God has visited His people but many missed it.

Service Notes:

Baby Dedication

The scriptural root of a child dedication is found in 1 Samuel 1:27–28 . A godly woman named Hannah prayed year after year for God to give her a child. He answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel. When Samuel was born, Hannah prayed these words:

1 Samuel 1:27–28 (KJV 1900)

27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

Does Vision baptize infants?

No, scripture provides evidence that baptism follows an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for salvation (Acts 2:41, 8:12, and 10:47–48). And the New Testament records the baptisms of believers only.

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Sermon Introduction

Dylan leaves for Chile tonight! Dylan we want you to tell them somethings about Jesus.

Dylan prays after Bible reading.

Luke is telling us two stories that are designed to help us and his original readers appreciate more fully who Jesus is.

In this first story Jesus heads back to his home town.

Jesus speaks about his authority in 6:20–49 and then demonstrates it in 7:1–17.

Luke 7:1–17 (AV)

1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

In any crowd you can have varying views and understandings of Jesus

Story: Times you think you are meeting one person but ends up being someone else. [Tommy Bowden]

Difference will be seen in faith.

This ancient crowd does not struggle with the issue of Jesus’ miracle; they are there and see it. What they struggle to understand is his great authority.

Luke 7:16–17 (KJV 1900)

16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

Jesus was misunderstood.

Jesus love was dependent on the good the man had done for others.

Jesus would not want to go into the home of the gentile man.

Jesus needed to go into the home for the man’s servant to be healed.

Jesus was more than a prophet. v. 16

Jesus is more compassionate than you know.

Biblical understanding of compassion

If you have seen the Son you have seen the Father. We should not be surprised to see compassion in the life of Christ.

Psalm 86:15 (KJV 1900)

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

God is full of compassion and has been and will be for all eternity.

Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV 1900)

22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

First instance where we could see a response to man and his sin seen in the Garden.

Genesis 3:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God told how He would suffer for sin before He told Adam and the Eve of their consequences for sin.

Compassion is different than empathy!

Empathy says “I can relate with you” but compassion says “i will get involved” / suffer with

In Jesus we see compassion defined.

When Jesus saw His friends weeping at the grave of Lazarus, He felt compassion for them and wept alongside them John 11:33-35

Moved with compassion for the suffering of others, Jesus healed the large crowds who came to Him Matthew 14:14

Jesus sought individuals who sought His healing Mark 1:40-41

When He saw the large crowds as sheep without a shepherd, His compassion led Him to teach them the things the false shepherds of Israel had abandoned.

The priests and scribes were proud and corrupt; they despised the common people and neglected them, but Jesus had compassion on them, and He taught and loved them.

Compassion seen with the Centurion

Luke 7:2–3 (KJV 1900)

2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

Beautiful expression “when he heard of Jesus”

Jesus did not care if he was a gentile

We have seen Jesus cleanse the physically unclean but now the ethnically outcast.

Jesus was willing to go into His house

Jesus did not need to see the man’s resume to care for him / as seen in the following miracle

Compassion shown upon the widow

Luke 7:13 (KJV 1900)

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Jesus saw a woman without hope, a woman who lost her only son, Jesus was moved with compassion.

With no respect of person. Not because she could do anything to repay Him.

Touches the cart carrying the casket. This should have made him “unclean”

Compassion should be a distinctive mark of our lives.

How can we say the love of the father is in it if does not show unto our brother?

1 John 3:17 (KJV 1900)

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Originally made in His image, man is to exemplify God’s traits, including compassion. But due to the fall this does not often happen.

1 John 4:20 (KJV 1900)

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

The Bible is clear that compassion is an attribute of God and of God’s people as well.

“These gurus promise to teach you how to build self-esteem in your children. Have you noticed that no books promise to help produce children who esteem others?” - Shepherding a child’s heart

Compassion requires action

Here is how they remember and speak of the life of Jesus in Acts

Acts 10:38 (KJV 1900)

38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Proverbs 31:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 Open thy mouth for the dumb In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

1 John 3:18 (KJV 1900)

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

You cannot speak of the compassion of Jesus without speaking of His action of willfully going to the cross. He suffered in our place.

Romans 3:25 (KJV 1900)

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Jesus is the most compassionate but He has made us to be compassionate people. However, there are attributes of Him that are not true of us. He is a miracle worker.

