ONLY READERS ALLOWED!!!! AN AMAZING FAITH PART 2 Luke 7:1-10 Our text today takes us on the adventure of a Roman soldier’s faith. This takes us inside true faith and shows how and what faith does. We find a centurion who, though was a Gentile, understood who Christ was and is and what is it to operate in faith. The story is significant because this was a Gentile who exercised this amazing faith that Jesus has to make a remark that this man’s faith was amazing, incredible and sure a point of reference. Only twice in all of Scripture was Jesus said to “marvel” or be amazed. The other time was when he began his public ministry in his hometown of Nazareth, and he was rejected by his fellow Jews – “he was amazed by their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:6, Luke 4:14-30). The centurion had a faith that was more perceptive and sensitive than anything Jesus had witnessed in Israel. This centurion had amazing faith! “Why was Jesus so amazed?” What are characteristics that made this man’s faith so amazing? 1. THE FIRST. CHARACTERISTIC OF AN AMAZING FAITH. IS THAT IT WILL MAKE YOU TO LOVE ACROSS ALL BARRIERS. (vv. 1-2) “Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. (2) And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.” Jesus has just completed the teaching know as “The Sermon on the Mount.” Now Jesus entered into Capernaum, a city on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. While Jesus is in Capernaum, he is approached by representatives of a Roman Centurion. Centurions were commonplace in the Roman Empire. They were equivalent in rank to a modern-day army captain and normally in command of 100 soldiers. This particular centurion had a servant who was ill, Matthew (8:6) in his account of this incident uses the term (pais) which is young child. Whoever this young man was, Luke who you will remember was a doctor, said he “was sick and ready to die.” If you have ever clung to a loved one that was at death’s door and you felt that he was slowing losing the battle, you know this centurion awful sense of helplessness. We are told that this man loved Israel, though it was not the land of his birth. It is also evident that this man cared deeply about his young servant, was very out of the ordinary socially. And the crossed racial and ethic barriers when he as a Gentile appealed to a Jew for help. This man loved people who were not just like himself. I don’t know about you, but don’t you feel particularly ineffective in loving folks who live outside the social barriers around you. Hearing that Jesus was in the area, the centurion decides to risk his reputation by going to a Jew for help. His faith was demonstrated by his love to reach out to save a dying servant. FAITH WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOVE or rather GRANT YOU ACCESS TO LOVE.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:13:57 +0000
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