Sermon outline and notes: © Dr. Stephen Felker, Pastor Swift Creek Baptist Church.com, 18510 Branders Bridge Rd., Colonial Heights, VA 23834 4/28/2013

Luke 7:1-10

“Amazing Faith”

Intro. Do you really understand what true biblical faith is? Do you have biblical faith when you believe something hard enough? Is real faith the same as positive thinking? No! Well what is real faith? We are going to see the answer in my text this morning as we see a great example of faith. What is surprising is that such great faith was not demonstrated by a Jewish religious leader. Rather, it was demonstrated by a Gentile (Syrian?) centurion soldier. Would it surprise you to learn that Roman centurion soldiers are typically portrayed in a positive light in the New Testament? There are at least three examples: the one in this story, & the one who believed at the cross of Jesus, & the one who believed in Acts 10.1 A Roman centurion was in charge of about 100 men.2 Usually, these centurions had long, regular service records. They were considered the finest men in the Roman Army (Polybius). As we look at this story, one word boldly flashes in our minds, “faith.” Here we find a Gentile who is living in the land of the Israelites, who had greater faith than any of the Jews. His faith was so great, & the source so unexpected, and it caused Jesus to marvel. That’s saying something! I want to challenge you to develop the same kind of great faith as this centurion. So as we look at this story we’re going to discover several important truths about faith. Faith is so important because Ephesians 2:8 says that you have to have faith to be saved, and made right with God. Secondly, you have to have faith to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” So I hope that each one here today understands the importance of having strong faith. With that in mind, let us consider first of all: I. OUR NEED FOR FAITH When is it that you really need faith in God? Here’s the answer that I glean from this text. In v.2 it says that the “centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.” When do you need faith? You need faith: A. When You Have a Need Only God Can Meet – The centurion of our story was placed in that kind of situation. So with that in mind, notice the great problem he faced. His bondservant, according to Matthew’s account, was bedridden with paralysis, suffering terribly (8:6). I’m sure his doctor had tried to help this man; but his health did not improve & he was about to die. Thus, the centurion had no one else to turn to. All human hope was gone. What made the problem even greater was the fact that evidently the centurion loved and cared about this boy who was dying. In fact, Luke says in v.2 that the servant “was dear to him.” Literally, he was held in honor. He highly valued & prized this servant. Matthew’s account uses a word (pais) that could refer to a child or teenage boy. It was rather common in Roman society to have a child slave in the house. Evidently, this slave boy grew up in the household, & was probably like a son to this centurion. He was facing a situation that required faith, for only God could save his servant. 1 2

See also Mt. 8:5-13; 27:54; Mk. 15:39, 44-45; Luke 23:47; Acts 10:22; cf. also Acts 27:43. Each cohort had six centuries. Each legion had ten cohorts or bands.

