Theological Status: FAITHFUL (Sound)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Philadelphia
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: In a world obsessed with rights and self-sufficiency, Jesus calls us to the radical humility of recognizing our total need for Him.
Pastoral Analysis: This sermon offers a robust expository treatment of Mark 7, effectively contrasting the self-righteousness of the religious elite with the humble faith of the marginalized. The preaching is theologically sound and pastorally warm, though it omits an explicit articulation of monergistic regeneration, relying instead on the narrative's implicit grace.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Philadelphia — The sermon faithfully expounds the Word of Christ, contrasting human self-righteousness with the necessity of divine grace. It honors the lowly and weak, demonstrating a reliance on Gospel grace rather than human merit, which aligns with the faithful character of the church in Philadelphia.
Big Idea: Jesus heals and saves all who cry out in humility and faith, contrasting with the self-righteousness of the religious elite, demonstrating that God honors the lowly and weak rather than those who rely on their own merit. [00:02:09 ▶️ 📄]
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Mark 7:24-37
- Usage Classification: Expository
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ⚠️ CAUTION - The use of the phrase 'that's stupid' to describe self-righteousness is accessible but slightly informal for a pulpit setting, though it serves a rhetorical purpose.
✝️ Christological Focus: Redemptive-Historical
"Jesus is presented as the fulfillment of God's restorative power, moving from judgment on self-righteousness to mercy for the Gentile, prefiguring the universal scope of the Gospel."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 25 | Referenced: 6 | Alluded: 0
📖 View 3 Passages Read Aloud
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Mark 7:24-37
[00:10:18 ▶️ 📄]
"From there, Jesus arose. So again, he's just flowing immediately into the next story. We had the Pharisees being confronted, and now he moves immediately, but he's moving even to a different geographic region. He went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. So for several chapters now, if you remember, Jesus has been trying to get away with his disciples so they can get some rest. Life has been so hectic. Life has been so busy. There's been so many needs that Jesus has been meeting and he's been trying to find a place of quiet. And so finally, Jesus goes away to a completely different area, far outside. In fact, this is the farthest outside of Israel that we see recorded in the gospels. And so Jesus is going to where he might be able to find some quiet. Verse 25, but immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. This is so incredible. It should catch us, but let me help you because we don't necessarily understand the context as well as perhaps we should. The beginning of the chapter, the religious elite, the Pharisees, the scribes, these are the rich, famous rulers of Israel. These are the people that on the outside look very good. These are the men that lead the country and they come to Jesus and Jesus rebukes them, calls them self-righteous hypocrites, and begins quoting the Old Testament and condemnation of what they're doing. So, Jesus condemns the powerful and the good-looking. And now here, Jesus walks outside of Israel. So, he's no longer with the Jews, the followers of God. He's in a pagan area, and he's trying to find some rest. And a woman comes in to the house, which is itself shocking because, one, ancient manuscripts don't talk of women very often. And then for a woman to have the boldness to enter someone else's home to these men, what are you doing? And she walks in and says, I need help. She's not a Jew. She's not a follower of Jesus, but she's obviously heard who this Jesus is. And so she comes seeking help for her daughter who is possessed with a demon. This pagan woman comes in, confronts Jesus in this private home, and we don't see it here, but in the parallel passage in the gospel of Matthew, as that gospel writer records this, the disciples come to Jesus and they say, why don't you send this woman away? We're here for rest. She's not a Jew. She's not here for us. She's just interrupting us. And this is so bold. Why would she come talk to you? Jesus, just ignore her, send her away. And Jesus' response, and it kind of catches us a little bit off guard. Look at it, verse number 27. And he, this is Jesus, said to her, let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. This verse here kind of catches us off guard. Did Jesus just call this woman a dog? As we walk back into the historical context, the Jews did look down on the non-believers, the pagans around them, and they would use a derogatory term for them. They would call them dogs. And that was sinful. That was wrong. And is that what Jesus is doing here? Is this Jesus? We're walking through the gospel of Mark and we want to see Jesus. And at the beginning, I said Jesus loves the weak and lowly. Jesus' heart is tender and soft to those who are in need. Jesus is the Savior of all people. And yet here, what just happened? So, we're going to talk about it. But first, before we go any further, let me say that the woman is not offended. We're going to keep reading. You can look down at your Bible. You can see as we keep going, the woman is not shocked, the woman is not offended. So there must be something going on here deeper than what we read. So what is it? First of all, Jesus, it's been suggested, is simply quoting a common saying about the priority of what should happen. But even as we dig deeper, it's very interesting. The Greek language has two words for dog, two main words. One is the mongrel that the Jews would use for other peoples that they looked down on. It was the stray dog, the wild dog that would run around outside eating scraps and fighting and was dirty. And that's not the word that Jesus uses. He actually uses a different Greek word that speaks of a small, cute dog, almost like a family pet or a puppy. You're like, well, that still doesn't, I mean, that's better, but that still is kind of odd. Jesus here is giving a parable. He's not calling the woman a dog, but he's saying, don't you understand that I've come to serve the nation of Israel? This woman is a mother. She's coming asking for help for her daughter. And so Jesus takes her into her own home and says, don't you understand that as you're caring for your family, that you take care of your own children first. Jesus wants to illustrate the fact that he's come first to the children of God, the Israelites. He's really challenging her to say, why have you come to me? You have your own gods, don't you? And this woman doesn't respond in offense. Look at what she says. Verse number 27, sorry, Jesus is saying a challenge to justify her request, but then look at verse number 28. 28, she answered him, yes, Lord, did even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs? This lady doesn't get offended. She doesn't spit in his face and storm out. Rather, she looks back at Jesus and she says, I know exactly who you are. I understand and I know that in Jesus, there's enough for everyone. This Greek word crumbs literally means crumbs. This woman is a pagan. This woman is not a Jew. This woman, other than what she's heard about Jesus, has not grown up worshiping the God of the Bible, and yet she understands more about the loving grace of Jesus than the self-righteous Pharisees that were just confronted a few verses ago. She says, Lord, you have so much. You have so much that I know that your children can eat all that they want. And then the small pieces that fall off are more than enough to heal my daughter. Do you know the Bible? It's in [Matthew 17](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17&version=KJV) and [Luke 17](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17&version=KJV). Jesus also references it later in Mark, but he talks about a faith. A faith the size of a mustard seed. Have you heard this story? Or have you ever seen a mustard seed? A mustard seed is this minuscule, tiny little seed, and we've talked about it before. It's this little seed that grows up into a tree, and this tree actually grows incredibly quickly and incredibly large for the size of the seed. And Jesus says in other passages that if you have faith that big, the size of a crumb, that you could move mountains. And here in [Mark 7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7&version=KJV), this woman looks back at Jesus and says, all we need is crumb because I know that your power is great enough to heal with just that much. verse 29 and 30, Jesus responds to her. He sees her faith and he says, for this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter. And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. As I was studying and preparing for this, I found a quote from another pastor, Tim Keller, and he says this, and this is so powerful. He says, she's not saying, this woman, she's not saying to God, give me what I want. Give me what I deserve on the basis of my goodness. So the Pharisees at the beginning of [Mark 7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7&version=KJV), they come in all of their self-righteousness and they believe that God deserves to honor them because of what they have done. And yet this woman understands truly who Jesus is and she doesn't come saying, God, look at me, give me what I need because of who I am. Rather, she's saying, give me what I don't deserve. Jesus, I know you came for Israel. I know you came for the Jews. And yet just a small crumb would be more than enough in your immense power and grace. She says, give me what I don't deserve on the basis of your goodness. And I love the way Keller says it here. He's like, can I have it now? I need it now. My daughter has need now. But do you catch the difference? When the Pharisees come, and we've seen it several times already in the gospel of Mark, haven't we? The Pharisees and the scribes come and they attack Jesus. They confront Jesus. They push back against Jesus and they keep proclaiming their own goodness. And Jesus over and over again says, you can't do this. You're wrong. You're sinners. You must repent. And now over and over again, we see Jesus lovingly serve those who cry out. Church, can I encourage you and say that when you come in humility before God, not in self-righteousness, not full of your own grandeur, full of pride, puffed up thinking you finally earned something and so now God needs to pay you back for what you've earned, but rather when you come before God, realizing who he is, acknowledging who you are, Jesus hears. Mark chapter 7 shows us the contrast so powerfully between the Pharisees and yet this weak, lowly woman in need. Will you come to Jesus for help? It's also powerful to me, man, the next slide that this is the very first person in all of the gospel of Mark that we've seen who understands Jesus' parables. I've been saying this throughout, and I confronted this again last week, that sometimes we can be very close to Jesus. We can have close proximity. We can spend much time in church. We can read our Bibles. We can say we've been a Christian for a long time, and yet when God speaks, we ignore it or we don't understand it. And in Mark, we've seen that over and over again, as even Jesus' disciples have to come to him over again. When Jesus teaches, they come and say, Jesus, help us. We didn't understand what that meant. And yet here, this woman so full of faith, so far from God, when Jesus speaks, she's the first one in the gospel of Mark that Jesus doesn't have to explain what he's saying, but her faith helps her to see Jesus for who he is. Wow. Do you realize the training, the years in the Bible are not what mattered, but his faith in Jesus and a desire to see him work. So it keeps going. Mark is still moving quickly. So verse 31, immediately then he