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Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Eagle Community Church of Christ podcast. My name is John Gunter. This week, we are starting a new series for the year, January 7th. We began, a sermon series called Fix Your Focus.
John:This is gonna be a series where we, we attempt to really get back on the right track. So many things in life can pull at us, can, try to vie for our attention. This series and the goal we have in this series is to really just fix our eyes back on Jesus, to let him lead our lives. So I hope this, sermon is helpful. I hope the series is, is something that will will help you in your life.
John:And and like I say every time, come and see us sometime. We'd love to have you. Well, again, so glad to be able to be with you this morning. It was, it's always interesting when you go out of town for a little bit. Anybody miss your bed?
John:Yeah. There's something about it, I don't know what something magical, I'm pretty sure. Something magical. But I got back into town and I was I just had what I can only describe as just a happiness to be back. Everything felt right, felt at home, felt like I'm where I am supposed to be.
John:That's a good feeling, isn't it? How many of you have, caught your breath after the holidays? It is, it is something, isn't it? It feels like, and I've mentioned before, it felt like summer took about two and a half years, and it feels like Halloween was about 2 weeks ago, and Christmas has come and gone, Thanksgiving long past, and here we are in 2024. That doesn't even sound right, y'all.
John:I haven't had to write it yet, so I'm still there. But it feels like our lives can kind of be this go, stop, go, stop, lots of things to do, lots of time passing very quickly, got to get things done, living by the calendar, go go go. And what we can do, I think, if we allow ourselves to do, is to lose focus. We can lose our ability to see the main thing as the main thing, because we have so many things coming at us that everything feels like the main thing. The next thing is the thing I've got to get through because it's next.
John:And what we can do, as you see on the screen, is we can lose focus. And so, for next few weeks we are going to talk about focusing or fixing your focus. I even had a Scripture slide to go with this, but I was afraid it was too out of focus and some of you would be sick by the end of it, so I didn't put that up there. But we, as Christians, we know we need to focus. We need to focus on Jesus.
John:We need to focus on what God is doing in our lives. We need to remember. That's why we come together, isn't it? Jesus asked His disciples, one of the last things He asked them to do is to remember. Remember the sacrifice as He institutes the Lord's Supper.
John:Remember what's happening. We even have sayings for this. Those who don't know their history are what? Doomed to repeat it. And our history, as Christians, is the history of Scripture, and the history of Scripture is of a people who draw close to God and something happens, and we walk away.
John:That God could create a perfect garden for us to walk among us, walk with us, and to be with us, and we could say, No, thank you. That our history is of a people who are enslaved in a foreign country and want to be released and God can do exactly that and lead the people through the Red Sea. And it seems like a couple of pages later, couple of golden calves pop out of a fire and they say, this is the God who saves us. Something happens in those moments that happens that makes us lose our focus. What has happened?
John:What's going to happen? What we see in Scripture are many things that help people to keep focused. Do you notice as you read your Bible, that they observe festivals and they observe different days? Do you see that? They they're all these things are reminders.
John:If you have a Passover, that is a reminder of what? When God passed over. Right? They have the opportunity to put the blood over the door, right? And that God works something very miraculous and special.
John:I'm about to lose my voice, I'm about to cough in here, and let me take a drink. But these things serve to remind, to get us back on track. We even have in in John chapter 10, where Jesus goes to the temple for Hanukkah. Hanukkah was not in scripture before that, but it is a reminder of something that happened in the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew. It serves as a way to remind them of what God has done in their lives.
John:And so we try to do things to help us, to help us stay focused, to help us stay centered, to help us focus on Scripture. That's what we just did in our previous series on Advent and remembering that Jesus is coming back one day. And that's what we're going to do today. But as we start this series, what I want you to know and want you to remember, I love to teach. Excuse me.
John:I hope that's not going to continue. I'm sorry. I love to teach. Any of you like to learn? That's what I ask in class.
