WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.036 --> 00:00:04.839 What do I have to do now to earn my way back into God's presence? 2 00:00:06.420 --> 00:00:07.681 And a lot of people think this way. 3 00:00:07.721 --> 00:00:10.664 Man, maybe now I got to fast. 4 00:00:11.204 --> 00:00:12.525 I'll volunteer at church. 5 00:00:13.446 --> 00:00:14.627 You know, I got those clothes. 6 00:00:14.667 --> 00:00:16.708 I should put them in the bag, bring them to goodwill. 7 00:00:16.728 --> 00:00:20.511 When you're trying, what, you're trying to earn forgiveness of sins? 8 00:00:20.912 --> 00:00:22.933 You've already been forgiven of all your sins. 9 00:00:23.354 --> 00:00:24.595 And he didn't leave you. 10 00:00:26.335 --> 00:00:28.457 Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. 11 00:00:28.677 --> 00:00:35.024 Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that He has for us. 12 00:00:35.724 --> 00:00:41.190 If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com. 13 00:00:41.510 --> 00:00:42.851 That's citylightnyc.com. 14 00:00:44.833 --> 00:00:51.940 Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. 15 00:00:52.661 --> 00:01:02.551 As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you. 16 00:01:05.474 --> 00:01:07.116 Are you ready for the Word of God this morning? 17 00:01:07.896 --> 00:01:08.237 Amen. 18 00:01:10.187 --> 00:01:11.768 Last week, we had a good time. 19 00:01:11.788 --> 00:01:17.390 The Lord was here, and we talked about some Christian essentials, some Christian basics. 20 00:01:18.050 --> 00:01:21.711 Knowing that you have right standing with God because of the blood of Jesus. 21 00:01:22.152 --> 00:01:25.893 Knowing that you are holy and without blame before him in love. 22 00:01:26.293 --> 00:01:32.836 This is vital because way too many Christians actually don't have a confidence before the Lord. 23 00:01:33.356 --> 00:01:34.857 They're walking contradiction. 24 00:01:35.277 --> 00:01:39.720 They feel that God only approves of them when they are doing everything right. 25 00:01:40.160 --> 00:01:46.323 But as you know, to do everything right all of the time is impossible. 26 00:01:46.544 --> 00:01:48.064 That doesn't mean you should welcome sin. 27 00:01:48.144 --> 00:01:49.645 It doesn't mean you should welcome failure. 28 00:01:49.986 --> 00:01:53.728 But if you're going to look at God's holy and righteous standard, whoo! 29 00:01:54.648 --> 00:01:59.690 I mean, it's like scoring a 1600 on the SAT times a thousand. 30 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:02.911 That's why you need a savior to save you. 31 00:02:03.011 --> 00:02:08.974 That's why you need the blood, because the blood cleanses you and makes you accepted. 32 00:02:09.994 --> 00:02:11.495 And makes you approved. 33 00:02:12.478 --> 00:02:15.639 And it actually makes you completely like Jesus. 34 00:02:15.679 --> 00:02:22.941 So that when God the Father looks at you, he sees the very righteousness of Jesus on you and in you. 35 00:02:23.301 --> 00:02:28.903 And so you, as a born-again child of God, know that you are forgiven of all your sins. 36 00:02:29.323 --> 00:02:31.944 Even when you fall, you're still forgiven. 37 00:02:32.164 --> 00:02:33.204 You're still loved. 38 00:02:33.405 --> 00:02:35.965 And there's no shame and guilt and condemnation on you. 39 00:02:36.265 --> 00:02:39.026 So you always have boldness to come to the Lord. 40 00:02:39.486 --> 00:02:41.107 See, Satan hates you being bold. 41 00:02:42.608 --> 00:02:43.528 He does not like boldness. 42 00:02:43.548 --> 00:02:46.609 And boldness can only come from understanding that you are righteous. 43 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:51.471 The Bible says the righteous are as bold as a lion. 44 00:02:54.052 --> 00:02:56.813 In prayer, you get to see who's bold and who's not. 45 00:02:57.874 --> 00:02:59.454 And it has nothing to do with decibel level. 46 00:03:01.035 --> 00:03:02.035 How loud you pray. 47 00:03:02.956 --> 00:03:06.037 But there's people, you're going to think I'm talking about that. 48 00:03:06.057 --> 00:03:06.917 I'm not talking about you. 49 00:03:07.317 --> 00:03:08.198 I don't know how you pray. 50 00:03:08.218 --> 00:03:08.738 I'm not there. 51 00:03:10.518 --> 00:03:11.759 But I witnessed it enough. 52 00:03:12.885 --> 00:03:14.506 Like where we minister in Guatemala. 53 00:03:14.526 --> 00:03:16.567 They've been religiously beaten down so much. 54 00:03:17.107 --> 00:03:21.049 They always come to God like... 55 00:03:21.369 --> 00:03:23.150 It sounds like somebody's choking out a cat. 56 00:03:24.870 --> 00:03:27.632 Oh, glory a Dios. 57 00:03:27.952 --> 00:03:30.333 They'll actually be laughing and joking and they say, let's pray. 58 00:03:30.373 --> 00:03:31.333 And then they all get miserable. 59 00:03:32.654 --> 00:03:33.414 They're all laughing. 60 00:03:33.454 --> 00:03:34.435 Normal person, let's pray. 61 00:03:34.875 --> 00:03:37.416 Oh, take the head off. 62 00:03:38.276 --> 00:03:39.697 Quivering and shaking and... 63 00:03:40.843 --> 00:03:42.284 It's just weird behavior. 64 00:03:42.965 --> 00:03:43.925 He's your father. 65 00:03:44.446 --> 00:03:45.306 He loves you. 66 00:03:45.687 --> 00:03:48.289 He was there, by the way, when you were cracking jokes at lunch. 67 00:03:49.189 --> 00:03:49.970 He didn't get scared. 68 00:03:49.990 --> 00:03:50.390 What do you think? 69 00:03:50.410 --> 00:03:51.411 He's, oh, this is not for me. 70 00:03:53.032 --> 00:03:53.953 He was right there. 71 00:03:53.973 --> 00:03:57.335 And now you can pray to him in the same voice. 72 00:03:57.615 --> 00:04:01.178 And you can know that you can say, in Jesus' name, you're right there. 73 00:04:01.698 --> 00:04:03.840 And he accepts you and approves of you. 74 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:05.902 And this is an essential foundation. 75 00:04:06.862 --> 00:04:08.984 Do you know when Satan caused man to sin... 76 00:04:12.028 --> 00:04:12.888 Let me rephrase that. 77 00:04:13.028 --> 00:04:20.191 When Satan tempted man to sin, and man fell into sin, the very first fruit of that first rebellion of Adam and Eve was fear. 78 00:04:22.091 --> 00:04:23.192 God said, where are you, Adam? 79 00:04:23.332 --> 00:04:25.873 Adam said, I was afraid and I hid myself. 80 00:04:26.913 --> 00:04:28.273 He robbed him of confidence. 81 00:04:28.313 --> 00:04:29.554 He robbed him of boldness. 82 00:04:30.254 --> 00:04:37.216 But the Bible says, because of the blood of Jesus, this is a direct quote, you now have access with confidence. 83 00:04:37.877 --> 00:04:41.978 So if you don't have confidence when you pray, boldness is a direct quote. 84 00:04:45.242 --> 00:04:46.243 You're being deceived. 85 00:04:47.363 --> 00:04:48.484 Satan's lying to you. 86 00:04:49.544 --> 00:04:51.585 You might say, well, I just don't feel like I can. 87 00:04:51.605 --> 00:04:52.766 Well, that's the problem. 88 00:04:52.786 --> 00:04:54.307 You're going by your feelings. 89 00:04:56.148 --> 00:04:58.229 Your feelings don't change the word of God. 90 00:04:58.249 --> 00:05:00.290 The word of God changes your feelings. 91 00:05:01.310 --> 00:05:02.211 Hallelujah. 92 00:05:02.231 --> 00:05:05.752 There have been times when I've fallen. 93 00:05:06.873 --> 00:05:07.994 You want to hear the details? 94 00:05:08.514 --> 00:05:08.854 Too bad. 95 00:05:10.925 --> 00:05:12.186 Tom's fault. 96 00:05:12.826 --> 00:05:13.907 Blood coming out the side. 97 00:05:14.628 --> 00:05:16.229 That's what it looked like in the spirit, you know. 98 00:05:19.271 --> 00:05:22.914 But probably in the spirit it looked more like me falling down into a port-a-potty. 99 00:05:27.077 --> 00:05:28.278 And you have a decision to make. 100 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:30.940 When do I pray? 101 00:05:31.121 --> 00:05:32.361 When do I go back to God? 102 00:05:33.843 --> 00:05:35.004 How do I talk to him next? 103 00:05:36.083 --> 00:05:37.844 He warned me not to go in the porta potty. 104 00:05:38.425 --> 00:05:39.365 I went in there anyway. 