turned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. You may remember from a few weeks ago, this is where Jesus went across the water, walked out of the boat and immediately was confronted with a demonic man running out of the tombs. And he was just so strong and so crazy. People had tried to bind him with chains and yet no one could. This is that region. And Jesus, if you remember the story, miraculously healed the man, freed him from the demonic possession. And then Jesus sent the man back into this region, the Decapolis, this area of 10 cities across the Jordan from Israel. Jesus now is back. And before the towns were scared of Jesus, they sent him away. Notice what happens now. Verse 32, and they brought to him a man who is deaf and has speech impediment. And they begged him to lay his hand on him. Before when Jesus came and healed, when Jesus showed his power, they were terrified and sent him away. And yet now it appears that the demoniac, the demonic man who had been transformed had done exactly what God called him to do and had been proclaiming Jesus and his power faithfully to everyone who had listened. So now when Jesus shows back up, they don't cower in fear. They bring others to find help. Jesus, he takes him aside from the crowd privately, put his fingers into his ears and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, the deaf and mute man, Ephaptha, that is, be opened. And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. You have so many miracles going on here. Jesus touches and he can hear again. Jesus also touches his tongue and he can speak. But I don't know if you've ever interacted with someone who's deaf before. But if someone is struggling with deafness, they can sometimes get a procedure and get a cochlear implant so that they can hear well, or maybe just to some level, and they can sometimes learn to speak. And yet it's a process. Yet here, Jesus touches and heals his ears and touches his tongue. And immediately this man speaks clearly the power of God on display. And then as his ears were opened, he released and he spoke. Jesus charged them, verse 36, to tell no one, but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astonished beyond measure saying, he has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak. If we go back into the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied in the book of Isaiah. Jesus here is fulfilling divine prophecy, except he's not even doing it in Israel. Israel, again, they so often were full of their own self-righteousness. Jesus came for us because we're good, because we're worth it, because we deserve it. And yet Jesus here chooses to fulfill prophecies showing his deity, not in Israel, but for the weakest and the lowliest outside of Israel, healing this woman's daughter, healing this man who was deaf and mute. He was not worth it. What could he do for Jesus? So [Isaiah 35](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+35&version=KJV), 5, look at what he says. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For the waters break forth into the wilderness and streams in the desert. What would it feel like? It's not here. You cannot communicate and then a stream of refreshing washes through your life. Jesus comes and touches and all of it is gone. The struggle, the pain, the sorrow, the deafness is all removed by the power of the Son of God. Mark has been showing verse after verse, chapter after chapter, that Jesus is not just some other teacher. He's not just some good guru who says nice things or has some kind of wisdom for your life, but he's truly the son of God. In fact, prophecies that were made hundreds of years before are now coming true as Jesus shows his love and power. [Mark 7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7&version=KJV), 36, they marvel. Jesus sent him away. He said, don't say anything, but they can't stop speaking of Jesus. Verse 37, they were astonished beyond measure saying he has done all things well. This takes me back to Genesis chapter one, when God created, Jesus did as well. When God created the heavens and the earth. And scripture tells us in Genesis one that all things were good. Mark seven, he says, all things Jesus did well. So let me pull all this together. What does this mean for us today? Mark seven, 24 to 37. It's 2026. What does this have to do with me? Before I get there, let me take a rabbit trail. It's called an excursus, an excursus on our rights. We are a very proud, self-sufficient people in our culture. And it's ingrained in us that life is all about me. And yet throughout God's word, we see God honor those who are humble. Here, the woman did not come saying, I deserve this, or this is mine, or you have to give this to me. But rather in faith and humility, she cries out to God. I am grateful for the rights that we have as people. And yet God often calls us to lay down our rights to love and serve others. my husband doesn't treat me the way I deserve. My wife doesn't love me the way I deserve. I can't believe my parents would say, I mean, we could just walk down the list. We could talk about government. We could talk about our homes. We could talk about at work. And we have so many rights that we want to grab onto. And can I encourage us that sometimes as Christians, we're called to do exactly the opposite. And rather than grab our rights and demand what we deserve, rather we have the opportunity much like Jesus. In Philippians chapter 2 it says that Jesus laid aside what was his so that he could come and serve those in need, me and you. He left the beauties of heaven. He left the adoration. He left the perfection. Everything he needed or wanted. Everything perfect and beautiful and holy, including angels singing his praises 24-7. That's a beautiful place to exist. And Jesus left all of it to come down to a sin-cursed world, to be spit upon, to be beaten and scourged and crucified for me and for you. So, Jesus, in Mark chapter 7, came to save. Who did Jesus come to save? It's tempting to think differently than Jesus does. Every week as we come to [Mark 7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7&version=KJV), I desire to challenge these preconceived ideas that we have about Jesus. Do you remember every week I talk about this? We come in with these ideas about Jesus. Maybe somebody said it to us. Maybe we thought we read it in the Bible. or maybe it's just kind of gotten into our minds and into our thinking. And it's easy to think that Jesus came to save the good people. Jesus came to save the people who've worked hard enough, have stuck around the longest, the people who've got it all figured out. And Jesus loves those who are already shiny and pretty and nice. And Jesus could never love me. You don't know what I've done. You don't understand how far away from God I am. I've done too much. And yet Jesus came to save sinners. Do you realize if you're self-righteous and proud, you don't need a savior because you can do it on your own. And yet Jesus came to save those who cried out. So let me continue. Jesus doesn't see human status. He sees our need. [Mark 7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7&version=KJV), this woman comes walking into the house, a pagan woman. He's wanting to rest. He's a long ways from home. He was seeking solitude. He was trying to be there in secret. The disciples said, hey, just send her away. We don't need to help her. She's a nobody. We're not even in Israel. Like you're not even here for her. You're here for like the Jews, aren't you, Jesus? And yet Jesus doesn't look at what you've achieved. He doesn't look at your checkbook, your bank account, or what car you drive, or how many people you know. Jesus looks at our hearts. Jesus heals all who cry out. And then I love this last one. When the hurting are being helped, they bring other hurting people for help. The Decapolis, Jesus goes and he heals that demoniac man and then sends him out. And the next time Jesus comes, they understand who Jesus is. And they know that Jesus heals and that Jesus transforms. And Jesus has exactly what I need. And Jesus has exactly what you need. So to finish our message this morning, I want to actually go and read for us [Philippians 2](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2&version=KJV), verse 3 through 11. and it's going to show us Jesus. And it's also going to help us as we see Jesus, it's going to apply it to our hearts and lives. And I pray that you would be encouraged as you see Jesus. You can turn there if you'd like, it's not going to be on the screen or I'll read it for us. Philippians chapter two, starting in verse three, if this is who Jesus is, what does scripture say? Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, though Jesus was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, was born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God"
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Isaiah 35:5-6
[00:27:17 ▶️ 📄]
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For the waters break forth into the wilderness and streams in the desert."
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Philippians 2:3-11
[00:35:34 ▶️ 📄]
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, though Jesus was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, was born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God"
Key References: Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-37, Matthew 17, Luke 17, Genesis 1, Philippians 2
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 5,084 words
📌 View 10 Key Topics Addressed
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Self-Righteousness vs. Humility
[00:06:17 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the self-righteousness of the Pharisees with the humility of the Syrophoenician woman, arguing that true religion acknowledges the need for a savior rather than claiming personal goodness. -
The Universality of Jesus' Ministry
[00:05:28 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor explains that while Jesus was sent to the Jews, he is the God of all people, demonstrating this by healing a Gentile woman who cries out in faith. -
Critique of Human Effort in Religion
[00:06:52 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor argues that all religions other than Christianity believe humanity can work their way into God's favor, labeling this belief as 'stupid' because humans can never measure up to God's perfect standard. -
Faith and Humility vs. Self-Righteousness
[00:16:54 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the Canaanite woman's humble faith, which accepts 'crumbs' of grace, with the Pharisees' pride and demand for rights based on their own goodness. -
The Universality of Jesus' Mission
[00:26:48 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor explains that Jesus fulfills prophecy and demonstrates his deity not in Israel, but among the 'weakest and the lowliest outside of Israel,' such as the Gentile woman and the deaf man. -
Laying Down Rights
[00:30:08 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor applies the text to modern culture, encouraging Christians to lay down their perceived rights and demands, following Jesus' example of leaving heaven to serve sinners. -
Surrender of Rights
[00:30:52 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the human tendency to grab rights with the Christian call to serve, using Jesus as the primary example. -
The Nature of Jesus' Mission
[00:31:41 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor argues that Jesus came to save sinners, not the self-righteous or 'good' people, challenging preconceived ideas about who Jesus loves. -
Divine Perspective vs. Human Status
[00:33:22 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor explains that Jesus ignores human status, wealth, and achievement, looking instead at human need and the heart. -
Humility and Service
[00:35:34 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor concludes by reading Philippians 2 to illustrate Jesus' humility and obedience, applying this mindset to the congregation's lives.
