“A MOTHER, A DAUGHTER, & JESUS” (Matthew 15:21-28)

Originally preached Mother’s Day May 11, 2014

Retired Pastor Jeremy Stopford

TODAY’S “SPECIAL”: “A Mom Funny”

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, “Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?”

Her mother replied, “Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.”

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, “Momma, how come ALL of grandma’s hairs are white?”

INTRODUCTION

We will call our text as taking place on “Mother’s Day” – as a mother is mentioned here! Jesus just left “that place” – probably the outskirts of Jerusalem (v. 1) and headed to the area of Tyre and Sidon. He meets a woman, an unnamed mother whose daughter needs help. How does He respond to this needy woman? The lessons should affect us all for the rest of our lives! PRAYER

#1—A DEAFENING PLEA WITH A LOUD REPLY (vs. 21-24)

Tyre and Sidon together, cities of the Philistines, on the coast north of Israel, were longtime enemies of the Jews. In Ezekiel 28 is given one of the most blistering messages ever delivered against a city, much less against a king, identifying him as an instrument of Satan (if not Satan himself). In Genesis 10:15,19 Sidon is identified as a city of the descendants of Cain

The Savior is interrupted in His teachings by a plea from a lady identified only as a “Canaanite woman”, i.e., a woman from Canaan or the Canaan areas. We know this is the area and the people that the Israelites were to wipe out when they crossed the Jordan (How deep was the Jewish hatred for them: Note the lessons of Jacob and Esau (Gen. 28:1-3,6))

Jesus is in the enemy’s territory! In this realm of hatred comes to Him a woman identified as being from that region.

Note:

1. Her deafening plea: she obviously had heard of Jesus, identifying Him as Lord [God!], Son of David [Messiah!], possessor of mercy. Her insights crossed religious borders. But in front of His disciples, was Jesus going to cross those borders, too?

2. Her description of her daughter: no name, demon-possessed, suffering terribly – the very description the Jews have forever given to non-Jews – she admitted was the condition of her daughter [and is the description of all people, Eph. 2:1-3]

3. His disciples’ response: “send her away, she is a bother, an interruption, an irritation to us and our

love for You, our walk with You, our service for You! Send her away!”

Someone once wisely observed: “People are not irritations to ministry. People ARE ministry.” The disciples hadn’t learned that yet!

4. The Lord Jesus response: Silence. Why? He answers His disciples: “I’m sent only to the lost of

Israel.” For 2500 years, that seemed to be the only mission the Jews remembered. He was confronting them with an age old prejudice. But they had forgotten their own Scriptures.

Note Isaiah 49:6, “Indeed He says,‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Simeon quotes this at Jesus’ birth. And Paul quotes it twice in the book of Acts as referring to the Lord Jesus! Jesus’ response was to teach eternal truth to those He was mentoring – and to us – to see people as He does!

#2—A DEVOTED PLEA WITH A QUALIFIED REPLY (vs. 25-26)

A “devoted” plea – this was a plea of worship – she got on her knee and publicly worshipped Jesus! Her devotion was to Him alone! Do you think that could have been said of those disciples with Jesus? Or of us?

Paul said told the Romans that he prayed for them “without ceasing”. He told Timothy that he prayed for him “without ceasing.” He advised the believers at Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing.” She doesn’t give up on her daughter, or on the Savior!

The Savior’s reply: “the bread of the children (Israel) is not to go to the dogs (Gentiles).” He was reminding her – and in particularly the listening disciples – of the long-time understanding of God’s supposed care for people.

QUICK QUESTION – is that ours? Is there ANYONE that you purposefully believe is not worthy of the grace of God? ANYONE?

#3 —A DEPENDENT PLEA WITH A MOVING REPLY (vs. 27-28)

Verse 27 shows where her true dependence lay: she was identified as an enemy, but her heart was in His territory. She belonged to Him.

Verse 28 His moving reply: He identifies her as a woman of faith!

“You have GREAT faith!” The Message: “your faith is something else”

The subsequent action is almost spontaneous and quick:

(1) The silent Savior speaks to her

(2) The rejected woman is acknowledged

(3) The request is granted

(4) The daughter was healed instantly

CONCLUSION

#1 “I have met the enemy and the enemy is us” – are you willing to step in the enemy’s territory to make an impact for eternity?

