Mar Mari Emmanuel teaches that Jesus recognizes great faith in those who humbly submit to God's authority, even if they feel like strangers or outsiders.
In this devotional sermon, Mar Mari Emmanuel explores how Jesus sees great faith in those who humbly submit to God's authority, even if they feel like strangers or outsiders. He emphasizes the destructive nature of pride and the power of humility to restore the image of God in believers. Through the example of the centurion and biblical truths, the speaker encourages Christians to live for Christ, not themselves, and to embrace unity and submission within the body of Christ.
Full Transcript
The sin begins from the inside. The spirit is killed by pride. You see satan was an angel and from the highest level of angelic orders.
He was from the cherubims. Cherubims are the highest level in the angelic orders. From the highest level he went down to the lowest of the lowest levels because of pride.
Pride. That's what killed satan. Pride.
Pride is the killer of the spirit. And this is what satan tries to do with the christians. To get to the spirit and kill it.
He engulfs that person with self-pride. When that pride is not dealt with and it goes out to the outside, it deforms the image from the sun and makes it a slave and then what happens eventually? You become paralyzed, dead. So the pagan world was dead and the israelite, the firstborn son to the almighty God was deformed.
The son became a slave. The image is deformed. So the Lord Jesus who spoke with authority because he is the king, he is the ruler, he is God the creator.
He came to bring the image back once again to the way he created it from the very beginning. The image of the son not a slave. He cleansed the deformity, leprosy and brought the image back to clarity.
The son and with the dead with one word he said Lazarus come forth because the word not only says but it does. The difference between God's word and our words is this, we say but nothing happens. We just say, we just talk, we become a noise pollution quite often but when God speaks things change.
We speak nothing happens. The word has authority. It says and things change and God saw it was dark.
Genesis and God said let there be light and light came on board. I can go out now when it's dark and I can say from now till kingdom comes let there be light, let there be light. My words are nothing.
Nothing will change because they don't have authority. The only time my word will have authority when my will goes hand in hand with the will of God. Meaning when I do his will not my will.
When I do his word not my word. When I live his way not my way. Then it is God talking now because he's engulfed me but if I am filled with pride God cannot live in those who are boastful of themselves.
God only dwells in those who are down to earth humble. Then when God engulfs you when you talk he's talking. Now the centurion said to the Lord Jesus I'm not worthy for you to come under my roof and he called him Lord.
Amazing. Somebody that has never seen Jesus Christ of Nazareth, somebody that is not a Jew or of the Israelite nation believed in him before even getting to him. Yet his own people crucified him and isn't it the case your own family goes against you but total strangers worship you and adore you.
Isn't it? Isn't it the case? The very people whom you have given your life up for them they see you as their enemy but strangers which you've done nothing for they'll come and say we love you but those who are close family members they say we hate you. He said I'm not worthy to come under my roof just say a word because I'm under authority. When I say to this soldier go he goes he listens and I say to the soldier come he runs coming just say the word I believe my servant is going to be healed.
The Lord marveled at this. He was astonished. He said incredible I have never seen such faith in all of Israel.
So you Israelite whom you claim to be the only chosen people of God this pagan man surpassed you all. This pagan worshiper surpassed all of you who claim to be worshiping the true God and it is the same thing today. The Lord is fair and it is the same thing history is repeating itself once again.
Christians who claim they worship the only true divine God are crucifying him again and those who are total strangers coming to Christ surpassing the faith of those who were born in a Christian family. Non-Christians come today they have such faith for the Lord more than all those who lived Christianity all their life. He only came the other day and overrides all of your faith put together.
Don't ever be boastful that you're a Christian and God chose you like the people of the old testament thought they were the chosen people of God. God chooses those who are willing to live for him not for themselves. God never differentiates never.
Some people say the new testament was written in Greek. Well if you're going to be boastful of that I can be more boastful than you. I'll say to you well the new testament was spoken in Aramaic my language.
So which one comes first? Christ spoke in Aramaic, didn't speak in Greek. So he's my fellow. That is childish, childish argument.
Stop being boastful. Live humility. Live self-denial.
Live the Lord not you. Live the Lord. I have authority and as long as I'm under authority that's centurion.
Whose authority was he under? Caesar, Augustus Caesar the king. He said as long as I am under the authority of Caesar and what does that mean under the authority of Caesar? As long as I am adhering to the laws and the rules of Caesar my king. Whatever I say has authority and I believe that you are also under authority Jesus as the human side as the son of man.
I know you are under authority. Whose authority are you under? God and as long as you are under God's authority whatever you say goes. So as long as the human side of you is under the authority of the defined side of you whatever you say as the human God is talking.
You see I bring two people and I bring a a dead person. I place them, I place that dead person in front of the two. Both of them I ask them to say the our father prayer on this dead person.
One will come and say the our father nothing happens. The other one will come and say the our father and the dead rises. Why? It's the same prayer.
