The Hedge of His Favor

00:00 - Speaker 1 God knows what He's going to do. He's going to set the Hebrews free. He said take all the gold, all the precious things, and I'll set you free. He made them wealthy as they left. What drew that to them? Favor, the favor of God, will cause people to bend over backwards to help you. The thing you've got to keep in mind is you have to be going after the vision of God. When he's pro your vision, there will always be provision. 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. 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. 01:06 - Speaker 1 How are you Saints, forgiven ones, made righteous ones, perfect in Christ ones, children of the living God, recipients of his amazing grace and his awesome power? Hallelujah, I have to. I know he came in a special way today. He's sprinkling our services more. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. In the first service it was evident he was. That's not a scriptural term, but it's something we just say in our family. You know, we'll go out and we ask god to sprinkle the day. So even though, like, let's say, we're going out to have a good time and it's going to be like a level seven in the natural, and then god does a few things, and it's going to be like a level seven in the natural, and then God does a few things and it's a 10 out of seven. You know he sprinkles the day, he adds his good stuff and he's increasing his good stuff in the service. Hallelujah, lord, hallelujah. 02:21 So I normally have to have the message topic for the team and just have to have it by like Wednesday afternoon, which means that Mondays and Tuesdays I'm usually wrestling with the Lord. You know, you get something in your spirit and you churn it, you pray, you get something else. I'm seeking the Lord what he wants for you Kudos, to those who plan six weeks out. I guess you're more spiritual than me. He's led me week by week. I've done like five series in 23 years, but usually it's just week by week, you know. And by the time it nears Wednesday at 2 pm, I'm just waiting for that dreaded text from Pastor Mo. Do you have the sermon time? Oh, he's going to ask Lord, speak now, for your servant is listening. Pastor Mo's going to text, but last Sunday he dropped this whole message in my spirit and I believe it's something that you personally need to hear and it's something that our church needs to absorb, because I believe this message is going to be. 03:38 You know, joseph had a coat of many colors. It was a vibrant, diverse coat with different colors, each color, we can say, signifying something, an attribute of the Lord, a benefit that comes upon his people as a result of the divine attributes of God. I believe one of the colors in this coat that he's wrapped City Light Church in it's going to be the favor of God. I like Bonnie Andrews, he has a license plate. I don't know if you've ever seen him park his car when he ministers. Here's his license plate. It says favor, favor. It's a powerful force and I want to teach it to you from the scriptures so that you would all be beneficiaries of the amazing favor that comes from the Lord. 04:22 Let's start in Psalms 512. Favor is the tangible expression of God's grace. It's unearned In fact, one of the definitions of grace is unearned or unmerited favor. Favor is the tangible expression of God's grace. God's grace is unearned kindness, opening doors, lifting us higher and placing us at the right place at the right time. For you, o Lord will bless the righteous. Now. That's a qualifier. He's going to bless the righteous. 04:58 How many righteous people do we have here this morning? Let me see your hands. If you're righteous, all right. Some of you are you confused about your standing before God? Because you need to get unconfused very quick. There is no in between. You're either righteous or you're not righteous. You're either a saint or you're an ain't. One more time. How many? How many righteous people do we have here this morning? Okay, now, you're not righteous. This is the key. 05:56 In and of yourself, you're not righteous by yourself. By myself, I am wicked. I am evil by myself. The Bible says I am an enemy of God, deserving of his just wrath and just punishment. But the gospel says that he who knew no sin was made sin for me, that I might be made into the righteousness of God in Christ. So now, when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are made the same way. Jesus was turned into sin. He didn't just absorb the sins of the world, he was made sin. That was sin on that cross, and then the wrath of God punished sin. The same way Jesus was made sin is the same way a believer is made righteous. You didn't do anything to earn that. It's apart from your behavior, apart from your works. It comes as a result of right believing, not right doing. You can't grow in righteousness. 07:03 I understand I asked a provocative question when I said how many of you are righteous? Raise your hand, but it shouldn't be that provocative at City Light. But still, I know we got lots of new people. Maybe you missed the one series that I did do on Galatians. You didn't hear that. And if you're just floating around from podcast to podcast, as some christians do, from influencer to influencer, you're going to be really like a you ever see a bowl of mixed nuts. That's what your doctrine is going to be like. 07:39 I'm this is coming out so different than the first service, but I just in my, it was a completely different when I asked people to raise their hands. You can feel the fear. Well, it's not that I'm unrighteous, but you know, I don't want to say I'm righteous, I'm a good person, you know. No, you're not a good person by yourself. You're an enemy of God. When you receive Jesus, you're no longer an enemy of God. You're a child of God and you've been given this gift called righteousness. This is so key. You will be frustrated in your relationship with the Lord. This is the foundation of your relationship with the Lord. You can't grow in righteousness. That's what trips some people up. You either have it. It's a binary thing. You either have it or you don't. 08:28 How do I get it? You get it by faith. Well, what must I do? You must believe, that's it. Well, I don't have to do good things. No, good things come and you have wonderful behavior because you're so grateful that he gave you everything for nothing, hallelujah. 