Why Do You Follow Jesus Christ?
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 9/18/2025John 6:22-29
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Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez challenges believers to examine their motives for following Jesus, warning against a faith built only on material blessings or status while calling for a return to self-denial and a deep, Word-centered relationship with the Savior.
Key points
- •True discipleship is measured by why we follow Jesus, not just that we follow Him. Motives matter to God, and He often tests our hearts by removing comforts to see if we remain faithful.
- •Biblical warnings show people often follow Jesus for personal gain (material provision), miracles (seeking His hands but not His heart), or position and power (seeking status over servanthood).
- •Following Christ requires 'self-denial' and embracing the cross, which involves suffering, trials, and laying down personal ambitions for God's plan.
- •Spiritual refueling through the Word and prayer is essential; a faith that is not fed by the 'Vine' will eventually become stagnant, bored, or derailed by the 'noise' of modern distractions.
- •The 'Prodigal Son' parable reminds us that while God is always there, we must choose to return to Him; He sets the standard, and it is our responsibility to align our lives with His holiness.
Scripture
Faith
Discipleship
Purpose
Obedience
Spiritual Growth
Life application
This week, identify one 'weight' or distraction (like excessive social media or a specific comfort you rely on more than God) and intentionally lay it aside for 15 minutes a day to focus purely on prayer and Scripture.
Reflection questions
- If God were to strip away your job, your health, or your material blessings today, would you still have a reason to worship Him?
- Are there areas in your life where you are seeking 'status' or recognition within the church rather than looking for ways to be a servant?
- Who or what has been a 'distraction' to your faith recently, and how can you refocus on the 'Vine' to ensure you don't run out of gas?
- When you pray, do you spend more time asking for 'loaves and fish' (provisions) than you do seeking to simply know the character of Jesus?
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Full transcript
0:00All right. So, here here's the uh
0:03question I really need to ask all of us
0:07tonight. Um it's a question that I think
0:10we all should answer and that is
0:14why do you follow Jesus Christ?
0:18Think about that.
0:20Why are you following Jesus Christ?
0:26Think about that.
0:28Because in the church,
0:31um, we may think we're following him for
0:34the right reasons.
0:36But could it be we're repeating what
0:40people have done in the Bible days? And
0:42we're going to walk through that in just
0:44a moment. See, every believer must pause
0:47and wrestle with this critical question.
0:51Why do I follow Jesus Christ? And your
0:54answer reveals the posture of your
0:56heart.
0:59based on your answer. It reveals the
1:02condition of your heart. Um whether you
1:06are truly after God or after something
1:09else. And perhaps it helps to ask the
1:13same question another way. What are you
1:16hoping to receive and achieve by
1:20following Jesus?
1:22What what's the hope? I'm I'm not saying
1:26church because there's a difference in
1:28following church
1:30versus Jesus Christ.
1:33There's a difference in following
1:35things,
1:37material things, than following Jesus
1:39Christ. So the Bible shows us that
1:42following Jesus can be motivated by many
1:46things. Some pure and some
1:50are selfish.
1:53Quite honestly, some are selfish. In
1:55John chapter 6, let's go there. John
1:58chapter 6, beginning at verse 22 to 29,
2:01I'm going to be reading from the CEB
2:04translation. Jesus record
2:08saying these things to the crowd. The
2:10next day, the crowd that remained on the
2:13other side of the lake realized that
2:15only one boat had been there. They knew
2:19Jesus
2:20hadn't gone with his disciples, but that
2:23his disciples had gone alone. Some boats
2:27came from Tiberius near the place where
2:30they had eaten the bread over which the
2:33Lord had given them. And when the crowd
2:35saw that neither Jesus or his disciples
2:38were there, they got into a boat and
2:41came to Capernium
2:43looking for Jesus. Verse 25. And when
2:46they found him on the other side of the
2:49lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did
2:52you get here?" Then Jesus replied, "I
2:56assure you, listen to this now. I assure
2:59you
3:00that you're looking for me not because
3:03you saw uh miraculous signs,
3:07but because you ate all the food you
3:10wanted."
3:12This is Jesus. Now you know how many of
3:15you know that there's some people who
3:17come to your house only for
3:21>> for food.
3:24Well Jesus said he said you you didn't
3:26follow me for the signs really it's the
3:29food you ate. Then verse 27 says, "Don't
3:33work for the food that doesn't last,
3:37>> but for the food that endures for
3:40eternal life, which the human one which
3:43gives will give you, God the Father has
3:47confirmed him as his agent to give you
3:51life." 28
3:54They said, "What must we do in order to
3:58accomplish what God requires?" Jesus
4:01replied, "This is what God requires that
4:05you believe in him whom God sent."
4:11What Jesus was actually saying here
4:13before I continue
4:15that you must believe
4:18in the Messiah Jesus that God sent
4:23in a way that you do not need to be
4:25fulfilled with food or material things
4:28to believe.
4:32>> Let me ask you a question. What if God
4:34would strip you of everything that you
4:36possess?
4:37>> Would you still follow him?
4:40Oh yeah.
4:42>> What if you lose your job?
4:45>> What if some sickness that you of course
4:47you didn't deserve hit your body?
4:52Would you still follow him?
4:54Think about that.
4:57What if you never receive another
4:59blessing from the Lord? Would you follow
5:02him?
5:04Because look at what he says here. You
5:07are looking for me not because you saw
5:09the signs I performed but because you at
5:12the loaves
5:14and had your fill.
