What is Faith? Faith as recognition. Faith brings reward.

Good morning and welcome. It's really great to have you join with us.

It's great to be able to welcome old friends and new friends to hear God's Word and to worship together.

Just a reminder for those of us who are regular parts of the church, there's digital tea and coffee at 12.

You can find the details of who's hosting through the email or on Elvanto.

Also, let me give you a special invitation to come back this evening at 5.30.

As we used to do when we met physically, we are having a Buclue family praise evening.

And that's going to be possible to watch and share together on Zoom.

So it'll be on YouTube, but we can watch it together and interact together.

And again, the details of that are on the email.

So please do, if you can, make an effort to tune in and share that together.

Our call to worship this morning, it comes from Psalm 57.

It comes from King David.

King David, who was running for his life and hiding in a cave.

I cry out to God most high, to God who vindicates me.

He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me.

God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

Faith cries out in need.

And we do so in the hope and the knowledge that God hears.

The God of love and faithfulness hears us when we pray.

So we meet in his presence together, wherever you are.

Now, let's hear in God's words.

Let's hear Matthew chapter 8, verses 5 to 13.

Matthew 8:5–13

And we'll think about faith here in the story of a Roman centurion.

Matthew chapter 8 from verse 5.

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

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

Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralysed, 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 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 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 the darkness,

where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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

And his servant was healed at that moment.

So we're continuing to think about what is faith.

And today, it's seeing faith as recognition.

And also seeing that faith brings reward.

Now, I was thinking this week about a visit that we made to a classroom

where 30 primary ones, including our own, were all present and correct.

And I remember being amazed and, to be honest, in awe of the teacher

who had this quiet but calm voice of authority

that with certain words and with certain gestures,

she could calm a rabble.

And I guess many of us as parents, we wish we had that.

The voice of authority.

Words that carry weight.

Do you know that person?

You think about sort of different workplace settings.

Think about classrooms that you've been in.

Perhaps in your family, you know someone with the voice of authority.

Today, we're reading about a Roman soldier with a significant amount of authority

working for the most powerful emperor in the world.

But he is somebody who, with his level of authority,

recognises a greater authority,

recognises the absolute authority of Jesus

and especially the authority of Jesus' words.

Now, we see a man who recognises the authority,

the glory of Jesus,

who acts on that

and who then receives reward for his faith.

And so as we look at this story briefly,

we're going to see both the comfort and the challenge

that we find in the authority of Jesus.

So let's begin with recognition.

Faith recognises the authority of Jesus.

If you tuned in last week,

you might remember that we were thinking about the faith of a leper.

Well, now here in this story of the Roman soldier,

we find another religious and social outsider who has faith.

He is part of the occupying army.

To most Israelites, he is the enemy.

His task was to keep the people down,

to enforce Roman rule and to keep them in order.

But he's not your typical centurion.

You read your history books,

you find centurions who dealt with oppressed people harshly.

But this man shows respect.

He comes to Jesus asking for help and he says,

Lord.

He also shows his own weakness,

a powerful man,

but he comes looking for help.

And he comes looking for help for a servant who is suffering.

He cares for someone who is under him,

who is much lower in status than him.

He reminds us in this,

that faith recognises our inability,

our need and looks to Jesus for help,

looks to Jesus for salvation.

So having come for help,

having explained the situation,

Jesus then asks a surprising question.

Verse seven,

shall I come and heal him?

Reminds me of when a blind man came to Jesus looking for help

and Jesus said to him,

what is it that you would have me to do?

Here is Jesus drawing out the centurion's faith,

making it absolutely clear that Jesus and Jesus alone must be the object

and the foundation of any faith that hopes to stand and have strength.

And having been asked to show his faith,

we are given to see what the Roman soldier recognises about Jesus.

We see the faith of this soldier.

So he began talking about how the Roman Empire's structure

and particularly his understanding of the army and its authority structure.

So the way it worked,

the emperor was top dog

and he would issue commands and orders to the commanders.

And then those would filter down to the centurions

who would then pass those on to the everyday soldiers.

So as the centurion looks at this,

he understands he's under authority

and then to those below the centurion,

he becomes the voice of Rome.

He becomes the voice of the emperor.

So he is to be obeyed on the basis,

not of his own authority,

but on the authority of the emperor.

So he applies all this logic to Jesus

and he understands

Jesus outranks him.

Jesus outranks the emperor.

And as a result of that,

we find a man who is humble.

Did you notice in verse eight,

he said,

I don't deserve to have you come under my roof

because of Jesus' far superior and ultimate authority.

But he knows this.

He knows that Jesus speaks.

When Jesus speaks,

God speaks.

Because Jesus has the authority of God.

And if Jesus speaks into the need of his servant,

healing will come.

So he has faith that recognises the authority of Jesus.

At this point,

let me ask you the question.

Have you come to recognise Jesus' authority over your life?

Consider the next couple of minutes a spiritual eye test

to check how is your vision.

First question to ask is this one.

Do you see that you need Jesus?