08:48 See, before I even go on with this, I see in the scriptures that you will receive what you believe. And then don't go believing whatever you want to believe. Believe what the holy word of God says, what his eternal scriptures say. So call me crazy, but I just believe. See, I can't affect what you believe. I mean, I can preach, I can try, but I can't believe for you. But I can believe for me. I can't even believe for my kids, but I believe that God is in love with me. Why do I believe? Because the scripture says he sings and dances over me. I believe he not just loves me, but he likes me too. Why do I believe that? Because the scriptures call me a friend of God. I believe that in Christ I'm perfect. Why do I believe that? Because the scripture says that in Hebrews I have been made perfect. In him. I believe he's on my side always. I believe he wants good things for me. I believe he wants good things for me. I believe he delights him and pushes his buttons to over-bless me. 09:52 Do you believe that about you? If you don't make that adjustment and believe that about you, some of you, I'm feeling this in the spirit. Religion has messed you up and religion always comes with the waggy finger of shame and guilt and condemnation. And we have people here right now in the service. You love God, but he's been misrepresented to you. You love him as best as you perceive him. 10:18 But you've had bad training. You actually need a holy brainwashing. You need to be brainwashed. People say don't go to that church, they'll brainwash you. Yes, with the word of God, we will renew your mind so you're not weird and skittish with your maker and your creator. So when somebody asks you are you righteous, you jump up and go yes, I am, because of Jesus, because if you're not righteous you're disqualified from a lot of benefits. 10:47 See, we're about to read how you get favor. It says Lord, you will bless the righteous with favor, you will surround him as with a shield. Well, if you don't know you're righteous, then you don't think that applies to you. You go oh well, must be nice for some righteous person. What about me? 11:03 And here's what you got to understand Christians, yes, sometimes they make mistakes, they sin. There's Christians who love the Lord that can be walking so closely in holiness and then years later can get tripped up in a sin. Nobody chooses how they fall. I'm not saying you should do that. I'm not saying you should have faith to do that, but it can happen. As a pastor, I know it does happen. But that doesn't mean when you you're righteous and you fall. Now you're unrighteous. And now you have to do something crazy like get born again, again and again and again. When you fall down, you fall down righteous. He didn't take that standing away from you. You get up, you're still righteous, hallelujah. If what you did didn't make you righteous, then how can what you do make you unrighteous? I'm trying to elicit See, the Bible says the righteous are as bold as a lion. 11:59 Someone who knows they've been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. And that second song they sang whew, all about the blood, all it doesn't. She's saying it's not about my striving, it's not about my trying, it's not about my doing, it's not about what you do. Do do Christians who are obsessed with do, do, do. In the spirit they're covered in, do do. If you looked at him in the spirit, it would be like whew, see, everything I say is scripturally based. You go how is that scripturally based? It is Jesus said in the Old Testament. So we can say God said all your righteousness, all your doing, all your trying, all your religiosity is like a filthy rag to me. Now go ask Chad GBT what filthy rag. Ask Chad what filthy rag in that context meant. You'll go wow, bible doesn't pull any punches. Go ahead, do it now. So you trying covered in doo-doo, but believing that he did it all for you sets you free. And now you're as bold as a lion. 13:09 I hurt I actually am hurt for people who are weak. And, mamby, can you just turn the volume down a little bit back there? The sound, actually I can't see who it is, but it actually does travel they still. Can you stop that cookout happening behind you? It comes. Praise, god Put Christians together. They have a picnic everywhere they go. It's the power of life groups, connections, relationships. Where was I? Nobody knows. 13:57 All right, let's get back to that verse, for you, o Lord, will bless the righteous with favor. You will surround him as with a shield. The favor of God opens doors that no man can close. The favor of God promotes you. The favor of God exalts you. The favor of God has you at the right place at the right time, talking to the right person, doing the right thing. Things pop off of you. This is a real thing and it belongs to those who understand that they have righteousness first. You have right standing with God. If you don't have righteousness, I highly encourage you to get righteousness by trusting in Jesus and what he's already done for you 2,000 years ago. That's how you get it, lord. I receive your righteousness. Lord, I believe you became sin. You took my sin and in exchange you gave me right, standing with God. What a deal. No wonder the gospel is the greatest story ever told, luke 2.52. 