It's the same words invoked but there is a difference. The one who said it and the dead did not rise he said it his way but the one who said it and the dead rose he said it God said it through him and the only time God will say it through you is when you are not living for you but living for him. That was the secret of Jesus the man.
He was fully submissive to the divine. Christ perfect God perfect man at the same time. That perfect man was fully submissive to that perfect God that was in the person of Christ.
When that perfect man was fully submissive to the divine perfect God whatever the man said it was God saying because the man never lived for himself. Everything he said, everything he did, every step he took it was to glorify the divine not the human side and if we as human beings live the way Jesus the man lived we will do the same thing he did. When you say to the dead rise they will rise.
If you are fully submissive like Jesus that's the secret. Why the world is against God? The world is full of pride, self-pride. When a person is has too much pride in them unfortunately something very not very nice comes into their life called jealousy and when jealousy kicks in it's very destructive, very destructive.
My son, my daughter say to yourself this I could be wrong then I will give the chance to say to my dad I'm sorry because I could be wrong. Don't be stubborn that's another thing that pride brings stubbornness very ugly they're all ugly see the picture the image is deformed. Don't be stubborn because if you remain stubborn you will hurt yourself at the end 100 percent so say to yourself I could be wrong and I need to apologize for maybe I was wrong.
There is absolutely no shame, no humiliation when you say sorry. You will not lose your stars, you will not lose your position, you will not lose your fame. In fact when you come and humble yourself before God it is then and then only you receive glory and honor.
When you humble yourself before God I beg all of us I'm saying this to me before I say it to you I beg all of us as one family in Christ as true Christian believers as true Christian followers of the only true living Christ the king of all kings and the lord of all lords I beg you we must beg the lord through his grace to give us this gift of humility where I come in absolute humility and I say to my brother to my sister in Christ I'm sorry please forgive me I apologize because maybe I was wrong maybe I have crossed the line with you and if I had offended you knowingly or unknowingly I apologize for both forgive me when you speak this language satan is decimated trust me well don't trust me trust the lord but it's the lord speaking through this piece of rick satan is decimated the moment satan is decimated pride is gone the spirit goes back to that very initial image you become the son believe me when you become the son you don't need to search for Jesus Christ anymore because Jesus by then had already found you he will come to you you don't need to look for him he finds we can't find him we're not that smart but he finds us be humble my child humility it's got nothing to do with you being right or wrong forget about that we are not here to prove who's right and who's wrong we are here to live for Christ not for ourselves if father Daniel where is he oh he doesn't like me or something come on father come here father then put your hands together father Daniel if I he's a priest I'm a priest but when we say he's a priest I'm a bishop this is administrative roles but the rank is one priesthood in priesthood we are one and I prove that to you the very holy mass which father Daniel is is celebrating today it is exactly the same mass I celebrate as a bishop if I was higher than him in the priesthood I should have celebrated something much more magnificent much more bigger but it's the same words same same same same same same same same same but in administrative roles I'm a bishop he's a priest his jurisdiction defers to my jurisdiction and then the archbishop and then the patriarch or the pope each one has a different administrative role but the rank is one priesthood all one the pope celebrate the same mass as a simple humble priest there is no difference if I come therefore we are now brothers in Christ we share the same rank and it's the rank of the Lord Jesus so if I come we're family now and I prove that father Daniel far from you huh that I love you that that father Daniel is wrong and then I prove it I was really preparing myself for this court case you know I was ready to say and prove it before the whole church that it was father Daniel's fault and it wasn't mine and I proved it in front of everyone with evidence that it was his fault not my fault I have failed miserably as a bishop his failure is my failure his success is my success if we both live for Christ not for ourselves yes I love you father Daniel and I pray that I'm always wrong and you're always right
Sermon Outline
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I. The Problem of Pride and Its Spiritual Consequences
- Pride kills the spirit and deforms the image of God in man
- Satan's fall due to pride serves as a warning
- Pride leads to spiritual death and slavery
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II. Jesus Restores the Image and Authority of the Son
- Jesus cleanses the deformity and brings clarity to the image
- God's word has authority when aligned with His will
- The centurion’s faith exemplifies submission to authority
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III. The Importance of Humility and Submission
- Humility invites God’s presence and power
- Living for God, not self, enables God to speak through us
- Apologizing and forgiving break pride and restore relationships
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IV. Unity in Christ Beyond Roles and Titles
- All believers share one priesthood regardless of administrative roles
- Success and failure are shared when living for Christ
- Love and humility build true Christian family unity
Key Quotes
“Pride is the killer of the spirit.” — Mar Mari Emmanuel
“The Lord marveled at this. He was astonished. He said incredible I have never seen such faith in all of Israel.” — Mar Mari Emmanuel
“When you humble yourself before God it is then and then only you receive glory and honor.” — Mar Mari Emmanuel
Application Points
- Examine your heart for pride and ask God to cultivate humility within you.
- Submit your will to God's authority so that His word can have power through your life.
- Practice forgiveness and reconciliation to break the power of pride in relationships.
