Steadfast Faith Amidst Trials: The Journey from Fan to Follower on the Road to Easter

who you're trying to win the approval of so much, they're not going to be there at your side.

You're going to appear naked before the Alpha and the Omega.

And you're either going to have the blood on you or you're going to be found without the blood.

And the scripture says, when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

His wrath will pass over to the One with the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus,

applied to the doorpost of their life.

Amen.

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.

If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com

that's citylightnyc.com.

Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit

is already working in our hearts and minds.

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.

Let's begin this Palm Sunday.

In Matthew chapter 21, verses 8 to 11,

Matthew 21:8–11

God is going to impart something to you, something you need, his anointing,

his carousel, his gifs, his grace, and you are going to leave here better than how you came in.

So make your heart like a sponge and expect to receive.

Last Sunday, we talked about how Jesus, multiple times, said,

in proportion to your faith, according to your faith, be it unto you.

So I wouldn't have come all this way.

Those of you online, welcome.

I wouldn't have rolled out of bed and logged into YouTube.

Just kidding.

Half.

If I wasn't going to expect to receive something, you came all this way,

expect to receive from heaven, apart from the message that I'll preach,

which I believe is inspired by God, but He wants to get other stuff to you.

So be greedy.

I want to give you permission to be greedy.

You know, the people who got miracles from Jesus in the Bible, they were greedy.

They were really greedier, hungrier than the others.

And Jesus never said, oh, look at you.

Too much.

No, they're the ones who got a miracle from him.

The blind man shouted and cried and got God's attention.

And the others quieted him down and the Bible says he cried out all the more.

He was just a bit hungrier than the rest.

Zacchaeus, he dangled from a tree.

It's a short guy.

It says that in poetic language, little of stature.

So he climbed up a tree and then dangled from a branch to get to Jesus.

And Jesus came and saw him and said, I'm going to have lunch with you today.

What was it about Zacchaeus?

All the others were around Jesus, the multitude,

but had greedy.

You know, when I say greedy, what I mean.

Some of you want to get all the technical, the Bible says a greedy,

you know what I mean.

The good kind of greedy, not the Gordon Gekko kind, the good kind.

This is the triumphal entry.

Jesus is coming now after three to three and a half years of ministry.

He's coming into the city of God.

He's coming into Jerusalem.

It says in a very great multitude, spread their clothes on the road.

Others cut down branches.

These were palm branches.

This is why we celebrate Palm Sunday from the trees and spread them on the road.

Then the multitudes who went before

and those who followed cried out saying, just shout multitudes.

I want you to understand that Jesus was now the most popular guy in town.

A celebrity.

He was famous.

Multitudes, thousands and thousands.

Went before those who followed cried out saying,

Hosanna to the son of David, blessed as he who comes in the name of the Lord,

Hosanna in the highest.

In another gospel it says that when the chief priests who were so jealous of Jesus' fame and

influence, when they heard the people praising him that way, they quieted them.

And Jesus' response was if they were to keep quiet, these rocks would cry out.

And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city, shout all the city.

All the city was moved.

Once again, very popular.

An influencer.

All the city.

Was moved.

Thing, who is this?

So the multitudes said, this is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

What an entry.

What a reception, amen.

Let's fast forward not five years from then, not even a year from then.

Let's fast forward just five days and see what happens.

Luke chapter 23, starting in verse 13.

Luke 23 · chapter mention

Then pilot, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people,

said to them, you have brought this man to me as one who misleads the people.

Now he's on trial.

Just five days, you might say four and a half days later.

This is late late Thursday night in the middle of the night, early Friday morning.

You have brought this man to me as one who misleads the people and indeed having examined him in your presence.

I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

No, neither did Herod.

For I sense you back to him and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by him.

I will therefore chastise him and release him.

For it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast.

During the feast, the prisoner would be let go and they all, who's they?

They all cried out.

Who's they?

The same crowd, the same group that five days earlier was crying out.

Hosanna, son of David, Jesus.

Who's taking off their clothes and laying it at his feet, cutting down palm branches,

to acknowledge his kingship.

That's what the palm branches, a symbol of royalty and victory and laying it at his feet.

Now it's the same crowd.

What happened?

And they all cried out at once saying,

away with this man and released to us,

Brabus.

Brabus, what a character who had been thrown into prison for certain rebellion,

a riot made in the city and for murder.

Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus again called out to them,

but they shouted saying crucify him, crucify him.

What is going on here?

This is a demonically incited mob mentality.

This is a satanically induced mass formation psychosis.

The Bible has a lot to say about mobs.

Look how easily they were changed.

Look how easily they were swayed.

