Introduction: The Centurion's Great Faith

Weaver introduces the passage and the central question: what did the centurion believe that prompted Jesus to say, 'I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel'? He compares faith to fishing in the same spot, urging listeners to emulate the centurion's faith.

Alright, let's open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. And we're going to be reading verses 5 through 13. Matthew chapter 8, verses 5 through 13. The title of the message today and next week is "What Did He Believe?" So I'm going to start a message today which I will finish next Lord's Day, Lord willing. So notice Matthew chapter 8, beginning with verse 5, and you will understand the title as I read:

"For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness." "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

Now look at verse 13: "And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto you." Do you remember fishing as a child, that when someone caught a fish, especially a large fish, and as they pulled that large fish out, then you would probably place your line in the exact same spot that your friend just pulled out a big fish? Many as adults do that today. And the thinking is this: well, if I fish in the same spot, with the same bait, in the same way, I may catch a big fish as well. Well, that doesn't necessarily work. I suppose it depends not only whether or not there are any other large fish nearby, but it would certainly also depend upon the providence of God as well. However, there is a principle that our Lord enunciated in Scripture.

He says it in Matthew 9, in verse 29:

In verse 13 of Matthew chapter 8, the equivalent of that is what He told the centurion: "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto you." So it's either

or "as thou hast believed, so be it done unto you." So obviously, the centurion believed something correctly, and he believed rightly. So you have to ask the question: what did he believe? His request was granted. His prayer was answered. Another question that should be asked in light of the context of this message: listen carefully. Do you have the faith of a Roman soldier? Well, in reality, we should have a greater faith than this Roman soldier had. Why? Because we have the completed Word of God. We have the full, final revelation of God. Jesus Christ is fully and completely and totally revealed in His Word. And therefore, we should have a greater faith even than this Roman soldier.

Four Surprising Facts About the Text

Weaver highlights four surprising aspects: the centurion was a Roman soldier (known for brutality), he was in Capernaum (a cursed city), he showed compassion for his servant, and his faith was the greatest Jesus had seen in Israel.

Another question that should be asked in light of the context of this message: listen carefully. Do you have the faith of a Roman soldier? Well, in reality, we should have a greater faith than this Roman soldier had. Why? Because we have the completed Word of God. We have the full, final revelation of God. Jesus Christ is fully and completely and totally revealed in His Word. And therefore, we should have a greater faith even than this Roman soldier.

Now, before I get started on the message, I want to show you four surprising facts about this text. First of all, I want you to understand that the very first thing was, here was a Roman soldier. He was a centurion. Now, a centurion was a soldier who was over a minimum of 100 men. In all probability, he was a high-ranking officer. So here was a man who was a soldier, and Roman soldiers particularly were known for their brutality and their wickedness. In fact, most soldiers today are even known for their fierceness and their godlessness.

I know that there are exceptions. But especially in Roman times, they were wicked. If you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Luke chapter 3, because John the Baptist was preaching. And he was preaching the doctrine of repentance, and a number of individuals came to him because John was not only preaching repentance, he was also declaring and demanding that individuals bring forth fruits which evidence repentance. And so if you look in Luke chapter 3 and verse 14:

In other words, John, in light of your preaching, in light of your demand that we repent and bring forth fruits evidencing our repentance, what shall we do? In other words, what is going to be the proof that we as Roman soldiers have really genuinely repented?

And he said unto them, "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." Now, what was John doing? He was striking at the predominant sins of the Roman soldiers in his time. They were known for their violence. They were known for false accusation, and they were certainly known for their sedition and their rebellion. And so it's very surprising, in one sense of the word, then, to find this Roman soldier who had pagan roots. Who was a believer in Jesus Christ. Now the second surprising truth is that this Roman soldier was in Capernaum. If you'll notice, the Bible says in verse 5, "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him." Now what is so surprising about it being Capernaum? Well, you will remember I even quoted this verse last week, but in Capernaum as a whole, as a whole, our Lord's ministry was rejected. Our Lord Himself was basically despised, and Capernaum was placed under a curse. For instance, Matthew 11, verse 22, our Lord said this: "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell."

