Introduction
Some people’s words are just
that, words, empty, worthy nothing, deserving none of our consideration. However loudly they may be spoken, they are
of no consequence; they are not worthy listening to. Other people’s words are
intelligent, we even stand to listen because they make sense but they are no
more than that. They are empty too, meant to impress and flatter, to mislead or
even fleece.But there are people whose
words are priceless and timeless. They may not be eloquently spoken but they
are powerful. They impact our lives greatly, they make a positive difference.
Like a bankers cheque we can take them to the bank and cash them. They are dependable
credible, invaluable, worthy a million dollars.
Two critical questions are
important for us to sieve the information that we encounter:
Who is speaking here?
What is he saying?
If it is a written message, we ask:
Who wrote it or whose signature stamp/seal is
on it?
This is especially important
because words carry with them the authority of the person who has spoken or written
them.
I put it to you today brethren
that the centurion Jesus spoke to in Matt 8:5- 13 understood the power of a word spoken by a man under authority. Such a
word is not empty but carries with it the power, the energy to change lives and
circumstances.
And today we sit under that
same authority. The authority of the word of God and of Jesus Christ
(Matt28:18-20). We are in an atmosphere
of divine possibilities. An atmosphere where what is humanly impossible becomes
possible, where incurable diseases become curable. Where fear and anxiety and
doubt cannot survive, where apathy thaws to give way to great passion and enthusiasm,
where the word of God is spoken. In the presence of God who calls those things
that are not as though they were.
I have checked the signature of
the undersigned and it reads Jesus King of Kings, Name above all names. One who
is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can think or imagine or
ask.
The key to this atmosphere is
faith. In this atmosphere we bear in mind four critical attitudes:
- Jesus is not limited by time and space
He is everywhere present. I
wonder if I were in the position of the centurion whether I would prefer Jesus
come to my house. The centurion preferred that Jesus speak a word from wherever
he was.
Some of us we have put God in a
box. We want Him to come to us in a way that leaves no doubt that he has
visited us—this is a noble goal—but we can stretch our faith farther where we ask
him to just speak his word.
After walking with the Lord for
a long time we should not allow our life become complicated. We should not lose
our child like faith so that we seek to impress God in order to come to us or
intervene in our situation?
Upon the Centurions request
Jesus said, “I will go and heal him.”
But the centurion would not let Him come. He didn’t want to make an impression outwardly,
all he wanted was a miracle and he stretched his faith far beyond what was
common with the church people of his time. He said “just say a word and my servant will be healed.”
Then Jesus said
to the centurion, "Go your way; and
as you have believed, so let it
be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:13
- An attitude of humility prepares an excellent atmosphere for Jesus to intervene.
He says “Lord I do not deserve to have you come under my roof”
He did not say that because he did not have a
good house, he was the commander of the Roman Legion in that region. Luke
Indicate that this man had build several synagogue
As a professional officer of the Roman army
after the Marian reforms of 107 BC he
commanded 83 men but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their
legion.
This is the attitude that wins
Gods heart as exemplified by great men that God has used in the Old and New
Testament.
- Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
- 1 Chronicles 17:16 6 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
- Peter said “Go away from me Lord ; I am a sinful man”( Luke 5:8
- Paul said “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1Tim 1:15)
We should never come to the
place where we think we deserve Gods blessings. God is under no obligation to
bless us or to give us this or that because we have been so good or have
performed.
It is not those that think that
they deserve God’s blessing because of there work that get them but those that
approach Him with a contrite and broke spirit.
Isaiah and David agree “a broken and a contrite heart oh Lord you
will not despise” (Isaiah 66:2, Psalm 51:17)
- Faith best operate when we use it to minister to others
The Centurion did not come
because he had a need; he was interceding for his servant.
He had come because of the need
of his servant, who then could have been considered useless to him because he
was paralyzed. The Centurion could have decided to be pragmatic and say “now
that you are paralyzed I don’t need you any more. You are not useful to me. I will
let you and so I can hire someone else who can serve me. But he identified with
the suffering of his servant. He went to Jesus seeking for his Healing.
- What we need most is a word from God
You can go anywhere and survive
if you have the word of God with you. The word of God is the tool he uses to
execute his will and purpose.
Are
you thinking? I have been in this condition for too long, everything seems to
indicate that things will get worse. Are
you giving God alternatives on how to handle your case- God doesn’t need our
counsel in the best way to solve our problem? You may be tempted even to try to
help Him. The only help that God appreciates from you is your faith in His
ability to do what he promises….
God
wants us to respond to Him in faith like the centurion. To be in a place where you
can say,
I need no other argument I need no other plea.
It is enough that Jesus said it and he said it to me
NIV Hebrews 6:16 Men swear by
someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an
end to all argument.
Would
you choose to believe the word of God?
Jesus
said to the man, “Go, it will be done to
you just as you believed it would.”
In Acts
27:25 Paul tells the men he was sailing with “so keep up your courage, men,
for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”
I too I have faith in God that it
shall be just as he told me
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