This is a new series I began September 25, 2005. I want to help the church to look at the mystery of God and to see more clearly who we worship and why. It is one of the most challenging series that I have prepared. I hope those of you reading find it helpful. God bless.
Larry
The God We Worship: “I am God, and there is none like me.“
Isaiah 46:9-10; 40:25-26
Introduction: In Kenya we lived just a few miles from the equator and one of the events that occurred several times in our years there were partial and even a full eclipse. These are rare events and people came from all over the world to witness it. One of things that they warn people about is looking directly at the sun during the eclipse; it can blind you completely in a very short time. In Exodus 33:18-20 Moses asks to see God but cannot and live. In a sense that is what we are going to try and do these next few weeks, look at God. We can’t do it directly but God has revealed himself in ways that we can perceive. That is what we want to try to do. It will be difficult because God is a difficult being for limited people like us to understand.
I. Why This Study?
Some of you may be thinking this sounds difficult and I confess that it is. This will not be easy material but it will be enriching. The more understanding we have of God and his character the more we will appreciate the God we worship. A lot of people have difficulty in believing in God. As one Bible professor who frequently had students come to talk to him about their doubts about God said, “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in. I probably don’t believe in him either.” Our misunderstanding of God is not inconsequential. If our view of God is off then our worship will be off because we will be worshipping a false “god.”
Another aspect of this is that the better we understand God the better we will understand ourselves. We are a people created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). As we understand God we understand what God’s goal is. It is his desire for us to become as his children. Such an understanding can be transformative.
It also helps to understand how we should interact with each other. The revelation of God that Jesus brought and the Holy Spirit continues to teach is that God is community, one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How we as people and as Christians are to treat and deal with one another is based on the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit.
II. God is Unique
The text that was read this morning tells us something important about God, “I am God, and there is none like me.“ Isa.46:9. God is completely and totally unique. When something is unique it is unlikely anything else. Comparisons can be made but are always inadequate. Imagine for a moment you are talking to someone who has been blind all their life and they ask you, “What is ‘red’?” What would you say? This in a small way describes our difficulty in talking about God.
Language and culture is made up of shared experience and images. In most things it is easy to communicate but some are more difficult than others and this is true with God. God asks the question, "’To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.” Isa 40:25. Words are inadequate to describe God and yet we try, God even uses our language to describe himself. Words like “Father” and “Son” bring images to our minds and yet even though the Bible uses these words they are limited. God is like a father in many ways and yet He is unlike any father we have ever known. Even the pronouns we use such as “he” imply certain gender connotations which are incorrect. While it is possible to go overboard with “politically correct” language we need to recognize the limitations of any language to describe our God who is totally unique.
The difficulty of describing God is seen in one of God’s early encounters with the man Moses in Ex. 3:13-14. Moses wants to know what God’s name is. The answer is, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" The words could also be translated, “I WIL BE WHAT I WILL BE.” This seems odd to us until we understand that “I AM” constitutes the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”. God is saying to Moses, “I exist, I am God.” God is not some local deity, some idol made of wood or stone. The burning bush where Moses encountered God should have been consumed by the fire but was not. God is unique, unlike anything Moses had encountered before.
III. What Does It Mean?
There are some real implications for us as people of God when we consider his uniqueness. Walking with the “I AM” of the Bible will always be an unpredictable adventure. We will never understand God. We will understand some things about God but even those things we think we know can, and often are, challenged by realities we face in life. Job found that out. This righteous, godly man who humbly obeyed God had his life turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Job challenged God to explain what had happened to him yet when God spoke it was not a defense, not an explanation, but an expanded version of “I AM WHAT I AM.” Job was overwhelmed by his encounter with God and could only say,
"I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
[You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
["You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."
Job 42:2-6
Some people want a predictable God, a ‘safe’ God. If that is what you want then you are in the wrong place. Following this God is an adventure of a lifetime. Our God will bless us and let us suffer. He will call on us to do difficult, impossible things. He will lead us into dark places if we would follow him. He will take us in the midst of our most terrible failures and find ways redeem us and to use us for his purposes. In the words of C.S. Lewis, our God is not safe but he is good. God’s ‘good’ is not always safe or comfortable or easy or understandable.
