Force Multiplier – The Amazing Faith

This podcast is presented to you by Pastor Jason Burns and Access Church in Lakeland, Florida.

For more information, visit Access.tv.

Let's begin.

We're gonna start today, and I'm closing out a series entitled Forced Multiplier.

Have you enjoyed this message series, somebody in here?

This has been incredible.

If you missed any of the weeks, you need to go back and watch them.

I feel like each and every week I've learned just a little bit more.

And uh here's what we've said.

We said that a force multiplier is something that dramatically increases one's impact.

If I gave you a good old school axe to take out a tree, uh you could do it.

Take some time, but you could do it.

But if I gave you a brand new chainsaw, you do it a lot easier, right?

That chainsaw is your force multiplier.

And we've said this that in the life of people that want to follow Jesus, faith is our force multiplier.

That you could go through life with not a large amount of faith.

But man, you could do this thing so much better if you had just a little bit more faith.

And we've been talking about what that looks like and how faith just really increases our relationship with God.

So let's do this.

Let us pray and then let us begin.

We love you and thank you so much for today.

We ask that now you would just open our ears, let us get something out of today.

So when we leave, we can say something like, Man, I'm glad I went to church today.

God help me to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth today.

This I pray, and somebody that loves Jesus said, Amen.

All right, so I, for the better part of the last like 13 years, have been going to the same barbershop.

Now, I love my barbershop.

I feel like barbershop culture.

There's just nothing like it.

Like you get in a barbershop and it's just like you can talk, just chill, socialize, and and maybe uh maybe guys, you can relate to me, and uh maybe not, I don't know, but but but that's my space where it's like it's kind of cool to just chill and maybe maybe you have a different space.

Maybe it's not the barbershop for you, maybe it's some sort of space where it's like you just can just let your hair down, like just chill and and talk.

And I love the thing I like about the barbershop, is like the greatest, I feel like the greatest talks, conversations, debates, they happen in the barbershop.

And so I believe LeBron's better than Jordan.

That's just me.

And so um, hey, I'm just saying, but I love doing that at the barbershop and just seeing everybody just go at it.

Like it's just the fun.

I'm that type of guy.

Just throw a question out there and then just see where it lands.

And uh so I love doing that.

And I did that this past week, you know, in the spirit of the holidays.

We know Christmas is on its way, and my house, I'll be honest, it's looked like Christmas um ever since Halloween.

So um, and and don't look at me with that tone of voice, because it wasn't my fault.

It was the woman he gave me.

She, I'm playing, it's all good.

I'm not angry, it's cool, man.

You see me smiling, it's all good.

Um, but uh, you know, so my house, you know, we're talking about the holidays, and we got on this subject, and I was like, man, let me just see, like, well, let me just ask this question, see where it lands.

And the question was like, we were talking about the rich and famous, and now we're approaching holidays.

We're talking about them, and I'm like, man, like, if you're the child of like a rich and famous person, like what do you what do you get them that can impress or amaze them?

Like, like if you're LeBron James' son, like what do you get your dad that it's like that would actually make him like, whoa, I'm amazed by this.

Like, I don't know, you know, and so people just began to answer the question.

And and one guy had an interesting answer.

He said, you know, I don't know if it's as complicated as we're all thinking it is, you know, maybe just the gift um alone with the right heart, the right spirit, that probably just that probably does the trick.

Um and then I thought, you know, that that's an interesting, interesting answer.

And as soon as he said that, my mind kind of flipped, and I don't know if it's because I was preparing for this or or what, but my mind flipped, and I asked this question just internally.

I said, what amazes God?

Uh yeah, like like what would what would what would it take to amaze, to impress God?

I'm I'm this is this is the question.

You think about God and who he is.

He is God who stands outside of time and space, and he spoke and things came to be.

He knows the end from the beginning.

The Bible says he's Alpha and Omega, he's the beginning and the end.

God knows each and every one of the hairs that are on your head.

God is who he is.

There's nobody like him.

