The message
and in so doing we rob it of its truth and we abort it of its power. The point of this text is not to speak or encourage you to have greater faith. It's not the point of this text. The issue here today and what is drawn to our attention is that we have a Lord that has ultimate authority.
That's the point of this text. That's really the point of the text. And if we're going to talk about faith, we should talk about the fact that it has faith in his ultimate authority. But the point is, we serve a God who is authoritative. Listen to me. Over all things. Okay. Now, all of us today in the house most likely, even if you believe it or not, because you know where you're at and you have a neighbor sitting to the left and to the right of you, but all of us today and the response to that he is he has full authority. All of us would say amen and amen in the house today. We would say that. The question though that's left with us today is but do you really believe that?
When all hell breaks loose in your life, do you believe that?
I can often tell, and it's disturbing for me today. I can often tell what you believe has authority by who you run to.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 3:43
Yes. Amen. When the kids were growing up, it was really really irritating to me when they would get a boo and they would run to their mama. But they knew who would care for their boo the most cuz I'd just you good? Are you with me today? Brooke would cuddle them and kiss it and wash it and nurture it and care for it. And they knew who to run to in the time of pain because they knew who would nurture them and care for them the most.
And today in life it is interesting because we get a real picture in crisis of who people believe is the ultimate authority in their life.
Many of you today are facing tremendous amounts of trouble. Who are you running to?
Who do you run to? And
Do you believe for those of you who know Christ, do you believe that he has the final say on all your
Pastor Shawn Gray · 5:10
trouble?
Because if you did, you'd run to him more. I'm not saying it's bad to go to a doctor. I'm saying it's a little troubling that you didn't run to Jesus first and that you didn't keep running to him.
That's a problem. It would be strange if your kid gets hungry and runs three doors down to a neighbor to get some food. That would be really weird.
That would be really strange. It would be strange if they didn't run. They ran past their parent three doors down to some strange neighbor that they've never met before, knocked on the door, and asked for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That would be weird. Yet today we have people that run past his word. They run past the Lord. They run past his provision. They run past his authority. They run past his loving and mercy. They run past all of that. And they run to their friend and they run to their parents and they run to a counselor and they run to a doctor and they run to all those. And
I'm not saying we shouldn't go to those things, but I say it's a sad day when we run past him to go to them.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 6:30
That's right. It's sad. It's a sad day. And the picture here is, and I think for all of us, it's trying to help us get to a place where we understand there is one who has authority over your problem.
There's a problem here. And the question we should be left with is who are you running to? I love it too. And don't get it don't get it convoluted. I'll say this and I maybe I'm getting ahead of my notes, but in throughout the history, if you look at the narrative story in Scripture, one of the things you begin to identify with or identify in Scripture is that there are hundreds of years where God goes silent. This happens repeatedly.
Secular in nature. It is secular in nature. And what happens is that it will be God will speak something and for hundreds of years we don't hear him speaking again. Not no one hears him speaking. And then he begins to speak to prophets and to specific people. He uses people as mouthpiece to speak over and to speak into the world. And then for hundreds of years, he doesn't speak again. And this happens multiple times.
If you timeline this out and I would encourage you to go do some research and you would look, you see just sections of time where God draws silent. And that becomes very problematic for us when we think of this situation. Where we see a centurion who is in the midst of a problem. What if this centurion found himself in between and betw twix a 200year process where God is not speaking because his word has power to change, right? That would be really troubling.
But here he comes to a place where the word is present. He has drawn near. He is present to speak over the problems of our life, the things that ail our life. He is walking amongst us. And let me tell you something that's really exciting. He is speaking and he has just spoke on top of the mountains lifegiving, life transformative, lifesaving words right in the midst. He is speaking again.
What is the good news about this is that his word is documented. His death and resurrection provides the Holy Spirit that we might understand his word and you have his word with you every single day.
Yeah, the centurion knew who to run to and he only needed a word, right? Because he knew his word changed things. Why is it that you don't ever pick it up when it's the re resource and tool for whats you?
