Grace Pipeline, The

The Turning Point Of Faith

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Shelley Quinn

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Series Code: GPL

Program Code: GPL000018


00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Have you ever reached a turning point of faith?
00:05 Join us now on "The Grace Pipeline"
00:06 to see what the Bible has to say about it.
00:32 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline."
00:34 A series of Bible studies
00:36 that focuses on the overriding theme of God's grace
00:40 from Genesis to Revelation.
00:42 All things come to us from our heavenly Father of love
00:46 through His pipeline of grace.
00:49 And since it is by faith that we tap into this heavenly pipeline,
00:53 we have spent our last two programs
00:56 broadening our understanding of faith's definition.
00:59 Today, we will consider
01:02 two great faith stories from the New Testament.
01:05 One that even surprised the Lord Jesus Christ
01:08 and another who made the right turn
01:11 when he reached the turning point of faith.
01:14 If you're following along in the series companion book
01:17 also titled 'The Grace Pipeline'
01:19 we're beginning from chapter 10.
01:21 As I share the Bible account
01:23 that has amazed me since I was a young girl
01:27 about the one incident of faith
01:29 that caused the Lord of glory to marvel.
01:33 Reviewing this event will enrich our understanding of faith.
01:37 Matthew and Luke both recorded this story
01:40 with emphasis on different aspects.
01:43 Matthew summarizes omitting the mention of people
01:46 who are speaking on behalf of another.
01:49 But he includes Christ's warning to the Jewish nation.
01:52 Luke on the other hand, addresses a different audience
01:55 and provides a more detailed report
01:58 but omits the concluding warning.
02:01 I will borrow from the parallel accounts
02:04 found in Mathew 8 and Luke 7
02:07 to tell my amplified version of the story, drawing on scripture
02:11 and personal interpretation of historical implications.
02:16 My account of the story of the centurion
02:19 and his slave goes like this.
02:22 Drenched with sweat and growing weaker by the moment
02:26 a centurion's servant lie paralyzed on his pallet.
02:30 He writhed in torment for days.
02:32 He could not lift his limbs.
02:35 His life energy was slowly draining.
02:38 So returning home, his master learned of his condition
02:42 and entered into the room to survey the situation.
02:45 Without doubt death was hovering over his dear servant,
02:49 silently waiting to steal him away.
02:52 There was only one hope.
02:54 The Roman centurion had heard reports of Christ miracles
02:59 and he was convinced
03:01 that Christ was God's representative on earth.
03:04 Immediately, he sent word
03:05 to the elders of the local synagogue
03:08 and requested they act as his ambassadors
03:11 to ask Christ to come and heal the servant.
03:14 The elders received the request,
03:17 instantly dropped what they were doing
03:19 and they set out to find Jesus.
03:21 The centurion was a gentlemen Gentile.
03:25 He loved the Jewish nation.
03:27 And he had proven to be their friend.
03:29 They had hoped to make him a proselyte.
03:31 Although, he had yet to be circumcised,
03:34 he had accepted the tenets of their religion.
03:37 And he generously provided the funds
03:40 to build the local synagogue.
03:41 He deserved their help.
03:44 His favorite servant was dreadfully ill and ready to die.
03:50 Time was short. They hurried.
03:53 Walking in swift strides the elders spotted Jesus
03:56 coming down the road with His disciples.
03:58 And a throng of people were accompanying Him.
04:01 Christ had just concluded His sermon on the mount
04:04 and he was returning to Capernaum.
04:06 The people who followed had been amazed
04:09 by the authority with which He spoke.
04:11 He set a higher standard of righteousness
04:13 than the scribes and the Pharisees taught or practiced.
04:17 And He stirred an emotion in their hearts
04:19 to hear more of His sayings.
04:21 The delegation of elders
04:23 sprinted toward Christ and His entourage.
04:26 Breathlessly but zealously
04:28 they spoke on behalf of the centurion.
04:31 Sharing His message they urged Jesus
04:34 to go to this Gentile's home.
04:37 I can only imagine how the disciple's eyes
04:40 darted from one to another wondering what Jesus would do.
04:44 In their culture it was socially unacceptable
04:47 for a Jew to enter the home of a Gentile.
04:50 Now although held no such prejudice, He was sensitive
04:55 to avoid offending His nation when possible.
