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2
00:00:00,054 --> 00:00:03,017
"After he had finished all
his sayings in the hearing

3
00:00:03,021 --> 00:00:05,075
"of the people,
he entered Capernaum.

4
00:00:05,083 --> 00:00:08,079
"Now a centurion had a servant
who was sick

5
00:00:08,083 --> 00:00:13,050
"and at the point of death,
who was highly valued by him.

6
00:00:13,054 --> 00:00:15,088
"When the centurion
heard about Jesus,

7
00:00:15,096 --> 00:00:18,079
"he sent to him
elders of the Jews,

8
00:00:18,083 --> 00:00:21,083
"asking him to come
and heal his servant.

9
00:00:21,092 --> 00:00:25,050
"And when they came to Jesus,
they pleaded with him earnestly,

10
00:00:25,054 --> 00:00:28,096
"saying, 'He is worthy to
have you do this for him,

11
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,083
"'for he loves our nation,
and he is the one

12
00:00:31,092 --> 00:00:34,096
"'who built us our synagogue.'

13
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"And Jesus went with them.

14
00:00:37,025 --> 00:00:39,000
"When he was not
far from the house,

15
00:00:39,008 --> 00:00:41,054
"the centurion sent friends,
saying to him,

16
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"'Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy

17
00:00:45,025 --> 00:00:48,050
"'to have you come
under my roof.

18
00:00:48,058 --> 00:00:51,067
"'Therefore I did not
presume to come to you.

19
00:00:51,075 --> 00:00:55,050
"'But say the word,
and let my servant be healed.

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"'For I too am a man
set under authority,

21
00:00:58,042 --> 00:01:02,083
"'with soldiers under me: and I
say to one, "Go," and he goes;

22
00:01:02,088 --> 00:01:05,096
"'and to another, "Come,"
and he comes; and to my servant,

23
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,050
"'"Do this," and he does it.'

24
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"When Jesus heard these
things, he marveled at him,

25
00:01:11,071 --> 00:01:15,033
"and turning to the crowd that
followed him, said,

26
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"'I tell you, not even in Israel
have I found such faith.'

27
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"And when those who had been
sent returned to the house,

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they found the servant well."

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[music]

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32
00:01:53,083 --> 00:01:55,012
Well, howdy, Mars Hill.

33
00:01:55,017 --> 00:01:57,025
We love to go through
books of the Bible.

34
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If you're new, it is
something that we enjoy,

35
00:02:00,033 --> 00:02:03,033
and we find ourselves in the
book of the Bible called Luke.

36
00:02:03,038 --> 00:02:06,083
We're in chapter 7:1-10.

37
00:02:06,088 --> 00:02:09,083
Feel free to go there in your
Bible, or on your iPhone,

38
00:02:09,092 --> 00:02:11,012
or whatever the case might be.

39
00:02:11,017 --> 00:02:12,042
If you don't have a Bible,
you're certainly welcome to

40
00:02:12,050 --> 00:02:16,012
pick one up for free
on your way out.

41
00:02:16,017 --> 00:02:19,004
And where we find ourselves in
the story is that Jesus has been

42
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preaching, and teaching, and
healing, performing miracles,

43
00:02:23,067 --> 00:02:28,038
dealing with troubled people,
casting out demons, and he has

44
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been essentially kicked out
of his hometown of Nazareth.

45
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They have sadly rejected him,
and so he set up a base

46
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of operations in a town called
Capernaum, small town,

47
00:02:37,096 --> 00:02:39,062
maybe 50, 100 people.

48
00:02:39,067 --> 00:02:42,046
Small homes,
400, 500, 600 square feet,

49
00:02:42,050 --> 00:02:46,046
fishing down the hillside
toward the Sea of Galilee,

50
00:02:46,050 --> 00:02:49,004
farming up over
the fertile plains.

51
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A lot of people who
are not well educated,

52
00:02:51,054 --> 00:02:54,021
they're not
financially prosperous.

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These are simple,
hard-working, regular,

54
00:02:57,008 --> 00:03:01,029
poor people from
that day and era.

55
00:03:01,033 --> 00:03:04,025
And what we're going to see
today is that as Jesus is

56
00:03:04,033 --> 00:03:06,042
on a bit of a preaching
and teaching tour,

57
00:03:06,050 --> 00:03:09,012
he's on his way back
toward Capernaum,

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and he is approached with a
situation of a man who was sick,

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and suffering, and near death,
and that is the clinical

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diagnosis of Luke, who is
a medical doctor, and the author

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00:03:20,029 --> 00:03:23,008
of this book of the Bible
bearing his name.

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And so we're going to get to
know this man who is suffering,

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and how Jesus ministers to him.

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By way of preface, let me
say, though, that sin,

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and sickness, and suffering,
ultimately culminating in death,

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is not part of
God's original plan.

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When God finished his work
of creating the heavens,

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and the earth,
and man and woman,

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in Genesis 1:31 it says that,

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"God saw everything that he had
made and he said that it was,"

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what?

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00:03:49,067 --> 00:03:50,096
Very good, very good.

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Everything was great.

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We didn't need
locks on our homes.

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We didn't need air
bags in our cars.

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00:03:55,067 --> 00:04:00,033
We didn't need 911, hospitals,
ambulances, police, or soldiers.

77
00:04:00,038 --> 00:04:04,058
There was no sickness,
sin, suffering, or death.

78
00:04:04,067 --> 00:04:06,079
Everything God
made was very good.

79
00:04:06,083 --> 00:04:11,000
We sin and the result
is all that is very bad.

80
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And what we find today is
a man who is suffering.

81
00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,017
He is in a world of
imperfection and sin,

82
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and as a result
there is suffering.

83
00:04:19,012 --> 00:04:22,025
And the Bible says
that he is near death.

84
00:04:22,033 --> 00:04:26,067
That means he does not go to
Jesus because he is bedridden.

85
00:04:26,075 --> 00:04:31,050
This is a man who is
in his final moments.

86
00:04:31,058 --> 00:04:35,046
Some of you have been there at
the bedside of someone who is

87
00:04:35,050 --> 00:04:39,033
suffering and dying, and you've
seen them in their last moments.

88
00:04:39,038 --> 00:04:40,088
That's where he's at.

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00:04:40,096 --> 00:04:43,033
Some of you are
approaching that day.

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00:04:43,042 --> 00:04:45,092
There's a man at Mars Hill
that I see every week,

91
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,008
and he is on borrowed time.

92
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I've met with him.

93
00:04:49,029 --> 00:04:52,054
He does know Jesus,
but his heart is blocked,

94
00:04:52,062 --> 00:04:54,042
there's nothing
more they can do,

95
00:04:54,050 --> 00:04:57,017
and every week that he sees
me, he says, "I'm still here,

96
00:04:57,021 --> 00:04:58,083
"if I'm not here next week,

97
00:04:58,088 --> 00:05:00,096
you know that I've gone
to see Jesus."

98
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,062
Some of you are well aware
that your time could be

99
00:05:03,067 --> 00:05:05,046
very, very short.

100
00:05:05,050 --> 00:05:08,000
Some of you know and love
people whose time is very short.

101
00:05:08,004 --> 00:05:10,083
Some of you have been with
those in their last moments

102
00:05:10,092 --> 00:05:12,067
of suffering as they
approach death.

103
00:05:12,075 --> 00:05:14,062
And this man is at that place.

104
00:05:14,067 --> 00:05:16,017
The doctors have done
everything they can.

105
00:05:16,021 --> 00:05:19,025
The family and friends have
done everything they can.

106
00:05:19,033 --> 00:05:22,000
There's nothing left that can be
done and apart from a miracle

107
00:05:22,004 --> 00:05:26,008
of God's grace, he is
going to die shortly.

108
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And he's a servant.

109
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He is a man who is
essentially a slave.

110
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In that social order,
he's at the bottom of priority.

111
00:05:35,021 --> 00:05:38,017
If he had a bad master, he would
be treated as property,

112
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or an animal, yet,
we're going to find that Jesus

113
00:05:42,021 --> 00:05:46,033
has great love and compassion
for this man.

114
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And so emotionally, I need you
to go to that place where you

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00:05:51,004 --> 00:05:55,058
put in his place, someone
that you know and love.

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00:05:55,067 --> 00:05:58,046
God has helped me today.

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00:05:58,050 --> 00:06:03,025
One of the great struggles of
being a pastor is being aware

118
00:06:03,033 --> 00:06:05,012
of so much suffering in
so many people's lives,

119
00:06:05,017 --> 00:06:07,067
and then emotionally just
trying to endure that.

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I woke up this morning--to give
you an example--and a friend

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of mine e-mailed.

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00:06:11,096 --> 00:06:13,071
He was a guy I went
to high school with.

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We played baseball together,

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lettered 4 years together
in baseball.

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Played summer league together.

126
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We were friends, got along fine.

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Neither of us were Christians.

128
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We both graduated
as non-Christians,

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and then we both
became Christians.

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And he married a gal who
graduated with my wife,

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grew up with my wife,
went to church with my wife,

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was friends with my wife.

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And so of course, we've kept
in touch over the years.

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He's a godly man.

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He's studied theology.

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He's a great Bible teacher.

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He loves Jesus, loves
his wife, loves his kids.

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They're out of state
and she was diagnosed

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with a very aggressive form
of cancer.

140
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She's been through
some surgeries,

141
00:06:49,029 --> 00:06:54,000
her health has taken
a serious turn for the worse.

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00:06:54,004 --> 00:06:57,000
She's really struggling
just to live.

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And he e-mailed saying that he
was hoping to get back

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00:07:00,046 --> 00:07:02,083
to the Northwest because
apart from a miracle,

145
00:07:02,088 --> 00:07:05,017
his wife is going to die,
and she wants to spend

146
00:07:05,021 --> 00:07:08,000
her last days near her parents.

147
00:07:08,004 --> 00:07:11,033
And she also wants her parents
to help out with her children

148
00:07:11,042 --> 00:07:16,050
as she's really struggling.

149
00:07:16,054 --> 00:07:20,067
Came into church today to find
out that my sister

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00:07:20,075 --> 00:07:23,000
suffered a miscarriage.

151
00:07:23,008 --> 00:07:25,050
So, I've gotta go see her.

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00:07:25,054 --> 00:07:27,042
She lives locally
and goes to Mars Hill.

153
00:07:27,050 --> 00:07:29,083
And I've seen her become
a Christian, and get married,

154
00:07:29,088 --> 00:07:33,083
and seen her miscarry
before and have a child.

155
00:07:33,088 --> 00:07:38,088
And death has come
to my family today.

156
00:07:38,096 --> 00:07:41,067
Some of you are there.

157
00:07:41,075 --> 00:07:43,088
You're suffering
as the servant is.

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00:07:43,096 --> 00:07:46,062
Some of you are in the place
of the centurion, his boss.

159
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There's someone that you love
and care about and they're

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00:07:48,067 --> 00:07:52,046
suffering, and so your
heart is burdened for them.

161
00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:54,079
That's where I'm at today.

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00:07:54,083 --> 00:07:56,075
And this man, the servant,
the slave is at the place

163
00:07:56,083 --> 00:08:00,042
that apart from a miracle,
he's simply going to die.

164
00:08:00,050 --> 00:08:02,038
He doesn't even go to
Jesus to ask for a miracle,

165
00:08:02,046 --> 00:08:08,029
because he can't get out
of bed and make it there.

166
00:08:08,033 --> 00:08:10,096
So there is the servant,
and then there is the centurion,

167
00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,050
who is his boss.

168
00:08:15,054 --> 00:08:21,004
And the centurion is one who
loves the servant very much.

169
00:08:21,012 --> 00:08:24,021
Centurion means
the commander of a hundred,

170
00:08:24,029 --> 00:08:26,096
so he is a military leader,
a man's man, a guy's guy,

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a dude's dude.

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Too often times in Christianity,
Jesus is portrayed

173
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as the perfect fit for women
and children, yet,

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00:08:34,050 --> 00:08:37,054
men are not interested because
men are interested in battle,

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00:08:37,062 --> 00:08:40,033
be that actual battle as
soldiers and warriors,

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or sports, which is a modified
form of battle,

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00:08:43,038 --> 00:08:46,000
or business, which is
a financial form of battle.

