Christ's Authority to Save
CHRIST'S AUTHORITY TO SAVE
Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another,
Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.—Matthew 8:8-9 I T is not to our great Master's dishonor, but quite the opposite, that this centurion meant to say, "I recognize in thee also a man under authority." For this blessed Christ of ours had come into the world commissioned by God. He was not here merely in His private capacity as the Son of David, as the Son of Mary, or even as the Son of God; but He was here as the One Whom the Father had chosen, anointed, qualified, and sent to carry out a divine commission. This officer could see about the person of Christ the marks of His being commissioned by God. By some means, I know not how, he had arrived at this very safe and true conclusion: Jesus Christ was acting under the authority of the great God Who made heaven and earth; and he looked at Him, therefore, under that aspect, as duly authorized and commissioned for His work.
Now go a step further. He who is commissioned to perform any work is also provided by the superior authority with the power to carry out that work…So, this man seems to say to Christ, "I believe that Thou art provided with due assistance for the carrying out of all the purposes for which Thou hast come into the world. If I have an order to send," says he, "I say to my servant, 'Go,' and he goes. If I want another to come, I say, 'Come,' and he comes. If there is something to be done, I summon one of the men under my authority, and I say to him, 'Do this,' and he does it." He seems to say to the Savior, "Thou also, commissioned and appointed of the great God, must have had servants appointed to wait upon Thee. Thou art not sent to a warfare at Thine own charges. Thou art not left to do this work alone. There must be, somewhere about, though I perceive them not, soldiers under Thee, and servants under Thee, who wait to do Thy bidding." You catch that idea, do you not?
The parallel is very clear, and I do not wonder that the Savior greatly admired the man's faith, which had enabled him to perceive this great truth…
Christ's Authority to Save
The centurion went a little further and implied that, as Christ had the power to perform the divine will and had that power well in hand, he believed He was willing to direct all that power to the one object of healing his servant. I believe that many of you know that the Lord Jesus Christ is almighty. You do not doubt that fact, but the question is, "Is He almighty to save you?" You do not doubt that, if the Savior wills it, He can make your spirit whole, but you ask, "Will He will it?" Will He turn that power in our direction? It does not enter the centurion's head that there will be any difficulty in his case. "No," he seems to say, "King of kings, omnipotent Master and Lord, Thou canst at once direct an angel to fly to my servant, or Thou canst bid the disease quit my dwelling, or Thou canst speak to the palsy, and the palsy itself will be Thy servant and will fly away at once at Thy command. Thou hast only to put forth Thy power upon my servant, and he will at once be healed."
I want you to believe, dear hearts, that our Lord Jesus Christ, no longer here in the flesh but risen from the dead, is clothed with power equal to that which He had in the centurion's day; nay, that He is clothed with even greater power, for after His resurrection He said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Mat 28:18). And then I want you to believe that He is prepared to turn all that power in your direction, so as to work for your deliverance from spiritual death, your rescue from the power of sin, your help in the way of providence, your guidance in the way of wisdom, or whatsoever out of ten thousand things may happen to be the need of this present moment. Oh, that He, Who gave such faith as this to the centurion at Capernaum, would give like precious faith to many of you that you also may glorify and bless His holy name!… Dear friends, it seems to me that this little narrative should be used to urge us to believe in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, even if He does not speedily come in the glory of the second advent. I am frequently talking with Christian friends about these evil days in which we live, and of the mischief of the times in which our lot is cast. Certainly, it is not a very cheering subject, and generally I find that friends wind up with some such remark as this: "Well, the comfort is that the Lord Jesus Christ will come very soon. The defections in the professing church, the blasphemies of the world—are they not among the special tokens that the end is hastening on? When our Lord comes, then all these difficult problems will be solved, and all that grieves us will come to an end." Yes, yes, all that I fully believe, and I look upon the second glorious advent of our
Lord Jesus Christ as the brightest hope of His Church. But, still, do you not think that a more practical and a more God-honoring faith would say, without putting aside the blessed hope of the second advent, "Yet
Free Grace Broadcaster • Issue 263 the Lord Jesus Christ can deal with the present evils of the church and of the world without actually coming into our midst." He can say a word while yet remaining in the highest heavens amid the splendors of the sacred worship of the New Jerusalem. He can speak a word there and so effect His purpose here. Does not that truth seem to flow naturally out of the faith of this centurion? Our blessed Lord…there is no need that Thou shouldst literally touch the hills and make them smoke and that the glory of Thy divine presence should consume Thine adversaries. If it so pleaseth Thee, Thou canst do Thy bidding where Thou art, without disturbing this dispensation, without even working a miracle, allowing things to take their usual course, and yet accomplishing Thy supreme purposes…Now apply this subject a little more closely still.
I wish that some poor soul would even now believe that the Lord Jesus Christ could save him at once with a single word…The Lord Jesus Christ can save a man when he is in bed, when he is putting on his clothes, when he is walking the street, when he is at his business, or when he is not at his business but indulging in sin.
Let the practical close of this evening's meditation be that we believe in Jesus a great deal more than we have ever believed before. If we have believed in Jesus, let us have still more confidence in Him…I think that what we have to do is so to believe in Christ as to be His obedient servants. If He says, "Go," let us go. If He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden" (Mat 11:28), let us come unto Him. If He says concerning any service, "Do this," let us do it; and if, instead of bidding us do anything, He bids us believe Him, let us come and believe Him; for this will be our wisdom, this will be our happiness, this will be our heaven, to be the obedient servants of Him Who must be Ruler over all.
God has decreed that this shall be His glory; He has set Him on His throne expecting till His foes be made His footstool. If you choose to be
His enemies, you shall choose it to your own destruction; but if you will come and bow before Him and be His servants, you shall find that heaven and earth are waiting at His back to bless you!
From a sermon delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's Day evening, October 2, 1887.
_______________________ Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892): Influential English Baptist preacher; born at Kelvedon, Essex, England, UK.
Jesus, Who has all authority and power in heaven and in earth, vouchsafes to be your Shepherd. What then can you lack who are at His providing?—John Newton