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Nov. 27, 2024
Exploring Hebrews: Understanding Salvation and Staying Faithful with Pastor Bo
Unlock the teachings of Hebrews chapter two with the guidance of Pastor Bo. He discusses the challenges faced by early Hebrew Christians with insights into how their struggles mirror our own today. We reflect on the message of Hebrews, emphasizing the supremacy of Jesus Christ and the subtle dangers of "drifting away" from faith when spiritual practices are neglected. Through poignant personal stories and biblical references, we offer encouragement for maintaining steadfast faith, highlighting the ever-present opportunity to return to God. Just as the prodigal son was embraced, so too can we find our way back to an active, living faith that cherishes salvation daily.
(00:00) Exploring God's Word With Pastor Bo
(03:24) Warning Against Drifting Away
(11:02) The Warning Against Drifting Away
(26:04) The Mystery of Christianity
(34:00) Jesus as Merciful High Priest
(50:13) City Light Church Podcast Subscription
Chapters
00:00 - Exploring God's Word With Pastor Bo
03:24:00 - Warning Against Drifting Away
11:02:00 - The Warning Against Drifting Away
26:04:00 - The Mystery of Christianity
34:00:00 - Jesus as Merciful High Priest
50:13:00 - City Light Church Podcast Subscription
Transcript
00:00 - Speaker 1
It's not your activity or your works that saved you. It's free gift from Jesus, so it's not your works or activity that can unsave you. And this is typically where people then go oh great, so I can do whatever I want and I'm still saved. And you think that's such an original thought. But because you have been set free and because he loves you no matter what, anyway he here's what Jesus said he who is forgiven much also loves much.
00:26 - Speaker 2
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 citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jancic 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 that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:09 - Speaker 1
Welcome to everybody. A special welcome to our online viewers. Thank you, jesus. If you're a guest, I also want to welcome you. My name is Pastor Bo Jancic and it's my pleasure to minister to you this morning. We're in the book of Hebrews. We've just gotten started.
01:29
Typically and frankly, what's more fun for me is topical preaching, where we can hit different topics. I seek the Lord on a topic, on a subject that will really matter to you in your life, but what I like to do from time to time is expository preaching, where we go through the entire Bible Well, not the whole Bible, but a book in the Bible, but the whole book in the Bible, line by line, precept upon precept, verse by verse, so that you can fall in love with studying the Word and so that you can see how the Word of God is to be read, how it's to be studied, how it's to be interpreted, because there is a plague of biblical illiteracy in the church today. There is a plague of people who I mean, they get their daily dose of the Word of God from like scrolling Instagram or TikTok and seeing a slide of a scripture. That's not that's it's just not going to cut it. That's not that it's just not going to cut it. That's not going to do it for you.
02:27
The word of god produces fruit. The word of god produces results. When you ingest the word of god, it's going, it cannot but produce fruit in your life. It is impossible, in fact, those of you who've given your lives to jesus, your life is transformed. You're the result of the word of god bearing fruit in your life. More word, more fruit. So we want the word to be our standard. The word is, above all, not our feelings. We know we have a culture that it's well, I don't feel. Well, I feel. And really the divine response is I don't care how you feel. I mean, he cares how you feel, but he doesn't care how you feel about his word, because there's no debating it, there's no arguing with it, it's not subject to a private interpretation. It is what it is and it's life, and to submit your life to the word of God will produce life inside of you, hallelujah.
03:24
So let's begin in Hebrews, chapter 1. Just something to keep in mind is that Hebrews was written to discouraged Christians. Hebrews was written to Christians who were on the verge of quitting. They were Hebrew Christians and they had really taken a beating. They were ostracized. They were pushed out socially, ostracized financially. They weren't even allowed to barter or trade in the market, and so I mean they had it a lot worse than any Christians in America today. I mean, we like to complain, but we have it's still wonderful compared to then. And so this was a group of christians that were on the verge of forsaking the lord. And so this, this would be the word of the lord to you in a time of discouragement, in a time of hopelessness, or in a at a time.
04:20
What a graphic. That's just weird for me to see. I'm looking down. I'm like am I wearing a different jacket? Hope I'm wearing a different jacket.
04:31
Let's begin Hebrews, chapter 2 and verse 1 hallelujah. Therefore, now we're in chapter 2. Chapter 1 was all about the supremacy and total sufficiency of Jesus and how he is God. He's the son of God, he's also God. How does that work? You'll find out when you meet him. It does, because whenever you see a therefore in the scriptures, just go back a little bit to find out what it's there for.
05:07
What he's saying is because of the total supremacy of Jesus, because Jesus is God almighty. Therefore, because of that, we must give the more earnest heed and that's important in the church Earnest heed. You know what that means. That means you're not just a hearer of the word, but a doer also. The word isn't going to benefit you unless, when you hear it, you let it enter your heart and then you quit kicking against it and quit rationalizing your way out of the word of God, but embrace it and allow it to change you and then become a doer of the word. Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard. And then there's a warning If we don't do that, you're going to drift away.
05:55
Now, this, this sends shockwaves through my body. That just that phrase drift away. And this is one of the painful parts about being a pastor. You get to see this isn't a painful part. Painful parts about being a pastor. You get to see this isn't a painful part, this is a good part. You get to see a lot of people living in victory. You get to see lives transformed. That's the great part. The painful part is seeing some people drift away and that just tears me up inside.
06:17
And one thing I found about drifting away is it doesn't happen overnight. It's a slow drifting. It's a slow drifting. It reminds me of when I first really taught myself how to fish. I was eight, nine. We had a friend in the family. We had a farm out in Virginia. We'd go out to the farm and there was a lake. There was a little paddle boat and I'd get in the boat. I'd try to find the little place where there was some brush that would cast some shade. I knew that's where the fish were in the middle of the day hiding out in the shade, and I'd cast my line. And then, after about 10 minutes of just looking at the line, I look around, I realize I'm in a totally different place than the lake. After about 10 minutes, what happened? I slowly drifted away. What did I have to do to drift away? Nothing, drifting away just happens.
07:14
The Philippian jailer asked the apostle Paul what must I do to be saved? How many of you remember what the answer was? This is a good verse to have memorized, because there's people in your life. They may not be asking it that way, but they're looking at you like little puppy dogs going what must I do to be saved? And the apostle Paul? He busted out 16 very big books and he said read through all of these. We're gonna go through a 12 week class. No, he said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your whole house. Simple gospel message. But just reverse that question what must I do to be lost? And the answer is nothing. You can just drift away slowly. You get caught up with the world. You got saved because the world did you dirty. Nobody got saved because the world was so good to them. You got saved because you went in the world. You got your butt kicked. You tasted of the world. It left you all hollow and empty inside.
08:17
Because sin never satisfies, you skip going to church. You skip going to life group. You neglect your prayer time. The devil comes in with some lies. You know. One of his top lies is that you're missing out on something. That's actually his original lie to eve. You're missing out. Oh, you get all this garden, except that god is holding out on you. He's never holding out on you. He's never holding out on you. There's nothing out there. I didn't do this in the first service. Let me just go here.
08:54
It's important for us to know when it comes to salvation, it's a free gift. I prize salvation, salvation. Salvation is everything, because you're an eternal being. You will live forever and there is a heaven that's wonderful and a hell that's real. And Jesus offers a forgiveness of sins to whosoever will. When you place your faith in him and in his substitutionary, he became your substitute. He was punished so you wouldn't have to be. You place your faith in a substitutionary death on the cross.
09:26
A big question comes up is can I lose my salvation? You know, new people come to the Lord and they got. Sometimes it's old people too. You got the old ways still that are part of you. You know, I remember when I first got saved at 16, then I went to this party you know, a teenage high school party. I didn't even do anything crazy at that party, but the whole time I just felt so dirty, you know, and I was just like, oh God, oh Lord. I didn't do anything crazy, but just got a little looser than I should have. Don't try to picture that, it's not a pretty sight. And I remember thinking like you know, and I ran back to church the people you know what I'm talking about. Am I still saved and do I have to get resaved and do I have to get born again again. No, no, you're saved. And should you fall, you fall saved. And the Bible says a righteous man falls down seven times, but each time gets back up again.