Why do you run to other people to speak words into your life when this ch because you don't believe he has ultimate authority.
You believe everyone else does. Are you with me today? It's a problem. So what we see here is we see a man who understands that his word changes things. Let us not let this build up dust on our cabinet when we are instructed that he has the type of authority to move us out of seasons or to help uphold us in seasons of storms and issues and troubles and things of that nature.
We live in a time where we don't value his word. Where we are immersed in culture.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 10:45
We are transformed by culture. We are shaped by it. We would rather give oursel over into the hands of culture for it to mold us rather than the hands of the potter.
And we see this by what we're immersed in, what we choose to be to commit oursel to. You spend, according to the latest document, 5.16 hours a day on cell phone. That doesn't count your television. It doesn't count your computer. It doesn't count your tablet. That is just your cell phone.
That the average person in the world spends 5.16 hours a day on their cell phone.
For some of you, that's where you run when your heart is aching.
You infinitely scroll to soothe your heart ache and you ignore that word that can change your heart.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 11:53
Many of us today are soul sick. We're soul sick. We're hurting and we continue to bathe in our hurt until we become well our fingers become wrinkled little prunes.
That's what we're absorbed in. I love this centurion because this is the kind of belief that stays near there. It is not the kind of belief that stays near Jesus but never trusts in him. There is a kind of belief that listens to his teaching. It admires his compassion. It gathers around his works. Yet when the moment comes to truly rely on him, it hesitates. It pauses.
It break checks. Then it begins to want evidence or reassurance. It wants control.
This passage brings us face to face with a different kind of faith. A faith that is real, that does not stand at a distance analyzing Jesus, but bows before him.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 13:14
A faith that does not require signs, but rests in his authority. A faith that does not negotiate terms but trusts in his words. This is a faith that sees the authority of Jesus clearly. Point one. That was an intro and a half, right? This is a faith that sees the authority of Jesus clearly. Comes to Jesus with urgency. I love this.
He's coming for his servant. Yes, he is coming for his servant. I just recognize the dispensation here between our inability to go to him and trust him as the final authority in our life and his word to accomplish what it we know and have and has been proven to accomplish. That when he speaks a word,
If he can make the planets rotate exactly the way they should in the galaxy, then he can certainly help your problem.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 14:33
He can certainly help your problem. Amen. No. I need God's word plus this for my problem to be helped. That's heartbreaking that you would diminish him to that level that you would create a duality seat and make it a throne. That's sad. The reality is he is the ultimate authority. He is the ultimate authority. And he approaches Jesus. He calls him Lord.
This is not a casual title. This is recognition. He sees something in Jesus that many others fail to see. And he comes to him as the ultimate authority.
Where do you go to when life is troubling? See, here's the thing. Many people think Jesus is a pretty awesome teacher. They don't deny his teaching. They're they're cool with it. Or they think he's a great moral guide. And there are a lot of atheists and non-believers who they love Scripture actually. They think it's a great moral morally it's great and morally instructive for our lives.
And they will actually say if you live according to what the word says this would be a better world. Amen. And so we accept it that way. But
Faith begins when you see him as Lord, not as a cool teacher.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 16:21
Some people say, you know, I and Jesus is my homeboy.
Jesus is merciful, but he's not judgmental.
Jesus is loving, but he's not condemning. Jesus is gracious, but he doesn't discipline. You don't get to pick and choose who he is. He's either Lord. See, or he's not. And a Lord gets to do what he wants when you bring him your need. Many of us don't go to Jesus today not because we don't believe that he has authority. And I might even add for some of us today, it isn't because we don't believe his word has power to accomplish what we want it to accomplish.
We've just found that the more we run to him, the more he doesn't do it the way that we want him to.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 17:31
So we stop running to him and we run to other people who will acquies to our wants, who will serve us the way we want to be served.
That's who we run to when we have problems. We run to those who do it the way we want. Right. And honestly, we tend to run to those who will not demand too much from us and it won't cost us too much because when you come to Jesus, well, it cost you your life. Are you with me today?