You know, you read this and you think this was crazy what happened back then in Biblical times.

Wow, that could never be me.

Yet what short-term memories people have.

And so easily forget that four years ago, people lost their minds.

Normally, healthy, emotionally healthy,

stable people, just from a couple of days of programming and watching CNN's death homies,

just changed their whole personalities.

Sound team, can you turn my microphone back on?

Did I wish you a happy Palm Sunday already?

Then he said to them the third time,

why what evil has he done?

I found no reason for death in him.

I will therefore chastise him and let him go.

But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified,

and the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.

So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested and he released

to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison,

but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Other than this mob mass formation psychosis that was influenced by the enemy himself,

what happened here?

Because just five days ago, they were adoring him.

What happened is that they were fans and they weren't followers.

And I want to ask you a question this morning, are you a fan or are you a follower?

Because Jesus is an interested in fans.

Have you ever noticed how actually he's so disinterested in fans?

He would just keep walking.

You get a picture of Jesus walking like a prize fighter coming down the aisle

and all the fans, you know, they're not committed to the prize fighter.

They just want to be there for the good time.

They touch him, just to touch the liberty, touch fame,

and he didn't pay attention until somebody cried out and cried out with hunger.

I don't want to be a fan.

I want to be a follower.

Amen.

I want to be committed, not a fair weather friend.

I was raised in Queens.

I remember when I became a met fan.

It was in 1986 when they won their last first series, nearly 40 years ago.

And I was, and all my friends, we would all wear the shirt, the bright blue, you know,

I mean, you can't miss it, bright orange with the cap.

And then they won and we were all like, met all the way.

They hadn't won since.

Next year, when they won the World Series, I was in fourth grade.

Next year in fifth grade, I was once again a met fan.

You're only 50.

You think they're going to do it again.

They didn't do it again.

They never did it again.

And so by sixth grade, I forgot all about the mess.

But, and wearing Queens right now, you will meet and you've met them.

Not a met's fan, but a met's follower.

They wear that goofy bright blue orange insignia everywhere.

They're sitting up whatever it's called now, city field.

I remember the Shay.

You're committed.

They're met's followers.

They're not met's fans.

Mark 1450.

A follower is loyal.

No matter the ups or downs.

They don't just hang around for the benefits.

After this, Peter famously denies him three times and disassociates from him three times.

Peter, the one who boasted when Jesus prophesied

that he would be betrayed.

Peter was the first one to say, I would not, not me, three times that very night.

Peter had a little bit more of a fan than a follower in him too.

It wasn't until the day of Pentecost and he was filled with the Holy Spirit,

that that nonsense, that that lack of commitment, lack of loyalty was purged out of him.

He vicious serious to Jesus.

That's why he talked about it so much.

He said anybody looking back, looking at their former life is not fit for the kingdom of heaven.

Anyone who would commit, but there's still, there's a whole story as Genesis says,

Lot fled Sodom and Lot's wife turned behind.

She still wistfully looked back at the place of sin.

Her former life and turned into a pillar of salt.

That's therefore a reason.

Jesus wants commitment.

He wants loyalty.

He doesn't want fans.

He wants followers.

So you had the whole crowd that was adoring him.

Turn their backs on him.

You had Peter, one of the not just the 12 but the inner three.

He turned his back on him.

And then according to Mark 14, 15, 50, they all foresaw him and fled.

All of them.

May that not be us, amen.

Colossians 1, 21 versus 23.

You know, I love if you were here last Sunday, I was exhorting people.

I love a good exhortational message.

And really, that's by nature, I'm an empower.

I want to tell you who you are in Christ and what you have in Christ.

That's my favorite way to preach.

But that can't be all I preach.

Paul said, teaching and warning everyone.

There has to be a warning.

And Palm Sunday is usually pretty well attended.

So I feel like the Lord said, warn them now.

Some people who wouldn't maybe be here.

Warn them.

Do you know that two-thirds of biblical preaching is corrective in nature.

When Paul was writing young pasture Timothy, he said,

to approve, that's corrective, rebuke, that's corrective, and admonish,

exhort, and then of course he said, with all long suffering, gently, but,

approve, rebuke, get everybody alive, get everybody on the biblical same page.

So this is my loving morning, amen.

Next week is Easter, we're going to celebrate.

I'm going to tell you how all things are possible to him that believes,

amen, and you can do all things through Christ with a verse taken out of context.

No, with Christ.

Some of you didn't get that, but of course I can do all things through Christ

to strengthen me.

But in context, Paul was talking about abasing and abounding.

He was saying, I can go through the ups and downs of life.

I can do this and still have joy.

I can do all things through Christ to strengthen me.