5:16It is so easy in the church for us to be
5:20filled with the blessings of God and the
5:22fullness of God, the protection of God,
5:24and and get all of our needs met
5:28and get so attached to the things
5:32that we forget that we're losing our
5:35connectivity with him.
5:39Because again, I have to ask you, why
5:41are you following Jesus? Is it for the
5:43fish, the bread, the blessings,
5:46everything that you are gaining as a
5:49Christian or even an uncristian? I mean,
5:52God's blessing you whether you're born
5:53again or not,
5:55he's blessing you. Why do you follow
5:58him? Is it because you saw him do things
6:03in your life? Are you following him even
6:06when things are bad? You see these
6:08verses remind remind us that some follow
6:11him merely for provision, miracles or
6:16personal gain, not because they truly
6:18want to know him.
6:21It's kind of like in a relationship, a
6:23normal relationship, you want to know if
6:25somebody really truly loves you.
6:28Women, let me let me help you here.
6:31>> Pull up a chair. Pull up a chair.
6:33You want to really know if a guy is
6:36truly interested in you.
6:39>> You really want to know if he's really
6:41after you because he loves you.
6:45>> Don't give him nothing.
6:50>> Including your body.
6:56>> It's quiet up in here.
7:02quite a bit. You should see the looks of
7:05some of these brothers face.
7:07Come on, Rev.
7:11You really want to know if he's into
7:13you?
7:15>> Cuz you see, men have an appetite.
7:20Starve him of his appetite.
7:27>> Security, I need you. I need to get out
7:30of this place with you.
7:32starve him of his appetite. And if he
7:35still hangs around,
7:39>> he still calls, "Hey babe, that don't
7:44matter to me.
7:46>> I love you.
7:49>> I'm not in love with your body.
7:52I'm in not I'm not in love with what you
7:54can give me.
7:56I fell in love with the inner you."
8:00>> See,
8:02I've still got lines.
8:08>> Think about that. It's the same with our
8:11faith journey.
8:14>> Are you following Jesus
8:17just because he's the blesser
8:23>> or because he deserves your praise? One
8:26scripture says it is in him we live
8:30>> and move
8:31>> and exist.
8:34>> It's like God I can't do without you. It
8:37ain't got nothing to do with what you do
8:39for me.
8:40>> I got to have you in my life. Come on,
8:42somebody give him praise for that, man.
8:45So, we do have some biblical examples of
8:49wrong motives because if we're not
8:51careful, especially in this day and
8:53time, we have to begin to examine
8:55ourselves. Why are we following Christ?
8:59Let's give some uh biblical examples
9:03because scripture warns us that people
9:06often follow Jesus for wrong reasons.
9:09Number one, first wrong reason, for
9:12personal gain.
9:14In John chapter 6, same chapter we're
9:17in. So much meat into that. Verse 13-15.
9:21I want them to put it on the screen
9:22because the crowds wanted to make Jesus
9:26king because they thought he would solve
9:30their earthly problems. Look at what
9:33happened. So they gathered them and
9:36filled 12 baskets with the pieces of the
9:40five barley loaves that have been left
9:43over by those who had eaten. Look at
9:45verse 14. And when the people saw that
9:48he had done a miraculous sign, they
9:52said, "This is truly the prophet who is
9:55coming into the world." Jesus understood
9:58that they were about to come and force
10:01him to be their king. So he took refuge
10:04again alone on a mountain. One would
10:07wonder if these people are coming to
10:10Jesus saying, "Man, you're truly a
10:12prophet." You would think that Jesus
10:14would glow in the moment and say, "Come
10:15on, give it to me. Tell me I'm a good
10:17prophet." Jesus ran away from them.
10:20>> Why? Their motives were wrong.
10:25They only saw him as king because they
10:28saw the miracles.
10:31>> So the question then is when do you
10:34worship him? Only when he does something
10:37in your favor.
10:40That's when you're going to say, "Oh,
10:42you deserve the glory. You deserve the
10:44praise and the honor.
10:47I'll go to church when you do
10:49>> when you do me right."
10:52Jesus was furious with these people to
10:54the point where he says, "No, I don't
10:56even want to be around you. I don't want
10:57your praise." Be very careful when
11:00people start praising you.
11:04>> Because if you're not careful, you
11:06depend on the affirmation of people.
11:12>> Jesus knew who he was. He didn't need
11:14anybody to tell him he's the Messiah.
11:17When you know who you are,
11:20[Music]
11:21>> you don't depend on people to elevate
11:24you. You know who you are.
11:27>> So you got to be careful in following
11:29Jesus Christ that you want to follow him
11:35and praise him only when you get what
11:38you want.
11:40>> What happens when your seasons change?
11:44What happen if you wake up tomorrow
11:45morning and you got you get a bad phone
11:48call or you go to the job and there's
11:51issues in the what happen if you just
11:52wake up and stuff just happens that you
11:55have no explanation for. Do you still
11:58follow him
12:00>> or you going to get mad at him? You
12:02know, get angry and start acting funny.
12:06Now, now this is a test now. And for
12:08those of you are streaming, I want you
12:09to really be honest when you put in the
12:11chat and just identify yourself. Said,
12:13"Me too. Me too, pastor." Whatever. But
12:15how many of you in this audience tell
12:17the truth now? Shame the devil. All
12:19right. How many of you have honestly
12:22gotten angry at God in the past because
12:25you didn't get what you want.
