“After [Jesus] had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set 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.’ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.” [1]
“Wow!” We hear that exclamation and intuitively we recognise that it is most likely an expression demonstrating surprise. Perhaps some of us have uttered the exclamation even in this week past. Perhaps we witnessed something that surprised us, and almost involuntarily we exclaimed, “Wow!” Perhaps in an otherwise mundane conversation someone made a rather stunning statement and we were unable to refrain from saying “Wow!” When we hear anyone say “Wow,” we know it is a statement of astonishment, a statement that communicates the thought, “I can’t believe what I just saw or heard!”
While you won’t find the word “wow” in any biblical concordance, we do witness a few instances in the Gospel accounts when Jesus said something equivalent to “Wow!” On few occasions was Jesus astonished. However, on one major occasion we witness the Lord express His astonishment because of what a man said.
What caused the Saviour to marvel? What made the Son of God open His eyes wide in surprise? I don’t mean to imply that Jesus could be caught unawares, for as Peter confessed when the Lord restored him to ministry as an Apostle, Jesus knows all things [see JOHN 21:17]. What I do mean is that some acts by those who come to the Master to plead for His mercy are so outrageous by the standards of this world that Jesus is astonished at what He witnessed. There are some actions that are so unexpected, so wonderfully honouring to the Son of God, that He exclaims, “Wow!” We might be well advised to ask what action makes the Saviour say, “Wow?” The answer to that query is revealed in our text for this day.
In our text today we will meet a man whom we would never expect to be a worshipper of the Christ. This man was likely considered to be a pagan because he was part of an occupying power. We have no reason to believe that he had been indoctrinated into the worship of the Most High God as required under the Law. When we meet this man, we conclude that Jesus had no particular reason to expect that a centurion, an officer in the service of an occupying armed force, would respect the power that Jesus wielded. This man was not a Jew. He probably hadn’t grown up in Judea. He was likely raised in what most would consider to be a pagan environment.
Yet, this centurion made a surprising admission—surprising because not only was it unexpected by those saturated with the religious view of Jewish faith, but surprising because it exalted Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Jesus had not insisted that people recognise Him as the Messiah, and yet, this supposedly pagan centurion recognised His authority as the Son of God. Jesus was taken aback, not because He didn’t recognise what was in this man’s heart, but because the man was so open in his confession of who Jesus is.
A DESPERATE MAN PLEADS FOR INTERVENTION — “A centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them” [LUKE 7:2-6a].
We Christians can be strange creatures—we profess to believe that Jesus is compassionate, that He hears us when we cry out; yet, we hesitate to bring our requests to Him when we first are made aware of our need or the challenge we are facing. In Scripture we read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” [PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7].
Despite the promises God has given, we hesitate to come to the Lord for relief when we are burdened. I suppose we are confident that we can handle our problems, at least initially. Perhaps we underestimate the seriousness of what we are facing, or more likely we overestimate our ability to meet the challenges looming before us. We aren’t quick to take our concerns to the Lord at the first sign of trouble. We hold an exalted opinion of our ability to meet any crisis.
We know the promise that encourages us, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” [1 PETER 5:6-7]. Despite our professed confidence that He cares for us, we appear positively reticent to release our anxieties to Him. It is as though we want to hang onto the very concerns that weigh us down rather than enjoy the respite of relief in Him.
And yet, for all that, when we are at last driven by our desperation, we do come to the Lord, and He always receives us. In our text we meet a centurion who is stationed in Judea. During his posting, he has become a worshipper of God; he is not Jewish, but he is convinced that the God of the Jews is worthy of his worship. Not only is this man an admirer of the God of Israel, but he has also revealed love for the Jewish people by spending his own money to build a synagogue where people could worship and where the Law and the Prophets could be read.
If we are honest, most of us know that it was some personal challenge, perhaps even a tragedy that compelled us to look to Christ for salvation. I know that was the case for Lynda and me. It was because of a crash that destroyed all our earthly goods that we were compelled to seek relief from the Risen Son of God. It was the knowledge that we didn’t have the capacity to deliver ourselves from heartache and trials that drove us to the arms of the Saviour.
