Luke 7:1-10
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good Morning!
Business Meeting in 2 weeks.
We have seen in our study of Luke so far that Jesus has authority...
in his teaching
over demons
over sickness
over nature
and
over the law itself.
Today we will meet a man that truly understands authority.
We are going to see someone who embodies the sermon that we heard from Jesus last week.
Last week Jesus told us what we would look like if we built our lives on the Rock rather than on the sand.
This week we will meet a guy who fleshes that out for us.
Please turn in your Bibles to Luke ch. 7 and let’s read the first ten verses.
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.
A centurion was a fairly high-ranking soldier in the Roman army.
As you may discern from his title, centurion - century or centennial - having to do with the number 100, was in charge of 100 Roman soldiers.
They weren’t very strict on this number, so it may have been more or less, but he was in charge of about 100 soldiers.
He rose to this rank by being a great warrior who proved himself to be a natural leader.
This fellow was a man’s man.
==
You know, we hear a lot today about toxic masculinity.
What exactly is that?
Theoretically, it could refer to men who would rather fight and dominate rather than think, talk, and persuade.
In other words, a bully.
The toxic adjective could refer to men who dominate others by intimidation.
Unfortunately, I think in today’s society any masculinity is considered toxic.
==
We will see that this man’s man did not think it was inappropriate or weak to show humility and compassion.
Look with me at v. 2 and we will see his care and compassion for his servant.
2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
Now, I told you this centurion was going to be the embodiment of the teaching in Lk. 6.
Notice who the centurion is concerned for and trying to help.
It is a servant - someone of a much lower station, who will not be able to repay him.
I mean, if he gets well he will continue to serve him, but that is his job.
This guy is going above and beyond to find help for this servant because he cares about him.
Back in ch. 6, we read Jesus command...
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
This powerful guy is helping his servant who does not have the power to repay him.
He is doing good to someone and not expecting anything in return.
Why?
Because he highly valued this servant’s life.
So, we see that this centurion was strong, kind, and compassionate.
Next, we will see that he was loving and generous.
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.”
I hope the strangeness of this is not lost on you.
The Jews passionately hated the Romans.
They were gentiles - that was bad enough, but they were also an occupying force.
To make matters worse, this centurion was probably there not only to keep the peace, but to make sure taxes were collected.
The Jews weren’t very high on tax collectors either.
For this centurion to be loved and respected by the Jewish elders, -
he really must have had a way with people.
==
These Jewish elder were not coerced...
they wanted Jesus to help him.
They did not come to Jesus and say, -
“Please help this guy or he will make our lives harder.” -
On the contrary they said...
“please help this guy because he loves our nation,
he has been super generous to us,
and he is worthy of your help.”
==
The Jewish elders think this guy is worthy of Jesus’ attention and blessing
But...
Notice the centurion has a very different perspective.
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.
He did not fail to come to Jesus in person because he was too important.
He didn’t say, I’ll send other folks to do this mundane job of getting a healer for my slave.
Rather...
He had heard about Jesus, and he knew that he was not worthy to come to him.
I don’t know who told him about Jesus, but he really did a fantastic job of evangelism.
The Jewish elders thought he was worthy, but he certainly didn’t think he was worthy.
==
This is the difference between man-made religion and the gospel.
Man-made religion says if I do these things I can be worthy to receive that thing.
Quid Pro Quo
ALL man-made religions work that way!
The Jewish elders said,...
He’s done these things, therefore, as a reward, you should do what he asks.
Religion said, “he’s worthy”...
but...
The centurion said, “I am not worthy.”
Religion says to us, “here is how you can become worthy”
Only the gospel says...
You can never be worthy, but Jesus was worthy in your place.
You can never be good enough to get to God, so He came to you
The centurion did not think he had earned God’s favor...
If he had, he could have boldly approached Jesus...
listed his good works...
and said, “because of these good works will you now do something for me?”
Instead, he was seeking help for someone else...
and not presuming to even approach Jesus himself.
Our God is unapproachable in his holiness.
But
He approached us because he loves us.
‘twas Grace that taught my heart to fear
That is the first step...
realizing God’s holiness and our sinfulness...
and the unbridgeable chasm between the two...
if God has shown you that, it is by His grace that you see it...
the song goes on to say,...
and grace my fears relieved...
that is when you realize that seemingly unbridgeable chasm has, in fact, been bridged by the cross of Jesus.
