KING | PART 25 | Great Faith

Scripture

Matthew 8:5–13 NKJV

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Introduction:

Big Idea: Great Faith Moves a great God.

We have been watching the healing miracles of Jesus and being reminded of his authority and sovereignty over all things including sickness.

Both Luke and Matthew record this but from their own unique perspective and considering their own intended audiences. So, you see more detail in Luke as well as context about how this Gentiles was respected by the Jews. Lukes audience was the Gentiles. Matthew was addressing the Jews

The Centurion is a Leader of Men.

He was in authority and held supremacy over the Jewish people in their culture

He did not use his authority to Lord over Capernaum. He used it to serve and even helped to build their synagogue ( Luke 7:4-5)

Luke 7:4–5 NKJV

And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

But still as gentile, he was aware of cultural context and that many Jews had a hatred of the Gentile Romans.

The Centurion Had:

Power

Influence

Resources 31,250 vs 525,000

But now faced with a critical crisis. He is faced with the reality that He does not have the soltuion.

Relevance: In a culture that places a high emphasis on self reliance, there are many people today that have trouble coping with not having the answers. They walk in denial because they view it as a position of weakness to admit that they need a higher power.

They bury themselves in their degrees and their certifications. They become expert brokers of information crafted from the algorithims of their personal biases and presuppositions. They seek confirmation and affirmation that they have more power and autonomy than they actually have.

It is not until they are faced with and uncontrollable situation that they have to come to face with the fact, their illusion of security and control has come to an end.

Faced with this fact the centurion realizes that only thing he has of any value in this moment is faith in Jesus

Power Principle: Sometimes faith is all we have. Then we realize faith is all we ever really needed.

I. Humility Brings us to the Right Doors

Matthew 8:5 NKJV

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

This powerful man is at the point of begging. According to Luke Chapter 7, His servant is about to die.

Power Principle: Is is important that we do not let our pride, intellect or status blocking us from truly receiving from a Jesus who is readily available.

Sometimes people miss a blessing of a miracle because who they are ( or at least who they project themselves to be) will not let them come to God with humility.

Lexical Summaryparakaleó: To call to one's side, to exhort, to encourage, to comfort, to urge

Original Word: παρακαλέω Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: parakaleó Pronunciation: pah-rah-kah-LEH-oh Phonetic Spelling: (par-ak-al-eh'-o) KJV: beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort(-ation), intreat, pray  NASB: urge, comforted, implored, exhort, encourage, comfort, imploring Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2564 (καλέω - called)]

Matthew 8:8 NKJV

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

This statement lets us know his aware of the Jewish culture. But his obedience to it shows his submission. He could command that Jesus be brought to him and it would be so. But he begs and humbles himself because he realizes that despite his authority, He is not in control. He cannot explain how Jesus can heal. But he KNOWS that he can.

Just a thought: How many people miss a move for God in their lives, because they will not accept what they cannot explain?

Power Principle: Faith is not the denial of logic. It is the acknowledgement that logic and reason is the floor and not the ceiling. Sometimes our belief needs more “Super” on our Natural!

Just a thought: I wonder how many people miss a move for God in their lives, because they will not accept what they cannot explain?

The Gentile was an outsider but faith connected him to the blessings.

II. Our Faith Can Open those doors.

Human Logic is limited to fallible humans. Faith is limitless before an infallible God. (Matthew 19:26, Mark 19:27, Luke 18:27)

Mark 9:23 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

The centurion knew he did not need to be present for his orders to be carried out. His authority traveled with his message. Therefore the power of God (the ability to get results) was. Wrapped up in the WORD of God!

Don’t’ Miss This!

The healing of the servant shows the GREAT faith of the centurion. It also also highlights how Jesus (Who was sent to the Jews first) was made available through the blood to bring outsiders to salvation (healing from sin) because of Faith

Power Principle: Great Faith moves a Great God.

When we believe God, we align with belief in who he is? What area of life do I need to let God Reign Sovereign. Where can I rest from works and fall Into Grace?