sermon on staying focused

This, too, has been an important function of the Church of God for the last half century! Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth to save mankind, to establish a world-ruling government that will address and solve global problems. Bible Study. Booklets. If so, a study of Paul’s focused life will help us both. We must stay focused on the mission that Christ commanded His disciples to accomplish. (1 Corinthians 13) If your plan hits a snag along the way, your mission is to stay the course, especially if you're confident God has directed your path. GEM-R-15. The storm doesn’t always come... 2. The story of God’s Church is no exception. 110109AM EBG-31 Reverence.doc. This requires regular, personal study of the Scriptures (II Tim. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. God reveals that the problems of the early first century Church were due to the fact they had lost their focus! We discovered in chapter one that Jesus is superior to the prophets and the angels. The initial picture of the first century Church is one of a highly motivated, sharply focused and unified group of believers. The writer of Hebrews said if we are going to run the Christian life with no distractions and not get off track, we must keep our eyes carefully focused on Jesus. You have to keep your eyes straight ahead. Their focus has turned inward—on getting themselves and the Church ready for Christ to return—instead of sharing the exciting hope of the kingdom with mankind. For those called of God, Bible study should be a way of life. He will carry you through. I guess that proves it. The previous is adapted from a sermon delivered September 21, 2014 at … World of Distractions. Office Hours: Tue – Thu: 9am – 3pm . The sense of mission dissipates and the mission falters. 100 Bible Verses about Staying Focus. 3:10-12). They asked God for boldness and guidance as the Church began to grow (Acts 4:29-31). How can I keep my mind focused on God when I have so many distractions? Comparison will cloud Go’s call on your life. That is how we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. In Philippians 3, Paul describes how focus … Instead of looking forward to reigning with Christ on earth converts were told about the glories of going to heaven. (Try and fail a few times.) Having godly goals will keep us focused on our true purpose—the reason God called us now—and God will add the physical blessings in balance. Elisha had to keep watching, because you never know just when God is going to move. He told them to “feed my sheep” (John 21: 15-19). He urged them to think bigger than just themselves, and He set an example for them to follow. The book of Acts covers events in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Decide you will no longer live in reaction to your life’s circumstances, no matter how pressing they may seem. Ronn Bailey made the sports headlines in 2005 when he became the first amateur American... II. Notice the beginning of Christ’s ministry. We should learn from Peter in this text that if we keep our focus on Jesus that we don’t have to... 3. Sermon: Run with Your Eyes on Jesus - Hebrews 12. on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM . They’re too busy. For people to remain alert and watchful, someone needs to function as a WATCHMAN. We must do what is needful, and make time for God in solitude. You can read the whole story at Matthew 14:22-33. Today there is a push to get away from “too much Bible.” We expect such from those outside of the Christ. Our Father wants us to grow in the grace of faith-fueled focus, and will, through Christ, cause our difficult struggles against distraction to work for our good (Romans 8:28). 28:20). (PHOTO OF KIDS WITH HATS ON) I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a pastor, and each of these roles is very important. “Stay focused on Jesus.” We would do well to stay in “focus” on Jesus at all times, but most especially during times of testing. — 1 Samuel 18:9, MSG, … but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Passage: Jude: 17-23. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, — Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT. Jesus told His disciples “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. “Focus On Jesus” Scripture – Matthew 14:22-36 Sermon Preached by Randall T. Clayton Sunday, August 10, 2014 Despite the news that rocked their world in the morning, by the time the story told in today’s Gospel lesson ends, on balance I think Peter would have said it had been a great day to be with Jesus. We must do what is needful, and make time for God in solitude. Live aware - Know that there will be distractions. When Paul found himself in prison, he began to praise. The first one is the right kind of prayer. 3, and the entire book of Revelation). We're not around right now. Nearly every one of the epistles deals with issues that erupted to trouble and divide the early New Testament Church. The question is—what can we learn from the lessons of history that God has recorded in His Word? Colossians 3:2 ESV / 1,629 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Most importantly, have the same mind. The light in your kitchen doesn’t slice your table in half when you turn it on, but a laser will. Reply. In the post 3 Ways to Having More Faith, I wrote that we have to keep a clear … Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. On his last visit to Ephesus (in 56 or 57 AD) the apostle Paul warned the assembled elders that “after my departure savage wolves (false teachers) will come in among you, not sparing the flock” and that “from among your own selves men will rise up, speaking perverse (misleading) things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-31). Don’t look down: Staying Focus in the midst of Your Storm Eston Swaby. If we are reading a book, we focus on reading it (and often ignoring our surroundings!). What were they commissioned to do? In this article we will examine an important warning the Eternal God inspired and recorded in His Word that has clear application for us today. We never need to consider if we’re becoming more like our friends, mentors, pastors, etc. December 29, 2014 "The Faith to Stay Focused" Min. every time i give my testimony about the day that god came to me and revealed himself to me and saved my soul from an eternal damnation and filled me with his spirit and produced in me the joy of my salvation, given me a chance to see lydia come to christ, the jailer come to christ, young timothy continue to grow in the likeness of christ… I recently posted this German proverb by my desk: “He who begins too much accomplishes little” 2. Believers are meant to fix our eyes on the rock of our salvation, which does not move or change. Help me to stay focused on You, O Lord. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. I yield myself to You now, and I commit myself — as You give me strength and help by Your great grace, to keep my … Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Salvation requires a proper spiritual education. Near the end of the first century John states that “many deceivers have gone out into the world” (II John :7) and he describes one situation where “Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence” was actually putting true believers out of the congregation he presided over (III John: 9-10). I felt I was in pretty good shape. Because it shifted his focus off the chains and the rats and everything that would have caused him to get depressed and discouraged. To stay focused in life and do the work God has entrusted us, we must constantly pose the questions of purpose and priority. When some decide to focus on one aspect of the commission and others focus on other aspects divisions arise. To entertain such an approach only fosters discord and division. Their focus has turned inward—on getting themselves and the Church ready for Christ to return—instead of sharing the exciting hope of the kingdom with mankind. Remember therefore from where you have fallen: repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place— unless you repent”(Rev. God plainly states, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Call Us: +254 718 652 652. Download Audio Search. (verse 20b) Paul knew that there are many temptations to hinder one from STAYING FOCUSED on the gospel. God’s gives us instruction about staying focused and keeping God first. Sermons. How can we stay focused in a world of busyness? Email Us: media@nairobilighthouse.com Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Even in the face of persecution that scattered the Church they “went everywhere preaching the word” that Jesus had given to them (Acts 8:1-4). In Psalm 37, David starts off with the instruction of not fretting about evildoers because their days are limited. Work together and study together to reach a better understanding of the Word together as a unified church. This is the context in which John is given the admonition regarding the Ephesian era of the church (Rev. 10th November 2019 Staying focused. Stay focused. A second important purpose given to the Church by Jesus Christ was to warn this world of the sobering and climactic events that will precede His second coming. Today, make a choice to focus on the good God wants you to do. If you look at something while driving, you tend to steer off the road. That is how we will gain the crown and the reward that God promises to His faithful servants (Rev. Focus creates power. The books of I, II, III John and Revelation were probably written in the 90’s. In order to avoid getting caught up in reasonable-sounding yet misleading ideas, we must know what the Bible clearly teaches. He was focused on doing the work He was given to do. As we approach the end of this age the people of God have grown more concerned about the messages recorded for the Philadelphian and Laodicean eras of the Church—and rightly so! But there are four big ones that almost every Christian will have to resist. Making Time for God Make time for your faith every day. Categories Object Lessons Post navigation "Just as I have Loved You" Sunday School Lesson from John 15:9-17. Actually, in some cases, kids have even more distractions than adults. Too many Christians give up too early. Paul, Peter and John emphasize the same warning (II Thes. However, some today feel this job—of preaching the gospel of the coming kingdom of God to the world—has been accomplished. … let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. We want to be known, but the truth is, the God who spoke the universe into existence knows your name. Bible prophecy states that this gospel of the kingdom of God would be preached to all the world at the end of the age as a witness (Matt. Download free sermons, preaching outlines and illustrations. Sermons; Resources. Sermon: Fine-tune Your Focus - 2 Corinthians 4 Introduction. Drivers need to keep their eyes on the road. Staying focused means that we must “Take a good look … Do you have trouble staying focused when challenges raise their ugly head? Thanks for reminding me what God call me to do this year…Stay Focus. He said, “They credit David with ‘ten thousands’ and me with only ‘thousands.’ Before you know it they’ll be giving him the kingdom!” From that moment on, Saul kept his eye on David. Finally, followers of Jesus must stay focused on heaven. Jude admonishes his audience to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints” because certain individuals had subtly and deliberately twisted and perverted the instructions and truth that Jesus gave to the original Apostles. They must be of the same mind, able to work together as a smoothly functioning team—instead of being preoccupied with “doing their own thing.”. We want to make a name for ourselves. Peter warned that false teachers would “secretly bring in destructive heresies” and would use “deceptive words” to exploit people and lead them astray (II Pet. Sermon Illustrations: Focus If you look at something while driving, you tend to steer off the road. Series: Jude. Today many people have different ideas of why the church was founded and what it is supposed to be doing. Select categories to search within. This is true of individuals! They’ve got their own agenda going. Not everyone would make those decisions the same way. Personal preferences and agendas cannot be allowed to disrupt and redirect the commission Jesus gave to His Church. 9301 Eden Prairie Road Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347. This is the message of chapters 3 and 33 of Ezekiel. So what must we do. The Scriptures, however, record a sobering admonition to the churches of the Ephesian era! Entire chapters of three gospels are devoted to this theme—Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21. It is like trying on many objects when to focus taking a photograph. Because of volume we may not be able to promptly reply to submissions using the form below. The only one of those things you have control over – and complete control over – is “perspective.” You cannot control the circumstances, but you have 100% control over where you fix your eyes. Bible Study. Staying Focused (8 of 8) Series: Setting The House In Order Jeff Schreve Titus 3:9-15 So, if you have your Bible, turn to Titus chapter 3. They enthusiastically embraced their “first love.”. 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