This sermon delves into the story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21, highlighting seven important facts about faith. It emphasizes the need to align faith with truth, the significance of God's silence in testing our hearts, the reality of forgiveness coexisting with struggles, the importance of worship igniting faith, the faith-engaging nature of waiting on God, the faith-building aspect of God's faithfulness, and the role of truth in producing genuine faith.

Seven important facts about faith from Matthew 15 verse 21. If you have your Bibles, Matthew 15 verse 21. Seven important facts about faith and you know one of the reasons we come to church, one of the reasons we come to church, one of my jobs is to help build your faith, to equip the saints, to help to edify and that's really what I'm hoping this sermon does. It's a very interesting story that I'm sure many of you have read but it bears repeating we have to read through it again to get really the points that I hope God is impressing upon my heart to share with you. So Matthew 15 verse 21 in the New King James Version, I'm going to be reading from, then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon and behold a woman of Canaan came from that region cried out to him saying have mercy on me oh Lord son of David my daughter is severely demon-possessed but he answered her not a word and his disciples came and urged him saying send her away for she cries out after us but he answered and said I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel then she came and worshipped him saying Lord help me but he answered and said it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs and she said yes Lord yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table then Jesus answered and said to her oh woman great is your faith let it be to you as you desire and her daughter was healed from that very hour now I could have taken a standard approach I've heard a lot of good sermons preached from from this a lot of people have noted this point about Jesus why he said you're she's calling her a little dog and you look at the historical context and all these different things and but I just want to go through this in each section and draw out some things that I'm hoping will ignite our faith a little bit more the first thing about important facts about faith the very first thing is that it does not require that we check our brains at the door the Christian faith does not mean that we check our brains at the door and then embrace something that makes no sense that can't be proven and where I'm going with this is on this point of of Tyre and Sidon right here in the first sentence we can still visit these locations are you aware of that Tyre and Sidon are mentioned in the Old Testament and New Testament and both are now located in Lebanon Tyre is only 12 miles north of the Israel Lebanon border so if you go to the Israel Lebanon border 12 miles north is where these cities were and I think that's important because with the Bible these are archaeological discoveries these are historical facts that can be substantiated you go to any other religion as some of the books out there writing a lot of made-up stories so when it comes to our faith we must understand that it is not checked at the door we don't just embrace something that is not substantiated historically archaeologically biblically you've heard me say this many times before scientifically all these different things it is substantiated so your faith is on very solid ground look at where King David lived look at where the Jordan River is look at where the Red Sea is look at with the Mediterranean look at Galilee look at all these places you could take a map out where Jesus Jesus walked Paul's missionary journeys through Rome up the coast or you can look at it's all there it's all there it's all substantiated there's not a there's not a difference there for example and I hope this doesn't offend people but it's okay it should if it does the Book of Mormon you cannot find anything mentioned in there you can't mention you can't find the cities you can't find the places the tools they use the coin nothing it's all vanished why because it's a fable it's a fable Paul said is if anybody comes to you even an angel and they preach to you any other gospel let them be anathema which is accursed so that's one good thing about and I don't say to mock people I'll tell Mormons when they come to my door we've got Mormons in our family and you say listen there's nothing in here that's that's substantiated from gold tablets and special glasses and cities that don't exist folks wake up and I think many times we don't want to tell people the truth let them go to hell as long as I don't upset but God's word sometimes says lovingly confront and challenge and that that's how his word many times will pierce the heart as you lovingly challenge they'll get upset at first but when they go home they have to deal with the fact that you're loving and gracious and compassionate and you called them on some things that they need to look into and it's it's an interesting fact there I also want to make this point there is variety in expression but not truth there is variety in expression but not truth mark uses though if instead of saying a woman from Canaan if you look at the Gospel of Mark he says a Greek Syrophoenician woman same thing though it's a she was from land of Canaan but she was also of this descent