He basically says, "Die. You have a I have a problem and I'm hurting. Die. I would like to invite you to die. And we're like, I'm going to run to my homeboy.
I'm going to run to a version of Jesus I've created rather than the one who is.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 18:37
Some of us have substituted, some of us have created a version of Jesus to idolize and bow down to that is not the true Jesus. That's one. Number two, other of us have substituted other people and made them our Christ.
This is concerning. He either has authority or he doesn't. And we most see who has authority in your heart by who you run to in your trouble. Come on now. I'm preaching to myself up here. All right, listen to me. Number two, faith subst submits to the authority of Jesus completely.
There is no such thing where my son I like. So, Landon, so he's up on the front row. This never happened. So, I'm going to pick on him right in the front row. But if I told him to go do something and he did it halfway, that's not submitting.
That's being a punk and a virtual troll. You know what I mean? That's that what we do is we say we give people accolades for doing it 50%.
It's like Hey, you almost did it at a boy. No. That's complete and utter disrespect, disobedience, and rebellion.
Are you with me? Halfway, half button it in life is not acceptable. Now, I know in our culture it's acceptable. We're just happy if we get people to do 20% of the job we ask them to do and we celebrate them and we give them raises for that. Are you with me today? But with God, it don't work that way.
He's either Lord and you submit or you don't. And it and if you do 95% of it, that's not submission. That's rebellion.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 20:57
If it was submission, then Jesus could have done half of what God commanded and still been a propitiation for your sins. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Well, I mean, Jesus had to do it all the way, but I can halfb butt it. His expectation for us is perfection. And Jesus makes up the difference. But that doesn't mean you phone it in and don't give it your all.
And it certainly doesn't mean that when you give 30% when he's called you to give 100% that you call that submission.
You acknowledge the fact you haven't submitted and you cry out to Jesus to make up the difference for your failure.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 22:03
Are you with me today? Faith submits. This man runs to Jesus. He falls down at his feet and he submits to him. Listen to me. As one with an ultimate authority. Track with me. The submission is acknowledgment that whatever decision this man in authority makes, he will be good with it. Just so happened he decided to heal the servant.
But what if he wouldn't have? Well, it's real easy to submit when you get what you want. I mean, this man got what he wants, but I don't get what I want when I go to Jesus. I don't always get what I want. I feel like he likes to just It's like, oh, I somehow or another, Sean, I always phone him on opposite day.
The day where I ask for something and he gives me the opposite. Now I'm beginning to realize that the more I pray to him, every day feels like opposite day. You are you there with me today?
But he understood something about Jesus and he comes to him and Jesus is speaking to the heart that you believe. He speaks to the authority. He basically says, "I understand something about you that you have authority." Now he begins to put power on the words of this man because those in authority speak and stuff happens. So what is he doing here? Is he speaking to Jesus' authority and attaching it to his words. Okay? So
Some of you want his authority but you want to deny his words. And if he has true authority, his words have power and his words should be submitted to.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 23:47
Track with me here. He's attaching his authority to his words. And let me tell you, a king gives a decree.
A king doesn't show his authority by puffing his chest and beating his septum. Yeah, thank you. I was going to say I was thinking gavl for some reason, but that's a judge. A judge gives a verdict by beating his gavvel and speaking a word after the conclusion of a trial, giving the sentence and it's authoritative.
A general in an army speaks a word and all the people go do what he says.
There is submission to those we believe have authority. And then let me tell you and the authority is always attached to the word.
Yes. Do you believe this is authoritative or do you believe it's a cool story, a cool narrative that's not instructive necessarily and you shouldn't submit your life to necessarily, but it's some pretty good moral teachings.
This man knew he had authority and he submits to the authority of Jesus completely. Number three, faith. Trust. A real faith. Real faith. Trust the authority of Jesus without conditions. Yes. Now, this is rare. The son of God who sees all things pauses in amazement at this. He trusts Jesus authority with no conditions attached to it. This is rare.