John:I love to learn, love to teach. But if all we ever do is we gather and only remember, that's not gonna get us where we wanna go, is it? To remember is, it's good, but unless we come and remember and we have lives changed, we're not going to be where God wants us to be. What we should do and what we do, typically, in the church is we gather and we count. We gather and we count.
John:We gather and we count how many people showed up. We gather and we count how much money has been given, and we need all those things. We need people to show up. We need people to give money. But if that's all we're counting and that's all we're counting on, we are not where God wants us to be.
John:We need to be a church that measures success and lives changed for the good. Amen? And as we sit here each week, what we should do, and hopefully what we come to do, is to come and to think about, is my life where it needs to be? Do I have the focus that I need to have at this moment? Did I come in here this morning with an attitude of, God, I want to remember and change me, oh, Lord.
John:Help me to encourage someone else. Or did I come in here with an attitude? I'm angry about something. Christmas didn't go the way I wanted it to go. I wanted to have it at my house, not in another state.
John:All the things we can have, all the things we bring into a place like this, all the things that help us lose our focus. We begin this morning with a reading from Colossians 3 verses 1 through 4. Paul says this, Since then, you have been raised with Christ. So, he's talking to who? Christians.
John:People who have been raised with Christ. What does that mean? What does raised with Christ mean? It's gonna happen. I'm sorry.
John:They've been baptized. They have put on Jesus in baptism declaring their allegiance to him, that my life is now going to be changed. And Paul said, okay. Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things, For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
John:When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Paul says some very meaningful things that we ought to take to heart. Right? Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. How much of your day, how much of your week is set on earthly things?
John:Too many? Yeah. Too many. There's a saying with preachers, Sunday is always coming. To us, that means we better be ready, right?
John:You're gonna stand in front of people and you're either gonna look like an idiot, You better have things ready. Right? But but that can happen for all of us. Right? So many things happen during the week that all of a sudden, oh, it's Sunday again.
John:I need to think about Jesus. Because I've had so many things go on in my life this week that I have lost focus. I forgot to think on him. Paul says, because you have been raised, because you have been baptized, because you put Jesus on in baptism, you set your mind not on earthly things, you set on things set your mind on things above. Set your mind on things of God.
John:I'll tell you, if you do that, we'll have a lot more peace right here. Because we understand when we set our minds on what God is doing, that we understand that God has the power to control all of this. Right? To take care of all this, that I'm okay because I am His. I am okay because I can sit in the middle of the family picture.
John:Right? But I am a child of God, I am adopted into His family. Set your mind on those things, not on earthly things. He says, for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ. He's reminding them what it meant to put on Jesus in baptism.
John:You have died. You decided you're going to die to yourself, and you're gonna now live for him. What does that mean? Exactly what it sounds like. Right?
John:Sometimes I need to get out of the way. How about all the time? I need to get out of the way. And let Jesus be the center of everything that happens. And then all of a sudden, a lot happens and we forget about that.
John:How many times in your life have you experienced something where something bad happened, and you realize, man, my prayer life has been lacking, because now it's good, because something's happened. Right? That's when my prayer life is good. You're just saying? So it takes something to happen.
John:I I had a a buddy in church at Texarkana. I I'll remember it for the rest of my life probably. He said, I wish it didn't take something happening for me to fix that relationship. Right? To to pray better, to to think more about it.
John:And how many times is that that absolutely true? And we do that in all the areas of our life. I've had a a sinus thing for about 2 years, not about 2 months, that feels like. But it takes something like that realizing, man, I had it good when I could breathe, when I could stand up here without having a bottle of water ready to go. It takes something to happen because I've I've lost my focus.
John:The the the stuff of Jesus, the the blessings, all the ways that he, impacts my life has been overwritten, overrun by all the other things. Now they've lost their luster and importance and their value. But Paul says, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, because you died and your life is now hidden, your life is hidden with Christ in God. Now, I can imagine we can read that and think, I don't know about it, I want to turn that loose. Or you could also read, my life is with God.