Amen.

Some people gain a little weight and they're putting on their genes.

I can do all things through Christ.

You want to kind of keep it.

For Charismatics, I know we kind of like to stretch the scriptures

and how applicable they are, but you want to syntax matters, context matters.

All right, and you who once were alienated once,

and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled

in the body of his flesh through death to present you,

Jesus did this at his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.

He did this for everyone who would believe.

He did this for you to present you wholly.

Say that out loud, I am holy.

You're not trying to be holy.

You're holy.

In the eyes of God and in the mind of God, you're holy right now.

And blameless, shout and blameless.

Shout, I am above reproach in his sight.

Isn't that good news?

You could have fallen yesterday.

You could have fallen last week.

Your emotions are topsy-tiervy.

Satan has come riding on you now and heaping shame and guilt and condemnation.

But in the eyes of God and in the mind of God,

if you're looking to Jesus and trusting in him for his righteousness,

you are holy now.

You are not trying to become blameless.

You are blameless now.

You are above shame.

You are above guilt.

Above condemnation.

Above reproach, amen.

Hallelujah.

Yes.

Yes.

Let's continue this very empowering verse.

There's that first word.

The conditional if.

Just taking you on an emotional roller coaster this morning, huh?

If, indeed, you continue in the faith.

So why is pastor preaching on loyalty and commitment and not being a fan,

but being a diehard follower on Palm Sunday?

Well, number one, it's really the whole theme and message of Palm Sunday.

You can't talk about Palm Sunday and what happened without addressing this.

But it's because you have to continue.

You know what that tells me?

That Satan who comes to seal, kill and destroy and knows you and knows you by name

and hates you and wants to destroy you.

He has an assignment.

He wants to get you to discontinue.

He wants to get you to stop.

If you continue in the faith, ground it instead fast and are not moved away.

And I have seen too many people start off strong and then get moved away.

And discontinue.

May that not be the story with people here at City Light Church.

In the name of Jesus, Lord, we thank you for your saving power.

We also thank you for your keeping power that you will wrap your arms of love tightly around us.

Oh, Lord, I say what Paul said that I have every confidence that you are able to commit

what I have entrusted to you until that day for everybody here and everybody watching online.

Hallelujah.

What a party we're going to have.

Hallelujah.

But Satan has this assignment to get you to just flake out.

And so on this Blessed Palm Sunday, I want to present to you six ways,

six tools of the enemy that Satan will use in your life to try to get you to discontinue

and move from being a follower to just being a fan.

For those of you taking notes, let me let all six,

they're the six Fs.

Let me let them out of the bag now.

Fame, family ties, three fiery trials, four failed prayers,

five false doctrine, six fish.

Number one.

Oh, yeah, you don't want to go fishing.

It's not a God.

Peasum.

Matthew 10, 22.

Fame, you know, deep down inside, really not that deep down inside, for some of us it's right on the surface.

I'll be the first to admit, apart from Christ, we're like insecure attention-seeking,

needing validation animals who will do anything for a like.

And I don't just mean on social media.

I just mean for a pat on the back, for a databoy, for a heart.

I see something in you.

We're so depraved apart from Christ and so hungry just to be recognized as,

I exist and I'm important that we would sell our own soul for a little bit of popularity and a

little bit of fame.

And Jesus addressed this over and over and over again, he said,

and you will be hated by all for my namesake.

But he who endures, he who continues to the end will be saved.

Jesus said something else, very, very provocative.

He said, woe to you when all men speak well of you.

Any preacher that's preaching the Word of God, that's preaching the uncompromised Word of God,

the world will hate him and there were preachers that the world liked and the media liked

and then as soon as they came out with who they really were, they just weren't given a chance

before and they said God's word, all of a sudden black bolt, they're off, they're done.

Who cares? Who cares?

When you stand before God, those people who don't even think about you, they're not going to be

with you. And even who you think is your close circle, who you're trying to win the approval of

so much, they're not going to be there at your side. You're going to appear naked before the alpha

and the omega and you're either going to have the blood on you or you're going to be found

without the blood and the scripture says, when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

His wrath will pass over to the one with the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus,

apply to the doorpost of their life. Amen. So this is something that I've seen

Satan used to cause people to lose their way very quickly. They let people at work know,

they let friends know and then the persecution comes, the teasing comes and then they go hide

in a closet. Jesus didn't die in a closet. He died on top of a mount.

