Let's join together in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending the Lord Jesus Christ, who was prophesied in the Old Testament, to come and to turn the wilderness of our lives into beautiful gardens that are fruitful. We thank you for that work that you have begun in us and the promise that you will carry it to completion to the day of your return. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Our reading for this evening, which the sermon is based on, is Luke chapter 7. And we'll read verses 1 to 10. There is a parallel account. I'll just have a couple of things to say about that once we conclude the reading. So Luke chapter 7. verses 1 to 10. After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now, a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly favored by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, He's worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he is the one who built us our synagogue. And Jesus went with them when he was not far from the house. The centurion sent friends saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with 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 Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him. And turning to the crowd that followed him, said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. While there is a parallel account in Matthew about Jesus and the centurion's faith, Matthew includes some details that Luke excludes and vice versa. It's most helpful to know that Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, whereas Luke is writing to a Gentile audience. So the nuanced accounts are the result of each author selecting that which is pertinent to each group. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus came to his own, which adds responsibility upon them, right? Whereas Luke emphasizes the inclusion of those who were once considered outsiders. There also appears to be a contradiction between the two accounts. I say appears to be because we believe the scriptures are God-breathed and infallible and inerrant. Luke says that the centurion sent a delegation to Jesus, which is what we just read, with this request, whereas Matthew appears to indicate that the centurion was actually in the presence of Jesus when he made the request known. So the easiest and most convincing way to harmonize the apparent contradiction is to explain a well-known and biblically accepted and used practice. It's a legal principle called the law of agency. And it goes like this. He who acts through another is deemed in law to do it himself. So in this case, Matthew would be simply referring to the delegation of the centurion as the centurion So this is a fair and just way to show that the two accounts are, in fact, in harmony with each other. So what is recorded in both accounts, and this is important, is a literary construction, what I'm calling an interpretive paradigm. because it helps us understand the entire passage. At the end of verse nine, take a look, Jesus said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. We find that in both accounts. The words I tell you have the force of an asservation, a solemn or emphatic declaration or statement of something. And Matthew, he adds the word amen, which when placed at the beginning of the sentence, as he does, it has the added force or you would translate it truly or verily. All to say that this statement of Jesus is of pivotal importance, essential in interpreting the overall passage. What does Jesus want us to know here? Well, what we see is that though there are many peripheral things going on in the passage of a secondary or a tertiary nature. The main focus is that Jesus is claiming to have full authority over the faith of the centurion. So this solemn statement or declaration of Jesus reveals at least three things, and I'll frame each one using the pattern set by the well-known scripture, we love God because He first loved us. So first of all, the centurion seeks Jesus. Why? Because Jesus first sought him. In the interpretive paradigm that I'm looking at, not even in Israel have I found Jesus at such faith. He came to seek and to save the lost. Secondly, the centurion knows Jesus. Why? Because Jesus first knew him. Again, not even in Israel have I found such faith. Jesus acknowledges that this man has a saving knowledge of God and that he's trusting in him, but he says, I know my sheep by name. Thirdly, the centurion lives for Jesus. And why does he live for Jesus? Because Jesus first lived for him. He says, not even in Israel. And we have to do a little explaining here, but not even in Israel have I found such faith. I give my life to fulfill all righteousness for this Gentile. So first of all, the centurion seeks Jesus because Jesus first sought him. Verses one to six do show the centurion seeking Jesus, especially in verse three, while the words of the aservation or the interpretive paradigm say, have I found, characterizes his mission. Jesus finds us. Jesus is indeed a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Yes, seek first the kingdom of God. Yes, all who come to me I will in no wise cast out, but I have come to, what? Seek and to save that which was lost. That best characterizes his mission. He has the authority to search, I mentioned that there were peripheral things going on in the passage. If you look at verses four to five, you see this civic rapport between the Jews and this Gentile centurion. And that's a good and noble thing. But that's more of a tertiary matter. And just an aside, I mean, are they calling him a righteous Gentile? You know, sometimes we hear Jewish people do that even today. They'll call Gentiles who are good in their estimation as righteous Gentiles. Is that not a reference to the merit of good works? But look at verses two to three. We see this deep concern for the well-being of others, and that's a beautiful thing. It's as if they're saying to Jesus, we can work with this guy. But here too, this is more of a secondary matter, more of a secondary cause showing him his great need. He's got a servant that is close to death. But we come to the main focus, right? What's really going on is that the centurion is responding to the divine call. There is an outward call of the gospel, and then there's the inward call of the Holy Spirit's regeneration within our hearts. The centurion has heard the outward call. We don't know the logistics of that, but certainly he has been exposed to the outward call of the gospel that goes out to all indiscriminately. He heard that there was one who could help him with his heavy burden. Many of the Jews who knew this centurion very well spoke of