The Ingredients Of Great Faith

Praise God. Hallelujah. Glory. Let's clap our hands to the Lord right now. Thank you Jesus. Oh hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. My my my my what a powerful atmosphere here right now. a miracle atmosphere, a deliverance atmosphere, a Holy Ghost atmosphere. Whatever you want from the Lord, it's available right now inside of this tabernacle. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. I would like for you please to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 15. There is indeed something special about this meeting. There is a depth to the flow of the spirit. There is an undergirding of the power of the Holy Ghost. That causes us to sense the supernatural is not far. Hallelujah. Right. Not only that, there is a crossing of gaps, a tearing down of barriers, a molding together into one. And it's dangerous for the devil when the church becomes one. And it's happening here right now. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 21. Then Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried unto him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord. Thou son of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, "Send her away, for she crieth after us." But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me. Yeah. Lord, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, "It is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs." And she said, "Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table." Verse 28 will be the summary of our reading and the finale of our reading. And we will give you our text at this point. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, oh woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Yes. Jesus answered and said unto her, "Oh woman, great is thy faith, I feel in the Holy Ghost to do my best today to share an insight on the ingredients of great faith. the ingredients of great faith.

It was Jesus who said great is thy faith. And when he says it, I think we need to examine it. God bless you. You may be seated. My attention some time ago as I was reading the Bible through on the bread program was arrested by this very familiar story that we have all read and preached from for many many years by the acclamation of Jesus Christ. And more arresting than the statement that great is thy faith to me was the speaker. It was not a novice. It wasn't a nobody or an uninformed somebody who said and labeled and identified what took place in these accounts to be great faith. In reading the New Testament, you'll find that Jesus Christ did not throw those terms around. We may say great, great, great, great, and fantastic and fantastic and fantastic. But when Jesus said it, he meant it. And he said, woman, great is thy faith. I am a firm believer that Jesus knew what he was talking about. For he was himself perfect faith. He was indeed the faith child. For his earthly existence was brought about by a virgin mother who said in response to a challenge of the Holy Ghost. Let it be unto me according to thy word. Mary stood in an elite fraternity of virgin mothers. It's easy for us to rub shoulders with people of like precious experience and faith and share the account of the joy of receiving the Holy Ghost or the miracle of divine healing. There was nobody that Mary could go to and share her experience with and ask for the symptoms and the pattern and the progress and then the arrival. Mary had been chosen of the Holy Ghost to be the first in a spiritual experience that had never occurred and of course never has since occurred. I wonder tonight if we are not in the midst of a people that have reached the dimension in this hour when we struggle for acceptance and normality. When we strive to reach a point where peers can accept us into this group or into that group when God Almighty is wanting somebody to be a first. God is looking for somebody not to repeat the spiritual history of the New Testament church, but to add a brand new page. The first time it's ever been done. The first experience in an hour of mercenary false prophets that are expounding the science of living. I think we need a fresh definition of faith. For there are those who would pervert our faith, that would deceive us and try to steal our faith from us. I want you to understand that I believe the United Pentecostal Church is not a group of doubters and unbelievers. I don't believe this is a negative, pessimistic, critical, downcast, depressed body. I believe God's church is a church that's filled with faith in his word and in his power. There is however more to faith than to name it and claim it, believe it and receive it, confess it and possess it, and somebody even added, "Blab it and grab it." There's more to faith than catchy cliches or sleek smooth speeches or hocus pocus praises. There's more to faith than PMA. I said there's more to faith than positive mental attitude. There's more to faith than now or never, do or die, sink or swim. Sometimes faith is just staying there until it happen. Faith is not always the miracle coming right now. It's not always the spontaneity of instant growth. It's not

