Sunday Morning Worship 10/13/19

you can be seated for just a moment if you would like it is such a distinct honor to be here today and be with your pastor and and Bishop and we are so honored that we would be asked to be here and a lot of great men that have been across this pulpit you had one last weekend and you get one every week when your pastors here or your bishop was here this morning and so I counted an honor to be here today and again we do miss being at I don't I don't like being away and I need to make sure that that's on tape so that my church hears it

they begin to think maybe I like going away from home and I don't but they'll have Church today because that's just what we do around there and so we want them to have Church and I want to hear good reports I don't know how it works around here but hold them but sometimes they have better Church one I'm going and so if that's the case I think I ought to get more fishing in or something if that's what's gonna happen but we are we are distinctly honored to be here today

I'll take a little bit more time this evening and try to just I just want you to know that we are honored to be here and thank you Pastor first lady Bishop sister Hold'em it is pastor Appreciation Month and let me just put a plug in for him it shouldn't just be one month out of the year we show appreciation for a spiritual leader in our lives that should be something we're thankful for all of the time amen you thankful for great leadership thankful for great leadership

it's an honor to have my wife with me as well my children are at home and they are helping lead worship and and those things that they do at home I have all adult children one married another one getting married and I know you didn't think for a moment that I looked old enough we didn't start that early we're just old so but we are honored to have them all apart

I'm gonna read one verse of scripture here today I don't know what your custom is here but if you would just stand maybe for one scripture and then if you will allow me we're gonna pray one more time I feel that I have a word for you here this morning a very distinct word today I feel for tonight as well there's something special that God has in store for us

I don't think these things happen just by happenstance I think God orchestrates and I don't believe that anybody ever shows up just because you might have been invited somebody might have invited you to come somebody might have pressured you so much you finally said let me just go so they'll quit bothering me but I distinctly believe that everything is ordained by God and so you're here for a reason

so let me just read one verse of scripture Matthew chapter 15 verse number 28 simply says this then jesus answered and said unto her o woman great is thy faith great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt and her daughter was made whole from that very hour very familiar portion of scripture but I believe there's something we can point out in this as we go through this morning I want to talk to you about the fact that each and every one of us are crumb worthy we are crumb worthy

and so let's pray one more time if you will ask God to touch us Lord we love you today god we thank you again for this opportunity Lord to be in your house God we never want to take it for granted and God I pray lo that you will touch today and the precious name of Jesus got this church these people god I pray lo the children oint my lips gone and my heart to deliver your warranted word God anoint our ears got to hear it got our hearts to respond to it we ask it in the precious name of Jesus and everybody said in Jesus name hey man

you can be seated there's something about the name of Jesus you started singing about that just a minute ago and there is a power that rests in here when you begin to talk about the name of Jesus and so I just want to talk to you a few minutes this morning I have a very distinct target a very specific target this morning

I want to speak to individuals who feel that you have continued to seek but you have not yet found the answer you're looking for you feel unworthy of the blessings and the favor of God and you are absolutely overwhelmed with a feeling of loss and filled with questions very distinct target this morning and I think that probably touches on several of us in this room here today and so if you'll just allow me a few minutes and just respond to the Word of God I pray that God will touch us

I am gonna do just a little bit of expository so if you want to follow along in your Bible in Matthew chapter 15 we're gonna talk about this story just a little bit but verse 21 of that chapter says then Jesus went thence and departed into the coasts of tyree Sidon and behold a woman of Canaan that's key that that was mentioned a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil purposefully we need to tie in and there is a reason why this tie into history is here when the writer refers to this woman of Canaan

it brings to memory the promised land if you will prior to the children of Israel conquering it the people of Canaan were the outcast ones they were the ones who were not worthy and so it's very distinct that the writer makes a point to say this is a woman of Canaan this is someone who is an outcast if you will this is someone who is not worthy