10:23
If your life is a mess right now, I know this that if you would just keep your eyes on Jesus, do not allow yourself to get condemned, because the blood of Jesus declares there is no condemnation Holiness will be worked out in your life and those things that plague you addictions or whatever chain Satan has put on you they will break. So it's not your activity or your works that saved you. It's free gift from Jesus. So it's not your works or activity that can unsave you. And this is typically where people then go oh great, so I can do whatever I want and I'm still saved. And you think that's such an original thought. That was what they said back in the first century.
11:02
That's what Paul in Romans 6 is writing about. He's saying God forbid, but because you have been set free and because he loves you no matter what anyway, here's what Jesus said he who is forgiven much also loves much. So within you is awakened this love for the Lord, and it breaks the power of sin off of your life. But nevertheless there is a warning in the scriptures While your activity cannot unsave you, but, by the way, if you're living a totally reprobate life and you've called yourself a Christian and you go and sin and don't even feel anything, I question your faith Because you cannot have a living faith in the Lord. If you're consistently living wrong and don't even care, then that's evidence of a faith that's withered up and died. The evidence of an active faith is a passion for the Lord and the things of the Lord.
12:04
But typically here's how the enemy comes in he seeks to discourage you. That's like his number one weapon. And if the devil were to come in with a bag full of different tools, his number one tool would be discouragement, to chip away at the heart of the people of God so that they slowly drift away. And I tell them I'll just miss a few times, I'll just pull back. I mean my favorite one. I just need to pull away a little bit to work on myself. What have you ever in all your years seen that work out? I mean, I became a Christian because I couldn't do and handle myself. I'm going to pull away a little bit.
12:50
But if you pull away and pull away to a place where your faith dies or God forbid you pull away so much that you renounce Jesus and that's what the book of Hebrews will address in just a couple of chapters and move away from having a living faith. Well, if you don't have a living faith in Jesus, an active, energized, working faith, what happens to your salvation? Salvation is received every day. You're saved once, but every day you're in fellowship with him. Every day, I trust. Every day you're in fellowship with him. Every day, I trust you're grateful that all of your sins are forgiven you. You're grateful that he loves you. So he's warning them and I would echo that warning.
13:36
Grab a hold of the word of God. There's nothing worse than drifting away. But if you're here and you have drifted away, if you're here and you've drifted away, if you're here and you've drifted away and anything I said sparks life in you know this, you haven't drifted away too far and you say, oh, what's the process like coming back home? It's not painful, it's not arduous. Just look at the prodigal son. In fact, when the prodigal son came back home, the father was looking for him. That's why it says, when he was still a great way off, how come the father saw him when he was still a great way off? Because every day he was looking when is my son coming back home? Hallelujah. Verse two so come back home.
14:17
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, he's talking about the giving of the law. By the way, you got to stick with me here, right, if I do topical preaching. I got different stories, different examples. This requires some spiritual stamina. Yeah, it requires you like pulling on the word of God. It requires a heart that's saying I want to be enriched by the word of God, hallelujah, hallelujah. It requires a heart that's saying I want to be enriched by the Word of God. Hallelujah, for if the Word of God, if the word spoken through angels, that's the giving of the law, because the Bible says the law, including the Ten Commandments, were given to Moses by angels, if that proved steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, I mean, if the law was true and the lord the law was, uh, it was such a a stickler and it was so steadfast and punishment came quickly. Thank god, we're not under the law but under grace, but nevertheless, verse three how shall we escape if we neglect? So great a salvation?
15:27
That word neglect, is the same word that Jesus used in a parable in Matthew, when he was talking about how there was a supper. He was talking about a man and he wanted to throw a great feast. Do you remember this? And he invited all the other wealthy people to come to the feast and they neglected it, or they made light of it and they never showed up because they made light of it. And then the master of the feast said go to the highways and the byways and find the destitute and the homeless and compel them to come in. Here's what the scripture is saying Don't make light of your salvation Church. And this is light of your salvation Church. And this is who City Light is. This is who we are. We found the pearl of great price.
16:12
We're not going to treat that thing lightly. I don't treat that thing lightly. Are you aware? Do you really believe You're going to live forever? You are an eternal being and let me just rephrase that If you've given your life to Jesus, you're going to live forever. If you have neglected salvation, if you've turned your back on Jesus, if you've refused his free gift of salvation I say this with love in my heart, but it's what the scripture says you will die forever. Okay, I'm going to choose live forever, amen. And I'm going to choose live forever, amen. And I'm going to treat it like the. I'm not going to play games with my salvation and, as a father and a husband, I'm not going to play games with my wife or with my children. I'm going to cross the finish line. He's going to make sure of it, because I thank him for his saving power and his keeping power, and for my wife and for my kids, and for my church, and for my kids and for my church and for every single one of you, salvation is so.
17:08
You say, how precious is salvation? God became man and shed his own blood to purchase it for you. So I won't neglect so great a salvation which, at the first, began to be spoken by the way. That word so is in the same context as John 3, 16. For God so loved the world. How much so is a bad word. It's a lot, a lot. In the Greek it means a lot, a lot, a lot, I'm kidding. But so great a salvation which at the first, began to be spoken by the Lord, who preached the gospel first Jesus. Of course, it was preached through the prophets, but he's talking about this timeline and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. Those who heard him, namely the disciples, and some people just reference this to say that it wasn't Paul who wrote Hebrews, because we don't know who wrote it and I really don't know and I really don't care that much, but just throwing it out
18:11
there. I know one thing it's a good book. It's anointed. But you know, because Paul got the gospel directly said I got it by revelation. But here the writer. Here he says the word was confirmed, first spoken by the Lord and confirmed to us by others. So he wasn't a first generation Christian, he was a second generation Christian. Paul was a first generation Christian. You catch what I'm saying? So how you believe Paul wrote it, don't you? Erica? She's giving me a polite smile, you do, don't you that? She's giving me a polite smile, you do, don't you? That's what this is all about, I see, okay, god, by the way, all my pastor friends would agree with you. This is where I argue with them about this. No, it's true.
19:00
God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders. What is God bearing witness, both with signs and wonders? What is God bearing witness to the preaching of the word he's saying? We just heard the word preached to us and confirmed by those who knew him. God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will.
19:23
There is a huge truth contained in this. I could preach five messages off of this verse. Here's the meat of the verse is that God is loyal to his word. God is faithful to his word. God will every time confirm his word. He's not obligated to confirm my word, but the scripture says he will watch over his word to perform it. So if God said it, that settles it and his Holy Spirit will cause his word to come to pass. This is why, in Mark 16, the final chapter of Mark, as the disciples went out, it says they went preaching the word everywhere and the Holy Spirit working with them, confirming the word with the accompanying signs. So whatever you want God to confirm in your life, you have to give him the word.
20:14
This is how creation happened. Go back to Genesis 1. The Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters. Doing what? Nothing? Hovering, waiting what. Was he waiting for? The Word. Then God spoke Let there be. And the moment he spoke, the Holy Spirit said Woo-ha, here's the Word that I get to partner with. And when the Holy Spirit meets the Word, creation happens. And that's how it is in your life, that's how it is in this service.
20:47
If I was a fuddy-duddy, depressed preacher, if I believed in poverty, if I believed in God teaching you valuable life lessons by smiting you with sickness and disease. Do you know what I would get? Exactly what I preached, and then that would be all through this place. That's why there's people who come here. They don't even like me, they don't like my politics, but they're like I don't want to go to one of those other churches because at least he preaches the word and I'm changed when I come. They're kind of like yeah, there's a reason for that, by the way. So that just means, whenever you want to see results, get the word concerning your particular need in your life, because the Holy Spirit will confirm it.
21:40
The day of Pentecost, we see people get baptized in the Holy Spirit year round, but on the day of Pentecost, where I dedicate a whole service to just the baptism, the Holy Spirit, we see all sorts of people come to the front, some of them, I mean, totally deer in headlights. I don't even know if they've been baptized, I don't know if they've been saved five minutes, maybe they just got saved on the way up to the front and we see over 90 percent of the people get filled with the Holy Spirit. Look, look, can I just say this To go from zero to speaking in tongues, and I'll just add this part in New York City, just because it's such a secular, humanistic stronghold. You know to come up to the front, that's miraculous. How did that happen? Because the Word went out first. Then the Holy Spirit confirms the Word with signs, wonders, various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, hallelujah.
