I have to begin this morning with a confession. When it comes to matters of technology, I’m a stereotypical male. I’ll figure it out, just leave me alone, don’t hand me the instruction book, I’ve got this. It shows up as I’m driving somewhere using the GPS. It used to really bug me when Terri would point out that my turn was coming up. When she stopped, I realized I actually needed her to point out the turn because I get to talking with people in the car and realize I’m at my turn as I’m going by. So now I ask her to point it out, and even if I knew it was coming, I bite my tongue because I know what will happen if I shut her down- we take some rather interesting scenic routes.
It shows up when I’m troubleshooting technology. You may have heard Jeff and I joke about how I scare the computers into working because he’ll call me over to figure out what went wrong and half the time it corrects itself by the time I sit down to look. But the problem that I’m working on is that I tend to get into a focused on the problem zone and don’t think about the tone I’m using if someone asks a question or makes a suggestion as I’m troubleshooting. (My family is over there nodding their heads vigorously.)
It’s kind of like praying for patience. You know, God answers by throwing you into situations that try your patience so that you develop patience. God really put me to the test last Sunday. It’s been a couple weeks since the audio has worked right for our Facebook livestream. I spent several hours trying various settings to prepare for Sunday’s service to no avail. I decided that I’d record the audio on my phone and add it to the video later, providing the video for people who couldn’t attend later in the day.
The time came for the countdown video to begin when I realized the person I expected to be in the booth wasn’t there. No problem, I’ll step into the booth quick and press the button to start the video and stay there until they return. Then someone else came to the booth to let me know another computer was giving error messages and they were trying to get something they needed for junior church, they needed me to come look at it. It was time for the service to begin, so I let them know I’d be there as soon as I could, was just waiting for the other person to get back to the booth.
Meanwhile, the folks on stage were looking at me wondering why the scripture verses weren’t displaying yet, so I began clicking slides for the service to begin. As we got to the first song and the sound booth person returned, I realized my phone was still in my hand and I hadn’t pressed record yet. We switched spots and I rushed to the front of the sanctuary to place my phone for recording, then headed to the office to help with the computer error there. Bouncing between three different computers made it clear that the website server with the resource we needed had crashed on their end and there was nothing I could do to solve the problem, the lesson plan would have to be adjusted.
The struggle continued when I got home. I sat down, expecting to watch the second half of the Packers game to discover that our WiFi wasn’t working. No problem, I’ll turn the router off and on, reset the system, and enjoy the game. Nope! Didn’t work, tried it a few times, then resolved myself to calling customer service. They answered right away and directed me to a live person rather than taking several steps with an automated system, to my relief. The tech was quite friendly, but I knew he was about to walk me through everything I had already done before making the phone call. But I knew I had to complete the process if I wanted the help. Sure enough, we turned things off and on, checked for a signal on other devices, looked to see that other WiFi signals were listed, and then he asked me to take a paper clip and press the reset button through the pin hole. I thought, oh, here’s something I haven’t tried yet, maybe he’s solved the problem. I get a paper clip, press the button, and wait five seconds. Nothing at all happens. It doesn’t even glitch, no reset, no reaction to the button being pressed. He has me try it again and again before finally saying, “I’ve never had this happen before, let me put you on hold so I can figure out our next steps.”
When he comes back, he informs me that they are going to swap out my equipment under warranty. He can have a new tower shipped and it will arrive in a couple days or I can drive a mile to the T-Mobile store and make an exchange if they have one in stock. As much as my family uses the internet, I knew I better make the drive. The tech then asks me to hold so he can call the store to confirm they have one before I go. They do, so he tells me to just ask for Josh.
Now, Josh doesn’t know this yet, but he’s my new best friend. I drove to the store, he happened to be the person who greeted me, and when I told him why I was there, he was ready for me. Josh pulled out the new tower, we set it all up so that the settings were the same as the old so all our devices would connect immediately. I drove home, plugged it in, and everything was working as it should.
So here’s the confession- I like to think I’ve got the know-how to fix each and every one of those situations on my own. It was abundantly clear on Sunday that I don’t. The audio? I’ve had to ask BJ and Chuck to help get that working right again. The website? I had to wait for them to fix their server. My WiFi? I had to call in to customer service to find a solution that would work. In each of these situations, I needed help. I was frustrated, I was ornery, I found myself taking a lot of deep breaths. And you may have noticed, I’ve used the word I a lot so far.