105 00:05:39.906 --> 00:05:41.226 He warned me the floor was loose. 106 00:05:41.627 --> 00:05:43.248 Next thing you know, I come out like a smurf. 107 00:05:43.268 --> 00:05:44.689 I'm covered in the blue chemicals. 108 00:05:45.629 --> 00:05:47.771 People can smell me a quarter of a mile down the road. 109 00:05:49.912 --> 00:05:53.715 What do I have to do now to earn my way back into God's presence? 110 00:05:55.290 --> 00:05:56.531 And a lot of people think this way. 111 00:05:56.591 --> 00:05:59.553 Man, maybe now, I got to fast. 112 00:06:00.054 --> 00:06:01.395 I'll volunteer at church. 113 00:06:02.295 --> 00:06:03.476 You know, I got those clothes. 114 00:06:03.516 --> 00:06:05.578 I should put them in the bag, bring them to goodwill. 115 00:06:05.998 --> 00:06:09.341 Well, you're trying to earn forgiveness of sins. 116 00:06:09.761 --> 00:06:11.802 You've already been forgiven of all your sins. 117 00:06:12.203 --> 00:06:13.504 And he didn't leave you. 118 00:06:14.104 --> 00:06:17.167 Can you believe that God himself, as you emerge out of that port-a-potty? 119 00:06:17.687 --> 00:06:19.008 I'm going to stick with this analogy. 120 00:06:21.598 --> 00:06:24.401 God is right there saying, come back home, daughter. 121 00:06:24.521 --> 00:06:25.482 Come back home, son. 122 00:06:25.802 --> 00:06:26.303 I'm right here. 123 00:06:27.464 --> 00:06:30.427 Yeah, you smell bad, but you're not bad enough that you put me off. 124 00:06:30.467 --> 00:06:36.933 In fact, if you'll just look to my son Jesus, the blood will instantly cleanse you, and that nasty blue will be right off you. 125 00:06:38.935 --> 00:06:39.616 Hallelujah. 126 00:06:41.077 --> 00:06:43.440 So that's kind of what we talked about last week. 127 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:44.461 Sons the port-a-potty. 128 00:06:45.988 --> 00:06:50.810 And this week, which is the natural progression of the message of right standing with God. 129 00:06:51.370 --> 00:06:53.331 And total forgiveness of sins. 130 00:06:55.192 --> 00:06:56.693 I have to emphasize, total. 131 00:06:57.273 --> 00:06:58.834 Because a lot of Christians believe it's 98%. 132 00:06:58.894 --> 00:07:05.857 Yeah, they will never say that, but the way they behave, that's actually, they reveal what they believe. 133 00:07:08.355 --> 00:07:11.359 The next message is the Lordship of Christ. 134 00:07:12.260 --> 00:07:25.717 Because when you realize how much he loves you and how much he's forgiven you, and Jesus' words come to mind, he who is forgiven much also loves much, then Jesus says, I've given you everything. 135 00:07:25.737 --> 00:07:26.658 I've given you heaven. 136 00:07:27.863 --> 00:07:29.705 I've given you forgiveness of sins. 137 00:07:30.025 --> 00:07:32.708 I've given you access with confidence into my presence. 138 00:07:33.048 --> 00:07:34.610 I've given you relationship with me. 139 00:07:34.890 --> 00:07:37.012 I've given you truckloads of mercy. 140 00:07:37.593 --> 00:07:40.977 Now, what I ask of you is you give me everything. 141 00:07:41.137 --> 00:07:45.801 Since I gave you everything, I want you to give me your life just like I gave my life for you. 142 00:07:45.842 --> 00:07:47.944 It's called surrendering to his lordship. 143 00:07:49.005 --> 00:07:50.506 But when you understand how good he is... 144 00:07:51.227 --> 00:07:52.148 That's not so hard. 145 00:07:52.708 --> 00:08:01.475 But when you haven't tasted and seen that the Lord is good, I mean, when I first read the Bible, I'm like, this guy's asking for too much. 146 00:08:03.817 --> 00:08:08.441 One of the first things people leading me to the Lord read was Matthew 5, 6, and 7, the Beatitudes. 147 00:08:08.481 --> 00:08:09.061 I'm like, what? 148 00:08:10.282 --> 00:08:11.663 He's asking for too much. 149 00:08:11.683 --> 00:08:12.384 Who can do this? 150 00:08:13.725 --> 00:08:15.266 Who lives such a surrendered life? 151 00:08:15.366 --> 00:08:18.409 Maybe some weird, radical, religious zealot. 152 00:08:18.769 --> 00:08:19.370 Who does this? 153 00:08:20.088 --> 00:08:21.008 Well, Christians do it. 154 00:08:22.249 --> 00:08:23.229 You say, but that's so hard. 155 00:08:23.309 --> 00:08:24.150 No, it's not hard. 156 00:08:24.190 --> 00:08:24.970 It's impossible. 157 00:08:27.131 --> 00:08:28.971 It's impossible when you're fully yourself. 158 00:08:29.812 --> 00:08:45.398 But when you die to self and receive his life, and you can say, I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. 159 00:08:46.158 --> 00:08:50.400 New life springs up from within you and it becomes possible. 160 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.503 Not because of your discipline or your self-effort or your spectacular character. 161 00:08:54.843 --> 00:08:57.204 Because of the power of the Holy Ghost working within. 162 00:08:58.505 --> 00:08:59.265 Hallelujah. 163 00:09:00.786 --> 00:09:02.347 So let's talk about Lordship. 164 00:09:03.568 --> 00:09:07.370 Luke chapter 6 verse 46. 165 00:09:08.751 --> 00:09:10.592 Start off a little bit different in this service. 166 00:09:11.793 --> 00:09:14.254 Ooh, start off very combatively. 167 00:09:15.054 --> 00:09:15.715 Aggressively. 168 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:18.222 Because this is an important question. 169 00:09:18.282 --> 00:09:24.829 Jesus said, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say? 170 00:09:25.630 --> 00:09:26.732 You know religious people? 171 00:09:26.812 --> 00:09:28.053 I know a lot of religious people. 172 00:09:28.093 --> 00:09:34.661 Now that I've moved to Long Island, after 45 plus years in New York City, moved to Long Island, religious people everywhere. 173 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:43.442 Talk about going to church, completely reprobate life, completely unsubmitted life. 174 00:09:44.282 --> 00:09:45.223 What would the Lord say to them? 175 00:09:45.243 --> 00:09:49.025 Why do you call me Lord and you don't actually do anything I say? 176 00:09:50.326 --> 00:09:52.107 You haven't surrendered to my Lordship. 177 00:09:53.048 --> 00:09:55.269 His title is Lord and Savior. 178 00:09:55.389 --> 00:09:58.551 A lot of people want to receive him as Savior because that's the fun part. 179 00:09:58.591 --> 00:10:01.113 You save me from my sins and you save me from hell. 180 00:10:01.373 --> 00:10:04.935 But the Lord part, because I do what I want. 181 00:10:10.254 --> 00:10:13.436 My daughter, she likes to joke around and say, you're not the boss of me. 182 00:10:16.318 --> 00:10:19.040 And she does it because she knows I'm just going to get a funny response. 183 00:10:19.540 --> 00:10:20.621 But she goes, I do what I want. 184 00:10:20.641 --> 00:10:21.461 You're not the boss of me. 185 00:10:24.964 --> 00:10:25.884 You do what you want. 186 00:10:33.029 --> 00:10:34.009 I did what I wanted. 187 00:10:34.950 --> 00:10:36.671 It never resulted in anything good. 188 00:10:37.532 --> 00:10:39.353 It always resulted in pain. 189 00:10:41.318 --> 00:10:45.501 When I controlled my life, oh, I always made a royal mess of things. 190 00:10:49.683 --> 00:10:54.926 Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. 191 00:10:55.847 --> 00:10:58.809 So Jesus is saying, you hear my sayings. 192 00:10:58.829 --> 00:10:59.809 There's two kinds of people. 193 00:10:59.969 --> 00:11:04.312 One who hears my sayings and goes, wow, that's nice, powerful. 194 00:11:06.172 --> 00:11:07.273 but doesn't do them. 195 00:11:07.933 --> 00:11:10.715 They're a hearer of the word, not a doer of the word. 196 00:11:11.556 --> 00:11:15.759 And then there's someone who hears and goes, I'm going to do what you're telling me to do. 197 00:11:16.220 --> 00:11:18.821 And I'm not going to do what you're telling me not to do. 198 00:11:19.382 --> 00:11:23.205 It's actually me yielding my life to your lordship. 199 00:11:24.855 --> 00:11:37.065 This was, by the way, when I got saved, because Christianity doesn't change, biblically speaking, but it gets influenced, unfortunately, by outside culture. 