Title Shouting Faith / Matthew 15:21-28
Life is like a ship on a rough voyage until it anchors in the harbor of the contentment of blessing. You're like a navigator, who must keep an eye on the changing weather every moment and stay alert for raging storms. It is because the ship of life can continue sailing only when time and effort must be invested generously for success and goal achievement, and a high price must be paid for family and children.
But the problem is that there are many times in our lives where we fail at the cost of hard work. Why? The Bible teaches that "without faith" you cannot get to the harbor of true success and true satisfaction, and even if you do succeed, you will be full of the stench of rot without faith. Even if you have obtained a wealth of material, the success is rather upset when the wife does not trust her husband and the husband does not take care of the family. Even if you have received a good education, you ignore your parents and if your teacher does not trust your students, your education is just a stumbling block like weeds in the garden of life. That is why the Bible teaches that faith is essential to human beings and is the most important factor in achieving a blessed life.
Also, faith in the Lord Jesus can save souls and turn countless despairs in our lives into hope. Faith turned their lives into fertile soil. Paul, who persecuted those who believed in Jesus, became a creative and productive man through his faith. The culture of all the countries along the Mediterranean coast and their lives were changed because of Paul, who had strong faith, and Abraham, who left Ur of the Chaldeans, had the power of God who created the heavens and the earth in him. This has become a world. A common characteristic of these great men of the Bible is the fact that they had faith that was boldly expressed. In a word, they were those who fervently shouted before the people around them and before God, and those who had the faith to shout. That cry, that shout, got an answer from God.
Dear saints, I hope that you will raise your voice and praise the Lord. Let us raise our voices to confess the Lord, and raise our voices to confess our faith. People scream when they are happy, when they are surprised, or when they are afraid and difficult. Sometimes shouting is a bloody scream. But today I will look at a case in which I had no choice but to shout through the Bible.
The shout of the Canaanite woman
When Jesus went to the Gentile regions of Tire and Sidon, there was a woman who cried out to heal her daughter who was possessed by a vicious demon. The encounter between Jesus and this woman began with a shout. But Jesus did not answer the woman's cry. Rather, you ignored it. But the woman continued to cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me, for my daughter is terribly demon-possessed.” The disciples begged Jesus to say, “Send her away, because the woman is screaming behind us.”
But Jesus refused, saying, "I was not sent except the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He despised it for not taking the children's bread and giving it to the dog. At that time, Israel treated the Gentiles as dogs, which means that you cannot give the gospel to the chosen people of Israel to the Gentiles, that is, dogs. Nevertheless, the woman said, “Yes, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” At that time, Jesus said, “Woman, great is your faith, and it will be done for you as you wish” and immediately healed her daughter from her demon-possessed disease. This woman's shouting wishes and hopes were answered.
Jesus is merciful and saves everyone. He hears the prayers of those who sincerely ask. Great faith does not become discouraged even if prayers are not answered. George Muller, who lived a life of prayer, said, “Prayer is not prayer to be fluent. Prayer is not prayer because you say it quickly. “Prayer is not praying for a long time, but prayer is praying until you receive an answer.” The Canaanite woman was not discouraged even though she was ignored and despised. Even though Jesus called the woman a dog, he did not give up his earnest desires and aspirations. We know well from the Bible that King Hezekiah heard the voice of despair of death from God, but never gave up and jumped over the wall of despair with faith.
Dear saints, Like the Canaanite woman, if there are no acts of faith that cry out before the Lord and pray for help, you must know that faith is dead. So, don't worry about any problem and come to Jesus. Self-esteem, face, authority, and honor in the heart prevent us from receiving answers to our prayers. Therefore, throw away all these things like dung, and cast all diseases and problems before the Lord by faith. Then you will receive an answer, receive treatment, and receive a solution. Let's cry out entirely to Jesus. Great faith allows us to have positive faith in any situation.
