Matthew 8...Acknowledging the extent of the Centurion and the Lord's presence.

​In our previous times together -- in this Acknowledging the Extent series -- we have looked at…    

• How the Centurion acknowledged the extent of his servant’s condition.    
• The extent of the Centurion and the Lord’s positions.    
• And the extent of the Centurion and the Lord’s power.    

Today’s Title: Acknowledging the extent of the Centurion and the Lord’s presence, Part 4.   
    
Let me ask you this…why do some followers choose to view this command to GO as optional? What are some common excuses that some followers give for not carrying out this command? Keep in mind…a practice can be mastered. If excuses are your go to, then you’ll become really good at them and in the end, you’ll miss out on what God had in store for you.   

Two Common Excuses (not an exhaustive list)…  

• Apathy.   
  • Do I really care? It’s not that important to me.  
    • Lack of compassion for lost souls.   
  • Ashamed of the gospel and or embarrassed of it.   
  • Someone else will do it.   
    • If He wants them to get saved, then He’ll find someone to do it…doesn’t have to be me that witnesses to them.   
    • I’m too busy with what I have going on in my own life.   
  • Lack of study, education, refuse to be trained…not wanting to learn. Unwilling to see how it applies to my life. The less I know, the less I’ll be held responsible for.  
• Fear.   
  • Insecurities defeat us.  
  • I can’t…speak.   
    • I won’t have the words, or even the right words to say.  
  • I won’t be able to answer their questions.  
  • Interrupting your schedule.  
    • I won’t be able to set time aside for discipling them afterwards, so why get them saved and then let them flounder in their faith journey?   
  • What will he/she think of me? I don’t want to lose a friendship with this person. What if they never want to talk to me ever again?   
  • They know who I really am, and I’d come across as a hypocrite if I were to share the Lord with them.  
  • I can’t do this on my own.   
    • I know God’s promises, but I can’t get myself to believe some of them when they directly involve what God’s asking or telling me what to do.  
      • I can’t see Him…is He even really real? I guess I really have small faith. 

Our Wedding Day:

• At our wedding I wanted to surprise Karie by singing to her. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own, so I had two other men sing a trio with me. We sang I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman. Having those two other men on each side of me gave me the strength, courage, and comfort that I needed to be able to pull something off like that.

 
Today I want us to acknowledge the extent of the presence of the Lord in our lives, so we can appreciate it more, set aside the excuses, set aside the insecurities and begin practicing fulfilling the Great Commission…to GO!  
The first extent that I want us to acknowledge this morning is that of the Lord’s presence.   

• The Lord’s Presence is Unlimited.   
  • Omnipresence  
    • Definition of Omnipresence….“The prefix omni- originates in Latin and means “all.” So, to say that God is omnipresent is to say that God is present everywhere…Omnipresence is God’s characteristic of being present to all ranges of both time and space. Although God is present in all time and space, God is not locally limited to any time or space. God is everywhere and in every now.” https://www.gotquestions.org/God-omnipresent.html.   
    • As seen in Scripture.  
      • He is with us.
        Consider what the Psalmist says in Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV) Where can I go from your Spirit?
            Where can I flee from your presence?
        8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
            if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
        9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
            if I settle on the far side of the sea,
        10 even there your hand will guide me,
            your right hand will hold me fast. 
      • He’ll never leave us.
        Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV) For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  
      • Even in our time of trouble.
        Psalm 46:1 (NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  
      • We see this played out in…
        Daniel 3:25 (NKJV) “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  

 
We’ll come back to the extent of the Lord’s presence in just a minute.  
 
The next extent that I want us to acknowledge is that of the Centurion’s presence.   

• The Centurion’s Presence is Limited.   
  • Matthew 8:9 (NKJV) For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 
  • “he goes,” and does tasks alone…without the Centurion.   
  • Just imagine the immediate and futuristic emotion of the soldier…out to battle with no Centurion directly by his side…no one there to walk him through different situations.   

 
How does God’s omnipresence fit in with the book of Matthew?  

• Notice these Bookends: Turn to Matthew 1:23 with me…I want you to see it with your own eyes.
  • Matthew 1:23 (NKJV) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”  
  • Now turn to Matthew 28:20 (NKJV) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  
    • “with”… is “a marker of close association…in reference to supportiveness, be with someone, stand by, help someone…of God’s helps” 
  • I believe that God wants to remind us that He’s the beginning and the end. He’s there with us from the beginning through the end. Everything sandwiched in between is to be viewed as God’s presence being with us.  

When you go…I AM with you…close to you…standing by you…helping you…supporting you. Something the Centurion could never say to his followers as they were sent out by him.  
We discussed many of the active words throughout the Book of Matthew last week. Throughout the Book, the Lord is preparing his followers to go…and as they Go…He is with them. HE IS WITH YOU!!! 

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 
• God has proven Himself to be faithful (keeping His promises), and present in the lives of His followers. He is never changing… 
  • Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 
  • Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 
  • God is with us. He was with His followers in the… 
    • Old Testament.  
      • Exodus 13:21-22 (NKJV) 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.  
    • New Testament.  
      • Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  
      • Acts 18:9-10 (NKJV) Paul ministering in Corinth… 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.  
      • 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 
        • There are many other passages in Scripture that remind us that the Holy Spirit dwells in us once we become a follower of Him.  

Now, consider the immediate and futuristic emotion of a follower of Christ who is in the process of going.   

• With God I can go. I can witness. I can find the words to say. I can find comfort in the Lord’s presence along the way. All things are truly possible (Matthew 19:26). He directs my paths and gives me strength along the way.  
• Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 
• Matthew 10:19-20, 22 (NKJV) But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in [through] you. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.  

 
Therefore, if you’re a follower of Him and He dwells in you, then Practice His Presence in your daily life! If you’re not a follower of Him, then acknowledge what you’re missing out on and in need of. If you would like to accept Christ into your life today, then please don’t hesitate to seek me out and I’d love to show you how you too can have the Lord’s presence in your daily life.