#2 The disciples wanted the enemy’s woman – a mother of faith – to be sent away: “she is an irritant, a bother to our love for Jesus.” Who do we send away with our disciple-like lack of spiritual eyes?

#3 The Lord Jesus identified her as a mother of great faith. To our mothers today, would He say that of you? To all of us, would He quickly say that we are people of great faith?

#4 The unnamed mother never gave up on behalf of her stricken daughter. When people are indifferent and even in opposition to the gospel we love, do we give up on them?

AREN’T YOU GLAD THE SAVIOR DIDN’T GIVE UP ON US?

“The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured.” OSWALD CHAMBERS

CLOSE IN PRAYER

SERIES: “HONOR” Message #5, Originally preached March 18, 2012

Rev. Jeremy Stopford, Retired Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIALS:  “Children Are Quick!“

TEACHER: Why are you late?

STUDENT: Class started before I got here.

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago.

WINNIE: Me!

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on ‘My Dog’ is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his?

CLYDE: No, sir. It’s the same dog.

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

HAROLD: A teacher

INTRODUCTION 

Today’s message concludes our series on “honoring God”.  We have learned that to “honor” means “to give the highest respect.”, “to draw attention to the one (One) you love.”

Today we are going to look at the end of honor – in glory.  And when that is offered, that truly will be ETERNAL HONOR.     

PRAYER

GOD WILL RECEIVE ETERNAL HONOR BECAUSE:

#1. HE IS CREATOR  (Rev. 4:9-11)

“The Jack Frost Syndrome” is eliminated in Heaven. You will have no one exclaiming “Jack Frost is nipping at my nose”, or “Mother Nature is upset”, or “wish you luck!” in Heaven.  All honor is to the true Creator!

I came across this song’s original lyrics, as written in 1873 by Lutheran minister, Joseph Seiss:

“Fairest Lord Jesus”

Beautiful Savior, king of creation

Son of God and Son of Man!

Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,

Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,

Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,

He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,

Bright the sparkling stars on high;

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer

Than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,

Son of God and Son of Man!

Glory and honor, praise, adoration

Now and forevermore be Thine!

SO…If God will receive ETERNAL HONOR because He’s your Creator, we need to heed the warning that the prophet Amos gave: prepare to meet your Creator! (Amos 4:12-13)

#2.  HE IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN (Rev. 5:12-13)

Can we look with John for a minute at the Throne of God in Heaven? Here’s what John wrote:

“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders: and the number of them was

ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,”

[THAT MEANS A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE THRONE IN HEAVEN !!!]

John continues. What are those people saying with a LOUD voice?

“Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and HONOR and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12-13)

The Throne in Heaven is the scene of ongoing worship for all eternity. But we shouldn’t be surprised. When was the last time you read from the book of Zechariah? He prophesied a future conversation between the Messiah and Israel,

“And one will say to Him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then He will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.’” (Zechariah 13:6)

One day, we will worship FACE TO FACE the Lamb Who was slain. But until then, we can worship Him FAITH TO FAITH, if only you have trusted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, the one Who was slain for YOUR sins.

#3. HE IS THE ONLY SAVIOR (Rev 7:9-12)

We shouldn’t be surprised that the the “One on the throne” & the Lamb receive equal worship. Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30)

John once again writes,

“…behold, a great multitude…standing before the Lamb,

Clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

And crying out with a loud voice, saying,

‘Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

John continues:

[they] “fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying:

‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and HONOR

and power and might,

Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’” (Revelation 7:9-12, in parts)

There will be NO self-sufficiency in Heaven!  So why is there any now? Our sufficiency is Jesus alone!

The Lord Jesus will be the center of worship in heaven ALONE!  Is He of our hearts today?

#4. HE IS THE ONLY TRUE JUDGE  (Rev. 19:1-3)

This is a tough truth. Listen to a portion of this passage:

“I heard a voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and HONOR and power belong to the Lord our God!

For true and righteous are His judgments…’”

In Heaven, there will be no question Who the true Judge is. There will be no unfair judgments. And as a result, ETERNAL HONOR will be brought to our Savior!

