WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.220 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons Podcast, where you can listen to audio from our most 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:10.300 recent sermons and more. 00:00:10.860 --> 00:00:15.100 Thanks for listening, and be sure to add this show to your library if you'd like to automatically 00:00:15.100 --> 00:00:16.820 receive new episodes each week. 00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:28.520 Good morning. 00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:35.920 If you have your Bibles with you, will you open them to Matthew chapter 8 with me? 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:38.260 I'll open mine too as we do that. 00:00:40.040 --> 00:00:44.200 If you do not own a Bible, we'd love to give you one as a gift. 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:49.920 So if you're here this morning and you don't own a copy of God's Word, there at the connections 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:55.200 table in the back, we have Bibles just kind of as our gift to you. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.620 So you can go back there at any point and grab one. 00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:05.100 At this time, our kids who have completed kindergarten through second grade, you guys are dismissed. 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:07.580 You guys are going to have a lot of fun wherever you're going. 00:01:08.860 --> 00:01:13.080 And towards the end of our service this morning, we'll be partaking in the Lord's Supper. 00:01:13.080 --> 00:01:19.060 So if you are a believer here this morning, whether you're a visitor or you call Willow Ridge 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:21.820 Church home, we invite you to partake in the Lord's Supper. 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:25.620 If you missed your elements on the way in, that's okay. 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:30.740 Right behind our camera stand, there's a table where you can pick up your elements. 00:01:30.860 --> 00:01:31.740 They look like this. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.080 And you can do that now or later or whenever you want to. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:36.920 So quick introduction. 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:38.600 My name is Josh. 00:01:38.800 --> 00:01:42.340 I am the young adult minister here at Willow Ridge Church. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:44.900 Quick disclaimer before I get started. 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:47.680 My wife has never seen me preach before. 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:49.980 She's never been here in person before. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.840 I was going to leave this out, but then I was told I had to include it. 00:01:53.380 --> 00:01:54.320 She's here this morning. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.320 So just know that if it sounds a little, yep, yep, yep. 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:02.680 So just know that I plan to be on my best behavior. 00:02:03.580 --> 00:02:05.700 And so if it sounds a little different, that's why. 00:02:06.100 --> 00:02:12.380 So, but quick disclaimer before I get started, I'm going to come clean about something with 00:02:12.380 --> 00:02:12.780 you guys. 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:13.060 Okay. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:15.440 I'm going to be vulnerable with you for a minute. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:17.140 So here it goes. 00:02:18.320 --> 00:02:22.280 I sometimes struggle asking for help. 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.380 Like really, really, really struggle with asking for help. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:35.360 Like I'm the kind of guy that I'll walk into Ace Hardware on Emanuel Church Road, knowing 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:40.840 good and well that I'm about to spend 30 minutes in the plumbing section, looking for a three 00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:42.660 quarter inch elbow something. 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:48.420 And when that store associate walks up to me and says, sir, can I help you find something? 00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:52.280 With confidence, I'm going to look him in the eyes and say, no, thank you. 00:02:53.460 --> 00:02:57.320 Like I really, really struggle with asking for help. 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:03.120 I'm also the guy that when he gets home from the grocery store, I'll load up about 17 to 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.540 25 grocery bags spread out across each arm, right? 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.480 Just so I don't have to ask for help getting them inside. 00:03:11.440 --> 00:03:13.540 And nobody actually takes a second trip, right? 00:03:13.720 --> 00:03:15.480 Like, can we all, can we agree with that? 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:18.900 Does anybody else here struggle with asking for help? 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:19.840 Okay. 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:20.540 Just a couple. 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:22.280 The rest of you are probably lying. 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:22.780 That's okay. 00:03:25.920 --> 00:03:31.020 But about a year after Kim and I got married, we decided we were going to go on a trip, right? 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:34.160 So neither one of us had ever planned a trip before. 00:03:34.260 --> 00:03:38.460 We'd never gone on a trip aside from like our honeymoon, but that doesn't really count. 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:43.020 And so we decided we were going to go to New York City, okay? 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:44.600 The Big Apple. 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:48.900 Or as Sinatra would say, New York, New York. 