So just make your peace with that. That when you say yes to Jesus, you're not going to be winning any

popularity contest. Amen. Now granted for too long, there's always been Christians who realize this,

but then they just make it their identity. So they figure the inner conversation goes something like,

you know, Jesus said I'm going to be hated. So I might as well just give them something to hate

me about and they become rude and obnoxious and jerky and then people hate them and they go,

you know, it's for Jesus to say, no, it's because you have a rotten personality, you're rude,

you're impolite. Is this thing even on? Nobody knows who I'm talking about. Yes, you do that guys

in your life group. You know you do. He's getting better. We're praying for him. Right, Pastor Moe,

you're interceding. We're all works in progress. We're all going to grow. Oh Lord.

Number two, family ties. Luke 1426. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,

these are the words of Jesus. Of course, he means comparatively speaking. He's saying that your loyalty

and your love to me would be so great that in comparison, it looks like you hate your father and your

mother. I have to say that because I saw a few teenagers years per cup when I, and they were like,

I knew I was walking biblically by hating mom and dad. I knew it. He means comparatively speaking.

Big daddy. What does your shirt say? Super dad. Do you all know the twin story?

Pastor Moe's wife Tiffany just had a child. But they didn't have any scans that he wanted to know

the sex of the baby. And so he texted that day to the staff. And in the text, he said something

like isn't it amazing? Two daughters with the same birthday. So what he meant was his daughter was

just born at the same day as Isabella. But when I read it real quickly, excited for him, I thought

that Tiffany had twins. So I texted everybody. I even texted Pastor Mike. I was like, he had twins.

And then that seamless card we sent you. You know that was a twins amount, not a single amount.

And I mean, praise God for the error. But in case you wonder like, wow, they really sent a lot of

money. I sent them like, wow, twins and she didn't expect it. She's going to be out of commission.

So we sent $1,000 seamless card. Like that takes a long time, right? But that's the twins amount,

not the single amount. That's like, praise God. If Pastor Moe shows up to your life group with bags

of food, you know where it came from. That lasted for two days, by the way. I was celebrating you,

well, you having twins, you know, Tiffany having. Back to the Holy Word.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and

sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. A couple of things. One, I hope you

see how serious Jesus is about commitment and loyalty. And this isn't like he's some mafia

boss who demands total allegiance. This is God who made you, who formed you and he gave his all

for you and held nothing back. And yes, he requires the same in return. Amen. Second,

because we're talking about family ties. What Jesus is saying is your commitment to me,

Trump's even family. This was important to me because I was coming to Jesus at 16 years old

and my parents forbid me. We were Greek Orthodox. I wanted to get baptized. They said, you cannot

go to that church. Don't you get baptized in that church that made fun of that church? Well,

they saw it and, you know, it wasn't a fancy church with bells and spires and it was a giant

storefront with a neon sign that went in and out and said, Jesus saves. It's funny how the beautiful

church externally never heard the gospel in, but the one with a neon sign that was fizzling in

and out saying, Jesus saves. That's why I heard the whole council of God and God saved. Amen.

You know, there's a lot more worse things for 16-year-old to get involved with

than going to church and getting baptized. But they lost their minds. I was not like I was going to

do drugs. They were acting like I just decided to join the hell angels and run away from home.

So I rebelled in quotes. I put God above even family. Let me say that God is a God of order.

God is a God of structure. He's a God of hierarchy. Yes, he is. Just look at the way he even

organizes his own angels. Everything is organized. Jesus is neat, by the way. You know when Jesus

was resurrected, it says they found his face cloth neatly folded in the corner. Amen. Right?

It's meticulous. But because he's a God of hierarchy in order, that means there is a way

in a family situation where to love one another. I know that I must love Jesus more than I love

Emily. My commitment is to Jesus first. Emily knows that her commitment is to Jesus first.

And when we have that first, then we'll have an overflowing amount of love for one another.

That's the order of God. The next one might challenge some people. A husband and wife,

you are to love each other more than you do the kids, greater than you do the kids.

And this Satan loves to mess with us because he'll cause strife between the husband and wife

and then one of the parents or both of the parents will find their emotional outlet in the child

and make that child their best friend. I just say, well, I don't like him anymore. I don't like

her anymore, but at least I have the children. That is the doorway for Satan.

I know that if I love Emily first, when I come into the house, the kids run, daddy, daddy, daddy.

You know what I, what I say? Emily first. I do it with a smile. Emily gets the first one

and I go and I kiss Emily. They're like, already jumping on me and I want them to see Emily

gets the first kiss. Then I go and I kiss them a hundred times and take them to the floor and

wrestle with them. But we made that agreement. You love each other. And when we love each other

first, the biblical way will have an overflowing amount of love for the children. Hallelujah.

Yes. Number three, fiery trials. Mark chapter 10 verses 29 through 30, fiery trials.