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Men like conflict,
combat, and conquering,

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and Jesus in Christianity is not
often portrayed in such a way

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00:08:53,029 --> 00:08:55,083
that is pleasing to real men.

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Here we get a picture
of a real man, a man's man.

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He's a Roman soldier,
a warrior.

183
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,079
This is a man who goes into
battle and leads other men.

184
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He would have been
affluent, prominent.

185
00:09:07,004 --> 00:09:08,033
He was well known.

186
00:09:08,042 --> 00:09:09,096
He was successful.

187
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,012
He works for
the Roman government,

188
00:09:11,017 --> 00:09:15,050
and they were essentially
overseeing--some would say,

189
00:09:15,058 --> 00:09:19,062
oppressing--the Jewish
people, different races,

190
00:09:19,067 --> 00:09:22,062
different religions,
different belief systems.

191
00:09:22,067 --> 00:09:26,004
And the Roman Empire was
ruling over the Jewish people,

192
00:09:26,012 --> 00:09:28,004
so he could have been
very cruel to those

193
00:09:28,012 --> 00:09:30,062
who were among God's people.

194
00:09:30,067 --> 00:09:33,075
But he, by all accounts,
was not.

195
00:09:33,083 --> 00:09:35,067
He was not.

196
00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:39,038
And he loves this friend of his.

197
00:09:39,046 --> 00:09:42,042
Do you have a friend that you
love who's suffering and dying?

198
00:09:42,050 --> 00:09:46,017
If so, you can perhaps
identify with the centurion.

199
00:09:46,021 --> 00:09:50,017
The first person that comes to
mind for me is a friend of mine

200
00:09:50,025 --> 00:09:52,000
named Matt Chandler.

201
00:09:52,008 --> 00:09:53,058
He's a dear friend of mine.

202
00:09:53,067 --> 00:09:56,000
I cannot overstate how
much I love, and respect,

203
00:09:56,008 --> 00:09:58,042
and appreciate this man.

204
00:09:58,050 --> 00:10:00,054
He's part of our Acts 29
Church Planting Network.

205
00:10:00,062 --> 00:10:01,088
He's in Dallas, Texas.

206
00:10:01,096 --> 00:10:03,042
He took a small,
struggling church,

207
00:10:03,050 --> 00:10:05,058
it has exploded into
one of the largest

208
00:10:05,067 --> 00:10:08,050
and fastest-growing churches
in America.

209
00:10:08,054 --> 00:10:09,067
He's in his 30s.

210
00:10:09,071 --> 00:10:10,067
He loves his wife.

211
00:10:10,071 --> 00:10:11,067
He loves his kids.

212
00:10:11,071 --> 00:10:12,067
He loves his Bible.

213
00:10:12,071 --> 00:10:13,067
He loves his Jesus.

214
00:10:13,071 --> 00:10:14,071
He loves his church.

215
00:10:14,079 --> 00:10:16,075
He's a world-class
Bible teacher.

216
00:10:16,083 --> 00:10:20,000
God is using him to
disciple the nations.

217
00:10:20,008 --> 00:10:21,088
He and I are close.

218
00:10:21,096 --> 00:10:24,017
I have dear affection
for this man.

219
00:10:24,025 --> 00:10:27,079
I love seeing God's
grace in his life.

220
00:10:27,083 --> 00:10:29,071
I enjoy his friendship.

221
00:10:29,079 --> 00:10:31,092
He's been a blessing
to me personally.

222
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,033
I'll never forget the day,
it was Thanksgiving weekend,

223
00:10:35,042 --> 00:10:38,000
and I was home enjoying
some time with my family.

224
00:10:38,004 --> 00:10:39,042
And I can't remember if it
was an e-mail or a text,

225
00:10:39,050 --> 00:10:41,062
but I got word that he
was home with his family,

226
00:10:41,067 --> 00:10:43,067
enjoying the holiday weekend,

227
00:10:43,071 --> 00:10:46,042
and he set his
little daughter aside,

228
00:10:46,050 --> 00:10:48,042
and then blacked out,
fell over.

229
00:10:48,050 --> 00:10:49,038
He's quite tall.

230
00:10:49,046 --> 00:10:53,000
Slammed his head on
the mantle above the fireplace,

231
00:10:53,004 --> 00:10:54,075
cutting it open.

232
00:10:54,083 --> 00:10:57,012
Ladies, imagine yourself there.

233
00:10:57,017 --> 00:10:58,033
It's the holiday weekend.

234
00:10:58,042 --> 00:11:01,042
There's your healthy,
young husband.

235
00:11:01,050 --> 00:11:03,033
You hear something,
you go in the other room,

236
00:11:03,042 --> 00:11:05,033
and he's lying on the ground
unconscious, bleeding.

237
00:11:05,042 --> 00:11:07,038
You have no idea what happened.

238
00:11:07,046 --> 00:11:08,083
She calls 911.

239
00:11:08,092 --> 00:11:11,092
The medics come, they
rush him to the hospital.

240
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,062
He wakes up not knowing where
he is or what has happened,

241
00:11:14,067 --> 00:11:16,092
so he goes to take a punch at
the doctors and nurses.

242
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,046
He's an Acts 29 guy.

243
00:11:19,050 --> 00:11:23,033
That's how we do it.

244
00:11:23,038 --> 00:11:27,017
And they tell him, "You have
a large aggressive tumor on

245
00:11:27,025 --> 00:11:30,083
"your brain that is impinging
on your brain,

246
00:11:30,092 --> 00:11:33,012
"and it caused you to black out.

247
00:11:33,017 --> 00:11:35,029
And we can cut
a certain amount."

248
00:11:35,033 --> 00:11:37,021
And they have, and he's
got a big scar on his head,

249
00:11:37,029 --> 00:11:41,033
and they've shaved his head,
and he's undergone surgery.

250
00:11:41,042 --> 00:11:43,079
"But we can't cut more."

251
00:11:43,083 --> 00:11:45,083
So they're taking him
through aggressive treatment,

252
00:11:45,092 --> 00:11:49,004
and it's right in that region
that is connected to

253
00:11:49,012 --> 00:11:51,050
speech and memory.

254
00:11:51,058 --> 00:11:55,017
And every time he undergoes
certain like--certain treatment,

255
00:11:55,025 --> 00:11:58,008
he can and will lose IQ points.

256
00:11:58,017 --> 00:12:02,050
So for a Bible preacher,
this is all very scary.

257
00:12:02,054 --> 00:12:04,075
It's even more scary to be
a husband and a father,

258
00:12:04,083 --> 00:12:08,025
and thinking of not walking your
daughter down the aisle

259
00:12:08,033 --> 00:12:09,046
for her wedding.

260
00:12:09,050 --> 00:12:11,096
I mean, that was the first thing
that came to mind

261
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,000
when I heard that.

262
00:12:13,008 --> 00:12:15,012
I thought, "Not Matt."

263
00:12:15,017 --> 00:12:17,029
I remember just sitting in
the chair in my living room,

264
00:12:17,033 --> 00:12:19,038
and I put my face in my hands,

265
00:12:19,046 --> 00:12:23,000
and I just started crying like,
"Not Matt.

266
00:12:23,004 --> 00:12:24,058
"His kids need him.

267
00:12:24,067 --> 00:12:26,038
"His wife needs him.

268
00:12:26,046 --> 00:12:29,067
God, you're using him to preach
the Gospel to the nations."

269
00:12:29,075 --> 00:12:32,067
That was one of the first
thoughts that came to mind is,

270
00:12:32,075 --> 00:12:35,079
"Who's gonna walk his
little girl down the aisle?"

271
00:12:35,083 --> 00:12:37,067
That's our job as a dad.

272
00:12:37,071 --> 00:12:39,017
That's our great honor.

273
00:12:39,021 --> 00:12:44,017
We need to see our kids
through to maturity.

274
00:12:44,021 --> 00:12:47,012
And he has publicly said
that apart from a miracle,

275
00:12:47,017 --> 00:12:49,017
he'll be dead in a few years,

276
00:12:49,025 --> 00:12:54,088
and I'll be at my
dear friend's funeral.

277
00:12:54,096 --> 00:12:57,058
Devastating.

278
00:12:57,067 --> 00:13:01,000
And the centurion has this
affection for this servant.

279
00:13:01,004 --> 00:13:04,083
This is not just a guy who
works for him or with him.

280
00:13:04,092 --> 00:13:07,017
This is a friend and a brother.

281
00:13:07,021 --> 00:13:10,058
This is someone he
deeply cares about.

282
00:13:10,067 --> 00:13:14,025
And so he sends word to Jesus.

283
00:13:14,033 --> 00:13:15,071
"I need you to heal my servant."

284
00:13:15,079 --> 00:13:18,092
And he does so respectfully,
because he's a Roman,

285
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:20,046
Jesus is a Jew.

286
00:13:20,050 --> 00:13:24,046
Because he's a political leader,
and Jesus is a homeless man,

287
00:13:24,050 --> 00:13:26,062
because he is not a worshiper
of the God of the Bible,

288
00:13:26,067 --> 00:13:29,008
and Jesus is
the God of the Bible.

289
00:13:29,017 --> 00:13:31,017
He knows that it, perhaps,
would be inappropriate

290
00:13:31,021 --> 00:13:33,096
and disrespectful for him to
approach Jesus

291
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,029
and make a request.

292
00:13:35,033 --> 00:13:38,012
So he goes to the Jewish elders,
spiritual leaders that are

293
00:13:38,017 --> 00:13:40,075
friends of his,
and he asks them,

294
00:13:40,083 --> 00:13:44,038
"Could you do me a favor and go
ask Jesus, one of your teachers.

295
00:13:44,046 --> 00:13:46,025
"I've heard he can heal.

296
00:13:46,033 --> 00:13:47,075
"I really love my friend.

297
00:13:47,083 --> 00:13:50,096
I need him to come
and heal my friend."

298
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,017
And the religious
people blow it.

299
00:13:54,021 --> 00:13:57,062
All through Luke's Gospel,
religious people blow it.

300
00:13:57,067 --> 00:13:59,075
Over and over
and over they blow it.

301
00:13:59,083 --> 00:14:02,033
This is why we
don't like religion,

302
00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:04,083
and we want to always repent
of our own proclivities

303
00:14:04,092 --> 00:14:06,083
toward religion.

304
00:14:06,092 --> 00:14:10,096
Religious people in the Gospel
of Luke are no friends of Jesus.

305
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,000
Sinners and lost people,
they're friends of Jesus.

306
00:14:15,004 --> 00:14:16,025
The religious
people decide,

307
00:14:16,033 --> 00:14:18,012
"Yes, we will go to Jesus
on your behalf,

308
00:14:18,017 --> 00:14:21,017
and we will inquire if he would
come and heal your servant."

309
00:14:21,021 --> 00:14:25,058
And here is exactly what
they tragically say to Jesus.

310
00:14:25,067 --> 00:14:27,025
"He is worthy to have
you do this for him,

311
00:14:27,033 --> 00:14:28,083
"for he loves our nation,
and he is the one

312
00:14:28,092 --> 00:14:31,038
who built our synagogue."

313
00:14:31,046 --> 00:14:34,054
They go to Jesus
and say, "You owe this guy.

314
00:14:34,062 --> 00:14:38,017
"He's worthy because he
was really nice to us,

315
00:14:38,021 --> 00:14:42,000
and he built our church."

316
00:14:42,004 --> 00:14:44,038
And see, religious people
tend to work this way.

317
00:14:44,046 --> 00:14:48,042
They feel like if they
sin, they owe God,

318
00:14:48,050 --> 00:14:50,067
so they have to pay him back
through their good works,

319
00:14:50,075 --> 00:14:55,079
through going to purgatory,
karma, reincarnation, suffering.

320
00:14:55,083 --> 00:15:00,017
But if they do good, they
feel like God owes them.

321
00:15:00,021 --> 00:15:02,000
They're always keeping score.

322
00:15:02,008 --> 00:15:05,075
And so they would say, "Well,
we looked at this guy's life,

323
00:15:05,083 --> 00:15:07,054
"and he's not even a Christian,

324
00:15:07,062 --> 00:15:10,004
"and he paid for our church
building, the synagogue,

325
00:15:10,012 --> 00:15:12,025
"the old covenant
equivalent of the church.