We worship God because we have a relationship with him. To worship God in truth it is necessary to acknowledge God’s uniqueness, to stand in awe of God we cannot understand but desire to know. When we ‘see’ this God we, like Job, are struck silent. Our worship is like that of Paul who wrote,
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Rom 11:33-36
Livonia Church of Christ: September 25, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Dan and Beverly Bell
This past Friday we had dinner with Dan and Bev Bell, coworkers of ours during the 1980's. We lived across the street from each other and had many experiences working for the Lord in the Lake Victoria region of Kenya. They have just moved back to the States after 20 years of service in Kenya. For the next several months they will be located in Flint, MI with the Bristol Road Church of Christ but they will be looking for a new place to serve the Lord here in the States. Through the years we have been blessed with great coworkers and Dan and Bev are in that group.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Michaela: a Beautiful Granddaugther
We stayed with Julie, Josh and Michaela in August in Brownwood, Texas. She is growing and changing as little ones do. Julie and Josh are preparing with their team to go to Cochabamba, Bolivia in January 2006 for a church planting effort. Those of you who know our family know how important piano is with Diane and all three children being very talented musicians. Michaela is getting an early start with her Nyanya (Diane).
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Praying God's Will
Introduction: One of the challenges of parenting is when those cute little babies turn two. Sometimes it is referred to as the “terrible twos”. The reason it is such a challenge is that baby learns that it has a will and that will stands in opposition to the parents. This is the basic conflict of the teen years and it often comes down to a battle of wills.
I. The Uniquely Human Will
It is our human will in conjunction with our intelligence that makes each person unique. Sometimes our will is directed at our self. We talk about a person being self-willed in a negative sense. That person seems only interested in themselves and their needs. We all are like that sometimes, some most of the time. But self-will is not necessarily bad. We need to be concerned about our needs. A person who feeds others and yet starves to death would be considered foolish. Will allows us to say “no” to things that are not in our self-interest.
But will also allows us to defer our own needs for the sake of others. The needs of a child may cause us to choose those needs over our own. Much of the time our will is constrained by others and by circumstances but in the end we choose how we will respond.
It is will that in many ways makes us human, makes us different from the animals. Within the constraints of life we have choice. What will we choose? Much of the time we can predict what a person will choose in various circumstances. Wives and husbands do this all the time. “Does Larry want tea, water, or pop?” “Oh, I’m sure he will want water.” Then I come along and ask for pop. Diane is right most of the time about what I will choose but every now and then I surprise her. Human will makes us unpredictable.
Jesus had a human will. We see that will in conflict with the world around him. Just like us, people wanted him to be what they desired. Some wanted him to be a king. Others wanted a vending machine type messiah who would fill their physical needs. Jesus was a king but a king unlike any other king in history. Jesus did meet the needs of people but not the needs they wanted fulfilled.
II. The Will of God
Our will is part of the image of God. Like us God has a will, a purpose. As maker of heaven and earth God’s will cannot fail, it will be accomplished. God states this in Isa. 46:10. The will of the almighty God cannot be thwarted and yet we see things contrary to God’s will all around us. If God did not place limits on his will then we, and our world, would be nothing more than complex robots. There was a movie remade recently called “The Stepford Wives”. This was a community where wives were replaced with robot wives obedient and uncomplaining to their husband’s whims. There are some who probably think this would be an ideal situation but I think it would become very boring very quickly. God did create a world where things other than his will could be done, where human beings made in God’s image have will.
What is God’s will that will be accomplished? The goal that God is moving toward is redemption of all creation and in particular human beings. We often look at salvation as just involving people but scripture sees redemption in terms of the whole creation, Rom. 8:20-21.
