The Centurion

I hope and pray that we can receive the revelation of the authority we have as ambassadors for Jesus Christ, as His kings and priests, as children of God, as the ones filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Centurion: A Roman non-commissioned officer who was in command of a 100 men. They were chosen by merit and were men of integrity and sound mind. The New Testament spoke of the Centurions in terms of praise. They carried a staff of vinewood as a badge of their office. The Centurion was the “corrections” officer, the one who was in charge of keeping the peace. In today’s terms, I would compare the Centurion to the County Sheriff and Chief of Police. Matt 8:5-13 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, The Centurion had compassion on his servant. Humility is considered the greatest virtue in the Kingdom of God. This Centurion was not only humble, he had a submitted heart. He knew, in order to be in authority, he had to be under authority. If we are under the authority of Jesus Christ, we walk in great authority. Authority in words: The Centurion understood the power and authority in words. When words are spoken with authority; considerate it done. Jesus turned around to speak this to those who followed Him, and not directly to the Centurion. Jesus was called Rabbi which means “teacher” and Jesus is fantastic at seizing the moment to teach His disciples. Real life learning. The Centurion was not a Jew or a believer (as far as we know) and he worked for the government, the ones who oppressed the Jews and yet Jesus marveled at his great faith! What happens next is even more profound. Jesus prophesies about people gathering with the founding Patriarchs of the Jewish nation and that they would “sit down” with them in the Kingdom of Heaven. To “sit down” indicates a position of authority. Eph 2:1-10 , Eph 3:10, tells us through grace we are raised up together and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come (end times) He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. God prepared us for good works before we were born, showing His workmanship and manifold wisdom through us to the principalities, powers and rulers of darkness of this age. Through God’s grace and authority, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ (Rev 11:15). Jesus marvels at the revelation of authority coming from the Centurion and connects it to the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. What are we believing for? Are we believing in faith or fear? For freedom or bondage? For depression or joy? For hope or despair? Same-old same-old, or something new? What did you come here today to see and believe? This Centurion was compassionate, humble, submitted, under authority, in authority, loved the nation, worked for the government, built a synagogue and had great faith. As far as we know, he was not saved, but he was God’s minister. Pride is considered the greatest sin because it was the fundamental sin of Satan when he first sinned. Pride inevitably leads to rebellion (SFLB). Pride blocks the fear of the Lord and can lead to an attitude “I know better than God.” Prov 22:4 Humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. The truths and the mysteries of God are only received by those who are humble. Pride brings a critical spirit. Humility brings a spirit of unity and a child-like faith to learn deep revelations of the Father. 1 Peter 5:5-11 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Resist: Strong’s #498 antitassomai; to range oneself against, i.e. oppose: Webster; to fight against. Pride is one of the most deceptive spirits, and when we come to God with pride in our heart, God resists that spirit of pride and it can feel like God is resisting us and cause anguish, anxiety, confusion, and depression. We are to resist the devil, and one of the best ways to do this is with a humble-submitted heart to Jesus, allowing His grace to flow through us and bring victory. Pride is an open door for the devil to operate in our heart and at the same time it makes it more difficult to hear from God. Grace: Strong’s # 5485 charis, from chara “joy” and chairo “to rejoice.” It is the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in our life that brings favor, benefits, joy, gratitude, liberality and pleasure. It is unmerited favor and underserved blessings, a free gift from God. Grace is not only our free gift of salvation, but it is also the power-word describing the Holy Spirit’s operational means. Grace is a force as well as a favor, being a verb as well as a noun. Grace is the power to overcome sin, not the power to live with it. Pride works against grace. Humility, obedience and submission put us under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt us in due time! We shout “Grace! Grace to this mountain!” (Zech 4:7)