Be Still and Know I’m God!
I was going to go after the whole Sovereignty of God thing buuuuuuuttttt, let’s just say through the study of the healings of Jesus we find that He never left anyone sick that wanted to be healed. That’s Jesus walking in God’s Sovereignty. It is God’s will to heal. I feel the need to focus in on something else found in this story of the Widow’s Son. I started to hit it hard at the end of the last entry but it can be pressed into a little further. Let’s read the story again and then go after it.
Luke 7:11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
A few weeks back we flew to and from Wichita, Ks. I used the flight time to catch up on some reading. The book, Discover the Keys to Staying Full of God by Andrew Wommack, was not at all covering this subject. But while reading I started thinking on this story. I didn’t mean to, it just happened. In all of that, a scripture came to mind. It was the 1st part of Psalm 46:10. It states “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still and know.
Let’s break down real quick Psalms 46:10 all Greek style. Wait, Ps 46:10 is O.T. so that means we have to break it down all Hebrew style. . . OK, let’s focus in on 2 words: Still & Know. The Hebrew word for “Still” is Raphah. Raphah is really “Be Still.” That makes sense. Here it means to relax or to be quiet. The Hebrew word for “Know” here is Yada. It means “to perceive and see, find out and discern, to discriminate, distinguish, to know by experience, to recognize, to. . .” you get the point.
When Jesus, the Living Word, came up to the casket, this woman did what Ps 46:10 says to do. She kept her mouth still (silent) and she learned who God was. She stayed still and she learned the loving touch of God. She stayed still and she learned the healing touch of God. She stayed still and she learned, from the Living Word of God, the resurrecting and restoring power of God. Could it be that many of us are not receiving what we need because we won’t keep our mouths still and learn from His Word the restoring Power of God? We may be doing a great job at learning what our doctors are saying but are we learning what His Word says about our health? We may be doing a great job of listening to our financial advisers but are we learning what His Word says about finances? Stink, let’s take this further. We may be doing a great job listening to our pastors but are we learning, for ourselves, what His Word says about our hope, our salvation, the Kingdom of God? I am not advocating for you to not listen to your doctors, financial advisers, or pastors; I’m just saying that we need to be still and know for ourselves that God is God.
Who knows if this widow had heard of Jesus before this funeral? He was becoming pretty popular. Maybe she heard of His fame. Maybe she was looking for the chance to see Him, or have her sick son meet Him. We just read that a huge crowd followed Him for a full day+ trip, but many traveled great distances to meet Jesus for the healing touch of their loved ones. Remember the official, or the Centurion, or even the bunch of friends that broke apart a roof to get their buddy to Jesus feet. Luke does not record this lady’s status, outside her being a widow, before she met Jesus. He doesn’t say she was rich or poor. Maybe some theologian can figure out by the funeral procession what her status was within this village. What we do know this about her is that when she was before the Great Healer she stood still and in that stillness she got to know how Great God is.
I love this study because I’m learning how our Healing Savior carried out His healing touch. One last thing that I did not hit till now; it’s the first part of Luke 7:13. It states “13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her.” That’s how my Sovereign God acts. His heart goes out to me, and you, whoever else is reading this. How awesome is it that God’s heart goes out to us.? Thanks for taking the time to read
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
The Widow’s Son Pt. 1
The great tear dryer
I loved the Da’ Centurion series and I know there is so much more to milk out of it, but we must move on; and what a story to move onto. This one is good, really good. It’s short but sweet. Luke was the only one to capture it. Let’s read what the good doctor penned down and come back to talk in a few.
Luke 7:11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Can I rant about the whole God Sovereignty thing? Can I? Ok, I’ll wait till the next entry, but y’all have been forewarned. We better discuss the healing first. From the top: Luke 7:11 starts out with “soon afterward.”. . .soon after what? It was soon after Jesus had left Capernaum. The cool thing with the Centurion just happened in Capernaum and now Jesus, the disciples, and a large group of tag-a-longs were heading into the village Nain. Nain was about 21 miles from Capernaum so that meant Jesus & crew were hiking for real. That was some serious walking. TAXI!! Or better yet for that crowd: CHARTER BUSSES!!Thank God for modern transportation. This gives us a glimpse of how popular Jesus was becoming. Not only did Jesus and the 12 make that hike, but a large crowd came along walking for 21 miles. Jesus was that cool to be around.