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:51.800 So you guys thought I was going to sing there, but that's not going to happen. 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:56.540 So for months we saved money and we planned this trip, right? 00:03:57.380 --> 00:04:00.680 We didn't have the money to fly, so we decided, all right, it's cool, we'll drive. 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:02.800 We'll take that 13, 14-hour drive. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:07.800 Now this next part might sound a little confusing for any youth or young adults in here, 00:04:07.880 --> 00:04:09.020 so I just need you to bear with me. 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:10.180 I need you to lock in, okay? 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:14.360 We went to a website called MapQuest. 00:04:15.880 --> 00:04:21.120 And we printed out our maps, like a physical paper copy map. 00:04:21.200 --> 00:04:22.480 I know that's odd. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:24.700 We were ready to go. 00:04:26.320 --> 00:04:30.120 We made a last-minute decision that we were going to spend the weekend with Kim's family 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:31.500 at the beach, Myrtle Beach. 00:04:32.460 --> 00:04:34.300 And so we go to the beach. 00:04:34.440 --> 00:04:35.340 We're like, all right, it's all good. 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:38.040 We'll just leave straight from here and we'll head up to New York, right? 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:39.700 There was one problem. 00:04:40.640 --> 00:04:42.700 I forgot to reprint the maps. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:44.920 Yeah, yep. 00:04:45.380 --> 00:04:46.080 But it's all good. 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:47.700 I did some research and I was like, you know what? 00:04:47.700 --> 00:04:48.440 It's easy enough. 00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:49.760 We're just going to, we'll backtrack. 00:04:49.880 --> 00:04:50.740 We'll hit I-95. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:54.160 We'll take I-95 and we'll just roll straight up to New York, right? 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:55.800 So we packed our car. 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:57.200 It was about 4 a.m. 00:04:57.200 --> 00:04:58.380 It's still dark outside. 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.200 And then I made a mistake. 00:05:02.380 --> 00:05:06.320 I didn't tell Kim this, but I decided we were going to save some time. 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:10.460 And I thought to myself, we're going to take the back roads. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.740 About an hour into our drive, I was skeptical, but still confident, right? 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:19.780 You guys, can any guys in here relate to being skeptical but confident? 00:05:19.780 --> 00:05:21.560 Yeah, yeah, me too, me too. 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:26.740 Another hour passes by and things begin to look eerily similar. 00:05:28.260 --> 00:05:32.000 My wife lovingly looks at me and she says, are we lost? 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:36.160 To which I confidently responded, no, sweetheart. 00:05:37.320 --> 00:05:42.420 We continue our adventure through eastern North Carolina for the next half hour. 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:49.940 And it's only then that I recognized the same country convenience store that we had passed a half hour earlier. 00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:54.840 And I begrudgingly admit, we are lost. 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.320 To which my loving wife replies, we've been lost. 00:05:59.440 --> 00:06:01.220 Go inside and ask that man for help. 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:08.940 Paul David Tripp wrote that humility is the soil in which mercy for others grows. 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:17.140 So this morning, in God's word, I pray that we are reminded of the power that Jesus' words carry. 00:06:18.440 --> 00:06:24.200 I pray that we will be encouraged by the authority shown in the works of his hands. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:31.100 And I pray that we would be challenged by the faith of the centurion that we're going to read about this morning. 00:06:31.520 --> 00:06:35.380 So let's read Matthew 8, verses 5 through 13 together. 00:06:37.580 --> 00:06:42.160 When he had entered Capernaum, the centurion came forward to him, appealing to him. 00:06:43.140 --> 00:06:47.440 He said, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. 00:06:48.780 --> 00:06:51.140 He said to him, I will come and heal him. 00:06:52.260 --> 00:06:56.460 But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 00:06:56.820 --> 00:06:59.820 But only say the word and my servant will be healed. 00:07:00.880 --> 00:07:05.660 For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.320 And I say to one, go, and he goes. 00:07:08.380 --> 00:07:10.180 And to another, come, and he comes. 00:07:10.900 --> 00:07:13.160 And to my servant, do this, and he does it. 00:07:15.340 --> 00:07:18.880 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:24.160 Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 00:07:25.020 --> 00:07:32.960 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 00:07:34.440 --> 00:07:40.920 And while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:44.240 And to the centurion, Jesus said, go. 00:07:45.080 --> 00:07:47.260 Let it be done for you as you have believed. 00:07:47.860 --> 00:07:50.760 And the servant was healed at that very moment. 00:07:51.440 --> 00:07:52.360 Would you pray with me? 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:58.000 Father God, I thank you for this morning. 00:07:58.120 --> 00:07:59.460 Lord, I thank you for this place. 00:07:59.960 --> 00:08:00.840 I thank you for our church. 00:08:01.620 --> 00:08:03.100 I thank you for the people in it. 00:08:05.140 --> 00:08:06.680 God, I thank you for nervousness. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:19.220 God, I pray that, Lord, I just, I find myself in a place of gratitude, Lord, and I don't, I don't want to ever take for granted the freedom that we have to be here. 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:22.400 Lord, God, I thank you for our volunteers. 00:08:22.700 --> 00:08:26.720 I thank you for those that pick people up on a, on a golf cart. 00:08:26.780 --> 00:08:30.120 I thank you for those that stand at the door, smile and open and hold the door for people. 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:32.840 I thank you for people that check people in. 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:37.560 And Lord, I thank you for those who serve in, in our nursery and in our children's department. 00:08:37.560 --> 00:08:41.940 And Lord, I thank you for those that prepare, you know, coffee and snacks. 00:08:42.280 --> 00:08:44.060 And God, I just thank you. 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:45.640 I thank you for our church. 00:08:47.140 --> 00:08:50.940 Lord, I pray that your word would be spoken this morning, God. 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:53.140 And I pray that we would respond to it. 00:08:54.180 --> 00:08:57.420 God, I pray that you would stir something in us this morning. 00:08:58.300 --> 00:08:59.240 In your name I pray. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:08:59.940 Amen. 00:09:01.260 --> 00:09:06.860 So last week, Pastor Bo spoke from Matthew chapter 7, and he talked about salvation, right? 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:11.820 Like, not as something rooted in our religious activities, not, not as something rooted in 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:19.200 the morality of our behavior, but, but like, like not just a simple verbal profession, but 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:26.540 salvation, a genuine intimate relationship with Christ that produces obedience and repentance. 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:30.460 And then he concluded with a challenging question. 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:35.180 He said, what will you do with what Jesus just said? 00:09:36.160 --> 00:09:41.220 And at the end of Matthew 7, in verse 28, Matthew writes, 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:47.000 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:51.220 he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.320 You see, Matthew tells us of how Jesus spoke as one with authority. 00:09:56.800 --> 00:10:02.780 And today, as we move into Matthew chapter 8, what we are going to see is the beginning of the many works of Christ. 00:10:03.880 --> 00:10:10.640 In chapter 8, we're going to see back-to-back-to-back highlights of Jesus demonstrating his authority. 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:17.300 We read of Jesus passing through ceremonial religious barriers to cleanse a leper. 00:10:17.880 --> 00:10:24.780 We see Jesus break down ethnic boundaries in our passage today and heal a Roman centurion servant. 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:33.500 We see Jesus go to Peter's home and heal his mother-in-law, a woman in a society that would have marginalized her. 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:41.460 You know, Warren Wiersbe, in his sermon on Luke chapter 7, speaks of taking an inventory of one's faith. 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:48.140 You know, he used an illustration that reminded me of my time working as a sales associate at a paint store. 00:10:48.800 --> 00:10:49.060 Right? 00:10:49.180 --> 00:10:55.320 So, my first real job after high school, I was working at a paint store, working at Sherwin-Williams on Knox Abbott Drive. 00:10:56.200 --> 00:11:00.400 I'd only been there for a few months, and it was time to take inventory. 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:02.440 I had no idea what that meant. 00:11:03.140 --> 00:11:07.920 But you see, in November every year, each store takes like a yearly inventory. 00:11:08.380 --> 00:11:13.540 It's one day each year where you count every single item in the store. 00:11:14.540 --> 00:11:19.580 See, it was important because it served as a measurable way to evaluate profit within the store, right? 00:11:19.660 --> 00:11:25.140 Like, it was an opportunity to identify if product was missing or if inventory was correct or not. 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.720 You could fix billing errors, and, you know, I won't bore you with the details, 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:33.680 but ultimately it was a way to, like, see if, like, the store was in good shape or not, right? 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:41.000 Every paintbrush, every can of paint, every sheet of sandpaper. 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:45.800 My first year, they even tricked me into counting the individual color cards, right? 00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:49.680 Like, you know, like, the cards you see where there's like a million of them, and there's like a hundred in each one? 00:11:49.900 --> 00:11:51.500 Yeah, they tricked me into counting those. 00:11:52.780 --> 00:11:56.180 You know, what we see in this story of the Roman centurion should motivate us. 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:00.960 You see, it should motivate us to take an inventory of our faith. 00:12:02.560 --> 00:12:07.220 You know, I look back, and I see moments in my life when I just take a glance at my faith, 00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:13.820 and I see a struggle with maybe feeling entitled, maybe feeling deserving. 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:20.120 I look at it, and I see, like, maybe even feelings of, like, man, I'm worthy of this. 00:12:20.180 --> 00:12:21.300 Like, I grew up in church. 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:28.980 Maybe I felt entitled because, well, my parents and their parents and their parents before them went to church and their believers. 