Great Faith

Man marvels at mighty buildings and mighty skills. Jesus marveled at one thing: FAITH. Once he marveled at faith’s want, here he marvels at faith’s wealth. Jesus viewed the faith of this Roman soldier and marveled. Jesus marvels at how grace won out in this Gentile soldiers heart. To marvel means to ?admire with amazement.? Today, let us marvel at what Jesus marveled and may we demonstrate the faith of this Centurion.

Great faith! Can you have it? What does it take? Why is it important?
We can be sure that these four Gospel accounts are reliable, authentic, and accurate. Tertullian wrote in a work in A.D. 207, ?We posit as our first principle that the evangelical instrument has apostles as its authors, to whom was assigned by the Lord himself this duty of publishing the Gospel?of these apostles, therefore, John and Matthew first instill faith into us, while the apostolic men, Luke and Mark, renew it.? From the very earliest writings of the early Christian writers, they spoke of four Gospel accounts.

Last week we noted that there are four Gospels and we are to take the Gospel to the four points of the earth in the four seasons to every nation!
Matthew wrote primarily to the Jews and presents Jesus as the KING. Mark wrote primarily with the Romans in mind and presented Jesus as a SERVANT. Luke wrote to the Greeks and Gentiles and presented Jesus as the Son of Man. John wrote with the whole world in mind and presented Jesus as the Son of God.

There is nothing in all the world that is like these four Gospel accounts. Here we have four different views of the greatest event in all of history, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These books have stood the test of mocking and persecution and have been preserved to tell us that Jesus lives.

In Matthew 8-9 we see ten different miracles that the King accomplishes to show His authority. In these two chapters we witness His authority over sickness (Matt.8:1-17), His authority over nature (Matt.8:23-27), over demons (Matt.8:28-34), and over death (Matt.9:18-26).
Biblical faith is confidence in God (the conviction or assurance) regarding unseen realities revealed in God’s Word in reference to the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.

Faith is NOT FANTASY, but faith is grounded in the unchanging WORD OF GOD. Faith is based on REALITY, but in things real that are not seen.
Faith is NOT a denial of REALITY. For example, if one is sick, it is not faith that says, ?I am not sick.? No, faith faces reality in the visible world with confidence in God because of a greater reality in the unseen world. We know God is in control.

Faith is FOUNDATIONAL to WHO we are and WHAT we do Hebrews 11a: ?Faith is the substance of things hoped for??
The word “substance” speaks of what is BEHIND how we behave or what we believe. This word means, “foundation.” When you want to GET TO THE BOTTOM of everything we ultimately do, you get to faith:
Faith is what’s BEHIND and at the BOTTOM of everything we say and do!
Faith is a SURE HOPE for FUTURE UNSEEN REALITIES Hebrews 11a: “Faith is the substance of THINGS HOPED FOR…”
Faith is a DEEP CONVICTION that what we do not see is yet real! Hebrews 11:1b: “…the evidence of things not seen.”
Evidence means conviction, assurance or something you are willing to prove.

Let’s look at the Great Faith of this Centurion:

1. The CONFLICTS of Great Faith
His faith challenges us that we too can have great faith!
A. Ungodly Influences
Here was a Roman Centurion, a commander of 100 Roman soldiers. Why do you think Roman soldiers were in Israel at the time? Do you think they were protecting the rights of the Jews like our soldiers are now protecting us at bridges, tunnels, and airports? No, these soldiers were there to protect the rights of the Roman Caesar, even if he be a tyrant. Many of these soldiers loathed the Jews, and were often obnoxious, oppressive, and would mistreat and misuse the people, plundering them for their wages. When soldiers came to hear John the Baptist and said, what shall we do, John said,
Luke 3:14, ?Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.? These were the things they did do.

He had a profession that could easily have led him to be very proud and ungodly. Immorality abounded among soldiers, wicked language, vain ambitions, and fleshly desires. These soldiers were Gentiles and were not instructed in the promises of God and His Law. His society told him that Caesar was God, that servants were mere property, and that death only led to the grave. There is no after-life, many believed then and many believe now, but this is not the faith of the elect. Circumstances made it unlikely that he would ever have a great faith, but look at his love for his servant. His profession made it unlikely that he would ever have great faith, but look at his faith as he comes to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maybe you are surrounded by ungodly influences, but you can still have great faith in the Lord. Maybe you are the only one in your family who really has a relationship with Jesus, or the only one in your building, or the only one on your job. You can still have great faith in spite of an ungodly environment all around you.

B. Impossible Circumstances, v.2
His servant had some form of progressive paralysis that created muscular spasms, affecting his respiratory system, and Luke tells us that he was ready to die. He experienced great pain at the point of death. It was a humanly hopeless situation.

Roman soldiers were followed by many servants, who ?in peace constantly engaged in the warlike exercises of their masters, and in war shared their dangers.?
Centurion officers and his servant went to battle together and often risked their lives for each other.
Notice the confidence of this Centurion. He comes with confidence in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He called Jesus ?Lord? two times! This man looked at the impossible and saw what God could do. He took impossibility in his hand and threw it aside, and knew that nothing was impossible with God.

What impossible problem are you facing? What difficult circumstances are before you? The one with great faith can endure under pressure and rise above the difficulty to see Jesus. The one with great faith can face the fire like John Vaughn. Pastor Vaughn’s family was badly burned in a fire a number of years ago. His small daughter and wife were especially scarred by the flames. God worked this fiery trial out and through the fire he started the Hidden Treasure Academy for handicapped children. Others can face the loss of sight like Ron Hamilton and lose an eye and yet see how God is at work and throw aside the impossibility to serve God and become Patch the Pirate.

2. The CHARACTERISTICS of Great Faith
What does great faith take?

A. Sincere Humility:
This centurion confessed that he was not worthy. This is different from the Jews who this centurion sent to Jesus who said ?that he was worthy for whom he should do this: for he loveth our nation, and he hath built for us a synagogue.? Let another man praise thee, and not your own lips! He could have been puffed up by his good works, but he was not. Here was a man who had earned the respect of others without becoming proud and arrogant. His own good works did not puff him up with pride. He did not go to Jesus and say, ?I have built a synagogue for you Jews, the least you can do is come to my house and heal my servant.? He could have taken pride in his loving attitude toward his servant, but he did not. He could have been arrogant about his achievements in life and his position as a centurion. He could have said, look at how even the Jews love me. I am such a good person, I deserve for you to come to my house and heal my servant.

He could have been ANGRY at Jesus for allowing this sickness to his servant. Why, look at WHO I AM and WHAT I have done. I don’t deserve this! He did not threaten Jesus with anger. He did not say, ?You better come and heal my servant or else I will send over a few of my boys to knock you off!? Instead, he is humble. Anger and humility are opposite. Anger at God is an evident show of a lack of faith. Anger at God communicates, ?I don’t deserve this. God is not just. I am a good person and I should not have bad things happen to me.?

Few people can bear to handle success and popularity without regarding themselves too highly. Few can handle success without taking themselves too seriously. Few can handle difficult situations and not get angry at God.
He comes to Jesus with such humility. We must come to Him, not as a proud creditor, seeking God as if He owes us a debt, but as a past criminal who had been under a death sentence who have been graciously pardoned. Now we come humbly into His presence, requesting the outpouring of His mercy.
Some might say that he had a low self-esteem, but Jesus said, he had great faith. I am not worthy is the statement of faith. Humility is the foundation to great faith.

This is what John the Baptist said when Jesus came to be baptized of him; John said, ?one cometh after me who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:?

The problem with so many today who will not be saved is pride. They are puffed up with their own good works. They are puffed up with their own love. They are puffed up with their achievements. They are angry at God. They think they must learn to say, ?I am worthy.? This is the ?Self esteem Gospel,? which is really not another Gospel, but it is how many think they must live. They think they are worthy when they should realize that in comparison to Jesus, we are not worthy. We are not worthy to fellowship with Jesus. We are not worthy to be saved. In order to be saved, we must realize we are sinners, lost, unlovable, and unworthy of the grace of God.

UNWORTHY is a word for a humble man of great faith.

We need to be people of great faith. Today, professing Christians no longer believe in absolute truth, no longer believe in the necessity of salvation by grace through faith alone through Christ alone. Do you know that over 80% of professing Christians believe salvation is God helps those who help themselves.

The humble man does not have himself at the center of his world, he is not the center of everything, he is not trapped by selfishness.
The humble man does not see the physical world as all that there is. He sees God as ultimate reality. The humble man see God as the greatest reality, God is at the center of all He is and does, and that all things are of Him, by and through Him.

B. Confidence in the Word of Jesus
Look at his faith in action! He says, speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Oh, there is power in the Word of God. Do you know how we can know we are saved? By the Word of God. Faith is simply taking God at his Word and trusting that what God says is so.
Notice that he did not ask for a sign. He did not demand that Jesus must heal in a certain way.

