4 Challenges to Spiritual Focus

Introduction

Glad to have everybody here tonight. We’ve got a little bit of a sparser crowd, I’m sure some people folks heading out for the holiday weekend. But we’re glad that you decided to be here and worship with us tonight, and hopefully the things I have to say can be of some spiritual benefit to you.

The words that we just sang. Come, my Lord, and do not tarry. Do we mean that? Are we ready for the Lord to return?

To bring us home. Admittedly, sometimes we lose our focus on the goal, on that goal. And if we’re not careful, we won’t be ready. Have you ever been to a movie where the screen was out of focus? I grew up in Baytown and things there were not always top notch. And so when you went to a movie there, this was often the case. You’d sit there five minutes, the thing’s not working. You can’t see. And so you’re and so you sit there and you do the whole, okay, you know, you look around. Is it just me? No, okay. Other people are squinting too. Okay, is it no? It’s not my contacts. I’m not crazy. This thing is out of focus. And so then you okay, now you start looking back at the projector as if you can actually see the person that’s up there, and as if that person can actually hear you if you said something to them, which they can’t.

But you know, I read a story the other day of a guy who actually did that. You know, he was in the movie theater, and he’s he gets up and he finally just gets up and he yells back at the projectionist, focus. And then his wife tells him to get down, sit down, be quiet. It’s annoying. When you when you things are out of focus, especially in a movie, and you paid good money, like twenty dollars now. What is it now? I don’t know. I don’t want to go to movies anymore. It’s too expensive. To see this movie, and you can’t even see it. It’s irritating when things are out of focus. It’s confusing. You know something is missing or it’s not right. I mean, I’ve gotten to where I don’t even wear my contacts anymore because the prescription is not right.

How they can get your glasses prescription right and your contacts prescription wrong, I don’t know. But they do it all the time. I haven’t had a right contact Christian in I don’t know how long. It’s annoying. It gives me a headache, so I can’t wear them. Things need to be in focus. But more importantly, it’s not just about our eyes, but when our life gets out of focus, it’s frustrating. When our spiritual lives get out of focus, it can result in severe consequences that affect our relationship with God. It affects our ability to serve him. It affects our fellowship with his family and our entire purpose for being a Christian. Our society today has lost focus on what life is really all about. What is important in life, things like virtue, honor, integrity, moral standards, spiritual values.

And because we as Christians have to live in the world, we are influenced by their lack of focus. It influences and impacts the Christian community, and instead of seeking to transform the culture around us through Christ, it is often easy to be conformed to that culture around us. Why is it so often the case that things rub off the wrong way? Because it’s easy for Christians to forget who we are, why we’re here, what our purpose is about. Let’s be frank this evening and admit that it is difficult to keep our focus on the spiritual. And on the unseen rather than or on the is difficult to keep our focus on the unseen rather than the seen. Second Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16 through 18, which we’ll look at a little bit more in just a moment.

1. Sin Often Blinds Us

There are so many things that can cloud our focus, divide our attention, and dim our spiritual vision. So this evening I want to look at four things that challenge our spiritual focus. Number one, sin often blinds us. It blinds us, affects our spiritual vision. Satan wants us to focus on things other than God’s word. He wants us to focus on things other than our goal of heaven. He wants us to focus on the here and now. He wants us to focus on the seen rather than the unseen. He wants us to focus on the pleasures of sin. And you say, wait, Christian sin? Yes. Yes, we do. Unfortunately. It’s been often correctly said that we are not perfect, just pardoned. And the Bible warns us about sin affecting our spiritual vision.

It consumes our vision. We cannot let the mistakes that we make affect us any further. Because all too often that’s what happens. We start sinning, and that just leads to more sin. Instead, we need to stop it. Turn and correct our focus. John chapter 2 and verse 11, John writes, But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Darkness and sin will blind our eyes and cause us to lose focus. Thus we need to make sure we are walk, we are walking using the light of Christ. We cannot walk as Paul instructs us to walk in Ephesians chapter 5, as children of light, putting away all the things of the darkness.

If we are mired in sin, if our eyes are diverted to these things of the world, the passing pleasures of sin. Often we are blinded towards our own actions. I’m reminded of Matthew chapter 7, verses 3 through 5, which we’ve been studying in our classes on Wednesday night, Matthew chapter 7, verses 3 through 5, where Jesus talks about the log and the speck in your eyes. He says in verse 3 there, why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will clearly see to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

I mean, have you ever actually stopped to mentally picture this? I walk around, you know, you can’t really see a speck. Maybe if you’re lucky, you can see it and you can get it out. But I mean, a log. I think of it like just this thing. You’re walking around and it’s just like 10 feet out of your head, and you don’t even notice it. Everybody else notices it. Jesus is saying here, don’t be a hypocrite, don’t be like that. Don’t let something obscure your vision of who you really are and what you have become. Because, as Jesus says to the Pharisees in Matthew 15 and verse 14, as the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit. They could not see what they had become or where they were going.