🖼️ View 10 Illustrations & Stories
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Sermon Illustration
[00:08:16 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor references the philosopher Nietzsche, who viewed Christianity as dangerous because it reversed the natural order by loving the weak and lowly, using this to highlight the unique nature of Jesus' ministry to the marginalized. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:04:26 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor recounts the biblical narrative of Mark 7, detailing how Jesus moves from confronting the self-righteous Pharisees to healing a Gentile woman, illustrating the shift from judgment to mercy for those in need. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:15:54 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor explains the Greek distinction between 'mongrel dogs' (stray, dirty) and 'puppies' (family pets) to clarify Jesus' parable, illustrating that Jesus was not insulting the woman but highlighting his primary mission to Israel before extending grace to the Gentiles. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:19:40 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor references Tim Keller's quote about the woman asking for what she doesn't deserve on the basis of God's goodness, rather than what she deserves based on her own goodness. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:25:36 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the analogy of a cochlear implant and the gradual process of learning to speak for deaf individuals to contrast with the immediate, miraculous healing Jesus performed on the deaf and mute man. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:29:00 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor connects the crowd's reaction 'he has done all things well' to Genesis 1, where God saw that creation was good, illustrating Jesus' divine power and restoration. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:30:19 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor lists modern cultural examples of people demanding what they 'deserve' from spouses, parents, government, and employers to illustrate the cultural obsession with rights versus the biblical call to humility. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:31:12 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor describes Jesus leaving the beauties of heaven, adoration, perfection, and angels singing 24-7 to come to a sin-cursed world to be spit upon, beaten, and crucified. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:33:22 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor recounts the story of the Canaanite woman in Mark 7, noting that the disciples wanted to send her away because she was a 'nobody' and they were not in Israel, yet Jesus healed her because he saw her need. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:34:23 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor mentions the healing of the demoniac man in the Decapolis, who then spread the word so that when Jesus returned, the people knew he healed and transformed.
🚀 View 2 Calls to Action
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Pastoral Charge
[00:22:05 ▶️ 📄]
> Come to Jesus for help with humility and faith. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:35:23 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor invites the congregation to physically turn to Philippians chapter 2 in their Bibles to read the passage.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Sound & Commendable
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is not fully intact. While the sermon demonstrates grace through the narrative of healing, it lacks a substantive teaching on monergistic regeneration. The core mechanism of salvation (God's sovereign work in the heart) is implicit in the story but not explicitly articulated as a doctrinal truth. |
| Soteriology | ✅ PASS | The sermon correctly emphasizes that salvation and healing are acts of divine mercy, not human merit. It avoids synergism by highlighting the inadequacy of the human heart. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The exposition of Mark 7 is faithful to the text, correctly interpreting the cultural and linguistic nuances (e.g., the Greek terms for dogs) without distortion. |
| Hermeneutic | ✅ PASS | The preacher employs a sound expository method, deriving main points directly from the continuous verse-by-verse flow of the text. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | God is portrayed as sovereign, merciful, and powerful, capable of restoring creation. The Christological portrayal is high, emphasizing Jesus' divine authority and compassion. |
| Sacramentology | ✅ PASS | No sacramental errors were detected. The sermon focuses on the Word and the narrative of healing. |
| Confessional Depth | ⚠️ MODERATE | The sermon is deeply pastoral and narrative-driven but lacks explicit systematic articulation of certain doctrines like regeneration, keeping it from being fully robust in a confessional sense. |
⚙️ The Core Gospel Framework
What is this? This section checks if the sermon contains the essential building blocks of the Gospel. We look for explicit, substantive mentions of God's holy standard, human inability, and Christ's finished work on the cross.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ Total Depravity And Inability:
"No matter how hard we work, we can never be good enough to measure up to the perfect standard of God." [00:07:20 ▶️ 📄]
✅ Active Obedience Of Christ:
"He left the beauties of heaven. He left the adoration. He left the perfection. Everything he needed or wanted. Everything perfect and beautiful and holy, including angels singing his praises 24-7. That's a beautiful place to exist. And Jesus left all of it to come down to a sin-cursed world, to be spit upon, to be beaten and scourged and crucified for me and for you." [00:31:13 ▶️ 📄]
✅ The Cross And Atonement:
"He left the beauties of heaven. He left the adoration. He left the perfection. Everything he needed or wanted. Everything perfect and beautiful and holy, including angels singing his praises 24-7. That's a beautiful place to exist. And Jesus left all of it to come down to a sin-cursed world, to be spit upon, to be beaten and scourged and crucified for me and for you." [00:31:13 ▶️ 📄]
🛡️ Verified Orthodox Mechanics
✅ The sovereignty of God in healing
✅ The insufficiency of human merit
✅ The universal scope of Christ's mercy
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟡 Minor Incomplete Gospel Presentation
Root Cause: Implicit Grace (Narrative-Driven Soteriology)
The Belief/Behavior: The preacher focuses on the external act of faith and healing without explaining the internal, sovereign work of God in giving a new heart.
Why It's Dangerous: The congregation may understand the need for humility but miss the foundational truth that salvation is entirely God's work, not just a response to human need.
Biblical Correction: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:25-26)
✅ Commendations
Expository Fidelity | Faithful Textual Handling
The sermon provides a careful, verse-by-verse exposition of Mark 7:24-37, correctly navigating the cultural and linguistic context of the passage.
Theological Clarity | Contrast of Righteousness
The clear contrast between self-righteousness and humble faith effectively highlights the necessity of divine grace.
Pastoral Warmth | Compassion for the Marginalized
The preacher effectively uses the narrative to show Jesus' compassion for the lowly, encouraging the congregation to emulate this humility.
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] My name is Tom Wiggs and I'm the pastor here at Eastside and I want to say that I'm so glad you clicked on this video.
[00:00:08] We have prayed that it would be a blessing and a help to you as you grow spiritually. I also want to remind you that part of our heart here at Eastside is that you would be growing in connection
[00:00:22] with a local gathering of believers. Don't let this video be a replacement for a local church.
[00:00:30] If you're in the Mooresville area, you would be so welcome to come worship with us.
[00:00:36] And now here's the message.
[00:00:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:38] We are there in Mark chapter 7 as we continue in our series, See Jesus.
[00:00:47] And this passage, Tim just read it just then, but this passage has a shocking statement.
[00:00:55] And so we're going to take some time and think through that, wrestle with that as we desire to see Jesus.
[00:01:03] And I actually need to back up a little bit.
[00:01:05] I am so encouraged to sing with you every morning.
[00:01:10] You sing so well.
[00:01:11] You sing out to the Lord.
[00:01:13] And I am so blessed by the musicians that we have.
[00:01:17] We have so many people that offer their time and talent.
[00:01:20] So I just want to say thank you.
[00:01:22] Thank you for singing well.
[00:01:23] Thank you for playing.
[00:01:24] And then even Ricky is up here most weeks leading, but then we have so many others that are talented and willing to jump in and to also point us towards the Lord through our music. Music
[00:01:36] is powerful. It can stir our hearts. It can remind us of truth even as it awakens our joy and our love and our sorrows and everything in between. So this morning as we were singing, you may have picked up
[00:01:53] that many of the songs we sang this morning, we're talking about our need for God, our weakness. We even pulled that Christmas song back out, O Come All You Unfaithful. And this morning, as we come
[00:02:09] to God's word, we're going to see that Jesus, Jesus answers, Jesus heals, Jesus saves all who cry out. It's not about how rich you are, how famous you are, how powerful you are. God loves
[00:02:30] you. But I haven't even prayed yet. Let me pray, and then we're going to jump into Mark chapter 7 and see Jesus this morning. But let's pray together. Lord, thank you for the opportunity that we have to hear from your word. Thank you that you do speak to us. You love us enough
[00:02:51] to communicate, but God, you loved us enough truly to send Jesus to be here with us. Lord, I pray that this morning as we come to the gospel of Mark, as we come to scripture
[00:03:04] with a desire to see Jesus, Lord, I pray that you would help us. Help us to understand, help us to hear, help us to see. And Lord, I pray that we would walk from here encouraged
[00:03:17] by you. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. We've been working our way through the gospel of Mark. Since the beginning of year, we've been walking through passage by passage, looking at Jesus in the gospel of Mark. Mark moves quickly. In fact, if you read through it,
[00:03:40] He uses the word next and then immediately over and over and over again because Mark has so much that he's trying to pack into this short gospel because there's so much about who Jesus is.
