“Amazing Faith...”
Matthew 8:5-13
Prayer...
OKAY – let’s do this!
We are in a verse by verse study of the Gospel of Matthew.
AND LISTEN – from our very first week diving into these 2000 year old words written by the x-tax collector,
Our goal has been the same...
The goal - to have a greater understanding of both who Jesus is, and of what it looks to live in the Kingdom that He established 2000 years ago.
SO THAT - we can follower Jesus better.
SO THAT – we can become more fully devoted to Him.
SO THAT – we can follow Him in spirit and in truth.
AND LISTEN – one thing that Matthew wants to make clear from the very first words that Holy Spirit had him put down on paper... is who Jesus is.
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham... – Matthew 1:1
I MEAN – Matthew is like, okay you want to know who Jesus is...
Who is Jesus, HE IS...
• The promised King, who through His earthy Father Joseph has the legal right to the throne of David.
• The Son of God, born to a virgin who shall be called, ‘Immanuel’... which means? God with is
• The promised Messiah (the Christ) who came to save people from their sins
• The One who wiseman from the east came to worship as the King of the Jews
• The One whose arrival is announced by JTB
• The One, who when baptized in the Jordan, the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove and the Father proclaimed, ‘This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.’
• The One who battled the evil one in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights and came out victorious.
• The who spoke with authority when He gave His Kingdom Manifesto on the hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
• The One who demonstrates in Matthew chapters 8 and 9 that He has authority over all things: over nature, over sickness, over demons, over sin death, over the grave and over how we are to live out our lives if we choose to follow after Him.
AND AGAIN...
Here’s s the deal, Here’s the point Matthew is making in these two chapters...
Since Jesus possess absolute authority in the world, He warrants absolute allegiance from the world.
NOW – last week we saw that Jesus has authority over disease, as He cleanses a man who was covered in leprosy (Matthew 8:2-4)
AND – the two truths we took away from this encounter were Jesus saying to us...
“I am willing” – understand, if you feel alone, isolated, hurt, shut out, afraid, doubtful or unworthy... Jesus says I am willing to step into your circumstances and help you.
You matter to me!
“Be my touch in the world”
God calls us, His church, to be His healing touch for those whose feel: left out, unworthy, unacceptable, unclean and banished to a life outside the gates.
He calls us to touch the untouchable and to love the unlovable.
AMEN
I really love what a guy named Leonard Sweet wrote...
When the church stops looking out for the little guys or caring for the bottom heap or specializing in the forgotten, the freaks, and the mistakes, it has ceased being the church.
THIS MORNING... we will be unpacking Matthew 8:5-13 in a conversation called, ‘Amazing Faith”
When Jesus had entered Capernaum,
Literally Village of Nahum (comfort and consolation)
• Located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee
• According to Matthew 4:13 Jesus moved there from Nazareth to kind of set up His base camp. Capernaum was ground zero for His Galilean ministry.
• Peter and his brother Andrew had a home in Capernaum
• Probably had a population of 12-15,000.
• It basically was a blue collar, uneducated fishing village, looked down upon by the religious elite class back in Jerusalem.
• The Romans had a garrison there
• There were quite a few gentiles living there... in fact the area was known a Galilee of the Gentiles
YOU KNOW – I think it is so God, that when Jesus ‘came down’ from the mountain (yes, we worship and serve a God who came and comes down) He came to an area looked down upon by others.
UNDERSTAND – typically when God moves He moves among the most unlikely people, because He loves to take the weak to shame the wise.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly (and is about to die).” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. – Matthew 5:5-13
OKAY – that is our text, and before we take our deep dive, our conversation, ‘Amazing Faith...’
I want to share some things I found on the world wide web at... allthatsinteresting.com/amazing facts
The total weight of all the ants on Earth is greater than total weight of all the humans on the planet.
More than 2,500 left-handed people are killed every year from using equipment meant for right-handed people.
Humans shed 40 pounds of skin in their lifetime, completely replacing their outer skin every month.
If the human brain were a computer, it could perform 38 thousand-trillion operations per second. The world’s most powerful supercomputer, can manage only .002% of that.
"Rain of fish" is an annual weather event in which hundreds of fish rain from the sky onto the Honduran city of Yoro.
A mosquito has 47 teeth.
Vending machines kill 4 times as many people as sharks per year.
Human fingers are so sensitive that if your fingers were the size of Earth, you could feel the difference between a house and a car.
The average hummingbird's heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute.
A Blue Whale's heart is the size of a VW Beetle and large enough that you could swim through it's arteries.
There are more atoms in a single glass of water than glasses of water in all the oceans of the Earth.
You're more likely to become the President than you are to win the lottery.
Let’s take two...
Prayer...
OKAY – let’s do this MGCC, Matthew 8:5-13...
AND – the way I want to attack our text today is by talking about several things that we see in this encounter with centurion...
• Impressive Things (about the centurion)
• ‘The’ Amazing Thing (about the centurion)
• Awesome Things (about our forever)
• Terrifying Things (about the forever of many)
• ‘The’ Rewarding Things (about amazing faith)
I. Impressive Things (about the centurion)
His influence
UNDERSTAND - this centurion was an influential man.