04:58 On the other hand,
04:59 Jews where under the authority of the Roman government
05:02 and required to submit to their officer's commands.
05:06 So this message from the dear centurion
05:09 was worded more as a heartfelt request,
05:14 one that the compassionate Christ could not refuse.
05:18 Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."
05:22 Christ went with them
05:24 and the crowd of Jewish believers followed in curiosity.
05:28 As they neared the house,
05:30 the centurion glanced out the window
05:32 and he saw the group approaching.
05:34 And he realized that he was placing the Lord
05:37 in a position that could bring contempt upon Him
05:40 for entering a Gentile's home.
05:43 Because he was uncircumcised
05:45 the centurion was not even permitted to participate
05:48 in the synagogue services.
05:51 How he thought could he consider himself
05:54 worthy to have this great man under his roof.
05:58 He hastened his friends
06:00 and he sent them out the door
06:02 to deliver a message to Jesus to turn back.
06:06 Recognizing though the humble heart of the Roman centurion
06:10 Jesus continued to walk.
06:12 And as He advanced the centurion rushed out meet Him.
06:17 And according, to Luke 7:6-8, this is what he said to Jesus.
06:23 "Lord, do not trouble Yourself,
06:26 for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.
06:29 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.
06:33 But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
06:38 For I also am a man placed under authority,
06:42 having soldiers under me.
06:44 And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes,
06:47 and to another, 'Come,' and he comes,
06:50 and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
06:55 This military man understood the authority of a command.
07:00 He carried out the orders of his superiors
07:03 and he expected those under his charge
07:05 to execute the word of his instructions instantly.
07:09 Believing that Christ was the commander of the universe
07:14 and carried heaven's authority over illness,
07:17 he made a comparison between Christ's position and his own.
07:22 The centurion was convinced,
07:24 Christ could just speak the word and it would be done.
07:29 Hearing these things,
07:31 Jesus marveled at the magnitude of his faith.
07:35 The Lord's heart overflowed with the joy of acceptance
07:39 and genuine astonishment.
07:41 This man had not heard Him teach personally.
07:45 He had not witnessed any of the miracles He had performed.
07:49 The Roman soldier had only received
07:52 secondhand reports of His teachings and His works.
07:57 Still the centurion believed
07:59 what most of the Jews who'd been privileged
08:01 by personal contact with Christ had not believed.
08:06 And the Lord who measures a man's greatness
08:09 by the measure of His faith turned around to the crowd
08:12 that followed Him and He spoke these words
08:16 from Mathew 8:10-13, saying,
08:21 "Assuredly, I say to you,
08:23 I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.
08:28 And I say to you that many will come from east and west,
08:32 and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
08:34 in the kingdom of heaven.
08:36 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.
08:41 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
08:44 Then Jesus said to the centurion,
08:46 'Go your way and as you have believed,
08:51 so let it be done for you.'
08:53 And his servant was healed that same hour."
09:00 Christ rewarded the Roman soldier with His approval.
09:05 And the centurion's faith released the grace of a miracle.
09:10 His servant was healed.
09:11 This he was assured without even seeing the evidence for himself.
09:16 His heart welled with gratitude for the Lord.
09:20 And at the nearby home
09:21 the servant felt a stream of energy flood his body
09:24 and he opened his eyes.
09:26 He stood to his feet with restored strength
09:30 but could not comprehend
09:32 the amazing reversal of his condition.
09:35 So the committee that the centurion had sent his friends,
09:39 who'd gone to Jesus,
09:40 they hurried back to verify the healing.
09:43 And entering the room
09:44 they discovered the man looking vibrant and feeling hungry.
09:49 The miracle had occurred
09:51 without Christ being present at the moment of healing.
09:56 Now, in the meantime,
09:58 I wonder what the Jews who were pressed in around
10:01 Jesus where thinking of the precept
10:03 that He had just revealed.
10:05 Surely, their minds were spinning.
10:07 They commonly referred to themselves as kings
10:10 or sons--excuse me, sons of the kingdom,
10:14 believing that their heritage gave them
10:16 a natural right to all of God's privileges.
10:19 Why would Christ suggest
10:22 that they would be cast out into outer darkness
10:26 These Jews recognized
10:27 Jesus obvious approval of the centurion.
