FACING OUR FAITH IN 2015
GREAT FAITH
MATTHEW 8:5-13 AND WHEN JESUS ENTERED CAPERNAUM, A CENTURION CAME TO HIM, IMPLORING HIM, 6 AND SAYING, "LORD, MY SERVANT IS LYING PARALYZED AT HOME, FEARFULLY TORMENTED." 7 JESUS *SAID TO HIM, "I WILL COME AND HEAL HIM." 8 BUT THE CENTURION SAID, "LORD, I AM NOT WORTHY FOR YOU TO COME UNDER MY ROOF, BUT JUST SAY THE WORD, AND MY SERVANT WILL BE HEALED. 9 "FOR I ALSO AM A MAN UNDER AUTHORITY, WITH SOLDIERS UNDER ME; AND I SAY TO THIS ONE, 'GO!' AND HE GOES, AND TO ANOTHER, 'COME!' AND HE COMES, AND TO MY SLAVE, 'DO THIS!' AND HE DOES IT."
10 NOW WHEN JESUS HEARD THIS, HE MARVELED AND SAID TO THOSE WHO WERE FOLLOWING, "TRULY I SAY TO YOU, I HAVE NOT FOUND SUCH GREAT FAITH WITH ANYONE IN ISRAEL.
11 "I SAY TO YOU THAT MANY WILL COME FROM EAST AND WEST, AND RECLINE AT THE TABLE WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; 12 BUT THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM WILL BE CAST OUT INTO THE OUTER DARKNESS; IN THAT PLACE THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH." 13 AND JESUS SAID TO THE CENTURION, "GO; IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU AS YOU HAVE BELIEVED." AND THE SERVANT WAS HEALED THAT VERY MOMENT.
MATTHEW 15:21-28 JESUS WENT AWAY FROM THERE, AND WITHDREW INTO THE DISTRICT OF TYRE AND SIDON. 22 AND A CANAANITE WOMAN FROM THAT REGION CAME OUT AND BEGAN TO CRY OUT, SAYING, "HAVE MERCY ON ME, LORD, SON OF DAVID; MY DAUGHTER IS CRUELLY DEMON-POSSESSED." 23 BUT HE DID NOT ANSWER HER A WORD. AND HIS DISCIPLES CAME AND IMPLORED HIM, SAYING, "SEND HER AWAY, BECAUSE SHE KEEPS SHOUTING AT US." 24 BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID, "I WAS SENT ONLY TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL."
25 BUT SHE CAME AND BEGAN TO BOW DOWN BEFORE HIM, SAYING, "LORD, HELP ME!" 26 AND HE ANSWERED AND SAID, "IT IS NOT GOOD TO TAKE THE CHILDREN'S BREAD AND THROW IT TO THE DOGS." 27 BUT SHE SAID, "YES, LORD; BUT EVEN THE DOGS FEED ON THE CRUMBS WHICH FALL FROM THEIR MASTERS' TABLE." 28 THEN JESUS SAID TO HER, "O WOMAN, YOUR FAITH IS GREAT; IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU AS YOU WISH." AND HER DAUGHTER WAS HEALED AT ONCE.
INTRODUCTION: AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES ON FACING YOUR FAITH – A CHALLENGE TO AUTHENTIC FAITH AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, WE WANT TO SEE WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE “GREAT FAITH”. THIS WAS A PHRASE THE LORD USED TO DESCRIBE TWO INDIVIDUALS, BOTH NOT JEWS, WHO CAME TO JESUS WITH ISSUES. JESUS DEALS WITH EACH OF THEM GRACIOUSLY AND WITH MERCY, YET, ALSO TAKES TIME TO MENTION THEIR “GREAT FAITH”. SO, IN OUR TIME TOGETHER TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT WHAT MADE THEIR FAITH GREAT, AND IN SO DOING, ALLOW US TO SEE WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING TO HAVE GREAT FAITH.
I. A LOOK BACK AT “LITTLE FAITH”
a. LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN GOD
b. A FORM OF IDOLATRY – FOCUSES ON TEMPORAL NEEDS, NOT GOD
c. A SINFUL FAITH – DENIES GOD’S LOVE AND INTEGRITY
d. A WORRY FAITH – ADOPTS A WORLDLY LIFE VIEW
e. A FAITH WITHOUT GOD – SPIRITUAL VACUUM
II. LESSON FROM THE CENTURION – GREAT FAITH AND AUTHORITY
INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT BOTH THE CENTURION AND THE CANAANITE WOMAN ARE GENTILES, NOT JEWS. GREAT FAITH CAN BE FOUND IN PLACES WE WOULD NOT IMAGINE!
a. THE DRIVING FORCE
i. THE ILLNESS OF A YOUNG SERVANT BOY
1. WE FIND THIS OUT FROM COMPARING THE ACCOUNT IN MATTHEW AND IN LUKE
2. MATTHEW USES SERVANT
3. LUKE USES THE TERM FOR A YOUNG OR SMALL BOY
ii. IT IS A SITUATION BEYOND THE ABILITY OF THE CENTURION
1. HE CANNOT CONTROL WHAT IS HAPPENING
2. HE CANNOT EFFECT WHAT IS HAPPENING
3. HE HAS NO AUTHORITY OVER WHAT IS HAPPENING
4. ONE OF THE REASONS THERE IS SO LITTLE GREAT FAITH IN THE WORLD TODAY IS THE BELIEF THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE OR ARE IN CONTROL. THE REALITY IS THAT WE ARE NOT!