He knows everything, he's everywhere at once.

He has all that.

What would amaze God?

What could you actually do to amaze or impress God?

If you have your Bible with me, go to Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Just want to take us there.

We're gonna sit down and settle right there.

Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Now, as you're turning there, as you're flipping there and in your Bible, and some of you, your Bibles are glowing.

So as you're you know, typing in there, um, Luke, let me set you up where we're at.

Luke is one of the gospels.

Now, the gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

And these chronicle the life and the ministry of Jesus, who he was, all the stuff that he did.

And so you get what you get is the ministry of Jesus, but spoken of and written about from like four different vantage points.

It'd be like if you and I see the same event or hear about the same events, and then we want to talk about it.

We have our different spins on it.

And so today the story we're gonna read is found both in Luke and then also in Matthew, two different ways, but we're gonna stay in in Luke's account of it.

And the story, let me set you up.

Jesus has grown in popularity, and and he's kind of uh he came to this place called Capernaum, which is like Jesus HQ.

A lot of stuff happened out of there, a lot of miracles, and and so um, he's grown in his popularity.

He's just got done teaching his probably his most famous uh sermon ever, which is the Sermon on the Mound, and he's just been given principles and and and things like that.

And then we come to this story, Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

The Bible says this.

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, so all the stuff he was just got done saying, the people uh before he was listening, he said he entered Capernaum.

This is like Jesus HQ right here.

There, uh Centurion's servant, pause right there.

Centurion was a ranking soldier in the military of Rome, and so he wasn't the highest ranking guy, but he also wasn't the lowest.

He had about a hundred men under him, and you can see that word century that's in there.

And so a centurion servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.

The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

When they came to Jesus, it says they pleaded earnestly with him.

This man, they said, Jesus, this man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation.

What they were saying is like he's not a Jew, but but but he loves our people.

Jesus, like people like you and me, like he loves our people.

So he deserves it because of that.

And then number two, he built our synagogue.

Hold here.

In other words, he they're saying, like, he built our church, our house of God.

He built this, and so he deserves for you to do this, Jesus.

Now, I'm gonna be honest with you.

We're building North Lakeland, the the building up there.

And and if you came to me after service and you said, you know, I'm gonna write you a check right now.

What's the amount?

What does it cost?

I'll write you a check right now, and you gave that to me.

I would, first of all, I would love you and I would kiss your cheek in the Lord's name, uh, because that's amazing.

By the way, if you want to stop me afterwards, that'd be amazing.

Million is spelled M I.

There's two L's, I o N.

I'm just saying, and if you were to do that, not only would I love you, but I would do what these people did.

I would gather our whole pastoral staff.

I would have us fast and pray that God would give you whatever need you have in your life, uh, because I would just feel so indebted to you.

And that's the feeling of these people.

They said, this guy built our church.

Jesus, he deserved.

You gotta do this for this guy.

He built our church for real.

One more time, if you got a lot of money.

Million is spelled.

M-I, I'll be in the back.

M-I-L-L-I-O-N.

That's what he says.

All right, let's keep going.

Jesus went with them.

He said, Jesus, you gotta do this for this guy.

And he went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him, talking to say to Jesus, Lord, don't even trouble yourself, for I don't deserve to have you come under my roof.

That's why I didn't even consider myself worthy enough to come to you.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

For I myself am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

Remember his rank.

He has people above him, but he also has people below him.

He says, Listen, let me tell you, Jesus, I tell this one to go and he goes.

And that one to come here and he comes here.

I say to my servant, do this, and he does it.

I tell him, jump, they all say how high.

This is him flexing on Jesus.

He's just telling him, listen, this is this is who I am.

And when Jesus heard this, check this out.

He was amazed.

Sometimes we read scripture so fast that we don't catch it.

This we'll catch it in a second.

Anyway, Jesus was amazed at him.

And turning to the crowd following him, he said, I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.

Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

What amazes Jesus?

What can amaze God?

The answer, friends and family, is faith.

