God Wants to Help Us Have Great Faith!
God Wants to Help Us Have Great Faith!
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 8:1-13
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared July 10, 2021)
*Would you like to have more faith in God? What Christian could say no to that question? Of course, we want more faith! The good news is that God wants to help us have more. He even wants us to have great faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And tonight's Scripture can help us get there.
*It tells the stories of two great healing miracles. The first miracle happened to a leper who was sure that Jesus could heal him. The second miracle happened to the paralyzed servant of a Roman soldier. He was a "centurion," the commander of a hundred men, and that soldier had the greatest faith Jesus had ever seen. We know he had great faith in the Lord, because it showed up in some obvious ways.
*First, the centurion went to Jesus for the help he needed. Then when he found Jesus, the centurion passionately pleaded for the Lord's help. Verses 5-6 tell us that "when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.'''
*We also see the Roman's faith in vs. 8. Jesus said he would come to heal the man's servant, but the soldier humbly replied, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof." Also in vs. 8, the Roman soldier fully believed in the Lord's miraculous ability. There he told Jesus, "Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed."
*But the best proof of the man's faith was the Lord's reaction in vs. 10. When Jesus heard what the soldier said, "He marveled, and said to those who followed, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!'" The original word for "marvel" there means that Jesus was amazed, and He greatly admired the soldier's faith.
*There is no doubt that this Roman centurion had great faith. How can we get faith like that? How can we get more faith?
1. FIRST: WE HAVE TO FEED OUR FAITH ON GOD'S WORD.
[1] WE NEED TO FEED OUR FAITH ON THE TRUTH THAT GOD IS GREAT.
*That's what the leper and the Roman soldier must have done. The miraculous healings of the leper and the paralyzed servant did not take place in a vacuum. When Jesus came down from preaching the Sermon on the Mount, vs. 1 tells us that "great multitudes followed Him." Many people had already seen and heard about the amazing things Jesus could do.
*Just before Matthew wrote about the Sermon on the Mount, he said this back in Matthew 4:23-25:
23. Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25. And great multitudes followed Him from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
*The news was spreading like wildfire, as people told all the great things Jesus had done. Undoubtedly, this leper and the Roman soldier had heard some of those testimonies, and they began to believe in Jesus. (By the way: This is one reason why our testimonies are so crucial for the Kingdom, and why 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to explain the hope we have in Christ.)
*Today, we can still hear great testimonies about how God is at work in people’s lives. But the best way to find out about God is in His Word. Thank God for the Bible! Thank God that the good news about Jesus Christ was written down, and preserved for us in God's Word! But we have to feed our faith on His Word. Romans 10:17 tells us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
*So, if we search the Scriptures with an open mind, the Lord will give us faith. And the Lord will grow our faith as we find out more about His greatness. This must be what happened to the man with leprosy. We can't be sure that he studied the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. But we can be sure that he heard the good news about Jesus, as it spread through the nation.
*In vs. 2 the leper went to Jesus, worshiped Him and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." I love that. He was sure: "Jesus, YOU can make me clean!" In other words: "Jesus, You can completely heal me from this hopelessly incurable disease."
*The Roman centurion must have also heard the good news about what Jesus could do. That's why in vs. 5-7, "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.'''
*People have to learn what the Lord can do. And the best place to learn this is in the Word of God. But there is a terrible epidemic of ignorance about God's Word today.
*Rodney Buchanan told about a friend who gave a Bible to someone who was going through a difficult time. This man was in real need. His life had been marked by one disastrous decision after another. And he had no idea how much he needed the Lord.
*Rodney said, "As my friend gave a Bible to this person, and encouraged him to read it, he suggested that he might start by reading the Christmas story, since it was that time of year." The man looked at him with real surprise and said, 'You mean the Christmas story is in the Bible?'" (1)
*I know that sounds ridiculous to us. But this is the world we live in today. People desperately need to know the true meaning of Christmas. People desperately need to know all about Jesus Christ and what He can do in our lives.
*People need to know about the Lord's greatness, and that's why the Bible is so important. When we begin to explore the Bible, we will learn that nothing is too hard for God. We will learn in Matthew 28:18 that all power in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. And in Revelation 1:8, we will hear Jesus say, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,'' says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.''
