FOCUS - Make Your One Thing the Main Thing 1

Christian how often have you started something with single-minded representative folder and file before you finish. That's the danger of losing focus on Turning Point.

Dr. David Jeremiah considers why it's essential to pressurize on what matters most is you pursue God's plan from the series forward. His message make you one thing the main thing. Thank you so much for joining us today were in the midst of a series called forward and were saying out loud that your best days are not behind you more than ever, God is ready to use you and your greatest moment could be only a step away. You need understand that it doesn't matter who you are or what your age is your current situation, whatever it may be, God will strengthen you, fulfill you partner with you to see great things accomplished in your life.

That's the message of forward and were taking it one step at a time.

We started with dreaming that we go to praying we finished choosing and today were going to talk about focusing make you one thing the main thing the maestro was born in the northern Italian city of about data his mother was a cigar maker. His father was a baker and amateur tenner was the amateur tire part that most touched young Luciano Pavarotti loved hearing his dad saying he spent hours listening to the family's collection of recordings of great tenors father and son, saying along with the records at full volume. Mr. Pavarotti wouldn't say in public due to stage fright buddy sitting in the church choir and at age 9, Luciano joined him. The boy love to sing and people love him. Your voice touches me whenever you sing. His mother said. But the question of a career was vexing in those days just after World War II, a musical career was risky. His mother suggested Luciano become an athletic instructor, while his father encouraged him to continue developing his voice, but you have to study very hard Luciano. He said practice hard and then maybe Luciano continued his musical studies and also enrolled in a teacher's college and after graduation he asked his father shall be a teacher or shall I be a singer.

The older man wisely avoided giving a direct answer. Instead he spoke words. His son never forgot Luciano.

If you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall in between them for life.

You must choose one chair. Luciano chose singing seven years of hard study and intense practice before he made his first professional appearance and it took another seven before he rates the Metropolitan Opera Pavarotti live with a single focus ultimately became one of the most famous operatic singers in the world. The king of high seas and a crossover performer who won the admiration of millions who had never set foot in Brown's's final performance was viewed by the entire world as he signed missing drama at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

I was blessed with a good voice by God. Pavarotti said, I think it pleased him that I decided to devote myself to it and now I think whether it's laying bricks, driving us right now writing a book. Whatever we choose we should give ourselves to it. Commitment.

He said that's the key. You gotta choose one chair like Pavarotti, you have been blessed by God. You been blessed with talents and resources in a dream for the next phase of your life.

Once you've played about that dream and set the right priorities to achieve it. Your very next step is to focus your life on the one main thing in the Bible. The apostle Paul had that kind of focus.

He said he was straining forward pressing on to reach a heavenly treasure he wrote to his friends in the city of Philippi in the stirring words.

He said not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Listen carefully, brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul is writing to a church for whom he had literally shed his blood when he began preaching in the city of Philippi is recorded in acts 16 attracted both converts and critics. The critics seized him and stripped him with them until the blood ran down his back. He and his fellow sufferer silos were cashed in the prison, but the church was worth the beating becoming and dear to Paul and sending him financial help.

Again and again the church prayed for him as he traveled the Empire. It was to these beloved people that Paul openly expressed with people's longing on his heart and revealed his personal mission statement and the focus of his life today as we unpack Paul's words I want to show you four principles that will sharpen your focus and guide you forward toward your next steps in life. Number one focus on God's purpose. The key to focus on God's purposes here, there's plenty we can't do. But there's one thing we can all do. We can follow God's deep desire for us to grow into the image of Jesus Christ. Paul said, I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me that's God's purpose for you and for all of us. Of course, he also has an individual plan for your life, and he has one for mine and I'll deal with that in a moment but first consider God's ultimate purpose for your life that you become more and more like his son Jesus Christ rose 29 puts it this way, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son John Brady was the being of chocolate Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife are popular with students in his chapel messages were full of life and truth, then great, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The onset of symptoms led him to resign his position but he simply continued looking ahead, he continued moving forward.

Everybody gets a diagnosis of some kind. Sometime in their life told the campus newspaper. There's no reason I shouldn't tell the students he's not asking why he said I can change what's happened to me.

So why is the pivotal question in my life now how I glorify God in the midst of all of this.

That's at the heart of almost every major decision a Christ follower needs to make. Speaking of his disability brace that even this that I don't like is designed to shape me to be more like Jesus Christ unless the voice of someone who's grasped onto God's purpose in his life no matter what comes at him he will not let go when God looks at you and evaluate you.