his worthiness, but that is not at all what was transpiring in his heart, for he was responding to the inward call of God's love and mercy and grace. Think about it. what Jesus said in John chapter three, you must be born from above. And what about John six? Four times, four times, Jesus says that the father's work precedes those who will come to him. All that the father gives me will come to me, verse 37. All that the father draws will come to me, 44. All that the Father teaches will come to me, verse 45. All that the Father enables will come to me, verse 65. Many of us find an affinity with the sentiments of hymn 427, right, of the Trinity Psalter hymnal because it so beautifully expresses this reality. I sought the Lord. And afterward, I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me. It was not that I found, oh, Savior, true. No, I was found, was found of the, it's a beautiful, wonderful gift, the gift of salvation. Tim Keller said, the founders of every other major religion said, I'm a prophet who shows you how to find God. But Jesus taught, I'm God, come to find you. And that's what he's done. That's what he's done in our lives. How beautiful. Secondly, the centurion knows Jesus because Jesus first knew him. Look at verses six to nine. It shows that the centurion knows who Jesus is while the words such faith in the interpretive paradigm of Jesus characterizes his own divine nature. I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. The word such conveys the magnitude of his faith. Jesus is assessing this man just as he assesses you and he assesses me. But he's assuring us. He intimately knows all those who are his. They know his voice. They know me that I am for them and not against them. He has the authority to assess those who come to him. What follows the new birth when you and I are regenerated by the Holy Spirit is the expression of that new faith. A lot of times we stumble on this point that we think that faith and Repentance save us. No, they don't. Only the blood of Jesus saves us. When we have that new birth within us, yes, we express that repentance and that faith. What we see here is the centurion expressing the divine gifts of repentance and faith. It is important to note that the church cannot manufacture and market either of them. They're called twin graces because they're inseparable, where you read of one in the scripture, the other accompanies it. The centurion expresses true repentance and humility by acknowledging that he's not worthy, that Jesus would come under his roof, verse six. And the more we are sanctified in his presence, even as believers, the worse we feel. Why is that? It's because we've become more holy and holiness hates sin. What did Peter, what did Peter do when he, when he was in the presence of Jesus? Depart from me, depart from me, Lord. He knew the Lord savingly, but he, he saw more of the, of the, fullness of Jesus's divinity and his holiness. And he'd depart from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful man. And he fell at Jesus's knees. So these self-effacing words would be meaningless if they were not coupled with the expression of saving faith, verses 7 to 8. A genuine trust. Just say a word. Literally, in a word. See, when God speaks, There is no gap between the word and the action, as evidenced in creation. When we speak, we may not even do what we said we were going to do. The centurion knows experientially who Jesus is. He knows that Jesus is all-powerful and that this power is for him, not against him. What's truly striking in this passage concerning the centurion and his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ is how he likens himself to Jesus and yet at the same time differentiates himself from Jesus. And I would say the centurion is, and I'm being careful as I say this, but it's like the centurion is laying down, as it were, a parable. So he's saying, yeah, we both are men under authority. I've been given authority. I have authority over these hundred men and over these servants, as do you. You have a given authority. But the great difference is that I do this on an earthly level. You do this on a heavenly one. I say, go, and he goes. I say, come, and he comes. I say to my servant, do this, and he does it. But Lord, you just need to say a word, and it's done. Notice that Jesus doesn't make a distinction between faith in him to heal and faith in him to forgive sins. I think this is important for us to wrap our head around, right, to understand it. In Luke chapter 5, verses 17 to 26, we read that there were some men who were trying to bring a man who was paralyzed on a bed before Jesus. And it was so crowded in the house that they weren't able to. And so what do they do? They get up on the roof, they remove some of the tiles, and they let him down before Jesus on the stretcher. And when he saw their faith, he said, get up. You're healed. No. We would expect Jesus to say that, right? But he said, man, your sins are forgiven you. And what the scribes and the teachers of the law who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem say, who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? And Jesus said to them, why do you question in your hearts which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven you, or to say, rise and walk? but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. He said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. Not that there isn't a difference between healing sickness and forgiving sin. The significance is that Jesus has the power to do both and the centurion knows him. and is in union with him. Now both accounts, Matthew's and Mark's, indicate that Jesus marveled in response to what the centurion said. He was truly astonished. So let's unpack this a little bit. He defines it, identifies it as faith. Faith pleases God. In fact, without faith, it's impossible to please God. He describes it, he describes this faith as great. There's no chiding of the centurion as he often does with his disciples, oh you of little faith. There's only commendation. Faith brings us into union and communion with him. We receive what we ask for, we find what we seek after, and the door that we knocked upon is opened to us. So the centurion is not only let into the household of faith, but is granted a seat of honor at the table. And we'll talk about this a little later in the service, but it's a faith, obviously that's not limited now by cultural boundaries. But I would be remiss if I did not turn your attention to Luke chapter 10, Verses 20 to 22, where Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit. After receiving the 72 who are sent out on a