The last two days... I've shared a story with you. A personal story with you. A very personal story. Things that happened in my life. Things that most people would probably want to forget. To pretend like they didn't exist... to forget them... to bury them... to suppress them... Maybe even to lie and say, “It never happened!”
To pretend like everything is just perfect. Well...
Bible Doctrine doesn't make you 'perfect'. Hardly! Most of us who are very grace and doctrinally oriented... we are anything BUT perfect. Not even close. And you know what? We know it! And you know what? That's okay! We don't have to be. The Lord Jesus Christ was! Is! And forever will be! Bible Doctrine doesn't make us perfect. But what it does do is: IT MAKES US PREPARED!
Prepared to handle ANYTHING that comes our way. As long as we are willing humble ourselves and rely on the Lord. I say “humble ourselves” and most people think about: becoming self-deprecating. Groveling. Wearing black. Giving up certain things. Doing without. Abstaining. Dressing in hand-me-down clothing. Walking all humped over. Not partaking in this world. That's not humility! Humility is: “I can't do it! God—in His matchless grace!--can! And not only can He do it... He does it!”
THAT is humility!
When eyes get off self and onto The Lord! Onto: Bible Doctrine.
And when you're eyes are on the Lord... you start to realize: “His grace ***IS*** sufficient for your every need!” Not could be... not should be... not maybe... It ***IS**** sufficient for your every need.
So, you don't have to spend your life walking around trying to justify everything that you've ever done. You don't have to spend your life going around sucking up to people. Ingratiating yourself to them. Begging them to like you. “Going along just to get along”. You don't have to beg people... You don't have to grovel... You don't have to make excuses... You don't have to put up with a lot stupid crap either... You don't have to sublimate... You don't have to go into denial...
Too often this is how man deals with things:
Acting out... Altruism... Autistic Fantasy... Denial... Direct Attack... Disassociation... Devaluation... Displacement... Idealization.... Intellectualization... Isolation... Hypochondria... Projection... Rationalization... Repression... Suppression... Sublimation... Subjectivity... Undoing...
These are ALL DEFENSE Mechanisms. Human Defense Mechanisms. AND they are part of Satan's Cosmic System. They are a counterfeit spiritual life. They are an impostors. They are Satan's diabolical answer to: The 10 Problem Solving Devices found in Scripture. And you know what? They don't solve problems! They only hide them. They only create new ones. They only compound them. And they only escalate them. And they perpetuate them! They aren't problem solving devices... they are: a full blown assembly line for making bigger problems! 'Better' problems. Faster problems! Problems that get way better gas mileage... and just keep on going... never stop. Never relenting.
That's not how a Christian solves problems. At least they shouldn't be. We should have Bible Doctrine resident in our souls. AND Bible Doctrine teaches us how to solve problems with God's Word.
As I was saying: I shared part of my life with you. A shared part of my life when I was in cold and deep and dark place... I was in prison. Real prison. Prison prison. And most people—I would bet—would want to forget about it. I mean: it happened YEARS AND YEARS ago. Most people—I would bet—would want to push it down.. to bury it... to suppress it... to rationalize it... to justify it...
And I understand why. I really do.
See: what most people don't understand... what most people don't get... what most people don't comprehend is: your prison sentence doesn't really start when you're locked up. That's easy. Don't misunderstand: I'm not saying that prison is easy! It's not! It's not fun! At all. Not being able to go where you want to go. Not being able to do what you want to do. Not being able to talk to who you want to talk to. Not being able to see who you want to see. Being woke up in the middle of the night and having your cell tossed. The constant strip searches... The volatile environment that can explode at any second... It's not. It's not easy. Not easy at all.
BUT. You are in an environment where you are accepted. You are surrounded by other convicts. Not a lot of judging going on. Not unless you've hurt a woman or child... But. For the most part. You're accepted for exactly what you are: a convict. A prisoner. A felon. And it's easy to be just another felon surrounded by felons. THAT is the easy part.