I want you to understand this morning that the devil will do the very same thing anytime you try to make a move towards God if you never known him and you're making choices to draw closer to him and change your life be sure that the devil will bring your past to mind he will see to it that you feel unworthy of the loved and of the mercy and of the grace of God that's his job he's gonna make you feel unworthy

if you are a child of God who has slipped I promise you the devil will remind you of those mistakes I want you to understand if you are trying to draw closer to God in relationship and in covenant I believe it is a covenant relationship we have but if you're trying to draw closer in relationship and covenant the devil will do his best to show you how this is the best that it's ever gonna get and you don't deserve anything else from God that's just how the devil operates he's gonna show you you don't deserve anything else from God

but hear me this morning I'm not gonna take a long time to get going I'm kind of one of those straight up helicopters we just take off and go I don't have a long runway here today but hear me this morning when I tell you your past absolutely does not dictate your future the mistakes that you have made in the past do not dictate where you're going in the future the mess ups that you've had the background that you had does not dictate your future with God we heard about it in class this morning there's a transformation that will take place and who I am in the future it's not anything about what I was in the past

I wish there were a few apostolic sin the room that said I remember what I used to be before God came in and changed me I'm no longer what I used to be but I am a new creature in Christ Jesus hear me this morning when I tell you that where God will take you will not be hindered by where he'll has had you I don't know if you heard what I said but where God will take you will not be hindered by where hell has had you

the sacrifice at Calvary gave you an eye an opportunity to have every one of those sins remitted I want you to hear me today when I tell you you do not have to be weighted down by what God will lift off you don't have to bear burdens that God said I'm gonna take them off of you there's things that God said I'm gonna lift off and you don't have to be weighted down by what God said he will lift off you don't have to have it don't let the enemy bring up your failures don't let him bring up the past because there is a God that will change what has been into what will be

none of us are worthy none of us are worthy of the blessings of God but I'm here to tell you God died on a cross and I don't ever want to make that a small episode because of what God has done for me it is gigantic in my life the fact that I have an opportunity to have my sins remitted

so this woman comes this woman of Canaan and verse 23 says that he answered her not a word and say anything to her the disciples even began to come to him they said they came and besought him saying send her away for she crieth after us verse 24 says but he answered and said watch this I'm not sent but unto the house of - the lost sheep of the house of Israel

something very unique happens in this exchange that took place something unique takes place here Jesus doesn't even give the woman of Canaan the time of day he's not even talking to her he didn't say a word to her he responds to his disciples who were complaining about a woman who just keeps pestering him he's responding to the he he speaks to them but when he speaks to them she's an earshot of what's being said she can hear what's being said he's he's giving a foreshadow if you will of why he was here and who he was really here to reach for and the timing for the Gentiles was not yet but she's within earshot

and so again not only will the enemy remind you of the past he will also lie to you and lead you to believe that the blessings of God are not for you he's not only gonna remind you of what you've done wrong he's also gonna let you know there is nothing that God has that you deserve or that you could ever receive you're not worthy of it

he's gonna remind you there are only four people who have the right pedigree or have the right background or the right social status or they got the right bank account that's the only ones that God died for that's the only blown ones that his blessings are for I've said this for years and I believe it with everything in me

you do not have to get good to get God you've got to get God to get good I wish you'd understand what I'm trying to tell you today you don't have to change before your meeting it's when you're meeting that the change is gonna happen you don't have to do something specific you don't have to have the right background or the right pedigree you don't have to have the right social status when you come in contact with the king of kings and the Lord of lords he will absolutely change everything you are you don't have to get good to get God you gotta get God to get good

somebody clap your hands to the Lord thankful that I serve a savior who loves me for who I am because He gave His life to see what I was gonna become hmm he saw me for who I was but he died for what I'm gonna become

don't allow the enemy to use your past mistakes and failures to hinder you from God's future blessing don't allow it to be a roadblock verse 25 so we get this story that's going along this woman comes she's pestering him the disciples say tell her to go away Jesus responds to them I didn't come for them I've come for the house of Israel and then this woman again she comes and she says to them in verse 25 she came and she worshiped saying lord help me she was very persistent

when was the last time that you were so desperate for God that you didn't care what everybody else thought about you she had just been put down she had just been ignored God didn't even respond to her plea and her cry God didn't even listen to her didn't even answer her and all he simply did was speak back to the other people and

she began to worship Him regardless of how she felt regardless of the guilt regardless of how unworthy she might have been she began to worship Him when was the last time that you were so desperate you needed to get a hold of God regardless of what everybody else thought well I can't go down to the altar if I do so they're gonna think something's wrong in my life

