WEBVTT 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:04.480 Welcome to the MetaCurch Podcast. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:05.440 My name is Clayton. 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:14.240 I'm the pastor at MetaCurch, and I hope that today's message is inspiring and enlightening and really builds you up wherever you're at in life. 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.879 All right, MetaCurch, how are you guys doing? 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:20.000 Yeah. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:24.640 I want to welcome you in wherever you're joining us from. 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.879 If you're here, one of our locations here in Helotus, or if you're with us online, I want to welcome everybody in. 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:32.880 If you're new with us, my name is Clayton. 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.280 I'm the lead pastor here at MetaCurch. 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:41.039 And we are moving in to the third section of Luke's gospel. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:43.439 Who's excited to get back into Luke today? 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:50.560 If you are new, I'm going to give you a brief overview so you can track with us. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:01:00.880 I do want you to know you can go to youtube.com slash metachurch and you can catch up on a year's worth of sermons as we've been walking verse by verse through the gospel of Luke. 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:03.679 There are a lot of ways that you can spend your time. 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:05.840 There are a lot of things that you can listen to. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:11.040 I think going slowly through the historical account of the life of Jesus would be very edifying to your life. 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:12.239 So think about doing that. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.879 We've broken this down into seven sections. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:17.519 You're not going to find those sections in the Word. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:21.599 These are our sections that we've put together to help follow the narrative. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:23.760 Section one we called the Chosen King. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:26.319 This was broadly about the birth of Jesus Christ. 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.319 Here's the big takeaway is that Jesus came to be a lot of things. 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:34.640 He came to be savior and messiah and healer and preacher and teacher. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:44.640 But when the prophecy came from heaven about who Jesus would be, the angel told Mary, He will be the king. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:49.680 Not a king, one among many, the king, one of one. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:50.560 Amen? 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:52.079 We moved into section two. 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:53.280 We called that the kingdom way. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:55.680 This is when Jesus starts his ministry here on earth. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:02:06.000 He's demonstrating and he's declaring the way that that kingdom operates and how you and I can start playing a vital role in that kingdom right here and right now. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:09.280 That second section ended with Jesus' most famous sermon. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:14.800 We believe this is the message that Jesus traveled with and would preach everywhere he went. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:16.240 It's called the Sermon on the Mount. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.000 Luke also calls it the Sermon on the Plane or in the field. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:23.039 In this message, he tells us a few things. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:25.039 Number one, we don't know how life works. 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:27.360 Number two, we don't really understand reality. 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:30.319 We don't really understand how to measure success. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:48.800 And so we have to start with the humility to surrender living for our own kingdoms here in this world, kingdoms that are ultimately going nowhere, investing all we are and all we have into all the lies that the world puts in front of us all the time, building up a bunch of things in this life that will just simply burn someday. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:03:01.360 And instead, we can surrender to Jesus and start living as a part of the kingdom of God right here, right now, investing who we are in the kingdom of God right here, right now, and building the kingdom of God right here and right now. 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:02.240 Amen. 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.520 And he goes, if you want to do this, that's the whole sermon. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.080 Here are the values of the kingdom. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:12.479 Let me remind you where we ended the last time we were in Luke. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:18.719 At the end of Luke chapter 6, Jesus says, Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do the things I say? 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:23.280 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my word, and acts on them. 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:28.000 He's like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:33.919 And when the flood came, the river crashed against that house and could not shake it because it was well built. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:47.840 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, and the river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed, and the destruction of that house was great. 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:59.199 Jesus gets to the end of his most famous sermon where he tells you and I how we can start living as a part of the kingdom of heaven right here and right now, and he just hits us with the bottom line. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:00.639 This is his mic drop moment. 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:08.879 Right at the end of the message, he just goes, So, you're either going to do it or you're not. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:15.280 You've heard it, the revelation from the mouth of God Himself, you've heard it. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:17.920 Will you do it? 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:40.639 We're moving into a new section now of Luke, and this is an important section because we are looking at who the people are who will do it, who will surrender to the king, who will forfeit their right to be their own king and their own God and live for all the kingdoms of this world, who will follow Jesus no matter the cost. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:43.040 Who are those people? 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:46.000 This section will answer that question. 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:49.120 They are the king's people. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.480 And I don't know about you. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:58.079 I want to be one of the king's kind of people. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:09.279 I want Jesus to look at my life, how I'm living, how I'm stewarding my relationships, how I'm stewarding my finances, how I'm interacting with strangers, how I'm using my gifts and talents. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:18.560 I want so badly for Jesus to look down from heaven to see my life and to go, hey, that's my guy. 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.720 That's one of my kind of people. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:24.480 We're looking at the king's people. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:26.319 We're now in Luke chapter 7. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:32.000 I want to look at verse 1 and just remind you a few things about the historical account that Luke is telling in verse 1. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.720 It says, when he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:38.319 Luke is very careful. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:43.759 When he had finished, this is immediate action, he goes and leads us into this next passage. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:54.560 I say all this to say, we're gonna start learning who the king's people are, and this isn't like a week removed from Jesus preaching the sermon, introducing and inviting people into the kingdom. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.800 This isn't a month removed, this isn't a year removed, this is immediate action. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.240 Luke is very careful, he's an unbelievable historian. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:10.800 And Luke, because he's following the life of Jesus, is always disrupting our expectations because Jesus is always disrupting our expectations. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:20.160 Jesus was living, preaching, and teaching in a Jewish context in the ancient Near East, about 2,000 years ago. 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:24.399 We all have assumptions that we bring to our life. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:29.279 Jesus' disciples, they were all Jewish, Jewish men and women who were following him. 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.279 And these hundred or two hundred disciples would have had assumptions. 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:37.360 Jesus just very obviously inaugurated a new kingdom. 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:42.079 The question is, what kind of people belong to the king? 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:48.480 Here are the assumptions an ancient Jewish person would have made, any ancient person would have made. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:55.279 The number one most obvious thing that would delineate who belongs in any given kingdom is their ethnicity. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:57.120 Now we don't think like that. 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:08.399 And we think that we got beyond judging each other primarily by ethnicity and race because we're so enlightened and we're so brilliant and we're just the smartest people who've ever lived. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:09.920 That's not true. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:14.639 We don't see each other that way because George Washington had a good idea. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:18.560 We don't think that way because someone in the Enlightenment had a good idea. 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:26.480 For all of human history, everybody divided along ethnicity, it's the most obvious in-group. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:33.439 The people who look like me, who have my culture, who have my thoughts, who grow up in proximity to me. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:38.319 Everyone divided along ethnicity forever until Jesus. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:41.120 The West didn't solve this problem. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.360 Great thinkers did not solve this problem. 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:52.079 God, who created all of the different ethnicities, stepped out of heaven and into our world and hung on a cross for all people. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:55.839 And that is the moment that that dividing line started going away. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.160 And by the way, it was only Christianity that did this to our culture. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:02.560 It was only Christianity that moved us to this. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:09.120 And our culture is moving so far away from Christianity, you're starting to see people once again organized by ethnicity. 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:13.600 And so we're not a Christian culture anymore, and we're not a post-Christian culture anymore. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:18.319 We are a pre-pagan culture now, and pagan cultures always divide along ethnicity. 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:24.959 So, culture, beware, keep playing stupid games, and we will end up right back in the mess that we were for almost all of human history. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:28.959 Everyone divides kingdoms by ethnicity in the ancient world forever. 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:35.200 So if you're one of Jesus' Jewish disciples, you're going, okay, Jesus is the king and Jesus is starting a kingdom. 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:42.639 Obviously, the kingdom will be made up of Israelites, Jewish people. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.240 That's how the world divides things up. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:09:07.759 Now, here's what's interesting if you know anything about your Bible, is when God created the nation of Israel out of one man named Abraham, the very first thing he told Abraham is, look, I'm gonna make you into a great nation, and the purpose of that nation is to bless all the other nations, to be the light of God to everyone everywhere. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.080 The problem is the Jewish people had been persecuted their entire existence. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:17.120 They were taken captive by Egypt, they were taken captive by Assyria, they were taken captive by Babylon. 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:22.159 And now, even as Jesus walks the earth, they have been occupied by Rome. 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:29.840 Rome has its soldiers all over their provinces, keeping them in line, treating them like dogs. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:31.440 They hate Rome. 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:39.600 The first thing that you would look for as an assumption in the ancient world, if there's a kingdom, it will be homogeneous. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.320 It will be a bunch of people who look like me. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:46.000 Here's the second assumption the disciples probably had. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.200 Jesus is a spiritual rabbi. 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:54.399 And so obviously, this will be someone who has the right religious upbringing. 00:09:54.720 --> 00:10:03.600 Someone who was consecrated at the temple and never misses the Passover and never misses weekly synagogue, who follows all 613 rules and regulations. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:12.559 Obviously, those are the king's type of people, people who look like him and think like him and were raised in the same religion he was raised in. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.679 And Jesus just keeps exploding our expectations. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:26.080 Let me show you who the first person that we can say is the king's type of people shows up in Luke. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:33.120 In verse 2, it says, a centurion's servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:42.559 And when the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting Jesus to come and save the life of his servant, a centurion. 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:45.759 If you're not familiar, this means he's not Jewish. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.000 In fact, he's a Roman. 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:50.480 He is the occupier. 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:56.320 He is the greatest enemy to the Jewish people in the time of Christ. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.600 Not only is he Roman, he is a Roman soldier. 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:16.879 Rome had laws on the books that they could come and grab any Jewish male and force them into labor, force them to carry their equipment, that they would walk around, they would mistreat, even abuse the Jewish people and dare you to do something about it. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:21.519 They would command you and you must follow their commands because they are the occupying force. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:22.720 They hated Rome. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:27.679 Not only is he Roman, not only is he a Roman soldier, he's a centurion. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:34.240 A centurion is someone chosen by Rome to lead 100 other soldiers. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:39.519 He is a capital L leader for Rome. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:44.720 And this is the first person that Luke introduces us to. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:51.919 Now I want you to see that although he is Roman and a soldier and a centurion, he is a very strange guy. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:57.360 He breaks the mold of how most people interacted with the Roman soldiers. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:11:58.879 Let's look at this again. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.919 A centurion's servant was about to die. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:12.639 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some, listen, Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.840 I want to point out three things that are strange. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:28.000 The first is that this very influential, powerful, wealthy leader has a servant, and he thinks the servant is nearing death. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:35.279 And he cares so deeply that he puts his entire reputation on the line to try and get a hold of Jesus. 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:45.360 Now, look, we are like modern people who, whether you even believe in Jesus, your life has been so shaped by Jesus, you have no idea the compassion that we have, the way we view other people. 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:47.360 In the ancient world, this is harsh. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.200 You can barely stomach this idea. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:50.320 This was real. 00:12:51.039 --> 00:13:00.639 In the ancient world, for a powerful leader to have a servant that dies, it was more like having a Dyson that dies. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:05.840 It's inconvenient because you gotta go buy a new vacuum cleaner. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:11.440 That's how most people would have seen this, but not him. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:15.360 He cares deeply for his servants. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:17.360 That's odd. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.679 Here's the second thing that's odd. 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:24.720 He's not just a Roman soldier, he's a centurion, he's very powerful. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:34.559 You'll notice he requests, he asks politely for Jesus to do him this favor. 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:39.039 That's not how occupying forces act. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:41.440 There are no requests. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:52.720 If a Roman centurion wants something from you, he unsheaths his sword, he puts it on your neck, and he commands you to do it, or he will kill you and bury you with the dogs. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:57.440 He just asks almost sheepishly. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:05.840 Like, look, I know he's busy, but if you happen to see him, if you could just ask for me, it's odd. 