Dear God, what do we thank you so much for this day? We thank you for all that you've done
Pray that you'll guide us and guide our hearts and minds as we open your word this morning teach us
And Lord help us to journey with you
Continue this walk as we know this world is challenging. We know there are things that Satan will put before us
But Lord you're above all
May our faith not grow weary and but may grow stronger and deeper as we look forward to the day you come again
We love you Lord and praise you and thank you and ask these things in your heavenly name. Amen
Frederick Nietzsche a famous German philosopher and cultural critic
In the late 1800s and early 1900s most notably he was an atheist
So you might recognize his name
Just from that category alone, but he said this and it posed this question that I want to bring to you today
Is man merely a mistake of God's or is God merely a mistake of man?
Essentially posing this question is in a mistake for us to believe in God
Are we wasting our time believing there is a God that is out there?
Who's not only out but but he's alive and active in our lives
Are we wasting our time believing the stories of Scripture that that the stories of this book a
Book of faith
We waste in our time
Truly believing that these stories about the God of this book are real
Scripture is a book of faith
and
We need to journey as we understand and try to learn and and and dive in to understand what God is calling us to
We must recognize that faith is a challenge at times. Can it not be?
faith in God faith in who he is who the Bible describes him as
what he can do in our lives can be a
challenge
So today I want to ask you this question. How strong is is your faith?
How was your faith this morning in the world that we live in?
How was your faith today? I
Want to explore this concept because I firmly believe this is
One of the things if not the most pivotal thing that Satan begins to chip away at each of our lives
if he can get us to cause us to doubt and not believe and struggle in our faith
Then how will we stand as a Christian?
How we stand as a follower of Christ?
I
Want to look at one story today kind of zone in as our home base
And I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 8 a
story of a centurion
When Jesus came and had this conversation with this man
He had just previously as you look through scripture in the book of Matthew just been speaking
And sharing the well-known sermon on the mount
Thereafter he began to heal people as well
But he entered in Capernaum
Where he came across the century and I'm gonna be reading Matthew 8 starting with verse 5 all the way through 13
Today I'll be reading from the new international version
When Jesus entered Capernaum a centurion came to him asking for help
Lord, he said my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly
Jesus said to him shall I come and heal him?
The 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 for 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
When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those falling truly
I tell you I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith
I say to you that many will come from the east into the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into darkness where they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth
Then Jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you believed it would
And the servant was healed at that very moment
Now it's the story just reading through it
It just kind of draws me back as there are several points I'd like to look at but the first significant point is simply the fact alone
that
This man is a man of faith
alone that this man as Jesus noted
Have found no one in all of Israel with such great faith
as a centurion
I've kind of pondered that thought as I've read the story before but with such great faith. This isn't interesting
This is a a huge claim. I mean because Jesus has healed he's done miracles
he's seen the faith of many individuals but to declare this man has
Almost essentially the greatest faith of them all that he has seen this far
So I want to look at this this man for a moment. Who is this man? Who is this centurion? What is that?
A certain centurion was a roman officer
In the army probably the equivalent historians believed to that of a captain. They would be in charge of a hundred men
with the name centurion makes sense
And sometimes they were elected to the role, but usually they rose to the ranks after 15 to 20 years of service
And they were in charge of their hundred men. They oversaw the training and developing of these soldiers
Often
They had complete control of them. They told them exactly what they were to do at whatever times and they would have to do it
But they rose to the ranks because often of their strong courage
Often of their strong courage if in battle they would be the ones that would lead their hundred men
so
Understanding this now and coming up to Jesus with a request like this is kind of
Unbelievable
most of them led the way in fixing the problems not humbling themselves and
Can't do this. I can't fix this problem
but his servant
Who he cared about dearly
He suffered he was paralyzed
And he asked if Jesus would go and Jesus said that he would go and asked him basically
would you would you like me to go and the captain could have stopped right then but
Jesus I believe saw in his heart in his mind something deeper because the man kept talking
Looking back at verse 8. I want to read through that 8 and 9
The sentient replied lord, I do not deserve
To have you come under my roof a little humility right there
But just say the word and my servant will be healed for I myself am a man under authority with the soldiers under me
I tell this one to go and he goes and that one to come and he comes and say to my servant do this
And he does it
When I first read this I was a little confused I mean I see his humility
There at the beginning but then he begins to kind of tell Jesus all of his authority and influences that he has
He has the ability to say this and people do it
Look who I am is this is this kind of a a problem moment where he needs to let Jesus know all that he can do
I don't believe it is
Because when I understand and look to understand this story and see that Jesus sees inside of his heart
There came a point for this captain who has the authority to do so much
Had to make a decision
Is this something he could fix heal his paralyzed servant
Or is this something that's out of his hands
He has the authority to do a lot of things but this he could not do
Frank Cope tells us illustration this story
The naval institute where they sent out two battleships out into the waters to do this training exercise
And there were severe storms that were taking place
The fog was heavy as all of a sudden one of the ships through the patchy fog saw a light piercing through the darkness of the night
As will man on the watch out said
Hey, signal into our calling to the captain. There is a light bearing there on the starboard side
The captain called out. Is it steady or is it moving?