12:29I got my foot out, too. The rest of you
12:32didn't put your hand up. Can we just
12:33pray for you for a moment? cuz cuz uh
12:37maybe you didn't understand the
12:38question.
12:41>> You know, I know there are times looking
12:44back I've gotten angry at God.
12:49God you said and we quote scriptures,
12:51you know, as if he doesn't know what he
12:53said.
12:55You told me you're going to do this
12:58and we get angry at him just because we
13:02didn't get what we want. Yeah.
13:05>> So, our service unto God is connected to
13:09what he does for us.
13:12>> And you cannot allow that to happen to
13:14yourself. You cannot allow the enemy to
13:17get you there to the point where you're
13:20only serving him for personal gain.
13:23Right? Number two,
13:26some people serve him for
13:29miracles only.
13:31Look at Luke. This is so good. Luke 17
13:35verse1 17-18 again in the CEB
13:39translation
13:40right we see here 10 lepers
13:43were healed and we're all guilty of this
13:46now before you all shout now be careful
13:49now but only one return to thank him
13:53showing that many will only seek his
13:56hands and that is heart
13:59because here according to the scripture
14:00Jesus reply weren't 10 cleansed Ed,
14:04where are the other nine? No one
14:07returned to praise God except this
14:10foreigner. That blew my mind when I read
14:13that. See, I'm a student of the word. I
14:16I I look at every word in the sentence.
14:19And and when you're reading scripture,
14:21be very careful to you just read one
14:22verse and just go off with the
14:25interpretation. Sometime it's the verse
14:27before, the verse after, or the whole
14:30chapter.
14:31And you have to understand that the
14:33story here 10 people had leprosy. He
14:37healed them of it
14:40and only one returned. But the one who
14:43returned, look at the word foreigner.
14:51The the least unlikely person.
14:55>> It's the one who returned to say thanks.
15:00It's fair to say the other nine were
15:03probably people of faith in the temple,
15:07knew the law, knew what it means to
15:10return thanks and and to appreciate God.
15:14But one foreigner, you know, I I'm
15:18privileged to travel to several places
15:20in the world and especially preaching
15:22the gospel.
15:25And to this day, I can honestly tell
15:27you,
15:29I love preaching the gospel outside the
15:32United States. Now, that you know me, I
15:35love preaching here,
15:37but there's something about when you go
15:39to foreign countries.
15:42There's something about when you go to
15:44places like Africa and and and don't
15:47believe the lie to believe that all of
15:49Africa is poor.
15:52If I take you to places in Africa now,
15:55you would be completely shocked
15:58what you see on television and so forth
16:00and flies coming out people's mouth and
16:02nose and so forth. A lot of that there
16:05are places like just like in America
16:08there places flies coming out of
16:09people's mouth,
16:13>> right?
16:14>> There are places in the Caribbean,
16:16Brazil. Brazil. Love preaching in
16:18Brazil. Oh god. Oh, Brazil.
16:22Brazil have a hunger for God
16:25like I've never seen before. Um, I used
16:29to do it before COVID. We used to go
16:31there like at least twice a year,
16:33preach, and thousands of And believe me,
16:36a lot of preachers, they give you
16:37fictitious numbers.
16:40You know, a preacher will say, "I got
16:425,000 members, it's 500."
16:45In Brazil, when they tell you 5,000
16:48people showing up, 6,000 people showing
16:51up,
16:53>> these people walk. But the hunger they
16:57have for the Lord Jesus Christ in
17:00worship, it's like we depend on worship
17:03team to pump us. And worship is
17:07entertainment.
17:08These people worship.
17:12They they literally pour their heart out
17:14to God. People are sobbing in worship.
17:18You can see that they they mean every
17:21word. The lyrics that they're singing,
17:23they are into it. They're not worshiping
17:27God for what we take for granted here in
17:31America. They're worshiping God just
17:33because he is God.
17:36>> He's God. One time I was preaching in uh
17:39in uh Nigeria, Africa. The largest crowd
17:42and this is true story. I'm not lying.
17:44The largest crowd, we had people from
17:46the church who went with me in uh
17:48Nigeria, Africa. I think the place was
17:50called Wari Soply or something like
17:53that. Uh Nigu
17:56you probably know Wari. War is the
17:58place. Wari. Yes. Largest crowd 70,000
18:03people.
18:05This was not a stadium. is in the field
18:08field and I'm there preaching and and
18:13you know when you say in America if you
18:16need Jesus run to him. We're not we're
18:19just saying come to him.
18:21>> I stood on the stage and with passion if
18:25you need Jesus I want you to run to him
18:29tonight. Look at here. Let me tell you
18:31something.
18:34It was like I was in the movie. What's
18:36the name of that movie again? Um um oh
18:39god
18:41man, people running and I got scared
18:44because I'm like okay it's they coming
18:47after me. When I got to the hotel that
18:50night that preacher walked right in in
18:51the room and he said don't you ever do
18:53that again.
18:54He said this is not America.
18:58He says they believe every word you say.
19:02>> When you say run to Jesus, Jesus is
19:04their hope.
19:07>> These people are hang. They're like run
19:08to Jesus. They're not looking. It wasn't
19:11about me. They're saying Jesus, you need
19:14to run to him. And they, if I say to
19:17you, run to Jesus. Some of you just sit
19:19there, all right, Rev.