BUT. Your real prison sentence starts when: you get out. When you return to society. To nice society. Polite society. Where people don't accept you. Where people will not tolerate you. Where people put their noses up to you. Where people won't give you a second chance... You are stigmatized.. You are damaged goods... And NOBODY wants you.
Nobody will give you a job. Not unless you work for cash... bust your butt all week... and then not get paid for it. Or, you only get paid some of what was agreed. Some of what was owed to you. And your boss keeps it all. Your boss keeps most of it. I mean: what are you going to do? Call the police? Who are they going to believe? You? A convicted felon? Or: the upstanding citizen who has never done ANYTHING wrong? The person who is innocent and blameless in the eyes of the law...
The person who just stole from someone else...
The person who just extorted you...
The person who just laughs in your face. “Why don't you hit me? You want this money? Come take it! I dare you. I want you to come get it from me. Come on!”
The real prison sentence starts: the moment you draw you first breath as 'free man' in the outside world. You are NEVER a free man again. Ever.
At least not in the eyes of man.
Bad decisions limit future options...
Yep. They sure do. No doubt. They DO limit our future options. BUT. They NEVER limit the grace of God in our lives... NEVER! Not even for a second. Despite us... Despite our mistakes... Despite our blunders.. Despite our missteps.... Despite our miscues... Despite our failures... Despite our faux pas... Despite our foul balls... Despite our felonies... THE GRACE OF GOD IS STILL THERE!
Every second of our lives.
We can't overcome certain things. BUT. The grace of God can. And The grace of God will. Now, I'm not saying it will be 'easy'... all blue skies... all green grass... all smooth sailing... I'm not saying that—at all! But. What I am saying is: His Grace ***IS*** Sufficient for our every need. Our every need.
And when you have that confidence... (And why shouldn't you? You've seen it! You've seen His faithfulness! You've seen Bible Doctrine work again and again and again in your life!)
When you have that assurance...
When you have that trust...
When you have faith in the object: The Lord Jesus Christ. His Word. Bible Doctrine.
You are able to move forward in confidence! Knowing: “I don't know how... I don't know when... I don't know where... I don't know who—talking about other people and not God—who will help, but I do know this: HELP WILL COME! Why? Because my help—my deliverance!--comes from the Lord! He did the most for me at salvation—when I was His enemy—how can He not do the least for me when I am now His child??? Surely He will!”
And He does. Every time. Every. Single. Time.
It's just not always the way we anticipate it.
Help doesn't always come from the places that we expect it to. Help doesn't always come from the people we expect it to come either.
These disciples were about to get A LOT of help... and they didn't have a clue where it was going to come from! It was going to come from: A DOG! A gentile woman...
So, many people return back to prison because: it's easier to make in there... so much easier... than it is out here! I'm not saying they're victims. I'm not saying you should develop a bleeding heart and try go make the world a better place... YOU CAN'T! It's the devil's world. You can only renovate your own soul and share the Happiness of God in your life. That's how you make this world a better place... with the doctrine in your soul! By executing the spiritual life. That's it! Everything else is superficial. Cheap. Tawdry. For show. It doesn't have ANY lasting impact. None!
Your sweetness and kindness... I don't care what some poet used to say: IT WILL BE FORGOTTEN!
Salvation won't be.
Bible Doctrine won't be.
Not when we're positive to it.
Not when we apply it.
And too many of these men... they don't have any doctrine. They only have HUMAN PROBLEM SOLVING DEVICES. They only have HUMAN COPING METHODS. They only have HUMAN DEFENSE MECHANISMS. That's it!
And when that is all you have.... I don't care if you're a convicted felon or complimented fella... when you only have HUMAN 'SOLUTIONS'... you will fall flat on your face! Sooner or later... a day will come... and your human solutions are going to fail you. Completely. Guaranteed.