"For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." And here you find this Roman soldier in Capernaum, the city of the curse, and yet a believer in Jesus Christ, which shows us another truth: no matter how wicked the city, no matter how wicked the town, no matter how wicked the state, no matter how wicked the nation, our Lord still has some elect scattered practically everywhere. In fact, you will remember when Paul went to Corinth. Corinth was a notoriously wicked city. And Paul was frightened. You say the Apostle Paul? Yes, because God appeared to him and said, "Be not afraid, Paul; I have much people in this city." And of course, Paul spent 18 months in Corinth and preached, and a number of people were converted. So the first surprise that we have is it was a Roman soldier. The second surprise: he was in Capernaum. The third surprising truth is that this Roman soldier was compassionate. Look at this. Verse 5: "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." When has a soldier been concerned about a servant? Where are you going to find a compassionate soldier, normally speaking, especially in Roman times?

Now, let me point something out. In verse 6, when he said, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy," the word "servant" in the Greek literally is this: "my boy." "My boy lieth at home sick." So evidently, this young servant had either been adopted by this man or at least the man was treating him as a son. So he refers to him as "my boy." And he was very compassionate toward this young boy because he was concerned about his health. And the fourth surprising truth that we find here that is absolutely astounding is the greatness of this centurion's faith. Look what our Lord said in verse 10: "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." In other words, this Roman centurion had the greatest faith that Christ had ever encountered. So this Roman soldier not only had faith, he had a great faith. He was honored by Christ. Not only by Christ giving a personal testimony toward his faith, but he was also honored by Christ in the fact that Christ granted his request. But look what he said in verse 13: "And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee."

So the question has to be asked: what did he believe? Now, let me ask you, would you like to be honored by our Lord? Would you like to have your prayer request answered as well? And you would say, well, certainly I would. Well, then you need to drop your line in the same spot that Roman centurion dropped his line. You need to fish where he fished. You need to have the faith that he had. And so we have to ask the question, then: what did he believe? What did he believe that prompted Christ to say, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel"? Well, let's answer that. First of all, he believed in the Lordship of Christ. We're told in verse 5 that the Roman centurion came to Christ, beseeching him, that is begging him, asking for his grace and favor.

First Belief: The Lordship of Christ

The centurion addressed Jesus as 'Lord' (Kyrios), acknowledging His absolute authority. Weaver explains that this recognition came by divine revelation, not human reasoning, and that true lordship demands obedience.

So the question has to be asked: what did he believe? Now, let me ask you, would you like to be honored by our Lord? Would you like to have your prayer request answered as well? And you would say, well, certainly I would. Well, then you need to drop your line in the same spot that Roman centurion dropped his line. You need to fish where he fished. You need to have the faith that he had. And so we have to ask the question, then: what did he believe? What did he believe that prompted Christ to say, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel"? Well, let's answer that. First of all, he believed in the Lordship of Christ. We're told in verse 5 that the Roman centurion came to Christ, beseeching him, that is begging him, asking for his grace and favor.

However, it is only in verse 6 that we see the formal address, the formal salutation. He said in verse 6, "and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." Now, I've told you repeatedly that the Greek word for "Lord" is Kyrios, and it means sovereign, boss, owner, master, or Lord. So when this Roman centurion was addressing Christ, he addressed Him as the Sovereign, as the Boss, as the Owner, as the Master. In other words, he is saying to Christ, "I believe that you have complete and absolute and total authority over everything and everyone."

Now, I want to show you how great this soldier's faith was. You have to consider the fact that our Lord's Lordship was proven and demonstrated by His resurrection and His ascension. At this point in time, Christ had not even been crucified. So the Roman centurion was basically just simply going upon the Word of Christ. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to two passages. First of all, to Acts chapter 2 and then to Romans chapter 1. Look at Acts chapter 2 and let's begin reading there with verse 36. Peter is preaching in Acts 2 and verse 36, and look what he says. Acts 2 verse 36: Peter says, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." That's preaching of the resurrection of Christ. It's the resurrection of Christ that demonstrated that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and that He is God. If you would turn right over to the book of Romans, chapter 1, and notice if you would please verses 3 and 4 there.

Romans 1, verses 3 and 4. Look what the Bible says. Paul says, "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Now what was it that demonstrated that Jesus Christ was God and Jesus Christ was Lord? His resurrection. His ascension into heaven.