326
00:15:12,033 --> 00:15:13,096
"And he's really nice to us.

327
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,017
"He's a Roman,
but he's nice to us.

328
00:15:16,025 --> 00:15:18,079
"Even though we're not Romans,
and because he's nice to us

329
00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:21,071
"and generous to us,
we feel like you owe him,

330
00:15:21,079 --> 00:15:24,083
because he's a really moral,
good guy."

331
00:15:24,092 --> 00:15:26,050
Religious people
tend to think this,

332
00:15:26,054 --> 00:15:28,017
and even if you
don't think this,

333
00:15:28,025 --> 00:15:31,008
you know you're a bit religious
when you're suffering or life

334
00:15:31,017 --> 00:15:35,008
is damaging, or hurtful,
or harmful, or painful,

335
00:15:35,017 --> 00:15:38,058
or strife-filled, and you become
disappointed with,

336
00:15:38,067 --> 00:15:40,062
and embittered against God.

337
00:15:40,067 --> 00:15:44,021
"God, you owed me,
and you did not deliver."

338
00:15:44,029 --> 00:15:46,021
You may not say that,
but any sort of bitterness

339
00:15:46,029 --> 00:15:49,054
or disappointment with God
is a declaration toward God

340
00:15:49,062 --> 00:15:55,008
that you did good, and he owed
you, and he didn't come through,

341
00:15:55,017 --> 00:15:58,033
because you assume that
God owes you.

342
00:15:58,042 --> 00:16:00,092
God owes no one nothing.

343
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,033
God gave us life
and breath on the earth,

344
00:16:03,038 --> 00:16:05,050
and we sinned against God,
we rebelled against God,

345
00:16:05,058 --> 00:16:08,021
and God is obligated to no one.

346
00:16:08,029 --> 00:16:09,083
And what the religious
people don't get in that day,

347
00:16:09,092 --> 00:16:12,029
and what the religious people
don't get in this day,

348
00:16:12,033 --> 00:16:15,033
is that we don't pay God back,
Jesus does.

349
00:16:15,042 --> 00:16:18,096
And God doesn't owe us
anything, but he gives us grace.

350
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,050
And grace by definition is to
those who are ill-deserving,

351
00:16:22,058 --> 00:16:25,033
not just undeserving,
but ill-deserving.

352
00:16:25,042 --> 00:16:28,083
We don't deserve
anything but hell.

353
00:16:28,092 --> 00:16:31,088
Everything else we get is grace.

354
00:16:31,096 --> 00:16:35,017
And so they come to Jesus not
asking him humbly,

355
00:16:35,025 --> 00:16:37,058
"Jesus, could you be gracious
to this man?"

356
00:16:37,067 --> 00:16:39,096
They instead come to
Jesus religiously and say,

357
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,029
"You owe this man."

358
00:16:42,033 --> 00:16:46,042
Nonetheless, Jesus is so kind,
and generous, and gracious,

359
00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:51,017
and merciful, and wonderful
that he actually heals the man,

360
00:16:51,025 --> 00:16:55,054
because Jesus cares, not just
about our spiritual well-being,

361
00:16:55,062 --> 00:16:58,083
he also cares about our
physical well-being.

362
00:16:58,088 --> 00:17:01,054
God loves you,
and he loves all of you.

363
00:17:01,062 --> 00:17:02,096
He loves whole people.

364
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,000
He does want our inward soul
to have faith in him

365
00:17:07,008 --> 00:17:08,025
and love for him.

366
00:17:08,033 --> 00:17:11,092
He also wants our outward
body to enjoy wellness.

367
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,000
That's why we want to be good
stewards of the body that God

368
00:17:14,008 --> 00:17:17,021
has entrusted to our care,
and part of our ministry is

369
00:17:17,029 --> 00:17:19,067
to care for those who are
physically suffering,

370
00:17:19,075 --> 00:17:21,038
and hurting, and in need.

371
00:17:21,046 --> 00:17:22,088
That's why for those
of you who are doctors,

372
00:17:22,096 --> 00:17:25,050
and those of you who are
in medical professions,

373
00:17:25,058 --> 00:17:28,025
Luke, the author
of this book of the Bible,

374
00:17:28,033 --> 00:17:30,033
would resonate with you
and say, "It's good.

375
00:17:30,042 --> 00:17:31,071
"Minister to the whole person.

376
00:17:31,079 --> 00:17:36,004
Give them the love of
Jesus in word and deed."

377
00:17:36,012 --> 00:17:42,025
And so Jesus ministers to this
suffering servant

378
00:17:42,033 --> 00:17:46,008
by healing him, because God
cares for the whole person.

379
00:17:46,017 --> 00:17:48,000
That's one of the reasons that
Christians are to be about

380
00:17:48,008 --> 00:17:51,025
acts of mercy,
and kindness, and charity.

381
00:17:51,033 --> 00:17:55,012
And I'll give you
a point of encouragement,

382
00:17:55,017 --> 00:17:58,004
how God still likes to do this,

383
00:17:58,012 --> 00:18:01,012
and how generous
and gracious he is.

384
00:18:01,017 --> 00:18:03,042
It's a bit tangential,
but I hope it's encouraging

385
00:18:03,050 --> 00:18:05,050
and illustrative.

386
00:18:05,054 --> 00:18:08,000
Earlier this year when
the earthquake hit Haiti,

387
00:18:08,004 --> 00:18:10,096
and some of you know I got to
go there and made some footage,

388
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,067
and we got to tell people,
and we launched an organization

389
00:18:13,075 --> 00:18:16,033
called Churches Helping Churches
to get money and relief

390
00:18:16,038 --> 00:18:19,008
and supplies and support to
Christians whose churches

391
00:18:19,017 --> 00:18:22,025
fell down, and lives were
devastated in Haiti.

392
00:18:22,033 --> 00:18:27,017
And so you, as a church,
were very generous.

393
00:18:27,021 --> 00:18:30,004
Our general giving has
been really down this year,

394
00:18:30,012 --> 00:18:33,004
but for that cause, many
of you were large-hearted,

395
00:18:33,012 --> 00:18:35,067
and we gave about two-thirds
of a million dollars,

396
00:18:35,071 --> 00:18:37,050
which was very generous.

397
00:18:37,058 --> 00:18:41,075
And so we have been giving some
of that to pastors and clinics

398
00:18:41,083 --> 00:18:43,038
and those in need.

399
00:18:43,046 --> 00:18:44,058
We've got
a conference coming up,

400
00:18:44,067 --> 00:18:46,062
more of a retreat actually,
where a few of our pastors

401
00:18:46,067 --> 00:18:49,000
from Mars Hill, as well as
others, are gonna go down,

402
00:18:49,008 --> 00:18:51,038
and we're gonna invest in
hundreds of Haitian pastors,

403
00:18:51,046 --> 00:18:53,075
train them in biblical
counseling, get them resources,

404
00:18:53,083 --> 00:18:55,054
see exactly what we need,

405
00:18:55,062 --> 00:18:58,067
build those ongoing partnerships
to support these churches

406
00:18:58,071 --> 00:19:00,092
that still have a lot
of hard work to do.

407
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,046
And one of the things that
happened in Haiti was when

408
00:19:02,050 --> 00:19:07,079
the earthquake came, the major
hospital in Port-au-Prince was

409
00:19:07,083 --> 00:19:11,000
destroyed, so now a lot of
the care for the physical body

410
00:19:11,004 --> 00:19:14,033
is happening in smaller
makeshift clinics,

411
00:19:14,038 --> 00:19:18,050
but they're having a hard
time getting medical supplies.

412
00:19:18,054 --> 00:19:22,000
And so last week, we finished a
negotiation with an organization

413
00:19:22,004 --> 00:19:25,029
called International Aid,
and we partner with them.

414
00:19:25,033 --> 00:19:27,012
They're great people,
and they said,

415
00:19:27,017 --> 00:19:29,067
"We can help secure medical
supplies that could be

416
00:19:29,075 --> 00:19:32,050
"distributed to these Christian
clinics so that people could

417
00:19:32,054 --> 00:19:35,079
minister in word and deed to
Christians and non-Christians."

418
00:19:35,083 --> 00:19:38,012
Everybody's welcome to
come to these clinics.

419
00:19:38,017 --> 00:19:39,050
We want to pray for them
and talk to them about

420
00:19:39,058 --> 00:19:40,058
the love of Jesus.

421
00:19:40,067 --> 00:19:42,079
We also want to serve them,
and help them to enjoy physical

422
00:19:42,083 --> 00:19:46,092
healing, 'cause Jesus does
both, and he cares about both.

423
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,079
So they said, "We can
secure and procure for you,

424
00:19:49,083 --> 00:19:52,033
"$1.7 million of
medical supplies,

425
00:19:52,042 --> 00:19:54,050
"and the arrangement
that has been made is

426
00:19:54,058 --> 00:19:58,000
Churches Helping Churches needs
to pay for the transport."

427
00:19:58,008 --> 00:20:00,067
Well, it all worked out in God's
grace that we were able to ship

428
00:20:00,071 --> 00:20:04,046
all of that last
week for $17,000.

429
00:20:04,050 --> 00:20:10,029
$1.7 million of medical
aid for $17,000.

430
00:20:10,033 --> 00:20:15,050
We praise God for that.

431
00:20:15,058 --> 00:20:19,054
And my point is simply this:
God still cares about

432
00:20:19,062 --> 00:20:23,021
the whole person, and when we
care about the whole person,

433
00:20:23,029 --> 00:20:27,000
God tends to pour out exceeding
generosity and grace,

434
00:20:27,008 --> 00:20:29,033
to even take what we would give,

435
00:20:29,038 --> 00:20:35,012
and to multiply it like fishes
and loaves to care for many. And

436
00:20:35,017 --> 00:20:39,012
that's what Jesus does,
he cares for this whole person.

437
00:20:39,017 --> 00:20:42,000
He heals him physically.

438
00:20:42,004 --> 00:20:45,038
So there are three
types of people here.

439
00:20:45,046 --> 00:20:47,083
There are those
who are suffering.

440
00:20:47,088 --> 00:20:49,046
Some of you are here
today, and you're there.

441
00:20:49,050 --> 00:20:50,067
Say, "You know what?

442
00:20:50,071 --> 00:20:52,079
"I need God's help.

443
00:20:52,083 --> 00:20:55,029
"Apart from God's help,
my suffering will continue,

444
00:20:55,033 --> 00:20:58,050
and my life, perhaps,
would even end."

445
00:20:58,054 --> 00:21:00,067
You do need Jesus.

446
00:21:00,071 --> 00:21:03,000
Some of you would come here like
the religious people and say,

447
00:21:03,008 --> 00:21:04,067
"I feel like God owes me,

448
00:21:04,075 --> 00:21:07,050
or I feel like I've been
a good person."

449
00:21:07,054 --> 00:21:09,000
And you need to meet Jesus.

450
00:21:09,008 --> 00:21:11,017
You know nothing of Jesus,
you only know of religion.

451
00:21:11,021 --> 00:21:13,029
You don't know grace.

452
00:21:13,033 --> 00:21:15,017
The last thing you want to do
is stand before God and say,

453
00:21:15,025 --> 00:21:18,062
"Give me what I deserve."

454
00:21:18,067 --> 00:21:20,029
You want to stand
before God and say,

455
00:21:20,033 --> 00:21:25,054
"Give me the grace that
comes through Jesus."

456
00:21:25,062 --> 00:21:29,017
And some of you would
be like this centurion,

457
00:21:29,025 --> 00:21:33,071
this friend who asked the elders
on behalf of his suffering

458
00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:39,012
servant and friend to inquire of
Jesus' willingness to heal him.

459
00:21:39,017 --> 00:21:43,083
And let me say this, this
centurion is an amazing man.

460
00:21:43,088 --> 00:21:46,017
He is, by all accounts at
the beginning of the story,

461
00:21:46,025 --> 00:21:48,079
not a believer in
Jesus, but by the end,

462
00:21:48,083 --> 00:21:50,058
he comes to faith in Jesus.

