The
Focus
Edward Mote was born in 1797 to very poor and ungodly
parents. As he grew up young Edward
focused on many things: The streets,
the Inn his parents ran, attending school where they did not allow the Bible to
be seen and running in a crowd that did not even know there was a God. Young Mr. Motes was focused on everything
except God.
At
the age of 16 his boss took him to church and he heard the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and was wondrously saved. His
focus was changed, he became a new man in Christ.
When
he was 55 he built and was pastor of a Baptist church in Sussex, England; where
he ministered until he died at the age of 77.
A
plaque was installed near the pulpit of his church which read, in part, “For 26 years the beloved pastor of this church,
preaching Christ and Him crucified, as all the sinner can need, and all the
saint desire.”
During His ministry Edward wrote the song "The
Solid Rock" which focuses on the Blood of Jesus, His righteousness, His
unchanging Grace, His oath and Covenant. Edward changed his focus from
survival in the pubs and streets of England to Jesus. The first line of
this great song is, "My hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' Blood and Righteousness".
What
changed the focus of this man so dramatically?
From rough street kid to humble pastor?
Jesus Christ!
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Focus on Joy in Jesus
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Focus on Preparation
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Focus on Faith in Christ, not
man
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Focus on Knowing Christ
Where is your focus today? On
the Great God of All Creation? Or maybe on your lunch plans or the Cowboys
game? I challenge you today to take on
the Mind of Christ and focus on Jesus Christ first and foremost!
Will you focus stand up for
Jesus today?
Verse 1 – Paul knows the joy that truth can bring. Instruction is for our own good.
Verse 2 – Beware of all things unclean. The enemy is hunting for you and seeks to
devour you and separate you from God
Verse 3 – True faith trusts and boasts in God and accounts the flesh as nothing
Verse 4 through 6 – Our human accomplishments and legacies will remain here on earth
and will finally be destroyed – of no value – even our “religious” valuables
Verse 7 through 8 – Having Jesus Christ is more important that anything this world has
to offer
Verse 9 through 11 – We can KNOW Christ and experience the power of Christ in our
lives; by Faith alone/. We cannot earn it, but it or steal it – it is by Grace alone
through Faith alone in Christ alone.
Scripture Text in Black
Word Definitions in Red
Discussion in Blue
Finally (Something Remaining), my brethren, rejoice (cheerful, calmly happy “chairo” the root for our word charismatic) in the Lord. (What a wonderful exhortation this is! Rejoice in the Lord! Far too often we “survive” in the Lord but have no joy! A Born Again Christian OUGHT to have great Joy! The junk of this world has no power over us and should not be allowed to steal our joy, which is from above! REJOICE! Stop walking around looking like and old country song inspiration! Jesus is your Savior! Your future and hope are assured! ACT LIKE IT! How sad it is to look over a congregation of believers and not be able to tell if they are in a worship service or a funeral! But then, I guess they key off the leadership –the Pastor, Deacons, Sunday School Teachers, etc – If we do not have the faith to be joyful, even in the tough times, how can we expect anyone else. We are their examples in faith!) For me to write the same things to you is not tedious (tardy or irksome, grievous, annoying), but for you it is safe. (this is a teaching we need to hear –often! Why? Maybe because we often forget that we are to be OF the world but not IN the world. Maybe because the world so easily infiltrates and unrepentant person or church. Whatever the reason, we need to be reminded of this regularly. We should consider this teaching as desired and not repetitive or bothersome – it is good for us!) Beware of dogs (hound), beware of evil (depraved, wicked) workers (teacher, toiler), beware of the mutilation (cutting off, mutilation)! (Here is the word of caution – Leave the enemy’s stuff alone! Beware of their ways and their craftiness. The word for dogs means “hounds”. I have had several hounds in my life. Hounds are persistent once they are on the scent. They go anywhere and do anything to grab hold of their prey. Our enemy is like that – if he gets a scent of weakness, one small opening, he will relentlessly pursue that opportunity until he grabs hold of it or is resisted to the point of fleeing. Watch out for these things! Examine yourself regularly for “chinks” in your armor. I fear that many, many pastors, deacons and church members have allowed the hounds of the enemy to latch on to them; and because we were not watching and do not recognize the sin that is there we have separated our self from God and the blessings He has for us. Sin cuts us off from God – It mutilates our relationship with the Lord of lords and King of kings! Watch out for the dogs of this world who seek only to chew you up and spit you out, beware of the servants of our enemy who seek to steal, kill and destroy, beware of anything that may cut you off from God’s very best in your life) For we are the circumcision, who worship (to minister or render to God, to serve) God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, (those who have been reborn into the Kingdom of God have “cut off” the power of the world and the enemy in our lives! We serve Jesus Christ and trust in Him totally! Your brother and sister in Christ worship God through His Holy Spirit in us, have Joy continually through Jesus and do not trust in our flesh for anything!) though I also might have confidence in the flesh (human nature, self). If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock (genes, kin, blood line) of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal (heat, on fire), persecuting (prolonged persuit) the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (without reproach). (Paul recounts his earthly progress here. This list of accomplishments would be much sought after by any jew, his resume was very impressive! Today many of us focus on things of earthly concern, but are not worth a Heavenly cent! We strive to be in charge of this, the chairman of that, we try to build a resume that everyone would desire. When I was a kid we played a game called “King of the Hill” –remember there were more hills in WVA than in South Texas – IN this game you fought and fought to become the King of the Hill and then fought and fought to remain there. After a while your mom called for you and you went home, abandoning the hill you had fought so hard for. I am afraid that many of us are fighting and fighting for some sort of “kingdom” here on earth – pushing and shoving others out of the way, doing whatever it takes, working for the acknowledgement of others and trying to come out “on top” . One of these days God is going to call for us and we will go Home and leave our little “kingdom” behind and take very little of real value with us. How many treasures have you laid up in Heaven? I believe this to be souls and service in faith, not chairmanships and committee appointments) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (Paul said that he was willing to give up all his earthy accomplishments for the cause of Jesus Christ! He left his position in the Pharisee’s to become a traveling evangelist, a church starter, a tent maker and a prisoner. Are you willing to give up your comfort and security of earthly goods in order to step out in faith for God?) Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish (refuse, dung, that which is thrown to the dogs), (Paul counted his previous life as garbage! It smelled bad to him now, he no longer had any desire for it, he had tossed it out like so many banana peels and coffee grounds! Paul had even sacrificed his freedom to share the gospel of Jesus Christ!) that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, (Paul may have thrown much of his worldly gain away, but what he gained was much more valuable! To be found IN CHRIST is much more valuable than to be found in the correct tax bracket! To Paul, simply to serve Christ was more gain that gold or silver! What ‘precious jewel” have you allowed to break down your relationship with God? Car? Home and garden? TV? Position? Think about this. Ask God to bring conviction upon you and expose ANYTHING that is separating you from God. {Isaiah 59]) not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; (All real righteousness comes from God. All fake righteousness comes from the enemy. Do you want to be real or fake? The law points out unrighteous things but only Grace through faith brings true righteousness. I am afraid that many of us rely on the wrong things for our righteousness. Maybe we trust in our great works or the enlightenment of the most recent book or program, but these things do not bring righteousness! God Does. Many people are reading the book “The Prayer of Jabez”. This is a good book and is good to expound and encourage from this scripture reference. The problem is that many are trying to pray the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4 without first dealing with the Prayer of Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33. We must repent and plead to God for restoration and forgiveness before God will hear our prayers and bring salvation) that I may know Him (We can KNOW Jesus Christ! We can have a relationship with Him that is deeper and more meaningful that any earthly unity could ever bring – if we simply believe in Him and the power of His Truth) and the power (force, miraculous power, like dynamite) of His resurrection (stand up again, raise from death), (There is great power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Not only the mighty power of Almighty God that brought 3 day old dead flesh back to life, but also the power that brings new birth to a person who believes that God raised Christ from the dead! The power that can change the world is RESURRECTION power! We can know Jesus Christ and the Power of His Life by Grace through Faith in Him and His Resurrection!) and the fellowship (partnership) of His sufferings (hardship or pain), being conformed (take the same form as, share the likeness of) to His death, (we must take part in the persecution that He suffered in the hands of a sinful world. We must be ready at all times to stand boldly for Jesus and profess Him without fear. I think of Cassie Bernal and the stand she is reported to have taken for Christ during the Columbine tragedy. I wonder if our pastors and church leadership would have such courage and boldness as this teenager did. From what I see and experience, I doubt it. We would try to compromise and work out some sort of agreement; or maybe we could for a joint committee on the issue. IF faith were dynamite I wonder if the faith of our clergy could blow up a rotten apple? And our laity? How sad that we become reborn in the likeness and the Royalty of Christ but a afraid of anything to proclaim our Protector and Savior to a sick and dying world that needs Him. We allow any little excuse in the world keep us from our Divinely appointed jobs and watch idly by as they die, one after another, and enter into eternal hell. One day we will also die, just a Jesus did, and be raised alive, just as Jesus did and stand before Almighty God, just as Jesus is and give account of our actions. if, by any means (whatever it takes, somehow), I may attain to the resurrection (a rising from death) from the dead. (Paul was willing to do whatever it takes to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had to courage and boldness to do this because of his assurance in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul knew that he would die and be raised up just a Christ was, he did not understand all that God does in this, but he knew that by any means God deemed necessary, he was Heaven Bound.) (NKJ)