Sermon Tone Analysis

Where is Your Focus?

So tonight I want to talk about focus and having a 20/20 vision.

20/20 vision is the benchmark for seeing.

It’s what you want.

We try to achieve it though glasses contacts and surgery.

One of the main things that affects your vision is focus.

Are you focused on what you are looking at.

In our spiritual life our focus affects everything.

What are you focused on?

Are you focused on your problems, difficulties, obstacles, illness, anxiety or are you focused on the Savior?

How many of you have seen at least one of the star wars movies?

Yoda is one of my favorite characters and when he is teaching luke skywalker one thing that he continually tells him is to focus.

He’s trying to get him to forget his feelings because they can betray you and focus on what he is trying to accomplish.

Yoda wants luke to have 20/20 vision on the task at hand.

How many of you can quote yoda?

Come on try it....Fear leads to anger....anger leads to hate…hate leads to the darkside....

All that to say where is your focus....Lets look at a couple instances in the bible where focus was off or on the wrong thing...

The first person I want to look at is Naaman.

Now Naaman was a commander of the army for the king of Aram or Syria…This guy was legit....a warrior…battle hardened… Let’s check out what happens to him and his focus.

So the first thing I want us to look at is who believes and who doesn’t.

The King of Aram believes Naaman can be healed and the young Israeli servant does.

Naaman and the King of Israel don’t believe.

How crazy is that.

The king of Israel who knows who God is doesn’t believe Naaman can be healed.

Naaman was expecting some big deal....some huge miracle…some pomp and circumstance right.

Hey hey here I am let’s get this healing started.

When Elisha told him what to do it seemed so simple and so mundane Naaman got mad.

His focus was on his status and he expected God to provide a miracle based on His earthly status.

Once he changed his focus and did as Elisha said He was healed and pledged to serve the Lord.

Amazing what happens when we focus on the right things....

Let me say this for everybody in here including myself....Because honestly I’m guilty of having my focus on the wrong thing too....God will move the exact way He wants to and when He wants to and how He wants to.

He knows what we need more than we do and a lot of times He moves to shift our focus back to Him.

Let’s look at an example of proper focus.

The prophet Elisha wasn’t always a prophet.

He was a farmer first.

He had a simple life and he was responsible with what the Lord blessed him with.

See in our culture we expect things have to be a certain way.

Being called into ministry from God well that has to happen at an event or a camp or a DNOW.

It can’t happen at work or at school or the simple or mundane right.

It can and does when you have the right focus.

He was plowing his field.

He was putting in work.

Getting things done.

He wasn’t sitting back waiting on accolades or some special thing to happen.

He was sweaty, dirty, smelly, and working.

He was focused on what He had to do.

But notice how his focus shifts when God calls.

He left no question by slaughtering the oxen that now that God had called him he was going after Him with laser focus.

Nothing will distract me....nothing will get in my way....nothing left behind undone.

Reckless abandon and laser focus.

Now let’s look at one more instance of focus....Peter walking on the water.

Sometimes when I read some of the things that Peter did it reminds me of me.

Not all the great stuff he wrote when he matured and had laser focus…but the more bull in a china shop stuff that he did in the Gospels.

Brash, temperamental, impatient....yeah that’s me sometimes.

Ok picture this your sitting there in Israel with Jesus…and you just watched Him feed 5000 men.

The number is way more than 5000 because there were also women and children present.

What a miracle.

What a faith building moment right.

Your on cloud 9....man it can’t get any better than this.

Then Jesus tells you to saddle up get in the boat and go i’ll catch up....Let’s see what The Bible records about this:

The first thing they thought was it was a ghost.

Then Jesus identifies Himself.

Now if it we me I’d still be like uh....we way out here in the water how you get here?

But Peter…This guy.. He’s like hey tell me to come out there with you.

Now pay attention here....Peter started walking on the water....he was making it....he was going towards Jesus walking on the water.

But Peter’s focus shifted.

Instead of being focused on Jesus he started paying attention to the wind....he got scared.

We get like that.

We start listening to the whispers…we get scared of what people will say.

What will people think about me if I’m bold about my faith.

What will my friends or my family say.

Our focus shifts.

Our eyes stopped looking at Jesus and start looking around and then we start to sink.

But here is the best part....When peter cried out Lord save me…Jesus didn’t sit there and lecture him…He didn’t leave him sinking in the water so he could teach him a lesson…he didn’t turn His back on Him....The bible says IMMEDIATELY, JESUS REACHED OUT HIS HAND.

No second passed.

IMMEDIATELY.

Then Why did you doubt me.

We all have doubts sometimes we are human.

But if you can keep your focus on Jesus those doubts begin to disappear.

Those worries just go away.

And they are replaced by peace that passes all understanding.

The struggles become easier to handle.

The trials a little less heavy.

I’m not telling you life will be perfect but when your focus is on your savior everything else falls to just a little background noise.

Real quick I want you to listen to this in the Gospel of John about doubt....

Jesus is telling you tonight.....Don’t be faithless…BELIEVE.

INVITATION:

There are those of you in here tonight whose focus has shifted....It started off great and you got sidetracked.

You got scared by the winds of change, doubt, fear, whispers, or some other circumstance.

Some of you need to reclaim your focus....Rededicate yourselves to Jesus.

There are those of you who are expecting angels to sing and God to shine lights on your head before you follow what you already know He wants you to do.

Some of you are being called into His service.

But your focus is on some grand gesture instead of getting behind your plow of reading God’s word and showing up and serving in the church.

And there are some here who are still holding out on accepting Christ.

Your vision is blurred by so many factors in our culture.

You are blinded by your own intelligence or expectation and just can’t seem to make everything come together.

Let me say emphatically that it takes FAITH to make this transaction.

Watch your vision become laser focused as you exercise faith and follow Jesus.