Here, this Roman centurion who is powerful,

who is no doubt wealthy,

who has a degree of social status,

he comes with humility.

He comes to Jesus as king,

appealing for help and for mercy.

For you and me today,

do we see that we need Jesus?

Do we recognise that the guilt and sin in our lives,

do we recognise that without Jesus,

we stand under God's just judgement,

that without Jesus,

we are spiritually dead

and that we are enemies of God.

So we need Jesus to forgive us

and to set us free.

Do you recognise that you need Jesus

to change your status,

to move you from being spiritually dead

to having spiritual life?

It's a move from being an enemy

to becoming a child of God.

Do you appreciate that you need Jesus

if you are to grow in love for God and others,

if you are to grow in obedience to God

as we are called to do?

We can't do that on our own strength.

We need Jesus,

the spirit of Jesus in us

to help us to grow in that.

As we become aware of our weakness,

do we see that we need Jesus

as our source of strength,

the one person that will never fail,

leave or disappoint us?

In our fear and anxiety,

do we see our need of Jesus

to bring true and lasting hope

and peace and deliverance?

Do you see that you need Jesus?

Do you see also Jesus' authority

over your life?

When we read through the pages of the Bible,

we discover that we are made by God

in the image of God

and in the New Testament,

we discover that Jesus

is God's agent of creation.

He is the son of God,

so he is actively involved

in creating the world and creating us.

Jesus is our Lord and our King.

Whether we recognise that or not,

whether we are glad to hear that or not,

doesn't change that reality.

So that we actually have a duty to believe.

We have a duty to follow Jesus.

When we hear the gospel

that tells us that we are sinful

and that we need a saviour

and Jesus has come to be that saviour

and through his life and death and resurrection,

the way to peace with God

has been opened up to us.

We have a duty to believe,

to put our faith in Jesus.

You know, the centurion

could have stood on the sidelines

and said, well,

Jesus, faith in Jesus,

that's for them,

that's for the religious folks,

but it's not for me.

But he doesn't do that

and nor should we.

The centurion could have said,

well, look at my past.

I've done terrible things as a soldier

and I've hurt people

and I've been cruel,

but he doesn't do that.

Knowing his past,

he still comes to Jesus in faith

and so should we.

He could have said,

well, in relative terms,

I'm a nobody

and Jesus has every right

to just walk on by.

But he has faith.

When we understand

that God is all powerful

and all knowing,

it teaches us

that there can be no little people,

that everybody matters,

that your obedience matters to Jesus.

So do you see Jesus' authority

over your life?

And one last question

before we move on.

Do you seek mercy for others

from Jesus as Lord?

This is interesting, isn't it?

The centurion doesn't come for himself.

He comes for his servant.

He wants mercy for somebody

he cares about.

Faith leads us to pray for others.

As we find mercy from God ourselves,

we want others to enjoy that.

As we come to know the love of God in Jesus,

we want that for others.

And so we pray and we share.

Knowing that Jesus is strong and kind,

we ask that he would reveal himself

in that way to others also.

And we're going to do that in a few minutes.

We'll pray for others.

So there's recognition.

Faith recognises the authority of Jesus.

But we also find in this passage,

in this story,

reward.

That faith brings rewards from Jesus.

In verse 10,

we find another surprising statement,

this time a statement about Jesus.

When Jesus heard the centurion's words,

we're told in verse 10,

he was amazed.

Here is a reminder

reminder that Jesus is fully God,

but he's also fully human.

He became one of us.

And as such,

he has a full range of human emotions.

And as such,

he is amazed.

Now,

why is he amazed?

He's amazed because I've not found anyone in Israel

with such great faith,

he says.

So,

Israel,

the people who had the Old Testament part of the Bible,

who had God's promises,

who God had entered into a covenant relationship with,

they had the whole story of God's salvation.

But they didn't have faith like the centurion.

This outsider had great faith.

Maybe he didn't know much,

but he saw Jesus,

and he trusted.

That's really important for you and me today to understand.

It's not how much you and I know.

Christianity is not based on knowledge.

The key thing is,

what are you doing

with what you know about Jesus?

If you know

that he is God's son,

that he is

your saviour,

the saviour that you need,

if you know that he died on the cross to save sinners,

and you know that you're a sinner,

then

believe that,

act on it,

respond

in

faith.

So we're thinking about reward.

One reward

that we see

is that Jesus brings

present help.

If we go to our last verse,

verse 13,

Jesus said to the centurion,

go,

let it be done

just as you believed it would.

And his servant was healed

at that moment.

The centurion has faith,

and his servant is healed

instantly

with

a word.

Jesus brings

the authority

of God

in his words.

This is

the same Jesus

who spoke

and stilled

a storm.

This is Jesus

who spoke

and caused evil spirits

to depart.

This is

the same Jesus

who spoke

and raised

the dead.

His words

have authority,

so he brings

the authority

of God

and he brings

the love

of God

to bear

in this situation,

in this crisis.

and isn't this

our greatest need

today

and every day

in every situation

to have

God's authority

and love

come to bear

on our lives

and so we

pray

for ourselves

and for others.

