WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today, as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. 2 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:19.000 If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com, that's citylightnyc.com. 3 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:27.000 Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. 4 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:40.000 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. 5 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:45.000 Happy Palm Sunday, everybody! 6 00:00:45.000 --> 00:01:06.000 Next Sunday's Easter, today, of course, we celebrate Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where He came in victoriously, went into Jerusalem, taught, preached, performed mighty signs and wonders and miracles. 7 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:25.000 And for all of that was put on a cross and punished, but that was always the plan of God and in the heart of God since the foundations of the world, because when Jesus was up on that cross, He was our substitute, and He received in Himself the penalty that you and I deserve for the sin that we carried. 8 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:33.000 Even us here who weren't even, obviously, born yet, yet He just took the whole sin problem out of the way. 9 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:42.000 He who knew no sin was made sin, that we might be made into the very righteousness of God in Christ, the great exchange. 10 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:53.000 And of course, on the third day, He was resurrected, showing God's approval and the confirmation of what had happened on the cross, and showing that Jesus had conquered death, hell, and the grave for us. 11 00:01:53.000 --> 00:02:03.000 And Jesus' words just echo, he who believes in me shall never die, but will live forever. 12 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.000 Amen. 13 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:15.000 Let's begin this morning in Psalm 118, verse 24. 14 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:27.000 It's a prophetic Psalm, and it was pointing towards today, Palm Sunday, and Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. 15 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.000 This is the day that the Lord has made. 16 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:35.000 We will rejoice and be glad in it. 17 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:45.000 Save now, I pray, O Lord, O Lord, I pray, say this with me, church, send now prosperity. 18 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.000 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. 19 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:57.000 This is what they said, as He wrote that cult into Jerusalem and as they laid palm branches before Him. 20 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:00.000 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. 21 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.000 We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. 22 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.000 Hosanna in the highest. 23 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:11.000 Can you see how this is echoed on Palm Sunday? 24 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Now just go back to the one verse before that, I believe it's verse 25. 25 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:22.000 There's something powerful here. 26 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:30.000 Speaking of the Messiah, speaking of Jesus, the Christ, Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. 27 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.000 What is the Scripture saying here? 28 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.000 What does the Lord want to reveal to us? 29 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.000 It's this that Jesus is the embodiment of prosperity. 30 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:45.000 That Jesus is the embodiment of the abundance of God and that when Jesus rolls into town, when He rolls into your life, 31 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.000 what does He bring? 32 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:59.000 Abundance, prosperity, wholeness, restoration, even the very palm branches that they laid before Him are a symbol of prosperity. 33 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:05.000 Did you know that palm branches are a symbol of prosperity and victory? 34 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:12.000 In ancient times, they would put wreaths from palm branches and athletes on the victor's heads. 35 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:19.000 The palm tree itself is a symbol of prosperity because of its extensive root system. 36 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:21.000 It can grow even in a desert place. 37 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:26.000 It can survive hurricanes and a hundred mile per hour winds. 38 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:30.000 And they laid those as a sign. 39 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.000 And the king of kings and the Lord of lords came in. 40 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:37.000 And the cry is, Lord, bring us prosperity. 41 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.000 I want you to know that there's nothing wrong with asking the Lord to bring prosperity. 42 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:48.000 I want you to know that prosperity is His will, it's His way, and it's who He is. 43 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:54.000 It's not something foreign to Him or outside of Him, something He has to pull out of His pocket and bring to you. 44 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:56.000 He just has to show up. 45 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.000 It's who He is. 46 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:06.000 One of the ways that God revealed Himself in the Scriptures is through His name El Shaddai, which means all sufficient one. 47 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:15.000 It also means the God of more than enough, the too much God, the surplus God, the God of prosperity. 48 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:21.000 In case you have a notice, we're going to talk about biblical abundance today and the God of more than enough. Amen. 49 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:24.000 Hallelujah. 50 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:29.000 Let's read Proverbs 10-22. 