Great Faith

Scripture Text 

Mark 6:6

Luke 7:1-10

 Intro: There are only two times in the bible that Jesus marveled at people’s faith. Marvel means to be impressed, amazed, be surprised and stand in wonder of. There are two kinds of faith that makes Jesus marvel. We will look at those two kinds in today’s message. Take note of which kind of faith you have.

I. Jesus marvels at the lack of faith. Mark 6:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

 a. Unbelief ties Jesus’ hands so that He can do no mighty work among us. (v:5)

 Unbelief or lack of faith prevents Jesus’ mighty working power in our lives. God works by faith!

  b. "Jesus marveled because of their unbelief!" (v:6) He stood in amazement and shock of their total disbelief. They had His presence, His wisdom, and the testimony of His mighty works. They had His power to help them in all their need, yet they stayed away from His meetings. They would not come to Him. In pride, they refused to trust and believe Him. The situation amazed Jesus. Their unbelief was just incredible, but He had to accept their rejection. He could not force Himself upon them, so He left town and travelled to the villages around Nazareth.

II. Jesus marvels at great faith. Luke 7:1-5 (NKJV)
¹ Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. ² And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵ "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."

 a. A Roman centurion had a servant very dear to him who was sick. Note that the centurion built the Jews a synagogue. He diligently sought Jesus. The centurion was a very humble man who sought Jesus through the Jews because he did not feel worthy to approach Jesus.

The centurion was a man of faith. He believed Jesus could meet his need.

b. The centurion illustrated perfectly what great faith is. Luke 7:6-7 (NKJV) ⁶ Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

1. Great Faith believes that "God is": that He is sovereign Lord over all. Believing God takes faith. (Hebrews 11:6). All power is subject to Him.

 2. Great Faith believes that "God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him." Faith in Jesus words believes He will use His power in behalf of those who diligently seek Him.

The great faith of the Roman centurion believed God had given Jesus supreme authority over every other power and authority that exists. Philippians 2:10 (NKJV) At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.

Many believers diligently seek the Lord, but the centurion's faith was so much greater than most believers. Why? Because he believed that the Word of Christ was all that was needed. Luke 7:8 (NKJV) ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

Jesus did not have to be present for the need to be met. As a centurion, he was under the Roman government’s authority and he had been given authority over men. All he had to do was issue an order and it was carried out, whether he was present or not. He was a sovereign commander. He was saying, "How much more authority you have, O' Lord. Your authority is supreme. Speak the word only, and my need shall be met."

III. Jesus marveled at the Roman centurion’s faith. Luke 7:9 (NKJV)
⁹ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"

     The centurion was a gentile whose amazing faith stirred the great power of Jesus. 

What a forceful and powerful lesson on faith for all! Jesus said He had not seen such great faith in all of Israel. Jesus embraced and commended the soldier before others. He embraced and commended him for his faith, not for who he was or for what he had done as a soldier. Jesus didn’t even commend him for building the Jews a synagogue, but for totally believing that Jesus was who He said He was, And that He was in command of every situation, circumstance, power and authority that exists.

IV. The results of great faith. The centurion’s servant was healed right then. Luke 7:10 (NKJV)  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Conclusion: Believing, that is, true faith, is a rare thing. Not many believe with great faith; yet belief in Christ is one of the greatest qualities of human life—a quality ignored, neglected, and in some cases denied. Often Christians limit Jesus’ power from working in their lives by not believing He is able to deal with their particular circumstance.

Invitation:  Have you put total faith in Jesus for your salvation? Have you confessed your sins to Jesus and asked His forgiveness? If not why not now? If you confess your sins to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you and you will be saved! Where is your faith level on a scale from 1-10? Jesus always wants to do more in our lives if we will allow Him! We either allow Jesus to work in our lives or we limit Him by our faith!