Thank YOU FOR joining me this morning!
Isn’t it so exciting to be talking about Jesus to these children this week? You may be the very people they remember when they think of these scriptures or lessons when they are adults!! I still remember some of my past VBS and Sunday School teachers and what they taught! Have no doubt you are making an impact!
Today we are looking at………………..
The ROMAN Centurion: A HERO BY FAITH
Do you have a personal story of great faith in your life?
Have you given your last $’s in your wallet to a mission or the church, and wondered how your next grocery trip would be covered?
Have you felt a total mind and soul connection while worshiping GOD knowing there is no doubt in his Holy Spirit in you?
Have you prayed and seen the results of those prayers and knew without a doubt they were a result of God’s power working through you?
I really wish we had time to share stories!!! I bet you all have some great ones!!
Let’s read an amazing example of pure and solid faith.
Let’s read Matthew 8: 5-13
The Faith of the Centurion 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." 7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."8The 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. 9For 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." 10When 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. 11I 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. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica |
| 13Then 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. |
The Centurion was a ROMAN OFFICER in charge of 100 soldiers. He was a GENTILE of position. His heroics weren’t in the way of his job as an officer in the Roman army but in the way he approached Jesus with full and total faith in WHO JESUS was and WHAT Jesus could do. He knew that Jesus was a straight connection to GOD and was bold in going straight to HIM with his compassionate plea. Not only that, but he believed with such conviction that he asked Jesus to just say the word instead of coming to the sick man’s bedside. The Centurion’s BOLD and PURE faith saw beyond the circumstances and JESUS’ power over circumstances. He was a hero who saw the real power in Jesus.
Instead of Jesus responding, “who are you, sinner, coming to ME, GOD IN THE FLESH, to help your suffering servant?”, he marveled at his faith. JESUS MARVELED at the Centurions faith. He was so struck by the gentile’s faith that he spoke to the Jews letting them know how important it is to have this great faith!
We should not be afraid or feel unworthy to go straight to God. He was the sacrificial lamb so we could do just that! HE made our unworthiness worthy.
The curtain came down giving us direct access to HIM.
When Jesus died on the cross the curtain of the temple was split in two, symbolizing the removal of the barrier between us and God.
MATT: 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter into God's presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).
Let’s be heroes by taking full advantage of that access. Let’s be heroes with our FAITH!!!!
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