1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,760 This morning we were talking about faith, what it is, what it does, and how it works. 2 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:20,000 And tonight I'd like for us to look into the Gospels, specifically the Gospel of Matthew, 3 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,140 and to see faith at work. 4 00:00:23,140 --> 00:00:28,340 As we think about the greatest faith in Israel, let's suppose that Jesus were to come to 5 00:00:28,340 --> 00:00:35,680 our church this evening, and were to sit down and have a personal conversation with each 6 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:42,560 of us, and then after that were to announce in the presence of all of us which of us had 7 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,720 the greatest faith. 8 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,520 I don't know whether you would be comfortable with that or not. 9 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,000 Frankly, I wouldn't be. 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,760 And yet here is an occasion when there was a crowd around and Jesus announced in the 11 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,400 midst of all of them who it was that had the greatest faith. 12 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,680 Matthew chapter 8, I begin in verse 5 with the reading of the Scripture. 13 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:16,740 And when he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him and treating him and saying, Lord, 14 00:01:16,740 --> 00:01:21,960 my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain. 15 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:26,440 And he said to him, I will come and heal him. 16 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:31,920 But the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, 17 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,720 but just say the word and my servant will be healed. 18 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:41,520 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. 19 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:47,120 And I say to this one, Go, and he goes, and to another, come, and he comes, and to my 20 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,880 slave, do this, and he does it. 21 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,840 Now when Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who were following, Truly I 22 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:02,240 say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 23 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:07,440 And I say to you that many shall come from the east and west and recline at the table 24 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:12,400 with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 25 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:17,020 But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness. 26 00:02:17,020 --> 00:02:21,480 In that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 27 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:28,040 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way, let it be done to you as you have believed. 28 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,160 And the servant was healed that very hour. 29 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,520 Jesus is the searcher of all hearts. 30 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:40,400 He knows the thoughts and the intents of our hearts. 31 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:47,000 It says in the Old Testament, the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations 32 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,400 of the thoughts. 33 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:54,520 That was certainly true and illustrated here in the case of the centurion. 34 00:02:54,520 --> 00:03:02,520 A centurion you may recall was a man who was over 100 Roman soldiers, a century of soldiers. 35 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,240 It was a rather powerful position. 36 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:11,960 And there in the city of Capernaum there was a century that was garrisoned. 37 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:18,040 This man, this centurion, was a friend of the Jews. 38 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:24,840 In fact it says that he was a lover of the nation of Israel, according to Luke's account 39 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,700 of this event. 40 00:03:27,700 --> 00:03:34,320 It also says there that he was responsible for the building of a synagogue in the city 41 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,600 of Capernaum. 42 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,320 Some of you have been to Israel and you know that in Capernaum there is today, or in the 43 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:46,160 site where Capernaum used to be, at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, there is still 44 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,840 today the ruins of a synagogue. 45 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:55,440 Probably not this same synagogue, but one that was built in about the second century. 46 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:01,120 And yet archaeologists believe that it was built upon the foundation of the one that 47 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:07,660 was built by this centurion in those days. 48 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:12,320 He was a man who had great respect for the Jews and was in fact himself what is called 49 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:19,120 a God-fearer, which is a technical New Testament term meaning that although he was a Gentile, 50 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,000 he had come to believe in the God of the Jews. 51 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:30,360 And so he was a man who was quite sympathetic to the Jewish people and to their faith and 52 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:36,720 who was receptive to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. 53 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,860 As Jesus announces to them all that his is the greatest faith, in fact he had found no 54 00:04:40,860 --> 00:04:46,000 one with such faith in all of Israel, there must have been some embarrassed Jews in the 55 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,280 midst. 56 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:53,160 For here was a Gentile being singled out as having greater faith than them all. 57 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:59,600 From this account I would learn this basic lesson, that faith receives the Lord's commendation 58 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:05,120 when it rests upon his person and his power. 59 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,480 You're going to see that that's where the faith of the centurion was resting, upon the 60 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,360 person and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. 61 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:19,320 As we think through this account, think with me first regarding the search of the centurion's 62 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:21,320 faith. 