The Day Jesus Was Astonished — Teresa Conlon

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends.

However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Crazy Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, we thank you for your presence in this place. Lord Jesus, I ask you to come now. Lord, I ask you to come upon me. I need you, Jesus. And I thank you that I need you.

I thank you for this word that you've given. Lord, I thank you for your people. And Lord, you've brought us here. Lord, you want your people with a glory upon them. A light and a life that only comes from you.

So Lord, I thank you you're teaching us. Lord, you're bringing us to places where we are stripped. Lord, that you may be seen. So Lord, we say it's all worth it. We say, Lord, you are going to be faithful to us.

You're going to bring us into a place, Lord, where you are glorified. That, Lord, where a world is given over, Lord, to fear, to decay, to sin, oh God. There's going to be a glorious church standing in Christ, purified by a fire.

And Lord, you're going to get the glory. And you're going to bring many into your kingdom. Because you're going to be seen and loved in your body. Lord, I ask that you'd be longed for today. You'd be longed for.

Jesus’ Astonishment at the Centurion’s Faith

And I thank you, Lord, you're in this place to do that. In our midst, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. My message today is called, The Day Jesus Was Astonished. The Day Jesus Was Astonished. And if you would turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 7.

Luke 7. Luke 7, the first 10 verses, tells us about a man that when Jesus encountered him. Or should I say, he never had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus Christ. But as his story is told, the scripture says that Jesus marveled at him.

And marveled at the words he spoke. And that's something about that man. And something about what his life means. Grip me this week. And it was as if the Holy Ghost was saying, I want you to look in now.

I want you to look into this. Because I put this in my Word. I have this story here. And it's easy to read over it quickly. But it was like the Holy Spirit was stopping me here in these 10 verses. And saying, I want you, Teresa, to look into this.

Because I have something to say that will alter you. And he has been altering me. And it starts in verse 1 of chapter 7. It says, Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

And Capernaum is a place where Jesus lived much of his earthly ministry. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servants.

And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this. For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus 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 shouldst enter under my roof. Wherefore, neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee. But say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers.

And I say unto one, Go, and he goeth. And to another, Come, and he cometh. And to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him. And turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith.

No, not in Israel. And they that were sent returning to the house found the servant whole that had been sick. And I love that. What stopped me is that when Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him.

That word marveled, he was struck with astonishment. And you and I know that Jesus Christ being the living word and being God himself, he who really inspired that kind of faith would not be caught unaware and astonished in the sense that he could never know that such a man existed or that this man existed.

But he admired that faith. He was astonished at that faith, I believe. And he turned to the people following him and said, Did you hear this? Did you see what this man said? And it's like he stopped to admire or to be astonished by it so that all those that following and all those that reading would be likewise astonished.

Jesus was drawing attention to this man. He says, I found not so great a faith. No, not in Israel. I was thinking about this man. This man, he was a centurion. He was a captain, a leader over a hundred men, a Roman.

And I was thinking he was a conqueror over a conquered people. How did he come to admire a conquered one? He was an oppressor. How did he notice the oppressed? He was a Roman. How did he take notice of a Jew?

But most of all were his words that delight. But what got me the most is when that man said, I am not worthy. You see, everything in this man's life, everything in this man's world would be causing him to walk like a somebody among nobody.

All his training, he's a man with status and respect. He's a conqueror in a conquered land. He had authority. He had all the advantages. But I wanted to know, why did the cry come out of that man? I am not worthy.

Why didn't he lord it over all that he met? You know, he lived in the Roman age. He lived in an age when his government, when his country, when his nation ruled the world. He lived in a time when all men looked to Rome as a savior for them.

All men looked to Rome as a model. All men would look to Rome and its civilization and say, now this is as good as it gets. This is as high as it gets. It's the pinnacle of learning. It's the pinnacle of how men ought to live.

They are prosperous. They flourish. Their streets, their government, everything about them seemingly was a model to the world. And this man was a representative of that government. It was his age. It was his time.