200 00:11:37.985 --> 00:11:45.771 So when I got saved, August 14, 1992, the message of the lordship of Jesus was already packed into the way the gospel was presented to me. 201 00:11:46.032 --> 00:11:47.333 They said, you need to get saved. 202 00:11:47.413 --> 00:11:52.317 You need to repent of your sins, receive Jesus as your lord and savior, and kiss your old life goodbye. 203 00:11:53.374 --> 00:12:04.103 But now the message has become more like, hey, you know, because it's been repackaged into more of like this TED Talk Life Coach Success Now package. 204 00:12:04.183 --> 00:12:12.369 Where you get to still be the boss of you, do whatever you want, and God kind of comes along as your coach on the ride. 205 00:12:13.170 --> 00:12:21.656 And sugar daddy, because he's got all the good stuff, and he'll give you stuff and sprinkle blessings on you, but essentially you get to still do whatever you want, whenever you want it. 206 00:12:21.856 --> 00:12:22.957 And that's not the gospel. 207 00:12:23.097 --> 00:12:28.461 And if you live that way, you're going to end up at best frustrated, at worst completely devastated. 208 00:12:29.221 --> 00:12:30.382 And that's not God's will for you. 209 00:12:31.303 --> 00:12:32.984 His lordship is vital. 210 00:12:33.024 --> 00:12:34.065 It's a part of the gospel. 211 00:12:34.785 --> 00:12:35.686 Go back one verse. 212 00:12:36.810 --> 00:12:42.272 Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings and actually does them, I will show you who he is like. 213 00:12:42.592 --> 00:12:44.312 He is like a man building a house. 214 00:12:44.492 --> 00:12:45.813 That house is your life. 215 00:12:47.413 --> 00:12:49.754 Who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. 216 00:12:49.874 --> 00:12:57.256 And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 217 00:12:58.776 --> 00:13:01.317 But he who heard and did nothing... 218 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:12.247 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. 219 00:13:13.568 --> 00:13:16.430 So before every Christian is a fork in the road. 220 00:13:17.690 --> 00:13:19.451 One is I surrender to Jesus. 221 00:13:19.891 --> 00:13:21.833 I give him the entirety of my life. 222 00:13:22.093 --> 00:13:24.854 Because if he's not Lord of all, he's not Lord at all. 223 00:13:25.255 --> 00:13:25.675 There's that. 224 00:13:26.195 --> 00:13:29.017 Or there's, well, I'll still kind of keep a little bit of Jesus. 225 00:13:29.057 --> 00:13:30.318 But you know, God understands. 226 00:13:30.818 --> 00:13:31.799 And there's different levels. 227 00:13:31.899 --> 00:13:33.440 And I'm going to just take my time. 228 00:13:33.920 --> 00:13:35.701 And that's your choice. 229 00:13:35.781 --> 00:13:38.903 But you're going to end up hurting. 230 00:13:39.443 --> 00:13:46.808 This message of Lordship isn't because Jesus, God Almighty, is really insecure and has a problem with control. 231 00:13:48.411 --> 00:13:49.231 You get that, right? 232 00:13:52.953 --> 00:13:56.354 Just know I'm not a TV screen like you can actually make sounds at me. 233 00:13:56.915 --> 00:14:13.102 Nod your head and... Say it again. 234 00:14:13.122 --> 00:14:13.802 I'll say it again. 235 00:14:16.595 --> 00:14:18.577 When I want to, not when you tell me to. 236 00:14:18.597 --> 00:14:19.938 No, I'll say it again. 237 00:14:19.958 --> 00:14:21.839 I do what I want. 238 00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:25.703 No, I'll say it again with a different angle. 239 00:14:26.083 --> 00:14:26.323 All right. 240 00:14:29.846 --> 00:14:32.889 Like some people think that God is just really, really uptight. 241 00:14:34.130 --> 00:14:35.131 And he's got these rules. 242 00:14:35.491 --> 00:14:36.892 And that's why he has these commandments. 243 00:14:37.373 --> 00:14:39.574 So he says, do not just cause arbitrarily. 244 00:14:40.255 --> 00:14:42.197 And wants to see if you will or if you will not. 245 00:14:43.170 --> 00:14:43.851 That's not it. 246 00:14:43.931 --> 00:14:45.312 When God says do not steal. 247 00:14:45.352 --> 00:14:46.032 He's saying hey. 248 00:14:46.392 --> 00:14:47.633 I'm the God of prosperity. 249 00:14:47.914 --> 00:14:49.094 I'm the God of abundance. 250 00:14:50.095 --> 00:14:51.877 I have such a better way for you. 251 00:14:52.837 --> 00:14:54.218 I can actually bring you things. 252 00:14:54.238 --> 00:14:56.040 Without you having to hurt your neighbor. 253 00:14:56.760 --> 00:14:57.501 Fellow human. 254 00:14:58.622 --> 00:14:59.022 Amen. 255 00:15:00.383 --> 00:15:01.024 Hallelujah. 256 00:15:01.044 --> 00:15:02.365 When he says, I'll go there. 257 00:15:02.605 --> 00:15:07.770 When he says, don't have sex outside of the marriage covenant, that's not because God is approved. 258 00:15:08.471 --> 00:15:16.259 That's because he says, hey, listen, this thing that I created called sex is actually holy and very, very powerful covenant. 259 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:18.561 You actually touch on great power. 260 00:15:18.922 --> 00:15:20.063 It unites people. 261 00:15:20.143 --> 00:15:21.565 It binds people together. 262 00:15:21.945 --> 00:15:28.051 And so the only way that's actually blessed, this thing that I created, is within the confounds of marriage. 263 00:15:28.412 --> 00:15:29.693 So what I want is good for you. 264 00:15:29.733 --> 00:15:31.795 I'm not trying to rob your fun. 265 00:15:31.835 --> 00:15:33.477 I'm not some cosmic killjoy. 266 00:15:33.737 --> 00:15:36.560 It's because I want your quality of life to be better. 267 00:15:37.361 --> 00:15:47.124 So this message of surrendering to the Lordship of Christ isn't because God is insecure and controlling and tyrannical and just wants everybody to bend the knee. 268 00:15:47.464 --> 00:15:53.906 The message is when you do bend the knee and surrender to his Lordship, your quality of life will skyrocket. 269 00:15:54.307 --> 00:16:01.189 When the storm comes, when the hurricane winds blow, your house, the house of your life, will remain standing. 270 00:16:02.049 --> 00:16:07.153 And those who don't surrender to his lordship, at the first signs of rain, the thing collapses. 271 00:16:08.954 --> 00:16:09.835 Hallelujah. 272 00:16:14.398 --> 00:16:19.342 You know when you're tempted to not surrender to his lordship, or to go back to being the God of your life? 273 00:16:19.362 --> 00:16:20.363 Because that's really what it is. 274 00:16:20.423 --> 00:16:24.966 Either you're submitted to God Almighty, or you then become the God of your own life. 275 00:16:26.847 --> 00:16:29.870 When things aren't happening as quickly as you'd like... 276 00:16:30.678 --> 00:16:35.101 Because pastors just said, man, your quality of life will be great when you surrender to his lordship. 277 00:16:35.382 --> 00:16:38.384 But the truth is, very often, the exact opposite will happen. 278 00:16:39.225 --> 00:16:40.546 You will be frustrated. 279 00:16:40.626 --> 00:16:42.067 That's what a lot of the psalms are about. 280 00:16:42.407 --> 00:16:45.850 The psalmist is like, hey, how come all these evil people are prospering? 281 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:47.911 And the righteous people seems like they're not. 282 00:16:48.732 --> 00:16:52.294 How come these evil people, they're doing well, and I'm doing everything. 283 00:16:52.314 --> 00:16:56.918 I'm doing everything God asked of me, and I'm still just down here and praying. 284 00:16:59.669 --> 00:17:02.230 There'll always be that test. 285 00:17:02.751 --> 00:17:09.294 I was, listen, when I first launched City Light Church, I was in a windowless basement at 121 East 7th Street in the East Village of Manhattan. 286 00:17:10.235 --> 00:17:13.416 And in my mind, you know, we always have a great view of ourselves. 287 00:17:14.897 --> 00:17:17.439 In my mind, I had sacrificed everything. 288 00:17:18.659 --> 00:17:22.702 I mean, I wasn't like the Apostle Paul, but the Apostle Paul was here, I was like right below him. 289 00:17:23.382 --> 00:17:25.843 You know, in just dedication and sacrifice. 