The lookout replied it is steady which meant they're on a dangerous course
They're on a dangerous course
The captain then called out to the signal man will signal a ship. We are on a collision course
Advise them to change their degrees change their course 20 degrees
As they the signal came back advisable for you to change your course 20 degrees
The captain said send them this message. I am the captain change course 20 degrees
Back in the message
I am a seaman second class. You better change your course 20 degrees
At that time the captain was furious. He spat out send
I'm a battleship change your course 20 degrees
That came the message. I'm a lighthouse change yours 20 degrees
There comes a time friends
When things are not going to be the way they are
Sometimes when things are out of your control
Some things you don't have the power to do some things that even if you are in charge of even if you are the captain
You can't fix you can't change I think in this moment as we read this story about the centurion
This captain is humbly showing yes
He believes that jesus has his power to to reveal excuse me jesus has the power to
Heal his servants
Yes, he has earthly power on this earth this captain does but ultimately he is revealing his spiritual dependency upon jesus
Yes Captain of the ship could not move the lighthouse this centurion could not heal this paralyzed man
In other words, i've got the power and courage to do whatever I want or need to on this earth, but this is a spiritual issue
This is something I cannot do. I need you god. I need you and I trust you jesus. You can do something about this
Yes
Friends have you been in a situation that seems impossible
You realize uh, that's something no matter no matter how talented you are or how gifted you are how much money you have
The situation is just out of your hands
This is a jesus saying this is something that only he can help me with
Over the last few months of this year i've sat with a family whose son has committed suicide
How do you fix a problem like that?
You can't
I sat with the young girls whose dad was going to die from cancer and he did
How do you fix that
You can't these things are the impossible
But even more I know there are those who are here here today
Those who are here here today that seem they are facing some of the impossible as well
I know there are some who may be struggling with finances and maybe question each and every day
I know there are some here who may be struggling in the relationships their marriages or whatever else may be challenging in their life
I know there are some who are struggling with maybe family members who are making difficult decisions or you yourself are making difficult decisions
or challenging
Choices in life. I know there are some who are struggling perhaps even with depression and how how do we fix these things?
Can we just immediately snap out of them?
Some of these things seem like mountains that we cannot move
And yes, there are some things that we can take steps and making good choices to help us make better choices in life
But for many of these things
We ultimately need help from someone
someone
Who's got this world in his hands?
Someone who's outside of herself?
Do you have faith in Jesus?
This is where the reality of what we see and know where science and truth collide with with faith
Something that is abstract a feeling you could say
Because faith sometimes as we think about it, it's just it's hard to understand
That's why I love the author of herews who writes in herews 11 1
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of things that we cannot even see
That statement alone is hard to grasp sometimes faith has a certainty to it
Even though we can't see it, even though we can't touch it sometimes
We have to have certainty in this faith
And that's why it's so hard for those who are visual. I brought some examples with me here this morning
I've got two jars
This first one
I've got a jar here, right?
Is there is there anything in this jar?
Okay, yes
Most people will say no, there's nothing in this jar
But we know there's what in this jar
But we know there's what in there?
Oxygen there's air
We can't see it
But we know it's there, right?
I brought another one this one is filled with what?