John:Praise God. There's peace and there's freedom in that because we release and we allow God to take over. When Christ, who is your life, remember the focus. When Christ, who is your life, appears, and you also will appear with Him in glory. Somebody say amen to that.
John:That is a promise of God and we've been studying. God is faithful. Right? That was 4 weeks in December. God is faithful.
John:God is faithful. A reminder a reminder. What He says will happen. He is faithful. You will appear with Him in glory.
John:Ephesians 4 17 through 24. So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking, they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Any of you hard headed in here? If somebody is in here hard headed and they're not shaking their head, y'all elbow them. Let them know.
John:Let them know who they are. Paul says here in Ephesians that and he's talking about us. Y'all know that. Right? He's telling some people, like, you're living like the Gentiles.
John:You're living like the rest of the nations, the rest of the world. You're living like these people because they have darkened, you know, they they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of god. So they are separated from the life of god because of the ignorance that is in them. There's ignorance. You don't understand because you've hardened your heart.
John:You've decided it's no longer important to know those things. You have decided nothing else needs to get in. I'm already where I need to be. And Paul says there's ignorance in that. Because nothing's getting in, because you haven't allowed it to, and what needs to get in can't.
John:Don't live like that. Not enough just to remember, you've got to understand and take inventory of how you live. It says, having lost all sensitivity. You understand what that says? Nothing's gonna sway you.
John:You're not sensitive to it. How many of you? I was a rule follower. I still am a rule follower. But I remember so I'm from a small town of 1200.
John:Anybody grow up in a very small town where you drug Maine? I got uh-huh. Uh-huh. I know. You know?
John:I got some a lot of shaking heads there. I remember the first time I did that. And the speed limit on Maine in my town was 25, and John Gunter drove 25. And it looked like there must have been a wreck, because there's so many people backed up behind me because I was a rule follower. And I had a lay, tell me one time, she said, don't you ever speed.
John:Because once you start speeding, what? You can't stop. You have lost all sensitivity because you've you've made it normal. Still dealing with that today. I'm just trying to be safe and go with traffic.
John:Okay? Y'all just if you see me, just wave. I'm trying to be safe. Alright? There are ways you can live that you will lose all sensitivity.
John:The sensitivity you should have. What you should be living is is lost because I've lived so much this other way that now it's not important. Do you remember? I I was so scared to say a cuss word growing up. Anybody else?
John:I remember I would mow my grandmother's yard. She had passed and I remember sitting under under her carport. And I thought, can I say a cuss word out here with nobody? And, you know, I didn't even say it by myself. Nobody was gonna know.
John:But I knew God was gonna know. Right? And I understood in that moment, because I've been driving for a while, that I could lose all sensitivity to those things. And we raise our kids in a way that I don't want you to lose all your sensitivity to everything, right? I want you to be impacted, I want things to impact your life.
John:But you can live in a way that, oh, yeah, I remember, but I I live and I've lost all sensitivity. It says, They have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. What is greed? There's a lot of things that people want preachers to preach over. I never get greed.
John:Nobody ever says, We need more preaching on greed. Nobody ever says that. Because what greed is, is I'm going to look out for myself, I'm going to accumulate for myself, and what that really sounds like is my life is lost in Jesus. My life is hidden in Christ, now in God, right? I've lost the focus on God.
John:I am focusing on myself. Fantastic. We have indulged in every kind of impurity, every kind of, sensuality. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught in regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
John:You were taught differently, weren't you? The problem is if we don't focus, if we don't try, if we don't put an effort into living the kind of life God wants us to live, we will not find ourselves in a relationship with him, at least not one we desire and want. And so, we have been taught to be different. How hard is it to be different out in the world? It's tough, isn't it?
John:You may work in a place that is toxic. You may work in a place that you I just want to keep my head down. These people try to change me in the way that they live. It's so different from what I want. Maybe where you go during the week, it's the same thing.
