Focus On Jesus

Matthew 10:29 MSG "What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose

change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. 30 He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail--even numbering the hairs

on your head!

Focus On Jesus

31 So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth

more than a million canaries. 32 “Stand up for me against

world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in

heaven.

Focus On Jesus

33 If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you? 34 “Don't think I've come to make life cozy.

I've come to cut-- 35 make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and

mother-in-law--cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and

free you for God.

Focus On Jesus

36 Well-meaning family members can be your worst

enemies. 37 If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you

don't deserve me.

Focus On Jesus

38 “If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. 39 If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if

you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and

me.

Focus On Jesus

40 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts

me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent

me.

Focus On Jesus

41 Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger.

Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This

is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by

it. It's best to start small.

Focus On Jesus

42 Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for

instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't

lose out on a thing."

Focus On Jesus

Oh how God cares about us. He knows us inside and out, even how many, or how few for some of us, hairs are on our heads. He really cares, but don’t think for a second he sent His Son to make life easy

for us!

Focus On Jesus

No, He came to find out the depth of our love for God. When he sees us

standing up for Him against the world, He will stand up for us

before God in Heaven. If our love is so shallow that we hold our earthly families and ourselves

closer than we hold Him, we are lost.

Focus On Jesus

When we forget about ourselves, focus on Jesus and

share even something as simple as a cup of water we show that we are His true apprentice, a disciple, a

learning doer.

Focus On Jesus

Matthew 14:15 MSG Toward evening the disciples approached him. "We're out in the country and it's getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper." 16 But Jesus

said, "There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper."

Focus On Jesus

17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish," they said. 18 Jesus said, "Bring

them here." 19 Then he had the people sit on the grass.

Focus On Jesus

He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation.

20 They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of

leftovers.

Focus On Jesus

21 About five thousand were fed. 22 As soon as the meal

was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat

and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the

people.

Focus On Jesus

23 With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he

could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into

the night.

Focus On Jesus

24 Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. 25 At

about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water.

Focus On Jesus

26 They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. 27 But Jesus was quick to comfort

them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid."

Focus On Jesus

28 Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call

me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the

water to Jesus.

Focus On Jesus

30 But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and

started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" 31 Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached

down and grabbed his hand.

Focus On Jesus

Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" 32 The two of them climbed into the

boat, and the wind died down.

Focus On Jesus

Peter’s focus shifted from Jesus to all that was around him, waves waiting to swallow him up. He was no longer looking in faith to

Jesus. He could not maintain safety above the raging sea since

his focal point had changed.

Focus On Jesus

We must not let our life’s focus fall from Jesus. When we look away

from Him at the raging world around us how could we ever

survive? Forgetting about dangerous world we live in and

our personal desires Jesus will lift us above the danger just as He did

Peter.

Focus On Jesus

Let’s take a look at a time lots of disciples took their focus off Jesus and turned away. Jesus was teaching that he was the bread of life. Unless you eat

of his flesh and drink his blood there is no life in you.

Focus On Jesus

John 6:47 MSG "I'm telling you the most solemn and sober

truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. 48 I am the Bread of Life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died.

Focus On Jesus

50 But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of

heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. 51 I

am the Bread--living Bread!--who came down out of heaven.

Focus On Jesus

Anyone who eats this Bread will live--and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so

that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood

self."

Focus On Jesus

52 At this, the Jews started fighting among themselves: "How can this

man serve up his flesh for a meal?" 53 But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and

drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do

you have life within you.

Focus On Jesus

54 The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and

ready for the Final Day. 55 My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter

into me and I into you.

Focus On Jesus

57 In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me. 58 This is the

Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live

always."

Focus On Jesus

59 He said these things while teaching in the meeting place

in Capernaum. 60 Many among his disciples heard this

and said, "This is tough teaching, too tough to

swallow."

Focus On Jesus

61 Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, "Does this throw you completely? 62 What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to

where he came from?

Focus On Jesus

63 The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen.

Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is

life-making.

Focus On Jesus

64 But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this." (Jesus knew from

the start that some weren't going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would

betray him.)

Focus On Jesus

65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you earlier that no one is

capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father." 66 After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated

with him.

Focus On Jesus

67 Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to

leave?" 68 Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life.

69 We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are

the Holy One of God."

Focus On Jesus

This was too much for many to accept. He must be a madman

demanding people to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Peter confesses here that only Jesus has the words of eternal

life.

Focus On Jesus

There is no one else who can be turned to that can promise real,

eternal life. There is no salvation, except through Jesus the Son of God. Jesus must be our focus in

all we do. He has to be the center of our lives. Solomon in his

wisdom searches for the purpose of our lives.

Focus On Jesus

Ecclesiastes 12:13 CEV Everything you were taught can be put into a

few words: Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about. 14

God will judge everything we do, even what is done in secret,

whether good or bad.

Focus On Jesus

Solomon’s wisdom of course could never compare to the wisdom of Jesus, God’s Son. In the March

5th reading He will tell us what the most important command is, plus as an added bonus He gives us the second greatest commandment.

Focus On Jesus

Matthew 22:34 MSG When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an

assault. 35 One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show

him up:

Focus On Jesus

36 “Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"

37 Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' 38

This is the most important, the first on any list.

Focus On Jesus

39 But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' 40

These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and

the Prophets hangs from them."

Focus On Jesus

Are we taking our eyes off Jesus. He demands our lives to revolve around Him. Our God is a jealous God! When we put Him above all else He

promises us life eternal.