Water
And okay, very good water and air I can still you can see the water
All right, as I move it around if I shake it up you can see what in there?
Bubbles
Which is evidence of?
The air the oxygen
I like that reminder simply because the fact is we cannot always see air
Jesus even uses the scriptures are as as he was telling
Nicodemus about the holy spirit being like the breeze
You don't know where he's going. You can't always see if you trust it's there
If you trust it's there we see evidence all around us and I love what paul writes in
Romans chapter 1
If you're not familiar with this text turn in your bibles there romans chapter 1 verse 20
I love this text because it
Shares
This great challenge for us to understand
That we can know god is there
And we see evidence all around us for this is what it says romans 1 verse 20
For since the creation of the world god's invisible qualities
His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen
Being understand what has been made so that people are without excuse
There's evidence all around we walk outside of this building and we see trees we see
Nature we see god's works all around us and we are without excuse
God's work is all around us and I love this illustration
That we may not be able to see god right here, but we can see evidence of him
We know he's there we can sense his presence
And I know that this man this centurion had faith as well
Whether he'd seen or heard jesus he healed other people before
He trusted that jesus could do this
He trusted
Jesus asks us to have faith in what we cannot see
He wants us to believe in something we know is there
And sometimes I know we question this because we sometimes ask
And naturally feel like why is it faith god isn't it more something that we should just
Want to do or that you should be pleased with how we walk or our obedience and yes god does want us to be obedient to him
but
Faith is where it is about
We sometimes ask why doesn't god want us to be like sometimes these bible heroes we we pattern a life sometimes after them
But these heroes in scripture are only heroes because of their faith
Bible heroes are only heroes because they trusted god and despite their only their excuse despite
Their own abilities or lack thereof he was 11 gives us
individual after individual of these men of faith that's hall of faith is what we
often refer to it as
And they're in this chapter not because of what they did
Because when you start looking at the lives of these individuals who are listed in these incredible
Heroes of faith we have liars. We have cheaters. We have murderers. We have adulterers. We have thieves. We have more
And they're in scripture noted
as men and women of
faith
But they're in there because of their faith
Not because of what they accomplished. It's because what they accomplished is what they accomplished
Accomplished it's because what god used them to do and how god worked through them and their faith in god
friends
God asks us to have faith because it demonstrates complete and total reliance upon him
When we have faith, we believe he's our creator above everything in this universe
Including the ground I walk on the air. I breathe the life that I live
When we have faith essentially we are saying that we believe he has the ability to give and to take away
To do the impossible and even change what we know is reality
He has the ability to save us from this darkened world
But in order to do so to do what is impossible for us to do we must believe who he is
We must believe that he has the power to do this
And we must believe that he loves each one of us
Friends faith signifies our complete dependence upon him
What did god tell abraham looking through the old testament to the new what did god tell abraham?
I will make you a great nation. I will give you a son even as he was an old man
but genesis 15 6
Says abraham believed
And it was credit to him as righteousness because he believed he was made right with god
It was because of his faith. It was because he believed
And when we flip through the pages of scripture go to the new testament when jesus is meeting with nickademus and we read john 3 16 and 17 for god
So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
Everlasting life for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world
And that's sometimes what we feel
But it says but god sent him to save the world through him
What is it that he said?
Whoever believes in him shall have ever
everlasting
life
Should have everlasting life faith is the basis of a relationship with god faith is the basis of our salvation
I want to go back to our story
this centurion
This centurion in matthew chapter 8
It's interesting as jesus replies to this man after he tells him
of the authority that he has
verse 10
Through 13 we read when jesus heard this he was amazed
And said to those following him truly. I tell you I have not found anyone in israel with such great faith
I say to you that many will come from the east and to the west and will take their places at the feast of abraham
Isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth
Pretty harsh
interesting
But jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you believed it would
And his servant was healed
at that very moment
Jesus was amazed at this man's faith
Was there really not any people or any other person in all of israel with such great faith
Why did jesus reply like this?
As I began to study this text I began to realize that when jesus was talking about this and replied in this manner
He was describing the condition of many jews
During that day you see many jews thought that they had the right to heaven just because of who they were
They were special. They were chosen people of god. They were descendants of abraham
Promised by god. They felt they had the right to the kingdom just because of who they were
Now who was this centurion?
