Lessons in Authority - 03.22.2026

Trinity Baptist Community Church International is shepherded under the direction of Bishop Dr. Michael J. Love. Trinity is a preaching, teaching, and reaching church. Under the direction of Bishop Love, Trinity has over 100 ministries, as well as global expansion, church planting in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and 37 churches in India. Please come out and join Bishop Dr. Michael J. Love as he critically imparts the Word of God at Trinity Baptist Community Church International www.trinitybcc.org

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Turn with me to Luke chapter seven, if you will. We're continuing in the book of Luke, pulling some events from the life and times of Jesus. With our eyes towards focus towards moving towards the uh the resurrection, so death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. And using as a foundational a foundational text. I'm not sure if I gave this to you today or not, but that fourth chapter where Jesus opens up the book in chapter 4 and 17 says he opens up the book and found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, so to set at liberty them that are bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. The text says he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down, and the eyes of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him, and began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. I want to use that as our for this month of March, use this as our foundational text and moving towards the mission and the work of Jesus Christ. As we then take a focus, a look, a spot, a fresh set of eyes on a familiar, familiar episode in the life and times of Jesus. And it's found in chapter 7, verses 1 through 10. I jotted down verse number 7 as our key verse to read together. So if you if you have that in your Bibles, we're going to put that up on the wall. And if you don't mind standing if you're able, let's stand together and just read that one. I think I've got that right. Yeah. That one verse together. Verse number seven reads, Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. Let's read that one more time for the streaming audience. Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. As you take your seats. Now, when he had ended all his sayings and the audience of the people he entered in the Coberna, you know the storyline. And a certain centurion's servant who was dear to him was sick and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this. For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with him, and when he was not now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends, sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come under thee, but saying a word, and my servants shall be healed. For I am also, I also am a man set under authority, having unto me soldiers. And I say unto one, Go and he goeth, and to another come, and he cometh. And to my servant do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turned him about and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent returning to the house found the servant whole that had been sick. That's our storyline for today. Here are the two life lessons. I found myself looking at this with a with a slightly fresh set of eyes. We preached our preaching here before over the years. And it was interesting to me as I took a fresh look at this, how the word of God always has a meaning and impact that uh it has a way of giving us just a new insight and understanding into what God is, how God is speaking to us and touching us in our walk of faith. And so I jotted down a couple of life lessons as we deal with thinking about authority and thinking about responsibility from viewing it, viewing it as Luke does so beautifully from the lens of uh of Jesus and speaking directly to, understanding he's speaking directly to not only a Jewish but a Gentile audience. So the foundation of a transformational encounter with Christ is not based on our worthiness or our accomplishments, but rather on our faith and our humility. And then the second life lesson I lifted is that the impact of a transformational encounter with Christ is experienced through his divine authority and grace-filled responsibility to save and minister to all who will receive help. Be grateful today. Can we start there, Church Family? So as I was unpacking the storyline and just walking through this component here, I began to just think about the relationships that are being shared with us in this particular story. You almost wish they could expand on them a little bit more because it it not only shares with us that there's a there's a the centurion had this deep relationship with this with this servant or this slave that have been working with him for who knows what period of time. But there's a fondness, almost a community, almost a it feels like almost a family type of a uh of kinship that is taking place here, caring that is taking place here. And he gives us some insight into a little bit of the character of the centurion, who's a Roman leader uh among men, as he tells us in his storyline. He tells us, I've I've I've got authority that's delegated to me. And when I speak it out, there are those who follow. I follow authority, authority, I have, and I have delegated authority. He lets us know later on in the text. But there is this interesting relational component that's taking place because you got you got a uh a representative of the ruling and uh of Rome ruling over uh Israel, over these Jewish individuals and leadership. But in the midst of that, you've got impact that they clearly have had on him because he's he's he has he has become uh an extension or a part of that community to some degree, to the point that these Jewish leaders in the city, in the nation, in Jerusalem, uh in Copernum, excuse me, in Copernum, have now come forth, spoken, speaking forth on his behalf when he finds himself at his point of need. He clearly has access to uh to physicians as a as a Roman leader. He's got access to those who medical workers who can possibly look in and try to do something, and perhaps he's exhausted that. The text doesn't tell us. Uh, but it tells us he's here at a point where he can't, he knows it's beyond his power and ability to handle the situation. It's beyond the scope of his influence to be able to bring the right type of uh professional into the setting that can have an impact on this servant that is dear to him. And he reaches out. The text tells us that he that he's heard of Jesus. I mean, and there's a hearing that takes place that's now impacting uh