Well, welcome. Good to have you folks with us. Our Bible studies have been going out on the CDs, and Larry and Gladys, and I believe Marvin, and Gene and Judy have all received the CDs. So they've kind of stayed with us a little bit on our Bible study. But for those who may be receiving this recording for the first time, we're going to continue our study of Simon Peter, an apostle of Christ. We're in our 12th study of this subject. Looking at the things that our Lord is going through teaching Peter, to the point where he sits down and writes his epistles. Just as our Lord teaches Peter, though, He teaches each and every one of us through His Word. Peter is standing there in person with our Lord Jesus, but we are also standing here in the presence of His Word. Not this book, but the words that are in it. The words of truth that point us to Him. We turn to the book of Matthew searching out the lessons our Lord may be pleased to teach us as we go about through the scriptures looking at the lessons that our great Savior taught Peter leading up to the writing of his two epistles. In our last study, we looked at verses 21 and 22 of chapter 15, considering this woman, a Gentile for whom Christ departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon, that He would give faith to this poor woman who was distressed over the vexation of her daughter. The Lord taught us that for most, we must be brought to distress before we will cry unto Him. Paul wrote this, he said, Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That's a tough thing to do for any of us. But yet, knowing who the Lord is, we can do that very thing. Our Lord says to us, all things are for our good. I don't know how, But I know the day will come when we will see how 9-11 was for our good. All things, our Lord says, not just this and that and that, but all things are for our good, including our infirmities. And most of the time, our infirmities bring us to the very situation that this woman was brought to. Lord, have mercy on me. The love for her daughter, who was grievously vexed with the devil, compelled this broken-hearted mother to come to the Savior, bringing her daughter's need to Him. She asked the Lord Jesus to pity her daughter as an act of mercy to herself. She says, have mercy on me. That was her cry, bowing to Christ as her Lord. She knew that this man had been healing the sick, making the blind to see and the lame to walk. She knew that only God could perform these kinds of miracles. And she had submitted to that very fact by coming to Him and asking for Him for mercy. By coming out of the coast and coming to Him. Her desperate need brought her to the Savior and taught her how to pray. In verse 23 we read, But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us. Now here's a lesson that all of us need to know and need to learn, as well as Peter. It's a very sad lesson, but it's one that we must learn. The saints of God in this world All of them are sinners still. Justified and sanctified in Christ, yes, but still sinners in the flesh. And sometimes we act if we didn't know the Lord at all, don't we? Here's a woman, a poor, broken-hearted woman crying out for mercy. And here we see a band of blood-washed sinners, those who themselves had obtained mercy from the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, looking down their noses upon this Canaanite woman, as though she was not worthy of being identified with them. What a pity. Those very men who had experienced grace said, send her away. Send her away, as it says in verse 23, for she crieth after us. She wasn't crying after them. She wasn't crying to them for mercy. She was crying to the Lord for mercy. And yet they had the gall, right there in front of God, to say, send her away, for she crieth after us. How thankful we ought to be that our Master is far more gracious than we are. Let us ever beware of and on guard against our natural prejudices, our pride, our hardness of heart towards those who are around us. Do not let us try to determine who is and who is not sincere and true, or who is and who is not a believer. I fall into that trap a lot. That person can't be a believer. Look what they're doing. I'm a failure at that. This is a lesson that I need to learn personally. That's a free will church down the street. There's not a saint there. We can fall into that trap real quick and easy too. Let us ever beware and on guard against our natural prejudices. Do not try to determine who it is and who it is not. We cannot look upon the heart. You and I should never be doubtful of those that profess faith in Christ. In Romans 14, 1, verses 2-4, it says, him that is weak in the faith, receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things, and another who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not, and let him which eateth not judge him that eateth, for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or followeth, yea, he shall be holding up, for God is able to make him stand. In verses 24 through 26 we read, but he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, it is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. Pastor Don Fortner wrote this, he says, nowhere else in the book of God do we find a sinner coming to the Savior discouraged by Him. But this woman met with great discouragement. At first the Master did not even answer her. Then he who calls every poor, weary, heavy laden, broken hearted soul to come to him, assuring all who come that they shall find rest, said to the one coming to him, he said, I am not sent. I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It is not meet to take the children's bed and cast it to dogs." He goes on to say, does it sometimes appear that the Savior refuses to hear your heart's cries? Have you ever sat there and had something on your mind so terribly it brought you to tears? Lord, why aren't you, do you not hear my cry? When that is the case, Fortner says, lie still before the throne of grace and wait for Him. He sees you. He hears your cries. He knows all of your sorrows. It is He who measures out our portion day by day. And being touched with the feeling of your infirmities, He is infinitely more disposed to give you mercy than you are to ask for His mercy. Our Lord knows what we need before we ever need it. Many a times in our lives we are brought to situations that we will see our need of Him. but he waits to be gracious at the best time, at the time that is best to fulfill his purpose and best for you. All things are for our good. Still the trial of her faith is not finished, is it? When the Lord