A centurion was a Roman soldier who had the oversight of at least 100 soldiers. Remember the Romans were ruling the world at this time, so he was a prominent figure in the community.
Polybius, the historian, describes their qualifications.
“They must be not so much be seekers after danger, as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable. They ought not to be overanxious to rush into the fight; But when hard pressed they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts."
Centurion's had the reputation for being notoriously harsh and merciless men: they were the backbone of the great Roman army.
Yet interestingly in the New Testament the Roman Centurions are always spoken of well...
LIKE - the centurion at the cross who said, “This is the Son of God”; or Cornelius in Acts 10, the first Gentile convert to Christianity, or the two centurions who assist the Apostle Paul and save his life (Acts 27).
His compassion
My servant (who I value highly) lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly (and is about to die).
– Matthew 8:6
Now in Roman law a slave was just a living tool with no rights. IN FACT - a master could mistreat him, even kill him with no repercussions. William Barclay quotes a Roman writer on estate management who recommended that the farmer examine his implements every year and throw out those that are old and broken, and then he adds, “Do the same with your slaves.”
SO - normally when a slave could no longer contribute to the workforce, the owner would just discard him.
But not this guy... No, this guy highly valued this servant and cared about what he was going through.
Somebody has defined compassion as “your pain in my heart.” This centurion loved this slave so much that he felt his pain in his heart and he went to great trouble to restore his health.
His generosity and love
NOW - in Luke account of this miracle, he tells us that some Jews for the town approached Jesus on behalf of the centurion
When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with Him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” – Luke 7:4,5
This Roman Centurion, stationed in a foreign land...
had grown to love the Jewish nation.
So much so that He used His own resources to build a synagogue a place where God’s people could gather and worship. YEAH – you would think that a roman soldier would be the last one to build a synagogue, but this guy did.
Here is a synagogue that has been uncovered in what was Capernaum... it may be the very synagogue that this centurion built.
His Humility
Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.
Matthew 8:8
Now this is the same wording as when JTB said to Jesus I am not worthy to carry your sandals. (Matthew 3:11)
Imagine, a Roman officer, not known for displaying their humility, especially before their conquered subjects, telling a poor Jewish rabbi, that he was unworthy to even have Jesus enter his house.
NOW – this guy is a perfect picture of the first words that Jesus spoke in His Kingdom Manifesto.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3
Being ‘poor in spirit’ means that you reach a point where you realize you’re broke. That spiritually you are bankrupt.
It’s acknowledging that YOU…
• Can’t dig yourself out of the hole.
• Can’t take care of yourself.
• Can’t fix your problems.
• Can’t redeem your situation.
• Can’t put the pieces back together
• Can’t turn things around
• Can’t get passed it
Bottom line - you declare your spiritual bankruptcy.
You ask God for help
And Jesus says, “In that moment, blessed are you.”
YEAH – there are some pretty impressive things about this centurion: His influence, His Compassion, His generosity, His love for the nation, His humility, and we could add that...
He knew where to go when a loved one had a need
QUESTION... where do you go, when someone you care about is in need? When you are concerned about:
Their physical health, their emotional health..
BUT LISTEN – as impressive as these things are, and as uncommon as they were in that and in our day...
They are not what amazed Jesus.
Instead what amazed Jesus about this Gentile Roman Soldier was His great faith
II. ‘The’ Amazing Thing
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
AGAIN – this guy is just awestruck by Jesus.
I mean, do you get the level of respect and reverence this high Roman official is showing to Jesus, when He approached Him?
QUESTION – are you awestruck by Jesus?
Do you approach Him with the same kind of respect and reverence?
But just say the word,
(like you do not even have to be there)
and my servant will be healed.
Evidently he had heard stories about Jesus performing miracles—that Jesus had healed a man with a withered hand, that Jesus had cleansed a leper, that Jesus had raised up a man that was paralyzed and caused him to walk.
He believed that these accounts were credible, and since he had nowhere else to turn, he turned to Jesus to heal the servant he highly valued.
For I myself am a man under authority,
He was under the authority of the Emperor
with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Why?
Because the soldiers under him knew that He has the authority of the Emperor behind His words.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed
NOW – this is only one of two times in Scripture where Jesus is amazed (thou-mod-zo).
Here He is amazed at the great faith of the centurion.
AND – in Mark 6:6, in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus was amazed not by faith, but by the lack of faith of God’s own people.
They had Abraham, Moses, the Law and the prophets
Yet they did not have faith and this gentile who had none of that... had faith
When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him,
NOW UNDERSTAND – Jesus is turning this encounter with the centurion into a teaching moment for those who were following Him
“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel
Not those who heard my speak on the mountain side,
Not those who have seen the miracles, Not the scribes and teachers of the law, Not the priests or the Levites, Not even Peter, John, Andrew, James or the 12
“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. – Matthew 8:8-10
OKAY – so here is this gentile, with a Pagan background and a built in Roman self-sufficiency...