So here you have a man who is acknowledging His Lordship before He's ever resurrected, before He's ever crucified, before He ever ascends. Here you have a man who is acknowledging His Lordship when the Bible says that God hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So all of this has not even been done yet, and yet the Roman centurion believes that He's Lord. Let me show you one other thing. Go back to Matthew chapter 7. And there's a distinction you have to make. What did the Roman centurion refer to our Lord as in his salutation? He referred to Him as Lord. Now look in Matthew chapter 7, and notice verses 21 and 22. Our Lord said this:

"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." So our Lord says, not everyone that says "Lord, Lord" is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven. There's a difference between mouthing words and really, truly believing what you're saying. Anyone that has a tongue and has the ability to speak can say, "Jesus Christ is Lord." But only the Holy Spirit can authenticate that and make it real and genuine. So let me ask a question. How did this centurion know that Jesus Christ was Lord when Jesus Christ had not even been crucified and certainly had not been resurrected and not ascended into heaven? Well, since you're in the book of Matthew, look in Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, and notice, if you would please, verse 27. Matthew 11 and verse 27. Our Lord said this:

So how does one get to know the Father? Only if the Son reveals Him. How does one get to know the Son? Only if the Father reveals Him. So let's ask the question again. How did this Roman centurion know that Jesus Christ was Lord?

And the answer has to come back: the Father revealed it unto him. You remember the passage in Matthew chapter 16. You don't have to turn there. But when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Some say that you're Elijah or one of the prophets. But then he asked, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And our Lord said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." So how did that Roman centurion really know that Jesus Christ was Lord? The answer is, it was revealed to him by the Father. It was only by the grace of God that this man recognized and bowed to Jesus Christ.

Now let me repeat something that I said in my introduction. Our faith should even be greater than this Roman centurion's faith. Because Jesus Christ has not only been crucified, He's not only been resurrected, He's not only ascended up into heaven, we have the full, total, absolute, and completed Word of God. There is no reason why you and I cannot know and understand the Lordship of Christ. We should understand the implications of the Lordship of Christ. You know, our Lord said it very simply. In Luke 6 and verse 46, our Lord said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

Now, remember, Lord means boss, owner, master, sovereign. I want you to think with me just a moment. Here's what Christ is saying: if I am your boss, owner, master, sovereign, you're going to obey me. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" In other words, if you call Him Lord and you disobey Him, your actions are revealing that your profession is false. Has it ever dawned upon you that there are thousands, if not millions, of professing Christians who confess and acknowledge with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, and yet who deny that very truth with their lives on a daily basis because they disobey Him? "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" If Christ is our Lord, we will obey Him. When we understand that Christ is Lord, that means He has the absolute right to tell us what to believe, how to act, how to live, how to treat each other, what to do. He's the boss.

He's the master. He's the sovereign. And so when this centurion addressed Christ, he said, "Lord." In other words, "I'm bowing to you, I'm recognizing that you are God." Now, I want you to go back, if you would please, to Matthew 8, because I want you to see the second thing that he believed. He not only believed in the Lordship of Christ, but let's begin reading in verse 6: "and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." He believed that Christ had the power to heal. He believed that Christ had the power to heal and was capable of healing his servant even from a distance.

Second Belief: The Omnipotence of Christ

The centurion believed Christ could heal with just a word, demonstrating His omnipotence. Weaver argues that God's power is inherent and that Christ's once-for-all sacrifice proves His omnipotence.

Now, I want you to go back, if you would please, to Matthew 8, because I want you to see the second thing that he believed. He not only believed in the Lordship of Christ, but let's begin reading in verse 6: "and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." He believed that Christ had the power to heal. He believed that Christ had the power to heal and was capable of healing his servant even from a distance.

His servant did not have to get in a healing line. No, Christ is omnipotent, that is, He is all-powerful. Do you understand that the centurion would have never come to Christ to begin with if he did not already believe that Christ could heal his servant? Where did he get that faith? Very obviously from God. Do you realize that you and I cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him and believe Him to be absolutely all-powerful as well as all-wise? He who cannot do as He wills and perform all of His pleasure cannot be God. In fact, God says in Isaiah 46, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." If someone is not omnipotent, he cannot be God.