He wants you as a follower of Christ to become more and more like Jesus Christ, to follow him closely and to emulate his life so that Jesus Christ is seen in you more and more, and that only happens as you put your focus on him. So number one focus on God's purpose. There's a second thought. Focus on God's perspective. The next thing we read is Paul talking about seeing life through God's eyes. He speaks about his past and said it wasn't worth focusing on. He said brethren do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, that's an interesting thing is to forget those things which are behind his back in 1954. Roger Bannister was a medical student who enjoyed running the race in Oxford on May 6 of that year, and he made history, becoming the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes. Bannister's time was three minutes 59.4 seconds and half of global way. Bannister's rival John Landy of Australia took notice. A month later Landy beat banister's record by one second, the media turned or spotlights on these two runners and thousands of people watch.

Later that summer when they lined up at the British Empire games in Vancouver, Canada is called the mile of the century, the racers shot from the starting blocks and Landy took the lead which you maintain the roar of the crowd was deafening with only 90 yards to go. Landy made a fatal mistake. He glanced behind him and at that exact moment.

Banister Street by him and won the race by less that a second.

The race became known as the miracle mile and a Vancouver sculptor created a bronze statue of the two men at the moment when Landy glanced back.

Landy later said lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, I am probably only one who got turned into a bronze statue for looking back, the apostle Paul would have loved that story because that's what he was talking about in Philippians 3 he spoke of forgetting the things that are behind us using the word forget, in the sense of minimizing the negative impact of our past.

So stop allowing things from the past to control you in the present partnership things off. Let them cling to him like anchors pulling him down literally forget what we forget the past will, there's a couple things. First of all we have to forget our successes. There's this great apostle who's accomplished more than most of us could ever accomplish in 10 lifetimes, and he said, in effect, I have not yet arrived and amazes me because I spent my lifetime studying Paul's life in writing and his influence for Christ is breathtaking. NT Wright wrote about the impact of the apostles letters and he said this Paul's letters, and a standard modern translation occupy fewer than 80 pages is a safe bet to say that these letters page for page have generated more combat more sermons and more seminars, more monographs, and dissertations than any other writings from the ancient world. It is as though eight or 10 small paintings by an obscure artist were to become more sought after more studying and copy more highly valued than all the Rembrandts and patients of all the Monet's and Ben goes in the world. Paul's epistles comprise only part of his ministry he founded most of the churches in Asia minor. He was an intellectual giant. Some consider him the greatest man who ever lived apart from Jesus Christ. Yet, here is this man in the twilight of his life. Looking back and say I'm not there yet. I have apprehended the spiritual quality of life I want for myself.

I have not yet been perfected. I want to continue to strive for that for which God has called me. I don't know any man you could say was more successful than Paul but the key to success was that he knew he had not arrived. He wasn't proud he was humble. He didn't look at the past and try to live on his laurels. He lived for the present we need to do the same.

Maybe you look back on your life and you had a great career you were at the very top of whatever it is that you do is help you now, and it surely won't help you in the future for you to go forward. You have to learn to forget, but you know what successes may be harder to forget. We like to forget our failures. That's the second thing I want to talk to you about forgetting your mistakes the other way of taking God's perspective regarding your past is to simply make up your mind to forget those things that haunt you as Ruth Bell Graham quipped every cat knows some things need to be buried. The founder of the Red Cross. Clara Barton was once offended by a coworker, but she quickly forgave her friend and went on newsletter. Someone reminded her of the incident and said don't you remember no said Mrs. Martin, I distinctly recall forgetting there need to be things like that in your life that in mind, distinctly recall forgetting things in your past. Could you choose to forget, for example, guilt is remembering a sin that's already been buried by the blood of Christ. Bitterness is remembering an offense that should be buried by grace. Discouragement is letting the last setback become a roadblock. Your brain wants to relive events all over and over and if you let it. It will chew with failures in shame you with mistakes and keep you awake with stress and low you to sleep with nostalgia you can override your brain by giving the pastor God and forgetting the things that will pull you back and pull you down, let me say this, if you know Jesus Christ as Savior. There's no reason to be obsessed over your past failures. The blood of Christ. Jesus frees you from beating yourself up with regrets. When you become a follower of Christ. You enter into a new life in him and your passes put behind you once and for all. I discovered that Satan loves to remind you of your history and all of its failure, but that's when you say would Jesus get behind me Satan.

Remember opponent's have successes in his past.

He had a wicked past. He cruelly persecuted Christians. He attacked the church, he helped condemn Stephen the first question to be martyred for the cause of Christ. After Paul's dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road. Many Christians remembered what he had done and they were still afraid of him. What if Paul had continued to live in that past one for Flogging himself for what he had done, he would have lost his influence and instead he acknowledged his past, but was full of gratitude for God's grace and for his total forgiveness about pastor for a long time and I've noticed that many of God's people get stranded in the past someone get stuck on their successes and rest on their laurels and some are left high and dry by their failures in a sort of posttraumatic fear grips their hearts that happened to you. Be honest, you must glance back and learn the lesson of the past and celebrate your success with humility, but it's one thing to glance back. It's another thing to get marooned in your memories. The past lends perspective for the future but if you linger there too long.