The Biggest problem that an unbeliever faces is: eternal condemnation. The answer is: Salvation. Faith alone in Christ alone. Once you do that... you're biggest problem in life—and then in death!--is solved! Completely! Forever!
The Biggest problem that a believer has is: their old sin nature is still present. And they WILL continue to sin. We all sin. We will all continue to sin. And when we sin... we are out of fellowship. And if we are out of fellowship... we don't have the filling of the Holy Spirit. If we don't have the filling of the Holy Spirit... we can't execute the spiritual life! Period! We can only fall back on human solutions. Or, we can only try and do a right thing in the wrong way. Apply Bible Doctrine in the energy of our flesh. And that's a problem! A big problem.
The solution? The answer: 1 John 1:9. This is how we return to fellowship. This is the GRACE PROVISION that God has given and authorized. It is the ONLY way. Period. People don't like that. People don't want to hear that. People want to believe that God forgives them because they are sorry... because they feel bad... they feel poorly about what they've done... they feel guilty... they've promised Him to never do it again... they've done some type of good deed... some extra credit... something on the God's “Honey Do List” to win back His favor... His approval.
Listen to me very closely: When we think we do ANYTHING to earn the approval of God... The favor of God... The acceptance of God... IT IS LEGALISM!
Period.
End of story.
Hard pill to swallow? Then don't swallow it! That's on you. None of my business. What you do... what you believe... what you accept... what you practice... who you follow... that's on you! I care nothing... NOTHING about trying to change you. Trying to convince you. Nothing. Don't get me wrong... I want to see people come to Christ. I want to see people learn the importance of Bible Doctrine... of taking it in—daily--from a qualified pastor teacher... And I hate seeing people—especially people that I know personally and care a great deal about—walking around and banging their head into the wall... over and over and over...
BUT.
Ultimately... that's a matter of THEIR VOLITION. And it's a matter of yours also. That's on you. I know that Doctrine Works. I don't have any doubts about it. I believe it. So, part of my job is to communicate it. Nothing more. What you believe... what you accept... what you like or don't like... that's on you. That's between God and you. It doesn’t have anything to do with me. I have a job. I do it. End of story. And as I've said on numerous occasions: as long as the Lord provides me with the time and resources... I will keep on doing it. It's settled in my soul. I really don't care what 'so and so' thinks about online media. Their personal opinions don't matter to me. I will share God's Grace: ONLINE. OFFLINE. In a Line at Wal-Mart. To someone doing a line of coke... Someone about to cross the line... Doesn't matter.
I will toe the line.
And people can line up and take their shots. Fire away! Have at it, baby! Do your worst...
Either way... we press on.
And that's EXACTLY What we're about to do.
Verse 25: But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said,“It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
I wonder how many of you know what it feels like to be helpless? I mean truly helpless? You don't have anything or anyone to run to? To turn to? You don't have anyone who will come to your defense? I wonder how many of you have ever found yourself in a situation like that.
I have.
I've had that privilege. That WONDERFUL privilege. Let me make something clear to you: IT IS BLESSING! The greatest blessing! Man! Let me tell you! When you don't have anyone... when you don't have anything... when you don't any ability... when you have NOTHING! I mean nothing! And you get to see—with your very own eyes—as GOD meets your needs! God! Not man. Man doesn't care. Man wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire! Man wouldn't lift a finger to help... Man knows you're suffering... in need... and you know what man does? He sits there and laughs! He chuckles! He giggles! He points his fingers. He sneers!
Man texts his buddies and invites them over for popcorn and to watch. When man takes a picture with his camera phone and uploads it for the world to see... Man doesn’t help! Man only piles on!
When you have THAT happening in your life... and you see GOD PROVIDE despite man! Wow! That's when the rubber hits the road! That's when it becomes real. I mean: REALLY real. That's when you start to see. I mean: really see. You start to see with the eyes of your soul! You see God meet your needs when man would just as soon slit your throat and let you die!