[00:03:57] The first half of Mark really shows us Jesus as he's doing. Here's who Jesus is because of what he does. The second half of Mark, as we get into it in the second half of the year after our summer
[00:04:11] series, is going to show us Jesus as he moves towards the cross and what he came to do for us in salvation. Mark 7. Last Sunday, if you were with us, we went through the first half of Mark
[00:04:26] chapter 7 and it was very confrontational. Jesus started speaking to the Pharisees and he was saying, you're hypocrites, you're self-righteous, you need to repent. But now in the second half of Mark 7, it's flipped upside down. So the beginning of Mark 7, the Pharisees walk up to him and they
[00:04:55] say, why aren't your disciples following all the traditions that have always been there? Like, why aren't they doing these things that man put in place? And Jesus rebukes them. But then immediately after we see in verse 24 that he leaves and goes to a Gentile country and he
[00:05:14] addresses this woman. This woman comes in, we'll spend more time on it in a moment, But this woman comes in and Jesus heals all throughout God's word, all throughout the gospel of Mark.
[00:05:28] We're seeing that Jesus is sent to the Jews and yet truly he is the God of all people, every tribe, every nation.
[00:05:40] And he responds when people come in faith and cry out to him.
[00:05:45] Can I say something clearly, but with no anger, with no judgment, with no animosity, but I want to be clear. It is foolish for a person, for me, for you, for someone to say that you're good enough. All religion in the world, the first half of Mark 7 is Jesus confronts
[00:06:17] the self-righteous. All religion in the world is one of two categories. It's either I'm good enough and I can get there. Give me a list of do's or don'ts and I can accomplish it and I can make
[00:06:28] myself good enough for God. That was what Jesus confronted in the first half of Mark 7. But there's another category of religion. There's, I can't do it. There's, I'm good enough. And then there's, I need a savior. So many religions in the world. In fact, I would suggest that every other
[00:06:52] religion other than Christianity, believes that we can, somehow humanity could work their way into favor with whatever God they believe in. And they do things. They think that they can be good enough if they work hard enough. And can I say clearly, that's stupid. Because when we're honest
[00:07:20] with ourselves, we see our own inadequacy and we can never be good enough. No matter how hard we work, we can never be good enough to measure up to the perfect standard of God. And in Mark 7,
[00:07:39] both of these things are placed next to each other. As we looked last week, the first half of the chapter shows us very clearly the self-righteousness and Jesus's confrontation of that, but then he walks away and he serves those who come in humility seeking help. Do you
[00:07:59] know that Jesus loves the lowly and the humble? Not the ones that pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, not the popular and the famous who think they have it all put together. In fact,
[00:08:16] the philosopher Nietzsche, do you know him? He's a long time ago, but he was this famous philosopher and he has this incredible quote that I wanted to share this morning. He thought Christianity was dangerous because it reversed what he viewed as the natural order. He said of Jesus,
[00:08:32] what is more harmful than any vice? Active sympathy for the ill-constituted and weak, namely Christianity. Nietzsche, this great philosopher, he thought he had it all figured out. He said, Christianity is dangerous just because it loves the weak and the lowly. And yet
[00:09:01] that's exactly who Jesus is. And if you walk back through history, one of the great impacts of the children of God is an immense love and care for those who are in need. Hospitals being built,
[00:09:20] the poor being served. There's innumerable examples throughout history and even in our current day and age where Christianity has transformed the world through the work of God's people because Jesus loves those who are in need. And we're going to see this here in Mark
[00:09:40] chapter 7. The heart of Jesus is gentle and lowly towards sinners and sufferers. So as we get started, I want to ask us a few questions. Do you see your need of Jesus? Do you walk in thinking,
[00:09:59] I've got this all figured out? Or do you walk in saying, I need a savior? As a believer, do you need reminded of that need? And are you willing to cry out? Jesus responds when we come to him.
[00:10:18] Mark chapter 7. Let's walk through this once more. We're going to go from verse 24 down through the end of the chapter in verse 37. Mark 7, 24. From there, Jesus arose. So again, he's just
[00:10:32] flowing immediately into the next story. We had the Pharisees being confronted, and now he moves immediately, but he's moving even to a different geographic region. He went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.
[00:10:47] So for several chapters now, if you remember, Jesus has been trying to get away with his disciples so they can get some rest. Life has been so hectic. Life has been so busy. There's been so many needs that Jesus has been meeting and he's been trying to find a place of quiet.
[00:11:04] And so finally, Jesus goes away to a completely different area, far outside. In fact, this is the farthest outside of Israel that we see recorded in the gospels. And so Jesus is going to where he might be able to find some quiet. Verse 25, but immediately a woman whose little
[00:11:26] daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
[00:11:41] This is so incredible. It should catch us, but let me help you because we don't necessarily understand the context as well as perhaps we should. The beginning of the chapter, the religious elite, the Pharisees, the scribes, these are the rich, famous rulers of Israel. These are the people
[00:11:58] that on the outside look very good. These are the men that lead the country and they come to Jesus and Jesus rebukes them, calls them self-righteous hypocrites, and begins quoting the Old Testament and condemnation of what they're doing. So, Jesus condemns the powerful and the good-looking.
[00:12:20] And now here, Jesus walks outside of Israel. So, he's no longer with the Jews, the followers of God. He's in a pagan area, and he's trying to find some rest. And a woman comes in to the house,
[00:12:33] which is itself shocking because, one, ancient manuscripts don't talk of women very often.
[00:12:40] And then for a woman to have the boldness to enter someone else's home to these men, what are you doing?
[00:12:49] And she walks in and says, I need help.
[00:12:55] She's not a Jew.
[00:12:56] She's not a follower of Jesus, but she's obviously heard who this Jesus is.
[00:13:04] And so she comes seeking help for her daughter who is possessed with a demon.
[00:13:11] This pagan woman comes in, confronts Jesus in this private home, and we don't see it here, but in the parallel passage in the gospel of Matthew, as that gospel writer records this, the disciples come to Jesus and they say, why don't you send this woman away? We're here for
[00:13:30] rest. She's not a Jew. She's not here for us. She's just interrupting us. And this is so bold.
[00:13:36] Why would she come talk to you? Jesus, just ignore her, send her away. And Jesus' response, and it kind of catches us a little bit off guard. Look at it, verse number 27.
[00:13:53] And he, this is Jesus, said to her, let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. This verse here kind of catches us off guard. Did
[00:14:07] Jesus just call this woman a dog? As we walk back into the historical context, the Jews did look down on the non-believers, the pagans around them, and they would use a derogatory term for them.
[00:14:22] They would call them dogs. And that was sinful. That was wrong. And is that what Jesus is doing here? Is this Jesus? We're walking through the gospel of Mark and we want to see Jesus. And at
[00:14:38] the beginning, I said Jesus loves the weak and lowly. Jesus' heart is tender and soft to those who are in need. Jesus is the Savior of all people. And yet here, what just happened? So, we're going
[00:14:55] to talk about it. But first, before we go any further, let me say that the woman is not offended.
[00:15:01] We're going to keep reading. You can look down at your Bible. You can see as we keep going, the woman is not shocked, the woman is not offended. So there must be something going on here
[00:15:10] deeper than what we read. So what is it? First of all, Jesus, it's been suggested, is simply quoting a common saying about the priority of what should happen. But even as we dig deeper, it's very interesting. The Greek language has two words for dog, two main words. One is the
[00:15:33] mongrel that the Jews would use for other peoples that they looked down on. It was the stray dog, the wild dog that would run around outside eating scraps and fighting and was dirty. And that's not the word that Jesus uses. He actually uses a different Greek word that speaks of
[00:15:54] a small, cute dog, almost like a family pet or a puppy. You're like, well, that still doesn't, I mean, that's better, but that still is kind of odd. Jesus here is giving a parable. He's not
[00:16:10] calling the woman a dog, but he's saying, don't you understand that I've come to serve the nation of Israel? This woman is a mother. She's coming asking for help for her daughter. And so Jesus
[00:16:23] takes her into her own home and says, don't you understand that as you're caring for your family, that you take care of your own children first. Jesus wants to illustrate the fact that he's come
[00:16:33] first to the children of God, the Israelites. He's really challenging her to say, why have you come to me? You have your own gods, don't you? And this woman doesn't respond in offense.