Truly I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. Now, just this has nothing to do with my point necessarily, so but I'm going to say it because it's just really fascinating to me, right? This is crazy to me. You know how online today you see a lot of engagement. And the best place you see this is on a resident's page in Pleasant Hill.
You laugh because you know what I'm about to say. You don't even know what I'm going to say, but you know that you that painted the picture very well for you. Trolls. People be trolling. Sorry, let me put that in a more religious term. People are contankerous. And they have made a occupation, an occupation out of being trolls. Let me tell you it is rewarded to be a troll today.
There are pastors who have made an entire built an entire kingdom around being the biggest troll.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 27:14
They've created movements, packed out tents, and built extra buildings because they are the ultimate troll in their region. They're trolls online. They're trolls on Twitter. They're trolls on Facebook. They're inciting people to anger and to angst and to irritation everywhere they go. And let me tell you, in this culture, that's rewarded because people flock to the greatest troll. Track with me.
That's what's a part of our culture. Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such a faith. I don't want to liken Jesus to being a troll, but this is a pretty interesting thing because he speaks this right into the Jews while they're standing there and saying, "out of all of you, all the Pharisees, all the religious leaders of the day, this man has the greatest faith." It's a gentile.
This is somebody who's outside the camp.
Let me do it for you this way because sometimes when we think contextually about the nation of Israel, that's hard for us. So, let me just say it in these words.
It's somebody outside the church that shows up to church one day runs to the word you've been neglecting although you've been in the house for a decade
Pastor Shawn Gray · 28:49
and responds and he says this faith smashes y'alls but Sean I've been I've been leading small groups for years I come every Sunday I'm faithful. I give money.
Don't you know who I am? They will write about me for decades to come. My religious walk and my wonderful demeanor. They will they love me. They love me up in here. People come to me for counsel in the church when they're having heartache. I'm the man. I'm the woman. And he says, "you don't even have a real faith. You believe in your authority.
You find trust in your words while at the same time forsaking mine."
It is amazing how many people give counsel but don't spend more than 20 minutes a week in their word.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 29:56
Oh, I got the numbers from Bara. I know what's happening. Probably not in our church, but in all the other churches in town. I got a clear picture of how much time you spend in here. They've done the studies.
And let me tell you, I think people in church are liars, too. So, those polls are based on people lying. And if they're that bad, how much time you spend in there, and I won't even say the numbers, go look it up. If it's really that bad, if that's how much time you spend in there, and I believe people are lying about how much time they spend in there, we got problems.
We got real problems up in here, man. Because you're giving counsel to people without spending time in here. Your words don't have authority, right?
Your words don't heal souls. Your words don't redeem hearts. Your words don't renew minds.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 31:05
Your words don't do that. Why are we speaking over people and providing counsel to people and not using this? Right. Amen.
Wow. But I heard this real cool thing from somebody. They had a degree. I've met a lot of dumb people with degrees. You with me today? You with me today? Just because you did the assignment and you got the degree don't mean you're qualified to do the work. And in case you didn't know, now that we're in an AI generation, I'm pretty sure it's only going to get worse.
Yeah. Be very careful who you get to do your surgery cuz they might have got their doctorate. I mean, AI I mean, they did. I mean, AI got a doctrine and they're going to cut you open and I'm not sure how much they really know.
We're going to have pastors that stand behind pulpits and AI writes their sermon for them. And I'm telling you, i'm telling you why we problem.
It's a problem. This faith is so remarkable because it's free from conditions. It's free from conditions. The centurion doesn't come to God and ask for a sign. He believes that the word is enough.
He does not require Jesus to come physically. He believes the word is enough. It crosses and pierces through space and time and accomplishes everything he intended to accomplish. My word goes out. It doesn't return void. Because when I send it out, I send it out with purpose. And it does things, Sean. He does not wait for visible evidence.