THAT is blessing. That is the greatest blessing! The GREATEST blessing ever. See: when you have your own abilities... God's grace too often gets lost in the shuffle. It's too hard to see. It's easy to lose sight of. BUT. When you have nothing... When you have no one! And all you can do is rely on God's Word... God's Promises... God's Faithfulness... THAT is when He starts to become real to you.
So, let me tell you something: if you find yourself in a hopeless situation... If you find yourself in a very tight spot... In a squeeze... between a rock and hard place...
Choose THE ROCK! It sure as heck isn't Peter! Man! People foul that verse all up! Completely. THE ROCK IS: CHRIST!
Thank God! Because you are in a situation where His grace is about to made perfectly clear to you. Perfectly clear! IF you're willing to slow down... stop... be still.... and see it!
But. If you want to take it away from Him... if you want to try and solve your own problems... If you want to get online and get people to 'sponsor' you... your event... your cause... if you want to hit folks up for money... If you want to be busy doing this... doing that... all tied up in knots as you try and push the jet... If you want to attack those who are attacking you... If you want to hurt those who are hurting you... If you want to justify... if you want to go into denial... if you want to rationalize...
If you want to rely on human solutions. If you refuse to rely on God's grace...
You will miss it! Completely.
Completely.
And some of the biggest—and greatest!--blessing in your life... you just kissed them all good bye. You tossed them right out of the window—like a candy wrapper—as you drive quickly down the road... the wrong road... the wrong direction... Your Highway To Hell.
No, if you're saved you aren't going to hell. That's NOT what I mean. Period. You're saved. Your salvation is secure. BUT. While you're on this earth you can travel the Highway to Hell. You can travel to Satan's Cosmic System... And you won't even know you're there! That's how 'good' at being evil He is! He's a genius! Way smarter than you. Way smarter than me. You'll be deep in His hood... and you won't even know it. You don't have any Bible Doctrine. You don't have a spiritual GPS: God's Problem Solving.
So, you get lost and don't even know it. THAT is 'Christianity' today. Neck deep in the Cosmic system... religion... legalism... formalism... human viewpoint... and they don't even know it. Just like the 12 disciples... so close to Christ. So close... walking with Him... talking to Him... Believing that HE ***IS*** The Messiah. But clueless. Clueless about the spiritual life. Right next to Christ, but a million miles away in their thinking. NO GRACE ORIENTATION! NO DOCTRINAL ORIENTATION! NO PERSONAL SENSE OF DESTINY! NO IMPERSONAL LOVE! NO OCCUPATION WITH CHRIST!
But. They're so close to Him... 'walking' with The Lord... 'Talking' with The Lord... 'Following' the Lord...
And the whole time: caught up in themselves. What they want. How they want it. When they want it. AND only for those whom they want to have it. And Gentiles don't make the list... they don't make the cut...
They aren't 'good' enough!
That's religion today.
That's Christianity today.
That's even the 'Bible Doctrine' crowd today...
Very little grace orientation. Very little.
Too busy standing “high and mighty” over all the dogs...
Too busy thinking they are something important...
Too busy thinking they are privileged above the rest...
Too busy thinking they're the keepers of the kingdom...
Too busy thinking: “We are the last line of defense for this nation.”
Too busy thinking: “It all depends on us.”
It doesn't. Not even close.
Truth without Christ is: a lie.
Doctrine without Christ is: a lie.
Truth for the sake of truth... Doctrine for the sake of doctrine... it becomes a god. An idol.
We must never lose sight of what that truth.. what doctrine is about: CHRIST!
And knowing Christ doesn’t put us above everyone... it puts us beneath them!
We are here to serve. Not to be served. Not to be waited on. Not to be doted on. Not to have our butts kissed. Not to have some preacher or evangelist tell us “how special we are.” We aren’t' special! Christ is! And the fact that we want people to prop us up with “how worthy we are” shows a problem. A big problem. The biggest problem. We've become a bunch of big babies! Babies who need their hands held... babies who need to be hugged... kissed... patted on the back... reminded of our own importance.