So God not only has a will to resolve, He also has power to effect that will and that resolution. Listen to what Stephen Charnock said as he is defining and talking about the power of God. Charnock wrote: "The power of God is that ability and strength whereby he can bring to pass whatsoever he pleases, whatsoever his infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of his will may resolve. As holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes, so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be his eternal counsels if power did not step in to execute them. Without power, his mercy would be feeble pity." "His promise is an empty sound. His threatening is a mere scarecrow. God's power is like Himself, infinite, eternal, incomprehensible. It can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature." And that certainly is true.

Now, I ask that you turn from Matthew 8, but turn in your Bibles to Psalm 62. And let me show you a tremendous passage. Psalm 62 and verse 11. Psalm 62 and verse 11, and we're talking about God's power or God's omnipotence. Notice Psalm 62 and verse 11. The psalmist writes:

Now, I want you to look at that verse again. God has spoken how many times? Once. But David says,

What has he heard? That power belongeth unto God. Psalm 62 verse 11:

Now hold 62. Psalm 62 verse 11. Now, I want you to look in Psalm 33, verse 6. Psalm 33, verse 6. Remember, God has spoken once. Notice Psalm 33 and verse 6. Look what the Bible declares.

Here's my question: how many times did God have to speak to create the world? Once. God has spoken once. God does not have to speak a second time. Why? Because power belongs unto God. God can effect, God can bring to pass whatever He speaks. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 89. Look in Psalm 89 and verse 35. Psalm 89, verse 35. Look what the Scripture says. Psalm 89, verse 35.

"Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David." How many times does God have to speak? How many times does God have to say something? Once. Let me ask you a question. I want you to think on this now. If God is all-powerful, if He is omnipotent, if He only has to speak once and the world is created, He speaks once and a covenantal relationship is cemented, if He is omnipotent and all-powerful, how many times does He have to offer Himself a sacrifice for sin? Help me out: how many? Once. I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would please.

First of all to Hebrews 9 and then to 1 Peter chapter 3. I'm telling you this to show you there's no such thing as an unbloody sacrifice. There's no such thing as a continual and constant sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9, look if you would please at verse 28. Hebrews 9 verse 28:

For Christ was once offered. Look in your Bibles if you would, to 1 Peter 3 and verse 18. 1 Peter 3 verse 18.

1 Peter 3, verse 18:

Notice,

If Christ is omnipotent, whatever He does, He does once. That's why He said on the cross, "It is finished." Once and for all. There is no continual sacrifice of Christ. There is no unbloody sacrifice. Even Scripture says without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins. Christ shed His blood once and for all. All He has to do is speak once. All He has to do is act once, and it's over with. The Roman soldier, then, believed in the omnipotence of Christ. And when Christ said to this Roman soldier, "I'll come to your house and heal your servant," he said, "No, no, there's no reason for you to come. Just speak the word. You're omnipotent. You don't even have to be there." Now, I want you to think about Psalm 62 verse 11 again.

Let me just quote it. Don't turn there. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." When the Roman centurion was recognizing the omnipotence of Jesus Christ, he was recognizing and confessing that Jesus Christ was God. For only God is omnipotent. Do you realize there is not an individual that has lived, that is living, or that will ever live that has an ounce of power in and of himself?

Now, stop and think about that. We talk about the powerful men that rule the world. No. There is not one that can even maintain his breath for another second. There is not one that can live beyond a second when God has decreed that he die. Any power that anyone has is delegated and received from God. God alone is inherently powerful. God alone is inherently omnipotent. God's power, said Spurgeon, is like himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the omnipotent one. Spurgeon went on to say this about God.

"He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by his courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from its creatures. He is himself the great central source and originator of power." God is omnipotent. God is omnipotent. Turn in your Bibles to Mark 14. I want to show you that power, in reality, is another name for God. Look in Mark chapter 14, and verse 62.

Christ is standing before the high priest. And let's begin reading in verse 60: "And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Power is another name for God. He's sitting on the right hand of power. Where is He seated? The right hand of God. Who is power? God is power. Stephen Charnock said again, "God and power are so inseparable that they are reciprocated."

"As His essence is immense, not to be confined in place; as it is eternal, not to be measured in time; so it is almighty, not to be limited in regard to action." You cannot limit God. God is infinite in every one of His attributes. He is the eternal, omnipotent God. And this Roman centurion believed that Christ was God. He believed that Christ was omnipotent. He believed that Christ was Lord.