But God has a specific goal for us as human beings. If you want to know what God’s will is for your life then it can be put in very simple terms, he wants you to be like his child Jesus. Paul put it simply in Romans 8:29. Our destiny is to be changed and become like Jesus. That is God’s will. God of course is not looking for clones; he is looking for obedient children. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray that “God’s will be done” he also prayed that in his prayer life. Being obedient to God’s will was a prime attitude in Jesus’ life. Even in his deepest crisis, as he faced death on a cross, he prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”, Matt. 26:39.
III. Praying God’s Will
It seems that God’s will and the will of many human beings are in conflict and that may be why Jesus taught his disciples to pray “your will be done.” The conflict of wills is seen throughout the life of Jesus. People wanted Jesus to be something other than what God wanted Jesus to be. Many wanted a king, others a prophet, still others a miracle worker who would meet their needs. Peter stood in opposition to God’s will in Matt. 16:21-23.
We also struggle with God’s will and the will of those around us. People want us to be different things to them and God may want something else entirely. People often ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” I imagine we have all asked that question at some point or another. Most of us want to do God’s will, as long as it pretty much is what we want to do also. I differ from some people who seem to think God has one way he wants you to follow. I believe there are many things I could do that would serve God within his will. Some of those ways have greater blessing in them than others but all are in service to God. There may be times when there is a specific thing God desires me to do but most of the time I believe we have a range of choices that are within the will of God.
A better question to ask ourselves is, “Will this decision contribute or hinder my transformation into Jesus likeness?” One of the popular catch phrases for Christians is, “What would Jesus do?” But we may be better off asking, “What would Jesus be?” What would he be as a father or mother? What would Jesus be as a student? What would Jesus be as a business person? As an engineer? As a lawyer or doctor?
We do need to pray, “God, your will be done.” But even as we pray it we should be looking for the will of God. He will show us what he wants us to become, in fact he already has.
Livonia Church of Christ: August 21, 2005
I. The Uniquely Human Will
It is our human will in conjunction with our intelligence that makes each person unique. Sometimes our will is directed at our self. We talk about a person being self-willed in a negative sense. That person seems only interested in themselves and their needs. We all are like that sometimes, some most of the time. But self-will is not necessarily bad. We need to be concerned about our needs. A person who feeds others and yet starves to death would be considered foolish. Will allows us to say “no” to things that are not in our self-interest.
But will also allows us to defer our own needs for the sake of others. The needs of a child may cause us to choose those needs over our own. Much of the time our will is constrained by others and by circumstances but in the end we choose how we will respond.
It is will that in many ways makes us human, makes us different from the animals. Within the constraints of life we have choice. What will we choose? Much of the time we can predict what a person will choose in various circumstances. Wives and husbands do this all the time. “Does Larry want tea, water, or pop?” “Oh, I’m sure he will want water.” Then I come along and ask for pop. Diane is right most of the time about what I will choose but every now and then I surprise her. Human will makes us unpredictable.
Jesus had a human will. We see that will in conflict with the world around him. Just like us, people wanted him to be what they desired. Some wanted him to be a king. Others wanted a vending machine type messiah who would fill their physical needs. Jesus was a king but a king unlike any other king in history. Jesus did meet the needs of people but not the needs they wanted fulfilled.
II. The Will of God
Our will is part of the image of God. Like us God has a will, a purpose. As maker of heaven and earth God’s will cannot fail, it will be accomplished. God states this in Isa. 46:10. The will of the almighty God cannot be thwarted and yet we see things contrary to God’s will all around us. If God did not place limits on his will then we, and our world, would be nothing more than complex robots. There was a movie remade recently called “The Stepford Wives”. This was a community where wives were replaced with robot wives obedient and uncomplaining to their husband’s whims. There are some who probably think this would be an ideal situation but I think it would become very boring very quickly. God did create a world where things other than his will could be done, where human beings made in God’s image have will.
What is God’s will that will be accomplished? The goal that God is moving toward is redemption of all creation and in particular human beings. We often look at salvation as just involving people but scripture sees redemption in terms of the whole creation, Rom. 8:20-21.