290 00:17:27.864 --> 00:17:28.905 And I was like, Lord... 291 00:17:30.168 --> 00:17:32.610 Why am I preaching to more empty seats than full seats? 292 00:17:34.391 --> 00:17:39.374 And there's no financial flow and every week is a struggle and I've given you so much. 293 00:17:41.255 --> 00:17:47.619 And then the enemy, you know, maybe you just take this into your own hands and look what you get for serving the Lord. 294 00:17:47.639 --> 00:17:51.021 And then, whoa, I recognize that as an ungodly thought. 295 00:17:51.402 --> 00:17:52.302 Lord, what are you saying? 296 00:17:52.722 --> 00:17:53.263 Continue. 297 00:17:54.441 --> 00:17:55.261 Do not be moved. 298 00:17:55.722 --> 00:17:56.882 Stay steadfast. 299 00:17:57.682 --> 00:17:58.503 Stay with me, son. 300 00:17:58.563 --> 00:17:59.803 Grab my hand even tighter. 301 00:17:59.823 --> 00:18:00.683 I'll hold yours tighter. 302 00:18:00.703 --> 00:18:01.124 I love you. 303 00:18:01.164 --> 00:18:01.564 I'm with you. 304 00:18:01.944 --> 00:18:02.784 Persevere. 305 00:18:02.804 --> 00:18:04.565 That means have endurance. 306 00:18:07.686 --> 00:18:11.488 Lord, I will still keep you, not just as Savior, but as Lord and Savior. 307 00:18:14.769 --> 00:18:15.649 You know what it will feel like? 308 00:18:15.709 --> 00:18:16.149 It's glorious. 309 00:18:16.169 --> 00:18:17.890 How many of you have seen Shawshank Redemption? 310 00:18:18.770 --> 00:18:19.711 Seriously, I want to see your hands. 311 00:18:20.111 --> 00:18:21.672 I want to see who has taste in movies. 312 00:18:22.092 --> 00:18:22.592 Good job. 313 00:18:26.467 --> 00:18:30.168 You know, at the end, you know, what's the name of the great narrator? 314 00:18:30.188 --> 00:18:30.948 I'm just blanking out. 315 00:18:31.508 --> 00:18:32.148 Morgan Freeman. 316 00:18:33.948 --> 00:18:37.729 He says the miles of crap. 317 00:18:39.749 --> 00:18:41.470 That old Stanley, his name was Stanley, right? 318 00:18:43.230 --> 00:18:43.690 Do you remember? 319 00:18:43.990 --> 00:18:44.510 Stanley, right? 320 00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:45.990 He had to crawl through. 321 00:18:47.071 --> 00:18:48.731 And you see him breathe heavy. 322 00:18:49.331 --> 00:18:52.572 That's what it'll be like. 323 00:18:52.592 --> 00:18:55.152 You're going to have to go at some point through the tunnel of... 324 00:18:57.980 --> 00:18:59.201 Andy, that's the Andy. 325 00:18:59.981 --> 00:19:04.645 You know, I should pray for Andy Stanley because his name is, never mind, I'm just joking. 326 00:19:09.288 --> 00:19:13.791 Sometimes the charismatic part of me flares up and the Pentecostal part has to beat it down. 327 00:19:19.434 --> 00:19:23.517 You're going to go through a test of his lordship and it'll probably be when you're midway through the tunnel. 328 00:19:25.462 --> 00:19:27.704 If you watch the movie, I mean, it's all toilet water. 329 00:19:27.744 --> 00:19:28.904 And he's having to crawl through it. 330 00:19:28.924 --> 00:19:30.225 He's sloshing on his face. 331 00:19:30.546 --> 00:19:31.186 He's throwing up. 332 00:19:31.526 --> 00:19:32.747 But he's crawling out of a prison. 333 00:19:32.787 --> 00:19:34.508 He dug a tunnel over 20 years. 334 00:19:34.528 --> 00:19:36.450 And he's coming out of that. 335 00:19:36.470 --> 00:19:37.470 You're going to hear that voice. 336 00:19:37.650 --> 00:19:39.912 Oh, you're forsaken. 337 00:19:40.352 --> 00:19:40.893 Turn back. 338 00:19:41.413 --> 00:19:42.694 Keep going. 339 00:19:44.315 --> 00:19:45.155 Hallelujah. 340 00:19:46.857 --> 00:19:50.719 Let's pretend it's Christmas and read Luke chapter 1, verse 26 and on. 341 00:19:54.463 --> 00:19:57.124 By the way, the way in the Old Testament is a phrase. 342 00:19:57.204 --> 00:19:59.906 Pay attention to phrases that are repeated often in the Bible. 343 00:20:00.926 --> 00:20:12.452 There's a phrase repeated often throughout the Bible to describe a rebellious people, a people that are displeasing to God, a people that God will not bless. 344 00:20:12.573 --> 00:20:13.433 And this is the phrase. 345 00:20:13.913 --> 00:20:16.735 They did whatever was right in their own eyes. 346 00:20:17.788 --> 00:20:20.529 So the question to you is what kind of life are you living? 347 00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:21.869 Are you your own God? 348 00:20:21.889 --> 00:20:23.770 Do you do whatever's right in your own eyes? 349 00:20:24.390 --> 00:20:25.530 Or do you go to the word? 350 00:20:26.171 --> 00:20:29.592 Do you go to him in prayer and say, Lord I surrender, I yield. 351 00:20:29.932 --> 00:20:32.472 All I want is what you want for me. 352 00:20:34.413 --> 00:20:39.195 One leads to blessing, fulfillment, a quality of life. 353 00:20:39.535 --> 00:20:44.276 The other one leads to, again, at best, at best you'll just be really, really frustrated. 354 00:20:45.156 --> 00:20:47.217 At worst, it's devastating. 355 00:20:49.850 --> 00:20:50.611 Hallelujah. 356 00:20:53.794 --> 00:20:54.775 I mean, for me, it's simple. 357 00:20:54.835 --> 00:20:59.960 I just take a look at whenever I do something for any period of time. 358 00:21:01.121 --> 00:21:12.693 When I say I do, I, apart from God, times of rebellion, times of moving away from him, it always ended up with me getting really, really hurt in the porta potty. 359 00:21:13.843 --> 00:21:15.043 So mama didn't raise no fool. 360 00:21:15.083 --> 00:21:18.705 I'm going to stop doing whatever's right in my own eyes and I'm going to submit to the Lord. 361 00:21:19.825 --> 00:21:23.046 If the Lord says don't do it in his written word, I'm not going to do it. 362 00:21:23.367 --> 00:21:28.789 If he says in my spirit don't do it, then I'm not going to do it. 363 00:21:30.049 --> 00:21:32.690 And this should pervade every area of your life. 364 00:21:33.751 --> 00:21:36.772 When I have to book tickets and travel, I always check in with the Lord. 365 00:21:36.792 --> 00:21:37.472 Are you okay with this? 366 00:21:37.672 --> 00:21:39.973 Do you know whenever I buy something, I check with the Lord? 367 00:21:41.569 --> 00:21:43.529 He actually wants to be Lord of your finances. 368 00:21:43.549 --> 00:21:45.030 You want your finances to be blessed? 369 00:21:46.430 --> 00:21:49.891 There's not really a threshold, but I would guess anything like over 40, 50 bucks. 370 00:21:50.471 --> 00:21:51.571 I'm like, Lord, is this okay with you? 371 00:21:51.791 --> 00:21:52.412 Just for a second. 372 00:21:52.432 --> 00:21:53.012 Lord, is this okay? 373 00:21:53.032 --> 00:21:53.412 It's okay? 374 00:21:53.452 --> 00:21:53.852 Okay, good. 375 00:21:55.912 --> 00:22:05.095 Because I remember a time when I was broke, spending most of my money on eating out because nothing will make you broke or faster than eating out. 376 00:22:06.975 --> 00:22:07.755 I would go to eat. 377 00:22:08.956 --> 00:22:10.116 I wouldn't check in with the Lord 378 00:22:11.269 --> 00:22:13.811 And then I would end up paying $21 for a hamburger. 379 00:22:13.831 --> 00:22:22.838 And I realized, oh, you know, I'm going to pray later that God bless my finances. 380 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:31.526 Meanwhile, I came into the store and they hung up six Edison bulbs and used chalk to write out the price of the burger. 381 00:22:32.246 --> 00:22:33.347 And all of a sudden it's $21. 382 00:22:33.367 --> 00:22:35.949 Did you know that? 383 00:22:36.049 --> 00:22:37.771 That's a rule in New York City. 384 00:22:38.605 --> 00:22:44.750 If you have Edison bulbs and an exposed brick wall and use chalk to write out the price of the food, you get to raise it 300%. 385 00:22:52.337 --> 00:22:53.698 I'm looking forward to next Sunday. 386 00:22:56.560 --> 00:22:57.021 Just kidding. 387 00:22:57.041 --> 00:22:58.162 I'm having the time of my life. 388 00:22:58.222 --> 00:22:58.982 I wish you'd join me. 389 00:23:02.305 --> 00:23:05.248 All right, let's pretend it's Christmas because this is when we normally read this passage. 