*When we study the Bible today, we will also learn something about the Lord's greatness that the leper and the Roman centurion could not have known. We will learn that Jesus had the power to die on the cross for our sins, and rise again from the dead! We will learn that Jesus has the power to forgive all of our sins, give us eternal life, and give us a perfect home in Heaven.
*Dr. David Seamands told about a Muslim man who became a Christian in Africa. Some of his Muslim friends asked him, “Why have you become a Christian?” And the new believer replied, “Well, it’s like this. Suppose you are walking down a road and suddenly the road forks in two directions. You do not know which way to go, but you see that two men are there at the fork in the road. One man is dead, and one man is alive. Which one would you ask to show you the way?" (2)
*We'd ask the one who is alive! We'd ask the one who is alive forevermore! We would ask our living Lord, the only begotten Son of God, our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ! That's how great Jesus is! So feed your faith on the truth that God is great.
[2] BUT ALSO FEED YOUR FAITH ON THE TRUTH THAT GOD IS GOOD.
*Nothing is too hard for God! But all of His power means nothing to us unless the Lord cares for us, and thank God, He does! In vs. 2, the man with leprosy may have been unsure. There he said, "Lord, IF You are willing, You can make me clean.''
*The leper wasn't sure, but he was about to discover the wonderful kindness and compassion of our God. In vs. 3, "Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."
*Just to touch a leper was an amazing act of compassion. But to heal a leper was an act of compassion that could only come from God. Mark 1:41 tells us plainly that the Lord healed this leper because Jesus was "moved with compassion" for the man. And the Roman centurion must have heard about the Lord's compassion. That's why he trusted Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant.
*People need to know about the kindness and compassion of Jesus Christ. People need to learn about the love and forgiveness God wants to give them. And we find these truths in the Bible.
*Rodney Buchanan said that when we hear about the love, kindness and goodness of God, "all at once we begin to wonder if perhaps it could be true. Could God love me after all, even when he sees what I really am? Could my life be different too? Is it possible the Bible is true in Romans 5:8 when it says, 'God shows His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'? And what about John 15:15 where Jesus said, 'I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends.'?
*Could it be that we are calling ourselves failures, while He wants to call us friends? Could it be that God is willing to give us a new chance, and a new life, no matter how miserably we have failed?" (3)
*The answer is yes! God wants us to believe in His greatness and goodness. He wants to help us have great faith, but we must feed our faith on His Word.
2. WE ALSO NEED TO HUMBLY COMPARE OUR LIFE TO CHRIST.
*This is what the Roman soldier did in vs. 5-8:
5. Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6. saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.''
7. And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him.''
8. 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.
*The Roman centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy." There was an honest and humble comparison of our life with Jesus Christ. And we all need to take honest, heartfelt looks at our life compared to the Lord. This will lead us to magnify the Lord and humble our hearts before God.
*God wants us to see that we are not worthy. But we must understand that God is not trying to beat us down. He is trying to help us see that we are already down, so we will look up to Him, knowing that He can and will lift us up. And why? -- Because He is perfectly great and good.
*God wants us to have more faith, and comparing our life to Christ can help.
3. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO GET ETERNAL LESSONS FROM EARTHLY THINGS.
*There are many spiritual lessons we can learn from the everyday things in life. The Roman centurion gives us an example in vs. 8-9.
*When Jesus said He would come and heal the Roman's servant:
8. 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.
9. 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.''
*The soldier was making an important connection in those verses. And we need to do the same kind of thing. God wants us to use our minds when it comes to faith. God designed earthly things to help us understand everlasting things, so look for connections.
*Look for connections between earthly and heavenly things. The Roman centurion compared his own authority as a soldier to Jesus' unlimited authority as Lord. That's why this soldier believed Jesus could heal his servant from anywhere.
*God can also use our earthly relationships to help us understand the kind of eternal relationship He wants to have with us. Good Christian friends can help point us to our best friend, Jesus Christ. And a good, godly father can help point us to our Heavenly Father.
*When we take a spiritual look at life, we will surely find connections between earthly and heavenly things. And these connections can help our faith grow.
4. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BLESSINGS OF BELIEVING.
*We need to learn about the blessings of believing in Jesus Christ. And in vs. 9-13, the Lord shows us that having faith in Him does amazing, miraculous things in our lives.
[1] FIRST: FAITH INSPIRES US TO GO TO JESUS.