But God has a specific goal for us as human beings. If you want to know what God’s will is for your life then it can be put in very simple terms, he wants you to be like his child Jesus. Paul put it simply in Romans 8:29. Our destiny is to be changed and become like Jesus. That is God’s will. God of course is not looking for clones; he is looking for obedient children. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray that “God’s will be done” he also prayed that in his prayer life. Being obedient to God’s will was a prime attitude in Jesus’ life. Even in his deepest crisis, as he faced death on a cross, he prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”, Matt. 26:39.
III. Praying God’s Will
It seems that God’s will and the will of many human beings are in conflict and that may be why Jesus taught his disciples to pray “your will be done.” The conflict of wills is seen throughout the life of Jesus. People wanted Jesus to be something other than what God wanted Jesus to be. Many wanted a king, others a prophet, still others a miracle worker who would meet their needs. Peter stood in opposition to God’s will in Matt. 16:21-23.
We also struggle with God’s will and the will of those around us. People want us to be different things to them and God may want something else entirely. People often ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” I imagine we have all asked that question at some point or another. Most of us want to do God’s will, as long as it pretty much is what we want to do also. I differ from some people who seem to think God has one way he wants you to follow. I believe there are many things I could do that would serve God within his will. Some of those ways have greater blessing in them than others but all are in service to God. There may be times when there is a specific thing God desires me to do but most of the time I believe we have a range of choices that are within the will of God.
A better question to ask ourselves is, “Will this decision contribute or hinder my transformation into Jesus likeness?” One of the popular catch phrases for Christians is, “What would Jesus do?” But we may be better off asking, “What would Jesus be?” What would he be as a father or mother? What would Jesus be as a student? What would Jesus be as a business person? As an engineer? As a lawyer or doctor?
We do need to pray, “God, your will be done.” But even as we pray it we should be looking for the will of God. He will show us what he wants us to become, in fact he already has.
Livonia Church of Christ: August 21, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Sermon for July 31, 2005
This is the last sermon I preached before we began traveling. I didn't preach at Livonia at all in August and that is the longest period I have been out of the pulpit in the past five years. I am looking forward preaching this coming Sunday.
Weak Prayer
Mark 9:14-29
Introduction: One thing that almost everyone does is to compare themselves to others. Certain people set a standard that everyone else is held up to. This past week Lance Armstrong set a new record of seven Tour de France victories; something that some say will never be equaled. Basketball players are compared to Michael Jordan. We do that spiritually also. Sometimes it is a measure of progress to become like someone. Other times it becomes a source of spiritual pride.
Last week we looked at an example of strong faith and answered prayer. But today’s lesson is about weak prayer, weak faith. I think I can relate more to the father in this lesson today than I can the centurion of last week.
I. Welcome to the Circus
The story is a picture of confusion. Jesus, Peter, James and John are coming down from the mountain where Jesus was changed and the disciples saw his true nature, his glory. They come upon a scene where a large crowd has gathered not to be taught, but because a show is going on. The other disciples have tried to heal this boy who has convulsions and have failed. They are arguing with the teachers of the law and it is probably not a pretty sight. Then Jesus arrives and things get more exciting. You can almost hear people shouting comments and questions at Jesus. The disciples have to speak loudly to be heard. And in the midst of this is a father with a sick child.
We can only imagine what it must have been like for the father. As a father he had to be constantly on guard to keep his child from hurting or even killing himself. The constant concern and worry would have been wearing and discouraging. He had brought his child to see Jesus and had met the disciples instead. He had come hoping against hope that his child could be made well. Parents love their children and suffer when their children suffer. We know this because many of us are parents and we understand even if our child has not been in this situation.
II. Jesus and a Father
In the midst of this circus Jesus encounters this troubled father whose hopes have been dashed again. Jesus asks a question, “What are you arguing with them about?” He asks this of his disciples but before they can answer this father interrupts with his problem and the disciples’ failure.
Jesus’ response conveys a sense of tired frustration. This is taking place at least two years into his ministry. The words, “unbelieving generation” is directed as much to the disciples as it is to the father and the crowd. The boy is brought to Jesus and is immediately attacked by the demon. The father cries out, “If you can do anything have pity on us and help us.” The words are filled with doubt, “If you can” are words that say this is probably beyond your ability but do what you can. After all any improvement would be welcome.
