REAL CHRISTIANITY-PART II

WEEK 3 - STAYING FOCUSED -

INTRODUCTION
If we are going to live the kind of Christianity that Jesus is really calling us toa life of radical and extreme devotion and lovethen we must stay focused on the ONE THING (Ps. 27:4): Jesus Christ and dwelling with Him. So many times things distract us from keeping our eyes on only Jesus so we must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to keep focus and concentration on the eternal instead of the temporal. We will become even more focused on Him as we know His focus is on us at the same time.

BODY OF THE MESSAGE

1. WHAT IS FOCUS? a. Webster-Having a point of concentration.

b. In most of what we do its extremely important we stay focused i. ii. iii. iv. c. i. Driving a car Working at your job Walking-its amazing how many people trip on the smallest thing! Sports When you stay focused much can be achieved Race car drivers:

1. 2.

Can drive over 200 miles an hour

Their cars speed down the raceway inches from each other
3.

Someone wins the race.

ii.

At work: 1. 2. 3. A doctor can find a cure Promotions are given Inventions created

d. As for athletes: Awards are won, heroes are made, extreme living is fulfilled 2. EXTREME CHRISTIANS MUST BE FOCUSED a. What are we to be focused on?

Psalm 57:7 (NIV) My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Psalm 108:1 (NIV) My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Psalm 112:7 (NIV) He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. i. Christians are to be focused/fixed on the Father 1.
2.

Fixed-Established, faithful, determined

The idea of this word is to bring something into an indisputable existence

3. Your life and relationship with the Father is so fixed and so focused that nothing can draw your attention away from that relationship. 4. Being this focused upon the Father will bring the sense of well being that so many people are looking for. James 5:8 (NIV) You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near 3. THE FATHER IS FOCUSED ON US Matthew 6:25-32 (NIV) "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. a. i. ii. iii. We have the Fathers 100% attention all the time! Even if your earthly dad is the best one in the whole world, he doesnt even begin to compare to GOD! Your heavenly Father has the hair on your head numbered He knows who you are and STILL loves you and will take care of what you need!

4. WHAT KEEPS US FIXED AND FOCUSED ON THE FATHER? a. The meditations of your heart

Psalm 5:1 (NIV) Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Psalm 19:14 (NIV) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 104:34 (NIV) May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD i. Defining meditation 1. Its NOT sitting in with your knees in a knot and humming some tune 2. It IS to ponder; to declare; to converse with ones self out loud; to pray; to celebrate something in song. 3. Meditation is rehearsing something inwardly or outwardly 4. Remember when Joseph was being sexually harassed by Potiphars wife and went off on her? Genesis 39:7-8 (NIV) and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me! But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. a. He was meditating!

b. The word told in that Scripture has the same meaning: to declare, speak out loud b. Ways to Keep Our Focus

Luke 9:62 (NIV) Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." i. ii. Stop looking back God has so much in store for you that it will take all of your focus to grab it and run with it.

Philippians 3:13 (NIV) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, iii. iv. Start reaching forward Stop worrying about tomorrow

Matthew 6:33 (NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well Seek: To strive after with the idea of not giving up until you get it.
1.

v. vi. c. i. ii. iii. iv.

It is high time we start seeking the Kingdom FIRST and letting the other stuff just come. When we start seeking Him first, well start to get focused and fixed on the Father. So what are we to meditate on? The Father What He has done for us His love and care for us Getting fixed to OBEY Him.

CONCLUSION ALTAR MOMENT

Real Christianity is truly placing the gaze of the eyes of our heart upon the Father, allowing Him to make our lives into what He wants. We must forget the past, directing our heads and hearts forwards and fixing them on the Father of Glory. We must make the meditations of our heart come out of our mouths as well in order to keep our eyes fixed on Him.