THE POWER OF FAITH
Luke 7:1-10
JESUS IS NEVER TO BUSY FOR YOU
V:1. When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion\’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.
- The Lord is always busy working for us.
- In Chapter 6, He taught unbelieving Pharisees.
- He spent the night on the mountain in prayer
- The next day he called His disciples and taught them along
With people from cities around the country.
- He healed all who came to HIM.
- Jesus makes Himself available to you.
- He knows your needs and will come to you waiting on your
Prayers.
- Before you ask, He is available to help.
- Jesus made Himself available to a Roman solider, a commander of
100 Roman soldiers by coming to Capernaum.
- God is no respecter of persons. He is available to the poor, the rich,
Jews and Gentiles.
- Notice the Centurion was not a selfish man. His request to Jesus was for
The healing of his trusted servant.
- He had a relationship with God through the elders of the Jews.
- He was a man who listened to the people around him.
- He heard about the work of Jesus and the God He served.
- He heard about the healing powers of Jesus and believed
In Him.
- The Romans worshipped the idol gods of Jupiter, Juno and
Mineria.
- The Roman Centurion evidently had no faith in idol gods.
Because he called on Jesus.
- He believed Jesus had power over death.
- We should never hesitate to call on Jesus in our time
Of need.
- We should take a note from this Gentile Solider, called on Jesus
First.
- It does not make any difference what others believe,
It is what you believe that counts.
- While this solider was not a Jew, he called on Jewish
Believers to intercede for him with their prayers.
- Where two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name, He
Said He would show up.
- The Centurion heard the Word, believed the Word and
Acted upon.
THE POWER OF INTERCESSARY PRAYER
V:4. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, \”This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.\” 6 So Jesus went with them.
- What goes around comes around.
- What you measure out will be measured to you.
- This Roman Centurion had been generous to the Jews.
- He went beyond what he was required to do.
- He was a servant to the God of the Jews.
- He didn’t have to do it, but he built a place of worship
For his Jewish subjects.
- Even though the Romans were an enemy of the Jewish nation,
This Roman Centurion showed himself to be a friend of
God with his service.
- When you honor God with your service, God will honor you
In your time of need.
- The best recommendation you can get is the testimony of
those who you serve.
- When you serve others, you store up treasures in heaven.
- Based on your needs, sometimes Jesus comes immediately
When you call.
- Jesus will always be on time.
THE POWER OF FAITH
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: \”Lord, don\’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
- The centurion humbled Himself before the Lord.
- The Lord loves a humble spirit,
- The centurion was a man of power and authority. Humbled himself
Before Jesus the man with all power and all authority.
- The centurion had a high position, but he considered himself
Low before Jesus.
- Unlike the Jewish leaders, the centurion considered Jesus as Lord.
- In the presence of his servants, the centurion honored Jesus by
Calling Him Lord.
- The Greek word for Lord in this verse is Kurios which means
Supreme authority.
- For a solider to consider Jesus above his own earthly king is
unusual.
- He considered himself unworthy of being in the presence of Jesus.
- He considered his house unfit for Jesus to step into it.
- You and I are unworthy of the presence of Jesus, but
God’s grace cleaned us of all unrighteous with the blood
Of Jesus.
- We can boldly go before the Lord with our prayers.
ACTING ON YOUR FAITH BRINGS BLESSINGS
V: 8 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.\”
- When we understand who we are, we should humble ourselves
Before the Lord.
- We need to understand that it does not matter how much
Power we think we have, or how big our position or
How much money we have, it is nothing before the Lord.
- Everything we have, God gave it to us.
- God gives us what we have so we can bless others.
- The attitude of the centurion was one of extreme humbleness.
- The centurion made a comparison of his little position to God’s
ALL powerful position.
- The centurion considered what he had the power to do, was small
In comparison to what Jesus could do.
- The centurion considered the omnipresence of the Lord.
- Jesus does not have to set foot in your house to bless your house.
- There is power in the Word of Jesus.
- You can speak healing in someone\’s life through the Word of Jesus.
- I can only imagine that as the centurion considered what he
Heard about Jesus, and his faith grew.
- It may be that God puts trouble in our lives to make us
Consider His power and authority.
- Jesus may have put the near-death experience of the
Centurion servant in his life to put focus on the power
And the authority of Jesus.
- When we take Jesus as our Lord we do not need to worry.
- When we take Jesus as our Lord, there is victory in our prayers.
WE PLEASE GOD WITH OUR FAITH
V:9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, \”I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.\” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
- Jesus was pleased with the faith of the centurion.
- The centurion concluded, that he didn’t have no
Doubt that Jesus would take care of is a servant.
- You cannot please God without faith.
- Your testimony about the power of Jesus inspires others around you.
- You never know how your faith in Jesus can inspire someone not
To give in and give up.
- The lesson we learn from the Roman Solider is don’t start
Serving God because of a miracle, serve God because He is a
Miracle maker.
- We ought to bless the Lord at all times with our service.
- If we live long enough, there will come a day when have to
Call on Lord by faith.
- I have a brother-in-law who the doctors had given up on him
Because of his cancer. That was thirty years ago and he is still
Living.
I KNOW A MAN CALLED JESUS WHO NEVER GIVES UP ON YOU
TRUST GOD AND NOT YOURSELF.
Rev. M. Mitchell
NIV
