The Doctrine of Christ no 24

“What is your focus”

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

October 19^th, 2011

Good evening, everyone. This evening I would like to take a short message on What is your focus or what are we focusing on?

Matthew 6: 19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

And that is the key, where your treasure is there your heart will be also because watch what Jesus says next in, Matthew 6: 22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Now, he's not talking about a one eyed person, but He’s speaking about our having our focus single. If our focus is single-minded, if we keep our focus on one thing and one thing Only, and that one thing is Him, then our light, our understanding will be great. We'll know the reasons why things happen the way they do, because we know that He has all things under His control and He is working all things together for the Good of those who are The Called and Who love Him.

Romans 8: 26-31 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

We sing the song, "Living alone in this old sinful world, hardly a comfort can afford, striving alone to face temptations sore, where could I go but to the Lord.” And I realized how alone we would be without each other, in this old world. I guess I know just how Adam must have felt back in the garden. Empty without fellowship and companionship. And that is the whole reason behind the redemption story. Our God and Father, alone for an eternity with only a desire to have fellowship with His own Offspring. And so He established a plan to bring us forth from the very recesses of His mind. He had a need, a desire for fellowship and so he thought of You and I. He then set forth His great plan to bring us into His Presence that we might walk with Him and talk with Him.

1Corinthians 1: 9-10 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

He wants us to be of the same mind and same judgment but how can we as long as we have not the right focus which is his focus.

In Matthew 6: 19-22 we saw the importance of keeping our focus right and on the right things. But let's see what happens when we don't.

Matthew 6: 22-26 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Just having a single-mindedness in our outlook is not necessarily good. Our focus must be a right focus. Jesus was talking about treasure. Laying up treasure in heaven, not being focused here on earth. Too much of our thoughts are focused wrong because we are focusing on the things of this world and laying up an earthly treasure for what? For rust to corrupt? We should be focusing on our future home, as brother Branham preached of the future home and as Jesus told us about it.

John 14: 1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

That word house is actually a Greek word oikia which means a place of inhabitance, a household or family, and the word mansion is a Greek word, mone which means a place of abode, or a place which excerpts a most blessed influence. So we see that in His Father's Family will be many homes which are so Christ centered that His very Presence will be abiding in each of them.

John 14: 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

The same Presence, the same atmosphere in each of these homes. And I believe that this is what we all truly want deep down in our souls. "As the heart panteth after the water brook, so panteth my soul after Thee Oh, Lord." Jesus hung on the cross and said I thirst. Why? The Roman Guard thought he thirsted for water, but I don't believe it was water but God's Spirit He thirsted for. God's Presence had left Him in Gethsemane and He longed for and thirsted after God's Divine Presence. The atmosphere of God's Presence. When the Father entered into Him at His Baptism, He said, " This is My beloved Son IN Whom I am well pleased", and Brother Branham brought to our attention that when The Father said, IN WHOM he was saying I am pleased to dwell in HIM.

John 14: 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; This scripture tells us how this Presence of God will come into us and abide with us.

John 15: 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you., 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

He said, If ye abide in me and My Word abides in you, then ask what you will and it shall be given to you. Why? Because then it is no longer you asking but His Word asking through you.

And look, Don’t ever forget that He loves you so much, He said that He would make sure that all things will work together for our Good. Do you believe that?

Let’s bow our heads in prayer.