390 00:23:09.322 --> 00:23:11.863 That example was just inviting you to check in with the Lord. 391 00:23:15.245 --> 00:23:17.606 When you go to buy something, when you go to switch jobs. 392 00:23:18.446 --> 00:23:22.448 There's some people, they're just like, Hey, I'm leaving New York City. 393 00:23:22.468 --> 00:23:23.549 Yeah? 394 00:23:23.569 --> 00:23:24.670 Where are you going? 395 00:23:25.030 --> 00:23:26.050 Timbuktu, wherever. 396 00:23:27.611 --> 00:23:29.032 What did the Lord have to say about it? 397 00:23:31.413 --> 00:23:33.554 They look at you like you just discovered fire for them. 398 00:23:34.810 --> 00:23:35.410 The Lord? 399 00:23:36.151 --> 00:23:40.912 Oh yeah, I should probably, I mean I booked my tickets and already, but I should probably check in with him. 400 00:23:41.972 --> 00:23:43.493 He might be a little late right now. 401 00:23:45.473 --> 00:23:48.634 Like what you're essentially doing is saying, I'm going this way. 402 00:23:48.814 --> 00:23:49.715 Come along God. 403 00:23:50.355 --> 00:23:53.056 Make sure you protect me, provide for me, and always be with me. 404 00:23:53.136 --> 00:23:53.416 Come on. 405 00:23:56.057 --> 00:23:57.017 Is that how it works? 406 00:23:57.597 --> 00:23:59.898 You find out where he's going and you follow after him. 407 00:24:02.728 --> 00:24:07.694 By the way, a religious mind has a hard time with this because it actually requires a relationship with the Lord. 408 00:24:07.714 --> 00:24:09.516 And religion and relationship don't mix. 409 00:24:10.357 --> 00:24:13.841 An actual relationship is two-way. 410 00:24:15.163 --> 00:24:20.429 So you're praying, you're hearing, you're leaning into him, he's leaning into you. 411 00:24:20.509 --> 00:24:21.611 It's a relationship. 412 00:24:26.950 --> 00:24:31.092 Like, I think I'm kind of a creative person. 413 00:24:31.372 --> 00:24:36.315 I got a lot of ideas, so many ideas. 414 00:24:36.355 --> 00:24:38.996 99% of them are never executed because they're my ideas. 415 00:24:39.016 --> 00:24:41.797 I get ideas all the time, Pop. 416 00:24:41.837 --> 00:24:42.518 Right, babe? 417 00:24:42.538 --> 00:24:44.819 You hear some of them and you're just, Emily's so awesome. 418 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:47.660 She's just learning to smile and go, oh, okay, all right. 419 00:24:49.661 --> 00:24:52.823 And that, as I just speak out, random ideas that pop in. 420 00:24:53.941 --> 00:24:55.502 I'm like, well, that's a good idea. 421 00:24:55.522 --> 00:24:59.305 Yeah, you know how many times I've failed miserably with good ideas? 422 00:25:00.345 --> 00:25:02.607 Good ideas versus God ideas. 423 00:25:03.808 --> 00:25:05.449 God ideas are already blessed. 424 00:25:05.729 --> 00:25:06.870 Good ideas abound. 425 00:25:08.230 --> 00:25:10.092 I'm not going to run my life with good ideas. 426 00:25:10.152 --> 00:25:11.393 You know, the little light bulb comes on. 427 00:25:13.534 --> 00:25:15.235 I think I'll quit my job. 428 00:25:15.555 --> 00:25:17.357 I think I'll go to such and such city. 429 00:25:17.737 --> 00:25:19.378 I think I'm tired of this person I'm dating. 430 00:25:19.898 --> 00:25:20.459 Whatever it is. 431 00:25:24.356 --> 00:25:27.438 Worst of those is I think I'll sell Bitcoin because we're in a bear market. 432 00:25:27.498 --> 00:25:28.899 No, that's from the pit of hell. 433 00:25:29.219 --> 00:25:29.820 Double down. 434 00:25:31.061 --> 00:25:32.001 Stack even harder. 435 00:25:33.983 --> 00:25:34.663 Hallelujah. 436 00:25:36.404 --> 00:25:41.408 All right, now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. 437 00:25:42.348 --> 00:25:46.831 To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. 438 00:25:47.231 --> 00:25:48.933 The virgin's name was Mary. 439 00:25:50.198 --> 00:25:57.140 Mary, anywhere from 14 to 17 years old, a young Hebrew woman. 440 00:25:57.740 --> 00:26:03.222 And having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. 441 00:26:03.262 --> 00:26:04.623 Blessed are you among women. 442 00:26:05.483 --> 00:26:10.405 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 443 00:26:11.205 --> 00:26:13.466 Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid. 444 00:26:13.546 --> 00:26:17.227 By the way, note that this is the first thing angels tell everyone that they meet. 445 00:26:18.184 --> 00:26:18.645 Fear not. 446 00:26:18.865 --> 00:26:19.586 Don't be afraid. 447 00:26:20.086 --> 00:26:20.647 You know why? 448 00:26:21.688 --> 00:26:22.890 Because they're terrifying. 449 00:26:23.530 --> 00:26:25.192 They're not from this place. 450 00:26:28.877 --> 00:26:30.519 They're from the very presence of God. 451 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:33.723 They're from the abode of God, the third heaven. 452 00:26:33.743 --> 00:26:33.843 Amen. 453 00:26:35.045 --> 00:26:36.225 He's radiating. 454 00:26:36.485 --> 00:26:37.546 He's explosive. 455 00:26:38.206 --> 00:26:39.826 He's probably 10 feet tall. 456 00:26:40.506 --> 00:26:43.607 This is Gabriel, by the way, not even just one of the lesser angels. 457 00:26:43.827 --> 00:26:47.468 This is an archangel who stands in the very presence of God. 458 00:26:47.688 --> 00:26:49.108 He brings the fragrance of God. 459 00:26:49.148 --> 00:26:50.468 He brings the glory of God. 460 00:26:50.808 --> 00:26:52.369 He's standing before Mary. 461 00:26:52.609 --> 00:26:54.549 She must be totally blown away. 462 00:26:55.029 --> 00:26:57.150 She's not some sophisticated person. 463 00:26:57.430 --> 00:27:00.370 This is a common girl, age 14 to 17. 464 00:27:00.710 --> 00:27:03.431 The mighty Gabriel stands and he says, "'Do not be afraid.'" 465 00:27:03.931 --> 00:27:05.591 For you have found favor with God. 466 00:27:05.912 --> 00:27:06.532 And behold. 467 00:27:06.572 --> 00:27:08.832 Now listen to the message to really appreciate. 468 00:27:09.573 --> 00:27:11.093 What Mary must have been thinking. 469 00:27:11.413 --> 00:27:14.154 You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son. 470 00:27:14.194 --> 00:27:15.674 And she'll call his name Jesus. 471 00:27:16.074 --> 00:27:16.875 He will be great. 472 00:27:17.195 --> 00:27:19.135 And will be called the son of the highest. 473 00:27:19.475 --> 00:27:22.296 And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 474 00:27:22.656 --> 00:27:24.997 So Mary minding her own business one moment. 475 00:27:25.817 --> 00:27:30.461 Next moment, archangel standing, glory of God filling that room. 476 00:27:30.481 --> 00:27:32.483 What must the atmosphere have been like in that room? 477 00:27:32.944 --> 00:27:41.251 And he announces to her, God Almighty, El Shaddai, El Elyon, El Gibor, Yahweh God is actually coming. 478 00:27:41.572 --> 00:27:43.954 And he's going to place his spirit inside of you. 479 00:27:44.234 --> 00:27:49.239 And you're the chosen vessel to bring forth Messiah, God in the flesh into this world. 480 00:27:50.645 --> 00:27:54.727 He will be great and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. 481 00:27:54.787 --> 00:27:55.787 There will be no end. 482 00:27:56.447 --> 00:28:05.431 And then Mary says, how can this be since I have never been physically intimate with another man? 483 00:28:06.611 --> 00:28:09.272 Which, by the way, you talk about rules of engagement. 484 00:28:09.292 --> 00:28:12.173 Back then, you're pregnant and not married. 485 00:28:13.694 --> 00:28:16.755 Ostracized, shamed, and oftentimes stoned. 486 00:28:20.733 --> 00:28:23.036 I feel like I need to clarify what stoned means these days. 487 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.161 Not gummies. 488 00:28:28.623 --> 00:28:29.344 Hard rocks. 489 00:28:30.485 --> 00:28:30.966 Pummeled. 490 00:28:32.527 --> 00:28:33.248 I actually felt that. 491 00:28:33.268 --> 00:28:33.869 I said stoned. 492 00:28:33.909 --> 00:28:35.271 And some people are like, that doesn't sound so bad. 493 00:28:35.291 --> 00:28:35.651 But... 494 00:28:38.256 --> 00:28:38.817 Next verse. 495 00:28:39.357 --> 00:28:45.502 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. 