51 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:38.000 One of the greatest needs that we have when it comes to abundance, when it comes to prosperity is a transformation of the mind. 52 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:46.000 It's renewing our heads because I've just found no matter where you come from in the world, including right here in America, 53 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:55.000 no matter how you've been raised, more often than not, you were brought up with a lack mindset, a scarcity mindset, 54 00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:00.000 a poverty mindset as opposed to a prosperity mindset or an abundance mindset. 55 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.000 It can happen if you're not even in a Christian home just the way we're raised. 56 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.000 Again, maybe not everybody, but more often than not. 57 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:18.000 We're immediately introduced into this world with limitations, with parents saying, I can't afford this, we can't afford this. 58 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:24.000 Finish everything on your plate. There's starving children and other side of the world. 59 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:27.000 It doesn't help them if you don't finish what's on your plate. 60 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:31.000 I'm going to think you shouldn't finish what's on your plate, but there's just a scarcity. 61 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:38.000 One thing that I committed with Emily was to never tell our kids that we can't afford something. 62 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:44.000 You can phrase it in different ways, and of course you have to be with kids because they don't understand money yet. 63 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:53.000 So if you remember that old film, Rainman, with Tom Cruise, I'm always reminded when Rainman is sitting in that psychiatrist's office, 64 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:01.000 and the doctor asks him, how much is a candy burn? He says about $100, and then he goes, how much is a new car? He was about $100. 65 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:05.000 That's kids. Like, get me this toy. Can we do it? It's like $3. Sure. 66 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:12.000 Get me that laptop. It's $1,500. Well, it's not that we can't afford it. 67 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:18.000 But you can say things like, I don't think this is the best use of our finances right now. 68 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.000 Hey, man. 69 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:24.000 Because it genuinely probably isn't. 70 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:35.000 But anything to prevent them from getting that lack, that scarcity mindset that can be such a limiting factor in people's lives. 71 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:42.000 And this includes Christian folk as well, because people who are raised in the church somehow, it just creeps in. 72 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:48.000 And it's not biblical, but the thought creeps in. The mindset, the mentality creeps in. 73 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:53.000 That poverty is noble, and that prosperity is evil. 74 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:57.000 And if you read the scriptures, you won't see anything like that. 75 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:04.000 And some scriptures have taken out a context, for example, a favorite amongst people who just love their poverty, 76 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:09.000 is pointing out to how Jesus rebuked the rich young ruler. Remember the rich young ruler? 77 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:16.000 And Jesus said to him, sell all that you have, and people say, see, Jesus was a communist, 78 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.000 and he told them, sell everything. 79 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:25.000 And they just neglect to point out that that's the only person that Jesus said that to. 80 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:30.000 There were many other wealthy people that Jesus met. He didn't tell them sell everything you have. 81 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.000 There was Zacchaeus who was rich. He didn't tell Zacchaeus sell all that you have. 82 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:41.000 There was Joseph of Arimathea who was wealthy. He's the one who gave Jesus his tomb to Jesus, 83 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:44.000 because Jesus was buried in a rich man's tomb. 84 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:49.000 Jesus passed by Joseph of Arimathea, on his way to the cross. 85 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:55.000 He never once said as he was going to the cross, by the way, sell all that you have, and follow me. 86 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:01.000 The rich young ruler was a special case, because he was so proud, 87 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:06.000 and he came to Jesus with his resume, talking about all that he does for God. 88 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:11.000 But Jesus knew he hadn't given his entire heart to God, so he put his finger on the one thing 89 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:16.000 that he hadn't handed over to God, and he said, sell all that you have, and come follow me. 90 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:19.000 The rich young ruler went away very sorrowful. 91 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:25.000 Jesus was a master at using the law to expose people, and remember Jesus didn't minister under a covenant of grace. 92 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:30.000 Grace wasn't established until after his resurrection when the church was birthed under the appendacos, 93 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:33.000 when we officially entered into the new covenant. 94 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.000 Jesus ministered under the law, and what's the point of the law? It's to show us up. 95 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:45.000 It's to expose us. It's to point out the thing that we are lacking, so that we wouldn't realize our need for a Savior. 96 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.000 Amen. 97 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:54.000 So Jesus put his finger using the law, expertly, like a doctor, put his finger in exactly that one area 98 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:01.000 that the rich young ruler hadn't given over to God yet. Amen. 99 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:10.000 The Apostle Paul wrote Timothy, and said, charge those who were rich in this world, and he gave instructions. 