{"id":2666,"date":"2021-04-26T15:36:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T15:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=2666"},"modified":"2026-01-18T18:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T18:18:19","slug":"a-great-faith-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/04\/26\/a-great-faith-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A Great Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The Third Sunday after Epiphany<\/strong>| <strong>Rev. Rolf Preus| January 25, 2009<\/strong>| <strong> St. Matthew 8, 5-13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: A Great Faith: Sermon preached by Rev. Rolf Preus for Epiphany 3\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/1YDJ1nHM86ckAlWQnxdg7l?si=972c1157a6d04c5e&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, &#8220;Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.&#8221; And Jesus said to him, &#8220;I will come and heal him.&#8221; The centurion answered and said, &#8220;Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. &#8220;For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, &#8216;Go,&#8217; and he goes; and to another, &#8216;Come,&#8217; and he comes; and to my servant, &#8216;Do this,&#8217; and he does it.&#8221; When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, &#8220;Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!\u201dAnd I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. &#8220;But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.&#8221; Then Jesus said to the centurion, &#8220;Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.&#8221; And his servant was healed that same hour.&nbsp; St. Matthew 8:5-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone said, \u201cI trust my father.&nbsp; I have total confidence in him.&nbsp; But I don\u2019t believe a word he says.\u201d&nbsp; What would you say?&nbsp; Is this possible?&nbsp; Can we trust someone while doubting what he says?&nbsp; Of course not.&nbsp; Faith relies on a faithful word.&nbsp; If his word is not true and trustworthy you can\u2019t have confidence in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faith in God entails three things.&nbsp; First, we believe that what he says is true.&nbsp; Second, we believe that he can do what he promises to do.&nbsp; Third, we believe that he is willing to do what he promises to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faith believes that God\u2019s Word is faithful and true.&nbsp; St. John writes, \u201cFor the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.\u201d (St. John 1, 17)&nbsp; Jesus said, \u201cI am the way, the truth, and the life.\u201d (St. John 14, 6)&nbsp; How often Jesus is quoted in the Bible as saying, \u201cI tell you the truth\u201d or as the King James puts it, \u201cVerily, verily, I say unto you.\u201d&nbsp; Faith requires truth or there is no faith at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why doctrinal ignorance is a chief cause of doubt.&nbsp; People don\u2019t know what God promises.&nbsp; How can you trust in what you do no know to be true?&nbsp; God\u2019s words stand on their own.&nbsp; The truth is the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, faith believes that God can do what he promises to do.&nbsp; Faith believes that God\u2019s Word is efficacious.&nbsp; That is, it is inherently powerful.&nbsp; God is able to do what he promises to do.&nbsp; Indeed, his Word is almighty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third, faith believes that God is willing to do what he promises to do.&nbsp; If he speaks the truth the truth avails you nothing if it is not for you.&nbsp; He must be willing.&nbsp; He must be on your side.&nbsp; If he won\u2019t bind himself to do anything for you it doesn\u2019t matter how faithful and powerful he is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We need three things from Jesus if we are to trust in him.&nbsp; He must be faithful and true.&nbsp; His word must have power to do what he promises.&nbsp; He must be willing to do for us what he is able to do for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All this the Roman centurion saw in Jesus when he came to him begging him to heal his servant who was suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have recently witnessed great political theatre in the election of a new president of our country who promises change.&nbsp; People are inspired because they can see that there is so much that is wrong and they want a better country and a better world.&nbsp; Hope for change is infectious.&nbsp; But promising change and effecting change are two entirely different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Except with Jesus.&nbsp; With Jesus they are the same thing.&nbsp; Jesus can say words that effect change.&nbsp; Jesus says it and it is so.&nbsp; The Centurion confessed this.&nbsp; In fact, he explained it to Jesus!&nbsp; He said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.&nbsp; For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, \u201cGo,\u201d and he goes; and to another, \u201cCome,\u201d and he comes; and to my servant, \u201cDo this,\u201d and he does it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no faith apart from faith in God\u2019s ability to do what he promises to do.&nbsp; It is not faithful to promise what you cannot deliver.&nbsp; God never promises what he cannot deliver.&nbsp; If he wants to do it he will do it.&nbsp; This is why we pray \u201cThy will be done.\u201d&nbsp; God\u2019s will will be done.&nbsp; Not ours.&nbsp; God can effect, he can cause, he can bring about what he wants.&nbsp; We must submit to his will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the man says to Jesus, \u201cIf you are willing.\u201d&nbsp; It all depends on that.&nbsp; Is he willing?&nbsp; Is he on your side?&nbsp; Well is God on our side?&nbsp; Listen to the words of St. Paul the Apostle recorded in Romans 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?&nbsp; He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8, 31-32)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Jesus we learn that whatever our trouble is, God is faithful, powerful, and willing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus praised the centurion\u2019s faith.&nbsp; He said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!&nbsp; And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.&nbsp; But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier we sang a hymn by Magnus Landstad based on these words of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lo, many shall come from the East and the West&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And sit at the feast of salvation<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the blest,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obeying the Lord&#8217;s invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But they who have always resisted His grace&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And on their own virtue depended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shall then be condemned and cast out from His face,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eternally lost and unfriended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh, may we all hear when our Shepherd doth call&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In accents persuasive and tender,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That, while there is time, we make haste, one and all,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And find Him, our mighty Defender!