==
Some people think that all religions lead to God...
It’s like they are all going up the same mountain, they are just taking different routes.
All man-made religions are leading to the same place - but that place is hell.
The gospel says - God came down off that mountain because you could never possibly manage to climb it.
==
Somehow this centurion knew that despite all his accomplishments and good works, he was still not worthy of God’s favor.
Something else this guy understood was Jesus’ authority.
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.”
This centurion had learned two very important lessons -
how to be under authority, and
how to be in authority.
Until you learn the first lesson, you are not ready for the second lesson.
Our society despises authority!
Because...
by definition, when someone else has authority, it limits your personal autonomy.
In our society, personal autonomy is the greatest good.
Women should have the autonomy to kill their unborn children if they choose to.
Everyone should have the autonomy to be with, romantically, anyone they choose to be with.
A little thing like reality shouldn’t even hold us back...
If reality limits our autonomy regarding our gender, that has to go!
Our society lost its moral compass long ago...
now it has lost its collective mind.
Do you remember the anarchist village in Seattle?
Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Recently, lots of folks have decided they have the autonomy to loot and burn other people’s stuff.
Never in my life have I seen such a hatred for authority.
When a cop pulls me over, I do what he asks me to do when he asks me to do it.
Do you know why?
Because I respect authority, and I know what it is to be under authority.
The last guy that pulled me over was kind of jerk...
((tell story))
After our encounter I can’t say that I had a lot of respect for that individual, but I respected his authority.
IF YOU DO NOT TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN TO RESPECT YOUR AUTHORITY, IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO LEARN TO RESPECT GOD’S AUTHORITY.
(repeat)
I know that you will mess up in your parenting...
I certainly have
but...
my kids grew up respecting authority and they still respect authority today.
==
I see kids who tell their parents “no”
Let me tell you, the only time my kids told me “no” was to a question like, “Would you like ketchup?” (and then it was no, thank you)
Let me encourage you parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to teach your kids to respect your authority...
and I mean fully and immediately.
You can do it...
I know from experience.
Another unsolicited bit of advice is...
If you threaten a punishment for your kids - enact that punishment.
If punishment had to be delayed for my kids, I would tell them something like...
Unless I die or Jesus comes back before we get home, I solemnly promise that you will get an energetic and thorough spanking!
Do you know why they believed me?
Because I did not fail to deliver!
If they learn correction and respect for authority from you, it will help them later in their relationship to God.
==
So, we all need to learn what it is to be under authority.
I hope your parents helped you with that.
But whether or not they did,...
we all must learn to be completely under Jesus’ authority.
Remember last week?
You can either say Lord to Jesus - and mean it...
or
You can reserve the right to say “no.”
But
You cannot do both.
==
As far as I can tell, there were two times the Bible records that Jesus was amazed.
One of them was recorded in Mark 6.
1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
Jesus was amazed by their lack of faith.
The other time that the Bible says Jesus was amazed is here in Luke 7.
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.
Is your faith amazing?
If so, which way is it amazing?
The lack of it, or the greatness of it?
Don’t you want to be a man or woman who amazes Jesus by...
your faith
your humility
your repentance over sin
your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ
your love for your neighbors
your love for your enemies
your generosity
your mercy
your compassion
your good works that glorify your father in heaven
your devotion to him
and
your submission to him?
This kind of person has clearly built their life on the rock rather than the sand.
==
What about our church?
Do you think Jesus is amazed by our faith or by our fear and complacency?
If we are honest, we all know the answer there is not a good one.
We are trying to change that, but it is going to take courage!
((faith is not wishful thinking))
One aspect of faith is boldness based on God’s Word and instruction!
What do we do?
What do we do?
Understand kingdom authority.
Do you want God to use you, to work through you and this church?
If so, get yourself fully and completely under the authority of Jesus.
By doing so, you will then be fit to be given authority.
Individually and corporately, we must show that we are fully and joyfully under Christ’s authority.
God is far too wise to give his authority to rebels.
Do you want our church to reach people and make an impact?
I desperately want that.
Operate by faith and not fear.
We should never be foolish, but neither should we be fearful.
How big is your God?
Is he the God of Eph. 3.20?
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Let’s become a church that amazes Jesus for all the right reasons and see what he is willing to do in and through us.
The first step in coming under the authority and lordship of Christ is
Understanding the Gospel
Repenting of your sins
and
Placing your faith in Jesus.