Sermon Tone Analysis

Pentecost 2

Luke 7: 1-10

June 13, 2004

*“A Soldier’s Faith”*

*Introduction:* Are you satisfied with the faith that you have?

Do you trust in God’s promises for you, as much as you’d like?

Would you like Jesus to point to you and say this person has a great faith?

Luke’s account of the healing of the Centurions slave brings us into the land of Galilee and to the dusty roads of Capernaum, a coastal town, located on the Northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.

It was a large fishing town.

It had its own synagogue and tax office; and it was base for a detachment of Roman soldiers.

Most importantly, Jesus called Capernaum his home.

It was here that Jesus called Matthew the Tax Collector to be a disciple.

It was here that Jesus did much of his teaching and performed many miracles and healings.

In spite of this, Capernaum’s people did not believe the message of Jesus, to which Jesus said that it will be more tolerable for the wicked city of Sodom on the Day of Judgment then for Capernaum.

In the city of Capernaum something very unusual occurs.

First, we have the Jewish Elders of the synagogue approaching Jesus on behalf of a Gentile, a Roman Centurion.

Uncharacteristic of the Elders, this was an honest approach to Jesus on behalf of a man that represented the Roman occupation.

Secondly, we have a Centurion who is seeking help for his sick slave, not a close relative or one of his enlisted men.

Lastly, we hear this pagan Gentile Centurion humbly confess his faith in Jesus; to which Jesus responds by exclaiming that he has not seen a greater example of faith anywhere.

Not even among the people of Israel.

Here in the city known for its unbelief we have an example of great faith, a soldieries faith.

There are keys in the story of the Centurion that can assist us in building a faith like his, a truly great faith.

First, he heard.

Second, he believed.

And third, he acted.

*I.      **He Heard.*

*A)   *The Centurion heard with his ears and with his heart, the message of forgiveness, healing, and life that Jesus offered.

Confronted by what he heard, he was convicted of his own need and unworthiness.

A Centurion’s job, was to maintain discipline among his one hundred men; he was to oversee executions, specifically crucifixions.

Finally He was supposed to maintain control of the population and this was not always easy as the Jews resented the intrusion of the Romans into their land, politics and religion.

To gain this control without undue force he had to involve himself with the people, to listen to them, to get to know them and understand what was important to them.

As a result of his awareness and contact with the people, he heard God’s promises as contained in the Old Testament.

Through His word, God created in him a love for the Jewish people, and a love for God’s word.

What did he do as a result?

He built a synagogue; a place where God’s Word is preached and heard.

Then the Centurion heard about Jesus.

Jesus taught in the very synagogue he had built.

He taught with authority and power and exercised his power in miracles of healing.

So the Centurion heard; what is remarkable about that?

How is that the foundation for a great faith?

The Centurion made it his business to hear God’s Word.

He put himself in the position of listening.

The foundation of a great faith is to put ourselves in a position of hearing God’s word.

Certainly we are doing that right now.

It is important to hear God’s word as much and as often as possible.

Sunday worship and Bible study are a good start.

Imagine what daily individual or family devotions could do to strengthen faith.

One step at a time, as often as we can, we should put ourselves in a position to hear what God is saying.

Even as Moses spoke to Israel about the Word of God, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

A strong and vibrant faith is intimately connected to God’s Word.

Does hearing with your ears alone make a great faith?

No!

The Centurion heard with his heart.

That sounds strange doesn’t it?

What does it mean when we say “to hear with your heart”?

It means that we hear more than the words that are spoken, we understand what they mean and they have meaning for us.

They motivate us to action.

An illustration of this can be found in Jesus’ parable of the Two Sons (Matt 21).

A man had two sons and he told the first one to go into the vineyard to work.

The son said; I will not go.

Later he regretted what he said, and went into the vineyard to work.

The man asked his second son to work in the vineyard.

The son said that he would go, but he did not.

The first son heard his father's word and he heard it with his heart.

It resulted in an action; he did as his father had asked.

It is hard to hear with our hearts.

I’ve come to church and listened to whole sermons but I didn’t hear a word.

I’ve done devotions and daily meal prayers in what amounted to be no more than lip service to God.

Perhaps you too have had the same problem.

Is there any help for us?

Yes!

God is able to do what we are unable to do.

God says to us in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

God is our hope and he gives us hearts to hear him speak.

*B)   *As a result of what the Centurion heard, he was convicted of his own need and unworthiness.

He said “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy.”

Though he was a powerful and respected man, he had no power over disease and death.

Only God has power over these.

If there was to be any help for his slave, it would be coming from God.  But, who was he to ask?

He humbled himself by proclaiming his unworthiness.

Jesus doesn’t even mention it.

As unworthy as he was, he was forgiven, and his sins were of no account, as if they never were.

It is like that for us too.

When we confess our unworthiness, on account of Jesus, God reckons our sins as if they never existed.

Our sins go unmentioned, just like the sins of the Centurion.

*II.

**He Believed.*

*A)   *The Centurion heard with his ears and with his heart and he believed in Jesus and His authority.

As a man under authority and in authority over other men, he understood Jesus’ power and where it came from, God himself.

Authority means having the power and right to command.

The Centurion, a commander of one-hundred men had no authority to help his sick slave.

He submitted himself to the one who has this authority, Jesus, the Chief Commanding Officer of the army of God.

To show that he understood Jesus’ authority, he tells him that he need not be present physically, all Jesus needed to do was say the word and his servant would be healed.

How profound this is for us.

Jesus is not with us physically; yet we, just like the Centurion, trust in His authority.

We know that even though we cannot see Him He has control over our lives.

We trust that His will will be done in our lives as it was for the Centurion.

*B)   *The Centurion believed in Jesus word.

“Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Authority gives words power.