Write that in your notes.

What amazes God?

It is faith.

It doesn't just impress him, but it amazes him.

Here's the deal: this is the only portion of scripture that we have in the Bible where Jesus reacts positively to a person's faith.

There's other times where Jesus marvels or he wonders or he is amazed at someone's faith, but it's usually their lack of faith.

Or Mark chapter 6, he was amazed at their unbelief and their lack of faith, or things like, hey, you don't have any faith.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

But this is the portion of scripture where he says, I'm amazed at this guy, and it's a positive amazement.

Now, here's the deal.

I I feel like this is this is important for us.

It's important because so many times we read the Bible and we just read, okay, Jesus was amazed at him.

Okay, great.

Next sentence.

But when Jesus, the Son of God, fully God, fully man, all smashed in one in the person of Jesus, how he did it, I don't know.

It's a God thing, but when Jesus is amazed at somebody, and there's only one occurrence of this, they're amazed at their faith.

I think that's cause for us to investigate.

What do you think?

I think that's cause to say, okay, what is happening that Jesus looked around at everybody, everybody around him.

The Bible says he turned to the crowd around him, including his disciples, and he said, Listen, you guys don't even have as much faith as this dude does.

That, friends, is an indicator that we should perk up and say, hey, what did this guy do?

Why was his so his faith so amazing that it stopped Jesus in his tracks and it made Jesus say, This guy's got it.

This guy.

You guys don't even got it.

You guys are from my lineage, and you guys are you guys are Jews like me, but but you guys don't even got it like this dude.

This dude's got it.

It's what I call the amazing faith.

And that's the title.

It's the amazing faith.

I'm gonna break this down, but but but this is what this guy exhibits on this day.

And if faith is gonna be our forest multiplier in our life, I think, I think we should have some of this.

We should, we should see, okay, what did this guy do?

What did this guy say to exhibit such amazing faith?

What did this guy do to stop Jesus in his tracks and say, these guys don't got it, but this guy's got it?

I'll be honest, I'm I'm one of those people when I read this.

I want to be like this guy.

Like I want to be, I want to be the person that when God looks down from heaven, he says, Isaiah's God.

Like he has a level of faith that not everybody has, but but but he's got it.

And I don't know about you, but I want to be like that.

And I think there's some things this guy does to place himself in that category.

Let me say it like this: that we can possess faith that amazes God.

That is well within our reach.

Faith that would make God in heaven, the God of the universe who hung the sun, the moon, the skies, who sustains us even right now while we're here, we can make him say, Oh my goodness, they got it.

We can possess that.

So let's look at what this guy, this guy does.

The first thing I think he does, which is amazing, is that he asks for God's help without a guarantee of success.

This guy is bold enough to ask for God's help without knowing what the end result would be.

Let me show it to you.

The centurion, he heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, this man deserves to have you do this.

Why?

Because he loves people like you and me, Jesus, and he built our church.

Now you got to remember when this story takes place, when the Bible takes place, remember, they don't know that they're in the Bible, right?

Like these people don't know they're in the Bible.

We have the benefit of hindsight.

We can open up God's word and look back, but they don't, this is just their real life, right?

This is in real time.

This is like we get instant replay, we get all of that in 2023.

They don't get that.

So this is just his everyday life.

He doesn't know what Jesus would do, but he asks Jesus anyway.

Now catch that.

This guy has enough faith to reach out to Jesus on behalf of not himself but somebody else, and he doesn't know what Jesus would do, but he said, you know what?

Let me ask him anyway.

Here's what we know about this guy.

This guy is a kind guy.

He's a Roman centurion ruling over uh Jews, but guess what?

He has a relationship with them.

They they like this guy, and so he has a relationship.

So we know that he's a nice guy.

He's coming to Jesus, asking for a big miracle on behalf of somebody else.

This servant means something to him.

So this guy is like that.

This guy is the largest contributor to the church because they gave him credit for building the church.

Again, million is spelled double L I M I.