The centurion in our text had also heard of a healer among the Jews, a man named Jesus who was reputed to be able to perform astonishing miracles—healing the sick, restoring withered arms, enabling the mute to speak and the deaf to hear, and even raising the dead. This centurion was not certain how he might contact Jesus, but because a beloved servant was ill, even drawing near the point of death, the centurion approached some of the Jewish elders to plead with them to send a request to this healer. Perhaps this healer would be merciful and come to heal his servant.
Desperation drives us to take drastic steps we might otherwise never consider. Undoubtedly, this centurion had heard the name of Jesus bandied about as he worshipped at the synagogue. It seems as if no one in Judea was without an opinion concerning this healer who was stirring controversy throughout all Judea. We see an example of the division Jesus caused in society when we read of His exchange with His brothers toward the end of His ministry in Judea. “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.’ After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
“But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, ‘Where is he?’” Take particular notice of the final two verses. “And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.’ Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him” [JOHN 7:1-13].
It was impossible to escape hearing the Name of Jesus, and everyone who muttered His Name had an opinion. There was no neutrality when it came to Jesus in that long past day. Even His siblings had staked out a position on their own brother. Surely, they had heard something about the birth of their elder brother! Surely, they had at some time heard their mother speak about the angel announcing to her what would take place and Who it was that she was to carry for nine months in her womb! Surely, at some point they had heard their father speak of the visit from the shepherds that night so long ago. And it seems unbelievable that their parents never spoke of the visit of those Persian scholars and the treasures they presented as they worshipped the baby. Despite hearing all these things, the brothers were more aligned with the high priests and the religious elite than they were in agreement with their older brother.
And in the synagogue where he was seated at the rear of the assembly as he worshipped each Sabbath, the centurion had likely heard the various opinions concerning this man. Some of the Jews would have grown heated in their denunciation of Jesus of Nazareth. Others would have been more reticent to pronounce censure concerning Him. They were cautious because they couldn’t deny what they were hearing concerning this man. When Jesus was around, deaf people were able once again to hear though they had been profoundly deaf. When this Jesus came around, people who had no power of speech were enabled to praise the Lord openly and loudly. They had heard how this man gave sight to blinded eyes and how He had restored withered hands. He was even said to be able to raise the dead! Despite all these stories concerning His marvellous power, people still chose sides. But the centurion was desperate.
What if He sent a request for this man Jesus to come and He would actually respond? Perhaps He could do something about the sick servant. Perhaps He would wave His hand over the servant, or perhaps he would even touch Him. People did say that when Jesus touched people, wonderful things happened. Perhaps this healer from Galilee would come and heal this centurion’s beloved servant. All he had to lose was… Actually, he would be no worse off than he was now. His servant was sick to the point of death. The physicians were helpless to reverse the course of whatever it was that was killing him. Nothing that he had tried had worked. So, why not ask this Galilean healer to help?
But how should he approach this man? If he simply ran up to Jesus, he might offend Him and be turned away without ever having opportunity to present his request. Perhaps the crowd around Jesus would be so great that he wouldn’t be able to get close and he would be constrained to shout out his request. Then, his accent would betray him as not being a Jew. Desperation drove him to approach the elders of the synagogue. He reminded them that he had been a true friend of the nation. He had made donations to projects that would benefit the people, even building the synagogue in which they met each Sabbath! His financial contributions were generous and targeted to bless the people among whom he lived. Therefore, the elders of the synagogue, men who had some stature among the people might plead with Jesus on the basis of this man’s past generosity and his obvious commitment to the religion they represented.
The elders who approached Jesus no doubt dressed in their religious garments to lend themselves an air of importance. Surely, if they appeared to be important, real movers and shakers, that would get Jesus’ attention! Then, with the boldness, or perhaps with the brashness, that important people exude, important people who expect to be heard when they make a request, these Jewish elders presented their plea to Jesus, “[This centurion] is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue” [LUKE 7:4b-5].
Their entire plea is based on merit. Isn’t that the way most of us approach the Master when we have a request? We try to make sure that we don’t commit our pet sin for a day or two so that we can plead on our merits. Or we attempt to con the Lord by praying for our family member when they lie ill, arguing that they deserve God’s mercy. Let’s get past all the efforts that commonly underlie our pleas for God’s intervention and admit that we have no right to demand anything of God. We have no right to even expect God to hear our plea. We have nothing to make God accept us; and yet, the Lord both invites us to call out to Him and delights to give us what we ask. How different from the way things are done in this life!