so when it comes to truth and comes to God's Word there is a variety and expression it's because real-life people saw different things and they recorded truth but there's there's a variety of expressions there in looking at the Word of God so that's the first point and I just talked recently to somebody who wasn't I don't know if they'd be considered agnostic or an atheist and and people for some reason they think well you guys just just say well just believe the Bible says that I just believe as if you know what's that fairy dust you know and 20 you know all those just believe now what not necessarily of course you have to believe God you can't see taste touch smell none of the things of the five senses with God well neither can you with oxygen right God so he's there he's a he's he's always been there so our Christian faith we look at the Word of God and it lines up with the character and nature of God it lines up with how God created the universe it lines it the Bible talks about the circle of the earth back when they thought it was flat the Bible talks about the earth just standing in suspension in space when they thought it was held up by a big turtle or some hero the Greek they did they interesting things if you go back and you look at what they believed a thousand years ago it's amazing I remember reading one one item there where I think they would take like the dung of a cow and some cat blood and some this and to as a as a as a remedy against disease and the Bible says just wash your hands or use healing properties that God has given us so you don't have to check your faith at the door that's very important the next thing after we get through this first sentence on this is number two God is often silent God is often silent this is interesting verse 23 but he answered her not a word so she said Jesus helped me and he didn't even answer now looking into this I like what John Nolan said in his commentary on the book of Matthew the failure to respond underlines the seriousness from within a Jewish framework of what the woman is calling Jesus to do within a Jewish framework you don't have a Greek woman from the land of Canaan you anybody can recall what the land of Canaan was in the Old Testament did the children of Israel have a have a good relationship with these people or was it a very bad relationship this is that this Canaan this is the land that God gave the children of Israel to go in and possess and the Bible says they were thorns in their side and irritants in their eyes it's always been this this this division not only that if they're not of Jewish descent you would this lady comes and says would you heal me they would be like woman get away from me so it's his silence underlying the importance the significance of what is taking place actually we don't know for every commentary you'll get a different response but there's something interesting here personally personally just I believe that it might have been Jesus might have been silent to test the disciples just silent just didn't answer what are the disciples gonna do or what is she gonna do because in your own life when you're silent or somebody silent do you get happy or angry that you because when somebody's silent often really the truth comes out of the other person when I'm quiet when I'm so when I don't say a word so a lot of times if somebody says something Jesus might be silent just to see what that would she get upset would she throw a rock at him would she curse him or would she humbly continue to submit and follow but when God is silent I want to encourage you he is still watching he is still overseeing sometimes I believe just as much as when he's silent is when he's active in our lives and you might say you know what do you mean by that well God is as a believer you know what I'm talking about maybe some who aren't believers or they haven't been strong in their faith when you're in the Word of God and you're worshiping and life is you know and things are just clicking and you can tell God you're in this I just have to worship you but then when difficulties come or challenges and God is silent God Lord you're not bringing home my daughter you're not bringing home my son you're not healing you're not restoring my marriage God where are you the prayers are going no higher than the ceiling have you ever been there when God is silent but he is watching and I believe it's in those silent times that our true character can come out do we still trust him or are we going to grow bitter and angry and where does our heart go is interesting I told my wife this is it was I didn't do it too long so don't worry but I was watching my little two-year-old and she was asleep and I heard her get up and open the door and I said I'm gonna hide so she comes out mommy mommy and she's dead quiet in the house but I was watching I was actually watching her more so than I ever would had she been up and I said here I am and let her run around and play I was watching her every movement every second watching making sure she's okay watching what would she do mommy and I could take it much longer when you can hear that little in the voice mommy you know I said I said daddy's here I'm right here I was just over in the kitchen right here and she comes running and shit but but I was silent she was scared she was worried but I was watching I was just as concerned actually I was watching her better in the silence every step every movement wherever she was no