the Easter record attendance being broken year in and year out, but it's staying there and believing. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. God's going to do it. Hallelujah. I want to say to you in the fear of the Lord and in the power of his presence today, miracles do not belong in the camp of the mercenary false prophet. It belongs right here amongst God's true people. As a matter of fact, the first miracle that Jesus ever performed was for a select lady. She was not a stranger off the street. She had suffered for many years the ridicule and the persecution of her virginity and his birth. They daily threw it in her face that her son was born of adultery. And the time came when Jesus was confronted by her. Now I don't believe there was another person on earth that could have launched the miracle ministry of Jesus like his mother. She triggered something in him when she came to him and said, "Son, they have no wine." He said, "In essence, what's that got to do with me?" And in essence, she said, "A whole lot because I know who your daddy is. I'm tired of them laughing at me. I'm tired of them mocking me. I'm tired of them ridiculing. Come on, Jesus. Show him who you are. Go ahead, Jesus. Show him what you can do. And Jesus turned the water into wine for a lady that knew who he was. And if God wants to work miracles, he wants to work miracles for people that know who he is. I remind you, it was Jesus that said, "This is great faith." It wasn't Kenneth Copelan. It wasn't Reverend Ike. It wasn't Robert Schuler. It was Jesus Christ. And I think he knows what great faith is. As a matter of fact, when the Bible recorded that, he said, "Oh woman, great is thy faith." I believe it was not as cooly and calmly as it's recorded in the word of the Lord. I believe Jesus perhaps had a beat of perspiration on his brow and a fearful anxiety in his countenance and his heart was pulsating mighty fast. And I believe he screamed out, "Oh woman, oh woman, the thoughts that you are giving me, the ideas that are coming to my head right now as you press upon me, the pressure was surmounting on the Lord and he could not go much further." And he said, "This is great faith." Yes. All the atrocious brazen audacity of this woman who would dare to invade the holy terrain of the Old Testament select race for she had no reason or right to approach the Lord. She was not under the canopy of covenants. She was not under the pavilion of patriarchal promises. She had not one Old Testament promise. For the entirety of the Old Testament was written by a Jew to a Jew. Only on a couple rare occasions did someone outside that choice bloodline be a recipient of a good thing from the Lord, such as Naaman the leper and Rahab the harlot. She approached him without one verse. She approached him without one chapter, without one scripture. She invaded that holy terrain with a boldness and with a calmness and a serenity that said when I go home things are going to be different around my house. Hallelujah. Praise God. I want to perhaps momentarily now address another segment of Pentecost. Last night, our great general superintendent addressed the insiders and their response and reaction to the outsiders. There is, however And then this morning, Brother Ray Johnson addressed the intimidation of

the church toward those that are outside of Pentecost. But let me tell you, the intimidation is not just outside the church. It's inside the church. It's inside this lovely edifice today. Here was a lady who knew she was a nothing. Who knew she was a nobody, but to get what she wanted, she had to discount her disadvantages. Yes. Yes sir. You say she was at a disadvantage. I believe so. Who are Israelites to whom pertaining the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, their fathers concerning the flesh are the ancestors of Christ. The Bible describes the advantage of being a Jew. This woman looked at those advantages and she called her way over covenants. She fought her way over promises. She fought her way over bloodlines. She discounted patriarchs. I don't care who your great granddaddy is. I'm not far from him right now. And I need a miracle. I know I don't have a right to it. I know I don't deserve it. But I'm not going to be intimidated by a bunch of blackhaired long-nosed Jews. My daughter's got a devil and I want her delivered. I want to say to you young preachers that are in our ranks today, we need not be intimidated. There is a false rumor moving around the ranks of Pentecost. It's been in it ever since I've been in it. And that is if your name is not of a certain tree or of a certain pedigree. You're an outsider though you're on the inside and you don't have an opportunity. We're going to try to break every barrier that would hinder the revival in the end time. Woo. I'll be honest with you. I'll be honest with you today. And I think we ought to be honest because I believe that's the first step and the first ingredient of great faith. The first thing that woman had to do was quit her lying. You see, she said, "Thou son of David, she wasn't a Jew. That phrase didn't even fit right in her mouth." Uh-huh. She lifted what she had heard Jews calling him, hoping perhaps to come under camouflage or under guise and hide and get what really belonged to somebody else. You can't hide and get anything from God. You've just honestly before him and tell him, "I'm a nothing and I'm a nobody, but I'm hungry and I believe you can do it. Brother Ursan's not here this evening. However, we don't want him to stop telling about his father. How do I treat it? Just have to get rough with it. I listen to the stories I heard him tell in a meeting the other night of how that when brother Anthony Mangan was a young man, he would preach and stay in the home of the Mangans and at night they would leave their bedroom doors open and they would holler across the hall and discuss the work of God, the love of God, the power of God, the truths of God. Tears fill my eyes. And I listen to Brother Kilgore tell about his father when I was in college. I listened to it hours. And what he taught was not nearly as great as what we caught because when class was over, we were on our knees by the hours praying, giving our lives to God. Brother Mike Williams and I think brother Pat Williams is here somewhere. Brother Anthony, Brother Steve Spears, Brother Tommy Tenny, Brother Merl Euan, Brother

