Great Faith (Pastor Tabor Nudd, 04/01/23)

Dear God, what do we thank you so much for this day? We thank you for all that you've done

Pray that you'll guide us and guide our hearts and minds as we open your word this morning teach us

And Lord help us to journey with you

Continue this walk as we know this world is challenging. We know there are things that Satan will put before us

But Lord you're above all

May our faith not grow weary and but may grow stronger and deeper as we look forward to the day you come again

We love you Lord and praise you and thank you and ask these things in your heavenly name. Amen

Frederick Nietzsche a famous German philosopher and cultural critic

In the late 1800s and early 1900s most notably he was an atheist

So you might recognize his name

Just from that category alone, but he said this and it posed this question that I want to bring to you today

Is man merely a mistake of God's or is God merely a mistake of man?

Essentially posing this question is in a mistake for us to believe in God

Are we wasting our time believing there is a God that is out there?

Who's not only out but but he's alive and active in our lives

Are we wasting our time believing the stories of Scripture that that the stories of this book a

Book of faith

We waste in our time

Truly believing that these stories about the God of this book are real

Scripture is a book of faith

and

We need to journey as we understand and try to learn and and and dive in to understand what God is calling us to

We must recognize that faith is a challenge at times. Can it not be?

faith in God faith in who he is who the Bible describes him as

what he can do in our lives can be a

challenge

So today I want to ask you this question. How strong is is your faith?

How was your faith this morning in the world that we live in?

How was your faith today? I

Want to explore this concept because I firmly believe this is

One of the things if not the most pivotal thing that Satan begins to chip away at each of our lives

if he can get us to cause us to doubt and not believe and struggle in our faith

Then how will we stand as a Christian?

How we stand as a follower of Christ?

I

Want to look at one story today kind of zone in as our home base

And I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 8 a

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

story of a centurion

When Jesus came and had this conversation with this man

He had just previously as you look through scripture in the book of Matthew just been speaking

And sharing the well-known sermon on the mount

Thereafter he began to heal people as well

But he entered in Capernaum

Where he came across the century and I'm gonna be reading Matthew 8 starting with verse 5 all the way through 13

Today I'll be reading from the new international version

When Jesus entered Capernaum a centurion came to him asking for help

Lord, he said my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly

Jesus said to him shall I come and heal him?

The centurion replied

Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof

But just say the word and my servant will be healed for I myself am a man under authority with

Soldiers under me. I tell this one go and he goes and that one come and he comes

I say to my servant do this and he does it

When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those falling truly

I tell you I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith

I say to you that many will come from the east into the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham

Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into darkness where they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Then Jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you believed it would

And the servant was healed at that very moment

Now it's the story just reading through it

It just kind of draws me back as there are several points I'd like to look at but the first significant point is simply the fact alone

that

This man is a man of faith

alone that this man as Jesus noted

Have found no one in all of Israel with such great faith

as a centurion

I've kind of pondered that thought as I've read the story before but with such great faith. This isn't interesting

This is a a huge claim. I mean because Jesus has healed he's done miracles

he's seen the faith of many individuals but to declare this man has

Almost essentially the greatest faith of them all that he has seen this far

So I want to look at this this man for a moment. Who is this man? Who is this centurion? What is that?

A certain centurion was a roman officer

In the army probably the equivalent historians believed to that of a captain. They would be in charge of a hundred men

with the name centurion makes sense

And sometimes they were elected to the role, but usually they rose to the ranks after 15 to 20 years of service

And they were in charge of their hundred men. They oversaw the training and developing of these soldiers

Often

They had complete control of them. They told them exactly what they were to do at whatever times and they would have to do it

But they rose to the ranks because often of their strong courage

Often of their strong courage if in battle they would be the ones that would lead their hundred men

so

Understanding this now and coming up to Jesus with a request like this is kind of

Unbelievable

most of them led the way in fixing the problems not humbling themselves and

Can't do this. I can't fix this problem

but his servant

Who he cared about dearly

He suffered he was paralyzed

And he asked if Jesus would go and Jesus said that he would go and asked him basically

would you would you like me to go and the captain could have stopped right then but

Jesus I believe saw in his heart in his mind something deeper because the man kept talking

