Welcome to Bible Baptist Church Ballincollig, Cork Celebrating 12 Years Today is the Lord’s Day Sunday, 15 th of October, 2006

October’s Memory Verse Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

Announcements Tonight at 7pm – continuing Hymnspiration, Why We Sing What We Sing! Wednesday evening Verse-by-Verse Bible Study at 7pm – Matthew 27! Teen Bible Study this Friday at 7.30pm 31 st Oct, Rise and Shine Church Activity Night starting at 7pm, here.

True Worshippers The Canaanite Woman Matthew 15

Review – W orshipping God in Spirit and Truth This is a study series looking at True Worship, and True Worshippers We have been looking at HOW God’s people worshipped God – supernatural! Abraham worshipped even though he was about to lose his son Isaac Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshipped the God of heaven at the edge of a fiery furnace Job worshipped even in absolute defeat, despair Today, let’s learn that our worship is actually an accurate gauge of our faith!

Background (Matthew 15:21) Our Lord is travelling through the northern area of Israel. Many gather to hear Him preach, and see Him do the impossible A desperate woman breaks through the crowd Her situation is dire, and her hope is fading fast But she finds it hard to get the attention of almost anyone around Jesus This woman is in a very unusual way, going to teach us about how to worship our God, when it doesn’t make sense to worship God!

Preview A Defeated Woman A Delighted Saviour A Delivered Daughter

A Defeated Woman (Matthew 15:22-27) This Canaanite Woman was… Far from God (Matthew 15:22a) – isn’t that how we feel sometimes? (Ephesians 2:11,12; 4:17,18) Desperate for God (Mt 15:22, 23a) Frustrated by God (Mt 15:23) But Focused on Christ (Mt 15:24-27)

How does this Canaanite woman worship Jesus? Unlike the normal person… She Stayed She Surrendered She is Satisfied

A Delighted Saviour (Matthew 15:28a) Unanswered prayers – they are not always permanent! Jesus now congratulates her, “O Woman! Great is thy faith!” Worship is how you show your faith to God. It is a level of confidence beyond what we have already experienced – it is trusting God when it doesn’t make sense to trust!

A Delighted Saviour (Matthew 15:28a) In other words… A faith that can’t worship in troubles, and especially during the silent times is not faith at all Most of the Jews, the people of God, were faithless, and unbelieving People like this Gentile woman, and the Centurion of Matthew 8:8-10 were slaps in the face of every Jew who was too good for the Messiah Today, most people are “way beyond Jesus” and instead, it is the low, the broken, the messed up, the harlots, the sinners, who come worshipping and get an audience with the King of kings (Mark 2:17)

A Delivered Daughter (Matthew 15:28b) This was not cruel This was for us and for all people who experience the frustration of the silence of heaven, and unanswered prayers How many times do we sort of just wave a magical prayer at a problem only to see NOTHING happen? I think we have God all wrong! This deliverance was a miracle that was in response to a desperate woman’s unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had the tenacity to talk with our Lord this same way? Not letting Him go until we have exhausted every possible means of blessing just as Jacob did in his tent (Gen 32:26)!!!

Conclusion Let’s Change some things to correctly worship God Our approach Our adherence - tenacity Our appreciation Our anticipation Next time heaven goes silent when you pray… Next time your attempts to do right go wrong… Next time you have no place to go… … Worship the Lord! And do it wisely, as this great woman did – by faith in the only answer to every one of your problems – especially of your soul’s problem