A Gentile Woman With Great Faith

I. EXORDIUM:

How do you know your prayers are answered?

By faith. It's not only the way I wanted it answered but all prayers are answered.

Jeremiah 33:3 (Amplified Bible)

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers/unbelievers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that GOD answers prayers irregardless of who you are, the standards is His immeasurable grace through faith in our lives.

IV. TEXT:

Matthew 15:28 (Amplified Bible)

Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you wish. And her daughter was cured from that moment.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You made it easy for me to increase my faith and that is by hearing and hearing the WORDS that comes from Your mouth.

Mark 4:24 (Amplified Bible)

And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Romans 10:17 (Amplified Bible)

So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).

VI. TITLE:

A gentile woman with great faith

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Apostle Matthew

B. Keyword: Fulfilled

C. Emphatic Thought: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy

D. Audience: Jews

E. Apparent Purpose: To show that JESUS of Nazareth was the kingly Messiah of Jewish prophecy.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

Matthew 15:28 (Amplified Bible)

Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you wish. And her daughter was cured from that moment.

A. A Gentile woman with great faith

"Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith!"

Great or "megas" in Greek meaning:

1. big

2. exceedingly

3. high, large, loud, mighty, strong

Faith or "pistis" in Greek meaning:

1. persuasion

2. moral conviction

3. credence

4. reliance upon CHRIST for salvation

5. constancy in such profession

6. assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity

Very rare, actually this is just one event where a Jew (the LORD JESUS) entitled a woman (a weaker vessel), with great faith. Come to think of it, to add to this, the woman is not even a Jew, but a Gentile. This is an encouragement for all of us as we are Gentiles too, since we can have great faith irregardless of who we are, a Jew or a Gentile. Great faith is something that is not denied for us, Gentiles. Truly we can only please GOD by faith.

1 Peter 3:7 (Amplified Bible)

In the same way you married men should live considerately with [your wives], with an intelligent recognition [of the marriage relation], honoring the woman as [physically] the weaker, but [realizing that you] are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. [Otherwise you cannot pray effectively.]

Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Some people that can be compared to this woman with great faith: (though not attested by the LORD Himself, still this woman's great faith is comparable to no one.)

1. Job

Job 13:15 (Amplified Bible)

[I do it because, though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him and] behold, He will slay me; I have no hope—nevertheless, I will maintain and argue my ways before Him and even to His face.

Job 23:10 (Amplified Bible)

But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous].

2. Jeremiah

Lamentations 3:32 (Amplified Bible)

But though He causes grief, yet will He be moved to compassion according to the multitude of His loving-kindness and tender mercy.

3. centurion

Matthew 8:10 (Amplified Bible)

When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel.

4. Abraham - father of faith

Romans 4:19-20 (Amplified Bible)

He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb.