Ever get stuck in a storm without an umbrella? Wet, cold, miserable? As we continue our Change Your City series – todays message, “Under Authority” is about getting under the authority of God. Like an umbrella.

Matthew 8:5-13

5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer[a] came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant[b] lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

The servant had palsy – we know this from Luke 7 and the research of theologians.

Palsy is when the head gives a command the body doesn’t listen to or act on. One symptom is the body has tremors – meaning that the body acts on its own accord outside of what the head speaks.

The reason this story is critical – 

1. It not only demonstrates that Jesus divinely heals…. but 
2. It shows the state of the Church. The head (Jesus) has been speaking but the Body (humanity) is not listening or acting on it.

The Church had or has an authority issue. 

Luke 7 gives additional background on the Centurion…

Luke 7:4-5

4 So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

The body failed to build the church… the centurion saw the need of the body to be under authority of the head and begin restoring it.

Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Acts 5:29

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

*Doing life together*

Have you gone beyond acknowledging Jesus is your authority? Are you taking action on all that the head is speaking? What area of your life do you need to come under the authority of Jesus? 

 

How to start getting under authority…

Mark 8:8

8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

• Centurion didn’t need Jesus to physically show up in his house…. he needed the Word of God to say it is so….
• The centurion knew wherever Jesus was, His word is the authority….
• Jesus is sitting alive in heaven on His throne – the head – in full authority.

Do you have the faith that His word has full authority? 

Picture the authority of Jesus as an umbrella….(the head, the covering)

Are you holding the authority above you? 

Like an umbrella it’s up to you to remain under that authority.

Jesus is speaking are you, as the body – acting, moving, participating in the kingdom of God??

You cannot change your city if you are outside of the authority of Jesus. 

When you leave the covering of Jesus:

• you will leave His favor, 
• you will leave His protection.

Insight: I believe Jesus allows failure or the taste of failure to linger in our lives at times, to know what it’s like being outside of the authority of Jesus.

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!

Jesus was amazed another time… remember

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.

The people saw Jesus not as an authority, but as common everyday Jesus.

Have you allowed yourself to see Jesus as your authority or as ordinary? Your faith and the potential faith of others around you is dependent on you coming under authority.

NEXT STEPS – Take a good look at yourself and repent of any area you’re keeping outside of Jesus’ authority. Then purposefully submit to the fullness of Gods authority.

What the three little words you hear right before someone does something crazy? “I got this” – is typically the attitude, mantra, or phrase uttered moments before something crazy or awesome happens. In changing your city, there will be obstacles – fear, nerves, distractions… we need to have an attitude of “I got this”  that takes us beyond our comfort and into our calling.

Mark 2:1-12 – 2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Changing your city starts with going beyond your comfort..

Capernaum means village of comfort. Here, in the middle of comfort… was a group of 5 friends. And one of those friends was paralyzed.

Here we are back to those 3 groups of people around Jesus – 

1. The friends placing complete faith in Jesus above their own comfort, taking next steps.
2. The crowd listening and not doing anything – not taking next steps
3. The Pharisees – watching and judging and pushing back trying to stop any next steps.

We need to have the attitude of “I Got This”.

When you begin changing your city – you will face obstacles on the way. Here’s 4 we see in this passage:

CROWD – people will unknowingly or unconsciously block you or prevent you. Have you ever had someone say something like oh thats dumb. or why would you do that. They never give what they said a second thought, but for us its something we can dwell on. Wow, they don’t think I can do it, maybe I shouldn’t.

ROOF – every year had to be redone right before winter. It was something that was easily removed and replaced. I see the roof as our own self worth, or insecurities. Something that only blocks you and no one else. 

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”

Doing Life Together –

What is your roof? How are you going to trust Jesus? How are you going to place confidence in Jesus? What does the verse Jeremiah 17:7 mean to you?

PHARISEES – judgement (first public confrontation with the teachers of the law). The enemy intentionally trying to block or prevent you.

BELIEF –  was an obstacle – belief that your sin, or pain, or situation is greater than Jesus.

9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

How do we overcome obstacles?

1. Jesus – He is in your corner. He is speaks on your behalf. What this looks like is proclaiming the word of God in front of the enemy, during healing, through salvation.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57

2. Doing life together – Friends. Interesting the friends faced obstacles before getting to Jesus. The obstacle of people. The obstacle of self worth. Jesus and doing life with other people will help you when you face mental and emotional obstacles.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

NEXT STEPS – Bring your city to Jesus. Is there someone like the man on the mat? Someone who doesn’t know Jesus, or needs Jesus? I challenge you to have the attitude of “I’ve got this!” and message them, mail them a card, call them, something to initiate the conversation this week.

Have you gotten too comfortable with being comfortable? Have you ever been so comfortable on the couch and the remote was too far away? Where you allowed the next episode or show to start playing? Like your comfort allowed the world chose what you would take in? This is the issue with most believers…. Their comfort has become more important than their calling.

This is the first message in our sermon series “Change Your City” – Christ Calls. This sermon series is focused around the city of Capernaum in the Bible. The city that Jesus ministered in. And it’s interesting to note that Capernaum means “village of comfort”.

This sermon series is all about changing your city.

Our city is different even if it has the same name. Our individual cities are the places/people we interact with all the time. Where our unique talents, gifts, and passions are known and live. But one thing we all need to understand before you start trying to change your city –

Is that the only way your city can be changed is BY Jesus THROUGH you.

Its starts with His calling of you.

Matthew 4:18-20

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

• Our responsibility – follow Jesus
• His responsibility – Jesus does the changing and transforming

We follow him: He makes us (He equips us)

Jesus is transforming you as you follow Him.

You do not make yourself. You do not become who Jesus calls you to be without Jesus…

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

Doing Life together – 

What are you believing God to work on in your life as you follow and believe in Him? Have you been trying to fix or solve it yourself? How do you allow and believe Jesus will work on you?

 

We can’t change our city unless we understand Jesus has called us to; and in that calling He equips us and works on us.

In Capernaum there were 3 main groups of people that interacted with Jesus

1. those that followed. 
2. those that received but remained comfortable. 
3. those that came against what He was doing.

Let’s look at what happened to the people in groups 2 & 3…

Note: People fought to rebuke Jesus to remain comfortable. Will you fight against being a follower of Jesus to remain comfortable?

Matt. 11:23-24 – 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Jesus rejected and rebuked Capernaum because they witnessed and saw all the miracles but didn’t follow Him – their faith was nothing more than routines, rituals and rules.

Remember the couch example?

Group 1 – the people that followed Jesus we know what happened. That’s how we got the New Testament,

Jesus leads you out of comfort and into calling.

Have you ever noticed that when leaving comfort and entering calling… sometimes things go wrong, get hard, or act like a storm in our lives?

It happens today and it also happened back then.

Mark 4:35-41 – 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Some of you will chose to follow Jesus this sermon series.

You will step out of comfort and into your calling – you will go after this season to reach your city.

You will leave your comfort and face a storm… which may cause you to panic.

All you need to remember is remain steady on your faith… re-listen to the Faith Check sermon series and set Jesus as your foundation.

 

In leaving Capernaum the first storm occurred.

In leaving your place of comfort a storm might happen.

Do you have the faith needed to keep moving forward?

NEXT STEPS: Begin praying and fasting that the Holy Spirit would reveal how to change YOUR city.