It was a time where they all boasted that they were Romans. And it was a time when the whole world was divided into two classes. Those that were citizens of Rome with all its privilege and those who were not.

So how did this man who represents the power, the oppressor, the great one, a leader among men, how is it? A man came to cry concerning a Jew. I am not worthy. Why didn't he take the press and imprint of his world?

Why did he stand out? Why didn't he stand out? How did he get like this? How did he get this kind of thinking? And the more I thought about this man, the more I had to agree with Jesus. This man astonishes me.

The Centurion’s Compassion for the Weak and Oppressed

What does Scripture say about him? I turned there. It says in verse 2 that he had a servant who was dear to him. Who was sick and ready to die. And I could see that this servant actually was a slave. You know to this man slaves are a dime a dozen.

If you get sick, you just replace them. And this servant was dear to him even though he was no longer useful. I began to see that that action was telling me that people weren't things to him. That people mattered to him, big or small.

He saw people as individuals deserving of respect and dignity. It did not matter. He was a slave. This man was compassionate. He was moved by suffering. He had a concern for all who lived in his house.

The fact that this man was dear to him told me he lets men close to him. He lets people in. And in like kind, I believe he received the love of that slave. But that wasn't fully it. In verse 5 says he loves our nation.

That's a highly unusual thing. I'm sure it even astounded the Jews. They weren't used to Romans loving them. And it told me that this man could love others. He did not fear them and despise them. He didn't reject them.

He didn't condescend to them. He loved a conquered people. It says in verse 5 he built a synagogue. And it tells me that out of his own provision he built them a place of worship. That somehow there was something connecting him.

And in them there was one and only true God who must be worshipped. And he put his energy and he put his substance to seeing that that happened. Verse 8 tells us in the scripture that he says, I also am a man under authority.

He described himself as a man who was subject to authority and so he could wisely wield it. He knew what it was to be under and therefore those that he directed, he knew what it was to be under authority and he wisely dispensed it.

And so he could say to Jesus, just say the word and my servant shall be healed. He recognized authority in Jesus. But beloved, although scripture is describing him like that, it wasn't answering my question.

It still didn't satisfy me to say, why is this man so different from the rest? When everything around him should have him full of pride and puffed up. Everything around him should give him a swagger and a conquering mentality.

He could be religious but he didn't have to stoop that low. He didn't have to say those words that came right from his gut that was so revealing. I am not worthy. And then it says that Jesus was astonished at him.

And I believe the Holy Spirit gave me the insight. Jesus was astonished at this man. And he spoke like he did because Jesus finally met a man with his heart. I wonder what that felt like for Jesus. Scripture says he came to his own and his own knew him not.

But this Gentile knew him. You know, this Gentile never met him. He only communicated with him through his servants. He didn't know him in the flesh, but he knew him by the Spirit. This man knew him. Beloved, I believe that the Holy Spirit was showing me that this centurion was representing a glimpse of the church that was going to spring forth from the Gentile nations.

This man represented he was a type of a sold out, surrendered church that was going to come. I believe that the Father just in sheer delight gave the son, an obedient son, a glimpse of a people that did not know him.

Of what, when he shared his heart, what these people were going to be like. That surrendered church. A church called out once from every nation whose privilege would be to astonish the world by showing the heart of the Son of God.

A church, beloved, called out having Christ's heart. And the scripture came to mind that says in Romans 8 .32, He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

And here's the Father, he spared not his own son for the world. He gave his best. And there was going to be a people who were going to respond to God's best. And they weren't just going to respond, but they were going to embrace him.

And as Jesus was, so they would be. Because the scripture says that he's going to freely, the Father, freely give that Gentile that should be so proud, that should be so alienated from God, so distant, so living in darkness.

God was going to humble that man, put a cry in him and astonish the whole world that he could humble the great and he can humble the small and bring them to himself. Scripture says that he freely will give us, the Father will freely give the centurion-like people all things that we need.