finally spoke to her, his words must have cut her to the heart. He said, I am not sent, but under the lost sheep of Israel, it is not meat to take of the children's bread and cast it to dogs. Can you imagine what that must have done to her heart? Here's the one who's been healing these folks, and I come to you, have mercy on me, Lord. My daughter is vexed with a demon, and you turn me away. Who can imagine how she must have felt when she heard those words? Yet those are the first words the Savior spoke to her. He who loved her infinitely and everlastingly, who was determined to do more for her than she had asked of or thought of, made the trial of her faith even greater." I hesitate. I want you to hear that. Our great God loves us so much. even when He puts us in the trials that we must go through. The trials of seeing a loved one suffer. He who loved her infinitely and everlastingly, who was determined to do more for her than she had asked for or even thought of, made the trial of her faith even greater because He desired to make her an everlasting monument, an example of faith among His people. Teaching us by her example to hope against all hopelessness. Teaching us by example to trust in Him. Is that not how all the trials come to a child of God? As we go through it, as I mentioned just the other day, it seems like once, I've heard this from other, this is nothing new, I've heard this from other preachers, it seems like once you leave one trial, you go right into another. But oh, how we look back on that trial and see how the Lord is the one who delivered us from it. How many trials can you look through in your life and say, this is what the Lord had taken me through for my good. I can look back and see all kinds of them now where I never saw them before. By all this he sweetly and graciously forced her, drew her, brought her publicly to take her proper place before him. He called her a dog. And she knew she was. She said, of truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the Master's table. Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the Master's table. Just in proportion as we seek Christ's glory, we will see and acknowledge our unworthiness of His grace." In verse 28, we read that very thing. No, that was 27, this is 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole that very hour. How is it, folks, how is it that He calls this faith great? Why would the author of faith declare that this woman's faith is so great and yet he called his disciple's faith little? O ye of little faith. Isn't that what he said just not so far back out on the ocean where Peter walked on it? O ye of little faith. First and foremost the faith that is expressed here is the faith looking to Christ. looking to Christ and Christ alone, trusting in Him alone for all mercy and for all grace. In 1 Corinthians 1 we read, verses 30-31, that no flesh should glory in His presence, but of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Great faith is based upon the Word of God. She believed Christ Jesus to be the Christ, because He had met the prophecy of the Old Testament and He had fulfilled it all. In Matthew 11, verses 3-6, and He said unto him, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John against those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me." She was not offended to come to this Lord Jesus Christ, even though she comes from a land of people who worship all kinds of other stuff, a pagan land. An idolatrous land. Yet here she comes to the Lord, drawn by the power of God. It was the day of His power. Great faith involves great repentance. She knew she was a dog before the Almighty Creator. I know that I am a worm unworthy of what God has given me. That's why it's called mercy. That's why it's called grace. I have nothing that I can earn, because there's nothing in me worth earning anything. And she knew that. Agreeing with Him that yes, dogs are unworthy of it, yet we do have crumbs that fall from the table of the Master. That's another subject we'll have to talk about someday. Great faith involves great repentance, and repentance and faith always go hand in hand. This woman had turned from her sin, her religion, and her gods, and she turned to Christ. Great faith bows to the Word of God. When Christ spoke of election, notice that she worshipped Him. When He told her, I am not sent but unto the lost, that's election. He's not sent unto the whole world. I wonder what those who read this and think that God loves everybody, I wonder what they think of that very verse. He was not sent unto the whole world. He was sent unto the lost. And our Lord spoke of election. And what did she do? She worshipped Him. Is that not what we do? I love election. I know for a fact that when I didn't know anything about election, I was going about my own way. And then God chose to call me out of that darkness that I was walking in. He elected me before I ever even knew it, before I was ever even born, before a world was ever even made, before a star ever twinkled in the sky. When he called her dog, she acknowledged it and used it as an argument for mercy. Great faith cannot be driven from Christ. It never gives up, it never quits. Look how this poor soul hangs on to Christ. She had nowhere else to go. Great faith always gets what it wants, mercy. Faith wants, needs, and seeks nothing else but mercy at the throne of grace. and great faith must endure great trials. Robert Hawker wrote this, and I'll bring this to a close with two more quotes. He wrote, it is as if Jesus threw the reins of government into her very hand, saying as the prophet did in Isaiah 4511, concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. You want grace? You want mercy? You're calling for that? Here it is. And He gives it freely. Freely to us, but not freely to Him. It cost Him His life. It cost Him His own blood. And was there ever more finished Let me start that over again. And was there ever a more finished instance of grace and mercy, not only in following up this daughter of Abraham, her petition, but planting such faith in her heart as might sustain so long a painful trial. Fortner wrote this, and I'll close with this. Let us remember this woman when we try to witness to sinners. God's elect may be found anywhere. Let us remember this woman when we pray. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Because our great God and Savior waits to be gracious, let us remember this woman when our faith is tried. The more greatly our God intends to bless us, the more greatly He tries our faith. Amen. Would you stand with me, please?