Your Focus Determines Your Reality
Lessons From 2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We started last week picking up where we left off which was the completely of our studies in 1 Corinthians.
We then discussed the context of 2 Corinthians.
How the majority of the church was with Paul, having accepted Paul’s apostleship, read his message with godly fear, received his rebukes with godly grief, and sought to obey God’s instructions on holiness.
Unfortunately, there were still a small defiant minority that were rejected Paul’s apostleship and authority.
Today, we are going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. Le’t s read that now.
2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
2 Corinthians 1:9–11 (ESV)
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
As I was preparing for this lesson from this text, I had a note that led to the title of this lesson.
The note was a quote from the movie “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” wherein Anakin Skywalker is told, “Your Focus Determines Your Reality.”
In our text this is primarily the focus of Paul in reminding the church in Corinth that where their focus is their reality will be found.
This of course is found throughout the bible.
Garbage In Garbage Out
Garbage In Garbage Out
Input Determines Output.
Input Determines Output.
In computer science, garbage in, garbage out is the concept that flawed, biased, or poor quality information or input produces a similar result or output.
AI is all the computer rage these days with everyone trying to keep up with the other with such technology.
Google recently released their “AI Gemini image creator” and it became apparently quickly that the input it was receiving had a bias associated with it.
As one man put it, “it’s embarrassingly hard to get Google Gemini to acknowledge that white people exist.”
As others started trying one person ask Gemini to generate an image of a 1943 German Soldier for and it produced a young Asian woman, a young black man, a young white girl.
Another person asked is “pedophilia wrong” for which it responded with it is a mental disorder that “is not a choice, and it is not something that people can control.”
When asked what a woman is it could not define one but rather stated, “There is no single definition that is universally accepted, and there are a variety of perspectives on what it means to be a woman.”
The point is “garbage in equals garbage out, and this is not just a computer reality but a human one as well.
God has long said that “man’s heart” or “mankind’s feelings” are deceitful above all things.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Why, because what goes in must come out, even spiritually speaking.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…
Summary
Summary
Because it matters where we put our focus, because where we put our focus determines our reality, we must…
Guard Our Hearts
Guard Our Hearts
Control What Enters.
Control What Enters.
If we want to be love the Lord our God all our heart, mind, soul, and strength we must control what enters our hearts.
We must be filling our minds and thus hearts with God’s word.
Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
We must be filling our minds and hearts with all things “good.”
Philippians 4:8–9 (ESV)
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I’m reminded of what Richard Baxter once stated, “Meditation is the life of most other duties.”
The point is that what every we find to do we are going to be meditating or thinking about before we start.
We need to control what enters our minds and is filter through out hearts.
We need to focus on God’s word and those things that are good and make those our reality.
But what happens if we let too much garbage in?
Or what happens if our situation pushes us to the brink and a possibly bad place mentally?
When these things happen…
Reboot & Start Fresh.
Reboot & Start Fresh.
When we find ourselves in the situation wherein we have corrupted our minds and dirtied our hearts we must reboot through first repentance, then confession, and then forgiveness.
Repentance is a recognition of corruption in our minds and hearts that grieves us to change.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Confession is a humbling admission that we have allowed corruption into our minds and made filthy our hearts.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This change that leads to a turn to God and this confession leads to our forgiveness but to complete the change we must fill our minds and clean our hearts with righteousness.
This is done when we strive to be filled with all the fulness of God.
Ephesians 3:18–19 (ESV)
18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Obviously, we cannot simply forget everything we have put into our minds that is evil and corrupt at first.
But through our focus on righteousness these thing will become less and less of what fills our thoughts.
What about the situation Paul was in though?
Remember what Paul told the church in Corinth.
2 Corinthians 1:8 (ESV)
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
There are times when life throws trials and tribulations at us that are so consuming that we begin to focus on that one situation over everything else.
We can easily, if we are not careful, start to rely on our self instead of God.
Paul explains that in the next verse and the solution as well.
2 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Summary
Summary
When we find ourselves starting to “rely on self” and thus corrupt our minds and cause our hearts to be revolting to God we need to reboot and start fresh.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters the great blessing of guarding our hearts and minds with God all that is good including God’s word is that when afflicted we are still comforted.
That we are here for each other when afflictions happen so that we may comfort each other with the comfort we receive from God.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Let our focus be on God and thus each other so that we may always be there for each other whether in times of rejoicing or weeping.
Whether in times of tribulations or celebrations.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.