The Power Of Faith (Luke 7:1-10)

What kind of faith causes Jesus to stop and marvel?

In this message from Luke 7:1–10, Pastor Todd explores the incredible story of the Roman centurion—a man whose faith amazed Jesus. While the miracle of healing is remarkable, the heart of this passage is about something even greater: trusting in the authority of Jesus.

Discover how genuine faith pushes past barriers, depends on God's grace instead of personal worthiness, and trusts Jesus completely even without seeing immediate results. Whether you've walked with Christ for years or are just beginning to explore faith, this message is a powerful reminder that Jesus isn't looking for perfect people—He's looking for people who trust Him.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to place your total faith in God, this sermon will challenge and encourage you to move beyond excuses, abandon self-reliance, and confidently rest in the mercy and authority of Christ.

In this message, you'll discover:

• Why faith begins when your need becomes bigger than your excuses.
• The difference between earning God's favor and receiving His grace.
• What kind of faith amazes Jesus.
• Why faith—not perfection—is the only qualification Jesus requires.

Whether you're facing uncertainty, carrying a burden, or longing to trust God more deeply, this message will encourage you to ask: If Jesus looked at my faith today, what would He see?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good morning. Glad you're here. So, what time in your life did you have to have total faith in God? Has there ever been a time in your life that you're like, you know what? I have to, in this moment of my life, I have to have total faith in God. So there's times in my marriage that my wife, I come to her and I'm like, hey, babe, listen, I'll say, I got an idea, or God's been talking to me about something. And she's usually her stress level usually goes through the roof because it is usually not anything small. Okay. If you haven't, if you ever hung out with me, I'm kind of what you call a visionary. Uh, and so God doesn't give me small dreams. Uh, praise the Lord, though, he doesn't give me small dreams because you're not sitting in a small dream. Amen. And so we went down to Guatemala, and I always like to go on trips first before I take people down there. Uh, so my wife had been bugging me, and she was like, you know, husband, you guys, your wife ever tell you that we need to do something, but she means you need to do something, right? No, I'm the only one. Okay. Uh, so I was like, I don't know how to answer this. She's sitting right next to me. Uh my wife said, We need to take our kids on a mission trip. And I said, Okay, I knew what that meant. I could either stay home with the youngest two and let my wife take my kids to a foreign country, or I could take the older two to a foreign country, and so I chose to take the older two to a foreign country. Now, there were two missionaries uh at the time that God had been speaking to her about this. We were on another mission trip, and so we were speaking at the time to our missions director for North Texas, and we said, what would be a good trip for the kid for our older two kids if we told them their age? And he said, you know what? Latin America would be great. If you don't know why Latin America would be great, it's because the flight is only three to four hours. If you go anywhere else in the world, the flight's like nine, ten, twelve, twenty fours. Uh, if you've ever been on a plane with a kid, that's a long time, okay? And so he gave us two missionaries, one in El Salvador and one in Guatemala. And so we reached out to both missionaries, and the one that seemed to work out was Guatemala. So we went down to Guatemala with Kenny and Lacey Horton. Uh, and we did, I had only planned on going down there because my wife told me so. But here's here's what happens sometimes. God has plans for things, amen. And so while I was there, God began to speak to me. And I was talking to the missionary, and he kept saying, you know, this is this is over and above our missions funding. And I go, okay, uh, I know what that means. I'm a pastor. Over and above means it's not in the budget. Okay. So if I ever say over and above, I mean it's not in the budget. And so he kept saying, he kept saying, he kept saying, and I came to him and the Lord, the Lord spoke to me on the final day. He's like, Listen, I want you to go to the missionary and I want you to cover the whole project. And I'm like, yes. Okay, Lord. Then I went to the missionary and I said, How much would it take to cover the whole project? He goes, Um, and listen, we're in a very poor country. And so the number that I had in my mind was not the number that he had in his mind. I was like, ah, two, three thousand dollars that could cover this, right? So I went to the missionary and he said, Listen, I think about twelve thousand dollars will get it done. And I'm like, cool. So I went back to God and said, Listen, God, we've never given $12,000 for anything outside of the church. And you know what? God talks to me maybe a little differently than he talks to you. He says, So I said, okay, well, I'll go to our board of directors. Now, if you don't know, our structure is our board of directors, uh, veto things. And if I'm gonna do a $12,000 project, I don't necessarily have the power to do that by myself. I have to have everybody's vote for that. So I taught them up, I wrote up a good message, uh, and I was like, okay, surely the directors will shoot it down and we can move on. Uh, and I shot it to them. They asked some questions and they were like, you know what? I think we can do it. Like, dang it. Uh and so I left Guatemala and then I came back and we we did uh I think the first year we did eat the iguana. Was that the that the year? Uh and and so I ended up eating a pig liver because the iguana was full of worms when they opened it up, and they decided let's not feed the American worms. I am appreciative of that. But but