FOCUSED FORWARD

INTRODUCTION/TENSION

Tension of “in a new season, but not quite in a new season yet” (transition period)

Wilderness was a transition between complete captivity to full freedom in the promise land

Jesus in the wilderness: Baptism – Wilderness (testing) – Entry into earthly ministry

There’s always a transition period to enter into a new season

As we have heard the last three weeks…in this time our FOCUS is EXTREMELY important.

Larry: New Season – importance of planting good seeds in the soil of the mind…7 Biblical Thoughts to FOCUS on

Anthony: FOCUS on the power of God’s LOVE and not fear

Last week: FOCUS on Praise and not complaining

Launching a NEW SERIES to end our year as we enter into a new year and a new season: RE:FOCUS

God has a GOOD PLAN for you…for your family…for this church…but we are the only ones that can make the choices necessary to step into our divine destiny.

Part 1: FOCUSED FORWARD

Life is connected. How I leave one season is how I will enter the next.

TRUTH

God has an assignment…a destiny for you to enter…a plan for your life. Here’s the story of Jesus sending His disciples out on their journey…their mission.

ASSIGNMENT

Matthew 10:7–8 (NASB95)

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

ADMONITION

Luke 10:4 (NLT)

Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.

Don’t take money (don’t worry about money…God provides)

Don’t take baggage

Don’t greet people on the way

Jesus isn’t telling disciples to ignore people…but He is saying that I’ve called you to minister, love, serve, etc a certain group of people. This isn’t Jesus saying that people don’t matter…rather that there are certain people that matter to your assignment and season

People can either propel you to your destiny or distract you

Not all relationships are lifelong – most are seasonal

Rocketship example

ADVANCING ENCOURAGEMENT

Philippians 3:12–14 (NLT)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

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. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

BAGGAGE EXAMPLE

Life is connected. How I leave one season is how I will enter the next.

APPLICATION

1. FORGIVE the past

2. FORGET the past

3. FOCUS on God’s good plan for your life

FORGIVE the past

Matthew 18:21–35 (NLT)

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

v 21-23 - Peter’s question – 70x7 – In other words…don’t count…just walk in a Spirit of forgiveness

v 23- 27 – Merciful Master - $100million of debt paid off…unpayable debt instantly wiped away (sin)

v 28 – 30 – Unforgiving Servant – Month or two wages not forgiven

v 31- 35 – Disastrous End – Unforgiving servant given to the torturers (literally translated bill collectors) to retrieve payment from that point forward

The servant’s unwillingness to forgive put HIM in a spot to be tortured by his unforgiveness

Your unforgiveness will make you pay the price

Dr’s, Psychiatrists, Psychologists have all recorded that a major number of human issues are related to bottled-up attitudes of bitterness, resentment, hate, anger, self-pity, self-centeredness, etc. that come as a result of unforgiveness

FORGIVENESS RELEASES HEALING TO YOU!!!

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it means to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. C.S. Lewis

Life is connected. How I leave one season is how I will enter the next.

FORGET the past

Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead

FORGET – Not a wiping away from your memory…it means to NOT CARE, to NEGLECT, to GIVE IT TO OBLIVION, or in other words…NOT LET IT INFLUENCE YOU ANYMORE.

To move FORWARD…we have to not let the PAST have any POWER over us. If you’ve truly FORGIVEN…it has no more hold on you…but anytime you are reminded of the OLD…take that thought captive and don’t let it get to you anymore.

If we let the PAST negatively influence the PRESENT, we won’t reach our intended FUTURE

All of the past…BAD…and GOOD!! God has better for you, and if you can trust that…He will lead you to a BETTER PLACE!

Don’t let your past be a place of RESIDENCE, but a place of REFERENCE. And the reference must only be of the GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS of God.

Life is connected. How I leave one season is how I will enter the next.

FOCUS FORWARD on God’s good plan for you

Philippians 3:12–14 (NLT)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Proverbs 4:25-27 ERV Keep your eyes on the path, and look straight ahead. Make sure you are going the right way, and nothing will make you fall. Don’t go to the right or to the left, and you will stay away from evil.

Jeremiah 29:11 AMP

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

How do I know how to keep focused on the good plan when I don’t know what my plan is?

John 16:13–15 (NLT)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

Life is connected. How I leave one season is how I will enter the next.

LANDING

Forgive the past, Forget the Past, Focus Forward on God’s Good Plan

Ministry time focus on forgiveness:

Forgive, Release, and Bless the person that hurt you

maybe yourself

Forgive and release the sin or offense so you won’t retain it

Ask for forgiveness and release any judgments you’ve made against God…viewing Him as the author of your pain.

Anytime we view God outside of His goodness, we have been deceived. He’s not the author of our pain…He is the author of our healing, redemption, and restoration.