Out of Focus

Little boy in a baseball hat Stands in the field with his ball and bat Says, "I am the greatest player of them all" Puts his bat on his shoulder and he tosses up the ball

And the ball goes up and the ball comes down Swings his bat all the way around The world's so still, he can hear the sound The baseball falls to the ground

Now the little boy doesn't say a word Picks up his ball, he is undeterred Says, "I am the greatest there has ever been" And he grits his teeth and he tries it again

And the ball goes up and the ball comes down Swings his bat all the way around The world's so still, he can hear the sound The baseball falls to the ground

He makes no excuses He shows no fear He just closes his eyes And listens to the cheers

Little boy, he adjusts his hat Picks up his ball, stares at his bat Says, "I am the greatest, the game is on the line" And he gives his all one last time

And the ball goes up like the Moon so bright Swings his bat with all his might And the world's as still as still can be And the baseball falls and that's strike three

Now it's suppertime and his mama calls Little boy starts home with his bat and ball Says, "I am the greatest, that is a fact But even I didn't know I could pitch like that"

I like that song as it shows the importance of shifting our perspective

Sometimes things do not go in the way that we want them to!

And, we can be frustrated by the way that they turned out, or we can shift our perspective and our focus

The little boy was focused on being the greatest hitter and turns out, he is the greatest pitcher, at least in his mind!

He needed to shift his focus

Often times, we as christians need to shift our focus!

It is easy to get caught up in the things of this world that we lose focus on what matters most!

I think Paul understood this as he is writing to the church in Corinth in his second letter

Before we get to the main text this morning, I want to give a little background to what is happening when Paul is writing

As Paul is writing 2 Corinthians he is speaking to a people who are suffering for the name of Christ but also to a people who have a call.

2 Corinthians 4:7–9 NIV

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Paul has seen and undergone many sufferings for the gospel and is quick to relate to this

He also understands that the call to ministry is a high call

2 Corinthians 4:1 NIV

1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

2 Corinthians 4:5 NIV

5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

So, as a people who are pressed and under great pressure, we are called to preach the gospel

This is the background for what we will dive into further this morning

Before we get there, we need to understand the call to be ministers!

I heard someone ask one time: “what do we call people not called to pastor? Ministers!”

We all have a job and a role in the kingdom! In fact, that is your first job, how that looks may be your second job!

As we are ministers, hardships will likely follow!

To which Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NIV

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As ministers, sometimes we need and glasses adjustment and refocus

I want to give a few helpful scriptures this morning on how to refocus.

First, we need to:

1. Recognize the Trap of Temporary

What is closest to us always looks the biggest

This is why we can take pictures of large things looking like we can hold them

Or, you can smash people with your fingers - though don’t do that, especially to your spouse

This is what the temporary promises - it is right here and now so surely it is better, right?

1 John 2:16–17 NIV

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

John does a good job here of moving us from the temporary to the eternal!

Not everything in the temporary is bad, it’s just not as important as what is eternal

We need to learn to recognize the trap set before us!

One way of doing this is:

The Phone Notification Analogy: Compare the temporary to a phone notification. It rings, it lights up, and it demands you look at it right now. But it's just a distraction from the person sitting right across the table from you. Recognizing the trap means saying, "This notification is loud, but it isn't my life."

There is a test to see if you’re falling into the trap and that is to ask:

Will this matter in:

5 minutes

5 days

5 weeks

5 years

5 centuries

We can categorize things based on this test

The second tip to help us refocus is:

2. Understand the Eternal is More Important than the Temporal

Matthew 6:19–20 NIV

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Why is the eternal more important than the temporal?

1. It lasts forever!

2. The source!

The eternal things come from God as He is eternal!

3. The eternal dictates the meaning of the temporal!

The things that last forever tells if the temporary things have value

4. We were created to be eternal beings!

Before the fall, the plan was for us to live forever - now our body dies, but our Spirit lives forever!

So, the things that we take with us are the things that are eternal

The last tip to help us shift our focus is to quite literally:

3. Shift our focus from Temporary to Eternal

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

He writes similarly in:

Colossians 3:1–2 NIV

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

How do we do this?

We move from quick reactive decisions to intentional decisions

Move from flesh thoughts to Spirit thoughts! - Read our bible! - meditate on the word!

We ask questions like:

“does this matter to God?”

“does this align with my core beliefs?”

What happens is we begin to focus on the things of God and not the things of the flesh!

As we wrap up this morning, I want you to think about these questions:

Questions to Consider:

In what areas of my life am I focused on temporary things?

Are eternal things more important to me than temporal things?

If so, how does my life reflect this?