Some of you this morning are facing a difficult situation. It seems your back is up against the wall. You wonder why God has let you experience such difficulties. Well one reason is to put you in the place where you will realize that you have a need that only God can meet. Then, in that kind of situation, you will have the opportunity of exercising faith in God. You and I don’t like to be in those kinds of situations. We want to be in control. But God allows us to face difficult situations in life so that you will have to place your faith in Him. You see, faith is like a muscle which grows strong only with exercise. A Japanese Christian once said, “A faith that does nothing, gives nothing, costs nothing, & suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” I want you to understand, our faith is really only used when our back is up against the wall. God only wants the best for you and He only allows things to come inside your life to help you personally grow. God wants you to grow. He wants you to become a strong, mature believer, trusting Him for all things. However, our faith in Him is never increased and never refined until we go through great problems. I’m reminded of the story of a little boy who was climbing on a barn roof. His father had continually told him, “Son, don’t play on the roof!” And there upon that four-story barn, he pranced around and was having a good time when all of a sudden he slipped and began to slide down the roof. It looked like he was going to fall all the way to disaster. There was nothing to hold on to on that slippery tin roof in those worn-out overalls. Speed began to pick up. The little boy knew nothing to do but cry out, “Lord, help me!” Just then at that very moment, his overalls were caught on a nail, breaking his fall and stopping his slide. Breathing a sigh of relief the little boy said, “Lord, I can make it now, that’s okay!” Sometimes we don’t recognize God’s answer when we do call upon Him! Many of us just don’t trust God until we face a very difficult situation. Faith is dependence upon God and you see, dependence upon God only begins when self-dependence comes to an end. For us, sadly, the only time self-dependence ends is when sorrow, suffering, afflictions, and trials come into our lives. When we finally throw up our hands and say, “Oh God, there’s no way out except You!”, that is when real faith can be exercised. This centurion had his back up against the wall. It was a trial. He was going to have to go through it with his dear servant boy, and there was only one solution to his trial and that was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So we have seen when you really need to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus. I have described the fact that you need faith when you face the very difficult trials of life. Now let’s apply the need to exercise faith to other situations as I ask this question: B. Will You Recognize Your Need for Faith? I want to point out a few other situations that you will face in life, where only God can meet that need. First of all, you need to trust in God: 1. For Forgiveness - We all have sinned against God, and only God can forgive you of your sin. Jesus has made this possible by His death upon the cross. Will you believe in God’s provision of forgiveness through faith in Christ? 2. For Fulfillment - When will you realize that true fulfillment only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ? Too often we have to find out the hard way that sin and the pleasures of the world do not bring lasting satisfaction. Instead, you need to believe in Jesus who said, “I am come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Nothing can fill the God-shaped void in your heart but a relationship with God, & His Son Jesus.

3. For a Future in Heaven - After promising to make for us an eternal home in heaven, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). He is the One who conquered death. When you realize that no one else can give you eternal life, you should certainly believe in Jesus. So we have seen from this text of Scripture the need for faith. Now let’s see from our text: II. THE EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH True faith is not just a mental activity. True faith shows itself in action. James 2:20 says “faith without works is dead.” Notice how the faith of this centurion shows us how faith is demonstrated. First of all: A. True Faith Brings Requests to Jesus – We read in v.3, “So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him,3 pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.” He was a Gentile & didn’t feel worthy to approach Jesus directly, so he got these Jewish elders to intercede on His behalf. Notice in v.3 that “he heard about Jesus.” His faith was based on what he had heard about Jesus. Rom. 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Jesus had performed quite a many healings in and around Capernaum (Mt. 11:23; Luke 4:23). He was convinced that Jesus was more than a mere man. Having heard about the Great Physician and what He had done for others, the centurion now pleads that the same mercy be shown to his own servant. So because of his faith, he brought his problem to Christ by means of some Jewish elders, who kept pleading (imperfect tense) with Jesus to come & heal the centurion’s servant. They did so earnestly, for time was short. Do you believe in Jesus enough to take your problems & needs to Him in prayer? Do you believe in Jesus enough to ask others to intercede on your behalf to Jesus? He is only a prayer away. If you really believe, you will act on your faith & go to Jesus in prayer. Yet so many of us, when we go through problems in life, we try to deal with them ourselves. Don’t you know the problems come in our lives to teach us to trust in God? Now we also know from our text that this Centurion was a Gentile who came to believe in the God of Israel. How do we know that? Well notice another expression of His faith: B. True Faith Practices Good Works – Notice in vv.4-5 that the Jewish elders “begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ‘for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.’" Like a great many others in that strange, restless era of our Lord, this man seems to have become tired of the hollowness of heathenism. His military service brought him into contact with Judaism and its monotheism. Evidently understanding something of the truth in Judaism, that God-fearing Gentile realized that he was dealing with the covenant people of the living God. Note that he loved the Jewish nation. There is something wrong with the person who says they love God, and believe in God, but do not love His people! Likewise, how can you say you love God, but you don’t love His church? Notice also that he was a major contributor in building the synagogue building there in Capernaum. I’ve been to Capernaum and have stood in the ruins of the synagogue there. People

3

Matthew tells us the centurion himself came (Matt. 8:5), but we can readily understand that the elders presented his case to the Lord, as representing him [Ironside]. He came to Jesus through the elders.