19:21Okay. All right. Our whole attitude
19:27when it am I telling the truth? Our
19:28whole attitude and response to the word
19:31is different.
19:34>> And sometimes you know it is because we
19:37become so complacent.
19:40>> Comfortable.
19:42>> Comfortable. Got our nice cars, our
19:46homes, our condos, our apartments, our
19:49jobs
19:51in worship. The reason why we can't
19:53worship with passion is because we we we
19:59are so caught up into ourselves. I can't
20:02mess up my hair.
20:04Some of you will not cry in worship
20:06because you're worried about your
20:08makeup.
20:12because you want to keep it together in
20:14his presence,
20:19>> not knowing you are missing out
20:23>> on what the presence of God can give you
20:26>> if you just come before him and say,
20:28"God, I really don't care.
20:31Mess me up, God.
20:35I don't care if I just my hairdo is
20:37messed up. I don't care if my outfit
20:40gets messed up. I don't care if my
20:42makeup get messed up. God, I want to
20:45feel your presence. I'm not following
20:48you because I want to look good in the
20:50presence of people around me. I don't
20:52even care about the brother, the sister
20:54next to me, God. I am here because I am
20:58in love with you. And you deserve the
21:00honor, the praise, and the glory. Are
21:03you hearing me tonight?
21:06So let's talk about the third thing.
21:09People are following him for position or
21:13power.
21:17We're guilty of that in the church.
21:19If we don't get what we want,
21:22we don't serve him.
21:25Come on now. Position and power. Well,
21:28let's look at what the word of God says
21:31as James and John asked Jesus for. Watch
21:33this. This is nothing new.
21:37There's nothing new. They asked Jesus
21:39for a seat or seats of honor, seeking
21:43status rather than servantthood. It's
21:46amazing in the body of Christ. A lot of
21:49us are seeking status
21:53>> instead of servantthood. Let's look at
21:55Mark chapter 10 beginning at verse 35.
21:59Put it on the screen. And I want you to
22:01read this now. I want everybody, we got
22:03to read it together now. All right, we
22:05know you can read, so don't read ahead
22:07of others. Just read together. If it's
22:10on the screen, go ahead, read.
22:12>> James and John, Zebed's sons, came to
22:15Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to
22:19do whatever we ask.
22:22>> What do you want me to do for you?" He
22:25asked.
22:27They said allow us to sit on your right
22:30and the other on
22:33your
22:36>> Okay. Verse 38. Jesus replied,
22:39>> "You don't know what you're asking.
22:42I drink the baptism I receive."
22:49>> Jesus said, "You will drink the cup I
22:51drink and receive the baptism." Here's
22:54what Jesus was saying to them. Because
22:56there was, okay, when we get to heaven,
22:58who's going to sit at the right and the
23:00left? Jesus immediately say, before you
23:02ask that question, are you willing to
23:04suffer like me?
23:09>> Are you in the kingdom just because of
23:12status?
23:14>> Or are you willing to know him? Like
23:16Paul said, that I may know him
23:18>> in the power of his resurrection. But
23:20what? In the what? In his suffering. The
23:23fellowship of his suffering.
23:26Yes.
23:26>> So why do you think as a Christian that
23:28all you want from God is that you want
23:31to live happily ever after? You want him
23:34to bless you, bless you, bless you. You
23:36want to just live in peace and joy and
23:38happiness. You don't want any trials.
23:42>> Who lied to you
23:45that all you want is to die and go to
23:48heaven? Who told you that? Jesus is
23:52saying, "Well, wait a minute." Okay.
23:55Will you drink this cup?
23:57>> He's talking the bitterness of that
23:59experience.
24:00>> Are you willing to suffer
24:04like I did?
24:06Are you willing to be betrayed?
24:09>> To be mocked, to be beaten, to be
24:13pierced? Are you willing to bleed?
24:18>> Are you willing?
24:20Because if you're not,
24:24forget about trying position in heaven.
24:27And so often we I want to get to heaven.
24:30I want to get to heaven. I want to get
24:31to heaven. And we brag, you know, cuz
24:34you know, we grew up, you know, based on
24:36my age. I'm a 1964 baby. Um, we used to
24:39sing this song, I've got a mansion just
24:42over the hilltop in that bright land
24:46where we never go old.
24:49[Music]
24:50In other words, in our head, there's
24:54some gold street with some five
24:57bedroomedroom.
25:01So, so we we're trying to bypass
25:05the process of life
25:07to get to heaven, thinking we're gonna
25:10get five bedroomedroom house, all that
25:13kind of stuff. And there's nowhere in
25:15the Bible it says there's any house in
25:18heaven.
25:22>> Not the house you all live in.
25:25There's no bathrooms.
25:28There's no stores to buy toothbrush.
25:32There's no You don't need no clothes.
25:36Ladies, you not be spending any money
25:38doing your hair.
25:40All that nail stuff is done. That's why
25:42you need to do it down here.
25:47Cuz when you check out of here, you
25:49ain't going to no nail shop.
25:51Ain't no angel up there trying to say,
25:53"Come on, next
25:55$55.
25:59Here's the square.
26:11It's It's not there. It's not there.
26:14Ain't a barber shop up there.
26:17In fact, woo, this is going to mess you
26:19up. In fact, you're not going to have no
26:21hair.
26:26You're not going to have hands,
26:29>> nose, mouth.