I really don't care I've got to get a hold of God I don't care what anybody else thinks when was the last time you said I need God right now more than I need my next breath and I am not stopping till I get his attention when was the last time some of us especially those that are a little older I can put myself in that category now remember the Marx Brothers remember Chico and Groucho and Harpo Marx was a time when Harpo was visiting New York and he was bombarded by requests of various charities to appear at their benefits that they were having and

after one particularly persistent woman had called him a dozen times in two days Harpo reluctantly agreed to appear at that event for her charity she offered personally to escort him to the event and as they were leaving Harpo's hotel room the telephone began to ring and she said to him she said don't you want to go back and answer that phone and he said why bother he responded wearily he said it's undoubtedly you callin again

the Canaanite woman begged Jesus to cure her daughter who she believed was troubled by a demon and Jesus seems to ignore her plea but she does give up nor does she quit she keeps asking Jesus for help she keeps worshiping him she keeps asking him

I wish that some of us could get like the woman who pestered Jesus some of us would be like the woman who pestered Harpo Marx I overheard her saying one time pray like a pest give Jesus no rest keep going until you get the answer that you've been looking for I don't want to quit and give up because the enemy tells me that I don't deserve it or it doesn't belong to me

I understand I don't deserve it I understand it doesn't belong to me but that's not what I'm gonna stop and say no longer am I gonna worship I'm gonna continue to worship because I understand what he did on Calvary and I'm just gonna push enough some of us get caught up in that spot where I don't know if I want to keep asking

we need to get like blind Bartimaeus in mark chapter 10 it said when he heard that Jesus was coming he began to cry out and say Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me and hear what happens see just like it does any other time you try to make a move for God many charged him that he should hold his peace

but he cried out a more a great deal thou son of David have mercy on me notice when he continued on when he persisted on even when everything else told him he should stop he persisted on and Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called and they called the blind man saying unto Him be of good comfort rise he's calling after you

if you continue enough if you push enough he said I'm gonna push beyond what everybody else thinks it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks about me it doesn't matter if everybody thinks that something's going wrong he said Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me I don't care what everybody else says I don't care what everybody else thinks I am desperate enough that I need God more right now than I have ever needed him in my life and when you get that desperate Jesus stops all the other noise all the other crowd everything else was going on Jesus stopped at that moment and said somebody go get that man

and then notice something happens verse 15 it says then he casting away his garment rose and came to jesus and jesus answered and said unto him what will I do for you and the blind man said Lord I might receive my sight and jesus said unto him go thy way thy faith has made G whole and immediately he received his sight and he followed Jesus in the way I wish there was somebody that would get desperate enough for an encounter with God that says it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks I'm gonna get a hold of him I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get a hold of him I'm gonna do whatever I can because I need a touch from Jesus

maybe you don't understand how important that is that he took off that robe maybe you do but whether I were identified by what they wore in those days they were identified you knew that was a beggar not just because he was sitting with a pan in front of him begging money he was a beggar because of what he wore it identified him

it's key in the fact that when he finally got God's attention when he finally got the attention of Jesus he took the robe off and here's what he said I'm no longer gonna be identified by that anymore because once I get ahold of Jesus I'm no longer gonna be a blind man anymore

he said you need to understand something I know that when I get ahold of Jesus when I get his attention I'm no longer gonna struggle with whatever I struggled with before I'm no longer gonna be identified but what I was identified before he knew before the blessing and miracle ever happened he already knew I'm no longer gonna be a blind man anymore cuz I got Jesus

