victorious hope

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VICTORIOUS HOPE

What parental sayings or clichés did you hear the most growing up? QUESTION

#1

#BSFLvictory BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE When we’re children, we make a list of things we’ll never do when we “get big.” For example: “When I’m a parent, I’ll never tell my kids, ‘Because I said so.’” Then we grow up and have kids. And somewhere along the way, we say to them, “Because I said so!” This cycle may be mildly embarrassing, but it highlights a foundational truth of life: some people have the authority to make things happen just by saying so. Parents are a good example. But God is the best example. God spoke, and creation happened. Jesus spoke, and Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus spoke on another occasion, and a man was healed—without Jesus even being present. Let’s look deeper at that last event. As we’ll see from the text, what impressed Jesus in this story was the faith of a centurion: a man who believed a sick servant would be healed simply because Jesus said so. That’s the key to true faith; it’s believing Jesus can do what He says He can do—and that should give us great hope.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 8:5-7 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.” 7 He said to him, “Am I to come and heal him?”

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From our perspective, there’s nothing really strange about this encounter. Who wouldn’t go to Jesus for help? Yet in the ancient world, this conversation would have been shocking for several reasons: The man wasn’t Jewish. He was Roman. He was a centurion, responsible for 80-100 soldiers in an army occupying a conquered territory. Most of the time, Jewish people and Roman soldiers avoided contact with each other. Even if they weren’t openly hostile, they certainly didn’t ask each other for help. The soldier was desperate to get Jesus’ attention. He was willing to do anything to find a way to save his servant. For His part, Jesus was equally willing to cross ethnic or national lines if it meant helping someone. Yes, the gospel was delivered first to the Jews. But Jesus had ultimately come to save the whole world. Another surprising moment in this story came when Jesus told the centurion He would go to his home. In that day, it was considered unclean for a Jew to enter the house of a Gentile. However, Jesus wasn’t worried about appearances. In fact, Jesus later taught that it’s what’s inside a person that makes him or her clean or unclean, not any outside circumstances (see Matt. 15:16-20). Jesus was willing to honor the centurion by going to his home. If you want a one-sentence explanation of the Incarnation, that’s it. Through Jesus, God told a desperate world, “I’ll come to your house, and I’ll bring healing and hope with Me.”

What emotions do you typically experience when you have to ask for help?

QUESTION

#2

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope.

HELP! How likely are you to ask for help when you’ve got a problem? Use the following scales to record your comfort level with asking for help in different areas of life.

How likely are you to ask for help with financial problems? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not likely) (Very likely) How likely are you to ask for help with spiritual problems? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not likely) (Very likely) How likely are you to ask for help with relational problems? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not likely) (Very likely) How likely are you to ask for help with household problems? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not likely) (Very likely)

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Matthew 8:8-9 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 8

The centurion was grateful for Jesus’ attention, but he was also troubled that Jesus wanted to come to his house. What was the problem? This man knew who and what he was: “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” He was surely aware of the impropriety of a Jewish man—and a rabbi no less—coming into the “unclean” home of a Gentile. Perhaps he even sensed his own sinfulness in coming before such a righteous person as Jesus.

How would you paraphrase the centurion’s statements in these verses?

The centurion probably felt his unworthiness in another way. He had authority, but only so much, and only what had been conveyed to him. He’d likely seen greater authority displayed on the battlefield through generals and proconsuls, but Jesus’ authority went beyond even that. Jesus was different. Jesus had true authority, and the centurion likely felt unworthy to have Him in his house.

QUESTION

#3

Still, the centurion understood something crucial about authority. He was used to giving orders and being obeyed, and somehow he knew that all Jesus had to do was say the word to make something happen. Jesus had that kind of authority. Throughout His ministry, people tried to comprehend the nature and extent of Jesus’ authority: Shortly before this encounter with the centurion, Jesus preached what we call the Sermon on the Mount. When He finished, “the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29).

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope.

Early in his ministry, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, and the people who witnessed the event “were all amazed” at His authority (Mark 1:23-30). After Jesus cleansed the temple, the religious leaders wanted to know who had given Him the authority to do such things (see Matt. 21:23-27). The first thing Jesus told His disciples as He gave them the Great Commission was, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus didn’t need to make the trip to the centurion’s home. He had all the authority He needed to heal the servant right where He was.

Matthew 8:10-13 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment. 10

Here’s the irony of this moment: a Gentile centurion, not the Jewish religious leaders, recognized the limitless nature of Jesus’ authority. A non-believer actually believed more than those on the inside.

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In affirming the centurion’s faith, Jesus presented a wonderful picture of the all-embracing nature of faith and grace. People will come from every race, ethnicity, language, and nation to join in the feast celebrating the saving grace of Jesus the Messiah. These people, so very different at first glance, will all have one thing in common: faith in Jesus. Amazingly, it’s “the sons of the kingdom”— the very ones you would expect to be at the table—who will be thrown out as party crashers. With no faith, they have no place at the table. Not only are they thrown out of the party, they are thrown away from God’s presence. The obvious question is, “Do we have faith in Jesus like the centurion?” We say we have faith, but if that’s true, why do so many of us live our lives in defeat and frustration? I think it’s because we lack confidence. Let me explain what I mean. Hebrews 11 begins with these words: “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (v. 1). Faith is more than wishful thinking. It’s the firm conviction that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. When we hold this conviction with confidence, it changes the way we live. Because Christ says He can forgive our sins and restore meaning to our lives, we believe Him. Consequently, we live in the joy of His forgiveness and the passion of His purpose. The trouble comes when we say we have faith, yet we fail to live with that level of confidence. We all make important choices each day, but what guides those choices? Is it fear of the world’s opinion? Is it trust in what we see? Or is it confidence that Jesus can do what He said He could do? Let’s trust the authority of Jesus and place our faith in Him. The centurion trusted Jesus’ word because he understood how authority worked. He trusted in Jesus and His ability to heal. As a result, he found hope for his servant and hope for himself. We can have that same hope, as well. It comes through faith— through confidence that Jesus can do what He says He can do.

When has your faith in Christ helped you find hope?

QUESTION

#4

What steps can we take to deepen our faith as followers of Jesus?

QUESTION

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

#5

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THE POINT

When we come to Jesus in faith, we find hope.

LIVE IT OUT How will you express your faith in Christ this week? Consider the following options: Review the Word. One way to see God’s power and ability to work on your behalf is to see how He worked in the Scriptures. Look at the accounts of several heroes from the Old Testament and review what God did in their lives. Review your past. Make a list of the major events in your life in recent years. Use that list to build your faith by praying through the different ways He has worked on your behalf. Take a leap. Ask God to include you in something huge for His kingdom. Ask to be part of something that is “Godsized”—something that can only be explained by the fact that He is at work. God has the authority to say “Because I said so” in all spheres of life. He has the authority to bless your life with hope and joy. Embrace that truth by confidently seeking Him in faith.

My thoughts

Share with others how you will live out this study: #BSFLvictory

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