Sin had affected their spiritual vision. And it affects our spiritual disposition as well. We’ve heard the statement that, well, if somebody is blind with jealousy, or they go out with a blind rage, sins of anger, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, blind us to God’s way. We’ve become so consumed that we lose all control of who we are and how we ought to act. They keep us from seeing the truth and the error of our ways. Satan uses sin to keep us in sin. The more we are mired in it, the harder it is to get out. Colossians chapter 3, verses 5 through 9, we’re told that we need to put all these things away. Colossians chapter 3, verses 5 through 9. If we look at that with me very quickly.

Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. For then sin divides our loyalties. It divides our priorities.

Over in Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 and 17, of course, the passage about the fruit of the Spirit, and walking by the Spirit. Says, Paul writes there, but I say walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. And the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. For they are opposed to one another to keep you from doing the things that you want to do. Paul is sitting there telling us, you can’t be both. You can’t have one foot in the world and one foot on God’s side. These things are completely opposed to one another. We cannot walk by the spirit and by the flesh. We cannot be spiritual and carnal.

2. Clouded by the Cares of the World

It must be one or the other. We need to be focused on the spiritual. Focus on walking by the spirit, focused on God. We cannot serve God and mammon. They are all mutually exclusive. We cannot focus on spiritual things when our minds are clouded by the lusts of the flesh, 1 John chapter 2 and verse 16. Nor can we allow our vision to be clouded by the cares of the world. All too often we lose perspective on what is actually important. What is number one in my life? There are many things out there that are going to vie for my time and my effort and my attention and my money, business concerns, family, activities, personal interests, those things can cloud our vision to spiritual things. Just trying to make it in this world can consume our time and our effort and our energies to the point that we fail to see beyond the world’s smog.

And we here living in Houston, know a thing or two about smog. It’s not pretty. It is disgusting. It is hard to see through. You’re driving downtown and you can’t even see downtown because of all the words smoke.

You know, I know a thing or two about divided attention. I struggle with that. I think we all do. I mean, I’ve got a daughter. I’ve got that takes a lot of time, believe it or not. I’ve got work. I’ve got work for the for this congregation. I’ve got schoolwork that I’m trying to attend to. And especially when you work from home, your daughter wants to pull you away from all those other things. Makes it very difficult. So I have to focus. And sometimes I have to get away. I have to get away from those distractions to focus on what is what is important, the things I’m trying to accomplish.

We have to keep our perspective on what is important. Bible warns us about the cares of the world and about materialism. The parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13. Verses 22 through 23, Jesus warns us about the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. Told Tony that he stole a little bit of my sermon this morning, and this is part of it. He talked about that. He made mention of this the soils that we want to be. But specifically, I want to look at verses 22 and verse 23 of this context. It says, Therefore, as for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word. But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

As for what was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word of the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. We cannot be like that thorny soil. And all too often we read this parable and we look at it and we say, okay, the rocky ground, okay, that’s not me, that’s good. you know, no root, okay, that’s not me, that’s good. thorns, okay, well, that’s no, that’s not me. That’s not me. Not the thorns. I’m on the good soil. Well, when all too often, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re the thorny soul. We’re letting the cares of this world choke us out and cause us to be unfruitful.

They divert our focus. They blur our vision, they choke out the word. The rich young ruler. Luke chapter 18. After Jesus’ discussion with him, and he goes away sorrowful because he had many possessions, and Jesus tells him he needed to sell those possessions. He walks away sorrowful, and Jesus says, What to his disciples? He says, How hard it is. How difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Like a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle. Parable of the rich fool, Luke chapter 12, verses 13 through 21, he says there that this man was going to be lost because he was not rich toward God. Though he had many material blessings and physical possessions, he was not rich towards God.

Verse 21. And set in contrast to that is the fact that the instruction that Paul gives in 1 Timothy chapter 6 of how the rich ought to act in this life. How they ought to be generous and to give and to not trust in the uncertainty of riches.

We’re told we’re not to love the world or the things in the world. 1 John chapter 2, verses 15 through 17. John tells us there if the love of the world is in you, the love of the Father is not in you. Again, these things are mutually exclusive. They are opposed to one another. And so we are told not to be anxious, not to worry. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6. And let the peace of God come into our hearts. We’re told in Luke chapter 12, this whole context of Luke chapter 12, but specifically after the parable of the rich bully goes on into this text, verses 22 through 34, of not being anxious, of trusting in God.