whatever his faith journey is. We get a sense here that as as they talk about it, as they talked about the the Jews as they're laying down his credentials to Jesus, that indeed there has been a not only a relationship developed, and that he's been he's been kind, he's been he's joined in a sense of community with the Israelites, even though he's lording over them from a military standpoint, but there's something special that's happened that he's that he's donated or he's he's ponied up the money to build them a synagogue in Capernaum. So you you get a sense of this this is a this is a centurion that has uh become a part to some degree of the community while indeed representing the Roman, the strong arm of Rome, and having to take orders from those who are the captors of this community, but at the same time finding a fine line in which he can develop a relationship with the people. And in developing a relationship with the people, he's hearing and seeing them in their not only their day-to-day activities, but in their worship. And something has stared clearly in the heart of this centurion to make him uh want to either want to know more about it and step forward towards trying to understand, and the text doesn't tell us, but maybe even becoming somewhat of a uh of a of an ex of a believer on the outside of the teachings of the Jews. We we don't have all that information, but we do have a sense of a relationship based on their witnessing. And so when there is a need, and it's beyond his ability to handle it, it's beyond his influence to bring in the resources that are necessary to solve a family, an extended family issue, the text tells us he's not only uh he's not only has turns to the elders of the Jews, but that he he turns with them with a message that he's heard about this Jesus. He's heard something, what does he heard? He's heard something about the healing power of Jesus. He's he said something about the authoritative message of Jesus. He probably heard that when he's preaching that word, that no man is spoken like this man is spoken, he speaks with authority. Maybe somebody witnessed to the fact that Jesus had stood up in in that synagogue and whipped out that Isaiah passage and and that we read in the opening of our text, in which he talked about what his purpose and his mission was going to be, and had the audacity to close up that book and saying the standing in your presence is the fulfillment of that promise. Maybe he heard something about the some of the the after stepping outside of that, he cast out a demon. Maybe maybe he heard something about the the miraculous uh diversity of healings that are taking place. Something had pierced his ear and touched him at the point of his face, and he realized that I can't do this for someone that I care about, and I can't find the resource necessary to handle the issue on my own. But just maybe this Jesus can care enough about someone he's never met, a situation he's never been to, and have grace and mercy on my servant. Just maybe. And so the the Jews, the elders of the Jews says, go out and they present the message. They Jesus is nearby, so they go by and present the message to Jesus, and they lay out their witness and testimony about the centurion. And their testimony primarily is built on this is a man of character. We have a relationship with him. Even though he is a centurion and a Roman, a leader of Roman men, soldiers, that he is he is connecting himself to our community and to the point that he has built us a synagogue. And their argument before Jesus is he has worth, he is worthy of a blessing from you. Nothing is telling us that these elders of the Jewish community necessarily believed in who Jesus was, but they certainly had probably, they had heard about his miracle workings, and they wanted to clearly impress the centurion. And they go selling, they go presenting the argument that based on his worth, you ought to bless him. Based on his influence, you ought to bless him. Based on what he's done in our community, he's worthy of a blessing. Now on the surface, that sounds like very human, that sounds like very humanistic. It sounds like, okay, if I'm going to try to present somebody and I'm and I want to put them in the best light, then I I would certainly want to lay out a little bit about his character and something about what he's done to make a difference in the community. But the question on the table is that is that the is that the core, is that the resource, is that the key to receiving God's blessing? And Jesus answers the question. Now there's a the contrast is beautiful in this to me because he they go presenting him as a man of worth, but then when he steps into the dialogue, he steps in with a different message about himself. For it says, then Jesus went with him, and when he was not far off, the centurion sent friends to him saying, Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that thou should enter under my roof. I'm respecting a couple of things here as I read through this. I'm respecting, number one, as he talks about being a man under authority who has delegated authority, that his that he's making it, the centurion is making it a point to try not to override, try not to, try not to create a situation where Jew and Gentile, where he stepped over, he stepped on or stepped over or tried to override the law, the Jewish religious laws, and the relationship, the cultural relationships that are there. And at the same time, he wants to respect the fact that Jesus being a Jew, you know, he might he might take offense at coming into a Gentile's house. But he also makes a statement of humility that is a powerful statement here. He he he he, a man of authority, he a man who's battle, clearly battle-proven, or he wouldn't have been promoted to this to these levels that he's at. So he's probably shed some blood over the years, he's commanded some men over the years. He's he makes a powerful statement that I'm not worthy for you to come, that you should come under my roof. A Gentile Roman soldier is saying to a to to an unknown, to what he would say as an unknown, necessarily unacquainted with Jewish rabbi or prophet or teacher who's could perform miracles, is saying to him, even though he has the power, he has the authoritative power, apparently on the outside, saying to Jesus, I'm not worthy for you to even come into my house. I'm not worthy. They think I'm worthy, but I don't think that I'm worthy. But just say a word, and my servant shall be healed. So the contrast is beautiful here. The contrast is a contrast of the Jewish mindset of almost almost of a proving yourself