Recognizing True Authority
Preaching
What Jesus Did:
The Answer To WWJD
Like the account of the paralytic and his four friends, here is another miracle where the faith of a third party brought about healing. It brings us to the issue of how we are to be interceding for the needs of others. Hopefully, we are doing this all the time -- praying for others. Presumably, we have experienced some wonderful answers to our prayers. Yet, it is good to continue our own search for improvement in our prayer life and the effectiveness of our prayers.
We especially want our prayers to be effective when we are praying for others. As we look at this centurion, what does he have to teach us about effective intercession? First, we need to note that this is a centurion. He is not only a Gentile, but a Roman army officer as well. As far as the Jews were concerned, it would not be worth praying for people like him. But this centurion was different, at least according to Luke. He loved the Jewish people and even contributed to the building of the local synagogue. However, the point is that Jesus hears prayers from all people, even those who may be outside the Church. Why would he do that? Because when those on the outside experience answers to prayer, it will increase their faith and draw them closer to Jesus.
• Can you name someone who was "outside the Church" when God heard their prayers?
The most important lesson this centurion can teach us is about faith and authority. This centurion has faith in who Jesus is as the Son of God. The centurion demonstrates his faith by recognizing Jesus' authority over all things. The military mindset is a marvel to behold. In the military, everything is set by a hierarchy of authority, a chain of command. Generals command colonels, who command majors, who command captains, and so on. If orders are disobeyed at any level, command and discipline break down. There is a high level of trust. If an order is given, you don't question it; you just obey. You trust that the ones giving the orders know what they are doing, because your life may depend on that trust in the heat of battle. Obedience to an order can be the difference between living and dying.
The centurion is immersed in the military mindset and knows how to trust his superiors. He recognizes Jesus as his superior and therefore recognizes Jesus' authority over all disease, sickness, and pain. "Just say the word, and I know he will be healed." The centurion instinctively knows that Jesus doesn't need to come and deliver the order personally any more than Caesar would have to come and deliver an order personally. If Caesar gave an order, the centurion would obey, even though Caesar is a thousand miles away. Jesus can give the order, and the illness will obey, even though Jesus may be blocks away from the servant.
• Where would you like Jesus to "say the word" in your life?
The point is clear: Do we recognize the authority of Jesus over every aspect of our lives? If Jesus were to say the word, would we trust and obey, or would we question and wonder whether Jesus knew what he was doing? We tend to forget that the military chain-of-command principle is applicable to the kingdom of God. God gives the orders. We are to obey. If we disobey, discipline breaks down. There are consequences. Our mission is impaired. In some cases when we disobey, our very lives could be at stake.
We find God's orders in the Bible. One set of orders we call the Ten Commandments. Another set of orders we call the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus also gives us orders as we commune with him in prayer. We learn to recognize the voice of the Spirit and obey. Another way that Jesus gives orders is through church leaders. Pastors, deacons, church staff, other leaders have a measure of authority and responsibility from God for leading the flock. Sometimes their orders may sound strange and we need to trust that they know what they are talking about.
• Do you have respect for those in authority over you?
The centurion had his request granted because he recognized Jesus' authority. Perhaps we would get more prayers answered if we recognized Jesus' authority over our lives. When we refuse to give up our pet sins, we impair our relationship with God and by that we impair our effectiveness in prayer. God calls us to be a holy people. We are to be different from the rest of the world. We are to be unique. The rest of the world says that money, career, and material things are the goals of life. He who dies with the most toys wins. Jesus says, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15 NRSV). "For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?" (Matthew 16:26 NRSV).
The rest of the world says, "It's your body. If you want to be a sex maniac, go ahead. You need to have sex before you're married so that you know your partner better." The Bible says that we are to be sexually pure, keeping ourselves only for marriage and in marriage. The rest of the world says, look out for number one. Don't worry about other people. Paddle your own canoe. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Jesus says, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). The world says that you need to live a life of pleasure. Gamble. Consume mass quantities of alcohol, food, and drugs. The Bible says that those who live for such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. When Jesus has the true authority of our lives, we will take our orders from him. The recognition of that authority is called obedience.
Jesus commends the centurion's faith with words not used of any Jewish follower: "No one in Israel has such faith." Sometimes the unbelievers, the ones outside, have more respect for Jesus' authority than those of us who have grown used to being in the church. Why would Jesus say such a thing? Because the centurion recognized Jesus' authority and the Jews did not. The Jews questioned, demanded signs, waffled, and wavered. The centurion said, "Say the word and I know it will be done."
Faith is more than belief. It is trust. It is trust that shows itself through obedience. If we want to sit down at the heavenly banquet table with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest, then we must make Jesus Lord over all our lives, every day of our lives. We must continue to let Jesus clean out the junk and make us holy. We must continue to resist the ways of the world and live according to the Word of God.
• In what way is the world trying to press you into its mold and ignore the authority of Jesus?
When we recognize Jesus' authority over our own lives, it is but a small step to recognize that Jesus has authority over everybody's life, whether they realize it or not. That is when our prayers become effective. We claim answers based on Jesus having all authority in heaven and earth. When Jesus says, "Let it be done according to your faith," let our faith be large and demonstrated in continuing obedience to Jesus' commands. The centurion had his request granted because he trusted Jesus' authority. That is an important lesson for us in our prayer life. Jesus says, "Those who love me will obey me" (John 14:21). Our obedience is our recognition of Jesus' authority in our lives.