Mark 10:29–30

So Jesus answered and said, and let me just say this when I say fiery trials, I mean

what the Bible calls a fiery trial, persecution.

So Jesus answered and said, or surely I say to you, there is no one who has left house

or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands. For my sake and the

gospels who shall not receive a hundredfold. Amen. A hundredfold. That means whatever you for

sake or give up for Jesus, you're getting it back a hundredfold when in heaven someday. No,

he said now, now in this time, is anybody hearing me? I don't know about you, but I counted the

cost before I became a Christian. Real talk. One of the first things I told me is you can't have

sex before you're married. I'm 16 years old. I said, what? Totally carnal, totally secular.

That was like they told me that I had to walk on the moon. I was like, what? That's too much money.

I'm 16. I'm like, I've been waiting half my life.

And you know what the person leading me to the Lord then says that if you will, if you will

follow the word of the Lord, he will make sure you don't miss out on anything and you will get

back a hundredfold. And that filled me with faith. And that's what I mean. I said, all right,

I can with his help. I can do that because I know I won't be at a loss. He's going to recompense me.

A hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children

and lands, right? We celebrate that. This is a good stuff. But Jesus says there's going to be a

little sprinkling. Remember that guy? Emerald's throwing soap, bam. Before there was salt bay,

there was emerald who bam kicked it up a notch. And Jesus says there's going to be a sprinkling

on your hundredfold return. It's all coming with persecution. It'll always come with people

persecuting you. Jesus says the servant is not above his master. They persecuted me. They will

persecute you. In fact, if there isn't somebody persecuting you, that's a sign that we need to

crank up the fire a little bit more. But unfortunately, the way Christianity is being presented and the

huge just cultural pressure is that we be liked. You know what the world wants? It wants a

castrated, powerless Christianity that just behaves itself. As the whole world flaunts and parades

its degeneracy around and wants the church, just be quiet and you behave yourself. Don't say anything.

That's when the salt loses its savor.

First Peter 412. By the way, if you're going through it right now, read first Peter. It's

the great book on suffering. There's three distinct long passages that have to do with suffering

as a Christian. Now this changed my life when I got this revelation. In each of those three

passages, and then you'll see in every other instance in the New Testament when he talks about

suffering, it's actually talking about persecution. Every time I challenge you, study it out yourself

because we're called to the sufferings of Christ. What's the sufferings of Christ? Persecution.

Why is this so important? Because I hear Christians all the time saying they're suffering for

Jesus. I can't pay rent. I'm suffering for Jesus. I'm sticking my body. I'm suffering for Jesus.

I went through my own thing. I wanted to work at Super Walmart. I didn't think I'm suffering for Jesus.

I went to the gym and started eating steak two times and all of a sudden the demons left me.

As Christians, we're so quick to rework our theology. Get into a freak accident.

Having a bad week. Oh, gee, why are you having me go through this? And God's like this.

I'm not having you anything. I'm waiting on you to activate my power that I purchased with my own

blood. Amen. But the suffering that we are called to, we get to enjoy, is the sufferings of Jesus

and that's persecution. Yet when that happens, we think it's strange. That's why Peter wrote,

beloved, don't think it's strange. Concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some

strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings.

So if they're Christ's sufferings, that means persecution, the following three categories,

being envied, being persecuted, and being misunderstood. Those are the sufferings of Christ.

If you're suffering in another way, well, then resist it with the word of God. If you're suffering

in this way, you can rejoice. It doesn't tell you to resist. It says rejoice.

Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when his glory is revealed,

you may also be glad with exceeding joy. You say, how do you know, though, he's talking about

persecution. I'm so glad you asked in the next verse. And then every one of those instances in

Peter, he defines it, if you are reproached, if you are shamed, if you are bullied, if you are made

fun of, for the name of Christ blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

On their part, he is blasphemed, but on your part, he is glorified. Hallelujah.

We're talking about the tools that Satan uses, his weapons. Thank you, Lord. I don't know what

just happened there. You went like this with your jacket. And I thought it was my laptop slipping

off to the table. That's why I did that. That wasn't like me quickening under the anointing. That was

me go my laptop. Oh, it's still right there. Number one, fame. Number two, family ties. Number three,

fiery trials. Number four, this is a big one. Failed prayer. I didn't get what I asked.

I didn't get what I wanted. I thought God was Santa and said I got a lump of coal. I thought

he was a genie. He was going to do the whole song. And he never had a friend like me.

Have you all heard, you know, the story of Kanye West? A few years back, he got saved.

No, not that story of Kanye West, the saved story. He gave his life to Jesus,

started doing Sunday morning service concerts all over the country. And just a couple of days ago,

he said he had a problem with Jesus. Let me read to you in his own words.

