WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR FAITH IN THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“… A centurion’s servant … was sick and about to die … The centurion sent some elders … asking Him to come and heal his servant … ‘Lord … I do not deserve to have You come under my roof … But say the word, and my servant will be healed’ … When Jesus heard this … He said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’”  Luke 7:1-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke begins this chapter by presenting the great faith of a humble centurion whose valued servant was very sick.  He asked some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant, then sent some of his friends to ask Jesus not to come to his house but to speak the word and heal his servant. (Luke 7:1-10)  After this Luke recounts how Jesus spoke and raised up the widow’s dead son who was being carried to his grave. (Luke 7:11-17)  Luke then presents the discussion which occurred between Jesus and some of the disciples of John, the baptizer. (Luke 7:18-35)  The chapter ends with the discussion that Jesus had with the Pharisee about the sinful woman who anointed His feet while He was having dinner at the Pharisee’s house. (Luke 7:36-50)   

Application:

Most believers only have a little faith in The Lord God. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, and 16:8)  Our faith is smaller than a grain of mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6)  We say that we have faith in Him but our actions and our behavior say otherwise.  This centurion had such great faith that it even impressed Jesus. (Luke 7:9)  He was humble.  He wanted Jesus to help him by healing his servant but he did not feel that he was worthy enough to approach Jesus himself so he asked others to go to Jesus for him. (Luke 7:3-7)  He believed that Jesus could speak the word and heal his servant.  The Word of God is powerful.  He spoke and created something out of nothing. (Genesis 1:3-14)  He spoke and controlled the wind and the sea. (Mark 4:39)  On three separate occasions Jesus spoke and raised the dead. (Luke 7:14, Luke 8:52, and John 11:43)  We ought to increase our faith in Him and exercise our faith more often.