And then I sat down at my office (McDonald’s) Monday morning and opened the text to begin to prepare for this morning’s message. I read through the text and my first thought was, “That’s not funny, God!” It felt like He was smacking me upside the head, “Are you catching on yet?” What am I talking about? Let’s read Luke 7:1-10. Pray.
Jesus goes to Jerusalem, where there is a Centurion. You might be wondering, “What exactly is a centurion?” I’m glad you asked! A Centurion is a soldier, this one is stationed in Capernaum. He’s Roman, so he’s a good way from home. The rank of Centurion means that he is in command of about 100 soldiers. In addition to his soldiers, we’re told that this man has some servants. From what we know about the Roman army, this man was unique. He actually cared about the men under his authority. In fact, we’re told that he highly valued this particular servant who was sick to the point of death.
We’re not told, but I’m pretty confident that he had done all he could for this servant. He made sure that he had a comfortable place to rest, called in the best doctors to bring healing, but nothing was working. The Centurion was desperate, and then he hears that Jesus has come to town. Long story short, or as younger people might say, tldr- too long didn’t read- the Centurion sends Jewish elders who brag on him and friends who demonstrate his humility, and Jesus heals the servant without ever seeing him.
The question that comes to mind for me is “Why did Jesus help the Centurion and heal his servant? I can tell you a couple reasons it wasn’t, although at first glance many would say those are the exact reasons Jesus healed the servant. But bear with me and allow me to dig a bit deeper before we respond.
It wasn’t about the Centurion’s station in life. As a Roman commander, he could have easily demanded that Jesus come to his home, heal the servant, and pay homage to Rome, but he didn’t. Actually, we’re told that he sent some of the Jewish elders. Why would he do this? First, knowing that Jesus is a Jew, He may be more willing to listen to the elders and act. He also knows those elders are motivated. They’ll see an opportunity to get on the good side of one of their oppressors. If they can bring Jesus to his home, the Centurion will be in their debt.
So look at Luke 7:4 again (read). They pleaded with Jesus earnestly. The Centurion is worthy of Jesus’ coming to perform a miracle. What makes him worthy? They point out that this Centurion is different. He’s not like many of our oppressors- he loves our nation. He’s not like many of these pagans- he built our synagogue. Because Jesus went with the elders, some might think the Centurion’s reputation won Jesus over. But let’s continue.
It wasn’t about the Centurion’s humility. As Jesus is approaching his home, we’re told the Centurion sent another set of people to speak with Jesus, this time his friends. Why? I believe it’s because they know the Centurion better than anyone else. They would know what they are talking about when they expressed the Centurion’s humility.
What was the message they delivered on behalf of the Centurion? I’m not worthy to have you enter my home. Think about it, I’m a Roman, I’m a soldier, I’m your enemy, I don’t deserve to have you come into my presence. This is why I couldn’t come myself and make any demands of you. But the message continues and there is something more in his next words that I believe reveals the reason why Jesus was willing to heal the servant.
It wasn’t about his station. It wasn’t about his humility. Jesus chose to heal the servant because he recognized the faith of the Centurion. Notice the Centurion’s next words in Luke 7:7 (read). “Say the word and let my servant be healed.” I think it was his explanation that really caught Jesus’ attention. This Centurion truly understands the concept of authority. I am under authority and have been given some authority. Soldiers have been placed under my command- if I tell them to go, they go. If I tell them to come, they come. When I tell my servant to do this, it gets done.
What is he saying here? I know how authority works- the subjects obey the one in authority. I know who You are, Jesus- You have authority even over this disease that is threatening to take the life of my servant. You don’t even have to come to my house. Say the word, Jesus, and my servant will be healed.
When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him. Let’s just pause and think about this for a minute. Jesus heard the Roman Centurion’s words and He marveled at him. He marveled at him. What a thought!
Imagine today that Jesus is sitting on His throne in heaven and an angel shares your thoughts with Him. Would Jesus marvel at you? Would it be in a good way?
Jesus turns to the crowd and declares, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith!” Wow! Now, we’re not told what specific words of healing Jesus offered beyond that. We do know that those Jewish elders and friends to the Centurion returned to his home (without Jesus, I might add) and find that the servant has been healed and is well. Because Jesus recognized the Centurion’s level of faith, He didn’t even bother going to the house. The messengers return to the house and they know that Jesus has healed this servant. HE’S THAT GOOD!
