A Messiah Who Hears Our Prayers
Text: Matt. 15:21-28
Introduction
1. Illustration: When asked how much time he spent in prayer, George Muller's reply was, "Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming."
2. All too often I have heard people say to me, "Well all I can do is pray." What a misguided statement. Prayer isn't the least we can do, it is the most we can do!
3. When we pray there are certain things we need to keep in mind.
a. Be Bold
b. Be Relentless
c. Be Worshipful
d. Be Resourceful
e. Be Believing
4. Read Matt. 15:21-28
Proposition: The power of prayer moves the hand of God.
Transition: In prayer we need to remember to...
I. Be Bold (21-22).
A. Have Mercy On Me
1. After Jesus' confrontation with the religious leaders he moves on from Galilee.
2. Matthew tells us that "Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon."
a. Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon which were two principle ports in Phonecia, the coastal plain region west and north of Galilee.
b. During the time of David and Solomon they were the two of the most important cities in the known world (Horton, 325).
c. The district of Tyre and Sidon was the Gentile territory of ancient Phoenicia, an area now in southern Lebanon, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
d. It is possible that He and the disciples spent most of their time in the foothills of the mountains, which would have been a refreshing change in climate from the hot and arid region of Galilee (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
e. What is important to note here is that this is a Gentile territory, and the Jews and Gentiles did not think very highly of one another.
3. While he was there, "A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
a. She had been raised in a pagan culture that had been renowned for its wickedness and sin.
b. She was a descendant of a people God had commanded Israel to conquer and "utterly destroy" (Deut. 7:2).
c. She had no heritage of God's Word, God's blessing, or of His Tabernacle, Temple, priesthood, or sacrifices.
d. Therefore, because she believed so much relative to so little revelation, Jesus called her faith great.
e. A temple dedicated to Eshmun, a god of healing, was located three miles northwest of Sidon.
f. This woman was likely familiar with the pagan deity, but she was familar with Jesus’ reputation, and she comes instead to Jesus for healing for her daughter (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 539).
g. The fact that she came to Jesus, a Jewish teacher and healer, indicates she was disillusioned with the idolatry that characterized her religion.
h. In turning to Jesus, she turned from the way of Satan and sin to the way of God, and that is the essence of repentance.
i. She knew she did not deserve Jesus' help, that she was unworthy of Him, and that her only hope for undeserved forgiveness was in His gracious mercy.
j. By definition, the person who asks for mercy asks for something undeserved.
k. This woman did not come demanding but pleading. She did not ask Jesus' help on the basis of her own goodness but on the basis of His (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
B. Come Boldly Before the Throne
1. Illustration: "It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray; but we must patiently, believingly, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer (George Muller).
2. God expects to us come boldly to him in prayer.
a. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
b. God does not ask us to be weak and timid when we pray.
c. God ask us to come to him humbly, but in the power of the Spirit.
3. The problem with most of our prayers is that we expect too little.
a. 2 Kings 13:18-19 (NLT)
18 Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times.
19 But the man of God was angry with him. “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.”
b. All too often we put limits on a limitless God.
c. There is nothing too big.
d. There is nothing too impossible
e. There is nothing so out of reach that our God cannot do it.
Transition: We must also...
II. Be Relentless (23).
A. All Her Begging
1. Another mistake we make when it comes to prayer is that if God doesn't give us the answer we want, when we want it, we assume He is not listening to us.
2. We can see this in the case of this Gentile woman. Matthew tells us that "Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word."
a. Great faith does not give up; it is not deterred by obstacles, setbacks, or disappointments.
b. Jesus therefore tested the faith of this woman by setting up a series of barriers.
c. Sometimes the hardest response to accept is no response at all, and that is what this woman received from Jesus as He gave here no reply, not even a word.
d. However, this was not a deterrent to her. She kept on asking.
e. Both men and women in the Old Testament, and in the Gospel tradition show courage by refusing to take no for an answer to a desperate need.
f. When we recognize that we have nowhere else to turn, clinging to the only One who can answer us is an act of faith (Keener).
3. In fact, she was so persistent that Jesus disciples said, “Tell her to go away, she is bothering us with all her begging.”
a. In our culture we might consider this woman rude, but ancient Mediterranean judges were sometimes so corrupt that among the poor only a persistent, desperate, otherwise powerless woman could obtain justice from them (Keener).
b. The main element of this story is the woman's need.
c. The disciples apparently interpreted Jesus' ignoring the woman as a sign of unconcern and wondered why He did not just get rid of her.
d. The disciple’s insistence that Jesus get rid of her had nothing to do with a desire to see her need met, but so that they could be rid of this Gentile woman and her annoying begging (Horton, 327).
e. On the contrary, Jesus was testing her to see just how badly she wanted Him to answer her prayer.
B. Persistence In Prayer
1. Illustration: “One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”
2. Jesus teaches us that the key to answered prayer is persistence.
a. Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
b. Keep on asking until you receive.
c. Keep on seeking until you find it.
d. Keep on knocking until it opens.
3. Jesus teaches us never to give up in prayer.
a. Luke 11:8 (NLT)
But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
b. Don't give up.
c. Don't give out.
d. Don't stop asking.
e. Don't stop trying, and God will answer!
III. Be Worshipful (24-25).
A. Worshiped Him
1. Jesus tests her resolve a little more.
2. He says to her, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
a. Jesus did not come to the Jews to commend the righteous, but rather to save the lost.
b. The primary objective of his mission was to Israel. The Gentiles would be included after Jesus' death and resurrection.
c. Had he included the Gentiles at this time it would have been a hindrance to the Jews, and thus been a roadblock to his mission (Horton, 327).
d. However, that wouldn't have stopped Jesus from answering her prayer, because he had answered the prayers of other Gentiles like the Roman centurion.
e. Jesus was doing this to test her faith.