00:12:30.420 --> 00:12:38.140 You know, I start thinking in a way that implies that my moral behavior could somehow be enough to earn my place in heaven. 00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:46.540 You know, but I also would look back at my faith and see moments in my life where I maybe felt the opposite of that. 00:12:48.020 --> 00:12:52.160 You know, I see my mistakes as being too egregious for his grace. 00:12:53.560 --> 00:13:03.500 You know, I look, and I look at the mountain of sin piling up, and it's turned into this what seems like an insurmountable hill for his grace to climb. 00:13:05.900 --> 00:13:09.020 But what we see from this centurion is great faith. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:14.660 And it's not a faith that's rooted in the greatness of his family history, right? 00:13:15.140 --> 00:13:18.500 Like, it's not rooted in the greatness of his works. 00:13:19.540 --> 00:13:22.000 It's not something that he's entitled to. 00:13:23.560 --> 00:13:28.080 You see, my hope this morning is that we will be encouraged to take an inventory. 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:32.220 We'll be motivated to assess our faith. 00:13:33.560 --> 00:13:36.680 And that we will be challenged by his faith. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:39.920 So, starting in verse 5, Matthew writes, 00:13:41.300 --> 00:13:45.340 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him. 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:49.920 Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:53.300 And he said to him, I will come and heal him. 00:13:54.020 --> 00:13:58.820 So, in verse 5, it says that he came forward appealing to him. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:01.280 He doesn't simply make a request. 00:14:01.380 --> 00:14:03.060 He doesn't even technically ask. 00:14:03.060 --> 00:14:07.260 The word used in this verse implies that he begged Jesus. 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:11.520 There's some things we need to understand about this man. 00:14:12.560 --> 00:14:14.040 This is a man of authority. 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:16.840 He's a Roman centurion. 00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:21.360 He's a leader accustomed to giving orders and seeing them carried out. 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:24.200 Not a man accustomed to pleading. 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:30.220 Yet this man, not only a man of authority, but also a man of influence. 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:34.560 He understands hierarchy and power and responsibility. 00:14:34.900 --> 00:14:40.720 Because he lives in a world where authority is exercised through commands and obedience. 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:43.660 This man had a different kind of faith. 00:14:44.560 --> 00:14:45.320 A great faith. 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:54.260 And this morning, we're going to share three things that we can learn and apply to our lives as believers from this kind of faith. 00:14:55.020 --> 00:14:59.720 Point number one this morning, great faith approaches Jesus in humility. 00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:06.920 You see, in humility, the centurion comes to Jesus acknowledging that I need help. 00:15:08.700 --> 00:15:14.360 In humility, the centurion makes an appeal to Jesus recognizing that I can't fix this. 00:15:15.400 --> 00:15:16.980 You see, this man, he would have been wealthy. 00:15:17.780 --> 00:15:18.880 He would have had power. 00:15:19.500 --> 00:15:23.360 But even though those things are true, he doesn't come to Jesus pridefully saying, 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:24.900 Do you know who I am? 00:15:26.380 --> 00:15:31.160 He doesn't come to Jesus pointing to the Roman seal on his armor and saying, 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:32.540 Heal my servant. 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:35.740 He comes to Jesus in humility. 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:38.260 He calls him Lord. 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:40.780 And he appeals to him. 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:47.020 You know, so this word humility has occupied a good bit of my time this week. 00:15:47.180 --> 00:15:48.640 I tend to go down rabbit holes. 00:15:48.760 --> 00:15:50.140 I don't know if you guys have figured that out yet. 00:15:50.380 --> 00:15:53.980 But I wanted to better understand what it meant. 00:15:55.660 --> 00:15:58.860 You see, humility is freedom from pride or arrogance. 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.860 I looked up some examples of the word humility and I came upon a pretty good source. 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:07.080 You see, in the book of Proverbs, it says, 00:16:07.260 --> 00:16:09.500 When pride comes, then comes disgrace. 00:16:10.160 --> 00:16:12.200 But with humility comes wisdom. 00:16:13.880 --> 00:16:16.020 C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:19.400 Humility is not thinking less of yourself. 00:16:19.780 --> 00:16:22.360 It's thinking of yourself less. 00:16:23.880 --> 00:16:28.260 I think it's fair to say that this centurion thought much of his servant. 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:33.000 You see, this centurion thought much of Jesus. 00:16:34.300 --> 00:16:38.860 But I think it's fair to say he was thinking of himself less. 00:16:40.560 --> 00:16:42.620 How often do I think of myself less? 00:16:45.520 --> 00:16:50.840 See, the Roman centurion was like an empty cup in need of filling. 00:16:52.760 --> 00:16:57.740 And he approached Jesus with absolute faith that he was the only one that could fill it. 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:01.440 Empty of status. 00:17:02.640 --> 00:17:05.260 Because all the power of Rome couldn't save his servant. 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:08.300 Empty of wealth. 00:17:08.800 --> 00:17:11.800 Because all the money in the world couldn't save his servant. 00:17:13.280 --> 00:17:14.600 Emptied of power. 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:20.960 Because all the military authority afforded to him couldn't save his servant. 