Looking back at verse 8. I want to read through that 8 and 9

The sentient replied lord, I do not deserve

To have you come under my roof a little humility right there

But just say the word and my servant will be healed for I myself am a man under authority with the soldiers under me

I tell this one to go and he goes and that one to come and he comes and say to my servant do this

And he does it

When I first read this I was a little confused I mean I see his humility

There at the beginning but then he begins to kind of tell Jesus all of his authority and influences that he has

He has the ability to say this and people do it

Look who I am is this is this kind of a a problem moment where he needs to let Jesus know all that he can do

I don't believe it is

Because when I understand and look to understand this story and see that Jesus sees inside of his heart

There came a point for this captain who has the authority to do so much

Had to make a decision

Is this something he could fix heal his paralyzed servant

Or is this something that's out of his hands

He has the authority to do a lot of things but this he could not do

Frank Cope tells us illustration this story

The naval institute where they sent out two battleships out into the waters to do this training exercise

And there were severe storms that were taking place

The fog was heavy as all of a sudden one of the ships through the patchy fog saw a light piercing through the darkness of the night

As will man on the watch out said

Hey, signal into our calling to the captain. There is a light bearing there on the starboard side

The captain called out. Is it steady or is it moving?

The lookout replied it is steady which meant they're on a dangerous course

They're on a dangerous course

The captain then called out to the signal man will signal a ship. We are on a collision course

Advise them to change their degrees change their course 20 degrees

As they the signal came back advisable for you to change your course 20 degrees

The captain said send them this message. I am the captain change course 20 degrees

Back in the message

I am a seaman second class. You better change your course 20 degrees

At that time the captain was furious. He spat out send

I'm a battleship change your course 20 degrees

That came the message. I'm a lighthouse change yours 20 degrees

There comes a time friends

When things are not going to be the way they are

Sometimes when things are out of your control

Some things you don't have the power to do some things that even if you are in charge of even if you are the captain

You can't fix you can't change I think in this moment as we read this story about the centurion

This captain is humbly showing yes

He believes that jesus has his power to to reveal excuse me jesus has the power to

Heal his servants

Yes, he has earthly power on this earth this captain does but ultimately he is revealing his spiritual dependency upon jesus

Yes Captain of the ship could not move the lighthouse this centurion could not heal this paralyzed man

In other words, i've got the power and courage to do whatever I want or need to on this earth, but this is a spiritual issue

This is something I cannot do. I need you god. I need you and I trust you jesus. You can do something about this

Yes

Friends have you been in a situation that seems impossible

You realize uh, that's something no matter no matter how talented you are or how gifted you are how much money you have

The situation is just out of your hands

This is a jesus saying this is something that only he can help me with

Over the last few months of this year i've sat with a family whose son has committed suicide

How do you fix a problem like that?

You can't

I sat with the young girls whose dad was going to die from cancer and he did

How do you fix that

You can't these things are the impossible

But even more I know there are those who are here here today

Those who are here here today that seem they are facing some of the impossible as well

I know there are some who may be struggling with finances and maybe question each and every day

I know there are some here who may be struggling in the relationships their marriages or whatever else may be challenging in their life

I know there are some who are struggling with maybe family members who are making difficult decisions or you yourself are making difficult decisions

or challenging

Choices in life. I know there are some who are struggling perhaps even with depression and how how do we fix these things?

Can we just immediately snap out of them?

Some of these things seem like mountains that we cannot move

And yes, there are some things that we can take steps and making good choices to help us make better choices in life

But for many of these things

We ultimately need help from someone

someone

Who's got this world in his hands?

Someone who's outside of herself?

Do you have faith in Jesus?

This is where the reality of what we see and know where science and truth collide with with faith

Something that is abstract a feeling you could say

Because faith sometimes as we think about it, it's just it's hard to understand

That's why I love the author of herews who writes in herews 11 1

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of things that we cannot even see

That statement alone is hard to grasp sometimes faith has a certainty to it

Even though we can't see it, even though we can't touch it sometimes

We have to have certainty in this faith

And that's why it's so hard for those who are visual. I brought some examples with me here this morning

I've got two jars

This first one

I've got a jar here, right?

Is there is there anything in this jar?

Okay, yes

Most people will say no, there's nothing in this jar

But we know there's what in this jar

But we know there's what in there?

Oxygen there's air

We can't see it

But we know it's there, right?