496 00:28:45.542 --> 00:28:50.366 Therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 497 00:28:51.127 --> 00:28:59.313 Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 498 00:28:59.714 --> 00:29:02.596 For with God nothing will be impossible. 499 00:29:03.677 --> 00:29:06.459 So this is not an easy message to receive. 500 00:29:06.479 --> 00:29:07.340 You get that, right? 501 00:29:08.996 --> 00:29:11.396 Some of you get a text message, a phone call, and it rattles you. 502 00:29:12.737 --> 00:29:15.697 Archangel Gabriel, you're married. 503 00:29:15.717 --> 00:29:16.637 You're not even married. 504 00:29:16.718 --> 00:29:17.598 You've never had sex. 505 00:29:17.618 --> 00:29:18.458 You're going to be pregnant. 506 00:29:18.718 --> 00:29:19.458 Don't worry about it, though. 507 00:29:19.498 --> 00:29:21.939 It's God Almighty himself growing inside of you. 508 00:29:25.139 --> 00:29:26.259 What should the response be? 509 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:27.280 I mean, she's terrified. 510 00:29:27.620 --> 00:29:29.420 Joseph might not believe her. 511 00:29:32.120 --> 00:29:34.481 The village most definitely won't believe her. 512 00:29:35.935 --> 00:29:37.396 Look at her gut response. 513 00:29:37.476 --> 00:29:38.897 Look at the heart of Mary. 514 00:29:39.978 --> 00:29:44.261 And this is why I believe of all the women, God chose Mary. 515 00:29:44.521 --> 00:29:47.703 Because she had a heart that was submitted. 516 00:29:48.224 --> 00:29:51.426 A heart that welcomed the lordship of God. 517 00:29:51.926 --> 00:29:53.368 A heart that said, yes. 518 00:29:53.968 --> 00:29:55.289 She wasn't resistant. 519 00:29:55.829 --> 00:29:57.951 She didn't try to rationalize things in her head. 520 00:29:59.398 --> 00:30:02.720 Then Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord. 521 00:30:03.340 --> 00:30:07.402 Let it be to me according to your word. 522 00:30:08.242 --> 00:30:11.644 And immediately that's when the angel departed because that's all he needed to hear. 523 00:30:11.704 --> 00:30:14.425 She said, not my will, but yours be done. 524 00:30:15.386 --> 00:30:18.067 I submit, I surrender to the will of God. 525 00:30:18.367 --> 00:30:20.048 So I want to ask you a question. 526 00:30:20.588 --> 00:30:23.429 Is the will of God a priority in your life? 527 00:30:24.810 --> 00:30:28.032 Or do you do what you want to do and hope God comes along? 528 00:30:28.593 --> 00:30:32.255 One will lead to a house that stands in times of hurricanes. 529 00:30:33.056 --> 00:30:35.037 The other will lead to a house that gets leveled. 530 00:30:35.437 --> 00:30:37.159 One will lead to a fulfilled life. 531 00:30:37.459 --> 00:30:40.521 The other one will lead to, at best, a frustrated life. 532 00:30:40.561 --> 00:30:42.122 At worst, a devastated life. 533 00:30:42.863 --> 00:30:44.644 Which one will you be? 534 00:30:44.724 --> 00:30:47.125 By the way, only one of those is actually a Christian. 535 00:30:47.506 --> 00:30:48.546 The other one is a phony. 536 00:30:49.427 --> 00:30:50.528 The other one is a faker. 537 00:30:51.048 --> 00:30:52.129 The other one is a goat. 538 00:30:58.173 --> 00:30:59.693 I want to be a sheep, amen? 539 00:31:00.854 --> 00:31:01.374 Not a goat. 540 00:31:05.315 --> 00:31:08.556 So may the Lord do a deep work in our hearts that we surrender to his will. 541 00:31:09.616 --> 00:31:14.738 In the beginning, when the whole message of God's lordship was presented to me, before I even got saved, 542 00:31:15.488 --> 00:31:18.088 I mean, you know, people were that stricter. 543 00:31:18.128 --> 00:31:22.189 They communicated the cost of Christianity better without fear. 544 00:31:22.929 --> 00:31:26.750 Now we're so afraid to communicate that there is a cost to discipleship. 545 00:31:27.110 --> 00:31:31.611 We just want to, like, talk about all the benefits, and then later, slowly, we'll spring the cost on them. 546 00:31:31.651 --> 00:31:33.031 You know, kind of like a bait and switch. 547 00:31:34.091 --> 00:31:37.012 They didn't do that just 35 years ago. 548 00:31:37.072 --> 00:31:41.712 They said, now, you know, when you come to Jesus, you're going to have to stop, and they listed all my sins. 549 00:31:41.952 --> 00:31:42.533 And I went, huh? 550 00:31:43.873 --> 00:31:44.773 These guys aren't playing. 551 00:31:45.492 --> 00:31:48.253 And you're going to have to really serve him and really follow him. 552 00:31:48.273 --> 00:31:50.173 And I went, and here was my response. 553 00:31:50.213 --> 00:31:52.694 I thought, look, I'm going to tell them yes. 554 00:31:53.854 --> 00:31:56.835 But really, I'm not ready to do that. 555 00:31:58.195 --> 00:31:58.976 That was my heart. 556 00:31:58.996 --> 00:31:59.536 I'm not ready. 557 00:31:59.576 --> 00:32:00.996 Like, surrender everything? 558 00:32:01.756 --> 00:32:02.657 I don't even know him. 559 00:32:04.797 --> 00:32:05.437 That was the truth. 560 00:32:07.998 --> 00:32:10.079 So I received him as my Savior, not as my Lord. 561 00:32:10.879 --> 00:32:14.540 But in the coming days, thankfully, it took days and weeks. 562 00:32:15.850 --> 00:32:21.732 I mean, when I got saved, I got baptized in the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, baptized in water, all in the same day. 563 00:32:21.752 --> 00:32:22.933 That's just how it worked out for me. 564 00:32:23.473 --> 00:32:24.933 So I had an encounter with God. 565 00:32:25.013 --> 00:32:25.674 So what happened? 566 00:32:25.934 --> 00:32:27.634 I tasted and saw that the Lord was good. 567 00:32:28.035 --> 00:32:30.435 All of a sudden, my trust level went up. 568 00:32:30.455 --> 00:32:31.676 I got to see his goodness. 569 00:32:31.696 --> 00:32:34.257 Then I realized, oh, I can trust him with my life. 570 00:32:35.850 --> 00:32:43.192 And little by little, until I went down the slippery slope, woo, all the way, I surrendered to his lordship in a matter of weeks where I went, this is incredible. 571 00:32:43.212 --> 00:32:44.772 Lord, you're trustworthy. 572 00:32:45.593 --> 00:32:55.996 So if this message is making you recoil, like, ah, the lord asked too much, and that pastor preaching about it, he's asking too much, that's because you haven't met the lord yet. 573 00:32:57.316 --> 00:32:58.396 You think you have, you haven't. 574 00:32:58.416 --> 00:33:03.378 If you actually met him, you'd run to him, kiss his every toe, and say, I give you everything, lord. 575 00:33:03.398 --> 00:33:04.898 Take it, take it, take it. 576 00:33:05.890 --> 00:33:11.495 As long as you're holding on to your own life, you need to get to know him better. 577 00:33:12.696 --> 00:33:15.358 Those of you who've surrendered to his lordship, am I right or am I right? 578 00:33:15.378 --> 00:33:19.741 All right, did you take notes of everyone who didn't say amen, ushers? 579 00:33:20.042 --> 00:33:22.644 Quickly, because we need to email them five times a day. 580 00:33:22.944 --> 00:33:24.706 That's why I asked for that contact info. 581 00:33:26.107 --> 00:33:29.930 Jehovah's Witnesses and two elders to your house, we're going to email you five times a day. 582 00:33:32.381 --> 00:33:33.962 Philippians 3, 17. 583 00:33:34.543 --> 00:33:37.766 No, Philippians chapter 2, verse 19. 584 00:33:40.268 --> 00:33:43.231 Hallelujah. 585 00:33:43.571 --> 00:33:58.945 I even would venture to say, scripturally speaking, that a Christian who's trying to live a life unsubmitted to the Lord with one foot in the world and one foot in the Lord is more miserable than a totally unsaved person. 586 00:34:00.130 --> 00:34:06.337 actually more conflicted, more contradicted than someone who's totally unsaved. 587 00:34:06.357 --> 00:34:08.319 Because they know better, so they're conscious of that. 588 00:34:17.088 --> 00:34:17.829 He loves you. 589 00:34:19.851 --> 00:34:22.034 He loves you and he's beckoning you to let go. 590 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:28.840 Let go. 591 00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:29.901 You say, let go of what? 592 00:34:30.061 --> 00:34:31.302 Let go of your own life. 593 00:34:32.342 --> 00:34:33.083 How do I do that? 594 00:34:33.263 --> 00:34:34.704 Start by saying, Lord, I let go. 595 00:34:34.724 --> 00:34:37.125 Actually, you have to say it out loud. 596 00:34:38.486 --> 00:34:40.107 The things of God are voice activated. 