Okay, whatever.

Anyway, but this dude, right?

They they there's this fondness between him and the Jewish people.

They speak on behalf of this guy.

They don't say, Ah, we don't really like you.

They're willing to do this.

This is what we know about this guy, and he exhibits amazing faith.

Here it is, amazing faith asks for God's help, even though we don't know the end result.

He didn't know what Jesus would do, but he said, I got enough faith to ask anyway.

I don't know what the end result's gonna be.

We do, of course, because we can read back.

But in real time, he doesn't know what's gonna happen.

But he says, I'm gonna ask him anyway.

Now you're looking at me crazy, so I brought a couple different stories to supplement this, to get this in your mind.

And the first thing I was thinking of is Mark chapter two.

It says that Jesus, people had heard that Jesus had come home to Coperna.

Remember, this HQ.

And so Jesus is in his house, and people are all around, and there wasn't even enough room to get in the house, the Bible says.

This is Mark chapter two.

Read it later.

But there's not enough room, right?

And so people are there, kids are running everywhere because no one showed up for Israel kids to help and keep all the babies over there and do all this with these toddlers and all that stuff.

You didn't catch it?

All right, that's cool.

But anyway, so it's just a lie.

The Bible says that they can't even get inside the house, and then all of a sudden, they start seeing dust and dirt fall from the ceiling.

And somebody says, Hold on, Jesus, I know you're teaching, but but just hold on.

And they're like, Somebody's cutting the roof.

And in the Mark chapter 2, you go look it up.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

Somebody's cutting the roof.

They look up, part of the roof of Jesus' house comes off, and these four guys have their paralytic friend on a bed, and they're lowering him down so that he can get healed by Jesus, right in front of Jesus, right during his message.

Now that's crazy.

You cut a hole in Jesus' roof because you need something.

But this paralytic man gets healed.

These four friends get a whole miracle before Jesus on behalf of their friend by Jesus, because they were just ridiculous enough to believe if we put them in front of Jesus, let's just see what happens.

What I'm saying to you is sometimes we're not getting the things that we're asking God for because we're too comfortable just staying back.

We don't want to ask God for too much.

We don't want to bother him.

We don't want some people are just ridiculous enough to believe that if I just get in front of Jesus and ask him anyway, he just might do what it is I'm asking him to do.

So you thought I was talking about, I'm talking about you.

What do you have on your mind?

What do you have on your heart?

What do you have on your plate today that if you just cranked up the faith meter and you said, you know what, God, just like last week, we talked about ridiculous faith, faith versus reasonable faith.

What do you have that God might answer?

What request do you have if you just turned up the faith meter a little bit and got it and got in front of Jesus, then he might do something crazy in your life.

You catch that?

And here's the crazy part.

Can you imagine being there and being like, man, I I need a miracle?

I didn't think of that.

I could have cut the roof off of this, but right?

Like, this is a crazy miracle.

And this is, but but they were just ridiculous enough to believe and have a little faith.

Okay, you're still looking at me crazy.

Let's go to the Old Testament.

Old Testament, Joshua, chapter 10.

Joshua 10 · chapter mention

You can read it for yourself, verses 12 to 14.

Joshua 10, verses 12 to 14.

Joshua 10:12–14

The Israelites have a big problem.

They're in a war, and the sun is starting to set, as the sun does, right?

And they have a problem.

If they can't see their enemy, they don't know if they're gonna win.

They're probably not gonna win, they're probably gonna lose the war.

And so they're in a fight with the Amorites and they're going and they're fighting, but the sun begins to set.

Joshua, their leader at the same at that time, full of faith, looks at the sun and says, Son, stand still.

And wouldn't you know it?

The Bible says for about a whole day, the sun stands still.

That's crazy.

I'm not a science person.

I don't even know what a molecule is.

I'm not a science person at all.

I'm just not like when it was science class in high school, I was like, boring.

That was just me.

I'm sorry if you're a scientist in the room, I apologize.

But that was just me.