10:31 They surely wondered if he referred to the Gentiles
10:33 when He said, "many will come from east and west
10:37 to sit with patriarchs in God's kingdom."
10:40 Did they realize he meant only
10:42 the spiritual children of God will be in heaven,
10:45 whereas the natural children of Jewish linage
10:48 would be excluded unless they were born again?
10:52 Christ words condemned those
10:56 who did not have personal and active faith in Him.
11:01 And He repeated the same symbolic language of destruction
11:04 in a parable recorded in Mathew 22.
11:08 There we find Him sharing the illustration of a king
11:13 who had arranged a marriage for his son.
11:17 Many of the privileged
11:18 on the king's guest list refused the invitation.
11:22 But the monarch found others to come to the marriage feast.
11:26 And at the wedding supper,
11:28 the king noticed a man seated at the table
11:31 who was not wearing the appropriate wedding garment
11:34 which is symbolic of Christ's robe of righteousness.
11:39 Christ said in the parable,
11:40 the man was seized and cast into outer darkness
11:44 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
11:48 This symbolism represented the final destruction of those
11:53 who would not repent and receive His righteousness.
11:58 The Lord concluded the parable with this word to the wise
12:02 that's found in Mathew 22:14.
12:05 He said, "Many are called but few are chosen."
12:10 In the centurion's account and the wedding parable, as now,
12:14 Christ cautions all who think they've gained entrance
12:18 into the kingdom of heaven to examine their lives
12:22 and see if they are in the faith.
12:25 Inspired by God, Paul repeats the warning.
12:30 In 2 Corinthians 13:5 saying,
12:36 "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.
12:40 Test yourselves.
12:41 Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you
12:45 unless indeed you are disqualified?"
12:50 Likewise, we all need to test ourselves,
12:55 to examine our lives and see if Christ is in us
12:58 and to see that we're in Him
13:00 so that we will not be disqualified.
13:03 Traumatic events lead the way to turning points in our life.
13:08 When an emergency, a tragedy or catastrophe strikes
13:13 we commonly experience a personal identity crisis.
13:17 The root of the problem can be physical,
13:19 financial, relational or spiritual.
13:23 But whatever the cause are circumstances
13:26 can create emotional and mental turmoil.
13:30 How humans handle our crisis depends largely
13:33 on our degree of faith in God.
13:36 In many instances unbelievers are brought to their knees
13:40 by fiery trials and they look up for the first time
13:44 turning their eyes to the living God.
13:47 And as He reaches down with a soothing touch
13:50 to relieve their blazing anguish,
13:53 a trust is born within their hearts
13:56 that generates the development of active faith.
14:00 So drawing on God's power of grace
14:02 they climb out of the fiery pit.
14:05 But in sharp contrast are the instances of believers
14:10 whose experience of faith could be compared
14:12 to the balancing act of sitting on a two legged stool.
14:17 Their faith constantly wavers
14:20 and it requires propping up by positive circumstances.
14:24 So when the scorching trial comes,
14:27 weakening one of the wobbly legs that supports our faith,
14:30 they turn away from God and turn
14:35 and fall and stumble into the smoldering ashes.
14:39 Now finally, there are those devout believers
14:43 who endure the testing of their genuine faith amidst
14:46 the fiery trial and such testing produces patience
14:51 that perfects their character.
14:54 Grieved by their circumstances they turn to God
14:57 in total trust with minds focused on Him
15:01 rather than their problem
15:03 and they walk in His promised perfect peace.
15:09 Christ serves as their heat resistant crucible
15:13 and they emerge from the fire with faith as pure as gold.
15:19 The very religious Saul of Tarsus,
15:22 who became the apostle Paul,
15:24 experienced the turning point of faith
15:28 in his life and his career
15:30 when he had an encounter with Christ
15:32 that produced genuine faith and it reversed his direction.
15:37 He vividly describes his conversion
15:40 to King Agrippa in Acts 26:9-23.
15:47 Paul shares how his former great ego
15:51 and his devout sense of duty caused him to be hostile
15:55 toward the name of Jesus of Nazareth and His followers.
15:58 This Pharisee of Pharisees served
16:01 as the official persecutor of the saints
16:04 under the authority and the commission of the Sanhedrin.