597 00:34:40.127 --> 00:34:43.189 You get saved by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. 598 00:34:43.529 --> 00:34:44.389 Say, Lord, I yield. 599 00:34:45.090 --> 00:34:47.131 Even if you don't fully mean it, say it first. 600 00:34:48.032 --> 00:34:48.892 Lord, I yield. 601 00:34:48.952 --> 00:34:49.973 Help me to yield. 602 00:34:50.533 --> 00:34:51.514 Lord, I surrender. 603 00:34:51.594 --> 00:34:52.574 Help me to surrender. 604 00:34:53.014 --> 00:34:57.057 Lord, I know deep down in my heart I need you to take the reins. 605 00:34:58.545 --> 00:35:01.706 Jesus, take the wheel. 606 00:35:01.726 --> 00:35:03.347 I'm going to drive this car into a wall. 607 00:35:10.329 --> 00:35:18.651 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, Paul is writing the Philippians, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 608 00:35:20.152 --> 00:35:23.773 For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. 609 00:35:24.713 --> 00:35:26.314 Now, I had a pastor friend who, 610 00:35:27.479 --> 00:35:32.843 who was experiencing the middle of the tunnel, with the toilet water going over his face. 611 00:35:33.544 --> 00:35:34.865 Fairly new church plant. 612 00:35:36.606 --> 00:35:38.127 It was very frustrating in the beginning. 613 00:35:40.589 --> 00:35:43.151 And the Lord says, stay put. 614 00:35:43.571 --> 00:35:44.892 And that can start to feel confining. 615 00:35:47.354 --> 00:35:47.935 Confining. 616 00:35:53.189 --> 00:35:59.272 Sometimes the Lord sets you and puts limitations on you and it feels like, you know, Satan will say, don't you want your freedom? 617 00:36:02.774 --> 00:36:03.915 Don't you want to just be free? 618 00:36:03.955 --> 00:36:08.578 And you forget that it was actually Christ who set you free and you're temporarily confined so you can get even more freedom. 619 00:36:09.158 --> 00:36:10.279 Satan promises you freedom. 620 00:36:10.299 --> 00:36:11.179 You end up in bondage. 621 00:36:12.916 --> 00:36:15.857 He's going through the tunnel with the toilet water in his face. 622 00:36:16.497 --> 00:36:19.377 He's getting frustrated and breakthrough is taking too long. 623 00:36:19.877 --> 00:36:21.598 And this is a pastor. 624 00:36:21.678 --> 00:36:22.598 This is what he says to me. 625 00:36:22.618 --> 00:36:28.179 He says, you know, I've just felt like a... Tell him I'm not available right now, will you? 626 00:36:28.739 --> 00:36:29.559 He says, I'm getting... 627 00:36:30.239 --> 00:36:31.660 It's taking too long. 628 00:36:33.360 --> 00:36:35.320 And he said, I visited another pastor. 629 00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:35.980 Oh, okay. 630 00:36:36.441 --> 00:36:38.341 If there's another one involved, you must all be true. 631 00:36:39.846 --> 00:36:43.468 And he says, I realize I can do what I want. 632 00:36:44.108 --> 00:36:45.268 Christ has set me free. 633 00:36:46.029 --> 00:36:47.109 I can do what I want. 634 00:36:47.149 --> 00:36:49.370 And he starts talking about how I'm not even going to say it. 635 00:36:51.111 --> 00:36:52.891 And I go, have you lost your mind? 636 00:36:54.592 --> 00:36:56.093 What do you mean you can do what you want? 637 00:36:57.693 --> 00:36:59.194 Like, I know I can't do what I want. 638 00:37:01.455 --> 00:37:03.075 I'm on a short leash from the Lord. 639 00:37:03.796 --> 00:37:04.796 He says, oh, that sounds terrible. 640 00:37:04.836 --> 00:37:05.777 It's actually wonderful. 641 00:37:06.397 --> 00:37:09.198 Because if I got from under that leash, I would mess things up. 642 00:37:14.973 --> 00:37:17.815 Maybe one day I'll tell you actually what me and the natural would do. 643 00:37:19.375 --> 00:37:20.376 And you wouldn't like me after. 644 00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:28.200 Got them wondering now, but anyway. 645 00:37:32.103 --> 00:37:33.703 And this is the verse I quoted to him. 646 00:37:34.464 --> 00:37:36.565 I said, you just want to do what you want to do. 647 00:37:39.006 --> 00:37:40.047 In your frustration. 648 00:37:41.878 --> 00:37:45.601 Which is going to just lead to more frustration and probably devastation of your life. 649 00:37:46.521 --> 00:37:48.783 Paul said, the thing I like about Timothy. 650 00:37:48.803 --> 00:37:50.244 Hey, Philippians, I'm sending Timothy. 651 00:37:50.264 --> 00:37:51.725 And this is how he endorsed Timothy. 652 00:37:51.745 --> 00:37:57.830 The thing I like about Timothy is the others, they all seek their own. 653 00:37:58.190 --> 00:37:59.411 They just do what they want. 654 00:37:59.431 --> 00:38:00.572 They seek their own. 655 00:38:01.312 --> 00:38:02.013 That's not good. 656 00:38:02.113 --> 00:38:05.516 Timothy, however, he seeks those things which are of Christ Jesus. 657 00:38:05.556 --> 00:38:07.217 That's why I endorse him. 658 00:38:07.237 --> 00:38:08.498 That's why I endorse him. 659 00:38:09.838 --> 00:38:11.979 One is a goat, the other is a sheep. 660 00:38:14.759 --> 00:38:15.480 Hallelujah. 661 00:38:19.261 --> 00:38:21.341 Lord Jesus, help us to yield. 662 00:38:22.202 --> 00:38:22.782 To yield. 663 00:38:26.423 --> 00:38:31.304 Hallelujah. 664 00:38:31.344 --> 00:38:33.805 1 Corinthians 6.20 and then we'll receive communion. 665 00:38:43.472 --> 00:38:47.073 He's either Lord of all or not Lord at all. 666 00:38:48.193 --> 00:38:51.914 And you probably won't surrender all overnight. 667 00:38:52.974 --> 00:39:02.456 But I encourage you to go down that gradient until you slip all the way in and you're in the river of God upside down with your feet sticking out. 668 00:39:03.597 --> 00:39:09.978 There is nothing as joyful and reassuring as a completely yielded and surrendered life to the Lord. 669 00:39:15.088 --> 00:39:16.169 It's liberating. 670 00:39:18.011 --> 00:39:20.293 Even to yield and surrender to his sovereignty. 671 00:39:21.214 --> 00:39:21.955 Hallelujah. 672 00:39:25.338 --> 00:39:26.099 Hallelujah. 673 00:39:27.641 --> 00:39:30.724 And why does God feel he has the right to ask this of us? 674 00:39:32.125 --> 00:39:34.368 Because God bought us with a high price. 675 00:39:34.388 --> 00:39:34.468 Yes. 676 00:39:35.467 --> 00:39:36.607 You have been purchased. 677 00:39:37.187 --> 00:39:38.408 You were lost in sin. 678 00:39:38.588 --> 00:39:41.908 You were an enemy of God, completely alienated from God. 679 00:39:42.289 --> 00:39:46.249 And the cost of your redemption was holy spotless blood. 680 00:39:47.910 --> 00:39:51.771 And God couldn't find holy spotless blood in another person or some animal on earth. 681 00:39:52.031 --> 00:39:53.511 He came down in the form of flesh. 682 00:39:53.931 --> 00:39:56.432 He gave his holy spotless blood to purchase you. 683 00:39:56.732 --> 00:39:57.672 He gave his all. 684 00:39:59.004 --> 00:40:02.446 And you were bought with a high price, so you must honor God. 685 00:40:02.486 --> 00:40:04.548 In other words, he gave you his all. 686 00:40:04.828 --> 00:40:07.590 You're invited now to give him your all. 687 00:40:09.391 --> 00:40:10.031 Hallelujah. 688 00:40:12.713 --> 00:40:13.153 All right. 689 00:40:18.897 --> 00:40:19.898 Lord, thank you. 690 00:40:22.139 --> 00:40:25.641 We're going to receive communion, but I'm going to... Yeah, you can pass it out. 691 00:40:25.661 --> 00:40:26.482 I'll share a story. 692 00:40:28.505 --> 00:40:36.390 from college of a young lady that I led to the Lord when we were still in high school and we ended up in the same college. 693 00:40:37.911 --> 00:40:38.371 Thank you. 694 00:40:46.096 --> 00:40:49.258 And you can turn the verse to Luke 22, verses 39 to 42. 695 00:41:06.510 --> 00:41:07.190 Thank you, Lord. 696 00:41:13.371 --> 00:41:16.272 We had known each other since seventh or eighth grade. 697 00:41:18.132 --> 00:41:20.033 And I led a lot of my high school friends to the Lord. 698 00:41:20.053 --> 00:41:22.993 I got saved in between sophomore and junior year of high school. 