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:19.440 The third thing that I hope you already saw in the text, strangest of all, the people who are coming to Jesus to advocate for this Roman soldier are the Jewish elders of the town. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:25.840 These aren't like 17-year-olds that maybe he could have bribed to go and make a case for him. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:32.639 These are the elders of the town, those who hold wisdom, those who set the standards for the culture of the village. 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:34.960 The Jewish elders go. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:36.720 Very strange indeed. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:42.639 We find out why Jewish elders would go and advocate for this Roman soldier in the next two verses. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:52.159 In verse 4, it says, When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, He is worthy. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:53.919 Put a pin in that. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:15:03.600 This Roman soldier is worthy for you to grant this because he loves our nation and he has built us a synagogue. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:05.840 They're laying out his resume. 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:07.679 He's a good guy. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:12.320 As a matter of fact, look, Jesus, look, we know he's Roman and he's a soldier. 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:14.879 As a matter of fact, he's a centurion, and that's not great. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:17.600 And most of these guys treat us terribly, and they're the occupying force. 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:20.480 We get it, they're the enemy, but not this guy. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:23.200 This guy loves our nation. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:41.759 To a Jewish person in the ancient world, that's the same thing as saying he loves our people, and he even built us our synagogue, our local place of worship, which probably means he was a funder, maybe even the primary funder of their local synagogue. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:48.559 Now there are people who show up all over scripture that are just like this, and we have a name for them. 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:50.320 Let me describe them first. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:59.279 These are people who, in their context, really should not believe in the one true God, the God of Israel. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.360 But somehow they do. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:07.919 And what we call these people throughout scripture is we call them a God fearer. 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:25.200 We're gonna learn in just a few weeks, an incredible passage later in Luke chapter 7, that we are given more and more revelation from God based on how we receive and apply the revelation already given. 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:41.039 In Romans chapters 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul lays out the case that God is revealing himself to all people in all places, all of the time, so that nobody stands without a lack of excuse. 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:43.840 It's like God has been revealing himself. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:49.200 This centurion was placed in the middle of Israel, surrounded by people who served the one true God. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:58.559 The more he learned about that God, the more he received that revelation and acted on it, the more revelation he got, to the point where now he fears God, he loves God's people, he's even supporting them. 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:05.839 Check this out he built them a synagogue that he would never be allowed to walk into and worship. 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:09.680 He is a God fearer. 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:16.559 He's the wrong guy from the wrong family, from the wrong empire, in the wrong job. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:25.200 But he's heard about Jesus, and every time revelation comes to him, he responds to that revelation. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:28.640 And finally, he has a servant and he cares about the servant. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.759 And he has a great relationship with the Jewish elders. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.359 And he says, guys, I've heard about Jesus. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:42.319 Do you think you could ask him if he'd come heal my servant? 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:56.960 Now look, for us, where we are often seeking vengeance, we are often holding grudges, when we see someone that positions themselves as an enemy against us, we have no intention of doing anything for them. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:00.400 But think about where we were in the last chapter. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:05.920 Jesus, in his most famous sermon, said, Hey, if you want to like live in the kingdom, you can do it right here and right now. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.920 Here's the values that you have to live out. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.319 It's the second section he taught. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.960 He goes, Hey, you want to know something really radical? 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:15.680 Here's what we're gonna do with our enemies. 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:18.640 We're gonna love them. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:21.279 Not like them, not tolerate them. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.920 We are going to love our enemies. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:27.839 We will find ways to do good to our enemies. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:30.400 We will pray for our enemies. 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:35.680 And if there is occasion, we will bless our enemies. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:41.440 Man, we should just be thankful to Jesus that he doesn't just preach a good message and not walk it out. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:44.640 He always walks out what he preaches. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:45.920 And so I want to slow down. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:50.960 I'm gonna say for the 400,000th time, you gotta slow down when you're reading scripture. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:58.880 I'm only gonna look at the first four words of the next verse, and then we're gonna pause and try to get it from our minds down into our hearts. 