Amazing Faith
Luke 6:46-6:49
Introduction-
Talk to you about faith!
If you had to describe your faith, what would it look like?
Better yet, how would someone else describe your faith? Is it out of the box? Extreme? Expectant? Or would you have to shaky, unstable, overtaken by times of doubt?
I want to look at the faith of an unnamed centurion. One that dared to go outside of the normal.
As long as we are talking about faith.
When is the last time you experienced a miracle?
Do you even believe in miracles? Or is that only for the people of the Bible? Someone else?
Faith is believing what God has said in His Word, trusting in His promises, and wanting the will of God in your life.
Faith believes when our senses say it is impossible.
Faith is believing even when we cannot see it!
Illustration-
There is a story about a train traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding. The rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strongest winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightning flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of the passengers. Several passengers noted that through all the noise, lightening and wind, one of the passengers, a little girl, seemed to be at perfect peace. The adult passengers couldn’t figure out why the little girl was so calm during this excitement. Finally, one passenger asked her, “how is it that you are so calm when all the rest of us are so worried about what might happen? The little girl smiled and said, “My father is the engineer.”
There is truly peace when God is the engineer of your life.
The one that takes us through the storms of life.
Faith is taking promises God has made and apply them directly to your life.
He did it for others and he will do it for you because God is not a respecter of persons.
Luke 6:46-6:49
Let me set this up:
This centurion is a Gentile. And if you remember a Gentile was anyone that was not a Jew.
This Gentile centurion had authority. He had at his disposal 100 roman soldiers that he was in charge of. He says go, they go. He says come, and they would come.
Slaves during that period of time, were considered possessions. A slave that was terminally ill or old would be literally thrown out of the house to die.
This unnamed centurion had a unique relationship with his servant and placed high value on him.
He hears about Jesus who could heal and he sends some Jews to locate and ask Jesus to heal him.
The Jewish elders gave all kinds of reasoning that Jesus should come. He loves our nation. He builds our synagogue.
A Gentile building a Jewish synagogue?
Jesus shows up and is headed toward this man’s house, when again this man sends Jews out to stop him from entering his home and says that if he would just say the word, his servant would be healed. This centurion understood the principals of the Jews and he understood the power of God.
He knew that Jesus did not enter Gentiles homes, and he knew that God did not have to physically be present to have his servant healed.
After Jesus heard all this:
(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.
” Two times Scripture tells us that Jesus was amazed.
One is that Jesus was amazed at the lack of faith of the Israelites .
The other time Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion.
Question for you this morning- which faith do you have this morning?
Lack of faith or amazing faith?
In this chapter Jesus has called his disciples.
He has told them to love their enemies.
Stop judging others and take the plank out of your own eye before you become a speck inspector in others.
He says that believers should bear fruit. All believers should bear much fruit!
Then he runs into the faith of the centurion. One that understood the principals of God.
Jesus was amazed by faith. I want Jesus to be amazed by my faith- don’t you?
I want to do something outside the box because the God we serve works best outside the box!
Truth be told this morning. Do you expect God to do something extra-ordinary to happen to you this morning?
To the body of believers here this morning? Or do you just live a life of survival, and if God would do anything that would surprise you?
All of us have experienced some kind of supernatural experience where we have to say God did it!
No other way to explain it except to call it a miracle! But we forget, it goes to the back of our minds, or we say “I’ll never forget the time… and it becomes watered down memories.
Nothing fresh and exciting is happening with God right now!
I think that God sometimes has to hit us over the head so that we can acknowledge that He is doing something fresh and new.
In other words, we have abandoned the thought that God still does miracles in our lives and want s to use us to be a part of a miracle for someone else’s life.
If I told you this morning that God desires to use each one of us to unlock a miracle for someone, would you think that ridiculous or would you say- God grant it, I’m ready for that to happen.
We will never see God do what he desires to do in our power and strength.
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses for me”
“Go into all the world for me…and what! Do things that are impossible to do in your own strength!
The Greek word for power is dynamus- in English Dynamite! Dynamus means power in motion!
God’s power was at work through them to accomplish what they could of never done on their own!
Bruce Wilkinson says:
Your good works for God = ministry
Your ministry + God’s supernatural power = miracles!
We need to partner with God so God can do some amazing things through us.
Miracles are supernatural- so if God is not in it, you will not see the miracle that God desired for us.
“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
Back to the centurion- He understood that if God didn’t intervene, this man was going to die!
I am positive that he did everything that he knew to do.
The reason we do not see more miracles is because we don’t come expecting to see miracles.
We pray but have little faith that God will do what we ask.
We have at least one whole generation of people that have settled for less than what God desires to do.
We settle for less and our lives have lost fulfillment and purpose.
We have turned our backs to God and we wonder why we don’t see Him do some amazing things.!
God desires to show Himself strong to us- that is what God Word says and I believe it!
What is the key to amazing faith?
Believe that God still does miracles!
Believe that He is not a respecter of persons and that He will do it for you!
Believe that the Lord desires to use you (point out to the congregation) to do something amazing for God.
The centurion’s faith was increased when he heard about Jesus and he responded to Him. He didn’t understand everything! But he knew he needed Jesus!
When is the last time you point yourself in a position to be blessed by God?
There is one thing this centurion understood- authority and responsibility. He had 100 soldiers under him, but he was confident that it was more than he could handle and he needed God to intervene in the situation.
Closing maybe
Do you look for evidence that God is working before you believe? Or do you believe and know that He is working! There is a big difference!
Would Jesus marvel at your faith or would he marvel at your lack of faith?
For some of you this morning- God has increased your faith and you are encouraged to move forward with the things God intended you to do.
For others, you are not willing yet to step out.
I’m telling you, miracles happen everyday!
The question for you is do you want them happening in your life?
Get this now, I’m almost finished.
(10) “Then the man who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”
Illustration
Spurgeon, the great prince of preachers, was once staying at the inn in one of the valleys of northern Italy where the floor was dreadfully dirty. I had it in my mind to advise the lady to scrub it, said Spurgeon, but when I perceived it was made of mud, I reflected that the more she scrubbed the worse it would be. Just like God knew that there could be no improvement of the corrupt nature of man except through faith in His Son.
God’s presence
God’s protection
God’s power
God’s provision
God’s leading
God’s rest
Why would you not put your faith in a God like that!
Attar Call