[00:16:54] Look at what she says. Verse number 27, sorry, Jesus is saying a challenge to justify her request, but then look at verse number 28. 28, she answered him, yes, Lord, did even the dogs under
[00:17:06] the table eat the children's crumbs? This lady doesn't get offended. She doesn't spit in his face and storm out. Rather, she looks back at Jesus and she says, I know exactly who you are. I understand
[00:17:21] and I know that in Jesus, there's enough for everyone. This Greek word crumbs literally means crumbs. This woman is a pagan. This woman is not a Jew. This woman, other than what she's heard about Jesus, has not grown up worshiping the God of the Bible, and yet she understands more about
[00:17:53] the loving grace of Jesus than the self-righteous Pharisees that were just confronted a few verses ago. She says, Lord, you have so much. You have so much that I know that your children can eat
[00:18:13] all that they want. And then the small pieces that fall off are more than enough to heal my daughter. Do you know the Bible? It's in Matthew 17 and Luke 17. Jesus also references it later in Mark, but he talks about a faith. A faith the size of a mustard seed. Have you heard
[00:18:36] this story? Or have you ever seen a mustard seed? A mustard seed is this minuscule, tiny little seed, and we've talked about it before. It's this little seed that grows up into a tree, and this tree
[00:18:49] actually grows incredibly quickly and incredibly large for the size of the seed. And Jesus says in other passages that if you have faith that big, the size of a crumb, that you could move mountains. And here in Mark 7, this woman looks back at Jesus and says,
[00:19:14] all we need is crumb because I know that your power is great enough to heal with just that much.
[00:19:24] verse 29 and 30, Jesus responds to her. He sees her faith and he says, for this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter. And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. As I was studying and preparing for this,
[00:19:40] I found a quote from another pastor, Tim Keller, and he says this, and this is so powerful. He says, she's not saying, this woman, she's not saying to God, give me what I want. Give me what I deserve
[00:19:54] on the basis of my goodness. So the Pharisees at the beginning of Mark 7, they come in all of their self-righteousness and they believe that God deserves to honor them because of what they have
[00:20:06] done. And yet this woman understands truly who Jesus is and she doesn't come saying, God, look at me, give me what I need because of who I am. Rather, she's saying, give me what I don't deserve.
[00:20:21] Jesus, I know you came for Israel. I know you came for the Jews. And yet just a small crumb would be more than enough in your immense power and grace. She says, give me what I don't deserve
[00:20:33] on the basis of your goodness. And I love the way Keller says it here. He's like, can I have it now?
[00:20:42] I need it now. My daughter has need now. But do you catch the difference? When the Pharisees come, and we've seen it several times already in the gospel of Mark, haven't we? The Pharisees and
[00:20:57] the scribes come and they attack Jesus. They confront Jesus. They push back against Jesus and they keep proclaiming their own goodness. And Jesus over and over again says, you can't do this. You're wrong. You're sinners. You must repent. And now over and over again, we see Jesus
[00:21:17] lovingly serve those who cry out. Church, can I encourage you and say that when you come in humility before God, not in self-righteousness, not full of your own grandeur, full of pride, puffed up thinking you finally earned something and so now God needs to pay you back for what
[00:21:42] you've earned, but rather when you come before God, realizing who he is, acknowledging who you are, Jesus hears. Mark chapter 7 shows us the contrast so powerfully between the Pharisees and yet this weak, lowly woman in need. Will you come to Jesus for help? It's also powerful to me, man, the next
[00:22:13] slide that this is the very first person in all of the gospel of Mark that we've seen who understands Jesus' parables. I've been saying this throughout, and I confronted this again last week, that sometimes we can be very close to Jesus. We can have close proximity. We can spend much time in
[00:22:29] church. We can read our Bibles. We can say we've been a Christian for a long time, and yet when God speaks, we ignore it or we don't understand it. And in Mark, we've seen that over and over
[00:22:39] again, as even Jesus' disciples have to come to him over again. When Jesus teaches, they come and say, Jesus, help us. We didn't understand what that meant. And yet here, this woman so full of faith,
[00:22:52] so far from God, when Jesus speaks, she's the first one in the gospel of Mark that Jesus doesn't have to explain what he's saying, but her faith helps her to see Jesus for who he is. Wow. Do you realize
[00:23:10] the training, the years in the Bible are not what mattered, but his faith in Jesus and a desire to see him work. So it keeps going. Mark is still moving quickly. So verse 31, immediately then he turned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee
[00:23:34] in the region of the Decapolis. You may remember from a few weeks ago, this is where Jesus went across the water, walked out of the boat and immediately was confronted with a demonic man running out of the tombs. And he was just so strong and so crazy. People had tried to bind
[00:23:48] him with chains and yet no one could. This is that region. And Jesus, if you remember the story, miraculously healed the man, freed him from the demonic possession. And then Jesus sent the man back into this region, the Decapolis, this area of 10 cities across the Jordan from Israel. Jesus
[00:24:07] sent him back and he said, tell others what has happened. Jesus now is back. And before the towns were scared of Jesus, they sent him away. Notice what happens now. Verse 32, and they brought to
[00:24:24] him a man who is deaf and has speech impediment. And they begged him to lay his hand on him. Before when Jesus came and healed, when Jesus showed his power, they were terrified and sent him away.
[00:24:36] And yet now it appears that the demoniac, the demonic man who had been transformed had done exactly what God called him to do and had been proclaiming Jesus and his power faithfully to everyone who had listened.
[00:24:51] So now when Jesus shows back up, they don't cower in fear.
[00:24:55] They bring others to find help.
[00:25:00] Jesus, he takes him aside from the crowd privately, put his fingers into his ears and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, the deaf and mute man,
[00:25:14] Ephaptha, that is, be opened. And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. You have so many miracles going on here. Jesus touches and he can hear again. Jesus also touches his tongue and he can speak. But I don't know if you've ever interacted with someone who's
[00:25:36] deaf before. But if someone is struggling with deafness, they can sometimes get a procedure and get a cochlear implant so that they can hear well, or maybe just to some level, and they can sometimes learn to speak. And yet it's a process. Yet here, Jesus touches and heals
[00:25:55] his ears and touches his tongue. And immediately this man speaks clearly the power of God on display. And then as his ears were opened, he released and he spoke. Jesus charged them, verse 36, to tell no one, but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.
[00:26:16] They were astonished beyond measure saying, he has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak. If we go back into the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied in the book
[00:26:29] of Isaiah. Jesus here is fulfilling divine prophecy, except he's not even doing it in Israel. Israel, again, they so often were full of their own self-righteousness. Jesus came for us because we're good, because we're worth it, because we deserve it. And yet Jesus here chooses
[00:26:48] to fulfill prophecies showing his deity, not in Israel, but for the weakest and the lowliest outside of Israel, healing this woman's daughter, healing this man who was deaf and mute. He was not worth it. What could he do for Jesus? So Isaiah 35, 5, look at what he says.
[00:27:17] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For the waters break forth into the
[00:27:32] wilderness and streams in the desert. What would it feel like? It's not here. You cannot communicate and then a stream of refreshing washes through your life. Jesus comes and touches and all of it is gone. The struggle, the pain, the sorrow, the deafness is all removed by the power of the Son
[00:28:07] of God. Mark has been showing verse after verse, chapter after chapter, that Jesus is not just some other teacher. He's not just some good guru who says nice things or has some kind of wisdom
[00:28:23] for your life, but he's truly the son of God. In fact, prophecies that were made hundreds of years before are now coming true as Jesus shows his love and power. Mark 7, 36, they marvel. Jesus
[00:28:42] sent him away. He said, don't say anything, but they can't stop speaking of Jesus. Verse 37, they were astonished beyond measure saying he has done all things well. This takes me back to Genesis chapter one, when God created, Jesus did as well. When God created the heavens and
[00:29:00] the earth. And scripture tells us in Genesis one that all things were good. Mark seven, he says, all things Jesus did well. So let me pull all this together. What does this mean for us today?
[00:29:17] Mark seven, 24 to 37. It's 2026. What does this have to do with me? Before I get there, let me take a rabbit trail. It's called an excursus, an excursus on our rights.
[00:29:35] We are a very proud, self-sufficient people in our culture. And it's ingrained in us that life is all about me. And yet throughout God's word, we see God honor those who are humble.
[00:29:55] Here, the woman did not come saying, I deserve this, or this is mine, or you have to give this to me. But rather in faith and humility, she cries out to God. I am grateful for the rights that we
[00:30:08] have as people. And yet God often calls us to lay down our rights to love and serve others.
[00:30:19] my husband doesn't treat me the way I deserve. My wife doesn't love me the way I deserve. I can't believe my parents would say, I mean, we could just walk down the list. We could talk about
[00:30:32] government. We could talk about our homes. We could talk about at work. And we have so many rights that we want to grab onto. And can I encourage us that sometimes as Christians, we're called to do exactly the opposite. And rather than grab our rights and demand
[00:30:52] what we deserve, rather we have the opportunity much like Jesus. In Philippians chapter 2 it says that Jesus laid aside what was his so that he could come and serve those in need, me and you.
[00:31:12] He left the beauties of heaven.
[00:31:13] He left the adoration.
[00:31:15] He left the perfection.
[00:31:16] Everything he needed or wanted.
[00:31:18] Everything perfect and beautiful and holy, including angels singing his praises 24-7.
[00:31:25] That's a beautiful place to exist.