Freely give means he will freely forgive. Means that he will be gracious to us when we didn't deserve it. It means that he is going to yield to the will. That's what freely gives me. That God is going to freely yield to our will when the known request is in mind.

In other words, when we cry out, Oh God, I need to know you and I need to know you like you know I need to know you. And God is going to say, then I'm going to have to put in you a humble of not of mind.

And God says, I'm going to freely answer that prayer. He says, if you begin to cry out for that and you begin to see your need of it, He says, I'm going to yield to that and I'm going to give it to you freely.

Christ’s Heart Expressed Through Love and Unity

Having Christ's heart, that's our privilege. But how do we get that? How is that formed in us? And I went back over the centurion's life and I said, Lord, you know, an evidence of your heart is that people are going to matter to us.

Ministry is not about ministry. Ministry is about people. The end is about people. It's about you, Jesus, touching lives one by one. We sit here in a great congregation, but all those that have opened their hearts up to God have met Jesus in an individual way.

And forever Jesus will be about people. We're going to have to be given the power to love, beloved. And it's that last time. We need to be given power to love. It's not an option. Jesus says, love one another.

Love one another. As I have loved you. That man, he said he loved our nation and God is coming in a last time for a people that there is no prejudice. God is coming in an age when ethnos is against ethnos.

When people are going to rise up, being riled up by an antichrist spirit, because the devil, the adversary is about separation. He's about division. He's about disunity. He's about putting confusion in one against another.

He's about planting unsolvable hatreds in the heart and lives of men. And what looks like insoluble problems, that's what he's about. And there has to be a church moving in another spirit. It's going to have to be about loving those that we shouldn't be loving, because there's nothing in us to love them.

There's no familiar ground. There's nothing in us to like them. But a greater than our own heart will come upon us. And we're called to be radically different and racially united. The Lord called all Gentile nations to himself, and we are a family with God as our Father.

The family fights, but the family must forgive. Scripture says a house divided will not stand. And everywhere we see that the enemy wants to come in and divide us, we know that that's an attack, that's a demonic attack, and we can pray against it.

We can say, I will not fall for that device. Lord, every time you want to put a barrier between us, I want you to search me, O God. I want you to search me. Scripture says he built a synagogue. It speaks to me, having a heart of Christ, we're building our lives on truth.

We are seeking the one true God, and we are worshipping him. And beloved, when we do that truth, as you know, the Scripture says, sets us free. And so we have a promise to be transformed when we build our lives on truth.

And that is the test that we have the heart of Christ, is that we are being transformed. The Scripture says a good tree only brings forth good fruit. When Christ is in our life, there has to be the evidence of good fruit, else we are not a good tree.

That is not an option. I'm not saying transformation is easy. In fact, when God goes deep, we are confronted with the very issues that rule us and dominate us. And it takes courage to face it. Because we've not been trained to face it.

The world wants to mask, the world wants to deceive. The world doesn't want to deal with the real truth. Because truth sets us free. But if we have the heart of Christ, we are going to be transformed.

We need to tell the devil that every day. I don't care what you say to me. I don't care how you paint the situation. I say, in Christ I will be transformed. Jesus said, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life.

Authority, Humility, and Faith for the Impossible

And no matter how the enemy tries to say, look at you, little transformation, the very fact that we are willing to face it and not run, means we are getting somewhere. Hallelujah. Having the heart of Christ says, I am a man under authority.

And beloved, we get under the word of God. We are led by the spirit of God to glorify God. And then miracles happened. Miracles happened. Beloved, we need to believe for miracles in this day and age. You know when Jesus called Peter to walk on water.

It wasn't because of Peter's ability. It was because the authority of the word when Jesus said, come, he could come. It wasn't about his ability. We will never have the ability to walk on water. But when the authority of that word comes, if we will respond to it, that is humility of heart.

That is humbleness of mind. That is not looking to self saying, now how am I going to do this? But it's a response. A humbleness of mind will respond to the word of God. Won't argue with it. Won't rationalize it away.