b. THE DRIVING PRINCIPLE – AUTHORITY
i. MILITARY MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS AUTHORITY
ii. UNDERSTOOD HE WAS POWERLESS TO DEAL WITH SITUATION
iii. UNDERSTOOD HE WAS UNWORTHY TO ASK
iv. UNDERSTOOD JESUS HAD THE AUTHORITY AND ABILITY TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION
1. UNTIL WE UNDERSTAND THIS WE CAN NEVER HAVE FAITH, WE CAN ONLY HAVE BELIEF
2. BELIEF IS NOT FAITH – WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS LATER
v. THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTHORITY – YOU DO NEED TO BE THERE FOR THE TASK TO GET ACCOMPLISHED
1. SINCE JESUS HAD THE ABILITY AND THE AUTHORITY, HE COULD WILL IT DONE
2. A CENTURION ACTS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF ROME; TO DEFY HIM WAS TO DEFY ROME
3. CHRIST ACTS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF GOD THE FATHER; TO DEFY CHRIST IS TO DEFY GOD
c. THE DRIVING FAITH
i. GREAT FAITH IS GENUINE FAITH
1. DEPENDENCE ON GOD
2. UNDERSTANDING OUR WORTH
ii. GREAT FAITH IS PUTTING IT BEFORE GOD FOR HIM TO DECIDE
1. CENTURION DESCRIBED THE SITUATION AND LEFT THE COURSE OF ACTION TO GOD
2. WE SHOULD BE AS WISE IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH GOD
iii. GREAT FAITH IS HARD TO FIND
1. JESUS WAS HARD PRESSED TO FIND IT IN THOSE WHO WERE FOLLOWING
a. FOLLOWING IS THE VERBAL FORM OF DISCIPLE
b. THE WORD MARVELED MEANS TO BE AMAZED, ASTONISHED, OR IMPRESSED.
c. WANT TO IMPRESS GOD – DEVELOP YOUR FAITH!
2. JESUS WAS HARD PRESSED TO FIND IT IN THE NATION OF ISRAEL
a. THE PRIVILEGED RACE TO BE CHOSEN BY GOD WAS EMPTY OF GREAT FAITH
3. JESUS LOOKED FOR IT IN ISRAEL, BUT WOULD FIND IT IN THE GENTILES
a. EAST AND WEST
b. GENTILES WHO WILL SIT AT HIS TABLE
c. SONS OF THE KINGDOM
d. JEWS WHO WILL NOT SIT AT THE TABLE
THE FIRST STEP IN HAVING GREAT FAITH IS TO ACCEPT THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST IN EVERYTHING. DEPENDENCE ON HIM TO ACT ACCORDINGLY APART FROM OUR WISHES BASED ON THE CHARACTER OF GOD.
III. A LESSON FROM THE CANAANITE WOMAN
a. THE EXPRESSION OF GREAT FAITH OVER BELIEF
i. FAITH GREAT OR OTHERWISE MUST HAVE A DIRECTION
ii. FAITH WITHOUT DIRECTION IS BELIEF
iii. WHAT CHANGES BELIEF TO FAITH IS THE ADDITION OF TRUST
iv. TO MAKE SENSE, FAITH MUST BE IN SOMETHING TRUSTWORTHY
b. GREAT FAITH IS BASED ON GOD’S GOODNESS, NOT OUR OWN
i. APPEAL TO MERCY
1. NOT GETTING WHAT WE DESERVE
2. ALREADY A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF HER POSITION
c. GREAT FAITH SETS ASIDE SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
i. FAITH WAS IN JESUS
ii. APPEALED SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF GOD’S MERCY, NOT HER RIGHT
iii. WAS PERSISTENT AMD WOULD NOT BE TURNED AWAY
iv. WAS WILLING TO TAKE WHAT OTHERS DID NOT WANT
IF WE ONLY KNEW WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN THE CRUMBS OF CHRIST. THE QUALITY OF CHRIST’S CRUMBS IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE BANQUET OF ANYONE ELSE!
d. GREAT FAITH IS BIBLICAL FAITH
i. SHE KNEW WHO CHRIST WAS
ii. SHE BELIEVED HE COULD HELP HER – HER FAITH WAS DIRECTED
iii. SHE PUT HER CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN THE ONE WHO COULD HELP HER
e. JESUS DECLARED HER FAITH WAS GREAT
IV. FINAL WORD ON GREAT
a. WE OFTEN THINK OF GREAT IN TERMS OF QUANTITY
b. WE NEED TO THINK OF GREAT IN TERMS OF QUALITY
c. JESUS IS CONCERNED WITH THE QUALITY OF OUR FAITH
i. HE DOES NOT WANT OUR REPETITION, BUT OUT SINCERITY
ii. HE WANTS OUR FAITH DIRECTED TOWARDS HIM
iii. JESUS SAID OF THE PERSON WHO LOVED TO EXPRESS HIS FAITH IN FRONT OF OTHERS THAT THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD
iv. JESUS SAID OF THOSE WHO HAD A SMALL FAITH THAT THEY WOULD MOVE MOUNTAINS.
v. WHICH FAITH DO YOU THINK WAS GREAT?
vi. WHICH FAITH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE?
SO, HOW TO I DEVELOP A GREAT FAITH?
ACCEPT AND SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD
GET TO KNOW WHO JESUS IS
BELIEVE THAT JESUS AND ONLY JESUS CAN HELP YOUR SITUATION
PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER.