Allow me to make an observation at this point. Jesus is gracious; He delights to do what is good for people. He does not show us mercy because we give money, or because we are good to others—Jesus is gracious and merciful because that is the character of God. We need to remember how the Master has taught us, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” [MATTHEW 5:43-48]. We are not coming before the Lord as one seeking a loan from a banker; we come before the Lord with confidence that He will hear us and that He will do what is needful.
The character of God is not predicated upon our deserving grace. God reveals His grace in showing kindness even to us when we deserve His judgement. Because this is the case, we may be certain that the Saviour does not treat us as others may treat us—He shows us mercy and grace. He will receive us when we cry out to Him, sincerely seeking what is good and honourable. The Jewish elders based their entire plea upon a calculated effort to convince Jesus that the man for whom they were petitioning deserved to receive this request because he had performed some kind deeds toward the Jewish people. In this, they betrayed a grave misunderstanding of God Himself; and they hardly understood anything concerning the nature of the Son of God. I cannot stress enough that we are invited into the presence of the Master on the basis of His grace and not upon our merit.
A HUMBLE MAN SEEKING MERCY — “When [Jesus] was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set 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’” [LUKE 7:6b-8].
It is apparent that the centurion was informed in some manner that his initial plea was successful. The elders from the synagogue had found Jesus, and He had responded positively to their request. Jesus was on His way to the house of the centurion in a demonstration of mercy toward this man. We can picture this centurion at home, placing damp towels on the fevered brow of his servant, encouraging the feeble man to take a few sips of hot matzoh ball soup, telling his beloved servant how greatly he was loved. Then, someone comes to the door of this centurion’s house to say that Jesus is coming. He is drawing near and will arrive momentarily.
The centurion is moved by humility in the face of his great need and the knowledge that Jesus alone can give what is needed. This powerful soldier quickly dispatches some friends who are with him in the home. “Quickly, go find this man Jesus to deliver this message I am now giving you. ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set 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’” [LUKE 7:6B-8].
I must believe that at the first the centurion was motivated to ask Jesus for help on the basis of merit. It is apparent that this was the position of the Jewish elders who carried the request to Jesus seeking His help to heal the beloved servant. If that is all one has been taught, and if that is what has been modelled throughout the time your teachers have influenced you, it is natural that this is what you would attempt. I believe I’m on solid ground to suggest that the initial approach to Jesus was based on merit. In effect, the message is that Jesus owed this centurion help because the man had been generous toward Jesus’ people.
What a transition we witness! Having attempted to plead on the basis of merit, the man is now conscience stricken. He knows he has no basis to ask for the Master’s mercy. He knows that though he may have been generous, God is more generous still. He donated funds to build the synagogue because he had come to love the Lord God and he wanted to honour Him. This centurion began to think, to ponder what he is asking, and he realises that God is more gracious than he is. He has no basis for asking anything of the Lord. Consequently, he becomes embarrassed at the thought that he would attempt to outgive God. He realises that he is in effect attempting to buy off the mercy of God by pleading on the basis of his own merit.
He didn’t intend to couch his plea in such self-serving terms, but that is what he has done. Thinking, pausing to weigh his approach to the Lord, he has had opportunity to reflect on what he was asking. And he wants to quickly put the thought to rest that he has done anything that would compel the Lord to show him mercy. I must wonder if this centurion has realised that the approach he has made is actually offensive to grace.
Knowing that he has no merit of his own, the centurion still believes that authority over all things lies within the scope of Jesus’ word. He has heard all the stories concerning Jesus’ authority over illness, over crippling conditions of the body, over death itself, and he believes that Jesus can do whatever He desires.
You may recall one time when Jesus was teaching His disciples; the account of Jesus’ words is recorded here in Luke’s Gospel. Listen to Jesus as He teaches His followers. “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” [LUKE 17:1-4].
