The Centurion

A Roman Centurion was a commander of one hundred men. The president of the United States is commander and chief over the armed forces. We respect the office of the president.  Jesus is Lord over all. This authority was given to him by God the Father. In this Bible story, the centurion respected the authority and healing power of Jesus, and Jesus marveled that the centurion had more faith than the Jews who should have believed in him, because of the prophecies given to them.

 Mat 8:5  When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 

Mat 8:6  “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 

Mat 8:7  And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 

Mat 8:8  But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 

Mat 8:9  For I too am a man under authority, with 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.” 

Mat 8:10  When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 

Mat 8:11  I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 

Mat 8:12  while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

Mat 8:13  And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. 

The Roman centurion, a gentile, a heathen from another nation was given healing for his servant because of his faith in Jesus. We also are given the blessings of Jesus; healing, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with him through faith.  Jesus suffered and died on the cross to take our punishment. He is risen from death to give us a new spiritual life. By believing in him we become adopted son's and daughter's in the family of God. Believe in him be sorry for your sins and receive a new life.  This is the gladness of Easter.

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Taking Sides

Some are curious about Jesus because they want to see some miracle. They may show up at a miracle healing event, but have no interest in Jesus as their Lord and the savior from their sins.

Luke 23:8  When Herod saw Jesus, he was very happy. He had heard all about him and had wanted to meet him for a long time. Herod wanted to see a miracle, so he was hoping that Jesus would do one. 

Luke 23:9  He asked him many questions, but Jesus said nothing. 

Luke 23:10  The leading priests and teachers of the law were standing there shouting things against Jesus. 

Luke 23:11  Then Herod and his soldiers laughed at him. They made fun of him by dressing him in clothes like kings wear. Then Herod sent him back to Pilate. 

Luke 23:12  In the past Pilate and Herod had always been enemies. But on that day they became friends. 

I have seen this often, where people who were not friends would come together against someone because of what he stood for. In the AOL Christian chat rooms, people who were not friends would join together against Jesus and his followers.  We see it in politics where friends and families are divided by the spirit of someone they voted for. Religious people may be for abortions when it is murder of the innocents.  How can this be? We see a division according to whether or not people are vaccinated. In this and other issues we suffer the consequences. Most important,  are we for God or against him.  Will we accept the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus? 

Joh 10:24  The Jewish leaders gathered around him. They said, "How long will you make us wonder about you? If you are the Messiah, then tell us clearly." 

Joh 10:25  Jesus answered, "I told you already, but you did not believe. I do miracles in my Father's name. These miracles show who I am. 

Joh 10:26  But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep. 

Joh 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 

Joh 10:28  I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. 

Joh 10:29  My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. 

What side are you on?

Rainfall

A lot of our nation's problems come from ignoring God and his commands.  He does control the weather and the rainfall.

Lev 26:3  “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 

Lev 26:4  then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Is it an absolute rule that he withholds rain from evil doers? No, he is long suffering and desires that all believe in him and the atonement for our sins through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 

 Hos 6:1  “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. 

Hos 6:2  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (Just as Jesus was raised from the grave on the third day.)

Hos 6:3  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” 

It is a good thing to trust in God and to thank him for his many blessings.

Try To Understand

Most of us would try to avoid pain or suffering.  But sometimes we know we must suffer in order to extend our life. Sometimes the physicians way of healing you of cancer may involve much pain and suffering, but the goal is to extend your life. Jesus had a private talk with his twelve apostles and they just could not understand what he was saying,

Luke 18:31  Then Jesus talked to the twelve apostles alone. He said to them, "Listen, we are going to Jerusalem. Everything that God told the prophets to write about the Son of Man will happen. 

Luke 18:32  He will be handed over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him, insult him, and spit on him. 

Luke 18:33  They will beat him with whips and then kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again." 

Luke 18:34  The apostles tried to understand this, but they could not; the meaning was hidden from them.  

Jesus would be despised, he would suffer and die. Then he would be alive again on the third day.  He did this as the payment for our sins, past, present and future. He invites you to believe in him for eternal life.  He suffered for us and is the way for us to be seen as righteous by the most Holy LORD GOD, Try to understand this.Christ Jesus lives forever.

Say You're Sorry

 Luke 17:3  So be careful! "If your brother or sister in God's family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. 

Luke 17:4  Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them."

This is one of the only scriptures that gives a condition to our forgiveness of another's offenses. "If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them." Will Jesus forgive your sins if you are not sorry for them?  Do you know that you have done wrong and yet have no remorse for your wrong doing? How then will you be forgiven?

The apostle Peter thought he understood this when he asked Jesus this question.

Mat 18:21  Then Peter came up and asked him, "Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?" 

Mat 18:22  Jesus told him, "I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times!

To be a follower of Jesus, first we must have our sins forgiven by him.  When Jesus died to pay for our sins, if we are sorry for our sins and ask Jesus to forgive them; then he will forgive all your sins, past, present and future! We are to be grateful and we are commanded to forgive others Hopefully they will repent and come to Jesus for a new life in him as well.

The Lord's prayer

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 

Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

Forgive others and let God deal with their hearts.  If you forgive them it removes the weight of not forgiving them from you.

Denying the Holy One

Young people who go to a university for higher learning, often are being taught to hate our nation and the freedoms we have always fought for. Education without God and morality becomes an education denying truth. In todays Bible story, Elisha the prophet has received the calling of the Spirit of God from following  Elijah the prophet. Prophecy is not taught, but given as a calling by God. The Spirit of God is greater than the ungodly spirits in the world. Young people came to mock Elisha. It did not turn out well for them. 

2Ki 2:23  Later, Elisha left there to go up to Bethel, and as he was traveling along the road, some insignificant young men came from the city and started mocking him. They told him, "Get on up, baldy! Get on up, baldy!" 

2Ki 2:24  He looked behind him, took note of the young men, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears emerged from the woods and mauled 42 of the young men. 

When Jesus was on earth teaching his disciples, he was not received as they were passing through Samaria. He showed compassion on them.

Luk 9:53  And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 

Luk 9:54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 

Luk 9:55  But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 

Luk 9:56  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

God's grace came with Jesus. He was able to forgive any offense. The only unforgivable sin is to reject the Holy Spirit who brings us to Jesus. Unbelief cannot be forgiven.  There is still time to believe in Jesus and to be forgiven in him. 

A Humble Heart

Can you imagine being in a rest home isolated from friends and family.  This is the sad condition of many who are still locked up, because of the Covid plague. Many are confused and frightened.  Some are in senior assisted living places. These just need a little help, basic food and care. They are free to leave or even go to a place of their choosing, even back home.  Trombone Bob and his wife were in assisted living and signed themselves out to go to an apartment. Trombone Bob was part of our trombone quartet that used to play in the senior homes.

We have visited rest homes with  music since 1978. Covid stopped these visits. Now, after two years on March first, our rest home music group  "The Old Time Gospel" group; Larry on Sax, Gayle playing the piano and myself with trombone, shared the hymns for an hour with the folks in an assisted living home. We were asked to return again.

Psa 51:15  My Lord, I will open my mouth and sing your praises! 

Psa 51:16  You don't really want sacrifices, or I would give them to you. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifice that God wants is a humble spirit. God, you will not turn away someone who comes with a humble heart and is willing to obey you. 

Thank you Lord that I am able to come and go.  Thank you for a good life with many blessings. May you be worshiped and praised in all the world.  Bring your  peace to all who trust you. In the name of Jesus. Amen