We aren't important! The Doctrine that we have is. The message that we have is. The spiritual life that we have is. It's pathetic. This world is going to hell in a hand basket and believers want to be coddled. Why? Because they've been hobbled—in their heads! They've become complacent. Apathetic. And now they're becoming dependent on being reminded just how “special” they are.
How important they are.
Sad. It really is.
Especially believers who should know better.
Verse 26 And He answered and said,“It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
I want you to understand something: I BRAG about going to prison. I BOAST about being a felon. I take great delight in it. I take great comfort in it. NOT because it is something to be proud of. It isn't. Not because it's some great achievement. It's not. Hardly! Far from it! It's a terrible thing to brag about. It's a terrible thing to be proud of... It's disgusting. Despicable. Dirty. Derogatory.
BUT.
That's not why I brag. That is not why I boast. I brag... I boast... I take great comfort in: GOD'S GRACE! God's Mercy. God's Patience. God's Faithfulness. God's Unfailing Love.
I am what I am by the grace of God.
And I was a prisoner to man...
That was then.
Grace is now.
I am: redeemed.
I am: regenerate.
I am: renovated [in my thinking].
I am: rehabilitated [by Bible Doctrine].
I am: repurposed. Not here for self. Here for: Christ.
I am: rewarded. Now. On this earth. Even in suffering. Especially in suffering. And: I will be rewarded in eternity.
I KNOW who I am. I know who I am—and what I have!--in: Christ. And you know what? It's GREAT blessing to sit back and watch as HE meets my needs. When I can't.
THAT is humbling. Very humbling. To realize: I can't do it. But. I don't have to. The Grace of God takes care of it for me. I deserve NOTHING!
BUT...
I get: EVERYTHING! I have: EVERYTHING! I have His Word. And He has elevated HIS WORD even above His own name! When you have His Word... When you have His Word rightfully divided... When you have the truth of Bible doctrine resident in your soul as epigonis knowledge... you have EVERYTHING!
And you know what? This woman... This gentile woman... This dog... she recognized who and what she was. She knew she was nothing but a dog to the Jewish people. She understood that. She acknowledge it. She accepted it. She was a dog... and that was fine. Do you know why it was fine? Because: it wasn't about her! It wasn't about who she was or wasn't... It wasn't about her being worthy... acceptable... it was about one thing and one thing only: CHRIST!
And she didn't lose sight of that. Not even for a second.
But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
See what she did? She embraced being a dog! Completely. She even made a little joke... she showed a little sagacity by making a witty remark.. she showed a little poise... a little courage under pressure...
How easy it would have been to blow up! Right then and there! To explode! To make a huge scene! A complete spectacle of herself!
How easy it would have been to call The Lord a “JERK!” A pompous ass! An arrogant and obnoxious SOB! How easy that would have been! So easy!
Do you know what it's like for someone to just sit there and dog you??? I mean just dog you??? I mean: run you completely into the ground! How about someone you know? How about someone you love? Do you know what its like?
Do you have the slightest idea how it feels???
Well, let me tell you: it's not fun! It's not fun at all! It hurts. Especially when it's about someone that you love with all your heart. And especially when you know that you aren't that person any more. Nothing like that person. Not even close!
But. It doesn't matter. Because you are unworthy... because you've made a mistake... because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time (but really: it was the right place at the right time when God teaches you a lesson through it!)....
When people know these things... And they can say whatever they want to say. Do whatever they want to do. When they can bend the truth... when they can twist the facts... when they omit certain details... when they leave out certain things... when they highly sensationalize certain details... WHEN THEY FLAT OUT LIE!
It's not fun. It's not fun at all. It hurts! And it hurts even more when you see the pain it causes to the person you love. And it hurts even more when it has a direct impact on your ability to provide for your family...