63 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,720 Jesus searched his faith, he examined it, and I'd like for you and for me to sort of 64 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:30,960 look over Jesus' shoulder as it were as his faith is searched. 65 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:35,880 In the first place notice that the whole occasion arose around a pressing need. 66 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,480 He had a servant who was sick. 67 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,480 A boy is actually the word. 68 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:47,760 It may have been a child or someone older than a mere child, but the word would give 69 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,640 permission to say it was a child. 70 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,660 He may have been the child of some older servants who belonged to him. 71 00:05:55,660 --> 00:05:59,040 He may have been a personal valet of the centurion. 72 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:03,680 We're not told that exactly, but the implication is that here was a young boy and that he was 73 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:12,280 terribly tortured, is the literal language, by some kind of a paralysis that he was experiencing. 74 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:18,360 And Luke tells us that his situation was so desperate that he was about to die. 75 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,680 He was on the verge of death. 76 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:27,280 It seems as though that for days the centurion had watched his beloved servant agonizing 77 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:30,600 with this affliction that had come upon him. 78 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:37,080 And now out of a sense of a pressing need and an urgency, he comes to Jesus. 79 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:41,760 We notice not only was it a pressing need, but it was a personal request. 80 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:46,760 Although Luke gives us a more full account than Matthew does of this whole thing, Luke 81 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:54,240 tells us that in the first place this centurion sent a group of Jewish elders to Jesus to 82 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,460 ask that he would heal the servant. 83 00:06:57,460 --> 00:07:03,040 His reasoning for that was that he felt himself unworthy, that he should even go to Jesus 84 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,640 and ask him personally, not to mention that Jesus should come into his house. 85 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:13,760 And so he sent some elders of the Jews and they said to Jesus, come, for he is worthy. 86 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:15,480 That was their opinion. 87 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,600 Here's a man who is worthy of your blessing. 88 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,160 He is worthy of your healing his servant because he is a lover of our nation. 89 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:23,880 He has built this synagogue. 90 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:25,960 Won't you come? 91 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:33,880 Then Jesus received some friends from the centurion who were also sent, a second delegation. 92 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:42,440 And basically through the friends, the centurion's request was, speak the word and my servant 93 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:43,440 will be healed. 94 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:45,640 You don't even have to come. 95 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:51,760 It seems as though, however, in putting the accounts together that Jesus did desire to 96 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,720 come to the man's house. 97 00:07:54,720 --> 00:08:00,680 Even before he got to the house, the centurion himself came out now, again feeling so unworthy 98 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,280 that Jesus would come into his house. 99 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:10,000 Not wanting to put Jesus on the spot is perhaps defiling himself as a Jew, as a Jewish rabbi 100 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,500 coming into a Gentile house. 101 00:08:12,500 --> 00:08:17,200 Therefore he went out of his house and met Jesus on the way as he was coming. 102 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,800 It was a very personal request on the part of this centurion. 103 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,000 And I noticed that it was a request with a proper spirit, for he was a man who felt himself 104 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,960 unworthy. 105 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:32,740 He was a man who was humble, although he had a very powerful position in that whole region 106 00:08:32,740 --> 00:08:34,800 as a centurion. 107 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:41,080 He was a man who could have been very evil and demanding individual as some of the centurions 108 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:42,080 were. 109 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:47,880 Although you know it's interesting that in the New Testament two centurions are mentioned 110 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,760 and both of them are spoken of in a favorable light. 111 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,200 The other one being Cornelius. 112 00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:00,680 Here is a man who with a humble spirit, not demanding, not being presumptuous upon Jesus, 113 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:08,840 not trying to use his position to influence Jesus, but who simply made the request humbly 114 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,840 that Jesus would heal his servant. 115 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:14,840 So Jesus perceives all of this. 116 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:20,920 You and I looking over Jesus' shoulders that we see that as well about him. 117 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:27,400 Here is a man with a pressing need who comes with a personal request and a proper spirit 118 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,520 and comes in faith. 119 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:30,520 And he states his faith. 120 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,840 That's the second thing I notice as we work our way through the narrative, the statement 121 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,840 of the centurion's faith. 122 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:45,920 That statement is in verses 8 and 9 where he recounts the basis for his request of Jesus. 123 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:54,720 He says in verse 9, I too am a man under authority with soldiers under me. 124 00:09:54,720 --> 00:10:00,680 Now there was the basis of the man's conclusion regarding Jesus. 125 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:06,760 He himself understood of course the Roman military system. 126 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:12,720 They viewed all might and all authority as belonging to Caesar. 