100 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.000 He didn't say, tell the rich people in your church because the Apostle Paul was writing past your Timothy, 101 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:20.000 and giving him pastoral counsel on how he would run the church there. 102 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:26.000 And he didn't say, tell everybody who's rich in your church that they're in sin, and they need to still sell everything that they have. 103 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:35.000 No, he gave instruction on how to walk with Godly integrity and character, and how to be generous with the blessing of the Lord. Amen. 104 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:38.000 Hallelujah. 105 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:41.000 God is for you. 106 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.000 His very nature is abundance. 107 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:50.000 He's the too much, the else should die, the all-sufficient, more than enough God. 108 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:59.000 Proverbs 10-22, one of the greatest things we need is a mind renewal, and I encourage you, this is important. 109 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:06.000 This is so important, because the Scripture says, you know, money answers everything. 110 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.000 Did you know that's in the Word? 111 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:11.000 Money answers everything. 112 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:18.000 Why do we as Christians seem to fall on away from that? 113 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 You know, much good we can do with money. 114 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:26.000 We're blessed as a church. We're blessed, prosperous church. We're at completely debt-free church. 115 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:33.000 We're able, in Guatemala, just in the last 14 years, to build over 40 churches and community centers. 116 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:43.000 They double as community centers in various villages around the Ischial region where the indigenous Mayan live. 117 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:45.000 Isn't that beautiful? 118 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.000 We couldn't do that if we were struggling. 119 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:52.000 You know, just a few weeks ago, we had Bonnie Andrews with Live Jam in, and we blessed them with 10,000. 120 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:57.000 But I really wanted to give Live Jam 25,000, and I just opened it up to the church. 121 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:08.000 And 24 or 23, 8, I forget the number that came in, and then we just rounded it up to 25,000, and we're able to bless Live Jam with what we initially had in our hearts. 122 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.000 Thanks to the generosity of people. 123 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:16.000 If you're not walking, listen, you're blessed to be a blessing. Amen. 124 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.000 And the blessing of the Lord makes one rich. 125 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.000 And the good news is, you won't be miserable when he makes you rich. 126 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:31.000 He adds no sorrow with it. In the world, you can strive and white knuckle and stress. 127 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.000 And maybe then you get a little bit of money, but you're miserable. 128 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:39.000 But the blessing of the Lord comes with his peace, and he adds no sorrow with it. 129 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:47.000 So I want to just take you on a journey, because I know that we all could use a healthy mind renewing. 130 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:58.000 And just exploring the ministry of Jesus and examining the nature and the character of God, as seen through the person of Jesus as he walked this earth and as he ministered. 131 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:07.000 And we need a continuous healthy mind renewing, because just by nature, being out in the world, we're constantly subjected to the opposite. 132 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:22.000 If you're not renewing your mind with God's word, and renewing your own faith in biblical abundance, you can quickly just move out of faith, and now all you're looking at is the limitations around you. 133 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.000 And God has a better way. 134 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:28.000 There's a better way for you. 135 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.000 Amen. 136 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:37.000 John 10-10. 137 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:42.000 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. 138 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:57.000 I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more, shout it abundantly in the Greek that were abundantly perisos. 139 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:00.000 It's just fun. It just rolls off the tongue. 140 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:08.000 Perisos, it means listen to this, because it demonstrates God's way of doing things. 141 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:18.000 Super abundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough. 142 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:25.000 All should I, refuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient. 143 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:40.000 Listen to this, superior in quality and overflowing in quantity, superior in quality and overflowing in quantity. 144 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:51.000 I try not to do the call back thing too often, but I just feel like we have to, because your mind will actually change when it hears the words that come out of your mouth. 145 00:14:51.000 --> 00:15:05.000 So say this out loud, God's way is abundance, superior in quality, overflowing in quantity. 146 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.000 Amen. 147 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:23.000 Let's look at this in the ministry of Jesus because he did various things from healing the sick, miraculous deliverances, casting out evil spirits, but something you also see in his miracle ministry is miracles of provision. 148 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:36.000 And I just want you to pay attention to his nature, his character, his style, how he gives provision, to what degree he gives provision. 