Introduction
A. One night, Tim was walking home when, all of a sudden, a thief jumped on him. Tim and the thief were began to wrestle. They rolled about on the ground and Tim put up a tremendous fight. However, the thief managed to get the better of him and pinned him to the ground. The thief then went through Tim's pockets and searched him. All the thief could find on Tim was 25 cents. The thief was so surprised at this that he asked Tim why he had bothered to fight so hard for 25 cents. "Was that all you wanted?" Tim replied, "I thought you were after the five hundred dollars I've got in my shoe!"
B. Well, let’s look into the kind of faith that impresses Jesus
1. Turn to Matthew 8:5 - 13
II. Body
A. ”Faith That Impresses Jesus”
1. Faith that impresses Jesus is definitely IMPRESSIVE FAITH!
Matthew 8:5-13 NKJV
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, {6} saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." {7} And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." {8} The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. {9} "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this 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 it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! {11} "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. {12} "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." {13} Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
a. Turn to Hebrews 11:1
2. We are told in verse 10 that when Jesus heard the words of the Centurion, “He Marveled”
a. Literally, Jesus “admired” this man’s faith
b. The Bible defines faith for us in - Hebrews 11:1
Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
c. There have been people I have met throughout my life that have “impressed” me with their faith
(1) Certain circumstances arise that would devastate most people and these individuals are steady and secure
(2) They put their faith and hope in The Lord
(3) It is one thing to impress me, but this man we have read about today even made Jesus say “WOW”
d. At this point in His ministry Jesus has traveled many miles and encountered countless people
(1) He has preached to many souls, performed many miracles, healed many sick folk but there is something different about this man
(2) I would like to look at his story today and see what faith can do for us
(a) Faith is essential to the Christian life
(b) Our Salvation is by grace through faith
(c) We are to walk in faith daily
(d) We find through the Word of God instances where faith is rewarded:
i) There is the faith of those 4 men who brought the man to Jesus who was paralyzed
ii) There is the faith of Jairus whose daughter Jesus brought back from the dead
iii) There is the faith of blind Bartimaeus
iv) There is the faith of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment
v) There is the faith of the lepers who were cleansed
vi) There is the faith of the sick that were healed
vii) There is the faith of those disciples who followed Jesus
a) Turn to Matthew 17:20
(e) The Word faith is used 247 times in the King James Bible. (interesting fact: it is only used twice in the O.T)
(f) The bible tells us that the “Just shall live by faith” - Romans 1:17 a quote from the book of Habakkuk
3. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20
Matthew 17:20 NKJV
So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
a. In Romans 3:28 we find that Paul wrote
Romans 3:28 NKJV
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
(1) Lets turn to Matthew 8:5 - 6
B. Here We Have a Request That Required Faith
Matthew 8:5-6 NKJV
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, {6} saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
1. This man made his request known to Jesus
a. In his plea we see a glimpse into his faith.
b. Consider this
(1) The Concern Of The Centurion
Matthew 8:5-6 NKJV
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him
(2) We know that a centurion was a Roman soldier who commanded a group of 100 men.
(3) We can see much about this man’s character in these few verses that record his story.
(4) At a time when many other masters might have sent this servant to an infirmary he invested his own time into seeking a solution for this man
(a) The Centurion had a measure of faith
(b) He also had a deep concern for his servant
(c) This man sets a good example for us today
i) We have loved ones who need a miracle; we can & should go to Jesus on their behalf!
ii) This man came to Jesus for his hired help
a) Turn back to Matthew 8:5 - 6
(5) Consider The Condition Of The Servant in verse 6
Matthew 8:5-6 NKJV
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, {6} saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
(a) The Centurion’s servant is described as being paralyzed”
(b) The servant was in a helpless situation
(c) We are not told what caused the issue but we are informed of the extent of the illness
(d) Verse 6 says that he was “grievously tormented”.