But here's what I know.

Every morning the sun rises, and every evening, and then tomorrow the sun rises, and the sun.

All right, for the people in the back, the sun rises and the sun, and for a whole 24 hours, this sun does not set.

What would make God say, I could do that?

Hold up.

This is crazy.

What has to happen in the atmosphere for God to hold the sun from setting so that these guys can win?

That's a little ridiculous, right?

But it happens.

And what God might what would God do in your life if you said this is a little ridiculous, I don't know what actually is gonna happen, but let me just throw my request anyway.

What would happen in your life?

Are you feeling this this morning?

This is this is this faith that this is the faith that makes Jesus say, Whoa, whoa, this this this dude's got it.

He doesn't know what I'll do or not do, but he asks me anyway.

I have this crazy belief that that God does things for people who who have a little bit of like chutzpah, who have a little bit of like gall and audacity and nerve, and there's a couple other words, but there's some people that got some stuff on the inside of them that when they ask, God says, Hey, listen, nobody ever tried it this way, but you asked.

So here we go.

Are you getting this this morning?

This is crazy.

There, um, let me tell you this.

This this is this is just for free because y'all are third service, love y'all.

All right, so after last service, um, there was a guy who came up to me and he said, Pastor Isaiah, he said, I am like, I'm in the science field.

I know you're not a scientist, but but that's a miracle.

I'm like, yeah, bro, it is.

And this man, like, this man showed me, he was like, I got curious during this service, and I started Googling what would happen if the sun stood still for a whole 24 hours.

He's like, bro, the galaxies would like fall out of orbit.

Like Earth would.

I was like, I know, bro, it's a miracle.

So all I'm trying to tell you is it's a miracle.

A scientist said it and a pastor said it.

Amen.

How about that right there?

It's a miracle, okay.

I was like, yo, that it's a miracle, it's crazy.

But what happens when people are like, I don't know the end result?

God, I don't know what you'll do, but I'm just gonna ask you anyway.

This is that faith that this guy has that day that makes Jesus say, Y'all don't got it, but this dude does.

He doesn't know what I'll do, but he's brave enough to ask anyway.

Can I tell you, maybe you need that for this week?

Ask anyway.

Ask anyway.

We said it last week, Ephesians 3.20 is still true.

God can do us exceedingly abundantly above the all that we can ask, think, or imagine according to the power that is at work within him, he can do it.

But do we ask him?

Do we ever ask, or do we like last week?

This is like part two of Pastor Jason's message from last man, are we just too content to be reasonable and and oh well, I don't want to.

And he must have other people to, and he probably has other appointments.

No.

Would you just ask?

Let the results fall in his hands, but just act and just see what God would do all throughout scripture.

There's these wild moments that defy science and nature and all this stuff, all because somebody with faith just asked.

I love this guy.

This is the faith that makes Jesus say, Oh man, he's got it.

Here's the second thing he does: he asks for God's help humbly.

He asks for God's help humbly.

It's not just an ask, and hey, we'll see what happens.

Though that that is the level one, but level two is this dude comes to Jesus humbly.

Bible says this that he was not far.

Talking about Jesus, he wasn't far from the house.

When the centurion sent friends to say to him, Lord, don't even trouble yourself.

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

So that's why I didn't even consider myself worthy to come.

I sent my friends on behalf of me, because I'm just not even worthy enough to be in your presence.

This guy is a humble type of a guy.

Picture this, and we we lit, we uh we read it.

But picture this like these people, it's not him, it's the people that say, Jesus, this guy deserves this.

He loves our people.

He built our church.

He deserves this.

He never said that.

Check this out.

They say, hey, he built our church, our house of God.

And this guy says, I'm not even worthy, Jesus, for you to come to my house.

These are the people that are saying, hey, this is the guy.

He never says, and this account is here in Luke 7 and in Matthew chapter 8.

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

We don't have a record of him tooting his own horn.

He asks the Lord humbly.

He calls him Lord, which in that day was Master Service.