16:09 His religious ambitions caused him to carry out
16:12 a ruthless campaign to rid the world
16:15 of what he considered heresy.
16:18 One day, traveling at high noon on the road to Damascus,
16:21 he was confronted by Christ.
16:24 A supernatural blinding light,
16:26 brighter than the sun shined around him.
16:29 And he fell to the ground and he heard a voice
16:33 that said as recorded in Acts 26:14-16,
16:39 "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?
16:43 It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
16:46 I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
16:48 But rise and stand on your feet
16:51 for I have appeared to you for this purpose
16:54 to make you a minister and a witness both of the things
16:58 which you have seen and of the things
17:01 which I will yet reveal to you."
17:05 In His message to the misguided Saul,
17:09 Christ used a proverb common to the culture of the day.
17:13 To kick against the goads.
17:15 The goads, pictured an ox's leg
17:18 being pricked by a sharp iron goad
17:21 that was carried in the hand of the ploughman
17:23 and it was used to gain the attention
17:25 of the slow moving creature to quicken his pace.
17:29 But when the ox kicked against it,
17:31 the wound would become more severe.
17:34 Christ words suggest the Holy Spirit had been
17:37 trying to reach the heart of Saul
17:40 but the religious zealot had repeatedly resisted Him.
17:44 Let you and I also be mindful
17:47 not to sin against the Spirit by resisting Him.
17:51 Anyway, as the Lord continued to speak,
17:54 He let the legalistic Saul know
17:56 he was sending him to minister to,
17:59 of all people, the Gentiles.
18:02 What was His purpose for sending him?
18:04 Christ reveals that in Acts 26:18.
18:07 He says, I am sending you
18:09 "to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light,
18:12 from the power of Satan to God,
18:15 that they may receive forgiveness of sins
18:18 and an inheritance among those
18:21 who are sanctified by faith in me."
18:26 Faith has sanctifying power.
18:30 The power to set us apart for God's purposes,
18:33 turning us away from sin and making us holy.
18:38 Saul had reached the point of a spiritual identity crisis.
18:43 With his massive ego,
18:45 he could have turned to God
18:47 becoming only devoted to the cause of Christ.
18:51 But Saul's turn-around changed him to Paul
18:54 who was devoted to the person of Christ.
18:58 Responding to his Savior,
19:00 he was separated that day to the living God.
19:03 The profound relationship that he developed with the Lord
19:08 was like that of a child to a father,
19:11 one of absolute dependence upon God and His grace.
19:15 So as Paul's beliefs changed, Paul's faith was purified
19:21 and his character was miraculously morphed
19:25 producing a total transformation.
19:31 Paul was obedient to the heavenly vision
19:35 and putting faith into action.
19:37 Acts 26:20 says
19:39 that he went about teaching all who would listen,
19:42 to repent and turn to God
19:44 and to do works befitting repentance.
19:48 Now this message did not refer to works
19:51 that attain righteousness.
19:53 For Paul taught that result was impossible.
19:56 He referred to the righteousness of Christ
19:59 which results in putting faith into action.
20:03 Paul suffered greatly for the cause of Christ.
20:07 And he said in Acts 20:24,
20:11 "But none of these things move me,
20:14 nor do I count my life dear to myself
20:17 so that I may finish my race with joy
20:21 and the ministry which I received from the Lord,
20:23 to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
20:27 Christ's most enthusiastic evangelism of grace,
20:31 His most ordained ambassador for righteousness by faith
20:36 was also his greatest preacher on sanctification.
20:39 The character transformation that all of us need.
20:44 Paul experienced God's supernatural work
20:48 in his own life attributing
20:50 his sanctification to grace and active faith.
20:55 And Paul's great boast of grace is written
20:59 in 1 Corinthians 15:10 where he says,
21:03 "But by the grace of God I am what I am,
21:07 and His grace toward me was not in vain,
21:11 but I labored more abundantly than they all,
21:14 yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
21:20 Paul listed the armor of God that Christians should put on
21:25 to fight against evil forces in this dark world.
21:29 And he presented truth, righteousness and faith
21:33 as three powerfully protective pieces.
21:36 Saying in Ephesians 6:14 and 16,
21:41 "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
21:45 having put on the breastplate of righteousness, above all,
21:49 taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench
21:54 all the fiery darts of the wicked one."
