How can we obtain the mercy of the Lord?

There were two aspects to the study last night: The first was to look at the key steps in obtaining the mercy of the Lord:

1. The Syro-Phoenician Woman identifies a problem at home and calls it a problem
   
2. Then she realises that the problem is beyond her capcity to overcome
   
3. Thirdly she recognizes the Person who only is the solution to her problem
   
4. She readily accepts her condition and does not presume to be anything better than what Jesus calls her - a dog, fallen short of the glory of God.
   
5. She finally persists enough to bend the 'Will' of the Lord
   

Thus she becomes the perfect model as to obtain the mercy of the Lord. Her birth, race, background and country made her unqualified for blessing but her faith made it possible. The bigger picture we get here is salvation shared to gentiles..The famous verse John 3:16 says - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” God gave Himself in Jesus for everyone not for a race or set of people, but only people who believe in Jesus can receive the salvation/blessing. Even not many of the Jews were believers but when they encountered Jesus they believed and received the blessing

The second aspect was Jesus' unresponsiveness to the woman's need and on top of that, his seemingly 'insulting' remarks (v27). But for the realistic account of the Gospel writers, we would never imagine such a speech from the lips of our loving Saviour.

Why was He so insulting to the woman and her daughter? Jesus' treatment of her dramatically shows that none of us has a right to God's love and compassion. Christianity is about grace, about mercy, and about God bestowing His love and compassion on those who are unworthy. No sinner has a right or a claim to His love. This is true of the Israelites as well. The first three chapters of Romans shows us that Jews and Gentiles are all sinners and that none of us, in ourselves, have a right to God's love. This woman was a sinner, like the rest of us, unworthy of God's love.

Jesus' response also highlights the order of priority. Jesus' first priority was to set the 'home' right first. Many of us ignore home & preach the public as if it is the 'others' who need salvation. Remember Jesus' complaint? "...why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? (Matt 7:3). And His public rebuke on his way to crucifixion: Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children (Luke 23:28).

Finally, all the spiritual blessings offered in the Bible are NOT for everyone. They are only for those who are in Christ Jesus - the children of God, i.e. God's own family. 

The way to be in Christ is to repent, or turn away from our sins (Acts 17:30), confessing to God that we are sinners (Romans 10:9). When we believe that Christ died to take our punishment and now lives to give us new life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), He grants us forgiveness of sins and all the blessings that accompany that salvation. 

As His children, we are then expected to obey Him and keep His commands (Proverbs 8:32), which keeps us in right relationship to Him, resulting in His continued blessing on us. This work of maintaining our relationship with God keeps us in the place of abundant blessings (2 Peter 1:3-8).

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