Lord, Help Me

Kate Stevens • May 5, 2021

Summary of sermon on Matthew 15:21-31 from Pastor Ryan Lewis.

Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman is the story of a faith that Jesus called great!


We have to understand the context—Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, is sovereign in all he does. He went to this location for rest, and he knew it was heavily saturated with non-Jews.


He knew he would come across this woman, and he knew the importance of that for her and for us. 



Her Faith was Humble


This woman knew she had nothing to bring to the table. She knew she was a Canaanite and not a Jew. Because of this, she knew she was not entitled to the goodness of Jesus.


Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”


It was this mindset that she clings to the person of Jesus. In it she declares three simple yet powerful words. 


“Lord, help me.”


With these words she humbles herself, bows herself, and she places herself under Jesus because she is in such great need. 


Great faith must be directed at the right object.  The Canaanite woman’s faith was directed at Jesus. Is ours? What do we turn to when we are in need? Self sufficiency? A steady bank account? A secret sin? We must turn away from these things and seek the help of Jesus—like she did. 



Her Faith was Reverent


The Canaanite woman was also a mother who was petitioning the help of Jesus on behalf of her little demon-possessed daughter. 


“Hopeless and desperate as her case appeared, she had a praying mother, and where there is a praying mother there is always hope. Sometimes all we can do for our children is pray for them.” —J. C. Ryle


The woman knew she was empty. She trusted in the Lord, and we see that demonstrated in her reverent acknowledgment of Jesus’s sovereignty over the ability to answer prayer.



Her Faith was Persistent

Great faith does not give up—and the Canaanite woman had great faith. 


Here is a very probable thought pattern from the woman: “I'm a dog, and I deserve judgment. I am without God and without hope in this world, but I know who you are. I've heard stories of what you've done, and there's no way a man can do those things. You are different than any other man who's ever lived. Men don't just walk on water. Men don't feed 5,000. Men don't raise people from the dead, and I know who you are. You're the one.”—Todd Wagner


She never assumed a position for herself.  She just persistently poured out herself to Jesus on behalf of her sick daughter. This was obviously not a last ditch effort on her part. That is what the spiritually bankrupt do. 


However, spiritually mature believers are persistent in their faith and persistent in their prayers. 


John 6:35 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”


She knew this and had tasted this. And as a result of Jesus’s goodness, she approached in humility, reverence and persistency. Let’s join her and do the same when we need Jesus. Let’s start by simply saying:


“Lord, help me.”



--


Discussion Questions: 


What are some ways that God spoke specifically to you during the worship and teaching time? 


How does the story of the Canaanite woman impact your faith? 


What are you currently asking the Lord for help with right now? 


Pray as a group for what is shared….




Freed to Serve

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Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

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Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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