463
00:21:50,067 --> 00:21:52,075
Somewhere in this
process, I believe,

464
00:21:52,083 --> 00:21:55,046
and most commentators agree,
he experiences what we

465
00:21:55,050 --> 00:21:57,096
would call conversion.

466
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,092
He goes from unbelief
to belief in Jesus.

467
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,050
But this man, even
as a non-Christian,

468
00:22:05,054 --> 00:22:07,083
demonstrates amazing character.

469
00:22:07,088 --> 00:22:10,096
Let us go so far as to say
that he is a moral man.

470
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,038
He does not live to
the glory of God.

471
00:22:13,046 --> 00:22:14,092
He is not filled
with the Holy Spirit.

472
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,025
He is not, apart
from faith in Jesus,

473
00:22:17,033 --> 00:22:20,012
going to experience eternal
life, but he's a good

474
00:22:20,017 --> 00:22:23,071
quote, unquote, "good man."

475
00:22:23,079 --> 00:22:27,096
And some of you need to know
that the way Christians tend to

476
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000
portray ourselves
religiously, holier than thou,

477
00:22:31,008 --> 00:22:33,017
better than everyone else,
doesn't work because what

478
00:22:33,021 --> 00:22:35,075
happens is Christians have
this proclivity to say,

479
00:22:35,083 --> 00:22:37,025
"Well, the non-Christians
are the bad guys,

480
00:22:37,033 --> 00:22:38,083
and us Christians are
the good guys."

481
00:22:38,088 --> 00:22:40,083
And immediately one of
the non-Christians says,

482
00:22:40,088 --> 00:22:43,000
"I know a bunch of Christians
that are far worse than a bunch

483
00:22:43,008 --> 00:22:48,083
of non-Christians," and we have
to tap out because that's true.

484
00:22:48,088 --> 00:22:52,062
I know some really
nasty Christians.

485
00:22:52,067 --> 00:22:55,050
And I know some really
nice non-Christians.

486
00:22:55,054 --> 00:22:58,096
Like if you let me
pick, I don't know,

487
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,083
let's say I was gonna do a car
trip across the country, right,

488
00:23:02,088 --> 00:23:04,058
I would not necessarily pick,

489
00:23:04,067 --> 00:23:07,092
depending upon who the options
were, all Christians.

490
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,000
There are certain Christians
I would not want in the car,

491
00:23:11,008 --> 00:23:14,050
maybe in the trunk,
not in the car.

492
00:23:14,054 --> 00:23:15,096
Not in the car.

493
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,096
Maybe on the roof
rack, not in the car.

494
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,000
There are certain non-Christians
that I wouldn't mind hanging out

495
00:23:21,004 --> 00:23:23,033
with, 'cause they're actually
pretty nice, pretty gracious,

496
00:23:23,038 --> 00:23:26,025
pretty generous,
pretty easy going.

497
00:23:26,033 --> 00:23:28,021
It's not that Christians
are good people,

498
00:23:28,029 --> 00:23:30,033
and non-Christians
are bad people.

499
00:23:30,042 --> 00:23:33,046
It's that everyone's a sinner,
and some people live out of

500
00:23:33,050 --> 00:23:35,017
the conscience that
God has given them,

501
00:23:35,025 --> 00:23:39,038
and others fight the conscience
that God has given them.

502
00:23:39,046 --> 00:23:42,004
And so for the non-Christian,
this moral centurion,

503
00:23:42,012 --> 00:23:43,067
he's living out of
the conscience that God

504
00:23:43,075 --> 00:23:46,017
has given him as an image
bearer, to live a certain kind

505
00:23:46,025 --> 00:23:48,042
of life that is not
an act of worship,

506
00:23:48,050 --> 00:23:52,067
but it does make him a decent
neighbor and a good citizen.

507
00:23:52,071 --> 00:23:54,008
Some of you would relate to him.

508
00:23:54,017 --> 00:23:56,058
You would say, "I don't feel
like my life is

509
00:23:56,067 --> 00:23:58,000
"in ruin and I'm suffering,

510
00:23:58,008 --> 00:24:00,050
"and I don't feel like I am
exceedingly religious.

511
00:24:00,058 --> 00:24:02,079
"I just feel like I'm
a pretty decent moral person.

512
00:24:02,083 --> 00:24:03,088
"Yeah, I believe in God.

513
00:24:03,096 --> 00:24:05,075
"Why do I need to give
my life to Jesus?

514
00:24:05,083 --> 00:24:08,038
"Because every time I hear about
someone becoming a Christian,

515
00:24:08,046 --> 00:24:10,067
"it's 'cause a boulder fell
on their life,

516
00:24:10,071 --> 00:24:11,083
"and they're trapped under it.

517
00:24:11,092 --> 00:24:15,017
"You know, addiction,
death, suffering, poverty,

518
00:24:15,021 --> 00:24:17,017
"and then they cry out to
Jesus in their moment of need.

519
00:24:17,021 --> 00:24:19,075
"But I don't consider myself
to be in that painful place

520
00:24:19,083 --> 00:24:21,050
"and position of need.

521
00:24:21,058 --> 00:24:23,004
"Life's going pretty good.

522
00:24:23,012 --> 00:24:24,021
There's no crisis."

523
00:24:24,029 --> 00:24:25,083
That was this man.

524
00:24:25,088 --> 00:24:27,025
Look at his character.

525
00:24:27,033 --> 00:24:28,050
He's loving.

526
00:24:28,058 --> 00:24:30,088
That's what
the religious leaders say,

527
00:24:30,096 --> 00:24:34,012
"He loves us and our nation."

528
00:24:34,017 --> 00:24:35,075
Do you know how loving that is?

529
00:24:35,083 --> 00:24:37,058
No one loves religious people.

530
00:24:37,067 --> 00:24:39,050
This guy actually
loves religious people.

531
00:24:39,058 --> 00:24:42,033
That's very loving.

532
00:24:42,042 --> 00:24:44,033
And he also loves his servant.

533
00:24:44,042 --> 00:24:46,046
Servants didn't
have legal rights.

534
00:24:46,050 --> 00:24:47,075
They couldn't sue.

535
00:24:47,083 --> 00:24:48,079
They couldn't take you to court.

536
00:24:48,083 --> 00:24:50,004
They couldn't testify in court.

537
00:24:50,012 --> 00:24:52,008
They were treated like
animals and property,

538
00:24:52,017 --> 00:24:54,004
and he really loves his servant.

539
00:24:54,012 --> 00:24:56,029
And he's going above
and beyond the call of duty,

540
00:24:56,033 --> 00:25:00,092
trying to get Jesus to come and
save the life of his servant.

541
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,054
That's a very loving man.

542
00:25:02,062 --> 00:25:03,083
He's also very generous.

543
00:25:03,092 --> 00:25:06,025
The Bible says here that
he funded the synagogue,

544
00:25:06,033 --> 00:25:08,050
the old covenant
equivalent of the church.

545
00:25:08,058 --> 00:25:10,092
Now imagine, Mars Hill, if
we were going to start a campus,

546
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,046
and I stood up and I said,
"Okay, we're starting a campus.

547
00:25:13,050 --> 00:25:16,025
We need you guys all to give
generously," and you didn't.

548
00:25:16,033 --> 00:25:17,075
This is Mars Hill.

549
00:25:17,083 --> 00:25:20,033
And then what happened was
a non-Christian came forward

550
00:25:20,042 --> 00:25:21,088
and said, "Well, how much does
it cost to start

551
00:25:21,096 --> 00:25:23,033
a Mars Hill campus?"

552
00:25:23,042 --> 00:25:24,058
We told them and they
wrote a check and said,

553
00:25:24,067 --> 00:25:26,092
"I'll pay for it."

554
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:27,058
"What?

555
00:25:27,067 --> 00:25:29,083
You're not a Christian."

556
00:25:29,088 --> 00:25:32,071
"Yeah, but I love you
guys, so I'm here to help."

557
00:25:32,079 --> 00:25:33,092
Mind bending.

558
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:35,088
That was this man,
very generous.

559
00:25:35,096 --> 00:25:37,046
And some of you would
ask, "Is this all true?

560
00:25:37,050 --> 00:25:38,046
"Is this real?

561
00:25:38,050 --> 00:25:39,092
"Is there a town
called Capernaum?

562
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,029
"Was there a place
called a synagogue

563
00:25:42,033 --> 00:25:44,017
"that he actually built?

564
00:25:44,025 --> 00:25:45,096
Was a guy really
healed in that town?"

565
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,058
It's all true 'cause the
Bible's not just philosophical,

566
00:25:48,067 --> 00:25:50,025
it's historical.

567
00:25:50,033 --> 00:25:51,058
So let me show this to you.

568
00:25:51,067 --> 00:25:56,083
We were in Israel this last
summer and took this photo.

569
00:25:56,092 --> 00:26:00,088
This is an architectural
rendering of the synagogue

570
00:26:00,096 --> 00:26:03,058
in Capernaum that
this man paid for.

571
00:26:03,067 --> 00:26:07,071
That's where Jesus preached as
well, previously in Luke 4,

572
00:26:07,079 --> 00:26:10,021
in the building that
this guy built.

573
00:26:10,029 --> 00:26:11,038
Isn't that crazy?

574
00:26:11,046 --> 00:26:13,050
The non-Christian builds
the building that Jesus comes

575
00:26:13,058 --> 00:26:15,075
and preaches in.

576
00:26:15,083 --> 00:26:18,062
Some of you say, "Well,
how do we know it's true?"

577
00:26:18,067 --> 00:26:21,046
The next slide says, "The late
fourth century A.D.,

578
00:26:21,050 --> 00:26:23,033
"the white synagogue built upon
the remains of the--"

579
00:26:23,038 --> 00:26:26,017
quote, unquote,
"'synagogue of Jesus.'"

580
00:26:26,021 --> 00:26:28,054
Now here is what
it is showing us.

581
00:26:28,062 --> 00:26:30,092
The white stones on the top,

582
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,029
those are from
the fourth century.

583
00:26:33,033 --> 00:26:37,092
They're built on the foundation
of the dark stones beneath it.

584
00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:46,000
Those dark stones beneath were
paid for by the centurion.

585
00:26:46,008 --> 00:26:48,004
Those are his stones.

586
00:26:48,012 --> 00:26:52,083
That's the foundation
that he paid to have laid.

587
00:26:52,092 --> 00:26:54,062
Isn't that amazing?

588
00:26:54,067 --> 00:26:57,000
You can go there to this
day, 2,000 years later,

589
00:26:57,008 --> 00:27:01,067
and see the foundation of
the synagogue that was funded by

590
00:27:01,071 --> 00:27:04,058
the non-Christian centurion.

591
00:27:04,067 --> 00:27:07,079
Not only did he build it,
he built it well.

592
00:27:07,083 --> 00:27:10,058
This is a very generous man.

593
00:27:10,067 --> 00:27:12,092
Additionally, we see that
he is very considerate.

594
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,000
He sends the elders to meet with
Jesus, not to disrespect him.

595
00:27:17,004 --> 00:27:20,058
Additionally, he's
a very humble man.

596
00:27:20,067 --> 00:27:22,067
As Jesus is
approaching his home,

597
00:27:22,075 --> 00:27:26,067
he sends out additional servants
and he says, quote, unquote,

598
00:27:26,071 --> 00:27:30,075
"I am unworthy to have you,
Lord Jesus, into my home."

599
00:27:30,083 --> 00:27:33,017
How many of you, if Jesus said,
"I'm coming to your house,"

600
00:27:33,021 --> 00:27:36,029
immediately your
thought would be, "Yes.

601
00:27:36,033 --> 00:27:37,058
"This is gonna be great.

602
00:27:37,067 --> 00:27:39,050
"I'm gonna get a photo with
him, put him on Facebook.

603
00:27:39,054 --> 00:27:41,008
"I'm gonna have tons of friends.

604
00:27:41,017 --> 00:27:43,012
This is gonna be great."

605
00:27:43,017 --> 00:27:48,067
And this man is so humble, even
as Jesus is coming to his house,

606
00:27:48,075 --> 00:27:50,000
he says, "You know what?

607
00:27:50,004 --> 00:27:52,033
"I don't need to
waste Jesus' time.

608
00:27:52,042 --> 00:27:54,008
"Jesus is very important.

