Focus!
Focus! Focus…alrighty! Isn’t that annoying?! I do that to Hannah when she is in the midst of one of her meltdowns or is just not paying attention to Sherri or I. Hannah has combined ADHD, is being screened for other syndromes and such…plus she’s 6, that’s not a great age for attention anyway…sometimes we have to get creative with her in order to bring her back to reality. Focus! She’s so funny sometimes…but isn’t that just like our culture today? Our culture is one that has so many things going on that it is so difficult to focus on one singular task. We are over stimulated to huge degrees that we lose our focus.
Today we are going to talk about this idea of focus in Matthew 14:22-33. If you would, open up you Bibles and head there.
22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. 23 After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. 24But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. 25 Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and cried out in fear.
27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. "Have courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28 "Lord, if it's You," Peter answered Him, "command me to come to You on the water."
29 "Come!" He said.
And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, "Truly You are the Son of God!"
Now here we see Jesus sending the Disciples out into the boat after he had fed 5,000 people. There are a few things that perhaps need explaining. The HCSB states that the boat was over a mile from land and it was about 3am when Jesus appeared. The NIV and other Bibles state that it was in the middle of the lake and it was the Fourth Watch of the night. The whole idea about a mile or in the middle of the lake is the point that they were really far away from the shore. The Fourth Watch however is a period of time between 3 and 6 in the morning. So to say that it was around 3am is a general statement. We aren’t exactly sure what time it was. All we know is that it was in the wee hours of the morning.
Now that we’ve got those details out of the way, it says that it was storming and the sea was very rough. Not only this, but they see a figure walking on the water toward them in the boat. Now I want to point something out. You and I know that the figure was Jesus. However, keep in mind the Disciples didn’t know that until Jesus announced that it was him. Can you imagine their fear when they saw something walking on water?! They had never seen anyone or anything walk on water. Their natural assumption is that it was a ghost. I simply cannot imagine their terror.
I also cannot imagine their awe as they heard Jesus say that it was him. So, like usual, Peter is the first to open his mouth. Peter says, if it really and truly is Jesus, tell him to come out to him. At first, it seems as if Peter is challenging Jesus…that he really doesn’t believe. However, Jesus, being who he is, simply says, “Come.” And then, Peter demonstrates faith like I cannot imagine. He gets out of the boat. No one in the history of the world had ever walked on water. Peter actually got out of the boat and demonstrated a great amount of faith. As he is walking on the water, his attention gets drawn away from Jesus and to the wind and waves. At this point, it is when Peter begins to sink.
How many times in your life have you been brought back to God only to lose focus on him to the things that surround our lives? I know for me it has happened several times. I remember back when I was in 5th Grade I went to the eye doctor because for several years I had been complaining about not being able to see. So, Mom and Dad took me to the eye doctor and he explained to me that he was going to have to do something called dilate my eyes. Naturally, I had no idea what that meant. Very soon however, I realized. I no longer had the ability to focus. Everything was even blurrier than it had been before. This naturally scared me to death and I began to cry. I hated it. I couldn’t see anything and it was very unnerving.
When we take our focus off of Jesus, this is exactly what happens. Things become blurry and we begin to sink…gradually. At first we may not realize it, but sooner or later, it hits us. It is at this point that we, like Peter, cry out for our Lord going “Save me!” Jesus was more than willing to save Peter, but very quickly, Jesus rebuked Peter for losing faith and doubting. But it took so much faith for Peter to get out of the boat. Why would Jesus say he didn’t have faith and doubted?
Simply put, Peter took his focus off of Jesus. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he saw how bad it was around him. When he saw how bad it was around him, he began to doubt…and therefore began to sink. Peter didn’t even realize that his focus was being taken off of Jesus until it was too late.
The process of losing focus on Jesus is not something that happens overnight. It is something that happens over a course of time. Naturally, the devil never wants us focusing on Jesus. If we are focusing on Jesus, then we’re not paying any attention to the Devil whatsoever. The Devil wants us focusing on him so we lose the security we have in Jesus to do any and all things. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Having our focus on Jesus gives us the strength to push through situations we never thought possible. Like walking on water…when they set sail on the boat if someone had told Peter he was going to walk on water for a bit, he’d probably have scoffed and said something to the effect of, “Yeah, right. Ok!” But with Christ, the impossible becomes the possible.
This is all good and dandy…but let’s apply it. Now that we know focus is what we should be doing, let’s look at what it is that draws us away. In our culture, we are obsessed with making sure we are entertained. Movies, clubs, restaurants, bowling, racing, sporting events, school activities, meetings, PTA, government meetings…and then you add career, church activities, television, newspapers, magazines…are you getting the idea yet?
