Great Faith Seen in Respect for Authority
Submission to Human Authority Part IV
3/17/02
We want to Begin this morning by reading a Story in Luke 7:1-10
7:1Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue." 6Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I also am a man placed under authority, having 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." 9When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 10And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
NKJV
In Verse 9 we find Jesus Impressed by the faith demonstrated by this Gentile soldier-
So much so that He Points it out to Crowd around Him.
What was it about this man that drew this commendation from Jesus?
Verse 9 begins with these words “When Jesus heard these things…”
What things?
The Message this Centurion had just given.
I want us to take a few minutes and look at that message closely.
It begins in verse 6 with a humble Recognition by this Centurion of his own Limitations “…for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”
Here is a man – Not Exalting himself, but humbling himself.
Not Selling himself
Not claiming to be the head and not the tail
Not Asserting his own self-importance
but Acknowledging before all his own Unworthiness.
This is Not an Approach of Presumption but of honest Faith-faith in the goodness of Another.
This is the kind of Mindset that gets through to God.
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
There is no pretension here – no vain show.
Remember in I Samuel 15 when King Saul had disobeyed God.
God at that time rejected him from being king of Israel
And Samuel spoke that to him.
What did King Saul do? Asked Samuel to stay with him to honor him before the people to make things look good by all appearances(making a good impression before others).
Genuine faith deals with reality and owns up to its own limitation.“…for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”
In verse 5 others had spoken very highly of this centurion.
He was an honorable man.But he himself knew who he was before the Lord of Glory.
Coming to God Begins Here.
It begins by being honest about who we are.)
Are you worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Are you without sin?
Can you stand eye to eye with the Creator of the universe?
“Two men went to the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
KJV (Luke 18:10-14)
Do you come to God today Acknowledging your sin?
Do you come like this Centurion saying “Lord, I’m not worthy that you should enter under my roof…”
That’s the kind of approach that gets God’s ear.
Not only does this centurion acknowledge his place, his limitations, his unworthiness
But in the same sentence he shows Respect to the Lord Jesus.
He perceives & acknowledges Jesus’ Authority!
Humility is positioned to Discern true Authority- Pride is often blinded to it.
This man sees something of who Jesus really is-
Notice in Verse 6 he calls Him “Lord” (That is Significant)
In that one word is a Submission to authority.
Coming to Jesus is about coming under authority-{submitting to His Lordship}
Salvation is not just about getting our sins forgiven and going to Heaven.
It’s about that.
But it’s about more than that. It’s about bowing the knee to God’s authority over our lives.
It’s about Surrendering our will to will of God.
It’s about coming under God’s rightful command over our lives and our very being.
Faith doesn’t just say “Give me. Give me. Give me.” It first says “Lord”.
We’re talking about a man who knew what “Lord” means.
It is a Recognition of Authority!
Now in verse 8 we come to an underlying world-view (philosophy of life)(1)that is Essential to true faith.
Luke 7:7-8
8For I also am a man placed under authority, having 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."
NKJV
This centurion is Recognizing 2 truths about Jesus:
(1) That He is Under authority
(2) That being under authority He Has authority.
That is the centurion’s attitude toward himself and toward Christ. It is rooted in a good understanding of authority.
Look at Christ’s attitude toward the Father.
Jesus was under the authority of the Father. (2)
John 6:38-39
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. NKJV
What was Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane?
"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Luke 22:42 NKJV
Turn with me to I Corinthians 15:24-28
24Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
NKJV
Do you see the Eternal relationship of submission Christ has with the Father?
As orthodox Christians we all believe in the Trinity.
That means God the Father is fully God.
That means God the Son is fully God.
That means God the Holy Spirit is fully God.
Does the Submission of the Son to the Father make Him any less God? No! Submission is not about Value.
It’s not about Inferiority.
It’s about filling one’s PLACE
That concept is essential for us to grasp.
The Role one fills is not a statement of value.
To be in authority does not mean I’m superior.
To be under authority does not mean I’m inferior.
A worldly view of authority is the devil’s view.
It is about climbing & grasping & getting to the top-
and basing one’s value on successfully doing that.
If we embrace that mindset we will always have trouble submitting to authority.
But if we see and embrace the Biblical concept of authority we can take the place God gives and function in it with joy.
We will not find our worth measured by position but by relationship with the eternal Godhead.
We will submit to those in authority over us because we will Not see submission as Belittling but as Ennobling.
The outstanding thing about this Centurion is his revelation of How Authority Works and the Application of that to Christ’s ability to meet his need.
Back in our text: Luke 7:7 “…say the WORD, and my servant will be healed.”
Words are powerful when spoken by a person authorized to say them.
The centurion recognizes that in Verse 8 “…having 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 the Command comes from one with authority the thing gets done.
This centurion is recognizing Jesus’ authority over sickness & disease.
“All you have to do, Jesus, is command it—and the sickness has to go.
(Do you need Healing this morning?Christ’s authority over sickness is still effectual.)
“…say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
How is that authority exercised today?
It happens as we submit ourselves to the One who has all authority in heaven and earth and assert that authority as His agent.