15:02 If you're taking notes, write this down Success flows not from striving or self-effort, but from God's favor, opening doors, granting opportunities and giving influence. This favor is received by faith, not earned by performance. Making it secure, making it secure, making it secure and unshakable in Christ. See, if God's blessings depend only on me, I'm going to mess it up every time and that's why some of you lack confidence. Because you keep looking at yourself and you see, when you're honest, you come up short. Learn to live with that tension. I will always come up short. I will, but Jesus, he fills up that which is lacking on my part and he presents me perfect to the Father. Luke 2.52,. And Jesus increased. Listen, if Jesus functioned with this favor upon him, he did that as our example. How much more should we? And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. It shows that even Jesus in his humanity walked under the increasing manifestation of God's grace and the visible approval of people, a model that favors both divine God's hand upon him and horizontal doors opening through others. Genesis 39, 2 through 4. Oh praise God, I came to declare to you this morning to get ready, get ready to release your faith. All of these things are faith activated. 16:49 What do you believe about you? I'm very happy with what I believe about me. I can't believe for you. What do you believe about you? Do you believe you're the apple of his eye? You're special. The Bible says you're peculiar Doesn't just mean you're weird. It means you're weird. You're strange in the best way. There's the world, non-covenant people going their way. But you're special, you're peculiar. The Bible calls you that. In the Greek it actually means like God drew a circle around you. You're different, you're special. You're his own precious possession. You're a holy special. You're his own precious possession. You're a holy nation. You're the apple of his eye. He wants to do you good, amen. He wants to put his favor on you. 17:31 You say well, why is that happening in more Christians' lives? Have you listened to most Christians? Have you listened to their complaining, their whining, their belly aching? Wake up on a Monday, tomorrow's Monday you got a week in front of you where anything can. Anything can happen. I've had weeks where months happen in weeks. I've had months where years happen in months. What is that? Boom, the favor of God. Like two rocket propulsion packs that come alongside you and just launch you into the stratosphere. Anything can happen. 18:06 I'm not going to limit God. I'm not going to get to heaven and have God show me. You know, here's what I wanted to do in your life, but you were all ho-hum, humdrum, que sera sera. Whatever will be will be, and here's what your life could have looked like. But instead you decided to play it safe and live a lukewarm life, listen to messages, nod your head and then go out and just do it. I don't want to be a hearer of the word, only, I want to be a doer. Somebody's going to catch this message and have the greatest week of their life. Amen, amen. 18:36 Joseph ends up in a pit. See, sometimes when you stick out, people are envious. In this case, it was his brothers. He got a coat of many colors. They were envious of him. He shared this dream. It's questionable whether he should have shared the dream with them or not. Sometimes, when God shows you something about you, you keep it to yourself. But he told his brothers imagine I had this great dream. You won't believe it. You guys were all bowing down to me and I was over you. They were like oh yeah, we're throwing you Nice dream. Aerosmith song Dream On, comes on in the background. Dream on Get into the pit and we're forsaking you. He gets rescued out of the pit only to be sold into slavery. He's in Potiphar's house, but the Lord was with Joseph. 19:30 If I would like to think that, if you got to know me, as many people have personally, you can say a lot of stuff about me, but you won't say, wow, he's arrogant. But if you knew how, I think you might question that stuff about me. But you won't say, wow, he's arrogant. But if you knew how, I think you might question that, because I really, really think I'm awesome. What do you think about you? I don't think I'm awesome because of me. I think I'm awesome because of he. See, the way the Lord was with Joseph, I way the Lord was with Joseph. 20:06 I believe the Lord is with me and whenever you believe that it's going to get tested In fact, most of the time it's being tested. Oh yeah, you gotta believe beyond what your circumstances are telling you, beyond what other people are telling you. The circumstances, the people are always telling you you're just nobody, you're just average and just life is coming at you, clobbering you nonstop, 24-7. But I just really believe that the Lord is with me. I really believe that people like me, I believe that people want to do good things for me. Why do I believe these things? It has nothing to do with me, my personality, my talents. It has to do with who I am, in Christ. I want you to believe the Lord is with you, but you've got to believe it on a cellular level, in the pit of your spirit. I believe he's with me. I believe good things happen to me. I believe he multiplies my efforts, he exalts me. I had to believe those things when nothing good was happening. 21:16 Do you know the message on prosperity that I preach? Before I was debt-free and owned multiple houses before there was a Maybach parked outside when I was in a windowless basement. If you listen to the old tapes podcast, whatever, my message hasn't changed a bit. I preach the same things when in the natural I couldn't show any of those things. But what does it matter what I have in the natural, when the word of God is the truth and is eternal? You keep going after the truth? What you're experiencing in the natural will begin to shift and change to match the truth of God's word. Amen, because right now I'm fishing for people who are spiritually insecure. They have like this spiritual inferiority complex. They hope they get the leftovers from the Lord, and the blood of Jesus has paid for you to have more than leftovers. Who are you to limit the power and exaltation the blood brings you? Yeah, the Lord was with Joseph. See, the Bible says that when he was thrown into a pit by his brothers and then sold off into slavery, and the Lord was with Joseph. So if you're scratching your head going well, why is my life like this? Does it mean the Lord is not with me? No, the Lord is still with you. 22:32 Sometimes I tell the stories from how City Lights started. I feel like you guys have the same reaction, like you're watching a movie