Christian Sermons from Calvary Chapel Greenmeadow, North Kingstown, RI

In this passage we see that the centurion loved his servant, was humble enough to ask for help, and had tremendous faith, believing Jesus could heal with just a word. Jesus is the same today as He was then and so we should submit to His authority.

To obtain peace in the church we must respect its leadership by accepting their authority, be mindful of one another and correct those who live in an unruly manner, be obedient to God's will for us, and be cautious when fellow believers give us advice.

Our character and conduct are our spiritual “fruit.” What we store up in our hearts governs how we act. If he is our Lord, we belong to him and we will make him the very foundation of our lives. This means knowing his word and putting it into practice.

We are generally far more tolerant to our own failures than those of our brothers. We need to examine ourselves and correct our faults so that we might be able to help others. When we do help, we are to restore them gently and care about their burdens.

Praying for those with whom we disagree or have conflict helps change our attitude towards them. We are blessed when we give of our time and treasure to those who are difficult and even those who hate us. We can only do this through the strength of Jesus.

Blessings come from being aware of our spiritual poverty, our hunger to live a holy life, our sorrow over our sinfulness, and our offensiveness when we stand for Christ. These spiritual needs help to lead us to Jesus, the source of our comfort.

Our individualality may seem to set us apart but although the apostles were all different, they were all in a relationship with Jesus. This is what made them great. Still, our uniqueness is important to God. To Him we are all rare and beautiful treasures!

Becoming a servant requires us to lay something aside, but most people are selfish. In this passage, everyone saw the need, but Jesus sets the example by taking action. Humble yourself and follow His teaching. When you serve, it will lead to joy.

Jesus is the head over every power and authority, including the sabbath. Traditions about it (or anything) must never be more important than people or Jesus. God made the sabbath for man. The principle is that we set time apart for rest in Him.

Some traditions and routines are good, but we need to remain flexible. Jesus was often challenged by the Pharisees because he brought new ideas about the high priest and other sacred topics. Stagnation is a problem and we need to let God shake us up.