A man who didn’t have the benefit of knowing the OT law and prophets,
A man who probably never heard Jesus speak in person; but only heard reports from others...
YET – he recognized Jesus authority.
And he saw a parallel between the way he commanded his soldiers (when he said do this, they did it) and the way Jesus commanded diseases.
He knew and believed, that all Jesus had to do was say the word, and things would happen just as Jesus spoke.
YEAH – this guy recognized who Jesus is...
And therefore he complete confidence in the Word of Jesus.
“Just say the Word”
“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. – Matthew 8:8-10
AND LISTEN – Jesus continues to use this moment to teach...
To teach about some awesome things and some terrifying things. UNDERSTAND – Jesus’ encounter with the centurion became a prophetic warning to the nation and to all those who refuse to believe.
NOW – we will start where Jesus did, with the awesome things first.
III. Awesome Things
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 8:11
UNDERSTAND – when Jesus says that many will come from the east and west He is talking about gentiles coming to Jesus.
• A place of rest
• A place of feasting
• A place where they have a place (name tag on the table)
• A place of good company
• A place where they finally and fully experience the Kingdom of God
IV. Terrifying Things
But the subjects of the kingdom
Those who had the law, who had the prophets, who had the Old Testament, who had the history and the heritage.But who refused to believe and have faith in Jesus.
He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. – John 1:12
Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed— let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy. This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” - Acts 4:8-12
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. – Matthew 8:12
Not only will they miss the great heavenly banquet, but they will spend forever is a place of...
• Outer darkness
• Weeping – suffering
• Gnashing of teeth – despair.
Chan quote ‘Erasing Hell’
Why do so many people choose to reject and not believe in Jesus?
I think there are two, primary reasons why people choose not to believe after hearing about Jesus and His Gospel.
The first is...
Intellectual Pride
Those who consider themselves a little smarter than others have a harder time believing in the claims of Scripture about Jesus...
because ‘in their minds’ they feel/think that if they accept all these claims of Scripture, that they are somehow checking in their brains at the door.
BUT LISTEN – that is not what we are called to do as Jesus followers.
No, faith is examining the evidence and then making a choice. God doesn’t ask that we have blind faith; He does ask that we examine the Bible and look at creation, study the life of Christ, look at testimonies of answered prayer and transformed lives, and then choose to believe.
Moral Rebellion
Some refuse to believe because of moral rebellion. To place faith in Christ would necessitate repentance and a dramatic change of lifestyle, and it’s much easier to refuse to believe than it is to believe and change.
That’s why Psalm 10:4 says, “In his pride the wicked does not seek him. In all his thoughts there is no room for God.”
AGAIN – many refuse to believe because they do not want to change. That’s why Jesus said,
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” - John 3:19
Your eternal destiny is dependent on humble trust in the authority of Jesus to save you from your sins and to rule over your life as Lord. And all who trust in Him ‘like this’ regardless of ethnicity or background, will be welcomed at His table. – David Platt (Exalting Jesus In Matthew)
V. ‘The’ Rewarding Thing
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. – Matthew 8:13
“Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”
AND – the rewarding thing, is the results that happen in our lives when we believe in the authority of the words of Jesus.
If Jesus said it,
that settles it,
I believe it,
and I will live it!
AND B/S – this kind of Faith still amazes Jesus today.
YES – people who...
• take Jesus at His word
• recognize His authority
• demonstrate their faith with not with lips alone, but with their lives
• an active and alive faith
• walk boldly and confidently into the waters of life trusting Him to part the seas
People who say if Jesus said to...
o forgive, I’ll forgive
o serve, I’ll serve
o to give, I’ll give
o
AND LISTEN – just as Jesus responded to the faith of centurion, He still responds to faith today.
• By faith we are justified
• By faith, we stand firm
• By faith we are shielded by God’s power until he comes to take us home
• By faith we can conquer kingdoms,
• By faith we gain what was promised
•
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to take Him at His Word
Just to rest upon His promise
Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord"
Two Takeaways
How will you choose to Amaze Jesus this week?
Understand each of us this week are going to amaze Jesus.
Either we are going to amaze Him, through a...
Renewed, commitment to an: alive and active ‘if Jesus said so’ faith, not just heard on our lips but seen in our lives.
OR – we are going to amaze Jesus because though we have heard it all before, seen it work in the lives of others (and got the t-shirt) we will spend yet another week in amazing unbelief.
Who will you try invite and try to get to that heavenly banquet?
Hey – for some of you Jesus wants to tell you that you are invited!
SO - there is this man in Matthew chapter 9, and he has been paralyzed for a long time. AND - Jesus is like I know this man can’t walk.
BUT - more important than that is his relationship with God is not right… SO - Jesus says I want you to know that your sins are forgiven.
And the religious leaders are like, ‘who is this guy, who says stuff like that… You don’t talk like that you don’t have the authority to forgive sins.
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
ANSWER – it is easier to say that your sins are forgiven
Cause, how do you know, right?
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” – Matthew 9:5,6
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. – Mark 16:16
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38