609
00:27:54,017 --> 00:27:56,033
"He's got a lot of things to
do, lot of people to see.

610
00:27:56,038 --> 00:27:58,083
"Yeah, I'm an affluent man.

611
00:27:58,092 --> 00:28:00,017
"I'm a generous man.

612
00:28:00,025 --> 00:28:01,067
"I'm a powerful man.

613
00:28:01,075 --> 00:28:06,088
"I'm a strong man, but I'm not
worthy to enjoy friendship

614
00:28:06,096 --> 00:28:08,096
with that man, Jesus."

615
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,017
Very humble.

616
00:28:10,021 --> 00:28:12,033
He's also very effective.

617
00:28:12,038 --> 00:28:14,054
I love the fact that
he gets stuff done.

618
00:28:14,062 --> 00:28:15,075
"My servant is ill.

619
00:28:15,083 --> 00:28:18,012
I gotta find a way
to get to Jesus."

620
00:28:18,017 --> 00:28:19,083
He's also very honorable.

621
00:28:19,088 --> 00:28:22,079
He says, "Jesus,
I understand this,

622
00:28:22,083 --> 00:28:27,038
you need to be in authority
and under authority."

623
00:28:27,046 --> 00:28:28,067
Most men don't get that.

624
00:28:28,075 --> 00:28:31,008
Most men want to
be in authority,

625
00:28:31,017 --> 00:28:35,058
and they chafe
and bristle under authority.

626
00:28:35,067 --> 00:28:37,079
But he understands
chain of command.

627
00:28:37,083 --> 00:28:39,067
He's very honorable.

628
00:28:39,075 --> 00:28:41,083
What he says is,
"I'm a military leader.

629
00:28:41,088 --> 00:28:44,058
When I tell my guys to do
something, they do it.

630
00:28:44,067 --> 00:28:48,008
"You are in a completely
different rank,

631
00:28:48,017 --> 00:28:50,092
"and all you need to do is just
give a command that there

632
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,092
would be healing,
and healing will occur."

633
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,071
Despite all of his morality
and his good citizenry,

634
00:28:58,079 --> 00:29:01,096
this man still needs
to be converted.

635
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,050
He needs to place
his faith in Jesus.

636
00:29:04,054 --> 00:29:06,050
And some of you would come
here today, and you would say,

637
00:29:06,054 --> 00:29:08,050
"That feels like me."

638
00:29:08,058 --> 00:29:12,021
I would, to some
degree, relate to you.

639
00:29:12,029 --> 00:29:14,017
I did not become
a Christian till I was 19.

640
00:29:14,021 --> 00:29:15,033
Some of you know my story.

641
00:29:15,038 --> 00:29:16,088
Before that I would have
considered myself

642
00:29:16,096 --> 00:29:19,042
a "good, moral guy."

643
00:29:19,050 --> 00:29:23,038
My whole ethic was believe
in God, be a good person,

644
00:29:23,046 --> 00:29:25,000
do nice things for people.

645
00:29:25,008 --> 00:29:28,017
And I tried to live out
of that general ethic.

646
00:29:28,021 --> 00:29:30,088
Was not a Christian, was not
filled with the Holy Spirit,

647
00:29:30,096 --> 00:29:32,088
did not love Jesus,
was not reading my Bible,

648
00:29:32,096 --> 00:29:35,079
was not in church, was not
connected to God or his people,

649
00:29:35,083 --> 00:29:37,054
but was moral.

650
00:29:37,062 --> 00:29:40,004
Never drank, never
smoked, never did drugs.

651
00:29:40,012 --> 00:29:42,046
Most likely to succeed,
student body president,

652
00:29:42,050 --> 00:29:44,083
four-year letterman,
man of the year.

653
00:29:44,088 --> 00:29:46,071
A "good, moral guy."

654
00:29:46,079 --> 00:29:49,021
Worked hard,
got a scholarship to college,

655
00:29:49,029 --> 00:29:51,033
was the first person in my
family to go to college.

656
00:29:51,042 --> 00:29:54,000
I'm in college, and I
didn't have a crisis.

657
00:29:54,004 --> 00:29:56,033
I wasn't drinking,
smoking, doing drugs.

658
00:29:56,042 --> 00:29:57,046
Wasn't flunking out.

659
00:29:57,050 --> 00:29:58,062
Wasn't getting bad grades.

660
00:29:58,067 --> 00:30:00,046
Actually life was good.

661
00:30:00,050 --> 00:30:04,000
All things considered for that
life stage and age, it was good.

662
00:30:04,004 --> 00:30:06,021
So why did I come to Jesus?

663
00:30:06,029 --> 00:30:07,042
'Cause I was reading the Bible,

664
00:30:07,050 --> 00:30:11,029
and I came to find
that he's God.

665
00:30:11,033 --> 00:30:16,029
Not because I had a crisis,
but because it's true.

666
00:30:16,033 --> 00:30:18,025
And at the time I would have
told you, "Well, I'm not

667
00:30:18,033 --> 00:30:20,083
perfect, but I don't think
I'm a big, nasty sinner."

668
00:30:20,092 --> 00:30:24,067
Having relooked at the evidence,
after knowing Jesus for awhile,

669
00:30:24,071 --> 00:30:27,025
I've come to a different
conclusion, that I'm far more

670
00:30:27,033 --> 00:30:29,004
sinful than I
thought that I was,

671
00:30:29,012 --> 00:30:30,083
and I was filled with pride
and self-righteousness

672
00:30:30,092 --> 00:30:33,033
in my own smug religion.

673
00:30:33,042 --> 00:30:36,058
But nonetheless at the time, had
you compared me to other people,

674
00:30:36,067 --> 00:30:40,071
especially in my dorm, or the
frat that I got kicked out of,

675
00:30:40,079 --> 00:30:44,029
which was like prison
rules all the time,

676
00:30:44,033 --> 00:30:47,050
I was a fairly moral person.

677
00:30:47,054 --> 00:30:48,083
But then you
compare me to Jesus,

678
00:30:48,088 --> 00:30:50,017
and you see all
the sin in my life.

679
00:30:50,025 --> 00:30:51,029
Some of you would
come here today,

680
00:30:51,033 --> 00:30:52,083
and you would compare yourself
to others, and you would say,

681
00:30:52,092 --> 00:30:55,008
"I feel like this guy, I'm
generous, and successful,

682
00:30:55,017 --> 00:30:56,096
"and I love people
who work for me.

683
00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,017
"And I'm a good leader,
and things are not going bad,

684
00:30:59,021 --> 00:31:01,067
and I got my life
under control."

685
00:31:01,071 --> 00:31:03,067
And I would say, "Well,
compare yourself to Jesus,

686
00:31:03,075 --> 00:31:05,088
not other people,
you will see your sin."

687
00:31:05,096 --> 00:31:08,017
But the truth is some
people come to Jesus

688
00:31:08,021 --> 00:31:11,008
because they have
a crisis in their life,

689
00:31:11,017 --> 00:31:13,050
and they feel this
urgent need for a savior.

690
00:31:13,054 --> 00:31:14,075
That's great.

691
00:31:14,083 --> 00:31:17,083
Others don't have
that crisis moment.

692
00:31:17,088 --> 00:31:20,000
They just come to know
that Jesus is, indeed, God,

693
00:31:20,008 --> 00:31:22,092
and they place
their faith in him.

694
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,071
And that is the turning point in
the centurion's life where Jesus

695
00:31:26,079 --> 00:31:29,096
looks at him, and we are told
that Jesus said that he was

696
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,021
amazed at this
man's faith, amazed.

697
00:31:34,029 --> 00:31:35,071
There's only two times
in the Bible that we're told

698
00:31:35,079 --> 00:31:37,088
that Jesus is amazed.

699
00:31:37,096 --> 00:31:43,000
In Mark 6, as Jesus was rejected
in his hometown of Nazareth,

700
00:31:43,008 --> 00:31:46,050
it says that Jesus was amazed
at their lack of faith.

701
00:31:46,054 --> 00:31:49,046
He was shocked, stunned.

702
00:31:49,050 --> 00:31:56,033
Here he looks at this man's
faith, and he's amazed.

703
00:31:56,042 --> 00:31:59,067
Because this man
understands Jesus is God,

704
00:31:59,071 --> 00:32:05,033
that's the chain of command, you
need to trust him, and he does.

705
00:32:05,038 --> 00:32:07,000
And he does.

706
00:32:07,004 --> 00:32:10,092
So for those of you who are
moral today, come to Jesus.

707
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,033
It's not that we want
you to be immoral.

708
00:32:14,038 --> 00:32:17,046
We want you to live a new life
out of your connection

709
00:32:17,050 --> 00:32:19,071
to the living God.

710
00:32:19,079 --> 00:32:24,025
Not just a good life but
a new life, an eternal life.

711
00:32:24,033 --> 00:32:26,025
For those of you who are
like the religious people,

712
00:32:26,033 --> 00:32:29,054
and filled with your own sense
of worthiness because of things

713
00:32:29,062 --> 00:32:33,029
you've done or not
done, come to Jesus.

714
00:32:33,033 --> 00:32:35,008
For those of you who are
suffering and hurting

715
00:32:35,017 --> 00:32:38,062
like this servant,
come to Jesus.

716
00:32:38,067 --> 00:32:41,096
Place faith in him
as the centurion did.

717
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,050
And as a side note, I would tell
you that part of our heart

718
00:32:44,054 --> 00:32:48,088
at Mars Hill is for soldiers,
warriors, centurions.

719
00:32:48,096 --> 00:32:50,000
It just is.

720
00:32:50,004 --> 00:32:52,033
One of the emphases of
Mars Hill that God has given us

721
00:32:52,042 --> 00:32:56,004
is a focus, certainly
a love for all people,

722
00:32:56,012 --> 00:32:57,092
but a focus on young men.

723
00:32:58,000 --> 00:32:59,088
The least likely person to
go to church in America,

724
00:32:59,096 --> 00:33:02,054
young man in his
20s who is single.

725
00:33:02,062 --> 00:33:06,017
That tends to be the majority
of attendees at Mars Hill.

726
00:33:06,021 --> 00:33:08,029
In so far as I'm aware,
by a slight majority,

727
00:33:08,033 --> 00:33:12,088
our biggest demographic are
single guys in their 20s,

728
00:33:12,096 --> 00:33:15,017
least likely people
to go to church.

729
00:33:15,021 --> 00:33:17,079
Those tend to be the same
guys who go into the military.

730
00:33:17,083 --> 00:33:21,033
Those tend to be
the same guys who want to be,

731
00:33:21,038 --> 00:33:27,058
in one way or another, some
kind of warrior for some cause.

732
00:33:27,067 --> 00:33:31,054
And so what we have seen is God
be very generous and gracious to

733
00:33:31,062 --> 00:33:34,067
us to bring a lot of military
personnel, men and women,

734
00:33:34,075 --> 00:33:37,033
but a lot of men,
to Mars Hill,

735
00:33:37,042 --> 00:33:39,050
a lot of soldiers,
a lot of warriors.

736
00:33:39,058 --> 00:33:43,067
This centurion is the equivalent
of a captain in the military,

737
00:33:43,075 --> 00:33:45,079
in our present day vernacular.

738
00:33:45,083 --> 00:33:49,067
In addition, we give away lots
of things online because our God

739
00:33:49,071 --> 00:33:53,033
is generous, and he is
a giver of grace, so we give

740
00:33:53,038 --> 00:33:55,071
as a demonstration of
generosity and grace.

741
00:33:55,079 --> 00:33:58,092
And what we've started seeing is
lots of soldiers all around

742
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,050
the world taking the videos of
the sermons and meeting in tents

743
00:34:02,054 --> 00:34:06,062
in Baghdad, Iraq, and elsewhere,
in addition, places

744
00:34:06,067 --> 00:34:09,050
like Afghanistan,
and having Mars Hill.

745
00:34:09,058 --> 00:34:12,017
So we're getting feedback
from Mars Hill Afghanistan,

746
00:34:12,025 --> 00:34:14,029
and Mars Hill Baghdad
in tents.

747
00:34:14,033 --> 00:34:15,071
We'll give ya one photo.