149 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.000 And let the truth of God's word when you are mind. Amen. 150 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.000 John chapter 2 verse 6. 151 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:53.000 We're starting at his first miracle, and it's not by accident that the very first miracle of Jesus after his baptism was a miracle of supernatural provision. 152 00:15:53.000 --> 00:16:00.000 He's communicating something there. He's communicating that I care for you. I care for your needs. 153 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:12.000 I care for something that may even be called frivolous. Surely, I mean, it wasn't going to be a life or death situation, whether they were going to have enough wine at a wedding feast. 154 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:19.000 But he's saying, I care. And my nature is excessive. My nature is super abundant. 155 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:23.000 And you see it all throughout the scriptures, by the way. 156 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:28.000 We read the blessing of the Lord makes one rich. What happened to Abraham? The moment God blessed him in Genesis 17. 157 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:36.000 The moment God blessed him, and you read 17, Genesis 18, 19, 20, and you see the results of that blessing. 158 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:51.000 You see the fruit of that blessing. You see the blessing working, and it produced seeing in Abraham multiplication, increase, his livestock begins multiplying, multiplying to such a degree that the grass couldn't even sustain all of the animals that he now had. 159 00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:10.000 A high-class problem. Amen. And now we find ourselves in John 2. Jesus' first miracle. The Bible says there was six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece. 160 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:22.000 We seem to always miss that 20 to 30 gallons apiece part. Why is this important? Because that's what was turned to wine. Have you ever seen paintings of this miracle? It's usually like a picture of water. 161 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:32.000 And then, right? And Jesus turns it into wine. It wasn't a picture of water. It wasn't a punch bowl. There were water pots, 20 to 30 gallons, six of them. 162 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:48.000 That means at the very least, 120 gallons, at the most, 150 gallons. Why? It seems too much. It seems peri source. It seems super abundant, excessive, wasteful. 163 00:17:48.000 --> 00:18:01.000 How many people wear that wedding anyway, 2000? No. It's a village wedding. Maybe there's 100 people there, 200 people. What does that give everybody like a gallon? What? 164 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:18.000 Why? That's his way. Amen. Let's keep reading. Jesus said to them, fill the water pots with water. And they fill them up and not halfway to the brim. 165 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:36.000 And he said to them, draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast and they took it. And when the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and he said to him, every man. 166 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:50.000 At the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior, you have kept the good wine until now. It's his nature. It's his style. Will you receive it for yourself? 167 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:59.000 I just want to present the word to you this morning. Please don't make me fight to see you blessed. Please don't make me wrestle with you so you can be blessed. 168 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:08.000 I have to preach this. I have to preach it because it's in the word of God. And I'm going to face him one day. Amen. 169 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:22.000 I'm going to have to look at my lord and savior and I'm going to have to give an account with what I did to the ministry he entrusted to me. And I don't want him to point in my church and say, all these people, they didn't know what my heart was. 170 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.000 They didn't know what was available to them because I understand whenever you touch on this topic, it becomes very weird. 171 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:48.000 Like if I was talking about grace, Bani Andrews come to talk about so many evangelism. Any topic, somehow you touch prosperity and it's like, and then I find myself, this is not going to turn into a building fun campaign. 172 00:19:48.000 --> 00:20:07.000 I want to see you blessed. Amen. I'm saying this and taking the risk of the reproach that comes with it because I want to see you blessed. And because I don't know if you're paying attention, it seems like there's a shaking happening. 173 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:21.000 Listen, you don't have to be following the new six hours a day every day to know that we as a nation are being shaken, that the whole world is being shaken, that financial systems are crumbling all around us, that you better know the God of perisose. 174 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:34.000 You better know how else should I? You better know him in your heart and be convinced in your spirit that he's the God of all provision and that he's the too much God. Amen. 175 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:48.000 Let's read Matthew 14, 20. This is the feeding of the 5,000, which was really more like 15 or 20,000. 176 00:20:48.000 --> 00:21:01.000 So they all ate and were filled and they took up 12 baskets full of the fragments that remained. He didn't give them just enough. 177 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:20.000 They all ate and were full, satiated, satisfied, and then on top of that there was leftovers. I'm just showing you his style from the scriptures. His style is super abundance, superior in quality and overflowing in quantity. 178 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:37.000 And so they had leftovers. If you're going from check to check, week to week, if you're barely making it and scraping by, God has a better way for you, so that there are leftovers, so that you would be so blessed that you can be a blessing. 179 00:21:37.000 --> 00:22:06.000 Psalm 23, by the way, it's not a funeral song. Psalm 23 is a prosperity song. Fresh tender juicy green pastures. Still refreshing cool water and a cup that overflows. Why does the cup overflow? The world calls that waste. God says, no, that's my abundance. That's my perisose. And then others can come and drink from the cup of yours that I've made to overflow. 180 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:27.000 And by the way, just like salvation, just because it's true doesn't mean it's true for everyone. You have to appropriate it by faith. You have to be convinced of it in your spirit. You have to speak it out your mouth. 