like this character and it's a fictional. Like I had to live through that Windowless basement for five and a half years. I had to live through that Windowless basement for five and a half years. Homeless people would defecate every morning. They had better frequency and stability than a Rolex watch. Every morning, 7 am, there's a gift waiting for me. One day I caught 17 mice. Does that mean the Lord wasn't with me? No, I had to go through that, just like Joseph had to be thrown into a pit and go through slavery. But still I just determined the Lord is with me. So if you're going through it, ignore you. Sometimes you've got to ignore Abraham considered not his own body. He ignored his own body because he was already 100 years old. You have to consider, not your circumstance, and still, out loud you got to say it out loud, release it out of your mouth the Lord is with me. 23:32 And so Joseph was a successful man and he was in the house of the master, his master, the Egyptian Potiphar, and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor, shout favor. Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house and all that he had he put under his authority. So first he's a slave, then now he's ruling all over Potiphar's house because of favor. He was exalted. But of course, the devil comes creeping up right after that, seizes Potiphar's wife and tries to get Joseph to fall with Potiphar's wife. Potiphar's wife, false accusations, joseph's thrown back, now into prison. Still in one day, because of the favor of God, comes from the prison to the palace and is second in Egypt, only after Pharaoh. 24:28 What does that Favor? And the Bible says with favor, he will compass you round about as with a shield. I just anything can happen. Anything can happen Anything, and I am a big believer that there's going to be a whole lot of shaking going on as we end 2025, 2026. Some of you are worried about your life. Where am I going to go? Ai is going to take my job. I believe, with favor, he'll compass you round about us with a shield and whenever there's a big upheaval, there will be great opportunity. Hallelujah, all right. 25:13 Exodus 12. I want to give you several things that favor does. Number one favor positions believers to prosper where their own effort cannot. This is the children of Israel. They're about to leave Egypt. This is right after the ten plagues Nine to be specific and the tenth one, the death of the firstborns, is about to happen and God does something peculiar. He says I want you to ask your slave masters for all the gold and precious things in their house. Why would slave masters do that to their slaves? I don't care how close you are to them, but it was the favor of God and they gave it. 25:59 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses and they asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing Verse 36. And the Lord had given the people. Say that word with me favor, favor In the sight of the Egyptians. So they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered. Can you? We joke about Jehovah sneaky? God knows what he's going to do. He's going to set the Hebrews free. And he said take all the gold, all the precious things, and I'll set you free. And this is the gold and the silver and the precious stones that were used in the first tabernacle Right before the first temple. He made them wealthy as they left. What drew that to them? 26:41 Favor, the favor of God, will cause people to bend over backwards to help you. The thing you got to keep in mind is you have to be going after the vision of God. When he's pro your vision, there will always be provision. Frustration comes when you just get your vision off a TikTok or some influencer or the latest guru or self-help book and you just drum up a plan in your own head. And now you're going this way and saying, god, I hope you come along. 27:08 Most people live their lives this way. I don't know about this church, I don't believe in our church, but even in the church world most people just do whatever is right in their own eyes. That phrase, whatever is right in their own eyes, is used repeatedly throughout the Old Testament to show how rebellious the children of Israel were. Calls them stiff-necked, unbending, unyielding. You ever try to be down with an inflexible person? Want to hang out? Yeah. Or we're going to such and such cafe. Well, that's like three hours from where I live. Can we meet? No, it's got to be this cafe. They can't bend at all. That's what the Bible says. The people in rebellion to God are like it's my way or the highway. They always sing in the Frankie song I did it my way. That's their song. I don't want to sing. I did it my way. I want to sing, I did it his. 28:03 So you get a vision from the lord and there'll be provision. I had this vision to plant city light church for 10 years. It was cooking in my spirit when I was 16 and then, when I was 26, it came time for me to launch city light. When I think back to those times, I was was so silly. I was so just naive. I just knew that the Lord said to do it. My pastor blessed me to do it, people were encouraging me to do it and a week before I leave, the sound man I was a part of a large church, the river at Tampa Bay in Tampa, florida. 28:40 The sound man comes up to me and says, hey, what do you got so far for the church? I said, well, we got a website. We have these one. We had one little invite, just like we have now, one little small like a larger than a business card graphic invite. And we rented one Sunday, our first Sunday. We had to go Sunday to Sunday because we didn't have enough money to book a month or two in advance the hotel Courtyard by Marriott on 3rd Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd. We rented the ballroom and I say ballroom in quotes because they called it a ballroom but it fit 75 people. That's not a ballroom, it was like a glorified hallway or whatever you know. 29:20 And he said well, what are you going to use for sound? And I went huh, I guess we will need that. I mean, I was trying to think of everything, but in my mind I just figured I'm going to run and God is going to bless. And he did See some of you. You're waiting for everything, all your ducks in a row first, and all the ducks never come in a row, not all of them. You don't wait for half of them maybe to come in, check in with the Lord, though Sometimes he'll let you have half of them, but almost never have I seen the Lord have all your. The Lord will only come into your life when you're out, so far that if he doesn't come, you know you'll sink. So you got to take risks. So I'm here. I'm a week away. I know these dates. This was right before Valentine's Day in 2002. 