This term filled with respect.

He's a Roman centurion, it's centurion.

He has command and rank and status and all that.

And then there's this rabbi, and he says, No, you are Lord.

He uses this term that's a term of respect because here it is amazing faith asks for God's help humbly.

Now I want you to get this, because there are two ways that you can pray.

When you and I pray, way number one is you can pray as if God owes you something.

And there are a lot of people that when they pray, they pray as if God owes them something.

Well, God, I did this and I did that, and and and you see what I did over here.

There's a lot of people that pray like, can I be honest for a second?

Sometimes I pray like that.

Oh my God, I tore it up the 9, the 10, 30, the 12th, and I killed it.

Okay, I need something.

And that could be me sometimes.

Sometimes it's like that.

And so many of us we pray, and what stops our prayer is the fact that we have too just a little bit too much pride.

We pray as if God owes us something.

The second way to pray, the better way to pray, is to say, God, I owe you everything.

Can I drop this on you?

God doesn't owe you anything.

I gotta say it with a smile so you're not mad at me after service, because million is spelled.

M.

No.

But God doesn't owe you anything.

He doesn't owe me anything.

Now, because of who God is, does he bless and does he have compassion and does he provide and does he heal and does he do all of these things?

Absolutely, because that's just who he is.

But that's just because of who he is.

It's not because we are so good, and it's not because he owes us, right?

And that there are two ways to pray.

Some people they pray like that, God, you need to do this.

And these people, they say, God, you need to do this because here's all the stuff that he's done.

He never says that.

Amazing faith asks humbly.

It asks for God's help with humility and a humble heart.

This man has humility but also strong faith matched up in one.

He's he's not this guy that says, Jesus, I'm I'm a centurion, you're gonna do what I said, because I he doesn't come to Jesus like that.

But sometimes we do.

We have our whole list of what God needs to do because of this, this, and it just doesn't work.

That's just not how this thing, this thing works.

I love my parents, my mom's in this service, and I'm gonna hang out with my dad later today, and I love them.

And I've always said this about my parents, they're not passing away anytime soon, and and I love them, but I always say that when they do pass away someday, a long time from now, my mom's in this service, she'll kill me.

So what I'm saying is, a long time from now, whenever they do pass away, I've always said about my parents um that they're gonna leave, they've left so much in me that way outweighs what they'll leave to me.

Right?

Like they they've there's random moments where I'm like, man, how did I get this way?

Where did I pick that up?

And I can trace it back to their influence, and I can trace it back to the way they raised us.

And so I'm so grateful uh for my parents.

I'm not saying you have bad parents, I'm just saying mine are better.

That's all I'm trying to say.

And um, and and I'm just serious, you know.

And uh, all right, but that's all I'm trying to say.

My parents are better, but I've always said that.

And one of the things that they taught us growing up is that nobody owes you anything.

Clap your hands if that's good advice right there.

Yeah.

They were saying, Isaiah, listen, nobody, the government doesn't owe you anything, people don't owe you anything.

Teachers in school, they don't owe you anything.

They taught me that.

And I love that lesson.

I think that's such great advice.

So let's flip it spiritually.

God doesn't owe us anything.

But when he gives to us, it's because of who he is.

And that's just his nature, and that's just his character, that's just woven into the fabric of his DNA, of who he is.

It's just he just he gives to us, but it's not because he owes us.

And this man understood that.

I I have today with me, I really wanted you to get this part.

So I I brought with you my cranberry red five-year journal.

Look at this thing.

You guys like the cranberry red?

I mean, I could have got black, black, don't crack, but I just got this one.

The rest of you guys Google it.

You'll actually don't Google that.

But um, I got my cranberry red five-year journal.

I got my cranberry red five-year journal here.

And so I got this because I was like, listen, like, I want to be a man that is that is that is grateful, that is thankful for what God's done in my life.

And um, and so we're gonna keep moving.

And um, but I said I want to keep I want to be that person, you know.

And so I just don't want to say that.