so Jesus finally addresses her verse 26 and he answers and he says to her it's not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs I just want to tell you pastor at that moment some of us are out he has offended me he called me a dog some of you would pop up your head Woodcock a little bit you know nothing about me oh no you did you don't know me we would have got offended I've done all of this work I have embarrassed myself by coming here everybody has told me to get away and I have embarrassed myself by calling on him any response to me that I am a dog

let's see when you get desperate it really doesn't matter because then she said truth you're right I am I am a dog I don't deserve it I shouldn't be here right now there is nothing that qualifies me to be here right now there is nothing that gives me the authority to be here right now you were right you have spoken the truth but here's what I want you to understand the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table

understand something you have to understand something about this time period bread was something that was valuable the father would bring bread home for his family and and it would be something that was such such sustaining value that it was not something that you would just haphazardly hand off to a dog you just wouldn't do it he was stating something that was a known fact in that time period and so the only way that a dog of any kind would get any kind of bread was the crumbs that fell when the children would drop some

I have a hundred pound boxer at home he knows better than to get around the table he don't come to the table and beg he's big enough he just lays his head on the table but he knows he don't come to the table and beg you're not allowed to do that

but something unique happens he understands something about children and I don't even have small children but when small children are at my house he identifies with the crumb droppers and he will as best he can he's too big but as best he can he will sneak his way in and get right up underneath those seats because he knows there's some goodness gonna fall from that table underneath these little people right here daddy won't let me have nothing but these little people right here gonna drop some stuff matter of fact I'll find I'm reaching down a handing it to him but he is understands something that the crumbs that fall I can get a hold of

and here's what I need you to understand there's something you need to understand about bread the ingredients don't diminish by the size of the piece see the same thing that is in the loaf is in the crumb she said you're right I don't deserve the bread that's at the table but she understood the same thing that's in the bread is in the crumb and

if all I can get ahold of right now is a crumb my god I feel the whole ego if all I can get ahold of right now is a crumb I want you to understand it's the same anointing it's the same ingredients it's the same thing in the crumb as it is in the whole load she said you're right I don't deserve it but just let me have some crumbs just let me have some crime crumble worthy just let me have some crumbs

I don't know the right ingredients are important I'm not a baker I don't I don't bake and we had some good stuff last night over there with him skillet cookies and ice cream and probably the best part of the whole thing was that frozen glass of milk that just that just makes it all right but the right ingredients are important have you ever had something and you stuck it in your mouth and as soon as you put it in your mouth you knew something was missing the cake didn't have the right consistency the pie didn't turn out right

my wife makes a chocolate pie and every time she tries to make it it doesn't set up like it's supposed to and it is absolutely delicious but I've changed the name to chocolate pudding pie because that's what it's like and so something didn't happen and so bread is the same way if the ingredients are not right the bread doesn't turn out right it doesn't turn out like it should

the very first meal and that we had had one of the first well I say the only bad meal my wife and I ever had that she cooked we were we were newly married living our little duplex you know had a little table a little two seats so cute and she was pretty adventurous in cooking and she's cooking this thing and she made something I don't it was eggplant something I think her eggplant parmigiana eggplant lasagna I don't know what it was but bro when I put it in my mouth it was nasty but

let me help any young married couples in here right now you do not say that you you chew it up you swallow it as best you can you get it down and you just say honey you are the best cook that I have ever met in my life this is so good I can't even bear to eat it

the only saving grace I had is when she put a bite in her mouth she went oh that's horrible another helper for you you go are you sure honey I mean it's not are you it's not that bad she's I don't know that's nasty we're not eating that oh my god let's go we'll hit the drive-through whatever we got to do we'll take care of it but we understood that something about it was not right

but one thing for certain no matter what the ingredients that go in there the same no matter how big the piece may be she said it may not be my time I may not be around the big table but I may not have the background that others have I may have a background that disqualifies me that will stop me from being at the table but I want you to know if I can just get a crumb if I can just get a crumb from the table it will forever change my life