748
00:34:15,079 --> 00:34:18,083
There are many, many,
many we could show,

749
00:34:18,092 --> 00:34:22,096
but how cool is it that guys
all over the world are getting

750
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,000
together and going through
the Bible, and watching sermons,

751
00:34:26,008 --> 00:34:30,083
and enjoying Mars Hill?

752
00:34:30,088 --> 00:34:35,000
So we started getting e-mails
and letters from these soldiers

753
00:34:35,008 --> 00:34:36,067
saying, "We need Bibles.

754
00:34:36,075 --> 00:34:37,067
"We need books.

755
00:34:37,075 --> 00:34:39,025
We need resources."

756
00:34:39,033 --> 00:34:40,083
So we started shipping them.

757
00:34:40,092 --> 00:34:42,038
We have something called
a Military Ministry.

758
00:34:42,046 --> 00:34:45,033
You can read about it
more at theresurgence.com.

759
00:34:45,038 --> 00:34:48,025
And thus far we've
given away 22,000 books

760
00:34:48,033 --> 00:34:51,046
to military personnel
stationed overseas,

761
00:34:51,050 --> 00:34:54,033
22,000 Bibles and books.

762
00:34:54,042 --> 00:34:57,038
Okay, as people are generous,
we're gonna give away more.

763
00:34:57,046 --> 00:34:58,012
Why?

764
00:34:58,017 --> 00:35:01,017
Because we want
centurions to meet Jesus.

765
00:35:01,025 --> 00:35:07,012
We want soldiers and warriors to
know Christ, have faith in him.

766
00:35:07,017 --> 00:35:09,054
We also give a lot of
things away online.

767
00:35:09,062 --> 00:35:12,042
One of them is a resource
called, "Porn-Again Christian."

768
00:35:12,050 --> 00:35:13,042
It's a little e-book.

769
00:35:13,050 --> 00:35:17,092
We did a whole section in
the back on sexual slavery

770
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,083
and sex trafficking, which is
what prostitution is.

771
00:35:20,092 --> 00:35:22,058
It's modern-day slavery.

772
00:35:22,067 --> 00:35:25,046
It's amazing that many soldiers
who would be trying to liberate

773
00:35:25,050 --> 00:35:27,092
a people, while
employing prostitutes,

774
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,092
are enslaving others in
a literal slave trade.

775
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,038
So we had that all included in
that little book and put it up.

776
00:35:35,046 --> 00:35:39,017
It's been downloaded, or at
least visited 330,000 times.

777
00:35:39,021 --> 00:35:40,067
We don't know how many
times it's been forwarded.

778
00:35:40,071 --> 00:35:44,033
We know that a large portion
of that audience of

779
00:35:44,042 --> 00:35:48,000
hundreds of thousands are
military personnel,

780
00:35:48,004 --> 00:35:51,092
guys who are really continually
tempted by pornography,

781
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:55,096
and prostitution,
and all kinds of sexual sin.

782
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,067
So be praying for those
who are in the military.

783
00:35:58,071 --> 00:36:01,067
We want the centurions to come,
and to know, and to love,

784
00:36:01,071 --> 00:36:04,096
and to serve Jesus.

785
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,062
I have seen recently
in our own church,

786
00:36:07,067 --> 00:36:09,050
military personnel meet Jesus.

787
00:36:09,054 --> 00:36:11,088
I have seen soldiers--I've
personally laid hands and prayed

788
00:36:11,096 --> 00:36:14,000
over many that are being
deployed and coming back,

789
00:36:14,008 --> 00:36:17,004
praying for their well-being
and safety, and some of them,

790
00:36:17,012 --> 00:36:20,004
their wives and children,
if they're married.

791
00:36:20,012 --> 00:36:22,038
There's a lot of military
personnel in our church,

792
00:36:22,046 --> 00:36:24,067
particularly down at
the Olympia Campus.

793
00:36:24,071 --> 00:36:27,038
We also have a number at the
Ballard Campus and elsewhere.

794
00:36:27,046 --> 00:36:29,000
We've seen
the West Seattle Campus

795
00:36:29,008 --> 00:36:31,008
bring in chaplains
from the military under

796
00:36:31,017 --> 00:36:33,042
Pastor James Noriega
to train them.

797
00:36:33,050 --> 00:36:35,029
Now we've got a lot of
chaplains asking for our help.

798
00:36:35,033 --> 00:36:37,088
Awesome, wonderful, thank you,
praise God because we want

799
00:36:37,096 --> 00:36:43,025
centurions to meet Jesus,
and have faith in him.

800
00:36:43,033 --> 00:36:45,075
That's what we want.

801
00:36:45,083 --> 00:36:46,008


802
00:36:46,017 --> 00:36:47,083
That's what we want.

803
00:36:47,088 --> 00:36:50,033
Even today, it was amazing,
there was a soldier back from

804
00:36:50,042 --> 00:36:53,083
deployment, really struggling,
saw buddies killed,

805
00:36:53,092 --> 00:36:56,075
has turned to drugs for comfort,
knew nothing of Jesus

806
00:36:56,083 --> 00:36:59,046
or Mars Hill, driving by.

807
00:36:59,050 --> 00:37:03,021
Saw the sign, service,
looked at his watch.

808
00:37:03,029 --> 00:37:04,071
Said, "Well, it's starting.

809
00:37:04,079 --> 00:37:06,025
I wonder what's
going on in there."

810
00:37:06,033 --> 00:37:07,033
Walked in.

811
00:37:07,038 --> 00:37:10,075
In God's providence, it was
the sermon about the centurion.

812
00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:14,046
He realized his need for
Jesus, and he got saved today.

813
00:37:14,050 --> 00:37:17,017
That's what God does.

814
00:37:17,025 --> 00:37:21,088
[congregation applauding]

815
00:37:21,096 --> 00:37:23,062
That's what our God does.

816
00:37:23,067 --> 00:37:27,038
And so we want to get the word
out that our Christ is a warrior

817
00:37:27,046 --> 00:37:31,017
as well, that he comes to
battle Satan, sin, and death.

818
00:37:31,025 --> 00:37:33,000
And the Bible says
when he comes again,

819
00:37:33,004 --> 00:37:35,046
he'll be riding as
a warrior on a white horse,

820
00:37:35,050 --> 00:37:38,042
that a sword will come out of
his mouth, with which

821
00:37:38,050 --> 00:37:41,017
to slay the nations, that he
will ultimately set

822
00:37:41,021 --> 00:37:43,017
all the captives free,

823
00:37:43,025 --> 00:37:46,067
and his men will
be riding with him.

824
00:37:46,075 --> 00:37:49,067
That ours is a faith that
is not a faith of violence,

825
00:37:49,075 --> 00:37:51,050
ours is a faith of forgiveness.

826
00:37:51,054 --> 00:37:54,046
But when Jesus comes,
he puts down all the bullies,

827
00:37:54,050 --> 00:37:57,033
and he puts down all
the dictators and tyrants,

828
00:37:57,042 --> 00:37:59,079
and he sets all
the captives free,

829
00:37:59,083 --> 00:38:02,000
and he wipes tears from eyes.

830
00:38:02,008 --> 00:38:04,062
So every soldier who goes into
battle because they're an image

831
00:38:04,067 --> 00:38:09,046
bearer of God, has some echo
of the Gospel in their soul.

832
00:38:09,050 --> 00:38:12,004
"I am going to possibly
lay down my life,

833
00:38:12,012 --> 00:38:14,008
so that others might live."

834
00:38:14,017 --> 00:38:17,083
That's our Jesus,
and they need to know him.

835
00:38:17,088 --> 00:38:19,071
And so we want to help.

836
00:38:19,079 --> 00:38:25,025
In closing, we have seen how
the suffering gets healing from

837
00:38:25,033 --> 00:38:30,083
Jesus, how the religious still
don't understand it's about

838
00:38:30,092 --> 00:38:33,096
grace, not works and merit.

839
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,062
It's about what God
does, not what we do.

840
00:38:37,067 --> 00:38:40,067
And additionally, we have seen
that even if you are a moral,

841
00:38:40,075 --> 00:38:45,083
decent, good, upstanding,
generous, loving citizen,

842
00:38:45,092 --> 00:38:49,017
that will not earn you
status of forgiveness

843
00:38:49,025 --> 00:38:50,058
and salvation with God.

844
00:38:50,067 --> 00:38:52,083
You still need to
place faith in Jesus,

845
00:38:52,092 --> 00:38:57,017
and all of this culminates in
our understanding from this text

846
00:38:57,021 --> 00:38:59,025
of who Jesus is
because ultimately,

847
00:38:59,033 --> 00:39:02,000
the whole Bible's
about Jesus, Amen?

848
00:39:02,004 --> 00:39:03,025
It's all about Jesus.

849
00:39:03,033 --> 00:39:06,067
So I'll share with you
ten things we learn about Jesus

850
00:39:06,075 --> 00:39:07,083
from this text.

851
00:39:07,088 --> 00:39:10,012
Number one:
he is a sovereign ruler.

852
00:39:10,017 --> 00:39:12,067
I love the fact that
the centurion gets this.

853
00:39:12,071 --> 00:39:15,017
He says, "I understand
chain of command.

854
00:39:15,025 --> 00:39:19,033
"I rule over a hundred
warriors, and you,

855
00:39:19,042 --> 00:39:23,004
you're in a completely
different rank."

856
00:39:23,012 --> 00:39:24,050
God becomes a man.

857
00:39:24,058 --> 00:39:27,025
He has complete authority.

858
00:39:27,033 --> 00:39:28,067
He is sovereign ruler.

859
00:39:28,075 --> 00:39:32,054
The Bible says he is
king of kings, lord of lords.

860
00:39:32,062 --> 00:39:35,033
For some of you, your
Jesus is way too small.

861
00:39:35,038 --> 00:39:38,033
He's just a helper, a counselor,
a comforter, a friend.

862
00:39:38,038 --> 00:39:39,083
He's not Christ.

863
00:39:39,088 --> 00:39:44,025
He's not ruler, Lord, savior,
God, king, and judge.

864
00:39:44,033 --> 00:39:46,058
This man, the
centurion, the soldier,

865
00:39:46,067 --> 00:39:49,054
he understands who Jesus is.

866
00:39:49,062 --> 00:39:51,029
"Oh, I understand
chain of command.

867
00:39:51,033 --> 00:39:53,088
"You're at the top.

868
00:39:53,096 --> 00:39:55,092
Creator, that's who you are."

869
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,012
That's who Jesus is.

870
00:39:58,017 --> 00:40:01,033
Number two:
he is humble initiator.

871
00:40:01,038 --> 00:40:04,067
This sovereign king comes into
human history

872
00:40:04,071 --> 00:40:06,050
as the man Jesus Christ.

873
00:40:06,054 --> 00:40:09,046
He goes on a tour
to preach in towns.

874
00:40:09,050 --> 00:40:11,079
He goes to people.

875
00:40:11,083 --> 00:40:15,004
When requested to go to
the home of the centurion,

876
00:40:15,012 --> 00:40:16,062
he is on his way.

877
00:40:16,067 --> 00:40:18,054
He's a humble initiator.

878
00:40:18,062 --> 00:40:20,004
He is going out to serve.

879
00:40:20,012 --> 00:40:21,017
He is going out to help.

880
00:40:21,025 --> 00:40:25,050
He is going out to preach, and
teach, and demon cast, and heal.

881
00:40:25,058 --> 00:40:28,000
And unlike religion, where
we go looking for God,

882
00:40:28,008 --> 00:40:31,079
Christianity's about God looking
for us because we're lost,

883
00:40:31,083 --> 00:40:34,017
he's not.

884
00:40:34,025 --> 00:40:36,021
See, some of you are here
today and you don't know it.

885
00:40:36,029 --> 00:40:38,033
Jesus is looking for you.

886
00:40:38,038 --> 00:40:39,075
That's why you're here.

887
00:40:39,083 --> 00:40:42,012
Because he is seeking you.

888
00:40:42,017 --> 00:40:43,050
He knows you.

889
00:40:43,058 --> 00:40:44,062
He loves you.

890
00:40:44,067 --> 00:40:45,092
He died for you.

891
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,033
He's pursuing you.