30:09 City Light Church started March 17th. I'm still working for another ministry a month before then and he says well, I, he's a southerner, I have some sound equipment you might want. I said, really, now, immediately I was like, all right, because sometimes when Christians give, they give you garbage, you know, and that's never the case here. Right, amen. You don't give somebody what you don't want. You know you give something that's good. 30:37 The Bible says a lot about those people that brought in lame animals and one-eyed sheep and three-legged lambs. God said I don't want your, it's got to have a sacrifice element to it. If you don't want it, where's the sacrifice? I said what kind is it? He's like listen, it's about $7,000. I was like, wow, and that's back when money was money, back in 2002. My inflation jokes aren't going as great I have. If I can make a joke about inflation, I will. But seven grand was a lot more no two than today. It was two giant speakers, some other little smaller speakers and everything you would need for church sound. I didn't even know that I should be wanting this, that I needed this. It was like an afterthought. But the Lord, because of favor, drew him. He found me out, he gave and we used that sound system for years. It even made it into 7th Street and was there for years. 31:35 God will cause people to come to you to help you, to assist you. Why? Because favor will draw them in. You look at John, chapter 6, the same thing happened in Jesus's life the favor that he grew in. We just read how Jesus grew in favor, both with God and with man. That's why Jesus never lacked financially. It says that people in John 6, it specifically lists two women that were drawn to him to provide. Quote out of their substance they were wealthy women who provided for him. That's why he could say, hey, get me that colt, upon which never man sat. And the person goes okay, hey, get that upper room. If someone asks you, just let them know. 32:15 The master has need of it. What is that Favor? Hallelujah, say, that's for me, that's for me. Psalm 37, 23. Favor positions us to be at the right place at the right time. Favor orchestrates divine appointments, putting us where we need to be. Timing is everything. Favor makes sure you arrive when the door is opened. 32:50 The steps of a good man. Let's try exercise number one again. How many good men do we have here? Thank you for the ladies that raised your hands, understanding that that means human. I want you to identify as a human. When the Bible says man, it's an all-encompassing term. You're not good right in and of yourself. In and of yourselves, do you deserve God's favor? No, in and of yourself. Do you deserve your prayers answered? No, but in Christ do you deserve everything he died for you to have. 33:27 So the steps of a good man. Because whenever you see that qualifier good man, righteous I want you out of your spirit to say that's me. The blood of Jesus qualifies me. If you don't say that, another voice will tell you that's not you. It's somebody better than you, somebody more faithful than you, more loyal than you. They study harder. It's somebody better than you, somebody more faithful than you, more loyal than you. They study harder, they read more, they evangelize better, they pray longer. Your monkey brain will always work overtime to disqualify yourself. 33:54 The steps of a good man that's me are ordered by the Lord. That means I'm walking in God's favor and some things may seem like a coincidence, but I'm actually being ordered by the Lord. I believe that with all of my heart. Some days are mundane days. I get that. Other days, wonderful things happen. I'm going to just treat every day like anything can happen. And he delights in his way. 34:22 Ruth 2.3. Now here's Ruth, and you see how, because of the favor of God, her steps were ordered by the Lord. Then she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened. Oh, she just happened. When you're with the Lord, nothing just happens. This was God bringing her to this field that Boaz owned and she happened to come. She happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz who was of the family of Elimelech. I can't get into the whole thing, but this is how Ruth ended up with Boaz. This is how Ruth ended up. In the messianic genealogy, ruth is actually Jesus's great, great, great great. I don't know how many greats, but grandmother she's in that genealogy. It altered the course of history how it all started, with her happening upon a field. 35:21 Now, this is especially precious to me because in 2009, city Light Church started in 2002. In 2009, we were doing well as a church and we were meeting in the Gramercy Theater in Manhattan on 23rd and Lex and we were never better, the best we've ever been, and the Lord laid it on my heart to begin City Light Queens. I wasn't looking for something new to do. It just happened. It just it happened. I, oh, we should start a church in Queens. I knew the Lord wanted that, and so we announced the start date in spring of 09. We announced September 20th Sunday 09 is our start date in Astoria, queens. Sunday 09, is our start date in Astoria, queens. We put it on the website. We had the invites made up. We talked about it in every service. 