say that its foundation came from Christ’s day and was possibly even purchased by that very centurion. The synagogue was a fairly sizable building. There are a number of people here today who have expressed their love for God & His church by contributing hundreds or thousands of dollars to build one or more of the 3 buildings on this property. Does your faith in God show itself in good works? If not, can you truly say that you have faith? Now let’s see another expression of true faith: C. True Faith Professes Humility – That’s part of what faith is all about. Faith in God is found in the person who understands their own smallness & unworthiness, and the greatness of Jesus. The centurion who had expressed his love for a slave by desiring his healing was a tough, strong man. He had to be in order to become a centurion. But he became a gentle, humble man. He wouldn’t come to Jesus himself because he didn’t feel worthy. He said in the last of v.6, “I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.” He didn’t want Jesus to have to enter his house, because he knew that a Jew was forbidden to enter the house of a Gentile (cf. Acts 10:28; 11:2, 3). Rather than violating that tradition, the centurion chose to honor it. The Romans were not known for displaying humility, especially before their Jewish subjects. But this man was different. He was humble. In order to place our faith in God, we must humbly acknowledge our need, and our inability to meet that need. Then, we should come humbly into His presence. We don’t deserve His intervention, but we believe in a God who loves us, and is able to meet our needs. D. True Faith Believes in the Power of the Word of Jesus - At the beginning of the story the centurion had asked Jesus to come (v.3). But now that the Lord has almost arrived, he sent his friends with a modified request. Due to his humility, Jewish law, & further reflection on the greatness of Jesus, he sent word to Jesus that He need not come any further. He realized that his previous request was not even necessary. So he said in the last of v.7, “But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” As a military man he had learned how to receive orders and to execute them and hence to expect obedience to his commands. The officer saw a parallel between the way he commanded his soldiers and the way Jesus commanded diseases to depart. All they had to do was say the word and things happened. The centurion was saying, “I know a man with authority when I see one. I’ve seen what You’ve done and I know the power of Your words.” He reasoned from the lesser to the greater. In effect, he said, “I am under authority and I can command things to happen. But You are above all authorities—how much more can You but speak a word, and cause anything to happen!” The centurion’s unique response showed his absolute confidence in the power and authority of Christ. That is great faith. He recognized Jesus as Master over disease with power to compel obedience. How did that man develop such great faith? He was likely familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Genesis account we read that God created the world, and all that is in it, just by speaking the word. Somehow this centurion came to believe that Jesus must be the Son of God, and that He has the same power as God. All Jesus had to do was speak the word, and his servant would be healed. Even so, we need to believe that God has the power & authority to just speak the word, and our problem will be solved; our need will be met. All you really need is faith in God. So we have seen from our text the need for faith, and the expressions of faith. Now let us see:

III. THE RESULTS OF FAITH If we can be challenged to have this kind of great faith, we will experience the same kind of results. Notice 3 results of true faith: A. Such Faith Pleases God - Heb. 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him….” How do we know that the faith of this centurion pleased the Son of God? 1. As Seen in the Reaction of Jesus – We read in v.9, “When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him….” Most of the time we read of others marveling at what Jesus had done or said. But here we read of one of the few times that Jesus marveled at someone else!4 In His humanness Jesus was literally amazed at the faith of that Gentile. You have got to have a unique kind of faith to amaze Jesus. So when the text says that Jesus marveled, you know that is quite a statement. We also see that Jesus was pleased with the faith of the centurion: 2. As Seen in the Words of Jesus – In the last of v.9 Jesus turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" One reason anyone should wonder at the faith of the centurion was the fact that it came from a Gentile, rather than a Jew! His great faith was a taste of things to come, because there have been countless other Gentiles who have had that kind of faith in Christ! Do you have the kind of faith that pleases God? Do you have the kind of faith that causes people to marvel? I hope we will all be challenged this morning to have that kind of faith! So we have seen that such faith pleases God. Now consider with me another result: B. Such Faith Produced Results – Putting your faith in God is not a futile exercise. It produces results! We read in v.10, “And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.” Matthew adds that from that very moment the boy was cured (8:13). Can you imagine the little servant boy popping out of his bed and saying, “I don’t know what happened, but I’m healed!”? Then the whole household began to rejoice together at the sudden & miraculous healing of the servant! And can you imagine how much greater the centurion’s faith was after his servant had been healed? Even so, if you need forgiveness, faith in Jesus will bring the result you need. If you need a changed life, faith in Jesus will bring results. If you need eternal life, Jesus will grant such eternal life if you trust in Him. Whatever you truly need, faith in Jesus brings results! Then finally: C. Such Faith Results in Salvation - Matthew’s account adds something that I should mention in closing. Luke the physician focuses upon the healing. But Matthew’s account includes the fact that Jesus pointed out that such faith was lacking among many Jews. He also pointed out that faith was necessary for entering into the coming Kingdom of God. Let us close by looking over to Matthew 8. Jesus says in vv.11-12, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness….” That statement was no doubt shocking to the Jews who heard him. Yet it is clear that salvation is not based on physical & 4