892
00:40:48,038 --> 00:40:50,050
He's a humble initiator.

893
00:40:50,058 --> 00:40:53,038
He doesn't owe us anything,
but he pursues us in love.

894
00:40:53,046 --> 00:40:55,050
Number three:
he's a global savior.

895
00:40:55,054 --> 00:41:01,067
We see him in this story serving
Jew and Gentile, rich and poor.

896
00:41:01,075 --> 00:41:05,075
We see him serving
slave and free.

897
00:41:05,083 --> 00:41:09,088
We see him serving
Roman and Jewish.

898
00:41:09,096 --> 00:41:13,079
We see that Jesus
loves all people.

899
00:41:13,083 --> 00:41:17,012
Unlike some religions which tell
you that they love--their God,

900
00:41:17,017 --> 00:41:19,050
rather, loves their nation,
their people, their tribe,

901
00:41:19,058 --> 00:41:23,021
their tongue, their
heritage, their tradition.

902
00:41:23,029 --> 00:41:25,012
Jesus loves all people.

903
00:41:25,017 --> 00:41:29,067
Jesus is for all nations, young,
old, black, white, rich, poor,

904
00:41:29,071 --> 00:41:31,071
single, married.

905
00:41:31,079 --> 00:41:33,079
Jesus is for all.

906
00:41:33,083 --> 00:41:36,033
It's wonderful.

907
00:41:36,038 --> 00:41:40,054
One God, one savior,
one answer, Jesus.

908
00:41:40,062 --> 00:41:44,050
It just is horrifying
that some quasi religions,

909
00:41:44,058 --> 00:41:47,021
cults like Scientology would
even teach you if you want to

910
00:41:47,029 --> 00:41:49,075
move up in an organization,
you have to pay more money

911
00:41:49,083 --> 00:41:51,067
at each level.

912
00:41:51,071 --> 00:41:53,000
Jesus heals for free.

913
00:41:53,008 --> 00:41:54,071
Jesus teaches for free.

914
00:41:54,079 --> 00:41:56,054
Jesus serves for free.

915
00:41:56,062 --> 00:41:59,050
To be sure, people
will give generously,

916
00:41:59,058 --> 00:42:01,050
but it's not to get
him to do things.

917
00:42:01,054 --> 00:42:03,092
It's because they're grateful
for what he's already done

918
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,079
through grace.

919
00:42:06,083 --> 00:42:08,083
So if you're here, come
for free, seats are free,

920
00:42:08,088 --> 00:42:10,012
Bibles are free.

921
00:42:10,017 --> 00:42:11,017
Prayer is free.

922
00:42:11,021 --> 00:42:12,042
Community groups are free.

923
00:42:12,050 --> 00:42:13,050
Help is free.

924
00:42:13,058 --> 00:42:15,017
Premarital counseling is free.

925
00:42:15,021 --> 00:42:16,071
Downloads are free.

926
00:42:16,079 --> 00:42:19,033
Salvation is free.

927
00:42:19,038 --> 00:42:23,096
Our God is a giver, not a taker,
and we love the fact that he is,

928
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:25,096
he is a global savior.

929
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,000
He gives to everybody.

930
00:42:28,004 --> 00:42:30,004
And for those who really
do know him and love him,

931
00:42:30,012 --> 00:42:33,071
we want to be generous as
he's been generous, not,

932
00:42:33,079 --> 00:42:38,021
not to earn favor with him, but
to demonstrate the favor that

933
00:42:38,029 --> 00:42:39,096
he's already given us.

934
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:43,021
You need to know that
the hope of the world is Jesus.

935
00:42:43,029 --> 00:42:45,067
The hope of all
nations is Jesus.

936
00:42:45,071 --> 00:42:48,096
The hope of all people is Jesus,
and we see him minister to these

937
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,083
various groups in the story.

938
00:42:50,092 --> 00:42:52,025
He's also a faith seer.

939
00:42:52,033 --> 00:42:54,083
See, what religion does,
religion looks at the outward.

940
00:42:54,092 --> 00:42:57,000
Did you do this?
Did you not do that?

941
00:42:57,008 --> 00:42:58,012
Did you give?
Did you tithe?

942
00:42:58,017 --> 00:42:59,021
Did you pray?
Did you read?

943
00:42:59,029 --> 00:43:00,033
Did you serve?
Did you cry?

944
00:43:00,038 --> 00:43:02,029
Did you go?

945
00:43:02,033 --> 00:43:05,017
And Jesus looks at
the heart, "Do you love me?"

946
00:43:05,025 --> 00:43:07,054
Yeah, morality is great.

947
00:43:07,062 --> 00:43:09,012
I would rather live next to
someone who was moral

948
00:43:09,017 --> 00:43:11,038
than immoral.

949
00:43:11,046 --> 00:43:13,025
But in so far as eternal
life is concerned,

950
00:43:13,033 --> 00:43:16,029
you're not going to be
judged just by the externals,

951
00:43:16,033 --> 00:43:18,096
but Jesus is gonna look all
the way down to the seat, sum,

952
00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:21,017
center, total essence
of who you are,

953
00:43:21,021 --> 00:43:24,033
look at the heart, and ask this
question, "Do you trust me?

954
00:43:24,038 --> 00:43:26,008
"Do you have faith in me?

955
00:43:26,017 --> 00:43:27,083
"Do you love me?

956
00:43:27,092 --> 00:43:29,046
Do you belong to me?"

957
00:43:29,050 --> 00:43:31,000
It really comes down
to you and Jesus.

958
00:43:31,008 --> 00:43:32,083
And religious people might pat
you on the back,

959
00:43:32,092 --> 00:43:34,067
and say you're a good person,
you do nice things.

960
00:43:34,075 --> 00:43:35,067
You give a lot.

961
00:43:35,075 --> 00:43:36,067
You serve a lot.

962
00:43:36,075 --> 00:43:38,083
You're like the centurion,
and these are all wonderful

963
00:43:38,088 --> 00:43:41,008
characteristics of
a decent neighbor,

964
00:43:41,017 --> 00:43:43,054
but these are not
the marks of a Christian.

965
00:43:43,062 --> 00:43:47,033
The mark of a Christian is faith
in Jesus, out of which, yes,

966
00:43:47,042 --> 00:43:50,042
new life flows, character
flows, change flows.

967
00:43:50,050 --> 00:43:52,046
Some of you would judge
Christians and say,

968
00:43:52,050 --> 00:43:53,083
"I don't like where they're at."

969
00:43:53,088 --> 00:43:56,050
You may look where they've come
from and realize that God is

970
00:43:56,054 --> 00:43:59,000
working on them, and they
have made some progress,

971
00:43:59,004 --> 00:44:01,033
but they've still
got a long way to go.

972
00:44:01,042 --> 00:44:04,033
And Jesus looks at the faith.

973
00:44:04,042 --> 00:44:06,000
And so some of you are here
today, and you would be,

974
00:44:06,008 --> 00:44:08,083
perhaps, in the same position
that I was some years ago.

975
00:44:08,092 --> 00:44:11,033
They say, "I believe in God,
and I think I'm a moral person.

976
00:44:11,038 --> 00:44:12,075
"And I try to help people,
and do nice things,

977
00:44:12,083 --> 00:44:15,083
and be a good citizen."

978
00:44:15,088 --> 00:44:18,067
You know whether or not you
really have faith in Jesus

979
00:44:18,075 --> 00:44:22,088
as God, and God knows whether or
not you really have faith

980
00:44:22,096 --> 00:44:25,050
in Jesus as God.

981
00:44:25,054 --> 00:44:26,088
He sees faith.

982
00:44:26,096 --> 00:44:28,004
He's looking for faith.

983
00:44:28,012 --> 00:44:30,050
He's amazed,
we're told in Scripture,

984
00:44:30,058 --> 00:44:33,054
by faith,
and lack of faith.

985
00:44:33,062 --> 00:44:37,038
Number five:
he's a grace giver.

986
00:44:37,046 --> 00:44:40,050
Does he give grace to
the servant who is suffering?

987
00:44:40,058 --> 00:44:42,008
Yes, he heals him.

988
00:44:42,017 --> 00:44:43,075
That's a great gift.

989
00:44:43,083 --> 00:44:46,054
Does he give grace to
the religious people?

990
00:44:46,062 --> 00:44:48,075
Yes, he puts up with them.

991
00:44:48,083 --> 00:44:50,096
They're gonna keep
showing up in the book,

992
00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,033
and they're pretty much
annoying every time.

993
00:44:53,038 --> 00:44:55,062
That's how religious people are.

994
00:44:55,067 --> 00:44:56,088
And he is gracious to them.

995
00:44:56,096 --> 00:45:01,004
He keeps teaching them, rebuking
them, putting up with them.

996
00:45:01,012 --> 00:45:02,083
Is he gracious to the centurion?

997
00:45:02,088 --> 00:45:06,000
Yes, yes.

998
00:45:06,008 --> 00:45:08,062
The centurion actually gets
saved and becomes a Christian.

999
00:45:08,067 --> 00:45:10,017
He receives saving grace.

1000
00:45:10,021 --> 00:45:12,088
What about the crowd that hears
this story as Jesus uses this

1001
00:45:12,096 --> 00:45:14,088
man's faith as an example?

1002
00:45:14,096 --> 00:45:17,096
Yeah, he gives grace of
teaching to them as well.

1003
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:19,071
Our God is a grace giver.

1004
00:45:19,079 --> 00:45:21,088
He loves to give.

1005
00:45:21,096 --> 00:45:23,067
He's a giver.

1006
00:45:23,071 --> 00:45:26,025
Number six:
Jesus is a prayer hearer.

1007
00:45:26,033 --> 00:45:29,050
I want you to see that
the request from the centurion

1008
00:45:29,058 --> 00:45:32,058
through the elders to
Jesus is a form of prayer.

1009
00:45:32,067 --> 00:45:35,033
Anytime we have a request,
and we bring it to Jesus,

1010
00:45:35,042 --> 00:45:36,054
that's a form of prayer.

1011
00:45:36,062 --> 00:45:40,021
Jesus hears prayer in that
day as he does in our day,

1012
00:45:40,029 --> 00:45:43,088
and he always answers prayer,
sometimes yes, sometimes no,

1013
00:45:43,096 --> 00:45:48,012
sometimes later, but he
always does answer prayer.

1014
00:45:48,017 --> 00:45:50,033
That's why we can't
manipulate him through prayer.

1015
00:45:50,038 --> 00:45:52,088
We can't make him give us
an answer that we want.

1016
00:45:52,096 --> 00:45:54,088
Again, back to
the centurion's comment,

1017
00:45:54,096 --> 00:45:58,062
"You are at the head of
the chain of command.

1018
00:45:58,067 --> 00:46:00,029
"You're the commander in chief.

1019
00:46:00,033 --> 00:46:04,017
"I can give you a request, but
I cannot give you an order.

1020
00:46:04,025 --> 00:46:06,050
"And when you give a decree,
I receive it

1021
00:46:06,058 --> 00:46:09,058
"because of the chain
of command.

1022
00:46:09,067 --> 00:46:11,021
"You're a good ruler.

1023
00:46:11,029 --> 00:46:12,088
"You're a loving God.

1024
00:46:12,096 --> 00:46:14,083
I'll give you my request,
you give me your answer,

1025
00:46:14,092 --> 00:46:16,096
I'll obey your orders."

1026
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:18,092
But he does hear prayer.

1027
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,083
That's why we pray.

1028
00:46:20,092 --> 00:46:23,000
Number seven:
he's a transcendent doer.

1029
00:46:23,004 --> 00:46:28,058
Jesus is told rightly by
the centurion's servants,

1030
00:46:28,067 --> 00:46:29,088
he has a bit of
a change of mind.

1031
00:46:29,096 --> 00:46:31,067
He's requested that
Jesus come to his house,

1032
00:46:31,071 --> 00:46:32,062
and then he thinks about it.

1033
00:46:32,067 --> 00:46:33,092
"Jesus is busy,
got a lot going on.

1034
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:35,033
"He doesn't need to
come to my house.

1035
00:46:35,038 --> 00:46:37,062
All he needs to do is
just give an order."

1036
00:46:37,067 --> 00:46:40,088
See, when you're in authority,
that's how it works.