181 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:37.000 I know the journey God took me on. And like anything, like anything, there's going to come a point. I remember this so clearly. 182 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:53.000 There comes a point where everything in your life seems to be exactly the opposite of what his words says it should be. If you've been saved longer than five minutes, you're going to run into that. 183 00:22:53.000 --> 00:23:09.000 That doesn't mean it's broken. That's how it works. You then have to make a decision. I'm going to believe the word until my outward circumstances begin to reflect the truth of God's word. 184 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:27.000 And that's the other way around. I'm not going to change the holy word of God. I'm not going to change holy doctrine to accommodate what's happening out in the world. No, the world is going to bend and shape and mold itself to the word of God. Hallelujah. 185 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:44.000 So the turning of the water to wine, we see Jesus's style, his nature, his character, too much wine. We see the feeding of the 20,000 leftovers, too much bread and fish. 186 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:59.000 Do you know when Peter came to him with an IRS problem? Jesus said, go fishing. And that fish, there was a gold coin in its mouth, but it wasn't just for Peter. He gave too much. 187 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:14.000 Jesus then said, Peter, go pay your taxes and mine. In other words, I've blessed you now and now you have an overflow and you can even bless me back. Hallelujah. It's his way. 188 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:29.000 Some of you need to change your prayer life. This is very important. You need to change your thought life. You need to change the way you see yourself a year from now, two years from now, five years from now. You need to see yourself as somebody who is blessing, who is giving. 189 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:42.000 They're a great way to see yourself. They're ways to begin right now where you're at. As a man, think if in his heart, so is he. And now you understand why the enemy comes to you on a daily basis to fill you with worry, to fill you with anxiety. 190 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:53.000 Do you ever get just random thoughts of your own demise? And you think you are the only one? No, that's what he does. He's trying to fill your head with his wish list for you. 191 00:24:53.000 --> 00:25:07.000 What's not going to happen? When I think about some of the things I worried about, like the truth is, exactly 100% of the things I ever worried about never ever happened. 192 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:20.000 The bad things that did happen, I never thought of, they never entered my mind. Do I have anybody that can relate? The stuff that I obsessed over never happened. 193 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:37.000 Amen. Let's go to Luke 5, verse 5. But Simon answered and said to him, master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. 194 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:49.000 Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking. That's bad. Breaking net. 195 00:25:49.000 --> 00:26:05.000 Terrible. What happened? Too many fish, perisos, super abundance, more than enough. So they signaled to their partners and the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats. 196 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:23.000 So now we have another problem. The boats begin to sink. He just overdoes it. He's too much. You got to take this for yourself. I was saying before, just because it's a truth and God's word doesn't mean it'll just come on you and fall on you like ripe cherries falling off a tree. It doesn't work that way. 197 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:35.000 You know the whole world is saved. The whole world has been forgiven, but those who haven't appropriated that by faith and received Jesus Christ in the Lord and Savior are going to go to hell unnecessarily. 198 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:51.000 Because nobody told them all your sins are already forgiven you. There's people suffering financially because nobody told them, hey, God paid the price for you to be blessed, for you to have a cup that overflows, for you to have all your needs met. 199 00:26:51.000 --> 00:27:01.000 And out of debt and plenty more to put in store. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 200 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:09.000 That's cool. 201 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:28.000 Everything moves every week. You got me on that one. Let's read Romans. I want to show you the very payment for our sin. I'm going to read it out of the amplified Romans 515. 202 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:45.000 I want you to see that even our debt payment of sin, Jesus overpaid it on the cross. Why perisos? That's his style. He always gives more than is necessary. 203 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:57.000 When you really get this, you realize that stinginess and cheapness is so ungodly. I'm not talking about frugality. Frugality is godly, but there's a difference between being frugal and being a cheap skate and being stingy. 204 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:15.000 Frugality is blessed. But being a miser and being in fear. It's actually diametrically opposed to the very nature of God. 205 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:30.000 We had a sin that was way more than we could ever hope to pay. Jesus overpaid it. Let's read together. It's a lot. I know it looks like a newspaper article that I clipped out and put up there. 206 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:48.000 But this will bless you. But God's free gift is not at all to be compared. It's incomparable to the trespass. The gift, the payments for our sin can't even be compared to the cost of the sin. His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man. 207 00:28:48.000 --> 00:29:11.000 I mean the fall of man was bad. But the gift of Jesus was infinitely greater. For if many died through one man's falling away, his laps, his offense, much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift that comes through the undeserved favor of the one man Jesus Christ, 208 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:21.000 abound and overflow to and for the benefit of many. Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one man sin. 209 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:33.000 For the sentence following the trespass of one man brought condemnation, whereas the free gift following many transgressions brings justification and act of righteousness. 