escaping out back no trying to climb a little wall no no I'm not distracted when I was silent I was watching so be encouraged when God and silent doesn't mean he's vanished it doesn't and this is this woman you can tell Lord my daughter's demon-possessed now if my daughter's demon possesses Lord do something now do something now and that's even a prayer of people in the church today their children are overcome with demonic influences they were there they're going crazy everybody's you know a young adult or suicide is an epidemic and God is silent where are you he's right there he's right there watching so I don't like that I want him to answer well many times he will he will but that silence causes us to seek him and draw closer because if she didn't hear my voice she started to look more and more didn't she at first she was confident mommy and then she started to seek more and more every every step with thought is he here is he there the same thing with us when God is silent use that time don't lose that time number three faith means we are forgiven but we still struggle faith means that we are forgiven but we still struggle now I know everybody in this room is going yeah that's true you say that quite often and we got it but I really wanted to just spend a minute on this point because the more people I talk to even in my own life you begin to realize that many people feel like that they are on the verge of apostasy and they even question their salvation many Christian and where did that thought come from where did that desire come from Lord I am I am one choice away from walking away from you you know most people live there I would be concerned if you didn't have a struggle because that means you're already on the side of the enemy often so be encouraged that that that struggle that that that that that that fight inside the worthy's desire where's this hatred coming from where's this bitterness where's this envy where's this jealousy where's this perversion or where's this coming from it's the fight within that's what makes the gospel even more so precious that's what makes the worship more precious doesn't it because you realize that's the only thing that's the only thing that's keeping me one step away from walking away from God is the Holy Spirit within me wanting that worship wanting that desire so you are we are forgiven but the battle is real and it's going on inside and even the disciples on this point they gave the wrong answer as soon as she said Lord have mercy on me the disciples what did they say yes Lord help her they say they say oh let me back up and his disciples came and urged him saying send her away for she cries out after us so you have this woman who's crying out my daughter's demon-possessed you have these disciples of Jesus actually saying get away from us Lord tell her to leave where's the compassion at and I was reminded that compassion doesn't come naturally it comes supernaturally you will not in and of yourself be compassionate and I want either the disciples were not compassionate whatsoever and really compassion is a mark of a true believer of genuine faith this is the part where correct theology has to meet compassion to have a definition of a biblical a biblical definition of a follower of Jesus Christ they have the truth and they have the compassion because Jesus even said if you if the others will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another to the mixing of the correct theology and compassion I don't have a sermon really I mean I could go in a whole different direction with this demonic possession can people be demonically possessed and I actually spoke about a few different times if you go to our website you can put in that word and it should search and come right up but this isn't really a sermon for that this is more on faith number four God is merciful he will provide God is merciful he will provide and it's interesting on points like this this is one of those points that go in the in one ear and out the next two we've heard it so much that we take it for granted we just take this for granted but God Jesus said I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel here's why Jesus is saying my kids eat first it's not a put down as much as it's a fact God's people are his priority so he's telling the lady my children eat first they are the priority in this but God we know what he does at the end what does he do he heals that that little girl he's merciful and he will provide it's interesting the Canaanites lived in the promised land and were enemies of Israel what I just explained historically Jesus is coming for his people the lost sheep of Israel so I think again Jesus is testing her attitude he's testing the disciples because this is a second time now and this is a serious situation this isn't hey Jesus would you fix my car I mean when you're when your child is in this condition that ups the game doesn't it for those who are parents there's nothing worse than having a kid sick or demon-possessed could you imagine dealing with that so Jesus again says no I have come except for the lost sheep of Israel they are my priority it's interesting anytime you answer or fail to answer someone like they thought you would true intentions are often revealed I'm again back to this point testing the disciples testing this lady is Jesus really not going to heal of course he is he's getting to that part in my opinion he's getting to healing but he's drawing