699 00:41:23.473 --> 00:41:25.013 I went to Forest Hills High School, by the way. 700 00:41:31.015 --> 00:41:33.355 Right in Peter Parker's old neighborhood is where I was raised. 701 00:41:39.707 --> 00:41:49.115 And her dad left her mom right around that time, like ninth grade. 702 00:41:50.977 --> 00:42:04.188 And she got saved, but she had a huge distrust of men, and really a huge distrust of her father and authority figures and consequently God. 703 00:42:04.228 --> 00:42:04.328 God. 704 00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:09.664 And so she served the Lord with fire for a couple of years. 705 00:42:10.164 --> 00:42:12.767 And actually was very gifted in the things of God. 706 00:42:12.787 --> 00:42:15.510 I mean, she would pray, the Holy Spirit would come into the place. 707 00:42:15.570 --> 00:42:18.333 And she had a vibrant relationship with the Lord. 708 00:42:18.914 --> 00:42:25.862 But when the Lord started to ask for more of her, and she started to come to a head with that issue of lordship... 709 00:42:27.108 --> 00:42:33.034 All she could think about, because she told me this, all she could think about was her father and the betrayal of her father. 710 00:42:33.094 --> 00:42:36.037 And then Satan would whisper, your heavenly father will let you down the same way. 711 00:42:36.117 --> 00:42:37.979 Your heavenly father will let you down the same way. 712 00:42:38.339 --> 00:42:40.781 And she made a decision to take her life into her own hands. 713 00:42:41.442 --> 00:42:45.846 And forsook the Lord and completely backslid and gave up on Jesus. 714 00:42:46.607 --> 00:42:47.548 And that's Satan's plan. 715 00:42:49.053 --> 00:42:53.636 To cause some kind of offense, some kind of old unhealed hurt to rise up. 716 00:42:54.477 --> 00:42:58.079 And that's how you live and then you don't surrender to the Lord. 717 00:42:59.260 --> 00:43:05.304 You know, it's amazing really how much God will bless and put up with a surrendered life. 718 00:43:08.746 --> 00:43:11.007 Like, I just take myself as an example. 719 00:43:11.087 --> 00:43:13.249 Surrendered life doesn't mean you're perfect all the time. 720 00:43:14.349 --> 00:43:15.470 It just means you're surrendered. 721 00:43:16.031 --> 00:43:17.992 You still can be a jack-and-inny. 722 00:43:19.330 --> 00:43:20.130 A shmigilio. 723 00:43:21.831 --> 00:43:22.431 A numbskull. 724 00:43:25.612 --> 00:43:28.452 Which if you ask the Lord, I'm sure he'd tell you, I am all of those things. 725 00:43:33.093 --> 00:43:35.614 But at the same time, I'm surrendered. 726 00:43:38.935 --> 00:43:44.436 So if you're new, just know this, the Lord has over-blessed me. 727 00:43:44.516 --> 00:43:46.877 Like he's ridiculous in every way. 728 00:43:48.931 --> 00:43:53.074 I'm not going to list it now, but it just, it's awesome. 729 00:43:55.355 --> 00:44:00.578 And then maybe you want to study my life and go, this guy must like be perfection. 730 00:44:00.878 --> 00:44:01.959 And then you go, oh, whoa. 731 00:44:05.601 --> 00:44:06.442 He's a jack-in-in-ee. 732 00:44:08.563 --> 00:44:09.763 Why is God so good to him? 733 00:44:10.604 --> 00:44:14.546 Well, first of all, he's good to his people, not based on what they do, but based on what he did. 734 00:44:15.227 --> 00:44:17.308 And he's good just because he's good, not because you're good. 735 00:44:19.567 --> 00:44:22.208 And he can work with a surrendered person. 736 00:44:22.908 --> 00:44:25.449 And he will bless and overbless. 737 00:44:25.729 --> 00:44:29.670 And be merciful and be good to the heart that's yielded. 738 00:44:31.271 --> 00:44:35.772 As opposed to someone who externally seems to have their ducks in a row. 739 00:44:36.112 --> 00:44:37.953 But they're actually not surrendered. 740 00:44:38.253 --> 00:44:40.513 They're keeping themselves for themselves. 741 00:44:41.194 --> 00:44:42.114 Is this making sense? 742 00:44:44.535 --> 00:44:45.335 Hallelujah. 743 00:44:46.959 --> 00:44:54.004 And by the way, I say those things about myself, not in some false humility, but I can say that about every awesome man of God that I've met. 744 00:44:57.246 --> 00:45:07.454 That's the big revelation when you go into full-time ministry, and now you're in the back room with other full-time ministers, and you meet some names, and you get to know them, and you realize, wow, you're just as messed up as me. 745 00:45:09.295 --> 00:45:11.617 Like, if people knew how weird you were. 746 00:45:13.434 --> 00:45:14.435 How flawed you were. 747 00:45:15.276 --> 00:45:18.858 And yet your life is like popping with blessings all the time. 748 00:45:18.878 --> 00:45:21.500 You're like the picture of being blessed. 749 00:45:22.261 --> 00:45:23.922 You're like a magnet for God's goodness. 750 00:45:23.942 --> 00:45:34.550 And then you look a little further and you go, wow, even though they can be so silly and so weird and odd and flawed, yet behind all that is a heart that's going, Jesus, only Jesus, Jesus, I want Jesus. 751 00:45:35.030 --> 00:45:36.311 That's what's doing it. 752 00:45:38.372 --> 00:45:39.013 And with that... 753 00:45:40.338 --> 00:45:46.901 Let's read Luke 22, 39 before your grape juice starts to boil from the heat in your hands. 754 00:45:51.203 --> 00:45:57.465 Jesus, right before the crucifixion coming out, he went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed, and his disciples also followed him. 755 00:45:58.126 --> 00:46:03.308 When he came to the place, he said to them, pray that you may not enter into temptation. 756 00:46:04.573 --> 00:46:13.440 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, "'Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me. 757 00:46:14.060 --> 00:46:19.905 Nevertheless, this is Jesus himself surrendering to the lordship of his Father. 758 00:46:20.425 --> 00:46:22.126 This is Jesus submitting. 759 00:46:22.526 --> 00:46:23.747 This is our example. 760 00:46:24.348 --> 00:46:27.830 Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.' 761 00:46:28.751 --> 00:46:33.133 This right now is a time of dedication for us and consecration. 762 00:46:33.193 --> 00:46:34.813 Consecrate means to be set apart. 763 00:46:35.614 --> 00:46:42.136 If you are ready to truly make Jesus not just your Savior, but the Lord of your life. 764 00:46:43.099 --> 00:46:46.761 Receiving communion right now is going to be your act of faith. 765 00:46:47.401 --> 00:46:53.985 This matzah that's been burnt and pierced and striped, just like Jesus' body, will be your point of contact. 766 00:46:54.725 --> 00:46:58.627 So if you're willing to do that, I want you to say this prayer out loud with me right now. 767 00:46:59.048 --> 00:47:02.650 Lord Jesus, you are Lord of my life. 768 00:47:03.490 --> 00:47:04.271 I yield. 769 00:47:05.011 --> 00:47:05.751 I submit. 770 00:47:06.432 --> 00:47:07.572 Help me to yield. 771 00:47:08.113 --> 00:47:09.273 Help me to submit. 772 00:47:10.694 --> 00:47:12.055 I put my trust in you. 773 00:47:13.100 --> 00:47:14.262 Come and live in me. 774 00:47:16.324 --> 00:47:17.986 I won't do what's right in my own eyes. 775 00:47:19.008 --> 00:47:21.811 But by your help, you will be my shepherd. 776 00:47:23.253 --> 00:47:25.857 In Jesus' name, amen. 777 00:47:26.658 --> 00:47:30.363 Go ahead and partake of the body and the blood of Jesus. 778 00:47:31.412 --> 00:47:33.594 This is the City Light Church podcast. 779 00:47:33.994 --> 00:47:43.300 If you've missed any part of today's message, or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyc.com. 780 00:47:43.621 --> 00:47:46.343 That's citylightnyc.com. 781 00:47:46.803 --> 00:47:49.845 Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. 782 00:47:50.305 --> 00:47:51.847 We would love to connect with you. 783 00:47:52.747 --> 00:48:00.334 We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you, and that you are surrounded by grace. 784 00:48:01.135 --> 00:48:02.076 Thank you for listening. 785 00:48:02.556 --> 00:48:08.041 Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.