Sermon: Great Faith
Scripture: Matthew 8:5-13
ICE BREAKER: What is your dream vacation?
REVIEW:
This week, we were challenged to have a GREAT FAITH! We looked at the story of Jesus and the Roman centurion in Matthew chapter 8. The centurion had a servant who was deathly ill and came to Jesus to ask for healing. At that time, the Jewish people were held captive by Rome, which meant Jesus's followers hated the centurions.
All eyes were on Jesus to see how he would respond! Would he dare to show mercy to this Roman ruler, or would he make a point by sending him away empty-handed?
If we zoom out a little, we realize that it took extreme humility for the soldier to ask Jesus for help! The Romans viewed Israelites as second-class citizens. They often called them animals or dogs and treated them with no respect. However, the soldier knew that Jesus was his only hope and believed Jesus could bring healing.
In our faith journey, we often get so engrossed in today's problems that we quit turning to Jesus. Perhaps we think we can work things out alone or feel ashamed to take our issues to the Lord. The centurion reminds us that we should constantly be going to Jesus!
Jesus immediately confirms that he will go and heal the servant, but the centurion stops him before he can leave! Not only does he believe in Jesus's healing power, but he is also confident that Jesus can heal his servant long distance!
Jesus responds by healing the servant and claiming that this Roman centurion had more faith than anyone in Israel (a claim that would have deeply offended his Jewish audience!)
Why did he have more faith? In short, the Jewish people counted on their works (following the law) to make them right with God. The Roman soldier put his faith in Jesus!
Great faith is rooted in a person, not a result.
APPLY:
What is your faith rooted in?
A bank account?
Your circumstances?
Status or power?
Often, we place our faith in the things of this world and only turn to God when the going gets tough. We were created to live a life of GREAT FAITH where we rely on Jesus for everything, all the time!
What earthly things do you often put your faith in?
What keeps you from going to Jesus more often?
What is ONE WAY you can demonstrate Great Faith this week?
PRAY:
Spend time asking the Holy Spirit to show you what keeps you from fully trusting in Jesus with your day-to-day life.