Won't turn the other way. But we'll let the word of God be the authority and let it create the faith in us to do the impossible. I'm a man under authority. But that censure and that cry I couldn't get away from.

I'm not worthy that you should come to my house. I'm not worthy to come to you. In the modern day church, that is a very grating words. We don't like to hear that kind of language. We don't like to hear that kind of thing preached.

Something about that cry that sets uneasily on our spirit. We want to hear preached another thing some days. That doesn't sit easily with us. Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But beloved, this centurion that cried that, I'll tell you something.

He was the only one of the few that had a clear vision of who Jesus Christ was. Others around seemed confused, didn't seem to know. The professional religionist of his day didn't know. But this man with that kind of cry, who had no background, no former religious training, was not brought to the temple, didn't know the sacrifices, didn't know the rituals, shouldn't know the way to God, was finding a way to God with that heart.

Spin through what kind of religious painting you've received or no formal religion. He says, there's a cry I can't turn from. I have the humble. He was a man who lived in reality with himself. A man in touch with his own heart.

You see, he was going to ask a miracle worker. I don't know if he understood fully about Jesus. But he was going to ask a miracle worker to do something for him. One he felt he had no right to, no access to.

And he was very conscious coming in wanting something from Him. That he was a sinner and that he was unholy and Christ was holy. And I say that in the end times that God is looking for a true humility in His people.

Because a whole people and a healed people is a humble people. The power of God does not rest on a proud people. Scripture says, God resists the proud. The Pharisees, many in Israel were missing the fact that the Son of God was in their midst.

And the whole time they were crying, we be Abraham's children. They were letting their pride absolutely take their vision. They were being blinded by a religious pride. And beloved, that is what we are going to fight till the day Christ takes us home is a religious pride.

And a worldly pride. Here was this professional faith people who should know. But I'm reminded that God heals where there is a need and God heals where there is true repentance. God's hand is on a man to show him himself.

And I wrote that down, you know. And the way I wrote it down, it wasn't quite clear what I meant by that. But God's hand is on a man to show him himself. God's hand is on a man to show him God. And God's hand is on a man to show him his own heart.

And one revelation is inseparably linked to the other. Beloved, God is not going to show him himself without us having to come into the light. God dwells in light. God is light. And we will never approach him except we too come into the light.

And we cannot see God and not see ourselves. If we live in darkness about God, we are going to live in darkness about ourselves. And the sign that God's hand is upon us, the sign of sonship that we've been adopted, the sign that God's favor rests on us is that God will show us our heart to save us from the spirit of the age we live in.

To save us from the spirit of the age we live in. Because the spirit of the age we live in that has formed us since childhood up is a spirit of pride. It's the pride of life, it's the pride of eyes, it's the pride.

And the thing most contrary to that spirit of the age is a humility. And God sees our heart and God knows our heart. And he knows what we are capable of. Either inside the kingdom or out. And I'm reminded when Abraham with an incredible call on his life and God spoke to him and God made him incredible promises.

And God said, I'm going to raise you up and through you will be a nation. And God made incredible promises like he's never promised a man up to that point. And then the scripture says that he goes down in Egypt and the first thing he does is sends his wife into the enemy's court.

And I wonder did it surprise him that he was capable of that when he got her back? I remember, I wonder without even one word passing from her lips, just the look in her eye, did he see a side he never thought capable?

Then his son Isaac did the same thing. But deep down, even though God knows what we are capable of, that doesn't, he sees it all. It's just that he's committed to showing us when he knows we are able to bear it.

When it is a time that we're going to turn to him in faith. Or we can turn away disgusted and defeated. But then the enemy wins. But God knows what we are capable of. But that doesn't say my hand's too short from still using you, from still revealing what is there at the center of your core.

And the plans I have for you still go on unchanged. Because the plans I have for you are not dependent on your faithfulness. It's dependent on you turning to me, the faithful one. The spirit of this age will say, deep down you know we are all good with good hearts.

And when we do something wrong, pride in the spirit of the age will say, justify yourself. It's too painful. You'll be vulnerable. You'll condemn ourselves. Sometimes the regret will eat us up and there's a voice that says, I'll be consumed if I go back there.