“If you can.” How different that is from the faith of the centurion we looked at last week. It says I don’t know if you are who you claim to be. I don’t know if you have the power to help me, but have mercy and do what you can.
Jesus answer, “Everything is possible for him who believes,” is met with a cry, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Most of us live here don’t we, the twilight zone between belief and unbelief. We struggle hoping that God will have mercy, that God will help us, help our child, and help our neighbor. We suffer, we worry, and we are burdened with anxiety because we don’t know what will happen. I believe, I want to believe but I am full of doubt and uncertainty.
This makes for weak prayer doesn’t it. In fact it is so weak we wonder why we bother because how can God hear such weak prayer as we have to offer? We don’t pray out of great faith but instead it is a faith that stumbles around in the dark bumping into things that make us cry out in pain.
III. The Answer
The end of the story is that the boy is healed. But the disciples are troubled. “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Jesus answers, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Have you ever tried to pray in a circus? Have you ever tried to pray while you were arguing with someone? The disciples were trying to do the right thing but they lost their focus, they got distracted.
Jesus doesn’t pray in this story. We might say he prayed before. After all he was coming down from a period of retreat on a mountain. But still, where is the prayer that caused this demon to leave?
There is a prayer in this passage. It is hidden and a bit hard to see because it is a very weak prayer. The prayer is, “If you can anything, take pity on us and help us.” It is a prayer of desperation and weakness filled with doubt. It is offered in hopelessness not hope. Yet it is heard and it is answered.
We sometimes think that our prayers are answered when we get that faith battery charged up, when we can get the words right and the intensity up. But the truth is God can answer the weakest pray. God answers not because of our prayer, though I do believe we need to pray, need to ask in order to receive. He answers because he is God.
I don’t know why that little boy had to suffer the way he did. I don’t know why God answers some prayers almost instantaneously and others seem to take forever. But the answer doesn’t depend on us, or our faith, it depends on God.
Sometimes weak prayer is all we have to offer, it is all we are capable of. We need to offer that prayer because God hears. God isn’t limited by our doubts and fears. He does want us to believe, he will help us with our unbelief.
Livonia Church of Christ: July 31, 2005
Weak Prayer
Mark 9:14-29
Introduction: One thing that almost everyone does is to compare themselves to others. Certain people set a standard that everyone else is held up to. This past week Lance Armstrong set a new record of seven Tour de France victories; something that some say will never be equaled. Basketball players are compared to Michael Jordan. We do that spiritually also. Sometimes it is a measure of progress to become like someone. Other times it becomes a source of spiritual pride.
Last week we looked at an example of strong faith and answered prayer. But today’s lesson is about weak prayer, weak faith. I think I can relate more to the father in this lesson today than I can the centurion of last week.
I. Welcome to the Circus
The story is a picture of confusion. Jesus, Peter, James and John are coming down from the mountain where Jesus was changed and the disciples saw his true nature, his glory. They come upon a scene where a large crowd has gathered not to be taught, but because a show is going on. The other disciples have tried to heal this boy who has convulsions and have failed. They are arguing with the teachers of the law and it is probably not a pretty sight. Then Jesus arrives and things get more exciting. You can almost hear people shouting comments and questions at Jesus. The disciples have to speak loudly to be heard. And in the midst of this is a father with a sick child.
We can only imagine what it must have been like for the father. As a father he had to be constantly on guard to keep his child from hurting or even killing himself. The constant concern and worry would have been wearing and discouraging. He had brought his child to see Jesus and had met the disciples instead. He had come hoping against hope that his child could be made well. Parents love their children and suffer when their children suffer. We know this because many of us are parents and we understand even if our child has not been in this situation.
II. Jesus and a Father
In the midst of this circus Jesus encounters this troubled father whose hopes have been dashed again. Jesus asks a question, “What are you arguing with them about?” He asks this of his disciples but before they can answer this father interrupts with his problem and the disciples’ failure.
