Step 5: In It to Win It: Accept What You Can’t Do. Embrace What You Can Do.

Series: RISE: TURN YOUR SETBACKS INTO COME BACKS

Matthew 8:5-13 (Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant)

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. 

Today we will move onto step five in our series, SLIDE 1. Rise: Turn your setbacks into comebacks. And step five is, SLIDE 2. In It to Win It: Accept What You Can’t Do. Embrace What You Can Do. Let us go directly into the text.

Matthew 8:5 - 7 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. SLIDE 3. The second miracle of Jesus dealing with disease also reflected on Jesus’ authority. As He entered Capernaum, a Roman centurion came… asking for help. This Gentile approached Jesus as Lord and requested healing for a servant of his. The faith of a Gentile centurion is introduced in striking contrast to the unreceptiveness of the Jews. If Israel will not acknowledge her King, the despised pagans will. The centurion was a Roman military officer in charge of about one hundred men and was stationed in or near Capernaum. He came to Jesus to seek healing for his servant who had suffered a violent and painful paralysis. This was an unusual display of compassion—most officials would not have shown such concern for a servant. He was a Roman centurion— A man of power. A man of discipline. A man who rose through the ranks by being decisive, determined, and deadly effective. He didn’t beg. He didn’t panic. He gave orders, and things happened. He was Rome’s man in Capernaum, and you don’t get that position unless you win—again and again. But not this time. This time, he was losing. His most trusted servant was paralyzed. Suffering. Dying. And all the discipline in the world couldn’t stop it. No strategy could fix it. No command could reverse it.

SLIDE 4. You can have great powers and abilities but that does not guarantee success. For a man used to commanding others… this helplessness hit hard. He watched someone he cared for waste away— …and couldn’t do a thing. And if you’ve ever been there, you know: It’s easy to become paralyzed yourself. You stop moving. Stop thinking clearly. You doubt what you know. You feel the pressure of needing to fix it—but you’re fresh out of options. That’s where he was. And maybe… that’s where you are too.

SLIDE 5 Trouble in the house We have Problems Too

You ever hit a wall? You gave it everything you had. You trained. You pushed. You prayed. But nothing moved. Nothing shifted. And the honest truth is… sometimes the opposition isn’t just tough—it’s bigger than who you are right now. Too big for what you’ve learned so far. Too much for who’s on your team right now.

SLIDE 6. Ladies, you ever been in a storm?

Perhaps you have left the abusive relationship with nothing but two kids and a trunk full of clothes. Moved into a shelter. Got a job. Went back to school. Everyone called you a hero—and you were. But what they didn’t see was the panic attack you had in the bathroom at night……because the daycare fell through and your job was threatening to fire you. Or the times you skipped meals so your kids could eat. You kept saying, “I got this. I’m strong. I’m used to doing things on my own.” But one night, when your children asked why they had to leave another apartment, you couldn’t answer. You crawled into bed and sobbed into the pillow. Because you realized: being “used to doing it alone” didn’t mean you’re supposed to.

SLIDE 7. Or maybe you’re that man that has been so confident that the ground you’re standing on is solid. You have always had the answers. But now you don’t have the answers and the ground that you are standing on is eroding away from right under your feet. So now what do you do? I’m going to give you a three-step guide to help you accept what you can’t do and embrace what you can do.

1 - Take Stock - Take stock of your capabilities and limitations within the situation, understanding your "Circle of Control."

After Jesus said that he would go to the centurion’s home to heal his servant, 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus said He would go and heal him, the centurion replied that would not be necessary. As a man who was used to giving orders, he understood the principle of authority. One with authority does not need to be present to accomplish a task. Orders may be carried out by others even at a distance. The centurion showed the reality and depth of his faith. He said, in effect, “I am not worthy that You should enter my house. Anyway, it isn't necessary, because You could easily heal him by saying the word. I know about authority. I take orders from my superiors and give orders to those under me. My commands are obeyed without question. How much more would Your words have power over my servant's illness!” * Take Stock

2 - Take Action - Take action by committing your energy and resources to what you can influence or change.