So one reward

is that we enjoy

the help

of God

in the present,

just like the centurion.

But another reward

is that Jesus

here promises

future reward

to those

with faith.

There's a popular

interview question

maybe when

a newspaper

or a magazine

is interviewing

a celebrity

to get to know

a little bit more

about them.

Sometimes even

in job interviews

the question is asked

if you can invite

three people

to a dinner party

either dead

or alive

who would you

choose

and why?

Psychologists

love that kind of story

that he's going

revealing.

Who would we

choose

to share

a meal with?

For a religious

Jew

in Jesus'

day

in a sense

that was an

easy question

to answer.

Who would they

choose?

Abraham,

Isaac and

Jacob.

Why choose

them?

Because if you're

eating a meal

with Abraham,

Isaac and

Jacob

it's a sign

that you are

enjoying the

promised feast

in the kingdom

of God.

It is the sign

that you have

entered into

glory.

That you are

enjoying life

in the presence

of God

enjoying all

the blessing

that he had

always promised

to his

people.

Now Jesus

is going to

take this

and he's going

to provide

amazing comfort

thinking about

the feast

of God

but he's also

going to provide

a shocking

challenge.

He's going

to say to

all his

hearers

that there

are important

lessons to

learn about

faith and

about the

authority of

Jesus.

In verse

11

Jesus says

with his

authority I

say to you

that many

will come

from the

east and

west and

will take

their places

at the feast

with Abraham,

Isaac and

Jacob in the

kingdom of

heaven.

There's a

surprising

guest list.

People from

all the

corners of

the globe

will be

part of

God's

kingdom.

God's

grace opens

up the

invitation,

removes the

barriers that

had previously

been there

by making

clear that

the only

qualification

is faith

in Jesus.

The centurion

stands as

proof for us

that all we

need is

faith in

Jesus.

faith in

God's

kingdom.

So whoever

you are

today, one

of the

wonderful

things about

technology is

that it

connects us

in different

places and

with different

stories and

with different

backgrounds.

Whoever you

are today,

wherever you

are, whatever

your story,

there is a

promise that

if you

believe on

the Lord

Jesus, you

will be

saved.

No

qualifications on

that.

Believe in

who Jesus

is and

what he

has done

and you

will find

forgiveness.

You will

receive new

life from

God and

with God.

You will

have the

promise of

entry into

the world

we all

want, a

glorious world

without sickness

and pain and

disease and

suffering and

death, a

place of love

and joy and

peace that

lasts forever.

forever.

You will

find entry

into the

life that

you were

made for

and all

you need

to do

is believe.

But just

as there is

that wonderful

comfort that's

open to us

today, there

is also a

challenge in

Jesus' words.

Addressed

particularly to

the self-reliant

and the

religious,

Jesus said,

the subjects

of the kingdom

will be thrown

outside into

the darkness

darkness,

where there

will be

weeping and

gnashing of

teeth.

They will

find themselves

not on the

inside, but

thrown out of

the feast and

on the outside

eternally.

Theirs will

be loneliness

and not

fellowship with

God and his

people.

Their experience

will be darkness

and not light.

It will be

untold horror

and not

wonderful joy.

It will be

judgment

and not

reward.

This is the

king's

loving

warning.

Your

future

depends on

your response

to Jesus,

who is your

king.

Respond with

faith and

you can look

forward to that

wonderful feast.

But respond

with unbelief.

and face the

certain prospect

of eternal

judgment.

You and I

want happiness.

Blaise Pascal

said that we

are motivated

in everything

by a desire

for pleasure

and happiness.

And even in

the midst of

COVID-19

and the

lockdown,

we see that.

For some,

there has been

a return to

simple pleasures.

So this week,

beginning of the

week when it

was nice and

sunny,

we took a walk

through the

weeds as we

happened to

do and we

gave the

boys a chance

to paddle in

the stream.

And as we

carried on

on our way,

we saw family

after family

doing exactly

the same thing.

So we're

returning to

simple pleasures.

Others are

finding creative

new hobbies,

finding pleasure

and skill in

learning new

musical instruments

or taking up

art or crafts

or something

like that.

But then

there are

others who

are feeling

robbed of

pleasure,

who are

feeling grief

and sadness

and loss.

for all of

us, there

is one

question of

huge importance

and it's

this, how

can you and

I, made

for happiness,

be truly

happy?

How can we

find a joy

that will last

and that will

not fail?

And this

is found

in Jesus.

Jesus

promises

and he has

the authority

to promise

eternal

happiness.

If you

will see

his glory

today,

glory as

God's son

and as

God's promised

saviour,

if you will

listen to

his invitation

to come

to him,

if you're

weary,

if you're

burdened,

come to

him for

forgiveness

and new

life,

if you

will put

your trust

in him

as Lord,

then you

can know

a happiness

that lasts

forever.

Faith

recognises

the authority

of Jesus

and faith

is rewarded

with knowing

he is there

to help

you now

and he

promises

this wonderful

eternal

future.