Jesus’ response conveys a sense of tired frustration. This is taking place at least two years into his ministry. The words, “unbelieving generation” is directed as much to the disciples as it is to the father and the crowd. The boy is brought to Jesus and is immediately attacked by the demon. The father cries out, “If you can do anything have pity on us and help us.” The words are filled with doubt, “If you can” are words that say this is probably beyond your ability but do what you can. After all any improvement would be welcome.
“If you can.” How different that is from the faith of the centurion we looked at last week. It says I don’t know if you are who you claim to be. I don’t know if you have the power to help me, but have mercy and do what you can.
Jesus answer, “Everything is possible for him who believes,” is met with a cry, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Most of us live here don’t we, the twilight zone between belief and unbelief. We struggle hoping that God will have mercy, that God will help us, help our child, and help our neighbor. We suffer, we worry, and we are burdened with anxiety because we don’t know what will happen. I believe, I want to believe but I am full of doubt and uncertainty.
This makes for weak prayer doesn’t it. In fact it is so weak we wonder why we bother because how can God hear such weak prayer as we have to offer? We don’t pray out of great faith but instead it is a faith that stumbles around in the dark bumping into things that make us cry out in pain.
III. The Answer
The end of the story is that the boy is healed. But the disciples are troubled. “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Jesus answers, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Have you ever tried to pray in a circus? Have you ever tried to pray while you were arguing with someone? The disciples were trying to do the right thing but they lost their focus, they got distracted.
Jesus doesn’t pray in this story. We might say he prayed before. After all he was coming down from a period of retreat on a mountain. But still, where is the prayer that caused this demon to leave?
There is a prayer in this passage. It is hidden and a bit hard to see because it is a very weak prayer. The prayer is, “If you can anything, take pity on us and help us.” It is a prayer of desperation and weakness filled with doubt. It is offered in hopelessness not hope. Yet it is heard and it is answered.
We sometimes think that our prayers are answered when we get that faith battery charged up, when we can get the words right and the intensity up. But the truth is God can answer the weakest pray. God answers not because of our prayer, though I do believe we need to pray, need to ask in order to receive. He answers because he is God.
I don’t know why that little boy had to suffer the way he did. I don’t know why God answers some prayers almost instantaneously and others seem to take forever. But the answer doesn’t depend on us, or our faith, it depends on God.
Sometimes weak prayer is all we have to offer, it is all we are capable of. We need to offer that prayer because God hears. God isn’t limited by our doubts and fears. He does want us to believe, he will help us with our unbelief.
Livonia Church of Christ: July 31, 2005
Sermon for July 24,2005
I'm late posting this because of all our traveling. This is the second sermon of four on prayer.
Prayer and Faith
Luke 7:1-10
Introduction: When Diane, Matt and I went to Japan a few years ago one of the things that impressed me was all the vending machines. You could buy almost anything from a vending machine including beer. There were vending machines everywhere. The thing about vending machines is, you put money in and you get out something you want. If what we want doesn’t come out then we get angry. That results in several deaths a year in this country when people rock the vending machine to get something out. But what if vending machines were more like slot machines, you put money in and you may get something back once in a while. Would you use the machine?
I. The Problem of Faith and Prayer
In a crude way this is the problem many people see with prayer. You can’t rely on consistent results. Of course this attitude comes out of our western pragmatic view of how things “should” work. Or people may see prayer as a lottery game, if you play often enough you will win sometime. Is faith the golden coin of prayer, the thing that makes it work?
It is not hard to find people who think this way. There are all kinds of people who tell you a miracle is possible if you just have enough, or the right kind of faith. And if you don’t get the miracle then something is defective in your faith. People sometimes even use this miracle story to support such views. I think we will learn something different.
I will not be answering all the questions about faith and prayer in this lesson but I hope that what we read here can tell us something about prayer and about faith.