3. She continues to persist in her prayer, but notice how she does it. Matthew says, "But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, 'Lord, help me!'”
a. The word being translated here literally means to prostrate oneself and is frequently translated "to worship" (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
b. She came to Jesus and worshiped him, and continued to do so as indicated by the imperfect tense used in the Greek.
c. She recognized that Jesus was more than a man, but he was the God-man, and therefore, worthy to be praised.
d. She didn't care about theology or national pride.
e. All she knew is that she had a need and Jesus was the only one who could meet that need.
f. "Her faith was not merely superstitious hope for a miracle, but a solid trust that would not be denied" (Horton, 327).
B. Worship In Prayer
1. Illustration: Barclay quotes William Temple, the renowned archbishop of Canterbury, as defining worship as quickening the conscience by the holiness of God, feeding the mind with the truth of God, purging the imagination by the beauty of God, opening the heart to the love of God, and devoting the will to the purpose of God.
2. Prayer is more than a grocery list for God to fill.
a. Psalms 145:3 (NLT)
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.
b. If we believe that God can answer our prayers, then we must realize that He is greater than us.
c. If we believe that God can answer our prayers, then must acknowledge that he deserves our praise.
d. If we believe that God can answer our prayers, then we must praise him for who is, what he has done, and what he is about to do.
3. Our prayers should always begin by praising God for his transcendent power.
a. Psalms 147:5 (NLT)
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!
b. Praise Him because of His power.
c. Praise Him because of His holiness.
d. Praise Him because of His mercy.
e. Praise Him because of His compassion.
Transition: In prayer we must also...
IV. Be Resourceful (26-27).
A. That's True, Lord, But...
1. Jesus again challenges her faith by saying, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
a. The "children" are the Jews, heirs to God's kingdom.
b. The "dogs" are equated with the Gentiles, but in doing so Jesus is not trying to insult the Gentiles.
c. The word used for dog refers to a lapdog and not a skavaging dog from the street.
d. Lapdogs were permitted to eat the crumbs that feel from the master's table.
e. The difference is the share between the children and the lapdogs have in the meal (Horton, 327).
2. However, the woman shows great resourcefulness in her response to Jesus.
3. She says, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table.”
a. The woman not only agreed with what Jesus was saying, but used it for her advantage.
b. It was not just a firm belief that she would get what she asked, but more so a trust in the person of Jesus.
c. The word "crumbs" refers to "little crumbs."
d. She would be satisfied with even the littlest crumbs that Jesus had to offer.
e. She knew that even the smallest crumbs of Jesus' power was enough to destroy the demon that possessed her daughter (Horton, 329).
f. Sometimes in prayer we have to think out of the box.
B. Enhance Your Prayers
1. Illustration: It was 1916, and Hattie Green was dead. Hattie's life is a sad demonstration of what it is like to be among the living dead. When Hattie died, her estate was valued at over $100 million; yet Hattie lived in poverty. She ate cold oatmeal because it cost money to heat it. When her son's leg became infected, Hattie wouldn't get it treated until she could find a clinic that wouldn't charge her. By then, her son's leg had to be amputated. Hattie died arguing over the value of drinking skim milk. She had money to meet her every need, but she chose to live as if it didn't exist.
2. Pray in the power of the Spirit.
a. Romans 8:26 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
b. The gift of tongues is not only the physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but it is also a powerful resource in prayer.
c. When we don't know what to pray, the Spirit prays for us.
d. When we don't know the will of God, the Spirit does.
e. When we don't have the strength to pray, the Spirit empowers us to break through in prayer.
3. Pray the Word.
a. Psalms 119:105 (NLT)
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
b. There is power in praying the Word.
c. Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
d. There is faith in praying the Word.
e. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Transition: Most importantly, we must...
V. Be Believing (28).
A. Your Faith Is Great
1. Jesus was overwhelmed by this woman's unwavering faith.
2. He tells her, “Dear woman, your faith is great."
a. Any resistance she got merely served to strengthen her faith (Horton, 329).
b. After putting up a barrier of silence and then a double barrier of seeming rejection, Jesus heard what He wanted to hear.
c. Her seeking heart would not give up.
d. She exhibited the attitude expressed in Luke 16:16 of vigorously pressing forward into the kingdom and in Luke 13:24 of striving, struggling, straining every nerve to enter it.
3. As a result of her faith Jesus tells her, "'Your request is granted.' And her daughter was instantly healed."
a. As Charles Spurgeon observed, "The Lord of glory surrendered to the faith of the woman."
b. She kept asking until she received, seeking until she found, and knocking until it was opened to her (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
c. Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
B. Praying In Faith
1. Illustration: "Prayer is reaching out after the unseen..." (Andrew Murray).
2. When we pray we are to believe in the existence of things not seen.
a. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
b. We cannot not see them with our eyes.
c. We cannot touch it with our hands.
d. We cannot taste with our tongues.
e. But we can see it with our hearts, feel it with our spirits, taste it with our faith.
3. Prayer that doubts is no prayer at all.
a. James 1:6-7 (NLT)
6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
b. Why should God answer a prayer you don't believe in?
c. Why should He answer a prayer you don't trust in?
d. When we doubt it is not the prayer that we doubt, but the One we are praying to.
Conclusion
1. "As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray" (Martin Luther).
2. When we pray we should:
a. Be Bold
b. Be Relentless
c. Be Worshipful
d. Be Resourceful
e. Be Believing
3. If prayer is your business, how is your business doing?
4. Are you being bold?
5. Are you being relentless?
6. Are you being worshipful?
7. Are you being resourceful?
8. Are you being believing?