worthy prior to being able to be blessed versus coming with humility and faith and trusting in the Lord to bless you because he just loves you. Not based on your worth. Somewhere underneath of that is a theology that is powerful, that if we can just step on it and plant seed in our journey and thank God and not try to stick our chest out too much thinking that Lord, if I do enough good things out here, then you're gonna bless me because I have proven myself to be worthy of your blessings rather than, Lord, you know, if it wasn't for you, my eyes wouldn't have been opened up this morning. If it wasn't for your grace and your mercy, my my roof could have fallen down on me in the middle of the night while I slept. If it wasn't for your kindness and your and your loving kindness in my life, all these forces that are standing against me could have crowded in and overwhelmed me. It would have been more than I could possibly have handled, and and evil would have just overridden me in my journey, and I would not have any hope to want to get up and do what you called me to do. But Lord, in your grace and your mercy, you somehow love us enough to bless us and provide for us and to give us peace and protect us in this journey. And I'm thankful today that I don't have to I don't have to prove myself worthy of your blessings. I just need to trust in you, Lord. And no, uh we're not worthy for you to even come into our come up underneath of our roof, but you do. And you love us, and you care for us, and you provide for us, and you give us peace. And then he goes into some of his reasoning. He he moves us beyond that transformational, the foundation of that transformational being understanding that I'm coming to you as a humble servant, you know that as the as the Pauline writer would say so clearly here, that while we were yet still in our sins, knowing that you would die for us. He's looking forward to the cross. We look back on the cross and realize that he didn't pay that price because we were worthy. We didn't do anything. What did you do to impress God enough that he will send his only begotten son? Tell it to me so I can understand it, then maybe we can copy your actions. But yet, the text said the text says, yet while we were all sinners, while we were in rebellion, while we were messing up, while we were showing up doing stuff we had no business doing, living out the sin nature that's inside of us, acting the sin, putting them into action in our daily life. Yet while all of that mess was going on and from our childhood up to our present day and beyond as we while we're In this earthly realm, he died for you and me. And looking forward to what was about to happen in the text, the cross is about to happen down the road. The Satarian didn't necessarily have a have a depth of theology guiding him, but he had a faith, a simple childlike faith. That he, I don't need you to come in. This is a powerful statement. I'm not worthy for you to come under my house, but if you would just say a word. I don't need you to come like Elijah and lay over and bring my body of the body and bring a healing. I don't need you to come and put your hand on him and lift him up and provide the healing. I don't even need you to look on him to be present when the healing takes place. Talk to me about a faith that will say, I don't need you to do any of those miraculous things. I don't need no fair clubs. I don't need you to sprinkle in the ball on me. I don't need you to do anything that looks like miraculous stuff that might just bring the crowds to their feet and make them jump up and shout. I don't need these, I don't need these big audiences out there so that when you perform the miracles, that the spotlights will be on you and everybody will know your name. I just need you in a moment of my grief to say a word from a distance. Possibly somebody and my servant shall be healed. I don't hear a question in the verb. And then he feels and then he sends some explanation with that. I mean, right there, he could have stopped his statement and it would have been, well, that's good. That's enough. But he must have been one of these verbal centurions, because he's like, well, let me let me explain a little further. Can I just break this down a little bit better here? How do I get to that type of reasoning and my thinking here? And that's when he goes in, for I'm a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. I say to one go, he goes. To another come, he comes. To my servant, do this, and he doeth it. He he does, he has gone from a hearing of a Jesus who has performed miracles to a hope and a belief that possibly, just possibly, this Jesus who blessed into the lives of these other folk out here, maybe there's enough blessing and room in his heart to bless into this need that I have in my household. He's gone from that to let me send someone out there, let me be respectful and send Jewish elders out there to plead my case because, you know, I don't want to cross those those Gentile and Jew lines and perhaps disrespect Jesus and somehow somehow hurt the at hurt the risk the possibility that he won't bless me because I'm a gentile. But let me send them out and see if there's favor. But but they're going out with a message of my worthiness. I need him to understand that I don't think that I'm worthy. Let him hear my heart when they go out there. Let me send this message clear. But and then this authority thing, how do you think he's gonna be able to do that? He's told us when he stood up in the synagogue what he was gonna do, what the mission was gonna be, and now he's living it out and making it plain while out in the marketplace where faith has faith impacts our life journey out there, and he's heard about him, and now he's reasoning in his mind as this man of war who is becoming a man of faith. And how does this earthly system in any way reflect what might be happening in the spirit realm out there? And his analysis is I'm operating in a system, it's a military system that reflects a governmental system in which there are powers and levels of responsibility and authority. And in my life journey, I've worked my way up through those levels to take on more responsibility and authority, understanding that with authority comes greater responsibility. Somebody ought to say amen right there. And as I've watched how this system, and as I've as a soldier, as he's analyzed how this system works best, where authority speaks, authoritative responsibility speaks to those underneath of authority, and they respond not because the man is so powerful, but because of what he represents. Am I in there? But