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:00.799 Here's what it says: four words. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:03.839 Jesus went with them. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:14.400 I want you to try and imagine being the Roman centurion. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.519 And you've become a God fearer. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:24.640 You know and are growing to love the God of the Israelites. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:29.680 You're actively worshiping him through your participation in the community. 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:34.079 You're beginning to change the way that you see the people around you, even your servants. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:39.519 We don't know this, scripture doesn't say. 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.000 I'm trying to put myself in his shoes. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:49.200 If I'm him, I am nervous to ask Jesus who doesn't know me. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:54.480 I am nervous as a Roman centurion, the occupying enemy. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:58.799 I am nervous to ask the Jewish rabbi to do me a favor. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:01.680 We have done nothing but oppress you. 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.759 We have done nothing but bankrupt you. 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:06.559 We have done nothing but treat you worse than dogs. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:08.799 And now I need a favor. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.880 He doesn't even go himself. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:15.039 He sends his buddies. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:19.359 My guess is he was like, look, I'm pragmatic. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.920 Maybe there's like a 1% chance Jesus would do this. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:24.079 If you guys don't think it's worth asking, it's fine. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:30.720 But maybe if you see Jesus and he's not too busy and he looks like he's in a good mood, like maybe you could float this idea to him. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:35.279 He takes a step of faith. 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:41.279 Jesus receives his faith and he heads straight towards him. 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:44.799 Why am I belaboring the point? 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:47.599 Because there is somebody who is listening. 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:50.160 I don't know if you're here in Helotus, I don't know if you're online. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:58.799 There's somebody who's listening to this right now, and you know there is nothing this world can offer you that's going to bring you the hope you're looking for. 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:09.759 You know there's nothing this world can give you that will give you the peace that you're so desperate for, that will finally let your anxiety subside, that will finally fix your broken marriage, that will give you hope for your children who are rebellious. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:16.160 There's nothing in this world because you've tried all the things in this world and you're even open to the idea of Jesus. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:23.359 But man, you've been an enemy of God for so long that you've convinced yourself Jesus wants nothing to do with you. 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:24.799 You know why this is in Luke? 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:35.839 Because Jesus wants you to see the wrong guy from the wrong family, from the wrong empire, with the wrong background and the wrong job, who in a moment of faith reaches out to Jesus and he comes running. 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:48.400 There is someone under the sound of my voice today who just needs to take a step of faith. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:53.519 You don't know Jesus, but Jesus knows you. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:59.759 And he knows you because he's been pursuing you all the days of your life. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.799 Life. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:05.119 And that means he saw that. 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:10.880 You know that moment where you did more damage than you've done at any other point in your life? 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:14.880 You know the moment where you hurt more people, people who will never forgive you. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:19.359 You know the moments in the darkness with the habit that no one has discovered yet. 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:20.079 Yes. 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:23.680 He sees all of it and he just keeps pursuing you. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.720 He loves you. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:31.359 And if you'd let him, he would show you all those things, all those sins, all those mistakes, all that hurt. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:33.680 I already nailed it to my cross. 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:35.599 It's already been taken care of. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:37.599 Your debt's already been paid. 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:40.640 Just turn to me, talk to me, call out to me. 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:43.759 And he will come running. 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.640 Here's what we're gonna see in the centurion. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.559 It's man, it's so important. 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:58.400 We are going to see someone who sees Jesus accurately. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:01.119 Let me show you evidence of this. 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:18.480 Jesus went with him, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, Lord, don't trouble yourself, since, listen, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:27.119 That's why, he tells Jesus, that's why I didn't even consider myself worthy to come to you in the first place. 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:29.759 We have a problem. 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:32.319 What did the Jewish elders say? 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.480 Jesus, I know, I know, I know, I know. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:36.799 He's Roman and they're terrible and they're our enemy. 