Many, if not most people who hear this message, would say that they have accepted Christ as their Saviour at some point; they have been born again, been saved. But sadly, I am not always sure that the Gospel being preached in the world today makes it plain what it means that Jesus saves.

Many people think Jesus is like one of those lifesavers at the beach. Jesus dives in, saves you out of the trouble of hell, and now you can go back into the water. Modern Christianity often seems to speak as if you can take what Jesus gives you, without having any sense of obligation to Him after that. You can have Him as your Saviour, but not as your Lord.

One way to illustrate how modern Christianity thinks of the Gospel is like this: You are in serious debt, over a million rand. Your creditors are about to take away everything you have, and put you in jail. Then a millionaire businessman comes along and pays off your debt at his own expense. You say to him, ‘Thanks a lot. Sure appreciate it,’ and walk away – with no sense of obligation or responsibility at all.

You can tell this is the mindset today because you hear Christians saying things like ‘We’re not under the law, we’re under grace.’ Some of them don’t really know the difference between the old Covenant of law and the new Covenant of grace – what they are actually saying is, ‘We’re not under authority. In the Old Testament they had to obey, now we don’t – now we are free. Now, Jesus saves us from the penalties of sin, but obeying Him? Well that’s just a possible option.’

But if you are truly saved, you are under authority, not under autonomy. If you believe Jesus is just a pill you take, a fire escape you use, a ticket reserving your spot in Heaven, but it has no influence on obeying Him today – you’ve misunderstood the Gospel. Jesus came not just to save you from the penalties of sin, but to save you from sin itself – to save you from living for yourself.

In the miracle where Jesus heals a centurion’s servant, we find someone who understood what authority is about.

Luke 7:1-10

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.

And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.

So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,

“for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

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.”

When Jesus heard these things, He marvelled 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!”

And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

After the miracle where Jesus healed a man’s withered hand, He soon after spent all night in prayer, and the next day chose the twelve disciples. From there he preached the famous Sermon on the Mount, and it is right after that this miracle occurs. This is still His second year of ministry, the year of popularity, and Jesus is once again back in Capernaum.

Here’s the situation. A Roman centurion who was kind towards the Jews has a servant who is fatally ill. A centurion was a career soldier set as commander of around 80 to 130 Roman soldiers. It was a well-paid and highly respected position. He’s clearly a compassionate man, he has a good reputation and cares for his servant. He hears of Jesus, and sends elders to ask Him to come. The elders are happy to ask on his behalf because he apparently loved the Jewish people and built them a synagogue – probably a beautiful one at that. They regard him as worthy of mercy from the Lord.

Jesus agrees to come, but before He gets there, the centurion sends others to say, ‘You don’t have to come under my roof, I am not worthy to host you, I am not even worthy to come and see you. I know how authority works – the one in authority just says the word, and it happens. You are in authority, Lord, so just say the word.’ Jesus marvels at this – He says He has not found this kind of faith in Israel, which is supposed to be the believing nation. And when the messengers return, they find that the servant has been healed.

This centurion understood authority. And very interestingly, this passage comes right after Jesus speaks about that in His sermon:

Luke 6:46-49

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

This miracle is the live-action portrait of what it means to understand and obey Christ’s authority. This Gentile was the Holy Spirit’s chosen object lesson to explain what it means to truly follow Jesus as Lord. We learn a number of things from this centurion:

1. You are under authority

The centurion understood the meaning of authority because he himself both had it and was both under it. Centurions led many men but also had people over them, in ordered hierarchies which included a commanding centurion, a camp prefect, the tribune, the whole cohort, and a legion commander.

What was authority and submission like in the Roman army? It might entail corporal punishment, monetary fines, added duties, relegations to an inferior service, reductions in rank or a dishonourable discharge from service. Those who have been in the army or in a military-type of environment know that everything is about following orders. The chain of command is the strength of the army.

Soldiers don’t vote on a movement with a show of hands, no one debates with the corporal, the drill sergeant doesn’t try and persuade you to come to attention. There is authority, and you are under it – and you obey it.

So what sense of obligation does one feel to obey Christ?

For some, Jesus is a constitutional monarch. The Queen of England is a constitutional monarch. She has no real power. She cuts some ribbons at the opening of a new museum, she makes a speech at the Memorial Day for war veterans, she makes a yearly address to the country, she is in a parade now and then where she waves to the crowd, and many people rather enjoy the idea – it is kind of fun, like modern-day make-believe. But she has no real power over the State.

For many, that’s the kind of King Jesus. We invoke His name over our food before we eat it, we mention him highly in conversation, we like to read what He said, but in terms of everyday life – He has no real power over us. We are the president, the prime minister, the cabinet of our own lives, and Jesus is a friendly, but harmless constitutional monarch who doesn’t sway us one way or another.