the authority of the role would still be intact. Am I getting there? And he's reasoning. The authority of Rome has given me the ability to manage to oversee and supervise these men. And when I say go, they go. Because of the Roman authority. And when I say come, they come. When I say to my servant, do this, he does that. And if that can possibly happen on a delegated authority realm in the earth realm, then somehow he has made the bridge. This almost feels to me like this can only be one of the, let me, let me let me parallel it. Feels like it can only be one of those moments, the text doesn't tell me this, but where we're like when Peter, when Jesus said to Peter, who do you say that I am? And Peter says, You are the Christ. And Jesus said, Well, you know, flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. You be you walking along beside me, but flesh and blood didn't make that plain to you. This feels a little bit like centurion flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. That's that's that's still quite a link between delegated authority, Roman authority, and standing in front of the God man, whom you don't necessarily realize as a God man. I don't know what you realize, but I you you you certainly think he has the power to heal by speaking a word. I couldn't move off of that too quickly this week. I just couldn't, I had to sit there for a moment and think, how does your that's got to be the Holy Spirit touch enlightening. I mean, who who else, how does he else, how does he get to that humanly? And how does he make that bridge from the the carnal, from the the the world, the world systems and apply it to something outside of his ability to see the spiritual realm? How does he get to you speak a word and you and healing will take place? But there's something, maybe there was something in what he heard about Jesus that certainly gave him that hope. And it's it's it's it's how we move from the foundational side of understanding that that that apart from Christ. I think the text said it'd be apart from Christ, I mean, what what can you do? One text is apart from Christ, you can do nothing. But in Christ, all things are possible. It's that bridge, it's that bridge. I'm not worthy for you to come into my house. So I I can't do, I'm not worthy. Don't come. Please. I don't want to disrespect you. But just say a word. Just say a word. Do you understand why how Jesus marveled? This is that impact that's taking place. He's moving from the foundation to the experience. Now he's gone from the hope to the reality that's taking place. He's he's moved in this short period of time from this point of great need and hopelessness and helplessness to the point of hope that somehow God, this, this, this, this man who's performing miracles in his eyes, not understanding that he was in the beginning with God and very God, he doesn't have all that technology wrapped up in his head. He is this simple Christ-like, he has this simple uh common-like type of faith, child-like type of faith, that if I can just put myself in front of you as an unworthy vessel on behalf of, not for me, but on behalf of my servants. So there's something beautiful, not only about his humility, but about his heart for the his heart to reach out and serve someone that sounds like a little bit of a monopoly type of love to me. The ability to sacrifice yourself, the willingly to go outside of yourself, not for your own good, not so that you can get some, you can get a blue bag blessing, but that you can indeed be a blessing in somebody's life. Don't come to my house, but come to my service. Just say a word, just say the word, because you in your woman is common, in your woman is healing, in your woman is holding the children, it's in your women that comes from you, because you're you're the common Jesus. There's not appear to be delegated. If it's delegated, it's delegated from the Father into you as your son, but that seems to be intrinsic, like like you are in the beginning when the word, when the very word was gone on, there's something different about Jesus. Just say a word. And my servant shall be healed. Do you get why Jesus said? Marvel. He heard these things, marveled at him, turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him. This is what it looks like, folks. I have not, what was the text say? I have not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. This Gentile, this, this, you know, this, you know, you don't even want to give these Gentiles any kind of respect out here, you know. You know, this this captor, this, this enemy, this, you know, this, this, this, this drag out here. This, this, this is, this is what, this is what faith looks like in action. This is what transformation looks like. Not only foundationally, but experientially. This, this is, this is what is, this is how it's played out and lived out in life. And did you notice something? It says that as they were, and they and they that were sent returning to the house found the servant whole that had been sick. I hope you didn't read past that too quickly and not notice that Jesus didn't even say a word. Come on, help me out, Jesus. Huh?

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Say a word, Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

If you just speak it into existence, he will be healed. Nowhere in the text does it say Jesus said be healed. Jesus didn't even need to speak it. Does he just think it? I mean, it it just is the God man. Y'all gonna make me go to a text? Help me out, Corinthians. No, no, help me out, Colossians. Help me out, Colossians. I don't even think I gave this to you, deacon over there, but let me just tell one who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. 15. For by him were all things created that are created in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. He and he is the head, Paul's not finished preaching, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself. By him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. Now, chapter 4 says, And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. I'm about to go home. When he opened up the book, he found a place where it was written, the Spirit of the Lord. I just finished reaching Colossians, right? The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, and set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down, and the eyes of all them were in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And the centurion said, Just say a word, and my servant shall be healed. And Jesus said, I have I have not found so great faith. No, not an Israel. How are you dealing?