Victorious Hope. What parental sayings or clichés did you hear the most growing up? #BSFLVictory QUESTION 1 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 21.

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1 2 Victorious Hope What parental sayings or clichés did you hear the most growing up? QUESTION 1 #BSFLVictory BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 21

2 THE POINT When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE When we re children, we make a list of things we ll never do when we get big. For most of us, that list includes this: When I m a parent, I ll never tell my kids, Because I said so. Then we grow up and have kids. And somewhere along the way, we say to them, Because I said so! While we may have broken a promise we made to ourselves as children, we have stumbled upon a foundational truth of life: some people have the authority to make things happen just by saying so. God spoke. Creation happened. Jesus spoke. Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus spoke. A man was healed without Jesus even being present with him. Let s look deeper at that last event. The power of Jesus words is not the reason we re studying this story. What impressed Jesus in this story was the faith of a centurion, a man who believed a sick servant would be healed simply because Jesus said so. True faith simply believes Jesus can do what He says He can do. And that gives me great hope. 22 SESSION 2

3 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 8:5-7 (CSB) 5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, 6 Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony. 7 He said to him, Am I to come and heal him? From our perspective, we may wonder who wouldn t go to Jesus for help? So it seems to make perfect sense that this man came to Jesus on behalf of his servant. But based on who he was, the fact that he came to Jesus at all is very surprising. The man wasn t Jewish. He was Roman. The man was a centurion, responsible for soldiers in an army occupying a conquered territory. Most of the time, Jews and Roman soldiers avoided contact with each other. Even if they weren t openly hostile, they certainly didn t ask each other for help. The soldier was obviously desperate to get Jesus attention. The Roman centurion not only asked a Jew for help, he asked a Jewish rabbi. A leader in the conquering army asked a leader among the conquered people for help! He was willing to do anything to find a way to save his servant; he would even ask Jesus. After the centurion explained to Jesus the nature of his servant s illness, Jesus agreed to go and heal the servant. Jesus had no problem crossing ethnic or national lines if it meant helping someone. He had come to save the whole world. Sure, the gospel came first to the Jews, but Jesus was insistent the gospel wouldn t be limited to one people or one nation. The good news was for everyone, including this Roman centurion and his servant. What emotions do you typically experience when you have to ask for help? QUESTION 2 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 23

4 THE POINT When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope. Matthew 8:8-9 (CSB) 8 Lord, the centurion replied, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this! and he does it. You would think the centurion would be beside himself with excitement that Jesus would come to his home and heal the servant. What was the problem? This man knew who and what he was. I am not worthy to have you come under my roof (v. 8). He was surely aware of the impropriety of a Jewish man and a rabbi no less coming into the unclean home of a Gentile. Perhaps he even sensed his own sinfulness in coming before such a righteous person as Jesus. The centurion probably felt his unworthiness in another way. He was a centurion, and centurions were the backbone of the Roman army. Their skill in leading men in tight-formation combat was the secret of the Roman military success. If he was given an order, he obeyed it. If he gave an order, he expected it to be done. If the centurion understood one thing, it was authority. He knew who had it and who didn t, what it could and couldn t do, and who was pretending to have it and who wasn t. The centurion knew this: To make something happen, all Jesus had to do was say the word. Jesus had that kind of authority. How would you paraphrase the centurion s statements in these verses? QUESTION 3 24 SESSION 2

5 "Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe." AUGUSTINE FAITH > DOUBT On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being Disagree and 5 being Agree, evaluate yourself using the following statements. When I need help, I turn to Jesus first to meet my needs. Disagree Agree My life reflects my submission to Jesus authority. Disagree Agree Sometimes, I catch myself hoping in something other than Christ. Disagree Agree One thing I can do to recognize Jesus authority is: BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 25

6 THE POINT When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope. Matthew 8:10-13 (CSB) 10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 Then Jesus told the centurion, Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that very moment. Here s the irony of that moment: a Gentile centurion, not the Jewish religious leaders, recognized the authority of Jesus. A nonbeliever a person outside the faith and beliefs of the Jews actually believed more than those on the inside. Matthew noted that Jesus was amazed by this Gentile s faith. The centurion, who wasn t supposed to know anything about God s promise of the Messiah, actually understood the reality of God s promises better than anyone else who had talked with Jesus. Indeed, Jesus declared, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith (v. 10). What kind of faith was He referring to? Faith that understands the power of Christ s words. When Christ speaks, it happens. Just as God spoke all of creation and the universe into being, so God in Christ now speaks and His words determine reality. When has your faith in Christ helped you to find hope? QUESTION 4 26 SESSION 2

7 In affirming the centurion s faith, Jesus presented a magnificent picture of the all-embracing nature of faith and grace. People will come from every race, ethnicity, language, and nation to join in the feast celebrating the saving grace of Jesus the Messiah. These people, so very different at first glance, will all have one thing in common. Each of them, like the centurion, have declared faith in Jesus. These people: Were facing a life circumstance that was beyond anyone else s ability to help, Recognized that Jesus had authority, and Believed Jesus would do what He said He could do. And yet, the sons of the kingdom (v. 12), the very ones you would expect to be at the table, will be thrown out as party crashers. With no faith, they have no place at the table. Not only are they thrown out of the party, they are thrown away from God s presence. With the phrase the outer darkness, (v. 12) Jesus was describing a place devoid of light; it would be a place of total, complete and overwhelming darkness. Do we have faith in Jesus like the centurion? Do we believe Jesus has authority and not just any authority, but the authority? Does He have such authority that we ll obey His commands, no questions asked? The centurion believed Jesus had that kind of authority. He trusted Jesus word because he understood how authority worked. He trusted in Jesus and His ability to heal, and as a result, he found hope for his servant and for himself. We can have hope too. It comes through faith the confidence that Jesus can do what He says He can do. What steps can we take to deepen our faith as followers of Jesus? QUESTION 5 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 27

8 THE POINT When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope. LIVE IT OUT How can you express your faith in Christ this week? Evaluate your own level of faith. What kinds of things hold you back from fully trusting Christ for a need you have? Write them down. Go to God daily with this list and ask Him to remove these barriers to a deeper faith. Get a broader understanding. Read the Book of Matthew over the next few weeks. Pay special attention to Jesus interactions with people who approached Him with requests. Share what you know. A key way to see God s power and ability to work on your behalf is to see how He has worked in the past. When you encounter someone this week who is in need of hope, be ready to tell them how God has worked in your life in the past. This doesn t have to be lengthy, just genuine. Faith is more than wishful thinking. It s the firm conviction that Jesus is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do. When we know this truth, it changes the way we live. We live in joyful hope. My thoughts 28 SESSION 2 Share with others how you will live out this study: #BSFLVictory