210 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:56.000 For if because of one man's trespass, lapse of fence, death, rain through that one much more surely will those who receive God's overflowing grace, his unmerited favor, and the free gift of righteousness, putting them into right standing with himself, rain as kings in life through the one man Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one. 211 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:10.000 The cross was an overpayment for our sin. It's like if we owed a billion dollars which is an amount that we could never ever pay, Jesus paid it with a trillion dollar check and said keep the change. 212 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:17.000 It's his way. It's his nature. And it's for you. 213 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:46.000 If you're resisting this in your heart, I say this with love, you are in a place of selfishness. If you're imagining that it's holy to say look not so much just enough just for me, my for no more, that is one of the most selfish things, one of the most selfish mindsets you can have because you're only keeping your eyes on yourself and you're not looking at the hurt that you have. 214 00:30:47.000 --> 00:31:00.000 It's in the world. When you realize the need that's in the world, you realize that it is every Christian's responsibility to receive God's blessing that makes one rich so that they could do even greater good in the world. 215 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:12.000 It's a responsibility. It's a blessing, but it's our responsibility to contend for it, to give towards that, to believe for it, to see and manifest it in our lives. Amen. 216 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:15.000 Hallelujah. 217 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.000 Psalm 105 37. 218 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:28.000 This is speaking of the children of Israel. 219 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:36.000 When he brought him out of Egypt, he didn't bring him out with nothing. 220 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:47.000 By the way, this is a picture of us coming in to the new birth, us coming into the new creation reality, the coming out of Egypt and into the promised land. 221 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:53.000 And the Bible says when he took him out, he took him out with silver and gold. They had silver and gold. 222 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:55.000 Sure, it belonged to the Egyptians, but it was theirs now. 223 00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:02.000 It's silver and gold, and it was not a sickle feeble one among their tribes. It's his way. 224 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:09.000 And so I'm just giving you these scriptures because number one, there has to be a mental transformation. 225 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:21.000 And not a passive acquiescence, but a mind transformation where you can actually say prosperity without feeling ashamed, without feeling embarrassed. 226 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:28.000 The devil would love to make prosperity a dirty word in the church, and it's a holy word. 227 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:35.000 One of the first ways that God revealed himself was as Jehovah Jaira, the one who provides. 228 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:43.000 And as Al Shaddai, a God who's more than enough, the all-sufficient one. 229 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:52.000 So there has to be a transforming of our lives through the renewing of our mind, a contending for faith. 230 00:32:52.000 --> 00:33:03.000 And of course, then of praying and asking, Lord, what can I change in my life that will put me in a position where I can receive more of your blessing that I can do more good in the world? 231 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:06.000 Are you hearing me right now? 232 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:16.000 This is something that I feel like should be preached even more. Get some books on finances. Read. 233 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:26.000 Take some risks on the Lord. Fail once or twice. It's okay. Get up and do it again. Hallelujah. 234 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:39.000 And then of course, because there is a connection between money and the anointing. Jesus established that when he said, if you can't be trusted with money, if you're unfaithable with money, who will entrust you the true riches? 235 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:45.000 The true riches is the anointing, the kingdom of God, the power of God. 236 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:54.000 So if you can't be faithful and a good steward of Maman, he said, how will I entrust you the real power of the kingdom? 237 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:58.000 But he made that connection because money is the power of this world. 238 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:08.000 You can even say money is the carnal anointing of this world. It's how people get stuff done. God gets stuff done in the spirit by his anointing. 239 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:14.000 In the natural people get stuff done apart from God with money only. 240 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:21.000 And so we have to be found faithful. We have to be good stewards. 241 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:31.000 So that means we need to submit and yield to him and be found faithful with what we have now so that he could trust us. 242 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:40.000 Every time we give, every time we give him the first tenth, what we're demonstrating is we're trustworthy to get more. 243 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:47.000 Maybe I'm fighting this morning. I'm wrestling hard. 244 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:51.000 I made this decision when I was 16 years old, never regretted it. 245 00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:57.000 And I don't say this as a religious pat on my back or to score points, but I never ever missed a tie. 246 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:02.000 Ever in my life since I was 16. I just made that commitment. There's others here like me. I know that there are. 247 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:09.000 I can't get saved and I realize this is holy. This is right. This is scriptural. 248 00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:23.000 And I'm going to do it. And then consequently he's blessed us. He's blessed us as a church. He's blessed my family. 249 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:31.000 Hallelujah. 250 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:40.000 Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart is also. Now he's making connection between our treasure or material possession and our heart. 