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:26.000 You see, great faith, it approaches Jesus in humility. 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:30.660 But great faith requires me to think of myself less. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:33.720 We continue on in verse 8. 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:36.120 But the centurion replied, 00:17:36.280 --> 00:17:38.920 Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:41.780 But only say the word and my servant will be healed. 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:44.640 For I too am a man under authority. 00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:46.480 With soldiers under me. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:48.080 And I say to one, go. 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:48.880 And he goes. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:49.800 And to another, come. 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:50.640 And he comes. 00:17:51.040 --> 00:17:52.660 And to my servant, do this. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:53.740 And he does it. 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:58.820 You see, this centurion, he would have been appointed by Rome. 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:05.980 And you see, soldiers were appointed to the position of a centurion by virtue of their bravery. 00:18:06.760 --> 00:18:07.760 Their loyalty. 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:09.340 And their character. 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:14.620 But what really stands out to me in these verses is the word authority. 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:20.560 I think today, authority is kind of one of those intimidating kind of words, right? 00:18:21.760 --> 00:18:25.920 Like when we think of authority, oftentimes we think of a bad boss that we've had. 00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:27.800 Or maybe a bad boss that we have. 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:32.080 We think of a teacher or a professor that's mean to us. 00:18:32.100 --> 00:18:33.020 Or not compassionate. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.720 Or doesn't extend the deadline, right? 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:37.080 Sometimes we think of a parent. 00:18:38.020 --> 00:18:39.160 Or maybe a coach. 00:18:39.820 --> 00:18:43.220 Man, I had some football coaches that loved to yell at me back in the day. 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:46.960 You know, authority here on this earth can be intimidating. 00:18:48.360 --> 00:18:50.780 It can serve as a reminder of our weakness. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:52.240 Our limitations. 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:59.500 But this centurion acknowledges the authority of Jesus and it brings him hope. 00:19:01.220 --> 00:19:04.540 You see, the Greek word used in this verse for authority is exousia. 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:08.160 It speaks to an authority given. 00:19:08.800 --> 00:19:10.280 Like an authority delegated. 00:19:11.280 --> 00:19:18.400 So when the centurion says that I am a man under authority, he understands where his authority comes from. 00:19:20.080 --> 00:19:23.980 He understands that it flows not from his strength or his own power. 00:19:24.320 --> 00:19:26.120 It doesn't flow from his accomplishments. 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:31.720 He understands that it flows from the power of the one who gave it to him. 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.560 The centurion understands the source of his own authority is the Roman Empire itself. 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:44.980 So when the soldiers under his command obeyed his authority, they were obeying a higher authority than he. 00:19:46.100 --> 00:19:50.520 They were obeying the emperor and ultimately they were obeying Rome itself. 00:19:52.780 --> 00:19:55.920 The centurion looks upon Jesus and sees authority. 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:03.440 Authority given by God over sickness, over paralysis. 00:20:04.600 --> 00:20:12.540 And he looks at this authority and he knows that all of the authority that he carries within himself is not enough to heal his servant. 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:16.140 So he looks to the one with greater authority. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:21.960 Point number two this morning, great faith, trust in Jesus's authority. 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:28.480 So to be honest, this week when I was putting this point together, I kind of, at first it felt redundant. 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:33.020 You know, I struggled to kind of deal with the words faith and trust. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:34.080 They felt similar. 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:37.880 You know, but it turns out they actually complement each other. 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:39.240 They need each other. 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:42.200 They are not the same as one another. 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:48.380 You see, faith primarily is used as a noun, but trust, well, trust can be noun or verb. 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:51.680 You see, trust is the action behind faith. 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:57.460 It's what happens when you have faith and it's the action that takes place because of your faith. 00:20:58.820 --> 00:21:00.620 The centurion had great faith. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:07.920 And his faith models for us what it looks like to trust authority that was greater than his own. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:14.520 I must like Paul David Tripp because I've got him in here again, but he said it this way. 