22:32
So whatever you need from the Lord, whether it's provision or direction or healing or more of him, get that word, the word that speaks to those things. Hallelujah. If you need healing, there's no sense in like burying yourself in the book of Leviticus. You know, if you need financial prosperity, no sense in like burying yourself in like Ecclesiastes. Those are great books, they have a purpose and a place. But you want to find the word that speaks to your particular need, because then the Holy Spirit will come upon that word in your life. Hallelujah, verse 5. For he has not put the world to come. He's doing a switcheroo here. This is why I think I know at least for me, because I've read the book of Hebrews hundreds of times and I didn't even get it the first hundred times At all and you know you cannot get I mean, we all get little bits of it and your spirit can still grow and it's like eating a delicious meal.
23:32
But a lot of times I'm reading and I'm going. What meaneth this? Like he's just talking. He's talking about confirming the word with the Holy Spirit and miracles, and all of a sudden he, for he has not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to angels. All right, let's track with him a little bit. It's a change in pace here, change in thought. But one testified in a certain place saying what is man? That you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? So the writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalms 8, which says that God made man a little lower than the angels, but that God has given man dominion over the earth. And you need to know that. That God gave mankind dominion over the world. Man at the garden neglected that dominion, treated it lightly and gave it away to Satan. Through man's rebellion of eating the fruit they gave. Their rightful authority, their rightful power over the world, handed it over to Satan. Satan's been running amok, but it belongs to man.
24:52
Let me let me, I got to go even further. It doesn't belong to God, he's given it to man. That's why God couldn't come to rescue us as God, but he came as the God-man, fully God and fully human. And so when it comes to our Christology, our understanding of Christ, we have these misconceptions like okay, god, because it doesn't mathematically add up, that's like your Little League coach going. I mean, it doesn't mathematically add up, that's like your little league coach going.
25:25
I want you to go out there and give it 110%. All right, that doesn't. How do I? And so Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. It doesn't make sense, but he is. He wasn't God on the outside and man on the inside, or man on the outside and God on the inside. He's fully God, fully man. He had to be made man because man messed this up. So it's saying Jesus just like man came. As I remember Hebrews, chapter one, he keeps saying Jesus is higher than all the angels, but now he's saying also he's been made lower than the angels. This will blow your mind.
26:04
There is no religion, no ideology, no faith on planet earth that is as beautiful and mysterious and even as complex as Christianity. You can gather the greatest writers, a hundred of them, the greatest writers on planet earth. Put them in a room. They can't come up with something as glorious as the gospel. You look at any other can't come up with something as glorious as the gospel. You look at any other.
26:24
Because God became man and sometimes we think that when he finished his job on earth, he threw his manhood off, he threw his humanity away. I'll tell you something. For a while I thought that it seemed like okay, great, you came from heaven to earth to show the way. And then I mean it must have been rough leaving heaven, coming to earth, becoming human, but then you couldn't wait to get that whole thing over with, come back up to heaven, come back into the Father. It's like Dirty job, but somebody had to do it. No, he's still human. After his resurrection he said touch me now, see to time and see that I am flesh and bone'".
27:09
And Jesus, who is God, is in heaven in a glorified body. What does that mean? It means that there is humanity in the Godhead. And it also means that before Jesus came to earth, god was one way and now he's forever different. After Jesus' incarnation, that means he was made flesh and then his resurrection and ascension back into heaven, the Godhead is forever different. There is humanity, jesus, the God-man. It was necessary for our salvation because man messed it up. A perfect man had to un-mess it up, and now he knows, and now he understands, and now there's this mystery. You can get close to Jesus and pray to him, and both of these statements are true. One statement is Lord, your ways are higher than my ways. You're totally different than me. That's true. You know what's also true God, you became man, and so you understand me on a very personal level. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, by the way, that's the message of Hebrews 2. And so you understand me on a very personal level. Hallelujah, by the way, that's the message of Hebrews 2 I want to sum up.
28:28
Hebrews 2 can I just say I love my wife. She just said she's already looking at it. She just came because I asked her anything I can do different. She said well, there's so much information. If you could just sum up Hebrews 2. I was like that's good, that's good.
28:48 - Speaker 2
So I'm going to sum up.
28:48 - Speaker 1
Hebrews 2. It's that he relates and he's writing to a suffering people, to a dejected people, a people who are on the verge of quitting, and people of people who are on the verge of quitting, and he's encouraging them that God understands and God knows, because God became human. And then he quotes old Old Testament scriptures to back up what he said. But one testified in a certain place what is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor. Man has been crowned with glory and honor and set him over the work, works of your hands. Man was given dominion over the earth, over the works of god's hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. In other words, jesus, to have total dominion now of the earth, had to be made man, because God gave man dominion and put all things in subjection under him. He left nothing that is not put under him. But Now we don't yet see All things put under him, because there is this tension also You're saved, aren't you? You believe in Jesus, you're saved. Oh man, I got like ten heads nodding at me. Alright, we need revival. If your sins are forgiven and you know it, clap your hands, all right, you're saved, but you're also in the process of being saved, like you're totally saved, but it's by faith. But the culmination of your salvation will be on that day. Yeah, and the devil has been defeated and destroyed, but that's also happening. That's why we know the devil is defeated. But also in Romans, paul writes and God will soon crush Satan underneath your feet. And so now we know the devil, devil is defeated, but we don't fully see everything lined up. We will on that day. It's according to our faith. But there's a tension. So what do we see? This is? I find this is an answer to whenever I'm going through a difficult time verse 9 but we see Jesus. It's not we see Jesus. It's not we saw Jesus. It's not we're going to see Jesus. It's the perfect present. It's we see Jesus, we see Jesus. That's why later in Hebrews it says fixing your eyes on Jesus.
31:34
When I don't know what to do, when there's confusion that hits, when I don't feel a prayer is getting answered as quickly as I'd like it to, what do I see? What do I do? Well, I can let my head go in a thousand different directions. I can speak a lot of nonsense out of my mouth, or I can steady my spirit. What do I see? I see Jesus high and lifted up. I see Jesus at the right hand of the Father. I see Him victorious, knowing that that victory will soon be made manifest in my life, hallelujah.
32:05
We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels. That means he became human. I can read it this way. But we see Jesus who was made man for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him. That means it was appropriate to God. It was the right thing to do. Give me one second, please. For it was fitting for him. For whom are all things and by whom are all things? In bringing many sons to glory? You have been glorified Now. That's true too, but also it's in the process of happening, and the full manifestation of your glory will be on that day and you're going to look fine. What does a glorified body look like? Moreories than this, that's for sure. It was fitting for god. For whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their. So jesus is the captain of my salvation. That means I know that my boat is going to reach its destination to make captain, the captain of their salvation.
33:28
Now it uses this word perfect through sufferings. It doesn't mean that god was imperfect. It doesn't mean that he was lacking anything or morally lacking anything. But there is one thing that God didn't know, that you know that he didn't know, and that's something that's common to all of us, and that thing is suffering. Something that we all have in common is there's a suffering. Let me tell you something In my life right now I don't lack for anything. There's nothing that I lack, yet still there's a suffering. There's a quiet ache to shed this thing, like the only reason I'm here is for my family and for you. There's always a cry of this isn't my home.
34:24
I'm a pilgrim, I'm passing through, I don't fit in here. This isn't like Lord. I love you and I love life, but this isn't it. There's an ache for you, lord. There's just. Even when everything is right in your life, you think, will I finally be happy? Well, maybe I'd rather be contented. You can be contented in the Lord. But this side of heaven, did I just depress somebody? I heard like three cats meow to my lover. What happened? It's all good. I'm just saying there'll always be a cry, there's a suffering.
35:01
And now God knows it, because this is what the scripture is saying here. He was made man and he knew suffering, real suffering, and now he can relate to you. So it was fitting for God to make the captain of your salvation perfect through sufferings, for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified. Who's he who sanctifies? What's his name? He's the one who does the sanctifying and those who are being sanctified. Who's that? Yeah, you've been made one with him. How have you been made one with him? In this sense, not in the sense of, like we're seated together with him in heavenly places. This isn't that. You're human and he's human man. You're one for which, and and those who are being, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them call you, call them brethren. So God is your father and Jesus is your brother. Hallelujah, oh man. When you really get that, you say all right, what does that mean? Well, for one, that means that when you come up to the father to pray, one thing that afflicts every single one of you is when you go to pray, the devil comes and your own stinking thinking comes. The first thing, especially when you're a new Christian, is a barrage of thoughts that you're not worthy, that you're condemned, that you did things wrong, and how dare you approach a holy God? But when you understand that Jesus is your brother, that means you have the same spiritual status as Jesus Christ. That means the same righteousness, right standing with God, that Jesus has you have as his family, as his brother. Now you're getting some spiritual muscles. And now when you go in to pray, you don't. Oh God, I'm so sorry, I'm kind of up to you like an old worm to the throne. Have mercy on me again. No, you can come in boldly to the throne of grace. Hallelujah, he's not ashamed to call you a brother. Why are you ashamed?