Let me tell you: it hurts!
But. You sit there and you take it! You take it! You don't say a word back. You let them spew their hate and lies and slander... and you take it! Even when you KNOW that you have the ability to shred them to pieces... you don't. You take it.
You let them sit there and tell 'truth' and 'facts' for nefarious and evil purposes. Yes, truth can be a weapon to cause great pain! To hurt. To maim. To cripple. To even: kill. To destroy the lives of others.
Truth becomes a weapon when you speak it to hurt. When you're motivation is to cause injury to others. To shame others...
And people want to believe it!
Why?
Because: liars believe lies! And: people who want to believe the worst will accept the worst! Why? Because they have already accepted the worst in their own lives: self-righteousness! They are filled with it! And no one meets their standards. No one measure up. Very few people. And they can't wait to condemn others. Why? Because that's how they gain their own worth. By feeling superior... above everyone else...
They need the scum. They need the dregs... That's how they obtain their worth. In their own eyes. That's how they validate their righteousness. That's how they rationalize their own actions. That's how they justify themselves in their own minds. It's how they JUST KNOW they are acceptable and worthy and pleasing to God. How could they not? They're sooooooooo wonderful!
But without faith alone in Christ alone. Without the imputed righteousness of Our Lord... they'll be the most wonderful person in hell. And they'll be surrounded by lots of their kind. Plenty of them.
Anyway...
It's hard to sit there and take it. I won't lie. It really is.
But. If you do... that's when you get to see the faithfulness of God in your life. That's when you get to see the grace of God in your life. When people want to destroy you... when people want to take everything away... and they do EVERYTHING in their power to do it....
THAT! That is when you get to see NOT ONLY God preserve you... BUT! You get to see God prosper you too. Maybe not materialistically. Maybe not in the eyes of man. But where it counts... in the soul...
You develop: capacity.
You develop: appreciation.
You develop: virtue love.
And you're able to overlook certain people.... you're able to ignore them completely.... You're even able to forgive them because: You understand: “They don't know what they're doing.” They're the ones who are hurting... They're the ones who are in pain...
They are the prisoners.
Imprisoned in their own mental attitude sins. Anger. Hate. Jealousy. Revenge. Greed. Coveting what they don't have. Their own implacability. Their own self-righteousness. Their own prejudices.
And unless they come to realize their need for a savior and to grow in grace and knowledge of Him... they will live out the rest of their days—locked down without grace!--while on death row. And the unbeliever? The prison will be a lake of fire forever.
And we don't wish that on anyone. Not even those who hurt us. Who Harm us. Who would rather get us out of the way—completely.
The Disciples wanted this woman gone... This Gentile woman... This dog...
They were full of self-righteousness. Full of legalism. Full of racial hate. Full of religious hate. Full of pride. Full of themselves. Full of shit.
Yes, I know that word offends some of you...
Well, there are sins and there are taboos... I will worry about what God considers a sin. Not what man does. And you can yank your little passages right out scripture and take them right out of context... twist them to fit your purposes... to control people... to manipulate people... to beat them into submission...
So, you worry your little heart about a single word... if that's what you want to do.
Meanwhile: I will concern myself with THE WORD.
And perhaps some people will fall for your shit. I won't. The bible is filled with 'ugly' words and phrases. Not proper... Not polite... And you know what? The quicker a person gets offended by little details like that... usually? That's the more self-righteous they are.
Always so quick to apply doctrine in the lives of others... to meddle in their lives... to make little 'suggestions'... to offer some 'encouragement'.... No! You want to bend people to your will! And nothing is off limits! Nothing. You'll even use scripture to do it. End of story.
But it's not the end of this story...
The Disciples are too busy looking down on this dog... laughing inside their souls... sneering... ready to chase her off!
But this dog... she does what every dog knows to do when it wants something: Go find the master... sit down... and beg!
And you know what?
We can learn a lot from dogs...
We really can.