here's what happened: my faith in you wasn't enough. I said, Lord, I don't know that my church can do that, I don't know that they can do that, I don't know that we can raise that much money. Let me tell you what, not only have you done it once, you've done it three times. And so let me tell you, sometimes when God puts a dream in your head and you spend so much time arguing with him as to why he can't do it, maybe, just maybe, and let me let me tell you from experience, maybe stop wasting so much effort at trying to tell him why he can't do it and just shut up and get to work. Because there's only two times in the gospels where we're told that Jesus was amazed. One time was in Mark 6, 6, where he was amazed at the unbelief of the people. Today we are talking about the second time he was amazed at faith. How many of you this morning want Jesus to be amazed at the faith that you have in him? Think about it. Think about that moment. The one who created the universe, who knows all things, who sees every heart, stopped and marveled at the faith of not necessarily a Christian, but he marvels at the faith of a Roman centurion. At first glance, this looks like a miracle story, but Luke isn't primarily interested in the miracle. He's interested in the faith that is behind the miracle. The question of this passage isn't simply, can Jesus heal? I think everybody in this room knows that Jesus can heal. The question is, do you really believe that Jesus has the authority to do what he says he's going to do? Do you really believe that Jesus has the authority? And let me tell you, when I was sitting in Guatemala writing the base camp message, if you don't know what base camp is, don't worry about it, it's kind of like text message. Base camp message to our board of directors, going, they're not gonna go for this. Do you really have the faith that your God can do what he says? Because let me tell you, I've preached a hundred times that I bel I serve the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but then I tell him he can't raise twelve thousand dollars. I serve the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but sometimes we go, God, I don't know if you can pay my electric bill. God, I'm gonna withhold my tithe because I don't know that you're gonna be there. So this morning, I want to talk to you about the power of faith. So if you're taking notes, that's the title of my message. The power of faith. The power of faith. So if you have your Bibles, grab them. Go to Luke chapter 7. We're gonna start in verse one this morning. If you don't have your Bible, don't worry about it. Uh, tap with your phone for some of you that are wise guys, you know, you tap with your hand, uh, tap with your phone. That was for you, Mr. Godfrey. Uh, tap with your phone. Uh and you could pull up Church Center app, scroll down to sermon notes, and you can fill in the blank, and they will now save. Uh, one quick announcement. I am told that they could use some help with the yard. Uh, so if you interested or talented in mowing grass, uh come see me uh or Justin here on the front row, uh, and we will get you to the right people. Uh, we have all the equipment, we just need your skills. Okay, in the mighty name of Jesus. Okay, so let's get into it. The power of faith. Luke chapter 7. We're gonna start in verse 1 this morning. After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now, a Caturian had a servant who was sick, and at this point, and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the Csaturier heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue. So the first thing, the power of faith, is faith seeks Jesus despite every barrier. Faith seeks Jesus no matter what barriers we face. The centurion shouldn't be there. He's a Roman soldier, he represents the occupying force to the Jews, he's a gentile, he's outside of God's covenant people, yet when his servant is dying, he knows exactly where to turn. Luke tells us something unusual. He loved his servant in the Roman world. Uh, they were replaceable, they were disposable, but not this gap. He saw the value where others saw utility. And so, not only that, he loved the Jewish people, he funded the construction of their synagogue. He became what scholars called a God fearer, someone outside of Judaism who had become convinced that Israel's God was the one true God. Some might argue he was a Christian before Christianity was a thing. And so he didn't let ethnicity become a barrier. He didn't let politics become a barrier, he didn't let religion become a barrier, he didn't let pride become a barrier. He had a need and he believed that Jesus could meet that need. I think about stories that we hear of people who spend years saying, church isn't for me. Or maybe I'm not religious, or maybe I'm not a church person, or you know, maybe I have a lot of church hurt, or God could never want someone like me. Then crisis hits. There's a diagnosis. Maybe a marriage begins to fall apart, maybe they have a child who becomes a prodigal, and suddenly they're needing prayer. What changed? The barrier wasn't removed, the need simply became greater than the barrier. And that's what the Bible is saying this morning. Sometimes it's not that we are seeking Jesus, it's sometimes we come to Jesus because our need becomes so great that coming to church is no longer a barrier. We live in a culture with more people outside of traditional faith than ever before. Many, more than ever before, have checked the nun, meaning they have no spiritual religious affiliation on a religious survey. But that doesn't mean that they're not searching. That means the centurion reminds us that there are people outside of the church walls who may be closer to Jesus than we realize. Don't assume just because someone has politics that you don't think align with the church, don't assume because you think someone who has a background that doesn't necessarily align with the church. Here's the one that's gonna offend you. Don't believe just because someone has a lifestyle that