Is anyone surprised that I said church activities? You’re probably thinking I’m a heretic right now huh?! But here’s the deal. The Devil will use anything he can to consume your time to take your focus off of Christ. In churches, it happens a lot. I’ve been to so many churches where it’s the same group of people helping out at every event. This can create the burnout effect…it is important that we are ALL involved in the ministry of the church, so the Devil can’t use activities to consume us and take our focus away.
With all of this said, I want to urge you to keep in mind that if your schedule is way too busy, evaluate your situation from a Biblical perspective. Being busy in our culture is a disease. The world tells us if we aren’t busy, we aren’t good enough. B.U.S.Y. stands for Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Submersing ourselves in ministry is what we should be doing first. Everything else takes a sideline. Non-ministry stuff takes a back seat and should get nixed before any ministry things. If you find yourself consumed in PTA meetings, sports activities, career, watching TV, movies, school activities and taking part in no ministry things; then my urging is to start evaluating.
Either turn these opportunities to witnessing and ministry, or drop something in order to pick up a ministry doing something. It doesn’t have to be at the church. It can be serving in the soup kitchen at the local shelter, Volunteering at a food bank, spending some time at the nursing home, visiting someone who lives alone, or maybe, just maybe…spend some time alone with God. Don’t be afraid to cut activities out in order spend time alone. It isn’t selfish; in order to remain in focus, we have to do this.
Keeping Christ in focus means not allowing the Devil the opportunity to turn your attention away. The key is to keep Christ in everything you do. No matter what it is, keep Christ in focus. Don’t bog yourself down with activities…don’t let the culture tell you that you aren’t busy enough. Slow down and enjoy life…enjoy the presence of the Lord in the activities that you do take part in.
Did you notice the section at the bottom right hand corner of your bulletin? Usually I put some witty one liner to sum up the topic for the week. This week, I actually unintentionally left it blank. I forgot to put something there. This past week on Monday, we found out Judy Van Meter had passed away. On top of this, Hannah’s birthday was Friday, her party was Saturday and my family was coming in on Friday night. We learned the visitation and funeral was on Wednesday and Thursday, so I attempted to get all of the office work done in the early part of the week. That means sermon, bulletins, everything. I knew I wouldn’t have time later in the week. More and more, things kept coming up that drew my attention away from it.
Ultimately, I forgot the wisdom section in the bulletin and I had to intentionally make time in my busy week on Saturday morning to finish my sermon. Here’s the point. I want you to learn from my mistake. When you look at the heading at the bottom of the bulletin that says, “This week’s wisdom” and see nothing there, let that be a reminder that allowing the Devil to avert our attention leaves us blank.
Today we are going to talk about this idea of focus in Matthew 14:22-33. If you would, open up you Bibles and head there.
22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. 23 After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. 24But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. 25 Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and cried out in fear.
27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. "Have courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28 "Lord, if it's You," Peter answered Him, "command me to come to You on the water."
29 "Come!" He said.
And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, "Truly You are the Son of God!"
Now here we see Jesus sending the Disciples out into the boat after he had fed 5,000 people. There are a few things that perhaps need explaining. The HCSB states that the boat was over a mile from land and it was about 3am when Jesus appeared. The NIV and other Bibles state that it was in the middle of the lake and it was the Fourth Watch of the night. The whole idea about a mile or in the middle of the lake is the point that they were really far away from the shore. The Fourth Watch however is a period of time between 3 and 6 in the morning. So to say that it was around 3am is a general statement. We aren’t exactly sure what time it was. All we know is that it was in the wee hours of the morning.
Now that we’ve got those details out of the way, it says that it was storming and the sea was very rough. Not only this, but they see a figure walking on the water toward them in the boat. Now I want to point something out. You and I know that the figure was Jesus. However, keep in mind the Disciples didn’t know that until Jesus announced that it was him. Can you imagine their fear when they saw something walking on water?! They had never seen anyone or anything walk on water. Their natural assumption is that it was a ghost. I simply cannot imagine their terror.
I also cannot imagine their awe as they heard Jesus say that it was him. So, like usual, Peter is the first to open his mouth. Peter says, if it really and truly is Jesus, tell him to come out to him. At first, it seems as if Peter is challenging Jesus…that he really doesn’t believe. However, Jesus, being who he is, simply says, “Come.” And then, Peter demonstrates faith like I cannot imagine. He gets out of the boat. No one in the history of the world had ever walked on water. Peter actually got out of the boat and demonstrated a great amount of faith. As he is walking on the water, his attention gets drawn away from Jesus and to the wind and waves. At this point, it is when Peter begins to sink.
