing! 2 Cor. 11:3-4

You may have a daughter who mocks the truth of the gospel. That is of the devil. (Acts 16:16-18)

You might have a good daughter by the world’s standards but if she is unsaved the devil still has her.

B. This girl was ungodly.

“unclean spirit” always lead to unclean acts.

Illust. Haiti extremely filthy and full of demonic activity.

In our own city. Go to the areas filled with drugs/alcohol you will see uncleanness.

The physical reflects the moral uncleanness.

The devil is having his way with our daughters.

He is destroying them with:

Drugs/alcohol

Ungodly Men

Transgenderism (butchering themselves)

Intellectualism- “Has God really said?”

Homosexuality

Satan ripped Eve out of the Garden, and he wants to make sure none of her daughters make it back.

C. This girl was not unloved.

Thank God! My heart breaks for those with children who are lost. This woman’s life must have been difficult.

No man mentioned

No hope

Constant worry, supervision, fear of personal harm

Some people have only one person in this world who loves them and that’s their mama. 

Can’t be mean enough to make mama quit loving.

Can’t be sinful enough to make mama quit loving.

Can’t be lazy enough to make mama quit loving.

Don’t you quit loving your children! That’s what the devil wants!

 Illus. When I see certain people whom I find hard to love I think about their parents.

3. Don’t allow obstacles to deter you.

A. The silence of the Lord.

She begged the Lord to come help her daughter.

“He did not answer her a word” (Matt. 15:23)

Then the disciples told Jesus to send her away (Matt. 15:23).

Why? The Lord uses this to draw her closer to himself.

Why isn’t my daughter saved yet? Maybe the Lord wants to use this to draw you closer to himself. 

Illust. I have a friend who calls me for a ride to bible study. As soon as I say I’m coming she hangs up. Never says anything else. Not even bye.

If the Lord answered some folks’ prayer immediately they’d just hang up on Him. They’d be done.

Keep talking to the Lord. Draw near him. Get closer than you have ever been.

B. The saying of Jesus.

When Jesus answers it appears to be rude.

“Let the children be fed first” Not “no” but “wait.”

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and feed it to the dogs.”

Jesus was called to go to the Jews first.

Jews called Gentiles dogs because they were considered unclean.

Jesus uses a different word for dogs that refers to a household dog, a puppy. It would still be offensive to many.

Some liberal theologians say this was wrong of Jesus. You shouldn’t call people dogs!

The Bible calls us a lot worse than dogs.

Snakes

Children of the devil

If you are going to be a Christian, you need to have thick sin.

We have a song where we call ourselves worms:

“Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I”

“Amazing grace…that saved a wretch like me!”

The Bible is an offensive book.

Some ladies would have left right then when Jesus called her a dog.

C. The steadfastness of the woman.

Yes Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs!

She’s quick!

Rahab was a gentile prostitute, and she got a crumb!

Ruth was a pagan Moabitess, and she got a crumb!

This woman had a lot against her but she wouldn’t quit!

The devil!

The disciples against her.

Her past against her.

It even appeared the Lord was against her for a moment.

Don’t you give up on the salvation of your children!

4. There is nothing the devil does that God cannot undo.

A. She left Jesus with great faith.

Jesus was impressed with what she said. He told her He healed her daughter, and she believed Him.

Some people just won’t believe Jesus can do it.  

Illust. Going out visiting for VBS. It’s easy to think it’s pointless. I remember:

I lived in a trailer park

We had a yard full of beer cans

Our house smelled like dope

God can save anyone and that includes your daughter.

This woman had likely never seen a person delivered from a demon. But she believed the Lord could do it.

B. She must have rejoiced when she got home.

“the child lying in bed and the demon gone”

She had her daughter back!

Hugging and kissing!

There was a story told to the girl.

I bet there was some praying.

Prodigals listen, the joy you would bring if you came to Jesus!

There is no greater joy than knowing your family is saved.

C. Some may leave this world not witnessing the salvation of their children.

You leave your prayers behind.

You leave prayer partners behind.

You leave your witness behind.

You leave Jesus behind

Imagine the joy of a mother who dies before her child is saved. In heaven one day the gates open and her daughter walks in!

Does the devil have your child?

Live for Jesus

Bring your child to Jesus

Don’t quit bringing your child before the throne.

Believe that God can save your child.