For some, He is a heavenly guide – but not a Lord. Think of a tour guide when you are on holiday, or a hiking trail guide who explains what you’re seeing and leads the way. When you have a guide – someone you take along to help you – you are admitting that you need some help, but you don’t feel an obligation to obey him. You are glad he is there, but if you wanted to, you could go your own way – there is no obligation. Again, that is Christ to many – it is nice He has given you this Bible full of interesting suggestions as to how to live life, and you may take some of them, some time. But there is no obligation.

For some, He is an advisor, like a financial advisor you consult who looks at your income and expenses and makes a bunch of informed recommendations of what you should do. And with an advisor, if he is good, you should probably follow his advice – but you don’t have to – after all, it is just advice. For many – Jesus is like that – a spiritual adviser, a consultant on matters of the soul. We know we should do what He says, but we don’t feel an overwhelming obligation that we have to.

For some He is Lord of their religious life. They recognise He is king and Lord, and must be obeyed. But that is just in the spiritual arena. So there is the neatly compartmentalised and sealed off box in which Jesus is Lord – my spiritual life. So He is Lord over going to church and perhaps praying, but as to marriage and money and parenting and my goals and ambitions and TV-watching and music and relationships – that’s something else.

But if we have those ideas, they are very mistaken ideas. You are under authority. And not democratically elected authority. Not authority that can be rejected if we don’t agree with it. Absolute authority. That’s the meaning of Lord. That’s the meaning of King. The Lord and the King is the Ruler.

One of the disadvantages of the democracy and personal freedom of the Western world is that we begin to think that we are completely and totally free. But that’s impossible. If you are a created being, you cannot be utterly and totally free. You are responsible, accountable and obligated to please and obey your Creator.

So if you are here today – ask yourself if you think of yourself as under authority, or under your own autonomy. Being under authority helps you understand: ‘While I do have certain freedoms, I am not a law to myself, I am not the final authority. I answer to someone. Each of my actions must be by permission.’

Jesus is asking in Luke 6:46, ‘Why do you use the title ‘Lord’ with me if you don’t follow through on its implications?’ This leads us to question, what understanding do we have of His authority?

2. If Christ is your authority, your position is one of servant to Him

His words ‘not worthy’ indicate that this centurion understood his own position before Jesus Christ. Imagine a Roman centurion saying this about a Jewish rabbi. The common experience between a Jew with a Roman was not good. The Jews even asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar – they were so hoping and wanting a Messiah who would defeat the Romans.

This centurion showed great humility before Jesus. Here was a well-paid, well-respected Roman centurion showing deep reverence, respect and awe for the character of Jesus. He counted Himself as under Christ’s authority. Conversely, it’s arrogance and pride – an exalted view of our position before Jesus Christ – that makes us unlikely or unwilling to obey.

Here’s a simple equation. If Jesus truly lived, and if Jesus truly rose from the dead after His death, then He is God, and He is the exalted ruler of the universe. See, if everything about Jesus had happened in heaven, we would have to take it on faith. But Jesus pierced through history, entered our time and space, came to earth as a man, and that is a historical fact. He died and He rose, and that is a historical fact. That means the rest is also true.

Ephesians 1:20-22

…which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church…

Philippians 2:9-11

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He really is Lord. Whether you believe it doesn’t influence the reality of it. You either come closer to reality, or move away from it.

Why do we obey? Because He is Lord, and because He is good. If you obey because it makes life work, or you think you will get a good deal from God, you are not in submission. He owns us twice – as Creator, and as Redeemer. As a result, we are obligated to Him, to not live autonomously, regarding Him as an advisor, or as a guide, or as a figurehead – but as our living, reigning Lord. We no longer live for ourselves.

Romans 14:7-9

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

‘Lord’ means when what He wants is not what I want, then what He wants overwhelms what I want. Lordship is not that noticeable when what you want is what He wants. But when you want two different things – then it becomes noticeable.

We obey Him because He is in His position, and we are in ours. We owe Him obedience. We don’t obey because we believe it is going to get us the things we want – a husband or a wife, a child, more money, better health, a better marriage, a nice family. God may give us some of these things, but obedience is not a trade or a bargain we strike with God. We are not hired labourers, working for wages with God. We are His blood-bought bond-slaves. He has saved us from hell, and we obey Him because He is our Loving Lord.

Luke 17:7-10

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

But the good news is this: we obey Him because there is no better way to live than to obey His commands. If Christ is good, and Christ knows best, then His will is always best for me. To obey what He wants is best.

Exodus 21:1-6

Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

We obey Him because we love Him. But when feeling of love of not what they should be – we continue to obey Him.

3. Christ’s authority over you is exercised in His Word

The centurion understood Christ’s authority was found in His Word. In essence, he was saying, ‘I understand how authority flexes its muscles, because I experience it all the time in the Roman army. I say go, and they go, I say come, and they come. When I want something to be happen, I voice my command, and it is done.’

He understood that Christ expresses His authority through His Word. It is the same in everyday life. A judge expresses authority through His pronouncement. What he says becomes the ruling, the law. When a sergeant issues a command on the field – that is the signal to obey. His word is what you obey.

