The Power of Faith

1. centurion — an officer of the Roman army commanding (around) 100 soldiers; who himself took orders from a tribune.

(1) Christ have power over despair

Matthew’s apparent purpose in recording this miracle was to show that Jesus did possess the Messianic power to do two things.

1. Jesus possessed the power to receive any man, regardless of the barrier.

He could span every conceivable barrier.

a. The ideological barrier: the centurion was a man rejected, despised, and hated by the Jews.

yet Jesus could reach him and meet his need.

He had the power to span and to overcome the ideas and prejudices that divided man against man, neighbor against neighbor, race against race, nation against nation, employee against employer, child against parent, wife against husband.

The Power of Faith

Matt 8:5-13

b. The physical barriers: the centurion’s servant was desperately ill and some miles away, yet Jesus could reach the servant.

His power could span all the physical barriers, no matter how far away or how severe the condition.

I. A Submissive Faith

1. Seeking

2. Sincere

3. Strong

c. The spiritual barrier: the centurion was a Gentile, considered by the Jews to be lost spiritually, an alien and an enemy to the people of God.

But Jesus had the power to reach the man, to pierce the spiritual barriers of his soul and save him.

Jesus can reach the soul of any man who will believe in Him, no matter how lost or how alien or how much of an enemy to God he has been.

II. A Stable Faith

1. Dependable

2. Determine

3. Deposit

2. Jesus possessed the power to reject any man, even those who professed to be children of the kingdom, that is, the religious (Matt 8: 12).

The great faith of the centurion aroused Jesus to show the above.

Jesus strongly demonstrated that He receives any man who truly believes, but He rejects those who do not believe, no matter who they are.

1. Jesus’ great power was aroused to receive the rejected (Matt 8: 5–9).

2. Jesus’ great power was aroused to embrace believers of every nationality (Matt 8:10-11).

3. Jesus’ great power will reject the unbelieving (Matt 8: 12).

4. Jesus’ great power proved His Messiahship (Matt 8: 13).

(2) Christ has power over distance

III. A Successful Faith

1. Humble

2. Help

3. Healing