The context reveals that the Master was cautioning against allowing oneself to be a stumbling block to a fellow believer. In particular, Jesus was warning against holding a harsh attitude toward a fellow believer who has stumbled and then repented. The responsibility of the follower of Jesus is to forgive the believer who turns from error to again seek to walk in the way that honours the Lord God.
When they heard this teaching, the disciples spontaneously responded with a measure of awe. Thus, we read, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’” [LUKE 17:5]! They recognise that they hadn’t the ability within themselves to be forgiving. I suspect that they really didn’t think about what they were doing, the words just slipped out, “Increase our faith!” How could they do what the Master expected, such gracious behaviour was unnatural. In fact, what Jesus demanded was supernatural!
Notice, however, Jesus’ response to these men who tacitly confessed their lack of ability. Jesus responded, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” [LUKE 17:6]. Jesus is saying, “You don’t need great faith; you need just a little bit of faith.”
It is interesting that this is not the only time these disciples had heard Jesus use this particular example to teach them about faith. On another occasion, Jesus had taken three of His disciples up a high mountain. There, the Master was transfigured, stunning these three disciples by what they witnessed. Then, coming down from the mountain, an amazing event took place. Here is the biblical account as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. “When they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.’ And Jesus answered, ‘O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly” [MATTHEW 17:14-18].
It was an incredible demonstration of authority! The man had brought his son to the disciples, and they were unable to do anything. Yet, with one word, Jesus did what nine disciples could not do. That is the way with His authority, isn’t it? We pray and we plead, and nothing changes. And we wonder if perhaps God has simply ceased answering prayer. Maybe the Lord has gone on holiday, or the system is down. Nothing has changed in the millennia since Jesus cast out this demon to give a tormented boy an opportunity to live a normal life.
So, we read, “The disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out’” [MATTHEW 17:19]? They didn’t want to embarrass themselves any more than they were already humiliated. They had tried and they had failed. So they waited, though doubt gnawed at their mind like a wild animal ravaging a grain field. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, they asked what happened. Confused, they questioned the authority with which Jesus had invested them when He sent them out. You do recall how Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and affliction” [MATTHEW 10:1]?
Now, listen to Jesus as He teaches His disciples, and teaches us in the process. “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you’” [MATTHEW 17:20].
Let me speak pointedly on this issue. Either the Master has spoken truth, or He has lied. There is no interregnum in this matter. We who profess to follow the Master are either confident in His authority, or we are not certain. If we are confident in His authority, and if we know that He has appointed us, we will walk in faith and do what is necessary to accomplish His will. If we are only pretending to trust Him, then we should confess as much and avoid doing anything that will embarrass us or dishonour Him. According to Jesus’ own word, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you!”
I’ve taken this excursus to bring us to the point of acknowledging that authority resides in Jesus, the Son of God. The centurion understood that Jesus possessed authority, and he had been in error to attempt to approach Jesus on the basis of personal merit. It is not that the Lord will not show us mercy when we approach Him in an errant fashion, but we need to recognise that we honour the Son of God when we believe Him and trust that He will act according to what glorifies Him and what is good for us. Jesus is good, and His goodness is revealed as He displays His authority to those who look to Him in faith.
We need to know that Jesus is honoured by humility and by confidence in Who He is. Early on we learn that we are encouraged to “approach the throne of grace with boldness” [HEBREWS 4:16], but I fear that many Christians appear to have confused brashness with boldness. Though we are to be confident as we come before the Lord, our approach is always to be marked by humility because we are coming into the presence of the Living God. We come before Him on the merits of the Son of God, and not because we deserve to be before His throne.
You may recall how David pleaded with the LORD,
“Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins;
let they not have dominion over me!
[PSALM 19:13]
This is a prayer that would benefit each of us. Presumption, an exalted opinion of our own importance, is a disgrace before the Lord GOD. The LORD, speaking through Moses, has warned us, “The person who does anything with a high hand … reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among His people. Because he has despised the Word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him” [NUMBERS 15:30-31].
Another petitioner received what she asked because of her humility. In Mark’s Gospel we read, “[Jesus] went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ And he said to her, ‘For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.’ And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone” [MARK 7:24-30].
