Unexpected (2)
Notes
Transcript
When I was in college I was part of a program where I would go around to different churches and preach at the churches.
And I grew up going to the same church my whole life and so my view of what church looked like was very narrow
And so I would travel to these different churches and what would happen is someone would drop me off at a church and I would be stuck there all weekend.
and so you never knew what you were getting yourself into
One time I went to a church and I was staying with the Pastor’s family and they actually ignored me the whole weekend and they actually set up a bed in a storage closet for me to sleep in.
Another time I went to a church and a couple people told me I needed to shave since I was preaching (I didn’t)
Another time I went to a church and they actually had a point in the service where the entire service paused and they had a period in the service where everyone got in line to hug the pastor.
We are starting that next week...
And I could keep going on for awhile, but often times I would go to these churches and whether it were certain people or something the church did there would always be something that was just unexpected
And you know its pretty common to go to a church and things are not how you expect them.
If your here you know that because your probably thinking what have I gotten myself into right?
This church is a little odd...
But while this is something that is pretty common, what do we do when we are following God and He acts in a way that is unexpected?
Because typically we are pretty good at figuring out what Jesus would do in certain situations,
You know He loves people
He helps people
But what do we do when we are following God and He acts differently then what we expected?
What do we do when Jesus does not heal a loved one?
What do we do when God say’s no to our prayer?
What do we do when we feel like God has abandon us?
And today we are actually going to be looking at a really difficult passage of scripture, because we are in Matthew 15:21-28 and in this passage Jesus act’s in a way that really different then what we would expect.
And we are really going to be wrestling with this question of what do we do when God acts differently then how we would like?
So once again we are in Matthew 28:21-28 and, my hope for us today is to look at the times where God does not act how we would like in our lives and for us to begin to understand: What do I do when that happens?
And this is also a good plug for you to join us on Wednesday nights for small group because like I mentioned this week is a really difficult passage to wrestle with and on Wednesday nights we discuss the sermon from the past week and its a good time to say I hated that or thought that was wrong and we just have an open discussion about the passage we were in.
So we will be starting in verse 21 and 22 and it says this:
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
So Jesus just finished teaching a crowd of people and he is now leaving the area
And on the way to another place there is actually a Woman who runs out crying to Jesus yelling “Have Mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David”
And she says she actually needs help because her daughter is oppressed by a demon.
I mean this is a serious situation
And not just that but this woman is desperate, because she was a Canaanite and they were considered low in society
I mean they were people who worshiped false god’s
And historically they would lead the isralites away from their true God
And she has probably tried everything before coming to Jesus
And so this desperate mother runs crying to Jesus
and you would think Jesus would respond immediately and heal this woman’s daughter,
Because everywhere else in the Bible regardless of who the person is or what they have done Jesus will typically heal them or at least talk with them
But whats so shocking is Jesus’s response, because look at the first part of verse 23. it says
Matthew 15:23 (ESV)
23 But he did not answer her a word.
This desperate mother is crying out to Jesus asking Him to save her daughter and in the middle of that it almost appears that Jesus does not even acknowledge her.
Have you ever been there?
Where you are crying out desperately to Jesus and all you hear is silence?
And silence drives us crazy. I mean if you think of talking on a cell phone.
If you are trying to have a discussion and the signal keeps breaking up it drives you crazy because you can’t hear the other person.
And if we hate not being able to hear our friend on the phone, how much worse is it when we cry out to God and it seems like there is silence
I mean have you been there?
And its even worse then that because not only does Jesus not answer her but look at what the rest of verse 23 says, because it says:
Matthew 15:23 (ESV)
And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
Basically get rid of her! she is driving us crazy and we just want her to leave us alone.
So not only does it seem like Jesus has abandon her, but it also seems like the people who are supposed to be Christ followers have as well.
And this is such a real passage here. Because I can guarantee that there are people who are here today who have had a hard point in there life where it was hard to hear God or feel like he is even near,
and not only that but then in the middle of the hard time where it was hard to hear God someone in the church or even the church itself hurt you in someway.
Maybe they did what the disciples did where they just ignored the pain you were in and you were hurt.
But can I just say if you have ever been in a place like that it is hard.
Because not only do you question your church, but you question your God.
But look what this women does because in the middle of not hearing anything from Jesus and His disciples saying hurtful things it says this
Matthew 15:24–25 (ESV)
25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
She did not give up.
You know she had two options because she could have easily said I am done here, I am done with Jesus and His followers,
But instead of letting her hurt make the call she let her faith make it.
And can I just say it is so important for us to do this, because there are times where we might not hear God
But what is so amazing is that in this story Jesus is standing there the entire time.
Its almost like this: our son Liam is extreamly adventurous a and it is so much fun, but he always is getting into things he shouldn’t be. and often times he will try to make sure we aren’t watching (even though we always are)
But the issue is he will get stuck
and for a second he has this realization that he is in big trouble because he does not know if we are right behind him or what.
And he has this moment of fear, but the thing is that in the middle of that fear we are right there ready to pick him up.
And really in our lives there are moments where its hard to hear Jesus, but He is there.
And look what happens in verse 26 because Jesus comes up and for the first time He actually addresses the women directly saying
Matthew 15:26 (ESV)
26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
So its Jesus first time addressing this woman and He actually addresses her harshly.
And I want to be clear a lot of scholars believe that this was actually Jesus testing the woman
Because in a way He is saying why would I extend my grace to you? Don’t you realize who you are?
He actually calls her a dog which in Biblical times were considered unclean animals.
I mean I read this and I am thinking “Jesus said this?”
But like I said I believe Jesus is testing her, because the truth is when any of us sin it means that we have decided to rebel against God, right?
And in a way when we do this we are saying God I recognize that I am a child of God, but I want to live my own life
And in a way we are renouncing who God says we are.
But look what the woman says because in verse 27 it says:
Matthew 15:27 (ESV)
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, (Basically I recognize my status and mistakes) yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
And what is amazing is this woman is saying yes I have messed up, (She is owning up to it), but she is saying even if you could give me little Grace I know it would be efficient.
and like I said this is a hard passage to wrestle through
But I want you to notice what happens once she says this because look at the last verse in verse 28 it says:
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
All the sudden this woman goes from this low place to an example.
And can I just say I believe that in this passage Jesus is actually not trying to teach this woman something, but He is trying to teach the disciples that what makes you a child of God is not what you do,
its not your race, its not how you act or how proper you are, but what makes you a child of God is who you rely on.
And in this passage this woman knows she needs Jesus.
And because of this Jesus actually says this woman has amazing faith and He heals her daughter and she goes from this outcast to an example.
And you today some of us might be in a place where it seems like Jesus is silent.
And I will be 100% honest I probably can’t tell you why that is.
But I love how ultimately in the middle of this this woman chooses to walk by faith.
Where she keeps coming to Christ, even when it seems there are no awnsers,
And she just cries out and trust God.
And today like I mentioned it is very possible that you might be in a similar place, but Jesus never sent this woman away.
The culture she lived in probably tried to
The disciples tried to
But Jesus never sent her away.
And in your life thats a truth to hold on to that in the middle of the storm God will never leave you or ask you to leave.