If we would have more power in our intercession, we must recognize the authority of the one we intercede with. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 (NRSV), "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Paul reminds us in Philippians 2 that Jesus has been given a name above all names. When we pray to Jesus, we are praying to the one who has but to say the word, and our prayer will be answered. We are called to be obedient to that word as well.
WWJD -- Pray for someone right now who needs your intercession.
We especially want our prayers to be effective when we are praying for others. As we look at this centurion, what does he have to teach us about effective intercession? First, we need to note that this is a centurion. He is not only a Gentile, but a Roman army officer as well. As far as the Jews were concerned, it would not be worth praying for people like him. But this centurion was different, at least according to Luke. He loved the Jewish people and even contributed to the building of the local synagogue. However, the point is that Jesus hears prayers from all people, even those who may be outside the Church. Why would he do that? Because when those on the outside experience answers to prayer, it will increase their faith and draw them closer to Jesus.
• Can you name someone who was "outside the Church" when God heard their prayers?
The most important lesson this centurion can teach us is about faith and authority. This centurion has faith in who Jesus is as the Son of God. The centurion demonstrates his faith by recognizing Jesus' authority over all things. The military mindset is a marvel to behold. In the military, everything is set by a hierarchy of authority, a chain of command. Generals command colonels, who command majors, who command captains, and so on. If orders are disobeyed at any level, command and discipline break down. There is a high level of trust. If an order is given, you don't question it; you just obey. You trust that the ones giving the orders know what they are doing, because your life may depend on that trust in the heat of battle. Obedience to an order can be the difference between living and dying.
The centurion is immersed in the military mindset and knows how to trust his superiors. He recognizes Jesus as his superior and therefore recognizes Jesus' authority over all disease, sickness, and pain. "Just say the word, and I know he will be healed." The centurion instinctively knows that Jesus doesn't need to come and deliver the order personally any more than Caesar would have to come and deliver an order personally. If Caesar gave an order, the centurion would obey, even though Caesar is a thousand miles away. Jesus can give the order, and the illness will obey, even though Jesus may be blocks away from the servant.
• Where would you like Jesus to "say the word" in your life?
The point is clear: Do we recognize the authority of Jesus over every aspect of our lives? If Jesus were to say the word, would we trust and obey, or would we question and wonder whether Jesus knew what he was doing? We tend to forget that the military chain-of-command principle is applicable to the kingdom of God. God gives the orders. We are to obey. If we disobey, discipline breaks down. There are consequences. Our mission is impaired. In some cases when we disobey, our very lives could be at stake.
We find God's orders in the Bible. One set of orders we call the Ten Commandments. Another set of orders we call the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus also gives us orders as we commune with him in prayer. We learn to recognize the voice of the Spirit and obey. Another way that Jesus gives orders is through church leaders. Pastors, deacons, church staff, other leaders have a measure of authority and responsibility from God for leading the flock. Sometimes their orders may sound strange and we need to trust that they know what they are talking about.
• Do you have respect for those in authority over you?
The centurion had his request granted because he recognized Jesus' authority. Perhaps we would get more prayers answered if we recognized Jesus' authority over our lives. When we refuse to give up our pet sins, we impair our relationship with God and by that we impair our effectiveness in prayer. God calls us to be a holy people. We are to be different from the rest of the world. We are to be unique. The rest of the world says that money, career, and material things are the goals of life. He who dies with the most toys wins. Jesus says, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15 NRSV). "For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?" (Matthew 16:26 NRSV).
The rest of the world says, "It's your body. If you want to be a sex maniac, go ahead. You need to have sex before you're married so that you know your partner better." The Bible says that we are to be sexually pure, keeping ourselves only for marriage and in marriage. The rest of the world says, look out for number one. Don't worry about other people. Paddle your own canoe. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Jesus says, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). The world says that you need to live a life of pleasure. Gamble. Consume mass quantities of alcohol, food, and drugs. The Bible says that those who live for such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. When Jesus has the true authority of our lives, we will take our orders from him. The recognition of that authority is called obedience.
Jesus commends the centurion's faith with words not used of any Jewish follower: "No one in Israel has such faith." Sometimes the unbelievers, the ones outside, have more respect for Jesus' authority than those of us who have grown used to being in the church. Why would Jesus say such a thing? Because the centurion recognized Jesus' authority and the Jews did not. The Jews questioned, demanded signs, waffled, and wavered. The centurion said, "Say the word and I know it will be done."
Faith is more than belief. It is trust. It is trust that shows itself through obedience. If we want to sit down at the heavenly banquet table with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest, then we must make Jesus Lord over all our lives, every day of our lives. We must continue to let Jesus clean out the junk and make us holy. We must continue to resist the ways of the world and live according to the Word of God.
• In what way is the world trying to press you into its mold and ignore the authority of Jesus?
When we recognize Jesus' authority over our own lives, it is but a small step to recognize that Jesus has authority over everybody's life, whether they realize it or not. That is when our prayers become effective. We claim answers based on Jesus having all authority in heaven and earth. When Jesus says, "Let it be done according to your faith," let our faith be large and demonstrated in continuing obedience to Jesus' commands. The centurion had his request granted because he trusted Jesus' authority. That is an important lesson for us in our prayer life. Jesus says, "Those who love me will obey me" (John 14:21). Our obedience is our recognition of Jesus' authority in our lives.
If we would have more power in our intercession, we must recognize the authority of the one we intercede with. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 (NRSV), "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Paul reminds us in Philippians 2 that Jesus has been given a name above all names. When we pray to Jesus, we are praying to the one who has but to say the word, and our prayer will be answered. We are called to be obedient to that word as well.
WWJD -- Pray for someone right now who needs your intercession.
