Luke chapter 7 this morning. Oh, God's been so good. And how blessed we are. This morning we're going to look at the subject of faith. And the title of the message from a phrase here in this passage, so great faith. But I want us to read this passage in its entirety. Luke 7, the first 10 verses. And if you're able, would you stand with me for the reading of the Word of God? Luke 7. We'll begin reading in verse 1. We'll read the even numbered verses together. Luke 7, verse 1. Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this. For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof. Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. And I say unto one, go, and he goeth. And to another, come, and he cometh. And to my servant, do this, and he doeth it." When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at them and turned him about and said to the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. And they that were sent returning to the house found the servant whole that had been sick. And let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this passage. We thank you for this faith. that has been recorded for us, for our admonition, for our edification. Father, I pray that each one of us, Lord, desiring to please you, desiring to have faith that brings you honor and glory, Father, would seek to have great faith, to grow our faith, to grow the measure of faith that you have given each one of us. Father, I pray that your spirit would speak to our hearts. Lord, I pray that you would convict us, that you would stir within us a greater desire to live and walk by faith. Father, above all, as we declare your word, Father, we pray that Jesus Christ would be magnified. We pray that each one would give ear intentionally to the word of God. Father, we pray that you would limit the distraction and father that Lord, even that the evil one would be bound and father that we would be able to give our heart and mind to the truth that lay before us. And father, we pray that your love would be felt, your love for us, your love that we see in Jesus Christ. Father, may you bless our time together today. And may we seek out of love for you to have so great faith. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. You know, to me that this is such an amazing story, the fact that Jesus would marvel We understand that Jesus is God incarnate, and yet in his humanity, in the days of his flesh, we find him marveling two times in scripture. We marveling at faith, great faith. We also find him marveling at a lack of faith. Here in this passage, the Bible says that Jesus marveled, marveled at the faith of this centurion. And we also find him marveling in Mark chapter six. He marveled because of their unbelief as Jesus is teaching and preaching around Galilee and Capernaum and Nazareth. And he marvels at their unbelief. You know, I think about all the the different faith that Jesus encountered, the faith that Jesus experienced. You know, we we read about the faith of the blind men who cried out, Jesus, have mercy on us. Jesus, our son of David, have mercy on us. And you remember that passage? Remember that story? The disciples are, you know, shushing them and trying to get them to stop. And what are they doing? They're just hollering all the more. You know, we see their faith. And and yet Jesus doesn't marvel at that faith, We see the faith of Zacchaeus as Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to observe the Passover with his disciples and to give his life. And there's that publican, that tax collector who has to climb up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus. And Jesus sees that faith, but Jesus doesn't marvel at that faith. We see the faith of Peter as he calls out, remember that middle of the night? Calls out from the boat, Lord, if it be Thou bid me to come to Thee on the water and Jesus calls him to come. Peter steps out of the boat. Peter walks on water. But Jesus doesn't marvel at that faith. You know, we see the faith of the woman with the issue of blood who who said to herself, if I if I could just touch the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. And and she pressed through the crowd and and she touched the hem of his garment and she was made whole. And and yet Jesus doesn't marvel at that faith. We see the faith of the friends who remember he's in a house in Capernaum and they they quite literally rip a hole in the roof and lower their friend down because they can't get into the crowd. No one, you know, doesn't matter how many times, excuse me, we need to get through coming through. This is urgent. Please let us through. The people won't move. And they just drive them away, and so they find another way to get to Jesus and They rip a hole through the roof in the roof and they let their friend down there in front of Jesus. And and yet Jesus, though acknowledging their faith, doesn't marvel at their faith. You know, the closest we get to this in Scripture. Is the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew, chapter 15. when she is asking that Jesus would heal her daughter. And Jesus, of course, makes it clear to her that his ministries to the Jews and he didn't come to to to minister to the Gentiles. Oh, yes, there would be a day. But that is not now. He is sent to the house of Israel and and he Jesus makes the comment, you don't take the food for the children and you give it to the dogs and She makes that comment. You remember what she said? Yes, but the dogs get to eat what the