Mark 16:15-18
“…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." NKJV
Do you (like this centurion) see the authority Jesus has over your sickness,Over your depression,Over any & every bondage you may struggle with?
Jesus was and is under the authority of the Father.
He was fully submitted to the Father in Luke 7
Therefore, all the Father’s authority was available to Him.
How was that authority available? Through Submission.
How is authority available to you & me? Through Submission. (3)
Here is the Central truth about authority for us to see today:
It is the Seventh truth about human authority in our Series –
VII. Our Capacity to Function in authority is
directly
Dependant upon our Submission to authority. (4)
Why is that?
Legitimate authority must come down from above-
must be received rather than taken.
Lucifer tried to rise up and take it.
Korah tried to rise up and take it.
Any effort to take control of an area God is not giving us is rebellion.
We must understand the scope God has given us,accept those boundaries from the Lord, and operate within our God-given realm of authority.
In I Samuel 15 Saul did not do that.
He had authority as king. He did not have authority of a priest.
That’s why he was to wait for Samuel to come and offer up the sacrifices to the Lord.
Rather than submit himself to Samuel as prophet and priest,Saul usurped the priestly role and offered up the sacrifices he was not authorized to offer.
The word of the Lord to him in I Samuel 15:22 was this “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…”and in the next verse “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”
Witchcraft is very spiritual – but it is not under authority.
It is spiritually out of control.
It is an unlawful effort to seize and control areas that God has not given authority over.
A great difference between Saul and David had to do with their attitudes toward authority.
Saul had little regard for authority-he asserted his own will in getting what he wanted.
He overstepped his boundaries and invaded areas that didn’t belong to him.
He abused his own authority and unjustly used it to persecute David rather than protect him.
It is no surprise that at the end of Saul’s life he is seeking out the Witch of Endor for information.
Saul is an example of how rebellion leads to witchcraft and destruction.
In contrast, David honored Saul as “the anointed of the Lord”
–because he respected the position, the office of the king.
David refused to take matters into his own hands but chose to trust God with the outcome.
At the heart of the issue of submission and rebellion is this: Faith in God!
It takes faith to come under authority.
Not faith in man but faith in God who ultimately controls the outcome.
Do you see the relationship between faith and submission?
Back in Luke 7 – The centurion talks about being under authority and exercising authority.
-- In response to that Jesus talks about Faith!
This centurion’s understanding & acceptance of the way authority works was intricately tied to his expression of faith.
The last great truth that we will deal with in this series on human authority is
VII. Our Capacity to Function in Authority is Directly Dependent upon our Submission to Authority!
Conclusion:
I want to ask you to stand with me this morning.
This centurion recognized the authority Jesus had to meet his need.
Some of us here this morning have needs.
There are physical need that need to be healed today.
There are emotional hurts that need to be healed today.
I want the prayer teams to come and we are going to pray for the sick.
The Greatest need of all is to Receive Christ as Lord & Savior.
That requires humility like this centurion had-a willingness to publically say
“I’m not worthy, I need forgiveness,
I want Jesus to take control of my life and be Lord of all.”
If that is the cry of your heart I want you to come and let us pray with you.
Perhaps the person next to you would come with you-maybe there is someone you would like to invite to come with you. But come as we sing “Just As I Am”
Notes:
(1) Submission and Responsibility, The Wesminster Pulpit Volume III p. 37,by G. Campbell Morgan
(2) Jesus’ submission to human authority is demonstrated in the following texts:
Luke 2:51
Matt. 17:24-27
John 19:8-12
Matt. 26:62-64
(3) Used #3926 from Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan to illustrate how authority comes to us.The following is a summary:
A man walked the streets of Philadelphia searching for employment.One day he went into the office of a well-known businessman named Girard. When he asked for a job, Mr. Girard said “Yes, I can give you work. See that pile of bricks out there? Carry them over to the other end of the yard and stack them up.”
By the end of the day the man had the job done and received his pay. When he asked if there would be more work the next day, his employer said, “Yes, come in tomorrow and carry those same bricks back where you found them.” The next morning he came in early and got busy. For more than a week he was instructed to carry bricks back and forth until it was evident that he could be trusted to do exactly what he was told to do. Then he was given a new and bigger responsibility-to go down town and bid on a large quantity of sugar. Not recognizing him, the people at the auction were surprised by the bid from this total stranger. When it was accepted, the auctioneer asked who would pay the bill. “Mr. Girard,” the man replied. “I am his agent.” He had earned this position by being faithful in a menial task. ---Our Daily Bread
(4) The Seven Truths about Human Authority taught in this series are:
I.The Appointment of Human Authority Comes
from God.
II.All Human Authority is Limited in its Scope.
III.Submission to Human Authority is NOT based
upon our Respect for the Person but Position!
IV.Rebellion against Human Authority Comes Out of
A Prideful Discontent with God’s Choices
V.God Defends Authority as Authority!
VI.God provides Protection, Guidance and Blessing
through Human Authority
VII.Our Capacity to Function in Authority is
directly Dependent upon our Submission to
Authority
An additional theme that has run through these messages might be stated as
VIII. Submission to Human Authority is an expression of great faith in God’s ultimate control of our lives.
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