You know what I mean?

I'm like, I don't just want to say that um and and and and just be thankful like last Thursday when everybody's thankful.

You know what I mean?

When culture tells us to and our calendar lines up on the right day, that okay, this is the thing.

I want to I want to actually embody this.

And so I bought this five-year journal because I thought, man, this would be dope to like just um just just read and uh read, to write and then read back.

Uh man, just all the things that God has done.

And so it's only six lines every day, and and and and you can write in it, and it's just six lines, and and I thought, man, what what do I write?

Because there's no prompts.

And so I thought, you know what?

I'll start writing.

The best part of my day was, and I'll fill it in.

Six lines every day that will help me practice gratitude and thankfulness.

So I've been doing that in my cranberry red five-year journal.

And what I've learned about this though is I've learned that if God only ever does the things I've written, he's already been way too good to me.

He doesn't owe me anything.

If all he ever does is the things that are written in here, he's already been so good to me.

We sang it today that all my life you've been faithful, all my life you've been so is anybody a recipient of the faithfulness and the goodness of God?

I don't know if you're here today, but I'm a recipient of that good grace and that good goodness and that faithfulness.

And so if all he ever does is the stuff I write about, some of the stuff is big, but some of the stuff is just thankful to be alive.

Like some of it is just like, yo, but um, but if all he ever does is that, I'm doing all right.

Does that make sense?

Now let me crank it up just one degree higher.

This is my bootleg Bible, man.

This Bible, I just I ripped out what I didn't like and I left the rest.

Like Leviticus, I'm like, yo, we don't need that.

But um, no, I'm playing.

That's not how it happened.

But uh, but this is my Bible, and I love this Bible.

You got a Bible that you really like, and it doesn't matter what other Bible you have, it's like this is my Bible.

Like, this is it, and so I love this Bible.

I don't want to get rebound, it needs to stay like this, right?

But catch what I said.

If all God ever does is what I've written in my journal, he's already been way too good to me.

But if all he does is everything that he's written in this word, oh man, he's been way too good to me.

Can you agree with me on that?

That if all God ever does, come on, if he's done something in your life, would you make some noise in here if he's been faithful and good and strong?

Sometimes we have to get to the place that we just say, listen, man, if all he ever does is what he's written about, then I'm all right.

And he's done so much more.

We're living testimonies and witnesses of all that he does.

But we have to get to this place that says, Man, listen, God, you don't owe me.

And you've already given me everything.

This is the type of faith that makes Jesus stop in his tracks and says, There's nobody like this dude.

This dude's got it.

You guys don't got it, but this guy's got it.

This is that amazing faith that I'm talking about.

Here's the third thing that he does, and then we'll be done.

He asks God for his authority.

This man comes to Jesus and he says this, just just say the word.

Jesus, you don't have to come in my house.

Jesus, you don't have to do anything crazy.

All you gotta do is just just say the word, and my servant will be made healed.

For I myself, I'm I'm a man under authority with soldiers under me.

Remember, I told you, his ranking, he's got people under him.

He said, Jesus, listen, I'll show you.

I know what I'm talking about when it comes to this authority thing.

I tell this one to go and he goes.

I tell that one to come and he comes.

I say to my servant, do this, and he does it.

And so when Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him.

And turning to the crowd, following him, he said, I tell you, I've not found such great faith, even with you guys.

He wasn't talking about strictly just geography, Israel.

He was talking about within our people, like like the people that embody this name.

There's nobody like this guy.

And guess what the end result was?

They found the servant well.

Amazing faith says, God, it is on your authority that I'm asking for what I'm asking for.

Amazing faith is humble.

It says, God, you know I'm not worthy of what I'm asking for.

I know I'm not worthy of what I'm asking for, but I'm willing to ask anyway, not knowing the result.

But God, I know that it's your word that has all the authority.

This guy understood that listen, Jesus, you don't have to be physically in the room with my ill servant.

All you have to do is just say a word and it will be done.

