In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

How strong is your faith?... It might not be as strong as you think. Jesus’ disciples thought they had strong faith, but when their faith was tested, they often failed. Then, Jesus told his disciples that they had “little faith” (Mt 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20; Lk 12:28).

But, in today’s lesson, Jesus was amazed that the centurion had such great faith. Let’s consider what such great faith is like.

1. ADMITS SIN (vv. 6-7)

This centurion was highly regarded. The Romans thought well of him and made him a centurion, an officer of the army in charge of 100 soldiers! The Jews regarded him highly too. They told Jesus that he “deserved” to have Jesus heal his servant. Yet, listen to what the centurion said about himself. He said, “Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.” He knew that he was a sinner. He didn’t even consider himself good enough to go to Jesus. He admitted his sin.

Too many people approach God like they deserve good things from him. But, we are all sinners, so we deserve God’s wrath and punishment. We are guilty of all kinds of sins: selfishness, greed, pride, and many more. In the confession near the beginning of this service, we admitted that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and action. We have not loved God above all things. We have not obeyed God’s commandments. But, we do not despair, because we learn next that great faith...

2. TRUSTS JESUS (vv. 3-4, 6-7)

The centurion didn’t turn to the Roman idols for help. He looked to Jesus for help. He had heard of Jesus. He sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. He believed that Jesus could and would help his servant. And Jesus did not let him down.

Jesus won’t let us down either. We have admitted that we are sinners and that we deserve nothing but God’s punishment. But Jesus lived a perfect life for us. He died on the cross for us. He rose from the dead with our forgiveness. Trust Jesus! He saved us! Jesus never lets us down. Trust Jesus, and you will live in heaven forever! But, such great faith does not stop there and say, “Well, at least I’m going to be okay.” No great faith...

3. LOVES OTHERS (vv. 2-3)

That’s what the centurion did. He wasn’t sick, his servant was. But the centurion cared about his servant. He cared enough to try to get help for this servant. That shows love. His great faith moved him to love others. That’s what faith does. It moves us to love God and love others.

How strong is your faith, really? Does it move you to really love your neighbor as yourself? Does it move you to genuinely care about the visitors who attend our church? Does it move you to pray for others? Does it move you to want to serve God and help others? If you have “great faith,” your faith will produce great fruits. Your faith will show! It will show within your home, your congregation, your place of work, and everywhere else. Such great faith loves others, and...

4. GIVES OFFERINGS (vv. 4-5)

This centurion had such great faith that he give a very large offering. The Jews said, he “built our synagogue”! I don’t know what that cost, but it had to be a pretty large offering. Great faith tends to produce great offerings. The widow gave a great offering when she gave 100% of her income! This centurion’s great faith moved him to give a great offering.

How great is your faith? Faith moves us to give generous offerings to the Lord. We don’t all have the same income, but we can all give a cheerful offering, a generous first-fruit percentage of our income to the Lord. Faith moves us to do that. Faith makes us want to support the preaching and teaching of God’s Word with our offerings. But that’s not all. Great faith..

5. RESPECTS GOD’S POWER (vv. 7-8)

The centurion showed how much faith he had in God’s power, in Jesus’ power, when he said, “say the word, and my servant will be healed.” He believed that Jesus could just say the word and his servant would be healed. He believed that Jesus had that kind of power. And he was right. That’s exactly what happened!

How great is your faith? How much do you believe God can do? And how much do you believe he can do through his powerful Word? The Bible says, “Faith comes from hearing the message” of the gospel. Do you believe that by coming to church regularly and hearing God’s Word and receiving the Lord’s Supper, that God will work a stronger faith in your heart? Do you really believe that if you attend Bible Class regularly, that your faith will grow and grow and grow? I do! That’s the whole point behind that simple plan we call the “Andrew Plan.” We want you and others to hear God’s Word regularly, and we know that God will do the rest. The Holy Spirit will work through the Word to create and strengthen faith! So if you want great faith like this centurion, you need to hear and learn God’s Word regularly. Then you will have a stronger faith. And a stronger faith...

6. OVERCOMES TRIALS (vv. 2,10)

The centurion was facing a trial. His servant wasn’t just sick, he was dying! But, by the end of this short lesson, the servant is well again! What happened? Well, God took care of the problem, and underneath God’s grace, the centurion overcame a test of faith. He passed the test.

Do you know what it’s like to go through trials and tests of faith? Maybe a loved one is dying or dies. Maybe you become sick or injured. Maybe you are laid off... When we face trials, we need to trust the Lord and seek his help just like this centurion did... With his help, with his strength, by his grace, we can overcome these trials. Great faith overcomes trials without whining and without asking “why me?” Then, after overcoming the trials, great faith...

7. RECEIVES GOD’S GIFTS (vv. 9-10)

Jesus gave this centurion a gift when he said that he had “such great faith.” But, then Christ gave him another gift. He healed the dying servant so that he was well again. The centurion received what he was asking for. Great faith receives God’s gifts.

Christ has given us the greatest gift of all: salvation! By faith, we receive the salvation Christ won for us. We hold the gospel and say, “Jesus saved me. He lived for me. He died for me. He rose for me. He took my sins away. I am forgiven! I am going to heaven!” May we face death and final judgment with bold confidence. On the last day, Jesus will take his believers to heaven. By faith in Jesus, we’ll receive a home in heaven! Faith receives God’s gifts... Lord, give us such great faith! Amen.