36:10 There was just one problem I didn't have a location, and that's not an easy fix. The number one problem with church plants in New York City is the venue, the location. You would think in New York City there'd be a lot of venues. I guess there are. If you have a six-figure budget per month, you can rent a theater, a theater, you can rent a movie theater. But and we needed to be in Astoria and so I would just drive up and down, knocking on doors, calling up numbers. I had to do like guerrilla warfare kind of stuff, because the venue that you want as a church is typically not online. Typically the person that you want to rent from they don't even know they want to rent to you, yet they don't even know they want to rent there. You got to go in there and convince them. The same thing happened here. 36:58 So I wake up one morning and I wake up just exhausted. Why am I exhausted? Because I can't find I'm getting scared. I'm up getting up every Sunday, going September 20th we even received special offerings for it. I don't want to get up there and go. All right, everybody, you got to get your offerings back because God didn't come through. We have no space. So I was already. 37:20 I was feeling the pressure and I go and I pray and I read, and I read this how Ruth happened upon a field and it's talking about the favor of God, something almost it seems sporadic. But she happened upon a field and I hear in my spirit get out, get out, look. And I'm like Lord, I already looked for a place. There's no place in Astoria. I told the whole church we're starting another church in Astoria, but there's no place. And I hear she happened upon a field, happened upon, get out there. And I'm going this. I really don't want to do that, because driving up and down the avenues of Astoria with no place to go is the most boring thing you can do. 37:59 So I start again going up from Long Island City all the way to the BQ, just back and forth, looking. What am I looking at? A big vacancy sign, an old theater. Really I'm looking mainly for churches, but most of the churches are happening. But for the first time that day I guess it was the first time I'm going by 31st Avenue and I look at that church that we still have St Andrews and I notice the lawn in front of it is long and overgrown and I get excited Because that means that no one is caring for the church, which means it's a church that's available, a church that's in use, has short grass, church not in use, tall grass I see tall grass and I hear she happened upon a field and I go look at that field of overgrown grass. 38:43 I'm happening upon a field and I go look at that field of overgrown grass. I'm happening upon a field, but when you see these shuttered, shut down churches, there's nobody in them. How do you cut? So I get out, I'm looking for a phone number. There's no phone number. So I think, whatever, let me just try and bang on the door. The door opens. It's like a scene out of a movie A priest with the priestly collar and everything comes out. I say what's happening? He says come on in. And I come in and I look and the whole church is being used as a storage facility for the Anglican church of New York City. So icons, statues, all this stuff. And I say you know, I'd really like to rent this facility from you. He then lets me know. I'm here about five, six times a year. 39:32 You just happened to catch me on one of those times and I say I say well, and by the way I'm dressed I mean I'm probably it was like a Wednesday or Thursday morning I didn't expect to be talking to anybody, I don't know how else to say it I'm not in my Sunday best. I'm dressed as a bum, I don't have the collar and I'm Pastor Boyan. This was before I became Pastor Bo. You know, I'm Pastor Boyan. I don't even look professional Like why should he believe me? So he's. 40:09 This is a part of the story I haven't shared before. He says can you, can you get me something that proves that you are who you are? So I go, you go to citylightnyccom, I'll be right back and I get a business card. This is so long ago, 16 years ago, we still had business cards. I used them like three times in my life. That was one of the times. And he says okay. I say, look, you know, let's talk about the price. He says well, he said what can you do? I said I can do $1,500. I'm thinking $1,500 a Sunday, that's a great price. And he goes $1,500 a month. You got yourself a deal. I go what I was going to give you $1,500 a week. You're shaking my hand for $1,500 a month and I'm not going to tell you what I was going to pay you. 40:52 Praise God, I happened upon a field and we started September 20, 2009. Just like when we started in Manhattan, it was slow at first, and then look what the Lord has done since then. With his favor, with his favor, doors will open that no man can shut. By the way, those are the words of Jesus in the book of Revelation. He says behold, I have set before you an open door, and he says that no man can shut. Opportunities will pop Some of you. 41:27 You're just, you're not believing for them, you're not excited about your own life, because when you've done the same thing and reaped little fruit after a while that's the danger. You can just get used to the monotony, get used to the mediocrity, get used to it. When nothing has happened for a while, you get used to nothing happening. We say what do I do then? Shake yourself, stir yourself, jump in a tub of cold water, shout hallelujah, speak in tongues for three, anything to knock yourself out of that rut, because a rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out. I don't want to be in a grave. Oh hallelujah, thank you, jesus. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 15.10. 