SEEKING THE HEART OF JESUS: A Heart That Reaches - Jesus and the Canaanite Woman - July 21, 2019
Video - EasyWorship Background - 5 minute
Prayers
INTRODUCTION
A leper - A heart that touches
A Centurian - A heart that marvels
The Samaritan woman at the well - A heart that accepts
The Two Daughters (bleeding and Jairus daughter) - A heart that cares
The Pharisee and the woman who anoints Jesus' feet - A heart that confronts
Jesus discussion with the Samaritan woman about worship
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.””
John 4:23-24 NIV
God is looking for and desires true worshippers-- but what is it that makes someone a true worshipper? Is it any of the following?
* A certain style of music, dress, and/or liturgy?
* The proper religious heritage or denominational affiliation?
* A required volume of biblical knowledge?
How did people around Jesus respond to worship
* He came to His own and they, broadly speaking, did not receive Him (Jn 1:11)
* Many of His followers would stop following Him altogether after He presented a message that was particularly tough to accept (John 6:60, 66)
* The disciples failed to grasp the nature of this call to worship (Mt 14:31)
* The religious leaders rejected the One who called out to them (Mt 15:8-9)
* Even the closest of His disciples, Simon Peter, failed to see Him rightly (Mt 15:16) and failed to understand the heart of worship
Jesus responds by stepping away from the crowds and out greater Palestine and venturing into Gentile territory
“Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.”
Matthew 15:21 NIV
- AN UNHAPPY ENCOUNTER
A. A mother's pain
“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.””
Matthew 15:22 NIV
B. A famous healer
“Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.”
Mark 3:7-8 NIV
C. A profound silence
“Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.””
Matthew 15:23 NIV
2. BEING PUT ON HOLD
A. Priorities or Teachable moments
“He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.””
Matthew 15:24 NIV
B. The faith of an outsider
“The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.””
Matthew 15:25-26 NIV
3. A HUMBLE HEART OF WORSHIP
A. A conversation about appropriateness
“He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ”
Matthew 15:26 NIV
B. A twist on an old saying
“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.”
Philippians 3:2 NIV
“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Matthew 15:27 NIV
C. A dog's reward
“Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
Matthew 15:28 NIV
1. Loyalty, faithfulness of our house pets
- “LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,” (Psalms 10:17 NKJV)
- “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23 NKJV)
- “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5 NIV)
4. REACH OUT (CONCLUSION)
“Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.”
Matthew 15:29 NIV
Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There"
As He reaches to us, our best response, as with this hurting woman, is to humbly give Him our worship and trust, knowing that all we give to Him He can handle for our best and for His purposes. The hymn writer could easily have been speaking of her encounter with Jesus when he penned:
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
All to Jesus I surrender.
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
-Judson W. Van De Vanter, 1896
CHALLENGE
Go out of your way to reach out to someone this week. One person. Show how much you care by how much effort you put into it.
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