So now we get into the healing, or rather the raising. As Jesus and crew were walking into the village they ran into a funeral. That’s not uncommon, funerals happen all the time. But Luke makes it clear that the funeral was for the only son of a widow. What Luke does not record is the fact that no one came up begging for this guy to be raised from the dead. Jesus, Sovereign Savior, had compassion and touched the coffin. We better go through the sequence of events recorded from V13 through V15:
1. The Lord saw her
2. He said to the woman “Don’t cry” (crazy, her son just died!!)
3. He went up & touched the coffin.
4. Those carrying it stood still.
5. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
6. Dude sat up and started yappin’.
Did you notice that they did not stop till he touched the coffin? What made them stop? Wait, if I jump into that then we’ll have 3 parts to this healing and I only planned on doing 2. I better back up and start with what Jesus said to the Widow at the end of V13. He said this: “Don’t cry.” Who is going to tell a Widow, at the funeral for her only son, to stop crying? He did no t say to stop crying but rather “don’t cry.” Who would do that? Jesus would and did. What’s amazing is that the woman did not smack Jesus. And what’s more amazing is the funeral crowd didn’t try to stone Jesus. Back to the widow with her non response: her silent response screams a whole lot. With her silence she allowed Jesus to speak a miracle into her life. She shut up so He could speak. What if she would have spoken up; what if she told Jesus where to go? Well, I imagine the guys that were carrying the coffin would not have stopped. I imagine this kid would have stayed dead. I imagine that the widow would have been begging for the peace that passes all understanding (like she probably did when her husband passed). I imagine her son would have been buried. But that did not happen. Instead Jesus touched the coffin and the kid sat up. As a matter of fact, he not only sat up, but he started talking. I wonder what he was saying.
Why was Jesus able to touch the coffin? Why did the kid come back to life? Why did he start talking? It was because the widow allowed Jesus to speak. When we allow the Word* to speak into our lives miracles happen.
How many miracles do we miss out on because we won’t let God speak into our lives? With the last healing we talked about the greatest act of faith and what that was. That great action of faith was the Centurion wanting the Word. How many miracles do we miss out on because we never turn to His Word properly?
What do I mean by properly? Let me give you an example. 1st Pet 2:24 makes a point to state that “by His wounds you have been healed.” Peter makes sure that that was written in the past tense, not present tense like Isaiah 53:5. Peter is stating that Jesus already paid the price and all we have to do is reach out and grab what’s been paid for. But some theologians like to rain on God’s healing parade and say that 1st Pet 2:24 is talking about some type of spiritual healing instead of physical healing. Really? Peter was a physical dude. Peter physically walked with Jesus. Peter physically saw Jesus physically heal many of those delivered in the Gospels. Peter saw the physical resurrected body of Christ. He was there when Thomas was shown the physical scars (John 20:24-29). Peter physically pulled that lame dude to his feet outside the temple (Act 3:1-10). So do you really think Peter is writing about some pseudo-spiritual healing? NO! When he physically wrote down that “by His wounds you have been healed” he is stating you are completely, physically healed. He stated in 2nd Pet 1:16 that he physically witnessed the actions of Jesus. Shoot, he physically participated. But that is just one example of turning to the Word properly.
Let me end this rant this way. Church, it’s time to shut up and listen to God and His Word. Dry those tears and grab that Word or just carry on with the funeral. That might sound harsh, but Jesus said to a widow ready bury her only son “Don’t Cry.”
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
*John 1:1 & 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.”
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
I loved the Da’ Centurion series and I know there is so much more to milk out of it, but we must move on; and what a story to move onto. This one is good, really good. It’s short but sweet. Luke was the only one to capture it. Let’s read what the good doctor penned down and come back to talk in a few.