26:32You won't need to flush the toilet
26:35>> because the body you're going to get
26:38>> it's not a physical body.
26:41>> See, we need to read our word, man.
26:44>> So, we need to understand here that
26:46Jesus or or the the the response he gave
26:49to these guys, he said to them, he said,
26:51"Wait a minute now. Stop it. if you're
26:54willing to drink of this cup
26:58and receive the baptism.
27:01Another thing I believe Jesus was saying
27:03here because remember John struggled
27:06with baptizing him.
27:10>> He was showing them that even the son of
27:13God came to earth. He had to fulfill
27:15John had to baptize him. Had to. That
27:19was a part of the process of fulfilling
27:22the great commission.
27:24completing man's redemption.
27:27So he's saying, are you willing to go
27:29through
27:31the process of drinking the bitterness
27:34of that cup and receiving baptism,
27:37humbling yourself that no matter your
27:40status,
27:42for the sake of Christ, you will fulfill
27:46the mission. That's why for those of you
27:48who've been born again and you've not
27:51yet gotten baptized, what are you
27:54waiting for?
27:56Unless you're not serious.
28:00Unless you're not willing to drink of
28:01the cup,
28:04why are you waiting?
28:06Unless you are ashamed of him. Because
28:09what baptism does, it is a public
28:11confession,
28:13>> saying, "Hey, I'm a follower of Christ.
28:16I have buried the old man.
28:19>> And once you come out of the water,
28:21you're renewed in him. You've been a a a
28:24resurrected person.
28:27>> What are you waiting for? They wanted
28:30status and was not willing to go through
28:34the process. So, could it be yes, I
28:37follow Christ, but I ain't doing all
28:39that stuff.
28:41I don't want no struggles and I
28:44certainly I don't need to get baptized.
28:47Then he said in verse 39, we can. They
28:51responded. Then he said, okay, you can.
28:54So here's what you're going to do. You
28:56will drink of the cup. Every one of us
28:59who are Christians, we're going to have
29:00to drink of that cup
29:02and you're going to be baptized. So
29:05these stories reminds us that our faith
29:08can easily shift from Christ
29:11centeredness to self centeredness
29:15if we're not intentional about our
29:17pursuit of Jesus Christ. So the danger
29:21of wrong pursuit. If your walk with
29:24Christ is primarily primarily I should
29:27say about comfort, blessings or
29:31recognition, your faith journey will
29:34eventually feel boring, exhausting,
29:38unfruitful
29:40and the constant need, there'll be a
29:43constant need of wanting more than what
29:47Christ has to offer.
29:51It's sad that in the body of Christ,
29:54many of us, we're we're wanting more
29:56than what the word offers.
30:01>> The word is it.
30:06>> The word of God is it. It's It's all you
30:09need.
30:11>> So why are we leaning to other
30:13substances
30:15and not the word? Now, faith is the
30:19substance.
30:21It's the substance. It's what you live
30:24on. It's what you feed off.
30:27Why are we so consumed with social media
30:30that we know more about social media
30:32than we know of the word? And then we
30:35argue with God when stuff don't work.
30:41>> Think about that.
30:44We lack the word. That's why we make bad
30:47decisions because we lean more to our
30:50understanding. We lean more to what's
30:53popular.
30:54We're so quick to go ask our girlfriend
30:57or boyfriend or some family members or
30:59friends, get what do you think?
31:02Especially when you're making crucial
31:04decisions.
31:07When you're making crucial decisions,
31:09who to date, who to marry,
31:13or when a relationship should end, how
31:16do you spend your money, that you're
31:18going to bypass God,
31:22>> and go ask some people who themselves
31:25might have not even drank of the cup.
31:31and you going to let them tell you
31:34>> what you should do.
31:36>> So good.
31:37>> How many of you have went to people and
31:39say, "Should I marry that person?" And
31:41they said yes and it turned out wrong.
31:43Don't don't raise your hand. Don't don't
31:44don't don't don't do that. Please don't
31:46do that. Think about that.
31:50So, Galatians 5, I'm almost wrapping
31:53this up. Galatians 5. Are you are you
31:55learning anything from this?
31:57>> All right. Galatians 5 beginning at
32:00verse 5 to10
32:03again the CEB translation we eagerly
32:07wait for the hope of righteousness
32:10through the spirit of faith being
32:12circumcised or not being circumcised
32:15doesn't matter in Christ Jesus but faith
32:18working through love does matter you
32:22were running well
32:24>> who stopped you from obeying the truth
32:28See, this line of reasoning doesn't come
32:32from the one who calls you. A little
32:35yeast
32:36works through the whole lump of dough.
32:40Here's what the Apostle Paul was saying.
32:42First of all, and all of us, including
32:45Henry Fernandez, we're victim to this.
32:48We're guilty, I should say. That's a
32:49better word. We're guilty of this. We
32:52start out well.
32:55Paul said you did run well.
32:59>> Remember when you just gave your life to
33:00Christ?
33:02>> Come on, let's go back in memory lane.
33:04The day you just surrendered. Remember
33:06how excited you were? Glad you were. You
33:09felt renewed, refreshed. That my
33:12goodness, man, I just feel clean and and
33:16you were excited. You were telling
33:17people about it. You know, your your
33:20conversion, you would come to church
33:22faithfully.
33:23remember you would do your best. You
33:26will honor God even with your give in.