mission declaring that the kingdom of God has come near, he first focuses their attention on what not to rejoice in, the peripheral matters. And what to rejoice in, the primary focus, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Then in that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my father, and no one knows who the son is except the father, or who the father is except the son. and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Jesus rejoices not only when he is filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but also when he witnesses the application of salvation to the lost by the Holy Spirit. Our text says Jesus marveled. Surely a form of rejoicing and of delight Well, thirdly, we consider how the centurion lives for Jesus. He lives for Jesus because Jesus first lived for him. He tabernacled amongst us, living for us and laying down his life for us. Verse 10, they found the servant well and Matthew. Chapter 8, verses 11 to 13 of the parallel account show how the centurion lives for Jesus, while the words, not even in Israel, in the interpretive paradigm of Jesus, characterizes his work of removing that wall, tearing it down, that wall of partition between the Jew and the Gentile, making them one in his body. Jesus uses us. He teaches us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of heaven has come near. It has been expanding ever since. How many of Jesus's parables emphasize the increasing and the expanding nature of the kingdom of God? Jesus has the authority to use us in that expansion. The centurion lives and bears fruit in Jesus as a branch of the vine. What characterizes his life has been brought under the lordship of Christ, from the care and concern that he has for others to his intercession for his servant who was lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. Matthew tells us, chapter 8, verse 5, But here are the three main ways in which the centurion is being used by Christ. First, there is the actual healing through the instrumentality of his faith, which incidentally is added to the growing collection of miraculous signs confirming the ministry of Jesus, who he is and what he has come to do. Notice the answer Jesus gave to the two disciples of John the Baptist. who were instructed to go to him and ask, by John who was in prison, right? Are you the one? Are you really the one who's to come? Or shall we look for another? And what does Jesus say? Verses 22 and 23 of our chapter. Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. He's turning our landscape from desolate wilderness to a fruitful garden. Hallelujah. And then he adds this word, and blessed is everyone who is not offended by me. See, well, John the Baptist may have been wavering a bit, but the centurion receives no such gentle exhortation from the Lord. And you and I, we're blessed if we are not offended by the Lord Jesus Christ. It's true. Second, and more significantly, the centurion knew of Christ's rule within his heart. The event is recorded in scripture as a perpetual testimony, an example of faith in Christ. I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but just say a word are preserved for our encouragement. It's a pattern for the followers of Jesus Christ. You remember how emphatic Thomas was in John chapter 20, unless I see in his hand the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. And what did Jesus say to Thomas when he appeared to him eight days later? Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Isn't that centurion a beautiful picture of that? He didn't have to see Jesus in order to believe. He's of that number called blessed. And you and I, if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are a part of that number. He exemplifies this truth for us so beautifully. Third, and probably the most significant, The centurion would serve as a type of first fruits of the Gentiles who are entering the kingdom of God of which you and I are the harvest. In Matthew's account, he emphasizes something for his audience that Luke only references. Remember, Matthew, the expulsion of the Jews for their unbelief and Luke, the inclusion of the Gentiles as heirs of the new covenant through faith. What does Matthew say? Listen, I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matthew 8, verses 11 And Paul elsewhere uses the analogy of the olive tree and its branches. The branches of the olive tree, the Jews, are broken off due to their unbelief. And the wild branches, the Gentiles, are engrafted in through faith. We have another example. A wonderful example of a Gentile exercising great faith in the Lord is a type of firstfruits in anticipation of a very great harvest. What was her response to the Lord saying to the disciples that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and directly to her? It's not right for me to take the children's bread and to throw it to dogs. Yes, Lord, she said. Yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Matthew 15, verse 27. What did Jesus say? Oh, woman, great is your faith. When you look at the expression of faith from both the centurion and out of the Syro-Phoenician woman, what you see is a certain genius There's a pushing in, a laying hold of, and a refusal to let go until the blessings are received. Because through faith in Jesus Christ, we become true children of Abraham, spiritual children of Abraham. For through him, all the nations will be blessed. This is why we gather together in worship this evening. A stream coming from all nations, tribes, and peoples to bring honor and glory to him who is worthy. This is the significance of the Lord's Supper being celebrated in anticipation of the wedding feast of the Lamb. So yes, we love God because he first loved us. There's more theology packed into that one little verse than we realize. not the least of which is you sought me, Lord. You know me, Lord. You gave your life for me, O Lord. Lord, you deserve all the glory for my salvation. Amen. Let's pray together. Gracious Heavenly Father, we do thank you and praise you for your word. and how it works in our hearts and lives by the powerful operation of your Holy Spirit. We pray, O Lord, that we would continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and that we would give our lives freely on the altar of service. We ask, Lord, that you would increase our faith, that we would be likened to the centurion and understand your great power for us and not against us, that you, O Lord, are drawing us with the cords of love. We thank you and praise you for the mighty salvation that we have, which is secure for all eternity. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.