out this shows the woman's faith more than anything else because at the end when it when her faith is great was what her faith would have been great as she started flipping out if she started telling him off no so to get to the point where you say Jesus as great as your faith the faith had to go through the trials so this is the second time Jesus is saying no no and it's interesting when you say that to others you can see the true intentions of their heart will come out there's nothing more powerful than saying no to see what's truly in somebody's heart when they want this no not right now does a volcano come out or does the love of Christ come out it is true and that's I believe what Jesus is doing no I didn't come for you I came for the lost sheep of Israel what she gonna do with that I'll tell you what most people would do they would have cussed him out grabbed her daughter by the hand probably yanked her down the road and said we'll find somebody else and he's testing her is that what she did verse 25 then she threw a fit and threw a stone at Jesus no this is this is profound folks I wish I wish this point penetrated your heart as much as it did mine this week then she came and worshipped him saying Lord help me no negativity no getting upset Lord you're my only hope I I I she came and worshipped him that's the best thing you can do when you hear no worship him worship him worship him and here's why worship ignites faith when Jesus said no it prompted worship it prompted sincerity it prompted humility in this woman that's a wonderful model to follow because genuine worship genuine worship is not when things are going good actually what's when things are not going good just think about whatever your top thing you're praying for if that were to happen I don't know for some people it's a new house a new vehicle marriage restoration this whatever it is your son your daughter coming to faith whatever it is if that happens and on your way here you realize the government miscalculated and you got a six thousand dollar check in the mail and your tax return and you're getting a huge rebate from the Water District for conserving water and you just come in here and that's not real worship yes worship praise him thank him that's a form of it and actually it is real worship I'll correct myself but a deeper form of worship a deeper form of worship is when you're going through hell Lord I don't even want to be here you just didn't answer my prayer you didn't answer my my question you didn't answer me Lord you're you just said no I don't hear you but I'm going to come and worship you he'll honor that heart he'll honor that decision listen guys I would encourage you remove bitterness and anger and resentment now because it doesn't stay small it grows and it with it grows and it grows and grows the only way to wither and kill it is through worship that's what she did she came and she worshiped him and I was reading do you remember who else came and worshipped him the demonic when Jesus came out they said what do we have to do with you Jesus the Son of God we are legion we are many we have possessed this man and the man came and worshipped Christ worship will break the shackles of oppression worship will break addiction worship will break anger at hat that's why most people don't want to worship can we just be real most people don't want to worship because they got a lot of junk in the heart that they don't want to let go and when you can let that go and that that that that unforgiveness go and bitterness go listen guys how many times do you think I'll keep saying this a lot probably right but how many times see the more you hear it and don't apply it the harder your heart will get that's why it's getting harder to remove these things from your life not easier because you get hard and cold and calloused then she came and worshipped him saying Lord help me so worship ignites your faith that's a fifth point worship ignites faith the six point God doesn't always answer the way we want this is different much different than being silent this is a clear no no this is the if the second time was an amazing that hopefully this third one will get your attention but he answered and said she came and she worshipped him she worshipped him saying Lord help me then he answered said it's not good to take the children's bread and give it to the little dog by now I'll be upset this is the third time the third time he's not doing anything the third time they say no you're a little dog what do you how does she respond yes Lord but even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table Jesus said enough you pass a test and drew her in that way God doesn't always answer the way we want this is another thing that's hard about the Christian faith is faith has to be tested to be trusted you won't see a 12 year old faith on a solid mature believer faith has to go through the storms and come out limping faith has to go through the difficulties and come out knowing that Christ brought you through faith is not the absence of struggle faith is the anchor through the storm so just be encouraged your faith has to stand trial the only way for faith to grow is through the do adversity it has to be tested and here's why waiting waiting on God clarifies motives and it strengthens faith faith it doesn't look promising but I'm still trusting you so when Jesus said no I'm not healing you I'm here for the children of Israel not the little dogs