Sermon Tone Analysis

Focus on Jesus

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Main Point: Focus on Jesus                                                                                               

Revised on 5~/17~/05

Preached in Leicester on 5~/22~/05

Lesson Text:

 

*Introduction:*

*Photo out of focus*

            Anytime I go on a trip or Vacation I like to bring my Camera.

I love to take photos of the people and Places.

I sometimes take too many.

But I love to get home and look at the pictures and reminisce about the trip and about the people.

Before we got our digital camera I would be in such a hurry to see the pictures that I couldn’t wait the 2 or 3 days it took to process the film so I would take it to the 1 hour photo shop.

But I don’t know if it is just me but when I use to open up the pictures and look through There was always at least one photo that was fuzzy and blurry.

It was usually so bad that I couldn't make out what the picture was, Has that ever happened to any of you?

It used to happen to me all the time.

*This World is out of focus*

            You know it’s not only Photos that can be blurry and out of focus.

Our lives can be as well.

I don’t know if anyone here remembers John A. Muhammad and Lee B. Malvo they were the two guys who at one time were running around shooting random people?

People who were just walking or pumping gas.

Does anyone remember the Enron scandal and the man who killed himself during that scandal?

Or what about the school shootings that seem to be everywhere now?

People buying and selling their souls on ebay.

You know I’m told you can buy a pair of jeans that were supposedly worn by Jesus Christ, on eBay.

I often sit and ask what, are these people thinking.

I ask why?

Why would 2 men go on a shooting spree or why would a man take his own life?

Why would someone sell or for that matter buy someone else’s soul on eBay?

Then it occurs to me.

If we believe that life Evolved from nothing, then we no longer believe in a right or a wrong.

If we believe the TV and the Media that no matter what we do things will turn out right as long as we have a Pepsi in our hands.

If we think money can answer all our problems, then we are seeing life in a blurry out of focused way.

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*What does this world focus on?

Sex, Money, Power and intelligence.*

You see this world tells us to focus on things like Sex, Sex sells and when we turn on the TV we see sex.

I don’t know how many times I’ve looked over at Shannon as we were watching a show and said what was this commercial about or why did they need to put a young half naked guy or girl on.

No matter what’s being sold, from a candy bar to a Car.

Even if it doesn’t fit the commercial they use sex to sell things.

And we are told that perversions of sex are just other ways of having it.

You know sex between a married man and women is good and God set that up.

But Sex outside of marriage is wrong and it’s wrong because it’s against what God has set up for sex.

But again if our attention is on sex the reality of what is true is blurred.

When our reality is blurred we look and say sex is from God but then don’t follow what He set up for sex and we see children having children and these children growing up in homes with no father or no mother or being raised in a dangerous environment.

So Sex is not where we should put our attention or where we should focus.

What about Money?

This world tells us to Focus on Money.

Money will solve all your problems.

Get lots of money.

It doesn't really matter how you get that money as long as you’re rich.

Maybe that’s what the man who killed himself, after the Enron scandal believed.

Or what happens to the man who is a great CEO of a company making thousands or even millions of dollars and then finds out that he has Cancer.

Life is out of focus when we place our attention on the things of this world.

We can do no better than to stumble and fall.

But if sex and money are not where our focus should be what about focusing on ourselves.

Focus in ward.

Well as you can imagine the world has that as a life focusing philosophy as well.

If I only come to know myself and feel good about myself then all will be well and then I can help others.

If I treat myself well then my life will be great.

And we see the results of this type of thinking when we see a father of three small children who leaves his family to make himself feel better or to find himself.

I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound right.

*What should we focus on?*

Someone once said there are three things in life that we need.

Christ, Christ, and Christ.

The Bible, The word of almighty God, tells us that we need to focus on Jesus.

We need to stay alert and focused on Christ.

But Why? Well first of all He is perfect, Sinless.

There is no other person on earth past present or future who is perfect only Jesus holds that title.

If you’re looking for a role model you need not look any further than Jesus.

*Role models *

            Don’t look to the movie stars or sports stars as your role model or the person you look up to or focus on.

Why?

They will let you down.

There not perfect and they sin just like the rest of us.

A little while back there were:

            Four members of the National Football League's Oakland Raiders that tested positive for THG, a newly detectable banned steroid.

Basketball players charged with sexual assault and violence.

This is from an article from *November 20, 2004 *

            /The NBA suspended four players indefinitely Saturday for their roles in one of the worst-ever brawls in the league, a fight with fans that commissioner David Stern called "shocking, repulsive and inexcusable."

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/            Indiana's Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson and Detroit's Ben Wallace were suspended, the NBA said Saturday.

Police in Auburn Hills, Mich., were investigating, but did not comment on who might be charged./

/Artest and Jackson lunged into the stands and fought with fans in the final minute of their game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, and the brawl forced an early end to the Pacers' 97-82 win./

/ /

/After several minutes of players fighting with fans in the stands, a chair, beer, ice and popcorn were thrown at the Pacers as they made their way to the locker room./

/About a half-dozen people were treated for injuries at the arena in suburban Detroit, one was taken to a hospital by ambulance and another sought treatment, police said./

/The fight was "shocking, repulsive and inexcusable — a humiliation for everyone associated with the NBA," Stern said in a statement Saturday./

The list goes on and on.

Movie stars caught shoplifting, Musicians arrested for drunk driving and Michel Jackson in court time after time on child abuse charges.

Christians we don’t find our role models on TV or on the radio we look to Christ because He will never let us down.

You will never find a bad side of Christ.

He will never let you down.

Trust Him.

But He is not only perfect; sinless He gave up His life to save every person on this earth.

/Rom 5:6/

/6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

/

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That’s us.

He came and died for our sins.

We walked away from God.

We have sinned and in doing that we have all turned our backs on God.

But through Jesus we can have a special relationship with God.

We have all sinned and have fallen short in life but Jesus came to the earth and through his death, burial, and resurrection has given us life eternal and fixed our relationship with God.

Where should we put our focus?