Luke 7:11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Can I rant about the whole God Sovereignty thing? Can I? Ok, I’ll wait till the next entry, but y’all have been forewarned. We better discuss the healing first. From the top: Luke 7:11 starts out with “soon afterward.”. . .soon after what? It was soon after Jesus had left Capernaum. The cool thing with the Centurion just happened in Capernaum and now Jesus, the disciples, and a large group of tag-a-longs were heading into the village Nain. Nain was about 21 miles from Capernaum so that meant Jesus & crew were hiking for real. That was some serious walking. TAXI!! Or better yet for that crowd: CHARTER BUSSES!!Thank God for modern transportation. This gives us a glimpse of how popular Jesus was becoming. Not only did Jesus and the 12 make that hike, but a large crowd came along walking for 21 miles. Jesus was that cool to be around.
So now we get into the healing, or rather the raising. As Jesus and crew were walking into the village they ran into a funeral. That’s not uncommon, funerals happen all the time. But Luke makes it clear that the funeral was for the only son of a widow. What Luke does not record is the fact that no one came up begging for this guy to be raised from the dead. Jesus, Sovereign Savior, had compassion and touched the coffin. We better go through the sequence of events recorded from V13 through V15:
1. The Lord saw her
2. He said to the woman “Don’t cry” (crazy, her son just died!!)
3. He went up & touched the coffin.
4. Those carrying it stood still.
5. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
6. Dude sat up and started yappin’.
Did you notice that they did not stop till he touched the coffin? What made them stop? Wait, if I jump into that then we’ll have 3 parts to this healing and I only planned on doing 2. I better back up and start with what Jesus said to the Widow at the end of V13. He said this: “Don’t cry.” Who is going to tell a Widow, at the funeral for her only son, to stop crying? He did no t say to stop crying but rather “don’t cry.” Who would do that? Jesus would and did. What’s amazing is that the woman did not smack Jesus. And what’s more amazing is the funeral crowd didn’t try to stone Jesus. Back to the widow with her non response: her silent response screams a whole lot. With her silence she allowed Jesus to speak a miracle into her life. She shut up so He could speak. What if she would have spoken up; what if she told Jesus where to go? Well, I imagine the guys that were carrying the coffin would not have stopped. I imagine this kid would have stayed dead. I imagine that the widow would have been begging for the peace that passes all understanding (like she probably did when her husband passed). I imagine her son would have been buried. But that did not happen. Instead Jesus touched the coffin and the kid sat up. As a matter of fact, he not only sat up, but he started talking. I wonder what he was saying.
Why was Jesus able to touch the coffin? Why did the kid come back to life? Why did he start talking? It was because the widow allowed Jesus to speak. When we allow the Word* to speak into our lives miracles happen.
How many miracles do we miss out on because we won’t let God speak into our lives? With the last healing we talked about the greatest act of faith and what that was. That great action of faith was the Centurion wanting the Word. How many miracles do we miss out on because we never turn to His Word properly?
What do I mean by properly? Let me give you an example. 1st Pet 2:24 makes a point to state that “by His wounds you have been healed.” Peter makes sure that that was written in the past tense, not present tense like Isaiah 53:5. Peter is stating that Jesus already paid the price and all we have to do is reach out and grab what’s been paid for. But some theologians like to rain on God’s healing parade and say that 1st Pet 2:24 is talking about some type of spiritual healing instead of physical healing. Really? Peter was a physical dude. Peter physically walked with Jesus. Peter physically saw Jesus physically heal many of those delivered in the Gospels. Peter saw the physical resurrected body of Christ. He was there when Thomas was shown the physical scars (John 20:24-29). Peter physically pulled that lame dude to his feet outside the temple (Act 3:1-10). So do you really think Peter is writing about some pseudo-spiritual healing? NO! When he physically wrote down that “by His wounds you have been healed” he is stating you are completely, physically healed. He stated in 2nd Pet 1:16 that he physically witnessed the actions of Jesus. Shoot, he physically participated. But that is just one example of turning to the Word properly.
Let me end this rant this way. Church, it’s time to shut up and listen to God and His Word. Dry those tears and grab that Word or just carry on with the funeral. That might sound harsh, but Jesus said to a widow ready bury her only son “Don’t Cry.”
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
*John 1:1 & 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.”
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Da’ Cent Pt. 3
Now That’s Heavy!
The Centurion, this guy had top notch faith. That has been well established. There is not much more I can squeeze out of this orange, is there? Well, I’ve got one more thing for us to look at. I am sure there is plenty more juice here, but I am only going to give it one more squeeze before moving onto chronological healing #9.