doesn't necessarily align with someone who is in church. Or maybe someone that you think has a history that disqualifies them from being in church. Let me tell you today, if you're here carrying a burden, don't let pride keep you from bringing it to Jesus. Because faith begins when your need becomes greater than your excuses, and that's where I was. My need to please the Lord, because at heart I think we all want to please God. I don't think any of us ever wants to, you know, disappoint the Lord. And God brought me all the way to this country in Central America and said, here is something amazing that I'm doing, and I want you to support it, and I want you to stop making excuses. So guess what I did? Made excuses. And here's the thing: I told the missionary that we would do it. Did I follow up with him? No. Right? I hoped that he would forget. Just like you do. So quit lying. Don't be like, well, Pastor, I would have followed up. No, you wouldn't have. I pastor all you people. Uh but I hoped that he would forget. Well, let me tell you something. Missionaries never forget. If you make a monetary promise to a missionary, they never forget anything. So let's keep going. Verse 6. Where am I at? I lost my place. Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends saying, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I do not presume to come to you, but say the word and let my servant be healed. Number two, faith depends on grace, not worthiness. Faith depends on grace, not worthiness. Did you catch the contrast in this verse? The Jewish elders tell Jesus he's not worthy. The centurion tells Jesus I'm not worthy. The religious leaders point to his accomplishments. The centurion points to his unworthiness. Yet somehow he understands something many religious people never understand. You don't earn grace. The elders were operating in merit. The centurion was operating in mercy. Guys, this morning I want you to understand if you get nothing else from this message, I want you to understand we serve a God of mercy, not a God of merit. Unfortunately, sometimes we tend to make him a God of merit, but he's never been that. And isn't that our tendency? We think God owes us something because we've served. We think God owes us something because we gave to the church. We think God owes us something because we attended or volunteered or behaved like a Christian's supposed to behave. But the gospel's never been about deserving something. The gospel begins when we realize we don't deserve anything. Here's what I want the whole church to understand: you don't deserve anything. What you deserve, you didn't get. And so to ever walk around and think you are owed something as a Christian is never an attitude we should ever have. Imagine standing before a judge in a courtroom and you're guilty of a crime, and you try to persuade the judge. Listen, judge, don't punish me. I used to coach Little League. Or don't punish me. I have donated to Hope Church. Or don't punish me because I mowed my neighbor's yard. And my neighbor is a Nazi about her yard, okay? And I even mowed it one time, and she gave me her critique, and I did it for free. I'm like, I did it for free, but I'll do better next time. Here's the thing: none of us, none of those things remove the guilt. Grace isn't God rewarding good people, grace is God rescuing guilty people. Some of us struggle because we think we're too bad for God. Others struggle because secretly we think we're too good. And they're like, oh no, Pastor, I don't think I'm too good for God. But sometimes we have the attitude that we we think we're too good for things. Let me tell you this morning: the ground at the foot of the cross is level. You don't come to Jesus because you're worthy. You come to Jesus because he's merciful. Faith doesn't say, look at me. Faith says, look at my God. Faith doesn't say, look at what I can do. Faith says, look at what my God has done. And guys, let me tell you, there's probably been hundreds of kiddos saved over the last three years. And it wasn't because I was hard-headed. It was because you were faithful and God responded. Sometimes it just takes one yes from you, and God can do the rest of the work. Because let me tell you, I came that's that Sunday that we started that first year, Christmas in July, and I said, We ain't gonna do this. I started small. I told you, we're gonna raise six thousand dollars because I didn't think you could raise the twelve. And guess what? Before we had ever started, we already raised the six thousand. I just didn't tell you because I wanted to keep raising money. My faith was too low, so there was already egg on my face. But here's the thing you were that first year you responded, we had it raised in two weeks. And God said, See, dummy, I mean, if you'd listened to me the first time, I told you, God doesn't speak to me like he speaks to you, or at least I hope not, because some of you would cry, but I still cry too, but it's fine. Verse 8, let's keep going. For I too am a man set under authority with soldiers under me, and I say to one, go and he goes, and the other come and he comes, and to the to me, to my servant, do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him. Like we said earlier, he marveled at him. And turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. Wouldn't you love if Jesus said that about you? And when those who had been set returned to the house, they found the servant well. Notice, Jesus didn't even touch the guy. He said, Look at that faith. Go, it's done. And he went back to the house. It was already done. Jesus didn't even have to show up, he just did it. Number three. Faith that amazes Jesus is humble, trusting, and available to everyone. Listen, this faith that I'm talking about today is available to each and every one in this room. The only limiting factor is you. Notice Jesus stops, he turns, he announces this man's faith to the crowd. And here's the studying reality: the centurion never sees Jesus, never, Jesus never enters into his house. The