[00:31:28] And Jesus left all of it to come down to a sin-cursed world, to be spit upon, to be beaten and scourged and crucified for me and for you.
[00:31:41] So, Jesus, in Mark chapter 7, came to save.
[00:31:53] Who did Jesus come to save?
[00:31:55] It's tempting to think differently than Jesus does.
[00:32:01] Every week as we come to Mark 7, I desire to challenge these preconceived ideas that we have about Jesus.
[00:32:08] Do you remember every week I talk about this?
[00:32:10] We come in with these ideas about Jesus.
[00:32:12] Maybe somebody said it to us.
[00:32:13] Maybe we thought we read it in the Bible.
[00:32:15] or maybe it's just kind of gotten into our minds and into our thinking. And it's easy to think that Jesus came to save the good people. Jesus came to save the people who've worked hard enough,
[00:32:25] have stuck around the longest, the people who've got it all figured out. And Jesus loves those who are already shiny and pretty and nice. And Jesus could never love me. You don't know what I've done. You don't understand how far away from God I am. I've done too much. And yet Jesus came
[00:32:54] to save sinners. Do you realize if you're self-righteous and proud, you don't need a savior because you can do it on your own. And yet Jesus came to save those who cried out. So let me
[00:33:22] continue. Jesus doesn't see human status. He sees our need. Mark 7, this woman comes walking into the house, a pagan woman. He's wanting to rest. He's a long ways from home. He was seeking solitude.
[00:33:41] He was trying to be there in secret. The disciples said, hey, just send her away. We don't need to help her. She's a nobody. We're not even in Israel. Like you're not even here for her. You're here for
[00:33:53] like the Jews, aren't you, Jesus? And yet Jesus doesn't look at what you've achieved. He doesn't look at your checkbook, your bank account, or what car you drive, or how many people you know.
[00:34:10] Jesus looks at our hearts. Jesus heals all who cry out. And then I love this last one.
[00:34:23] When the hurting are being helped, they bring other hurting people for help. The Decapolis, Jesus goes and he heals that demoniac man and then sends him out.
[00:34:40] And the next time Jesus comes, they understand who Jesus is.
[00:34:44] And they know that Jesus heals and that Jesus transforms.
[00:34:50] And Jesus has exactly what I need.
[00:34:53] And Jesus has exactly what you need.
[00:34:57] So to finish our message this morning, I want to actually go and read for us Philippians 2, verse 3 through 11.
[00:35:07] and it's going to show us Jesus. And it's also going to help us as we see Jesus, it's going to apply it to our hearts and lives. And I pray that you would be encouraged as you see Jesus.
[00:35:23] You can turn there if you'd like, it's not going to be on the screen or I'll read it for us.
[00:35:28] Philippians chapter two, starting in verse three, if this is who Jesus is, what does scripture say?
[00:35:34] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
[00:35:56] the form of God, though Jesus was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, was born in the likeness of men.
[00:36:12] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is
[00:36:26] above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God
[00:36:44] the Father. This is exactly what we see in Mark 7 and I pray that this is what we would see in our lives as we fix our gaze on Jesus. Let's pray together.
[00:00:00] My name is Tom Wiggs and I'm the pastor here at Eastside and I want to say that I'm so glad you clicked on this video.
[00:00:08] We have prayed that it would be a blessing and a help to you as you grow spiritually. I also want to remind you that part of our heart here at Eastside is that you would be growing in connection
[00:00:22] with a local gathering of believers. Don't let this video be a replacement for a local church.
[00:00:30] If you're in the Mooresville area, you would be so welcome to come worship with us.
[00:00:36] And now here's the message.
[00:00:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:38] We are there in Mark chapter 7 as we continue in our series, See Jesus.
[00:00:47] And this passage, Tim just read it just then, but this passage has a shocking statement.
[00:00:55] And so we're going to take some time and think through that, wrestle with that as we desire to see Jesus.
[00:01:03] And I actually need to back up a little bit.
[00:01:05] I am so encouraged to sing with you every morning.
[00:01:10] You sing so well.
[00:01:11] You sing out to the Lord.
[00:01:13] And I am so blessed by the musicians that we have.
[00:01:17] We have so many people that offer their time and talent.
[00:01:20] So I just want to say thank you.
[00:01:22] Thank you for singing well.
[00:01:23] Thank you for playing.
[00:01:24] And then even Ricky is up here most weeks leading, but then we have so many others that are talented and willing to jump in and to also point us towards the Lord through our music. Music
[00:01:36] is powerful. It can stir our hearts. It can remind us of truth even as it awakens our joy and our love and our sorrows and everything in between. So this morning as we were singing, you may have picked up
[00:01:53] that many of the songs we sang this morning, we're talking about our need for God, our weakness. We even pulled that Christmas song back out, O Come All You Unfaithful. And this morning, as we come
[00:02:09] to God's word, we're going to see that Jesus, Jesus answers, Jesus heals, Jesus saves all who cry out. It's not about how rich you are, how famous you are, how powerful you are. God loves
[00:02:30] you. But I haven't even prayed yet. Let me pray, and then we're going to jump into Mark chapter 7 and see Jesus this morning. But let's pray together. Lord, thank you for the opportunity that we have to hear from your word. Thank you that you do speak to us. You love us enough
[00:02:51] to communicate, but God, you loved us enough truly to send Jesus to be here with us. Lord, I pray that this morning as we come to the gospel of Mark, as we come to scripture
[00:03:04] with a desire to see Jesus, Lord, I pray that you would help us. Help us to understand, help us to hear, help us to see. And Lord, I pray that we would walk from here encouraged
[00:03:17] by you. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. We've been working our way through the gospel of Mark. Since the beginning of year, we've been walking through passage by passage, looking at Jesus in the gospel of Mark. Mark moves quickly. In fact, if you read through it,
[00:03:40] He uses the word next and then immediately over and over and over again because Mark has so much that he's trying to pack into this short gospel because there's so much about who Jesus is.
[00:03:57] The first half of Mark really shows us Jesus as he's doing. Here's who Jesus is because of what he does. The second half of Mark, as we get into it in the second half of the year after our summer
[00:04:11] series, is going to show us Jesus as he moves towards the cross and what he came to do for us in salvation. Mark 7. Last Sunday, if you were with us, we went through the first half of Mark
[00:04:26] chapter 7 and it was very confrontational. Jesus started speaking to the Pharisees and he was saying, you're hypocrites, you're self-righteous, you need to repent. But now in the second half of Mark 7, it's flipped upside down. So the beginning of Mark 7, the Pharisees walk up to him and they
[00:04:55] say, why aren't your disciples following all the traditions that have always been there? Like, why aren't they doing these things that man put in place? And Jesus rebukes them. But then immediately after we see in verse 24 that he leaves and goes to a Gentile country and he
[00:05:14] addresses this woman. This woman comes in, we'll spend more time on it in a moment, But this woman comes in and Jesus heals all throughout God's word, all throughout the gospel of Mark.
[00:05:28] We're seeing that Jesus is sent to the Jews and yet truly he is the God of all people, every tribe, every nation.
[00:05:40] And he responds when people come in faith and cry out to him.
[00:05:45] Can I say something clearly, but with no anger, with no judgment, with no animosity, but I want to be clear. It is foolish for a person, for me, for you, for someone to say that you're good enough. All religion in the world, the first half of Mark 7 is Jesus confronts
[00:06:17] the self-righteous. All religion in the world is one of two categories. It's either I'm good enough and I can get there. Give me a list of do's or don'ts and I can accomplish it and I can make
[00:06:28] myself good enough for God. That was what Jesus confronted in the first half of Mark 7. But there's another category of religion. There's, I can't do it. There's, I'm good enough. And then there's, I need a savior. So many religions in the world. In fact, I would suggest that every other
[00:06:52] religion other than Christianity, believes that we can, somehow humanity could work their way into favor with whatever God they believe in. And they do things. They think that they can be good enough if they work hard enough. And can I say clearly, that's stupid. Because when we're honest
[00:07:20] with ourselves, we see our own inadequacy and we can never be good enough. No matter how hard we work, we can never be good enough to measure up to the perfect standard of God. And in Mark 7,
[00:07:39] both of these things are placed next to each other. As we looked last week, the first half of the chapter shows us very clearly the self-righteousness and Jesus's confrontation of that, but then he walks away and he serves those who come in humility seeking help. Do you
[00:07:59] know that Jesus loves the lowly and the humble? Not the ones that pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, not the popular and the famous who think they have it all put together. In fact,
[00:08:16] the philosopher Nietzsche, do you know him? He's a long time ago, but he was this famous philosopher and he has this incredible quote that I wanted to share this morning. He thought Christianity was dangerous because it reversed what he viewed as the natural order. He said of Jesus,
[00:08:32] what is more harmful than any vice? Active sympathy for the ill-constituted and weak, namely Christianity. Nietzsche, this great philosopher, he thought he had it all figured out. He said, Christianity is dangerous just because it loves the weak and the lowly. And yet
[00:09:01] that's exactly who Jesus is. And if you walk back through history, one of the great impacts of the children of God is an immense love and care for those who are in need. Hospitals being built,
[00:09:20] the poor being served. There's innumerable examples throughout history and even in our current day and age where Christianity has transformed the world through the work of God's people because Jesus loves those who are in need. And we're going to see this here in Mark
[00:09:40] chapter 7. The heart of Jesus is gentle and lowly towards sinners and sufferers. So as we get started, I want to ask us a few questions. Do you see your need of Jesus? Do you walk in thinking,
[00:09:59] I've got this all figured out? Or do you walk in saying, I need a savior? As a believer, do you need reminded of that need? And are you willing to cry out? Jesus responds when we come to him.