*Starting in vs. 9, the Roman said:
9. 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.''
10. 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!
11. 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.
*Jesus said, "Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Church: The Lord was talking about us! He was talking about people from all over the world coming to Him for salvation.
*And how will they come to Jesus? How did we come to Jesus? The answer is by faith. Salvation was the main thing Paul was talking about when he said, "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God."
*We see this in Romans 10:11-17, where Paul wrote that:
11. . . the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him (Jesus) will not be put to shame.''
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''
14. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!''
16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?''
17. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
[2] FAITH INSPIRES US TO GO TO JESUS. FAITH ALSO GIVES US A SEAT AT GOD'S TABLE.
*Again in vs. 11, Jesus said, "Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Christians: We are part of the royal family of God. Every one of us has an everlasting seat at the table of the King! And we got it by faith in Jesus Christ.
*Then in vs. 12 Jesus gave one of His very somber warnings. There Jesus said, "The sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' This is the terrible eternity for everyone who doesn't put their faith in Jesus and receive Him as Lord and Savior.
[3] BUT FAITH IN JESUS GIVES US A SEAT AT GOD'S TABLE. AND FAITH BRINGS AMAZING ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS.
*In vs. 13, Jesus told 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."
*That amazing miracle came through the soldier's faith in the Lord. And now the door is wide open for us to have great faith. Jesus opened the door when He died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead. Let Him keep growing your faith more every day, because great faith is possible for people like us!
*Robert Morgan told about a man who was born in Germany in the early 1800s. When this man hit his teen years, he started getting into trouble. He learned how to steal. He liked to gamble and drink. As a teenager he started staying in expensive hotels. Then he would sneak out without paying the bill. Finally, he was caught and sent to jail. But prison didn't help.
*This young man kept on in his criminal ways until one Saturday night he met Jesus Christ, and Jesus turned his life around! That young man was George Mueller, and he went on to become one of the greatest prayer warriors of all time. George kept a prayer journal over his long life, and he recorded 50,000 answers to prayer. Amazing!
*George dedicated his life to helping orphans. By faith he founded orphanages that cared for 10,024 orphans. During his lifetime, Mueller received over 7 million dollars to support his children's homes. That's over 140 million dollars in today's money! And all of it came through prayer. He also provided educational opportunities for orphans by establishing 117 schools that offered Christian education to more than 120,000 students.
*That man had amazing faith. In August of 1877, George was crossing the Atlantic on the SS Sardinian. The ship ran into terrible fog, and Captain Joseph E. Dutton later gave this report:
"I had been on the bridge for 24 hours and never left it. And George Mueller came to me and said, 'Captain, I have come to tell you that you must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.' 'It is impossible,' I said.
'Then very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement in 57 years. Let us go down into the chart room and pray.' I looked at that man of God and thought to myself, 'What lunatic asylum can that man have come from, for I never heard of such a thing as this?'
Mr. Mueller, I said, 'Do you know how dense this fog is?' 'No,' he replied, 'My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.'
He knelt down, and he prayed one of the simplest prayers. When he had finished, I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. 'As you do not believe He will answer, and as I believe He has, there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.'
I looked at him, and George Mueller said, 'Captain, I have known the Lord for 57 years and there has never been a single day when I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain and open the door and you will find the fog has gone.'
*I got up and the fog indeed was gone and on that Saturday afternoon George Mueller kept his promised engagement." (4)
CONCLUSION:
*George Mueller had amazingly great faith, and our faith may never be that great, but our faith can surely be greater. And God wants to help us have great faith! Let's ask the Lord to help us apply the truths we have seen in His Word tonight. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from SermonCentral illustration contributed by Rodney Buchanan
(2) Sources:
-Sermon Central sermon "You Can’t Keep a God Man Down" by Michael Luke - Luke 24:1-8
-Warren Webster, April, 1980, HIS, p. 13 - Source: SermonCentral illustration contributed by K. Edward Skidmore
(3) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "A New Name" by Rodney Buchanan - John 1:25-42
(4) Sources:
-Adapted from Morgan, Robert J., On This Day, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 2000, c1997.
-Paul Lee Tan. Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations. (Rockville, Maryland: Assurance Publishers, 1979). # 1494 - Source: SermonCentral sermon "The Pathway of Faith" by John Hamby - Hebrews 11:1-7)