Quote, I have my issues with Jesus. Can you imagine saying that? Kanye West calls out God for not

answering prayers while labeling himself a God. He refers to himself as a God.

There's a lot of stuff. Listen to this. This is why Kanye West now has issues with Jesus.

There's a lot of stuff I went through that I prayed about and I didn't see Jesus show up.

So, Yeh said adding that he had to take the challenges of his personal and professional life

into quote my own hands. So, and I love Kanye. I really do.

I bless him. And I was excited when he got saved, but I held on because one thing I noticed was

he wasn't really surrounding himself with Godly Christians. He wasn't submitted to a local

church or a pastor. He never allowed the Lord to clean up his speech in his mouth, still referred

to himself as a God, divorced his wife, married someone else and started posting nearly

naked pictures of her online. God doesn't do exactly what he wants,

thinking God's like Burger King, you're a way right away. And then he gets offended and saying,

I have issues with Jesus. My mic has turned on, right? Crazy Kanye, right?

You know how many people I know exactly like this? Do you know how many people have

pastored that they come in excited? They're the ones hugging and kissing me when they come up

from the baptismal waters six months later. Where are they? Well, God didn't,

are you a fan or a follower? Though he's claimed me yet will I praise him? Hallelujah.

And yes, I'm still the same guy that last Sunday preached Mark 1124. And I believe that what's

over and things we desire when we pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them.

But some things don't always work out. Do you know what I found? The vast majority of unanswered

prayers have to do when someone else's will is involved because God is not going to override

somebody else's will. I receive quickest and I receive best from God when it's just me in the

equation, like something for me and I have it in the word and I believe for myself. But what other

people's wills are involved? Now they got a he can push, he can move, he can influence but he's

not going to possess someone on your behalf. Those of you believing God for a mate, take note.

You can't get upset, you can't be praying the prayer, you know, God, I love him so much,

make him love me. No, he's not going to, I mean if he can make someone do that, he'd make him get saved.

Jesus.

Whenever you start praying that God changed someone whose will, you could be bordering on

witchcraft type prayers and you don't want to mess with that. That's what witchcraft is,

it's the manipulation of other people's wills at its core. It's not green hags over a pot,

bubble, double toil and trouble or any of that stuff. Witchcraft is manipulation through

demonic forces of somebody else's free will. Is this helping anybody? So some prayers also are

subject to the timing of God. There's some things that I've wanted for years that and I believe

but the, you know, God's FedEx system was, it seemed like it was taking its time but every time

I check in I feel like, mm-hmm, you're good. I know what you say I'm good, it's easy for you to say

because you're so good. You're just like a house, I really want it a house.

Larger for years now and the Lord, I would check in and then it all came so quickly.

It was like one thing after another, but during the year's process of waiting I didn't go,

mm-hmm, God, what are you? You told me, you told me whatever I want I could have, I believe.

I mean some of us we just got to grow up. I speak to myself grow up and be committed

and that's scripture that I quoted. That was some crazy Job. Job, he lost his mind there, you know.

Everything, the Bible is true but not everything everyone says in the Bible is true.

You can't, you know, Job lost his whole family, lost his mind but he did say even in his insanity

he said something wise though he slay me. That's not going to slay you but what he's, he's showing

you to his heart though he slay me yet will I praise him. I wanted to say this, I didn't say it

in the first service. I called my first ambulance in my life. One was that Friday, it was Friday,

all the days are. Vivian had a temperature, that's where they're not here this morning,

shit, temperature Thursday. Wednesday and Thursday, very high temperature. Victor woke up,

I believe he had a 104 or 105. Then I left the house just for a little bit and Emily called up

and said it's 106 and I found him passed out. She put him in our bed and he was in the middle of

the rug passed out. That's it. I said call the ambulance right now. The ambulance comes quickly,

never had to call an ambulance before. Now I'm trying to talk to him and he's like, he's

burning up. So the ambulance comes, they take him away now. I'm alone with my five-year-old

daughter, Emily's gone into ambulance with Victor. I guess the kind of thoughts that are going through

my head. I'm just escalated quickly so of course I pray. I speak the word. I stay strong in the faith

by his grace. But of course the enemy is raging right now and I have the thought like Satan would

just love to take him out. What would you do? What would you do? It was like Satan was like,

what would you do if I took your son? And I'm hearing it and I don't say this to both because God forbid

we ever boast but I postured my heart as I will trust in the goodness of God. I don't care what

happens. God is good all the time. Amen. And once again I don't say that I don't want to boast.

You know who boasted? Peter boasted. Lord I'll never ever first thank you and he was the first

one to do so. Never boast in your love for God. Boasting God's love for you. Amen. That's a key.

