I wish this evening to draw your attention to perhaps four great occasions in chapter seven of Luke in the portion that we have read this evening. We have in the section that we have read of this great chapter the great faith of a Roman Then we have the raising of the widow's son of Nain. Then we have the mission of the disciples of John the Baptist to the Saviour, inquiring, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And then we have, in the fourth case, a great occasion of healing, an unusual event in the life of the Lord, when, as it were, almost in the mass, he displayed his healing power in the multitude, and with a special reason too. In that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Now these four great occasions, though they do not at first sight seem to have any particular connection with each other but are simply part of the narrative of events on that day in the life of the Saviour. Nevertheless, they have a great point of connection, so I hope we shall see as we go on. You know that Saint Luke was the companion of the Apostle Paul. It is in that connection and that connection alone that we know him. He was not an He was a disciple, a believer, but he was not an apostle, he was not numbered amongst the twelve. We don't know a great deal about him, except that he was a very, very gracious man, and that he was a physician. And that was quite a notable thing in those days, because medicine was in a better state in the days of Luke than it was in subsequent centuries, almost up to our own day. We'd have sooner had Luke for our physician than the most of those who had that name for being able to dispense physic in many, many centuries afterwards. probably not until the beginning of last century was medicine returning to its strength again. Luke had his learning from those great Greek physicians who had gone before him by a space of some centuries But nevertheless their names are important to this day. Hippocrates for instance who gave to the medical profession what is now known as the Hippocratic Oath. Which every doctor is supposed to take and to live up to. To place the interests of his patients first and not to betray any of their confidences. The other great Greek physician was Galen. These men, Hippocrates and Galen and others of their kind made great discoveries in early days. I understand that the medical profession in more recent times is returning and with profits to the principles laid down by those ancient physicians. I mention this so that you will appreciate that merely because Luke lived 2000 years ago and medicine is supposed to have made such great strides in our day that you were not to suppose that he was one of these ignorant and superstitious medicos of which the history of civilization in subsequent times bears only two truer testaments. He was not only a gracious man, but he was a competent man. Luke, the beloved physician. So Paul describes him. Now, being an associate of the Apostle Paul, and an associate apparently of nobody else but the Apostle Paul, he was attached to the Apostle Paul all the way through the story. He was engaged with Paul, therefore, in the great mission to the Gentile world. And I am one of those who believe that Luke's gospel is best understood if we have that always in mind when we read him. He was not only a physician, and a good one at that, he was also a good theologian. He knew his Bible well. Being an educated man, a man of very high order of intelligence, making all allowances for the fact, of course, that he wrote by divine inspiration. But divine inspiration took up a good pen, a good instrument for its purposes when Luke was chosen to write the Gospel which appears under his name. And also, as we well know, he was the author of the Acts of the Apostles. He was a good historian, but better still, he was a lover of the Word. He was well acquainted with it, especially sitting constantly as he was under the ministry of the Apostle Paul, and taking part in that ministry in Paul's missionary journeys, being no doubt a preacher himself. We found in his Gospel a remarkable penetration into the understanding of the mission of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And always throughout his writings we find an emphasis placed upon the ultimate aim of the work of our Saviour Jesus Christ. which was that his gospel should not be confined to the Israel after the flesh, but to the spiritual Israel of Jew and Gentile. And always Luke's gospel is breaking out, breaking out in its significance for us who are of the Gentile world. Our privileges, our standing, the whole object and direction of the divine working in history to bring us to this great moment in time which arrived two thousand years ago. When the gates of brass were broken before the Son of God, the bars of iron yielded, the superstitions and bondage and evil and wickedness and cruelty of heathenism began to give way over all the as the gospel light spread, and spread just like the lightning which shines from the east even unto the west. For the great light of God was revealed unto nations long in darkness. Now when we come to the centurion and his great and marvelous faith, recorded in Luke 7, we begin to see this, that I have been trying to