John:But we have to keep our focus that we are to be different. We are supposed to be light. We are supposed to be salt seasoning different. If light is is hidden, it's nothing. If if salt doesn't have saltiness, it's not worth being thrown out into the manure pile, it says.
John:We are to be different. And for that, we have to keep our focus. Philippians 4, Paul says here in verse 4, rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Somebody needs to highlight that today.
John:I'm pretty sure. Let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding. I don't even understand how it has come on me.
John:Right? I don't even understand how it works. This peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. But this scripture assumes that you are praying and talking to God, doesn't it? This scripture assumes that what you want is to align your life with what God wants for you.
John:Not that you're just coming for attendance sake or that I'm just coming to hear or feel better, but then I desire a right relationship with god. And if I do that, then you get this, the peace of God surpasses all understanding. And I need some of that. How about you? Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.
John:Align your life around these things. Don't call any of these things bad. Look at these things that are excellent, that are good, that help you focus, and get behind them, focus on these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. Just put in the effort.
John:If you desire the things of God, this is the way you will live. Hebrews 1212 is kind of going to be one of those scriptures that's in your bulletin this week, gonna be one that that, you'll probably see again. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. That that's something to highlight right there. We understand how easy it is to get off track for sin to kind of grab us.
John:That sin that you struggle with Feels like you're alone in it, but everybody has their own, don't they? Sin so easily entangles us and makes us lose our focus, I would say. Put these things off. Right? Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
John:Run with perseverance. What does perseverance mean? I've said it before. Do you need perseverance to get through the good times? Oh, I just need some perseverance.
John:Stuff is just going way too well for me, and I don't think I can get through it. You tell that person to shut up, wouldn't you? I know you would. But what he's saying here is, there's going to be things in your life that don't go very well. Anybody experienced some of those before?
John:Yeah. Absolutely, you have. But you run your race with perseverance focusing on the things you need to be focusing on. Because all that other stuff is gonna try and get your attention, isn't it? It's gonna grab and claw and try to get your attention.
John:You focus on what you need to focus on, run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing you see this focus? Fixing your eyes on what? Jesus. Say it again, church. Fixing our eyes on yes.
John:Amen. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfector of faith. It doesn't say, you're going to be perfect like Jesus was perfect, did it? No, Jesus was perfect for you. You fix your eyes on Him.
John:You follow Him. What that means is I've got to have a desire to do exactly that and to not be off course with all the other things. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus, at the end of His life, for the rest of the world thought, well, this is over. We've killed Him.
John:But Jesus was raised by the Spirit of God because of the faith of Jesus, because of the faithfulness of God, and that is offered to every one of us in here. That if we will fix our eyes on Him, if we will have a faith that says, I need to change, my life is now hidden in Christ, that the promise that comes from God is you will be with Him, that you are hidden with Christ, in Christ with God. And I hope you want that this morning, church. I hope you desire that. I hope you desire that not only for you, but your family, your friends, all those that you come into contact with.
John:And the only way to impact those people is to live a life that is changed, to live a life that is different because if all we do is come and say, well, I went to church this week, my attendance is there, I remembered, but my life isn't changed, we go out in the world not looking any different than anyone else. And that is not what God has called us to do. This week, fix your eyes on Jesus. Be salt, be light, be different. Let's measure success in this church as people who do exactly that.
John:That we're not gonna be perfect. Things are not gonna always go perfectly, but we are there as a church to see lives change, to encourage instead of run off. How many of you grew up in a church, somebody said what their sin was, and you thought, well, we gotta get rid of that person. But we're supposed to be here to help change. Right?
John:That Jesus has done for me exactly what he's done for all of you and for everyone out there. That he lived a life perfectly, gave himself over to even crucifixion on a cross for all of us. Not just so we could say, yeah, I remember that. But I remember, and now I'm a different person because I we've got an invitation song, picked out this morning. We'd love to to pray with you, to encourage you if you need to get back on the right path.
John:We need to start that walk with him this morning. We'd love to see that as well. We can come as we stand. I'll help you.