David Elms, Brother Ad Spears, Brother Kevin Cox, Brother Dean that sang here today and his brothers, Brother Mark Foster. Every time I get around you men, something inside of me cries out. I'm going to be honest with you today. I told you because I want to try to help the new ones that are here and the young ones. There was a day I resented it. There was a day I didn't like it because while you we're being taught the word of the Lord at the feet of a father. It wasn't so with me and I'm not going to tell you my life and a whole lot of other preachers. It wasn't so. And I've said, "Oh, God, they've got the advantage on me. God. If Anthony Manion can't preach, he ought to be kicked. That's right. That's true. If Mike Williams and Pat Williams are not mighty men of God, shame on them. Shame on him. If Brother Merl Yuan is not a dynamic minister of the gospel, shame on him. But listen, it's still not going to stop me because I'm hungry. I'm a nobody. I'm a nothing. But he'll hear me if I call. You may be seated. Let me say it to you like this, young preachers. Don't be jealous. Don't be envious. Don't sit out there and say he got it handed to him. Don't sit out there and say he inherited. Let me tell you something. You can't keep a loser up. And you can't keep a winner down. He will come up. He will come up. So I'll tell you what I did. I came as an outsider. And I said, "God, I'm not going to resent them anymore. I thank God for it because this United Pentecostal church has been good to me. Hey, I got a hundred daddies. The only reason I'm able to stand up here today, and I know what some of you were thinking, was just Some of you was praying, "God, help brother Huntley to have enough sense not to get up there." Poor him. I'd hate to be after Sister Mang. Just go. Don't Don't worry about it. Just go ahead and go. Right. That's the voice of experience. He's had to follow her for years. That's a voice of experience. Woo. Hallelujah. Brother Jack Y is here somewhere. He's been like a daddy to me in the ministry. I owe a lot. Let me tell you something, friend. If you'll pray and be burdened and have faith in God, there's plenty of room for revival. There's plenty of room for growth. You may be seated. So, what are you going to do, young man? Maybe your daddy was a drunkard. Maybe you were born on the wrong side of the tracks. You ain't there no longer. Why should you act like it? Why should you think like it? Why should you conduct yourself like it? Come on, let's get up out of the muddy grubs of depression and let's go for it. You can have it. You can have it. You can have it. Everybody say, "Praise the Lord." Praise the Lord. Let me show you where she was. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles? Gentile. But she got what she wanted. Yes. Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision, criticized, persecuted, looked down on, but you still got what she wanted by that which is called circumcision. Go ahead. In the flesh made by hands that at that time, at that

time ye were without Christ, but she got what she wanted. You were without Christ. Go ahead. Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but she got what she wanted. and strangers from the covenants of promise. But she got what she wanted and having no hope. But she got what she wanted and without God in this world. But she got what she wanted. But now in Christ Jesus, I'm going to tell you if that lady got what she wanted and she did, there ain't anybody here today that has to do without revival, the power of God, or miracle. You may be seated. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit crying around. Quit your whining. Get up and start praying. Get up and start fasting. Get up and start for Jesus. Hallelujah. I want to show you why Jesus said, "Oh, woman." Yeah. I believe he was sort of waving his hands like, "Please back up." Oh, woman. If you just knew what Jesus was thinking right now, if you just had an idea of the thoughts that are going through his mind right now about what he's going to do and about what he wants to do. You see, let me show you the magnitude of the miracle. And the reason Jesus was backing up is because to perform what this lady wanted, he had to reach out of that dispensation into another dispensation and pull a sample out. It wasn't her time. It wasn't her hour. But Jesus was saying, "Oh, woman, look what time it is. Oh, woman, don't you know it's not your day?" And she just kept coming. Miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle. And before she knew what happened, Jesus reached around Gethsemane. Jesus reached around Calvary. Jesus reached around the blood and pulled her out. A miracle. If you want it bad enough, you can have it today. You don't have to fall into the program that says it takes this long. It takes that long. It takes this long. I don't know how long it takes. I'm going for it now. I want it now. Praise God. The next ingredient after honesty is persistent desire. Now, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that. Sister Mangan exhausted that subject, persistent desire. The Bible said, "Asketh, receiveth. knockketh to him, it shall be opened. The ETH simply indicates, you just keep on. The propagators of the perverted faith of this hour tell you after you've asked once, you don't ask anymore or you doubt. But the book says, "Ask, seek us. You may not win the fastest Sunday school growth award for a year. You may not have your church self-supporting in three years, but you don't set timetables on God.