describe. For the centurion, of course, was a Gentile. He was not a Jew. I do not know that there is any record of Jewish soldiers being in the Roman legions, ever. The Jews enjoyed special privileges under the Roman power. They were allowed their own king. Though he was not a Jew, nevertheless, he was given authority over the Jewish nation to rule it. His name was Herod and his successors. The only kings they had ever known since the house of David was put away from the throne at the time of the Babylonian captivity, centuries before. This centurion was a Gentile. And all the story reflects that. He was approved by the Jewish population as being one who loved our nation. That shows that he was a foreigner, of course. He wouldn't need to say that if he'd been a Jew. He would be expected to love his nation. But this was a distinguishing feature of this centurion. He loved our nation. and he hath built us a synagogue away there in the town of Capernaum where these events were taking place that was in Galilee and it is significant that it was there too because Galilee was a province which was known as Galilee of the Nations that is Galilee of the Gentiles although it was an Israelitish province it had special Gentile undertones from the days of Solomon into which we may not enter now except to point out that Galilee was a despised part of Palestine and separated from Judea proper, that is Jerusalem and its environment, separated by the province of Samaria with which the Jews would have no dealings at all. The way there to the north so separated from the mother country as it were, was Galilee and was in this province, Galilee of the Gentiles, though it was occupied by Jews at that time, that the Lord did most of his great works in accordance with prophecy. It was there that the centurion was appointed as one of the officers of Caesar the emperor of the world. To maintain law and order, to see that Caesar's decrees were carried out to suppress insurrection of any kind. But it was a time of peace. There was no trouble in Palestine at that time. And the centurion and his legions were more in the nature of a police force. They lived amongst the people. They were well known to the people. And this man was particularly friendly. Now why should he have this reputation? He loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue. Well this was obviously because he had taken advantage of his opportunities. and had studied the Jewish religion and the Jewish scriptures. He was a friend of the rabbis. He was a man of an inquiring mind. And when he learned of the long, long history of Israel stretching right back to Abraham, and he saw the wonder of the word of God amongst them, the only light that shone in this He wondered until he believed himself. He said in his heart, I believe in this God. I believe in all that this Bible has said, that I've heard about. And he testified his faith. Being a man of substance, by going to the Jewish authorities and saying I would like to do something in the name of your God and for his name and glory and because I love his people who are the Jews and these men graciously conferred with him and he said I see that your synagogue where you meet is in need of repair indeed of complete renewal Will you not build a new one at my expense? I'd like to do this for you and for your God. And so it was allowed him this privilege of doing it. And he gave of his substance that it might be so. It is well to remember, is it not, that military men are as susceptible to conversion as anybody else. And there is a long and honorable connection of the military, especially in our land, but not in our land alone, in Germany and in other places, and in America to this day. A long and honorable connection between the military and the Church of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whatever may be the cause of this, why we could mention a long string of names, couldn't we? We think of men like Sir Henry Havelock, at the time of the Indian mutiny. Those great men, the two brothers Lawrence, who had ministered in India at that time. And we could mention quite a number in the last war. We often speak of General Dovey, the defender of Malta. During the war, what men more eminent even than he, for Sir Bernard Montgomery was, and still is, in his old age, a devoted and absolute Christian, and a man of prayer, who said when asked by the newsmen What he did after the visit of the German emissaries to his tent in North Germany when they came to surrender and he conferred with them and placed before them the necessary document. They appended their signatures and then they were dismissed to go to their own place. What did you do? Well, he said, when interviewed, I don't mind telling you He said that I went inside my tent and I knelt down and I prayed and gave thanks to God. Yes, military men are susceptible to conversion, to the touch of the Spirit, and very often Many of those were in what we might call a more ordinary occupation in life. It's produced some villains too, I suppose, as the military profession, but what profession hasn't? There are villains even in the clerical profession, I mean, the ministry. Quite a few of them keep popping up every now and then, as well as in