He simply trusts the word. This kind of faith is rare because it gives up control.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 33:31
It isn't I will serve you. Have you ever been men raise your hand? How many of you have ever sat in a deer stand and said, "Lord, track with me here." And this is going to be really brave, but I've maybe I'm the only one. Maybe I'm the only freak in the house, but let me just say, how many of you have ever said, "Lord, you it don't even have to be a it don't even have to be it could be just a small little ant. Just could you make something with hair and come on God hooker? I will yada." How many of you have ever done that? Oh, man. Oh, dang, man. Oh. Oh, come on.
Come on. Me, too. I have two. I raised my hand, too. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. I don't know what ladies do. I don't I'm sorry. I don't know what ladies do.
God. Yeah. God, what do you guys do? I don't I don't know what you do. I don't know what you do. But if you have things, too.
It is I believe God can do it and you create ultimatums for him to dance before you like a little puppet. See,
If you believe he has authority, you trust him to do what he thinks best.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 35:11
It isn't that you don't bring the request. It's just it's just that you don't attach a condition. I love this man. The reason why this fa this faith seems so strong is because he brings he comes to Jesus with a request. I'm not saying don't bring a request. Matter of fact, I'm saying please bring your request to him. You've been bringing your request to too many other people.
I'm saying trust in his word because it has authority, not in everybody else's word because it doesn't.
I know it's nerdy when you come to me and you want a word and I say, "have you read his?" You're like, "Oh, Bible reading. Get a new thing, man." It changes things.
More importantly, it changes you. Right? That's why we don't run to it too much because I kind of like me the way that I am.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 36:12
It doesn't create an ultimatum.
Oh man, Lord help me. Number four, faith anchors itself in the promise of the kingdom. Jesus widens the movement. He speaks of a coming day. Track with me here. And I'm I'm troubled by this. When many will gather from every direction and sit at the table in the kingdom of heaven. Now, I'm gonna do this. I want 10 people to come up here and help me with a visual. Okay? So, just come on up and once we get 10, I'll reject the person who's after 10. Okay? So, one, two, three, four, five. I need five more. All right? You guys come kind up here. That will be helpful. Come on up here. So, five, six, seven, eight, nine. I need one more. One more. Landon, come on up. Yeah. Sorry. Sorry. Submit.
Submit. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Okay. So, what it's doing is it's it's laying out a picture for us that those who are in will be out and those who are out will be in. I read an article today, right? That says that young people today are leaving the church by droves, not drones like I normally say. All right. So this is the percentage that young people grow up in the church.
So, these are young people who grow up in the church. They come on Wednesday, they come on Sunday morning, they come to activities, they participate in the church since they were a kid or they young adult and they grow up in the church and at the age of graduation, whatever that might be, sometimes it's 17, sometimes it's 18, sometimes it's 19 depending on stuff. But they graduate and at the point of graduation, those who were in the church, all 10 of these were in the church. This is the picture that he's painting here. This is what he's telling the centurion. He's speaking in this jer saying, "you were outside the church and you were dying to come in because you saw something authoritative inside that the people inside didn't even see.
You with me today? I'm almost done. Sorry, I'm almost done. But let me I'm going to use you in just a second." So basically what happens here is you come to church, you come to youth group, you come to Sunday, and you don't really value Christ. You long for the things that are outside to find your hope, outside of his word, outside of his person, outside of his commands. You think, you know what? I've lived under his commands. I've lived under the worship. I've lived under the schedule. I've lived under this religious jumbo mumbo. And now I want to go outside because I have a longing in my heart for something that I felt like this never satisfied. And so you go and you leave. And here's what happens at graduation. It says this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. You guys move over this way.
8 n 10 that this many people this many people leave the church after graduation. Young people never to return because the emptiness they felt while attending they found outside.
They were satisfied by the things of the world more than the things of God.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 39:57
They left and rejected the Lord. Okay, you guys can go sit down. This is how many people remained. All right, now you guys go. Okay.
And then this and then what he says is then so we have the three that were remaining right the three that are remaining he says he grabs seven I could have kept doing this seven from the outside will come in to replace those who rejected him who've been living on the inside for years.