127 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:18,920 The emperor in Rome was the dictator of the Roman Empire. 128 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:22,640 He then delegated authority to those who were under him. 129 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,020 And they in turn delegated authority to those who were under them. 130 00:10:26,020 --> 00:10:32,000 And so on down the line until you would come to this centurion who was stationed in Capernaum 131 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,440 in Palestine. 132 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,920 And then underneath this centurion were soldiers as well. 133 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:42,840 And so he saw himself in a line of authority. 134 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:47,240 He was under authority himself and he had those who were responsible to him. 135 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,560 He was in authority too. 136 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,560 And that seems to be the basis of how he perceived Jesus. 137 00:10:54,560 --> 00:11:00,780 He perceived that Jesus likewise had authority that was given to him from God. 138 00:11:00,780 --> 00:11:05,220 He seems to perceive that Jesus was under God's authority. 139 00:11:05,220 --> 00:11:12,680 So that when Jesus spoke his words, his words were vested with all of God's power and all 140 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,720 of God's authority. 141 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:21,960 His word was effective because as he, Jesus, spoke it was God's word. 142 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:27,900 And it was empowered by delegated authority because that's the way he was. 143 00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:32,280 You see when he spoke to his soldiers, he was speaking with delegated authority all 144 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,160 the way back to Caesar. 145 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,800 His word had the word of the emperor behind it. 146 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:44,080 And so he perceived that Jesus likewise in the spiritual realm is a man who has authority, 147 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:45,920 the authority of God. 148 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:50,520 And that all he had to do was speak the word and it would be done because he spoke and 149 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:54,320 as he spoke it was God himself who was speaking. 150 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:59,800 And notice how Jesus responded to the statement of the centurion's faith. 151 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,080 He marveled at it. 152 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,760 He was amazed at it in verse 10. 153 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:13,800 Only twice in the New Testament do we see Jesus being astonished or marveling or amazed. 154 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:20,840 Here's one occasion when he was amazed at the faith of the centurion who was a Gentile. 155 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:28,080 The other time he was astonished was at the unbelief of the Jews. 156 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,960 Here's a very positive astonishment. 157 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:38,440 In his humanity, our Lord reacts to this man's insight and his understanding and his trust 158 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:44,200 and he was refreshed by it because he had not found in all of Israel this kind of faith. 159 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:48,320 Among all of the Jews as he searched, there was none who had faith that came close to 160 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:50,360 this Gentile. 161 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:56,360 He understood Jesus' person and his authority, his power. 162 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,560 And our Lord commended his faith because of that. 163 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:04,960 And of course the outcome of his faith was, well of course the servant was healed, that's 164 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,400 one thing, but there's something else involved. 165 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:13,560 In verse 11, Jesus says, I say to you, that's a way of saying, here is something you need 166 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:16,320 to listen to. 167 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:20,720 Many shall come from the east and the west and recline at the table with Abraham and 168 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,760 Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 169 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:30,200 But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness. 170 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:31,200 What is this table? 171 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,720 Maybe we ought to start there. 172 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:40,200 Our Lord was drawing upon a picture from the Old Testament, a messianic supper or feast 173 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:48,120 that was associated in their teaching with the kingdom of the Messiah. 174 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:49,800 Isaiah uses it this way. 175 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:56,360 I think it's in Isaiah chapter 25 verses 6 through 9, if I can read my writing correctly 176 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:57,880 here. 177 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,200 Isaiah speaks about the, in fact let's turn there and look at it because it's a rather 178 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:05,580 interesting picture that Isaiah draws. 179 00:14:05,580 --> 00:14:16,360 Isaiah chapter 26, excuse me, 25 verse 6. 180 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:22,920 And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain, 181 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:28,920 a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow and refined aged wine. 182 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:33,400 And on this mountain he will swallow up the covering which is over all the peoples, even 183 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:37,720 the veil which is stretched over all the nations. 184 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,560 He will swallow up death for all time. 185 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,880 And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces and he will remove the reproach 186 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,920 of his people from the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 187 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,240 What are these words talking about? 188 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:57,040 Talking about the kingdom and time to come when even the Gentiles will be a part of the 189 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:58,040 reign of the Messiah. 190 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:03,840 But you know what's interesting, the Jews forgot that truth as time passed and the centuries 191 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,480 went on. 192 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:09,080 And they began to see the kingdom as being theirs alone. 