miracle happens entirely because of faith in Jesus' authority. The Gentile soldier becomes a preview of what God has always intended. That salvation for the world extends beyond ethical boundaries, beyond every tribe, beyond every nation to every people. The man stood outside of Israel, but his faith placed him inside the kingdom of God. Guys, some of the greatest stories of faith that I've ever witnessed haven't come from people that grew up in church. I've often find that a big barrier for people is if they grew up in the church. They have a lot of set worn paths that sometimes they have to get out of. People who walked into church for the first time carrying shame and discovered mercy. Guys, sometimes those farthest from religion end up closest to Jesus. Guys, Jesus isn't looking for perfect people. In fact, if Jesus walked into this room, he would find no perfect people. And let me tell you this morning, if you're perfect, if you could get up and leave, I would appreciate that. I've been trying to get rid of those people my whole pastorate, right? He's not looking for impressive resumes. He's not looking for religious credentials. He's looking for faith. And maybe the question this morning isn't, do I believe that Jesus exists? Maybe the question is, do you trust his authority enough to stake your life on his word? Do I trust Jesus enough to stake your life on his word? Because here's the thing. The only qualification that we need to follow Jesus is faith. That's it. For by grace we are saved through what? Faith. It's not of works. Because it is what? A gift of God. And so let me challenge you this morning. Where is God challenging you in your faith? Where is God calling you to be better? You know, I tell these stories and you go, a ha ha ha, silly pastor, you should have known that God was going to do that. That's a pretty big story. I mean, because when I brought, what you probably don't know, when I brought the, hey, let's raise money for Guatemala to our board of elders, I thought they would say no because at the time in the year we were behind on our budget. And so what they really, what would have made perfect business sense is to say no. And I hope that they would have said no. Because then I wouldn't have stressed about it for six months. And you know what? I never had to stress about it. Because God was gonna do it. And if I'm being honest with you, can I be honest with you? Every year, when it's Christmas in July, I go, I hope we can do it. I'm walking into this year. We've we've not raised a ton yet, and I'm going, I hope we can do it. And every year, God goes, see, I'm gonna do it. Because our job is just to find the heart of God and have faith. So, what are our transformational moments this morning? Worship team, you can make your way back. I'm gonna roll through these pretty quick. Number one, when in your life have you had a place you had to have total faith in God? When in your life have you had to place your total faith in God? Let me tell you this morning, if you've never been to a place that you've trusted God totally, maybe it's time to start. And what I've found usually, the last place that people want to put their total faith in God is in their finances. I'm good with showing up to church. I'm good with raising my hands when we play when we play kicking worship songs like I don't know the words, guys. I play the guitar. Uh now, if they're on the back screen, I gotcha. Uh but when we sing songs like that, I'm like, man, I can worship when we got rock songs like, yeah. Um then they're like, whoa, and then the preacher gets up and says, hey, give 10% for God. Like, ha ha ha. You can calm down, Pastor. Let me tell you. Total faith in God is trusting him with every aspect of your life. And you know what? The last place most of us put our total faith in God. I don't carry a wallet anymore. So here's my Apple Pay uh wallet. And let me tell you this morning, I know some of you are like, well, Pastor, you're asking me to fund kids in Guatemala. I don't even know if I could afford Christmas for my kids. Let me tell you something. My kids could use them as a Christmas or two. These kids probably won't ever get a Christmas unless you give it. My dad's looking at my mom. See, he said it. You don't have to buy them Christmas. I saw that, Dad. I saw that. Every year I say, Mom, stop buying them stuff, and every year, mom buys them stuff. Number two. What is keeping you from fully trusting Jesus today? What is keeping you from fully trusting Jesus today? Guys, I don't know what that barrier is. Usually mine is my own stubbornness. I say things like, God, you don't know these people that you've given me. And then these people that he's given me, he's like, see, Pastor, I told you the whole time. Whatever. Whatever. And lastly, this morning, if Jesus looked at your faith today, what would he see? Would he be amazed? Or would he be sad? So on our altar time this morning, Justin, can you bring that up here? Here are our Christmas ornaments. Maybe your altar time this morning is just simply grabbing these and praying for some kiddos that you'll never meet. Maybe you need to come grab the globe, go back, tap the chair, and give to Guatemala. Maybe you need this altar time to be for you. And that's okay. That's what you came to church for. Maybe you need somebody to pray for you. And maybe, just maybe, some of us this morning need to put our faith in Jesus for the first time. So I'm asking everybody to bow their head and close their eyes all over the room this morning. Maybe there's some of you this morning that you've never put your hope in Jesus. I'm about to say a prayer, and listen, there's nothing special about this prayer, but I truly believe if you never put your trust in Jesus, if you believe what I'm about to pray, that you could put your faith in Him for the first time. Repeat after me, dear Jesus, I'm a sinner. I need your love in my life. Forgive me where I failed you. I give my heart to you today. Take my life, use it for your purpose. In Jesus' name.