21:58 Now in another letter to the churches
22:01 he depicts the armor of faith differently.
22:03 He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:8
22:06 "Let us who are of the day be sober,
22:10 putting on the breastplate of faith and love
22:14 and as a helmet the hope of salvation."
22:18 Paul's first message describes how faith in God's character,
22:24 His word and His ability to perform His promises
22:28 shields us against the attacks of the wicked one.
22:32 But how do we understand his dual illustration
22:36 of the breastplate of righteousness
22:38 as being interchangeable
22:41 with the breastplate of faith and love?
22:44 Actually, it is easily explained.
22:48 Faith is the instrument by which
22:51 we attained Christ righteousness,
22:54 resulting in our reception by faith
22:57 of the indwelling Holy Spirit
22:59 who pours out God's love into our hearts.
23:04 The attributes of righteousness, faith, and love are inseparable
23:10 and they are God's armor to protect our hearts.
23:14 By faith we're flooded with grace,
23:16 purifying and cleansing us of sin.
23:20 Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17
23:25 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
23:29 for it is the power of God unto salvation
23:33 for everyone who believes,
23:35 for in it the righteousness of God is revealed
23:39 from faith to faith.
23:41 As it is written, 'the just shall live by faith.'"
23:46 You know, when Paul learnt
23:48 the truth of Christ death and resurrection
23:51 and he experienced the power of the Holy Spirit
23:55 then he gave his life to God
23:58 and became God's evangelist of grace.
24:01 The good news of salvation,
24:04 Paul explains in Romans 4:16, is that,
24:08 "It is of faith that it might be according to grace."
24:13 The cause of salvation is God's grace
24:17 and it becomes ours
24:19 when we tap into His grace pipeline by faith
24:22 and accept God's three greatest gifts of grace.
24:26 Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the scriptures.
24:31 The righteousness of God is from faith to faith.
24:36 Righteousness is a gift of God accessed by faith.
24:41 It begins and ends with faith.
24:46 Our relationship with Christ gains us access by grace
24:53 or access to grace by faith.
24:55 Paul assures us of this in Romans 5:1 and 2
25:01 where he says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith,
25:06 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
25:11 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace
25:16 in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
25:23 Faith is the faucet.
25:25 This is how we tap into grace
25:28 and we desperately need to develop our faith.
25:31 The afflictions and the tribulations of life on earth
25:35 caused by the controversy between good and evil
25:38 will increase dramatically
25:40 as the time of Christ's second coming draws near
25:44 and we already see it. To face these situations,
25:48 we are going to need a flourishing faith,
25:51 a faith that will gain us the victory won in Jesus.
25:56 We have reached a turning point. Which way will we go?
26:00 I want to say a quick prayer with you.
26:03 And I want you please to join us next time
26:06 because we're going to discuss
26:08 how you can take seven steps to develop victorious faith.
26:14 But right now let's go to the Lord in prayer
26:18 and ask him to help us grow in grace, to grow in faith.
26:24 Father, we come in the name of Jesus
26:26 approaching you boldly as Your children,
26:29 coming before Your throne of grace.
26:32 And, Father, I lift my brothers and my sisters
26:34 before You and myself as well.
26:37 We have come, Lord, to ask us-- to ask You to help us, Lord,
26:44 increase our faith.
26:45 We believe, help Thou our unbelief.
26:48 I pray in Jesus' name, Father,
26:51 that you will give us an unquenchable desire
26:54 for Your inexhaustible word.
26:56 And I pray the word will be planted in our heart
26:59 and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
27:01 faith will spring into action.
27:04 Lord, I ask this in Christ's name
27:08 and we receive it in Christ's name. Amen.
27:12 Join us next time on "The Grace Pipeline,"
27:17 as we see the different-- seven different steps
27:22 that can help us gain victorious faith,
27:26 faith that will flourish in any circumstance
27:31 and faith that will change your life.
27:34 We want to be like the centurion.
27:37 We want to be like Paul.
27:39 We want to be able to say
27:41 "Lord, You have spoken the word
27:44 and we know it's going to be done.
27:46 Lord, You've called to me and I will turn to You
27:51 and be devoted to Your purposes."
27:54 Until then, we pray that you grow in grace
27:58 and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Revised 2014-12-17