193 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:14,080 And the Gentiles would be cast out and they would say in their teaching in that day, the 194 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:15,840 Gentiles belong in the outer darkness. 195 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:17,760 They're not a part of the kingdom. 196 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,400 They're in the outer darkness. 197 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,120 They're outside, they're dogs. 198 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:27,160 And there was a great deal of bigotry and prejudice toward Gentiles, religious prejudice. 199 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:32,720 Now Jesus here turns the cart on the whole situation. 200 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:38,000 Drawing upon that picture of the feast and the kingdom when Messiah would come, he says 201 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,840 many will come from the east and the west, which is a way of saying the four points of 202 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:47,520 the compass, in other words from every direction, not just east and west, but from everywhere. 203 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:54,000 Many will come and will sit down and enjoy the kingdom with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 204 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:55,000 Who are the many? 205 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:02,720 Well, he's talking about Gentiles like this centurion who had placed faith in him and 206 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,680 his person and his power. 207 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:11,040 He is included in this band of the many who will come and enjoy the kingdom. 208 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:16,520 And then he says in verse 12, but the sons of the kingdom, who are they? 209 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:24,040 Well, those are the Jews who by their natural birth and their heritage felt that they were 210 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,320 the heirs of the kingdom of God. 211 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:32,400 And so Jesus uses the very term they used of themselves, the sons of the kingdom, he 212 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:37,880 says, shall be cast out into the outer darkness. 213 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,800 And so he says that they are the ones who are going to miss the kingdom. 214 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:42,800 Why? 215 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:49,960 Well, because of their unbelief, because of their failure to recognize who he is and his 216 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,480 power. 217 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:59,320 And he goes on to say, in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 218 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:06,940 And so Jesus is not simply presenting a theological concept that is that the Jews would fail because 219 00:17:06,940 --> 00:17:12,760 of unbelief and the Gentiles would be accepted because of belief. 220 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:13,760 It's more than that. 221 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,080 He's talking about an actual judgment. 222 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:22,120 He says a place, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is 223 00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:28,880 a sentence Jesus uses, a similar sentence to what Jesus uses in other places to describe 224 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:30,800 hell. 225 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:40,240 A place of fire and torment, of weeping, talking about the sorrow and the grief in that place. 226 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:46,880 And gnashing of teeth, the despair, the hopelessness, the grinding of one's teeth because of the 227 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,400 situation that one is in. 228 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:55,400 Jesus warns here that unbelief, such as that which he was finding among the Jews, would 229 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:59,520 lead to that place. 230 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:06,080 What a warning this is to all of us and to any one of us who might be in unbelief tonight, 231 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:12,080 who has not placed his or her faith in the person of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and 232 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,340 in his saving work at Calvary. 233 00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:21,120 For when one fails to place faith in Jesus Christ, he will join these, the sons of the 234 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:26,720 kingdom that Jesus speaks about here, who because of unbelief were cast out into the 235 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:34,520 place of suffering called Gehenna or hell. 236 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:40,360 One day when Jesus establishes his kingdom, there is going to be a man who was a centurion 237 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:46,000 in life who will sit down at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob because of his 238 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,000 faith. 239 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:51,920 There is going to be a lot of us there too, I trust, because of our trust and faith in 240 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,280 Jesus Christ. 241 00:18:54,280 --> 00:19:00,960 It is our faith placed in the person and the power of Jesus Christ which finds the commendation 242 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:02,600 of God. 243 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,600 Faith like this centurion had. 244 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:11,060 Every one of us, every one of us, every person listening to me will either one day sit down 245 00:19:11,060 --> 00:19:17,200 in that kingdom or be cast out of that kingdom and not share in it. 246 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:23,520 There's only two destinies and one or the other is your destiny and mine. 247 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:29,800 And the thing that makes the difference is our faith and who it's placed in. 248 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,800 It is faith placed in Jesus Christ that saves the soul. 249 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,920 And that's the kind of faith a centurion had. 250 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:41,740 And we notice finally the satisfaction of his faith. 251 00:19:41,740 --> 00:19:44,000 His faith was honored. 252 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,440 Jesus was pleased to heal that servant. 253 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:54,920 Jesus states to him in verse 13, go your way, let it be done to you as you have believed. 254 00:19:54,920 --> 00:20:00,640 Jesus is not saying here let it be done to you in proportion to your faith. 