Family Service 20/10/96 - Luke 7:1-10

Introductory talk - play "Simon says".

Do it when Simon says. Do not if I say Do this/that.

Ideas : stand up; SS scratch head; SS close eyes; touch nose with eyes closed. SS hold left ear with right hand; cross arms; SS put your right hand up; now your left hand; SS hands down; sit down.

Talk : we played Simon says. Anyone know who Simon is/was ? Yet we accept the command to do something when it is prefaced by his name !

Today thinking about authority. Defined as "the power or right to enforce obedience".

On OHP make list of people who have authority over us. egs parents; teachers; boss; spouse ! police; customs & excise; doctors; armed forces; judges;

In today's Bible reading we have the account of someone who had authority. A Roman centurion who had been given the power of Caesar to command 100 soldiers. He was used to giving orders, and taking orders. If he did not obey the orders he was given, and if his orders were not obeyed then his, and other people's lives were at risk.

Yet despite his authority, he had humility. He recognised that Jesus had greater authority. That is why he sent other people to talk to Jesus, he did not consider himself worthy to even meet Jesus vs3. That is why he suggests that Jesus heal the servant from a distance vs6f.

The centurion trusted that Jesus had authority over sickness. He knew Jesus just had to say the word and the servant would be healed. That was an authority that he did not have himself. He could have felt threatened by this, he was a Roman centurion, Jesus a foreign carpenter in a land he was occupying. Yet he comes to Jesus trusting .

Jesus had the authority of God the Father. He gave the word and the servant was healed. At a distance. Like a remote control on a Television ! Just press the button and it changes channels ! Jesus said the words and the healing took place. When God says something it happens. we saw this when we looked at the creation accounts in Genesis last month.

The centurion was a Gentile, a non-Jew. He was a soldier , a member of the occupying forces whom the Jews would have wanted out of their land. Yet he shows great compassion for the servant, who was a Jew. He shows great respect for the Jewish nation and religion. He paid for a synagogue to be built vs5. He shows great faith in Jesus. Jesus said "I tell you I have not found such great faith even in Israel." vs9. He showed great humility in trusting in Jesus.

We live in a generation where the word authority is seen by some as a dirty word. Some people rightly think this because they have encountered someone who has misused the authority they had been entrusted with.

Yet we can trust in Jesus. Trust him because he loves us and wants the best for us. A self-giving love that cost him his life, separation from God as he hung on the cross. Taking upon himself the punishment that we deserve for everything that we have ever done wrong. Like the centurion we need to respond to Jesus. We have to respond to his authority. We either accept, or reject it. There is no sitting on the fence, because that is a rejection of Jesus' authority.

Some of us here today have already taken the step of humbling ourself. Acknowledging that we need Jesus' help in our lives. Realising that he is God and calls us to follow him. Yet we cannot rest of our laurels. We are called to acknowledge Jesus' authority over every area of our lives. We need to bring our thoughts, our words, our actions, our motivation for living before Jesus and submit to his authority. Every day.

There may be some here who have decided to follow Jesus, yet your relationship with him has not gone the way it should have. Perhaps the pressures of life have taken the place that Jesus should have. Yet a life without Jesus at the centre is no life at all. If that is the case and you want to do something about this then there will be a chance in a few moments to say a prayer committing ourselves afresh to Jesus.

Perhaps there may be someone here today who has never totally accepted Jesus' authority for themselves. Perhaps you know something of his teaching. Perhaps you think that being a Christian is all about trying to live a good life. But the Bible says that being a Christian is about realising that you can never be good enough for God.

The centurion realised that he was not good enough ! Even though we will look at him today and say what a nice man he was. He respected God, the Jewish people, and cared for his slave.

But only Jesus has attained the perfection that is needed to be put right with God. The only route to God is by accepting Jesus' authority. Making him boss of your life. That is what makes someone a Christian. Showing humility about yourself, your unworthiness before God. Recognising the authority of Jesus, and the need to say "Yes, Lord I trust you." to him.

If there is anyone here today who wants to take that step of making Jesus number one in your life for the first time, or to rededicate your life to Jesus there will be a chance to do that by praying with me a prayer.

Repeat line by line in you head after me in silence. Then see me later.

Lord Jesus Christ,

I am sorry that I have been going my own way instead of your way,

Thank you for dying to take away my sin,

Please come into my life, and make me the person you want me to be,

Amen