In the same way – the authority of Jesus comes to us in His Word. It does not come to us in dreams and visions. It does not come to us in some special word of prophecy that someone gives to us. His authority – His judgement, His commands, are handed to us in the form of His Word.

Do we say, ‘Just say the Word, Lord, and my heart will obey you?’ Sometimes you speak to a Christian and they say, ‘Well if the Lord appeared to me physically, I would stop doing this, or I would start doing this. If the Lord was in the room I wouldn’t watch this, or I wouldn’t speak like that.’ But this centurion could say, ‘Lord, I don’t need you to be physically present. Your word is good enough.’ And then? Christ’s power was seen in healing from a distance.

4. Your obedience or rebellion is seen in your response to his Word

The centurion trusted Christ’s word enough to actually stop Christ from coming to His home. He truly believed in Christ’s authority through His Word. And the Lord rewarded that with the healing of his servant.

How we respond to the commands of Scripture is how we respond to His authority. If Jesus is your Lord, and you are His servant, does He ever tell you what to do? Does He ever instruct you, command you? He does – all the time. In the Word. And how you respond to His Lordship in the Word, is how much you regard Him as your Lord.

I fear we often regard the Word of God as having some commands we must obey all of the time, and some commands we must obey some of the time. We think there is a time to be really obedient, and a time to be less obedient. A time to feel obligated to obey God, and a time to feel you can now obey yourself.

Does He have a will for every one of your choices? If He does, then His will is supposed to be your will. How do you know what his will is? You hear His Word, and you then obey it. And if He is our Lord, then His will is not a recommendation, or some advice – it is supposed to be your and my will.

• He has a will for your marriage.
• He has a will for your work, and for the way you make and spend your money.
• He has a will for your church life. What you do at church, and how often you come.
• He has a will for what He wants you to watch on the television or online, and what you will listen to.
• He has a will for what you read, be it in books or the internet.
• He has a will for how you treat and respond to your neighbours.
• He has a will for evangelism.
• He has a will for how you treat your body – what you put into it, how often you rest it, how often you exercise it.
• He has a will for your time – how you spend it, and on what you spend it.
• He has a will for your prayer life – how to pray, what to pray for, how often you should pray.

You know why we know God has a will for all those things? Because God’s Word speaks to all those things – either directly in precepts, or indirectly in principles. Therefore how you are responding to the Word of God today is how you are responding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Four reasons for disobedience

1. Ignorance

In this case, you just don’t know what God requires, because you don’t know what the Word says about that issue. Perhaps you are a new Christian, perhaps you have been in a church where the Word of God was incorrectly taught or applied – but there are just a lot of gaps in your thinking. This is the least culpable offence. There is still a punishment, but the punishment is less. Even Paul could say that God had mercy on him because he did much of his persecution in ignorance. But ignorance is not a long-term excuse, the Bible instructs you to get wisdom, and to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. A servant who wants to please his Lord is not content to be ignorant of his master’s wishes – he wants to know His will.

2. Chosen ignorance

This is the route many Christians sadly take. They reason that the more you know, the more you will have to do. So they settle into a lukewarm, peripheral, easy-going Christian life. No need to investigate my life and my ways too thoroughly – what you don’t know can’t hurt you. This Christian chooses to be ignorant of God’s Word – they don’t care to learn. They may even be at church when something is taught, but they don’t care to remember. They don’t sense a pressing obligation to obey, so it is easy to forget.

3. Hearing as a substitute for obeying

Many Christians deceive themselves into thinking that hearing God’s Word is as good as doing it. So hearing God’s will – on your speech, on your thought life, on your morality, on your priorities, on your marriage – is great, and they walk out feeling like they have become obedient because they have heard about it.

Ezekial 33:32

Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.

4. Wilful, knowledgeable disobedience

You know what God requires, you have learnt it, you cannot forget it, but you reject it. You want your own way.

The higher the authority, the more serious it is when you say, ‘I won’t! You can’t make me!” Consider the difference between a 4-year-old disobeying an older brother, a 10-year-old with their father, a 19-year-old with the police and then with a judge. When you say to the One who is crowned Lord of Lords, the true King of Kings, ‘You can’t make me,’ that is a very serious – and ultimately a dangerous thing to do.

What are you doing to bring the authority of Jesus Christ to bear on your life? Are you studying? Are you reading? Are you getting counsel? Are you searching the Scriptures? Are you asking questions? Are you examining your life to see if you are truly following Christ’s Lordship?

Our passage in Luke 7 says that “Jesus marvelled” – and the only other time that’s said is when He marvelled over the unbelief of Israel in Mark 6:6. Christ can either marvel at my faith and obedience from a distance, or He can marvel that with so much evidence, I can still go my own way. If He is your Saviour, then He is your Saviour from your own independence and your own autonomy. To be saved is to always have the obligation to follow, to obey, to say, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’