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:40.160 This guy, he is worthy. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:45.920 Now Jesus hears from the guy himself, and he says the exact opposite. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.119 Jesus, I'm I'm not worthy. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:52.880 I don't want you coming to my house. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.599 As a matter of fact, it's why I couldn't even show up face to face. 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:00.319 It wasn't laziness, it wasn't a power trip. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.720 He wasn't like, I'm not going, you guys go for me. 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:04.960 He's like, I'm not worthy. 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:06.720 Think about what's happening. 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:15.440 The Jewish elders show up to Jesus and they think that he is worthy based on the centurion's resume. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:24.160 He's a God fearer, he loves our people, he built a synagogue, he's been generous, he doesn't leverage his power over us, he cares for his servants. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:26.319 They're leading with his resume. 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:34.079 The centurions think he is not worthy because he's not looking at his resume, he's looking at Christ's. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.000 Let's see your 40 time. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.680 How quick can you get here? 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:52.720 We are the most entitled people who've ever walked the earth. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:26:02.000 And it shows up in our relationship with God, and it shows up in our prayers. 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:06.240 Now, if you're new, I do want to make something like really, really clear. 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:13.359 When I'm up here and I have the mic, and I I just I want to make this clear. 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:18.079 When I say we, I don't mean you guys and not me. 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:21.359 I mean we, nosotros. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:22.160 I mean we. 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:30.160 And so so often I'm entitled. 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:33.920 And I I try to pray honest prayers. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:38.960 So I'll be like, God, I'm already thinking it, so I'll say it. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:44.799 And then I'll just like brace for lightning, or you know, I'm like, God, what's taking so long? 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:50.720 And it's just entitlement, it's me not seeing Jesus accurately. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:57.200 There are times we feel like we kind of deserve God to move on our behalf. 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:00.079 It's like, God, I've been a decent guy. 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:03.200 I'm an okay husband. 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.440 Like, I'm not asking for a lot. 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:14.079 He's like, hey man, I know who you are. 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:17.680 I see you accurately. 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:20.480 You don't have to come all this way. 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:23.680 As a matter of fact, I'm not even worthy of that. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:26.400 I want you to see two things. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:33.200 I want you to see the unreal, audacious faith of this Roman soldier. 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:37.279 And then I want us to see what that faith is rooted in. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:39.359 This is so unbelievable. 00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:49.759 The end of verse seven, he says, but Jesus, say the word, and my servant will be healed. 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:53.519 The audacity. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:56.880 This guy's obviously heard about Jesus. 00:27:57.039 --> 00:28:02.799 Here's the thing about Jesus at this point in his ministry: every miracle has been face to face. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.920 Most of them have required touching. 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:08.319 It's like how miracles work. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:18.240 And somehow, this soldier, who's not even one of God's chosen people at that time, is like, you know what? 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:21.119 Just do it long distance. 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:23.359 Just Amazon the miracle. 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:25.279 It will be here tomorrow morning. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:28.640 How? 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:37.440 No touch, no magic words, no spitting in the mud, no bathing in the river. 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:38.720 Just say the word. 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:40.240 Let me remind you. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:44.240 This Roman centurion is a God fearer. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:49.519 In ancient Judaism, they were a proud people. 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.559 They grew very suspicious of all other ethnicities. 00:28:52.720 --> 00:29:02.799 However, in their law, there was a path for people who were not ethnically Jewish to start down the path of Judaism. 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:19.920 Now there were limitations, but if you were becoming a God fearer, the first thing that you would learn would come from the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Jewish scriptures. 00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:21.519 Here's what it says. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:33.119 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:40.000 How does this guy think that Jesus can stop halfway to his house and do a miracle just by speaking a word? 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:46.480 Verse 3, and then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:52.240 And then God said, Let the waters come across and create land. 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:57.920 And then God said, Let there be animals and birds in the sky and fish in the sea. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.400 And God spoke it and it was so. 