He said, Jesus, that's how it is with me.

I tell somebody to go do something, I don't have to be in the room.

I know it's getting done because I'm in charge.

And he tells Jesus this, and Jesus stops in his tracks and says, This guy has got it.

This is that amazing faith that I'm talking about.

It's crazy.

Here's what I love about the story.

You ready?

He says, Jesus, just say a word, and my servant will be made well.

Jesus said, I like your faith.

Let me run that by you again.

He said, Jesus, just say a word and I know my servant will be healed.

Jesus said, I like your faith.

Hit you with it again.

He said, Jesus, just say a word.

Just say a word, and I know that my servant will be made whole.

Jesus said, I like your faith.

Let me give it to you again.

He said, Jesus, say the word healing, whole, made well, something.

Give me something.

And Jesus said, I like your faith.

Because it wasn't about the specific words that Jesus used.

Jesus said, I'll do you one better.

I like your faith.

Jesus said, Not only do I not have to be in the same room as your servant, not only do I have to say the word healing, whole, made well, any of that.

All I can compliment is your faith because I know you got it, and that's all you need.

That's crazy.

He came to Jesus wanting one thing, and Jesus said, I'll do you one better.

You don't have to have to say that, and it will be done.

Some of us are looking for God to say something or do something or move in a specific way, and while that's amazing, while he can do that, I think what God wants is faith in his authority to get things done.

In other words, let me say it like this: faith in God's authority is all that was needed.

This day, for this guy to get a miracle to amaze Jesus, all that he needed was faith in God's authority.

And he understood this.

And this is what Jesus, this is why Jesus said, I'll take care of that anyway.

I don't even have to say the word healing.

I'll take care of it.

Because I like your faith.

And I love that.

Jesus doesn't even directly, he just says, I like your faith.

And they found that the servant was made well.

Did you get something out of this this morning, everybody?

So here's what here's what I think this week.

Here's what I think.

I I think that God is in heaven.

And I think God wants to amaze, be amazed this week.

So here's the challenge I have as we leave, as the takeaway.

Here's my challenge.

Would you amaze God this week?

I don't know what you walked in with, needing, asking God, okay, this is on my heart, this is on my mind, this is what I need.

But here's the challenge this week.

Amaze God with how much faith you can put behind that request.

Say, God, I don't know the end result, but I'm willing to ask you anyway.

And God, I'm not even, I'm not even sure that I'm worthy enough to get what it is I'm asking, but I'm gonna ask you anyway.

Humility's in my heart, God, and I'm just gonna ask you and just see what you'll do.

And it's because of your authority and your power to get things done in my life.

May it be that when God looks down on us this week, he's amazed.

He's like, Man, she's got that type of faith.

Man, he's he just prayed.

Oh, I hear that prayer.

I'm gonna do him one better, boom, it's done.

May we be the people that are that are not the majority.

Everybody has some level of faith, but I want to have that type of faith that just says, man, God, show up and blow up in my life.

I don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway, because of who you are.

May we be those types of people.

Because I think God is waiting for people to say, come on, bring it on.

I can do it.

If I may the sun stand still, I can take care of your request.

Come on, if we can do that, man, that forced multiplying type of faith will be in operation in our life.

One more hand if you love Jesus up in here.

I love it.

I love it.

I love it.

I love it.

Let's bow our heads.

We're gonna pray and then we'll be done.

Lord, we thank you for this time we've had listening to your word.

I pray that in just the next few moments, when we leave, we'll transform from hearers to doers.

Would you help my friend, my brother, my sister who's struggling, who needs, who needed this today, that jump start to their faith.

Lord, bless them with enough courage to ask you anyway.

Allow them the wisdom and the the presence of mind to come to you humbly to ask what it is they have need of.

Finally, Lord, let them rest on your authority, your goodness, your faithfulness, not anything we've done, but it's all about you.

When that happens, God, I pray from heaven you would be amazed at their faith and that you would do whatever you see fit and you would make it happen in their life.