I brought another one this one is filled with what?

Water

And okay, very good water and air I can still you can see the water

All right, as I move it around if I shake it up you can see what in there?

Bubbles

Which is evidence of?

The air the oxygen

I like that reminder simply because the fact is we cannot always see air

Jesus even uses the scriptures are as as he was telling

Nicodemus about the holy spirit being like the breeze

You don't know where he's going. You can't always see if you trust it's there

If you trust it's there we see evidence all around us and I love what paul writes in

Romans chapter 1

Romans 1 · chapter mention

If you're not familiar with this text turn in your bibles there romans chapter 1 verse 20

Romans 1:20

I love this text because it

Shares

This great challenge for us to understand

That we can know god is there

And we see evidence all around us for this is what it says romans 1 verse 20

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world god's invisible qualities

His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen

Being understand what has been made so that people are without excuse

There's evidence all around we walk outside of this building and we see trees we see

Nature we see god's works all around us and we are without excuse

God's work is all around us and I love this illustration

That we may not be able to see god right here, but we can see evidence of him

We know he's there we can sense his presence

And I know that this man this centurion had faith as well

Whether he'd seen or heard jesus he healed other people before

He trusted that jesus could do this

He trusted

Jesus asks us to have faith in what we cannot see

He wants us to believe in something we know is there

And sometimes I know we question this because we sometimes ask

And naturally feel like why is it faith god isn't it more something that we should just

Want to do or that you should be pleased with how we walk or our obedience and yes god does want us to be obedient to him

but

Faith is where it is about

We sometimes ask why doesn't god want us to be like sometimes these bible heroes we we pattern a life sometimes after them

But these heroes in scripture are only heroes because of their faith

Bible heroes are only heroes because they trusted god and despite their only their excuse despite

Their own abilities or lack thereof he was 11 gives us

individual after individual of these men of faith that's hall of faith is what we

often refer to it as

And they're in this chapter not because of what they did

Because when you start looking at the lives of these individuals who are listed in these incredible

Heroes of faith we have liars. We have cheaters. We have murderers. We have adulterers. We have thieves. We have more

And they're in scripture noted

as men and women of

faith

But they're in there because of their faith

Not because of what they accomplished. It's because what they accomplished is what they accomplished

Accomplished it's because what god used them to do and how god worked through them and their faith in god

friends

God asks us to have faith because it demonstrates complete and total reliance upon him

When we have faith, we believe he's our creator above everything in this universe

Including the ground I walk on the air. I breathe the life that I live

When we have faith essentially we are saying that we believe he has the ability to give and to take away

To do the impossible and even change what we know is reality

He has the ability to save us from this darkened world

But in order to do so to do what is impossible for us to do we must believe who he is

We must believe that he has the power to do this

And we must believe that he loves each one of us

Friends faith signifies our complete dependence upon him

What did god tell abraham looking through the old testament to the new what did god tell abraham?

I will make you a great nation. I will give you a son even as he was an old man

but genesis 15 6

Says abraham believed

And it was credit to him as righteousness because he believed he was made right with god

It was because of his faith. It was because he believed

And when we flip through the pages of scripture go to the new testament when jesus is meeting with nickademus and we read john 3 16 and 17 for god

So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have

Everlasting life for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world

And that's sometimes what we feel

But it says but god sent him to save the world through him

What is it that he said?

Whoever believes in him shall have ever

everlasting

life

Should have everlasting life faith is the basis of a relationship with god faith is the basis of our salvation

I want to go back to our story

this centurion

This centurion in matthew chapter 8

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

It's interesting as jesus replies to this man after he tells him

of the authority that he has

verse 10

Through 13 we read when jesus heard this he was amazed

And said to those following him truly. I tell you I have not found anyone in israel with such great faith

I say to you that many will come from the east and to the west and will take their places at the feast of abraham

Isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth

Pretty harsh

interesting

But jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you believed it would

And his servant was healed

at that very moment

Jesus was amazed at this man's faith

Was there really not any people or any other person in all of israel with such great faith

Why did jesus reply like this?

As I began to study this text I began to realize that when jesus was talking about this and replied in this manner

He was describing the condition of many jews

During that day you see many jews thought that they had the right to heaven just because of who they were

They were special. They were chosen people of god. They were descendants of abraham

Promised by god. They felt they had the right to the kingdom just because of who they were

Now who was this centurion?