Matthew 8:5-13
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
8 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. 9 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."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
In Pt. 1 we covered the fact that up to this time this was the greatest--GREATEST--action of faith that Jesus had witnessed in the land of Israel. In Pt.2 We covered exactly what that action of faith was: it was the desire for Jesus’ Word over Jesus’ Touch. It was that simple action that proved to be the best. That’s it. That’s about all that needs to be said of the Centurion, right? I wish, but Matt’s account gives us something that is so harsh and so strong that it can’t be ignored. Oh Matt 8:11 & 12, how heavy you are! Jesus went from praising this dude’s faith to condemning a bunch to hell. CRAZY!!! We better discuss what Jesus said before moving onto Chronological healing #9.
Here is Matt 8:11 & 12 one more time, and remember Jesus stated this after recognizing this guy’s faith.
Matthew 8:11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
First let’s get after Verse 11. V11 really is not all that bad when you read it by itself. It’s a great prophecy but when you combine it with V12 it turns into a sobering script. In V11 Jesus said “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.” Without diving into the Greek translation of “many” I think it’s safe to assume that many means MANY. That’s a good thing. In Pt. 1 of “Da’ Centurion” I pointed out that the Cent was not a Jew so he did not grow up with the teaching of the O.T. If you haven’t read Pt.1 of the Cent then stop reading this one and go back and read Pt.1 & Pt.2. The Cent was just one of the MANY that have, are, and will come. I’m one of the many that is coming to the feast. I can’t really tell you if I’m from the East or the West that Jesus was referring to. My last name has German roots but even that is sketchy. But I can tell you with much confidence that my ancestors came from the Garden of Eden. What happened between the Garden and now is really anyone’s guess. . . Anyway, I really hope that you who are reading this are a part of the “many.”. If not then email me and we can talk about how to get into that feast.
Now for Verse 12: “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Oh wow. Hello Hell. Remember where Jesus was and who he was talking to when he said this. He was not in Spain. He was not in South America. He was right there in promised land boldly stating this. Both Matt 8:10 and Luke 7:1 kick this story off stating that Jesus had just entered Capernaum. Get a map and look where Capernaum is. Better yet get all techie and Google Earth where Capernaum is. Jesus’ crowd that day was Jewish. They were the “subjects of the Kingdom” that Jesus was talking about. Jesus just told a bunch of Jewish people--who because of their birth right felt they deserved to be at the feast--that they would be replaced by peeps from all over. Not only did He say they were going to be replaced but he also said where the subjects were going to be sent to. Why would Jesus say that? That is not a very seeker-friendly statement. That’s bold! The reason why Jesus said that is because of Faith. They (the kingdom subjects) lacked faith. Compared to this Gentile they lacked faith. Hebrews 11:6 states “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” They never fully bought into who Jesus was. But the Cent did; so much so that he realized the power of the Savior’s Word.
Are we, as the New Testament Church, any better? James 2:17-19 states “17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Last year I had the privilege of teaching a class on the book of James. In studying for that class I realized that James was writing to the same people that just some 20 years before turned the world upside down--the same people recorded in the first half of the book of Acts. Are we so capable of loosing our faith to? Matt 7:16 states “By their fruit you will recognize them.” It’s time we best check our fruit and make sure it’s fresh.
I know this could get deeper into the grand old theological question of “once saved, always saved” but really I just want us to keep our place @ the King’s table. Many more from the east and west can and will join us because His food is GREAT, but I tell ya I’m not losing my spot. Best way to keep yours: TAKE THAT WORD and STAY FRESH!!
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
The Centurion, this guy had top notch faith. That has been well established. There is not much more I can squeeze out of this orange, is there? Well, I’ve got one more thing for us to look at. I am sure there is plenty more juice here, but I am only going to give it one more squeeze before moving onto chronological healing #9.
Matthew 8:5-13
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
8 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. 9 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."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
In Pt. 1 we covered the fact that up to this time this was the greatest--GREATEST--action of faith that Jesus had witnessed in the land of Israel. In Pt.2 We covered exactly what that action of faith was: it was the desire for Jesus’ Word over Jesus’ Touch. It was that simple action that proved to be the best. That’s it. That’s about all that needs to be said of the Centurion, right? I wish, but Matt’s account gives us something that is so harsh and so strong that it can’t be ignored. Oh Matt 8:11 & 12, how heavy you are! Jesus went from praising this dude’s faith to condemning a bunch to hell. CRAZY!!! We better discuss what Jesus said before moving onto Chronological healing #9.