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We trust in Jesus.&nbsp; We trust in what he says.&nbsp; These two go together.&nbsp; Jesus and his words cannot be separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hear talk these days criticizing religion and praising spirituality.&nbsp; What do you think this means?&nbsp; What I think it means when they say they are spiritual but not religious is that they don\u2019t want to be bound by a formal religious creed.&nbsp; That\u2019s too restrictive.&nbsp; That limits them.&nbsp; That confines them.&nbsp; Instead, they want to be spiritual, that is, they want to follow their own feelings and make up their faith as they go along.&nbsp; But this is exactly the opposite of what Christ our Lord says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus condemns the so called sons of the kingdom.&nbsp; They are those who attach themselves to God\u2019s Church in one way or another but don\u2019t have the true faith.&nbsp; They don\u2019t trust in Jesus or in what he says.&nbsp; They fashion their own Savior after their own fancy or they don\u2019t have any Savior at all but themselves.&nbsp; They don\u2019t listen to God because they don\u2019t want to be confined by what he says.&nbsp; They have other solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Centurion trusted in Jesus and his words.&nbsp; He did not come up with his own version of religion.&nbsp; He wasn\u2019t impressed with his own spirituality.&nbsp; He was impressed with Jesus \u2013 enough to entrust to him what he needed and to be confident that he could do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note one more feature of faith.&nbsp; It is humble.&nbsp; It does not demand.&nbsp; It pleads.&nbsp; It is said that shortly before he died Luther said: \u201cWe are beggars, this is true.\u201d&nbsp; That\u2019s the posture of faith.&nbsp; \u201cLord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.\u201d&nbsp; So confesses the centurion.&nbsp; So we also confess.&nbsp; And we plead for mercy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We live alone by mercy.&nbsp; Jesus makes it crystal clear that we need it.&nbsp; He speaks of hell.&nbsp; It is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, of outer darkness.&nbsp; There is no hope there, no light, no joy, and no love.&nbsp; There is nothing but resentment, regret, sorrow and misery.&nbsp; It is the place for those who spurn God\u2019s Word, despise God\u2019s grace, and rely on themselves instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We think it is demeaning to us to be helpless and weak.&nbsp; But it is only when we stop trusting in ourselves that we can learn to trust in God.&nbsp; There is no greater gift than faith.&nbsp; It listens to what God says.&nbsp; It believes that God is faithful, powerful and willing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How does God reveal this?&nbsp; He reveals this in our weakness.&nbsp; We doubt, we turn away, we replace God\u2019s promises with our own clever notions, and we sink into sin.&nbsp; Then God in love shows us how very weak and dependant we are.&nbsp; He takes us in our weakness and sins and he shows us our sins.&nbsp; It is painful to see, painful to admit, and painful to confess.&nbsp; But he leads us to do so.&nbsp; And he shows us his Son.&nbsp; He shows us that his true glory is not in punishing sinners, but in forgiving them.&nbsp; He shows us Christ\u2019s suffering for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the crucifixion of the Son of God.&nbsp; There you see God\u2019s faithfulness.&nbsp; He said he would do this and he does it.&nbsp; He is the truth and he speaks the truth and you can trust him because he keeps his promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the crucifixion of the Son of God.&nbsp; There you see God\u2019s power.&nbsp; He faces all evil ever committed by anyone anywhere.&nbsp; He faces it, bears it, endures it, takes the blame for it, and is forsaken on account of it.&nbsp; As all the sin of all sinners is imputed to him he suffers from all guilt, hatred, lust, and greed.&nbsp; In suffering this evil he keeps his innocence, love, and purity.&nbsp; That\u2019s power \u2013 on the cross.&nbsp; That\u2019s the power to forgive us all our sins.&nbsp; The resurrection is the public display of that power, but the power that defeated sin and death and hell and all our enemies was exercised on the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the crucifixion of the Son of God.&nbsp; There you see God\u2019s willingness to help you.&nbsp; It was his good and gracious will that kept Jesus there until he had fully removed from you all your sins.&nbsp; It was his will to obey the Father and to rescue you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God grant that I may of His infinite love&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remain in His merciful keeping<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And sit with the King at His table above&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When here in the grave I am sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All trials are then like a dream that is past,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forgotten all trouble and sorrow;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All questions and doubts have been answered at last;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When dawneth eternity&#8217;s morrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The heavens shall ring with an anthem more grand&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Than ever on earth was recorded;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The blest of the Lord shall receive at His hand&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The crown to the victors awarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!&nbsp; Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/EpiphanyThree2009.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Third Sunday after Epiphany| Rev. Rolf Preus| January 25, 2009| St. Matthew 8, 5-13 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, &#8220;Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.&#8221; And Jesus said to him, &#8220;I will come and heal him.&#8221; The centurion answered&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/04\/26\/a-great-faith-2\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,8,17,4],"tags":[173,474,238],"class_list":["post-2666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-epiphany-3","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermons-by-rolf-preus","tag-epiphany-3","tag-matthew-8","tag-rolf-preus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2666"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6888,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666\/revisions\/6888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}