37:19
Verse 12. Saying I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst…. Now he's quoting scripture now from Psalm 22, 22. In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you.
37:37
These are all the scriptures he's quoting are messianic prophecies. They're all the prophecies in the Old Testament that were prophesying about the Messiah. One of the prophecies is that he was gonna sing. Can you remember a time when Jesus sang? Did Jesus sing? It's in the scriptures, actually After the Last Supper. After the Last Supper, what a bunch of fellas. They finished the meal and it says they all sang a hymn. Can you imagine that Jesus and the bros no drummer, no electric guitar, just the group of them Acapella.
38:15
Jesus, knowing what's ahead of him in just a few hours, just letting it rip, his voice cracking with emotion, his hands lifted up, singing a praise to the Father, offering a real halal, hallelujah, hallelujah. And again, verse 13,. I will put my trust in him. And again he's quoting these scriptures, these messianic prophecies. Here am I. This is Jesus talking about you. Here am I, in the children whom God has given me. Hallelujah, verse 14. Inasmuch, then, as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, because we're all flesh and blood he himself likewise shared in the same Jesus became man, that through death he might destroy him.
39:09
Who had the power of death? That is the devil. You ask, pastor, how much attention do you give the devil? Well, I know he's real, I know he's a real threat, but I also don't give him too much attention or too much power, because the scripture says for the one who is saved, he's as good as destroyed. He's running amok to those who are ignorant of the word of God, to those whose lives are uncovered by the blood of Jesus. But he's destroyed for you, he's destroyed for me. That through death he might destroy him. Who had the power of death, that is the devil. And what's the result of that? And release those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Now pay attention, those of you suffering with anxiety, those of you who are stuck because of fear, you're unable to bondage. Now pay attention, those of you suffering with anxiety, those of you who are stuck because of fear. You're unable to move forward. You have all these fears.
40:08
Every fear, when you trace it down far enough, has the same root. It is a fear of death, it is the fear of something dying, even if it's the fear of your business dying, your relationship dying your relationship dying. There's a fear, and fear is not of God. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is what will keep you, according to the scriptures, in bondage. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. When God created the heavens and the earth and put man on it, there wasn't even such a thing as fear. They didn't know fear.
40:44
The first time fear is mentioned is after Adam sins and he hides in the bushes and he says when God says where are you Adam, he says I was afraid and hid myself. So fear is a direct result of a sin consciousness. Yeah, result of a sin consciousness. What's that? What's that one quote? Oh, it was that old time healing revivalist. He said fear makes cowards out of men. Excuse me, sin makes fear. Obviously, sin makes cowards out of men.
41:23
So Jesus came as a man to undo man's wrong, defeat the devil, to release those who, through all their lives, were in bondage Through fear of death. Just say this out loud I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid of things dying, I'm not afraid of death. I serve the God of all life. His life courses through me. Abundant life is my portion, whatever I put my hand forth to do will prosper. I am blessed In Jesus' name. Amen, verse 16.
42:02
Worship team, you can come up. I am blessed in Jesus' name. Amen, verse 16,. Worship team, you can come up. For indeed, he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Who's the seed of Abraham? You are.
42:18
Jesus was also. Therefore, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren. So really, the whole theme, the over overarching theme of hebrews, chapter 2, is that jesus is man. Now hebrews 1 was jesus is god. Embrace him as both.
42:41
Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, like us. He had to be made human that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. See, a high priest was a human, and even in heaven, the high priest has to have humanity in it because he serves as a mediator between god and man. What a perfect mediator. Because he understands god and he understands man, because he's both God and man. And poof, I mean back in the Old Testament. That was a cruddy high priest. He understood man. He had to wear all the jewelry and all the stuff to kind of represent God, but he didn't get it, jesus gets it that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. To make propitiation Now I'm gonna it's one more verse left, but I need you to get this. Get familiar with our word propitiation.
43:39
It's a great word, like get snuggly with it, just say it say, say propitiation, propitiation propitiation yeah, can you say it, just get, I want you to say it.
43:52
First of all because it's a funny word, because you know, when I was first saved, I said prop it, t8, propitiation. You got this propitiation. Yeah, come on one more, just say it. Say it Propitiation, propitiation. Yes, sir, it's a good word to know. Become friends with that word. You know why? Because it means the appeasement of divine wrath. There was a wrath of God that was on us. While he loves you, if you are in sin, if you haven't come to Jesus, if you haven't been born again, there is an abiding wrath on you.
44:34
When I was a teenager, before I gave my life to Jesus at 16, I looked pretty good, pretty sweet, pretty innocent. The wrath of God was on me. I was an enemy of God, everything about me was opposed to God and he had mercy on me and opened my eyes and caused me to receive Jesus. And when I received Jesus, I had advantage of his propitiation, which means the divine wrath has been satisfied, because all of God's good wrath. You know, sometimes when I say wrath, people think it's like a bad alcoholic father flying off the handle. Oh, sometimes when I say wrath, people think it's like a bad alcoholic father flying off the handle.
45:06
Whoa? What are you doing down there, kids? No, this is a just wrath, a holy wrath. When there's sin, which is completely opposed to the very nature of God, the wages of sin is death. There's a wrath, but here's the great news Jesus, the God-man, took that wrath on himself as your substitute in your place. So divine wrath has been satisfied. Hallelujah. That's what propitiation means. Get a tattoo of that word on your forearm this week. Never forget that word.
45:39
Look when the going gets tough, when you feel distant from God. I know what it is. Always there is condemnation there, and what the devil is telling you is God's tired of you, god's fed up with you, god's mad at you, god's angry at you. You can't even come back to God. That's what he uses to fuel you to what Drift away even further and to encourage him to not drift away. He's reminding them that there's been propitiation. That's why I do have a tattoo of an empty chalice on my forearm here, because usually in the Bible the symbolism for God's wrath is cups, cups of wine of God's wrath. But this is an empty cup. There's no more wrath left for me, no more wrath left for you. Been thoroughly poured out on Jesus, and that's why we love him. So Verse 18.
46:29
Thoroughly poured out on Jesus and that's why we love him. So Verse 18. For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. Finally, he's just saying Jesus knows, jesus understands, because he's the God man. He was tempted in all points, as we are. He suffered in all ways, like us.
46:46
You say. Well, did he ever suffer sickness and disease? He suffered every sickness and disease on the way to the cross. He suffered every kind of heinous sin was placed upon him. Every sickness, every disease was placed upon him. He knows suffering, he knows you and he's with you and he's gonna see you. His job as the captain of your salvation is to see you through.
47:13
Just close your eyes right now and say this out loud Lord Jesus, you're the captain of my salvation. You are God, you are man, you're my brother, you're my everything. I put my eyes on you. I trust you to fulfill your promises in my life. I declare victory for the close of 2024 and into 2025. I believe you're just going to outdo yourself in my life. In Jesus' name, amen, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. I want to encourage you this week. Spend time with him. It's not about length. Just connect with him All day, throughout the day.
48:13
Encourage you to read Hebrews 3. Have a blast in your life groups. Read Hebrews 3 for next week. Read it every day. One chapter Papa Gospel every day. Hebrews 13.
48:29
If you want ministry, we have a ministry team that will lay hands on you, pray for you for any need that you have. They'll link their faith to yours. We see good stuff. I wouldn't do this just because it's cute. I have a high confidence in our ministry team. The regular people, just like me. Isn't that amazing. God calls regular people just for the edifying of itself, the body of Christ and love. If you want prayer, go to my left, your right. There's a ministry team there waiting for you and they'll lay hands on you and pray with you and for you. Otherwise, be blessed. We're going to sing one more song to the Lord.