Here is Matt 8:11 & 12 one more time, and remember Jesus stated this after recognizing this guy’s faith.
Matthew 8:11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
First let’s get after Verse 11. V11 really is not all that bad when you read it by itself. It’s a great prophecy but when you combine it with V12 it turns into a sobering script. In V11 Jesus said “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.” Without diving into the Greek translation of “many” I think it’s safe to assume that many means MANY. That’s a good thing. In Pt. 1 of “Da’ Centurion” I pointed out that the Cent was not a Jew so he did not grow up with the teaching of the O.T. If you haven’t read Pt.1 of the Cent then stop reading this one and go back and read Pt.1 & Pt.2. The Cent was just one of the MANY that have, are, and will come. I’m one of the many that is coming to the feast. I can’t really tell you if I’m from the East or the West that Jesus was referring to. My last name has German roots but even that is sketchy. But I can tell you with much confidence that my ancestors came from the Garden of Eden. What happened between the Garden and now is really anyone’s guess. . . Anyway, I really hope that you who are reading this are a part of the “many.”. If not then email me and we can talk about how to get into that feast.
Now for Verse 12: “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Oh wow. Hello Hell. Remember where Jesus was and who he was talking to when he said this. He was not in Spain. He was not in South America. He was right there in promised land boldly stating this. Both Matt 8:10 and Luke 7:1 kick this story off stating that Jesus had just entered Capernaum. Get a map and look where Capernaum is. Better yet get all techie and Google Earth where Capernaum is. Jesus’ crowd that day was Jewish. They were the “subjects of the Kingdom” that Jesus was talking about. Jesus just told a bunch of Jewish people--who because of their birth right felt they deserved to be at the feast--that they would be replaced by peeps from all over. Not only did He say they were going to be replaced but he also said where the subjects were going to be sent to. Why would Jesus say that? That is not a very seeker-friendly statement. That’s bold! The reason why Jesus said that is because of Faith. They (the kingdom subjects) lacked faith. Compared to this Gentile they lacked faith. Hebrews 11:6 states “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” They never fully bought into who Jesus was. But the Cent did; so much so that he realized the power of the Savior’s Word.
Are we, as the New Testament Church, any better? James 2:17-19 states “17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Last year I had the privilege of teaching a class on the book of James. In studying for that class I realized that James was writing to the same people that just some 20 years before turned the world upside down--the same people recorded in the first half of the book of Acts. Are we so capable of loosing our faith to? Matt 7:16 states “By their fruit you will recognize them.” It’s time we best check our fruit and make sure it’s fresh.
I know this could get deeper into the grand old theological question of “once saved, always saved” but really I just want us to keep our place @ the King’s table. Many more from the east and west can and will join us because His food is GREAT, but I tell ya I’m not losing my spot. Best way to keep yours: TAKE THAT WORD and STAY FRESH!!
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
Da’ Cent Pt. 2
I don’t need your touch, but just say the …
Let’s get after it people. In Pt.1 of Da’ Centurion we discovered that this simple act of faith astonished Jesus; or should I say Jesus was astonished at his faith. Jesus stated that this guy’s faith act was the greatest act of faith that He had witnessed in the land of Israel. Crazy! I want that said of me and my actions of faith. But now we need to get into what was the faith action that astonished Jesus. Let’s read Matt 8:5-13 again and then get into it.
Matthew 8:5-13
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
8 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. 9 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."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
So what was that one faith action that shocked Jesus? In Matt 8:6 the Cent tells Jesus what’s going on. He states "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." In the very next verse (Matt 8:7) Jesus states He would go and take care of the problem. Matt 8:8-9 records the Cent stating “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 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." The dude is a military man. He understands how to give and receive orders. I think it would do a lot of people good to be in the military for just a bit so that they could get a better understanding how authority works, but I digress. . .Let’s go back to the statement. Why is it such a big deal?