crumbs that fall from the table. And Jesus makes the exclamation, a woman great is thy faith. And he acknowledges that she has great faith, though the Bible does not say he marvels in this passage. The scriptures tell us both here and in Matthew, chapter eight, that Jesus marvels at this faith. You know, he says, look again at verse nine. Verse nine, when Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turned him about and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not read that last phrase with me. I have not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. I have not found. I have not found. You know, what's interesting is Jesus was going about preaching the kingdom of heaven from place to place. He was looking for faith, wasn't he? Because he declares here, I haven't found this kind of faith. Jesus was seeking faith. He was looking for faith. And I want to remind us this morning by way of introduction that in 2025, Jesus is still looking for faith. What kind of faith is he going to find? What kind of faith as he as he searches through this area and he comes upon the Allen Baptist Church, what kind of faith is he going to find as he searches your heart in your life? What kind of faith is he going to find? You know, as he examines the world today, he's he's not looking for religious fervor. There's a lot of religious, even the pagans have religious fervor. I mentioned in our Bible class earlier, you know, just you see the pictures of of of Muslims, you see a great mass of men all on their faces at prayer time. And what's intimidating? It's it's almost awe inspiring. And of course, you understand that they have to. They're they're compelled to it, that they're coerced to by a threat of violence. But but God's not looking for religious fervor. He's not looking for religious knowledge or or even biblical knowledge as he examines the hearts of men today. He's not looking for great sacrifice and he's not looking for notoriety and people who have who have influence and perhaps wealth and money or power. And he's not looking for that. What he is looking for as he searches the hearts of men is faith. I have not found. So great faith. No, not in Israel. Luke chapter 18. In that great passage on prayer, Jesus, as he as he as he comes to the end of this parable, he says, nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? That's what he's looking for. And when Jesus returns and made the Lord return soon, quickly, even so come quickly, Lord Jesus, it will he find faith on the earth and in this passage, in spite of his goodness and in spite of all of his long suffering, how how few true believers will he find at his coming? You know, he is looking for faith. You know, we're reminded of this in an Old Testament story. under the reign of King Asa, not a more familiar king that that we read of in in in the Old Testament. But. Asa was king over Jerusalem some 80 to 100 years after after Solomon and David and and and and the Bible tells us that during Asa's reign, Israel and Judah were at war against each other. and this constant conflict and and and civil war and civil uprisings and and and they the the the king of Judah, Asa, finally got to a place where he was he was tired of it. And he didn't have he didn't feel at least the necessary military skill to to to thwart or attack the armies of Israel. So the Bible tells us he took the treasures out of the temple and he sent him to the king of Syria and he hired him an army. And the Syrians came and attacked the northern tribes of Israel and looted those cities. And the Bible tells us that in that Asa's strategy was successful, that the armies of Israel didn't stop building this city and that they were that they were building and and didn't continue to oppress the king of Judah anymore. But the Bible tells us that God sent a prophet. to declare a message to Asa. Asa had made a lot of good changes. The Bible tells us he had gotten rid of the sodomites in Jerusalem and even his own mother. He had put her out of the, you could say, the royal family because of her idolatry. And he'd instituted a lot of reform and had done a lot of good things. But he didn't have great faith. And Hananiah, the prophet, declares this message to Asa. Look at 1st 2nd Chronicles, chapter 16, verse 9. Would you read it with me, please? For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. What is God looking for in this world? He's looking for faith. He is looking for faith. And His eyes, as Hinn and I declared, are searching to and fro. looking for a heart who is pure, a heart who is holy, set on pleasing Him, one who would have this kind of faith. For the message this morning, I want to look at this so great faith of this centurion. What was it that made it so great? Why would Jesus, the Son of God, marvel at this centurion's faith? I want us to see it. This passage was written for our admonition And so I want us to learn what we can from this centurion's faith. What were the ingredients of this centurion's faith? First of all, number one, so great faith possesses fervency and asking. So great faith possesses fervency and asking. Now, our passage begins with a centurion, a Roman army official, officer who, centurion, the idea there of century, centennial, he was over a hundred soldiers, at least a hundred soldiers at his command. And he would have been a very, very wealthy man, a very influential man, a very important part of Rome's rule over the nation of Israel. But the Bible tells us that he had endeared