The faith of the Centurion
Notes
Transcript
Matthew has the same account of this passage, but Matthew tends to focus on the act of healing while Luke focus on the centurion himself. For one Luke may have identified with the centurion, he himself being a gentile and seeing the compassion of Jesus for gentiles. What we will see in this passage is God’s compassion not just for the Jews, but also for the gentiles. We will also see that it is about the faith that you have more than the bloodline your from.
The centurion; he cares for and loves His servant, so much that when he hears of Jesus he sends to see if Jesus will come. After Jesus is on the way the centurion not believing that he is worthy of Jesus sends and acknowledging that Jesus doesn’t even have to come but merely speak and his servant will be healed. Jesus marvel’s at his faith.
Only Jesus
Only Jesus
The centurion, he has a servant. One who he loves. This servant is sick to the point of death. (v.2)
I don’t know if the centurion knew that Jesus was God, but what He did know was that only Jesus could save his servant.
Whether it’s physical or spiritual we need to understand the importance of introducing people to Jesus.
We all know people who don’t know Jesus, you need to understand that they “sick” spiritually, (I know that that they are spiritually dead according to Ephesians, go with me on this.) the only way for them to be cured is to come to know Jesus, without Him they will die in their sins and go to hell.
Maybe you are someone who is “sick,” you feel dead on the inside, you can feel the weight of your mistakes. We call that weight sin. You’ve tried so many ways to get clean and nothing has worked. You need to try Jesus, I don’t mean any of the short term “christian” fixes you may have tried. But a complete turnover of your life to Him.
Jesus is the only one who can heal our souls and give us peace with God.
Worthy?
Worthy?
v.4- He is worthy.
This is a religious way of looking at things.
He built us a synagogue, he is kind to us, he loves our nation.
These are all works that they are pointing to, merit that the centurion has done to be worthy of a miracle.
Do you think that your are worthy?
I serve on the board, I give money, I’m a good person.
Do you have a sense of entitlement towards God?
If you do, you will believe that God has to answer your prayer for whatever it is, you get angry if He doesn’t.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
No one is righteous before God, no one is worthy of His love, none can stand to His judgement.
We never want to believe that we are worthy and ask God for what we deserve.
What makes us worthy?
What makes us worthy?
God is Holy. Though the centurion was a man of power, he recognized that he wasn’t worthy to have Jesus come to his house.
He was torn between his love for his servant and a desire to see him healed, and his own unworthiness.
Our response
How do we become worthy, how do we stand before a righteous God?
5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Sufficient is the word hikanos, the same word as worthy in Luke.
Our sufficiency, our righteousness isn’t something that comes from us. It is God that makes us worthy.
Not because of our works, but because of the imputation of righteousness that we have by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Knowing that our righteousness is not from us should strip us of our pride.
We should be living with an attitude of gratitude, knowing that we are unworthy of the grace of God.
The authority of Jesus
The authority of Jesus
The centurion realized the authority of the one he was dealing with. That Jesus’ authority was far greater than his. Because of this he didn’t need to be the presence of the servant to heal him.
Jesus’ authority is one that is over all rulers and is even the one giving authority to leaders:
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
The sovereignty of God is over all.
Our response
Do we live like Jesus has authority over all? That he has the authority to give life.
When we realize the authority that Jesus has, it should take away our anxiety, our fear, knowing that the one who loves us is in control.
When we realize the authority of Jesus we realize that we were all made, male or female the way that He desired us to be. That we were all made for a specific purpose, a specific job that you were uniquely created to fill.
When we come to Jesus, do we ask of him as if asking one who has authority? Or do we say we believe but don’t show with our lives that we believe that Jesus has any power.
In wrap-up:
We must realize that apart from Jesus, their is no salvation, that it isn’t our works but accepting what Jesus has done for us, and submitting to His authority.