42:13 Favor propels us forward beyond our efforts. This is what the Apostle Paul says, by the grace of God. What's grace? Unmerited favor, undeserved favor that's one of the definitions of grace. It's the means by which we're saved. Grace is the new covenant that we're under Paul. He says I am all that I am by the grace of God, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 42:53 When you read this in context, here's what Paul is saying. He's saying all the early disciples, including the original 12, I got more done than them. Yet it's not because of me, it's because of this unmerited favor at work in me. Now, if you were a betting person in the first century and I was there saying place your bets, if you're a betting person, on the off chance that you're a betting person, I'd say place your bets. Who's going to do the most for Jesus and the kingdom? Will it be Peter? Will it be John? Will it be one of the original 12? Or will it be some guy that comes years later, that won't ever, ever even meet Jesus face-to-face the original 12,? They saw him face-to-face, they ate with him, they knew what he smelled like, they knew the sound of his voice, they were eyewitnesses to every single miracle for three and a half years. Yet Paul comes years later, never actually meets Jesus, just has a vision and accomplishes way more than them and is the author of over half of the New Testament, of course inspired by the Holy Spirit, but he penned it and he says but he penned it and he says you know what that is? The grace of God, the unmerited favor at work in my life. So that means when you don't have the right pedigree, when you're not haven't even done all the right things, god can make that up to you, amen. 44:21 I don't want anything I say to ever be used as an excuse to not do the right thing. Like sometimes I'll share how I did the right thing. Like sometimes I'll share how I did the wrong thing. I don't want you to then do the wrong thing and go. Well, it worked out for pastor, it'll work out for me. But like when I think of what the Lord did in my life financially. 44:36 You know when I would feel most convicted because I had no retirement plan, no retirement savings. When you read those articles that tell you like, okay, wake up at five retirement savings. When you read those articles that tell you like, okay, wake up at five, exercise at six, then be mindful, then meditate and, of course, skip the morning coffee, because you know if you skip the morning coffee, that's how you're going to retire wealthy. Save on the morning coffee. You know the little. I didn't do any of those things ever. I never skipped the morning coffee. If I wanted a nice $20 sandwich, I just bought it. 45:06 I didn't want to live that way. They'll do this. Do that. Here's how you can say 3% on your vacation. Leave me alone. I'm trusting God for his prosperity. I'm not gonna live wondering where your coupon clipping does that. I'd rather die young and happy than and retire with money. I'm somehow relating this to Paul's message. In favor I am. 45:34 I made some mistakes, yes, and I repented for them. That's important to say, and I had the Lord. One thing that I repented of years ago was I was bad with the credit card. You know my testimony. We were in massive credit card debt and the Lord brought me out. And then Emily and I we made just a policy we are a debt-free family and we were a debt-free family. But then he had me catch up and over-blessed me financially, as though I'd never had a cup of coffee in my life. 46:07 Hallelujah, listen, when I was in Bible school I was a nobody and nobody knew my name. And I'm in Bible school. All I know is the Lord called me to pastor. You know, nobody hands you a set of keys to a church and says all right, you, congratulations for finishing bible school. Here's your own church. Now you have to plant one. You either get to get hired by one, which is almost next to impossible, or you plant your own church. 46:34 In order for that to happen, I needed the pastor to at least know who I was. He didn't know my name. He didn't know who I was. The way perhaps he would get to know you was if you volunteered and helped. And the Bible school told us all Bible students, all of you should be volunteers, regular church folks. They should be too, but they don't have to be, but you have to be. 46:57 But then the dean said, he said, but we're not going to be checking. And I immediately, from the Lord. I sensed and the Lord would have to tell me do not volunteer, do not volunteer, do not usher, do not be in the parking lot, do not do stuff with the kids. I want you receiving in every service and I thought I'll never meet anyone. But the Lord said no, I want to turn you into an evangelism machine. I want you focused in the services and you're going to witness to anything that moves outside of the church. And I did that for a year. Did the pastor know me? Didn't have a clue who I was? Nobody knew me Because I also wasn't doing what was normal and the natural for me to do. 47:41 I needed him to recognize I needed to be ordained. I needed, I didn't need. Sure, financial backing would have helped and physical, practical things would have helped, but what I really needed was to be sent out and released by another established ministry. Spiritually speaking, I needed that. You don't want to go and plan the work of the Lord alone. I've never, ever seen one of those succeed, never. God has an order. 48:11 So now Bible school ends and I come back to New York City and it just so happens that that ministry and Pastor Rodney is holding a six-week crusade in Madison Square Garden. And then the Lord says now is your time to volunteer. Go to 80 Wall Street, that's where their office was. Go into the office and say I'm going to work here eight hours a day for free, monday through Friday. And I remember the Lord specifically put it on my heart to say and if you need me to lick envelopes all day long, that's what I'll do, because I was saying whatever you want, whatever is needed, and they were like, oh cool, they gave me a cubicle and had me. I don't remember you know weird volunteer stuff the first day. 48:47 The second day I show up, the people in charge of it say how would you like to be director of evangelism? Now, that's not so much speaking as to my gift, as to how desperate they were for somebody to fill the role, but it just so happens that I happen in that office and they made me one first year Bible school student director of evangelism. But they had heard that I knew what I was doing out on the streets, that I can walk up to anybody and explain the gospel to them and at least bring them to a place of decision. So I did that all summer long as a volunteer. Still, pastor Rodney never knew my name, but one day in Madison Square Garden I never tried to meet him, never went. 49:31 Hey, oh, by the way, that guy running on the