[00:10:18] Mark chapter 7. Let's walk through this once more. We're going to go from verse 24 down through the end of the chapter in verse 37. Mark 7, 24. From there, Jesus arose. So again, he's just
[00:10:32] flowing immediately into the next story. We had the Pharisees being confronted, and now he moves immediately, but he's moving even to a different geographic region. He went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.
[00:10:47] So for several chapters now, if you remember, Jesus has been trying to get away with his disciples so they can get some rest. Life has been so hectic. Life has been so busy. There's been so many needs that Jesus has been meeting and he's been trying to find a place of quiet.
[00:11:04] And so finally, Jesus goes away to a completely different area, far outside. In fact, this is the farthest outside of Israel that we see recorded in the gospels. And so Jesus is going to where he might be able to find some quiet. Verse 25, but immediately a woman whose little
[00:11:26] daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
[00:11:41] This is so incredible. It should catch us, but let me help you because we don't necessarily understand the context as well as perhaps we should. The beginning of the chapter, the religious elite, the Pharisees, the scribes, these are the rich, famous rulers of Israel. These are the people
[00:11:58] that on the outside look very good. These are the men that lead the country and they come to Jesus and Jesus rebukes them, calls them self-righteous hypocrites, and begins quoting the Old Testament and condemnation of what they're doing. So, Jesus condemns the powerful and the good-looking.
[00:12:20] And now here, Jesus walks outside of Israel. So, he's no longer with the Jews, the followers of God. He's in a pagan area, and he's trying to find some rest. And a woman comes in to the house,
[00:12:33] which is itself shocking because, one, ancient manuscripts don't talk of women very often.
[00:12:40] And then for a woman to have the boldness to enter someone else's home to these men, what are you doing?
[00:12:49] And she walks in and says, I need help.
[00:12:55] She's not a Jew.
[00:12:56] She's not a follower of Jesus, but she's obviously heard who this Jesus is.
[00:13:04] And so she comes seeking help for her daughter who is possessed with a demon.
[00:13:11] This pagan woman comes in, confronts Jesus in this private home, and we don't see it here, but in the parallel passage in the gospel of Matthew, as that gospel writer records this, the disciples come to Jesus and they say, why don't you send this woman away? We're here for
[00:13:30] rest. She's not a Jew. She's not here for us. She's just interrupting us. And this is so bold.
[00:13:36] Why would she come talk to you? Jesus, just ignore her, send her away. And Jesus' response, and it kind of catches us a little bit off guard. Look at it, verse number 27.
[00:13:53] And he, this is Jesus, said to her, let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. This verse here kind of catches us off guard. Did
[00:14:07] Jesus just call this woman a dog? As we walk back into the historical context, the Jews did look down on the non-believers, the pagans around them, and they would use a derogatory term for them.
[00:14:22] They would call them dogs. And that was sinful. That was wrong. And is that what Jesus is doing here? Is this Jesus? We're walking through the gospel of Mark and we want to see Jesus. And at
[00:14:38] the beginning, I said Jesus loves the weak and lowly. Jesus' heart is tender and soft to those who are in need. Jesus is the Savior of all people. And yet here, what just happened? So, we're going
[00:14:55] to talk about it. But first, before we go any further, let me say that the woman is not offended.
[00:15:01] We're going to keep reading. You can look down at your Bible. You can see as we keep going, the woman is not shocked, the woman is not offended. So there must be something going on here
[00:15:10] deeper than what we read. So what is it? First of all, Jesus, it's been suggested, is simply quoting a common saying about the priority of what should happen. But even as we dig deeper, it's very interesting. The Greek language has two words for dog, two main words. One is the
[00:15:33] mongrel that the Jews would use for other peoples that they looked down on. It was the stray dog, the wild dog that would run around outside eating scraps and fighting and was dirty. And that's not the word that Jesus uses. He actually uses a different Greek word that speaks of
[00:15:54] a small, cute dog, almost like a family pet or a puppy. You're like, well, that still doesn't, I mean, that's better, but that still is kind of odd. Jesus here is giving a parable. He's not
[00:16:10] calling the woman a dog, but he's saying, don't you understand that I've come to serve the nation of Israel? This woman is a mother. She's coming asking for help for her daughter. And so Jesus
[00:16:23] takes her into her own home and says, don't you understand that as you're caring for your family, that you take care of your own children first. Jesus wants to illustrate the fact that he's come
[00:16:33] first to the children of God, the Israelites. He's really challenging her to say, why have you come to me? You have your own gods, don't you? And this woman doesn't respond in offense.
[00:16:54] Look at what she says. Verse number 27, sorry, Jesus is saying a challenge to justify her request, but then look at verse number 28. 28, she answered him, yes, Lord, did even the dogs under
[00:17:06] the table eat the children's crumbs? This lady doesn't get offended. She doesn't spit in his face and storm out. Rather, she looks back at Jesus and she says, I know exactly who you are. I understand
[00:17:21] and I know that in Jesus, there's enough for everyone. This Greek word crumbs literally means crumbs. This woman is a pagan. This woman is not a Jew. This woman, other than what she's heard about Jesus, has not grown up worshiping the God of the Bible, and yet she understands more about
[00:17:53] the loving grace of Jesus than the self-righteous Pharisees that were just confronted a few verses ago. She says, Lord, you have so much. You have so much that I know that your children can eat
[00:18:13] all that they want. And then the small pieces that fall off are more than enough to heal my daughter. Do you know the Bible? It's in Matthew 17 and Luke 17. Jesus also references it later in Mark, but he talks about a faith. A faith the size of a mustard seed. Have you heard
[00:18:36] this story? Or have you ever seen a mustard seed? A mustard seed is this minuscule, tiny little seed, and we've talked about it before. It's this little seed that grows up into a tree, and this tree
[00:18:49] actually grows incredibly quickly and incredibly large for the size of the seed. And Jesus says in other passages that if you have faith that big, the size of a crumb, that you could move mountains. And here in Mark 7, this woman looks back at Jesus and says,
[00:19:14] all we need is crumb because I know that your power is great enough to heal with just that much.
[00:19:24] verse 29 and 30, Jesus responds to her. He sees her faith and he says, for this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter. And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. As I was studying and preparing for this,
[00:19:40] I found a quote from another pastor, Tim Keller, and he says this, and this is so powerful. He says, she's not saying, this woman, she's not saying to God, give me what I want. Give me what I deserve
[00:19:54] on the basis of my goodness. So the Pharisees at the beginning of Mark 7, they come in all of their self-righteousness and they believe that God deserves to honor them because of what they have
[00:20:06] done. And yet this woman understands truly who Jesus is and she doesn't come saying, God, look at me, give me what I need because of who I am. Rather, she's saying, give me what I don't deserve.
[00:20:21] Jesus, I know you came for Israel. I know you came for the Jews. And yet just a small crumb would be more than enough in your immense power and grace. She says, give me what I don't deserve
[00:20:33] on the basis of your goodness. And I love the way Keller says it here. He's like, can I have it now?