Also, in Mark 6:6 it says, “And He marveled because of their unbelief.”

family connections, but it is based on personal faith in Jesus Christ. That is the only way you will enter into the kingdom of God. Do you believe that repentance of sin, and a sincere prayer to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life is all that is necessary for salvation? But too many do not have that kind of faith. They have to have some priest lay hands upon them, and give sacraments, in order to receive the blessings of salvation. But Jesus teaches here that we should have a faith that receives salvation simply by believing the bare word of Jesus. I believe that Jesus need only speak the words, “You are forgiven,” and all my sins are indeed forgiven. Faith is all we need. I must point out the warning that Jesus gives concerning those who fail to place their faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of being included in the blessings of the coming Kingdom, those without true faith in Jesus will be cast out into outer darkness. The rabbis taught that sinners would be sent away from the light of God’s presence. Jesus confirms that here. Paradoxically, hell is not only a place of darkness; it is also a place of fire. Its supernatural quality enables fire to exist in total darkness, a phenomenon created by God for eternal punishment. So instead of feasting in the Kingdom there will be famine. You will experience anguish so great there will be gnashing of teeth. Jesus warns of this many times (Matt. 13:42; 22:13; 24:51), & He does so because he loves you. Listen to the warning of Jesus, and believe in Him while you may. 2 Cor. 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation.” Conclusion: Now if this Roman soldier, with very little spiritual instruction, had such great faith, how much more faith should we have! We have an entire Bible to read and study, and yet too often we are guilty of no faith or little faith. Will you join me in seeking from the Lord a greater faith? Sources: Dr. Curt Dodd (notes from his sermon on Luke 7:1-10); William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978); H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the Gospel of Luke (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1947); John MacArthur, Jr., The Power of Jesus: Matthew 8:1-9:8, 18-35 (Panorama City, CA: Word of Grace Communications, 1984), 16-26; Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Vol. 6 (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House); Larry Pierce, Online Bible [Ver. 4:23] (Ontario: onlinebible.net, 2012); A.T. Robertson, New Testament Word Pictures, Vol. II (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1931, accessed through Online Bible); Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Compassionate: Luke 1-13 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1988). Other sources listed in the footnotes. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982). ABOUT THESE SERMON NOTES © Dr. Stephen Felker. These notes may be used and even shared for personal study or ministry, but not for commercial purposes. The author credits the sources listed above and footnotes for much of the content. Since Dr. Felker’s sermons are generally preached without notes, the “live” recording of this sermon will be more completely in the author’s own words. To obtain an audio recording of this message, you may send $2 for each CD ordered, plus $2 shipping & handling for each order mailed in. Up to 2 messages come on each CD. Make checks payable to Swift Creek Baptist Church, P.O. Box 235, Colonial Heights, VA 23834. Or you may listen free at www.sermonaudio.com/pastorFelker. Dr. Felker’s email address is [email protected] (remove signs).