Your recollection will obliterate your dreams and hinder you from going forward.

Carefully focus on God's purpose, focus on his perspective and then thirdly focus on his plan.

As we continue with our passage in Philippians noticed that Paul becomes more specific, moving from our perspective to our plans pieces reaching forward to those things which are ahead, God's purpose for all of us is the same to become more like Jesus but his plans for each of us are unique and distinctive blueprint for the life of every individual on earth and in history. This plan for you is tailor-made and it's for you alone. It's perfect for the way he made you and the experiences that you have everything has prepared for his next step in your life but you have to follow him into unknown territory into the future. You have to learn what it means to walk by faith. The psalmist put it this way so the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. We are good in ourselves, but we are good in Christ and in Christ God not only orders your steps and your stops. He delights in the way he guide you forward, he delights in his plans for you should you delight in them to God, is delighted in his purpose and plan for your life.

Should you not also delight in those plans so you need to focus on God's purpose and focus on his perspective. Looking back, but not staying in history, focus on his plan. Find out what he want you to do and then focus on his prize. Finally, deliver, focus, life, you need to fix your attention on heaven and the reward that awaits you.

There Paul wrote, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus for Paul, the goal and prize were one and the same not defined in this verse. This is a clear reference to the many promises given to those who are victorious in Christ. Remember, the Bible says that when we get to heaven if we live for the Lord, the Lord Jesus is going to welcome us home with these words. Well done good and faithful servant and embraces the crown of righteousness.

I could also refer to what Peter called the crown of glory which doesn't fade away.

Whatever else this prize and goal will be more than I have seen or ear has heard God's plan for you is to reward you so abundantly, I promise you you won't believe it. Remember, Paul is using the metaphor of an Olympic race in the ancient Olympics, the forerunner won the race. He was someone from the stadium to the judges box and a wreath of Laurel was placed on his head. He received financial rewards and some great fringe benefits. Listen to this. This food was provided to him for the rest of his life and he had lifelong tickets on the front row of the Athenian theater but all those runners have been dead for centuries. The prizes came to an end.

Glory evaporated before lost its flavor and the Athenian theater is now in ruins. It was all temporary. The prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus is eternal, according to the apostle Peter, you have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled. That does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, if you know how important it is to keep your eyes focused on the future Florence Chadwick learned that lesson. She was an accomplished long-distance swimmer and the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, setting new records each way back in 1952. She was 34 years old and that she set out to break another record, no moment had ever swarmed the more than 20 mile channel between Catalina and California. The conditions on the morning of her swim were not ideal. The water was cold all of us who live on the West Coast can identify with that water was cold and the fall get settled in soon after she began to swim. She could barely see the boats accompanying her and to make matters worse, sharks trailed her several times and had to be driven off.

Still Florence Chadwick swam on for more than $15. And as the fog grew increasingly dense and opaque. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted. She stopped swimming.

She was pulled into the boat and taken toward the California shore when she discovered to her dismay, was a little more than 1/2 mile away after swimming almost 20 miles.

She had quit half a mile from her goal on the following day she told the news media. All I could see was the fog. I think if I could have seen the shore. I would have made two months later Lawrence was back on Catalina Island stepping into the water to try to swim again. Unfortunately weather conditions were no better.

The water was cold and began a dense fog settled over the channel, but this time she swam all the way. The first woman to make what made the difference.

She later said that while swimming those last grueling miles. She kept her mind focused on the mental image of the California shore demo and she said I knew the real meaning of faith described in the Bible the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen Sen. ring a bell with me before I got all the way across the lake and I can I couldn't get out and walk to the shore but since I can't see it.

I quit because I'm discouraged. What a lesson.

That story is and what a reminder to us is that God calls us to go forward and not part of the way that most of the way all the way if you stay tuned to this series. Toward the end of it. I have a whole message on the importance of finishing such an important thing to do well get ready for the weekend. Hope you go to church if you can. If not, that you follow your pastor on closed-circuit Internet teaching were available to do that for you from our church and you can find us there. Wherever you are. Make sure you stay connected with the people of God a thank you for let me talk about this and will see you after the weekend right here in this crustacean.

Have a great one. Thank you Mrs. today came to shadow Mountain church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior pastor. How is the Turning Point in enriching his right until his Turning Point PO Box 38, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website@jeremiah.org/radio ask for your company of divers and how discovering God's presence and purpose tomorrow was for him to be the amount you can also purchase the Jeremiah study Bible, English standard version.

The new international version and the new King James version available in a variety of handsome, visit Jeremiah.org/radio join us Monday as we continue the series to Turning Point. Jeremiah from teasing