All too often we get stuck in the trap of trying to do it all ourselves. And when we try and do it all ourselves, we start worrying about the fact that we can’t do it all ourselves. We start looking to other sources rather than God. We cannot allow our vision to be clouded by the cares of the world. Because when they’re clouded by the cares of the world, all we look at is this world and the things that are in it. And we lose sight of our goal. Brother, we have to have a goal. We have to have many goals in this life. What are your goals? We all have goals. Think about a goal that you’ve set for yourself. Whether it be right now, something that you have in front of you right now that you’re trying to attain, or maybe something in the past.

Think about whether you attained it. Or think about whether you failed to attain it. And think about the reason for that outcome. Why did you fail? Or why did you succeed? Likely, if you failed to attain it’s because you failed to keep your eyes on the prize. You forgot the goal that you were pressing towards. You forgot why you were doing what you were doing. I’ve always been kind of one of my pitfalls, probably, is that I naturally, I have naturally gifted at a lot of things, and so therefore I don’t try very hard because I don’t have to. And so the problem is when you don’t have to try very hard, it leads to, it really sets you up for failure. And there are many things that I’ve started and not finished.

That’s why I’m 29 years old now and still haven’t tried to finish my bachelor’s degree. And I remember when I was in high school, and I got into choir when I was in the tenth grade, and I was pretty good at it. And, you know, I did some stuff, I made district and all that kind of thing. And the second year I got to area. And by my senior year, I was like, you know what? If I actually tried at this, I bet I could make state. And so I actually tried. And I had that goal in my mind, and I spent hours and hours after school getting help, going, getting voice lessons, getting my choir director to help me out. And guess what?

I made state. I had that goal. And it was in front of me. And I tried to attain it. Right now I have a goal of finishing school. And I have to remind myself every day of what I’m doing, why I’m trying to do that. Or else I’m going to get bogged down in it. I’m going to procrastinate. And ultimately I’ll give up. I the last class that I did, I finally had to sit down this week and say, you know what? I’m letting myself do this again. It’s taken me a month to get through this class. It was not what I wanted to do. I didn’t like what the assignment was, and I was letting myself procrastinate. I said, Jesse, you can’t do this again.

So finally I sat down and I just finished it. You know, we all have those moments. We lose sight of our goal. The reason I was able to sit down because I reminded myself of why I was doing it. Because these are silly things. Things that I have set before myself that I’ve tried to do. I mean, they have some value. But ultimately, they pale in comparison to the value of a goal of heaven.

Keep your eyes on the goal to stay motivated. We need to see the opportunities that we have before us. How often do we get caught up in circumstances around us and lose sight of the goal? Rick Warren once wrote, Vision is the ability to see opportunities within your current circumstances. We have to have the vision to see our circumstances, good or bad, as opportunities for spiritual growth, not spiritual laziness or attaining esteem in the eyes of the world. Circumstances. We all have different circumstances in our lives. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad. And they don’t have to be bad to divert our attention. Sometimes good fortune can divert our attention away from our values, from our goals. And yet all circumstances, good or bad, have the potential to help us on our spiritual journey.

To draw us closer to God, to focus our attention on the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. 2 Peter 1 and verse 9. We need to see our opportunities and see the goals. And yet it is so hard to keep our focus on the unseen. I would like for you to turn with me now in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 16 through 18. One of my favorite passages. It says, So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient, or they’re passing away. The things that are unseen are eternal. We need something to look at. We as humans, that’s just our nature. If we don’t have something that we can physically see, it’s out of sight, out of mind. That’s one of the best cliches that we’ve got, probably. Out of sight, out of mind. And it’s unfortunate we can’t see with our eyes. We can’t see God. We can’t see heaven. And so we have to keep it at the forefront of our minds. We have to be thinking about it. We have to be concentrating on it, meditating on it. It’s like a farmer that’s plowing a field. He picks a spot and he keeps his eyes on it.

That’s how the only way he’s going to be able to plow that straight line. Or runner who’s running to a certain spot that he can see. If I’m running around my block and I see my house, all of a sudden I start running a little bit faster. I see the goal. It’s within sight.

Versus running aimlessly, not knowing where you are, where you’re going, how far you’re going, you’re likely not to make it as far. The things that are seen are passing away. The things that are unseen are eternal. Paul tells us to keep our eyes on that which is unseen. Our goal has to be heaven. But then we ought to be motivated to get to heaven. That’s what Tony was trying to tell us this morning. What should our motivation be? It shouldn’t be, I mean, not that those other things are important, you know, fear of hell, family tradition, not that those things are unimportant, but our motivation ought to be that we love God. We want to serve him. And that should be our goal. Being with him for eternity.