Now let me ask you a question. Think with me. There are several questions. Do you really, genuinely believe, first of all, that Jesus Christ is the Sovereign? Secondly, that would mean this: do you really, genuinely believe that Jesus Christ is omnipotent? If He is omnipotent, that means He cannot fail. That means He cannot be defeated. He is not a victim. He is the victor. It means that He will crush His enemies with a rod of iron. It means, what the Bible says, that He must reign until He puts all of His enemies under His feet. If you believe that Jesus Christ is omnipotent, that means He can do anything and everything.

He can answer every prayer. He can heal every hole. He can touch any individual. He's God. And this Roman centurion said, "Look, I know that you're Lord and I know that you're omnipotent." If you believe that Jesus Christ is omnipotent, you believe that He has all power, that He cannot be overthrown, that He cannot be hindered, He cannot be thwarted, He cannot be delayed, He cannot be stopped. He is God, He is all-powerful, He is on the throne, and He is absolute, and He is in control. That's what it means. He can do anything because He is God and He is omnipotent. Period. So this centurion said, "Hey."

"You don't need to come to my house. Just speak the word. Because you're God. You're omnipotent." We need to understand the omnipotence of Christ. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 8. I want to show you the third point, and this is the only point I'm going to deal with today because the rest of the sermon, because the other points just need to be emphasized individually as well. But go back to verse 8: "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." Now what did this Roman centurion believe? Now listen carefully. First of all, he believed in the Lordship of Christ. Secondly, he believed in the omnipotence of Christ. Thirdly, he believed that he was a sinner and unworthy of the presence of Christ in his home.

Third Belief: Personal Unworthiness

The centurion declared, 'I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof,' expressing deep humility and awareness of his sinfulness. Weaver contrasts this with the miracle of Christ dwelling in believers permanently.

"You don't need to come to my house. Just speak the word. Because you're God. You're omnipotent." We need to understand the omnipotence of Christ. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 8. I want to show you the third point, and this is the only point I'm going to deal with today because the rest of the sermon, because the other points just need to be emphasized individually as well. But go back to verse 8: "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." Now what did this Roman centurion believe? Now listen carefully. First of all, he believed in the Lordship of Christ. Secondly, he believed in the omnipotence of Christ. Thirdly, he believed that he was a sinner and unworthy of the presence of Christ in his home.

When he said to Christ, "I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof," he was not rejecting Christ or despising the presence of Christ. That statement was an expression not only of his modesty, but his humility and the consciousness of his own vileness and corruption. Do you realize what most of us have never, ever really seen? And believe me, we really don't want to see it in one sense of the word, is the depth of our own vileness and corruption. If you really want to be genuinely, totally, and absolutely humble, you ask God to show you two things. You better ask Him to show you three things. You need to ask Him to show you, number one, how great and how glorious He is. Number two, you need to ask Him to show you how vile and how corrupt you are. And number three, you need to ask Him to show you that Jesus Christ is the answer to our vileness and our corruption.

Do you remember when Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 6, said, "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." You remember the seraphim had six wings; with twain they covered their face, with twain they covered their feet, with twain they did fly. And they ceased not saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." What did Isaiah say? He said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Woe is me! I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of unclean people of unclean lips. Woe is me! for mine eyes have seen the Lord. What did Isaiah see? He saw himself. He saw the Lord. And of course, he saw his people as being corrupt as well. Here is this Roman centurion who says, "Lord, I am not worthy." Listen carefully. Here was a man who understood his corruption and his depravity to such an extent that he felt himself unworthy for Christ to come under his roof.

For just a few minutes. Let me say this again, I want it to sink in. Here was a man that understood his corruption and his vileness to the extent that he believed himself unworthy for Christ to come and spend just a few minutes under his roof. And yet, the miracle of miracles is this: as vile and as wicked and as corrupt as we are, Christ condescends to live in our hearts permanently.

There are so many Scriptures: "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Vex not the Holy Spirit. And we never stop to think when we deny the Lordship of Christ by disobeying His word, we're vexing and grieving the Holy Spirit who indwells us. Here's a man who said, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under the roof of my house just for a few minutes." He believed himself so vile and so corrupt and so unworthy. You know, the Apostle Paul declared himself the chief of sinners. He said in 1 Timothy, chapter 1, in verse 15,

Let me tell you something: anyone who's ever been convicted of his sins and he sees his own corruption and depravity would be willing to fight the Apostle Paul for that position.

