Sermon Tone Analysis

*Matthew Ch 8    *

 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.

But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes.

I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go!

It will be done just as you believed it would."

And his servant was healed at that very hour.

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The Faith of the Centurion

!!!!! Luke 7:1-10

    1When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.

3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."

6So Jesus went with them.

\\       He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.

7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes.

I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

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*SERMON OUTLINE FOR BIBLE AND PRAYER SERVICE*

Elder Teo Keng Siang – Nov 22nd 2007

*Healing of the Centurion’s Servant (Mt 8:5-13, LK 7:1-10)*

* *

*Introduction*

 

Luke chapter 7 and Matthew chapter 8 are talking about the same miracle.

A striking difference is that in Luke’s version, the Centurion did not have a direct conversation with Jesus.

The Centurion asked intermediaries -the Jewish leaders to approach Jesus.

The Centurion gave the reason that he felt unworthy of approaching Jesus directly.

The 2 versions are talking about the same miracle.

Matthew gave a summarized version in his narrative.

He attributed the request of the proxies of the centurion to the centurion himself.

Matthew is not talking about a separate miracle.

This is not unusual.

For example,  Paul uses scribes to write his epistles,  they are still attributed to him.

Nixon was not present at Watergate Hotel, his underlings were there.

He was held liable as if the act was his own doing.

Another example of this is found in Mark 10:35-37 and Matt.

20:20-21.

James and John requesting to sit at the right and left of Jesus in the Kingdom.

In Matthew, it was the mother of Zebedee’s son who made the request.

I will be examining the various characters involved in story.

*A       The Jewish leaders*

 

 

In *Luke 6:46* the preceding passage of our  Luke text tonight ,Jesus has just asked Jewish leaders, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and then *do not do* what I say.”

One issue that He is dealing with is the Jews not recognizing His authority, not accepting his Lordship.

In Matthew 7, the preceding passage to Mt 8, we read as follows about the Jewish leaders who do not acknowledge Jesus’ authority:

*/ /*

*23* Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.

Away from me, you evildoers!' *24* "Therefore everyone who *hears these words of mine* and *puts them into practice* is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

*25* The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

*26* But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not *put them into practice* is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

*27* The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

*28* When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, *29* because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The Jewish leaders  think that they are worthy of and deserving of God’s blessings.

How do I know?

From the text ( Lk 7:4), they said that the centurion was “worthy” based on works.

Based on flawed theology, they felt that the Centurion was as worthy as them before God.

They are descendants of Abraham and promised subjects of God’s Kingdom, the Centurion by his works are as worthy as them.

They were self-righteous.

The Jews possesses the Old Testament, God’s word.

The Gentiles do not have God’s word.

However, according to Jesus, the Jews are building on sand when they do not put God’s word “ *into practice”* .

According to Jesus, not to put God’s word into practice is associated with “evildoers” .

In contradistinction, putting God’s words into practice is equated to “ building on a rock as a foundation”.

The Jews hang scriptures on the forehead and on the garments for show while spiritually, they are like whitewashed tombs.

Being “evil doers” and having “no foundation on a stone” is the hurdle that keeps them from experiencing the grace of God.

Jesus said in  Matt 8:12 that the “subjects of the kingdom” will be cast out into utter darkness and there will weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Does this disturb you?

It does for me.

My parents and grandparents are Christians.

In a sense, my parents are subjects of the God’s kingdom.

Why is verse 12 troubling?

To answer that, turn to Isaiah 57: 15

 *15** For this is what the high and lofty One says— \\        he who lives forever, whose name is holy: \\ *       *"I live in a high and holy place, \\        but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, \\        to revive the spirit of the lowly \\        and to revive the heart of the contrite.z

*

God lives ( 1 )  in heaven – in the lofty places, but also ( 2)  in the lowly places.

God lives with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Only in these 2 places can God be found.

In high and lofty heaven and in lowly places where one is crushed and contrite.

There is no middle ground.

Any middle ground is shifting sand.

In Ezekiel 33: 30 ff is instructive of the spiritual state of the Israel

30 "As for you, son of man, *your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.

With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.

32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice**.*

The Jews treat Jesus like the reigning Jerusalem Idol – one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well for they hear his words but do not put them into practice.

They will be cast out into utter darkness where there will be gnashing of teeth.

Does this causes disquiet among us?

Especially those of us whose parents and grandparents are subjects of God’s kingdom ?

Who then will occupy heaven if the subjects of the Kingdom will be cast out in utter darkness?

Submit – that God’s kingdom will be occupied instead by people of faith.

People from East and from West.

People whose foundation is on a rock and not shifting sand.

People who acknowledge that they are unworthy, humble, who are contrite, crushed and lowly in spirit.