Dear Friends,
Would you describe yourself as someone who has great faith?
In Luke 7, the Bible tells us about a Roman Centurion who approached Jesus on behalf of his servant, who was ill, believing that Jesus could heal him. You may remember that as Jesus approached the Centurion’s house, he received a message from the centurion. “Do not bother yourself,” Jesus was told. “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”
When Jesus heard this, he told the crowd that he had not found faith like this anywhere in Israel.
What made the Centurion’s faith so great? The first evidence of his exemplary faith is his humble awareness of his own unworthiness to receive any favor or kindness from Jesus.
This passage shows us that coming to Jesus in faith means coming in humility and acknowledging your unworthiness. It is only when we finally get to the point where we begin to see ourselves as unworthy of God’s favor that we are ready to receive God’s grace. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
The centurion, as he explains to Jesus, was a man with authority and power over others. But he realized that in spite of his position or his prestige, his power and authority was not ultimate. There was nothing he could do to save his servant. He was in need, and there was nothing he could do to remedy his problem.
One of the most significant evidences of God’s grace working in the life of any person is the humility that comes when that person realizes the reality of his or her spiritual condition.
I am concerned that today too many of us have a shallow, and not biblically formed, view of our own sinfulness that has warped our understanding of the glory and grace of God and has left us with a truncated view of the gospel.
As a young Christian, C.S. Lewis found himself struggling with the biblical idea of human depravity. After reading some of the sermons of the Scottish pastor Alexander Whyte, Lewis wrote "For him, one essential symptom of the regenerate life is a permanent, and permanently horrified perception of one's natural and (it seems) unalterable corruption… Whyte seems to think it should not be a glimpse but a daily, lifelong scrutiny. Can he be right?”
Charles Spurgeon would not only affirm that Whyte was right, but that the realization of our depravity is an essential element of saving faith. "I believe that our awareness of our need for a Savior each day is related directly to how mindful we are each day of the reality and depth of our own sin and the propensity of our flesh to want to push God aside and be the captain of our own fate.”
The Centurion in Luke 7 saw clearly that in spite of his rank and human authority, he was unworthy of grace. That’s any essential first step in saving faith.
But there is a necessary second step.
While everyone else in Luke 7 was still trying to figure out if Jesus was from God, this Centurion had already made up his mind about who Jesus was. By his words, his life and his actions, this Centurion was confessing that Jesus possessed divine power and authority. He believed Jesus was God in human flesh.
The writer of Hebrews says that faith is the assurance that what we have hoped for and longed for is has come to us. Jesus is the longed for, hoped for, promised Messiah. Faith is the conviction that He is God in the flesh.
So a second lesson we learn about faith from the Centurion is this – each of us has to settle in our hearts once and for all that Jesus is the promised Messiah. He is God come to us as one of us.
We have to believe it. And we demonstrate for ourselves and for others that we truly believe it by acting as if it’s true. That’s what it means to walk by faith. First, we acknowledge that Jesus is who He says He is. And then, we live our lives accordingly.
As he approached death, John Newton, the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace famously declared “Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
Newton’s two acknowledgements are at the heart of the kind of faith that Jesus commended in the Centurion in Luke 7.
Would Jesus be able to commend your faith?
If you didn’t pick up your copy of our fall events calendar (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=2a2c68a6a3&e=fbb0a4052b) at church last Sunday, you can download it from the link. Or you can pick one up this Sunday.
In either case, now is a good time to start penciling in dates on your calendar for fall so you don’t miss out up upcoming events.
Like this event. The First Friday Game Night for Roots Students.
Here’s something to include on your calendar each week this fall. Be part of one of our small groups. It’s the best way for you to connect with others and encourage one another to grow in Christ.
Here’s a list of group leaders and times when their group meets. And this Sunday, group leaders will be set up in the church lobby to answer any questions you might have about their group.
Remember, visiting a group isn’t a commitment to join. It’s an opportunity to check things out and see if being part of a particular group is a fit for you.
Men – Let’s talk about September 12
On that Thursday night, we’ll kick off the first of nine meetings for the Redeemer Men’s Institute. The goal of this new effort is to help each of us assess our individual personal strengths and weaknesses related to spiritual leadership, and to help us all select an area or two where we can begin to intentionally pursue growth.
You should come.
In addition to the Redeemer Men’s Institute this fall, there are a couple of Bible studies happening for men. On Tuesdays at noon, Matt Gurney is lead a study in the Book of Acts.
And on Fridays every other week, Jim McMurry will be helping lead what we call our “gunlap” group – men 60+ (or thereabouts) – who are also going through Acts.
On Saturday morning, September 28, plan to join with other men at church for our fall men’s breakfast.
Ladies. Your turn.
On Monday September 9, you’re invited to the Fall Women’s Gathering – a time of fellowship for all the ladies in the church (click here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=90f4df5650&e=fbb0a4052b) to register or for more info):
Then, the fall Women’s Bible Study of the Gospel of Mark begins the week of September 16. You can attend on Monday nights or Tuesday mornings. Again, click here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=c9a0a49982&e=fbb0a4052b) to sign up or to find out more.
For those of you who are interested in knowing more about what we are and what we believe as a church, we have a church membership weekend coming up next month. Spend a Friday night and Saturday morning with us to find out more about Redeemer.
When Jesus told His disciples to “follow me,” to what exactly was He calling them? This Sunday, as we continue to paint a profile of what it looks like to be a spiritually mature disciple of Jesus, we’ll look at what the Bible tells us about stability and humility as evidences of spiritual growth and development in someone’s life
See you in church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
Resource Info