himself to the Jews and had taken some of his own personal resources and invested. He had loved the Jewish nation and the Jewish people and even had built a synagogue somewhere at some point along the line. But he has a servant that the Bible tells us is sick and ready to die. And the Bible tells us that Jesus had begun preaching, and the multitudes had begun coming to Jesus, and His notoriety began spreading throughout that region of Galilee. And in Luke chapter 6, we have a parallel to what we often refer to in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Sermon on the Mount, this declaration that Jesus would give the crowds as they came to hear Him teach and to preach. And the Bible says, now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people. So word begins to spread about Jesus and the centurion hears about Jesus. And he begins to hear about the healings and the mighty works that Jesus has done. And he, the Bible tells us, wants Jesus to heal his servant. But I want us to notice how he comes. You know, in verse seven, he says that he doesn't feel that he is worthy himself to come to Jesus. Why? Because he's a Gentile. How interesting that that such a powerful man, a man who represents Roman rule in that country, would feel unworthy to approach Jesus and ask a favor of Jesus. But nonetheless, he understood the Jewish religion. He understood how the Gentiles were viewed and with the various laws of being ceremonially clean and how the Jews could not go into the Gentile houses. And so, believing himself that he was not able to approach Jesus or not worthy to approach Jesus, the Bible tells us he gets some Jews that are very loyal to him, friends of his, if you will. And he sends them to Jesus, petitioning Jesus that he would heal his servant. And I want us to notice the word used. Look at verse 3. And when he had heard of him, he sent unto him elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. Beseeching him. in treating him, asking with urgency. You see, there was an earnestness in this request. What was the earnestness? Well, the Bible says His servant was ready to what? Die. There was a great fervency in His request of the Son of God. You see, I want to remind us that if we're going to have so great faith, then there needs to be fervency in asking. We need to beseech. We need to beg. You see, one of the reasons that the Bible lays out that we don't get our prayers answered is because we lack faith. Book of James has a lot to say about faith. Hold your place here. Turn over to James with me, if you would, please, James. And we're going to start out in chapter one. James, chapter one. The book of James begins with this matter of faith and ends with this matter of faith. But I want us to see this James chapter one. And I'll read verse five, we get to verse six and seven, I want us to read those together, verse five says, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. that giveth to all men liberally, and abradeth not. And it shall be given him, together on six and seven. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." You see, if we don't ask in faith, we're not going to get what? Anything. anything. You see, this lack of faith, of course, is most often seen in not asking. You turn over to chapter four and verse two. The Bible says we have not because we what ask not. You see, you understand that you've heard that. You see, we come upon a problem or a difficulty and maybe financially, maybe with help, maybe with relationships or some other area in our life. And we think that that problem or that difficulty is ours to figure out. You know, it's a test. God's testing us. He wants to see if we have enough wisdom, enough intuition, enough ability. God wants to see if we have enough resolve. No, my friend. God wants to see if we have faith. Faith. You know, we we have difficulty perhaps with a child and and, you know, and we think, well, this is a problem that God's put on us and and we've got to figure out how to make it through the problem. As if it's a test of our own abilities and our own resources. You know, we have come upon a problem in our marriage and, you know, it's really the same old problem, just a new expression of that problem. And we know what we need to do. We just need to do it kind of slacked off a little bit and we don't pray about it. We just we just try to move forward. in and of ourselves. See, the Bible says we have not because we ask not. See, Jesus reminded his listeners in Nazareth of this connection between believing and asking. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus told the story of Naaman during the days of Elisha. When Elisha was the prophet of God, God's messenger to the nation, the northern tribes of Israel. He said, was Naaman the only leper? In all the wonderful miracles that you read of in the Old Testament, was Naaman the Syrian the only leper that was cleansed? Well, he wasn't the only he wasn't the only leper, but he was the only leper that was cleansed. And all the miracles that Elisha did, you see, there were lots of lepers. But why weren't any of the other lepers healed? Because they never went to Elisha and asked. They didn't believe the prophet could or that the prophet should, or that the prophet would heal them. You see, this matter of asking is so important. If we possess so great faith, there must be a fervency in our asking. And we see that here in James' epistle. Turn over to chapter 5. Chapter 5, right there towards the end of the chapter. Verse 15, in the prayer of faith, shall save the sick. Look at verse 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. Read that last phrase with me. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The effectual fervent prayer. You know, the idea there of of fervency, not not in the Greek per se, but but for for for the English language, the idea there of generating heat, it's fervent. Our prayers. I want to ask you, are your prayers fervent? You see, the fervent, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Oh, you might be righteous. You might do your best to obey the Word of God and to keep the law of God. But if you're not asking, if you're not praying, if you're not praying with fervency, there will be no requests that are granted. You see, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Jesus doesn't force us to ask. He doesn't force us to come to Him in faith. He doesn't force us to believe. As you study the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, so many people that were healed and so many people that were blessed. But I want to remind us there were others that weren't healed. You know, we get into the book of Acts and we find people in and around Jerusalem that are still laying. that are still halt and still much, much work that needed to be done. You see, why weren't they healed? Because they did not ask. Do you possess the faith to ask? What have you been beseeching God about? Or perhaps you're not beseeching God about and you should be beseeching God about. The great prophet Jeremiah was reminded by the Lord, call unto me. And I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. What is it that God wants to do in your life? What is it that God wants to do in your home? What is it that God wants to do in your marriage? What is it that God wants to do with you personally or maybe occupationally? Or what is it that God wants to do in the heart of your children? You see, Jesus, the Scriptures remind us, call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. You see, so great faith possesses fervency and asking. I want to say this secondly, number two, so great faith possesses humility in coming. So great faith possesses humility in coming. There's a word that's mentioned often in this parable that we need to take note of. That's the word worthy. Worthy. And I want us to notice the way that it's used, because in verse four, it's used of the centurion by his friends, by the elders of the Jews. Look at verse four. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly saying that he, the centurion, was worthy for whom he should do this. Jesus, you need to do this. If there's anyone that you need to do this for, it is this centurion. He is worthy. And yet we read a little further. And we find out in verse six that that that the centurion sends word to Jesus that he is not worthy. Look at the last part of verse six. For I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof. It should enter under my roof. Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come to thee. I'm not worthy that you would come into my house. I'm not even worthy to approach you in public. Which is it worthy or not worthy. You see, I want to remind us that this centurion possessed great humility in coming to Jesus, in sending the Jews and sending friends and reminding Jesus that he himself is not worthy. You see, Jesus agrees to come. When the Jews request that he would come and heal the centurion servant, he agrees to come. But I want to remind us he doesn't do it because the Jews said he was worthy. He comes because Jesus knew of his faith. Jesus knew his heart. You see, he didn't feel privileged or entitled because of who he was or because of what he had done. He had shown great kindness to the Jews, even invested in them financially and given them sums of money to even build a synagogue. But he didn't feel entitled. You know, one of the greatest manifestations of pride in our culture today is this sense of entitlement. You know, people think that they're worthy, that things should be given to them, and they deserve for everything to be handed to them, and everyone owes them, and boy, if they don't get what they want, they protest, or God forbid, even riot. and, you know, psychologists and, you know, they study this and they say there's a direct connection between the electronic media consumption and this sense of entitlement that's so pervasive in our world today. But it's a huge problem. It's a huge problem out there. But I'm also afraid it's a huge problem by professed Christians. They come to God with their requests and They think they can come to God deserving. That they make their requests and that God has to do this for them. that because of what they have done, because of their perhaps faithfulness to church or their great sacrifice for the kingdom of God or other perhaps reasons, they think that they deserve to move heaven in their particular direction and change the will of God in their particular way. They think they don't think of themselves as proud. They would never say that they were entitled, but their pride and entitlement shows up when they don't get what they want. When God doesn't answer their prayer the way that they think that he should. And they become very bitter. They become very disillusioned. They don't go to church anymore and they don't worship anymore. And oh, we all know people like that. They that they used to. But because things didn't turn out in life the way that they thought that it should, they're very disillusioned with with God. You see. The Bible tells us that we need to humble ourselves. If you're here in James, James, chapter four, all of this passage, James, chapter four, verse six says, but he giveth more grace. Wherefore, he saith, if you got your Bible open there, would you read that phrase with me? God resisted the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Jump down to verse 10. Read it. Ready? Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. You know, we need to humble ourselves. And part of having so great faith is believing that we are not worthy. Yes, we still come to him. We still come to him in faith, knowing that we're not worthy, but we come to him. And with this with this mindset, you know, I think of God's blessings on Solomon and Solomon's early days when he was when he was building the temple and And and wanted to do so much for God. God asked him, you know what, how he could how he could bless them. And Solomon, of course, if you're familiar with the passage, he asked the Lord for wisdom to judge and to rightly rule the people of Israel. And in that in that passage, in first Kings chapter three, Solomon says, and now, oh, Lord, my God, that was made thy servant king instead of David, my father. And I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or to come in. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this thy so great a people and the speech, please the Lord. So what does the Bible say? God resisted the proud, but give it grace to the humble. See now, of course, that's a good reminder that this was Solomon's early years. Later in Solomon's life, when he became very proud and he began building altars and places of worship to other false gods, God resisted him. And God told him that he was going to rend the kingdom. He would keep his son would keep part of the kingdom for David, his father's sake, but because of those promises that he had made. But but the kingdom would the rest of the tribes would follow another king. You see, I want to remind us that this so great faith possesses humility in coming. You know, it takes no faith. It takes no faith to ask for something that you think you deserve. If something is owed to you, it takes no faith to ask for it. You deserve it. You're really not asking, you're just demanding politely. You see, it takes great faith to ask, knowing that we don't deserve it. And yet, if we'll come to our Heavenly Father and we'll make those petitions as God, as our Father who desires to do good things for us and to give us good things, He will meet those requests and answer our prayers in spite, not because of what we've done, but in spite of what we've done, not because of who we are, but because of whose we are, and God uses the humble. God, the Bible says, even exalts the humble. God resisted the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. We see that all through Scripture, even as Paul writing to the church in Corinth and, of course, rebuking their pride, tells them that God doesn't call the noble of this world. God doesn't call the wise of this world. God uses the foolish things. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27. But God had chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world, the things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are. Why? That no flesh should glory in His presence." Oh listen, we know we don't deserve it. We know we don't deserve it, but yet in faith we ask anyway. In faith, we come and make our petition. We let our request be made known unto God. So great faith possesses fervency in asking. So great faith possesses humility in coming. And let me say this lastly and thirdly, so great faith possesses simplicity in believing. So great faith possesses simplicity in believing. What did the centurion say? Again, this isn't the centurion himself speaking with the Lord Jesus. First, it was the elders of the Jews. Then it was friends trying to get Jesus to stop and to not come. He's not worthy to come under his roof. He's not worthy to even approach him himself. That's why he has sent others And what does he say? Verse eight. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. And I say to one, go, and he goeth. And to another, come, and he cometh. And to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. You see, and all of that was to explain, verse seven, why he said, he said, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. but say in a word and my servant shall be healed. You see, this centurion simply believes. That God can. And since Jesus is God, Jesus can. And what a reminder of what faith is. Faith, the Bible declares, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is simply taking God at His word, this insuring because of the multitudes that have heard Jesus. He begins hearing of Jesus' crowds and the fact that this could be the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. This is the Messiah and the mighty works that Jesus had done and those that had been healed. And the centurion is taking everything that he has heard, everything that he has learned about Jesus. He drew a conclusion and then he acted on that conclusion, asking Jesus to heal his servants. This passage in there in verse eight, this this explanation of his understanding of authority, we got to preach on that in recent weeks. But but this centurion believed that Jesus had the authority to heal his servant. Jesus didn't have all he all Jesus had to do was what? Speak a