He was a roman
He was a gentile
He had not been promised anything
Yet his faith
Forged through the muck of the religious of the jewish religious tradition
He placed his faith firmly on this man jesus because he believed jesus could do something about it
His place of position his nationality did not stop him from believing that jesus could do something
He believed that he could do something
Friends this may hit home to each one of us a little bit
There may be some of us and i'm going to include myself in on this
Who sometimes may feel like we are the jewish traditionalists
Before we think of someone else we need to look at ourselves and ask god to help convict our hearts and minds
What jesus say about us. I have not found anyone in the walls of the church
with a great faith as
who
That police officer in wrinkle that woman
Who is at the grocery store that homeless man?
You see sometimes we as christians sometimes feel that we have rights or the insight track to god over others
We feel we may have been closer to god compared to someone else because we've walked longer with god
We may may know more of the bible than someone else. We may have read more times had our daily devotions, whatever it is
Yes, those are important things to grow with god
We need to spend our time with god
But the basis of where it comes down is our faith. Do we believe in jesus?
Do we believe that he has the power?
As he spoke
In this world came into existence
That he could speak and change whatever obstacle we are facing in our life
Friends faith is
The key to our journey through this life
Through this life
In john chapter 6
When people came to jesus
And they said and this was our scripture reading that what is the work that god requires?
Jesus could have answered a lot of things
But what did he say?
The work that god requires is this
To believe in the one that he sent
You want to know what god requires of us?
believe in jesus
And then as your faith begins to grow deeper and deeper in jesus, I believe your life will be transformed
As you'll become a witness to other people as well
The challenge is great before us but I like to think of it this way
Last couple years my family summer vacations goes to the beach
Many of you like may like to go to the beach as well. I've got three boys my youngest
Is in second grade this year my oldest eighth grade got a sixth grader as well
But as my older boys as we arrived at the beach and had the
Sunscreen on they're excited about going out into the waters. They jump out into the waves. They splash
We don't worry about them as much because they're bigger, right? But my second grade son a couple years ago even first
grade
Grade
Our kindergarten
Kind of have to watch him a little bit
But he wants to be like his brothers because he sees them splashing out into the water
Diving into the waves with our goggles on enjoying the time
He doesn't want to sit on the beach. He wants to go out into the water. But guess what?
Mom and dad self and my wife know we need to be there with him
He thinks he's a big boy
but
We know the waves are bigger than him at times
So I remember walking out there with him as we journeyed out there
i'm like i've got to be right by you my son and
and
He kind of looks back at me and gives me a
No, you I want my space you go. I'm gonna go with the big boys. I'm a big boy
Okay
So I kind of walk a little bit close
But give him a little space as he kind of steps into the water as the water comes up around him
And the small waves come up beside him up to his knees as we venture out
I need to I need to be right by you
No, no, no
As he gets there and he looks over me. I don't know something distracts him
But all of a sudden the wave comes and crashes upon him knocking him off his feet
I'm right there behind him
But he stands up reaching for my hand spitting out the salt water
Knowing that he just got knocked on his feet. The beach is not as fun when that happens
But guess what happened after that he still wants to go out
But he's reached up for my hand now
I want to go out but i'll hold your hand
As the two of us navigate out a little farther as we get close to where his older brothers are
I begin to think how much is that like us in our journey with god
We sometimes want to navigate through life on our own
We sometimes know god i'm good. I've got this. I know i know you're right back there, but i'm good. I'm good
Sometimes it takes a wave to knock us over in life realize no, no what I need to be doing is holding your hand through this life
And jesus wants to journey with us through each and every step. He wants to be holding our hand through the storms of this life
Whatever may come our way yet. Sometimes we're so independent
We want to do it on our own, but he said no have faith in me i'm walking right beside you and when waves come
I'm going to hold you through the storms
Friends we need to hold jesus' hand
We need to have the faith that he's right there knowing and trusting that he's going to help us whatever storm we face
So a challenge for each one of us
is
Trust jesus. May your faith grow strong in him
This world is challenged and we know that
But hold to jesus' hands
Because he wants to be right there with us through this journey of life