You just keep on and on and on and on. Somebody said that the servant went and looked seven times and the miracle occurred. There's a danger in getting number conscious in the Bible. When we were in Bible college, every great preacher that came by, all the young preachers would say, "Can I ask you a personal question?" How many hours do you pray a week? How many days do you fast? You know why they want to know? They want to have what he had. And so they'd write it down. Most great men of God like brother Kilgore I very well remember would never say it may take him two days and me seven good as a matter of fact I was reading my Bible the other day and saw a profound revelation it wasn't on the seventh time that The cloud appeared and the miracle was wrought. Everybody says we got to do it seven times. He did it then seven times. Got to do it seven. Read the book. He told the servant to go look one time. He came back. Then he said, "Now go seven times." I'm not real deep, but seven and one is eight. Right. But if you think you're going to go seven times and it don't happen, you're going to sit down and say, "God's a liar." You might ought to try number eight. Woo! As a matter of fact, Jesus told the disciples, "Go out and cast your nets one more time. And he said, "The night's over. Get the cracklings out of your eyes. Get your pajamas off. The night's over. The son of righteousness is arising with healing in his wings. And the empty nets is over. No more empty churches, Brother Johnson. No more empty altars. No more empty baptistries. No more empty prayer rooms. No more empty pews. And they had a neckbreaking ship seeking revival. Persistence. She said, "My daughter's got a devil." That didn't impress him because the Bible said he answered her not a word. He ignored her. Now, ignoring and to be ignored is the worst thing in the world. Somebody said a long time ago, "Slap me or kiss me, but don't ignore me." Jesus was actually rude. He would not even give her enough of his breath or attention to frame a one syllable, twoletter word. No. He just didn't do anything. And there are a lot of folks in this meeting today that would feel so much better if they could just get a yes or a no. But all they've been hearing is If I could just hear something. If I could just hear something. And here they are today with their ears stretched. A yes or a no. Somebody said, "He's been mighty rude to you." That's all right. We're not going home.

The Bible said after that she turned apparently to the disciples and said, "Listen, he he seems not to have time for me. Would you fellas are close to him? You're on the inner group. You know him better than I do. Would you say a good word for me? Would you put a word in for me? You guys know him better than I do. Say something good for me to him." It's not exactly what she expected. They turn around and they say, 'Lord, send her away. Everywhere we go, she's on our trail. Could I use you, brother Mangan? Talk to him. Talk to him. Talk to him. Talk to him. Talk to him. Talk to him. Say something for me. Do something for me. Tell him something. When they finally got an audience with Jesus, they said, "Send her away." Yeah, we don't like her. Be careful who you try to get to help you have revival. Some folks will want you to shut up. Some folks will want you to quieten down. Some folks will want you to go away. But we're not going to go away. We want revival. Praise the Lord. And then the next thing that happened is this. When she finally got a word from him, this is what he said. I am sent not I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. When he finally had something to say to her, he called her a goat. He said, "You're not of the lost sheep. You're a goat." When he when she finally got a word from him, it wasn't very encouraging. He said, "I am not unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. You are an outsider." And she went home. And the next verse said, "And she felt like she wasn't welcomed in Pentecost." And the next verse says, "Everybody in there is too hotty toty for me." Brother Tenny said she probably wasn't even UPC. The next verse said, "Then came she and worshiped him." That's an ingredient of great faith. What was she worshiping for? For being ignored. For being called a goat. She had nothing to worship him for except for the fact he is God. Great faith is going to go ahead and praise him anyhow. Great faith is going to go ahead and worship Great faith is going to go ahead and give him glory. Woo! When he's up, when we're up, he's God. When we're down, he's God. When we're well, he's God. When we're sick, he's God. When we're rich, he's God. When we're poor, he's God. All right. Thank praises him anyhow. Although the fig tree shall not blossom. when my fig tree won't blossom. Neither shall fruit be in the vine. No fruit on the vine. And the labor of the olive shall fail. Labor of the olive is failing. And the field shall yield no field is not yielded. The flock shall be cut off from the fold. No more stakes. And there shall be no herd in the stalls. Go ahead. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Go ahead and shout now. Now and worship him. Don't say when I have revival, I'll shout. When my church is full, I'll shout. When souls are coming in, go on and do it now. He is God anyway.

