Great Faith
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Introduction
Introduction
This morning we are at the last Sunday morning of March and we are just a few weeks till Easter.
Hard to believe we are approaching Easter already and with it the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Easter is one of most attended services of the year, because people feel like the should come, like Christmas. But hopefully they will come with a open heart for the Lord to speak to them..
because they feel like the should, like Christmas. And as a pastor I want to tell you to build off of this…
Invite people, pray for people, and encourage people to join us for worship on Easter. It may be the one time they reach out and the Lord can use that moment in their heart to get ahold of them and bring them closer to Him.
I believe the Lord seeks to use these times for his glory, to draw people back home, to help increase their faith and bring about a great change in their life.
So as we approach Easter I want to encourage you to please go out of your way to invite, share and seek to bring people into His house over these next few weeks leading up until Easter.
There is nothing better that we can do my friends, if we will reach out the Lord will bless and work through us.
This morning we are going to begin with the topic of faith and see where one man’s faith demonstrated great things in His life.
Why faith this morning, we must always seek to grow in our faith, so that our relationship and walk with the Lord can grow.
So lets go to Matthew chapter 8 this morning and lets consider the religious leader who approached Jesus looking for help.
So this morning Matthew chapter 8, verses 5-13
1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to 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 this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
A beautiful story of faith, healing and the power of Jesus .... Now consider this...
Someone once said “Real faith is believing before seeing it… That is at the core of our story this morning....
A beautiful
Now we know that Jesus has come into Capernaum, that city on the north west shore of the sea of Galilee. It is His home away from home if you will, we see him there often and we see that this is a place where the Lord does many great and wonderful things...
And today, in our text is just another one of those examples....
So lets begin, it all starts right off the bat with a great problem.
1. A Great Problem
1. A Great Problem
The Bible tells us that right off the bat this day, as Jesus finds himself in Capernaum, and it is a city where there are many, many people that live in and around this city.
There is a lot of needs in this city, and Jesus has done many great things here, and the people are always following him here and yes, looking for him, hoping to meet him.
Today is just one of those days… there are needs in the city and people are reaching out by faith...
One of which is a Roman, a person serving at the garrison there.. and on this day Jesus is approached by a gentile man.
This gentile is referred only as a “Centurion”
Now a centurion is a Romans military officer who is in charge of 100 men. So he is a person with some authority and as such he has the ability to go and do and keep tabs on the city.
And this day He knows that Jesus is there in the city.....
I bet every time Jesus entered a city the people gathered around him and the word spread fairly quickly that he was once again there...
Now why do I think that.... I do not think it is just by a random choice that this roman officer found Jesus, … no this day he has heard that Jesus is there and he makes his way to find him… because He has a great need....
Look at verses 5-6
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
The centurion came to him, appealing to him.... That word “appeal” here means to beg earnestly… to request with great zeal....
Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed, at home suffering terribly.... We are not told exactly the entire trouble the servant was afflicted by....except that he is paralyzed in this illness and is near death....
And the officer is asking for help.... He is desperate and he reaches out to the one He believes can help… He is reaching out by faith… not seeing but believing.
At times we bear problems, worries about situations that we do not have the answers for...
And we can do just like this man, we can appeal to Jesus in our time of need.
We reach out in faith.....
Do you have a need today?
Instead of trying to bear it alone, turn to Jesus, look to Him by faith.
Now lets move on to our second thought....
2. A Reassuring Promise...
2. A Reassuring Promise...
One of the greatest truths I can remind you of today is the omniscient nature of our Lord.
He is all knowing, how wonderful that Jesus sees and knows out heart as well as out needs as we approach him.
Now as the centurion approached Jesus, Jesus knew that this officer was the real deal… Jesus knew as Luke tells us that this man loved Israel, and he loved God’s people. And he cared for his servants, those around him...
So in need he came to Jesus..... That is the best decision he made...
Oh friends the best decision we ever made was coming to Jesus
Now lets look at verses 7-9
7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Upon hearing this man’s need, Jesus said “I will come and heal him”…
Listen to this … Jesus says two things here, I will come. and I will heal him.
Jesus is letting this Centurion officer know that he has found favor in the sight of God, even though he is not a Jewish person, the Lord has found him acceptable because He is one of great faith… I will come, I will heal him...
You can see the Love of God here.... God loves the people of the earth, He desires that they come to Him.
And as the centurion sees the Love of God, Jesus sees his faith.
Jesus tells him I will come and heal him… but the roman officer issues a protest...
But at that moment there is some protest here in our text..... It isn’t that he doesn’t want Jesus to heal his servant, it is the fact that as a gentile, as a man, he was not worthy to have this man, Jesus come under his roof.
Look again at the text....
In
7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Matthew
The centurion said Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my rood, but only say the word and my servant will be healed…
And just so that no one miss interrupts the meaning, He demonstrates His faith by saying just as I have men under me and I tell one go here or there and they do it… so just say the word Lord and my servant will be healed....
He knew that all Jesus had to do was to speak it and it would be done
Now that is faith…
Do you have that type of faith today my friends? Do you believe that Jesus can bring healing in your life.......
Do you believe Jesus can change any and every area of your life?
Ask Him today...
And then finally today.... the last thought my friends
3. The Awesome Power of Jesus
3. The Awesome Power of Jesus
When we demonstrate faith, expect to see great things....
That is exactly what we see happening here, the servant of this Centurion is sick, paralyzed and dying…
Verses 8-13
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to 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 this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Matt
Jesus hears the faith of this Officer, just say the word and it will be done and listen to Jesus response.... verse 10
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
Listen, Jesus knew his faith, he is blessed by it and uses it as a teaching point for everyone else to here.
First - Jesus contrasts this man with his own people of Israel.... They were the ones who should believe - but instead their hearts were hardened, they were stricken with unbelief…
Secondly - Jesus is alluding to the future truth that Gentile and Jew alike will sit at His table with Abraham and others in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Listen to Isa 59:19
Isa 59:19
19 So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream,
which the wind of the Lord drives.
8 Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.”
Isa 49
And then if you look at ;11
11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
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God had always called the world to come to Him, to come and know Him as the one true God,
But some of his own children would be lost in unbelief… look at verse 12
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
How sad to have the truth and reject it… oh my friends we must be a witnessing people to that people might have the opportunity to believe...
And then we see the awesome power of God, as this officer has reached out by faith, His faith is rewarded, so in the hearing of all. the Lord told the Centurion Officer
Look at verse 13...
And so this day, in the hearing of all. the Lord told the Centurion Officer
13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
The servant was healed at that very moment, just as he believed so the Lord worked a miracle in his life.....
Let me ask you a question today, do you have great faith?
Are you searching for an answer, for help and you believe the Lord can help, but you have never approached His throne and asked?
I believe He stands ready for those who have faith...
Pray
150 Expository Sermon Outlines 99. Powerful Faith (Matthew 8:5–13)
Matthew 8:5–13
Someone has said, “Faith is believing God and asking no questions.” Real faith believes before it sees—Hebrews 11:1. It is necessary to have faith in order to please God—Hebrews 11:6. The same faith that brings salvation will also produce miracles. This same faith will keep you.
1. THE PROBLEM—vv. 5–6
2. THE PROMISE—vv. 7–9
3. THE POWER—vv. 10–12
4. THE PERFECTION—v. 13
Put your faith into action. Do not be afraid to step out in faith. All the great men of God were men of faith. Read Hebrews 11, and see how these great men did the impossible because of faith.