I want to have faith like the Roman Centurion. I want to have a faith that says I know there are things that I know I can do, but then there are things that are simply beyond my control. When I encounter those things, when I have days like I had last Sunday, I pray that I have the faith to turn to the One whom I know can. So how do we get there?
We begin by recognizing our station. (read Romans 8:14-17) Because we are led by the Spirit, we are sons of God. We are sons, not slaves- the slave is owned, must obey, is often oppressed. A son is loved, cared for, corrected in a way to maintain the relationship. Because we are adopted by God, we can cry out in our time of need to Abba Father. Whenever I hear the word Abba, unless it’s referring to a music group, I picture a young child calling out to their father because they know he loves them. I recently came across a story from another preacher who had traveled to Israel that suggests there’s even more.
This man arrived at an Israeli airport and immediately went into the restroom. A Jewish man was helping his son wash his hands and told him, “Now son, when I instruct you to do something, I want you to respond by calling me Abba.” Not only does this term depict the love of a father for his child, it also expresses the desire of the child to obey their father because they trust him. Being His children, we get to call on Abba Father.
Being a child of God is an amazing status to have, how often do we forget the significance of it. I remember the first day of VBS after we had merged a couple of churches together in St. Louis. I was presenting the opening thoughts to set the tone for our summer. I informed the children that as they follow Christ, they are children of God- that makes them princes and princesses because they are children of the King. They got so excited that they actually cheered. Oh, to have faith like a child.
Then we need to humble ourselves. (read 1 Peter 5:6). We humble ourselves so that God may exalt us. Think about it, nothing we have done on our own earns our way into heaven- we get there by the grace of God when we’ve followed His commands. A while back, the youth group did a skit about the goodness scale. Each person approached a scale to see if their deeds on this earth tipped the scale in their favor. They learned that their deeds meant nothing, but when they responded to God’s offer of grace by believing, repenting, confessing, and being immersed, Jesus stepped in on their behalf and access to heaven was granted.
Jesus illustrated this idea when He tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee stood near the front of the synagogue where all would see him as he prayed, “I’m not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and especially not that tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give a tithe of all I receive.” The tax collector kneels in the back, puts his head down in shame, and whispers, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” Who does Jesus say was exalted by God that day? That’s right, the tax collector.
When we humble ourselves before God, He lifts us up. Just like the parable of the banquet- choose the lower seats and let the host move you up, elevating you in the eyes of those around you.
Finally, we need to live by faith (read 1 Peter 5:7). Cast all your anxieties on Him. Why? Because He cares. God didn’t create you to abandon you or be entertained by watching you struggle. He cares for you, He is concerned about the struggles you’re going through. One of my favorite worship songs back in the 90s (in part because you couldn’t help but move to the music), contained these lyrics: I walk by faith, each step by faith, to live by faith, I put my trust in You.
What does this look like? Maybe living by faith looks like Paul’s mantra in Philippians 1:21 (read). Whatever we may be going through, it will be for Christ’s glory, so let’s live by faith. If the trial or tribulation or illness or circumstance should take our life, we gain heaven. We’re in a win-win situation, so recognize that we are children of God, humble ourselves before Him, live by faith, and ask Him for the help you need. Use that word- help. Let’s pray.
Over the past month, Jeff preached a series of messages about how baptism is our response to God’s offer of salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ. Tuesday morning, David Stewart texted me and asked, I was sprinkled and not immersed, does this mean I’m going to hell? We got together that night to discuss it. Here’s what I told him. God in His mercy can choose to make an exception for you to get into heaven. However, knowing what He has commanded of you, why go through life and take the chance that He won’t? And if you’re concerned about what that means for someone who has already left this life, whether they are now in heaven or hell, what do you think they’d want you to do? We baptized David by immersion at youth group Wednesday night.
We want to give you the opportunity to respond as well. Maybe you’ve never made a decision to follow Jesus, maybe you’d been taught something different than what we’ve found in Scripture and have just come to an understanding of how God wants you to join with His Son. There is no time like the present to follow what God has called for all people to do in response to the grace He gave us at the cross. We’re going to stand and sing our invitation song, if you realize it’s time for you to act, come forward as we sing.