You may be seated. Everybody said, "Praise the Lord." Lord, the next ingredient of great faith is this. But he answered and said after she worshiped, even after she worshiped, he said, "It's not meat to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. He ignores her. He calls her a goat now. He says, "You're a dog." And I imagine he started wiping his hands like, "It's end of that. Prayer meeting's over. Guarantee they'll close her down." And he started to walk off. And he heard a tearful voice. True. True. You're right. The next ingredient of great faith is a revelation of self. Hers was negative. We need one positive of who we are in him. She said, "Truth, Lord. Yet it ain't over yet, Jesus." Huh? You're not counting me out now, are you? Yet. Everybody say yet. We need a baptism of yet. Because most time the the first time it doesn't go, we're through. The first time it fouls up, it's over. Yet. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. The next thing she got was a revelation of his power because she said, "Wait a minute. Hey, listen. If I was asking you to open a bakery, maybe you could fuss with me. If I was asking you for the whole Jewish loaf, maybe you could debate with me. But you see, what I'm asking you for is a crumb. She said, "For you to do what I'm asking you to do is a crumb. I'm not asking for a bakery of power. I'm not asking for a whole loaf." But this woman said, 'Lord, for you to stand right here and cast a devil out across town is a crumb. What you shake out of your lap? It's not a loaf. It's what the sweepers gather after the meal. We've had a revelation of his name. We've had a revelation of his person. But we need a revelation of his power. Here's the way we pray in our prayer rooms across the nation and around the world. God, the dear sisters in your church and mine. God, could you save my husband?

God, he's a big devil. Oh God, this is going to be a big one. Oh God, could you do it, Jesus? I hope it's not too hard. God, God, would you send revival to our church? Oh God, I got the biggest reprimates at Pentecost. God, I know it's going to be rough. My God, it's going to be terrible. But God, can you do it? Oh, God, would you do it? Let me ask you something or tell you something rather. We have never brought one bead of perspiration on the brow of our deity by our petition. God has never broke out in a sweat trying to answer our prayers. God has never had the angels to rub him down after answering our prayer with Ben Gay. Boys, that was a tough one. I'm plum sore working that prayer, answering that need. Oh no. But when we lay our hands on them, we need to say, "God, this is so little. I'm almost ashamed to ask you. This is such a small thing. I'm almost ashamed to even ask you. You may be seated. You're seeing they come down for prayer. What's wrong with you, brother? Headache, pastor. God, in the name of Jesus. Done. Another one comes down. What's wrong with you, brother? Doctor said I had cancer. Gather around, saints. You know what the problem is? We don't have a revelation of his power. We don't have a revelation of his power. to our God. A headache is no different than cancer. And cancer is no different than a headache. He's all powerful. What a mighty God we serve. What a mighty God we serve. So when we pray for folks, Jesus, this is nothing for you. This is so easy for you that you're going to do it right now. because this has not began to tax your power. You're a mighty God. But wait a minute, that's not the end of the story. She said, "That's a crumb. For you to stand here and cast the devil out over town is a crumb." And when she said truth, Lord, she was not just amening the fact that her miracle was a crumb. She was amening that things like that belong to dogs. She said, "Those kind of things, that's dog food. That's puppy chow. That's what you give dogs. Standing here and casting devils out across town. Puppy. If you give that to dogs,

If that's what you'll do for dogs, what will you do for your fiance? What will you do for your bride? What will you do for your sons? What will you do for your daughters? If casting out devils belongs to dogs, what does God want to do for this church? Let's everybody stand and praise the Lord right now. Oh, praise God. Praise God. In the Bible, crumbs belong to men like Lazarus who are beggars. God bless this lady in her need. Yes. Crumbs belong to the dogs. Crumbs are leftovers after miracles. I say, what will God do for his children? What will God do for his church? What will God do for his bride? I'd like for you to put your hands down just a minute if you would. How many folks are in this audience right now and you need a miracle? You need a touch from God. Raise your hand. Keep your hand in the air. All right. Keep it up there. A preacher nearby you. Couple preachers nearby you, reach over and lay a hand on them and say this. Hear me. Say this. It's nothing for you, Jesus. It's nothing for you. You can do it so easy. You can do it so easy.