The passage goes on to say,

“…and He has avenged…the blood of His servants shed…” 

In Heaven, there will be no more opposition to the truth! In Heaven, those of God’s servants whose blood has been shed through martyrdom will be avenged by the True Judge.

And ETERNAL HONOR goes to Him!

#5.  HE IS THE ETERNAL KING  (Rev. 21:22-26)

Have you read the last couple of chapters of Revelation lately? Listen to some of the descriptions of the Holy City:

No temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its tempe

No need of the sun or of the moon, for the glory of God illuminates…the Lamb is its light.

The kings of the earth bring their glory and HONOR into it

There shall be no night there

[The Kings] shall bring the glory and the HONOR of the nations into it

[The only ones in it are] ONLY those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life

Jesus is the Eternal King receiving Eternal HONOR. Have you read Philippians 2:9-11 recently?

“That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,

Of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth,

And that every tongue should confess that

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD

To the glory of God the Father.”

One wonders how the cults – much less those who “say” they love Jesus – will feel then? How will YOU feel?

CONCLUSION

If He is given ETERNAL HONOR in Heaven, why not give Him ETERNAL HONOR NOW

CLOSE IN PRAYER

Message #4 in the “Honor Series,” originally preached March 11, 2012

Rev. Jeremy Stopford, Retired Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIAL:   “A ‘Drive Funny’“

A teenager who had just received her learner’s permit offered to drive her parents to church. After a hair-raising ride, they finally reached their destination.

When the mother got out of the car she said emphatically, “Thank you!”

“Anytime,” her daughter replied with a smile.

As her mother headed for the church door, she said, “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to God.”

INTRODUCTION

Today’s message continues our series on “honoring God”.  We have learned that to “honor” means “to give the highest respect.”  It could also be defined as “drawing attention to the one you love.”

Today we are going to look at two lives – David and his son, Solomon – both of whom are described at the start of their lives as men of “honor”.  Let’s see what each of their lives of honor look like. 

    PRAYER

1. LIFE OF DAVID  (1 Chronicles 29)

A. He sacrificed (vs. 1-5a)

David’s heart’s desire was to build a temple for the Lord – an house of worship for all Israel. The Lord had shown David that because he had been a man of war, he was not to build the temple. However, long before Solomon was even “thought of” (much less born!), God promised to David a son who would build the temple.

Although he could not build the temple, he could provide for it! And provide he did! Check out all that he gave from HIS OWN BELONGINGS! That was a sacrifice.

He recognized a tremendous Biblical principle: “you are not your own, for you were bought at a price…”. (1 Cor. 6:19b, 20a).

Am I holding on to ownership of anything the Lord has wonderfully giving me, or is He free to use all that I am and have for His glory?

B. He encouraged sacrifice (vs. 5b-9)

David asked (v. 5b), Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”.

Isn’t that a funny question? Note that he DIDN’T say, “all right – you’ve seen how much I GAVE, let’s see how much YOU can give!”

David told his people, “who is WILLING TO CONSECRATE himself…to the LORD”. True giving comes first of all from a sacrificial spirit. David led by example, and as a result, his people – interestingly, the LEADERS first of all – were willing to follow.

Am I willing to follow? Am I first of all consecrated to the Lord?

C. He praised God (vs. 10-15)

Here comes the neat part. David gives 3 eternal principles which no doubt were the foundation for his life. And please note this: David is near the END of his life. Yet these principles were still his foundation, the roots of all he did:

PRINCIPLE #1: God is the Source, v. 12

“Both riches and HONOR come from YOU, and YOU reign over all”.

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Isn’t DAVID the KING???

But David recognized that, FIRST OF ALL, the Lord Himself is King, and all “HONOR” comes from Him!

That’s a good principle for our lives, too!

PRINCIPLE #2: We are His vessels, v. 14

I really like this line. David is praying. That’s right! After the leaders and he gave all that they gave, David leads his leaders in prayer. And one of the things he prays is, well, are you ready for it, could we pray it, are you sure you even WANT to think about praying like this? Well here goes:

“For all things come from YOU, and of YOUR own we have given YOU”.

“OF YOUR OWN” literally means, “OF YOUR HAND”.

What is David praying? He is telling God what God already knows: that EVERYTHING David and his leaders gave CAME FROM GOD in the first place! They all belonged to God! And all they were doing was acknowledging HIS ownership! They were returning to God what He both owned and gave to them for their stewardship! Wow!