1037
00:46:40,096 --> 00:46:43,075
What he's saying is, "Jesus, you
don't need to be at my house."

1038
00:46:43,083 --> 00:46:45,000
And how generous is he?

1039
00:46:45,008 --> 00:46:46,000
Where's the servant?

1040
00:46:46,004 --> 00:46:47,033
At his house.

1041
00:46:47,038 --> 00:46:48,092
This man's taking
care of his friend.

1042
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,050
This is kind of
like hospice care,

1043
00:46:51,058 --> 00:46:54,088
those people who love
and serve so well.

1044
00:46:54,096 --> 00:46:56,038
Those people are amazing.

1045
00:46:56,046 --> 00:46:57,071
He's like that.

1046
00:46:57,079 --> 00:47:01,033
"Jesus, you can heal
from a distance."

1047
00:47:01,038 --> 00:47:03,067
This is good news for us
'cause Jesus goes to the cross,

1048
00:47:03,071 --> 00:47:05,088
dies for our sins,
rises for our salvation,

1049
00:47:05,096 --> 00:47:07,033
ascends back into heaven.

1050
00:47:07,042 --> 00:47:10,000
He's seated on a throne today,
ruling and reigning over

1051
00:47:10,008 --> 00:47:13,096
all nations, kingdoms,
peoples, times, places.

1052
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,054
And it seems like Jesus is
far away, and you know what?

1053
00:47:16,062 --> 00:47:18,042
He can heal from his throne.

1054
00:47:18,050 --> 00:47:20,000
He can answer prayer
from his throne.

1055
00:47:20,008 --> 00:47:23,058
He can save and bless
from his throne.

1056
00:47:23,067 --> 00:47:25,029
He doesn't need to
come to your house,

1057
00:47:25,033 --> 00:47:28,029
he can through the presence
of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus,

1058
00:47:28,033 --> 00:47:31,088
from a distance, can still
hear, and answer prayer,

1059
00:47:31,096 --> 00:47:34,033
and do good works, and he does.

1060
00:47:34,038 --> 00:47:38,017
Just like he didn't have to go
to the bedside of the sick man,

1061
00:47:38,021 --> 00:47:40,004
he doesn't need to go anywhere.

1062
00:47:40,012 --> 00:47:42,092
He can answer prayer
from his throne.

1063
00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:45,083
He's the ultimate healer,
number eight.

1064
00:47:45,092 --> 00:47:49,067
He heals
the servant physically.

1065
00:47:49,075 --> 00:47:52,029
He heals
the centurion spiritually.

1066
00:47:52,033 --> 00:47:55,008
Jesus heals mind and body.

1067
00:47:55,017 --> 00:47:59,092
Jesus heals the whole person
and in this life, we will die,

1068
00:48:00,004 --> 00:48:01,054
but because of
Jesus' resurrection,

1069
00:48:01,062 --> 00:48:05,017
if our faith is in him, we too
shall rise and enjoy perfect,

1070
00:48:05,021 --> 00:48:07,046
eternal healing.

1071
00:48:07,050 --> 00:48:09,062
He's the ultimate healer.

1072
00:48:09,067 --> 00:48:13,000
The last two,
he's a greater centurion.

1073
00:48:13,004 --> 00:48:16,004
See, the centurion's job
was to go into battle and,

1074
00:48:16,012 --> 00:48:21,012
as necessary, lay down his life
so that others could be blessed,

1075
00:48:21,017 --> 00:48:23,000
that he would die
that they might live,

1076
00:48:23,008 --> 00:48:26,008
that he would go as a substitute
to die in their place

1077
00:48:26,017 --> 00:48:28,046
to secure their freedom.

1078
00:48:28,050 --> 00:48:30,029
And Jesus is
a greater centurion.

1079
00:48:30,033 --> 00:48:32,083
He is God come
into human history.

1080
00:48:32,088 --> 00:48:36,083
He is God at war against
Satan, sin, death.

1081
00:48:36,092 --> 00:48:41,083
He is God who comes,
not just leading a hundred,

1082
00:48:41,088 --> 00:48:45,008
but now leading billions
of his servants.

1083
00:48:45,017 --> 00:48:48,042
And as the centurion is
worried about his one servant,

1084
00:48:48,050 --> 00:48:52,058
so Jesus is worried
about us all.

1085
00:48:52,067 --> 00:48:54,008
He's a greater centurion.

1086
00:48:54,017 --> 00:48:58,046
I want you men to see
this man, the centurion,

1087
00:48:58,050 --> 00:49:00,088
probably with scars on
his face and on his hand.

1088
00:49:00,096 --> 00:49:03,054
He's battle tested,
general, captain.

1089
00:49:03,062 --> 00:49:06,083
He's strong, man's
man, tough guy.

1090
00:49:06,092 --> 00:49:10,029
He gives orders, and young
men are willing to die.

1091
00:49:10,033 --> 00:49:14,008
And he looks at Jesus
and says, "You're the boss.

1092
00:49:14,017 --> 00:49:15,067
"You're in charge.

1093
00:49:15,071 --> 00:49:19,042
You're a greater
warrior than I."

1094
00:49:19,050 --> 00:49:21,033
That's our Jesus, Mars Hill.

1095
00:49:21,038 --> 00:49:23,050
That's the Jesus we call men to.

1096
00:49:23,058 --> 00:49:25,083
That's the real Jesus.

1097
00:49:25,088 --> 00:49:29,054
Number ten:
he's the better servant.

1098
00:49:29,062 --> 00:49:34,000
The centurion loved the servant
because this was a humble,

1099
00:49:34,004 --> 00:49:37,025
faithful, dependable servant.

1100
00:49:37,033 --> 00:49:40,042
Jesus, we are told in the
Bible, is the suffering servant.

1101
00:49:40,050 --> 00:49:43,000
Jesus serves better
than any servant.

1102
00:49:43,004 --> 00:49:46,050
Jesus suffers,
and he doesn't,

1103
00:49:46,054 --> 00:49:48,050
he doesn't leave his duties.

1104
00:49:48,054 --> 00:49:49,088
He goes all
the way to the cross,

1105
00:49:49,096 --> 00:49:53,000
and he suffers in service to us.

1106
00:49:53,008 --> 00:49:55,058
And so what happens is,
friends, when we suffer,

1107
00:49:55,067 --> 00:50:00,000
we can go to the Jesus who has
suffered, and he serves us

1108
00:50:00,008 --> 00:50:03,096
as we're suffering, because we
have a God who has suffered.

1109
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:09,017
And even if and when we die,
Jesus still serves us because

1110
00:50:09,021 --> 00:50:12,033
he's been through death, and
he meets us on the other side,

1111
00:50:12,038 --> 00:50:14,062
and he wipes every
tear from our eye,

1112
00:50:14,067 --> 00:50:18,083
and he gives us a resurrection
kingdom where death and sin

1113
00:50:18,088 --> 00:50:21,079
are no more because
of his victory.

1114
00:50:21,083 --> 00:50:24,079
It's all about Jesus.

1115
00:50:24,083 --> 00:50:28,029
So here's what
we're going to do.

1116
00:50:28,033 --> 00:50:31,067
We're going to pray.

1117
00:50:31,071 --> 00:50:35,008
We're going to take a bit of
time and pray for one another.

1118
00:50:35,017 --> 00:50:36,017
Some of you are here today,

1119
00:50:36,025 --> 00:50:37,092
and you're in the position
of the servant.

1120
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:42,017
You're hurting, suffering, it's
a very difficult time for you.

1121
00:50:42,025 --> 00:50:44,000
You came in lonely.

1122
00:50:44,008 --> 00:50:45,088
You need to be prayed for.

1123
00:50:45,096 --> 00:50:49,092
Some of you need to pray, you're
so self-consumed with your own

1124
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:52,088
issues that you maybe have
overlooked the needs of others,

1125
00:50:52,096 --> 00:50:55,042
and like the centurion, you need
to see those who are suffering,

1126
00:50:55,050 --> 00:50:57,050
need to pray for them.

1127
00:50:57,054 --> 00:51:01,004
Some of you are like
the centurion and your life

1128
00:51:01,012 --> 00:51:04,000
isn't horrible, but there's
someone you really love,

1129
00:51:04,008 --> 00:51:06,029
and they're in a difficult
place, and you need to intercede

1130
00:51:06,033 --> 00:51:07,038
and pray for them.

1131
00:51:07,046 --> 00:51:08,083
And just as he went
and got the elders,

1132
00:51:08,092 --> 00:51:12,038
you need to get
the people of God to pray.

1133
00:51:12,046 --> 00:51:14,071
So in a moment, I'm gonna have
you raise your hand

1134
00:51:14,079 --> 00:51:15,075
if you want to be prayed for.

1135
00:51:15,083 --> 00:51:16,075
Don't leave, don't freak out.

1136
00:51:16,083 --> 00:51:17,075
Don't stress out.

1137
00:51:17,083 --> 00:51:18,075
"Oh no, now we're
gonna do church,

1138
00:51:18,083 --> 00:51:20,033
I just came for the band."

1139
00:51:20,042 --> 00:51:22,033
All right, stick around.

1140
00:51:22,042 --> 00:51:23,050
And some of you would say,
"But I'm not a Christian,

1141
00:51:23,054 --> 00:51:25,083
what am I doing in
a prayer meeting?"

1142
00:51:25,088 --> 00:51:28,000
Well, the centurion
started as a non-Christian,

1143
00:51:28,004 --> 00:51:30,067
and he ended up
a Christian.

1144
00:51:30,075 --> 00:51:34,033
Stick around,
stick around.

1145
00:51:34,042 --> 00:51:37,042
Let us pray for ya,
let us pray for ya.

1146
00:51:37,050 --> 00:51:39,058
We believe that God can
and does answer prayer.

1147
00:51:39,067 --> 00:51:41,096
We believe that God
can and does heal.

1148
00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:44,000
One of the ways that the Gospel
got started in my family

1149
00:51:44,008 --> 00:51:47,050
is God answered the prayer
for my mom's healing in

1150
00:51:47,058 --> 00:51:48,075
a charismatic prayer meeting.

1151
00:51:48,083 --> 00:51:52,046
My mom was healed, which began
my family's legacy with Jesus.

1152
00:51:52,050 --> 00:51:54,067
We know that Jesus
can and does heal.

1153
00:51:54,075 --> 00:51:57,029
We know that he can
and does answer prayer.

1154
00:51:57,033 --> 00:51:59,012
Father God, as we go
into a time of prayer,

1155
00:51:59,017 --> 00:52:00,050
I pray against
the enemy, his servants,

1156
00:52:00,058 --> 00:52:01,088
their works and effects.

1157
00:52:01,096 --> 00:52:04,021
I pray against our
anxieties and fears.

1158
00:52:04,029 --> 00:52:07,050
I pray that, God, we would not
just be an event but a church,

1159
00:52:07,058 --> 00:52:10,083
that we wouldn't be
a people who simply consume,

1160
00:52:10,088 --> 00:52:15,083
but are participants in your
grace as we enjoy extending love

1161
00:52:15,092 --> 00:52:18,021
and affection to
others on your behalf.

1162
00:52:18,029 --> 00:52:21,000
As we pray, Lord God, I pray
for those who are suffering,

1163
00:52:21,008 --> 00:52:23,004
that they would raise their
hand to be prayed for.

1164
00:52:23,012 --> 00:52:25,033
I pray for those who,
like the centurion,

1165
00:52:25,042 --> 00:52:27,067
love someone who is suffering,
that they would raise their hand

1166
00:52:27,075 --> 00:52:29,071
and ask for prayer for them.

1167
00:52:29,079 --> 00:52:32,025
And I pray for the Christians
that we would not be religious,

1168
00:52:32,033 --> 00:52:35,000
and by your grace, humbly do
a better job than the people

1169
00:52:35,004 --> 00:52:39,046
in this story, that we would not
come demanding or expecting,

1170
00:52:39,050 --> 00:52:42,029
that we would come humbly
requesting that, Lord Jesus,

1171
00:52:42,033 --> 00:52:43,096
you would answer our prayers.

1172
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:46,088
In your good name, and for
your good glory, Amen.

1173
00:52:46,096 --> 00:52:47,046