Mark 7:24-30
Sunday Morning – 4 Nov 2018 10:52:16 am – Pastor James Yang
As I read the bible, I can feel the heart of God. He is such an amazing Father. He wants to sow the seed. God has made the humans out of dust. One day I wondered why God made us from dust. What if we are made of iron? But we are not. We are made of dust and it means we are truly weak. From the beginning He wanted to sow the seed of His Word into us.
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7 NKJV
Humans who resemble God in appearance was formed. If you really have the likeness of God in you, then you can always have the strength to go through difficulties.
Creatures that have wings can go against gravity. For Christians, this is the case in that despite all pain and so on, we can be free from them all.
One day I spoke to a lady who had numerous problems. I asked her how come she had so many problems although she was of the faith. However, she was confined by it and was not happy. For me, after the Word comes into my heart, I become genuinely free, hopeful and happy.
Through various problems in our lives, God wants to plant his seed into our lives. No matter who you are, if you can sow the seed of the Word of God in your heart, there will be a big difference between before and after when the seed is planted.
God breathed into the nostrils the breath of life into the dust of the ground.
One of the archangels call Lucifer corrupted and rebelled against God. This is why he bothered humankind. He deceived humans to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (TGE).
Let us consider the character traits of dust – does it speak back? What if you dedicate? Does it speak back?
Dust can absorb anything. Dust can also receive all. It does not complain.
After Adam and Eve consumed of the fruit of TGE, a big change came into them.
“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.””
Genesis 3:19 NKJV
In God’s viewpoint, Adam and Eve were just dust but they had left the position of dust. In such heart, the position of dust cannot remain in them.
If you think about Mark 7, the Syrophoenecian woman’s daughter was severely demon-possessed. This is such a sad thing. Imagine your own child is demon-possessed. How sad would this be?
When the woman approached Jesus, He said “It is not good to throw the children’s food to the dogs.” Jesus could reveal the position of dust that this woman was in.
Many people however do not have this position and so God cannot work through these people. Thus, the position of the heart is very important.
When people come to church and they hear something that does not match their thoughts, they just chuck the people or the church away in their heart. This is despite the church being the source of (spiritual) life for them.
When the position of dust was revealed, then Jesus healed the woman’s daughter. Thus, if the position of the dust can be revealed in our heart, then God can plant His Word into our heart.
There are four positions of the heart:
1. The wayside
2. The shallow field
3. The thorny field
4. The field with the good soil
God is like the farmer.
““I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
John 15:1 NKJV
God works all the time so that He can plant His Words into our heart.
A few years ago, Rio had appendicitis. So I visited him at Auburn hospital. I wondered why God gave him this problem. There had to be a reason, I felt. So I visited him and asked him how he received salvation. As I heard it, I could see that he was not saved. From his childhood he was in the church, however, salvation was not clear in his heart. So I told him that he was not saved. So I told him about the Word and the Word entered his heart and he received salvation.
After receiving salvation, his heart changed a bit. When I see Rio, he is very adorable. This does not hold true for Rio only but it is true for all of us as well. God deliberately allows us problems so that the Word can be planted in us.
One day as I was in the army, I heard about the Word from the bible and I could see how I was not good at all. I was ignorant of this truth and I tried real hard to be good so far. Since then, I gave up on myself and the Word of God entered me.
As the Word entered my heart, a whole new different heart formed within me. I could see that God works equally in all of us.
““Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,”
Psalms 95:8 NKJV
When things do not go according to one’s ways, their hearts become hardened and it becomes difficult for them to receive the Word.
One day this Word shocked me.
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”
Hebrews 11:20 NKJV
In Genesis 27, Jacob was blessed but Esau cursed. For Esau, he brought in game and cooked it in such a way that his father loved. But his father said, “Someone came before you and he is already blessed”. So Esau cried and he said that it was his second time lying to him. From then on, since he did not receive the blessings, Esau was intending to kill Jacob.
Now let’s compare the Syro Phoenician woman and Esau. Jesus said to her, “It is not good for me to give the children’s food to the little dogs”. This means that she was likened to a dog. But she said, “It is right”. Esau on the other hand only thought about killing his brother.
Let’s say if Esau had agreed with his father. Let’s say he said “Yes, father, I deserve all the curses from you. I have only be trusting in myself”, then the father would have also said what Jesus said to the Syro Phoenician woman – “For this saying, go your way for you have faith”.
