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Advent Productions

Benjamin Ng

Our Only Argument

Father in Heaven, thank you for this time that we can come and study together.

Thank you Lord that we can open your Word together on this Sabbath day.

I pray that you'd speak so clearly, so tenderly, so personally to each and Every 1 of us, guide us with your Spirit, O Lord, lead us into all truth, and bless us, we pray this day.

May your holy angels and your Holy Spirit minister to us as we seek your will and your word.

Friends, I'd like to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles, or you can follow along, in Luke chapter 7.

Luke chapter 7, we're starting there in verse 1.

The Bible says, Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum, and a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die.

And when he had 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...

Pardon me, my image, my thing is not working.

Give me a second here to advance the slides.

I'm sorry but it's I mean if if you're able to follow along we are there in Luke chapter 7 1 to 5 that he was worthy for whom I'm sorry the slides are not working, it was working this morning, so you'll have to turn with your Bibles.

He was worthy for whom he should do this, for he loveth our nation and he hath built us a synagogue.

So I'm sorry we're used to having slides, but please get your Bibles out, get your phones out, and open the Bible and make sure you follow along.

And he heard of Jesus and he's begging Jesus to come and heal his servant.

He must have loved his servant a lot okay.

Now the interesting thing in this story is the people you know the centurion didn't come to Jesus it was the people that came on behalf of the centurion and they come to Jesus asking Jesus to help this guy.

They said in verse 4 of Luke 7 verse 4 that he was worthy for whom he should do this, for he loveth our nation and hath built us a what?

The people gave Jesus the reason why above any other man, Jesus should go and heal this person.

Jesus he came to perform this miracle and he was willing to do that but why?

You know well Jesus why should you do it?

He gifted them a whole church even though he himself was not a believer or so it seems that way right?

So it's interesting that how we as human beings we look at things, how we look on the outward.

Oh this person must be worthy because they give the most tithing in the whole country or this person surely he must be worthy because they do so much for God's kingdom.

Built a synagogue, surely this person must be worthy and headed towards heaven because and you know we have so many reasons to give isn't it?

Reasons that the seeing eye can agree with and comprehend together but they're coming to Jesus and they're backing up the centurion.

Jesus, if there's anybody worthy of your attention it's this guy but let's keep reading please turn with me in your bibles because the slides are not working here luke 7 6 to 7 luke 7 verses 6 to 7 then jesus when they went with them and when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee but say in a word and my servants shall be healed so Jesus he goes on the way and he honors the request of his friends and look, the centurion comes out and says, I am not worthy.

He did not send his friends to Jesus to ask on his behalf because he was so important and It's not like Jesus was worthy of his time and he was busy.

No, he didn't even think himself worthy to even come to Jesus and to talk to him personally.

His friend said that he was worthy, but he says, no, no, no, no, no, no, Jesus.

But let's continue in Luke 7 and verse 8.

For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers.

And I say unto 1, 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, the same people that said that he was worthy, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

In the admission of the centurion who said he was not worthy, not only was his servant healed but Jesus made this big declaration, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.

It was not on the account of the centurion's worthiness that Jesus performed this miracle and healed His servant.

Look, friends, there is nothing that we can do.

You can't go down to the deepest depths of the ocean.

There's nothing that we can do to commend ourselves to God.

Now please turn with me in your Bibles to Titus chapter 3 verses 4 to 5.

I've been spoiling you in this past couple of months, having all the texts there, and it's enabled me to go faster.

But now I'm going to patiently wait for you to turn your Bibles, please.

The Bible says this, But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

Titus, he recognizes this, he understands this, not by works of righteousness which we have done.

It doesn't mean that we're not to look at any works.

And sometimes when we look at these texts, we put all the works in a bad light.

You know, I'm not excusing any person that has no works of righteousness, that it's okay.

But no work can justify us, can commend us, to bring us even 1 inch or 1 millimeter closer to heaven.

There's not a single act that we can do that makes us worthy of God's time, of His righteousness, of His love.

It's His mercy, it's His kindness, it's His love.

In Lamentations 3, verse 22 and 23, the Bible says, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because His compassions fail not.

It's because of His faithfulness to each and every 1 of us.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So then why did Jesus even bat an eyelid to the request of these people on behalf of the centurion.

The centurion himself declared, I'm not worthy.

But yet Jesus still healed this man's servant.

I'm sorry, I had a quote from the Ministry of Healing and I had it on the slides, but you're going to have to listen along and if you're able to search, you go to MH 65, page 65, paragraph 1, okay?

Why is it that Jesus even bothered with this man?

This is how it reads, the Jewish leaders had commended the centurion to Christ because of the favor he had shown to our nation.

He is worthy, they said, for he hath built us a synagogue.

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Our Only Argument

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