Today’s story is amazing in several ways. First, the healing takes place at a distance without Jesus ever seeing the sick person. This was unusual in Jesus’ day as it is in our day. Jesus hadn’t seen the person, evidently didn’t know the servant’s name but those things are not limits on God’s power.
But even more remarkable is the fact that the person petitioning Jesus is a Roman soldier, a Gentile. Luke’s gospel is constantly finding faith in unusual places with unusual people. I think Luke, being a Gentile himself, was attracted to those kinds of stories. It was, however, shocking to many Jewish people who thought they had a corner on faith and on God’s power.
II. The Faith of a Soldier
What is the faith of this soldier that Jesus thinks is ‘great’? One thing we learn is that the centurion had heard about Jesus. Every indication is that this man may have been a “God fearer”, a non-Jew who was coming to believe in the Israelite God. Where did he hear about Jesus? Since he had helped build the synagogue he may have gone there to pray and to hear scripture read. People were talking about this unusual rabbi and his amazing power and teaching. The centurion also asked others to intervene, to petition Jesus on his behalf. He felt unworthy to approach Jesus directly but his need was great.
But I believe his faith is seen best in his understanding of Jesus and his power and authority. He saw a parallel between his position and authority and that of Jesus. Jesus had already done many miracles in Capernaum. At Jesus’ word demons had been cast out of people, sicknesses had been healed, and paralyzed people had been made whole. The authority to command is what the centurion saw in Jesus. He has no doubt about Jesus’ ability to do what he asks. But he wasn’t certain what Jesus would do. Once Jesus agreed to help he knew there was no reason for Jesus to come physically, that Jesus’ word, his command, would be sufficient.
The centurion was a man under authority. What does that mean? He was used to giving commands and being obeyed. He was also used to receiving commands and obeying them. I imagine he understood what it was like to obey orders that he could not see a reason for. He knew what it was like to be petitioned by people around him. He had probably see it all: favors asked by friends and strangers, bribes offered, promises made, and on and on. The centurion seems like a good person, not corrupt or arrogant but he knew sometimes he could grant people’s requests and other times he couldn’t, because he was a person under authority. Now it was his turn to ask, to petition, and to see if his request would be granted.
Jesus was amazed. He was amazed at his understanding of the workings of a spiritual realm that his fellow Jews had difficulty grasping. He was amazed at his humility. He was amazed at his faith. He had not found this kind of faith in Israel, and remember his disciples were standing there also when he said this.
III. Prayer and Faith
We can observe several things about this story of prayer and faith. The centurion approached Jesus in an attitude of humility. As one of the most powerful men in that area we might almost expect an approach that was full of demands, pride and flaunting of position but we don’t see that. Such approaches and attitudes have little influence on those with true power.
The faith of the centurion was also one recognizing the conditional nature of prayer. He had no doubt that Jesus could heal his servant but the question was: would Jesus do so? He understood the possibility of a “no” to his request. This is hard for us to understand from where we stand. Why does God answer some requests and not others? Is there something wrong with me, with my faith? These are the wrong questions. The real question is, “Can I trust God even when the answer is not what I want?” Or an even a better question is, “Will I obey God no matter what happens in my life?” That takes a mature understanding of God and prayer, something the Centurion had, but most in Israel did not.
I wish I had an answer to prayer but maybe the answer is to see God as more than a heavenly vending machine. God, the creator of heaven and earth, is merciful and generous but we can’t manipulate him, we can’t control him, we can only trust him and obey him, Isa. 50:10.
Prayer and Faith
Luke 7:1-10
Introduction: When Diane, Matt and I went to Japan a few years ago one of the things that impressed me was all the vending machines. You could buy almost anything from a vending machine including beer. There were vending machines everywhere. The thing about vending machines is, you put money in and you get out something you want. If what we want doesn’t come out then we get angry. That results in several deaths a year in this country when people rock the vending machine to get something out. But what if vending machines were more like slot machines, you put money in and you may get something back once in a while. Would you use the machine?