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:19.700 Remember, it is not your weakness that will get in the way of God's working through you, 00:21:20.260 --> 00:21:21.960 but your delusions of strength. 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:27.040 Do I trust the authority of Christ over my life? 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:34.540 Do I trust his plan when I have other plans? 00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:41.040 Do I trust his promises even if they don't happen as quickly as I would like? 00:21:41.820 --> 00:21:45.980 Do I trust his provision when it requires me to let go? 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:51.380 You see, great faith trusts in Jesus' authority. 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:55.580 But great faith requires us to get out of the way. 00:21:58.520 --> 00:21:59.340 Verse 10. 00:22:00.740 --> 00:22:03.940 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:08.400 truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 00:22:09.520 --> 00:22:16.580 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:20.880 And while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:24.300 in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:22:25.340 --> 00:22:27.320 And to the centurion, Jesus said, go. 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:30.700 Let it be done for you as you have believed. 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:34.400 And the servant was healed at that very moment. 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:42.200 It's important for us this morning to realize and mention who Jesus is talking to here. 00:22:44.320 --> 00:22:48.120 You see, Jesus is looking to those who have been following him. 00:22:49.660 --> 00:22:52.720 He's looking to those that have been present for his teachings. 00:22:52.840 --> 00:22:54.740 They've been present for the miracles. 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:56.360 They've been present for the works. 00:22:57.340 --> 00:23:01.700 And he is showing his followers what it means to follow. 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:08.180 Imagine Jesus turning to his followers, kind of like, hey, you see this? 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:10.200 This is faith. 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:19.560 Imagine the weight that a follower would feel after Jesus makes a statement like, 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:23.960 with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 00:23:27.080 --> 00:23:31.760 Our last point this morning, great faith abides in Jesus. 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:38.000 You see, how many of those followers thought that because they were sons of the kingdom, 00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:40.000 that they would see the kingdom? 00:23:40.580 --> 00:23:42.500 Like they thought their last name was enough. 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:50.040 How many of those followers thought that their works would be enough for them to see the kingdom? 00:23:52.620 --> 00:23:56.740 How many of those followers thought that they could serve both Jesus and themselves, 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:59.100 and that they would see the kingdom? 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:01.860 Abide. 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:04.500 To remain. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:07.680 To bear patiently. 00:24:09.540 --> 00:24:12.920 It means to endure without yielding. 00:24:14.520 --> 00:24:15.840 John 15, 5. 00:24:16.840 --> 00:24:18.580 I am the vine and you are the branches. 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:23.680 And if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. 00:24:24.760 --> 00:24:26.480 Apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:31.860 You see, when Jesus looks at the centurion, he sees extraordinary faith. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.320 He sees a man who understands authority. 00:24:36.080 --> 00:24:39.760 He sees a man whose faith is reflected in how he trusts in Jesus. 00:24:40.620 --> 00:24:43.120 A man whose faith that he marveled at. 00:24:44.280 --> 00:24:45.600 An abiding faith. 00:24:48.860 --> 00:24:55.460 You know, I fear when we look at believers today in our world, what do we see? 00:24:57.860 --> 00:25:06.400 You know, how many followers think that a one-time verbal profession of faith and a life bearing no fruit will see the kingdom? 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:14.380 Now, how many followers think that their works alone will be enough to see the kingdom? 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:24.500 How many followers think that they can put themselves first and give God whatever is left, and that will be enough to see the kingdom? 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:30.280 Would Jesus marvel at your faith? 00:25:33.060 --> 00:25:35.040 You see, great faith abides in Jesus. 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:39.940 But great faith requires me to endure without yielding. 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:44.960 Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2. 00:25:46.340 --> 00:25:50.080 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 00:25:50.800 --> 00:25:55.500 let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. 00:25:56.060 --> 00:25:59.660 Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:04.880 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, 00:26:05.540 --> 00:26:08.800 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:14.040 despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:26:16.280 --> 00:26:22.300 So about five years ago, Haley signed herself up to run for like a run-hard thing, 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.280 which is like fifth grade. 00:26:24.580 --> 00:26:25.940 She's like, I need a running buddy. 00:26:26.300 --> 00:26:30.940 And we were kind of thinking around, and I was like, well, no way I'm going to let anybody else run with her but me. 00:26:31.080 --> 00:26:32.620 So I just started running. 00:26:34.140 --> 00:26:35.360 And y'all, I hate running. 