251 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:51.000 And when we show him that he has our entire heart by showing him that he has our treasure as well, then our trustworthiness increases. 252 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:56.000 There's people who are believing God. They'll hear a message like this and they'll go, woo! 253 00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:04.000 And they want to believe God for abundance, but it's never going to come because they couldn't even handle luck. 254 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:13.000 Oh, I'll give when my ship comes in. Wrong. You never sent a ship out. And you're waiting for one to come in. 255 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:23.000 All right. There's no better way than to close this sermon out than by going to Malachi 3. Hallelujah. 256 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:37.000 This is the crown. Hallelujah. Praise God. 257 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:47.000 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. 258 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:56.000 Now under the old covenant, you are cursed with a curse. You know what's beautiful? I've never preached this because under the old, under the new covenant. 259 00:36:56.000 --> 00:37:04.000 If you're a believer in Jesus, you yourself, you can't be cursed. You. It's just impossible. How can you be saved? 260 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:09.000 How can you be blessed with believing? The Bible says you were blessed with believing Abraham. 261 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:17.000 You yourself can't be cursed under the new covenant. You're either blessed and saved or cursed and lost. 262 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:24.000 You can't be saved and simultaneously carrying a curse in your spirit. 263 00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:37.000 And this is what I've preached for 15 plus years. And do you know what's so beautiful is that our giving, when I started preaching this, our giving didn't go down, our giving actually went up. 264 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:46.000 Which showed me that God's people can be trusted with the truth. Some pastors can't get to this place because they don't trust the people. 265 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:57.000 And they feel the people will only give if there's a threat hanging over their head. God is the God father, not the father, God. And he's up in heaven. 266 00:37:57.000 --> 00:38:07.000 And if you don't pay protection money, he's going to sell. He's going to send his two angels, Vinnie and Angelo. And they're going to break your kneecaps. 267 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:19.000 But if he gets his 10% protection money, you're good for another week. Now, under the old covenant, they had that threat over them. We don't. 268 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:26.000 We're blessed. We're blessed. But I don't just want to be blessed. I want my finances to be blessed. 269 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:39.000 You yourself can be blessed and your finances not. You can't hear me. The Bible says that if the first fruits are holy, then the lump also is holy. 270 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:51.000 That means when we give up the first fruits, the first fruits sanctify the lump. That's the whole purpose of the tithe. The Bible says the tithe is holy. What does that mean? It's separate. 271 00:38:51.000 --> 00:39:02.000 In other words, it doesn't even belong to me. It doesn't belong to you. From any increase that I get, it's holy. It belongs to God. And so then if I consume that, then I'm robbing God. 272 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:13.000 But when I tithe under the new covenant, when I tithe under the new covenant, I am now positioning myself to see the 90% blessed and to see him multiply and increase the 90%. 273 00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:20.000 So I just made a decision when I was 16 years old. I'd rather have a blessed multiplying 90% than a cursed 100%. 274 00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:29.000 Because either way, and really one tenth of the Lord Almighty who saved my soul is not unreasonable to require of me. 275 00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:40.000 For goodness sake, you get a coffee and they flip around an iPad to you and 135%. They didn't do anything but turn around. Sorry to any baristas out there. 276 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:49.000 Good Lord. Let's keep reading. 277 00:39:49.000 --> 00:40:01.000 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and try me now in this says the Lord of hosts. 278 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:14.000 If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing, there will not be room enough to receive it. Hallelujah. 279 00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:30.000 I want the worship team to come on up. We're going to receive communion together and then we're going to honor the Lord with our tithes and our offerings and we're going to speak a special declaration over our giving. 280 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:40.000 I encourage you to, if you're not experiencing the abundance of God, I encourage you to make it a priority. 281 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:53.000 Never a priority above your intimacy with him. Never a priority above your relationship with him, but a priority in getting your mind aligned with the Word of God. 282 00:40:53.000 --> 00:41:13.000 The devil is not afraid of a broke struggling Christian, but a Christian that can go in and build churches and bless ministries and launch other believers, that makes him tremble. 283 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:29.000 Thank you, Jesus. Let's go ahead and hand the communion elements out. 284 00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:47.000 Everybody say this with me. Parisos. Let's read Proverbs 11, 24, 25 as you receive your communion elements. Won't you just hang on to them please and we'll all receive communion together. 285 00:41:47.000 --> 00:42:03.000 There is one who scatters a generous person who distributes freely and yet that person increases more and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. 286 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:19.000 The generous soul will be made rich and he who waters will also be watered himself. 287 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:36.000 Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. 