49:06
Have a great week. Is it just me or do you sense something? I feel like just like a new day is dawning. There's just like a buzz in my spirit of expectancy. I can't wait to hear the best testimonies I've ever heard coming from you guys of victory in your lives. It's upon us. Listen, this is the last days and he's not coming back for a beat up bride. He's coming back. In other words, here's the picture that's painted in the scriptures. Like in the old Testament, he had his people, israel. Where Israel now, it was always to lift up his people so high Actually, it says this multiple times To provoke unbelievers to jealousy that they would look at you and go your life is so blessed, you live in peace. Tell me, what is your secret? It's no secret, it's Jesus. Let me tell you all about him. Hallelujah, so that, in other words, he wants to lift you up as a trophy of his grace, so that others will look Hallelujah and come to him.
50:13 - Speaker 2
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 Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. 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. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
It's not your activity or your works that saved you. It's free gift from Jesus, so it's not your works or activity that can unsave you. And this is typically where people then go oh great, so I can do whatever I want and I'm still saved. And you think that's such an original thought. But because you have been set free and because he loves you no matter what, anyway he here's what Jesus said he who is forgiven much also loves much.
00:26 - Speaker 2
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 citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jancic 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 that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:09 - Speaker 1
Welcome to everybody. A special welcome to our online viewers. Thank you, jesus. If you're a guest, I also want to welcome you. My name is Pastor Bo Jancic and it's my pleasure to minister to you this morning. We're in the book of Hebrews. We've just gotten started.
01:29
Typically and frankly, what's more fun for me is topical preaching, where we can hit different topics. I seek the Lord on a topic, on a subject that will really matter to you in your life, but what I like to do from time to time is expository preaching, where we go through the entire Bible Well, not the whole Bible, but a book in the Bible, but the whole book in the Bible, line by line, precept upon precept, verse by verse, so that you can fall in love with studying the Word and so that you can see how the Word of God is to be read, how it's to be studied, how it's to be interpreted, because there is a plague of biblical illiteracy in the church today. There is a plague of people who I mean, they get their daily dose of the Word of God from like scrolling Instagram or TikTok and seeing a slide of a scripture. That's not that's it's just not going to cut it. That's not that it's just not going to cut it. That's not going to do it for you.
02:27
The word of god produces fruit. The word of god produces results. When you ingest the word of god, it's going, it cannot but produce fruit in your life. It is impossible, in fact, those of you who've given your lives to jesus, your life is transformed. You're the result of the word of god bearing fruit in your life. More word, more fruit. So we want the word to be our standard. The word is, above all, not our feelings. We know we have a culture that it's well, I don't feel. Well, I feel. And really the divine response is I don't care how you feel. I mean, he cares how you feel, but he doesn't care how you feel about his word, because there's no debating it, there's no arguing with it, it's not subject to a private interpretation. It is what it is and it's life, and to submit your life to the word of God will produce life inside of you, hallelujah.
03:24
So let's begin in Hebrews, chapter 1. Just something to keep in mind is that Hebrews was written to discouraged Christians. Hebrews was written to Christians who were on the verge of quitting. They were Hebrew Christians and they had really taken a beating. They were ostracized. They were pushed out socially, ostracized financially. They weren't even allowed to barter or trade in the market, and so I mean they had it a lot worse than any Christians in America today. I mean, we like to complain, but we have it's still wonderful compared to then. And so this was a group of christians that were on the verge of forsaking the lord. And so this, this would be the word of the lord to you in a time of discouragement, in a time of hopelessness, or in a at a time.
04:20
What a graphic. That's just weird for me to see. I'm looking down. I'm like am I wearing a different jacket? Hope I'm wearing a different jacket.
04:31
Let's begin Hebrews, chapter 2 and verse 1 hallelujah. Therefore, now we're in chapter 2. Chapter 1 was all about the supremacy and total sufficiency of Jesus and how he is God. He's the son of God, he's also God. How does that work? You'll find out when you meet him. It does, because whenever you see a therefore in the scriptures, just go back a little bit to find out what it's there for.
05:07
What he's saying is because of the total supremacy of Jesus, because Jesus is God almighty. Therefore, because of that, we must give the more earnest heed and that's important in the church Earnest heed. You know what that means. That means you're not just a hearer of the word, but a doer also. The word isn't going to benefit you unless, when you hear it, you let it enter your heart and then you quit kicking against it and quit rationalizing your way out of the word of God, but embrace it and allow it to change you and then become a doer of the word. Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard. And then there's a warning If we don't do that, you're going to drift away.
05:55
Now, this, this sends shockwaves through my body. That just that phrase drift away. And this is one of the painful parts about being a pastor. You get to see this isn't a painful part. Painful parts about being a pastor. You get to see this isn't a painful part, this is a good part. You get to see a lot of people living in victory. You get to see lives transformed. That's the great part. The painful part is seeing some people drift away and that just tears me up inside.
06:17
And one thing I found about drifting away is it doesn't happen overnight. It's a slow drifting. It's a slow drifting. It reminds me of when I first really taught myself how to fish. I was eight, nine. We had a friend in the family. We had a farm out in Virginia. We'd go out to the farm and there was a lake. There was a little paddle boat and I'd get in the boat. I'd try to find the little place where there was some brush that would cast some shade. I knew that's where the fish were in the middle of the day hiding out in the shade, and I'd cast my line. And then, after about 10 minutes of just looking at the line, I look around, I realize I'm in a totally different place than the lake. After about 10 minutes, what happened? I slowly drifted away. What did I have to do to drift away? Nothing, drifting away just happens.
07:14
The Philippian jailer asked the apostle Paul what must I do to be saved? How many of you remember what the answer was? This is a good verse to have memorized, because there's people in your life. They may not be asking it that way, but they're looking at you like little puppy dogs going what must I do to be saved? And the apostle Paul? He busted out 16 very big books and he said read through all of these. We're gonna go through a 12 week class. No, he said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your whole house. Simple gospel message. But just reverse that question what must I do to be lost? And the answer is nothing. You can just drift away slowly. You get caught up with the world. You got saved because the world did you dirty. Nobody got saved because the world was so good to them. You got saved because you went in the world. You got your butt kicked. You tasted of the world. It left you all hollow and empty inside.
08:17
Because sin never satisfies, you skip going to church. You skip going to life group. You neglect your prayer time. The devil comes in with some lies. You know. One of his top lies is that you're missing out on something. That's actually his original lie to eve. You're missing out. Oh, you get all this garden, except that god is holding out on you. He's never holding out on you. He's never holding out on you. There's nothing out there. I didn't do this in the first service. Let me just go here.
08:54
It's important for us to know when it comes to salvation, it's a free gift. I prize salvation, salvation. Salvation is everything, because you're an eternal being. You will live forever and there is a heaven that's wonderful and a hell that's real. And Jesus offers a forgiveness of sins to whosoever will. When you place your faith in him and in his substitutionary, he became your substitute. He was punished so you wouldn't have to be. You place your faith in a substitutionary death on the cross.
09:26
A big question comes up is can I lose my salvation? You know, new people come to the Lord and they got. Sometimes it's old people too. You got the old ways still that are part of you. You know, I remember when I first got saved at 16, then I went to this party you know, a teenage high school party. I didn't even do anything crazy at that party, but the whole time I just felt so dirty, you know, and I was just like, oh God, oh Lord. I didn't do anything crazy, but just got a little looser than I should have. Don't try to picture that, it's not a pretty sight. And I remember thinking like you know, and I ran back to church the people you know what I'm talking about. Am I still saved and do I have to get resaved and do I have to get born again again. No, no, you're saved. And should you fall, you fall saved. And the Bible says a righteous man falls down seven times, but each time gets back up again.
10:23
If your life is a mess right now, I know this that if you would just keep your eyes on Jesus, do not allow yourself to get condemned, because the blood of Jesus declares there is no condemnation Holiness will be worked out in your life and those things that plague you addictions or whatever chain Satan has put on you they will break. So it's not your activity or your works that saved you. It's free gift from Jesus. So it's not your works or activity that can unsave you. And this is typically where people then go oh great, so I can do whatever I want and I'm still saved. And you think that's such an original thought. That was what they said back in the first century.
11:02
That's what Paul in Romans 6 is writing about. He's saying God forbid, but because you have been set free and because he loves you no matter what anyway, here's what Jesus said he who is forgiven much also loves much. So within you is awakened this love for the Lord, and it breaks the power of sin off of your life. But nevertheless there is a warning in the scriptures While your activity cannot unsave you, but, by the way, if you're living a totally reprobate life and you've called yourself a Christian and you go and sin and don't even feel anything, I question your faith Because you cannot have a living faith in the Lord. If you're consistently living wrong and don't even care, then that's evidence of a faith that's withered up and died. The evidence of an active faith is a passion for the Lord and the things of the Lord.