So I'm not boasting. Oh Lord, I'm so committed. No Lord. You're still committed to me. So I'm

going to have the right response. Hallelujah. Amen. By the way the reason why they crucified Jesus

was because of failed prayer. They didn't get what they wanted. The Jews wanted a conquering king,

a military leader who was going to redeem them from the Roman occupation. So God gives them that

except different. He's going to redeem you from a worse terrorist than Rome was from the

terrorism of Satan and your own sin. And I'll redeem you back to myself and they couldn't see it

and they got upset and then they should have crucified him. So of all the reasons I've listed

I'd say this one is probably should be the very, very top that people get upset that things are

working out the way they hoped and then pout their lips at God and slowly, slowly move away

but over time the heart grows cold and the faith wanes and that's a dangerous place to be in.

Amen. Number five. This is a big one. False doctrine.

Ephesians 4-14. How people become a proverb on the side of the road. How they lose their faith.

How they discontinue. False doctrine is a big one. And I found that when people don't submit to

the word of God they open themselves up for the enemy to bring a temptation to false doctrine.

And it's a temptation. If we don't really love God's word but we see it as oppressive and burdensome

there'll always be a door opened up where we will rationalize, we will compromise our way out

really to do our own thing. And then we will get together with other like-minded, compromised people

and we'll try to recreate God in our own image rather than submitting and saying, God, I'm created

in your image and I'm your servant and I'll do what you tell me to do. Say what you want me to say.

Go where you want me to go. No, no, no, that's too oppressive. So in my world, in my pretend fantasy

world, God is okay with filling the blanks. And I'll just do what I want to do because after all,

I love Jesus. No, you're a fan. He's got lots of those not interested. You've got to be a follower.

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind

of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.

The Bible says there's such a thing as a spirit of error. This was one of the biggest headaches to

Paul was people would get caught up in false teachings and false doctrines. About 10 years ago,

there was this attack on penal substitution. Don't check out on me because it sounds theological.

Let me tell you a little over 10 years ago, almost 15 years ago now. Throughout Christianity,

there was this attack on this 2000 year old doctrine called penal substitution.

Penal just means punishment. Jesus became our substitute. He took on the punishment that we

deserved, correct? Sound Brabiblical? Yeah. The Bible says he's the propitiation for our sins.

Propitiation is the appeasement of God's wrath. This whole doctrine simply says that

I am a sinner and as a sinner, I deserve the holy just wrath of God. What does that look like?

It looks like forever in the lake of fire. However, God loved me so much that he came to earth in the

person of Jesus and he stood there on my behalf and he received God's wrath. God the Father's

just and holy wrath in my place as my substitute. That sounds good, right?

But that was right around in the 2010s with the man-be-pambization of America. And that just

sounded too violent to a lot of the younger Christians. Oh, no. Well, that makes me, oh,

no, no, no. That makes me uncomfortable. And so you would ask, well, what happened at the cross?

Well, God forgave the whole world. Yeah, He did forgive the whole world in potential format. You

just have to receive that forgiveness. But according to them, no, no, no, everyone going to

heaven, there's no such a thing as hell. So Jesus wasted all that time. He was warning people about

hell. He was doing it for nothing. He should have known better. And they said that cross just

became a great display of love. And we lost several people to that. You know, when there are

doctrines that come and go, just ask yourself, is this a part? Has this been a part of 2000 years

of Christian Orthodoxy? It wouldn't be strange if now 2000 years in somebody has a brand new way

of doing things. It would be strange. And it is strange. And it's happening all the time.

Let God be true in every man alive. And so good doctrine matters. Good doctrine is important.

We have an elder team here, one of the primary responsibilities of our elder, there's a lot of

responsibilities. One of the primary ones is to make sure that city light church stays true to the

word of God and stays doctrinally sound. I've told every single one of them. If I come up here and

I start spewing unbiblical now, talk to me, challenge me. I want to know, hold me accountable

because what has to come forth in this day and this hour is the uncompromise, eternal word of God. Amen.

Hallelujah. Do you understand you only have one soul? Do you understand that you will appear before

a holy God? If that doesn't cause you saved or not to shudder, you've got a problem.

And I would rather you address it now than in that day. Right now, there's still hope. Right now,

you have a chance. You're so opinionated. You think so highly of yourself. You think you're involved.

You're proud. You're arrogant. You need to repent. And yes, I love you. And because I love you,

I'm telling you that. Stop making a God in your own image to satisfy your own lustful desires.