You remember the prodigal boy, Luke 15. You know, I'm so glad some of these things didn't happen to me. Because if my son had come to me and said, "Father, divide to me the portion of goods that falleth to me," because I'm leaving you right now, I'd say, "Son, if you're going to leave me, you're going to leave me penniless. Bye." I would have never given in to an arrogant, rebellious child like that. But the father divided his living. What did the boy do? Turned around and threw it all away, wasted it with riotous living, the Bible says. And finally, he was so hungry, he was eating with the hogs. And he said to himself, "What a fool I am. My father has plenty in his house. What a fool I am to be out here in this hog pen." He said,

"Make me as one of thy hired servants." And when he got up and left the hog pen, when he repented, when he saw his father, Luke 15 and verse 21, he said to his father,

Do you realize that there is not one individual that's worthy to be a child of God? I can understand what David meant when he prayed, "Remember not against me the sins of my youth." In fact, I learned to pray, "Lord, remember not against me the sins of my old age too. And don't forget my middle age."

In all of our unworthiness, in all of our vileness and all of our corruption, there's one important truth: He makes us worthy. And when our Heavenly Father looks at us, He does not see our disobedience and our wickedness, but He sees the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And we can only say that He makes us righteous. He makes us worthy. I've been thinking about the song all week long: "Hallelujah! What a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood. Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed ones to bring, then anew this song we'll sing. Hallelujah! What a Savior!" Let me point one other thing out for you. Think about this. You want to see a real demonstration of humility. The Roman centurion. The Roman centurion was part of an empire that had conquered Judea.

Applications: The Importance of Right Belief

Weaver applies the message by stressing that what we believe matters, sincerity cannot save, and our actions reflect our doctrine. He calls for belief in Christ's Lordship, omnipotence, and our unworthiness.

I've been thinking about the song all week long: "Hallelujah! What a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood. Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed ones to bring, then anew this song we'll sing. Hallelujah! What a Savior!" Let me point one other thing out for you. Think about this. You want to see a real demonstration of humility. The Roman centurion. The Roman centurion was part of an empire that had conquered Judea.

And the Judeans were despised, despicable people to the Romans. And here this Roman soldier is looking to this Judean whom he is supposed to be ruling over, saying, "I'm not worthy for you to enter under the roof of my house." He was saying, "Christ, you've never been conquered. You are the conqueror. And I bow before you." He understood his own corruption. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this: it is important what we believe. We're asking the question, what did this Roman centurion believe? It is important what we believe. All of us have heard people say all of our lives, "Well, it doesn't really matter what you believe just so you're sincere in it." Well, let me tell you, you may sincerely believe that strychnine is not a poison, but if you drink it, you will be sincerely dead. It does matter what you believe.

Your sincerity will not save you. Sincerity has never saved anyone. You may be sincere in your atheism. You may be sincere in your agnosticism. You may be sincere in any other ism. But if you fail to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ, you will still die in your sins and be lost. Sincerity never saved anyone. Likewise, if you believe wrongly concerning Christ and any of His attributes or His word, you're not only wrong, it is a sin and it will most definitely hinder you in your prayers and will cause you irreparable loss. You are responsible to search out the Scriptures and understand and comprehend the attributes of God. It does matter what you believe.

The second application is this: our words, our actions, and our conduct are based upon our doctrine. We literally act out that which we believe. David said, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." The Roman soldier's words and actions demonstrated that he genuinely and truly believed that Jesus Christ was God, that Jesus Christ was Lord, that Jesus Christ was omnipotent, and His actions truly demonstrated that He was humbled with His own depravity and His own corruption. It doesn't matter how loudly we profess Christ if we deny Him in our actions. If we want to be honored the way this Roman soldier was honored, we must believe the Lordship of Christ, the omnipotence of Christ, and our own unworthiness. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask that you help us, teach us, Lord, build us up in the most holy faith. And oh Lord, today may we understand and comprehend in some measure your Lordship, your omnipotence, our own unworthiness. And, O Father, we do thank You today that although we are unworthy in and of ourselves, Thou hast made us worthy through Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness, and in whom we boast, and in whom we glory, and in whom we serve.