This is why all of the apostles constantly tell us in the gospels and in the epistles to test your faith to see if it's real. Are you with me today? Because there will be a great exodus and at the same time be a great entrance. And those you know who it will be
Those people you were scared to testify and share Jesus with they're going to end up replacing you
Pastor Shawn Gray · 41:04
do this is a terrifying picture you you're like I just wish I could invite them to church but they're beyond hope there's no way they would ever come and there's no way they would ever bow their knee to Jesus and he says actually you might be surprised Amen.
You might be surprised. I mean, we all say, "Yeah, I'm going to invite people now." We just don't think about the fact they may replace us cuz we think our faith is true.
But it doesn't run to him as final authority. We put conditions on everything in our life and we don't trust his word. But we're but we know how to worship. We can worship. Oh, I love you. I just reject your word. I worship you.
Woo! I won't submit to you. You're amazing. Oh. Oh, God. I love you. Never pick up his Bible. What is this? What is it? Number five, faith rests in the word of Jesus fully. Jesus speaks, "Go, let it be done for you as you believed." And at that very moment, the servant is healed. No visible action, no dramatic display, just the word of Christ accomplishing what it declares.
Well, Sean, every time I open the Bible and I read it, I don't ever feel anything. I just feel as dead as I felt before I opened it. I feel dead. No visible action, no dramatic display, just the word of God accomplishing what it promises. Well, I didn't have a tear, so it must not have been real. And the Holy Spirit must not be moving and I don't feel them. I come to church, let me tell you, this is the deadest church i've ever been a part of because I don't feel anything and I need to feel something. And sometimes you can run to a place where you feel something and it's dead than the one you just left.
I'm I'm telling you right now,
Just because it's hype in the house don't mean it's holy in the house.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 43:42
That's good. Don't base your whole life on your emotions cuz your emotions will lead you places you don't want to go.
Bible says your heart is infinitely wicked above all things. Yes. Trust it not. That's some King James up in the house for you today. Trusteth it noteth. Doeth, notth, trusteth, itth. I don't know. I had way too much coffee this morning. I had way too much coffee this morning.
The centurion believe before he saw because he saw one in authority and that was bigger than the problem he saw.
Some of you use a magnifying glass on your problem.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 44:51
This man had a magnifying glass on his God. Let me tell you what this does. When you open it, you I'm going to ask you if I could take liberty, but I'm going to take it anyway. So, let's just let's just take it, not ask, right? Listen to me. You can open this word and read this word and it can have no authority in your life because he says to us and counsels us to rightly divide it.
You can sound spiritual, quote Scripture, memorizes entire books of the Bible. You can quote it and sound godly and sound spiritual, but you can use it wrongly. And
What can be a precision instrument to do surgical work in the hearts of men can become a destructive instrument that dehead decapitates people when it was meant to serve people.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 46:15
His word as he spoke it, not his word as you want it to be. This means you have to wrestle with his word. We see a picture of this with Jacob wrestling.
You got to wrestle with it. You don't just bend it to your will. You wrestle with it. You wrestle with it. The centurion believed before he saw because he saw a God that was bigger than his problem. This is the essence of faith. To rest in the words of Jesus. Even when nothing around you has changed yet, I trust him.
Oh God, how do we get people to understand that your word is what we need?
This passage draws a clear line.
On one side stands a faith that analyzes questions and delays. On the other side stands a faith that sees, submits, and trusts.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 47:52
Which one do you have?
The centurion shows us what real faith looks like. It sees Jesus clearly as Lord. It submits to him completely. It trusts him without condition. It anchors itself in promises. It rest fully in his word.
36:16
34:03
40:58
43:06
38:28
36:29
53:31
46:21
50:56
50:14
50:59
50:16
50:33
1:01:14
55:11
58:45
48:40
53:36
50:01
48:24Now playing
46:58
53:46
48:09
47:47
48:22
48:05
49:51
44:16
43:00
36:15
31:13
52:55
50:14
58:33
49:41
46:19
44:54
43:02
38:08
30:23
45:14
45:45
44:48
38:14
45:30
43:08
26:04
47:18
37:25
30:49
43:11
47:01
40:41
44:50
33:29
53:32