Jesus is a miracle worker.

Luke 7:10 (KJV 1900)

10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

Jesus miracles highlight His words

Most things of magic we see start of with gibberish.

Abracadabra

Bibbidy Boppidy Boo

Kazam

Tada

Whoop there it is? (who says that? I would - Greg)

Examples:

Jesus feeding a crowd by multiplying bread and fish to prepare them for the sermon entitled “I am the bread of life.”

Jesus tells the lame man to rise and walk to prove the other claim, “Here stands one who can forgive sins.”

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead as the exclamation point to the sentences, John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

Jesus turns the water into wine, stills the storm, cast demons into swine — all to provoke the question, Mark 4:41 “41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Miracles always have a purpose

John 3:2 (KJV 1900)

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Result of these miracles will be John the Baptist asking questions

Luke 7:18–19 (KJV 1900)

18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

At the beginning of his ministry, he confounds his disciples by leaving the town in which many were seeking him for more miracles,

Mark 1:38 KJV 1900

38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

My theologian niece, told me daughter one Easter “Jesus did not come to earth just to do miracles. He came here to go to the cross but healing people is what Jesus would do on His way there.”

Many people recognized the compassion of Jesus and His ability to do miracles but unlike the centurion they did not recognize His authority.

We need to see Jesus with the faith of the centurion

Faith in Jesus recognizes his authority.

Luke 7:9 (AV)

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Jesus Marveled!

We see this one other time due to unbelief.

Mark 6:6 (KJV 1900)

6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

Faith creates a humility as we recognize the authority of Jesus

Matthew 8:7–8 (KJV 1900)

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Faith will always demonstrate itself in humility: the recognition of the uniqueness of God’s power and our unworthiness before it, while trusting in God’s care.

Others had yet to recognize this authority in the life of Christ

Luke 7:9 (KJV 1900)

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

They walked with Jesus but did not recognize His authority over all. They could only see a good man.

The centurion saw through eyes of faith what others did not see.

1 Peter 3:22 (KJV 1900)

22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Introduction

I heard years ago about General Wainwright. General Wainwright was one of our great American generals who was taken captive by the Japanese in World War II and held in a Japanese prison camp, and the Japanese soldiers loved to abuse him, and to ridicule him, and to taunt him, and to humiliate him, because they knew that he was a great American general, and now they had the authority over him, he had been taken captive. But one day there came a little airplane and landed on that island where General Wainwright was held prisoner, and there went an envoy in and delivered a message, and it said that the war was over, and the allies had won, and that Japan had been defeated, and that Japan had surrendered, and that the base was now under the control of the United States of America, and all of the prisoners of war were now free men.

The Bible describes those of us who believe as those who are able to see by faith Jesus authority on our lives.

Ephesians 1:19–22 (KJV 1900)

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Faith is the determining factor in a person’s eternal destiny.

We have seen this over and over in Luke 6 as Jesus speaks about the Kingdom

Luke 6:20 (KJV 1900)

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Do you know I have a dinner reservation made with this centurion and Jesus?

Revelation 19:9 (KJV 1900)

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Look at who will be at this table.

Not those who only recognize Jesus as a compassionate prophet and one who does miracles because even the demons recognize this.

Not those of a certain ethical or social class.

But those that recognize His authroity.

Those who truly know “That God hath visited his people. “

We live in a day of lawlessness of diminishing love for one another.

Matthew 24:12 (KJV 1900)

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

The world lies to us.

Tells us freedom from all authority will create a world of love.

The world would have us fall in love with the thoughts of autonomy and no authorities in our lives.

This is not just a lie for our teenagers.

A life of faith recognizes spiritual authority.

Psalm 119:54 (KJV 1900)

54 Thy statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.

Do you recognize and love the authority of Jesus Christ? Jesus marvelled in that day because it was so rare for the Centurion to recognize this. Is Jesus marveling today at your belief or unbelief of His authority in this world?

Conclusion

Today we started the service with a group of parents that recognized the claim and authority that God has upon their kids lives.

Not just as a compassionate, miracle working prophet but as the Lord of the Universe.

Maybe as a child you participated in a similar service maybe not but I ask you do you have the faith of the centurion today?