Sunday, January 7, 2018 - 2018: Jesus Our Life Focus!
Pastor Roger Marcos
January 7, 2018
When you’re focused on God you will not focus on anything else. “Our attention often runs to what’s important to us. So distraction can reveal what we love.” During worship time our hearts longing to please the Lord.
How Many of You Here TODAY Would like to have a fresh Start?
A Year full of possibilities and opportunities. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525, 600 minutes and 31,536,000 seconds. What Will You Do With All This Time?
Remember that life is an ACTION, not a hope. It is happening, not tomorrow but, today!
Are you focusing on your prayer life? Is focusing on the Lord a struggle for you? Is there something holding you back from the Lord? Do you remember the times when you used to be on fire for God?
Do you remember the days when you looked forward to worshiping the Lord? Are you easily distracted in worship?
Are you losing the fight that you once had and if so are you willing to fight for God? If you don’t fight for more of Him you’re going to lose Him.
Once you start losing the presence of God, you have to fight. It’s time for war!
What consumes your mind controls your life. “Don’t focus on your adversaries. Focus on God’s possibilities.” Just believe what He promised. Focus on Jesus in your life and the results will be amazing.
“Instead of thinking about how hard the test is, we can instead focus on asking the Lord to enlarge our understanding.” Crystal McDowell
Text: Colossians 1:9-14 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So What Does Paul Pray for them? He has four requests based on four remembrances.
Knowledge and insight (into the will and purposes of God)
A pleasing walk
Spiritual power (for. steadfastness and patience)
A thankful heart
These Requests are Based on the following realities requiring remembering!
- Saints have an inheritance
- We’ve been rescued from darkness
- Are included in His kingdom
- Redeemed and forgiven
I. A LIFE THAT HONORS GOD. A life that honors God is the goal of every believer, new or old. What are the absolute undeniable marks of an honorable person? Would you consider yourself honored by God and honoring God? All of us must answer the questions why am I here? Who am I? What should I do? To answer these questions, we need to honor the Scriptures and gain a right perspective on life.
We can serve at church while our hearts are away from the Lord. Sometimes you have to sit in prayer for an hour until your heart is aligned with Him. You have to wait for His presence. God I just want you. God I need you!
God help me focus, I can’t live like this! We have to be desperate for God and if we are not desperate for Him that is a problem. Fight for more focus on Him! Not finances, not family, not the ministry, but Him. Understand what I am saying. There is a time that we pray for these things, but worship is not about blessings. Worship is about God alone. It’s all about Him.
Point to Remember.
Exodus 15:2 “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.”
We have to get to a point where we can’t breathe until we are so focused on Him and His presence. Do you want God? The one thing that you want in your life that you can’t live without, is it God? We must learn to treasure Him.
Matthew 15:8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer..
II. A LIFE THAT PRODUCES GOOD FRUIT. "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Luke 6:43; Gal. 5:22-23
What God CHOOSES, He Cleanses. What God cleanses, He MOLDS, What God Molds, He Fills. What God Fills, He Uses.
They were not righteous because they did good works; they did good works because they were righteous.
No amount of good deeds can make as good person. We must be good before we can do good!
A. Fruitful in Character.
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” - Colossians 1:10
B. Fruitful in Impact.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5
Get Your Focus Off Yourself and put it on others.
III. A LIFE THAT GROWS.
A. Grow in Knowledge of God.
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” - Colossians 1:10
B. Grow in Strength.
Psalm 29:11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me
“being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” - Colossians 1:11
Isaiah 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
C. Grow in Joy.
“.and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Col. 1:11b-12
VI. A LIFE THAT NEVER GIVES UP.
A. Endurance.
“.so that you may have great endurance and patience.” - Colossians 1:11
B. Patience.
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” - Eph. 4:2
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-7
Being Rooted in Jesus Leads To.
- Being built up in Him!
- Being strengthened in the faith!
- Overflowing with thankfulness!
Conclusion:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. “1 Tim. 1:15
God Can’t Change You Without Your Permission! “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
Jesus Is Calling!