12:04
But typically here's how the enemy comes in he seeks to discourage you. That's like his number one weapon. And if the devil were to come in with a bag full of different tools, his number one tool would be discouragement, to chip away at the heart of the people of God so that they slowly drift away. And I tell them I'll just miss a few times, I'll just pull back. I mean my favorite one. I just need to pull away a little bit to work on myself. What have you ever in all your years seen that work out? I mean, I became a Christian because I couldn't do and handle myself. I'm going to pull away a little bit.
12:50
But if you pull away and pull away to a place where your faith dies or God forbid you pull away so much that you renounce Jesus and that's what the book of Hebrews will address in just a couple of chapters and move away from having a living faith. Well, if you don't have a living faith in Jesus, an active, energized, working faith, what happens to your salvation? Salvation is received every day. You're saved once, but every day you're in fellowship with him. Every day, I trust. Every day you're in fellowship with him. Every day, I trust you're grateful that all of your sins are forgiven you. You're grateful that he loves you. So he's warning them and I would echo that warning.
13:36
Grab a hold of the word of God. There's nothing worse than drifting away. But if you're here and you have drifted away, if you're here and you've drifted away, if you're here and you've drifted away and anything I said sparks life in you know this, you haven't drifted away too far and you say, oh, what's the process like coming back home? It's not painful, it's not arduous. Just look at the prodigal son. In fact, when the prodigal son came back home, the father was looking for him. That's why it says, when he was still a great way off, how come the father saw him when he was still a great way off? Because every day he was looking when is my son coming back home? Hallelujah. Verse two so come back home.
14:17
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, he's talking about the giving of the law. By the way, you got to stick with me here, right, if I do topical preaching. I got different stories, different examples. This requires some spiritual stamina. Yeah, it requires you like pulling on the word of God. It requires a heart that's saying I want to be enriched by the word of God, hallelujah, hallelujah. It requires a heart that's saying I want to be enriched by the Word of God. Hallelujah, for if the Word of God, if the word spoken through angels, that's the giving of the law, because the Bible says the law, including the Ten Commandments, were given to Moses by angels, if that proved steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, I mean, if the law was true and the lord the law was, uh, it was such a a stickler and it was so steadfast and punishment came quickly. Thank god, we're not under the law but under grace, but nevertheless, verse three how shall we escape if we neglect? So great a salvation?
15:27
That word neglect, is the same word that Jesus used in a parable in Matthew, when he was talking about how there was a supper. He was talking about a man and he wanted to throw a great feast. Do you remember this? And he invited all the other wealthy people to come to the feast and they neglected it, or they made light of it and they never showed up because they made light of it. And then the master of the feast said go to the highways and the byways and find the destitute and the homeless and compel them to come in. Here's what the scripture is saying Don't make light of your salvation Church. And this is light of your salvation Church. And this is who City Light is. This is who we are. We found the pearl of great price.
16:12
We're not going to treat that thing lightly. I don't treat that thing lightly. Are you aware? Do you really believe You're going to live forever? You are an eternal being and let me just rephrase that If you've given your life to Jesus, you're going to live forever. If you have neglected salvation, if you've turned your back on Jesus, if you've refused his free gift of salvation I say this with love in my heart, but it's what the scripture says you will die forever. Okay, I'm going to choose live forever, amen. And I'm going to choose live forever, amen. And I'm going to treat it like the. I'm not going to play games with my salvation and, as a father and a husband, I'm not going to play games with my wife or with my children. I'm going to cross the finish line. He's going to make sure of it, because I thank him for his saving power and his keeping power, and for my wife and for my kids, and for my church, and for my kids and for my church and for every single one of you, salvation is so.
17:08
You say, how precious is salvation? God became man and shed his own blood to purchase it for you. So I won't neglect so great a salvation which, at the first, began to be spoken by the way. That word so is in the same context as John 3, 16. For God so loved the world. How much so is a bad word. It's a lot, a lot. In the Greek it means a lot, a lot, a lot, I'm kidding. But so great a salvation which at the first, began to be spoken by the Lord, who preached the gospel first Jesus. Of course, it was preached through the prophets, but he's talking about this timeline and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. Those who heard him, namely the disciples, and some people just reference this to say that it wasn't Paul who wrote Hebrews, because we don't know who wrote it and I really don't know and I really don't care that much, but just throwing it out
18:11
there. I know one thing it's a good book. It's anointed. But you know, because Paul got the gospel directly said I got it by revelation. But here the writer. Here he says the word was confirmed, first spoken by the Lord and confirmed to us by others. So he wasn't a first generation Christian, he was a second generation Christian. Paul was a first generation Christian. You catch what I'm saying? So how you believe Paul wrote it, don't you? Erica? She's giving me a polite smile, you do, don't you that? She's giving me a polite smile, you do, don't you? That's what this is all about, I see, okay, god, by the way, all my pastor friends would agree with you. This is where I argue with them about this. No, it's true.
19:00
God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders. What is God bearing witness, both with signs and wonders? What is God bearing witness to the preaching of the word he's saying? We just heard the word preached to us and confirmed by those who knew him. God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will.
19:23
There is a huge truth contained in this. I could preach five messages off of this verse. Here's the meat of the verse is that God is loyal to his word. God is faithful to his word. God will every time confirm his word. He's not obligated to confirm my word, but the scripture says he will watch over his word to perform it. So if God said it, that settles it and his Holy Spirit will cause his word to come to pass. This is why, in Mark 16, the final chapter of Mark, as the disciples went out, it says they went preaching the word everywhere and the Holy Spirit working with them, confirming the word with the accompanying signs. So whatever you want God to confirm in your life, you have to give him the word.
20:14
This is how creation happened. Go back to Genesis 1. The Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters. Doing what? Nothing? Hovering, waiting what. Was he waiting for? The Word. Then God spoke Let there be. And the moment he spoke, the Holy Spirit said Woo-ha, here's the Word that I get to partner with. And when the Holy Spirit meets the Word, creation happens. And that's how it is in your life, that's how it is in this service.
20:47
If I was a fuddy-duddy, depressed preacher, if I believed in poverty, if I believed in God teaching you valuable life lessons by smiting you with sickness and disease. Do you know what I would get? Exactly what I preached, and then that would be all through this place. That's why there's people who come here. They don't even like me, they don't like my politics, but they're like I don't want to go to one of those other churches because at least he preaches the word and I'm changed when I come. They're kind of like yeah, there's a reason for that, by the way. So that just means, whenever you want to see results, get the word concerning your particular need in your life, because the Holy Spirit will confirm it.
21:40
The day of Pentecost, we see people get baptized in the Holy Spirit year round, but on the day of Pentecost, where I dedicate a whole service to just the baptism, the Holy Spirit, we see all sorts of people come to the front, some of them, I mean, totally deer in headlights. I don't even know if they've been baptized, I don't know if they've been saved five minutes, maybe they just got saved on the way up to the front and we see over 90 percent of the people get filled with the Holy Spirit. Look, look, can I just say this To go from zero to speaking in tongues, and I'll just add this part in New York City, just because it's such a secular, humanistic stronghold. You know to come up to the front, that's miraculous. How did that happen? Because the Word went out first. Then the Holy Spirit confirms the Word with signs, wonders, various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, hallelujah.
22:32
So whatever you need from the Lord, whether it's provision or direction or healing or more of him, get that word, the word that speaks to those things. Hallelujah. If you need healing, there's no sense in like burying yourself in the book of Leviticus. You know, if you need financial prosperity, no sense in like burying yourself in like Ecclesiastes. Those are great books, they have a purpose and a place. But you want to find the word that speaks to your particular need, because then the Holy Spirit will come upon that word in your life. Hallelujah, verse 5. For he has not put the world to come. He's doing a switcheroo here. This is why I think I know at least for me, because I've read the book of Hebrews hundreds of times and I didn't even get it the first hundred times At all and you know you cannot get I mean, we all get little bits of it and your spirit can still grow and it's like eating a delicious meal.