streets doing all that work for free, this guy, remember me when you come into your kingdom, you know, just kept quiet. I'm in Madison Square Garden, all these people running around. I hear behind me, boy on, if you know who I'm talking about. Especially in the late 90s he was three times the size he is now. He was like a mountain of a man and I'm walking and I hear boy on, it's like reverberating. And I turn around and it's him smiling, his eyes always sparkling, looking through you. 50:09 And he offers me a job and I say I don't know, I can't take the job because I want to plant a church. He said stick around with me, travel with me, I'll ordain you and then I'll help you launch the church Changed my life. What happened? What happened? I shouldn't have gotten that. In fact, how many of you remember Sean Martin? He was an elder with us for many years. He helped me start City Light. He laughed his head off when that happened to me. He just went you dirty dog. 50:34 You bucked the whole system, didn't you? Because the system said I had to be a volunteer. I had to like go through the ranks to end up that close to the pastor who would ordain me. I completely bucked that system, did what the Lord put in my heart to do and then got everything and more than if I had gone along with the system. Is this ministering to anybody? You don't have to go along with the pre-arranged system. 50:57 Hallelujah, why? Because there's something else laboring inside of you, called the grace and favor of God. It goes before you, it blows up walls, it raises ceilings, it makes a way where there seems to be no way. Quit limiting yourself in Jesus' name. Quit limiting God, hallelujah, 2 Corinthians 9.8. Worship team, you can come on up, second Corinthians 9.8. And God is able, hallelujah, and God is able, to make all grace abound toward you that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance. Shout abundance for every good work. God is able to make all charis, all grace, all unmerited favor abound toward you. This is specifically in the context of giving. I just preach to everybody like you're a generous giver, so this promise belongs to you that then God will multiply and he will bring abundance. 52:17 Hallelujah, I shared jokingly. I didn't. Hallelujah, I shared jokingly, I didn't not drink coffees. I drank the coffees those early years, my whole 20s. Anything that came to me, even gifts, I poured it right back into the church, meanwhile, always keeping church finances separate from my own. I would give, but always there was never a penny that I took from the church, ever, only 5 years, in a very, very modest salary. My own I would give, but there was never a penny that I took from the church, ever, only five years, in a very, very modest salary. As I'm getting older, I'm thinking I have zero retirement and I don't have any social security because as a minister I opted out and I believe the Lord did this not just because he loves me, not just because that isn't his nature to do, but as a sign to this church and to you. 53:06 He then overwhelmed me financially, over-blessed me to the tune where I could give a tithe of $2.131 million to City Light Church, which we did Hallelujah. You know how precious it is. I have to say and I smile every time I say it because I know every pastor I'm friends with would love to do that. That would be their heart. And I paid back the church for every single check, every single salary, from day one up until now. So the church has never now, in a sense, given me a penny. I've only benefited and blessed the church, both spiritually and financially. So here's what he did. 53:46 Yeah, he condensed, because this is millions of dollars we're talking about. He condensed decades and decades of work. You know what money is. In a sense, it's your life force, it's your life energy. You look at some money and it's all the times you were frustrated on the subway going to work and still got to work and showed up, all the times you labored, all the times you got frustrated, got stressed out. The amount of money he gave me that would have been decades at a high, high-paying job and he collapsed decades into months. 54:19 As I said that, I can't even see your face. Where's Ted? Ted, as I was saying that, I saw your face. We haven't talked, but I just in the spirit. I imagine things have been somewhat frustrating too. I feel like it's frustrating, but I just hear my spirit to tell you don't take the foot off the gas and at times, if it's gotten scary, just keep on. You and your wife, you're an unstoppable force for the Lord. Grab hands, pray, but I believe the goodness of God and success is all over your plan, I believe, and shake off any frustration. It will be well with you. I just got interrupted with his face as I was preaching Hallelujah. He will collapse decades into years, maybe even months. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. 55:20 There's a devilish voice that says oh, that doesn't happen to you, it happens to other people, it happens to the one who's bold enough to believe for themselves, who'll take the risk of faith, and there will be a tension. You're believing God for favor, for goodness. Oftentimes, immediately after that, the exact opposite will happen. That's the tension. The word of God in your heart is being tested. Will you still believe when the opposite is happening. That's when the rubber meets the road. That's when you gotta even go a little crazy, like Abraham. 56:08 God said you're gonna have a child. He's a hundred years old, it says. He considered not, he ignored his body and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Ignore the natural and watch the word of God triumph over these silly temporal things. It will produce fruit in you. Everybody, lift your hands, say in the name of Jesus. I am surrounded with favor. God goes before me, he promotes me, he opens doors for me. He's the one who has blessed me. I belong to Him. Jesus, my life is Yours and I'm trusting you for the days ahead and the. In Jesus' name, I shout amen, amen, amen. 57:18 - Speaker 2 Amen. 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.