00:26:36.360 --> 00:26:37.040 I hate it. 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:42.400 Somewhere along the way, my brother-in-law was kind of encouraging me. 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:45.880 He was helping me, and he talked me into being a part of a relay team. 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:48.680 Y'all, I hate relay teams. 00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:56.780 It was a team of 12 runners that would run this race called the Blue Ridge Relay. 00:26:57.400 --> 00:27:01.080 Listen, you could not know what the word relay means, and that's okay. 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:05.200 But if you're sitting here this morning, you probably know that the Blue Ridge means it ain't flat. 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:05.860 Right? 00:27:07.540 --> 00:27:10.880 208 miles split up over 36 runs. 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:12.980 12 runners on each team. 00:27:13.060 --> 00:27:15.220 So that's three runs per person. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:15.780 Right? 00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:17.040 Terrible idea. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:22.820 It's 24 to 30 hours of team-shared, nonstop effort. 00:27:24.840 --> 00:27:27.100 You know, my first run was actually the first run of the race. 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:29.460 They're like, Josh, listen, you're the MVP of this team. 00:27:29.820 --> 00:27:30.480 You got to care. 00:27:30.560 --> 00:27:31.400 No, they didn't say that. 00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:35.020 They said, Josh, this is three miles downhill. 00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:37.100 If you can handle anything, you can handle this. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:41.360 So it was literally a 5K downhill was my first run. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.480 And, dude, I was flying. 00:27:44.320 --> 00:27:45.640 I was unstoppable. 00:27:46.600 --> 00:27:48.820 Like, literally, I could not stop. 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:57.820 Dude, I ran like an eight-minute mile, which I know we got some runners in here this morning, some teens and stuff. 00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:58.820 I know you guys like to run. 00:27:58.820 --> 00:28:04.600 But I need you to understand, an eight-minute mile in the large guy world is Usain Bolt kind of fast. 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:05.200 Okay? 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:11.940 I ran so fast that I got to the end of the run, and my team wasn't ready for me yet. 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:18.840 So on these relay races, everybody piles into, like, this big 13 passenger van, and it's really just a terrible idea. 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:25.180 But you get to the end of your run, and you get to the exchange zone, and normally you just kind of hand off the baton, right? 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:27.140 Or, like, you slap the bracelet on them, and then they go. 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:30.860 Well, I get to the end of my run, and everybody's still in the van. 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:31.800 They're in the parking lot. 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:33.380 Like, they're not ready for me. 00:28:33.600 --> 00:28:34.600 So they hustle over. 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:36.060 The exchange goes fine. 00:28:37.120 --> 00:28:48.160 And honestly, I can say the only reason that I can figure for them not being ready for me was because my physical state had probably become, like, the blur similar to the flash, you know, on TV. 00:28:48.280 --> 00:28:49.680 Like, that's how fast I was moving. 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:51.960 But we handed off. 00:28:52.040 --> 00:28:52.760 Everything was fine. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:53.840 You know, stretched out. 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:54.780 Drank Gatorade. 00:28:54.840 --> 00:28:55.400 Got in the van. 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:56.720 And you keep going, right? 00:28:57.580 --> 00:28:58.780 But then there's the waiting. 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:02.440 You're, like, hours cramped in the van. 00:29:02.980 --> 00:29:04.200 Your legs are tightening up. 00:29:04.540 --> 00:29:06.800 Your energy, whatever energy you had, is gone. 00:29:08.060 --> 00:29:10.360 Your anticipation's building, but not really. 00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:14.320 It's really more like one of the—it's kind of like the feeling I had when I sat over there during those worship songs. 00:29:14.420 --> 00:29:17.960 I'm like, Lord, this has got to be you, because I don't know if it's me. 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:26.420 But you see, I sat there, and I ate, like, 54 Slim Jims for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:28.300 I drank Gatorade. 00:29:29.340 --> 00:29:31.080 And 13 hours had passed. 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:33.280 It was time for my next run. 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.380 It was raining. 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:40.620 It was dark. 00:29:41.820 --> 00:29:43.480 My, like, feet were sliding around in my shoes. 00:29:44.620 --> 00:29:45.560 I was soaked. 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:46.480 I was tired. 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:47.360 I was alone. 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:49.340 Overwhelmed. 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:51.860 I wanted to quit. 00:29:53.580 --> 00:29:54.420 Thought about quitting. 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:55.600 You know, I'm like, I'm in the mountains. 00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:57.980 If I just take off in the woods, maybe they'll never find me, you know. 