Listen to me—Jesus is compassionate! Those who dare come to the Saviour with their requests will find a listening ear. Don’t imagine that you can manipulate the Master, somehow conning Him into doing your will. The one who earnestly seeks grace will find grace. The one who imagines that Jesus can be manipulated to do what that person wants will be disappointed. Yet, the Lord delights to do great things for His beloved people.
Perusing one of my daughter’s multiple Facebook entries shortly after her death, I came upon a post that Susan had made shortly after she had moved to be near her mother and I. Susan wrote at that time, “When we first moved up here, my dad challenged us to dare to ask God for something so audacious, so enormous, so bold that when He answered it would be clear that it only came about by His direct hand.” I don’t recall the specific conversation, but it would fit with my view of things. I know that I’ve often challenged people to dare believe that we serve a God so great that He can do what we could never imagine. I know that I’ve often challenged others, myself included, to dare offer ourselves to God so that we can accomplish one great thing. I know that I often urge people to believe that God will use them in some marvellous way.
This call from God is repeated throughout Scripture. For instance, consider this challenge delivered to Jeremiah at a low point in his life. The LORD challenged His Prophet, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” [JEREMIAH 33:3].
Perhaps you recall the encouragement delivered by the Master when He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him” [MATTHEW 7:7-11]!
Jesus promises His followers, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My Name, I will do it” [JOHN 14:12-14].
If we are not seeing audacious answers to our prayers, it must be because we are not asking for audacious things. James is right when he challenges us, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” [JAMES 4:1-3].
JESUS MARVELS — “When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith’” [LUKE 7:9]. Jesus marvelled. That is powerful information wrapped up in an incredible statement. It is an incredible statement because we are told that Jesus knew people. Perhaps you will recall how many people believed in Jesus’ Name when they saw the signs He was performing. However, Jesus did not return the courtesy. In fact, we are told, “Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” [JOHN 2:24-25]. This is the reason that I say it is incredible to read that Jesus marvelled! Knowing what was in man, Jesus marvelled. Transparency, honesty, humility in the presence of divine power—this is the attitude that caused Jesus to say “Wow!”
I wish I could say that there is an absolutely honest individual, a person who never varies in pursuing righteousness who can be found somewhere in the world. However, I know, and you know as well, that perfection does not exist among the inhabitants of this earth. We are sinful creatures, and we are never able to fully live up to the desires of our hearts. If we will see our truest desires fulfilled, it will be because the Lord has enabled us to see them fulfilled. Scripture confronts our broken condition when it testifies of us, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” [ECCLESIASTES 7:20]. Solomon echoes what is said here on another occasion as he prayed at the dedication of the Temple. At that time the King confessed, “There is no one who does not sin” [1 KINGS 8:46b].
James, the half-brother of our Lord, testifies almost sheepishly of our broken condition when he writes, “We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” [JAMES 3:2]. James is not casting shade; he includes himself in the woeful condition of all mankind when he says, “We all stumble!”
I don’t want you to imagine that I am condoning the brokenness that marks our lives or that I am somehow minimising the sin that contaminates our lives. I am not! We are sinful, broken people. We desperately need divine grace. Rather than minimising our sinful condition, I am acknowledging our weakness, our brokenness, so that we will learn to rely on God’s grace and His mercy. I am acknowledging the weakness and the brokenness that mars every facet of our being so that we will cast ourselves on Christ to supply the grace we need and to grant us the strength we lack in order to accomplish great things in His power.
To those who are followers of the Christ, you know that when you came to Christ, you came as a sinner without any ability to make yourself better. Having come to Him in that manner at the first, why should any of us imagine that it is different now? This is the message Paul delivered to the Galatians when he wrote, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?’
“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” [GALATIANS 3:1-9].
I’m preaching to encourage you to so live that Jesus says, “Wow!” as you serve Him. I’m pleading with the people of God to so live and to so pray that the Lord is delighted to give us what we request because He is glorified in the request and in the execution of His will as we serve Him. I’m calling on the people of God, the beloved saints in this assembly to dare ask great things of God, expecting that He will do even more than we think or ask. I’m challenging each of us to anticipate that God through Christ the Lord will transform our lives and our service as we fulfil His will and bring many sons to glory. Let Christ be glorified in this assembly and in each Christian. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
