Finding Your Focus

Finding Your Focus

Matthew 14:22-36

March 5, 2002

Leadership Team Devotional

Introduction

I. Magnifying Glass

II. The need for focus

Focus can be our best friend or worst enemy, when we keep our focus on positive things it is a true friend, when we focus on the negative it becomes our worst enemy

Where do you keep your focus?

MT 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

MT 14:25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It’s a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

MT 14:27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid."

MT 14:28 "Lord, if it’s you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

MT 14:29 "Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

MT 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

MT 14:32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Body

I. The focus of Jesus – The Father

A. Jesus sends the disciples

1. Jesus gets the disciples out of harm’s way

2. Jesus sends them on to the other side

B. Jesus Dismisses the crowds

1. The people needed to be dismissed

a.) Control was being lost

b.) Jesus was squelching the negative atmosphere

2. Jesus needed to be alone

a.) The whole reason that He came to this place was to be alone

b.) He could not get away from the demands of the crowds

C. Jesus gets alone to pray:

1. Jesus is alone

a.) Notice that the focus of Jesus takes Him back to the Father

b.) Jesus takes this time to spiritually renew Himself

 It is impossible to give if your cup is empty

2. Jesus has his priorities

a.) Jesus was acknowledging the fact that he needed support from the Father

b.) Jesus teaches us an important lesson. There are times that we need to go to God for spiritual refreshment

II. The Focus of the Disciples - Fear

A. The disciples were afraid:

1. Fear sets in

a.) The disciples were battling a major storm and they were in great danger

b.) They had been in the boat between 6-8 hours and had made zero progress

c.) They were discouraged, disgusted, disheartened and disappointed

2. The fear gets a figure

a.) In the midst of the storm, they see a figure on the water and assume it was a ghost

b.) The fear was that they were about to be destroyed

3. Jesus calms their fears

a.) Jesus speaks and they know His voice

b.) Jesus makes a powerful statement – it is I

III. The focus of Peter - Faith

A. Peter walks on the water

1. Peter steps out

a.) Peter asks to come out on the water

b.) Peter stepped out of his comfort zone

2. Peter believed the impossible

a.) Peter believed that with the help of Jesus he could do the impossible

b.) Peter went out on a limb – why not? Isn’t that where the fruit is?

B. Peter begins to sink

1. Peter does the impossible

a.) Peter does what no other human being has ever done – walks on water

b.) Peter gets lost in the moment

2. Peter loses focus

a.) Peter takes his eyes off of Christ and loses his focus

b.) Peter put his focus on his circumstances and sank like a rock

C. Jesus saves Peter

1. Peter calls out

a.) Peter was smart enough to know who to call on

b.) If Jesus could allow him to walk on water he could also rescue him

2. Jesus rescues him

a.) Jesus catches Peter when he called

b.) Notice that Peter acted in faith to walk on the water and to call on Christ for help

Where is your focus?

It is easy to get wrapped up in our circumstances. Every time that you look at the waves you take your eyes off of Jesus