but she said yes but even though dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table I'm still trusting you even though my circumstance doesn't look good I'm still trusting you even though my senses are telling me this isn't working Lord I'm still trusting you that's actually faith I just defined faith for you that's the definition of faith hoping for things that are not seen having trust in the unseen that's where faith is that you that that you say Lord I'm trusting you even if it doesn't look like it I'm trusting you does that please God or does that displease God without faith it's impossible to please God so faith isn't saying Lord I see you've got every all the ducks in order that my vehicle my house my every I Lord I see everything I have faith and you know you don't that's not faith that's assurance I can see how everything's coming together that takes no faith faith is when it says Lord I don't see how any of this is coming together this isn't working I'm in this pickle right Lord I would so at that point that's when you engage faith but God Lord I don't care how this looks I'm trusting you that you will see me through I've been attacked I've been ridiculed I've been gossiped about all in the same week but I still say Lord I trust you I trust in you I don't know how this is gonna unfold but I trust in you that's faith faith isn't bailing out on God when the journey gets difficult faith is holding on harder through the journey remember I'm helping build faith here tonight and the only way to really build faith how do you build a muscle you lift something how do you build faith you go through something and you remember who you're trusting it as you're going through it so waiting clarifies our motives and it strengthens our faith as I'm waiting my motives are clarified because the true Shane will come out in the waiting process what comes out when a vessel struck what comes out is love coming out and joy and patience and contentment long-suffering or the lust of the flood the works of the flesh coming out that's what waiting does and it gets ugly sometimes and you say Lord I repent to that I need the fruit of the Spirit again that's a wonderful thing with waiting and she reminded herself of his faithfulness she reminded God of his faithfulness yes Lord that's correct you are here for the lost children of Israel they are your priority but but you will even take care of me I'm reminding myself of your faithfulness she had two choices that or grumble and complain where do most of us fall into quite right and then we call somebody who helps us grumble and complain and then we get our thoughts on things that help us grumble complain and then does Facebook help us grumble complain or does it help us lead us to the Lord oh that's even me my wife just talked yesterday we just want to disconnect Facebook half the time it's so discouraging because we're allowing that that to just just become disgruntled waiting leads to a deeper walk with God listen if God has you in a waiting period and he I think he has all of us to some extent we're in a I'm in a big waiting period right now for the last four and a half years about a building there's not a day goes by a week goes by then I'm like Lord hey what's going on here waiting waiting waiting now you can push doors open or you can wait on God because many of you know I have a background in real estate I can go and negotiate a really good lease with tenant improvements and and wonderful but we'll have a very big monthly payment that it's gonna be hard to get out of we can do that I Shane I don't we can force this door open or we can wait on God why what's it do waiting leads to a deeper walk with God a deep as you I don't I don't understand how it works exactly but as you wait you seek him it's a deeper relationship for example do you know somebody better after dating a month or a year you ever seen black water before it's got minerals in there something so don't don't worry Matt told me about actually but think about that waiting if I'm dating somebody for a month let's get married or should I wait a year actually conservative Christians email me and say don't say dating say courting so whatever you use courting which I prefer that term I see where they're going for a month do you know them better or after a year come on this isn't kindergarten we all know the answer why the same thing with God the more you're waiting the more intimacy the more time with him that's the way you know him that's why you take some 25 year old kid who's on fire for God who's spending time with God they know more than the 45 year old man who's been studying God for 30 years why because of intimacy and time alone with the father they make time for him they wait upon him they're not in a rush they're not in a hurry they're being built and developed through that waiting time if you if I could go back I would love to get some waiting time back those years when you could just wait on God and seek him as you get older doesn't it's not as easy we have to schedule things and and and the waiting time don't discard that waiting renews our strength many of you know the famous verse right waiting renews our strength in Isaiah those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength waiting renews our strength and here's why I believe strength when it talks about renewing our strength that's your spiritual strength when you wait on God the flesh hates it do you know that works of