33:28You would give to God and you felt an
33:31obligation as a Christian that God
33:33deserves a part of your money to and all
33:35of that. You were running well, but like
33:38Paul said, you did. It's not that you
33:40weren't doing well,
33:43but something happened along the way.
33:47>> So, so, so, so you have to ask yourself
33:49the question, why are you following
33:51Jesus? Because if your eye is on
33:54something else rather than a genuine
33:57relationship with him,
34:00then you're going to run out of gas one
34:02day.
34:04>> You're going to eventually find yourself
34:07short of his glory because you did run
34:10well, but something hindered you.
34:14>> Something got in the way. Could it be
34:16that you got connected with the wrong
34:18people?
34:20My parents used to tell me birds of a
34:22feather
34:23>> flock together and one bad apple spoiled
34:27a whole bunch. Oh, you had the same
34:28parent, I guess,
34:30>> right? And so forth, right? Because the
34:35truth is you need to examine yourself.
34:37And those of you are streaming, really
34:39examine yourself. How is your faith
34:41walk?
34:43Are you happy with it?
34:46And I know teaching like this may be
34:49boring.
34:50I get that. I get that because we've
34:53developed a culture in the church where
34:56where our strength and connection with
35:00God has to do with somebody exciting
35:03you.
35:06>> And if you don't express yourself
35:09emotionally in worship and God, then
35:12then there's no connection with God.
35:16And this is where we miss it because
35:18we're hyped
35:21>> and not developed.
35:25>> There's a huge difference.
35:29Don't tell me how excited you are and
35:32how you can whatever and so forth. Do
35:35you have substance?
35:39>> How strong are you?
35:43Are you going to let little wind of
35:45doctrines and
35:47>> push you aside and cause you to be
35:50derailed off the the path that God has
35:53you on?
35:54>> Think about that, man.
35:56>> You did run well. But who's who who
36:01>> stopped you
36:02>> from obeying the truth?
36:05>> Jesus.
36:06>> What happened in your life that caused
36:08you now to be stagnant in your faith?
36:13that instead of getting up every day,
36:15I'm not talking about first thing in the
36:17morning. That's that's religious
36:19behavior
36:21cuz you can get up. People say, "Well, I
36:23get up first thing in the morning. I
36:24kneel on my bedside and I pray." If if
36:26if that's your best time and it's
36:29effective, that's great. Now, some of us
36:32when you wake up in the morning, trust
36:34me, you don't even know your name,
36:37much less to talk to God. It takes you
36:40an hour to get yourself together.
36:46>> Your worship under God should be
36:47effective, not something to show and
36:50tell.
36:54>> So don't let nobody look at you and
36:56judge you based on how you act, how you
36:58dress. That determines how anointed and
37:01gifted you are. I know a whole lot of
37:03people look like they're anointed,
37:05gifted, speak in tongues, but their
37:07character
37:09[Applause]
37:13That has nothing to do with it.
37:17>> So you find the best time throughout the
37:20day that you can carve out dedicated
37:23time to God. No interruption.
37:26>> Shut your phone off.
37:29>> Shut your phone off
37:31and don't get involved with certain
37:34things so that so that you don't fall
37:36victim to this. You did run well, but
37:39something hindered you. And then verse
37:4210 says, I'm convinced about you in the
37:44Lord that you won't think about any
37:46other way, but the one who is confusing
37:51you will pay the penalty. Whoever that
37:54person is, you know what Paul is saying?
37:58Don't be confused. Don't let people
38:00trick you.
38:02>> But woe to the one
38:05who caused you to go astray.
38:09That's why all of you should make a vow.
38:14Never ever become a distraction to
38:17people
38:18>> and their faith.
38:23If you are responsible for derailing
38:26somebody's faith,
38:29you need to read the scripture and you
38:32need to repent because it says, "Woe to
38:36the one
38:38who's confusing you. You will pay the
38:43penalty."
38:46That's all I got to tell you.
38:49So don't be a stumbling block to
38:52anybody.
38:53>> Yeah.
38:54>> Because God is serious about his people.
38:58>> Very serious.
38:59>> He's serious about his people.
39:02So you are running a good race. Paul
39:05says, "Who cut you or cut you off that
39:10you keep disobeying, if you will, the
39:12truth?" This passage of scripture
39:14clearly indicates that we can begin with
39:17pure motives but get derailed by
39:20distractions disappointments and
39:23self-interest. This is why it is
39:25important to regularly check your heart
39:29to ensure that you're pursuing Christ
39:31for him and not for selfish
39:35uh reasons. Let me close with this. I
39:38want to give you some three essentials
39:41of following Christ. Three essentials
39:44for following Christ. And they are tough
39:46ones. You know, if you're not a student
39:48of the word, again, if you want a church
39:51that is always prophesying over you,
39:55laying hands on you, and speaking
39:57tongues, and we shout, make a whole
39:58bunch of noise.
40:00This is not the church. I've always been
40:03a word person.
40:05That's the only thing that's going to
40:06sustain you.
40:10The only thing that's going to sustain
40:11you is the word of God. Because when the
40:15seasons change and tough time comes
40:18if you're not grounded in the word,
40:22>> you're done.
40:24>> You're just up today, you're down
40:26tomorrow, and so forth. Number one,
40:29selfdenial.
40:31That's a must. You got to follow Jesus
40:34with full surrender. Full surrender.
40:36Full surrender. Somebody say full
40:38surrender.