And if I don't stand up for myself, no one will. But scripture says, if we will judge ourselves, we will not be judged. And I believe men unaided by the spirit of God will never deliver an impartial or fair judgment on self.

Beloved, without a humility, without crying, God, search me, oh God, and try my heart. Lord, begin to show me what's at the core of me. God, I know that your hand is on me for good and I know you have a plan and a purpose for my life.

But God, tied to all that needs to be an understanding that I live at the bottom, God, by grace and grace alone. Sometimes a church has wrote out saying, we know the end, we have the victory. But realizing that there's no sword at their side because there's no humility in their hearts.

It's riding out in their own understanding, in their own strength, in their own purpose, in their own ambition, in their own plan. And too often we've seen the catastrophe that that brings. Beloved, God is showing us our heart because the sin nature can be dealt with at the cross.

The centurion says, I am worthy. I am unworthy. And I love that because the closer that Christ draws to his house. See, Jesus is committed to going and seeing him because the call comes, I have a sick servant.

And Jesus starts moving towards his house. And the closer that Christ begins to draw to us and the more that we want to live with him and walk with him. There is going to be that deep inward cry. There's going to be the same response.

Lord, I am unworthy. I'm not worthy. Lord, anything that you're going to do in and through me has got to be about grace. But beloved, we can make such mental assent to that. But till it becomes a reality and we know who we are, if the Spirit of God lifts from us at any time.

We have to be so convinced of that truth. I think we shrink from the cry that I'm unworthy because we don't see, beloved, embedded in us the sin. We don't understand the depth of our restlessness and our carelessness and our casualness.

We can make the mental assent, God, I know you are everything. It's only by your grace. It's only by your power. But beloved, when the Spirit of God, when the worship starts and we're to block out everything, and we're to raise our hearts to him, where is our mind and heart?

When we're put in a place where we don't understand and we're demanding an explanation. When there are times when we just don't understand what God is doing. Or we're being bored or we find the way too narrow.

We're intimidated when we're out there. When we all of a sudden can't seem to open our mouth and name the name Christ. When all these things, all the things we know we should do and all the things we know we should be.

But beloved, when the rubber meets the road, why are we powerless? Christ does not stand as our condemner at that moment. But one thing I do know, he's looking for a bended knee that says I cannot. Beloved, much of the preaching of the age is a genuflect repentance.

Just down and up. Just get me out of pain and let me continue on so I can co-direct my life with you, Jesus. I just want a quick genuflect repentance. Down and up. Down there. I don't like it down there.

That bended knee makes me vulnerable and that bended knee seems like I'm losing control. Which it is. But beloved, when that centurion began to cry out, Lord I am not worthy. I'll tell you what. The humble know the utter privilege of living in repentance.

And the humble know what it is to hope in his mercy. You see that centurion know who he was, did not prevent him from crying out, Lord come and heal my servant. That understanding of who he was didn't in any way block the cry, Jesus come and do what only you can do.

It is like the humility truly opens our eyes to see who is in our midst. Because when we go down and say God speak to my heart, take me to the root issues. Why this restlessness? Why what is driving me in my heart?

Why is there such contention? Why can't I get along with this one? Why every time I'm around them something rises up? And the Lord is saying I want you to go down before me and stay down till I show you.

And he will. The world taught the centurion to be haughty. But I tell you the hand of God was on him. The world was trying to say now you are the conqueror, you are the man, this is your hour. But there was something, the hand of God, the spirit of God upon this man.

And he who should know nothing about God was being drawn to the very heart of God. He was exhibiting even though he didn't know the law. He was beginning to act like a man that was a shining example of a Christian.

He had a heart for people. He loved truth. His eyes were open to those around him. Why? Because I tell you there is no such thing with humility without brokenness. The scripture doesn't tell us how he was broken.