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:07.039 The first thing he would have learned is that when God moves, he can move just through speaking. 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:08.880 He goes, Jesus, I don't need to bother you. 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:11.759 You don't need to become unclean in the eyes of your people to come into my house. 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:13.279 You don't need to take one step further. 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:14.799 I think I know who you are. 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:18.480 So why don't you just say the word and it will be so? 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:29.680 That is audacious king's people level faith. 00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:32.799 Where did it come from? 00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:41.440 The source of this faith is the crux of our message today. 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.440 You're like, I thought we were done. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:45.440 I haven't started the message. 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:59.759 It is the crux of us being the kind of people that Jesus peers down from the throne room of heaven and goes, That's my guy. 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:02.160 That's my girl right there. 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:04.160 Those are my people. 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:10.160 It starts with the understanding that rooted the faith of the centurion. 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:13.279 We're gonna look at one verse three times. 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:19.680 Verse 8 says this, For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:22.880 I say to this soldier, go and he goes. 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:25.599 I say to another soldier, come and he comes. 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:30.480 And to my servant, I say, do this, and you better believe he does it. 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:37.440 All of this comes down to one word, a word we're very, very uncomfortable with. 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:39.039 Authority. 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:46.799 We want as much authority as we can get to leverage over others. 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:54.400 We do not want to give away any of our authority ever, and we hate when people leverage authority on us. 00:31:56.319 --> 00:32:04.960 I don't know how many speeding tickets you've gotten in your life, but I've gotten more than you. 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:26.240 And every time I've gotten a speeding ticket, I hate admitting this, I was speeding every time, and usually not a little bit, and every time I see the lights and I hear the I'm mad. 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:29.119 And I'm not mad at myself. 00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:33.519 How dare this officer do his job? 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:36.880 You think you got some authority over me? 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:38.720 And he's like, Yes, I do. 00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:40.559 That will be$350. 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:42.880 We hate it. 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:50.240 No one had to teach your four-year-old to just loathe when you tell them to do something they don't want to do. 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:54.319 That's just like hardwired into the package. 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:58.079 We don't like people putting authority on us. 00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:01.759 We want as much as we can get, and we never want to surrender our authority. 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:03.920 Once we have it, we'll never let it go. 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:13.359 Because of that, most people read verse 8 and they miss it. 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:22.079 Because what we heard was the centurion go, look, bro, I'm one of the top leaders in the world's largest empire. 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:24.240 I have a hundred guys under my command. 00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:26.640 I say jumped, they say how high. 00:33:27.039 --> 00:33:28.880 I want a coffee, they give me a coffee. 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:31.599 Like, I'm the man, I have authority. 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:33.039 Here's the problem. 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.079 That's not what he said. 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:38.400 Let's look at it again. 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:42.400 He first says, For I too am a man where? 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:46.079 Under authority. 00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:50.160 And I also have soldiers under my command. 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:51.279 And I say to this one, go. 00:33:51.359 --> 00:33:55.039 And he goes into another calm, and he calms and to my servant, do this, and he does it. 00:33:56.079 --> 00:34:00.720 I am a man under authority. 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:10.480 This is how a Roman centurion could spot in Jesus what almost none of his own people could see. 00:34:11.840 --> 00:34:14.239 He understood authority. 00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:17.840 Here's what it meant to be a centurion. 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:26.320 What he's not saying is like, I in my own power say, go do this, and my soldiers say, Yes, sir, and they go do this. 00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:29.440 He's saying, I can do that. 00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:34.079 I can say jump and they will ask how ha, not because of me. 00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:41.360 They are under my authority only because I am under a greater authority. 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:48.079 What it meant to be a centurion is your commands are backed by Rome itself. 00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:55.920 What it meant to be a centurion is that you had the seal of approval of Caesar himself. 00:34:56.079 --> 00:35:01.920 And when you spoke, it was the same thing as Caesar speaking. 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:07.679 The soldier wouldn't be saying no to the centurion, the soldier would be saying no to Caesar. 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:10.159 He'd be saying no to Rome. 00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:14.639