I wish there were some people that would understand your crumb worthy I don't need a seat at the big table just give me a little crumbs because everything that's in the crumb is in the whole loaf as well it's the same ingredients listen to me please the same anointing the same power the same blessing the same forgiveness the same deliverance the same grace and same mercy is in the loaf that's in the crumb can I speak something to ya I want you just if you didn't hear anything else I've said today catch this

don't be upset with the portion size be thankful for the ingredient don't be upset with the portion size be thankful for the ingredients huh I wish some of us would get out beyond the fact of I don't have what they have and I don't have the things that they haven't why am I not blessed like they are and why do I not have the things why why why well quit worrying about why don't worry about the size to worry about the ingredients it's not about quantity it's about the quality of what God has and it is the same in the crumb as it is in the law

just like the woman with the issue of blood notice what she said she said if I can touch the him if I can touch the him she didn't say I've got to get up and have him put his hand on my forehead she didn't say I've got to be able to touch him I've got to be able to get a hold of him I've got to be able to have him put his head she ain't saying any of that she said if I can just touch the hem and

she crawled on her belly through all of the spit and dirt and junk that was on the ground getting stepped on by people around her getting stepped on and kicked and shoved to the side and she just said if I can just touch the hem you know what she understood the same anointing was in the him that was at the top of the head I don't know if you understand what I'm trying to tell you she said I don't have to have all of the hoopla and attention I don't have to have everybody's seeing what's going on I just gotta get a hold of just a little bit of what Jesus let me just touch the hem of his garment

because the same power is in the hem that's in the whole load the same power is in the him that's in the whole garment the same power is there and when she had that revelation the word says Jesus stopped he said hold on hold on fellas somebody touched me

I can imagine the disciples are like are you kidding me Jesus I mean look at the crowd everybody's pushing and shoving and we probably bumped into yeah we're trying to do our best to you know keep everybody from getting but but I'm sure somebody hears bum you're probably right somebody's probably touching he goes no no no somebody touched me with faith and when they touched me with faith it wasn't just about the pomp and circumstance it wasn't just about the fact that Jesus was here he said when that person touched me I felt virtue leave my body you know why because the same virtues into him

verse 28 what we opened with said then jesus answered and said unto her o woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt her daughter was made whole from that very hour he said woman because of the faith you have it's not your time you don't deserve it you're not at the big table it's not when you're supposed to get it but because of your faith because you're crumb worthy

but you have to understand I'm gonna begin to close here this one what you have to understand is this I don't know how it is around here we say we're gonna close I really didn't mean anything I just we put it in our notes so you feel comfortable hmm

what you have to understand is it's not the crumb it's not the him it's not the loaf it's not any of those things that does the work in every scenario it is the faith it is the faith see you need to get your faith engaged and realize that you are crumb worthy by faith you will be made whole your prayer will be answered and God will respond to you by your faith

let me just share something with you here book of Hebrews we say the eleventh chapter is the faith chapter but let me just kind of go through something here with you real quickly as we come to a close here verse number one of that chapter says now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen

so from the very onset of the chapter it lets you know you can't see it but it's there you can't see it faith is the substance of things that you're hoping for you can't see it it's the evidence of things that are not seen I I don't know how I don't know when and I don't know where but I know this he will I don't know about you

I have this thing about us you know when we say God can I believe that God can I believe God's got the ability I absolutely believe it but when I say God will I put a whole different level of faith in action one of them speaks of my knowledge of what God is able to do the other speaks of my faith of what God will do

sometimes we get hung up too many times and say God can oh we know he can but I got to get my faith engaged and say God will God's going to do it God's going to move God will move in my situation but you go through that chapter and it just goes all through here through faith and by faith Abel and by faith Enoch and by faith Noah by faith Abraham and through faith also Sara and by faith Abraham

you'll have time to go through all of these different examples but he said by faith Isaac and by faith Jacob and by faith Joseph and by faith Moses and by faith Moses again and then he says by faith they passed through the Red Sea and by faith the walls of Jericho fell down he goes through all these scenarios