The two blind screams
In Matthew 9:27 and below, there were two people who became blind and were unable to lead a normal life for the rest of their lives. Their condition was truly miserable. He was blind, and he was begging every day, and he barely survived. But they did not give up on life. They were waiting for the Messiah, the Savior.
One day I heard the news about Jesus. I heard that he preached the gospel of the kingdom to many people, taught the Bible, healed many sick people, cast out demons, and raised the dead. So they also had the hope that if they met Jesus, their eyes could be opened. They desperately wanted to meet the Lord, and they hoped that their problems would be solved through the Lord. According to their beliefs and wishes, the two blind men opened their eyes. Let's take a look at the faith of these two blind men.
First, they shouted, “Son of David!” When you shout, you must have a clear purpose. They believed in Jesus as the Messiah. The two blind men knew who would comfort their suffering, and they knew who the true power of salvation was. Jesus came in the flesh as the son of David.
Second, they shouted, “Have mercy on us.” It is a cry for mercy. This is humble faith. The cry of the two blind men was desperate. Even today, the cry of the saints is the only weapon that can touch the heart of God.
Third, we followed him to the end and shouted. It is the faith of perseverance. After following the Lord for a long time, the two blind men screamed more persistently than when begging. There have been many times when they begged to live and beg for food. But this time, we shouted out as an act of faith. So, I was able to persevere with my tenacity to heal the sick, and I was able to accomplish miracles with my confidence in Jesus sincerity. Neither should our faith be discouraged or give up along the way. Until the day when we receive what we want, let us persevere in faith and go forward confident in the power of the Lord.
Fourth, Jesus said, “Do you believe that I am able to accomplish this?” He saw whether there was faith without doubt, faith that knew how to act. Before Jesus healed physical ailments, he always pledged his faith and confirmed whether he had faith. With the words, “According to your faith,” the eyes of the two blind men were opened. Likewise, faith was the cause and always the result of Jesus' miracles. Therefore, I pray that anyone who prays for anything, if he earnestly asks for it with a cry of faith, will have the thorough faith that he will receive it.
John the Baptist's cry
When Jesus ended his 30-year private life and entered the 3-year public life, the gospel movement was actively developed because of the cry of John the Baptist, who appeared as the forerunner of Jesus. There is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", signaling the urgency of the situation. This wilderness was also a land of death, where there were many vipers and scorpions, and many people were bitten by vipers and killed by scorpions. But John the Baptist ate locusts and sagebrush in these places, dressed in camel's hair, and girded with a leather belt, and cried out, "Repent." He cried out to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. These words are a call to realize one's sin, to hate it, and furthermore, to quickly turn away from that sinful place and return to God. And it is a call to bring forth worthy fruit.
At that time, Judea suffered from exploitation and oppression under Roman oppression for a long time, waiting and longing for the Messiah's appearing, and as the Messiah's appearing continued to be delayed, religious distrust and skepticism spread throughout society. Under these circumstances, the cry of John the Baptist was a voice of hope and comfort to the Jews who were in the swamp of darkness and suffering. John the Baptist was a new awakening of the stagnant religious crisis of Israel and made them look to the Messiah.
Let the cry of John the Baptist become our cry. We must cry out to a world like the wilderness to repent. While the saints live in the world, there must be a voice that calls out to people to point out their sins and to exhort them to be freed from their sins. Even before Jesus began his public ministry, the first voice he cried out was, “Repent of your sins.” That voice of repentance has given us eternal salvation as a gift today. When the saints cry out about sin, the sound can lead to salvation, eternal life, and blessing in someone's life.
Dear saints, What diseases and problems are you suffering from? I hope you will be victorious with the faith that shouts like the Syrophonic woman, like the two blind men. Furthermore, may our cry of faith cry out to those who are hopeless and desperate, and to those who have lost their zeal for faith and are far from God, so that we can reclaim their faith and bring spiritual revival to them. And I pray in the name of the Lord that you will carry out the mission of light and salt in this society with faith and the faith that shouts out to your neighbors, at home, in society, just as John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness.