But Just Say the Word

Review:

Matthew 8:5-13 (ESV) 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.

Context:

● The centurion’s position as Roman military officer was to command roughly 100 men.
● Centurions, as company commanders, held important responsibilities, like training, giving out assignments, and maintaining discipline.
● They were tough, working officers and the backbone of the Roman army.
● They were accustomed to operating in the power and authority imparted to them.

Matthew 8:8 (ESV) 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.

● The Centurion was a man of authority who understood authority and yet, placed himself under Jesus’ authority.

How faith comes to us.

– Faith is belief, a form of belief comes naturally to us all. We all form beliefs.

– Faith in Jesus comes supernaturally to us through the Word of God by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 10:7 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

● We are to turn our eyes on Jesus and off ourselves.

– Faith comes through crisis.

● The hard times both reveal the need for faith and what the object of our faith is.
● What is the object of your faith?

What is faith?

– Faith does not contradict reason, though it may go beyond reason.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Now faith is assurance of what we hope for and certainty of what we do not see.

● Assurance is confidence or the substance that we trust and hold on to.
● Certainty is proof. Hope is to expect and trust.

– It’s a new direction – off of ourselves and onto God.

Matthew 8:9 (NIV) For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

● The centurion didn’t have perfect faith. He surrendered his control, he redirected his faith to the one who had authority to heal.

– Faith in Jesus is the foundation from which you view life.

● Our responsibility in faith is humility and dependency, and our faith is ultimately grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Where faith leads us.

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

– Leads us to the grace and peace that only Jesus can give.

● We believe in the future promises God has given us that are received by grace.

– Leads us to boast about our trust that God will do what He says He will do.

● Melinda’s story – driving a stake in the ground, proclaiming her trust in God.

– Leads us to boast in our sufferings.

● It brings a supernatural perspective in the midst of hardship and sufferings.

– Leads us to being transformed into the likeness of Christ.

● Perseverance says, yes it’s hard, yet I will trust even if the outcome is not what I want.
● As I persevere, my character is being shaped more into the character of Jesus.
● God’s character in us comes from a deep abiding trust in Him.

Application:
● What is your day to day faith centered on? The strength of your faith doesn’t matter if it’s based on something temporal.
● Is your faith in a job, your bank account, Donald Trump and politics? All of these false securities will end. But… Jesus will never end!
● If your faith in Jesus is weak, what will you do to