Do I hold on to ownership of anything?

PRINCIPLE #3: Our lives are short, v. 15

In his prayer, David states, “our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope.” Earlier he says, “we are aliens and pilgrims before You”. Literally, we are sojourners and temporary residents.

Why, even one day the house David build will belong to someone else! Even the horse he bought will belong to someone else, or be buried. Why, even the clothes, the books, the STUFF he accumulated will either belong to someone else, or be in the fire for starter kindling.

If that is true of David, is that not only true of us!

PRINCIPLE #4: God is the chief end, v. 16

David prayed, “all this…is from Your hand, and is all Your own.”

Paul wrote, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the GLORY OF GOD.” (1 Cor. 10:31)

Our Presbyterian friends’ first creed is, “The chief end of man is to know God and to enjoy Him forever.”

David understood that. Paul understood that.

Do we?

D.  He finished well, (v. 28)

A friend of mine once said, “I read the obituary page first thing every morning. And if I don’t see my name in it, I go ahead and shave!”

I LOVE obituaries! I have access to the web site of EVERY funeral home in our area!

OK – before you say “he’s gone off the deep end” (well, you MAY be right!) – listen to what the Chronicler says about how David finished:

“So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and…HONOR.”

David lived well, and he died well. While the Scriptures are not silent to the struggles David had in his spiritual life, the Scriptures well sum up his entire 70 years: “he died full of HONOR”.

As per our definition, he gave the highest respected, he drew attention to the ONE HE LOVED.

I sure hope that at the end of my days that is said of me!

Wouldn’t you like that to be said of you?

2. LIFE OF SOLOMON (2 Chronicles 1; 1 Kings 11:41-43; 2 Chron. 9:29-31)

Solomon was now the new king of the combined kingdom of Israel and Judah.

At the start of his ministry as king, Solomon received a visit from the Lord. The Lord asked Solomon, “what can I give you?” And Solomon asked simply for wisdom.

Note the Lord’s response to the new King Solomon’s request:

“Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—

wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and HONOR such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

(2 Chronicles 1:11-12).

Solomon’s new kingship began with…HONOR. How did he finish?

Scriptures give us the tenor of his life. In one sentence: God didn’t own him, but things and pleasures owned him.

He knew the testimony of his Dad’s life. He had watched it for the first 30 years of his own life. And he knew that when his dad David died, he did have a full life. And he did have riches. But most importantly, his life could be summarized with this: he lived a life of HONOR!

And what do the Scriptures say about Solomon?

“Solomon rested with his fathers [a fancy Biblical phrase which means, “he died and joined his ancestors”], and was buried…” (1 Kings 11:43; 2 Chron. 9:31”.

That’s nice. That’s what I often read in obituaries today. But what is missing?

He didn’t die a GOOD OLD AGE although both his father and he died at the same age, 70 years].

He didn’t die FULL OF DAYS AND RICHES.

And most importantly, he didn’t die FULL OF HONOR. In fact, the fact that it is not mentioned means he died WITHOUT HONOR!!!

What a sad commentary on a life that was given by God – and by his father, David – so much wisdom and instruction. Yet he threw it all away for…STUFF AND PLEASURE. 

CONCLUSION

We all must ask ourselves: When our name appears in the obituary page of the paper, will it be said of us, “his was a life of HONOR?”

Such a summary statement of our lives can only be said based upon how we live our lives from this day forward. Let us each ask ourselves:

  Is my life a life of sacrifice, or of accumulation?

  Is my life a life of praise, or of self-gloating?

  Is my life a life centered in God, His Word, and His people?

  OR is my life a life lived ONLY for today?

Is my life a life of HONOR?

CLOSE IN PRAYER

“BUT YOUR HONOR!” (“honor” as in Psalms)

Message #3 in the “Honor Series,” originally preached March 4, 2012

By Rev. Jeremy Stopford, Retired Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIAL  “A taxi funny“:

The passenger tapped the cab driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk, and stopped inches from a department store window.

For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, “Look mister, don’t ever do that again. You scared me half to death!”

The passenger apologized and said he didn’t realize that a little tap could scare him so much.

The driver replied, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Really, it’s not your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I’ve been driving a hearse for 25 years.”