The scripture only tells us the fruit of that brokenness. But every time a man has been humbled you know it has been painful. Because the spirit of the age would keep him haughty. But, beloved, humility was making him a very great man.

The Blessedness of Being Poor in Spirit

Scripture says blessed, happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit are the humble hearted. The tender towards God and the tender towards the suffering. And the tender towards the needy.

Because they know what it is to suffer. They know what it is to be needy. We can be poor materially. We can be poor emotionally. We can be poor physically through illness. We can be poor intellectually.

But Jesus says a very strange thing. He says blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed if you are beginning to know your true need before a holy God. Blessed are you if you begin to see you have been so full of self that I have had to resist you in your ways.

But now that my hand is upon you, you go down and you bend before me. He says blessed are they. And then they begin to share the heart of God. Because God always sees the needy. He always sees the depressed, distressed.

He sees the fatherless. He has come. He will do justice for those that are poor on the earth. And God is saying you are going to have a chance now to side with me. You are going to have a chance to see as I see things.

And that my heart and my power will go out to the poor in spirit. And we will begin to cooperate with the spirit of God throughout the earth instead of resisting it. Or instead of being blind. So often the insecure and the proud oppress those they consider weaker or inferior to themselves.

So often the weak fear the weak. Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit. You don't have to oppress and you don't have to be fearful anymore. Because when you acknowledge your poverty before me and your weakness, you find out I am on your side.

You find out I am with you. You find out that there is going to be a cry produced in you that I must come and answer. I am going to be with you. You are going to have me. Those that are proud, those that don't want to see, those that don't want to know, those that are tuned out or blind to the suffering and to those around them, are so far from the heart of God.

Are so far from how He is thinking and how He moves. He says blessed are you if you are poor in spirit. You have me. You are going to live with an understanding heart. You are going to live understanding your times.

You are going to live understanding. You don't have to rise up in despair. Where art thou, O God? Where are you in the midst of suffering and pain? Because the poor in spirit, I know where He is. He is with me.

And He is with them. You know Paul, he said he was the least of apostles. He said he was the greatest of sinners. His cry, I am unworthy, was the continual heart cry of his ministry. And yet we know that Paul was rich in spiritual graces and gifts.

Because that poor in spirit of not having to puff up himself and not having to proclaim himself, he was going to leave it to Christ to do that. In himself, he knew what he was, the least of all. But in Christ, he began and moved because he had his heart.

He says, I can move out in brawls. I can proclaim His name because I have Him and I understand Him. And this is what I say to you, because he knew. Because he understood. Beloved, the poor in spirit are getting emptied of self.

Because they know their need of God's grace on a daily basis and are able to extend it to others. I say that a mountain of pride must be moved in our hearts. Because otherwise it's obscuring Christ in us.

You know, we don't need to turn there, but Psalm 10 is an incredible summary of how the proud act. And I want you to know that pride is so much to protect. Pride has to protect its own effort. Pride has to protect its own turf, its ambitions, its self-interest.

In Psalm 10, it talks about the wicked who through the pride of their continents, they oppress the poor. It talks about the pride being so unconcerned and consumed with themselves. They say, I'll never be in adversity.

What an incredible boast. Psalm 10 tells us that the pride, they are going to seek their own way. And their ultimate judgment is that they are going to be so removed out of the understanding of God. They're going to be blinded to God.

They may say, you know, the wicked in the pride says, God is not in all his thoughts. You see, the proud folk can speak about God. The proud folk can say many things as if they have an understanding. But the litmus test is the confusion and the contention that comes into their life because they really can't see.

Because when pride overtakes a heart, even though it says, I am of God and I understand His ways and wants to preach to all those around Him, they are shut out and they have no idea of what God is really about and what He is up to.

And Christ has to remove our pride to be seen in us. In 1 Peter 5, 6 it says, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Beloved, we've got to go down and we've got to stay down till due time.

Because the Scripture says that the humble He has promised to exalt. He only can exalt the humble. But He says there is a time in due time you will be lifted up. The hardened man will say, that's it, I know, I understand and want to get up.