politics and everywhere else. We know this only too well. But thank God for our military men who down the ages have come forward as those in a notable sense who have been converted to Christ and become humble believers in Him. You may think it remarkable, those of you who know your history books, and I think there are one or two here present who do, that such faith should be found in the Roman legions of old and especially at that time. But I wonder who brought the Christian faith first to these islands in which we live. I wonder. I often wonder. It's traditional of course. Some have it one way, some say it's another. But we have every reason to believe that it came by way of the Roman legions. There were legionaries just like this man. Who knows? He might have been one of them. He might have been moved from Palestine to this country. Or like that centurion of the same rank as this man, who stood at the cross, who was in charge of the crucifixion operation. said when he saw the divine signs, truly this was the Son of God. Wonderful that, wasn't it? Who knows, or some common soldier in the legions who came to these islands in the performance of his duty and began to spread the light amongst the ancient British inhabitants who were still bowing down to wood and stone. He had built for us a synagogue and he was a Gentile. He was already an Old Testament believer. Perhaps it was not long before he became a New Testament believer because It was with the Savior himself that he had to do. He didn't come to him himself, he sent his messengers. That his servant was grievously ill. A servant that was dear to him was sick. What kind of a soldier was he? who had a servant who was dear to him. You won't find that the usual state of affairs amongst the officer class in the army, will you? To find an officer who has some private acting as his orderly. He can pick any man he wants to be his servant. But they're not usually distinguished for the love and affection which they have for these men who are under them. Oh no, they are very strict in the matter of discipline and military etiquette. But not so this centurion. His servant was dear unto him. What a humane man he was. And he sent messengers when he heard of the Lord Jesus. being one who was exercising the mighty power of God, perhaps already he knew of the promise of the Messiah. And his messengers besought him to come, saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this. Poor people, they didn't know that the Lord did these things, not for those who were worthy, but for those who were unworthy. But this was the amount of light which they had. And so the Lord went with them. And the law and the centurion sent further messengers to him when he heard he was coming, and said, Trouble not yourself, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof. Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee. But say any word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority. saying to this one go and he goeth and to this man come and he cometh. Do this and he doeth it. What does he mean by this? Most people have mistaken the words or the meaning of the words I am a man set under authority having soldiers under me. They said oh this centurion had somebody else who was above him. Well of course every soldier has somebody else who is above him. Even the leading field marshal still has the king or the queen. You come to a point however where there is no further authority but the authority of God. But this man was not speaking in that sense when he said I am a man under authority. He means I am a man who exercises authority to whom authority is given so that I can command and say to this one go and he goes, come and he comes, do this and he does it without question. as is the manner of the military in all ages right down to today. That's what he said. He wasn't referring to the major general who was over him or the colonel or something like that. He was just saying, I have authority. And you, O Lord, have authority which is so much greater than mine that I am not worthy to come and speak with you. Therefore I only send messages. Come not into my house, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter in. I am not even worthy to come and make this request to you. It is enough that you should speak the word and my servant will be healed. Do you see the marvel of this man's faith? This great faith. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turned him about and said unto the people that followed him, this Jewish rabble that was at his heels, who came to see but not to believe. Verily I say unto you, he's saying, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Oh, what a rebuke. You see Luke's peculiar mission coming out, always emphasizing that point, the inferiority of Israel's faith. the fact that their day was passing, that they were now having their opportunity, but they were rejecting it, they would not accept it, and that the Lord's word would go out to the Gentiles, who said, I am not worthy. The Jews said of him, he is worthy, he loves our nation, he has built us a synagogue, He is a very worthy man that thou shouldest come and heal his household. All these Jews, they always had the idea in their minds that they