255 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,880 That is the teaching of some people these days. 256 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:09,360 See what he's saying is let it be done to you because of your faith. 257 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:17,400 Your request for healing is granted because of your discernment and trust in who I am 258 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,360 and what I can do. 259 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:24,280 It is faith that honors and pleases the Lord. 260 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:29,000 This morning as we looked at Hebrews 11, 6 we looked at that verse that you've memorized 261 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:31,400 this last week, right? 262 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:36,120 Or a verse that you've memorized in the past, without faith it is impossible to please 263 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:37,120 him. 264 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:39,920 You know that's quite a statement, isn't it? 265 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:43,880 It doesn't say that it's difficult. 266 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,040 It says it's impossible to please him without faith. 267 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:52,880 For he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who 268 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:58,420 diligently seek him. 269 00:20:58,420 --> 00:21:02,640 Just a closing word about the significance of the centurion's faith. 270 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:10,360 I think there is a significance in the first place to you and to me as individuals. 271 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:16,240 Tonight some of us have pressing needs too. 272 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:22,040 In this case it was a young lad who was near the point of death with some sort of paralysis. 273 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:28,720 Perhaps it was a type of polio which he had which was about to end his life, a pressing 274 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,640 urgent need. 275 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:35,720 If you find yourself tonight with some kind of an urgent need in your life, I want you 276 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:41,920 to know that there is one that you can look to in faith and know that he will minister 277 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:45,580 to you in your time of need. 278 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:48,080 He will do that. 279 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,760 You may trust him for your needs. 280 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:57,240 It is simple faith in his person and in his power that will bring your blessing. 281 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:04,080 Now it may not bring immediate relief to that need as it did in this particular case. 282 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,280 Remember what we said this morning? 283 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:14,200 Faith results in things being achieved and things happening according to God's scheme 284 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:19,320 of things, a grander scheme than you and I can see. 285 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:25,120 You may come to him with your pressing need, whatever that may be, and find in Jesus that 286 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:30,960 answer that you need. 287 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:36,620 We can also apply this of course to us as a church family as we think of pressing needs 288 00:22:36,620 --> 00:22:44,980 that we have as a church in ministry, in outreach, in finances, whatever area you may talk about, 289 00:22:44,980 --> 00:22:51,440 we have a Lord who is able to meet our needs and has proven himself time and time again. 290 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:57,120 And as he allows us to pass through trials, it is so that our faith may come to a clearer, 291 00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:04,840 more discerning understanding of his power and of his person, that we might know him, 292 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,080 know him better. 293 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:14,200 Let us thank God tonight that we have a Lord who because of who he is and what he can do 294 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,960 can reach down into our lives and intervene. 295 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,320 We don't come to him presumptuously. 296 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:22,080 We don't come to God demanding. 297 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:28,360 I heard a well-meaning young preacher one time speak from the book of Isaiah where 298 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:33,440 in the King James Version at least it seems to say there that we can order the hands of 299 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:38,960 God, that by our prayers we can tell God what to do. 300 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:44,280 I sent a shiver up my spine as I heard him really preach a verse out of context and tell 301 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,680 people to do something that I don't believe God ever intends for us to do. 302 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:55,640 It is not ours to order God what to do, but it is ours to come to him as did the centurion 303 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:02,120 with humility and a sense of our own unworthiness and to put our need before him, to lay it 304 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:05,000 out and then to see how it would work. 305 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,600 Oh, isn't that what Hezekiah did? 306 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:11,200 When there was that pressing need, the enemy was surrounding the city. 307 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,240 He didn't know what to do. 308 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,560 There was no answer humanly speaking. 309 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,960 He went into the temple of the Lord and laid out his request before God. 310 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,280 The God of heaven intervened on his behalf. 311 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:30,540 You and I can know that same experience of God working in our lives as we place our faith 312 00:24:30,540 --> 00:24:37,560 in Him, not only for salvation, but for the daily needs that we have. 313 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:44,680 The faith that receives His commendation is a faith that perceives His person and His 314 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:45,680 power. 315 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,080 It is faith that rests upon Him. 316 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:52,920 I'd like to sing about that at this point in the service. 317 00:24:52,920 --> 00:25:03,080 Would you turn in your hymnal please to number 325, one of my favorite hymns, Jesus, I am 318 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:08,160 resting in the joy of what thou art.