We cannot lose sight of that. That’s the only reason we’re here. It’s the only reason that God made us so that we can go and be at home with him. But because we can’t see it, we lose sight. It’s out of our minds. We must strive to keep it at the forefront of our minds. Failure to do that. Failure to remember the goal. This is why so many Christians give up. So many zealous new Christians forget why they signed up for this. Paul admonishes us in Philippians chapter 3. Verse 12, he says, Not that I have already obtained this or I’m already perfect, but I press on to make it my own. Because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do.

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way. And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. He says there that this takes maturity. If you’re mature, this is the way that you think. If you are spiritually growing, this is the way you must think. This is an upward call. It is a prize. It is higher than what we have now. It is something we are trying to attain. We are striving for. Even when, as Tony said this morning, the feelings are gone.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

That’s a sign of spiritual maturity. And if you can’t see it, because there’s going to be times when you can’t. When you can’t see it, look at and follow someone who can. Paul goes on to write in verse 17. Look at me there, verse 17. Brothers, join in imitating me. And keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. He says, if you can’t do it, if you can’t keep this in your mind, watch me. Watch the others who have passed down these things to you. Watch them. Follow them. Find someone that can lead you. Don’t lose sight of the goal. Because the results of failure is too great. He goes on to say in verse 18 For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. Why was those people in destruction? Because their focus was lost. It was no longer on the spiritual, but it was set. Their minds were set on earthly things. And he says in verse 20, but our citizenship is in heaven. And from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious one by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. We as citizens of heaven have a goal of being transformed when he returns. And so don’t let the world cloud your vision. Don’t let emotional distractions have you focus on the wrong things.

3. Emotional Distractions: Worry and Fear

You know, we worry too much. And we already mentioned this about anxiety and worry and not doing that, but we worry too much. We worry about money, we worry about relationships, we worry about what other people think. We worry about ISIS. Well, Tony took that one from me this morning, too. I already had it written. It’s not in pen, it’s in ink. I printed it. Why? Why do we worry about that stuff? Worry is a distraction. Worry stops our energy. It weakens our resolve. It dims our focus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, Do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew chapter 6. Verse 25 through 34, and again Luke 12, 22 through 31 that we looked at already. That stuff doesn’t matter, Jesus says. God will take care of it.

All too often we fear. We live our lives in fear. Fear of failure. It causes us to never even start things. We live in fear of others and what they think and what they’re going to do with us. We live in fear of ISIS. And we live in fear of the liberals. And we live in fear of people that are going to talk bad about us and make fun of us. Why do we do that? Fear is useless. It keeps us from focusing. Fear makes the thing that we fear bigger than it really is. We have nothing to fear but fear itself, right? In the same context that he tells us not to worry in Luke 12, Jesus says in verse 32, do not fear, little flock.

For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. How can we fear in this world when we have the God of heaven as our loving Father? Calling us home to Him.

4. Distracted by Discouragement

And finally, we are distracted by discouragement. Discouragement has probably got to be the devil’s favorite tool.

We get discouraged by because we think, oh, well, you know, things aren’t fair. Life’s not fair. I’m not getting what I want. I’m not, well, I’m not part of the group. I didn’t get I didn’t get invited. I’m not popular. I’m not getting the promotion. Life is not going as it planned. Who’s five-year plan ever worked out? I mean, seriously. It doesn’t work. We try and plan things, and God laughs. We’ve got to quit looking on the physical, on the outward things, and focus on the inward things, on the unseen. Discouragement deflects our focus. It gets, and here’s here’s the real problem. The real problem with discouragement is this. It gets us thinking about ourselves instead of about God. And instead of about others. Discouragement often leads to selfishness.

Conclusion

Have you allowed your spiritual focus to be clouded, blurred, or even totally lost? Where do you begin to restore your focus? The answer is God’s word. The psalmist said in Psalm 119 and verse 8, open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law. Let us focus, brethren, this week, on God, on his word, on others that we can serve, and ultimately on the goal. That prize, that upward call that we are striving to. God’s word will restore spiritual sight to those who are blinded by sin. It’ll lift the fog that is obscuring our vision and enlighten our spiritual eyes. If you need to respond to the message of the gospel, why don’t you do that this evening? Like the two brothers that came this morning.

Like the one who is baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. If there’s anyone else here that needs to do that, we would monitor you to repent and be baptized while it is not too late. Focus your vision on Him and Him alone who saves.