Focus - Revision history

Wakefien at 15:26, 17 May 2023

2023-05-17T15:26:05Z

Wakefien: /* Don't be a Demas, keep your focus on Jesus */

2023-05-17T14:36:08Z

‎Don't be a Demas, keep your focus on Jesus

Wakefien: /* Don't be a Demas. */

2023-05-17T14:35:59Z

‎Don't be a Demas.

Wakefien: /* Image: Translating Luke 23:43 */

2023-05-17T14:34:59Z

‎Image: Translating Luke 23:43

Wakefien: /* MTR: Recognize that Jesus is essential. */

2023-05-17T14:33:56Z

‎MTR: Recognize that Jesus is essential.

Wakefien: /* Mary broke cultural norms in order to focus on Jesus. This is a true form of making Jesus Lord. */

2023-05-17T14:31:50Z

‎Mary broke cultural norms in order to focus on Jesus. This is a true form of making Jesus Lord.

Wakefien: /* Your kids and family will survive without that trip the Raising Caines if it comes at the expense of extra work hours that replace your time with Jesus. */

2023-05-17T14:31:02Z

‎Your kids and family will survive without that trip the Raising Caines if it comes at the expense of extra work hours that replace your time with Jesus.

Wakefien: /* Someone else can serve. */

2023-05-17T14:30:31Z

‎Someone else can serve.

Wakefien: /* Jesus is the one and only one best thing. */

2023-05-17T14:29:47Z

‎Jesus is the one and only one best thing.

Wakefien: /* Jesus is the one and only one best thing. */

2023-05-17T14:29:25Z

‎Jesus is the one and only one best thing.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 '''Homiletical Proposition/Application: As we go through life and do lots of good things we must never lose sight of the greatest thing, spending time with Jesus.'''
 =Introduction:=
-==Text: Luke 10:38-42, 2 Timothy 4:10==
+==Text: Luke 10:38-42, 2 Timothy 4:9-10==
 ==Image: Demas==
 ===Have you ever heard of a man named Demas? Demas only shows up three times in the Bible (that is three times more than you or I!)===
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ====Based on these passages it seems reasonable to conclude that Demas was one who stood with Paul in one of his imprisonments.====
 ====So, what happened to this man who was counted worthy to be named in both Colossians and Philemon?====
-===In my opinion, 2 Timothy 4:10 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible.===
+===In my opinion, 2 Timothy 4:9-10 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible.===
 <p>for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.</p>
 ====Demas was distracted by the world and forsook Paul.====
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ===The good things we can do could fill a lifetime.===
 ====Working a job to provide for your family is a good thing.====
 ====Teaching a Sunday School class or small group is a good thing.====
 ====Serving in ministry here at the church is a good thing.====
@@ Line 38: / Line 39: @@
 ====In fact, one theme in Luke 7:36-50 is contrast between the Pharisees who failed in hospitality and the sinful woman who showed great hospitality in anointing Jesus's feet.====
 ====Hospitality is important====
-=====It is commanded in Romans 12:13 and 1 Peter 4:9=====
+=====It is commanded in Romans 12:13 and 1 Peter 4:9 (read)=====
-=====It is a requirement for someone seeking the office of elder in 1 Tim. 3:1-2.=====
+=====It is a requirement for someone seeking the office of elder in 1 Tim. 3:1-2. (read)=====
 ====I want you to realize that what Martha was doing was important. We need people to be hospitable! We need people to open their homes!====
 ===The problem was that Martha became distracted (40).===
@@ Line 72: / Line 73: @@
 ===Martha called Jesus Lord, Mary truly treated Jesus as Lord===
 ====Mary broke cultural norms in order to focus on Jesus. This is a true form of making Jesus Lord.====
-<p>Understand just how counter-cultural this would have been. In the ancient world there was a strong division between the roles of women and men even in a household. Men and women did not intermingle except for when a woman was serving a man. In this story we find that Mary is doing everything "right" she has called Jesus Lord and she is serving him as if he was the master. However, it is Mary who truly treats Jesus as Lord. You see truly treating Jesus as Lord requires that we take time, sit with Jesus, and listen to what he has to teach us.</p>
+<p>Understand just how counter-cultural this would have been. In the ancient world there was a strong division between the roles of women and men even in a household. Men and women did not intermingle except for when a woman was serving a man. In this story we find that Martha is doing everything "right" she has called Jesus Lord and she is serving him as if he was the master. However, it is Mary who truly treats Jesus as Lord. You see truly treating Jesus as Lord requires that we take time, sit with Jesus, and listen to what he has to teach us.</p>
-==How can I make the best thing my thing?==
+==How can I make the ''best'' thing ''my'' thing?==
-===MTR: Recognize who Jesus actually is.===
+===MTR: Recognize who Jesus actually is by getting to know Him.===
-We must take time to recognize that Jesus is not just a good teacher. Jesus is not just a good man. Jesus is God himself become man sent to live a perfect life, die on the cross paying the penalty for sin, rise again defeating sin and death and coming again to redeem the world. Jesus outranks everything we can imagine. we must recognize Jesus for who he actually is and not just set him up as one more important item in life.
+<p>We must take time to recognize that Jesus is not just a good teacher. Jesus is not just a good man. Jesus is God himself become man sent to live a perfect life, die on the cross paying the penalty for sin, rise again defeating sin and death and coming again to redeem the world. Jesus outranks everything we can imagine. we must recognize Jesus for who he actually is and not just set him up as one more important item in life.</p>
-===MTR: Recognize that Jesus is essential.===
+====We covered so much of who Jesus is:====
 ====There really is not much in life that is truly essential.====
 We value a lot of things but the only thing that is truly essential is Jesus.