288 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:47.000 To get the job done that God has called us to do in New York City, the people of God are going to have to seize this truth. There's some of you, the Lord wants to elevate you, the Lord wants to bring you up. 289 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:54.000 I want you to contend for those things. I want you to agree with His Word. Link with Him. 290 00:42:55.000 --> 00:43:05.000 When we need to do New York City and the building we need to purchase the land we need to get, how is it going to happen? I'm not soliciting other churches in other cities and other states. 291 00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:15.000 The wealthiest churches in America are in Texas. I don't know them. I just heard. How's the Lord going to do it? It's going to come from within here. 292 00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:28.000 And every church with an amazing story of how the Lord did it, it always comes with a Lord demonstrating His power and touching the people who have shown themselves faithful and He touches them and brings them up and raises them up. 293 00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:33.000 Hallelujah. 294 00:43:34.000 --> 00:43:49.000 Take the communion elements in your hand and we're going to pray and partake of Jesus. We celebrate what happened 2,000 years ago on Palm Sunday. 295 00:43:49.000 --> 00:44:01.000 He went into Jerusalem joyfully knowing what was waiting for Him and He gave His life as a ransom for us. 296 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:21.000 And on the cross He paid the penalty for sin, delivering us from sin, but delivering us in every way, spiritually, soulically, physically. 297 00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:30.000 Father, as we partake of communion, I thank you that all of the benefits of the cross and the resurrection come upon your people. 298 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:39.000 Your people are blessed, your people are highly favored. They're the head and not the tail above and not beneath. 299 00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:48.000 Blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed coming in, blessed going out. 300 00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:59.000 Thank you that our sins are forgiven. And if you're here right now and you're holding communion elements and you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do it right now. 301 00:44:59.000 --> 00:45:10.000 Say this, just under your breath, say, Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I do believe. I believe. You thought of me on the cross. Your blood was shed for me. 302 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:19.000 I receive you as my Lord and Savior and I turn my back on the world. I repent of my sin. I receive your forgiveness. 303 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:31.000 And I'll put a new spirit within you. Go ahead and partake of the body of Jesus right now. 304 00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:54.000 Go ahead and partake of the blood that was shed for you. 305 00:45:54.000 --> 00:46:06.000 Hallelujah. I want to just put up this giver's confession. We haven't done this in way too long. 306 00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:15.000 When you give, you can't do it automatically. Even if you set up automatic tithing, don't do it automatically. 307 00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:27.000 Every time release faith, and Paul said, if you believe it in your heart, you'll speak it out your mouth. So let's say this out loud. But can you say it with your whole chest? Can you say it with faith? 308 00:46:27.000 --> 00:46:36.000 Things happen when you speak. 309 00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:56.000 Definitely not boring. You talk about God's nature and God's style. Part of God's nature and his style and his way of doing things is that the darker it gets out there, the more the light in his church will shine brighter. Amen. 310 00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:21.000 So let's say this together. Everybody say this out loud because I am a tither and a giver. The windows of heaven are open to me. And God rebukes the devour for my sake. I am blessed financially and receive a blessing that I cannot contain. 311 00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:40.000 I do not worry about lack. Knowing God supplies all my needs. Richly and abundantly. Therefore I am able to sow freely and liberally. 312 00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:55.000 And I choose to sow cheerfully, generously and bountifully. Knowing I will reap bountifully. I have an abundance every favor. 313 00:47:55.000 --> 00:48:12.000 An earthly blessing. All my needs are met. And I abound in every good work. Because I obey him. The Lord blesses everything I put my hand to. 314 00:48:12.000 --> 00:48:25.000 He grants me abundant prosperity. Keep saying there's things now I sense a right in my spirit. There's things shifting and moving right now. He grants me abundant prosperity. 315 00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:39.000 He makes me the head and not the tail above and not beneath the blessings of God are chasing me and overtaking me. 316 00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:58.000 Because God loves to see me prosper. I am believing him for jobs and better jobs, advancements, raises and bonuses, sales and commissions, God ideas and strategies. 317 00:48:58.000 --> 00:49:10.000 Deaths paid off. Expenses decrease. Blessings and increase. Financial freedom and breakthroughs. 318 00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:20.000 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. 319 00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:31.000 Father in 2023 may you come and overtake people. Come, Lord. You're the one who opens the door which no man can close. I thank you, man. Thank you, Lord. 320 00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:48.000 2023 will be the year of the greatest testimonies we've ever had at City like Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. 321 00:49:48.000 --> 00:49:59.000 I want to invite the ministry team to come forward. If you want prayer for anything, anything at all, please come up to the front and our ministry team will pray with you and for you. 322 00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:07.000 But I want you to just stick around and sing one or two songs with us. Sing with your heart. Allow the Lord to speak to you. 323 00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:22.000 When you hear a message like this, he'll often speak to you and just give you a few words or show you a picture, a vision in your spirit, some adjustments that he wants to bring to you. He wants to align you with his will. 324 00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:28.000 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 325 00:50:58.000 --> 00:51:05.000 Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City like church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.