On the surface it does not look like the Cent did anything big, but let’s compare what he did to two Old Testament heroes of Faith. Let’s compare the Cent to Moses and Elijah. I’m picking Moses and Elijah because they appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). They must have done something right in their lives to reappear with Jesus on top of that hill!
1. Moses. This guy did incredible things in the name of God. He motivated 1,000,000+ people to shake off slavery and head out towards a promised land. You need FAITH to do that. There is one story about Moses’ leadership and personality that I just love. In Exodus 32:10 God stated He was done with the children of Israel and would start all over with Moses. The very next verse (Ex 32:11) states that “Moses sought favor of the Lord his God. ‘O Lord,’ he said ‘why should your anger burn against your people’…” Instead of taking the opportunity for God to make him into a great name/nation he asked God to spare Abraham’s seed. That’s huge! But how did the Cent trump Moses? Even in all his greatness, Moses still needed a touch from the Lord. A visual touch but a touch nonetheless. After the great miracles that happened in Egypt, after the splitting of the Red Sea, even after the bread from heaven and everything else recorded in the Exodus Moses still asked to see God, to see His Glory. Exodus 33:12-23 records that story. I’ve wanted to see God too. Years ago I worked 2nd and 3rd shift custodial/security for a church. Late at night I would sing, at the top of my lungs, SonicFlood’s worship song “I want to know you” but I quickly realized how freaked out I would be if God actually revealed Himself to me at 2am in a huge church sanctuary.
2. Elijah. Come on: ELIJAH! I like Elisha better because he was the bald headed prophet, but Elijah was the man. Elijah called fire down from heaven. FIRE FROM HEAVEN!! He punked a bunch of false prophets. I love that story. It’s found in 1st Kings 18. “What, is your god stuck on the toilet?” That’s the New King Jimmy version of 1st Kings 18:27. When you have some free time read through the books of 1st & 2nd Kings. There are some great stories of faith actions in there. But in 1st Kings 19 we see Elijah needing a touch from God. In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is hiding out in a cave on the mountain of God. Elijah did not get to see God that day but he did hear God’s gentle whisper. I’ve cried out to hear that whisper. Just last year in a deep worship service I remember crying out to hear His voice. I just wanted to hear something.
What sets the Cent apart from Moses and Elijah is that the Cent didn’t need Jesus’ touch. He didn’t even want Jesus’ touch. Read again what he said: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word.” He just wanted Jesus’ Word. He didn’t even talk to Jesus, his buddies did. I know Matt records the Cent talking to Jesus but Luke 7:6 states “So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the Centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.’” The Cent’s friends were acting as power of attorney for him, that’s why Matt records it as if the Cent was before Jesus himself. Moses needed to see God, Elijah needed to hear God, but the Cent just needed the Word. That is what set his faith apart from all the others in history. We so often beg for a touch from God but what we really need is His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” “Living and Active” means the word is actively alive. Now I’m not saying it’s bad to desire a touch from God and that God won’t touch your life, but just putting that desire into perspective: We have God’s Word.
Back to the story, Jesus was ready to go to the Cent’s house. Jesus was going to give His touch and I fully believe that if Jesus did touch the servant then the servant would have been healed. But if the Cent took Jesus’ touch over Jesus’ Word then the Cent’s servant would have had to wait, and wait, and wait for that needed healing. Since the Cent opted for the Word over the Touch Matt 8:13 declares “And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
This story is very similar to the first chronological healing. If you recall the story from John chapter 4 the Official son was healed because the Official took Jesus at His word. The difference between the Official’s faith and the Cent’s faith is that the Official really wanted Jesus to come but the Cent just needed that Word.
We can wait for God’s touch, and I believe He will touch our lives where we need it, or we can be Super Stars of Faith and just take the Word. Once again, Hebrews 4:12 states “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
Let’s get after it people. In Pt.1 of Da’ Centurion we discovered that this simple act of faith astonished Jesus; or should I say Jesus was astonished at his faith. Jesus stated that this guy’s faith act was the greatest act of faith that He had witnessed in the land of Israel. Crazy! I want that said of me and my actions of faith. But now we need to get into what was the faith action that astonished Jesus. Let’s read Matt 8:5-13 again and then get into it.