@@ Line 108: / Line 108: @@
 ==Don't be a Demas, keep your focus on Jesus==
 I started today by telling you not to be a Demas. I am convinced that the key is to determine to keep Jesus as the focus.
-</p>One example is by making sure that Jesus is the center of your relationships and since marriage is such a significant relationship for many we are going to start something the tI think is particularly cool and exciting here at the church.</p>
+<p>One example is by making sure that Jesus is the center of your relationships and since marriage is such a significant relationship for many we are going to start something the tI think is particularly cool and exciting here at the church.</p>
 [[Category:Sermons]]

@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 ======As wonderful as Heaven will be, it won't be wonderful because of what it is, it will be wonderful because of who is there.======
-==Don't be a Demas.==
+==Don't be a Demas, keep your focus on Jesus==
 I started today by telling you not to be a Demas. I am convinced that the key is to determine to keep Jesus as the focus.
-===One example is by making sure that Jesus is the center of your relationships and since marriage is such a significant relationship for many
+</p>One example is by making sure that Jesus is the center of your relationships and since marriage is such a significant relationship for many we are going to start something the tI think is particularly cool and exciting here at the church.</p>
 [[Category:Sermons]]

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 ===Image: Translating Luke 23:43===
-I have told many of you that I am slowly working through translating the New Testament for myself. I am nearly done but one of the last three books I have to translate is Luke. A few weeks ago I was translating Luke 23:43 which you might recognize "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 23:43.</ref> What struck me was the word order. You see, in English we use word order to determine subject, direct object etc. But Greek has a different structure. In Greek, the ending of a word determines how it functions in a sentence and the order determines emphasis. A literal translation of Luke 23:43 actually sounds more like Yoda Speak. "Truly, to you, I say, today with me you will be in paradise." As wonderful as Heaven will be, it won't be wonderful because of what it is, it will be wonderful because of who is there.
+I have told many of you that I am slowly working through translating the New Testament for myself. I am nearly done but one of the last three books I have to translate is Luke.
+====A few weeks ago I was translating Luke 23:43 which you might recognize "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 23:43.</ref>====
 ==Don't be a Demas.==

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 We must take time to recognize that Jesus is not just a good teacher. Jesus is not just a good man. Jesus is God himself become man sent to live a perfect life, die on the cross paying the penalty for sin, rise again defeating sin and death and coming again to redeem the world. Jesus outranks everything we can imagine. we must recognize Jesus for who he actually is and not just set him up as one more important item in life.
 ===MTR: Recognize that Jesus is essential.===
-There really is not much in life that is truly essential. We value a lot of things but the only thing that is truly essential is Jesus. One of the hardest times in my life was when God asked me "If I take it all away am I still God?" We learned we would not have children, the job I had given up so much for fell through, and my best friend, my dad suddenly died all in a short period of time. As I began to pick up the pieces of my life I asked why? God gave me an answer and his answer was really very simple. God said "I am asking you one question. If I take everything you value so highly away from you, am I still your God?" I thank God He gave me the grace to pass that test. And so I am telling you here and now, Jesus is the only thing that is essential and guess what, God has given it back to me! Just like Job, I am blessed in ways that are unimaginable. I now have several fathers in my life sitting in this room right now. There are several children here that I love as my own. And guess what, God gave me a better job than I had imagined. What did it take? Stripping it all away so that I could see that Jesus is essential.
+====There really is not much in life that is truly essential.====
 ===MTR: Treat Jesus as Lord by simply sitting at His feet to learn from him.===

@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 =====Your kids and family will survive if you choose not to take them to practice because you need that time with Jesus.=====
 =====Your kids and family will survive without that trip the Raising Caines if it comes at the expense of extra work hours that replace your time with Jesus.=====
-We have built up a church culture that says family first. That culture is not entirely wrong, but just like so many other things we have twisted what is good to make it bad. Yes, your family should be important, almost most important, but Jesus is the essential.
+<p>We have built up a church culture that says family first. That culture is not entirely wrong, but just like so many other things we have twisted what is good to make it bad. Yes, your family should be important, almost most important, but Jesus is the essential.</p>
 ===Martha called Jesus Lord, Mary truly treated Jesus as Lord===
 ====Mary broke cultural norms in order to focus on Jesus. This is a true form of making Jesus Lord.====

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 =====Your job can be replaced.=====
 =====Someone else can serve.=====
-This doesn't mean I want you to stop serving, but if you come to me and say that you need to take a break from serving in x ministry so that you can take that time with Jesus I am going to say awesome, and then hold you accountable to spending that time with Jesus.
+<p>This doesn't mean I want you to stop serving, but if you come to me and say that you need to take a break from serving in x ministry so that you can take that time with Jesus I am going to say awesome, and then hold you accountable to spending that time with Jesus.</p>
 =====Your kids and family will survive if you choose not to take them to practice because you need that time with Jesus.=====
 =====Your kids and family will survive without that trip the Raising Caines if it comes at the expense of extra work hours that replace your time with Jesus.=====

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 ==Jesus is the one and only one ''best'' thing.==
-I want to take just a short break from the passage that we are in today and instead take you on a short tour of passages that lead up to our main passage. You see, context matters, we tend to thing of passages in isolated pieces but in fact, passages are part of bigger narratives and we need to understand the narrative that Luke has painted so far.
+<p>I want to take just a short break from the passage that we are in today and instead take you on a short tour of passages that lead up to our main passage. You see, context matters, we tend to thing of passages in isolated pieces but in fact, passages are part of bigger narratives and we need to understand the narrative that Luke has painted so far.</p>
 ===Luke has already shown that Jesus is special (9:18-20, 35; 10:2, 24, 25-37).===
 ====Jesus is the anointed one as Peter proclaimed in Luke 9:18-20.====