word. That's what he says. But say in a word. All Jesus had to do was say in a word. If He had the authority, if He had the power, all He had to do was declare His servant well, and His servant would be healed. Jesus didn't have to come into His house and lay His hands on the centurion's servant. He didn't have to go and pour water on him. He didn't have to go and give him a handkerchief He'd prayed over. He didn't have to lay hands on him. Jesus' power was contained in His Word. I want to ask you, do you have that kind of faith this morning? Did you believe that His power flows from His Word? Do you believe that the power that you need, the power that I need, flows from His Word? That that book that lays there in your lap this morning is indeed the Word of God? Romans 10.17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing, say it with me, by the Word of God. You see, I want to remind us that this centurion knew that it wasn't a ritual that was going to heal his servant. It was the power of the word of God and what our country and our culture needs is not more ritual. It's not more religion. It's not chants and ceremonies and religious rituals. You see, what our country so desperately needs is the Word of God. And that's why we must proclaim the Word of God. That's why we must live the Word of God and obey the Word of God. I was witnessing to a fellow yesterday and said almost those words. We don't need more religion. We don't need more religion. You know, churches are trying to appeal to the lost and get the lost to come in and fill their their seats by by going woke and, you know, keeping the unregenerate in the pews by getting them to participate in religion. Listen, what man needs is the truth of the word of God. That truth that this world needs is contained here in these 66 books called the Bible. It's the truth this world needs. It's the truth that you and I need. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished. unto all good works. Oh, that's why we read it. I want to ask you, do you have faith? Did you have faith this last week to open up this book and read it? and study it. And did you have faith to pray that God would teach you his word, that that he would give you his word, that he would enlighten your heart and mind by his word, that your mind would be renewed by his word? Oh, listen, that's why we read it. That's why we meditate on it. That's why we study it. That's why we obey it. You see, we can't say we believe his word if we'll not if we're not obeying his word. Jesus said in John chapter eight, when the Jews had heard Jesus and they made that profession of their faith in him, Jesus says, if you continue in my word. Then are you my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You see, we show our faith by our obedience. It's that evidence. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen that faith. That's why James in his letter, he writes, he said, Thou has faith. I have work. Show me thy faith without thy works. I will show thee my faith. By my works, you see, it is by our obedience. We must possess that simplicity in believing the word of God. It's not God said it. I believe it. That settles is it's God said it. That settles it. We've got to have that kind of simplicity. You know, one of the things I have attempted to teach my children is a simple command requires simple obedience. A simple command requires simple obedience. You know, go pick up your shoes and put your shoes away or pick up your toys. Simple command. It doesn't require any discussion or conditions or prerequisites or explanation. You see, we need to simply obey the Word of God. God declared it in His Word. He instructed us. He commanded us. And we must believe it. You see, church, if we are going to have so great faith, we must obey the commands given to us in Scripture. And I want to remind us one of those commands. Yes, toward each other we must love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. But I want to remind us that's not the only command that we have been given. Because we have been commissioned to take the gospel into this lost world and to preach the truth to them. Mark 16, 15, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We've been given that command and we must obey. You see, if you have so great faith, you desire his word. You desire his word. Jesus said in John chapter 10, my sheep hear my voice. And I know them and they follow me. You desire that word. If you have so great faith, you believe that word. If you have so great faith, you obey that word. You know, as I think about this matter of so great faith, I I look at myself and examine my faith and I want that kind of faith. Do you want that kind of faith? If you are so great faith, faith that would cause the son of God to to marvel. I mean, you're here, you're faithful, you're you're worshiping. Do you want to kind of get an amen there? Do you want to have so great faith? You see how I desire to have faith that moves the finger of God. So often, though, I feel like the father in Mark chapter nine. Lord, I believe. Help me out my unbelief. Oh, listen. May God help us to have. Faith, great faith, so great faith, you see, but if we're going to have so great faith. We must possess fervency. And asking if we're going to possess so great faith, we must we must possess humility and coming. We're going to possess so great faith, we must possess simplicity in believing and obeying. May God help us. So great faith. Let's bow our heads and close our eyes.