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The Selfless Servant
Posted : 14 May, 2011 06:48 AM
There are times in our faith walk we recognize and commend the Lord, but it is usually when we are seeking greater spiritual strength ourselves. What Jesus wants to see in, anf from us is sincere faith, as the scripture speaks, God marvels we come forth and there is great faith.
The Bible gives us a story in Matthew chapter 8: verses 5-13, about centurion soldoier, who was an enemy of the Jews. In this story give us a view of the hopeless state of what it is like for people to loive without Jesus in their lives. There are several things in this story that takes place in this story regarding the hope of this centurion soldier: (1) He was separated from his only source of hope (2)He was rejected, despised, and hated by the Jews (3) He faced the dilemma of asking Jesus for healing for a servant who was miles away(5) To top it all, the centurion soldier was a Gentile who by Jews was considered spurtial lost, and this made him an alien and an enemy of God's people as for as they were concerned.
Then comes along Jesus. He always shows up just on time when it seems all hpe is gone... He's got it going on like that. He is a barrier breakers and a mind regulator, and no one can stop Him or what He has to do. Jesus comes along with the power to overcome all barriers or hinderances in our lives, He has the power to overcome our big ideas or those of others, prejudices that separate us from each other, neighbor from neighbor, race from race, nation from natio, child from parent, husband from wife. Only Jesus has the power to reach down deep inside of man in all areas of his body and being emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physicallly and pierce the heart, spirit and soul of man to remove those barrier of his soul that hinder and save man from the pits of hell, and also to save man from his ownself.
As one writer says, "In order for such a miracle to take place our lives as with the centturion soldier, first there has to be a demonstration of faith which the Lord could and would respond to. Jesus can reach the soul of any person who believes in Him, no matter how lost, how alien, or how much of an enemy of God he/she may be or has been. But the believing person must take the first step, and with a repentant heart and selfless spirit, and demonstrate a real faith in the power of God believing that only He can save and deliver. Jesus receives any person who truly has faith to believe, but He rejects those who do not have faith to belive, no matter who they are. For without faith it is impossible to please God."
When we look at this story of the centruion, we find that the great faith he had was believing tha Jesus could and would heal the servant, and Jesus proved that He could and would heal the servant, and not only that but Jesus proved that He was the Massiah. The faith of the centrution to believe that if he came to Jesus and asked of Him to heal the servant, the servant would be healed, and not only that, but the centrution believed that Jesus could heal the servant, and Jesus proclaimed that He had not seen no greater faith than what he saw in the centurtion soldier if all of Israel.
Four things took place in this (1) When the centurion came to Jesus and asked of Him for help, Jeus was aroused by the HUMILITY of the centurion, becasue the soldier was a Gentile and a Roman officer, and the nerve of him to come to Jesus a Jew and ask for help. This was socially unacceptable, but the centurion had great courage and faith. The centurion also knew he had a serious need and came and confessed this need to Jesus, the only one he knew could and would help..
(2) Jesus was aroused by the centurions's sense of UNWORTHINESS. When you look at the passage, the centurion did not come to Jesus saying, that his servant was unworthy, he came speaking about himself telling Jesus that he was not worthy to have Jesus to come to his house. The centurion had a personal sense of unworthiness. The centurion acknowledges that Jeus Christ is the only sovereign Lord and that He alone has he pwoer to meet all of our needs, so by faith the soldier knew he had to confess his own inadequacy and unworthiness and needi for help, he wanted the Lord to help him.
(3) Jesus was aroused by the centurion's LOVE toward his servant. The centurion poured out his heart for his servant to Jesus. It was as you may call it intercessory prayer before the Lord. The servant in the yes of society should not have ment that much to the centurion, but he loved his servant enough to seek help for him from Jesus.
(4) Jesus was aroused by the centurion's GREAT FAITH. The centurion had faith to believe in the great power f Jesu to heal and overcome all battiers. What a great faith! It was great becasue Jesus recognized it as great faith, it was great becasue it was a personal fith in the Supreme being of Jesus' authority and power over men over sickness of all things. The centurion belived that Jesus was Lord over both the kingdom of diseases and of heaven and of the nation.
This shoudl let us know that God in Chirst is our intersessor, our hope and our salvation for deliverance, and there are no circumstances or problems that God cannot handle when we come before Him in true humility and faith to believe.
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