He did not put out any fleeces like Gideon. He simply said, ?speak the Word only, and he shall be healed.? He believed that this incurable disease could be healed without Jesus even going to the sickness!
He believed in the sufficiency of the Jesus’ word. Speak the word only!
James Montgomery Boice pastored the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for many years. He wrote a book just before he died on the dangerous direction of mainline evangelicalism. Listen to what some of his dying words are:

?The most critical issue facing the church today?I believe, is the Bible’s sufficiency. Do we believe that God has given us what we need in this book? Or do we suppose that we have to supplement that we have to supplement the Bible with human things? Do we need sociological techniques to do evangelism, pop psychology and pop psychiatry for Christian growth, extra-biblical signs or miracles for guidance, or political tools for achieving social progress and reform?? (Boice, p.72, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?)

The Bible is inerrant and infallible and inspired and sufficient! It is sufficient for our evangelism, for our theology, for our Christian growth, for our church growth, for tell us of salvation, for guidance, and instruction in righteousness.
Many churches do not believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and that is why many humanistic, man-centered methods are popular in church today. Churches are now entertainment centers. One church has ?Express worship: You give us 22 minutes and we will give you the world.?

Do you know why he had such great faith? This soldier recognized the authority of the Word of Jesus. This Centurion believed that Jesus was a greater authority than he was, and he believed that Jesus was Lord. This man knew that what it was to be under authority and to exercise it. He knew that his power was derived from his submission to authority and in this is indicating that He even believes that Jesus is the Lord, and that Jesus was sent by God and lived in perfect obedience to the will of His Father. The entire context bears this out, by the way, and Luke’s parallel account demonstrates the authority of the Centurion, for he did not actually appear before Jesus but sent friends to carry the message to Jesus.

I have great pity for those who do not believe the Word of God. This book is the source of so much joy, peace, and strength for me, I do not know how I would have made it to this point in my life without the Word of God giving me direction and peace. Many accuse the Bible of inaccuracy or charge this infallible book with contradictions. This narrative provides some with ammunition to charge, ?Contradiction!? The Luke passage tells us that the Centurion sent elders of the Jews to Jesus to intercede for him and his servant. Matthew tells us that the servant came to Jesus. In reality, this is not a problem at all. He who does a thing through another does it himself. In other words, these elders were authorized by the centurion to go and tell Jesus about his sick servant. There are many examples of this in Scripture. In John 3:22 it says that Jesus baptized. In John 4:1, the disciples baptized, but because they were baptizing under the authority of Jesus, it was as if Jesus was baptizing.
Let me tell you something. There is power through submission to the Word of God. The soldier derived his authority by submitting. We derive our authority as the children of God by submitting ourselves to the Word of God.

3. The CONSEQUENCES of Great Faith:
Why is faith important?

A. Answered Prayer

B. Deliverance
The result is heaven. Jesus now turns his attention to the Jews who are following him. Jesus tells them that many Gentiles will be in heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Oh, will heaven not be sweet? We will know one another in heaven. We will all have fellowship with one another in heaven. Common and ordinary people like you and me can sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in God’s Kingdom. This scripture bears it out. What a great deliverance for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Whosoever will, let him come. The command is simple: repent and believe the Gospel, my friend.

Look at what will happen to those who will not believe: they will suffer weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness. Jesus here warns the Jewish people to not trust their religious profession, or their ethnic background to be saved.

Now I know that hell is not a popular doctrine, and not many even want to believe in it. It really matters not whether you believe something or not, what you believe does not change the truth. Hell is a real place. It is a place of outer darkness and damnation. It is a place of weeping and mourning over damnation. It is a place of gnashing of teeth, anger and pain in that outer darkness. No one will repent in hell. If you do not believe Jesus is talking about a real place, then read Matt.13:42,50, Matt.22:13, Matt.24:51, and Matt.25:30.

Hell is a place of eternal torment, and the word ?torment? used to describe the pain of the paralyzed man is also used to describe suffering in hell. How can a paralyzed person experience pain? He did. How can an unsaved living man burn forever in a place of darkness? He will. Many preachers do not believe in hell any longer or if they do, are afraid to admit it.
If you saw a house on fire, would you stand here and say, ?I believe the operation of combustion is proceeding yonder.? No, you would yell, fire, fire, get out of there!

Jesus is warning those who think themselves secure to make their calling sure. ?But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.? His audience was Jewish. I wonder if Jesus was here today if he would not say, ?You who claim to be church members or you who say that you made some profession of faith, will be cast out. You who call yourself evangelical or charismatic or Baptist or Catholic make your calling and election sure. Make your calling and election sure, my friend.
Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
Friend, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, by the authority given me of God, I challenge you to come to the Saviour. Come to Christ.