[00:20:42] I need it now. My daughter has need now. But do you catch the difference? When the Pharisees come, and we've seen it several times already in the gospel of Mark, haven't we? The Pharisees and
[00:20:57] the scribes come and they attack Jesus. They confront Jesus. They push back against Jesus and they keep proclaiming their own goodness. And Jesus over and over again says, you can't do this. You're wrong. You're sinners. You must repent. And now over and over again, we see Jesus
[00:21:17] lovingly serve those who cry out. Church, can I encourage you and say that when you come in humility before God, not in self-righteousness, not full of your own grandeur, full of pride, puffed up thinking you finally earned something and so now God needs to pay you back for what
[00:21:42] you've earned, but rather when you come before God, realizing who he is, acknowledging who you are, Jesus hears. Mark chapter 7 shows us the contrast so powerfully between the Pharisees and yet this weak, lowly woman in need. Will you come to Jesus for help? It's also powerful to me, man, the next
[00:22:13] slide that this is the very first person in all of the gospel of Mark that we've seen who understands Jesus' parables. I've been saying this throughout, and I confronted this again last week, that sometimes we can be very close to Jesus. We can have close proximity. We can spend much time in
[00:22:29] church. We can read our Bibles. We can say we've been a Christian for a long time, and yet when God speaks, we ignore it or we don't understand it. And in Mark, we've seen that over and over
[00:22:39] again, as even Jesus' disciples have to come to him over again. When Jesus teaches, they come and say, Jesus, help us. We didn't understand what that meant. And yet here, this woman so full of faith,
[00:22:52] so far from God, when Jesus speaks, she's the first one in the gospel of Mark that Jesus doesn't have to explain what he's saying, but her faith helps her to see Jesus for who he is. Wow. Do you realize
[00:23:10] the training, the years in the Bible are not what mattered, but his faith in Jesus and a desire to see him work. So it keeps going. Mark is still moving quickly. So verse 31, immediately then he turned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee
[00:23:34] in the region of the Decapolis. You may remember from a few weeks ago, this is where Jesus went across the water, walked out of the boat and immediately was confronted with a demonic man running out of the tombs. And he was just so strong and so crazy. People had tried to bind
[00:23:48] him with chains and yet no one could. This is that region. And Jesus, if you remember the story, miraculously healed the man, freed him from the demonic possession. And then Jesus sent the man back into this region, the Decapolis, this area of 10 cities across the Jordan from Israel. Jesus
[00:24:07] sent him back and he said, tell others what has happened. Jesus now is back. And before the towns were scared of Jesus, they sent him away. Notice what happens now. Verse 32, and they brought to
[00:24:24] him a man who is deaf and has speech impediment. And they begged him to lay his hand on him. Before when Jesus came and healed, when Jesus showed his power, they were terrified and sent him away.
[00:24:36] And yet now it appears that the demoniac, the demonic man who had been transformed had done exactly what God called him to do and had been proclaiming Jesus and his power faithfully to everyone who had listened.
[00:24:51] So now when Jesus shows back up, they don't cower in fear.
[00:24:55] They bring others to find help.
[00:25:00] Jesus, he takes him aside from the crowd privately, put his fingers into his ears and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, the deaf and mute man,
[00:25:14] Ephaptha, that is, be opened. And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. You have so many miracles going on here. Jesus touches and he can hear again. Jesus also touches his tongue and he can speak. But I don't know if you've ever interacted with someone who's
[00:25:36] deaf before. But if someone is struggling with deafness, they can sometimes get a procedure and get a cochlear implant so that they can hear well, or maybe just to some level, and they can sometimes learn to speak. And yet it's a process. Yet here, Jesus touches and heals
[00:25:55] his ears and touches his tongue. And immediately this man speaks clearly the power of God on display. And then as his ears were opened, he released and he spoke. Jesus charged them, verse 36, to tell no one, but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.
[00:26:16] They were astonished beyond measure saying, he has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak. If we go back into the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied in the book
[00:26:29] of Isaiah. Jesus here is fulfilling divine prophecy, except he's not even doing it in Israel. Israel, again, they so often were full of their own self-righteousness. Jesus came for us because we're good, because we're worth it, because we deserve it. And yet Jesus here chooses
[00:26:48] to fulfill prophecies showing his deity, not in Israel, but for the weakest and the lowliest outside of Israel, healing this woman's daughter, healing this man who was deaf and mute. He was not worth it. What could he do for Jesus? So Isaiah 35, 5, look at what he says.
[00:27:17] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For the waters break forth into the
[00:27:32] wilderness and streams in the desert. What would it feel like? It's not here. You cannot communicate and then a stream of refreshing washes through your life. Jesus comes and touches and all of it is gone. The struggle, the pain, the sorrow, the deafness is all removed by the power of the Son
[00:28:07] of God. Mark has been showing verse after verse, chapter after chapter, that Jesus is not just some other teacher. He's not just some good guru who says nice things or has some kind of wisdom
[00:28:23] for your life, but he's truly the son of God. In fact, prophecies that were made hundreds of years before are now coming true as Jesus shows his love and power. Mark 7, 36, they marvel. Jesus
[00:28:42] sent him away. He said, don't say anything, but they can't stop speaking of Jesus. Verse 37, they were astonished beyond measure saying he has done all things well. This takes me back to Genesis chapter one, when God created, Jesus did as well. When God created the heavens and
[00:29:00] the earth. And scripture tells us in Genesis one that all things were good. Mark seven, he says, all things Jesus did well. So let me pull all this together. What does this mean for us today?
[00:29:17] Mark seven, 24 to 37. It's 2026. What does this have to do with me? Before I get there, let me take a rabbit trail. It's called an excursus, an excursus on our rights.
[00:29:35] We are a very proud, self-sufficient people in our culture. And it's ingrained in us that life is all about me. And yet throughout God's word, we see God honor those who are humble.
[00:29:55] Here, the woman did not come saying, I deserve this, or this is mine, or you have to give this to me. But rather in faith and humility, she cries out to God. I am grateful for the rights that we
[00:30:08] have as people. And yet God often calls us to lay down our rights to love and serve others.
[00:30:19] my husband doesn't treat me the way I deserve. My wife doesn't love me the way I deserve. I can't believe my parents would say, I mean, we could just walk down the list. We could talk about
[00:30:32] government. We could talk about our homes. We could talk about at work. And we have so many rights that we want to grab onto. And can I encourage us that sometimes as Christians, we're called to do exactly the opposite. And rather than grab our rights and demand
[00:30:52] what we deserve, rather we have the opportunity much like Jesus. In Philippians chapter 2 it says that Jesus laid aside what was his so that he could come and serve those in need, me and you.
[00:31:12] He left the beauties of heaven.
[00:31:13] He left the adoration.
[00:31:15] He left the perfection.
[00:31:16] Everything he needed or wanted.
[00:31:18] Everything perfect and beautiful and holy, including angels singing his praises 24-7.
[00:31:25] That's a beautiful place to exist.
[00:31:28] And Jesus left all of it to come down to a sin-cursed world, to be spit upon, to be beaten and scourged and crucified for me and for you.
[00:31:41] So, Jesus, in Mark chapter 7, came to save.
[00:31:53] Who did Jesus come to save?
[00:31:55] It's tempting to think differently than Jesus does.
[00:32:01] Every week as we come to Mark 7, I desire to challenge these preconceived ideas that we have about Jesus.
[00:32:08] Do you remember every week I talk about this?
[00:32:10] We come in with these ideas about Jesus.
[00:32:12] Maybe somebody said it to us.
[00:32:13] Maybe we thought we read it in the Bible.
[00:32:15] or maybe it's just kind of gotten into our minds and into our thinking. And it's easy to think that Jesus came to save the good people. Jesus came to save the people who've worked hard enough,
[00:32:25] have stuck around the longest, the people who've got it all figured out. And Jesus loves those who are already shiny and pretty and nice. And Jesus could never love me. You don't know what I've done. You don't understand how far away from God I am. I've done too much. And yet Jesus came
[00:32:54] to save sinners. Do you realize if you're self-righteous and proud, you don't need a savior because you can do it on your own. And yet Jesus came to save those who cried out. So let me
[00:33:22] continue. Jesus doesn't see human status. He sees our need. Mark 7, this woman comes walking into the house, a pagan woman. He's wanting to rest. He's a long ways from home. He was seeking solitude.
[00:33:41] He was trying to be there in secret. The disciples said, hey, just send her away. We don't need to help her. She's a nobody. We're not even in Israel. Like you're not even here for her. You're here for
[00:33:53] like the Jews, aren't you, Jesus? And yet Jesus doesn't look at what you've achieved. He doesn't look at your checkbook, your bank account, or what car you drive, or how many people you know.
[00:34:10] Jesus looks at our hearts. Jesus heals all who cry out. And then I love this last one.
[00:34:23] When the hurting are being helped, they bring other hurting people for help. The Decapolis, Jesus goes and he heals that demoniac man and then sends him out.
[00:34:40] And the next time Jesus comes, they understand who Jesus is.
[00:34:44] And they know that Jesus heals and that Jesus transforms.
[00:34:50] And Jesus has exactly what I need.
[00:34:53] And Jesus has exactly what you need.
[00:34:57] So to finish our message this morning, I want to actually go and read for us Philippians 2, verse 3 through 11.
[00:35:07] and it's going to show us Jesus. And it's also going to help us as we see Jesus, it's going to apply it to our hearts and lives. And I pray that you would be encouraged as you see Jesus.
[00:35:23] You can turn there if you'd like, it's not going to be on the screen or I'll read it for us.
[00:35:28] Philippians chapter two, starting in verse three, if this is who Jesus is, what does scripture say?
[00:35:34] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
[00:35:56] the form of God, though Jesus was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, was born in the likeness of men.
[00:36:12] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is
[00:36:26] above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God
[00:36:44] the Father. This is exactly what we see in Mark 7 and I pray that this is what we would see in our lives as we fix our gaze on Jesus. Let's pray together.