He was a roman

He was a gentile

He was a gentile

He had not been promised anything

Yet his faith

Forged through the muck of the religious of the jewish religious tradition

He placed his faith firmly on this man jesus because he believed jesus could do something about it

His place of position his nationality did not stop him from believing that jesus could do something

He believed that he could do something

Friends this may hit home to each one of us a little bit

There may be some of us and i'm going to include myself in on this

Who sometimes may feel like we are the jewish traditionalists

Before we think of someone else we need to look at ourselves and ask god to help convict our hearts and minds

What jesus say about us. I have not found anyone in the walls of the church

with a great faith as

who

That police officer in wrinkle that woman

Who is at the grocery store that homeless man?

You see sometimes we as christians sometimes feel that we have rights or the insight track to god over others

We feel we may have been closer to god compared to someone else because we've walked longer with god

We may may know more of the bible than someone else. We may have read more times had our daily devotions, whatever it is

Yes, those are important things to grow with god

We need to spend our time with god

But the basis of where it comes down is our faith. Do we believe in jesus?

Do we believe that he has the power?

As he spoke

In this world came into existence

That he could speak and change whatever obstacle we are facing in our life

Friends faith is

The key to our journey through this life

Through this life

In john chapter 6

John 6 · chapter mention

When people came to jesus

And they said and this was our scripture reading that what is the work that god requires?

Jesus could have answered a lot of things

But what did he say?

The work that god requires is this

To believe in the one that he sent

You want to know what god requires of us?

believe in jesus

And then as your faith begins to grow deeper and deeper in jesus, I believe your life will be transformed

As you'll become a witness to other people as well

The challenge is great before us but I like to think of it this way

Last couple years my family summer vacations goes to the beach

Many of you like may like to go to the beach as well. I've got three boys my youngest

Is in second grade this year my oldest eighth grade got a sixth grader as well

But as my older boys as we arrived at the beach and had the

Sunscreen on they're excited about going out into the waters. They jump out into the waves. They splash

We don't worry about them as much because they're bigger, right? But my second grade son a couple years ago even first

grade

Grade

Our kindergarten

Kind of have to watch him a little bit

But he wants to be like his brothers because he sees them splashing out into the water

Diving into the waves with our goggles on enjoying the time

He doesn't want to sit on the beach. He wants to go out into the water. But guess what?

Mom and dad self and my wife know we need to be there with him

He thinks he's a big boy

but

We know the waves are bigger than him at times

So I remember walking out there with him as we journeyed out there

i'm like i've got to be right by you my son and

and

He kind of looks back at me and gives me a

No, you I want my space you go. I'm gonna go with the big boys. I'm a big boy

Okay

So I kind of walk a little bit close

But give him a little space as he kind of steps into the water as the water comes up around him

And the small waves come up beside him up to his knees as we venture out

I need to I need to be right by you

No, no, no

As he gets there and he looks over me. I don't know something distracts him

But all of a sudden the wave comes and crashes upon him knocking him off his feet

I'm right there behind him

But he stands up reaching for my hand spitting out the salt water

Knowing that he just got knocked on his feet. The beach is not as fun when that happens

But guess what happened after that he still wants to go out

But he's reached up for my hand now

I want to go out but i'll hold your hand

As the two of us navigate out a little farther as we get close to where his older brothers are

I begin to think how much is that like us in our journey with god

We sometimes want to navigate through life on our own

We sometimes know god i'm good. I've got this. I know i know you're right back there, but i'm good. I'm good

Sometimes it takes a wave to knock us over in life realize no, no what I need to be doing is holding your hand through this life

And jesus wants to journey with us through each and every step. He wants to be holding our hand through the storms of this life

Whatever may come our way yet. Sometimes we're so independent

We want to do it on our own, but he said no have faith in me i'm walking right beside you and when waves come

I'm going to hold you through the storms

Friends we need to hold jesus' hand

We need to have the faith that he's right there knowing and trusting that he's going to help us whatever storm we face

So a challenge for each one of us

is

Trust jesus. May your faith grow strong in him

This world is challenged and we know that

But hold to jesus' hands

Because he wants to be right there with us through this journey of life