I'm telling my pure doctrine. In this church, we believe Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father

because he said so. He said, I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me. We believe in the triumphant God. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith

alone. Hallelujah. We believe that God created them in the beginning, male and female.

And marriage is between a male and a female. You said, what about if two guys get married?

What's that? I don't know what that is. It's something, but it's not marriage. Never was for

2000 years. I know you're, oh, you've been scrolling on your TikTok 10 hours a day. You've

been getting so brainwashed by this new current thing that's happening that you believe two plus two

equals five, but the eternal Word of God still believes two plus two equals four. Amen. Yeah.

And you know what? If you have a problem with me, your problem isn't really with me. Your problem

is with God that you're insubordinate, that in your heart of hearts, you're rebellious.

And somewhere in that brainer yours, you actually think you're more compassionate than Jesus.

And you can't be more compassionate than Jesus. But what about inclusivity? You sound so cruel.

You're a bigot. Call me that. I don't care. You're a racist. Call me that. I don't care.

You can put whatever newvo neighbor label on me. I don't care. I know who I am and who

may have believed. Amen. They will call you every name in the book. Jesus, I have mercy.

They think they're more compassionate than Jesus. Hey, new splash, Christianity

is now inclusive. It's actually very, very exclusive. Jesus couldn't have reiterated that more.

You want inclusive? Be my guest. He said, broad is the highway that goes to hell. That's inclusive.

He said, straight and narrow is the road that leads to life eternal. That's exclusive.

He didn't say, oh, happen whatever boat you want. The Buddhist boats, the Confucius boats,

the Muslim boats. And every boat goes across the lake and reaches the same shore.

He said, no one can come to the father except through me. My name, what I've done. That's

exclusive. So you want to play with your eternal soul? Gamble the one soul that you have?

Because you seem so evolved. So hip. You're so progressive. Wow.

You've been brainwashed. Yeah, you have.

When you have, listen to me. When the whole world, the Bible says you are at war with this world

system. When the whole world agrees with you, think about it. You're the one who's wrong.

You have a problem. When everything you believe the world would patch you on the back and say,

say, that a boy, who do you think is in the wrong? Oh, hallelujah.

What was I talking about? Oh, yeah, false doctrine.

John 2115, the sixth weapon. Kind of want to camp around the fifth a little bit more,

but let's go on to the sixth worship team. Won't you come on up?

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I think we've just reached the tipping point and the breaking point.

We actually are so patient and so tolerant. And I teach and preach love, love, love,

but after a while, there is so much I can take when you're lying to me and punching me in the

face and destroying this great country, this culture, this Christian culture that we have,

while all the time telling me or not, the pendulum is swinging the other way. I'm telling you right

now and there's going to come a loving but holy and righteous backlash. Amen.

The sixth temptation is the fish because it's all about the fish. He's baby. What is the fish?

Money and career. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? What was he talking about? What are these?

These fish? Because after the crucifixion when Peter thought, all right, well, that part is over.

Didn't work out like, you know what his first words were? I go efficient. I'm going back to,

I'm going to do what I know to do. I'm going back to my career and I'm going to make some money

because there's a more Jesus to multiply the loaves and, you know, he was the one that everybody

was giving the offerings to anyway. I'm not going to raise anything. So, it's biblical.

Jesus was a money magnet. I said too many things to challenge some people. Let me go.

But Jesus comes back and restores Peter, but he challenges him. Do you love me more than money

and career? Do you love me more than these? And this is something we're talking about ways,

the sixth steps, ways that Satan wants to cause you to discontinue. And one of those ways is

especially New York City, that golden calf of career and money. One of the ways you can put that

in check is consistently submitting your hopes, your dreams, your ambitions to the Lord. Submit them to

him. Let him be Lord of every area of your life. Honor God with your finances. That's how you

consistently convey to him that money doesn't have a hold on you, but you believe it all belongs to

the Lord. And when you do that, he multiply you even more. And when your career isn't a God,

he will bless you all the more. And then you never know, you could be going one way being

successful and all of a totally different life change where you get a hundredfold return. Hallelujah.

Just bow your heads with me and close your eyes. Let's say this with me, dear Lord Jesus,

thank you for Palm Sunday. You came into Jerusalem. You preached the uncompromised word of God.

You showed your love and you died on the cross to take away all my sins. I believe Jesus,

you are my Lord, you are my Savior. Now help me, Lord. In these six areas and beyond that I would be

a follower and not a fan that I would be loyal and committed. I can't do it alone. I need your help.

Cause them to be fiery. Cause me to be fiery in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah.

This is the City Light Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message,

or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik in City Light Church,

visit us at citylightnyc.com. That's citylightnyc.com. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime.

We would love to connect with you. 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.

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