23:32
But a lot of times I'm reading and I'm going. What meaneth this? Like he's just talking. He's talking about confirming the word with the Holy Spirit and miracles, and all of a sudden he, for he has not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to angels. All right, let's track with him a little bit. It's a change in pace here, change in thought. But one testified in a certain place saying what is man? That you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? So the writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalms 8, which says that God made man a little lower than the angels, but that God has given man dominion over the earth. And you need to know that. That God gave mankind dominion over the world. Man at the garden neglected that dominion, treated it lightly and gave it away to Satan. Through man's rebellion of eating the fruit they gave. Their rightful authority, their rightful power over the world, handed it over to Satan. Satan's been running amok, but it belongs to man.
24:52
Let me let me, I got to go even further. It doesn't belong to God, he's given it to man. That's why God couldn't come to rescue us as God, but he came as the God-man, fully God and fully human. And so when it comes to our Christology, our understanding of Christ, we have these misconceptions like okay, god, because it doesn't mathematically add up, that's like your Little League coach going. I mean, it doesn't mathematically add up, that's like your little league coach going.
25:25
I want you to go out there and give it 110%. All right, that doesn't. How do I? And so Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. It doesn't make sense, but he is. He wasn't God on the outside and man on the inside, or man on the outside and God on the inside. He's fully God, fully man. He had to be made man because man messed this up. So it's saying Jesus just like man came. As I remember Hebrews, chapter one, he keeps saying Jesus is higher than all the angels, but now he's saying also he's been made lower than the angels. This will blow your mind.
26:04
There is no religion, no ideology, no faith on planet earth that is as beautiful and mysterious and even as complex as Christianity. You can gather the greatest writers, a hundred of them, the greatest writers on planet earth. Put them in a room. They can't come up with something as glorious as the gospel. You look at any other can't come up with something as glorious as the gospel. You look at any other.
26:24
Because God became man and sometimes we think that when he finished his job on earth, he threw his manhood off, he threw his humanity away. I'll tell you something. For a while I thought that it seemed like okay, great, you came from heaven to earth to show the way. And then I mean it must have been rough leaving heaven, coming to earth, becoming human, but then you couldn't wait to get that whole thing over with, come back up to heaven, come back into the Father. It's like Dirty job, but somebody had to do it. No, he's still human. After his resurrection he said touch me now, see to time and see that I am flesh and bone'".
27:09
And Jesus, who is God, is in heaven in a glorified body. What does that mean? It means that there is humanity in the Godhead. And it also means that before Jesus came to earth, god was one way and now he's forever different. After Jesus' incarnation, that means he was made flesh and then his resurrection and ascension back into heaven, the Godhead is forever different. There is humanity, jesus, the God-man. It was necessary for our salvation because man messed it up. A perfect man had to un-mess it up, and now he knows, and now he understands, and now there's this mystery. You can get close to Jesus and pray to him, and both of these statements are true. One statement is Lord, your ways are higher than my ways. You're totally different than me. That's true. You know what's also true God, you became man, and so you understand me on a very personal level. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, by the way, that's the message of Hebrews 2. And so you understand me on a very personal level. Hallelujah, by the way, that's the message of Hebrews 2 I want to sum up.
28:28
Hebrews 2 can I just say I love my wife. She just said she's already looking at it. She just came because I asked her anything I can do different. She said well, there's so much information. If you could just sum up Hebrews 2. I was like that's good, that's good.
28:48 - Speaker 2
So I'm going to sum up.
28:48 - Speaker 1
Hebrews 2. It's that he relates and he's writing to a suffering people, to a dejected people, a people who are on the verge of quitting, and people of people who are on the verge of quitting, and he's encouraging them that God understands and God knows, because God became human. And then he quotes old Old Testament scriptures to back up what he said. But one testified in a certain place what is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor. Man has been crowned with glory and honor and set him over the work, works of your hands. Man was given dominion over the earth, over the works of god's hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. In other words, jesus, to have total dominion now of the earth, had to be made man, because God gave man dominion and put all things in subjection under him. He left nothing that is not put under him. But Now we don't yet see All things put under him, because there is this tension also You're saved, aren't you? You believe in Jesus, you're saved. Oh man, I got like ten heads nodding at me. Alright, we need revival. If your sins are forgiven and you know it, clap your hands, all right, you're saved, but you're also in the process of being saved, like you're totally saved, but it's by faith. But the culmination of your salvation will be on that day. Yeah, and the devil has been defeated and destroyed, but that's also happening. That's why we know the devil is defeated. But also in Romans, paul writes and God will soon crush Satan underneath your feet. And so now we know the devil, devil is defeated, but we don't fully see everything lined up. We will on that day. It's according to our faith. But there's a tension. So what do we see? This is? I find this is an answer to whenever I'm going through a difficult time verse 9 but we see Jesus. It's not we see Jesus. It's not we saw Jesus. It's not we're going to see Jesus. It's the perfect present. It's we see Jesus, we see Jesus. That's why later in Hebrews it says fixing your eyes on Jesus.
31:34
When I don't know what to do, when there's confusion that hits, when I don't feel a prayer is getting answered as quickly as I'd like it to, what do I see? What do I do? Well, I can let my head go in a thousand different directions. I can speak a lot of nonsense out of my mouth, or I can steady my spirit. What do I see? I see Jesus high and lifted up. I see Jesus at the right hand of the Father. I see Him victorious, knowing that that victory will soon be made manifest in my life, hallelujah.
32:05
We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels. That means he became human. I can read it this way. But we see Jesus who was made man for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him. That means it was appropriate to God. It was the right thing to do. Give me one second, please. For it was fitting for him. For whom are all things and by whom are all things? In bringing many sons to glory? You have been glorified Now. That's true too, but also it's in the process of happening, and the full manifestation of your glory will be on that day and you're going to look fine. What does a glorified body look like? Moreories than this, that's for sure. It was fitting for god. For whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their. So jesus is the captain of my salvation. That means I know that my boat is going to reach its destination to make captain, the captain of their salvation.
33:28
Now it uses this word perfect through sufferings. It doesn't mean that god was imperfect. It doesn't mean that he was lacking anything or morally lacking anything. But there is one thing that God didn't know, that you know that he didn't know, and that's something that's common to all of us, and that thing is suffering. Something that we all have in common is there's a suffering. Let me tell you something In my life right now I don't lack for anything. There's nothing that I lack, yet still there's a suffering. There's a quiet ache to shed this thing, like the only reason I'm here is for my family and for you. There's always a cry of this isn't my home.
34:24
I'm a pilgrim, I'm passing through, I don't fit in here. This isn't like Lord. I love you and I love life, but this isn't it. There's an ache for you, lord. There's just. Even when everything is right in your life, you think, will I finally be happy? Well, maybe I'd rather be contented. You can be contented in the Lord. But this side of heaven, did I just depress somebody? I heard like three cats meow to my lover. What happened? It's all good. I'm just saying there'll always be a cry, there's a suffering.
35:01
And now God knows it, because this is what the scripture is saying here. He was made man and he knew suffering, real suffering, and now he can relate to you. So it was fitting for God to make the captain of your salvation perfect through sufferings, for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified. Who's he who sanctifies? What's his name? He's the one who does the sanctifying and those who are being sanctified. Who's that? Yeah, you've been made one with him. How have you been made one with him? In this sense, not in the sense of, like we're seated together with him in heavenly places. This isn't that. You're human and he's human man. You're one for which, and and those who are being, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them call you, call them brethren. So God is your father and Jesus is your brother. Hallelujah, oh man. When you really get that, you say all right, what does that mean? Well, for one, that means that when you come up to the father to pray, one thing that afflicts every single one of you is when you go to pray, the devil comes and your own stinking thinking comes. The first thing, especially when you're a new Christian, is a barrage of thoughts that you're not worthy, that you're condemned, that you did things wrong, and how dare you approach a holy God? But when you understand that Jesus is your brother, that means you have the same spiritual status as Jesus Christ. That means the same righteousness, right standing with God, that Jesus has you have as his family, as his brother. Now you're getting some spiritual muscles. And now when you go in to pray, you don't. Oh God, I'm so sorry, I'm kind of up to you like an old worm to the throne. Have mercy on me again. No, you can come in boldly to the throne of grace. Hallelujah, he's not ashamed to call you a brother. Why are you ashamed?
37:19
Verse 12. Saying I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst…. Now he's quoting scripture now from Psalm 22, 22. In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you.