Mat 8:5(NIV) When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. The fact that a Roman centurion would even seek and ask Jesus for help was out of the norm for the customs of that day. For the man was a gentile. During those times the Jews had no enter actions with gentiles. In John 4:9 The woman of Samaria said unto Jesus, how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. But this Roman did not let race, nationality or religion stop him from seeking help, not for himself but for his servant. * Take Action

3 - Trust In the Lord to handle what lies beyond your power, believing in His ability to support and resolve.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. 

Proverbs 3:5 & 6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

This centurion trusted in Jesus. Jesus marveled at the centurion’s great faith for this was the kind of faith He was vainly looking for in Israel. Faith such as this made entrance into His kingdom possible, regardless of nationally, race or geographical residence (the East and the West). There were those Jews who thought they would automatically gain entrance into the Kingdom because of their relationship to Abraham. But without faith in Christ, they would not find entrance (Mat_8:12). Instead, they would be cast into judgment (thrown outside, into the darkness; cf. Mat_22:13). But gentiles would flock from all over the world to enjoy fellowship with the Jewish patriarchs. But the same principle applies today. Many children privileged to be born and raised in Christian families will perish in hell because they reject Christ, while those that were not raised in Christian families will enjoy the eternal glories of heaven because they believed the gospel message. Trust In the Lord

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. Faith is rewarded in proportion to its confidence in the character of God. The servant was healed instantly, even though Jesus was some distance away. We may see in this a picture of Christ's present ministry; healing the non-privileged Gentiles from the paralysis of sin, though He Himself is not bodily present.

Sometimes life feels like a football game and you getting hit hard and knocked down sometimes. My question to you today is, SLIDE 8. How are you trying to win this game?

How you play the game will determine whether you win the game. DIAGNOSIS: YOU ARE PLAYING WITH THE WRONG PLAYBOOK. 💭 Too many of us are playing with this broken playbook, this FALSE BELIEF, SLIDE 9, that “If I just try harder, I can win this thing on my own.” A LOT of people think this today. You’re grinding/You’re pushing. You’re trying to tough it out and use your smarts and charm and everything you’ve got to win this game of life. And yes you’ve got skills. You’ve got know-how. You’ve got talents. Education. And Street smarts. But here’s what the Bible points out. SLIDE 10. And You Also Can’t Get There With Who You’re Running With either. Your family isn’t powerful enough. Your crew isn’t bad enough. Your network isn’t extensive enough to shield you from what is coming at you. Here’s what the Bible says about this fallacy that we can use what we got to get what we want: SLIDE 11. SLIDE 12. Ecclesiastes 9:11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. SLIDE 13. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. 

SLIDE 14. Life is coming at you, and it is coming hard! We have got to let go of the be strong temptation. Slide 15. Believing that all you need is you.

We walk into the situations of our lives wearing — or trying to wear — an invisible cape— 📣 Confident. Composed. And controlled. Because that’s how we were taught. Handle your business. Hide your brokenness. Hold it all together. You’ve been the strong one so long, you don’t even know what weakness feels like anymore.

So, you charge into every battle like it’s just one more thing to conquer. Another mountain to move. Another crisis to carry. But then it happens— The wall doesn’t move. The door doesn’t open. The plan doesn’t work. And now you’re not just tired— You’re tormented. You’re angry. And you’re ashamed.

Because deep down, there’s a lie that’s been living in your bones: 👉🏾 “If I can’t fix it by myself… then maybe I’m not good enough.” “If I ask for help, maybe I’m not strong enough.” But hear me— That lie will drain your joy, bury your strength, and block your breakthrough. Even champions need a circle. Even warriors need a witness.

Even the centurion—Rome’s finest, a soldier of status and steel— had to admit: “This one’s above my command.”

Every NFL team knows you can’t win a championship without drafting the right players. 🏆👉🏿 They go to the draft. They scout. They recruit.

👉🏿 They bring in the missing pieces they know they’ll need to go all the way. The same is true for us. ❌ Being "in it to win it" isn’t just about playing harder…

✅ …it’s about RECRUITING smarter. 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏿 ❌ It's not about grinding harder on your own 🏋🏿‍♂️ ✅ …it’s about recognizing where you need reinforcements. SLIDE 2 AGAIN *

TAKE STOCK, TAKE ACTION, TRUST IN THE LORD!