Luke 7:1-10 - The Principle of Authority

7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having 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." 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.   Today, I want to highlight one very important thing that we can learn from this story in Luke 7 of the centurion’s servant being healed by Jesus. It is called the “Principle of Authority”. When God created the universe and mankind on earth, He established certain unchangeable principles that it would operate under. These principles, like gravity, are unchangeable. Because the universe operates under and on these principles, we have a solar system that runs very efficiently and also has order rather than confusion and chaos.   These principles can be violated, but they can’t be broken. Jump off the Empire State building and try to defy gravity and you will get broken. The principle of gravity is still there unbroken. A bird or an airplane does not defy the principle of gravity but operates under it successfully if it follows and obeys the principle of aerodynamics. In other words, if we want to have order and enjoy this universe we must learn to respect and live under the principles of by which it operates.   In the same way, God in His Word has established what we can call the Principles of Life. Some people in studying this have summarized them into about eight different categories. One of which is the Principle of Authority. When we learn to live under the authority and precepts of God’s Truth we are set free from the bondage of sin and Satan. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).   When we learn to live by God’s Principles of Life found in His Word, we find true freedom in life and can enjoy living a heavenly life in this earthly sin cursed world. You can find all of these principles in one way or another in the Jesus sermon in Matthew 5-7, called the Beatitudes. That is another lesson we might share some time in the future in our pastor chats.   For order in our families and in society God has established the Principle of Authority. Scripture is very clear about this principle. God and His Word are the final authority for our lives and everything that pertains to it. Jesus is the Creator and head of all God’s creation. He is the head of both the church and the family unit. Under is authority, He has set the man (Ephesians 5). Under the man, He has set the woman and under her are the children. God is the head of all governmental authorities! Jesus spoke of this before Pilate in John 19:11.   The Roman Centurion understood and respected this Principle of Authority. Instead of rejecting and rebelling against God appointed authority in his life, he chose to submit to it. But by faith he also recognized the authority of Jesus Christ over the universe of life. As he submitted to the authority of Jesus he was free to believe that Jesus could speak a word and his beloved servant would be healed.   If only we could believe and have this kind of faith in “Kingdom Authority”. We express our faith in God and His Word and Jesus Christ as we respect His Word and submit our lives totally to Him. This is where we find true freedom, peace, order, and direction in life! We are free to live!!!!!   May the Lord help, to understand and live under Christ’s authority and like the centurion we can experience His wonderful presence and miracles in our daily lives!   God bless!