the flesh I think if you look up in the Bible dictionary you'll see a little word picture there of in a hurry the flesh is always in a hurry eat too much drink too much say the wrong thing respond back no don't respond she react react react flesh in a hurry flesh in a hurry get back did you hear what they said get back the flesh is always in a hurry so waiting just waiting no flesh be quiet be quiet for five minutes no be quiet flesh for a while I'll tell you when and it's the flesh has to submit and you renew your spiritual strength by waiting on God those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength also in this third tonight she was denied three times waiting leads to continual dependence on God the more I wait the more I'm dependent upon him the Bible talks about seeking and knocking and asking the more you seek and ask and knock God says I will eventually open it for you so that waiting develops in that in that waiting period my dependence on God grows I have a more of a solid dependence on him knowing that he'll come through do you ever feel good when you're rushing things or you say you know I don't feel good why because it's it's a work of the flesh to rush and be quick why the Bible say be slow to slow to speak quick to listen do we want to listen or do we want to speak marry couples and that argument comes up at home nobody's being honest tonight I hope the second service is honest do you want to listen do you say you know what let me just can we sit down and let me listen for 30 minutes we'll try to understand what you're saying nope I'm already preparing my defense I want to speak I want to hurry and get in the flesh that's what waiting on God helps in all these areas now the seventh point and I want to clarify this point God is faithful you might say well yeah Shane come on of course you just talked about all these things well merciful God is merciful he gives me something I don't deserve this this Syrophoenician Greek Canaan woman whatever you want to call her did not deserve this from Christ he came to the lost sheep of Israel she was not she was not Jewish she was not part of that flock so merciful is when God gives us something we don't deserve saves us his mercy he we don't deserve it but he saves us and then we talked about God provides but that means he provides for our needs but we can't forget about this part God is faithful means he won't let us down God won't let me down he won't let you down that's faithful and she said yes Lord yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters table and then Jesus answered and said her Oh woman great is your faith let it be done to you as you desire and her daughter was healed from that hour interesting thing it didn't look like God was faithful ten seconds ago in the conversation did it Jesus said nope by being silent then he said nope then he said nope it's not happening but what happened eventually God is faithful folks we have to remember that no matter what happens God is faithful he cannot let you down well it sure looks like it well again from our perspective God is faithful if we align ourself up with his will and if we embrace what he tells us to do he is faithful and don't miss this point either when Jesus says great is your faith and I think this is where what you you've heard about I don't know what they call the name and claim it or faith movement or you know it's just just people defend it name and claim it great faith you can have whatever you want I want that Rolls-Royce that Bentley in that large house up on the hill I just faith people claim it name it claim it faith the what they do is the reason they can rule in a lot of people is there's some truth in what they're saying not on what I just said but there's truth in the fact that faith faith can open doors that might not otherwise open faith pleases God actually faith engages the will of God God says I'm looking for somebody with some faith and I truly believe that if you take a person with great faith and a person with the grumbling complaining attitude with no faith you tell me who God is operating more and in whose life why because he rewards faith he is a reward of those who diligently seek him he wants to graciously and lovingly help his children those who have faith what happens you know how you engage your vehicle right you put it drive and you leave here that's what faith does with God it engages God's will and engages his activity what is disengage mean when we have grumbling complaining no faith we just put the vehicle in park try driving home with your vehicle in park you're still a Christian is still a vehicle but it's in park that's the difference faith engages that without that that lack of faith doesn't and I don't want to miss this point I think faith is vitally important but I can't jump on this side where it's everything they make faith out to be like got genie in a bottle okay if I just have enough faith for this it'll happen if I just have enough faith for this nobody should say say nobody ever should ever be sick if you just have enough faith and wrong answer that's not biblical either so be careful in this area of faith because sometimes we want to so avoid this side we for we just come over here and say well if it's God's will it's his bill right if God wants me to do it he'll do it no whatever just kind of go around like a puppet but that's not healthy either because God wants us to engage our faith faith what we just talked