How many times in your life have you been brought back to God only to lose focus on him to the things that surround our lives? I know for me it has happened several times. I remember back when I was in 5th Grade I went to the eye doctor because for several years I had been complaining about not being able to see. So, Mom and Dad took me to the eye doctor and he explained to me that he was going to have to do something called dilate my eyes. Naturally, I had no idea what that meant. Very soon however, I realized. I no longer had the ability to focus. Everything was even blurrier than it had been before. This naturally scared me to death and I began to cry. I hated it. I couldn’t see anything and it was very unnerving.
When we take our focus off of Jesus, this is exactly what happens. Things become blurry and we begin to sink…gradually. At first we may not realize it, but sooner or later, it hits us. It is at this point that we, like Peter, cry out for our Lord going “Save me!” Jesus was more than willing to save Peter, but very quickly, Jesus rebuked Peter for losing faith and doubting. But it took so much faith for Peter to get out of the boat. Why would Jesus say he didn’t have faith and doubted?
Simply put, Peter took his focus off of Jesus. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he saw how bad it was around him. When he saw how bad it was around him, he began to doubt…and therefore began to sink. Peter didn’t even realize that his focus was being taken off of Jesus until it was too late.
The process of losing focus on Jesus is not something that happens overnight. It is something that happens over a course of time. Naturally, the devil never wants us focusing on Jesus. If we are focusing on Jesus, then we’re not paying any attention to the Devil whatsoever. The Devil wants us focusing on him so we lose the security we have in Jesus to do any and all things. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Having our focus on Jesus gives us the strength to push through situations we never thought possible. Like walking on water…when they set sail on the boat if someone had told Peter he was going to walk on water for a bit, he’d probably have scoffed and said something to the effect of, “Yeah, right. Ok!” But with Christ, the impossible becomes the possible.
This is all good and dandy…but let’s apply it. Now that we know focus is what we should be doing, let’s look at what it is that draws us away. In our culture, we are obsessed with making sure we are entertained. Movies, clubs, restaurants, bowling, racing, sporting events, school activities, meetings, PTA, government meetings…and then you add career, church activities, television, newspapers, magazines…are you getting the idea yet?
Is anyone surprised that I said church activities? You’re probably thinking I’m a heretic right now huh?! But here’s the deal. The Devil will use anything he can to consume your time to take your focus off of Christ. In churches, it happens a lot. I’ve been to so many churches where it’s the same group of people helping out at every event. This can create the burnout effect…it is important that we are ALL involved in the ministry of the church, so the Devil can’t use activities to consume us and take our focus away.
With all of this said, I want to urge you to keep in mind that if your schedule is way too busy, evaluate your situation from a Biblical perspective. Being busy in our culture is a disease. The world tells us if we aren’t busy, we aren’t good enough. B.U.S.Y. stands for Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Submersing ourselves in ministry is what we should be doing first. Everything else takes a sideline. Non-ministry stuff takes a back seat and should get nixed before any ministry things. If you find yourself consumed in PTA meetings, sports activities, career, watching TV, movies, school activities and taking part in no ministry things; then my urging is to start evaluating.
Either turn these opportunities to witnessing and ministry, or drop something in order to pick up a ministry doing something. It doesn’t have to be at the church. It can be serving in the soup kitchen at the local shelter, Volunteering at a food bank, spending some time at the nursing home, visiting someone who lives alone, or maybe, just maybe…spend some time alone with God. Don’t be afraid to cut activities out in order spend time alone. It isn’t selfish; in order to remain in focus, we have to do this.
Keeping Christ in focus means not allowing the Devil the opportunity to turn your attention away. The key is to keep Christ in everything you do. No matter what it is, keep Christ in focus. Don’t bog yourself down with activities…don’t let the culture tell you that you aren’t busy enough. Slow down and enjoy life…enjoy the presence of the Lord in the activities that you do take part in.
Did you notice the section at the bottom right hand corner of your bulletin? Usually I put some witty one liner to sum up the topic for the week. This week, I actually unintentionally left it blank. I forgot to put something there. This past week on Monday, we found out Judy Van Meter had passed away. On top of this, Hannah’s birthday was Friday, her party was Saturday and my family was coming in on Friday night. We learned the visitation and funeral was on Wednesday and Thursday, so I attempted to get all of the office work done in the early part of the week. That means sermon, bulletins, everything. I knew I wouldn’t have time later in the week. More and more, things kept coming up that drew my attention away from it.
Ultimately, I forgot the wisdom section in the bulletin and I had to intentionally make time in my busy week on Saturday morning to finish my sermon. Here’s the point. I want you to learn from my mistake. When you look at the heading at the bottom of the bulletin that says, “This week’s wisdom” and see nothing there, let that be a reminder that allowing the Devil to avert our attention leaves us blank.
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