would be accepted because of their own worthiness. Perish the thought. You and I will never be accepted because we are worthy of the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Oh no. You've got to come to where this man was. with all his eminence, with all his authority, with all the power that had been conferred upon him and vested in him, with all his faithfulness, with all his religious sense, with all the honesty and integrity of his military service and duty, a great man in every sense of the term, He says in his message to the Lord, don't come any further, don't come into my house, I am not worthy, just speak the word. Is it true that he never set eyes on the Lord? Well it is certainly true that you and I, being Gentiles, have never set eyes on the Lord, and he has never come in person to our house neither. There's many a time we've had a need there, haven't we? A great need. Oh, how often. How often we've turned to the Lord. Something's gone wrong. Something isn't right. Some great anxiety or trouble has overtaken us in our own homes. We've said to the Lord, Lord help us. We are not worthy to be helped. We are not worthy you should come under our roof, but from where thou art, upon the throne, with all thy vast authority, greater than all the authority of the whole universe combined, is like holding a candle to the sun compared with thy rule and thy authority, majesty and power. We are not worthy, but speak the word only. and it shall be done. And it has helped us, hasn't he, in strange and wonderful ways. It has brought us through. Things have happened in our lives, in our homes, in our circumstances, that although we haven't set our eyes upon him as this man didn't, nevertheless the deed was done. And he looked, and the servant lying there upon his couch, in his pain, his extreme weakness. Ah, what is that flush of health which comes to his cheeks once more, that brightness of the eye which had been so dulled and dimmed by pain and weakness. And look upon him, he raises himself upon his elbows, he sits up, he climbs out of his He stands up in the full vigor of health and strength who was upon the point of dying. And the centurion sees and beholds and believes that this is none other than the Son of God. This is none other than the Eternal Almighty One. The Jewish rabbis were right when they said that Messiah would come. and that he would be a great one indeed but they never told me he would be God himself but now I know for myself I have read their scriptures and I have a better understanding of them than they have though they are the paid professional teachers and preachers of the Jewish nation they don't know what I know but I have it direct from him himself I have not set eyes upon him because I am a Gentile The Gentile church has never seen her Lord, but they will see Him one day. As we all did see Him in the glory when we passed from this city. But all at one time when He comes and those who are alive and remain on the earth to the coming of the Lord will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall be ever with Him. In the meantime we know His grace. His power, His forgiveness, all the wonder of His work towards us, His healing power for our souls, the answer to our prayers, even although we sometimes have to wait, the unworthiness that we know is our condition, so that we do not speak of ourselves, but only of the worthiness of Him with whom we have to do. We shan't get far in our four occasions in this chapter. I appreciate this evening. What we have to say will be somewhat limited and not sufficient for the occasions perhaps. But we mention the widow's son of We notice that the place where the centurion's servant was healed was at Capernaum. Notice the last letters, N-A-U-M. Nahum, the name of the prophet. It means comfort. It comes from the same root of Noah, N-O-A-H. Noah, this angel comfort us concerning the ground which the Lord God hath cursed. Capernaum means the city of comfort, of pleasantness. And Nain, N-A-I-N, not very far from N-A-U-N, and it wasn't very far away from Capernaum either. And Nain, the village of Nain, means almost the same, beauty, pleasantness, the village or the place or the city where it all is pleasant and beautiful. Our names are significant in the Bible and Capernaum and name have a good deal in common with the comfort that was promised to Noah in ancient times and which is prophesied by the prophet Nahum in the Old Testament. All these things can be joined together For the Word of God is a very, very wonderful book indeed. We are only beginning to understand it. And yet in Capernaum, such great needs. The servant who was so ill. And as the Lord approached the city called name. When he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, a dead man carried out born upon a bier on the shoulders of thee. Those who were concerned with the funeral, a bier was a kind of a stretcher upon which the dead body was carried. A dead man carried out and there was his mother who was a widow and he an only son. All that she had in the world Sad, wasn't it? She lives with her husband. Then, all her hopes are in her young son, a young man, already supporting her, helping her, with the labor which he was honestly pursuing, and