40:39>> Full surrender.
40:40>> Half of you didn't say so that means
40:41you're half surrendering to God. One
40:43more time. Full surrender.
40:44>> Full surrender.
40:46>> You got to do it with full surrender.
40:47Luke 9:23.
40:50Whosoever wants to be my disciple must
40:53deny themsel and take up their cross
40:56daily and follow me. There's no such
40:59thing as following Jesus Christ. often
41:01don't have trials.
41:04>> So when they happen, why are you mad?
41:07Why you angry at God? He told you if
41:09you're going to follow him, that word
41:11cross translates to the struggles on
41:15your faith journey.
41:17So if you're going to follow him, you're
41:19going to have to embrace the experience
41:21of the cross. So self-denial means
41:25laying down personal ambitions, grudges,
41:28and preferences to embrace God's plan
41:32and purpose for your life. Number two,
41:36daily commit to spiritual refueling.
41:40Your faith will not stay strong if it is
41:45not fed.
41:47John 15:4, remain in me and I also
41:50remain in you. No branch can bear fruit
41:53by itself. It must remain in the vine.
41:58So church, those of you streaming, I got
42:00to tell you, if you really want to
42:03remain strong, especially in these
42:06times, listen, you got to get in the
42:08word man.
42:11You may have to discontinue certain
42:13relationships, certain conversations.
42:15You got to stay in the word
42:19cuz if you if you're not in the word,
42:22you won't remain in Christ.
42:26There have been times in my life cuz you
42:28know if you won't confess and tell the
42:30truth, I'll tell it. There have been
42:32times in my life in checking myself, I'm
42:34like, "Oo God,
42:37I'm far from you."
42:40>> Notice he didn't leave me.
42:43Yes, that's me.
42:44>> Don't you ever believe. He said, "I'll
42:46never leave you."
42:48>> Can I demonstrate this? Come here, sir.
42:50Please stand right here. If
42:53If you're with Jesus, he's with you,
42:56man. He's hanging with you. He's with
42:59you every step of the way. He's not
43:01going anywhere. Here's a mistake a lot
43:04of us think is that when we decide to
43:08disconnect ourselves from him to walk
43:10astray, he's coming after us.
43:13>> Cuz I know we sing a praise song. He's
43:15coming after you. Coming whatever the
43:17song says, you know, that's the only
43:19part I remember. He's coming after you.
43:21That he's chased. I I'm I'm chased.
43:25>> That's it. You see that's not true.
43:28Here's a story in the Bible with the
43:29prodigal.
43:31I love that's one of my favorite
43:33stories.
43:34What I love about this story is notice
43:37when the son decided that he wanted to
43:42go on a journey on his own.
43:44Notice because remember the whole story
43:47was an example of what the kingdom is
43:50like. Remember it's a parable,
43:52fictitious story. Jesus was just trying
43:54to tell you this is how the kingdom
43:55operates. So here is this guy who
43:59thought he knew it all. left home.
44:02Noticing the story, not once the father
44:05left the house
44:07>> to go look for the son.
44:09>> That daddy was a Caribbean. I can
44:11guarantee you he was born somewhere in
44:13the Caribbean cuz that's what Caribbean
44:15people do. You left, you know, and guess
44:19what? They changed the lock. You ain't
44:22coming back.
44:24I'm telling you, that's God's honest
44:27truth.
44:29But in the story, the father didn't go
44:32looking for the son.
44:34And you would think, Jesus, if that's an
44:37example of how the kingdom operates, why
44:39you won't come after me? You know, I
44:41messed up. Cuz here's the thing.
44:45Jesus ain't going nowhere.
44:47He set the standards and you have to
44:50measure up to it.
44:52>> You have to measure up to his standard.
44:54You have to come to him. All ye that are
44:57labored and heavy lad, come to him. He's
45:00not coming after you. So you guess what?
45:02You go do your thing. You know, left
45:04God. Start going into the clubs and and
45:07start doing different things and dating
45:10folks you ain't supposed to be dating
45:12and doing all kinds of stuff and so
45:14forth. Because at the end of the day,
45:17like the prodigal,
45:19you can those are wasted years you'll
45:21never get back. But all of your
45:24wondering will eventually bring you
45:26right back
45:28>> to where you started. Thank you, sir.
45:31Come on. Give God a better praise than
45:32that man.
45:39So
45:41you you got to get to that place, man,
45:43where you you you you remain in God. You
45:47pray, you worship, you read his word to
45:51refuel yourself. Finally, number three,
45:54renewing of the mind.
45:57>> Oh,
45:59so I heard somebody sigh for a moment.
46:00That's so true. You got to renew your
46:02mind cuz the world is loud
46:07>> and distracting. How many agree with
46:09that?
46:10>> There's a lot of noise. My God, I feel
46:14it for the millennials. There's a lot of
46:16noise out there.
46:19God knows there's a lot of noise and
46:21stuff pointing at you and and it's hard.
46:25I feel it for you. See, I grew up at a
46:26time where there wasn't there was
46:28distraction in our time and so forth,
46:30but it ain't like
46:33what you all are going through now.
46:36Trust me, our distraction was marbles
46:39and Pac-Man and
46:42>> and uh just
46:45>> we didn't you we didn't we didn't have
46:49um cell phones and all of that. We
46:52didn't have social media.
