...and Jesus Marveled! Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/July 22, 2012
...and Jesus Marveled! Write any notes from the week here Sermon Notes July 22, 2012 I. A God Fearing Centurion A. Two accounts of the Roman centurion 1. Matthew 8: 5-13 2. Luke 7: 1-10 B. Three kinds of people in Jewish worldview 1. Pagans/Gentiles - Had no belief in the God of Abraham 2. God Fearers - Gentiles who believe in the God of Abraham 3. Jews - Descendants of Abraham and believers in Yahweh C. The textual differences 1. In Matthew, the centurion comes to Jesus 2. In Luke, the centurion sends Jewish elders to speak with Jesus for him 3. The Jewish view of servants/messengers II. The Faith of the Centurion A. Contrast the centurion with the Jewish elders 1. The elders thought the Roman was worthy because of his works 2. Jesus thought he was worthy because of his faith B. Where did the centurion get his faith? 1. Faith is initiated by God 2. Faith is a response to revelation C. The centurion s view of authority informed his faith 1. He believes Jesus is King 2. He believes Jesus is Lord 3. He believes Jesus can speak and things far away can be affected 2 19
Table Talk Teens Read Matthew 8:5-13 Question One: The centurion who was used to giving orders to his soldiers understood the principle of authority. What can we learn from the centurion s response to Jesus? Question Two: One with authority does not need to be present in order to accomplish a task. Orders may be carried out by others even at a distance. Why did Jesus marvel at the centurion s great faith? III.And Jesus Marveled A. Jesus marvels at two things in the Gospels 1. People s faith (Matthew 8 and Luke 7) 2. People s lack of faith (Mark 6: 6) B. In what way does Jesus marvel at me? 1. Is He amazed at my faith? 2. Is He amazed at my lack of faith? 3. It s not based on my understanding, faith is based on my actions! C. Jesus reveals that judgment is based not on works, but on faith (Verses 11-12) 1. Jews may not make it to heaven because of their unbelief 2. Gentiles may make it based on their faith Question Three: The faith of the centurion was the kind of faith Jesus was looking for in Israel. The Israelites thought that they would automatically gain entrance into His kingdom just because of their religious backgrounds. Do you believe we draw closer to Jesus by religion or by relationship and why? 18 3
Life Group Questions for July 22, 2012 Good News Series Message =...and Jesus Marveled! Ice Breaker: Tell about one of the biggest surprises you ever had. Read Ma-hew 8: 5-13 1. Tell what you observe about this passage. 2. Have someone read verses 8-9 again. The centurion obviously understands some things about Jesus. What does this statement say He believes to be true about Jesus? 3. Tell about a time when you took a big step of faith and God rewarded you. 4. Have you ever stepped out in faith believing God was telling you to do something, only to find out that you were wrong? Tell about it and then tell what you learned from the experience. Elementary Matthew 8: 5-13 Table Talk Day 1 - Read Matthew 8:5-13. Jesus was "astonished" at the great faith of the Centurion. How would you define faith? Faith can be difficult to define since it is not something that you can see, like the wind. However, we can see the affects of wind (trees blow, etc.), just like we can see the effects of one's faith. Day 2 - The centurion said to Jesus, "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof...". This is example of being humble. The man is not proud or demanding or even boastful; instead he was humble and quietly asked Jesus to help. What would you like Jesus to help you with? Day 3 - Create a shield out of thick paper (card-stock or construction paper) and write the Bible passage (Matthew 8 : 5-13) on the shield. Post this shield some place in your home as a visual reminder of the humble faith of the Centurion soldier. 5. In what area of your life is it most difficult to trust God? 6. In order to walk in faith, we must learn to hear God s voice. Do you feel that you have been hearing His voice lately? Please explain. 7. Pray for one another. 4 17
story in your own words. Table Talk Preschool & Nursery: Read Matthew 8: 5-13 with your child or tell them the Talk about placing our trust in Jesus and having faith in Him. Explain what the word humble means. 1. What was the position of the man who came to Jesus? (Answer: Roman officer) 2. Why did he ask Jesus for help? (Answer: his servant was very sick and could not walk) 3. Why was Jesus amazed at the officer s faith? (Answer: The man was not an Israelite; he was a Roman soldier, and they did not like Jews. 4. What does it mean to humble yourself? (Not being proud; putting others before yourself) Learning Points: To understand what was so amazing about the army officer (had faith and was humble). Share how God can help us with our problems.) Bible Verse: Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 Prayer: Thank you, God, for sending Jesus. To let me know you care. May I try my best to please Him. His love I will share. Amen. Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5
Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read MaUhew 8: 5-13 slowly and meditate on it. Write down in this space what you observe. 3. What do you think Jesus sees about the centurion s faith that is so astounding? Memorize Hebrews 11: 6 Memorize Hebrews 11: 1 and 6. Memorize Hebrews 11: 1 and 6 Day Five Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. ~Matthew 8:10, NAS95 When Jesus marvels in verse 10, the Greek word implies that he stood in mouth agape, wide eyed astonishment. Things got so quiet you could hear crickets. The angels around the throne probably stopped shouting, Holy Holy Holy, and looked down upon the sun scorched earth - for their king was speechless. The Father sitting upon His heavenly throne probably exclaimed, Somebody got it! And then He let out a joyful laugh. Jesus then did what He did best, He affirmed the centurion for his faith. This implies that Jesus had begun to set His expectations fairly low. Most people didn t (and don t today) understand faith, and even fewer walked in it. He came to His own people and hadn t found many of them who had faith in Him. When He heard this Roman make his statement about authority, Jesus was caught unaware. The Roman s statement asserted that He understood Jesus to be the King of Heaven and Earth, and could expect that King s orders to be done! The centurion was absolutely sold on Jesus identity as Lord of All! This kind of faith comes from a revelation from heaven. People don t just figure these kinds of things out on their own. God had whispered things in this man s ears, and he BELIEVED THEM! Faith is not something we drum up on our own. We cannot do it without first getting a revelation (an eye opening, revealing message) from God! Our job is to simply believe what God reveals to us. When we finally take His word as something solid enough to walk on, we have entered into the realm of faith! Go for it. Take a walk on what God has shown you! 6 15
Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate again on MaUhew 8: 5-13. Ask the Lord to help you walk in faith like the centurion did. 3. Ask the Lord to begin showing you how to walk in His authority on a daily basis. Ask Him to show you how this authority is activated. Day One When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain. ~Matthew 8:5, 6, NLT This Roman Centurion was quite a guy. Most historians will tell you that, from a Roman officer's perspective, Judea was a lousy assignment (kinda like getting Minot, North Dakota if you re in the Air Force). Yet, in the midst of what was an undesirable assignment, God began to mold this man s heart. Think of it. You re an officer in an occupying army and the locals hate your guts. They don t even look at you. If they could do it without impunity, they would spit in your face. Your only friends are the other soldiers around you. They are all debased pagans with the morals of a mafioso. As you hang out with your army buddies, you begin to be repelled at the same old, sickening bathroom humor and boastings of depraved sexual adventures. Luke s Gospel tells us that this centurion has become a friend of the Jewish people. He s even helped build the local synagogue from his own purse. He has gradually become a worshiper of the God of Israel. The Hebrews call him a God Fearer, a term given to those who worship the living God, but have not officially become Jews through circumcision. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. So, not only has this guy rejected the gods of Rome, He has drawn near to Yahweh with a hungry heart. His young servant is deathly ill, and having heard of Jesus healing power, he comes reverently to the Lord to implore Him to come heal him. Sometimes, the greatest change in our hearts happens in the worst of circumstances. God uses what the world calls a lousy assignment to draw us to Himself. 14 7
Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read MaUhew 8: 5-13 again today. 3. Read Hebrews 11. Define Faith in your own words. 4. Ask the Lord if He has revealed anything about Himself to you lately. Then ask Him if you have been faithful to obey what He has told you. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Day Four Then the officer said, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, Go, and they go, or Come, and they come. And if I say to my slaves, Do this or that, they do it. ~Matthew 8:8, 9, NLT This centurion understands authority. Authority works the same in the Roman military as it does in the kingdom of God. When someone in authority speaks, it is done without hesitation. When someone who is under authority hears an order, they follow that order with diligence. So if we take this idea to its logical conclusion, we can say this: When I obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, the authority of Heaven stands behind me and goes before me as I obey! As I do what God asks me to do, His Kingdom overflows out of me into others, bringing healing, deliverance, encouragement, refreshment, and conviction. Obedience is only half of the equation. The centurion had faith in Jesus. He believed Jesus WAS the son of God! His faith told him that if Jesus said it, it would happen. So, obedience must be done as an act of faith - I must obey knowing that God will do what He does naturally when I step out! My goal this week: Listen to the voice of God speak, confirm it with scripture, then step out on it as God directs. Trust God with the results. 8 13
Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Take more time today to pray for healing for yourself. 3. Read slowly over James 2. What did you observe? Write it down here. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Two This Roman centurion impresses me. I m with Jesus... this guy is a marvel. If you put yourself in the sandals of a first century Roman soldier, you are seeing yourself as a fighting machine serving the greatest empire in the world at the time. In your worldview, your gods have bested all the other gods in the world, and you and your country are better than them all. You re especially better than the cantankerous, monotheistic, hateful Jews. Yet, out of an empty spirit, you open your mind to see what this Jewish God is all about. To your surprise, you ve found Him to be kind, just, compassionate, and he espouses a morality far superior to your petty gods. You hear about a new rabbi preaching an even more edgy perspective. You might have even gone to hear him preach a time or two, and were amazed at His authority, His lofty, but down to earth teaching, and His authenticity shocked you. You watch as He heals the multitudes of incurable diseases. You even see the lame walk and the blind see. There is truly something about this young rabbi. Suddenly, your friend, who is also your servant falls deathly ill. Before hopelessness can drown you, your memory is flooded with pictures of the multitudes being healed one at a time. Jesus. I must get Jesus to come heal my servant! In his fellow soldiers eyes, the centurion has sunk to a new low. He has become a worshiper of the pitiful Jewish God. Yet, he does not care. His soul has been set free. He has found what he has longed for all his life. Even though Jews are not allowed to go under the same roof as a Gentile, the centurion knows that Jesus will heal. He s convinced that He is more than just a man. I wonder, am I willing to lay it all on the line with the Rabbi? 12 9
Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read slowly over Hebrews 11 again today. Write down your observations here. 3. Take time to write down some people near and dear to you who need healing. Write down their names and pray for them today. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Three Jesus said, I will come and heal him. ~Matthew 8:7, NLT I love how wisely the Lord puts these two stories back to back - the leper and the centurion. Both of them show the profound authority Jesus walked in, the overwhelming compassion from which He operated, and His unwillingness to let anything stop Him from giving people what they needed. When the leper asked for healing, Jesus stretched forth his hand and healed him. When the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus said an equally scandalous statement, I will come and heal him. Everyone at the time knew that Jews had no dealings with Gentiles. They were forbidden to eat with them and a good Jew, especially a rabbi, would never step foot under the roof of a Gentile. This would, according to Mosaic Law, make the Jew unclean for some time. When Jesus said, I will come and heal him, He bowled over the law about Jews not going under the roof of a Gentile. The centurion knew about the law, and in his desire to honor Jesus, he suggested a plan that would keep Jesus from causing scandal. The plan was absolutely God breathed. Then the officer said, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! Matthew 8:8, NLT. Jesus had not seen such faith by His own people, the Jews. He was flabbergasted! Have I flabbergasted Jesus lately? 10 11