37:37
These are all the scriptures he's quoting are messianic prophecies. They're all the prophecies in the Old Testament that were prophesying about the Messiah. One of the prophecies is that he was gonna sing. Can you remember a time when Jesus sang? Did Jesus sing? It's in the scriptures, actually After the Last Supper. After the Last Supper, what a bunch of fellas. They finished the meal and it says they all sang a hymn. Can you imagine that Jesus and the bros no drummer, no electric guitar, just the group of them Acapella.
38:15
Jesus, knowing what's ahead of him in just a few hours, just letting it rip, his voice cracking with emotion, his hands lifted up, singing a praise to the Father, offering a real halal, hallelujah, hallelujah. And again, verse 13,. I will put my trust in him. And again he's quoting these scriptures, these messianic prophecies. Here am I. This is Jesus talking about you. Here am I, in the children whom God has given me. Hallelujah, verse 14. Inasmuch, then, as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, because we're all flesh and blood he himself likewise shared in the same Jesus became man, that through death he might destroy him.
39:09
Who had the power of death? That is the devil. You ask, pastor, how much attention do you give the devil? Well, I know he's real, I know he's a real threat, but I also don't give him too much attention or too much power, because the scripture says for the one who is saved, he's as good as destroyed. He's running amok to those who are ignorant of the word of God, to those whose lives are uncovered by the blood of Jesus. But he's destroyed for you, he's destroyed for me. That through death he might destroy him. Who had the power of death, that is the devil. And what's the result of that? And release those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Now pay attention, those of you suffering with anxiety, those of you who are stuck because of fear, you're unable to bondage. Now pay attention, those of you suffering with anxiety, those of you who are stuck because of fear. You're unable to move forward. You have all these fears.
40:08
Every fear, when you trace it down far enough, has the same root. It is a fear of death, it is the fear of something dying, even if it's the fear of your business dying, your relationship dying your relationship dying. There's a fear, and fear is not of God. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is what will keep you, according to the scriptures, in bondage. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. When God created the heavens and the earth and put man on it, there wasn't even such a thing as fear. They didn't know fear.
40:44
The first time fear is mentioned is after Adam sins and he hides in the bushes and he says when God says where are you Adam, he says I was afraid and hid myself. So fear is a direct result of a sin consciousness. Yeah, result of a sin consciousness. What's that? What's that one quote? Oh, it was that old time healing revivalist. He said fear makes cowards out of men. Excuse me, sin makes fear. Obviously, sin makes cowards out of men.
41:23
So Jesus came as a man to undo man's wrong, defeat the devil, to release those who, through all their lives, were in bondage Through fear of death. Just say this out loud I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid of things dying, I'm not afraid of death. I serve the God of all life. His life courses through me. Abundant life is my portion, whatever I put my hand forth to do will prosper. I am blessed In Jesus' name. Amen, verse 16.
42:02
Worship team, you can come up. I am blessed in Jesus' name. Amen, verse 16,. Worship team, you can come up. For indeed, he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Who's the seed of Abraham? You are.
42:18
Jesus was also. Therefore, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren. So really, the whole theme, the over overarching theme of hebrews, chapter 2, is that jesus is man. Now hebrews 1 was jesus is god. Embrace him as both.
42:41
Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, like us. He had to be made human that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. See, a high priest was a human, and even in heaven, the high priest has to have humanity in it because he serves as a mediator between god and man. What a perfect mediator. Because he understands god and he understands man, because he's both God and man. And poof, I mean back in the Old Testament. That was a cruddy high priest. He understood man. He had to wear all the jewelry and all the stuff to kind of represent God, but he didn't get it, jesus gets it that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. To make propitiation Now I'm gonna it's one more verse left, but I need you to get this. Get familiar with our word propitiation.
43:39
It's a great word, like get snuggly with it, just say it say, say propitiation, propitiation propitiation yeah, can you say it, just get, I want you to say it.
43:52
First of all because it's a funny word, because you know, when I was first saved, I said prop it, t8, propitiation. You got this propitiation. Yeah, come on one more, just say it. Say it Propitiation, propitiation. Yes, sir, it's a good word to know. Become friends with that word. You know why? Because it means the appeasement of divine wrath. There was a wrath of God that was on us. While he loves you, if you are in sin, if you haven't come to Jesus, if you haven't been born again, there is an abiding wrath on you.
44:34
When I was a teenager, before I gave my life to Jesus at 16, I looked pretty good, pretty sweet, pretty innocent. The wrath of God was on me. I was an enemy of God, everything about me was opposed to God and he had mercy on me and opened my eyes and caused me to receive Jesus. And when I received Jesus, I had advantage of his propitiation, which means the divine wrath has been satisfied, because all of God's good wrath. You know, sometimes when I say wrath, people think it's like a bad alcoholic father flying off the handle. Oh, sometimes when I say wrath, people think it's like a bad alcoholic father flying off the handle.
45:06
Whoa? What are you doing down there, kids? No, this is a just wrath, a holy wrath. When there's sin, which is completely opposed to the very nature of God, the wages of sin is death. There's a wrath, but here's the great news Jesus, the God-man, took that wrath on himself as your substitute in your place. So divine wrath has been satisfied. Hallelujah. That's what propitiation means. Get a tattoo of that word on your forearm this week. Never forget that word.
45:39
Look when the going gets tough, when you feel distant from God. I know what it is. Always there is condemnation there, and what the devil is telling you is God's tired of you, god's fed up with you, god's mad at you, god's angry at you. You can't even come back to God. That's what he uses to fuel you to what Drift away even further and to encourage him to not drift away. He's reminding them that there's been propitiation. That's why I do have a tattoo of an empty chalice on my forearm here, because usually in the Bible the symbolism for God's wrath is cups, cups of wine of God's wrath. But this is an empty cup. There's no more wrath left for me, no more wrath left for you. Been thoroughly poured out on Jesus, and that's why we love him. So Verse 18.
46:29
Thoroughly poured out on Jesus and that's why we love him. So Verse 18. For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. Finally, he's just saying Jesus knows, jesus understands, because he's the God man. He was tempted in all points, as we are. He suffered in all ways, like us.
46:46
You say. Well, did he ever suffer sickness and disease? He suffered every sickness and disease on the way to the cross. He suffered every kind of heinous sin was placed upon him. Every sickness, every disease was placed upon him. He knows suffering, he knows you and he's with you and he's gonna see you. His job as the captain of your salvation is to see you through.
47:13
Just close your eyes right now and say this out loud Lord Jesus, you're the captain of my salvation. You are God, you are man, you're my brother, you're my everything. I put my eyes on you. I trust you to fulfill your promises in my life. I declare victory for the close of 2024 and into 2025. I believe you're just going to outdo yourself in my life. In Jesus' name, amen, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. I want to encourage you this week. Spend time with him. It's not about length. Just connect with him All day, throughout the day.
48:13
Encourage you to read Hebrews 3. Have a blast in your life groups. Read Hebrews 3 for next week. Read it every day. One chapter Papa Gospel every day. Hebrews 13.
48:29
If you want ministry, we have a ministry team that will lay hands on you, pray for you for any need that you have. They'll link their faith to yours. We see good stuff. I wouldn't do this just because it's cute. I have a high confidence in our ministry team. The regular people, just like me. Isn't that amazing. God calls regular people just for the edifying of itself, the body of Christ and love. If you want prayer, go to my left, your right. There's a ministry team there waiting for you and they'll lay hands on you and pray with you and for you. Otherwise, be blessed. We're going to sing one more song to the Lord.
49:06
Have a great week. Is it just me or do you sense something? I feel like just like a new day is dawning. There's just like a buzz in my spirit of expectancy. I can't wait to hear the best testimonies I've ever heard coming from you guys of victory in your lives. It's upon us. Listen, this is the last days and he's not coming back for a beat up bride. He's coming back. In other words, here's the picture that's painted in the scriptures. Like in the old Testament, he had his people, israel. Where Israel now, it was always to lift up his people so high Actually, it says this multiple times To provoke unbelievers to jealousy that they would look at you and go your life is so blessed, you live in peace. Tell me, what is your secret? It's no secret, it's Jesus. Let me tell you all about him. Hallelujah, so that, in other words, he wants to lift you up as a trophy of his grace, so that others will look Hallelujah and come to him.
50:13 - Speaker 2
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 Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. 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. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
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