[Scripture: Matthew 8:5-13]
I want to talk about purpose-driven life because it is one of the most meaningful topics for Christians today. Rick Warren defined purpose-driven life as finding the answer to the question: “What on earth am I here for?” Living a purposeful Christian life means identifying who you are and what you should do here and now.
Jesus spent 30 years trying to identify himself and finding his ministry purpose before he went public with his ministry as the Son of God! Finally, he proclaimed, “I am Son of God” and “I was sent to sacrifice my life for people.” He said the purpose that was given to him was to serve God and to lay down his life for all. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life on the cross to fulfill the Father’s will for saving humanity. And then, Jesus also commanded us to do the same thing by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Main Story
Today’s main story is about the faith of the Roman centurion. I want to explain the historical background of this story. Many armed men protested when the Roman army controlled Israel, and big and small conflicts occurred every day against the foreign occupation. In that charged political situation, it was dangerous for the centurion to approach Jesus openly because so many patriotic people were hostile to foreign military men. A modern day example would be a US army captain in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the captain exposed himself in a public square, it’d be easy for him to become a target. Even though there was some possibility of danger, the Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked for the healing of his servant.
When Jesus saw the Roman centurion’s faith and his sacrificial action, Jesus was astonished and said, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” “Anyone” included the twelve disciples.
Roman Centurion’s Two Examples
Two things in the passages indicate why Jesus called him a person of great faith. The first is his loyalty and respect to the power and authority Jesus had as the Son of God. The centurion said in verse 9, “for I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘go’, and he goes; and that one, ‘come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘do this,’ and he does it.” The centurion understood the dynamic of power and authority through his experience under the Roman Empire. He knew how to respect authority, and he practiced obeying authority throughout his daily life.
The second indication is his willingness to take a righteous risk for his servant. He exposed himself to the uncertainty of potential danger. Verse 6 of chapter 10 says, “Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” He had a loving heart toward his servant and cared for his life, so he came to Jesus even though he was a Roman centurion. The centurion’s caring action created an opportunity for his servant to meet Jesus and experience His healing power.
The Roman centurion identified himself as a responsible person who respected the Lord’s power and authority and took a risk for a weaker person’s well-being. This story is an excellent biblical example of how to live and act as a faithful Christian.
Examples in Movies
Do you like watching movies? I like watching good and inspiring movies. “We Were Soldiers” and “Forrest Gump” are my most favorite movies of all time. I learned examples of how to act or not act responsibly as a Christian in these movies.
I will talk about “We Were Soldiers” first. This movie gave me many positive impressions of how to be a responsible Christian. I watched it many times because I like to see the character Hal Moore’s leadership and attitude in the film. I never forgot his inspirational speech before they deployed in Vietnam. He said, “I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive, but this I swear: when we go into battle, I will be the first one to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind.”
Just as he said, when he went to the battlefield, he was the first person to get out of the helicopter and set foot on the field and was the last one to step out of the danger zone. Through these visible actions, he exposed himself to danger and showed everyone that he was willing to take the risk to protect his fellow soldiers. He won the battle and brought them back to a safe place. He is such a person of loyalty, and a person who takes responsibility for his people.
The other movie is “Forrest Gump.” I like the story and the main character of the film, but I really do not like one scene in this movie. That’s the scene when Forrest is running in Monument Valley in Utah and there are people following him. He suddenly stops and says to the crowd, “I am pretty tired. I think I will go home now.” Those following him ask him, “Now what are we supposed to do?” but he walks away from them in silence. Forrest Gump begins that scene by saying, “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run.” It seems like he focused on his feelings when he decided to run. That is why Forrest Gump did not want to take any responsibility for the people around him. People were perplexed by his response and lost their way in the middle of the road. I believe that this is not a good example of how Christians should live their lives.
Fact, Faith, and Feeling
I want to conclude my sermon with practical implications about how to maintain our purpose-driven lives, which means keeping loyalty to and respecting the power and authority of Jesus Christ and taking responsibility for other people.
Remember these three words: fact, faith, and feelings. A Campus Crusade booklet illustrates these words with a train: the engine is “fact,” the fuel tank is “faith,” and the carriage is “feeling.” On your journey as a Christian, please try not to let your feelings lead your life. But let fact, which is the words of God, lead your Christian life. Feelings are changeable, but the words of God are never changing.
This is my illustration. I walked around the church parking lot for one mile with our Church family. When people were done with their laps, I tried to run ten more laps. It was my goal to run around two miles more. When I ran about eight or nine laps, I felt my legs get heavy. It was tempting for me to stop running because of my tired legs. If my legs feel tired, I need to change my focus from my legs to my arms. I tried to focus on keeping my arms swinging in the same rhythm and height. It’s scientifically proven that if you keep your arms swinging in rhythm and proper height, your legs cooperate with your arm speed.
If you have a goal for running a certain distance, do not focus on the feeling in your legs, but focus on the rhythm of your arm swings. This will help you achieve your goal. In the same way, if you feel tired and weary, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. Faith will help you overcome your feelings, and your faith keeps you on the right track.
2021.08.29. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