and then he says in verse 32 and what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of gideon of barack and sampson and jeff a and david and also samuel and of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms and wrought righteousness and obtained promises and stopped the mouths of lions he said i don't have enough time he must have been preached on time schedule ii said 'i'll have time to tell you i don't have time to tell you all the stories i don't have time to tell you of all the things that happened when people had faith but here's something that you have to realize

he started back in verse number 6 he said without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him I wish to God somebody would get a hold of that verse and understand the only way that it happens is I've got to have faith and I've got to be persistent I've

got to be diligent in my seeking god I'm not gonna quit till you bless me I'm not gonna stop till you touch me I'm not gonna quit God until you move I'm gonna continue to pray and so faith is the first step it's the first step to salvation the first step to deliverance the first step to healing the first step to reconcile and relationships it's the first step to your restoration your first step is a step of faith and so stand with me this morning here's the problem sometimes we get hung up on the what-ifs we get hung up on the what-ifs

we say something like I've heard you preacher I've heard you rattle on now for 30 minutes I've heard you I've heard you talk about faith I've heard you mention all of these things but what if nothing happens what if the Josh I take that step out because that first step has to be faith first step has to be faith so what what if I take that first step nothing happens it didn't stop the lady she kept on didn't stop barn Emmaus kept home didn't stop the woman with the issue of blood she kept on but what if I make that step and nothing happens

this is gonna be deep ready deep feel a theology you ready then what did you lose if nothing happens and you stepped out by faith and nothing took place then what did you lose you got the same problem the same situation same sickness same everything going on what did you lose you went to the doctor and didn't say well what if he can't hate me but you win anyway right you're doing all the things you can do to try to fix whatever the issue may be whatever the problem may be but I'm just telling you today what what if you gave Jesus a shot what what if you took a step of faith but what if nothing happens then you didn't lose anything

but there's a real strong chance there's a real strong possibility that when you come in faith you catch his attention even if you're a dog and you only deserve the crumbs even if you're blind and don't really deserve his attention even if you're so sick all you can do is get to him just maybe just maybe I'm telling you if he touches you today then the step was well worth it can I tell you it'll probably be the easiest step you've ever taken

when you put the adversaries words out of your mind when you put other people's doubt out of your mind when you put your own doubt out of your mind and say you know what I'm gonna give Jesus a chance I grew up in this and there's one song but the Josh I'm gonna feel singing here if you do then you'll just have to fix it later I love when preachers come and say that in my pulpit you just fix it later Pastor Mike well then don't say it there's a chance I gotta fix something don't say it but I'm gonna do it because they do to me

there's a song that we use this thing that said when you've tried everything and everything has failed try Jesus I'm not a bad spawn good principle the problem I have with it is why did we wait and go through everything else before we ever tried it why not give him a shot first to save yourself a whole lot of aggravation and frustration

bow your head with me this morning and remember hear me this morning say I believe with everything in me there's some folks that got to speak into here today I don't know what your normal custom is here but I'm gonna open this alter and invite you to come here today if you need a healing I believe that God can heal you today if you've got an issue that's going on and your family or your children I believe that God will touch you today

but hear me your past does not dictate your future where God wants to take you today is not going to be hindered by where hell is hatching you no longer have to be weighted down this morning by what God is willing to lift off of you today and I truly wish that you would understand that you are crumb worthy and don't be worried about the portion size and don't be worried about what everybody else has it just be willing to take a crumb today come on I'm not sure your situation I don't I don't know you here today

I'm just telling you that God sent me to tell somebody don't quit right now don't stop right now don't give up right now don't throw in the towel right now you have come for a reason today and I don't know if it's a healing you need in your body I don't know if it's a healing you need in your marriage I don't know if it's a healing you need in your family I don't know if it's a battle you've been fighting in your mind I don't know if you felt like quitting because you just don't know if God hears you

I'm telling you right now God hears every prayer just don't stop praying don't stop reaching because you are absolutely crumb worthy here today God wants to touch you come on a fini the Holy Ghost today God can fill you with the gift of the Holy Ghost whatever you're touching me today God can do it for you the precious name of Jesus got touched