However, the reality is that brethren cannot accept this from others. This is why everyone has their own standards and cast out the Word of God in their lives.
One day my father visited my family. He said that he had some business to do in the city. I asked him if he had lunch and he said that he had. But when I saw his lips, it was dry. And I knew he had not eaten. But he said that he needed no food. So I asked my wife to prepare the food anyway. When the food came out, he ate one round and even asked for a second round. I understood his heart clearly as opposed to my wife, who could not initially.
Esau does not understand the World of the heart.
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”
Hebrews 11:20 NKJV
In the eyes of God, He only has blessings for us. However, God always breaks down our heart before He gives us the blessings.
As it says in Psalms 95, it says please do not harden your heart.
Many people however, have this hardened heart. Because what they hear does not match with what they want to hear. And so they harden their hearts.
I speak often of the man with infirmity for 38 years (M38) who for 38 years was bedridden. Jesus telling him to rise up and walk is like persecution actually.
If you are crippled and someone tells you to run, isn’t this persecution and mocking? This is why the Word of God is completely different from our thought.
As the woman received the Word from Jesus, Jesus was so happy and said “For this saying, your daughter is healed”. So please do not harden your heart.
If you say you believe in God, it means you receive the Word of God into your heart. Then change comes about.
When you plant an apple tree using seeds, you need to wait about 3-5 years to be able to get fruit.
We usually plant rice in mid-may. Then in early October, we harvest the rice grain. In the same way, the Words of God also works. And it works immediately when planted in our heart.
Jesus planted the Word of God into M38’s heart. As soon as the Word of Jesus was planted, the man rose up and walk.
Now let’s say that you are in the hospital and you are bed ridden and someone tells you to get up and walk. If you receive the Word, you will get up but if not, then you would not.
Being hardened in the heart means not receive the Word into your heart.
M38 received the Word as it is, and he walked.
Please do not harden your heart.
There is sister Yury here and she had panic attack. She had it for quite some time. So she asked me to pray for her one morning. But I did not. Because if I pray for her, it means that I do not believe in the Word that she is already healed.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
As per this Word, she was already healed. So I told her this Word and asked her to leave without praying. I only wanted to establish the Word in her heart. So she said “Amen” and she left. However, a few days later, her husband came to me and told me that she has had the worst panic attack ever after that. However, I still did not pray because the Word already said that she was healed. A few days later, she came back and told me that she was healed completely by faith. Then only I prayed for her glorifying the Lord. She used to believe that even though she was healed, she could still have symptoms. But I told her that she had to believe in her heart that she was healed completely. And she did and now she is truly healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:6 NKJV
Yesterday I preached this Word to one youth who came to our garage sale event. I am so thankful.
For sister Yury’s panic attack, it disappeared. All you need to do is incline your ear towards the Word of God.
One day Lazarus was very ill. His dead body was buried in the tomb. However, Jesus, it does not matter. So He called Lazarus to come forth. Do you think Lazarus complained that he was dead and that he smelled of the stench? No! His heart was not hardened but he only received the Word.
Having the hardened heart is the biggest problem. All problems in your life begin when your heart is far from the Word. All your problems end when you return to the Word. That is where your heart should stand upon.
I truly admire the Syrophoenecian woman. I would love to hear how she was able to receive the Words of Jesus which was so rude sounding.
A few days ago, I preached in the dawn service. I asked the question – “Raise your hand if you would quit when your spiritual life is very difficult”. Two people raised their hands.
I was someone like this. But this is my own way. If your heart is hardened, then your heart will come up with its own way.
In Numbers 21, so many people died because of the fiery serpents. The people asked for the fiery serpents to be taken away and so the people complained against God. However, God did not remove them. But God only asked them to look at the bronze serpent.
Coming to church to hear the word is important, but establishing the Word in your heart is most important. You must break down your thoughts first and then only you can establish the Word.
If your soul is the first priority in your life, then you will only lean on God. If you can only focus on your spirit, then like the Syrophoenecian woman, you will be able to receive the Word of God in your heart.
If you have established the Word in your heart, then the Word will work immediately on you. You will be free from sin, and you will be able to tie over all problems in your life.
Please put down your hardened heart and establish the Word of God and great change will go about in your life.