about Lord I trust you no matter what I'm going through Lord you will provide you are faithful you are merciful these thoughts that are coming Lord I I need you to deliver me from the in your faithful and you have faith and you exercise that faith and God will honor that Hebrews 11 1 here's the definition now hope now faith is the substance of things hope for the evidence of things not seen that's what faith does and really you can you can test somebody's faith by this are you trusting God are you content are you loving others and serving him and others because a person has great faith is content right they're trusting God they're moving forward they're not but the person who doesn't have great faith they're all alone they're upset and they're worried about this and how are we gonna manage this and grumbling complaining and there's no active there's no fruit the spirit in their life why because there's no faith if you're if you truly have faith and we're just trusting in God now I'm not talking about challenges we all go through this but Lord I don't I'm gonna trust you I'm gonna bring these thoughts captive there's tremendous peace and joy there and we're looking to him to get through life and I've got to close because we're wrapping up for that we're gonna wrap up for the next service but faith is a byproduct of hearing and receiving truth is that interesting we want so many people to have faith in America right have faith but faith is a byproduct of hearing and receiving the truth that's why I talked so much about truth people have to hear it they have to hear the truth about God in order to activate faith do they not that's why she called out for mercy and confess Christ as Messiah Lord have mercy on me Oh Lord Son of David and 17 times the New Testament mentions Jesus as the Son of David Christ fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the seed of David so that's all she's doing is she's acknowledging saying Lord have mercy on me you're the Son of David you're the Messiah you're the chosen one and faith is a byproduct of hearing and receiving truth that's why I'm so concerned with many churches in America how are people gonna come to faith if they don't hear the truth by osmosis by coming here enough though I remember one pastor well-known pastor said we're we don't upset them by talking about difficult things we hope sometimes they'll read the Bible and come to that understanding on their own you know it's something I haven't actually haven't talked about ever since it happened it's been a year now and I feel a little bit more freedom to talk about this and it was very discouraging I actually went to memorial service in 2014 a friend of mine lost their son to a heroin overdose in Santa Clarita and it was a very very challenging week and I went to the funeral service in Thousand Oaks and they had a pastor from Santa Clarita come there and I'm sitting there what a wonderful opportunity I mean you've got you know a lot of people that need to hear the gospel and I could not believe it the things I was hearing just about Christ is coming again in the clouds as the pearly gates open and we'll all be there to meet him and and I thought I just saw kids getting drunk in the parking lot getting high they're on their way the restroom to get stoned nothing you said would make an atheist offended how is that possible how is that possible they need hope and then I was very disheartened because the father of the son went up there to just give some words and that the pastor looked at him and said remember no preaching folks that man does not deserve to be in the pulpit he needs to be out there digging the graves for those people he's leading to hell you have drug addicts and pimps and prostitutes you have people addicted they were high in the parking lot they got high in the restroom they're saying where's this son of David where's this where's this mercy that's what we have to tell them about mercy tell them about the cross tell them about love and joy and hope tell them there's hope all those people 300 left justified in their sin thinking thinking they're gonna meet Christ in the clouds the only way that's true faith can come about is by truth it's okay to tell them listen you're lost I almost went up there to I know no preaching thank you and then just preached listen you're lost you need Christ look at this lady said Lord have mercy on me son of David have mercy on me that's what these people need they need to know there's hope there's mercy there's love there's grace there's forgiveness you can break that bondage you can overcome that addiction you can get out of that darkness but you got to come to the cross through repentance and through Christ all I need is three minutes and I can offer more hope than the years worth of those types of servants that's what we need that's what we need I'm still praying about getting this guy's name and writing him a letter because I left there so disheartened I actually had to rush there to get in the truck I walked in as I was I had to speak in five minutes here from Thousand Oaks so I didn't have time to stick around but I was so disappointed I mean can you believe that that the father's coming up there and he says remember don't preach the reason is because he told them before the service he said where it's not going to be preachy and not going to be this kind of stuff he just led countless people to their destruction by failure to proclaim God's truth