stricken down, dies, and now she follows the beer on the way to the place of burial, what hopelessness in the poor woman's heart, what tragedy, what desolation in a city the name of which denotes beauty and pleasantness. Comfort and desire, what comfort for her. But one stops the procession who is mooned with compassion when he sees her desolation. And although in his earthly ministry the Lord only raised from the dead three persons, he didn't go around raising the dead indiscriminately. Only three times, the damsel of twelve years, the widow's son of name, and Lazarus. A young girl, twelve years, a young man in the full flush of early manhood, and a fully matured man, Lazarus. Through these three ages of our humanity, the Lord appeared to raise from the dead. Moved with compassion, he says to the woman, Weep not. Easy to say that isn't it? Don't cry, don't cry. We often say it and we don't expect anybody to dry their tears merely because we say don't cry. But what else can you say? Oh please don't cry. You'll feel better afterwards. You don't like to see people crying. I don't. Least of all I don't like to see children crying. I've seen strong men weep. I've seen grown-up women weep. I don't like to see anybody weep. It's a terrible thing. Terrible thing, isn't it? Tears. Heartbreak. I cannot bear to see people cry. Tears one's heart to pieces, doesn't it? He who came to conquer death and all evil by himself bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows. Although it couldn't be done all at once, history's got to run its course. But when we get to that heavenly country and look back over the journey, we'll see the reason why. We'll understand everything and all tears shall be wiped away. There will be another tear in the whole of the universe of creation. No more tears. Only man cries in the universe. Only man weeps. Weep not, he said to her, but this time it came from lips which could command the deliverance. and commanded the cause of the trouble should be taken away. Weep not, he said. He laid his hand upon the stretcher, and the men stopped. The procession came to a halt, and he spoke to the dead. Young man, I say unto thee, arise, and all the miracles The death shroud began to move. The arms began to show the tokens of life. The corpse sat up alive, threw away the wrappings, climbed down from the beer and stood up a living man in the arms of his mother. He delivered him to his manner. Oh, how marvellous, dear friends, is the working of the law. Why doesn't he bring our dead back to life again? Well, he will, if you wait a bit longer. Anyway, you don't want them to come back to this sin-cursed earth, do you? To die a second time? Because that's what it would be. The three cases were of the Lord's deliverance when he brought them back from the dead. They had to die again later on. They weren't whisked up into heaven again. No, you wouldn't have your loved ones really brought back again. I know you wouldn't. I know that I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't have them brought back again. That would be too selfish altogether. I don't want the Lord to raise my death. I want to go to where they are. That's better, isn't it? so that she and I will never die and never be parted and we shall be forever with the Lord. Well, that's what you want, isn't it? You don't want a temporary renewal down here below with all the agony, the pains and the sorrows, the growing old and growing older still and looking forward to the time of another parting. No, you don't want that. You wouldn't have them back again, would you? No, you wouldn't. Of course you wouldn't, you sensible people. Now, but you're not asking the Lord to work these miracles. He only did it three times, not for a special reason. To show what he was going to do in a spiritual sense, amongst the Gentile nations. That he would comfort the hearts of many widows, many sorrowing ones, He would bring life where there was death. As He has done it in our experience of when we were converted, that was life from the dead, wasn't it? He raised me up from my spiritual death. He gave me light and life and peace. What is life? What is life? It is love, joy, peace. That's what life is. That's what we got when we were born again. Our sins were forgiven. We got new life from above. and all by his gracious power. This is what he came to do and this is the gospel. This is what we celebrate in the bread and the wine this evening. I'll never stop there because I've got enough material for the next month. It'll all keep won't it? And that'll do for the time being. Think of the centurion. Think of the widow. Think of the marvel of the work. Think of what lies ahead of the eternal, endless life which he has brought in when we pass through this veil of sorrow, sin and shame, and that it's all well ahead. And when we get there we'll see the reason why we had to wait, why others have had to wait for so long, but the time is drawing near. Give good comfort, your redemption draweth nigh. Amen. Now we're going to sing and I'm going to play because I've got the music of it. Not that we've got musicians here that can play it, but I like playing this. Number 79, which is At Even E'er the Sun Was Set. I'm going to play it from June 7th.