July 28, 2016

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME; IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM.

Luke 7:1–17

Michele James
Thursday's Devo

July 28, 2016

Thursday's Devo

July 28, 2016

Central Truth

Our confidence in prayer rests in the belief that God is the supreme authority over all things, and He is the One who is always for me and not against me. To have faith is not to trust in an outcome, but to trust in the person of Jesus Christ.

Key Verse | Luke 7:6–7, 9

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. . . . When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him . . . . (Luke 7:6-7, 9)

Luke 7:1–17

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant 1 7:2 Or bondservant; also verses 3, 8, 10 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion 2 7:3 Greek he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

11 Soon afterward 3 7:11 Some manuscripts The next day he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus 4 7:15 Greek he gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Footnotes

[1] 7:2 Or bondservant; also verses 3, 8, 10
[2] 7:3 Greek he
[3] 7:11 Some manuscripts The next day
[4] 7:15 Greek he

Dive Deeper | Luke 7:1–17

What could be so amazing that it would cause Jesus to marvel? The New Testament describes two events that made Jesus marvel. The first is found in Mark 6:6 when Jesus was in Nazareth. The verse says, “ . . . he marveled because of their unbelief.” Although the Jewish people of Nazareth walked and talked with Jesus and had every reason to believe, their hearts were hardened.

In contrast, the second time we see Jesus marvel is in Luke 7:9 when Jesus marveled at the greatness of the Roman centurion’s faith. What about the centurion’s faith made it so impressive to Jesus? He had every reason not to believe. He was a Gentile and a powerful Roman soldier, but, despite this, the centurion believed Jesus was the Savior and could deliver the centurion's servant from death by a spoken word. The Jewish elders pleaded on the centurion’s behalf for his servant to be healed because they felt he was worthy of Jesus’ help because he loved the nation of Israel and built a synagogue for them. But the centurion sent his friends to tell Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” (Luke 7:6) The centurion did not believe that he had earned Jesus’ favor or had reason to boast in his accomplishments (Ephesians 2:8-9). The centurion displayed humility despite being a man of great power in the community. He recognized that he was bankrupt in the presence of a Holy God and showed no sense of entitlement. Jesus marveled at the centurion’s humble heart trusting in His authority.

There have been times in my life when I had a sense of entitlement before God. I believed my relationship with God was like an if/then statement (If I did ___, then God would do ___.). Like the centurion, I experienced a crisis that brought brokenness and humility into my life. I realized that I do not deserve God’s favor, but only receive it as an act of His grace (Romans 3:23-24). God showed me that, when I am utterly helpless to change anything by my own strength, my hope rests in Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you see yourself as a bankrupt sinner before a Holy God?

2. Are you coming to God with an attitude of entitlement as though He owes you something based on how you have served or given financially, or are you coming to God in humility knowing that you do not deserve His favor?

3. Are you humbly accepting His "no" as much as you are rejoicing in His "yes"?

4. When a crisis hits, do you allow fear to paralyze your faith, or do you hold God's hand trusting that He will be with you regardless of the outcome?