Matthew 8:5-13
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
8 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. 9 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."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 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. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
So what was that one faith action that shocked Jesus? In Matt 8:6 the Cent tells Jesus what’s going on. He states "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." In the very next verse (Matt 8:7) Jesus states He would go and take care of the problem. Matt 8:8-9 records the Cent stating “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 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." The dude is a military man. He understands how to give and receive orders. I think it would do a lot of people good to be in the military for just a bit so that they could get a better understanding how authority works, but I digress. . .Let’s go back to the statement. Why is it such a big deal?
On the surface it does not look like the Cent did anything big, but let’s compare what he did to two Old Testament heroes of Faith. Let’s compare the Cent to Moses and Elijah. I’m picking Moses and Elijah because they appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). They must have done something right in their lives to reappear with Jesus on top of that hill!
1. Moses. This guy did incredible things in the name of God. He motivated 1,000,000+ people to shake off slavery and head out towards a promised land. You need FAITH to do that. There is one story about Moses’ leadership and personality that I just love. In Exodus 32:10 God stated He was done with the children of Israel and would start all over with Moses. The very next verse (Ex 32:11) states that “Moses sought favor of the Lord his God. ‘O Lord,’ he said ‘why should your anger burn against your people’…” Instead of taking the opportunity for God to make him into a great name/nation he asked God to spare Abraham’s seed. That’s huge! But how did the Cent trump Moses? Even in all his greatness, Moses still needed a touch from the Lord. A visual touch but a touch nonetheless. After the great miracles that happened in Egypt, after the splitting of the Red Sea, even after the bread from heaven and everything else recorded in the Exodus Moses still asked to see God, to see His Glory. Exodus 33:12-23 records that story. I’ve wanted to see God too. Years ago I worked 2nd and 3rd shift custodial/security for a church. Late at night I would sing, at the top of my lungs, SonicFlood’s worship song “I want to know you” but I quickly realized how freaked out I would be if God actually revealed Himself to me at 2am in a huge church sanctuary.
2. Elijah. Come on: ELIJAH! I like Elisha better because he was the bald headed prophet, but Elijah was the man. Elijah called fire down from heaven. FIRE FROM HEAVEN!! He punked a bunch of false prophets. I love that story. It’s found in 1st Kings 18. “What, is your god stuck on the toilet?” That’s the New King Jimmy version of 1st Kings 18:27. When you have some free time read through the books of 1st & 2nd Kings. There are some great stories of faith actions in there. But in 1st Kings 19 we see Elijah needing a touch from God. In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is hiding out in a cave on the mountain of God. Elijah did not get to see God that day but he did hear God’s gentle whisper. I’ve cried out to hear that whisper. Just last year in a deep worship service I remember crying out to hear His voice. I just wanted to hear something.
What sets the Cent apart from Moses and Elijah is that the Cent didn’t need Jesus’ touch. He didn’t even want Jesus’ touch. Read again what he said: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word.” He just wanted Jesus’ Word. He didn’t even talk to Jesus, his buddies did. I know Matt records the Cent talking to Jesus but Luke 7:6 states “So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the Centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.’” The Cent’s friends were acting as power of attorney for him, that’s why Matt records it as if the Cent was before Jesus himself. Moses needed to see God, Elijah needed to hear God, but the Cent just needed the Word. That is what set his faith apart from all the others in history. We so often beg for a touch from God but what we really need is His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” “Living and Active” means the word is actively alive. Now I’m not saying it’s bad to desire a touch from God and that God won’t touch your life, but just putting that desire into perspective: We have God’s Word.
Back to the story, Jesus was ready to go to the Cent’s house. Jesus was going to give His touch and I fully believe that if Jesus did touch the servant then the servant would have been healed. But if the Cent took Jesus’ touch over Jesus’ Word then the Cent’s servant would have had to wait, and wait, and wait for that needed healing. Since the Cent opted for the Word over the Touch Matt 8:13 declares “And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
This story is very similar to the first chronological healing. If you recall the story from John chapter 4 the Official son was healed because the Official took Jesus at His word. The difference between the Official’s faith and the Cent’s faith is that the Official really wanted Jesus to come but the Cent just needed that Word.
We can wait for God’s touch, and I believe He will touch our lives where we need it, or we can be Super Stars of Faith and just take the Word. Once again, Hebrews 4:12 states “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
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