7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to
You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man
placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and
he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,'
and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and
turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I
have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 10 And those who
were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
Today, I want to highlight one very important thing that we
can learn from this story in Luke 7 of the centurion’s servant being healed by
Jesus. It is called the “Principle of Authority”. When God created the universe
and mankind on earth, He established certain unchangeable principles that it
would operate under. These principles, like gravity, are unchangeable. Because the
universe operates under and on these principles, we have a solar system that runs
very efficiently and also has order rather than confusion and chaos.
These principles can be violated, but they can’t be broken.
Jump off the Empire State building and try to defy gravity and you will get
broken. The principle of gravity is still there unbroken. A bird or an airplane
does not defy the principle of gravity but operates under it successfully if it
follows and obeys the principle of aerodynamics. In other words, if we want to
have order and enjoy this universe we must learn to respect and live under the
principles of by which it operates.
In the same way, God in His Word has established what we
can call the Principles of Life. Some people in studying this have summarized
them into about eight different categories. One of which is the Principle of Authority.
When we learn to live under the authority and precepts of God’s Truth we are
set free from the bondage of sin and Satan. Jesus said, “You shall know the
truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).
When we learn to live by God’s Principles of Life found in His
Word, we find true freedom in life and can enjoy living a heavenly life in this
earthly sin cursed world. You can find all of these principles in one way or
another in the Jesus sermon in Matthew 5-7, called the Beatitudes. That is
another lesson we might share some time in the future in our pastor chats.
For order in our families and in society God has
established the Principle of Authority. Scripture is very clear about this
principle. God and His Word are the final authority for our lives and
everything that pertains to it. Jesus is the Creator and head of all God’s
creation. He is the head of both the church and the family unit. Under is authority,
He has set the man (Ephesians 5). Under the man, He has set the woman and under
her are the children. God is the head of all governmental authorities! Jesus
spoke of this before Pilate in John 19:11.
The Roman Centurion understood and respected this Principle
of Authority. Instead of rejecting and rebelling against God appointed
authority in his life, he chose to submit to it. But by faith he also
recognized the authority of Jesus Christ over the universe of life. As he submitted
to the authority of Jesus he was free to believe that Jesus could speak a word
and his beloved servant would be healed.
If only we could believe and have this kind of faith in “Kingdom
Authority”. We express our faith in God and His Word and Jesus Christ as we
respect His Word and submit our lives totally to Him. This is where we find
true freedom, peace, order, and direction in life! We are free to live!!!!!
May the Lord help, to understand and live under Christ’s
authority and like the centurion we can experience His wonderful presence and
miracles in our daily lives!
God bless!