INTRODUCTION

Today’s message continues our series on “honoring God”.  We have learned that God wants to be honored at every age – especially as we grow older and seemingly more frail.  We learned that God wants to be honored in our daily lives and our worship. Last week we learned that honor is a choice – and when we chose to dishonor God we actually are despising Him.  

Out of the 179 times that the word “honor” appears in Scripture, twelve of those are in Psalms.  Today we are going to zero in on the use of “honor” in Psalms.

ILLUSTRATION:  “Judge Joe Brown”, “Judge Judy”, “Judge Alex”, “People’s Court”: These programs all show the defendants and plaintiffs at their worst, and, especially in “Judge Joe Brown”, a witness is often heard crying out, “But your Honor!”. 

Can we so protest against God Himself?  PRAYER

1. GOD IS GLORIOUS – PRAISE HIM!  (Ps. 66:2)

“Sing out the honor of His name;

Make His praise glorious.”

In this verse, the word “honor” means “glory to God alone” !!!

This psalm resonates with PRAISE!

What a JOY to HONOR our God this way! Let’s SING OUT His HONOR today!

2.    MAN IS HEAVY – BE HUMBLED  (Ps. 7:5)

“Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah”

In this verse, the word “honor” means “to be heavy, to get glory [in contrast to being despised]”.

Did you notice the word “Selah” at the end of the verse? Do you simply skip over that word when you see it in Scripture? DON’T!!! It means, “PAUSE! THINK ABOUT THAT!”

The Psalmist wants his reader to pause. Why? Well, if we read the previous verses, David is concerned with two things, as we should be! First (vs. 1-2), he reminds God in prayer that God is HIS trust, and his only Hope in the battle.

But having said that, David spends a moment – as should we! – in self-inspection (vs. 3-5). He asks God to check him out – and if there is iniquity in him, if he has repaid evil to the one who was at peace with him, or if he has plundered his enemy without cause – THEN “LAY MY HONOR IN THE DUST!” Let it get heavy! Let my honor be so heavy in the dust that it can’t get up. David saw relationships with all people – especially with those who didn’t agree with him – as vital in his walk with the Lord. Whoa! Do we? Do I?

3.  GOD IS ON DISPLAY – BE SAFE  (Ps. 91:15)

[God speaking] “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him and honor him.”

Here, “honor” means “safety in abiding in God’s presence”

How?  by God’s glory on display in His child!

*  Note the tender verses of intimacy, vs. 1-4,14-16. Verse 1 was one of the theme verses of Elizabeth Eliot in her radio program:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” 

The Psalmist hungered to know God in a most intimate way – and so should we! And in turn, the Lord promised that vessel that His child would “safely abide in God’s presence”.

Wow! I sure need to hear that today! Don’t you?

4.  MAN IS AT WAR – BE SERVING  (Ps. 149:6,9)

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand…

To execute on them [God’s enemies] the written judgment –

This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

God’s people are to have high praises of God. That I understand. But to have a two-edged sword in my hand? To execute judgment on God’s enemies? This is my honor to do?

In this verse, “honor” means “majesty”, on display like a Christmas ornament!

God should be praised in our service!

Did you note the “two-edged sword” in verse 6? Should be a familiar item for battle!

Let’s see Hebrews 4:12:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

So for the New Testament saint, the war against those that don’t know God is won through our wise use of…His Word! Are we in the Word of God daily? Are we being instructed personally from Him on a regular basis? Are we equipped to use God’s two-edged sword?

For further study!!! Look up: Psalms 15:4; 21:5; 49:12,20; 96:6; 104:1; 112:9

CONCLUSION:  JESUS BECOMES MAN – WORSHIP HIM!  (Ps. 8:5)

“For You [the Father] have made Him [the Son] a little lower than the angels, And You [the Father] have crowned Him [the Son] with glory and honor.”

The word “honor” here takes on a special meaning: “an object of reverence or majesty”.

The author of Hebrews notes the fulfillment in Hebrews 2:6,9 in the Lord Jesus!

Honor! He is THE Object of reverence and majesty for all eternity!!!

Is Jesus the Object – the Goal, the One and ONLY Center – of reverence and majesty in your heart today?

CLOSE IN PRAYER