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:08.780 But somewhere around mile four of this five-and-a-half-mile run, I hear a car horn honk. 00:30:11.280 --> 00:30:16.000 And I look up the hill, and about 200 yards in front of me, I see headlights. 00:30:16.620 --> 00:30:17.860 And I hear, like, a song playing. 00:30:17.940 --> 00:30:19.180 Like, I don't know why they were playing really loud music. 00:30:19.280 --> 00:30:21.280 It was like, you know, like, it was loud. 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:22.900 And it was my team. 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:26.660 They shouldn't have been there. 00:30:29.080 --> 00:30:30.560 They should have been at the exchange zone. 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:38.100 They should have been a mile and a half further up the road waiting for me. 00:30:39.340 --> 00:30:40.480 But they came anyway. 00:30:43.180 --> 00:30:45.020 They were all standing outside the van. 00:30:45.120 --> 00:30:48.200 One of them ran up to me and handed me, like, a jar of pickle juice. 00:30:49.120 --> 00:30:53.500 And, dude, I downed that thing like a madman in the Sahara Desert. 00:30:57.080 --> 00:31:02.660 But then another one put his arm around me and was running beside me for a minute. 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:07.860 He just said one word. 00:31:09.280 --> 00:31:10.260 He said, finish. 00:31:14.780 --> 00:31:16.220 And something in me shifted. 00:31:18.360 --> 00:31:23.740 You see, the pain didn't disappear, but it was no longer the loudest voice that I could hear in my head. 00:31:26.060 --> 00:31:30.340 You see, the climb of elevation all of a sudden didn't just become less severe. 00:31:32.540 --> 00:31:35.500 All I could think about was that word, finish. 00:31:39.580 --> 00:31:42.300 I'd like to invite the worship team and the prayer encouragers. 00:31:42.420 --> 00:31:43.780 I think I was supposed to call y'all sooner. 00:31:43.860 --> 00:31:44.240 I'm sorry. 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:59.400 But, guys, Hebrews 12, 1 and 2, it says that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith. 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:08.480 It means that our faith originated from him, and it means that it will be perfected and brought to completion by him. 00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:17.880 You know, the verse actually says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. 00:32:19.420 --> 00:32:24.700 And you see, the Greek word for looking, it's actually a little more complicated than the way we break it down in English. 00:32:25.780 --> 00:32:30.200 You see, when we say looking, like, I mean, like, I'm looking at Jason. 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:33.020 You know, I'm looking at Kim. 00:32:33.840 --> 00:32:35.260 You know, I'm looking at Lenny. 00:32:37.560 --> 00:32:42.340 But you see, the Greek definition not only encourages us to look to Jesus, 00:32:44.320 --> 00:32:48.760 but it implores us to look away from everything else. 00:32:49.420 --> 00:32:55.060 You see, Jesus is with us at the starting line. 00:32:57.020 --> 00:32:58.660 He's with us all through the race. 00:32:59.940 --> 00:33:01.580 And he's with us at the finish line. 00:33:04.800 --> 00:33:08.920 I don't know where you are in the race this morning. 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:13.600 For some of you, it may feel like the race has just begun. 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:18.860 You're excited, you're energized, you're full of passion about what God's doing in your life. 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:23.780 For others, you may feel stagnant in your faith. 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:25.280 Comfortable. 00:33:27.020 --> 00:33:30.500 Maybe you've followed Christ for years, but lately you just feel stuck. 00:33:34.620 --> 00:33:38.860 And some of you may sense that you're closer to the finish line than you are the starting line. 00:33:43.820 --> 00:33:50.120 Wherever you are, will you take a moment this morning and inventory your faith? 00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:57.500 What does it look like for you to race and finish the race well? 00:34:01.500 --> 00:34:04.500 Take it from a guy who really struggles with asking for help. 00:34:06.300 --> 00:34:08.340 We're not meant to do this on our own. 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:14.140 Great faith keeps its eyes fixed on Jesus. 00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:26.680 So this morning, will you turn your eyes away from distractions and competing voices around you? 00:34:28.600 --> 00:34:31.860 In humility, will you surrender yourself to him? 00:34:34.040 --> 00:34:36.400 Will you trust his authority over your life? 00:34:39.100 --> 00:34:42.680 Will you walk in obedience and abide in him? 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:44.860 Would you pray with me? 00:34:51.560 --> 00:34:54.280 God, I thank you for your word. 00:34:58.140 --> 00:35:00.840 I thank you that it's more powerful than a voice. 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:11.140 God, I pray that we would take an inventory of our faith this morning. 00:35:14.220 --> 00:35:18.700 Pray that we wouldn't leave this place the same as we were when we walked in. 00:35:24.780 --> 00:35:30.400 God, I pray that this stirring that we feel in our hearts would be something that we couldn't ignore. 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:35.000 Help us to respond to you this morning. 00:35:37.120 --> 00:35:38.080 In your name I pray. 00:35:39.040 --> 00:35:39.320 Amen. 00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:44.680 That's it for this week's message. 00:35:45.200 --> 00:35:47.460 Be sure to check back next week for a new episode. 00:35:48.080 --> 00:35:52.260 And in the meantime, you can visit us online at willowridgechurch.org 00:35:52.260 --> 00:35:56.680 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 00:35:57.120 --> 00:35:58.080 Thanks again for listening. 00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:10.120 We'll see you next week. 00:36:10.120 --> 00:36:10.120 Bye. 00:36:10.120 --> 00:36:10.160 Bye.