I. The Problem of Faith and Prayer
In a crude way this is the problem many people see with prayer. You can’t rely on consistent results. Of course this attitude comes out of our western pragmatic view of how things “should” work. Or people may see prayer as a lottery game, if you play often enough you will win sometime. Is faith the golden coin of prayer, the thing that makes it work?
It is not hard to find people who think this way. There are all kinds of people who tell you a miracle is possible if you just have enough, or the right kind of faith. And if you don’t get the miracle then something is defective in your faith. People sometimes even use this miracle story to support such views. I think we will learn something different.
I will not be answering all the questions about faith and prayer in this lesson but I hope that what we read here can tell us something about prayer and about faith.
Today’s story is amazing in several ways. First, the healing takes place at a distance without Jesus ever seeing the sick person. This was unusual in Jesus’ day as it is in our day. Jesus hadn’t seen the person, evidently didn’t know the servant’s name but those things are not limits on God’s power.
But even more remarkable is the fact that the person petitioning Jesus is a Roman soldier, a Gentile. Luke’s gospel is constantly finding faith in unusual places with unusual people. I think Luke, being a Gentile himself, was attracted to those kinds of stories. It was, however, shocking to many Jewish people who thought they had a corner on faith and on God’s power.
II. The Faith of a Soldier
What is the faith of this soldier that Jesus thinks is ‘great’? One thing we learn is that the centurion had heard about Jesus. Every indication is that this man may have been a “God fearer”, a non-Jew who was coming to believe in the Israelite God. Where did he hear about Jesus? Since he had helped build the synagogue he may have gone there to pray and to hear scripture read. People were talking about this unusual rabbi and his amazing power and teaching. The centurion also asked others to intervene, to petition Jesus on his behalf. He felt unworthy to approach Jesus directly but his need was great.
But I believe his faith is seen best in his understanding of Jesus and his power and authority. He saw a parallel between his position and authority and that of Jesus. Jesus had already done many miracles in Capernaum. At Jesus’ word demons had been cast out of people, sicknesses had been healed, and paralyzed people had been made whole. The authority to command is what the centurion saw in Jesus. He has no doubt about Jesus’ ability to do what he asks. But he wasn’t certain what Jesus would do. Once Jesus agreed to help he knew there was no reason for Jesus to come physically, that Jesus’ word, his command, would be sufficient.
The centurion was a man under authority. What does that mean? He was used to giving commands and being obeyed. He was also used to receiving commands and obeying them. I imagine he understood what it was like to obey orders that he could not see a reason for. He knew what it was like to be petitioned by people around him. He had probably see it all: favors asked by friends and strangers, bribes offered, promises made, and on and on. The centurion seems like a good person, not corrupt or arrogant but he knew sometimes he could grant people’s requests and other times he couldn’t, because he was a person under authority. Now it was his turn to ask, to petition, and to see if his request would be granted.
Jesus was amazed. He was amazed at his understanding of the workings of a spiritual realm that his fellow Jews had difficulty grasping. He was amazed at his humility. He was amazed at his faith. He had not found this kind of faith in Israel, and remember his disciples were standing there also when he said this.
III. Prayer and Faith
We can observe several things about this story of prayer and faith. The centurion approached Jesus in an attitude of humility. As one of the most powerful men in that area we might almost expect an approach that was full of demands, pride and flaunting of position but we don’t see that. Such approaches and attitudes have little influence on those with true power.
The faith of the centurion was also one recognizing the conditional nature of prayer. He had no doubt that Jesus could heal his servant but the question was: would Jesus do so? He understood the possibility of a “no” to his request. This is hard for us to understand from where we stand. Why does God answer some requests and not others? Is there something wrong with me, with my faith? These are the wrong questions. The real question is, “Can I trust God even when the answer is not what I want?” Or an even a better question is, “Will I obey God no matter what happens in my life?” That takes a mature understanding of God and prayer, something the Centurion had, but most in Israel did not.
I wish I had an answer to prayer but maybe the answer is to see God as more than a heavenly vending machine. God, the creator of heaven and earth, is merciful and generous but we can’t manipulate him, we can’t control him, we can only trust him and obey him, Isa. 50:10.
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