46:55So only distraction is, you know, Duke,
46:58I got to tell you this story. This is
46:59true. Only distraction is trying to make
47:01up something. So, growing I was a teen,
47:04I think I was uh probably 12 or so,
47:07something like that. And you know, um I
47:10was always a church boy. Um so one day
47:13in the back of our yard, you know, we
47:15had these lots of plum trees and
47:17everything like that. So the leaves
47:18would fall and they'll dry. And I I just
47:22don't judge me, but as a little kid, 12
47:25years of age, I I used to love watching
47:28people smoke.
47:30I think it was just cool.
47:34>> I told you don't judge me, man.
47:37>> He's not judging me.
47:38>> Come on. I'm just tell I used to like
47:41it. Hey, man. That looks cool. Cuz you
47:43know,
47:50I may not do it right.
47:53I'm I'm just I'm just drawing an
47:55illustration here. I used to love it.
47:57Seriously. So one day I got distracted,
48:01you know, I grew up in a Christian home,
48:03so you know, and so forth. So I decided
48:06cuz I grew up, one of my brothers used
48:08to smoke the marijuana, you know, and so
48:10forth. So I I used to watch him and
48:13other people in the neighborhood and
48:14they'll get the um the the thing and
48:21[Laughter]
48:22[Music]
48:26I'll tell you
48:28Seriously, I used to watch it. So, I
48:31decided I want to be cool
48:34>> and I got the dry leaves,
48:36>> rolled them up, and
48:41got it. Got the match, lit it.
48:46Man, let me tell you something.
48:54All I heard is like my mom, she was
48:56these um I mean, oh god, she just came
48:59out of nowhere,
49:02grabbed me and I mean gave me a whipon
49:06and while she's doing I mean, you know,
49:08Caribbean parents are different. I am
49:12and she's beating me and she don't care
49:14if I was dying.
49:17Here's my those were my distractions.
49:23>> I mean, we laugh,
49:26>> but you guys,
49:30the stuff you guys have to deal with,
49:34>> especially those of you are in the
49:36faith,
49:38>> that's why we're living in a crucial
49:41time
49:42>> because Satan is determined to distract
49:45you. Yes.
49:47>> Why? Because he doesn't mind you having
49:50a form of godliness.
49:53>> Well, I love God.
49:55>> I go to church. I believe in God. I
49:58believe in Jesus.
50:00>> But are you really following him?
50:04Because if you're following him, it
50:07requires stripping.
50:10>> Lay aside
50:13>> every weight.
50:17that easily
50:20>> set you back. It's hard. It's hard to
50:23lay aside the weight.
50:26>> The weight of the stuff we like.
50:29>> Come on now.
50:30>> Come on now. The stuff we like.
50:34>> We saved. We're in church. We love God.
50:36But there's some weight,
50:40>> you know, weight we struggle with, you
50:44know. And Paul said, "Lay aside
50:47because there's a race before you.
50:50You have to follow him." And following
50:53him requires you to do it his way, not
50:57your way. Father, thank you.
50:59>> Thank you, Jesus.
51:01>> That we can only be better after
51:02tonight.
51:05>> But there is no doubt that your Holy
51:07Spirit has just convicted us.
51:09Not to make us feel bad,
51:12but so that we can follow you.
51:16>> Not our feelings,
51:20not the trends of our society,
51:23but that we follow you.
51:26Cuz at the end of the day,
51:29we don't want it to be said, "Oh, we've
51:31been a Christian for so many years," or,
51:33"Oh, we did this." Or, "Oh, God gave me
51:37this material things." or oh, we we go
51:40to the finest church in South Florida.
51:45That's not what our journey is about.
51:49Our journey is that we may know you,
51:53that we may know you,
51:55that we may have a real healthy
51:58relationship with you.
52:01So tonight
52:03we surrender all and we lay aside every
52:07weight. Everything anything that is
52:10unlike you,
52:12we give it to you.
52:15Wash us.
52:17make us holy and pure before you
52:22so that we can truly
52:25like the songwriter that says, "I've
52:27decided
52:29to follow Jesus.
52:32No turning back."
52:35No turning back.
52:37the world behind me, the cross
52:42before me.
52:44That we're not going to look back and be
52:46enticed by the things of the world, but
52:49we're willing to take up the cross
52:53and follow you
52:57so that you'll be pleased.
52:59Lord, we worship you
53:01not just in our words, but indeed the
53:05things that we do. We honor you with our
53:08giving tonight,
53:11our tithe, our offerings,
53:15that we make a decision that we're going
53:17to build this church with our resources.
53:20We love
53:22the fact that you've placed us in this
53:24ministry and therefore it's our
53:26responsibility to fund it.
53:29knowing that you're going to take care
53:30of us. That we should never find
53:33ourselves where we worry about we can't
53:38afford to because of our personal issues
53:41and our financial needs. But if we put
53:44our financial needs before you and say,
53:46"God, we put you first here. Here's the
53:49first fruit. Here's our offering. We're
53:52going to build this house knowing that
53:55you made a promise to us.
53:59If we take care of your house,
54:03he'll take care of our house.
54:05So, we give it not grudgingly tonight,
54:07not because someone forced us or we feel
54:10guilty. We give it out of joy.
54:13That's the right thing to do. And we
54:16give you praise
54:19that all of us as the members and
54:22followers of the faith and those who are
54:24streaming, we have decided
54:28to follow you
54:31in Jesus name.
54:33[Music]
54:35Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
54:39>> Thank you Jesus.