Expect God To Move – The Power of Expectation

In today’s sermon we’re studying the book of Matthew chapter 15.

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Matthew chapter 15: 21 -28

In this story, the woman is facing a horrible situation. Her daughter is tormented by demons, so she came to look for Jesus for help. If you pay attention, the Bible does not mention the husband; we don’t know where he is. But what we see clearly here is a mother who is fighting and believing for the freedom of her beloved daughter. Mothers never give up on their children. No matter the situation, mothers move ahead for the good of their children.

Many times, men reason while women are moved by intuition, belief, and fighting for their child. Here we notice that the mother interrupted a men’s meeting. According to Jewish culture, women couldn’t come uninvited to men’s meetings. And yet, this Gentile woman did so. This woman was breaking traditional law. The disciples had a certain idea about what Jesus came to do. In their minds, Jesus came to take over the Roman Empire and end the oppression of the Jews. But Jesus came to save humanity, not only the Jews.

This Gentile woman knew what to expect from Jesus. The Bible said she cried out to Jesus. She came with the revelation that Jesus would answer her. She was sure that Jesus had the answer, so she had an expectation. She had heard of Him, and she allowed the word to bring revelation to her. She came and called Jesus “Son of David,” to have mercy on her.

What does it mean when she called Him “Son of David”? Somehow, this woman knew that Jesus is the Messiah, who came to save the world. When we break down the woman’s actions, we see:

First, she confessed and asked for mercy. She knew she had lived a sinful life; therefore, she needed the Lord’s mercy. She knew that first of all, she needed to deal with her sinful life so that she could receive the promise.

Second, she was there to present the situation without bringing her daughter physically. She believed that if only she could be in the presence of the Lord, her daughter would be free. She had heard of Jesus, and she let faith grow. She had a certain expectation of what the Messiah could do for her because of the word she heard and her faith.

And she was presented with a few challenges:

1. she is a gentile
2. she is a woman
3. Jesus did not answer her immediately
4. the disciple chased her out
5. Jesus’ answer was harsh

If you were this woman, what would your reaction be? Mostly offense. But this woman continued to persist; she insisted on her way until she got what she wanted. Jesus at one point even likened her to a dog. If we were in her shoes, most of us would have turned our backs on Jesus. But she didn’t let offense take root; instead, she continued to reason and push because she knew Jesus would answer. She was convicted.

According to the law back then, the Jewish people likened the Gentiles to dogs, as they worshipped many idols. Jesus calling her such would have driven her away if she hadn’t approached Jesus with humility. Jesus did not call her a dog, but indirectly, He presented her with a choice: would she still follow her sinful lifestyle and continue to live in sin, or would she choose Him and be freed? And from the way she answered, she chose Jesus. She accepted that she needed to repent with humility, and she still had faith that Jesus would answer her request.

We praise God for women who persist, who don’t take no for an answer. If we remember Mary Magdalene, she was a loyal friend. She stuck with Jesus to the end. If you want to delve into the suffering of our Lord in detail, look into the account of Mary Magdalene. She was there to witness everything that Jesus suffered. Can we imagine that amongst the many people who witnessed His crucifixion, Mary was there, fighting with the Roman soldiers to be by Jesus’ side? She was there when He was nailed to the cross, and she was also there when He was buried. Even in His death, she still took care of His corpse and called him her “Lord”. She never gave Jesus up. Expectation will cause you to do something that you never did before. The Bible says that the expectation of the righteous will never be denied.

But the problem is always our flesh. Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:31 that he died daily. He died daily so that the manifestation of God could have His way to move. This is a strong word for our generation today that puts pleasure above all.

The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Roman 8:7

It’s time to get rid of our carnal desires and let the Holy Spirit move. Let’s let our expectation and faith increase. Revelation increases expectation. It brings conviction into your life to do something that others have not done.

Expectation brings boldness. A pastor in Finland who was accused and wrongly jailed said that the church is not ready. He is right. The church is not ready; many churches will close down when persecutions come. But the true body of Christ will come alive under persecution. They stand up for signs, wonders, and miracles.

In Acts 4, they prayed for the Lord to confirm their prayer and answer with signs, wonders, and miracles. Notice that they did not ask God to stop the persecution. Instead, they asked for double power. That should be our prayer.

In the end, from the woman’s story, Jesus praised her “great” faith. Where is your conviction and faith? Are you ready for His second coming?