(e) The servant was in a bad situation and needed a miracle
(f) Somehow, the centurion had heard of what Jesus had been doing in the area and he believed that Jesus could help his beloved servant
(g) We all know people who’s condition is very much like the centurion’s servant
i) Turn to Luke 16:23
(h) This servant was in tormented physically
(i) Some of our family and friends will be tormented ETERNALLY! The word “tormented” is literally translated “tortured”
(j) In Luke 16 the Rich Man in hell proclaimed that he was “tormented in this flame”
Luke 16:23 NKJV
"And being in torments in Hell
(k) Do we realize that could be our loved one
i) Do we even care
ii) Will we go to Jesus on their behalf
iii) If we would, our request requires faith… Just like the Centurion had!
a) Turn to Matthew 8:7
iv) Not only was there “A Request That Required Faith” we also see:
C. A Response That Rewarded Faith
Matthew 8:7 NKJV
And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
1. Aren’t we glad that when we go to Jesus we get a response
a. It may not always be the response we want, but we will not be ignored
b. We may get a yes, a no, or a not right now
c. But we WILL GET A RESPONSE
d. This man took his issue to Jesus and Jesus said “sure, I will heal him”
(1) If we will look on down to verse 13 we will see that Jesus did just that!
Matthew 8:13 NKJV
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
(2) Jesus rewarded the faith of the Centurion
(a) As a result the servant was the beneficiary of an even greater reward
(b) It is very rewarding to see a loved one get saved after praying for them for many years
(c) When this happens we are rewarded with great peace & joy that our loved ones are delivered from an eternity in Hell
(d) But our loved ones get the greater reward; they get eternal life and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
i) Turn to Matthew 8:8
(e) Either way, faith is essential to receiving the reward
i) After Jesus says that He will heal the servant, the centurion says
Matthew 8:8 NKJV
The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
ii) The centurion says “wait, there is no need to come to my house …Just speak the word Lord”.
a) Turn to Matthew 8:8-12
D. Notice That There Is a Reply That Revealed Faith
Matthew 8:8-12 NKJV
The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. {9} "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this 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 it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! {11} "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. {12} "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
1. Now we have already seen that this man has a measure of faith, just in the fact that he came to Jesus in the first place
a. But as we look further we see a little more about this man’s character.
(1) His Reply Was Humble
(a) Turn to verse 8 & 9
Matthew 8:8-12 NKJV
The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. {9} "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
(b) The first degree of humility is to acknowledge the necessity of God's mercy, and our own inability to help ourselves
(c) This man was not saying that Jesus was not welcome in his home
i) He was saying “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home”
ii) We are not worthy of Jesus hearing and answering our prayers yet we often act like He owes us something
(d) But praise God HE DOES HEAR AND ANSWER OUR PRAYERS
i) Our prayers may be a little more productive if were we less arrogant and more humble when praying them
ii) The Centurion simply says “Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”
a) What an amazing display of faith
b) Turn to verses 10
b. Not only was his reply humble, we also see that:
(1) His Reply Was Honorable
Matthew 8:10 NKJV
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
(2) Jesus was impressed with this man’s faith
(3) Look at what He said “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen such great faith in all Israel
(4) Let’s be honest, that is the kind of statement that will make us swell up with pride!
(a) Lets turn to verses 11 & 12
Matthew 8:11-12 NKJV
"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. {12} "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
2. Jesus marveled at his response and used him as an example to teach those who were with Him
a. It was at this moment that Jesus also pointed to another imperative truth. Consider verse 11
Matthew 8:11-12 NKJV
"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. {12} "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
b. Jesus was stating that gentiles from all over the world will fellowship with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven
(1) Turn to John 3:17 - 18
(2) But that many of the Israelites (that the Kingdom was initially prepared for) would be thrown into outer darkness
(3) Jesus speaks of a place of weeping, gnashing of teeth, darkness and torments
(4) What a stark contrast! Gentiles feasting with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and Jews burning in a lake of fire.
(5) Understand this; there will be gentiles in hell and Jews in Heaven, and visa-versa
(6) But it all boils down to faith… Faith in Jesus Christ.
John 3:17-18 NKJV
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. {18} "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(a)
Turn to John 14:6
(7) Eternity is summed up in those verses
(8) Faith in Jesus is required for salvation
(9) Rejecting Jesus results in eternal torments
(10) The choice is ours, Jesus said in John 14:6
John 14:6 NKJV
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
3. The Centurion had faith and was rewarded
a. He had a burden and he went to Jesus with a concern for a loved one
b. Jesus heard his plea and answered his prayer
c. The servant’s life was changed as a result He had a faith that impressed Jesus… DO WE???
(1) Do we have a burden for our lost loved ones
(2) Do we really believe in a place called Hell
(3) Do we have faith that Jesus can save our loved ones
(4) Then we must go to Him on their behalf, and see what He can do
(5) If we have never trusted Him ourselves, today could be the day that our life is changed forever!
